Chapter 13 Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder
"There's nothing in here." Inuyasha kicked a piece of burnt wood.
"It's still quite fresh though, father. The timing is just suspicious." Yashihiro scanned the remnants of the fallen building. The smell of ash was still heavy in the air.
"Well, we can't find anything in here. Everything is burnt to a crisp." Inuyasha turned around getting ready to leave.
"This was a waste of time." He muttered to himself.
"Inuyasha." Sesshomaru's cold voice was carried by the wind.
"What?!" Inuyasha huffed.
"My men died after finding this place." The Lord walked over the broken debris, crushing a glass on his feet. He sniffed the air for anything… any clue at all.
"It could just be a coincidence? Come on…" Inuyasha looked up in the sky staring at the clear blue sky and sparse clouds. "...what if we're looking in the wrong place?"
"Well, we have to start somewhere." Yashihiro scratched his head. He glanced at the tall dog demon and noticed the irritation on his otherwise impassive features.
"The fortune teller that they saw from the mountains had no clue either, right?" Inuyasha crossed his arms in contemplation.
Sesshomaru glanced at the half-demon. "I have not heard from Sakemaru yet."
"What's taking so long then?"
"Er, give him time father. Maybe he found something."
"What are we going to do?" Inuyasha sat in the middle of the debris, uncaring. A puff of smoke rose all around him, making him cough.
"Return home, and fortify the fortress. Let them come to us."
Inuyasha shook his head. "They already did! What did you think them shooting that arrow was for?"
"I suppose you want us to blindly charge and guess who attacked us?" Sesshomaru replied derisively.
"There's no need to guess! It's obviously those Southern bastards!" Inuyasha stretched his claws.
"There is no proof."
He jumped up. "Proof!? But they're complete assholes! We don't need proof!"
Good God. Sesshomaru resisted the urge to draw his sword and slice his brother's ears.
"Tactless as always. We do not blindly charge into battles. You are still as foolish as ever." Inuyasha bristled. "What did you say?!"
"Err…" Yashihiro stepped in between the older demons in an attempt to diffuse the situation. "...Uncle is right, father. We should return to the castle and rethink this. Let's wait until we have all the information."
"Ugh, you're supposed to be on my side." Inuyasha muttered grudgingly.
Sesshomaru lost interest with the conversation when he noticed a messenger eagle approaching from the west. He held out his arm just in time for the bird to land on him. He grabbed the note tied on the bird's leg and opened it.
"What does it say?" Inuyasha queried.
Sesshomaru glanced at both father and son. "Your friend Shippo has been attacked. He's severely injured."
"WHAT?!" Inuyasha and Yashihiro exclaimed at the same time.
"No, I am fine. Seriously." Rin insisted, trying to rise from the bed.
"Are you sure?" Chiyo fussed.
"Yes. I was just caught unprepared. It has been awhile." Rin stretched. She felt fine. "...how is that demon fox? Shippo, was it his name?"
Chiyo smiled. "He's alive and well, thanks to you!"
"I see. Good." Rin exhaled but she looked away.
Chiyo didn't miss the worried look on her face. "No one will say anything if that is your wish."
Rin glanced at her. "But you are all faithful to Sesshomaru."
"Yes of course, but this is your secret to keep. You must have a good reason hiding it from him, right?" Chiyo smiled and turned around to leave.
"Yes… thank you." Rin bowed her head.
"He will protect you, you know. Whatever danger comes your way." Chiyo added softly before disappearing.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the curtain door. Before she could think about what she said, two heads peered out from the curtain door.
"Hello Lady Rin! I see you're awake!" Satoshi came in dragging his friend Shippo. Rin fidgeted uncomfortably.
The tall fox demon approached Rin. His green eyes were sharp and sincere as he suddenly held her hand. "Satoshi told me of what you did. Thank you for saving me."
Rin yanked her hand away from his hands, leaving Shippo confused. It was mostly instinct for her. "Sorry." She mumbled. She was still not used to being too friendly around demons.
She cleared her throat. "Y-you're welcome."
Shippo dropped his hands and stared at her. He could tell she was uncomfortable so he smiled. "I'm glad you didn't let me die. My girlfriend would've killed me if I died." He imagined Souten bringing him back to life and then zapping the life out of him with her thunder staff. Merciless woman!
Rin snorted. "Well… that doesn't sound good."
"If you don't mind me asking, are you a miko?" Shippo asked. He couldn't sense any holy power from her or any indication that she was a priestess at all.
"I'm not a priestess." Rin replied abruptly. Really, she had no spiritual ability whatsoever. If she had… she would've been able to defend herself from demons who sought her, "...I'm just me." She couldn't heal humans the same way she could heal demons. Back then, she practiced medicine so she could heal injured men because she possessed the ability to enhance youkai healing abilities without even trying. It didn't make any sense.
She would rather heal humans than demons.
But she gave up on both.
"Ah. That's interesting… unique." Shippo felt her presence when he lay dying. It was strange. He felt his life ebbing away, his life flowing out of him. It was cold.
