AN: This was originaly planned to be my last chapter, but this isn't the first time my hopefully last chapter became to long that I had to split it in two. O well that means that I am that much closer to the next and final chapter. Of course that doesn't mean that more Sess/Rin won't be on the way after. I have many more stories planned for these two but right now I need to make sure this one is complete. Please R&R
Disclaimer: I own none of the Inuyasha characters.
Inuyasha settled himself ontop of Kirara, the cat demon keeping both him and Kohkau from falling to their deaths. The half demon had his eyes glued to the pair floating down below.
"He really is alive...," Inuyasha thought to himself; the sight of his elder brother took off the extra weight he felt on his shoulders when he thought that Sesshomaru was dead. He had never before been so happy to see the bastard.
"And just where have you been all this time!" he barked down below to Sesshomaru. "You sure have a funny way of getting back here safe, do you realise how worried we...you made Rin!" Inuyasha almost cursed at his stumble of words. As happy as he was, if Sesshomaru ever found out his little brother was worried about him the jerk would never let the poor half demon live it down. And why in the world did he smell like salt water? What exactly had he been through?
"Hey, are you even listening!"
"Sesshomaru, Rin! You both ok?" Kagome shouted from ontop of the cliff.
Apparently no answers were given for it seemed like Sesshomaru and Rin were still stuck in their own little world at the moment. Their eyes still glued to the others as if neither one was really sure if the other was truely there or not. Rin still had her hands on Sesshomaru's cheeks, and the way her fingers brushed over each magenta mark only reminded them both of the day he left to war.
He would of hissed at any other touch, but once he accepted it really was Rin in his arms he allowed it. His marking were sensitive, and Rin's soft touch was soothing in its own way.
Her hands may of grown in size, but they were still as soft as he remembered. It wasn't just the growth in her hands that surprised him though. Her face, her hair, espacially her legs...her whole body had grown. Her womanly curves and chest area was unable to go unnoticed. How could he not notice it was a better way to put it, but he refused to look like a perverted fool and stare.
Her scent was the only thing that lef him to her. If he had followed by just her looks he would of hesitated too many times. This was not the little girl he left behind...
It was only 5 years since he left her, and Sesshomaru found it extremely interesting on how much her size changed in that short amout of time. To him 5 years was nothing at all, his hair hardley even grew an inch during that time period so why would anything else of his appearence changed.
Rin was human though...and it wasn't as if he ever held any amount of interest to any other human before her to examine their ageing process. He knew she would grow soon,...but not this soon. Only thing he did know about the time period of humans was that they aged by far faster than demons ever did, and now he was given a slight example of just how fast.
His expression of shock left his face not long after it was made, and now he simply gave the woman in his arms a serious yet somewhat curious look. The thoughts in Rin's head though were on different subjects.
"It really is him..." Rin thought as her fingers caressed his soft warm cheeks. All the previous events left her body trembling in fear, and made her hands feel like they were made of ice. Yet now...now that she was in the arms of the one she had longed to see after 5 longs years, and the fear in her heart melted away and was replaced with a feeling she was unable to put her finger on. A feeling between the most bliss of happiness and the most comforting relief.
The way he looked...the moon shining above him giving his whole body that angel like glow. He looked just as he did the day he left her in the village; to this day he still looked so mysteriously beautiful. His face looked exactly the same, his whole appearance and color was just as she remembered.
Even though the color of the sun from his eyes mixed with his moon light pale skin shouldn't compliment too well when it came to the category of color...how in the world was all of it able to create such a perfect looking creature. "He's just as I remember." Rin thought.
The warm feel of his face warmed up her icy hands, and she couldn't help but run the pads of her fingers over the silk magenta ribbons adorning his smooth creamy cheeks. The way he looked at her, it almost seemed like apart of him was confused. Like as if he saved the wrong person, but then again the other part looked like he was more shocked than confused.
It suddenly hit Rin that while his appearance had not changed at all...her's had a great deal!
