The Gift of the Gods
It was never going to be an ordinary day. That had been decided from the moment that Rin awoke. She awoke to find Sesshomaru gone and Jaken whistling a happy tune. The last time that she awoke to that was when she was thirteen and her body had begun it's first fertile peak, aka, the time when conception was easiest. Of course Sesshomaru had gotten used to this over the years and was no longer bothered by it. Still, Sesshomaru was gone and Jaken was whistling like he had on that day.
By noon, it was like the distinct queerness of the day was hitting her over the head with a sack of rocks. Sesshomaru has yet to make his appearance and Jaken had been chatting her ear off about anything he could think of, leaving Rin confused and slightly ticked off.
She'd tried asking Jaken what was going on, where was Sesshomaru, etc. He didn't respond. Just smiled and changed the subject to a bird darting through the trees or a bee buzzing by the flowers. With eyebrows knit together, Rin had nodded and smiled at Jaken as he kept acting strangely.
Midway through the afternoon, Rin was quite sick of Jaken's off-putting attitude and oddly cheery facade.
"What in all of seven hell's is going on?" she asked quite bluntly. The toad demon, who a moment before had been stuffing dried food into a pack and quarrying her about her favorite type of food froze up like a man shot through the heart. Those eyes, already disproportionate with his face, let alone body, widened so large she was afraid they would burst.
"Well… I… uh… ah… I can't… I… No…"
Rin couldn't help but smirk and giggle at Jaken's fit of stuttering. Had he really not thought she'd come out and ask him what was going on? Or that she would quite bluntly demand to know?
"Jaken, you can tell me. I won't say a peep to lord Sesshomaru if you'll just tell me why he is away." Rin smiled her brightest smile and cocked her head, hoping that this would get Jaken to open up. It worked, quite well if one took her word for it. Jaken spilled like a bag of beans cut by a katana.
"Lord Sesshomaru is away to oversee how a surprise he has had commissioned for you is going."
"What is the surprise?" Rin pressed. Now this was quite intriguing. She was no stranger to the occasional gift from lord Sesshomaru but this must've been quite the gift if it was keeping her lord away so long.
"I shouldn't say. It wouldn't be a surprise," replied the toad demon, finding his back bone. Rin snorted by accepted the answer. After all, if it were a surprise and it were from her lord, then there was a very good reason he was keeping it a surprise. Lord Sesshomaru was not the type to keep unnecessary things from her.
So Rin and Jaken spent the rest of the day in a less overtaxed attitude. Rin awaited eagerly for her lord's return, making small talk with Jaken in the meantime that actually engaged both of them rather than sounding forced and boring the two.
It was sunset when Sesshomaru returned. Rin instantly popped to her feet and threw her arms around him when he stepped into camp, catching the phlegmatic demon lord by surprise. If one paid close enough attention, one might have been able to spot the slightest expansion of his eyes as for a split-second, he let emotion slip onto his face. That emotion revealed one thing if one didn't count it as revealing the fact Sesshomaru had emotions, it revealed that Sesshomaru was caught off-guard by Rin.
"I'm glad you're back," she said softly, a warm-hearted smile spreading from ear to ear. While his face remained blank, Rin noticed the slight glimmer in his eye that said her lord appreciated her sympathies.
"There is something I wish to show you," he stated.
"Of course." Avidity soared through Rin, showing through in her smile and in the slight bounce to her step as she followed Sesshomaru.
They traveled on foot for a little before Sesshomaru picked her up and flew through the air. Rin shut her eyes real tight against the wind, and also in anticipation for her surprise. A million and one ideas ran through her mind in those moments, all of them regarding her surprise. Kimono ranked number one on her list of most likely.
Even when they got there and she opened her eyes, her list of a million and one could not prepare her for the surprise.
A castle.
She audibly drew in breath as her hand flew to her mouth. A castle had crossed her mind, but not for long as there were a million other ideas to consider as well. Yet even when it made her list, she had not been prepared for how grandiose and exquisite it would be.
The castle seemed to sprawl forever, and it looked like it reached into the heavens. This was hers? Impossible, she'd never done anything to deserve such a gift. She wouldn't ever say that she couldn't accept it or that she didn't deserve it. It would be rude of her to turn down such a gift. Still, she felt undeserving of it. This was a gift for a god, or at least a hero. Not some simpleton like herself. It brought to tears to her eyes to think that it wasn't a hero's, or a god's. It was hers.
"Do you like it?" he asked her.
The better question though was how could she not?
"Of course. It's wonderful. Thank you so much." Her words could never express how much she appreciated the gift. The actions that followed couldn't either, but she tried.
She turned around and hugged Sesshomaru. Then, to top it off, in a moment of blissful gratitude, she kissed him right on the lips.
What was better though, than a castle or a kiss was the fact he didn't push her away.
l'extrémité