InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Twilight's Embrace ❯ Summer Snow ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

"Please my Lord, don't do this." A woman was sobbing on her knees, trying to persuade the person in front of her.
Kaname sighed. "Rise, Yumi."
The woman did what she was told. Kaname moved away some of the wet hair on her face. Then, he licked the flowing tears. "My decision has been made, and I will not change my mind. I truly am sorry."
She looked up at him in pain. "Then let me follow you my Lord."
Such devotion for him. His chocolate eyes softened. "I will not let you do that I'm afraid, because I need you to do something very important for me. Will you obey?"
She swallowed. Yumi placed her hand on her heart. "Your will is my duty to fulfill."
He smiled. "Then I want you to listen very carefully."
o-o-o-o-o
"Hey, Goddess." The panther-demon greeted Rin in the hallway.
She blushed. "My name is Rin, Kuruhyouga-san."
He shrugged his shoulders. "Headed for a bath?" He asked when he saw the items she was carrying.
"Uhh, yes."
His whiskers twitched. "Well, you're heading the wrong way."
"But the servant who prepared my bath told me to head this way." She was confused.
"You must have misunderstood each other. The castle's bath house is over there. It's that hallway, then the third door to the left." He pointed in the opposite direction.
Rin regarded him for a moment. "Oh, alright. Thank you." She had misgivings, but thought she'd check it out first. She turned around and walked towards the direction Kuruhyoga pointed at. When she was gone, the panther snickered, a mischievous grin stretching his face.
This must be it.Rin opened the sliding door, and warm steam billowed out. She stepped inside and felt gratitude towards the panther-youkai. There was a long bench and a wide mirror. In the middle was a wide, elaborate shoji (room divider). She started humming an old song while removing her yukata, then hung it on one of the wooden hook, right next to another white yukata (which was probably what the servant wanted her to change into after her bath). She grabbed the bottle of Jasmine oil she likes to add to her bathing water, and headed to the other side of the Shoji…
o-o-o-o-o
Sesshomaru's eyes were closed, quietly enjoying the warm bath. His back was leaning against the end of the tub, one arm stretched and relaxed on the side and the other was resting on his forehead. His silver hair floated on the water, head facing the ceiling. He struggled to clear his mind, trying to rid himself of thoughts about…Rin.
Her soft lips and how it felt against his. And the alluring face that she made, silently screaming to take her. And then her invitation. He wondered how she would taste and react if he took the kiss a little further… wanting to taste her mouth, feel her tongue and glide his hand up her-
Silence!He commanded himself. Thinking about herthat wayhim wary. He will be better than his hanyou brother who made that priestess his mate, and he will NOT make the same mistake as his father. Rin will always be his ward, nothing else, and nothing more.
Just then, he heard the door open. He snarled, angry at the intruder. Who dared to disturb him in his privacy? Before he could rudely yell "get out" however, he caught the unmistakable sweet scent of Rin.
Rin?
His voice was caught in his throat. But he should call out and let her know that he was on the other side.Maybe she wanted to join him (is she still, somewhat drunk?)?Nevertheless he should…her know… should… speak up….He lost his train of thoughts when he saw Rin's shadow from the Shoji, removing her yukata and stretching out to hang it. Her soft, womanly curves were so marvelous he started wondering unconsciously how it would feel to caress her. He watched in fascination when she began to walk to the other side…
Rin froze when she saw Lord Sesshomaru staring at her intently from the tub. And stare at each other they did despite her stark nakedness, until she let out an ear-splitting shriek two seconds later, unceremoniously throwing the bottle of Jasmine oil at him. She grabbed the yukata and ran out of the room.
Sesshomaru caught the bottle with ease before it could hit him.Maybe he should have allowed it to hit him just to make Rin feel better.sank lower in the water, disappointed that she didn't want to join him in the bath after all. He then hated and scolded himself for thinking that way once again.
She fell to her knees in one of the hallways and was hyperventilating. Her face was so hot she felt like it was on fire.Oh God.She couldn't help but think about how he stared at her with those gorgeous, amber eyes. He was a glorious sight! His hair and skin were glistening with wetness, and his face was just angelic. His chest and stomach were perfectly toned, as well as his arms. Then she realized she was naked, and that's when she threw the bottle at him and ran away.
