I Do Not Own InuYasha


Aienkien

合縁奇縁

A couple strangely but happily united;

Uncanny relationship formed by a quirk of Fate;

The mysteries of attraction and relationships or bonds between people


II: 8


Year 1308...

Somewhere in Kyoto, Japan...

Tōga could not figure out where his son had disappeared to, he knew Sesshōmaru was not the Hyakkikoumori Clan, but he had no idea where that meant Sesshōmaru had gone. Internally he cursed his lack of a true connection with his progeny, but then that could just be the humans' fault for they had stolen his heir when Sesshōmaru was a mere pup. Tōga had never forgiven the humans for that, and he had never forgiven a miko for her declaration that his son would be forever doomed.

Unlike his own sire, Tōga had never taken much stock in soothsayers or human miko, monks and priests, he had despised the idea of listening to them for council. They lived such fleeting lives they couldn't possibly understand what could be achieved or what life was. Their lives were a heartbeat in the span of his lifetime. Sesshōmaru was not doomed to their prophecies or bound to their fates, so he would not tolerate his son having a weak mate when he was sired to be the strongest Daiyōkai of any generation, Tōga expected Sesshōmaru to carry on that strength.

"Myōga," he called the flea then.

"Yes Master!" the eager flea appeared on his shoulder.

"Find the girl," he ordered. "She is in the human territories," he growled.

"Of course master," Myōga said and darted of for the human forest. Tōga wondered where his son was and started to move about the compound.

His leg throbbed from the stab wound, and the slash on his arm still hadn't healed right.

Great Kami did he HATE that human female. He despised that she was the one thing which seemed bound to his son and that his son listened to, and he despised everything about her weakness. She was weak, she was human, they were mere insects in the grand scheme of things, inconsequential, they meant nothing.

Tōga paused when he came to the sparring field where Sesshōmaru appeared with Tsukuyomaru. Tōga could never figure what had formed the friendship between the two young daiyōkai, they had both battled the Hyōga a few decades earlier and since then seemed to be good council for the other. Sesshōmaru appeared to be working out his fury though as he slashed at the other daiyōkai. Tōga took this time to watch his son.

Sesshōmaru was powerful, he was a cold, stoic, levelheaded fighter, he was utterly ruthless in his tactics, and he was completely merciless in a fight. Tōga had been finding it more and more difficult to spar with his son, Sesshōmaru prowess in battle was becoming unparalleled. There was a drive and skill to his son, something which he had obviously inherited from his mother, this adaptable, fluid battle approach when his temper wasn't ruling him. There was also a wildness which couldn't be taught to his son, which Tōga found difficult to keep up with, for it didn't seem to matter to Sesshōmaru how powerful or how big or how dangerous his opponent was, Sesshōmaru was taking them on and he was fighting for the kill. The win was a secondary satisfaction for Sesshōmaru, at least that's what Tōga thought.

The sparring had stopped and Sesshōmaru looked at Tōga with that impassive, impossible to read expression which was unsettling as he moved to continue through his home to get some tea and to seek out Tōtōsai for advise on discarding this human who was finally back.


Setsuna Castle...

Rin was attempting her first escape from the shiro, she just couldn't stay here. It was bizarre seeing Izayoi, she could see so much of InuYasha and yet not a lot of InuYasha in her. InuYasha had definitely inherited much from his mother, the shape of his eyes, his nose and his mouth; they were all Izayoi's, and yet they weren't. There was a gentle serenity about Izayoi which Rin had ever encountered in another being, not even Kimi-sama.

Kimi-sama was wild, she was regal, she was commanding, and she emoted being an alpha, Kimi did not inspire anyone though, she commanded them and their respect. Rin had always found Kimi-sama to be intimidating and impressive, but there was very little which was maternal about her lord's mother. Granted, Kimi-sama had taken Rin under her wing and taught Rin all about the InuYōkai pack, taught Rin to lead, to command respect when the times called upon it. And Rin was very close to her lord's mother, Kimi-sama was very much a second mother to Rin, she sought the older woman's council and advice in all matters. But Kimi-sama was always this regal, unpredictable, wild force, with a hint of cunning playfulness and a slightly sadistic streak towards her enemies.

There was much of Sesshōmaru's personality which lined up with his mother's, their commanding presence, the wild unpredictability, the utter ruthlessness with which they attacked their enemies, and the sadistic revenge streaks. They were both great at revealing nothing they thought or felt to the world, leaving all who didn't know them in a state of utter panic or intimidation, they were fair leaders. Both were more inclined to listen than to speak, and they were both inclined to be patient and learn than to get frustrated and impulsive with actions.

