InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Teaching Rin ❯ Chapter 43 ( Chapter 43 )

Disclaimer - It’s not mine. Never was. Sesshy and other Inuyasha characters belong to Takahashi-sama. I’m only borrowing them.

A/N- Moving right along, aren’t we? Well, I hope you all are enjoying the chapters. Enjoy.

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Teaching Rin

Chapter 43

Keeping Things In Perspective

---

“Ohh, get off of me, you overgrown excuse for a dog demon!” Kaida groaned, violently trying to push the Lord of the Western Lands off of her. She and Sesshomaru were once again in the middle of the forest at the crack of dawn, halfway through their daily spar. She had managed to get a good hit on the Western Lord’s legs, but her trajectory had been off, and the intended blow had landed lower than she had aimed, causing her opponent to ungracefully fall right on top of her already prone form.

“You are not a banshee. Do you think you could lower your voice to a dull roar?” Sesshomaru said coldly, glaring at the back of her head as he lifted himself to his feet, then reached down and grabbed the back of her gi, roughly pulling her up as well. He retrieved Toukijinn from where it was embedded in the ground not far from him, then turned back to Kaida, stony expression firmly in place.

“The wrong side of exactly whose bed did you wake up on this morning?” Kaida spit out coldly, remembering all to well when she had seen him and Asami walking down the hallway together the evening before after she’d managed to get away from Seiti and head to her quarters. The memory of Asami’s quiet laughter had kept her up all night, and she had wondered what Sesshomaru had said to coax the sound from the demoness’ lips.

Jealousy was a bitch.

“I could ask the same of you.” he retorted, going once again to the defensive stance. Kaida’s eyes narrowed at the insinuation, but managed to keep her head on straight. Sesshomaru was just baiting her, and she knew it. It was a tactic he had employed countless times before to trip her up during their fights.

Half an hour later passed and they were faced off against each other, neither one moving due to the blades at their throat and chest. The heat radiating off their bodies was a mere discomfort compared to the fire that danced between their locked gazes.

The spar had ended in a stalemate…again.

That seemed to be happening more and more often as of late. And it was hard to tell which was more annoyed by the fact that the other managed to thwart all offensive attempts thrown at them.

“This keeps up and we’re going to have to find new sparring partners.” Kaida mumbled, being the first to lower her sword when Sesshomaru broke the stare down. Thank the gods he did because she was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with the way he had been looking at her.

“Indeed.” he answered calmly. “You did not lapse this morning.”

“Figured I’d save my energy.” she said darkly. “I’m going to need it. Seiti’s enough to drain all the fight out of anyone.”

“Explain.” he ordered, looking more than a little suspicious at her words. Kaida wasn’t sure what he was so suspicious of, though. She was telling the truth. Dealing with Seiti, and knowing she couldn’t just cut his head off and save everyone a bit of trouble, was tiresome. The demon was so persistent it was ridiculous, and she was getting tired of having to side step around all his comments and compliments. It was just nerve wracking.

“Do I have to?” she whined, purposely trying to needle him.

“Yes.”

“I don’t want to go back. I don’t feel like dancing attendance around him anymore.” she admitted. “The guy gets on my nerves.”

“Did you find out what he wants from you?” he asked.

“Unfortunately.”

“And?”

“And it seems that I’ve become nothing more than a tool of power that my father sees fit to hand over to anyone willing to keep me out of a mating ceremony.” she spat. Sesshomaru’s expression of polite interest caught her gaze and she grinned, knowing he wanted more clarification. “He wants me to get rid of some rebel leaders for him, then stick around and make sure nothing else goes wrong.”

“You are a soldier. Not an assassin, nor a political figure for that matter.” Sesshomaru said simply.

“My sentiments exactly. But he seems determined to have me on the mainland. I can’t see where it will do any good.” she said, sheathing her blades. “You wouldn’t happen to have something that needs to be taken care of today, would you? Something outside the fortress walls?”

“Not that I can think of.” he answered.

