Author's Note:
I'm relatively new to writing fan fiction, although well-seasoned in reading it... that being said, this is the first fic that I published. It's actually the first fan fiction that I ever wrote. I rediscovered it on an old flash drive and, after editing it A LOT, here it is. It's Rin/Sesshomaru, mature for latter chapters. I'm not sure how frequently I'll be able to post – life is crazy. Just know that I'm working on it.
Please comment, give me your thoughts, tell me what I need to do to improve!
I appreciate it 😊 enjoy!
(Side Note: The beginning that's in italics is a flash back from the series. I watched the anime in English dub, never finished reading the manga. Keep in mind, I first wrote this just after finishing the series, about five years ago. Some of the content might not be completely accurate with the series… while I was editing, I kept forgetting what happened and most of my research involved texting a friend and asking if she remembered how their relationship progressed. Please let me know if I got anything wrong so I can endeavor to be more accurate. Thanks!)
Chapter One
I was eight years old when I first met him. It was at dusk; the sky was orange and purple, the air clinging to the last bit of warmth before the chill set in. He was laying on a bed of grass in a small meadow in the forest with his head turned away from me. I remember the way the fleeing sunlight made his long white hair gleam. He was beautiful and otherworldly.
I hid from him, behind a tree in the bushes. But my curiosity could not be sated. I wanted a better look. The leaves rustled with my movement as I peered beyond the tree. Faster than I thought possible, he sat up from his reclined position and snarled at me. I will never forget my uneasiness at those red, demon eyes. He was indeed beautiful. Beautifully dangerous.
His sudden movement startled me so much that I jerked back, even gasped. Barely a noise, and an involuntary one, but a noise nonetheless. I hadn't spoken a word, not since the day my family died.
But as I looked at him, I felt no fear. He was a demon, clear as day. But he was not human. And humans are the ones who truly should be feared. I swallowed my anxious feeling and stepped into the meadow, walking towards this strange, beautiful demon, stopping only a few feet away. There, I unhooked my water canteen from my sash and left it by his side. His cold eyes never left me but I could not read them. I turned and walked away. But I would be back.
And, once night had fallen, I returned. Once again, I peered at this strange being from behind the tree. This time, he was propped up against a tree of his own, his eyes closed, the canteen where I had left it, untouched, a few mere feet away from him. He was like a wild animal, one I had to approach cautiously, least I scare him away. And so, I did, this time bringing with me grilled fish and mushrooms on a leaf. Trying not to disturb his rest, I placed it beside the canteen and turned to leave once more.
"Mind your own business, girl. Your generosity is wasted on me; I don't eat human food." His voice matched his eyes, deep and cold. His words made me pause and I turned my head to glance at him. But he said no more and I could say nothing so I left once again.
To return later.
A touch on my shoulder woke me from my sleep and disturbed the memories haunting me. Kaede was kneeling next to me and, once she had ascertained that I was conscious, raised herself to her feet and exited the hut.
I raised myself from my bedding with effort to squint across the room to peer through the slatted mat covering the doorway. The small amount of light coming into the room told me that it was mere minutes after dawn. It would be herb picking today, then.
After I changed from my sleeping robes and into my priestess robes, I went outside to meet Kaede. I was not a priestess, but Kaede thought the clothes suited me, and she didn't want me to ruin my other kimonos, the ones that Lord Sesshomaru gave me. And just like that, my thoughts returned to the demon from my memories, the one haunting my dreams. It's been six years since he left me here, when I was eleven. I started living with humans again. Old lady Kaede made a deal with Lord Sesshomaru. I would live with her in this village for a few years, to see if I wanted to live with my kind, or live with demons, such as Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken. But my mind had not wavered in those years. When Sesshomaru returns for me, I'll go with him.
"Rin, shall we begin?" Kaede asked me. I nodded with a smile. I knelt next to the herbs that needed to be harvested, naming them as I did so. This became a routine for Lady Kaede and I. When I came to this village, I swore that I'd learn anything that might be of assistance to my lord. I've memorized almost all the herbs and they're uses for humans and demons. Kaede used to help me pull the herbs but stopped when her old age started getting in the way. I had Kagome teach me archery and I'm not bad at it. I had Inuyasha and Kohaku - when he was visiting Sango and not off hunting demons - teach me how to defend myself with a sword against demons, and learn they're weaknesses. I was determined not to be useless to lord Sesshomaru. I still am. I don't want him to be burdened by me if he returns. When he returns.
It took about an hour to finish this, and when we were done, nearly everyone in the village was awake. Kaede went back to the hut to make stew for us while I walked to the medicine hut to store the herbs in baskets and put them away for the sick and injured that need Kaede's attention.
As I walked through the village, some of the people bowed to me, as if I was a priestess like Kagome or Kaede. Most just gave me a strange look.
"There's the girl who keeps company with demons!"
"I heard her saying that humans were scarier than demons! Can you believe that?"
Those comments followed me everywhere I went, even in this village. Most warmed to me eventually, but some simply could not fathom why I would trust a certain demon more than the average human. There will always be people who think that I am a strange girl. It comes with the territory; I've become used to it.
