Rin?
Toki looked around him, only to find himself in the barracks, laid on his own mat. He looked to his right to find one of his fellow guards standing just outside the door and got up to ask him how he had gotten to bed last night.
"Lord Onigumo brought you to the castle, actually. He said that he'd found you passed out in a garden or something and passed you along to me. Did you drink a lot yesterday, or what?" the guard asked, questioning him with a lazy look.
"I guess I did…" Toki lied. Thankful that his buddy had left him in his clothes, Toki quickly made his way back to the sight where he last remembered seeing Rin.
Rin was being awakened by a soft, familiar voice. She felt around her, and was surprised to not find the blankets that were normally wrapped around her in the early mornings. She instead felt grass, and silk beneath her, and then opened her eyes. She quickly shut them again; the pain from the bright sun had almost caused her to cry out.
"Hello, young lady?" the feminine voice called again. This time, Rin felt a sharp claw poking her cheek.
Rin sat up and held her head from the dizziness that plagued her.
She remembered the night before quite suddenly, and braved opening her eyes to find Lady Susumu uncharacteristically squatted down before her.
"Are you alright?" Susumu asked. Rin saw more warmth in her expression in that instant than she had ever seen from the woman in her life.
Rin tried to speak, but found her voice gone. So it did happen last night! She couldn't decide whether to be happy or concerned at the moment.
Then, she saw Sesshomaru standing to her left.
Rin motioned to her throat, trying to convey that she couldn't answer.
Sesshomaru had spotted the girl some distance off during his morning walk with his mother, and was pretty uninterested until he saw her dark hair and feet. Usually details disregarded by anyone else, but those two features were the only clues to the woman whose voice captivated him. He had assumed that both belonged to Kagura, the only plausible lady on the grounds beside his mother, but now he doubted his hasty deduction.
He watched with great curiosity when his mother questioned the girl and found her to be mute.
Obviously, his curiosity was wasted. The woman who enchanted him could sing. Kagura claimed to be the one he heard, but he had yet to actually hear a rendition from her in person.
"Oh, you poor thing! You must be a victim from an attack nearby!" Susumu fussed over the young woman. "I can smell a royal demon bloodline in you! Were you and your party on your way here?"
Rin decided that it would be easiest to go with Susumu's conclusions and nodded.
"You must be another suitable demoness here for Sesshomaru! Oh, my dear, he has already chosen a bride!" Susumu despaired for her newfound charge despite her mild like for Kagura.
Rin bit her lip, only deepening Susumu's sudden attachment to her.
"Sesshomaru, come help her up!" Susumu ordered, picking herself up and swiping the grass off of her maroon kimono.
Sesshomaru did not feel like arguing with his overzealous mother and stepped closer to Rin and extended his hand to her.
Rin blushed and took his hand, not expecting the gentle but powerful help he gave her to stand.
When he let go, she almost fell over her own feet and her blush deepened. Susumu saw this and said, "Sesshomaru, help her back to the fortress! She must be too traumatized to even walk!"
Not really, thought Rin, she was just not used to the incredible new power surging from her legs. But she would take any help afforded by Sesshomaru…
He exhaled and bent to slip his right hand under her arms and his left arm under her knees. In a quick move Rin was sure she would not have been able to follow if she were still human, Sesshomaru lifted her and began to walk next to his mother straight back to the fortress.
On the way, Susumu thought about how odd it was that Sesshomaru was willingly helping the young demoness with no protest. His manner has changed in the last few days…
"My Lord! My Lady!" exclaimed a hurried voice from behind them as they neared the fortress. "My lady, have you seen your servant Rin this morning?" Toki asked, not seeing the woman in Sesshomaru's arms because of the abundant mokomoko.
"No, I have not. She told me yesterday that she was having upsetting dreams - so I figured that she was sleeping late, the silly girl. What has you so riled over her?" Susumu asked, turning and growing worried over the expression of the guard called Toki.
"She is missing, my lady," Toki admitted, sighing in defeat.
At this point, Sesshomaru had stopped to turn and see the interruption. This was the very guard that was with the demoness when she sang in the garden, he realized.
