A/N: so apparently there's this thing called Inuvember in this fandom that no one thought to mention to me? ^-^ we'll have to fix this! I think in the next few chapters we should be meeting the Inutachi again!
Many thanks once more for my several reviewers! You guys have made the journey to forty chapters and beyond a happy one. And thank you, thank you, thank you to my readers, each and every one! I hope you continue to enjoy my story!
Aki seemed like a very no-nonsense woman, very opposite to the cheerful and joking nature of Chieko. She seemed very proud of the title she held, and Rin could tell it was a very important and prestigious one. "I would like to begin with an examination of Rin-sama, if I may," she said with a small bow.
"Right now?" Rin asked, a bit sleepy now that she was stuffed full of good food. "can't we do this later, and in private?"
Chieko chuckled at her as she and her mate left with the rest of the people filing out of the massive banquet hall. Aki, though she seemed as though she might be amused at the thought, did not laugh and barely smiled. "of course it will be later, Rin-sama. And it will need to be thorough. Sesshomaru-sama, you will remain outside while I work."
At those words, Sesshomaru was instantly suspicious. He knew vaguely who Aki was, of course—she was two years younger than him, the daughter of Aika, who had cared for him in his very early years. And while he knew he should trust the midwife, he was very protective of Rin, and the incident that morning had only reinforced his need to be there and protect her. He asked in a restrained tone why he could not be there with her.
Aki sighed at his question, having expected it. "my exams focus on the pup's development, and can appear…invasive, to the untrained eye. This can make males uncomfortable, or overly protective, and both get in my way. So it is easier for you to remain outside. It will only take a short time, and does not need to be done too frequently."
Sesshomaru frowned softly, taking Rin's hand gently in his own. "I am not certain I am comfortable with this examination," he stated calmly.
"I assure you there is nothing to be worried about. I have centuries of training. I simply have to see how the pup is developing and that both they and milady are healthy. I also need to estimate when she will be due, since you missed the usual season." Aki was very confident in her statements, clearly very familiar with what she was talking about. He seemed unconvinced—stubborn males—and she sighed slightly in exasperation. "Gobodō-sama will overrule you if necessary."
"a bold thing indeed, for a servant to threaten her master," he noted in a surprisingly mild, cool tone. Aki simply nodded confidently. "you will find I have more authority than any common servant—and for very good reason." Rin knew she was right. A midwife could mean the difference between a safe birth and two fresh graves, sometimes. Seeing the women agreed with one another, he relented just as his mother strode over, greeting the orange-haired midwife warmly.
"are you prepared to deal with the kitchen servant from this morning?" she asked in a low tone, making sure no one was within hearing range. "you are no longer needed here. I can send the clans away." Sesshomaru rose to his feet gracefully, offering his hand and pulling Rin to her feet also, intending to take her to the room they were sharing, leaving the captain of the guard to protect her while he dealt with the young woman.
"Sesshomaru?" Rin tugged lightly at his sleeve as they walked down the empty hallway. "I want to see the person who tried to kill me. I want to see their face." He stopped short, surprised at her words and the sincerity behind them. After a moment, he began walking again, letting her into their room and helping her undress from the formal kimono and settle into something simpler and more comfortable before changing his own clothes. She caught his sleeve as he tried to leave her behind, having known he would. Rather than shaking her off as he wished to, he allowed her to take his hand as he strode to the dungeon, nodding to the guard as he allowed him down.
The area they referred to as a "dungeon" was far nicer than anything Rin might have pictured. There seemed to be several individual cells, and the whole thing was well lit and clean. Near the end of the little hallway, one cell was occupied, and Rin could already smell bandages and salve. As they reached the doorway of the little barred room, the young woman flinched at Sesshomaru's presence, covering her wounded arm with her good one and huddling in the corner in an attempt to protect herself.
