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Chapter 17: The Puppet


Rin awoke to unusually penetrating rays of light shining in through a foreign window. Her bright brown eyes slowly emerged from beneath scrunched and hesitant eyelids. For a moment she could only wonder where she was for she hadn't the recollection of falling asleep the night before. The last thing that she could recall was the burning image of that woman that had been dressed just like Kohaku...

Turning her head slowly to the right, Rin brought her attention to the only standing figure in the room. Their back was turned towards her, fumbling with something on a nearby shelf. Her breath hitched when she realized that the stature of the short-black haired person was positively male. She looked around quietly, yet urgently, as she tried desperately to understand where she was and how she had gotten herself there.

Kodachi's house had no male inhabitants.

She lay upon a thin mat like that of her house, though at the end of it there was a beautifully painted four panel divider shielding her view from, she supposed, another mat. Further comprehension of her whereabouts took hold after Rin noticed the other inhabited and uninhabited mats across the room, along with shaman specific herbal pastes and grinding tools.

Rin's eyes fled back to the figure as she realized that this was undoubtedly the Geisha district's own doctor's residence.

But why was she here?

The man whirled around in approach with a tall white cup in hand. Taking notice of her consciousness he smiled warmly,

"Oh! Well good morning! How are you feeling?"

Rin's expression grew sulky as she recognized the lecherous shaman, Miroku. As one of the few men who didn't own a brothel in the area, Miroku was a well-known Buddhist-doctor for both his skills in religious medicinal practices and for his mischievous wandering hands.

"I'm okay, I guess… What happened to me? Why am I here?" Rin asked as she did a glance down to make sure none of her lady parts were "accidentally" showing. To her relief, she was clothed modestly in an old white yukata, the main attire given in any operative clinic.

"It would seem you were afflicted by poison gas during the episode at Kodachi last night. It was nothing major, fortunately. The gas you inhaled was only meant to deter pursuit so its worst effect was stripping you of your of consciousness."

"Oh, I see...," Rin replied passively, suddenly remembering that she had been in the middle of an entertainment session when everything had taken place.

"Kind doctor," Rin began her quest for information, "Do you happen to know any gossip about the incident last night? What the intruder was after? Maybe even how the clients were handled during the commotion?"

"I don't know much," Miroku sighed, setting the cup of hot tea next to Rin's mat,"Except that it was quite a strange occurrence. For someone to break into Kodachi only to take the western dog demons' entertainment preferences? I believe the rumors right now are that a competing Geisha house has hired out for intel."

At the very mention, Rin's thoughts quickly flew to Kikyou-sensei.

It couldn't be…

"But, all is well. It's just a shame that such a pretty Geisha like yourself had to be caught up in such a mess," Miroku gave the adolescent a look of sincere pity, and, placing his hand on hers, seduced idly, "Are you perhaps looking for a Danna*?"

Unprepared for such a nice compliment, Rin blushed slightly, "U-um, actually I'm just a Maiko," she managed past the flattery, hoping her apprentice status would lessen her apparent allure, "…And what is a Danna?"

"Oh! I see…," he grinned like a playful child, "Then that would mean that you have yet to even search for one. Perhaps, then, you would consider a wealthy doctor like myself as your potential mizuage patron*?"

"Huh?" Rin cocked her head, "What is-"

"Shaman! Has that silly girl not come to yet?! Such a long wait for such a small amount of poison!" A squawky voice made its origin known as a little green demon moved aside the thin bamboo flap that led to the outside world.

Rin's eyes grew wide with curiosity as she recognized him.

Gasping, she called, "Honorable Jaken-sama?! Is that you? What are you doing here?!"

A bit taken aback by her actually calling him by such a lavish name, the green imp cleared his throat, "Y-you remember me? I-I-I mean of course you do! As the one and only true vassal to the great Sesshoumaru-sama, how could you possibly forget the Honorable Jake-?!"

"Move, Jaken," the cool whisper of supreme masculinity revealed himself from the other side of the bamboo tapered door while simultaneously removing the obscurity in his path by the crisp one-worded demand.

Quickly, Miroku released Rin's hand at the appearance of the great lord, Sesshoumaru. However, Rin was unable to take notice of the sudden freedom for her eyes were already set upon the handsome demon lengths away.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru-sama, Jaken-sama, perfect timing actually," Miroku stuttered a bit, "Rin had just awakened. She may feel a bit nauseated for the next couple of hours, but after that she should be perfectly fine! I'm sure she is able to make the short walk back to Kodachi now."

Rin shifted from her laid-out position to her knees and offered her assigned demon client a bow. Partly from necessity, partly from confusion, and partly to keep herself from gawking at him too long. For as soon as she saw his face, she unwillingly remembered the kiss that he had forced upon her the night before. She shuddered a bit at the thought before present matters crept back into her mind.

Wait, what was he doing here? Was he the one who had brought her to the clinic?

