I Do Not Own InuYasha
Ikigai
いきがい
"A reason for being"
'A reason to get up in the morning'
To enjoy the meaning of life - passion, purpose, something one lives for
III: 4
Year 1578...
Edo, Japan...
Sesshōmaru watched as Rin danced with the kitsune and the other children who were brave enough to ask for her to join. He sat at the edge of the clearing in the trees as he enjoyed watching her joy of the events, the happiness was almost palpable as it pulsed reassuring between their bond. There was a pulse of familiar yōkai energy as he caught the scent of Jaken and A-Un, he knew that they wouldn't have missed Rin's day of birth, the coinciding with Tanabata was a happy coincidence for Jaken and his fondness of strange fried foods that humans favored.
"My lord!" Jaken squawked as A-Un threw him from his back and the dragon landed.
He pointed to Rin for A-Un, which had the dragon roaring in delight before running towards her.
"Jaken," he greeted when the kappa as Jaken righted himself and ran to him.
"I see that Rin is pleased with her gift!" Jaken praised.
"What is it Jaken?" he asked tiredly, he had Tenseiga and Bakusaiga propped on his shoulder and he was enjoying the evening, though he had a feeling that Jaken was here to bring that all crashing down on his head; again. Jaken had been the bearer of terrible news for the last four years usually, and it was why Sesshōmaru had taken to never revealing where he was travelling to the kappa when he left to research Magatsuhi.
"There's been an attack on Tsuzuki Castle," he gasped.
Sesshōmaru's eyes snapped over to Rin as he got up and leapt for her, he intercepted her mid spin as she danced with A-Un.
"Sesshōmaru-sama!" she gasped.
"I have to go," he said firmly.
"But…"
"Tsuzuki was attacked," he murmured.
"Take A-Un, and Jaken, be safe!" she called as he nodded. Sesshōmaru grabbed the reins of A-Un and took to the night sky as they caught Jaken and went for Tsuzuki Castle. Sesshōmaru was certain his mother would have command of the situation but he was Inu no Tashio and it was his duty to protect their home.
Rin watched Sesshōmaru fly off with Jaken and A-Un, she bit her lip as she watched him go. She hoped everything at home was alright at Tsuzuki Castle. She knew the shiro was very formidable and her lord's mother and Sōten were two brilliant commanders. And she was disappointed that Sesshōmaru wouldn't be here to enjoy the honey candies, she would sneak them to him through Jaken after this was all over. Sesshōmaru would appreciate that.
"What was that about?" InuYasha asked her. "He tries not to interfere with village events," he muttered.
"Something is happening at his home that required urgent attendance," she said as she looked up him.
"Serves the bastard right," he grunted.
She chuckled as she nudged him in his side.
"Excuse me," a voice said which had her turning to face the voice. Rin blinked at the sight of an older man, his late twenties or early thirties, relatively handsome and with onyx eyes. "I wanted to apologize for nearly running you over with my horse earlier."
"It's fine," she said as she stepped away from the man.
"I'm Oshiro-sama," he said with a slight bow.
"She's not interested, creep, go bug someone else before my brother comes here and skewers you for looking at her while smelling like that!" InuYasha snapped. "Come on kid," InuYasha grabbed her and herded her away.
"Smelling like what!?" she asked in confusion, it had obviously enraged InuYasha.
"Don't worry about it, Rin," he said.
"Ah, my lady!" Miroku chuckled. "Can I have this dance!?" he chuckled.
"Of course!" she giggled as Miroku whisked her off for a fun dance. Rin saw Kagome and InuYasha talking as they danced, and Sango was happily holding her youngest on her shrinking lap.
"Did Sesshōmaru give you the mask?" Miroku asked.
"Hai!" she smiled.
"It's splendid craftsmanship," Miroku complimented.
"Arigato!" she giggled. "He's still thinks I'm a kitsune because of the tanaki incident!"
"Well, between you and Shippō there's never a dull moment for you foxes," Miroku teased.
Rin laughed as Junpei skipped up to her and asked for her to dance with him, which had her slipping from Miroku to Junpei. From Junpei she danced with Shippō again, then to Kohaku and before she knew what had happened, she ended up with Oshiro-sama, which had her tensing.
"Hello," he smiled. "I'm truly sorry about this," he said. "But it appears this is the only way I could get you alone to apologize, I am truly sorry about earlier."
"My lord saved me, so no harm done," she said as she cautiously moved out of his reach. She wanted Sesshōmaru here, now, her lord would never let this happen to her, and she saw Kagome and InuYasha dancing, while Miroku and Sango were leaving with their brood. Shippō was also shamelessly flirting with the ninja girls who had come here to thank Sango for their training, and she didn't see Kohaku. No one would save her from this daimyō.
"Your lord?"
"Hai, Sesshōmaru-sama, Inu no Tashio of the Shikoku InuYōkai Clan," Rin said. She hoped to see the customary fear her lord's name normally struck in humans, she didn't like the way this human was looking at her, he was looking at her how the bandits looked at her mother before they had killed her.
"Who is that?" Oshiro-sama asked her.
"He's the inu daiyōkai who rules these lands," she answered.
"I rule these lands."
"It's adorable you think that," she said as she finally pulled away and stalked towards her hut. Kaede would be asleep already, she knew that, Kaede was getting tired in her old age. Getting to her hut she pulled out the sweets and tucked them in the cherrywood box Jaken had given her to be enchanted so no one could steal the sweets from her. Once those were tucked away she pulled off her mask, smiling at it in the dim night's light as she started preparing to pull out her futon. Kaede was sleeping soundly and Rin prepped her blankets.
