Author notes:
Hey my dear readers,
Sorry for the delay, I have got the chapter ready but was unable to upload due to the technical error with Fan Fiction site.
Fan fiction is having some technical difficulties, it prevents authors the authors from editing their stories and as well as update. Though the problems only affect the popular categories like Inuyasha, Bleach, Harry Potter etc. One of this author name 'wolfranger2003' has taught me a way updates my story through a work around. So if you guys are authors and face the same issue feel free to drop me a message I shall pass down the information from 'wolfranger2003' to everyone. Take care guys! And enjoy the chapter 16 (^_^)
Chapter notes:
When you love someone,
You'll feel it deep inside and nothing else can ever change your mind.
You'll do all the crazy things that you can't explain and deny the truth believe a lie.
There'll be times that you'll believe, you can really fly.
You'd give it everything you got and you won't think twice.
You'd risk it all - no matter what may come...
You'll sacrifice...
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 16 – Sesshoumaru vs Ryuuki
A strong wind blow sends uncomfortable chills through Aito's body. He is in the middle of an unknown thick forest and is surrounded by at least a hundred or more demons. The boy observes carefully without panicking; He can see some bulls, toads, dragons and panthers. He can even whiff some bats pouting around the trees.
Sweat beads are visible on both sides of the kid's face as he knows there is no way he can escape. Aito swallows hard as he braves himself a little forward to the front and speaks.
"What business do I have with you all?" exclaims the boy. He then notices the panther group splitting into two as they make a way for another cat demon to appear from behind.
"We will use him as a bait to lure Sesshoumaru out. What do you think brothers?" The cat suggest as he smirks victoriously. The demons around the forest all hail in unison Go for it! Go for it!
Aito steps backwards as sweat continues to discharge on the sides of his face. Running will be futile now and the boy thinks he might have to try to confront as many demons as possible. In an instant, a group of 4 toads charge out of no where. The kid manages to sense the direction of the charge as he speeds in the opposite direction. Four bulls are now lined up in front of the nervous boy.
"Ah hah, nothing least expected from the son of a dog demon. Looks like we will have some fun little boy. Everyone attack at once!" Yells the cat as Aito notices all groups of demons now dashing in his direction. Lord Sesshoumaru! A green light appears and swiftly takes down all demons in one go. The boy turns his head up and sees a large dog demon, his guardian angel is here to protect him as always.
As his guardian angel lands in front of the boy, Aito runs quickly at his side but unknown to him one of the panthers has still survived. The cat transforms into his real form charging at the back of the kid, immediately the dog demon leaps ahead of Aito and shields the attack. The cat's raises his left arm to form a spear-head and using his sharp shining claws he pierces through the dog demon's right shoulder.
Aito turns to his back and sees blood splashed over the forest floor. His eyes widen as he screams out loud.
"FATHER!"
Aito jerks up at his own screams, tears stream down his cheeks as he sniffs heavily. He then feels a strong hand firmly pressing on his right shoulder. The boy turns to the side to see a hand with magenta strips. He raises his head to see a concerned Sesshoumaru watching him. The kid bits his lower lips with his jaw shaking a little as he continues sniffing. The Taiyoukai shifts his hand from the boy's shoulder and gently strokes on the top of the poor kid's head.
"It's only a bad dream." He whispers softly but loud enough to be heared by his son's sensitive ears. The boy nods in agreement as he wipes the tears off his face with his small hands. He moves closer and curls at Sesshoumaru's side with his short arms wrapped half around the demon lord's waist. The demon lord embraces his son securely as both remain silent. Few minutes pass, the Taiyoukai looks down at his unstirred son and he breaks the silence.
"Feeling better now?" He asks out of concern. Aito look ups with his lips curled into a small smile indicating a 'yes'. He lowers his head and turns to the side to see his mother still asleep. Suddenly Aito frowns in worry; he stretches his hands out to touch his mother's face. He then turns swiftly to face his lord with his concerned and gloomy face.
"Did mother cry last night? Why? Did I do something to upset mother?" The boy asks worriedly as he tucks at the demon lord's sleeve. Sesshoumaru cradles Aito on his laps and side hugs the boy.
"Nothing to do with Aito, you are an excellent kid and you will never hurt your mother." The Taiyoukai assures his son as both of them turn to watch the girl who is still slumbering away peacefully.
"Then why did mother cry?" The boy asks with tones of grief and it saddens the demon lord's heart.