Damn.She probably needed to apologize about that. But then again, he was STARING at her. He probably knew that she had barged in because of his ultra-hypersensitive senses, and yet he didn't warn her that he was there before she walked in on him! Her mouth fell open in a perfect O. He…wantedto see her naked?
Her thoughts were distracted when she heard someone laughing. She stood up and saw, Kuruhyouga, literally laughing his ass out on the floor.
"Oh Kami, that was BETTER than what I expected. I ought to get a medal for that."
Rin was furious. "You tricked me!"
He laughed even harder.
"You will pay for that!" She stood up and ran towards him, fist raised. The panther quickly got up and ran away still guffawing. Rin was so busy chasing him and thinking about what happened, that she did not notice that the white yukata she was wearing was WAY LONGER than the one she wore earlier.
Sesshomaru was holding out and glaring at the tiny white yukata. The cloth wasn't even long enough to cover his midriff! Rin obviously took his yukata in haste and panic.This Sesshomaru refuses to wearthat thingjust to head to his bed chamber!raged.
o-o-o-o-o
The following day, Rin was still fuming about her embarrassing (yet very gratifying) encounter with Sesshomaru.She swore she's going to get that Panther back for that.Although she wasn't sure how. She had some trouble sleeping last night due to… unwanted fantasies. She had no idea how she's going to face Sesshomaru without looking like a tomato.
She opened her closet and found out that most of the clothes were all extremely long and… regal. She grabbed the pink one with cherry blossom design and was amazed by its texture and beauty. She put it on, and pirouetted in front of the mirror.I look like a princess.She giggled.
On her way to the garden to pick some flowers to adorn the empty vases in her room, she ran into Lady Shirahime, Lord Sesshomaru's mother.
"I see that you're still alive, filthy human." Lady Shirahime flipped her long, white pigtails and glared at Rin.
"You seem to be getting more wrinkles, you old hag." Rin countered.
They glared at each other for a few more seconds.
Suddenly they started giggling and threw themselves at each other.
"Oh, how I missed you! And how you've grown!" She nuzzled her face on top of Rin's hair.
"I missed you too my lady, it's been far too long." Her voice was muffled, since she was being crushed on the inu-daiyoukai's huge breasts.
Lady Shirahime was very fond of Rin. She had met her when teaching her son to improve tenseiga's Meidou Zangetsuha. Unfortunately she had allowed her to die, but brought her back to life seeing her son's sorrow. After this, Sesshomaru would occasionally visit his mother's palace with Rin. The girl was just very endearing and sweet, the lady could not help but adore her. But the best thing about the human, in the lady's opinion, was her ability to deal with her bipolar attitude.
"You've just reminded me how humans grow so fast." She released Rin and observed her. Indeed, she had become a stunning, young woman. "Why did you not seek me out yesterday upon your arrival?"
"Sesshomaru-sama insisted that I rest from our journey, and I was feeling unwell."
"The shriek that I heard didn't sound 'unwell' to me." She teased.
Rin flushed. "Well… something a bit embarrassing happened to me on my way to take a bath."
"Tell me! You've never been this shy before."
"I uhhh…" Rin turned redder.
"Rin. Mother."
The women turned and saw Sesshomaru approaching them. Sesshomaru could not understand the bond between the two women. After the Meidou disaster, Rin had asked to see his mother at times while they travel and he would oblige. The two instantly became attached to each other though he could not fathom why. Rin could handle his mother at her worst, and he could not. Sesshomaru had assumed that there must be some invisible bond that happened after she resurrected the girl with her meidou necklace.
His mother faced him. "What do you want Sesshomaru?"
"I want a moment alone with Rin."
Uoh.Rin stared pointedly at the ground to hide her glowing red face.
She crossed her arms. "I refuse. You've had her all to yourself on your journey here, it's MY turn."
Sesshomaru only stared at her frostily.
"Such an uncaring son. Rin cares for me more than YOU do."
No answer.
Finally, the inu-daiyoukai resigned. She sighed. "Rin, I want you to go to my chambers later on. I want to have tea with you and braid your hair."
