InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Rescued by Fate ❯ Salutations ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: Me: Oh where oh where has my little dog gone? Oh where oh where can he be? With his patience cut short and his sword cut long. Oh where oh where can he be?
Lawyers: He was never your little dog and he went back to Rumiko, where he belongs.
Me: Tis a sad day T_T *cries*

A/N: ……….. What? …It’s only been like two years…lol I’m not even gonna say anything this time……Anywho, I just wanted to clear up some confusion here about my story. When I started writing this I’d only watched the anime and when it ended randomly that was all the information I had about Inuyasha. I hadn’t read the manga yet and this was also before the anime picked up again, so different things that happened don’t necessarily go along with my story. For instance, the way Naraku is killed, Sesshomaru’s arm, his new sword, what happened with Tetsusaiga and Tensaiga, etc. Sooo just go along with it ^_^ So, without further ado, here’s chapter 9. Enjoy!

**Dream**
‘Thought’
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Chapter Nine- Salutations

The sun was high in the sky when he finally found his ward sleeping in the meadow, the list of chores he’d given her for the day laying forgotten at her side. She looked so peaceful. He didn’t want to wake her, but the chores he’d given her had to be done. The guests would start arriving in just a few days and everything had to be ready.

He knelt down beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently. “Rin,” he said sternly. “Wake up, Rin. You’ve got chores to finish.” She rolled to her side and tried to push is hand away, muttering something about ten more minutes. … As amused as he was at that, he couldn’t let her sleep any longer.

“No, Rin. You have to get up now,” he said softly, continuing to shake her. She opened her groggy eyes slowly and blinked a few times before she realized where she was. She sat up quickly remembering all the chores she had left to do, but she sat up a little too fast as her vision suddenly whirled around and started fading black. She started falling back as she lost her sense of balance, but strong arms were there to catch her.

Slowly her vision came back and her head was clear. She sat herself up again and immediately reached for her list. She caught sight of Sesshomaru as she turned and started apologizing. “Oh I’m so sorry, Lord Sesshomaru. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. Please forgive me,” she begged in a pleading voice.

Sesshomaru took hold of her arm and helped her up. “Don’t worry, Rin. It’s perfectly alright. You needed some rest anyway for all the hard work you’ve been doing. I’m very proud of you,” he told her with true sincerity.

Her cheeks flamed crimson as she looked up at him. “Thank you, milord,” she said quietly. Then she gave him her sweetest smile. “Rin’s glad she’s making you happy.” He nodded his head once at her. She folded her hands behind her back and rocked back on her heels. “Well I better get back to work. Our guests will be arriving in just a few days,” she said happily. She was really looking forward to this.

She started running back towards the castle and turned to wave goodbye to him. “See you later, Lord Sesshomaru.” He slowly waved back and nodded. “See you later, Rin,” he said quietly. She beamed him a smile and then turned back to the castle to finish her chores. He didn’t realize it at the time, but something about the way she said our guests made him extremely happy.

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She was out of breath when she finally made it to the castle and had to lean against the wall for support, sucking in as much air as her lungs would allow. Once her breathing was under control and her heart rate was back to normal, she fled through the open doors into the castle halls. She had so much to do. ‘How could I have let myself fall asleep? I’m such an idiot.’ And what was worse was that Sesshomaru had to come out there and wake her up himself.

He probably thought she was the biggest slacker on Earth, but in all actuality the reason she had fallen asleep out in the meadow was because she’d been working her butt off non-stop for three weeks! She was overworked, stressed, and still had so much to do, having to deal with all that can really wear a girl out. But she wasn’t alone in her struggles. Lucky for her she had excellent friends who were willing to help her with anything she needed. Ichigo and Meshi had really been a big help to her and she really appreciated it.

She skidded around the corner and began racing down another hallway (it was amazing how familiar she’d become with the castle) until she came to the room she was looking for. She slid the doors open to find Ichigo and Meshi already there and hard at work. They both stopped what they were doing and looked at her as she came in. “And where have you been, Miss Rin?” Meshi asked her. Rin gave him a sheepish smile. “I sort of, accidently, fell asleep out in the meadow,” she said sullenly. “Lord Sesshomaru had to wake me up,” she added absolutely mortified.

