InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Eien Wo Shinjiteru ❯ Chapter 7

Writer's Yaps: Hey minna-san! I would so like to thank you for all the encouraging reviews. You guys have given me something to smile about, hehe! By the way, some of you may have noticed that Sesshoumaru-sama has both arms in this story, and you could be wondering why that is (thanks for bringing that up, Hitokiri Yukihime!). Well, he acquired his other arm in my other fic Kanjou no Setsuna, but only the first chapter is posted here in fanfiction.net. It's unfinished and I don't think I will be posting the rest of it (unless you want me to!). Anyway, here's chapter 7, and as I've said, Inuyasha and the gang are now part of the cast.

 

As always, please feel free to tell me what you think! Thanks again I hope you enjoy this. It's the longest chap I've written so far.

 

 

 

Eien Wo Shinjiteru

 

 

Chapter 7

 

The girl was curled up on her side and was fast asleep. She did not stir when he walked up to the fire and fed more sticks to the dwindling flames.

 

She was facing the wall so her face was hidden from his view. Her slim form was clad in a red, embroidered kimono of the finest silk, but the cloth was stained with so much dirt and grime that you wouldn't notice it's quality at first glance. The pack of coyotes had given her a terrible fright. She had fainted in his arms and he had carried her to this enclosed outcropping at the side of the mountain. She had yet to awake from her deep slumber.

 

Kohaku ate the last of the mushrooms he had roasted for an early supper. He had debated waking the girl for the meal but she was sleeping so peacefully he decided against it. He had been busily trapping fish in the river when he heard her scream from faraway, and he had come hurtling through the woods to get where she was. She was wielding a broken tree branch, swinging it wildly form side to side as she tried to ward off half a dozen viciously snarling dogs that were snapping at her heels. After scaring the coyotes away, he came up to her to ask if she was alright, but her eyes had rolled to the back of her head and Kohaku caught her just before she hit the ground.

 

He couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen her somewhere before, but her face eluded him. She wasn't a peasant girl, of that he was certain. And it wasn't just because of her rich garments, or the fact that she was breathtakingly beautiful. Her ebony hair was soft and lustrous, and her skin was as smooth and fine as the silk she wore. She was probably the wife or daughter of a wealthy nobleman. What was she doing in the middle of the woods, Kohaku could not begin to fathom. Well, he would find out when she wakes, but right now he had to be heading on home. Sango would skin his hide if he was late for supper.

 

With a sigh, Kohaku gently hoisted the girl onto his back and started the long walk back to the house.

 

 

-o0o-

 

 

“Good heavens, Kohaku! What have you got there?”

 

Gently, so as not to wake her, Kohaku set the girl down on the pallet and turned to face the group. They were gawking at him in such a way that it was almost comical. He cleared his throat to keep from laughing. “I, uh, found her in the forest.”

 

Inuyasha threw back his head and roared with laughter. “Kohaku, it's about time you snagged yourself a woman,” he said with a smirk. “You've got pretty good taste, as far as I can tell.”

 

“Inuyasha, osuwa-!”

 

His face red, Kohaku clapped his hand over Kagome's mouth. “I'm sorry, Kagome-sama,” he said solemnly, at the same time quickly retrieving his arm. “But the sound of the crash might wake her.”

 

Kagome nodded sheepishly. “Oh sorry, I wasn't thinking.” She sent Inuyasha a withering glare. “I'm gonna go get a blanket for her,” she announced and flounced out of the room.

 

“She doesn't appear to be hurt. Can you tell us what happened?” Sango's brow furrowed in concern.

 

Miroku peered over Kohaku's shoulder at the sleeping girl. “Hmm, Inuyasha's right, she is one fine looking female.” His hand absently wandered down to caress Sango's bottom.

 

Sango gritted her teeth and conked the priest in the head in annoyance. “Behave yourself,” she commanded. She turned to Kohaku and smiled at him. “Can you tell us what happened?” she asked again.

 

Kohaku gestured them all out of the room. “I'll tell you over supper,” he said.

