The constant drum of rain on the roof kept Rin awake, just like every other rainy night. She found that the sound both calmed and called out to her soul, begging for something. When she had been younger, the thunder and lightning had frightened her and she would hide under her covers till morning. But being with her master made Rin feel safe and she had eventually overcome her fears.
She had actually came to love the rain and nights when the days warmth had lingered, she would slip from the castle and dance. The rain, that soaked her to the bone, seemed to wash away everything, leaving her bare and new. The dancing filled her with a hope and a joy that she could never put into words. Although it was something she loved, she never told a soul and she would defiantly never tell her master. Deep down, she feared his reaction. It was the only fear she had, to disappoint him.
He wouldn't show his displeasure, he never did. To him, emotion was a sign of weakness. Rin knew that he knew she danced in the rain, there was no way he didn't. That was one of the many reasons that her master was feared and respected, he seemed to know everything. But Rin knew there was one thing he didn't know, that he may never know. Ever since she had reached her sixteenth summer, Rin couldn't help but feel more then just respect for the ruler of the Western lands. Although many humans and demons alike cringed in fear of her master, she only awed in his presence. Now in her nineteenth year, she no longer saw him as a father figure, but looked to him with an underlying need. When she found herself woken in the middle of the night, she was no longer surprised that he was the cause. His face filled her dreams and when she woke, there was always a tight coiling in the pit of her stomach.
Over the many years she had been with him, his appearance had changed only the slightest. Anyone else wouldn't notice the few lines at the corner of his eyes or that his hair was minimally duller. No, only Rin would notice, because she was madly in love with Lord Sesshoumaru.
Rin let out a small sigh as she threw back her blankets and rose from the bed. The day had been warm and muggy, a storm at the edge of every cloud. Finally, just before bed, the hold broke and a large storm had developed over the land. It was still rather warm out and Rin needed the calm patter of rain to ease her mind. She needed to, if only for a moment, wipe him from her thoughts, otherwise there would be no hope for sleep.
She slid back the door, gingerly closing it behind her, and tiptoed down the maze of hallways. The castle was large, in Rin's opinion to large. When she had first come to stay at the castle, she had become lost in the maze of hallways many times. On a few occasions, she had been found huddled in a corner, crying and afraid she would never find her way. But that was when she was younger, now she knew the castle like the back of her hand.
A floor board creaked under her foot and Rin cringed at the noise. It seemed to echo through the entire castle, threatening to wake everyone. She knew it was stupid to be so quite, he would already know she was moving about. At times Rin wondered if her master ever slept for she had only seen him resting once. That was the first time they had ever met.
After she rounded the last corner, ahead of her was the large staircase that lead to the main lobby. It was the last stretch before she could reach the large main doors. But before she could make it there, she would have to pass his room. Rin paused for a moment, his image coming to mind then she hurried past his closed door, down the stairs and out the door.
When she finally made it outside she let out a sigh as the rain fell on her upturned face. Almost instantly her hair plastered itself to her forehead and cheeks, slick with rain. Her kimono became heavy and clung to her body.
The moon was full that night and everything took on a ghostly shine. Rin marveled in the beauty as she walked down the short steps, away from the front door. She stood with her hands held up to the sky, face turned up, and mouth open. Nothing tasted better to her then fresh rain.
She started to spin in a circle, her wet sleeping kimono flapped around her thighs. She let out a laugh when the vision at the corner of her eyes blurred. Everything around her blurred into lines of color, the only clear object was the moon above her. The rain fell harder as she slowed her movements, her head becoming light feeling. As the rain came down in sheets, the fog became thicker, making Rin feel like she was walking among the clouds. She took a step towards the castle doors and let out a shaky laugh when her world spun. She still hadn't regained her balance after spinning and she couldn't see straight.
