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 Nine
Rin sighed in contentment as she dug her fingers deep into the rich soil. The setting sun was warm on her back and there was just enough of a breeze to keep the day from being too hot. It was as close to a perfect moment as she could remember having in a long time.
She rocked back on her heels and took a critical look at the patch of ground in front of her. Every weed and dead growth had been carefully removed, leaving behind a row of precisely lined up and perfectly healthy plants. A feeling of pride filled her, making the ache in her lower back and knees seem unimportant. There was just nothing quite like the satisfaction that came from a job well done.
Climbing to her feet, Rin gathered the pile of weeds she had pulled and started back down the path that she had traveled over hours before at the beginning of the day. On either side of her stretched field farther than her eyes could see. She knew them to be full of every herb, berry, and tree that could possibly be turned into medicine of any kind. After all the hours that she had spent walking through them, she could point out the location of any plant in a matter of seconds.
It took several minutes of walking before a house came into view against the twilight-tinted sky. It was a simply built single room structure but its dimensions set it apart from others of the same. At nearly twice the average height of a one-floor building, it was an imposing sight to behold. The enormous doorway added to the effect, making it clear that something large called the dwelling home.
That something, or rather someone stepped into sight seconds later. Rin waved towards the massive creature, smiling when the gesture was hesitantly returned after only a brief pause. During the two weeks since she had come to stay with Jinenji and his mother, she had been working diligently to earn their trust. One look at Jinenji's scars had pulled at her heart. Knowing all that he had gone through simply because of the way that he looked both angered and saddened her. It hammered in more than ever her belief that there was just no getting along with some people. The thought of living close to anyone who would even consider doing something so horrible to one of the gentlest souls she had ever met made her feel sick to her stomach.
Luckily that was no longer a problem. Her new job had come complete with lodging - a small cabin that had had to be abandoned when Jinenji had outgrown it. It wasn't as large or as cozy as he cottage had been but she was coming to feel attached to it all the same. There was the same feeling of serenity and closeness to nature as there had been in the meadow, only now she had the added bonus of the company of people who felt the same connection.
Wanting to wash off the grime of a busy day, Rin hurried to her new home. She built up the fire and put water on to heat. As she waited, she let her mind drift back to the moment the foundation for this new life had been laid.
She had only taken a few steps from the boarding house when a man had halted her. Since he was a stranger, she had kept her guard up throughout their conversation but had listened to what he had to say. He said that while they had never met, he had heard about her. According to him, nearly everyone knew there was a mute girl several towns over that had a knack for making highly effective medicines. Many times people from the very village they stood in had gone the extra miles specifically to buy the mixtures she made.
At that point the man had obviously noticed the uncomfortable expression she wore at being "well known" and had hurried on with his explanations. While there was an excellent herb grower just outside the village, he said, he knew little about mixing and brewing them. There had been talk about finding someone who did know those things and forming a sort of partnership between the two. That was when her name had come up.
He finished by telling her that someone had mentioned that she was in the area and he'd thought that it wouldn't hurt to ask. If she wanted, he offered, he could take her to see Jinenji to see if she'd be interested.
Rin had felt very suspicious of the whole thing. She had only been in town for one night, had only been gone from her old home for four. How had this man known that she was here, down to the boardinghouse where she had spent the night? For that matter, how had he known who she was? She had never had direct contact with anyone throughout her medicine-making career, preferring to let Larissa handle that part. Few people knew much of anything about her and yet this man who she'd never met seemed to know more than she was comfortable with him knowing.
It was only because she couldn't think of any reason why someone would want to lie to her that she had allowed him to finish talking rather than walking off in the middle. She was glad that she had stayed when he had said something that - unintentionally, she thought - offered an explanation. He was asking her if it bothered her that Jinenji was a half demon when it had dawned on her. She was now in a territory that, unlike the one she had left behind, was rife with demons of all types. If she remembered correctly, it was even ruled by one of the most powerful demons around.
Rin knew that demons not only had much stronger senses that told them a lot that humans would never be able to pick up on, they were also very territorial. They made it their business to know everything that went on within the borders of the lands they had claimed as their own. It was entirely possible that the man in front of her had heard about her travel and skills from a demon, perhaps one of many charged with knowing all that went on in the town. With their speed, a demon could have easily made it to and back from Larissa's village with plenty of information about her situation.
