InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Returning to the Path of Sesshoumaru's Eyes ❯ The Celestial Maiden ( Chapter 13 )

The Celestial Maiden

 

 

 

 

The river calmed down with the coming of the low tide, with small veins of crimson slowly dissipating into the flow. The reflection showed hard, strong, eyes. The outward sharp and steel-tipped fans dipped into the river, washing away the last evidence of the battle that had occurred.

 

“I suppose it couldn't be helped. I knew, deep down, that one day I would need to change.” Rin's face broke, and her posture slumped. The tension from the battle left her weary with remorse for her friend's death. Burying a friend was difficult, much more of a hardening experience than avenging his death was.

 

Her hands and face now clean, and her friend buried. Now came the difficult questions- how was she to make money? How was she to survive now? She started to enjoy this town, and didn't want to leave quite yet. Heading back into town, the dust rose up behind her in the hot sun, leaving a trail of unsettled earth in her wake.

 

 

 

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The undead corpse strode into the ruins of the castle, with the teen incarnate. Calling forth her senses she followed the trail to the small garden overrun with weeds. She wordlessly came to a stop before the marker of the grave and brought up for her arm. Flexing her fingers, she curled all but index finger, the shaking appendage pointing accusingly towards the grave of the dead body that spawned from her womb.

 

“Hissss-s-s-sssssson. Liesssss-s-s-s herrrrre.” Her dry, parched lips rasped out the confirmation Hakadoushi needed.

 

“You have done well to serve my master.”

 

“Mmmmmmy….fformerrrrrs…bbb-b-beauty. Y-y-you Promissssssedd.” Her eyes glared at him, and she jerked her body to face him with such instability, the maggots eating away at her flesh fell to the ground.

 

“Yes…..as promised. The Honorable Naraku grants it to you…but first his son must be resurrected.” His hollow, harsh violet eyes narrowed at her, “That was the deal.”

 

The corpse growled in protest. “KKkkkkilll hhherrrrrr….thhhhhe girlllllll….withhh thhhhhe eyesssss that watchhhh.”

 

Hakadoushi snickered. “Oh yeah, I forgot. You don't like her. Well, I suppose we could do that much.” He signaled the demons to chase after her scent. “Don't worry…I'll let you eat her eyes.”

 

The corpse rasped and hacked, which Hakadoushi could only assume was her attempt at a laugh. His eyes followed the directions of the demons in the sky, wondering how long it would be before they found her.

 

 

 

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Rin swallowed her pride and entered the small shop that sold fans. She bowed deeply to the merchant, whose name was Ichimaku, and explained her present state.

 

“Good sir, I ask only to run a few errands today for a few meager coins. Ever since my business partner left, I have no means of earning an income. May I please help you today?”

 

The shopkeeper shook his head. “My dear, instead of running around throughout town, how about I entrust you to a single, important task? I have created several high-end fans for the lord's house to look over, how about you deliver them? Our lord prides in keeping a highly artistic court, perhaps if you demonstrate your abilities he would be interested in having you on his court.”

 

Rin blushed. “On court? But I'm a wandering minstrel…why would he be interested in an untrained ruffian like me?”

 

The shopkeeper smiled. “Because I remember a year ago, you captured the attentions of his daughter. Use this as an excuse, and luck may be on your side.”

 

Rin bowed, and hurried along the path with the package. Using her left hand to hold to package tight to her chest, and the other to smooth her hair from her face, she suddenly became very nervous about confronting the lord for a job. “Oh well,” though Rin. “All I can do is try my best.”

 

Upon reaching the Lord's mansion, she explained who she from two guards at the gate. “Hello, my name is Gei no Rin, and I am here on behalf of the fan merchant, Ichimaku. The order is ready for our honorable lord.” Receiving a nod, she continued on her way to the main path to the tallest building.

 

The whole compound was made up of six smaller houses circling around the largest and tallest scalloped structure. There was a pathway of colorful pebbles creating a large circle around the main house, each connecting to the smaller ones by a small walkway. The main path led directly to the main structure of the compound, with a sizable pavilion out front. The wooden doors were open, providing a view of the covered walkway allowing for an enjoyable walk to the river.

