Chapter Nine: Storm's End

The dark clouds hovering over the forest finally broke loose. Sheets of rain dropped from them onto the trees. The rising cloud of smoke was replaced by steam, and instead of a fiery roar, a loud hissing filled the eardrums of the onlookers. At Inuyasha's mansion, humans and part-demons alike put down their buckets of water and their swords in relief. Sango and Kagome relaxed and hugged their children, who had all been rescued from the flames.

And in a small, ash-filled clearing near Inuyasha's tree…

Sesshomaru sat in the roots of the tree, with Rin's head in his lap. Her kimono was blackened, and crumbling in some places, and her hair was singed. Her skin was covered with burns, scrapes and bruises. Her face was streaked with blood and soot. Sesshomaru wasn't much better off, himself, but he was healing quickly. Rin, on the other hand…

He felt her wrist, and a pulse thumped beneath his fingers—faint, but definitely present. Relief warmed him, thawing his anxiety a little. She would live. Even if she did die, he reminded himself, he could bring her back…

Unbidden, a memory from seven years ago appeared.

Rin lay on the ground, dead. Sesshomaru drew Tenseiga, prepared to bring her back—but no messengers from the Underworld were visible for him to destroy. Panic slowly filled Sesshomaru, as he realized he would never again see Rin alive…

But he had managed to bring her back. It had taken a good deal of effort, but she was alive now. The scenario only remained in his nightmares. But what if it happened again, now? What if this time he really would never see her again?

He had to believe he would. It was all that kept him from sinking into despair.

Sesshomaru tugged his fluff off his shoulder. He had gone into Rin's room that morning and found it, almost exactly where he had laid it the night before. Rin was the only person besides him who had ever touched the fluff, and it had always managed to comfort her. Now, for his comfort almost as much as hers, he wrapped it around her form and waited.

Did I pass out? Rin wondered. It seemed that only a few seconds had passed since she had closed her eyes—but this always happened when she fainted. Between the villagers beating her when she was small, the regular hazards of living with Sesshomaru, and dying twice (death, she reasoned, is mostly an extended faint), Rin had experience with being unconscious.

She stopped the rambling trail of thought, and opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Sesshomaru's face. His features were as impassive as ever, but his eyes were worried. It had been years since he had looked at her like that, she reflected. In an instant, the expression was gone, and his face was its usual emotionless mask.

"Rin," he said. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said, surprised at how croaky her voice was. "Really, I am…"

She struggled to sit up, then to stand, leaning heavily on the tree. She blinked away the red spots that had reappeared as she moved, and met Sesshomaru's gaze. Her heart sank; his eyes were fierce and determined.

"What made you go into the forest?" he demanded.

Rin gulped. Her explanation would not go down well at all, but she didn't have a choice. No one lied to Sesshomaru.

"I had to make sure you were all right," she said steadily. "I couldn't go back to the house and leave you out here, knowing you might die."

He looked at her. "You believe this Sesshomaru is not capable of taking care of himself?"

"No! I just wanted to make sure—"

"I would rather have your safety than your concern," he snapped. "Never do that again."

"I—"

"Promise me, Rin."

She met his angry gaze squarely. "I promise," she said. Both of them knew she didn't mean it.

Sesshomaru glared at her. "Perhaps I should leave you here with my half-wit half-breed of a brother," he said, his voice deadly calm. "I am sure he and Kagome would keep you out of trouble."

"No!" cried Rin.

"I must be able to trust you. I cannot keep you with me if you lie to me."

Rin looked at him helplessly, tears springing to her eyes. Swear that she would never again risk her life for Sesshomaru, or be forced to leave him. Watch him die, or never see him again. How was she supposed to choose?

"If you cannot keep your word," Sesshomaru said, "you must stay here."

"I can't just watch you die and not help," Rin burst out. "I just can't!"

Sesshomaru turned away. Let Rin believe it was a motion of rejection, instead of one of self-hatred. He had to do this for her…it was for her own good…and yet…

No. He had to.

"Then stay here," he answered her flatly.

"But I want to be with you!" she screamed at him. "I love you!"

She froze as she realized what she had said.

Sesshomaru had not moved. He stood still, halfway through turning his back on her. Rin couldn't see his facial expression, but she could imagine it.

Oh, no, she thought. Her stomach dropped like a stone, the way it had when Shippo had mentioned that Kohaku loved Kanna, only worse. I never, ever meant to admit that. I never wanted to have my heart broken again. Sesshomaru doesn't love me that way, and he never will. He'll really be mad at me now…

The one phrase that could blow my slim chance away, and I said it.

She couldn't face Sesshomaru now. She didn't want to see the look on his face, didn't want to hear him banish her, didn't want to know that the last time she'd ever see him he would be furious with her. Her tears overflowed, and she felt a sob rising in her throat. Sesshomaru hated people who cried…

Blindly, she turned around and ran.

