I would suggest reading Final Farewell befor this story. The main idea behind this is to show Sesshomaru and Rin's life style after their seperation, and how they have coped with it. This chapter mainly deals with Rin and her thought so enjoy and don't forget to comment.
Disclaimer: I own none of the Inuyasha characters
It started out as any other morning in Kaede's village. With the men working in the fields, the woman tending to the children, and a pair of small hands beside hers helping pick the herbs. Yes, it had been over a year now since Naraku's defeat, and Kagome's absence.
Kaede looked to the young girl beside her, and noted how well she was doing picking the good herbs from the bad. Rin had been under her care for over 6 or 7 months now, and neither one of them have seen Sesshomaru since he last left Rin with her.
In the beginning she expected for for him to barge into her hut and ask for Rin back, or even simply take her away. Kaede was prepared for any confrontation she would one day have with the dog demon. She always thought she would find Sesshomaru speaking with Rin somewhere in the outskirts of the village, but that never happened.
Rin was almost always by Kaede's side. Sometimes she would go and visit Miroku, and Sango. Other times she would go and meet with Kohaku after he had returned from his training. She was thankful for all of there help in making the girl feel welcome in a strange new village.
Kaede was also thankful that Sesshomaru stuck to their agreement, and did not make his presence known to Rin. She was not sure if he was just watching the girl from afar, but Inuyasha had mentioned how he never once picked up on Sesshomaru's scent since the day Rin was taken under her care.
"Lady Kaede, will we be needing anymore of these plants," Rin asked, which brought Kaede out of her thoughts. "Nae child, I believe we have enough for now". The pair picked up their baskets and supplies, and heaaded back to the village.
Rin had adjusted to her new life a little more each day, the smile and laughter was even brought out most of the time. Although, it was the first three or so months that were the hardest. The girl just didn't seem to want to do anything but stay in the hut, and hide herself from the rest of the village.
Of course Kaede was worried over the girl's condition, but it was a delicate time for her after all. So, for the first couple of weeks she gave Rin her space. Especially at night, when Kaede could hear the sounds of silent weeping coming from the poor girl.
It wasn't all horrible though, despit the child's lack of smiles and laughter. Rin ate when it was time, she even helped with the meal. She aided Kaede with the herbs , and helped out in the garden. Sleep was probably the hardest thing for the girl, but she managed.
The only problem was that Rin did not want to go anywhere else, unless she was instructed to. For the first few months that it how it was, but the girl's mood lightened the day Kohaku came back from was the first time the two saw each other since Naraku's defeat. Kaede remembered how Kohaku offered to take Rin out to the village, and show her around.
"Have you seen Kohaku lately," asked the priestess.
"No, not since he left last month, but Sango says that the longer he is gone means the stronger he is becoming". Rin remembered the first time she saw Kohaku after her life began in the village.
Even after everything that has happened, Rin was glad to see Kohaku again. She had missed her friend, so decided to go with him when he invited her to walk around the village with him. They didn't do much but simply talk, and Rin was grateful that he never asked her why she was in the village to begin with.
They talked about his training and how his sister was coming along with her pregnancy. There were a few times Rin was even given a few chances to feel the baby kick, which brought her back to the days when her mother would allow her to feel her little brother through her stomach. Suddenly Rin awoke from her day dreaming when a voice called out to them.
"Well you two certainly look busy," came Sango's voice, as she walked up to them. In her arms were her and Miroku's twin daughters, and both of them were fast alseep. The infants were only a few months old, and Rin could remember the day they were born. It was the first good memory she had while being in the village, and her day dreaming led to that day.
~Flashback~
During the walk with Kohaku, they both were suddenly called out by Miroku. He went straight to Rin and asked her to fetch Kaede, for his wife was going into labor already. Rin did as she was told, and went to find Kaede. Meanwhile Kohaku followed his brother in law back to his home so he could support his sister.
Rin found Kaede in the hut, thankful that she didn't have to search no where else, and soon they were both rushing to get to Sango's side. When they both made it to Miroku's home, they found a very greenish looking Kohaku outside the door, and the scene almost made Rin laugh until they heard a scream from the inside.
They rushed in to find out the rather girly scream came from Miroku, who was holding onto Sango's hand. "Hunny, not so hard," Miroku pleaded, forgetting his wife's strength sometimes.