Meshi chuckled and Ichigo crossed his arms while he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “I know you hate doing this, but really, Rin,” he teased, shaking his head. “Sleeping on the job? Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.” She laughed and told him he would’ve done the same thing. He didn’t seem to disagree with that one.

She looked around at the room to see that they’d already gotten a lot accomplished. This room was to be a tea room for the guest’s bedroom next door. The only problem was it hadn’t been used in like three centuries. ‘If it was ever used,’ she added after wiping away another cobweb. From what she could see this room was just for storage. There were boxes piled up to the ceiling in every corner and forgotten portraits, scrolls, pots, tapestries, you name it, littered the floor.

They had a small cart in the middle of the room which they were using to move the artifacts to another location. Rin started poking through some of the stuff and wondered why they were in storage in the first place. In her opinion they ought to line the walls of the palace to show its incredible history. She blew some dust off a beautiful glass plate that had the image of the great dog demon lord himself on it. She ran her fingers over it, wondering why Sesshomaru couldn’t be more like his father when it came to humans.

She set the plate down gently and returned to sifting through the piles. Something in the far corner caught her eye. She lifted a couple of boxes out of the way and moved a portrait to the side when it came into full view. “Meshi! Ichigo! Can one of you get me a rag!?” she yelled to them. The picture of the family was covered in dust and she wanted to see it. Ichigo walked over and handed a rag to her, Meshi following him out of curiosity.

She took the rag from Ichigo and began wiping down the massive portrait. She cleaned it just enough to be able to see the faces. She dropped the rag as she stared at the faces peering back at her.

“Lord Sesshomaru,” she whispered while tracing her fingers over the boy’s face. She laughed at the angry expression he wore. Apparently he didn’t like the idea of a family photo. She looked up at the lady’s face, Sesshomaru’s mother. She looked the same here as she did when Rin first met her. She looked up at Meshi. “How long ago was this?” she asked him. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully while counting back the years.

“About five hundred years,” he answered in an old and knowing voice. “I remember when they did this.” He chuckled. “Master Sesshomaru really through a fit over having to sit still for so long,” he laughed in his deep baritone. “Such an ornery child he was.” Rin smiled. She loved hearing about Sesshomaru’s childhood. But again the lady in the picture drew in her attention. “Meshi, what was his mother’s name?” She’d just realized she’d never been told the great demoness’ name.

“Lady Amaya,” he said quietly.

When he didn’t continue Rin asked him what she was like. He paused again thinking it over. “She was a very interesting woman,” he finally said. “She was lovely of course, but she didn’t seem to match well with the master. I don’t even think she loved him. Their mating had been arranged by their parents and all she cared about was power,” he said shaking his head. “She did love her son though,” he whispered. “I can’t deny that. But even Master Sesshomaru wasn’t too fond of her. Lady Amaya loved Sesshomaru dearly, but she wasn’t much of a mother. She didn’t really spend a whole lot of time with him.” He looked at the ground. “I suppose he turned out to be a lot like her, in the end.”

Rin looked back at the lady in the picture. She wore a cold, stoic expression that looked all too familiar. Meshi was right. Sesshomaru was a lot like her. She looked up to see the proud face of his father. Once again she wished Sesshomaru was more like him.

“Why doesn’t Lord Sesshomaru hang all this up? Why does it just sit in an abandoned room to collect dust?” she asked him, sifting through more piles.

“Oh I suppose he doesn’t want to be reminded of his father’s rule.” He gave her a pointed look. “It’s a lot easier to overcome someone when you’re not constantly reminded of how great they were.” Rin nodded in understanding.

“Alright guys enough about Lord Sesshomaru. Let’s get back to work,” Ichigo said, obviously annoyed. Rin and Meshi both laughed as they continued their previous doings. Rin made a mental note to discuss this stuff with Sesshomaru soon. The thought of talking to him made her heart race in anticipation. ‘What a silly reaction,’ she thought. ‘I must be losing it.’

