InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ As My Daughter Wishes ❯ A Tentative Bond ( Chapter 3 )

CHAPTER 3

A Tentative Bond

The forest was pitch dark, the thunderclouds overhead flashing as lightning forked across the sky. Rin shook her head slowly in disbelief as she watched a man struggle to fend off the horrible, snake like monster.

"N-no…Papa…" she moaned, tears streaming down her cheeks. She tried to move, but something stopped her. She could do nothing as the monster struck, embedding its fangs deep within the man's chest. His eyes widened as the venom filled him, turning his skin reddish in its wake.

"Papa!" Rin screamed, trying with all her might to move towards him. She fought against whatever held her back, but it was no use. She was reliving the night her father had died; when a deadly disease had taken him away from her.

"Rin…" he whispered as the poison slowly dissolved him. "Rin…wake up Rin… Rin…"

Rin opened her eyes to find Sesshoumaru hovering above her, concern in his eyes. He had been the one calling her, not her father.

Her lip trembled. "Sesshoumaru-sama!" She launched herself at him, her small arms unable to wrap around his waist completely. His eyes widened fractionally, though his face was unexpressive as ever. After a moment's uncertainty, he wrapped his arms around her diminutive form, breaking about a hundred of his own rules with that action alone. And another thousand with what he did next.

"Shh… it's alright, Rin. It was only a nightmare," he soothed. He could feel her tears slowly soak through his kimono and winced slightly; he hated it when she cried. "You're safe now."

The girl relaxed slightly, though her body still shook. "It killed him…" she whispered, her voice slightly muffled. She pressed closer against him. "It killed him…and Rin could only watch…"

The demon lord had learned from the girl herself how her father had died, and mentally cursed. What a horrid thing to go through at such an age…

"He has been dead for a long time now, Rin," he said quietly. It was a harsh thing to say, but she had to accept the truth. He couldn't have her thinking it had been her fault. "There was nothing you could have done to prevent it."

Pressed so close against him, Rin could hear the great youkai's heart as it beat steadily. The sound was comforting in a way. The girl relaxed even more, releasing Sesshoumaru from her death grip. She looked up at him anxiously, sniffing slightly as he brushed the last of her tears away.

"Gomen ne, Sesshoumaru-sama, for bothering you."

"You never bother me, Rin," the taiyoukai said softly, letting her go.

Rin lay back in bed, closing her eyes as she reflected on her past. She had been orphaned at an early age; her mother died giving birth to her, and her had died soon after. Whether it was from his disease or from sorrow at losing Rin's mother, nobody had been sure.

The people in her old village had helped her in some ways, but no one had taken her in or given her a home. She had been forced to steal just to survive, and she remembered the many beatings she had received. Many of them were not even given as punishment. They were simply that. Beatings. Beatings the people in that village gave her just because they could. There had been no comfort in Rin's life after her father's death, at least not until she met Sesshoumaru.

She smiled mentally, remembering how they had met. He had acted so cold - in fact, he always did - but Rin knew better than to judge on appearance. The fact that Sesshoumaru was here now was proof enough that he cared for her.

No… there had been another source of comfort in her life. That woman… Kagome… she had healed her. Rin remembered feeling warmth spread through her body while she was sick, and recalled the look of love in the girl's eyes when she had awakened. It was similar to the feeling she got when she looked into Sesshoumaru's molten gaze. That same feeling of comfort and belonging.

Her heart skipped a beat. This feeling she had towards the girl… was this what it was like to have a mother?

Her change in pulse did not go unnoticed by the demon. "What is wrong?" he asked.

Rin did not answer him for some time. When she finally did reply, it was with a detached sort of tone he had not heard in quite a while.

"Rin is wondering about that woman. Why did she heal Rin?"

Sesshoumaru paused, wondering how much to tell her. "Because I asked her to," was his eventual reply.

"Oh." Rin looked around hopefully, but frowned when she did not see the girl. "Where is she now?"

