a/n: Oh my god, it's already been a month since I last updated this story! I'm sorry it took me such a long time to write this chapter. I had to make time for both the SAT (June 3) and the ACT (June 10). I had planned to have this chapter out June 11, but my dog of ten years passed away. I spent the week after that mourning and hanging out with my friends.
Before I start, I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed, followed, and even favorited this story so far. Your kind words are very much appreciated! This chapter is dedicated to you all.
Lil'Conqueror, Taco-sama, Guest (May 27), 1111, Guest (May 29), .73, Guest 111, Guest (Jun 4), ktvalmiri, Guest (Jun 11): Thanks so much! I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Gwenally: I'm glad you enjoyed this! I hope you enjoy my portrayal of Sesshōmaru!
Guest (May 26), jj: Thanks for reviewing!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Inuyasha franchise. This story is purely for practice and fun!
Edit: 10/03/18 A quality increase - I deleted some of the wordiness and fixed consistency issues with the spelling of Tōga and Sesshōmaru's names. I also continued to procrastinate on writing the fifth chapter.
SONG OF THE WEST
an Inuyasha fanfic
ii
After her meal was finished and the momentary kindness of the mother and daughter had lapsed, Rin set out, stomach well-nigh tumid and aching from her miniature feast, towards the festival to find the Inu no Taishō.
She wanted to thank him.
She knew it was only mere naivety that made her believe it would be as easy to encounter him a second time as it was the first, but even if things didn't go as planned, she wanted to say she at least attempted to show some sliver of civility to the only individual to treat her with kindness in years.
Still cool and moisture-laden from the rain that had fell a week before, the woodland was silent save for the chirping of crickets and Rin's own bare feet slopping through the mire as she followed the trail to the bridge. Flames danced in their ornate wooden enclosures perched within the trees, throwing shadows all about the landscape. The merchants across the river often placed lanterns along the trail during festivals to aid any nighttime travelers, but she would know the way even without them. She had scoured the forest many times for berries as a child, with only the starlight to guide her. Ruts from wagon wheels were still visible ahead, but there were no others on the path at that moment, nor did she have anything to offer in exchange for a ride if they came. Ghosts of animal tracks occasionally crossed between the wheel tracks, but the two-day onslaught of traffic had long since dispelled any threat from the fauna. Rin was truly the only soul in the forest.
That didn't stop the feeling of dread from crawling up her spine. There was an unusual eeriness that blanketed the forest like a thick smog, as if the trees themselves were observing her every move. Turning back now would mean spending more time with the trees than if she were to continue, for she could finally see where the forest ended and the trees began. With a sigh of relief, Rin stepped out of the darkness and into the moonlight. She took the time to rid her bare feet of mud in the river before stepping onto the wooden planks, careful to watch for splinters. In her current state of poverty, an infection was the last thing she needed.
To her delight, the festival had not lost its charm, even after so many years. A temporary settlement of travelers had burgeoned on the outskirts of the city, littering the riverbank with tents and tatami. The abundance of ostentatious decorative lanterns joined together to create a golden aureole over the area that could be seen for miles. Sounds of the koto, along with a choir of one thousand voices, each one with its own regionalism, wafted throughout the light's amplitude. She observed everything with childlike wonder: merchants sold their goods as quickly as moneyed men demanded them; women fawned over flowers and fabrics and fragrances; children ran through the streets playing with strange knickknacks; and servants rushed to and fro, serving viands and packing items in carts.
It was then, as she not-so-gently began to shove her way through the horde of people, that she realized finding the Inu no Taishō would be impossible. The city was much too large for her to take on alone. .At this very moment, he could be submerged within the crowd, resting in one of the dozens of inns, or perhaps dining with the small lord of the city.
Ever the idealist, Rin continued on through the noise. Wading to the side of the main road, she ducked into the less crowded alleyways, where stragglers reveled and committed dishonorable acts in plain sight. As quiet as a spirit, she slipped past drunken men and women of ill repute like her but with more beauty. From their clothing, she could tell that they too were simple village people with no more wealth than she had, who had come to the festival to momentarily escape a lifetime of tilling land or mending clothes.
The end of the passage led her to two small children, waifs like her, resting on the ground. The oldest of the pair sat with a box in her hand, watching closely as her young relative played nearby. Images of her and her brother all those years ago appeared in her mind as she dropped the bag of coins that she shopkeeper's daughter would not accept into the girl's box. Startled, the girl looked up at her with bright blue eyes. Rin gave her a gentle smile and continued her journey.
