Author Note: HI! Remember ME! Ok….how many of you want to kill me? *looks at all the hands popping up* Wow…that many…well if I begged for mercy will that spare my life? No…..well How about this New Chapter…OOOOO AHHHHH! Read it and tell me if I am forgiven…
Disclaimer: I do not own inuyasha or anything…
Re-Cap: Rin's Re-Cap:
"Could you tell your father to call me tomorrow, when Sesshomaru isn't around...please?" Rin asked with pleading eyes.
"Sure…Be careful going home Rin." Inuyasha said as he watched her get out of his car and go to her own.
Rin sat behind the wheel of her car sighing heavily. She was disgusted at how fast her life became a living hell. How could so much go wrong in so little time? "ok Rin…get it together…let's get your ass home and make a plan on our next move." Rin said to herself aloud. With that thought in mind, she put her car in gear and headed home.
Chapter 10:
Rin tiredly tossed her keys on the counter along with her phone. Her duffle bag sat by the steps ready to be taken upstairs. She went into the kitchen making herself a cup of tea. Mint Tea always seemed to relax her anytime she felt uneasy. Maybe she was just paranoid…She had locked herself in the house like Fort Knox. With the millionth deep sigh, Rin curled up on the couch with her phone in one hand and her cup of tea in the other hand. She dialed Kenji's number to give him an update.
"What's wrong?" Kenji answered the phone concerned.
"Why does something have to be wrong? I can't call you to see if you found Fawn or just to say 'hi Kenji, I miss you.'" Rin retorted.
"Oh Kami, Kenji you are rubbing off on her." A woman on the other end laughed angelically in a singsong voice.
"Sometimes that isn't a good thing. Especially when she uses it against me." Kenji said annoyed.
"…who's that?" Rin asked curiously.
"You will see when we get home…" Kenji said before being cut off by a more familiar voice.
"Make sure you are ready to go tomorrow. We will be picking you up from the Tashi Manor." Fawn growled.
"Well…that is one of the reasons I am calling…I am home…I'm not at Sesshomaru's house." Rin sighed.
"Kenji, you left Reina at Sesshomaru Tashi's house…you failed to mention that…" Fawn scolded Kenji before realization hit her, "wait a minute…your home? Reina...Kenji said you remember everything…I am sure you remember Sesshomaru…what happened?"
"Fawn, would you leave the girl alone. Stop being overbearing." The singsong woman growled.
"I am not being overbearing, Ember. She and Sesshomaru were inseparable when they were younger. She gets reunited with her best friend and she is home within a day…doesn't that seem odd to you Ember?" Fawn growled before turning her attention back to the phone, "What happened Reina…did he do something to you?"
"I rather not talk about it over the phone. Can you come home? I need to talk with you…Inu-papa…I mean Inutashio is supposed to call me soon. I want to go home…to the Taiyoukai manor…I don't have all of my memory…something is missing…like it's blocked. In addition, papa's will was never found…so his company is trying to merge. Things are happening, and I need answers." Rin said in a serious voice.
"She sounds like her Father…," the woman choked with tears mumbled aloud.
"No…she is definitely her mother…" Fawn corrected, "Ok Reina…we are heading home within the next five minutes. I will see you in the morning sweet heart."
"Ok Fawn…I will see you all in the morning." Rin said hanging up.
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"Why did she leave with Inuyasha, when she is staying the weekend with me?" Sesshomaru said getting annoyed. Inutashio was making it difficult for Sesshomaru to receive any type of answer. It was like pulling teeth.
"She feels more comfortable with Inuyasha, and correction she was staying with you. Cookie just called moments before you walked in. She is demanding to know what you did to Rin…you chased away yet another girl…and I liked that one…but I guess in this case it would be best not to get involved with that girl. Especially since, she works for your brother and all. Do not want an office scandal. Not to forget that she is a human and the Great Sesshomaru Tashi doesn't get involved with humans." Inutashio said in a serious voice.
"…" Sesshomaru did not know what to say. For once in his life, he was speechless.
"He is still here?" Inuyasha scoffed walking into the study looking at his brother with disgust.
"What do you want half-breed?" Sesshomaru growled feeling even more hatred towards his half-brother more now than he has ever felt before.
"I have something to talk to dad about. Since you are here, I can inform you on some changes happening at the office. From now on if you need something at the office, use your own damn assistant and stay away from mine. Rin has requested to work a few hours. She has been overworked…Especially with you requesting her to stay late several nights a week. I have to call Sango later and ask her to fill in for Rin. I will not be pleased if I lose my assistant cause of you Sesshomaru." Inuyasha growled.
