Chapter 11
An Unexpected Surprise
"Kagome," Sango bid excitedly a few weeks later as she pointed out Kohaku and Rin in the distance, holding hands together. "What if they get married?" she squealed in a hush.
Kagome glanced up casually. She found Kohaku and Rin far ahead of them, heading toward the edge of the forest, obviously to train together. The two had been laughing and teasing each other more than sparring lately.
The priestess pulled her gaze away from the teenagers and continued helping her best friend take down laundry from the line in front of Sango's house.
"That would be really adorable," Kagome agreed partially. She wasn't really sure how to react honestly. Mostly she was glad Rin was back to her old self after Sesshomaru's rejection.
"I was Rin's age when I married Miroku," Sango added eloquently.
Kagome looked over at Sango worriedly. The demon slayer didn't have a clue what happened to Rin. No one did. Kagome swore not to tell a soul—and she never would.
Sango went on, oblivious, "They're both really distracted by each other. They're obviously more interested in each other than their own goals right now."
Kagome knew that was true. She glanced back at the doting couple, innocently flirting in the distance by the woods, practicing their forms now that they had stopped walking. Rin hadn't brought up her arrangements for traveling with Sesshomaru again—once—since Kaede's death a little over two months ago, and Kohaku hadn't even started his plans for rebuilding the demon slayer village regardless of that being his only intention for returning. All they ever did was hang out with each other.
Kagome was very happy about that—mostly for Rin's sake. The priestess felt so bad after she encouraged Rin to confess her love to the dog-demon, failing to prepare her for the possible outcomes of disappointment (which ended up happening). She forgot about Sesshomaru's prodigious pride under all of her sisterly, wishful daydreams for Rin's happily ever after with him—and then she just sent her off smiling. She felt unavoidably guilty for that, but this relationship with Kohaku seemed to be exactly what the girl needed. Rin's cheerful personality had returned and Kohaku seemed to fill that hole Sesshomaru left in her.
"If you ask me, they're hella annoying," Inuyasha was suddenly next to them, cradling his baby Hisae in his arms.
The two women glanced over at him as he seemed to appear out of nowhere—but they knew he came from inside the house. He must have been outside with them for awhile though, considering his unabashed inclination to comment on their conversation. After they gave him a once-over, Kagome waltzed over happily to take her baby from him.
Inuyasha carefully passed the cooing child off to his wife, then formed an irritated scowl on his brow as he focused on Kohaku and Rin near the edge of the forest, laughing loudly, nudging each other playfully as they practiced with poles.
"Aw, come on, Inuyasha," Sango caught his disapproving glare. "You have to approve of them a little bit—don't you agree they make sense together?"
He huffed a tired sigh of surrender. "I guess Kohaku is distracting Rin from leaving the village permanently with my bastard of a brother—so I approve."
Sango puffed out a chuckle at his bias.
Miroku came out next—the noise of the children filling the yard as he made his presence known—then he closed the front door behind him, silencing the commotion. Everyone looked at the monk with anticipating curiosity, waiting for an acknowledgment or greeting, but he merely gazed at the young man and woman in the distance practicing together.
"Rin would make a fine addition to the family," he shared his thoughts cordially and everyone wondered how he knew what in the world they were talking about when he wasn't even out here moments before. "The children would simply rejoice if she became their aunt—and I know Sango can't think of anyone better to be her sister-in-law," he said approvingly.
The female demon slayer tilted her head guiltily. "It's true…" she admitted calmly but jubilantly. "I don't know what I'd do without her—and I know she gets Kohaku." Sango knew Rin was the only girl from Kohaku's childhood that understood everything that happened to him.
Everyone nodded in agreement then Sango accused her husband of listening in on her conversation. Miroku threw the blame at Inuyasha for doing the same thing, but Sango ignored them, continuing to fawn over how cute and adorable she thought her brother and Rin were.
Suddenly, Sachio came out of the house.
"Dad!" the quarter-demon hollered out the door and all the adults turned to him. "I still can't find the thing you hid!" his little toddler voice chimed.
Inuyasha scoffed in dubiousness. "What? I didn't hide it that hard. You should have been able to sniff it out already."
"Well, it's really small!" Sachio countered.
"Alright," Inuyasha surrendered. "I'll come help you." He took baby Hisae back from Kagome's arms then returned inside the house with Sachio.
"You know," Sango started to say to Kagome after they left, "it's really cute how Inuyasha plays those hunting games with him."
"I know," Kagome agreed smilingly. "Sachio's hearing and smelling senses have gotten so much better lately. Yesterday, Inuyasha was playing that game with him in the forest and he found so many creatures and things. I'm wondering if he can't find this item because Inuyasha hid it in a covered pot or something."
Meanwhile, Kohaku was praising Rin's current sword swinging near the billowing woods that hovered behind them. Kohaku was loving the difference in Rin's abilities since he started training with her. He couldn't help but tell her that.
"You're doing so much better, Rin," Kohaku regarded honestly. "I can't believe the progress you've made in just a month and a half."
Rin slightly bowed with chipper levity. "Only because of my excellent sensei," she popped her head back up with a shy smile. "You're doing so much better with a bow—" she countered the compliment, "ever since I started teaching you what Kagome taught me."
Kohaku grinned amiably.
Rin's clear enthusiasm seemed to glow with his good mood.
There was no denying they were happy together.
"Let's go cool off in the river," Rin suggested, nudging her head in its direction.
"Yeah," he agreed readily.
"You better pack up your boyfriend and go find my brother. He's on his way," Inuyasha told Rin effortlessly the next day when he followed her scent and found her and Kohaku wandering the village together.
Rin froze in embarrassment, her cheeks reddening, as she glanced at demon slayer warily. He didn't seem to mind the title Inuyasha just bestowed upon him so freely.
Unaffected, Kohaku turned to her. "Well, alright then. Let's go find Lord Sesshomaru," he told her enthusiastically. He wore a casual kimono today, tucked into a light gray hakama.
Rin was flattered he didn't mind at all; in fact, he actually seemed to like it. "Yeah," she smiled intently then spiritedly took his hand, leading the way.
Inuyasha disappeared into the crowds.
Holding hands came easily to Kohaku and Rin; they just started doing it a few days ago. At this point, Rin was positive Kohaku wanted to be her boyfriend; it just hadn't been said yet. She wondered when it would be, and she really hoped soon. She liked him a lot.
When they reached the top of the hill displaying the usually-inactive dirt road Sesshomaru always met her on down below them, she instinctively dropped Kohaku's hand as if it were some sort of crime holding it in front of the dog-demon.
Kohaku didn't seem to notice—it felt like a natural release instead of an edgy reaction—but Rin felt silly for doing it. There was no reason to feel uncomfortable. The thought of holding hands in front of Sesshomaru made her feel like she was making some sort of embarrassing statement.
They headed down the crest of the hill, to that road that left the outskirts of town, and seeing Sesshomaru right then made Rin's stomach burst with exhilaration. To her relief, her heart remained tame—so Sesshomaru couldn't hear her excitement, and definitely not Jaken or A-Un—but she was reminded right then just how much she was still attracted to him.
That wasn't a shock however (she already knew), the problem was he wasn't attracted her.
She never stood a chance.
In an unfortunate addition, she was also attracted to Kohaku—but the situation wasn't complicated (liking two men) because she didn't have to choose between them. She was going to be with Kohaku.
She wasn't going to let any of this drive her to act differently than she always did around them.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin greeted brightly as she made her way up to him and Jaken.
Sesshomaru already sensed Rin approaching long before she appeared—with a certain demon slayer unmistakably secured by her side.
He drew his brows together in discontent. There was a disagreeable pattern forming. Kohaku was undeniably going to be accompanying Rin whenever the he visited her from now on.
Irritating, Sesshomaru pondered dangerously.
He wasn't sure why it bothered him—it wasn't like Kohaku had never been around them before. He was already used to the demon slayer being a part of their usual company. However, the human's involvement in his personal visits with Rin somehow annoyed him. He felt a slight aversion toward him now (though he felt nothing personally against him) like he was encroaching on his territory.
That boy was sure to exceed his welcome very, very soon.
Worse, Rin said, "Lord Sesshomaru? Can we stay here today? I want to hang out in the forest."
