InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Price of Freedom ❯ Questions ( Chapter 8 )

 

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I don't own InuYasha or the characters within… le sigh

 

 

Chapter 8 `Questions'

 

InuYasha had found two of his old gi's and gave them to Sango and Kagome to change into. Once he returned to his room after walking Kagome to hers, he thought about the events of the morning.

 

If Sesshomaru hadn't slept in for the first time in his life, he would have been in the SUV when it exploded. His car wouldn't start for some reason, so he and the others had asked for a ride with Sesshomaru. Had they not asked for a ride, Sesshomaru and Rin would have been in the car when it exploded. If Sesshomaru hadn't sensed the bomb when he did, Rin would be dead right now.

 

He wasn't letting Kagome out of his sight anymore. Where she went he went, and where he went, she went, bottom line. If she didn't like it, tough shit, she'd get over it.

 

She'd move into his room. He'd sleep on the couch and she could have his bed. Hell, Rin and Sango could sleep in there too for all he cared, his bed was big enough for all three of them. All that mattered was that Kagome be near him at all times. But if he kept her confined like that, he would be no better than Naraku. Sighing he realized he had to come up with a better way. He just couldn't think of a better way right now. So until he thought of one, she stayed with him.

 

A knock on his door brought him back to earth. “Come in.” He said as he put on his gi. Miroku walked in. “Hey we still have fifteen minutes `til we need to be in the dojo, so I wanted to talk to you about something.”

 

“Shoot.” InuYasha said as he sat down in his recliner with a bottle of water.

 

“I've been thinking. I don't think it's a good idea to leave the girls alone.” Miroku walked over to the mini fridge and grabbed himself a bottle of water. “I mean, it was one thing when they were all sharing a room. I mean, you and me on one side, and Fluffy on the other.” He sat down on the couch and took a big gulp of water. “Now they have separate rooms, and they are a floor below us. I don't like it.” Raising the bottle of water to his lips for another drink he sighed, “I just don't like it.” Then he took another sip. He lowered the bottle and gestured with it to InuYasha. “What do you think?”

 

Sighing he rose, “I don't like it either.” He started pacing back and forth making wild gestures with his hands as he talked. Water sloshed out of the bottle every time he moved his arm. “Hell, I don't know what the fuck to do. I was seriously contemplating making Kagome move into my room so I could protect her.” He stopped and glared at Miroku who had a smirk on his face. “You get that damn look of your face monk. I didn't mean it like that!”

 

Miroku chuckled. “Lighten up dog boy. I know what you meant. Your intentions are completely honorable.” Rising he started walking towards the door. “Come on before we're late. We'll swing by the girls' rooms. When we're done with their first lesson, I think we should talk to them about our concerns.” Walking out into the hall he waited for InuYasha to join him. “I'm sure they'd appreciate the fact that we are including them in decisions that concern them.”

 

InuYasha shut his bedroom door. “Oh I get it. Kinda like making them think that we are leaving the final decision up to them, when in fact they have no say in the matter whatsoever.” InuYasha smiled.

 

“I think you're finally learning something about women InuYasha.” Chuckling they walked down the hall to get the girls.

 

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Did he just say what I think he said? Rin stared at Sesshomaru. She couldn't believe the words that just came out of his mouth. “Come again?”

 

Finally she managed to say something, but it wasn't what he was expecting. “Rin, will you be my mate?” She's trying to kill me, isn't she? She's just sitting there, staring at me.

 

Rin couldn't believe it. She had heard it with her own ears, but she still didn't believe it. “Why?”

 

That's not what he was expecting either. “Why should you marry me?” He asked in response to her question.

 

“Yes… I mean no. What I'm trying to say is, why me? Why do you want me to be your mate?”

 

Ok, now he was getting confused. Didn't she know he loved her? He told her enough, didn't he? “Rin, I…”

 

“And don't you dare say to protect me because if you do I swear to all holy Buddha I will beat you to within an inch of your life.”

 

Smiling he caressed her cheek with his hand. So that's what this is all about. She thinks I just want to protect her. She's so damn cute. He noticed that she was wearing the necklace he gave her. He thought it was time to explain.

 

The necklace lay against her skin, close to her heart. He looked into her eyes as he took the necklace in his hand. “I never told you the whole story behind this necklace, did I?” He let the necklace fall back to its spot on her chest.

