To Love a Demon Lord Chapter 9: In Times of Absence, an inuyasha fanfic

Nobody asked questions when Sessho Maru returned to the village. Rina's absence and the darkness in his eyes explained enough. His face was a cold, dark blank as he sought to hide just how much he felt the fact that Rina was gone. A universe away and not far at all.

It was hours before anyone approached him. It was Kagome. She sat next to him and remained silent; only moving once in a while to catch glimpses of his numb face. Her voice was barely a whisper when she finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, Sessho-sama." She saw Sessho Maru's pointed ears twitch slightly. "I know that you're probably feeling awful since you worked so hard to get her back only to send her away again."

Sessho Maru uttered a sigh that was riddled with the message that he just wanted to be left alone.

"Whenever I go home, I'll be sure to look her up to see how she's doing. Who knows? Maybe it won't take long to get rid of Lord Hinkotsu."

Sessho Maru looked at her.

"Don't be so surprised," Kagome chided. "Inu Yasha told me everything."

As he watched his brother's pregnant mate waddle away, Sessho Maru didn't have the heart to tell her that he'd already thought of that.

It had been a week. Rina spent most of her time at the beach. There she threw herself into her song writing; pouring her heart and loneliness into the lyrics and into every tragic note they drew on the piano keys. It had been hard the first couple of days. It had taken superhuman persuasion on Kuri's part before she managed to get Rina to tell her everything. At first the only thing that Rina would tell her was "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." But as time went by Kuri gradually helped Rina's faith in her to be restored and thus Rina finally told her the whole story. To Rina's relief, Kuri lived up to Rina's fragile faith and kept encouraging her friend to stay strong.

They worked on songs together and, though they no longer had Souji as their manager, they became regular performers at the beach club where Rina and Sessho Maru first met. Rina saw Kagome's younger brother, Sota, quite often and it was from him that she would always hear of when Kagome would next be home.

A month and a half since she was returned to her time, Kagome came to deliver a package herself that Sessho Maru had bundled for her. In it was a letter that Kagome explained Sessho had written himself after Kagome had taught him how to read and write. There was also a beautifully crafted bracelet of pearls and shells that Sessho Maru had collected from the sea. Kuri was sitting right there as Rina opened and read Sessho Maru's letter. Rina traced the awkward slants of kanji for a moment before beginning to read Sessho Maru's letter out loud.

My lovely Rina,

I apologize for this taking so long to get this to you. I'm not overly experienced with writing but Kagome has been showing me how every evening since the day that you left so that I could soon write to you myself. Luckily I am a fast learner.

I miss you so much, Rina. So much more than simple, scribbled words could ever express.

The search for Hinkotsu is proving fruitless at best. Inu Yasha and I searched the territories around the village where we found you, but none there seemed to know who we were talking about. Lately I have been traveling alone in my search. Kagome, as you might have noticed, has gotten quite large in her pregnancy and her doctor in your time has warned her that she needs to take it easy lest she go into labor too soon.

I hope that you like the bracelet. Shippo helped me gather the pearls and shells for it and Sango helped me put it together. Miroku proved to be quite useful there too.

Speaking of Sango and Miroku, they seem to be growing closer and closer. I think that between Kagome and Inu Yasha as well as you and myself have made them start to realize that there really isn't any reason for them to deny their feelings for each other anymore. How do I know this? I once spied them together and Miroku grasped Sango's backside yet again. Sango didn't ever slap him for it. I was not spying on them intentionally but, just the same, I couldn't help but notice that Sango didn't beat the hell out of Miroku for groping her like she normally does when he pulls his stunts.

Rina giggled uncontrollably for a moment before explaining to Kuri how Miroku was always groping on Sango's ass and Sango, in return, was constantly slapping the crap out of him. "I swear! I'm amazed that Miroku doesn't have a permanent hand print on his face!" Rina crowed as she and Kuri laughed at the lecherous monk's expense before Rina continued.

I am jealous of them all, Rina. Jealous that they all get to be with the one they love while we are forced to be separated without any knowing or idea of when we'll get to be together again. I do not begrudge them their happiness, please know that. I just wish that we could enjoy our own bliss.

