Bet this came out sooner than you though it would, didn't it? I guess typing a page or two per day...or every two days, can pay off.
Okay, firstly, this is a chapter designed to build anticipation and heightened the suspense.
Translation: Miss Vegitadias has BS'ed yet another chapter and made if half-way filler, half-way actual story, and some - maybe a good amount - of humor. She desperately hopes you don't fall asleep reading this.
On the plus side, I wanted to go a little bit into Rin's past with this one since I definitely seem to neglect her. If you guys are all thinking her life has been nothing but sunshine and roses, you're sadly mistaken. However, she took it differently from Sesshy.
A NOTE TO EVERYONE: I know you all want to know what happened between Inu and Kagome, and also how Onigumo got hid burn and everything. My reply is, "don't worry." This fic focuses on Sesshoumaru and Rin. The other people will have their own stories that I'll write eventually but I've said it once (I think, probably not) and I'll say it again. Miss Vegitadias is a superzero with the attention span of a monkey with ADD and a pack of Mountain Dew and typing skills faster than a slug but slower than a turtle. Not only that, but she is a gamer who is not quite casual but not quite obsessive either and favors RPG's (the longest video games of them all). She also likes to read thick, juicy sci-fi fantasy novels and fanfics. If I went into everything there was for this story (and there is A LOT), it would take me a whole 'nother year to get it all done because I'm long winded and I talk too much (they might sound like the same thing but I can confidently say that I have redefined the art of being loquacious).
That said...
A big heaping of thanks to Rikou Suiyou for still being alive (you scared me half to death) and for Beta'ing for me. My internet is probably worse than your's so don't worry about it.
Special Thanks To: Aishiteru-inu hope this makes up for the lack of a short story in the last chapter. As usual, thanks for giving you stamp of approval, it's lets me know that I haven't lost you with this convoluted and somewhat drawn out story of mine. It's true, what you say, I'm the youngest in my family and I got spoiled rotten, much to the displeasure of my sisters who (though we all love each other) tortured me and took advantage of the fact that I am an incredibly gullible person. lain I'm glad you like the story so much, hope you can stay with me 'til the end. Alien jin, I'll be sure to mail you to see how you're doing and I'm glad you got the job. Cloud X-soldier oi, oi,oi, don't go comparing me to my sister, she types all day which I can't do. Besides, my typing skills suck to the maximum degree. Anyways, still glad you liked it, family's a wonderful thing. Shira Li Fallen Tears, the wedding doesn't happen until next chapter, sorry, and don't you dare worry about not signing in. At least you reviewed and you probably do a better job of it than I do (I am suuuuuch a lazy bum). Evilteddybear I agree with you, I do seem to neglect poor Rin. Don't worry, her moment to shine is coming up. Evilsqueede, so quirky, you always make me smile. Athar-Luna if you like that last chapter, then beware, more brotherly love coming up. Ashes of the Star Phoenix don't worry about not reviewing, I was more afraid that you had died or something. Xyjah, how I envy you sis :sigh: Kerichi the burn shall be covered when I write the story of Onigumo and Naraku's abusive lives and interesting childhood. The J-Man commas really ARE my best friend, every time I stop to breath when writing this fic, a comma magically appears. Although I think my beta might correct my over usage of it. Lavender Valentine glad you like the story and even more so since you don't really dig this particular kind. Thank for letting me know that I'm staying true (hope this chappies doesn't ruin it.)
Thanks also to:
Rose of the Star, Luna-Divine, Smiles-Fade, werewolfpixie, Tiki-chan, angellaggaine, shaq, LtSonya, Lavender Tears, reader, Phantazm, Mitsue, gunny, Sintar, Starr Bryte, sarah, InuObsessedo.o, clamsofmacabre (for some reason your name makes me want to read MacBeth ), LunasStar, hm, Miroku's great ancestorgirl, drake220, RosieB, Moonglowgal, Phelon22, Mini Nicka, New Fan, and last but never least imagine-me.
Warning: If Sesshoumaru and Inu seem OOC in this, let me know.
Disclaimer that I've been forgetting: I am broke. If you sue me, I'll park my cardboard house right in front of your mansion. :hmph:
Thread Bound
Chapter Twenty-One
The Threads That No One Saw
At last, as they neared the end of their journey, both the girl and the puppet breathed sighs of relief, for soon the hard times were to be past.
A fresh start.
A beginning and an end.
A peaceful existence for the two of them.
The puppet, who broke free of his bonds, and the girl, who helped him.
The girl, who adored him, and the puppet, who began to care for someone other than himself.
It was almost as if in a dream...
It was almost as if reality could not touch them...
...almost...
Hand in hand, they walked, the puppet and his girl. Happily, merrily, joyfully putting the road of the past behind them as they tread towards their future...when at last the puppet noticed that his companion of a seemingly indefinite amount of time, had slowed to a stop as she moved to and fro.
It was odd indeed, and he made it clear that such were his thoughts as he trudged back to her on his little wooden feet and asked in his oh-so-direct way, "Whatever is wrong with you, girl? Such a worthless girl indeed to hold us up in this way."
