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: 5


Year 1578...

Tsuzuki Castle...

Sesshōmaru had arrived at Tsuzuki Castle last night and been, since then, working with his morhter to sort out the damages. The few attackers left alive were in his mother's prisons, suffering the affects of Kimi's venom. They were weasels mostly there were a few oni, and a couple of hebi in the pack of yōkai that had attacked, but they weren't any members of any of the Clans or Tribes. For the most part they were composed of renegades, which grated his nerves; their audacity at attacking his pack.

"They are renegades, useless fighters thinking our territory would be easy picking because our Inu no Tashio isn't always present," his mother said as they walked the engawa, the heavy storm was falling hard right now, though there was no winds.

"I…"

"I've been defending this territory long before you were born," she said.

"It is…"

"Sesshōmaru you are my pup, you are Inu no Taishō, true, but we do not need you to run this pack," Kimi said.

"I have neglected my duties for the last two and a half centuries," he said levelly.

"Hai, you have, but you were mourning," she replied. "We all understood, we are all fond of her, she will be a great Lady of the West when she takes the mantle from me, but until then I am alpha bitch and I am in charge of this pack. You are not required to be here for this pack to run, Sesshōmaru."

"It is a sign of weakness that I am gone," he admitted.

"No, it isn't," Kimi chuckled. "We are as we always have been, we are strong."

They continued their walk in silence, finally pausing at the northern quarters, he watched the lightning starting to streak through the skies, illuminating the other mountains and clouds of his yōkai territory.

"How is she?" his mother asked.

"She just turned thirteen," he said. "It was the Tanabata festival last night," he informed her.

"The Tanabata festival?" Kimi asked.

"A human celebration she was born on," he explained. Sesshōmaru happened to find a slight fascination with the festival, solely because of Rin's birth.

"She is growing into quite the young onna," his mother mused.

He didn't respond, he would have to work her fighting skills harder. However, his brother and his onna had put Sesshōmaru's training regimen for Rin on hold. Kagome had actually screeched, loudly in his ear, and fought about Rin's training regimens, and the taijiya was too pregnant to train Rin.

"For now, rest, go visit her tomorrow, give her my best wishes," Kimi said.

"You could visit her," he pointed out.

"Too many humans," she shuddered as they walked into the shiro.

"Hai, too many," he agreed, the smells they gave off was enough to annoy even the weakest of noses. However, Rin was there which was enough enticement for him to go there.

"When the weather clears go visit her, this is from me for her thirteenth," Kimi said handing him a fan. "Every proper lady needs a fan," she said.

He nodded as he accepted it and left his mother to walk into his private quarters. The rooms were silent without her, he looked around his living area and sighed as he started removing his armor. Pulling up his hair he changed into lighter garments and examined Magatsuhi's mark as he changed. The mark had spread up to his shoulder, the wound was raw and ached, but the seeping blood had stopped. Which was good. Re-bandaging it he sat on his futon, his fingers trailing over her quilt stitch work.

Stretching out he pondered if he should just return now, but he had left the festival early to deal with this. Rin would understand, she had learned his duties rather young so she would know. Still, he had been enjoying his time with her, he would return tomorrow, the moment he had heard a few of his packmates issues before continuing out of their territory to visit her.

Sesshōmaru didn't remember falling asleep but he remembered the searing panic that woke him up to look up and around his room, he sat up and started reaching through their bond. It was blank, she was unconscious or asleep, he didn't like it. Getting up he changed swiftly, leaving the fan on the draws. Grabbing his armor he pulled it on swiftly as he grabbed Bakusaiga and Tenseiga, jogging out of the castle before taking to the air, he didn't like feeling panic or fear from Rin, InuYasha had better be watching her closely or he was skinning the hanyō after he found what was wrong with Rin!


InuYasha was so fucked there was no trace of her scent anywhere in Edo! He was so very dead if he didn't find wherever Rin had run off to. Leaping over the huts he skidded back into his and Kagome's hut with Miroku's family, when there was a slam of energy which shook the air more strongly than thunder and he turned to look at his red eyed brother glaring down at him.