 

Is he trying to dodge my question? Well, he could try all he wanted. I'll play along with his game for now. One way or the other, he'll tell me the reason why he chose me. “No, you didn't. All you said was that it was your mother's, and it was special. Now stop avoiding my question.”

 

He chuckled. For being afraid of me at first, she sure is willing to go toe to toe with me now. God how I love this woman! Standing up from the bed he walked towards his bureau. “I'm not going to lie to you Rin, I have dated many women. However, never once have I even thought about giving any of them that necklace. The necklace was my mother's. She gave it to my father before she died with instructions to give it to me, along with a letter, this letter.” From his drawer he produced an envelope that Rin could tell was very old. It had turned a tea color from age, and some of the edges were frayed.

 

She looked up at him as he handed her the letter. “Read it.” He walked back towards the bureau and dug through the drawer for another piece of jewelry that belonged to his mother. Finding it, he opened the box that held his mother's ring. He put the ring in his pocket and put the case back in his bureau. With his hand in his pocket, he turned around to see that tears were starting to flow down her face, as she held the letter in her hand.

 

“What's wrong Rin?”

 

Sniffling, she looked up at him. “Kagome and Sango said they would teach me, but I can't.”

 

Understanding dawned on him, as he walked over and sat on the bed next to her. “I'll help you too.”

 

She handed him the letter, and he read:

 

My dearest son, Sesshomaru,

 

I am sorry that I will not be there to see you grow into a man. I am saddened that I will not be able to see you fall in love, or see any of your pups.

 

Even though you are young as I write this letter, I know that you will be very picky when it comes to choosing your mate. You are such a picky child now as it is, I can only imagine what you will be like when you are older. I pity the poor girl who captures your heart, for she will be in for some very trying times. However, because of this, I know that the woman you choose as your mate will be the most wonderful woman.

 

Your father gave me this necklace, which I now give to you. This necklace is intended for the woman whom you give your heart to, the woman whom you intend to be your mate.

 

Always remember Sesshomaru, that I love you with all my being. The happiest day of my life was when I gave birth to you. My life in this world will be short, and because of that, I give you this piece of advice. Live your life to the fullest, and enjoy every minute you have with those you love. Do not hide your love for anyone. When you find that love, share it with her, for you never know what tomorrow will hold.

 

Take care, my precious one. Always remember that I love you, and I will always be with you.

 

Mother

 

When he finished reading the letter, she fully understood why things were moving as fast as they were. She also realized that Izayoi was right. Sesshomaru would not marry her in order to protect her. He would marry her because he loved her.

 

He wiped the tears from her face as he kneeled in front of her. “Now do you understand?”

 

She nodded her head as she looked at him. She didn't trust her voice. Tears were still falling silently down her cheeks.

 

She was sitting on the edge of the bed now, with Sesshomaru kneeling in front of her. He slowly shifted so he was on one knee. His right hand slowly crept into his pocket. His hand closed around the ring as he brought his hand out of his pocket. Taking her left hand in his, he looked up into her eyes.

 

“I love you Rin. I have since the moment you ran into my arms in the forest. I have never been the type of man who showed emotion. You are the first person who ever brought out those feelings in me. You're the only person I've ever let boss me around, slight as it may be.” He smirked at her as she let a slight giggle escape her lips. “I love watching you smile when you think I'm not looking, and I love hearing you laugh.” He brought his hand out of his pocket, the ring still in the palm of his hand so Rin couldn't see. “Those are the reasons I want you to be my mate Rin, not just so I can protect you, but because you are the piece of my heart that was always missing in my life.”

 

Opening his hand he smiled up at her. “Rin, I ask you again, will you be my mate?”

 

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Kagome had finished changing into InuYasha's old training gi when there was a knock on her door. Tying her hair up in a ponytail, she walked over to open the door. Kagome answered the door to find Sango in the hallway. “Looks like yours fits better than mine.” Kagome laughed as she held the door open for Sango.

 

“Well, I'm sure that after today master Inutaisho will see to it that we get our own gi's that will fit us properly.” Sango walked into Kagome's room and sat down on some pillows that were laid out on the floor. “Did you know that your room is directly below InuYasha's?”

 

“Really?” Kagome asked as she looked up at the ceiling. “Hmph. Did you check out the view from your balcony yet?” Walking towards her balcony doors Kagome opened them and walked out. “The view is really beautiful from here.” Looking past the gardens she searched for the hot spring she and InuYasha had shared, she couldn't find it.