Many times had he spoken to her thusly and so she took not a bit of offense. However, her sweet brow did indeed take on a most unbecoming crease as she said in a voice, quite unlike her, "Do forgive me sir, but it seems that I cannot move. Though, I wish to move—truly I do—it would seem that such a thing is not possible sir."
"And why is that, my beautifully ugly little maid?" asked the puppet. "Are you so weak that you cannot free yourself of that which holds you back? How sad, indeed."
"Such cruel words you utter, sir. You are very blind to my predicament. Yet, I know that you care for me as no other has, sir...just as I have acted as a support for you, sir. Though I smile and tell you everything is quite alright, though I laugh and tell the world that we must never dwell on our suffering, though I care for no one else more than I care for you, sir, yes, though I am many things to many people...I must confess that there is something I have not told you, dearest puppet."
"So tell me child, is it so important as all of that?" He crossed his little wooden arms and clicked his teeth in annoyance at the silly girl.
"Oh, yes sir. It is important sir. For though I freed you of your bonds, I never told you sir—though even I did not know until now—I never once told you that I too have strings of my own. And it would seem that these strings, which are ever so much finer than your own, have decided to make themselves known. Such is the case, for just as you are a puppet..."
"Just as I am a puppet...?" he echoed.
"Yes, just as you are a puppet, so will I confess..."
"So will you confess...?"
"That the biggest puppet of them all..."
"The biggest puppet of us all...?"
"Is me."
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The sky was beautiful.
The world was so huge.
Little legs wound their way carefully through the brush, their owner thinking of nothing but the joy of being alive on such a vast planet, beneath such a wide blue sky.
She was playing a game of hide-and-seek, though she could not say who it was that was seeking her. Then again, who would ever truly think that a children's game about predator and prey could somehow be classified as something innocent just by changing the names into a description of their respective roles.
"Predators" always devoured their prey when they found them.
Sometimes they enjoyed playing with their dinner, mutilating those who were weaker before consuming them and tearing them limb from limb...and enjoying every moment of it.
Yet, they played and called it innocent and for one of them—the girl to be exact—innocent could be considered a descriptive word. Only for her, never for the one who hunted.
Emerging out of the brush, she saw the house and the stairs leading up to the house...and the door that would give her immunity if she could but lay her tiny hands on its smooth, wooden surface.
Brown eyes looked here and there, seeing no sign of her pursuer, and a smile touched her childish lips as she opted to sprint the rest of the way, gambling on the off chance that her seeker was so far behind her that it would be an impossibility for him to catch up.
Such is the thinking of "prey." How often do they think that everything is "fine," that they can get away if they just take a chance, that the only thing needed is speed? "Prey" is just another word for a naïve, dumb, animal that does not look before it leaps and so it is often caught in the hunter's snare. "Prey" is a person ruled by their emotions, thinking of everyone but themselves and in the end. Always, that is their downfall, just as it was now.
Close, they were so very close to the end of the game. She cleared the lawn, the driveway, the garden, her little legs pumping as fast as they could. There went the walkway, now to get up the front stairs, seven to be exact, and she would be at the base. The safe place where he could never touch her...and as if to mock such a foolish thought, a hand, his hand, grabbed her arm and pulled her from the first step, spinning her around to face him as he laughed.
Too late.
She remembered too late that this was not a game.
Too late, she remembered that he was not her friend.
Too late, she remembered that he wanted to kill her.
It was much too late and so it was that she was grateful, after all of the pain that followed her capture, when the sweet, comforting darkness came and claimed her for its own.
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"What exactly is this, Rin?" Kagome asked as she put the last touches on Rin's hairstyle.
"What's 'what', Kagome?" Rin replied with a feeling that she already knew what her "sister" was talking about.
"This." Inuyasha's wife brought her hand up to touch a slight bump on the back of her friend's head, well hidden beneath her thick, black hair. It wasn't really a bump so much as a kind of ridge that was less than a centimeter thick and about six centimeters wide.
Pressing slightly, she didn't miss the shudder that went through Rin's body at the small pressure and quickly withdrew her hand, brow wrinkling in worry.
"I'm sorry, Rin, did I hurt you? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. In fact, forget I even asked." The words tumbled over themselves and Rin could hardly suppress a smile at her best friend's attempt to refrain from stepping on any more toes. It had already taken her an hour's worth of begging to get Kagome to accept the fact that Sesshoumaru wasn't mad at her for her outbursts and accusations the day before – so inconsistent from her usual behavior – and even more to convince her that it would be an honor for her to participate in their very much last minute wedding.
She didn't even want to think about the fretting, on her future sister-in-law's part, over what to wear because "Kami knew" just how limited her wardrobe was and how she didn't have anything fancy enough.
A second passed before Rin answered the question. "You didn't hurt me, really. I was just remembering how I received that. It is a scar if that's what you're wondering. I got it a really long time ago." She gave a little laugh and reached back to rub the scar, which she had all but forgotten.
"Now that I think about it, it's really silly how I got it. I was playing with a boy who was a lot older and stronger than me and the game was hide-and-seek. Don't ask me why I somehow thought that I could outrun him—you know, make it to base without him catching me. I was really silly as a child."
