InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Mother For Rin ❯ Sleeping Arrangments ( Chapter 10 )

 

Kagome's eyes opened in the semi darkness of the predawn light that was slipping slowly into the room from the open window and she lay motionless between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha as she stared listlessly into the near darkness. Tears gathered in her eyes as she once again thought of how her family was ripped from her. It played itself in slow motion to her in her mind even though she knew that in reality, it hadn't even taken a full minute - not even half a minute she thought ruefully - for her mother, grandfather, and brother to be swallowed up by the flames that exploded from the stove and spread like wildfire to engulf her entire house.

 

Her eyes were unseeing of the room around her as the memory of the flames danced in her eyes and the tears gathered in her glassy blue grey orbs slipped slowly from the corners of her eyes and trickled into the black hair that framed her face. She felt herself pulled into a warm muscled body, felt whoever it was lean over her and nuzzle their face into her neck, felt them hold her and try to comfort her, but her eyes took in nothing that surrounded her.

 

Sesshoumaru was only half awake when he smelled the salt of the tears and the heavy grief that clung to the woman lying next to him. He need not open his eyes as he wrapped his arm around her waist and drug her unresisting body underneath his own and laid his torso over hers as he nuzzled his face into her neck and purred as he wrapped her in both his arms. He fell back into a deepened sleep after settling and becoming still, Kagome still staring listlessly into her memories, his silver white hair covering her face in a sheer curtain of silken strands.

 

It was only fifteen minutes later when Inuyasha's golden eyes opened to the sound of Shippou's soft voice as the kitsune pup slipped into the room, Rin on his back.

 

“It's ok Rin,” Shippou whispered as the human girl clinging to his back whimpered softly.

 

Shippou had woken nearly an hour before to the sound of Rin's whimpering and the scents of her tears and blood. The wounds on her feet had opened themselves during the night and the cuts had bled through the wrappings and into the bed sheets. The stinging on her feet was unbearable as she tried to move on to her knees to wake Shippou but movement of any kind hurt her.

 

She had finally been able to roll onto her stomach and found herself staring into the kitsune's green eyes, her stomach rolling with the pain the movement caused.

 

“Rin hurts,” she whimpered to her friend as burning pain ate at her feet and legs and made her feel as though she would throw up.

 

“Don't worry Rin,” Shippou said and rolled onto his side, his back facing her. “Wrap your arms around me.”

 

Rin did as instructed and Shippou rolled to his knees and held the girl on his back as he hopped to the floor and carried her out of the room, her blood leaving a trail of tiny drops on the floor as he took her to Sesshoumaru's chamber's following the taiyoukai's scent.

 

“Shippou,” Inuyasha called to the pup softly and the kitsune walked over to the hanyou's side of the bed.

 

Inuyasha lifted the softly whimpering Rin off Shippou's back and sat her on his pillows as he unwrapped her feet. He shook his head and looked to the kitsune.

 

“Shippou get up here and do some tricks for her.” Shippou looked at the hanyou in confusion but did as told and hopped up next to his human friend. “I'm gonna close her wounds,” Inuyasha said softly so that only Shippou could hear and the pup's eyes widened as he understood what Inuyasha was saying.

 

Inuyasha waited until Shippou had Rin's full attention and then brought his face to the girl's feet and began to lick the blood away, keeping a tight but gentle hold on her ankles should she try to pull away. Rin whimpered and jerked her feet at the first touch of his tongue but soon settled back and let him tend to her as Shippou entertained her by making flowers and tiny animals out of his fox-fire.

 

It took ten minutes for Inuyasha to clean the blood from her feet and to stop the bleeding, licking her feet and doing his best to put as much of his healing saliva into her feet as he could. He kept the strokes of his tongue smooth and slow so as to cause her as little pain as possible as the numerous cuts slowly stopped bleeding and began to clot and close. After two hours of his methodical licking at her feet and Rin's injuries were nothing more than angry red lines, her skin repaired and close. He continued to lick at her feet until the red lines turned into tiny thin white lines, her feet finally healed.

 

As he released her ankles and sat up, Rin wiggled her toes and flexed her feet, a tiny soft squeal coming from her and she shot forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Inuyasha's neck and cried, her tears falling on his neck as she sobbed her thanks. A soft blush lit the hanyou's cheeks as he nodded with his head and motioned for Shippou to lie next to his brother and Kagome and he turned to lie on his side, Rin still wrapped around him.

