In his quarters Sesshoumaru sat on his bed with his eyes close. He listened to the sounds in the castle, the cooks making dinner, Rin chasing Jaken in the garden, his children practicing there skills and last by not least his wife heading towards his room. Lady Umi was about to knock when he called her in.
"What is the matter my love?"
"I just came to check on you that's all." She walked in to the room and sat next to her mate. "Headache?"
"Yes just a small one." Sesshoumaru gave a soft growl. As his mate started to massage his temples.
"Is that better?" She smiled but it soon disappeared. Sesshoumaru looked at her as a look of sadness appeared on her face. "What's that look for?"
"What look?" She turned away from him. "There's no look." She kept a straight face.
"Your angry with me, I can sense it. Why what have I done?" He teased knowing that he would be getting an ear fall in a few seconds.
"What you did earlier was unnecessary" She replied turning to look at him.
"Don't start this again," he growled, warning her of her place. "Children need to know of their place" Lady Umi ignored his warning and carried on.
"That's no excuse." She gave him a long sharp look. "I don't want you hitting them."
"Are you trying to tell me how to raise my own pups?"
"No, I'm telling you how to raise our pups!" He gave small smile at the gallantry of his mate. That's why he had fallen in love with her. He had met her when he was out patrolling his land. She was being attacked by a snake demon and had been bitten. After he had saved her she fought him all the way to his castle saying she was fine, but he could sense the poison coursing through her veins, even when she was recovering she still cursed at him for saving her. They were both as stubborn as each other and therefore a match made in heaven.
"What brought this on? I've punished the children many times before. Why now?"
"It's something Hana said to me that's got me thinking."
"And what was it that Hana said to you?" she questioned.
"Nothing."
"Tell me!" He touched he cheek and met her stare.
"Well… It's just… She thinks you don't love her and that you favor Rin more than her." Lord Sesshoumaru's right eyebrow rose.
"Why would she think that? She is my daughter. Rin is not."
"You spend more time with Rin then your own children. I didn't really notice it at first but now it's playing in my mind." Lord Sesshomaru knew she was right he had been spending more time with Rin. He had been away from his family for two years and when he returned they were shocked to see Rin with him.
"I've noticed that to. I don't know what it is with that girl that makes me enjoy her company." Sesshoumaru's tone suddenly changed and became very gentle. "I don't know what it is but…"
"You see her as your pup!" Lady Umi interrupted as she smiled at her mate.
"Huh" a slight grinned came across his face. "Don't be preposterous. She is only a human and could never be worthy enough no be my pup." His tone showed he had trouble believing his own words. Lady Umi smiled and kissed him on the cheek. When she had left the room her sighed a long depressing sigh. It had been an exhausting day and Lord Sesshoumaru just wanted to get a few hours of sleep before dinner.
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In the gardens, Hana had taken it upon herself to question Rin.
"What makes you so special, that you get a new sword and get trained by Yumi?" Hana snarled at Rin. Rin stood after picking up a bouquet of flowers.
"I don't know." Rin shrugged trying not to look at her directly.
"I don't know why either you're a dirty, weak, scrounger. So much so that bandits don't even want you." Tears rolled down the little girls eyes. It hurt to think of her family let alone thought that she had been left. " I doubt that your family wanted you in the after life with them anyway."
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Something inside her just snapped as she felt her fist collide with bare flesh. Rin looked down at her hand, which was stained with blood and then at Hana. Before Rin had the chance to run she was pinned to a tree by the neck.
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It hadn't even been 5 minutes before Lord Sesshoumaru was woken up by familiar high pitch scream. He snapped awake and ran to the garden where he smelt the strong scent of blood. He reached the garden in 10 seconds flat.
"LET GO OF ME. I'LL KILL HER." Sako held Hana back firmly as Rin lay gasping for air. Hana's nose was bleeding and nothing made sense to Sesshoumaru. "LET… ME… GO…"
"What happened?" He growled so fierce that everything came to a halt. Everyone was so afraid of his reaction that no one wanted to say anything. "Well…" Sako let go of Hana suddenly and she fell to the ground. The silence was soon broken.
"Papa she hit me. The human girl hit me." Sesshoumaru glared at his daughter for calling her 'the human girl' and then at Rin who instantly stopped rubbing her throat and concentrated on stopping the tears that just refused to stop.
"Rin. Is this true?" Rin rubbed her eyes as she stood up. Lady Umi had heard the entire ruckus and had come out to the garden to see what was going on.
"Hai, Sesshoumaru sama." Rin stared at the ground as tears fell to the ground. "I did."
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'What's with this girl. She knows Hana provoked her, yet she says nothing. Does she want to get into trouble' Sako sighed. 'Should I say something. If I don't Kami knows what dads going to do to her. But if I do then I am betraying my sister, no matter how much she deserves it. What should I do my heads saying, "no don't" but my conscious is saying, "Yes you know it's right". What should I do?'
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"Rin I'm so disappointed with you, but…"
"Father, it wasn't Rin's fault. Hana provoked her." Everyone's head turned to look at Sako.
"Is that so." Lord Sesshoumaru looked at his daughter and then back at Sako. "What was it exactly that she did or said?" Sako took a deep breathe before continuing.
"She spoke of Rin's family and their death." Sako then repeated every word Hana had said. Hana looked at her brother with a look of betrayal and resentment.