Time passed. As the alleyways became narrower and the crowds scarcer, Rin found herself near the edge of the large city. A woman yelled orders to servants at a nearby inn, and Rin cringed as she walked past.
"Move along!" she shrieked into the cool summer night's air. Scullions were rushing different ingredients into the kitchen, all while dodging physical abuse from the plank-wielding, howling woman. "The master will have all our heads if we don't get this food to the Inu no Taishō on time!"
In that fragment of a second, the woman's shrill voice became kind to Rin's ears, transforming itself into a sweet birdsong that would lead her straight to the God-made-man himself.
The woman's fearsome gaze turned towards Rin as if she could sense her glee. Brandishing the wooden plank, she slowly began to move forward. "Begone, beggar!" she boomed. "There are no leavings here for you. Go!"
Rin flitted from the alleyway and onto the main road before the inn. There weren't many people out and about in this area, and those who were were mostly domestics. From the corner of her eye, Rin could see a group of well-dressed people unpacking ornamented chests from an equally ornamented wagon. She could hear the distant clink of the objects inside of them. Elsewhere, a woman with layers upon layers of exquisite, beautiful dyed clothing and a voluminous hairstyle full of fripperies entered a nearby building, flanked by two women and armed guards. Other people of similar dress strolled to and fro, chatting in the streets. When a group of wealthily-dressed girls her age began to gawk and point at her, it became painfully obvious that she was in the more aristocratic section of the city.
Rin knew that the building would be toilsome to sneak into by its look alone. Its grandiosity certainly made it a hotspot for wealthy visitors: the inn was a massive six-story structure, half on the flat land and half on the hill, with golden shibi on each level and a hanagawara at its apex that glowed in the light. A stone stairway led to the large red wooden doors with golden handles that served as its entrance, and each window was lit by a candle. The whole thing was more of what Rin imagined to be a castle than an inn.
Peeking into the now empty alleyway, Rin began to look for a way to slip inside. The small gate to the kitchens had been left open. Rin could hear the chatter of the servants; however, the shrieking woman was not among them, so she took that opportunity to glance inside. The servants were cooking and cleaning, the sliding of the shōji a constant sound. Quietly, she stepped further into the kitchen.
"Hey!" Someone yelled. Rin turned to see a young woman with light brown hair and sharp eyes staring at her. She was dressed in servant's garb. "What the hell do you think you're doing? We need as many working hands as possible tonight!"
By some unbelievable chance, she must have thought she was speaking to a servant. Rin nearly sighed in relief.
The young woman stared at Rin peculiarly before grabbing two trays of food and shoving it into the vagrant's hands. "Take these to the rooms on the fifth level. Listen carefully—the one in your left hand goes to the very first room on your left, while the other goes to the very end of the hallway. The last thing we need is a rich pig's servant stumbling down here to tell us the orders are wrong."
Surprised at her sudden streak of good fortune, Rin nodded, bowed without a word, and went to deliver the food. All she had to do now was find the fifth level and avoid the violent mistress from the alleyway.
The hallway that separated the kitchens from the main building was lengthy and lined with shōji. Just enough faint light spilled through the diaphanous paper for the servants walking back and forth to see. The very last shōji had already been slid open and directed Rin to a small set of steps that, in turn, led to another lovely but seemingly endless hallway. Anxiously, Rin took a deep breath and continued towards a pair of voices at the end of the hall. Two serving girls were carrying empty trays back to the kitchen.
"Have you had a chance to see the young Lord?" One girl asked.
Her friend swooned. "I have! His looks put the moon and stars to shame! He looked irritated when he left, though."
The servants didn't even notice her as they passed. Young Lord, Rin thought, they must be talking about his son. Hearing of his absence eased her neves slightly.
After many minutes of endless halls and stairs, she eventually made it to the fifth floor. All was quiet, save for the occasional girlish giggle and deep recognizable voice from the very end of the hall.
The Inu no Taishō's suite!
She quickly placed the tray in her right hand at the door at the left, just as the young servant had told her, before rushing to the end of the hall. Rin could see shadows moving behind the near-translucent shōji.
She rapped the screen door softly. The laughter inside dwindled quickly, and she could hear the shuffling of clothes and the soft thud of a cup hitting the table before a convivial male voice boomed: "Enter!"