"I see," Sesshoumaru hissed under heavy-lidded pupils, unconvinced by the crooked shaman's showmanship, before averting his gaze to bowed girl.

"Rin."

He had just called to her. After a moment of unsure apprehension she lifted her face slowly to look at him, "Y-yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Come with me."

For a moment all she could do was stare at him blankly. Why was a preferred client tending to her and not one of the Geishas or godmothers?

It was when his nose scrunched in upcoming frustration did she quickly stand to her feet, giving the shaman monk a light bow and a faint, "Arigatou Gozaimashita," before briskly following after Sesshoumaru, who had already turned on his heel to make his exit with Jaken.

Rin hesitantly stepped out into the light of early morning. The sun itself had only just risen, casting its promising warm rays right into the nooks, cracks, and crannies of every standing structure facing the East. Taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of the morning frost glistening and visibly evaporating in retaliation to the new waves of warmth, Rin sighed, breathing in the crisp and cold air of upcoming winter.

"Don't dally girl!" Jaken called from a little ways ahead, "It's painful enough for Sesshoumaru-sama to be amongst humans as it is! Holding us up will only contribute to the disgrace!"

Dejectedly, Rin's eyes trailed from the imp to Sesshoumaru. His back remained turned, his brilliant silver-hair rustling against the folds of his hakama as he continued onward without so much a backwards glance or acknowledgment.

"It mustn't be too terribly disgraceful...," Rin thought somewhat bitterly, "Given his actions last night..."

Sighing, Rin removed the toe-socks that had managed to make it through the night with her; stepping barefoot onto the cold damp wood of the outside deck. Though normally she would have had sandals upon leaving Kodachi, Rin could only conclude that she had been carried from the house in the same state that she had been found. But then a part of her wondered where her borrowed Geisha accessories and kimonos had gone? Noticing the demons now way up ahead, Rin ceased her curiosities and took hold of her shoulders in cold-stricken shiver before jogging down the few steps of the clinic, weaving in between pedestrians, to catch up with the two demons.

By the time Rin had reached them, she had already begun noticing the attention that the proud demon's presence was gathering. It seemed that any time someone stood within a four-foot radius of the dog demon, they would take a step back, scouring his form fearfully as they did all they could to avoid the focus of his burning eyes. Many people who were emerging from their places of rest would stop to pay homage to his power. Some would even bow as he passed. Whether they were steps away or cart-lengths away, Sesshoumaru commanded their attention. And once he had passed by their sights, they would avert their gaze to Rin. Their expressions would shift from fear and respect to incredulity and confusion. That's when she realized...

This must be a very unusual sight. To see the "Great Lord Sesshoumaru" with a human following him so closely.

Though Rin had lived in this sect of Japan for awhile now, government and politics had always escaped her. She was born into a small and poor village of gathered nomads. And after the destruction of the small village, her life had shifted to that of a quiet singularity by the sea with only Kohaku as her companion.

The idea of cities and statutory protection by war lords and armies were so very foreign. And as a servant sold into the entertainment industry, she was never really given the means to understand them. The only thing she did know was that these Western lands were under the protection of the Dog Demons. Though, until recent years, they had never taken a particular interest in the human population along their borders. As Rin had come to understand it, there was enough profit given in taxes and rice production from the human colonies for the demons to mildly extend their protection and leave them be.

She then grasped the severity of the situation. The one that encompassed her, the townspeople, InuTaishou, and Sesshoumaru. The powerful demon before her, no matter how cruel and insatiable, was partly responsible for why this city, why she herself, had yet to be ravaged by demons, bandits, rapists, or any other horrific life-stripping entity.

Realization washed over Rin in waves of guilt and shame. So much so that the demons' final halt at the outskirts of the city's forest lining had nearly escaped her.

Rin had been taken this far without even noticing that they were not en route to Kodachi. Something that would have scared her in any other situation. But in this moment, she was simply too overwhelmed with emotion.

Sesshoumaru turned. And as he was about to speak she dropped to her knees sloppily in a strewn out bow; portraying the severity of her humble action.

The dog lord narrowed his eyes and realigned his lips in the rested position as Jaken squawked, "What are you doing all of a sudden?! Don't waste my master's time with senseless-"

"Please... Forgive me," Rin choked out.

Now Jaken cocked his head curiously while Sesshoumaru merely looked her over.

"I... have been most ungrateful. And I have displayed it so openly...," Rin confessed, "For everything that you have done for the protection of myself and for my family at Kodachi over the years, I am indebted to you. And it is unacceptable for me to have not realized it sooner."

Jaken gulped at the humility, glancing up at his master, curious of his thoughts on the matter.

Sesshoumaru stared down upon her shivering form, seemingly unimpressed. A moment of intense silence passed before Rin felt the sensation of warm cloth fall over her back.

Rin looked quizzically at the material that hung over her shoulders until she finally recognized the pattern.

The same one that Jaken had delivered as the "debt repayment" the day before...

