Hey-ho beautiful people ^-^
So Inuyasha has been my all time favourite anime since the very first time I lay eyes on it many many moons ago. I've been writing Inuyasha fics for years and have that may different ones I never know which ones I like best hehe.
Please enjoy ^-^
Chapter 1 - The Demon and the Slayer.
"Why! Why must you leave me Lord Sesshomaru?!", Rin cried out desperately, her tiny immature hands gripping at his hakama in her hysterics, "Rin will be a good girl, I promise! So don't leave me here"
The Demon Lord glared down to the young child at his feet, calm demeanour outweighed only by his elegance, his deathly gaze fixed upon the human that pleaded at his feet. With no wavering emotion on his cold expression, Sesshomaru's voice placid, almost lifeless as he spoke.
"Once you are old enough to make your own decision, I will come back for you Rin"
It had been just shy of a decade since that parting and yet Rin could relive the moment as if it were only yesterday, a fragmented memory that somehow eased her aching heart when she needed it. While at first Sesshomaru would return every month with a gift for Rin, once a year had passed his visits abruptly stopped without no warning or reason, it was fair to say that Rin took it hard at the time, her small innocent heart couldn't take the strain that never seeing Sesshomaru again caused it, but slowly it healed. It was not that she had given up hope, only that she had convinced herself he would return, Sesshomaru's reasons for leaving were a mystery but Rin believed if she could only stay strong then one day he would return for her. A childish fantasy that she would sometimes still allow herself to indulge in, even if her now matured mind told her the chances were unlikely, she saw no harm in holding on to hope. Strangely she couldn't remember the Demon Lord's voice any longer and was beginning to forget his appearance with the passing of time, Sesshomaru seemed all but a distant memory to Rin now, a contented abandoned remembrance of a happier time.
"Come home child before ye' catch a cold", An aged haggard voice called out to the distant young woman in her moment of recollection. The voice belonged to the old Miko Kaede, who had become much like a mother to Rin over the years she had been with her, a strong and wise guardian to lead Rin on the correct path. With well formed legs that latched tightly around the tree branch, Rin swung her body down, flipping from her perch in the tree and landing with her arms spread eagle to balance.
"I can not help it, I feel so restless", The whining in Rin's voice blatantly obvious so much that she was often told off for being so childish despite being 20 years of age already. Her badgering was not misplaced however, Rin truly did feel restless hence the reason she had taken off so late at night. A bad habit of hers that never seemed to die down, Inuyasha would often scold Rin for taking off without protection which became her sole purpose in training in the art of demon slaying. If Rin could learn to protect herself, then she wouldn't need to constantly have a baby sitter with watchful eyes everywhere she went and after much pleading, Sango finally broke and Rin began training as a slayer. She was quick at learning and poured many years of effort and blood into honing her skills, Rin finally became a demon slayer to be proud of, even Sango had to admit that Rin's abilities far outmatched her own, especially now that Sango had neglected her training instead to raise her every growing horde of children. With the new found freedom however, Rin couldn't help but find herself itching for adventure, a deep emptiness that would settle in the pit of her stomach, she would often spend her days fantasising of action and worlds far beyond the little village she had come to love so dearly.
"Ye' should not venture too far tonight Rin", Kaede warned, clutching hold of a walking stick to hobble herself in the direction of home, she seemed awfully more serious than usual, "There be a frightfully large aura around"
Watching the aged Miko shuffle her way along the dirt track and back towards the shrine, Rin couldn't help but find herself curious on what the priestess meant, it was unsurprising that Kaede could feel an aura long before Rin as her Miko powers were still surprisingly sharp for a withering old woman, but it was unlike Kaede to seem so serious all of a sudden. Excitement flooded Rin's veins to think what could be waiting out in the darkness, where most would run in fear and take shelter of such a creature that could bring a humbled look to even a priestess's expression, Rin relished in the idea. Stimulated by the wonders of the unknown, as if drawn to anything that could rush her boiling blood, the temptation to seek out this aura was all to great for Rin, made only even sweeter by the idea of knowing it was something that she was not allowed to do.