The request irked him. This was the third time she rejected a trip with him, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last. There was no real reason for her to remain in the village now that the hardest part of her mourning for Kaede was over, and he still expected her to travel with him again now that things were normal between them. If she wasn't ready to go on their journey yet, and Kaede's death wasn't bothering her anymore, he didn't understand why she would want to forgo her usual trips with him just to hang out in the forest.
He knew the answer was glaringly obvious.
She just didn't want to leave Kohaku.
Sesshomaru wasn't ignorant of the relationship going on between the two. It was evident, even with his one mere visit since Kohaku's return.
They were enamored by each other. (Further confirming Sesshomaru's suspicions that she was never actually in love with him.)
On a normal day, he'd think nothing of it—part of Rin living a normal human life would be finding a human mate—but now that it was happening right in front of him, he felt abnormally vexed by it.
The dog-demon agreed without attachment, "Very well." He headed toward the forest without any expression whatsoever.
Jaken and A-Un followed.
Sesshomaru was agitating himself feeling this way. This had nothing to do with himself. He had no idea why this change in routine with Rin ruffled him so much. He wasn't used to having someone else between them, but now that there was, he didn't like that it was Kohaku.
He knew he should have felt similar feelings back when all of them actually were traveling together—but he simply ignored Kohaku for the most part, telling him not to get in the way, and expecting him to watch over Rin when he couldn't—but this? Sesshomaru didn't like this. It felt intrusive. Other than the fact Kohaku and Rin were older now, there wasn't any reason he should feel differently about this—but he did. These two weren't just friends anymore. They were "together".
The thought of another man with Rin suddenly piqued his temper—this girl he spent so much time with, studying, understanding, protecting. To him, she was untouchable. It didn't feel right for anybody else to touch her. Not that he was going to touch her like that…so why did he care?
He realized he was acting much too possessively.
Rin wasn't his.
Sesshomaru glanced up and became aware they were already in the clearing. He didn't notice how much time had passed since they started walking. He was thinking too much about her.
He began to sit in his usual spot when he caught a glimpse of Rin making her rounds with Kohaku to Jaken and A-Un. What brought him back to his surroundings was the sound of her voice.
"Lord Sesshomaru," she chimed his name.
He didn't turn to her. He didn't have to see her face to hear the smile on it.
"You're so talkative today," she teased him in a modest manner, though smirking with intentional humor. She knew he was never talkative.
He responded with one of his usual glances of apathy. He was furtively sulking.
She smiled once again—a bright, closed-eyed grin, the kind that she only gave him—and then she went back to Kohaku.
Sesshomaru watched her—joyful and beaming, talking to Jaken who was basically ignoring them atop of A-Un's saddle—and the dog-demon found himself lost in thought of her again.
In a few short years, Rin would be a fully grown human—appearing even older than he was. He mentally acknowledged that one day soon she would grow old and die, just like all humans. He felt a deep twinge through his chest…to his heart.
Why were humans so short-lived?
He didn't know what to expect. He wasn't prepared for Rin to age this fast. This had always been out of his control.
Moreover, human adults were not like Rin. They were fickle, fearful, and full of doubt. She was nothing but joy and laughter, pure love and kindness. Would the Rin he knew now be one day lost to him forever? Would she still laugh and talk loudly as she aged? Say and do the innocent things she did? Would she lose that ignorant innocence that allowed her to so willfully stay around him without fear? Was she going to realize how foolish she was for ever following him around in the first place?
He had always been fascinated by the fact she should fear him but she never did. He didn't do anything to display he was kind. He put on a scary act with his intimidating presence and she was the one that decided she wasn't afraid of him. Now he couldn't imagine his life without her. He worried that as she stepped into the bounds of human devotions, she was going to forget her ties to the demon world. Specifically, himself. Procuring such cowardly emotions toward losing her was confusing him. Why did he feel such a way? It shouldn't matter. She was just one human girl.
He came back to reality when he saw Kohaku touch her hand. The two were soon quickly mocking each other in hushed tones on a fallen tree trunk. Sesshomaru could hear their whispers, very clearly, about the stupid things they did during practice today. It annoyed him that they were so openly engrossed in each other in front of him. He narrowed his eyes further under his apathetic resting face.
Kohaku brushed a strand of her hair away from her face, and then he just stared into her eyes.
"Rin," Sesshomaru called her over, suddenly.
Rin popped her head up to her name.
Sesshomaru caught her eyes and held it there, showing her he wanted her to come near.
She whispered to Kohaku with a playful grin, "Hold on a minute."
Rin approached Sesshomaru perkily, always excited to be acknowledged by him, and the dog-demon watched her the whole way, even as she stood before him with a peppy smile and hands behind her back. "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru?"
Sesshomaru turned into the forest and honestly didn't even know why he called her over.
"Let's go for a walk," he said as he took A-Un's reigns with Jaken on top and began going.
Rin turned over her shoulder and called to Kohaku, "I'll be right back, okay? I'm going on a walk with Lord Sesshomaru!"
The demon slayer waved her off.
Sesshomaru ambled through the woods with Rin in tow, realizing he'd never done something like this before. He always let Rin do what she wanted during their visits; he never asked her to do something with him. The most he'd ever do was let her know when they were leaving while they were traveling, or tell her to stay put because of danger.
He wondered if she suspected anything now, but she wore that chipper, active smile, happily talking to A-Un, teasing a barely awake Jaken dozing off on the saddle. She didn't seem to notice the anomaly at all.
Sesshomaru realized he coveted the days when her devotions were set solely on him. He supposed that was why he called her over. He wanted all of her attention on himself.
Rin was older now, and had lived in this village without him for many years. She had many devotions set on multiple people to this day.
He knew he should not interfere. This was how it should be. He would only continue to let her do as she pleased.
Even at this moment, he could tell she was daydreaming about other things as she stared up at the treetops while they walked. He wanted her to dote on him.
He told himself to never do this again—no matter how strongly the urge came.
Rin only assumed he called her over for one last walk before he left on his journey—and that was precisely what he made it out to be.
"Farewell," Sesshomaru bid as he stopped walking in the middle of the forest. "Don't do anything foolish."
Rin didn't catch his true connotation in that.
She smiled him off. "Alright. Goodbye, Lord Sesshomaru," she called after him as he flew off with A-Un and Jaken. "It was good to see you!"
Rin watched him disappear into the clouds, refreshed by that simple visit. He came a week earlier than usual, probably to make up for his late arrival last time (not that multiple visits in a month were abnormal for him.)
She was proud of herself for not feeling absolutely head over heels for him again. She was still in love with him, but she was training herself to move on. Rin glanced back in Kohaku's direction and knew she was already almost there.
She beamed at the thought of this young human man always by her side as she returned to her place next to him. She told Kohaku about Sesshomaru's departure and then the two headed back to the village, hand-in-hand.
"How many kids do you want, Rin?" Sango asked Rin later that day while they were bathing in the bathhouse—the same one Kagome forced Inuyasha to build after that incident with Koga at the river a couple years back. It was built with the help of many of the villagers. It was a communal building. The village women especially liked to take it over during their time of the month. Sango, Kagome, and Rin came today because they liked to use it as many times as they could every week.
"Oh, I want a big family—just like you, Sango," Rin smiled, deeply idolizing the woman. "Four kids."
Sango touched her collarbone. "Aw…" she was flattered. "You know, Miroku and I are planning on having at least two more."
Rin opened her mouth. "Really? ?"
"Yeah. I've always wanted that—and Miroku's just so relieved he won't be passing on his Wind Tunnel curse anymore, that he wants to have as many kids as he can." Then she added, "And just like Kohaku, I want to start rebuilding our lost clan."
Kagome acknowledged this and Rin ogled Sango with admiration.
Kagome gave her input. "Inuyasha and I are good with two," she sighed, knowing she didn't have as interesting of an answer as her friends. "He doesn't really care how many kids we have, and I come from a family of two siblings, so that seems good to me." Then she realized, "I mean, so does Inuyasha…but he doesn't get along well with his brother."
Rin and Kagome gave each other a quick, mutual glance, contemplating the potential for Sesshomaru and Inuyasha to have a better relationship in the future.
