What, ho? An update! So my laptop once again lives, which means that Absolute Loneliness lives once again as well! To make up for my almost two months radio silence ducks thrown objects, this chapter is longer than usual. Asassins, assassins everywhere Enjoy.
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Sesshomaru brought the horse to a sharp stop in front of Inuyasha's home. It was just after midnight, which meant that he had a little less than four hours to accomplish his task. The sky was dark and there was no moon, but that was due to the thick black clouds which covered the sky. Sesshomaru could smell the approaching rain. He handed his servant the reins as he dismounted, striding up to the door quickly. Jaken stood a little ways behind, clutching a second horse's reins tightly along with his lord's as he observed him. How controlled he looked, even under such stress! Recalling the conversation his lord had after the funeral with a loyal court lady named Suetsumuhana, Jaken couldn't believe he was so calm, albeit a bit rushed.
"My Lord Sesshomaru!" a voice called out from behind them and they turned. A silver-gray haired young demon was running toward them. She seemed to be very perturbed, and when she reached Sesshomaru, she bowed deeply, rushing through the formal greeting.
"What is it?" Sesshomaru asked, his eyes cold.
"My Lord, I dare not speak of it in the open here; please, may we adjourn to a spare room?" came her hushed reply, so they stepped into an empty room. Sesshomaru didn't think the room made a difference; no one could keep a secret in a house of paper walls, and he personally had only ever found privacy within his own mind.
After Lady Suetsumuhana had shut the door, she fell to her knees in grief more than respect. "Oh my Lord! I have heard the most retched news! You cannot stay here tonight; those two fiends, Fujiyu and Hachi, they plan to have you murdered in your sleep! I heard them discussing it in whispered tones during the funeral when the chanting was the loudest so that none might have overheard them, but I did, my Lord. They wish to take over as co-Regents and rule in your place! They believe you, in their words not mine, to be incompetent to rule, especially because of the incident of several years ago-"
"Enough!" Sesshomaru commanded in a loud voice with a sideways glance at Jaken, who thankfully hadn't noticed the strangeness of the girl's last statement. Suetsumuhana stopped immediately, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. The toad demon was sickened with worry.
"My Lord, this is horrible! What are we t-"
"I said enough!" Sesshomaru commanded louder. "I cannot think in your noise!"
With both servants silenced, the proud lord stood as if he was a statue, still as stone. Damn, his plan was going to be difficult enough without this to worry about…It would have to be tomorrow then; if they were so intent on usurping him, then he would have to exert his dominance early. Step one of his plan was going to happen quicker than he had hoped, but there was no other way. Now, to get out of the castle without arousing suspicion…
"Lady Suetsumuhana," Sesshomaru asked suddenly, gesturing for her to rise, "It has been so long since I set foot here; tell me, what direction is this?" He pointed to off to his right and slightly in front of him.
"Ah…" the girl thought and it was a moment before she answered with fright, "The northeast (1), my lord! Why?… Oh, surely you did not travel to the northeast to get here?"
"I did," replied Sesshomaru, and Suetsumuhana hastily stepped backwards (2). "I will go, Jaken also, to the shrine that lies to the southwest of the city, and purify ourselves. It would be unwise to stay when carrying such impurities. I will require two horses and we shall leave immediately. We will return tomorrow afternoon. Alert the Inner and Outer Palace Guards of the Left of this departure, and tell them it will soon be time to prove their loyalty. And I apologize for bringing my impurity into the Palace," he added as an after thought.
"I will have the Guards informed right away, and the horses readied for riding, my lord," Suetsumuhana replied, pleased that she could help her lord.
Sesshomaru moved as if to leave, then stopped. Turned back slightly, he addressed Suetsumuhana. "Are the Nashitsubo (3) and the Kiritsubo (4) occupied?"
She looked confused. "No, my lord, not since His Eminence your father passed from this life," Suetsumuhana said slowly.
Sesshomaru was silent for a half a second. "Have the rooms ready for my return," he said before sweeping out of the room, Jaken scurrying to catch up. When he did, he looked up at Sesshomaru.
"Did we travel to the northeast, my lord?" he asked in a hushed tone.
"Of course not; don't be stupid," came the equally hushed reply, Sesshomaru looking straight ahead.
"Who are these people? Fujiyu and Hachi?"
"Uncles; Hachi from my father's side, Fujiyu from my mother's. Both with no sons, although Hachi's second wife was rumored to be with child… Unimportant at the moment, Jaken; no more questions."