"Inuyasha I can assure you that nothing unprofessional had happened between Rin and I. I will talk with her Monday." Sesshomaru said in his icy 'I'm not pleased' tone.
"Oh really Sesshomaru…nothing unprofessional happened. So sparring for five hours straight in your basement with a co-worker is professional. Licking your co-worker's wounds is professional. I would hate to see what you consider unprofessional behavior." Inuyasha growled, "Do us all a favor and stay away from her asshole. Follow your own rules for once and stay away from the human!"
"Enough both of you…Sesshomaru, you need to go home and face the wrath of Cookie. While I deal with your brother." Inutashio bellowed standing up from his desk.
Sesshomaru growled getting up, storming out of the study. Inutashio glared at his youngest son before saying, "Inuyasha, one of these days Sesshomaru is going to kill you, and I just might let him. You overstepped your boundaries. Rin is your employee not your ward, you have no right to tell him to stay away from her. I understand about possibly losing her due to whatever may have had happened between the two. She is a grown woman and your brother is a grown man…so you need to mind your own business."
"If anything happens to her at work I have to answer to her guardian…uh whatever her name was…"
"Fawn…you would have to answer to Fawn. Rest at ease Inuyasha, that demoness has bigger problems to deal with, and she is not here to do anything to you." Inutashio sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"That's not the point dad. If she hears what happened between Sesshomaru and Rin she will have my head as well as the ice prince. Are you going to be the one that tells her that Sesshomaru pulled the restless card on Rin and lured her to his bed? Thank Kami she played it smart and woke up before him. Then they sparred for five hours straight…he even tried to kiss her until you interrupted them. He end up saying something hurtful and broke her heart." Inuyasha growled before adding calmly, "Oh and before she kills me for not saying this now while I am thinking about it…your daughter wants you to call her."
"No I was not aware of half of that…Sesshomaru really must like that girl…he is just in denial. I know what he said that was so hurtful and I do not think he ever realized for her to hear it. Rin is a smart girl, she knows what she is doing so do not worry so much Inuyasha. I will deal with Fawn if the occasion calls for it. Now that we have that settled what does Kagome want to talk to me about and why didn't she just call me herself." Inutashio asked.
"No not Kagome…Your adopted daughter Reina Taiyoukai. You know the girl I took home. I am not as clueless as Sesshomaru. Before you even say a word, you do not have to lay threats on me. Rin has already done that, plus I am scared of the demoness she lives with." Inuyasha said plopping down in a chair.
"I am glad she laid the threats down. Whatever she had said goes double for me…I will not hesitate in being the cause of your demise in order to keep that girl safe…there is still a lot you do not understand. I do not know what is going on in that girl's head…she tells you but will not tell Sesshomaru. He has more of a right to know than you do."
"Rin said the same thing. It is probably the reason why she wants you to call her. She really wants to take it easy though…she did not seem well. I do not care who she really is…she is still my assistant and my friend. I do care about her as strictly a friend. I think there was more to her reason for leaving than what she had let on."
"Well…thanks for letting me know. I will take it from here. You go ahead, go home to your mate, and do not forget to give Sango a call. I need to find out what my darling Reina wants." Inutashio sighed leaning back in his chair.
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Rin paced around the house, feeling restless. She had done all the laundry, unpacked her stuff, and even tidied up the workout room. Exhaustion was coursing adrenaline through her body keeping her up and restless. Raw emotions ran through her mind making her as schitzie as the white rabbit from Alice in wonderland. 'Come on Rin…you have to pull yourself together.' Rin thought to herself leaning on the counter in the kitchen. She jumped up three feet when her phone buzzed scaring her half to death.
"Hello." Rin said annoyed for being scared so easily.
"You wanted me to call, sweetheart. Is everything ok? Do you want me to come over?" Inutashio said concerned.
"I'm fine Inu-papa…I am glad Inuyasha gave you my message. I need a favor." Rin said feeling a bit shy.
"What do you need?"
"I want to go home…how soon can you have the Taiyoukai manor ready for me?"
"Three weeks…with one condition…Sesshomaru comes with us."
"Fine…he comes, so does Fawn…I am feeling really restless….I feel that there is something at the manor that I need. In addition, I am feeling a bit paranoid…I really need to sort through my thoughts. Fawn is going to be here in the morning."
"Good…well I am calling from my cell. If you need me, no matter the time, just call or text me. Are you sure you do not want me to come over…it does not sound like you are all right. I will let you know when the manor will be ready. It will need a good cleaning for the return of its princess. I am sure you will fit into your mother's clothes. I will have them placed in your room. Is there anything else I can do for you, my little princess?"