Izayoi, was a very gentle, very serine woman, she inspired loved and kindness; and she emoted this gentleness to be protected and cherished. In the past few days Rin had learnt that people simply adored Izayoi, all her attendants simply praised her, and the people Rin had seen seemed to simply worship her. Izayoi was very kind, and very gentle, it was clear she was a gentle-hearted person by nature too, something which Rin thought was sweet. InuYasha had Izayoi's gentle heart, though he hid it behind layers of brutish manners and loud barks, it was clear where InuYasha got some of his kinder traits upon meeting Izayoi. InuYasha had these kind moments, when he wasn't being prickly, and Rin could see he took after his mother in a lot of ways. They also shared a lot of mannerisms, which was unnerving for Rin. Izayoi got the same stumped-confused-annoyed expression when she did not expect or understand something. To Rin it was rather endearing.

Unlike InuYasha though Izayoi was very patient, and very understanding, her compassion and empathy were what had probably endeared her to Tōga; at least that was what Rin thought. Izayoi, unlike InuYasha, was very difficult not to love, InuYasha on the other hand was like her lord and very difficult to love at times.

However, Rin could only take so much kindness, she had a mission to tend to and she wouldn't be failing Sesshōmaru. There was too much at stake to fail him, she knew this. Which was why she was careful about where she was going through the garden, coming upon the west wall. It should be simple to get over it, she had been climbing shiro walls since she was nine; it drove Kimi nuts! Apparently, it was not 'proper behavior' for a 'lady', Sesshōmaru had merely informed her how to improve her technique much to his mother's annoyance.

"Where are you going?" a melodic voice asked. Which had Rin freezing where she was perched in the tree to slowly look down at Izayoi with the very annoyed 'mother' expression which reminded Rin of Kimi and her own mother. For the first time in a long time though she felt like a child caught sneaking sweets though.

"I am going to figure out where I am and where I need to be," she replied carefully as she dropped down to the ground again.

"I see and the sword and knife?" Izayoi asked.

"The sword is my lord's, the knife is a gift from him to me, I would never relinquish or leave them behind," she said honestly.

"You are not fully healed and in no condition to leave, let alone travel," Izayoi stated. "And Takemaru wishes to speak to you when he returns."

"I am leaving, Izayoi-sama," she said firmly. "I have to, I do not belong here."

"So, you are a yōkai agent," Izayoi deduced.

"No," she sighed honestly. "I have no stake in your war or your conflict, I am not acting as a yōkai agent, though my lord is a daiyōkai. I am simply here because of a misstep on my part."

"I do not understand," Izayoi said.

"I am here by accident, I was on my way to find a cure for a dire injury my lord sustained in a battle a long time ago, the injury has recently gotten out of control. It is a curse really, and because he is so gravely injured, I have come seeking information about the creature who cursed him in hopes that I can save him," Rin explained softly.

"And why would you wish to save a yōkai, particularly a daiyōkai, they are cruel creatures, without conscious or care," she stated harshly. Rin stared at the woman, for her tone was that of InuYasha's when his temper was rising.

"That is not my experience," Rin stated just as icily as Izayoi's temper was fiery.

"You are young, you are being deceived. Yōkai are monsters who will devour you, daiyōkai are particularly bewitching." Izayoi started.

"I am young, but I am not being deceived, I am well of the monster I love," Rin cut off.

"Then why follow a monster!?" Izayoi snapped. "It would be better to purge the world of yōkai as the monsters they are."

"And one could say the very same thing about humans," Rin said softly. "I am young, but I am not naïve as you believe me to be."

"Then tell me why save your lord when he is a monster!" she hissed.

"Because he was kind to me," Rin replied. "He was kind to an orphaned human child when my own village treated me like a scourge. My village of humans beat me for my silence, they caned me for my existence, they scorned me for my plight, they starved me because I was the only one of my family not dead. My family, my brothers and father, they were slaughtered in the very field they worked for that village trying to defend it from the human bandits who raided us. My mother hid me and told me to be silent, I could not move I was so terrified, and I helplessly watched as human bandits raped and killed my mother, then burned my home down laughing.

"You can tell me all you want my lord is a monster, he is, I will not deny that he is the most lethal, dangerous creature ever sired. But do not think humans are better than the yōkai you seek to purge, humans have just as much capacity for evil as a yōkai does for good. To simplify a single creature on deeds you do not know or understand merely makes you the ignorant child, not me," Rin said. "My lord was kind to me, he gave me my life, he had guarded and taught me, shared his wisdom, seen to my every need being fulfilled. He does not suffer fools and he let a human orphan child follow him, with no promise of anything in return; he did not promise me anything, Izayoi-sama, he gave me everything, and I will save him for that alone.

"And I love him, so I will do what I must, but I cannot turn my back on the first creature to show me kindness when my own kind left me to die," she explained.

