InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Things Aren't Always What They Seem ❯ Taking A Little Dip ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own the story inuyasha or its characters. It all belongs to writer Rumiko Takahashi .

Chapter One:

Taking A Little Dip

It was an ordinary day for our set of odd travelers as they journeyed through the dead forest during the cold winter day of early January. To normal bystanders the sight of a great and powerful youkai lord walking regally through the woods of his domain wasn't an unusual sight but it was his companions that left them in puzzlement. Following the demon lord in toe was a short ugly green demon that greatly resembled a frog. He wore a well-tailored brown tunic and had a rather tall black hat for a youkai of his size. He was being helped along in his struggle to keep up with his master by a long wooden staff that had two heads on the top of it. One was the head of what looked like a drunken old man and the other was a beautiful young princess; whose long black hair wrapped around the staff all the way to the Hiki youkai's slimy green fingers that held tightly around the bottom of the staff.

As the frog retainer of the demon lord wattle along, a young human girl no older then ten was following him. She had a bright smile on her face, a great contrast to the other two male travelers. The retainer named Jakken held a deep resentful scowl on his face, while their master wore an emotionless mask of indifference. Her big brown eyes were filled with joy and innocence as her mid back length hair blew wildly in the cold winter wind. Her scent was that of fresh mountain air and wild flowers, a true child of the wood with the spirit of spring. She skipped, hummed and danced in the kimono that her lord had recently proved for her. It was a pale yellow and orange-checkered and was slightly accented by brown branches at the bottom; the ends of the long sleeves were tied neatly together with a short brown obi. The garments kept her surprisingly warm though they appeared to be way to thin for the weather she was traveling in. Rin stayed oblivious to the constant scowl and insults Jakken sent her way; and they both were oblivious to their lord's brooding mood.

Sesshoumaru stayed ignorant to his companions' activities while he was deep in thought about the council meeting he'd just had with all the distinguished lords and ladies of Japan. They had this meeting every twelve years to go over the progress of each land and discuss treaties to prevent any wars between any of the presiding leaders. It was a good cause Sesshoumaru would admit but it hardly solved anything, it usually made life harder than easier. War happened anyway and it seemed to do a better job than all the council's treaties and arranged marriages. That's what this council meeting was about, it seems the other lords and ladies believe that this Sesshoumaru is in need of a mate. They have given him till the next meeting to present them with a suitable mate and heir on the way or else they'll throw him out of the council and cease to recognize him as the representative of his land. Meaning they'd look the other way if any others try to take over his land.

At this Sesshoumaru smirked. They all knew that would never happen because he was considered one of, if not, the strongest youkai in Japan. He'd love to see any one of them try. He didn't care if they threw him out of the council; as far as he was concerned they needed him more than he needed them. They've never done anything for this Sesshoumaru, most of them owe him their lives and kingdoms, and now they wished to go against him. Of course when he voiced his opinion they nearly went to war right there and then, because he was encroaching on their honor with his arrogance; as they loved to say but he could care less. The only thing that the council ever did for him is put in motion the sequence of events that caused his birth, which he didn't ask for. Sure he respected his father but the years of torment that he had to go through in the years after Inuyasha's birth were not memories he'd cherish.

The only reason he'd agreed to the said requirements instead of war was one: because he really didn't feel like arguing, even though the council seemed to love to pick on him since he is the youngest member. Two, he'd only be proving them right with his brash behavior; he'd like to show them once and for all that he was truly capable of ruling his land justly and fairly with a level headed open mind, wisdom beyond years, strength second to none, and patience that rivaled the gods. And the Third reason he'd relay to no other but himself and even that would be questionable. In all the long years of Sesshoumaru's life he has always been alone. His mother died when he was very young and his father seemed to drift further apart over the pasting years till his death. He hated his younger half brother for many reasons, which he cares not to list. Beside Jakken and AhUh, there was no one he felt close with and he just orders those two around. The great taiyoukai of the west was feeling incredibly lonely and didn't want to past up the chance to find peace in his now restless state.

