Disclaimer: Inuyasha is Copyright of Takahashi Rumiko
Nothing Without The Other
Chapter 14
Rin stared off into the distance, still unable to relax. She had soaked herself in the water only long enough to rid herself of Eiji's scent, though she herself could not smell it. She knew Sesshoumaru could. The bath had not been long enough to calm her nerves. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Sesshoumaru's cold eyes piercing her soul once more. Knowing it was fruitless to try to enjoy herself while Sesshoumaru was on her mind, she got out and let Kimiko massage oils into her arms and legs.
She learned from Kimiko that Sesshoumaru had arranged for herself and Jaken to find them a week after he departed. Apparently he and Jaken had business to discuss and they were already engaged in it when she and Kimiko arrived.
"Did Sesshoumaru-sama really push his plans back an entire month?"
"I believe he did, Rin-dono. But do not allow Jaken to guilt you. The Lady of the Eastern Lands is expected to give birth any day now, if she has not done so already. Her mate requested that Lord Sesshoumaru postpone the meeting for a few days. He agreed only after you asked permission to go on this journey. He did not tell you?"
"However close Sesshoumaru-sama and I may seem, I am still just a guest. He tells me what he wishes and nothing more," she admitted almost reluctantly.
She sat on the ground and slipped back into silence. Seeking some form of comfort, she pulled her shakuhachi from the sleeve of her kimono and began to play something light. As her mood lightened, she lay on her back and stared into the sky as she played.
Something strange caught her eye. Some distance from the sun a shady gray and nearly complete sphere sat in the sky. She stared at it in curiosity and wondered why she had never noticed it before. She wanted to believe it was the moon, since it looked so identical, but the moon was always so bright, not this dull thing that she saw now. This had no life whatsoever. She had seen clouds much more brilliant than this thing was. Still it hung there, as if trying to compete with the sun.
"Enough with all this noise!" Jaken interrupted her thoughts.
Rin sat up and hit him playfully over the head with her shakuhachi. "It is better than hearing your noisy voice!"
He scowled at her and rubbed his head. "Wretched girl."
"Lazy toad."
"Ungrateful wench."
"Useless coward."
"This Jaken is not useless!"
"But you don't deny you're a coward!" Rin laughed. "Ne, Jaken-sama."
He eyed her suspiciously. "What is it?"
"What is that?" She pointed to the strange object in the sky.
He huffed out a breath. "The moon, you stupid thing."
She narrowed her eyes with a look of doubt. "How can that be the moon? It is so dull and boring!"
"Foolish girl. The moon never shines when the stars are not present and likewise, the stars never reveal themselves unless escorted by the moon. One is nothing without the other," he told her, feeling very satisfied with his answer.
Rin considered this. "Then why has it shown itself so early? Why doesn't it wait for the stars?"
"The moon does at it pleases. The stars will catch up eventually."
"Ne, Jaken-sama."
He sighed. "Nani?"
"That may very well be the smartest thing I have ever heard you say. Are you feeling alright?"
When he squawked angrily and began waving his staff in her direction, Rin quickly rose to her feet and ran off, laughing as he tried to catch her. She looked up at the moon and brushed her finger over the markings on her forehead. With a smile, she turned back to look at Sesshoumaru. When their eyes met and a blush crept up her cheeks, she did not turn away this time.
Rin folded her kimono and tucked it inside her armor. It felt so wonderful to be free of the constricting armor and she thought the kimono Kimiko had brought would be her new favorite. The red kimono suited her much better and she adored the intricate white and yellow flowers woven all over it. It made her feel like a spring flower after it first blooms.
The day was going very well. They had risen early that morning to see Jaken and Kimiko off before she and Sesshoumaru continued on their journey. Inuyasha's village was perhaps a day away. Even though Sesshoumaru was not speaking to her, she felt extremely optimistic about their relationship, or at least what she would learn about it from Kagome.
She smiled and looked over at Sesshoumaru with a small blush on her cheeks, remembering what Jaken had said.
Sesshoumaru ignored her, wishing he could erase her from his mind. His thoughts kept circling back to what Jaken had told her, and that only served to further annoy him. The toad rarely said anything worth remembering, but somehow, it stuck in his mind nonetheless.
Yes, the moon and the stars were nothing without the other. This much he already knew, but the way Rin began to look at him since she learned this obvious fact made him wonder what deeper meaning it implied.
He had wondered from the very beginning why Rin had adopted markings on her forehead after her transformation. If she truly had inadvertently mimicked him, why not take on the stripes he had on his cheeks as well? Why were the markings on her forehead of stars and not of the moon?
It was too much of a coincidence that she should adopt stars to accompany his moon.
He also began to wonder if he was some how the cause. Though Toutousai did not mention it, it was all together possible that he had some small influence in her transformation since it was his youki that caused it. Was it meant to be some sort of sign of his most hidden desires that he had not realized yet?
