Chapter 12 – Strong bonds
"Ohayo, Kagome-chan!" Rin's voice sounded happy. Kagome was sitting outside the house, in her rocking chair, leaning back and forth. Her wrists were still bandaged, but she looked a whole lot better now. The morning sunlight played on her beautiful features and she seemed to enjoy the warm caress from the rays of light.
"Ohayo, Rin-chan!" she answered with a smile. Rin walked towards her and lowered her body to level with Kagome's eyes. She stretched her arm and offered the miko a bunch of wild flowers, with a childish smile. Kagome widened her own smile and shook her head a little.
"Just like when you were a child, Rin-chan. You were so sweet. You still are, even if in some other manner. Arigato gozaimasu. They are lovely." Kagome smelled the flowers, and took in their wild scent.
"I heard you were doing much better. I'm sorry I haven't come to see you sooner, I just didn't want to disturb you. Sesshoumaru told me you were in need of rest." Rin had a serious look on her face. Kagome tilted her head on a side and raised an eyebrow.
"Sesshoumaru?" she repeated the name, noticing the lack of title. Rin had always said Sesshoumaru-sama. She even thought of him as sama, Kagome was absolutely certain. Could this mean what she thought it meant? She didn't want to pry. Rin would tell her if she wanted to. It wasn't much of her business anyway.
Rin blushed and avoided Kagome's look for a second.
"That's… another story. I just wanted to see you, Kagome-chan. I'm so happy you're doing so well. Are those wounds healed yet?" she nodded towards Kagome's wrists.
"Just about. Not much longer now." Kagome smiled. Seeing Rin so peaceful made her happy. This girl had been through hell, and she deserved a break. If Sesshoumaru wouldn't treat her well, she'll purify his youkai ass! To Kagome, the taiyoukai was definitely getting the better end of the deal. Rin was a treasure. She leaned out of the chair and embraced the girl.
"Don't let him push you around, and try to wipe that annoying smile of his face, Rin-chan!" she whispered in Rin's ear, and they both broke into laughter.
They pulled out of the embrace, and Kagome winked at the younger girl. Rin smiled back, with a playful look in her eyes.
"I love him so much, Kagome-chan." Rin said, seriously all of a sudden. She shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't think I've ever had any chance at not loving him, since day one he saved me. I just… belong with him."
Kagome looked at her, understanding her feelings. She had felt like that with Inuyasha. Like she belonged with him. He prayed to all the Gods she ever heard of that Sesshoumaru wouldn't hurt this girl.
Kagome knew he cared for her, there was no question about that, but she feared that his youkai nature would get in the way of his feelings, and win over emotions. And Rin would get hurt. She sighed and stroked Rin's hair. This young woman was in for a bumpy ride.
"You just play a little hard to get, and it'll definitely drive him mad, Rin-chan! What I wouldn't give to see Sesshoumaru lose his composure! Ah, the thrill of it!" Kagome joked rolling her eyes dramatically, and they both laughed again.
"Well aren't you the joyful ones…"
"Kaede-baba!" Rin jumped, and bowed to the older woman.
"Rest at ease, child." Kaede said. She was holding an basket filled with all sorts of plants. Rin figured they were medicinal plants.
"Kagome, I'm going into the village to see to some people who have fallen ill. Apparently, they've come up with some kind of infection. Don't worry, I have your medicine too. Those strange things work like magic."
"They're called antibiotics, Kaede-baba." Rin intervened, with a respectful tone.
"Good going, Rin!" Kagome smiled.
"Why don't you accompany Kaede-baba to the village? It's a nice walk, and you'll learn a few things too. If you're interested, of course."
Rin's eyes sparked.
"May I, Kaede-baba?" The old woman nodded.
"Thank you so much!" she turned to her friend. "Will you be okay by yourself, Kagome? I don't want to leave you alone."
Kagome waved her hand, dismissing Rin's worry.