"No Inu-papa…that's all I needed. Thank you. I am all right…I just need to relax and get myself together. I love you Inu-papa." Rin said in a low voice. It was clear that she was tired.
"Love you too my darling angel. You have had a very hectic forty-eight hours. Sweet dreams Reina." Inutashio smiled his voice filled with the amount of love a father could have for his daughter, before he hung up.
Rin sighed contently going into the kitchen grabbing a few small knives to sleep with in order to settle the fear she felt. Her emotions were starting to catch up with her memories, happiness, anger, love, joy, sadness, fear, and pain. Exhaustion pulled Rin into a deep slumber.
*Rin's Dream*
Rin was standing in a foggy manor as screams echoed the halls, and fire could be seen through the windows. From the looks of it she was in her childhood room. A little girl groaned from the bed, cranky from being woken up from a peaceful slumber. The little girl sat up in her bed looking right at Rin. Her dazzling green eyes locked onto Rin's. To Rin's amazement she was staring at her 8-year-old self.
"It's about time you got here. We have to move quickly, the bad demon can't get the crystal." Little Reina said jumping out of her bed fully dressed in her warm up clothes.
"I'm sorry…Fawn locked away my memories. The crystal is safe, we got away safely." Rin said not believing, that her mini-self was giving her lip.
"I know…I have been trapped in this horrible place for a very long time…not being able to grow. Constantly repeating this nightmare over and over again….Never mind the rest. You have to help me get out of here so you can start healing." Mini Reina scolded.
"How?"
"Show me the way you took…I can't find the special door. In this world I have the crystal…you don't. The crystal can't exist in two places. You must gather the courage to keep me safe or the bad demon will win and kill us."
"You are wiser beyond your years. How do you know all of this if you have been trapped in here the whole time?"
"I am you. I see every thought, and feel every emotion. Plus I have explored parts of the manor finding out information…more like your memories. You lost your will to fight with your heart. Anger clouds your ability to think clearly. I can feel you are trying to be logical as you slowly lose your sanity. Freeing me will gain something you lost back. The one thing I can agree with is that there is something missing. There is still a few locked doors…we need to open them."
"Ok Reina…let's go." Rin said taking her mini-self's hand guiding her down the hallway towards the secret passage her and fawn took to get away. Rin felt more confident knowing when to hide and when to move fast. They were almost home free when Naraku came out of nowhere. Rin shoved Reina into the passage, telling her to run and to not stop for anything.
"Do you think you can win against me little princess? I will destroy you and then destroy that child you are trying to protect. I will get the crystal." Naraku snarled, his red eyes boring holes into Rin's green ones.
"No…I will fight to the bitter end in order to give her a chance at survival." Rin growled blocking the entrance to the passage. She gripped her hands into fists, feeling something in both hands. She looked down and found two knives enclosed in her hands ready to be used.
Naraku made the mistake of attacking first. Rin dodged with ease moving swiftly planting solid kicks when she couldn't get close enough with the knives. There was a few openings and she was able to slice into his body. He growled at himself for not being on his game. Rin growled her eyes flashed red causing her to move faster making swifter hits and deeper wounds on Naraku. When he grew weak from the blood loss, he disappeared in a puff of purple mist. Rin ran down the passage finding Reina waiting nervously for her.
"What happens now? We are safe." Rin asked kneeling down looking Reina in her wide green eyes.
"I don't know…I never thought I'd make it this far. I do know you are no longer the scared little girl. I am here with you now, it is time to stop running. We are the crystal guardian and Lady of the South Western lands. It is time the world was made aware." Reina said, "Don't let your guard down."
*End of Rin's Dream*
The sound of the front door opening snapped Rin awake, and instinctly threw one of the kitchen knives. The knife whizzed in front of Kenji's face missing his nose by nearly two inches before being pierced into the door. The knife's blade went half way into the hard wood as if it was stuck in butter. Kenji's face paled looking at the knife before turning his head to a half awake Rin, who had another knife in her hand ready to throw as she rubbed her eyes with her free hand.
"What the hell did I ever do to deserve that?" Kenji exclaimed giving Rin a hurt puppy dog look.
"Oh Kenji I'm sorry…I didn't mean to throw it at you…it was just a reflex." Rin said looking at Kenji and then the knife.
"Not bad for your first knife throw Reina…I can't help but to wonder why you are sleeping on the couch with a couple of kitchen knives. They are for food not for throwing." Fawn said walking past Kenji heading over to Rin, "Yuck…you smell like that wretched dog…"
Rin rolled her eyes ignoring Fawn's comment. She just wanted to enjoy the feel of safety snuggled into Fawn's side. "I'm sorry for being such a brat…I know you have done your best with what was thrown at you." Rin whispered to Fawn.
