InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In a Different Light ❯ Setting the Stage ( Chapter 14 )

In a Different Light

Chapter 13: Setting the Stage

After leaving InuYasha's, Rin and Sesshomaru went their separate ways. He commanded her to return to camp, then continued on his way through the woods. Rin stood still and watched his receding back as he slipped through the forest, then ascended to the skies.

Oh yeah, she nodded to herself, he's gonna kill some things. Several things.

She sighed and shook her head, then headed back to camp. Gods forbid I ever get on his bad side. If he ever runs into Takeda again . . . She drew in a deep breath and pushed it out. After everything he said and did, I definitely have to thank Sesshomaru for keeping his word to me. I know how hard that had to be for him. He's so used to doing things his way and getting his way. And that demon pride of his . . . To apologize to that man and let him live after everything he said . . . especially with his temper . . . I don't give him enough credit.

But like he said, he's not an animal. Just because somebody provokes him doesn't mean that he has to respond. And because he didn't respond, he clearly came out as the better man in that confrontation.

Better man? She laughed somewhat shyly to herself. I've got the best man. Or demon, as the Fates would have it. And as soon as the courtship ritual is completed . . .

Her smile grew to Cheshire cat-like proportions. "Because," he said simply, "you desire me as much as I desire you.

"And, soon, we'll both get what we want."

She chuckled lightly at the memory of their "duel." She'd been flat on her back with her lord hovering above her. Though her words and face were set in defiance, her body was a quivering mass of nerves, and he was a warm, solid mass of muscle.

Yes, she had a very clear recollection of the heat his body gave off as it descended upon hers, his radiance washing over in waves.

"Tell me, Rin. Why are you so obsessed with me touching you without your consent?"

She didn't have an answer then, and she didn't have one, now. But, she did have a question . . .

How soon was soon?

* * *

As early morning gave way to day, the festival began again. Rin sat in the clearing with Jakken and Ah-Un, listening as the music played, and again, the people began bustling around the village, their idle chatter and laughter filling her ears, leaving her longing for the companionship of others. Jakken, for his part was in and out of consciousness, mumbling nonsense in his sleep as he continued to recover from Sesshomaru's beating. Earlier, Rin had removed Ah-Un's saddle and groomed the pack animal, then let him loose to wander and graze among the forest, choosing to stay put, herself, while the beast tended to its more basic needs. He'd returned, then she'd brushed him and petted him till he, too, fell into a sound slumber, his body curled around his mistress.

Rin laughed softly to herself. The servants did have a way of slacking off when the master was away. But when would he return was the question.

Perhaps he was angrier than she'd thought. There were Takeda's insults and her reluctance to talk about it. There was Jakken's interference and InuYasha's chiding. Then she'd spoke out of turn in Sesshomaru's defense even after he'd told her not to speak because this was an affair between men. And then, of course, there was facing off with Takeda-the way he'd approached her, his initial cowardice at his introduction to Sesshomaru, and then he'd called her a liar.

After repeated efforts to get him to reveal his identity, Takeda had screamed for the other villagers, and they'd come with their bows and arrows, their pitchforks and rusted blades, staring at the spectacle before them. Both she and InuYasha had thought Takeda was setting the stage for an organized attack, which would spur Sesshomaru into demolishing anything and everything in his path, leaving little but wreckage and corpses in his wake-a sight both of them hoped to avoid. Then InuYasha asserted himself, quelling the villagers' curiosity, leaving Takeda to face his fate alone. But, still, something that was to be settled just between the two of them-the headman and the Lord of the Western Lands-had turned into the main event in the village.

Had her lord simply been there to wrench an apology from Takeda's lips, she was sure he wouldn't have minded the audience. But to have all those . . . humans, as Sesshomaru would say with much derision, present while he had to humble himself before the face of an enemy, no less, had to be a huge blow to his demon pride.

