InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ That Which Shines Brightest ❯ 06: Respite for the Weary ( Chapter 6 )

That Which Shines Brightest

 

Chapter Six

 

 

A cold wind howled down the steep mountain slopes of Taisetsu-san, sweeping the snow from the peaks in huge whorls like the breath of God, and still it could not wipe clean the scent of blood that clung to the air. Deep in the heart of Hokkaido, in the imposing, fortified castle that had once belonged to the father of his mother, the fortress that he now claimed as his own, Sesshoumaru stood beyond the wooden sliding doors of his private chambers, outside along the wooden veranda, the engawa**, feeling some of that same wind pull at the empty, left sleeve of his kimono and whip the long strands of his silver hair into a wild frenzy.

It was her blood. He'd known it immediately. This was different than the blood that she shed during her monthly cycle just before her womb became fertile. And that could mean only one thing: she had been wounded.

Inuyasha, you have failed me yet again. he thought irritably.

Turning abruptly, he slid the door panel back and stepped into his chambers. “Jyaken,” he called in his low, smooth voice and immediately heard Jyaken's querulous answer from somewhere down the hall close by.

“I'm coming, Sesshoumaru-sama!”

With a low bow, Jyaken presented himself to Sesshoumaru and without a flicker of an eyelid, Sesshoumaru said, “Prepare Aun Un. We are heading south.”

South? Rin's blood. Jyaken himself thought he'd smelled it earlier and he knew that Sesshoumaru-sama's keen senses would not have missed it. That must mean his lordship wanted to check on Rin himself, Jyaken reflected jealously.

Jyaken rose from his bow, his brow wrinkled in concern as he sought an excuse. “South, my lord? Eh, but there is a blizzard blowing across the mountains, Sesshoumaru-sama, and…”

“Jyaken.” Sesshoumaru's voice was just as smooth as before, and still it somehow managed to take on a slight edge that made Jyaken begin to sweat.

“Ah, ah, y-yes, Sesshoumaru-sama, I will prepare Aun Un immediately, my lord!” Jyaken stuttered, wisely squelching the urge to say more, and hurriedly bowed himself out of the room, muttering heavily under his breath to no one in particular.

Left alone to wait and plagued by a vague restlessness, Sesshoumaru found himself once again outside along the narrow engawa, slowly walking its length, meditatively eyeing the cold mountain crags and gorges that had been the home of his mother's clan for centuries. Even Bishamon, the Black Warrior, had learned to eschew Taisetsu-san at times like this, but Sesshoumaru bowed to none; not even the mighty mountain and its fearsome winds.

It never occurred to him to acknowledge that had it been for any other reason besides Rin, he never would have considered venturing out.

Behind him, Sesshoumaru heard the subtle swish of the screen panel sliding open, but he didn't turn, fully expecting it to be Jyaken with news that all was prepared for their departure.

“Sesshoumaru.”

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed upon hearing the soft, velvety voice hail him from behind.

“Mizuna,” he murmured, her name a displeased hiss.

His mouth pulled into a forbidding frown as he rounded on her, his tawny eyes looking critically over the provocative woman in front of him. As usual she was dressed in the unfamiliar garb that the round-eye strangers wore, preferring it to the traditional dress of her own people since she felt it flattered her figure. A tight fitting, black corset laced up over a thin, white cotton chemise only enhanced the size of her large breasts, pushing them up to the point that they always seemed to be threatening to spill out of the gauzy material that covered them and her snug, black breeches clung to her well rounded hips, disappearing into the and doe-colored, soft skin boots which were also more like those that he'd seen the round-eyes wearing on occasion. One of the few claims to tradition that she allowed herself to carry was the long, slender yari** that she wore slung diagonally across her back.

It was the traditional weapon of her clan and she'd mastered it with deadly precision - unlike her brother, Sesshoumaru meditated with scornful amusement, whose incompetence around anything with a blade had prompted his father to commission a special Chigi-riki be made for him by Toutousai. A mistake, as far as Sesshoumaru was concerned. The young fool, who rivaled his sister in beauty, was abysmal in combat.

Which was perhaps why Mizuna was so skilled, he further reflected. She wished to outshine all; even her own sibling. Again he eyed her carefully cultivated beauty in a detached way, seeing a very alluring, very prettily wrapped package; one designed to stir the blood of the male species, both youkai and human alike. How unfortunate, he concluded coldly, that it seemed she had neglected to attend to what was on the inside with as much care.

“You have been forbidden to come here when the moon is dark, Mizuna,” he chastised her coldly, “so why are you here?”

Mizuna raised a languid hand and pushed at the few stray locks of aqua hair the wind had pulled free from the high pony tail she wore near the crown of her head.

“What if I told you that I came here because of the Hunt?” she replied provocatively, sauntering towards him with a decided sway in her hips, watching his face carefully for his reaction.

Sesshoumaru didn't even blink, but a shadow of something akin to distaste flickered across his countenance, and she wondered if she'd imagined it. Stopping in front of him, just close enough to let her breasts brush his chest, she raised her chin and looked up, wanting to break his cool façade.

“You shouldn't have come. If that is all you wanted, you could have found someone among your clan in Shikoku to sate your desire. I am not your rutting toy,” he told her frigidly, and watched her exquisite, porcelain complexion flush dull red, an ugly frown of fury marring her perfect features.

