Chapter notes:
"You know that you are in love when the hardest thing to do is say good-bye!"
The Lily of the Valley signifies "The Return of Happiness"
Disclaimer: The depictions of the characters in this story are completely fictitious. In no way does this represent the views or the story arcs as envisaged by the original copyright owners of this franchise and its characters. The ownership if the characters and the original concept are sole properties of Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter 8 – The decision
Rin scoops some soup into a small bowl and tastes it. She then adds a small amount of salt in it to improve the taste of the soup. After being satisfied with the taste in the second try, she lowers the flame and leaves the soup to cook for another hour. She moves to Akemi's side who has just covered the wok full with ginger chicken. They both exchange smiles, signaling their work is done.
"Time sure flies, looks like it's time for lunch now, my stomach is rumbling like hell." Akemi complains with her right hand lightly rubbing her belly. Rin laughs softly at the girl's rant, that girl always cheers Rin up in any situation.
"Then we should get our meals now before we start another task." Rin recommends with another playful smile as she watches Akemi turn to leave the cooking area. She follows closely after a few moments. As Rin passes one of the windows, she pauses and looks outside. The sun shines overhead in the sky. She starts to doubt if her son has taken his meal. I wonder what Lord Sesshoumaru and Aito are doing now. Rin whispers with a small sigh, she then turns to follow Akemi to the cabin. Once they have picked up their lunch box and are about to sit down, Tsuyu comes into the cabin and approaches the duo.
"Hey am glad you both have not started eating yet." Tsuyu moves closer to Rin's side.
"Tsuyu san, are you going to join us for lunch?" Rin happily asks.
"Yes I will join Akemi but not you sweetie." Tsuyu giggles in her reply. Rin's smile drops and her wide open eyes stare at the lady in shock. Tsuyu grins at the girl's expression but chooses not to tease her too much.
"There's a young man waiting impatiently outside, so I assume you won't have time to eat with us though. Now go don't let the man wait too long." Tsuyu gives Rin's shoulder a light push on the back compelling her to go outside. Akemi's eyes blink curiously.
Rin clutches lunch box on her chest and walks slowly to approach the special guest. As she walks a little further away from the kitchen, the girl spots the figure of a tall white demon resting by the oak tree. Ryuuki? What is he doing here? Rin is pondering. Although she does not wish to confront him at this moment, she thinks she owes an apology to this man. Walking closer to his side, she smiles lightly at the demon.
"Afternoon Master Ryuuki, good day for you." Rin forces a light smile. The leopard demon seems pleased with whatever smiles the girl gave.
"Rin, I hope I am not disturbing your lunch time. Do you mind to eat here so we can talk for a while?" Ryuuki requestes, his voice is brimmed with apprehension hoping that the girl will not reject him.
"Yes sure." The girl answers instantly. Ryuuki sighs in relief, his chest lightens a bit out of fear a moment ago. Thank god. The demon whispers softly. Rin then settles herself on the grass as she unpacks her lunch box and starts eating. Ryuuki sits beside her and observes the girl intensely. He is overwhelmed by the sight of the girl eating. The demon is madly in love with the girl. Rin feels the strong gaze from Ryuuki and is definitely not feeling comfortable. She tries to eat as fast as she can and almost chokes herself. The demon senses the uneasiness around the girl, he sighs heavily.
"Do you really need to get rid of me this fast? Are you that frightened of me?" The leopard demon sounds rather disappointed. Rin instantly regrets the stance she has currently adopted in facing Ryukki. She puts the chopstick down and stares at the man before him. No she is not afraid of Ryuuki, she is just frustrated with his confession.
"No I am not frightened. I am just hungry. She hides her true emotional state. "Sorry if I have offended you yesterday. I was worried about my son." The girl lowers her head to admit her fault. Ryuuki's heart is aching seeing her repsond. He gently tilts the girl's chin up slowly with his right finger.
"You did nothing wrong and I should watch my attitude. I should be the one to say sorry." Ryuuki release his hand as he continues. "Go on with your food." He smiles at the girl. The sun shines through the trees and hits directly on her face, it makes her face glowing brightly in pink. The demon is drowning in her beauty. He has the urge to capture her pink lips but god he has to control himself or he might scare the girl away. Calm down stupid! Ryuuki swears at himself in his thoughts. He looks up and finds the girl busy munching, luckily she has not seen him struggling. The leopard demon sighs in relief as he speaks.