The demoness in his arms tugged on Sesshomaru's sleeve, trying to convey that she wanted to be put down. Sesshomaru got the hint and lowered her to the ground, steadying her to make sure that she could walk.
Rin stood and walked slowly, trying not to fall over from her own strength again. She came up beside Toki, who was turned toward Susumu and was speaking with her about her own whereabouts. Rin tapped his shoulder politely and waited for recognition to come to his face.
Once he realized significance in her look and caught on to her not wanting the royals to know her true identity, Toki embraced her against his better sense.
When they pulled apart, Susumu questioned Toki, "Do you know this demoness?"
Toki quickly read Rin's intentions as best as he could and replied, "Yes, my lady. She is a friend from my childhood home."
"So she is a water demon then? Makes sense from the salt I smell on her," Susumu gave the demoness another once over and paid particular attention to her shabby brown yukata. "What is her name?"
Toki, on the spot, used the name of one of his many aunts, "Her name is Nanami, my lady. Her father is the brother of the sea king and a general in his army."
"Nanami, hmmm? Well, Lady Nanami, let us get you to the bath and into some better clothes?" Susumu's interest peaked and prompted her to herd the younger woman once again toward the fortress.
Without a word, Sesshomaru turned and continued to walk back with the two, leaving Toki to worry for Rin in their wake.
"Lady Nanami, you have such beautiful hair," Susumu complimented Rin as the 'water-demoness' was having her scalp scrubbed and scented by a bathhouse servant. "It shows your lineage - that hair so black it shines blue. And eyes so deeply red they could rival fire!"
Rin smiled, taking Susumu's fervent praise. In the bath, she was discovering many new things about her changed body. Her reflection told her that her eyes were indeed red now, and that her hair was darker than before, as well as smoother and straighter.
Upon further inspection, Rin found her formerly dull nails to be sharply pointed and slightly blue in color. On her neck and hips there were blue swirling lines, mimicking waves and the ocean. Around her eyes there were sets of aqua colored lines to offset the redness of her irises. It seemed that her skin had also changed and was unfathomably flawless and had a paler tone in it.
Once the servant was done cleaning her hair, Rin found two perfectly pointed ears sticking out from her wet hair. It was perfectly nonhuman.
"You asked for me, my lady?" a familiar voice asked from the side of the bath.
"Yes, Lady Kagura. I found this magnificent young lady this morning, and it seems that she has lost her companions and possessions. Would you mind helping me outfit her?" Susumu asked while wringing out her long silver hair.
"Of course. What might I call you?" Kagura asked, unabashedly looking over the nude Rin.
"Her name is Nanami and she cannot speak, dear. But a guard happened to be familiar with her and introduced us after we had found her. She is the sea king's niece," Susumu said. She then gave curt orders to the maids to have Rin, or Nanami, dried and dressed in a light kosode.
After being dried and partially dressed, the maids proceeded to comb out her long dark hair and style it simply, leaving the most of it down.
Kagura and Susumu came in after searching their closets with a couple of maids carrying lavish kimonos in summery colors.
Susumu studied Rin's coloring and compared the choices in her head. Sighing, she commented, "It's too bad that my best kimono dresser isn't anywhere to be found, Lady Nanami. She has the best eye for kimono and the best hands for tying obi. I suppose we'll just have to make due…"
Kagura stayed back, not sure as to what she felt for the girl and completely sure that she couldn't tell a winter kimono from a summer yukata.
"What do you think of this pale blue kimono, Lady Nanami? It would go well with your demon marks," Susumu saw Rin's nod of approval and the servants immediately set to work on draping it over her small body and adjusting it for her smaller stature.
Rin admired the garb, truly feeling like the princess she was masquerading as. She picked the dark purple obi and had to hold back a cringe as one of the maids clumsily tied the knot behind her.
"Lady Susumu, you have set a lunch appointment with Lord Onigumo. Do you wish to cancel it?" a retainer asked from the sliding door entrance.
"Oh dear! Lady Nanami, your beauty has made me neglect the time!" Susumu jokingly chided as she gave her final approval to the maids about Rin's attire. "No, Jaken. Lady Kagura and I will make our way to him now. Take Lady Nanami to Sesshomaru and tell him that I have charged him with her entertainment."