For the second time in as many minutes, Sesshomaru was in shock. Rin loved him. She had said so. Did this mean she had loved him all along, or had she gotten over whoever had rejected her?

It scarcely mattered. Rin had confessed her love for him.

And he was trying to get rid of her.

Sesshomaru heard the sound of stumbling, retreating footsteps, and turned. Rin was sprinting towards the forest, one hand over her face. It sounded like she was crying.

Without even thinking, Sesshomaru jumped after her. He caught up with her just before she left the clearing. A little awkwardly, but as gently as he knew how, he laid a clawed hand on her shoulder.

"Rin," he said. "Is everything all right?"

Rin turned and looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. "Lord Sesshomaru, I'm so, so, sorry," she sobbed. "I honestly am. Please forgive me, please just forget it happened, I swear I'll never mention it again, just don't make me leave you!"

The sound of Rin groveling like Jaken disturbed Sesshomaru. He had to do something to make her calm down. He leaned towards her…

And kissed her.

Rin stood as still as if she had been petrified. Her own confession of love had been shocking enough. Sesshomaru kissing her was enough to turn her world on its ear…

But the feeling of shock was slowly fading from her mind. Really, I can think about all this later…

For now…

Rin's arms slid around Sesshomaru's neck. She pressed her lips more firmly against his, feeling warmth she had never known before fill her. Sesshomaru wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her even closer to him. Rin closed her eyes, blocking out everything except him. The forest, the scent of smoke, the voice shouting their names—everything faded from existence. Both of them focused on the kiss, sure it would last forever…

Clunk.

Sesshomaru and Rin jerked apart. There, at the foot of Inuyasha's tree, stood the source of the aforementioned shouting. Jaken's jaw had dropped so far, he was in danger of stubbing it on a tree root. The Staff of Heads, which had fallen from Jaken's limp grasp onto his foot, had caused the clunk, but he barely seemed to notice the pain. Of all the shock that had been felt that day, Jaken's was clearly the greatest.

"M-m-m-milord," he managed to stammer. "Y-you—th-the wench—w-w-were you—"

"Jaken," said Sesshomaru, in an almost startlingly normal tone. "Why are you here?"

"I-I was looking for you, milord," Jaken explained. "You were so long in reaching the mansion, I was afraid you'd been killed! Not that a mere thunderstorm could hope to compete with your power, milord, I don't mean to sound disrespectful, I was merely worried for your safety—but don't take that to mean that I thought—"

"I do not appreciate being disturbed," said Sesshomaru icily.

"I'm sorry," squeaked Jaken. "Feel free to go back to doing—whatever you were doing—with that mortal wench. I mean girl. I mean woman. Oh, what DO I mean?!"

Rin threw a rock at him.

"ONLY LORD SESSHOMARU CAN THROW ROCKS AT ME!" screeched Jaken. Then he threw an anxious look at the dog demon. "But I meant no disrespect to the future Lady of the Northern Lands, who I suppose I am no longer allowed to insult?"

"Jaken," said Sesshomaru, "you are giving me a headache. Go away, or I shall have to kill you."

"I'm sorry," said Jaken humbly. "I'll leave you, milord. I mean, milord and milady. Or do I owe allegiance to both of you? Or is Rin really the future Lady of the Western Lands, or was I misinterpret—AIIIEEEEE!"

Sesshomaru eyed Jaken's unconscious form, now flat against Inuyasha's tree and looking like a gooey fungus. "Not a bad throw," he told Rin.

Rin smiled at him, a smile with more meaning than before. "Thanks," she said. "What do we do now?"

"Perhaps we should go back to the mansion," Sesshomaru said. "My half-wit half—"

"I know," Rin interrupted. "He's a half-wit half breed. Shouldn't you two be over your little feud by now?"

Sesshomaru looked at her in significant surprise. "You have not spoken to me in that tone before."

Rin smiled at him. "I didn't used to dare."

Sesshomaru let her take his hand. "And now?"

"Now I know you won't ever make me leave you." She looked up at him. "At least, I hope so," she added, a little more softly.

Sesshomaru looked into her eyes. "You are correct," he said simply.

They walked back to the mansion in companionable silence. Already, birds were returning to the scorched trees, inspecting their former homes. Patches of green were visible in places the fire hadn't reached. A wind was blowing through the woods, clearing the smoke and bringing in fresh air.

It's coming back, Rin reflected. Straight out of death, new life is showing.

Somehow it reminded her of Kohaku. She had been so brokenhearted when she had known he wouldn't love her. But when she compared Kohaku to Sesshomaru…

Rin threw back her head and beamed at the sunlight. Maybe we all need forest fires, she thought. We just have to learn to wait for the spring.

The End! Please R&R!