(Disclaimer: I own none of the Inuyasha Characters)
Within only 40 seconds of arriving to the Festival, Rin would rather be killing demons. Humans have never been one of her most favorite creatures. One, because they killed her entire family, and two, she felt more connected to demons. She would rather
play with Au-Un than a hundred human children. She felt safer there anyway.
But now, since she can kill anything anytime she wanted to, she never felt vulnerable. Unless she didn't have her weapon.
Curse Azumi for making me feel so unsafe like this. Thought Rin to herself.
She was walking behind Azumi and the rest of her family. She knew she loved them, but right now, she hated Azumi. There's a reason demon slayers usually travel in groups. So that if one of them wasn't prepared, one of the others would be. But to Rin,
being around others was a chore if she wasn't prepared. She didn't trust anyone to keep themselves safe, not for a moment.
Azumi was dressed in a light blue kimono, which was something she had actually bought herself, it was a wedding gift to herself. Azumi looked at her two children and thought about the day that Rin came into her life. She saw the young girl and knew immediately
she needed to help her. But now that the little girl has turned into a woman, she needed to blossom out into womanhood. She needed to become a woman, not a demon slayer.
I wish she had never killed that centipede. But if Rin hadn't, who knows what would've happened to Taki. I just want her to be happy and secure. Demon slaying isn't security, it is death.
Azumi looked at her husband, an ex-demon slayer, and saw that he was happy with what he has. He's always wanted a family, and now he has the most perfect one. A little girl who is both girl, and small demon slayer, and a young son who (hopefully) will
become strong and wise, instead of a slayer. They wanted at least one child to have intelligence, maybe even become a monk of some sort.
I'm happy with my life. She thought to herself.
She looked back at Rin and saw all the distrust clear on her face. Rin doesn't want to be here at all. She looked like she would switch into a human killer instead of demons in any moment.
"Rin, you could at least try to LOOK like you're enjoying yourself," said Azumi, turning away from the girl.
"But then I'd be lying," said Rin back, looking at all the carts of humans trying to sell useless knick-knacks.
Rin admits that the view of the festival is beautiful. The lights were all orange and pink and white, and the food all smelled delicious. Hiro had given her some money to spend on herself, if she so chose. Maybe she would actually spoil herself. It wasn't
unusual for Rin to have her own money, she got paid by villagers from surrounding villages all the time to take care of small, pesky demons. But that money usually went to the family, or to her weapons. She hardly ever spent money on herself.
"Azumi, do you mind if I go buy myself some food? The walk actually made me very tired," asked Rin.
"Of course, dear, just make sure you find us later," said Azumi, waving Rin off.
Rin browsed all the food carts, and didn't find one thing that she truly wanted to buy for herself. Maybe I would like a necklace instead.
She looked at this one cart which was truly a sight to see. It was an older woman, way past her mothering days, and she was wearing a sensible kimono. But what made the cart more intriguing to Rin, was the color of most of the jewelry it had. Bright orange,
like a sunset. And like his eyes.
Rin sometimes sat outside on her hill in the evening after a day of training and watched the sunset. and only thought about his eyes. She tried not to, but it was unavoidable.
Rin browsed the bracelets and the rings, and thought that buying herself a ring and putting it on the finger that is most commonly used for marriage, that it would make most men back off. But that would upset Azumi, and Rin knew she had to make her way
out of the hut eventually. And bracelets weren't really her favorite thing, it would get caught on her armor. So a necklace was her best option.
She looked at most of them, but they were mostly animals or hearts.
"Anything in particular, dear?" asked the old woman.
"I'm looking for a necklace, but nothing of a particular shape. Maybe a pearl perhaps, but I can't find anything like it," said Rin, almost giving up on her search.
"A pearl… well, It's not a real pearl, but it could pass off to be a strange one. I've tried selling this piece of junk for years now, but no one has ever wanted it. Maybe you can give it a try," she said, pulling something out from under the cart.
She pulled out a necklace with a silver chain and a bright orange pearl, it changed the color from bright orange to dark orange according to the light, but it was a crack on one side of it.
It's perfect.
"How much do you want for it? I'll take it off your hands," said Rin, not second guessing herself for a moment.
"Oh really? Well, since you seem to like it so much, you can just take it. It's been a hinder on my mind for years, you enjoy it, I'll enjoy giving it to you! Have a nice night, my dear," said the woman, who turned to help another customer.
Rin looked at the piece of broken jewelry in her palm and inspected the crack it had. It was broken, but it was also beautiful. The crack went from the bottom center of the pearl to where the pearl connected to the chain. It reminded her of him but
it also reminded her of herself. Broken, but strong.
"Do you need some help putting that on?" said a voice that was now behind Rin.
She turned around and looked at the man. He was one of the tallest men she had ever seen, and the darkest hair, which was turned into a bun. His kimono was dark blue with white robe eyes what were most hypnotizing. They were dark green. He was one of
the most beautiful men she had ever seen.He was a Lord as well.
"Oh, thank you, myLord, yes please," said Rin, handing the man the necklace and turning around.
She lifted up her hair and he placed the jewel on her chest and clasped it around her neck.
