Chapter 10: The Wedding
Another week passed by in the village that would be Rin's home. The days were filled with planning for the wedding and trying on this and taking that off. It was all very exhausting for poor Rin. As if being betrothed to someone she just met and didn't love wasn't enough. She wanted so badly for her Lord Sesshomaru to change his mind and come save her from this fate, but every day he did not she grew more and more cynical. Everyday she felt more and more hopeless and angry at him. Lady Mai wasn't making things any better by being highly critical of Rin, tearing away at her self esteem.
"Rin, this is atrocious." Lady Mai said grabbing the piece of paper and ripping it up in front of her. "Nobody is going to take you seriously as a Lady when your writing is like that of a child." She grabbed another piece of paper and put it down in front of Rin. "Try again. I can't have your name on the family scrolls looking like that. It would be a disgrace."
"I'm sorry, Lady Mai. I didn't have much practice over the years. I can try harder to make it neat." Rin apologized meekly, hiding a furious beast within her. All she wanted to do was lash out at Lady Mai. The woman had been teasing her and criticizing her for days now. And it wasn't like she could ask Akio to make her back off. That was his mother, and he would surely become cross with her if she spoke of his mother like that. She just had to grin and bear it for now.
Rin was astonished that such a lady could have raised her betrothed because he was a nice, tender man who was very patient and gentle with her. Every morning she would meet with him for a stroll in the garden and every evening she would go to his room for tea and to talk of their day. The time they spent together was the only thing keeping Rin together mentally, and she felt as if Akio was her best friend.
The last night before the wedding she sat across from him at night with her tea in her hand looking at him as he spoke to her about his trip into the village that day. She wasn't really listening too closely this time, because her inner monologue was taking over.
"It is tomorrow. I am so nervous. I don't want to go through with this. But I have to. I have nowhere else to go. I could go to Kaede… No. I wouldn't make it there on my own without food and transportation. Why would she want me back anyways? I am such a burden. I like Akio very much and feel as if I can be a great friend to him, but I am very scared that I will not be able to be a wife to him. I will have to give him everything… even that. I'm not ready to be a wife, yet, to anybody."
"Rin, something the matter?" Akio noticed that Rin was staring nervously into nothing and figured she had something on her mind.
"Oh! I'm alright." Rin woke herself out of her thoughts. "I guess I'm just nervous about tomorrow. Your mother wants perfection from me tomorrow and I fear I cannot give it."
"My mother wants a lot of things." Akio said, smiling. "You'll just have to get used to her and start tuning her out like me and my father do." He winked at her.
She laughed at his mother's expense and was relieved to know that she wasn't the only one with the issue of Lady Mai.
Akio moved close to her and pulled Rin into his chest so she could lay her head there. He was so strong that she was like a doll in his grasp. She allowed him to hold her like this every night. It felt nice being comforted like this. And Akio was such a gentle yet domineering force that it was hard to resist. She surrendered to his affections. On nights like this one, he would wear his hair down and allow Rin to play with it. She enjoyed his silky long hair. It was a change from her wild waves.
Soon after came a knock on the door and they separated swiftly.
"You may enter." Akio said, and the servant girl Ami came in and bowed her head before she spoke.
"My Lord, Lady Mai gave me orders to escort Rin to her room early tonight, seeing as tomorrow will be the big day."
Akio rolled his eyes and looked over to Ami.
"Very well. You may take her." He said. He turned to Rin and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "I will see you tomorrow, my sweet. I can't wait for us to be joined."
Rin smiled at him weakly as she rose and followed Ami out of the room.
Ami was a friend to Rin. She never spoke much, but there was an understanding between the girls that they were definitely close in their own way. Ami was usually very busy, especially lately with all the planning and whatnot. But she was always there to listen to Rin if she had something to say.
Ami knew right away there must be something wrong, because Rin wasn't talking and was lingering behind. She turned and looked on with sympathy as she recognized that the wedding was already taking its toll on Rin. She placed her hand on Rin's shoulder before Rin began walking on her side.
