I don't own Sesshomaru, Kikyo, or Rin. Just borrowing them.
Chapter 3
Sesshomaru sat in one of the smaller rooms in the castle, frowning. He was perturbed and that was putting it very mildly. Some fool had gone mad as far as he was concerned because someone had hurt Rin. She was not harmed physically, but she was under emotional stress. Someone had cut up Rin's favorite pet, her cat, Ran, as if it was a piece of meat to be butchered. He had revived the little kitten, but that was not the point. Rin was still shaken by the dastardly deed.
The child was curled up against Kikyo's hip. Kikyo sat next to him and he rubbed Rin's back. Whenever he stopped, Rin popped up and looked between her parents, silently begging for comfort. Ran was tucked in Rin's arm, sleeping peacefully against her chest.
"Who would do such a thing?" Kikyo wondered aloud.
"You know," he replied and she nodded.
The silver-haired demon smelled a weasel on the cat when he returned the annoying creature back to life. No, he was not fond of the little hairball, but Rin loved the animal, so it was either bring it back to life or see anguish in Rin's eyes. He glanced down at her and caressed the whole of her back. It was an easy decision to make.
Sesshomaru could not narrow down his suspects on who slaughtered Ran because of the cat's blood and Rin's tears mingling with the weasel stench. He hated to think some of the weasels were acting foolish so soon, but it was possible. It was also possible the little kitten wore the scent from when it ran into the middle of all of those weasels earlier in the day. All he knew was that he would look into it and the person that had slaughtered Rin's kitten had better make plans for the afterlife. No one made Rin cry and just got away with it, not even the little imp Jakken.
"Is she asleep?" Sesshomaru asked as Rin's body shook and she hiccupped.
Kikyo leaned down and brushed the child's hair out of her face. There were tear tracks down her cheeks. "She is. She cried herself to sleep."
Rin had wept, not just when she found her feline deceased, but when her adoptive father brought the creature back to the land of the living. She cried because while her pet was alive, she was still missing an ear and her front right paw. She would always bear those scars. The crime against her little feline also made her recollect back when she was small and helpless, left to the mercy of those around her and getting none of it.
"I'll go," Sesshomaru said, ready to investigate, but the moment his hand left Rin, her eyes shot open. Kikyo reached down and caressed Rin's cheek.
"It's all right, little one," Kikyo cooed.
Rin sniffled. "Ran's just a little kitten, Mommy. Why would anybody hurt her? She never hurt anyone. She's just a little kitten." Her voice was raw. She had spent the whole afternoon saying this for the entire afternoon. Her parents were just happy she was no longer bawling those words anymore.
"The world can be cruel," Sesshomaru sighed.
Rin nodded. The world baffled her from what she saw of it. There were so many contradictions and matters that made absolutely no sense to her. She did not see why the strong subjugated the weak, why people seemed so intent on killing each other, why the first person to show her kindness was actually someone that was rather apathetic toward all forms of life. Out of everything she had seen and every person that she had met, only one person made complete sense to her and that was Kikyo.
Why did Kikyo make sense to Rin? Well, the woman was strong, but she never made it a point to abuse that power in any way. She helped people in any way she could because she could, never looking for something in return. Rin thought people should help people if it was possible because at some point in time, everyone needed some help. She felt those that gave out assistance got assistance and that was part of the reason behind why she had tried to help Lord Sesshomaru when she came across him a few years ago. It seemed like she was right in that regard.
"I hate that people hurt stuff," Rin muttered.
Sesshomaru glanced at Kikyo, needing her to reply to that if a reply was to be made. She smiled a little. "There are people out there who are kind and loving and gentle. You know that. You are one of them," she assured Rin, leaning down and kissing her cheek.
"I wish there were more. I wish people were like you or like Daddy at least," the child commented.
"Like me?" Sesshomaru could not help wondering why she thought people should be more like him.
"You helped and Ran. You don't just hurt people smaller than you," Rin explained.
Sesshomaru did not argue, not wanting his daughter's opinion of him to drop. Rin moved a bit to put her head in Kikyo's lap. She stroked the injured animal's back. Kikyo caressed Rin's head to help keep her calm and to assure her that everything was going to be all right. Rin wondered if her adoptive mother knew even half of the amount of appreciation she held for the woman's loving touch.
-8-8-8-8-
It took Rin a few days to get over her pet's wounds and she could get back to her usual things. Sesshomaru and Kikyo suspected it was the specific day that caused Rin to cheer up. It was the day that she did archery with Kikyo. Being the daughter of very intelligent, educated, and capable people meant that Rin had quite a schedule, which included archery lessons; not to mention, history lessons, calligraphy, math, and other training. Her parents knew how long the girl would sit still for her lessons before it was torture and her mind wandered, so her schedule was set up to keep her in place and paying attention for as long as possible with many of her lessons. For things like archery, though, Rin was content to stay with Kikyo all day.
