Disclaimer - I don't own any of these characters, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi
A/N - This story is a continuing story based off of the themes and set #1 of InuYasha no Kakera. My goal was to write a 100 chaptered fic featuring Sesshoumaru and Rin in a non romantic relationship that went through the prompts in order. I have a timeline and what each chapter is about already written up, and the first two chapters already written. I do not have a beta, so any and all mistakes are mine. My first Inuyasha fanfiction.
Unbreakable Bonds
How it all Began
The blast from Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu had gotten close to being a killing blow, and Sesshoumaru had been transported away from the fight unexpectedly. The wounds acquired during that fight were slowly knitting themselves back up, but it was leaving him weak and vulnerable to attack.
He had fallen asleep as his body needed the energy to heal. He couldn't abide by that.
Instincts had taken over and he was finding it harder to control the restless demonic side of himself from completely escaping. He didn't have the energy to get up, change into his true form, limp off somewhere and lick his wounds clean.
The sounds of rustling bushes, footsteps and the strong scent of a young human came to him over the general noises and smells of the forest. He closed his eyes, hoping that the human would pass him by and leave, thinking him dead. Instead the sounds stopped just beyond the tree he was resting under.
He let out a growled hiss of warning, quickly turned towards the one who had interrupted him, and was surprised to see that this human was nothing but a girl child. He gently sniffed the air in her direction and was slightly surprised to scent no other human in the area. What was the girl doing out here so far away from whatever settlement it was she came from?
Baring his teeth at her made her back up a bit, but other than that she kept looking at him. He let himself lay back down, looking away from the girl again. She posed no threat to him if she was alone. If she bought others of her kind to him, he would slaughter them with his claws if need be.
Right now though, he was too tired and sore to deal with a stray human girl.
When he woke up again, he found a water container by his side. It was full, and while it smelled extremely good and would probably help him in some small way, he wouldn't trust anything set out to him by anyone other than his retainer.
Later on that night, this time while he was awake, she slowly crept towards him, a cooked fish and some mushrooms on a leaf. She put them down a bit away from him, careful not to get close. Sesshoumaru looked at the food and curled his lip in disgust. "I do not eat human food," he stated, before turning away to look at more interesting things.
The next time he saw the girl, the sun was shining and she woke him up with her very presence being near. She had with her another leaf, this time with sprigs on it from some plant, she obviously was bringing to him. Her face a mess of bruises and a tooth was missing. He wondered if it was beaten out of her, or if it fell out naturally like milk teeth are meant to do.
He refused her help again, but she would not leave him alone. In fact, she ran closer and held out her present towards him. He couldn't help it, he asked anyway. "Where did you get those bruises?"
Silence descended the small space the two of them were taking up, and sighed and looked fully at her. "It's alright, you don't have to answer."
It was then that she smiled for the first time. A huge gap-toothed grin of a small girl that had just been very pleased by something. He looked away again, not knowing why she was smiling, or why whatever fear of him she had still harboured within herself suddenly vanished.
She put the leaf down, and skipped away.
During the few hours after this incident he found himself healed of the worst of his injuries and fit enough to continue on with his journey. He had met back up with Jaken, his faithful retainer, and Ah-Un, his loyal dragon mount. Jaken had been searching for him, apparently angry at being used as a test subject for Tenseiga.
They had just been about to move on in their travels when a gust of wind brought with it the scent of blood and wolves. The blood scent was familiar, belonging to the girl. He stated as much out loud.
With no idea as to why, Sesshoumaru found himself following the scent, only to come across the body of the girl, quite dead, ravaged by wolves. She had been rather close to the tree he had been recovering under.
Had she been trying to run to him for protection? Had she been running to him to try and protect him from the wolves? Both were rather foolhardy decisions on the girls' part. Yet again, she couldn't know that.
Jaken said something, but he didn't hear what. Tenseiga, always at his side, but useless, began to pulse like a heartbeat. Unsheathing the sword, he found it to be glowing a light blue and pulsing for something. Listening to the sword, though it had no real voice, he looked over to the girl. There were imp like soul collectors around her body, getting ready to usher her spirit to its final resting place.
With one swipe of the sword, he cut through them and watched as they fell apart and became no more. He knelt down and got the girls head to rest against his knee and fur pelt. His shock was apparent on his face as he saw and heard the girl as she moved slightly and opened her eyes.
Jaken squawked by his side, something about the girl being alive once again. He paid no attention, standing and getting the girl on her own two feet. An uncomfortable silence fell, before Sesshoumaru turned around and begun walking away.
His retainer seemed angry at him again, calling him cruel for testing the sword on him beforehand. It was of no consequence really, he had just been giving a demonstration of how useless his sword truly was in a fight.
Glancing down to where Tenseiga hung at his side, he decided that perhaps his heirloom wasn't so much ornamental but could come to some use after all. He had finally found the power of his sword.
Behind him he heard the patter of two sets of feet, one set human the other youkai. Ah-Un was waiting by the tree he had spent the past few days under. Not knowing what possessed him to bring the girl back to life in the first place, he made it quite clear as the two others caught up to him that the girl could do what she liked. She was free to leave, she was free to stay.
To his rather uncomfortable surprise, she had decided to follow silently behind him.