A/N: chapter bomb part 3 of 3

The next day, and the next, Hideoko kept making excuses to Rin as to why they couldn't return to the village or leave his property. Every night he would change her memories and coax her to think the youkai she liked was really a monster. Weeks and then months passed by, and finally he felt confident he had persuaded her enough to make his move to woo her.

Rin was sitting out on the porch that September day, watching the sun set. She knew tonight was her human night and was looking forward to spending a few hours being normal again, since that was all she got anymore. She turned an ear and offered a small smile as Hideoko settled himself beside her, smiling in return. All his hard work had convinced Rin to not even think of Him or His name any longer, for He was nothing but a murderous, lustful youkai and a rapist, a foul man who had used her and given her nothing in return. Hideoko had quickly realized that if she began to think of that youkai, his hard work would begin to unravel, so he blocked it from her conscious mind. He gave her a smile as she looked back at the setting sun, more than half gone now.

"so, what do you plan to do once you're human again?" he asked her, turning to look at the sunset also. He heard her chuckle softly beside him.

"I don't know. It's only for a few hours. Just…savor it, I guess." She watched the bright oranges and yellows fade as the sky darkened further. "one thing I'd like to experience," she said suddenly, making Hideoko look back at her, "is love. Lust I know too well, but love?" her heart told her that was not true—she knew what love was, and she had it! But by now she was very good at ignoring her heart and her instincts, believing they had always led her astray in the past. The sorcerer had been very thorough in his conditioning, as he'd had to be. He smiled wider, sensing now was the time to make his move.

"Love is a rare thing, Rin, and not easily found." Rin nodded in understanding, watching as the sun was nearly gone, feeling her intense youkai energy drain away to nothing along with it. She sighed in relief as she felt suddenly cold in the twilight, her body returning to her human form for just one night, as the waxing crescent moon shone down on her.

"I kind of have forever, now, though, don't I? hanyou are kind of immortal, you said." She watched with a smile as the first stars appeared.

"Rin?"

"what is it?" she finally looked over at Hideoko again to see him looking nervously at her, a shy smile on his face.

"maybe…maybe I can offer you that…" Rin felt her face grow hot at his suggestion and stammered out, "w-what do you mean?" I'm seventeen now, and I don't really have any prospects…and Hideoko has been nothing but kind to me all this time…

"I mean, I could show you what love is, Rin. The way it's supposed to be." He became truly nervous as the girl looked away from him again, until he saw her shy smile.

"all right," she murmured, still blushing brightly enough to be visible in the relative darkness as night fell.

"Really?" he had to be sure of her agreement before he dared press this further. She nodded and glanced back at him for a moment.

"I'm plenty old enough. Were it not for…Him…I'd have married ages ago. I might even have a child by now." She looked sad at that thought. She may not like humans very much, and she may be distrustful of adults, but small children were adorable, and she would mind her own eventually. She'd loved the chances to care for sango's twin girls and little boy while she'd lived in the village. She glanced over again in surprise as he took her hand gently.

"I can make those bad feelings go away," he promised her. "I know you think about that youkai sometimes, Rin, and I know you wish he was a good man. But wishing will not change who he was, or what he did to you." He hid the spark of satisfaction as his words made her flinch at the false memories he'd given her.

"I-I know that," she said, sighing. "but my heart and mind don't always agree, you know." In fact, it was starting to seem to Rin as if they never agreed at all.

"but do you let your heart lead you through life, or your mind?" he asked, starting to lean closer to her.

"well," she began, puzzled by his sudden proximity, "I-I mean…"

"heart, or mind?" he asked again, scooting slightly closer. She turned a little redder.

"m-my mind, I suppose- er, what are you doing?" his nearness was making her nervous, and she giggled slightly, not bothering to move away, curious as to what he was doing.

"then you should forget about Him…he hurt you, Rin," Hideoko said, holding her hand slightly tighter. "I can be the one to mend you…" he leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, making her giggle and close her eyes, then planted another kiss right on her lips.

Rin stiffened in shock at the feeling of lips on hers, her eyes flying open again. It immediately brought back a memory, untarnished, of the first kiss she'd shared with Him. Her heart burned, telling her something was wrong here, and she started to pant softly, wide-eyed. "I…what's this feeling?" she asked him, referring to the painful burning in her chest that was almost alarming in its intensity. He squeezed the hand he still held gently.