The only person that helped fill the void with in him was Rin, The impish human girl that he saved not to long ago. With her innocence, happiness, and everlasting faith and loyalty to only him; Sesshoumaru felt he had purpose. He never had to worry about her judging him, she'd love him no matter what he did and he guessed that is why he kept her around all these years. She brought out something in him that he though he lost when his mother died, his heart. That didn't mean he wanted these emotions, he'd spent years hiding them behind his mask of indifferences and ruthless authority. Emotions only got in the way, they were a weakness and they eventually get you killed. There was one thing Sesshoumaru was not and that was weak, he took pride in his kills and showed those who stood in his way no mercy whether it were man, woman, or child. But since Rin showed up he'd cut down on his killing sprees and seemed to cater to this girl's every need.

He'd have to draw the line somewhere some day but for now he'd enjoy her company and all the entertainment it brought. He knew soon the deep resentment for the emotions this girl wrought in him would force him to cast her aside and return to his old cold self just the way he liked it. But could he really? Case her aside like she meant nothing, when every fiber within him said different. Was his old life so great that he'd give this up?

To prove his point, Sesshoumaru turned his head discreetly to the side to sneak a glance at the scene behind him. Jakken was being his old self important self again, he had his chest puffed up, his back straight, his chin up, and that `I think in better than you' glare directed towards a mirrored image of Rin. Back straight arms crossed over her little chest and tongue out practically slapping Jakken in the face. If Sesshoumaru were someone else he would have caught a hernia from laughing his head off at the two, but he was he, Sesshoumaru Great ruler and dog demon of the west; the best that they'll get out of him is a smirk. With a humph he returned his sights on the path ahead and his earlier thoughts.

`What about my so-called mate? Will acquiring a mate have the same effect on me as Rin did?' Probably not, since youkai women were more like him, formal and aloof. It was Rin's carefree ways that attracted his attention and also her selflessness and love. He remembered in the days of Naraku when Jakken got sick how she rush to take care of him even when Jakken never uttered a kind word to her. And look at the fool now gone right back on his pedestal like nothing happened, not even a thank you. Although Jakken in his own way was like Sesshoumaru, like all youkai he was taught that emotions were deadly and unnecessary so a show of gratitude to the human whelp would be detrimental to his pride.

As for his chosen mate he really didn't know if that was what he truly needed. Would it help complete the quarter filled void of his heart? Will she complete what Rin had so unconsciously started? Would he like it? Did he even like it now? And that's why he hated this thing called emotions. Ever since they started to bombard his slowly thawing heart he started to think of things that he never thought of before. Then confusion and doubt invade his still adjusting mind and by that time, he'd already be assaulted with a huge headache.

He was too young to mate anyway, plus he didn't need any more greed bitches around. By now he was sure that the council's decree had reached every single land grubbing conceited air headed whore from miles around and soon they'll be invading his lands. Just that thought gave Sesshoumaru the massive headache that he now has. `ALL THOSE WOMEN IN ONE DOMAIN! The smells of their musky arousal as they came near, the fights, the gossip, the talking with really annoying high pitch voices, the bright colors of the different dresses, the hideousness of some of them, the cockiness' of some of them, the boldness in the way they attached themselves me and what they say. The fluttering eyelashes, the flushed cheeks, the giggles, the squeals, the revealing clothing that they actually thought would catch this Sesshoumaru's adoring attention and the worse part is I have to be NICE to EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!' Well as nice as Sesshoumarully possible, which means not killing them too quickly.