“How dare you!” she spat, raising her hand, her claws extended to strike at him, but he caught wrist, his tawny eyes flashing in warning.

“How dare you,” he retorted softly, deadly, his fingers squeezing her wrist before he let it go, “when I have given you the protection of my name and you defy my rules. Do not expect me to treat you kindly, Mizuna, when you have disobeyed me.”

Sesshoumaru turned on his heel and calmly strolled away from her, the bitter wind ruffling the soft fur wrapped around his shoulder as he again looked to Taisetsu-san, ignoring Mizuna's seething presence behind him.

“Sesshoumaru-samaaaa!” Jyaken called, stepping out onto the engawa, “I have prepared Aun Un just as you -- oh,” he paused, when his lamp-like eyes caught sight of Mizuna's well-proportioned figure standing halfway between him and his lord. “Mizuna…” his tone was far from welcoming, and his eyes widened in alarm when he saw Sesshoumaru-sama spin on his heel and come sauntering back in his direction, the chiseled line of his jaw telling him that Sesshoumaru-sama was furious. “Y-you, you!” he pointed to Mizuna, scowling, “Y-You're not supposed to be here!!! Who - who let you in!?” He cast a furtive sideways glance at his lord, hoping that Sesshoumaru would not rip his head off for Mizuna's impertinence in being there. “I - I am sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama,” he babbled, bowing low and sweating profusely. “I did not realize that she had let herself in.”

“You are late,” came the silky reply as Jyaken rose from his bow, pointedly adding, “we should have been gone by now.”

“Gone!?” Mizuna demanded faintly, taking a step towards them, feeling a burning resentment begin to build when the only one to turn and acknowledge her question was Jyaken.

Damn Sesshoumaru! He was supposed to be her betrothed, and even though he'd partnered her in the Hunt on numerous occasions, beyond those times he seemed impervious to her beauty.

“Where are you going?” she demanded petulantly.

Her eyes were fixed upon Sesshoumaru, who was walking away from her, moving towards the door panel to go back inside and it was Jyaken who answered her question.

“What concern is it of yours, eh?” he retorted with narrowed eyes as she ground her teeth in rising anger. “You're not even supposed to be here.”

Then he too turned to join his master, realizing too late his mistake when he felt Mizuna's booted foot clout him in the side of the head as she kicked him sideways and out of the way.

“Ara!!” he cried, stumbling into the wall as she stomped past him.

“Sesshoumaru!” she called imperiously, following him inside, hurrying to catch up with him as he moved toward the inside door panel, not stopping for her. “Sesshoumaru!” she called again, stepping in front of him and blocking his path so he could not pass.

“I demand to know where you are going!” Her frustration only mounted when he looked coldly down his nose at her and said nothing.

“I told you,” Jyaken smiled gloatingly as he came through the outer door, pulling up the rear, the smile a bit lopsided since the side of his face was numb from her boot. “You're not supposed to be here, so Sesshoumaru-sama will not answer you. Go home, Mizuna.”

A myriad of unpleasant expressions flitted across Mizuna's countenance before she finally managed to suppress them, turning troubled eyes to Sesshoumaru, and saying in a soulful voice, “But I can't go home! In reality the reason I came here is to ask for your help!” She reached out and laid a beseeching hand atop Sesshoumaru's that rested on the hilt of his deadly Toukijin sword.

Almost immediately he pulled his hand away, letting it drop to his side, and she was forced to pull back, trying not to show how much his rejection galled her. She was the lily of her clan. Hundreds of Youkai had petitioned her father for her, she seethed.

“Please!” she begged prettily, “I do not know what to do, and I know you can help me! My brother, Atsuji has gone missing, and I need your help to find him! That is the only reason that I broke your silly rule to come here!”

Silence invaded the room, and Sesshoumaru's eyes, if anything, became even more glacial as he stared down at her. He was always controlled, but for some reason, Mizuna felt a shiver of fear race up her spine, as if she sensed he were struggling with the urge to reach out and physically throttle her. Putting her hand to the lacy bow at her breast, Mizuna fought the desire to take a step backwards.

“Atsuji,” Jyaken snorted, and watched as Mizuna reluctantly turned her eyes to him.

She didn't want to interact with him, a mere servant. She only wished to interact with Sesshoumaru-sama. However, what she'd failed to realize was that by sending her brother to spy, she'd betrayed his lordship. Sesshoumaru-sama might have forgiven her once, but now today, she had betrayed him yet again by coming here, and because of that, she stood on very precarious footing with him.

“Atsuji,” Jyaken reiterated, his eyes narrowing, “Sesshoumaru-sama knows exactly where Atsuji is because I told him!”

“You know where my brother is?” she asked eagerly, her aquamarine eyes widening.

“Oh, you don't have to pretend,” Jyaken murmured with sarcastic glibness, “Sesshoumaru-sama knows all about your games, Mizuna. Thanks to Atsuji. He followed your orders to the letter, trailing me exactly like he was supposed to. I imagine he's still right where I left him, east of the Shinano River - sniffing along after Inuyasha and --“

“Jyaken -“ Sesshoumaru cut across Jyaken's dissertation, his tone latent with censure, and Jyaken realized immediately that he'd just revealed far more than he should.

With a flustered apology to his lordship, Jyaken subsided into silence, tucking his hands into his sleeves, his beak drooping into a disapproving frown as he watched Mizuna cast a sly glance at Sesshoumaru before launching into a tirade against him.

