InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Slave Rin ❯ Pneumonia ( Chapter 3 )

Rin awoke with her head feeling like a metal block. Memories of last night flashed back to her head. Sesshomaru had nursed her. Rin blushed when she remembered, but then changed her mind to remember her dream. It was all a hazy black out was what it seemed. Rin sneaked into the servant's quarter and changed into her school uniform. She coughed and covered her mouth. When Rin took her hand off her mouth and looked at it. There was blood.

She decided to take a handkerchief with her. Rin walked to school, and felt very nasty after words. At first period, which was homeroom and which Sesshomaru was in. Sesshomaru took his usual seat behind Rin. He gave her a questioning look. Rin shrugged it off, trying her best not to feel guilty. When the bell rang, Sesshomaru came up to Rin.

"Why did you come to school, when I told you not to?" Sesshomaru asked.

"I'm not weak. Just because I'm a human doesn't mean that I can't do anything," Rin replied, surprised by her tone.

"Well nothing should happen to you then," Sesshomaru remarked and walked away

Finally it was lunch time. Rin was sitting in the cherry blossom tree again. Except underneath it, instead of in it. She sighed, she had once again given her lunch in between second and third period. And she couldn't have eaten it anyways. Her throat was to sore, luckily, tomorrow would be the weekends, and Rin could rest all she wanted.

When the bell rang, Rin stumbled into gym and into her uniform. She could barely manage walking herself, so she held onto the wall for support. Today they had to jog laps. Rin managed to pace herself in very slow strides. She kept coughing and couldn't stop. Pulling out her handkerchief, Rin coughed into it. The blood began to bleed through and trickle down her hands. Rin sunk to her knees and one hand on the ground, and the other on her chest. She felt the oxygen being ripped from her lungs. Rin hurled, mostly blood.

Her throat burned from the hot, sticky acid. Tears blurred her vision, and she felt as if her body was made of a heavy material, nearly impossible to stand. Rin coughed more blood, the sores on her body strained more every moment. She saw a flash of white hair, she knew it was Sesshomaru.

"I told you not to come to school today," Sesshomaru nagged.

"S-sorry milord. It's all my fault," Rin managed to say and choked on her words.

"It is your fault for coming to school," Sesshomaru said and carried Rin into the nurses office, without the coach's permission.

"She should go home, her temperature is one hundred ten. Do you know her number?" the nurse asked Sesshomaru.

"She's my slave," Sesshomaru answered.

"Slave or not, you're going to take her home and nurse her. Call a doctor and you can go from there," the nurse ordered.

Sesshomaru nodded. Collecting Rin's and his work from the teachers and their stuff. Sesshomaru carried Rin home onto his bed. He called the doctor and in moments the doctor arrived.

"Through the way she looks and the way you described her problems, I say it's pneumonia," the doctor remarked and then gave Sesshomaru the description of what Rin needed.

After the doctor gave Rin a shot of penicillin, he left. Sesshomaru put a wet rag on Rin's forehead, trying the lower the temperature. Rin's eyes fluttered open. Her eyes wandered around the room and then she turned to Sesshomaru.

"S-Sesshomaru?" Rin called out weakly.

"Yes," Sesshomaru answered.

"I'm sorry," Rin said.

"Hmm," Sesshomaru said for his reaction.

The sun gleamed through the watery curtains that billowed when the breeze flew in through the open window. Rin's cheeks were cherry red from the fever. Her face seemed to be pale. Her eyes were distant and foggy, memories from her entire life interpreted into her head.

"Rin do you remember the night in my room when you first were ill?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Rin replied, as her eyes seem to return from the depths of nothingness.

"You were afraid. By blood, something about your father. And you seemed to fear me. What was wrong?" Sesshomaru solicited.

Rin's lips began to quiver slightly. Her hair fluttered lightly in the cold breeze.

"My father and half mother had been murdered. When I was only a child, I witnessed my father murdered. The man seemed to seek me also, but my father had pasted the room with a powerful scent of peppers. He was pinned to the wall with a sword, then they wrote traitor on the wall in his blood," Rin sighed and then continued, "But after the death of my half mother. My own father married another woman. After he died, things changed. As along with my mother," Rin said in a distant voice.