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By the time they got the room cleared out, cleaned, and set up, it was dusk. The setting sun’s burnt orange rays poured into the beautiful tea room, giving it a soft glow. Ichigo’s eyes swept the room once more, admiring their hard work. This castle was truly amazing at times like this. His eyes finally rested on the sleeping girl beneath the window. The second the room was finished she’d lain down on the cushions and lost consciousness. He let a small smile spread across his lips as he watched her sleep, the sunlight creating gentle shadows on her peaceful face.

‘What a magnificent creature she is,’ he thought to himself. ‘She captures the heart of everyone she meets.’ The corners of his mouth slid down to form a sad frown on his handsome face. ‘If only her heart could be captured so easily…’

Ichigo walked over to Rin and knelt down beside her, caressing her head with the palm of his hand. He slid his hand underneath her to grab her shoulder and slid his other hand beneath her knees, lifting her effortlessly. He turned and started walking to the door, passing Meshi as he went. He didn’t miss the watchful eye the badger had on them.

He walked out into the hall and began walking toward her room, his footsteps echoing softly off the walls. He turned the corner and froze as he saw someone else heading towards them. Lord Sesshomaru stopped just in front of Ichigo, eyeing Rin in his arms. Ichigo immediately explained. “She fell asleep right after we finished the room,” he said hurriedly. “She’s been exhausted lately. I was just carrying her back to her room to get some rest,” he finished, looking down at the sleeping girl.

Sesshomaru nodded once then spoke in his deep, smooth voice, “take her back to her room, then come see me in my study. I wish to discuss something with you.” Ichigo looked up and answered “yes, Lord Sesshomaru,” then continued heading toward Rin’s room. He walked down a couple more hallways until he finally reached it. He slid the door open and crossed the wide space to her bed. He laid her down gently and pulled the blanket over her, his hand lingering on her cheek. He bent down and gently kissed her on the forehead. “Sleep well, Rin,” he whispered. Then he stood up and walked out of her room, sliding the door shut behind him. He closed his eyes and lowered his head for a moment as he stood there, his hand still on the door. Then he looked up with determined eyes and swiftly walked the way to Sesshomaru’s study.

He only had to tap the door softly once before he was given permission to enter. He slid the doors open and stepped into the room, closing them quietly behind him. Sesshomaru made a gesture for Ichigo to sit in front of him. He crossed the room quickly and knelt down on the cushions in front of his lord. Sesshomaru wasted no time.

He slid a piece of paper across the desk toward Ichigo who took it and began gazing at all the names. “Those are the names of the guests who are going to be attending,” he told him. Ichigo’s eyes scanned down the list.

There was Lord Hiroshi and Lady Etsu from the North; accompanied by their son Shinji. From the South there was Lord Kaoru and Lady Naoko; accompanied by their daughters Namiko and Umeko. And from the East there was Lord Yakedo and Lady Rei; accompanied by their son Kaji and daughter Kasai. All the noble clans would be attending, but there were also several other names on here who were not of nobility. He scanned down to the bottom of the list where a family stuck out to him. Lord Inuyasha and Lady Kagome; accompanied by their two sons Shouji and Kiyoshi and daughter Akina. He looked up at Sesshomaru, asking him who the circled family was.

“Inuyasha is my little brother,” he told him in monotone. “He’s a half demon. We share the same father, but have different mothers. Kagome is his priestess mate. We worked quite a bit together in the past,” he finished, his eyes glazing over with distant memories.

Ichigo looked back down at the list. Something about the East clan tickling his brain, but he soon ignored it as Sesshomaru began speaking. “They will be arriving here tomorrow. I expect everything to be ready by then.” Ichigo nodded “of course my lord; as you wish.” Sesshomaru nodded once in response, and then continued. “The rest of the guests will be arriving in exactly one week’s time. And when they get here I have something important I want you to do for me.”

“Yes my lord,” said Ichigo at once. “Whatever you need.”

“I need,” said Sesshomaru, emphasizing the word, “for you to protect Rin.” Ichigo looked at him curiously and asked, “Sir?” Sesshomaru looked out the window while he spoke. “I’ll be busy visiting with our guests and holding important meetings, he said stoically. But Ichigo could just barely hear the emotion underlying his tone. Concern. “If one of our little guests decides to go rouge and attack her, I won’t be able to get to her in time.” He looked at Ichigo then and he could see the plea in his lord’s eyes. “Be her bodyguard and protect her at all times, no matter what.”