Sometimes, Kikyo practiced with Rin, but much of the time she instructed the girl. Rin was a natural, or so it seemed anyway because she learned so quickly. The child was a very good shot already. Sesshomaru often joked he should give her a horse and put her on the battlefield where she obviously belonged. The first time that he said it, Kikyo had glared at him to make him aware she did not find the remark funny, but that did not stop him from saying it again and again. She was not teaching Rin for warfare, but for self-defense and also as a projectile for her spiritual energy.
Yes, Rin actually had spiritual energy and both of her parents wanted to develop that. They wanted her to be able to protect herself first and foremost. Kikyo also wanted her to be able to protect others and, of course, Sesshomaru could care less than nothing about "others." As long as Rin could take care of herself when the time came, Sesshomaru was good with that. Both he and Kikyo did want her to be equipped with as many means as possible for fending off those that might harm her.
"Mommy," Rin said as she armed her long bow once more. She focused on her target, even though she started a conversation.
"Yes?" Kikyo answered, standing just behind Rin. They were in one of the larger, private gardens of the castle. They needed the space because each lesson it seemed necessary to put the targets a little further away from Rin.
"Shoot with me," the child requested with a smile.
"All right. Might you fetch my bow?"
Rin grinned and fired her last arrow before she went to go get her mother's longbow. Kikyo took that time to study her daughter's target. It was a large board several yards away with a small red circle painted in the middle of it. The child came extremely close to the center many times, but it looked like she was pulling her shots a bit to the right. Some of the arrows did not look as deep as they should be either, so her drawing needed more work.
"Here you go, Mommy," Rin said as she handed Kikyo her bow and quiver of arrows.
"Thank you, Rin-chan," Kikyo replied and caressed the child's head, which caused the girl to smile. She then took the bow and quiver from Rin.
"Hey, Mommy, want to have a contest?" Rin proposed.
"For what?"
"I get as much cake as I want if I win."
"And if I win?" Kikyo asked.
Rin thought about it, tapping her finger to her chin. What would be a good prize for her mother that she could deliver on? It only took her a few seconds to come up with something. "I won't wake you early in the morning and I won't dive on you to get outta bed," the girl offered.
"How could I pass up such a deal?" the priestess replied with a smile.
Rin laughed, even though she was not totally sure she could keep that promise. The two ladies started their contest, but only managed to get off a few shots before they both halted. They looked to their left; Rin turned her whole head while Kikyo only cut her eyes in the direction. Two male demons that worked for Itachi were watching them with their black, weasel eyes. What did they want, both mother and daughter wondered.
"You're pretty good with the bow," one bodyguard commented with a smile. He had ebony-colored hair unlike most weasels while his partner had the usual auburn hair. They were both fairly tall men, but the black-haired one was a bit taller.
"Think they're good with other elongated objects?" the auburn-haired warrior crudely remarked.
"Ones with tips and shafts?" the first one snickered and his cohort laughed.
Kikyo frowned in disgust. She moved to block their view of Rin because she did not like the way the men were eyeing them. She definitely did not like what they said. She hated to think what might be on their minds, especially in regards to her daughter.
"What can I do for you, 'gentlemen'?" Kikyo inquired as politely as possible to two men that were practically shaming her with their gazes.
The two demons laughed a bit, but she failed to see what was so funny. The duo then had the nerve to approach Kikyo and Rin. Kikyo tensed, but she stood her ground as the pair stood mere inches from her and her adopted child. She watched them intensely with cold eyes, pretty much daring them to try something and she would make them regret it for all of one second before they found out what they were to be reincarnated as. She would not allow anyone, guest or otherwise, touch Rin in any unfavorable manner. They would just have to deal with the fallout of her killing two weasel bodyguards.
"You're actually a good looking human," the auburn-haired warrior commented, as if she would take that as a compliment.
"Gentlemen, and I use the term as a mere formality now, it would do you well to answer my question as to what I can do for you or be on your way. So, what can I do for you?" Kikyo inquired once again, voice slightly more demanding than before.
"What's wrong with us just being here for the fresh air? We're being nice and everything, even telling you how pretty you are. You should be the same," the shorter fellow replied with a crooked smirk.
Kikyo scowled now. She disliked that he had piece of a point. They were not really doing anything, aside from making her uncomfortable with their eyes and words. Of course, their words were far from appropriate to say to their host lord's wife and child.
