InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ As Young Hearts Grow Older ❯ Resurrection ( Chapter 8 )

As Young Hearts Grow Older

 

Chapter Eight

 

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all the subsequent characters and concepts of the series are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I do not own them.

 

 

Blue light shimmered and faded. Kagome and Inuyasha found themselves on the other side of the well, back in the Feudal Era. She sighed, relieved that she was still able to make the journey. Part of her had been concerned that the well might reject her, force her to face the fact that her role in the story was permanently ended.

 

Inuyasha threw the bundle of food over the edge of the well. Unceremoniously, he hefted Kagome onto his back and jumped to the surface. He must have done this a thousand times before. After gaining his balance, he set Kagome on the earth once more. Her tennis shoes felt almost strange on her feet, unnatural.

 

The pair began to walk towards the village. Inuyasha's pace was slower, almost leisurely. Kagome was much more excited to get there. She walked speedily along, just barely under a run. Her jean clad legs stayed at her rigorous pace, despite the rough terrain. Each stumble was never afforded a second thought.

 

“Hey!” Inuyasha called.

 

Kagome stopped in her tracks. She turned around to face him with an annoyed look on her face. “What?”

 

“You have all the time in the world to get to the village. You don't need to run!”

 

Kagome laughed nervously. “Was I running? I didn't even notice…”

 

Inuyasha smirked. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know you're anxious to get back and see the others. I just figured you could enjoy the journey with me a little bit first.”

 

Kagome blushed. “I wasn't trying to-“

 

Inuyasha put a finger over her lips. “I know. That's why I said something.”

 

His clawed hand wrapped around hers. A smile lit up Kagome's face and she clasped his hand tightly. He gave her a toothy grin and led her at a much calmer rate toward the tiny hamlet.

 

Kagome had never paid less attention to her surroundings in all her life. Yet, as much as she'd wanted to break away from his grasp and run to the village, she was enjoying the feel of his hand within hers. Though they had done this before, Kagome realized that this was the first time it had happened that she'd known how he felt for her. This was the first time it had actually been important, mattered in a fundamental way.

 

She blushed as she thought back to his startling confession. She had been so sure in her heart that they had already seen their end. Never in a hundred thousand lifetimes did she ever expect to see him again, let alone be standing next to him and holding his hand. For some reason, the Gods favored her. Even she wasn't quite sure why.

 

“KAGOME!” a shriek issued forth from the trees.

 

She jumped, torn brutally from her reverie. She spun around in the direction of the sound, sure that she recognized the voice, but not completely. It had changed, grown deeper. She saw the small figure sprinting towards her. Realization hit her and she placed the voice.

 

“Shippou?!” she asked, incredulous.

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. It was just like that little nuisance to go and ruin his chance to be alone with Kagome. He knew that now that they were back in the Feudal Era, his chances to be alone with her would be few and far between. He also knew that whenever they might have a chance to be alone, it would be fleeting because they would be spied on from all angles. No one seemed to know how to mind their own business when it came to him and Kagome.

 

The kitsune child leapt at Kagome, landing squarely in her arms. He was a little bigger than she remembered. She looked him over. He had gotten taller, leaner as he had grown older. His hair had grown out as well, but he still kept it tied at the base of his neck. It was almost strange to see him this way without seeing the in-between stages of his growth.

 

Even his clothes had seemed to mature with him. His hakama were now a sea green, bigger than she had ever seen him wear. He wore a plain white shirt under his sea green haori, which he kept open. He looked just like a tiny, green, disheveled version of Inuyasha and it made Kagome giggle inwardly.

 

Kagome pulled him tightly against her. The kitsune began to cry tears of joy against her shoulder. “Oh, Shippou!” she exclaimed. “You've gotten so big!”

 

Shippou pulled himself away from her shoulder, eyes sparkling with tears and surprise. “Do you really think so, Kagome?”

 

She nodded with a smile. Inuyasha stepped forward, lifting the child out of her arms by his collar. “Really? He has? I hadn't noticed.” Inuyasha pretended to inspect the boy.

 

Shippou crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, turning his head to the side defiantly. “You wouldn't even notice your own butt if your head wasn't in it so often.”

