InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Healing Hands ❯ Healing Hands Part 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Healing Hands Part 2

Inu-Yasha Fanfiction

By: Kittyonnails

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The sky seemed to shiver as a deep purple crawled across it, beginning in the west and working it's way east. Rin turned towards it with mixed emotions. She knew it was a sign of Sesshomaru's coming. She looked back at the rundown temple and then back to the western horizon. She could already see her master coming. She could even feel him calling to her.

Before her very eyes, he flew the hundred or so miles between them, never taking his eyes off of her. His expression was, as always, vacant. His eyes glowed a beautiful amber and his snow-white hair swirled about him in the wind. He reached Rin in moments, and she braced herself for whatever harsh words he had waiting for her.

None came. As he stood, silently staring at her, his face betrayed neither anger or joy. He was so beautiful. Rin caught her breath as she traced the gentle slopes of his face with her eyes. The stripes on his cheeks were the color of the sky. He wore the same armor and kimono he had worn during her childhood, when they had traveled all over the western lands together. Unable to contain herself, Rin spoke first;

"Sesshomaru." her eyes searched his for some answer to the question she couldn't bear to ask. Did he want her back? Would he again take her into his service? Seeing him now, she wondered why she had ever left her privileged position as his housemaid and come to this desolate place. The only peace and safety she had ever known was standing there in front of her.

"Rin!" Taromaru's voice called to her, pulling her out of her dreaming. She was in her room, lying on her futon. Everything was dark, save the light of one candle which revealed Taromaru, sitting at her bedside. She blinked at him, confused and wanting to return to her dreams.

"Did you say Sesshomaru?" he asked, looking at her intensely. She nodded;

"My Lord Sesshomaru. He is the Great Demon-Lord of the western lands."

Taromaru let out a long breath.

"I didn't know. I've only met his brother, and only once."

"The half-breed that maimed my lord?" Rin exclaimed.

"And saved my life! Rin, how can you be so devoted to a demon as mercilessly evil as Sesshomaru anyway?"

Rin looked away, remembering the serene face in her dream. To her he was neither merciless or evil. She smiled slightly.

"I just love him Taromaru. He's not like you say he is. He has a good heart, especially for a demon of his rank. Humans just don't understand."

"You were so upset! You passed out from fear of him a few hours ago, Rin! How can you love that? Rin, please…" his voice trailed off, but his eyes locked on hers. She was puzzled by the desperation and fear in them.

"It's ok, Taromaru. No matter what happens, it will be just fine. I do not care what Sesshomaru decides to do with me, as long as he is the one doing it. I've waited so long, perfecting my skills for him. I can fight as well as any human, heal any wound, and I am still devoted to my lord. The only thing that has been holding me back is fear. I have been afraid to take the first step back into my master's service. I was afraid to displease him, afraid to burden him with my humanness again. Now I realize that he is the one who will make that decision. I will return to my lord. I belong with him, no matter what." A deep serenity washed over Rin. She had surrendered herself to fate and to Sesshomaru. It was no longer her burden. She knew in that instant that she would not wait for him to find her.

"I will go to him and offer him my gifts. I will miss you, my friend."

"Rin…" Taromaru looked away from her beauty. He couldn't bear to hear her talk in such a way about a demon who would most likely rip her to shreds for her disobedience. He stood up and left the room without saying another word.

* * * *

Mushin frowned at the monk. His story was very troubling. Rin had left shortly after waking from her fit. She was going to return to the demon she had served as a girl. She intended on growing him a new arm with her healing powers.

"If she attempts to heal that demon, she will be killed." he rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger.

"Master-Mushin, please we have to stop her. We have to save Rin!"

"She has gone of her own free will to abuse the powers the Buddha has given her. I will have no part in such a rescue." He folded his arms resolutely.

"But Master-Mushin, I-" he stopped, afraid to continue. Somehow he found the courage to tell his secret to his mentor. If anyone would understand, it would be Mushin. "I am in l-love with Rin."

The old monk stared at him blankly for a minute, then a smile crept across his wrinkles, hidden somewhat by his mustache.

"Good for you, if all monks fell in love with women as unattainable as Rin, we would never have defiled monks like tomorrow's visitor. My foster-son and some of his friends are coming to the temple. I'd hoped the positive contact with his demon companions would help bring Rin out of her past."

"Master-Mushin!" Taromaru's desperate cry faded the smile on his mentor's face.

"Aww, come now. You don't really think I'd leave poor little Rin to die at that demon's hands, do you?" He reached into the cupboard and pulled out one of the hundreds of bottles and jugs of sake that were hidden all over the temple.

"Here, have a drink, Taromaru. Tomorrow the help we need will arrive. We certainly can't save Rin all by ourselves. That Sesshomaru is a very powerful demon."

Taromaru accepted the jug and took a sip. The wine warmed him and chased his fears away. Maybe Mushin was right. He took another drink. Forget tonight and start the crusade in the morning.

* * * *

Sesshomaru's senses flared up as though he had just walked into a fire. He sat alone in his study, and from there he could sense her return. Memories washed over him. That peaceful little girl whom he had taken in. She had disappeared one day and never had he felt her presence again. He had been truly baffled by it all. His dutiful little maid had adored him. He had given her more and more privilege as she had aged. She was no ordinary human, of that he was sure. Little Rin had mastered the demonic tongue in a few sort weeks. She had survived several years of her life as an orphan before that. Even when he took her in, they had traveled all over the territories on this errand or that. Her life should have killed her, but instead she blossomed. When he had returned to his mansion, Sesshomaru had decided to teach her. He had watched her progress in her studies of the demon world as if she were his own pup, hoping to some day…

He shook himself out of recollection. Those hopes were smashed the day she disappeared. He was not sure how or why she had left. He could coax information from no one. Rin had simply vanished. His inability to protect her from whatever had become of her had been a great shame to Sesshomaru. He was unsure if she had left him on her own or if some sinister thing had happened to her. The mystery was simply unsolved, until now.

