Distant Nights: Part One
Cheung Mei Li
The afternoon sun shown in through the window, bathing the wooden ground in light. Strips of light lay stretched atop a futon, trying to breach the silk cloth. The cloth was pulled up over the pillow as to keep the sun away from the girl sleeping within the nest of silk. She'd been up until dawn and was in no mood to be woken by the pesky sun. It had been hard enough for her to get to sleep with the few rays that pushed their way in that morning when the sky was still pink, orange, and red.
Her name was Rin. She lived in hut beside a large flight of stairs that led up to a shrine dedicated to all the former priestesses of the village, Kikyo and Kaede included, and the Shinto gods. Right now, the calloused hands of the former time travelling priestess named Kagome were probably tending to the shrine.
The hut normally belonged to the acting priestess, which in this case would be Kagome, but due to the fact Kagome, unlike other priestesses, was married and had kids. The small hut meant for one person would not fit a large family of seven. No, it had hardly fit Rin and Kaede while Kaede had still been alive and that had just been an old lady and a small girl. Two, grown adults and five unruly children? Yeah right, as if that could ever be possible.
The village hadn't protested too much when Kagome had said that she and her husband, Inuyasha, would be staying in a different hut, leaving the one Rin lived in now to Rin. Rin, though not a priestess, no spiritual powers, and never formally trained as a priestess, had watched Kaede and Kagome enough to get the hang of a priestess' duty. Since the hut was near all the other huts, making it far more accessible to others than Kagome's home was. Rin often had to handle emergencies.
However, she was hardly awake when the people rushed in, perhaps wounded and dying or giving birth. Rin was insomniac. At least, that was what Kagome called it.
She was often either asleep or too tired to be of any help to someone who's life was in grave danger. She would yawn, pulling away her hand from a bleeding artery. She'd drop a needle, hands shaking from her sleep deprivation. She'd have stayed awake three nights in a row, causing her to fall asleep during a village woman's childbirth.
Yeah, not the greatest ever. More like one of the worst. Many people didn't like the fact Rin was an insomniac, they grew upset at it and would often berate her for it. It didn't help that in the wee hours of the morning, nothing to occupy her hands with, the words of the villagers, telling her she was useless because she couldn't go asleep when she was supposed to or stay awake at the most crucial moments, came rushing into her mind.
"Rin?" Kagome's delicate voice sung threw the doorway. Rin grunted, turning away from the sound under the blankets. She'd been up for three days in a row and that morning, after the sun had risen, she finally fell asleep. She would be far too cranky to be in anyone's company if she was awoken now and forced to socialize. She would sound like a sailor who was as old as the world itself and been on the sea that entire time. In other words, if she were forced to socialize, it would be best to keep the kids at a great distance. "Rin, are you awake?"
Rin sighed, knowing Kagome would not let her get back to sleep. She pushed back the blankets, sitting up, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Once done with that, she turned her head in the direction of the priestess, eyes narrowed in a glare that rivalled Sesshomaru's.
"Someone's grumpy."
"And you know I was up for three whole days."
Kagome sighed, setting down a basket of herbs on a wooden crate Rin used to store clothing in. The priestess walked over to the futon and plopped herself down on it, Rin watching her closely threw narrowed slits.
"You're always so suspicious," Kagome teased.
"What do you want?" Rin said, annoyed deeply.
"And so serious." Kagome put her hand to her forehead, face scrunched up in mock exasperation. "Anyways, just came by to check on you. You've been rather mopey as of late."
"Yeah, well, tell me you would be all sunshine and flowers when you keep being told that you sleep too much or sleep at the wrong time." Rin sighed, pulling her knees up against her chest and wrapping her tan arms around them. She rested her chin on her arm, staring off to one side, sighing again.
"Rin, you sigh too much."
"Well, I'm always discontent with the world."
Kagome shook her head, a mirthful smile possessing her lips.
"You know, don't tell anyone I said this or people will say that I'm unhelpful, but I recommend going somewhere that you don't have to live on a strict schedule."
Rin turned her head to Kagome, one black eyebrow raised. "So, Sesshomaru?"
