She liked her life and really didn't want to go with those ladies. She was sure that they were very nice, but to leave Sesshoumaru-sama? Why did he insist on her leaving? "Miss Rin, you must come with us now, if we don't leave now then we won't be able to find somewhere to camp and stay the night." The lady dressed in a pretty but faded orange kimono pleaded. Sleeping outside wasn't a problem; she'd slept outside whenever Sesshoumaru-sama decided that it was time to patrol his lands. Rin remembered that he had spoken to her briefly about how one day soon she should go with the ladies of the town to learn how to become a lady… but she never thought that he was serious about it! Especially after what those ladies had just said. "Miss Rin just think, after learning how to become a proper lady you can quickly get married." Married! She wasn't sure what that meant but she didn't like it and she certainly did not want to leave Sesshoumaru-sama. Rin had hardly ever been alone since she had lived with Sesshoumaru-sama, he had always protected her, and he had almost always been with her, either him or Jaken. Wasn't it going to stay that way forever? She looked back at her home in the forest. She saw Sesshoumaru-sama standing there. His figure tall, proud, and stoic as always. She was certainly very confused. Why was he letting this happen to her? As stared back at him, she felt the three ladies pull her towards their cart. "Why Sesshoumaru-sama?"
He saw Rin stare at him with sad, confused eyes. He told her that she had to go. Inwardly he knew that it was for the best, he knew he couldn't keep her forever. He understood that the longer he kept her, the harder it would be for him to eventually let her go. He already deeply hated himself for allowing himself to get so attached to her. She was just so warm, so pleasant…so loving He couldn't believe that he allowed himself to keep her this long! He growled inwardly to himself. Jaken had always made comments through the first couple of years, but then they seemed to cease, as if he was getting used to her too. It had been ten years and he'd never let her get out of the distance where he could smell her, and now he was giving her away to three women. He continued to stand there and watch Rin, his precious beautiful Rin walk away from him forever. He saw tears begin to form in her eyes and then she mumbled his name, softly as if she was a lover, parting from her love. The cart pulled away and she broke the gaze as tears began to fall from her face.
She couldn't stop the tears that fell from her lifeless orbs. The other three ladies in the cart began to whisper mean and hurtful gossip about her and how a man raised her. "No wonder her Master sent he off to us, she's a pretty little thing but as stupid as a mule, and can't accept the fact that her Master doesn't want her anymore." The lady in the orange kimono said snobbishly. "Umeko you shouldn't be so harsh, mules aren't that stupid, besides an ox is where her intelligence lies". The third lady, the one driving the cart, just cackled. The comments about her didn't hurt as much as the ones made about Sesshoumaru-sama, how they said he used her in dirty ways. She wanted to yell out at them and tell them that Sesshoumaru-sama would never do anything like that, but it would be a useless effort. She looked up from where she had laid her head to cry. It was beginning to get dark out and she had no idea where she was, or where she was headed. She knew that she was no where near Sesshoumaru-sama's woods, she laid her head back down and began to weep again.
Sesshoumaru continued to stand there until he could no longer see her, which for a demon lord was quite a long way. He could still smell the saltiness of her tears and her scent of fresh lilacs. He kept reassuring himself that he was doing the right thing, besides he knew that Rin wouldn't want to stay with him forever. He knew that she needed to get married and start a family and be with her own disgusting kind. Even though Sesshoumaru knew all this was right he still felt a dark growl rising in his throat. He loathed the thought of someone touching his Rin. Before, if someone even looked at her in a displeasing way or in a way he did not like he would have their head. He was now very, very tempted to go after the cart, kill those ladies and bring her back. He turned around hearing familiar footsteps. It was Jaken running towards him. "Lord Sesshoumaru, is she really gone?" he asked "Yes Jaken." Sesshoumaru paused. "She's gone."
