InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Gift of a Curse ❯ Chapter 3

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Gift of a Curse

Chapter 3: Almost Given Up

~*~

"You shouldn't be here Rin. It's dangerous!"

"Kaori..." Rin said clutching her chest. She could make out the worry in her neko youkai friend's eyes even in such dim light. She turned back around, looking through the small hole once more. A large room, a broken window, and a silver rose. 'Where did Sesshoumaru go? He was standing there just a...oh no!' Rin remembered the torch, of course he heard it! "Kaori we have to get out of here!" The cat nodded, grasping Rin's hand and taking off. The midnight-haired girl struggled to keep up. "Slow down," she panted.

Kaori stopped, heaved Rin on to her back and began running again. If the lord found out he had been spied on...Koari couldn't think about it. She rushed down the flight of steps and heaved herself against the wall. It opened, revealing the lit hall. Rin slid off her friends back. "Kaori...what now? He'll catch our scents for sure!"

"Quick, follow this hall and take a left when it ends. Follow that and you'll enter the southern wing."

"Southern?" Rin swallowed, that meant she was in the western wing! That's right, Jaken said not to go here! She inwardly groaned, thanked her friend and took off. Her raven locks swayed behind her, her brown hues opened wide. She rounded the corner, taking the left. The hall became wider, lighter and more cared for. She could smell the aromas of food in the distance. It smelled so good! Unlike the tasteless things she was made to eat. Without thinking, Rin followed the tantalizing smells.

~*~

"What is it now, Jaken?" Sesshoumaru said coldly. He'd had enough of his 'loyal minion' lately. Jaken cowered under his lord's harsh stare, but produced something from behind his back. A raggedy old cloak.

"I found this...near the doorway...I believe it belongs to that neko youkai Kaoro or something. She helped that human escape!" Yes, now that Sesshoumaru thought about it, the scent that human had disguised herself with was a cat demon's. Kaori's scent...he'd know that one. He knew every servant, maid, and slave that walked the castle and grounds. "You will punish her MiLord?"

Punish the cat? Yes, that would teach the human to fear him as she should. The wench needed reminded of her place. "Jaken."

"H- Hai MiLord?" The toad said nervously.

"Leave." Jaken nodded, dropping the cloak and scurrying away. Sesshoumaru's cold golden hues looked to the window. Snow covered the grounds, the forest loomed not far away. His brother's scent still ingered, but now it was tolerable. His eyes fell upon the cloak. Yes, that unloyal youkai would learn her lesson.

~*~

"Kagome!" Inuyasha growled as he stormed into her place. The miko smiled sheepishly, and backed away. "You told?!" He couldn't tear his gaze from hers. She had just sent a hundred humans to their death!

"Inuyasha...I had to tell someone! I thought I could trust Naraku! He always seemed kind." The hanyou snorted, now he turned his back to her, afraid he might do something he'd regret later.

"Naraku is the worst one to tell! What have I told you about him?"

"I just thought...you were jealous."

"Jealous?!" He turned back to face her. "Kagome...you've just sent all your friends' husbands, sons, uncles, and cousins to their deaths!"

Kagome choked, falling to a heap on the bed she shielded her eyes with her hands, tears leaking down her cheeks. "Gomenasai! I meant no harm! No harm at all!" she choked through her sobs. Inuyasha sat down next to her, unable to comfort the crying miko for the time being. How would he stop the village from going to the castle...or stop Sesshoumaru from killing them? No...it was hopeless trying to stop Sesshoumaru from slautering humans and the villagers thought Inuyasha evil. What could he do?

~*~

Rin peeked around a doorway. The room was huge! Huge and hot! She stepped inside, gawking at the enormous fires and pots and kettles. Many youkai were busy preparing various foods, too busy to notice the human watching them. 'Why am I hugnry now?' She questioned herself. Maybe they'd let her eat something...? No, she couldn't bother anyone or she'd be sent back. Sighing softly she backed out of the room. Surely food was waiting for her in her rooms, she just needed to find her way back.

Turning she traced her steps back, speeding up as she passed by the entrance to the western wing. 'Almost there-' Rin slammed into something hard. She stepped back, a hand on her head as the world slowly stopped spinning. How could she have been so careless to run into a wall- Sesshoumaru?! Oh no! She felt like she was the size of an ant as she looked up into those golden orbs. "I'm sorry." she tried to say, but the words wouldn't form. No way this was the person who'd saved her life! She couldn't let him know how afraid she was!

Taking a deep breath she stared up at him, fighting to hold the fear from her chocolate hues. "Gomen." She said softly with a bow of her head. "I was merely heading back to my corridor." He didn't say anything, in fact, he seemed to be staring right through her. After a pregnant pause his golden hues narrowed. Rin swallowed, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Human." He said with an icy voice. His features stoic, void of emotion. It was unnerving. "Learn to watch where you go." Rin felt herself grow defensive. She had been watching! It's not her fault he appeared out of nowhere all the time!

