InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Leaving the Past ❯ Chapter Eight ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter Eight

It was a cool and moist Spring evening. The sun was beginning to set, bathing the fields and the forms of two figures trudging towards the village in shades of pink. Rin paused a moment, breathing in the new air with its smell of blossoms and growing things. She was glad that winter was finally over, the snows gone for another year. A breeze rippled across the field. She shivered and rubbed her arms.

"It's getting chilly. Too bad we didn't think to wear something warmer."

"Uh… yeah." Ichiro kept staring at her.

"What's with you anyway?"

"Um…" he stammered.

"Ichiro?"

"Um…"

Rin looked at him.

"Rin?" he finally squeaked.

"Yes?"

"I, um…"

She laid her hand across his forehead.

"You look terrible. Are you feeling okay?" She removed her hand but continued to study his face with concern.

Ichiro swallowed and stood up very straight.

"Rin, IfyoumarrymeIpromisetosupportyouandtakecareofyouandearnagoodlivingandbeagoo dhusband."

Rin blinked.

"Ichiro, how old are you?" she asked.

"I'm over twelve!" he cried miserably.

"Oh, Ichiro," she said kindly, and smiled. "I'm very flattered. But don't you think you're a little young to get married? I thought that you liked Takumi's niece, Suzume."

Ichiro's cheeks turned pink.

"Well, yes… But they're saying in the village that you're getting too old and if you don't get married soon nobody will want to marry you at all."

Rin's smile disappeared. She said nothing.

"Besides, Father says it's never too soon to start looking for the woman who will bear my sons." Ichiro threw out his shoulders and tried his hardest to look dignified, held the pose a fraction of a moment, then slumped, blushing furiously.

Rin checked her desire to laugh.

"Ichiro, I'm-" She searched for the right word. "I'm honored, but I don't think it would work."

"You're not still in love with Inuyasha's brother are you?"

She paused.

"I worry about him sometimes," she finally answered. "I hope that he's happy."

"You worry about Sesshoumaru?"

"Yes," she said. "I worry that he might be lonely."

Ichiro looked incredulous. Rin could understand the reaction. When she had been younger, still traveling with her two demon protectors, she would never have guessed that the great lord Sesshoumaru could ever be lonely. Rin could be lonely, but not him. He was too strong, too perfect, he didn't need anything or anyone. And yet, now that she was older she wondered. Why had he let her follow him? Why had he risked his life time and time again to come after her? Then again, maybe she had known it deep down, even if it she hadn't realized it then.

She smiled at Ichiro once more.

"Thanks for thinking about me. You're going to make someone a wonderful husband someday."

"Thanks, Rin," he mumbled, digging his toe into the ground and grinning.

"C'mon, let's get back. Maybe Inuyasha's returned."

He nodded, and the two resumed walking.

"So Ichiro, why didn't you just ask me to marry you?" Rin asked with a small laugh. "Why did you have to make me all those promises?"

"Oh," he answered, and laughed a little. Now that it was over, he was feeling relaxed again. "I was afraid that you wouldn't say yes just for me. I thought that I'd have to give you reasons."

She rolled her eyes and playfully tried to snatch the basket of fish he was carrying.

"So if you're not going to get married, what ARE you going to do?" he asked, dodging.

"I'm not sure," she answered a little slowly. She had thought a lot about it during the recent winter months, had even considered leaving the village. But that would mean leaving Inuyasha and Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Ichiro and the children. She did not want to be alone again.

The sun had finally sunk into the West, leaving the world in a fading bluish grey light. Torchlight flickered from the village. They reached Inuyasha's home.

"I'm going to check on my brothers," said Ichiro.

Rin nodded in acknowledgement, and went inside.

Kagome was sitting on the floor next to the mat where her son Akio was asleep. He was a beautiful, healthy baby with his mother's brown eyes and a shock of thick hair - black like his mother's, unruly like his father's. Inuyasha's demon blood had been diluted, but Akio still bore signs of his dog youkai heritage. Soft blunted claws that Inuyasha proudly assured everyone would grow stronger as he grew older, and a pronounced tendency towards puppy-like qualities. Recently he had cut his first tooth - again, to Inuyasha's delight, a tiny fang.

Akio was dreaming in his sleep, his nose twitching. Kagome watched him adoringly. Rin knelt down beside her.

"No word from Inuyasha?"

Kagome bit her lip and shook her head.

"He's been gone over a week. There's trouble coming, I know it."

It had been almost two weeks since the traveling monks had visited, bringing news of demon battles in the North. Rumor was that the wolf clans had been driven from the mountains. Inuyasha had gone to investigate.

"We could send for Sango and Miroku," Rin suggested.

Kagome considered for a moment before replying.

"No…" she said reluctantly. "Miroku's guarding Kaede on her pilgrimage to the mountain shrine."

"What about Sango?"

"I think she went to guard Miroku from the shrine maidens."

The two grinned. Akio stirred in his sleep and, after trading guilty looks, the two said nothing for several minutes, waiting for the child to settle down again.

"SISTER!"

"KAGOME-SAMA!"

The shouting came from outside the door. The two girls froze. There was loud pounding on the side of the house.

Kagome leapt to the door and flung it open.

Akio began to whimper. Rin picked him up, hugging him against her chest and smoothing his hair. She peered over Kagome's shoulder.

A youkai.

Kagome spoke.

"Hakkaku? What's happened?"

A shiver of involuntary fear rippled down Rin's back as she recognized the wolf demon. Wolves had killed her once, and no matter how helpful their leader Kouga and his followers had subsequently been in the hunt for Naraku, she had never fully overcome the memories and terror from that childhood episode. But now fear quickly turned to curiosity, then dread. The wolf youkai had a bloody bandage wrapped around his forehead. He was pale and wheezing, his eyes wide with alarm.

Kagome's face drained of color. She grabbed Hakkaku's shoulders.

"Hakkaku, where is Kouga? Have you seen Inuyasha?"

She shook him.

"Where is Inuyasha?"

"It was the Cats!" the frightened demon finally sputtered.

To be continued.