InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Teaching Rin ❯ Chapter 31

Disclaimer - It’s not mine. Never was. The only thing I own is Kaida, and her family/friends. No money is being made, so don’t sue me.

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Teaching Rin

Chapter 32

The Bleeding Harpies Strike Again

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“Well, I highly doubt it is serious enough for you to put a hole in the wall.” Keiji commented idly, leaning up against the wall and regarding her with an air of increasing curiosity.

“Serious enough for me to begin doubting my own sanity.” she muttered.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing.”

“What’s wrong now?” Keiji asked. “I figured you’d be happy by now. Kiyoshi’s dead, not to mention rumor has it there’s a bounty on Haruto’s head for his part in the attempted abduction and murder of you and Rin. Granted, I still haven’t found out who is responsible for putting the mark on his head, not that I’m complaining, but it had to be either Sesshomaru or father because…”

“Don’t talk to me about him!” she snarled.

“Who?”

“Him!”

“Father?̶ 1;
“Sesshomaru!” she barked.

“What did he do now?”

“It’s more along the lines of what he didn’t do.” Keiji’s look of confusion signaled a look of further explanation on her part, so she obliged him. “He conned father into sending me back to the West.” Kaida explained, calming herself enough to relay the outcome of her meeting with their sire and the current reason for her urge to bang her head against a stone wall.

“Your work with Rin is over with, it was at her court presentation. I don’t understand.” he said, shaking his head.

“Neither do I.” Kaida grumbled, throwing a change of clothing onto her futon.

“We heard the news and decided to come commiserate with you.” came a teasing voice from the room entrance. The twins looked up and found their two older brothers, Ryuiji and Ryuichi standing there with barely suppressed grins on their faces.

“Not away from that mutt yet, are you, Kaida?” Ryuichi asked, leaning up against the door frame.

“He’s not a mutt.” she said heatedly shooting her brother a scalding glare that surprised the other occupants in the room. After all, it was one thing for her to bitch about him, she had been living with him for the last eight months after all, it was quite another for someone else to…even if it was her own family.

“Do I detect a bit of defensiveness in our dear sister’s attitude?” Ryuiji asked. “I was under the impression you disliked Sesshomaru. Surely your opinion of him hasn’t changed so dramatically in such a short time?”

“I said he wasn’t a mutt, because he’s not.” she said, easily covering her uncharacteristic error in defending Sesshomaru with an amount of cool finesse she’d never had before. “He’s a pure-bred, egomaniacal, flea bitten, egocentric mongrel.”

“And that is so much better?” Ryuichi asked sarcastically.

“What’s wrong now?” Ryuiji asked, a bit concerned. “You were not this angry when you left the first time.”

“You wouldn’t understand, trust me.” she said evasively, not wanting to share her newly admitted feelings for the dog demon with her family. Ryuichi and Ryuiji simultaneously turned to Keiji, almost like they expected him to hold the explanation why their normally level headed and even tempered sister was hissing like a wounded cat and ready to bit heads off.

“When do you leave out?” Keiji asked, trying to keep her from blowing while simultaneously getting the information they all wanted.

“Soon. Probably this evening.” she remarked.

“Actually, Lord Sesshomaru asks that you be ready to go within the hour.” came Kentaro’s voice as he and Rin entered the now overcrowded room. Kaida was about to reprimand the kit for entering without announcing himself properly, a habit that had taken weeks to break Rin out of, but let the chastisement drop when she saw her pupil’s smiling face. The young woman had obviously heard that Kaida was to return West, if only for a little while, but from whom she was not sure. Knowing Kentaro, he and Rin had likely been spying on the impromptu meeting with Sesshomaru and her father.

“He said that you should pack light, and if there was anything else you needed, it could be sent for after we return home.” Rin added happily.

“Thank you.” Kaida said with a nod. She was about to send the two lovers to wait in the courtyard when her senses flared up and she felt two familiar auras coming towards her room, growing angrier the closer they got.