Ichigo’s eyes hardened with resolve to put the priority of Rin’s safety above all other things. “Of course my lord,” he spoke in a hard voice. “No matter what I will protect Rin.” Sesshomaru smiled a very small smile, clearly pleased. He pointed a clawed finger at two names on the list. “These two,” he said acidly, “are especially ones I want you to watch out for.” Ichigo nodded, while burning those two names into the very core of his memory. He would protect Rin, if it was the last thing he did.
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** She was walking through a castle, going down many hallways. Trying to find the room she was looking for. She kept walking till at last she came to it…the master bedroom where the lord of the castle slept.

She slid open the door and quietly slipped in… tiptoeing across the room to the large bed on the far side. She reached it and looked down onto the sleeping face of the person who slept there. He looked so serene, so beautiful. She reached out a hand to trace the markings on his delicate features. The two stripes on each cheek. The crescent moon on his forehead. Her finger lowered to brush against his delicate lips, then up to trace around the tip of his pointed ears.

A clawed hand tightly grabbed hold of her wrist. She gasped and tried to pull it back, but the grip was too strong. He started pulling her down, closer to him, till their faces were inches apart. She stared into those blazing amber eyes and suddenly all feelings of fear left her. They were replaced by a new emotion. A stronger emotion. One she did not recognize.

“What are you doing here, Rin?” he asked her in his smooth, deep voice. She quivered under his heated gaze. “I…I…” she stuttered. Her voice lowered to a whisper and her eyes dropped to the floor. “I wanted to be with you.”

She felt a clawed finger under her chin lift her face up. She expected to see anger etched into his features, but she did not. She saw…something else. Something she couldn’t quite put a finger on. His grip on her wrist loosened some, but he did not release her. Instead he began slowly pulling her onto the bed. He rolled her around so she was under him and then he lightly brushed her lips with his. Then his mouth went to her ear and whispered seductively “if that’s what you wish.”

She shivered beneath him, then looked up into his eyes and whispered, “It is.” He smiled and hungrily claimed her mouth. Rin began to feel dizzy from kissing him and when they finally broke apart she was breathing heavily. Sesshomaru lifted up a hand and stroked her cheek, Rin sighed at his touch. She lifted her hands up to his face and brought him down to her, cradling his cheek with one hand and the back of his head with the other.

But something was wrong… Sesshomaru had gone absolutely rigid……………… ‘Well this is awkward’, she thought.** She opened her eyes.

……………………R 30;…………………………&# 8230;………………………… …?!?!?!

Extremely wide violet eyes were staring straight into hers and his cheeks were as bright as a cherry. ‘I…Ich…Ichigo?!’ His head was trapped in her hands as they both just stared in complete shock at each other. She was sure that if her mouth hadn’t been on his, her jaw would have dropped to the floor. She felt heat surge into her cheeks as she squealed and released him immediately, pushing him back hard with her hands. He stood up and stared at her, clearly ruffled and exasperated. Then he smiled.

“Jeez Rin, do you attack everyone who tries to wake you up?” he teased. She glared at him, blushing fiercely and yelled, “NO! I thought I was dreaming, moron!”

He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Really? So then what were you dreaming about, huh?” About seven different scenarios, all resulting in Ichigo’s immediate death, played out in her mind as she blushed even harder. She looked away and said, “Nothing.”

“Uh-huh. Suuuure,” was all that he replied. She added three more scenarios to her list.

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Sesshomaru was in the kitchen, talking with Meshi, when Ichigo finally arrived with an extremely red and extremely irritated looking Rin. Her arms were crossed over her chest and he swore he could see steam rising out of her ears. He glanced at Ichigo who was wearing a smirk and looking very smug. He turned back to Meshi and they both shared the same look. ‘I don’t even want to know.’

“Ichigo. Rin,” he said sternly to get their attention. Ichigo looked at him expectantly, but Rin looked down and if possible blushed even more. ‘Interesting.’ “Rin,” he said softer this time. She looked up, but wouldn’t meet his eyes. Meanwhile Ichigo was trying not to laugh, but was failing miserably. He eyed the two of them suspiciously, but didn’t have the time to get to the bottom of whatever was going on here. He had other more important matters to tend to.