There was another possibility that she felt she had to acknowledge, no matter how improbable it seemed. Sesshomaru had left her behind less than a full day ago, but he would have had plenty of time to arrange this meeting if he had so desired. Not only would it fit his inexplicable trend of helping her, but delegating the task to some else to carry out seemed perfectly in tune with his superior air.
Rin had hoped that it was the first explanation rather than the second. While she would have appreciated the sentiment behind his actions if he had set all this in motion, she would feel much better if she had earned it on her own merits. There was just something unsatisfying about having a position handed to her without having done anything to deserve it. If she accepted the job and later found out that that was why she had gotten it, she knew she wouldn't feel right about keeping at it.
In the end she had agreed to go with the man to meet Jinenji, no promises made on either side. The long walk to the fields beyond the town had given her time to think and come to a very important decision. If the situation turned out to be as good as it sounded and it seemed like she could really be of use, she would stay. She might never know the reasons behind the offer (she certainly couldn't ask and the man didn't seem like he would tell) and so she'd have to find a way to make peace with herself, no matter what. So long as she worked hard and did her best, she would know that she deserved to stay, no matter what had gotten her there in the first place.
And that was exactly what she had done. After accepting the job quite happily, she had spent the next two weeks pushing herself from the moment that she woke up until she fell into bed at night, too tired to even dream. Her stock of medicines grew quickly, almost as quickly as the list of people who wanted to buy them. She soon had a stash of money put away, but more than that, she felt like she'd found a place where she belonged.
The kettle was boiling and so Rin poured it into a bucket half full of room temperature water. Washing off the sweat and dirt that had coated her skin through the course of the day was a true pleasure. By the time she slipped on a clean outfit, she was feeling refreshed and ready for dinner. As had become customary, she took the final meal of the day with Jinenji and his mother in their home. Although the old woman came off as rough and angry at first, it didn't take long to see the good person beneath that persona. The genuine love that she had for her son shined through clearly in the things she did for him and the way she looked at him.
Rin was as content as she had been in her old home. Since her move to the smaller cabin, she hadn't been bothered by anyone. She knew that Jinenji's size and his mother's salty demeanor had a lot to do with it, but she was reassured by it nonetheless. It looked like her life was once again becoming the orderly and calming experience she was used to and preferred.
The man crouching at the edge of one of numerous fields hissed softly to himself as the slender girl emerged from the cabin just inside his line of vision. His eyes followed her every movement as she headed towards the only other building within a mile or more. There was a brief moment when she was bathed in the soft glow of light pouring from the windows before she vanished inside.
Finally deeming it safe enough, he rose to a standing position. Arching his back to relieve the soreness there, he frowned to himself. There was no longer any doubt in his mind that the girl residing with the old bat and her half demon brat was exactly who he had feared she might be that first day in town. He had gotten close enough - although not easily - to recognize her features, albeit more mature than the last time he had seen them. The round-faced child had grown into a beautiful woman. The change was so marked that he hadn't been exactly sure about her identity . . .until he saw her eyes.
He knew those eyes, remembered those eyes. He still dreamed of them, tear-filled and frightened in her childish face, angry and promising revenge in her mother's. They were the only feature she had gotten from her mother, not counting her height and build. In almost everything else she was a duplicate of her father, the genial, outgoing man everyone had known and liked. Her brothers, too, had inherited his coloring. He could still remember seeing the four of them around town, the three men happily following the chattering little girl.
There was only one memory of her mother - the last one. It was so powerful, so vivid that it had blotted out all the others that had come before it. There were no scenes of idle chitchat, no images of her with her children or husband. It was always those eyes, brimming with hate and disgust, staring at him, burning into him . . .
He shuddered and redirected his thoughts. Now wasn't the time to think about that. He had things he needed to find out and plans to make based on those findings. A few more days of closer observation would let him know if the girl knew anything she shouldn't. If she didn't, she could go on with her life and he would be able to rest easy for the first time in years. But if she did know more than she should, something would have to be done. He had worked too long and too hard to have her resurface and take it all away from him. The moment she became a problem, she would meet the same way fate as the rest of her family.