Chapter 8-
That night, Lord Sesshomaru carried Rin in his arms through the forest. The air was warm, the sounds of dancing foliage around them in a light breeze was soothing, and his kimono smelt of outside. She curled up against his chest, clinging to his clothing. She ended up falling asleep, not knowing where he was taking her, only that she felt relieved to be with him. He walked with a steady, even pace as not to wake her. His eyes glanced between her and the path ahead, illuminated by the moon's false light, until Inuyasha met him half way. Sniffing around, the half-demon pointed out, "Did she run off just to find you? She at least could've told someone! I couldn't follow her scent!"
"Of course not," Sesshomaru responded quickly. Rin had spent a majority of her time in the river, providing him with no trail to follow. "She is not well. Need I send Jaken to assist with the trivial tasks being assigned to her?" Sesshomaru seemed slightly annoyed and his left brow raised.
Inuyasha curled his hand into a fist, keeping the other balled at his side. "You're barking up the wrong tree! We keep telling her to take it easy, but she's the one trying to prove she's better all the time so you'll take her with you!"
Sesshomaru looked down at the exhausted woman in his arms, sleeping heavily despite their interaction. "Ridiculous. I refuse to rescue her into helplessness." Sesshomaru voiced his stance on the matter.
Inuyasha took a less defensive stance, but his words were still vulgar. "Would you pull your head out of your ass? The only thing making her feel helpless is you refusing her when she's clearly reaching out!"
In the blink of an eye, a single green thread of light whipped through the air from Sesshomaru's right hand, striking his brother across his face. "You dare to question my resolve, Inuyasha!"
The move woke Rin and her eyes fell upon Inuyasha swiping his fingers through the blood on his cheek. "Lord Sesshomaru…" she peered up at him groggily.
Sesshomaru set her down on her bottom, towering over her in height. He then blurred in and out of sight, nearing his brother. Inuyasha drew his sword, holding it up like a shield as the demon threw his fists against the broad side of the blade. The vibrations radiated noise and sent tremors through both their bones. With his teeth clinched, Inuyasha was thrown to the ground upon his back. Kneeling over him, Sesshomaru pressed the palms of his hands against the blade. The demon's long white hair touched the ground. Meanwhile, Inuyasha scoffed, "You won't kill me!" despite the sharp edge of the blade inching closer to his throat.
"Unless it kills you to learn respect!" Sesshomaru snapped back. Just then, he caught sight of his reflection in the blade, noting something off about himself. He couldn't quite place it for it was subtle and unfamiliar to him. Perplexed, Sesshomaru withdrew from Inuyasha and stepped back, letting his hands fall down to his sides. He then glanced over his shoulder at Rin. She was beside herself, bent down, hugging her knees, shivering from the cold and her fatigue. He was trying so hard to protect her by not overstepping their boundaries, that somehow it felt as if he already did.
Sesshomaru's gaze moved down at his own two feet and he closed his eyes tight, as if irritated with himself. "It seems that I too have been impacted by the magnitude of our circumstances in ways that I did not anticipate." He was standing between his brother as wife.
"Well duh, you're not perfect, no matter how much you probably think you are!" Inuyasha was laying on his side propped on one elbow with his hand on his cheek. He was picking at his ear with his other free hand, inspecting whatever ember-like substance came out.
The sun came up through the windows as Rin dressed in a cursory fashion. Today she made sure to wash her face, brush her hair, eat breakfast, and pack a sack. Near the door, she threw the makeshift bag of supplies over her shoulder. As if it were instinct, she went to grab the laundry basket, but she stopped herself. This morning was not the morning for chores when she could do them as soon they returned in a couple of days. She sprinted out the door into the field to meet Lord Sesshomaru, Jaken, and A-Un. "Rin! It sure has been a while!" Jaken exclaimed, seated on top of the beast. She hopped on board nearly knocking him off. "Careful!" he chided her.
"Woops! Sorry Master Jaken!" She giggled, flashing her playful smile in his direction.
At her noise, Sesshomaru stood with the reigns near his heart and a pleasant expression on his face. He did not anticipate just how much he needed to hear her laughter. As they took to their leave, together, the two felt more at peace. They felt the warmth of the sun on their faces, and the wind brush through their hair, as the stagnation swept away. In previous years, Rin would ask where they were going, but it no longer mattered to her. She was more focused on the journey, no matter how short lived.
For now, Sesshomaru had made a compromise with her, that she could travel with him every few days on a brief trip. In return, Rin would use her time in the village to recharge and take care of herself. Additionally, she found it healing to assist Kagome through her pregnancy and looked forward to helping out with her delivery, which was soon to come.
(A/N- Get ready for some action!)