"it's love, Rin. Will you let me be the one to hold you?" the pain faded as suddenly as it had come, leaving a peaceful feeling in its wake, and Rin smiled softly. "it…it's nice."

He pulled her slightly closer and gently wrapped his near arm around her shoulders, letting her hand go, careful to keep his hands in chaste locations…for now. "why don't we go inside, where it's warmer? There's a nice fire going."

Rin nodded and got to her feet, settling herself by the square fire pit and allowing him to settle beside her once more. He put slight pressure on her far shoulder, encouraging her to lean over into him, and after a few moments she did so. Rin let out a contented sigh, ignoring the slight burning of her insistent heart in her chest, trying to warn her something was wrong still.

"Rin," Hideoko began, "I love you…"

The words surprised Rin, but didn't alarm her. That was a good thing, wasn't it? She didn't know how to reply and he sighed, rubbing her shoulder lightly as he held her against him carefully. At length, he spoke again. "are you sleepy, Rin? Humans need rest, you know."

"I'm fine. It's nice to just be human for a while. Dawn comes too soon for me." He frowned a little where she couldn't see. Dawn came too early for him too, returning her to that awful hanyou form he regretted cursing her with. But he couldn't risk undoing the curse until she agreed to be his, with no reservation.

"still, you ought to rest." She yawned slightly at his words, making him smirk. "come to bed. It's late, and we both need to rest. You're right, dawn comes too soon." He added the layer of extra persuasion to his voice and felt her relax a bit in his arms. It was far easier to manipulate her as a human than a hanyou. He got to his feet and took her hand to guide her, seeing her slightly vacant eyes. Rather than dropping her off at the spare room she'd been using, he took her along to his own room, letting her in and watching her get ready for bed as she always did, seemingly unaware she was in a different room next to a much bigger futon. He settled himself into his bed and let her lay next to him, rolling toward him and yawning, shutting her eyes.

Hideoko let his persuasion drop, since he wanted a full and proper reaction, then pulled her gently closer, watching her smile as she was drifting off to sleep. She was beautiful in the dim light cast by a nearby oil lamp, with her slightly olive-tinted skin and raven hair, small and slight and perfectly shaped. He couldn't resist the temptation any longer, and leaned forward once again, kissing her neck and caressing her fine body, covered only by a single thin underlayer—

SMACK.

Rin had been almost asleep, barely aware of Hideoko in the bed beside her, until that. She found herself on her feet within heartbeats, her arms crossed over her chest, one hand stinging with the force with which she'd struck his cheek. She could clearly see the bright red hand-mark on his face as he sat up, groaning and clutching at it. "Rin…I'm sorry!" he said, looking up at her wide-eyed, alarmed face. She quickly bent and grabbed her clothing before bolting from the room, starting to cry. As if she wanted to hear that now! She hid in the far corner of her room, which shared a wall with his, and curled in a ball, starting to sob bitterly, wrapping her quilt around her for protection.

"H-he said…that he loved me…but really he's no different than Him!" she sobbed, covering her face. In his room, Hideoko sat stunned. How…how had he failed? Why didn't she like what he'd done, after all he'd changed her memories? And what had possessed him to think he could move so fast as to take her like some sake-house girl? Her beauty must have simply overwhelmed him. But now it sounded as if he'd lost his chance, and he knew a girl with love was far more than 'once bitten, twice shy'. There was not time left to make her his wife. He scowled darkly. That made his path clear. If he could not have the beautiful Rin, then no one would have her. And he knew that Youkai she'd been pining after all this time was still searching for her across the land. He could use her as a lure for him and simply rid the world of both of them in one fell swoop. He allowed a foul smirk to cross his face. He would wait another month, when the curse would become permanent after Rin's next human day, and use her to kill him…perfect.

As he had expected, Rin avoided him completely for several days after the incident, refusing to so much as look him in the eye. It was the morning of the day she would turn human once more, and she was sitting up a tree, staring into the distance. "Rin, will you come down a moment? I need your help with something," Hideoko called. She hopped down, frowning at him, and he suddenly grabbed her head, reversing everything he'd done to alter her memories. She dropped to her knees in terrible pain, then looked up, crying, as her mind finally matched up with what her heart had been trying to tell her all this time. He let the outer barrier around his property down and spread Rin's scent on the wind. Then he threw a powder in her face, making her feel suddenly weak. He grabbed her arm and dragged her inside. As the sun disappeared from Rin's face, she caught the faintest whiff of a precious, familiar scent on the breeze.

"Sessho…maru…sama?"