"We didn't mean to offend you," he added, like this apology made their words disappear.
The ebony-haired gent glanced down at Rin and smiled at her. Rin ducked behind Kikyo even more, clutching her hakama with tight hands. Kikyo scowled so deeply now, she feared the lines would mar her face forever. The duo was testing her patience with the wrong thing. She doubted her husband would care much if she happened to rid their home of two obvious morons before they did something extremely stupid.
"You know, I'm glad Lord Sesshomaru said this was his daughter. I would've thought that she was just a cute boy if he hadn't said anything," the black-haired one commented with a smirk.
"I don't think she likes you," the other teased his partner, noticing Rin's expression. The child looked utterly disturbed by being anywhere near the man, which her mother took into account.
"Sirs, once again and this will be the last time, I must now insist that you state your business here or be on your way," the Lady commanded.
The duo only smiled, like they did not take Kikyo seriously. She doubted Sesshomaru would lament should she turn the weasels into something less than ash because of the way the men distressed their daughter. She considered the fact that their lord would never know. There were no witnesses around, except for Rin and she knew that Rin would never tell.
"All right, you two, I understand that you're obviously not the smartest of your breed. I urge you to leave now," Kikyo warned the pair. They were still her husband's guests, so they deserved a warning before she rid the planet of their annoying presence.
"Or else what?" the auburn-haired warrior asked with a chuckle.
"Yeah," the other foolishly concurred, giving her a daring look with an arched eyebrow.
The auburn-haired demon then had the nerve to reach out in order to touch Kikyo. She caught his wrist before he got to her cheek. He gasped because she had surprised him with such speedy movement. He frowned when she did not release him, so he tried to pull his hand back.
"Do you like this hand?" she inquired.
He seemed to finally realize he poked a sleeping lion. A bead of sweat raced down his thin cheek and he actually stopped breathing for a few seconds. She strongly considered burning his hand right off of his wrist, but she spared him that fate. Glancing at his partner to see if he would try anything, she was satisfied that he was just as nervous as the demon she held.
"You can't," her captive's voice trembled.
"I could," the priestess assured him. But, she did not. She gently let his hand go. "Leave," she ordered them in a stern tone.
The pair seemed to think on her words for a few seconds before finally taking her seriously. They trotted off while Rin stepped out from behind Kikyo. The woman glanced down at Rin to make sure that she was all right. She put her hand on the girl's head to assure her that everything was going to be all right.
"I don't like them," Rin whispered with a scowl of her own.
Kikyo watched the retreating weasels. She did not like them either.
-8-8-8-8-
Sesshomaru ran into Kikyo in the hallway by chance a little after she was finished with Rin. They would have passed each other and gone on their way, but he had to stop. He grabbed her rather hard and yanked her to him. She gasped softly in surprise as she collided with his chest.
"You smell like them," he commented briskly.
"Like who?" she asked.
"The weasels. Why is that?" he demanded to know.
"They were standing near me," she answered.
"How near?"
"Very."
The dog demon frowned and growled. "Why?"
"They never said," she replied.
"This is just unacceptable. Go bathe and burn those clothes," he ordered.
"Sesshomaru," she protested. She thought his command was a little extreme. She was aware that he had a good nose, even for a demon, but was it necessary for her to really burn her clothes? "I could wash them," she proposed.
"No, burn them and make sure you soak in the bath for at least two hours," he demanded.
Kikyo decided not to argue because Sesshomaru seemed very irritated by a matter she did not very much understand. She did not want to bother him more than he was by debating the issue, especially with the weasel demons still in the castle. He seemed to be getting more irked by the minute.
The dog demon was more than ready to tear his "guests" apart. It was bad enough he had to provide them with food, shelter, and security while wondering what plot they had against him. Of course, he had spies working to figure that out, but it was taking too long. Then, there was also the fact that they took everything he offered and requested more, but now they had just gone too far. He was already certain one of those bastards had been the murderer of Rin's pet cat and now they had come within three feet of his wife. That was just plain and downright disrespectful.
Demons, having super senses compared to humans, meant that they had certain etiquette to follow that would be beyond a human's understanding. Now, a demon should stand at least three feet away from a claimed member of the opposite sex. Why? To avoid getting their smell on, say, a lord's wife. It was a very offensive thing to do.
As far as Sesshomaru was concerned with his nose, scents lingered for days. He would not be able to take his beloved smelling like a weasel. He also would not stand for those fools disrespecting his wife in such a way even if she had not known that they had done such a thing. He would inform her and then educate them on their place while in his home.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: Sesshomaru "educates" his "guests."