Then there was this burst of warmth that enveloped his whole being. His strength returned and he opened his eyes.
Satoshi leaned over Shippo's head, using him as a support. "Hey Rin, you can hang out with us you know. We can take you out in the village and everything. You're new here, right?"
Rin was taken aback. "Uh, what?"
Shippo's eyes widened.
"Make new friends while you're here! I mean this place isn't that bad." The slayer winked at him.
"I don't think that's a good idea." Rin laughed nervously. She wasn't allowed to leave the castle. right?
"Well, why?" Satoshi asked.
"Uhm… I do not think I'm allowed."
Shippo gasped as realization hit him. "She's Lord Sesshomaru's prisoner! Remember, Yashihiro and Lord Sesshomaru had that duel when she ran away and he wouldn't tell him where she went!"
"OH!" Satoshi smacked his head.
"What? A duel?" Rin was utterly confused.
Rin waited for them to say something but they didn't. "Arent you going to tell me?" She pushed, curious.
"Okay well…" Satoshi stood up. "...this is a story better told over beer and snacks, not here." Satoshi winked.
"He's not going to let me leave the castle. Like what your demon friend said… I am a prisoner." Rin crossed her arms.
Shippo giggled. "You're not really a prisoner though. Lord Sesshomaru is just… interested in you."
Rin's face flushed red. "I do not know what you're talking about."
Satoshi's eyes widened and he guffawed. "Finally! Someone finally caught his attention! Darn… that means you're off limits then.. I was going to ask you if you wanted to be the mother of my childre-"
Shippo had elbowed him in the gut, cutting off his words.
"I can't talk about this..." Rin stood up and tried to ignore the rising heat in her face.
"Sorry about that." Shippo laughed nervously.
"See here, Shippo is one of the most intelligent and perceptive demon that I have ever known. And I'm not blind… obviously a beautiful gorgeous woman such as yourself will naturally attract the attention of Lord Se-"
Rin shoved her hand to cover his mouth, turning redder. "Please stop, I shall leave now. GOODBYE!" Without saying anything else, she walked briskly out of the infirmary.
"Satoshi, you are so brash!" Shippo kicked him in the shin.
"Ow! I was just messing with her…"
The fox demon shook his head in disapproval.
"But we need to talk about what the hell happened to you and why you almost died. Who the hell hurt you like that?" Satoshi cracked his knuckles.
Shippo took a deep breath, the memory returning to him.
~o~
[Few hours later]
"WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DYING!" Inuyasha smacked the hell out of Shippo's head in the meeting room.
"Ow! What the hell!" Shippo was caught under the hanyou's armpits as he noogied his head.
"Yes… that letter sounded so urgent. You look FINE though." Yashihiro added while watching Shippo fight Inuyasha.
"Of course he's fine!" Satoshi laughed awkwardly. Shippo shot him a 'don't be suspicious look, you moron.' They still plan to honour Rin's wish about keeping what she did a secret.
Sesshomaru was standing, silently observing. He was getting irritated at the exhange. "What happened?" His voice boomed, addressed towards the tall fox demon.
Inuyasha stopped squeezing the fox demon's head and allowed him to speak.
"I was ambushed while returning to the border. I was attacked by masked, ninja demons. They were fast and their weapons were formidable. They… slowed me down."
"How?" Inuyasha asked
"Their weapons nullified my demon healing abilities. As I received damage, it's as if my youki was being cut down as well." Shippo recounted everything that happened to him, sparing the part where he almost died.
"How did you survive?" Sesshomaru asked, his cold gaze deadpanning on Shippo.
Shippo remained calm while Satoshi moved nervously. "I was rescued and brought to the infirmary. Dr. Kudo and Rin worked on my wounds with medicinal herbs until they healed. My body did the rest." Shippo half-lied smoothly. That wasn't too suspicious right?
Shippo felt a bit nervous when Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at the mention of Rin's name.
"Rin?" He repeated, albeit with a hint of surprise.
"Yes. She is a great physician." Shippo screamed internally. Did Sesshomaru not know she was a normal healer? Was he suppose to hide that too? He thought he was only supposed to hide her strange ability to heal demons using their own youki.
Sesshomaru remained impassive.
"Er, we should add more guards at the borders, don't you think?" Satoshi addressed Yashihiro.
"We need to figure out who the fucks attacking the border thinking they can do whatever the hell they want!" Inuyasha yelled angrily.
"How about capture one alive so we can interrogate them?" Yashihiro suggested.
"Ah… great idea!" Satoshi agreed. "...I can enlist some of my slayers to do this. Capture and interrogate."
"So what do you think, Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha asked, noticing the tall demon was still silent as ever.
"Proceed with that plan." He replied before walking out.
"He seems a bit…. Distracted." Shippo scratched his head.
"He's been like that the whole time we were trying to find a lead. It's like he's worried about something. But you can't really tell because the bastard always had the same look on his face." Inuyasha tried to imitate the unreadable expression on Sesshomaru's face.
Satoshi bursted out laughing.
Yashihiro crossed his arms. Maybe… maybe it had something to do with that girl Rin?
