InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In a Different Light ❯ The More Things Change... ( Chapter 28 )

In a Different Light

Chapter 27: The More Things Change . . .

Sesshomaru was determined to be on his feet when his Rin was returned to him. True, she had already seen him in one of his most vulnerable positions when they had first met, but considering everything she had been through in the past 24 hours-her capture, her rescue and the unknown events that took place in the interim-she would doubtless require comfort and assurances that both she and he were safe and unharmed, and if anyone came to attempt to do them further harm, he was well-prepared and completely capable of defending them. That being the case, it would be ridiculous to assume he could provide her with such assurances while sitting flat on his ass, slumped against a magnolia tree . . . Though he had removed the dirt, twigs and leaves from his hair.

"It is too soon for you to be moving about, my young lord."

Sesshomaru ignored the warnings of the old tree youkai and, gritting his teeth against the pain, forced himself to stand. "It has been four hours, Bokuseno. I have recovered enough to move on my own."

"You'll reopen that wound if you're not careful," he warned.

"This Sesshomaru's body is not so fickle. When I command it to heal, it obeys." He kept his right hand braced just above Bokuseno's face as he took a moment to push down the pain and draw in a few deep breaths. Since his spine had reformed itself, along with most of his major nerve endings and some of the surrounding tissue, his previous numbness had been replaced by an almost blinding pain that began in his chest and stretched up and down the length of his spine to the crown of his head. It was, of course, within his endurance levels, though it did require a great amount of concentration to repress the sharp discomfort and focus on the task at hand.

He drew in another deep breath, sliding his hand down the tree's trunk, finally forcing himself into a completely upright position, his shoulders back, his posture erect and his head high, his right hand now resting at his side. He drew in a few more deep breaths and pushed them out, clearing his mind and calming his heart rate. He could sense them, now, drawing closer. His canine senses still weren't at their peak, but his demon senses were functioning adequately. Jakken and Ah-Un were mere minutes away, and though he couldn't sense Rin from this distance, the toad wouldn't dare return without following his orders to the tee.

He cast his glance upwards, staring through a bald spot in the canopy of foliage to the clear night sky. It was a perfect night for traveling-cool, cloudless, starry and calm, the full moon providing adequate light to guide them to their final destination. Under normal circumstances, they would camp for the night and begin their travels in the morning, but these were far from normal circumstances. Yes, he could force himself to stand, and he could bear the effort it took to take a few steps, but anything beyond that, at this point, was unthinkable. He'd already risked her life unnecessarily once today, and he wouldn't do so again. If he'd simply listened to her when she'd said she sensed something out of the ordinary . . .

"Ah," Bokuseno began, "it seems your companions have returned."

He took a few steps away from Bokuseno to avoid the temptation of leaning against the old youkai and turned his attention to the shadowed pathway that led to the small clearing. He could hear them already-their footsteps on the soft earth of the forest trail, Rin's light and easy steps, Jakken's scampering and Ah-Un's lumbering. Rin was laughing and chatting, much like old times; the toad was moaning and complaining about some indignity or another, and even the dragon had his input in the conversation, letting out an occasional snort.

The Western Lord was pleased when he picked out their approaching silhouettes beneath the heavy canopy of greenery, their forms dappled in moonlight and shadow. But his pleasure faded somewhat when the wind picked up and he caught Rin's scent.

She was injured. Not grievously, but he could detect the slightly metallic smell of blood in her scent, meaning she had an open wound somewhere on her body. However, he couldn't sense any pain or discomfort coming from her, so whatever her malady, it couldn't be too severe. And her scent was just that-her scent. There were too many distracting smells, sounds and... other sensations for him to thoroughly analyze her scent in the village and gauge her physical fitness. Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief that there was nothing . . . improper done to her in her captive state. Human males simply couldn't be trusted with a female in that situation. Like that headman . . .

He bit back a growl and forced himself to focus on maintaining his usual regal but relaxed appearance, so as not to disturb her any more than she, undoubtedly, already had been.

