A big thank to Karkatsbabe for the review!
I forgot to mention the last chapter was based on the third Inuyasha film (sorry).
A few informations for this chapter: Some parts of it are based on episodes 96 and 99.
Hatsugama is the first tea ceremony performed during new year.
Hatsuhi is the first sunrise of the new year.
Mochi are rice cakes made for the new year. The kine is a special hammer used to make them.
Please read and enjoy!
xxxx
Chapter twelve
xxxx
They were travelling again when Hikaru's ears twitched, distinctively hearing Rin's stomach growl.
Said girl blinked down at her rumbling stomach and turned to the tall silver haired demon walking ahead of their group, leading.
"Sesshomaru-sama, I'm hungry. May I go look for something to eat?"
"Quiet Rin." Jaken berated "A forest like this will have nothing for you to eat. Just bear it."
"But…"
"No buts, be quiet."
Of course doing the contrary Rin jumped off AhUn and skipped into the woods.
"I'll be really quick!"
"Rin!"
"I'll help you!"
"Hikaru!"
The two girls giggled and ran into the woods, soon separating in search of food.
Hikaru was following a trail that she was sure would lead to a berry bush when she heard Rin scream.
Turning around she darted and reached the source of the noise to find her friend in a bush and Sesshomaru facing Samiyoshos that kept transforming into an arm.
"Rin-chan!" She exclaimed, running to inspect her friend "Are you alright?"
Rin nodded before taking her hand "Yes, now come on. We need to find a hive."
Hikaru blinked at the strange request but nonetheless nodded and together with Jaken they searched.
"Jaken-sama!" Rin pointed to the nest up a nearby tree.
The kappa looked up too before noticing the insects flying to them.
"Rin, Hikaru, get down!"
The girls complied and Jaken walked nearer to burn the insects with his staff of two heads.
When he was beginning to get overwhelmed, Sesshomaru lifted his sword and sent an attack that destroyed the insects, the hives, the tree the hives were hanging onto and barely missed Jaken.
The girls got up when they saw there was no threat anymore.
"Thank you Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin exclaimed.
Suddenly they heard Jaken yelp and turned to find him attacked by a few survivor Samiyoshos who sunk their stingers in his arms before flying away.
At the corner of her eyes Hikaru saw Sesshomaru take after them, probably hoping they would guide him to Naraku.
"Quickly Rin, Hikaru! Take those stingers out!"
Rin who was the closest kneeled next to Jaken but it was too late. The stingers sunk in the flesh of the kappa's arm.
"Did you get them out?"
"Sorry master Jaken."
The toad shrieked.
::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::
Hikaru filled her recipient with water before looking worriedly up to the slowly setting sun.
She really hoped Rin would come back soon. Perhaps she should have insisted on accompanying her or go in her stead. But the girl when she wanted could be more stubborn than a mule and she somehow thought it was her fault that Jaken's life was threatened.
Sighing, Hikaru shook her head and straightened to go back to the kappa.
When he saw her the kit mewled in greeting.
Hikaru kneeled beside Jaken and soaked a cloth in the clear liquid before tamponing the kappa's forehead.
"…I don't want to die alone…."
"Don't worry master Jaken you will not die." Hikaru said softly "Rin-chan will come back with the antidote."
The toad mumbled something incomprehensible and Hikaru shook her head softly.
A mix of scents she could easily recognise invaded her nose and she turned to find Sesshomaru standing behind her.
"Sesshomaru-sama!" She greeted eagerly, straightening to walk to him. She peeked around and saw AhUn a bit behind, carrying an unconscious Rin.
Immediately worried Hikaru ran to her friend, checking her while Sesshomaru gave Jaken his antidote.
"Jaken-sama." The girl mumbled while the kappa was busy confounding himself in gratitude toward his lord "Don't die…"
Hikaru smiled softly and caressed Rin's hair "He's alright now Rin-chan. You saved him."
A ghost of a smile made its way to the girl's lips I her sleep.
::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::
The girls weren't sure why Sesshomaru had decided to go back to the shiro for a short break. Rin liked to think I was to give Jaken some time to rest. Hikaru was a bit more dubious. How could the kappa rest if he was busy all day running after them, teaching them and organizing Sesshomaru's paperwork?
Nonetheless, the girls were still happy to sleep in real beds and have a larger variety of meals, even if it was just for a short time.
Rin carefully peeked around the corner of the shiro "I see no Jaken."
"Good." Hikaru peeked above her, furry white ears twitching "We can proceed. I don't sense him anywhere."
The girls began running down the corridor as silently as they could, their kisodes fluttering behind them.
