A/N:
Apologies for the very late chapter, my dear readers. However, know that even if I occasionally disappear on you for slightly longer than usual, it's only because of life keeping me busy, preventing me from giving this story the attention and time it deserves. I promise not to abandon this before its ultimate completion, so please bear with me!
That aside, we've reached 30 chapters and nearly an entire year has passed since I first published this one. Happy Birthday to this story! It sure has been an interesting ride so far. :)
Thank you for your patience, and please enjoy.
Chapter Thirty
Dawn stained the horizon with long strokes of orange and yellow while the steady rustling of nature echoed softly all around their camp area, indicating the end of the long night and start of a new day. Breathing in the coldness in the air deeply, Kikyo stood still, form relaxed and gaze aimed down at her sleeping companions resting near the stable warmth of strangled embers.
She observed the unvarying scene in silence for a while, feeling the chilled breeze caressing her features as it casually flowed through her long hair, prompting the priestess to direct one hand up and fix her straight-cut bangs back into order, the action inevitably reeling her mind back a few hours prior, reminding her of the surprisingly tender moment a certain inu daiyoukai and her had managed to share. Inhaling sharply, Kikyo quickly brushed the distracting memory away and straightened with stern poise, proceeding to turn on her heel and raise her head as she now focused her attention to a distant place far beyond the layered mountains shrouded in low clouds and bathed by the soft glow of the rising sun.
'There it is again...' She noted, her vision narrowing to the odd feeling which washed over her for the second time already that particular morning;
An unnamed, sudden calling, like a hushed but stern whisper wafting through the air and sourcing from somewhere nostalgic and familiar, inviting her with such rising urgency...
An area which she hadn't thought of for quite some time now.
Before she managed to further examine her newly confirmed realization, however, Kikyo's musings were violently halted by the sudden, muffled cries of the still sleeping Rin, breaking through the silent tranquility and causing the priestess to immediately shift back and glance over at the sprawled child laying on top of A-Un's saddle.
And her expression crossed with sadness to the regrettably already known sight of Rin shivering to the unspeakable horrors that her dreams projected before her yet again; dreadful nightmares of the time in which she witnessed her entire family murdered by human bandits right before her very eyes.
Alert to the child's subconscious distress, Sesshomaru soon followed and stepped closer as well, stopping to stand beside Kikyo as they both watched the young girl curl into herself, small eyebrows knitting together below wild, dark bangs and fingers balled into tight, helpless fists, drawn closely to her chest.
"Were you aware of her bad dreams?" Kikyo exhaled, her attention still focused down on Rin.
Sesshomaru found the priestess' being through the corner of his eye.
And he allowed himself a moment to compose his next words, setting his gaze down once again on Rin while the pile of darkened wood crackled softly under the low heat, further crumbling into itself and sending a small bouquet of sparks to spread and soon vanish through the misty air above it.
"Since I first took her with me." He eventually replied, drawing in the cold air deeply, "Some nights proved to be quieter than others, however, the occurrence is evidently persistent."
Processing the information, Kikyo maintained her silence.
Before, she had diagnosed the matter as perhaps a response triggered by the sights and sounds of battle displaying before Rin, pulling on repressed and traumatic strings in the child's mind whenever the sense of actual hazard pervaded her cheerful conscious, but now and after remaining by her side while keeping her safe for the entire day prior, that theory did not seem to possess much relevance, any longer.
And still, the priestess found herself compelled to do something in order to try and counter it;
In order to stop Rin from having to relive that grim experience time and time again.
With a final decision shortly formed in her mind, Kikyo raised her chin and eased her shoulders, keen mahogany orbs moving up to rest upon the daiyoukai's refined profile.
"I would like to change her scenery a bit." She calmly voiced her resolve, earning his attention, "To allow her a warm, freshly-cooked meal and a soft bed, somewhere peaceful and away from the constant stress of potential danger, if only for one night."
Sesshomaru watched the woman standing beside him, already recognizing the eminent determination embedded in her eyes and proceeding to turn fully towards her.
"Where?" He stately inquired down at her through a still indifferent expression, yet his demand coated with avid interest, enough to transmit his masked mutual will to rid the child of this unfortunate and repeating phenomenon.
Kikyo held his examining gaze, mirroring his actions and facing him as well, her head tilting slightly to the side as she observed Sesshomaru's features closely before the next answer left her mouth.