"This is her, Rin. The one who poisoned your tea." Sesshomaru's voice was every bit as flat and cold as it had been years ago, when they'd just met. It was clear he had nothing but contempt for the girl. She stared at Rin as Rin stared back at her, shocked that she was so young and clearly scared. And—perhaps she was imagining it—her eyes seemed clear of any foul intent. Something told Rin the girl had not really wanted to harm her, at least not for any personal reason.
"Wh-wh-who are you?" the girl managed to stammer, still staring at Rin. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed dangerously. "This," he said slowly and clearly, "is Rin. My mate." The girl's blue eyes widened in horror, as it was very clear that the black-haired young woman before her was more an InuYōkai than she was. She then bowed her head in horrified shame. "…I was lied to. They told me you had taken a human to mate."
Sesshomaru's eyes were already flinty with anger, and he immediately demanded "who? Who was it who told you that? You implied before that you acted alone. Are there more?" the girl cowered before his fury, stammering out what very little she knew and was willing to share while desperately trying not to start crying in terror.
"the Daimyō a-a-all thought you had t-taken a human as you-your mate, a-a-and they told us, the servants I mean, that if she m-m-met with an a-accident, that there, there wouldn't be another war. Nobody wants that." She had her eyes squeezed shut with the force of her attempt to not burst into tears, and didn't see his hand flash out, only felt herself suddenly pulled right off her feet, held by a fistful of the front of her kimono. She squealed in fright, grabbing his wrist tightly with her good hand, eyes wide in terror.
"I would rather die, than see my mate come to any harm," he informed her in a flat tone that proved how much restraint he was using in that moment. His blood was boiling and the outer corners of his eyes were faintly red with his fury. His very blood, as well as the law, demanded the life of this servant girl for her attempt of assassination and high treason. He wanted to kill her right that very second, but knew better. For one thing, she may have more information, and for another, there was the matter of propriety. She needed to be formally executed under the sun, preferably the dawn light, which would not come until tomorrow. In addition, he had to offer Rin the right to speak to the girl also and choose whether or not to spare her. Only Rin could ask for the life of the girl as payment for her crimes.
"please, Sesshomaru-sama! The poison I chose would not harm a yōkai in the slightest! Not even the tiniest unborn pup! I swear it!" her instincts screamed at her to struggle and kick, but she knew better than to move a muscle. It would only give him an excuse to kill her faster and probably a lot more painfully. She could not stop her tears any longer and they started to flow freely down her cheeks.
"You planned to kill her—my mate, the future mother of my heir—you intended her harm. Irregardless of what you used, your intentions were not pure." It was taking every last ounce of his enormous restraint to not simply kill the sniveling, cowardly young woman. "your actions are unforgivable, and you are sentenced with treason, which penalty is death." When the girl let out a sob, his eyes grew redder and he growled, "any last requests?"
He didn't even hear her whispered prayer that the kami would be merciful to her, as his attention suddenly shifted to the gentle hand on his arm. He looked to Rin as she stepped beside him and signaled him to wait. The girl opened her eyes again at the gentle woman's voice. "how old are you, girl? What is your name and job?"
"I-I-I'm a-a hundred and thirty five," she stammered out. "I work-I-I work in the kitchens…" Rin made another motion to Sesshomaru and he—with great reluctance—set her down again. "I'm Azumi," she finished in a tiny voice, hiding in the corner. Rin took his arm and pulled him outside the cell so they could talk in whispers.
"I don't want her to be killed, Sesshomaru. She's just a girl- you said once that 150 was considered an adult. That means she's even younger than me."
"Rin, she tried to kill you!" he hissed, the corners of his eyes growing red again. He reached out, gently touching Rin's cheek as she looked up at him with a soft frown.
"someone ordered her, for all we know, threatened her, so that she would do what she did, Sesshomaru. She clearly didn't want to. Does she seem like a murderer to you?" he looked back into the cell, seeing the young girl curled into a ball in the corner, sobbing with her hands over her face, shivering with terror. He let out a deep sigh and shook his head.