Sesshoumaru thought he was going to be sick and was getting a little light headed but his companions didn't notice anything pass their bickering on whose race is the ugliest; and the fact that Sesshoumaru never showed any signs of faltering wouldn't help either. Sesshoumaru took a deep breathe and was trying to figure out how to stop all this from happening but there seemed no logical way since he already agreed to it and the great lord of the western lands always kept his word; with the exception of he his half brother who still walked amongst the living. Sesshoumaru knew just thinking about his so-called "little brother" would bring on another headache, so he ceased his musing.

Looking around the surrounding forest, Sesshoumaru could sense an oncoming storm in the air even before the wind began to pick up. He needed to get Rin to a warm safe place before the storm hit; she usually gets sick easier around this time of year. The weather didn't bother him or Jakken either way and once again the differences between human and youkai were being pointed out. `Humans are weak egotistical smelly and ignorant creatures, I'm honestly surprised that they haven't died off yet.' He walked ahead of the group in search of a cave and to take out his newfound frustration. He left his two companions with orders to set up camp, find firewood and catch some fish. He was mainly talking to Jakken at the time but Rin decided to help.

Rin walked all over the forest looking for some firewood, she stayed close to the camp incase she got lost and a youkai came along. The part of the woods that she was looking through for wood didn't produce much so she went further out. As she continued to search she saw something shining in the distance; it was showing brightly through the dark gloomy forest. Her curiosity got the best of her and she decided to venture out further. When the she got close enough to see what the beckon of light was, she realized that it was a frozen pound. It had the light of the retreating sun cast upon it to give it its mystical glow.

Rin smiled at her discovery and couldn't wait till she showed Sesshoumaru-sama. As Rin walked around the pound to watch her reflection dance upon the ice, she wished she could too. Jakken was always telling her about the phenomenon that was water hardening into ice but she'd never seen it before, so imagine her excitement to finally get a chance. She dared a slipper-clad toe to touch the surface of the pound to test it. It was so cold and slippery; on impact the toe sent a stampede of shivers up her spine. She pressed her whole foot down on the ice to make sure it could hold her weight. It seemed sturdy enough so she quickly put her whole body weight on it, it held. She started to walk towards the middle of the pound when she realizes she couldn't get a good grip on the ground, she kept slipping. She frowned at this and looked down at the ground to find her reflection; it was moving while she wasn't. She looked even closer and realized that her reflection wasn't moving but the fish that remained trapped under the ice, were. She nearly jumped for joy as she saw the little fish wiggling around totally oblivious to her presences. "This is a perfect way to catch fish, Sesshoumaru-sama will be so proud of Rin!" she smiled. Now all she had to do was think of a way to get to the fish.

Rin started to look for anything that could crack the ice; she looked towards the shore and saw a big tree branch that'd broken off during the cold season months. She smiled as she headed towards the bank to retrieve the branch. After her wild struggle to slide back to land Rin was happy to have her feet back on non-slippery ground. She bent over to pick up the branch when she notice something cold and wet dropped into her hair, then her arm, neck and back. When she looked up she saw small white dots fall from the gray heavens and her smile brightened when she recognized the natural manifestations. It was snowing! She reached her hands up into the sky and twirled around while she let the cold little flakes of ice fell on her face. She didn't like winter that much because all the flowers died but the snow always made up for that. Jakken never understood the human child's infatuation with silly things like flowers, songs, dancing and snow but then again jakken doesn't know how to have fun. "He's such a stick in the mud" she stuck out her tongue as if he were there to receive her insult.

Just then she heard a distant howl and her skin began to crawl and turn so white with fear that it blended in with the frosty creations of ice. "Wolves!" she whispered. She hated and feared wolves after what happened four years ago when her village was attacked and she was killed. She always had Sesshoumaru there to tell her it was alright and to protect her when she heard their howls at night but now there was no Sesshoumaru, she was here in the woods all alone and suddenly she found it hard to breathe. She started to back up when she saw their red leering eyes fixated on her frightened form. She wanted to cry out his name, her protector, but her voice had left her. As more and more sets of eyes started to appear so did Rin's panic. The growls and the snapping of hungry teeth started to come closer. She was just at the ponds edge when one impatient fleabag, as jakken loved to call them, decided to take the first bite out of the tribe's new delectable meal. Rin saw him advance and she watched paralyzed as he jumped at her and by then the whole world seemed to move in slow motion.