In her dizzy state, she thought she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. When she jerk in the direction of the movement, Rin lost her footing and stumbled forward. When she hit the ground, she felt the skin on her hands and knees rub away. Rin sucked in her breath as she shifted to sit on the ground, inspecting her wounds. Her hands were skinned, muddy, and pink, but nothing that a little washing wouldn't help.
Her knees were a different story. They had taken the brunt of the fall and it showed. The skin had peeled away and drops of blood mixed with dirt. She gingerly tried to wipe away the gravel, but stopped when it began to sting. She pushed herself up from the ground, conscious of her skinned hands, and headed back to the castle. The rain continued to down poor as she pushed the heavy doors closed behind her. She would have loved to stay longer, but her knees stung and she wanted to get the cuts cleaned up.
When Rin reached the top of the stairs, she froze in her tracks. The door she has passed earlier, Lord Sesshoumaru's door, was now cracked open, a light flickering from within. Her heartbeat sped up and just the thought of her master had her feeling like butterflies were fluttering in her stomach. She tried to tell herself that his door had been open when she first left, but she knew the truth. Getting the strength to pass his door took every ounce of bravery she had. She took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then headed past the open door. Just as the sliver of light fell on her body, she heard a voice call her name. Rin felt her heart jump up into her throat and for a second she was sure it would choke her.
When she finally regained her composure, she walked over to the door. Rin stood just outside the room, her hands entwined in front of her and her head hung low. She didn't want to step into the room, as much as she would love to see her master. Her clothes were still wet and her knees were still bloody and dirty.
"Yes master?"
"Come here Rin." she desperately wanted to run, she wished that her feet would take her away. She didn't want him to see her like this, no not like this. But there was nothing she could do, nothing that could make Rin disobey her master.
She slowly pushed the door open, taking ever minute that she could. When Rin finally stepped into the room, the warmth hit her in waves. On the far wall, a fire burned in the fireplace, its flames danced and flittered. Now that her rain soaked clothes were beginning to cool, she welcomed its warmth.
When she had been younger, she had once wandered into lord Sesshoumaru's bedroom. She was of course reprimanded, but she never forgot what it looked like. At the time she had awed at the size of the bed, thinking that she could easily fit an entire family of five in it. She had run her hands along the white fur rug in front of the fireplace, nuzzling her cheek against it. When she had been discovered, her gaze had been glued to a picture above the fireplace. In the picture was a beautiful woman with long silver hair, just like her masters. What had really caught Rin's attention on that day, had been the magnificent smile that the woman was wearing.
Aside from the bed and fireplace, the only other thing in the room had been a tall oak wardrobe. She looked to her left, seeing that very same wardrobe, then above the fireplace to share a smile with the un-aged woman. She knew, without a doubt, the bed would be to her left, for her master was a man of little change.
When she finally brought her gaze to the bed, Rin's heart began to beat against her rib cage and a heat that challenged even the fires warmth, started to pool in her stomach. For on the bed, propped up against the pillows, was lord Sesshoumaru. It wouldn't have caused such a reaction from her if it wasn't for the fact that he was shirtless. His beautiful skin seemed to glow in the fire light, his firm muscles twitched slightly under taunt ivory skin. The twitch of his abs caught Rin's attention, and she took in the sight of his body. His broad chest blended down into a narrow waist with two large purple marks that disappeared at the waist of his hakama. Rin blushed when she realized where her sights had settled and she quickly dropped her gaze to her feet. For a long moment, neither said a word and Rin was afraid she would go insane from the silence. Finally, just before her breaking point, Sesshoumaru spoke up.
"You should be in bed." she felt her heart drop, she had done what she feared most, she had disappointed him.
"Yes master, I will go there now." Rin turned to exit the room but was stopped by a small noise from her master. To her ears it sounded like a low, short growl and for some reason, Rin felt a tight pull in her body. The feeling started in her chest and made a mad dash to her stomach were is settled and sank ever so slowly. She turned her attention back to the bed to find Sesshoumaru standing next to it. His eyes had fallen to the bottom of her night gown and Rin remembered that she had yet to clean up her knees.
