Oh my! Look who got off her lazy arse and posted the next chapter... To be honest, another fanfic (which I hope to post sometime in the future) had me fairly well distracted from this one, but I finished it, so A.L. once again has my full attention. I have part of the next chapter written, so I'm hoping it won't be so long before the next update.
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His headache hadn't subsided by nightfall. Sitting on a rock in the favorite childhood garden, Sesshomaru had finally found the few minutes of quiet solitude he needed. The day had been exhausting. He told himself that things would calm down soon and he desperately hoped he was right; he wasn't sure how long he could keep up this pace. At the very least he supposed he would get used to it. He stared at the pond's waterfall, lost in his solitary thoughts.
He was drawn away from them when his mind informed him that he had picked up Hoshikuzu's scent. His ears perked at the crunch of pebbles underfoot and the rustle of silk. Feeling slightly bothered by the interruption, he continued watching the water, planning to ignore the onmyoji as long possible. Not what he should do, but Sesshomaru didn't want to be disturbed at the moment.
"My lord."
Sesshomaru stifled a sigh and cast a glance backwards.
Hoshikuzu rose from his bow. "The rumor mills are going to wear themselves out if they keep up the pace they're at," he said pleasantly.
"Oh?" Sesshomaru locked eyes with Hoshikuzu for the briefest of seconds before flicking his gaze towards the smaller boulder near him. Hoshikuzu sat there, facing his lord.
"According to rumors, you tried to seduce Prince Inuyasha's wife, laid with your own, and went after your human consort." Hoshikuzu grinned. "You certainly get around, my lord."
Sesshomaru frowned deeply, glaring at the rippling surface of water. "Nothing but rumors, I assure you," he grumbled. Slept with Rin, ha. Even if he wanted to do that, (which he didn't, he told himself firmly,) he hadn't even seen her since yesterday. His glare softened at that thought as sadness brushed him.
"Ah, to be young again. I used to mope at your age too."
It was Hoshikuzu's turn to be glared at.
"I'm not moping."
The onmyoji merely smiled.
"The stars are beautiful tonight," he said after a few minutes of silence.
Sesshomaru obligingly cast his eyes upward. They were beautiful, he decided. He would see Rin tomorrow, he ordered himself. Just to see how she was doing, of course, and to tell her about the studies. The unease at letting Ochiba teach her swelled and died away. It was already done, no point to worry about it now.
Suddenly he was aware that Hoshikuzu was watching him.
"Go-enryo naku (1)," Sesshomaru commanded.
For a moment surprise lit up the onmyoji's face. Then he spoke.
"Your brother isn't married."
"Who knows?" Sesshomaru asked sharply.
"Just I." Sesshomaru relaxed somewhat.
"Would you have them married, my lord?" Hoshikuzu questioned.
"I would, but not now. It's too late for that."
"Dangerous."
"Admitted."
Silence crept in. Sesshomaru felt the crushing weight in his chest that was worry. It had only gotten heavier since he had arrived and he had the feeling that was all it would do. For a moment, he wished he hadn't taken over.
For an even briefer moment, he wished it was over.
Sesshomaru awoke the next morning as early as he had the day before. It was only a few seconds before he remembered: Taro and Jiro would be returning. A sinking feeling grew in his stomach at the very thought, causing him to skip breakfast.
He spent the morning checking that everything was ready for their arrival. This was the first time he had organized a reception; he had a few times when he was younger, but he had help then. This time, there would be no father or mother looking over his shoulder to correct any mistakes.
Everyone had gathered in the Outer Courtyard to welcome back the important demons. No one was in their places yet; not until the sentry had spotted the two would they assemble. Kagome and Inuyasha were watching their children as they discussed their first literature class. From the looks of it, Inuyasha didn't like it.
Sesshomaru lingered in the archway, overlooking the crowd, trying to deny that he was a little nervous. His eyes traveled over the group, not sure of what he was looking for until he saw here. Sending a servant to call her over, Sesshomaru watch as Rin attempted to run up to him, her layered kimono making it difficult.
"Lord Sesshomaru!"
"Rin. How are you?" he asked, placing a hand on her head to curb her enthusiasm.
"Okay," she responded, ducking out from under his hand to look up at him. "This kimono is heavy."
"I know. You can change into something lighter after."
"Who are these people who are coming?" Rin questioned, her tone curious.
"Taro and Jiro. They are very important members of my court," Sesshomaru answered, purposely being vague.