Sesshomaru rapped his knuckles on the doorframe, forcing away the over powering sense of déjà vu. Now was not the time. He needed to act quickly, and he could afford no delays.
"Inuyasha!" he called.
No answer.
Knocking louder, he called again.
This time he received different results. The flap of the door was thrown backwards to reveal a very cross-looking Inuyasha.
"What the hell do you want now? Do you know what time it is!" the half demon yelled.
"The Hour of the Rat (5), if I'm not mistaken, which is all the more reason to hurry up," replied Sesshomaru in a cooled tone.
"Hurry up? What for?" Inuyasha demanded.
Indeed, Jaken had been wondering this too, so he quietly inched closer to make sure he didn't miss what was said.
"We have to leave immediately."
"Come to take back Rin? Fine, but you could've waited until the morning," Inuyasha scowled.
"No, Inuyasha, we have to leave immediately."
"Eh? What the hell are you talking about? 'We'? As in, you and me?"
Sesshomaru was becoming agitated. "All of you. You, your wife and children and Rin," he said, willing his voice to remain even.
"Why? Where are we going?" Now Inuyasha sounded genuinely confused, sleepiness having quite effectively lessened his thinking abilities.
"I'll explain on the way," Sesshomaru said brusquely, "Go and wake everyone up. Now."
"No, tell me where we're going and why," Inuyasha said defiantly.
Sesshomaru glowered. "Now is not the time."
"I'm not moving until you answer me!"
Jaken stepped forward. "You do as my lord says, you half breed! Lord Sesshomaru will answer your questions when he feels li-"
"Jaken!" Sesshomaru barked without turning around. Jaken flinched; there was no mistaking the annoyance in his voice.
"Y- Yes, milord?" he stuttered nervously.
"Who told you to leave your post?" the dog demon asked curtly.
"No one, milord; sorry milord. It won't happen again," Jaken scurried back to his place, out of ear shot, and Sesshomaru continued.
"Once I tell you, I want no further questions until we're under way, understand? This cannot be delayed any further."
"Fine, just answer the question already."
Sesshomaru took a deep breath and it escaped a little too much like a sigh. "We are going to the Palace an-"
"What! What Palace? Why?"
"Why? Because I said so. Now wake up everyone."
"Where's the Palace? Why are we going?" Inuyasha persisted stubbornly.
"I said no further questions until we were under way. Now, wake them up!" Sesshomaru commanded.
By the time everyone had been woken up, and Kagome had stuffed various things into her backpack (complaining all the while about the demands and unpredictability of men), and the quarter demon children had stopped prodding Jaken, it was well into the Hour of the Ox (6) and Sesshomaru was nearly at his wit's end, although nothing showed. Jaken brought Ah and Un out from behind the house and the quarterlings and Kagome were assigned to ride them. Inuyasha was given a black stallion and once everyone else was settled, Sesshomaru grabbed Rin by the back of her kimono and hauled her up onto a white stallion. At the last moment Jaken was told to ride with Kagome and the children, much to the toad demon's dismay. With that done, Sesshomaru gracefully swung himself up behind Rin. After giving brief instructions to Inuyasha on how to ride the horse, Sesshomaru rode to the front.
"We need to be at the middle of the forest by dawn and we can afford no more delays. That begin said, I urge you to ride swiftly."
With that, Sesshomaru dug his heels into the sides of the horse and he and Rin took off like a shot, Inuyasha and the others hurrying to catch up.
Just before the Hour of the Ox ended, the promised rain blew in, drenching the travelers in sheets of water. A cry of discomfort went up form the children almost immediately after the rain began, and it was only stilled when Kagome popped open her umbrella. She kept it open as the winds picked up, but once a tree next to the dirt trail exploded from a touch of lighting, she hastily stuffed it away. Inuyasha was closest when the tree was struck, earning him a buck off his now frightened horse. The children once again took up crying loudly from fear, unhappiness, and hunger, and despite Kagome's best intentions, they wouldn't stop, their tears practically indistinguishable from the rain. All and all, everyone seemed quite miserable.
