InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Libera me ❯ Chapter 1

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Written by: Mette Krangnes
e-mail: xelloss@online.no

Yes, I wanted to write something romantic between Sesshoumaru and Rin. Afterall, most us
Sesshoumaru/Rin fans believe that there will be some attraction between those two when
Rin grows up.

Disclaimer: Sesshoumaru, Rin and Jaken are copyrighted Rumiko Takahashi, I don't own them.
Please don't sue.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Her life so far had been a rather strange one, Rin thought as she trudged through the tall
grass and trying to keep up the fast pace she was walking in. She was aware of that many
little girls lost their family everyday and died a horrible death, but in addition to these
two things Rin had also been given her life back and been the first human who Sesshoumaru,
the lord of the west, had tolerated, strangely enough. And most people who knew the lord
would have arched an eyebrow if they knew that he had let her live for a decade now.
For most knew Sesshoumaru to be a cruel and human-hating youkai who either ignored humans
when he was in a good mood, or sliced their throats open without blinking when he was having
a bad day. But for Rin, her Sesshoumaru-sama was just the whitehaired youkai who had given
her a second chance at living.

She couldn't believe that it had been that long ago really. While she herself had grown
taller, gained a more womanly form and less rumbunctious, she noticed that Sesshoumaru and
Jaken, the youkai lord's trusty toad youkai servant, hadn't changed at all. Well,
except for the fact that Jaken now didn't yell at her for being hyper nor smack her with his
staff when he was in a fowl mood.
"Rin."
Her head jerked up as her sensitive ears caught the barely audible sound of her name.
By the tone of Sesshoumaru's voice she understood the underlying meaning: keep up.
So she half ran some more to shorten the distance between them, watching Sesshoumaru's back
as they moved on. Still after all these years the routines were the same at least.
Every now and then Sesshoumaru decided to patrol his territory, bringing her and Jaken along.
Even though it was tireing to have cross great distances like this, Rin liked it, it reminded
her off the good old days.

---------------------

Sesshoumaru's nose caught the scent of humans. Surely there was a human village not too far away,
he concluded with a slight frown. When he turned his head to gaze towards the south and he saw houses
further down in the valley, he snorted in disgust. No matter anyway, he was not intending to approach it.
As the girl finally managed to catch up with him, Sesshoumaru let his eyes move to take a look
at her. During the last years Rin had grown from a little human pup into a young woman, now reaching
up to his chest instead and no longer running around his legs. He wasn't quite sure how old she
was when he had first met her, but he guessed she was around 15-16 summers old.
her hair was long and wild, big brown eyes full of wonder and her smile still spread warmth whereever
she went. Her yellow kimono was long, and the woven flower pattern in it wasn't as beautiful as it
had been the day he had ordered Jaken into getting it for her. But of course, women's clothing wasn't
meant for travelling either, was it? So maybe this was the reason he had chosen a route this close to
a human village: Rin needed new garments.
"Jaken," he ordered in his usual monotone voice, and without turning his head he heard his servant
run forth, seeing him bow down in the corner of his eye.
"Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Go to the village and aquire some new clothing for Rin."
Just as Jaken was about to run towards the village, Rin coughed and spoke.
"Could I go along with Jaken-sama?" she asked, looking up at her lord. In response Sesshoumaru
merely arched an eyebrow, not having to ask, verbally at least, what her reasons were.
"Because," Rin added, "the last time Jaken-sama got clothing for me, they.. didn't fit all the
places..."
It felt rather strange to have to talk about such things to men, Rin thought. She really wished
she had more girls her age to talk with, that was another reason she wanted to go to the village.
Over the years she had barely been allowed to enter human villages due to Sesshoumaru's dislike of
the villages overall, so he avoided them when possible.
As he watched her, pondering, Rin stood there, trying to look as cute as possible. She had found that
begging with words never seemed to work with her master. Maybe it was due to the fact that he spoke
rather seldom himself, and it had rubbed off on her. But who needed words anyway when Sesshoumaru
had eyes that clearly conveyed what he wanted them to?
After a few moments he gave her a barely noticable nod before turning to Jaken.
"Take Rin with you. I'll expect you back soon."
With that Sesshoumaru turned and walked towards a tall tree, sitting down calmly without looking at
them, thereby stating that they were to hurry on their errand.
Rin smiled, then looked down to the short toad youkai.
"Come on Jaken-sama! We better hurry!" she said with a smile, finding new energy as she started to run
down the hill with Jaken at her heels.
"ACK! WAIT!"