~o~
[Night Fall]
Rin heard of rumors from the demon servants that there was an indoor private hot spring in the castle. She longed to relax her exhausted muscles in the water and rid herself of disturbing thoughts. She had no idea where this hotspring was at, but she figured that exploring the castle today and finding where it was just as good as any other day.
After gathering her basin with towel, new kimono and soap, she began wandering in the lower levels to find the hot spring.
Her efforts were rewarded when she found a sliding door with steam billowing out from its cracks. She entered the room, delighted at the small private place. It was beautiful… the hotsprings were situated in a garden with blooming white and yellow flowers. The moon hung high in the sky and there were fireflies above the shrubs and rocks. Yellow lanterns hung on the trees, illuminating the place with dim yellow lights.
Rin walked towards the smaller hotspring on the far left corner behind a tree. She put her basin down, wrapped her hair up in a towel and lit an incense by the rock. She took a deep breath. Lavender. She removed all her clothes, her kimono pooling by her feet before stepping slowly into the hot, steaming water. Instantly, she felt relaxed as she submerged her entire body in the heated waters. Eventually, she leaned against a boulder and looked up in the sky, admiring the stars.
What am I doing?
She took a huge risk saving the demon Shippo. She didn't regret it but… she had never been this careless before. However, she couldn't stand the weeping of that boy Shojo and the slayer's grieving.
It has been five years since she ran away and escaped. There were demons who sought her for her power. Humans who were supposed to take care of her, sold her. With her, the demons were invincible. She was kept, used, abused, betrayed. She was a prisoner before, and eventually she was able to escape. She travelled far. She had to change the color and cut off her hair to avoid recognition before. She fell in love with the North, despite its unwelcoming people, and made her new home there. She never did anything to arouse anyone's suspicion. Until today.
Rin brought her hands up, palm open and tried to view the moon between the slits of her fingers. The irony was not lost to her. Demons trapped and imprisoned her because of her ability to improve their healing capabilities. Now, the Dog Demon had no idea about this ability but captured her anyway. Why was she always attracting unwanted demon attention!?
She hated them. She abhorred them. She could care less about them.
Except… maybe one.
She couldn't forget the look on his face the last time she saw him. When he caught the arrow in his hand, the calm demeanor on his face… and the concern in his eyes when he thought she was hurt.
And those wicked lips of his.
Rin felt her face growing hotter, unrelated to the heat from the hotspring.
She couldn't understand the unfamiliar feelings towards him. He is a demon and she should feel repulsed by this but instead… her body betrays her whenever he was nearby. And now that he hasn't been around, she couldn't help but long for his presence.
It was ridiculous and exhausting.
No matter.
Rin tried to relax in the water while listening to the sound of her own breathing and the rustling of leaves from the slight breeze. She meditated trying to find her inner peace and to forget everything at the moment. She was slowly drifting into sleep.
She heard the door sliding from afar and later, the sound of water splashing. Dimly, she realized she wasn't alone in the hotspring anymore. Rin didn't expect her privacy to last long anyway, and perhaps it was time to retire to her room. She stayed motionless, enjoying the heated water for another five minutes before she moved.
She turned her head lazily to the side, and between the shrubs, she spied the unmistakable figure of the silver haired dog demon submerged halfway into the water of the larger hotspring by the entrance.
She felt as if her heart completely stopped.
Silently she moved in the water closer towards the tree to hide herself from his view.
Did he know she was here?! Wait, he's finally back! But, what the hell was he doing?!
Curiously, she peeked between the bush again, careful not to make so much noise in the water.
Definitely not a dream.
There he was, leaning against the rock in the hotspring with his lean arms resting by the edges. The water reached up to his stomach, his muscular chest wet and glistening under the moonlight. Half of his silver hair was floating in the water. His face looked calm, utterly ethereal and beautiful. He was partially hidden by the steam from the water but she could see him clearly.
Rin moved back, hyperventilating. Her face felt like it was on fire. She realized Sesshomaru had no idea she was up here in the smaller hotspring. She glanced at the lavender incense and the light smoke. It must be concealing her scent, her presence, from him! Thank Kami.
While her mind slowly processed how to keep herself from getting discovered, she decided to peek again. From afar, he looked so harmless relaxing like that with his eyes closed. If it wasn't for his ears and demonic markings, he would've looked complete human. She admired his strong frame and dignified posture.
He is impossibly attractive. She felt a bit like a peeping tom... but she ignored it. She was here first.
Her gaze drifted towards his lips again that were partially open. Again, she was reminded of his kisses. And the kiss that she now owed him.
Her heart began racing once again, and she was afraid that he would hear it. She moved away from the bushes but her feet slipped momentarily in the water.
She moved her arms and hands to avoid falling, but made a small splashing sound.
She froze, nervous.
Carefully, she lifted her head to peek at Sesshomaru again, hoping to ALL the Gods that he didn't hear anything.
Her brown orbs were met with his own golden, piercing gaze from across the garden.
A/N:
Sorry for stopping here XD xD
Possibly steamy chapter coming up next! R&R for faster updates ;)