Fake memories

Back again!

Ah, the right of my back hurts. It's probably because of my scoliosis. Oh well.

NEVER mind! If I only get ONE or TWO reviewers, so be it! I will continue the story for their sakes! I thank everyone for all the nice reviews! I thank thee!

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My back…the pain was pulsating in aching waves and triggered a nauseating aura around me…

I remembered…

Water.

A lot of water.

"Jaken-sama! Don't miss this one!" The green toad Youkai stumbled as he waded in water up to his waist. I chuckled, stepping into the shallow stream that reached to slightly below my knees. Watching Jaken-sama fish was the only other form of amusement for me other than picking Hamanasu or simply watching Sesshomaru-sama if he was present. His face; could be likened the moon! I remember waking up one night to see him propped against a tree, accessing the night sky. As if Kami willed this moment to be: The moon was against his face and he gave a luminous glow! He was pale, yes, but not sickly.

Definitely not sickly.

Just like the moon, he gave out a shine, as if he was one born to command all your attention… Just like the moon, he had an aura of mystery and that of grace. I had heard from Jaken-sama that Sesshomaru-sama was an aristocrat amongst the highest of standards amongst the youkai and it was not hard for me to believe him. His hair fell in smooth locks over his shoulder and at that moment, he had turned his chin towards the moon I had been likening him to. Her rays graced his face and added to his air of grace, intrigue and poise. Also like the moon, he had an unpredictable nature. An undependable nature of which you should never fully rely on however, allow yourself a simple belief that if he cared for you, he would certainly protect you. Trusting Sesshomaru-sama was like trusting the moon to return to its same position monthly.

I remember thinking, Kami allowed us pleasures in life (mine simply being able to observe the beauty of my lord) but he gave them to us at a price. I would surely pay to witness such a phenomena…

And I did. Sesshomaru-sama left us the next morning and did not return until a week later.

"Haha! Caught one!"

In his three fingers lodged a relatively large, squirming fish.

"Jaken-sama Segoi!" I complimented him and he acknowledged it with a wide grin, nodding his bony chin encrusted with the mud that ran along the banks of the stream. Catching fish with three fingers was an effort to be commended (A/N Really! I can't catch any fish even with 5 fingers…).

I strode forward to observe the catch at a closer range.

Then, I could not closely recall what had happened but only that I took a step forward and Jaken's grip on the fish loosened. It shot out of his hands at a remarkable speed and startled me. I was young then so I was also prone to blunders. My right foot was lodged into a hole in the rocks. My foot was caught in an awkward angle so no matter where I twisted, my ankle remained caught and the jagged rock cut deeply into the skin of my ankle.

I yelped in pain; fell backwards and to my misfortune, my head made contact with sincerely friendly boulder of course nature. It was large, wet, and rough. I was able to see and hear but the rest of my senses were fazed and numbed. I felt a cold liquid slide through the roots of my hair and down my forehead. Some trickled into my mouth and it tasted nauseatingly salty. The water from the cold stream doused my Yukata and although the sordid stains were washed off, it made my skin tingle from the cold.

I remember sitting there and crying and Jaken-sama's large and vulgar gawking.

Just before I had come to any bitter conclusions on how callous and inconsiderate the world was and how much Kami hated me to award me with such pain, a sleek hand slid around my cheek and then under my arm to pull me up. My foot miraculously slipped out of the "tight" hole and the swollen and throbbing ankle was pulled out of the water. My vision was failing and I looked up into the one who pulled me out.

"Domo… A-a-riga-tou…. Se-Sho…maru-sam…aa" I whispered.

He placed me on the bank and rubbed my temples slowly to ease the pain in my head, which he somehow knew of. After that, I blacked out.

---

Moonlight- The first thing that greeted me filtered through thin slats on the wall and onto my face. Without thought I slowly sat up. The second thing to great me was the stiffness and soreness that shot through my back and legs.

My back- it merely felt stiff but there was no pain from lacerations…

I remembered the morbid lacerations that laced Yuragu's back fancifully like the designs on silk.

My mind began to wonder what had become of him…

Instinctively, I raised my right arm and felt along my lower back hesitatively; wondering what I would be touching. The base of my back felt smooth and there were no bumps or scars. Of course, being a human, scars would not heal so quickly.

After a checking on my arms and haltingly arriving on the faint conclusion that I was unharmed, I attempted standing. I had managed to stand, but not for long. Gravity claimed me and I was ruthlessly pulled back to a thin futon covering the floor.