"Of course, my lady."
Lady Shirahime turned on her heels, nose up high and left.
Rin began walking, Sesshomaru following her not too far behind. When she reached the garden, she started picking flowers to avoid the awkward silence.
Minutes ticked by. The wind blew her tresses to the side. She felt Sesshomaru's eyes on her, yet she could not say anything.Come on, Rin, say something! You're the talkative one! He will never initiate a conversation!
"That Kimono looks lovely on you."
His compliment caught her completely by surprise. She looked up at him in wonder, and there he was, with the same stoic expression on his face.
"I- uhm… thanks?" Why was it suddenly so hard to breathe?
Another silent minute dragged by.
"You should avoid Kuruhyouga." He looked away.
"Did you punish him?"
The corner of his mouth twitched. The vengeful-sparkle in her eyes made him want to chuckle. It was unlike Rin. He did not punish the crazy panther though, aware of the fact that he silently enjoyed his prank. Which he shouldn't have. Maybe he was going crazy as well.
"Did you want me to? I shall see to it, if you so desire."
Rin shook her head. "No, it's fine." She'd get revenge for herself. Must think of something…
"Tell me about your friend."
Rin's arm froze while reaching for a flower. "Well, what would you like to know my Lord?"
He gazed at her stonily. "I am not going to stand here and play twenty questions. Tell me what you know about him."
His abrasiveness had unnerved her, yet she felt protective towards Kaname.
"I met him few years ago in the forest, when he found me unconscious. Since then he had been visiting me when he can and we would talk."
He lifted an eyebrow. "Why were you unconscious? What happened?"
She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, I don't really remember anymore. I probably wasn't feeling well but I went ahead in the forest to gather some herbs. I'm glad Kaname found me before some demon tried to eat me." She shuddered.
"What kind of conversation you and your friend have?"
"It's mostly one sided. I talked a lot… about you. I tell him stories of my adventures with you and Jaken when I was younger. Kaname was a great listener." She smiled.
Sesshomaru was silent. Well, Rin was a very loquacious child to the point that it drove Jaken mad.
"And when I am feeling miserable, he would do his best to cheer me up, even if it made him look silly." At this, she giggled. Her eyes were distant, seemed to be lost in memories.
"Enough."
Rin glanced at her Lord who had a cold look on his face.
"What kind of demon is he?" He inquired.
Incredulity was etched on her face. "Demon? He is not!"
"Impossible. The day you lied to me, I failed to detect neither his scent nor his presence. A human is incapable of sealing those aspects."
She was still in shock but she was defiant. "Demon or not, he IS my friend."
Rin was always too kind for her own good.did he come from?"
"He's foreign. He said he came from very far away. But he had found settlement recently."
"Why is it that I am not aware of your relationship with him, and neither did the people I entrusted you to at the village? Did he or did he not, ask you to hide your association with him,from me?"
She nodded.
Ah, his suspicion was right. His Rin would always be thrilled to tell him about the new friends she meets, so it was out of her character that she hid someone from him.
"Care to tell me why?"
"He does not want to make unnecessary connection with others. I… respected his choice. But occasionally I would try to convince him because I think Kagome would love to meet him! The strange clothes that he wore reminds me of-"
"You barely knew anything about him because he kept many things from you. And you only assumed he was human."
She didn't answer.
"Yet… you trusted him. How naïve."
At this comment, Rin stood up and drew herself to full height. She couldn't help feeling angry. She wasangrySesshomaru for the first time. "It was the same for us. I blindly followed you, a demon, even though I barely knew anything."
"The circumstances were different. I brought you back from the dead." His arrogance, which she normally found attractive, was ticking her off.
"It is not. He saved me also, remember?"
He smirked. "There was no immediate danger. He found you unconscious. It could've been ANYONE." He found arguing with Rin a bit… entertaining. She wasglaringat him. Such boldness.
"I refuse to talk to you about him anymore!"
"That decision is mine to make."
"Not if I don't answer you." Wow, even her own impertinence was shocking her. She saw Sesshomaru's hands balling into fists, so she knew that he's probably at his temper's limit. It did not faze her though, she believes that Sesshomaru would not harm her.