Her captors have been punished, and she is back where she belongs, he silently reminded himself. Of course, there's still the matter of the marked human and that half-breed wolf.

Though injured, they were both still alive when he last saw them. The human was unconscious, and the hanyou's demon half had been purified. But after beheading the priestess, there was a small chance that Rin dispatched her remaining captors . . .

He caught the sound of her laughter and the sight of her smiling face, beaming brightly even though shrouded in shadow.

No, he decided. Killing a defenseless opponent would be too akin to murder for her. And while she may have killed in self-defense or, rather . . . his defense, she was still far too innocent to engage in a vengeance-based killing spree. In fact, he was certain that if he asked her what should be done with her surviving abductors, she would simply say to let them go . . . And so he wouldn't ask her. He would hunt down the half-breed in his spare time, and as soon as they returned to the castle, he would write Lord Zinan of the Northern Lands a rather long letter. Currently, Sesshomaru was in no position to declare war outright on the Northern Territories, but he would make it abundantly clear to Lord Zinan that if he couldn't keep a collar on his bitch then he would be more than happy to "put her down."

And, as he had no proof that Lord Zinan, himself, was directly involved, he couldn't bring the matter before the council for their consideration. In the eyes of the council, open war between two territories was completely acceptable and, in some instances, widely encouraged. However, sabotage, conspiracy, rebellion and usurpers were frowned upon. After all, all of the lords and ladies, all of the council members, were of noble blood. It didn't do any of them any good if people were simply allowed to "buck the system" any time they pleased. That could cause the downfall of the aristocracy and the end of life as they all knew it and liked it.

"Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru! You're back on your feet," Jakken proclaimed, gazing up at his master.

He glared down at his loud-mouthed, loathsome servant, causing the creature to cringe and scamper backwards behind Rin's robes as she entered the clearing.

"What?" Rin laughed. "Our lord isn't allowed to take a little break every now and then?" she glanced over her shoulder at the trembling toad. "He's had a very long day, and I'm sure even he could use a rest."

The toad swallowed hard as Rin bowed to her lord and then to Bokuseno.

"How pretty she's become," Bokuseno beamed. "Every bit the beauty your father would have chosen."

Even in the low light Sesshomaru could spot Rin's bright blush.

"I can't believe you drag such a lovely and delicate creature on your border patrols, forcing her to sleep on the cold, wet ground and take up swordplay and self-defense as opposed to poetry and flute playing."

"Oh, I can do those things, too," Rin supplied with a smile. "And my lord doesn't force me to do anything. I quite like traveling in the outdoors, and any woman who doesn't take an interest in her own defense is just asking for trouble. I mean, you can't expect some man to pop out of the woodwork every time danger rears its ugly head."

Sesshomaru frowned inwardly. Though he was certain she wasn't deliberately casting aspersions in his direction, it certainly felt that way.

The tree demon laughed, the ridges and wrinkles of his bark slightly subdued in the soft moonlight filtering overhead into the clearing. "Well said, little lady. I've always liked a female with a little spunk in her."

Rin laughed again, a slight blush playing across her pale cheeks. "I swear, Bokuseno, if you don't stop it, you're going to make my lord angry. He's quite protective of me, you know. It simply wouldn't do for some man to try and steal me away with kind words and flattering phrases."

Again. Steal her away. Like those females had stolen her away in the middle of the night. He fought down a low growl from the back of his throat.

"Is there something wrong, my lord?"

She looked at him with such kindness, with such genuine concern, with such pure and direct, open honesty that he couldn't sustain his anger and soon let it fall to the wayside. "This Sesshomaru knows where your loyalties lie. If old Bokuseno wishes to make a fool of himself by throwing his attentions at the feet of my intended, let him."

The tree laughed. "Well, that's something I never thought would come out of your mouth-encouraging a male to pursue that which you've claimed as yours."

"He's only saying that because you can't truly chase after me," Rin teased. "Once I leave your grove, you have no chance with me, so you're not a real threat."