-----------------------

Villages were so exciting, Rin thought as she walked around the main square, studying all the items
that were for sale today. Small trinkets, sharp swords and knives, religious objects, lucky charms
and what she was here for: clothing.
Jaken followed her with a snort, liking the way the other humans backed away from him. They did right
in fearing him allright! Now if only the girl could chose some clothing and get it done with!
Sesshoumaru-sama was without doubt wanting them to be quick about this, and with Rin tagging along
this would surely take ages! If it had been up to him, he would just have chosen the first and cheapest
kimono he saw...
"Jaken-sama, look" Rin said and pointed towards a lovely green kimono, leaning down to yank at his sleeve
to make sure she got his attention. He was brought out of his thoughts with a yelp, then he saw the kimono.
"Hah, that one is too expensive!" he said, making Rin arch an eyebrow.
"It's not like Sesshoumaru-sama needs that much money, and it's quality! I need something that won't
get ruined easily!" she defended.
Jaken only grumbled in response, then reluctantly handed her his pouch with money.
"Thanks, Jaken-sama!" smiled Rin, then turned to the merchant to try the kimono before buying it.

A few minutes later Rin was clad in her new kimono, admiring herself.
"This one sure is nice!" she said in awe, studying the intricate patterns on the sleeves. Jaken didn't
seem as impressed, walking infront of her.
"Whatever, now we have to go back!" he snorted, and Rin's face dropped.
"Already? But I thought we were going to stay here at least another hour?" she pouted, truly disappointed.
"Sesshoumaru-sama told us not to be late, Rin!" was Jaken's sour reply.
"But I want to stay here a little longer, have a look around and get something to eat!" sighed Rin, halting.
With an annoyed grumble Jaken looked over his shoulder at her, then he sighed.
"Alright, get yourself some food, look a little, but then we ARE going back!" he declared, pointing his staff
sternly at her, then turned to continue walking out of the village, not wanting to spend a single
second there more than necessary.
Rin had to chuckle, Jaken always acted like this. So with a wide smile she looked around, looking for someplace
to get some food.

---------------------------

As Rin walked around, still full from the delicious rice and fish she had bought, couldn't help but notice a
guywho seemed to taken a interest for her. She wasn't sure, but she thought that he had been looking at her for
some minutes now while she watched a couple of streetperformers play a song. But still, it wasn't that sure,
maybe he was just looking past her. Nevertheless, Rin felt bashful at this and quickly turned her face back
to the performers.
In not too long however she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, and when she turned around in surprise she
saw the boy standing there, smiling down at her.
"Hi there," he began hesistantly, removing his hand from her shoulder, suddenly looking just as shy as she was.
"Uh, hi..." was her nearly silent response as she moved her gaze down to her feet. A boy was talking to her!
"I haven't seen you around here, are you new to the village?" the boy continued, and Rin nodded.
"Yes, I'm just passing by," she confirmed, then blinked as the boy nodded towards a log outside one of the huts.
"Wanna sit down and talk with me?"

