Disclaimer: once more I must go through the boorish act of saying that I do not own Inuyasha and Co.
Last Time:
"Sachi," whispered Genken, head still bowed as if in regret. "Don't make me tell you were that boy is, onegai, don't make me say it."
Sachi with half lidded eyes forced herself to remain conscious, though it was slipping fast. "Onegai...o-too-san...where...is he? Where..." she said eyes now nearly shut as blackness came up to claim her. "Where's...my...brother...?"
This Time:
Chapter 36-Further into the Unblessed Fray
When she was coming to, the first thing Sachi noticed was how warm she was. Well warm was putting it lightly; the half conscious modern miko felt like she was in an oven. But whatever she was laying on was soft as clouds and smooth as silk. The bed; she assumed it was the bed, was just too comfortable to move from. Yes, Sachi was very comfortable and wanted nothing more then to go back to sleep for the next couples of centuries. Course the voices interrupting the unblessed girl's sleep kept her from falling back into the land of dreams. So she laid there instead, eyes closed, but ears open to the words coming not far from her.
"She never told me," broke through Inuyasha's voice.
"It appears," commented a deeper but velvety lower voice that Sachi knew to be Sesshomaru. "That she hasn't told you a great many of things, or you were too incompetent to notice the obvious hints, half-breed."
'Defiantly Sesshomaru,' thought the miko to herself as she smirked.
A growl of deadly intent rippled through the air. "She doesn't tell me anything because she doesn't want to tell me! Who am I to pry asshole!?"
Silence ensued and Sachi assumed a glaring contest between the brothers was occurring. The miko knew the elder brother would win, just because it was Sesshomaru. Inuyasha's glare however, did come close in Sachi's opinion.
"Now that's enough you two," spoke a new male's voice, causing the half-slumbering girl to stiffen. "Sachi did not speak of him just like she never spoke of her okaa-san or myself. It brought too much pain to the surface." Genken fell silent while Sachi felt eyes on her, but moved not an inch. "I really don't blame her," he whispered.
"That's irreverent," interrupted Sesshomaru. "She must know what happened to him when she wakes; she will demand to know more like."
A growl came again, but this time it didn't come from either of the Taishio sons. "That wretch," Genken seethed. "He did this to punish me for leaving when our reasons all along were completely valid! But in the end he punished her…he's own sister…"
"Half," stated the inu lord sternly.
Genken growled again. "That may be Sesshomaru, but they adored each other like they were true siblings. Sachi will be devastated when she hears this," moaned out the Captain.
Opening her eyes slowly as the conversation continued, Sachi found herself alone in her bed…their bed, and alone in their room. Turning her crimson crowned head, the miko found the shadows of the three males against the shoji doors. The trio was outside, possibly to let her sleep off her injuries. Course with their rather loud voices continuing on as they did kept the teen from her well needed sleep.
Pushing herself to a sitting position, Sachi remained silent as her body protested against the motion with bangs of pain racking her body.
'Guess the old man really did beat me to a pulp,' Sachi thought as she pushed back blankets and gracefully stood to the best of her ability. 'Course…he always was tough; never was he merciful in my early training.'
Sighing at the thoughts of the painful past, the fiery teen silently made her way to the sliding doors leading to the garden's gangway. The inu-youkai and inu-hanyou continued their banter oblivious; engulfed so much in their words they didn't notice that Sachi was awake. Perhaps then if they had, Genken wouldn't have said the words that made his daughter halt in opening the shoji door.
"My son betrayed us to the enemy," Genken snarled softly. "Sachi loved him so much. How can I tell her that, and let her brother cause her further pain. She wakes and asks that question she'll break further…I can't do that to her…"
"To late," Sachi whispered as the burn of tears formed in her solemn eyes. Swallowing tears and pushing the door open she met the two pairs of amber eyes and eyes that mirrored her own. "What happened to my brother? What happened to Tetsuya?"
Genken gazed brokenly at his daughter, but soon averted his eyes to gaze out at the night lit garden. "Tetsuya is dead, only the monster remains."
Sachi snarled as she stepped outside, ignoring the night air brushing against her bare legs that the yutaka didn't cover. "Stop giving me riddles old man! I want to know what happened to Tetsuya!"
