InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Inheritance Ver. 2.0 ❯ Chapter 2
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: PrincessMelissa83 
Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 06.26.2007 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.5K | Visits: 314 | Status: Work In Progress
Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 06.26.2007 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.5K | Visits: 314 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter Two
“What’s a governess?” Rin questioned, trying to turn her head to look at the old youkai who was washing her hair. They were in the bathing room, which had been stylized after the public bath houses of Rome. The floor was ceramic tile with a large rectangular pool dug into the center, a fountain on one end and entry stairs at the other. For an adult, the water would reach to their waist. She sat on one of the top steps with her knees drawn up to her chest while Uta knelt behind her, working a lilac scented soap into her hair.
“Someone who teaches a child that isn’t a parent,” Uta answered. As gruff as her manner seemed to outsiders, she was quite gentle with her human child. “Now, rinse.” She gave the little girl a light shove and sat back on her heels.
Rin giggled and dove into the water, going under for a long moment before floating to the top and shaking the hair from her eyes. “What if Rin does not want a governess?”
Uta had moved from the edge of the pool and was unfolding a rice paper package. “If Rin wishes to stay with Lord Sesshomaru, she will learn all that Umika is willing to teach her.” She laid the contents of the package on a bench that sat against the wall and unfolded a large towel. “It’s time to dress. Umika will be waiting.”
The little girl pouted and swam back to the steps, climbing out and letting the bat youkai wrap her in the towel and dry her off. “But Uta-baba, Rin has never had a governess before. Why must Rin have one now?” She was totally engulfed by the material and her voice was muffled.
Uta sighed and let the towel fall to floor, turning to grab a white bundle and drape it around Rin’s shoulders. The child raised her arms and slid them through the under kimono’s sleeves, letting the old woman tie the sash that kept it together.
“Because Sesshomaru-sama has decided your education is an important matter,” Uta replied, turning her back to the girl once more, this time to pick up a pink kimono sprinkled with white flowers. She slid it on the child in the same manner of the under kimono and wrapped the first obi around her waist. “And with good reason, too, I imagine. Bah! Don’t human children ever grow?”
The hem of the child’s kimono pooled on the floor at her feet and the nanny had to untie the sash, and lift the material so that the hem came to the little girl’s ankles and tie the obi once more, letting the extra material drape over the belt. That done, a second obi of white silk was wrapped around to hide the excess kimono and tied in an elaborate bow in the back.
“What reason would Sesshomaru-sama have for Rin’s learning?” The girl asked, innocently.
The youkai lifted her withered hand and grasped the young girl’s chin, looking at her with disbelief. “You really don’t understand, do you?” When Rin continued to stare at her with wide brown eyes, the old woman chuckled. “Well, none of us knows for certain, but it’s none of my business to tell you. I’ll leave that up to his lordship.” Releasing the child’s chin, she turned her and started running a brush through her tangled tresses.
-----
Umika unrolled a parchment and read over its contents before rolling it back up and setting it aside. While she really held no contempt for mortal humans, she could understand why everyone else seemed to be uneasy about their leader's having ordered an education for the one that trailed him. He obviously planned on keeping her around for quite some time and the presence of any human among a youkai clan was enough to keep people on their guard. Humans had an odd sense of honor and if they discovered one of their own was living with them, they might come after her. A human was really no match for the power of a youkai, but these youkai had children of their own they had to worry about - children who were still vulnerable to human attacks.
A knock on the door caught her attention and she called for them to enter. The screen door slid open and she saw the human child standing in the doorway. She seemed to be listening to something that was being said before hurrying in and clumsily bowing to Umika. Uta looked around the door and chuckled. "Don't let her tear that kimono, Umika-chan, or stain it. Just call for me when you're through with her."
"Thank you, Uta-san," the inu youkai replied, smiling at the child in spite of herself. As the door slid closed, she smoothed the skirt of her kimono under her knees and sat, motioning for Rin to sit before her. "I think that we should spend this morning getting to know one another and start on lessons later, what do you think, Rin-chan?"
The girl nodded, keeping her eyes on Umika, seemingly having lost her voice for the moment. Umika tilted her head in curiosity. She had heard that the child was extremely talkative and annoying with her constant bombardment of questions. Still, the information had come from Jaken and she wondered if he could be trusted. "Well, do you have anything to ask me?"
"What does Rin have to learn?"
