The treetops of the forest welcomed the last solar rays of the day, orange against a lavender sky that was blooming in the height of spring. The violet tones completely dominated the sky, indicating cooler nights, shorter days. A strong wind shook every tree in the forest, moaning ghostly through the trunks, bushes, and weathered graves all around the lake.
Another day was retreating, another cold night was beginning.
The young woman with long and, for the first time in a long time, silky black hair was brushing her hair with the help of a comb handed to her by the Shogun's soldiers. A few minutes after one of the soldiers brought the metal basin for the bath along with the water mixed with herbs, a braided straw basket had been delivered, containing feminine items that Rin had certainly never had such easy access to. Two new nagajubans, three simple black kimonos, one of the colors of the Shogun's clan, but of extreme quality that she had never had the opportunity to touch. One of them had winter characteristics, being her first kimono of this type. There were two pairs of shoes, both a good quality wooden geta and a lacquered and padded zori in purple and black, colors of the Taishou, as she had learned from looking at the tent around her.
It was a basket of necessary garments that any girl her age would have, varying in quality, though they certainly would. But not her. When the basket was delivered, she wondered what she could wear there, being happy to receive just one copy of something that could cover her body and keep her partially warm. A smile opened on her lips as she looked at her white tabi, the first time she had worn them on her cracked, grayish, calloused feet.
She picked up a round mirror that came along with the basket, haunting her immensely. She had seen good quality mirrors in stores in the city, especially those near the castle walls of Fushizu-dono. She analyzed the object's crafted wooden handle, delighting in each ornament carved by skilled hands and sharp blades. "I would never buy this in a million years," she thought slightly intimidated, holding it delicately so that her hands would not let that rare piece, at least to her, fall and break. She looked at her reflection just as the flames in the tent were lit by soldiers, the same ones who, in a way, were caring for her, feeding her. She thanked them all every moment they entered the tent, receiving few responses, for, like Sesshoumaru-sama, they seemed not to be very familiar with humans.
"That's okay," she reflected cheerfully, her stomach full of warm food.
But it was just when Rin saw the reflection of herself in front of the mirror, tears welled up in her hazel-colored eyes. The last time she had the privilege of seeing her own reflection was when she was still living with her family in another village, before this whole nightmare began. Her voice died in the depths of her throat, disappearing.
She pulled the rounded mirror away from her, lowering it slowly as her embarrassed thoughts about her own appearance sprang up like mushrooms in summer. She deposited the object into the braided straw basket along with her belongings, with the image of herself still occupying her mind.
What had happened to her? Why did her skin look so gray and battered?
Her almond eyes seemed so big for the small, skinny frame of her face, that it reminded her of a big river toad, with its bulging, wet eyes. Her hands were shaky as she understood the damage done in a little more than two years of despair. She shook her head slowly, trying to convince herself that looks didn't matter, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling that had overwhelmed her. It was hard to explain, as it had nothing to do with comparison to other women.
She dried a tear that was slowly running down her left cheek.
"Well, with your history it's not like anyone will be interested in you," she spoke to herself, sniffling amidst a sad smile, closing the basket with the help of an undyed cotton ribbon tie. She then analyzed the bruised and callused skin of her hands, shaking her head once more.
She had to stop thinking about that nonsense.
She got up from the tatami, still bewildered, realizing how much she had aged amidst the crises of her life, and fed the fire in the center of the tent with firewood. She warmed her hands before the crackling fire, still impressed by her fragility and deterioration in the reflection of the mirror. The sun's rays were extinguished once and for all now, giving way to the impending darkness of the first days of autumn.
She sat in front of the fire, not exactly having anything to do in that tent except wait for someone who wanted to talk. She had been without sleep for a day and a half, not because she had no sleep, but because she wanted to be useful when they needed her. This was how she would have to prove her worth among youkais like them.
Loyal as a dog, she would give her life to prove her utility to them.
"For if it depends on my looks and my past, I'll be back in the dark alleys of the city in a snap of my fingers," she reflected wistfully, hugging her knees as if looking for some kind of affection.
"Hug," she repeated thoughtfully, peering into the fire distractedly. When had she last received a sincere hug? Or... are there really sincere hugs, cuddles without ulterior motives...?