"Well, if that's the case, I shall have to see what I can do about keeping you here a little longer." A vine snaked down from Bokuseno's branches and tucked a magnolia bloom behind Rin's right ear, making her giggle and smile.

This time Sesshomaru did growl.

"Presumptuous pup," he laughed dismissively, "I have no interest in your young lady, but pretty girls deserve pretty things. Don't they, dear?"

Sesshomaru growled again.

"Thank you, Bokuseno, but if we don't stop teasing him, I'm afraid somebody will get hurt."

"All right, all right. I'll give the boy a break. I did get in a few good shots in your absence, so that makes up for it."

"Thank you for being so considerate," she bowed politely. As she rose, her features gradually softened as she turned to face Sesshomaru. "Are you well?" she asked gently.

He inclined his head slightly, then allowed his eyes to roam over her body in search of the wound that was causing that scent. In all likelihood the injury was covered by her clothing, but because of the strength of the scent, he considered that it could be on her hands or feet, or on her face or neck.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

Doubtless she'd noticed his intense gaze and was curious as to the cause of it. "You are injured," he replied. "I'm simply trying to determine where."

Her right hand moved to cover her neck.

"Is that where it is?" he asked.

"It's only a scratch," she said.

He gave a light sniff. "It is deeper than a scratch."

"So it's a cut," she replied. "It'll heal in a couple of days, and everything will be fine."

"I wish to see it. Move your hand."

Bokuseno interrupted. "Don't let that bully intimidate you, little lady. His injury is far worse than yours."

Rin's eyes widened in alarm, her pulse racing. "His injury? Where? Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?"

He brushed off her concern. "I am fine."

Bokuseno laughed. "If you call a large hole in the center of your chest, fine."

Sesshomaru growled at the boku youkai's interference in his personal affairs.

"Sesshomaru!" Rin scolded. "Let me see!" She reached for the top of his haori and began to pull the edges apart.

"Stop this!" Had he the ability to knock her hands away, he would have. But as it was, all he could do was take a few awkward steps back to disentangle himself from her searching hands.

"You stop!" She demanded. "If you weren't so intent on being such a big, bad demon that doesn't get hurt and doesn't feel pain . . . That's why Jakken was so surprised you were back on your feet, isn't it? You shouldn't be standing up and moving around at all, should you?"

"Woman, do not forget your place. This Sesshomaru is your lord and master, and not the other way around." He continued to sidestep her attempts to tend to his wound.

Rin scowled. "Don't you dare take that high and mighty attitude with me! Do you know what I've been through today? Do you know how worried I've been about you? Do you know how scared I was that I'd never see you again? Those damned women and that damned barrier and that bastard of a headman! I killed two people today, Sesshomaru, to save you, to be with you. And I nearly died trying to wait for you, then you have the absolute nerve to try and pull that 'lord and master' shit with me!"

Jakken and Ah-Un stood stunned. Bokuseno stifled a few wry chuckles, and Sesshomaru, for his part, appeared unaffected.

"I am not your servant! I am not a pet! I am not a sex toy, and I will not let you take my feelings so lightly!" She took a few seconds to catch her breath and calm her racing pulse, angry tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Now," she said calmly, "stop moving around and let me have a look at you!"

Sesshomaru obeyed.

Rin sighed and took the necessary steps forward, again reaching to part his haori. "I don't see why you're being so difficult about this. It isn't as if I haven't seen you injured before. And as tough as you are, I know you and holy barriers don't get along very well."

He growled lightly as she exposed the still tender flesh of his upper chest just above his armor. The wound was closing, but it was still quite deep, and now that his nerve endings and surrounding tissue were reforming, quite painful.

She didn't touch, merely observed. "Akemi did that, didn't she? Mystic Flames-one of the more painful methods of purification . . . Not that any type of purification is pleasant. I never would've dreamed it felt like that."

He raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"They planted a demon seed in me, so I couldn't escape. Suki, one of the ones I killed, kept sending painful, painful jolts into my thighs while I tried to strangle her."

"You learned their names?"

