Chapter nine: Revenge

"Are you sure about it?"

"Yes, my lord. They're moving along the river. They have already robbed three of the eastern villages."

"Did they kill somebody?"

"Eight people..."

Sesshomaru raised from his throne. How far could her village be? Were they moving in that direction? What if...

He left the officer standing there, leaving the palace and taking off immediately when he got outside. He headed toward the river, waiting to catch their scent. His officer described them well. He described the same men Rin did once after having another of her nightmares.

Tall bald one... Red-headed one... Missing eye... A scar across the face...

The same men that killed her family. The same men who had the opportunity to kill her. And if they were to succeed, Rin would be long dead.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as he was flying through the thick evening air. He longed to meet them. He longed to look them in the eyes. He desired to show himself in his worst, being the last thing they would see before their death. His right arm was twitching as it wanted to get hold of Bakusaiga already. Worries were driving him. If they hurt her. If they kill her again...

He could already see the village. To a human eye they would be invisible, but he could spot the dark silhouettes creeping among the houses.

As a white lightning he landed in the middle of the village. His sword didn't miss once. He was slaying them without a hint of mercy. But he made sure to show his face before he plunged the sword into their hearts. He didn't want to just kill them, he wanted them to suffer. And he made sure they did.

That was not only for all the other people they killed. That was for Rin. For the pain they inflicted her, for the scars they left on her heart forever, scars that would never heal.

Soon enough he was the last alive, standing at the fallen bodies of the dead robbers, covered in their blood.

"A monster!" somebody cried out from a window.

"A demon!"

"Hide yourself!"

Suddenly, he froze where he stood. The smell of their blood. The sound of their groaning and crying. The dread and fear when they saw him... He looked down at his hand, clutching his sword.

A monster...

Were the murders really justified? Or the way he killed them in? Weren't they right? A monster... A demon... Somebody capable of making so much pain, of spilling so much blood...

How could he ever show himself in front of her like that? How could he allow a little girl to see him covered in human blood...

The demon lord was so overwhelmed he didn't notice a small figure approaching to him. She caught his arm and he looked down, right into the brown eyes.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she whispered. "Come with me..."

He let himself be taken away from the village. Rin led him into a small pine grove where she stopped, facing him.

"Lord Sesshomaru, what are you doing here?"

He was silent, weighting his words.

"Did you kill all the people?"

Sesshomaru nodded. He couldn't lie to her. He didn't want to.

Rin stared back at him.

"Why?" she asked.

"They were dangerous," he explained. "They were..."

Was is right to tell her? Wouldn't it open the old wounds again?

"Yes...?"

"They were the robbers who murdered your family."

Rin gasped. Her eyes widened. She shifted her glare, noticing the blood stains on his clothes and the bloody sword.

"And they're dead..."

She closed her eyes, tears leaking from them. Sesshomaru started regretting his decision immediately. He shouldn't have showed himself, he should have killed them outside the village, in silence...

"Lord Sesshomaru..." he heard her whisper.

"Yes?"

She gestured him to bow. Suddenly she leaned further, giving him a soft kiss. It was different than her usual kisses. This one was a kiss of gratitude.

"I can't imagine killing someone," she said silently. "Not even them. I could never do it..."

"I know..."

"But I'm glad you did... They were my nightmare. Now it's gone... Now there won't be any more Rins like me robbed of their brothers, mothers and fathers. Thanks to you..."

Rin raised her arm, stroking his forearm gently.

"People may say you're a demon, a monster, but it's not true. They should realize you saved them... But even if they didn't realize, I wouldn't care. For I know the truth..."

With that words, Rin breathed out, holding her arms to him. He let go of his sword, embracing her as well. Nothing in the world could ever mean more to him than such a hug, such a kiss. Proof she didn't fear him. Even after witnessing his rage so many times, again and again... She accepted him, his nature, his heart...

"I've been asking myself so many times, my lord," she whispered into his hair, "why did I live and they did not. Why it was me who survived. And finally I can say I know the answer. So I could meet you. So you could save me... So I could be here, at this moment. It was meant to happen."

Sesshomaru stroked her hair. It wasn't so hard to believe...

My Rin... Who saved who?