 

Sango walked out onto the balcony to join Kagome. Leaning against the balcony she spoke. “What do you think if we share a room for a little while?” She saw confusion on Kagome's face. “Don't get me wrong, I like having my own room, but I was thinking at night. I know that Naraku only messed with cars this time, but soon he'll try getting into the house, and I just think that if he does, we'd have a better chance if there was more than one of us in a room at night.” Sango turned and leaned her back against the balcony to face Kagome.

 

“I think that sounds like a good idea.” Kagome turned as she heard a knock at her door. “That'll be InuYasha and Miroku. Come on, we'll run it past them on the way to the dojo.”

 

As they were walking back into the room, they heard pounding on the door followed by InuYasha shouting for Kagome. “I'M COMING!” She yelled back at him. “Jeez, you'd think I've been making you wait for hours InuYasha.” She said as she opened the door smiling.

 

InuYasha stood in the doorway with a scowl on his face. “Keh! Come on, dad's probably waiting on us.” He turned and started walking down the hall.

 

Kagome quickly followed after him. “Sango and I were thinking, and we wondered what you think about…”

 

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Inutaisho paced back and forth in the dojo as Izayoi watched him. He had been thinking about how to train the girls. First he would teach them the basics on self-defense, and then he would teach them on weapons.

 

Miroku had told him that Sango had been interested in hiraikotsu. She had said that she came from a long line of demon exterminators, so maybe she would take to it naturally.

 

Kagome on the other hand came from miko's. Most miko's that he could remember normally trained with a bow and arrow. The dojo really wasn't set up for that, but it wasn't set up for hiraikotsu either. After self-defense, they would go outside and start training on their weapons. It would be good for them. Not to mention that the boys could use some practice as well. They could help him with the girls.

 

Izayoi watched as her husband paced back and forth in the dojo. She knew he was thinking because of the look on his face. The best way to describe it would be confused. Whenever he thought about anything, that look appeared. It could be something as simple as `I wonder what's for dinner?' to something complicated having to do with his work.

 

As she sat and watched him, a thought popped into her head. “Honey?”

 

He stopped pacing to look at his wife. “Yes Izayoi.”

 

Sitting on the floor she looked up at him. “How did you know to come home? I mean, you had left for work, and I don't think any of the servants called you, so how did you know?”

 

Sitting down next to his wife, he wrapped an arm around her. “I was about ten minutes from work when I started to get a funny feeling, and started feeling very warm. I knew something was wrong here at home, so I turned the car around. I didn't care that I would be late. I just had to make sure everything was alright.” Izayoi rested her head on his shoulder. “I've learned over the years to never ignore my instincts. When it comes to my family, no matter how silly something may seem at the time, I always make sure everything is ok.”

 

Izayoi smiled as he stroked her hair. He was still a very romantic and wonderful man, and very affectionate after all these years. Her family had said that if she went with him, she would be disowned. There was an energy surrounding him that drew her to him. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. And he had saved her. He saved her life from being a slave to a demon, but he had also saved her heart from the man she had been promised to.

 

FLASHBACK:

 

In order to save her family, her father had promised her hand to an evil and powerful Lord. She had been sent to him that day, a day that would forever change her life.

 

She had arrived at his palace were she was taken in and clothed in rags. The man had already taken several wives and didn't have a need for another. He wanted a slave. That very same day a demon came to the palace grounds to buy a human slave. She caught his eye and was soon purchased. While she was being transported they came across Inutaisho. He had been her knight in shining armor.

 

The demon had made the mistake of trying to start a fight with Inutaisho. During their confrontation, the demon had pulled Izayoi out of the carriage she was in and tried to use her as a shield, thinking that Inutaisho would just kill her allowing time for the demon to escape. He had been wrong. Inutaisho stopped immediately upon seeing Izayoi. His hatred for the demon had increased seeing that he was willing to sacrifice an innocent in order to protect himself.

 

Inutaisho had never been fond of humans, but this human woman caught his eye. She was breathtaking. There was truly something about her that made him take notice. He didn't realize until after, that it was her innocence. Even though most women had been married by the time they were her age, she had yet to be touched. There was something special about this woman that made him want to save her.