"My old village, now under the management of my beloved, younger sister." She only said as much, lips soon curving up into a hint of an amused smile to the unquestionable evidence of surprise briefly flashing behind the daiyoukai's golden eyes.
Composing himself to the unexpected information, Sesshomaru studied the priestess, his head eventually rising slightly with acknowledgment.
"You reckon something like that would combat the issue?" He tested, gaze fixed on her.
The soft wind found them once again, brushing through the tall grass of the clearing with a low hum, reaching to sway through their long hairs and garbs as neither broke eye-contact from the other.
"I believe so." She confirmed simply, mahogany eyes eventually drawn to the far-away mountains and the secrets those hid beyond them, yet again, "And regardless, I have something that I wish to investigate there, as well."
Sesshomaru weighted her reply, understanding from her words that there was a certain plan already brewing in the priestess' mind. He only examined her delicate profile in silence for another long moment, well-aware of the woman's sharp intuition and the probability of the potential discovery serving in their favor, whatever that may be.
Now comprehending the situation fully, he simply shifted on his heel and stepped away from the scene, but not before finding her being one last time as his head turned halfway over his shoulder, locking with her gaze once more.
"We shall depart at noon." He ordered, facing ahead and resuming his strides.
Kikyo watched him calmly take his leave, shortly glancing back to the sleeping Rin.
And a deep, quiet breath of relief escaped her to the girl's rest appearing no longer disturbed, now.
Quietly, she retained her attention down at the child's relaxed form for the longest time, listening to the sounds of waking nature and various types of wildlife it possessed, harmless or not.
'Whatever happens... it would at least be worth a try.' She reasoned.
"Kikyo-sama, where are we flying to?" Rin asked against the wind while craning her neck upwards, large brown orbs fixed on the priestess sitting closely behind her on the back of the gently gliding two-headed dragon.
Even with the sun already halfway through its angled course above, the stubborn misty atmosphere veiling the land below proved nearly impossible for normal eyes to see through, making a certain human girl all the more curious regarding the mysterious new destination both her master and the priestess had decided upon.
At first, Rin guessed their current journey had perhaps something to do with the evil Naraku and his new whereabouts, but the child already knew both Sesshomaru and Kikyo enough by now to tell their current cause was somehow more important than his existence.
Lowering her gaze to Rin for a short moment, Kikyo welcomed a reassuring smile to her features.
"Somewhere I believe you would favor, Rin." She answered down at her, sending one arm to the top of the girl's head and affectionately sorting through dark, frizzy hair.
But her ambiguous response only caused further puzzlement to cross Rin's expression, sparking more interest behind her brown orbs.
"Give Rin a hint?" She pressed with an excited smile.
Raising a single eyebrow, Kikyo simply released an amused breath in response.
And calm mahogany inevitably locked with fierce gold as the priestess turned her head slightly to the left, observing Sesshomaru soaring steadily through the air beside his trusty two-headed beast with Jaken grasped firmly onto his gracefully stretched mokomoko behind him. He only held her gaze for a moment through an unreadable expression, soon shifting to stare once again at the far distance, beyond the many scents of various human provinces spread below him.
"A place that could perhaps grant you with a few needed necessities." The daiyoukai answered, his low voice not telling at all of the information which the child was actively seeking.
"Geez, Sesshomaru-sama..." Rin pouted, attempting to read through her master's invariable composure still, yet with little success.
Truly, there was no chance of forcing any information out of either him or the priestess.
"Now you listen here, Rin!" Jaken shortly squawked in response, climbing his way higher through the tufts of fur he was gripping on in order to somewhat reach her eye-level, "Do not pester Sesshomaru-sama any further than that! You shall see when we get there!"
"Eh? Jaken-sama, you know where we're heading to?" Rin's wide, dark brown eyes immediately found the imp-demon.
However, in contrast to his own confident words, Jaken only flinched to her question, soon cowering into himself as his mouth formed a straight, displeased line.
"I-It does not matter." He muttered under his breath, narrowing his yellow eyes at her, "This Jaken is patient enough to refrain from filling the air with unnecessary questions and you would do best to follow in my example!"
