Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters (including Sesshomaru and Rin), I do own Shiawase,Onryō and Fushoujiki.
In this chapter appears Persephone who is the Queen of the Underworld and she is loosely based in the poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne The Garden of Proserpine. In this chapter she will portray thoughts that are influenced by The Mysterious Stranger from Mark Twain and The Übermensch, which is a philosophy from Friedrich Nietzsche.
I want to give my special thanks to everyone that have reviewed: SesshomarusPegasus,icegirljenni,sherry15 ,zinganime and SynthroKei534
I also want to give my special thanks to all of you that have added my story to the story alert and favorite story, Thank You so much!
In this chapter we will see changes with the character of Rin.
~~HNK~~
Ethereal beauty, blissful peacefulness, a majestic artistry... and even these words didn't seem to fill the description of such scenery at the entrance of Lord Sesshomaru's domain.
The lush green grass covered the grounds, under the sunlight they sparkled in complete splendour. The green grass was contrasted with the various tones of white, blue, yellow and red belonging to the flowers that Sesshomaru over the years allowed Rin to plant. The birds were tweeting in harmony while flying above the fields. This was a healing location for Rin who was sitting in the ground admiring with fascination the charm of the field along with her dear friend Shiawase.
"Wow this truly is a beautiful place Rin".
"It is my favorite place", answered Rin with a smile much to Shiawase's surprise, since she had not seen Rin smile so happily in the last three days that she has been here.
All of a sudden an explosion that made the ground shake was heard and a cloud of dust was covering the field. An unrecognizable figure appeared flying through the smoke at an immense velocity and landed breaking a stone boulder near the entrance.
"Wretched half breed!", the venomous voice of Sesshomaru was heard before the cloud of smoke was completely cleared. "I give you one task and you couldn't even do it, for that you are going to die", said irritably the demon lord approaching with bright red eyes and bakusaiga in hand,the figure laying in the boulder.
"Sesshomaru I wasn't expecting the village to go haywire while I was gone", spat Inuyasha clearly annoyed.
"Sesshomaru STOP!, we are here to help!" screamed Kagome while approaching Sesshomaru cautiously.
"KAGOMEEE!", screamed Shiawase while running delightfully towards her.
Sesshomaru stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at the commotion and saw Shiawase running towards Kagome but what bewildered him was that Rin was not coming to greet Kagome on the contrary she was sitting looking at their direction and her eyes didn't show a bit of emotion.
"SHIAWASE!" screamed Kagome while hugging the girl in a fierce embrace.
Sesshomaru with his eyes already back to their golden color left the annoying commotion and went towards Rin completely forgetting his half brother.
"Huh! what the!", said Inuyasha bewildered for what happened and following Sesshomaru with his eyes, who was walking towards Rin. "Rin I'm glad you're ok", thought Inuyasha with a warm smile.
"Rin what is wrong?", said Sesshomaru in a monotonous tone but his thoughts were filled with concern.
Rin looked at Sesshomaru and stared at his eyes as if looking for answers and then lowered her head and switched her gaze towards the flower field. "There is nothing wrong Lord Sesshomaru", answered Rin softly. Sesshomaru clearly noting the obvious lie was going to speak but felt Kagome and Shiawase approaching.
"Rin when you finish I want to speak with you in my study", with that the stoic demon left the field.
"I can never tell you what's wrong since you already made your choice", thought Rin with teary eyes while watching him leave.
Kagome and Shiawase ran towards Rin and then Kagome with tears in her eyes looked carefully at her broken arm and hugged Rin delicately,"Rin, I am so sorry for what happened I can't forgive myself for having you left there". "It's ok Kagome I am glad you came and that you are well", answered Rin with tears in her eyes.
Inuyasha who had followed Sesshomaru to his study entered to find the demon lord looking at him unwelcomely. "You have no manners Inuyasha", spat Sesshomaru venomously.
"Believe me I am not here because I want to, I came here because I know you care for Rin that's why I know that what I'm going to tell you is going to interest you", said Inuyasha looking carefully at Sesshomaru.
Rin, Shiawase and Kagome after talking and explaining what had happened to each other entered the palace but halted in the hall when they heard Inuyasha's shouts coming from one of the doors.
