Chapter 4: Flowers, Hot springs, and a Gift
The strange group spent the next three days in the forest glade while Tora's injuries healed. She was taken care of by little Rin, who hardly ever left her side. Jaken, apparently on orders by the daiyōkai, never let the child out of his sight, so he was often hovering around as well. Tora grew used to his grumbling and temper quickly, as it hardly ceased. She also grew familiar with the two-headed creature Rin called Ah and Un.
By the third day, the young woman was able to walk around with only a slight pain that was easily ignored. It was midmorning, and Tora was seated against a tree watching the little girl pick wildflowers.
"Lord Sesshomaru will be returning soon," the girl said as she carefully selected a yellow flower to add to her small bouquet. She stood up and brought the flowers over to the young woman. "Do you like these, Tora-san?"
"They are very beautiful."
"Lord Sesshomaru will like them."
Tora wondered if the stoic daiyōkai would find five small flowers appealing. She could not picture him accepting the colorful bouquet...
As Lord Sesshomaru approaches, Rin races towards him with her small bouquet of red and yellow flowers. "Lord Sesshomaru, I gathered these just for you!" she exclaims, beaming her childish smile. The tall daiyōkai grabs the girl as she reaches him and swings her around in the air. Both laugh happily and carefree. Then Sesshomaru sets the child back on her feet, and he takes the flowers with his hand.
"They are beautiful, Rin-chan. I will cherish them." And he slips the long stems into the top of his sash so that the blossoms are over his heart. "There," he says. His golden eyes sparkling with paternal mischief. "Now they are as near to my heart as you."
Rin leans forward against the daiyōkai, her face pressing against his fur, and Sesshomaru embraces her with his arm. His face is aglow with love and joy, his features softened by a wide smile.
...Tora could barely contain her laughter at the thought. She caught herself just in time and cleared her throat.
"Rin, you and I should bathe," Tora changed the subject quickly. "There is a hot spring near by."
"You cannot go!" Jaken glared at the young woman. "Lord Sesshomaru could be coming back any time now."
"Jaken, do not argue with me," the young woman warned calmly. She used the tree to assist her in standing up. "Come, Rin."
"Coming!" She raced over to Jaken and handed him her five small flowers. "Please, Master Jaken, could you hold these for me?"
Without waiting for a reply, the little girl took Tora's hand and the two walked away from a stunned Jaken.
Jaken glanced down at the flowers in his hand and then up at the departing humans. Suddenly, he panicked.
"What do I do? Oh, what do I do? Lord Sesshomaru will kill me if anything happens to Rin. Ah-Un, we must follow them. At once!"
The hot spring was just a little ways away from the camp. A few exposed boulders as well as overgrown trees along the bank gave the place enough privacy. Rin quickly undressed and left her kimono and obi in a pile on a rock. She stepped into the water quickly and laughed as her hasty plunge caused water to splash over the rocks.
Tora smiled as she set her sheathed katana against a rock and slowly untied her obi. She then carefully removed her own kimono. She looked over the torn fabric stained with blood and sighed. Then she removed her undergarments and the bandages, and joined Rin. The hot water felt wonderful on her skin, easing her aching muscles. She ducked her head under and then ran her fingers through her hair.
"Tora-san, why is your hair so short?" Rin asked suddenly.
The young woman pushed her wet bangs from her face and looked at the girl.
"I am a lady samurai. Since I was younger than you are, my father trained me as a warrior. When I was older, I fought alongside him and other great samurai for our feudal lord. It is very difficult to fight properly when one has long hair."
"Lord Sesshomaru has very long hair, and he is the best," the child replied. Tora laughed.
"He also is a yōkai," she pointed out. "I am merely a human."
Rin's face suddenly turned serious. "Tora-san, if you did have long hair, you... you would look like..."
"I would look like whom?"
The child averted her eyes and shook her head. "Someone I once knew."
Tora gazed thoughtful at her for a moment, wondering who in her past she was referring to. It was obviously someone very dear to her. However, Tora decided not to push the subject. If Rin wished to tell her, then she would eventually do so.
The young woman reached out and took a hold of Rin's hand. She pulled the girl through the water to her. She cupped her chin and gently raised the child's face upwards.
"Rin, why do you accompany Lord Sesshomaru? What happened to your family?"
Tears threatened to fill the girl's eyes, and she looked away.
"They were killed a long time ago by bandits. I was all alone until I found Lord Sesshomaru." A smile appeared on her face again. "He was kind to me."
A blur of white flashed by her vision and four soldiers dropped to the ground. She forced herself to look despite the excruciating pain and the exhaustion that was taking hold of her. He was standing in the midst of the fallen men, blood dripping from his fingers. He was so calm as he stared at the last remaining of her attackers.
