Chapter Nine: New found Wings

Sunoo landed amidst the flowers of the royal garden. For a moment he stood, calmly gazing into the multiude of colors surrounding him, seeing the beauty that had yet to compare to the one he loved. He sighed and began walking toward his home, his castle. Sunoo did not get more than a few feet before a medium size ball of feathers barreled into him, knocking him to the ground. Grabbing the giggling boy, he began wrestling with him until they were both out of breath. Breathing hard, he ruffled the short silver hair of his little brother who was now sitting next to him with a laughing grin. "Yuki! You scamp! You surprised me that time."

The darkest purple sparkled back at him. "That was too easy! I think you were distracted. I think you were thinking of your kissy-kissy girlfriend!"

Smirking, Sunoo playfully lunged at his little brother. Yuki squeeked out a laugh before skillfully dodging and rising into the air. Standing, Sunoo shook his head. "Where is father? I need to speak with him."

Yuki pointed toward the castle. "Father is in the library looking at old dusty books. I was just with him and he was mumbling something about an ageless dead priestess. He told me to go play so I came out here."

Sunoo began walking toward the garden exit that led into the castle. "Arigato, Yuki."

The musky smell of ancient paper tickled his senses as he entered the library, seeing his father sitting at the large wooden desk, his silvery black wings molded neatly against his back.

Without looking up, his father smiled. "Ah, my son has returned. What brings you home so early, Sunoo? Did your intended send you home with your tail feathers tucked between your legs?" His father looked up from the book, his smile softening. "Or is there another reason?"

"You know me well, Father. Yes, I have returned early this day for a reason. Something...strange has occurred with my Rin."

His father raised a silvery black brow. "My Rin? It is not yet the second moon of your courting and you are already claiming her as yours? Has The Lady Rin accepted you before the second full moon?"

Sunoo took a seat across from his father with an inward sigh. "No, Rin has not yet verbally agreed to be my mate but something has happened, something I must explain to you in detail."

Leaning back, his father eyed him with an even reserve. "I am listening, my son."

After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Sunoo began to explain. "Rin has... Her form...is changing...into a hakuchou."

His father's sky blue eyes widened a bit. "What do you mean, Sunoo? Tell me exactly what has occurred."

Sunoo allowed a heavy breath. "When I visited Lord Sesshoumaru's estate this morning, Lord Sesshoumaru led me to Rin's bedroom. I did not see Rin but I did see...a cocoon...on the floor. I sensed Rin's essence within the golden weave. I knew immediately what was happening to her. I knew she was...becoming...one of us. Lord Sesshoumaru had no idea and was very angered. He insisted I inform him of his wards condition. I did. I also apologized and respectfully requested that he allow me to continue with the courtship."

With a serious frown, his father stood. "I am surprised Lord Sesshoumaru did not kill you, Sunoo. This is very serious. Much dishonor has been placed on our family because of this. I do not know why his ward is changing. The change is only to occur on the mating night after the ceremony of joining." Large silvery black wings flustered outward before settling against his father's back once more. "What was Lord Sesshoumaru's decision?"

Standing, Sunoo held his father's stern gaze. "He is going to allow the courtship to continue after Rin is born again."

His father's rigid stance relaxed while he gave a slow nod and looked away. "This is very fortunate for you, my son. Lord Sesshoumaru had every right to disallow further contact with his ward. He must prize Lady Rin's feelings above his regal pride." He walked around the desk to the wall of books and began scanning. "Even though the situation between you and Lord Sesshoumaru is on somewhat peaceful terms, we still must find the reason for Rin's premature change. This is unheard of in our history and we must search for the answer as to why it is happening." He selected a dark brown, leather bound book, turned, placed it on the table, then began flipping through pages.

Sunoo eyed his father with confusion. "But Father, how do we find out the reason for such a thing? The only one with such knowledge would be our protector, the Water Goddess."

As he leaned forward, his father's jet black hair curtained his features. His finger slid across the page as he mumbled. Closing the book, he straightened with a half smile. "Yes, my son, she is the only one and we must speak with her."

Stunned, Sunoo watched his father slowly walk out the door.

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The fragrance of new jasmine greeted him as they approached the shore. Spread out almost to the horizon, the water of the Great Lake sparkled back the rays of the midday sun. His Father stopped, held up his hands, then recited words unknown to him. A moment later, delicate white clouds hid the sunlight. In the distance a new light emerged, one the color of starlight. It speckled the air, growing brighter until it blazed only a few paces from them.