“Well why didn't he return with you then?” Mizuna demanded with a furious wave of her hand. “You must have forbid him to come! You know that he has a horrible sense of direction! He could be lost this very minute!” she ranted wildly.

“If you were concerned about his getting lost,” Sesshoumaru finally intervened, his amber eyes cold and condemning, “then you should not have sent him in the first place.” He looked dismissively past her to Jyaken. “Come, we are leaving,” he commanded, not bothering to stop even when her shrill voice bade him to do so.

“You must help me find him, Sesshoumaru!” she shrieked, becoming alarmed, rushing down the hallway after him, elbowing her way past an affronted Jyaken and glancing apprehensively up into the remote profile of the great youkai that her father thought so much of. “M-my father,” she hastily stumbled over her words, her composure beginning to crumble under pressure, “he is beginning to question me as to Atsuji's whereabouts since I am charged with his safety.” A thread of bitterness tempered her voice, but Sesshoumaru seemed unaffected by it. “P-please, I know that I have disobeyed you,” she stopped and bowed low, fury burning in her breast at having to adopt such a humble position just to get her way. “I swear that it will not happen again. If you will but help me find him, I promise to behave!”

Sesshoumaru paused in consideration, and Jyaken scowled when his lord turned and approached Mizuna's chastened posture. He stood tall and arrogant for a long moment before he reached down and slid his fingers beneath her chin, lifting it so he could examine her face.

From his low vantage point, Jyaken saw the resentment seething in Mizuna's eyes before she could extinguish it, but the question was did Sesshoumaru see it as well?

Sesshoumaru leaned towards her, his face just inches from hers, and she stifled a shiver at the cold, penetrating clarity of his gaze. “I will honor the contract I hold with your father, but heed my words well, Mizuna, for I will not say them again.”

His voice was soft but menacing all the same.

“No matter what alliance lies between your father and I, you betray me once more and our betrothal is at an end.” He leaned back then, his expression if anything becoming even more remote as he acknowledged, “Aye, I know where your brother is. I'm sure you have smelled his blood on the wind the same as I and are capable of tracking him just as well.” He paused and watched her mouth tighten. “-- So do not come here and pretend to need my aid, when I know that your true desire lies in knowing why Jyaken would travel to such a far off place without his liege and hoped to discover the reasons for why your brother has failed to return home when he should. Did you truly think to learn the answers here?”

His eyebrow rose superciliously in challenge, and he turned away from her then, continuing on his way down the hall, throwing over his shoulder, “Track him yourself, or follow me if you wish, I do not care. But I warn you now, if you choose to follow me, and you fall behind, I will not wait for you.”

Mizuna stopped, stiffening in fury, and felt Jyaken brush by her. The little green imp's low laughter made her ball her fists, and she vowed to herself that she, the lily of her clan, would make Sesshoumaru pay for her humiliation.

 

Inuyasha tromped into Kaede-bachan's hut after changing his kimono, washing the blood off his face and hastily winding a bandage around his wrist. His expectant gaze swung right and left, and the old woman sitting in front of the irori** flames turned to look and see who had made such a noisy entrance. She grunted knowingly before returning to the stirring of her pot over the fire.

“Oh, it's just you, Inuyasha,” she mumbled dismissively.

“Whaddya mean it's just `me'?” he demanded in irritation, thumping across the floor to stand directly over her. “How is Kagome?” he asked in a cranky voice.

“She's going to be fine,” Kaede responded, “a little bump on the head, one or two bruises on the ribs and a few other places, but other than that… she should be feeling much better in a few days. I managed to give her something to help the wound heal, and it will also help her sleep peacefully through the night.”

“So when you gave her the medicine, baba, did she,” Inuyasha paused, trying to keep his voice nonchalant, “—did she ever say anything?”

Inwardly he cringed, looking away from Kaede, aware that despite his efforts to the contrary, his voice had come out stiff and diffident and he stared at the wall, examining it with extreme interest while he waited for her answer.

Kaede gave the back of his head a discerning glance. “Nope -she never even regained consciousness,” she informed him, not even pausing in mid-stir. “Are you hungry, Inuyasha?”

“Huh? No,” he replied belatedly looking away from the wall in disappointment. “Where is she?”

Kaede made a vague gesture that Inuyasha assumed indicated the hut straight across from hers, and his eyes momentarily widened in surprise.

“Where is Rin?” Inuyasha asked, belatedly remembering his concern for her, having inadvertently gotten caught up in his obsession over Kagome.

“She's busy seeing to the others,” Kaede readily informed him, remaining unflustered as he started to work himself up over that.

“What?!” he cried, “But she should be resting, thanks to that fool Atsuji's lousy aim!” he gesticulated in irritation.

“She has far too much energy for a child her age to sit still for long,” Kaede grunted and then glancing at him, added dryly, “I would like to see you try to keep her from doing what she deems a proper miko is supposed to do.”

Inuyasha frowned at that, knowing that in Rin's mind, being a “proper” miko somehow ran the same course as doing her best for Sesshoumaru. How she'd reached that conclusion was beyond him, and he mentally shrugged it off though it was not easy. She was his friend and he cared what happened to her. He didn't want to see her keel over because of some misguided notion she held for his arrogant, good for nothing brother.