“Rin. Ichigo,” Meshi’s voice boomed. “Whatever’s going on here needs to be put aside for now. Lord Sesshomaru has some very important announcements to make.”

She met his eyes at last and said “Y-Yes Sir.” Her face going back to its original hue. Ichigo also straightened up and muttered a “Yes Sir.” ‘Good,’ Sesshomaru thought. ‘That’s better.’

“I would like to announce,” Sesshomaru began, “that my brother, as well as his family, will be arriving here within the hour.”

Rin’s face exploded into a huge smile and she looked as if she wanted to jump up and down in merriment. Sesshomaru felt his chest tighten a little at how happy she looked. Seeing her like that pleased him greatly.

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Rin felt as if she was going to burst. She was so excited she could hardly contain it. She practically skipped as they walked towards the front of the castle to greet the famous half demon and his gang. She had missed them so much and now she was finally going to see them again after all these years. She wanted to squeal with joy, but controlled herself. She’d already made a complete fool of herself this morning with both Ichigo and Sesshomaru and she was not going to do it again.

She held her head up a little higher and slowed her strides. Even though all she wanted to do was sprint to the doors she would not allow herself to do so. She would act like a lady. A very, very happy, lady. For nothing could erase the huge smile she still had plastered on her face. She simply couldn’t wait to see them.

Finally, after what felt like hours, but was really only a few minutes, they reached the front doors. Rin rushed through them, down the steps, and out into the flowery meadow where she waited somewhat patiently for their guests to arrive. She didn’t have to wait long for soon enough a silver haired demon clad in red appeared at the top of the hill.

It didn’t take long for him to be surrounded by his family. And that was Rin’s breaking point. She couldn’t stand it any longer. She took off towards them in a dead sprint, huge smile still firmly in place. They were descending the hill now, taking a slow pace rather than plummeting to the bottom as she and Ichigo had. She knew they were within hearing distance now so she shouted out to them. “Inuyasha! Kagome!” she yelled as she waved her arms over her head. They waved back and Kagome shouted “Hi Rin!”

She met them at the bottom of the hill and didn’t even slow down as she jumped into Kagome’s waiting arms, hugging her ferociously. Kami how she had missed this woman! Kagome was possibly the nicest person she’d ever met in the whole world, besides Lord Sesshomaru of course. Kagome hugged her back just as hard, for she had missed Rin just as much. She held her a little longer before releasing her.

Just then a small voice reached her ears. “Mama, who is that lady?” she heard him say. She looked down to see who had spoken. It was a little boy who was currently clinging to Kagome, staring at her. He had silver hair and chocolate brown eyes that were wide as he took her in. “She’s pretty, mama,” he said quietly, smiling up at her. Rin smiled back as Kagome agreed that “Yes, she’s very pretty.” Kagome then turned to Rin and said, “Rin, I would like to introduce you to my youngest son, Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi this is Rin. She’s a good friend of your uncle Sesshomaru’s.”

Rin bent down to his level. “Hi Kiyoshi,” she said in her sweet voice as she held out her hand. He took it and smiled. “Hi Rin,” he said cheerfully.

“How old are you?” she asked him. “I’m six,” he said with a big smile while displaying his age with his hands. “Wow you’re really old,” she told him. “Not as old as my brother and sister though,” he said with a hint of sadness. “Oh, and how old are they?”

“We’re seven,” two voices answered. She looked behind her to see two children that had seemingly popped out of nowhere, a boy and a girl of the exact same height. They both had long black hair and shimmering gold eyes. All of the children had slightly pointed ears. She turned around to face the two who were obviously twins. “And who might you be?” she asked politely.

The girl spoke up first pointing to herself. “I’m Akina,” she said proudly. “And I’m Shouji,” said the boy just as proudly and also pointing to himself. Rin giggled a little at the spectacle. “I’m Rin,” she said pointing to herself as well. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Yeah whatever,” they both said together and then walked away. Rin looked at Kagome who had her head in one of her hands, clearly embarrassed by her children’s behavior. However, Rin didn’t mind. She was glad they were just being themselves.