The inu Captain narrowed his eyes as he remained staring at the garden, but nodded reluctantly and slowly. "After we left, Tetsuya barely uttered a word to me let alone anyone else. He slowly came to realize that I wouldn't be going back and he grew angry; furious beyond all reason. He trained constantly to hone his skills and to best me in combat so he could go back without defying an order. He wanted to punish me for leaving you and your okaa-san, but mostly you. Tetsuya challenged me and he lost, growing angrier and vicious he abandoned the Western Lands for the wild. I didn't know where he went during the years that he was gone, but when he returned again…" Genken trailed as he stared blankly at the floorboards of the gangway.
Kneeling by her father Sachi never let her eyes wander from his face. "What happened…otoo-san…?"
"The Tetsuya we knew…," he said facing his remaining pup. "…was dead to the world. He was so angry; boiling with pent up fury, but it was hidden behind an emotionless mask. Tetsuya is now a dark creature primed for war befitting the bowels of Hell. Gomen nasai, darling, but your brother's soul is long dead."
Only a small whimpering sob came from the meager girl as she ran a shaky hand through her hair in distress as she remembered a smiling young man. "Onegai…don't tell me he sided with Soun'ga."
"How he met Soun'ga and why he sided with him I don't know, but Tetsuya was the one that delivered the declaration of war to Sesshomaru-sama, several years after his abandonment. "
Sachi didn't whimper, not even a small sniff or sob came from her. All she did was shiver uncontrollably as she buried her face in her hands in defeat. Inuyasha looked on solemnly as Sachi shook, she had two family members left and one of them walked away from her, while the other walked beside the sword sealed in Hell.
"Sachi," Inuyasha murmured as he went to reach and comfort her. However, an ivory glad arm stopped him. The inu-hanyou gave an icy glare to his elder pure blooded brother.
Sesshomaru in turn gave his younger sibling a frigid stare. "Touch this Sesshomaru's mate, and there will be consequences."
Sachi looked up from her hands to see the bickering brothers. "Sesshomaru-sama, Inuyasha's my best friend; he only wants to comfort me. Is that so wrong?"
The youkai lord was not happy with the miko's words. Sesshomaru was never going to give permission for his supposed mate and younger brother to seek comfort in each other. The look in his diamond hard orbs was evidence enough to that fact. So the miko and hanyou averted their longing stares.
"Onna."
Sachi looked up at her lord, her pain hidden behind a mask of indifference. "Hai?"
The inu rose and stared down at the shrine maiden. "Go and rest, your training begins at dawn."
The woman-child nodded and obediently rose to do so, but a callused hand on her wrist kept her from retreating into the bedroom. Genken had caught her slim wrist in his grasp while he looking sternly up at the silver haired Ice Prince.
"She's still healing Sesshomaru," the Captain snapped. "She can't undergo your kind of training while wounded!!"
"Would your training be any different?" frigidly spoke back the inu lord.
Genken made a face of contemplation. He did not answer however, but neither did he let go of Sachi's scarred wrist either.
"I thought not." Then those molten gold spheres of coldness and brutality fell on a slightly nervous teenage girl. "Go. Now."
Inuyasha growled at the ordering pompous attitude Sesshomaru was giving off, but his onslaught of insults were cut off by the fire haired Captain.
"I wish to discuss something with my daughter first…pup."
Sesshomaru raised a brow in question by Captain Takani's brash words and the fact that he called Sesshomaru pup. It had been years since the elder inu had used the word. It was insulting to the fact that the great Sesshomaru was not and long since grown from being a pup. The ire at the comment showed in his iron hard eyes, but was ignored as the female spoke.
"What did you want to talk about?"
Genken turned his ocean mimicking eyes on the matching pair of his child. "I would like to talk about..." he trailed and then threw up Sachi's yutaka's sleeve, flashing her left arms scars; the words Death to All I Love, clear and fresh. "These."
Sachi could only stare between the pale maiming upon her tan skin and the angry and hurt face of her otoo-san.
"What were you thinking girl!? I thought you had more sense then this; have I taught you nothing!!?"
At that Sachi wrenched her arm away with a harsh tug. Her emerald orbs glimmered in the light of the moon with fiery ire. "You taught me just how cruel the world is! With what I've gone through, one can't expect to get through it without being marred in some shape or form…otoo-san. You want details of what's happened since I've gotten here, ask Inuyasha. I avoid trips down memory lane as much as possible; now good night to you all." And Sachi straightened and departed into the darkness of her and Sesshomaru's bedroom; said daiyoukai following behind her silently.