Sunoo caught himself before he backed up, not wanting to seem rude. This, of course, was his first encounter with such a being. He was in awe.

The light dimmed while forming shape. It was her. Their protector. She was undescribable. In all his years he had never seen such a wonder: tall and beautiful, long black hair, dressed in a silks of ocean blue, the layers of which wavered in the wind as if in a water's current. Her deep green eyes fell on them.

Immediately, he bowed, knowing that her status far outweighed his own. His father bowed deeply as well. A voice, soft and light, harkened. "Please, stand, Sunoo, Kuroi, and tell me why it is you have asked to see me."

Sunoo straightened. His father did as well, and then spoke with a strong gentleness. "My Lady of the Water, I am here on behalf of my son."

Those depths of sea green settled on him and blinked once. He wanted to look away but found himself unable to do so. She gave him a small smile. "You may continue, Lord Kuroi."

"Great Goddess, my son, Sunoo, is courting Lord Sesshoumaru's ward. Their courtship has not been completed. Yet, The Lady Rin is...changing...into one of us."

Her smile softened along with the light in her eyes. "I see." She floated closer to them. Sunoo watched her feet touch the sandy shore. Dark yellow flowers blossomed under every footfall. His skin tingled with the brush of heavenly wind as she paused a few paces before him.

The Goddess did not speak for several moments. Instead, she gazed at him in contemplation. Finally, she spoke. Her tone was soothing yet somewhat sad. "Lord Sunoo, The Lady Rin is changing into a Hakuchou. When I bestowed the gift of new life to your people, my reasons were based on love. My love allowed your people to return, to live again. Only one that truly loves will become a Hakuchou. The Lady Rin loves you with a pure heart and a pure soul. You also love The Lady Rin. That love you share has bound her soul to yours and has changed her form to match yours."

He was speechless. No words would come as his mind whirled with the truth. Rin loved him....Rin loved him. The very concept hit him hard, yet held him softly. His heart beat hard in his chest. The only thing he wanted to do at that one moment was go to her, be by her, stay with her. Yet, his gaze was still locked with the Water Goddess, waiting in heart pounding awe, hoping this was not a dream he would soon wake up from.

She rose, turned from him and floated until she was, once again, hovering over the water's surface. "I must leave you now."

The Water Goddess glided away and vanished into the horizon.

"Sunoo."

His father was eyeing him with a calm smile. "You have your answer, my son."

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The light of approaching dawn began chasing away the darkness. Sesshoumaru, who had not let his gaze waver from Rin's sleeping profile, now rose. Sitting up on the softness of Rin's bed, he paused, gazing, taking in the amazing sight that lay only inches away. She was breathtaking, beyond any beauty he had ever seen in a female youkai: an orchid in a field of dandelions and what made her so unique was her spirit: the brightness of a human soul encased in the power and perfection of a royal demoness. Rin was now...perfect. Sesshoumaru found himself drawn to that perfection: the alabaster silkiness of her skin, the wet pinkness of her lips, the sweetest glow of her body. All of it, he wanted to...

His body leaned closer to the youkai angel before he caught himself and stopped. Forcing himself to look away, he rose from the bed and left the room.

Sesshoumaru entered the hall to find Jaken. The toad bowed. "My Lord. How is Rin this morning?"

"Jaken."

Jaken straightened, peering up at him. "Yes, My Lord?"

"Send word to Lord Sunoo that Rin has changed. I am sure he would like to see Rin."

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Finally, the sun was rising. He had been pacing in his room all night long and now he gazed out his window to see the clouds pinken with the dawn. It would only be a few more hours now and he could go see if...

Sunoo climbed on his window sill, ready to fly when a sweet voice made him pause. "My son."

Smiling, Sunoo stepped down and turned to see his mother standing in the doorway. "Good morning, Mother."

His mother walked up and gave him a brief hug. "My dear one, are you in such a hurry? She may not even be born yet and you are rushing off."

She was teasing him again. He shook his head. "You know how I feel, Mother. I must go see her even if she is still unborn. I need to see her. Lord Sesshoumaru will allow me to see her at midday. I wanted to wait close by his estate until that time."