The child tilted her head to the side, ignoring his suggestion and trying her luck once again with attempting to decipher and recognize any of the obscured scenery passing beneath her, only to exhale with silent defeat, settling back into her space as disappointment weighted heavily on her small shoulders.
Witnessing the lively occurrence playing out before her in silence for another moment, Kikyo eventually lowered herself slightly closer to Rin, the amused, soft smile never leaving her face.
"The village where I grew up in." She whispered the long awaited answer down to her, straightening herself once more with a smooth motion and placing her gaze forward, pretending as if nothing had just happened at all.
Hearing that, Rin's expression crossed with surprise, and only a small breath of amazement left her to the fact, her disappointed expression immediately replacing with a pleased one, instead.
Falling back into a now comfortable silence, they all maintained their steady speed on their long journey guided by the keen senses of both the daiyoukai and the priestess, drifting away from the high mountain area and leaving all of its occurrences behind them as they ventured further and lower into the land, to the quiet, widely spread valley positioned far from Naraku's currently assumed dangerous territory. And peacefully in that fashion, the hours passed along with each village they managed to cover as late noon soon conquered the sky above their heads, yet even the adjusted location did not spare them of the foggy weather, and the lower the sun shone behind them, the harder it was to discern through the chilly mist.
Luckily for them, however, Sesshomaru's sense of smell was more than sufficient enough to make up for that fact.
"We have arrived." His deduction soon cut through the silence, sharp golden eyes glancing over to Kikyo and earning her nod of acknowledgment.
She gripped tightly on A-Un's reigns along with Rin, signaling for the two-headed dragon to descend and prepare for landing, the dense clouds passing them as they slowly neared the earth gradually unveiling the large land of Musashi Province before their eyes, at long last.
And Kikyo inhaled deeply to the familiar sight of her old village in the not-so-far distance, a place that was left only within reach back then when she required to visit Onigumo's cave all those months ago. Unruffled and showered by the already setting warm sun, surrounded by the wide fields of rice and greenery of the lush forest, nearly appearing exactly the same even after fifty years had gone by.
And somehow, at that moment, Kikyo realized she had almost forgotten what the concept of home truly looked like.
"We should direct our movement to the left outskirts of the village, amidst the secluded forest." She steadily instructed, her eyes quickly detecting a single wooden hut, situated within a fairly remote part of the human occupancy, right beside the grand, red Torii gate hovering over the bottom of the pale staircase leading up to the Shinto shrine she knew so well throughout her previous life.
Recognizing the large religious symbol as well, Sesshomaru picked up on the priestess' hint, changing his course and aiming for the woods bordering the specific area in order to assure the safe landing, away from any unnecessary trouble nor unwanted attention. With the thickness of the fog working to their advantage, their forms were concealed successfully from sight, allowing the group to lower themselves between rich tree tops and onto the small clearing, the empty village grounds presented before them and wisps of smoke escaping the chimneys telling of its mortal residents preferring to spend the rest of the day inside the safety of their homes.
"Oh! is this it, Kikyo-sama?" Rin asked as the two-headed dragon gently settled onto the grassy earth.
Nodding once to her inquiry, Kikyo released the scaled beast's reigns and climbed down from her seat, straightening her kosode and hair into place and soon presenting the child with her free hand in order to assist her cheerful jump down from A-Un's back as well.
"We shall be spending the night here." The priestess explained down to her, inviting the excited Rin to look all around her and take in the village as it displayed beyond the rows of trees separating it from their current, fairly hidden location.
Kikyo allowed a genuine, soft smile of relief onto her features to Rin's approval of the idea, then, she lifted her head up, glancing over to Sesshomaru and noticing her companion already scanning the area for any potential threats, stretching his gaze and senses far, ultimately failing to uncover anything even remotely considerable of a risk.
And once he sensed her stare resting on him, the daiyoukai halted his actions and began striding towards her, stopping before both the woman and the child as neither said anything for the longest time, only the muted sounds of hidden wildlife around them overcoming the air.
"With the Shikon Jewel no longer concealed here, youkai now bear no interest in this small village." She theorized up at him.
Sesshomaru remained silent for another moment, eventually releasing a shallow, quiet breath to the woman's attempt of soothing his thoughts.
"We shall meet again at first sign of light." He told her, his gaze never leaving hers.