“We have company.” Keiji muttered, craning his eyes to the entrance as Kei and Leiko came storming in. Kaida knew this was about to get ugly very quickly, so she put herself between her two harpy sisters and Rin, who they would undoubtedly hone in on immediately.

“You’re going back? Back to the Western Lands?” Leiko demanded.

“That is what I was told.”

“Why?”

“Apparently my duty to Rin is not finished, and I am not allowed to leave until Sesshomaru is satisfied with her progress.”

“That human wench is still living in the West?” Kei demanded angrily. The sisters were angry alright, and Kaida could see their draconic features becoming more pronounced as they carried on.

“Her name is Lady Rin, and you would do well to use proper respect when addressing her.” Ryuiji said sternly, trying to reign his sisters in before things got too messy between them and Kaida.

“Respect? Respect?” Kei scoffed. “We are proper ladies of the demon court, and will not address a mere human girl with a title she is not suited for.”

“There is no respect for someone who has forcibly played their way into our way of life.” Leiko said condescendingly, looking down her nose at a rapidly angering Rin. “Nor anyone who is tainted by filthy human blood.”

“I’ll have you know that you two are…..” Kentaro started, only to have Ryuichi cut him off with an angry wave of his hand.

“I would suggest you apologize for those comments, sisters. Have you forgotten that two of our own siblings have….”

“We have not forgotten.”

“And we refuse to apologize.” Kei added.

“I’ve had just about enough of this.” Kaida said, glaring at her sisters. “Kentaro, take Rin and go find Sesshomaru. Tell him I will be ready to go within the hour.”

“Yes, Lady.”

“Okay, Kaida.” Rin said, glaring at the two elder demonesses as she and the Eastern kitsune swept out of the room, only to run into not only Lord Ryu, but Sesshomaru as well as they were walking down the hallway.

“My Lords.” Kentaro said, bowing to the two demons in front of him. “Excuse us, we were on our way to deliver a message to you from Lady Kaida.”

“What is it.”

“She says she will be ready within the hour, Lord Sesshomaru.” Rin said, bowing slightly.

“Where is she now?” Ryu asked.

“In her quarters, my Lord.” Kentaro said. “With her siblings.”

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!!” came the indignant cry of Kei from the room down the way. Kentaro and Rin flinched as the two demons trained their eyes and ears towards where they could hear the yelling emanating from.

“Is something the matter, Rin?” Sesshomaru asked, looking to his ward for some explanation.

“You could say that, yes, sir.” Rin said doggedly as another angry shout was heard, this time from Leiko.

“YOU ARE GOING BACK WITH SESSHOMARU!? HOW COULD YOU FACE HIM AFTER WHAT YOU HAVE CAUSED!!!”

“What seems to be the problem?” Ryu demanded.

“There is some dissention among the ladies about Lady Kaida’s placement as Lady Rin’s tutor as far as we can tell.” Kentaro said firmly. “Lady Kaida sent us to find you and relay the message after they said some…inappropriate things.” Rin could see the first signs of her Lord’s anger coming forth, and quickly beat a hasty retreat. As far as she was concerned, Lord Ryu needed to hear Leiko and Kei badmouthing her because she was a human. The Southern Lord had always been on good terms with the humans in his domains, and had accepted the humans for what they were. And she knew that when he heard what was being said, Leiko and Kei would get it good from their father.

“I shall take care of this.” Ryu said coldly, heading towards the end of the hallway where the yelling was still coming from.

“Go wait in the courtyard, Rin. I will be out momentarily.” Sesshomaru said.

“I will saddle Ah-Uh for your journey back, Lady.” Kentaro said, acknowledging the dismissal and leading a willing Rin away from what was surely to become a war zone in a matter of moments.

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“What is the meaning of this?” Kaida demanded once they had gone. “I did not ask to return to the West, so get off of me already.”

“He wants you to come back? I find that hard to believe.” Leiko snarled.