Out of nowhere a golden spear was hurled straight through the wolf's side and out the other. As the bloodied body hit the floor, time stood still as all the wolves' attention was directed towards the direction the spear had come. Rin could do nothing but look at the body until she heard a soft yet commanding voice yell "RUN!" Rin turned her shocked and bewildered gaze towards the voice and the object of the wolves' snarls. She couldn't see much but she saw the sword gleaming in one, what looked like a black scale covered right hand and a crossbow in the left hand. The stranger was obviously female; from the way she held herself, her voice and her slick physic. She wore a long hooded burgundy velvet cape which in Rin's opinion was two sizes to big for her, the hood covered everything important for identification except for the woman's lips which the red pouting features were curled back into either a wicked grin or a vicious snarl mirroring that of the wolves.

Speaking of wolves, Rin drew her attention back to her killers and notice almost all attention was drawn to the strange lady. Rin knowing when a fight is about to commence and wanting to take the woman's advice, decided to take her leave now. BIG MISTAKE! As soon as she moved her foot she had up heaved some leaves making a small rustling noise but loud enough to bring her tormentor's attention back to her. She gasped when they all stared at her and wished desperately to be able to sink into the ground right now. They all started to growl at her and she could almost see their intent in their eyes. They wanted to kill her to get back at the lady for killing their brother and the second that it took for that thought to cross her mind was all it took for all of them to charge her. Being so scared Rin just backed up and repeated the words no. When she was close to the bank's edge again only one name came to mind when the wolves began to pounce, SESSHOUMARU!

Rin let out a scream as she was pushed behind the woman, who came out of nowhere. She appeared in front of her probably shielding her from the wolves, as Rin silently thanked the gods for the woman but still wanted her lord. Rin couldn't quiet see what was going on in front of her, all she could see was the strangers back then the next thing she knew there was this huge blindingly blue light that emitted from the woman and was released in front of her. Rin was so busy trying to shield her eyes with her hand from the light that she didn't realize she was backing away from the woman's protective shielding. She backed herself up to the middle of the iced pond. There was a howl and a swish of air and by the time she moved her hand it was dark.

She couldn't see anyone but something told her to look up and when she did she saw a half burnt wolf carcass flying towards her. Again she was paralyzed, when the body fell it missed her by two feet but it created a crack in the ice. Rin bent down to touch the dead animal and when it yelped, out of surprise she lost her balance and fell on the crack made by the wolf and fell through the frozen surface of the pound. It gave easily under her weight, seemingly swallowing her up. Her body nearly froze immediately, making it hard for her to move around. She pushed her hair from her face, trying to figure out which way was up. And then there was another crash as if someone else had fallen into the water. She found herself being lifted, her bones chilling even further as a cold blast of air hit her skin. She coughed up water as she was set upon the ground.

Meanwhile... Sesshoumaru sliced a tree into enough pieces of firewood to last them two days. Satisfied, he turned back to fetch his company. And as he drew near, the sound of Rin's high-pitched scream had him rushing forward.

A/N: So what do you think? Sorry it couldn't be longer this is my first time writing any type of fanfic and inuyasha seemed like an obvious choice since I love the Rin/Sesshoumaru get togethers. I can't wait for you to meet my new characters! I promise you they are all really cool. Pleases rate this I'd like to hear your thoughts and if it's negative I'd like to hear it anyway. Criticism is a good thing but don't expect me to respond if you are just going to put me down. Anyway, you'll find out more about my new and mysterious character in the next chapter and as a reminder this is not a Sesshoumaru/Rin fic, it is a Sesshoumaru/O.C., Rin/O.C.