However, as soon as the generally expected words left his lips, Kikyo suddenly found herself almost subdued by an unplanned sadness which sourced deep within her chest to the concept.
While she had more or less anticipated him to decide this much, somehow... the priestess discovered a selfish wish residing in her own mind for him to perhaps reconsider the option of parting so easily like that.
An attachment that was foolishly naïve, silly even, especially considering it was a matter of mere hours until they met again, she was aware.
And still, Kikyo could not help being lured after a certain, strong urge that she didn't foresee consuming her this way.
"Is staying truly beyond the bounds of possibility in your eyes, Sesshomaru?" The words fell out of her far too easily when she chose to calmly venture for the unthinkable against all odds, tilting her head slightly to the side as strands of silky, purplish-black hair cascaded softly across her cheek.
Sesshomaru tensed his jaw to the genuine will which transmitted from the woman at that moment, her stilled features softened by rare emotion and the deepest shades of color in her expressive brown orbs showering him with nothing but a genuine and quiet want, possessing a certain perilous effect on him which he was already too familiar with. However, just before he managed to open his mouth and further remind her and himself of his stance on the matter, a figure moved in the corner of his eye, and stern gold immediately darted to a short, elderly human woman, dressed in formal miko attire while standing hesitantly in the entrance to her hut, staring right at them.
'Her younger sister, huh...' Sesshomaru quickly put the pieces of information together, casting his gaze down once again to Kikyo.
And forcefully grounding himself back to reality, he only rid his own mind from any distracting thoughts, preferring to end the exchange between them as soon as possible before the priestess could potentially influence him anymore than she had already did.
"The vile scent of human villages is not something that I, Sesshomaru, wish to have lingering on my being." He answered harshly, breaking from her eye-contact and setting his gaze away to an unfocused spot, deep into the misty forest.
Hearing his final answer, Kikyo kept her wordless stare up at him.
Then, she simply sighed, reading through his mask of belittlement and comprehending his well-hidden attempt of making this departure less difficult, shortly collecting herself back into calm, dignified order.
His choice of words though, she had to admit, was somewhat uncalled for.
"I see." The priestess followed, a hint of tease flashing behind her eyes as she watched him closely, "I suppose you do prefer to eavesdrop on those from an elevated and distant location, after all."
Sharp golden gaze immediately flew back to find her as fast as he heard the cheeky assertion, his vision narrowing down at the woman once his mind involuntary cycled back to present him with the exact occasion to which she was referring.
"Hmph." He scoffed loudly, lifting his chin before her, "Only when you insist on acting with such vagueness."
Attempting to understand the topic of conversation occurring above her, Rin's expression overcame with puzzlement, and she only followed their exchange in silence for another moment before her attention was eventually shifted to the village behind her, noticing the elderly miko woman taking a few single steps closer towards them, body rigid and her single eye not covered by the dark patch wide with shock.
Now silent, both Sesshomaru and Kikyo turned to look at the old woman as well, understanding that it was time to finally part.
"Jaken." Sesshomaru called upon his vassal, gaze still inspecting the new presence.
"Sesshomaru-sama, are you really going?" Rin's small voice soon reached him, and he simply lowered his head down to the child, his expression regaining its unreadable qualities yet again.
"A-Un will remain hidden in this forest." He stated, observing her for a moment, "Rest yourselves for the night."
Then, his gold found the priestess' mahogany brown one last time, and he briefly held her calm gaze before turning on his heel and stepping away, the imp-demon hurriedly trotting after him and obediently jumping to hold onto his stretched sash yet again, bracing himself for the daiyoukai's ascendance to the misty sky.
Kikyo and Rin watched as Sesshomaru flew above and away into the layered atmosphere, his silver form quickly engulfed by the foggy sky colored with the mellow orange of the setting sun, far from their sight and into unnamed obscurity.
With that, Kikyo eased herself, releasing a deep breath and moving closer to the now resting A-Un, reaching to untie her fastened longbow and arrow quiver from his back.
Then, she wordlessly extended one fair hand down to Rin, who happily took it in return.
"There is someone I'd like you to meet, Rin." She told the child, keen eyes rising up to lock with none other than her younger sister, Kaede, maintaining her place at a safe distance as she stood patiently in front of her wooden hut.