"Inuyasha will be back soon. He's just gone… actually I don't really know where he is. He left early this morning, and told me he'll be back soon." She shrugged his shoulders, raising her eyebrows.
"Whatever… I don't want him to think I'm trying to keep him on a leash. But I'll be okay. You go on, Rin-chan!" The girl felt more at ease, and left soon enough, by Kaede's side.
Kagome looked to the woods nearby, as the two departed. She instantly realized that she was keeping Inuyasha on a leash. The Kotodama rosary was still around his neck. She could still subdue him with only one word.
She frowned at this, and realized she no longer needed the damn thing. Inuyasha's pride had been bruised enough by her "Osuwari!" over the years. It was time to put it to an end. 'When he comes back.' She figured, and nodded to herself.
As on queue, Inuyasha landed in front of her with a silent thud. She almost jumped out of the chair.
"Inuyasha! Stop doing that, you've startled me." She was smiling though, and he smiled back. She looked so beautiful, just sitting there in that strange chair of hers. She had a long blue dress flowing over her body, with flower patterns across her chest. A small bouquet of wild flowers rested by her side, in the grass.
Her hair was tied up, a good sign that her wounds were almost healed. She could dress herself now. Her miko powers had helped her heal faster than she normally would have.
"You're beautiful, Kagome." He didn't intend it to sound corny, or to swipe her off her feet or something. He just worded out his thoughts, it was that simple. She really looked beautiful. Healthier, happier. His heart felt lighter.
"Arigato." She said, her face shiny and a little flushed. How he loved it when she blushed at the tiniest of compliments! He leaned towards her and placed a soft kiss on her lips, stroking her cheek.
Then he gave her a serious look, as if contemplating on something, as if all the answers to the world's questions rested on her face. Kagome didn't say anything. She wanted to know where he was, but didn't ask him. Instead, she leaned to him and grabbed the rosary around his neck.
She mumbled a few words, the rosary shortly lit up with a purple glow and the beans fell to the ground, spreading around into the grass. Inuyasha looked at her, obviously surprised.
"I don't want to keep you on a leash, Inuyasha. I was wrong to think that this was normal. You should be free. If I get angry with you I'll just settle it how every normal person would. I'll beat the crap out of you!" She smiled, and he did the same.
"Thank you, Kagome." He felt a little more liberated now, like he could fully sense the world around him. The spell of the rosary had been keeping some of his senses back. He felt sharper now, and welcomed the subtle change. She nodded, still smiling.
"I have something to give to you, too." He paused, and she wondered why the sudden seriousness on his face.
"I went to see your mother, this morning." Kagome frowned. Why would he go see her mother? Her unspoken question rested all over her face.
"She gave me this." He pulled out a small, delicate wooden box, with carved sakura flowers.
"The box was made from one of Goshinboku's branches, and it means a lot to many people. Beginning with your grandmother, after that your mother, and I hope that as of now, you."
His face was shadowed by the sun shining behind him, and his gold eyes were simply glowing with light. She felt fascinated by the way he looked.
Kagome vaguely remembered this little wooden box, but what had her mother said about it? Suddenly, Kagome widened her eyes. Inuyasha was knelt before her. The box held her grandmother's engagement ring! It was an antique piece of jewelry. It was very old… and very meaningful! Her grandmother had given the ring to her father, when he proposed...
'Oh, God! Is he proposing to me?' she wondered, in shock. She never thought that she would actually marry him in human terms. He was a hanyou, and Kagome never expected him to follow human traditions.
Of course she'd wanted the entire white dress and ring and all, but she figured it wouldn't suit him well, and she'd been very happy with the condition their relationship had been in. She wasn't going to ask for a proper marriage. And now, this was happening.
"Are you…" she began, but a lump in her throat kept her from speaking any further. He slowly opened the box, and she saw the beautiful green spark of the stone. It was simply wonderful, so delicate and tastefully placed in the metal carving of the ring.
