1 - From Curiosity to Love
The moonlight stared down into the quiet forest. The sounds of crickets filled the silence. The rustling of leaves could be heard from the gentle blowing wind from the north.
Rin's breathing was harmonious as she slept quietly and safely underneath the fur blanket. The now seventeen year old girl was at peace as she slept under the stars.
Sesshomaru sat up slowly, trying not to wake up the person sleeping next to him as he covered her with a blanket. His bare chest felt the soft breeze as he lifted his head and sniffed the air. He detected no danger around them and looked back down at the sleeping figure of Rin.
The seventeen year old Rin slept peacefully next to her lord with a sated smile on her lips. Her hands were rested next to her head as she breathed softly.
Sesshomaru's face was emotionless, but his eyes held an emotion in them as he looked down at her; an emotion that he did not want to even acknowledge.
He reached down and tucked away a strand of hair from Rin's face. He laid his lips gently on the forehead, lingering as he took in her sweet scent.
He sat back up and watched as she sighed in her sleep, her hand reaching for his. He slowly caught her wandering hand and held it in his inhuman beautiful ones.
He felt himself smile one of his rare smiles, then immediately stopped himself. He frowned down at her as he once again wondered at his present situation.
Never had he ever thought he'll take a human—shall he call her his mate or lover? He sighed and clenched his teeth. He slowly let go of her hand and stood up and quickly dressed himself before looking back down at the sleeping human.
He had decided to leave her to the old miko—what was her name again? K something. Sesshomaru rubbed his brow.
Kaede!
He frowned and again began to rub his brow, a habit that he has picked up on ever since he had taken Rin as his.
He sighed and dropped his hand and glanced back down at her.
She had started traveling with him and Jaken again when she turned sixteen. She had made him promise, much to his annoyance at himself, that he will let her travel with him when she turned sixteen.
He had hoped that by making her live with the old miko and his hanyou brother, Rin will live a normal and safe life. He had sent her to the old miko's village to improve her human skills and if she had wanted, she could live with them.
Though he groggily admit that he had hoped she would chose to come back to them again. Even though after the second time of losing her and going back to hell to bring her back had frightened him, he had realized that she needed to stay away from him.
He frowned even more and sat down next to her and reached a hand towards her to only drop his hand and looked down at it as if it wasn't his.
He wasn't a fool. He had noticed her changes. She was no longer young Rin and has transformed into a Rin who he had begun to desire, much to his disgust at first. After all, having raised her himself, he had thought the emotions disturbing.
He grimaced, but then stopped and growled softly at himself.
He had stayed away as long as he could for the first year. He had hoped that she'll miss being with the humans and go back, although in the back of his mind, he knew he could have just ordered her to go back.
Rin was still the same young Rin in a few ways. She was still willing to do anything for her lord.
He breathed out heavily and looked up towards the moon. It was a full moon today. It was a full moon when he had finally given into his attraction for his young ward.
Never would he imagine it'll be like this. That having this kind of relationship with Rin will be so…
He paused in his thoughts and dared not go farther with it. He looked back down at her and reached down to cup her face in his left hand. So easily he could kill her. So weak humans were, but he could never bring himself to hurt her or bear the thought of anyone else doing the damned deed.
He has been her protector since that fateful day when she had discovered him and tried to 'nurse' him back to health. When she had kept coming back, bringing human food and water, he had been curious as to why a human girl would even dare come close to a youkai.
Had she even known he was a youkai?
When he had seen her bruised face, his curiosity had taken over him and he had asked out of curiosity how she had received them. Instead of answering him, she had just smiled, a tooth missing.
Sesshomaru pulled his hand back and stared down at the soft smile playing on her lips now and was tempted to bend down and touch them. Even now her smile did something to him.
When he had smelled her blood in the air and seen her slaughtered body, he had tried to turn away, but…
He growled and looked back up into the sky.
He had to admit to himself now that the only reason why he had followed her scent was out of curiosity. Seeing her corpse, he had wanted to not care, but her smile. He couldn't forget her smile and had decided to test Tenseiga on her. From then on, she had followed him and he had let her.
Why though he asked himself.
When Jaken kept complaining about the human child that was following them, he had told Jaken to not complain. It wasn't Jaken she was following he had replied callously.
During those first few weeks, he was still curious as to why a human child would not be scared of him. Even now he could still see it in her eyes. From the very beginning, she has looked at him, not with fear like everyone else did, but as if he was her world.