"That doesn't sound silly to me. I think you were really brave to make the attempt. So tell me, What happened after that? Did you trip and fall or something?"
"Me? No, no, nothing like that. I was running like crazy for the base – it was the front door of his home – and he reached out to tag me. I guess he didn't know his own strength because the next thing I knew, his hand had caught a hold of my shirt and I was flying back wards. I cracked my head really hard and that was it." She smiled and took her hand away from the hidden blemish.
"Thank goodness you survived, Rin. Was it really bad? How did your mother take it?"
"It wasn't that bad, not really. Even though..." Her gaze turned thoughtful as she trailed of.
"Even though...what, Rin? Was there something else to the story?"
"No, that's pretty much it. I blacked out and woke up in the hospital. I was kinda' scared for a few weeks, but that was probably because...because I could have sworn that he had tried to kill me."
Kagome's gaze turned serious and a moment of silence fell before Rin erased the perturbed look from her face and let the rich laugh that so characterized her, gently patting her friend on the arm.
"Don't think so much about it. I was just being a paranoid little brat, that's all. I wasn't allowed to go back over to his house, but he came later – when my mom was around, of course – and apologized profusely for hurting me. He was so sincere about it that he even cried and I took pity on him and chalked it up to a mishap that was best put behind us. I'm perfectly fine now." She raised a thin arm and flexed the soft limb to show that she was fine.
The other woman continued to look at her with a concerned expression before she let out a long, suffering sigh and returned Rin's smile as she replied, "You really are something else, you know that. I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that it was you who got through to Sesshoumaru. He needs something special in his life, something that neither I nor Inuyasha could ever hope to give him. Treat him well. I only wish your mother could have been here to see you."
A hint of sadness darkened Rin's cheerful visage and she turned away for a second to compose herself before replying softly, "I wish she were here too. Even though she wasn't my real mother, still I...I know she would have been happy for me."
"Whoa, wait a second!" Kagome exclaimed, her eyes wide. "This is news to me. I never knew Ms. Hattori wasn't your real mom. How did that happen?"
"She adopted me," Rin returned, her mood brightening immediately at the comical picture her friend made.
"Well, of course she adopted you, but what about your real mother? What happened to her? Is she still alive?"
She shook her head in response. "No, she died a long time ago. I don't remember much about her except that she wasn't a particularly nice person. In fact, the woman who later adopted me as her own was social a worker. She was the one who took me that boy's house even though she never explained why, but after the accident she decided to take me in as her own. Even before that, though, she had always taken such good care of me that I already saw her as my mom."
"Goodness, you're just full of surprises, aren't you Rin. I don't think I've ever met anyone as positive as you are. Most adopted children never feel comfortable with their new families and here you were a little girl who fit right in and loved every moment of it."
"Oh, come on Kagome. You're making me blush."
"I'm sure Sesshoumaru won't mind. He's more than likely made you blush more times in a few weeks than you have in you entire life, Right?"
Rin nodded her agreement. "He can be such a pervert sometimes.'
"Yes, and you love that pervert more than words could ever say...just as I love my grumpy, jerk of a husband with every ounce of my being. I guess girls like us are helpless for those Toyotomi boys, eh?"
"Too true, too true. But now, I think it's time we got moving. We've kept our respective loves waiting for far too long, don't you think?"
"Maybe. Let's get going then." She took a hold of her friend's arm and, smiling, led her into the hallway and out to where her husband-to-be was waiting.
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"Such beautiful eyes..." that had been the first thing she uttered when she met him.
He smiled; it was something sweet.
He took her hand; it was something reassuring.
He promised to be nice; it was a lie.
He showed his true self; it was something cruel.
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"Now, Frosty, she's going to be coming soon so try not to make too big a fool of yourself."
Golden eyes narrowed as Sesshoumaru turned to glare at his younger brother. "Inuyasha, I thought we went through this already. Cease using that ridiculous nickname at once. This day is far too important to be ruined by your idiocy."
"Feh, don't get on me about being an idiot. Who's the one who wouldn't have proposed in the first place if mom hadn't intervened? Not only that but she had to set you up at the courthouse AND she had to take you to pick up your rings. You are such a late bloomer, Frosty," Inuyasha said with a smirk.
There was truth to Inu's words, but Sesshoumaru would rather choke to death than admit, so he contented himself with turning his back on Inuyasha and adjusting his already impeccable tuxedo. It was black with silver cuff links in the shape of dog heads – his step mother had insisted that they be dogs because it supposedly suited his stubborn personality.
Personally he thought it childish and hoped that no one got close enough to see what they really were. His bow tie was black as well, sharply contrasting with his blindingly white dress shirt and his pale skin. He also had a silver handkerchief tucked into his breast pocket, embroidered with a crescent moon - his family's crest. Lastly, he wore dress shoes that had been polished until they gleamed and his hair had been pulled back, leaving just a few silver strands to frame his face, and trimmed just an inch or so to get rid of any split ends before being brushed until it shone.
All in all, he could say with confidence that he looked as perfect as he could get...now if only those butterflies in his stomach would go away.
