InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bitter Blood ❯ Chapter 20

Bitter Blood

Chapter 20

Rin hit the water hard. If she hadn't used her arms to break the fall, she would've smacked her head against the bottom of the bath, and, doubtless, lost consciousness. As it was, she stood and coughed up water.

Dokumi smiled. "Did we hurt ourselves, my lady?"

She pushed her hair back from her face and glared at her. Nothing was broken; her arms were incredibly sore, though.

"You underestimate me," she walked along the front edge of the bath, fifteen feet in front of her. "You think you have little to fear from such a 'spineless' people." She smirked. "Isn't that what you called me? 'Spineless?'"

She crossed her arms and returned her smug expression. "Actually, I think I called you weak, cowardly and manipulative."

She scoffed, tossing her head back.

"And I thought you said this wasn't about me, or the way I've treated you. You said you wish to see my lord suffer. You wish to murder me and take my son. You don't want MY life; you want your own." She glanced over her shoulder at the entrance door to the bathhouse, several yards behind her.

Truthfully, she had no interest in anything Dokumi had to say. But she did intend to survive this ordeal, and to do that, she needed time to think and plan . . . Her lord was too injured to come to her aid; plus, there was the matter of the warding she'd placed on his door. If she hadn't been so rash, if she'd simply responded rationally instead of emotionally, she never would've done such a thing . . . Because of her, they were both very vulnerable right now.

"I know what you're trying to do," Dokumi said.

Rin glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, then went back to her thoughts. If she could just make it to the door, she could retrieve the wardings from her robes and dispatch Dokumi that way . . . But the door was so far away. And if she tried to make a run for it, she knew Dokumi would catch her in a matter of seconds . . .

"You're trying to distract me," she continued. "You want to occupy my mind with other thoughts while you try to think of a way out of this." She crouched down at the front of the bath. "Isn't that right, my lady?"

She glared at her.

"Is that anger I see flaring up in your eyes?"

She met her gaze, evenly, cooly. "It is righteous fury."

She laughed. "An aristocrat till the end, eh?"

Rin didn't answer. Her body seemed to be getting heavier, as if two lead weights were tied to each arm. It was difficult to just keep herself upright now; she felt as if she were swaying in a particularly warm and gentle breeze. Back and forth, back and forth. Rocked gently side-to-side by invisible comforting hands.

Her eyelids grew heavy. Reluctantly, she let her arms drop to her sides.

Dokumi smiled. "Getting sleepy, are we, my lady?"

She snapped her head to attention and drew in a few deep breaths.

"Didn't your lord teach you to never show emotion in the face of an enemy? It is a weakness that can be easily exploited."

Rin tried to fight back the impending yawn, but it was useless. She was getting sleepy. And the water was so warm, and her body so heavy and weary.

"Tell me, my lady. What is the greater source of your 'righteous fury?'"

If she called out for Sesshomaru, she knew he would come. But in his current state, with the partially healed wounds and his waning demon aura, if he attempted to pass through the warding, break through the mystical barrier . . . She could be calling him to his death. And she wouldn't do that. Couldn't do that . . . If Dokumi succeeded, one of them had to survive to hunt her down and retrieve their son.

Dokumi continued. "Is it that I'm trying to murder you and steal your son, or is it that I slept with your husband? Which makes you angrier, my lady?"

Hot tears spilled down her face, but she kept her voice calm, even. "Why are you so cruel?" she asked.

Her face seemed to soften somewhat. "Why are you so childish?" she asked softly. "Your lord is an aristocrat, the Aristocratic Assassin, as he is known in our circles. ALL the aristocrats have mistresses," she said. "Some have dozens," she added. "And some care for their mistresses more than they ever cared for their mates."

She kept her head high, her emotions sternly in check.

"But I'm sure you'll be happy to know that's not the case with your lord," she said. "He no more cares for me than he cares for a chair or a plate or a pillow on his bed. I am useful, but easily replaceable . . . He cannot replace you, however. And losing you, I'm sure, will cause him a great deal of pain."

Her vision was blurry now, and her legs were shaky, straining beneath the weight of her own body. If she didn't sit down, she would fall down. And she refused to give Dokumi the pleasure of seeing her splayed out in the bath. She slowly sank down into the warm water.

"The sleeping powder is starting to take affect," she smiled. "Soon, you won't be able to keep those precious, little eyes open." She stood. "And as to why I am so 'cruel,' as you call it, the world is a cruel place, my lady. It is full of pain and suffering, and lost hopes and shattered dreams. You should thank me for taking you from such a horrid place."

But she didn't want to die, she wanted to live. She wanted to live with her husband and Daich---and the new baby . . . Yes . . .Whatever the risks, she wanted to have this new child. She wanted to live; she wanted her child to live . . . But not at the cost of her lord . . . If it was a choice between her life and his, she chose his . . .Would always choose his.

She would not call out for him, no matter what.