When they had come back to the shiro, Jaken had resumed his lessons, which also meant the girls had resumed their escapades when the kappa became too boring.
They had visited AhUn but they knew Jaken would check his stable so they said goodbye to the twin headed dragon and went to find another hiding place.
"Why not try this door?" Rin asked, pointing to a shoji screen to their right.
Hikaru nodded and raised her arm "Kuro."
The kit peeked his head out of her kisode's sleeve and mewled before jumping to the ground and slipping in the room when Rin slit the door open.
He came back a few seconds later and mewled.
"That means the cost is clear." Hikaru traduced before gathering the kit in her arms and slipping inside, Rin following her.
They stepped into a large dojo and noticed Sesshomaru busy running through katas, tenseiga in hand. He did nothing to indicate he had noticed their presence and the two girls exchanged a glance before quietly going to sit against the wall of the dojo.
They silently observed as the demon lord gracefully performed his sword dance.
"Beautiful." Rin whispered.
Hikaru nodded, having difficulties turning her eyes away.
Rin after a while became a bit bored and looked around. She spied weapons hanging on the wall and poked Hikaru to get her attention. Both girls stood up and neared them, inspecting them closely.
"I think I like the bow." Rin said, eyeing the training bow with its arrows hanging from the high corner of the wall "What about you Hikaru-chan?"
"I don't know…" The girl's gaze scanned the array of weapons before stopping on an elegant spear "What about this one?"
Rin examined the weapon and nodded "It befits you."
Hikaru raised an eyebrow at the tone of finality in her friend's voice "Befits?"
"Yeah, it seems like your sort of weapon. Don't worry I understand myself. How about we try these?"
"But we're too little for them Rin-chan."
The little girl pouted but when she measured the bow in front of her she admitted the weapon was probably taller than her and therefore unusable.
"Alright." She sighed before she heard Jaken's voice "We should go."
Hikaru nodded and they darted through another sliding screen, giggling when they heard the kappa's squawks.
::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::
The cooking room, each time the girl would check, was empty. But they never failed to notice the two cups of tea and biscuits waiting for them on a table. It was as if the invisible servants in this shiro knew what they needed before themselves.
This was why, when they entered the kitchen, the girls weren't surprised to find all the tools and ingredients they needed for their project.
"The rice is ready." Rin announced while checking the container cooking the dish.
"I put the usu in the recipient." Hikaru's voice was a bit strained as she dragged the heavy wooden tool along with its kine nearer.
"Alright!" Eagerly Rin removed the rice and dumped it in the recipient, careful to not burn her hands or spill some of it "Do you want to hammer or add water?"
Hikaru shrugged "How about we do both? I begin to hammer and you add water. Then after a while we exchange."
Rin nodded before going to take a jug of water.
Hikaru raised the kine before letting it fall into the recipient while Rin added a sip of water.
They continued like that for a while, laughing when some of the substance they were making splattered on them because they weren't handling the kine correctly.
"Rin, Hikaru."
They turned to find Sesshomaru standing behind them, looking passively at their white covered face.
"Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin exclaimed, smiling happily with Haruki at the sight of the demon lord "We're doing mochi for the new year! We're going to serve it during hatsugama after hatsuhi. Haruki and I are studying tea ceremony. Will you join us?"
Haruki and Rin weren't put off when the daiyokai simply turned around to leave. They had extended the invitation. They would just have to wait and see.
::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::
An hour before sunrise the girls had gotten up to prepare the table in the gazebo. They decorated the wooden building with bits of bamboo and paper cranes they had folded for hours earlier in the week.
They put a beautiful jade tea set on the low table along with their rice cakes before changing into their kisode, Rin's dark pink with purple cranes and Hikaru's light yellow with blue bamboos.
They were putting down cushions when they heard movements. They turned to see Sesshomaru walking to them, a grumbling Jaken following him.
"You came!" Rin clapped her hands happily "We're so glad."
"Please go sit on the cushions." Hikaru said, her ears twitching in excitement.
They complied, in silence for Sesshomaru and grumbling for Jaken. Rin and Hikaru settled beside and they watched the sun slowly rise.
"The first of the year." Rin whispered, smiling.
Hikaru smiled back "And the first smile of the year."
They looked at each other before giggling.
They served tea, their gestures a bit sloppy but precise, and handed a cup to everyone with rice cakes.
Jaken, who had been protesting about 'disgusting human food' ended eating half of the pastries.
Sesshomaru closed his eyes and felt the slowly warming light of the sun on his skin, the soft breeze caressing his hair and listened to Hikaru and Rin's laughter as Jaken babbled.
His beast rumbled happily and he scoffed internally.
