Title A Parting of Ways

Author landofthekwt

Rating PG-13

Prompt This isn't about you at all. (un love you #19)

Word Count 5507

Pairing Inuyasha/Rin

Warning None

Summary Inuyasha and Rin leave Kaede's village

The clanging of the bells awakened Rin. At first she was confused. Why was she sleeping in the middle of the afternoon? Gradually she became aware that she was on her own futon in Kaede's hut. No one seemed to be around. She could not remember how she came to be here. She should be out gathering herbs for Kaede. Not lying in bed. What on earth had happened to her?

She tried to stand and discovered how weak she was. Someone had changed her into a sleeping yukata. Slowly, she remembered her fight with Inuyasha. She must have fainted at some point in her tirade. The memory of her attack on the hanyou was unpleasant. All her anger had been spent at that point. She had fainted from pure exhaustion

All of her frustrations about her future marital prospects had boiled over. Kohaku was merely the match that lit the fuse. She had been willing to settle for anyone at this point in her life. Kaede had always been alone. Rin could see the sadness in Kaeede's eyes when they talked about Rin's prospects and her own life. Kaede had given up her own happiness to become a miko She had kept the faith, but there was still an ache there which time could never heal

Rin did not want to end up like Kaede. That thought startled her. She had been with Kaede for eight years now. Longer than she had been with her own mother. Kaede had been a grandmother to her and more. She loved Kaede almost as much as Lord Sesshoumaru, but she wanted a husband and family just as much Kikyou had. Kaede had wanted those things, but they were denied to her when Kikyou died. .

Lord Sesshoumaru was untouchable perfection whereas Kaede was down to earth. Kaede depended upon her more and more as she grew older. Lord Sesshoumaru seemed to need no one least of all if her Lord called she would leave Kaede in a moment even though it would be hard on the elderly woman. That was the nature of things. Eventually Kaede would her Lord would never die. When Rin herself was old Sesshoumaru would still be the same perfect person that he had always been to her.

She had been afraid that they were preparing her to be a replacement for Kaede. Kaede had taught everything that she knew, but she did not want to be Kaede. Being Kaede meant that she would give up her chance to be a wife and a mother in order to care for the welfare of the village

As much as she hated her present position in the village, she hated Kaede's worse. She wondered what had caused Kaede to choose this path for her life. Was it the death of her sister? The feeling that she had to give something back to the village that had taken her in when she had no one else.

Whatever it was, it was not for her. Lord Sesshoumaru may have asked her to stay in the village to prepare her to live with humans, but she could not believe that he intended her to take on Kaede's role in the village. Someday he would come for her and take her away from all this and she would be happy again with her Lord what happened was a good thing. She knew that she could not reside in the village so long as Inuyasha was here. For the time being the mere sight of him made her blood boil. A friend should not intrude on the happiness of another. While she no longer believed that Kohaku was a path to happiness, she should at least have been given the chance to explore that option. While she blamed Kohaku for his cowardice in running away, she thanked him at the same time for the grace to leave so that she did not have to be reminded of him.

.Kaede poked her head in the door and stared at Rin " I did not expect you to be up. A house collapsed on Inuysaha Sesshoumaru is bringing him here for treatment. Are you able to help me?"

Rin hesitated. Her last memory was her beating her fists against Inuyasha's chest. The last person she wanted to see right now was Inuyasha. She shook her head. " I am still feeling light-headed. Are there any supplies you need to treat him? I could go get them."

Kaede looked at her critically for a moment and nodded. "Go get some clean water and to see that we have enough of the healing salves and herbs. I can manage."

Rin bowed. Something she almost never did to Kaede and left. It was clear that while Kaede was allowing her to leave that she was not happy about being left alone to treat Inuyasha. Rin was somewhat comforted by the fact that it was Lord Sesshoumaru that was bringing in Inuyasha. He must have come after she fainted.

She excused herself and went to get water. The dust was still rising over the top of the hill. She stared through the Torii Gate toward the shrine. Emerging from darkness, her Lord appeared as a vision of white carrying a bloody figure in his arms who had to be Inuyasha. Rin hurried to finish her chores not wanting to meet Inuyasha even unconscious.