"Honestly, I don't know how you do it," Kagome turned to her best friend with respect and praise. "You have so many kids, Sango, but you're still a domestic goddess."
Under a doubtful smirk, Sango raised her brows in modest surprise. Gathering herself, she winked. "Well, the trick is to get the older ones to help with the younger ones. Toshie and Rena are such good girls and even better sisters. Plus I have Rin! She's the real goddess." The demon slayer deliberately glanced at the teenager across the large wooden tub.
Rin covered her face, slumping father down into the hot water. "Stop it, Sango—no I'm not!"
The older girls chuckled at her shyness and Sango splashed her a little bit with playfulness.
Rin peeked back up at them, finding it so compelling to have these two beautiful women to look up to—beautiful with their own experiences and battle scars.
Kagome had scars on her arms from the times Inuyasha had attacked her when possessed by his demon blood, and then she had a scar on her torso from when the Sacred Jewel was cut from her side. Sango's biggest whammy was the scar on her back shoulder—the one Kohaku had stabbed into her when he was possessed by Naraku and had murdered their father and clansmen. It was a prominent scar, and had been reopened by Magatsuhi when he reanimated Kohaku to stab her there again, not long before their final battle with Naraku. Rin was sure it was something Sango would never forget—but these two women were still strong and confident and beautiful, regardless of these scars, with loved ones and families they started on their own. The 16-year-old admired them so much. They were definitely not like the traditional women of this time; they were mothers and warriors.
Rin regarded the scar of her own—the one she received when those bandits attacked her back when she was 12. It wasn't something she was proud of. The incident was terrifying and alarming, and she was completely helpless at the time. Sesshomaru had to save her. Those men had sliced open her upper arm with a knife and left quite a cut, but Kagome helped her with the wound and it healed fantastically. It wasn't even visible unless someone looked really close; only then could the faint line of the scar be seen.
"So!" Sango started to say when Rin was brought back to the company around her. "How are things going with you and Kohaku?"
Rin smirked embarrassedly with a light blush—though eager to share. "Really well, thank you," she admitted. "I really like him a lot…" she said softer, grinning down at the water.
"I've noticed," Sango assured with a confident smile. She knew Rin was so happy lately. Everyone could see this, even Inuyasha, and Sango absolutely loved what was going on between her and her brother. "Every night Kohaku comes home, he's smiling like an idiot. He really likes you, too."
Rin simpered broadly at the water. That made her feel really good. She didn't know how he felt when she wasn't around, so she was excited to hear he seemed just as smitten as she was.
Sango remembered, just over three months ago, asking Rin if she wanted to settle down and start a family, but the young woman told her she wanted to wait a few years. Sango could see Kohaku was changing her mind in that—judging from the lovestruck smile on Rin's face.
Suddenly, a village woman popped her head inside from the outer hallway. "High Priestess?"
The three women in the wooden tub glanced over.
"Lady Kagome, there you are," the woman entered all the way into the bathhouse and bowed. "You are needed urgently. There seems to be a minor altercation between some villagers and we need your guidance and iron-fist."
Kagome glanced at Sango and Rin apologetically, then nodded sagely at the woman. "Tell them I'll be right out. I'm coming."
Neither Sango nor Rin were used to people seeking out Kagome's leadership, especially not calling her "High Priestess". They watched their friend get dressed and leave to go help with the problem and wondered, as time went on, if the need for Kagome would only rise. She was already very much the matriarch of town—just as Kaede had intended. They were sure her role would only grow as more difficulties arrived.
"Alright. Let's see how well you can do that move we've been working on," Kohaku encouraged a few weeks later while training Rin. He wore his demon slayer armor today.
It had been a while since Rin did this move in front of him. She was only at the phase of practicing it with a pole and she was still an amateur. "Alright—but don't laugh," she loosened her shoulders, preparing. "I'm not amazing like you."
Kohaku looked at her so sincerely. "I would never laugh at you," he said solemnly.
She blushed at his seriousness. His look was so meaningful right then. Gathering herself, she took hold of the pole and prepared to show him her progress so far.
Once she began, she kept hitting her hand (which was exactly why it was important to practice with a pole first before using a sword), so she had to start over a few times.
Kohaku coached her smoothly throughout, and then, she was actually able to do it once without messing up.
"Wow! I did it!" she stood there beaming, filled with pumping adrenaline now that she had done it right.
"Now never tell me you're not amazing again," he reproached smilingly.
She giggled at his tenacity and then he was just looking at her.
He spoke in the stillness of the two of them standing there.
"Forgive me for staring, but you are beautiful, Rin," he said earnestly.
Rin wasn't prepared for that compliment. They were all alone in the woods together. She simpered in a blush, casually glancing off to the side.
That was the first time he called her beautiful since the day he first arrived at the village. Back then, he said it so casually when he greeted her, but now it meant a lot more. It felt more affectionate.
Rin didn't know what to say. She was flushing a rosy glow, and it was happening so often lately because of him. "Thank you, Kohaku…" she coyly glanced up at him.
They held each other's gaze for a moment, Kohaku curling the corner of his closed mouth in the calmness.
The silence rolled on, and Rin decided to say something.
"Kohaku, I have to tell you," she stepped closer to him with eagerness. She set her forehead against his shoulder, placing the flats of her hands to his chest. "I feel so safe with you."
He gradually accepted her body and put his arms around her with meaning. He felt elated by the words she said.
"I've always felt safe with you—even back when Naraku was still alive," she explained with emotion, filling with overwhelming gratitude toward him. "You always protected me when you could." She wrapped her arms around him to return the embrace he was giving her. "You always protected me—even at the risk of your own life. You always thought of my needs before yours."
He crookedly smiled down at the choked up girl in his arms. "Well, of course, Rin," he said calmly, brushing her bangs out of her eyes when she looked up at him. "I had to protect you. You were young, and not as strong as you are now." He chuckled a little, tilting his face into hers. "I would still protect you just the same—even now."
Rin let out a sigh of contentment, looking up at his face close to hers with a comforted grin. "…I know," she simpered confidently.
While staring into his eyes, she wondered if he ever thought about kissing her. With a fleeting moment of adoration, she watched him, hopeful for this, and then he carefully release her with warmth.
She felt a little disappointed by the retraction, but she tried not to think about it.
She refocused her mind to get back to training with him.
"Now…" he welcomed readily, "show me that move again."
Rin nodded, prepping her stance.
She hoped the moment would come again later.
Sesshomaru returned the next day—right at his usual three week interval. Jaken and A-Un were in tow.
When the dog-demon met up with Rin in the road, he found himself sorely disappointed when the girl approached with Kohaku. His chest filled with aggravation but he ignored the discomfort with a glare.
He couldn't ignore the bothersome feeling for long, because Rin asked to stay in the village again today, failing to partake in another one of their trips. He expected himself to feel unconcerned toward her request, but he didn't—he felt displeasure.
It was clear she couldn't stand to leave Kohaku for even one day.
The thought deeply disturbed him.
In the road, Kohaku—in casual clothes—turned to Rin and told her, "I'll meet up with you later; I have a surprise for you." He whispered it, obviously trying not to let the dog-demon hear, but Sesshomaru heard every word of it very easily.
What irked him most was when Rin blushed. He wanted Kohaku away from her right then and was so relieved when he was. He was annoyed with himself for feeling so possessive, but he couldn't help it. It came without warning.
He watched the demon slayer walk away, making sure he actually left, and suddenly, Sesshomaru realized he was all alone with Rin.
She wasn't speaking, and the dog-demon wasn't sure when she would. In times like this, he wondered what she was thinking. She usually started their conversations.
In the silence, he took a moment to ask himself why he cared so much. The amount of Rin's attention he could attain lately seemed so important to him. The desire was superfluous, but when Kohaku left, he couldn't help but feel satisfied. He had Rin was all to himself and no one else would interrupt.
He could see her staring off quietly in the direction Kohaku left, smiling to herself. She looked so distracted, even when the demon slayer was gone. Sesshomaru didn't like it.
At this point, he couldn't wait for her to speak—it was too unnerving to let her think freely of Kohaku—so he spoke first.
"…How…has my sword been treating you," he asked evenly.
Rin glanced up at him, pleasantly surprised by the examining question. She gave him that same simpering blush she just gave Kohaku moments ago.