At my collapse, I sensed a sudden increase of Youki surrounding the hut and my pitiful human ears allowed me to pick out faint murmurs and the sharp gushes of the assassins making quick gestures. There was a final increase and the slat doors on my right opened slowly.

I was facing the left so I observed the silhouettes. A stocky shadow meant Endan… the other had a hunched posture.

"Rin." The voice! It reminded me of thunder and the smooth feel of velvet… The shadow of the slightly hunched figure quivered so I could guess, it was Yuragu who was in the hut as well.

I sat up and adopted an air of caution, making my face as emotionless as possible although I was deeply concerned as to how he was as well as the fact that my life (as if my life is worth anything or significant enough to be called a life) was being threatened.

Yuragu sat s foot opposite me while Endan settled himself against the door with an expression unfamiliar to me plastered on his face. Yuragu wore only a pair of white hakamas but his chest and back were heavily bandaged. Not only did he sit awkwardly but, as much as the rosewood scented ointment and tonics smelled sweet, they awkwardly masqueraded the thick and heavy scent of old blood and pus. It was true; the lacerations were indeed passed to him. I stiffened considerably and the atmosphere turned into an annoying awkwardness. Perhaps…

"Yuragu… I apologize." I intended to mumble but the words came out clear.

"Rin." He only said my name! I clenched my fist; holding on to the thin threads that made the futon. They would surely disintegrate under my grip.

"All you say is my name…?" I started, a sudden spark erupted from within me and I was not compelled to hold it back.

"I have indeed scarred you… So will we quickly discuss how I have done so…? So that I am able to at least get over the-" I coughed

"-don't say guilt, Rin." As fast as it was created, the rage died like a small fire smothered by a wet cloth. I stared at Yuragu well aware that I was making no attempt to hide a rude gawk.

"Rin, I know you better than that. You certainly don't feel guilt for trying to PROTECT yourself against the whip. I know what you were attempting to do."

"You are calling me a coward for pretending to be sorry?" I smirked, running a finger through my tangled hair.

"I DON'T want to be pitied Yuragu, I am not apologetic about wounding you. When I was in my other self, I felt like murdering you by impaling you with my own hands for whipping me!" I breathed roughly as the words spewed from my mouth. With a sudden childish reaction, my right hand felt like flying to cover my mouth but I stifled the action.

Think before you spout.

"I did not come here to be destroyed or mutilated by your capabilities AGAIN, Rin."

"Then hurry! Explain to me! What have I done!?" I cried.

Yuragu snorted.

"You will hear what capacities you have."

Endan shifted at the door and sniffed uneasily.

"Next spring will be your turn to carry out The Ordeal… by then I will upgrade you to be higher than the rest. Are you interested in that?"

Rin's POV

A pulse.

Sesshomaru sat up suddenly. The air tasted salty with the faint smell of incense lingering. He rubbed his nose and allowed himself a jaw-popping yawn. He was in his chambers so there was nothing to lose.

He turned his head slowly to the window on the eastern wall of his chambers and cocked an eyebrow. Even whilst in a somewhat half-sleep mode, he had sensed an unusual increase of energy towards the forests towards the east.

Although the energy was small and pulsating, amplified with every pulse, he acknowledged it. Though it was considerably far from where he was, he was still curious as to how such a queer form of energy would exist. He had smelt neither Youki nor any spiritual incense.

He turned around to stretch his back luxuriously. The muscles in his back rippled under the tension.

He snarled when a sudden urge hit him to investigate. As much as he craved roaming free once again amongst the rolling wilderness, traveling with a goal of self-improvement, he had made the choice of returning his father's fortress-

No- His fortress,

He was now tied down to running the court of the western lands. Although he was given the privilege of having a Taisho to carry out all administrative work and heading hearings, thus making Sesshomaru a mere figure head of the western lands, Sesshomaru still had heavier burdens as compared to anyone else. To the court, Sesshomaru aided them no more than representing the western lands, annihilating the pressing Shogunate and to carry on the blood.

The blood… Sesshomaru unwittingly shuddered. Having an heir was one of the duties he had failed to foresee when contemplating the idea of returning after Naraku's demise. He could press the court into postponing the idea of an heir. However, he understood, to what point would this issue stand. He knew, for the life of a Youkai leader if the western lands, nothing was certain except for death and an heir (A/N it's so weird, the computer insisted that I had to use "an" but won't that make it grammatically incorrect…?).