 

Kagome flinched. She knew exactly what was coming. Inuyasha didn't hesitate to prove her right, slamming his fist down on the fox child's head. A lump started to form before his eyes and he tossed the kitsune to the ground.

 

Shippou's senses reeled. He had a difficult time, at first, focusing his eyes again. When his vision stopped cheating him, he saw that Inuyasha was walking away, dragging Kagome by the hand with him. Kagome gestured for him to catch up to them.

 

The fox scrambled to his tiny feet, struggling to keep his balance. He would catch up if he could just stand. “Oi, Inuyasha…”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes as Inuyasha tugged at her arm. “I think this is going to be a very long day.”

 

oOo

 

Rin lay awake on her futon. The day had barely broken, but she could already hear the muffled sounds of the servants outside in the hallway. The days began very early for the dog demon tribe, but Rin had yet to even fall asleep. She knew that her day would be one spent fighting fiercely at the sleep that beckoned to her as temptingly as a shopkeeper with treats.

 

She sighed and begrudgingly sat up. There was no point in pretending to sleep any longer. At any rate, she didn't feel the need to appease an invisible guardian any longer. She had attempted to sleep like a good girl, which was all any one could ask of her. It wasn't as if they could force her to dream.

 

Rin picked up the coverlet and set it aside demurely, refusing to start her day by throwing things around angrily as she'd wanted to do. Lately, the thought that her destiny might never turn out the way that she had hoped had been enough to inspire rage in her young heart. She had never believed that life was fair, but the unfairness that she was beginning to see in the world around her sickened her to her very core.

 

Her unchecked rage had been spilling out of her at every chance she had to exhibit it. She was rude and uncouth with all the servants, breaking things and lashing out in any way she saw fit. She had even slapped a young servant girl across the face for tugging too hard at her hair as the maiden had brushed it. Afterwards, she had instantly regretted it, but it had been too late to take it back.

 

She knew that her childish ways had to be bringing shame to her master. However, as much as she wanted to serve him and behave properly to satisfy him, her anger came in bursts so intense that she had a most difficult time resisting the temptation to sate it. She knew that much of was linked with the way that Sesshoumaru treated her.

 

Rin had always been confused at the double-standard Sesshoumaru had where she was concerned. He had always belittled humans for being weak, yet he had never asked her to leave his side. He had even gone out of his way to save her from her human weakness. She had always assumed that he would train her to be his servant, but he had treated her more like a daughter. Even now, she was not expected to do any kind of work around the castle, despite her age and willingness.

 

Of her own will, Rin had begun to look after her lord's things. She had taken it upon herself to see to it that his chambers were properly cleaned. She scrubbed his clothing with her own two hands; though, the laundress often protested, as she believed she would be chastised for letting the young mistress sully herself with work. Rin had decided that she would force him to see her as a servant, even if he had chosen not to.

 

She had even gone so far as to move herself to the wing of the castle reserved for the servant's quarters. Sesshoumaru had once asked her why she had chosen such a fate for herself. Rin had never been able to answer, unwilling to tell him the truth of her feelings for him.

 

She sighed as she rose to her feet. She would have to bathe before she went into his room this morning. Sesshoumaru never liked his servants to go even a day without bathing. He had told them all that their stench had offended his nostrils.

 

Rin collected her belongings, including her Kimono for the day ahead. She slipped her feet into the zori that were intended for indoor use and grabbed the basket with her bath supplies. Quietly, she slid her door open and made her way to the bathhouse.

 

Many of the other servants began their day with a bath as well. The general consensus in the castle was that it was necessary to keep their master as pleased as possible. If modifying their hygiene habits would do that, they would happily modify them. Each of them had a reason for serving Sesshoumaru and it was always a good one. Generally, it was only the men in the house that didn't bathe as soon as they had awakened, but that had more to do with the nature of the hard labor they attended during the daylight hours.

 

When Rin entered the bathhouse, all the chatter stopped. It was as clear as glass that they had been talking about her. She rolled her eyes and set down her things, vowing to bathe as quickly as possible. She had very little patience for gossip and even less for gossip that concerned her master or herself.

 

She scrubbed at herself with a vengeance, red marks trailing behind her washcloth. For once, she was taking her anger out on herself instead of the other women in the room with her. Inwardly, she cursed them all.