"Sesshomaru! you are such a hypocrite, you blame me but you could have arrived earlier if you hadn't been with that demoness!", "Inuyasha watch your tongue!", spat Sesshomaru while grabbing forcefully Inuyasha by his neck and throwing him through the door.
Rin,Kagome and Shiawase were petrified watching how Inuyasha flew through the door and was smacked into the wall.
"WHY YOU BASTARD!", Inuyasha was going to punch Sesshomaru but was stopped when he saw the girls staring at him with horror in their eyes. Sesshomaru was going to attack Inuyasha but then he looked at the direction that Inuyasha was looking.
Rin was gazing at Sesshomaru with her tears rolling down her cheeks and before Sesshomaru could say something she ran away in the opposite direction.
Shiawase was going after her but was stopped by Kagome, "Let's leave her alone for a while", Shiawase only nodded and looked down.
"WHY YOU TWO CAN'T EVEN HAVE A NORMAL CONVERSATION FOR A MINUTE!" , screamed Kagome at Sesshomaru and Inuyasha angrily. "Miko watch your place", said Sesshomaru calmly but with slight anger in his tone.
"Sesshomaru when you spoke to me you had promised that you were going to tell Rin beforehand in a subtle way but THIS is not the way I was expecting her to find out!", spat Kagome angrily at the demon lord.
Sesshomaru left furiously and walked down the hall to a room and locked himself, leaving Kagome and the rest on their own.
"Kagome I didn't have time to explain to him", said Inuyasha worriedly,"You shouldn't have annoyed him, we have to tell him today I'm worried about the kids and besides we promised Sango that we would arrive at her village tomorrow".
"Wait can somebody explain to me what is happening!", screamed Shiawase already frustrated.
Rin ran crying through the flower field and towards the stables, her mind was in a hazy but she already knew... last night she had heard the maids.
Last night I had woken up from a nightmare, I dreamt of what had happened in the village and the fire... I didn't want to wake Shiawase after all she had been tending my wounds and she must be really tired, so I went towards Lord Sesshomaru's room I was so scared and I knew that he would not be mad, he would always comfort me when I had nightmares.
When I was in the hall I heard the maids gossiping, I couldn't help but listen to their conversation:
"Really that human is always troubling Lord Sesshomaru!", said one of the maids,"But Lord Sesshomaru already confirmed that he will be the mate of Lady Zen", the other maid answered "When Lady Zen gets here she will not allow a filthy human in this palace".
That's when I knew, that is probably why Lord Sesshomaru's visits had diminished, I felt as if my soul and heart had shattered into a million pieces and was being replaced by an empty void. My legs felt weak, my confidence betrayed in that single moment. I went back to my room and cried insatiably until I was drained from all hope and succumbed into a deep sleep.
Now hearing it from Inuyasha that is why he arrived at night to the village, he was with that demoness...
Once Rin arrived at the stables Ah-Un saw Rin's saddened expression and started whimpering, "Oh Ah-Un it was horrible I feel so empty, my heart aches, I love him yet I am human, he will never love me...", Ah-Un started snuggling Rin in comfort and understanding, for the little dragon already knew what the young girl felt towards Lord Sesshomaru and about the Lord's future mate.
"Rin there is something we need to talk to you", said Kagome along with Shiawase who had found the girl thanks to a servant that told them Rin's location.
"Kagome, just tell me one thing, did you know about Lor-d Sesshomaru?", asked Rin trying her hardest to maintain her composure.
"Yes..Rin I knew, Sesshomaru about three weeks ago came to the village and wanted to speak with me, by that time Kaede had already started feeling those chest pains and I suspected that it was her heart and that she couldn't take care of you for much longer",Kagome paused studying if she should say any further, but Rin nodded in understanding.
"I told him my concerns about Kaede and asked him if he was planning on taking you with him any sooner" Kagome gulped and took a deep breath,"He told me that he intended on taking a mate and that he would find you a suitable husband but if Kaede ... well if me and Inuyasha could take care of you for the time being..."
Kagome looked at Rin worried and Shiawase stood behind Kagome not knowing how to comfort her friend.