"Are you okay, Miss Rin?" She asked politely.
"No, Ami. I'm not okay. I'm not ready to be married. I am not ready to serve a husband." She said with tears welling up in her eyes.
The tears began to fall and Ami held Rin's hand as they walked to her room and made their way inside.
"It'll be okay, you'll see." She assisted Rin in taking off her kimono, even though Rin didn't ask her to. "Do you want me to stay for a few minutes?" She asked as Rin laid face down in her futon and cried quietly.
Rin choked out a yes and Ami sat down by Rin's side and began to rub her back and the girl sobbed quietly.
"My Master will be good to you. He just wants you to be happy." Ami said half-reassuringly, trying to smile.
"I know." Rin stammered, looking absently into the wall. "Thank you, Ami, for being here for me. You will be my friend no matter what and I will look out for you as you have for me."
Ami smiled at Rin. "Miss Rin, you do not have to look out for this servant. Especially after you become a noble Lady. It would be silly to care for a servant girl."
Rin sat up and took Ami's hands in hers. "You are not just a servant girl. Don't say such things about yourself. You are my friend, Ami. If anything happens, I want you to come to me. Okay?"
Ami was touched by Rin's offer of kindness and friendship. She feared, though, that her Lord would not be so accepting of how fond his bride was of her. But she nodded her head in agreement before she stood up.
"Is there anything else you need, Miss Rin?" Ami asked.
Rin shook her head no and Ami left. Rin laid her head back down on her futon and breathed deeply, closing her eyes. She forced herself to think of good times to get away from all the stress and uncertainty of the day ahead of her.
It was a time for rest, and Lord Sesshomaru was sitting against a large boulder with his eyes closed. He wasn't sleeping, although he looked it. Jaken was off on an errand with Ah Un so it was just the demon lord and the small human child for the day. Little Rin was bored with all this sitting around and not doing much. She didn't wish to disturb her Lord, though, so she kept a watchful distance from him. She picked away at the grass underneath her as she sat on the grass. She let out a deep breath as she crossed her arms and looked back over to Sesshomaru with his eyes closed. Rin desperately wanted him to waken.
Rin tiptoed around the boulder and began to climb the other side until she made it to the top. When she got there, she poked her head out and looked down at him lying there gracefully. She took in his magnificence for a while before she decided she must do something to rouse him or she would surely die of boredom. Rin made her way off the boulder and quickly collected some flowers before reclimbing.
She looked back over and dropped a flower in Sesshomaru's direction before ducking her head down, to hide herself. Sesshomaru felt the flower land on his shoulder. He was amused by the child's naïve attempt to outwit him. He held his position as the child dropped flower after flower upon him. Rin soon ran out of flowers and decided to try a more bold approach and climbed down.
Crawling on her hands and knees she made her way over to the resting Sesshomaru and tried to rouse him quietly. "Pssst. Lord Sesshomaru…" whispered Rin.
When there was no response, she crawled closer and whispered again "My Lord, Psssssst. Are you asleep?"
Rin gently tapped his ankle to try at get his attention. When he did not answer at all, she became concerned. She stood up and walked between his legs, getting closer to his face. She leaned in very close to him. Sesshomaru then opened his eyes, he was practically nose to nose with Rin. Shocked, Rin screamed and tripped backwards over his legs but almost immediately started laughing aloud.
"Lord Sesshomaru! You were awake that whole time!" She giggled, lifting her upper body off the ground to look at him, smiling.
"So I was." Sesshomaru responded. "Isn't there something you could be doing, Rin?"
"I want to do something for you, my Lord. You give Master Jaken things to do. It is my wish to serve you as well."
"Hn." Sesshomaru was amused by the young girl wanting to serve him. It surely was not what most young children wanted to do was be ordered around. He didn't really have anything for her to do for him of any importance, but if it was her intent to do something for him, he would allow it. "Very well, Rin. You may serve this Sesshomaru. You will sing for him."