Startled at the sudden loud voice, Rin made haste to slide open the shōji. In the middle of the large room bedecked with all sorts of furniture, pottery, and art, the Inu no Taishō sat at a long table with two glamorous women at either side of him. Even without his mountain of armor, he was an overawing figure: when sitting, he was still a towering man who emitted vigor and charm. He lounged comfortably in his blue and white kimono, his red hanjuban peeking out around his neck. A blue riband faithfully kept his long white hair from obscuring his mature, handsome face.
The two accompanying him donned raiment similar to the peeresses Rin had seen strolling outside the hotel. Their perfectly painted faced told her that they viewed her with contempt, both for her destitute appearance and for interrupting their chat with the legendary Dog General.
The Lord in question, however, seemed both surprised and pleased with her unannounced visit.
"Why," he chirped, thick brows raised with mirth. "Good evening."
The intensifying glares of the two women made her timid.
"I have your food," she spoke softly.
The Inu no Taishō grinned at her mousiness before turning to his companions. They gave him a quick, deferential bow before shuffling past Rin. With them absent, the young girl could breathe a bit easier.
The Lord motioned for her to bring the food forward. Rin mustered what little grace she possessed and walked towards the table.
"Forgive me for interrupting," Rin said as she placed the tray on the table.
He shrugged. "No need. I was growing quite bored of them."
His eyes concentrated on something across the table. It was only then that Rin noticed an extra zabuton, cup, and plate.
"It seems my son is still too busy brooding to join me for a proper meal," he nodded to the empty space. "Sit! You look famished."
She awkwardly did as she was told. The Inu no Taishō uncovered the trays to reveal beautifully arranged rows of meat, rice, fruits, and vegetables. Rin's eyes grew wide as he began to shovel a large amount of food onto her plate. She was not used to such extravagance; she was still recovering from the food he purchased for her earlier that day.
"Inu no Taishō-sama—"
Lord Dog General. He briefly laughed at the strange titel. "Tōga is my true name, child."
Rin colored at her mistake. "Tōga-sama." She kept her eyes focused on the blue stripes on his sleeve. His gaze was too intense to stare at directly. "I don't mean to waste your night. I just came to thank you."
"You mean to say that you walked from your village and through the entire city just to express your gratitude?" Lord Tōga asked. He had moved away from serving food and was now pouring tea into her cup.
Rin couldn't recall the last time she had tea. Every winter since her family's death and brother's disappearance had been spent with boiled water. It had a naturally sweet scent that pleased her.
"If that is so," he continued, moving on to his own cup, "then you are much nobler and more dedicated that most of the Lords in this land."
He set the tetsubin down on the table. "The owner of this establishment familiarized my son and I with all who would be serving us―for security, as you can imagine. If I recall correctly, I did not see your face, and you certainly aren't wearing the uniform required for those working here. Yet, this hotel supposedly has the best security in the region. How did you get in?"
Rin shuffled uncomfortably on her zabuton. She hadn't even noticed any guards on the way in. "...I guess I was lucky."
"Lucky indeed." He gave her a pearly white grin. "You've made it her, so you might as well stay a while. What is your name?"
From there, they spoke and continued to eat―Lord Tōga somehow eating everything on his plate while Rin poked at all she could muster for his sake. They discussed the festival, mostly: what was being sold, what activities there were, the size of the crowd. Rin told him all she could remember.
When she could finally hear crickets chirping and the tetsubin was empty, the little urchin decided it was time to return to reality.
"I should leave," Rin spoke, "before it gets too dark."
Lord Tōga stood, offering her a steady hand. "I'll escort you, then. It seems I have nothing else to do."
As they started to stroll down the beautiful well-lit hallway, Rin mused on this small adventure. When she woke up that morning, she had not imagined that she would be talking to such an important man by the end of the day.
A silly question began to tickle at her brain. "Tōga-sama?"
He hummed.
"Why do they call you the Inu no Taishō?"
"Many reasons," he took a deep breath and shrugged. "It's an old name, someone slightly rude that evolved into an honor. I suppose―"
A loud creak came from the Inu no Taishō's suite, interrupting him and startling Rin. Lord Tōga's eyes narrowed.
"Tōga-sama?" Rin spoke hesitantly.
With brutish urgency, Lord Tōga grabbed Rin by the waist and flung them both down the hallway. A forceful roar ripped through the floor, making the grand hotel quiver under its strength. The scent of smog burned her nose and throat.
Lord Tōga muttered a plethora of expletives before standing. "Are you hurt?" He asked roughly, his fiery gaze searching her frail form for any injuries.