"Rin you have been careless." he moved closer to her and Rin felt her heartbeat speed up a notch. Just being close to the man made her feel dizzy and weak in the knees. As a reflex, she took a step backwards. She needed to get away from him, to get away from the things that he made her feel. But she knew that she wouldn't leave, that her heart wouldn't let her leave. Sesshoumaru brought his gaze up to meet hers, a fleeting shining in his eyes. "After all these years, do you fear this Sesshoumaru now Rin?"
"N-no lord Sesshoumaru, I just-" her words fell short. She couldn't tell him, not now that he seemed disappointed in her. It would seem that she was just trying to keep his love. His love? Was there even that of his for her to have? She had already taken to mind the fact that he let her stay with him, never telling her to leave. But it seemed like he did it out of obligation, he wouldn't become attached to a mere human. The thoughts running through her mind, the ones that frequented her subconscious, made her heart ache.
While Rin had been caught up in an inner battle, she hadn't noticed her master moving around the room. When she snapped back to reality, he was kneeling in front of her, a water basin at her feet and a rag in his hand. The sight made something inside of Rin snap. Seeing her master kneeling in front of her, a human, humbled Rin.
The light from the fire flickered over Sesshoumaru's body, giving him an unearthly glow. His long hair cascaded over his back, a few strands falling in front of his shoulder. From Rin's position she could see the smooth skin of his neck, the broad span of his shoulder blades that shifted with his movement, and the silky curve of his lower back that dawned those newly familiar purple lines.
Sesshoumaru dipped the rag into the water, rung it out and brought it up to Rin's right knee. The combination of the cold water and the stinging feeling caused Rin to let out a low hiss. The jolt as well, snapped her out of her trance like state. She realized that she was indirectly belittling her master. Here she was standing in front of him, letting him tend to her wounds. She could easily take care of them herself and she knew, he didn't owe her a thing.
"Please lord Sesshoumaru, I can do this on my own." she took another step backwards only to have her masters hand grab the back of her left thigh. The contact sent a shiver through Rin's body and a feeling similar to spinning coursed through her.
"Rin it is apparent that you can not, or else you would have never sustained these injuries." she knew he was right, she had been careless, childish. Even though she agreed with his words, she couldn't let him do this, for more reasons then she would have liked to admit. The fact was that his nearness, his hand on her thigh, and his eyes, were causing her body to react. The heat that had settled in her stomach was getting hotter and the junction between her legs had started a slow rhythmic pulse. Rin tried again to pull away from the man in front of her, but she was stopped by another low growl. Rin felt the same familiar pang course through her body and her womanhood became slick and wet.
As if her thigh had caught fire and burned him, Sesshoumaru jerked his hand away. The very eyes that seemed to read Rin's thoughts took on a red tint for the briefest moment, then it was gone. Sesshoumaru rose from his position on the floor and took a step back. His eyes never left hers as he slowly back away, closer to his bed. Rin remained motionless, unsure as of what to do. She didn't have long to wonder, Sesshoumaru turned away and then spoke.
"Rin go to bed, now."
"Lord Sesshou-"
"Now Rin." his words were short and hard, striking Rin as if he had physically hurt her. She quickly turned from the man and ran out of the room. Rin made her way blindly through the hallways, the tears blurred her vision and threatened to fall from her eyes. She knew she had done something, but what she didn't know. Surely he couldn't have been that upset about her going out in the rain, she had done it many times before without him speaking up.
She finally, thankfully, made it to her room. Rin jerked the door open then slide it shut with a slam and threw herself on the bed. The tears at bay finally came forth, spilling down her cheeks and dampening her pillow. She wasn't one to cry, but the tears came relentlessly none the less. Finally when she could cry no more, sleep over took her. The finally thought on her mind, a vow that she would make it up to him.