As always... super sorry for the huge delay. Just haven't had time or inspiration lately well, until today! Please enjoy chapter 23! :)


Distant and numb. For the last day and a half Rin had been doing all she could to just get through her daily lessons and chores without giving away her weighted conscience. All so that she could seamlessly make it to this moment.

Letting out a shaky breath, Rin hesitantly reached her hand into the Kodachi Storehouse Pantry barrels, stuffing the linen cloth knapsack – made with poor craftsmanship from old servant garments – full of nori wrapped dried fish, left over rice balls, and crisp mint leaves. Her conscience pulled at her as she stole from the reserve, but she knew she needed as much as she could reasonably carry. After all, winter was upon the West, and it couldn't be poorer timing for her escape with Kohaku.

She dipped her head to look at the sky through the single wooden-barred window of the storehouse, analyzing the position of the setting sun. Inhaling deeply, Rin realized that, soon, she would just be a memory here in the Western Lands. A memory to her friends, house mothers, mentor, and to the dog demons. Rin shook her head as to force the thoughts to the back of her mind, and gathered the last of the rations she could carry. She trotted carefully out into the cold and damp courtyard, making a break for the outer fence of the Okiya at her first chance.

"I'm sorry…," she muttered under her breath as she jumped the wooden paneled fence, veined with decaying vines and clematis blooms. Her mind flickered to silver hair and sharp golden eyes for but a moment. Until she rid herself of it.

Rin ran breathlessly along the trashed and foul-smelling alley between Geisha houses, her socks and sandals wet with a mixture of rain, soppy garbage, and old alcohol before emerging to the lit and bustling streets of the entertainment district.

The hard part was over.


Sesshoumaru, perched perfectly and well-balanced atop the same tree from nights before, grimaced as Rin's womanly scent filled his nostrils. He turned his head to the south, only centimeters, enough for his eyes to fully lock on her galloping frame. Kohaku was standing idly to the north, and had been there for awhile now; waiting lifelessly. Sesshoumaru, on more than one account, had developed the itch to slay the boy prior to their second meeting, but the dog demon was not that imprudent. If the girl didn't witness the rest of the night for herself, she'd never forgive him for taking the boy's life. And for some reason, that bothered him.

"Kohaku!" She shouted, with delight in fact, which further irritated him.

However, vengeance was due, and it would be carried out by Kohaku: the lowly human boy she intended to betray her lord and master for. And with that thought, Sesshoumaru calmed himself. Yes, Rin would be face to face with her worst fear – her worst nightmare – on this night. That boy was to kill her, or at least maim her to the point of no return in the Geisha realm; something that would guarantee problems between Sesshoumaru and his quest for the throne.

For a second he felt an ounce of empathy for the bright-eyed and ever-trusting human woman. He leaned back into the tree, eyeing her ecstasy as she hugged Kohaku. But, almost as quickly as it had come over him, the sympathy evaporated. He scowled. After all, she had the choice to prevent this reality, and she chose not to do so. This heavy consequence was on Rin's shoulders, and hers alone.

Sesshoumaru's eyes trailed over the pair as they began to make their way through the rice fields; towards the East. Slowly and meticulously they wandered off, looking around, alert and cautious, despite already being found.

It was only once the outer forest had consumed both mortals into its freezing and clammy center did Sesshoumaru reluctantly follow.


The branches and thorns of nearby bushes and trees attempted to obstruct their escape. Rin's arms and legs, lightly red with scratches, were protected only by the now soiled kimono that Sesshoumaru had given to her months ago. Every now and then she would take care to keep it in tact, but torn stitches became evident, adding yet another weight to her guilt-laden conscience. But, with Kohaku in front of her, and leading her carefully by the hand through thickets and fields and valleys, she was able to silence her guilt with greater aptitude than before.

She was free.

Free to roam the world, to swim the oceans, to live a life with the only one she had ever truly loved.

Despite the cold upon her fingers, nose, and ears. Despite the aching of her back and legs...

She was happy.