"I will be off again, and when I return back here for the final time, I will be going back there for good." Rin turns to Ryuuki as she swallows a roll of rice down her throat.
"When will you be leaving? And for how long you will be off?" Rin asks as she takes another mouth full of rice with vegetables.
"Leaving today and I don't know for how long I will be gone, that is why I needed to see you." The demon stares at the girl who is now facing him with her mouth full still munching.
"My tribe needs me and I wish to build my home there. This is what my father wants me to do; this is the time to fulfill my parent's wish." Ryuuki shifts his gaze to the clear blue skies above.
"You will be a great leader, your parents will be proud of you." Rin comments with a delightful smile. She then takes up a cup of tea and sips on it. The leopard demon returns his gaze to the girl and he speaks.
"I will not be complete without you. No matter what I will have achieved, it will be pointless if there is no one for me to share with. I need a mate, I wish for a family and I want a heir." Ryuuki's forwardness almost chokes Rin. She does not turn to face the demon. Instead she is packing her lunch box and prepares to leave. She does not want to engage in this conversation again.
"Rin I need you, I want to build a happy family with you, Aito can be my great son and we can have our own kid." The leopard demon continues. Rin rises to her feet and has her back facing Ryuuki. Enough! Rin lightly shakes her head.
"Master Ryuuki I don't want to talk about this right now, may I be excused as I need to go back and work? Have a safe journey." Rin walks away but her right arm is being grabed firml, forcing her to turn right into a mess. The lunch box slips from her hand and falls onto the grass.
"Rin, why are you always avoiding this topic? Aito has turned 4 this year, he is growing up and there is no sign of his father returning, why waste your life for this heartless man?" Ryuuki's voice rises in frustration, his grip tightens on the girl's arm.
"He is not heartless, you don't know anything about him and I warn you again Master Ryuuki, I wish to hear no more critique about him. You understand?" Rin warns the demon with a serious face. But Ryuuki is not satisfied.
"He does not deserve to have such loyalty from you; he does not even care to visit his own son. What a bastard." The demon growls in anger.
"STOP! Who are you to call him a bastard? He did not come to see us because he- he has his own dilemma." Rin yells at the demon as she struggles to free herself from his grip.
"Dilemma? These are all part of his excuses, he simply promised you something and dumped you both aside. He might have even bedded another women by now, you are too naive Rin." Ryuukis's strong comments makes the girl extremely mad. She uses all her strength from her left hand to release herself from the demon's grips which causes her to almost lose her balance in that moment. Rin sends a stern stare to Ryuuki.
"How dare you speak such a thing about him! How many times you want me to repeat? You have no right to judge him! AT ALL!" Rin shoutes out loud with her hands cupped on her ears and shaking her head vehemently. Her expression leaves the leopard demon stunned, if there is something he is scared of in this world, it will be this girl that he fears the most. Her maddened red face has the impression that she is going to break a blood vein at any moment. Ryuuki does not reply, he wants the girl to calm down. A short period of silence follows before the demon attempts to question.
"Am I really not qualified to replace him? Tell me Rin do you think I have no capability to make you happy and protect you?" Ryuuki's voice softens as he seeks for an answer. The girl releases her hands to the side as her painful gaze falls on the grass.
"You are a great man and therefore I don't want you to waste your time on me. Good bye." Rin walks away from the unsatisfied demon but this time Ryuuki speeds in front of rin and grabs her by her shoulders. He presses the girl closer, the leopard demon captures Rin's lips and starts kissing her desperately. Rin fists at the demon's chest as hard as she can, she tries to push him away but Ryuuki's hands firmly holds the back of her head. When Ryuuki brakes from the kiss, Rin slaps hard on left of the demon's face.
"What do you think you are doing? You are showing no respect towards me at all!" The girl wipes her mouth aggressively with her hand as tears stream down and wets her pink cheeks. Ryuuki is shell-shocked, he cannot explain his own actions but he can feel that the girl is extremely disappointed. Damn you stupid leopard! Why can't you just control yourself? The demon curses with his fists clenched tightly on his side.
"Rin am sorry I did not mean to be rude, please forgive me." Ryuuki walks closer to Rin but she steps away from him.
"Get away from me, don't come any closer." Rin warns belligerently.
"Rin I-..."