The inu blanched, not having been forewarned of Rin's backward speach patterns. Catching herself, however, she folded her hands in her lap. "First, you are going to have to learn to speak properly and how to behave in the way expected of a young lady in a lord's house. Then you are going to learn how to read and to write and to work numbers. You have not learned any of those things, have you, Rin-chan?"
Rin shook her head. "Rin didn't have time. Rin was too busy catching fish."
"Catching fish?"
"To eat. Rin had to catch fish to eat, but Rin couldn't let the villagers see her. If the villagers saw Rin, they would run throw stones." The little girl's expression was solemn and she lowered her eyes to look at the tatami mat she sat on. "The villagers didn't like Rin so Sesshomaru-sama took Rin away."
Umika was beginning to feel sympathy for the girl and a new respect for her lord. "Oh? How did you meet Sesshomaru-sama?"
"Rin found -"
"Say I, Rin-chan," Umika interrupted, deciding that this particular lesson could not wait. "You are Rin so you should refer to yourself as I."
"Rin knows she is Rin."
"So say so. Say 'I know I am Rin.' That is the proper way to speak."
Rin made a face and played with the sleeve of her kimono. "I know I am Rin," she muttered, emphasizing the same way Umika had done. Honestly, she couldn't see anything wrong with the way she spoke. No one had ever said anything to her before and if Sesshomaru-sama didn't care, why sould anyone else? It just wasn't fair.
The woman nodded. "Now, please, continue and tell me how you met Sesshomaru-sama."
Speaking in a way that Umika considered proper was unfamiliar to the child and she stumbled with her words, stuttering when it came to using a word she was unfamiliar. "Rin - I - was walking in the woods and found Sesshomaru-sama against a tree, hurt. R-I brought Sesshomaru-sama food , trying to help, but the villagers didn't like m-me taking so many fish and chased m-me. I hid in an old hut until the ookami youkai attacked the village and then I ran to see Sesshomaru-sama. Jaken-sama says that Rin never made it, that Sesshomaru-sama found Rin and used his magic sword on Rin." Her voice had lowered towards the end, her face scrunched up as if she were trying hard to think of something and unable to bring it to mind. "But Rin does not remember."
She had started speaking in third person again and Umika sighed. This was not going to be easy. "He revived you with the Tenseiga?" The stoic lord of the west had used his father's sword to revive a human? Now that was hard to believe and yet here sat the proof. "Then you, Rin-chan are one lucky little girl. Now, come sit next to me and we will start by learning the proper way to greet people."
“What’s a governess?” Rin questioned, trying to turn her head to look at the old youkai who was washing her hair. They were in the bathing room, which had been stylized after the public bath houses of Rome. The floor was ceramic tile with a large rectangular pool dug into the center, a fountain on one end and entry stairs at the other. For an adult, the water would reach to their waist. She sat on one of the top steps with her knees drawn up to her chest while Uta knelt behind her, working a lilac scented soap into her hair.
“Someone who teaches a child that isn’t a parent,” Uta answered. As gruff as her manner seemed to outsiders, she was quite gentle with her human child. “Now, rinse.” She gave the little girl a light shove and sat back on her heels.
Rin giggled and dove into the water, going under for a long moment before floating to the top and shaking the hair from her eyes. “What if Rin does not want a governess?”
Uta had moved from the edge of the pool and was unfolding a rice paper package. “If Rin wishes to stay with Lord Sesshomaru, she will learn all that Umika is willing to teach her.” She laid the contents of the package on a bench that sat against the wall and unfolded a large towel. “It’s time to dress. Umika will be waiting.”
The little girl pouted and swam back to the steps, climbing out and letting the bat youkai wrap her in the towel and dry her off. “But Uta-baba, Rin has never had a governess before. Why must Rin have one now?” She was totally engulfed by the material and her voice was muffled.
Uta sighed and let the towel fall to floor, turning to grab a white bundle and drape it around Rin’s shoulders. The child raised her arms and slid them through the under kimono’s sleeves, letting the old woman tie the sash that kept it together.
“Because Sesshomaru-sama has decided your education is an important matter,” Uta replied, turning her back to the girl once more, this time to pick up a pink kimono sprinkled with white flowers. She slid it on the child in the same manner of the under kimono and wrapped the first obi around her waist. “And with good reason, too, I imagine. Bah! Don’t human children ever grow?”
The hem of the child’s kimono pooled on the floor at her feet and the nanny had to untie the sash, and lift the material so that the hem came to the little girl’s ankles and tie the obi once more, letting the extra material drape over the belt. That done, a second obi of white silk was wrapped around to hide the excess kimono and tied in an elaborate bow in the back.