::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::
They were travelling again, walking through a thick forest, when Rin's stomach decided to make itself known.
"Sesshomaru-sama may I go look for food?" She asked.
The demon lord turned to her "There's a river a bit away to your left."
"Yay!" The little girl hoped off AhUn "Come on Hikaru-chan! Let's go fish."
Hikaru laughed before imitating her friend, sliding off AhUn and following Rin into the woods, unheeding of Jaken's indignant squawks.
When a sickening familiar smell invaded her nose, she tensed.
Oh no, Rin!
She ran forward and darted out of the bushes near the riverbanks to see several wolves and two wolf demons.
"Hikaru-chan." Rin whimpered, stepping back to her and hugging her friend, obviously afraid.
Hikaru's ears plastered against her skull and she lifted her upper lip, showing her teeth and growling. Kuro peeked out of her kimono and hissed in support.
In response the wolves growled some more, taking a few threatening steps.
"Oy, guys!" The wolves froze and looked back plaintively to the two wolf demons "We don't eat humans anymore!"
Jaken chose that moment to appear.
"Jaken-sama." Rin whimpered from Hikaru's hold.
The kappa glanced between them and the wolves before understanding.
"You there!" He yelled "Leave this place immediately!"
"Why?!" One of the wolf demons protested "Don't you know who we are?"
They began a petty fight while Hikaru was attempting to reassure Rin. The wolves had stopped growling threateningly but the girl was still clutching her friend tightly, her whole body tense.
Jaken and the henchmen's argument went quickly downhill and they were close to physically fighting when Sesshomaru appeared.
"Jaken, what are you doing?" He asked indifferently.
"Sesshomaru-sama." Rin recognised, feeling better now that he was here.
Sesshomaru glanced briefly at the girls, noting Rin's frightened expression and Hikaru's ears plastered against her head.
Now that he thought about it, the scent of those wolves was somewhat familiar.
"Who are you?" One of the wolf demons asked.
"You wanna fight?" The other glared.
It took a mere narrowing of his eyes and the pack was running away.
There was silence for a while before Sesshomaru asked "Rin, Hikaru."
Hikaru's ears pricked to attention "Yes?"
"Weren't you going to catch some fish?"
"Ah, yes. Come on Rin-chan you must be hungry."
With a bit of coaxing Hikaru managed to make her friend relax and soon enough they were splashing around in the stream, Jaken trying to direct them from above self-importantly.
::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::
Rin and Hikaru watched Kuro frolic in the meadow, chasing butterflies and sniffing the flowers before sneezing.
Usually the girls would be playing with him, but after what had happen the day before…
"Hikaru-chan?"
"Hm?"
"Do you think people can change?"
Hikaru's ears twitched and she looked sideway at her friend who was busy looking up to the sky, her strangely stern eyes busy trailing the lazily rolling clouds.
Frowning, the hanyo girl thought about Rin's question.
Change…could people change like they had witnessed earlier with Koga?
She tried to think about think objectively. Before meeting Rin, had she been different?
And Sesshomaru…had he changed during the time they had shared as a group? She had been afraid of him before. He had been scary and threatening. But now he seemed more open to them.
Was it because he had changed? Or perhaps it was Hikaru who had changed the way she looked at him.
A little smile tugged the corners of her lips "You know what Rin? I think that yes, people can change."
Blinking, Rin stopped glancing at the sky and brown eyes met blue.
The little girl found herself smiling back.
::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::
She plastered herself against the rough bark of the tree, hoping…
The acrid smell of blood assaulted her nose and she whimpered, tears tracing clean paths on her dirty cheeks.
Aggressive, vile laughter reached her ears and she plastered them firmly against her skull, hoping against hope…
"For a demoness, she wasn't that powerful."
"Indeed, she didn't put up that much of a fight."
Again another wave of laughters.
"I just love those cute ears! That's just sad the child ran away. I would have loved tearing hers from her skull."
Hikaru shivered violently. Why? Why did she have to be so stubborn and curious?
'Please mommy!'
Hikaru straightened violently from her sleeping position, gasping for air.
Choking lightly, she rubbed her nose before wiping away her tears.
She looked down at Rin who was still sleeping, snuggling with Kuro against AhUn.
Glad she hadn't woken her up, Hikaru relaxed slightly.
She looked around and met the inquisitive gaze of Sesshomaru.
Her ears dropped and she stubbornly looked down. She stayed like that for a tense moment before snuggling back against Rin.
Sesshomaru watched her as her breathing slowed, indicating she had fallen back asleep.
He frowned lightly. He had greatly disliked the scent of fear that had clung to her. What was she so afraid of?
His inner beast rumbled unhappily.