It made Sesshomaru feel silently triumphant.
"Can I show you?" Rin asked modestly, but excited.
Sesshomaru shocked himself with the satisfaction he felt from her reaction. "If you wish," he responded calmly.
He was beginning to realize he was getting high off of her happiness.
Rin continued to grin to herself. She knew it wasn't often Sesshomaru asked direct questions like that, and she was even more astounded by how eager she was to show off to him. She knew it was because of the feelings she was trying not to have for him.
"Let me show you what I've been learning since Kohaku arrived," Rin enthused.
Determinedly, she grabbed Sesshomaru's hand and started treading for the clearing, feeling the edges of his claws clink together against her palm. She quickly dropped his hand though, knowing he didn't like to be strung along. She just wanted to show him which direction she was leaving.
Sesshomaru found himself unnaturally dissatisfied when she let go of his hand.
Rin strut into the clearing with purpose and unsheathed the sword on her back. She turned around to Sesshomaru silently standing there.
His expression was unreadable, but he kept his gaze on her.
She noticed he left Jaken and A-Un behind on the road.
She smirked. "Okay, so I'm not very good…" she warned before she began, "but watch what I can do with your sword."
Rin began her sword dance, spinning the blade in her hand skillfully, executing the forms she had been practicing so perfectly lately…but with a nonlethal pole under Kohaku's watchful eye.
Hoping to show off with the actual sword was a mistake. It was weighted differently than the wooden pole, and she hadn't transitioned to the actual blade yet at all. What she was nervous about happened. She sliced her hand.
"Nnh…ow," Rin groaned after she artfully finished her dance, replacing her sword on her back, and carefully brought her injured hand to the front of her face.
Assessing the damage, she slightly moaned again, "I do need more practice though." She was bleeding pretty badly.
Rin looked up from her hand and saw Sesshomaru already standing over her. Her heart jumped. He moved so silently across the field, just as he always did, probably as instantly as he smelled her blood.
His silver hair fell over his shoulder as he leaned down to get a better look. He examined her cut with an aloof expression of indifference. He took her hurt palm in his big clawed hand and leaned closer.
Rin let him, knowing exactly what he was about to do next. It had been years since the last time she cut herself in front of him, but she remembered.
With heavy breathing of anticipation, she watched Sesshomaru in a stunned daze as he leaned down to her bleeding palm, and carefully licked her cut.
Rin couldn't handle the pounding in her heart that caused right then. She knew he wasn't doing anything different than he had before. This was just him being his normal dog-demon self. It was something he always did for her when she got hurt as a child—but right now, being a fully grown 16-year-old, it was so seductive.
She stared at the tops of his lashes when his tongue brushed along the cut, so entranced by the thought that he knew the taste of her blood—could even recognize the scent of it. Knowing he knew something so intimate about the makeup of her body made Rin go through shudders.
Sesshomaru wasn't ignorant. He noticed it. He entered a state of inexplicable pride at the rate he just sent Rin's heart flying when he licked her hand—so he did it again.
He slid his tongue along the cut one more time, fully cleaning it off. He savored her heartbeat, going as slowly as possible.
What was he doing? This shouldn't be appealing to him—but he wasn't expecting her reaction to such a simple act, either. Did he really affect her so easily? It made him feel invincible.
Rin stared at the the crown of his head, his face so close to hers—if only he looked up, he would be nearly nose-to-nose with her.
Instead, Sesshomaru straightened, standing to his full height. He looked down at her. His expression was cool and collected. Hers, on the other hand, was unreadable and questionable. It seemed like a mixture of shock and unpreparedness, but it didn't look like discomfort to him. He was satisfied by that.
Rin couldn't breathe. She felt the most concerned expression ever form on her face, feeling so embarrassed. She knew there was no way he missed the beating of her heart. It was still fluttering out of control, stronger than it ever had in front of him. It was definitely audible to his ears, and he was just staring at her.
The steady gaze of his serious golden eyes was really hard to handle right now.
"You should get that taken care of," he enunciated calmly.
Rin stared at him and couldn't say anything. She didn't want him to think she was still hung up on him. This situation wouldn't have been any different if she wasn't still in love with him. Now it felt like so much more.
Without letting go of her hand, Sesshomaru twitched his head in the other direction and glared. He heard something. He smelled something.
Rin immediately recognized the response. He sensed danger.
As soon as Sesshomaru discerned the situation, he scooped Rin up into his arms and swiftly jumped into the sky above the trees.
Quick as it was, it made Rin's heart jump. "Is it close?" She was startled. He never picked her up unless the danger was near.
"No," he informed her flatly.
She wondered why he picked her up. Normally he left her where she stood to go fly off and eliminate a threat—far may it be.
Sesshomaru glowered at the ground. He realized his actions were strange. Danger was not nearby. It was keeping its distance. Why did he pick her up? Did he only want to touch her? He headed toward the village.
"Stay with Kohaku until I come back," he said to make it less odd that he scooped her up so unnecessarily. That much was true—he wanted her to be safe in the meantime.
Rin nodded, clinging to the shoulders of his kimono as she gaped down at the ground far below them.
She knew it took both of his arms to properly carry her frame at ease now that she was fully grown. She wasn't that little girl he could carry with one arm anymore—at least, it wouldn't be comfortable. He held her now with one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders.
Sesshomaru landed at the edge of town, next to A-Un and Jaken, and set her down to her feet. When Rin let go she realized she left a bloody palm print on the white fabric of his shoulder. She would have apologized for it, but she knew his attire was demon-made and fixed itself with demonic aura.
"Goodbye," she smiled softly, thinking gladly that this interruption distracted him from her flustered moment earlier.
"Hn," he grunted and jumped back into the sky and flew away.
"Are you guys done yet?" Jaken asked suddenly, on top of A-Un's saddle, staring up at the sky with boredom on his back.
Rin pursed her lips apologetically. "Sorry, Master Jaken, but we're not. Don't you know that?"
"Uhhg…" he groaned as he rolled over on his side as if he wanted to die.
Rin turned from him, smirking unsurely at his reaction. She took a deep, sobering breath, regarding her episode from earlier. She had to focus when she was around Sesshomaru. She couldn't slip up like that again. She waltzed back into the village to find Kagome to help her with this cut.
"Oh, what happened to your hand?" Kohaku asked when he found Rin coming back from Kagome's house.
Rin smiled embarrassedly. "Um, yeah… Would you believe that I tried that move you've been teaching me…with my actual sword?"
Kohaku exhaled a chuckle, shaking his head at the ground. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. I'm sure you could have done it on your own…but maybe wait for my coaching next time."
Rin laughed with sheepish irony. "I know. It was stupid." She lifted her bandaged hand, flipping her palm back and forth to look at it.
"Did Sesshomaru leave?" he asked.
"Not exactly," she explained. "He went off to kill some demons. He thinks he's being sneaky about it, but I know what he's really up to. The fact that he's still gone means he's doing one of his 'subtle' perimeter checks. It doesn't take him this long to kill a couple of lesser demons. What he's actually doing is checking the entire area around the village for more."
Kohaku grinned in humor. "Nice—so you have some time?"
"Sure. He'll probably be another 20 minutes," Rin rolled her head back in the direction Sesshomaru left to check.
"Great," Kohaku grinned flirtatiously then walked up next to her, "I only need 10."
"Oh—?" Rin tilted her head with a curious smile. "What for?"
"Can I take you somewhere?" he asked politely, holding his hand out for her to take. "I want to show you something."
Rin beamed brightly then held his hand. She followed his lead into the woods as he guided her through the dense foliage.
She felt so special that he would try and surprise her. She wondered what he had in mind. He took her on walks through the forest quite regularly, where sometimes they'd stop at a pond or the river and practice, but today it seemed he was doing something different.
Sesshomaru slaughtered all those demons—then just to make sure, he did a massive perimeter check, miles out, to ensure there weren't anymore hiding out underground or in the hills around the village. He didn't find any hordes, but he had hurried the inspection, finishing earlier than usual.
He realized it was because he was anxious to be by Rin.
He halted these disagreeable feelings, reminding himself this unusual behavior was unacceptable.
