Chapter 8
Rin knew nothing good would come out of being upset, but she gritted her teeth from bitterness. The candles in the main room had burned out long ago, and she shifted her position on the floor for the umpteenth time.
A gentle snore, the rustling of the branches outside, soft noises that the horses Rin and Kaede owned made — everything had the maiden jolting up. She felt as if she was going crazy, unable to distinguish the sounds of the night from the soft knock she was awaiting.
The beauty took out her handkerchief, wanting something to fidget with. Truth be told, as angry as she was with Kohaku's tardiness, it was possible that something had happened to him on his way back to the village. Another man hurt on his journey here? Rin shook her head, not wanting to think anymore negative thoughts, and focused her eyes on the handkerchief.
Though the room was mostly dark, moonlight allowed the maiden to make out the patterns of the silky cloth. It was a bit worn out over the years, since Sesshomaru had gifted it to her when she was still new to village life. In fact, it had been the first of many gifts, and one of her favorites.
The cloth was made from the same silk her creamy-and-gold kimono was composed of, meaning it was of the highest quality. In the center, a crescent moon was expertly embroidered, standing out with its vibrant purple against the light pink cloth. Her fingers traced the moon, smiling softly. Oh, how she wished she would have known Asa's reaction when Sesshomaru requested the handkerchief to be made! Perhaps Asa had teased him, laughed at the fact that the demon lord, who never cared about Rin's cleanliness, now suddenly wanted a handkerchief made. Or maybe, the magnificent demon had clapped happily, as she always did when she saw Rin, and worked on the cloth in good spirit.
Either way, it was Sesshomaru who had presented the gift to her.
Rin pressed her lips to the crescent, closing her eyes.
Sesshomaru. Her Sesshomaru.
Guilt swelled inside her the moment she thought of him. While she was planning to leave to the village, he was on his way to battle with the fire demon's kin.
The maiden opened her eyes, and stared at the bags she had prepared for her trip. Must I go?
Tucking the silky square away, she stood up, wrapped her shawl tighter, and gathered a bag in her arms. Maybe Kohaku had forgotten about their plans. Yes, that's it, I'll just go to bed now and forget this whole ordeal. Rin walked towards the dark hall and glided across the open walkway. A loud growl above startled her, and she stopped dead in her tracks.
"Kirara?" she asked, looking up and catching sight of her. Upon the demon feline, Kohaku waved enthusiastically. Rin glared back in annoyance.
Knowing Kirara wouldn't land by the walkway, Rin headed back into the main room and slid the main door open, where Kirara and Kohaku were waiting.
"Kohaku," the maiden began, her voice rough from pent-up anger.
"Now, now, Rin," Kohaku lifted his hands in defense, "the herbs I was searching for were dried up, so I had to visit Jenji in order to have enough for you as well."
Rin glared at him as he gave her a goofy smile. "You do realize I've been waiting this entire night, right? It's too late to leave the village. I don't even want to travel anymore honestly. "
Apparently the words didn't settle well with him as his smile dropped, replaced with a scowl. "I did not just hear you say that. And for your information, I spent my entire night collecting herbs in the cold. Hurry up, I don't have time for your shenanigans, Rin."
"Ko—"
"Obviously you're bothered," the demon slayer interrupted, "but I cannot do much about it. My intention was to return in the evening, as promised, but since Lord Sesshomaru told me to gather herbs for you as well, I had to grant his request. So here," he pulled out a bag and tossed it to her, "put this with your stuff so that we may be on our way."
Standing there, the maiden clenched the bag tightly. Yes I'm pissed off, but it would be rude to leave Kohaku hanging after I begged him to make this trip. Rin took a small glance at Kirara. Kirara made this trip in the cold as well…
She walked back into the main room of her home, defeated from new guilt, collected the remaining bag, and slid the door closed on her way out.
"The only reason I'm changing my mind is because of Kirara," Rin stated as she climbed the gigantic demon, "because you can freeze your tardy bastard self out here."