“I’m not surprised. Kaida is a patient teacher and has done wonders with young Rin. She should be commended, not condemned for her work. Rin is shaping up to be a fine Lady.” Ryuiji said, patting Kaida on the shoulder lightly, surprising her highly since compliments from Ryuiji were only slightly less rare than one from Sesshomaru.

“That human? A Lady of the court?” Leiko laughed. “Never.”

“Well, I’d say she’s more of a lady than you two are, especially right now.” Ryuichi added in.

“She will never fit in, no matter what you do, Kaida. No matter what you teach her, she will always be an outcast in a society that frowns upon human beings!” Kei howled.

“Leave our mother out of this.” Keiji growled.

“Keiji and Kaida’s mother cared for us as her own children, and now you mock her?” Ryuiji asked. “You are disgraceful!”

“You do realize what father would say if he heard you.”

“We do not care.” Leiko retorted.

“What is the real reason you are so against me going back?” Kaida queried, wanting to get to the bottom of this argument once and for all.

“Sesshomaru should never have taken an uncouth tramp like you to teach his ward, even if she is a human girl.” Kei alleged.

“Tramp?” Keiji scoffed. “My sister is no tramp.”

“She runs with father’s soldiers. That is as disgraceful as you can get!” Leiko harrumphed.

“She is no longer untouched, either. Kiyoshi made sure of that.” Kei added spitefully. “What right does she have, teaching an innocent girl how to conduct herself when she can’t even keep her own self out of trouble?”

“The men follow her because they respect her, not because she sleeps with them.” Keiji said countered in his twin’s defense.

“Besides, Sesshomaru took care of the damage Kiyoshi done.” Kaida said, staring down her sisters. “All of it.”

“Kaida had reason to be in the barracks, unlike the two of you.” Ryuichi commented.

“What were you two doing in the barracks? You have no legitimate reason to even go down there.” Kaida asked.

“Like you do?” Kei countered.

“I train.” Kaida answered firmly. “I’ll ask again. What were you doing down there?”

“Who’s the tramps now?” Keiji asked when neither one of the sisters dared to answer back.

“You bedded the soldiers? How could you? They’re here to help protect our borders, not as play things to satiate your lust!” Kaida rounded on the two indignant sisters.

“You expect us to believe you never shared a bed with one of them? I don’t believe it.” Leiko sneered.

“Well you better believe it.” Kaida growled. “Or if you don’t believe me, ask Kiyoshi. I’m sure he’ll be pleased to tell you what he took away from me that day. Too bad for you that bastard is dead. You’ll just have to take my word for it.”

“How long have you two known?” Kei asked, pinning the males with a withering glare, and shifting the attention of Kaida for a split second.

“Long enough.” Ryuiji said.

“If you two are so pissed about me going back West, then why don’t you confront Sesshomaru yourself and tell him to pick one of you in my stead.” Kaida hissed. “This isn’t about Rin, never has been. You couldn’t care less about the girl. You’re just pissed because I’m around him more often. Because he chose me, a hard headed, mixed blooded disgrace to the demon hierarch instead of one of you.”

“That’s all this boils down to. You didn’t get what you wanted and now you’re throwing a hissy fit.” Keiji said.

“This ridiculous jealousy is unfounded. I’m Rin’s teacher, nothing more.”

“I don’t believe it. Not after that fight earlier.” Leiko said with a sharp shake of her head.

“And not after the court presentation, after seeing the two of you together…the rumors…” Kei added gruffly.

“Make yourself believe it.” Kaida snarled.

“Yes, I have a feeling young Kaida can manage to keep her back off the futon and her legs closed when around any male. Sesshomaru is no exception.” Ryuiji commented idly.

“That’s even taking into consideration Sesshomaru actually likes me as opposes to tolerating my presence.” Kaida scoffed. “Let me let in on a little information, sisters. Sesshomaru is an ice block. I couldn’t break through something like him, even if I tried. And the closest thing we have to a relationship is when we’re trying to kill each other during sparring!”