Sessshoumaru noted her presence, but chose to concentrate on the burden in his arm. His brother had managed to anger so many. In his anger he had lashed out against Kagome, but as usual had only managed to injure himself. He was actually glad that Inuyasha had thrown away the symbol of a protector. Kagome had forced him to bestow it on Inuyasha. Now he would not have to deal with him anymore. It was only Rin that tied him to this quaint village which Inuyasha called home. If she was no longer here, he would no longer have to have contact with his brother.

The miko opened the door covering and pointed to a futon where he should lay the boy. Once this was done, he would free to leave this village. Inuyasha had quarrels with himself., Rin and Kagome. He discounted what Inuyasha had said to him, but Rin and Kagome being human were bound to be upset.

Kagome and Rin arrived about the same. They hesitated for a second not sure what to say under these circumstances. Finally Kagome asked " Are you feeling any better?"

Rin bowed and thanked her. "Grandma Kaede needs the water and herbs to heal Inuyasha. I was bringing them to her. Could you take them to her?"

Sesshoumaru emerged from the hut moments after Kagome entered. His eyes lit upon Rin. "Are you well, Rin?"

"Rin is well." she stammered. He had that effect on her. With him she would always be that ragamuffin waif whom he revived from the dead. She might worship him. Any crumb he might offer her was gold. Any time an eternity. Just so he did not leave her behind. There was always the promise of a return

Sesshoumaru stared down at her " Did he hurt you?"

Rin shook her head " I was angry about the tricks he played on Kohaku. Kohaku deserved better than what Inuyasha did to him. Inuyasha just let me hit him and yell at him. I needed someone to take some frustrations out on someone and he certainly deserved it."

Sesshoumaru pondered her words for a minute. " Can you still live with the hanyou now?"

Rin caught herself. What was he thinking? Dare she hope that he would actually take her with him? It was what she had always wanted. Forever with Lord Sesshoumaru. No longer left behind, but always by his side. She shook her head

"His mere presence would remind me of my lost prospects with Kohaku."

Sesshoumaru hesitated. His plan had always been for her to live among humans. There really was no place for her at the Western Shiro.

" I will talk to Kagome."

Rin nodded " That is all I ask. A chance for a new start."

Sesshoumaru grimaced. He was being manipulated to do something that he did not want to do. If Kagome made the decision, he could later reverse it with no loss of face. No matter what happened Rin would never blame him.

Inside Kaede was stripping Inuyasha with the assistance of Kagome. Both of them had put him back together so many times that they knew his body intimately. He would survive. His head was too hard to be cracked by a few falling logs. The question was what had happened. When they completed their treatment., Kaede turned to Kagome.

"Care to tell me what happened."

Kagome blushed Kaede was calling her out. How could she explain her behavior? Finally she looked at Inuyasha. Would Kaede blame her for his condition? She had always been like a grandmother to Kagome. Had she stepped over some line?

" I went to scold him about Rin. I may have overused the kotodama. At some point the house and the kotodama became an issue. Apparently, he sees them both as tying him to me. I thought that we were still friends. We shared an adventure and grew up together. Our marriage may have ended badly, but I still love him. I just love Sesshoumaru more. Did I do something wrong here?"

Kaede put her hand on Kagome's shoulder " You did nothing wrong. Your heart is big enough to love both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. At the moment, Inuyasha was angry because everyone had turned on him. You just came at a bad time. In some ways he needs to move on. You have life at the Western Shiro with your mate and son. He has nothing but the empty house and the kotodama both of which bind him to you. His tearing down the house was an attempt to release himself from the past so he can move on. I think it is time for the kotodama to change hands. It is no longer your place to bind his spirit. Release him and allow him to live again"

Tears began to roll down Kagome's cheeks. She realized that Kaede was right. Inuyasha was bound to her even though she had moved on. She was no longer by his side as she once had been. Her place was at the side of Sesshoumaru now. She had a son and one on the way. Those were the people she had to worry about now. Her argument that she needed it to stop him from going full youkai was no longer valid. .His place was in Kaede's village, a time, a place and life that she had left behind. The time had come to let go.