"Are you really defying me? Remember your place. You are my ward and you are to follow me!"
"Then why is it, that the way you've been acting about Kaname, leads me to think that you are…jealous."
Sesshomaru's eyes widened for a second, then suddenly, he looked upon her with scorn that Rin would normally see him give to his enemies. Her skin crawled.
"This Sesshomaru, I assure you, is NOT jealous. My taste in women does not involve…lowly humans." He callously said, his derision completely contradicting what he had told Rin the night she was drunk. It was to her disadvantage that she rememberednothingthe incident, of what her Lord had dotingly told her.
The hurt in her eyes made him want to take the awful words he unleashed, but he held on and held his ground. "I no longer want you to associate with this Kaname, and remember that you are mine as I have granted youlife."
I belong to myself. My life is mine and I have the choice to do what I want with it.This was something she learned from Kaname. She had no courage to say the words out loud anymore. In fact, she no longer wants to talk to Sesshomaru at the moment.
"I see. Excuse this filthy human from your presence, my Lord." She swiftly turned on her heels and was half running, holding the flowers she picked too tightly. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
Sesshomaru stood still as a statue. He was a fool to treat her as such. He couldn't repress the feeling of guilt. But no matter how much it bothered him, it was better this way. He and Rin will never be. He was the Lord of the Western Lands, the killing perfection, the circle of destruction. He had a reputation to uphold and responsibility to his bloodline.
o-o-o-o-o-o
"It seems like I'm always stuck dealing with women in tears." Kaname remarked as he wiped the tears off of Rin's face gently.
"Oh yeah? You don't have to deal with Rin." She sniffled.
They were back in the familiar meadow, where they have been meeting for the past years. Kaname patted her back comfortingly. He knew that she always addressed herself in third person when disheartened, reverting back to her child habit.
"It's my choice. And I want to make it all better for you. Tell me, what ails you?"
She looked away dejectedly. "Rin always knew that Sesshomaru-sama will probably never see Rin the way she sees him, but hearing it from him hurts as much anyway." She cringed, remembering his harsh words.Lowly human.
"Ah. The pain that comes with loving someone. He chose his pride as a demon over someone he held dear to him. He doesn't realize it yet, but he's setting himself up for a life of regret. And demons live infinitely longer than humans." Maybe Kaname had miscalculated him.
"I hate being human."
Kaname glanced at her. "What a preposterous thing to say."
"It's the reason why Sesshomaru-sama won't accept Rin."
"So you'd gladly give up your humanity to be with him?"
She didn't answer.
He sighed. "You are far too innocent and faithful."
She observed the pained look on his face.
Suddenly she gasped. "He told me that I was not allowed to see you again!" She looked around frantically. Wait.Howshe arrive to the clearing, near Kaede's village? Wasn't she at Sesshomaru's castle?
The last thing she remembered was…
"You're not really here are you? I'm just… dreaming. It's just all in my head." She frowned. "…it's not real."
He placed a finger under her chin and urged her to look at him. "Just because it's all in your head, doesn't mean it's not real, Rin. Now tell me, what will cheer you up?"
She looked away distantly trying to think… something that had always cheered her up and made her happy…
"Snow."
She giggled at Kaname's surprised face.
"But it is still summer!"
She smiled sheepishly. She remembered playing in the snow and watching it fall in glee. She was always amazed by its beauty, the white sheet that covered the trees and land. It brought her comfort.
"So be it. Anything to keep that smile on your face. I wish for you to suffer no more."
o-o-o-o-o
Rin woke up with a start. Her eyes felt extremely swollen.That's right.She cried herself to sleep last night. Again. Three days had passed since their awful fight, and she locked herself inside her room, barely going out. She heard from the servants that Sesshomaru left the castle on the day they argued.
He must really hate me.
"RIN!"
Her door was thrown open, Jaken waving his staff around.
"Do you know where Lord Sesshomaru had gone to? He hasn't come back yet and it's been three days!"
"No I don't know. He's a strong demon, he can take care of himself."
"You uncaring child! How can you just act like that?"
Rin glowered at him in silent disdain. It was a trait she unconsciously picked up from her Lord.