"Reina…you were right…somewhat…I was being overbearing and protective. I didn't want to fail in protecting you like I failed protecting your mother." Fawn said hugging Rin tight, "So tell me why you were sleeping on the couch with the kitchen knives?"
"…I was scared." Rin mumbled not sure whether to tell Fawn of her discoveries, "Memories just kept flooding my mind and that horrifying night hit me really hard. I am better now…and I have made a decision…I want to go back to the Taiyoukai manor. Inutashio is having the manor prepared for my return."
"WHAT! NO! Reina you will NOT be going back to that place. I won't have it! You won't be safe there…it has already been attacked once. I can't risk you going back there." Fawn fumed holding Rin at arm length with wide eyes.
"If Reina wants to go back to the manor, you have no say about it Fawn. She is grown and no longer needs you to make decisions for her." A familiar singsong voice growled came from the doorway. Rin looked over to find a Hanyou woman with silver and blue hair with deep purple eyes.
"Ember, please don't encourage her. She needs to be kept safe…I thought you were going to side with me on things. That is the only reason I agreed to bring you here." Fawn growled back at the woman.
"Fawn…who is she?" Rin inquired.
Before Ember could answer, Fawn sighed making the introductions, "Reina…this your mother's half-sister, Ember. Ember…As you must already have guessed this is Reina…"
"I have family still alive? You kept me from them this whole time? Fawn…how could you. I mean I understand why you did…but how could you stand all the lies." Rin said stepping away from Fawn as if she was a stranger.
"It wasn't easy Rin…trust me when I say it tore her up inside, having to break promises to you and lie to you. But she did it to keep you safe." Kenji piped in from taking the knives to the kitchen.
"The past no longer matters Reina…Let's focus on the here and now. You have grown into such a beautiful woman. Your mother would be so proud of how beautiful you are….even now as a human I can still see so much of both your parents in you." Ember smiled walking to Rin's side with tears of joy in her eyes. She gently touched Rin's face in a loving motherly way before pulling her into a tight hug. "I never thought I would ever see you again baby girl."
"Well…here I am alive and well. Our bonding will have to be placed on hold. There is so much I have to do in the next few weeks, and Fawn…if I can't return to my demon form then you need to teach me how to fight with a variety of weapons. Sesshomaru doesn't know it yet…but he will be returning my father's weapons he took from the second study. My first priority is to secure the future of Taiyoikai Industry. I will be returning to the office only a few days a week for a few hours in the morning…which will only last for the next three weeks. When I return to the Taiyoukai manor, I will no longer be coming back to Tokyo. There are things I need to look for…I feel like it is waiting for me to come back for it. It's time for the Lady of the Southwestern lands to return home." Rin said with a determined look on her face telling them this was not up for discussion.
"I really have a bad feeling about this Reina…are you sure you're ready to go back to the place that haunted your nightmares?" Fawn asked concerned feeling defeated.
'Not if you finally know who caused the nightmare.' Rin thought to herself before saying, "Something is calling me back…whether or not I am ready…I feel that I must go and retrieve what was left behind. The land is calling for me…I couldn't hear it till now.'
"Airey used to say that the land spoke to her. I guess it speaks to Reina too." Ember mumbled.
"I see that I am not going to win. Fine Reina….you win. I apparently am outnumbered here. As for allowing you to become a demon again….No! Right now you are safe as a human. No one will know the truth. Ember and I will need to modify it so that it wears off by the time you are forty. You will be able to handle the magnitude of power then." Fawn tried to compromise.
"Sounds reasonable…maybe modify it so that it slowly changes her over time. This way she is not taking it all at once." Ember said agreeing with Fawn.
"And the weapon training?" Rin huffed.
"You already know hand to hand combat. I will give you a few knives to keep with you. But your training will start when we make the move to the manor. You shouldn't need to defend yourself with us around. Now that all of this is settled…I think you should spend some time getting to know your aunt. Last time she saw you, you were only a toddler before your father and I hid your demon side." Fawn smiled sadly at Rin before heading up to her room.
Rin spent the entire afternoon listening to stories about her mother and how they were so much alike. It made Rin happy and has that feeling of being closer to her mother. Kenji dropped in on their conversation every now and then sending Ember into a tizzy.
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A/N: Ok….i am going to stop right there. I will have another chapter in a week or so. Sorry for the extremely LONG wait. I REALLY REALLY REALLY need your input so I know if I lost my touch or not. Plus….i want you all to tell me….do you want a small lemon before Sesshomaru finds out Rin is his friend Reina or after he finds out who Rin really is. Your answers will determine how long the next chapter will be.
-Kagome7304