Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any of the gang.
Rin heard Kagome's words and knew a part of her should be overjoyed but a bigger part of her was sorely disappointed. Why did everyone suddenly seem to want her to change what she was! Kagome kept rambling on about the discovery, the details lost on Rin as her mind seemed to grow numb. She couldn't hold back. Not after Sesshomaru told her the offer was only being made once and now Kagome, who seemed almost eager to shed her humanity. Rin's calm demeanor soon snapped.
"Oh for the love of...Can't we just be happy with who and what we are! Can't they! Maybe I don't want to live forever! Maybe just the idea of outliving my mortal friends repulses me! I happen to like being human. I like everything about being a mortal! When you know your time in this world is only a set number of years, you appreciate things more! You take nothing for granted. Demons treat one day no different from the next. How boring their lives must be." she spat, giving Ah-Un a look and the two headed dragon followed her faithfully.
"Rin...I'm just saying...this is our chance. We don't have to die or age," Kagome replied timidly, taken aback by her usually docile friend's tone, "Don't you want to have endless time with Sesshomaru?"
"What I want is for everyone to just leave. Me. Alone! It took me this long to get him to look beyond my being a mortal, to make me his mate. I never once asked him to change anything about himself and now Lord Sesshomaru wants me to make the biggest change of all! Love is never having to say your sorry but shouldn't it also be about acceptance? I don't care that he is a demon! I've loved him anyway! Clearly this love is one sided. Mates doesn't necessarily equate to love."
Rin stormed away from the lengthening shadow of the great hall. Why couldn't they understand? This wasn't asking her to change her name or her style of dress. Her race! Why not just go ahead and ask her to surrended her very identity. If she did this, she would be giving up such a huge part of herself. It would be as if she was saying, herself, that her race wasn't good enough for Lord Sesshomaru. She knew he detested humans but he had always seemed to look passed that in Rin. However...if she didn't do this...if she chose to remain mortal, she would grow hagard, weak, blind. She would never see the kingdom of Lord Sesshomaru. Worse yet, if they should have children, she would probably never live to see her grandchildren. From beside her, Rin could feel Kagome's gaze on her.
"Don't dismiss the idea so quickly, Rin. Sesshomaru wouldn't have made mention of it if he didn't want you with him for as long as possible. It was a selfish reason to offer it to you...but not necessarily a bad reason. I know I would do anything in this world to stay an InuYasha's side. I value my humanity too. I know its what sets me apart but sometimes, I don't want to be different."
"Kagome, I don't want to be different either. If I were to go along with you and live forever...won't that make me different? Demons would never accept you and humans would hate you for forsaking your mortality. Do you really think InuYasha would want that for you? He knows what that kind of a life is like!"
It took several yards before Rin realized Kagome no longer walked beside her. She came to a stop and looked back her friend. The look on Kagome's face was heartwrenching. A mix of hurt, anger, confusion and reluctance. Rin cursed herself. She shouldn't have spoken like she did.
"I didn't mean to sound so spiteful, Kagome. Maybe this is the right path for you but I don't think its for me. Not yet anyway. InuYasha will be able to help you with the transition. He will know the pitfalls. I want you to be happy, Kagome," Rin smiled weakly, "And I know that with InuYasha by your side, no matter what your choice may be, you will be very happy."
Kagome heard the sincerity in her friend's voice and she approached Rin slowly, reaching out and clasping her hands. How alike they were. Putting others before themselves, wanting only for their loved ones and friends to be happy even at their own cost. Kagome looked into Rin's eyes, so like her own. Wide, honest, hiding nothing and revealing everything. Deep down, Kagome had always believed that a part of Sesshomaru had harbored feelings for Rin for some time. Seeing them together now only made her more certain than ever. Despite his resolve and swearing to loathe the human race for all his days, Sesshomaru loved Rin.
"I choose to live, Rin. To live forever at InuYasha's side so my soul...Kikyo's soul, might never become lost and run the risk of never finding InuYasha again. Kikyo lost him once and she was reborn in me. I will not repeat her mistakes. Rin...don't take that chance. Think how long it was before Kikyo's soul was reborn in me. Do you really want to wait for possibly centuries before your soul is born once again and maybe finds Sesshomaru?"
Tears slowly filled Rin's eyes. Kagome's argument made more sense to her than anything had in the last few hours. If she did not do this, if she did not become immortal, she would be parted from Sesshomaru until her soul might be reborn. Then there was no promise that soul would find him. She would walk the world through another life not knowing or understanding the pain and sorrow she would carry in her heart. Worst of all, her lord would be alone again. No one could understand him as she did. None would even try.
"I--"
Suddenly an explosion seemed to rip through the lands, leaving great trenches in the earth and scorching the grass. The blast caused a wind to rush over the girls, knocking them both into Ah-Un's side. Kagome fell to her knees, coughing and waving at the dust filled air while Rin groped blindly for the two headed dragon's reigns. As the air slowly cleared the girls could see that the damage radiated out from the great hall. Slowly getting to her feet, Kagome gasped.
"That was the Wind Scar!"
Rin's eyes widened. Had Sesshomaru and InuYasha bickered to the point of an all out battle? She only took a few steps towards the great hall when violent bolts of blue lightning seemed to rain down, each one digging into the already mangled ground and sending lumps of dirt and grass flying through the air. This time Ah-Un moved to place itself between the girls and the flying debris. Rin and Kagome screamed and dove to the ground as another Wind Scar ripped its way through the air, this time combining itself with an attack they both knew.