No more people to please.

No more smiles to fake.

Free.

And as she took a deep breath of happiness, wafting the scent of winter and rain, Kohaku slowed to a stop. They ended up in a barren field – about thirty minutes outside of the village – filled with grasses, brown and crunchy from the cold. The dew drops of the night were threatening to become icy crystals the brighter the stars grew, leading to smoky breaths and shivering limbs.

Rin looked up at Kohaku who stood dead in his tracks, seemingly staring straight ahead.

"Kohaku?" She huffed, still catching her breath from their consistent jogging.

But he remained silent, and still. Eerily still.

"Kohaku, what's going on?" She whispered, suddenly cautious, "Do you hear something?"

Then, he let go of her hand reluctantly, and positioned it over the tattered leather handle of his demon hunting scythe, stowed warmly beneath his sash.

Rin took a hesitant step back as he turned around. Her heart thundered throughout her entire frame, as loud as a demon's roar, as she met his stare.

Brown eyes, bleak and blind, grazed hers with nary an expression nor emotion.

"Ko-haku?" She choked, willing away her sudden distrust. It must be something behind her. They must be in danger or... something.

When she turned to look, convinced by her own delusions, the scythe swiped downward clipping the ends of her raven locks, and nearly missing her left shoulder when she turned back.

In horror, Rin fell to the ground, eyes wide, immovable.

"What are you-?" She mumbled too low for anyone but her to hear. And with that, he took another malicious swing.

Ducking swiftly, though clumsily, and darting to the right, Rin managed to gain her footing and ran as fast as she could towards the rim of the forest. Her legs strained under the adrenaline. She couldn't feel them. She couldn't think. All she could comprehend was that something was wrong. Terribly wrong. And all she could do was run. Attempt to survive.

Kohaku's footsteps pounded like drums behind her, growing louder and louder, while innocent tears formed and poured down Rin's face, stinging her skin as the warm salt dried cold upon her pores.

"What's wrong, Kohaku?! I don't understand!" She blubbered hopelessly.

Her moistened eyelids created misperceptions, allowing a rock in her path to go unnoticed. Her right foot innocently rammed against the rough surface, causing Rin to gasp in pain. Before she could even acknowledge the situation, she found herself upon the ground, having tumbled disgracefully into the knee-high grass.

Landing on her back, she looked up, numbly, at the crescent moon and stars.

Suddenly the world seemed so quiet. So peaceful. Perhaps this was a defense mechanism. One that was trying to take her mind off of the fact that she was going to die...

...by the hand of the one she had loved for her entire life.

And while every other thought seemed so far out of reach… the moon, thousands upon thousands of miles away, completed itself within her mind for form the face of her dog demon patron, Sesshoumaru. Her eyes widened with fresh tears.

Why now? She thought, stunned by her mind's tricks.

And then, shadow. Kohaku now loomed over her, glaring at her, with that familiar emptiness in his eyes. Rin, having accepted her fate, just stared up at him, expressionless, as he raised his scythe.

"Kohaku…," she mouthed, her voice choppy and high pitched from the cold, "...Please."

But her plea fell on deaf ears as he released his strength, arm and wrist falling with power towards her neck. She didn't even have the time to prepare for the sting of death when a bright neon green light illuminated her vision; Cracking and hissing sounds enveloping her ear drums.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the limp body of Kohaku flying off of her with the crack of a whip. A bright green whip. And she recognized it.

Shivering loudly against the renewed silence of the wilderness, Rin slowly sat up, analyzing her being, before finally looking behind her. She knew what she would see, or rather, who she would see, but she hoped with all of her heart to be wrong. She couldn't bear facing him again. However...

A towering figure strode towards her from at least fifty yards away.

Him.

Sesshoumaru-sama. Tall, proud, handsome, and…

She gulped as she realized that he was angry. So angry that his eyes had metamorphosed to bright crimson. A rare sight.

