Moonlight Silhouette
AN: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you like the fluff ;) icygirl2, I probably won't have Rin get a demon lifespan. I mean, if she could find a way to that would be great but I can't think of anything that might enable her to have a longer life.
This is the last chapter, however there will definitely be an epilogue. It's been lots of fun writing and sharing this story. I hope that you all liked it. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read MS, especially those who left me a review. THANK YOU!
disclaimer, etc see chap. 1.
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The air was fresh and vibrant the next morning, grass cool, damp and springy from the rain. I almost forgot about the night before when I stepped out into the beautiful morning, sun trilling down between whispy clouds.
Lord Sesshoumaru was unaffected by the weather, and glanced out from the dark cave broodingly. Neither of us had spoken a word since last night and the silence had descended upon us heavily. He raised one foot over the lip of the cave.
"Lord Sesshoumaru..." I began. The other foot caught. I gasped as Lord Sesshoumaru tripped, probably for the first time in his life. His arms flew up into the air and he scrambled with his feet, trying to regain his balance. When he had he simply looked over at me, face still a mask, and gathered up Ah-Un's reins.
I had clamped my mouth shut, and was trying to fight the mad urge to laugh. I had seen people laugh at Lord Sesshoumaru a couple times. It was always the last thing they did. But I felt like if I didn't laugh I would choke.
The sound that made its way form my throat was closer to a choke. I hurriedly brought my hand to my mouth to hide the fact that I was laughing at him. He looked at me with narrowed eyes, but kept walking. My shrouded laughter sank pitifully in the mockingly cheerful air.
We walked until the evening with no event. Finally when my legs had begun to burn we came upon a small band of village boys, perhaps a little older than me. There were five of them and four shrank away, watching Lord Sesshoumaru with wide, fearful eyes. My Lord ignored them, keeping his eyes fixed ahead.
One of them however approached me on wobbly legs. He had a wide grin and snapping eyes. His light skin and slim face made him good-looking.
"What's a pretty little lady like yourself doin' traveling with a demon?" His words were slurred. He was obviously intoxicated. Before I could formulate some sort of answer he reached behind me and a certain part of my body was unceramoniously squeezed. I squeaked and leapt to the side. He laughed and took and uneven step towards me.
Having just been groped by a drunk teenager I didn't notice that Lord Sesshoumaru had turned around and was watching the scene unfold.
I backed away slowly from the young man but he reached out and as he was about to snatch my arm when a white flash came between us. The boy screamed and stumbled backwards, landing in the dirt. His friends cried out as well, but still hung back, looking pale and even more fearful. Blood spurted onto my kimono from his arm...or where his arm used to be. The ground was already dark with the blood that kept flowing down his side and front.
Before I too could scream Lord Sesshoumaru had swept me up with his arm and taken off. The boy's screams faded behind us and the wind whipped through my hair.
When Lord Sesshoumaru finally stopped we were at the end of the road, a line of tall trees in front of us. He placed me back on the ground and looked me over calmly. I was breathing hard and felt as thought there was not a drop of blood left in my face. My white kimono was splattered with crimson. I felt my eyes fill.
Neither of us spoke for a couple minutes. He looked like he always did, although I noticed that he had blood dripping from his claws. I took one look into his molten eyes and then felt a shuddering sob claw it's way from my throat. Lord Sesshoumaru looked briefly perplexed.
"Get up, Rin." He said, obviously trying and failing to sound gentle. I looked up at him, tears coursing down.
"H-how could you!" I could feel the rage, hard in the back of my throat. "Th-that p-poor boy!"
"I was merely protecting you." Lord Sesshoumaru averted his eyes from me as if the sight of my weeping disgusted him. "You are just in shock. You have seen worse, Rin. Let's go."
Worse. Yes, perhaps. But the screams of that poor, relatively innocent young man were fresh in my ears.
"You...you bastard!" I cried, "You could have just picked me up! You could have told him to back off! You didn't have to cut off his arm!"
"He was going to assualt you." Lord Sesshoumaru was infuriatingly calm.
"He was harmless!" I cried, leaping up to my feet, "Dammit, you didn't have to ruin his life!"
"I didn't want him to hurt you!" Lord Sesshoumaru cried out. I was stunned. I had never heard him speak like that before. His voice was...frantic, almost. I raised my eyes to his slowly and his flickered away. He looked so regretful of his words. But I thought I finally understood.
Lord Sesshoumaru's instinct when he was frightened or angry was to attack, no matter what else he could do. Perhaps when he saw that young man coming towards me he was angry and frightened(for me) and maybe...jealous?
I decided to run with it. My last attempt. If this failed I would bury my love for him. I reached out and clasped his hand. It was slick with blood but I held it nonetheless.
"Were you jealous of him?" I tried to make my voice bold but it slipped into a soft tone.
He didn't answer but instead stared into my eyes as if he were afraid he would lose me.
Finally he spoke. Five words.
"I don't care about circumstances."
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Before I could process what he had just said he had me in a fierce embrace. All blood, screams and severed limbs were forgotten as he pressed his lips to mine.
The kiss-though sweet-was brief and when he pulled back he kept his hands firmly on my shoulders.
"S-sesshoumaru?" His name toppled out of my mouth and hung in the slight gap between our faces.
He didn't say anything but instead ran a hand through my hair. "I'm sorry, Rin." He said softly.
Sorry. I'm Sorry. Lord Sesshoumaru had probably never said those words in his life, and now he was saying them. To me.
"For what?" I murmered, transfixed by the way his eyes probed deep into mine. Right away I wished I hadn't said it. I was just making it harder for him. But he answered almost right away.
"For all the times I've upset you." He said softly, drawing me closer.
I was overcome with a strong feeling then, the feeling that Lord Sesshoumaru was much more to me than he ever knew. I loved him, yes, as a lover, and as a protector. He had brought me back to life, had saved my life. But he was still more to me. Lord Sesshoumaru was home.
I returned his embrace fiercely, bringing my lips to his. The kiss resonated from my head to my toes. I brought my hands up to the silvery strands that hung by his face, weaving my fingers through his silken hair. He ran his hand down my side, letting it stop at my thigh. Still kissing him I bent my knee, embracing him fully.
I still clung to him when he pulled away and looked at me, amber eyes glimmering.
"I love you." I whispered. His gaze was intense as the conflict flickered in his eyes.
Finally, he whispered; "I love you, Rin." My eyes filled at that-tears of joy.
"What made you change your mind?" My voice came out squeaky as he brought his hand up to cup my cheek. "You said that I would be a...fleeting memory, didn't you?"
"Yes." His voice, unlike mine, was unwavering, "But considering that I thought it ay serve better to cherish you while you are still mine, instead of only cherishing a memory. I was-" He paused, searching for a word, "-mislead." I know that he wanted to say foolish, or even stupid, but Lord Sesshoumaru would never refer to himself as such. "Last night." He clarified.
"Mm." I smiled as his hand glided down my neck and onto my shoulder. "Are you completely sure?"
"I'm always sure." He replied, bringing his lips to mine once more.
In my entire life I had never felt as whole as I did in that moment.
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AN: Hope you liked! Stay tuned-there will be a little more :)