Chapter notes:
"There is sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief...and unspeakable love."
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 17 – We would not return to the castle
Rin speeds to the two demons side and with her bare hands she pulls the blade out from Sesshoumaru's right shoulder. None of the demons manage to stop the girl as the blade cuts into the girl's palms dripping blood around the sword.
Ryuuki can't pull his sword out at this moment for it will deepen the cut on the girl's palms and worsen the incident. While Sesshoumaru is unable to do anything, only being able to witness his precious ward's flesh being cut. Both demon hearts are in anguish at the sight of the girl struggling to remove the blade without knowing pain.
With the blade successfully dislodged from the Taiyoukai's shoulder, Rin presses her hands around her lord's wound to stop the blood from pooling. Her tears flow like rain not due to the throbbing from her hands but the wound on her lord's shoulder. Shaking her head in disbelief the girl firmly presses her forehead on the top of her hands which are still covering the demon lord's wound as she whispers weakly, despondent.
Why would master Ryuuki want to hurt Lord Sesshoumaru, why?
"Rin," Sesshoumaru's left hand gently strokes at the back of the girl's head and pauses at her trembling back with his right hand wrapped around her waist securely. "I will be fine." The girl continues sobbing in misery while the leopard demon is watching on stupefied. Rin pulled the blade out with her bare hands, Why? The question keeps repeating in Ryuuki's head as he steps backward pulling away from the duo.
Jaken walks up close to his master with his eyes full of unshed tears while Aito dashes to the Taiyoukai and wraps his arms tightly around one of his lord's leg as he buries his face into his hakama and cries.
Sesshoumaru releases his right hand from Rin's waist and rests it on top of his son's head. He strokes at the boy's head to ensure him he is fine before his emotionless gaze shifts onto the lost leopard.
"Be gone and leave us alone." The demon lord warns threateningly. Ryuuki snaps his attention back to reality with the Taiyoukai's harsh forewarning. He sheathes his sword and walks a bit closer to the group.
"Rin, I- ..." Sesshoumaru snarls irately to instantly cut off the cat demon's sentence and forbid him from coming closer to the girl. Ryuuki growls in irritation but keeps his temper level low as he does not wish to indirectly hurt the girl again.
"I just want to check how deep the cut is." The leopard explains calmly. Rin lifts her head and slightly turns to the left, watching the cat demon over her shoulder. She does not wish to speak to the leopard at this moment, but thinks that it will be wise if she steps up and sorts the problem before the two demons start to confront again.
"Master Ryuuki, I beg you please," The girl is now fully facing the leopard demon with her sore eyes wearing a down hearten expression on her face as she continues, "Please go home now, and I will speak to you on another day."
Ryuuki is rather disappointed at the girl's request but he hardly has any choice, his has wounded the girl he loves the most with his own sword and her blood is still on it. Reluctantly he nods in acceptance and turns to take his leave.
When he disappears into the bushes, Rin turns her attention back to her lord's wounded shoulder. She tries hard to press on his wound to stop the blood from pooling. Sesshoumaru has had enough, he knows his wound would probably heal before the sun sets and the major concern here is this innocent girl under his arms. Carefully the Taiyoukai grabs on the girl's hands and inspects her palms with profound concern.
Horrible cuts! Sesshoumaru's brows drop in anguish at the sight of Rin's palms. The cuts from the blade are deep and he is almost lost for words to describe these terrible wounds. Shifting his gaze from the girl's hands to her face, the demon lord is startled by the emotions worn on the poor girl's face. No signs of physical suffering. The concerned Taiyoukai lifts the girl's chin up with his claw finger and eyes her worriedly.
"Let's tend to your wound now." Rin's eyes widen and shakes her head in disapproval.
"No, I tend to your shoulder first." She instructs firmly but Sesshoumaru's snarls in irritation at the stubborn girl but she pays no attention.
"Jaken, get a clean dry cloth, and Aito, search for some bandage in the hut. Meet me at the river shortly." The little kappa and the boy nod in acknowledgement as both quickly pace to the hut.