She reached out and pulled the necklace over Inuyasha's head. A shiver went through his body and he involuntarily clutched at his heart. Kagome almost had second thought as the necklace flared and then faded. She stood and handed the necklace to Kaede hugging her at the same had given her the kotodama. It was only proper that the necklace which was originally Kikyou's be returned to her sister. Kagome turned and went outside to look for her mate.

Sesshoumaru and Rin looked up when she appeared. They saw that she had been crying. Sesshoumaru took her arm looking at her questioningly. She shook her head as if to tell him that she was fine. He nodded toward Rin. "I think Rin has something to ask you."

Rin looked at him questioningly. Did he want her to ask Kagome? She had assumed that it was Sesshoumaru's choice. "Lady Kagome. Can I come stay with you in Western Shiro?"

Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru. It was clear that Sesshoumaru and Rin had talked about this question and that Sesshoumaru had left it for her to decide.

"What about Kaede?. She is getting on in years."

Rin hesitated. She had not really thought about the effect of her departure on Kaede. What she knew was that she could not stay in the same village with Inuyasha after what he had truth was that she was not a miko, but the longer she stayed in the village the more people would view her as Kaede's apprentice. She had no desire to take Kaede's place.

Once people had looked to Kagome to be the village miko when Kaede died. After Kagome left with Sesshoumaru the speculation had been that Rin was now the apprentice. It dawned upon her that most of the villagers had assumed that she would never marry. This had to be the main reason that none of the village boys had ever shown any interest in her. They all assumed that she had no interest in matrimony. It gave another reason to get out of town.

" I appreciate what Grandma Kaede has done for me, but if I stay here I will be the village miko for the rest of my life. I am sure that Lord Sesshoumaru did not intend that. He merely asked Grandma Kaede to take care of me and help me learn to live with humans. It has been eight years now. I am well past the age when most girls marry. I would like to move on with my life if I can. I cannot do it here."

Sesshoumaru was silent. It was clear to Kagome that Rin's future had been placed in her lap. She understood where Rin was coming from. If she stayed here, she had no future other than as Kaedes' successor. Rin was not a miko and would have problems taking over Kaede's place. Still, it would be expected of her.

"Rin, I will need someone to help me while I am expecting. Toga is three and is more than a handful. If you could help me out in that area., I would appreciate it. I know how much you enjoyed playing with Miroku and Sango's children. Toga may be a hanyou, but he is still a child. Your prospects of marriage will probably not improve since the population of the Western Shiro is predominantly demon and its sentiment is antihuman. Toga and I have been immune for the most part because of Sesshoumaru. As his ward, his protection would pass to you"

Rin thought for a minute. Opportunities like this did not come often. If she did not grab it now, it might never come her way again. She would become Kagome's babysitter just as she had been Miroku and Sango's babysitter. It was not position that she desired even if she did want children The fact that there were no eligible men there did not bother her. At the moment she just needed to get of here and this was the best offer that she was going to get. At least she would not be left behind again.

" Thank you Lady Kagome. I would love to take care of Toga for you and assist you in any way I can. If I can be excused, I will gather my things and tell Kaede goodbye. I would like to leave before Inuyasha wakes up so that we do not have a repeat of our argument."

Rin bowed and left leaving Kagome and Sesshoumaru to discuss what had just occurred. Sesshoumaru remained silent. It was clear that he was willing to accept whatever Kagome waiting for Sesshoumaru to say something, Kagome decided that the matter was settled and that further discussion would not help.

Rin entered the hut. Kaede was sitting beside Inuyasha. She looked older than Rin remembered. Perhaps now was a bad time, but if she did not go now she would die in the village. The prospect alone spurred her to gather her courage and broach the subject with Kaede.

"Grandma Kaede. Lady Kagome has asked me to come to go to the Western Shiro to take care of Toga until her child is born."