“Damn.”

“If you are so against his presence, go to the elite’s quarters.” Sesshomaru said coolly. “He won’t find you there, and even if he does, he will not search you out.”

“It didn’t stop him from following me to the training field yesterday.” she groused.

“I handled that.” he said. Kaida wasn’t sure exactly what he meant by handling it. But if it kept her under Seiti’s radar for a few hours, she was willing to try it…and not question Sesshomaru.

“Thanks.” she said. “You heading back now?”

“Not yet.”

“Trying to savor the little bit of peace you can get before dealing with the Council?”

“Before dealing with a particular member of the council would be more accurate.”

“Who?” she asked.

“Asami.”

“Asami?!”

“You seem surprised.” he said.

“A little, yeah. Seemed to me like you got along well enough from what I kept seeing yesterday.” she said, forcefully keeping the bitterness out of her voice.

“The same could be said about you. I still have not found out the reason for your continued dislike of her.”

“You wouldn’t understand even if I did tell you.” Kaida quipped. She didn’t want to try and explain that he was the reason they had been on the outs before they’d ever seen each other. She could just imagine how that conversation would go. “But I am curious. What’s she done now?”

“What hasn’t she done?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t know. You told me to stay away from her, remember?” Kaida pointed out blandly.

“I told you to behave yourself.“ he corrected.

“It’s the same thing to me because in order to behave myself, I have to stay away from her.” Kaida said. That caused Sesshomaru to raise his eyebrows in question, but she wasn’t going to elaborate any more.

“Indeed. I suppose I should be thankful that you actually followed through on a request I handed down to you.”

“It won’t be that bad.” she said, patting him on the shoulder and giving him a sympathetic look. “Tomorrow’s the last day, and then she’s out of your hair. You can hold out till then.”

“I am counting down the minutes.” he said, quickly slipping into the shadows of the forest without another word to her. Kaida suddenly grinned maniacally. Previous relationship or not, Sesshomaru didn’t want Asami around him now, that much was abundantly clear; and she was more than happy to assist in running interference.

Her day had suddenly started looking better.

-----

It was a little before noon when Rin ducked under the eave of the gate, quickly spotting Kentaro and Sakaki off to the side. She quickly walked over and frowned at the two.

“We’ve got a problem.” she stated solemnly.

“What?”

“Asami’s at it. She’s been hanging onto Lord Sesshomaru all day. It’s like she’s become a permanent extension of his body or something!”

“And Kaida?”

“Kaida and Asami butted heads this morning when she and Lord Sesshomaru returned from their morning training. Woke up half the fortress I think. But right now she’s too busy avoiding Seiti to do anything else.” Rin said, shaking her head

“The General is hiding?” Sakaki asked, apparently not believing what the young Lady said.

“I think she would refer to them as strategic evasive maneuvers.” Rin pointed out.

“She’s hiding from him.” Kentaro said easily. “Damn it all! I’m beginning to wish we hadn’t managed to get that bird brained lord here after all!”

“Too late to worry about that now.” Sakaki said. “He’s here. We’ve just got to deal with his interference.”

“No kidding.” Kentaro retorted. “Now what do we do? Any ideas?”

“We’ve got to level the playing field. Kaida’s good, but she doesn’t have Asami’s charm. That demoness could talk her way into anyone’s good graces. I’ve seen it happen before.” Sakaki said sagely. “Lord Sesshomaru is no exception. How do you think they wound up lovers before?”

“Asami talked her way into his pants?” Kentaro asked, an eyebrow raised at the head guard.

“It wasn’t only his pants. It was his…”

“That’s enough. I don’t want to here about what may or may not have happened between that witch and Lord Sesshomaru.” Rin interrupted, a disgusted look on her face that caused Kentaro and Sakaki to chuckle. “Focus on the matter at hand, will you?”

“Sorry, love.” Kentaro quipped.

