Chapter 11- The Final Act (Part 1 of 2)
Upon seeing his Lord standing beside Rin at the base of the tree, tears began to flood Jaken's eyes. The dog demon did not appear to in good health at all. Seeing the wooden bucket of water in Jaken's grasp from the corner of his eye, Sesshomaru spoke sharply, "You waste your time." The shadows of leaves danced upon his skin. A small puddle of blood had formed beneath his arm, dripping over his knuckles and down his index finger from the tip of his long nail.
Jaken set the bucket of water down and pleaded with him, "How can I be of better service my Lord?"
"Tell me who did this," Sesshomaru demanded.
Jaken proceeded to share the exchange he had with the demon named Marukai. He even confessed how she had gotten away, despite his efforts to combat the discarded spawn of Necromaru.
After the briefing, Sesshomaru continued to study the mother of his children.
Rin began to slump forward, involuntarily lowering her arms so that the two sacks were now supported by the ground instead. "Mommy's got you…" she whispered weakly, visibly shaking and trembling. "Shh, shh," she tried to lift them once more, but the muscles of her arms could barely flex. In her mind, she could feel their tiny hands pulling at the cloth over her thigh, wanting to be held near her chest. Their cries echoed for her alone.
After what felt like an eternity of debate, Sesshomaru turned away from her and began to disappear into the forest, leaving a bloody trail. Blubbering, the little green demon didn't know what to make of his Lord's actions, hopeful that he was finding a safe place to recover. Jaken's eyes darted between Sesshomaru and Rin, not knowing who to follow, for they were both in dire condition. The confliction caused him to freeze in place and fall on his behind as if paralyzed with indecision. He put his clawed hands on his head, drawing his knees to his chest, questioning what to do.
"Rin…" the girl heard an unfamiliar voice calling out to her. "What do you desire mossst?"
The woman tried as hard as she could to lift her children back to her chest to no avail. "I want my children. They're all I need…" she sounded desperate.
Just then, she felt something similar to a cloth drape over her shoulders, sliding across her arms and back, over her thighs, down her legs, stopping at the tips of her toes. Feeling encased, it was hard to breath, and it felt as if her movements were no longer her own. She then stood from the tree, not sure where her body was taking her and her children.
"Rin!" Jaken called after her, scrambling to keep up.
Back in his true form, Lord Necromaru bathed in his miasma filled swamp, taking time to recover from his battle. The black and yellow scales upon the top of his body had been damaged, as well as the bright red ones of his underbelly. Hearing another individual approach, he began to hiss, and coiled beneath the surface of the mud with only his head exposed. A woman carrying two sacks, wearing a white kimono approached. She appeared frail and gaunt.
"My Lord, I present to you the wife of the dog demon," the woman's voice was flat as well as her facial expressions.
What's happening? Why can't I move? Rin questioned in her mind, unaware of her surroundings. To her, she was lost in a forest. The two infants in her arms appeared to be calm, dozing in and out of sleep. What she saw wasn't aligning with her physiological responses. Her heart felt as if it were racing.
The snake demon's head lifted from the swamp and drew nearer for a better look. His pupils were vertical black disks among glowing red irises. His red tongue flicked in and out of his mouth making contact with the woman's left cheek. He then coiled backwards as if writhing in disgust.
"Is this not what you wanted, to get back at Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin glanced in Jaken's direction for a brief moment, knowing he was listening and that he had followed them there.
The demon suddenly launched for Rin with large poisonous fangs exposed, swallowing her whole. Necromaru then returned back beneath the surface of his swamp.
Where am I? Rin asked, laying upon her back with her children upon her chest. She was floating idley down a long river. Staring up at the sky, she interpreted cloud shapes above. Lord Sesshomaru. Her own voice echoed in her mind when she thought she saw him among the the white masses, with one knee bent and the other extended, as if caught mid leap. His Mokomoto appeared to be just another piece of cloud strewn over his shoulder. "Lord Sesshomaru!" she used her voice out loud. Her limbs felt incredibly heavy and hard to move.
Marukai ruminated on Rin's ability to still operate her voice, believing her to be incredibly strong willed, as the two of them began to fight for control.
It was Lord Sesshomaru's voice that Rin heard now, you've already made your decision. They need you more than I do.
After hearing these words, Rin's face crumpled, and tears filled her eyes. She then glanced down at the sleeping infants in her grasp. Towa's hair was beautifully white like her father's as she sucked her thumb. Setsuna took more after her, curled into the fetal position. Rin squeezed her eyes shut tight, cringing before she let out a loud heart-wrenching sob. With her face growing red, she used all that was left of her strength.
She let go.
Their bodies slid away from hers into the water where Rin lost them to the current, feeling lighter and less restrained. It was then that reality started to set in as she became aware of her current surroundings. A rancid odor filled her nose and beneath her was a fleshy ground.
"How were you able to break free?" Marukai asked, with the twitch of her thin black brow.
Rin wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. With uneven, jerky breaths she responded, "Lord Sesshomaru would never make me choose between him or our children!"
Marukai sounded indifferent. "No matter. You've already served your purpose anyway."
Rin stood up and closed the small gap of space that had been between them. Even with as drained as she was, she still managed to smack Marukai across the face as hard as she could muster. "How could you?" Rin shouted with tears flooding down her cheeks. Her legs then buckled beneath her and she fell upon her knees. Rin looked back at the sacks she had been carrying, feeling dizzy and nauseous. "How could I?" she rephrased her question.
"If you're finished, I should let you get back to turning into shit," Marukai tossed her braid over her shoulder. "As for myself, I will be reabsorbed, becoming one with my Lord as I was meant to be."
Rin's burning eyes stared into hers.
A/N- Its two days after Mother's Day that I post this. Rin's experiences are very close to home for me, losing/being away from her children. It is for that reason my work is deeply psychological/symbolic to portrayals of PTSD and grief. I do hope that you enjoy my little piece of fan fiction in hopes that you can relate to it as well in some aspect~