Stepping out of the small forest, Kikyo and Rin steadily made their way towards her, the rich grass below their feet soon replaced with sand and gravel as they crossed the path which would lead them further into the boundaries of the village, eventually closing the distance and stopping right before the elderly miko, both women's lines of vision locked together with unspoken tension.
"Kaede." Kikyo eventually breathed, the name pulled out of her with both heaviness and relief altogether.
And as if the sound of her name on her sister's lips was a spell breaking through her tough exterior, the stern features of the elderly woman suddenly eased significantly, replaced by worry and sadness, instead.
"Kikyo... onee-sama." She answered through a tired, husky voice, causing Rin's brown eyes to go large in response to her odd choice of honorifics.
Then, the child swallowed harshly with understanding.
"Do not sound so sad, I beg of you." Kikyo steadily encouraged, eyes closing shut as she drew in a deep breath as if to somehow defuse the heavy atmosphere, "I have come here today for a reason different than usual, and I would appreciate your cooperation."
Kaede blinked with surprise to the unexpected words, soon placing her gaze down onto Rin.
"This child...?" She inquired, examining the small girl.
Rin stepped back to cower behind Kikyo from the old woman's intense look, gripping onto the priestess' cream-colored mo-bakama in silence.
"This is Rin." Kikyo answered, turning towards her small companion and soon lowering herself down to her eye-level with a smooth motion, "Rin, this is Kaede, my younger sister. She is worthy of your trust."
Rin nodded in response, yet still resolved to keep her timely silence.
"Kikyo onee-sama... what is the meaning behind all of this?" Kaede attempted to reach for answers yet again, setting her somber attention back to her elder sister.
Elegantly, Kikyo rose to her feet once more.
"Let us step inside for now, we have plenty of time for catching up." She calmly instructed, firm eyes fixing on the woman before her.
And once Kaede took notice of her unspoken plea, she simply nodded once to her words, clearing her throat and proceeding to turn on her heel and allow them both inside of her home.
"Please, come in."
With the chilly evening approaching relatively faster due to the strong haze which veiled the sky above and denied the land from its source of natural light, both of the priestesses maintained the fire steady in the sunken, square Irori carved into the wooden floor, already beginning to assemble the necessary materials for a well-balanced dinner. Using trained efficiency, the large, dark pot was quickly set on top of the heated flames, along with the rice, assorted vegetables and sliced beef all collected into two separate small straw baskets, waiting for their time to prove useful in the assignment at hand.
Glancing up from her task of cutting potatoes and over to the curious Rin, Kikyo smiled with amusement as she watched the child rock herself back and forth on her padded seat with avid anticipation for the food.
"Do you wish to assist in the making of this as well, Rin?" She asked, offering the option of shortening the wait.
The girl beamed with happiness to the suggestion, and she quickly approached closer to the priestess, sitting herself down right next to where she was.
"Hand me three carrots from that basket, please." Kikyo instructed, placing the chopped vegetable in her hand inside the container consisting of materials fully ready to enter the meal.
Rin did as asked and hurriedly reached inside the straw object, collecting three large carrots and handing them to her companion with a smile.
Then, she sat herself down with obedience, watching Kikyo's methodical actions closely with interest.
"Have you ever had beef stew before?" The priestess asked, noticing the amazement which crossed the child's face to the occurrence.
Pausing for a moment, Rin only shook her head.
"Rin's family was too poor." She admitted, eyes cast down to the floor before her knees, "We usually had simple meals, ones that didn't cost too much time or money... after that Rin just ate whatever she could find."
Kikyo observed the child in silence, eventually setting her attention back to her current duty.
"Well, this fact will change today." She stately promised, placing the freshly-cut handful of carrots inside the basket as well.
The four walls of the warm hut soon filled with deep smells of rich flavors as the ingredients and spices gradually poured into the pot, stirred slowly and watched over by Kaede's stern attention, with Kikyo holding onto its lid, ready to shortly close it back and allow the dish to properly simmer.
And Rin's quiet gaze lingered on them both, occasionally switching from her beautiful companion to the elderly, strict-looking woman, her mind consumed by countless questions which only accumulated the more she let her eyes rest on their beings.
Sensing her curiosity, however, Kikyo soon turned in her direction, her expression impassive, yet her mahogany eyes reading right through her secret musings. And she only released a deep breath, closing the lid on the large pot once Kaede was done and sitting herself calmly back in her place.