Sesshomaru appeared the calmest out of everyone, but inside he was boarding frantic. The crying of the quarterlings was drilling its way past his hardened defenses and what had the potential to become a horrendous headache was forming, threatening his focus further. The storm didn't help matters either, soaking him to the bone and causing his hair to stick to his face. The sheer force of the rain had flattened his fur to his body and his clothing clung to him like a second skin. In order to distract himself, he concentrated on shielding Rin from the rain by holding his arm in such a way that he maintained control of his horse, and at the same time prevented the fat raindrops from landing on the human child. Rin was used to traveling with Sesshomaru and she had grown quite skilled at sleeping in the saddle, which was what she was doing now. Sesshomaru wondered if the rain made any difference to her.
"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha yelled as he rode up next to the sopping demon.
Inuyasha was in worse shaped than Sesshomaru. Visibly angry, exhaustion flitted around his face, betraying his need for sleep. His hair and clothes were spattered with mud from his fall of his horse, and his ears were flattened against his head to avoid taking on water.
"What is it?" Sesshomaru asked in an even tone.
"It's pouring, if you haven't noticed. You dragged us outta bed in the middle of the night for this? We're tried and wet and hungry!" Inuyasha raged.
"So?"
"Damn it, Sesshomaru! Just because you don't feel anything doesn't that we don't too! There are children traveling here and I hope you honestly don't expect them to be able to keep going like this!"
"I do."
"What! Are you insane!"
"No, I am quite sane, thank you," Sesshomaru responded coldly as his voice rose slightly, his eyes narrowing into slits. "I realize that humans and their fellows can't stand as much as a true demon could, but I implore you and your quarterlings to be patient, if you can manage."
"Quarter-! You bastard! You push us to the brink and then you insult my children! What the hell is wrong with you!"
"I have found that I receive the best response from you when you are angry, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru hissed, his voice now a deadly quiet. "This maneuver is as much for your sake as it is mine. If you could kindly hold out for a little longer, we will arrive at the house of a lesser lord who will give us rooms for the rest of the night. Now please, get back in line and silence your children before I do."
Before Inuyasha could offer a comeback, Sesshomaru had kicked his horse back into a gallop in a vain effort to escape the cries of the children.
They arrived at the house about twenty minutes later, just as Sesshomaru had promised. They were immediately given the best rooms available, the lesser demon wishing to avoid the same scenario he had experienced earlier the pervious day. Food was brought for the weary travelers, and they ate their fill. Sesshomaru was the only one among them who refused the meal, preferring the silence of his room to the company of the others. Inuyasha had a room to himself, as did Rin, but Kagome refused to leave the children's side, so they shared a room. Jaken had to sleep in the servant's hall, but no one short of Jaken himself seemed to mind. Everyone fell asleep quickly after the food, everyone except Sesshomaru.
The dog demon's mind was restless, and he couldn't have fallen asleep if he wanted to. Instead, he occupied himself with writing as his mind flew off on various thoughts.
Why was he bothering with all this? He could have easily taken out an assassin on his own. Why drag Inuyasha into the mess? But he already knew the answers. The news of the assassination gave him an unexpected opportunity to right a wrong sooner than he thought. It was killing to birds with one stone. If everything fell through, he could finally come clean. But would he be accepted? Worry's tide surged up slightly before receding again.
And yet… Sesshomaru couldn't help but wonder if he was justified in his actions.
No, his mind quickly crushed that idea. No time for self doubts, and it was too late for it anyway. He needed every ounce of focus if he was going to-
"Sesshomaru?"
Apparently the house wasn't as asleep as Sesshomaru had thought. He closed his record book and put it away as Inuyasha pulled back the sliding door and entered, not bothering to get permission.
"I would've thought you'd be asleep by now," the demon remarked with civility, masking his annoyance at being disturbed. Inuyasha sat down heavily against a fusuma door near Sesshomaru, tucking the Tetsusaiga up next to him with the hilt near his head; Sesshomaru glanced at the sword before pushing it out of his mind as well.
"I'm not as weak as you think Sesshomaru, or as stupid," retorted the half-breed.
There was a pause as the brothers regarded each other.
"I want to know what's going on," Inuyasha continued, his tone suddenly serious. "Why did you show up at my house in the middle of the night and proceed to drag us across the country to a palace, of all places? It's not like you. If it wasn't for your unmistakable stench, I would've figured you to be a fake or something."
Sesshomaru ignored the half insult as he simply gazed at Inuyasha. The soft light provided by the oil lamp made him look unusually fierce and Sesshomaru wondered when his brother had found this new sense of strength and maturity. A slight but unmistakable pang was felt in his chest as he realized just what three years had cost him to miss. Still, he supposed Inuyasha deserved an answer; his actions were rather out of character.