 

Rin reached the main building's doors, and bowed deeply. There, an attendant rushed forward to greet her. “Hello, I am Gei no Rin, here to deliver an order of fans sent by our honorable lord.” The man led her silently into the large room, and turned her to her left.

 

“My Lord, this is Gei no Rin with a completed order for you.” He cleared his throat, and Rin hastily made a deep bow. She extended her arms forward, so that the lord could examine the products and approve of them. She heard a rustling of fabric, and felt the release of the weight from her hands.

 

“These were made quite well. My wife and daughter shall enjoy them. However, what is this other set for? I did not order them.”

 

Rin almost choked. Upon looking up, she saw the fans he spoke of- they were gilded gold panels with purple dyed and waxed fabric. They were about two inches longer than they should've been for a child's fan, yet they were too small to be for an adult. Rin thought quickly…”Ichimaku- you sneaky fool!”

 

“My Lord, Ichimaku of the shop remembers the day almost a year ago you graced the front of his shop with your presence. He remembered that your daughter expressed an interest in dance lessons, and provides these as a gift.”

 

The Lord smiled. “How kind…I know purple dye is hard to come by. This is an impressive gift from a humble fan merchant.”

 

Rin smiled back at him. “Well, he made excellent profits that day from your visit, I guess this is his way of saying thanks.”

 

The Lord settled back into his chair. “Call my daughter in. Let her see this gift.” The attendant started to pull Rin away, but the lord put up his hand. “Leave her here for just a minute. Reikan*, play something for us….a kouta perhaps.”

 

Light music played from the corner, and Rin's foot twitched. She hadn't danced in two weeks now, and was itching to. It was now or never if she wanted to make an impression. “May lord? May I make a request?” She bowed, awaiting his response.

 

“You may.”

 

“May I dance for you while we wait for your daughter to arrive?”

 

 

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“Gei no Rin!” cried a high, female voice. A young girl ran up to Rin, stopping just before colliding into her. Her big brown eyes looked up expectantly, and a wide grin shone throughout her face.

 

“Konnichiwa,” greeted Rin as she bowed to the young girl and the other courtly ladies. They all lined up in rows, and Rin signaled the musician to start. They practiced for two hours, and then Rin dismissed them. Sighing, Rin walked back to her small room in the third building of the compound. She smiled upon entering the bright, clean room, and closing the small rice-paper screen door; she sat at the tatami mat and low table. Her food had already been delivered- a simple but proper meal of riverfish on steamed rice, edamame*, and sweetbread. A quick rap on the door was heard, and a servant came in with a kettle of tea. Rin ate leisurely, savoring every bite. The meal was simple, but filling. She finished the last bite, and pulled up her small mirror.

 

She hardly recognized her herself. Now at the impressionable age of twenty, her face rounded out a little in the cheeks, and her arms and legs were soft and lush. Her lips were still small and dainty, and her eyes large with a small crease at the top outside corners. She wore a rogue on her lips and cheeks, the corners of her eyes. She wore a nagajuban* and colorful furisode*, and complimenting obi*Her eyebrows were shaved, with false ones penciled in higher with kohl that was held over flame. Noticing a smudge, she wiped the false brows off and penciled new ones in.

 

Every day in the morning she woke up early to stroll the grounds in solitude. Then, she would say her prayers at the main shrine in town. As the day started for most of the town, she was already on her way back to the compound. There, she made way to the sixth building in the Lord's grounds. Inside was a medium sized room where dance steps were practiced and she would exercise and practice with the fans that Kagura bestowed on her. Then, Rin would return to her room, wash her face, eat a small breakfast, and change into her daily court garments. She would return to the sixth building to teach for two hours, and then take a break to bathe in the hot springs sheltered in the fifth building. In the afternoons she would dance for the lord if he was expecting any guests, or read stories. If he requested neither, she was free. This was the schedule she had lived by for almost six months, and so far she was content with her new life.

 

On this day, the Lord was expecting a return of his younger son, but Rin was not called to work after her morning lessons. Instead, she silently worked on her longtime neglected skill-alchemy. Unwrapping a small section of cloth, she found the two vibrantly colored dead leaves the she collected from the ground. Autumn was almost here.

