When I'm Gone
He awoke in a strange green field. Even his superior sense of smell could not tell him where. A gently sloping hill was to his right. To his left, a small river with an elaborate bridge that crossed over into a shimmering cloud of mist. To where, he did not know.
"Where am I?" Sesshomaru wondered aloud.
"Do you not remember, My Lord?" At this he took notice of Rin, sitting at the edge of the river, dangling her feet, wearing the old orange checked kimono that he had seen her in for so many years that they had traveled together.
"I fear that this Sesshomaru does not, assist me?"
"Of course My Lord, this Rin would do anything for you. The battle, the battle you waged against the Eastern Lord for- for- for me; we- I mean you- us- we both-. This Rin stayed behind as you had asked of her, but one of the men, he grabbed her, and- and he- he tried to drag me away from My Lord, and into the woods."
~Flashback~
Rin was struggling to get away from the soldier who was trying to take her away from her Lord. Even after all these years, at nineteen summers she still followed faithfully, though without Jaken who had fallen in the great battle against Naraku.
As she was being dragged she saw something glint in the sunshine. A discarded sword, "What luck," She thought, bemused. Quickly she picked up and flailed madly, praying to the Kami that it would hit her attacker. She hit somewhere in his midriff. Stunned, he released his hold. Rin took the opportunity to get up, and ran as quickly as she could in her thick, multi-layered traveling kimono towards where her Sesshomaru was.
Finally, her Sesshomaru came into her line of sight. 'Almost there' she thought. Abruptly, his head perked up, as he sensed her distress. Only yards away, she extended her arms to cling to his comforting form. Although usually he wouldn't allow this sort of a gesture unless they were somewhere secluded, after her life had been directly threatened. She thought maybe, just maybe he would allow it as he might be too distracted by the battle to fully notice for now, and she would even gladly accept any punishments that were bestowed upon her later.
Shockingly, he reached his newly grown arm towards his ward. Mere inches from touching his fingers to hers, he saw a spray of blood rise up behind her, just as she felt an intense stabbing pain shooting through her back. Sesshomaru watched helplessly as she slumped head first into the blood stained grass. The jeweled hilt of a dagger protruding from her back. Using his whip, he destroyed the soldiers near them. As he slowly advanced towards her prone form, and gently as he could, removed the weapon from her bloodied kimono. Immediately, his sensitive nose caught the sent of imminent death on her pale body.
Eyes trained on the Eastern Lord, Sesshomaru transformed into his true form, fully releasing his beast. Frantically, the Lord of the East commanded his remaining soldiers to begin firing flaming arrows towards the pair. Then they ran. Sensing the increased danger, Sesshomaru turned to Rin and lay beside her disposed body, and carefully used his elongated fangs to grasp her kimono and pull her up against his hind leg. Her blood began to mix with his, and mat his once glistening white fur, torn and bloodied from the battle.
Weakly, she opened her eyes to look at him, unafraid of his beast, raised to the surface. 'He did this for me' she thought smiling.
He quizzically looked down at her.
"Lord Sesshomaru," she wheezed.
"If this breath were to be my last,
Would anyone remember me?
If this breath were to be my last,
Would you remember me?
When I cannot stay any longer,
Will you mourn my passing?
When my time is up,
Will you miss my love?
When my soul passes on,
Will you wish I could stay?
As this breath is my last,
What will you do?
Am I even worth it?"
Unable to speak in his true form, he let loose a mournful howl, a tear slipping down his cheek things he never did, earning a small smile from his ward, his Rin. He thought to himself:
'This Sesshomaru will remember you,
This Sesshomaru will mourn,
This Sesshomaru will miss your unyielding love,
This Sesshomaru will wish you back again,
This Sesshomaru will follow after;
And the moon shall bleed'
As he felt his soul slipping out from his body, he looked into her lifeless eyes, once so full of laughter and love, and added to her:
'This Sesshomaru will see you again,
When I've drawn this breath;
That will be my last.'
With one last glance at the blazing inferno, eager to consume them both, he looked to the lifeless body of his undeclared soul mate as he willing let his soul depart from his body to join that of his Rin.
~End Flashback~
"This Sesshomaru remembers," a pause, "and loves you too, my Sweet One." A smile graced her features, that for the first time, he returned to her in full. "This Sesshomaru is also sorry that he did not realize it sooner, perhaps he just couldn't admit to sharing in his Father's curse."
"Yet, is it really a curse, My Lord?"
He smiled again, "Perhaps not." He held out his arms toward her, signaling that he wanted her to come sit with him. Obediently, she rose and sat against his side, snuggling into his moko-moko as he wrapped his arm around her; glad he had the chance to admit his true feelings to her, ecstatic that they were returned in full.
"Shall I continue?"
"Please" came his deep voice.
~Flashback~
Rin awoke in a lush green meadow; confused. She slowly sat up, glancing curiously around her.
"Where am I?" she wondered aloud.
"Dead. Child, ye are in the land between the previous life, and the eternity that follows after it.
"Then what are you still doing here, Lady Keade?" she asked innocently "you passed two summers ago."
"Aye, I have come back here to help you adjust, and await your Lord Sesshomaru. I didn't think that the imp would be of much help." Suddenly, Rin noticed Jaken lounging by the river.
Lowering her voice, she asked, "Why does he remain here? He was lost in the final battle against the Final Battle against Naraku."
"He waits for Sesshomaru just as you do, Child."
"But we aren't connected, how can I remain for him?" she questioned, puzzled.
"Child, your love is strong. Ye have declared your love for the yokai Lord, just as he had unknowingly bestowed upon you."
"He really does love me," she declared, somewhat awe-struck. Somewhere in her heart, she had known this since she was but a child, but had always dismissed it as a silly notion.
"He follows." Said the elderly miko.
"He can't- no- not like this- because of- of me- it's all my fault." A silent tear slipped down her cheek, that Keade quickly wiped away. "He needs to live- he has to!"
"Sesshomaru couldn't do that without you, you have become as much a part of him as his newly grown arm has." The woman who was like a grandmother to Rin embraced her. "I must return now, ye will see Child, all will be well." Her figure dissipated into thin air. "See ye on the other side!" came a voice on the wind.
This was a lot to take in. Her Lord loved her- he had died to protect her. Her feet carried her to the river where she sat down to reflect on that which she had just learned.
Soon after, a deep voice pulled her from her reverie. "Where am I?"
~End Flashback~
Rin looked up from her place curled into his side.
"But I haven't seen Jak-" He heard her giggle. Suddenly, a green shape appeared before him, Swiftly met by his boot, went hurling across the meadow. "He hasn't changed a bit." They both laughed.
He grabbed her hand, an stood them both up, looking into her eyes, he spoke; "Rin, I love you with my life, stay with me always, become my mate?"
A tear slipped down her cheek, worry slashed across his eyes, then she began giggling. "Of course" she screamed as she leapt into his waiting arms. Carrying her bridal style and kissing her deeply, he walked across the bridge to begin their eternity together, as one. The imp following after.