 

Kagome came back bearing the blanket. She knelt down next to the girl and covered her with it. As she smoothed the girl's hair away from her forehead, she gasped in shock.

 

Everyone's heads swiveled in her direction. “What is it?” Sango asked, a trace of alarm in her voice.

 

Kagome looked up at them, her face registering her astonishment. “It's Rin. This girl...it's Rin!”

 

 

 

-o0o-

 

 

 

Rin woke to the sound of hushed voices. She was lying on a soft pallet and was wrapped in a thick quilt. Pulling herself up in a sitting position, she took a moment to survey her surroundings. She was in a room somewhere, and she couldn't remember how she got here. She vaguely recalled being chased by wolves, or was it coyotes? She was running for her life, all of a sudden he was there, and then everything went black.

 

Rin brought her hand to her mouth to keep from gasping. It was the boy, he had brought her here, she was sure if it. But where was he? There was a clean kimono and undergarments at the foot of her pallet. Hurriedly, she stripped off her soiled clothing and put on them on. The clean cotton felt and smelled wonderful.

 

There were people in the room across the hall, their voices barely audible. His family perhaps? Opening the door silently, she ventured out into the corridor. Careful not to make any noise, she padded over to the shoji and strained to listen. She could just make out what they were saying, and the strange thing was, they seemed to know who she was. As the conversation wore on, her eyes widened as one voice stood out from the rest. She would recognize that voice anywhere, it was the impatient tones of Sesshoumaru-sama's half-brother Inuyasha! She had stumbled upon Inuyasha and his friends!

 

 

 

-o0o-

 

 

 

“I wonder what happened? Do you suppose she ran away?” Kohaku asked worriedly. He had just finished telling them about how he had found Rin. No wonder she had seemed familiar. Close to ten years have passed since Naraku's defeat. After the confrontation, Sesshoumaru-sama had taken off with Rin and Jaken without a parting word. That was the last time he had seen any of them. It came as a shock to know that Rin was with them right now. But where were Sesshoumaru and Jaken?

 

Sango shook her head slowly. “It isn't like Rin to run away. I remember she was totally devoted to Sesshoumaru.”

 

Inuyasha snorted loudly. “Keh, knowing that bastard, I bet he threw her out because she displeased him somehow. You know how he is.”

 

“I find that hard to believe,” Kagome disagreed. “Sesshoumaru cares for her a great deal. He was always there when Rin was in trouble. And do you recall how he forgot his pride and risked his own life to get his arm back in order to save her?”

 

“Maybe she got lost. You know, they were probably out on a trip or something and she somehow strayed from their group,” Shippou piped in. The kitsune demon stealthily plucked a piece of chicken off Miroku's plate.

 

The priest's forehead was furrowed in thought and ignored the little theft. “Hmm, perhaps you're right. But don't you think Sesshoumaru would have found her by now?”

 

“Well, I guess we would have to wait until she wakes up. Poor Rin.,” Kagome said as she looked at the wall behind which the slumbering Rin was. “I hope nothing bad has happened.”

 

Rin had heard enough. She couldn't let them go on and worry about her. She calmly placed her hand on the shoji door and tentatively slid it open. All eyes turned to her in surprise. Kagome was the first to recover.

 

“Oh so you're finally awake! How are you feeling? You must be hungry, come in and have something to eat. You must have heard us talking about you,” she said with a shameful chuckle. “It has been somewhat of a shock seeing you here. We hope you don't mind.”

 

Rin lowered her head meekly and stepped into the room. She looked around at the faces seated around the table. Kohaku was smiling encouragingly at her. “Please have a seat,” he invited.

 

Sango nudged Miroku to make space for Rin. She sat down between Kagome and the taijiya.

 

Kagome reached for Rin's hand and patted it reassuringly. “We should get some food into you first, then we can talk about it if you like,” she said soothingly. She didn't want to pressure the girl into telling them everything at once. They would wait, she would begin when she was ready.

