Lady Sable() and ShadowSpinner: That's funny. You both said the same thing. I agree with both of you, though. I definitely won't be concentrating to much on Rin's powers. Thanks for reviewing and enjoy the next chapter.
Considering that all my knowledge of Japanese culture comes from anime, specifically Rurouni Kenshin and Inuyasha, I am sure it is very limited and clichéd. I don't really now what Japanese castles looked like. So envision the castle that Naraku stayed at in the series as the type of castle Sesshoumaru owns.
Growth In-Between TimesHold it! Where were these thoughts coming from? 'Caress her cheeks' 'his lips against her's'. When had she wanted that? What did it mean? It doesn't matter. She will be lucky if she gets to see him anymore. To him, she was only a disgusting human. She felt like crying. Oh, how she loved Sesshoumaru-sama so.
Chapter 6: The Memories of a Demon
It had been along time since he had been at his castle. He did not consider it home. He spent most of his time wandering about the countryside with Rin and Jaken. He saw the sky overhead and the woods about him as his dominion. But here he was, before the castle that was considered to be his home. He had spent much of his childhood here with his mother.
The castle had been his father's. His father had given it to him when he had come of age. But Sesshoumaru had seen it as a peace offering that his father gave him for abandoning his mother for that inferior mortal woman.
Seeing the castle before him recalled those memories to mind. He remembered when his father first told his mother about his new human woman. The shame his mother had felt was almost tangible. She lived to this day with the knowledge that her husband had chosen a human over her. She secluded herself from many demon companions and dwelled in his castle. Sesshoumaru wasn't looking forward to seeing his mother again; she was a very bitter woman. But he understood how she became that way. It was partly because of her circumstances that his hatred for humans had developed.
He had been a little demon when his father left his mother. He had been outside practicing fighting techniques when he had heard load angry voices coming from inside the castle. He had timidly snuck inside and watched his mother launch herself at his father in fury. She tried to slash the great dog demon's face and had been swiped away with a single swing of his arm. She had collapsed on the floor weeping hysterically. His father had left then, left to that other woman. Sesshoumaru had crawled to his mother, tried to comfort her. He didn't understand why she was crying. She poured all her venomous hatred into him. The hatred she felt toward his father and that human woman. She pounded into his mind the inferiority of the human race, until the usual contempt demons felt towards humans escalated into unadulterated hatred. He had spent most of his adolescent years in the company of his mother. His father didn't have much time for him because of his constant conquest over other lands and the new woman he was preoccupied with.
When Sesshoumaru heard that his father had another child, another son, he felt black murder growing in his heart. There was nothing more that he wanted than see Inuyasha dead. He had been young and rash and grew in power and strength. He defeated many lower demons, increasing the size of his fathers land. He would prove to his father that he was a son more worthy of him than a half-demon was. And he did prove himself to his father. The last year years of his father's life had observed father and son battling side by side, proving the lordship of the dog demons. His burning hatred towards humans turned to his present cool disgust. As the years passed, he outgrew the anger he felt towards his father. He acknowledged his father's greatness and strength, but still counted his father's love for humans as a weakness. A weakness he would be sure never to imitate. Then his father had died, leaving the worthless Tenseiga to him, and the powerful Tessaiga in the hands of his little brother. He didn't understand it, he had vowed to claim the Tessaiga as his rightful weapon. Only he knew how to use it properly. But he couldn't even touch the sword, his father had made sure of that. Why? He had proven his superiority over humans, but his father had still chosen Inuyasha over him. He had deemed Inuyasha the worthier of his son, that disgusting half-breed. Yes, this castle had many unpleasant memories.
Rin shivered as she looked at the dark castle. She could sense much unpleasantness coming from within those walls. "This is your home?" she asked.
Sesshoumaru nodded his head. " This is were I spent most of my childhood. Come with me" The group entered the castle.
The interior of the castle was even worse than the exterior. It was so dark and gloomy. It made Rin feel extremely depressed. There were little demons scurrying around, when they saw Sesshoumaru they prostrated themselves at his feet. "Oh master" they squealed, "Welcome home, the mistress will be glad to see you." Sesshoumaru nodded his head. He walked through the corridor and slid open one of the doors to one of the rooms in the deepest part of the castle. Rin and Jaken followed him nervously. "Mistress? Rin thought, "There is a mistress of this castle? I thought this was Sesshoumaru-sama's castle. He couldn't, couldn't have a wife, could he? I would know about it right? But Rin realized that there was much about Sesshoumaru that she didn't know. That she hadn't bothered to find out about him when she was a little girl. And she hadn't been around him as an adult for a long time as it was.
She stepped into the room and saw a demon-lady with long silver hair and glowing amber eyes. She had three stars imprinted on her forehead and was breathtakingly beautiful. She had her arms entwined around Sesshoumaru and was whispering in a breathless voice, "It's so good to have you back, Sesshoumaru."
"It's good to be back," Sesshoumaru said, gently disengaging him. "Mother"
Rin breathed an audible sigh of relief. A weight had been lifted from her heart that she didn't even know had been there.
The Demon Lady's eyes fell upon Rin. She sharply hissed and arched her back. "What is this, a human woman? Why have you brought her here, are you trying to dishonor me? Have you grown weak like your father before you?" She slowly flexed her claws. Rin cowered and wished she could disappear. This magnificent demon woman, Sesshoumaru's mother, despised her. Looking into those amber eyes made her feel unworthy and inferior. If that was how demon woman were, then how could she ever compete with that?
