A/N: THE BIG 5 0! I'VE NEVER MADE IT THIS FAR BEFORE! Thank you, thank you, thank you to every single one of my readers and reviewers for being wonderful people and enjoying and leaving feedback on this story!
*This chapter is very heavy/ has very dark themes. If you have triggers, read with caution (especially sections 2 and 5).
Rin was sitting out on the porch with Azumi, gazing out at the snow, when Sesshomaru came out to join them on the first of February. Over the past weeks, the reports of raids had increased in frequency as well as spread, affecting clans that did not even have lands bordering the wolf tribes. The Mori Daimyō had lost his heir in another raid, and the Ka and Umi clans were suffering losses, forced to stop lending aid to the Mori as their own lands came under attack by the bands of rogue wolves. Rin wasn't aware of these new problems; all she knew was that her beloved never seemed to smile at all anymore.
"Rin, I will be travelling to the palace today," He told her as she looked up at him. "The guards will be on high alert, and I have assigned Azumi to be your personal guard as well. I shall return as soon as I safely can."
Rin pushed herself to her feet, a little off balance as she was slowly becoming more and more front-heavy as her belly slowly swelled with its new life. "Must you go?" She asked, putting a gentle hand on his cheek that he quickly but gently removed.
"I must. We don't know enough about our enemy and cannot risk our missives being intercepted. It is best we meet and discuss in person." She sighed softly and nodded, watching him step back inside and return a few minutes later with his armor and swords, striding across the garden to the stable to fetch Ah-Un. Though the dragon could not really travel any faster than him, he wanted to preserve his energy and remain more alert as he travelled. Unfortunately, he was right to be so concerned about intercepted missives.
"Today is the day," Said one man to his compatriot with a wicked smirk. Both turned to their victim, a young Umi commoner they had caught on the way to market. He was bound tight and gagged and stared at his captors with hatred to hide his fear.
The second man produced a small clay bottle with a small amount of liquid inside. "You're going to become very, very useful to us," He told the young man, shaking the bottle so the liquid sloshed around. "You know what you're going to do?"
"You're going to kill the Yume princess for us," The first man said with a skin-crawling laugh, making the young man shiver involuntarily. He shook his head firmly, defiant.
"Oh, believe me," The second man told him. "Just a sip of this, and you'll want to go after her…but just to be sure, you're going to drink the whole bottle!"
The first man grabbed the Umi male by his pale, platinum blonde hair and pulled his head back, removing his gag and then firmly holding his nose as the second man came at him with the uncorked bottle. He struggled violently, keeping his jaw locked as long as he could before he had to breathe. The man with the bottle instantly jammed his fingers into his mouth, keeping it pried open and emptying the bottle into the captive's mouth, making him choke and splutter, trying to spit it out. The stuff tasted horrendous and who knew what it would do to him!
Both men let go and stepped back as the captive fell on the floor, starting to spasm as if having a seizure, gasping for air irregularly. One pulled a knife and stepped around behind the young man as the second grabbed another small bottle, this one with a scrap of preserved cloth in it. As the man suddenly went still, he swiftly uncorked this bottle and held it under his nose, watching him take several deep breaths of the scent. He corked the bottle again and nodded to the first man, who cut the ropes quickly and got out of the way as the young man's red-sclera eyes opened.
"Go. Find her. Sate yourself," The second man ordered, throwing the vial and watching the man chase after it, beginning the rampage that, if they were lucky, would result in a pair of horrific, violent deaths…
It was about midday in the manor, and Sesshomaru was probably at the palace by now, Rin thought as Azumi brought over her food. Thanks to the Ironweed tea, Aki had cleared her from absolute bed rest a day early, and she was enjoying her noon meal in the dining hall, surrounded by four guards who apparently just happened to also be eating lunch at the same time she was. Rin hid her amused smirk at the pretend 'coincidence' behind her cup of tea—she knew Sesshomaru had put them up to it. She didn't mind, though, as the gentlemen were good conversationalists and fairly laid-back fellows, never having seen much action stationed out here at the manor. They were chattering cheerfully among themselves, leaving her alone while she ate, though she could tell by the sidelong glances by one or two of them that they were just waiting for her to finish so the questions could begin. Everyone she had met since her transformation wanted to know everything about her and how she was a Yume. Though Rin didn't like long stories, she did like making friends, so she didn't mind indulging in a bit of tale-telling for her companions, to satisfy their curiosity.
Rin and Azumi had just finished their bowls of soup when a bell began to be rung outside in the garden. Rin had never heard it before and didn't know its meaning. She was alarmed as one of the guards grabbed her by the upper arms and pulled her gently but swiftly to her feet, with the other 3 closing ranks around the two women. "What's going on?!" Rin demanded, frightened as the men drew weapons, looking in every direction for the threat as the bell just as suddenly fell silent.
Two of the guards rushed forward as a man appeared in the doorway, covered in wounds and a broken spear's head lodged in his shoulder. His eyes were glowing red.
Rin screamed as those eyes locked onto her, and he lunged.
Sesshomaru arrived at the palace shortly before noon and was immediately met by his mother, and a servant, who took Ah-Un away to eat and rest in the stable.