“What about everyone else, baba? Where are they? I thought they wanted to talk about what happened - ask some questions, get some answers--”

Kaede stopped stirring her pot one more time and fixed him with a beady eye.

“Inuyasha,” she began, drawing in a deep breath, “I would think that being human this one night, you would know how it feels to be pushed almost beyond your physical capacity. Humans do not recover as quickly as youkai - and you should feel it, even if it's just this one night a month. Does your body not ache? Does it not feel heavy and drained?”

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably, playing with the loose bandage around his wrist, but remained silent and Kaede sighed.

“Sango told me in detail about what happened in the forest tonight,” Kaede murmured, rising slowly to her feet, her back bent by age as she slowly approached him and stared up at him, “and I have met the remarkable priest who is called Shirogane and have seen the horrible relic that must be borne by his family - he entrusted it to me for the night so that it could be safely enshrined.”

Inuyasha waited for her to continue, growing uncomfortable when she just stared at him, her one good eye moving over his countenance as if cataloging his features.

“Stop that!” he growled. “He doesn't look like me!”

Kaede smiled dryly her voice even drier when she replied, “Oh, so you noticed it as well. Hmm. Maybe not so much tonight, but come tomorrow, I'm sure the resemblance will be more striking -- Perhaps he is your reincarnation, Inuyasha, although I must say, as a reincarnation, his manners are far more refined.”

“Shut up, baba!' Inuyasha hissed, finding such an idea extremely disturbing, and then, “where is he? I want to talk to him!”

He wanted to know more about the Kinmotsu no Tama. Where exactly had it come from? It was a relic from this age, for Shirogane had mentioned the fact that it was five hundred years old, and yet, as far as Inuyasha knew, no one had ever heard of it nor had ever seen it. How could something that powerful exist in this world, and not have demons crawling all over each other, looking for it?

“It can wait for one night, Inuyasha,” Kaede replied calmly. “Rin is caring for the wound in his thigh since my eyes are not what they used to be. You should let her apply some antiseptic to that cut on your face as well.” She murmured with a passing glance at his face, gesturing to the ugly jagged cut that was beginning to turn red and yellow around the edges as she moved tiredly back to her pot. “Maybe even give you some of her special `tea',” Kaede suggested, slowly resuming her seat, and ladling some miso into a bowl while ignoring Inuyasha's facial contortions at her words.

“I think I'll pas on that,” he replied with a shudder. He'd had Rin's medicinal tea before when he'd been in his normal hanyou state, and even then, he didn't like it - it was an extremely potent opiate that, while dulling the pain, tended to also dull his ability to reason and react with the alertness necessary to protect the village and the Shikon no Tama from the dangers that threatened them. He would hate to think what it would do to him in his completely human state - most likely knock him flat on his backside, he thought sardonically; a place he'd been far too frequently that night already.

Kaede didn't seem surprised by his rejection and she didn't push the issue either, only saying, “If you're hungry, there's plenty to eat.”

Inuyasha shook his head, finding the conversation at an end after that, and he turned on his heel, heading straight out the door into the darkness. He paused once he was outside trying to let go of some of the restless agitation he felt, but it was nearly impossible.

His eyes kept sliding to the lighted square of the familiar door where Kagome was. It had been so long. He wondered if she was alone. Without realizing it, he found his feet moving across the small lane until he was standing directly in front of the hanging shade made of bamboo.

“Shippou?” he called softly, but there was no answer. Cautiously, he peeked around the bamboo and saw that except for her, the hut was empty.

All caution was abandoned then, and he shoved the shade aside and quickly entered quietly crossing the wooden floor to kneel next to the tatami** matting where Kagome was sleeping. Her face had been cleaned and there was a small thin line of fine thread near her hair line where Kaede-baba had stitched the gash. If it had not been for that jagged line, Inuyasha could have believed that she had fallen into a normal, peaceful slumber, for there was a slight pink color in her cheeks, her breathing was slow and easy and her brow was smooth, and untroubled.

Ten years It hadn't seemed so long before, but now….

Oh god, he thought as his eyes devoured her achingly familiar face, now, it felt like had been an eternity. Reaching out, he slowly ran his fingers along the silken raven tresses of hair that cascaded across her shoulders and fanned out over the thin blanket that covered her body. Then he brought his hand closer to her face, touching the soft, wavy tendrils brushing against her cheeks and he began smoothing them away, an expression of longing carving itself into his countenance.

“Kagome,” he whispered raggedly, his fingers slowing.

A hunger began to build within him as he stared at her. He felt it pull him towards her, and he could not muster the will to try and fight it. Putting one hand against the ground he leaned forward, his face within inches from hers, and he felt his body begin to prickle with heat.

No. Not like this, he told himself, and he shifted to the left just slightly, his nose almost brushing against the nape of her neck.

Slowly he closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, knowing that in his human form her scent would not be nearly as strong. Perhaps that was why he wasn't prepared for the raw desire that exploded through him. With a strangled moan, he curled his fingers into a fist against the floor, his other hand coming up to gently cup her cheek, his thumb moving in a light caressing circle along her jaw. He fought to keep himself from pressing his lips against her throat, fought to keep his hand from roaming further down her body, reminding himself that she was in essence, his prisoner, unable to defend herself, since she was asleep.