Rin eventually drifted asleep from crying so much and awoke to her body being bounced around. Her eyes shot open immediately and saw three figures with their backs her. 'Where am I' Rin wondered? Rin was now very frightened, she didn't know where she was. "Sesshoumaru-sama" she called out timidly. A figure turned to face her. "What's wrong with you now?" the figure asked harshly. Rin moved herself away from the figure. Another turned and said, "You know if you keep moving you'll-." Rin found herself falling and before she could call out for help she was on the ground. Pain shot up her back and for a moment she couldn't speak because the wind was knocked out of her. The cart stopped and two figures jumped out and pulled her up, a little faster than she would have liked. Rin let out a yelp. "Oh shut up!" one of them said. The other one whapped up upside the head. "Owww!" Rin cried. She wasn't used to people hitting her. "Shut up, and get on. We haven't reached the village yet," another lady said. 'Oh right.' Rin thought. 'I remember now, Sesshoumaru-sama wants me to become a lady'. 'Sesshoumaru-sama… she couldn't stop thinking about him, he was never out of her thoughts.' She went to climb on the cart, but the cart driver's voice stopped her. "Well considering that Rin has decided to take her dear sweet time getting up, and the village is a couple of hours away, we're going to camp on the side of the road tonight. Umeko, Toki, lets move the cart to the side, onto the grass." Rin walked over onto the grass in a daze, Sesshoumaru, was he thinking about her? She sat down and just stared towards the sky. They offered her food and when she rejected she heard them mumble, "Well don't complain to me when you get hungry". Rin felt herself fall back onto the grass as she remembered all the times when her Sesshoumaru and Jaken slept outside. She usually snuggled up on Sesshoumaru's tail. It was probably the softest thing she'd ever felt, next to his hair.
"So what does your Master or whomever, look like?" the girl in the green kimono asked jerking Rin out of her thoughts of a white haired youkai. "You haven't met him, then how did this all get arranged?" Rin asked intrigued "Some little green toad arranged it all and said that his Lord Sesshoumaru wanted it and if it wasn't done that his Lord Sesshoumaru would come back for our heads"." Now answer my question, how old is he and what's he look like"? Toki asked staring at Rin "Well, Rin started and thought 'How am I supposed to describe the most beautiful person I've ever seen'? "He, he has umm, golden eyes, umm long soft silver ha-ir, and uhh markings and stuff" Rin said stuttering. 'Why was she acting this way, like she was embarrassed to let people know how attractive he was'. "Sooo, how old is he and how long have you been living with him?" asked the cart driver stuffing her mouth full of food. 'His age'? 'How was she to know, he'd always looked the same to her, it had been her who'd changed, she was no longer scurrying around his feet, but now just beneath his chest'. "I- I don't know how old he is…" Rin said meekly. "Umeko, you knew how old your Master was, right?" the girl in the green kimono asked the woman in the orange "Well I could tell if he was young or old" Umeko replied. "Well?" the cart driver said indicating that she wanted an answer "He's, young, I guess I mean, I've never seen him look any different" Rin replied. "Well how long have you lived with him?" the girl in the green kimono asked, "Umm, lets see" Rin mentally counted. She was maybe seven or eight that was quite a few summers ago. "Maybe ten or eleven years" she said. "AND HE HASN'T AGED!" Umeko blurted out "Umm, no." Rin replied quietly. The three ladies immediately began to talk amongst themselves. Rin heard a familiar word used over and over again by the ladies, and then she remembered something Jaken-sama had told her. "Oh I remember, its because he's a demon." Rin said pleased that she remembered. The immediately became silent and turned towards her. The cart driver was the first to speak, quietly and slowly "You were raised by a demon?" Rin decided that she didn't like that word. 'Demon' it made him sound… evil. "We knew the little toad was a demon, but your Master is one also!" "What was that like?" Toki asked curiously. Before Rin could answer the cart driver cut in "Be quiet Umeko and Toki." "No more questions from either of you." For the rest of the night none of them said anything to her. Eventually the three ladies fell asleep but Rin lay down, unable to sooth her worries.
Sesshoumaru was awake, unable to rest. He knew that he could sleep if he wanted to he could sleep, for Rin was no longer near, in need of his protection, but for some reason he would feel wrong if he went to sleep. Even if he did decide to sleep he would expect Rin to sleep on his tail. What was this feeling that he felt? Was it regret? Sorrow? Fear? He knew it was right for Rin to go, but would it really have been so wrong if she stayed?