 

When the demon pulled her from the carriage to use her as a shield, Inutaisho had plunged his sword forward. She closed her eyes and thought she was dead. She felt the air from the blade pass by her face and then felt the demons hold on her loosen. She opened her eyes as Inutaisho brought the blade back towards him and felt the demon fall to the ground.

 

With her heart in her throat she raised her eyes to the man in front of her.

 

To Izayoi he had seemed like a nobleman. He was dressed immaculately and carried a sword at his side. It wasn't until after he had killed the demon and turned to help Izayoi from the ground that she realized he was a demon as well.

 

She immediately cowered, and curled into herself expecting him to bestow a fatal blow on her as well, but it never came. As she opened her eyes he knelt down beside her and held his hand out for hers.

 

He had taken her back to her village and returned her to her parents. As he was leaving he heard her father say that she would return to the palace and their Lord at once. Izayoi had tried to explain to her father what had happened, but he would not listen.

 

Inutaisho had told himself to leave and ignore the young maiden's problems, it was none of his business. As he heard her cries and smelled her tears, he couldn't allow her to go through that pain again.

 

He walked back into their hut and told Izayoi she would go with him. That he would take her away from her troubles. Her parents said that if she went with him, that she would be dead to them. Despite the pain she felt for her family, she could not allow herself to return to the palace. She dried her tears and took the hand that Inutaisho offered her.

 

She walked out of the hut without looking back.

 

END FLASHBACK

 

“It's almost as if it's happening all over again, only this time, it's our children.” Izayoi sighed as she closed her eyes. “What are we going to do?”

 

Inutaisho kissed his wife on her forehead then spoke. “We fight him. It's bad enough that in this day and age, people become slaves to their lives, but when those lives are taken from them and they no longer have a choice, they are forgotten by those who once loved them.” Rising he helped his wife to her feet. “Naraku might have taken those girls' freedom, but he did not take their will to live.”

 

Walking towards the swords on the wall he ran his hand over Tetsuiga. He looked at Tensaiga, which was placed beside Tetsuiga. One sword was forged to protect humans by slaying a hundred demons in one swing of the blade, the other could bring a hundred souls back into their bodies, restoring life. “Naraku has attacked us. He has brought a battle to his door which he will not avoid or survive. I will do everything in my power to see that he never lays another hand on anyone again. With our sons fighting at my side, there is no way we will lose.”

 

He turned around to see InuYasha and the others standing in the doorway of the dojo. The girls had tears in their eyes, and InuYasha and Miroku had smirks on theirs. “I'm glad to hear that you detest Naraku's ways as much as I do father.” Walking towards his father he looked at the swords behind him. “So,” He said with a grin on his face, “Which one's mine?”

 

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Tears she could no longer control began flowing down her face once again. He truly loved her. The words which he just spoke to her were the most beautiful she had ever heard. She wanted to say yes, but the word wouldn't come.

 

He looked up at her, ring still in hand. Her tears had returned. He couldn't tell if they were tears of joy or sadness. Did she not feel as he did? If she didn't answer him this time, he knew his heart would surely shatter.

 

Seeing a smile slowly make its way across her face as she began to nod yes, he placed the ring on her finger. Raising his hand to her face to brush away her tears, he let the breath he was holding escape his body. She was his, now and forever. All the questions, doubts, and fears he had had in that brief moment was quickly replaced with a feeling of pure joy.

 

He rose and began to kiss her softly. Her arms wrapped around him as the kiss consumed her body and soul. They laid back onto the bed his body on top of hers.

 

It was strange for her that as soon as his weight was slowly placed on her, she felt safe and secure. Many had tried to forcefully take her, but she had fought them off. Now, there was only the desire to pull him closer.

 

He could sense her need, and her desire. His was trying to consume him, but he wanted to wait, needed to wait. Her body had been through so much pain today, he didn't want to inflict anymore on her. She was pure. Her body had never felt the true touch of a man. Reigning in control of his body, he slowly pulled away from her kiss and shifted his weight from her. Lying on his side, he pulled her tight against him, resting his head next to hers.

 

He inhaled her scent and nestled his face against her hair. With his mouth close to her ear he whispered. “I love you Rin. We have all the time in the world. For now, you must rest and regain your strength.” She sighed sleepily. The medicine which Kaede had given him was slowly starting to take effect.

 

Once Rin was asleep in his arms, he let sleep take him as well.

 

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Fluffysgirl 802005