Disclaimer: Surprise surprise, I still don't own Inuyasha. Grr. Soon...
~Chapter Fourteen~
Rin looked in the mirror, barely recognizing the woman who looked back. Her hair was styled into an elaborate up-do, plainly displaying Sesshoumaru's mating mark on her neck. Her face was once again powdered white, her lips a ruby red that was reflected in the kimono she wore. The cloth itself was dazzling, the red interlaced with golden threads with a pattern of flowers picked out in gold on the collar and borders of the long sleeves, mimicking Sesshoumaru's. She wore no jewelry save an ornamental dagger that hung at her waist. She and Sesshoumaru had spoken about the faux pas of going to receive the foreign lords armed, but he was insistent that she have something with which to defend herself. If he could have, he would have refused to allow the lords to enter the castle at all with Rin in her current condition, but the formal greeting could not be avoided.
"Everything is lovely, thank you all," Rin said to the small army of ladies that had helped her prepare for the evening. The servants beamed proudly at her, bowing respectfully. Rin had not been able to convince them to let go of their subservience, but they were now at least much more friendly than they had been in the beginning. Rin carefully placed her hands over her stomach, though at nine weeks there was nothing to feel yet. She had noticed a very slight thickening of her waist, though her stomach was still soft. According to Yuuma, the baby was only about the size of the pad of her thumb. It was hard to imagine such a tiny life inside of her, but she could feel the changes happening to her as the days passed. Thanks to the ancient physician Rin had her nausea under control and now that she was resting as much as she needed she was glowing with health. Sesshoumaru was never far from her side, now that she couldn't train he insisted that she join him as he met the various responsibilities that he fulfilled in the castle. She didn't mind, it was very interesting work and she loved spending time with him.
As if her thoughts had summoned him, he appeared in the doorway. The servants bowed their way out of the room, but he looked only at her, stepping forward and raising her hand to his lips in greeting.
"You are beautiful," he said simply. He wasn't so much giving her a compliment as stating a fact, in his eyes she was beautiful and when he said it, she believed him. She smiled at him, taking in his appearance.
"You, my lord, are beautiful," she said appreciatively. He was resplendent in his own kimono, a more elaborate variation of his normal white and red that complimented hers perfectly. He gave her a small smile and tugged her to her feet, his hand sliding over her side to rest on her stomach for just a moment. It had become a habit of his since discovering her condition, and she found his constant need to touch her belly endearing. He was obviously fascinated by the idea that his child was growing inside her, and it warmed her heart how much of an interest he was taking. Some husbands sequestered their pregnant wives until the time came to give birth and she was grateful that Sesshoumaru had no such inclinations.
"Come, the other lords have gathered in the great hall," he said quietly, and with that she followed him through the halls.
The evening was filled with entertainment, songs, and even a play. The western court had done themselves proud, the nobles were dazzling in their finery and Sesshoumaru presided over the festivities with dignified grace. At long last it was time for the other lords to present themselves, and a wide path was made leading to the dais where Rin and Sesshoumaru sat.
"Lord Aoi, of the Northern Lands," announced a retainer, and a tall aging youkai dressed finely in a green silk kimono stepped forward and inclined his head slightly, a greeting of equals. Sesshoumaru inclined his head in return, and the lord spoke in a surprisingly deep voice.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, Lady Rin, I offer my congratulations and my sincere wishes for a prosperous union. I bring you gifts from our lands to celebrate, and pray that they will bring you much joy." He stepped forward and with both hands presented a pillow upon which lay a stunningly crafted inro, the lacquered carrying case depicting an Inu in full transformation flying across a night sky. Next to the small box sat a pair of jeweled combs engraved with Sesshoumaru's crest for Rin. They were beautiful and Rin itched to touch them, though she remembered Michiko's tutelage and affected only serene pleasure. Etiquette dictated that they try at least twice to politely refuse the gifts as too generous, and at last Sesshoumaru reached out with both hands to accept the offerings. Turning with a bow, he presented the combs to Rin and she allowed herself to run her fingers over the fiery gems. She noticed that they had tiny bells attached as well, and when a servant appeared at her shoulder to tuck the combs into her hair Rin could not resist shaking her head just the tiniest bit, trying to hold back a smile at the beautiful tinkling sound they produced. Lord Aoi noticed her happiness and seemed pleased. In return, Rin and Sesshoumaru presented him with a beautifully crafted kimono, created by the expert weavers that resided in the west. Lord Aoi seemed delighted with his gift once he accepted it, and with a respectful bow of his head he withdrew.
