A/N: Any time that I italicize Rin in this chapter, it means that it is really Netami.
Thanks guys and sorry I'm pissing you off. :(
Good times to follow the action of the next few chapters.
Chapter 51: Duplicate
Her eyes fell out of focus as she gazed upon the dark blue shadow of her Lord Sesshoumaru.
She could feel herself sinking into the floor, as if being consumed by a black mass of thickened water. As she fell, she wallowed in fear, pain, and confusion. And after only a few seconds of enduring the inner hell of her memory, she pleaded for the darkness to take her mind from him; from that final look in his eyes.
And it did.
She awoke upon a tatami floor, surrounded by boxes, crates, and bales. Only a moment passed before Rin let out a horrified scream; the memories of Sesshoumaru and the old castle found their way into her consciousness as she lay broken on the ground.
She wretched upon the floor, spilling what little she had in her stomach from the trauma of her previous experience. Rin realized then that her body was blemish-less. No wounds nor pain accompanied the stress of her mind.
I thought… I had died…
Didn't he kill me…?
So where…?
She heard fumbling behind one of the crates to the right of her and, with renewed distrust of anything and everything, she gasped and inched away.
Two small heads with little cat ears poked out.
Rin calmed, but only a little, as her mind continued its spiral downward into depression.
"W-who are you?" She asked.
They responded, but not to her question.
"Yeah, we are okay, mother, may we come out now?" The bigger one inquired sheepishly.
"Please?" The younger one asked in succession.
Mother…?
Suddenly, a loud crash came from outside the large wooden doors. Rin jumped and raised her arms to her chest, scanning the far entrance of the room. She now noticed the strangeness of the residence. Everything was sturdy, looking to have been built from full cherry tree trunks. The atmosphere was raw. Simple; almost as if primal beasts inhabited it. She recognized it almost immediately from her studies in the past. It was the livelihood of the Feline Nation… Back during the war with the Dog Nation.
The little cat demons cowered.
"But why, mother? Can't we escape together?" The eldest asked again.
"Why do we have to leave you behind?!" The little one meowed sadly as he began sobbing.
Rin looked back to the strange demon children who seemed engaged in a conversation amongst themselves.
She was beginning to gather that she couldn't be heard by anyone, and that… she was merely a replacement body for whomever actually lived in her place. Though, she wished she knew what the real person in her stead was saying. For she noticed the children growing more disgruntled and terrified by the words that were obviously missing from the conversation.
"But mother!" The youngest wailed as the eldest picked him up by the back of the neck, making a shaken break for the window closest to their hiding spots.
After one last loving look towards her, the two jumped out of the sunset-cast window into nothingness.
Rin began panting in fear at the obvious detriment of whatever was to come. Something was going to happen. Whoever it was that she was replacing in this moment… knew what it was.
BANG!
Another resounding blast, closer now, just outside the door.
Heart beating rapidly, she shuffled behind the crates that the children had left unattended.
Rin heard footsteps near and stop just beyond the door.
Her mind coursed with thoughts of him.
With her personal interaction with his anger.
With his claws.
With his nature.
Sesshoumaru… Please… Not you. Please let it be someone else.
With a burst of power, the doors flew off of their hinges and crashed into the wall and crates on either side of her; becoming splintered bits of wooden shrapnel. She nearly squealed out of surprise, but managed to remain quiet, refusing to look around her meager shelter at the presence that had entered the room.
"Surely you are not that stupid," a chilling voice came from the doorway, "I can smell your scent, you fool."
Rin's heart stopped as her greatest fear of this moment became realized.
The voice that had torn her to shreds just moments ago.
The voice that had consoled her with sweet reassurances just days ago.
No.
She begged to anything, eyes widening in disbelief as tears streamed down her cheeks once more.
Lord Sesshoumaru… Please… You can do anything… You have the power to change everything. Whatever this is, please… take me from it.
The footsteps grew closer.
This can't be you. Prove to me that this isn't you. Please…
Rescue me…!
0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0
Lord Sesshoumaru watched half bitterly, and half amused, as his mother, the high queen of the West made her entrance into the courtroom, bound by chains and guards. It was a sight he didn't mind seeing.
After she was placed at the center of the room, she met his gaze. And his eyes reddened threateningly. Cesaria, Jaken, Kouga, and Ayame all gave their own vengeful looks and murmurs as the queen acted aloof; unworried.
"Does she not know that she is about to die?" Jaken silently spoke to his counterpart.