"She fainted. Princess Kurea is looking after her now."

"Oh," Rin said again, pulling the covers tighter around her. She turned on her side, away from Sesshoumaru. Being around him so much, she had begun to take on some of his personality. She did not want him to think she was weak. "Rin wishes she were here. Rin forgot to thank her."

She felt Sesshoumaru's feather light touch on her shoulder. "I shall tell her for you, then" he assured her. The only signal of his departure was the sound of the shoji door being opened and closed.

Rin sighed, closing her eyes. This feeling she got when she looked at Sesshoumaru and that woman… it made her feel loved. She sighed again with longing as she recalled the girl's smiling face, and the feel on her touch on her forehead. If only she could be Rin's mother… she thought sadly, knowing the likelihood was slim.

Within a few minutes she fell back to sleep again, this time dreaming of the woman and the taiyoukai watching her as she picked flowers in a sunny field. A family. In her sleep, Rin smiled.

---

Kagome awoke to the feeling of someone dabbing her forehead with a cool, damp cloth. She opened her eyes hesitantly. It took her a moment to adjust her eyes to the lighting.

The woman she had seen before smiled slightly. "Finally you're awake. You know, you should really watch yourself. If you keep putting yourself under such strain, even your powers won't be able to save you."

As the woman turned to rewet the cloth in her hand, Kagome took the time to study her more carefully.

She was incredibly beautiful. The demon was about her age, in appearance, though Kagome doubted she was in reality. Her fair, rosy skin was flawless, save for the violet stripes that graced the corners of her eyes and eyelids. She had long, champagne blonde hair that fell down to her shoulders while bangs accented her perfect face with a sort of casual elegance. Soft, full lips were parted, revealing perfect white teeth.

Her body was ideally curved, complemented by her close fitting han-kamishimo*. The garment was a deep blue that slowly darkened to violet. Fine, silver stars dusted the fabric in an intricate design. A black shirt was worn underneath, creating sharp contrast to the crystal star she wore around her neck. Eyes moving upwards, Kagome found white, cat like ears on top of the woman's head, both moving independently from its brother. Wrapped around one arm as a long tail that split at the middle, its color the same luminescent white as the ears. When the woman turned back to her, Kagome saw the same light pink star on her brow as that of her necklace. It was some sort of crest, like the one that Sesshoumaru had, and marked her as a demon lord. Or in this case, lady.

"What - who are you?" she asked, awed.

The maiden smiled again, revealing her delicate fangs. "I am Kurea Hime of the Northern Lands," she told her as she continued her work, dabbing her forehead. "To answer your other question, I am a cat demon."

"This is your temporary form?"

"Yes."

Kagome closed her eyes, thinking as Kurea tended to her. "How long was I out for?" she asked after a moment.

The sound of water could be heard as the neko-youkai wrung out the cloth and set it aside. "A few hours."

"Is Rin feeling better?"

"Yes."

"Was Sesshoumaru injured?" She remembered feeling the demon lord catch her as she fainted, as well as the frightening sensation of her power surge out of her control.

"No." There was a slight chuckle. Kagome looked up at the feline, puzzled by her amusement. "In fact, he's better off than he was before your powers affected him." Seeing her confusion grow, Kurea chuckled again. "His arm was regenerated," she explained. Kagome's eyes widened.

"Oh!"

"You did not intend this?"

"No, I didn't even know what I was doing. I had no idea that was possible." She blinked, thinking for a moment. "Where is Sesshoumaru anyway?"

"Lord Sesshoumaru," Kurea corrected. "He's always been a stickler for formality. He's watching over Rin. The only time he's left her side was to check on you."

"Me?!" Kagome gasped, eyed big as saucers. Kurea's lips twitched in a smile.

"Yes. You. He seems to be concerned about your welfare. He should be coming to check on you again, actually…"

"Why would Sesshou - Lord Sesshoumaru," she said hastily, remembering Kurea's hint. "Why would he care about me? I mean he hates humans, doesn't he?"