"Come, quickly. We have much to discuss." His mother wasted no time in leading him down the long hall to a small room deep within the palace, where the captain of the guard, Taro, was already waiting, the table covered in scrolls and stacks of information from all over the lands.
As they sat and began to discuss, Sesshomaru offering the sheets that Azumi had been making every time gifts came in from the clans, he began to feel uneasy. He frowned, his gaze growing distant as he tried to determine the source of his uneasiness.
"—maru? Sesshomaru?" His mother snapped her fingers once in his face impatiently. "Pay attention, boy! This is serious!"
He looked down at the paper in front of him, still frowning deeply as the feeling only increased in intensity.
"What is wrong?"
"I do not know…I sense something…some danger lurking…threatening…" He murmured, trying to explain the feeling as best he could.
His head snapped up as his mother was instantly on her feet. "Go at once!" She ordered him. "Your bond will always tell you when your mate is in danger! Never ignore such instincts!" As soon as he got to his feet she shoved him towards the door. "GO!"
Now far more alarmed that he knew the source of the uneasiness, the InuYōkai left his mount behind, choosing instead to change and run as fast as the skies would allow him, though he knew it was a journey of hours no matter what he did. RIN! HOLD ON!
Running flat out as he had, it was still almost sundown when he finally reached the manor he called home. The sense of danger had compounded considerably over the space of a couple of hours, then suddenly disappeared, which only served to make him more anxious. Rin would not answer his mental calls, but he didn't know if there was a limit of distance on them.
He hit the ground hard and transformed back to his usual form, alarmed to see the gates broken, one flat on the ground and the other with almost half missing. There were two guards standing in their usual posts, heavily bandaged. "Milord!" Shouted one immediately. "Please go inside at once!"
Sesshomaru did not stop to ask questions. He barely saw the continued damage around him, barely scented or felt the splashes of blood in the garden that soaked the soles of his boots as he darted inside. "Rin!" He called, following her scent upstairs, to their bedroom, not knowing what he might find as he threw open the door.
The first thing he found was an alarmingly sized pool of blood, half soaked up by their futon. It was clearly not Rin's blood, for which he was grateful, but he certainly could scent it also, which frightened him. The second thing he saw was someone huddled in the corner, shivering in terror and smelling like they were both injured and covered in blood that might not be theirs. He stepped toward the injured person cautiously, reaching out a hand to remove the blanket they had tightly wrapped themselves in. "Rin?"
"Don't touch me," A tiny voice managed to sniffle back, making him pause.
"Rin, please—"
"Don't touch me," She repeated, shivering and pulling the blanket even tighter. "I-I'm filthy."
She shivered again as gentle hands made her turn around and pulled the blanket away from her head, revealing that her hair was matted with the same blood that covered the floor. "I don't care. Rin, are you all right?" She managed to nod before breaking into loud sobs and grabbing him tightly, needing comfort. "What happened?"
"Th-th-there was…a-a man…" She managed to stammer out between sobs. "A-Azumi called them…'berserker'…He killed the guards…" She shook with several more sobs. "He didn't feel anything…nothing at all…I-I don't know…if she's…*hic* if she's still alive…h-he just, just kept coming for me, no matter what…"
Sesshomaru held her close as she sobbed, finding a relatively clean spot on her back and rubbing gently, trying to comfort her. He was still deeply troubled by the fact that he could clearly scent her blood. "Rin," h]He said after several minutes, when she had calmed down just a little, "Did he hurt you?"
She started sobbing harder again and managed a mute nod, clinging tightly to him. After a moment she murmured, "He hurt me bad…but I stopped him, I cut his throat. He finally stopped…I was so scared…" She shuddered violently and clung to her mate. Making up his mind, he gently scooped her up and carried her to the bath house to clean her up.
Sesshomaru set Rin gently down by the side of a wash tub, letting her sit while he filled it with warm water and some lavender to relax her. "Come Rin. You need cleaned, and your wounds will need tending." He still had not seen so much as a scratch on her, as she was tightly wrapped in the blanket.
Rin slowly rose to her feet, wincing in pain, then unwound the blanket and let it fall to the floor, revealing a badly torn and bloody underlayer that was practically shredded. Through it, he could already see a terrible pattern of wounds. She took the robe off also, letting it fall on the blanket, and stood before him, clutching at her own upper arms as if she were suddenly cold.
Sesshomaru stared in horror at the claw marks and scratches his beloved was covered in. There was a bite on her shoulder, as if her attacker were going for her scruff but had missed; there were scratches on her arms, from wrist to nearly the shoulder, where he had tried again and again to restrain her, and bruises to match. Most horrifying of all, though, were the bruises and scratches on her legs, from knee to nearly the hip…all along the inside of her thighs. As the attacker's intent was suddenly clear to the man, he felt an instant surge of anger and let out a low but infuriated growl, almost wishing the man alive just for the pleasure of killing him personally, as painfully as possible.
He was snapped from his vengeful thoughts as Rin flinched away from his growl, turning her bruised cheek as if expecting him to strike her. He immediately calmed, feeling awful for frightening his darling mate and furious with himself for not being there to protect her, as was his duty. "Come, Rin. You need cleaned," He repeated in an even flatter tone, coaxing her into the warm, relaxing water and beginning to wash her hair for her. "I swear to you, I will not leave you again."