"We had some uncomfortable conversations and that's why she cried." Aito raises his head and looks at his lord confused.
"If it was uncomfortable then why discuss?" The kid asks innocently. Sesshoumaru almost chuckles at his son's question.
"Is ... unavoidable." That's the only answer from the demon lord but Aito frowns bewildered.
"It is certainly avoidable my lord, just don't speak about it, its that's easy isn't it? Like Aito, will never say something bad to hurt mother." The kid then darts on his knees and wraps his arms around the Taiyoukai before he continues, "Lord Sesshoumaru, you are not going discuss that uncomfortable topic again right? Please..."
Sesshoumaru is almost speechless, he will never surrender to anyone in this world but when it comes to his son's requests, he knows he will not be able to say no. Aito is his strongest competitor. As victory will always on his son side. He sighs in satisfaction and speaks.
"Promise." The boy happily stretches his hands high up and does something unexpected. Aito leans closer to the Taiyoukai and kisses his left cheek on the magenta strip. Sesshoumaru golden orbs widen in astonishment while his son smiles toothily.
"Aito loves Lord Sesshoumaru as much as I love mother!" The kid exclaims with elation.
"I love you too my son"The last two words remain in the dog demon's mind. One day I will be able to address him proudly. He smirks at his own statement and shifts the boy to the floor.
"Go and freshen up yourself. Today we will hunt together with your mother." Aito is startled by his lord's statements but he is truly overjoyed with the idea as he jumps merrily. His mother has never seen him hunting and he determined to make her proud of him.
"Yes, milords I will go get ready with Jaken." He answers firmly and dashes out to the door but stops right at the green toad's bed. He bends at the side of the small bed and starts poking at the little kappa's face. The toad gets annoyed, he slaps the kid's hand away and jerks up to find Aito fleeing out the wooden door.
"Damn you boy, I will teach you a lesson!" Out of anger the green toad yells out loud as he is on his feet and ready to chase the kid.
"Jaken!" A strong fierce voice calls from behind sending a chill over his body and he freezes his steps. Slowly he turns to see his lord sitting at the edge of the bed. He is instantly on his knees and starts to apologize.
"Milord forgive my rudeness I promise such a thing will not be repeated." With his small head touching the floor, Jaken begs for forgiveness.
"Go with Aito." The demon lord firmly instructs without looking in the toad's direction.
"Right away my lord." With that the green kappa speeds as fast as he can leaving the dog demon behind alone with the girl in the hut.
When the green toad's shadow fades into distance, Sesshoumaru turns to the side and watches his Rin. She is looking calm and breathing normally. Last night's conversation seems to have affected the girl badly as she fainted out of exhaustion and hasn't been stirring much till now.
The Taiyoukai's heart twitches in pain, he has never seen Rin weep in such a fragile way. No matter how tough her life was in her early age, the girl would always wear that beautiful smile on her face. Even when she was beaten up badly by the villagers for stealing fish, she didn't even shed a single drop of tear. Sesshoumaru's hand clenches into a tight fist, he curses himself for not being able to find out the culprit who had taken the girl away. He knows her life wasn't easy without him, being pregnant, having went through labor, and working to feed their son.
As the demon lord adjusts his position to sit opposite and facing the girl, sorrow rushes in deep and fills his heart. She is just a simple human girl and yet she clenches her teeth and walks this painful path to the limits, not knowing tire. What strength had possessed her that she has refused to give up? Sesshoumaru has his eyes shut tightly; he grabs the girl's right hand and holds it firmly onto his chest. What I have done until this person had to separate us? Why would she have to suffer for my sake? She was beaten to get food for me. She was taken to the underworld to strengthen my Tenseiga. She was abducted by Naraku as a hostage to forbid me from defeating him and then she is taken away for this stupid family culture? Why would anyone want to do this to her? Is she not going through enough of a hard life already? Tightening the hold around the girl's hand, he moves it closer to his mouth and presses his lips firmly against her knuckles.
Allowing his thoughts to wander, the demon lord's eyes shut painfully as he tries to figure solutions to this matter. He is the ruler of the western lands and certainly no one will be able to object his choice of mate but Rin's concerns are something he could not even explain himself. But the girl is too innocent to sacrifice her life without clarifying with the demon lord. Shifting the girl's hand to his nose, he takes the scent of his precious ward and is lost in his thoughts. Why father?