Inuyasha gave Genken a "nice move slick" look.
The Captain caught the look and glared fire and daggers at the young man. "Don't give me that look pup, or I might end up loosing my temper."
The hanyou held up his clawed hands in surrender. "I didn't say a word!"
"You were think'in it," snarled out the elder youkai still glaring.
Inuyasha merely chuckled pushing himself to his feet and Genken soon followed. "Well come on if you want to hear what I've got to say." And the hanyou went to walk away but stopped to stare at his elder in contemplation. "You know about Sachi being all…yea know…right?"
Takani Genken sighed, forcing a smile as he walked further into the garden. "Why do you think I left Sachi and my mate to begin with? I thought of only trying to save her from this fate, so I thought if I left…things would turn out alright. In the end though, things got only worse, and my daughter suffered great for it, and will never fully trust me again."
The inu eared young man nodded as they began their stroll through the vast garden of the House of Moon. All the while Inuyasha repeated all he knew and told of his travels with Sachi thus far.
;__;
"So that's why he took Tetsuya and left," Sachi whispered after catching her father's last words before he faded into the night with her friend and koishii.
"Speaking will get you no sleep onna," slightly growled Sesshomaru from behind the dressing screen with an elaborate landscape painted upon it. There was the sound of silk against silk, and the great and terrible Sesshomaru-sama stepped out from behind the screen dressed in a white yutaka.
Sachi quickly averted her eyes as blood rushed to her face in a powerful blush. She only blushed further when the blankets at her back moved aside. They young miko could already feel Sesshomaru's body heat warming the blankets; the blood rush to her face continued.
"You're nervousness is irritating girl; go to sleep."
"Well that's kinda hard to do being next to you!" she snapped over her shoulder.
A rustle was heard and Sachi assumed the inu was now propped on his side to look down at her. The teenage girl cringed into her pillow in anxiety.
"Explain onna." It was a flat command and it pissed said onna off.
Without facing her bed companion, Sachi did explain. "How am I supposed to sleep next to a very powerful and intimidating daiyoukai, who is quite colorfully known as the Killing Perfectionist? Yea, the only way that's happening is if I'm knocked unconscious!"
Quick as a flash Sachi found herself encircled in arms of steel. One pale stripped arm was around her waist, while the other one was by her shoulders near her neck. Trapped as she was in the daiyoukai's grip, the miko was at his complete mercy, or in this case, lack of.
"W-What are you doing!?!" she stuttered out as she struggled in vain.
A single clawed digit pressed a sensitive point between the girl's shoulder and neck. "Is that invitation to force you into unconsciousness still valid?" murmured the very deadly and very serious inu-youkai.
Sachi shivered in the creatures grasp, but her anger overriding her fear. "No, it very well is not!" she growled as she wriggled in Sesshomaru's unyielding hold. "Let me go right no-"
The disguised miko's protest was cut short as the thumb at her pressure point was pressed down. Going limp in his arms, Sesshomaru laid Sachi back down comfortably. To the inu lord's silent displeasure, he wished he had thought of this before. With Sachi unconscious she would get the required rest, and his sleep would go undisturbed.
Closing his eyes, Sesshomaru laid his head upon the pillow, a small almost invisible content smile gracing his normally placid features. "…silence…" he thought and soon fell asleep along side his unwanted bed companion.
;__;
Dawn broke too quickly to a sweetly slumbering miko. With a surprising gentle shake from her lord, Sachi rouse without a complaint to begin her training. She knew it would be as grueling as ever being that her sensei was a youkai, but it still was a surprise to how intense it really was. It also surprised Genken and Inuyasha as well, who both watched on through the painstaking hours of her teachings.
Her days of training were more like torture however. Dawn would come to early as always, and the fiery unblessed miko would be stuck in the dojo with a frigid inu lord all day. Never did she have breakfast, which wasn't a total surprise. Lunch retained that of two rice balls and a small jug of water to wash them down. Being given a possible ten minutes max to eat them left Sachi scarfing them down and unable to recoup from Sesshomaru rigorous exercises. After lunch she would continue her painful, near never ending education till the sun set. The exhausted student would barley be able to lift the chopsticks to her mouth at dinner let alone her sword. When dinner was said and done with her friends company, Sachi made her way to her awaiting private hot spring and the bed calling to her after that. The emerald eyed teen was always asleep before she even hit the bed.