The demon slayer let out a whooping laugh. "That's something I love about you, Rin. You hate displeasing anyone, even if you're angry with them," he patted Kirara, and she immediately ran up into the air. "Let's get this over with so we both can sleep in comfort. I also want to see if our dear friend Taro is alive."
Rin tapped Kohaku's back and folded her arms when he turned around. "Promise me," she spoke, "that once we confirm that our friend is well, we'll return promptly."
"Of course. I also have a loved one waiting for me, you see," he smirked and turned back around.
Rin sighed, and pulled out the handkerchief, tracing the moon. She was still unsure if she had made the right decision to leave.
— — —
Sleep had embraced her sometime during the early hours of the morning. A cold hand shook Rin softly and she opened her eyes, immediately meeting Kohaku's dark orbs.
"Forgive me for waking you up, Rin. We've run into some trouble."
She sat up quickly, scanning her environment. Kirara had apparently made a landing in a small clearance. Behind the young man, Rin noticed he had taken some time to make camp, as there was a fire close by and Kagome's old sleeping bag lain out. Rin glanced around the still, dark night, but didn't notice a danger of sorts.
She turned back to Kohaku and whispered, "What is it?"
"Kirara lost Taro's scent, so we landed. If we don't have anything else to replace the scent, we'll have to be on our way back home."
Huffing in annoyance, Rin spotted her belongings near the sleeping bag. Walking over to them, she took out the scroll Taro had written to her.
"He wrote this to me. I suppose it can be useful if his scent still lingers among the paper and ink."
Kohaku's face lightened up and called Kirara forth, who quickly took a sniff of the scroll. "With this, we'll be back on track in no time! I'm glad for it."
"I'm also glad, Kohaku." The maiden smiled at him and patted Kirara. "Will we return to the air anytime soon?"
"As soon as the sun warms the day. I suggest you take the sleeping bag. I wouldn't want you to get ill."
Rin shook her head fervently. "Your hands are terribly cold, Kohaku! You need it more than I do. Besides, I'm wearing a sturdy kosode and shawl. Should I wake before you, I'll prepare a small breakfast for the three of us," she winked as Kohaku clapped and Kirara purred.
"Awesome! And here I thought you were pissed at me," Kohaku chuckled lightly.
Rin rolled her eyes, settling herself near the fire once more and watched Kohaku do the same. It wasn't long before she heard him snoring, and she turned on her side, away from him to face Kirara's enlarged form. The cat demon's fur was wonderfully soft, reminding her of the man she loved.
Lord Sesshomaru's fur is kinda like this… softer, less tangled, she giggled, running a hand through it.
I'll be home as soon as I can.
— — —
It wasn't long after they were back in the sky that the landslide came into view. Rin gulped, feeling anxious as ever.
"This is the spot where I saw him last…" Kohaku muttered in shock.
As soon as Kirara landed, the group surveyed the area in hopes to find signs of life. Mounts of debris and mass graves covered much of the land, evidence that people tried to clean the mess.
Rin found a shovel by one of the graves, and walking over untouched land, she instructed her company to search for corpses.
The sounds of loud clinking and pants filled the day. Everyone around the beauty was busy at work. Kohaku was already dripping in sweat—despite the cold—and she watched as he pulled out a man, studied him for a bit, and then carried the body to where Kirara was sniffing about.
Will we find you, Taro? She observed the cat demon shake her head at a grave, and walk to another. I just hope it's not me that does.
She turned back, and with all her might, made a large scoop into the dirt. The shovel immediately hit something hard.
She kneeled, clawing the dirt away, yelling Kohaku's name out.
"Rin, what is it?!"
"I think it's a man!" Her hands uncovered a body part still in armor, and she flinched, falling backwards. Kohaku caught her quickly, settling her down before digging with his hands as well.
"Oh."
"Is… is it him?" she asked, trembling.
"It's a woman," Kohaku frowned, pulling her corpse out. Rin came forward, studying her.