"But your," Sesshoumaru ignores Rin's unfinished remark and wraps an arm around the girl's waist, slightly pushing her to make a move to the river. The girl's eyes narrow in dissatisfaction and reluctantly obeys her lord.
Sesshoumaru's heart is filled with disappointment. A month ago due to his absence Rin was wounded badly after being beaten up violently by the useless humans. He had brought the girl here to this river and washed her wounds with his distressed heart. Today she is wounded yet again and right in front of him but he was unable to do anything to stop the girl. They are here at the same river again for the same purpose. The Taiyoukai is extremely furious at himself but chooses to not channel his dissatisfaction out in this bad moment.
Dipping Rin's hands slowly into the water, the girl gasps in pain as she lifts it out immediately to cause Sesshoumaru to lose his grip on her hands. Her brows drop as she bits her lower lips; she then shuts her eyes tightly in order to get rid of the stinging feeling on her palms.
The demon lord watches the girl's reactions in agony. He sighs for at least she is showing a normal reaction out of pain, he thought that the girl has lost all her senses the moment she used her bare hands to pull the blade out. Gently, he grabs at her wrists and slightly massages the lower palms with his thumbs.
Rin slightly relax and tries to re-open her eyes. Her hazelnut eyes glasses over with unshed tears but manages a weak smile at the concerned Taiyoukai.
"Let's do it again, I feel better now." Lie Sesshoumaru thinks as he knows Rin too well that he can tell when the girl is lying to make him feel better. But he has no choice and the wounds need to be cleaned.
"I will do it as fast as I can and if it stings too much, bite on my shoulder. Remember, don't hide it, if you want to scream just do it." Rin's eyes soften in guilt, knowing she has caused a trouble again; she chooses to not answer but nods in acceptance. When her palms touch the water again, the girl screams out loud with tears streaming down her cheeks. She drops her forehead on the demon lord's shoulder and clenches her teeth tightly.
Sesshoumaru washes her wounds as gently as he can and as fast as he is able to. Jaken and Aito join the duo shortly with bandage and dry cloth ready in their hands.
Once the blood is washed away, the Taiyoukai instructs the green toad to hand over the dry cloth. Slowly he dries the girl's palm and takes the bandage from his son to wrap around her hands. Aito's heart cries mutely at the sight of his mother's face. Jaken on the other hand is unusually quiet.
"Feeling better now?" Sesshoumaru asks tenderly as his claw finger wipes away the tears on her face. Rin nods slowly as her lips inch towards a small smile.
The demon lord pulls the girl closer to his arms as he carries her back to the hut with the imp and the boy following closely behind.
The Taiyoukai places Rin on the bed as he sits opposite to her at the side of the bed and tells the girl to get some rest while he will be away for hunting. He then moves to the imp's side and instructs him to stay with the girl before disappearing from the wooden door. Aito quickly runs to the entrance and joins the Taiyoukai. The toad makes no attempt to stop the boy knowing it will be futile. Brat he thinks as he turns and spots that the girl has her eyes closed and resting. Silly girl. Jaken whispers.
Into the forest,
Sesshoumaru's poison claws pierce directly through the boar's heart as it lands on the grass. He walks closer and picks up the boar while Aito watches on in amazement. Slowly both father and son move away from the forest and head back to the hut. The boy is unusually quiet during the walk and keeps raising his head up to stare at the demon lord's face. It doesn't take the Taiyoukai long to notice the kid's odd behaviors. He decides to stop and converse with his son. Sesshoumaru pauses in his steps and drops the boar onto the forest floor. He then drops to one knee at Aito's side with his hands placed on both of the boy's shoulders.
"What is troubling you?" The boy heads up and faces the demon lord with his eyes rolling to his lord's wounded shoulder.
"My lord, your wound needs to be tended." The boy eyes worriedly. Sesshoumaru's lips curl into a small smile as he shakes his head lightly to decline.
"The cut will heal before the sun set. Tending it will be a waste of time." He assures the boy with gentle strokes on top of the kid's head.
"What about mother's hands?" Aito's sudden inquiry staggers the demon lord momentarily with anxiety. His right hand firmly rests at the side of the boy's cheek.
