I'm so touched with all the reviews I got for the last chapter so thank you so much to my fans! I hope this next chapter gets the same good results so here we go with chapter 4 of Tomorrow and Then!
We'll be resuming from that exact moment where we left off with Inuyasha and Jaken.
Inuyasha sniffed. "Hey, it's not my problem. Just tell him and be done with it I guess."
"It is so your fault!" sniffed Jaken. "If you had stopped Rin from leaving, then I wouldn't have to go through this!"
TWACK!
Inuyasha once again punched Jaken in the head, irritated firstly at being woken up and then blamed for Rin's leaving the village.
"Hey, it's not my fault she left!" Inuyasha snapped. "It's not like I told her to go!"
Jaken wasn't even paying attention. "Oh Lord Sesshomaru...forgive me!" He then hopped onto A-Un and together the trio headed back towards Sesshomaru's western domains.
Inuyasha in the meantime decided to go back to sleep, thinking it was best if the others didn't know about Jaken's sudden appearance.
Rin slowed her walk and finally sat down, leaning against a tree. It was still nighttime but just an hour away from dawn and she had been walking the whole night to get away from the village, but now she was at her limit. The young priestess in training collapsed down and dropped her arrow. Rin took a few deep breaths and tried to convince herself to go forward, but it was no use since she was so tired.
Oh, maybe I'll just sleep here for the remainder of the night and take off again in the morning, she thought. She began to close her eyes when suddenly she heard a twig snap from nearly.
Instinctively, she quickly grabbed her bow and got ready to take an arrow but she couldn't get up yet. Her strength to walk had been worn out and all she could do was stay and defend herself rather than run. All she hoped was that it wasn't bandits because she didn't want to hurt humans and shooting arrows was her only option.
It was humans, however they weren't bandits. It was actually a lone villager and his son who were travelling the territory.
"Father look, it's a young priestess!" the boy exclaimed. He was merely a child of a young age and by the looks of it, his father was also quite young.
"Excuse us priestess, but do you know a way to the nearest village?"
Rin shook her head. Since it was almost daybreak and she'd left at sunset the previous day, she assumed that her village couldn't be too nearby. "I'm quite lost myself," she admitted. "My name's Rin."
"Pleased to know you," the man said, sitting down across from Rin and his son did the same. "My name is Oozora and this is my son, Hiroaki. We're both travelling from the lands of the west."
Rin's ears perked up. "The lands of the west? Ah, then surely you must have heard of Lord Sesshomaru, the Lord of the West?" she asked excitedly.
"Sesshomaru?" Oozora cocked his head. "Never heard that name before, our lord is Lord Shinzen. But if you speak of the lord of the demon world there, then yes, maybe it's the same fella."
"Have you ever seen him before?" Rin asked.
"No, can't say I have. Our village was plenty small and just at the border of the Western lands. We're often left alone from any dangers, demons included. We're all there protected by our shrine god who were offer prayers to daily. Sorry we can't help you there, priestess."
"Oh, I'm not a priestess yet," Rin blushed, assuming they were making reference to her clothes. "But I am training to be. I'm headed to a temple to train right now as a matter of fact."
"Ah, is that so! Well, we passed a temple some time ago just over yonder hills as soon as you cross this forest," Oozora said, pointing out the directions.
Rin smiled. "Thank you sir, I'm much obliged." But as she tried to stand, she involuntarily fell and Oozora and Hiroaki helped to pick her up.
"Priestess, you mustn't yet move. You seem quite tired," observed Oozora. "Come, let us take you to the nearest village which we believe to be just a few minutes walk from here. Please try to move as much as you are able."
Rin nodded, and keeping one hand over Oozora's back to steady herself, she along with the two new travelers she had met, made their way over to a nearby village.
Sesshomaru checked his newest reports of the mines, as well as a chart showing their successes so far and a sample of the mineral which he'd sent down to his armory to see what it was good for. He was just about to finish reading the report and start on examining the chart, when Jaken hurriedly landed A-Un right on the balcony.
"Jaken!" snapped Sesshomaru. "How many times do I have to tell you to land A-Un someplace else?!"
"B-but, milord this is important!" Jaken huffed. He'd made A-Un fly faster during the last part for fear of upsetting Sesshomaru by taking so long, and the poor imp had been struggling to hold on tight and not fall as A-Un sped up.
"What is it?" Sesshomaru asked, quite forgetting why he sent Jaken away in the first place.
"M-milord, I went to Rin's village as you requested," began Jaken, already fearing what would happen as soon as he gave the lord his news.
"And?" Sesshomaru questioned.
Jaken gulped. "I tried to deliver the message as you bid me do milord, but it appears that young Rin...n-n-no longer lives there!"
Sesshomaru's eyes widened but she stayed cold and still. Rin's not there anymore? he thought.
"Why?" he asked, in a calm voice that scared Jaken more than if Sesshomaru had yelled at him.
"I-Inuyasha told me that she was going off to train to be a priestess," Jaken said. "And indeed, I saw no sight of Rin throughout the whole village!"
She's gone to train? Sesshomaru thought. To be a priestess? I shall have to clear all things at this point.
"Jaken!" he ordered. "Find her."
"Y-yes my lord!" Jaken replied scampering back. "But er, what shall I say once I do find her?"
Sesshomaru thought a moment and then reached into his kimono and pulled out a packet wrapped in silk. "Give her this," he ordered, tossing it to Jaken who almost fell off of A-Un while catching it.
"A-ay milord."
And then they were off and Sesshomaru was left alone to ponder over his thoughts.
Ooh, so Rin's met someone new, eh? I know I didn't get much into the description of Oozora, but I promise that I'll get to it in the next chapter!
Also, what's in that parcel that Sesshomaru gave to Jaken to deliver to Rin? I'll give you a hint that it was meant to be her birthday present. And also, what are Sesshomaru's thoughts on all of this?
Well, that all depends on you! Like in my other story Lady Missy (for those of you who've read it), I'm going to leave the choice to you.
If I get at least 3 reviews telling me to incorporate Sesshomaru's personal feelings into the next chapter, then I will. But if not, I'll just go ahead with the story as planned. Doesn't it feel good to know that you guys are influencing this story a bit?
Well, that's all for this chapter only please review, favourite and follow! Thanks guys!