She had no idea what kind of metal that was, but it was so light that you barely felt it on your finger, her mother had said. And the stone was said to belong to an ancient priestess. Kagome had never touched it, although her mother never forbade her to do so. The ring simply seemed too beautiful to be touched.
"Are you going to marry me, Kagome?" he said, a little amused by her bewilderment. She stood there shocked. A wave of heat passed through her body. This was too much!
"White dress and all?" she asked with fervor, knowing that her mother must have instructed Inuyasha in modern times weddings.
"White dress and all." He didn't have a chance to close his mouth, and she leaped out from the chair and into his chest, crushing him against the ground. She kissed him all over his face, as Inuyasha struggled to keep the ring safe.
He thought she would at least wait until he put the ring on! Goes to show that she cared for him more than she did for the ring. He suddenly felt important.
"Oh, my God, this is… just… Ah!" she shouted and embraced him tightly, smothering him against her. Her healing wounds didn't seem so painful anymore. Not that she could think of anything else right now!
"So, is this a yes?" he said, his voice muffled by her embrace. She let him breathe, and kissed his lips briefly.
"Are you crazy? You bet it is! YES! YES! Yes, I will marry you, you silly hanyou! I love you." That last statement she made with a serious look on her face and a soft voice.
"I love you too, Kagome." He said, as he put the ring on her finger. She glowed more beautifully than any jewel could. Even an ancient one. Even an enchanted one.
"You know, I would have never thought you as the marrying type, Inuyasha." She smiled down at him.
"You know, I would have never thought I will be putting a ring on your finger with you standing on top of me, but hey, I guess it's not supposed to go like in the stories, right?"
They smiled at each other, and Kagome suddenly became aware of something.
"So, this is the human way to do it. How about the demon way? Don't you want the youkai ritual too?" she was serious. Inuyasha didn't know what to say. Did she even know what that implied?
"I… I don't wanna hurt you. This is just fine, Kagome. We are mates even without this, but I wanted to do it for you." She tilted her head.
"Don't be silly, Inuyasha. I can take it. I mean, they are just marks, right?"
"Yes, but, they'll hurt like hell. I don't want you hurt anymore."
"They'll heal. Please. Now, I am doing this for you. It's okay." She tried to convince him.
The bite that marked the mates did hurt, she knew, and was usually performed between youkai mates, but she couldn't actually mark Inuyasha, so she would be the only one marked. She actually wanted it, his marks on her body.
It was definitive. Not that she wanted to tie him to her, she just craved that wild act of possession, and she'd always loved the untamed part of him. She wouldn't have him any other way than a hanyou. He seemed to think it over.
"After you are fully healed." He said, and she smiled. Inuyasha kissed her forehead and she rested her head on his chest. She didn't want to let him stand up. She was just fine with pinning him to the ground, so that she could feel him close. And he didn't object, either.
They stood there foe a while, in silence. Inuyasha was stroking her hair.
"I can't believe you actually asked my mother for my hand. That's sooo romantic!" she giggled, and Inuyasha rolled his eyes, a little amused.
"You know, she was pretty happy to hear it, too. She was missing you and worrying about you. This was a nice surprise to her."
"I should go see her." She said.
"You should. She misses you." Inuyasha agreed. She nodded, deciding that as soon as she could bear to let go of him, she would go see her mother.
:---:
Kaede had finished bandaging the old man's wound, and was now washing her hands.
"Do you think Sesshoumaru-sama would allow you to help me out once in a while, Rin?" The girl was very skilled in everything she put her head to, and Kaede found that she was a pleasant company too. And the poor girl could use a break from the taiyoukai's sight.
"I don't see why not. He never actually forbade me to leave the gardens. He's just… overprotective." She blushed at that realization, and Kaede didn't miss it. She was inwardly worried for the child, living with that demon. He always seemed so distant, so clod. How could a sensitive human girl like her live with such an icicle like him?
"You know Lord Sesshoumaru?" an old woman passing by asked, her voice dim and burdened with age. Rin shot up her eyes and smiled.