"A child," Rin said, her eyes drooping, the warm water surrounding her in its liquid embrace. "A son," she said. "You said you have a son."

She smiled down at her, as if mildly amused, her face partly shrouded in shadow. "Had," she said. "I HAD a son."

Rin stared up at her, her body heavy, sleep threatening to claim her at any moment. "What happened to him?" she asked.

Her smile faded. Her eyes darkened. "He was killed," she said softly. "Taken from me at the moment of birth. He . . ." She suddenly turned from her and faced the back wall.

Rin drew in a deep breath.

Now was the time. If she ever hoped to escape, she'd have to act now while her back was turned. But she'd have to be careful . . . If she moved too quickly, the water would splash, and she would once again have Dokumi's attention.

She kept her eyes on her back as she slowly slipped out of the bath . . . But her body was so heavy . . . The world was so blurry . . . There was no way she could walk. If she wanted to leave, she had to crawl . . . No. She didn't have the strength to do even that. If she truly wanted to escape, she was going to have to creep, slide her body along the cold marble floor, her arms pulling the rest of her body behind her.

Dokumi leapt in front of her. "Trying to escape, my lady?"

She turned her head to the side and glanced up at her from the corner of her eye. Her head was now too heavy to lift.

She crouched down before her. "Why do you even try?" she asked. "It's hopeless. Just accept your fate."

"I want to live," Rin replied. "Where there is life, there is hope."

Dokumi stood and rolled her body back into the bath. "You are naive."

She hit the water with a splash and forced her head above the surface, sitting upright. She gagged and choked, water pouring out of her mouth and nose.

Dokumi turned away from her again.

"Are we losing our nerve, Dokumi?" She coughed up more water. "Don't you enjoy watching others suffer? Don't you wish to recount my last few moments to my lord to further torture him?" Her chest hurt; her lungs burned. If this was what drowning was like . . . she didn't know how she would endure it.

"I hope never to see your husband again," she said, her back still towards her.

"You said you would kill him." She coughed up more water, barely able to keep her head above water. She was too tired even to float. Her body felt like lead. Blackness was creeping around the corner of her eyes.

"Me? Kill your lord?" She laughed softly to herself. "As much as I despise him, I could no more do that than harm Daichi . . . They both take after Lord Inutaisho, you see." She turned to face her, tears gleaming brightly in her eyes. "As did my son."

She sank further down into the bath, her head bobbing up and down in the water. "What're you saying?"

Dokumi smiled. "I was his father's mistress, of course. And I conceived by him." Her smile broadened, tears continuing to stream down her face. "He was a kind and loving man, who had a big heart and . . . varied tastes in women, I suppose you could say. Though, everyone was a bit surprised when he finally decided upon a human, I thought it suited him perfectly." She walked to the edge of the bath and looked down at her. "I think my lord would have liked you a great deal, Lady Rin. He would've been proud to know that everything he'd said and done, did have some positive impact on his son. He was always so cold," she said. "Even towards his father who did nothing but love and protect him."

She coughed up more water, an extreme feeling of nausea overcoming her. "He respected his father," she said. "His mother mistreated him."

She smiled sadly. "Yes, I'd heard that she did. And considering her reputation, I don't doubt it. There were few more cold-blooded than she."

"But . . ." Rin said, "if you were his father's mistress, why would you consent to be mated to my lord?"

She shook her head. "It wasn't my idea; my lord suggested it. He said that way I and our child would always be provided for. And he thought I could be a good influence on his eldest son. Soften him up a bit, so to speak."

"Did he know you were pregnant?" she asked. "My lord? Did he know?"

She shook her head again. "Only my lord and my father knew . . . but then, of course, his mother, Lady Akki found out . . ."

Rin gasped for air.

Dokumi stood and stared off, up into the ceiling.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Daichi is crying," she said. "I think he can hear you."

Rin sobbed.

"Not so tough now, are we, my lady?"

She pushed herself upright and gripped the edge of the bath. "I am tougher than you think."

"Perhaps," she said quietly.

"Lady Akki," she said. "Did she kill him? Did she kill your son, Dokumi?"

"Of course!" It came out as a mixture of laughter and tears. "What else would she do with him? She couldn't have him usurping Sesshomaru, so she killed him. She hunted me down, and she killed him. She took him from my arms . . . ripped him to shreds and then threw me the pieces . . ." Her tears flowed freely, now. "How I begged for his life! How I promised to never be a bother, to go far away from here and never return . . . 'I don't want the title!' I'd said. 'Just let us be. Just let us go. Just let us live.'" She shook her head and sniffed back tears. "But of course, she couldn't do that. That would've been being merciful. And mercy is weakness. And Lady Akki was not weak . . ." She collapsed to the floor, pressing her forehead flat against the marble. "But I was," she cried. "I was weak, and I could not protect him . . . I could not protect him, so he died. He died, and I lived . . . She let me live because she knew. She knew the pain of going through life without the one you love . . . She was most cruel and hateful." Her body shook with the force of her sobs.