Rin's eyes brows drop as she feels uncomfortable on her lower abdomen. Her eyes flutter open but instantly shuts when her belly cramps. Her eyes tightly shuts until the cramp starts to reduce as the girl attempts to part her eyes. Slowly her hazelnut eyes open wide and she sees a figure in front of her. Sesshoumaru! She exclaims silently with her mouth parting wide in shock.
It is not the presence of her lord that surprises Rin, in fact it is the expression worn on his face that concerns her dearly. He could easily sense her awake but the Taiyoukai seems deeply lost in his own world.
Rin observes Sesshoumaru intensely as she admires the features on his face. The magenta strips on both sides of his cheeks stand proudly on his pale skin especially the blue crescent moon on his forehead. She wishes to caress her lord's face but this moment is too beautiful to be interrupted. Her lips curl into a small smile as she continues watching, the demon lord's expression has become much calmer now.
But the calmness over the Taiyoukai's face fades as it is by a rather melancholy face. Rin's smile instantly drops, she feels dejected and guilty at the same time. Her lord is a well known emotionless demon, he shouldn't bear with these weak human emotions.
Rin knows she is the reason behind Sesshoumaru's sadness and she hates it. She has never seen her lord suffering with depression as he always keep himself well aware of his surroundings. Right at this moment, he is completely out of his mind. The Taiyoukai would only smirk with triumph over his victory; never sad.
Ever since the girl followed the Taiyoukai at the age of seven, she has constantly faced accusations from others about her inability to defend which has caused troubles and weakened the demon lord. But her lord shows no reactions over these nasty points of view, in fact he protected the child with all his heart. With that Rin refuses to destroy her lord's life with her presence. She vows to keeps her promise.
Rin stretches out her left arm and presses her hand over Sesshoumaru right's cheek. Her soft gentle touch brings the lost dog demon back to reality. His eyes shoot open, startled golden orbs clash with concerned brown eyes. The wordless moment is filled with affectionate eye contact between the couple. Young love.
"You let your guard down. I have been watching you for sometime." The girl breaks the silence.
"I was merely enjoying your scent. Its call admiring not guard down Rin." The Taiyoukai smirks as he releases the girl's hand and helps her to sit up. He draws the girl closer to him with his left arm circling around her waist.
"Liar." Sesshoumaru stares at the girl in astonishment. Rin chuckles at her lord's expression.
"But I know you lie to make me feel better." She sighs melancholy with her hands pressing on her lower abdomen as the cramps that she felt earlier have returned.
"This Sesshoumaru never lies to you." He states firmly. Rin turns and forces a small smile for her lord as she tries to hide her discomfort. When she curls both of her legs to the side, she feels an uncomfortable discharge in between her legs. The girl frowns as she can feel some discomforting warm liquid flowing. No wonder with all the pain and cramp! Rin's face flushes in red. Bad timing. She then looks away out of embarrassment.
The demon lord's nostrils catch some mild blood scent around the girl, he turns to find her discomforted face but shies away when his gaze meets her's. It doesn't take long for the Taiyoukai to figure out the reason behind her timid action. Rin is on cycle.
"Come." He taps lightly on the girl's shoulder. She turns with a bewildered expression and stares blankly at her lord.
"I believe you need a change. Let's heads to the river." Rin is startled by her lord's suggestions, her eyes widen with her mouth slightly parted. Sesshoumaru doesn't reply instead he just taps at the bridge of his almighty nose and smirks. Rin covers her mouth and laughs sheepishly at her lord's gestures. Slowly she moves to the side of the bed with her hands still pressing on her belly. When her legs touch the floor, the Taiyoukai is turning to head out but the girl quickly grabs onto one of his hands to stop him. Mystified by the girl action, the dog demon turns and drops to one knee in front his precious ward.
"Not feeling good to walk? I shall carry you then." He whispers worriedly but the girl declines in fact she looks rather concerned about something.
"My lord, last night," She steals a glance at her lord and looks away before continuing. "I was just tired, I –It has nothing to do with the pressures of the discussion. Please don't worry about me." Sesshoumaru isn't surprised by the girl's statements, he sighs; knowing Rin is obviously tried to shoulder the entire burden. He merely nods to make the girl feel better.
"About what we talked last night, regarding the ..." Her sentence is altered by the demon lord as he presses one of his claw fingers on her lips.
"Aito is waiting for us; we will talk about this later." He states firmly and cups the girl's face with his hands.