Kaede stared at understood Rin. If only she had another choice besides being the village miko, she would have jumped at it in a minute. Unfortunately, orphans do not have choices. The village had needed a miko after Kikyou had died and had paid for training for Kaede. She did not regret her life she just wished that she had a choice. She would not deny Rin her chance for happiness.

"Don't worry about me, Rin. Pack your things so that you can leave before Inuyasha wakes up."

Rin hugged Kaede and stared at Inuyasha. "Thank you Grandma Kaede for all that you have done for me.:" She stared down at Inuyasha "Do you think he will be okay?"

Kaede shooed her away " Don't worry about him. His best quality is his hard head. Run along now and give my congratulations to Kagome."

Rin bowed and left leaving Kaede alone with Inuyasha. She exited the hut with her belongings and nodded to Sesshoumaru. Jaken took her baggage to Ah-Un and departed for the Western Shiro

Kaede sat in the hut and reflected on the whirlwind of events. With Rin's departure it was first time in nine years that she had been alone. She was sixty-six years old. Very few women reached her age. Yet she was still expected to care for the health and welfare of the community.

It had become harder and harder to get around. What Kagome called arthritis had swollen her joints making it difficult for her to walk. She could no longer climb the stairs to the shrine without assistance. Rin had been a blessing. Cooking and cleaning. Taking care of a million duties necessary to housekeeping.

The temple would have to be told. Soon she would no longer be able to carry out the duties of the village miko. The sooner a new miko was trained the better. She had always known that Rin was here only at Sesshoumaru's whim. Whenever the daiyoukai decided to call her home she would go.

Perhaps she could impose upon Sango to lend some of her growing family to assist her in exchange for watching the children. Both of them could benefit from such an arrangement. Sango would be displeased with Rin's departure. Rin had been a godsend to her. Taking care of children had freed Sango to care for the house. She would blame Inuyasha for the loss of as she had blamed him when Kohaku left. Inuyasha would have to go. Sango would insist on it.

She had just become used to the quiet when Inuyasha awoke and slapped his neck. It was good to see him awake. Despite what she had told Rin and Kagome she had been genuinely worried about his revival. She did not know what a hanyou body could take, but she figured that he would not have survived if he had broken his neck.

Inuyasha tried to sit up, but found himself unable to do so. His eyesight slowly came into focus.

He stared at the tiny person trapped between his claws. He had not seen the old flea in some he just assumed that Myouga thought that his duties as retainer were finished once he settled down with Kagome.

Myouga just assumed that his master would find domestic bliss after all of his travails. He was surprised to learn that Kagome had left Inuyasha for Sesshoumaru and the Western Shiro. The boy had always been gone with the monk killing demons whenever he had stopped by. Until today. Today he had witnessed his master's problems first hand. Barely missed being crushed when Inuyasha brought down his own house down around his ears.

The boy clearly needed someone to look out for him. The flea was always looking for a quick snack. It was a marriage made in heaven. He had not expected the boy to come out of his coma so fast after he began working on him. Being patient he had waited until all the persons who were currently angry with Inuyasha had left before .

Myouga wriggled and wriggled but could not escape. " Please let me go, master."

Inuyasha was still in a fog. " What are you doing here, Myouga?"

" Can't I look out for my master's well-being."

" You could, but usually you are just looking out for your next meal."

"I am hurt. I did revive you after all. I deserve some thanks for that."

"You really should thank him, Inuyasha. You had been out so long that I was beginning to worry about you."

Inuyasha recognized Kaede's voice. He must be in Kaede's hut. Normally Rin would be here. He was not prepared to face here. Something felt different. When he looked at his chest he saw bandages and skin, but no beads had become almost like a second skin. It had been Kagome's use of the beads which had angered him. Had he really destroyed his own house?

"Where are my beads?"

Kaede held them up for his inspection ' I asked Kagome to return them to me. Kikyou intended to put them on you, but decided against it after you gave her a gift. I carried them for fifty years until Kagome arrived. They no longer function as they should. Kagome agreed that it was time to release you."

Those words gave Inuaysha pause. The beads and the house had tied him to Kagome Now that the beads were gone and he had destroyed the house, he was free of Kagome. Free to do what? Kikyou had once told him that when she was revived she was free to love and hate., but she had done neither.