 

Putting them each into a small shell, she poured some hot water over the leaves and let them sit. Munching on some leftover sweet bread, she waited as they softened up, and then removed them from the shells. Placing them on the table, she pulled out a small vial with the solution she had tested before, and uncorked it. Taking a stick, she mashed up one of the leaves in the middle, and scraped the sap into uncorked vial. Holding her breath, she poured the contents onto the other leaf and concentrated her energy into the leaf. She watched as the leaf turned back into a healthy green.

 

“The answer is blood- that is what I was missing. Blood.”

 

Rin finished her sweetbread, and then hopped into her mat. “Alchemy always drains me…I'll take a small nap, then take a bath later.”

 

 

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Rin woke up into darkness, startling her immensely. Groping into the darkness, she found her lint and pinched her fingers. Snapping them quickly, a small spark lit the room momentarily. Finding her nagajuban, she wrapped it around her body and tied it quickly. Throwing a colorful furisode over her head as a cloak and hastily made her exit. Slipping off the clothes, she sunk into the open-air springs and rested until her skin softened. Throwing her clothes into the rafters, they hung from the pavilion as she scrubbed herself with rice gluten, then re-entered the warm springs again. Sighing in pleasure she started to sing to herself.

 

The small, circular bathing pavilion offered a bubbling spring and a private tub. The rafters hung low, and the outside perimeter had bamboo and wooden stakes all the way around to the gate, offering privacy all the way up to the shoulders of the average person. Towels and rice gluten were provided on a small armoire by the door, as well as several combs for hair. The custom in this region was to rarely wash long hair- instead it was combed through with a very fine tooth comb, which got out all the grime, dust, and dirt. It was standard for the ladies of the court to comb each other's hair, but since she was a servant, she had to pay the dresser in town to do it.

 

Rin got out, and used the towel to pat her body dry. She slid on the thin nagajuban, and wrapped her furisode around her slender frame. With no obi, it hung at her sides framing her bosom and standing out from the smooth nagajuban. She stepped out of the pavilion, and walked towards the path. Stopping at the gate she looked up to discover the moon shinning a pale light through the clouds. “A crescent moon”…mused Rin outwardly, and she drew her hands up as if to touch the moonbeams.

 

“It's beautiful, isn't it?”

 

Not moving her face, she lowered her pupils to see a man standing there. For a second she retained her posture, as if stuck in a painting and unable to move. Only when she accepted the moment was broken did her lower her arms back to her sides. “Yes, sir…the night is beautiful.” She bowed in greeting to him.

 

The young man chuckled, and bowed back at her. “I meant you, m'lady. But I suppose the rest of the night has its charms, too.”

 

Rin bit back a laugh. The line was so cheesy, and she was uncomfortable. She had never received arduous attention before, and she hadn't the faintest idea what to do. “M-m-my name is Gei no Rin. But you may call me Rin.”

 

“Rin is your name? How beautiful, my maiden of the moon.” He smiled warmly at her.

 

Rin blushed furiously. He was indeed charming, if not cheesy. He brought her hand to his lips and, after a moment of hesitation, kissed her small fingers softly. “Rin, I must make a confession to you. You are the perfection of beauty in my eyes. Marry me.”

 

Rin, startled, laughed until she realized he was serious. His hesitation, cheesy lines…he must be just as nervous as she was. Accepting this explanation, she told him, “Ask me again on the crescent moon until you have asked once for every year old I am. If you succeed, I will be yours.”

 

The young man grinned. “I will- you are worth the wait, however long you may choose it to be. Until then, please tell me more about you, Rin. May I have your hand in a walk for the time being?”

 

The clouds had grown heavy, and rain poured down onto them. They laughed, running to the shelter of the riverside walkway. Her hair's tie slipped out, slipping her tendrils down her shoulders and back, her bangs curling onto her forehead. She stripped off her furisode as to not catch cold- wearing only her nagajuban. He slid off his long hakama, and placed it over her shoulders. “Here- the bottom layer isn't wet. I wouldn't want you to catch cold.” His hands momentarily rested on her shoulders before sliding back to his sides.