He glanced towards the window on the left of his room facing the left. Rising high above the Ao Mori, the sun's orange rays dappled the clouded sky. The sun, it reminded him it a girl he had lost so long ago.

---

Rin.

I had never stopped trying to find you.

For four years I had insisted on searching for you although the pitfall of my personality persists that I keep my personal motives a secret from the world.

And sometimes, a secret from myself.

Dare I say that I miss you? I admit that even I am unsure. It probably is the yearning of a master to regain a possession although I daresay the absence of your enigmatic personality has sentenced my life to a duller note. All that remains that obstructs my will to continue searching is what was etched into my soul centuries ago…

---

Sesshomaru looked beyond the Ao Mori forest and into the distance of the east.

---

An unfamiliar scent…

It lingered around the hakama belonging to my father. As intriguing and enigmatic the smell was, it was, nonetheless, that of a human. I was young, a mere six hundred years and was only receiving a glimpse of my future powers with a weakened Doukosso attack. However, my mind was agile enough to understand. Being young, I had not understood the meaning of constraint so, as much as I was ashamed to admit, I was nearly (but not quiet) as hotheaded as the pathetic Hanyou half brother. At least I had better control of my language than the uncouth half-breed.

I was born out of a wedlock meant to save the eastern and western lands from an age-old feud between us and the panther tribe as well as to strengthen the bilateral ties. As much as it annoyed me, my birth was a mere symbol to represent the union of two lands. My father held no feelings for or against my mother and this I both admire and loathe him for. Having no feelings for someone you would "legally impregnate" was impressive yet; my father had the opportunity to gain greater power by strengthening the bond between them to improve the lands.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

I trailed my father through the courtyard and put in effort to avoid detection. I was lucky and unfortunate at the same time. My father failed to see me but he failed to do so merely because his mind was heavily preoccupied. It could not be matters to do with the state for there were no sounds of war spoke through our walls nor rumors of a coup (I admit! French word!). In situations similar to this, I learned, one should always assume the most improbable outcome and from here, narrow down the different possibilities until you finally get the answer.

His pace had quickened and I was having trouble following him.

Finally, he stopped.

This moment, I would remember forever.

His hair caught in a tight topknot was carried by the wind and he inclined his head, acknowledging the embrace of the wind on his face. His stance was notable and it was also from this moment where I had observed the natural instinct of a leader: his stance that commanded the army.

Unexpectedly, he turned his head slightly.

"Sesshomaru, Youkai and humans are no different."

I stood a distance from him and yet I picked up his whisper that was echoed in the wind.

He nodded his head and turned, transforming into his other form.

I was not obliged to observe the levels of Youki surging around me. I gawked rudely at him. Unable to understand why I was doing so. Was it because I was stunned that he knew I was following him all along, or was it the enigmatic sentence that ended our "confrontation". I could not think.

I stood in silence.

I watched his shadow bound off into the distant backdrop of a mountain whose name I had not known at that time.

For some reason, a single cold object slid smoothly down from the corner of my eye down to faint stripes that made the itching sensation on my cheek worse. I bit my lip; my left fang pierced the flesh of my lip painfully but I was too stunned to realize.

A trickle of blood and tears of no origin mixed on my face.

Then, a palm rested itself on my shoulder.

A smooth female voice saying:

"Sesshomaru, Youkai are better then humans."

---

Rin's POV

She sat, quieted under Yuragu's stance.

"Your powers have awoken and you will learn how to tap on that reserve." Yuragu started.

Rin found no need in replying and continued to stare at him. Endan coughed again and she shuddered.

"Do you know what you are capable of?" Endan blurted from the corner. Yuragu ran his hand through his hair.

"Get to the point, please. I do not wish to be in this hut any longer…"

"I understand that your patience is waning but you are not the only none tired. Thus, for the sake of both of us, I will get to the point."

"When you were younger, we took you because we realized that you had a gift. It was a mere feeling back then that hinted of your capacities. However, now, after the training…"

"Yuragu! I do not wish to hear of how I was-" Rin choked

"-Stolen" she whispered. When she was younger, she HAD cried to them to release her back to her lord. Over the years, the will to return had waned and she no longer yearned to be with her master. Like a lost dog (Rin) wanting to return to its master (Sesshomaru): How ironic.