"How would you know what happened? You weren't even in the garden when it happened." Hana inquired as she wiped away some of the blood that ran from her nose.
"I was on the balcony in Jaken's room." Sako pointed to the balcony overlooking the garden. "I was asking him a few questions about the paroling assignment father was sending me on tonight. When I heard Hana questioning Rin." Lord Sesshoumaru nodded to say he was happy with his son response.
"Sako. Haku. Hana. Please leave." He signaled his wife to do the same. Wondering why Hana hadn't been punished for what she had done his children slowly left with their mother. "Hana…" Hana stopped in her tracks knowing she hadn't gotten away with it. "Meet me in my office after you've gotten cleaned up."
"Hai papa." She replied and left.
When everyone was out of listening range, Sesshoumaru approached Rin, who refused to look at her Lord. Lord Sesshoumaru crouched down to his young wards height and with his index finger raised the girl's head to look at him.
"I'm sorry Sesshoumaru sama." Rin sniveled as tears continued to run down her fair skin. " I didn't' mean to." Sesshoumaru ignored her last comment.
"Rin, why did you not tell me what she had said to you?" Rin gave a brief smile as she played with her finger.
"I didn't want to get anyone into trouble." Sesshoumaru swallowed knowing that he had to punish her just as he would anyone else. But not knowing how to, since she was neither a servant, enemy nor one of his children.
"Rin. You know you must be punished for what you have done, don't you?" She nodded and stopped crying as Sesshoumaru brought down his claw to her leg leaving a tear in her dress and four long scratches across her upper thigh. Rin winced as she felt the blood trickle down her leg but did not move, nor did she cry. Sesshoumaru rose and left the garden without saying a word as he went in search of his daughter.
Not much was happening in the castle so he amused himself by listening to servants convocations as he passed the kitchen and laundry rooms. His office was all the way in the south wing and he wondered to himself why his father had made the castle so big but soon came to his office. As he opened the shutters she saw his daughter standing by his desk. He gazed at his daughter as he sat decisively in his chair and started signing at a few papers that had mysteriously appeared on his desk after having cleared his desk earlier that day. The atmosphere was unbearable and the silence deafening.
"I see you managed to stop the bleeding!" His daughter didn't move an inch. "What do you have to say for yourself?" Hana looked at him not sure whether to speak or not, she had to think about what to say carefully so not to anger her father any more than he was.
"I… I… never meant anything by it, papa she… Rin just took it the wrong way." She knew her father wouldn't buy what she was saying but it was the only thing that had come to mind. "I'm sorry papa." Sesshoumaru looked up at his daughter and cut his eye. There was another long silence before he spoke.
"Don't give me that nonsense Hana." Lord Sesshoumaru's voice was soft but stern, which made her jump. "I don't know what's the matter with you lately… and what ever problems you and Rin have I want them to stop." He signed two more papers and then looked back at her. "And I mean now." His tone sent shivers down her spine.
"Hai Papa." She could feel the tears building up in her eyes but refused to let them fall.
"And tears will only make the matter worse so stop them before they fall." Hana quickly wiped her eyes. "Also Rin has been punished as shall you be as well… I want you up an hour before sunrise for your training so you better go straight to bed after dinner. You may now go."
When returning to his quarters, Sesshoumaru was surprised to see a bouquet of white and blue flowers and a small card which wrote 'Sory Seshomru Sama. Luv Rin' A small smile played across his face at her childish spelling mistakes.
"Even after you punish her she still loves you." His concentration was broken as she felt his wife embrace his arm. (Oh yes, he has his left arm back).
"Are you still angry with me." He smirked.
"That depends. What did you do to Hana?" She let go of his arm and stood in front of him with her arms crossed. He just smiled knowing he couldn't win against her.
"Nothing"
"Nothing, what's that suppose to mean?" She looked at him confused.
"I didn't do anything to her. Getting beaten by a human is enough punishment for her." He shook his head so not to laugh. "But don't worry training tomorrow will be quite severe."
"I knew you weren't going to let her off that easily and no I'm not angry." Lady Umi laughed
The rest of the day went quite slow due to no one was talking to one another and the tension in the air was building with ever movement. After dinner Sesshoumaru was glad that the day was ending. It had started to rain at dinnertime and hadn't stopped by the time he had got back to his room. His headache hadn't eased either and due to the anxiety and resentment he felt throughout the house it was a lot worse. Sesshoumaru felt he had to get out of the house - as he stepped out on to the balcony he found the rain quite soothing and refreshing against his smooth skin. Trickles of water ran down his face as he looked up at the moon. His hair was dripping wet and his clothes transparently clung to him but he didn't care. He remembered he had done this many times before with his father, they would sit in the rain for hours not saying a word just enjoying each others company.
"Reminiscing on the past?" Lady Umi came out and stood next to her mate. It intrigued him that he could never sense her presence or even hear her coming.
"My memories of my father are fading, an I feel as though I will not even be able to remember his face sooner of later." Lady Umi sensed an unusual tone in her husband's voice, which made her heart sink.
"You don't have to remember his face… He is in you, just look in the mirror." Lady Umi gave her husband a soft smile before the both sat down. They sat out in the rain for hours, as he looked at his wife he noticed she had nodded off on his shoulder and he couldn't help but smile at her as he lightly kiss her on the forehead.