He knew there weren't many things the young girl could do, but singing was most certainly something she exercised liberally.
The child gasped in excitement and stood to her feet. "Yes, my Lord!" She shouted before she cleared her throat and sang her heart out to him, songs that were made up on the very spot.
Sesshomaru leaned back into the tree and watched Rin sing for him; she looked so proud. He had no idea what in the world she was singing about and she was certainly no nightingale. Her voice was squeaky and out of key, but it soothed the demon Lord nonetheless. He leaned back again and closed his eyes, drifting off into sleep. After a few minutes of him lying still, Rin stopped singing.
"Might I keep singing for you, my Lord?" Rin asked, to no response. She walked over towards him and saw his rhythmic slow breathing. "My Lord is really sleeping this time."
Rin smiled at her Lord and looked to either side of them before she decided to reach out to touch his face. He stayed perfectly still and asleep as she touched his markings. Sesshomaru must really trust her to sleep this heavily around her, she thought. Rin leaned in and laid a kiss on Sesshomaru's cheek. She half expected him to wake up and be angry with her for daring to touch him without permission. But he never did. She sighed and slunk down next to him, exhausted. Rin closed her eyes, ready for a nap herself.
"I can't believe I just stole a kiss from my Lord." She thought, surprised and happy with herself before she fell asleep with a big smile on her face.
…..
It was a cold night and Sesshomaru was sitting down in the middle of an open field, stewing in his own dismay. It had been weeks and he felt himself feeling more out of control than before. His feelings were taking a hold of him and there was nothing he could do to stop them from consuming him. His Rin was gone and he had been the one to allow it to happen. Sesshomaru was fighting a battle with himself over the decision. He had become so overprotective and possessive over Rin towards the end as he noticed a shift in his relationship with her. He realized he had been treating Rin less like the child he met and more like the woman she was becoming, and he didn't like that where that was starting to lead him.
Sesshomaru had been starting to treat Rin as his father treated the women in his life. It was the very nature of the male dog demons to be possessive, overprotective, and domineering creatures. He thought of his Mother and how even after Inutaisho and her had separated, he still was very protective of her. They were still married by law, and she would not have anybody else, anyways. He assured himself he must rid himself of these feelings but he couldn't find a place where his mind would be calm. Sesshomaru thought for a minute and then nodded to himself. He would go to the one place that brought him any peace.
Sesshomaru stood up and made his way over to Jaken, who was minding his own business.
"Jaken."
"Yes, my Lord. What is it you need?" Jaken stammered. Sesshomaru didn't speak much nowadays, and it was terrifying when he did.
"I need you and Ah Un to leave my side for a short time. I have personal matters to attend to."
"Where will you go, Lord Sesshomaru?"
"I said it was a personal matter. I will send for you when I want you."
The toad nodded his head in agreement.
"I wonder what my Lord is going to be doing during this duration. And why doesn't he need his loyal servant by his side? Ugh.. I grudgingly admit that I am relieved. His disposition has been most foul as of late. Maybe I should take some of this time to go call on Rin. I never did get to see her before we left her behind and that darn child has left me sentimental in her absence."
Jaken looked on as Sesshomaru transformed into his true form, the great dog, and flew away into the skies.
The dog demon flew around the clouds and through the sky for hours before he saw a figure in the clouds moving around elegantly. It was a shape much like his own, only slightly smaller. The two dog demons met and circled one another for a minute before they landed on the ground beneath the clouds. The larger dog demon approached the smaller one and sniffed behind its ear and started rubbing its nose into the other's fur. The smaller one turned and rubbed the others head with theirs, the way two dogs might show affection to one another. The large dog demon went to rub noses with the smaller one.
It was at this point that both the dog demons transformed and there she was- the Mother rubbing noses with Lord Sesshomaru. She opened her eyes when he stopped. The Mother was a great beauty and was elegantly dressed, much like Sesshomaru. There was no disputing she had given the great dog demon all of his good looks.