"Just get away from me PLEASE!" The girl cries out loud. She keeps moving backward without realizing she has stepped on a stone and that makes her fall and land on the grass. Ryuuki rushes to Rin's side to check on her condition but she pushes the demon aside.
"Don't touch me, get away from me now!" Rin's voice is sharp and loud. Ryuuki pauses his steps and stretches out his right palm to show his is stopping. Just at this time Tsuyu and Akemi rush to the duo. They are both startled to see Rin on the grass.
"Ryuuki! What have you done to Rin?" Tsuyu questions the demon as she and Akemi move to the girl's side.
"Rin your palms are bruised a bit. Are you alright?" Akemi gently presses on the girl's palm, she can see the girl biting her lips to show that it is indeed painful. Tsuyu shoots a stern look at the leopard demon. Ryuuki feels awfully guilty, he attempts to walk closer to the girl but hears the same warning again.
"Rin I just want to check on your condition." The demon pleads as he walks closer to the trio.
"NO! Please, just leave me alone. Please." Rin pleads with her voice engrossed in grief and disappointment. Tsuyu and Akemi exchange looks at each other in confusion. Both of them help Rin to rise on her feet. Ryuuki stares melancholy at the girl, he has no one to blame but himself. He wishes badly that the girl does not start to losing faith in him. The leopard demon swears he can't afford to lose even a little bit of trust from this precious girl.
"Alright I won't come anymore closer, but Rin please don't hate me. I swear I did not mean to be harsh, I was just frustrated. We will talk about this after I return from duty." Ryuuki's eyes are fixed on Rin's face, restlessly searching for some sight to relieve his broken heart. Rin does not reply instead she nods lightly in agreement. That is not a soothing sight from the lovely girl but he can't ask for anything more from the poor girl. He knows that this is the price to pay for his inability to control his urges. Without further explanations to the two mystified ladies standing there, Ryuuki nods lightly to the duo as he turns to leave. None of them try to stop the demon as they crutch the girl back to the kitchen.
On the other side of the geisha house, Sesshoumaru rests under the same tree he picked earlier. He raises up his right leg and rests his right hand on top of it. Aito is sitting not far away from the demon lord as he bites a roasted fish in glee, while the green toad sleeps near the kid with a bubble constantly blowing up from his nose. The taiyoukai watches the kid carefully, although he has his scarf back on his head, the sight of him without the thin cloth covering his forehead is the prime interest in the demon lord's thoughts. His mild scent caught on this kid doesn't seem to explain the kid's appearance. If Aito is truly my son, he should be a half demon, and therefore he should look much the same like that stupid half breed. The demon lord's thought puzzles, eyeing the kid in disbelief. The kid doesn't have those dog ears like the ones Inuyasha has. Sesshoumaru is struggling to find an answer for this riddle as he watches Aito finish off the fishes he has prepared. The kid sure has inherited his mother's skill for catching fish. He has caught 3 fishes, out of which he has given one to the toad and kept 2 for himself. The only reason which explains as to why Aito doesn't have those dog ears is... he is not my son. The taiyoukai whispers as he shuts his eyes off tightly in pain.
Aito turns and catches the demon lord's eyes shut off. Is Lord Sesshouamru sleeping? the kid wonders. He then silently and carefully steps closer to Sesshoumaru and sits beside the lord. Aito looks at the demon lord's face and admires his magenta stripes. Aito is enchanted by the blue crescent moon. The demon lord senses the kid nearby but chooses not to bother.
"My guardian angel" These odd words escape from Aito's mouth and catches the taiyoukai's sensitive hearing. He shoots his eyes open to stare at the kid who is observing him intensively. Guardian angel? Sesshoumaru thinks to himself silently. Aito rolls his eyes to the left and then to the right pretending that he did not look at the lord but steals a glance at the taiyoukai. Aito can't help it but to stare at the lord's crescent moon.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, t-th-the I-I mean how did you get the blue crescent moon on your forehead?" A shy Aito asks. Sesshoumaru stares curiously at the boy. He does not know why the kid is showing a lot of interest with his family mark.
"It is a family trade mark. Only my bloodline will carry that mark." The taiyoukai answers coolly. Aito blinks his eyes still in doubt.
"Bloodline? What does it have to do with blood? Someone must bleed to get that moon?" The kid doubts. Sesshoumaru narrows his eyes and stares at the boy's inquisitive face. It reminds the demon lord a lot about Rin. Back in the days when Rin was Aito's age, she used to inquire on a lot of matters out of curiosity. The taiyoukai never got annoyed, in fact he thought the girl was adorable. Just like Rin, he is such an active energetic kid. He places his right hand on top of the boy's head and strokes gently.