He looked down at his hands and studied his claws and demon marks. Humans were taught to be afraid of youkais. Of him. Even youkais trembled at his name.
It had begun with his curiosity and is now…love? He frowned at the word. Emotions and feelings were for the weak and he despised anything that was weak. Yet he oddly felt that, he was indeed feeling something for Rin.
Did that mean he was weak?
He rubbed his brow, but quickly threw his hands down when he realized he had begun that annoying human habit again. He thought back to the beginning of all this.
He remembered she had not spoken at all in the beginning. He had unconsciously sensed when she was hungry, cold, or tired. Even though she had not asked, he had felt obligated to make sure she was well fed. He had even ordered Jaken to hunt for her when he had taken her to a human village, unable to stand the smell of her dried blood and dirt.
He had requested that the villagers bathe and clothe her. The villagers being afraid of the dai youkai had done what he requested. She still wouldn't talk though, but she had been against going into the village without him and had refused to let go of his sleeves. Relunctantly, he had gone into the village with her. He had planned to leave her there, but when he tried, she had followed him. When he had commanded the villagers to take her back, she had begun to cry.
Her tears, even then, had shook him and he had went back for her immediately and decided he will let her do as she wishes and said that she can travel with him if it was what she wanted. She had rewarded him with a smile and that was the beginning of beginnings.
In the back of his mind during that time, he kept asking himself why. Jaken had repeatedly asked the same question until Sesshomaru had thrown a rock at him causing the small youkai to keep quiet from then on.
He stared down at the girl to his side and remembered when she had first begun to talk. Her first word had been his name.
He had been teaching her how to fish that day after he had realized that she couldn't. While Jaken was away getting fire wood, he had decided to teach her. He had noticed the smell of blood in the air. Inuyasha's blood. The smell of the hanyou's blood had disturbed him. Something wasn't right with the smell. It had no trance of human blood anymore and he sensed Inuyasha's power then, youkai power.
Sesshomaru had decided to go sate his curiosity. He was only a several yards away when he heard his name. He had stood frozen for a while, knowing it was her voice and had turned around to see her holding a fish in her hands running towards him.
He saw the look of fear in her eyes and realized that she had thought he was leaving her. He had looked towards the place where Inuyasha was, then back down at the small girl. He had then taken her back to the small stream and watched as she continue fishing, the thought of his hanyou brother no longer in his mind.
He felt an odd warm feeling in his chest and stomach as he felt a bit of pride fill him, knowing that he was and still is the first one she will always call for and trust most.
She had begun speaking only after that incident. Slowly.
He had known that traveling with him would not be easy so he had ordered the dragon youkai to travel with her, letting her ride on the youkai. When she first saw him, for some reason, she had asked if the dragon had a name and when he had replied with a no, she had smiled again and asked if she could name him Ah and Un.
Jaken had been mystified as to why it would have two names and Rin simply replied that it had two heads.
It had been then that Jaken had asked what her name was.
Of course, up to that moment, both youkais had only referred to her as 'the girl' or 'the human'.
When she finally spoken her name, he was curious as to why she had looked at him with those eyes and that smile.
Soon though, he began to understand why the human child looked at him so. It was the emotion that humans call love.
Years later, he would ask her the question behind her smile then and she would replied with that word and also that she had been happy to know that Jaken-sama and Sesshomaru-sama had cared about her. She had said that was the day that she had begun to love them, the two people who had cared enough to ask for her name.
In the present, his eyes soften even as his face remained expressionless. He looked down at her. She had repeatedly told him that she loves him every night since they had become more than just lord and ward.
He closed his eyes and smelled the air. He sniffed once, twice and was suddenly standing up. Even though he looked calm and emotionless, Sesshomaru was at his most dangerous at the moment.
He didn't look back at the sleeping Rin as he moved to block her from view as best as he could and shifted his gaze to the area that the familiar scent was coming from. It was a scent that he remembered from his pup days, way before the death of his father or Inuyasha's mother.
The forest was dead silent now as if the leaves and crickets knew what was about to occur. A drifting cloud covered the moon, blocking its light and casted a shadow over Sesshomaru and everything around him.
He waited with silent patience. His amber eyes did not waver as he saw movement in the shadows.
Sesshomaru's face was emotionless as Jaken walked out into the small clearing, the small youkai tripping over his feet with haste. The small green imp looked very much frighten, he pulled on his sleeves and kept glancing backwards. He was shaking as he approached his lord. His gaze kept shifting back to where he had come from. He swallowed hard before he turned to an emotionless Sesshomaru.
