Field of Innocence
By Lady of the Ink
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but you knew that . . .I hope. But I do own this plot and all the twists that it takes.
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Chapter Eight
In the five minutes that had passed since he had left the human girl on the edge of the village, Sesshomaru had already covered more ground than he had in the previous three days combined. Without the girl to slow him down, he made it to the border of the Western Lands in very little time. If he had so desired, he could have made it back to his home with enough time to deal with all the business that had piled up during his absence before nightfall.
But that wasn't what he did. He made a slight detour to the holdings of one of the lesser demon lords who were privileged to live under the protection of his family's name. The youkai was beneath his notice - he had never made it a point to even learn his name - but on this one occasion, he could be of some use.
Even though this meeting was of his own making, Sesshomaru had several reasons for wanting to get it over with as quickly as possible. He was pleased when the lord in question made a fast appearance in front of him. With his most aloof expression firmly in place, Sesshomaru cut into the rambling welcome. In clear words, he outlined a plan of action and made it plain that it was to be carried out to the letter. His tone brooked no argument and left no room for disobedience. If the demon knew his place, and from his groveling, he did, everything would be taken care of carefully.
By the time that he got back on his way, he was completely confident that his demands would be accomplished with the utmost haste and attention to detail. He found no satisfaction in that knowledge, however. All he felt was a vague sort of disgust with himself for what he had just done. It was wholly out of character for him and yet he had been unable to stop himself from doing it. It was almost as though he had needed to do it for his own peace of mind, to know that the girl he had left behind was adequately taken care of in her new location.
Sesshomaru frowned in distaste at his own thoughts. That certainly couldn't be it, he was sure. It was simply a matter of honor. Even if she was beneath him, he had been involved in what had befallen that girl. Ensuring her welfare was merely a reaction to his ingrained sense of responsibility. The fact that he had never before shown such consideration to a lowly human before was just a sign that his father's penchants were rubbing off on him. In fact, the entire ordeal could likely be credited to the older demon. It wasn't that he himself was changing or that the girl had any undue influence on his actions; it was that he'd been spending too much time of late with Inutaisho, who had never ceased in his attempts to convert his eldest son to his way of thinking.
The cloud of unease that had been weighing on him since the first of his many breaches of his own code of conduct began to lift. The odd string of events that had been happening to him since leaving the Western Lands obviously had very little to do with him. It was just that he had been spending too much time with others too unlike him in their choice of companions. First it had been his father and his human mate, always talking about how demons and humans needed to coexist by seeing each other as equals. He had been glad of the chance to leave them behind, even if it was only to visit his worthless half brother in his new human infested home.
After the extended exposure to such creatures, it was no wonder that he was feeling out of sorts. All he needed was some time to himself to readjust and he knew that he'd soon be back to his usual self. Perhaps this was the perfect opportunity to trek the borders once more. The journey could last for months if he wanted it to, giving him as much time as he felt he'd need to clear his head.
That plan of action laid out firmly in his mind, Sesshomaru found himself feeling more relaxed than he had in days. Finally things would get back to normal and with a little luck, he would never have to so much as think about that one particular human again.
The boarding house was exactly where Rin had thought it would be, a stroke of luck for which she was grateful. It was followed by another lucky break, this one even more convenient. The old woman who apparently ran the house was the friendly, talkative type. She started speaking the moment that she saw she had a guest and paused only long enough to take breaths between sentences. Since it was all done with a smile, her attitude was more endearing than annoying.
Rin was more than relieved at the woman's outgoing personality. She had been dreading having to expose her inability to speak because of the vulnerability that the revelation would bring upon her. The fact that she managed to secure herself a room and make it through the rest of the night using only smiles and nods and shakes of her head helped her to feel slightly more at ease. There was a sense of comfort even as she sat through dinner with the group of other boarders.
It was still early when she retired to her room, but the journey and stress had left her feeling worn out. Taking time only to remove her shoes, she climbed into the narrow bed. Her eyes drifted closed just moments after she pulled the blankets up to her chin.
The day was bright and warm, perfect for the walk into town. Rin skipped along happily, her small hand held securely within her mother's. Her brothers walked ahead of her, playfully taking turns shoving each other off the path. Their laughter came time and again, joined occasionally by her mother's soft chuckle at their antics.