'Yea…' Sachi thought now as she lay on the dojo's wooden floor. 'A bed would be really nice…'
A sudden crock of a whip against said miko's thigh, caused Sachi to yowl in pain as well as shock as she shot up to a sitting position. Sachi looked down at her right thigh to see her white hakama charred black and smoking from the poison of a certain someone. The skin beneath the cloth was an angry red as if it was soon to blister, which she sure it was going too, but it also held a green tinge.
Sachi scowled up at the daiyoukai as he stopped to stand before her. "What was that for!? It hurt like hell!!"
Sesshomaru glared and Sachi held her tongue as she flushed a light pink and pouted.
"Never lounge on the ground when in the middle of battle onna. It is that sort of thing that will get you killed."
The crimson haired teen pouted as she leaned back on her hands eyeing the lord. He stood in the space her legs created in their spread fashion after hitting the floor on her back. She had tried tricking him during a spar with certain rules attached. He had instantly taken noticed and punished her by flinging her backward. Now he stood there, while in his hand was Tokijin, the frightening powerful sword a centimeter from her nose.
She sighed enthusiastically. "But this is training, not battle! If this was battle I might get pissed enough to use my ever so useful quirks against you youkai."
A sap of energy traveled from the youkai blade to the nose of the female before it. Sachi let out another resounding yowl of pain. The act earned her some laughter from spectators; her hanyou and otoo-san.
"Uriesi, it hurts!"
Their laughter continued and she scowled at them.
"Onna," spoke Sesshomaru gaining the miko's attention as he placed his deadly sword at his waist. "Your training is concluded."
Sachi blinked confused as she gapped up at the Ice Prince. "I get off early?" An almost invisible nod was her answer. "Yippy!" exclaimed the exhausted woman-child as she plopped right back down on the floor with a sigh. "I'm done for the day; who knew that the Icicle had a heart."
"On the contrary onna," sternly stated said icicle. "Your training is permanently concluded. However, I'm sure this Sesshomaru can find ways to further hone your rather crude skills."
Sachi snarled up at the inu male leering down at her. "I thank you for your generosity for concluding my training, but isn't it rather early to stop. It's only been three days!"
The daiyoukai lord strode to his still sitting brother and stared him down; the stare was return in the same manner. "This Sesshomaru was surprised to find your skills had progressed so far. Inuyasha, besides his flaws, taught you well. What he did not know I taught you and that was less then this Sesshomaru expected." Sesshomaru turned and faced a still sitting Sachi who eyed him seriously. "On the other hand I must prepare for the allies that will be meeting here in two days time. This Sesshomaru will not have the time to train an incompetent girl."
A snarl came from the said girl as the elder Taishio brother came to a stop before her. "I'm not an incompetent girl! I'm not one of those dressed up bimbos gliding through your halls; they can't defend their palace or station; I can!"
"So it would appear, but this Sesshomaru has his doubts."
"Why you-" growled out Sachi as she shot to her feet.
But it seemed to be too quickly with her rather exhausted body, because instantly the world melted, swirling into one. And as Sachi stood on horribly wobbly feet the dojo went black as she tipped back.
Then there was a strong hand at her waist holding her up, and another on her shoulder. When the world finally came back into focus, the miko found that it was Sesshomaru propping her up. His expressionless face staring down at her, hard golden eyes unblinking.
Blinking a few times to clear her cotton ball filled head, Sachi finally smiled. "Arigotou Sesshomaru-sama, but I'm alright now."
He instantly released his hold and was out of the dojo door in a flutter of white and crimson silk. Genken and Inuyasha came up soon after the daiyoukai's departure. The Captain smiled proudly at his daughter placing a hand on her shoulder praising her. Inuyasha smiled at the miko as well but it seemed to be forced to Sachi, and she wondered why but remained silent on the subject.
So flashing a smile she spoke. "I think a nice long soak in the hot spring would do really well right now," she stated as she stretched her arms above her head; her sleeves falling back to reveal her cloth bound arms.
The men saw it and quickly avoided staring.