"He knows you cried last night and the boy is naïve enough to think he had upset you. We need to cheer him up. Can we?" His warm golden orbs gazes lovingly at the poor girl, her lips curls into a small bitter smile and inclines her heads in agreement. Releasing his hands from the girl's face, the demon lord rises and helps Rin to stand up. She then picks a new kimono from the wooden cupboard and walks out from the hut with her lord following closely at her side.
When they reach the river, Aito is splashing water happily at the green toad who looks rather helpless. Rin isn't happy with what she is seeing; she walks closer to her son and warns the boy.
"Aito stop bullying master Jaken. How many times do I have to remind you?" Rin's stern voice alters the boy's actions as he runs to the side of his beloved mother.
"Mother, I didn't bully, I just played with Jaken and look he is so happy." The boy then points his finger in the direction of the green toad who has just walked out from the river with his attire entirely drenched in water. The kappa's face certainly shows an expression of annoyance.
"Really? But he looks more annoyed than pleased my son." All of sudden, everyone is paying attention to the kappa's face, his eyes blink a couple of times in confusion. Aito immediately runs to the back of the toad with both of his hands circling around the imp's face and forcefully pulls the little demon's mouth widely into a big smile. Rin is about to stop her son but Sesshoumaru steps forward and moves closer to the duo.
"Aito stop that." His firm instruction scares the boy as he instantly pulls his hands away from the green toad. Jaken for the first time in his lifetime feels he is being defended by his master. His eyes widen with unshed tears showing his grateful expression. Aito swallows hard but chooses not to move. His eyes wide in fear.
The Taiyoukai then places one of his hands on top of the boy's head and strokes gently. Aito slowly regains his guts to look at his lord as he grins merrily in relief. Rin narrows her eyes in dissatisfaction while the imp's joyful look falls as his heart shatters like a broken glass.
"Take Jaken to the forest, we will be there shortly after your mother washes herself. Be ready with your prey." He smirks at his son. The boy then straightens his back with his chest puffed up and nods proudly.
"Yes my lord" He exclaims firmly and quickly turns to grab the little kappa's collar and drags him along as the duo disappear into the forest. Rin walks over to Sesshoumaru's side and sighs.
"He makes a mistake and you just let him escape." The demon lord rolls his eyes to the girl's unpleasant expression. He just loves to have this simple discussion with the girl about their son. It makes him feels so energetic.
"He is only four years old Rin, besides Jaken should be more considerate." He states in a playful tone. The girl frowns at her lord's statement.
"Master Jaken has tolerated more than enough and this has turned out to be a clear act of bullying. Aito has crossed the limits my lord." The girl turns her back to the demon lord and walk to the river.
"Even so we can carry out the conversation with Aito privately, it is not necessary that we have to do it in front of Jaken." Rin stares at the Taiyoukai over her shoulder; he has moves and rests nearby the river with one of his knee raised up. She sighs; there is no way that she can argue with her lord. Slowly she undresses and walks into the river to clean herself.
In the forest,
Aito stands under one small tree and tries to decide his prey. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the concentration that he use to own as his mind keeps on wandering to the earlier incident.
When Sesshoumaru slightly raised his voice earlier, Aito's felt extremely fearfull and dejected. This unexplainable feeling clouds the boy's mind, for some reason he has this strong desire to not upset the demon lord and wishes he could do everything the very best to get some praises form the Taiyoukai.
But this is not the only thing that bothers the kid, the dream he had last night wasn't something normal too. Of course he used to dream of being attacked by demons but the dream he had last night was certainly a nasty one. His guardian angel was wounded while the pack of demons addressed him as the son of the dog demon. Not only that, the boy seemed to call his guardian angel as his father. Aito shakes his head heavily to get rid of all the puzzles and it is at this time that the little kappa shows up and interrupts him.
"What are you doing kid? You're supposed to decide your prey so stop day dreaming." Jaken immediately regrets his words; he feels a strong aura of some evil eyes piercing through his back. He turns slowly to find a death glare from the boy; he bares his fangs in anger and roars like an angry dog. The imp instantly flees into the thick bushes before Aito charges on him.
Suddenly a light breeze blows and carries a demon's scent into the kid's nose. He observes the surroundings and remains calm. He knows someone familiar is watching him but he couldn't make out from which direction the strong gaze is coming from. In a minute, the demon appears out of no where and the boy decides to jumps to the left direction. Crap!
Aito turns exactly in the direction where the demon came from. His body was grabbed tightly by this familiar figure demon and when they both land on the forest floor, the demon greets the boy.
"It's been a while my dear."