"What do you mean by changed," Sesshomaru asked and raised an eyebrow.

"How did you get so good at nursing? I would've suspected that someone as rich as you couldn't have handled a bandage," Rin said from out of the blue.

Sesshomaru realized that Rin was trying to change the subject, but let it go.

"My mother died when I was very young. She was sick, so I nursed her day after day. But it was no use, since she died," Sesshomaru said.

"I'm so sorry," Rin gasped.

"How many times must you apologize about things that are not a fault that would be put against you?" Sesshomaru asked.

Rin giggled. Her face looked many years younger, like a child. Happy and carefree about life and themselves. Sesshomaru chuckled slightly. His eyes softened. Rin stared and smiled.

"What are you looking at?" Sesshomaru asked.

"You look happy when you laugh. I've never seen that side of you before," Rin stated.

She looked older and wiser. Pale face and cherry cheeks and lips. In a way, Sesshomaru imagined Rin as a goddess and almost believed it. Her beauty said it all.

"I'm going to have to take you out for ice cream," Rin said.

"Ice cream?" Sesshomaru said and tilted his head slightly.

"You mean to tell me that you have no idea what ice cream is?" Rin asked in an awestruck tone.

"You make me feel inferior. What is this ice cream you speak of?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Well that's my secret," Rin giggled in a girly way, "Who is this Naraku anyways?"

"He is a rival of my family. Do not ever cross his path. Avoid him anyway possible. He seems to enjoy picking up women and then throwing them back out when the fun is done," Sesshomaru replied and growled slightly.

Suddenly the door opened and another servant Rin recognized him a Jakken.

"Milord, Sesshomaru, Kouga has arrived. What may I tell him?" Jakken asked.

"Tell him to meet me in the court yard. And go to the maids; tell them to set a proper setting for our talk," Sesshomaru commanded.

"Yes milord," Jakken nodded in reply and left.

Sesshomaru turned to Rin and said, "You stay in bed and rest as much as you can."

"Yes milord!" Rin chirped and gave him a cheerful smile.

Sesshomaru couldn't help but to smile also. Avoiding a smile would impossible, when being with someone as benevolent as Rin. After when Sesshomaru left, Rin sighed. For once, her face had joy that looked real. She felt a surge ecstasy and she could feel pure happiness. Naraku, why did that name sound so familiar?

Rin fell asleep, and her mind closed into a vast of darkness.

* * *

Rin watched a little girl waiting for her mommy. All the other little girls giggled with each other. Their frilly dresses swayed with their every movement in unison. They pointed at the little girl. Laughing and reprimanding her limp kimono. The pale pink was worn from the many years of hand-me-downs.

After awhile, those girls left with their mommies. All the mothers looked at the little girl disapprovingly. The little girl waited and waited. But her mommy never came. Finally after utter patience, the little girl was walking home. When she saw her house, the door was wide open. The little girl entered. Not knowing what or who would be inside.

The strong smell of liquor invaded her nose. She saw her mother on the table. Her mother slammed a bottle of alcohol onto the glass table. Looking at her daughter, the mother yelled and began to swear at her daughter. The little girl bit her shaking lips, refusing to cry.

The mother walked to her daughter and slapped her. The hot sting remained on the little girl's cheek. The mother began to beat her daughter, and the little girl had no idea of what was going on. Her mother swore at her, calling her a half-breed. After the beating, the mother left for another swoon of drinks. The little girl remained motionless on the floor.

She was wide awake. Eyes wide open with fear. Her body trembled violently. Blood trickled from the beating and bruises morphed into several ugly colors. The scene changed.

A tall and slender woman stood. Her body glowed, a tail sprouted and ears appeared on top of her head, her human ears disappeared. Claws replaced the weak fingernails. Her sleek hair brushed down to her mid thighs. Her eyes remained the same. One blue, one green the young lady's look was breathtaking. She resembled a queen in her clothing. Pure white kimono. The tips of her hair changed to crimson curls. Her eyes glowed and showed wisdom.