"And whenever I was in danger, he came to save me," Rin continued softly.
He stood with the sheath in his hand, the fur draped over his shoulder dancing in the slight breeze. His piercing golden eyes staring at her, through her, without so much as a flicker of emotion. She felt as if he was peering deep within her to a place not even she knew of.
The girl looked up towards the sky and watched a cloud, white and puffy, float lazily by.
Her right hand grasped the sheath just a hairs breadth away from his, and she bowed her head. Solemnly, she said, "You have my gratitude, my lord. What do you want me to do?" She saw his clawed fingers release the sheath and drop to his side, vanishing inside the long, flowing sleeve of his kimono.
"I want to be with Lord Sesshomaru forever," the girl whispered, just loud enough for Tora to hear.
"Do as you want." There was no scorn in his tone of voice as he spoke those words, and she caught her breath in surprise. Looking up quickly, she discovered he was already walking away, and something from deep within her called out. She needed to follow him.
"I'm done!" Rin suddenly announced with a giggle.
Without warning, she shook her head playfully. Droplets of the warm water flew everywhere, including into Tora's face, pulling her abruptly from her thoughts. Rin left the hot spring and quickly dressed in her kimono. Then she sat down on a rock to ring out her hair.
Tora finished washing the blood, dirt, and sweat from her body. She sat down next to Rin to examine her injuries. She was surprised at how quickly her wounds were healing. She had always been a fast healer, but these wounds, potentially life-threatening only days ago, were already closing and new skin was forming. Still, she took a small jar from her kimono sleeve and opened the lid.
"Rin, could you put this on my back?" she asked.
"Yes, Tora-san."
Rin took the salve, and Tora turned slightly so her back was to the child.
"This smells good," the girl commented as her small fingers gently brushed the cool paste across the ridged wound. "Tora-san, what does this do?"
"It is a special mixture of herbs that wards off infection," the young woman replied.
"Did you make this?"
"I did."
"There! All done."
Rin gave the jar back to Tora. The young woman dipped her own fingers into the pale, greenish ointment. She was about to apply it to her side when she suddenly sensed a strong presence behind her.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin exclaimed happily.
Tora's hand wavered slightly, uncertain what to do.
The little girl leaped from the rock and rushed to the daiyōkai's side.
Quite a few thoughts rushed through her mind.
"Tora-san is feeling much better today, Lord Sesshomaru," Rin continued excitedly.
This was not the first time in her life that she had been seen naked by a man.
"My lord, Sesshomaru! You have returned!" Jaken cried out. Tears of relief swelled in his large eyes.
However, that knowledge did not make her situation any more comfortable.
The yōkai retainer pushed his way through the bushes and planted himself right next to Sesshomaru. He looked ridiculous with his hat askew, the staff of the two heads in one hand and a bouquet of small wildflowers in the other.
She resisted the temptation to hastily grab her kimono to cover herself.
Sesshomaru gave the child a fond look. "Did you behave, Rin?"
Such an act would definitely appear foolish.
"Yes, my lord," Rin replied cheerfully. "Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un all behaved."
Instead, she applied the ointment to the wound on her side with as much composure as she could manage.
"Tora."
Her entire body stiffened at the sound of her name, but she did not turn around.
Sesshomaru gazed directly at the young woman's back. The blade wound stretched from her left shoulder to her right hip, but it was knetting together nicely. Given time, there will not even be a scar to mark the injury. Without a word, he approached and set a neatly folded bundle on the rock next to Tora. Then he turned to leave.
Tora looked down at the brand new garment in surprise. The kimono was white with purple around the collar and sleeves. She touched it and traced the small flower pattern with her fingertips. She wondered if this had been the reason for his absence.
"Thank you, my lord," Tora whispered softly.
The daiyōkai paused for just a moment, looking over his shoulder at the woman. Then he continued into the trees, followed closely by Rin and Jaken.
"Rin, will you take your flowers now?" Jaken implored. "Rin? Rin!"
The girl turned her head towards the yōkai retainer, a look of surprise on her face.
"Um, did you say something, Master Jaken?"
"Oh, nevermind," the small yōkai sighed. He let the flowers fall to the ground as he hurried to catch up with his master.
When Tora no longer felt his presence, she stood and dressed in the new kimono. It fit her perfectly and was vaguely similar to Sesshomaru's own attire. She tied her obi about her waist and slid her katana securely into it. Then she slipped the small jar of salve into her sleeve.
She gathered her old, stained kimono. It would have to be burned. With that thought in mind, she left the hot spring quickly.