AUTHOR'S NOTE: Soooo sorry for the incredibly, gastronomically long wait you guys had for this chapter! I'm really truly sorry! But the thing is, I didn't get all that many reviews for this story, so it wasn't a priority update...although I really did like it. I have to say, though, that this one goes out to Shippo303 who told me to "SCREW THE OTHER STORIES! (not literally!) UPDATE THIS ONE!!" And I quote, peoples. All your reviews were great and I look forward to hearing more for this chap!
Disclaimer: Okay, you can't possibly think that Sesshoumaru and his fluffy were the brainchild of serpy, now could you? I mean, I'd be honored if you did, but, really, that there is giving me too much credit. Let me set you all straight: Sesshie and his fluffy as well as Rin and Jaken are, in fact, the genius of one Rumiko Takahashi! -hails Takahashi-sama-
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Scented: The Second Hurdle
By: Serpentilewitch
A week had passed since the horrendous attempt at explaining certain essential details of life and it's miracles to Rin and Sesshoumaru still wasn't sure how he was going to go about it. It simply could not be put off. The three of them, toad included, traveled much, and should, during those travels, some insolent young cur of a youkai get a whiff of Rin's scent while she were unknowingly in heat and dared to take her, Sesshoumaru wasn't quite sure what he'd do, accept that there definitely wouldn't be a piece of the demon left that could be seen without a microscope. Maybe he'd start by ripping out a couple miles of intestine...yea, that sounded good, and the stomach, no- the kidneys would be next. They should be systematically fed to the still conscious youkai, and then, after that, maybe chopping the offending portion that had violated the girl into little bits and spoon feeding that to him as well. No, that last bit definitely had to be done first. Pure pain. The lord's thoughts were interrupted by the swampy scent of a certain short green youkai.
"What is it, Jakken?" Sesshoumaru asked, irritated that the toad had interrupted his pleasant train of thought. He'd have to get back to that scenario soon. For just-in-case purposes, of course, he reminded himself.
"Ah! Uh, does Sesshoumaru-sama know what that bratty little human wench is up to?" Jakken asked, fired up for a good old-fashioned tattletale.
Sessoumaru's eyes flashed, "What did you call Rin?" he asked in icy tones.
"Kyaa! Sesshoumaru-sama! I only meant that-"
"Silence."
"Yes m'lord! But...but M'lord! That Rin, do you know what she has been up to! I think she has finally begun to show her true colors! She is betraying you, m'lord!"
"That is a rich accusation, Jakken. What makes you so sure?" the smooth voice of the Lord of the Western Lands demanded to know. His interest was somewhat piqued. If Jakken turned out wrong, then he'd be killed promptly. A resurrection would be in order, but still. And if he turned out right...
"M'Lord, Rin has been sneaking around the castle for a week now, murming to herself, frowning, and saying that maybe you denied her because she had been bad. And that no matter what, the next time around, she would be so nice, you would never be able to refuse displaying your sword! I tell you, that little human chit has got her sights on Tokijin! M'Lord, I beg you to-" The swift slash of Tokijin's blade shut the ever-prattling toad up for a few moments of bliss.
Things were starting to get out of hand. He'd have to go see the child this instant. Rising, he made his magnificent way out of his bedchambers and into the hall. Gliding down the sweeping ivory staircase, he came upon a rather comical sight. Rin was making her unbalanced way down the hall, clutching what looked like all her earthly possessions as they towered over her slight frame, blocking her view.
"Rin."
"Kyaa!" The muddied kimonos, the getas, the hair ties, and other paraphernalia went crashing to the floor, revealing the somewhat startled human. "Lord Sesshoumaru! What brings you here at this hour?"
"Rin, what are you doing?" Sesshoumaru asked, ignoring her question.
Rin looked trapped for a moment, and faltered in her answering. "I...I was cleaning out my room, because you said you don't like it when-"
"Rin." It was enough to let her know he knew she wasn't being truthful. She hung her head and studied the floor, one toe intently tracing patterns into the marble floor.
"I...I know you said that Rin shouldn't keep searching, but Rin was curious, and..." tears welled up in her eyes as she lapsed automatically into the third person. "Sesshoumaru-sama kept telling Rin she has a sheath, but Rin hasn't got it! Rin thought maybe Sesshoumaru-sama gave it to her, but she has been bad and misplaced it somewhere. Rin was trying to find it. R...Rin didn't want to anger Sesshoumaru-sama! R...Rin thought that since she could not see her master's sword, maybe that, too, had been misplaced, maybe by Jakken-sama, and she was questing to find them... Rin is sorry!"
The human was now reduced to a mess of tears and hiccoughs and other unseemly displays of emotional breakdowns. What had he done? His Rin was in tears because he, Sesshoumaru, couldn't explain a natural cycle of nature. How was this madness to come to an end?! Why was she being so difficult? And where was that imbecilic toad when one needed him? An automatic killing was scheduled for the unfortunate youkai.
Suddenly, it came to him. That was it. It was a natural part of nature, right? So if they went out, where nature was most rampant, she'd see it taking place first hand, with none the wiser. What a genius this Sesshoumaru was!
"Rin, come with me to the garden."
"Huh?" The child lifted her head as the majestic Lord swept past her regally in the direction of the gardens. Leaving the mess where it fell, the child hurried to catch up. "What's there to see in the garden, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"You'll see."
"Is it something fun?! A game?"
