What's up? Me, again, with another chapter. First week of classes are over, and everyone knows that's the easiest time of the semester, so I may not be posting everyday like I do now, especially with the classes I'm taking (gag)!!! So, here's the chapter, enjoy!!! This chapter will be presented in italics because it is a memory.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I really, really wish I did, but no, I spent the better part of my teen years writing vampire stories and not coming up with something wicked cool like this. Damn my luck!
Chapter Seven
Western Lands' Remembrance
It had been eight years since she had last seen the Western Lands, over which Lord Sesshomaru ruled. He had taken her there only once, when she was eleven. She had been mystified by this place, of which she had only heard a few things about. Master Jaken had told her that it was beautiful place, with a magnificent manor and a lively village of demons who were under the Lord's protection.
When she had first seen the place, she had thought that this was surely heaven. The courtyard held an array of demons—every color, type, shape, and design. Some held wings, some held scales. She had gasped at the beauty of it all. The manor itself was white trimmed and slate gray, and held well to the climate. The sun had glinted off of the walls surrounding the manor, wall of protections, and all she could think of was that she never wanted to leave this place.
She had been riding Ah-Un, and all she could see was Lord Sesshomaru's back, but she had smiled her brightest that day.
The reception at the courtyard was hushed. They had noticed the human girl traveling with Lord Sesshomaru this day. He was known far and wide for his hatred of humans, and this amazed and angered them. They had come here to his domain because they, too, shared a deep hatred of the weaker species.
Soon after arriving, he had called to her to follow him. She had run up to his side and walked with him through the halls. Finally, he had stopped in front of a door.
"This is your room for the duration of our stay." He slid open the door, and she stepped around him to gaze at the room.
She gasped.
The room was adorned in black, with patches of sakura flowers all over. The drapes over the windows held blue flowers and small purple butterflies. The covering of her futon sported deep red patches. In one corner was a fancy screen for changing. At the opposite end was a desk, with learning material scattered on it.
She took a wary step in, looking back up at him. And then another. She felt the sanded wood beneath her feet, and realized with a start that the floor was not cold. Not like the little shack that she had had all to herself in the village.
"Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru," she said, tears in her voice. He looked down at her curiously.
"Do you not like it, Rin?"
"I love it, My Lord. I have never seen such as this."
Of course she hadn't. She had only known the village, and beyond that, life traveling with him. He looked down at her dark head, and thought back. She had been so small when she had found him, but she had grown over the last years. She now reached his waist, and her black hair reached down to her hips. She was already starting to show the signs of blooming womanhood. Her eyes held a certain wisdom, a certain knowledge of the world that few her age knew of. She had seen things that many would have dreaded and shied away from. Yet she faced it head on, knowing that he was there to protect her. Knowing that she was the only light in his dark world.
He left her to become accustomed to her new accommodations. She paced the room, taking in every detail. Every nook. Every cranny. She sat on the futon and lay down, trying it out. She stretched out, noting the difference between it and the cold, hard ground that she was otherwise used to. She rather liked it.
Yet it was only because her Lord Sesshomaru was here. He approved of this place, it was his home, and therefore she loved it more than anything.
It was another few hours before afternoon came, and she had nothing to do. She was bored. She could not very well be expected to stay here all day, could she?
She took a cursory step from the room, her eyes roaming the hallway. She walked out, looking everywhere, taking in all of the sights of the palace.
Stepping out into the sunlight, she found the properties to be even more beautiful. The fields were filled with wild-flowers, and the trees where allowed to grow tall and full. Demons filled the village, each doing this or that. Some of the woman carried water from the well, others washed clothing or talked with friends. The men trained, and their skill as fighters was undeniable. Lord Sesshomaru had trained these men to be the best in all of Japan. Some men tilled the fields, and some even tended to the animals.
Rin stood atop the hill watching all of this, feeling strangely at home. The feeling washed over her, and she sighed.
Some of the demon children were playing nearby. She wanted to join them, she wanted to make friends with them.
They were playing over by the trees. They had seen her coming, and had stopped in their revelry. They only looked at her.
"Hi," she said, walking up the oldest boy. He didn't say anything back. "I saw that you were playing, and was wondering if I could join you?"
"Why?" he asked, his blue skin darkened by the sun and his purple eyes turning a deeper shade of violet.
"I just wanted to," she said, looking up at him hopefully. "I don't have any friends . . . ."
"That's because you are a human amongst demons."
"That's what Lord Sesshomaru says," she whispered, her eyes downcast. "Still, could you let me join your game?"
"Sure, we were playing 'Run Away,'" he said, glancing back at the others. They quickly nodded in agreement.
"What's that?" Rin squeaked, excited that she had been accepted.
"Well, one person is the 'run away,' and the others have to chase them down and capture them. It's a demon game. And since you're new, you have to be the 'run away.'"
"All right," she said, and soon the game began. She ran as fast as she could through the forest, while the other demons chased her. There were times when she was so far ahead that she couldn't even hear them behind her.
She leaned back against a tree and waited, giggling. She could hear them now; they were just on the other side of the tree. Jumping out, she laughed, until something skimmed across her cheek.
She gasped, reaching up to touch the blood that trailed down her face. And then something else hit her, again and again. The pain was sharp, and cut through her. She looked down to see what it was.
Rocks. They were throwing rocks at her. But why? What had she done wrong?