“The fact that she and Sesshomaru have had a previous relationship, and the small fact that she’s not bad on the eyes either, doesn’t help.” Kentaro added, keeping himself alert for any possible eavesdroppers.

“Kaida’s just as pretty.” Rin said hotly, feeling the need to defend her teacher.

“When she’s not dressed in training clothes and brandishing a sword.” Kentaro said.

“So?”

“So we’ve got to get Kaida to showcase her talent.”

“Fighting? You want Kaida to fight Asami? She’ll kill her!” Rin exclaimed.

“I understand what you‘re getting at.” Sakaki said, grinning at the kitsune. “Not a half bad idea, kit.”

“You think you can manage to get her into the courtyard today, not long after training starts?” Kentaro asked, pinning the head guard with a stare.

“Yes. Pretty sure I can anyways.” Sakaki nodded, grinning at the young couple. Kentaro nodded and Rin just looked at the two of them like they were crazy. The head guard saluted his Lady and left them on their own.

“What are you doing?” Rin asked, looking up into the sparkling blue eyes of her soon to be mate.

“Setting up something.”

“What?” she asked. Kentaro grinned and nuzzled her neck, planting a whisper of a kiss there before enveloping her in a hug and chuckling.

“Institutionalized warfare.”

-----

Sesshomaru was absolutely bored to tears. The council meeting was far from being done, but he’d had enough of hearing about the petty grievances between his council. He was almost ready to just dismiss the whole lot of them until the next day when the sound of clashing steel and raised voices caused him to look up in wonder.

The ruckus outside did not calm though, and in fact seemed to only escalate further as a few seconds passed. The noise had caught the attention of his council as well, and he rose from his seat to go see what the cause was. The double doors that led out onto the balcony were pushed open with a wave of his energy, and he stepped out onto the overhanging, quickly taking in the sight below him.

Odd. It seemed Kaida had begun the elite’s training a bit early today.

‘Don’t let them get any closer! Sakai! Reisho! Drive’em outta the courtyard!’

Thump

Crash

Smash

‘Easier said than done…General!’

Kaida was back to back with Yukio, Nekotu, Sakaki, and Reisho, fighting tooth and nail against at least ten of his other elites who were being led by Bano. He could hear Kaida barking out orders to her small group of men as Bano bellowed out his own orders to those under his command.

‘Focus on the weak points! Take her down!’

Fwoom

Crack

Clang

‘What weak points?!’

“What is going on out there, my Lord?” a councilman asked, walking to Sesshomaru’s side on the expansive balcony. “Are we under attack?”

“Hardly.” he answered.

‘Yukio! Get off your ass and carry your weight! I’m tired of babysitting your overgrown corpse!’

Smash

‘Move NOW!’

Whiz

‘Geez, General! That almost hit me! I’m not a pin cushion!’

Smack

Groan

‘Then learn how to dodge quicker, or get out of my way!’

Thunk

Sesshomaru inwardly flinched when he saw a another of his elites, a snake demon known as Tenko, take out Reisho with a quick energy swipe, leaving Kaida’s back exposed and unprotected. Bano saw the opening as well. The demon flashed behind her and had her disarmed within seconds. But Kaida still refused to give up. Despite the fact that Bano stood over six feet tall, easily dwarfing her, and had a good hundred and fifty pound advantage over her, she still fought once the initial surprise of being caught wore off.

‘Restrain her!’

Snap

Crackle

‘Sir!’

Another of his elites stepped forward to help hold her in place, but Kaida managed to kick out at the demon and send him flying in the opposite direction. Bano growled and tried to modify his hold on her, but she managed to squirm her way out of his hands and land a vicious right cross to his face that knocked the bigger demon flat on his ass.

‘GET A MOVE ON IT, SOLDIERS!’

Thwump

‘Get the General out of there!’

Crack

‘Turnover tactics! Go!’

Clash

Bang

Sesshomaru wasn’t exactly sure what turnover tactics were, but he was soon to find out. When Kaida’s small group of men suddenly blurred out of sight, he figured they had defected and left her to deal with Bano and the others on her own. But he was so wrong.

