Alright, here is my new version of Western Sunsets. Let's just skip all the blabbering about why I didn't finish the other and where I've been and just get to the reading. ;] As always, comments and criticism blah blah blah.
She had forgotten how much she'd missed spring.
Walking through the damp trail, Rin gazed up into the cloud-streaked afternoon sky. She was glad that she had escaped from the hustle and bustle of the shiro; only the chirping of early birds and the croaks of tree frogs surrounded her here. As she passed, bullfrogs on the bank jumped into the murky pond and turtles ducked their heads under the dark waters. The ground was cold underneath her bare feet, but a breeze wrapped her body in warmth. The tepid air smelled of rain.
This spring marked her seventeenth year on earth and the eighth year in the care of her Lord Sesshoumaru. After many years of travel, countless battles with enemies, and thousands upon thousands of miles of walking, she and the rest of the rag-tag group that had faithfully followed Sesshoumaru had finally found their way back to the great Western Lands and the grand castle that overlooked over the sea. After the death of Naraku and the completion of the Shikon no Tama, life had fallen into a peaceful rhythm quickly there and everyone, including the once shunned, orphaned village girl, had found their perfect place within the shiro walls.
Presently, Rin was making her way to one part of the vast gardens that she was particularly fond of; a small area hidden under the drooping leaves of a willow tree. A koi pond was tucked away beneath the budding leaves of the willow and the goma seeds that were concealed within the folds of Rin's kimono were beckoning to them.
Sesshoumaru watched her through the window of his study. She walked so carefully that her footsteps were barely audible to his sensitive ears, only a crunch of a twig here and there. It still amazed him that despite the elaborate clothing he bought her over the years, she still chose to wear a simple cotton kimono and run barefooted around the grounds. Sesshoumaru snorted at the young girl's simplicity, but still couldn't take his gaze off of her. Under his watchful, golden eyes, she had somehow managed to grow into a beautiful young woman - for a human girl, that is. Her hair fell in an ebony waterfall down her back and curled into various-sized ringlets at the tips. Her body, while still shorter than most, had slimmed and molded into the curves of a woman. And her eyes, those eyes that always shone with such brilliance and danced gleefully whenever he came around, were the deepest of browns. Her face was dotted with freckles from years under the sun, but her other small facial features were flawless.
The Lord of the Western Lands watched as the girl plucked a hardy pink hydrangea from a bush just to her left and then slip between the tendrils of an old willow tree.
It was easy to tell where this girl's roots came from: even through all of the schooling, dancing and samisen lessons, she still managed to find the most enjoyment and peace in searching for flowers within the massive gardens. She was a hopeless mess.
Sesshoumaru turned back to the parchment that was sprawled across the low table in front of him. It was a carefully drawn-out map of the land that was so rightfully his. Currently, his finger rested near the southern-most border on the town named Jikan. Just a few days before, the town had suffered a devastating invasion from a small division of the Southern Army. Though no word was sent to confirm his suspicions, Sesshoumaru knew this attack was a direct message from Lord Shoichi of the Southern Lands. A message that promised war.
Irritated, Sesshoumaru rose from his place behind the table and the little imp that had previously been dosing off in the corner snapped to his side, nearly thumping himself in the head with his own Nintoujou. "Shall I call for lunch, my lord?" Jaken questioned quickly as his master headed into the hallway.
"That will not be necessary," Sesshoumaru said, waving the small demon away with a quick whip of his striped wrist. Jaken instantly fell into a pout, but stopped with a bow to let his master pass.
What kind of dirty, unhonorable, loathsome creature would wage war on another country by quietly attacking worthless little ningen villages? Sesshoumaru thought to himself in annoyance. Whatever happened to the honorable way of fighting? The taiyoukai scoffed. Shoichi was simply a lowly snow leopard demon anyways and one could never trust a sneaky, devious cat at any costs.