“He brought you back to life!” Kei shouted. “He’s never done that for anyone else. He wouldn’t do something like that for one of us! Why you?”

“Use your brains, you two. Do you honestly think he would have done that if Rin hadn’t asked him to?” she demanded. “Don’t you understand? I’m nothing to him other than an annoying bitch who he gets to train with on an occasional basis. That’s it. There’s nothing else!”

“The human is a weakness. And you are capitalizing off of that and trying to win him to your side!”

“I doubt that is Kaida’s intention.” Keiji said. “However, I wouldn’t put it past you two.”

“I’ve had enough of this.” Kaida seethed, grabbing her scimitars and heading towards the door. “I’m leaving.”

“That’s right, run away with your tail between you legs. It’s the only fitting the for a slimy, deceptive bitch like you.” Leiko sneered. A split second later, Leiko was looking down the sharp end of Kaida’s blade as the younger sister pressed it closer and closer to Leiko’s throat.

“Keep talking.” Kaida whispered fiercely, her breathing heavy from the anger she was feeling bubble up inside of her at the false accusations. “Give me a reason to slit your throat and quiet you once and for all. I beg you.”

“How dare you? You…you…abomination!” Kei yelled, lunging for Kaida’s hand, only to come up short when Kaida nimbly maneuvered her other blade underneath Kei’s own throat.

“The same goes for you, Kei. At this point I’m not too particular about which one of you goes first.”

“That’s enough, Kaida.” Keiji said calmly, walking to his twin’s side, placing his own hands on hers.

“Calm yourself before you do something that you will later regret.” Ryuiji said serenely, praying Kaida would lower the blades. He breathed a silent sigh of relief when Kaida relented, and Keiji gently forced her to lower the blades away from the two indignant Southern nobles.

“Get out of here, both of you.” Ryuichi ordered the two sisters. “Before I reprimand you myself for your atrocious behavior.”

“Neither of you would dare lay a hand on us.” Kei hissed.

“Your station in this family will only protect you for so long.” Kaida hissed back. “Get out of here before I rip you to shreds.”

“If father knew how the two of you were behaving over something like this….”

“If father knew how you were speaking to us, true ladies of the Southern Lands, he would be most angered.” Leiko countered. “What would he say to that?”

“Father would say that we need to have a discussion about our views concerning members of our family.” Ryu said coldly, pushing his way into the room and pinning his children with a glare cold enough to rival Sesshomaru’s on the worst day.

“Father?!” Kaida said, dropping her head respectfully in her sire’s presence, along with the others, then assuming a stiff formal attention beside her brothers.

“How…how long have you been here, father?” Leiko asked shakily, looking up from her bow into the flaming eyes of the man who had raised them all. Kaida could see the two sister’s paling considerably with this little twist in events, and she suppressed a morbid grin, praying that their father had heard the argument from beginning to end. If he had, she finally had proof that the ridicule she had dealt with for years was true, and not just unfounded accusations that could be thrown away without any sort of proof.

“Long enough, I am afraid.” Ryu said coldly. “What seems to be the problem?”

“There is no problem, sir.” Kei said.

“I find that hard to believe considering Sesshomaru and I could hear the yelling from down the hallway.” Ryu said, turning to beckon the Western Lord into the now severely overcrowded room.

“Lord Sesshomaru.” Kei squeaked, bobbing a curtsy along with Leiko while Kaida and the others simply bowed out of formality.

“Forgive our rudeness, Lord Sesshomaru.” Ryuiji apologized. “We did not mean to disturb you.”

“I do not see how I could not have been disturbed.” Sesshomaru answered coldly, glaring at the gathered assembly. “You seem to voice your disagreements rather loudly.”

“Forgive us, my Lord.” Leiko said shakily, her cheeks scarlet red at being caught.

“I did not realize that my choice as to who would be instructing Rin would be causing problems within your family, Ryu.” he continued on, ignoring her like she had not even spoken.

“It is not a problem, Sesshomaru. And I believe that my eldest daughters owe both you and Kaida an apology.”