“Well now that you’ve met everyone, can we go?” asked a gravelly voice. Rin looked over to Inuyasha who looked a little grumpy. “Yeah we’re hungry,” said the twins. Inuyasha nodded with them in response. Rin refrained from rolling her eyes. She could clearly see who they took after. Kagome let out a small groan and once again put her head in her hands.

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Sesshomaru approached the group just as Inuyasha started complaining. He wanted to punch his brother in the face for being so rude to Rin, but fought to control himself. He didn’t want to act callous in front of the pups. They already had enough of a bad influence. He wouldn’t suade them into acting like reckless fools any further. But, even so, his hand still twitched just ever so slightly.

He heard soft growling then, coming from Inuyasha’s side. He looked over to see two sets of eyes glaring at him and two bodies ready to pounce. ‘Oh great,’ he thought just before they sprung.

Sesshomaru jumped out of the way at the last second, narrowly avoiding their sharp, little claws. He landed a few feet away, but immediately had to leap into the air again to avoid their second attack. “You’ve gotten better,” he told them in a teasing voice. “But you’re still not as good as this Sesshomaru.”

He flicked his wrist and caught Shouji around the ankle with his poison whip, making him gasp in surprise. Sesshomaru flung him around and released his ankle, sending him crashing into Akina. She shrieked as her brother hit her and then they met dirt simultaneously as they were both hurled to the ground.

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After seeing the twins fall Rin immediately rushed forward. This ridiculous fight needed to end before someone got hurt. She didn’t get very far before she was stopped by two pairs of strong arms. She looked up to see both Inuyasha and Ichigo holding onto her. “What are you doing?” she nearly screamed. “We have to stop this.”

Inuyasha barked out a laugh. “They’re just sparring, Rin,” he told her. “Don’t worry, all demon kids do this. It’s good for ‘em. Helps toughen ‘em up.” Ichigo nodded in agreement and then added, “They’ll be fine. Sesshomaru won’t hurt them. They’re just playing.”

As she listened to the two of them she realized they were right. They were just playing. It was like a game. And the game was attack Uncle Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru didn’t seem to mind though. In fact she could swear he was enjoying it. She imagined him playing like this with his own children. With her children. And she couldn’t help blushing a little at the thought.

But, just like that, it was all over. Kagome had marched forward and ordered her children to behave or else they wouldn’t get lunch and they’d immediately surrendered. Then they’d all set off back toward the castle.

As they ate lunch Rin learned that Miroku and Sango now had three children and that Shippo was staying with them while they were away. They talked about looking for her and always coming up empty and how sorry they were that they couldn’t find her sooner. Rin didn’t mind though. She was just glad they had looked for her. That they cared about her enough to do that. These people, they felt like family to her. And she couldn’t help the little tear that leaked from her eye at the thought.

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Night had fallen on the castle when Kagome knocked on Rin’s door and asked if she could brush her hair. Rin unsurprisingly was more than happy to oblige that request. She let her in and then both girls sat on the floor as Kagome got to work. She watched as the teeth of the comb bit into her locks and slid smoothly down the younger woman’s raven tresses. She marveled at the flawless beauty of Rin’s hair and couldn’t help wonder if Sesshomaru had noticed it as well. ‘Speaking of Sesshomaru.’

“How are things going between you and Sesshomaru,” she asked. Rin was silent for a while and then finally she answered quietly, “I don’t know.” When Kagome said nothing Rin continued. “I’m so confused, Kagome. I…I love him. I’ve always loved him. I want to be with him, but…I don’t know if he wants to be with me. Sometimes I think he does. And others I think he wants nothing to do with me. That I’m just a burden to him. I feel lost.”

“Hmmm,” Kagome murmured as she continued combing Rin’s hair. “Have you ever thought that… maybe he’s feeling just as confused as you are?” Rin turned her head quickly and looked at her. “What do you mean? Why would Lord Sesshomaru be confused?” Kagome’s hand paused as she looked Rin in the eye. “Well, think about it. The last time he saw you, you were just a little girl. A small human child whom he looked after. He probably even thought of you as a daughter.”