"They are more than that and you know it," said a voice from behind him.
Ochiba stepped up next to her husband, bowing ever so slightly. "Hello, Rin-san," she said pleasantly, flashing a fake smile.
Rin didn't notice. "Good morning, Ochiba-san," she replied happily, bowing deeply.
"Rin, Lady Ochiba has so kindly offered to instruct you in the ways of the Court," Sesshomaru told the child. Worry surged up and drifted back.
"Okay," Rin said, not really understanding.
'With that one statement,' Sesshomaru thought grimly, 'I might have just sent Rin to hell.' He noticed Ochiba's smile; it did nothing to sooth his worry.
A servant hurried over and informed them that Taro and Jiro would be at the palace in a few minutes. Everyone settled down and took their places.
Their presence was announced and Sesshomaru took a deep breath. The gates swung open and two riders, plus their guard, rode in.
Taro and Jiro dismounted and bowed low in front of the royal family, their manners perfect. When they stood, Sesshomaru was grateful that he could remember who had what markings, for the two were almost identical twins. They wore their white hair long as all dog demons did, and their dazzling golden eyes shined with intelligence in the bright mid-morning sunlight. Their outfits, similar to Sesshomaru's, differed only by color, Taro's being dark blue and Jiro's being pale green. The jagged blue strips on their cheeks, markings all males had, were also different: Taro had two on his left cheek and one on his right; Jiro had three on his right and one on his left. The two also still bore the crescent of childhood, a mark that would fade from an inuyokai male when they had completed the Coming-of-Age challenge and ceremony set up by their father. Sesshomaru guiltily thought of his own crescent moon mark; his would never fade. His father had died before he could arrange Sesshomaru's Coming-of-Age challenge.
"Welcome back, Prince Taro, Prince Jiro. It is good to see you, after so many years," Sesshomaru said.
"It is good to see you too, Father," they said in unison.
Inuyasha looked stunned.
"My half-brother, Prince Inuyasha, and his wife, Lady Kagome." Sesshomaru introduced them. "My sons; Taro, my eldest, and Jiro, my second-born." They bowed politely and Inuyasha managed to close his mouth. "My consort, Lady Rin."
The two princes looked to Rin and surprise flit across their features. Their father, take a human as a consort? Their earliest memories of their father were of him glaring at Ningen Hime, or of him speaking of how ridiculous his own father, their grandfather, was for taking Ningen Hime as a consort in the first place. Confused, they glanced at their mother.
Sesshomaru noticed. He too glanced at Ochiba and saw her smile slightly at the two children, as if she was a loving goddess leading lost souls. At once, Sesshomaru realized that his absence in his children's lives had caused them to rely entirely on their mother for guidance. They would hold her word higher than his own. That worried him.
Introductions and greetings were finished; Inuyasha and Kagome went back to their lessons and Rin went off to play somewhere. Sesshomaru and his family went back to his room for tea and a light meal.
In the presence of their parents, the boys relaxed somewhat, although still formal. Somehow, Sesshomaru felt that they would be much more relaxed if he wasn't there. However, the conversation wasn't as awkward as he expected; formality saved all of them from uncomfortable silences as they discussed the princes' training in the fighting art and other subjects, and their trip to the Southern province. It was in situations like this that caused Sesshomaru to love formality; it allowed for no uneasy silences or improper comments, everything was strictly ritualized with respectable responses to others so that people wouldn't be hurt or insulted (in theory, at least.) To step outside the clearly marked boundaries was inexcusable and highly frowned upon.
Yes, formality saved them all from uncomfortable silence until Jiro, the quieter, more reserved of the two, finally spoke up and crossed that boundary.
"Forgive me if this is out of line Father, but… How did you lose your arm?"
Sesshomaru prayed his face hadn't betrayed the embarrassment he felt burn inside him.
"Indeed, I have been wondering the same thing," Ochiba said silkily. "Please, tell us."
Sesshomaru felt hatred towards Ochiba; she knew damn well how. Meeting first Jiro's eyes, then Taro's, he decided he'd rather tell them himself than have Ochiba do it later.
Lowering his gaze, he spoke. "Inuyasha managed to unleash Tetsusaiga's power. He took my left arm."
While Sesshomaru's eyes were fixed on the tea cup, Ochiba smirked. Her second triumph.