"Don't worry, she'll recover but it takes time. Probably it will take two weeks or even a month to heal." The boy nods sadly as his gaze falls on his feet.
"I wonder if mother felt pain when she pulled the blade with her bare hands." His small hands clenches into small fists, "She's so brave."
A gloomy scent fills the air around the boy as sorrow rushes in and fills Sesshoumaru's heart. She is mentally tough, her love is strong and she is kind to everyone. But why can't she love herself even more? The Taiyoukai thinks as he draws his son closer with an arm wrapped securely around his small body.
"She needs to learn to love herself even more isn't it?" The boy nods eagerly in agreement.
"We will teach her about this, deal?" Aito's sunset eyes blink and looks at the demon lord with an inquisitive mind.
"But how?" He asks innocently.
"We will stop your mother from doing anything that may harm her." The boy blinks his sunset eyes in doubt as he inquires.
"Like what happened earlier?"
"Yes, indeed." Aito is puzzled by his lord's answer, he keeps blinking his eyes and stares blankly at the dog demon. A short silence falls between them until the kid surprises the Taiyoukai with a rather unexpected statement.
"Bu-but... I would do the same earlier if I had the same height like mother." Sesshouumaru's golden eyes pop wide open in disbelief, he can explain about Rin's earlier behaviors since the girl's nature always is more on giving than receiving. But to hear it from his son is rather astounding.
"Aito would never want to see Lord Sesshoumaru hurt." The boy lands in the Taiyoukai's lap, throws his short arms around his lord's neck and hugs him tightly. The demon lord returns the hug and strokes his son's back as he sighs uncharacteristically. Like mother, like son.
"I hate to see you hurt too and so don't do anything silly. Promise?" Aito releases his arms from the demon lord's neck as he pulls away to look at his lord's face. He nods in agreement and in return Sesshoumaru rewards his son a light kiss on one of his cheeks.
The boy then jumps out of the Taiyoukai's lap and watches the dog demon pick up the boar on his right shoulder. Later both of them resume their track and head back to the hut.
Aito has helped Sesshoumaru to skin the boar and roast it. Rin has joined the demon lord and her son outside the hut while the duo is preparing the food. She loves to see how the father and son work together and on certain occasions she laughs at her son's childish behaviors around the Taiyoukai.
When the food is ready, Aito insists to feed his mother while Rin has a hard time to reject the boy especially when he pleads with those cute puppy eyes. Sesshoumaru, watches the mother and son enjoying their meal with a satisfied smile across his face. The afternoon passes peacefully.
As the sun retires below the horizon in the west, the Taiyoukai informs his son that he will be away for some work and should return before they go to bed. Aito expresses his wish to follow but the demon lord insists he should stay behind and help his mother out since her hands are injured. The boy nods with slight dissatisfaction but obeys the instruction. He waves goodbye to his lord and returns to his mother side. When Rin enquires about Sesshoumaru's whereabouts, Aito informs his mother that the western lord is away for some work. The girl prays silently hoping her lord will not seek Ryuuki out for any reason.
In the Geisha house's kitchen,
Tsuyu steps out from the kitchen and spots Sesshoumaru sitting under one of the giant trees. She walks closer and greets the demon lord with a smile.
"Good evening young lord." The Taiyoukai merely nods as he stands to face the old lady.
"I am sorry, I didn't know that you will be here, or I would not have instructed Akemi to send out the dinner to the hut." Tsuyu apologizes with a small bow.
"I saw the girl passing by earlier." The lady frowns in confusion and takes it that the demon lord's presence has nothing to do with the meal since he didn't stop Akemi earlier.
"I guess that you wish to have a few words with me." Tsuyu guesses as she moves to tree where the Taiyoukai was resting earlier and settles herself comfortably on the grass.
Sesshoumaru joins next to the old lady and speaks with a lowered tone.
"I will not bother you for long since I don't feel fine to leave Rin alone with Aito. I will try to make this conversation as short as possible." Tsuyu nods with a weak smile.
"How may I assist you young lord." Sesshoumaru's golden eyes stare at the old lady for a moment, her smile is warm and she looks generous. He shifts his gaze away from the lady and locks it to another landscape.