Rin lowered her head slightly and then turned back around. Kagome resumed her combing as she spoke. “Then all of a sudden you appear before him as a beautiful young woman. He probably doesn’t know what to think. He’s always cared very strongly for you, but now those feelings may have grown into something more and he’s baffled by it.”

Rin nodded her head slowly. “That…actually makes a lot of sense,” she said softly. “I can’t believe I didn’t realize that earlier. Of course. He’s just as confused as I am.” Rin smiled to herself. She could be such a fool sometimes. “Well, anyhow,” Kagome said happily. “Just give him some time to figure things out. I’m sure everything will work out in the end.” Rin nodded again and then turned around and hugged the priestess. “Thank you, Kagome. You really helped me a lot.” Kagome smiled as she held the girl tightly. “Anytime, Rin. Anytime.”

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Footsteps echoed off the walls as she steadily walked down the corridor. Today was the day. It had been a week since Inuyasha and Kagome had come to stay with them at the castle and today the rest of their guests would be arriving. She turned the corner and joined the others as they waited anxiously for the first of their visitors to arrive.

When they were close enough for Sesshomaru to sense, the two of them walked outside and waited for them to appear atop the hill. And slowly, but surely they did. The man was very muscular and looked like he could lead an army. He had short black hair and jade green eyes. On his forehead was a black diamond and he had an angry scar that ran along the side of his left cheek.

The woman beside him also looked very muscular, but not in a bulky way like her mate. She just looked very toned and fit and like she would kick anyone’s ass in an arm wrestling contest. She had beautiful curly brown hair that fell to her waist and light blue eyes. She also had a sharp purple stripe on each of her cheeks.

Then there was the boy. He was clearly their son. He had long black hair which he tied back in a ponytail and emerald green eyes. Like his father he had a black diamond on his forehead and like his mother a purple stripe on each cheek. All of them were incredibly beautiful, but fierce at the same time. This was the bear demon clan. Rulers of the North. Lord Hiroshi, Lady Etsu, and their son, Shinji. Among them they had an entourage of servants and guards. It was customary for the leaders of the land to travel like this. Rin greeted them graciously. Then, they welcomed them inside and showed them the castle and where they would be staying.

They visited for a while until Sesshomaru sensed the next set of guests and then they went back outside to wait. The Lady appeared first this time. She was tall and had very long, slender limbs. The way she walked was extremely graceful; it looked like she was gliding on air. She had straight, chin length, light pink hair and silver eyes.

Next to her was her mate. He too was built tall and slender. He had straight, shoulder length, light blue hair, and shimmering purple eyes. Eyes that looked startling a lot like Ichigo’s. On his forehead was a dark blue symbol of a bird.

Following close together were two young girls that looked (in appearance) to be about her age. One of the girls had long pink hair and purple eyes with the bird symbol on her forehead. The other had short purple hair and purple eyes and no symbol. This was the bird demon clan. Rulers of the South. Lord Kaoru, Lady Naoko, and their daughters Namiko and Umeko. Rin greeted them as well and then repeated the previous process all over again.

The last family took longer to show and by the time Sesshomaru finally sensed them, the sun had begun to set. Rin watched the glowing sun sink lower on the horizon as the last figures finally came into view. She saw their children first. The boy looked to be around Ichigo’s age and had long, dark purple hair and shining green eyes. He had a pink flame on his forehead. The girl, who looked to be a few years younger, had long, light purple hair and ice blue eyes. She too had a pink flame on her forehead.

The mother appeared behind them. She had gorgeous long, red hair and blazing green eyes. She also had red jagged stripes on each cheek. And beside her, was the most intimidating figure she’d seen so far…her mate. He had short, dark blue hair and ice blue eyes that looked like they could freeze you to your core. On his forehead was a dark blue flame that looked all too familiar, though it was slightly different. This was the fire demon clan. Rulers of the East. Lord Yakedo, Lady Rei, their son Kaji, and their daughter Kasai.

To be continued…

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A/N: You should be happy to know that I’ve already started on Chapter 10 so hopefully it won’t take me too long to write, but I won’t make any promises. However, you guys should know that it’s your reviews that keep me going, so if you want to guilt me into updating faster that is the way to do it lol. Well, until next time then… P.S. …yes, that’s Makoto’s brother. ^_^