Instead of feeling empowered he felt empty inside as if part of his soul had been ripped away. He knew at that moment that he had lost Kagome forever just as he had lost Kikyou when her soul ascended. He sighed. It was what he had asked Kagome for. Too bad he had not realized the true pain involved. He looked at Kaede. "What should I do now?"

Kaede replied " As much as I would like you to stay here and protect the village you cannot stay here Sango will be angry that Rin left because of you. She was already angry that Kohaku had left. At the moment I need her help to replace Rin until a new apprentice miko can be furnished by the temple. I should have sent for one long ago, but Rin was so helpful that she made me forget that I needed to train a replacement. Is there anywhere you can go?"

Inuyasha thought for a minute. He had dismissed Kohaku's offer at the time. Now it was the only place he could go to escape his troubles. At least while he was there, he would not have to worry about Kagome, Rin or Sesshoumaru. He could concentrate on killing demons. People had always told him that he had a talent for it.

"Kohaku asked me to guard the village of the demon slayers while he was away. It is as good a place as any to get away from it all. What do you think Myouga? Just you and me at the demon slayers village, fighting and killing. Sounds like fun. Myouga? Myouga? Damn flea chickened out again."

Kaede stifled a laugh." Perhaps your luck will change. I will hold onto your beads. Someday someone else may hold your leash but for the moment you will be free from subjugation. Kikyou did not want to control you. At that time I let Kagome use them it seemed like the only way to collar you. Prove Kikyou right. Prove that you do not need to be subjugated to do the right thing.

Goodbye Inuyasha. I shall miss you." Inuyasha bowed to her and she returned his bow.

Rin was shown to her room by Jaken The flight on Ah-Un had taken the better part of the day. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to crash on her futon. The adrenaline rush which she had experiment in anticipation of the trip had pretty much fizzled out. Sleep took her immediately.

The next thing she heard was a loud rapping on the door. Someone was yelling at her though she could not figure out why. Rin stumbled to the door in the darkened room. When she opened it there stood an imposing woman dressed in the colors of the household staff glaring at her.

"Where have you been?"

"Beg pardon."

"Where have you been? You were supposed to be dressed and ready to serve the Lady by

dawn. Yet I find you still in bed. We do not tolerate slackers at the Western Shiro You were supposed to come early to be briefed on your duties and the behavior that is expected of you while you are in the service of the Lady. I expect you down in the kitchen in five minutes."

Rin was confused " I came in late last night after flying from Edo all day. Neither Jaken or Kagome or Lord Sesshoumaru mentioned anything specific other than the fact that Kagome needed help with Toga."

The youkai woman sputtered " You are to call her Lady at all times. You are to speak to her only when spoken to. I am not surprised that the kappa did not inform you about your duties. He is a favorite of the Lord and is allowed to get by with things that others would be whipped for. You still need to show for roll call in five minutes and we will go over your duties."

Without the woman slammed the door in Rin's face. Rin was outraged. She had always had Lord Sesshoumaru's favor. Surely, the Lord would not allow an underling to treat her in this manner. She would raise it with Lord Sesshoumaru as soon as she could. When she accepted the position, she assumed that it would be similar to her relation to Sango and her children. It never occurred to her that she would report to others and be considered as just another lower level servant of Lord Sesshoumaru.

It took several weeks but Inuyasha finally recovered from his injuries. Sango visited often but never spoke to Inuyasha while he was at Kaede's. He became the children's babysitter, regaling them with stories and serving as a plaything. The girls still had a crush on him, the boys wanted to be him no matter how impossible that might be.

Finally, Inuyasha had finally had enough. He touched Sango's hand. When she whirled on him ready to strike he spoke " Tell Kohaku that I accept his offer to protect the demonslayer village."

Sango looked at him for a minute and nodded. It was the best solution.