He wasn't sure why he was so nervous; he certainly hadn't been when he married Kagura. Why was Rin any different? Besides the fact that your feelings for her run deeper than anything you've ever experienced. Okay, that was a good reason. He had kept his thoughts and emotions to himself for so long that it was pretty much a new experience for him to let others see what he was feeling. It was just...he got so flustered around Rin sometimes. He didn't just like her, he honestly believed that he was in lo...
The appearance of his bride-to-be interrupted his silent confession. Correction, it brought his thought processes to a screeching halt as he took in the sight before him. His mother had taken Rin shopping the day before – after dragging them to her doctor and embarrassing the stuffing out of Rin as the gynecologist had jokingly said, "Well, it definitely seems that her cherry is very much intact." Izayoi had thought it the funniest thing, while Rin blushed so hard he thought she might burst into flame.
After leaving the doctor's office, they dropped Sesshoumaru off to pick out their rings because his step-mother had decided that he should be the one to choose them after all and left him to go to a bridal store, taking almost three hours to pick out a dress while it took him only ten minutes to find a pair of rings and a little something extra for Rin since he hadn't gotten her and engagement ring either. Needless to say, he had been irritable by the time they returned and even more so when they refused to show him what was in the huge white bag that they hadn't had before they left.
Now, he was glad he hadn't known what was in the bag. It would have spoiled the lovely surprise currently standing in the middle of his living room.
Rin was, in one word, stunning. Her dress was white, which was the only unsurprising thing about the concoction. It was sleek instead of billowy, made of the finest silk that money could buy. There were no sleeves on it, merely a long silk scarf that was draped over her elbows and left to hang below her derriere. The front was high with a neck that almost went as high as her chin, like a collar of silk sewn with pearls...lot's of them.
There were so many tiny pearls sewn onto the front that it took him a while to realize that they made a flower pattern all the way down until they hit her waist. The front of her dress would have touched the floor if it hadn't been for her high heels, which were also decorated with pearls. It would serve them well as both a wedding dress and something she could dance comfortably in since they were going to head to the party directly after the wedding.
She stopped in front on him with a lovely pink tint on her cheeks and gave him a little twirl so that he could see the outfit in its entirety. He swallowed as he saw that her dress was backless, with a tiny flower sewn in pearls at the base her spine, the place where the dress made its appearance once again before it flowed to touch the ground unlike the front.
"So...how do I look Sessh?" she asked, wringing those dainty gloved hands together and gazing up at him through thick lashes. He reached up to finger the white cherry blossom that had been tucked behind her ear, wondering how she could have gotten her hands on it in this season, before answering.
"You—" he caught her chin and drew her gaze up to his, "look good enough to eat." His words ended in a purr and she shivered slightly, even as he decided that he was very glad they were going to be married soon because, just as quickly as he decided that he like the way it looked on her, his mind was trying to come up with the fastest way to get it off. Her hair caught his eyes, and he brought a hand up to touch the curls that spilled freely over her back and shoulders before snagging one and bringing it to his lips, contenting himself with kissing her this way before they were joined together.
Someone in the background made a gagging noise and he stepped back quickly, realizing that he'd just shared a moment of intimacy with Rin while others were present. The gagging was abruptly cut off by a loud yelp and he assumed that Kagome had remedied the situation.
Clearing away the lump in his throat, he offered a hand to his koi and asked almost shyly, "Shall we go?"
She smiled and nodded before placing a trusting hand in his and heading for the door with her best friend and a limping Inu following behind.
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Hands...his hands...on her neck, choking her...Whispering terrible things...
"You shouldn't be alive."
A Cruel voice...in her ear...his eyes... Why had she ever thought them beautiful?
"Let me put you out of your misery."
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It's funny really, Onigumo thought as he looked over Kagura's information about Rin, forwarded to him by Hiten of course. His hand glided over the pile and picked up a picture of the girl in question, raising it up to red-hazel eyes for inspection. She was a pretty little thing really, beautiful in a different sort of way, though, from Kikyo.
Ah, Kikyo, now there was a woman who could hold the title of perfection. She was pretty, even in death, and she would have become even lovelier...if that Toyotomi brat hadn't cut her life short. I could have had her all to myself, a queen to rule by my side. He gave Rin's photo a humorless smile. But we'll have our revenge. Won't we, my dear, sweet Kikyo? A vengeance made beautiful all the more so by Sesshoumaru's choice in this girl. Who could have known that she would appear once again? I had almost forgotten about her, "the one that got away." But you won't escape me this time, little one. It's time to finish what was started.
He crumpled the picture and threw it towards the trashcan located on the corner of his office, growling slightly when it missed.
"Temper, temper," came a slightly high pitched voice from the door way. Onigumo swiveled his head around to glare at Jakotsu, who had entered with a tray of food in hand.
"You're the last one to talk about temper, Jakotsu. The question is why I have to see your face this early in the day."
"Now is that any way to talk to one of you two best friends...ooh, pardon me, your two lackeys? I simply came to get you fed."
"Eat it yourself. What are you, my mother or something?"