The moment she realised that her whole world was suddenly brought back to reality that she was floating with him in mid air. She released his cheeks and held on tightly to his armor the moment she looked down to the endless fall.
The very same fall that the she would of died from if it hadn't been for the demon holding her now. Rin thought for a second on how exactly the ogre was able to bring her down with him, and once the reason struck her memory her hand quickly went to her neck.
She let out the intake of breath she didn't even know she held once she felt her Lord's white kimono still around her, and her breathing went back to normal when she felt the tenseiga laying in her lap. She quickly grabbed onto the sword and despite the close contact they had she presented it to him.
Sesshomaru looked to the sword, then to her. "I-I'm sure you would like this back." she told him with a smile. "I hope my physical appearance doesn't displease him." she thought for she knew there was no way to undo it.
Rin felt her body move, and she watched as her Lord flew them to the top of the cliff where Kagome stood. Kirara followed and soon after everyone was safetly on the ground with the exception of Rin whom still in Sesshomaru's arms, and still held on tight to his armor.
She really wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around his neck, but it wasn't the first time she had to get ride of such an urge. She simply held on tight to his armor; she was always unconcious when he held her in his arms as a little girl. Now she was awake and fully aware at what was happening, and she wasn't about to let go just yet.
She did however wonder what caused him not to put her down on her feet, but when she moved her ankle some she realised the reason. Her ankle was badly bruised, but it was no surprise since her foot crashed through old broken boards. She would simply have to bandage it later, and she felt a flutter in her stomach knowing that he held her to keep her from feeling any pain if she stood.
Sesshomaru looked to her injured ankle, the purple stain starting to show, he then looked to his lost sword.
"So this is where you got to." he thought as he took it from her lap. Rin saw his hand take the tenseiga and slip the sword next to bakuseiga at his hip.
The sword of heaven, and the sword of destruction were finally together again. And they were both his to wield and his alone.
After he looked to his two swords his eyes went to the white piece of material around her neck. Rin knew what he meant and took off his torn kimono from her neck. It looked absolutely terribly, and she would be lucky if he ever found her worthy to recieve any other gifts from him ever again.
"And there is still the rest of his gifts that got burned in the fire...How can I ever make him forgive me?" she wondered as she then presetned him his tattered kimono.
"I didn't mean for it to happen...I'm so sor..."
Sesshomaru suddenly took hold of the torn wardrobe and inspected it for a mere moment. He used his left hand to inspect his previous now torn kimono, and his right hand he used to hold Rin . His arms were longer than any usual man's so it only made sence that he could hold her with just one arm.
After that simple moment he simply gave it back to her and then brought his arm to ressume its position under her knees. Rin wasn't entirely sure if he was mad or not. If he was mad he wouldn't hold such a calm look, right? Her thoughts concluded that even if he was mad his facial expression wouldn't of changed in the least,...but he did put his arm back under her legs so...
"That must mean that everything is alright." Rin concluded as she smiled knowing he wasn't mad at her.
She looked to the torn peice of white material. It was no longer that white kimono she would cuddle up to at night. It didn't even hold his scent anymore; all it held was the smell of burned wood and ashes, and if she were to ever cuddle with it now it would certainly not remind her of her Lord.
But...that didn't matter anymore. The source of that wonderful smell was right in front of her. The only reason she ever cuddled up to his kimono at night was becasue it allowed her to think that he was closer than he really was.
Well now... he really was here, and Rin found no use for the silk she held in her hands...not when the true source of all her affection was holding her right at that moment.
Rin felt her Lord start to move torward Inuyasha and the others, and while he walked Rin dropped the dirty white silk in her hands. The kimono fell to the ground, and her hands instead went to the white material showing at the base of his collarbone. The area where his kimono folded is where her hands clutched, and his warm body heat warmed her shivering one.
"He's returned." she thought. And she wanted never to let go, ever.