Rin shrugged. "Well, I didn't have much else to do, now did I?"

He gave a slight nod. "This Sesshomaru failed you."

She gave a light chuckle. "Don't be silly. What happened, happened; it couldn't be helped. Even if I hadn't gone to the bathroom that night, they would've found some other way to grab me, and with that barrier, there was no way you could've detected them."

"But you did," he said softly. "You sensed them as we were climbing the mountain, and I dismissed your concerns with barely a second thought."

Rin shrugged. "Live and learn. My senses aren't that sharp anyway. Now, if it were Master Li, he could've seen right through the barrier and known what was going on from the very beginning." She closed the opening she'd created in his haori. "I'm sorry you got hurt because of me. When we get back to the castle I'm really going to buckle down on my training. I'm going to make Master Li teach me every single thing he knows. If my opponents can't sneak up on me, that's to my advantage, which proves to be to your advantage."

"My advantage?" he repeated.

"Well, nobody ever tries to take me just for me. They want to hurt me to hurt you so . . . if I make it so I can't be hurt, then they can't hurt you."

For a moment his pain, his failure and his struggle to stay upright were forgotten, and he was filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude, of relief. She didn't blame him for her abduction, nor did she blame herself. What happened, happened, as she said. They should take this experience and learn from it, not punish each other with it.

"You may want to hold him up," Bokuseno suggested.

"Hmm?" Rin said.

"He isn't completely healed yet, and the more energy he spends on standing upright, the less energy he has to heal himself. Those little mikos took quite a bit out of him."

Rin slipped an arm around Sesshomaru's waist, offering him some support, somewhat surprised that he didn't balk at the idea. "Oh, there was only one priestess. Then there was a nun and . . . I don't know what Suki was; she had quite a bit of mystic ability, though . . . Perhaps she was a priestess. They're the ones that do subduing spells, right? And chanting and purification attacks."

"That sounds very much like a miko to me," Bokuseno replied.

"But she wasn't a very nice one. Her subduing spell choked her victim and when she healed me . . ." she cringed at the thought.

"She didn't use any anesthetic," Bokuseno supplied.

"What?"

"Anesthetic, something to numb the pain. Healings can be quite painful ordeals without the proper anesthetic. A good healer sends out a numbing wave of sensation as she's healing to spare her patient any undue discomfort."

"Someone should've told Suki that."

"From what you've said, I'm getting the feeling she was a kuromiko."

Rin raised an eyebrow at the old tree. "A black priestess?"

"Yes. She uses her mystic abilities to serve her own purposes as opposed to the needs of the people. It is her selfishness that allows her to be so cruel to others, just as it is your selflessness that allows you to be so kind to others."

She cast a worried glance up at her mate. His breathing was quiet but ragged. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He inclined his head slightly.

"Would you like to sit down for awhile?"

"We will be leaving shortly."

Rin turned to their two-headed dragon. "Ah-Un."

Their faithful steed plodded over to where their lord and lady stood, giving a couple of affirmative snorts. Rin patted each head individually then turned her head back to Sesshomaru. "Since we're going to be leaving soon, why don't you just assume your normal spot?"

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm not commanding, I'm just making a suggestion." Then she added only loud enough for him to hear, "Why force yourself to suffer needlessly? You're not impressing anyone. We already know how hurt you are and how tough you are." Not to mention stubborn, she added mentally.

He grunted non-committally, then crossed in front of her and straddled the beast off to their right, slowly but gracefully.

Rin reached out and plucked a flower from the back of his head.

He turned and gave her a slight glare.

"It was stuck," she said innocently.

The tree chuckled.

"Bokuseno," Sesshomaru growled out.

"I couldn't resist."

Rin giggled. "You did that?"

"He finds it amusing," Sesshomaru replied blandly.

"He takes himself too seriously," Bokuseno added. "A crown of flowers stuck to his head should help him laugh at himself."

Rin laughed. "I used to make him flower crowns all the time."

"Did he ever wear them?" the weather-worn youkai asked.