 

The young girl had fallen to sleep in his arms and he lay holding her as she slept, returning to sleep himself as Shippou curled up to him and returned to sleep as well. The only one of the sleeping group that didn't sleep was Kagome. Her mind was filled with the screams of her family, the sight of the flames engulfing them, the frozen still frame of their charred bodies lying at her feet in the ashes and rumbles.

 

It took nearly an hour for the warmth and soft purring of the taiyoukai lying on top of her to lull her back to a dreamless sleep.

 

 

It was well past noon when the first of the sleeping pack awoke. Rin sat up tiredly rubbing her eyes and looking down at her feet with a smile. She rolled over into Inuyasha's arms and hugged him and kissed his cheek, the slight pressure of her kiss on his cheek waking the hanyou. Inuyasha's golden eyes opened and looked at the tiny girl child beside him.

 

“Hey kid,” he said with a little half smile. “How do you feel?”

 

“Rin doesn't hurt anymore,” she said happily keeping her voice soft and hugged his neck when he propped himself up on his elbow.

 

Wrapping an arm around the girl, he hugged her back and sat up. Gathering Rin and the slowly waking Shippou into his arms he looked at the tangle of bodies that were his brother and his friend and mentally instructed his brother to take care of her, and carried the children out of the room. Following the scents of the noon day meal cooking, he carried the children down to the kitchen to get them and himself some food.

 

They all ate happily and Inuyasha requested that a tray for two be made up and taken to his brother's chambers for them to eat when they awoke. A rabbit youkai nodded and did as requested, taking the tray of food and drink to the chambers and setting it on the bedside table, leaving the sleeping pair in silence.

 

 

 

 

Sesshoumaru woke slowly, feeling the warm body beneath him shudder as the smell of tears assaulted his nose. His face was still pressed into her neck and he nuzzled the soft skin there before opening his eyes. Kagome was clutching his body to her, her eyes squeezed shut as angry and painfully hot tears slipped from beneath her lashes. She was biting her bottom lip as she tried desperately not to sob out loud, the silent sobs shaking her body almost violently.

 

Sesshoumaru kept his arms wrapped around the girl beneath him as he rolled over, taking her with him to lie on his bare chest. One of his hands tangled itself in her dark hair as he offered his silent comfort. Kagome covered her eyes with her hand as she tried desperately to stop the torrent of tears that seemed endless, the hand covering her eyes fisted and she pressed her fist against her mouth as her tears fell faster.

 

“Mamma?” Shippou's voice came in soft concern from behind her and she felt the bed dip slightly.

 

Kagome turned her head and buried her face in Sesshoumaru's chest, not wanting her pup to see her cry, not thinking about the fact that he could smell her tears. Sesshoumaru jerked his head toward the door and Inuyasha gathered both children and took them outside the room.

 

“Rin why don't you show Shippou to the garden's ok?” Inuyasha requested and the girl nodded, not sure what was going on but knowing that the others wanted to be alone.

 

Rin trotted down the hall, happy that her feet were no longer hurt and pulled Shippou behind her as she led him to the gardens. Inuyasha watched the two small pups until they turned the corner and were out of sight before he entered the room. The hanyou bit back the low whine that wanted to be let loose when he saw Kagome's shuddering form and smelt her tears.

 

His ears folded back against his head as he crawled onto the bed, walking on his hands and knees as he neared the embracing pair. His ears stood up again, though they drooped sadly as he nudged the side of Kagome's head with his cheek only to have the girl finally release her sobs, the heartbreaking sound filling the room. His white puppy ears flattened against his head and he couldn't stop the low whine from escaping as he looked on Kagome helplessly.

 

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes, their normally bright color muted by concern and sadness lit on his brother. He gave a low soft short growl and stretched out the arm that had been wrapped around Kagome's back as he spoke to his brother in the inu language. Though his eyes never left Kagome, Inuyasha did as bid and curled himself behind Kagome, laying his head on his brother's outstretched arm.

 

*female cry* Inuyasha whined low as he settled himself close against Kagome's shuddering body.

 

“I know brother,” Sesshoumaru said softly as he bent the arm that Inuyasha was lying on and scratched the area between the hanyou's folded puppy ears, the soft white triangle flat against his head as he whined softly.

 

Kagome sobbed against Sesshoumaru's chest, her fist pressed against her mouth as she tried to quiet her sobs, her tears branding the taiyoukai's snowy skin. She screamed her anger as she pounded her fist against Sesshoumaru's chest once and cried harder, her tears and sobs feeling as though they would tear her apart.

 

“I want them back!” she cried her voice shaking and breaking with the force of her tears. “I want them back!”

