InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unforgettable ❯ Persuasion ( Chapter 2 )

The scent of salt stung the taiyoukai's nose and he looked down into the face of his little ward. Still clutching his pant leg, Rin stared, wide-eyed, at the dead miko. Sesshomaru watched as a fat tear leaked from one large brown eye and trailed down the girl's round cheek. Never before had he seen her cry. She had been abducted, witnessed death in many forms, watched as humans and demons alike met their maker at his very claws, and not once had she shown such sadness. But he could recall how this woman had helped to rescue her from Naraku's clutches. She had treated Rin with a respect that few others gave to a human child, especially one who chose to keep company with one such as himself. Perhaps this explained the obvious sentimentality that the child had for the miko.

Dragging his golden gaze away from Rin, he resumed his visual perusal of the woman. Although he remembered the exceptional way in which she had treated his ward, he also recalled how it had been she that had been the cause of his one and only true loss in battle. She had been the one to draw forth the Tetsuisaga when both he and the half-breed had failed in their attempts to do so. It had also been this very miko that had been the source of the fang's transformation, and therefore the loss of his arm in the battle that ensued. He felt his left hand twitch with the memory and his eyes narrowed. He would never let anyone know what a trial it had been to get that damned arm restored.

He felt a pull at his hip and stopped glaring at the dead wench to look down at Rin. He had thought that it had been she who had tugged at him so swiftly, but his assumption was refuted when he saw that she was now kneeling a few paces in front of him and petting the miko's long hair with one small outstretched hand. He momentarily forgot about the unusual pulse in favor of a burst of anger towards the child and the miko. He found that he was slightly wounded by the fact that his ward was showing such tenderness to the woman that had injured his person so severely. But he remembered that the girl had never questioned him as to how he had received the wound, and he had, of course, never shared.

Startling him out of his thoughts was another pulse, this one stronger and unquestionably from the sword that rested against his side. Sesshomaru closed his eyes and set his jaw, attempting to quell the Tensaiga. There was no way in heaven, hell, or earth that he was going to resurrect Inuyasha's troublesome wench. After all, she was human and had obviously died an incredibly honorable death. What more could a creature so weak ask for? However, the sword would not be silenced, and gave another, more forceful, pull.

His eyes focused on the child again when he heard a tiny sniffle from her direction. It was not healthy for her to be here any longer; indeed he had wanted to keep her from the scene entirely. Growling low in the back of his throat, he issued forth a call that Ah-Un should join them.

“Come Rin” he told her gently. “It is unwise for one such as yourself to linger here.”

The child did not even spare him a glance as she said in a broken voice “It is not right Sesshomaru-sama. Kagome is too young to die.”

“All creatures inevitably suffer the same fate as she, Rin.” After all, he was fairly certain that even he, eventually, would succumb to death.

“But Rin died, and Sesshomaru-sama saved Rin.” Here she turned her tearstained face up to look hopefully into his eyes.

Were the fates so obviously against him that the child would now attempt to turn him against his better judgment? As if to inform him that, yes, the fates had exactly that in store, his sword pulsed again. “Hn” he said noncommittally while he looked away from the sad little girl with the wide and hopeful eyes.

Ah-Un stomped into the clearing and gave a loud snort. Obviously he did not appreciate the smell of so much blood and Sesshomaru admitted that it was slightly overpowering. He walked over to the beast and could feel Rin follow him. Turning, he picked the girl up and settled her down on Ah-Un's back. He did his best to avoid looking at her. “Ah-Un will take you back to camp Rin” he told her.

“Yes Lord Sesshomaru” she responded glumly.

Sesshomaru started to walk away from them when he felt a small hand latch onto his sleeve. Forgetting his resolve to not look into the eyes of the child lest the fates condemn him, large golden eyes met wet brown ones.

“Yes Rin?” Sesshomaru asked when it became apparent that the girl was not going to say anything unless prompted.

“Kagome was kind to Rin.” And with that said, she released her hold upon him.

Sesshomaru could only stare as the girl turned her back on him and Ah-Un began to trudge into the forest.

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I know it's short, but it seemed like an appropriate place to end the chapter. Without a shadow of a doubt, the next one will be longer.

Besides, I like the picture of Sesshomaru being shocked to silence. Seems like a nice way to close out the scene. *giggles*