He would of said more if it hadn't been for the death glare he was recieving from her then, and he wasn't even flirting with anyone too. He gave that up the moment they married, so why was she so angry with him now.
"It was your lust that caused this," Sango said hauntingly. Her eyes holding both pain and anger, and she gave her husband's hand another hard squeeze. Now that was not fair, thought Miroku, for she was just as much to blame as he was. Once he saw Kaede at the door he immediatly let go of his wife's hand, and rushed to his saviors.
"Please help me, I mean...her," he cried out as he ran to them. Kaede chuckled lightly at the monk's actions.
"Rest assure, your wife is in good hands," she said, and motioned for Miroku to leave as she made her way to Sango. Rin watched as Mirou closed the door behind him, so as to give them priavacy.
Kaede went to Sango and whipped her head with a cloth. "Yae are strong, everything will be fine," Kaede said sofly, as to comfort the pregnant woman.
"I don't think I will ever want to do this again," Sango said, which made them both laugh a little. Knowing fully well that this birth was the start of many more to come.
"Listen well Rin, for I will need yae help," Kaede told her. "Me," she answered worriedly. "What can I do," she had never delivered a baby before, and when her mother gave birth she simply waited outside with her father and brothers.
"There is plenty yae can do," with that Kaede pointed to the empty tub by the corner of the hut. "Fill that tub with warm water quickly, then I will need yae to bring some fresh sheets and plenty of towels". Rin hurried and did as she was told, and hoped that she did everything correctly. Once everything was set up Kaede mentioned to Sango that it was time to push.
Rin watched curiously from the side lines, it was definintly a sight to behold, even if it was a bit disguisting. She thought that if Kohaku and Miroku were there, they both would of fainted by now.
Suddenly Rin spied a head of somesort, then arms started coming along with it. Soon a pair of legs joined in, and much to her surprise a baby had just entered the world.
"Very well done Sango, it is a healthy baby girl," Kaede said happily, then motioned for Rin to help her clean the infant in the warm water tub. As Kaede stepped away Sango's cry of pain came again.
"Sango," Kaede cried as she went back to the woman. Rin was left to hold onto the crying baby, then she heard the monk's voice from outside. "Lady Kaede is everything ok," he was only answered with another cry from Sango.
"Sango," Miroku and Kohaku cried out as they suddenly entered the hut. Although, the site before them only left them falling on their backs and completely knocked out.
"This hardly be the time," Kaede shouted to them in panic. She looked to the source of their defeat, and what she saw surprised her. A small head was seen trying to make it's way into the world. Another one, Kaede stated. Sango let out another painful cry and Kaede immediatly went to work again.
"Rin, bring some more of the ailments and sheets," Kaede said, as she saw Rin gently place the first crying infant into a basket where it would be safe.
"But Lady Kaede, that was all the medicine we brought, and I can't find anymore sheets," Rin aswered quickly, panic beginning to set into her as well. Kaede held a worried look, all the sheets were either wet or coated with blood, they needed more for this baby. Plus Sango needed medicine to calm her down, but she never expected a second infant so Kaede only brought enough for one delivery.
"Nae, with those two out, we have but only one choice", Kaede said as she turned to Rin. "You will have to return to our hut and fetch more medicine and sheets".
Rin knodded her head and quickly left the hut, and ran faster when she heard Kaede tell he to hurry. The distance between the two huts was certainly not short, and Rin hoped she was in time. If anything happen to the baby, there would be no else to blame besides her lack of speed. She just had to hurry, she thought.
She had nearly ran the half way point, but she was already out of breath. Plus she still had to run the way back. Her forehead began to sweat and her legs started to heat up. She thought she would never make it in time at this point.
All of a sudden a flash of white came to her sight, and for a few seconds she thought her heart was gonna explode at the sight of seeing her Lord again. Of all times too, she thought.
ALthough, it was not him.
Instead, there stood Inuyasha with his back turned to her, his white hair fooling her. He turned around, and in his hands were the medicine and sheets. Beside him was Kirara and Shippo, both scrunching there noses. It must be all the blood from birth, she thought.
"What are you waiting for, here," Inuyasha said as he handed her the supplies. "I can't stand the smell, I could pick it up all the way from the forest, but I also heared everything," he said, as he turned his back to her again.