Izayoi looked stunned, and puzzled, then pursed her lips as she thought over what Rin had just said. It was almost like watching InuYasha think something over too.

"Very well, go, but I implore you to return, I think there is much you can learn from me and I from you, and I wish to know you are alright."

"Thank you, Izayoi-sama."

"Be wary of these monsters Rin, they are not what you think."

"And they are so much more than you believe," she replied before using her tree as an escape.


Somewhere near Kyoto, Japan...

Sesshōmaru had felt his mate on the move which was why he leapt into the night to chase her. Shifting forms was a simple matter, keeping his form small enough not to attract danger was a different mater as he slunk through the human territories following his mate's scent. She smelled good, he liked her clean scent, and more than that he liked how she seemed to be taking precautions with her movements to keep herself safe. His mate was not a fool, and for this he was once again pleased.

He moved to cut her off before she reached the inuyōkai boarder, the last thing he wanted was her gaining his father's full attention.

Rin was moving stealthily through the forest, when she came to the clearing.

"Rin," he greeted icily. He saw her tense, then relax before she tilted her head in the manner she always did when she was curious about something. Her long black hair was acting as a sort of cloak where she was crouched.

"Sesshōmaru," she said carefully. He could feel his mate's unease which had him frowning, Rin was never uneasy with him, rather she always knew what to say or do. But this time she looked rather like a doe assessing how much danger she was in against a predator. Internally he chuckled, Rin was just as lethal of a predator as whatever decided to chase her, he was certain of that; it was a quality of hers he rather admired.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she stood.

He gave her a look and assessed her as she stood. She was younger, not a lot, but he could see that she was a younger human than the one he had fought with a few decades back against the Mongol Invasion.

"What are you doing?" he countered.

"I asked first!"

"I don't care, I'm merely curious," he said as he dropped to the ground and stalked forward, she took a step back when he neared.

"I'm here to save my lord," she replied, the answer she always used.

"And what are you doing?" he asked as he tilted his head a bit assessing her. She frowned a bit, and he wanted to trace her skin so badly, but he didn't. This Rin did not know him yet, though he knew her through their bond, he could feel her rapid flurry of thoughts and emotions as she assessed him. On top of that, she smelled like a virgin, she did not smell of him as she always did, her clean scent was puzzling.

"I'm sorry," she said, he reacted to catch her but the human slipped from his grasp as she ran, he chuckled a little and gave to the chase as she ran for the inuyōkai boarder, she was nimble still.


Year 1581...

Edo, Japan...

Sesshōmaru winced as he sat against the well, he had to be here, he had to. He could not leave until she returned, if he did and she returned when he was gone then she would surely perish. The only reason he had put her in that well was because she assured him he would be able to save her and they would meet again.

He could not fail her.

He was not like his father.

No.

His mate had to return, she had to. His eyes flicked up when the presence of another came to stand before him which had him looking at his mother. Kimi merely assessed him carefully before she sat on the lip of the well.

"You should rest."

He didn't reply.

"Rin would not be pleased if you were to discard your own health and duties for her again," Kimi said.

Sesshōmaru glared at his mother.

"Oh Sesshōmaru, she is not gone forever," Kimi snapped. "It will be like before, she will return, in time."

"She does not have time," he admitted as he looked wearily at the skies, they were greying again, the storm was gathering. He could feel it in his gut, Rin did not have time, when she returned immediate actions would be needed to keep her alive.

"Sesshōmaru," Kimi started.

He didn't respond as he closed his eyes. "Tōga let her be attacked," he said softly. "I did not place her here to lose her, I placed her here because she promised I would save her."

"You…"

"He did not kill father only, he took everything and Tōga let him," Sesshōmaru snarled. "I will wait right here until she is returned."

"She would not want that Sesshōmaru," Kimi said softly.

He growled at that, because he still could smell her blood coating his arms and chest. He remembered, he remembered Hoshiyomi's agony about his human mate, he remembered Tsukuyomaru's scorn until had found his own True Mate to be human, and he remembered his father's love of his own True Mate. Human or not, it did not matter, but none of them had understood his pain. His mate was bound to no one, bound to no war or orders, or even pack, she was simply there to save her lord. He hadn't understood that, he had hated her lord for an eternity for always calling her back, but now he knew.

She was simply there to save him, and he couldn't tolerate the thought of failing her so miserably again.

Rin would come through that well.

Rin would be dying a third and final time when she did, unless he saved her.

So, if he had to sit here for the next thousand years in agony he would, but he was not failing Rin again. She was worth everything and he wouldn't let her down again, he had lost her to death twice already but he'd be damned if he didn't learn his lesson and lost her a third time.

"I will not fail her, not this time," he said softly for his mother to comprehend.

He would not fail Rin.