Sesshoumaru released himself from his musings to find himself taking the same path he had seen Rin tip-toe down only minutes ago. The taiyoukai stopped abruptly and let the gentle, spring breeze caress his body. With the light flow of air came the unmistakably sweet scent of his young ward. Looking further down the path, Sesshoumaru caught sight of the willow tree.
He found her kneeling over the clear water of one of the estate's many koi ponds, her fingers resting just under the water's edge in such a stillness she seemed to be a beautiful statue. Upon his entrance into her shadowed sanctuary, Rin's dark, sparkling eyes flicked up meet his and she put one finger of her free hand over her rosebud lips, a single for him to stay silent. While she meant no harm by the simple gesture, any other person who resided within the shiro's boundaries would most likely pay dearly for the mistake of shushing their lord.
When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper, barely a noise escaping from that perfect mouth, "I'm trying to coax the koi to eat from my hand," she explained quietly as Sesshoumaru moved to take a seat on one of the stone benches that surrounded the pond. "I had them all but jumping out of the water last year," she continued, a smile dancing at her lips. "But it seems that they have forgotten me over winter." At this saddening fact, Rin's voice faded and her smile dropped, but she still continued to stare intently at the beautiful fish underneath the water's surface.
Both she and the taiyoukai watched as one rather brave koi slowly fluttered her way. It was a beautiful butterfly koi in a solid white, it's long, flowing fins living up to its namesake. It crept towards the girl's waiting fingers, eyeing the goma seeds eagerly, but still cautious of the whole situation. It lips puckered out further as it neared, but suddenly the creature was spooked by another fish's sudden wallow and nearly jumped away, splashing Rin in the process. The young girl pulled her hand from the water with a laugh, wiping her face with her dry sleeve as she sprinkled the seeds out onto the water. The koi hurriedly swam to the surface to feast now that they saw that the danger had left.
Rin sat back in the grass, placing her hands in her lap and moving her eyes from the playful koi to her Lord Sesshoumaru. Instantly, she saw the strain in his face.
"What ails you, my lord?" she asked sincerely, her head cocking to the side, awaiting his answer.
Sesshoumaru's golden gaze fell onto the girl as he pondered whether he should tell her about the current situation with the Southern Lands. Surely this unlearned girl could do nothing to aid him in his war troubles.
Sesshoumaru sighed uncharacteristically. "Troubles with other lands," he stated simply and Rin knew not to prod him any farther. If her lord wanted to explain his previous statement, he would do so of his own accord. The two fell into an easy silence, the only sounds coming from the wind swaying through the leafy cords of the willow tree and the occasional splash at the water's surface from the koi.
Rin took this time to steal a glance at Sesshoumaru. His narrow honey-colored eyes were focused on faraway subjects and they held a dull sheen because of it. The magenta stripes on his cheeks and the navy blue of the crescent moon on his forehead stood out against the pale completion of his face and the ivory of his hair. After their traveling had ceased, Sesshoumaru had no use for his spiked armor he wore and instead replaced in with a rather simple white kimono with the haori bearing his royal family's crest on the back in a deep red. And, over the years, Sesshoumaru's youkai body had replaced the arm that was so insolently taken from him so many years ago. While the new arm wasn't nearly as strong as the other, it still had the strength to end the lives of human and demon alike. He rubbed at it unconsciously now in gentle circles with his index finger and thumb, right over the bicep.
He felt her gaze on him, but didn't say anything. After all, he did the same whenever her attention was focused on something else long enough for him to catch a quick glance. She proved to be an interesting subject to him; there was something calming about her presence. Maybe it was the way she didn't pressure him to do anything or nag him with the current trouble of the day like so many other did. Or maybe it was the fact that she was simply there to give; give him peace, understanding, and just someone to be around.
Rin turned her eyes away from her master and laid back in the grass, picking up the pink hydrangea flower she had laid by her side earlier. She brought the flower to her face now, letting the small pedals tickle at her lips and chin as she sniffed the fragrant plant. Her hair flowed out around her in a pool of ebony and as the breeze picked up around them once more, Sesshoumaru caught her sweet scent once again.