"My son, you have not done that since you were a pup. For a minute there I mistook you for your father. Even though I knew it wasn't possible." the Mother said, surprised with Sesshomaru's affectionate behavior. It was no lie either, her Sesshomaru was a tough child that didn't call on his Mother for anything other than business. She thought fondly of Sesshomaru when he was just a little pup attached to her breast in a loving mother/son bond and how short lived it had been. As he grew, he didn't need his Mother anymore and he never called on her for affection. Maybe that was how she intended to raise him, to be strong like his father but reserved like her. The Mother was not one to show her emotions to anyone, and the only other creatures that had seen her otherwise had been her husband and her child. But Sesshomaru hadn't shown her any feeling since he was very little and it made her concerned for him that he would be so out of sorts as to let down his guard like this.
"This Sesshomaru does as he wishes." Sesshomaru said simply, trying to ignore her questioning his actions. He did not feel the need to explain the things he did to her. She should just accept that her son had come to her. He felt at peace when he was near her, when he smelled her, and took in her scent. When he had rubbed his nose with hers, he had felt an overwhelming sense of calm come about him. There was something about the Mother that made any stress disappear, it was no wonder his father had married her. It was something Sesshomaru would not admit to, but his Mother was one of the few creatures in this world that could calm his angry heart. And being close to her had already done so much for his disposition.
"But of course. Come join me at the palace. We must catch up." the Mother said before taking his hand and leading him back up into the clouds. When they landed, they were at the palace in the sky. It was a very grand palace, with guards lining the halls. She sat down on a large stone bench and he sat down next to her. He looked at his Mother and she looked at him for a few minutes before either of them spoke.
"Tell me, my son, why you have not come to visit your Mother sooner?" She asked in a playful manner.
"Because I did not intend to until now." Sesshomaru said, dryly. He did not like being chided like he was still a child by the Mother.
She pouted at him. "What an arrogant son I have. Then why did you intend to come see me now, then?"
"I intend to rest here at the palace." Sesshomaru said.
"That is if your doting Mother chooses to keep you." She said, teasing him. Her son was always welcome but she liked to poke fun at him at times.
"You will." He said back, closing his eyes.
The Mother made her way closer to Sesshomaru and gently pulled his head down and rubbed noses with him again, in a loving manner. He did not fight it, as he kept his eyes closed.
"I can sense your anger and pain, my son. What has happened?" She asked as she released her grip on him.
"I do not wish to speak of it." Sesshomaru said, opening his eyes to look at her.
His Mother sighed and touched his cheek gently. "I see that the human girl is not with you. And neither is the little demon. What has become of them?"
"I told Jaken to wait for me elsewhere. I wished to visit you alone. As for the human, she is no longer following me."
"Why is that, my son? Did you dispose of her?"
Sesshomaru growled. "I do not wish to speak of it."
"Very well, Sesshomaru. I have things I wish to discuss anyways." She said in a very matter of fact way. "As you know, there aren't many full blooded dog demons anymore."
This was true. The Mother and Sesshomaru had very few allies and relatives alive. A lot of dog demons were demolished in the last battle Inutaisho led.
"There has been a suitor, Sesshomaru."
"Who?" Sesshomaru growled and stood, looming over her. He was angry that any demon would dare try and court his Mother. He was glaring down at her possessively. She was his mother, and he would not allow her to dishonor his father by taking on a new mate. The Mother saw Sesshomaru's reaction and leaned backward, fearing her only child's temper.
"Sesshomaru. Calm yourself. I have not agreed to anything." She argued. "How dare you try to intimidate your Mother?"
"Who is it?" He demanded, again.
"A friend of your fathers. Now sit and calm yourself so I can explain to you." She growled defensively.
Sesshomaru growled but obeyed and sat down beside her.
"It is not even close to being a final decision. But there hasn't been a full blooded dog demon pup in almost 300 years and none of the younger dog demons-" She paused, letting him take in that she was talking about him "Have not been seeking each other out."
Sesshomaru growled loudly. "So if I don't start finding a female, you will try to have another pup with this man. Is that it?"