Sesshomaru spent the rest of the day wading through tax laws with assistants from the Bureau of Treasury, revoking, rewriting, and generally trying to make sense of it. By sunset he was sick of it. Recalling his promise to see Rin, he headed to her room, wondering how lonely she was.
Naturally, he was surprised to find that she wasn't alone at all.
"Good evening, my lord," Hoshikuzu greeted from his seat on the floor.
Sesshomaru glared. "Why are you here?" he growled. The tax system left him in a bad mood; he was hoping for a relatively quiet time with Rin.
"I got lost trying to get back to my room after the lesson with Ochiba-san. Hoshikuzu-san showed me the way back," Rin said. "He's really nice; he told me about lots of stuff."
"Did he now?" Sesshomaru muttered, giving the onmyoji a sideways glance as he knelt down on the tatami near them.
"Yeah," Rin continued, happy that Sesshomaru was interested. "He told me about how, when you were little, you used to play tricks on Ochiba-san with her brother, like leaving stuff on the floors for her kimono to trail through."
"I see…" Sesshomaru grumbled, shooting Hoshikuzu a sharp look. Hoping to change the subject, he continued. "How were your lessons with Lady Ochiba?"
"Kinda hard. There's a lot to remember," she said solemnly.
"I'm sure you'll do just fine," Hoshikuzu said encouragingly. "Lord Sesshomaru used to forget Court etiquette from time to time too. I remember one time-"
"That's quite enough, Hoshikuzu-san," Sesshomaru said quickly. No need for Rin to hear about any of that.
The older demon smiled. "Well, I have star charts to consult, so if you would excuse me, Lord Sesshomaru, Lady Rin." He bowed himself out, leaving Rin to question her lord.
"Sesshomaru-sama, did you really dump ink in Ochiba-san's hair when she called you a half-wit?"
Sesshomaru looked at the ceiling. 'I'll get you for this,' he promised the onmyoji silently.
"That is no concern of yours. So what sort of things has Ochiba taught you so far?"
"She taught me how to bow right." She jumped up and demonstrated, head bowed, hands palm against her legs. "Is it good?" Sesshomaru nodded and Rin sat back down, satisfied.
"What else?"
"She showed me a couple 'dining manners', but I didn't have much time to practices those yet… Oh! She also told me what her duties were as your wife, and what my duties were as your consort."
Sesshomaru suppressed a scowl. Ochiba probably made it very clear to Rin that her social standing was so much higher than the girl's. Wait, duties? No, Ochiba wouldn't have…
"Sesshomaru-sama, how exactly does a person 'pleasure' someone? Ochiba says that's what consorts do, but I'm not sure how."
The demon lord decided that the next time he spoke with Ochiba, he would be very, very clear about what she was to teach Rin, and what she was not to teach Rin.
"She also said she would teach me how to play the shamisen. She said you used to play the shamisen together with her sometimes," Rin said, looking to her lord for a confirmation.
"I did, but that was a long time ago," Sesshomaru said, a somber note slipping into his voice for the briefest of moments. Ochiba was brilliant with a shamisen, second only to Sesshomaru if one excluded the professional court musicians. But a person needed both hands to play, so Sesshomaru hadn't touched a shamisen in many years. He would admit that he missed it somewhat. Those nights when he would play against Ochiba, competing with her, were really the only times they didn't feel the resentment hover in the air between them.
Sesshomaru was jolted out of his memory as Rin, who he hadn't noticed moving, wrapped her arms around him.
"It's alright; I'll learn to play beautifully for the both of us," she whispered in his ear.
Sesshomaru was taken back. Rin was never this bold, or this… mature sounding. Not quite sure of what to do, he gently pushed Rin back and the girl reluctantly let go, resuming her seat across from him. She smiled, innocent and carefree once more, and Sesshomaru had to wonder if he only imagined her moment of maturity.
"Well Rin, I need to go. Get a good night's rest; learning the shamisen can be difficult," he said, rising to leave.
Rin smiled as her lord left, but once he was out of the room, her smile slipped to the floor and shattered.
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1)Go-enryo naku: It basically means 'Don't hold back', i.e.'Tell mewhat you'dlike to say,but wouldn't usually because youfeel that it would be rude/out-of-place/disrespectful beacuase I have a highersocial position then you.'
And cookies to Chedder, who got it right on the bloody dot! (With Taro and Jiro, whose names mean 'first son' and 'second son'.)Did I make it too easy? ;