 

How was it, she wondered, that Sesshoumaru favored her so much when she would never be a suitable companion for him? According the gossip, she shouldn't even be allowed to be in his presence at all. How did these women become blessed enough to be demons? Why couldn't she have been fated to be like her lord? Was it fair that these gossiping crows got to share his race and possibly one day his love when she, devoted, loving, and reverent, would never be allowed the chance to touch her lips to his?

 

“My Lady!” one of the women beside her exclaimed. “You must stop! You're bleeding!”

 

A look of confusion came over Rin's face. She looked down at her forearm. Sure enough, just as the woman had said, she had brought tiny pinpoints blood to the surface of her skin. She hadn't even noticed the pain.

 

“Thank you, Ryouko-san,” Rin said with a nod. She put her washcloth down and stood up, reaching for the towel that she had hung on a peg above her. She dried herself carefully and dressed quickly, trying not to attract any more attention than she had already.

 

Her kimono was hardly something that Sesshoumaru would have deemed fitting for her. The rough cloth was itchy on her skin, but she cared very little. It was a plain dark indigo, the quality was the same that any of the rest of the servants would be found wearing. She didn't want to be set apart, feeling that it would only cause them to tittle-tattle about her further than they already had. The tabi on her feet were cream-colored and she focused on them while she left the room.

 

As soon as the door slid shut behind her, Rin could hear the whispers. She didn't need to have the inu youkai hearing to tell that it was about her. Rin stood as straight as she could, squaring her shoulders before making her way down the corridor. She stopped at a supply closet, grabbing a set of scrubbing brushes, a bucket, and several rags for dusting and polishing.

 

She chose to ignore the servants' comments. She had things to do to serve the ruler of the West. She wasn't about to let pithy chatter stop her from doing what she needed to.

 

Rin stopped outside Sesshoumaru's door, listening quietly for any sounds from within. She could hear the muffled voices of Jaken and Sesshoumaru loudly enough to make out what they were saying. She held her breath and focused on what was being said.

 

“She's growing unruly, my Lord. The servants are complaining that she's making twice as much work for them in other aspects of the castle chores,” Jaken said. “They would like her to leave.”

 

Her fingers curled instinctively into fists. Her jaw clenched tightly as she continued to listen. It was just like those cretins to ask Jaken to complain to Sesshoumaru. They were all too frightened to do it themselves.

 

“You may tell my servants that who stays in my castle is only my business and none of theirs,” Sesshoumaru replied bluntly.

 

“Can't you at least have a talk with her?” Jaken implored him. “She's always in poor spirits and often lashes out at the smallest little thing! It is impossible to get her to smile anymore! I don't know what's bothering her, but you're the only one she listens to.”

 

She heard Sesshoumaru sigh, irritated. “I will discuss her behavior with her.”

“Thank you, my Lord,” Jaken said. Rin heard the sound of his small feet shuffling towards her. She backed away several steps, ready to pretend to be just walking up.

 

The door slid open and Rin sprung to action, taking several steps forward. She bowed politely. “Good morning, Master Jaken.”

 

Jaken barely afforded her a nod. “Good morning, indeed!” he hissed as he walked in the opposite direction.

 

Rin entered her Lord's chambers and knelt before him. She bowed deeply, her forehead resting on her hands which lay flat on the floor. She waited for him to address her, but, when he said nothing, she took it upon herself to break the silence.

 

“Good morning, Lord Sesshoumaru.”

 

He whirled in her direction, his eyes resting on her submissive form. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a deep red mark on her forearm. Sesshoumaru frowned deeply, wondering which of his impertinent servants had taken it upon themselves to punish his ward.

 

Soundlessly, he came to a stop before her. Sesshoumaru reached down and grasped her wrist in his hand. He yanked her to her feet by her arm and brought her face up to look at him. He pointed to her deep red mark with one clawed finger.

 

“Who has done this to you?” he demanded gruffly.

 

Rin's eyes widened and she focused them directly forward at his chest. “I-I did it…I wasn't paying attention this morning while I bathed. It was foolish of me to be so careless,” she stammered.