It was so strange to find a woman wearing armor, a soldier's armor, nowadays. Sure, Sango and Kagome both protected the village from time to time, but they never joined the infantry. Rin glanced over at the corpse's robes. They were of the lowest quality, something only the poorest of peasants wore.
"Hmm, maybe she joined the army to help out her husband?" Rin asked. Kohaku shrugged and carried the body to a grave.
— — —
Several hours past, and more corpses were uncovered. Some men, some women, no children.
It was obvious to Rin after a while that this was an "entertaining" village. Some women were nude, others clothed in loosely woven cotton. And it appeared as if they had been playing a game with the soldiers during the time of the landslide, since many of the women were dressed in armor. Rin pointed her observations to Kohaku while he snorted, trying to hide the discomfort so noticeable on his face.
Eventually, they could find no more bodies hidden in the dirt, so after prayer for the dead and setting up their camp, the group decided to come together to rest.
"No Taro or the village men," the beauty frowned while fixing a small meal for the group.
"Which is good, you know," Kohaku said as Rin gave him a funny look, "because that means he wasn't at the brothels with the army."
"So where the hell is he?"
"I don't know. Here's where I saw him last. Maybe we could continue going north."
Rin didn't respond to that, and focused herself on serving the meal instead. Kohaku and Kirara thanked her, and the group ate in silence.
There was an uneasy feeling that settled in her stomach as Rin thought about going much more north. The fact that she was so far from the village already made her uncomfortable, but also her limited days put her in a tight situation. If Sesshomaru returned to the village before she did, he'd feel betrayed and dishonored. And that was the last time she wanted him to feel.
"We can't search every piece of the Northern lands, Kohaku," she spoke, breaking the quietude of supper.
He looked up, chopsticks still by his mouth. "You wish against it?"
Contemplating, Rin sighed heavily and nodded.
Kohaku gave the beauty a weak smile and patted her shoulder. "It's okay that we didn't find him. Kami knows we looked all over this place."
Her cinnamon eyes met his dark ones. "In all honestly, I think it would have broken my heart if we found him. But alas, we were able to bury the dead, and now they'll rest in peace."
The demon slayer agreed. "How about we wash before we head back to the village then?" he suggested, "That way, we return clean, and you can change into another set of clothing."
"Excellent. I'll head over to the river with Kirara while you gather our belongings," Rin said, standing up and stretching.
"I'll keep guard from a distance. Don't undress completely. We don't know where we are exactly and what kind of people and demons wander around here."
"Noted."
— — —
She was absolutely filthy. Much to her embarrassment, the clear water around her turned a murky brown.
And it wasn't just her arms and legs, but her clothing as well. The beauty stood there, unsure if she should take off her shawl and blue wrap skirt and wash them.
Looking over her shoulder, Rin noticed Kirara's tiny form splashing about. If she's without worries, why shouldn't I be as well? With that in mind, Rin took them off, rubbing the garments quickly to take off as much dirt as possible.
Of course, when she noticed how clean the wrap skirt and shawl became, Rin wanted to take off her pink kosode too. It wasn't wise to be completely undressed, but there was no one around. Besides, the beauty wouldn't be naked anyways, for she wore her under kosode beneath the pink one.
She slid the garment off, and washed it.
Rin laid out the clothing to dry on a rock, and she closed her eyes for a while, letting her mind run through the things she wanted to do once she got home.
Sesshomaru didn't make plans for them in the upcoming days, but she supposed they would visit the market soon. Or maybe, they would visit Asa like they had last night, and Dan would be there to join them for tea.
The beauty smiled at the thought, and took out the kanzashi in her hair, letting long, raven locks tumble down into the water. She sighed in contentment, and after the cold air and water got to her, stood up, and walked to the shore.
While Rin was squeezing her clothing dry, Kirara suddenly turned into her enlarged form. The maiden quickly changed into her still-wet pink kosode, unsure if this was a sign of danger approaching them.
In an instant, the cat demon jumped across the river, disappearing into the forest.
Silence.
"Kohaku?" Rin chirped, afraid to be in the dim evening alone.
