InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ His Little Girl ❯ Truths, challenges, and hidden fears ( Chapter 15 )

 

Sesshoumaru awoke early the next morning to the rather distinctive smell of hot water and cleansing soaps. What startled him most when he opened his eyes, was not that he hand his brother shared a bed, rather it was that Rin was not where she had been sleeping. Extracting his arms carefully from around Kagome, making sure not to wake her or disturb her, he sat up and looked around the room. His eyes fell upon the bucket of soapy water, and then followed the wet path to where he found Rin scrubbing the floor, her hands red and wrinkled from the prolonged exposure to the water.

 

Rising silently he moved to crouch before the girl who was busily cleaning the floor without a sound other than that of what the damp scratchy wool cloth was making against the wooden floor. Reaching out slowly, he stilled her hand, and with his other he lifted her chin to see her eyes. The girl was obviously tired and he could see why, she must have been at this for at least an hour now for the amount that she had already cleaned.

 

“Rin…what are you doing?” he asked softly so as not to wake the others or cause the child undue stress.

 

“Rin is cleaning Sesshoumaru-sama.” When she spoke her eyes were carefully diverted from his and his jaw clenched at the sight.

 

“Hai, but why are you cleaning?” he asked and she again diverted her eyes. She would look at him as he spoke but not as she answered. She was acting like a servant!

 

Reclaiming the stoic and cold mask that was usually non-present when he was alone with his pack, he used it in an effort to hold in the frustration and anger. She was his daughter, his pup; she was not to be cleaning floors or any other task that servants were kept for. Her only duty was to learn her studies when he taught her in the gardens and play outside as a child was supposed to. So why was she know on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor?!

 

“The floor is not clean.”

 

“Rin, I know the purpose of cleaning. I am asking why you are the one doing it when I have servants to do it instead.”

 

He closed his eyes when she didn't answer and part of him was afraid that she feared him. He felt a fat drop of warm salty water hit his thumb and his eyes snapped to her face. Why was she crying?

 

“Rin what is wrong?” he asked as his stoic mask dropped and concern shone brightly in his sun golden eyes. Taking the wet cloth from her hands and plopping it in the bucket, he brought the child into his arms, holding her in his lap and hugging her to his chest. He had never seen her like this and didn't know how to make it better; he desperately wanted to see her smile again, to see her eyes light up with the simple joy of seeing a new flower.

 

“Rin was bad,” she said so softly that the taiyoukai almost missed the words.

 

“What makes you think that Rin?” he asked as he stroked her hair.

 

“Because Rin had to be bad. If Rin wasn't bad then those people wouldn't have hurt Rin. Rin deserved what they did.”

 

She was wrenched swiftly to stand in front of Sesshoumaru so that he could look clearly at the girl. Holding her face in his hands, mindful of his claws, he spoke with a quiet sternness that dared not be challenged.

 

“You most certainly did not!” he growled still keeping his voice soft. “You did nothing to deserve it. No one could ever `deserve',” he said the word as though it left a foul taste in his mouth, “what they did. They were wrong Rin. They were bad. Not you. Not you,” he repeated and pulled her back into the shelter and safety of his arms and held her tightly.

 

“But Rin was told she was bad. That it was because Rin was bad that they would do that to her.”

 

“Who told you this Rin?” he asked as he maneuvered her into a cradle hold, holding her as though she were still a nursing pup.

 

“Jaken-sama.”

 

Before he could prevent it a loud angry snarl erupted from his throat and the child in his arms whimpered frightenedly. Gathering her tightly against his chest, he cooed softly to her and wrapped his tail around her, twitching the tip against the underside of her chin and gaining a soft ticklish giggle from the girl.

 

“Shhh. I'm not mad Rin, not at you.” He sat on the floor, rocking her in his arms. It was still a good hour or so before sunrise and the girl was falling towards sleep. “I don't think I've ever been mad at you,” he whispered softly as she drifted off.

 

Sesshoumaru gave a barely noticeable start when he looked up from his pup and met a pair of curious green eyes. Raising an eyebrow to the kitsune child he waited for Shippou to speak, he wasn't disappointed.

 

“What's wrong with Rin?” the kit asked a concerned frown marring his usually cherry face.

 

“She was hurt,” the inuyoukai said solemnly.

 

“Did she fall?”

 

“No…Someone…more than one, hurt her deliberately.”

 

The kit's eyes widened in horror and disbelief. “Why?” He didn't understand who could ever have reason to hurt the girl.

 

“I don't know.”