Sesshomaru rose from his seat and turned in her direction, inhaling her scent. Even this far away, he knew her. As his lungs filled with air, once again smelling of Rin, Sesshomaru was flooded with a mixture of curiosity and rage. He would go to her, and all his questions would be answered.

Sesshomaru left the mansion without a word to anyone. He leapt across the treetops so fast that he seemed to be only a strong gust of wind. It wouldn't take him long to reach Rin. He began to wonder what he was going to say to his former charge. Should he ask her to return with him? That, he decided, was going to depend on what had caused her disappearance in the first place.

The running had calmed him, he was cool and collected once again. When he caught sight of Rin, all his memories, all the rage and fear, the sense of loss and of inadequacy came rushing back. Why had he not been able to find her? Why had he not a clue as to what had occurred that fateful day five years ago? As all these old questions were silently asked of him again he kept his eyes on his target, Rin was drawing nearer with each passing moment.

She was not the same child he remembered. Rin was fully a woman now, and he sensed power and purpose in her. Her aura was purer, if that was possible. She was so beautiful. He wondered if a human could really be so beautiful. He was only a hundred yards from her, and he slowed. She turned in his direction, gasping as she caught sight of him. His heart almost stopped as their eyes met. It was his Rin, at last.

* * * *

Sesshomaru was there, right in front of her. Rin fought the urge to step back as he gently landed on the grass in the clearing in front of her. His face was as impassive as it had been in her dream. She frantically searched her thoughts for the right words while trying to keep the fear from showing in her eyes.

"My lord." She managed, bowing low on her knees with her forehead on the ground. Rin imagined his anger at her insolence getting the better of him, slicing her into many pieces and she cringed. When he made no move and no sound, she imagined his heart warmed to her. Perhaps he knew why she had gone to the temple of innocence, and had come to escort his new healer safely home.

"Where have you been these five years?" he asked the question as if it were about the weather and not her disobedience.

"The temple of innocence" Rin replied, her demonic tongue was as fluid as ever. She was amazed at how calming it was to speak again in the demon language.

"How did you get there?" Sesshomaru kept his eyes locked on Rin. She wondered if their reunion could be stirring him as it was her. His eyes seemed sadder than she remembered. She took courage from them and confessed her misdeed.

"I snuck away to study the healing arts there. I wanted to help you my lord, with your arm." She prostrated herself again, not wanting to see the rage she expected.

"Wayward girl, come home and serve your master again. You know that is how it should be." Sesshomaru's words were amazingly gentle. Rin had never dared to disobey her master, and so she had never endured a scolding from him. This was not how she had imagined it though. Her heart soared as she realized that she was being welcomed home, back into Sesshomaru's service. She rose and smiled at him, trying to leave most of her emotion hidden.

"Yes my lord." Rin answered humbly. She followed Sesshomaru as he walked into the forest.

* * * *

Taromaru stood behind and to the right of Master-Mushin as the visitors arrived. His head still pounded from the sake and he squinted in the bright mountain afternoon. A band of men and women approached on foot. Taromaru strained to see them in the distance and smiled. He recognized them immediately. It was Inu-Yasha and the others that had saved him and his childhood friend, Suekichi, from the false water-god. That had been so long ago, but to Taromaru it was never to be forgotten. It was the monk Miroku who had inspired him to the religious life he now lived. It was also his father's disgrace that had inspired the choice of this monastery. He had never realized that Master-Mushin was the monk's foster father.

The old monk bowed and greeted his adopted son and smiled, patting the taller of the two women on the stomach. Taromaru went into the temple to prepare the tea so they could discuss a plan for rescuing Rin from the clutches of Sesshomaru. Slowly the group filtered in, talking and laughing quietly. Taromaru brought the tea tray.

"Master-Mushin, I thought you said that you had a young nun here as well?" Miroku shot Taromaru a quizzical look.

"yes, well…"Mushin inhaled deeply and hiccupped.

"Rin has left us." Taromaru handed Miroku a teacup. The younger woman shifted the small fox demon on her lap and asked;

"Were you not treating her well? I mean, were you not treating her like a nun?" The three holy men winced visibly. Trying to act as if they did not know why she would ask such a question.

"We were always good to Rin. We loved her." Mushin seemed sobered by the discussion. He sat a little straighter and sipped from his teacup.

"Rin has gone back to the lord she served before coming to us. She intends to use her knowledge to heal an old wound of his."

"No, it's different than that!" Taromaru interrupted. "Rin went to reconstruct Sesshomaru's arm that you cut off." He looked to Inu-Yasha, and then to the others. "If she does so, she will die. Even if she doesn't she is still in danger. He will kill her for leaving him to come here in the first place." His tone became desperate as he rushed on, "You have to help us save her and bring her back to the safety of the temple. Please!" his eyes rested on Inu-Yasha. The half-demon had saved him before, he hoped he could count on him again.

"Sesshomaru." was all Inu-Yasha said. Miroku appeared to be deep in concentration. The woman beside him stared at the hand on her belly.

"Let's do it, Inu-Yasha." The younger woman turned to the half-demon. "That poor sweet girl doesn't deserve to be killed trying to fix Sesshomaru's arm."

"Besides that, he's a lot harder to fight with both his own arms. Let's go Miroku." Inu-Yasha stood up. Miroku nodded and turned to the older woman.

"Sango, you are in no condition to fight. Stay here and keep an eye on the temple." She nodded and kissed his cheek. Silently the group exited, leaving her alone with the mostly untouched tea.

-----------------------------------End Part Two--------------------------------