"You deserve it kid," grinned the ancient inu Captain. "You know where your private baths are so Inuyasha and I will leave you to it. Come on pup, watching Sachi and Sesshomaru spar makes me itch'in for a spar as well! Hope your Tetsusaiga is sharpened!"
The inu hanyou stared up at Genken in a panic. "Are you fucking kidding me!? You'll kick my ass to Hell and back! I have no problem with fighting Sesshomaru, but there's no way in Hell that I'm fighting you!!"
Sachi giggled. Seeing her hanyou finally backing down from a fight was beyond amusing. "Have fun you two," she chirped as she turned on her heel waving a goodbye. They younger inu gave her a pleading look accompanied by puppy-dog eyes; the warrior miko almost caved in, in that instant.
"Oh stop your whining pup," growled the fire haired daiyoukai. "Now come on," and Genken snatched a fuzzy silver ear between his fingers and began dragging Inuyasha behind him.
"Oww, ow, owwwww!!" whimpered out the red clad young man. "Captain! Hands off the ears!! They're really sensitive!" A yowl of pain not much unlike Sachi's earlier ones came from beyond the dojo's doors. Sachi assumed her otoo-san had squeezed Inuyasha's captured ear.
Sighing at their antics, the fire haired shrine maiden proceeded on her way from the dojo. Her thoughts circling around the renewed relationship she had with her father. She learned he had had his reasons for leaving and the story of Tetsuya. Even with their differences aside, Sachi and Genken's relationship was still strained; trust was not an easy thing to rebuild. Yet, a smiled graced the fiery girl's face at the fact the place in her heart for her father; the space that had remained empty for so many years was finally filled in to a degree.
So engrossed in her thoughts as she traveled slowly to her and Sesshomaru's chambers she never took notice of a person turning the corner as she did. Sachi ended up rebounding of an armor plated chest and quite nearly falling over.
"Oww…" she muttered and held her head as she blinked to reed her vision of the sparkles from the whiplash. Seeing armor Sachi quickly began her apologies. "Gomen nasai, I didn't notice you," she murmured with a small nod.
"You should use your eyes to stare forward, rather then the floor," snapped a cold midnight voice.
Sachi's head shot up at that and she glared at the male. "You're the daiyoukai, you should have sensed me. Was your nose stuck in the mud, or are you that much of a worthless inu daiyoukai?"
A growl came from the Naraku look alike. "Insolent woman, do you know who you speak to!?"
"Do you?" asked Sachi as she raised a brow with her hands on her slim hips.
In a matter of a second Kekkon had Sachi by the throat, pressed up against the nearest wall, and eye level with him. That left a good two foot difference between the wooden floor, and the young woman's feet.
Kekkon growled deeply and mere inches from his prey's face; she wasn't fazed though. "Watch your tongue little girl! I am the leader of Sesshomaru's largest unit of blood thirsty warriors. I am not one to be messed with or disrespected. I will not have a lowly hanyou masquerading as a ningen disrespecting me without consequences!"
The emerald-indigo orbed young woman gave the snarling beast a mischievous half smile; he was further pissed off by the act. "Has it occurred to you that my position is higher then yours Kekkon-san? By the way you have me by the neck, I would assume not. Not only am I the only daughter of Captain Takani Genken, but also Sesshomaru's intended mate. And not only that, I am also close friends to the second son of Inu no Taishio; who is disrespecting whom now, hmm?"
Kekkon bared his fangs, his cat-like eyes narrowing in a fearsome glare, the claws at Sachi's fragile neck dug in; a hot trickle flowing down her pale flesh. The miko's eyes narrowed in return, but she was quickly and harshly thrown to the floor, to only be towered over once more.
"You may have your precious protectors now wench," snarled the ruby eyed daiyoukai as he gripped Sachi's chin so she stared right up at him. "But know this onna, they will not always be there to protect you…and when that time comes…you're mine," he seethed in a whisper.
Sachi glared to cover up her shock and wretched her chin from the inu's grip. She was about to speak when an outraged voice interrupted her.
"Kekkon-kun, what are you doing threatening Sesshomaru-sama's mate, and Geken-dono's daughter!?"
Both ningen girl and daiyoukai looked up to see the golden haired young male from the court meeting. His glacial blue eyes shinnied in outrage, as he fisted his clawed hands on his hips. He was far from being intimidating, and it appeared he was trying very hard to appear such.