 

“I know,” Sesshoumaru said softly as the hand he held on her head combed its fingers through her midnight tresses.

 

Memories of himself as a young youkai ran through Sesshoumaru's mind. He remembered the almost burning pain that he felt when he was told of his father's death and when his brother and Izayoi had been forced to leave the castle due to the uprisings. He hadn't been able to grieve then; he couldn't show his emotions around those who would challenge him for his place as taiyoukai. He remembered wanting to grieve, wanting to scream and cry and break things. But he couldn't, he had to be strong and stoic, with his father's death he was the new taiyoukai and he couldn't show any weakness at all.

 

Sesshoumaru looked to his brother, their eyes meeting over the sobbing girl, so lost in her tears was she that she noticed nothing around her.

 

“What do you remember of your youth Inuyasha?” Sesshoumaru asked, needing to know if his brother remembered him at all.

 

“…Mom…I remember mom and I sleeping in the cave…”

 

“Before that?” he asked hoping that his brother remembered him, remembered the nights he had held his brother in his arms as he slept, hoping Inuyasha remembered chasing his big brother around the castle as his brother taught him to track by playing hide and go seek.

 

Inuyasha shook his head slightly. “I don't. I only remember mom and I in the wild. She was always so sad; I remember her dying and her blood.”

 

Sesshoumaru couldn't hide the look of complete loss that swept over his face. His brother remembered nothing. His brother didn't remember him or what they had. For the second time in his life, Sesshoumaru wanted to grieve. Grieve for the loss of the little boy who grew up without a mother, grieve for the loss of his little brother, grieve for what he had lost. His brother didn't even remember their father. His brother didn't remember his home, but most importantly, his brother didn't remember him.

 

“Sesshoumaru,” Inuyasha began slowly, hesitantly.

 

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes fixed on his brother once more and he nodded as he watched his brother's face, a thoughtful frown marring his features.

 

“If I ask you something…will you answer me honestly?” His brother nodded. “…Was I…Was I wanted?” he asked his voice low and soft, afraid of the answer his brother would give, afraid that maybe he really was a mistake. “Was I a mistake?”

 

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened - so that's what his brother thought. That's why he had such a bad reaction to his childhood room.

 

“No,” his voice was chocked with emotion that he couldn't swallow, emotion that he couldn't push away - couldn't deny. “You were wanted,” he watched as Inuyasha's ears slowly rose from where they had lain flattened against his head. “You were no mistake Inuyasha. Father and Izayoi both wanted you.”

 

“Than why…” tears bit at the back of Inuyasha's eyes as the lost little boy who saw his mother die rose to the surface. “Why didn't anyone come for me after mamma died?” he asked needing desperately to hear the answer, but at the same time afraid of what it would be.

 

“I wanted to, Kami I wanted to go get you, but I couldn't.”

 

Sesshoumaru clenched his jaw as he tried to keep the tears that were burning behind his eyes from showing themselves. He hadn't cried when his father died, but now the tears burned like acid behind his eyes, why was this time any different. Why did it hurt so much more this time, what made now any different from when he first lost his father and brother? Why did he want to let the tears come, why did he want to cry now? Did this emotion make him weak? Would his father be disappointed to see him cry? Sesshoumaru knew the loss his brother felt, for he had never known his own mother, she had died giving birth to him, and part of Sesshoumaru had always blamed himself for that.

 

“Then why didn't you?” Inuyasha asked sadly, feeling lost and alone as he wrapped his arms around Kagome, holding tight to her as though she were his last link to sanity.

 

`Because I couldn't,” Sesshoumaru struggled to keep his voice from breaking, struggled to keep the tears at bay. “The uprisings were continuous and have only stopped just before you were pinned to the tree by the undead miko. Members of the western inu pack who thought I was too young to be taiyoukai rose up against me and began civil unrest in the lands. Other youkai from other lands who thought I was weak enough to defeat rose up as well, wanting the western lands to further their own holdings. I spent years fighting, sometimes wishing they would take over, but knowing I couldn't let them. I wasn't much older than you are now when I was made taiyoukai by our father's death.”

 

“What was he like…our father? I don't remember him.”

 

The tears that had been burning behind Sesshoumaru's eyes began to fill his golden orbs and slipped out the corners of his eyes as he kept his gaze locked on his brother.

 

“He was strong…kind…fair. You remind me of him. You look so very much like him. Sometimes I think you are him. He always fought to protect those who couldn't defend themselves. He always fought for what he believed in, sometimes recklessly so. There were times that I wondered if he remembered that I was at home waiting for him.” Sesshoumaru gave a sad smile. “There was a human village once; a youkai had been tearing through it raping the women and children. He and I had been traveling together when he heard of the happenings.”

