InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Demon's Diary ❯ Rin's Friend Koneko ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Second Entry - Rin's Friend Koneko

 

Inuyasha leapt up into the tree above his companions and waited until he knew for sure everyone was sleeping. He pulled out the book that he had hidden in his haori and just looked at it for a moment. I really shouldn't read this, he thought, fingering the leather binding. I never would have thought that he cared so much for that girl. Has he been lying all this time about hating humans? Who are these other kids he hinted at?

 

His thoughts were confused, he had no idea that his brother liked men in that way, and that he was a virgin at his age, it made Inuyasha blush slightly remembering the personal information that was contained in the book in his hand. He would kill me for sure if he knew I read that.

 

His brother had written of him also and it seemed as if he was more irritated by him than actually hateful towards him. Why does Sesshoumaru want me to hate him? These things he could not figure out on his own so he looked at the book again and opened it.

 

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It was Rin who brought my attention to the second of my children. Her name is Koneko, a pretty neko hanyou, although she was not so pretty when I first saw her.

 

Rin had gone off into a village we were near to buy supplies and a treat for herself. I allow that, she had to learn to take care of herself but I am always near enough to aid her should she so require it. She came back in tears, crying so hard that at first I could not fathom what she was saying. After much soothing she finally sobbed out her story.

 

It appeared that in the village Rin had found the neko child in a cage, the villagers were keeping the girl trapped as they believed her to be bad luck and nothing more than an animal. I wonder if that is how my brother was seen?

 

I did something then that I do not normally do, I followed my Rin into the village to see this for myself. It was most disturbing. The cage was set into the ground and the girl was in there, barely clothed, cowering in the corner. I could see bruises on her as she sat in her own filth and mud, the stench was horrible.

 

The villagers were quite fearful of my presence as they should be and no one interfered. I sometimes cannot fathom the cruelty of humans, and they call me a monster. Without words I reached down and yanked the top of the cage clean off. The cat did not even squirm as I lifted her out and placed her on her feet. I then turned and began to walk away but stopped, hearing two sets of light footsteps behind me. Rin had the girls hand in hers and was dragging her after me. The child looked and smelt fearful but not overly so and seemed fairly complacent, albeit nervous to bend to Rin's wishes to come with us. I turned to my ward.

 

“Rin, what are you doing?”

 

“Sesshoumaru-sama, please can she come with us, she has no one else and they may capture her again and do worse,” my kind hearted child pleaded.

 

How that child can manipulate me so. I can never refuse her anything. I kept my stoic face on and looked to the other girl who tightened her grip on Rin's hand but did not look away from my scrutiny. I am not sure if it was the thought of my own hanyou brother's hard life or Rin's large pleading eyes that caused me to accept her but I turned and began to walk away saying over my shoulder “Rin, be sure she has a bath and clean clothing.”

 

I resisted the urge to clamp my hands over my ears at the high pitched, happy squeal of my human child. Back at the camp both girls headed for the hot springs not far from where we were and I must say I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw when they returned.

 

Rin had given the neko girl one of her kimonos, in fact, one of her nicer ones. It is white with mauve stripes that represent ribbons running over the shoulders and down the front. Entwined with the ribbon are pink sakura blossoms, my favourite flower, the entire garment tied with a copper colored obi. The garment only came to just below the knee of the girl as she is taller than Rin.

 

I would have guessed her age to be about twelve years. She has short wavy, unruly copper colored hair. Same colored kitten ears adorn the top of her head. Her face is small featured with burnished golden eyes that slant up at the edges and slitted pupils like those of her kind. She is too thin, probably from lack of food but I can tell that even with some fattening up she will remain svelte. When I look to her hands I almost think she has no claws, so human her nails look, but upon closer inspection I can see the tips are pointed. I come to learn later that they are retractable and when extended are most efficient weapons.

 

She remains nervously still under my inspection, staring at me with those eyes darker than mine with hope glittering in their depths.

 

“What is your name?” I ask her.

 

“Koneko my lord,” she answers, bowing to me.

 

I am pleased; at least she has some manners. Rin is staring from me to her, hope also in her eyes. I am sure she has instructed the hanyou in the best way to please me to ensure that she stays. I think that another child will be good for my Rin. I do not want her to grow up as I did, with no friends and only adults to keep you company. She deserves to have as normal as a childhood as I can give her. I am not able to play with her and Jaken hates it. Perhaps one more around will not be such a burden. She is certainly old enough to care for herself and being a half demon she can provide additional protection for Rin as well as companionship.