"The Dragon Strike!" they shouted over the din as they scrambled to their feet.
"We have to get back to the hall, Kagome! Something is wrong! I haven't seen them do that manuever since their battle with Sou'unga!" Rin yelled, grabbing her friend's wrist and hoping her words weren't snatched away by the force of the wind.
Kagome nodded as they climbed onto Ah-Un's back. Rin held fast to the reigns as the great beast struggled into the air. Quickly, Kagome knotched an arrow, ready to take aim at whoever had caused her mate and his brother to feel they needed to attack so viciously. As Ah-Un made its way over the great hall, the red of InuYasha's robe of the fire rat was clearly visible as was Sesshomaru's pristine white clothing. The girls eyes scanned the area around the sons of the great dog demon, hoping to catch a glimpse of the opponent. Rin saw Sesshomaru slowly turn and look up and back over his shoulder. He held Tokijin in a relaxed manner, the tip of the sword pointed at the ground. What was going on?
"INUYASHA," Kagome shouted, catching the hanyou's attention, "What happened?"
"We had some company! Tresspassers, you could say."
"Who would be stupid enough to tresspass on Lord Sesshomaru's lands?" Rin frowned.
"Someone who wanted to see what the Tetsusiaga was capable of. To appease their curiousity, little brother here felt it necessary to put on a show." Sesshomaru answered, sheathing Tokijin.
"I don't like being followed!" InuYasha snapped, "And you sure the hell weren't too far behind me wielding that damn Tokijin! I told you I had it all under control!"
Ah-Un landed reluctantly and the girls dismounted. Kagome was at InuYasha's side, her eyes asking all the questions that she dared not speak aloud. She knew better than to make a fuss over him in front of others. He would only rebuff her. Rin, however, had no such compunctions.
"My lord, you would never use Tokijin against a mortal. Your tresspasser was a demon, wasn't it?"
Sesshomaru barely nodded. Rin knew him so well. If he felt it necessary to use the Dragon Strike against a demon instead of simply slicing the creature to ribbons with it than it was no ordinary demon. The demons from Bassarious' lands. The ones that had asked him to revive the worthless mortal and then disappeared. He knew they lingered, that they were keeping a close watch on himself and InuYasha. This time, they had lingered too long and too close and their scent had worn on InuYasha's already thin nerves. Sesshomaru had only used the Dragon Strike to reinforce the point Wind Scar made. Back off.
"Rin, go inside. You and the girl are not going anywhere."
Slowly Rin nodded, grabbing Kagome's hand before the girl could burn Sesshomaru's ears with her opinion of his giving orders. As she dragged her friend inside, Rin could feel her head starting to pound. Live forever or die who knew when. Be forever with Sesshomaru or be parted by death until her soul could possibly be reborn. As they hurried to her room, Rin suddenly realized another possible benefit to being immortal. Like Kagome, she could fight at her mate's side and not fear death. She would never have to be left behind or told to go inside for safe keeping. She could protect Lord Sesshomaru as fiercely as he protected her. The demons that haunted their every move would no longer be a threat. Together they could confront them and find out why the demons wanted to know what Tetsusaiga was capable of. They would be invincable.
Closing the door to her room behind them, Rin leaned against it.
"Kagome...where are those scrolls? Tell me again...how can we live forever?"
Kagome grinned broadly, "The scrolls are in my room. All we have to do is find The Demon Blade."
"And that's it? We find this blade and we are immortal?" Rin asked, not daring to believe it would be that easy.
"No. Then we have to wait til the night of a new moon and find a way to hide Tenseiga for just a little while. If InuYasha were to find out what came next he would destroy the blade with Tetsusaiga and Sesshomaru would revive us too soon with Tenseiga. Timing is everything, Rin!"
"Whoa! Hang on! Revive us too soon with Tenseiga! Why does this sound like we have to DIE first!"
"Umm..well...we do. But its not permanent! Just long enough for the power in the blade to do its work. The blade was created from the curved bone of a rib of a powerful demon. That rib was over the demon's heart. Making it a vital piece of bone since it protected the organ that gave the demon life. That same bone could also end the demon's life because if it were to break, it could pierce the demon's heart and destroy it. This demon, knowing it was a weak spot, ripped the bone from its own chest and in its place, put a plate of armor. The blade is kept in a secured and guarded box. The demon hoards the blade because it knows the power it posesses. Pierce the heart of a demon with it, the demon dies. Pierce a human heart with it, the human becomes immortal. The essence of the demon becomes a part of the human's blood." Kagome explained, hoping she was recalling all of the scroll's details correctly.
"Why doesn't it kill the human as well? I mean if it can kill a demon..."
"A demon is already immortal. The essence will have a reverse effect on a being that is already forever. Annnnd since demons live for hundreds of thousands of years...all those years are snatched away and the demon turns to dust in seconds. I wish Gramps was here! He's better at all this folklore and ancient text stuff!"
Rin raised an eyebrow and almost had to laugh, "You mean you are basing all this on some fairy tale you read from a scroll that might or might not be a fake?"
"Hey...name one fairy tale that hasn't ended with And They Lived Happily Ever After!"
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ladyrinremix: You have no idea what your nomination means to me. Thank you!
sehwa: Hug the Jaken but don't squeeze the Sesshomaru!
And to the rest of my fan base: Thanks for the praise! The hornymoon was great. And don't worry, those two
demons aren't dead nor are they done with the likes of InuYasha and Sesshomaru! Hmmmm I wonder if they
will interefere in the girls' quest to live forever! DUN DUN DUN!