Allowing himself one more deep breath, he then he jerked his head away, his eyes dilated with desire, his cheeks flushed, and his body heavy with need, and he stared at Kagome's unflustered, peaceful countenance.

“Kagome,” he whispered again, thinking of Shirogane and how easily he seemed to hold her. Were they already lovers? “Please don't tell me that I'm ten years too late…”

 

 

Rin stood transfixed facing the bamboo shade outside Kagome's hut, brown eyes wide, her face flooded with color making the long scratches on her cheeks stand out even more. She had come to check on Kagome and when she'd pulled the shade back, she'd seen Inuyasha and Kagome in what looked like an embrace. Should she go away, she asked herself, making a half-turn, or should she stay? After all, Kagome wasn't awake…

Surely Inuyasha wouldn't try anything while she was sleeping, would he? she mused anxiously. Of course he wouldn't! she argued staunchly with herself. He'd been Rin's protector for ten years, and in all that time, he'd never done anything improper!

Yes, but this was Kagome a little voice reminded her.

Right, she mused a little apprehensively, so his mind might not be working `properly', for Rin had long ago learned from watching the men and women in the village that when it came to affairs of the heart, even the best of them sometimes strayed from what was seemly. Perhaps she should take one more, small peek just to make sure that Kagome was still okay, she decided, once again swiveling back around to face the door.

Putting out a tentative hand, she cracked the blind a tiny bit and saw Inuyasha leaning against the wall next to Kagome, one leg bent, the other stretched out in front of him, his head back, his eyes closed, a curious expression of mingled pleasure and pain written across his face. At least he was behaving himself though, she thought in relief, and with a whoosh, she let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

“Rin,” Shirogane greeted her softly from behind, startling her and she spun on her heel, her eyes wide.

Putting her hand to her hammering heart she stared up at him in surprise.

“Sh-shirogane,” she squeaked, “what are you doing here? You're supposed to be resting along with Atsuji.” Her eyes slipped past him and to the right a few huts down, which is where she'd last left him. “That medicinal tea I gave you is quite strong. It is going to make you very sleepy, so you shouldn't be up and walking about Besides that, how do you expect the inflammation in the wound to ever go down if you don't rest!?” she indignantly pointed out, adding for good measure, “and you need the inflammation to go down as soon as possible; otherwise, it is liable to become infected!”

“I do plan on resting, and I'm doing my best to take the weight off my leg even now. See?” he replied with an accommodating smile, presenting his staff with a flourish, “It's not just a humble priest's weapon, you know.”

Rin didn't reply. She couldn't believe how much like Inuyasha he looked, and how Inuyasha's boyish smile held the same charm, -- when he wasn't trying to be cocky, that is.

She also didn't realize that she was staring at him until Shirogane pulled his staff back and settled it back on the ground, saying lightly to fill the sudden, prolonged silence, “I can see you're unimpressed. But I promise the only reason I came out was to check on Kagome. I owe her a huge debt of gratitude for trying to protect my sister today. After that I was planning on going -“ he continued, but she cut him off, surprising him by stepping closer to him, actually taking him by the arm and turning him away from the door.

“Oh no,” she protested hurriedly, “I just finished attending to her, and she needs complete rest - no disturbances.”

“But if you just finished attending her, how come I found you peeking in on her?” Shirogane asked quizzically, giving her a strange look as she dragged him away from the hut, even though they moved at his slow, limping pace.

“Well, that's because I was imposing my own rule upon myself,” she babbled with a nervous laugh. “Anyway, you couldn't express your, er, gratitude now to her regardless, because she's still sleeping.” Well… Rin silently comforted herself, pausing in the middle of the lane to glance back at Kagome's hut, at least that part was true.

It had been ten years since Inuyasha had had a chance to see Kagome, and Rin wanted her friend to have a little time alone with her since it might be the only chance he got. Who knew what kind of relationship this man, Shirogane, had with her? When tomorrow came and Kagome woke up, she might not even want to talk to Inuyasha. It was a horrible thought, and it made Rin want to cry.

“A- are you all right?” Shirogane asked, nonplussed as he watched the myriad of emotions wash across the young miko's expressive face.

He felt slightly alarmed when her lower lip began to tremble. She appeared to be such a sweet girl, but her moods were even more complicated than his sister's.

Seeming to compose herself then, she drew in a breath and the quivering stopped. “I'm fine,” she managed in a normal voice, turning the conversation away from Kagome, to a subject that had concerned her earlier and one that she knew would concern him as well. “but I would like to talk to you about your sister. I'm worried about her.”

Shirogane's face lost its amiable expression, becoming alert and guarded, and a trifle guilt-ridden as well, if Rin wasn't mistaken.

“You haven't checked on her yet have you?”

Rin's perceptiveness made him uncomfortable, and he somehow felt as if he'd done something dishonorable.

Not wanting to answer her, Shirogane looked away, requesting stiffly, ”Tell me what it is that concerns you.”

“She wouldn't let me examine her,” Rin confessed, and Shirogane stopped walking, turning to look down at her.

“What do you mean?” he asked, the image of his sister's defeated posture rising in his mind. Why would she shun help? Shirogane found the thought disturbing.

“She said she would do it herself,” Rin replied, “and so I left her some things and sent Shippou down to the stream to fetch some extra cool water. He should be coming back soon.”

