A/N: Saturday teaser chapter!
Rin struggled upright and curled herself into a ball, glad to see she wasn't tied. She stared in terror at the small but intimidating figure before her. "where am I?" Rin demanded. "what's going on? What do you want with me!?"
"be quiet, Girl, or I shall gag you." The woman narrowed her golden eyes impatiently, looking over the girl with an intense stare, stopping for a moment on her stomach, concealed now by her legs. She blinked and looked back to Rin's eyes.
"why did you bring me here?" Rin asked in a calmer tone, frowning at the woman. "where is Sesshomaru?"
She sighed. "I have had you brought here to talk to you, that is all. I…may have misspoken when I implied I wished to kill you. I have never seen my son so happy as when he realized you carried his child." She frowned back at the girl as Rin shifted herself tighter in a ball, protecting her stomach. "there is, however, the small matter of him being the heir. In order for him to claim the throne from me, he must provide an heir to take his place. You, as a human, cannot provide that. The law condemns you and your half-breed pup, but no one can touch you as you bear the clan marking." She looked at Rin's forehead now, where the purple crescent moon adorned her brow the same as it did the Lady Mother's. Rin rested her chin on her knees.
"where is Sesshomaru?" she repeated impatiently.
It did not take longer than a moment for Sesshomaru to sense something wrong. He went to look for Rin when she took too long coming back and found her jacket discarded in the street. He grabbed it, catching the scent of the servant who'd kidnapped Rin. It was one of his mother's minions. He snarled angrily and quickly folded the jacket, putting it away in the bag he had, then jumped into the air, pursuing the fading scent right where he knew it would lead—to the palace.
A forward sentry spotted Sesshomaru flying straight for the palace and sent word ahead. A messenger ran in just as the Lady mother opened her mouth to answer her daughter-in-law's question. "milady! Your son is headed this way!"
She tsked. "that was fast. Impressive." She looked back at Rin and helped her to her feet. "I brought you here to talk to you, as I said. Now I don't have much time, it seems, so come with me and listen closely." She turned her back, trusting the girl to follow her. Rin didn't want to, but it was clear she had no choice, so she shuffled after the youkai woman. "I wish to know, how much do you love my son?"
That was a rather unexpected question, and Rin stopped walking momentarily in surprise, making the Lady Mother pause and turn back to her with a haughty frown. "I…I love him more than anything. Just as much as he does me, milady," Rin stuttered under the stern gaze. Her face softened and she continued walking.
"good. I have thought about his conviction, that he would refuse the throne and the power it entails, just for you and your half-breed pup. It shocks me, honestly. I have been searching for a solution, and I believe I have found one. But there is one more question I must ask—" she turned as they reached the library—"what would you give, for him to be happy?"
"anything. Everything," Rin responded without hesitation. The Lady Mother smiled, her eyes narrowing slightly. "good. Come this way, Girl." She stepped to a tall table with a few scrolls on it, and one in particular that was massive and ancient. "this scroll details how a human can be transformed into a demon. With this, you could bear him a proper heir, and he could take the throne. All would be well, and as a reward you would be with him forever."
Rin stared at the characters, so old she had no hope of reading them correctly. "what must I give?" she asked softly, knowing there must be a catch. No spell that powerful would leave her unharmed in some way. There was always a price to pay.
Again, just as the Lady Mother started to reply, a guard burst into the room. "Milady! Your son has arrived, and is demanding his mate." She scoffed again and ordered Rin to stay put, sweeping out of the library to confront her son, who was waiting in the throne room for her.
"Where is Rin?" he demanded in a strained voice, trying not to bare his fangs at his mother and cause more problems.
"hmm. Funny, she was just asking the same thing of you a few minutes ago. You really should keep better track of one another." She heard him grit his teeth in frustration. "she is safe. As I told you before, it's not worth my life to harm your darling mate." She was surprised that he didn't relax at her reassurance.
"what are you planning to do with her, Mother?" he asked, frowning, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Clearly the small white-haired woman was up to something. She giggled behind her sleeve.
"nothing bad, I promise. I will take you to her." He perked up immediately. "but first," she stated, "there is something you must see." His face fell in suspicion once again. "this way, my son. Decisions have been made, and you should see the consequences before actions are taken."