No response.
She took a quick glance towards the cat demon's direction, and looked back in the direction of their camp. In a swift movement, Rin gathered her wrap skirt and shawl in hand and hurriedly walked back to the safe haven.
"Halt."
Rin stopped, tensing up.
This isn't Ko—
"I came back to visit the brothel, but it seems as if the landslide took it away. I'm glad the most beautiful woman survived though," the man chuckled, "It's a shame that I don't remember seeing you last time."
Rin sensed him behind her, and she clutched her kanzashi tightly, ready to strike.
"No worries, we'll just have to make some memories now, beautiful." Rin shivered from disgust, and as soon as she could hear his breathing around her ear, she stabbed his leg, and turned around.
"You f—" Rin kicked his groin with all her might, and took off running, screaming out Kohaku's name.
She could see Kohaku running frantically to her, strapped with their belongings on his back, until she was close enough to jump into his arms.
"Oh my fucking gods, someone almost assaulted me!" Rin sobbed, shaking from fear and the cold.
"Are you hurt? Where's Kirara?" he asked worried, pushing her off gently to take a quick look at her.
"She ran into the forest for whatever reason! No, I'm not hurt, but Kohaku, the man is still over there!" she cried.
"I'm going to kill the fucking bastard," he growled, removing the heavy weapon on his back.
They headed to the river, looking about, searching for the man.
Rin, still shaking and clutching onto Kohaku, glanced around the dim evening. "His blood is there," she pointed to the ground.
"He's probably on horseback," Kohaku grunted. Rin clutched his arm tighter.
"Should we go back to the campsite? Maybe Kirara returned there."
"And you really didn't notice where she ran off to?"
"No," Rin huffed.
"It's just so strange that she would leave you alone…" Kohaku seemed concerned, but nevertheless, directed them back to the campsite. They stopped abruptly once their eyes met multiple ones.
"That's the fucking wench," a man yelled. Rin didn't turn to meet whoever had spoken, for her gaze was fixed upon the large group of soldiers that stood before them.
"Fetch them. The general will decide what to do with them once we get to base," another commanded. Rin felt her knees giving in, her vision hazing up.
"I won't let them do anything to you, Rin," Kohaku whispered while the men approached them.
The beauty's eyes watered and closed as soldiers tie them up and made them kneel on the ground.
Before she could reply, a powerful blow knocked her out.
— — —
"A woman?"
"A beautiful woman!"
W-What? Rin opened her eyes slowly, noticing the whispering, armor-clad soldiers that stood all around her.
"Man, just look at her…"
"Never seen a face like hers…"
"Or body…" She looked away from the group, remembering that the pink kosode she had put on so quickly had never been properly tied. She didn't want to imagine what they were looking at.
"Damn…"
"I call first!" Her eyes met the man's who spoke, his dark eyes desperate and lustful. I will cut your fucking ba—
"Fuck off, I do!"
"Bastard!"
The men began arguing amongst themselves, appearing to almost break out in a fist fight. Her head began to pound as she shifted from them, disgusted.
"Lay a hand on me, and I'll make sure this is your last day alive," the beauty warned. The men stopped, staring at her once again.
"Did y'all hear this wench? I ought to be the one who teaches you a lesson, after all, you fucking stabbed me," a man in the crowd yowled.
Rin glared at him as he parted the crowd. Though he had been the one at the river, she realized she never got a glimpse of him. He appeared to be malnourished and desperate standing before her. Unlike the other soldiers who stood in attention, he was lame but jittery at the same time. Rin made a ruthful laugh at him.
"Do it," she dared, spitting at his armor.
Gasps could be heard from the crowd and the man rose his hand while Rin closed her eyes, awaiting the strike. Instead, she heard someone shoving themselves about and coming between the two.
"You fucking fool! This is Princess Rin!" a soldier panted. Her eyes snapped open at once. Never had she been more relieved to hear the fake title that carried no power. Nevertheless, it caused a great discomfort throughout the men.
