InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Jump ❯ Return ( Chapter 2 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: DamnGina 
Rin's adventures at market.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.25.2003 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.9K | Visits: 299 | Status: Completed
Rin's adventures at market.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.25.2003 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.9K | Visits: 299 | Status: Completed
See first chapter for disclaimer.
AN: I find myself surprised to be writing this. I know I mentioned a continuation of the series, but I hadn't expected it to turn out quite like this…. What will probably follow is a collection of short vignettes, similar in style to "Jump." Each work takes place during a short journey Rin and Sesshoumaru are undertaking back to his palace. It's not so much a linear story as a series of snapshots of different aspects in their relationship that just happen to occur linearly on a time line. As a result, each story will be able to be read as a stand-alone piece but will be connected with the other in the series. I think. To tell the truth, this has taken on a life of it's own and I'm as much in the dark about where it's going as you are, but I thought I'd run with it.
The one thing I am fairly certain about is that this will not be taking a turn for the romantic. I've got nothing against romance, but it's just doesn't seem to be in the nature of the characters inhabiting this particular fic. As for other romance, well, Sesshoumaru doesn't really strike me as "looking for love," and I don't think Rin's meeting too many eligible… well… anything. Would you want to hit on her… in front of Sesshoumaru? That prospect makes traditional fathers on the porch with shotguns seem so much more benign suddenly.
I thank you all for your patience and indulgence. And I hope you enjoy what I have to present.
Return
Rin passed though the gates of village, slowing her pace as she entered the market place, her smile widening as her eyes began to skip from booth to booth, exploring everything this temporary stop offered her. Each time into a market, no matter how small and how humble was like the discovery of a new world for her, though they may all have rice and meat, the grains offered in this market were different from those in the last and would be different still when she returned. It was a notion that brought her great satisfaction. She went on these missions alone to spare Sesshoumaru her lingering perusal of items he found unnecessary and mundane. Besides, he had no need of items offered by humans like she did and his presence would create so much disorder she'd accomplish nothing anyway. She glanced at the sky trying to ascertain how much time she had, then with a quick glance to the forest, she plunged into her new exploration with an expectant smile on her lips, her fingers lingering on the edge of the rice-sellers cart.
Sesshoumaru never told her that he watched her when she went into the villages
When she had been younger his supervision had been unnecessary. Jaken had been her constant companion and chaperone and though weak, he was certainly enough to guard her in the company of humans and to sound the alarm should something go truly wrong. The little toad had been enough to ensure her return.
Now that they traveled alone, and now that Rin had attained such graceful adulthood, it had become his custom to keep more vigilant watch over her, just as he did now, standing in the concealing line of trees on a ridge above the humble village she had set off too this morning. He was neither blind nor naïve. Sesshoumaru knew that a lone and lovely young woman, well dressed and well funded would attract notice an exuberant child had not. The admiring gazes of the young village men as she passed and they slowed their work to stare after her was an eloquent concurrence.
Rin was an odd sight for the villagers; even those accustomed to travelers, an unaccompanied young woman, hair down like a peasant girl but dressed like a princess as she glided silently through, taking in what was so humble and familiar to them with eager and vivacious curiosity. Looks of distrust, lust, opportunity, and curiosity greeted her as she moved serenely among them, unmindful of the slanting threats and sideways desires that traced her when she stopped to ask a question or select an item to purchase with the abundant funds he always provided her with. Sesshoumaru noted that they fell away from her as she walked, clearing a path for her as if she were more than human. And rightly so.
It was the males that began to gravitate around her that attracted Sesshoumaru's most dedicated attention. Most seemed too disconcerted by her appearance, unable to tell if she was human or apparition. They were too awed to draw too near the lovely girl moving so serenely in their midst and instead gazed from a distance with pathetic looks of awe and fantasy. But occasionally one of those silly village boys became bold and would approach.
A handsome young man began to circle her as she admired a fine silk kimono, the seller holding it out to her so she could appraise the pattern of cherry blossoms sewn in the innocent pink blushes of spring. Sesshoumaru folded his arms as the youth laid a hand by her elbow on the rough edge of the cart and spoke to her with a sly and charming smile, causing both Rin and the kimono merchant to look at him as he interjected himself in their transaction.