As she moved off, leading him into the depths of the palace he'd never had reason or desire to go to before, he became more worried. He only wanted to go to Rin, to assure himself she was safe and well, as was their child. "Mother, I only want Rin. What is this about? What are you planning?"
"why must you always suspect me?" she asked, seeming offended. He sighed. He sensed an impressive amount of demonic energy in the room they were about to enter. "what's in here?" he demanded, suspicious.
"the future, my son. You will see the consequences of minds already made up, and decide for yourself if you wish to allow or prevent that future from occurring." She slid the door open, revealing a large black portal that looked mesmerizingly like a portal formed by the meidou-seki. He could tell this portal did not go to hell, though. He was curious, but had no desire to actually enter the portal. He had no idea what he might face, and he had only bakusaiga at his side, which might not be enough, depending on what horrors he might find through the swirling black vapor. He didn't notice his mother transform behind him until he was picked up by the back of his fluff like a pup and tossed in forcibly.
He landed on a floor just as black as his surroundings. It was like being in a dream world. He got back to his feet, staring around for anything that might be familiar. He wanted Rin. Where was she? Surely the future would include his mate, no matter what.
After a few uncertain steps through the gloom, the only light apparently coming from his own body, there was at last a second source of light in the blackness. It was a person with long, smooth black hair to their waist, wearing a long jacket of deep green with sakura on it. It was, he realized with a shock, the same jacket Rin had been wearing that morning. He sniffed softly, his nose confirming. Rin had her back turned to him. Her scent was…odd…though. It was her soothing scent, yes, but it was mixed with fur, and dog, and youki. It was just how he had imagined her scent if she had been born a youkai as he was. He stepped forward uncertainly. "…Rin?"
The woman turned slowly to face him, and he finally saw Rin's face. It was changed, now. The moon on her forehead was joined by green ivy tendrils that looked like shepherd's crooks across her cheeks. Her eyes remained brown, but the pupils were thin, just like his. And around her small shoulders sat a thin band of deep black fur that went down her chest to her navel. His nose didn't lie, then. She had become an InuYoukai. She spread her arms wide in greeting. "well, my love? What do you think? Do you love it?"
He stepped nearer to her, letting her embrace him. "I do…" he breathed, hugging her. Once he was so near to her he took a deep breath of her scent. Finally, he noticed the first thing that was wrong. Rin's scent had changed in more ways than just human to youkai. The warm scent of pregnancy was missing. Sesshomaru's mother had not told him how far in the future this was—had she already had their child? Or…
"a good trade, isn't it? I can be with you forever now." She hugged him more tightly and he was worried by her words. Trade? What had she traded? "your scent has changed," he informed her, making her giggle softly at his ignorance.
"well of course it has, Sesshomaru. The spell was very powerful. The hanyou child didn't survive, if that's what you mean." She shrugged nonchalantly, not seeming the least bit upset about this. "ah, well. We can always make another, isn't that right?"
He leaned away from her kiss and let her go, holding her at arms' length. "is that what you traded, Rin? You gave up our child, just to become a youkai? Why?" she shook her head, seeming puzzled.
"no, no. I didn't give them up. They just didn't survive the spell. The price was my humanity—my soul." She reached to stroke the sharp pink stripes on his cheek. "as I said, a worthwhile trade to be able to spend eternity with my beloved."
He took a step back from her, horror at the situation blooming in his gut. "…no." he looked away from her, his teeth clenching. "NO! Rin, it is your soul I fell in love with! How could you dare to do this?!"
She almost seemed puzzled by his anguish. "it is still me. We can still be happy together. And the child was no big loss. We can always make another, when the season comes in the fall. A proper heir." She tried to embrace him again. "I only wanted to make you happy—"
"you failed." He glared coldly at her, turning his back. He wanted out of this place. This future was awful, and he had to prevent it. The image of future Rin caught him by the arm, now easily strong enough to hold him back.
"you cannot leave. We are still mates."
"let me go. You are not the woman I fell in love with. This is a future I do not want." His gaze was flinty and his words sharp and cold as ice. He pulled his arm from her grip again and she narrowed her eyes.
"you say you do not want this. Do you wish me to remain human?" she demanded. "do you know what will happen? If things stay as they are in the present…I can show you."