Back at the river,
Sesshoumaru's nostrils catch this very annoying and familiar scent. He rolls his eyes in the direction of the forest and knows the leopard is probably there with his son. He stands up and walks a bit closer to the river.
"Rin, I will be back shortly." With that the demon lord disappears into the forest without giving a chance for the girl to reply.
What makes Lord Sesshoumaru leave this fast? She thought but quickly dismisses the thought and continues with her cleaning.
Back in the forest,
"Master Ryuuki!" Aito exclaims in astonishment. His expression rather surprises the panther, usually the boy will jump merrily by his presence but today he looks rather anomalous.
"What ails you dear? You seem disturbed. Are you not happy to see me?" The boy immediately faces the leopard demon and smiles weakly at him.
"Of course I am happy, when did you return master Ryuuki?" The kid tries to make the conversation as comfortable as possible. But the panther is still not convinced by the boy responses.
"I just reached awhile ago and I missed you and your mother so dearly. So I decide to stop by here first. So is your mother awake yet?" Ryuuki asks as he scans the kid intensely, something about him has change drastically. There seems to be a strange gap formed between them.
"Yes, mother is awake; she is with Lord Sesshoumaru at the river." The name of the demon dog escapes from the boy's mouth and enrages the leopard demon.
"How long has this lord been here with you and your mother?" Ryuuki's tone of voice is slightly increased and it shocks the boy a little. He stares at the panther demon a while before he attempts to answer.
"It's been a month. My lord did leave us for few days but at the night when two men attacked mother and I, Lord Sesshoumaru came and saved us. Aito got the chance take revenge on behalf of mother and I was so happy." The boy explains excitedly but somehow it increases the annoyance for the leopard. He hisses and looks away from the kid.
"What do you mean by revenge?" Ryuuki asks seriously.
"Lord Sesshoumaru is so powerful! He killed that man in the hut and dragged his body to the forest. He used one of his swords to revive the man again. It is awesome and that's when Aito also took part in killing the bastard by stamping on his wiggling tongue." The leopard demon is startled by the boy's statements. Stamping on a wiggling tongue? Since when did he become this violent? Ryuuki grabs on the boy's shoulders and forces the kid to face him.
"Listen Aito, stop learning all these ridiculous things. Your mother is not going to be happy to learn that you have done such a violent thing. Stay away from that dangerous lord. He is corrupting your innocent mindset." Ryuuki's voice is firm and serious but the boy frowns in confusion.
"Why should I stay away from my lord? He taught me so many things and I love him so much. Besides Lord Sesshoumaru loves mother much more than I did, I don't want to separate from him." The boy struggles hard and manages to free himself from the leopard's grip.
Before Ryuuki is able to get a hold of Aito again, he notices an unwanted presence charging from his back. He immediately jumps to another direction to avoid the attack and turns to find Sesshoumaru. Aito quickly runs to the dog demon's side and wraps his arms around one of his lord's legs. Ryuuki's heart is despondent at the sight of the closeness between the duo, his hands clench into tight fists and curses. Damn I shouldn't have left them for this long. How in the world could this dog win over their hearts in such a short period of time?
"The boy has the right to choose whom to trust. You have no right to interfere in his decisions." The Taiyoukai warns as he turns and leads his son away.
"You're not the father of the kid to teach him such a ridiculous thing. Rin will not be happy if she gets to know of it. Leave the boy alone." Ryuuki snarls furiously. Sesshoumaru only merely looks at the cat over his broad shoulder in annoyance, of course he has the right on Aito, he is the father of the kid after all but he just can't afford to reveal any single detail at this moment, especially not in front of Aito.
"Mind your own business cat and you know nothing about me and Rin. Be gone before you regret it." The dog demon walks away with his son. Blood is now boiling in the leopard's veins; he is raging at the words 'know nothing' from the day the Taiyoukai showed up a month ago. This is it, he has no plan to tolerate anymore, if confrontation is needed he will fight with all his strength to win over Rin's heart.
"Stand there dog!" Ryuuki yells furiously. Aito freezes in his tracks as he turns to see an angry leopard with his right hand griping on his sword ready to draw it out. Sesshoumaru turns to face his opponent, he really isn't in the mood for a confrontation but if the cat behaves in such a way, he might have no choice but to teach him a lesson.
