Disclaimer: Inuyasha is Copyright of Takahashi Rumiko
Nothing Without The Other
Chapter 2
Rin continued to stare at her reflection in the small hand mirror long after Toutousai had explained and departed. Her stomach growled in protest and twisted up in knots. She had no appetite, even now, so she left Toutousai to finish the meal himself.
She was a hanyou.
Yet, she did not look like one at all. Toutousai had explained why, but she still had trouble accepting it. It would seem that her preconceived image of what a demoness should look like was very similar, if not identical, to Sesshoumaru's image.. And it was that she did not like.
She should have had ears like Inuyasha's, but instead of sitting atop her head, they had remained in their original place. They had not lost their roundness, but adopted the slightest, pointed tip at the top. There were three different sized stars in the center of her forehead, each a dazzling bright gold. Her hair was still black, but had some how become longer and thicker. Bright brown eyes stared back at her, revealing only the slightest flecks of gold.
She pushed the mirror aside and threw herself across the futon.
She was torn between being overjoyed and extremely miserable, with no clues for which she should feel. Hadn't she wished to spend eternity with Sesshoumaru throughout her childhood? A granted wish should not make her feel sick to her stomach and yet, it did.
She could not help but recall how quiet Sesshoumaru had been when he came into her room.
He was not pleased, and somehow, she knew it was because of her. He had made her this way, and now he was forced to take care of her. He was too proud to cast her away. Surely he felt obligated to bring her to his estate and see that she was cared for. Now his hopes of living alone once more had been dashed to bits and pieces. He would look at her and regret ever healing her.
She shuddered, thinking of exactly how he would look at her. She had seen it directed so many times at Jaken. How the little toad managed not to feel hurt by Sesshoumaru's treatment, she did not know. Rin knew she would not be able to handle it.
And how weak that made her! Surely she had prided herself on being strong, even in the face of the most horrible odds. She had not spent nearly six years on her own to be considered nothing in the eyes of some overly proud youkai. If Sesshoumaru would not accept her, that was his problem. She was perfectly fine with her new self.
So long as she had a long, hot bath.
Rin finally understood why Sesshoumaru disliked human villages. She could not yet identify all the range of strange scents that lingered on her skin and her kimono, but she did know they were not at all pleasant. The most offending was the scent of her own sickness. Just sitting there threatened to make her sick all over again.
She rose eagerly to her feet and softly padded toward the screen door. It slid open slowly upon her approach and revealed a strange demoness. She was tall, thanks to her remarkably long legs, and stood almost a foot above Rin. The skirt of what Rin at first assumed was a short kimono was frayed at the ends, reminding her of feathers on a bird. And the sleeves that nearly touched the ground were also frayed and looked almost like wings. Her hair, though it only reached her shoulders, was considerably long because of her long neck and clung together at the ends where it became red. Her nose and mouth seemed to draw into each other to form short, black beak, providing a dark contrast to her pale skin and oddly pink eyes.
Rin stood for a moment, staring at the strange creature, and tried to remember the last time she had seen a toki. Though native to the country, crested ibis spent most of their time near water. It was strange to see one here, and as a youkai with a human-like form, so near a mountain.
"What may I do for you, Rin-dono?" The toki youkai asked quietly.
Rin snapped from her reserve and quickly tried to recall what was just said. Rin...dono? Did she really refer to her as madam as if she was someone of importance?
"Are you alright, Rin-dono?"
Rin blinked. "Ano..hai. I would like a bath, if you could show me where I may take one."
"Hai, but first I must see that it is prepared. Please wait here," she added with a bow.
"Arigatou," Rin said quietly, not sure if she should bow or simply nod.
The servant returned shortly after to find Rin staring at the two familiar kimonos as if struggling to decide which one she should wear. She could not help but smile as she and two other servants followed after her with a handful of kimonos and fabrics. They sat before Rin and laid them out before her.
"Lord Sesshoumaru recovered those and a few other of your belongings. The rest, I'm afraid, were destroyed."
Rin blinked at the three seemingly identical women. "Why is that?"
She seemed hesitant to say. "I'm afraid the master could not tolerate the scent.." she cast a wary glance at Rin's outfit.
Rin looked down at her ragged kimono and shook her head. "I understand completely. You will see that this kimono and probably the bedding are destroyed as well, I hope."
"If that is what you wish, Rin-dono."
"Hai, arigatou," she smiled and looked over the fabrics and kimonos in front of her. "Is all this...for me?"
"You may choose which you like and dislike. We picked them out ourselves, but if there is anything you would like but do not see here, please, let us know. Excuse my rudeness, Rin-dono," the toki youkai added. "I have not introduced myself and your humble servants."
"Servants?" Rin interrupted.
"Hai, the three of us shall personally serve you. The only females on Lord Sesshoumaru's estate are currently in this room. He did not wish for inexperienced males to see to you."
She nodded her understanding.
"I am Fumiko, this is Kimiko," she gestured to the demoness to her right with the yellow eyes. "And this is Yumiko," she gestured again, this time to the green-eyed demoness on her left.