When he regained his customary apathy, he flew through the sky above the forest by the village in search of Rin's location. He would finish this visit without anymore aberrant thoughts.
He followed her scent from the sky and found her. She was in the forest with Kohaku. He knew he shouldn't feel irritated by that—because he told her to stay with the demon slayer—but he did.
Suddenly, he was thinking of more ways to win over Rin's attention. He caught himself in displeasure and ceased the desperate thoughts.
He neared the couple from the sky then silently landed in the woods several yards away from them. He didn't intend for them to see him just yet. He planned to gauge their situation before he interrupted it. It was easy to land in front of Rin when she was alone, but with these two obviously seeking privacy, it didn't behoove him to awkwardly land in the middle of it. Not that he cared what anyone else felt. He could walk in anywhere and be the center of attention—but he didn't want Rin to feel uncomfortable.
He could hear their voices pretty far in the distance. He broke through the trees to get closer, and when he did, he hit a massive clearing of white, pink, and magenta cosmos flowers—smelling them before he arrived at them.
Once he saw their significance and beauty, he immediately realized what was going on.
Kohaku was taking her here to enamor her.
This idea severely bothered him.
He could hear their voices coming closer—deciphering their conversation as they neared him. He stepped back into the shadows, not ready to be caught by them. He watched the couple stoically before they entered the clearing. He remained hidden from their view, discreetly concealed behind the shadows of the trees, glaring in their direction. If he moved, he knew they would see him.
"Okay. Close your eyes," Kohaku told Rin before they broke through the trees all the way across the clearing from Sesshomaru. The demon slayer took her bandaged hand to her face to cover her eyes and kept hold of her other hand to guide her.
Something like resentment filled Sesshomaru.
Rin replied with a keen simper. "Alright…"
"Okay, it's just a few more steps." Kohaku guided her through the last bit of trees and shrubs, then led her into the middle of the clearing. When the demon slayer stopped, he let go of her hand.
"Are you peeking?" he asked her, waving his hand in front of her face.
"No," she promised with an entertained smile, her hand still covering her eyes.
Sesshomaru disapproved of her reaction. Listening to the soft, sweet lilt of her familiar voice speaking to Kohaku so pleasantly made the dog-demon stoically cringe in distaste.
"Alright…then, open," Kohaku instructed.
Something hard hit Sesshomaru right then as he watched Rin's expression turn to blissful surprise. She realized she was standing right smack in the middle of this massive, beautiful clearing of cosmos. It deeply upset him when Rin smiled like that for Kohaku. He didn't like the way the demon slayer looked so kindly at her. He didn't like their closeness.
Rin was looking all around, gasping in adoration. "This place is beautiful, Kohaku! How did you…?" she turned to him. "When did you find this?"
"I found it a few days ago after one of our practices—during some exploring," he explained, putting a hand behind his head bashfully.
Sesshomaru watched with unrest, pressing his brows together in challenging disapproval.
Kohaku stepped up to Rin and took her hand again, carefully helping her down to the bed of flowers to sit next to each other.
Sesshomaru stepped forward, narrowing his eyes in annoyance as he leaned closer within the shadows that were hiding him. Realizing his eagerness, he stopped. It wasn't like he was interested in Rin himself. This shouldn't be provoking him.
Kohaku picked a stem of floras and handed them to her. She took the flowers happily and smelled the scent of the petals.
"I thought of you when I found this place," Kohaku said as he put his hand to her lower back.
It roiled Sesshomaru that he was touching her like that.
Rin's eyes grew brighter at what the demon slayer just said. "Kohaku…" she breathed out, completely flattered.
Rin's adamant delight swathed Sesshomaru with aggravation. When Kohaku told her things that made her flush, rage consumed him—but he dropped his gaze on the two, suddenly becoming too prideful to care.
Convincing himself he should just leave already, Sesshomaru about turned around to go when Kohaku leaned against Rin's side and was suddenly too close to her.
Sesshomaru watched with outrage.
The demon slayer tilted his face into hers and then kissed her.
Sesshomaru could not tear his eyes away as his gut was twisted into the most unpleasant knot he had ever experienced in his entire life. He glared unrelentingly at the scene, inhaling a deep, controlled breath.
Rin's eyes, wide in surprise, bright with gratitude, closed as she gently held the kiss in return.
Sesshomaru filled with an emotion so ill at ease seeing the pleasure in her eyes. It engulfed his mind furiously. She was too pleased with Kohaku. The very real thought that she could belong to somebody else made his chest tighten painfully, balking him. Impulsively, he wanted Rin to be his. He wanted what Rin said to him over two months ago about loving him to be true.
He was sure this was Rin's first kiss, and she certainly didn't seem to mind receiving it from Kohaku. Sesshomaru detested it. It severely angered him to have witnessed this.
What the couple didn't notice was the dog-demon inconspicuously in the background, hidden behind the shadows of the trees.
Kohaku caught him first.
"Uh…" Kohaku smirked at Rin sheepishly after he pulled away from their kiss. "Is that…?" He looked past her, embarrassed.
Kohaku felt instant intimidation by the unapologetic glower he was receiving from Sesshomaru—so apathetic, so unashamed, so unreadable. He had no idea what the dog-demon was thinking under those judgmentally relentless eyes staring the two down so unyieldingly. Little did Kohaku know Sesshomaru was seething on the inside under his still, calm composure.
Rin turned over her shoulder to see what Kohaku was looking at, and there stood Lord Sesshomaru, aloof at the edge of the clearing behind the shadows of the foliage. She felt instant embarrassment, sure he saw everything.
"Well, you better go greet him," Kohaku stood and helped Rin to her feet. He paused carefully to think about the words he was going to say in front of his current audience. "We'll…talk later."
Rin blushed a little under her smile. "Yeah. Okay."
Kohaku kissed her gently on the cheek.
This irked Sesshomaru to his core.
The dog-demon watched Kohaku go, glaring at him. When the demon slayer disappeared into the woods, his scent going farther and farther away, Sesshomaru tried to force himself to understand why all of this was giving hims so much umbrage. It frustrated him to no end.
He realized it.
He only wanted Rin to give him that look. He only wanted Rin to smile like that for him. He didn't like that Rin gave Kohaku that pleased expression. He wanted to be the only one to receive that type of Rin's attention, and he wanted to be the only one to ever get it.
These strong, uncomfortable feelings were quickly and uncontrollably consuming him—whether he understood their reason for existence or not.
He wanted what Kohaku had in that moment: Rin's enraptured adoration.
Normally, he'd logically fight any slight desire for something so objectionable, but this intense feeling of longing and jealousy for what Kohaku just had with Rin blinded his forethought.
He told himself it was repulsive—having these feelings toward a human—but for some reason it didn't feel that way anymore. Not with her.
He couldn't allow these urges to exist within himself, but it was already too hard to resist. He attempted to snuff it out and obliterate it, but he already knew that wasn't going to work. He couldn't think of anything else right now except that kiss and how angry it made him. It was all he could see in his head.
He focused on Rin, all alone in the middle of this clearing of flowers, paying only attention to him.
She was carefully stepping toward him, a bright smile, saying something—a greeting? He couldn't hear it under his screaming thoughts and emotions, though he revealed none of this on his stoic face.
Rin stopped several feet in front of Sesshomaru, delicately smirking down at the bed of flowers. She was plenty near enough for his dog-demon ears to hear anything she was uttering.
"Um…I hope you didn't just…see all that," she sheepishly glanced to the side with a simper, guardedly brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She only conveyed shy embarrassment. "I…" she never finished that sentence as she fingered the petals of Kohaku's flowers near her waist.
It bothered Sesshomaru that she still held those.
The dog-demon was still in the exact same position in the trees. He wasn't listening to a word she just said. He didn't move a muscle. Besides the light wind blowing through his clothes and hair, there was no movement. He only saw Rin.
He was trying to ignore the blaring, overwhelming thoughts in his head, but the image he just saw of their kiss was branded into the forefront of his mind.
Kohaku just kissed her—and he couldn't stand it.
Kohaku enamored her in that moment, and he hated it.
He wanted Rin to actually be in love with him.
He needed Rin to sigh like that for him. He needed her smile. He wanted her heartbeat.
He needed her breath to be his.
It belonged to him.