Leaping outside the safety net of the village with hopeful anticipation, Rin began to feel the twinge of demonic aura that the old Miko could have spoke of, it came from the West and was surprisingly close to the village, closer that is than most demons dared to approach. Leaping through the trees in almost perfect silence, Rin moved as effortlessly as the shadows themselves, trailing the presence that sent shivers down her spine in excitement. Ahead of her the trees rattled nervously, drowning the forest floor in a sea of leaves, the ground thundered repetitively, like footsteps of heavy rock, the sound and tremors growing louder with each second. Rin's eyes scanned her surroundings for the best vantage point, the trees were high and well concealed in the darkness, but to be caught in the domino-ing effect as they fell could prove fatal, her best chance would be to take to the ground, if the situation called for it she knew she was fast enough to move out of the way. The prey was close, Rin could feel the pounding of its movements through the ground beneath her bare feet, she stood openly in the clearing, a katana braced in her hands and a anticipating smirk graced her lips. Oddly however, Rin didn't feel the adrenaline pumping as she first did when she came after the demonic aura and she had to wonder why her heart could have calmed so much, but those types of thoughts were distracting and she couldn't afford to dwindle on them long. In a low but powerful growl the beast Rin waited for burst from the shrubbery in front of her, it's teeth snarled and eyes of icy blue painfully fierce, it stopped however with a look of almost disappointment to lay eyes upon the girl, an awkward gaze locked between the wolf like demon and the slayer.
"Royakan", Rin breathed displeasingly, lowering her blade at the sight of the familiar face, "What are you doing here?"
"Well if it isn't Rin, even I've got to eat you know", He chuckled merrily, wiping the drool from his overly elongated mouth.
"Not while I'm around you're not. Go home", The sour look on Rin's face was only out matched by the sulking tone of her voice, she was no more scared of the hideous creature that faced her than she was of humans and it was almost pathetic to see how lowly she treated him, but before Royakan could protest, Rin flung her hands onto her hips stubbornly, "I said go home", She repeated with more authority. Scratching his head in a dumbfounded manner, the large demon said nothing more to Rin as he stumbled off into the darkness, his tail between his legs like a scolded puppy, he wondered further away from the village. It was a disappointed result to be sure, but it explained why Rin did not feel so pumped when ready to face the demonic aura. She had met Royakan only a few times before, once when she was with Sesshomaru and a couple of times when she had been with Kagome and despite the fearful demon he was rumoured to be, Rin treated him much like a simple child and strangely Royakan wouldn't argue back to her words. Subconsciously, Rin must have sensed that it was Royakan approaching her and that is why her excitement waned at the most crucial moment, a bitter but perhaps pleasant outcome to her adventure.
Noticing the moon crawl out from behind a cloud, it's lunar rays burst down onto the land, illuminating everything it touched in a silver glow. The hour had grown late and Rin knew she should probably return before Inuyasha takes it upon himself to trail her like a lost puppy. Turning in the correct direction with a disheartened sigh, Rin was all ready to sheath her Katana once again when she found herself frozen, her limbs held in a statue like grip from the heavy weight that descended around her. So thick and sinister was the aura that Rin choked on that she could feel her heart flutter within her chest, it appeared from no where but was more powerful than she had ever felt in her entire life. There was no doubt in Rin's mind that this was the aura she had been chasing earlier, butterflies circled the tracks of her stomach and hands trembled wildly with a wicked enthusiasm. The demon stood right behind Rin though she could not hear it move, or even breath, she could feel it watching her intently, curiously, however, Rin was not scared. Although the aura was as ominous as it was strong, Rin felt an almost nostalgic feel to be within its presence, a feeling she had always known but never noticed. It must have been wishful thinking, or perhaps nerves of the moment, but Rin could only think of a single person who's dense existence made her chest heavy the way she felt at that moment. Lifting her blade parallel to the ground, Rin tilted the reflective surface to gaze behind her, stricken as she met with familiar eyes of molten gold glaring back at her, that loving, deadly stare which pierced even the deepest reaches of a persons soul. An amused breath broke from Rin as she placed her weapon back within it's holster, an involuntary sigh released as she tried to no avail to still her racing beat.
"Welcome home my Lord", precariously welcoming, Rin's tone was a war with mixed emotions, surprise, fear and happiness battling out in a single sentence, she span merrily to face him.
