InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Eternity ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha, or any characters from that show. So sad.

 

She stared over the balcony down the sheer cliff face at the myriad of buildings below. It was a good drop, but she had been used to it for a long time now. She smiled as she remembered the couple times she even fell down it—only to be caught by him of course. She sighed though, as wonderful as the buildings were they had long lost their novelty, and the valley was much prettier before them. She had been excited, at first, thinking she would no longer have to be so lonely, but he explained that they couldn't get too close to anybody, lest they figure them out.

 

She closed her eyes, picturing the valley as it was before. It wasn't hard; it had been that way for a very long time. Trees had sprouted, grown tall, and died in that time. The buildings, it seemed, had been there for only the blink of an eye. How long had it been now? She knew the year was now 2006, but that didn't help much without a starting date. As near as she could guess, it had been a little more than 500 years.

 

Although her mate joined her silently (as always) she knew he was there. They stood like that for a few minutes, just together. After a couple centuries she had stopped being so chatty; there wasn't much they hadn't talked about. Or she had talked to him about, would be more accurate. She really didn't mind that he was so quiet, because that way when he spoke it was special, something she clung to. Like now.

 

“There is a festival in Tokyo today,” he said simply, regarding her out of the corner of his eye.

 

She did not fail in her reaction. “Really??” she squealed.

 

He made no sign of affirmation, he knew she had heard him correctly. “You have one hour, my love.”

 

He did not smile, but the affectionate let her know he was happy she was happy. She stood on her tiptoes and pecked his cheek, and then rushed to “her” room. They slept together, of course, in his room, but she was allowed too keep all of her clothes and things in another room. It made sense, as it was a very full room.

 

Only one hour? she thought, staring at her wardrobe. And she knew she could only wear one kimono. He moved too quickly for anything else, and it was going to be warm. Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and reached out at random. As she opened her eyes, she smiled. It wasn't her absolute favorite, but it was his. Orange and yellow patterned itself in squares interrupted by alternate colors of circles. It was a replica of the yokata she had worn when she was a child, the first he gave to her. It had long worn out and been discarded, but the minute she mentioned that she missed it, an elegant, grown up version had shown up in her things. He always gave her gifts that way, quietly. She slipped it on because it was easier than carrying it, and walked over to the dresser and rummaged through her obis to find the green one. She set it on the table and stood before the mirror, shrugging off the yokata and undressing. She stared at her reflection, the same as it had been for ages, and remembered the little girl she had once been. She tied the yokata on, and held up the obi. There behind her, suddenly as always, was a servant. Numi was her name, and she was responsible fore her things. She deftly tied the obi, patting her gently afterwards.

 

“How shall I tell Suki you want your hair done?” she asked.

 

Rin glanced in the mirror for a little, but shook her head. “I'll do it myself. Thank you Numi.”

 

The servants had bothered her at first, but as she watched the little badger-woman leave, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her. This was a haven for them now, those who could not adapt to human living in the modern world. She turned to the mirror, and fished in a small box for an elastic ponytail holder. Now this was one thing she liked about the modern era. Hair was so easy. She gathered a small section of hair from the side of her head, brushing it a little to make it cooperate, and tied it off. It wasn't exactly the same; her hair was pretty much all the same length now, but the effect was enough. She looked as close to when she was little as possible. Pleased with how little time she had taken, she rushed out to the main hall.

 

He was waiting, as usual. He had discarded the large armor and fur in favor for his plain outfit. He carried his sword proudly, remembering the days when he had not been “allowed” to. As he turned to look at her, he afforded her one of his very—very—rare smiles. A hand rose to her face, soft and gentle as always. He had already changed his appearance, the way he did when they went in public, and she silently wished he didn't have to. There was once a time when there was no one who could question him, but times had changed….

 

As if reading her thoughts, (and she often wondered if he could) he kissed her forehead. “It is time to go,” he said simply. They stepped out of the front door, and she waved to the toady figure that closed the door. He simply snorted and went back into the house. She shrugged and turned around. He was holding the door to the limo open for her, he always insisted on doing that sort of thing himself. She got in, once again appreciating the modern conveniences. The drive to Tokyo was a long one, but patience was one thing the years had given her. When you had an eternity, a few hours weren't so bad.