Rin paused and looked down at her hands feeling slightly awkward. Even though he was a virtual stranger, his familiar face made her feel like she knew him, like her heart could trust him. And because of his sister, she wanted to share with him something that was very personal, but she had no wish to offend him or make him feel like she was prying into matters that didn't concern her. But just remembering the fragile look in Yukino's eyes when Rin tried to help her made Rin press on and she decided that, whether she offended him or not, she should speak her mind.

“I understand how it feels when something violent happens,” Rin admitted hesitantly, feeling her way around the words, and fidgeting with the knot of her obi as they continued to stand in the middle of the lane. “My entire family was brutally murdered when I was just a child and for the longest time, I withdrew from the world and didn't speak. I trusted no one and then one day…I met someone… very special who helped me to get over my loss.” She offered Shirogane an open smile. “He is like my family and I feel very fortunate that I had him to help me. I don't know what I would have done had it not been for him during that time.

“I think your sister is experiencing something similar to what I experienced. She's reacting to what happened with Lokki and she doesn't want any strangers --” she put her hand to her chest and said, “strangers being me, around her. I thought,” Rin began to suggest, “that if perhaps you were to go and talk to her, or to help her, she might feel better…” but she realized immediately that she hadn't needed to suggest it at all, for Shirogane had already turned and was limping towards the place where his sister was lodging.

“Of course,” he replied as he painstakingly made his way, and then looking back over his shoulder, he offered her a grateful smile, saying, “Thank you for being so concerned, Rin. You are very kind-hearted.”

Rin waved away his thanks, relieved that he'd understood. “I'm a miko,” she responded candidly, “it's my job to be concerned. Oh, and if you happen to see Shippou, er, tell him not to disturb Kagome tonight. I know how anxious he's been about her, but his visits with her will have to wait until tomorrow.”

Shirogane nodded and she turned and headed home, towards the thatch covered hut that she shared with Sango, ready to turn in for the night. Stretching, her arms wide to relieve some of the tiredness she was feeling, she half-grimaced as her skin pulled at the scratches that covered her chest and stomach. How fortunate to have come through the night's ordeals with just a handful of cuts when it could have been far, far worse, she reflected, had it not been for the timely arrival of Atsuji, the youkai who had saved her. It was funny, she thought, as she passed by the hut Atsuji and Shirogane were supposed to be sharing, but the first time she'd seen Atsuji up close, she'd thought he was a woman, he was so pretty. It wasn't until she'd actually removed his kimono to attend to his wounds that she'd been convinced that she was wrong and that Inuyasha had been correct in calling Atsuji a “he”.

Just then a loud crash came from inside Atsuji's door, interrupting her musings, and she jerked to a halt, craning her neck, startled. After the initial racket, silence reigned, but Rin's concern did not abate. Turning on her heel, she swerved towards the bamboo shade and looked past it, inside.

Gasping in dismay, she found Atsuji half-naked from the waist up, sprawled face down across the floor. Shards of broken pottery littered the area around his left leg which was still ensnarled in his bedclothes that had somehow managed to drape themselves across the top of a tansu**, the place where the pottery had been stacked before he'd knocked it to the floor.

Apparently, Rin surmised from his outstretched hand, he was trying to get to his Chigi-riki mace that she'd put into the corner and out of the way. How he'd managed to make such a huge mess was quite amazing.

“What on earth are you doing?” she asked faintly, rushing forward and unwrapping his awkwardly bent leg, feeling it through the dark blue folds of his hakama to make sure that no bones had been broken. “You're much too weak to be moving around!” she scolded, wondering how he could possibly still be awake, considering the fact that she'd given him the same medicinal tea that she'd given Shirogane - only with a higher concentration of herbs. He should be fast asleep by now, she thought in consternation, before reminding herself that a full-blooded youkai's constitution was quite different from that of a human's.

“I broke your pots,” he mumbled weakly through the veil of blue-green hair that covered his face. “I'm sorry.”

Poor thing! He sounds so forlorn, she thought, and her soft heart went out to him as she stooped to remove the broken shards.

“It's all right,” she assured him with a smile, feeling bad for reprimanding him now. “Better to have broken pots than a broken Atsuji.”

Once the sharp pieces were out of the way, she moved towards his bare back, looking at the huge lacerations she'd sewn up earlier, hoping that he hadn't accidentally ripped them open by falling. Compared to the light wounds that she'd received, his had been ten times worse, and she would hate to think what his Chigi-riki mace would be capable of if he ever learned to wield it properly. All that energy focused on just one target -- it might even rival the Tetsusaiga in its youki ability.

“You are so kind,” he mumbled again, and Rin's lip quirked into a kind of half-smile. Two men in the space of a few minutes telling her that she was kind. She didn't feel that way. She just felt… like plain and simple Rin…

“I'm not being kind, you silly boy,” she retorted lightly, sitting back on her heels, satisfied that no serious damage had been incurred, “I'm trying to keep you alive. Which is why you shouldn't be trying to move about on your own! At least not until your wounds start to heal.”

One of Atsuji's beautiful aqua eyes peeked out at her from behind the hair and she smiled warmly at it, surprised when it seemed to upset him and he started to try to rise and stand.

“What are you doing?” Rin asked, surging towards him, latching onto his arm with both hands in alarm.

“You don't understand!” Atsuji panted, “I have to go. She'll know! She'll recognize the smell and she'll come! I've never defied her before, so I know she'll come!”