"Ryuuki was here this morning. Unavoidable confrontation took place but in the end Rin was hurt." The lady's eyes widen in astonishment.
"How did this happen? How badly is she injured?" She asks with utmost worry.
"The leopard's sword pierced through my right shoulder. Rin pulled the blade out with her bare hands. The cuts are quite deep and it will at least take few weeks to recover." Tsuyu shakes her head in disbelief. How could Rin do such a foolish thing, does she not know how to love herself? The lady sighs, dejected.
"The cat revealed about the unpleasant disasters that happened to Rin for the past four years. I wish to hear the complete story from you, right from the beginning when she came to this village." Tsuyu looks at the side of the demon lord's face. His tone of voice is weak and almost sounds desperate. She has no reason to turn down the dog demon but before she reveals anything there is this thing she needs to confirm first.
"What right do you have to know about Rin's life? Certainly, you do not expect me to tell everyone about her if they came to approach me like you did today. It will be not fair to the girl." The lady stresses seriously and calmly. Sesshoumaru cocks his head to the right and glares annoyingly at the old woman. Tusyu shows no sign of fear, instead she stares at the Taiyoukai's golden eyes as both their gazes cross for a few seconds.
This woman has her reasons too. I wouldn't be happy if she talks about Rin's life to others. The western lord breaks the gaze and lifts his head up to the sky. Tsuyu observes carefully and waits patiently for the demon lord to respond.
"If Rin didn't disappear from my palace 4 years ago, she would have been my official wife and Aito would have known about me being his father. Both of them wouldn't have went through so much of a hard life." His head remains in the same position while his golden eyes are looking at the cloudless sky. Tsuyu isn't too surprised with the demon lord's statements, in fact she had guessed it when the dog demon showed up at the village a month ago with Aito. When Akemi tells her about the name of the lord, she's forthwith aware of the relationship between the duos since the girl constantly mouthed the lord's name all the times.
"4 years ago, I spotted Rin wandering around this village for about half a day. She didn't dare to approach any of the villagers until late evening. That's when I filled my curiosity and took an initiative to check on the girl. She wore a beautiful silk kimono which looked rather expensive, and sat at the main entrance of this village. I will never forget the heartwarming smile that she gave me when I walked close to her. She is pretty and young, my heart burrowed in anguish when she told me she had nowhere to go. Rin begged me to let her work at my plantations and was in need of a shelter. I instantly agreed and let her stay with me." A weak smile crosses at the old lady's face at the thought of how she met Rin.
"Rin didn't tell you why she had nowhere to go and how she found this village?" Sesshoumaru inquires curiously while Tsuyu shakes her head to indicate she doesn't know.
"Something tells me that the girl has hid quite a lot of things in her heart. Generally she looks quite happy in front of us but when she is alone, she looks rather lost and depressed." The Taiyoukai narrows his gaze into the forest floor. Obviously she will not tell anyone about the person who sent her away. Rin is very secretive. The lady takes the silence from the young lord as her queue to continue on.
"Rin is lovable among the villagers, her easy going personality has attracted quite a lot of friends around her. Her kind heart has made the entire village's love to be around her. I swear if my son wasn't married, I would want Rin to be my daughter in law. My son Shinobu and his wife mingle along well with the girl and me personally already treat her as my own daughter." Her weak smile fades and is replaced with a gloomy expression. Sesshoumaru distinctly smells the scent of tears and can feel the sadness emanating from the lady's body. He chooses to be silent and let the lady to continue on.
"Humans are funny sometimes, for a small thing that happened they could change drastically. The happiness didn't last long for the girl, 3 months after that Rin fell ill and the local physician gave us a rather shocking news. She was with a child and from that day onwards the villagers looked at her in a different way." Tsuyu pauses a moment to retrieve a handkerchief from her sleeve and wipes the tears away from the end of her eyes before she continues, "But Rin took the news quite pleasantly, she seemed to be so blissful about the baby. In fact I could tell, she lived much happier after she got pregnant. I asked her couple of times about the father of the baby but she never answered me. I then decided to drop the subject since she has no wish to talk about it. When the rumors were getting nastier and the words of insult were getting stronger I had no choice but to send her away. The hut that she now lives in was meant to be a place to store the crops from this village. She took my decision really well and assured me that she would be fine to be alone and indicated she loved to be alone." Sesshoumaru's hands clenches into fists as he snarls furiously.
