InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Mother For Rin ❯ Magnolias ( Chapter 7 )

 

“Oh!” Rin gasped as she woke.

 

There were flowers all around her. Pink and white fragrant magnolia flowers and the she reached for one, afraid that the sight was a dream. The flower was too far away but it didn't matter, a hand with magenta stripes she knew so well gently plucked the flower from the branch and handed it to her.

 

She looked up at Sesshoumaru, her mocha eyes shinning brightly as her smile lit and nearly split her face. Rin giggled happily and turned in her father's arms to hug him tightly. Sesshoumaru returned the embrace and kissed her hair.

 

“Thank you Daddy,” she said softly, her words almost a whisper.

 

“You are quite welcome pup.”

 

Rin flinched as the bottom of her foot brushed against a branch but kept herself from making any sound of discomfort. She should have known though that she wouldn't be able to hide anything from her ever observant Sesshoumaru. The inuyoukai looked down at the girl in his arms when he felt her flinch and his eyes moved to her feet when he smelled her blood.

 

The small brush against the bark had caused the bandaged wounds on her feet to open up again and she was now bleeding in his arms. He had chosen the most fully bloomed magnolia tree and now regretted that choice with how far away from the palace they were.

 

Holding her close, he leapt from branch to branch until he landed gently on the ground and carried her to a nearby stream. He knelt on the ground and set her gently on the grass next to the stream.

 

“It is alright Rin,” Sesshoumaru soothed as he unwrapped the bloody bandage on her left foot and eased her still bleeding foot into the icy water.

 

Rin hissed before she could stop herself and felt Sesshoumaru kiss her hair.

 

“I know it is cold but it will help stop the bleeding. Stay here,” he commanded gently and Rin nodded and watched her foot dangle in the frigid water of the stream.

 

It had only been one day since she had cut herself on all the broken glass and her feet still hurt terribly though she was able to forget it at times. The first night the cuts on her feet constantly opened whenever she moved them wrong or curled her toes, or flexed her feet. Last night alone Minako had gone through four sets of bandages alone when her feet began bleeding again and again. The healer had wanted to stitch the child's feet but the skin had been cut so many times that the skin was nearly shredded and it would have only made it worse to attempt to stitch them up.

 

Sesshoumaru returned soon with two rabbits and enough wood for a fire under his arms. He quickly set the wood on fore and cleaned the rabbits. Taking his Mokomoko-sama from his shoulder, Sesshoumaru coiled the fur into a fluffy cushion and lifted Rin in his arms. He carried her from the stream to the fur and set her down in its billowing softness.

 

Rin smiled in delight despite her pain and let herself fall back to lie upon the fur and snuggled into it. Though his face was stoic, Sesshoumaru's golden eyes were shining bright in amusement and he shook his head at the picture the child made. After skinning the rabbits and putting them on the spit to cook over the fire, he carried the skins to the stream and rinsed the blood of the animal off and then hung them to dry.

 

As Sesshoumaru was rinsing the bandages in the stream and hanging them to dry he heard Rin's excited gasp and turned to see her sitting up and smiling brightly.

 

“Pretty Lady!” Rin giggled and went to stand, forgetting about her injured feet.

 

Rin cried out and fell back to the fur as both Kagome and Sesshoumaru rushed to her side.

 

“Oh, what happened?” Kagome asked softly catching sight of the injuries.

 

“She stepped upon the glass of a broken window,” Sesshoumaru answered softly.

 

“Oh sweetheart,” Kagome crooned and hugged Rin to her.

 

The child returned the hug, the embrace a welcome distraction as Sesshoumaru cleaned the dirt from the reopened and once again bleeding cuts. Kagome pulled back once Sesshoumaru had finished cleaning her cuts and offered him one gauze bandage roll from her first aide box as she took the other and together the two of them wrapped Rin's feet in clean bandages.

 

“Oi wench,” Inuyasha said as he entered the clearing and saw Kagome kneeling next to his brother in front of the child. “Hey kid,” Inuyasha said stopping short as his nose caught the scent of the child's blood.

 

Kagome looked to Sesshoumaru and when he gave a silent nod, she turned and held her hand out to Inuyasha, beckoning him closer. The hanyou came closer, wary of his brother but trusting of Kagome. He didn't take her hand but hunkered down next to the child and watched as Rin bit her lip and stared at his ears.

 

Inuyasha rolled his golden eyes and smirked as he intentionally swiveled his ears at her. Hearing Rin's gasp of delight and giggle, he ignored the others there and leant his head down as he let the child touch his ears. Rin was hesitant at first, but at Inuyasha's gentle smile she reached up and petted the fuzzy triangles. At the first touch of her fingers they twitched away from her tickling touch until he grew accustomed to the feeling and then held them still as she petted the fine white fur.

 

“I think I'm a little jealous Rin,” Kagome said with a smile. “He never does that for me.”

 

“Really?” Rin asked her eyes wide as she looked at Kagome.

 

“Mmhmm,” Kagome nodded.