"Our lives, and the lives of you loved ones, were- still are, for that matter, in danger."
"What?" Inuyasha's voice was laced with disbelief. "Why?"
"My mother's death left the throne open to anyone with enough political power and the right connections to take it."
"Wouldn't it automatically just go to you?"
"Chichiue didn't live long enough to name me Togu (7)," Sesshomaru said quietly, purposely not mentioning the other, much more shameful half of the reason. The explanation was only half correct anyways. His father had named him Togu the night before his death, but it wasn't formally announced, so it might as well have never happened. Still, Sesshomaru carried the royal decree of it with him always, along with the other gift his father had given him that night. An awkward silence followed, and Inuyasha broke it by asking his next question.
"Let me guess; you're trying to take the throne, right?"
"To allow the throne to fall into anyone else's hands would be dishonorable," Sesshomaru answered without hesitation. Had he had a civil conversation with Inuyasha like this, one that hadn't been filled with insults and degraded remarks? He didn't think so.
Inuyasha must have caught something in Sesshomaru's voice, because he suddenly looked suspicious. "Do you want the throne?" he asked abruptly.
The question took Sesshomaru by surprise. "What do you mean?"
"Do you want to take the throne?" Inuyasha repeated.
"It is my duty as the son of the Dog General," Sesshomaru replied monotonously, not really answering Inuyasha's question.
Inuyasha didn't know enough about politics to grasp the fact that the response he received would have signaled an end to discussion.
"Duty aside, do you personally want to take the throne?" he pressed.
Sesshomaru didn't like where this conversation was going, not one bit. "I cannot comprehend a lack of duty," he said, dodging the question.
"You have no imagination," the half demon sighed exasperatingly as he slumped down in defeat. He'd tackle that question later. "Why are we in danger then?"
"Since I am the obvious choice for the throne, others eyeing it will see me as their biggest obstacle."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"If I were to lose the throne, whoever took over would seek to completely obliterate any descendants of the former lord. You are in danger then, and your family. We are sons of the Dog General, so you are a target. I had to get to you before anyone else. I received information of a planned attempt on my life, so I know it's only a matter of time before they set their sights on you," Sesshomaru said with a slight shrug, as if he and Inuyasha were merely discussing the weather instead of a life or death situation. He paused to give Inuyasha a chance to offer his views, but none came.
Inuyasha could only gape open-mouthed at Sesshomaru, in a complete lost for words. Inuyasha couldn't believe it. Numbly he recalled Sesshomaru's words 'we are sons of the Dog General'. For the first time ever, Sesshomaru had said that they were brothers, and not in the sense that he was being made fun of. Sesshomaru sincerely meant it. Inuyasha wondered if Sesshomaru even noticed what he said, it came out so easily, as if it was no big deal. For some reason, hearing Sesshomaru say that made him feel… wanted. Warmth blossomed up inside him. Sesshomaru accepted him as family.
Sesshomaru sat quietly, watching Inuyasha with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. The half demon appeared to be stunned, and Sesshomaru doubted that his words had that much effect. No, it must be something else he decided. Still, that bewildered expression was unnerving.
"Do you understand?" the demon questioned. Inuyasha offered no reply, so Sesshomaru reiterated his question.
"Y- Yeah, I get it," Inuyasha mumbled distractedly. "Hey, I'm gonna go to my room, okay? I'm… kinda tried."
He got up and moved almost drunkenly towards the door. Upon reaching it, he turned back slightly at the almost noticeably confounded demon. "Hey, Sesshomaru?"
"Hm?"
The question Inuyasha was dying to ask, the question that haunted the back of his mind for all his life welled up in his throat.
"Eh… Nothing, never mind…" he muttered, walking out and heading to his own room. Better not risk ruining it just yet. He'd enjoy the feeling of acceptance while it lasted.
Back in his room, Sesshomaru allowed himself to slouch ever so much as a wave of weariness over took him. Inuyasha's departure left him with the sense that the half demon had gotten too close to something he shouldn't have. It was light, but a slight tugging sensation pulled at his conscious, hoping to get him thinking about the past. Sesshomaru wouldn't allow it however, and he retired for the little of the remaining night.