Rin glanced up at the young man with the same smiling interest she showed the produce in the bins or the houses lining the square and returned his greeting politely and directly, distinctly void of the blushes and lowered eyes and the surrender of flirtation. She turned back to the kimono merchant, who waited for her with great reverence, to point out some feature of the pattern, her finger moving gracefully down the silk.
The young man tried again to gain her attention, leaning in closer to corner her into his advances. The youth was exerting his dominion and looking for Rin to submit, to succumb to his fine looks and admiring attentions. Sesshoumaru looked on, wondering if Rin found the young man handsome. A cool breeze rustled the forest around him.
Rin turned her head slowly, unmoved by this new proximity. The joyous glow had left her and now only a sharp and tiny smile clung to her lips as she studied him at her leisure, her lovely face a mask of cold regal composure. She held him pinned with that cruel and inscrutable gaze, and the youth took a step back. She released him abruptly as soon as he did, turning back to the kimono seller with an easy smile, reaching for her purse and returning to her business.
The youth seemed in shock and for a moment he stared at her from his new position. His face went suddenly and ominously dark as Rin placed her money in the kimono merchant's hand and he grabbed her upper arm roughly, turning her to face him. The entire market seemed to stop and watch them and above the village, Sesshoumaru took a step forward, poised.
Rin frowned at him, cocking her head to the side. She looked decidedly annoyed, but not particularly concerned by the large man towering over her delicately made form. This time it was she who leaned into him, lifting her head smoothly, her narrowed eyes fixing decisively on his as she began to speak slowly, and softly.
Perhaps she told the young man that a youkai lord protected her. Perhaps she told a lie about a husband and brothers who would protect her honor. Perhaps she simply told him that he was acting like a fool and crushed him in the way that only a beautiful woman can injure a young man. What ever she said, she was unshaken. And again, it was he who was backed down. He unhanded her immediately and slunk away and Rin shook her head, reaching for her package and smiling her thanks prettily to the kimono seller, her head already on the next trinket to catch her eye.
The entire village trained it's gaze upon Rin when she left, walking alone into the forest from whence she had come. They whispered to those close about princesses and apparitions, legends and fairytales and of women with great power who none dare cross. For a time the tavern dwellers tried to unravel her, and called her a mystery while the young man who had spoken to her shook his head and said nothing.
Sesshoumaru could sense their speculations, smell it in the air but he chose to ignore it. Her singular scent of health and new blossoms in a warm spring rain took precedent over that of an unremarkable village. He had turned his back to the village walls in order to watch Rin scamper near with an eager smile and an arm full of packages held out like an offering. The ruby petals of a native blossom peaked shyly from behind her left ear.
"Were you successful?" he asked as she stopped before him.
"Um hmm," Rin nodded with shinning eyes, her fingers already gone to the knots around her packages, "I bought a new kimono, would you like to see, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
Sesshoumaru said nothing, but folded his arms across his chest and kept his neutral gazed fixed upon her.
She smiled, a movement that came so naturally to her lips and deftly removed the kimono, knowing an affirmative answer when she saw it. "I though it was pretty," Rin said, stepping closer to him, the garment displayed in her arms. She gazed up at him with her soft eyes, seeking nothing more than a glimmer of his approval.
He studied the flowered silk for a moment and granted her the slightest of nods, a sign of his satisfaction.
Her eyes glowed and she touched his arm, her fingers a fleeting ghost of tender sensation.
"Come," he was off, heading back into the forest. They had ground still to cover before making camp for the night.
Rin fell into a contented silence, her attention stolen to the world around her once again as she followed his lead. It didn't occur to her to look back.
And subtly, almost unconsciously that neglected action was catalogued in a tiny, disregarded recess of the great youkai lord, just as it was every single time they left a village behind, for 12 years past.
Just as before; reviews are quite welcome and I gratefully thank anyone who takes the time to leave one. I don't ask they necessarily be positive, but do ask that they be constructive so that I may learn from, and possibly rectify, any grammatical, stylistic, or syntactical errors I may make. I also would like to state that any reviews I receive will have no bearing on whether I continue this story. I do not agree with the practice of extorting reviews by withholding chapters. I make no judgments of authors who do, it is their choice and an undeniably effective method of getting feedback, but it is not a practice I indulge in.