Sesshomaru said nothing, his stoic face reserving any if all emotions that raged beneath his calm exterior, it was strange to lay eyes upon the girl before him. He had followed Rin's scent, while it had changed from what he remembered, Sesshomaru had come to expect this of a growing child and thought nothing of it, however faced with the woman in front of him he began to battle with his senses. The human before him bore all the trademarks that he could recall from his ward, her dazzling hazel eyes and radiant smile, even her clothes were a larger recreation of the chequered Kimono she wore in younger years yet at the same time it was a completely different person he faced. Her dark hair had lengthened and was no longer held back in its childish style, her body had grown, while still petite, it had filled out into a more feminine shape, curving softness in all the correct places, even her face had honed into a beautiful array despite still holding the same immature expression. It was difficult for him to believe that the woman he saw was the child he once knew, but there was no mistaking the tender scent that graced him or the melting smile she donned upon her reddened lips.
"You've grown up Rin", The empty rhythm of Sesshomaru's voice unchanged, his astonishment disguised easily.
"Humans have a tendency to do that my Lord", Rin chuckled as she spoke. Her witty remark curving even the stone movement of Sesshomaru's mouth into what could be considered a smirk. Before anything more could be said between the pair, Rin bound over to the Demon Lord, her arms wide to snare him in her embrace, it was purely out of indecision why Sesshomaru allowed it to happen. The height difference brought Rin to the tips of her feet and her arms were forced to compensate for the rest as they anchored her around Sesshomaru's neck. She wasn't sure why she had taken him in her hold so desperately, perhaps to reassure herself that it truly was her Lord, but regardless of the reason, Rin could feel her heart tremble wildly as she pulled close to him. She could not see the widening of Sesshomaru's eyes over her shoulder, taken aback by her obvious show of affection, he could feel the tender flesh of her body squeeze against him tightly and her hold much stronger than what it used to be. However it was neither of those things what held Sesshomaru in raging with himself but the scent that now flooded him entirely, a strong willful smell sweeter than lotus flowers in the morning dew. His hand etched closer to her back in hesitation, perplexed by his own indecision, Sesshomaru's razor claws only lightly grazed the fabric of her clothes before he withdrew his touch sharply. Why was it he felt such apprehension in pawing what once was his own, never before had trepidation of such an act haunted him the way it did in that moment, it was unsettling but his impassive face held strong.
Rin pulled back into a rather serious grouch, her brow furrowed and arms folded bothersome.
"Where have you been?", The sour tone in Rin's voice left through pouting lips. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed in disbelief, never before had the young girl ever tried to take such a tone with him it was almost aggravating. Rin was never one to crave his attention and had always been very forgiving that he would leave her, even if years had passed this time around it was unsettling to see her so affected, could that also have been the result of her ageing into a mature woman before his eyes.
"I have an empire to build Rin, I can not stay idol", Sesshomaru explained himself to her although he was unsure why, his intense gaze analysing even the slightest flicker of emotion on her face.
"Then you are forgiven", Teasing playfully, Rin span around on the spot in the childish like dance she would always do, her deliberate bitterness gone in the blink of an eye, replaced with her soothing, whimsical grin. Sesshomaru was unsure how to take the young woman, he had always seen Rin's mischievous side but it had been a first for her to ever dare toy with him the way she had. It was clear searching her eyes that she still held the greatest of respect for the Demon Lord so he knew it could not have been out of insolence for her actions, perhaps Rin had grown more brave these years to think that she could tease a demon of his standing without consequence, it was an amusing understanding. A silent inactive expression on Sesshomaru's face, he stepped out into the night, his direction for Rin's village he passed by without word, giving only a split second glance as his shoulder lightly brushed passed her own. Rin found herself chuckling little by Sesshomaru's actions, while as a child she may have missed such subtleties, it was clear to her what the Demon Lord wanted even without breaking the silence and so with a hearty sigh, Rin followed him into the darkness.
"It's not that I'm not happy to see you my Lord", Rin's inquisitive voice called out, she leaned forward as they walked so that she could look into the malignant eyes she so treasured, "But what has brought you back so suddenly?"
A grimace light began to spark in the deep gold of Sesshomaru's eyes, for a moment Rin was certain she saw a scorn frown pass over his usual sober face. The following silence was more deafening that any before it, while it wasn't uncommon for the Demon Lord to say nothing even when spoken to, Rin couldn't shift the feeling that perhaps she had touched upon a subject he was reluctant to speak of. Persisting to say nothing, she waited calmly for a reply, knowing that pursuing him would be less than useless on such a reserved character.