"It's alright Kagome, I want to be alone for now", said Rin slowly, Kagome and Shiawase hesitated for a moment but understood ,"Just know that you can talk to us, ok?" said Kagome and made her leave along with Shiawase.
Rin stood there for a moment, something inside her had been broken,"I can't trust anyone, humans try to kill me, my Lord Sesshomaru doesn't want me anymore...".
Rin had walked silently towards her room, her eyes were red from crying but now looked void of emotion,without life. She got in her bed, she only wanted to sleep and not wake up anymore. "Rin you are so weak and useless you deserve all this...", her thoughts were like poisonous daggers eventually she drifted into sleep.
~~HNK~~
Rin woke up in a cave and was still wearing her white nightgown ,"I have been here before", the girl thought in wonder, she saw the hallway beckoned and didn't hesitate to go in. Rin wondered what would await if she refused to continue or if the consequences would be more dire if she refused. At the end of the narrow passageway was a field, a crimson colored field.
It was a field of flowers,"Poppy flowers...there are so many", Rin looked at her surroundings they were covering the entire ground. She couldn't help but feel amazed at such a place, it looked so magical. The astonished girl saw a stream that went through the field and up in a mountain there was a big cascade , its water sparkled when it splashed against the rocks.
Rin having forgotten momentarily her sadness, started twirling delightfully through the vast field of red flowers, and one dot in the distance caught her attention. She kept walking, getting closer until she saw what it was and with a gasp stopped her pace. "A s-s-skeleton...". The skeleton was watering the flowers in a corner and to Rin's shock it seemed very happy since it was humming.
Rin was horrified and kept walking backwards trying to get as far away from the skeleton as possible. Then SPAM, she trips over something sturdy and when she looks behind her , another skeleton. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!", a piercing shriek could be heard throughout the boundless field. Because of the high pitched scream several animated skeletons kept appearing, each of them creaking with each step.
Rin made her way to run upwards in direction to the mountain but stopped harshly when she noticed several gray spectral figures weeping and screaming, their vast amount of tears would fall into the stream. Some of them who were not crying twirled and looked as if dancing and then would disappear from their place and reappear elsewhere.
"My you surely are amusing... do you scream like that in every flower field?", the voice of Persephone could be heard as she materialized in front of Rin, looking quite happy. Then the skeletons began to bow demonstrating their respect towards Persephone."You were real?" asked Rin gulping forcibly.
"Hai, oh my did you think I was not real?", said Persephone pretending to be offended and then started to bite her nails as if wondering what to do in a mocking manner. "Where am I?", asked Rin clearly annoyed at the way Persephone was acting.
"My! Well you are in my garden, of course", said Persephone as if it were the most obvious thing.
"I... am I dead?", asked Rin with tears already in her eyes.
"Nonsense! Of course not, although I must say that my usual visitors are dead so you are quite the exception", said Persephone in an enthusiastic tone and moved towards a chair that materialized in the middle of the field. "Please have a sit, it is rare for me to get visitors that can talk thus my life is quite dull".
Rin approached Persephone warily and sat in a chair that also appeared out of nowhere in front of the mysterious lady .
" I am dreaming...", muttered Rin, "A DREAM! how do you know that what you believe is real and it is not simply a vision with no existence?, I would think that what you call life is itself like a dream, an assortment of fleeting moments that will eventually fade away with the ashes of that thing you call life", answered Persephone quite distraught.
"Then how did I get here if this is not a dream?", asked Rin suspiciously," Hmm well I honestly don't know, normally the people that appear here are dead and as a matter of fact the stream that you see is made from the tears of those same weeping souls, it is quite pathetic actually, they are stuck for eternity regretting the sacrifices they made for love",answered Persephone as if it were the most normal thing in the world while sipping a cup of tea that appeared in her hands.
"Love?", Rin started to look at the ground in grief remembering what happened with her lord ,"It was all because I am a human, a weak human".
"Oh my, humans are most certainly Not weak!", said Persephone out loud as if reading her thoughts. "Humans are weak if they want to ,but they can always change and become stronger".
