"Wait, Lord Sesshomaru. I cannot attend to you now. Kaede is calling."
Rin ran back into the hut, where the old miko groaned. A fortnight ago, a swarm of insect demons had attacked the village. Later, Rin would recount in great detail the gruesome battle, spearheaded by demon slayer Sango and her monk husband. Huts had been destroyed, villagers injured, a woman and child killed. Fresh graves were erected in the village cemetery.
Sesshomaru suspected that the attack resulted from territorial conflicts by the daiyokai of the East. Pettier demons such as these would have been forced to flee elsewhere. All about, villagers labored to repair the damage done. Kaede's house had, too, been hit. A defect in the wall had since been patched with wood boards.
A while later, Rin emerged sighing.
"It is a bad time to visit, my lord. Everyone is tense, especially the demon slayers. The village knows you, and of course, you are permitted to pass. But visitors are seen with suspicion. It is best if you leave."
A rancid smell emanated from within the hut, that of a rotting wound.
"Kaede has been hurt," Rin continued. "She was bitten in the leg by a centipede demon. I fear for her life."
From the smell, Sesshomaru could tell that the wound was deep and seeped with poison. It would only be a matter of time.
He stepped into the hut along with Rin, who crouched by the side of the ailing elder. Kaede's complexion was pale, but she seemed in good spirits.
"Ah, Sesshomaru," the old miko greeted. "It's been a while since your last visit!"
As she spoke, the wrinkles on her face furrowed more deeply. She had not cared to wear her eye patch today. In its stead was a sunken hole, where her right eye should have been. But her voice was boisterous as ever.
"Your Rin is quite a fighter. And a fabulous healer too. She has been tending to me with excellent care."
At the praise, a blush crept into Rin's cheeks.
"When the demons came," the miko continued, "she fended off quite a few on her own!"
"With Lady Kaede's help, that is," Rin added shyly.
Sesshomaru noticed the two sets of bows and arrows propped up against the wall: one old, one new. He imagined Rin bravely pointing her arrow at a centipede demon, the bow strung tight. No longer was she the helpless child. A wave of – was it guilt? – struck him. While she had been fighting for her life, he'd been seeking a swordsmith capable of hardening Bakusaiga. How had he been so careless? He'd always been there for her, it seemed. But this time, he'd failed her. He'd left her to the human perils of life in a human village, unattended to. And his mutt of a half brother, the only inhabitant of the village competent enough to defend it, had had the gall to leave with his wife to her homeland.
Sesshomaru was also struck by the closeness between the two human females: one young, one old; one kneeling, one prone. Their affection for one another was manifest in the words and gestures that they exchanged. Rin had always been friendly, but her primary devotion had always been for Sesshomaru. At least, he could not have imagined otherwise. But here she was, tightly attached to this old human miko, whose days were numbered – if not by the wound, then by the human condition.
He did not understand why, but this caused his chest to tighten.
"Sesshomaru… Rin speaks highly of you, you know."
Kaede's voice broke through his reverie. Rin's blush grew ever brighter. By the glow of the fire lighting the room, Sesshomaru noticed the white flower tucked in her hair. Last year, it had made her look pretty. Now, it framed her growing beauty. She was fifteen years old and a day. He had come to deliver a gift, the first in over a year. If it had not been for troubling rumors of demonic mutiny in the West, he would have made it for her birthday.
He now held out the parcel, wrapped in a fine red silk that would double as a scarf.
"Excuse me," Rin said, turning to Kaede. Her eyes shifted from Sesshomaru, the parcel in his hand, and her elder. She seemed unsure, caught between the three.
"You young ones go off now," her elder chuckled. "I'll be fine, Rin. I know you won't be long."
They strolled past the boundary of the village, where the grass grew wild and the road began to curve. Wordlessly, Rin followed him, clutching the parcel to her bosom. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she was alone again by his side.
"Lord Sesshomaru," she finally sighed, when they had reached the forest, and were hidden in the trees. "I have missed you, my lord."
There were bags beneath Rin's eyes, her expression wearier. Her hands were already growing calloused from the work in the village. But her presence glowed as always, drawing him to her. Despite himself, the daiyokai was delighted to see her, to have her by his side.
But how much of this Rin did he know? And how much of this Rin was a stranger?
She turned her attention to the parcel, which she had saved until this moment to open. She held it up, delicately pulling at the string. He had hoped to see her attack the gift with excitement, as she might have once a bush of sweet berries, or a particularly rare and tasty mushroom. But she was cautious, reserved. He could not tell what she was thinking.
Inside was a small blade, carved from a single block of ivory.
"The blade has no edge," Sesshomaru explained. "Swing it, and it will not cut. But it is harder than metal, and will break through any sword or tooth. It is forged from the tusk of a mammoth daiyokai that is a thousand years old. May it serve you well, and offer you protection."
The irony was not lost on Sesshomaru. His gift had come too late to be of any use, at least this time.
Rin looked up from his meagre offering, visibly moved.
"Thank you, my lord."
She tucked the blade into the breast of her yukata, and wrapped the silk around her delicate neck. She advanced, and before he could stop her, she had wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.
"I thought you'd forgotten me, my lord."
"Never," he whispered, leaning into her embrace. But Rin was already growing impatient, hoping to return to the elderly human's side. She let her arms drop, waved a sweet goodbye, and was off. He only regretted that she should leave so soon.