Sesshomaru carried Rin over to Kohaku who was now standing with little Kirara at his feet. Sesshomaru went to the young man seeing how he was no longer a boy anymore. Sesshomaru didn't hold too much concern for him though, and he gave Rin over to the slayer by placing her in Kohaku's arms.
Kohaku was surprised by his action, but not as surprised as Rin was. "Lord Sesshomaru?" she said as she looked back to him. She tried her best not to sound like some desperate child, but she wanted to be closer to him at the moment.
"Wait in the village." Sesshomaru told her, and it was the first time he spoke since he whispered her name not long after saving her. Rin saw the look in his eyes, that soft look she remembered so well. She fought with all her might not to just simple jump back into his arms, and instead she only nodded her head in understanding.
Sesshomaru let the woman in his arms go, despite the small amount of protest in the back of his head. He still had business to take care of. Rin was safe at the moment, and after seeing just how close to death she really was he was content with the decision he made in going after her instead of Chinatsu.
It didn't leave him too frusterated. After all it wasn't the first time he choose Rin aside from the enemy. The first time Rin was abducted by Naraku Sesshomaru choose to go after her when he could of easily went right after that lowely half demon.
If Rin died becasue of his foolish choice to go after Chinatsu first then... He prefered not to think about it.
Rin watched as her Lord suddenly lifted himself off the ground and began flying in a certain direction. Suddenly it hit to to wonder if he was even going to come back for her. Was he going back to war? Rin was almost about to cry out the question that Inuyasha suddenly asked.
"Hey, where are you going?" he shouted as they all watched Sesshomaru fly higher torward the sky.
"I have some unfinished business." he answered before his body began to dissapear into a white ball of light that began to sour out of sight into the night sky.
Rin looked to the direction he went in. He told her to wait in the village and that is exactly what she was going to do. When will she see him again though? She sighed and forced a smile to form her face. He was alive, and at the moment that is all that mattered.
"Come on, Miroku and Sango are getting worried." Kagome's voice breaking the silence. "Yeah he'll be back anyway." Inuyasha said, his statement easing the heart of the girl in Kohaku's arms.
"You alright Rin?" the slayer asked. Rin nodded in replie, but her eyes never left the bright half moon hanging in the sky.
xxx
Sesshomaru raced through the night sky leaving all the stars to perform their own little light show to his serious gaze. He had traveled a long way, and his pride swelled over his superior keen sense of smell. The distanve between him and Rin was far beyond anything he could of imagined. It even surprised him that he heard her call in the first place. If he had walked or even ran in his smaller form to save her he would of never made it, in fact he would of been days late.
Of course he was much faster in his demon form, and all his senses were brought to their max. Perhaps if he went after the bastard general in his smaller form he of never even heard Rin's call, so he was proud of his animal insitncts kicking in when they did.
It wasn't too much farther now, he could already smell the stentch of salt water...or was that just him. Good thing Rin didn't have a good sense of smell otherwise she would of scunched her nose at the salty scent. His whole body was dry now, but he still reeked of salt water and burned ashed. After all this was over he was going to make those castle servants of his run a bath for him.
The moonlight sent off waves of light reflecting off the ocean's waters, and Sesshomaru took that as his sign that he was close. It was just as he had figured. Chinatsu had escaped along with every trace of his scent, but...who was this other familiar scent he was smelling.
"Why of all people?" he thought to himself as the sight of his own Mother got closer and closer.
Sesshomaru felt the soft sand beneath his black boots, and his eyes gazed deeply into his Mother's as though she didn't even need to tell him what he already knew.
"And just where hav you been?" she asked as she turned her head from the sea. That was the second time that day he had been asked that question and again he didn't answer.
Sesshomaru looked to the woman in front of him, and he could already feel his blood start to heart up over her actions. Why did she do it?
xxx
Why did she let him go?
"Why?" thought Chinatsu. The demon general sored over the great waters in his true form; the events that passed still buzzed through his mind. She wanted answers, and he in turn told her everything he knew. It wasn't as though he knew the whole reason behind his actions, it was his Lord's intentions after all.