"Aito stand back." The boy nods and runs to the nearby bushel where the imp is hiding and peeking from the beginning. Both of them watch as the two demons exchange their tense gazes. Ryuuki is the first one to draw his sword, but the Taiyoukai remains unmoved. It irritates the leopard when the dog demon refuses to draw his sword. Without waiting further, he positions his sword and runs into the demon lord. When the gap between them is only a few inches, the western lord draws his Tenseiga and blocks the leopard's attack in a flash.
Blade clashes blade as the two demons continue their fight. Aito feels extremely uncomfortable; he doesn't wish to see anyone hurt, Ryuuki treats him well and Sesshoumaru is very important to him. Unable to think of any ways to stop the fight, the kid turns to another direction as he paces back to the hut. Mother may be able to stop them, I need to be fast. The boy thinks.
"Hey kid where are you going?" The boy doesn't seem to hear the green toad's question as he quickly disappears from the imp's sight. With his eyes blinking in doubt, Jaken chooses to stay to watch over the battle between the dog and the cat.
Back to the hut,
Rin is on her way to enter the hut but her son is calling her not far away from the direction of the forest. She has changed into a forest green kimono and wrapped with a purple obi.
Aito spots his mother as he runs as fast as he can to her side. He immediately grabs one of his mother's hands tightly when he reaches her side and pants heavily. The girl starts to worry as her son's expression looks rather hasty. Did something happen to Lord Sesshoumaru? She shakes the bad thought away and drops to her knees to check on her son.
"Son what had happened? You look like you are rushing, did something happen my dear?" The girl asks worriedly. Once the boy catches his breath, he pulls his mother's hands and gestures in the direction of the forest.
"Mother you have to hurry! Master Ryuuki is fighting with Lord Sesshoumaru. Aito don't want to see anyone get hurt. I don't know what to do, please mother come fast with me, now!" Rin is thunderstruck by her son's comments but she nods and quickly drops her dirty kimono on the floor and follows her son. Why is Master Ryuuki fighting with my lord? Could it be because of that day? Oh god please don't let them hurt each other. The girl prays silently in her thoughts.
Back to the forest,
Ryuuki is thrown and hits the tree hard enough until his sword slips from his hand. Several bruised spots on his face and arms. He is panting heavily and tries to catches his breath. He feels strange during the entire confrontation, no matter how many times the sword from the demon lord cuts him, he is not wounded. Just what kind of sword does he possess? Sesshoumaru on the other hand remains unhurt; he sheathes the Tenseiga and faces the leopard.
"You're lucky that I did not choose to fight with my Bakusaiga, or you would have been dead by now." The words from Taiyoukai have wounded the leopard's pride. Did he just say that he spared my life with that useless sword? Damn you dog! Ryuuki curses and is not willing to give up. He struggles to gain balance and stands up to face the demon lord with an unsatisfied expression.
"A demon like you does not deserve to have Rin. She is innocent for an evil demon like you." The leopard demon yells crossly, his thoughts are now with Rin. The girl has gone through so much of pain and he vows to heal her and promise her a bright future. He is not going to let her slip away from his life. Never. Why? Why this man does have to show up and spoil my life?
"You don't know me well to even classify me as evil. Besides," Sesshoumaru turns to take his leave as he complete his sentences. "I know Rin more than you do. Stop making these unnecessary claims. Now leave us alone."
Ryuuki stares irately at the dog demon leaving; he is truly enraged at this moment. Who the hell does he thinks he is? Knowing Rin better than me? Did he even know how much the girl has suffered in these past four years? The leopard demon grabs his sword and charges in the direction of the Taiyoukai. Jaken who has been watching the duo from the beginning shouts out loud.
"Be careful Lord Sesshoumaru!"
Sesshoumaru dodges the attacks pretty effortlessly; he turns to the raged leopard and does not draw his sword to fight. No point. The demon lord concludes as he thinks this guy is never going to learn anything about them. He also holds no responsibility to explain anything to this cat. Each attack from the leopard grows stronger but is still harmless for the Taiyoukai. His attacks have gone pretty messy and with no properly angled aim. He has allowed his rage to control his mind.
"If I didn't happen to pass by this village four years ago when Rin delivered Aito in the forest in the night when the weather wasn't merciful to her, she and her son would have been dead! Where were you at that time?" Ryuuki yells as he keeps charging the demon lord with his sword. Sesshoumaru's heart torments by the remarks. He knew well that pregnancy would have been tough for the girl, but he never imagined it was that close to life and death. Clenches his fist tightly, the Taiyoukai jumps into another direction as he faces the cat with his emotionless face.