Sesshoumaru paused for a scant second. Game she asked? That seemed to excite her...human children seemed more attuned to that which they were interested in. "Yes, it's a game."
"Whee! Yay!" The child trounced by her master's side happily, waiting to be shown the wonders of the world. If only she knew...
"Rin," Sesshoumaru started as they made their way through the many paths of the garden. "Life is in constant motion all around you." Yea, that was good. Look at it from a philosophical standpoint. She HAD to understand that, right? "Life is constantly dying and being born anew."
"Like when you kill those people that are being disrespectful, right? That's life dying! And like when the wolves were eating me – I died, too, right?" There was no trace of sorrow in her voice.
"Yes, that is life coming to an end. How about a how it begins, do you know how life begins?" Sesshoumaru held his breath. If all went well...
"Well, trees grow from seeds...right?" the child started out hesitantly.
Seeds! Yes, what an excellent transition it was! "Indeed, Rin. But what of humans?" The youkai's nose wrinkled in contempt at the thought without any prompting from his brain.
"Umm...humans, Sesshoumaru-sama? Humans are born in families!" Her eyes held an anticipating shine of hope, perhaps she had pleased her master!
"Sit beside me, Rin." Sesshoumaru commanded. The child sat obediently. The lord tilted his head towards the small pond a mere foot away from them. Tadpoles, frogs, fish and a few other indiscernible creatures swam through it, their skins reflecting the light from the sun. "Look at those two toads there, Rin. What are they doing?" The girl peered at the far shore of the pond.
"One keep squawking...and the other one's holding the first one around the fat stomach...I didn't frogs did such strange things. I used to play a game a little bit like that with a boy I once knew!"
Sesshoumaru's eyes widened and he sat bolt upright, eyes narrowed in an anger suddenly coursing through his veins. "What kind of game?"
"Well, see," Rin began. "First, one person has to sit kind of hunched over like this." Rin sat down a little ways away from her master, folding her legs underneath her and banding as near to the ground as she could at the waist. "And then," came her muffled voice from between the folds of her yukata sleeves through which she tried to peer at her Lord in vain. "The boy used to come right up behind me and-"
"Enough." Sessoumaru's eyes were turning red, he knew. Rin toppled over at the suddenness of the command and sat in a disheveled heap in her yukata, wondering what had prompted this sudden change.
"We just used to jump over each other..." she said in a small voice. "Is there something that upsets you in that? Rin is sorry..."
Sesshoumaru froze. "Jumped over each other?"
"Hai! I think they called it Leapfrog...or no, JumpingToad...I forget what the game was called..." she shrugged, then turned her attentions back towards the pond and the two rather preoccupied toads. "Those toads aren't jumping, though, I wonder what they could be playing? Oh, they remind me of Jakken-sama! Do you think he knows how to play their game?"
Sesshoumaru was hard pressed to keep from bursting out in laughter at the images those innocent words conjured up. Jakken...and...THAT?!
"Do you think he could play it with me?"
The laughter died. "No." The thoughts conjured up from THOSE words were quite a bit more unpleasant. Just for that, there would be another death on that toad's head. Shaking his head, the lord turned to Rin. "Rin, those toads are making a family."
"Oh, you mean like humans?"
"Yes."
"Is it fun? I've always wanted a family. Oh, but I have you, Sesshoumaru-sama so it doesn't really matter, does it?"
"Fun?" He had never considered that before and thinking on it now, he decided he didn't want to...not in broad daylight and in front of this child, at least.
"Do the humans and animals like making families?" the innocent tilt of the head belied the earthshatteringly difficult-to-answer questions that spilled from the petite mouth.
"Yes...yes, I suppose they do..." Kami, his blood was starting to rise...with any luck, however, the conversation would be steered away from this topic soon and then no blush need be visible.
"Oh...do youkais think it's fun, too?" She seemed barely able to contain something she wished to say...
"I...ahem, I suppose they do, yes. Youkai enjoy it very much." He was only guessing here. After all, if humans liked it, and youkai senses were more acute, then it stood to reason, right? Besides, why would all the barbaric demons go haywire over a she-youkai in heat for any other reason?
Rin flung herself at her master, "Then can WE please make a family?! It'll be fun! You never play with me, but you said youkai think this is fun, and you're a youkai, so I'm sure you'll like it! I'll learn it fast!" Her chin poked lightly into his chest as she looked up into his eyes, imploring him to take her up on her offer.
Oh...Oh hell, what had he gone and done?! Short of steering the conversation astray, he had successfully dug his own grave. Chalk up another death for the green one. Her proximity and her request did not help the situation any. And to top it all off, he was certain that he, Sesshoumaru, Demon Lord of the Western Lands, was blushing. How could this be?
"Sesshoumaru-sama, are you okay? You're a little bit pink near your stripes..."
Sesshoumaru froze and hastily disentangled himself from Rin. This did not bode well...not well at all. The girl...did NOT get it...did NOT get it...oh, what was he to do?! There was no way he'd demean himself to receiving the aid of some human hedgewitch to school the girl in this matter. And Jakken...well, he probably preferred other males, anyhow.
The Lord turned swiftly on his heel, "Don't lag, Rin. Your breakfast is probably congealing even as we speak." The lord stalked off and the girl skipped along behind, not knowing the error of her ways...and words.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope this chapter was long enough for you peoples! I'm sorry for not having updated in a forever! Thanks so much for reading and if you REALLY love me, you'll leave me a review! Arigatou!