“What are you talking about?” Rin demanded, confused, trying to help him rise to his feet and subdue him at the same time to keep him from leaving the hut.

“She'll come looking for me!” he ranted wildly, “and because it all revolves around him, she'll try to get him to come along as well.” He stopped and shivered.

“Who is she?” Rin asked, still completely lost, tugging on his arm and leaning back to keep him from swaying to and fro so much.

“My sister,” he replied in a lackluster way.

“And the `he' would be?” she asked absently, shuffling her feet, thinking how heavy he was as he dragged her forward, tottering off-balance.

“The most awesome, fearsome, youkai I have ever met. My sister's betrothed.” For a moment he managed to stand straight, his eyes shining in admiration as he pictured in his mind's eye Sesshoumaru's remote features. But as the image faded, he began to sway again, like a giant tree caught in the wind in his efforts to take a step towards the door.

“And how do you know that they will come here?” Rin asked in a strained voice, still hanging onto him to try and keep him from going anywhere.

“Because --” his face flushed and he averted his gaze away from her. “I was supposed to return to her, and I did not. I wanted to stay where I was. I wanted to stay here.”

“But now you don't?” she asked, still lost, a little relieved when he stopped moving.

“No,” he shook his head, his eyes coming back to her with an intensity that made her want to blush, “I still want to stay, but I cannot. I cannot let her destroy this village because of me!”

Rin's eyes widened at that. “She would destroy this village just because you didn't return when you were supposed to?”

With a groan, Atsuji raised his hand and covered his eyes.

“I love my sister, but she has a terrible temper! She has done things much worse than that when she is crossed or does not get her way.”

Rin privately wondered how a nice person like Atsuji could have such an atrociously ruthless sister like the one he was describing. It just seemed impossible. Perhaps he was just exaggerating…? she mused, uncertainly.

“Well Inuyasha and my friends can keep your sister and her ferocious sounding betrothed from destroying the village so you needn't worry about that - all you need to worry about is getting better,” she told him cheerfully, trying to lead him back to the tatami mat where he'd been laying, surreptitiously noting that his chest was covered with perspiration.

His body was not ready to be moving about, and no matter what he said, she needed to get him to rest she thought with determination.

“With your youkai powers, all you really need is a few days, and you'll be as good as new!”

She tugged at his arm, but despite all his swaying to and fro, his feet weren't budging. So she shifted, leaning towards him, her eyes pleading until she saw the torn expression on his face. Maybe switching tactics wasn't such a good idea, she concluded. So she pasted her encouraging smile back on and patted his arm.

“It's okay, Atsuji,” she soothed in a motherly voice, feeling a little silly, since she was so small and he was so big. “Nothing is going to happen to this village. I promise you. Inuyasha protects this village and were he to fail, then I would seek help from his older brother Sesshoumaru, for assistance -“

Atsuji's arm jerked slightly, tensing beneath her fingers and she paused uncertainly.

“S-sesshoumaru?” he murmured breathlessly, his other hand coming up to cover hers, his eyes roving searchingly over her upturned face.

“Sesshoumaru is Inuyasha's older brother,” Rin nodded, “but I have known him since I was a child. He brought me here to this village, and I guard the Shikon no Tama as a way of helping him to accomplish his goal of…. - Are you all right?” Rin broke off, concerned by the frozen look that had congealed his features as he stared off into space.

“No, I'm fine,” he mumbled, his body relaxing a bit as he brought his gaze back down to her, a calculating glint in his eye. “So he watches over you even now?”

“Oh no,” Rin replied with a wan smile, trying to sound normal as she said, “I haven't seen him since he gave Inuyasha the right to protect me, which was ten years ago.” She didn't want anyone to know how much she missed Sesshoumaru; not even this kind youkai who had saved her life.

“But what about when Inuyasha is in his human form, like tonight… surely he sends someone to watch over you then?” Atsuji asked casually, even though he already knew the answer to that. He was surprised by Rin's answer however.

“No,” Rin replied slowly, “why would you think that?”

So she didn't know, he mused. How interesting…

“No reason,” he replied innocently, “But you believe he would protect you and this village if you asked him to?”

“Oh yes,” Rin nodded confidently, giving his arm one more tug, “but I don't' believe it will come to that.” A pleased smile lit her eyes when Atsuji started taking small steps forward, allowing her to lead him back in the direction of his mat. “As I said, we can protect this village if we need to. We have been doing so for a very long time from many oni and tengu that seek to wield the power of the Shikon no Tama.”

“Not only that, but I believe that once your sister realizes that you are safe, she'll just be glad to have you back, considering that you were almost killed!”

They were only a few steps away from his mat now and he stopped moving again, gently capturing her wrist in his grasp and not releasing it even when she tried to pull it free. Rin gave him a curious look, surprised by his action, but not particularly alarmed, for deep down she felt if he thought she was distressed, he would let her go.

“What if I said I would stay in exchange for a favor?” he asked, a childishly crafty look shadowing his eyes.

Rin offered him another friendly smile. He was so much like an anxious puppy that she found it hard to take him seriously. “I would have to ask what the favor was - but it would be hard to refuse you, considering you saved my life.”

His next words wiped the smile off her face, replacing it with a tide of rising color.