A rumble of thunder sounded all around them, compliments of Reisho. It easily shook the entire courtyard and startled Bano’s group of fighters, as well as the rest who were merely observing. Sesshomaru saw Kaida throw up a defensive shield around herself while a larger, lighter colored dome suddenly formed around the battling combatants.

“What is going on? What is she doing?” he heard one of the councilmen mutter.

“Is she out of her mind?” Asami demanded. Sesshomaru didn’t grace either of them with an answer, but simply trained his eyes into the center of the melee where Kaida was calmly waiting in the shield.

‘Nekotu!’

Boom

‘I’m on it, General!’

Next thing he knew, Bano and his subordinates were being viciously thrown by some invisible hand into the outside barrier wall, a few of them slipping down and ungracefully crumpling to the cobbled stones from the impact.

Crash

Crackle

Boom

‘HURRY IT UP ALREADY, YUKIO! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, AN INVITATION? THEY COULD HAVE KILLED ME A DOZEN TIMES ALREADY!’

Thwap

Snicker

Sesshomaru spied the elite in question, but only caught the blur of colors as he dashed through his fallen enemies and still fighting comrades to swiftly pluck Kaida from inside the defensive shield.

Zoom

Bang

‘Mission accomplished. MOVE OUT!’

Whish

Splat

‘You heard the General. Let’s go!’

Rush

Crackle

‘Hold’em in there for me, Sakaki.’

Sizzle

‘No problem, General.’

Bang

Bang

Bang

Kaida’s soldiers took the order to heart and quickly pulled themselves out of the remaining shield, leaving Bano and his own soldiers stuck inside of the pulsing blue field of energy. The now defeated elites pounded on the walls of the shield, but to no avail. They were stuck, and they knew it.

“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded loudly, drowning out the jeering and snickering that had erupted in the courtyard. He pinned Kaida and Bano with a withering glare as the rest of his elites went to attention and bowed respectfully after the imprisoning shield was instantly removed. Beside him, he could feel the interest radiating off his councilmen in waves.

“Forgive us, sir. We didn’t mean to interrupt your meeting.” the Captain said, bowing lowly, obviously worried about how his Lord was going to react to the disturbance.

“Explain yourself, Lady.” he ordered coldly.

“Training.” she said with a shrug.

“You’ve gone and done it now, General.” one of the elites called out.

“Turnover tactics?” Sesshomaru asked pointedly.

“Well, if your enemy won’t turnover someone you want…you just go in there and get’em.” she said with a shrug and a half grin up at him. Well, he couldn’t argue with her logic.

“Now you’ve done it, General. You’ve gone and pissed him off.” the same soldier called out. Kaida whirled around and searched the stony faces of the assembled soldiers, but couldn’t place who was being so damned annoying and rude.

“No more so than you are, moron. Now shut up before I have your running watch patrol for the next damned month!”

“Sir!”

“Forgive us, Lord Sesshomaru.” Kaida said to him, bowing her head politely. “We will remove ourselves from the courtyard as not to disturb you anymore.”

“How long have you been training with them, Lady Kaida?” Asami suddenly asked, causing everyone’s attention to swing to Otogi’s daughter. Sesshomaru saw Kaida visibly tense at the other demoness’ voice, but turn back and look up at the balcony anyways.

“A number of months.” Kaida answered vaguely.

“I see. You are quite a fighter, indeed.”

“Thank you.” the Southern Lady said, her voice tightly calm.

“Word has spread far and wide of the Lady’s fighting prowess. How about a demonstration against your captain so the rumors can be put to rest? What do you say, Lord Sesshomaru?” one of the councilmen asked, nodding at where Kaida was standing in the courtyard.

Sesshomaru tamped down his own smirk. She was in a good mood, that much was obvious. And previous experience with her had proven that when she was in a good mood, she liked to play. He stepped forward and jumped from the balcony into the throng of his soldiers below, landing lightly on his feet. The elites parted before him, leaving a straight shot to where Kaida was standing.