She felt a pain in her lower abdomen and grimaced, resting her hand on it. Her moon cycle had gotten intense that afternoon, being fortunate that the braided straw basket contained fabrics for that purpose. After a few minutes of watching the fire crackle, she slowly stood up, realizing that no one would be arriving there anytime soon. She went to the corner of the tent, where one of the soldiers had left a comfortable futon and two blankets for her, in case she wanted to sleep.
Without feeling any pain from the kunai wound, Rin opened the futon gently, realizing that it wasn't exactly as fluffy as it looked, although infinitely better than what she called a futon in her little house in the forest. He set it in one of the corners so that it wouldn't disturb anyone, staying away from the flames, leaning against the thick fabric walls of the tent. As she laid down, she took a deep breath as she stared at the ceiling, feeling her eyelids heavy soon after. She had had a surprisingly stressful day, because after all the confusion, finding herself alone with her own torturous thoughts proved exhausting. She never had much free time to think about the directions her life was taking, since she always had to chase her survival first, and so she did as she rested her body on the futon and covered it with the covers, and put her bony hands over her eyes.
Tears slid down her cheeks.
Being alone with her thoughts was worse than death.
Just like the tears, sleep came quickly. Her muscles rested comfortably as never before, even as the icy night breeze touched her face beneath the thick fabric of the tent, away from the flames. She curled sleepily under the covers, not noticing footsteps across the mat in her direction, and then fell asleep.
(...)
Only her long black hair was showing, spilling over the un-dyed cotton covers as if they were large black rivers with several branches along their path. Her small body wrapped around two layers of blankets, yet an unsuspecting person might not even notice her presence in that place. Sesshoumaru watched her for a few minutes as she removed the lacquered mask from his face, having a few locks of hair escape from his ponytail after a long day of patrolling around the Daimyo estates of those lands. He had removed his armor as soon as he entered the tent, looking around to see where the human his father had brought had gone.
He had no doubt that she was there. Besides her smell, which was much better than it had been that same morning, a strong odor of female cyclic blood had entered his nostrils as he pushed the fabric away from the tent doorway, hitting him full in the face. His amber eyes narrowed as he watched her sleeping on the futon, placed outside the tatami on the grass. Sesshoumaru slowly crouched down, listening to the girl's snoring as the smell of salt water hit his nostrils.
She was crying.
He took a deep breath, feeling the smell of blood coming from the human's private parts affect his brain drastically. Chichiue seemed unaware of the mess a female blood bag would make once they arrived in Edo, as well as being a logistical problem. Humans and youkais did not relate for several reasons, good reasons, the main one being that humans were prey to youkais. "She seems ignorant of her own risks," he thought, pushing the covers away from her skinny, pain-scarred face.
She smelled pain.
That was what a woman of comfort exuded to youkais with keen senses like Sesshoumaru or his own Chichiue.
Suffering. Tears. Blood.
Since there was no one to regulate the life of a lowly street prostitute, as was the case of this girl, they depended on luck and chance to keep their customers from hurting her. Sesshoumaru covered her face again with the blanket and stood up, returning to his erect posture in front of that little heap that was piling up in front of his bare feet. As experienced as he was in most of the matters that required mastery in his position as heir to the Shogunate, he found himself surprised to know so little about that kind of existence.
He wondered how old she was, bothered by the sincerity of the aromas that reached his nostrils. Masculine smells, smells of violence. Blood. She smelled human blood stronger than could normally be expected of a female, finding himself disturbed by the intensity that his literal bloodlust aroused in his throat.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to have her as his blood bag, Sesshoumaru even considered it a good gift that Chichiue had given him. He didn't know what the Shogun was planning for that human's life, that is if he was really planning anything at all. "Chichiue would never deny something to her human," the youkai reflected, wondering what kind of connection the two humans had, since the Shogun's human was a Hime-sama to humans.
He breathed the muffled air of the tent once more, closing his amber-colored eyes for a few moments, enjoying the scent of that girl's blood around him. His eyes caught her small, bony hands moving out of the blanket, although she herself was still asleep. Her fingers trembled as she grasped the blanket, unaware that she was being watched while she slept. Understanding exactly the needs she was demonstrating, Sesshoumaru took one of the fluffy blankets from on top of the meeting table and threw it over all those very thin blankets the soldiers had separated for her.
