Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Inuyasha.

Edit: September 17, 2018. Another completely revised chapter. To those of you re-reading, yes, the name "Itachi" is gone and in its stead "Itsuki" is born. I took one of the comments to heart and must agree that the names I chose, though legitimate, have too many other associations connected to them. It is impossible to create full immersion when you think of the kind hearted Uchiha. I would know, I read enough Naruto fanfiction to fill a bookcase :P
Enjoy chapter 3 version 2.0 :)


"I'm just a prisoner of love."

- Utada Hikaru


- Chapter 3 – Prisoner of Love–

Rin sat in her room, gazing out of the window. The three names she had to choose from swirled in her head. The date of her imminent separation from Sesshōmaru-sama was tomorrow, and she wished for time to stand still. The Kami had been generous with her, she thought, guiding her to her lord. She wished they would grace her just once more, freezing time on this sorrowful day. She sighed deeply. She could no longer hide from the truth. She knew that sooner or later Sesshōmaru-sama would have to do something about the ongoing rumors; she was no fool. She heard the whispers, some didn't even bother murmuring behind closed doors.

She sighed deeply once more. She was supposed to give Sesshōmaru-sama a name tomorrow. The name of someone that she will have to live her life with, bear children to, love and honor, eat meals with, talk to, laugh with. It was an impossible decision to make, and yet her lord demanded she makes it. Her lips curled into a bitter smile. She was a prisoner of her own love. Doomed if she doesn't make a choice, and doomed if she does. "Trapped," she mumbled to herself. She was well and truly trapped in the shackles of her love.

Her lord has chosen well for her, she knew. Yuu was handsome and gentle; caring and pleasantly affectionate. He was not a dog demon, but he was the son of a general in Sesshōmaru-sama's own court; a fine choice for the ruler's ward. Except for the fact that she was quite certain that he liked one of the soldiers in his platoon. One of the male soldiers. Now that she's mating a youkai she might actually live long enough to witness the certain scandal, but it also means that she would never be able to accept him as a mate. She cupped her head between her hands and laughed suddenly, her voice rising in slight hysteria. She will never be able to accept any of them. Her lord was without equal in her heart, and he probably knew it too, Kami knows he's arrogant enough.

She returned to watching the leaves on the tree outside her window sway in the gentle wind, her mind once again reluctantly focused on the excruciating task of shattering her own heart. Akira was manly enough, she supposed, if one liked her man burly. If his jokes were any indication, however, she was looking at a long life of being treated as beneath him. He would never treat food as equal. She snorted and shook her head. He also seemed rather eager to mate her. She assumed it had to do with the elevation of his status once he gains ties to the Western Lord.

Well then, it seemed like her list was narrowed down to just one individual: Itsuki. He was a dog-demon, son of a lord in Sesshōmaru-sama's court. He was as tall as her lord, she remembered. She liked that about him, but she had a feeling it will hurt her to keep such associations. He was the quiet type; he only spoke when he had something interesting and smart to say. They spent an hour sitting next to each other in the garden watching the scenery, sharing a comfortable silence. She was used to silence, her lord was not known for his eloquent speech. Sesshōmaru-sama could utter more than two words per sentence, of course, but more often than not he chose not to. Itsuki smiled at her, in the garden, and asked her for her opinion on a poem he just read. She gladly gave it and he seemed attentive enough, listening. She sighed, shaking her head at the creeping melancholy, she had her choice.

She stood up and paced around the room a few times, breathing deeply. "I choose Itsuki," she said to the silence, and her face immediately crumpled into a muffled sob. "No!" She screamed into the quiet of her room. She will not be a whiny child. She straightened her shoulders and raised her head high. "I choose Itsuki," she said again, clenching her fists and breathing hard. Her face remained passive. She smiled. A sad little smile of defeated triumph. The little things are all that's left now. She stepped out of her room and into the corridor, heading towards Sesshōmaru's study.

He knew she was on the other side of the door. He closed his eyes briefly, breathing in her sweet scent. He would miss it. "Enter," he said calmly. "Sesshōmaru-sama," she said with respect, her face blank.

"Have you chosen?" he asked immediately, wishing to be done with the affair as soon as possible, wishing he could avoid this, wishing… Wishes were for fools and cowards, he thought with finality. Whomever she chose, he would not like. It was decided, and there was no turning back.

"I choose Itsuki," she said in a clear and strong voice. Her earlier practice paid off. The despair and misery held at bay. Her lord had decreed, and she would follow. That was the way of the world. He is a great youkai and she a puny human. They would not have worked to begin with, she knew.

"Very well. You shall be wed in three days," he said, his voice flat, almost bored. She looked at him, her brown eyes hard. She looked into his eyes for what felt like eternity, searching for a glimmer of regret, a speckle of longing, a fragment of love. Finding nothing, she turned on her heel and left. The door closed quietly behind her and Sesshōmaru released the breath he was holding. She was upset, he knew. She must have practiced her reaction, it was too emotionless to be authentic. Rin was too full of life to successfully pull off a non-reaction.

She chose Itsuki. He will have to listen to his father boast in court, he sighed. The thought of the dark haired inu morphed in his mind into an image of a mating bed, and Sesshōmaru has to quell the urge to storm the castle and joyfully rip apart the bastard. The smirk that appeared at the edge of his lips was sinister. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down his rising youki. He made her do it, his perfect little Rin, now he must go through with it. Going back on his word would be akin to political suicide. He needs a full-blooded heir, he reminded himself sternly. Many depended on the stability of the Western Lands, subjects and foreigners alike. It was necessary.

He took a blank scroll and wrote Itsuki a summons to his own mating ceremony. He looked at the words one last time and then sealed it with candle wax. The irony of him sealing Rin's fate along with it was not lost on him.

"Jaken," he called. "Yes, My lord!" The imp said, shooting through the study door. "Send this scroll to Itsuki. Use our fastest runner." He gave him the sealed scroll and went back to working on paperwork, seemingly unaffected.

So she chose, thought Jaken. Itsuki would make her happy; he is very nice and sought after. The thoughts of Rin growing up accompanied him down the hall in his mission to find the best runner to deliver the scroll that carried Rin's future.


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