Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
If this story seems lame or boring please consider that this fic was made mainly to break up some writer's blocks I've been having for a while.
Within A Tyrant's Heart
"Where are we going Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin asked in her same cheerful manner as she skipped along the tall grass.
"Do not ask such insolent questions nigen!" Jaken shouted waving his staff recklessly
"I wasn't asking you master Jaken!" the girl scolded the toad demon
The three of them had been traveling for days long with little events worth recalling. No battle with bandits or Narkau's creation; not even an encounter with the haalf demon Inuyasha. But that was soon to change when they stopped at the entrance of a dark eerie forest. The surrounding trees that provided the border had grown black with rot and decay.
"We're not going in there are we?" Jaken asked trembling at the horrible sight.
Unexpectedly to all of them Sesshomaru unstrapped both his swords and tied them to Ah Un's saddle.
"What are you doing Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin asked after she started gathering flowers around the area. She snuck up behind him and tied an orange flower into his hair.
"Stay here with Jaken. I won't be long." was allhe said before walking into the dark abyss.
"What is up with him? It's unlike him to wonder off without a weapon. Poor fool is going to get himself killed out there. But of course he's still powerful even without a sword isn't that Rin? Rin?" the imp glanced in every direction to see that the human girl was missing, "Haa! You wench! You're becoming as bad as Sesshomaru!"
Rin quietly followed her lord into the deep mysterious part of the forest, keeping herself downwind and with as minimal noise as possible
Sesshomaru walked onward through the thick plants until a curtain of dark vines laid before him. He pulled aside one side of the cloak of vines and disappeared behind them.
Driven by pure curiosity she sprinted to the curtain. She peeked through the vines and nearly gasped in surprise.
Everything from the moss covered ground to the highest branches in the trees were covered with lush, colorful flowers. Reds, yellows, blues, lavenders, whites; in every shade and size imaginable. Some looked like regular flowers she has seen before but many other had wild designs on them. Other appeared almost with faces of creatures unknown. The air was rich with fragrance but it wasn't overpowering.
Rin stepped into this magical garden cautiously, but soon enough she ran through smelling as many blossoms as she could looking at every one at the same time. She ventured between the trees to see even more.
She stopped abruptly and hid behind an old willow. No more then ten feet away she saw Sesshomaru kneeling before a tall vertical stone in the center of the garden.
She saw him stare at the stone with a lounging desire look in his eyes. The girl fought against the erg to ask him what the matter was.
Sesshomaru reached into his robes and pulled out the orange flower that Rin gave him, and placed it at the foot of the stone. "You can come out of there Rin. I you're there."
She gulped and slowly crept out from her hiding place and walked toward him. "I…I'm sorry my lord…"
He raised his hand signaling her to be quiet. "Do you have any idea what this is?"
Rin stepped closer and sat down by his side, "Um…"
Before she could answer Sesshomaru stood up and walked away. He stopped behind the old willow and tuned to see Rin praying to the stone.
"I do not know who you are, but I promise you I'll take good care of Lord Sesshomaru. I promise."
He turned back to the footprint covered path as soon as she got up to follow him.
"Ow!" he heard the girl scream. He looked over his shoulder to see her laying on the ground with a snake by her right foot.
Seeing the slithering serpent Sesshomaru slashed his poison claws at it splitting it in two.
The child whimpered in pain.
"Rin…."
"I'm alright my lord…it just scared me-" Rin tried to stand up but the bite wound on her leg pulled her back down. She tried again to prove to her lord she was stronger then most other humans. She soon felt a tight grip on her leg. Her eyes snapped open to see her lord kneeling down and clutching her ankle in his hand. Rin gasped with surprise when he places his kips over the wound and suck on her blood and toxins in her veins. He turned his head every few extractions to expel the liquid. After several expulsions he placed a leaf on the wound and released her leg.
The child gazed at the care given and smiled brightly, "Thank you my lord!"
But he didn't give her a second glance. He just continued on his way, with her not far behind.
Several hours have passed until Sesshomaru could no longer sense her presence again. "Rin."
No answer.
"Rin come."
No one answered. Not even the birds hiding within the tree branches above.
Within he fought against his normal instincts to simply walk away and too go back and look for the child. With a turn of a heel he retraced his steps. In less then an hour he found her on the ground again, trembling in a cold sweat.
"Rin." he barely whispered knowing what has become of her. His long tail coiled around her and carried her to within his arms reach.
Dark clouds crept across the sky blanketing the sun.
Sesshomaru watched from a seat under a strong shade tree as the rain poured down in cold thundering sheets.
