I swear – next chapter things will pick up! (Hint, hint!)

And I'd really appreciate getting feedback – you know, constructive criticism, etc.

The Bride of Sesshomaru

Chapter 2: Strong Feelings

"You better enjoy the AC while you still can," Kagome sang, using her peripheral vision to witness Rin sinking into her car seat. It was a given that Kagome's car had better air conditioning than Rin's apartment; a tragic fact that always bummed Rin out.

"Please don't remind me," Rin grumbled, before adjusting the hem of her shorts. "How long is it gonna take to get there?" Rin yawned, stretching her arms. She never really considered Kagome a morning person, so imagine the surprise when she showed up at 6:30, hyper AF, dressed in denim overalls and a dark green baby t-shirt, with a thermos (which she could only assume she had filled with coffee).

Rin, on the other hand, looked like a slob in comparison. Old shorts, an old floral printed tank top, and thick hair piled into a sloppy bun? Well, Rin had to give herself some credit: she only had about ten minutes to get herself ready, and it was unfortunate that she hadn't even grabbed a muffin for a snack.

Kagome so needed to buy some food to make up for this egregious oversight.

"Twenty minutes, or so," Kagome estimated, never taking her eyes off the road.

"Just follow the speed limit," Rin warned, knowing that her best friend had the tendency to speed whenever she was late for something. You would think that Kagome would be a stickler for the rules.

"Yes, Mom."

Ignoring that sarcastic retort, Rin looked out the window, mindlessly staring at the passing cars and buildings.

Rin would have liked to say that she slept good last night, but for some reason, she hadn't slept for more than four hours. No nightmares or puzzling dreams to keep her up at night. Not even thoughts of her dreaded essays were present. Instead, Rin had the nagging feeling that something was going to happen. Don't get her wrong – she was definitely not a clairvoyant or a mind-reader, or whatever. She didn't believe in that sort of thing. Yet she had this persistent feeling tugging on her gut, and it was telling her that something life-changing was going to happen.

It was eating at her from the inside and Rin wasn't sure how long she could keep it to herself.

She could try telling Kagome about it, but she was just as cynical regarding that type of thing. Considering that Kagome lived at a shrine, her grandpa would often try to shove legends and myths down her throat, which didn't do anything to encourage an interest in folk lore. As a history student, Rin was interested, but take that away, she found no other reasons to dive into spirituality.

It wasn't as though spirituality and religion did anything to help Rin in her own life.

Growing up, she lived the life of an ostracised orphan; no one wanted to be around her, if only because they believed she would bring them to their deaths. It was a ridiculous superstition that surprisingly a lot of people believed.

Rin could remember all the times when she was excluded from eating with other children. She remembered all the times when she wasn't chosen to be on anyone's team for one of those gym class games.

She remembered all the times when she sat by herself, drawing. Trying to ignore the gossip spinning around her, Rin often found her outlet in drawing and artwork; she wasn't the best artist by any means, but it brought her catharsis. And Rin liked to draw just about anything that came to mind. She liked to think because of her hobby, she eventually stopped being bitter and envious around the people around her.

She eventually just got used to the fact that she was going to be alone, perhaps for the rest of her life.

"Ok, what's up?"

"Huh?" Rin jolted out of her thoughts, straightening up in her seat. She hadn't been aware that she was slumping until now.

"You had your resting thinking face on. You only do that when something's bothering you." Yeah, Rin had to admit that she was pretty much an open book. She couldn't lie to anyone without making it super obvious.

"I just have a bad feeling about this," Rin said, shrugging her shoulders. Kagome seemed to not appreciate Rin's Star Wars reference. She wasn't as much of a geek as Rin was (yet another reason why she was single; who would want to have a movie nerd like Rin as a girlfriend?).

"What?"

"This trip. I'm just… I just have a gut feeling that something's gonna go wrong."

Kagome raised her eyebrows. "Like what?"

"I don't know, maybe get eaten by wolves? Or get swallowed up by an earthquake?" Kagome looked at her friend briefly, and that look was equivalent to the one she had when she drank spoiled milk.

"Are you seriously trying to get out of this trip?" Kagome said with a trace of skepticism in her voice. "I thought you were looking forward to it."

"No, I'm not trying to get out of it," Rin tried to explain herself. "I just have a feeling is all."