"Not that I saw. He usually took them and then gave them to Jakken."

"Ungrateful pup," Bokuseno chided.

"Oh, I was happy that he took them at all. He could've been quite rude about it and just tossed them away or trampled them under foot, but . . ." She turned to smile up at him. "He's not like that."

The tree chuckled again. "Only one such as you could see such nice things in such a spoiled brat."

"He's not spoiled," she insisted. "He's just . . . used to getting his way all the time," she finished sheepishly.

"And isn't that the definition of being spoiled?"

Neither Rin nor Sesshomaru replied.

"Ah, but he did ask for something not for himself this time."

"Oh?" Rin asked. She then watched as a long, slender object descended from Bokuseno's boughs, the end wrapped in one of his vines. "What is this?"

"It is for your protection," Sesshomaru replied. "Take it."

She reached out and grabbed the handle of what she perceived to be . . . a wooden sword? It was the size and shape of a regular sword, but instead of a blade of metal, it seemed to be made of a very high-quality, high-density, low-weight wood. It had been sanded, lacquered and polished, and from the fragrant scent it gave off, it was quite new.

A wooden sword, she nodded to herself. But wooden swords were practice swords used for beginners . . . And she wasn't a beginner. She'd been studying for over a year now, and she'd learned so quickly that she'd only used a practice sword for three months. But this sword, though apparently wooden, had a lightly-tanned leather handle, and the remainder of the hilt was clearly metal. From the way the very end glinted and gleamed in the moonlight, it was highly polished steel. "What is this?" she repeated.

"Why, it's a sheath," Bokuseno laughed. "For that peacock blade of yours."

Peacock blade? Oh! The sword Sesshomaru bought her at the festival.

"It serves a dual purpose," Bokuseno continued. "This sheath serves as both a scabbard for your blade and a weapon against creatures with a demonic aura."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

Sesshomaru answered her unspoken question. "Like Tessaiga's sheath, this sheath, itself, acts as a barrier against youkai and youki-based attacks."

"But unlike Tessaiga's sheath," Bokuseno began, "this sheath is also capable of dispelling youki with a single touch."

"Doesn't that make it dangerous?" Rin asked. "I mean, I can't carry this with Jakken, Ah-Un and my lord . . . can I?"

The tree chuckled, rustling its leaves overhead. "Clever girl," Bokuseno smiled. "And conscientious, too. The sheath is only a danger when activated by its owner."

"And how does it know I'm its owner?"

"Hold out your hand," the old tree commanded.

She held the sword to her side in her left hand and extended her right hand, palm-side up.

"I'll take a drop of your blood and infuse it into the sheath. That way it will only respond to your commands, and until then, it will lay dormant."

"Infuse it into the sheath?" she asked.

"This sheath is made from the wood of my tree, and one of the integral ingredients in its lacquer is my sap, my life's blood, the source of my power. Adding your blood to the lacquer and giving the scabbard another coat will ensure that it will respond to you and you only."

"Then . . . how would I . . . turn it on, I guess?"

"It will respond to your thoughts and desires. It may dispel demonic auras, but its powers are still based on demonic energy, which is a living force. As I recognize you, my blood will recognize your blood. And as I respond to your words, my blood will respond to your thoughts, awakening the sheath's power."

"Okay," she shrugged.

Bokuseno extended a pointed branch and pricked Rin's finger. A few moments later the lacquer was made; it smelled just as sweet as the blooms on the tree demon's branches. Rin lifted the latch holding her sword in its sheath and was immediately impressed by the smooth, fluid motion of the blade as it left its holder. She then handed the scabbard to the tree demon and watched as he rather skillfully applied the lacquer, the sheath suspended on one skinny branch as he painted the finish on with his leaves.

"When he is finished," Sesshomaru said, "we shall head back directly to the castle."

"My lord?" Jakken questioned, stepping to the side of Ah-Un. "It's not my place to question your wise decisions and noble intentions, but shouldn't we finish the border patrol? Especially with the upcoming council meeting. It wouldn't do for one of the other lords or ladies to be attacked by a rogue youkai in your territories."