Rin hummed cheerfully to herself as they walked. Today was a very special day. Her father, gone for nearly a month selling the things that he had made, was going to meet them in town. He'd promised they'd spend the entire day there, with a trip to the biggest store to look over the new things that had arrived since their last visit. With a wink, he'd talked about the many types of candy they'd try in a whisper that her mother had pretended not to hear.
The first buildings rose into sight just ahead of them. Their shadows stretched outward, dark splotches on the otherwise sunny landscape. As she followed her family into their dim depths, Rin's humming died in her throat. Her steps slowed, her feet feeling as heavy as if the ground were trying to hold them down. Goosebumps rippled over her arms like all the warmth had just been sucked from the air.
Turning instinctively to her mother for comfort, Rin was stunned to find that she was gone. She looked around wildly but there was no trace of her mother or brothers anywhere in sight. She was suddenly and thoroughly alone.
Frantic now, Rin raced into the town. Her legs pumped furiously against the dragging sensation as only one thought pounded in her mind. She wanted find her father as quickly as she could. He would know where to find the others. He would make everything right again; all she had to do was find him.
Even though she felt as though she was running in slow motion, the people whipped past her so quickly that they were little more than blurs. Person after faceless persona turned away from her as she begged for their help, their voices hissing whispers that told her to keep running and never come back. She raced on, looking for the familiar form of her father than never appeared . . .
Rin awoke with a start to find her heart pounding fiercely in her chest. She looked around, feeling disoriented at the unfamiliar surroundings. It took her several minutes to gather her thoughts enough to remember where she was and what had happened to get her there.
By the time that she managed to calm her breathing, she had she had managed to separate her actual memories from the images in her dream. It was slightly confusing since the settings of both had been the same. The town in her dream might have been out of focus but she had seen enough of it to know that it was the same one that she was currently residing in.
As much as she enjoyed using her imagination, Rin was a rational person at heart. She knew that the nightmare was the end result of many factors and not something to be taken seriously. The setting explained itself easily enough. With the creepy déjà vu feeling she had been enduring, it was no wonder the place had followed her into her sleep. The appearance of her family members likely came from the streamside memories she had indulged in the day before. Looking for her father was probably a subconscious mirror of the security she was hoping to find as she made her home in this new environment full of strangers - nameless, "faceless" witnesses to her presence. The feeling of cold came from the fire that had gone out and the heavy, dragging feeling was merely the blanket that had tangled itself around her legs through the course of the night.
Satisfied with her explanations, her eyes drifted to the window where the first hint of dawn was making its appearance. It was still dim but there was enough light for Rin to make out the shadowy forms of the table and chair in the corner, the only furniture that the room boasted aside from the bed. The space was clean but small, nice enough for the night but not somewhere that she'd want to spend a lot of time. It reinforced her plan to find another place to live that had more space and privacy as soon as possible. However, before she could do that, she would need to find a way of securing some kind of steady income.
She slid her legs over the side of the bed and stood. Wrapping the blanket around herself to ward off the early morning chill, Rin moved to the chair and sat down. She always found her thoughts to be clearer when she was surrounded by the peacefulness of nature. Since taking a hike into the woods at that hour was out of the question, she was forced to settle for a view of them instead.
With her head resting against the back of the chair, Rin began to compose a list of all the things, both good and bad, that would effect her potential jobs. She had a lot of things that she needed to think about and she wanted to handle them all in as organized a manner as she possibly could.
The first and most obvious item on her list was the fact that she couldn't speak. Not only would it make getting any job more difficult, it also ruled out a few completely right from the start. For that reason and from sheer force of habit, she would prefer a job that allowed her to be alone at least some of the time. She sadly accepted that she might not be able to indulge that choice; at this point she would have to take whatever she could get and count herself lucky.
That thought brought home the fact that no amount of planning would really help her until she knew what sorts of positions there might be in the town. She couldn't prepare herself for every single possibility and she wouldn't have the time to do it anyway. The only thing that she could do was keep her ears open and her spirits up and hope that everything would somehow work out in the end.
Firmly keeping a positive outlook, Rin made it through another crowded mealtime with the other boarders. Then, taking a deep breath and crossing her fingers, she started off on her search. She barely made it three steps from the boarding house when a man hurried to her side and began to speak.