...The yukata that was given to her from Sesshoumaru.

Rin's gaze trailed up to rest on the dog demon's face. Annoyance emanated from his downcast expression, though he merely stated,

"Cesaria gave it to me as your replacement cloth before I brought you to the shaman."

Slowly standing, Rin whispered, "You took me-?"

"I had urgent business to discuss with the only eye-witness of the incident," Sesshoumaru curtly replied as he sensed the softening of Rin's face.

"Um... Okay," not able to think of anything better, she replied, clenching the yukata around her shoulders.

Scrutinizing her with his trying eyes, Sesshoumaru finally questioned,

"Who was the intruder?"

"Well... I don't know her name, but she wore-" Rin began, but she was cut off once more.

"Her?" Venomously and accusingly he spoke, tilting his head in a menacing fashion.

Jaken spouted, "Don't you dare lie to Sesshoumaru-sama! His nose is far more superior to any lie you could manage to tell! Clearly it was-"

"Shut up, Jaken," the powerful demon growled before returning his attention to Rin, who looked as confused as ever.

"So it was a woman?" He asked, indulging her story.

Rin nodded her head cautiously before continuing, "She wore similar clothes to those of the demon slayers. You know of them don't you, Sesshoumaru-sama? I remember that you recognized the mask that I had the other night..."

Jaken's eyes widened and his jaw slightly dropped as he looked up at Sesshoumaru, who easily kept face before replying, "That will do. Go back to Kodachi."

And before Rin could even manage the confused response that she had lined up, Sesshoumaru took to the sky with Jaken latched onto his prestigious mokomoko.

She looked after them in wonder before she wrapped herself tighter in the yukata and made headway for her house.

"S-Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken began as they flew, "Wh-what do you think he is scheming? It was undoubtedly his scent within that poison, was it not?"

Jaken's liege remained quiet in thoughtful contemplation for a moment before he offered a reply, "The scrolls of the dog demons were taken. Undoubtedly, this is another one of his games to get back at me somehow."


0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0


The tall and toned woman rushed through the fields and forests with the adrenaline and might of a sight-set lion. Her will was unbreakable in her quest to the barrier-shrouded shrine. As she neared the encircling miasma, the barrier slowly disintegrated, allowing her entrance to the sanctity of her employer's lair. As she reached the steps of the castle base, a dark figure made itself present before the doors.

"Ah, Sango, you've returned. Successful, I hope?" The deep and grotesque voice of Naraku cut through the empty air about them.

"Yes... I have," she answered rather angrily through her mask.

Naraku chuckled, "Ah, so please do share what you have found."

Standing tall and proud, Sango dropped all of the scrolls to her feet, gathering a suspicious look from Naraku.

"What I have brought back is information by mouth," she announced, "These scrolls here, I brought only to deter suspicion. Forgive me for deciding to bring no physical evidence in the attempt to maintain stealth."

Naraku sneered, "No problem at all, my dear girl. Please, indulge me."

Sango thought a moment before speaking, "My mission was to find out sensitive information regarding InuTaishou of the Western domain. I have found what I believe to be just that. Behind these scrolls, I found secret letters shared between him and a Geisha by the name of 'Izayoi.' These two seem to be deeply in love."

"Eh?" Naraku's eyes widened above a slight smirk.

"It seems that sometime in the near future they are planning on running away together. But only once a certain 'Ryukotsusei' is vanquished and...," she paused a moment, "...once they can turn this Izayoi woman into a demon."

"Oh ho ho! This is good," Naraku laughed maniacally, reaching into his yukata pocket and removing a bright pink gem, "This will play out perfectly..."

Growing tired of riddles and chuckles that did not interest her in the least, Sango bit angrily,

"I kept my promise to you, Naraku, now about your promise to me..."

Naraku halted his amusement to glare at the young demon slayer, "Ah yes, my dear Sango. For your valiant effort in aiding my cause, I shall give you what you desire," Naraku laughed as he eyed her mischievously,

"Your brother, Kohaku, shall rise from his pitiful grave."


*Danna - In Geisha literature it refers to the man who pays the Geisha's expenses after debut (buying her kimonos, etc)
In this story, however, it more refers to a Geisha's wealthy lifetime sponsor after she leaves the industry, having no relation to the mizuage patron unless both happen to be the same person. Danna is inferred to get physical rights to the Geisha for as long as he funds her.

*Mizuage Patron - Mizuage refers to a Maiko's coming of age ceremony that passes her into senior Maiko status. The ceremony is sponsored by a wealthy "mizuage patron" who gives a large sum of money that goes to paying for the Maiko's debut when she becomes a full-fledged Geisha. In old time Japan, the mizuage patron had rights to taking the Maiko's virginity, literally crossing her over into womanhood.

SO MUCH DRAMA. WHERE IS THIS ALL LEADING?!

Keep reading to find out ;)

Please review and let me know what you think! They keep me going!