"And you're sure that you're not overthinking things?" Kagome happened to be a psychology major, a fitting choice, if Rin had anything to say about it. She definitely had the vibe.

"Positively." Wrong. Rin was well aware of that saying 'thoughts are just thoughts' and that there wasn't any power to them.

"How much sleep did you get yesterday?"

"I didn't get much sleep last night," Rin confessed. She technically wasn't avoiding Kagome's question. "I'm still kind of tired. And hungry." Hint, hint.

"I'll pick you up something," Kagome promised, eliciting a gleeful smile from her friend in the passenger seat. "Have you been having those dreams again?" When Rin was younger, she started having dreams; some of them revolved around her parents' deaths, and although she forgot parts of it, it was hard to forget their screams, and the amount of blood that she saw… But then those nightmares morphed into something else entirely; Rin faintly remembered that she was falling, but not why. Then she felt sharp claws touching her skin, and a pair of amber eyes staring straight into hers... and that was it. That was when Rin would normally wake up, confused as to what happened exactly.

The unknown figure in that dream remained to be an enigma. As far as Rin could tell, she watched too many fantasy movies – she certainly didn't know anyone with claws or eyes the shade of honey.

"No, I haven't had those in a long time," Rin admitted, staring out the window.

"When was the last time you had them? Since before you met me?"

"Yeah, I think so." In all honesty, Rin's nightmares occurred less frequently after she met Kagome. She considered seeing a therapist about them, but at this point, Rin figured they didn't mean anything. Kagome was the only one she trusted enough to know about them.

At least Kagome wasn't downright accusing her of being paranoid or insane. That would have just been downright gaslighting.

"Will I have to sleep over just to make sure you're ok?" All these questions – asked out of concern – were going to give Rin whiplash.

"It's fine," Rin snorted. "I don't want to be the reason for your procrastination."

It was Kagome's turn to scoff. "Please. If anything, I need a reason to get out of the house. I can't stand Souta making any more Fortnite references. And don't get me started on the lectures my grandpa gives me."

"They truly sound delightful."

"Mom keeps asking when you're able to come over for dinner. She's made way too much chocolate cake." Rin could have sworn that she saw Kagome scrunch her nose in distaste.

Of the two of them, Rin was the one with the sweet tooth.

"You can tell her that I'll come over soon." Rin was envious that Kagome had a loving family – who they all seemed to dote on her. But that envy often dissipated whenever she came to visit. Rin felt fortunate as well; she felt included – almost as if she was part of that family. Souta viewed her as another big sister, but the difference was that he actually thought Rin was fun; after all, she humoured him by playing video games with him, even if it meant that he would kick her butt every single time. Kagome's mom would always make Rin her favourite snacks, not to mention she gave the best hugs. Kagome's grandpa was just as keen on telling her stories of the Higurashi shrine, and Rin always felt compelled to listen.

"You know you're always welcome," Kagome said simply.

"Yeah, yeah. Now…can you go to a drive-thru and pick me up some food? I'm starving."

:3 :3 :3

"What news have you, imp, of my son?" A soft, yet sharp, feminine voice presented itself, just as Jaken entered the large chamber, which was mostly decorated with lanterns and velvet carpets. He had not made it ten feet within the room without feeling a pair of chilling, gold eyes staring in his direction.

The imp in question, Jaken, merely bowed down, unable to find the courage to move any closer, much less answer the question immediately.

Jaken did not want to be put into this particular position (after all, he was not a messenger) but his Lord Sesshomaru never considered his vassal's well-being.

When news broke out three days ago amongst the court that he could not be found, Jaken took it upon himself to do damage control, albeit with a heavy heart. He knew who he had to inform first, and it was a terrifying prospect.

The goddess in question happened to be his master's mother, Inukimi.

Sesshomaru was the spitting image of her; he possessed the same silvery locks of hair, pale skin tone, cheekbones, and disregard for others.

Inukimi may not be as antisocial as her son, but she made no effort to dally in pointless conversations with gods beneath her. She had no real friends amongst court, but only allies who were not afraid or intimidated by her disposition. And yet she spent her time these days alone, in her large, decorated quarters, surrounded by servants prepared to follow her every order. She still dressed herself in the richest of silks and furs, and even fine jewellery; her nails sharpened and painted; Inukimi appeared just as fierce as she always did, even after the death of her husband.

Not that she was particularly upset about that.