 

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed and Rin could tell that he didn't believe her for an instant. Rin lowered her gaze and tried to pull her arm free of his grasp. He didn't let go.

 

“Lord Sesshoumaru, please release my arm. No harm has come to me at the hands of any of your devoted staff. They fear you far too much to ever touch me. They don't even speak in my presence.”

 

He dropped her wrist from his grasp. She took several steps backwards, falling to her knees before him once more. He glowered at her pose, annoyed that she would bother with such formalities.

 

“Get up, Rin. I do not wish for you to serve me.”

 

Rin's head shot upwards, her eyes wide with fear and shock. Her lip began to tremble and tears slid from her eyes. Sesshoumaru's face remained cold and hard.

 

“But…please, Master! I have to!” she pleaded.

 

“No, Rin. You do not have to serve me. I have enough servants. It is still my choice who I employ and who I do not.”

 

Rin buried her face in her hands, fighting the sobs that threatened to rise from the lump in her throat. He could hear the sniffles that came from behind them, amplified by the space between her hands and face. He turned his back to her, having no desire to see her tears.

 

“I have no where else to go…” she whispered.

 

“No one has asked you to leave, Rin. However, I do not need you to serve me.”

 

“But….but I want to! It's the only thing that I can offer you of any value. I have nothing to give you. I cannot offer myself to you because you dislike humans. My devotion is all that I have!” she wailed.

 

Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulder at her. Her fists were balled in the fabric covering her thighs. Her tear-stained cheeks were turned up, wide and watery eyes staring at him. He shook his head at the pathetic sight.

 

“Rin, it is inappropriate for a girl of your age to serve the lord of a castle. I will not allow such improprieties to go on here. It would make me seem like a weak ruler if I let you go about doing whatever you wanted.” He laughed quietly to himself, “Ruled by a twelve-year-old human!”

 

Rin nodded dejectedly, her eyes resting on her hands. She couldn't bear to look at him, to see the revulsion in his eyes for all the shame she must have brought upon him. Her tears began welling in her eyes again, threatening to spill across her cheeks once more.

 

“I do not want you to leave the safety of the castle, Rin. You will stay as my ward.” He approached her, dropping to one knee. He put a finger under her chin, pushing it upwards so she would look at him. “I will teach you to protect yourself so that one day, when you are ready, you may rejoin your people and have a life. Your destiny is not among the youkai.”

 

“Thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru,” Rin said properly, though the misery in her voice belied her feelings. “I will stay if it is what you desire of me.”

 

“And please, return to wearing clothing befitting your position. I have bought you many beautiful Kimono. It would be a pity for you to let them rot in a chest. You do us both honor by making yourself presentable. I would also like you to move back to the room I had set aside for you initially. A charge does not belong in servant's quarters.”

 

Rin's eyes were confused and disappointed. She never wanted to return to humans. Though they were her people, she had never learned to trust them. Most of them she didn't even like. Before she could stop herself, she found herself thinking of Kagome and Sango.

 

She wondered if they would take her in. They were the only people that she had ever come to trust, even respect. There had to be something that she could contribute to their group, some reason that she could be allowed to stay with them. There was no way that Kagome would ever turn her away.

 

Rin wiped her face slowly, taking deep breaths to stop her tears. I'll just have to run away. I'll leave here in a week, so that he doesn't have to worry about me anymore. He only wants me to go back to the human world anyways. I never should have stayed this long. I don't belong in his world.

 

“Lord Sesshoumaru, I will do as you say. I hope I don't disappoint you.”

 

Sesshoumaru nodded. “I'm sure you won't. Now, Rin, go put on a kimono more befitting. And by the evening, I expect you to be back in your room, the room I chose for you.”

 

Rin bowed slightly. “Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru.” She turned to leave, never bothering to pick up her cleaning supplies. Her tabi hardly made a sound as she padded softly back the way she came. The door slid shut behind her quietly and, once again, Sesshoumaru was alone.

 

For the first time in what may have been his entire life, Sesshoumaru's lips curled into a small smile. It was genuine and pure, leaving no hint of malice on his face. He wasn't sure what the feeling in his chest was, but it had inspired him to ask her to stay with him. He disliked it immediately.