After 15 minutes Rin had found the boy to be quite charming. His name was Hatsui, and he had lived in this
village for almost a year now with his parents and siblings. Listening eagerly Rin nodded once in a while,
her curiosity slowly getting satisfied. She didn't remember much of her life from her village, and once in
a while she really enjoyed hearing about others talk about their own lives, which made her be aware of slight
glimpses from her own past. But the most exciting thing was to be with other humans.
Most of her time she was just around Sesshoumaru and Jaken, which became very boring.
Either she had to stick around the tall dog youkai who seldom showed emotions, rarely spoke and he seemed to
completely ignore her at some times. And then it was Jaken, who ranted and patronized her once in a while.
But humans... beings like herself! They were so different from what she was used to. And boys too...
Rin could barely remember the first time she had been aware of herself looking at boys whenever Sesshoumaru
had chosen routes near human villages. She would trail behind, her eyes fixed intently on human boys and girls
who played, human boys who teased the girls, human girls who giggled and laughed among themselves;
and sometimes older human boys and girls kissing.
Strangely enough she had wanted to try that too, but then she was brought out of her thoughts when
Sesshoumaru had commanded her to not fall behind, and she ran to catch up with him and Jaken while glancing
over her shoulder.
Since then the longing to be around boys her age had grown stronger, and she found herself wondering about
what it would be like when she got older. Would she get married? Would she have children?
"So where do you live, Rin?" Hatsui asked, smiling sincerely at her from where he sat, only a few feet away.
"I mostly travel," was Rin's meek response, not wanting to go into more details that necessary.
"So you're just passing by, are you?"
She nodded, blushing a little. Why was she suddenly so conscious of how she looked and how she acted?
"That's sad to hear... It's hard being new, and I thought you looked nice..."
Blushing at the compliment Rin blinked, averting her gaze.
"Oh?"
Hatsui nodded with a shy smile, feeling himself blushing a tad. as he put his hand ontop of hers, grasping
it softly. By now her heat was beating like wild, and Rin felt herself wanting to stay.
"Yes..."
They sat there for a moment, neither saying anything, then Hatsui looked over at her.
"Rin?"
"Hm?" she blinked, jerking her head up to look expectantly at him. The seconds before he opened his mouth
again seemed as forever, and seemed to stop as his words reached her.
"Could I kiss you?"
Her eyes widened a little, and she pondered on that a moment. Before she knew it, she had given him a nod.

Never had anything seemed this slow, Rin thought as she puckered her lips a little, closing her eyes and
feeling her cheeks nearly burn from all the heat she was feeling as the blood rushed to her face.
Then it happened: she was kissing a boy. Her first kiss. Butterflies were running amoch in her stomach,
she felt as is her skin was burning, and she leant closer, deepening the kiss a little. Hatsui in return
flicked his tongue out, licking her bottom lip as his arms slowly wrapped around her waist, reaching up
to stroke her black tresses. Then within a few moments Rin had moved her arms around him too, grasping at
his shoulders and pulling him closer. A minute passed, a hand went a little stray before returning to
another place people would find appropriate, then Rin felt Hatsui slowly pull back, his eyes searching hers.
This had been very pleasant indeed, and Rin licked her lips as she moved her gaze down to her feet again.
"I... I have to go now, Hatsui," she said with a sigh, knowing she had already been there too long and that
Jaken was indeed waiting for her.
"You're going to continue travelling tonight? Can't you stay the night?" Hatsui quickly offered,
sadness in his eyes, but Rin shook her head, giving him a sad smile.
"I'm sorry... they are waiting for me. But I'll visit if I come here again!" she quickly added, which made
Hatsui brighten up just a tad.
"Ok... a pleasure meeting you Rin."
"Same to you too, bye!" she said and rose to her feet, kissing his cheek in the process. Then she turned and ran
out towards the forest and to where Jaken was most likely waiting for her.

The light from the setting sun didn't help much as Rin stumbled around outside the village, looking everywhere.
"Jaken-sama? Are you there? Jaken-sama??"
For five minutes now she had been staggering to and fro in the dusk without being able to locate Jaken.
Where had he gone?! Had he abandoned her?
As she looked behind some tall bushes, she suddenly became aware of a presence behind her, and she turned
around, finding herself staring right into Sesshoumaru's armoured chest.
-----------------------------------------------

After waiting for a long while even Sesshoumaru's patience started to wear thin. Sitting underneath a shady tree
wasn't high on his priority list, less waiting for others. But some of that annoyance was quickly replaced by
another feeling he couldn't identify (worry?) when he saw Jaken coming up the hill, alone.
"Where is she?" he commanded, his voice stern as his eyes narrowed slightly. The toad instantly got to his knees,
bowing low.
"Rin stayed behind in the village after purchasing new clothing, and this Jaken waited for an hour for her, longer
than she said she would stay! So Jaken went around looking for her in the village, but..."
Blinking, Jaken realized that Sesshoumaru was no longer sitting nor listening to him, but instead the whitehaired
youkai had risen to his feet and started heading towards the village as the sun's dying light coloured everything
in a yellow, orange and red glow.
"Wait here until I return," was Sesshoumaru's command, and Jaken bowed, calling out an affirmative before sitting
down himself.