She asked why he wanted what he wanted, and he simply told her he acted on his Lord's orders.
She asked what the Northern Lord's intentions were, and he than simply told her that his Lord's intentions were not of his knowing.
She than aasked a very peculiar question that even Chinatsu found strange that he couldn't answer. What was the name of the Northern Lord?
He honestly never heard his own Lord's name...He was sure his Lord had a name, but it was never mentioned to him. He was always just refered to as Northern Lord. Was there a reason behind that, or was he just that mysterious? He never remembered hearing of the Dog General's name either, or the the Great Ladys for that was just what they were always refered to as. It may as well be a surprise that he even knew Sesshomaru's name.
He remembered the way the Lady looked to him, it was as though he just failed a written exam and she looked to him like he was filled with stupidity.
"Leave my sight." he remembered her saying. To just simply leave...without a fight...why? If it were Sesshomaru Chinatsu had a feeling he would of met him watery grave, but it was not Sesshomaru that followed him. Why did she let him go, what were her intentions?
"It matters not," he said as he thought about the Meidou Stone he was able to get away with. Now that he had it he will finally get to know why his Lord had wanted it so bad. Although...he still couldn't help but feel that his previous time spent with the royal dog family was far from over.
And somewhere far behind the general soured a sharp eyed demon carrying out his orders to follow the Ram demon.
xxx
The water was surprisingly hot, and that pleased him so it meant that no castle servant would have to face the wrath of the Dog Lord that late night.
Sesshomaru stood waist deep in the hot mineral water, his body completely stripped and the moonlight caused the water to glisten against his pale perfect skin. His silk textured hair cascaded down his back, and the ends floating along the water gave off the look as if a stream of silver had just been added to the clear liquid.
His eyes gazed at his reflection, his clear face shown perfectly in the water until ripples formed from the tiny drops of water falling for his bangs. The cool night air breezing through some of the loose strands of his silver white locks gave off a supernatural look to his already glowing unique body.
He could of just bathed in his own private bath house, yet the night was cool and even as a child he always prefered the outdoor bath house.
His family's castle grounds were much larger than they appeared, and far beyond the main building structures was a well sized bath house. The option was to either have an indoor bath or an outdoor, and of course the well sculptured piece of perfection choose the outdoors. It was rather large for just him to accomidate, and it's appearance looked similar to that of a normal hot spring.
The servants had decorated the ground with lush greenery around the large pool, and the rock boulders surrounding the water gave off the natural forest look. If it wasn't for the obvious large bath house just behind him anyone would of thought that they really had found the paradise of hot springs.
Sesshomaru ran his hands through the strands of his hair making sure every tangle was out, but not as if there were many tangles to deal with in the first place. The servants had offered their assistance, but he had always enjoyed bathing alone. The water was hot, the night was cool, and he wanted nothing more than peace and quiet at the moment.
He already bathed his body whipping away every trace of salt of buned ash from his skin. He had already washed his hair...a countless amount of times thanks to it's length, and once he was satisfied with the texture, sight, and scent of it he ceased his hands from touching it any longer.
He was not a helpless child, he hated being assisted almost as much as being told what to do. The servants should of learned by now never to offer their assistance when it came to bathing his body, but they wouldn't be very good servants if they didn't.
The male servants guarded the castle, but the females were the ones that handles most of everything else. "Low life demons" is what he refered to them all as. He also knew of the desires the female servants always had in him, and even some of the male servants as well. As a younger boy their attracton for the Western Prince was questionable, but as he grew older it was undeniable.
The offers the female servants made when it came to assisting or accompanying him through the night in his bed chambers...denied.
The offers the male servants made when it came to assisting or accompanying him through out the night in his bed chambers...completely denied! Plus the loss of a few male servants the next day.
He had to learn to keep those sexual desires under control, and thanks to his "I'm superior to everyone" attitude he found it in himself to reject many of the offers made by wenches, concubines, even some high class female demons whom were always willing to give their body to one such as he.