 

“Yes you do,” Shippou said watching him carefully. “Why won't you tell me?”

 

Damn, even for a child the kitsune was highly perceptive. “Because it isn't something you should know.”

 

“She was hurt like mamma was, wasn't she?” he asked after a moment.

 

“Not in the same way, but for the same reason yes.”

 

“Why? I don't understand.”

 

“Understand what?”

 

“Why would anyone ever hurt anyone else that way? It doesn't make sense. Aren't people supposed to help each other?”

 

That would be Kagome's influence over the kit he thought. “I have found that much in this world does not make sense and that people rarely do as we think they should. Your mother young Shippou is an earth born angel, are rare diamond in the rough. Love as she does, and form your pack by her example, and perhaps in doing so you shall change this world for the better.” Shippou nodded and Sesshoumaru stood and carried Rin back to the bed. “We have no need to be up early this day. We will rest more until we all have awakened on our own when we are ready.” Saying that he drew the heavy curtains over the window to guard against the sunlight that would rise in its presence moments later.

 

Climbing into the bed, Shippou tucked himself back into his mother's arms as Sesshoumaru cuddled Rin between his body and Kagome's. Both the kitsune kit and the inu taiyoukai fell into a deep slumber and all would sleep until late in the morning.

 

They were all woken hours later as sunlight flooded the room brightly. Kagome, reacting as she would at hime to such an action, hefted a pillow towards the offending person with her eyes still closed and groaned as she buried her face in the blankets.

 

“And to think, I thought you liked me,” said a teasing feminine voice, one that Kagome recognized.

 

“Shinta-sama?” she asked opening bleary sleep heavy eyes.

 

“Yes,” the rabbit said happily and smiled brightly at Kagome, offering the girl a hand.

 

Kagome took the healer's hand and was pulled to the foot of the bed and then helped to balance as she stepped off the end of the bed and onto the floor. Shinta moved to the wardrobe and removed a beautiful azure kimono that had sakura blossoms embroidered in silver thread on the front and a white dog on the back. She also collected a deep violet obi that had silver threads woven through it to make it shimmer.

 

“Come my lady, I shall help you bathe.”

 

“Ok, I can sleep in the bath,” Kagome said as she followed the woman out, her eyes closed as she followed the sound of her friend's voice. “Ooof!” Kagome said as she had a rather rude awakening.

 

“See what happens when you walk around with your eyes closed,” Shinta giggled. “You get introduced to walls.”

 

“You're far too perky in the morning Shinta,” the girl groused. Although she had at one time been a morning person, and usually was, she had been enjoying her slumber too much to wish to awaken quite so soon.

 

“What morning?” Shinta asked as they entered the room that held the hot spring. “You've got maybe an hour before lunch.”

 

Kagome's eyes widened and she stumbled forward…falling right into the hot spring itself. She came up spluttering and spitting water as she quickly moved her soaking hair out of her face. Opening her stunned eyes the miko was greeting to the sight and sound of a laughing Shinta. Growling softly in playful annoyance, Kagome raised her hands high above her and brought them down hard on the water's surface, splashing the rabbit youkai with the water.

 

It was Shinta's turn to splutter as she wiped the water off of her face and Kagome's turn to laugh. The two women looked at each other and chuckled for a good moment and then Kagome began to have trouble staying above the water and had to hold onto the side of the spring.

 

“Shinta can you help me out of this. Inuyasha's haori is great for protection against harm and warmth, but it's really heavy when wet,” she said as the rabbit striped herself of her own kimono and climbed into the spring next to Kagome.

 

“Oh, oh honey,” Shinta moaned sadly as she saw the long deep scratches on Kagome's arms. She had seen the bruising and swelling of the girl's face when she had first met her, and although it had gone down, her arms were far worse.

 

“I um…I did this,” Kagome said as she looked at her arms, but wouldn't look at the healer.

 

Shinta moved forward and wrapped Kagome in her arms and held her close. She had been able to smell the both physical and emotional pain that the girl was trying to hide. This poor abused woman in her arms was trying so hard to put on a brave face for everyone else, but Shinta knew that Kagome still had tears left to cry and that holding them in would only hurt the girl more in the end.

 

Kagome could feel her tears trying to break free but she was so very tired of crying. Rin was hurt, had been hurt far worse, what right did she have to be so weak when that precious little girl needed her to be strong? But when the first sob broke free from her constricted throat she lost her battle with the tears and cried so very brokenly in the youkai's arms.

 

“What…what did I do?...I'd always been nice to him…what did I do to make him to do that?...Did I lead him on?....” Kagome said through her tears.