"Sisters?" Rin asked curiously.
"Hai, Rin-dono."
"It shall be difficult to tell you apart at first, so I ask of your forgiveness ahead of time," she smiled weakly.
Fumiko returned the smile. "Do not worry, Rin-dono. There will be at least one of us with you at all times, so there is plenty time for you to learn to separate us. Just remember if there is anything you need, just ask. We are here to serve you."
Rin smiled again, trying not to feel awkward about having three full youkai tending to one useless hanyou-smelling, human. While she would have preferred seeing to her own needs, she realized that such behavior might reflect poorly on Sesshoumaru as a youkai lord.
"Arigatou. Now, let me choose quickly, I am in desperate need of a bath."
No matter how desperate she had been only moments ago, Rin found she regretted ever leaving her room.
It was considerably, and surprisingly, noisy around Sesshoumaru's estate. Her nervousness to see her new surroundings quickly began to evaporate into anger. She heard the tell tale beat of drums as it pounded in her ears in a quick, but steady rhythm. At first she could distinctively make out three sets as she followed the toki-youkai down the steps and out the doors of the house. At that point, several other drums joined in, some off key, others sounding as if they were far away.
And if that was not annoying, surely the sound of feet pounding against the wood was enough. Rin was used to being able to barely detect the quiet padding of Sesshoumaru's approach. And even Ah Un walked more lightly than the two women in front of her! The sound was so oppressive she wanted to scream at them, to silence them in one glorious swipe of her claw.
But the voices kept her hands folded neatly in front of her. Whispers, shouts, laughs, cries. Every high-pitched, raspy voice threatened to make her ears bleed. Rin could not clearly make out what was being said amongst the other disturbing noises, but she was sure they spoke of her. 'There she is, they would say, that hanyou Lord Sesshoumaru brought here. What a disgrace she will be to his name! Just look at how she is dressed, how she walks. What a filthy, weak creature.'
Rin felt a rumbling deep in her chest and clinched her fists together. Yes, she was quite sure those horrible jealous youkai thought that of her. She did not trust a single one of those malevolent creatures. They would try to poison her, embarrass her, disgrace her - anything to give Sesshoumaru a reason to dismiss her. Well, she would have none of that. She would slice them in half before--
Rin cut her thoughts off. What am I thinking? She wondered to herself.
Perhaps the offensive scents were clouding her thoughts and good judgment. Again, there were far too many for her to clearly make out each one, but there were a few she recognized. Blood, sweat, and dirt. She knew those all to well. There was a fire burning somewhere and along with it some poor creature that would soon become dinner.
And as they approached the bathhouse, she could smell the wonderful fragrance of fresh water. She stepped inside eagerly and inhaled deeply, anxious to clear her poor nostrils. There were sweet smelling oils sitting here and there, some of which her servants added to the water. But that was all Rin noticed as she quickly began to strip. Before anyone could usher a word, she had submersed herself in the water completely, sighing in contentment as the rising steam created a dreamy haze of relaxation.
There were no loud noises and no offensive scents. Just the sound of her own quiet heart and steady breathing. She sat there for the remainder of the afternoon and would have stayed there for eternity if Fumiko had not entered to light the torches in the bathhouse. Rin quickly realized how late it was, and with a pout like growl, she washed herself thoroughly before getting out.
While Fumiko helped her dress and tended to her hair, Rin enjoyed her last few moments of bliss. She took no more than five steps outside the bathhouse before she was once again bombarded with the horrible scents and sounds that seemed to be so abundant on Sesshoumaru's estate. She stopped dead in her tracks and tried to fight off the incredible urge to destroy the entire place.
It was only then that she noticed she was growling. Her teeth, clinched and unclenched in anger as they chattered slightly as the rumbling in her throat and chest grew stronger and stronger. Her clawed hands tingled with power, urging her to destroy the threat those around her posed. Their noises and scents were meant to weaken her, to make her vulnerable so they could have the upper hand.
Rin would not allow it. She looked down at her hands, imagined them covered in the blood of her newfound enemies. And then she felt it. An unmistakable strong and powerful amount of youki. Somehow it was familiar to her, but she was threatened nonetheless. She growled deeper, attempting to warn the creature away. But it continued to move towards her, slowly but steadily decreasing the space between them.
It stopped in front of her. She snapped. Her own ears echoed with the sound of the bark like snarl that managed to escape her lips and the all too familiar voice that threatened to make her legs buckle.
"Rin."
She quickly clamped her hands over her mouth, burning bright with embarrassment as she stared at Sesshoumaru. Somehow, the scents and sounds were not so annoying anymore.
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Gomen ne. I don't know what came over me...it was just so noisy...so.." She could not bring herself to finish and merely looked down at her feet in embarrassment.
