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: 25


Year 1308...

Setsuna Castle...

Today was the day.

It had been a few weeks, and the wedding preparations were in full swing; guests had been pouring in for the last few days with a jovial disposition. But for the bride, what should have been a joyous affair was something rather somber; Rin was surprised at this, even as she helped Izayoi with the cleansing rituals today. Other attendants would be preparing the uchikake kimono for the reception; it was blood red with beautiful needling of dragons, lotus, cranes and even a few designs Rin didn't recognize, and the shiromuku kimono for the wedding. Rin had found it beautiful, Izayoi had grimaced.

Rin was to attend to Izayoi's every need for preparation of the ceremony, and that lead her to washing her lady's hair. The flowers were scattered about, the soaps and oils were of the finest quality, and ebony comb was the finest Rin had ever seen for a mortal. Izayoi's heavy black hair was not extensions, she had grown it to her ankles, and the heavy mass was being thoroughly detangled.

"Rin?" Izayoi whispered as Rin worked on cleaning Izayoi's hair.

"Hai my lady?" she replied as she focused on her work and tried not to think about Tōga's long quest for answers.

"I… what do you know of tonight?" Izayoi asked her.

"What do I know…?" Rin asked.

"Do you know what transpires between a man and woman?" Izayoi asked, her face was flushed.

"You mean you've never?" Rin started.

"Of course I haven't!" Izayoi snapped. "That would be dishonorable!"

Rin snorted. "Gomen, I'm not laughing at you," she assured Izayoi who was now nervously toying with a clean strand of her hair. "And I do not know the entirety of what transpires between a man and a woman on this night," she said. "I know the mechanics, I'm a farmer's daughter after all, I have heard if the man is skilled it is most pleasurable, and yes, it will fit according to Sango-oba-san."

"What will fit?"

"Apparently men get very large there when the time comes and Sango-oba-san assures me, despite whatever you might think, it will fit."

"That's not reassuring," Izayoi grimaced. Rin chuckled a bit.

"I also know, if the man is skilled, it will only hurt once, and that is the first time," Rin said. "If he's not, you'll have to endure."

"That is not reassuring."

"I'm just repeating what I have been told, I'm not married."

"You've never?"

"Kami no!" Rin shook her head. "My lord would skewer anyone who dared to! I'm too young," she said. She still remembered the fear coursing through her entire body, despite her defiance, when that daimyō had taken her with every intention of just taking what he wanted. She could still hear the tearing of silks and smell his foul breath and feel his sweaty, pudgy body on her on bad nights. Her lord had saved her, fully, Jaken had found her, but her lord had saved her. She remembered Jaken whacking the daimyō with his Staff of Two Heads while trying to shield her dignity, then it all stopped as her lord's fist appeared through the daimyō's chest, holding the daimyō's heart before the daimyō's eyes, and her lord's blood red eyes behind the dying daimyō.

Since then, Rin had no curiosity about what transpired between a man and woman, if the time ever came for her to submit to a man, she wanted it to be someone she loved and trusted; which meant she wanted Sesshōmaru-sama. And only Sesshōmaru-sama.

"You're of marrying age," Izayoi pointed out. "Surely your lord has intentions of arranging a good match for you, yōkai or not."

"Hai, he arranged a good match for me, and I love my mate very much," Rin said as she focused on a particularly nasty knot.

"So you have a mate?"

"Hai, I do, I've been marked since I was seven or eight, I'm not sure which," she admitted. Rin wasn't entirely certain what her age was, but she was about fifteen or sixteen now, of that she was certain. She also knew she had been born on the night of Tanabata Festival, her mother had told her this proudly for they always celebrated her birth by going to the festival she was born on.

"How can you not be sure?"

"Well, before my lord graciously took me in, I was an orphan, my family was slaughtered by bandits, no other humans took me in, so I was left to my own devices for several years and I lost track. I know my birthday is on the Tanabata Festival, so there is that," she chuckled.

"Rin…?"

"Hai," she hummed.

"Is your lord… your mate?"

"Hai, he is," she answered. "His name is Sesshōmaru-sama," she whispered softly. "He has never harmed me, never forced himself upon me either, so do not worry. My lord is a most kind and patient man, and if we were to ever do… you know, I'm certain it would be good. My lord is nothing if passionate when he's dedicated."

"Sesshōmaru-sama?" Izayoi looked confused.

"Hai, but tonight is about you, we shan't worry about me," she chuckled.

"Do you… do you think Takemaru will…?" Izayoi started.

Rin frowned. "I do not know my lady, I do not know him well enough to say, but I think… I think he likes you enough to want it to be good, for both of you," she admitted.

"What about Tōga?" Izayoi whispered. Rin smiled seeing the lady going very red.

"Tōga would probably know all the ways to make you melt and desire him," Rin chuckled. "According to my lord's mother, a male alpha inuyōkai takes great pleasure in being able to make a bitch come."

"RIN!" Izayoi shrieked.