As for what his Chichiue planned for the human's life, he only had to wait for the right moment to convince him that leaving her in his care was the best alternative. Izayoi was definitely alive, he could smell the fresh blood and the active breathing of that woman still echoing through the forests around the burned down teahouse.
He turned his back to the sleeping human, who had stopped shivering after a third layer of blankets, and sat down in front of his desk so that he could feed himself after a long day. Even in his moment of rest, the smell of that blood bothered him, casting glances at the place she was sleeping from time to time.
It was suffocating the intensity that his throat burned.
Youkais didn't exactly need human blood to live or feed themselves, being just a delicacy discovered over the centuries. Just as humans had opium and alcohol as recreational drugs, youkais had human blood for the same purpose. Some youkais, like humans, would get lost in their own addictions, something that their rigidity and discipline would not allow them to do. All the times he had access to that drug, they were from humans in good living conditions to prevent their emotional instabilities from affecting the intensity of their commodity.
The more stable a human's life was, the less intense the effect of the drug on its blood.
He looked at her again, listening to her snoring peacefully in her sleep.
It would be difficult to keep her alive in Edo for more than a few days.
The sooner he tasted her, the better.
(...)
When she woke up the next day, she didn't know what time it was. The sun's rays were isolated outside, and the heavy fabric covering the tent's only entrance and exit had not yet been moved from there. Rin sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes lazily as she yawned. She had probably slept much longer than any night in her entire life, as her muscles ached from staying in the same position. Her fingers touched something fuzzy on top of her, waking her up quickly. She analyzed the fur blanket over her, understanding why she was feeling so warm while the flames of the fire were located so far from her chosen place to sleep.
Her skinny fingers sank comfortably into the plush, probably the softest surface she had touched in her entire short life. She looked around, wondering if she had gotten up cold during the night and picked up that blanket, for if she could remember correctly, it was on the little meeting table near the flames. "Besides this, it doesn't look like there's anyone here," she reflected both confused and embarrassed, imagining herself wandering around the inside of that tent, sleepily, and bumping into the Shogun. She wasn't worried in case Sesshoumaru-sama had seen her doing something of the sort.
"It's the same thing as a forest wolf paying attention to a fly," she concluded, being fully certain that she would be ignored as usual. She stretched for a long time, rolling up her blankets and futon as she had found them the day before, and putting them away under one of the corner tables. She put her kimono on, even though it wasn't exactly something you'd use for sleeping, although she wanted to be prepared in case someone asked her for something.
Useful I will be, she concluded determined.
She crossed the tent without seeing any sign of Sesshoumaru-sama, arranging her long black hair into a side braid and tying it with a loop of undyed cotton ribbon at the end. She preferred not to look in the mirror again, leaving that only for the days she really needed it. Nothing would change her reflection no matter how often she checked it. She pulled the heavy cloth away from the entrance to the tent, staring at an extremely sunny day outside, although not as hot as she would have liked. Some of the Taishou clan soldiers were playing some games with rocks on the banks of the thermal lake, clearly enjoying themselves in a break between one shift and the next. Rin looked around, noticing that all the movement of soldiers had really slowed down since she had arrived there. She put on her geta as soon as she left the tent, the wooden heel touching the grass and mud from the previous night's rain.
Rin put her hands on her waist and looked up at the autumn sky, trying to guess how late it was more or less. "Not too late, it doesn't even look like ten o'clock in the morning," she reasoned logically, noticing soon after that one of the youkai soldiers was carrying a tray with some fruit and a small roasted fish towards her. He hadn't seen their faces yet because of the samurai armor and the lacquered mask that protected their jaw, nose and mouth that Sesshoumaru-sama was also wearing.
The soldier bowed slightly as he stopped in front of her, offering her the breakfast tray afterwards. Rin nodded in thanks, bowing when the samurai indicated that he would continue his shift, whatever it was they did there all day.
She decided that she would eat in the sunlight that morning, trying to forget the melancholy and loneliness of the previous day. The more time she spent thinking about her life, the more depressed she became, so it would be better to avoid this kind of situation. She held the tray and walked to a far bank, not attracting the attention of the soldiers. "They don't seem very interested in my presence," she reflected puzzled. If it were otherwise, it would be a scandal among the humans. In a shrug, she found herself heading toward the same place she had met Inari-sama's foxes the day before, not even believing that all that had happened in such a short time.