Here Rina went silent in her reading as, in glimpsing ahead momentarily she saw that the letter became too private for her to read aloud comfortably. Instead she finished it for herself before letting Kuri read it.

I love you, my Rina. I dream of you every night---dreams that are too...private, shall we say, to write in a letter. And yet I can't help myself. I dream of getting to take you into my arms at long last to satisfy our need for each other. Of making love to you until we're both sweaty, spent, and sated. I've longed to sink myself into your silken heat since I first laid eyes on you and your soul called out to resurrect mine.

Do you dream of me as well, Rina? Do you see the stars at night and believe that I see them too? I do. I do so every night. And I will continue to do so until the day when we are reunited, never to part again.

Your loving,

Sessho Maru

Kuri's first response after reading the last part was to start fanning herself. "Damn, Rina! For being new at writing, your man sure has a HELLUVA way with words!"

Rina grinned unrepentantly as she put on the bracelet from Sessho Maru.

Rina and Kuri waited behind the wall, waiting to be called on stage. Behind them waited their bassist and drummer. They would be singing some new songs tonight. Kuri had really liked some of the songs that Rina had written after returning home and had encouraged their band to practice them with the intent of performing them live.

"We can't just play covers forever," Kuri had reasoned. "We can't expect success of our own when we're too busy singing other people's songs."

Rina fidgeted fitfully. She was nervous. They were going to play "I Do" first. "I Do" was one of the first songs that Rina had written completely by herself without collaborating with Kuri or any of the other band members on lyrics or music. And when she had gotten stuck on part of the song, she had found the inspiration for its completion from Sessho Maru's letter. Kuri, Shoto, and Ryuko insisted that it was a good song, but Rina was nervous about playing this large piece of her bared soul in front of a live audience.

Rina tensed and then went strangely calm as she heard their group announced and heard the cheering of the audience. The four of them walked out to the stage grinning and waving before going to their places and their waiting instruments---Kuri taking up her electric guitar, Ryuko taking up her bass, Shoto seating himself at his drums, and Rina picking up her acoustic guitar. There was a breathless pause and then the room was filled with the bold, hard chords of Kuri's guitar, the softer chords of Rina's acoustic, the steady thrumming of the bass, and the pounding rhythm of the drums. Rina's breathing eased as the intro drew to a close and her time to sing hugged her closer.

---So distant and unreachable
Unattainable
You are worlds away from me
Leaving me longing for what I can't have
How could you leave me?
I know you love me
So why won't you let me love you?

You're now so far away
You took my heart with you
How am I supposed to survive
Without you
The one who saved my life?
How could you leave me
When I love you?

Do you see the stars at night
And wonder if I see them too?
Do you look up at the moon
And pretend I'm seeing it with you?
Do you feel this emptiness inside
Because I'm not there by your side?
All I know is
I do

When will you come back for me
My love?
Every day away from you
Makes me die more and more
I'm losing myself
And only you can bring me back

By now Rina was fully into the song and was grateful for the break that Kuri's guitar solo gave her. For the first time she looked out into the crowd and was astonished to see that people were actually dancing to it, whether they were just moving with the music in their seats or actually up on their feet. Then she heard the key change and filled her lungs to accommodate the stretch.

---Do you see the stars at night
And wonder if I see them too?
Do you look up at the moon
And pretend I'm seeing it with you?
Do you feel this emptiness inside
Because I'm not there by your side
All I know is
All I know...

Is that I see the stars at night
And wonder if you see them too
I look up at the moon
And pretend I'm seeing it with you
I feel so empty inside
Because you're not here by my side
I don't know how many hours I've cried
But I keep it all inside...
Do you?
I do.---

The crowd's reaction to the new and unfamiliar song left Rina and the others completely breathless. Apparently it was a hit. Yet some of it was wasted on Rina. For while she was thrilled at the reaction to it, she couldn't help but be reminded that the one for whom she sang was not there. Her heart sank while she donned a smile that didn't reach her eyes as her gaze fell on the table where Sessho Maru had sat the 2 nights he had watched them perform. And everyone thought that the two fugitive tears that escaped down her cheeks were from happiness.