"Pathetic humans!" Tsuyu doesn't deny the Taiyoukai's declaration, in fact she nods at it.
"Yes they are I wouldn't have judged a person without knowing their background. But those verbal attacks were awful and I didn't want Rin to live in such an unhealthy environment. So I had to send her away. But I regretted it later." Tears stream down the old lady's cheeks as she takes a break to calm herself down before continuing.
"If Rin stayed at my house, she wouldn't have gone through such hapless laboring. I started to live with her 3 months before the child was due, but that night my grand daughter was sick and so I had to return and take care of her. According to my calculations, she wasn't due anytime soon but I didn't know that she was carrying a demon child. That night was the 7th month of her pregnancy and that's when Aito was born in the forest in such a helpless environment and the weather wasn't merciful to her." Tsuyu sniffs harder than before and is having a hard time controlling her tears.
"That's when Ryuuki passed by the forest and saved Rin and Aito." Sesshoumaru added firmly and the lady nods as she continues.
"When Ryuuki sent Rin to my door step, he told me the girl kept murmuring a name called 'Lord Sesshoumaru'. When she had gained back conscious I asked her about you and all she said was - someone important. I pressed no further about it and let the girl stay in my village until she regained her health.
It didn't take long for the villagers to find out about Aito. A new rumor about 'Rin having bedded with a demon and was left behind' spread really fast through the entire village. I wanted to defend her but if the girl refuses to let me know about her story I wouldn't know how to explain it to the villagers. At the end of second week after the painful labor, Rin decided to return to the hut and I promised to send her food until she was able to handle her own meals. Ryuuki was then often visiting Rin after the incident and I knew he had a crush on that girl."
"Who is that leopard and why he showed up at the village all of sudden?" Sesshoumaru asks coolly. Tsuyu shifts her legs to another side before explaining about the cat demon's identity.
"Ryuuki is my adopted son; his father was killed by a villain in his own clan while his mother managed to escape and hide in my village. At that time Shinobu was only 2 months old. I found Ryuuki's mother at the back of my house and she wanted me to take care of her infant. I agreed to her request and later she left my house to distract the villains away from my place. She never returned after that and I assumed she was killed. I then raised Ryuuki together with Shinobu and he left my side to search for his father's land when he reached teenage. He visits me quite frequently and the night he found Rin in the forest was the usual visit that he was making."
"And the villagers had no problems with you raising the cat? So why making this fuss over Rin and Aito?" The demon lord growls in slight exasperation.
"Because they know the story of Ryuuki but Rin didn't want to tell about her life and that's why people tend to assume she was an unworthy whore." The lady admits distressingly while Sesshoumaru roars in rage.
"Unworthy whore? How dare them!" Tsuyu eyeing melancholy at the Taiyoukai's reaction, she understands the young lord's rage but is shamed at herself since she is human too. If a demon would accept a human as their mate why can't human beings be generous to demons? The lady thinks painfully.
"Life after Aito's birth was filled with happiness for Rin. I have never seen the girl smile ever since she reached the village. The kid means so much for her and the fact she named her son after affection just shows how much she loves the father of the kid. That's why the girl constantly rejects Ryuuki, but that gentleman isn't going to give up on Rin. He told me as long as Aito's father doesn't shows up, he has the right to court the girl and he really means to take care of her." Sesshoumaru eyes narrows and darts at Tsuyu.
"I am not here to know about the leopard's interest to court my wife. Rin is mine and Aito is my son, that's the end of Ryuuki's personal crush." The old woman almost chuckles at the Taiyoukai's statement; she shakes her head at the dog demon's jealousy act. Tsuyu then lifts her head and stares at the starry skies, a warm breeze blows and the night seems calm. The topic that she is going to bring up now isn't suitable for the current scenery. She shuts her eyes tightly and inhales deeply.