She set the tray down on top of the grave that Inari-sama had appeared, noticing how isolated that lake shore could really be from the rest of Oyakata-sama's camp. The bushes and pine trees reached down to the water, darkening everything around except for a strip of sunlit graves. She sat on one of them, eating fruit that she had only had the opportunity to eat two or three times in her life.
It was strange how luxuries became small details of a life when one belonged to the highest circles of the aristocracy. She watched the still water like a mirror, reminding her of the reflection she had seen the day before, making her melancholic. She couldn't understand why it had made her so depressed.
She had always known that it wasn't exactly one of the great beauties of the region...
"...but I didn't expect to look like a corpse that forgot to die," she concluded as she ate the roasted fish, savoring each piece with her eyes lost in the landscape.
She stretched her legs out on one of the rocks covered in mud and moisture, thankful that her kimono was black. She took a deep breath, turning her attention to the place that Inari-sama had appeared, wondering about the fox-god's intentions regarding her life.
"Come out to me, please," she asked softly, her voice carried on the morning breeze, looking around to see if she could see at least one fox playing around. But nothing came, and no fox was seen. Useless. Rin sighed, feeling lost. "I just want to know if Hime-sama is alive or if there is any way to bring her back. I want her to live, to have her happy ending... that would be a very cruel way to end a love story like that. I want to thank her for...for...acknowledging my existence, my feelings."
Why make her meet Hime-sama, only to find herself alone among youkais after all? She wanted to understand, she wanted to know, but apparently it wasn't today that Inari-sama would show up. She had sat there for long hours trying to make something happen, until, with the tray now empty, she realized that it was time for one of her herbal baths. That night the camp would be broken up and Oyakata-sama would return.
As she walked back to the camp, the young woman felt that she was being watched after feeling recurring chills as she walked along the shore of the lake holding the bamboo tray. The skin on the back of her neck was tingling and her heart felt that she was not alone. She hastened to her feet after hearing a twig snapping in the forest behind her, its geta echoing against the stones she stepped on. A bead of icy sweat slid down her forehead in fear. She had gone to that place, but she shouldn't have.
It was better to avoid being seen by some of the villagers in the area.
"Human," she heard Sesshoumaru-sama's voice coming from the exact same spot where the branch had broken. She turned her attention to the place where his voice had come from, noticing the glint of his long silver hair in an elaborate low ponytail, leaving his jaw exposed, as well as his youkai marks. He was leaning his back against one of the large pine trees, being illuminated by the sun's rays penetrating the darkness of the forest. Dressed in a silk haori and hakama in grayish tones, completely without his samurai armor, the almond-eyed girl understood that he had probably gone out for a walk before his prince duties, whatever they were.
However, his two katanas were still fitted over his hakama as a silent warning of his threat.
Rin blinked a few times, taking time to understand that he was talking to her. She turned the direction of her body toward Sesshoumaru-sama, still holding the tray.
"How can I be of use to Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked after a deep bow, analyzing the glow of the silver strands under the luminosity coming through the tree branches. "He looks like a mystical forest creature," she thought, admiring him from afar.
Even so, her heart was still beating fast still because she suspected that some villager from the surrounding villages had seen her out there in the company of youkais. She didn't know exactly what she was afraid of, yet something inside her told her that it was better to hide from any and all judgment.
He approached in long strides, his silver hair dancing as he moved, until he stopped in front of her, who only now noticed how tall Sesshoumaru-sama was. Her vision stopped just below his chest, practically in front of his ribs. Rin lowered her gaze in token of respect, peering at his samurai boots.
"Who were you talking to?" he asked, his voice in a suspicious tone, filled with suspicion.
She raised her eyes, confused at that question.
She frowned, still lost... until the memory of her desire to talk to Inari-sama suddenly hit her, making her nervous. How long had she been being watched by him? Her heart fluttered restlessly in her chest, realizing that he was expecting an answer from her lips.
Taken by surprise, there was no way she could invent a lie. She knew the youkai's golden eyes were keen and sharp, and like Oyakata-sama, she feared he might be able to discern a lie, whether it was elaborate or not.
She bit her lower lip, shifting her gaze to the lake behind her, lit by the sun's orange rays, reflecting them.
"Inari-sama," she replied embarrassed, still thinking between the lines of what the Shogun's heir had said. "He was around watching me," she thought for the thousandth time, impressed at how easily that thought had taken root in her mind.