She took one more careful step toward him in the bed of flowers, when the jealousy finally ensnared Sesshomaru and his self-control broke. Before he knew it, he was strutting for Rin in a swift, confident stride.
Rin's content smile turned into a confused one when he got closer than seemed appropriate, then Sesshomaru, without even thinking, without any permission, took her around the waist and kissed her right on the lips.
It felt too good to stop, and he didn't want to.
It felt like a long time coming.
Rin instantly melted into him, dropping Kohaku's flowers, feeling she was going to lose her footing under buckling knees.
He fit his lips between hers so deliberately, tilting her chin up with his hand cupping under her jaw, showing her how much better he was than Kohaku.
Rin felt the difference between these new lips pressed against her mouth and the demon figure pressed to her torso. Sesshomaru's skin was significantly stronger than Kohaku's, yet his lips were still soft, even as they consciously caressed hers.
Sesshomaru slid his hands down her arms, gently mouthing at her lips, inciting action from her. Much to his delight, she started to kiss him back—eagerly and ecstatically.
Rin couldn't help but note over and over again: This is actually happening. She was so enamored with infatuation, she was even smiling against his lips. She was so completely shocked, overtaken by excitement. This was the most wonderful, unexpected surprise of her entire life—but why was it happening?
After all this time, and his harsh rejection, she was suddenly in the arms of Sesshomaru in this field of flowers. She didn't know why, she didn't know how, but she didn't want it to stop. Her brain was somewhere else—completely fixated on the fact that Sesshomaru was kissing her. How many times had she imagined this moment?
His long silver hair brushed across her skin while he leaned down over her and Rin could feel his big hands caressing her arms. Her heart was pounding out of her chest, just like it did with him earlier when he licked her palm. She was flushed with ecstasy, hands pressed to his armor, soaking all the demon in.
She wasn't going to stop.
Sesshomaru decided to escalate it.
He wasn't gentle about it either. He wanted her to want him—more than Kohaku.
He forced a kiss so passionate and fierce upon her lips, it didn't even give her a chance to reciprocate. His face drove dominatingly into hers at a sharp angle, driving her head back, aggressively pulling her closer by the arms. He allowed his movements to move into the shape of her body. His nose was pressed into her cheek, his teeth on her lips. When she wasn't giving back, he mouthed for more reciprocation from her.
She let out a sharp gasp, followed by a whimper of alarm. It could not be misconstrued as anything else but pain. He shot back, tasting her blood in his mouth, realizing he just hurt her.
For a split second, Sesshomaru could see Rin's tender lip, bruised and bleeding, before she instantly buckled over her stomach and covered her mouth to brace the sting of the pain.
He witnessed a single tear go down her cheek. He could smell it before he saw it.
He was sure her arms were bruised, too.
He stepped back again.
There was an inherent need to save her from the pain, but he realized, this time, she needed saving from him.
He couldn't be the one to comfort her this time.
Something alerted him in his head, and he came back to reality, realizing the enormity of what he'd just done.
Not only did he just hurt Rin—he just kissed her.
He caught himself, but it was too late. He already did it. He went too far. He should have stopped himself right when he was having these thoughts that he knew he shouldn't have—but he didn't, he played with them—and they led him here.
He automatically regretted every moment up until now. He knew he couldn't take it back, but he had done it anyway. He hated himself so much for letting this happen, but now that it had, there was nothing he could do.
He resented how much Rin could push and pull him in so many directions—she did it without even trying. She tore down his barricades. Exposed his weaknesses. Reconfigured his heart. Compelled him to risk his own reputation.
He didn't even know what to do with her. He had no idea what he wanted.
All he could think to do was run—so he did.
Without a word, he abruptly turned and hopped into the sky, leaving her in the woods in silence. He flew away shamefully, infuriated with himself.
Rin lifted her head back up after the few tears caused from her stinging lip, eager to see Sesshomaru standing over her—but he was already gone.
"Lord Sesshomaru…?" she murmured nonconsolingly.
She had so much to say to him, and didn't understand why he would just leave her like that after kissing her.
She wanted him to come back, so it could happen again, and again, and again.
Disappointment flooded her core.
Sesshomaru flew away with a pounding heart.
What the hell was I thinking? he glared. I just kissed her—he condemned himself angrily—and worse, I hurt her.
Worrying whether she meant it or not when she said she loved him was so irrelevant at the moment—clearly that didn't matter anymore. He was sure she was terrified of him now.
He lost all inhibitions in that moment and forgot who each of them were. She was a human. He was a demon. She wasn't some strong demoness he could throw around as he will. She was a fragile human girl. Now his carelessness hurt her.
He left her alone in the woods before she could even straighten up because he didn't want to see the frightened look on her face. He glowered knowing he couldn't bear to witness her shrink away from him in fear, just like she did when those men…
Now he was one of those men.
He could just imagine her now, quietly begging him, Please don't come near me—please stay away.
As indifferent as he was, it would utterly destroy him. He would never be able to sit through those expressions of fear and pleas of mercy if Rin was the one giving them to him.
He didn't think he could ever bring himself to look at her again—not when he would be met with eyes of distress and anguish and horror.
He felt so enraged and ashamed of himself for hurting her. He was sure he scarred her for life.
He wasn't sure what came over him when he caught Kohaku kissing Rin. Overprotectiveness? Possessiveness? Jealousy? He glared. All of the above.
Next thing he knew, he was kissing her. It was the stupidest thing he had ever done in his entire 500 years.
He just went over there and kissed her.
He hurt her.
He did almost nothing to gain her trust the first time they met—and to this day, he never understood her ease in accepting him so quickly—but now, he surely lost that.
He just ruined everything.
He didn't give himself a single moment to think of the consequences before he plunged into that mess and just gave into his impulses. This had gone too far. He allowed himself to be too frivolous. He felt so foolish. He was so infuriated with himself for forcing himself on her. He couldn't believe he was even experiencing these emotions right now. He felt so many things stronger than he ever had before: Foolishness. Jealousy. Regret. Fear.
He wasn't even sure how he got to this point. He just kissed a human. He felt repulsed for allowing himself to do such a thing.
He couldn't cavort about with Rin like that—it was reprehensible.
Just because she may or may not have admitted she loved him, didn't give him free reign to force himself on her lips just because he couldn't stand the fact that she was kissing someone else. It maddened him, but he could mull over that matter later. He had more important things to worry about.
If he could somehow explain to Rin that all of his wrongdoing was a mistake, maybe he could earn her trust again—but it was going to take a lot for him to go back over there. He didn't know if he could stand the horrified look on her face if he did. She would most likely run at the next sight of him, fearful of what he might do to her…but he would do nothing. Absolutely nothing.
He used to always wonder why Rin didn't initially fear him.
He didn't think he had to wonder anymore.
Rin watched the sky, trying to see where Sesshomaru might have disappeared to, but she sighed, knowing there was no way of avoiding that inevitable escape after such an unpredictable act by him. He was clearly at an impasse. He literally just kissed her because he saw Kohaku do it first.
Rin smiled even though he left so abruptly. Sesshomaru was jealous—something the demon lord didn't seem capable of. His jealousy meant he actually viewed her in a romantic way. This was probably the best news she could ever receive, and the only way it would have ever been revealed. He would have very likely, contently but pridefully, kept his feelings to himself forever.
Rin cursed herself for her weakness. She wiped the blood off her tender lip and dried the few simple tears from her cheeks. Why'd she let out that cry of pain? She knew that was what made him stop. She couldn't handle it and he realized it was too much for her. She wished she could have given him the fierce, full-blown kiss that he clearly wanted; she was sure he wouldn't have flown off like that if she did. She was confident she'd be more prepared next time.
But, she worried right then, would there even be a next time?
Surely he would never try that again. Not after his reaction. There was a possibilty he completely regretted kissing her.
With dread, she comprehended the awkwardness of their next meet. After all of her talk of loving him and his rejection—today he finally tried to give back—but then he didn't seem to actually want it. She felt almost certain he only stopped because of her lack of ability to give back. She eagerly wished to redeem herself. She feared there wouldn't even be a next visit. All she knew she could do was wait for him to decide. He visited without fail every month (with that one exception) but would this change everything? She felt anxious and nervous for then.