“A kiss,” he blurted out. “I want a kiss,” and then just to make sure that she understood, “from you, not Sango, or the other girl…” he saw the blush, and thought that his chances were hopelessly abysmal so he desperately added, “I've never had a chance to kiss a human before!! But ever since the first time I saw you, I've been unable to look away. You're so fair, and you have such an incredibly… sweet smile - and I have been wondering what it would feel like and, and -“ he broke off, his eyes bulging and his mouth hanging open because she'd just said something and he wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly. “I'm s-s-orry. W-what did you say?” he stuttered, looking utterly disconcerted.

“I said that I'll kiss you,” she replied serenely despite her heightened color, and then held up her hand, “but only one kiss, Atsuji, and then you have to lie down!” she ordered, privately wondering what had driven her to agree to such an insane thing.

She was just trying to be a good miko and get him to rest, but this really pushed the boundaries of what a miko should and shouldn't do! Her feelings of dismay faded a little at seeing Atsuji's pure and exuberant joy at her acceptance though. It was hard to feel upset when he seemed so happy!

She'd never seen anyone get so excited over the prospect of a kiss, but yet here he was, his whole face shining, his eyes brimming with excitement, and she had no doubt that if he'd had a tail, it would have been wagging. She did her best to suppress the bubble of laughter that threatened to spill from her lips at his complete guilelessness. It shone as an irrepressible sparkle in her own dark brown eyes that captured Atsuji's ever admiring attention, firing his excitement even more.

“Well since you've never kissed a human before, maybe I should take the lead,” Rin suggested awkwardly. “If that's all right?”

After a moment of serious contemplation he nodded slowly, and again she hid a smile.

“All right then. The first thing you need to do for a proper human kiss is to be close to me, so I'll move a little closer,” she said, inching a snail's breadth closer to him, not wanting to get too close.

“Okay,” she craned her neck to look up into his face, feeling slightly absurd, since she had not the first clue as to what she was doing - but she didn't want him to know that. “The next thing you should do is close your eyes.”

She paused until he had his eyes closed before continuing, her voice becoming softer. “The next thing necessary for a proper human kiss is the embrace. Your hands are supposed to be resting on my shoulders, but since you already have your eyes closed, I'll help you with that,” she told him, and reaching down she lightly guided his hands to her shoulders. “You don't have to grip so tightly, Atsuji. You're not wrestling with a tanuki**,” she told him with a hint of laughter of in her voice. “That's better,” she murmured when he lightened his grip. “Okay, third you need to lean down a bit,” she told him, and watched as he bent his head, his cheeks becoming flushed in anticipation.

Standing on her tip toes, Rin leaned up and placed a small quick peck on his cheek and then brightly chirped, “There! You've been kissed! Now it's time to lie back down.”

Quickly escaping from his grasp she motioned towards the mat, completely ignoring the comical look of dismay he was giving her.

“Hey!” he complained, his beautiful, azure eyes full of reproach, “no fair! That wasn't a kiss!” He put his hand to his cheek.

“It wasn't?” she asked with a surprised tilt of her eyebrow.

He continued to eye her, his lower lip protruding in a puppy dog pout as he admitted in a grumbling way, “Okay it was. “-- But it wasn't the right kind of kiss!” he sulked as he found himself being settled onto his mat, and tucked beneath the blankets once more.

Once she finished with the blankets, Rin paused and looked into his critical blue-green eyes.

Innocently widening her own she replied, “I thought you said you'd never kissed a human before.”

“Well, I haven't,” he mumbled grumpily, averting his gaze, his long lashes sweeping against his cheeks, “but I know what a kiss is supposed to be like!”

“Well you obviously have a lot to learn about humans then,” Rin replied cheerfully, patting his shoulder before she rose to her feet, “because there are lots of different ways to kiss.”

At her words his ill humor seemed to vanish, replaced by a sudden keen interest in what she'd just intimated.

“You'll teach me then?” he asked exuberantly and she felt her face flame.

“Er, no,” she replied as she headed for the door, utterly appalled at herself for even giving him the idea.

“Oh, please?” he called after her, “Even if I promise to be a really good boy?!”

“Not even then, Atsuji,” Rin replied, pausing at the door, wishing more than anything to be outside where the air could bring some relief to her heated cheeks. “There are just some things that are not proper for a miko to teach you.”

And with that she escaped into the night, leaving Atsuji staring morosely after her.

Well, he sighed to himself, putting his hand to his cheek as his closed his eyes, --it had been butterfly soft-- … at least I know how one kind of kiss feels - but still… I want her to teach me the others! I want to know how those feel as well…perhaps tomorrow…

And like a child who's had too much excitement, he was suddenly fast asleep before he could finish the thought.

 

Notes:

 

Engawa** Narrow wooden veranda or porch that runs along the outside of upper scale housing

Yari** a yari is a long spear pole arm

Irori** the small fire usually found in the domo - the central workplace of the home - the domo always had an earthen floor although in nicer homes, the floor around the domo might be made of wood.

Tatami** a rush mat of woven bamboo popular for sitting on, and at times sleeping on (futons are for sleeping but this became the regular custom after the feudal era)

Tansu** storage chest

Tanuki** a Japanese animal that closely resembles a cross between a fox and a raccoon and has many myths and legends surrounding it. Its English name means “raccoon dog” although it is neither a raccoon nor a dog. In the Japanese Anime “Inuyasha” Hachi is a tanuki.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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