Some began to walked away immediately out of transparent shame and fear. Those that stayed quickly cut the ropes that bounded the maiden, and she sighed in relief, turning to the soldier who was now kneeling before her.
"Forgive these men, I beg you, my lady. They are not from our village, you see. These are the headmaster's friend's soldiers an—"
"Where is the demon slayer?" She didn't want to waste time speaking to him.
"He was taken after he killed a soldier, my lady."
Rin hid a tremble, fearing that Kohaku was in much more danger than she was. "Take me to him at once."
"Princess, I don't believe tha—"
"I didn't ask for your opinion," she spat. The soldier averted his frightened eyes.
Anyone who was from Kaede's village knew better than to argue with Sesshomaru's beloved.
Though it was night, torches revealed what hid in the dark. The soldiers stood and walked beside Rin, leading her through a narrow path in the base. Apparently this was the soldiers' ultimate base, as there were at least a hundred soldiers walking about.
The leading soldier stopped in front of a white tent, gesturing at Rin to enter it. She was hesitate, but glared at the man one last time, giving him a silent warning of "I'll kill you myself if this is a trap."
He looked away, and she entered the tent.
At once, a repugnant smell hit her nose. She gagged, looking at the scattered carcasses throughout the tent. Obviously a form of torture for prisoners. After a few more steps into the large tent, she recognized Kohaku's tied body on the ground. A ragged sigh of relief exited her lips, and she settled next to his sleeping form.
Oh kami, he's alive. Her cinnamon eyes watered at sight of his beaten body, his chest moving up and down slowly, and then observed the bruises and cuts on his skin where his demon slayer's uniform was slashed. Hurt, but alive.
The young maiden shook him gently a few times before he gained consciousness. Kohaku blinked, eyes in a haze.
"Am I dead?" he asked softly. Rin bursted into tears.
"No, you dumbass," she said between sobs, "but this place might as well be hell."
He stared back at her with a pained expression.
"Please, please, tell me they didn't touch you," he quivered from distress. Rin shook her head fervently, and heard him sigh. The two were quiet for a while, only Rin's soft sobs disturbing the silence from time to time.
"Listen," Kohaku said, breaking the dead air, "I want you to get out of here as soon as possible. I saw Kirara when the soldiers were taking us to camp. She was desperate to help, but kept pointing in this direction for some reason. I'll inspect the area alone."
"No, we're leaving together," Rin said firmly. "The soldier who lead me here is apparently from the village because he knew my 'title' and is fearful of it. We could get his help in escaping this place."
Kohaku looked away. "I don't think they'll let me go, but as long as you're safe, I'll be at peace."
Rin frowned at him. "Stop that. Just what exactly did you do?" she asked.
"I killed the soldier that knocked you out. Shit pissed me off."
"And then they hurt you," she mumbled faintly.
Kohaku shrugged, then winced in pain. "Eh, I've had worse," he shrugged slowly this time and smiled. Rin rolled her eyes. Always trying to be the tough guy.
"Anyways, I should clean your cuts to avoid infection. Wh— ugh!" she bopped her hand against her head, "I have no idea what happened to our things!"
Kohaku pointed to a corner. "They threw our stuff there. Maybe you'll find the herb bag."
Rin wasted no time searching for her belongings. She pulled out the herbs bag and the first aid kit Kagome gifted her. Taking a few herbs out, the maiden identified them as ones she and the priestesses used to treat deep wounds.
"Would you believe our luck," she said in amazement.
Kohaku chuckled. Rin kneeled beside him again, undoing both the rope around his wrists and his uniform to free his abdomen, tying the cloth at his hips. She eyed the painful cuts, and she placed the herbs on top of them, massaging him there.
The demon slayer groaned in pain, complaining as Rin applied pressure to squeeze the medicine out from the leaves. "Shut up or I'll tie you back up," she threatened.
Through more groaning and complaining, Rin could hear that someone had entered the tent. She stared at Kohaku, concerned that a corrupt soldier would finish them off.
"I can't believe my damn eyes."