Sesshomaru glared at his servant. "This Sesshomaru is aware of that, Jakken. We are merely depositing Rin at the castle, and then we shall continue with the patrol."

"But why?" Rin asked.

"Stupid girl," Jakken scoffed. "Goes off and gets herself kidnaped then wants to know why we're taking her back to the castle."

Rin frowned, but didn't disagree. She knew the patrol would go a lot faster without her tagging along, and she did have the habit of attracting unnecessary trouble. "Fine," she sighed. "I'll just use the time to catch up with Master Li and Master Sumida."

"We won't be gone long," Sesshomaru offered. "Three or four days at the most."

Rin nodded grudgingly. Three or four days? It was going to take them three or four days? With her tagging along, it was going to take almost two weeks. Why did they take her along, anyway?

Un nudged her right shoulder, giving her a playful snort. She then caught Sesshomaru's heated golden gaze, holding promises of wait-till-I-get-back-to-the-castle.

She then felt a particularly pleasant tingle shoot between her thighs and drew in a sharp, but silent breath. Oh yeah, she nodded to herself. That's why.

"Here you are, young lady." Bokuseno bent the branch down and slid the sheath off into her awaiting hands. "All dry and all finished."

Rin smiled and bowed. "Thank you, Bokuseno."

"Would you like to try it out before you go?" the ancient youkai asked.

"Okay," she shrugged. She slipped the sword back in its sheath and fastened the securing clasp.

"Now, Jakken, stand over there and give the little lady a suitable target."

The toad swallowed hard. "M-my lord?"

Sesshomaru nodded his assent.

Reluctantly, the toad did as commanded and walked 20 feet down the darkened forest path.

"I can barely see him," Rin said, turning away from the tree and towards the path. "He's so short he blends right in with the shadows."

"It doesn't matter," Bokuseno said. "If he's there, the sheath will detect him. Now, young lady, assume an offensive stance and call forth the sheath's power. If it's listening, you should feel it vibrate."

Rin nodded. If I tell it to wake up, it's supposed to wake up. And when it wakes up, it should vibrate.

Awake, Rin thought. The sheath seemed to spring awake, a jolt of energy traveling down her right arm. "Wow," she whispered quietly.

"Now the sword will want to direct you towards the most powerful threat."

She could feel the sword wanting to turn her backwards, facing the ancient magnolia tree. "It's telling me it's you," she said.

"Exactly. Now, I'll mask my youki and . . ."

"Ah-Un?" Rin raised an eyebrow.

"Your lord still isn't back at full power. He's barely one-third of the way healed, meaning he only has less than one-third of his normal power."

"All right, that's good enough," Rin said. "If this thing tells me Jakken is stronger than my lord in his current condition, I might just lose my mind."

"Well actually," Bokuseno began.

Sesshomaru growled.

"A joke, my boy. Can't you take a joke?"

Sesshomaru continued to glare at him.

"So, how do I turn it off?" Rin asked.

"Tell it to rest," the tree replied. "Then you can just strap it to your side and the four of you can be off."

Rest, Rin mentally commanded. She giggled with glee when she felt the energy recede from the sword, and she could once again lower her arm. She then stuck the sword through the tie of her obi and turned to bow to Bokuseno again. "That was great! Thank you so much." She ran up to the old tree and hugged its trunk.

Bokuseno chuckled. "You're quite welcome, young lady. But, unfortunately, I can't take all the credit. The sheath was entirely your lord's idea. I only provided the materials to make his vision reality."

Rin, still holding onto Bokuseno, glanced over her shoulder to Sesshomaru. He looked at her, and she looked at him. "Well, as I'm sure my lord wouldn't appreciate being embraced in public, I'll simply have to thank him in private."

"Come, Rin. It's time we were off."

Rin nodded and moved to break away when Bokuseno stopped her with a barely audible whisper.

"Young lady?"

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Hold on to him," he advised quietly.