 

“You may stay,” I tell her, watching as both girls grab each other's hand and smile happily. It almost makes me want to smile but of course that would not be wise to let my mask slip. If anyone knew I cared it would be something to use against me, so I treat them as no more than servants, pretending they don't matter.

 

Jaken is not pleased but would not dare to go against my wishes, so he just groans and grumbles under his breath as is his wont to do and goes about the business of cooking food for the children. I do not require my food cooked, I find it takes most of the taste away. I do tolerate some human food for the benefit of Rin, but it must be full flavoured for my palate. To be most truthful there is one human delicacy that I do enjoy, most unbefitting of a tai-youkai such as myself but I cannot pass up pocky. The salty, chocolate combination is pure heaven in my mouth. I wonder if Koneko prefers cooked food over raw. Oddly enough I wonder what my brother prefers.

 

Over the time that we are together I come to find the cat will eat most anything, cooked or raw although it is a chore to get her to eat any kind of vegetable. She will only do so if I order her to and then with a sour face. Her favourite item is, not surprisingly, milk, which I try my best to attain for her.

 

It appears that Koneko had been in that cage for almost two years. Her mother had been killed by the villagers, she did not know her father, and she had been captured for their amusement. What amusement she will not say but it angers me that anyone could do that to a child.

 

I know my own brother had a hard time as a child. I would have loved nothing more than to have him home with me but I was too young. Barely sixteen and thrust into the position of lord at the time of his birth, uncertain of my own powers and abilities to walk in my lords footsteps. A frightful thing to me at the time, how could I hope to be as good a lord as my father? I still try my best so as not to dishonour his memory.

 

My father's advisers wanted my hanyou brother destroyed, seeing him as a taint upon our father's blood. I could not allow that so I sent him and his mother away, back to her people in the hopes they would take the two of them in. I am sure our father would have wanted this.

 

He had his mother for awhile but when she died I know it hurt him terribly. I made sure he was put with people who would care for him until he was able to care for himself. There were those who would have loved nothing more than to kill him, I needed to protect him so I hid him as best I could.

 

It was not easy for him as others did not want to have him around. He is of both worlds, as is Koneko, demon and human, but of neither really. I wish a better life for my kitten, one I was unable to give to my brother.

 

I did the best I could for him and thought he had found a good life when he met and fell in love with the miko woman. He seemed happy but happiness is a fleeting thing and that woman betrayed my brother and pinned him to a tree. It broke my heart to see him so and I visited him often until one day he wasn't there. I found out later that another miko, the reincarnation of his betrayer, had set him free. So now he travels with her and his small band and I can not change the past so I allow him to think I hate him, for his own protection.

 

He is chasing the shikon jewel and trying to defeat that insidious Naraku, he does not need the added burden of those of my court trying to destroy him so he cannot take over the western lands. If they believe that I will kill him they will leave him alone.

 

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Inuyasha closed the book. He knew the life I had? He must have been watching me all that time. I can't believe he was trying to protect me, and still is. He almost sounds like he cares for me, but that can't be right, can it? He felt like running to find his older sibling to tell him that he didn't need his protection and that he was strong enough to take care of himself. But then Sesshoumaru would know he read his book, that he had violated his privacy. Plus he wanted to read more. He did not want to pass up this opportunity to finally know the workings of his brother's mind. Who would have thought the great lord liked pocky, a child's treat. Inuyasha grinned at the thought of his stoic brother sucking on the chocolaty sticks.

 

“Inuyasha,” he heard a groggy voice from below him. “It's late, why are you still awake? Is anything wrong?” asked Miroku quietly so as not to wake the girls.

 

“No, everything is fine. Go back to sleep.”

 

Inuyasha waited until her again heard the steady breathing of sleep. He was tired himself and probably should settle down, dawn was not that far off. He slipped the book into his haori and closed his eyes feeling angry that his brother had never trusted his abilities to take care of himself and confusion at the feelings his brothers seemed to have for him.

 

It must just be guilt that makes him write those things, he really doesn't care. He must know I don't want his stupid lands. Inuyasha frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. After a few minutes he began to drift off, the last thing he thought before sleep claimed him was He visited me, when I was pinned to the Goshinboku tree. And I like my food cooked.