Rin gasped, snapping her head back to stare at the man who had entered the tent. She knew that voice anywhere.
Taro, dressed in a formal kosode and hakama, stood before the two, gaze locked on the kneeling beauty.
"P-Princess Rin? Kohaku? W-What is going on?" he stuttered, taking a small step forward. Neither the demon slayer nor beauty moved.
"I heard so much chaos outside my tent, but after I heard the soldiers mentioning your name, I ran out to find you," Taro said, coming closer to kneel and bow before Rin.
Is this really happening? Is he real?
The young maiden glanced back at Kohaku whose eyes were full of tears.
"You damn bastard! And here we thought you were buried underneath the earth," Kohaku choked.
Rin's eyes brimmed with tears as she watched Kohaku weep happily. When she turned back and faced Taro's confused expression, she laughed lightly.
"We've been through so much today because of you, Taro! You see, I was told a landslide wiped out some soldiers, and because Kohaku said he last saw you in that location, we thought you had perished. But," Rin reached for her handkerchief and patted her cheeks, "we're so glad to see you alive."
Taro gave them a sad smile, and scooted over to help Kohaku on his feet.
"Let's get you guys out of here," he huffed quietly, "I hate reuniting this way."
— — —
Rin never expected to find Taro in such luxurious conditions.
For a few days now, she had pictured him being malnourished and in danger, not sitting across a table, sipping tea and eating crab and rice like a king.
Taro had directed them to his headquarters, an enormous tent filled with beautiful paintings and scrolls. Unlike the prisoners' tent, this one was warm and spacious, with a few clean futons lain about and spotless sleeping robes on top. Rin had assumed it for them and was feeling tired enough to sleep, but Taro insisted he feed them first.
After a few medics took care of Kohaku, they found themselves sitting before an arrangement of delicates. To their surprise, Kirara had also jumped out to meet them, purring against the beauty's legs.
All along, Kirara had memorized the scent, and when one of the soldiers who wore Taro's armor was near, she ran off to meet him. Much to her dismay, it wasn't the man she was looking for, but she remained in his vicinity after watching Kohaku and Rin being taken away.
The group started their late supper, Taro joining them here and there, allowing them to eat the majority of it.
"You act like you've never eaten crab before," the young man teased at Kohaku's over-the-top enthusiasm.
"I haven't had this in months," Kohaku chuckled, embarrassed.
Rin giggled, and took a sip of her tea. What a change of events. One minute we think we're about to die, and the other we're eating crab and dressed in fine attire.
She looked down at the kimono she had changed into: a beautiful, yellow kosode with a green butterfly-printed wrap skirt. It hadn't been her intention to change into her finer working attire, but Taro had practically begged her to dress up for supper. She was supposed to wear this when they would make their trip back home, but now she would have to settle with simpler attire. Rin felt the presence of someone staring at her, and she looked up, meeting Taro's dark eyes.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked softly, "I hope the dry clothing and food are to your standards."
Rin smiled, nodding graciously. "Thank you for providing us with thoughtful commodities, young mas— I mean general," she grinned.
Taro blushed a deep red. "Haha, yeah, that's what I am now. It's the least I can do," he said, running a hand through his long, black hair, "I just can't believe you guys are really here."
"Alas we are. Our trip was only to make sure you safe, dear friend. I'm afraid Kohaku and I will be leaving after sunrise."
Taro frowned, unpleased. "Certainly you can stay for a few days. I'll make sure to take good care of you both. Whatever you want," his eyes locked with cinnamon brown, "you can have."
Rin turned to face Kohaku, who was still eating. Their eyes met, and he immediately knew she was telling him that they couldn't stay longer.
The demon slayer cleared his throat. "Well, you see Taro, though we'd love to stay, a war zone isn't ideal for women like Rin. She can clearly defend herself when she needs to, but I'd prefer she return to peaceful village life."
Rin sighed, meeting his eyes again. Thank you.
