I Do Not Own InuYasha
Unmei no Akai Ito
運命の赤い糸
The red string or red string of fate.
...
An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance
I: 8
Year 1573...
Somewhere near Chōkaizan, Japan...
For Sesshōmaru the rest of the summer was a quiet affair. There was one incident at Mount Hakurei when they had all gotten too close to Naraku. Other than that one moment he had not had much cause to worry for Rin. Now though Naraku had done his best to disperse, which lead to Sesshōmaru examining his empire, meeting his people, many were shocked many were unbelievably happy to see him as the Inu no Taishō again. He was revered, and respected, and so many were befuddled seeing Rin at his side, they were also happy to see her again. She was a pup though and did not understand the reverence with which they treated her. She would giggle, and laugh, then start in on her million questions, and seem to befuddle the yōkai daimyō. But this was Rin, and that was what she did.
He had yet to go to his mother's castle, preferring to be out and about, he didn't like the stifling shiro, and Rin didn't appear to be in a hurry to rejoin a village or the human life.
They had slowed in their travels now though, he had found they were too close to InuYasha's pack, and he did not like the prospects of running into them again. Rin was foraging in the forest and he was certain she was safe, she was rarely far from A-Un after the incident on the bridge with that strange dead mortal.
Rin had taken to her foraging rather well, recovering her usual cheer and spunk, annoying Jaken and playing pranks on the kappa.
He was relieved to see that the incident had not dampened her spirit in any way. He was also greatly relieved that she was continuing her cheer. He was also very relieved that she had agreed to his instructions on learning to swim, Jaken had reluctantly gone about the task but it was being accomplished, nonetheless.
They had settled in the forest for the time being while he managed some affairs from his father's vassals, Myōga, and Tōtōsai were useless in these matters and he had refused their council. Bokusenō was always a wise aid to seek council from, and the old tree had not ever annoyed him or scoffed at him. Bokusenō was the first to have ever accepted Rin as his equal and seemed to enjoy telling Rin any tale he could for any adventure of Sesshōmaru's youth that she asked. Many of which also involved Rin.
Tonight, he was checking the perimeter of the forest camp area that Rin was sleeping in. He liked a wide perimeter; it also gave him a moment to ponder his own thoughts without worries of Rin's wellbeing. Again, he pondered if he should have left her with the orphans that were so enamored with her from the village at Mount Hakurei. Her friendships with the orphans was one of a protectors, despite her small stature she seemed determined to protect them. The orphans were also enamored with her and the stories of her adventures. It was perhaps the first positive human interaction he had gotten for his mate outside of InuYasha's pack, she had this unusual reverence for yōkai, she didn't see how dangerous yōkai could be, which he found a bit amusing.
There was a sound of screams filling the air which gained his attention. Humans, and the scent of blood was filling the air.
The smoke was also thick, and he stepped back just in time as a horse on fire galloped past him, he lashed the light on the dying animal as a mercy before he looked at where the horse had come from walking for the sounds and scents he came to the ridge, looking down on the carnage he frowned. There were bandits, people screamed for mercy, he let out a pulse of power, which attracted the human's attentions. The bandits turned on him, they were a threat to Rin, and he would have to eliminate them.
They moved after him, calling for him to halt, he reacted quickly as his light whip unspooled from his claws, tearing through the chest of one knocking the human back and down into the grass as the other bandits joined. Turning to keep them away from the village and the humans, he watched them come for him, they ordered him to halt again and he glanced behind him before the light was unspooling from his claws again and he waved his arm in a large arch. He watched as they were torn apart, relieved to know they would not be near Rin again.
It was in their deaths that he noticed the spiritual power coming towards him, other humans awe too, and he looked around at the dead, dismembered bandits and horses. They had died. That was all that mattered, until he felt spiritual energy being directed at him.
"Yoaki, is this your work?" the monk asked.
He was no mere yōkai. He turned away when he heard Rin nearing him, she should not bare witness to this.
"Yōkai! Do not turn your back on me!" the monk demanded.
"I do not heed humans," he replied quietly.
Suddenly there was this pulse of power, he turned when the sacred seals were being released. Drawing Tokijin he slashed through them before slamming the blade into the earth and unleashing a small pulse of energy to repel them as he walked back to Rin, putting Tokijin back in his sash.
"Rin."
"My lord!" Rin giggled as she held up the thick root she had scavenged. She was on A-Un, the dragon rumbled in peace, which had her giggling.
"You must be wary Rin," he informed her as he took the reins of A-Un and returned towards their camp where Jaken would no doubt be.
"My lord, is that blood?" she asked, and now he scented some of the bandits blood on him, which had him shrugging. It did not matter.
"It is of no consequence, Rin," he replied.