 

“I remember him taking me into the village and asking to meet with those who had been harmed. There were so many of them…so many young women, some not even fully matured. They were all afraid of him because he was a youkai, but he told them not to fear and asked them what the youkai looked like…I can still remember the scent of his rage when he found out that it was the inu he had banished form our lands. He took me with him and once he found the youkai he told me to climb up into a near by tree and stay there.”

 

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes as memories of that day came back to him as though it were happening again.

 

“Stay here Sesshoumaru,” his father said as he looked up into the tall sakura tree that his son was perched in.

 

“Papa why can't I come? I can fight too,” the tiny Sesshoumaru said to his father.

 

“You are still too young my son. Just stay there and watch.”

 

His father walked off and nudged the sleeping inu awake with his boot. The youkai awoke and looked at the one who he had once called Sama.

 

“So the mighty InuTaisho is here is he?” the brown inuyoukai sneered as he stood. “What can I do for you pup?” he asked his respect not even there.

 

“Mind your tongue Gonshi,” he growled as he kept his gaze locked on the rogue youkai. “I have heard of your transgressions and am here to challenge you.”

 

“You have no authority here puppy go home.”

 

InuTaisho growled and his hand shot out, a whip much like Sesshoumaru's coming from his fingers and slapping the youkai across the face, a burning red line left behind.

 

“My authority does not end at the lines of my lands Gonshi.”

 

“Still think you're pup of all don't you mutt?”

 

InuTaisho growled low, his formidable temper barely under control. He stood and watched as the youkai in front of him turned into a large brown inu. InuTaisho kept his sense locked on both the inu in front of him as well as his son hidden amongst the sakura blossoms as he too took his inu form, his silver white fur gleaming in the sun.

 

Both dogs grappled at each other, growling and snarling, barking and yipping as they attacked. The brown inu seemed almost out of control as his attacks came fast and angry. The inu was bloodthirsty. The silver white inu fought with grace and stamina, his attacks controlled and measured as he brought his opponent to the ground and tore out his throat.

 

InuTaisho regained his humanoid form and with turning around spoke to his son.

 

“Sesshoumaru turn your back,” his father instructed and the small boy did as told.

 

With his son's back turned, InuTaisho removed the fur pelt from the brown inu and buried the rest of the youkai's remains. Carrying the pelt he gathered his son and returned to the village. He brought the fur to the group of women and children that had been hurt and offered it with his condolences for their suffering, the fur proof that their tormentor had been killed.

 

The headman of the village asked InuTaisho if he would be willing to offer his protection to the village and before he and his son left that day they had been honored with a feast of wild boar and foul and sake and InuTaisho had signed an agreement between himself and the headmen making the village under the rule and protection if the Western Lands and of the Taiyoukai InuTaisho.

 

 

“Is that why you don't eat human food anymore?” Inuyasha asked his brother once Sesshoumaru had finished the tale.

 

“Yes, it reminds me of him. That day he made me understand why the battles meant so much, why he was so willing to protect people, both human and youkai that he didn't not even know, had not even met.”

 

“I wish I could remember him,” Inuyasha confessed as he buried his face in Kagome's hair as the tears that he'd held at bay slowly fell from his eyes.

 

You are him, Sesshoumaru thought as he looked at his brother. I just wish you could remember me.

 

It was nearly an hour later, when all the tears had been shed and the three that lay in the bed together, nestled up to one another finally rose to greet the day. Kagome rose and found herself pulled into Sesshoumaru's lap as Inuyasha moved the tray of food to lie on the bed.

 

Kagome was content to simply sit in Sesshoumaru's lap, held in the circle of his arms as Inuyasha fed her bits of fruit and cheeses and bread. After eating to her fill she drank a cup of sake and let her head fall tiredly to the taiyoukai's shoulder. The three of them stayed there like that for a bit as Sesshoumaru ate to his fill as well.

 

A while later they all dressed, Kagome being offered a long silk kimono that was red and blue, the ribbons of color seeming to slither around the other, a white dog on the back and a silver obi tied around her waist. Inuyasha was given his red silk haori and hakama it bearing a white dog on the back as well. His brother wore his blue silk haori and hakama it also bearing a white dog on the back and the three left to find the children playing in the northern gardens, the same gardens that Sesshoumaru had found Kagome in the night before.

 

The five of them sat high in the magnolia tree as they watched the afternoon sun set upon the lands, the closing in of the winter season shortening the days.