AN: I find myself surprised to be writing this. I know I mentioned a continuation of the series, but I hadn't expected it to turn out quite like this…. What will probably follow is a collection of short vignettes, similar in style to "Jump." Each work takes place during a short journey Rin and Sesshoumaru are undertaking back to his palace. It's not so much a linear story as a series of snapshots of different aspects in their relationship that just happen to occur linearly on a time line. As a result, each story will be able to be read as a stand-alone piece but will be connected with the other in the series. I think. To tell the truth, this has taken on a life of it's own and I'm as much in the dark about where it's going as you are, but I thought I'd run with it.
The one thing I am fairly certain about is that this will not be taking a turn for the romantic. I've got nothing against romance, but it's just doesn't seem to be in the nature of the characters inhabiting this particular fic. As for other romance, well, Sesshoumaru doesn't really strike me as "looking for love," and I don't think Rin's meeting too many eligible… well… anything. Would you want to hit on her… in front of Sesshoumaru? That prospect makes traditional fathers on the porch with shotguns seem so much more benign suddenly.
I thank you all for your patience and indulgence. And I hope you enjoy what I have to present.
Return
Rin passed though the gates of village, slowing her pace as she entered the market place, her smile widening as her eyes began to skip from booth to booth, exploring everything this temporary stop offered her. Each time into a market, no matter how small and how humble was like the discovery of a new world for her, though they may all have rice and meat, the grains offered in this market were different from those in the last and would be different still when she returned. It was a notion that brought her great satisfaction. She went on these missions alone to spare Sesshoumaru her lingering perusal of items he found unnecessary and mundane. Besides, he had no need of items offered by humans like she did and his presence would create so much disorder she'd accomplish nothing anyway. She glanced at the sky trying to ascertain how much time she had, then with a quick glance to the forest, she plunged into her new exploration with an expectant smile on her lips, her fingers lingering on the edge of the rice-sellers cart.
Sesshoumaru never told her that he watched her when she went into the villages
When she had been younger his supervision had been unnecessary. Jaken had been her constant companion and chaperone and though weak, he was certainly enough to guard her in the company of humans and to sound the alarm should something go truly wrong. The little toad had been enough to ensure her return.
Now that they traveled alone, and now that Rin had attained such graceful adulthood, it had become his custom to keep more vigilant watch over her, just as he did now, standing in the concealing line of trees on a ridge above the humble village she had set off too this morning. He was neither blind nor naïve. Sesshoumaru knew that a lone and lovely young woman, well dressed and well funded would attract notice an exuberant child had not. The admiring gazes of the young village men as she passed and they slowed their work to stare after her was an eloquent concurrence.
Rin was an odd sight for the villagers; even those accustomed to travelers, an unaccompanied young woman, hair down like a peasant girl but dressed like a princess as she glided silently through, taking in what was so humble and familiar to them with eager and vivacious curiosity. Looks of distrust, lust, opportunity, and curiosity greeted her as she moved serenely among them, unmindful of the slanting threats and sideways desires that traced her when she stopped to ask a question or select an item to purchase with the abundant funds he always provided her with. Sesshoumaru noted that they fell away from her as she walked, clearing a path for her as if she were more than human. And rightly so.
It was the males that began to gravitate around her that attracted Sesshoumaru's most dedicated attention. Most seemed too disconcerted by her appearance, unable to tell if she was human or apparition. They were too awed to draw too near the lovely girl moving so serenely in their midst and instead gazed from a distance with pathetic looks of awe and fantasy. But occasionally one of those silly village boys became bold and would approach.
A handsome young man began to circle her as she admired a fine silk kimono, the seller holding it out to her so she could appraise the pattern of cherry blossoms sewn in the innocent pink blushes of spring. Sesshoumaru folded his arms as the youth laid a hand by her elbow on the rough edge of the cart and spoke to her with a sly and charming smile, causing both Rin and the kimono merchant to look at him as he interjected himself in their transaction.