 

“No. Oh Kagome no. None of this was your fault,” Shinta said as she wrapped Kagome tighter in her arms and did her best to soothe and comfort the girl. “Put the blame where the blame lies, with him. It doesn't matter if you stood in front of him fully naked; he had no right to touch you in such a manner. This was not your fault.”

 

“Kami…it just…it hurts so much!” she sobbed into the woman's shoulder.

 

“I know sweetie, I know,” she crooned to Kagome. She felt tears gather in her eyes as she felt the pain the woman was in. “Sometimes-”

 

“Mamma?” a trembling voice could be heard next to the women. Shinta looked over to see the young kitsune kit as did the woman in her arms. “Mamma I was worried. You weren't there when I got up.”

 

“Oh Shippou, my little hero, come here.” She opened her arms to the kit and he undressed and climbed into the spring, swimming over to the two women and being lifted into his mother's arms when he was within reach. “My little hero.” Kagome buried her face in his wet fur for a moment before looking up at Shinta. “This little guy is why he didn't succeed. Shippou came down during it and jumped into save me. He was so brave. My son you were so brave,” she buried her face in his fur once again and cried.

 

Shinta looked at the kit proudly and wrapped Kagome up with her left arm, using her other hand to stroke the kit's hair. “You did good Shippou. You did really good,” she spoke softly to the kit.

 

 

 

After a lavish meal of oden, miso and rice, found Kagome, the children and Maika out in the eastern gardens beneath the sakura tree. Rin was still very subdued though being around the flowers had seemed to help some. She was busy feeding her kits, two males and a female that she had named Tada, Miroku and Sango. Kagome had found great amusement in her naming two of the kits after her friends, especially since the two of them were constantly wrestling around with each other, and when they weren't they were curled up sleeping together in a little ball.

 

Looking to one of the male guards standing on the edge of the garden, Kagome motioned for him to come to her. She greeted him with a sweet smile and asked the inuyoukai if would please bring Ah-Un to the garden. With a nod the guard left and gathered the two headed dragon youkai. Kagome knew that they were Rin's best friend and hoped beyond all hope that perhaps the sweet dragon would be able to bring some of the life back into the little girl.

 

 

Inside the castle, Sesshoumaru, Miroku, Sango and Inuyasha were to be found in Sesshoumaru's library deep in serious conversation.

 

“The hell you are!” Inuyasha growled at his brother. “Look I know they hurt your pup, and I know that I have no claim here, but damnit Sesshoumaru if you're going to kill those sons of bitches then I want to be right there in the fight too! What if they'd done more than what they did huh? What if they'd killed her? Or worse, what if they'd all taken their turns and raped her like Hojou tried to do to Kagome?”

 

“What?!” Sango and Miroku both yelled.

 

“You told me she was hurt you never said anything about - oh kami Kago-”

 

“Sango, I understand your frustration. But right now we are here for Rin,” Miroku said as disbelief and rage were warring in his mind as well. “We were obviously asked to participate in this discussion for a reason.”

 

“Right you are monk,” Sesshoumaru said his voice as smooth and cool as glass. “I have drafted formal challenges to the four accused-”

 

“Accused?!”

 

“Inuyasha, be quiet. I will add my brother's name to the challenge. But know this. The battle will be to the death. Either we kill them or they kill us. If the accused wins the fight then it is shown to be their innocence. Sango, Miroku you will be our seconds. If we are unable to go into battle, or are defeated, you will finish the fight. Every contender will have a second, so it is also up to you both to keep your eyes on the other seconds and make sure they stay out of the fight until they are either called to fight, or are sent away. Do you understand and agree to be our seconds?”

 

“Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama. I agree,” said Sango.

 

“I too agree as well,” Miroku answered.

 

“Good. I will have the challenges delivered this afternoon. We will battle the day after tomorrow. Any crime committed against a pup is considered the most grievous and will not be taken lightly. The lords of their lands will most likely be in attendance as well. If the challenge is refused or left unanswered by the one challenged, than they forfeit their right to battle and may be killed without a battle. I will not go easy in the battle, all that is allowed are fangs, claws and brute strength, weapons and poisons are not permitted. If one party of the fight utilizes a weapon or poisons natural to them or not, they may be killed without haste by the opponent's second. These are the laws of a formal challenge. Are you understanding of them?” When all three nodded Sesshoumaru nodded and said “then let us retire to the others,” and led them out to the gardens.