Their peaceful encounter was cut short as Sesshoumaru picked up the sound of the loud, tip-tapping of claws against the gravel trail. In moments, Jaken's scratchy voice came pealing through the serene gardens, "Riiiiiiiiiin!" he called, his voice agitated. "Riiiiiiiiiin!'
The girl sat up and stuck the flower behind her ear, looking quite ridiculous considering it was nearly the size of her head. She folded her hands placidly back in her lap and waited for the imps imminent arrival. Sesshoumaru inwardly smiled at this. Despite every insult Jaken had thrown at her, every mean thing he had ever said and done to her, she was still the one person who could stand the old imp's annoying ways.
Jaken burst through the tendrils of the willow tree, sending a surprised bird fluttering into the air. His yellow eyes caught sight of the girl at once. "Rin! There you are, you stupid, insolent- Ah! My Lord Sesshoumaru!" Upon seeing his master, Jaken's squawking ceased and he dipped himself into a low bow, his nose grazing the grass. "I was just coming to get the girl for her shamisen lesson, my lord," the imp explained once he straightened. He threw the girl a nasty look through his squinted, yellow eyes and, in return, the girl stuck her tongue out at him. "I constantly have to remind the brat that you have graciously given her these opportunities at a better, more refined life and that she cannot just take them for granted as she so frequently does and-"
"Shut up, Jaken," Sesshoumaru said coolly, getting a muffled giggle from Rin in return. The little imp always finds SOMETHING to complain about, the taiyoukai thought to himself as he rubbed at his temples. He rose from his place on the stone bench and parted the cords of the willow to step back out into the sunshine, not even pausing to look back at the two.
"Now look what you've done, you ningen brat! You've angered the great Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken exclaimed, slamming his Nintoujou on the soft ground. To his dismay and Rin's delight, the end of the staff sunk deep into the damp earth, lodging itself there tightly. With another quick giggle, Rin jumped to her feet and skirted around the struggling imp, thankful to be able to slip away from another horrible shamisen lesson.
Rin did not see Sesshoumaru again till dinner. She sat at the end of the long table in the grand dining room, picking through her food with her chopsticks when he came in and sat down at the opposing side. A lowly demon servant rushed forward quickly with the meal the cooks had so painstakingly put together for him and left with a hurried bow. Sesshoumaru scrutinized the food through narrowed golden eyes but didn't pick up his chopsticks to eat. Rin watched him carefully, wondering what could be the matter.
Sesshoumaru pondered over the news he had received only minutes earlier. Shoichi had attacked another village. This time, the village was larger than Jikan and the population had suffered immensely from the attack. While Sesshoumaru could care less about the human lives lost, it irked him to the very core that the lowly snow leopard would even consider stepping foot onto Western Lands. Shoichi was young and had just come into power, he was bold and inexperienced and made mistakes. Several, grave mistakes, Sesshoumaru mused to himself.
Annoyed for the second time that day, Sesshoumaru got to his feet abruptly, knocking the table with more force than he intended. Rin squeaked and jumped out of the way, narrowly missing getting the wind knocked out of her by the massive piece of furniture. She heard the scrambling of tiny feet as Jaken scurried out of the kitchen to chase after their master, yelling, "Great Lord of the Western Lands, what ails you? What can this lowly servant Jaken do to help?" The two disappeared into one of the corridors that broke away from the dining hall. Rin sighed and went back to picking through her food, sad that her alone time with her lord was once again disturbed.
Jaken had to sprint to keep up with his master's long strides, hopping up and down to better attract the taiyoukai's attention. "Jaken," Sesshoumaru stated, his voice booming through the hall and startling the little toad. "Get my armor. We're going to the border."
With a sudden squeak and a rushed bow, Jaken hurried away to do his master's bidding.