"I will ensure she does not face the same ordeal in her next pregnancy." He states firmly but it seems to flame the leopard even more. He leaps high into the air and charges the Taiyoukai from the top. Sesshoumaru still has his weapons undrawn and avoids the attacks, this time he feels the charging is a bit rough and stronger than before.
"Ridiculous! You have no right to make such assurances. Why do you have to come back when you left her before? I couldn't care less what the relationship was between the two of you but if you let her go away before, don't claim her back. Can't you just let her live peacefully?" Sesshoumaru's right hand catches Ryuuki's hand when the leopard attempts to slash at the demon lord. With one hand he pushes the cat away as he falls on the grass.
"I will make it up to her. Stop your unreasonable accusations." He growls in annoyance.
"Make it up? Where were you when the girl was being humiliated by the villagers? All those nasty words about her bedding with a demon only to be left behind? What about the boy? Where were you when the children laughed at him for not having a father? Now tell me how would you make all this up to them? It is impossible!" Ryuuki clenches his right hand into a tight fist as he runs towards the dog demon ready to punch him.
Sesshoumaru blocks the punch but does not return the attack. He isn't really in the mood for confrontation and he knows about the villagers verbal attacks. He witnessed the incident himself a month ago when he paid a visit to the lady named Tsuyu.
"I may not be able to turn back the time, but those humiliations will fade away from now on. No one is going to humiliate them again." His is voice soft but firm. Ryuuki's eyes turn into burning flame red. He can't believe just how easily the Taiyoukai makes a promise.
"Do you really have such power to wash away those humiliations? Do you think she has suffered only that much?" With those words escaping his mouth, he picks up the sword from the grass and positions it in the right angle as he bares his fangs in resentment.
"When the bandits attacked the village two years ago," He moves one step forwards and continues, "When they threatened Rin with Aito's life as the girl struggles hard to protect her son's safety," The leopard stops close in front of the Taiyoukai.
"When she screamed out in pain after being beaten up badly and cried out for help, for she refused to give up her dignity to those lustful bastards! Lying naked under those hungry men's eyes and waiting for fate to serve her!" Sesshoumaru's golden orbs pops open wide in disbelief as the leopard completes his sentences.
"WHERE WERE YOU DOG?" With that last sentence, Ryuuki stretches his arm with full force and thrusts the blade into the Taiyoukai's right shoulder just right above his armor. His sword pierces through Sesshoumaru's shoulder and bloods splashes and is visible on his mokomoko.
"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken shouts as he jumps out from the bushes and speeds to his lord's side speechless.
Sesshoumaru's body freezes, all of a sudden his surroundings become so quiet. He can see the imp approaching his side with his mouth murmuring something, but he heeds nothing. His gaze fixed at a pair of wrathful red eyes, the raged gaze almost feels like something piercing through his soul. He thinks he doesn't care at this moment.
The Taiyoukai knows Ryuuki's blade has stabbed his body; he tries to gather his concentration to feel the part where the blade touched. He pretty much confirms that the blade has hit his heart, for he feels extremely painful only at this region right at this moment. He mouths no words, his vision is blurring and he feels weak.
Sesshoumaru's heart burrows in agony, as much as he knows Rin has suffered way more than he could have imagined he never thought the girl was once tortured in such a nasty way before just like the same incident that happened a month ago. The girl looks so strong; she presents herself so well and so flawless until he failed to read her mind. Heknows the girl has gone through plenty of hardships in delivering, feeding her son and facing all the insulting words from the villagers. But why? Why with the physical torment?
"Did they?" While the Taiyoukai is still battling within his thoughts, he forces himself to ask the only thing that he wants to know badly. But Ryuuki ignores Sesshoumaru's question, he growls out loud furiously, deepens the stab and as a result it sends more blood splashing out.
When Aito reaches first at the spot, he is stunned by the scene he is witnessing. The dream he had last night is now freshly replaying in his mind. The boy drops on his knees with his head shaking violently.
"No! No!" The kid screams silently as it turns out as whispers. His sunset eyes fills with unshed tears as he murmurs a word. Father!
When Rin arrives behind her son, her hazelnut eyes widen gobsmacked with her mouth gapping wide. She instantly looses her balance but manages to keep her composure. The bloods pooling around her lord's mokomoko has made her tears stream down uncontrollably over her cheeks. She thinks her heart has stopped beating and all she wishes now is to be at her lord's side and check on his wounds.
When Sesshoumaru makes no defensive move against the attack, Ryuuki's blades is thrust deeper once again and now half the blade has pierced through the Taiyoukai's shoulder.