 

Rin felt flattered- no one ever asked to hear about her life, or took interest in what she had to say. Unless Sesshoumaru had charged them too, of course. But even then Sesshoumaru rarely asked her opinion on things until the last days they spent together. This is was new, and different. Without even realizing it, she moved her hand to his, and he held it up to help her inside the last partition onto the riverwalk. Together, they walked under the long covered bridge by the spring, and they talked there that night until the moon reached the top of the sky, signaling midnight. They bowed in parting, and the man left honorably, true to his word.

 

Rin bid him farewell until the next full moon, and turned to go to her own quarters for a nap. Only then had she realized she had been so full of butterflies, that she never asked his name! Her face with flushed with ardor, and her heart felt hopeful. Maybe she could move on. She had known for a while that it was time to find her own path separate of Sesshoumaru, but she had thought they would still have a destiny within each other. Perhaps it was time to make her own path in this world, and willingly leave behind the past of demons, legends, and Sesshoumaru. If it was meant to be, then one day it could still happen.

 

 

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Bodies lay scattered throughout the premises. Bitterly and coldly, Sesshoumaru went through them all, unable to locate Rin or the trunk she had been left with. “She must've left before the attacked occurred”…he thought, with relief flooding his veins. “I must find her and make sure she is safe. I must not interfere with whatever path she has chosen for herself.” He followed her scent along the road, wanting to find her current location as quickly as possible. He traveled for two days and two nights before stopping. The buzzing was following him- if he kept going he would lead Naraku right to Rin. The cold wind from the North was blowing in- he would wait until winter was over and the insects were dead, then he would continue.

 

“Rin, don't forget.”

 

 

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Rin often wondered about her suitor. Once a month after their meetings, she would stumble into class exhausted. It seemed each month they talked longer and longer, until the last time- they had talked until sunrise. They watched it together and then bed each other good morning, laughing. Once Rin had asked him what he wanted the most.

 

“Well, my father has been insisting I marry since I turned sixteen. That was ten years ago. But I wanted to see more of this world. He was kind and let me. I saw so many great monuments, many sunrises, great storms, beautiful country, different peoples…yet I had no one to share my experiences with. It was then when I realized- I wanted a companion. A woman that was beautiful, compassionate, well-learned, artistic, and capable. But none struck me specifically. Then I met you.”

 

Rin blushed “I am flattered, good sir. So tell me- will you tell me your name today?”

 

Be it that he pursued her hand; he still never gave his name. Rin often wondered why. However, a tug on her robes brought her back to the present moment. She looked down to see the young lord's daughter peeking up at her.

 

“Lady Rin, I know a secret. And the other ladies tell me that's why you're sleepy today.”

 

Rin attempted to keep a stern look on her face at the child for play. “Oh really? And what might that be?”

 

The young girl motioned her to lean forward. Complying, Rin heard giggling from the ladies. Rin's eyes widened when heard the young girl's words, and she raised a hand to her mouth.

 

“My brother, the second prince in line to the throne at the Capital wants to marry you when you turn twenty-one!”

 

 

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Rin paced in her small room. Tomorrow was the night she turned twenty-one, and it was also the next crescent moon. She would be honest and tell him her decision. But what was her decision? “I can't! I can't marry him…I'm not ready…” she plopped down onto her mat, her shoulders loose and her face tense. “Am I ready to move on from Sesshoumaru? Will I ever be able to wake a day without thinking of him? Will these lips ever forget his kiss?” She groaned, falling back onto the sheets and letting out a sharp exhale. “Forgetting him is like forgetting how to breathe.”

 

 

“I'll never forget, Sesshoumaru.”

 

 

 

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AN: Will Rin accept? Or will she decline? What doesn't she want to forget? And who will Sesshoumaru surprisingly join forces with? All these questions will be answered, and more in the next chapter. Which, of course, is already halfway done. There have been many great suggestions for this story, however you will just have to wait and see what happens!

 

More Japanese words:

Reikan- court musician

Nagajuban- under robe

Furisode- long sleeved kimono that unmarried women and young ladies wear

Obi- belt or sash around the waist