After such tiring night, everyone was grouchy from being woken up so earlier the next morning. The Hour of the Tiger (8) was almost over when Sesshomaru gave the word to rouse the other companions. The unfortunate one who was instructed to wake Inuyasha received a nasty clout to the head for her efforts, the half-breed having swung blindly at the unwelcome wake up call. Other than a tearing servant girl, the morning passed without incident as everyone one was still half asleep and too tried to cause any sort of disturbance. They ate a little breakfast of rice balls filled with smoked salmon, pickled radishes and green tea, the latter being openly refused by Inuyasha. Once everyone had eaten their fill, they left after a quick formal goodbye. The bleary eyed children sat atop Ah and Un, small fingers protectively clutching furoshiki which contained extra rice balls for the road. Inuyasha glared at his horse for a full minute, as if daring it to act up, before ungracefully clambering on. Everyone was set, and Sesshomaru led them out.
The trip was much better than the night before. True, they were still traveling at a hard pace, but at least it wasn't raining. The ride went smoothly, save for a chorus of cries from the quarterlings, who claimed they needed to go to the bathroom. Aside from that brief rest, they had no stops and Sesshomaru was pleased that the edge of the forest came into view before noon.
Sesshomaru brought everyone to a halt a good ten meters back from the edge; telling them to stay there, he dismounted and continued on foot.
Interest peaked, Inuyasha watched Sesshomaru's retreating form inquisitively. Slipping off his horse, he waved at the others to keep quiet (Kagome silencing Jaken's protest with a sharp blow to the head), and the half demon commenced tailing his brother. Keeping out of sight, Inuyasha followed Sesshomaru's scent to the edge of the forest, where he hid behind a tree and spied.
Sesshomaru was standing just past the forest's limits, but still within its shadow. Four fully armed demons stood in front of him. Squinting, Inuyasha saw the lord gesture toward the forest, his mouth moving in conversation. He stopped, and two of the demons bowed and beat a hasty retreat across the open field. His curiosity satisfied for the time being, Inuyasha turned to leave and in doing so snapped a twig under foot. Almost immediately an arrow slammed into the tree up to its shaft a scant three inches from Inuyasha's nose, and a second arrow whizzed overhead.
Swearing loudly, Inuyasha leapt up to the leafy canopy. With decent cover and a clear view of the three-person party, he could see the armed demons each nock another arrow, scanning the forest intently. Sesshomaru cautiously began to advance and the two demons fell into position behind him, bow stings taunt. The half demon crouched on his branch as still as stone, barely breathing. Staring hard at the archers, he saw them sniffing the air quizzically. Damn! They'd smell him, Inuyasha thought frantically, moving backwards and rustling the leaves.
He didn't have time to think before Sesshomaru shot up into the trees and was upon him. He caught Inuyasha by the throat and carried him backward through painfully thick branches before smashing him into a tree, successfully knocking the wind out of the unfortunate half demon.
Sesshomaru's mind flipped from battle, to brief confusion, then swiftly to anger.
"You idiot," he growled, pressing hard and crushing Inuyasha's windpipe, who coughed and squirmed before Sesshomaru relaxed.
Still coughing and slightly dazed, Inuyasha rubbed his bruised throat. He had never seen his brother react so… openly to a disturbance.
"Hold your fire," Sesshomaru shouted, and with a shove, pushed Inuyasha out of the tree. He broke a few branches and hit the ground hard. When he looked up, he found himself staring at arrow tips. Sesshomaru jumped downward and landed lightly next to his brother's crumpled form.
"Is this the spy?" asked one of the archers, eyeing Inuyasha with disbelief.
"Should we execute him, sir?" the other wondered and Inuyasha tensed.
"No, he's no spy, just a fool," Sesshomaru said with contempt. "You may lower your weapons."
"Who are these people!" Inuyasha demanded, scrambling to his feet. "They almost killed me."
"They are from the Inner Palace Guards of the Left," Sesshomaru said, glaring at Inuyasha. "Get back to the horses. Now."
"Why should I?"
Cold fire burned in Sesshomaru's eyes. "You have obviously seen how serious I am about our lives being in danger. You, in your typical dim wit fashion, have left your wife and children with no protection."
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "You don't think-"
A scream cut through the air.
"Kagome!"
The two guards and the two brothers ran toward the scream, adrenaline rushing through them at the promise of battle. Inuyasha saw Sesshomaru leap into the trees out of the corner of his eye; a second later a body toppled down, its throat ripped out.