“If you wish to have a true assessment of her skills, then I will face the Lady.” he answered coldly, his gaze on the surprised face of his soon to be sparring partner.

“Now you’ve gone and done it, Lady General!”

“That’s it. Patrol duty for the next three months for you, soldier!” she snarled over her shoulder. Not a peep was heard out of the elites, even if half of them were forcibly controlling themselves from laughing at her outburst.

“It’s okay. I’ll protect you, General.” one of the elites called out with a snicker. Kaida recognized Yukio‘s voice instantly and shook her head.

“Every man I have ever met wants to protect me. I just can’t figure out from what.” she retorted, pulling her sword from the mortar that held the cobbled courtyard bricks together, causing a number of the councilmen and remaining soldiers to snicker and laugh. She gripped the handle of the blade and tilted her head to the side, watching as he took the center of the courtyard.

“Lady?” he asked, nodding at her. She grinned and shot a look up at the balcony where the eight council members were standing, then behind her to where the elites were watching in rapt attention.

“Well, might as well give them what they want.” she answered, pulling her sword into a defensive stance as the surrounding elites, who were by now quite familiar with how extensive the noble’s sparring could get, fanned out along the perimeter of the wall to give them a sufficiently wide enough area. “Who am I to disappoint so many?”

----

Rin managed to find Kentaro in the throng of people who had come to witness the impromptu fight between Kaida and Sesshomaru right as the first meeting of their blades broke through the din of the spectators gathered around them.

“Institutionalized warfare?” she asked pointedly, looking up at the grinning kitsune with a newfound respect. “Kaida can’t fight Asami, so you manage to get Sesshomaru to fight with her in front of the entire Council? What are you thinking?”

“Just listen to what’s being said.” he muttered, positioning them behind three of the council members who had followed Sesshomaru‘s example and left the balcony for a closer view from the sidelines. “Words are good weapons, love. And after watching this, word will travel of exactly how well suited for each other they are. No one else would dare to get between them simply for fear of their lives.” Rin nodded and craned her head towards the two elder demons as Kaida and Sesshomaru fought it out in the courtyard before the spectators.

“…waited too long to watch him get laid low by a female. So forgive me that I find it entertaining to see one of them put a bruise on his pretty face for once instead of make an ass out of herself for it!” the first one said, a grin on his face as Kaida landed a few solid blows into Sesshomaru’s unprotected back.

“It's even better to know she’s a part human, who couldn’t be dazzled into his bed!” the second one said, nodding his head in agreement with the other demon.

“She’s good.” a third one commented. “Better to have a woman like that fighting with you instead of against you, I say.”

“I wonder if someone’s mentioned that fact to Sesshomaru yet?” the first one asked.

“Apparently not.” the third one commented. Rin caught sight of Sesshomaru bringing his sword up to Kaida’s throat, receiving the first point of the fight. An insistent tugging on the sleeve of her kimono brought Rin back to the present, and Kentaro quickly ushered her off to another portion of the group.

“Now do you see what I mean?” he asked, pulling her gently beside a group of the elites who were watching as their leaders battled it out once again. “Word will spread, and no one will intervene between them again. Take a look over there, even Seiti knows he’s not a match for Kaida if she’s just play-fighting with Sesshomaru right now. For Kami’s sake, Rin! She’s grinning at him! They’re playing with each other in a spar that would have killed most demons by now.”

It was true. Seiti, who had appeared sometime during the ruckus, did look a little green around the gills, so to speak. The handsome demon’s eyes were trained solely on Kaida, and Rin honestly thought the falcon lord had ceased to blink. Not far from him, Rin also saw Asami, who had a rather smug look on her face. Rin fought down the urge to scowl, knowing it would do no good at all, and instead turned her attention to where Kaida had just caught her guardian unaware, knocked him to the ground, and had one sword at his neck and a dagger over his heart…Toukijinn having been knocked off to the side at some previous point.