"Where is Rin?" Sesshōmaru demanded, his tone was icy calm and unwavering.

"I don't know, I just woke up," he admitted nervously.

Sesshōmaru turned and left in a streak of energy as he went to find her.

InuYasha released a shuddering breath as he ran to get dressed and resume the hunt to find Rin. He had to find Rin, or Sesshōmaru would never forgive anyone, he would raze this village to nothing but a puddle of goo, and he wouldn't stop there.

If there was one thing InuYasha knew for certainty where his brother was concerned it was that the bastard was utterly ruthless, and merciless without Rin.

"InuYasha?" he looked over when a teenager appeared half asleep. "What's going on?" Kohaku yawned.

"Rin's missing," he said as he finished dressing and grabbing Tetsuseiga before runout out to find Sesshōmaru.


Sesshōmaru hadn't found Rin in Kaede's hut, the miko had squawked that he shouldn't be there when he had snapped Rin was missing which had shut the old woman up. Rin wasn't there, and there was no signs of her being taken from here. He looked through her trunk, noting that one of her kimonos was missing, one of her everyday ones, which had him frowning. She had gotten up this morning, that was something he had not expected, he knew she despised mornings with a passion. He took her fox mask before leaving, it had the strongest scent on it which had him darting back into the rain, part of his mind was sifting through their bond looking for her, but she was most assuredly unconscious.

"I tracked her to the town well," InuYasha shouted from the rooftop which had him leaping for that. There was the bucket Jaken had given her, crouching down as he examined the well's ground. There was no tracks here, the rain had washed them away but he went through Rin's mind to what had had her panicking to wake him.

There had been two, at least, she hadn't seen them, they had come up behind her, and from there her member got blurry. Rin had fought, but she was a small, and weak human compared to whoever had grabbed her, which had him frowning as he got up.

"Where did that daimyō stay?" he demanded when InuYasha landed beside him.

"The daimyō?"

"Yesterday! The human!?" he demanded sharper as he spun on InuYasha.

"The inn!" he shouted.

"Where?" he snarled.

"Largest building in the village!" InuYasha shouted as he darted towards the inn, he didn't care about how this appeared, his mate was scared and had been panicked. Two things he had worked on never letting her feel. He broke the inn door down and snarled at the waking humans.

"Where was the stranger from last night from?" he growled; a village like this everyone knew everyone, that daimyō was new. Sesshōmaru would wager he had taken Rin.

"Sesshōmaru-sama!" the innkeeper shouted throwing himself to the floor then.

"The daimyō!" he snapped.

"West, they're from the west there's a big castle about four days from here!" the wife said. He nodded as he darted out. He would find Rin!


July 27th, 1984...

Tokyo, Japan...

Airi and her three boys sat in the Tokyo police station, she was running her fingers through Tomomi's hair and she pressed her lips to Ken'ichi's temple while Yasu studiously sat without revealing a thought. Kazuo was talking with the police, he was trying to find leads on their daughter. Kazuo's family would be flying in from Honolulu this evening, while her father was staying at the house keeping a watch in case Rin wandered back into the house. She couldn't contain her nerves, she had kept her other three children close as she could, she didn't want anything else to happen to her children.

William and Betty would land tonight, if Takehiro could be here he would, but he was deployed right now. She just held her children closer as she prayed they would have a lead on Rin soon. She couldn't take this much longer.

It had been four days since Rin had disappeared, she couldn't take this!


Kazuo dragged his hands through his hair as he talked with the detective.

"Do you have enemies or anyone who would have taken her?"

"No," he shook his head.

"Your family has business in the United States, is it possible," the detective started.

"No, no, we don't work with the yakuza, we don't have problems with the business in Hawaii right now, my father is a retired Marine, my mother is a charity runner, and my brother is a Marine currently deployed. And Ji-Su, we call her Su, is a nurse in Honolulu," he said. "We don't have enemies stateside, my dad runs a tight ship, and a thorough background check on everyone who works for him. We're involved with reform programs, and second chances, there's more people we help than don't! About the closest to this crime shit my father and I get is through Five-0 reruns and Magnum, P.I.! I am not involved with the Yakuza or the Triade either here or in the States!"