"Yes, my lady," the toad demon bowed as Susumu and Kagura exited. After they were well out of sight, he raised his head to take in the demoness before him. She was a beauty, as Susumu suggested, but was barely a woman- just past her childhood. Sighing because of his new babysitting position, Jaken gestured for Nanami to follow him through a labyrinth of hallways and foyers.
Rin followed Jaken into a part of the fortress she had never ventured into before. Her work as a dresser and washer had never made this wing necessary, and from what she caught from guards and other servants Sesshomaru liked as little disturbances around his chambers as possible.
Somehow Rin was getting the picture that she would likely not be welcomed by Sesshomaru here.
They came to a halt in front of yet another door, and Jaken bowed lower than he had for Susumu and Kagura. After a moment, the green imp said with his annoying squeaky voice, "My Lord? Your most honorable mother has trusted me with delivering Lady Nanami to you, in hopes that you would entertain her while your most honorable mother is at lunch with Lord Onigumo!"
To Rin, the toad sounded frazzled and frightened. Was Lord Sesshomaru really worth all of this formality and fuss? Did he really demand such of his servants? Rin really did not know for sure- the nature of her work really only made her familiar with the females in the castle and bowing like the toad was usually reserved for greeting the royal family at dinner.
A long moment passed before the sliding door abruptly opened, revealing an annoyed looking Sesshomaru, who glared daggers at the green servant kneeling at his bare feet.
"And why, Jaken, did mother feel the need to burden me?" Sesshomaru's voice stayed flat, but even the deaf could tell of the coldness in his voice.
"She did not specify, my lord! Please do not kill me!" Jaken squeaked, trying to become one with the floor while bowing.
A sound, which Rin was sure she would not have been able to hear as a human, came from Sesshomaru's throat and was apparently the signal for Jaken to scurry away faster than Rin thought possible.
"Are you dumb, too?" the dog-demon's voice came from the depths of the study.
Rin was startled and shook her head, realizing that she had stayed to watch Jaken run away for longer than she had thought. She hesitantly stepped into the room and slid the door back into place behind her. She stood there for a moment, trying to decide if she should awkwardly stand there or go sit on one of the pillows near her long-time idol.
Sesshomaru answered her internal battle by running his golden gaze from her face to the pillow mere feet away from where he sat reading.
She sat with as much grace as she could muster, not used to the heavy silk and extravagant layers and ties covering her body. Once she was settled on her knees like a real lady, she began to click her sharp nails together nervously.
"You are called Nanami, correct?"
Rin nodded, feeling a blush rising once again up her neck. She felt bad for lying to him, but this was all a part of the plan, the deal. Her only hope.
He read for a few minutes more, but finally pushed the material away with a heavy sigh. "Have you always been mute?" he asked, shifting his eyes from the characters to her face.
She nodded the affirmative again.
To this, he sighed once more. She really could not be the singer, then. If only Kagura would prove her claims…
He heard Nanami shift and turned his face back to hers; he said with more jocularity than she had ever heard in his voice, "I suppose I could tell you all of my deepest secrets. You are a much better companion than anyone else in this fortress."
Rin smiled, and felt the breath leave her in the manner much like a laugh. But with no voice, no laugh was heard.
"I wish I could ask for your… womanly opinion of Kagura…" he said - and was surprised to see Nanami's face twist into a grimace."I interpret that you do not think highly of her?" he asked with no animosity in his voice. Nanami blushed and lowered her eyes, giving him the impression that she was embarrassed to 'speak' badly of his intended mate. "I don't think much of her either."
She looked up sharply and tilted her head in confusion. Why? Her expression asked.
"I believe her to be a liar and a flatterer," he almost sneered at the thought. If Kagura didn't prove that she was the one voice he pined for, he would break off the pending ceremony and alliance without a second thought.
Rin bit her lip, trying to justify with herself what she was doing. Surly if everything went smoothly, Sesshomaru would never find out that she was lying to him. What he said next put even more ease into Rin's heart.