Taro stoked his chin, pondering. "I'm still certain a few days won't do you wrong, my lady. This is considered a 'safe zone' and we always have at least two hundred soldiers guarding the base. Around a thousand are in the mountains fighting right now. And," he turned to Kohaku, "I could use your knowledge and wisdom to help me form better strategies. We lost alot of men in the landslide," he grumbled.
"Unfortunate to lose men while indulging in women," Rin said, raising a brow.
"Come again?"
"Your soldiers were wiped out at the brothels, general," she stated. Taro shook his head in disappointment.
"Yeah, we were heading down the valley because the weather was becoming bad, but the army found the brothels. We stayed there for a night before I told them that I wanted to head back up, and some decided to stay and play games with the women," Taro sighed.
"I know damn well you wanted to stay too," Kohaku teased, "after all, I know you from the times you accompanied me on small trips."
Taro glared at him through narrowed eyes. "Shut the hell up. Don't act like I don't have stories about you too, Kohaku."
"I'm a clean man, Taro, you don't have stories on me," the demon slayer responded with a sly smile.
"Shut up."
Rin rolled her eyes at their bickering.
"If you two could please stop with the immaturity, that would be great. I'm going to sleep. I want to be well rested before heading back to the village tomorrow," she stood up, and stretched a bit. Taro immediately followed the same action.
"No! I-I mean, er, I'd love if you could please spent at least three nights with us. Not just for my sake, but for the village men who haven't realized that you've arrived, my lady. It would be of great encouragement to them," he spoke, "what do you say?"
Rin sighed heavily, feeling trapped. A part of her told her to leave now that she knew Taro was alive, but another part told her to stay. It would be nice to see the villagers again. And it would be nice to enjoy a little time away from the village as well. Besides, I don't have anything important to do back home. And Lady Kaede granted me permission.
And Lord Sesshomaru won't be returning for six more nights. We could stay for just a tad bit longer. That settles it then.
Rin met his onyx eyes and smiled. "Alright," she said in semi-mock defeat, and watched Taro pop a bottle of sake.
She dismissed herself from Kirara and the men, and went over to a dark corner of the tent to change into a sleeping kosode. Rin inhaled the fresh scent of the tidy robe, and happily skipped to a futon further from the rest, using her shawl as a blanket.
Rin could still hear the men bicker and laugh, but she closed her eyes and let the grip of sleep embrace her to end a stressful day.
— — —
Dawn arrived, and Rin shifted sleepily on top of futon, a little closer to the ground.
Her head still felt a bit groggy, but sleep continued to embrace her comfortably and she laid still once again.
She almost closed her eyes again before realizing there was also an actual grip around her waist.
The pair of arms pulled her back to middle of the futon, settling her against a bulky chest. Rin's eyes widened with distressed, scared for her life for what was to come.
She waited a moment, realizing that the man was still asleep because of the slow and deep breaths he made. Rin struggled to calm herself, and looked down at her body.
She was still completely clothed, so the man had not tried to hurt her. At least, not yet.
Conscious of her movements, Rin shifted slowly to come face to face with the gripping man.
When she had completely turned around, she saw that the man's face was partially covered with his long, black locks. The sleeping robe parted enough so that she could see his muscular chest, some places decorated with scars.
Rin gulped and focused her eyes on his face once again. Though she had a feeling of who it was, she reached over to part the hair away, and made an audible gasp.
She had the slightest feeling it was him, but hated it now that it was confirmed.
Taro!? Why!?
He mumbled incoherent words in his sleep, and shifted, pulling the maiden against him once more. Her eyes shut and body trembled in fear.
She needed to leave this place as soon as possible.
.oOo.
AN: Sorry for the delay! I wrote this chapter a while back and hated it so I decided to delete it all and start from scratch. I probably wrote about nine drafts, so I hope you enjoyed the final draft.
I will be trying to upload monthly or bi-monthly, depending on how much writing time I get between nursing school and life obligations.
As always, thanks for the love and support! I absolute fangirl over y'alls reviews.
But now, let's be serious, is our Rin going to be okay? Hmm…