 

Rin giggled and leaned forward, Inuyasha still close enough to wrap her arms around his neck and hug him. A soft blush stole across the hanyou's cheeks and he returned the hug before setting the tiny girl back on his brother's fur.

 

“What happened to you kid?” he asked noticing her bandaged feet.

 

“Rin stepped on glass,” she answered and looked at her feet, being sure to hold them still, any movement hurt them it seemed.

 

“Hi Rin!” Shippou bounded over to the girl and hopped up onto the fur beside her.

 

“Hi Shippou!” Rin greeted and hugged her friend.

 

“Brother, a word,” Sesshoumaru said as he stood and moved away from the group as Sango, Miroku and Kirara came closer to them.

 

Inuyasha sighed and followed his brother, catching the look from Kagome that clearly asked him not to fight. He nodded at Kagome and she smiled softly at him as he turned away and followed his brother to the cooking rabbits.

 

“You are in my lands brother, I doubt you came upon us by chance,” Sesshoumaru began as he turned the rabbits to cook on the other side.

 

“Feh.” Inuyasha looked back and saw Kagome smile at him before turning her attention back to the others.

 

“Your miko grieves,” the taiyoukai said following his brother's line of sight.

 

“Yeah I know,” Inuyasha said deciding that the least he could do was be honest about why they were all there and honor Kagome's request not to start a fight with him.

 

“You have not lost anyone to your pack brother, for what does she grieve?”

 

“I don't know,” he said softly as he turned his attention back to his brother. “She won't tell me.”

 

Sesshoumaru nodded once and studied Kagome as he spoke to his brother. “Why is that you and your pack have sought this Sesshoumaru out?”

 

“We're following a rumor on the jewel shards. There's supposed to be a youkai near here, worm or snake, I'm not really sure the villagers weren't too clear, but it's suppose to have at least five shards on it. Any youkai with one is bad enough, but five…” Inuyasha paused as he gathered his thoughts and swallowed his pride. “I've come to ask your help in tracking it down and defeating it.”

 

Sesshoumaru studied his brother through the corner of his golden eye and knew that something was bothering the hanyou other than just not knowing what was wrong with Kagome or the upcoming search for the youkai. He couldn't tell what it was but whatever it was, his brother's aura seemed to carry an air of sadness because of it.

 

“I must return Rin to the castle once she has fed. You and your pack will accompany me and we will discuss this more there.”

 

Inuyasha nodded and watched the girl child sit upon his brother's Mokomoko-sama and play with Shippou as she wrapped the fur in her hands. A sudden thought hit Inuyasha and he turned his eyes back to his brother.

 

“You've marked her haven't you? You marked Rin as your pup?”

 

“Yes. I find it surprising that your miko hasn't done the same for the kitsune she mothers. Unless perhaps she doesn't know of the custom,” he said after a moment. “Brother have you not told her?”

 

“Never really thought about it.”

 

“Tell her brother, or I can. But the choice is hers and should be hers as is her right as mother to the pup.”

 

“Feh.”

 

“What are you guys talking about?” Shippou asked as he hopped over and looked up at the rabbits.

 

“Go on pup,” Inuyasha said gruffly. “Get that pot and fill it for the Raman.”

 

Shippou nodded and dug Kagome's teapot from her pack and quickly filled it with water and brought it back over to Inuyasha. The hanyou hung it on the spit between the cooking rabbits and Shippou dug through the pack once more to take out enough Raman for everyone present, Rin and Sesshoumaru included.

 

Soon they were all sitting down to a meal of cooked rabbit and Raman, Sesshoumaru sniffing curiously at the instant noodles placed before him by the kitsune pup.

 

“Try em, they're good,” Inuyasha said as he polished off his own quickly.

 

“What he means to say,” Kagome said with a smile and giggled at seeing a noodle hanging from Inuyasha's chin. “Is that he rarely eats anything other than that.”

 

Sesshoumaru hesitantly lifted the hot cup in one hand and began to cautiously eat them, not wanting to be rude to Kagome who was the bearer of the instant food. There wasn't a time that Kagome hadn't reminded him of Rin, although her eyes were a stormy blue color, she and Rin often shared much the same expressions and looks. If it wasn't for the fact that Kagome was too young for it to be so, he would've thought the miko to be the child's natural mother.

 

The taiyoukai found a measure of enjoyment in the noodles and ate them gracefully. Once the food had been consumed, he checked the rabbit hides, and finding them dry, brought them back over to Rin. He knelt next to her and placed them on her feet fur side in. Removing to leather straps from a pouch tucked in his haori, Sesshoumaru tied the furs to Rin's feet in a rough construction of moccasins. Rin smiled and thanked him for her gift, being careful to call him Lord Sesshoumaru instead of daddy, not certain how he would feel about her calling him that in front of others.

 

Sesshoumaru lifted Rin into his arms and shook his Mokomoko-sama out to clear it of whatever leaves and dirt it may have collected and put it back on his shoulder. Soon they were all headed off toward his castle.