"Dokumi . . ."

"I buried what she left of him in the center of the maze, so he could always . . . be near his family." She shook her head violently. "But I never wanted to come back to this dark place!"

She was losing her grip on the edge of the bath. Her hands were too slick; the marble was too smooth.

"But my father insisted," she said. "It didn't matter that THEY broke their word to us, WE had to keep our word to them . . . WE had to do the 'honorable' thing, no matter how debasing I found it . . . 'Do whatever he says,' he said. 'Make a good name for our family in his house.'" She scoffed. "Do you know he'd call me by your name?" She laughed to herself, then sat upright. "Now, how humiliating is that, my lady?"

Her head ducked beneath the surface, her mouth open, her nostrils filled with water. She panicked and screamed.

Dokumi stared down at her as she struggled to stay afloat, her head occasionally breaking through to the surface. "What a baby you are." She reached into the water and pulled her out.

Rin collapsed into a heap and coughed up water, vomiting in between.

"Lay on your stomach," Dokumi said. "It'll help force the water out." She slapped her repeatedly between the shoulder blades. "That's right, cough it up. Get it all out." She removed her hand and pushed herself to her feet. "I liked you and hated you the first moment I met you... So much like my broken doll."

Suddenly, Dokumi found herself hoisted in the air by her neck. A pair of amber eyes glowing angrily back at her.

Rin remained on the floor, continuing to cough up water.

"What did you do to her?" He tightened his grip on Dokumi's neck.

"I tried to kill her," she said simply.

"Do not!" Rin rolled over and stared up at the pair of them, still recovering from her near drowning. "Do not kill her, my lord."

He glanced down at her, his brow wet with sweat. His eyes were keen and cool, but he was covered in blood from chest to foot. Apparently, his wounds from the battle had reopened, and he was now bleeding quite freely on the bathhouse floor.

"Put her down, my lord. Do not strain yourself."

He turned back to Dokumi, dangling helpless in his hand, limp as a rag doll. "Why did you hurt her?" he demanded.

Rin replied for her. "She is hurt, herself, my lord. Please, put her down. Do not STRAIN yourself."

Dokumi laughed softly. "Do you think my life means anything to me? Would I have crossed you if I was so fond of living?"

He closed his hand around her neck.

"Yes," Dokumi gasped. "Show me . . . how much like your mother . . . you really are."

"My lord, I beg you!" she wrapped herself around his legs. "Do NOT KILL her!"

He looked down at her as hot tears spilled down her pale cheeks.

"She has suffered enough, I assure you, my lord. She pulled me from the bath; she saved me!"

"She said she was trying to kill you." He turned back to Dokumi. "I cannot forgive such a thing."

"We must!" Rin screamed. "We must learn to forgive, my lord. Please, put her down. You're very injured . . . Why did you break through the warding? You were too weak. You could die."

He smiled down at her--the warmest of his smiles she'd ever seen. "Your love gives me strength."

She smiled up at him. "Let her go, my lord. She won't do it again. She doesn't really want to hurt anyone; she just wants her own hurt to stop."

He looked from Rin to Dokumi and back again.

"My lord," she said. "I would not have you strain yourself."

He slowly lowered Dokumi to the floor, maintaining his hold on her neck. "Why did you harm her?"

"I am jealous," she said. "I am jealous, I am wicked and I am vengeful."

"No," Rin said. "She is lonely, she is heart-broken and she is wretched."

Dokumi sobbed.

"She deserves our pity, not our wrath, my lord."

Dokumi continued to cry.

"Show mercy, my lord. Be merciful."

He stared down into her face and sighed. "You know I can refuse you nothing."

Rin smiled as he released Dokumi.

They both collapsed to the ground at the same time. He into her arms; Dokumi onto the cold marble.

"My lord?" She stroked the side of his face. "Open your eyes, my lord."

He did not move. His breath was shallow, but even.

"Open your eyes, my lord. Your lady commands it." She patted the side of his face. "He's so cold, Dokumi."

"He is dying," she said. "His aura has all but gone out."

She laughed uneasily. "No, that's not true. He'll be fine." She hugged him close to her. "Won't you, my lord? You'll be just fine, won't you?"

He was cold and still.

"Just open your eyes," she said. "Do not leave me, I beg you. Sesshomaru . . . Do not leave your Lady Rin behind. Do not leave your Lady Rin alone . . . Think of our son," she said. "Think of the child to come . . . Think of anything . . ."

He stopped breathing.

She passed her hand in front of his face. "Dokumi . . ."

She turned away from her. "He's gone, my lady. I'm sorry."

Rin blinked back tears. "No," she shook her head. "No, it's not true."

"My lady," Dokumi crawled her way to her side, extending a hand to her.

"No!" she screamed. "Sesshomaru!"