Was he truly nothing without Rin?
No, it cannot be so, Sesshoumaru told himself. He had resolved to forget about Rin, to cease his foolish advances toward her. His decision was made so it did not matter if there were signs saying otherwise. And she had also made it quite clear that such a thing did not apply to him.
His stomach revolted at the thought of seeing Rin and that bastard youkai together. They would have kissed and who knows what else had Jaken not interrupted, so it would seem as though Rin was nothing without her cheetah youkai.
So why was she staring and smiling at him?
"Sesshoumaru-sama."
He looked over at her, hiding his annoyance at having his thoughts interrupted.
"May I stop to eat?"
He had not realized how quickly time had passed while he fought with his circling thoughts. While he felt they had only just left, the sun told him otherwise. It was already making its way for the horizon. He was amazed Rin had held out so long without food.
Saying nothing, he descended from the sky and found a tree to sit under while he waited. He sat back and closed his eyes, forcing his mind to empty any and all thoughts of Rin so he could relax.
Rin, however, seemed to have other plans.
Sesshoumaru had only been relaxing for a short time when he sensed Rin sit beside him. When he opened his eyes to find her staring intently into his face, he was reminded of their first meeting. Having been disturbed then as he was equally annoying.
"Nani?"
Rin blushed and lifted her hand slowly, almost shyly, to his face. She brushed his bangs aside and traced the crescent moon with her fingertips. When he made no attempt to discourage her, she slide her fingers down to caress the stripes on each of his cheeks, fascinated with the smoothness of his skin.
"I was just thinking about what Jaken-sama said...about the moon...and the stars," she said quietly.
"If you are through eating, we can be on our way," he said, ignoring her comment, and pushed himself up right with his arms.
"Wait," she pushed him back down and climbed on his lap in attempt to keep him from moving.
They stared at each other for some time, both too shocked to move or say anything. Then Rin leaned forward and placed a small, shy kiss on his lips. She sat up and stared down at him. Again, he made no attempt to discourage her, so she pressed her lips firmly to his again...and again...and again.
Still he did not respond. Taking full advantage of the moment, Rin placed a hand on the back of his neck and toyed with the strands of his soft hair. She traced the crescent moon on his forehead once more and kissed it lightly. Then she moved her fingers down and across his nose, following them closely with her lips. She stopped at his mouth and brushed her thumb over his smooth lips. She pulled his bottom lip down gently to open his mouth and placed a kiss there, allowing her tongue to slip between his lips for a small taste.
It took quite a bit of his will power to keep his body from reacting.
Rin took his face in her hands and brushed the tips of her fingers over the stripes on his cheek once more. She leaned forward again and kissed just where his face and ears met. From there she trailed kisses across the stripes on the right side of his face down to his mouth and then up the left side of his face in the same manner. This time her lips came much to close to his ear.
Sesshoumaru sat up straight and moved his leg up, causing Rin to fall unceremoniously from his lap. He rose slowly to his feet and turned his back to her, not daring to meet her eyes.
"You are ready to leave?" He asked.
"Hai," she answered quietly and rose to her feet. "Just let me get Ah Un."
She rushed quickly past him, leaving her scent to torture him. Sesshoumaru inhaled deeply, trying to cool his blood. He stood there for a moment before following after her. He found her sitting on Ah Un, ready to continue their journey and smiling as if nothing had happened.
"If you wish to travel after sunset to make for the time we've lost, I would not mind. I'm not very tired."
Sesshoumaru masked his confusion and gathered his youki to take flight. His mind wandered and circled back to what had just happened, making it difficult to concentrate. He was not entirely sure where they were going or if they were going the right way or even why they were going. His mind, or maybe his loins, seemed to persist that he stop and finish what Rin had started or at least find out why she had started it.
He cursed her over and over again, trying to figure out what she was up to. It was not like Rin to let the matter drop so easily, especially since she seemed to be quite reluctant to speak of whatever intimate thing transpired between them. And it was even more odd that she should be so bold with him. What were her intentions?
Finally he saw the waterfall. The stars and moon shone in the waters reflection, cruelly flaunting Jaken's idea in his face. Determined to learn the truth for himself, he quickly descended toward the ground, eager to battle it out with the woman. He turned and faced Ah Un as the dragon landed.
Rin slept comfortably on it's back.
Sesshoumaru clinched his fists and let out a small breath of frustration. He reached forward to pull her into his arms and dismissed Ah Un with a nod. Turning, he walked towards the waterfall. He felt her stir, but he paid her no attention, even when she spoke.
A blush crept over her face once more as she looked up at him. "What are you doing? Where are you taking me?"