"Yes, I live at his castle." Her voice was so clear, and her face so shiny that the woman couldn't help but smile back at this beautiful child.
"Do you know him also?"
"I used to." The woman said, sadness in her face.
"My name is Mitsuko. The woman bowed a little to Rin, and the girl blushed."
"Hai. Hajimemashite, Rin desu. Dozo yoroshiku, onegai shimasu." (This actually means "Nice to meet you, I am Rin." It's the polite form and I wanted to write it in Japanese, to emphasize on the respect Rin instantly felt for the woman. I didn't want to brag.)
"How… did you know him?" Rin said, a little surprised, and a lot more curious.
"I knew his mother, and him, when he was a child."
"But that's… impossible." Rin mumbled, looking at the old woman. She was human, she couldn't have possibly lived for that long. Sesshoumaru was hundreds of years old.
Kaede touched her arm.
"You were a sorceress, weren't you?" Kaede asked Mitsuko.
"I guess a miko could tell. Yes, I was. I gave up my power to be with the one I loved."
"You gave up… immortality?" Rin shivered, astonished at the woman's proof of love.
"Yes." Mitsuko simply said.
"It was worth every bit of it. And more." She smiled gently and Rin felt a warm breeze pass over her body. The old woman was so serene… She'd given up immortality… for the sake of her loved one. To live a normal life with him, until they would both die of old age. Such a love was indeed worth giving an eternity for.
"I had been in Lady Natsumi's service all my life, since she was a child. When she mated Lord Inutaisho and had Sesshoumaru-sama, she was so happy and so peaceful. She'd been a distant, cold demon Lady, but the love for her child settled her wild heart. I guess that's what drove her to her death."
Rin stared at the woman, wide-eyed. She'd always asked herself what had become of Sesshoumaru's mother, why his father chose a human mate.
"Lord Sesshoumaru was young at that time, he may not remember his mother's pain when she realized she wouldn't recover from her illness. She was crying every the time she held her child, hating herself for allowing an illness bring her down, hating that she had to leave her baby all alone. Inutaisho was mostly away in those years, as The Western Lands were at war constantly, and he was needed on the battle field. Sesshoumaru-sama was to be left alone, after her death, without a piece of love and care, without an embrace or a kiss. She was torn by this, and she eventually died worrying that her child would become alienated, and cold, just as she had been until she had him. You know, Sesshoumaru-sama's cruel, cold nature comes from his mother, not his father, as many assumed. Inutaisho was not that distant. He was royalty, but was never as wintry as his son is now. It pained me to see him turn into what his mother once was, and I tried to change him, but he never listened to me. To this day, he is unaware that Lady Natsumi wanted him to be different from who she was, to be loved and not feared, to be more like his father. Greatly respected, but not feared by his subjects."
"I…never knew that…" Rin started, barely managing to keep her composure. So, she'd been right. He did need someone to lean on. He did need her to see him for who he really was, and not allow him to close her out of his heart. Her instincts had done well. But her worry came out of love, not analysis.
"You say you live with him, child. You are human."
"Yes, I am." Rin said, still surprised with the story.
"He cares for you." It was a statement, and Rin blushed. Was it that obvious?
"He does." She responded, and Mitsuko approached her. She lightly touched her hair with her old fingers and smiled. She closed her eyes and placed the tips of her fingers on Rin's forehead.
Rin stood still, with her eyes wide open and staring at the old woman.
"You've changed him, child. I didn't think it could be done, least of all by a human. He'll bind his blood to you, and you'll be with him forever." With a smile and a bow, she turned and entered a house nearby, and Rin was left a little frightened by her words.
'Bind his blood to me? What does that mean?' Kaede looked distressed. Rin looked at her, searching for an explanation.
Kaede shook her head.
"Kaede-baba? What did she mean?"
"It is too dangerous, and it can kill you child. The blood bond is strong, and few humans are known to have lived through the ritual. If you were a hanyou, it would be different, but you are human, and you may die. Your blood is too weak in comparison to his."