Jaken stepped back in fear.
"Get out."
He ran out, muttering about ungratefulness.
She buried her face on her hands. Was she really being ungrateful? It hurts her to think that she was being selfish. She would do anything forhim. But she felt it hard to apologize knowing that Sesshomaru just made her feel…worthless.
"Hey Ah-Uh, how you've been?" She scratched both of the dragon's head at the stables. They grunted in satisfaction.
"Would you like to go out and graze in the fields?" The dragons nuzzled her. She sniggered.
"Let's go then!" She opened the wooden fence and the dragon walked out. After placing the reins and its saddle, Rin mounted the beast.
She was aware that they went past the barrier of the castle. The dragon landed on the green field by a stream. She laid on her back while her feet frolicked on the water. Ah-Un was happily foraging on the grass.
She needed to relax and clear her mind. She had been thinking too much lately not to mention crying. Everything was so much easier when she was a child, she did not have a care in the world, only to follow Lord Sesshomaru. Things are much more complicated now.
Watching the white clouds roll by, listening to the sound of the flowing water, the leaves rustling and the birds chirping, she found solace. Not really intending to, she fell asleep.
The sudden silence woke her up. Ah-Un was nearby and she could hear that the dragon was restless. She rubbed the sleep off her eyes and approached the dragon. She was surprised that it was growling and it was lowering its head waiting to be mounted.
It dawned to her that the beast must be sensing danger. She quickly jumped on Ah-Un.
Only it was a bit too late.
Before Ah-Un could gain height from the ground, Rin screamed; something grabbed the beast's foot and both of them were thrown on the ground. The impact made her head spin and her back hurt when she rolled, but she quickly crawled away and grabbed her pistol looking for the assailant.
It was a giant, puke-colored ogre.Gross.
The drooling ogre started to walk towards her.
Loud gunshots filled the air.
She hit the ogre squarely in the face. The demon cried in agony, but it only hastened its advance to her. The ogre was in rage.
Rin tried to run away but the ogre grabbed her neck and picked her up from the ground. She was kicking the air and struggling to release from the beast's tight grip. She couldn't breathe, the angry demon threatening to crush her windpipe. The beast prevented her from calling for help. Couldn't call for Sesshomaru.
When her vision started blurring,something,hit the ogre in the head and it was forced to release her. Her savior caught her before she fell and it swiftly moved away from the ogre.
"You alright, Goddess?" Kuruhyouga set her on the ground but she was gasping and having a coughing fit. She nodded.
"I'll be back in a minute." He turned and walked towards the angry ogre. The panther-demon grabbed the giant axe that was strapped on his back and was carrying it with one hand as if it weighed nothing.
"How would you like your death handed to you, ugly? Sliced or diced?" He was spinning the huge axe on his hand.
The demon growled and ran towards the panther.
Kuruhyouga jumped up high in the air, then brought his axe down heavily on the ogre. It was cut clean in the middle before it exploded into hundreds of demon flesh.
"Overkill!"
Rin could not help but make a face at his silly savior.
She was rubbing her neck cautiously feeling the soon-to-form bruises.
"Are you hurt?" The panther stood in front of her assessing any injury. "Wash your knees in the stream, come."
Her forehead furrowed. She looked down and saw that her knees were bleeding and scraped. But before going to the stream, she ran to Ah-Un. It was still on the ground. "Hey you two alright?" The dragon brought their heads up and rubbed against her.
"They're fine, just dazed." Kuruhyouga said.
After she washed her knees, she sat down next to the panther and watched him clean his axe.
"I hope Sesshomaru doesn't try to kill me when he sees those scrapes on you." He muttered.
"What do you mean? You saved me. And thanks for that."
His eyes narrowed. "He commanded me to look after you while he's away, so if anything happens I'm responsible. I was almost too late; I never thought you're going to leave the castle grounds since you locked yourself in. You went PAST the barrier! You out of your mind, onna?"
She didn't answer. Her mind was still trying to wrap itself around the information about Sesshomaru still looking after her.
He sighed. "Did you two fight or something?"
She looked away grudgingly.
"Guess that answered my question."
She watched a butterfly flutter away. "He said some… mean things to me." She pouted.