Once I had finished my task, I returned to the house and ate the contents of the bowl Kaede had put in my hands. In the six years I lived with her, we'd become close. I helped her with whatever she needed done and looked after her, despite her insistence that thought she was old, she wasn't dying yet.
Before she could protest, I grabbed the nearest weapon leaning against the wall and left. I ran through the forest of InuYasha with my bow and the arrows on my back. I felt powerful, like I could do anything. The wind blew past my face, through my hair as I ran with all my might. Before I realized it, I was laughing. Then I pulled my bow off my back.
I was almost there! I made it to the clearing. Fast as lightening, I pulled an arrow out of my quiver and shot it at the tree I marked as my target. I barely registered that it hit its mark before I spun around and did the same thing to a different tree. I practiced my speed, accuracy, and flexibility. If a demon or bandits attacked me now, I would be able to defend myself. I wasn't a weak little girl anymore. This training of mine had become a habit, despite Kaede's disapproval. When I finished my exercise, I knelt on the ground and surveyed my work. All around the clearing, every tree that surrounded it had an arrow in its center. Every tree except for one. I frowned. I'm positive that I heard a thunk! for every tree. I was breathing heavily as I got up and walked past that one tree. Buried in a bush to the left of the tree was the arrow I shot at it. Damn it. I needed more practice. I heard applause and I turned around. Kohaku was standing in the center of the clearing, the spot I just left. I suppose my surprise was evident on my face, for he laughed.
"What are you doing here, Kohaku?" I asked, a little annoyed that he could sneak up on me and then had the nerve to laugh at me! Last I heard, he wasn't to return for a fortnight.
"I got to the village earlier this morning and I wanted to surprise you. I also wanted to see how you've improved and I knew you would come here. You did well." He walked towards me as he spoke, and now he stood in front of me, his brown eyes twinkling at me.
I flushed at his praise. "No, I missed."
"Really?" He asked. "You're going to beat yourself up over one arrow? Your agility and speed are amazing! Who cares if you missed one arrow out of…" He paused to look around and count the trees. "One out of 24." He finished.
"The demon that I didn't shoot will care. Yes, I'd imagine that he'd care quite a lot. Enough to kill me, in fact." I replied smartly.
"Feeling cheeky, are we?"
"A bit."
He sighed and shook his head. I suddenly felt conscious about the proximity between us. He was standing so close to me, the handsome boy who had been my friend forever. The sunlight spilled through the trees and it bounced off his hair, making it shine. He was in his black and green slayer's outfit still. I was aware, in that moment, of my priestess clothes that I was wearing that had grass stains from the herb garden. I fidgeted, uncomfortable with these foreign thoughts barging into my head and his eyes watching me.
At last, he grinned down at me and I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out from me. Like that, the disturbing thoughts were gone. It was incredible, how he could put me at ease.
"Rin, will you meet me by the river in about an hour? There are some things that I'd like to discuss with you but I must greet my sister and her family first."
"Yes; of course." I said, wanting to hear the stories of the places he's been. He nodded and then left without another word. I stayed in the meadow, looking miserably at the arrow that had not hit a tree. I slowly surveyed my work once more when I felt it. A tingle at the back of my neck. Someone was watching me, and I was out of arrows.
She hadn't missed. He had watched her as she burst from the hut, moving faster than he thought possible for a human. She raced into the forest, her head thrown back as she laughed with abandon, her long black hair flowing behind her. She was beautiful and carefree and he wanted her.
She hadn't missed.
He had watched out of sight, in awe of her, as she danced and whirled through the clearing, a dance of death. Her arrows sang through the air as every single one of them hit their target. All except for one. At least, according to her.
Just because she'd missed the tree mean she didn't hit what she had aimed for. The tree was never the target; he was.
Somehow, she unconsciously detected his demon aura and aimed for him. If it hadn't been for his quick reflexes… the arrow had gone straight for his face.
Ha caught it just in time, mere inches from his nose. But she didn't seem to notice him. Then the boy came.
Hot anger and jealousy pounded through him when he saw Kohaku smile at her and she smiled back at him. Then she blushed and a quiet growl slipped through his teeth.
He could not lose control like this.
Sesshomaru could not lose control over Rin, not again.
Three years ago, when he visited the village to see her as he did on occasion, something in her had changed. Her blood shifted. It was still human, it still smelled like Rin, but something changed. Something that made his blood boil.
He lost control that day, nearly in front of her. He escaped just in time. Had he stayed, had she seen, he would not have been able to face her again.
Sesshomaru had not allowed himself to interact with her ever since that day, lest he lose control again. But he could not stay away; and so, he frequently found himself in the position he was currently in. Watching from afar.
The boy left, much to his relief, as he reigned in the jealous beast.
Then she sensed him.
She could not see him, he knew. He was too deep in the foliage for her human eyes to detect. But she became aware of his presence. He had to leave, he realized, in order to avoid a confrontation. But he would be back.