The elaborate process was repeated with Lord Hideki from the East, who presented them with a beautiful calligraphy set and received an elegant and rare bound book from Sesshoumaru's own collection, and finally with Lord Isamu from the South, who presented them with fresh fruit and other delicacies from his lush and beautiful territory and received a barrel of fine sake. The crowd began to turn away when one more voice rose above the murmur, stopping everyone in their tracks.
"I too, have a bride's gift for our new lady," Katachi said, gliding forward. He beckoned a servant forward and the man walked gingerly to the middle of the room, carrying a small cage covered in cloth. He set it down and scurried away, leaving Katachi standing alone in the space before the dais. The commander strutted up the cage and whipped off the cloth. The crowd drew back at the sight of the black cat inside. Rin cocked her head in confusion, at first glance it looked like a normal house cat, but as its eyes darted around the room it laid its ears back against it's skull and its tail—tails—whipped behind it. When she looked closely, she counted nine tails lashing back and forth, an unlucky and powerful number.
"I present to you the bakeneko," Katachi exclaimed with a dramatic flourish. He turned to address the crowd. "As you may be familiar with, the bakeneko is a youkai born from a mortal cat who suffered a great deal at the hands of humans. They are rumored to be able to speak, as well as cast curses, posses mortals, shape shift and even manipulate the dead. It is well known that as cats age their tails split. This particular creature has nine, proving it to be a most ancient and powerful creature indeed." Katachi turned and locked his eyes on Rin, a strange anticipation in them. Rin tensed, not sure of what was going to happen, but certain that nothing good would come of it.
"After a long hunt I was able to capture this monster from where it was terrorizing a village in our territory. It was a commendable adversary, and now my lady I will slay it, for your honor." Katachi whipped out a blade and turned toward the cage. As he approached, the cat cringed in the corner of its cage, making itself as tiny as possible while still baring its teeth at the bigger youkai in a final show of defiance.
"Stop!" she cried. Katachi turned, as did the rest of the court. Rin's heart pounded in her chest and she realized she had just stepped into the youkai's trap. She would never allow a helpless caged creature to be slaughtered in front of her, but by stopping the commander she was preventing him from killing a dark threat to the people in her territory. Her mind raced, grasping for a solution, though her face remained serene. She bowed her head.
"Commander, you bring great honor to both me and your lord with your strength and dedication. The lands of the west are blessed indeed to have such a worthy youkai committed to its protection."
"However," she continued, refusing to look away from him, "as proud as we are of your impressive feat I find that I am disinclined to begin my life as the Lady of the West with a show of blood." Around them, the gathered youkai muttered among themselves, but Rin steeled herself, refusing to back down. She felt a warm pulse of power at the base of her spine that then rippled up to her neck, Sesshoumaru extending his power over her in a silent show of support. She felt herself relax and was grateful, though outwardly she remained impassive.
"My lady, I beg you to reconsider," the commander said with almost believable sincerity. "The bakeneko is a harbinger of bad luck and misery. It would be best for all if we were to dispose of this creature immediately."
"Your lady has made herself clear," Sesshoumaru's voice cut commandingly through the air. "Bring the cage here." Katachi bowed low to him, and a servant moved the cage from the center of the floor up beside the dais.
"My sincere apologies. Alas, my lady it would seem then that I do not have a gift for you after all. Unless…" as if suddenly inspired he sheathed the dagger and, pulling it from his obi, presented it to her. Rin's anger simmered just below the surface. Perhaps customs were different for demons, but a human would never have gifted a blade as a wedding gift, or any implement that could cut for risk of severing the relationships. It was unlucky, but having turned down one gift Rin couldn't very well refuse another. With a small hard smile, she reached out and accepted the knife. A gift must always be reciprocated, she thought, and reached for her own dagger. As she held it out, she saw his eyes harden and knew he understood the exchange perfectly.
Sesshoumaru signaled to the musicians as they struck up a song the demons gathered in the room began partnering up for dances. The first was a fast paced dance that Rin was more than happy to sit out. As she watched the dancers whirl around the room in a dizzying display of color and motion, she reflected on the similarities and differences between youkai celebrations and human ones. Both had rigid requirements as far as courtesy, but human nobles would never have celebrated so enthusiastically, both men and women dancing together and touching the way the youkai were. Perhaps Michiko was right and demons were more progressive in that regard.