"Probably. I think the only problem you might face there is Jaken but I bet Sesshomaru would step on him enough times to get it through his thick toad skull." A murderous glint flashed in her grey-blue eyes. A small smirk slipped over her lips.
"Kagome, what did Jaken do?" Rin's face said exactly what she felt inside, worry for her friend's sanity.
Kagome smiled brightly, bringing herself out of the dark recesses of her mind. She waved her hand, the other one scratching behind her head. "Oh, nothing."
"Anyways," Rin said, locking away the images of Kagome's murderous attitude, saving them for later when she could ask Jaken what might make Kagome want to murder him. Not that it was hard to have murderous feelings for the toad demon, it was just that Kagome seemed far less sociopathic than Sesshomaru. "As if Sesshomaru would take me along again. Sesshomaru hates me."
"No he doesn't Rin, he's just being cold like usual."
"Sure he is," Rin said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the positive look Kagome had on the situation. Rin, though normally positive herself, didn't delude herself. Rin had done something to piss Sesshomaru off, though what she did she was unaware of it. Whatever it was, it must have been quite offensive.
That, or the original charm she had had worn off and her humanity was starting to rub him the wrong way.
Kagome rolled her eyes, slightly shaking her head. "Anyways, go back to sleep, you need it."
"Thanks, but I already knew that."
Rin watched Kagome wave goodbye and leave the hut. Rin smiled goofily and fluffed her pillow, settling down, ready to let sleep embrace her once more.
Rin yawned, stretching her arms as the covers of her bed fell from her shoulders. She looked around, noting that it was day light. She wondered how long she had slept. Perhaps twenty-four hours? She assumed that she had slept that long, not only an hour or two. She felt rested for once, unlike she had felt while talking to Kagome the day before.
"Rin, you awake finally?" Inuyasha said from the doorway, his arms crossed as he leaned against the doorframe. She nodded, pulling the covers back up around her shoulders. She felt slightly awkward in only her sleeping yukata, though she knew it was stupid awkwardness.
"What'd you need?" Rin asked.
"I can smell Sesshomaru on his way. Get dressed and prepare to deal with his frozen ass." Rin rolled her eyes, despite the fact she agreed with Inuyasha that he was a pain in her rear and his personality was as cold as ice.
"'Kay, thanks for the warning. Now get out." Rin made a shooing motion with her hands, letting the covers fall down to her lap. Inuyasha rolled her eyes at her dismissal, pushing himself away from the doorframe and letting his arms fall to his sides. A quick goodbye escaped his lips as he made his exit, leaving her alone and letting her get dressed.
Her kimono was cream in colour, the obi a scarlet colour. The design were of brown-grey flower buds. It was a gift from Sesshomaru. Despite his recent coldness, he had still gifted her with kimonos when he visited and hell, he still came and visited. The only real difference about his visits now was he was rude jackass who put her down just for her humanity alone.
Once she was dressed (in clothing that the villagers would automatically recognize as too fine of clothing for her to dress up in unless Sesshomaru was coming for a visit), she made her way outside the hut. Inuyasha and Kagome were speaking, standing at the top of the shrine steps. She didn't know what they were talking about, but she was kind of curious. It was understandable, she did have a habit of eavesdropping.
Rin didn't know whether or not they would want her to hear whatever they were talking about but she still started to ascend the shrine stairs. She wasn't just going to stand outside the door to her hut, pathetically waiting for Sesshomaru to show up while the whole village sized her up and judged her for her actions. Yeah, like Rin felt being even more of an eye sore than normal.
"Hey, Inuyasha! Kagome!" she called out to them as her barefeet touched the stone steps. The sun had warmed them nicely during the day.
The two paused in their conversation, looking down towards her. Kagome's face instantly was alight with a smile when she saw her. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, giving a little 'feh' as he always did when he thought someone was doing something idiotic. Kagome gave him a small scolding, making Rin smirk herself before saying something quickly to Inuyasha in a more positive light.
Rin found herself at the top of the stairs after a couple of minutes, wheezing slightly. She was not use to climbing up there, though she was in good enough shape so she wasn't on her hands and knees gasping for breath. Kagome smiled at her, pulling her in a tight embrace. Rin was surprised by her happy demeanour.