The Mother noticed that her child was becoming most upset by the conversation and her motherly instincts kicked in. She stood up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him close to her.
"My son, forgive me. We won't speak of such things now." the Mother said, stroking him gently on his face, the way she might have to her own husband. "You have come to rest. Come."
Sesshomaru felt himself soften in his mother's embrace. He couldn't ever stay angry around her. His hot demon blood cooled at her touch. She let go of her embrace and took him by the hand and began to lead him to a big room with a large raised bed in the middle.
"Lay down, my son. Rest."
Sesshomaru sighed and laid down on the bed. His mother sat down over by his head and gently stroked the markings on his forehead as he fell asleep.
"My beautiful son, you are perfect."
"This son of yours is destroying me." the demon Mother half joked to her husband, Inutaisho. He was a large demon, with a hard face and long silver hair tied back.
Inutaisho looked to his wife, who was looking a little thin and red around the eyes. The baby was taking a lot out of her since he was born. She had the little pup latched to her breast. He made his way over to her and looked closer to see that his wife was bleeding. The little punk had bitten through her skin and was suckling his fair share of blood along with her milk. She smiled weakly at the pup and then back up to her handsome husband. Inutaisho let out a hearty laugh and patted his son's head.
"He enjoys them as much as I do." The great dog demon joked.
"Oh, will you think of nothing else, dear Husband?" she laughed. "Besides, by the time he's finished with them, there might not be much left to enjoy."
"He is perfect. Our Sesshomaru takes what he wants and then some. He is going to be a fearless warrior like his old man."
Inutaisho wrapped his arms around his wife, grabbing her bottom and placing a kiss upon her lips. She returned the kiss with passion.
"Let us all lie down together." Inutaisho said, taking his wife by the hand and leading her back to the bed room, closing the door behind him.
The Mother let out a small yelp as she removed her son's razor sharp teeth from her breast and laid him down beside her. The little baby cried out, not happy that his meal had been cut short. She rubbed his forehead gently and he quickly fell asleep. She sighed aloud when she felt two strong arms embracing her from behind and she smiled.
"You're right. He is perfect." She said. They both looked at their sleeping infant and then at each other, before leaning into each other in a loving embrace.
…..
It was a dark and gloomy day for such an occasion. This was supposed to be a happy day but there was an overwhelming aura of sorrow sweeping through the crowd. Flowers lined the halls and there were many guests watching on in silence as a young girl came onto the scene, dressed in a several layered white kimono and a flowery white headdress. The lace from the headdress came slightly over her eyes, so no one could see how sad they were. The young bride made her way down the decorated hall and to her young Lord's side, trying to be as graceful as possible, lest she give herself away as to her true disposition. She felt like she could fall and weep at any moment but she kept strong yet silent while the high priest spoke on their behalf. The groom went to grab his bride's hand as the man spoke and the she looked over to him, giving him a weak smile. He knew she was terrified, but his gesture gave her a smidge of comfort. Maybe everything would be okay.
The ritual itself didn't take very long, but it felt like forever as she waited for the fateful words to come out of the priests mouth. Just like that, Rin had become Lord Akio's wife. A single tear fell down her cheek as she looked to the ground. It fell from her chin to the ground in front of her as she stood there absently. Rin was brought to attention when Akio turned to her and placed a kiss on her lips. He looked so beautiful with his hair down, but she barely noticed through all of her sorrow. Soon there was a quill being thrown into her hand. Rin saw the scroll in front of her and remained still. This was what finalized everything. She needed to sign it to make the marriage official. After a minute of her stillness, Akio took her hand and kissed it before he gave it back to her. She quickly jotted down her signature and that was that.
Akio took his bride into his arms and kissed her again. He knew she was having a hard time, but he assumed it was just all these people and the stress. He had no idea what died inside of her when she signed the paper. Rin had just given herself away to a man who was not her Lord Sesshomaru. Akio led her through the crowd and the people either bowed or nodded to them in congratulations.