"It's only you Gonzo," muttered Kekkon as he rose to his full height, towering over the sprawled girl on the floor. "And don't lecture me either, she's not our Lord's mate yet, she's only my Lady when she bares his mark." With that said he strode off in large strides with the innocent appearing Gonzo lecturing him as he followed.
Sachi sighed in relief to see them go; it was clearly seen that she didn't care for the two.
"Are you alright My Lady?" came a soft and polite voice, but nearly as emotionless as Sesshomaru's.
The woman-child gave a shrill "Eeek!" when she was caught being snuck up upon. Sachi hated the fact that she had to seal her miko powers, and that left her open to sneak attacks. And with so many youkai around she couldn't differentiate one aura from another if she was not familiar with it. Spinning around though, the miko found another familiar inu youkai, but she was at alose for a name. Sachi just stared up at him wide eyed.
"My apologies for startling you My Lady," said the grey eyed brunette inu with a bow at the waist. "But I heard some commotion and came to investigate, only to find Kekkon being his brute self again. I hope he hasn't armed you?"
"Oh…iie," stuttered Sachi shaking her head. "I'm fine; been through worse I'm afraid."
The strangely aloof youkai nodded as he stepped forward and held out a hand. "I am Juugoya, if you did not know."
Sachi took the hovered limb with a smile. "Arigotou…Juugoya-san."
"It is no trouble Sachi-sama."
She smiled again and placed her hands behind her back as she prepared to start a conversation with the unique male. She started however, when she felt calloused fingers grazing her neck, Juugoya withdrew his hand and found it red with a small amount of blood.
"You're bleeding,' he said looking up from his bloodied hand. "It appears you were in fact harmed."
The girl flung her hand to her neck and brought it back slick with blood as well. Sachi quickly placed it back on the wound to stop the bleeding, nervously chuckling as she did it. "It's nothing; just a scratch!"
Juugoya raised a dark brow. "If that is so, may I persuade My Lady to proceed to her destination? Many here to not approve of you; you would be safer with an escort."
Sachi blushed at the thought of having a male youkai escort her to her bath. "Iie…that's alright; I can take care of myself. I'll just be more careful to avoid those that don't like me. Arigotou, Juugoya-san, for your help and warning."
The elusive youkai nodded and turned on his heel to leave in his ebony and grey armor glistening as if freshly polished. Sachi turned as well and walked down the hall to the awaiting hot spring. With her back turned she never saw Juugoya lick the crimson liquid from his fingertips, and when he did he raised a brow in a very interested manner.
;__;
"Ahhh…" sighed Sachi as she slipped into the naturally warm mineral water of her and Sesshomaru's private hot spring. "Kami, this is heaven…" she breathed as she sunk down so far that she covered her mouth.
The steamy water gradually loosened Sachi's sore muscles. Sesshomaru was certainly a slave-driving sensei. Stretching her limbs beneath the water the miko closed her eyes to relax in silence. She was going to enjoy this immensely, cause who knew when the next time she'd be given the time to relax.
She had only been like that for a few minutes; she hadn't even begun washing when she heard footsteps coming her way. They were hurried and surprisingly loud, but too soft to be a males; a woman then? Still Sachi tensed, Juugoya's warning sinking in; an attack while the target was bathing was a very old trick, and one that more often then not worked. Sachi, herself had used the technique a few times during her year as an assassin.
But before she went to leap for her clothes that hid her weapons, Sachi heard the pitter-patter of child like feet coming as well. It confused the miko but before she could do further ponder it, a voice rang through the air.
"Rin-chan! You mustn't run; the Lady may be in there!!"
And the doors leading to the hot spring were flung open by none other then widely grinning Rin, dressed in a plain white yutaka.
"Sachi-sama!" cried the child excitedly.
Sachi smiled warmly back as she raised her face from the water. "Kon'nichiwa Rin-chan; glad to see you again."
Just then the louder footsteps were heard and suddenly a short haired brunette girl of possible twenty appeared behind the child. She had hazel eyes and a light speckle of freckles across her cheekbones. She was cute little thing and surprisingly enough to Sachi, she was ningen.
"Hotaru-chan," chirped Rin. "Look Sachi-sama can play with Rin now!"