His voice quivered as he spoke. "Sesshomaru-sama, I-I know I shouldn't be here, bu-but-"
He swallowed again and stepped aside saying no more even as he began to shake.
Sesshomaru felt a powerful presence from where Jaken had come from and sharply looked up.
The moon was still covered and Sesshomaru couldn't make out the shadow's face, but he didn't need to.
He already knew who it was.
A large figure, standing to maybe seven feet tall stood among the trees, his face and body covered by the shadows.
He stepped forward and right at that moment, the moon decided to reappear and casted light on the new comer's face.
His bald head reflected off of the light as his rough features and sharp eyes pierced into Sesshomaru.
At first glance, the figure was not human at all, but for those who knew his past, they knew he was in his way, human.
His eyes were the color of dark bark brown, his eyes sharp with an edge of harshness in them. The side of his face had black stripes running down to his chin. He had the same marks on his arm bands.
Sesshomaru stood still and unafraid as the hanyou walked towards him with a slow lazy gate of a dangerous lazy tiger. Sesshomaru stood still and calm as he watched and waited for the hanyou to speak first.
Iko stopped several yards away from Jaken and studied the dog youkai before him. Iko bowed his head in acknowledgement and crossed his arms as they both stared at each other.
The moon hid behind another wondering cloud and shadows casted towards the three inhuman men.
Iko finally broke the silence.
"It has been a long time, Sesh." Iko's rough voice cut the silence as he used the old nickname.
Sesshomaru was expressionless. He didn't even twitch. "General Iko of the Tiger clan, you're far from home are you not?"
"I can say the same. It is said that the Western Land no longer has a lord," Iko said as he stared at Sesshomaru.
"The Western Land has a lady. It has no need for a lord," replied the dog demon.
Iko rubbed his chin as he studied the dog demon. "Hmm, if you say so, but I'll recommend you that the Western Land will be in need of its true lord soon." Sesshomaru's eyes lit up with a curious glint. "I do not think your mother will be able to fight off a war with the Northern Lands."
Iko had finally caught the dog demon's attention. Sesshomaru's amber eyes studied his old friend.
"Your lord will be wise to not start a war with the Western lands, Iko."
Iko ran a hand over his head. "I do not recommend my lord of anything, I simply follow orders."
"Including attempted assassinations?"
Iko did not answer the question right away. His eyes unreadable as he studies Sesshomaru.
"This is not an assassination. My lord does not know I am even here. Is it bad of me to just want to warn an old friend?"
Sesshomaru was silent as he simply stared at the hanyou.
Iko smirked. "Still a man of few words I see Sesh."
When Sesshomaru simply stood there with his amber eyes staring right into his, Iko shifted uneasily as he looked at the youkai who had once been his best friend, the one he had been closest to when he was just a cub.
"I warn you because if I am asked to use Tohaikai," Iko paused as he watched Sesshomaru's eyes shift down to Iko's sword sheath. "I make no promises of what will happen."
Sesshomaru stared down at the famous ancient sword. It's as famous as his father's two swords.
Tohaikai, the sword of oblivion, Sesshomaru thought as he stared at it.
He had heard rumors from Jaken that the ancient sword had reawaken from it's a twenty thousand-year sleep, to only awaken to choose a hanyou wielder.
That was what sparked Sesshomaru's anger at Inuyasha getting Tessaiga when he had found out that his father had given the stronger weapon to his hanyou brother.
He had wanted to be equal to Iko's power with swords, even though he had always known he over powered Iko in youki.
When he realized that Tessaiga will never chose him to be its wielder he had given up on it and realized he will instead create a more powerful weapon for himself.
Iko went on. "I ask of you now Sesshomaru, to take your rightful place as the lord of the Western lands and we'll negotiate on sharing the lands. I do not want a blood bath between the two lands, Sesh."
Sesshomaru turned his head away in disgust.
"You dare ask this Sesshomaru to share land with that low youkai lord." His voice was low and deadly now.
The shaking Jaken stepped away from his lord as he saw Sesshomaru's amber eyes began to glow red as dark as blood. The deadly red aura surrounded him. The air cracked with power. Even Iko stepped back when he saw Sesshomaru's reaction.
"You are as pathetic as a ning—" Sesshomaru was growling when he stopped, to Iko's and Jaken's surprise and relief.