Sesshoumaru-sama looked at her sharply for a few seconds, probably trying to catch any hint that this was a lie.
"Inari-sama," he repeated, closing his gaze, putting pressure on her.
Rin nodded, this time looking at the golden orbs.
"I once saw Inari-sama near this lake, on the edges of the ancient tombs," she informed him quickly, her words snapping inconsequentially, without thinking. She didn't want him to have a wrong idea of her, after they had taken her in without a second thought "He advised me to leave the village I was living in as it would be dangerous to continue living there. He indicated me a youkai teahouse to spend the night, according to him, everyone was in Fushizu-dono's castle that night. It was there that I found Oyakata-sama and Hime-sama."
It was a scene that would have impressed her, had she not been feeling so bad about being the object of suspicion in Sesshoumaru-sama's eyes.
"I know it sounds crazy, but...," she continued anxiously, however interrupted by the youkai before her.
"Inari-sama usually appears to those who need his advice," he murmured mysteriously, but no accusatory words had left his lips tightly drawn, leaving her surprised. Perhaps she was just anxious or imagining that he was going to behave just like the villagers. Rin didn't know how exactly to react to that. "The Shogun will be here soon. Pack your belongings, we will leave at dawn the next day."
Turning his back on her, Sesshoumaru-sama didn't even wait for any reply. His countenance was a mystery, although she couldn't understand why he had first believed the wild but true story she had told. Watching him walk calmly along the shore of the lake towards the camp, she hurried her step to keep up with him, even if a few steps back as a sign of respect.
"Has Sesshoumaru-sama met with Inari-sama yet?" she asked him curiously, trying to understand both the former and the latter. She noticed that the youkai nodded slightly, making his silver hair dance and glisten in the sun's rays. Rin watched his silent and precise movements, understanding that when the branch was broken in the forest, it was for her to realize that he wanted to talk to her. A shy smile played on her lips, thinking that maybe he was not a person who would ignore her like the others. "May I ask Sesshoumaru-sama how the experience was?"
"No," he replied simply, heading off to the camp.
Even with the negative answer coming from him, the almond-eyed young woman felt a smile playing on her lips amusedly, following the silent steps of the elegant and menacing youkai.
"May I ask Sesshoumaru-sama what Inari-sama said?" she insisted, amused.
"No," he replied again, monosyllabic... until his footsteps stopped at a certain time, just before he entered the camp. Few soldiers, only about four or five, were still around, finishing storing supplies and weapons in large baskets of woven straw and wooden boxes. Surprised to see him stop walking for no good reason, Sesshoumaru-sama turned to her, approaching strangely. His amber-colored eyes twinkled strangely in front of the orange sun rays that illuminated them that early afternoon. "Although, depending on what you have to offer me, I may change my mind."
She blinked her hazel eyes a few times, still confused about the words that penetrated her ears. What could the Shogun's heir want from her? It seemed, beyond surreal, a mystery that Rin never thought would appear before her. She barely had enough to survive, what was in exacerbated enough quantity to be able to offer? The imposing image of the long silver-haired youkai still watched her, his golden eyes twinkling mysteriously in the light of the orange sunbeams of that early autumn afternoon. His broad shoulders cast shadows behind him, giving the impression that his shadow was much larger than his body. As much as the brightness of the sun completely illuminated Sesshoumaru-sama, his shadow was present just then, reasonably hidden by the glow of his silver threads. Whispers echoed through her ears rapidly, with the speed of a snap of fingers.
"Careful," the voice said in the distance.
Realizing that he was frowning now, the almond-eyed young woman smiled shyly as she lowered her doubt-filled gaze, aiming her miraculously clean feet at the geta. The more she hid her fear of what Sesshoumaru-sama really wanted to talk about, the better. Besides, it seemed that only Rin had heard what the voice had said. If he had listened, it did not appear on his face.
"Forgive me, Sesshoumaru-sama...," she began, bowing in front of the youkai, her silver hair blowing in the wind, showing all her respect while not seeing how he would react. "...I cannot imagine what I have to offer to one who has everything.
"There is nothing to offer, Rin-chan," spoke a familiar voice to his ears just behind him, being carried on the breeze that late afternoon. Silver hair tied in a high ponytail flowed past her, touching part of the sleeve of her kimono. Her hazel eyes followed that gentle movement, realizing that Oyakata-sama had literally stopped in front of her, hiding Sesshoumaru-sama's figure behind her, preventing her from seeing him. His golden eyes seemed not as downcast as the last time, reminding her exactly when she had seen him in Izayoi-sama's company. "You look much healthier today."