Stepping back, his mother gave a knowing, wistful smile. "You do love her, don't you?" Her silver demon light glowed faintly in the room's dusky morning shadow. "I have news, Sunoo. Lord Sesshoumaru's messenger arrived before the dawn. He informed us that Rin has completed the change and you may go see her now if you wish to."

At this he started; his heart stopping in mid-beat for an instant. All the air rushed out of him and he had to think to begin breathing again. "She...she is reborn? She is..." With a joyful laugh, he hugged his mother in a quick tight embrace before heading to the window. "I will be back this evening, Mother."

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Rin knew something was different. She felt strange. Her arms and legs seemed almost weightless, as did her entire body. And..there was something... on her back...something that wasn't there before but felt as if it had always been there.

She opened her eyes to see morning's shadows on the wall. Taking a deep breath, she let it out in a yawn while bringing her hand up to rub her eye. In mid motion, she paused and stared at her hand. It was so...white and there was a pink marking on it. Slowly, Rin sat up, immediately feeling the delicate weight on her back rise with her. She twitched and the weight rustled. Eyes widening, Rin glanced down and lifted the blanket. She was naked! And that wasn't all. Her body was so...different...so... Pink lines curled from her collar to her breasts, down to her navel and then to her...

Rin dropped the blanket then grasped it close to her body while quickly glancing to the door. She relaxed, seeing it was shut.

Very gently, she slipped out of bed, the rustle close to her ears as she walked to the vanity mirror. The second she saw the image in the mirror, she let out a surprised shriek. Wide-eyed and in shock, Rin stared at the person who was looking back at her. Was this...her? Was this her reflection? Or was this some sort of dream? The longer she stood there gazing, the longer Rin began to realize this was not a dream and she was not going to wake up. It was all so... Her body...Her skin...Her...silver hair... and her.....wings???!!! She had wings!? At the very thought, they spread out to either side: large, strong, silvery lined, white feathers. For the longest moment, she stared at her new feathery appendages until a thought struck her. Biting her lip, she opened the blanket that was wrapped around her to slowly reveal and examine her body. Her jaw slightly dropped. She had changed so much. She was leaner, more slender now. The only thing that seemed to have remained the same was the shape of her breasts. And her skin! It was so pale. And the marks. Those pink tear drops falling from her eyes..... Just like...Sunoo's...

Rin gasped, coming closer to the mirror, her eyes locked on the pastel blue star on her forehead. She was...a Hakuchou...a royal Hakuchou.

At that very moment, the door opened. Rin whirled around to see her Sesshoumaru- sama standing in the doorway. For a second, she stood stunned until she realized she was not dressed. With a squeak, she gripped the blanket around her body and turned away.

Several moments passed and she did not hear him speak, so she decided to break the silence. "Sesshoumaru-sama, my lord, I...don't understand. Why...?"

He interrupted her in a flat tone that, to her, hinted of irritation. "Lord Sunoo will be here shortly. He will explain this...change."

Rin turned to see him slowly walking down the hallway.

As she watched her lord disappear, Rin felt a small ache in her chest.

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After finally getting over her shock, Rin began searching for something to wear. She grimaced while standing in front of her wardrobe. Nothing, Nothing could fit over these new wings. What could she do? She did not want to cut holes in her clothes.

A single knock sounded at the door. Rin awkwardly walked over to it. Gripping the blanket tighter with her left hand, she opened the door with her right. She was greeted by her lord.

His stance was rigid, a tint of annoyance flickered in his icy amber gaze. "Lord Sunoo is here. He is in the garden. Do you wish to see him?"

Rin slowly nodded then bit her lip and looked down.

"Why are you not dressed?"

She didn't know why, but, she was somewhat embarrassed. "I...don't have anything to wear. None of my clothes will fit with these..." As Rin trailed off, the wings on her back unfolded and spread out, showing him without words.

"Rin."

Rin glanced up at her lord to see the edge had softened somewhat. "I will have a tailor sent to your room." He turned and left.

Rin frowned at his retreating backside. Why was he being so distant? She sighed while closing the door. He probably didn't like her new body. Even she had to admit it would take some getting use to. One thing was for certain, she wanted to know why this had happened to her and Sunoo knew why. Her lord Sesshoumaru said Sunoo would explain things.