"Can you handle the run back," he asked. She simply nodded and bowed her head in thanks as she tuned and again started running to Miroku's hut.
When she was out of sight Inuyasha started backing away from the village to avoid the smell, and took full notion of Rin's dissapointed face. "She must of thought I was him," he thought. A certain bastart coming to his mind.
"That be fast," Kaede stated as Rin barged in with the supplies in hand. Kaede started getting to work again.
Soon Sango's cries of pain had subscided, and the only cries were that of yet another healthy baby girl. They did it, Kaede thought, as she handed both crying infants to their mother.
Sango sighed in relief that it was all over, and as if father instincts took over Miroku suddenly awoke to the sounds of his crying children. A huge smile formed his face as he happily shouted out the word "Twins"!
Kohaku's eyes opened at the shout and awoke to find his sister and brother in law huddling together with their two babies. Kohaku smile was identical to the smiles that had formed on the new parent's faces.
"We can't thank you enough Lady Kaede," Sango said.
"Aye, but the one you should thank more is young Rin here," Kaede said, and Rin automatically turned red from embaressment. If Inuyasha had not made it to her, she would probably not of made it back in time.
"Well actually," she started out, but was interupted by a voice at the door.
"Yeah I saw her running, if it wasn't for her you may only have one baby alive there," Inuyasha said as he walked in, reliefed that the smell of blood was no longer so strong. Rin was about to speak in protest, but he gave her a look of disaproval, and she only knodded her head.
Suddenly Shippo came and jumped on Inuyasha's shoulder, along with Kirara who went by Kohaku's side. "Oh wow, look there are two of them," the kid fox stated, as the whole gang huddled around the newborn infants.
"Thank you so much for your help Rin," Sango said with a smile on her face. "This couldn't of happened without you".
Rin looked at her happy face, then at all the smiling faces in the room, and suddenly she found herself smiling too. For the first time since she and her Lord parted ways. Though, she wasn't entirely sure is it was a real smile, or just something that occured becasue of everyone elses happiness. Either way, she thought, she smiled.
Flashback~
Rin looked up to the night sky, the memory of Sango's first birth was indeed a happy one. After that a smile came more natural to her, and she found that laughter was easier to bring out as well. Still though. she wasn't sure if she smiled because she was truely happy, or it just seemed like the thing to do. Either way, after that she started walking around the village more, and with the help of Kohaku she even made a few friends.
Ever since bandits murdered her family, she always saw humans as nothing more then murderous thieves. To add on, the way the villagers treated her when she lost everything, it only made Rin detest her own kind even more.
Though now, she didn't see to much of that in this village. The people were nice for the most part, just average ordinary humans. Sometimes Rin wondered what it would of been like if she lived here as an orphan, would she be treated badly like her other village.
Rin honestly didn't know, but what she did know was that there were still bad humans out there. Bad humans that come after innocent people in the middle of the night and kill everyone they can just for the sake of money and goods.
Rin looked from the sky to the village huts, and saw how everyone was ready to rest for the night. She saw one of her friends heading into the hut with her mother. Her friend waved at her happily.
She was glad the village children were kind to her, at her old village most parents didn't want their kids to play with her because she couldn't speak. There were even times she was accused of being possed by a demon. She was looked down upon by something she couldn't help.
Rin waved back to her friend as she headed inside. Rin remembered when the village children first saw her, the first thing many of the girls asked is where she got her kimono from. Rin did notice how most of the village girl's kimonos were not as colorful as hers was. Most were usually just some dark color such as red or brown, much like the kimono she used to wear before she recieved her colorful orange creme checkered one.
And the ones that did hold a lovely color of yellow, or pink were just simply that color. Rin's kimono was simple, but it's checkered multie color design left all the village girls to look at her in sheer envy on how she could afford such an expensive looking kimono.
Rin remembered how she didn't answer any of there questions though, because all they did was remind her of who gave her the kimono in the first place. She remembered running away from the children then, and finding solitude in the forest nearbye to cry her eyes out. The next day she met up with them again, and after a good apoligy they invited her to some games. That is how it has been since, she thought.
Her eyes reverted back to the glow in the sky. There it was again, she thought. The moon had tooken the shape that reminded her so much of her Lord. Everytime she stared at the half moon she always saw his face in the sky, the memory of him looking down to her before he left was still so vivid.