"My name is Rin!" She said harshly, her eyes hard, lacking their normal softness.

"You," Sesshoumaru said, "are dead to me." He walked past her, brushing her shoulder. Fuming, Rin made her way back to her rooms. 'How can he say that? If I'm dead to him, why did he save me! Why has he even kept me alive all these years!' She was a little relieved to see a servant had left her food. A small bowl of thin soup and a hard slab of bread. Nothing compared to what the cooks had been preparing. She plopped down into a wooden chair and began to eat. It was never enough to feel her, but enough to hold her over until the next meal. That's how her life was, always just enough to keep her alive and yet, no reason for living.

~*~

'Human wench...' he thought making his way down a long hall. The taiyoukai searched the air for the cat's scent, finding it wasn't hard. He didn't really allow that many cats in his castle. (A/N Wonder why?) Sesshoumaru stepped around a corner, facing a door. He turned the handle, locked. With one quick pull the knob fell to the stone floor. The door eased open without a touch. Inside a cat youkai turned, her eyes widening in horror. She lowered her head, the inu-youkai could hear her shaky breaths, smell the fear tainting her scent. A youkai would quake in his prescence and yet, the human showed no fear. Was she nothing but a fool?

"Kaori. You helped the human escape." It wasn't a question, it wasn't an accusation, it was a statement. Kaori shifted. So he had known about Rin peering in on him? Then why had he not simply taken her then? The silver-haired youkai held up a raggedy cloak, and Kaori's breath caught in her throat. Rin didn't! She had used the cloak to mask her human scent!

"I...I..." argueing was useless. Kaori knew her fate was sealed. She'd be banished or killed. The fact she'd been working at the castle for over a century meant nothing. "I did." How could Rin do this to her? After she'd been so kind?

"Very well. You will be gone by tomorrow, and if I ever even catch your scent again, you'll not escape alive." He left, not bothering to close the door behind him. Such a faithful servant, it was a shame this human messed it up for her. Sesshouamru continued to walk, hearing small steps behind him he stopped. Once again, that toad had found him. Sometimes the taiyoukai went as far to think he was stalked by this imp.

"Lord Sesshoumaru! I have been looking for you! Did you cast out that traitor Kaoro?" Sesshoumaru began walking again, ignoring Jaken as usual. And as usual, the toad followed. The clink of his staff against the stoned floor echoing. "Such a fool to think she could get away with such in your domain MiLord! A human is a human is a human I always say!"

'Human's scent...everywhere...' Sesshoumaru continued walking, pondering quietly to himself. Not much longer, less than a year, and he could kill that human wench. Never again would he smell that scent, that human scent. Such weak things, and foolish. This ningen girl was exceptionally so. How was it she did not fear him? It didn't matter, she would be gone soon.

~*~

The sun was going down, Koari had missed her regular visit. She'd never missed it before, even if she could only come for a few moments. 'Don't be so paranoid.' Rin scolded herself as she changed into a nightdress. 'Perhaps she was just tired, she'll be here in the morning.' A knock at her door, she recognized it. Why was Jaken coming to her so late? The young woman opened the door, stepping aside to allow him in. Jaken stayed where he was, a strange gleam in his eye. "Master Jaken, what is it?" Rin asked softly. Something was up...something she knew she wouldn't like by Jaken's look.

"Rin! Your friend has paid for her crime!"

"My...friend?" She whispered thinking immediatly of Kaori. What happend to her, what had Kaori done? "What has happened?" she murmured.

Jaken folded his arms and puffed out his chest triumphantly. "I found her cloak! The one you draped yourself with and MiLord banished her from the castle!"

Rin stepped back, she closed her eyes. Her only friend, her only friend was gone. Gone because of Rin's selfish acts. Tears welled up in her brown orbs, she wiped them away. "Master Jaken! I...I hate you!" She cried and slammed the door on the toad. She could hear his angry cry muffled through the thick door.

"Why you inscolent little wench!"

"Go away!" Rin screamed and dove into her bed. Everything in her life was wrong. She was alone, alone with no friends, no mother, no father, no siblings, and no hope of escape! No hope of marriage, no hope of...happiness. Her head was buried in a pillow, she clutched it. Her body shook with the violent sobs. Everything she'd kept bottled up spilled out now, all those years of nothing. Everything spilled out in the tears that rolled down her cheeks and wet her pillow. "I wish I could die..." she moaned and fell into a fitful slumber.