A scowl worked its way onto Rin's face. To apologize to that man and to pay him for something he didn't even do . . . because of that stupid toad . . . And then to have that apology, literally, spat back at him . . .

She picked up a stone and hurled it across the campsite at Jakken's head.

"What! What? Master, I'm awake. This Jakken if fully at your service." He leapt to his feet, clutching the Staff, glancing wildly around the clearing. "Where is the master?" he asked.

"He's not here," she replied crossly.

He looked down at the stone, then over at Rin.

"Yes, I did it," she said. "And you deserved it."

The toad cursed under his breath, then settled back down for another nap. "Vicious girl," he mumbled as sleep once again claimed him.

"Thoughtless toad," she muttered, equally full of vehemence.

Yes, this was all Jakken's fault. If he hadn't taken it upon himself to burn down the headman's house and property . . . But, Rin sighed, Takeda did deserve it. It's because of him all the villagers started whispering about her. It's because of him she couldn't go into the village right now.

She sighed heavily and sank down into herself, resting her back against Ah-Un. If she walked into the village right now, she knew exactly what they'd say, and she simply didn't want to hear it. She wasn't a whore, and Sesshomaru wasn't a monster-as his little altercation with Takeda should've proved . . . But people are such slow learners, and some of them never learn. Demon does not automatically equal evil.

Her lord had been nothing short of gentle, kind and . . . caring towards her even during the most difficult of times.

She smiled and let her eyes drift partially closed. His thoughts and actions were always about her care and safety. True, their little talks about her changing body and men's reactions to those changes were highly embarrassing, but she now knew how necessitous they were. He only wanted to keep her safe and make sure she was protected. As he had said, men were wily creatures, and they would say and do almost anything to try and bed her . . . even demons, he'd said.

Most men would use sweet words and little mementos and keepsakes to try and win you over. But your affections shouldn't be so easily or cheaply bought, he'd said. Other men, of the least virtuous kind, wouldn't hesitate to take you against your will.

An image of Takeda came creeping into her mind.

He'd warned her to guard against that type of male at all times. But, oddly enough, her training with Master Li didn't come until two years later.

And then there are demons, he'd said.

Youkai males are driven primarily on instinct when it comes to mating. They choose a female based on her physical appearance and her scent.

He hadn't said any more on the physical aspects of females, but she'd learned that broad hips and a full chest were ideal qualities not only in a demoness, but in human females, as well. It signified health and childbearing capabilities. And, from her build, Rin was quite happy to say that she was quite healthy.

But Sesshomaru had gone into some detail about the varying scents of females. The scent of a woman was very telling to a male. Through it, he could detect the health and general age of the female. He could also use it to sense her emotions-fear, anxiety, anger . . . arousal.

She laughed to herself. At the time, she hadn't the slightest idea what "arousal" was, but she knew enough to be embarrassed about asking him for more specific details. Why someone else didn't have that talk with her, she didn't know. She had tutors for practically every other subject, so why not that?

But she supposed it was something too . . . delicate and too important to trust to someone else. She was a good student, but she did have the tendency to let her mind wander from time to time. Admittedly, if anyone else had given her the talk, she probably would've tuned them out, not wanting to discuss such . . . intimate details with a stranger. And if Jakken had been the one to tell her, she simply would've laughed in his face, instantly falling into a fit of giggles. But Sesshomaru's regal presence and reserved demeanor didn't leave any leeway in that department. She had to sit calmly and cooly, her cheeks tinged a deep shade of red while her lord explained how . . . irresistible the scent of a female in heat could seem to any demon . . . himself, included.

She'd started slightly at that admission. Her lord could find her irresistible?

He went on to talk about uncontrollable desires and demon blood, and how, in that state of mind, it wouldn't matter if the female was human or not, or if the female was willing or not. Her scent would call to his blood, and there was virtually no denying it.