"I've come to get you", Sesshomaru's tone was calm as he spoke, unlike the boiling anger in his eyes, "We're leaving this place"
Choking on her next breath of air, Rin stumbled over her own feet a little in surprise. There was a time where she would have given anything to hear those words, where she waited patiently for the ferocious demon to return and whisk her far away from the lands she had been chained to and yet when faced with the reality of such a fantasy, her heart felt as though it was about to explode within her chest. The expression on Rin's face must have given away the inner turmoil that she could feel battling in the deepest pits of her conscience as Sesshomaru spoke up once again.
"Do you not wish to leave?"
Rin however, couldn't bring herself to form words into a clear answer. It wasn't that she didn't wish to leave, it had long been her dream to travel again and her heart had always cried to return to Sesshomaru's side once more, but the accelerated pace in which it was happening bewildered her into confusion. Rin had come to care for the village over the years, it stored itself within her most pleasant of memories, Sango and Miroku's ever growing family, Kaede's ageing wisdom and Kagome and Inuyasha's guidance. They were all things that Rin couldn't imagine leaving behind as she was unsure how she would have survived without them, each one of them becoming a supportive rock in her life before she had even noticed. However there surely wasn't a possibility that Rin would give up on her dream to keep them beside her, she would miss them greatly, but being with Sesshomaru had been something Rin desired long before she even came to love those she would call family.
Before long the pair had wondered upon the village, Rin had been so lost in her own mind she had not noticed their return until Sesshomaru abruptly halted, glaring ahead with little interest at the village he had not seen in almost a decade, amazed as it was, how little the place had changed despite the extended period of time that would be considered eternity for the human life span.
"I will be waiting at the Sacred Tree of ages in Inuyasha's forest", Sesshomaru instructed in a bland tone, "We depart at dawn, Rin, do not be late"
Something inside had Sesshomaru feeling unusual, his nerves pricked with unease the likes of which he had never experienced before, trembled at the thought of having Rin back at his side once again. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end in memory of the now young woman that was Rin, his attention seeming almost drawn to her direction and yet a strange rhythm had settled in Sesshomaru's heart and a hesitant catch gripped his throat to be near her. They were feelings the Demon Lord had never had to battle and he vexed at the prospect of being swayed so enthusiastically by such trivial emotions, all he could be certain of was that Rin was the cause for his turmoil. He had been at such a loss when he first lay eyes upon her that it took much more will power than usual to clear his mind and expression of anything troublesome, she had indeed grown into a stunning beauty that would be expected no less of from a Demon Lord's ward, her figure pleasing to the eye and voice like silk. She would no doubt make a fine wife one day, a thought that brought an involuntary growl from the deep of Sesshomaru's chest, he could feel his fists ball in anger at the very idea. Rin was his and his alone, were any man even dare to touch her, he would cast their very soul into hell, after all Rin had made no signal that she wished to have a mate so there was no reason for him to oblige to a union of any kind. Strangely however Sesshomaru had never considered he would be so infuriated by the idea of giving her to another, a pang of possessiveness stirred the devil in him at the thought.
Too long had Sesshomaru been consumed in self awareness that he hadn't noticed the sky lighten around him, as usual sleep had eluded him while lost in the deepest reaches of his mind. The morning could be considered beautiful by any and all who saw it, the sky painted with the full scale of colours ready to greet the warm sun and winds that danced playfully, it would have been better to take a moment had Sesshomaru not been so preoccupied with an all too familiar scent charging towards him, the kind of scent that made him choke with the very air he breathed.
"Sesshomaru!", The ragged bark belong to Inuyasha, who stomped around wildly, "Come out here so I can kill you!"
"If you are so eager to rush to your death Inuyasha I will be happy to oblige", Leaping down from the tangled mountain of roots with grace, Sesshomaru stood his ground with a bothersome expression. Bursting from the trees with claws reared, Inuyasha snarled at the sight of his older brother waiting calmly, following close behind the half demon was his wife, Kagome. She too wore a similar expression to that of her mate though it was considerably less menacing, it was difficult to decide whether her presence there would be of assistance or not.