 

oOo

 

Sango tossed another log on the fire. She was boiling water to begin the miso soup they would consume for breakfast. Sighing, she sat back and began to chop the vegetables for her soup. She wondered if Inuyasha would ever get back.

 

Kaede had been gone when she had returned with Miroku. She was needed in the village, as one of the families had fallen ill with a strange fever. Shippou had disappeared to the Gods only knew where. Miroku had left her to help Kaede with the sick.

 

Sango had decided that she would make breakfast for the others and take it to them. Shippou would come back eventually, he could eat then. In the meantime, she simply had to keep herself occupied to take her mind off of her excitement.

 

She heard a rustling behind her and turned in time to see Inuyasha pushing aside the bamboo screen. “Hello, Inuya-Oh my Gods! KAGOME!”

 

Sango leapt to her feet and ran to her friend. She threw her arms around Kagome's mostly bare shoulders, hugging her tightly. Kagome's arms came up to encircle Sango as well. Inuyasha had been pushed to the side by the woman's over-zealous reaction.

 

“Keh, women,” he scoffed.

 

“You said it,” Shippou agreed with a nod.

 

“Like you're any better! You couldn't stop yourself from bawling your little eyes out as soon as you saw Kagome! I wasn't sure if I was looking at Shippou or a waterfall,” Inuyasha quipped.

 

“Oh, Kagome! I'm so glad to see you!” Sango gushed.

 

“It's nice to see you again too, Sango! I can't tell you how much I missed you all!” Kagome said, pulling back from the embrace to better look at her friend. “Inuyasha says you're not married yet. What on earth was stopping you?”

 

Sango laughed. “Well, part of it was that Miroku and I wanted you to be at our wedding. We had no idea how to ask Inuyasha to go get you without him getting mad at us. So we just kind of put it off.”

 

Inuyasha crossed his arms and scowled. “I'm not that unreasonable, you know!”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Sure, you're not. You just didn't talk to me for two years over something totally reasonable.” Sarcasm was dripping from her words as thick as honey.

 

“What was the other part, Sango?” Shippou asked intently.

 

“Huh?” Inuyasha, Kagome, and Sango said together.

 

“Well, you said that part of it was because of Kagome. What was the other part?”

 

“Oh! Well, you see, Miroku and I wanted to build ourselves a home before we got married. He started building it a while ago, but it seems that lately he keeps getting distracted by demonic attacks on surrounding villages. They've been picking up a lot lately. We thought they would die down after the sacred jewel was destroyed.”

 

Kagome's brows knit together. “You mean the demon attacks continued after I left?”

 

Inuyasha nodded. “Yeah, but they weren't anything that we couldn't handle. I mean, the demons were usually pretty weak. One slash with the Tetsusaiga and they were done for. Miroku and Sango rarely even needed my help with them.”

 

“It's still pretty strange,” Kagome said, slightly puzzled.

 

Suddenly, Inuyasha spun around in the direction of the door, whipping the bamboo screen aside. He sniffed the air cautiously and his hand drifted to the hilt of his sword. “What is it?” Sango asked.

 

“Don't you feel that presence?” he inquired.

 

Kagome closed her eyes, feeling the spirit swimming in her senses. It felt powerful, but she could tell right away that it wasn't a demon. This was something else, something sinister in its own right. “What is that?” she mumbled.

 

Miroku ran to the hut at his top speed. “Inuyasha!” he called as soon as he saw the hanyou. “Come quickly! Something's happening.”

 

Inuyasha, Sango, and Kagome followed closely behind Miroku, matching his speed. They had to find out what it was that had such an odd presence. They followed the monk to the edge of the village. Something in the distance was glowing brightly along the horizon.

 

As they approached, the form came in to view. It was a woman. She looked very familiar from a distance. Inuyasha caught her scent on the wind and it was enough to stop him dead in his tracks. Sango and Kagome stopped just ahead of him.

 

“What is it, Inuyasha?” Kagome asked in between gasps for breath.

 

“That…that woman…we know her.”

 

Kagome looked closer at the woman. It was hard to see who she was with the bright light masking her form. As it drew closer, the light dimmed and her face became clear to Kagome.

 

“K-Kikyou?!”