"I almost believe that happiness was never meant for Rin. Just when she had found her reason to smile with her son, another disastrous event happened in her life. Two years ago, a group of bandits attacked our village just right after Ryuuki was off for duty. They stole our crops, killed the villagers and ..." Tsuyu's chin falls to her chest as tears start rolling down the side of her cheek at thought of the appalling incident.
"Several young innocent girls were taken violently and the villagers were only able to watch on helplessly. If Ryuuki and his companions didn't arrive in time, we all would be slaughtered completely by the bandits. His companions managed to take down quite a lot of the bandits but some managed to flee. When the bandits cleared from the village my thoughts instantly flashed back to Rin. Instantaneously, I instructed Ryuuki to check on the girl." Sesshoumaru's hands clenches into tight fists. He is impatient to hear the whole scene no matter how bad it turns out.
"Rin was being beaten up badly when Ryuuki reached there and one of the bandits had Aito in his hand. We knew that she was being threatened ..." The demon lord cuts off the lady's sentences with his sudden question.
"Did they?" Tsuyu doesn't pick up the meaning behind the question as she stares at the demon lord inquisitively.
"Did they rape Rin?" Sesshoumaru growls out loud. The old lady's eyes widen stupefied with her mouth parting wide open at the dog demon's sudden inquiry.
"No they didn't rape her, but was about to from the description Ryuuki gave me. But she was wounded so badly. When Ryuuki summoned me and the physician to the hut, my heart almost stop beating seeing her wounded body. I hugged Aito and comforted him while the physician tended to Rin. We thought the girl wasn't going to make it but her strong will to survive had surprised everyone of us. I knew that Rin refused to give up and leave Aito behind. Under proper treatment and intensive care, it took five months for Rin to recover. But since then her health was weakening and she constantly fell ill." Tsuyu takes a deep breath and then exhales.
"I recommended Rin to work at the kitchen because then she doesn't need to worry about Aito's meal. The boy will grow up and the amount of food he needs will increase eventually." The old lady rises on her feet, adjusts her kimono and turns to face the Taiyoukai.
"That was the last unpleasant incident that happened before you showed up. I have no more stories to tell." Sesshoumaru is on his feet and bows a little to show his respect to the old woman. Tsuyu smiles weakly as she returns the bow.
"Young Lord Sesshoumaru, I know you're the one who holds her heart. She has suffered far too much for her age and I wish happiness will return to her once again. Only you can do it." Her smile widens as she bows again before taking her leave.
Watching Tsuyu's shadow fade away the Taiyoukai whispers, I will not let her go away again, even if I have to lock her up.
Back to the hut,
Aito instantly runs to the Sesshoumaru's side as the demon lord approaches the river with Jaken following closely behind the kid.
"My lord you're back! Where have you been alone?" The imp instantly inquires but receives a stern glare from the Taiyoukai. The green toad instantly falls back and bows for forgiveness.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, where have you been for so long? Mother and Aito miss you so so so much." The boy tugs at the dog demon's hakama while looking up with his pleading puppy eyes. Sesshoumaru's lips curl into a small smile as he drops into one knee and pulls his son closer to his chest. This is such a beautiful moment, to be greeted by someone when returning. It will be even more wonderful if Aito calls me father. The Taiyoukai thinks as he tightens the hold around the boy's waist and places a kiss on his forehead.
"Nowhere, just checking on the surroundings to ensure no danger." Aito nods with a broad smile on his face. Jaken's eyes narrow in annoyance as to why he doesn't get the same answer to his earlier question which is almost similar to the boy's question except for the puppy eyes look.
"Have you eaten?" Sesshoumaru asks softly into his son's ear. Aito inclines as yes.
"Where's your mother?" The demon lord adds.
"Mother is sitting outside of the hut and resting. Aito didn't let mother do any cleaning work. I washed all the plates with Jaken." The boy states proudly.
"Good boy." The Taiyoukai strokes his son's head as the boy sends a toothy smile to the demon lord.