"I'm gonna' tear you to shreds!", Bellowing with a heavy anger in his voice Inuyasha charged forward to attack but was cut off by Kagome, her gentle hands gripping tightly onto his arm.
"Don't think you can just come back after all this time and demand to take Rin", It was clear Inuyasha was not only enraged by the idea but saddened, as a heavy tremble of sorrow gripped his fiery voice.
"You are welcome to try and stop me little brother", Sesshomaru was beginning to wear thin of the patience he held for Inuyasha as he insulted him with gritted teeth, "But I will not be held accountable for your death"
Pushed over the edge by the ridicule in Sesshomaru's voice, Inuyasha pulled himself from Kagome's hold, unleashing Tessaiga, the blade bore down for its target without hesitation. The attack thwarted by the steel of Bakusaiga, which Sesshomaru had unsheathed with ease, using only a single arm to hold back his rabid brother. Undeterred however, Inuyasha reared back, holding his sword high, he swung yet again for Sesshomaru as the pair began to trade meaningless blows. While it was clear from the force that Inuyasha meant his every attack, the Demon Lord seemed much less into the confrontation, half hearted in his blows, his only concentration was to block. Usually he would have liked nothing more than to leave his hanyou brother begging for mercy, however Sesshomaru was distracted by thoughts of Rin, he knew that she would be devastated should any harm befall Inuyasha by his hand and he couldn't bare to see sadness in her eyes, it was for that reason alone he allowed such a pitiful creature to exist.
"Do not force my hand Inuyasha", Sesshomaru warned carefully, there was only so long he could go on allowing the half demon the pleasure of assaulting him.
"She doesn't belong to you", Growling once again, Inuyasha clashed sword to sword in a burning grind of steel. Stunned however by the immense aura that had suddenly grounded him, a malevolent evil that swirled the pair insidiously, the power originating from Sesshomaru. His eyes had burnt into a bloodthirsty red and moonlight hair began to dance ominously in the surge of demonic power he had released. The Demon Lord became consumed in his own rage, how dare that dirty hanyou tell him who Rin does or does not belong to, Inuyasha was not deserving to even walk the same ground as her and so his words were irrelevant, only serving to awaken the darkness inside the Demon Lord.
"Stop it!", The worried exertion of a feminine voice did not come from Kagome as expected, but breaking her way into view Rin screamed to end the pointless chaos before someone got hurt. She did not know what had caused the scene to escalate to such a degree, but she knew that look in Sesshomaru's eyes would bring death to any and all near him were he not stopped in time. At Rin's command the two brothers separated, Sesshomaru's eyes had turned to normal and the deathly leak of power, gone, he sheathed his sword in a final attempt to mock Inuyasha, making it clear he needed no weapon to slaughter the half demon if he so chose.
"Rin you can't seriously be considering this?!", Inuyasha flailed his arms around excessively as he spoke, stressing his restrained aggression.
"Calm ye'self Inuyasha", Kaede's soothing warning brought attention to her presence. While she had arrived in Rin's company no one had seemed to notice her arrival until the old Miko spoke aloud.
"Kaede's right", Interrupting supportively, Kagome finally chose her moment to involve herself, "Sesshomaru what is really going on here?"
His pause was long enough to bring an awkwardness to the silence and again the sharp spark of hatred flashed before Sesshomaru's eyes, he saw no need to explain himself to such lowly humans, his reasons were his own and it would be only too easy to dispatch any who stood in his way. However to do so would break Rin's heart and the very idea was sickening to Sesshomaru, he knew to leave unprotested he would have no choice but to disclose his intentions, even if the thought darkened his stoic face.