The glance cost Inuyasha, and the shiruken that flew out of the underbrush sliced across his shoulder. Without thinking, he dug his claws into the wound and flung bloody blades toward the bushes, a current of energy sweeping through him when he was rewarded with a cry of pain.
Sesshomaru reached the horses first as he bounded out the woods. He saw three assassins running toward Kagome and the quarterlings, and he sensed another in the trees above them. He quickly dispatched two with his poison whip; Kagome and Jaken's unintentionally combined attack killing the third. Looking to the trees for the fourth, he saw a guard's arrow find its mark.
Inuyasha burst out of the thick forest and charged an assassin heading for his brother's turned back. His sharp claws decapitated the foe with little problem. Suddenly Sesshomaru spun and drew Tokijin in a wide arc at Inuyasha.
"Watch it!" he shouted furiously as he quickly ducked Sesshomaru's blade. Hot blood splattered his back and he pivoted; an assassin hit the ground dead not a foot from him. A second assassin was behind and swung down at the crouched half-breed. Inuyasha sprang backwards, missing the blade, but he collided with Sesshomaru and took them both to the ground, Tokijin landing out of reach.
"Idiot!" Sesshomaru hissed as he shoved his brother off him. He saw the assassin bring the sword down as if in slow motion. Metal hit metal as Sesshomaru pulled Tenseiga out just in time. Teeth bared, he snarled as the assassin bore down harder. Kicking up swiftly, Sesshomaru flipped the attacker over him and leapt to his feet. Spinning around he saw Inuyasha kill the assassin and a guard's arrow fall an attacker from the trees. Scanning the area, he saw no more, but still did not drop his guard. Breathing heavily, he waited a little longer before finally sheathing Tenseiga and the retrieved Tokijin. Glancing over, he saw Inuyasha run and embrace his family before checking for injury. Sesshomaru turned toward his own horse and his eyes widened at the sight that met him.
"No!" he shouted with barely concealed horror. His horse was dead and Rin was gone.
"Stay here," he yelled to Inuyasha as he darted into the woods. Damn it. Where was she? Her scent was still strong, but it was dampened by something. Water? He looked down.
In and between the small green plants were fat drops of water. Quickly looking behind him, he saw soaked plants in only one spot. Someone had taken Rin and dumped water on her so she'd be harder to track, his mind formulated. A good plan, but who ever took her forgot that water leaves a trail too.
Sesshomaru ran quickly but quietly, eyes following the water, nose following the smell, and his sharp intuition telling him where the trees were. The scent got stronger and he ran faster. Rin, where are you, he cried out deep within his mind. Jumping over a group of bushes, he suddenly found them.
A demon with a humanoid held Rin tightly, an arm wrapped around her waist and arms as he held her to his chest. She was gagged and at her throat was a dagger. A trickle of blood dribbled down her cheek.
"Don't come any closer," the demon ordered.
Sesshomaru hadn't been planning on doing that, but made it look like he came to an abrupt stop. On the inside he bristled with rage at the sight of the gag and her blood. No, stay calm, he commanded himself and he took a deep breath. Remember what Chichiue taught you.
"Let her go," he said in a calm tone, his face perfectly blank.
"I think not. But don't worry, so long as you do what I say, the human will be fine," the demon replied. His voice had a rasp to it, no doubt from the scar that ran across his throat, and his black hair was pulled into a tight ponytail.
"Who are you?" Sesshomaru asked.
"I'll ask the questions, thank you, but for the record, my name is Keibatsu."
'Punishment,' Sesshomaru processed this quickly. This man was clearly a novice. A veteran assassin would have known better than to give away his name.
"Why are you doing this? What did Rin do to you?" Sesshomaru questioned, interjecting concern into his voice.
"So that's her name, is it? Your companion? You care about this girl. I cared about someone once, but your father killed them, so now I'm here for revenge."
Inwardly, Sesshomaru frowned. This man wasn't with the others. The other assassins attack everyone, but this man was after just him. The man needed Rin as a hostage; it was obvious that Sesshomaru could kill him.
Sesshomaru took a step forward and Keibatsu stepped back. "No you don't. Stay there or I'll kill her." He pushed the dagger against Rin's throat.
"Go ahead," Sesshomaru replied, ignoring Rin's muffled noises. He took a step closer.
"Hey, I told you to stay there. I'll kill her!" the demon said.
"So? She's just a human. I could easily find another. They do breed like rats, after all," Sesshomaru said coolly.
"You bluff."
