InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Leaving the Past ❯ Chapter Eleven ( Chapter 11 )

Chapter Eleven

Five people clustered around the injured hanyou, once more laying unconscious and bandaged on a futon in the house.

Rin bit her lip, watching Inuyasha. He still hadn't woken. By now Kirara had returned with Miroku and Kaede, who sat side by side next to him, deep in prayerful meditation. There was nothing more to be done now, except to wait.

Kagome knelt on the floor, quietly stroking his hand.

Inuyasha coughed. His nose twitched and he groaned. His eyelids fluttered open as he turned his head to the side.

"Kagome?"

Kagome nodded and squeezed his hand.

Squeezing back, Inuyasha squinted at another blurry figure standing over him - a white figure slowly coming into focus.

"Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru extended his arm towards his brother - and slapped him hard across the face with the back of his hand.

"What the HELL was that for?" Inuyasha yelped.

"Inuyasha," said Sesshoumaru, "your inadequate skill and pitiful inability to protect your own family nearly resulted in their slaughter, and, more importantly, the slaughter of MY ward."

"You SON OF A BITCH! Let me at him!" roared Inuyasha as he struggled against Miroku.

"Inuyasha," whispered Kagome through happy tears.

Rin stood up and passed into the next room, where Sango was fussing over Ichiro, surrounded by her children. Six worried Miroku-like faces stared up at Rin, the youngest three nervously gripping their mother's skirt.

"He's okay," she announced.

"We made it!" answered Ichiro, turning red as Sango scrubbed a dirt spot off his cheek with her thumb.

Rin nodded, and relaxed into a smile of pure relief.

~~~~~~~~~~

The night sky was slowly turning gray when Rin woke before dawn. She rubbed her eyes, still exhausted and wishing she had been able to catch more than just a few hours of sleep.

The house was quiet. She was sure the others would be awake soon. She reluctantly rose and quietly picked up the wooden bucket beside the door so that she could begin to boil water for morning tea. Kagome could probably use a hot drink.

The giant demon dog was resting in the clearing where the village ended and the forest began.

Rin was startled. She paused mid-stride, the bucket dropping from her grip.

She hadn't seen him fully transformed since the final battle with Naraku. The demon was the size of large temple, with a great mane of flowing silver fur. A familiar crescent moon marked the beast's smooth white forehead. Its eyes were huge, a hellish fiery red. The dog's left limb was missing.

Those eyes were watching her. The glowing red orbs were even more impossible to interpret than his customary golden ones, both animal and demon-like at once.

Oddly, beyond her initial shock, Rin didn't feel afraid. She looked at the space where his front leg would have been. All the years she had traveled with Sesshoumaru, he had never discussed that handicap. She had never heard him reproach Inuyasha for its loss either. She wondered how often he thought about his missing arm, wondered if he ever felt impeded, or wished to be whole again. Did he ever feel afraid?

Rin remembered thinking about Sesshoumaru's possible loneliness during her conversation with Ichiro. It seemed like ages ago, and yet it had only been a few hours. Fear and loneliness. When she had been a child, she would scarcely have thought either possible.

Rin suddenly felt uncomfortable and looked away, thankful that mind reading, as far as she knew, wasn't one of his youkai abilities. She collected the bucket from the ground.

Slowly, aware that his eyes were following her, she made her way to the well.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Your sacrifice would have been in vain." He said it matter of factly.

Rin had gone to the river alone to do the washing while Kagome was tending Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru had found her there, quietly appearing from the forest with no other words of greeting.

He paused, waiting for an answer. She continued washing.

His eyes narrowed.

"You would have achieved nothing against a demon such as that. You would have died quickly," he said.

Rin finishing wringing the water from the last of Akio's things, and stood up.

"Yes, I know," she answered simply.

Sesshoumaru frowned.

"And you know that I did not come here in order to retrieve YOU."

"I know that too," Rin answered honestly.

It took him several moments to react. Finally he scoffed, turned, and left her.

She stopped herself from watching him leave, and finished folding the damp clothes into her wicker basket.

*

She hadn't been sure that she would see him again. Yet the next morning he approached her once more.

Inuyasha had slept most of the preceding day, but he was recovering quickly. Kagome had finally laid down for a well-needed nap herself. Despite being Spring, there was still a crisp chill to the mornings. Rin bundled Akio into a small outer robe, and carried him to edge of the meadow where a small copse of cherry trees stood, their blossoms newly opened and clinging to the dark branches like pale stars. It was there the eldest son of the great Dog General found her.

Akio squirmed out of her arms, and crawled towards Sesshoumaru's pant leg. He paused, staring up at the towering demon standing before him.

Akio bared his two baby fangs, and began to growl.

Sesshoumaru stared at him.

"He looks like his mother," the youkai said finally. "Though I can see that he's inherited Inuyasha's disposition," he added dryly. He didn't seem overly interested.

Rin plucked Akio up into her lap before he could pounce on his uncle's boot. Sesshoumaru's remark had brought to mind a question that she had always wondered.

"My Lord? What was your mother like? Was she a very beautiful demon?"

If he was surprised by her question, he did not show it.

"Yes."

"Did your father love her very much?"

"My father honored her. He made her son his heir, bequeathed him lordship of his servants and home, and all the Western Lands over which he ruled. Only his personal effects did he dispose of as he wished. To his favorite son, he left only his sword, Tetsusaiga."

"Inuyasha… was the favorite son?" Rin was confused.

Sesshoumaru's face betrayed no emotion.

"Yes."

"But Inuyasha was only an infant when your father was killed. How could your father prefer him?"

"He was the son of the woman my father loved."

Rin was silent.

A stiff breeze lifted their hair, shaking loose a handful of petals that swirled across the fresh grass.