"If only I could be so fortunate", Jakotsu sighed and, not for the first time, Onigumo wondered what was up with his strange companion and the things that came out his mouth.
"Why are you really here?" Soul-penetrating eyes took in the thin man who claimed to be loyal only to him and Bankotsu.
"Can't you trust the friend who's served you faithfully all these years?" Jakotsu sat the tray down and gave his employer a steady stare.
"I only trust myself and the gun I keep next to my bed."
"Then maybe you're setting yourself up for betrayal. A man can only make so many enemies and it seems you're determined to make the whole world hate you."
"Spare me you miraculous moment of insight. You didn't answer my question."
Another sigh, before Jakotsu raised eyes that were unclouded for once, displaying doubt nakedly in their black depths. "I was worried. Something tells me that our plans won't go as smoothly as we want them to. I'm asking you to be careful."
Onigumo stared at him for a second before bursting into mocking laughter.
"Don't tell me you've developed some sore of female intuition about these things...don't answer that," he ordered, holding up his hand to forestall his "friend" when he opened his mouth to reply. "Or," all indications of mirth melted from his face, "is it that you're afraid? I despise cowardice and I won't put up with it if that's the case."
His comrade's face took on a sad look as he shook his head. "It's not like that and you know it...just, something bad is going to happen. It's in the air. Just be careful. That's all I want from the person I consider to be my best friend, my only real friend."
Onigumo's scowl deepened as he listened to the other man's concerns, and when it became apparent that he was finished, he rolled his eyes and waved Jakotsu away. "Spare me. I don't need your useless simpering over me. I am a hairsbreadth away from ruining Sesshoumaru and his 'happy' family and obtaining everything my father wanted. I worked so hard to get rid of my competition and Naraku hardly counts as a human being, let alone a man. Kagura is nothing to worry about and Hiten is a fool who can't do a thing without being told. My road is smooth, Jakotsu, and I'm telling you now—" he narrowed his eyes at the other man, "if you interfere in anyway, I won't hesitate to kill you."
"I..." He almost opened his mouth to reply but thought better of it and bowed instead. "As you wish, Miyazawa-sama. I won't bother you with my foolishness again." And with that said, he turned on his heel and strode out, shutting the door quietly behind him.
Probably going to cry his eyes out, Onigumo thought, silently, laughing at his irritating "friend." He didn't need anyone but himself. He was more than capable of seeing his plans through to the end if he so desired. I don't need any of them, just the memory of Kikyo getting murdered by that man and the father who never let anything stand in his way...except himself. That last thought dredged up yet another reason why he needed to have peace of mind.
His father.
It was painful to remember him sometimes and as he looked at the portrait of his father that hung directly in front of his desk he recalled quite vividly, the numerous times he'd seen him...coming home late with different women, even as his wife slept in a huge bed all by herself. He knew and he vowed to appease his mother, who lavished every bit of attention she could on the boy who was the only proof that his father had chosen her—only her—to be his legally wedded wife.
Even then, he couldn't hate his father because he was so strong; he was a man who took what he wanted and got rid of those who got in his way. He loved and adored him for it, which was why he set about the task of getting rid of the wild oats sown by his father after his death. It had left just him and Naraku – his father's favorite child, born from his favorite woman instead of his wife- as the only direct descendants of the former head of the Miyazawa family.
I'm getting nostalgic in my old age, he thought before closing his eyes. If only Sesshoumaru knew just how similar our families were. What would he say?
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"How long will it take for the finger marks to fade?" A soothing voice woke her up.
White, blinding white, was what she saw when she opened her eyes.
Tilting her head, she looked at the nice woman who had taken her in after her real mother died.
"Hattori-san," her voice game out raspy and she winced at the sudden pain in her throat, frowning as she recalled that it should be just her head that hurt. Why did her throat hurt? What was that about finger marks?
She shifted and pain jack-hammered through her tiny skull, so much that she let out an involuntary whimper and clutched her hands to the sheets.
Clear brown eyes hovered over her own as her caretaker lightly stroked her head telling her soothingly. "Shh, don't move too much little one. You are hurt pretty badly."
"I am? Sorry."
"No need to apologize, it's not your fault."
"Yes it is. Mommy always said that daddy left her because she had me. He told me he wanted to play and I ruined it by falling down."
"Is that all you remember? How did you fall?"
"He pulled me down because I was trying to escape. Then I saw black."
"You were unconscious when we got to you. I personally don't think it was an accident."
The look on Ms. Hattori's face was so sad that her little heart was moved to comfort her.
"It's alright. I'll be going to a new home, won't I? Then you won't have to worry about me."
"Oh, but I want to worry about you. I talked to my boss while you were out...and we were both wondering…Would you like me to adopt you?"
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"Where are those two?" Inuyahsa asked, more than a little irked that Sango and Miroku had yet to show up—and they needed to get this wedding started.
"For once, we agree on something, brat," Sesshoumaru said, checking his watch one more time while Rin shifted her weight from foot to foot, miraculously keeping her balance in the type of heels she wore.
"Yeah, whatever, I say we get this show on the road, and stop calling me 'brat', Frosty."