 

The four of them had just entered the garden to see Ah-Un lying down with Kagome and Rin leaning up against his side and her kits jumping and playing with each other. Maika was standing guard under a sakura tree nearby and Shippou was nowhere to be seen.

 

“Miko,” Sesshoumaru greeted as he took a seat next to her and lifted Rin to sit in his lap. “Where is your pup?” His eyes followed her hand as she smiled and pointed to the tree that he used to climb. He looked up into the very top and found the kit seeming to be replacing something into a nest in the very high branches. The tree had grown another good sixty feet from the time that he had been a young pup and was now more than a hundred feet tall.

 

“A robin chick fell out of the nest and he caught it and decided to put it back in its nest. He talked to the whole time he was climbing until I couldn't hear him anymore, but I bet he's still talking to it.” She smiled.

 

“Yeah he's talking to it,” Inuyasha said with a swivel of his puppy ears.

 

“Sango, Miroku come back here,” Rin called to her kits that were near Inuyasha's feet and had found great interest in biting and snapping at the bottoms of his hakama.

 

“What?” Sango asked as she looked at the gently smiling Maika that she was standing next to.

 

“The pup named her kits that. Kagome-sama seems to take great amusement in it.”

 

“Oh, that's sweet,” Sango said and then as quick as lightning her hand shot out and slapped the monk behind her hard. “Hentai!”

 

Maika chuckled softly at the antics of those two and then laughed full out as she watched the kits who bore the same names playing in much the same manner as their human counterparts. No wonder Rin had chosen to name them after the monk and taijiya. Her sensitive inu nose could smell the attraction between the two and wondered when they would stop their fighting and move onto the mating. Perhaps Sango was simply testing the monk, as in a more amusing form of the youkai mating challenge.

 

The warrior's attention turned to Inuyasha. The hanyou was rather attractive and although still young, he was strong and proud and a worthy fighter. She had heard the legends of his battles from so many others; she wondered if even he knew how legendary he was. She suddenly noticed that he was looking at her and a light blush lit her cheeks when he lifted his nose to the wind and sniffed at her. She knew she was beginning her heat cycle and now so did he. He gave a soft growl of appreciation at her smell and approval at her perusal of him. Her eyes widened slightly as the blush deepened and he smiled before turning his attention back to Shippou who was hoping from branch to branch as he descended the tree.

 

Sango smiled and nudged the female youkai by her side.

 

“He is rather attractive isn't he?” she teased the youkai. “What was that between you two?”

 

“Ah n-nothing,” Maika stuttered embarrassed.

 

“Of course,” Sango smiled and chuckled softly.

 

The taijiya felt a wandering had reach around her waist and pull her tightly against the houshi's side. His cursed hand came up to cup her cheek and turn her face to his.

 

“You now have an interest in our fair hanyou?” he asked with a serious face though his eyes were teasing.

 

“And if I do,” she asked placing her hands on his chest in an attempt to push him away although the effort was half-hearted.

 

“I'd just have to convince you otherwise,” he said and covered her lips with his.

 

Sango's eyes opened wide before falling closed at the pleasurable sensation of their kiss. The hand that had been cupping her cheek moved into her hair at the nape of her neck and tangled in the dark locks causing the tie that bound her hair to become loose and fall away, her hair now gently swaying in the soft breeze. She gasped and Miroku used it to his advantage, slipping his tongue between her open lips to play with hers in a battle for dominance. Sango's knees became weak and she fell against the monk, Miroku only to happy to hold her closer against him.

 

Maika's gaze snapped back to the kissing pair as the scent of their arousal thickened in the air. Dear kami they could mate right there! She watched as the monk's hand reached up to cup the taijiya's right breast and without thought she smacked the both of them on the arm, snapping them from their passionate embrace.

 

“I'm all for romance and mating,” Maika said keeping her voice low, “but there are pup's present as well as the rest of your pack and two guards. You don't really want to have an audience the first time do you?” she asked with a smile and watched the deep cherry blush spread across Sango's cheeks, a lighter one across Miroku's.

 

Miroku's hand slipped down to hold Sango's as the girl turned her gaze away from him. Looking up Sango's eyes met with Kagome's who was smiling in approval. `It's about time' the girl mouthed to Sango. Sango's eyes widened and she ducked her head with a blush, he hair slipping over her shoulder. It was then she noticed it was unbound and using her other hand to brush through the raven locks found it to be slight mussed from the embrace she had shared with Miroku. Her first kiss and it had left her panting and wanting desperately for more. He wanted more too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A.N. : Thank you to all my reviewers and faithful readers. I hope you continue to enjoy this story.