But within seconds her heart had wrenched her away from fear, from turmoil, from guilt. Instead it placed her in front of the lifeless body of her lost loved one, Kohaku, who laid before her, a perfect cut out in the middle of his chest from where he was struck by Sesshoumaru's poison whip.

Before she could grasp it, grasp anything, Rin was wailing. Unreservedly crying. Her sorely red face pressed itself firmly into his clothing and her arms fought to hold him to her body. Rin couldn't care less that Sesshoumaru was nearing her – eyeing her like prey – from behind. She couldn't care less that Kohaku had just tried to purge her from this world.

The fact was... that everything she had to look forward to had shattered right before her eyes. Everything was an illusion. She was destined to live a life with no meaning. A life molded to serve the happiness of others.

And she could not fathom what went wrong.

Why did Kohaku turn on her?

Why did Sesshoumaru-sama-?

The crunching of grass just next to her cut her thoughts short. Glistening brown eyes shot open wide, taking in, just inches away from her knelt figure, Sesshoumaru. She didn't look up, she only squeezed tighter, continuing to cry. Quickly, she closed her eyes and nuzzled into Kohaku's kimono. She didn't care what happened to her now. All she could feel was anguish. All she wanted was death.

Surprisingly calm, Sesshoumaru's voice reached her ears, "You foolish girl. Could you not see through such an obvious trick?"

Rin only sobbed as Sesshoumaru leaned down and stretched two fingers towards Kohaku's neck, removing an off pink shard. Almost instantly, when the contact had been cut off between jewel and body, Kohaku's remains turned to ash. Rin jumped with surprise and released the cloth that had been wrapped around him.

"Hmm," Sesshoumaru analyzed the jewel curiously, "So this is how he does it..."

Rin lifted her face to eye the splintered rock before sobbing into her dirtied sleeve, "What is going on?" She asked the question to no one in particular, dejectedly.

Sesshoumaru's expression soured once more, her voice reminding him of her betrayal.

"I just spared you from consequences that you most certainly deserved," the dog demon growled, "That cowardly demon, Naraku, sought to use this puppet, your precious Kohaku, to lure you away from me..."

Rin looked up at him, his eyes burning with resentment as he continued, "And in completing such, he thought he would be able to drive a wedge in between my father and I."

Despite this being a fact, Sesshoumaru knew there was another motive. He recalled Naraku accusing him of having feelings for Rin. And that, above anything else, he had concluded, was most likely the driving force behind this scheme. That demon had always been particularly fond of destroying bonds.

She nodded lightly, still in disbelief.

It was all a trick. That's all this Kohaku was. A puppet. She had fallen for demon magic. How could she have been so stupid? To think that Kohaku had faked his death? She shook her head in shame, realizing that she had indulged her grieving mind for Kohaku, for her freedom, to the point of sheer idiocy. To the point of taking the kindness of others for granted. The depression within her soul swelled.

Rin swallowed her tears before positioning herself into a bow. Shaking, she sputtered, "F-forgive me, my lord, for turning my back on you, on our agreement. I... am most undeserving to be in your presence."

Tears began falling once more, making her even colder. All the while, Sesshoumaru merely stared, unsympathetically, down at her.

"And...thank you... for saving me," her shivering body and voice conveyed her sincerity, "...You had every right to just let him kill me."

After moments of silence and sobbing, Rin finally looked up into his eyes once more. His now golden orbs still had not left her. His chastising stare bore into her soul, still unrelenting.

Though, finally, he spoke, "You are to do as I say from now on."

Meekly, she looked up at him with surprise.

His pupils narrowed, "You are to go only where I allow you to go. You are to do only what I allow you to do. I will not tolerate losing my inheritance to your daydreams and lack of judgment."

With that, the dog demon reached down and grabbed her by the neck of the kimono, pulling her roughly up to him.

"Have I made myself clear?" He snarled, nostrils flaring.

Instinctively, she broke eye contact and replied in whisper, "Yes, my lord," before placing her forehead against his chest, and crying once again.

She mourned Kohaku...

...And she mourned her fate.


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