"Lord Sesshomaru," Rin muttered to herself, forgetting completely that Kaede was also in the hut. The old woman heard, but said nothing as she simply began stirring the stew.
Rin tended to speak the demon Lord's name from time to time, and she knew nothing she could say would ever stop her from doing so. After some time of hearing it, it soon got to the point where she didn't even hear it at all.
Rin wasn't one to lie, not even to herself. Even after so many months have passed, she still missed Sesshomaru terribly. That fact for sure couldn't fool Kaede.
For so many nights, Rin used to cry silently to herself when Kaede fell asleep. Though the priestess found out very soon when she noticed how Rin's head support pillow was always damp, almost every time she checked. There were even times the girl would whisper Sesshomaru's name in her sleep, and Kaede could only hope that her dream ended soon.
Of course Rin finally ceased her nightly crying after some time, though Kaede was sure she still heard the girl whisper the names of her previous companions every once in a while. Rin muttering Sesshomaru's name was something she did just about every time the half moon was out. Kaede found the girl to be very much like Inuyasha. Both could hold there usual face and emotions, but deep down it is ovious there hearts were not as they should be.
"Come along and eat child," Kaede said, motioning for Rin to leave the window. The two usually discussed there day to each other, and Kaede soon found out just how talkative the girl could be. Yet tonight the meal was enjoyed in silence, it wasn't of anything rare though.
"Tell me child, what is on yae mind," Kaede already knew, and she hoped that the question didn't cause the girl to cry that night. No tears were seen though, and Rin simply held a look of surprise. Kaede never did ask her questions when she knew it involved Sesshomaru, but she knew now was as good a time to talk with the girl about it.
Maybe, Kaede thought, if they were to talk about it more. Then maybe Rin would miss him less and less, it will only bring better happiness to the girl if she did end up forgeting about her previous life traveling with demons.
"Yae are thinking about Sesshomaru again, aye," she asked, and Rin's eyes went from Kaede to the stew bowl in her hands. "There be nothing wrong with that child, but keeping yae feelings inside be not good for the soul". Rin just kept looking at her meal as she listened, then finally spoke.
"I miss him," she said quietly, her eyes never leaving the bowl. "Sometimes... I miss him so much, I just want to run away to find him again...or hope that he would find me".
"Nae, don't be foolish, yae know as well as I that in doing so yae will have accomplished nothing more then getting yae self in danger," Kaede said, and Rin only knodded her head. She knew that which is why she never did it.
"I want to see him Lady Kaede, even if it is just one more time," Rin felt like she was about to cry, but forced the tears back. It was the first time she was able to talk about her feelings involving her Lord. Needless to say it wasn't easy.
"I know young one, but right now it be best to just keep adjusting to this new way of life," Kaede told her. "This village is safe, and there are many things here that can be essential to yae own future," she said. "What is best for right now is that yae keep living yae own life, and let Sesshomaru live his".
Rin only answered with a yes, and her bangs shielded her eyes from view. She honestly didn't understand why she could not see her Lord, Kaede never gave her a good reason. Although, her mother taught her to respect her elders so she did, and did not argue with her caretaker. She had a feeling that maybe she would understand when she was older, because right now she had no idea why it was essential for her to stay in a village.
"Do...do you think he misses me," she asked suddenly. This time it was Kaede who was surprised over the question. She figured she already brought the girl down enough, so her answer to this question was crusal.
""I have lived a long enough life to figure out many people, and understand what course of actions they will take, and why," she started out. "Though Sesshomaru be the kind of being I have yet to be able to understand, and it is my lack of understanding that leads me to not knowing the exact reasons behind his action, not the next course of action". Kaede looked into Rin's young eyes. She hoped the child was able to understand her explanation, but the girl wasn't even in her 10th year so Kaede couldn't blame her if she didn't.
"Rin, I can honestly say I do not know what Sesshomaru is feeling, I cannot answer yae question child". Rin only gave a small smile, as thanks for trying, and she soon began finish up her already cold stew.
After there meal, the two cleaned up then set up there beds to soon call it a night. Kaede was awake throughout most of the night, and thankfully she heard no sounds of crying. Though just as she was about to fall into sleep she head the girl's dreams cause her to whisper an all to familiar name. Kaede simply sighed and driffted to sleep.