~~~~~~~~~~

Three more days passed. Rin took the baby out of the house whenever possible, giving Inuyasha and Kagome as much peace and time to themselves as she could. Sesshoumaru sought her out on several occasions, often not saying anything, but standing or sitting nearby. Rin quickly grew comfortable with his silent companionship. It surprised her how much like the old days it was. Gradually she began to continue going about whatever chore or pastime she was involved in, sometimes singing to Akio as she worked. But she was always aware of him. Occasionally some stunt of Akio's would amuse her so that she would laugh, looking up to share her smile with the demon lord. It didn't bother her that he never smiled back, she knew that he was paying attention.

On one occasion she decided to ask the OTHER question that was foremost in her mind.

Akio had curled into her lap, burrowing down like a sleepy puppy, his thumb lazily lodged in his mouth. His eyelids slipped down and he settled into the rhythmic breathing of a peaceful sleep. Rin affectionately pressed her cheek against the top of his thick black hair.

It might as well be now she thought ruefully.

"Lord Sesshoumaru-" she started.

Sesshoumaru looked at her.

"You're married now," she pronounced, wishing that she had thought of a more tactful approach.

"No." He looked away.

Forgetting tact altogether, she stared at him, blatantly surprised.

"Why not?" she blurted out.

Sesshoumaru looked as uneasy as it was possible for a normally stoic, deadly taiyoukai to look.

"I have had much to do," he said sternly. "No one had lived in my father's house for many years. I had to properly secure what was mine first."

A year is an awfully long time to clean house Rin thought, but prudently decided to keep to herself.

"Have you picked out a mate yet?" she asked instead.

"Yes."

"Who is she?"

"The daughter of an ally of my father's."

Rin could tell that the demon lord was growing increasingly uncomfortable, and that being uncomfortable was not a sensation that Sesshoumaru particularly enjoyed. Right about now, she thought, if I were younger, Jaken would tell me to be quiet and stop bothering him.

But Jaken wasn't here and she was past being intimidated by Sesshoumaru's mere presence. Jaken…

"Jaken explained to me that demon marriages are carefully planned alliances. Have you made arrangements with her family?"

"NO."

"You shouldn't wait very long," she continued, ignoring the warning hint of annoyance in his voice. She fiddled with a knot in one of the laces of Akio's soft boots.

"It isn't good for anyone to be alone," she finished.

He narrowed his eyes, but her attention seemed to be focused on untangling a particularly stubborn knot.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Rin, you have been much help to Kagome in tending Inuyasha."

Rin bowed her head.

"Thank you, Lady Kaede."

Kaede finished wrapping the dried medicinal herbs in paper and handed them to Rin, studying her carefully as she did so.

"I have been thinking," the old woman began. "Kagome is often busy taking care of her baby, not to mention that wild husband of hers. And I'm not getting any younger. I could use more help around here."

Rin blinked in surprise. Help Kaede? If she accepted, she wouldn't have to worry about leaving the village. There would be a place for her, a role that would need to be filled. Kaede would probably let her move into her home by the temple too.

"You would have to concentrate. No daydreaming or drifting off," Kaede added, one eyebrow raised.

Rin bit her lip. She nodded and smiled a little guiltily.

"Thank you, Lady Kaede. I will consider it." Rin's expression was thoughtful. "I want to be where I am needed. So many people have taken care of me over the years, I want to give that back to others."

"You are a good girl," said Kaede, smiling gently. "And you are right. There are many people in this world that need to be loved and cared for… in different ways." The old miko watched her keenly.

"Think about it carefully before you make a decision" she finished.

Rin nodded again.

"I will," she promised.

~~~~~~~~~~

That evening, the house was filled with the delicious warm smell of fish stew. Kagome knelt by the small home fire, sprinkling the final seasonings into the pot.

Inuyasha was bored. He reached over and scooped up Akio, holding him in the air above his head and smiling as the child squealed in delight. His smile gradually faded into puzzlement. He brought Akio's beaming face down to just above his nose, and sniffed twice. He frowned.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said, a little too calmly. "Why does my son smell like Sesshoumaru?"

Everyone suddenly became extremely engrossed in whatever they were doing.

"Why is he still hanging around here?" Inuyasha insisted.

Miroku sighed.

"Your brother says that although your life means nothing to him, he will not permit you to heap further shame upon your family's name by allow your father's enemies to kill you," the monk answered patiently.

"WHAT?"

Miroku had seemingly returned to his meditation.

"We'll see about that…" Inuyasha muttered, gritting his teeth against the pain and rising to a sitting position.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded. "You're not fully healed yet, you shouldn't be getting up!"

"Keh," he scowled, taking a deep breath and standing up. He wobbled for a moment, then steadied. He smiled triumphantly as Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Da-DA!" Akio shrieked gleefully.

"Hmpf." Inuyasha tousled his son's hair proudly. "That's right."

Rin quietly finished stitching the hem of the blue silk kimono she was making. He will be leaving soon she thought to herself.