"I have no intention of letting him get away. I didn't before, and I certainly won't now."

"That's not what I mean," the tree replied with a low chuckle. "He's still quite weak. I advise you to help hold him onto the saddle. It wouldn't be pretty if he fell from such a great height . . . especially with no youki to stop his fall."

Rin nodded. "I see."

"Rin."

"Coming, lord." She then turned back to Bokuseno. "Don't worry. I know exactly what to do." She gave the tree a departing hug and then hopped onto the back of Ah-Un, sidesaddle. Jakken then slid in behind her.

"Farewell," the ancient magnolia tree bid them.

Sesshomaru gave a slight tug on the reins, turning Ah-Un, directing the two-headed beast down the moonlit forest path.

"I hope you don't mind me clinging to you so tightly," Rin said. "But it's rather cold, and I wouldn't want to freeze to death before we returned to the castle."

"As you wish," her lord replied. "We should reach the castle gates in two days."

"Nonstop?" she asked.

"We will stop so that you may eat and sleep comfortably. I am afraid I lost your satchel with your bathing supplies and such."

"Hmm?"

"I tucked it into my haori, and it was lost during . . . when I came for you."

"I don't care about that," she laughed. "There's plenty more where those came from."

"But it was yours; I shouldn't have been so careless with it."

"Are . . . are you still talking about my satchel or . . . something else?"

He was slow to answer. "I will not be so careless."

"I'm fine," she commented. "If I wasn't fine, unlike you who likes to hide everything, I'd tell you so. And if I thought this was your fault or my fault or anyone's fault other than that headman and those demon hunters, I'd be the first one to start pointing fingers."

"You would blame yourself before you blamed me."

"True," she nodded. "But in this case the only person I happen to blame is Takeda. I did everything I could; you did everything you could, and eventually everything worked out for the best . . . I'm . . . actually proud of the way I handled myself today. I mean, recently, everyone's been telling me how 'great' I am and what have you-with the exception of Jakken, of course-but I didn't really believe them until today. I'm okay," she said quietly. "And that's good enough."

They were quiet for awhile.

"You . . . didn't happen to run into him, did you? The headman? Takeda?"

Sesshomaru grunted. "I killed him."

Rin was quiet for a moment, and then nodded. "Good . . . So, other than eating and sleeping, we'll be traveling by air?"

Sesshomaru nodded. "It is the fastest way."

Once they cleared the grove, he gave a sharp tug on the reins and they lifted off into the night sky.

"I'm glad you let me travel with you," Rin said, the wind whipping through their collective hair, the side of her face pressed into his back, the magnolia bloom still tucked behind her right ear. "Regardless of everything, I'm glad."

"As am I," he replied softly.

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Author's Note: Well, that's another chapter down, and I've decided there are going to be three more to go. Thirty is a nice round chapter number to stop at, and, not counting the interlude between chapters 8 and 9, three more chapters will put us exactly at Chapter 30, which will make this my longest fanfiction. And on fanfiction.net this is the most highly reviewed Sess/Rin fic on the site . . . You guys make me so happy ^ ^

And if you're at all curious, Rin will be referring to Sesshomaru as "my lord" when in company of persons other than Sesshomaru's so-called friends and family. I think she'd want to show Sess his proper respect when in the company of his subordinates; it is the way she was raised, after all.

One reviewer asked what Bokuseno was trying to do to Sess last chapter. He was doing three things: teasing him, testing him and advising him. As much as Bokuseno likes the young lord and his future lady, he still thinks it will be a disastrous match, and so he tries to dissuade Sesshomaru in the best ways he knows how-he insults his pride, he attacks his sensibilities, and he gives him alternative options. Much to Bokuseno's surprise, Sess doesn't change his mind about Rin, but he does ask if there's a way to avoid potential war with the other lords and ladies for his territories. The tree youkai is impressed with Sesshomaru's more moderate, more mature outlook, and, though he still opposes the match, he agrees to make a sheath for Rin to aid her in their future struggles.

Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope I didn't disappoint,

theMaven :)