"What about here?"

"No, Airi is a teacher, and I have three boys under fifteen," he said. "I don't gamble or sleep around, there's no mistress or anything here, I travel, but we don't have anyone who'd want to snatch our daughter!"

"Ji-Su?"

"Hai, Ji-Su O'Riley before she married Takehiro," he said. "No, she doesn't have enemies, she's a nurse," he mused humorlessly. "They aren't involved with this! My brother's deployed and she's expecting their first kid! In Hawaii not Japan!"

"Anyone in your family that would've taken her?"

"No, Hisakawa is our only family here in Japan, and he's my wife's father," he sighed tiredly. "Have you found my daughter at all? Any leads? Suspects!?" he demanded. This shit happened in New York or Los Angeles, not Tokyo! They were supposed to be safe here! His daughter should've been safe here! This was her home!

"We are looking, but no leads so far," the detective said.

Kazuo just gaped dumbly. He would bet that his father could find Rin faster than these cops and his father's eyes were failing him!

"None of this is helping find my daughter!" he shouted surging to his feet as he gave up his composer. "She's eight years old, this big, she's got black hair and bright brown eyes and smiles all the time, and loves inu! She is missing!" he shouted. "What are you doing to find her!"

"We are following up on leads, and this is helping your daughter," the detective said.

"Bullshit! It's been four days!" he shouted as in frustration.

"The best thing you can do for your daughter, Zaizen-san, is remain calm, and have faith," the detective said.


Year 1578...

Somewhere in Musashi Province...

Rin groaned as she came too, shifting as she rubbed her throbbing head and looking around the unfamiliar room, this wasn't her hut or her room, or anywhere familiar which had her slowly pushing herself upright as she looked around. She had never seen this room before, and she looked down to note that she was dressed in a clean white yukata; she didn't own a white yukata. She felt like she had been hit by a horse too!

"I apologize for the roughness of my men," a kind voice said which had her coming fully alert as she tried to scramble back from the voice.

"You had better release me," she warned as she ignored her panic and stared levelly at that useless daimyō who had tried to dance with her at the festival yesterday. Oshiro Nori smiled at her, which had her skin crawling as she looked him over, she wanted get as far away from him as she could, she didn't like the way he was looking at her. Rin knew that look, she had seen it in the bandits before.

"Or what?" he mused. The look could've been playful,

"I'm warning you, Sesshōmaru-sama will come for me!" she warned sharply as she clutched her quilt tightly and glared at him.

"And your yōkai lord might concede to a fair bride price," he said leaning back.

"I don't want a husband," she warned sharply.

"But you will."

"Let me go, right now, and Sesshōmaru-sama might let you live," she offered. The man chuckled as he stood up and walked towards her, Rin scrambled away from him, wishing to kami she had a knife or something to defend herself.

"This Sesshōmaru-sama isn't a real lord, if he's yōkai."

"He's daiyōkai and he is more a lord than you," she spat. A hand lashed out and sent her reeling into the floor hard, as she struggled to get up again, spitting out the blood she tasted as she glared at the human.

"I am the daimyō of these lands!" he shouted. "I am who is in charge here!"

"Lay another hand on me and my lord will tear you apart limb from limb!" she shouted furiously. Sesshōmaru would kill Oshiro Nori for this! Sesshōmaru never tolerated anyone harming her, she had seen him kill humans for less where she was concerned. This was the first time ever though, in the five years since her lord had taken her in that a human had had the guts to even lay hands on her! Sesshōmaru was going to kill him.

"Insolent bitch!" he shouted as he struck her again, Rin collapsed under the blow as stars blew up before her eyes. She groaned as she twisted around just as a foot lashed out hitting her stomach as the air escaped her lungs from the hit.

"You're dead," she growled.

"We'll see," he sneered. "I'm going to enjoy you!" he chuckled darkly as a heel connected with her jaw which had her world going pitch black then.