"Continue your work I shall speak to your mother." Aito nods as he watches his lord walk to the hut. He then drags the green toad back to the river and forces him to wash the rest of the utensils with him.
Rin brings her hands closer to her mouth as she blows some air onto her palms hoping to bring down the sting. Sesshoumaru catches a glimpse of the girl's action with his heart filled with guilt.
He walks to the girl's side and immediately she drops her hands on her laps and smiles sweetly at her lord.
"Welcome back my lord." The demon lord settles himself close next to the girl. He doesn't respond, in fact he doesn't know how to and what to say. After knowing the girl's life in these four years, the Taiyoukai admits that his heart is broken into million pieces. Without Aito, he can't imagine how Rin would have survived that awful life. All he wants to do now is embrace the girl in his strong arms and ensure her that life after today will be only filled with smiles and no more tears allowed.
Rin notices that her lord seems lost, she bends slightly to look at the Taiyoukai face but his golden eyes catch the warm brown eyes.
"What ails you my lord?" She asks worriedly with an innocent weak smile.
She always worries about everyone around her. Sesshoumaru thinks as he taps on his laps as an invitation for the girl to sit on his lap.
Rin gasps at the sudden invitation; she blinks her eyes a couple of times before she gets on her knees and moves in front of Sesshoumaru. The demon lord then cradles the poor girl in his lap with her head resting on his broad right shoulder on top of his mokomoko. He then holds the girl tightly with his strong arms. Rin closes her eyes as she feels the warm embrace, like there's no tomorrow. Both are sharing that beautiful moment wordlessly.
"Rin, how do you feel now? Do you still have those bone pains?" Sesshoumaru whispers softly into the girl's ears.
"No, I feel much better as long as I don't overdo myself. I almost don't feel any more pain." She replies with her eyes staying closed. Sesshoumaru moves his left hand and places it on Rin's hands. Slowly he caresses the bandage on her palms and it causes the girl to jerk her hands a little. Her eyes shoot open as she bites her inner lips to shows she's in pain.
"Sorry." The Taiyoukai apologizes instantly and causes Rin's eyes to widen in astonishment.
"No its alright, its really not that hurting, I just feel a little sting that's all, not really in great pain." She forces a small smile and it looks like she's hiding her pain. Sesshoumaru shakes his head. Rin oh Rin.
"I – I am sorry Rin." His voice softens and sounds melancholy.
"Sorry for what my lord? You didn't do anything wrong." She inquires seriously, emphasizing her words with confused expressions.
"For I not being able to be there for you all the time." The demon lord presses the staggered girl's head on his shoulder to prevent her from seeing his face. Her arms slowly encircle around the Taiyoukai's waist and weakly declines her head.
"I failed to hear your voice calling out for my help in the forest when Aito was born. I failed to be there to clear all the disgusting accusations those humans threw at you and Aito. I failed to be there to rescue when the bandits marred your marble skin with their filthy hands." Several drops of water fall on top of Rin's head. "I even failed to stop you this morning, when your bare hands grabbed on the cat's blade. Tell me Rin, what's the use of this Sesshoumaru to be called as a strongest demon when I wasn't able to protect you and my son." These few precious salty tears are streaming down from the great dog demon Sesshoumaru's eyes and wets the girl's forehead.
Instantaneously, the girl lifts her head up to face the Taiyoukai. Rin's heart burrows in pain as her eye brows drop with a gloomy expression worn on her face. Raising her wounded right hand close to her lord's face, she gently wipes off the tears from the demon lord's cheek with her fingertips.
"Please my lord, do not shed tears for me, what had happened to me was the path that I chose and you have never failed to protect to me when you are around. So please don't blame yourself my lord, please." Sesshoumaru reaches out to Rin's hand and places it on his armored chest.
"Then don't sacrifice anymore for me Rin, does life really mean nothing to you? What will Aito feel when you get injured? Do you care how everyone around you feels when you are hurt?" Rin lowers her gaze in guilt but the demon lord tilts her chin up with another free hand.
"More importantly, do you care how I feel? Enough Rin, you must learn how to love yourself. Can you promise me that my love?" The girl turns her head aside to avoid the Taiyoukai's gaze and slightly nods in agreement.