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Sunoo paced back and forth, brushing up against the garden flowers as he did so. Over a thousand times he glanced at Lord Sesshoumaru's castle, hoping to see his Rin, not wanting to miss another minute without her. It was well past morning and the sun was almost at its peak in the bright blue sky. He stopped pacing and sat down on a stone bench next to the water fountain. Letting his gaze fall to the white stones at his feet, he tried to breathe the jitters away. It seemed as if he was going to shake out of his skin. What would she look like? What color would her hair be? How would he feel when he saw her? Searching his heart, Sunoo realized, that he would still feel the same no matter what Rin's outward appearance had become. So, he shouldn't really be so nervous. Should he?

He became lost in thought, so lost that he did not sense Rin until her soft voice sweetened the air and pulled at his heart.

"Sunoo?"

Suddenly he did not want to look up, yet with all of his being, he did want to look. She was there, standing so close, so close that he could smell her scent, so close that he could feel her body heat. Taking a solid breath, he found the courage and slowly lifted his gaze.

The sunlight splashed, reflecting, glittering back a softness that glowed over silver and pearl. She was dressed in the white regal dress of a princess. Tiny roses adorned the hem of her robe. The perfect embroidered flowers dotted a single vine, the bright green thread of which curled from the hem to intertwine upwards, a bordering trail soon lost beneath shining silver strands of gold laced hair.

His mouth went dry when his gaze finally alighted on her face. She was so...beautiful. Without thinking, he slid off the stone bench and to his knees.

She smiled then reached out, her fingertip graced his cheek. For a long moment, neither said anything until Rin tilted her head to the side, her smile falling somewhat. "Sunoo, why am I...? Why am I...like this?"

At her question there came an ocean of rustling in his ears. His jaw slightly dropped when the wings, so like his own, spread outward, catching the sun's rays to cast a blanket of shadow on the garden floor.

Sunoo slowly stood, his heart pounding hard, his gaze locked to her shimmering brown eyes. Standing there, he waited, his mind whirling and his heart nearly bursting. He was unable to stop his next impulse.

Sunoo closed the short distance between them and engulfed her, now so much smaller, form in his arms. He whispered, "The Hakuchou were blessed many years ago by a water goddess. Anyone that chooses to mate with a Hakuchou will become a swan on their mating night. I was going to tell you when you gave your acceptance to be my mate. It would have been your choice to become one of us or not. You were supposed to change when we consummated our union but...."

".....but....it happened before that time. I did not know why so my father went and asked the water goddess why you changed before our skin touched in consummation."

Her hesitant whisper warmed his ear. "What did...she say?"

Sunoo closed his eyes, smiling in spite of his trembling. "She told me... you loved me...."

Letting out a sigh, he continued. "....and our love, because it was so strong, summoned your rebirth."

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Rin melted in the embrace while listening to his words. The last of which she took notice. "You love me?"

"Yes, Rin, I love you."

At that one moment the world disappeared and she felt such happiness. Sunoo loved her and she loved him and it seemed as if her heart would burst with the knowledge. She needed to tell him. Leaning back, she took his dark blue gaze, held it, then gave him what was in her heart. "I love you."

His soft smile was light with wonder as his warm palm cupped her cheek. "My love."

Moments passed and Rin became lost in his eyes, lost in him. On the edge of a dream, that dark blue sea pulled her in, closer and closer until... she felt a softness touch her lips. She closed her eyes, feeling him, feeling his touch, his skin, his warmth, his love.

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Sesshoumaru watched them in calm solitude from his study window. The Swan's kneeling display was most disgraceful. He had to keep his calm when the Hakuchou embraced his ward. And now, he tasted blood while watching them....kiss.

He turned away. He did not want to watch anymore.

Hi all, I first want to say how sorry I am for the long update. I first had to finish HOP HOI, then start my brain to finishing this story. Hope you all like this chappie.

Okay, since time is a constraint for me I will only respond to those who ask questions in their review.

Review responses: for those of you who did not ask a question, I want to sincerely thank you for reviewing and giving me a smile. Arigato.

Yue fai: Rin loves Sesshoumaru. It's just that Sess hasn't pursued Rin in that way. He never intended to act on his feelings toward her that way. Look where it got him.

Passionate crow Rat: Rin loves Sess too.

Melinda chan: if you want, go to adult fanfic.net if you are old enough, I have fixed most of the errors there.