35 Outburst
She grits her teeth. Her face is red from fluster. It is not in her temperament to be like this normally, but the remark was just too much. Before she knows what she is doing, she has already done it – she has slapped him on his face.
"Say what you like about me, but please don't ever say that about Sesshomaru-sama again!"
Jaken is so shocked that he could not find his tongue to say anything meaningful for the next few moments. Sesshomaru's mother, instead of the usual weary face that she wears around Rin, stares at her wide-eyed. The dark-haired demon, who is on the receiving end of Rin's outburst, cups his cheek, slides his tongue over his teeth and looks at her with renewed interest while letting out a strange laugh.
36 Protective
"Zesshinmaru (絶心丸, ゼツシンマル)."
The dark-haired demon jumps at hearing his name being called. Walking down one of the dark passageways of the premises, a usual route for him, he has not expected company.
He whips around. "Sesshomaru?" He rolls his eyes. "Do you have to appear like this unannounced from behind?" Sesshomaru looks at him in disgust that he could not sense his presence.
"You have been showing yourself around Rin very often nowadays – what are you up to?"
"Oh Sesshomaru, you have been spying on me so to say?" He trails his tongue along his teeth. "Your little human wench had some nerve to embarrass me in the presence of others, do you think I'm going to let the matter rest just like that?" Sesshomaru narrows his eyes. "What do you want? Name your terms and leave her alone."
"Sesshomaru, so protective of her? How sweet. What do I want? What an interesting question." The dark-haired demon runs his tongue over his teeth.
"You know, sometimes I think I can almost understand why you are so smitten with such a lowly human wench. I do notice how they tend to have a more…" He pauses in a false pretence of pondering. "… alluring scent, and their skin seems kind of softer to touch. I must confess that there is something rather intriguing about them being so vulnerable and weak in contrast to our great demonic indomitability."
"Actually there is indeed something that I have always been wondering, namely – how does it feel to be…" He looks at Sesshomaru in the eye. "… intimate with a human?" Temperature of the amber gaze drops to minus zero degrees. "I must admit that she is rather… tantalizing when her skin turns all pink. You know, like how when she comes out of the hot spring hot." He lets out a snigger. "Just one night and I'll let bygones be by…"
He does not even have the chance to gasp when Sesshomaru grabs him by the neck and slams him faced down onto (into) the ground. Sesshomaru twists his arms hard to pin him to the ground and one of his deadly claws bolts his neck, pressing his face mercilessly against the unforgiving surface.
"Zesshinmaru – you piece of trash." Sesshomaru hisses. "Don't think just because you bed my mother I would blink an eye when I dispatch you. Go near Rin again I will slit your miserable throat with this claw. Make one more wrong move you'd better start worrying when you go to bed with a head whether if you'd have one to wake up with!"
37 Wrong place, wrong time, wrong room (?)
"Rin…! Are you still in your room?" Hearing no answer, Jaken knocks on the door again. "Rin, are you in your room?" There is still no answer. "Maybe she is still sleeping?" He murmurs. He sighs. "Why am I always stuck with silly errands like this instead of traveling alongside Sesshomaru-sama?" He thinks aloud.
He pushes the door open. Because this is Rin, he does not really care if it is rude or inappropriate for him to enter her chamber like this. Because this is Rin, he does not care about his use of language or his manners.
Upon entering the room, the first thing that strikes him as odd is the smell of sake or something like it. Then there is the messy spread of clothes on the floor. The windows are closed hence the room is dimly lit. He accidentally steps on a piece of clothing and trips. "Argh… Rin you brat! Why do you leave your clothes lying all over the floor? Waiting for a maid to clean up for you?" "As if you'll ever have one." He grumbles under his breathe. He gets on his feet and kicks away pieces of material in his way hatefully. "Untidy little brat."
He hears a sound of stirring from the bed. "Rin, are you still sleeping? Get up, Gobodou-sama has sent for you." Still getting no reply, he decides that the windows have to be opened first to let rays of sunshine through before the lazy girl would wake up. He climbs on a chair, steps on the dresser and leaps onto the window-ledge. Little does he know but a pair of amber eyes is fixated on his back.
"Jaken."
Jaken freezes at the familiarity of the voice.
"Get out."
Jaken slowly withdraws the hand that he has stretched out to reach the windows and turns around. Upon meeting the icy stare of two amber eyes, he jerks so hard that he falls off the window-ledge. He quickly gets on his feet in flurry.
"Sess… Sesshomaru-sama? What… what are you doing here? Eh? Is this not Rin's room? I'm in the wrong room?"
"Get out."
"Ye…yes! Sesshomaru-sama! I'm sorry for waking you up… please accept my apologizes…"
By now the pair of ambers eyes is not only glaring at him in increasing displeasure, they are also gradually emitting rising murder intent.
"Yes! I'm going now! I'm going now…"
As he scrambles for the door, he hears a stirring from the bed and a female voice asking, "Sesshomaru-sama, are you leaving me already?" He does not dare to look back but what he hears is enough to traumatize him for a very long time to come.
"Never." He hears his master retort back. "That was not what I meant." He hears the girl, who is nothing but a hopeless human brat in his eyes, giggles in amusement.
(Written for "Disbelief" of one-shot "Unsaid".)
38 Misgiving
Why did Sesshomaru-sama come and look for me?
"I don't want to see your face anymore."
Why did Kohaku come and look for me?
"Rin-chan?"
How did Kohaku know where to find me?
"Rin-chan, are you listening to what I am saying?"