"Good, now that's my Rin." He smirks while slightly pushing the girl's head to face him. He then leans forward and catches her lips with his own for a short kiss before resting her head on his broad shoulder.
A short silence falls between them. Both Sesshoumaru and Rin stare at the direction of the river and their son splashing water onto the helpless green toad. As the boy catches his mother and demon lord looking at him, he waves his hand happily at them.
"Rin." Sesshoumaru whispers softly. Rin pulls away a little and stares at the demon lord's face.
"Yes?"
"I heard the snow in the North never melt. It could be just a legend passed down from the locals, do you wish to find out the truth and see the snow in summer? It will be amazing." Her large brown eyes stare at the demon lord in bewilderment.
"If you don't like it, we could stop at the East to visit princess Rika. The last time when I was there to search for you, she give birth to twin boys. Aito will definitely get a long well with them." Rin's eyelashes flutter slightly as she feels tears beginning to moist her eyes. Sesshoumaru pays no attention as he continues on.
"Or we could stop at the South first; the lord of the South will be pleased to know that you are safe. He used to treat you like his own daughter and he will be delighted when he gets to know about Aito." The girl's eyes are now glassing over with unshed tears.
"If we keep going on like this, we will forget the way back to the West." Her jaw clenches as she speaks with a little teasing tone.
"We don't have to go back to the west." Sesshoumaru smirks with his statement. Tears brim in her eyes, when she is about to respond a clawed finger reaches to touch over Rin's lips preventing any further speech.
"Rin, we will travel everywhere you wish to go. If you carry our next child we can choose to return here and settle down until our child is ready to travel again." His hand strays onto the girl's lower back, pushing her towards him. His grip is firm and secure.
"We would not return to the castle."
Chapter end notes:
I owe an apology to Ni Ni Chan, I promise her to update this chapter before her school start but on Saturday, the site was down and it is up on Monday early morning.
Sorry my dear, I hope you still have some time to read this. L
I am late once again and I am really sorry. My beta was unable to finish this in time and I was extremely busy with my work. Anyway here's the chapter 17. What do you think? Is that a yes or no from Rin? Sesshoumaru has learns about Rin's past and determines to be there for her and his son.
Next chapter (18): The sudden visit, an unknown missing
Chapter 19: My Guardian Angel, My father
Chapter 20: Forgiven and Reunion
Recently, I have read one very interesting story from my reviewer name 'elusivequeenbee'
The title of the story is ' An Angel's Heart '
I love the storyline and would like to recommend everyone to read it.
She also written another one shot story name '10000 Years And One Day ' - Perfect description and a very lovely story.
Anonymous reviews reply:
Jolie: Ta da! Surprise for you! The title of the story didn't sounds that bad right? :-) They will not return to the castle because Sesshoumaru chooses the best solution for Rin. Thanks for the marshmallow I really love it! And for that I present you this chapter. Aito will get to knows about his father in the coming chapters. Enjoy this chapter dear Jolie. Thank you for your review and support.
Caraline fisher : lol sorry for the cliff. Hope you enjoy the new chapter. Thanks for your review dear (^_^) P/s- Update your story ok? hehe
pooky : Thank you for your review :-) I am proud that you read my story since you never read any Sesshoumaru/Rin romance story before (^_^) Thanks for letting me know about the grammar errors, I will let my Beta knows about it, perhaps he's over looks for certain part.
Naala : Yay! Is ok for the late review but you have finally check in! I swear I won't update if you didn't read it.
Thank you for liking Ryuuki scenes and understanding his anger towards Sesshoumaru. At least you willing to walk out from the circle and learn from Ryuuki's side. I am really happy with your thoughtful.
No problem, I will not forget about Ryuuki. Readers express their wish to see a good ending for him and so I will write one. After all he is the man who was once care and loves our Rin (^_^) I never aim to make him a bad guy from the beginning, just a man who madly falls in love.
Sorry about the cliff, I hope this chapter answers a thing or two about Rin's life. After this we will move on to Aito. (^_^) Until then you take care too and cheers!