Kind, friendly eyes.
Eyes unknown to her.
A receptive smile occupied the Shogun's lips, though she understood that there might be much more to that than met the eye, reminding her of Sesshoumaru-sama's theory about Hime-sama.
She nodded, smiling gratefully.
"Oyakata-sama is kind," she spoke softly, bowing deeply as a sign of her respect for him.
"I hope you have been feeding and sleeping well," he began amiably, as if there were not a huge social gulf between the two of them. "The bath herbs are working better than I expected. That's good news on this first day of fall."
Rin nodded again, not knowing exactly what to say. Everything that came into her mind seemed inappropriate or too bold, and she would rather spend the rest of her life without uttering a single word than disappoint Touga-sama. Still looking low as a sign of respect, he watched as the Shogun's samurai boots turned, pointing in the direction Sesshoumaru-sama still stood, silent.
The boots of both were creating muddy marks on the lake shore, still reflecting the orange sky of that afternoon.
"Sesshoumaru," the voice that came from Oyakata-sama's lips did not seem to be the same one that had been used to converse with the girl. The gentleness had gone, as had his affability. He sounded like a completely different person, in a warning, reproachful tone. "I don't know what Rin-chan could offer you, although I have a slight impression of what it is. Regardless of your thirst, your good sense should speak louder, for that is exactly what is lacking in you. Go to Edo immediately."
Still downcast, she could not muster the courage to face them. Her cheeks were blushing violently, still at a loss as to what could be happening there that made Oyakata-sama, in his infinite kindness, rage at his son and heir.
"The Shogun informed me earlier that I could make you my blood bag," Sesshoumaru explained in a certain wry tone that caught her attention. It wasn't just Touga-sama who was enraged there, although they had different approaches to their feelings, from what it appeared. "I thought you were within the conditions."
"They are not, and you should know this," muttered Touga-sama quickly, glossing over the last word spoken by his son. "Besides this, I have better plans for her."
"Better?" repeated Sesshoumaru, icy as the frozen surface of the lake in the winter months. "So a woman of pleasures, of comfort, has priorities over the wishes of the Shogun's heir?"
Rin swallowed dryly, already thinking of falling on her ankles and apologizing to Sesshoumaru-sama with her nose touching the mud. When her knees touched the muddy ground, a tan hand that she knew from the night in the youkai teahouse stopped her, lifting her up quickly.
"Rin-chan, you will proceed to the camp and gather your belongings for the trip," Touga-sama ordered gently, ignoring the words spoken by her son, the latter still standing in the same place. Rin blinked quickly, nodding slowly afterwards. "Good. I'll be there in a few minutes, now go."
With a lump still formed in her throat, her legs moved towards the camp, passing Sesshoumaru-sama quickly, bowing deeply in front of him so that she would not be accused of anything. She realized that he refused to look at her, his golden eyes still focused on his father.
There was an absence of feeling in his countenance, making the breeze that blew between them seem even colder than it was.
Rin walked back to the camp, although some parts of the two's conversation accidentally penetrated her ear. Her legs were short and the kimono limited her movement, making her gait much slower than it should have been.
"...I will not let you take advantage of this girl any more than the humans in this region have done," Touga-sama began angrily. Perhaps they thought it was too far away for her to hear, but still the words were discernible to her ears... or at least a large portion of them. "Sesshoumaru, you will leave for Edo immediately. We will have this conversation at the castle."
A breeze rushed through Rin's hair, and she tried to walk a little slower, pretending to fumble with the mud on the banks of the lake and her geta.
"The blood of humans is better when they are in despair, I still don't understand your surprise to learn that her blood might be tastier than the one we got in Edo," Sesshoumaru explained calmly, calculatingly. "It must be different for the Shogun, who confused the thirst for human blood and desire for something more, after all, that is how his human began, being the privileged blood bag of the Taisho. I did not inherit his desire for humans, as you seem to think."
And then a sound echoed across the lake, causing Rin to turn instinctively toward them. She bit her lower lip when she realized that that sound had come from Oyakata-sama's palm hitting Sesshoumaru-sama's face.