InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Appetizers? On Me! ❯ Rin Has A Boyfriend ( Chapter 16 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Storyid: 4070441
FanFiction.net
Name: Appetizers- On Me!
Author:
Chapter: 14


Rin Has A Boyfriend

Kagome uttered a tiny sigh of complaint against the dogged September heat and tied her hair into a hasty knot at the nape of her neck. Taking a moment’s rest from weeding the herb garden, she sat back on her heels and considered dinner. She was no chef, not by any stretch of the imagination, but even she got bored of the same old thing.

Sesshomaru lingered nearby, finding respite from the sun beneath the shade of a large black pine. He was visiting Rin again, as he was accustomed to do every few weeks or so. He never stayed away long and she often wondered if this was as much for her benefit as it was to appease his own desire to see his young human charge.

After a moment’s consideration she decided to join him, decorum be damned. She kept a safe distance and for his part he didn’t seem to mind having a sweaty miko plop down next to him. His gaze briefly shifted to where she sat before it returned once more to the village. He’d been unusually quiet the past few days and for Sesshomaru that was saying something.

“So, what’s eating you?”

He lifted an eyebrow at her modern euphemism and maintained a thoughtful silence. He seemed particularly interested in the village today, far more than usual. It didn’t take long for her to discover why. She followed his gaze to where Rin sat atop a fence, talking and laughing with some young boy.

Oh, she thought with a smile. Oooh...

“Rin has a boyfriend?” she wagered, and by the sudden way he glared in her direction she knew she couldn’t be far from the truth.

“And this displeases you...”

He didn’t answer, not in so many words, but the indignant snort that followed expressed his views on the matter adequately enough.

Kagome joined him for the moment in watching the young pair. She knew the boy, of course. He was a young farm hand named Taro. He was simple and uncomplicated; he smiled easily and had never known a day of pain, hardship or sorrow in his seventeen short years. His dreams amounted to nothing more than wanting a wife and a home and, someday, many sons to carry his name.

In short, he was beneath her in every way. The Lord of the West, it seemed, had greater things in mind for his strong willed, independent young charge than to watch her waste away her days as a farmer’s wife.

It was plain for anyone but Sesshomaru to see that the attraction was entirely one-sided. Taro, like many of the other village boys, was hopelessly in love with the blossoming young Rin and unfortunately for them, she wasn’t the least bit interested. She was friendly enough with them of course, which was perhaps cruel in its own way, but it never went beyond that.

In her eyes there was only one man important enough to have her heart. Shame he couldn’t see it.

“I think you need to trust her a little more,” Kagome suggested cautiously. “She’s a smart girl.”

His silence continued but she sensed an air of acceptance from him. She spoke the truth and no one knew Rin better than he.

Satisfied that her day’s work as the village’s resident relationship therapist was complete, Kagome slowly got to her feet and brushed the dirt from her robes.

“Will you be staying for dinner?” she wondered aloud.

Silence answered her and she turned to find him gone. In the distance Rin bid a hasty goodbye to the forlorn Taro and made a quick dash for the tree line. It wasn’t difficult to guess where she was headed, not a smile like that beaming across her face.

Some things never change, she thought and with a shake of her head knelt back in the dirt, determined to make some headway before dinner.


Author's Note: Written for the iyfic_contest group on LJ. The challenge them was "Independence" to be covered in 250+ words. This entry ended up winning first place!