Despite the warmth provided by Ah-Un, a cold chill ran down her spine. Could there be anything worse? She wondered . . . Not that she would ever refuse him anything, but . . . at that time, at that age, that thought had terrified her. Her lord bursting through her door in the middle of the night, pouncing upon her, ripping off her bedclothes because her scent had called to his blood, and he had no choice but to use her body to satisfy his desires.

Because of that thought, she put up a subconscious wall between them. She no longer felt entirely at home in the castle. Sesshomaru could scent every little change in her, and her blood now had the power to bend him to unspeakable acts. It amazed her that something so simple could bring one so high to sink so low.

It was unthinkable-the great and noble Lord of the Western Lands brought to his knees by a trickling of blood between the thighs of a mere mortal girl.

She swallowed hard and blinked back a few tears. She wanted to leave so badly during those times. She would've done anything to get away from the shame and the guilt her new body had brought under his roof. And that look he'd given her that night while she quietly admired him as they both sat by the fire. You smell, he'd said. Go take a bath.

But . . . those days were over. As her lord had said, and recently proven, he was not an animal. Simply because something provoked him or . . . enticed him, he wasn't under any obligation to respond. That night under the falls, he'd promised he wouldn't touch her without her consent, and he hadn't. And despite an immense amount of provocation from Takeda, he'd kept his word to her and didn't kill him.

Her lord had proven to be the epitome of self-restraint, and she couldn't help but feel a little . . . guilty for ever doubting him.

Doubtless, he'd only told her those tales of demon blood and uncontrollable desires to scare her into awareness, to force her to be more cautious than she otherwise would've been. And he did this because he cared for her and didn't want to see her harmed-not by others, and, certainly, not by himself. She was the only human in a castle full of demons, and it was important to recognize the risks involved when dealing with demons and menstrual blood.

She should be afraid, and she should be cautious. Sealing herself in her room, though lonely and repressive, was a "necessary evil" of sorts. And when she really wanted company during those times of the month, she only had to turn to Master Li who lived outside the castle gates. She'd leave just before her cycle started, and she'd return as soon as it was over. And Master Li, for his part, was altogether amiable. He really was like the grandfather she'd never had-strict, but loving; kind and protective; firm, but forgiving; full of arcane wisdom and entertaining tales. He could calm any of her fears, and he always made her feel secure in her abilities.

Of course, with Sesshomaru, she now realized she had nothing to fear, and she had very little to be insecure about. Yes, she was human, but he still cared for her. He'd said so himself.

"I do not know what you are, yet, Rin. I only know that . . . I would rather be with you than without you."

A small smile spread across her lips. She wondered if it would be appropriate to tell him she was . . . proud of him and his behavior toward Takeda.

No, she shook her head with a laugh. Sesshomaru was not a child. He was a man, a male . . . soon to be her male. He didn't need praise and words of affirmation from the likes of her. He'd look at it as condescension.

But, perhaps she could find another way to show him how . . . pleased she was with him. They were in Stage Two, now, so there had to be something she could give him.

A sly smile crossed her face. But not that. Not yet, any way.

Now that she knew about the different stages, there was no excuse for skipping ahead or going out of order. He wouldn't be very happy with her if she did that again. According to him, there was a place and a time for everything, and her lord was a master of proper decorum.

So, maybe she'd have to wait to show him how pleased she was with him . . . at least for now.

She supposed it was strange how easy she found it to entrust her heart to such a "heartless creature."

She chuckled lightly to herself. Yes, some people were slow learners, and some of them never learned. They'd never know how kind and caring and, sometimes . . . conflicted her lord could be. All they would ever see was a demon, a monster, a marauding murderer who looked after no one other than himself.

But she knew better than that. And if there was any man or "monster" more deserving of her love, time and attention; her mind, body and soul; her past, present and future . . . she didn't know him, and she didn't want to know him. Despite what others may say, she knew that Sesshomaru was the only man for her, and she would wait for him as long as she had to.