"LORD SESSHOUMARU!" Rin screams as loud as her voice allows her to. Without thinking further, the girl speeds as fast as she could to the two demons side and does something that causes the two demon's eyes widen, flabbergasted. None of them are able to stop the girl and for the first time in their lifetimes both of them respond in unison.
'RIN NO!"
Chapter end notes:
Someone told me Ryuuki is selfish, and he should die in the next chapter. But in my point of view, he is just madly in love. He doesn't know about the relationship between Rin and the demon lord. When you love someone you'll do all the crazy things.
So can you guesses what did Rin do that caused both of them to say "NO RIN!" ?
Next chapter: "We would not return to the castle"
Remember I mentioned about 'Lily of the Valley' contest on Deviantart? I have received a second entry today! I am so happy for once again I met with another talented artist.
Follow the link below to view the picture and remember to reduce the gaps to get the proper link.
h t t p : / / arisuamyfan. deviantart. com/#/d3c4reb
If you are a DA member, you can comment directly on her page. I love you dear ArisuAmy.
Until then take everyone. Cheer! (^_^)
Anonymous reviews reply:
Kate: Hi Kate, thank you for your review. I hope you enjoy this chapter 16 (^_^) Cheer!
DivineRose: Thank you Di, I was afraid I didn't get the whole scene written correctly. It took me too long to get this done and I edited a lot of time. At one time my fiance told me, I jump scene too much and I have to rewrite. I am so glad it turn out good. Awww thanks Di, I am glad you like the bathe scene. I promise to get the next one done in less than a month :D
Jolie: Awww I like it when you said: life is only once! I am kind of feel bad that I always complaint about my work. I am glad that you are doing well. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter. I am really try my best to reveal everything as fast as I could. I will speed up my writing. (^_^) Thank you for your support dear Jolie.
Rabid Wolf: Thank you so much for your review dear. Cheer! (^_^)
songhamitra: Hey there, how are you doing? (^_^) Ah, so you think Sesshoumaru shows his affection too fast? Actually, unofficially Rin is already his mate, he didn't think of any adult things though and all he wants at that moment is, to give the girl and the kid some comfort. Something that he thinks he can do at that moment.
I believe, Rin would wish to do anything for Sesshoumaru, but she loves him more than herself and she didn't wish to destroy his life. She will rather suffer on her own.
Ah, sure I have already assigned a partner to Ryuuki, don't worry about him. Awww you're so sweet dear. I hope you love this chapter. (^_^) Until then cheer!
Naala: Hi dear, I am doing good here except the hectic life lol I'm not going to complaint because Jolie said 'life is only once' and I will learn from her point of view. I'm so glad that you like the bullying part LOL I know my fiancé is not going to like it well who cares? Jaken is always annoying isn't it? hehe *shhhh* we keep it between ourselves XD
I am definitely a fan of happily ever after, it is just the process to get there which are a bit tough but I can never stand to see Sessh not X with Rin (^_^) Yup, I hope you like this chapter. I hope to receive more entry for the contest as well. Nstone53 picture is by far the BEST! I won't be surprise if she win the competition :D Until then see ya ... Oh you know, I won't be here without your superb reviews. Very details and content. Thank you dear for your support *hugs* for you.
elusivequeenbee: So, this is the final anonymous reply for you huh, hehe you have created an account yay!
Awww yea the hidden message from Sesshoumaru's words. Glad that you love it. It is difficult to write from Sesshoumaru's point of view and I will try my best. :-)
It seems that many have rated Aito as 'Good combination', I am proud that everyone is able to see Sessh&Rin in Aito. :-) It wasn't easy to write Sesshy/Rin scene, the idea is there but when you really written it down and wanted the reader to feel it is tough. This scene alone, I have deleted/edited more than 5 times. Glad that it turn out good, I want Sesshoumaru to show his little anger but not too much. Same apply for Rin, she was strong enough to face pregnancy, delivery, raising her son ALONE. She never turns and breakdown to anyone not even Ryuuki, so her fragile cries in Sesshoumaru's arm has to be something that I want the reader to feel her harship. And so I am glad it turns out just as I wish. Yes even I wish to hug her, so sweet of you (^_^)
Thank you for your review, I wouldn't be able to do this without your comments. Every single review from you ensured me that I'm in the right path and I will continue on without a doubt. Hope you enjoy this chapter. *hugs* for you. Until then take care.