"You look beautiful Rin!" Kagome exclaimed as she pulled back an arm's length to get a better eyeful of the kimono. "So pretty…"
"What's with the attitude?" Rin asked, one eye arched above the other and a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.
"I'm pregnant!"
Immediately Rin pulled Kagome into another tight embrace, her eyes meeting with Inuyasha's and noting the pride gleaming in his eyes. Rin winked at him.
"That's great," Rin said as she pulled away. Kagome backed up towards Inuyasha, still beaming over the news. Inuyasha's arm came to wrap around her waist. They looked like the most in love couple Rin had ever seen in that moment and she wondered momentarily if she would ever be that happy. Perhaps, if a man could ever get over her odd sleeping habits.
"I know, isn't it?"
Rin smiled in agreement, though perhaps a little sadly. Though there was a possibly she could find some man who'd deal with her odd sleeping habits, the likelihood was as good as Sesshomaru settling down with a human. Kagome seemed to notice her insomniac friend's haunted expression and seemed to get where it stemmed from.
"Sesshomaru's coming over soon?" she asked, changing the subject. Rin narrowed her eyes, her smirk returning.
"That's supposed to cheer me up how?" Kagome shook her head at Rin's pessimism. Both knew though that the topic, while also slightly sore, could bring back the more joking personality Rin had adopted over the years. "But yeah, he is. Still don't get why though."
"What'd you bet it's out of 'honor'?" Inuyasha asked, finally jumping into the conversation he'd been listening to his wife have. Rin had no problem with it, knowing that they were talking right next to him which meant he had every right to listen.
Rin shifted on her feet, thinking over Inuyasha's judgement. What honor would there be in it for Sesshomaru by meeting with a human? If anything, it was her that owed him something but there was nothing she could give him. If anything, she was honor-bound to him rather than the other way around. Though it was a curiosity to ponder, at the end of the day she got very nice kimonos out of it with just the added bonus of spending an awkward afternoon with a man who's appearances rivalled the Kami.
"Nah," she said, dismissing Inuyasha's idea.
"Yeah well, good luck with him," Kagome said, breaking the bitter air. "Me and Inuyasha are going to break the news to everyone else. Wish us luck!"
Rin smiled at Kagome, nodding at her. Kagome nodded back, grabbing onto her husband's forearm to drag him away. Inuyasha sighed but followed anyways, a goofy smile on his face. Rin had always thought of them as the perfect couple, so loving and understanding. Sometimes she wondered if they were a better match then Miroku and Sango.
It didn't take long for Sesshomaru to touch down. She assumed Inuyasha and Kagome were off excitedly squeeing with Sango and Miroku when he arrived.
As always he was a perfect picture of ethereal beauty. His hair was white, soft and silky as it normally was. His eyes were sharp, taking in everything around him though golden irises and black, slitted pupils that reminded her of a cat. His face was adorned only by his markings, two maroon stripes on each cheek and an indigo crescent moon on his forehead. There was no injuries. His clothing was just as pristine as the rest of him. White and red, his armour shining spotlessly. Rin had to admit that he was attractive, at least his appearances were.
"Hello Sesshomaru-sama," she said politely, bowing to him in a show of respect.
"You look nice."
Rin was surprised. Had he just paid her a compliment, despite the fact she was human. What was wrong with him?
"Uh… thank you?" She wanted to slap herself after the words left her mouth. Had she really just said it like that? She sounded so disrespectful. He'd paid her a compliment and she acted like she didn't want it. "Sorry, sorry; you just surprised me a little," she said in an attempt to ease an feathers her comment might have ruffled.
"Hn."
Great, she had just gotten him to be silent mister 'I couldn't care less about the world' because she stupidly opened her mouth in reply to his question. Whatever.
"So, what brings you around these parts." Rin shifted on her feet, taking a couple steps about. She wasn't one to like to be still for very long. It bored her too much.
He said nothing.
Great, let the awkwardness set in.
Then he opened his mouth, but not in a reply to her question.
"There are things we need to discuss."
'That didn't sound good,' Rin thought.