InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Leaving the Past ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )
Chapter Five
It was going to be a warm summer. The afternoons were already getting hazy, insects droning heavily while the smaller animals that lived in the meadows slept through the sunniest part of the day. It would be cooler in the forest. I'll take a walk there this evening before the sun goes down. The long evenings were one of the things that Rin enjoyed most about this time of year. She inhaled the smell of warm grass and closed her eyes.
"Rin!"
A large boomerang hurtled through the air towards the young woman.
Rin snapped to awareness, dropping to the ground a second too late as the weapon struck her left shoulder and reversed trajectory to return to her attacker.
"Ouch!"
"You have to pay attention!" Sango was angry.
"Sorry, Sango-chan." Rin stood up, brushing dirt off her suit.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes." She rubbed her grazed shoulder. Ichiro shook his head.
"If I had really been attacking you you could have been injured."
"I'm sorry," she repeated.
Sango softened a little, but her expression remained serious.
"When exterminating demons it is essential for us to work as a team. We must depend on one another so that we can concentrate on defeating our opponent ."
Ichiro spoke up.
"But Mother, Rin's not a fighter. She's there to patch us up in case anyone gets injured."
Ichiro was almost eleven now, and very mature for his age - probably the result of growing up as the oldest brother of six. As he loved to have people tell him, he was the spitting image of the uncle he had never known, Sango's brother Kohaku. Even his weapon had once belonged to Kohaku.
"No, Ichiro. Sango's right." Rin said. "A cornered demon could attack anyone of us who happen to be there. If I can't take care of myself I could put all of you in danger."
Sango relaxed. "It's alright. You're already a big help to us. You just need to focus more, and you'll do fine."
Rin nodded. Sango smiled at both of them.
"Come on, we've had enough practice for one afternoon. Let's go in and get something to eat."
I can't let my mind wander off like that. Rin chided herself. Sango is depending on Ichiro and me, she's too busy with the children to be exterminating demons all the time.
The problem was that Rin didn't particularly like exterminating demons. She hated killing things, even if they were dangerous and blood-thirsty. She was much happier helping Kaede and Kagome tend to the minor sicknesses and injuries among the villagers and peasants from the surrounding countryside. Best of all was when Kaede would send her out into the forest to gather a particular plant or mushroom. There Rin could spend the entire day to herself - humming, exploring, speaking out loud.
"Thanks for standing up for me," she whispered to Ichiro.
He blushed proudly.
"Mother's just anxious because she and Father will be going away soon. She wants to visit the graves of her former villagers."
Sango's entire village had been massacred years before, another casualty of the evil of Naraku.
"Father's going to leave me in charge," added Ichiro, puffing his chest out a little.
In charge, and under the watchful eyes of Inuyasha and Kagome thought Rin with a smile.
"Mother! Mother!"
Two small children were running on short legs through the summer grass, crying excitedly.
Sango's eyes filled with affection at the sight of her two of her younger children, Saburo and Shiro, both of whom looked like younger, plumper versions of their father Miroku.
"Mother!"
"What is it?"
But having reached their goal of finding her, the two had already turned and were racing back to the village.
"Come and see!" shouted Saburo.
"Where?" shouted back Sango, half amused, half anxious, beginning to pick up her own pace.
"Inuyasha-san's!"
Rin, Sango and Ichiro shared a puzzled glance.
"We'd better go and see," said Sango, her voice full of curiosity.
The trio half-ran, half-walked to Inuyasha and Kagome's home. There were several strange men standing outside the house, all wearing matching costumes and insignia that Rin did not recognize. Inuyasha was standing in the doorway, arms crossed, waiting for them.
"There you are," he said to Rin. "You'd better come in and see this."
Perplexed, she entered the house, closely followed by Sango and Ichiro.
There were several small chests and enameled boxes sitting in the large room. Kagome, Miroku and the children were there, peering over the contents. A tiny figure was also waiting inside, his back turned to the entrance.
"Jaken?"
Jaken turned around.
"Rin!" he exclaimed.
"What is all this?"
Before he had time to answer, Kagome stood up, holding in her arms a folded bolt of delicate blue silk, embroidered with white and pink blossoms. She silently passed it to Rin, her eyes wide.
Rin ran her fingers along the material, tracing the line of the sewn branches and flowers.
Kagome piled two more bolts in her arms, one a light spring green, another white and accented with gold threads.
Rin was dumbfounded.
There were linens as well as silks, white, black and grey furs, a lacquered box of jade ornaments from China. Handcarven combs, more jade jars for makeup and powder, a softly polished copper mirror, pins and sticks for a lady's hair. Amber and glass beads, hand painted fans, a writing set with paper, a pot of ink, brushes and wax seals. Ichiro picked up a gold plate from the set his brothers were unwrapping.