The festival was going full swing still. Sitting on her futon Rin looked at the little piece of paper she had written her wish down on before the festivities had started. Next year, she mused as she dropped the wish in the ashes of Kaede's hearth before she stretched on her futon.
She hoped everyone was safe at Tsuzuki Castle.
He was disappointed with his lodgings for the night, they had been unable to offer him a room in the finest house because it was already full. It was said to belong to the monk, hanyō, miko and taijiya, and with three children; he despised children. And the sweet Rin's home was off limits according to the leading family, she resided with the old miko and her 'lord' would apparently end anyone who would so much as looked at her.
"I've never heard of this Sesshōmaru-sama," he said as he sat with his guards.
"Me neither," Hiro said.
"I have," Etsuko muttered.
"How much would it cost to buy that girl?" he asked.
"He won't sell her," a new voice said and he looked at the innkeeper said as they served him sake. "Do not try."
"You have no right to speak to me!" Nori snarled as he snatched up his sake.
"I speak to save your life, do not attempt to buy that girl or Sesshōmaru-sama will unleash hell," the innkeeper said before leaving them. Nori snorted, he doubted that, he would have Etsuko steal her and Hiro after he left.
Once they were wed he would give this Sesshōmaru-sama compensation, but Nori was most interested in gaining Rin.
He liked them at her age, they were always so confused when it was happening, and the pain!
Rin woke in the morning after the festival and carefully put away her futon and bedding. She put the mask away before Kagome or Kaede saw it and started lecturing her about receiving gifts from Sesshōmaru and how inappropriate that was. Rin didn't see what the big deal was, her lord had been giving her gifts for as long as she had known him. They were never untoward gifts or inappropriate, new kimonos, hair ribbons, hair pins, and other odds and ends. Her lord had been seeing to her care for as long as she had known him.
Walking out into the village she went about prepping for breakfast, collecting eggs and the rice, she would need a few vegetables, which meant she'd have to go haggle with Rei, not something she was looking forward to. Rin didn't look forward to that, but it would work in her favor, she looked up to see the storm rolling in from the east. It was going to be a wet day, she would bet that it would start up in an hour or sooner.
Sighing she dropped off the eggs, and the bag of rice at Kaede's, Kaede was still sleeping soundly. With that Rin checked the water bucket, it was mostly empty, another chore before getting the vegetables, she'd need the water now.
The water would be a bigger need than the vegetables, getting the bucket she started for the well. The river was a safe water source but Kaede had recently taken to saying it tasted muddy, so Rin had started collecting it from the well. Walking through Edo she saw the village waking slowly, but no one was really up but her. She waved at a few farmers as she passed them, they bowed as they left her alone.
She was Sesshōmaru's girl, she was a yōkai's onna, and many of the villagers were wary of her because of that, which was annoying. But she understood the human views on people who are different from them, Rin was different, and she was a dangerous unknown. The villagers probably feared if anything happened to her, for they all knew Sesshōmaru was not keen on mercy. Getting to the well Rin started filling the buckets.
Suddenly hands grabbed her she gasped as she was pulled against a strong body and physicially lifted. She struggled as she squirmed and tried to claw at the grabber's head, she lashed out her feet knocking over the bucket as she tried to escape the hold, she tried escape. Another man appeared grabbing her legs as she struggled, she gnashed her teeth, the man smothering her winced but didn't remove his hand. She could feel the world fading as she struggled.
"Sleep girl," a man ordered, she felt the world slip from her grasp then as she lost the battle with her lungs.
InuYasha woke when there was a storm raging and groaned, he had had too much sake and now his head hated him. Sitting up he saw his mate, prone on the futon, which had him rubbing a hand over his face as he got up and grabbed his hakama and pulled it one, he was too tired to dress properly. He draped his robe over Kagome as he left to go check on Kaede's place. Rin would already be up and her magic cure for alcohol would be ready if she was kind! Rin was always kind. He didn't get how someone so kind be in his brother's life.
The rain was falling hard, though there was no wind so it just plummeted over him as he walked.
Making it to Kaede's hut he walked in to see her stoking the fires herself.
"Where's Rin?" he asked as he shook his hair out.
"Is she not with Sesshōmaru-sama?" Kaede asked.
"Sesshōmaru left yesterday," InuYasha said blandly.
"Rin didn't come back last night," Kaede said.
InuYasha frowned as he walked up to the sleeping quarters, Rin's scent was clinging freshly to the bedding. He carefully sifted through her things, back tracking her scent. He had seen Rin come to the hut last night, or at least head in this direction. With how her scent was lingering she had come home.
He blinked when he opened her trunk and saw the mask, she had been here.
"You didn't hear her last night or this morning?" he asked as he looked around the hut, he saw the missing water bucket by the other water bucket, which was almost out.
"I haven't seen her," Kaede said firmly.
"I'm going to check the well," he said and walked out, once he was certain that Kaede wouldn't hear him he ran, leaping on rooftops as he went for the well, it was farther on the outskirts of the village. Her scent was gone but he knew her route, Rin wasn't a creature of habits, but when she went about mornings there was a routine she followed. Rin was not a creature of the morning. Getting to the well he looked around, it didn't look like anyone had been here.
Except that overturned bucket.
He frowned as he picked it up, he'd know it anywhere, this was Rin's, Jaken had enchanted it so she would never spill the water.