When he said nothing, she looked around cautiously to take in her surroundings. She saw the waterfall that had awoken her, but noticed that though they were much closer to it, their current area seemed to be very secluded. Here the forest crept in close to the rivers edge and there were few open spaces.
Rin released a shaky breath and brought her hands to her chest to steady her heart. "Sesshoumaru-sama. What do you intend to do to me?"
"What do you think?" He asked in return and stopped to put her down.
She found herself trapped. The mountain to her back, the waterfall to her left, the forest to her right, and Sesshoumaru in front. It suddenly became all too difficult to breathe.
"Relax," he said evenly. "This Sesshoumaru only said that to make you nervous. Sit."
Rin quietly obeyed.
He slashed the nearest bush with his claws, mostly to calm his own nerves than to help her. He ripped it in half and threw it in her direction. He took the other half and began to pull the leaves off so she could start a fire. Though confused and nervous, Rin quickly did the same.
"I want an explanation."
She looked up in surprise, accidentally breaking one of the branches in her hand. She opened her mouth but could not find any words, so she began to rub the branches together to start the fire.
"Rin."
She combed a hand through her hair and looked in her lap. "I..I'm just confused and...and scared."
"You did not seem very frightened when you climbed into my lap today."
Rin blushed and met his eyes. "You don't understand. Gods, I don't even understand."
"I do understand. You made it quite clear that you do not want my advances. Why then try to arouse some?"
She sighed in frustration. "How can you expect me to really know what I want if I don't understand what I should want?"
She rose to her feet and moved to sit beside him. Turning so they faced each other, she took his hand and placed it over her heart.
"My heart races when I'm around you. I feel light headed when you kiss me. My stomach flips when you look at me. I feel like I have a high fever whenever you touch me. It scares , Sesshoumaru-sama. The last time I felt anything like that, I nearly died. Why should I want to feel that way again? Why shouldn't I think that those feelings are unnatural?"
Sesshoumaru stared at her in astonishment, unable to speak.
"But I realized that it felt more unnatural to have you ignore me the way you have been. I did what I did today because I want to understand why I feel this way. I want you to help me understand."
He placed his hands on both her cheeks. "You are the most amusing virgin I have ever met. The only virgin," he added with a smile.
Rin narrowed her eyes and pushed his hands away. "Don't make fun of me."
"This Sesshoumaru is merely being honest. I did not mean to offend you."
She crossed her arms over her chest and did her best not to smile. "Fine."
He reached forward and grabbed her by the waist to pull her into his lap. Both her heart rate and temperature spiked and he could not help but smile because she so adequately detailed her reactions. Her breathing became labored and she stared at him with something akin to desire and fear. He rested his hands on her waist and held her gaze, waiting for her to relax some before he spoke.
"Are you sure you want this?" He asked, finding it hard to believe he was so eager to give in to his...feelings for her once more.
Rin could only nod.
"Do you trust me?"
She looked at him in confusion for a moment. "Hai, of course I do."
"If you truly wish to understand your own feelings," he said while he untied her sash. "Do not object to anything I'm about to do to you."
DPM: Thank you for all your wonderful comments! I'm blushing so much! I definitely try when it comes to Sesshoumaru. He's a character you have to constantly study because he is just so wacko. He may be firm and unyielding on certain things, but sometimes his actions suggest otherwise. I try to know my characters well so they come to life for the reader as well. I'm so glad you're enjoying my stories. Thank you so very much for the extensive review!
Shampoo-chan: You know, I considered combining chapter 14 and 15 together (don't you all just hate me for holding out on you?), but I thought NAH. I'll let my reader's imagination go to work and it will also give me a chance to write some more chapters. Hehe. I'll consider it though. My chapters are getting a little longer though, just for you!
Guaja: Mediaminer is a definite choice I began considering when I realized they changed all the ratings. Either way, I'm going to take the risk.
sesshoumaruhasafluffytail: Eiji dying is an absolute possibility. In fact, I really like the idea. But naturally, you know I have to twist everything up, so don't get too excited!
Verona: Hey, what can I say? If no one had a reason to admire Sesshoumaru, they do now! Just pointing out the obvious. I am obSESSed with Sesshoumaru, by the way.
bluediamond-hime: every character through chapters 1-14 needed, at one point or another, to be hit in the head. That's just how stories go! .
fluffyrachel: I'd say they understand very well now, mwhahaha! Or maybe, that's the next chapter .
(hides from LonelyInDarkness in a very secluded, safe place)
As I'm sure you are all assuming (and cursing me for as well), the next chapter will be a lime. Yes, I'm risking it, because hey, I wrote this damn chapter months ago. And if they take it off, well, whatever! I'll go to mediaminer like everyone else! So, on a final note, I think I'll create an account at mediaminer tomorrow, just incase. Love you all, and thanks for the reviews!
Rabid Anime Gurl