Sesshoumaru stared in wonder, though his face portrayed nothing, at the beautiful woman before him, hardly believing that this was Rin. For the briefest of moments he caught sight of her bright brown eyes and the flecks of gold that shown so brightly in her embarrassment. And though her face was tinted red, it seemed only to enhance the fine curves of her cheeks and jawbones. Half her hair was held up haphazardly with pins while the rest fell in waves down her back. He could clearly see her pointed ears and the three bright beads that hung from each one. She wore a white, long sleeved kimono that seemed to be sprouting its own garden of bamboo. A sash the same color of the bamboo was tied in a bow and its ends peaked out from behind her back where it could. Every tiny detail seemed to fit her so well.
For once in his entire life, Sesshoumaru was stunned into silence.
"I wouldn't worry about it much. That type of behavior can be expected for the time being," Toutousai chipped in as he walked forward to get a closer look at Rin.
"Toutousai? I thought you left," Rin recalled.
"No, I needed to speak to Sesshoumaru about some of the things he can look forward to while you adjust to your new body." When she only looked at him in confusion, Toutousai continued. "Your behavior just now is a result of the youki in your blood. Until you learn to control it, it will control you!"
Her eyes widened just a fraction. "Demo..why would it try to control me?"
Toutousai turned to follow after Sesshoumaru's departing form but continued speaking. "A youkai's first instinct is self preservation and its youki is key to doing just that. If necessary, the youki will act on its own accord to make you completely aware of any and all potential threats."
"I have no reason to feel threatened by anything around me. Especially at Sesshoumaru-sama's estate," she added easily, her mind grasping to understand this new situation.
"Regardless, your youki will do what it can in order to protect you. It will heighten all your senses so that you are aware of every little thing around you. And if anything does any threatening action, you'll be prepared to deal with it."
Rin entered the small room and quickly took a seat, recalling what had just happened to her. "Well, that explains why I found it so noisy and smelly around here. But why was I so angry?"
Toutousai sat across from her and glanced at Sesshoumaru. "I'd like to say this hound is the cause, considering it is HIS youki, but I doubt that was the case. You simply became angry because you were annoyed. Growling is an inu-youkai's way of warning your enemy against any ideas of attacking it may have."
She looked at Sesshoumaru for a moment and noticed how his attention seemed to lay solely on her. Feeling extremely uncomfortable, she quickly turned back to Toutousai. "Why is it that I am fine now? The scents and sounds are not so intense any more."
"Good question! If only Sesshoumaru and his brother could be more insightful," he huffed out with a sigh. "You remain in control so long as you are focused and calm. Right now you are completely focused on our conversation and your youki is aware that there is no reason to be threatened. When you were leaving the bathhouse you weren't partially focused on much of anything and that is when your youki took control."
"Must I always focus on something? What if I want to daydream? Will I lose control to my youki each time? And what about when I am trying to sleep? It's hard to sleep when your mind is thinking of something else," Rin added with an exasperated sigh. She turned to Sesshoumaru. "Is that why you never sleep?"
"No," he answered, his eyes remaining locked with hers until she looked away. "Your body and youki are simply not in sync. It will take some time for both to grow accustomed to each other."
"Don't think it will be that easy Sesshoumaru. You will have to show her, teach her, and help her find balance. That is the only way," Toutousai rose to his feet before any protest could be made. "Now, if there are no other questions, I'll be on my way."
"You seem to be well informed on Rin's situation," Sesshoumaru commented as he too rose from the floor. "Is there nothing you can tell her that will help?"
"No," he lied easily. "I've done my part, the rest is up to you and Rin." He silently wished he could see the havoc that was sure to erupt later on. It seemed that when it came to Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, they always found plenty of trouble with women.
"Arigatou, Toutousai," Rin said with a bow. "Have a safe trip."
"Hai. And good luck to you." And with that, he disappeared.
"Come," Sesshoumaru called to Rin before she had time to think of what to say or do next.
Rin quickly followed after him and soon discovered that they were heading back to the house where her room was located. It was only now that she noticed her surroundings. She had not realized the second house - the one he had taken them to sit and talk. And she saw where the bathhouse was located. But before she could fully take in the sights, she was back inside and making her way up the steps.
"My room is across from yours, should you need to speak to me," he stopped at her door and looked down at her, still trying to adjust to this new woman. He still was not sure how he should feel quite yet. "Get some rest. In the morning we will begin."
Rin let him reach his door before she spoke up. "Sesshoumaru-sama."
"What is it?" Her voice made him freeze in place, but his voice was as cool and calm as ever.
"Arigatou."
No, he was not sure how he should feel about this new Rin.
Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I'm so glad everyone is enjoying it so far. Hopefully I'll continue to please everyone in the future. Sorry if the update didn't come as quickly as I'm sure everyone hoped, but I'm so busy with my classes that I really only have time to update on the weekends. Also I'm still trying to finish the story itself and I'd like to think I'm halfway done. So if I do finish the story before its time to post chapter 10, I'll more than likely upload the whole story. Until then, please be patient and keep reviewing. There are a few things I'm considering changing but I am going to base it from response to the story. Thanks again!
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