Rin was truly scared now. She'd never heard of something like this before. How could he bind his blood to her? What did it mean?
"What does the blood bond do, Kaede-baba?" she was so serious, that Kaede felt forced to tell her. Better that she found out from her. She took a deep breath.
"It is a ritual performed between youkai or youkai and hanyou. However, it had been attempted with humans, but it rarely worked. Our blood is considerably weaker. It means that the two are bind by blood, therefore by life, and as long as one lives, so shall the other. If one dies, the other will too. Youkai these days don't perform the ritual anymore, it is ancient and there are few youkai who would risk such a strong bond, anyway. It asks for a great deal of love to live through it."
Rin didn't think this could be possible. Live and die together.
"But wouldn't my death kill him too? I will age and die, I am human." she said.
"That's the thing, child. You would gain youkai immortality, through his youkai blood. You wouldn't actually turn into a youkai, it is impossible to do such a thing, but you would posses something similar to a hanyou condition."
"So, you're saying there's a way to stay with him forever?" Rin's face was scared, but hopeful. Kaede didn't like where this discussion was heading.
"No. You could die from this. When have you two become so close, anyway? Does he really love you, child?" Kaede asked, calmly.
"He does, and I love him." Rin answered, not hesitating for a second.
"We belong together." Kaede instantly felt sorry for the girl's fate. To love an immortal was a heavy burden to bear. Could he actually love her enough for the blood bond to work?
"Please, Kaede-baba, tell me how it's done."
Kaede shook her head, and simply turned to walk back towards Kagome's house. Rin followed her, in silence. She wanted to do this. She knew she'll live through. She just knew. She loved him enough to do it, and live.
While crossing the field covered with rich grass, and stained by brightly colored wild flowers, Kaede started talking to Rin.
"You need Kagome and the completed Shikon no Tama for this. Otherwise, you stand no chance of living though it. That, assuming that Inuyasha doesn't still want to use it to become a full demon anymore, and that Kagome is willing to give her holy powers to you. It will be tough try for her too. She will be weakened by this, for a while."
"Oh, I don't want to hurt anyone, Kaede-baba!" Rin said, sadly.
"She would recover, her life wouldn't be in danger, and she'd merely be… drained for a few days or so. But the Shikon would probably lose its power."
"Would he die if I don't survive the blood bond?" Rin asked, a little frightened of the answer. She could kill them both for nothing!
"No. The blood bond isn't considered as such if the ritual is not complete. His body wouldn't die."
Kaede was still skeptical as far as the taiyoukai's feelings went. It seemed so strange for him to love a human, even if this particular human was so… different.
Rin could take a hint. His body wouldn't die. But he would ache from her loss.
"All we have to do now is complete the Shikon." Rin said, in a dim voice, looking at her feet. Kaede huffed.
"And to convince Sesshoumaru-sama to allow such a foolish attempt." Rin shot her eyes at the old woman.
"Why wouldn't he? He loves me, I'm sure of it." Kaede shook her head and sighed.
"That's just it. He loves you." Kaede passed by an astonished Rin and resumed her steady walk to Kagome's house.
Rin was left in the middle of the field, wondering if Sesshoumaru would consider this. At first, she thought he might refuse because it was such a strong thing. Who would want to tie their lives to another? But she never thought he might refuse for fear that she would die.
:---:
A.N. Nice, huh? Well I just wanna say ARIGATO GOZAIMASU too all of you who read this (even if don't review, I can see you smiling in your chairs, reading my fic!), it means a lot to me when I get a review. I love writing, and if it turns out that you love reading what I write, I can only be grateful.
Oh, I really don't know if they go with the white dress in Japan, I know it's their mourning color, but I'm soo European, and we really do go for the white dress. Sorry if it seemed out of place, but I think it's nice. Try to fit it in, if you will, I couldn't come up with anything better, this is what I've been seing all my life. White weddings.
See ya soon!
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