If it wouldn’t have been for the smirk on both their faces, she honestly would have thought they were angry with each other and more than willing to end the other’s existence.

“The rumor mill is going to have field day with this.” Rin said, rolling her eyes. She should have realized Kentaro would employ the fastest moving vehicle of chaos possible to human and demon kind alike…gossip.

An appreciative murmur swept around her as the elites began placing bets on who would take the third and final match of the session, easily giving Sesshomaru and Kaida enough time to separate and take up their positions again to start the fight all over again. Rin sent another fleeting glance up at the balcony, watching as Asami leaned over and whispered something to another of the members before casting a smile down at the fight below her that made Rin’s skin begin to crawl.

‘What’s she so happy about?’

---

“I said it this morning, and I’ll say it again.” Kaida grunted as their fight finally came to an abrupt end...this time with her sprawled out underneath Sesshomaru in the middle of the courtyard. “We need new sparring partners.”

It was true. They had each managed to gain the upper hand only once during the quick fight, then winding up in a stalemate the final time they met. He had Toukijinn at her throat, and she had a handful of kunai ready to stab him in the heart.

This was getting old, quick.

“I am beginning to agree with your observation.” Sesshomaru acquiesced, sheathing his sword and frowning at her as he rose from his kneeled position over her body. “New partners, or different fighting techniques.”

The raucous sound of applause and jeering broke them out of their quiet mumblings and back to reality. Kaida only grinned and shook her head at the looks the elites were sending her.

“Well, that was a well put on show.” one of the councilmen said, bowing to Sesshomaru and then Kaida. “The rumors do you no justice, Lady Kaida, let me be the first to say.”

“I should thank you for that, I suppose. Since I try not to pay much attention to the ramblings of those who have nothing better to do than gossip incessantly about things they are ignorant of, I wouldn‘t know exactly what rumors there are about me.” she said. The councilman chuckled and bowed to her again.

“You looked like you were trying to kill each other. It was brutal!” Asami said forcefully, pushing her way across from Kaida.

“Brutality is sometimes a necessary evil, Miss Asami. I do what I have to in order to keep things the way they need to be.” Kaida answered evenly.

“Spoken well, Lady Kaida.” the councilmen nodded. “As much as I would love to stay and speak with you, though. I am afraid we have a council meeting to finish, do we not, Lord Sesshomaru?”

“We do.” he said.

“We will be awaiting your arrival then, sir.” the demon said, turning and nodding to the other six councilmen who had remained a safe ways back. Asami, who looked all too pleased with herself, nodded and followed behind the retreating figure. Kaida said nothing, and Sesshomaru was curious as to what was going through her head.

“We have training to finish as well.” she said after a few seconds, casting an apologetic look in his direction. “I do apologize for interrupting the meeting. I know how you wish they were already over with, and here I am causing a distraction that‘s only going to prolong them.”

“It was a mere interruption.” he answered.

“Yes, but still…”

“There are a few good consequences that will rear their head because of your untimely arrival. Do not concern yourself with it.” he answered, nodding slightly to where Seiti stood against the wall. She followed his gaze, and he could feel a wave of smug amusement escape her control.

“He doesn’t look happy, does he?”

“Obviously.”

“What’d I do now?” she asked, apparently expecting him to know the answer.

“I am not sure.” Sesshomaru answered, although he knew damned good and well why Seiti looked homicidal, and why Asami was ready to spit nails. Sesshomaru felt like being particularly evil to both the ungodly annoyances that had plagued him the past two days. So just to push Seiti’s buttons a little more, and to throw it up in Asami’s face that she was not needed in his home, the Western Lord waited until the courtyard had almost cleared, and was sure their sharp eyes were watching, before placing his hand on the small of Kaida’s back then gently guiding her a little closer to him so his lowly spoken words would reach her ears only.

“We will forgo the evening meeting today.” he said quietly, his head bent towards her. “Stay in the elite’s barracks until dinner. He will not dare to show his face there.”