"I will, when you drop that childish 'Frosty' title...," he smiled – that was the closest tern for it – before ending in a mocking voice, "...brat."
Inu frowned and glanced at Kagome to make sure she wasn't looking before sticking out his tongue in, perhaps, his most infantile gesture to date. Sesshoumaru raised a brow at this and promptly attracted the attention of his brother's wife with a casual, "Kagome, control your pet."
She turned in just enough time to see Inu hastily sucking the muscle back into his mouth and frowned deeply before saying coldly, "Stop embarrassing us Inu. Kami, I can't take you anywhere without you making a ruckus. Sesshoumaru was already nice enough to let you serve as his best man even if it was only because he didn't have anyone else. Don't you have any home training? "
Inu glanced over his wife's shoulder with a look of censure on his face...until he caught the word "whipped" that his older brother mouthed back to him, a tiny smirk on his face.
His face reddened and he opened his mouth to make a particularly crude remark but Kagome, knowing him as well as she did, intercepted by reaching up and pinching his lips closed (AN: my mom did this to me cause I didn't know when to shut up :P). He let out a few frantic "mmlrffs," his face getting hotter by the second until he glanced at Rin, who had been watching the whole thing and found it immensely funny. Her smile brightened and she gave him a wink before putting her finger to her lips in a shushing gesture, silently asking him to give in just this once – it was her wedding day after all.
His eyes narrowed before he nodded and gently pried his spouse's fingers from his mouth, working his jaw in what had to be a silent rendition of "Cursing Sesshoumaru Out: Act One Thousand, Scene Two."
"Can you control yourself now?" Kagome asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Having finished his tirade, Inuyasha nodded and smiled, a decidedly mischievous glint in his eyes when he directed his gaze towards his older sibling.
"Is there something you want to say, brat?"
Instead of blowing up again, Inu's smile widened and he put on what he must have termed his "cute face" and said in an almost sickly way, "Yes, in fact I do...Onii-chan."
Everyone froze and turned to stare at him. Even Sesshoumaru looks shocked, Rin thought as she watched the going-on of her friends.
"Are you sick, brat?" the eldest of the two asked, a suspicious look on his face which deepened as Inu walked towards him.
"Oh no, of course not...it's just that I wanted to congratulate you properly on your special day." So saying, he grabbed a hold of one of Sesshoumaru's hands and vigorously pumped it up and down, something that obviously displeased her husband-to-be as she observed his jaw tightening – so much that she was surprised she couldn't see the outline of his teeth.
Inu released his hand and his brother looked down at it with a disgusted face, as if he couldn't decide whether to have it amputated now or later.
"However, that just isn't enough to express how happy I am for you." Even with a sweet voice, he made it sound like a curse. "I am. What I really wanted to do was this..." so saying, he stepped forward and, before Sesshoumaru could react, he threw his arms around him in a crushing embrace.
The look on the eldest male Toyotomi's face was priceless as he was thoroughly, and quite publicly, hugged by the person he disliked the most in the entire world. It was a mixture of horror, despair, fury, and confusion, served with a good helping of shock.
It was a scene that would definitely burn itself onto the minds of everyone present. And, as if that wasn't enough, Iyazoi chose that moment to walk in. It took one second for her to blink at the scene in front of her and less than that to whip out the camera that she had gone to fetch from the security guard, immortalizing the image on the digital device with a smile on her face.
The camera flash brought her fiancé back from his trip to the Land of the Surreal and his eyes zoomed into slits as he slowly reached up, gripped his brother's arms so hard that Rin saw him wince, and moved him away from his person. Despite that, Inuyasha gave incontestable proof that he was indeed Sesshoumaru's blood by giving him an evil smile that rivaled that of Sesshoumaru.
This day is just chock full of firsts, Rin thought as she saw, for the first time, Sesshoumaru's face heat up in pure anger, the vast majority of his tightly held control slipping from the reigns of reason and his irritation focusing itself on one point.
"How does it feel to be made a fool of, huh, Frosty? Didn't like it didja'?" Inuyasha added insult to injury by laughing in his face.
Shut up, you fool, Rin commanded half jokingly, watching in fascination as her koi's hand curled into a fist and raised up half-way, its owner obviously wavering between controlling his temper and putting the younger man into traction. His solution to the problem that was Inu became clear when his fist tightened and picked up speed, right on a one-way road to his brother's laughing face. There was a resounding smack as he finally delivered the blow he'd been itching to give the impossibly aggravating, infuriating, irritating – and all the other synonyms for annoying – brother who had been a plague on his life from the moment he was born.
She imagined that the loud thump Inuyasha made when his bottom hit the floor was immensely satisfying to her future husband and, as usual, she was probably the only one who caught the pleased grin that touched his smooth lips and disappeared to who-knew-where.
"Sesshoumaru," came Iyazoi's voice and they both turned to see her frowning at them, even as her lips twitched in an effort to control the smile that wanted to surface.
"Yes, Iyazoi?"
"There was no call for that."
"You don't call being made a fool of in public a good enough reason to knock some sense into your idiot son?"
"And who's the idiot who punched his brother in public for making such a natural gesture to his big brother on his wedding day?" she returned, quirking an eyebrow in imitation of her step-son.
