Each person has an individual scent. It just takes a lot to notice the personal scent of another. Rihan thinks himself pretty good at that.
He knows that his father's scent is wild and strong, and more prominent than the scent of anyone he knows. It is a scent you want to throw yourself into wholeheartedly. A scent that you wanted to make your own but you know you can't. The scent that runs down his body, overwhelming everything even in the midst of the greatest of bloodbath. The wildness has calmed down during the years, but his scent is still as strong as it has always been.
His mother's scent was calm and gentle, much like the purest sakura in bloom in spring. It was that scent that had lulled him to sleep as a mere baby. It was a scent that he would never forget, not ever in many lifetimes. No matter how much time passed, that scent of Youhime would prevail in his heart, and he knew that it would do the same in that of his father's.
The scent of his first wife is also gentle, but it is also strong. She has a will of her own, and knew what it was that she wanted. Even if she was soft-spoken and calm for most of the time, she knew what to say to make him brim over with happiness, and what to say to make him feel like a mere child.
Kubinashi's scent was fierce, like a stormy night at sea, yet serene like a forest during the very same. Kubinashi never feared to say what he thought, nor did he let him get ahead of himself, always making sure that he knew when he was being an idiot. He would always be able to trust Kubinashi to say his true thoughts, and for his scent to grow even fiercer than it already was.
Kino had a strong scent, full of passion for her friends and comrades. Her feelings and thoughts made her scent powerful and unique, one that was full of flavour and spice, mingling with the sweetness of flower in full bloom.
Gyuuki, Karasu Tengu, Setsura... Kurotabou and Aotabou... they all had their own scent, one that cannot be copied or imitated. It is their own, something that will never disappear. And Rihan takes strength from that.