“Anything I can do to help get you away from Asami?” she offered, smiling at him in silent thanks.

“You have done quite enough already, Lady.” Sesshomaru answered. Kaida laughed lightly and reached up to brush some debris off his shoulder, her eyes dancing in amusement. “Have Sakaki or one of the others show you the passage in the barracks that leads into the forest beyond the fortress walls if you must. I trust you may find that more pleasant than listening to Yukio’s jeering for the rest of the day. Seiti can find something else to keep himself occupied for a few hours.”

“And Rin?” she asked, resting her hand on his shoulder.

“The kitsune will watch over her.”

“That’s a pleasant turn of events. Since when did you start trusting Kentaro with Rin’s well being?”

“When I stopped trusting Seiti’s with yours.” he said gravely. Kaida flushed unexpectedly, and Sesshomaru felt a boost of purely male pride at being able to coax such an uncommon reaction out of her.

“Whatever you say.” she answered quietly. Sesshomaru gave her an imperceptible nod, and then stepped slowly away from her, only to finally notice the state her training gi was in.

No wonder that bastard was staring.

“I will have Keisha bring a suitable change of clothing to the barracks for you.” he said, his voice back to normal and carrying quite easily across the way to where Seiti was standing against the wall, and Asami was perched on the balcony.

“Right.” she said.

“And I expect you to spend the rest of the evening going over your turnover tactics with the soldiers. The idea is commendable, but the rest of them need to be grouped according to how their powers can be combined in the most effective and efficient way.”

“That could take a while.” Kaida said, picking up on his little charade. She hadn’t even told him what turnover tactics really were yet.

“I shall expect a report immediately following dinner.” he said firmly.

---

Kaida nodded and gave him a slight bow, but refrained from reaching up and kissing the dog like she wanted to. He’d given her a way to stay away from Seiti, even get out of the fortress grounds, and the falcon couldn’t question it since he’d heard Sesshomaru give her the orders to work on the maneuvers…even if they were false…but Seiti didn’t know that, did he? The Southern demoness whirled around and forcibly tamped down the smile that was threatening to come out. She spared Seiti a glance that she at least hoped looked apologetic, and then started back towards the barracks.

“General?” Bano asked, coming to her side. “Our orders.”

“Get them to the barracks.” she said crisply. “We’ve got some things to go over this evening concerning the turnover tactics. Sesshomaru wants a detailed report by the end of dinner.”

“End of dinner?” Yukio asked, his voice high and whiny.

“Yeah. And unless you want to miss dinner all together, you’ll shut your trap and get this over with.” she said, even though the ice that was usually present in her voice was oddly absent. Yukio gave her a suspicious glance, but headed back towards the barracks without another word of dissent. Kaida was out of the courtyard and halfway to the barracks when she heard her name being called out. Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw Seiti walking towards her.

“An impressive show, Lady.” he said tightly. “You have my commendations.”

“Thank you, my Lord. I’m sorry, but I don’t really have time to talk right now. Lord Sesshomaru has ordered me to see to some new maneuvers with the soldiers this evening.”

“Will you be done before the evening meal?” he asked.

“I’m sorry, but probably not.”

“Well, that is disappointing. I was hoping to have a chance to speak with you this evening before you retired.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Perhaps in the morning?” he prompted. Kaida wanted to groan, but didn’t. She told herself not to worry about it, that he probably just wanted to know if she’d come to the mainland once she was done in the West, and that he’d be gone the first thing the next day.

“That would be a better time, yes.” she said. Her words made him grin, and he reached out to grasp her hand in his. Her hand was halfway to her lips when she pulled back, leaving him somewhat surprised at her audacity. “I’m sorry, my Lord. But I’ve got work to do.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t want to intervene in progress.” he said, his voice taking on an icy turn. Kaida stiffened her shoulders, knowing that he was far from happy with her right now.

But once again, she didn’t care.