The human girl rested in the eastern lord's protective grasp with a rain soaked cloth on her forehead to lower the fever.
"Why am I doing this? She is only a mortal. A mortal bitten by a serpent. Hundreds of mortals die everyday because of wars, starvation, and demon massacres. Why should I bother with her?"
Rin moaned slightly and snuggled closer to his soft fur boa, knocking off the cloth.
With only one arm Sesshomaru adjusted the girl's head onto his shoulder and pressed his lips on her forehead. He slightly gasped when he felt her temperature suddenly drop dramatically. He looked up to see the ghostly Soul Collectors floating in wait. "Wait until the end of time. You will never have this maiden."
"Lord….Sesssshhhhomaru…." he heard the little girl rasp weakly. He looked down to see her eyes starring up to him. Her crystal eyes captured his golden ones in a mesmerizing lock of affection and fading hope.
"Rin?"
She shook even more and her eyelids grew heavy. Without warning her body fell limp and a ghastly steam floated out of her mouth. Sesshomaru could only watch as Rin's soul rose higher to the hungry demons in wait. Despite knowing the inevitable he reached up hoping to catch her spirit's form. "Rin no! You can't go! You promised you'd take care of me…" His eyes swelled up as the soul floated further away from his reach. Tiny trickles fell down his face, "Please stay Rin…I need you…."
A Soul Collector swarmed down to capture it when a bright flash sliced through it.
The eastern lord gasped with surprise.
The other demons vanished as a glowing hand appeared above the departing spirit, preventing it from escaping. From the hand an arm appeared, followed by the rest of the body of a heavenly being in royal robes, long blue/silver hair and a blue crescent moon symbol on her forehead.
The celestial being looked down at the grieving yoki and the child in his arm.
He hesitated for every breath, "M….mother?"
"I see you still remember me," The celestial being said coxing the spirit in her arms, "I have always looked forward to our visits."
Sesshomaru shut his eyes and looked down. He held onto the Rin's small cold form tightly not wanting to let go, "Mother, I'm so confused. I'm supposed to hate humans."
"You never have before. You only hate them because your father had married one."
"He shouldn't have! He loved you! He shouldn't have abandoned you!" he shouted as more tears slipped passed his mental restraints.
The spirit knelt down to him and placed a gentle hand on the side of his face, "Son, I'm dead. Your father learned to live on and find happiness else ware. And you should too."
"But how? Nothing has gone well in my life except…" his voice fell shallow as he looked back down to Rin. Her pale face nearly blended in with his boa tail, "…her."
His mother shifted her hand to Rin's head, "In all the years you've came to my grave, you never once showed any affection or a kind mention anyone you've met…until now."
Sesshomaru looked up at her, confused of what she meant. Before he could ask her spirit disappeared. Tears were escaping more easily and he lowered his head till it was touching Rin's.
"Can you save the girl you love?" he heard his mother's words echo in his mind. He demon lord's tears slipped onto her face.
Meanwhile Jaken was stomping outside the forest with Ah Un munching away on the grass, "I can't believe them! Always running of without consulting with me first. Well not anymore! Once they come back I'll give them such a talking to they will beg for me to accept their apology! Muahahahahaha!"
Suddenly the Tenseaiga started to glow in golden light.
"Ha! My lord's sword is glowing! But what does this mean?"
Back in the Forest
The moment the salt of Sesshomaru's hot tears touched her cold skin Rin's body started to glow.
The celestial spirit appeared again above the trees looking down at her son and his heart's daughter. The soul in her hands cried longing to return. "It's time little one." With that she released the soul and it floated back down.
Sesshomaru woke up to the first rays of the sun peeking through the branches. He refused to open his eyes for fearing he would never see Rin's smiling face again. Never again to hear her laugh. Or smell her sweet innocent scent.
"Lord Sesshomaru. Lord Sesshomaru…"
"I must be going mad now. I'm starting to hear her voice in my ears and not in my mind." He thought.
"Lord Sesshomaru wake up."
The demon lord opened his eyes to see the human child tugging his hand toward her. "Rin….? Rin!" He lunged toward her and embraced her tightly in his arm and boa.
She just starred in surprise. "Um…are you alright my lord?"
He pulled away and looked deeply into her eyes, "Never better."
"That's good. Cause Ah Un just told me that Inuyasha is on his way here."
With that Sesshomaru looked around to see that they were just outside the forest where the garden was hidden. He stood up and grabbed Tokijin from the dragons saddle. "Let him come. With you by my side I shall never fail."