How did Kohaku know which way to go? He has never been here…
"Ye… yes, Gobodou (honorable respected mother)-sama."
Should I try to apologize? Sigh, she wouldn't even look at me in the eye once, I guess she is never going to forgive me, no matter what I say. It seems clear that she blames it all on me.
"You do understand that you are to leave here immediately."
How did things come to this? Where should I go?
"I am giving you three days' grace to leave. After three days I don't want to see your face around here anymore."
Sigh, from the look of things, the only thing I can do now is to leave. She is not going to listen to what I have to say.
"Gobodou-sama, I am sorry for all the trouble that I've caused today."
I guess there is no point in asking for forgiveness or leniency.
(Performs a ceremonial curtsy.)
I hope Sesshomaru-sama is all right.
"Gobodou-sama, thank you for your care and nurturing all these years."
Where should I go?
"Rin shall not forget the your kindness. Please take care of yourself."
Will I ever see Sesshomaru-sama again?
(Takes her leave.)
(Returning to her chamber. It is a very long walk from the main hall. Her chamber is at the furthest end wing of the premises.)
If only Kohaku had not come. Why did he come? How did he know where to go to look for me?
(Stops in her path. Absorbed in her thoughts.)
What was Sesshomaru-sama doing at my garden? Isn't he supposed to… (Bites her lips.) get married?
(Raises her hand to rub her temples.)
Why did Kohaku have to come? Why did he have to come?
(Her eyes weary.)
Actually this is not his fault. It is my fault. I shouldn't have led him on for so long. I should have been firm from the start. It is my own fault that things turned out this way. Sesshomaru-sama…
(Closes her eyes.)
Why am I… Why am I…
"SUCH AN IDIOT!"
(Tears roll down her cheeks.)
Sesshomaru-sama… Sesshomaru-sama… I'm sorry.
(Opens her eyes suddenly.)
Would Sesshomaru-sama kill Kohaku?
(Her hand covers her mouth.)
I hope not…
(Swallows.)
Sesshomaru-sama, please don't kill Kohaku. Please don't…
"Rin-chan!"
Who…? Oh, it's him again. Sigh, why does he have to appear at this time?
(Wipes the tears off her face. Gathers herself.)
"Oh, why do you always look like as if it is the end of the world when you see me?"
………
"Zesshinmaru-sama, you are so humorous. This is how I look when I am tired. It has been a long day for everyone. Zesshinmaru-sama, I should be asking you, what are you doing here at this late hour?"
"I'm waiting for you, Rin-chan."
Waiting for me?
(He moves closer towards her. She takes a step back.)
"I wanted to tell you what a good show you had put up for us today."
Show? What is he talking about?
(He tilts his head to one side.)
"You should have seen Sesshomaru's face when he saw you and your human boy together..."
(Her head jerks up. Her eyes wide.)
"Oh, that look on his face was absolutely priceless!"
(Her eyes wavering.)
"Well Rin-chan, you look… stung."
(He moves closer towards her again. She takes two steps back.)
"Surely you didn't think that your dear Gobodou-sama had allowed you to stay here because she is doing her previous son a favor?"
(He glides his tongue over his teeth. Her lips quiver.)
(To be continued.)
39 Tombstone
Being taciturn may be part of his nature, but she knows him too well to know that today his silence is really a brooding frame of mind. As she adroitly undresses his armor – a skill ingrained into her from years of repeated execution – she secretly studies his handsome features from the corner of her eyes wondering what is on his mind while he stoically look past her the whole time. As she is done with laying the armor neatly aside, she realizes that she has nothing edible or drinkable in her chambers to offer him.
"Sesshomaru-sama, I'll go and get you some sake and some snacks from the kitchen. Please wait here, I'll be back before you know it!"
As she is about to turn around and dart off, he encircles her with his arms around her waist to enclose her into his embrace. She gasps in astonishment at his sudden display of affections as he buries his face in her soft tresses.
"Sesshomaru-sama, are you… not feeling well?"
"I just wish to stay like this with you for a while." He says quietly.
"Are you cold, Sesshomaru-sama?" She laughs sweetly and circles his waist with her arms in reciprocation. "If you're cold, I can hold you like this for as long as you like."
He lets out a quiet laugh and takes in the alluring scent of nature and flowers of her hair.
"Rin, don't die."
"Huh?"
"Don't die." He whispers. "Don't ever leave me."
Earlier on he had stumbled upon a few miniature tombstones in his path, which had reminded him of her once, when she was still a child, bending over the tombstones asking him if he could kindly remember her when she dies. He has refused to consider all these years what would come after she passes on, but those tombstones – a reminder of her innocent request and a warning of how fast time could fly by – sends a chill down his spine in a way even the fear of death could not compete. Rin, what should I do when you are no longer around anymore? The question plagues his mind ever since and would not go away.
"I won't." Her eyes flicker, but she is comforted by the fact that he could not see it.
"This is a promise?"
She nods and closes her eyes. Refusing to dwell on having made a promise to him that she could not possibly keep, she leans on him and places her palm on her beloved's chest, her ear presses against his heart to hear his heartbeat.
He wraps his arms more tightly around her as he reminisces the time when he had left her with Jaken in a human village to go after Magatsuhi a very long time ago, she had for the first time gotten upset with him for wanting to leave her behind and recollects how she used to be insecure and had often feared that he would forsake her for some reason.
His lips twist a bit in a weak bitter smile at the irony – who is the one who should be afraid of being abandoned?