Rin stared at her for a couple of seconds, shocked at how could she somehow listened to her thoughts, and in an outburst of emotions stood up from her chair and shouted "But I am weak! My friends hide things from me because they think of me weak, people hurt me, try to kill me and I can't defend myself, I always depend on someone to save me and now that someone is leaving me for that same reason, I am a weak human..."
Persephone never looked at Rin in the eyes during that spurt of emotions and stayed in her chair drinking her tea, "Then stop being weak...".
"But I can't...", said Rin with tears caressing her cheeks.
" Then perhaps I can help...", said Persephone with a barely noticeable smile in her face, once she stood up from her chair, the chairs, table and even the tea disappeared. Persephone was now in front of Rin looking very serene and with her right hand she tore out her red orb necklace. "This necklace is the key to your problem you will certainly stop being weak but if I help, you must do something for me".
Rin was frozen, staring at the unexpected turn of events, a woman that she barely knows is offering her help, "There must be something wrong, why would you want to help me and what do you want from me?"
"For some reason your soul can travel to this place without you being dead, something was stolen from me and I cannot retrieve it for it is my duty to care for this place and you remind me of someone", answered Persephone very seriously.
"No you want to trick me, It cannot be that easy..."
" The sea receives water from polluted streams yet it still remains pure and blue, I assure you this is no deceit".
"I have to think about it, I need to talk with someone", Rin was moving farther away from Persephone.
"When will you stop letting others tell you what to do, that is why your friends and people trample on you, stop others from telling you what to do, decide for yourself it is your choice... What will it be?", shouted Persephone which made Rin halt and think.
~~HNK~~
It was Morning in the Western Lands
"Lord Sesshomaru!", shouted annoyingly the little imp entering the study, "What is it Jaken?", said Sesshomaru already impatient. "Lord Sesshomaru, I have done as you asked, I have sent scrolls to the rest of the Lords asking for a meeting, they have all agreed and want to discuss for a plan of action".
"Very well", Sesshomaru was looking out the window, his thoughts were on Rin, he didn't want for her to find out this way, he needed to explain it to her,"Jaken I need to speak with Rin, send for her".
"Yes My Lord!", The small imp was running diligently towards the door when it burst out open, Jaken was petrified looking at the figure," IIIIIIICK!, Rin how could you open the door like that!, Have you no respect for Lord Sesshomaru?".
"Shut up Jaken!", answered Rin in a very serious tone, much to Lord Sesshomaru's and Jaken's surprise. Jaken's mouth was left open and he stood in the same place completely petrified.
"Lord Sesshomaru I've come to tell you that I have already spoken with Kagome, me and Shiawase will be leaving with them to Sango's village", said Rin decisevely.
Sesshomaru surprised by Rin's sudden appearance and attitude, stared at her for a few seconds and answered,"Rin you will not be leaving anywhere you and I have to talk".
"Lord Sesshomaru with all due respect I am not asking for your permission, I have come here to inform you that I am leaving", said Rin looking at Sesshomaru in the eyes.
Authors Note: Please review and feel free to ask me questions about the story, tell me what do you think?. Reviews inspire me to write faster!
icegirljenni: About your questions about the water it does play a somewhat important role in the story but what mainly has influenced the behavior of the villagers will appear soon in the next chapters. As for Persephone she did save Rin since she was dying and her soul was already in the underworld but her reasons for doing that are that Persephone has a use for Rin which we will see later on in the story. As for her involvement to the Southern, I will say that she is related to it in a way but not directly involved, I can't say more without revealing spoilers. Thank You so much for your reviews!
SynthroKei534: Thank You so much for your reviews xD! About Persephone's paper in the poem The garden of Proserpine, she is the Queen of the Underworld and the wife of Hades God of the Underworld. Hades gave Proserpine as present a garden of blooming Poppy flowers. Poppy flowers are a symbol of loyalty and faith in love. Since Persephone felt lonely in the poem she would always spend her time in her garden and when travelers that arrived to the Underworld picked the Poppy flowers they would forget their purpose and forever wonder the Underworld. Also thanks for the advice I will work on writing longer chapters although this one is considerably longer than the rest.
SesshomarusPegasus,zinganime,sherry15 and everybody, Thank You again for your wonderful reviews!