Rin, despite the stiff pounding in her head, said no. The other end of the hallway had been bedimmed by a pall of smoke and char. When the Inu no Taishō turned to look into the darkness, she saw a large piece of shrapnel protruding from his upper arm.
She blinked, watching as the blood slowly oozed from wound. "You're hurt."
He continued to stare into the dark mass, which was now slowly dissipating. Absentmindedly, he replied: "Only a flesh wound."
Then, to her surprise, he stepped forward into the smog. For a moment, Rin bounced from foot to foot in anticipation and fear before she felt she had no choice but to follow him.
The explosion had blown a gaping hole in the building, exposing the room to a hazy view of the gardens behind the inn. The once peaceful nighttime air was now fraught with fearful screams and pandemonium. The Inu no Taishō seemed to balance himself on the edge of the destruction and stood, hands akimbo, with his eyes focused on the ruin below. Curious, Rin peered over as well.
In the artificial pound of the promenade gardens behind the hotel, a group of lone corpses floated alongside bits of shrapnel. Bloated and bloody, their faces with marred with expressions of abject terror, their throats gashed from ear to ear. Some didn't have faces at all.
Now, Rin was no stranger to dead bodies. She had seen countless in the wake of the plague that had struck her home village many years ago. Still, she had never seen someone so horribly brutalized and tortured.
She slowly backed away from the scene. She would have lost her meal as well if she had not felt an iron grasp on her forearm wrenching her rearward with enough strength that she was sure her arm had been rent from its socket. Gradually, her fear-filled eyes followed the trail from his hands to his face, over ivory skin and expensive silk. It was the Inu no Taishō's son, his recognizable white locks cascading over one shoulder. The golden eyes that had regarded her with contempt mere hours ago now bore all the malefic ire that his winsome, dispassionate visage would not.
"Chichi-ue," his voice was deep and as austere as his expression. He continued to glare at her even as he addressed his father.
The Inu no Taishō crouched to observe the corpse of the nobleman that was now floating in the pond. "Lord Kusakabe and his guard, I assume. All dead for hours. It's Ryūkotsusei's doing, undeniably."
Rin whimpered as she felt the young warrior's nails begin to burrow into her skin. Hearing her distress, his father finally stood to face his likeness, brows furrowed. "Release her, Sesshōmaru. She's a bystander, not an accomplice."
Sesshōmaru directed his gaze towards his father. A few more painful seconds floated away in silence before he loosened his grip.
Seizing the opportunity, Rin did what she usually did when things went awry: she ran. Slipping her petite body beneath Sesshōmaru's arm, she darted down the hallway, bumping into frightened servants as they ushered wealthy patrons outside of the ruined building for safety. All of the beautiful pottery and artwork in the entrance hall blurred into one mass as she made her way through the foyer and entrance hall toward the large red doors.
The scene on the streets was no less chaotic. The joyful music and merrymaking had long since ceased. A multitude of people had begun to crowd around the hostelry, their perturbed murmurs floating through the air.
From the outside, Rin could see the damage much clearer. The gaping hole in the Inu no Taishō's room was merely a portion of the damage: the rooms above and below, as well as a little bit of the foyer, were now exposed to the public eye. The explosion was so close to a load-bearing wall that a support beam was now visible, with some parts of its exterior gone and other parts slowly chipping away. Shrapnel and expensive treasures like fabric and jewelry were now scattered about the streets, but people were too shocked to gather them. Rin was surprised the hotel was still standing. Whoever planted the bomb obviously meant for it to be a smoldering pile of debris.
She released a shaky breath as she attempted to slip into an alleyway to avoid the crowd.
"Hey," a smooth voice called from the mouth of the alley. Rin threw a quick glance over her shoulder.
She had escaped one predator only to end up in the hands of another.
The dark-haired boy who brought his friend to her earlier that day stood before her with his trademark leer on his face. His clothes were a bit disheveled, and Rin noticed a slight sway in his step as he walked towards her.
"I wasn't expected to see you here," he spoke coolly, his dark eyes probing her figure in a way that sickened her. "What did you spend that money we gave you on? Jewelry? Perfume?"
"Not right now," Rin shivered and turned away from him. He grabbed her before she could walk any further.
"I see you got caught in that little surprise we set up." He gazed back at the crowd and the burning building, crushing her small form against his chest. The cruel scent of liquor singed her nose as he spoke. "It was supposed to be bigger, but I guess the idiot forgot to set off the second one. Oh well."