The demoness shook her head. "And you struck me as smart. Do you think Lord Sesshoumaru would go through all that trouble bringing you here to heal Rin if he hated all humans? Besides, he doesn't know what he's saying. My opinion is that you can't hate something until you've seen all there is to know about it."

Kagome silently agreed with this statement. As she lay there, looking up at the other woman, another question tugged at her mind.

"Lady Kurea, may I ask you why you're here? Are - are you Sesshoumaru's wife?"

Kurea's head snapped back to her, her normally droopy eyes wide. "Me?" she asked incredulously. "Sesshoumaru's…mate?"

Kagome seriously thought she was about to be backhanded for her offense, but was shocked when the neko-youkai started to laugh uncontrollably.

"Now that's amusing!" she said when she had finally composed herself. "What gave you that idea?"

"Well, to my experience, cats and dogs don't normally get along too well… and I couldn't think of another reason why you'd be in such close proximity unless…ah…" Kagome trailed off, slightly nervous.

Kurea laughed again. The sound was light and pure, and Kagome couldn't help but smile. She was starting to like this demon.

"It's nothing like that!" the cat youkai told her. "Sesshoumaru's father made an alliance with my mother long ago, so he's allowed to call on us whenever he has need. Consequently, he asked me to come here to heal someone important to him. You can imagine my surprise when that 'someone' was a human girl."

Kagome frowned in confusion. "Heal?" she repeated. "You're a healer?" The occupation seemed odd for a demon, even for one as seemingly kind as this one.

"At times, yes," was the calm answer.

"Why couldn't you heal her?"

The demon actually sighed. "I am not experienced in human care. My expertise lies with animals, plants, and such. It is not often that I am called upon to heal a human, especially not by another demon."

"But you would have?"

"Why wouldn't I?" The reply was given without doubt or hesitation, and Kagome realized that this demon truly had a love for living things.

Kagome frowned again. "Forgive me for saying so, Lady Kurea, but you don't seem like the average demon."

"That's because I'm not. And call me Kurea. I don't need the formality." She cocked her head to the side suddenly, her ears swiveling backwards toward the door.

"I believe you have a visitor."

---

Sesshoumaru frowned slightly as he slid open the door to the room where Kurea was tending to the miko. Both demon and priestess were turned towards him expectantly. He took great pride in his ability to move silently, and it damaged that pride that Kurea was still able to detect him regardless. He raised one eyebrow at the human.

"You are awake." It was a statement, not a question. "Kurea, I need to speak to the miko alone for a moment," he said without breaking eye contact with the girl. He saw the girl's eyes flash briefly with nervousness as the neko-youkai nodded and stood.

"Of course, Lord Sesshoumaru," she answered, eyes mischievous. She looked at the miko, still seated on the floor.

"I hope we meet again, young one. Something tells me that we will." After giving him a slight, mocking bow, Kurea left, closing the door behind her. The taiyoukai growled slightly at the princess's sarcasm, then returned his attention back to the girl.

Moving gracefully, he sat down before her. She looked up at him, her cloudy blue eyes wary. They remained this way for a few moments, neither making a sound.

Sesshoumaru finally decided to break the silence. "Arigato."

The girl's eyes widened in shock. "Wh- what?"

"Arigato," he said again, his gaze penetrating. "For healing Rin." He watched as the human calmed slightly.

"Oh…um…you're welcome, I guess," she mumbled, a faint blush rising to her cheeks at her clumsy words.

The demon cocked his head to the side slightly, watching the blush spread across her cheeks. This he had never seen before. He had to admit it gave her a charming look. Shaking himself mentally, he returned his eyes back to hers.

Kagome shifted uneasily under his gaze. Finally, unable to bear it anymore, she asked, "Did I do something wrong?" The demon lord did not answer, but continued to stare at her, as if contemplating something. Kagome felt her throat catch as fear began to take hold of her. Why didn't he say something?