Sesshomaru's amber eyes came back and the red aura disappeared as quickly as it came. The dog demon quickly turned around and knelt beside the still sleeping human that he had been so carefully and successfully hiding from view until now. His hands reached for her as he clenched his teeth.
Sesshomaru had forgotten Rin was still there as he had no time to move somewhere else. If he had let his demonic presence be known to her, she would have woken up and now was not a good time to wake up.
Iko's eyes widen even more in shock as he stared the youkai cradling a human in his arms. Never in all his life of knowing the dog youkai had he imagine the day that he'll see Sesshomaru, the youkai who hated humans the most, be doing what he was doing now.
"Is that a ningen?"
Sesshomaru did not look up at the hanyou, his eyes only on Rin as she stirred awake.
Rin felt his presence and felt that something the strange emotions emitting from Sesshomaru. Slowly, her eyes opened and stared up into a pair of gold eyes. Her eyes were droopy from exhaustion.
"Sesshomaru-sama?" She reached a hand up to his face, her face filled with worry. "What is wrong?"
She was about to sit up when Sesshomaru forced her back down and laid her head on his Mokomoko.
"Sleep." The word was short and cut, but the edge to it made seem harsher than it should have been.
Rin's eyes narrowed even as she obediently laid her head down on the fur and reached a hand up to Sesshomaru's face and traced his demon mark on his cheek.
She whispered, "You seem to always be worried Sesshomaru."
She tenderly smiled at him before her words fell from her sleepy lips and sleep took her again.
Sesshomarulooked down at the again sleeping Rin. Sesshomaru trailed a hand over her cheek tenderly before he slowly stood up to face a still shocked Iko. A moment of silence filled the air as the moon came back out and Iko got his first good look at the human girl.
"What kind of fucking hypocrite are you?" Iko finally whispered out in anger as he stared at the human woman.
He could smell him all over her from here and had no idea why he had not smelled her strange sweet human smell on the Western lord or in the area before now.
He swallowed hard and realized just how strong the dai youkai is.
He was shock to see the look on Sesshomaru's face when the dai youkai had looked at the girl…and his voice!
Iko shook his head in disbelief.
"And you were just about to call me pathetic?!" Iko practically snarled at him. "I never thought I'll live to see the day where you will become the very father that you criticized Sesshomaru."
Iko truly wanted to attack the dog youkai, but dared not to.
Even though he had Tohaikai, Sesshomaru, if he was correct, had two very famous powerful swords and by the time he can even pull his sword out, Sesshomaru would have killed him with ease.
Sesshomaru's amber eyes flashed in anger, his lips curling slightly down. Iko shifted uneasily as he looked into the angry eyes.
Sesshomaru said nothing to Iko's surprise. Sesshomaru would have been angry at him and defended himself once long ago.
Then Iko's eyes flashed and he looked back at the human girl.
Slowly an idea began to form in his head. After a moment of silence, Iko finally looked back up to Sesshomaru, his eyes with a hidden meaning behind them.
He slowly stepped away from Jaken and Sesshomaru.
"I came and delivered my message to you. Do what you will with it old friend."
As he was about to teleport out, he turned his head enough so that he can look at Sesshomaru through the corner of his eye.
"One last thing," Iko said quietly. Sesshomaru's eyes shifted to him. "It was foolish of you to have taken a human mate. After all humans are so pathetically fragile. Someone just might use her to get to you. We wouldn't want that, would we? She might just end up getting hurt…or worse."
Iko heard Sesshomaru's threatening growl and the sound of metal sliding against leather, but he had already teleported out as Sesshomaru pulled out Bakusaiga.
Iko's plan playing into place as he smiled to himself.
I would show you, my dear old friend...what it feels like to lose the one you care for most, Iko said to Sesshomaru telepathically before disappearing altogether.
Sesshomaru's eyes were blood-red again, the red aura engulfed him. He growled after the now gone Iko.
Jaken stood frozen as he watched his lord.
Sesshomaru felt a feeling of dread fill him as he heard the hanyou's words enter his mind.
How Iko, a hanyou, had talked to him telepathy or even get past his mind barrier bothered Sesshomaru, but even more was the last message.
He calmed himself down and turned towards Rin and as he sent Jaken away, he knelt beside her.
Sesshomaru watched her, golden eyes masked. His mind couldn't get the image of seeing her lifeless slaughtered body.
Iko's word echoing.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT NOR EVER WILL OWN INUYASHA! Besides... I like Sesshomaru more (No offense Inuyasha!)