"Perhaps she's truly crazy," Cesaria retorted in reply.
The court officials readied the itinerary and paperwork for the proceeding of the trial. Though all evidence had already been reviewed and agreed upon, a fair calling to order was still needed for documentation and law-abiding purposes.
His mother simply smiled before outlandishly speaking out to him.
"Oh? You didn't bring the one witness that caused this whole mess, Sesshoumaru?" She cooed, hollowly interested, "I know you wish to protect the girl, but isn't that obstruction of justice?"
He brought a hand up to his lips and leaned upon the arm of the throne. Cesaria and Jaken both looked up at him questioningly, as did the now interested officials of the room.
"You mistake my intentions. She simply has no need to be here if your fate is sealed," he smiled at her with victory.
"Ah, well…," She looked at him slyly while soothing, "I guess that's a better answer. I would hope that you would put more thought into her protection if that had actually been your intention. Letting her out of your sight never seems to work for you, I must admit."
Sesshoumaru's aura flared at her subtle indication.
"Oh, but what do I know? I've never tried to drag around a human before unless I planned to eat them. So don't mind me," she sneered.
He ignored her playful add on.
"The trial will now begin!" An old official's voice boomed across the room, "First, order of business and presets…"
"Cesaria… Jaken…," their lord's voice commanded as the official read off of his scroll. The room had noticed the strange interaction between mother and son, but now they had retreated their attention back to the issue at hand; all except for a nosy Kouga who eavesdropped intently.
"Y-yes, my Lord?" They asked in whisper.
"Go back to the castle now. Assure Rin's safety," he breathed behind his closed fist.
Jaken and Cesaria gulped before murmuring their compliance.
When the first official had stopped his rambling, the two servants stood and in unison, firmly stating an excusatory, "Shitsureishimasu!" before bowing slightly and walking towards the entrance.
The queen chuckled slightly at the sight.
"Too bad that he's too late," she thought, wickedly.
Jaken noticed the queen's amused face and, before he could control himself further, he whacked her in the side with his staff, making it look like a conversion of carry.
She slowly looked down at him murderously; her elite kimono, sullied and lightly torn.
"Excuse me milady, I was too careless!" He sincerely spat before rushing to catch up with Cesaria, who gave him an approving look.
They rushed out of the entrance and, once outside, made a break for the left, towards the castle, through the welcoming grounds of trees and shrubbery.
Netami watched, clutching the scented pendant from behind a tree as the two loyal servants ran off. Though the pendant smelled of Sesshoumaru and his castle, it was enough to elicit no second thoughts from those who had grown used to it, especially when they were all still within his domain.
Netami… The time has come. Whenever you are ready… The queen's voice sliced through her thoughts once more.
0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0
"Please present the evidence," another court official called loudly across the room. The trial had proceeded once more, free of interruption, with Sesshoumaru and his mother never breaking their raging stares.
Kouga got up gruffly, annoyed by the waste of time, and gave the analyzers the designated scroll keepers that housed Shirokaen's and the queen's personalized trespasses.
"We will take the next few minutes to review and then we will reconvene to provide the room with the given information," he completed the necessary statements as the court officials began to rise.
Just as they were about to sound the small dragon-scale gong to indicate impending recess, the doors to the courtroom slammed open.
Kouga, Ayame, Matsura, and his daughters all audibly gasped at the sight while Sesshoumaru simply parted his mouth slightly, eyes widening with growing shock.
The queen turned to also give her own feigned look of surprise.
Rin emerged through the doors, sword drawn; violet lightening stripes shooting down to the tip.
The room fell to absolute silence. Many of the demons were confused by the strange, human girl, but many others were also just as surprised as the royals; recognizing her from the Solstice.
"Rin," Sesshoumaru's voice was firm, "What are you doing?"
Rin didn't answer, instead, she stepped forward slightly and, with swiftness, swung the sword across her body, shooting out small tresses of violet waves across the room.
Everyone within the obsidian pews ducked or leapt out of the way with screams and groans, while the queen, her guards, the court officials, and royalty all followed suit a little less audibly. The strike was meant for the royalty line. Although they all, including a composed Sesshoumaru, dodged the small burst of power with ease.
Expressionless once more, his lingering gaze returned from the destroyed thrones and singed back wall to the power's origin. To Rin.
He furrowed his eyebrows slightly. Both in confusion and in contemplation.
"What the fuck, you mutt…," Kouga seethed, "What the hell is this, huh?!"
Sesshoumaru stepped forward, ignoring Kouga for the moment.