Rin found her gaze drifting again and again to the black cat caged just to the side of the dais. The beast was curled up watching the festivities with narrowed eyes, many tails twitching in agitation. Many of the youkai occasionally drifted near to stare at it as if it were an attraction or part of the entertainment. Very few seemed overly wary of it, most just seemed to find the thing odd or slightly distasteful. Rin supposed that youkai as powerful as the Inu clans had little to fear from one solitary bakeneko. She motioned a servant over and muttered to him in a low voice. Moments later, he had returned with the cloth that had originally covered the cage and handed it to her before scurrying off to fulfill her second request. As the last group of demons turned and left the cage she rose gracefully and stepped off the dais. When she approached the cat, the creature pressed as far back as it could, lifting its lips away from its teeth in a deadly hiss. Unconcerned, Rin flipped the cloth out and over the cage, leaving the side nearest to the wall uncovered so that air could still freely circulate.
"At least one of us should be able to avoid being stared at all night," she muttered as she smoothed out the cloth. The servant reappeared at her elbow and with a bow offered her the fish she had requested, filched from the stands of food that were placed around the room. She nodded her thanks and slid it through the bars of the cage, but the cat made no move to take the offering, a growl echoing from deep in its chest. Rin turned away, wasting no more time on the thing. Sesshoumaru glanced at her, a smile in his eyes though his expression was solemn.
"You have a soft heart," he rumbled quietly. Rin smiled at him and as she settled back down onto her place at his side, and together they turned back to watch the dancers leap and spin around the dance floor. After a while the musicians struck up a slow ballad, and as Rin had half hoped for and half dreaded Sesshoumaru rose lithely from his place and stretched out a hand to her. She reached up and placed her hand in his, his strong clawed fingers wrapping gently around hers. She looked at where their hands linked, felt the easy strength of him as he gently helped her to stand and marveled that this incredible, powerful male was hers.
"I'm still not very good at this," Rin warned him with a sheepish smile. "Michiko barely survived our lessons in one piece." She felt his chuckle more than she heard it as he slipped his arm around her waist and she placed her other hand on his shoulder. He pulled her close, much closer than the dance permitted, and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
"Do try to be gentle then," he teased, and as Rin threw her head back and laughed he whirled them into the mass of dancers.
As he did everything, Sesshoumaru danced with a mesmerizing grace and controlled power, and he held her in a way that made her feel cherished. Lovely demons preened as they danced by, but Sesshoumaru only had eyes for her and the way he gazed at her made her forget her quickly thickening waist and how weary she often was now. His eyes told her that she was beautiful, and in his arms Rin felt beautiful and strong, everything that she wanted to be for him.
Far too soon the dance ended, and he bowed gallantly to her as he stepped away. As the musicians began the first strains of the next dance, Lord Aoi approached them through the throng. Sesshoumaru pulled her close again, tucking her under one arm and turning her slightly so that his body was between hers and the approaching youkai. Lord Aoi noticed and slowed down, his posture carefully non-threatening.
"My Lord Sesshoumaru, I wonder if your lovely mate might grant me the privilege of a dance," he requested with a bow. Sesshoumaru growled at him, eyes narrowed, lips curling just slightly to reveal his fangs. Lord Aoi looked up at him and pitched his voice low so that only the three of them might hear.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, I understand that you might be loath to part with your mate in her delicate condition, however I swear on my honor that I will protect her with my life. It is my opinion that you have found a wonderful mate in her, and I simply wish to make a public show of support."
Sesshoumaru made no move to release Rin, so she placed her hand on his arm in supplication. He looked down at her and when she nodded her head he pulled slowly back, reluctance in every gesture.
"Your life for hers," he reminded Lord Aoi in a deadly whisper. The powerful Inu demon took no exception to the tone, instead bowing to Rin and extending his hand. She took it carefully, looking back over her shoulder at Sesshoumaru as Lord Aoi led her into the first set of steps for the dance. It was a faster dance, but not so fast that they could not talk, and Rin began by apologizing.
No need, mated males always act like that, my dear," Lord Aoi responded cheerfully. "It comes with being an Inu youkai. To be honest, I'm surprised he let you go at all, as pretty as you are I don't know that I could have." Rin blushed at the compliment, and the elderly lord laughed at her.