He could smell her faintly. Even though she was still in the village, she was coming towards him now.
Sesshoumaru was leaning onto a tall tree, idly watching the village who was not that far away.
And yes, in not too long he could see her come towards him, her new kimono flowing around her. But why was Rin
late? Slightly amused he watched her walking around, searching for something. Upon hearing her calling out for
Jaken, he decided to end the game now. As silent as only a true youkai could be he made his way through the grass,
walking up behind her.
And just as alert as he had taught her to be, Rin's head snapped around, then slowly moved up along with
her gaze, eyes wide as she realized who had snuck up on her.
"S-sesshoumaru-sama?" she blinked.
"You are late," was his stern answer to her unspoken question.
"I'm so sorry, I forgot the time, and I thought Jaken-sama was waiting here for me!"
"Jaken is at the hill and waiting for us," Sesshoumaru informed, then he was about to head towards that direction
as his nose caught a faint scent.
Was that why she was late? he wondered, his golden eyes narrowing a tad suspiciously.
Rin couldn't help but blink as she saw Sesshoumaru's eyes moved over her, then met hers.
"What did you do after Jaken left you?" he demanded, not moving a single musce.
"Uh, I saw some streetperformers, met some girls who I talked with, looked around at the market and..."
She was silenced as she saw his gaze harden.
"And...?"
"And... I..." she continued, finding she couldn't bear to look into those golden eyes and looked away, "I met a...
a boy."

So it was true, Sesshoumaru thought with a slight frown upon his face. Rin had seen a human boy. After a quick
confirm from his nose he knew that nothing really serious had happened, and that made this less... annoying.
"What have I told you?" he asked, and Rin licked her lips a little.
"I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama! I didn't mean to stay this long, and..."
"Human males are all the same," he interrupted her as he started on the walk back to the hill and the campsite.
Yes, that was true. It was a wellknown fact that all human males were desperate to mate whenever they had the chance,
and they would lower themselves to rape any weak female they could find. So from an early age on Sesshoumaru had
instructed Jaken to tell Rin about how nasty human males were and what they would do if she ever ventured into a
human village alone.
Though during the later years he had noticed the girl's increasing interest for the other gender, and he had often
seen her gazing at boys her age from afar whenever they passed a village. He frowned for himself, his eyes gleaming
with determination and anger. He would not let a human boy take Rin like that. She was his to own, her life belonged
to him, ever since he had revived her all those years ago when finding her body dead after the wolves' feast.
Besides, a human boy would only hit her, boss her around and make her miserable. No, it was without doubt:
Rin belonged with him.
He looked over his shoulder, seeing her following after him while looking down at the ground.
Breaking the silence he spoke up.
"What did he do to you?"

Upon hearing her master's words Rin looked up, kinda suprised. Then she pulled herself together and answered as
best as she could.
"We... talked for a while, held hands and... then he kissed and held me..." she admitted, blushing.
Not showing any signs that he heard or cared, Sesshoumaru kept on walking. By the tone of her voice he could
tell that she wasn't discontent with what had happened, and quite frankly it made him... scared?
From the first year when he had seen her grow up as she travelled with him, he had found himself to be
as protective over her as if she was his own pup, though he never admitted it to anyone, excusing himself.
And he found himself becoming even more uptight about who he allowed in her presence as she grew older.
After her monthly bleedings had started and she turned from a girl to a young woman, he would glare whenever
he saw males take interest in his Rin. That was one of the reasons he didn't like her going into human villages...
With her increasing interest for males her age, and her appearance, it wouldn't take long for her to find someone
who would want her. And human males were...
Rin blinked as she heard him snarl a tad, walking a little faster to keep up with him.
"Sesshoumaru-sama...?"
Realizing he had growled, Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and avoided her confused gaze.
"We're going back."

---------------------------------------