“What reason would Sesshomaru-sama have for Rin’s learning?” The girl asked, innocently.
The youkai lifted her withered hand and grasped the young girl’s chin, looking at her with disbelief. “You really don’t understand, do you?” When Rin continued to stare at her with wide brown eyes, the old woman chuckled. “Well, none of us knows for certain, but it’s none of my business to tell you. I’ll leave that up to his lordship.” Releasing the child’s chin, she turned her and started running a brush through her tangled tresses.
-----
Umika unrolled a parchment and read over its contents before rolling it back up and setting it aside. While she really held no contempt for mortal humans, she could understand why everyone else seemed to be uneasy about their leader's having ordered an education for the one that trailed him. He obviously planned on keeping her around for quite some time and the presence of any human among a youkai clan was enough to keep people on their guard. Humans had an odd sense of honor and if they discovered one of their own was living with them, they might come after her. A human was really no match for the power of a youkai, but these youkai had children of their own they had to worry about - children who were still vulnerable to human attacks.
A knock on the door caught her attention and she called for them to enter. The screen door slid open and she saw the human child standing in the doorway. She seemed to be listening to something that was being said before hurrying in and clumsily bowing to Umika. Uta looked around the door and chuckled. "Don't let her tear that kimono, Umika-chan, or stain it. Just call for me when you're through with her."
"Thank you, Uta-san," the inu youkai replied, smiling at the child in spite of herself. As the door slid closed, she smoothed the skirt of her kimono under her knees and sat, motioning for Rin to sit before her. "I think that we should spend this morning getting to know one another and start on lessons later, what do you think, Rin-chan?"
The girl nodded, keeping her eyes on Umika, seemingly having lost her voice for the moment. Umika tilted her head in curiosity. She had heard that the child was extremely talkative and annoying with her constant bombardment of questions. Still, the information had come from Jaken and she wondered if he could be trusted. "Well, do you have anything to ask me?"
"What does Rin have to learn?"
The inu blanched, not having been forewarned of Rin's backward speach patterns. Catching herself, however, she folded her hands in her lap. "First, you are going to have to learn to speak properly and how to behave in the way expected of a young lady in a lord's house. Then you are going to learn how to read and to write and to work numbers. You have not learned any of those things, have you, Rin-chan?"
Rin shook her head. "Rin didn't have time. Rin was too busy catching fish."
"Catching fish?"
"To eat. Rin had to catch fish to eat, but Rin couldn't let the villagers see her. If the villagers saw Rin, they would run throw stones." The little girl's expression was solemn and she lowered her eyes to look at the tatami mat she sat on. "The villagers didn't like Rin so Sesshomaru-sama took Rin away."
Umika was beginning to feel sympathy for the girl and a new respect for her lord. "Oh? How did you meet Sesshomaru-sama?"
"Rin found -"
"Say I, Rin-chan," Umika interrupted, deciding that this particular lesson could not wait. "You are Rin so you should refer to yourself as I."
"Rin knows she is Rin."
"So say so. Say 'I know I am Rin.' That is the proper way to speak."
Rin made a face and played with the sleeve of her kimono. "I know I am Rin," she muttered, emphasizing the same way Umika had done. Honestly, she couldn't see anything wrong with the way she spoke. No one had ever said anything to her before and if Sesshomaru-sama didn't care, why sould anyone else? It just wasn't fair.
The woman nodded. "Now, please, continue and tell me how you met Sesshomaru-sama."
Speaking in a way that Umika considered proper was unfamiliar to the child and she stumbled with her words, stuttering when it came to using a word she was unfamiliar. "Rin - I - was walking in the woods and found Sesshomaru-sama against a tree, hurt. R-I brought Sesshomaru-sama food , trying to help, but the villagers didn't like m-me taking so many fish and chased m-me. I hid in an old hut until the ookami youkai attacked the village and then I ran to see Sesshomaru-sama. Jaken-sama says that Rin never made it, that Sesshomaru-sama found Rin and used his magic sword on Rin." Her voice had lowered towards the end, her face scrunched up as if she were trying hard to think of something and unable to bring it to mind. "But Rin does not remember."
She had started speaking in third person again and Umika sighed. This was not going to be easy. "He revived you with the Tenseiga?" The stoic lord of the west had used his father's sword to revive a human? Now that was hard to believe and yet here sat the proof. "Then you, Rin-chan are one lucky little girl. Now, come sit next to me and we will start by learning the proper way to greet people."