Rin was very confused when she found herself in a cave with a bunch of human children, she had not been here when she slept. The last thing she remembered was Jaken-dono declaring that she would not live to see her lord's empire come, which had hurt her a lot. She would stay with Sesshōmaru-sama forever and ever, she belonged with him, of this she was certain. He had been her secret dream friend for as long as she could remember! She would not be like the other humans and leave her lord. No, she would remain with him forever.
Now she was here, she didn't like that she did not know how she had come to be here. The children were sobbing rather annoyingly, and she could not see why. There was nothing scary about this cave.
"Why… why am I here?" she asked the other children, still confused as to where she was or why. "Who are you?" she asked a young boy who appeared the eldest, comforting a young toddler. The boy was looking terrified, but she couldn't figure out why.
"I'm Hiroto," he sniffled.
"I am my lord's Rin, where are we?" she asked as she looked at the other children.
"That yōkai has kidnapped us!" the boy informed her which was when she noticed the rather lizard like yōkai lounging at the mouth of the cave.
"We're going to be eaten by the yōkai!" a child sob.
He was an unimpressive looking yōkai, why she'd wager that even Master Jaken would best him. The other children were sobbing again, and a toddler was chanting how scared they were and how they wanted to go home.
"Shut Up You Brats!" the yōkai bellowed, and Rin frowned. As if she would do as the yōkai commanded, she would only obey her lord! Still these humans were scared and they did not know the comforting fact that this yōkai was harmless.
"It's alright, don't be scared," she informed the now trembling and silent children.
"Of course, we're scared! That's a yōkai!" Hiroto snapped as if she were a simpleton.
"So what!?" she shrugged. "He's not scary," she dismissed and decided that she should sit down and wait for her lord to come, for he would be here soon. She could feel in through their bond, he was a bit perplexed at how this had happened. Sitting on the cave floor she drew up her knees to her chest and tucked her toes in the silks of her kimono to keep her feet warm.
"He is!" a different child shouted at her. "He's a yōkai!"
"Bandits are a lot scarier!" she snapped, let them put their irrational fear in perspective with true terror, she would not endure these simpletons.
"Bandits!? A yōkai is way scarier!" Hiroto countered, but she saw their minds off their plight in their attempt to argue her.
"Bandits kill for no reason," she countered. "A bandit is far scarier than a hungry yōkai."
Sesshōmaru was a bit irked that his mate could not stay safe even in the confines of their camp and perimeter and he was annoyed at Jaken for having lost her; again. He was rethinking ever entrusting that kappa with his mate, clearly the task was too important to entrust to Jaken. However, he was surprised when the monks beat him in his hunt for his mate, they had found the meek yōkai holding the children, and his mate.
And it brought forth the thoughts Sesshōmaru had not thought about in a while, and it was if Rin belonged with humans or not. He heard a monk offer to take her back to the village, and he heard her resounding refusal, even as the monk bodily carried her out of the cave. He could hear her squirming and struggling against the man, and he knew that she was not happy.
"Put me down!" she shrieked, that indignant tone belonged to the woman who had despised being manhandled.
"Why do you struggle so much?" the monk demanded.
"She said that humans are scarier than yōkai!" a child declared, and Sesshōmaru couldn't disagree with Rin's logic. From her stand point humans were undoubtedly cruel and scary creatures, not that he had influenced her, he had tried to persuade her to go with humans a time or too. He knew nothing about human pups, he knew this, and he knew that she needed things he could not provide her with.
"What!?" the monk sounded outraged. "Such foolishness! There's no way you can live alone in these mountains!" the monk snapped at Rin.
Sesshōmaru frowned, he had had this argument with himself many times for what was best for Rin, and he didn't know what to do now. Still, he couldn't move or act just yet, he would wait for her decision before making a move.
"Sure, I can!" Rin retorted furiously. He almost smiled at her defiance, for Rin never bowed to anyone as a woman, and he could see the girl was following the same inclination. "I can survive all by myself just fine! I'm never going back to a human village again!"
"I have heard enough of this foolishness girl," the monk snapped.
"Put me down! Just you wait! Sesshōmaru-sama will come for me!" she snarled.
"Sesshōmaru-sama?" the monk questioned.
"I don't want to go back to a village with humans! Please my lord! Sesshōmaru-sama!" she cried out. "Please Sesshōmaru-sama!"
He opened his eyes, he would go retrieve her, clearly humans were not the answer yet. Unveiling his presence, he turned to go for his mate.
The monk released a spiritual weapon at him, and Sesshōmaru side stepped it as he walked forward, the dust and smoke settled, and he looked at the clearing. The children stared at him in awe, while he scented the monks' terror, Rin though was reeking of joyous victory. Rin seemed to know what she was about, even as she struggled in the grasp of the monk who had rescued her.
"Sesshōmaru-sama! You came!" she gleefully announced.
"It's the yōkai from the other day!" one of the other monks declared.
"LET ME GO!" Rin demanded shoving against the monk that held her. The man twisted his body to keep his mate behind him.