He had a theory that perhaps sexual desires do not effect those that are able to obtain it so easily. Of course that is what he simply concluded.
"That servant of yours is getting rather annoying," suddenly came the voice of his Mother as she opened the door leading to the outdoor bathing pool. "He does nothing but rant about where you are, and how he wants to be by yours side and other nonsence along side that."
Her feet touched the tile floors and she looked to her son who gave her his look of annoyance. "You mind?" he asked as he turned his body away from her.
"It is not like I haven't seen your naked rump before, besides the servants were to scared to come in and give these to you." she said as she walked over to a low wooden bench and placed down his fresh dry cloths.
"A few proper words of appreciation would be nice considering I could of just let you walk along the castle nude."
"Hmmm," he replied, his usual tactic of simply ignoring her comments returning.
"Your not still upset that I led Chinatsu go are you?" she asked as she stood along the bath pool. "Rest assure I had good intentions for doing what I did." she said.
Sesshomaru highly doubted that, if he were to guess her true intentions he would say that she wanted to create what she lacked in her life. And that was entertainment.
"Talon is already following him, you know as well as I that his sight is far more better than ours. He is a hawk demon after all." she said refering to her personal demon hawk messenger. Sesshomaru knew who she was talking about, but he still didn't like the fact that she made him go when Chinatsu was his prey to deal with.
"Trust me we have not seen the last of him, and if anyone is to blame you were the one who left during the chase. And you don't honestly believe your poor Mother could of taken that demon on alone do you?"
He knew she could of put up a fight at the least until he arrived, which meant there were other reasons as to why she let the general go. Knowing her he knew she wasn't going to simply tell him, so he would just have to wait and see what happens.
"No matter what," he thought,"he along with that Northern Lord will die by my hands, and mine alone."
"Where did you run off to anyway?" she then asked as he prepared to leave the pool.
Her question brought his mind back to Rin. The girl...well...more like woman now was probably waiting for him in the village. He still found it hard to believe how much she grew since he last left, and now he was curious to see how much of her attitude and personality had changed.
In some ways he didn't want he to change, in another he was curious to see on how much of her had changed for the better over time. He will soon find out though.
"You ever going to answer your Mother?" It suddenly hit her that there was only thing in the world that would make her Son have a change of mind when it came to the process of killing.
"So...," she said amusingly,"how is that little human of yours doing?"
Sesshomaru heard her comment and automatically got up from the pool to quickly leave the annoying curious woman.
Except the moment the rest of his naked glory was exposed the Lady's eyes went into shock and she smilrked as if her Son's well endownment was all her doing. Well with the help of his father it was them after all that created the dripping body of perfection in front of her wasn't it.
"My my surpassed your Father indeed." she said teasingly with a small chuckle. Sesshomaru realised what exactly she meant by that and quickly hid his crimson red face under his damp bangs and grabbed his dry cloths quickly. She kept laughing until she realised that he in all his said naked glory started walking right out of the bath house along the castle gounds.
She couldn't believe it. He really did intend to embarres her!
Sesshomaru walked only a few feet from the bath house, and felt a sense of victory when he heard the woman's shout of "PUT ON YOUR CLOTHS!"
He did just that not long after walking out, but still...having that woman so enraged all becasue of his actions only left him feeling like he overall won the score by Mother=1, Sesshomaru=Winner! Of course, he made sure it wouldn't of happened any other way.
AV: Yes I did make it to where Chinatsu escaped, but this story of mine is more about the reunion of Sess/Rin. I already have a story planned out for when Sesshoamru crosses paths with the North again. But that story is for a different time, as for right now all that matters is Sesshomaru and how his view of Rin changes some now that she is older and of Rin's view of her Lord now that her mind has matured. Will their views on each other change for the better? Just got to keep reading to see what I have in store for these two XD.
Any reviews given would be greatly appreciated, I would like to thank everyone that has read and reviewed this story so far I'm glad you all like it and it only urges me on to write more so Thanks! Until next chapter so stay alert!