She could hear steady footsteps from around the corner. Fighting, Rin tried to pull away from the boy. He pulled her back roughly by her fingers, causing her to yelp in pain.
"Hey!" He yelled, his face twisted into something monstrous. "I am not finished with you. I told you this morning that I would need you later." He gripped the collar of her yukata in a drunken rage and attempted to tear it from her withered form. "I should have just fucked you earlier when I―"
Rin could feel the young Lord's overbearing presence before she even turned to look at him. Standing near the end of the alleyway in the direction that Rin had been heading before the dark-haired boy had stopped her, Sesshōmaru gazed at the carnal scene before him with palpable apathy. The moonlight caressed his light hair, casting a circlet of light about his head and bedimming his breathtaking features.
"Rin." Her name rolled off his tongue with authority, and she knew he meant for her to come with him at once. Against her better judgement, she allowed her eyes to stray from his face to the sword latched to his hip.
The dark-haired boy, ignorant of the danger in his inebriated state, merely blinked at the intruder. "No way," he huffed.
Sesshōmaru's eyes flitted from her to her assailant, as if he had just noticed his existence. The dark-haired boy's grip tightened.
"You're gonna have to wait," he spat. "I caught her first, and I don't like to sha―"
His vacuous declaration was interrupted by the fell sound of steel cutting through flesh and bone. An inhuman, blood-curdling gurgle escaped the boy as he staggered backward and onto the hard earth. Blood gushed from the side of his neck and the section where his arm once was. The red plasma stained Rin's yukata and dripped from the blade of Sesshōmaru's sword, which neither of the commoners had seen him unsheathe. He stared at the blade with discontent before alighting on a thoroughly traumatized Rin.
"Do not even think about running again," he said coolly, eyes narrowed, as if the situation were a mere annoyance. "Fix your clothes."
During the fracas, the fabric of Rin's yukata had slipped, uncloaking a starveling collarbone and shoulder. In her current fret, she was loth to fix the slip.
As the light in the dark-haired boy's eyes slowly faded and his blood began to amass in a pool around the severed arm near her feet, Rin could faintly make out the steady footfalls of the Inu no Taishō. Lord Tōga took in the scene with a grimace before looking askance at his son.
"Whatever happened to your plan of being inconspicuous, Sesshōmaru?"
"It blew up." Sesshōmaru replied drily.
Prudently stepping around the maimed corpse, Tōga went to Rin's side and gently took her elbow. The girl recoiled.
"I didn't mean for you to scare the poor girl," he reproached.
Sesshōmaru stared at her as if she were the scum of the earth. "Your poor girl seems to be an accomplice."
Tōga glanced at the severed arm. "Then, this is the boy who planted the bomb?"
Rin regarded him with wide eyes. Sesshōmaru had heard the dark-haired boy's words and deduced that she was somehow culpable for the building explosion and the attempted assassination of his father. And from the scathefire in his gaze, she knew that if Lord Tōga had not arrived when he did, he would have dispatched her without hesitancy as well.
Her footing escaped her, and she feel to the her knees at the great Inu no Taishō's boots, ignorant of the blood pool.
"I had no part in this," her voice shook as she spoke. She knew by now she could not appeal to his son. "I swear on my life."
Thankfully, his eyes gleamed with warmth. "You'll soil your clothes even more. Arise."
He helped her on her feet. She did not dare look at Sesshōmaru as she stood.
Lord Tōga stretched and sighed into the hazy night sky. "What a fine mess we have made."
a/n: This chapter could have easily been longer but I decided to cut it off there for the sake of readability and time. According to WordCounter, this chapter is 4,274 words and takes 15 minutes 32 seconds to read.
Another reason that it took a little over a month to update this (besides the length, of course) is Sesshōmaru. I felt nervous about my portrayal of him; I really wanted to do him justice. If you guys could leave feedback on how I did, I would appreciate it!
Also, how do you all feel about Tōga ? I imagine him to be an amalgam of Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha but with him own charismatic, extroverted flair. So far, I truly enjoy portraying him.
Even though I'm a notoriously slow writer, I want to tell you guys that I have a lot planned for this story. I sat down the other day and made a list of all the Inuyasha characters that I would include in this fic and what their roles will be. I also have a general idea of how this story will end, lmao. I'm thinking about making a playlist of the songs I listen to while writing.
Anyways, remember to leave a comment! I enjoy reading your reactions! I'll try to update soon!