Years later, she had persuaded herself to realize that, Sesshomaru-sama would never return for her. She then began to lie to others that she was an orphan not only to stop attracting attention but also to soothe herself to.

Lies in the past will always turn into a fake memory and you would find yourself tricked by your own lie (A/N It's true). She had not thought about it clearly until Yuragu brought it up today.

"Still at it kid…" Endan lamented

"It's not a lie…" Rin said silently.

"WE understand Rin, however you wish us to view you past, but let me tell you of your powers-"

"IT WAS NOT A LIE!" She shrieked. Her thin voice cracking with emotion, she screamed painfully for all the memories flooding to her of her master. She screamed like a pitiable child whose toy was stolen.

They stole her childhood.

Yuragu stood quietly and rubbed his temple with a finger while Endan fidgeted nervously in the corner. He waited a while for Rin to calm.

"You can transfer emotional hurt and physical hurt to your victim through contact with certain metals." He said quietly. Rin's attention was caught by the sentence and the sound of her harsh breathing momentarily fazed into the dark corners of the hut.

His head rose when he realized that he had caught her attention.

"You see, we are not sure how you have come to possess such a gift but your gift is now real." From a package held by Endan, Yuragu held the whip under a heavy layer of cloth.

"This was the whip, was entwined with faint threads of steal and carbon. Two of the five metals you can use to transfer your energy. For now, shall we describe it as judgment as the attack only occurs when the caster believes it to be rationale? That is perhaps the only setback for such a powerful attack.

He brought the whip closer to he light. A purple wave was resonating from the thick knots.

"This is the extent of your power. After 5 days, the whip still has traces of your damage and thus no one will touch it. This is the so-called coronation of one like you. Your powers erupt suddenly and the user will fall asleep for five days where your soul disperses to further recognize your physical body to the 5 metals.

She was asleep for five days.

"When you awake, you would already be, what we call a Metal-Bender. You are able to transfer all emotional and physical pain to the victim as long as you think that it was fair."

Sesshomaru's POV

"Sesshomaru-sama! " Jaken croaked, breaking Sesshomaru from his deep thoughts.

"The court alchemist has confirmed, another Metal-Bender has been created! We MUST find him my Lord! Do you know what you can do with one such rarity?"

Sesshomaru merely looked at Jaken. He turned his head slightly then.

He had heard of them. They were able to destroy armies making use of one of the five metals a Metal-bender could control. He found such an existence of power annoying. The gift of Metal-Bending was passed through the blood of a human with a rare gene selection. Usually a mutation of cells would make one legitimate to be a Metal-Bender. The last Metal-Bender existed during his father's reign and was used against the western lands. The Inu Taisho dispatched of it immediately.

Such a sudden gain of power is extremely annoying.

Sesshomaru mused.

"I am bored Jaken, with the life of an aristocrat. You want to find the Metal-Bender and use him for the Western Lands?"

"Hai…"

"What if he does not belong to the western lands?"

"The alchemist has not told me where the source of the power originated…. Sesshomaru-sama".

" Jaken, I have sensed his birth the moment it happened towards the east. He is not one of us. There is no use in stealing something like that. It would only mean us weak and insignificant. Us, desperate to grab hold of a power to use to our advantage."

"Uh…hai! We would look like helpless fools!"

"This land will not fall under my reign, Jaken!"

"So what will you do, Sesshomaru-sama?"

"I want to see him."

"Hai! I will send scouts for-"

"Jaken."

Jaken paused in the epitome of his great plans for the western lands.

"I wish to find him myself, the Metal-Bender is the most powerful version of a human alive, is it not?"

"Uh… HAI!!" Jaken saluted, not yet understanding what Sesshomaru was indicating.

"I will find him and kill him."

Jaken gawked. His jaw as locked open in a weird expression.

Sesshomaru walked out of the room.

"It has always been at the back of my mind, which is better, Youkai or human?"

END

Ok guys Sorry for the long wait! Please read and review ok? If you have any questions just ask because I don't know if it was too unclear or what. Ok

The next chapter: What will Sesshomaru-sama do with his plan to find him cough her- the metal-bender dededuuuuuuuuuuum, what are Rin's possibilities? Where is the Inu-Tachi????? Aaaaaaaaaaah, sorry guys, you'll have to review and wait for the next chapter cause I'm kinda stumped a to what to write .- oook

Jaa ne!