"In a way, only my child will carry my mark. It has nothing to do with bleeding. " Aito's concentration in listening amazes the demon lord. He nods that he understood and lowers his head to look on his own laps. Sesshoumaru thinks that this might be the perfect time for him to ask few things to the kid.
"Where is your father?" Aito's head snaps up and looks at the taiyoukai with a gloomy expression. His sunset eyes turn watery and he sniffs heavily, allowing no tears to discharge from his eyes.
"Aito never met father. I don't even know how he looks like." The boy is melancholic in his tone. It sounds like there is huge lump in his throat. Sesshoumaru frowns in doubt.
"Have you ever inquired with your mother about this?" The demon lord asks in concern.
"Yes, I do. Mother said father is watching over us all the time. He just... couldn't come and see us all the time." The boy's sadden tone has increased. This time his voice is rather shaky. Of course I will be watching Rin all the time, but if I knew I had a son I will not let them wander around. They should be taken to my fortress and live a life without hardships. The demon lord thinks in his mind.
"Do you hate your father?" The taiyoukai's question makes the boy's hands turn into a small fist as he grabs onto his hakama. A moment of silent falls between them.
"No I don't." And the kid breaks the silence first.
"Why?" The demon lord continues pestering the kid.
"I can never grow up hating my father. Mother will not be happy about it. It is the promise I made and if I break it, mother will be heartbroken and Aito hates to see mother sad" The boy explains as a few tears roll down his chubby cheeks. Sesshoumaru gently wipes the tears off with his claw finger. He doesn't know why he reacted in such a way, perhaps the demon lord feels pity for the kid.
"They said I look weird and no kids wanted to play with me. The villagers always talk something bad about mother, I don't understand what they mean but their comments always made mother cry the whole night. Everyone have their fathers to play with, they always get to learn new things with their father. Mother... she doesn't even have the time to play with me, because she has to work to ensure I get to eat every day." Aito pauses and stands up. He dashes towards the demon lord, wraps his arms around the taiyoukai's waist and cries out loud.
"Why does everyone have a father and I don't? Their mothers always accompany them but my mother has to work and I have to stay in the hut alone for the entire day. I feel terribly lonely and I can't tell mother about this. She will blame herself if she knew I am not happy." The kid tightens the hug as his weeps get louder.
"I just want to be a normal kid. Is that too much to ask?" The kid continues weeping and Sesshoumaru tries hard to soothe Aito by stroking his back with his right hand. What more can the taiyoukai do for the poor kid other than letting him cry his heart out?. Perhaps this is the first time Sesshoumaru's heart has ever felt so much ache and heavy. Does this mean I have weakened? No it couldn't be. The taiyoukai thinks as he continues to stroke the back of the kid. He couldn't imagine the kind of life Rin and Aito had to go through in the past 4 years, but for sure it was not a pleasant time. Sesshoumaru clenches his left fist tightly. He let the girl go missing easily from his fortress and took too long to locate her which has caused this much of suffering between the two. That leopard was right, only he knows everything about that happened to Rin in these 4 years. Watching the poor kid crying in his arms, the taiyoukai swears that he will sacrifice everything just to see the smiles again on both Rin and Aito.
"It's alright; everything is going to be fine. Soon your mother will have all her time only for you. And you will have a father to teach you everything that you desire to learn. Soon, very soon." The demon lord manages to utter the last few sentences in torment. Aito does not hear the words from the taiyoukai. Sesshoumaru doesn't care to repeat it as he wraps his arms around the kid's small body. As much as he hates to surrender something which belongs to him to others, the demon lord thought nothing is important than Rin in his life. If he can abandon Tenseiga and his land for this human girl, he is willing to swallow his pride for that leopard to make Rin and Aito live better lives. If the girl has made her decision then he has no wish to change her mind.
She needs a man and he needs a father. I have made my decision now.
Chapter end notes:
I promise to make this a "back to back" update for chapter 8 and 9, but unfortunately something happens and I have to load only 1 chapter. Anyway chapter 9 is there, and shortly when I sort my dilemma, I shall update it. Thanks for reading my story. For those who has reviewed so far...*hugs and *kisses* for you all ^_^
Until then ... take care guys (^_^)