“But…”

“Father…”

“Leiko! Kei!” Ryu barked.

“Forgive us, Lord Sesshomaru.” Leiko said quietly, bowing low again.

“We should never have questioned your reasons for choosing…her.” Kei managed to get out with less venom than before.

“Kaida was chosen because of her own ties to the humans. It allowed her to understand Rin more thoroughly.” Ryu said. “Now apologize to your sister.”

“I don’t want their apologies. Excuse me.” Kaida seethed, strapping her blades to her side and leaving the room in a huff.

“Well, it seems as though she is ready to leave, Sesshomaru. I will see you out.” Ryu said, gesturing for the Western Lord to precede him. When Sesshomaru had left, Ryu turned his anger to his daughters. “Your accusations towards Kaida will not go unpunished. I will deal with you two later. Now get out of my sight.”

“Yes, father.” they answered in unison, both averting their eyes from their sire and leaving the room in a hurry, heading the opposite way down the hall, and leaving the three males in the room with their father.

“And as for you three.” he said, rounding on the three males who were standing stiffly in attention. “Thank you for standing by Kaida. You made me proud. I only wish you would have told me of Leiko and Kei’s escapades with the men in the regiments earlier.”

“Forgive us, father.” Keiji said. “But it was none of our business what they did, at least until it affected the men’s performance.”

“I understand.” Ryu said with a nod.

“Father, what was said earlier…when Kaida pulled her blades on Leiko and Kei….” Ryuichi started, only to have Ryu wave him off.

“I am old enough to know when two jealous females are meddling in something that ought not be meddled in.” Ryu said sadly. “Kaida will not be punished.”

“Thank you, father.” Ryuiji said.

“I will see to this after I see Sesshomaru out.” Ryu said, turning to leave.

“Well, that was unexpected.” Keiji said with a breath of relief.

“Kaida will finish Rin’s training, despite what those two my try to do.” Ryuiji said solemnly. “I am just afraid that Leiko’s and Kei’s anger will not be put down with one of father’s punishments.”

“They’re jealous, and power hungry.” Ryuichi said with a shrug. “They have been ever since they were born. We knew this would happen when Kaida left.”

“But they are right in some ways, as much as I hate to admit it.” Ryuiji pointed out as they vacated the room a few minutes later. “Kaida would be a good choice for Sesshomaru to take as a mate. She’s strong, and has a good head on her shoulders. And she’s not afraid to stand up to him.”

“Shut it, Ryuiji.” Keiji barked. “That’s my twin you’re talking about. It is too disturbing to think of her in any sort of physical relationship with that mutt.”

“But it is the truth.” he continued on. “I don’t know about you two, but I’ve seen them spar before, Kaida and Sesshomaru. He seems to like knocking her down and pinning her there. How much more physical does it have to get before they see reason?”

“Ryuiji!”

“Okay, I’m letting it go.” he grumbled. “But mark my words, Kaida my very well one day hold the title of Lady of the Western Lands.”

“It won’t happen.” Keiji grumbled. “She wouldn’t. She’s not like the rest of the females chasing Sesshomaru.”

“We’ll see, little brother.” Ryuiji grinned. “We’ll see.”

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A/N - Hey everyone. I’m back with an update after nearly four months. I’m truly sorry for taking so long, but things are just starting to straighten themselves out where I’m at. Katrina tore or more than you would believe, including my story summaries and outlines!

We finally got telephone service yesterday, so things are looking up. Anyhow, I just wanted to post this short chapter to let everyone know that I’m not dead, just still recovering. Consider this a small Christmas present to show my gratitude for hanging on for so long with no flames for me.

Updates are still going to be sporadic at best, but will get better as time goes along. I don’t have much time to write since we’re trying to rebuild my house, and we are doing it ourselves (in other words…no contractors to help us…). Hang in there with me please.

Until next time,

A.A.

P.S.: And please review, I’d like to know what you are thinking.

Happy Holidays.

;)