The Western Lands had once been united under a single ruler, the Inu No Taisho, in doing this the Taisho managed to form peace throughout his domain, no longer were the times of war and needless suffering. Unfortunately, the Taisho passed on many years ago leaving the scattered remains of his empire to his two living heirs, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. Since Sesshomaru was the eldest and also the only full blooded demon to be born to the Inu No Taisho line it was his duty to one day take control of the kingdom his father left behind and raise himself to become the next Taisho in the Western Lands. Problems, begrudgingly, persisted to fall in front of Sesshomaru's way each time he would begin to rebuild the empire and soon his goal was all but forgotten about when the appearance of Naraku drew him away from his duties. For the past decade, however Sesshomaru had devoted every moment of his time into building his empire, joining together the Western Lands so that he may bring about a peace as longevity as his father had once achieved. Not everything had gone according to plan regrettably, in order for Sesshomaru to become the uncontested ruler of the Western Lands he first needed to obtain the title Inu No Taisho, he needed to become to next dog general and form together the separated tribes of the Inu Yokai race. For the most part, loyalty was sworn to Sesshomaru without any need to demonstrate his authority, since he was the Inu No Taisho's heir no one questioned his heritage to lead. There was one however who persisted to stand in Sesshomaru's way, an Inu Yokai by the name of Takai, the leader of a Northern tribe and fancies himself a god like figure. Takai had once challenged Sesshomaru's father for the position of ruler but was humiliated in battle, turned away he fled to the North with the small band of followers he retained from the incident. Takai would never swear allegiance to any Inu Yokai other than himself and since learning of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, he made it his sole purpose to destroy the Inu No Taisho blood line at any and all cost. While that would not usually be a problem, his defiance to Sesshomaru had began to cause other tribes to abandon the cause, claiming that until Takai is taken care of, Sesshomaru can not prove himself a true leader. Open battle would be the easiest and quickest solution for the Demon Lord to dispose of such a troublesome element however Takai is smart and he knows that fair fighting would cause his demise and so he uses cheap trickery to continuously evade Sesshomaru's grasp, a bane on the Demon Lord's existence.
The quad of humans listened patiently to Sesshomaru's story, taking in each and every detail they could to try to make sense of information that had slipped them by for the past decade, it was all a baffling amount to take in.
"An enemy of the blood line ye' may have Sesshomaru", Kaede's haggard tone broke what little silence had began to form, "But I find it hard to believe ye' would return for Inuyasha's sake"
With narrowed eyes, Sesshomaru watched the old Miko carefully and with surprising stubbornness she returned the gaze. For the most part, Kaede spoke the truth, Sesshomaru had no interest in returning for Inuyasha's sake in the least, if Takai would take it upon himself to come after the half demon he could not bring himself to care. However a thorn in Sesshomaru's calm demeanour echoed with what would be his only weakness, Rin, he could never risk bringing her to harm and was the sole reason he left her all those years ago. Yet with a new threat lingering and its piercing gaze not only directed at Sesshomaru, but also Inuyasha, there was a high chance that Rin could get swept up in the malice that was about to ensue, the thought stilled his beating heart sharply. No matter what Sesshomaru could never allow hurt to come to Rin again, a cold grip of fear angered him to think but were she ever to be fatally wounded once more, Sesshomaru did not have the power to save Rin from death a third time. He had never once had to deal with having a weakness and even still it bothered Sesshomaru in ways he couldn't explain, feeling fear was for the weak and yet when it came to Rin, that darkness would crawl up his spine and suffocate him with worry, instead he tried to concentrate all of that angst into power anything to distract him from the troublesome feelings he had been burdened with. It would be better to have her at his side where he knew he could protect her than to leave fate to chance and prey she would be safe.
While his placid demeanour gave Kaede nothing in response, Sesshomaru's eyes betrayed him, flicking only for a second in Rin's direction and back again involuntary. The motion was caught by both Kagome and the old Miko, who understood instantly the motives behind Sesshomaru's solid, fearless exterior, even if it brought a deadly anger to his gaze. Rin and Inuyasha unfortunately had come to their own conclusions as to why Sesshomaru wished to take her away so abruptly, and both had reached the same end, he wished to use her as bait. If Takai were to discover Rin's existence, he would not be able to resist coming for her to use against Sesshomaru and when this happens it would make it almost to easy for the Demon Lord to then dispose of his problem. Rin would have been lying if she had said she was not hurt by the idea, her heart ached in a painful way as if it had been torn in two. All night she had been overwhelmed with feelings of joy, her dream had finally came true, Sesshomaru had returned to take her far away and with it he had re-ignited the feeling that had fallen dormant in Rin's heart, the admiration and love she felt toward the cold Demon Lord. So to feel as though she was only part of some plan hurt more than she could describe, it wasn't fair that he would treat her that way after all the years she had reserved only for him, but if that was the way it had to be, Rin was at least comforted by the idea of having at least some use to her Lord.