She walked through the forest in a confused daze, wondering what the true reason he left was and if the whole event even just actually happened.
Kohaku met her halfway.
"I saw Sesshomaru flying off," he said as he greeted her. "What was that all about?"
She glanced up at the sky distractedly, hoping to see where Sesshomaru was last seen. "…He kissed me…" she said distractedly.
Kohaku dropped his chin with uncertainty. "He kissed you?" he reiterated in misunderstanding.
It wasn't until right then that Rin realized that wasn't the best way to admit she'd been kissed by Sesshomaru when Kohaku just kissed her moments before—even though it was absolutely the truth. She wasn't thinking. She couldn't keep her thoughts straight at all.
She felt so guilty. Kohaku didn't deserve this. She glanced up at him with respect and nodded very carefully with a sorry look on her face.
Kohaku raised his brows, hopelessly baffled.
Seeing his competition, he couldn't find himself to say anything else. This was Sesshomaru. A ruthless dog-demon who'd kill anyone that threatened Rin, and he'd do it so easily.
Kohaku didn't seem to notice any marks on her lips, so Rin knew the bruises Sesshomaru's kiss caused couldn't have been that bad then. However, the demon slayer looked so hurt emotionally.
She felt so bad.
He stood there for a moment, waiting for Rin to give him any sort of an explanation, but she merely lingered there hesitantly, staring at the ground with indecisiveness as she played with her finger contritely.
"I'm sorry," she said sadly, but with finality.
She wasn't going to lie to him.
Kohaku took a deep breath of acceptance. She didn't have to say anything else. He knew what she meant. He turned from her, leisurely making his way back to the village—alone.
Rin felt so penitent as Kohaku walked away, but she really didn't know what else to do.
She stumbled back onto a fallen tree log and sat there for a moment, taking a deep breath. Slowly, she smiled to herself in reverent awe, elated by the memory of what just happened with Sesshomaru. Soon, she couldn't stop beaming, grinning so widely that it stung her cut lip. She barely brushed the tips of her fingers across her lips, the skin tingling with the feel of Sesshomaru's there just moments ago. She pulled her hand away, not wanting to lose the feel of his lips on hers from the touch of her own hand. She sat there and softly laughed at the ground, silently enjoying this moment with herself.
That actually just happened.
Rin walked elegantly back to the village. She was floating on air. She was in a bubble of love. She swooned as she distractedly lingered on that encounter with Sesshomaru. She would never forget how he unexpectedly held her in that fields of flowers—and kissed her.
Rin made it back into the village sometime after Kohaku, by herself. Her face remained calm, feeling crestfallen by the way she just ended things with Kohaku, but her aura exuded ecstatic happiness.
Jaken instantly confronted her the moment he saw her in the road. "There you are, Rin! What took you?!" he yelled, pulling A-Un behind him by the reigns.
She bent over, down to his level, placing her hands on her knees. "I'm sorry, Master Jaken," she apologized with an unsure smile. She knew he was waiting for her to get back from the woods with Kohaku, but she didn't come back with him.
"The demon slayer said you weren't with him anymore, but in his dejected state he wouldn't tell me anything else!" Jaken continued to explain.
"Master Jaken," Rin ignored his last comment, telling him what he probably wanted to hear most. "Lord Sesshomaru left already…"
"What!?" He started running in the other direction with A-Un and climbed up on his saddle. "Why didn't you tell him to wait for me, you unpleasant woman?!"
Rin squinted in a grimace at his reprimand, watching him fly away on the creature before she could even respond to him. "I would have, but he wouldn't even stay for me…" she mumbled to herself. "Sorry, Master Jaken."
Rin made her way back to Kaede's hut in a trance. She still felt bad for breaking up with Kohaku, but she hoped Sesshomaru would return right when he always did.
"Hey, Rin!" Sango waved her down as the young woman was making it through her door.
"Come to the bathhouse with us, Rin!" Kagome called over next.
They were both holding bath supplies.
Rin agreed to join them. "Okay." Maybe she could clear her head in the hot water.
Rin grabbed her bath things then made her way into the bathhouse after Kagome and Sango. The two older women were chatting sporadically about their days. When all the way inside, Rin listened to their conversation and began robotically removing her clothing.
Kagome immediately gasped in the middle of her sentence. "Rin, what in the world happened to your arms?!"
Rin quickly slipped her kimono sleeves back up over her shoulders in a nervous reflex. She hadn't examined her arms yet for injuries, and didn't realize she had handprint bruises encircling each.
"Why are you hiding them, Rin—what happened?" Kagome showed concern for the younger girl.
Sango gaped.
Rin immediately defended her dog-demon friend. "It was an accident. It doesn't even hurt really."
"What are you talking about?" Kagome asked in alarmed impatience.
"Rin—what is going on?" Sango inquired to the point of demand, her deep worry clearly coloring her tone.
"I was in the woods with Kohaku—" Rin began.
"Kohaku?!" Sango interrupted angrily. "I'll pummel him if he's being rough with you during training."
Kagome uttered quietly, "Sango, those are handprints… Kohaku couldn't have done that…"
Sango's eyes widened in enlightenment as she turned to Rin with conviction. "Sesshomaru did this to you, didn't he? ?"
Rin stammered, unprepared for them to figure it out that quickly, "Wait, you don't understand. It's not what you think."
"There is no reason for him to hurt you like that! How is it not what it looks like? You have dark bruises on your arms," Sango was ranting like a protective mother.
"I… Well—" Rin was at war with herself on what to say. "I think he'd really appreciate me not telling you…"
"You better tell us—or we'll confront him ourselves," Sango threatened.
"Okay—well, you see," Rin sputtered out nervously, "Kohaku took me to the woods to surprise me, then he kissed me and Lord Sesshomaru saw, and for some reason he got jealous and he came at me and kissed me next—after Kohaku left. He got a little intense, then let go of me the moment he hurt me," she explained apprehensively. "So, you see, he honestly didn't realize what he did. He's obviously not used to handling humans when it comes to intimacy, but he left me before I could ask him or say anything…"
"Sesshomaru kissed you?!" Sango exclaimed in surprise. "After my brother did? ?"
Rin nodded timidly. She blinked between both women nervously—Kagome looked astonished and Sango appeared consternated.
"I'm sorry, Rin," Kagome stepped up to the young woman with empathy and concern and hugged her. "You're probably so confused right now."
The warmth in Kagome's voice seemed to calm Sango and Rin. Sango sighed and released the tenseness in her body knowing Kagome was right in the way she was approaching this.
"You probably didn't know this, Sango," Kagome turned to the demon slayer as she held Rin out by the shoulders, "but Rin has been in love with Sesshomaru for quite a while now."
"You…" Sango's eyes widened at the younger girl. "You love him?" she questioned seriously.
Rin nodded again, anxiously.
"But you've been dating my brother," Sango pointed out blatantly.
Rin looked like she was about to cry. "I know," her voice cracked. "I don't know what I'm doing. I confessed my feelings to Lord Sesshomaru over two months ago and he turned me down. I like Kohaku a lot, and he seems so perfect for me. I was trying to move on, but…" she choked on her words.
"Then Sesshomaru just kissed you like that," Kagome completed her sentence.
Rin nodded again, wiping her eye that let a tear fall.
Sango hugged Rin next. "Hey, it's okay. Don't cry, Rin." She nuzzled her face next to hers. "I know this is hard. Love is complicated. I was obviously wrong in my assumption of Sesshomaru with you. I guess, technically, he's not physically that much older than you. He looks the same age as Kohaku. I never imagined you ending up with Sesshomaru—I'm honestly a bit shocked; I didn't know you looked at him like that—but if this is what you want, Rin, Kohaku will understand."
Rin was glad Sango understood. "I think I hurt him a lot," she sniffled about Kohaku.
"He's a big boy; don't worry," Sango winked reassuringly.
Rin shoved her face in the demon slayer's neck and hugged her tighter. "Thank you, Sango…" she murmured.
"Now, do you want to get on with our bath? I'm sure that'll make your feel a lot better," Sango encouraged.
Rin nodded again, this time more chipper.
"Alright then, let's do this," Sango began undressing.
"By the way, Rin," Kagome squealed in a whisper next to her as she began undressing, too, "I'm so happy for you. I knew he'd come around."