"fine. There is one thing you can do. If you ask for her life as a servant to you, as a debt for her crimes, then she does not need to die." Rin then turned to see the girl, azumi, and nodded softly, striding back in and startling her.
"Azumi," Rin addressed the terrified servant girl with a little of the authority she had shown earlier that day, "you committed treason in trying to take my life today. However, I don't believe you actually intended to harm me in any personal way. So, I am claiming your life as debt, on the condition that you tell us everything you know about those people who conspired against me, and bring me more intel. If you fail, or refuse, your life will be forfeit." Rin paused, meeting Azumi's eyes as the girl shivered worriedly, nodding quickly in agreement with the words. "if you succeed in giving us something valuable, as I expect you can, then you will simply serve me and the future Taishōgun until you come of age. Then, your life will be your own again." At Rin's last words, Azumi fell on her face, kowtowing with gratitude as she fully realized the unthinkable had happened, and she was being spared. She thanked the Yume Lady profusely, still crying, but this time in relief. Rin pulled Sesshomaru away after having the girl released, knowing that Aki, the midwife, must be waiting for them by now.
When they reached Sesshomaru's quarters, Aki was waiting by the door. She opened it and took Rin gently by the wrist, guiding her inside before putting a hand up to block the male as he tried to follow. "you will remain outside, as I said before." When he gave a slight growl she commented "and that's why." To her credit, Aki was quick and well-practiced. She opened the door just a few minutes later and allowed Sesshomaru in. Rin was settled on a fluffy cushion in nothing but her juban, which she was just tying shut once more. "Rin-Sama is in perfect health, as is the pup. And so far as I can tell, she's about a month gone. That means she should whelp in june, probably before the monsoons come." Sesshomaru nodded at the information and Aki motioned him over after having Rin relax on her back on the futon. "lay your ear here," she instructed him, pointing to the lower part of Rin's stomach.
Sesshomaru wasn't sure why she wanted him to listen to Rin's bowels—maybe she had gas or something? But he did as he was told, closing his eyes and listening to his mate's steady, vital heartbeat. Then, under that, he noticed something else. A faster, much smaller rhythm right under his ear. An impossibly tiny heart, fluttering away like a bird in her belly. In her womb. His golden eyes flashed up to the midwife, who nodded at his wordless question. "you can hear the heartbeat now." In that moment, it suddenly struck him with great force that he was really going to be a father. He heard Rin gasp and closed his eyes contentedly again, staying like that for a few moments after the midwife grew impatient with him. When he finally sat up, she allowed them to ask any questions, and they both did.
"Kagome-sama said you don't get your blood anymore when you're pregnant," Rin noted. "is that still true?"
Aki nodded and offered a small smile. "yes. In fact, you will never bleed again. Yōkai women don't, unlike humans."
After quite a few more questions from both of them, Aki rose to leave, and Rin grabbed her sleeve, whispering one last question in her ear. The midwife laughed and Rin blushed brightly. "of course you can, Rin-sama. In fact, it can be beneficial for everyone involved. Don't worry, I get that question quite a lot from first-timers." She bustled off and Sesshomaru simply raised an eyebrow, wondering what Rin had asked about. It seemed she wasn't going to tell him now, though, as she had already rolled over, intending to take a nap before dinner.
After dinner and another visit from Gobodō-sama, congratulating both of them on how they had handled the ceremony, Rin especially, they were both exhausted and retired for the evening. It was sometime in the middle of the night, or perhaps very early in the morning, when something woke Rin. There were footsteps in the hallway, and she didn't recognize them. The single door to their room slid soundlessly open, and a shadowy, black-clad figure stepped silently in. Rin remained frozen in surprise and fear, praying it was just a dream. She could feel Sesshomaru's strong arms wrapped about her and his lean body pressed against hers, her back against his chest and the quilt over them both. She was definitely awake, and this must be real.
Then, Rin saw the knife.