"Imp, I believe I made an inquiry regarding the well-being of my son," Inukimi, who was sitting on her own throne of sorts, glared directly in Jaken's direction.

"F-forgive me, Milady. I am a-afraid that he is not here," Jaken mumbled, feeling himself tremble underneath the pressure.

"Not here?" Inukimi raised an eyebrow, showing only a hint of curiosity. "I believe that has already been established."

"H-he is prone to l-leaving court for days at a time, Milady. I'm sure nothing has happened to him." His beloved master tended to leave court from time to time – with absolutely no intention of informing his retainers. It was frustrating to say the least.

"You must think me of a fool, if I were to believe that." Just like her son, Inukimi made it a point to manipulate Jaken at every turn.

"N-no, Milady, of course not!" Jaken squawked, immediately rising up to look Inukimi in the eye directly. "W-what I meant to say… is that ever since the confrontation with Kirinmaru, no one has managed to find Lord Sesshomaru."

"Yes, I am aware of that," Inukimi sighed, as she rested her cheek on her right hand. "I wonder what his intentions are," she whispered to herself, though it was loud enough for Jaken to catch them. "Where do you suppose they could have gone?"

"W-well, who is to say?" The portal which Kirinmaru conjured up was a mystery; Jaken wasn't even aware that Kirinmaru could conjure one. Jaken was not an expert in magic, and he was uncertain as to who may have helped him with it.

"Well, it would not bother me some," Inukimi replied, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. It was almost as if she grew bored of the conversation. "Kirinmaru and Sesshomaru never got along. Perhaps they will fight as they will always do. Perhaps…only one of them will come out unscathed."

"A-are you suggesting that something terrible happened to Lord Sesshomaru?" Jaken's eyes began to form tears. He couldn't fathom the possibility of something tragic… No, he couldn't even finish that thought. Lord Sesshomaru was his reason to live – what purpose would he have if he perished?

"As you said, imp, who is to say?" Inukimi paused, noting momentarily that Jaken was distressed by that possibility. "But perhaps if I had the Meido Stone in my possession, I may be able to locate him."

Alas, some hope – however trickling it may be – took hold of Jaken. "Where would it be, Milady? I, Master Jaken, the most loyal servant to Lord Sesshomaru, will be happy to retrieve it for you."

With that, Inukimi grinned, and shivers ran down Jaken's spine. Inukimi was not known to showing many facial expressions. "I believe it is with Sesshomaru, of course."

"W-what?"

But then Inukimi pulled out her necklace, which was hidden underneath her dark blue and lavender robes. She carefully held the end piece of the necklace, which happened to be the Meido Stone. To most, it appeared to be an ordinary necklace, yet if they looked closely, the Stone was iridescent. It happened to carry special powers of some sort; it was rumoured to have the power to transport gods to the realm of humans, but Jaken was not completely certain.

"H-how could you tease me so, Milady?" Jaken dropped his jaw in shock; of course he should have known that Inukimi would play such a cruel joke on him. Of course, he knew why she had done so; Jaken was aware that she liked to treat him as a form of personal entertainment.

"Dry your tears, imp."

"My name is Jaken, Milady." It did not matter how many times he had to repeat himself – Inukimi simply refused to call Jaken by his name.

Inukimi's eyes glazed over the stone, and she pursed her lips. She stared into the depths of the Meido Stone, and all she could see was her son, lying underneath a maple tree, which was part of a vast, green forest. After studying it intently, Inukimi could make a reasonable guess to where her son could have disappeared to.

"It appears he is on Earth. Japan, to be precise."

Jaken, who inadvertently wiped his eyes, replied, "E-Earth? But why would Kirinmaru draw him there?" As far as Jaken knew, Kirinmaru was not fond of humans either, so why would he be willing to forsake his own comfort?

"It is the only reasonable explanation," Inukimi continued, as though she had not heard Jaken's question. But then she managed to look back at Jaken. "Imp, it appears as though my son is injured. Therefore, it is your duty to go to him at once."

"O-of course, Milady." Before he could get another word in, Inukimi turned the Meido Stone in his direction, and before he knew it, Jaken was engulfed in a bright, heavenly light.

Inukimi was left alone afterwards, not at all phased of what had just transpired. Yet she made the following observation out loud. "Perhaps I should have told him that it will not be so easy to return. Oh, well."