Golden eyes narrowed at the blatant deception. This human before him was not Rin. Though her scent, her mannerisms, and her magnificent sword all said otherwise…
….her heart and her eyes did not.
But not everyone else in the room could decipher that quite as well as he could…
"I will repeat myself no more," tonelessly, a collected Sesshoumaru spoke, "What are you doing?"
He lowered his head threateningly towards the human girl who was still wielding a fierce Kaerunin.
"I have one reason for being here…," she breathed with the tones she was known for. Netami's impersonation was flawless,
"…To destroy every single one of you."
Sesshoumaru cocked his head, "Oh?"
"Sesshoumaru, what is the meaning of this?" The queen asked condescendingly, though Rin continued, interrupting the queen's façade.
"I was blessed with a power I thought I would never have. And here it is, obeying my will. It must be fate."
Growling, the dog demon lord fumbled over how this thing was able to wield Kaerunin. Though, it could not hurt him, that much he was sure.
"After killing Shirokaen and gaining the power that I did, I now know that I can complete fate's desire of me," she further explained, causing the room to deem her insane. Purposefully so.
"You better tell me what's going on soon and well, Sesshoumaru…," Kouga snarled, leaping to the dog demon's side in an offensive stance, "Why is your pet trying to kill us all?"
Sesshoumaru blinked before down-casting his stare. For his peace of mind and for Kouga's, he decided to test the condition of the woman before him. Rin slowly started walking down the center aisle of the room towards them as he trustingly gave up valuable information to the Eastern Nation.
"Rin is pregnant," Sesshoumaru divulged.
Kouga gave him a very confused look, "H-huh? What the hell does that matter?!"
"Though I cannot sense it as of yet, Cesaria noticed the imbalance in her scent days ago," Sesshoumaru responded under his breath, narrowing his eyes as he finished, "Can you pick it up as well?"
Kouga's crystal blue eyes widened in understanding before they turned to face the approaching girl.
Whiffing the air of her; the aura about her, he honed in his scenting to that of her blood. Now his eyes shot open, only to narrow with understanding.
"No… She's not," he said, finally gathering the gist of the situation.
"I see. That's all I needed to know," Sesshoumaru replied, coolly dipping his head, before leaping with immense speed towards the imposter.
Gathering enough time by her shocked demeanor alone, he grabbed her by the hair and threw her into the right pew box that held the Western Council. Though they all moved in the knick of time, Sesshoumaru couldn't care less if they went down with her.
She smashed through the wood and pummeled into the stone wall with a loud
THUD!
The sword clanked across the floor, sliding beyond their reach.
Before breath could even be regained, Sesshoumaru was upon her again, a hand pressing her up against the wall while claws hovered above her neck.
"Where is Rin? Tell me now."
"She is unharmed and safe at the moment…," Rin smiled, "But you have no leverage. For if you kill me, you banish a part of her soul as well…"
Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly.
"I don't think you want her losing any more of her soul to the underworld, do you? You never know how much loss a soul can take before it renders its body a lifeless doll…"
Anger tore like fire across Sesshoumaru's face at the implications that came with this thing harboring parts of Rin's soul.
What had been done to her?
Despite his rage, this Rin's particular word choice didn't escape him.
"The underworld, you say?"
The imposter's eyes widened a bit, realizing the careless mistake that she had just made.
"Do tell me how someone like you knows of the underworld…," he accused bitterly, "…And how it operates?"
Her expression was answer enough. Sesshoumaru threw his golden stare to his flesh and blood across the room, who now met his gaze indignantly.
The people of the courthouse stood deathly still at the mess that was unfolding before them. Kouga ached to get involved, but a shivering Ayame held him back.
"Mother, dearest…," Lord Sesshoumaru's maliciously hollowed words reached the ears of the queen.
Her eyes became slits at the turn of the situation.
"I must call Rin to make her choice now...," the prestigious queen mulled, with worry, "The second sin should be nearing completion."
She gave Netami a swift look before the demoness, still housed beneath the shell of Rin, inched slowly along the floor towards Kaerunin; taking advantage of the shifted focus of the room.
Sesshoumaru cracked his claws as the depths of his eyes pooled red, blood-lust for his mother taking over his senses, "…Your life is mine."
Review please :) Next chapter will show the results of Rin, Sesshoumaru, and the high mother!
But don't expect it quite so fast this time...
I HAVE TO PREPARE! *coughKellycough* ;)
Please review and tell me what you think, guys!