 

At last they arrived at the festival. There were so many people, and all in traditional costume. Spying a girl in a beautiful white and purple kimono, she momentarily wished she had worn something a little nicer. However, some of her nicer kimonos were priceless antiques, and it would be just her luck that some collector would spot her. She fit in much better this way. As they neared the gates, a man called out for them to pause. They did, and he came running up to them, a bundle of pink ribbons in his hands.

 

“I'm sorry sir,” he said, a little out of breath, “But it's a peace-tie. For safety.” He nodded towards his own sword, which was tied shut with a similar ribbon.

 

There was no question in her mind that he was not going to put up with that. As he drew his sword, she almost flinched, and the man did visibly. However, he simply held it out to the man, as if displaying it.

 

“If you would inspect the edge of the blade…” he said, his voice an annoyed drawl.

 

The man bent over, staring at it. “Hmmm…” he thumbed the rounded edge were a razor should be. “A dulled blade, huh. No problem. Go right on in.”

 

She could hardly suppress a smile. It was true, there was no cutting edge on the sword, but she would hardly call it dull. With that “dull” sword he could kill every person in the crowd with a single sweep… or bring them all back from the dead. He simply sheathed it, though, and they walked into the crowd. Festivals were one of her favorite things. Not only could they blend in perfectly (well, he got a few strange looks) but there were so many fun things to do. After trying to knock over some glass bottles in the hopes of winning a rather large stuffed panda and failing miserably, she managed to wheedle him into trying. With a sigh, he half-heartedly tossed the ball, cleanly knocking the bottles off in one hit. The man who ran the attraction looked as if his eyes would pop out of his head. They all three knew the attraction was rigged—he had knocked the bottles off of a table they were glued to. She cheered, and the bemused man handed her the panda she pointed to.

 

As they walked through the festival, she noticed other couples, and it always seemed it was the guy hauling around the giant stuffed animal, but she didn't mind. The thought of him carrying her panda was enough to make her giggle. Besides, he had his hands full. He had purchased a rather large box of Pocky and was now pensively munching away at the sticks, looking ever-so-bored as if they weren't his favorite food in the whole world. At some point he excused himself, probably smelling someone he needed to talk to.

 

She sighed. She had no one to talk to but him. It was pointless making friends, of course, for multiple reasons. Even if they didn't grow older than you in a few scant years, there was no one who could really relate to her, no one had lived through what she had….

 

“Oh, my god.” A vaguely familiar voice caught her attention.

 

“Rin-chan??”

 

She turned ever so slowly to face whoever had said her name. No one knew her here. How could they? But as she turned she came to see a familiar face from long, long ago.

 

“Ka…Kagome??”

 

Suddenly the priestess she addressed went white. And it was no surprise, for there was her companion standing behind said priestess, looking none-too-friendly. He shifted towards her, but there was an almost indiscernible flash of pink light.

 

“Good to see your reflexes are as sharp as ever,” he commented as he walked back to her side.

 

“Nice to see you too, Sesshomaru,” Kagome said with just a hint of sarcasm.

 

Rin frowned a little at Kagome. “Why are you wearing priestess robes, Kagome? You haven't technically been a miko since—”

 

Kagome held up her hands. “Don't say anything!!! I have to explain something to you!”

 

Rin closed her mouth.

 

“You and Sesshomaru have lived through the 500 years from the Sengoku jidai?” she asked.

 

Rin nodded. “Yeah, from the Shogunate to the Meiji revolution to Nagasaki.”

 

Kagome stared at her a moment. “You lived… through Nagasaki?”

 

She nodded solemnly. She had lost her only child there, though he had become an old man by that time. Being half-demon wasn't enough to save him, and Rin had been unable to have children since. It was years before they could go anywhere without making the people they came into contact with sick.

 

“Wow.” Kagome was silent for a moment.

 

Rin frowned again. “But Kagome… you died…”

 

Kagome sighed. I suppose I do… did… eventually. Whatever. But before you say anything else, I need to explain this to you. The reason I was present in that time is because there is a well I go through, back in time. I time-travel. This is actually my time, the time I was born in. I still go back a lot, and so you can't tell me anything about what has happened for you that hasn't happened for me yet, because it will either totally destroy the space-time continuum or just make me totally insane.”

