An Education by UnknownRandomness

Determination and the Fruit of Caution

A/N: Decided to take this prompt very literally... I may or may not have been influenced by listening to Polly Scattergood's "New York, New York" on repeat, so if you listened to it whilst reading, it may enhance the experience. Please leave a review :)

Prompt: Avalanche – (vb) To fall or slide in a massive or overwhelming amount; to overwhelm; inundate.

Word Count: 511

It had been a new situation. 

There were tens of thousands of slavering youkai, all incredibly powerful, all thirsty for their blood and worst of all; all willing to work together if that meant victory. No matter the foe they had faced before, it's desire to win alone had contributed to its downfall. With this multitude of demons united, it was a daunting task to even survive, let alone destroy them.

Both sons of the Great Inu no Tashio had fought bravely and perfectly, making no mistakes, executing earth-splitting strikes and felling hundreds of enemies at once. But no matter how many turned to dust, there were hundreds more to take their place. Inundated, the half-siblings had done their best to protect those that were precious to them, they had tried to shield them from the nightmare-inducing creatures that had crawled up through the seven layers of hell to claw at their ankles.

But it was all in vain. 

Eventually, after many tiring and painful minutes, each of which had felt like an eternity, the battle was lost. They had proven to be powerless in the face of such an overwhelming assault. The previously green and lush earth was now ravaged and torn; but would be extremely fertile, nourished with the blood of countless lives. The victors slowly left the battleground after squabbling between themselves over the spoils, each of them coveting the flesh of their unanimous enemy, the honourable Western Lord. The hanyou who had made off with his crescent moon crowed his glee to the starless night, only to be run through by one of his companions. Now that the war was over, all sense of comraderie dissipated and the bloodshed started anew.

As the battle raged on, a small and unnoticeable presence slipped past the fighters, her bare and bloodied feet creeping lightly over the remains of the only family she had ever known. Her hair had escaped the topknot that noramlly held it in place and she used it as camouflage, hiding in the darkness behind a curtain of brown. With great caution and a firm understanding of what were to happen to her should she make a noise, the girl wove between the trees like a spectre.

Hours, she walked. Curling up in the hollow of a dead tree, the terrified child sat in silence, resting. But she didn't sleep, not even when the sun rose from behind the horizon and painted the sky with vibrant colours. She felt like she would never sleep again. Not until those who had killed her best friend were dragged back to the pit they came from. Lord Sesshoumaru, Kagome, Shippo, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Kirara... They had died and she had lived. She, the weakest, the youngest and the one who had nothing to return to had been the one to survive. Oh, the Kami were so very cruel. She would not see them again until she herself had died. But not yet. Not yet. 

As the birds began to trill their morning songs, Rin vowed to take her revenge.