After that point, the party began and there was sake all around and people laughing and making merry of the "happy" occasion. Akio had Rin try some and she nodded at him that she enjoyed it.
"This is the very thing that funds the wealth of our village." Akio explained. "We deliver this to all of the neighboring villages and even further. My father made some great ties when he traveled as a youth before he took over the village for his father, thus making the economy here bloom. Here, have some more." Akio held the glass up to her lips and she sucked down some more. It had a strong bite but settled warmly in her chest and stomach. She nodded at him and looked over to Lord Eito and Lady Mai sitting down with some friends that looked older like them. She wondered how anyone as nice and smart as him ended up with a pain like Lady Mai.
"Is my beautiful bride going to speak to her new husband at all today?" Akio asked playfully.
"I'm sorry, I've just been overwhelmed today with all of this." Rin apologized.
"Well, just try to enjoy yourself. In a few hours, everyone will be gone and it will just be us." Akio promised her.
Rin smiled at him as he walked away to talk to a friend. He didn't know that that was exactly what she was afraid of. She knew that now since she was Akio's wife, he would expect her to give her body to him and the thought of it frightened her. Kagome had explained everything to her before, and she didn't expect then that she'd be doing anything of the sort anytime soon. It was a scary concept.
Rin watched her new husband as he spoke with people. He was a very handsome and charismatic person. People respected him and were drawn to him. She supposed she could become more fond of him over time. But then she thought of Sesshomaru and sunk back into her sorrow. Why could she not have her true love by her side? She heard a "pssst" coming from the outside door and made her way over to it, leaving the party inside. Rin walked further out and found a big tree, with Jaken under it.
"Master Jaken!" Rin shouted and hugged the little demon. "How I've missed you."
Jaken was relieved to see her as well, although he would never admit it. "Forgive me for not having Ah Un visit with me. I fear his presence might scare the humans and I don't need to draw attention on myself."
"That's fine." Rin said, realizing that Lord Sesshomaru was definitely not around. Had Jaken come on his own accord? "I assume Lord Sesshomaru sent you?"
"My Lord would probably wrangle my neck if he knew I was here. Rin, he is in a terrible fuss. What happened between you two? And what in the world are you wearing?" Jaken looked at the kimono.
"So he did not tell you?" Rin whipped around in pain, turning away from Jaken. "Of course. Why would he let you know what he has done?"
"I don't quite follow, Rin."
Rin turned back around to look at Jaken. She looked at him with such affection. "Oh, Master Jaken, I have looked to you as my father for such a long time now. You've taught me so much. You are always welcome to visit me here whenever you can. But I must tell you that I don't think I can ever forgive Lord Sesshomaru."
"Child.." Jaken said, his sorrow for her becoming apparent.
"Lord Sesshomaru had me marry the young Lord Akio. To get me out of the picture. He cares for me so he sent me away. How could he do such a thing? To me?"
Jaken was shocked to say the least. He could not believe what he was hearing. Lord Sesshomaru had given up his Rin, just like that.
"You must know I said some things to him that made him most melancholy and he probably will resent me forever." Rin continued.
Jaken nodded his head yes. "My Lord refuses to let me speak your name. I now know why."
"Master Jaken, you will not come to visit?" RIn asked, her sadness beaming through.
"Since I follow Lord Sesshomaru, I can't imagine there will be many times where I will be able to come back here. But, my child, I will try."
Rin felt warm inside when he heard him refer to him as his child.
"Can you do me a favor, Master Jaken?" Rin asked him.
"What is it?"
"Can you let Kagome and Inuyasha and everybody know where I am? Please. I would like for them to know where I am if they should ever want to see me."
"This I will do for you, Rin." Jaken agreed.
"Thank you. Oh, Master Jaken, I'm so frightened. Tell me words of comfort before I have to return."
Rin kneeled down across from Jaken, her eyes looking up at the big tree behind him.
