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Chapter 13: Learning To Love The Human Way
On their way home, Rin stopped to visit her adoptive children with a bag of fruit she had harvested. She introduced them to Sesshomaru. The children hugged him. He gazed at their crowns briefly them lowered himself to return their hugs.
He glanced at Rin during the hug, and she grinned at him.
A little short distance from the hut, Rin stopped by another house. Aika came out to greet Rin and bowed to Sesshomaru. He gazed at Aika briefly then made a bow in return. Rin again grinned at him.
Rin went inside with Aika for some time. He stood outside and waited.
Then, they stopped by the market. The evening crowd was bustling with activities. People were laughing, yelling, running toward each other for short chats or greetings.
Lots of people greeted Rin and him. Rin smiled and waved back when their distance was far or greeted them when they were closer. He returned their greetings or waved at them just like Rin did. And Rin grinned.
Sesshomaru mimicked Rin's actions almost to the exact details. But when a few young guys approached and greeted Rin with a cool smile and winking eyes and Rin smiled and returned their greetings, Sesshomaru stepped closer so to almost be in between Rin and the guys and stared them down with his golden glares, which action sent those guys scurrying off real quick.
Rin blushed. She tugged on Sesshomaru's sleeve and hid her face into his shoulder. And in that fashion, Rin walked down the walkway between the line of the tables displaying sale products.
Midway through, Rin left his shoulder and stepped toward a table displaying various school items. She started to fiddle around looking for what she wanted.
Sesshomaru followed and stood beside Rin. He looked around. There were many couples holding hands as they strolled by, and the guys were always the ones carrying the bags from their shopping trips.
When Rin was done, she told him that she was ready to go home. He reached down and took the newly obtained bag in Rin's hand. With the other hand still free, he took Rin's hand and wove his fingers in between hers.
Rin let her fingers weave comfortably inside his. She smiled and lowered her head a little and started to twist her hair.
Doing what the humans do seemed to please her. But the humans could only walk. Sesshomaru took it up a notch, literally, as he ascended into the air, producing a platform of pink cloud for her to stand on.
The market people down below were awwing and oohing, yelling goodbye after them, even whistling at them.
Rin blushed so obviously that her face turned ten shades red. She moved Sesshomaru's arm around her shoulder and hid her face deep deep into his chest. She was hopeless in hiding her shy happiness though because her scent at that moment had risen so high it was almost heaven.
When they got home, Sesshomaru carried the harvested bag and the shopping bag into the house for Rin.
There was an old map spreading on the table where Kaede and Rin used for mixing medicine from the herbs. He stopped and scanned through the various symbols imprinted on it. A symbol of a three headed serpent jumped out at him. It looked faded compared to the other more colorful ones.
He studied the map.
There were different symbols, colorful or faded, scattering everywhere: a red rose, a white lotus, other flowers, various mountains, weapons, animals in monstrous forms, 7 baby Phoenixes painted with a different color that made up the rainbow spectrum, and many other unrecognizable symbols. There was also a symbol of a Sakura tree which was in the exact location where Rin and he were at the other night.
He narrowed his eyes and took a good mental image of the map.
….
Late evening that day, Hasu stood beside Takashi above her lake. Takashi took out the Shoheki Star and loosened his hold on it.
The object floated in midair. One of the phoenix feathers on it started to glow red. It spun around until the red feather pointed to a certain direction, and the Star zipped toward that direction.
"Let's go, Takashi."
Hasu stepped on her flashing lotus path following the Shoheki Star.
Takashi followed.
The Star stopped somewhere not far from Kaede's village. The glowing red feather detached itself and flew forward. It pierced into an appearing red barrier and dissolved it.
In the middle stood an altar holding a small statue of a red baby phoenix made of Ruby.
Hasu walked toward the statue. Suddenly, two winged rabbits flew out from behind the altar and raised their bows at her. They were round like two flying fur balls with ears so long they had to keep blowing air from their mouth on their ears to keep them from draping over their faces.
Their voice was chirpy like chipmunks. "Leave this place or we'll shoot."
Hasu jerked her head back. She chuckled and moved toward them. She gently reached for them when they shot two arrows into her chest. She fell backward and yelped softly. She couldn't move.
The rabbit demons flew toward the baby phoenix statue. When they were about to pick it up, a stream of black light hit them, sending them flying a long distance away from the altar. Takashi leapt from behind the light stream and snatched the statue. He then picked Hasu up and sped away.
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At Kaede's place, Sesshomaru stood in front of Kaede's watching Rin play tag with Miroku's kids after she had finished her evening chores. When Rin was tired, she stopped. The kids moved on to Jaken, who dashed from one end of the yard to another to run away from them, but that was the exact objective of the game.
The gang told Rin that Totosai came to visit the night before and Kohaku had left with him to go back to his training. Rin lowered her head with furrowed brows.
Sesshomaru frowned. He approached Rin, slowly took her hand, and led her to their bedroom.
He laid Rin down and lay down on his side beside her. He raised his head up with a bent arm, and he started to caress her cheek.
"Do you think of me when I'm not by your side?" he asked.
Rin reached up and traced the lines of his lips, her eyes glazed with tenderness.
She smiled. "I think of you even when you're here, Sesshomaru-sama."
A rush of tender energy suddenly flooded through him.
He was disciplined and strong. But the rush of that energy overtook him, perhaps, because it felt so peaceful yet exciting with a strange pleasure that he didn't put up his guard.
Or perhaps, there was no way to guard against it.
He lowered his lips and engaged Rin in a passionate kiss.
The tender feeling intensified. It weakened him both physically and mentally and manifested itself into a soft moan and a long amorous sigh.
Rin's actions were almost identical. Her hold on his neck was even tighter.
Curse it.
Sesshomaru jolted backward and sat up abruptly.
"I must leave. Sleep well, Rin."
Giving her no time to reply, he dashed through the window and jetted to the woods. He found a tree and sat down, leaning against its trunk.
He closed his eyes and concentrated his power trying to heal the wounds from mother which caused him even more pain, but the pain helped distract him from his impending arousal.
He opened his eyes.
In front of him, a garden of lotuses spread on the dry ground of that woods.
His eyes narrowed.
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to Guest and 677: thank you so much for your reviews. I really really do appreciate it.
to sorrelkaren: First, thank you for your review with lots and lots of appreciation. And then. Thank you for your comment. I think Sesshomaru is passionate in everything he got his mind set on, like the Tetsaiga and the hunt for Naraku. Rin being the most important, I think he would definitely be a passionate lover, even more intense than his hunt for the Tetsaiga and Naraku. I think so, and I'm glad you think so too ^^.