"Are you going to kill me?" she whispered.

Despite his impassive face, she could tell Sesshoumaru was shocked. His spine had straightened somewhat, and his eyes flashed briefly.

"Do not insult me, miko. I have my honor. It would be churlish to end your life after what you did for Rin." He glared at her for a moment, then looked away, as if disinterested. "You returned my arm to me." He could hear her relax, and wondered what he had said to cause her to.

"Yes," she answered, the fear slowly fading from her voice. Then, "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

Sesshoumaru snorted. "Do you honestly believe you could hurt me?"

"No," she answered, still a bit uncomfortable. "But I thought it was wise to apologize, just in case I did."

He was slightly impressed. This girl was like Rin in many ways; they both seemed to want nothing more than the comfort of those around them. He gave himself a mental shake. Comparing her to Rin would do nothing but welcome trouble.

"Have you never used your power to heal before?" he asked, changing the subject. The girl shook her head. This irritated him. "Then why did you attempt to, without knowing what would happen?" What if she had made a mistake and killed Rin in the process?

The priestess thought about this. "I guess… because I knew it would help."

"What if you had lost control like you did with me? Would you have killed her?"

She looked abashed. "The only person I could've hurt with that power is myself or a creature of demonic blood, and only one I wanted to destroy."

He glanced at her. "You would risk your life for a girl you do not know."

"I would risk my life for anyone, Lord Sesshoumaru, as long as I believed it would help them."

Damn it, he had underestimated her again. If he wasn't careful, that habit might prove to be dangerous.

"Are you well enough to travel?" he asked after a moment.

Kagome hesitated. "Yes."

Sesshoumaru stood, turning to leave the room. He paused in the doorway, his back still to her. "You will leave with me in thirty minutes, if you want to return to your friends by morning."

She took a deep intake of breath. "You're letting me go?" she asked, startled.

"Would you rather me keep you here, miko?" he asked, glancing back over his shoulder at her. The girl's eyes widened.

"No!" she answered, waving her hands in front of her. She colored again, realizing what she had said. "I mean, no thank you. You will tell Rin goodbye for me?" Sesshoumaru did not miss the affection in her eyes when she asked this.

"I shall," he answered. He made to leave, but stopped again when she called him back. "What is it now?" he asked, slightly agitated.

She smiled weakly. "If you please, Lord Sesshoumaru… it's Kagome."

He stared down at her in confusion, though you couldn't tell by looking at him. "What is?"

"My name. It's Kagome. Not 'miko', not 'human', not 'girl'. Kagome." She looked away, rubbing her arm idly in a gesture of embarrassment.

"Kagome…" Sesshoumaru repeated, letting the word roll off his tongue. "I shall remember it." With that he left the room, closing the shoji door behind him. He did not see the smile that graced her mouth when he had said her name.

_____________________
TSERIKU'S CORNER
This is a new section at the end of the chapter I will be using to communicate with you. Side notes, definitions, and such will be found here.

- han-kamishimo- Literally, "upper and lower". A garment of two parts designed to be worn together and reserved for members of the samurai class during the Edo period (18th century). The upper garment consisted of a sleeveless, broad-shouldered kataginu that was tucked into the hakama (trousers), which could be either ankle-length for performing daily official duties or extending beyond the feet to trail behind as required for important formal functions. A garment that would not - following the real-world timeline - have appeared in the Sengoku Jidai. Oh well. I suppose Kurea's ahead of times…

- I am aware that Sesshoumaru is a little OOC in this chapter, but he nearly lost Rin in a situation where he was left helpless. He has to appear a little concerned...

Also, any OC (original character) I put in this story is there to help move the story along and make it more interesting (and involved). As a rule, I do NOT use OC's for self-insertion, nor do I write OC romances. That sort of bugs me, for reasons not yet known…