With a curt bow, she headed off towards the barracks, slipping into the doors without a backwards glance at the glowering falcon demon.

-----

“At the rate they’re going, we don’t need to do anything else.” Rin commented, a smile on her lips as she watched the two noble’s interaction below her.

She didn’t know what had caused the display, but for anyone who happened to glance at them at that moment, they’d see a scene so sweet and gentle it would make them gape. Her guardian had reached out and guided Kaida closer to him, then bent down closer and started whispering to her. Rin wasn’t sure what was being said, but the sudden smile that graced Kaida’s face had her own infectious grin coming out in full force.

“Look at them, Kentaro!” Rin quietly exclaimed.

“Well…if this isn’t a pleasant change of plans.” he commented, watching as Kaida reached up and brushed something off the Western Lord’s shoulder, leaving her hand to rest there. “Maybe they don’t need our help after all.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Rin muttered, watching as the nobles pulled away from each other and went their own ways. “Seiti looks absolutely murderous, and Asami is apparently speechless.”

“Jealousy is a powerful tool when used correctly, my love.” Kentaro said genially. “Seeing something, someone you want, but can’t have for whatever reason often brings out the worst in even the best demon.”

“Like when Sesshomaru overturned your first request to court me?” she asked quietly, snuggling into the dark blue haoiri he wore. The fabric smelled of fresh water and that undeniable scent of spring’s new growth, right along with a musky smell that she had identified weeks ago as something uniquely Kentaro.

“Exactly. I’m still surprised he eventually conceded and let me present for you.” the kitsune answered. Rin smiled at her love and reached up to scratch right behind his pointy fox ears, a move that had him melting in her hands in no time at all.

“I think Kaida had more to do with that than anyone else.” Rin admitted, threading her fingers through the thick brown mass of hair on his head, scratching his scalp with her short nails. Kentaro relaxed into her caress, his blue eyes closed in rapture at Rin’s actions.

“Which is yet another reason I am working so hard to repay the dead Lady.” he mumbled, looking down at her when she removed her hands and burrowed into his embrace.

“Me too.” she said quietly, watching as Kaida stalked across the courtyard towards the soldier’s barracks, barking out orders to the elites with each step. Rin suddenly couldn’t help it…she laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“Kaida.”

“Huh?”

“She&# 8217;s…she’s…I don’t know. She’s something else. I honestly can see why so many people want her to settle down and take a mate. She’s like some kind of unfocused force of nature.” Rin said, not sure of how to word her thoughts. “I see the way she is with Lord Sesshomaru…and…I want her to be happy. I want her to have what I do.”

“A handsome, wonderful, soon to be kitsune mate?” he joked. “Sorry love, but my brother’s already taken.”

“Oh, you….” Rin said, shaking her head at his antics. “No, I mean happiness…with someone who cares about her and can watch over her. She deserves that much at least. And if it is with Lord Sesshomaru, then so be it. They just…work. They fit together. I don’t know…I’m rambling.”

“It is hard to think of them not being within swinging range of each other.” Kentaro said with a light chuckle. “I understand what you mean, though. Kaida’s been in the West for just under a year, yet seeing them together is as normal as the sunrise every morning. It won’t be right if they don’t get their act together and figure this out!” Rin clutched her love to her, thanking the gods once again that they had brought Kentaro into her life. She knew it was silly, but she couldn’t imagine herself with the eccentric kitsune now. She loved him that much.

“I know.” she muttered, watching as Kaida slipped into the training barracks and Sesshomaru entered into the living quarters of the fortress. “We’ve just got to make them see that!”

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A/N - Okay, just a little Rin/Kentaro sweetness at the end for all those who seem to have taken a liking to the pair.

I hope you guys are enjoying the rather quick updates. I seemed to have caught a writing bug, and it hasn’t gone away yet. So until it does, I am going to get as many chapters out as I possibly can before I have to buckle down and start studying for my college finals.

So, until next time,

A.A.

P.S. Oh, and remember to review. I’d love to know what your thoughts are.