The next day she refused to leave her room. Rin simply remained on her bed, unmoving. Her tears would dry up and then start again. Another day slid by, but everything just seemed a black pit of emptiness to her. Her hair went unbrushed, her clothing unchanged, and her rooms unattended. What did it matter? Nothing was worth living for so why try? The knocks at her door had stopped, they'd simply given up on her. Rin refused to eat, ingoring the pains in her stomach. She was growing weak, and tired.

~*~

"Refuses to eat?" he repeated softly to himself after Jaken was dismissed. So...she was trying to kill herself. Such confusing things. Sesshoumaru made his way to her rooms, walking into her corridor for the first time. It was dark, damp, small. Unlike the rest of the castle. He stopped outside her door. Inside was silent, no sounds of life. The door was locked, so he merely used the same trick as before, ripping the door handle off. The door opened slowly. Inside was a heavy dark, coldness. The room was black, the curtains over her one window drawn to block the light of the moon. There, a heap on the bed, was Rin.

She didn't move, but he knew she was awake. The small, thin blanket had been pulled over her head. "How shameful..." he said cooly. The taiyoukai could trace the change in her scent, she had become suddenly more aware of what was going on. "To die such a way. Don't you think?" Rin said nothing, she just hugged the blanket closer. Why had he come? "Weak...you humans."

"I am not weak!" Rin cried sitting up and facing him suddenly. She was angry, he could see that in her eyes. That long black hair was tangled, her clothing dirtied. "What would you know? You sit up on your high horse in luxury!" Sesshoumaru, amused he'd gotten a rise out of her, turned his gaze to the closed up window. The two were cast in empty silence for what seemed an eternity. "...You are a lowly thing to be called a lord..." Rin didn't care if he killed her, she wanted to die. The corners of his mouth turned up in a slight smirk. Still, she remained unafraid.

"Interesting..." he said more to himself then her. "You, unlike so many others, are unafraid of the eternal sleep." Rin watched him through her hardened chocolate hues.

"I would never let anything like you scare me..." Sesshoumaru continued to look at her, his ocher orbs narrowed. This human wench was trying his patience.

"You are a fool...there are things I could do much worse then death." He watched as her eyes widened slightly. For a moment he expected her to give in, but instead she stood up and stormed over to him. Rin glared at him for a moment. She drew back her fist and, using all the anger and strength she had, sent it at him. Sesshoumaru caught her fist in his hand without effort. He watched as she continued to glare at him. Without warning she raised her other fist, repeating the motion. Again, he caught it without effort.

Sesshoumaru held both her hands in one hand, he lifted them above her head and shoved her up against the wall. Rin didn't struggle, she hung limp, and for the first time, afraid. "You'll do well to eat and be happy about it or you might just find yourself in the dungeon." Though she was frail, her eyes still held their flame as she glared at him.

"Do what you want to me, but I'll never give in." He let go of his hold and she fell to the floor. "Remember Rin, things could go much worse for you..." He warned her coldly and left. Rin watched him go. After the taiyoukai disappeared from sight she began to tremble. From fear, hunger, and sorrow, but among all that, she felt a strange emotion. He had called her Rin, not human, not wench, Rin.

~*~

He entered his study. It was late in the night, but he still had much work to do. That little meeting with the wench had set him back some time. Sesshoumaru looked out his window, the very one Inuyasha had left through a few days before. The air outside was frigid, the stars like frost in the sky. They cast down their light, the pure white snow sparkling. A common sight through that window...

Still, he had failed in teaching the wench her place. Perhaps banishing her only friend hadn't been enough...she seemed more determined now. The door to the study squeaked open and Jaken crept in. He lugged the Staff of Two Heads as he made his way up to his lord's desk. "MiLord...?"

"........"

"Eh...well you see...another petal has fallen..."

"......."

Jaken backed up a bit, bowing slightly. He lost his balance and fell on his face. Nothing out of the ordinary. Scrambling to his feet the toad rushed from the room. Lord Sesshoumaru being silent was a bad sign, very bad in his case. 'MiLord can be so cruel!' Jaken thought as he rushed down a hall. So dark! He needed to get more torches out here.

~*~

Notes: Well...nothing really to say. Biggest event in this chapter? Sesshoumaru remembered Rin had a name! Seems like these two will never grow together...what can you expect? He is a cold-hearted demon lord!

Inu: Dog
Neko: Cat
Youkai: Demon
Miko: priestess
Ningen: Human
Gomen: Sorry
Gomenasai: I'm sorry
Hanyou: Half demon
Taiyoukai: Demon lord or king

Inuyasha: So...I hate this story!
Ray: Just because you're not the main character...
Inuyasha: Keh...>_>
Ray: This is only my third story out of a hundred that doesn't star you!
Sesshoumaru: HAHA!!! *falls over laughing*
Rin: I gave him Out Of Character pills...hehe
Kagome: I supplied 'em!
Everyone: o.o;

Next Chapter: Change in the Air