The apparent nursemaid looked up, and upon seeing Sachi there, her eyes went as wide as a dumpling. Then before the miko knew it, the young woman went harshly down on her knees in a deep servant's bow.
"Gomen nasai, My Lady! I wasn't aware that you were here; I apologize for not stopping Rin from bursting in on you! Please forgive me!!"
Sachi looked at the girl in a sad amused way. Here was a beautiful young woman in a youkai palace bowing to every daiyoukai and her for that matter to save her life. It was sad because Hotaru was no doubt the only other ningen here other then Rin and Sachi; it was no doubt lonely. Course; to Sachi it was amusing because Rin was running around creating chaos for her nursemaid, just as the fiery teen had done to her babysitters.
"It's quite alright, Hotaru-san," the miko said sweetly while swimming to their side of the spring. "I don't mind. I'm actually glad to see Rin-chan again. It seems like it's been forever since I last saw you little one. You taking a bath today too, Rin?"
The cheery child nodded happily. "Can Rin take a bath with Sachi-sama?"
Sachi grinned ecstatic. "Certainly Rin, but on one condition." The little girl nibbled her lip nervously. "You have to stop calling me Sachi-sama."
Rin looked pleadingly at the miko before speaking. "Can Rin call Sachi-sama, Sachi-nee-chan instead, like Kagome-nee-chan?"
"I would be honored to be nee-chan, Rin-chan."
The little girl gave a squeal of excitement.
"But My Lady…" gapped Hotaru. "Are you sure? Rin is an animated child; she may disturb your serene bath."
The crimson haired woman-child burst out laughing at that, and further shocked the young firefly further. "I'm not a pompous hime that was birthed and raised to be pampered over, Hotaru-san. I was born and raised to be a warrior, so I don't mind sharing my time with Rin; she's a sweet girl that she is."
That brought a smile to the servant's face. "Glad to hear it, Rin doesn't have many friends here other then myself, Ah-Un and maybe Jaken, if you count torturing him with flowers being a friend."
The miko laughed again as she turned and smiled up at the little girl. "True, but enough talk. How about you relax some Hotaru-san, while I help Rin-chan with her bath?"
"You'd do that!?"
"Course," chimed the unblessed young woman. "She does call me nee-chan after all, don't you?"
Rin gave a toothy girl. "Hai, Sachi-nee-chan!"
Sachi chuckled and backstroked into the spring. "Take your yutaka off little hime, and get into the spring so we can get you bathed."
The young girl quickly shed her clothing, while Hotaru vanished quietly behind closed doors. Scrambling into the large hot spring, Rin awkwardly paddled to Sachi who treaded in the deep center. The miko was surprised that Rin could swim at all; the ability to swim was nearly nonexistent in the Sengoku Jidai.
"Who taught you how to swim Rin-chan?"
"Genken-sama," chirped the child as she clasped onto Sachi's outstretched arms.
Sachi smiled at the little girl remembering when her father taught her how to swim as well. "Course he did; he's a very wise man."
Rin beamed up at her. "Do you know Genken-sama?"
"Do I know him!?" she animatedly repeated. "Course I know him; he's my otoo-san." Big hazel eyes looked up at the miko savior in surprise. "Didn't know that huh?" Only a quick nod of the head was Sachi's answer. "Come on then, let's get you washed up."
And so Sachi washed Rin's thick brunette hair and her back. All the while the little girl yammered on about her adventures with a certain Icicle Prince. The warrior miko let her go on, never interrupting, but always listening intently. When done washing the toffee brown tresses, Sachi ran lavender scented oil in her hair to make her smell nice.
Soon though, the child demanded in her innocent way, to help wash Sachi's long crimson hair and back. Her dainty hands were running through the miko's hair and the act almost put her to sleep. However, Rin's endless chatter kept her awake, and Sachi found it interesting to hear stories about Sesshomaru that she wouldn't ever hear otherwise. Soon though Sachi's own bath was done with, and Rin interrupted her trailing thoughts.
"What kind of oil do you want in your hair Sachi-nee-chan?"
"That's alright, I smell enough like roses already," she answered while splashing a small of amount of water at Rin's cute face with a flick of her forefinger.