"Kaede was a bit older than you when I died, fifty years ago." She explained, her words heavy as they carried through the air, mixed with the slow-rising steam.
Shooting a glance over to the person in question once again, Rin kept her silence.
"You have nothing to fear me, child." Kaede finally spoke, removing one piece of wood from the fire in order to hinder its strength a bit, "I am Kikyo onee-sama's younger, full-blooded sister, and also a miko in this village, just as she once was."
Placing both of her hands on her bent knees, Rin eased her shoulders as the relaxed smile returned to decorate her features.
"It's nice to meet you." She answered, bowing once before her.
Kaede simply mirrored her smile, shifting her gaze to the pot once again as she sent her hand to its dark-colored lid, opening it slightly to test the state of the colorful stew.
"It is ready." She notified, nodding with certainty.
With two small bowls stacked with rice positioned next to her seat and one bowl of hot and steamy stew in her hands, Rin enjoyed her meal with unmatched enthusiasm. A simple dish that was relatively easy to make, was something that she had never tasted before, filling both her stomach and her heart to their full capacity as she thoroughly devoured her portions until all tools and plates were left entirely clean.
"Do you want seconds?" Kikyo asked, the pleased smile never leaving her face to the sight of the small girl so well-fed and content.
Evaluating the space still left in her stomach for a moment, Rin soon nodded with confirmation as small arms extended forward, presenting the priestess with her empty bowl and eagerly watching as the woman gladly took it out of her hands, filling it up once more with the tasty dish and returning it back for her to consume.
And with that, Kikyo leaned back and rested herself against the wooden wall of the hut behind her, one leg bent slightly under her colorful garbs and eyes shortly shifting to her sister, making sure that she, as well, was properly enjoying her food.
But a certain wondering proved strong in her mind, overpowering the tranquil moment and causing her attention to once again rest on the child sitting to her right, studying the method in which the now low flames shone their light across her features, illuminating her small form and the secure walls behind her with a certain soft blaze, a sight that she had never witnessed before.
"How do you rate the stew, Rin?" Kikyo proceeded to ask, unreadable gaze fixed on Rin as the latter lifted her head from her source of interest.
The girl chewed and swallowed her mouthful, grin going wide.
"Tasty!" She called with pure joy, "Thank you for making this, Kikyo-sama, Kaede-sama."
Kikyo chuckled lightly, resting her right hand on top of her bent knee.
And once Rin consumed the final bite from her second serving, she felt herself suddenly struck with heavy tiredness, and a wide yawn of exhaustion escaped her, indicating that it was time to set the empty bowl in her hand onto the floor and curl above the padded fabric on top of which she was sitting.
Kikyo reached for a nearby, clean folded haori shirt, getting to her knees with a smooth motion and quietly spreading the large fabric, covering her short companion all the way up to her shoulders.
"Do you think you would like to do this again, sometime in the future?" The priestess tested, lips curving up into a soft smile down at her as a single hand remained tenderly placed on Rin's small back.
Weighing her own answer for a moment while desperately trying to remain awake, Rin simply nodded once, brown eyes ultimately fluttering shut.
"Rin had fun..." She breathed lastly before dozing off completely into comfortable slumber.
Kikyo kept her attention down at the peaceful sight for another moment, eventually calling back on her hand and rising quietly into a straight posture, yet again.
Then, she turned her head over her shoulder, calm gaze meeting with Kaede's serious one.
Neither said anything as the sound of strangled flames consuming the remains of wood filled the air between both women, causing Kikyo to shift in her seat next to the now sleeping Rin, pulling her bent legs comfortably to one side and facing fully in her sister's direction, inhaling deeply before the next words left her mouth.
"I am afraid you are about to find my following explanation wildly absurd, Kaede." The priestess started, lifting her chin slightly while freeing the heavy breath she was holding, the gleam of the fire exposing the deepest shades of honesty in her eyes, "And trust me, I am not going to fault you for that in the slightest."
A/N:
Originally, this chapter and the next were supposed to be combined as one, however I found that they proved too packed for a single update to carry (especially since we're being faithful to canon occurrences), therefore I have divided them into a two-part. So you have some interesting stuff to look forward to, my readers!
Once again, thank you for your amazing support and reviews! It truly means a lot and fires my writing engines.