 

Rin thought about that a moment. “Ok. I suppose that makes some sense.”

 

“Hn.” Sesshomaru offered.

 

Rin grinned. “Oh my god, though, Kagome, it will be so nice to have someone to talk to again!”

 

Kagome stared at her dumbstruck. “But … I just said…”

 

Rin waved a hand. “Don't worry. I won't talk about anything that happened before you died. Hope you like history though.”

 

Kagome laughed. “Are you kidding, I'm getting a masters in Anthropology. Still…” she bit her lip, hesitant.

 

Rin sighed. “You have to talk to me, Kagome, you just have to. I haven't a soul in the world to talk to except Sesshomaru-sama, and … well… it would be nice if I had someone to girl-talk with, you know. There's nobody left who understands. No one who remembers what it was like.” Rin paused, seeing the same loneliness she felt reflected clearly in Kagome's eyes.

 

“Besides,” she continued, on a cheerier note. “We're practically family.”

 

Kagome stared at Rin for a moment, dumbstruck. She looked from Rin to Sesshomaru, blinked a few times, and seemed to make the connection. But she still looked confused. She frowned, looking inward. Suddenly her eyes shot open and she gradually turned beet red.

 

“Oh dear,” Rin said. “When… when exactly are you in the past?”

 

Kagome thought a little, “Well, it's been a few years since we defeated Naraku. I'd say you're about 14 or 15. Younger than you look now.”

 

Rin's eyes shot open. “Ah. Well. You wouldn't know then, would you?”

 

Kagome smiled a little. “Well, it's not entirely surprising. This will just make the fights that much easier.”

 

Rin laughed, and they chatted on. At some point Sesshomaru became bored and wandered off. Rin and Kagome talked all through the festival, marveling at the attractions and discussing the finer details of some obscure past event. Sesshomaru reappeared for the fireworks, quietly and unobtrusively sliding his arm around Rin's waist.

 

Kagome smiled a little. She knew, of course, from her timeline, that Rin had a thing for Sesshomaru. She had always seen Sesshomaru as a father figure to her, though, and had supposed that Rin had a rather severe Elektra complex. It made sense though, children were often betrothed to grown men in that day and age. She was happy for them, that they had so much time. Frankly, she was slightly jealous. After the fireworks, Rin scribbled down a telephone number and told Kagome to call whenever she felt like it.

 

On the ride home, they were quiet. It wasn't the same though, the silence was full. Rin scooted across the seat and leaned up against Sesshomaru, who put his arm around her. “What are you thinking, my love?” She asked quietly.

 

“I am remembering.”

 

Rin almost asked if they were happy memories, but caught something in his voice. She looked up to find him already staring at her, a pain and age in his eyes that had nothing to do with the centuries he had lived nor the battles he had fought.

 

“You're thinking about hell again, aren't you?”

 

Rin suppressed a shudder. She only vaguely remembered hell, she had been dead for most of the time she had been there. It was an image that stayed with you, though. Hell was… well…

 

Hell looked a lot like Nagasaki.

 

Rin knew it was useless to tell Sesshomaru not to think about something, so she went with it. She snuggled up next to him, hugging her panda and wishing it was his pelt. “Tell me that story again, Sesshomaru-sama, about how you fought the master of hell for my soul.”

 

It smacked of bedtime stories, and she knew it. She didn't care. Sesshomaru was everything to her, Father, Lover, Guardian, Friend, Mate. She liked to be loved that way—completely. In some small part of her heart she would always be that little girl traipsing barefoot after her fairy-tale hero.

 

“Well,” Sesshomaru sighed, playing with her hair a little, “It all started when I went to my mother to see if she could help me perfect Tenseiga's attack…”

 

Rin brushed her fingers along the sheath of the sword her soul was inextricably bound to, and remembered….

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

A/N: YAY! So here's my first post. Sorry about all the changes, trying to figure out how the site works and such.

 

So… the story begins. Yes, I know that the original manga has now gone on in a direction that makes this story totally obsolete, but I DON'T CARE!!!! I will not sit by and wait two weeks for a stupid holiday in Japan while I wait to hear the fate of my second favorite character! I like this story, and I'm content to keep it as a divergence, or whatever. It's fun to write.

 

So, tell me what you think!!!