"Child, you have taken the worst of life already and have pulled through with little to no damage. When I met you, you were a little beaten child with no voice. And within a short year, you had already started to sing and dance and run me up a wall. You will pull through anything, because you are strong. I used to think humans were weak, but through you I've realized my mistake. You will be just fine, Rin."
Rin felt tears welling up in her eyes and she threw her arms around Jaken, embracing him.
"Thank you." Rin said before releasing him. He didn't yell or fuss to try to get out of her embrace as he usually would.
Rin stood up and started to walk away but she looked back at Jaken, and smiled.
"Till next time."
Rin started in the direction of the door that led to the party and stopped at the door, looking at the big tree that was now far away. She wanted so badly to beg Jaken to take her away from all this, but she knew very well that Jaken's love and devotion for Sesshomaru ran very deep.
She felt an arm wrap around her waist and pull her indoors.
"There you are, my sweet." Akio said cheerfully. "Where'd you go off to?"
"I wanted to have a moment to myself."
"Well I want you to myself." He said, kissing her lips.
Rin melted into Akio, giving into his aggressive kiss. She felt that warm feeling in her belly that she would get when she kissed Kohaku. She pulled away from him out of embarrassment. They joined the rest of the people and made small conversation for the duration of the party. Pretty soon, people started to leave and only Lord Eito, Lady Mai, Akio and some servants remained.
"Well, I guess it was not a complete disaster." Lady Mai said to her husband.
"I thought it was rather nice." Lord Eito responded. "Here. Let's let the servants alone to tidy up."
Lord Eito approached both Akio and Rin and put both of his old, crooked hands, on either sides of Rin's face. She blushed as he placed a kiss on either side of her cheeks.
"Welcome to the family, dear Rin." Eito said, before turning on his heel to leave, Lady Mai in tow.
"Thank you."
Akio put his arms around Rin and kissed her after his parents left. She enjoyed kissing him but now that people were gone she felt hesitant.
"I love you, Rin." He said, looking into her eyes. Rin panicked. He might expect for her to say it back, she could not lie like that.
Rin pulled him into a kiss to deflect his question. Akio then scooped her up and started to carry her. She laughed aloud.
"What is the meaning of this?" She laughed.
"It is tradition for the groom to carry his bride to their chambers." He explained.
"What a silly tradition." She laughed, feeling like a china doll in his big arms.
"I rather like it."
By the time they got to the room, Rin's heart was beating faster than ever. She hadn't really wanted this moment to come so soon. Akio put her down on her feet and wrapped his arms around her waist, smelling her hair. He started to untie the layers of her kimono and she froze.
"This can't be happening. Not now." She thought.
She clenched her eyes closed as layer after layer dropped to the floor. Then he was down to the last thin robe that covered her. She realized this and let out a cry and held it together, backing away from Akio.
"What is the matter, Rin?" Akio asked, concerned.
"I can't. I don't want to." Rin started, breathing deeply. "I'm sorry."
Akio approached her and kissed her on the forehead.
"If it is your wish, I will not." He said tenderly, grabbing her hand and kissing it. "We don't have to do anything tonight. Just come."
Akio held her hand and led her to the futon that would be theirs. "Just come lay with me."
She lowered herself onto her side and he joined her pulling a blanket over the both of them. Akio placed a kiss on her cheek before he blew out the one candle by the bed. He laid down and wrapped his arm around her. Rin calmed immediately, and melted into his embrace. Akio was so kind and understanding, she should consider herself lucky.
"Akio?" she whispered to him.
"Yes, Rin?" he whispered back, yawning.
"Thank you for caring for me."
Akio smiled and kissed her neck, burying his nose into her hair as he drifted off to sleep.
"Goodnight Rin."
(( Sorry this chapter took forever to write! This was a long one. Lots of talking. lol Thank you for reading though. Also, I need your guys opinions on the rating if you don't mind. The rating system is very vague and I'm wondering whether this should be rated M or not. I don't get too vulgar but if you think I should change the rating, please let me know. Chapter 11 soon. I promise there will be a little more action. lol ))