It was that act alone that started the water wars between miko and child. Rin stood in the shallower water and splash Sachi, while Sachi in turn treaded water splashing Rin. The chiming mirth of womanly laughter filled the steamy room. Neither cared if they disturbed the rest of the palace, they both were over due for some innocent fun, which Sachi hadn't had in years. The miko only wished she could share this time with Shippo; her son.
However, as engulfed in their youthful play as they were, Sachi never heard the oncoming footfalls, till they stopped before the linking door to her bedroom. She didn't even react till the doors burst open.
Not even bothering to check if the intruder was male or not, Sachi snatched up Rin and hid her unclad body with her own naked one. After sinking waist deep in the water, it was only then did the young miko look to see who it was at the door. At the realization of who it was, only then did she raise her voice.
"Sesshomaru can't you knock!!? We're bathing here; you can't just waltz right in here when two women aren't wearing anything!!"
The Lord of the Western Lands just eyed Sachi as she stood there in water with her back half turned to him. All the while a confused Rin blinked behind Sachi's still cloth bound arms being hugged to the miko's chest.
"This is this Sesshomaru's hot spring, and my home. It belongs to me, so there for I go where I please needing no permission. However, the scent of your blood hung in the air, and this Sesshomaru demands to know why."
Sachi growled low in her throat, flashing ivory fangs. "Well you need permission now, you perverted inu," she seethed in English as she raised a hand to the newly bleeding scratch. "And it's nothing serious, so chill." She only received a deadly glare as golden eyes wandered from her irate blushing face to the rest of her unclad body. Flushing further, Sachi sunk further into the water, guarding Rin all the way.
"Sesshomaru-sama, Sachi-nee-chan and Rin were playing," she chimed as she tried to escape the older woman's embrace to get to her foster father.
"No Rin!" Sachi said roughly. "It's improper for a male to see a woman bathing."
That got the girl's attention and she hugged the miko closer.
The shrine maiden glared up at the lord standing at the edge of the pool. Sachi could do nothing while trying to hide Rin and her nudity. All she could do was glare and spit hollow threats, and neither worked on the ever unyielding Sesshomaru, which wasn't surprising as much as it was frustrating.
Emerald sphere's morphed into amethyst pools. "Go away," she seethed once more in English. "Or so help me Sesshomaru; I'll take that arm back!!"
"You protect it vigilantly," responded the inu lord in kind, leaving Sachi to blink in confusion. "Your modesty; you protect it excessively so."
Sachi averted her eyes to the water at her side, eyes narrowed in contempt. She however, did not utter a word on the subject, her expression stony other then for the ire filled orbs.
The daiyoukai continued regardless of the obvious distain for the subject the miko held for it. "Inuyasha told me you did not say it to him, nor did you say it word for word. You however, did imply it, onna."
A reluctant nod came, while Sachi silently cursed Inuyasha for voicing his worries on her part. The hanyou most likely told Sesshomaru that she wouldn't be very comfortable in the same bed with him for obvious reasons. Sachi seethed at the memories of her past life she wanted, couldn't forget.
"I have difficultly trusting men, that' all I have to say, so leave…now…onegai..."
Taking in the request Sesshomaru turned back to the open doors to speak over his shoulder. "Rin."
"Hai, Sesshomaru-sama?"
"Get dressed and leave the onna to her own company," and he was gone with a clap of the closed shoji doors.
Like the good girl she was, Rin got out and dressed in her yutaka as Hotaru appeared from around the door. She waved a goodbye with a smile and took the nursemaid's hand. Together they vanished behind the wood and rice paper paneled entrance.
Left alone now, Sachi sat upon a natural underwater bench, hugging her knees to her chest as if to keep herself from falling apart; the probability of that possible. Her eyes were mournful and faraway in reflection and memory. With a soft, long sigh, Sachi removed her arm warmers, and placed her arms in the healing hot water. Still though, her thoughts were on the task at hand, and her hand went subconsciously to the bleeding cut on her neck.
Resting her chin on her knees, the crimson haired girl sighed deeply once again. "Things are getting so complicated…"
A/N: yea another chapter done for you all! Things should start to pick up, now that the final battle is just around the corner. Thank you to those that have reviewed its much appreciated! I love reviews so please keep them coming! Now that I finished one of my other stories, I should be able to update more often now, I hope; I am sorry for keeping you all waiting so long after such a cliffie. Till next time though,
BLAZE