"I was in love with a human once," he confided. At Rin's shocked look he nodded. "She was beautiful and kind, and she lived her life so brightly that one could not help but be brightened just by being near her. I loved her with all my heart, and I believe that she loved me as well, but my parents had already made arrangements for my marriage and soon sent me away to fulfill those promises. My wife is a wonderful woman and I don't regret for a single moment our life together, but it would be a lie if I said I didn't still think of that beautiful girl who made me believe that life was an adventure and not something to pass the time while one waited for it to end. Sometimes I wonder what my life could have been if I had had the courage to claim her, as your young man has with you."
Rin's heart ached for the old demon, and her feelings must have shown on her face because he chucked her under the chin in a fatherly way.
"None of that now, this is a celebration!" The song came to an end, and he took her hands and squeezed them. "You have a difficult road ahead of you, child, but the life you earn will be worth it. Please do fight for it."
With that he tucked her hand into his arm and returned her to Sesshoumaru, who immediately tucked her back under his arm and subtly ran his hand down her arm, replacing Lord Aoi's scent with his own. With a conspiratorial smile at Rin, the old demon bowed once more to the couple before fading back into the crowd.
As the night went on, a grudging Sesshoumaru allowed Rin to dance one dance each with the other two visiting lords, though they were not nearly as friendly as Lord Aoi and seemed to be doing it as a courtesy. If any other males had any thought of asking the beautiful girl to dance they did not have the courage to ask, not with Sesshoumaru standing protectively next to her, glaring at anyone who came too close. The arrangement was perfectly fine with Rin, who danced several more times with her husband before pleading exhaustion and returning to her place on the dais. Before she sat down, she checked on the bakeneko and was pleased to see that the fish had been consumed.
"I'll see that you get more," she promised, and promptly lifted her hand to signal a servant.
The celebration lasted deep into the night, and at last a weary Rin requested that she be excused to return to their room. Sesshoumaru, though he could not yet leave himself, nodded and signaled a guard to accompany her. She moved to gather up the cage, but the soldier bowed and picked it up for her, following her through the shadowy halls to her room. He placed the cage gently on the ground and quietly left to take up his position outside the room. Rin quickly allowed the maids to help her out of the kimono and dismissed them, washing the cosmetics from her face in solitude. She moved to the wall and opened a window before turning back to the cage and carefully pulling away the cloth. The cat glared at her suspiciously in the flickering light of the fire and she sat next to the cage and rested her chin in her hand, looking at the creature.
"What am I going to do with you?" she mused to herself. To her utter shock, the cat responded.
"Release me," it hissed quietly. The sound had a sinister quality about it, like snake's scales as they rasped against dead leaves. Rin stared at it for a moment as it crouched waiting for her response. It was beautiful, in an unnerving way, the deep black of its fur unblemished by any other speck of color. It's eyes were a strange yellow-green and it's tails flickered hypnotically behind it.
"What is your freedom worth to you?" Rin asked quietly. The cat's eyes lit up.
"Ah, it is a boon you seek," it hissed craftily, arching it's back and stretching sinuously. "Very well, what would you have of this devil cat? A curse perhaps? Shall I raise a loved one from the dead?"
The cat's tails continued to flicker mesmerizingly, and Rin shook herself to avoid falling into a stupor.
"No. I would have your word that should I free you, you will cause no harm to anyone who inhabits this territory," Rin said firmly. "No curses, no bad luck, no mind tricks or tortures. No reanimation."
The cat froze, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"You would trust the word of a bakeneko?" it asked quietly.
"Should I find that you have reneged on our bargain, I will hunt you down myself," Rin promised, just as quietly. The cat regarded her for a long moment, yellow-green eyes locked on her soft brown ones. It's pupils seemed impossibly wide, and Rin felt as if she were falling into them. She felt a strange pressure in her head, and the cat's eyes flashed briefly before it turned away.
"Very well," it answered at last. "On my honor, such as it is, I will not cause harm to any of the inhabitants of this territory."
Rin moved forward and slowly undid the clasp. Swinging it wide, she stepped back and the cat leaped out of the cage, speeding across the room and out the open window, disappearing into the night.
A/N: Promise or no, I'm not sure I could have let that creepy thing go. How about you guys? As always R&R, thank you for the PMs and support!