She turned to ask why when more bombarded her, and she fell, covering her face with her arms. And she cried. The tears mingled with the dirt on the ground, and she could only look down as the assault continued.
"Come on, guys," one of the younger ones said. "This is boring. Let's go play something else."
"Fine," the oldest said. He sneered down at Rin, who had peaked one eye open slowly. "Demons and humans don't get along. Got it. You don't belong in our world."
Lord Sesshomaru, she thought. Why couldn't she belong in his world? In so many years, why had he not let her go? If they didn't belong together, then why did he not send Rin away?
Pulling herself up, she looked down at her arms, which were cut and bloody. Her legs were the same, and her orange and white kimono was torn. She reached up and found that her hair had mud and leaves in it. She touched her face, knowing that blood and dirt, as well as the mixture of her tears, covered her face.
Never. She would never have treated anyone like this, demon or human. And she would never have let someone else do this to someone. When she had seen these children play, it was not that they were demon or human, but that they were her age, or as close to her age as demons where, since that they aged much slower, and that they were someone that she could be friends with.
Picking herself off of the ground, she moved back until she felt the deep roots of the tree behind her. Propping herself up, she curled into a ball and looked around, realizing that she didn't know the way back to the palace. So, she waited, knowing that Lord Sesshomaru would come for her.
She thought back. She couldn't help it. With all that transpired, she couldn't help but wonder why her Lord hadn't left her. Why he had even brought her here in the first place. She had no illusions that he liked her company. She had no illusions that he loved her. So why?
With a head full of questions, and a heavy heart, she fell asleep.
Her Lord Sesshomaru found her there sometime in the early morning. He hadn't noticed that she was missing until dinner, and even then he had been so busy that he hadn't given a second thought to the missing girl.
Sometime before he was to retire, he had checked her room, to find that the room was empty. None of the servants had seen her. None of the villagers had seen her. Even Jaken, as devoted as he was to the girl, hadn't noticed her absence.
He had caught her scent near the village, and had followed it deep into the forest. He could not fathom why she would head into the forest. Though his lands were vast, if she had mistakenly wandered off of his property, she would no longer be under his law, and would be subject to any number of dangers.
When he found her, she was curled up against a tree. The cold wind reduced her to shivering, and she tucked her small hands closer to her cheek. Cuts and scrapes were raw against the pale moonlight, and he saw a part of himself that he had never thought existed.
Rage. Pure and utter rage that tore through him. Who had done this? They would pay. Why had they done this? They would never have the chance to tell him.
He bent down and plucked her up from the ground. He held her bridal style, and she instinctively moved in closer to his warmth. She whimpered slightly, and then quieted, still asleep.
Turning, he walked back toward the manor. When he neared the palace, he knew that the tenants would be there, waiting for him to get back.
And so they were. All of them were in his courtyard, since they had all been awakened by news of the missing child.
Marginally, he held her closer. They would never dare attack him; yet her, she was just a human to them. When he reached the entrance, he turned again to them.
"She is my ward. Let this be a warning: any who dare to harm her will incur my wrath. Do not cross me, you will regret it."
Then he left them.
They were dumbfounded. Yes, he had always given orders, and dictated law, yet none had ever witnessed a proclamation of such before. This girl was now under his protection, under his care. He could no longer abandon the child. She was his.
"Rin," he said, laying her down on her futon. She moaned at the loss of the warmth. "Rin, wake up."
"Lord Sesshomaru?" she said, her eyes peeking open. "Why, Lord Sesshomaru?"
"Why what?" he asked, kneeling down beside her.
"Why do you keep me? I am human, and can never change, yet you keep me anyway."
"Yes, Rin, you are human," he said. "And I do not keep you. You may leave if you wish."
"I do not wish it," she cried, tears rolling from her eyes. "Yet it will happen anyway. I will grow old and die, and not even your sword can bring me back. Why, then, do you keep me?"
"Rin," he said, his patience thinning. "I do not keep you."
"Will you remember me when I have gone?" she said, crying more. "I asked you once, and you never answered. You evaded the question, like always. Will you remember me when I have gone?"
"Don't be stupid, Rin. It's such a foolish thing." Why was she asking this of him?
"Its not foolish to me!" she screamed, sitting up. "I have no one but you. I have no one who will remember me when I have died. No one will know that Rin existed except for you. Will you remember me?" Her small hand reached up to furiously wipe the tears from her eyes. She hated that she cried. She knew that it was weakness to him. Yet she could not stop the angry droplets that fell from her eyes.
"Why do you ask me this, Rin? What happened to you that you would think this way?"
"Demons and humans don't belong together. Demons will live for hundreds and thousands of years, while humans only have a few short ones. I will only live a short life, and I want to know that you will think of me when I am gone."
He stood and walked away, leaving her to cry to herself. As the door slid shut, she pressed her palms to her eyes.
People, people, I'm seeing lots and lots of hits, but only a few reviews (And to those who did, big hugs from the other side of the computer screen). What is going on with that? The button is right there (insert clever little arrow pointing to the lower left hand corner of the webpage here). Please review, they really do help. I need to know how I'm doing since I am contemplating turning this into a trilogy or a quartet, and I need to know if you are interested in something like that. Okay, I am so in the middle of a 'coffee fueled sermon' (Thank you, Spongebob), so I'll stop rambling and wish you a great weekend!!! 'Til next time, toodles!!!