Kaede's miko finally arrived just as. Inuyasha had finally recovered. Not that he disliked Sango's children, he was just glad to be done with men had put him to work dragging the logs and stones from his house to the houses for newlyweds scattered throughout the the last stone was finally cleared, he stared at the clearing. The house had stood there for nearly eight years. For three of those years it stood for his hope that Kagome would return to him. For one year it had actually been their home. It had now been four years since either he or Kagome had lived there. There were memories there, but most of them were bad and he was glad that it was gone.

Kohaku finally arrived a month after the incident at Inuyasha's house. His sister had informed him about the goings on. While he did miss Rin, he still needed Inuyasha to watch the demonslayer village while he was away. Miroku had been persuasive on the score. While neither of them wanted anything to do with each other, it was beneficial to both of them. Inuyasha would have a new home where he could kill demons to his heart's content. Kohaku would have someone to protect the town which his carpenters had rebuilt with the money that he had made from demonslaying. They were all sworn to secrecy and offered homes in the new town. Some took the offer, but others remembered the slaughter of the previous inhabitants. Miroku had assured them that all the dead had been quieted both human and demon.

Kaede saw them off. Inuyasha had been in this village for over fifty .years. She wondered who would keep the youkai quiet in the forest that bore his name. The Jewel which had attracted them to the village was gone forever, but so was its protector. Hopefully, nothing would appear to menace them until the new miko could be trained to take over for her. She looked forward to time when she had nothing more to do than to play with children and not have to nurse the villagers back to health. They might miss her, but at her age each day became a trial.

Inuyasha promised to return during the time that Kohaku returned to the demon slayer village. He knew that at Kaede's age death could come at any time. She was his last link to Kikyou and a time when he hoped for happiness. That hope had been dashed by Kikyou's death and Kagome's desertion. Perhaps he was doomed to wander the earth alone. He had not meant to hurt Rin, but he had. She had his best friend after Kagome left. Now she would not even talk to him. Sango had promised that if he fulfilled his commitment to Kohaku she would consider forgiving him.

Both Miroku and Kohaku told him that they would work on Sango. They need Inuyasha to help them in order for their plans to succeed. Kohaku needed someone to hold the fort while he was gone. Miroku needed someone to handle the demon slaying which resulted from his exorcisms. Eventually she would come around and he would be back in her good graces. With the coming of the new miko Kaede would be able to transfer much of her workload and the strain on Sango which resulted from Rin leaving would decrease.

They flew silently on Kirara. Inuyasha frankly preferred to run,but Kohaku was in a hurry. The sooner they reached the village of the demon slayers the better. He had contracts that needed to be fulfilled and he would have to explain Inuyasha to the newest arrivals. The idea of a hanyou protector for the demon slayer village would not sit well with everyone.

Eventually he hoped to bring Miroku and Sango and their children here. Sango was still the best. They needed someone to train the new demon slayers and she was the best person for the job. He knew that while Kaede was still alive they would not move, but he hoped to have a thriving village by the time convinced them to come.

Inuyasha was impressed at what he saw when they arrived. The village had still been in shambles when he left. All he had done was to provide lumber for the carpenters to work with. Most of the wall and most of the houses had been rebuilt. It was almost as if Naraku had never sicced the demons on the unprotected village. Almost being the operative word. The village was still a ghost town. The last inhabitants were buried in the graves that he had helped dig. Sango had brought her father and his band here and Miroku had consecrated it. Now that Naraku and the Jewel were gone, they could all rest in peace.

Inuyasha found a tree that seemed just right for sleeping. Over the year he had developed the ability to sleep lightly enough so that he could detect the slightest movement by an enemy. No one would be getting past him. He settled down for a nap. A dog after all needed twenty three hours of beauty sleep. Nothing was happening here and would not happen so long as he remained on guard. It was good to get away from Kaede's village after all that he had been through. Maybe this was his new life. Maybe this was his future as a demon slayer.

Deep within Inuyasha's forest forces began to move that had been quiet for more than fifty years. The mere presence of the hanyou had kept them quiet. The word spread quickly among the youkai that the forest's guardian spirit had departed. No one would there to prevent them from wreaking on havoc on the village. Kikyou had killed so many of them. Kikyou was now gone. Inuyasha was gone. The time for vengeance had arrived.