Rin smiled and nodded, taking off her own clothes. "He left so suddenly. I'm a bit concerned—but I can't wait till he comes back, so I can ask him what that was all about."
Kagome chuckled.
Rin shared her thoughts solemnly. "I don't like that he hurt me," she explained while folding up her removed clothes and placing them in one of the baskets, "but I like that he's strong enough to protect me and those around me. It's so attractive. He didn't mean to hurt me today, I know that."
"Don't be embarrassed, Rin," Sango assured, seeing she was still covering her bare arms. "If it really was an accident, it's not a big deal. Bruises can heal."
The girls got in the bath, soaking meticulously. Rin slouched down in the water up to her chin with her hair pulled up. The older women laughed and chatted with her, making her loosen up and relax. Rin enjoyed their company.
Outside in the distance, not far from the bathhouse, Inuyasha was with Miroku and all the kids.
Inuyasha pointed out a nearby village woman to his toddler son Sachio. "Smell that?" he whispered to the silver-haired boy. "She's pregnant." He held Sachio's baby sister in his arms.
"You're pregnant?!" the little demon boy burst out to the woman not far from them.
Inuyasha slapped a palm to his face embarrassedly.
The human woman raised her brows in alarm, but gave a much softer, understanding face. "Why yes, I am," she confirmed, holding a basket of vegetables, "but I haven't told anyone yet. I assume you know because of your demon side."
Sachio nodded proudly. "And my dad told me!"
Inuyasha took over before this got worse. "I'm really sorry. I was just trying to teach him the scent of pregnancy. I wasn't expecting him to blurt it out to your face."
She giggled softly. "It's quite alright. It's actually kind of nice for someone else to know." She smiled politely.
The whole village already knew how Inuyasha could smell out pregnancy. He had married ladies coming up to him and asking if they were pregnant all the time. He acted like he didn't care, but he actually liked being helpful—even if he wasn't verbal about it.
"We'll stop bothering you now," Inuyasha farewelled. "See you later, Ami."
"Bye, Inuyasha. See you, Sachio," she smiled and went back to her errand.
Right then, Inuyasha caught wind of Rin's scent as she came outside the bathhouse. He glared. He turned to it.
"Hey, Miroku," Inuyasha interrupted the monk. "Watch my kids for a minute, will you?" He handed his baby off to his sagely friend.
"Will do," Miroku agreed, holding baby Hisae while playing a game with the kids surrounding him.
"Hey, Rin," Inuyasha stalked over, addressing her belligerently. "What happened to you?"
Rin got very nervous.
She glanced between Sango and Kagome on either side of her. The girls had just gotten dressed after drying off, barely having walked outside the bathhouse to chat before they went their separate ways, but Inuyasha disrupted them.
"What do you mean?" Rin asked innocently. She wondered if he could actually tell.
"My brother's smell is all over you. Way more than normal. What did he do to you?" Inuyasha demanded.
She couldn't believe he could actually smell that even after her bath. Then again, she realized she didn't exactly wash her face, and that would have been where most of Sesshomaru's scent lingered. Plus she didn't wash her clothes, and she left her hair dry—so yes, Inuyasha could absolutely smell Sesshomaru on her. She wondered if he would have been able to smell it if she washed it all off anyway. His senses were so good.
"Does that have to mean something…?" she decided to ask defensively.
"It does when I can smell blood on your lip," he spat.
Rin instinctively covered her mouth.
Sango and Kagome leaned over each other dubiously to inspect Rin's blocked mouth.
"Yeah. That's right. You know exactly what I'm talking about," he raised his brows with authority. "Just thought I'd let you know—I'm going to go kick that bastard's ass now. I'm gonna kill him." He started marching off in what Rin assumed was Sesshomaru's direction.
"Inuyasha, stop!" she grabbed him by the arm and he turned around to glare at her in confusion. "I wanted it," she explained.
He pulled his arm away from hers. "What? What the hell is wrong with you?"
Kagome calmly butt in. "Inuyasha… She's in love with him."
He paused in anger. "You are freaking kidding me," he glared between both Kagome and Rin. "You are hella lying right now." He leered at Rin demandingly, "Why would you want that emotionless bastard to kiss you?—a demon!"
Kagome scoffed angrily at her husband. "And kissing a half-demon is any different? ?"
"It is!" he spat at his wife. "I at least understand humans—I'm half of one, aren't I? Sesshomaru has no idea! He doesn't have the slightest idea how fragile humans are! Obviously!" He threw his arm out at Rin. "He's lucky he didn't do anything else to her—otherwise we wouldn't even be having this conversation right now," he turned to Rin spitefully, "—because I'd be out there killing him. How can you be so stupid to want this, Rin?"
Rin pouted angrily, glaring at him. "Just how am I stupid?" she demanded, standing up for herself.
He raised in brows in astonishment. "First of all, you're just a kid. He's a grown-ass adult!"
"Excuse me, Inuyasha, I'm not a kid anymore! I'm old enough to be married!" she stepped forward with rebuke pointing at his chest.
He glanced to the side, realizing she was right, trying to think of a better excuse. "He's way too old for you," he came back with.
"What! How is this any different than you and Kagome?" Rin rebutted, hands on her hips. She threw out a hand in exclamation. "I'm already older than Kagome was when you first kissed her, and you were already 200-years-old! Please explain to me how this is any different."
Inuyasha balked then snapped, "He hurt you!"
Rin stared at Inuyasha in appall. "Like you've never accidentally hurt Kagome before!"
Inuyasha glowered away from her defiantly. He was losing this argument and obviously struck with guilt.
Rin finalized with flagrancy, "Stop passing judgment on us."
Inuyasha sighed. "Look. I just think you deserve much better company," he admitted with seriousness. "You're not unfeeling like Sesshomaru."
"You completely misunderstand your brother," Rin accused boldly. "He's not unfeeling—and he's all the company I want."
He exploded, not buying his brother actually had emotions, "You're delusional! You only say that because you were sucked in by him at a young age, and now you're completely delusional!"
"Delusional? ?" Rin backlashed. "I am not delusional!" She inhaled angrily. "And stop treating me like a kid!" she demanded with finality then stomped off. "I'm an adult! ! There is absolutely nothing wrong with this! !"
Inuyasha made a disapproving face at the back of Rin's head. "She's almost just as bullheaded as you," he accused his wife.
Kagome smirked smugly, flipping some hair over her shoulder. "Hm. Well."
A/N: Depression has been eating me alive. Sorry for all of the enormous waits! I'm fighting through it, though! (hugz!)
That kiss scene was completely inspired by an amazing comic-like art piece called "I said she's mine" by a fan-artist Pamianime. It seemed like the most likely way Sesshomaru would finally bring himself to kiss Rin, to me. Find it on deviantART! :)
The scene from my cover art also happens in this chapter! :) But that kimono I drew Rin in doesn't match what I described in this fic, and neither does the background. So I'm going to change my art later. Find the full image of this on my deviantART! It's called "SesshXRin - A Cut" by me, mer-may :)
Note to my Guest reviewers: If you want notifications, make an account and add me to your Follow list! :) That way you'll get automatic emails when I post, and I'll also be able to personally respond to all of your reviews through your account :) I'm sorry I can't respond to guest reviews, but I love hearing from you!
Also, I made some revisions to the previous chapters—not a lot. There were just some things I wanted fixing before I posted to make the flow better into this chapter. Like, I don't even think it's worth rereading—just a heads up!
And in respect to the shooting that happened on Sunday in Las Vegas—where I live—I'd just like to thank all of the first responders and the supporters we've had from all around the nation while we're mourning this tragedy. I especially appreciate the respect from others while this is still very much affecting me and everyone in my city. My family and I personally lost a dear friend that day. We feel for everyone that lost someone during that event, and for those waiting for a loved one to recover in the hospital. Hugz and love to all. (heart emoji) 10/2017
References:
(1) Episode 24 of InuYasha "Enter Sango, the Demon Slayer!" (Sango is stabbed by a possessed Kohaku after he murders their father and clan)
(2) Episode 19 of InuYasha: The Final Act "Kohaku's Shard" (Sango's scar is reopened by Magatsuhi reanimating Kohaku)