"This is worth a small fortune," whispered Sango.
Rin finally took a breath.
"This is all for me?"
"Of course it is!" answered Jaken. "Who else would Lord Sesshoumaru bother to send things to here?" He ducked and narrowly dodged Inuyasha's swipe.
"Sesshoumaru sent this." It wasn't a question. Rin's eyes were shining.
Eying Inuyasha warily, Jaken beamed. "Unlike his younger brother, Lord Sesshoumaru is a rich and powerful demon. He can afford the very best."
This time Jaken dodged too late.
"Rin, look at this." Sango handed her a small soft pouch. It felt as if it were filled with small stones.
"Look inside."
Rin loosened the drawstring and tipped several of the stones into her hand.
They were pearls.
Smooth, lustrous pearls of various shapes and sizes, some grey, some white, some faintly blue as fish-scales.
"They're beautiful," she breathed.
"Lord Sesshoumaru chose everything himself this time." Jaken grumbled angrily, rubbing the lump on his head.
"All of it?"
"All of it."
As if in a dream Rin passed the pouch to Kagome to admire. This isn't like last time, he didn't allow Jaken to bring me children's toys. These are gifts for a lady. He knows I'm grown, he'll be coming back for me now. She wrapped her arms around her chest and hugged herself happily.
"Lord Sesshoumaru knew that you would need a dowry soon."
"Dowry?" Rin felt as if her insides had been plunged in icy water.
"Yes, you're grown up now. And quite pretty for a human." Jaken squinted his eyes knowingly and reached up to pinch her cheek. "Soon you'll be wanting to get married and settle down."
The disappointment was too much. A dowry. A dowry to marry someone else. A final fulfillment of his responsibilities to his ward she thought bitterly. Rin knelt on the floor and began to silently weep. He hadn't even bothered to deliver them himself.
"Rin, what on earth is the matter?" asked Sango.
Jaken attributed her tears to happiness. He droned on, pleased. Rin didn't hear.
"Sesshoumaru has certainly been generous," said Miroku, as he picked up a bag of coins from among several sitting in a small chest and measured the weight with his hand. "With wealth like this, Rin could marry a prince if she chooses."
"…Yes, all you young people settle down eventually, humans and demons alike." Jaken wiped tears from his eyes and continued. "Why, even Lord Sesshoumaru has decided to marry-"
Rin's head snapped up.
"What?"
Jaken hated to be interrupted. "I said, even Lord Sesshoumaru-"
"He's going to marry a demon?"
"Of course he's going to marry a demon!" Jaken looked at her suspiciously. "What else did you think?"
"I don't want it!" Rin was crying uncontrollably now.
She grabbed an embroidered red silk with her left hand and lifted it high in the air.
"Tell him I don't want any of it!"
She took the dagger from her side, the dagger he had given her, and plunged it into the fabric, ripping it from top to bottom.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING???" screeched Jaken.
"Rin, stop!" cried Sango. "Inuyasha, stop her."
Inuyasha shook his head.
"It's her stuff."
Miroku caught Rin's arm.
"Rin, calm yourself. Do not allow anger to direct your judgment."
"YOU'RE A MADWOMAN! You ungrateful human! Twice now-"
"Jaken," said Inuyasha, narrowing his eyes. "Beat it."
"But what will I tell Lord Sesshoumaru?"
Inuyasha raised a fist.
"Leaving!" shrieked Jaken nervously, and hightailed it away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two weeks later Rin stood sweeping dust through the doorway of the house.
"Rin, are you sure that you'll be okay by yourself?"
Rin finished sweeping and faced a worried Kagome. She smiled.
"Of course I will. You and Inuyasha will only be gone a couple of days right?"
Kagome still looked concerned.
"I hate to leave while Miroku and Sango are away."
"I don't see why I have to go too," Inuyasha grumbled inside.
"BECAUSE," said Kagome, "I'm not feeling well. I want to see my mother, I want to see a modern doctor, and I WANT YOU TO GO WITH ME."
More grumbling.
"Kagome?" Rin paused, and looked in her friend's eyes, questioning.
Kagome grinned and nodded.
Rin stifled an excited squeal. Kagome put a finger to her lips, her eyes shining.
For the first time since Jaken had given her the news about Sesshoumaru, Rin was happy. She squeezed Kagome's hand.
"I'll be fine. Really. Kaede and I will look after the children, and I promise to stick close to the village. Really. It'll be good for me to have some time to myself."
"Kagome?" called Inuyasha. "Do you think that your Mom will make steak again?"
Kagome smiled.
"Alright," she said, squeezing Rin's hand in return.
To be continued….