She looked pure and strong in her ways of both physical and mental. Around her was a white glow of her aura. On the other side was a beaten up girl. Her bangs covered her face. The face rose, and the bangs unsheathed. Revealing one blue eye, and thus the other green.

Both women were the same people, but of different times. The two women shared a common bond.

They were both Rin.

* * *

Rin awoke with her hands clasping her chest tightly. Rin gasped for air to refill her lungs. Whoever the younger woman was, Rin knew she was a kitsune. But a part of that woman seemed human. The little girl, Rin could definitely identify. That was Rin as a child. A shallow loner, detested by all the other girls.

That was the first time when Rin's mother her beat her. She knew her dream had a connection. A kitsune woman that was her, and her childhood figure.

It meant something, but what?

Rin's head pounded with soreness. She ushered herself to the pillow and sighed. The door opened and Sesshomaru came in.

"Feeling better?" Sesshomaru asked.

"The same. I hate being sick I can hardly move without being tired," Rin whined. She raised her arms in an effort of pulling herself up, but failed. "Crap. Humph." Rin whined.

"Eat your medicine, it'll ease your throat," Sesshomaru commanded.

He pulled out a spoon and filled in with the sticky medicine.

"Yeck. Artificial flavor. I don't wanna eat it," Rin pouted and clamped her mouth shut.

"Eat it, you need to get better," Sesshomaru commanded.

Rin shook her head, "Mm mm," said Rin with her mouth clamped tightly.

"Eat it." Sesshomaru demanded.

Rin shook her head, in a reply for no.

"Rin, eat it or else," Sesshomaru threatened.

"Oh poo, you're no fun," Rin said and opened her mouth.

Sesshomaru poured the sticky liquid into Rin's mouth. Rin swallowed ungratefully and pouted.

"Why do you hate Inuyasha so much? After all he is your brother," Rin said, through the break of the silence.

"Half brother." Sesshomaru corrected.

"Half brother or not, he's still your brother," Rin stated.

"He came from that vile human mother of his," Sesshomaru responded coolly.

"So, I'm human. My brother's half my blood and we still love each other," Rin retorted in a joking way.

"Brother?" Sesshomaru raised his eyebrow.

"He's off somewhere in that never land of his." Rin replied.

"Oh," Sesshomaru said.

"Well, do you hate your father for marrying your half mother?" Rin asked.

"I despise everyone. Emotions are fragile like glass, easily broken and cannot be put together once apart. They only get in the way," Sesshomaru said.

"The cold stereotype. Well I guess you hate everyone for what they are," Rin stated.

"I suppose," Sesshomaru replied.

"I see where you're going with this. I've swung the same hammock. When you feel that one happy moment, and then the next it's all gone, and you're all alone on the cold ground," Rin remarked and sighed.

"Hmm," was all Sesshomaru said.

"Why are you helping me Sesshomaru?" Rin asked suddenly.

"Mm," was his only reply.

"I don't deserve people to help me. I'm the little girl everyone leaves behind on the lonely playground. Even when I was a kid, no one had ever really cared for me besides my brother, but then again he is my brother. I've never had that feeling where you can be safe." Rin said and looked out the window.

"Everyone has received help at one time, but eventually some of us leave people behind and don't turn back to look at them one last time. Ever since my mother died, I've never looked back to see if they're still waiting," Sesshomaru said.

"Know what you mean. I guess for my entire life I'll be one of those people, waiting hopelessly to see it they'll look back. But the knowledge and wisdom we've gained from past experience says that they don't always look back. That ray of hope has always been dim, and I've never reached it." Rin said.

"Yes, I understand," Sesshomaru said.

Rin smiled, but still looked depressed. Her expression said that she was only trying to look happy. They both looked out. Not talking, only knowing about how it was to be left behind. They understood completely and stayed utterly quiet, just watching the sun fall to the depths of the hill tops.