Kuruhyouga rolled his eyes. Such meager reason. But if it was enough to keep her from going out from her room, then it must be something bad. He thought he had an inkling what of Sesshomaru might have said.
"You know, I was the Inu-no-Taisho's right hand man when he was alive."
She looked at him. "Sesshomaru's father?"
"Yes. We fought countless battles together, and we were unstoppable! I also helped him take care of the western lands. I was with him all the time; I remember him meeting Lady Shirahime for the first time because the whole mating thing was arranged. Everything was done for power. I Remember Sesshomaru being born, and how proud the InuTaisho was."
Rin audibly gasped. "You're OLD!"
The panther laughed, and his whiskers shook. "I am."
Then he suddenly scowled. "We were always together. The only time I was not with InuTaisho was when… he faced Ryoukotsusei and that human Takemaru to save his human lover and his hanyou son. If I remember well it was InuYasha. If I was there…. Things would've been different."
The regret was clear in his tone and Rin could sense his pain. Even though more than a hundred years had passed, he was remembering it as if it happened only yesterday.
"When he died, Sesshomaru inherited the west. Soon, Sesshomaru… relieved me of my services. Not only that but I was banished from the west."
"What? Why? You were the InuTaisho's right hand man!"
He smiled warily. "He had many reasons. First, he believed it was my fault that his father had died. I was supposed to be alongside with him, but I wasn't. The reason is because InuTaishochoseto go by himself, and I could not do anything about it. I would've forced him not to go, or forced myself to go and not care what he thought, but… I couldn't. And it's because he chose to fight Ryoukotsusei on the day I lose my powers as a demon."
She stared at him dumbly.
"I'm only a half-demon, goddess." He laughed at the expression on her face.
"See, that's why I couldn't do anything at all to save him. What can a helpless human do against a dragon? Second reason that Sesshomaru got rid of me was obviously, hehatedhalf-breeds and humans. As you already know, he also blamed the death of his father to that human Izayoi and the child Inuyasha. So tell me, with all the hatred Sesshomaru was harboring, you think he would want to keep me around the castle? A half-breed?"
"And you willingly left without a fight, because you feel as if you're to blame also."
He nodded. "I confined myself in the mountains shortly after, and remained there for a long time."
She watched the small fishes gathering in the stream.
"I am honored to hear your story and you have no idea how thankful I am… but why are you telling me these?" She queried.
He scratched his head. "Sesshomaru came to me in the mountains to ask if I am willing to serve under his family once again. I was shocked because I didn't expect such a thing to happen; that the proud son of the Great Dog General is going to take back his decision and make me serve their family just like the old times. Something BIG must've changed in him. Then I learned about you, and saw you. I pretty much realized that YOU are the reason. You changed him in many ways. I mean come on, he once hated humans, but now he asked me to protect one. Sometimes I still can't believe it."
She gawked at him open-mouthed.
He laughed. "Are you just going to stare at me like a fish?"
"I'm amazed that you would talk to me so I can try to see Sesshomaru-sama in a different light."
"I'm just saying that whatever he said to you, you shouldn't take it seriously because he probably did not mean it. It's hard for a demon like him to change, so it takes patience on your part. You know him and his temper. And you know how good he is at hiding his real emotions. I bet you my life right now that he's feeling guilty but he's too proud to admit it. It's only the matter of time until he tries to…apologize."
She scoffed. "Sesshomaru-sama? Apologize to me? That is impossible." Hell would freeze over first.
Kuruhyouga stood up and strapped the weapon on his back. "Well, he'll TRY to in his own way."
Rin was feeling too many emotions at the moment. Talking to Kuruhyouga gave her hope; hope that maybe Sesshomaru wasn't as uncaring and heartless as he presented himself to be.
"Come on, let's go back to the castle. I don't want to encounter another demon. It means having to clean my axe again."
Rin started crying, to Kuruhyouga's horror.
"What is it now? What's wrong?" He awkwardly patted her back, unnerved.
"It's just…thank you so much. For telling me this. I'll go talk to him and apologize as soon as I can, I was the one that ticked him off first." She felt as if a heavy boulder was lifted off her chest.