Rin roared with laughter as she finished her task and helped Izayoi out of the tub to dry her off and prepare for the ceremony. It was hours for preparing, and Rin took her time with the meticulous details needed. She would at least give her new friend a chance for a good night. Though Rin doubted Takemaru to be the generous sort of lover, she wouldn't taint Izayoi's perception of tonight, not with all these other clans gathered for the union.


Somewhere in Kogashima, Japan...

Finding that damn fox had taken more time than Tōga cared to admit. Fǔ Yáng was not easy to hunt down, but he did finally.

The Nine-Tailed kitsune lounged idly in a massive tree at the southern most tip of Kyushu, and a bottle of sake. The kitsune was a very unique kitsune for a Nine-Tail, no one knew where the kitsune was from; he had claimed no skulk when he appeared, merely saying he was here on behalf of his mistress, Mikadzuki-sama and he had seemed timeless. Then there was the matter of his overall appearance. Fǔ Yáng had a glossy red pelt with black tipped tails and black tipped ears, and his green eyes were always lively, in humanoid form he still had pointed ears, shrew features, and the hind legs of a regular fox rather than adopting a full humanoid appearance; not to mention his claws were black. In the West all the Nine-Tails that Tōga had known were white, all the lesser kitsune were various colors.

"Inu no Tashio! It has been some time," the fox smiled as his tails lazily curled and uncurled from around the branch he rested on.

"Fǔ Yáng," he greeted.

"Been a while since anyone outside Heaven and the Imperial Court called me that," he chuckled.

"I'm here about an onna," he started.

Fǔ Yáng snorted as he downed his cup of sake. "Aren't we all?" he chuckled wryly.

"This onna has this," Tōga held up the kuroshinju then. The kitsune tilted his head curiously before leaping down to him. Though the kitsune was shorter than he there was always something about a kitsune who had cultivated his nine tails rather than just being born with them, and Fǔ Yáng was one such kitsune. No one knew where he was from, but it was known he had amassed his power carefully.

"Where did you get this?" the fox asked with a sly smile on his lips. "An onna named Rin, no doubt?"

"How'd you…?"

"I've served Mikadzuki-sama for many years, I know all about Rin and her mate, your son, you," Fǔ Yáng said plucking the pearl from Tōga's claws. "This particular pearl was sired in the West, very far from here, commissioned no doubt, fine craftsmanship, superb really."

"What is it for?" he asked.

"I have no idea," the fox chuckled. "No doubt Rin is here to continue challenging Fates and Kami and this is all a part of the grand scheme to save her lord."

"Are you mocking her quest fox?" he growled.

"On the contrary I am here to see that she succeed," the fox turned on him with a massive swishing of writhing tails. "I have lived a couple of lifetimes, enough to know that the mortal is here win. I would never mock someone who is far superior to any and all of us."

"What of your Mikadzuki-sama?"

"My loyalty will always be to Mikadzuki-sama," he said. "This is a soul collecting pearl, from Chang'e's personal collection no doubt. You can feel it in the yang magic used to create it."

"How does it work?"

"To collect a soul you must be present for a selfless act which reveals the truest nature of a being. Aramitama, Nigimitama, Kushimitama, and Sakimitama only reveal themselves when the acts are pure, according to my oji-san," Fǔ Yáng said. "He said to collect these souls would take immense patience, for they are only revealed when the situation is most dire and a true trial of character is to be tested."

"How do you collect them?"

"Simple, Rin will merely have to be with Sesshōmaru-sama when these acts are performed, and they will be immense trials," Fǔ Yáng said.

"It's that simple?"

"You will find that some of the most powerful things in life are very simple," Fǔ Yáng mused. "In this matter though, I think you will find that while it sounds simple, it will come at a high cost, soaked in blood and heartache, and forged in time. A trial like this, not even the gods could fathom the strength of spirit required for it."

"And what do I have to do?"

"You? You believe that you are the one to save the great and powerful Sesshōmaru-sama?" Fǔ Yáng mocked. "You, who betrayed tradition, family, fate, and sealed no only your own doom, but the doom of your bloodline? You believe you are pure enough, strong enough, brave enough, or even enough to save the greatest Inu no Taishō ever sired? This is a task which will only be undertaken by Rin, only accomplished by one pure of intent, and willing to pay the price that must be paid. The Fates demand this after you damned your own progeny to his fate."

"I did not!"

"You did, but it is fine, for Fate has a funny way of remaking her will known, it's like a pesky wife or mate who refuses to be cowed for your ego, Tōga. The Fates may have given us free will, but you should have known there was a price to be paid for denying your own Fate."

"Why is this happening to him?"

"Because you denied Fate what it wants, and even the pup of gods would know not to fuck with Fate. She's a fucking Bitch. As for this," he held up the kuroshinju. "Tell Rin to remain close to her lord for when the trials come, when his truest nature is revealed the kuroshinju will work on it's own to collect them. Also, you would do well to train her, for she will need a little aid for where she has to go."

"You…"

"I have met Rin many times before, I think you will find this human is smart and a quick study. Do not think her some helpless onna, Tōga, she's your son's mate after all, and the most powerful being would not select or submit to a weakling." Fǔ Yáng handed him the pearl back and disappeared in a pulse of green flames.