"Do I?" Sesshomaru asked with false interest as he stepped forward.
"Stay back!" Keibatsu shouted, slicing a thin line across Rin's throat. Sesshomaru allowed his eyes to widen with concern. The demon smiled.
"Oh, not so cocky now, are you?" he said, bringing the blade to Rin's face. "Didn't think I'd do it? If you don't listen I will."
"Don't hurt Rin."
"Then do exactly as I tell you."
"Will you let her go unharmed?"
"Once I get what I want, of course."
Sesshomaru paused, apparently thinking it over.
"Fine," he said, his voiced falsely laced with defeat.
"Alright, now we're getting somewhere. Turn around."
Sesshomaru hesitated.
"Do it, or the human dies,"
Slowly Sesshomaru turned around, leaving himself completely vulnerable.
"Now kneel."
Sesshomaru did. "Now let Rin go," he said.
"As soon as I'm done."
Silence. Sesshomaru listened, forcing himself to take slow deep breaths. He knew Keibatsu was coming closer, every fiber in his being could sense his aura getting closer. Still, he stayed kneeling, quiet, concentrating…
Snap.
Before Keibatsu had time to react, Sesshomaru spun around, drawing Tokijin at the same time. Keibatsu screamed as the sword connect with his knees, and went right through. He fell backwards, dropping the dagger and Rin. Seeing this, Sesshomaru grabbed Rin by the back of her kimono and threw her behind him, away from the assassin. Standing up, Sesshomaru stood over Keibatsu.
"How? How did you…? I- I-"
"Have shamed me so badly it's unbelievable," Sesshomaru coldly finished the sentence as he drove Tokijin deep into the man's heart. Letting go of the hilt, Sesshomaru turned to Rin. Dropped to one knee, he quickly untied her. Aside from a slight redness caused by the ropes, her only injuries were a cut on her cheek, the thankfully shallow one on her throat, and a scrap on her arm from where she had landed.
Sesshomaru resisted a deep urge to pull the child close and instead apologized for taking so long to find her.
"It's okay, Lord Sesshomaru, I knew you would come for me," Rin smiled sweetly. She reached up and touched him gently on the cheek.
Warmth surged through his body, momentarily paralyzing him; the skin-to-skin contact as comforting as it was stunning.
Then it was gone as Rin moved her hand to rest on his armor. Sesshomaru looked down and was dully surprised to see a kunai knife embedded there just below where his heart would be.
'A crippling blow,' he thought as he tugged it out, 'if it had struck its mark.' He looked at it for a second, then handed it to Rin.
"Take this Rin, carry it with you always. If anyone tries to hurt you, use it," the demon lord said, tucking it into her obi. "Come, we must get back to the others." He turned around so his back was facing Rin. He pulled his sword out of Keibatsu's lifeless body. He wiped it off, tucked it into to his obi, and then crouched down. 'I can't believe I'm doing this, but…'
"Rin, climb on and wrap your arms around me. Be careful of my armor. Hold on tightly, because I won't be able to hold you," Sesshomaru instructed.
Rin did as she was told, and Sesshomaru carried the child back to the others.
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Next chapter forth coming...
Footnotes
1) Directional taboos, or kataimi, were extremely important in Sesshomaru's time. It was considered so bad to travel in a 'closed' direction that people could get stuck somewhere because they refused to invoke taboo. Directional taboos are spilt into three groups:
permanently unlucky during specific periods in one's life (say, teenage years),
temporally unlucky based on the position of move divinities, and the permanently
universally unlucky north-east.
2) Taboos were believed to be contagious in the sense that, if you were to stand within an arm's reach of someone suffering from a taboo, you could 'catch' it. A common remedy to this was for the infected person to stay home, and they would attach a willow-wood tag which read 'monoimi', or 'taboo', to the shutters. If they had to go out, they would attach a slip of rice paper bearing the same words to their clothing, warning people not to come too close for fear of spreading the taboo. Sesshomaru's appearance gave no hint of the taboo, and Suetsumuhana was worried about getting to close, so she stepped back (stupidly insulting to do that the way she did, surprised Sesshomaru didn't kill her...)
3&4) Names of pavilions in the Inner Palace
5) 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
6) 1 a.m. to 3 a.m.
7) Togu was the title given to the son a lord chose to be Heir Apparent, which meant nothing short of death would prevent the selected son from taking the throne after the lord's passing (in theory, of course).
8) 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. (Noticing the pattern here?)