 

Rin felt her eyes misting over. “Thank you,” she said in a near whisper. Everyone was being so kind. Sango began piling food on her plate, and Shippou placed a bowl of rice in her hands. She remembered them all too well even though she had never been around them much back then. It all seemed like a lifetime ago. Ten years had elapsed, but still they were together. One happy family. Everyone looked exactly the same, except for Shippou, who had grown considerably taller, and he had a bushier tail. And Kohaku. He was a man now, he was tall, lean, and broad-shouldered. Rin recalled how strong and brave he was. In the past he had gotten her out of harm's way several times. Once, he had even journeyed with them in their search for Naraku. It was beyond her that she hadn't been able to recognize him when he rescued her from those animals. Rin swallowed at the lump in her throat and felt a sharp pain twist her insides. If only he was here, god, how she missed him…she blinked quickly to keep the tears at bay and willed her lips to stretch into a smile.

 

She had not thanked Kohaku for saving her life. Balling her fists on her lap, she turned towards the young man and gave him a teary smile. “Thank you, Kohaku-kun. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you,” she said with heartfelt gratitude.

 

Kohaku flushed to the roots of his hair. “It was nothing. You saved my life once too, remember? I would die before I let anything hurt you, surely you know that.” Realizing that he had said far too much, he turned his gaze to the ceiling and fidgeted with his hair, laughing a bit to cover his embarrassment.

 

Inuyasha took one look at Kohaku and roared with laughter. “The lad has got the hots for you Rin, hehe! You'd better watch out!”

 

Kagome yanked on the dog demon's ear and he gave out a loud yelp. “Ooww!!! What the hell was that for?” he demanded angrily.

 

Choosing to ignore her husband, Kagome proceeded to eat her sushi. “He has such a foul mouth, I do apologize Rin. Oh well, I guess he will never learn.” Smiling at Rin, she calmly filled a teacup and placed it in front of her. “You know, whatever it is that happened, we'd like you to know that you can stay here for as long as you like. We have plenty of room. You can share a room with Nishi, she had always wanted to have an older sister.”

 

“Oh no, I wouldn't want to impose on you. You've done so much for me already, I'll be on my way in the morning,” Rin protested. She had absolutely no idea where to go. The bag with her possessions in it had been lost when the coyotes were chasing her. Maybe they could spare her something to wear and some necessary items, but she didn't want them to think she was taking advantage of their hospitality.

 

Kagome waved her hands in the air dismissively. “Oh you silly child, we would love for you to stay! Now that that's settled, eat as much as you can. You're so thin the wind will blow you away!”

 

The banter continued endlessly around the table. It seemed as if nothing had changed for these people. But they were familiar, and they had been dear to her at one point in time. She didn't know how she would begin telling them about what had happened, but she would find a way. Timidly, she bit into some chicken. It had been quite some time since she left the castle and had eaten anything this delicious. She didn't realize how hungry she was. With renewed energy, she began to eat with relish. Surrounded by people who genuinely cared for her, she knew that somehow, everything would work itself out.

 

 

-o0o-

 

 

“I'm worried about her Inuyasha. What could possibly have happened to bring this about?”

 

They were standing by the lakeshore, staring up at the crescent moon. Inuyasha put his arms around Kagome and held her close. “That bastard, I knew it! I knew this would happen! A youkai and a human…it would never work out!” he said vehemently. His brother was such an unfeeling ass, Inuyasha knew in his gut that this was somehow all Sesshoumaru's fault.

 

Kagome turned in his arms. “How can you say that? We don't know what happened yet. It must have been too hurtful to talk about. And you can't say that a human and a demon could never work out. Look at us!” she cried.

 

Inuyasha's eyes softened at her outburst. “Well, we are the exception. Keh, I guess we'll just have to wait `til he gets here. We'll see what he has to say.”

 

Laying her head on his chest, Kagome sighed heavily. “I just hope she doesn't get hurt again. There's too much pain in her eyes and she's so young.”

 

They stayed that way for a long time, until the cold night air forced them to seek the warmth of the house.

 

 

 

 

-o0o-

 

 

 

 

Well, that's it for now. Chappie 8 will be up in a few. Please don't forget to review this!

 

 

-bungeegum-