"She told me that she could sing like a siren I once thought I heard. She has yet to prove it, and if she doesn't soon- I will break off all ties with her and her father."
Sesshomaru really was infatuated with Kagura because of her voice? Rin was suddenly thrust into a flurry of thoughts about the grave mistake she might have made by trading her voice. If only she could sing for him now! If only she had taken the rumors told to her by Toki as facts!
But… what if Kagura's voice was better than her own? Then being turned into a demoness would not even matter in the first place.
"Lady Nanami?" A servant's voice was suddenly heard from behind the troubled human-turned-demoness, startling her so much she jumped. The servant, not wanting to embarrass her lord's guest, went on, "Would you like to have lunch as well? And tea?"
Rin nodded to both and reveled in being served. In her whole life, she had never been served like this.
A couple of kitchen servants brought in low mini-tables for Sesshomaru and Nanami and set their dishes, steaming and giving off a delectable aroma, in front of them. They were also given ivory chopsticks and freshly brewed tea.
Rin took in the scent and had to stop herself from devouring the meal before her like a rabid dog. She waited, like she had seen Lady Susumu and Lady Kagura do, until Sesshomaru took his first bite.
They ate mostly in silence - only interrupted by the servants refilling their teacups and clearing their dishes and tables away.
"Do you know much of combat and strategy, Nanami?" Sesshomaru asked not long after the servants had slid the door behind them after exiting.
Rin shook her head negatively, hoping female water-demons were not supposed to be particularly war-adept.
Fortunately for Rin, Sesshomaru was in an instructive mood and went into great detail about the current events of the Western Lands.
It was nearing dinner time when Sesshomaru let his 'instruction' come to a close. He had shown Nanami maps and letters relating to the subjects he touched on and found the water-demoness to have quite a keen and willing mind. Although she was unable to ask questions aloud, she formed a system comprised of pointing and body language to speak her words instead.
Nanami was better company than Kagura, who spoke often and loud.
"My lord?" called the voice of the toad demon from beyond the sliding door. "Dinner is to be served before the hour of the setting sun, and Lady Susumu has asked that you and Lady Nanami join her for it."
"Yes, Jaken," Sesshomaru said, easily standing from his position on the floor. He graciously extended his clawed hand to Nanami, offering his assistance.
Rin had a moment to eye the magenta stripes on his wrist before fitting her much smaller hand into his and feeling his power effortlessly bring her up to stand. She adjusted the hem on the front of her kimono before following Sesshomaru out of the room and past the bowing toad demon.
Upon reaching the dining room both Sesshomaru and Nanami were bowed to by the awaiting servants and shown to their respective seats.
Rin was thankful to be seated to the left of Sesshomaru, but was apprehensive about the empty seat on her other side. A few short minutes later, the ladies strolled in, followed closely by Lord Onigumo. Lord Onigumo was seated on the other side of Rin, giving her a little ease. She would have preferred Lady Susumu or Prince Kouga at her other side - but Lord Onigumo was a better choice than Kagura any day.
Once seated, Susumu told Onigumo, "You are seated next to my guest, Lord Onigumo. She hails from the Water Kingdom and is called Lady Nanami. Isn't she the beauty?"
"Yes," replied Onigumo with the raspy voice he had on the best of days. "You are quite beautiful, my lady," he turned his head toward her and nodded in her direction, making Rin feel like she was prey about to be eaten.
"Unfortunately, she is also mute, father," Kagura added. No one in the room missed her tone of dislike.
"So unfortunate," he hissed, keeping his greedy red eyes on Nanami's face. "You give the impression to have a lovely voice - to complement your lovely face."
"I'm sure she would have had a beautifully melodious voice, Lord Onigumo," Lady Susumu agreed, ignoring his blatant stares at her guest.
Rin, feeling overpowered by Onigumo's stare, turned back to the table and waited patiently for the tea and food to be served. When the kitchen servants finally put their plates before each guest at the table and Sesshomaru had taken his first bite, Onigumo finally turned his red eyes away from Rin.
A/n: Hello again! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. My favorite part of this chapter to write has been writing the talkative character of Rin without having her talk.
As a side note, I've found a lot of roots for this story within classic tales.