"Okay, okay! Just stop crying! You're making me think something is wrong…"
"What the hell?"The panther exclaimed out of the blue.
Rin looked up at him in confusion. "What?"
Then she saw it for herself.
Oh my God.
Tiny, white balls were freely falling from the sky. She held her hand out, and one cold, fluffy snow fell on her hand. It was…snowing.
She was still stunned in surprise.How did he…
"Snow during the summer? How strange." The panther wondered.
Oh Kaname.thought to herself, and cried even more much to Kuruhyouga's chagrin.
o-o-o-o-o
The full moon hung low in the sky, descending snow obscuring it slightly.
The Lord of the West has returned and was heading towards his chambers.
"Sesshomaru, you're back." Lady Shirahime approached him, her ponytails and mokomoko trailing behind her.
Sesshomaru paused to look at her. "What do you want mother?"
She gazed at him with a soft expression on her face. "I want to tell you something."
He merely looked at her stonily.
The lady took a deep breath. "Your father was a great demon, and no one can dispute that. He made mistakes, but it's his mistakes in the past that made him grew stronger. He would've never gotten anywhere if he was merely born perfect."
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "His mistakes killed him."
"Perhaps. But do you really think that when you meet your father once again, he will say that he regretted his death? Most likely not. It was his choice to die, to protect that human Izayoi and their illegitimate child. To protect someone… and to die for them, is the greatest strength one can have." Her eyes fell on an old portrait hanging by the wall, the youkai form of the great dog general.
Sesshomaru watched her carefully.Why was she…"Why do you not hate humans, mother? Izayoi and Inuyasha. Did you not love father?"
She rolled her eyes. "I cared about your father."
"Explain."
"Our marriage was arranged. He became my mate even though I barely knew him, all for power and to produce a powerful heir. Which was you. But now I am quite unsure…" She looked away.
Sesshomaru ignored her teasing.
"We cared about each other, but we were neverin love.We were more like best friends. After you were born, we made a simple pact that, if one of us falls for someone, the other would oblige and not hold the other one back."
Sesshomaru was astonished at this information, yet his face revealed nothing.
"I certainly did not expect him to fall for a human though, but a promise is a promise. I've never seen him happier. I had no reason to hate."
"What about the other lord of the lands who ridiculed him? The demons that attacked because they thought father was weak for loving a human?"
"What of it, Sesshomaru?"
The lantern hanging on the walls flickered.
Her tawny eyes narrowed. "To put it simply, he did not care. There are more important things than reputation. But those who were foolish enough to challenge your father,died. He was still powerful, after all."
They were both silent for a minute.
Sesshomaru turned on his heel to leave.
"Rin is human. Time flies quickly for them, and before you even know it, she'll get old and eventually die."
He froze mid-step.
"She was always with you, you took care of her. And when she falls in love with you (if she's not already), you will decide to abandon her for your demon pride. What are you going to do? Marry her off to some human boy? Or keep her as apetforever following you? If you're sadistic enough that you want her to live the rest of her human life miserably, go ahead."
After a few seconds, Sesshomaru continued walking and left his mother.
Lady Shirahime sighed.
"Do you think the plan will work?" Kuruhyouga came out and stood behind her.
"I don't know. He's not exactly being expressive, as always. Hopefully something got through to him." She pondered. "Well, did you get to talk to Rin?"
"Yes I did. Poor girl. But I think she'll be fine now. If your son uses his brain, they'll make up sooner or later."
The lady started to walk away.
"You still look as striking as ever." The panther commented.
She blushed. "I do not need such compliments."
Kuruhyouga laughed. "Still timid, eh? Well, I stand by what I told you. When you are no longer the Lady of the West, I shall make you my wife. And I shall drown you with flattery."
"You'd be long dead before that happens. Either Sesshomaru will rip your head off, or my brother Sakemaru." She ignored the butterflies in her stomach.Damn this stupid hanyou!
He shrugged his shoulders. "They can try. And if I do die, well it is an honor to die for you, my Lady." He bowed deeply.
Her face was getting hotter. Lady Shirahime was flabbergasted, and she scurried away.
Kuruhyouga smiled in satisfaction. What a sight she is.