"That was not natural. He forced himself on me for the sole purpose of humiliating me. It counts as rape as far as I'm concerned."
"R...rape!" her brows shot to her hairline before she began to laugh, so hard that tears began to stream. It was the struggle of a lifetime for Rin not to join her in her mirth, but that didn't stop her from thinking it was the most hilarious thing to come out of Sesshoumaru's mouth to date. She contented herself with enjoying the honest reaction of a woman who looked as composed as Izayoi normally did. Truly, she hadn't met a person who took so much joy in life and wanted the same for others as her koi's step-mother and it hadn't taken her very long at all, the day before, to start thinking of her as her mother.
"Y...you truly...truly...say the m...most atrocious things," she wiped the tears from her face after struggling for a full two minutes to control herself. "Ah, Sesshoumaru, I truly do love you so."
"So you've told me," he replied almost sullenly, tugging at the tail that his hair had been put into since he couldn't run his fingers through it, which he normally did when something bothered him.
"Well, I'm telling you again that I love you and I'm happy for you...both of you." She moved to stand in front of Rin, after checking her watch, and clasped the girl's hands in her own. "I can't express how happy I am to see the effect you've had on him. He never would have let anything out if it hadn't been for you, and I thank you for it. Take care of him for me, dear...and be ready to provide me with plenty of little grandchildren since I doubt he'll let you out of the bedroom." She winked and Rin blushed. She had forgotten – more like tried to forget – about this side of Izayoi's personality.
"And now, I do believe it's time to 'get this show on the road,' as the Americans say. Are you ready?"
Rin looked at Sesshoumaru, who still looked somewhat sullen – even more so as Kagome reentered the room after going to fetch ice for Inu's swelling face – yet still managed to give her a reassuring nod.
She looked her mother-in-law straight in the eye and replied firmly, "yes, I'm ready."
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"By the way, do you know who your father was?"
She thought long and hard about the question before shaking her head, a gentle smile her on her face.
"Aren't you bothered?"
Again the thoughtful look, then another smile.
"Why not? Most children would want to know."
"Mommy used to say that he left her because she decided to keep me. If that was why...then I don't want to know him because...?"
"Because...?"
"It would be the only thing that could make me sad."
"Why?"
"He left mommy before I was born. She said he was in love with her...but I have a feeling that he was a liar. It would have made her sad."
"But didn't she tell you that she didn't want you? You said she was mean."
"Sometimes..." She rocked back and turned her eyes towards the ceiling, wishing that she had a mirror so that she could understand why her neck hurt so much.
"Sometimes...?"
"...she held me. She would cry and hold me. I was the only one who stayed with her, she told me so and I would try my best to be happy. I wish she could have taken some of my happiness...really, that's all I wanted." She smiled brightly, even though there were tears in the corners of her eyes.
"You are such a strong girl. I can't imagine myself being so caring if my mother didn't care for me. How did you do it?"
Brown irises looked up at her and their owner put a question to the woman instead of answering. "Tell me, Why do grown-ups save the hurt up in their hearts? It won't do any good to be angry all the time. I'd rather put the past behind, so that I can always smile and say the truth. That's the grown-up I want to be."
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"No, no, no. I want the drapes in white, not blue. Hiroshi, get your fat behind up and get those glasses on that table," Jaken's squeaky voice echoed throughout the room, causing everyone to collectively wince at his shrill tone.
"Oi, Jaken-san, can't you relax for a bit? We're tired as it is," said a young man, who went by the name of Kohaku.
The event coordinator/agent of the Westernlands Publishing Company turned to look at the boy with a look of utter incredulity on his face.
"Relax? Relax! We have one of the most famous authors in the whole of Japan coming and you want to relax!" His already whiny voice rose in pitch and Kohaku had to struggle not to clap his hands over his ears.
"Perhaps I should have put it another way, Jaken-san," the young man said, combing his unruly dark bangs with a look of resignation in his brown eyes. "Can we at least take a break? We're almost done as it is. You look like you could use one yourself."
Jaken sniffed, turning his blunt nose up in the air, hideous visage radiating pride. "You may take a break if you so wish but I, this Jaken, will make this party for Sesshoumaru-sama perfect. I want him to be proud to have our company publishing his work."
Kohaku was so very tempted to roll his eyes at the melodramatic man who had been, not-so-affectionately , nicknamed "The Toad." It was bad enough to see the way he simpered over someone he had just met but it was even worse because there wasn't a single person in the company now who didn't know that he had managed to insult the very man he praised the first time they met. He sighed; it was a miracle Sesshoumaru had agreed to let their company put his works out because, in all honesty, he could have his pick of the herd of publishing companies. They were very, very fortunate to be good friends with Iyazoi.
He himself was an editor, as well as a fan of the infamous Kage Houshi, and he had to admit that this was his best work. His newest book, which was going to be featured at the banquet in a few hours, was more romantic than his others and certainly more...personal than his others had been. He could barely do his job, what little work there was to do, because the story had been so engrossing. It touched him on some deeper level, and he found himself eagerly reading the story about the lord and the maid he found cast off on the side of the road. They had come closer and closer until the end, which was surprisingly happy for one of Kage Houshi's books.