"A beautiful woman like you deserved a much more refined piece of jewelry. This one has a crack!" He said, when she turned back around.
Rin chuckled a little and said, "I prefer broken things, they seem more valuable. My name is Rin, what is your's?"
He smiled, which showed off his teeth. His teeth were sharp, all of them were. And he had almost fangs. Rin squinted her eyes and knew immediately. He's not human.
"My name is Lord Orochi, but you, my Lady, may call me Orochi," he said, taking her hand and lightly kissing the top of it.
He doesn't know that I know he's a demon in human form. That's why his eyes are so hypnotizing, and his aura is bright.
"Thank you for your help, Lord Orochi. Do you mind accompanying me to find my family? I wouldn't bother you, but I fear some of the men here," she said, bowing a little to show respect and trust.
"A young, virtuous woman like herself should be accompanied. I am to guess you are unmarried?" he asked, offering his arm for her to take.
She nodded and took his arm.
Damn it. I don't have a weapon. I could get rid of this problem now. But perhaps he's a kind demon. It wouldn't be the first deceiving demon.
They talked about Rin's village at first, then she changed the topic from herself to him. She tried to pry out any bad information out of him.
"How is it a handsome Lord like yourself isn't married?" she asked him.
"Oh, many reasons. I don't believe in arranged marriage and my type is so specific," he said, avoiding the question almost immediately.
He changed the subject back to her and she gave as vague of answers as possible. It wasn't easy figuring out whether or not he was a bad demon, or a decent one.
"Rin!" she heard little Taki yell for her.
She turned around and saw that she was being grabbed by a man with the same eyes as Orochi, but his skin was green and scaly as well.
"No! Let go of her, Demon!" screamed Rin, who started reaching for her nonexistent bow and arrow immediately.
Rin's arms were grabbed and she was forced to stare into the eyes of Orochi, but now his claws had come out and she was being stabbed in the arms by his grip.
His eyes had changed from green, to almost cat eyes, and his skin was changing color as well. His teeth had grown. His tongue was the tongue of a snake.
"Shh, you're very tired Rin, you don't know what you're seeing. Close your eyes and sleep,my beautiful virgin of a girl," she said in his hypnotic voice.
Rin knows what he's doing but she can't stop herself from giving in to his demands. She closed her eyes and the last thing she saw was her an orange glow on her chest.
Sesshomaru. He will save me.
She opened her eyes, and noticed she couldn't move. It was dark in the room she was it, she couldn't see her own body, but she knew she was still clothed. She listened to the things around her and heard whimpering.
"Hello? Who is there?" she whispered.
"Rin… it's so dark," she heard Taki say.
"It'll be okay, Taki. Can you move? I need you to unbind my hands and legs," she explained in the calmest, yet demanding voice she could master.
"Okay, I'll try," she whimpered.
She had been sitting in the dark for hours by herself, not knowing what was going to happen to her. The men never make her sleep since she was too little to do anything horrible to them. She saw how they handled Rin, the big man-looking demon carried
her into the woods, she was over his shoulder like a bag of rice. The men that took her mother and father took them to another part of the forest.
Taki crawled to where Rin was and when she finally found her, she untied the rope with ease. That was too easy. There has to be something I'm missing.
"Taki, where did they take Azumi and Hiro? Where did they take your brother?" asked Rin, when he got loose.
"I don't know, somewhere into the forest. We're in a cave, I think," said Taki.
"Oh please don't give out all my secrets, child," said a man who was walking into cave.
"Orochi, let Taki go, she's only a child!" pleaded and demanded Rin, pushing Taki behind her.
"Exactly," he said, lighting a candle. He went around the cave and made every candle light up.
The cave was dry and small, it wasn't a luxurious castle by any means. Orochi's skin had completely changed into green scales, Rin had never seen a snake demon before, but now she had. And he had taken her hostage.
"I prefer the flesh of virgins, if you hadn't guessed that. It's usually difficult to find a beautiful woman like yourself to be pure, you know. So tell me, why is it that you haven't yet wed or at least whored yourself out yet?" he questioned, standing
an arm's length from Rin and Taki.
"Because I've spent most of my life either with demons, or killing them. Let Taki go, you can have me," she said again, this time a little bit more polite in voice.
"You're a demon slayer?" he chuckled, "You're so precious. How can a weak woman like you ever even think you could defeat me?" he kept laughing.
"Don't call her weak! She is the most powerful demon slayer in the lands! She could kill you in a heartbeat!" yelled Taki in a fit of rage.
Rin was about to tell Taki to be quiet, but she was ripped away from Rin's grasp and into Orochi's arms.
"Oh, really child? Are you willing to put your life on the line for a challenge like that?" his tongue slithered out of his mouth, making Taki start crying again.
"Rin wouldn't let anything happen to me!" she yelled through her tears.
"This girl puts so much faith into you, a mere human woman without a weapon. But this challenge intrigues me. I'll get you any weapon you wish. If you even get close to killing me, I'll let the girl go. If you kill me, you can have your whole family back
and you'll be free to go. Interested in a fight, love?" he said, dropping Taki on the ground.
Rin looked the demon in the eyes and stepped forward and said, "Deal."