"I-I want to go with Lord Sesshomaru", Rin stuttered painfully, her eyes had shallowed into a hurtful reflection of the inner torment she suffered, catching Sesshomaru's breath in his throat to look at her, stunned by her expression, managing to pull himself together quickly enough so that his blank facade stayed strong.
"Then we're going too", The stubborn announcement was made by Kagome who caught everyone off guard by her interjection, none more so than Inuyasha who reared much like a cat at the idea. It was clear by the staggering look Sesshomaru shot the young priestess that he too had his objections to the thought of them tagging along, he had only intended to return for Rin and was under no obligation or willingness to take others with him.
"If this Takai person is so desperate to destroy your blood line then sooner or later he's going to make his move on Inuyasha", Kagome continued to reason, her voice strung with defiance.
"Mayhap Kagome have a point Sesshomaru", Wisdom held words echoed out in defence from Kaede as she pondered on Kagome's reasoning, "Having both brothers together will give this demon twice the incentive to come for ye' will it not"
Behind his charade, Sesshomaru grew only more infuriated by the idea that was being proposed to him, he didn't wish to spend anymore time near Inuyasha than he absolutely had to, so to even entertain the idea of having him along was unthinkable. There again was the possessive spark igniting in Sesshomaru's stomach when he thought of others cutting in on the time he would be spending with Rin, why was it he was bothered so much by the idea of not having her to himself it was something that perplexed his conscience. Unfortunately the priestess's logic was infallible and with no clear cut reason other than his hatred for Inuyasha, which was minute in comparison to the fate of his empire, Sesshomaru was left with only a single option.
"Do as you please", He sighed exhaustedly, arms folded he leant back against the tree that had once been his bed. Now with a clear mission in sight Kagome felt much more at ease to know that they had Sesshomaru's consent on the matter, she didn't hate the Demon Lord, so she never really wished to get on his bad side. Dragging a raging Inuyasha by his ankles, both Kagome and Kaede took leave, so that the extra pair could gather there things in preparation of the journey they now faced, leaving Rin and Sesshomaru alone finally.
"Please don't hate Inuyasha Lord Sesshomaru, he really is only trying to look out for me", Rin pleaded with a hushed tone, the look of anguish still on her face, the rosy coloured tint that usually graced her cheeks had all but drained leaving a pale complexion in its place.
"What bothers you Rin?", With a quick snap voice that could easily be mistaken for anger to most people Sesshomaru could no longer bite his tongue to see his young ward so tormented. Rin found herself a little taken back by her Lord's question at first, she knew he was not furious with her as his tone implied but even still she couldn't bring herself to say the words aloud. How could she tell him that she was saddened by the situation when Sesshomaru had gone through all the trouble of returning for her in the first place, he would consider her to be doing nothing more than childish moaning and that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted him to notice the change in her, the maturity that had finally caught up to her youthful body.
"Oh well...", Mumbling to think of anything she could, Rin's mind fell silent, so with a forced smile to her lips with obvious fakery she continued, "It's nothing my Lord"
"I see", Sesshomaru knew she was lying to him and he couldn't help find himself curious as to the reason why, Rin had only ever lied to him on one other occasion and that was to help another out, so he couldn't understand why she would withhold her own feelings from him when he had taken the liberty to ask. Certain that once she was ready she would tell him the truth, Sesshomaru dropped the matter immediately, his attention then turning to the blade strung to the young woman's obi, "That sword, it is a demon slayers blade?"
"That's right my Lord, Sango made it for me", A slightly more positive accent returned to Rin's voice as she spoke, so at least Sesshomaru had managed to stop her from being consumed by her own thoughts, "She taught me the art of demon slayer a long time ago and since I did so well with training she made this blade as a gift"
A resonating growl halted in Sesshomaru's chest, he wasn't best pleased to learn that Rin had been off fighting demons, which he knew she would do now that she was trained, but he was at least thankful that she could hold her own over the years. He found it strange to think that the young child that quivered behind him those years ago would now try to stand next to him as a warrior, where did the time go for her to have changed so much. Even still it would prove to be interesting to see her in actual battle and whether her boasting of strength really did live up to its enthusiasm, by his side, as Slayer and Demon.
All done ^-^
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