Sesshoumaru stepped next to Rin and put his hand on her shoulder. "This is Rin, mother. And she is my guest here. I want no harm to fall upon her during her stay here. She has been through a lot and is here to recover." Rin gaped. 'That was why they were here, to help her recover? His reason for coming here was to help her? Surely not. He was here for himself as well. But it was nice for him to think of her and defend her. And it was nice to feel his hand on her shoulder.' Rin blushed.
The demon lady drew herself up and said scathingly. " This is you castle, and you may house whatever lowly creatures you want. But do not allow her near my presence again. It is quite obvious that you have much of your father's blood in you." Sesshoumaru gazed at her coolly. "Do not worry, you will not see Rin again. She will stay confined to her rooms and perhaps the garden. But know this. I do not share in father's fondness for humans. I do not find weakness appealing." His mother smiled a frosty smile. "Remember those words. Your father felt the same way once, when I married him. You know how easily he changed his mind."
"I am not my father." With that Sesshoumaru turned and left the room. Rin and Jaken followed after him hurriedly.
Sesshoumaru led Rin to her rooms. He was about to leave when Rin whispered. "She is so beautiful, you look a lot like her." Sesshoumaru stopped. "She is the daughter of an ancient noble line of demons. I guess you could call her a princess. That was why it wounded her pride so to have my father choose a human woman over her. She is a very bitter woman now."
Rin nodded her head. "I'm sorry." Sesshoumaru turned around. "What for"?
Rin spoke softly. "For your father having left your mother, for your lonely childhood, for reminding you of bad times" and here she closed her eye's "for being human." Sesshoumaru stepped closer to her. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It happened so long ago that I lost whatever feelings of anger I ever had. Only bitter people like my mother cling to the past. She is the one who is weak." Sesshoumaru looked closely at Rin. "And you should never be sorry for what you are. You were just simply born a human and you have to make the best of it. It is what you do with yourself that is important. You have succeeded incredibly well, I do not know any humans like you." Rin sniffed. "Thank you" Sesshoumaru looked down on her. She looked so vulnerable standing there with her arms hugging herself in an attempt to hold back her tears. Little shivers were traveling up and down her back. Sesshoumaru didn't know if they were from fear or the cold. He felt a sudden urge to take her in his arms and comfort her as he did that night by the fire. He became physically aware of how close she was to him, the heavy beating of her heart and the little flutter in her throat. He felt like snatching at her and branding her his.
Rin looked up and her heart caught in her throat. Sesshoumaru had the most peculiar expression in his golden eyes. They were soft and protective, but there was something lurking in the back of them that caught her gaze. There was a hunger contained in them that he seemed to be desperately trying to control. "Sesshoumaru-sama" she whispered "are you alright? Is there anything you need that I can get for you?"
Her words snapped him back to reality. Swiftly he left the room and slid the door closed behind him.
Rin stood there feeling very foolish. She realized that those words had been the wrong one's to say. If only she knew more! She wished she understood what the look in his eyes had meant. It had made her heart beat faster and her flesh tingle. Even now she still felt weak in the knees. Oh! What did Sesshoumaru-sama think of her? What had he wanted? In the secret depths of her heart Rin felt that there was something she wanted from him. She wanted more from him, more of what they had shared that night by the fire. But she knew he would never see her the same way. She could never compare to his demon kind. Her glimpse of his mother had shown her that. Besides, hadn't she heard him say, "But know this. I do not share in father's fondness for humans. I do not find weakness appealing." He would never see her the way she saw him.
Sesshoumaru was sitting alone in his room. Why did she do this to him? Why did his grasp of self-control always slip when he was near her? This time even she had noticed. Did the taint of his father's blood run in his veins as well? But……… He unsheathed Tenseiga, …this sword had told him something different. This sword had made him feel for an instant the worth of human life. Was caring for humans a weakness after all? He still saw them as inferior, but perhaps they weren't as disgusting as he had previously thought them. After all, his father had been extremely strong, neither he nor that half-breed Inuyasha could compare to his strength. Could his father truly be prey to such weakness? Maybe he was wrong somehow.
He wouldn't be thinking this way if it weren't for Rin. Curse her, she had gotten under his skin. Now he had her image in his mind at all times. It was true that he was drawn to her appearance. She was beautiful for a mortal. Her large brown eyes and quivering little mouth begged to be kissed. Her small vulnerable little form asked to be protected. But there was more to it than that. If it was just physical then he would be able to rationalize it and control it. But it was the qualities in her personality that attracted him as well. She was strong, she had been tested and found that she could endure. She had gone through terrible suffering and had emerged as good and as innocent as ever. Her utter devotion to him was touching, but she had also shown that she would stand up for herself as she had at that village. He had met many demons and had not found them as kind and good as Rin. She was the one who had truly caused him to doubt his preconceptions about humans.
Sesshoumaru stared into space, there was much for him to think about.
Outside the door to Rin's room was a hulking, evil looking demon. He was peering into her room and staring at her figure, his eyes full of lust. He recalled his mistress' command to him. " I want you to despoil that human creature. I want you to leave her so that my son will be full of disgust when he looks at her. Have your way with her, and do not be afraid of Sesshoumaru. I will make sure he will not know it was you." The demon watched gleefully as Rin changed into the sleeping cloths that had been left for her. This was going to be a lot more fun than he had thought.
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Well, I went back to my old cliffhangers. Cackle cackle. Hopefully you guys are looking forward to what finding out what happens next. I think the next chapter will be what you call the climax of my story.
Considering the amazing amount of Inuyasha fanfiction out there, I am sure it is pretty easy to lose my fic. So if anyone wants me to e-mail them when I update, say so on your review and leave your e-mail address.
Until next time.