When we left the castle Sesshomaru headed to the east, which confused me because I knew for a fact that his mother lived deeper in the west.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"I have a few things to do before we leave."
I nodded and continued to follow him as we entered a small human village. It sort of surprised me that not only were the villagers unafraid of Sesshomaru, they bowed to him and waved. I watched curiously as we made our way to a house towards the center of the village.
"Sesshomaru-Sama!" A little imp ran out to greet us. "And guest?" He asked. His voice was sort of annoying, but amusing at the same time. "Wait! You. You're Jin-Sama are you not?"
"Yes. Nice to meet you." I smiled.
"This is Jaken." Sesshomaru introduced the little guy. "He travelled with me for many years."
"I was Sesshomaru-Sama's most loyal servan—" He was cut off by a girl about 16 running out of the house.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" She was grinning from ear to ear and Sesshomaru himself even smiled slightly as she jumped into his arms for a hug. "It's been almost a week since you came to visit!" She pouted and I laughed to myself.
"I've been busy, Rin."
"With him?" She asked sweetly before looking to me "You're Jin-Sama, right?"
"I am."
She released Sesshomaru from her hug but whisper to him, clearly loud enough for me to hear, "He is cute." She giggled and Sesshomaru gave her his best stone face, although I could almost see it wanting to crack.
"Jin, this is Rin. She also travelled with me for many years." Sesshomaru said, ignoring her comment.
"It's nice to meet you, Rin."
"Likewise." She smiled. "So what brings you her today, Sesshomaru-Sama?"
He seemed to wake up suddenly remembering why we were here, "Jin and I are going to see my mother, so I will not be here for a few weeks, maybe a month."
"Understood." She nodded. "I'll miss you then, why don't you two come in for some tea?"
"I would, but we need to get moving." She looked instantly disappointed by Sesshomaru's words. "But we'll have lunch once we're back."
"I'll hold you to that, Sesshomaru-Sama." She giggled and hugged him once again before coming and grabbing my hands. "It was lovely to meet you, Jin. You seem great." Then she leaned in and whispered to me, "And make sure you take care of him. He can be stubborn but he needs someone who cares."
I nodded, "I will. Thank you." I looked to Jaken who had been trying to talk but seemed to never get a word in. "It was nice to meet you too, Jaken."
"Of course, my lord!" He bowed.
"Jaken, watch after her and the village in my absence." Sesshomaru commanded as he turned to leave, throwing our bags on a two headed dragon demon before leaving and I followed.
"Yes, Sesshomaru-Sama! You can count on me!"
Then we were on the road to his mothers and I suddenly had a whole different perspective on my mate. He really was a big ball of complicated, but maybe he wasn't that hard to figure out either. The trees and villages past for several hours and I was happy to just enjoy the sun and the scenery. I somehow felt very alive again. As the sun started to set Sesshomaru stopped moving in the middle of a grassy field.
"We'll stay here for the night." He said as he released the reigns of the two headed dragon demon I had come to find out was named Ah-Un.
"Should we build a fire?" I asked and he nodded.
"I will go get something to eat. You build the fire."
"Okay." I began looking around for firewood as he disappeared into the woods to find food. I was picking up sticks and wondering how often Sesshomaru travelled before. He said he traveled with Rin and Jaken for years. How long is years? Rin is human and not very old so maybe it hadn't been that long, however with demons years could be anywhere from 2 to a few hundred years. It's also possible Rin wasn't always with him.
I wondered back to Ah-Un and started to build the fire, rubbing the sticks together as I remember his smile with her. Maybe he loves her, but won't admit it because she's human? What if that's why he hadn't found a mate? What if he's just given in because Jin doesn't sound that different from Rin?
I was oblivious to the sparks beginning to burn when spread by my feet. Too lost in thought to pay attention until a hand pulled me back.
Sesshomaru looked at me with a complex sort of emotion before deciding to let it go. "I caught some fish."
"Oh." I said, "That's great."
He pushed the fish onto some extra sticks and propped them up above the fire. Somehow it was nice to see him cook for himself. He wasn't a completely spoiled rich kid. "It's nice to see you cook."
"Why is that?"
"It means you haven't been completely spoiled rotten."
He scoffed, "I've spent more years out of that castle than in it."
"You did say you traveled for years." My voice was softer as I watched the fish simmer.
"I did."
There was some silence before I asked, "So what's the story with Rin? I didn't expect you to be so close to a human."
"She was quite young when I found her. I saved her and the village she came from was less than kind to her. So I took her with me. She traveled with me until I came home to the castle a couple years ago. She stays in that village and they treat her very well there. In exchange I protect the village."
"I see."
Sesshomaru pulled one of the sticks of fish off the fire and handed it to me before taking his own. We sat in a sort of uncomfortable silence, for me at least, as we ate. His answer didn't really tell me much, but I still wondered if he loved her.
I sighed to myself before hugging my legs. Why did I even care if he loves her anyway? It's not like I love him. I barely know him. We're just caught in this awkward situation together. That was it. I mean, I like him. It's not like he is a terrible person. Not like I thought he would be and seeing him with Rin today made me truly see there is a heart under all that armor and stone faced rejection. Shouldn't that be enough? He's not ruthless and he's at least kind to me. Why did it matter who his heart truly belonged to?
"Jin?" I looked up.
"Huh? Sorry. I was lost in thought."
Sesshomaru moved closer and put a hand on my forehead. "You're not hot."
I shook my head and looked down. "It's not like that."
"What is it then?"
I laid back in the grass. Maybe I should just tell him? It's not like it really matters what he thinks of me. "Do you love Rin?"
He paused and look at the fire "Yes."
I sat up on my elbows, "I mean like love her."
"Then no. Why are you asking?"
Why was I asking? "I just. I needed to know."
"So you're a jealous mate." He laid back beside me.
"I am not being jealous! I just wanted to know. Curiosity kills the cat demon I guess." I rolled over to put my back towards him, the soft grass hugging all around me.
"Hm." If he wasn't so Sesshomaru I could swear he would've been laughing at me, but he just stayed there gazing up at the stars as the fire sizzled out. The time tickled by and sleep started to whisper to me, but the wind also began to blow and with the fire all but embers I couldn't help shivering. "Come here." He said and I looks back to him my eyelids fighting sleep.
"Huh?"
"Come here." He lifted his arm and slowly I rolled over and gently fit myself into his side. His arm wrapped around me and my head was resting against his chest. "You're cold."
"Thank you." I laid my hand quietly onto his chest and closed my eyes, letting the warmth of his body rid me of any shivering that had once been there.
It was strange how hard, yet simple it was to be close to this man, but at least I felt safe when next to him. I closed my eyes and took a deep breathe before giving into sleep.