Speaking of which...he tuned Jaken back in as he reached into his pocket.
"...and Sesshoumaru is greater than the stars...nay, the universe, and so beautiful and magnificent and wonderful and I would go to the ends of the Earth..." Jaken's squeaky voice was reverent.
Oooookay, Jaken's has officially lost whatever sanity he might have had, Kohaku thought, frowning as he listened to Jaken kiss butt, even though the object of his devotion was nowhere in the area.
"Jaken-san..." he interrupted the toad's listing of everything wonderful about "Sessshoumaru-sama" and presented him with the first completed edition of the author's newest book, complete with cover art, which, he had to admit, was probably the loveliest and most appropriate cover he'd ever seen.
It was a simply drawn picture of a young Japanese woman and a man with long hair sitting side by side. His hand lightly grazed the edge of her kimono in a gesture that went unnoticed as she pointed something out to him in the book she was apparently reading. It wasn't overly descriptive, and yet...it didn't take a rocket scientist to feel the intimate atmosphere of the couple. It was sweet and it made one want to read it to see just how the picture went with the title, which was Thread Bound (AN: cough cough).
The agent's eyes nearly popped of his head as he snatched the novel from Kohaku's hands and fairly drooled over it, running a hand over the freshly printed cover in a way that was just plain creepy.
"So...so…" His eyes began to tear up and the editor backpedaled a few steps, more than a little disturbed by how emotional Jaken was getting. "…so...so beautiful!" Jaken clutched the book to his chest and his lip quivered.
Deciding that now would be a prime time to make his escape, Kohaku quickly took off for the cooler where drinks for the workers were being kept. He really had no problem helping out, but he was an editor and the only reason he was here was because Jaken was being cheap. Sighing, he contemplated what he had read in Sesshoumaru's – more commonly known as Kage Houshi – book.
It was odd, but he found himself feeling regret when he read the part where the servant boy of a rival lord had tried to separate the lord from his beloved maid, coming after her with a scythe that he had borrowed from the gardener's house. It made him shudder and he nearly came to tears when the girl forgave the boy and told him she didn't hate him.
What made it strange was the fact that the girl reminded him as lot of the young woman staying at his sister and brother-in-law's house. Well, before it had been burned to the ground. He'd never gotten a chance to ask the cute girl out and now he probably wouldn't be able to. If what Miroku said about her was true, she was liable get together with the guy who had her cleaning his house. Speaking of which, he felt his phone vibrating within his pants pocket and took it out, flipping it open and smiling when he saw Sango's cell number on it.
Hitting the "talk" button, he put it to his air and said, "Moshi Moshi."
"Moshi Moshi to you too," came Miroku's voice and he frowned, not entirely sure he wanted to talk to his brother-in-law. He still couldn't figure out how someone as serious as Sango could have gotten together with a perv like Miroku...but, whatever made her happy.
"What do you want?"
"Now, now, I come bearing gifts...or perhaps good news would be a better way to put it. Our lovely little Rin is getting married today...and as such I would love to present her with a gift. Therefore, I was wondering if it would be possible for you to put a copy aside of that nice little book that her favorite author recently turned in to your company."
"And you know this how...?"
"I have my ways. To put it simply, I have connections. Anyways, would you be so kind as to save one and give it to her tonight? Her husband has been invited to that little party as well and I'm sure she'll be coming."
Was that a sly tone he detected in Miroku's voice?
"Alright, I guess I could get it signed for her since the author is going to be here as well. Let's just hope she doesn't throw herself over the guy while her husband's there. I know she loves this Kage Houshi guy, well, his real name is Sesshoumaru, but I don't want any fights to start."
"No, we certainly don't," Miroku chuckled and Kohaku was positive that he wasn't imagining the secretive note in his brother's voice. He knew something that he wasn't saying.
"I shall take my leave of you then, I have a wedding to attend."
"Fine, see you." He hung up without bothering to see if Sango's husband returned the formality. There was something off, but he couldn't figure it out for the life of him.
Shrugging it off, he went over to help a pretty young woman who was setting up an impressive crystal display.
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There you have it. A filler chapter that turns out to be longest I've written yet. Looks like I'll be writing two more chapter instead of one. :sigh: I had to build things up and put as much humor as I could into this because the next two probably won't have any room for it. In case you're wondering...no, Kohaku has no idea that the guy Rin is marrying is Sesshoumaru. The next chapter is the wedding and then we get to find out exactly how Rin knows Onigumo and what Kagura plans to do. As well as who she is going to work with to bring Onigumo down. As usual please R & R and hope that I don't get any more inspired than I already am, otherwise this is going to go on forever. Ja Ne. Also, a question for you all. I've been reading other fics and taking note of their notes and I was wondering, does anyone find me strange for mentioning everyone who reviews each chapter AND at the beginning of almost every chapter? Not too many peaople seem to be doing this and I was wondering if you all think I'm wasting my time. It might sound odd but surely I must bore you all to death with my chatter when all you want to do is get to the fic.