"What have you done? Have you bewitched this child, yōkai!?" the monk demanded, his spiritual power was pulsing and impressive, but it wouldn't be enough.
"Master Ungai…" a monk whispered nervously.
"Children hide in the cave!" the monk; Master Ungai ordered. Sesshōmaru wanted to tear this human apart though for not listening to his Rin's wishes, she was a smart girl and knew what she would want.
Monks moved around him, he frowned watching them as he continued for Rin. They move to exorcise a common yōkai, he was not. Nor was he an inugami, he was not bound to Rin in a way they could break. He paused though sensing that he was going to harm Rin if he was too close.
Rin's panic and worry flooded his mind as the monks cast their chants and threw sacred seals. Sesshōmaru frowned at these actions. Mount Hakurei had been a headache for him, but he could not be purified; he was already the perfection of a daiyōkai and there for already pure spiritual energy of the opposite end of the spectrum, and the puny, immediate seals, would not do anything really to contain him. But the blast would harm Rin if he were too close. The spiritual energy was centered, focused and sure, he opened his yōkai senses to absorb it and discard it with a massive release.
"Sesshōmaru-sama!" she screamed his name as the explosion pulsed. He just was waited for the dust to settle before he assessed the monks.
"Be strong men!" Master Ungai ordered.
Now he took a few cautious steps towards Rin, he scented InuYasha's pack approaching, he would have to end this quickly before InuYasha's pack attempted to take Rin.
"Immobilize him!" Master Ungai ordered.
Sesshōmaru paused as a small barrier was erected around his feet, he frowned at this move, it wasn't binding but it was powerful with the seven monks concentrating their energy together and on him. He was a bit irked, even feeling the electric reaction around him which cackled air around him. Looking at Rin he saw her worry, it was like that time before, and he could sense that this would not end well if he did not release a true fraction of his power.
The monks were focused, and their Master was directing all his energy at him. Grabbing Tokijin he was tempted to unleash the sword on them but refrained, he could harm Rin, instead he gave into instincts. The inner yōkai was snapping and snarling, his fur rising as he bore his fangs; they had ignored the word of Rin, they were daring to take what was his against her will, and they were ignorant of her own will! He would let them feel his power, his might.
He was Inu no Tashio.
The absorbing and redirecting of the spiritual energy had his body snapping, and cracking, it was so tempting to reveal his true form, to discard the human façade, but he did not wish to do that. Even now as his claws and fangs elongated, his already heightened senses sharpened as his inner yōkai beat in time with his slow heart.
Finally the human ran out of energy to deliver upon him, which had him lashing out as he released a larger force of his own natural power, shattering their spiritual beads, their weapons and breaking their formation as the seals holding him couldn't contain him. The monks were thrown away from him and he saw the one holding Rin release her as he collapsed to his knees. Once the dust settled and his façade was back in place he watched as Rin trotted up to him, smiling broadly. He softened a little seeing her unharmed and there.
"Rin," he greeted.
"Hai, my lord!?" she asked excitedly.
"Follow me if you so choose," he told her. If the monks saw her choice perhaps, they would leave them alone.
"Wait!" the monk shouted behind him as he left. "He is an evil spirit! A yōkai!"
"Let Me Go!
"Humans and yōkai live in different worlds!" Sesshōmaru felt her hesitation for a moment, her thoughts centered around her mortality, and what that meant for her place with him.
"That's right, now let us go back to the village!" the monk tried to reason. Sesshōmaru dreaded the idea of her leaving him but knew this was her choice. There was an overwhelming sadness to Rin's thoughts, but then there was a sudden burst of happiness from her as she pulled herself from the monk and ran after him. She fell in step at her rightful spot beside him, he was relieved to see her smiling again.
They had walked two days to find Master Jaken, it was a beautiful morning, and she was loving it. Master Jaken had run off to retrieve A-Un leaving her with her lord and the quiet graves of the people who had once lived in the village nearby.
"Sesshōmaru-sama?"
"What is it?" he asked quietly.
"If I die one day… will… will you always remember me?" she asked softly. Her fingers traced the kanji in the stones. There was a slash of pain in her lord's psyche and thoughts, and she was startled by the memories of blood.
"Death is not my end, my lord, the… the well, you must, please, Honekui no Ido, you'll save me if you put me in the well," a pretty woman with a bloody smile said. Rin sensed his anguish at this request, she was stunned by it.
"Don't say such foolish things," he ordered tersely.
She giggled as Master Jaken came crashing from A-Un then. Her lord turned swiftly to resume his hunt of Naraku, and she sensed his desire to escape this graveyard.
"May I perhaps come too?" Jaken asked fretfully and uncertain.
"You need to ask!?" she giggled as she clasped her hands behind her back and looked at the tiny kappa. "Of course you can come Jaken-dono!" she laughed as she chased her lord, he took steps she would match easily as Jaken-dono held A-Un's reins.