Rin glanced up at the young man with the same smiling interest she showed the produce in the bins or the houses lining the square and returned his greeting politely and directly, distinctly void of the blushes and lowered eyes and the surrender of flirtation. She turned back to the kimono merchant, who waited for her with great reverence, to point out some feature of the pattern, her finger moving gracefully down the silk.
The young man tried again to gain her attention, leaning in closer to corner her into his advances. The youth was exerting his dominion and looking for Rin to submit, to succumb to his fine looks and admiring attentions. Sesshoumaru looked on, wondering if Rin found the young man handsome. A cool breeze rustled the forest around him.
Rin turned her head slowly, unmoved by this new proximity. The joyous glow had left her and now only a sharp and tiny smile clung to her lips as she studied him at her leisure, her lovely face a mask of cold regal composure. She held him pinned with that cruel and inscrutable gaze, and the youth took a step back. She released him abruptly as soon as he did, turning back to the kimono seller with an easy smile, reaching for her purse and returning to her business.
The youth seemed in shock and for a moment he stared at her from his new position. His face went suddenly and ominously dark as Rin placed her money in the kimono merchant's hand and he grabbed her upper arm roughly, turning her to face him. The entire market seemed to stop and watch them and above the village, Sesshoumaru took a step forward, poised.
Rin frowned at him, cocking her head to the side. She looked decidedly annoyed, but not particularly concerned by the large man towering over her delicately made form. This time it was she who leaned into him, lifting her head smoothly, her narrowed eyes fixing decisively on his as she began to speak slowly, and softly.
Perhaps she told the young man that a youkai lord protected her. Perhaps she told a lie about a husband and brothers who would protect her honor. Perhaps she simply told him that he was acting like a fool and crushed him in the way that only a beautiful woman can injure a young man. What ever she said, she was unshaken. And again, it was he who was backed down. He unhanded her immediately and slunk away and Rin shook her head, reaching for her package and smiling her thanks prettily to the kimono seller, her head already on the next trinket to catch her eye.
The entire village trained it's gaze upon Rin when she left, walking alone into the forest from whence she had come. They whispered to those close about princesses and apparitions, legends and fairytales and of women with great power who none dare cross. For a time the tavern dwellers tried to unravel her, and called her a mystery while the young man who had spoken to her shook his head and said nothing.
Sesshoumaru could sense their speculations, smell it in the air but he chose to ignore it. Her singular scent of health and new blossoms in a warm spring rain took precedent over that of an unremarkable village. He had turned his back to the village walls in order to watch Rin scamper near with an eager smile and an arm full of packages held out like an offering. The ruby petals of a native blossom peaked shyly from behind her left ear.
"Were you successful?" he asked as she stopped before him.
"Um hmm," Rin nodded with shinning eyes, her fingers already gone to the knots around her packages, "I bought a new kimono, would you like to see, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
Sesshoumaru said nothing, but folded his arms across his chest and kept his neutral gazed fixed upon her.
She smiled, a movement that came so naturally to her lips and deftly removed the kimono, knowing an affirmative answer when she saw it. "I though it was pretty," Rin said, stepping closer to him, the garment displayed in her arms. She gazed up at him with her soft eyes, seeking nothing more than a glimmer of his approval.
He studied the flowered silk for a moment and granted her the slightest of nods, a sign of his satisfaction.
Her eyes glowed and she touched his arm, her fingers a fleeting ghost of tender sensation.
"Come," he was off, heading back into the forest. They had ground still to cover before making camp for the night.
Rin fell into a contented silence, her attention stolen to the world around her once again as she followed his lead. It didn't occur to her to look back.
And subtly, almost unconsciously that neglected action was catalogued in a tiny, disregarded recess of the great youkai lord, just as it was every single time they left a village behind, for 12 years past.
Just as before; reviews are quite welcome and I gratefully thank anyone who takes the time to leave one. I don't ask they necessarily be positive, but do ask that they be constructive so that I may learn from, and possibly rectify, any grammatical, stylistic, or syntactical errors I may make. I also would like to state that any reviews I receive will have no bearing on whether I continue this story. I do not agree with the practice of extorting reviews by withholding chapters. I make no judgments of authors who do, it is their choice and an undeniably effective method of getting feedback, but it is not a practice I indulge in.