Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or the tale of Susanoo and Orochi.

The True Master

Part II

I'm dead.

Or, at least, Rin thought she was.

She knew something had to be amiss, because Sesshomaru wasn't there. Slender fingers began to wander, groping, searching desperately for the long, warm body that was supposed to be beside her. Finding nothing, she pulled back and curled into a tight ball, her eyes refusing to open and look at what her hands tried to tell her.

I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm dead. Oh no, he must be mourning for me now… She thought of her mate, and strong guilt began trembling out of the small frame of her body. Oh, Sessho, I'm so sorry! How could I do this to you? They had promised to never leave each other, even after death. Surely he hated her now.

Stupid Rin! She screamed to herself. Stupid Rin! Why did I have to die?

But if she were truly dead… why was she feeling so much pain?

A loud voice jerked Rin out of her thoughts.

"Kagome! Inuyasha!"

It was the monk. What was he doing here?

He spoke again, barely intelligible through his heavy panting.

"I came as soon as Sango told me! Is everything okay?"

There was a moment of prolonged silence, and then a deep, rumbling growl cut through the air.

"No."

Was that Inuyasha?

A series of rapid footsteps could be heard.

"Miroku!" Kagome wailed.

His voice went too low for Rin to hear what was being said, but he was obviously trying to comfort the miko.

A few minutes later:

"Where is she?"

"In our room. We have no other place to keep her." Kagome moved across the hut – Rin realized, that was indeed where she was – and several dishes clattered together loudly. "Have some dinner, Miroku."

"Does she know what happened?" he asked, following her.

"Inuyasha said she was unconscious when he got there. About half that forest was just… destroyed." Her voice cracked slightly with emotion. "I wonder what could've done it."

Miroku seemed to hesitate.

"May – may I see him?"

There was another deafening growl, followed by the bone-rattling shatter of dishes. A table must've been overturned.

"HELL NO!" the hanyou snapped, and the sound of metal sliding against a sheath rang throughout the air. "Damn it if you think I'm going to let you observe him like… like some kind of animal!"

"Calm down!" Kagome warned. "You'll wake Rin. Put Tessaiga away. Now."

A moment of silence.

"OSUWARI!"

"Humph!" as he hit the floor.

"Inuyasha," Miroku said grimly, "I didn't mean anything disrespectful. I know he was your brother…"

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Rin could hear him climbing to his feet, "I don't want your sympathies! Yeah, he was my HALF-brother, but this has NOTHING to do with me! Rin…" His tone lowered, "Rin is his mate. She decides who gets to see him."

"Oh, Inuyasha!" Kagome made a move to embrace him, "Oh, you really do care for him! You really do!"

"Get off me," he murmured angrily, "You don't see me crying that bastard a river."

"He hasn't fully accepted it yet," Miroku observed aloud, "You're still in shock, Inuyasha."

The hanyou laughed harshly at that last statement.

"Not accepting of it, huh? Really, because it sure as hell seems to me like I'm the only one who can cope with the fact that Sesshomaru is dead."

~oOo~

Days went by.

Rin refused to leave the dark little room within the miko's hut.

"Please," Kagome begged, lifting the quilts off of her, "C'mon Rin-chan. You have to get up."

The young woman merely stared up at her.

"Rin, think about the pup!"

Still no response.

"At least talk to me, Rin."

She hadn't breathed a word since that fateful day.

When Kagome had finally given up, defeated yet again, and the door slid quietly closed behind her, only then did she allowed herself to weep.

She didn't cry nearly as often as at first. Nor were her heart-wrenching sobs loud enough to bring the rest of the world back to her bedside. It seemed nearly everyone had been there to check on her already: Kagome, Miroku; gentle Sango, and even the herb physician, Jinenji had braved the journey to Edo for an inspection of her well-being. He'd stated in his first visit that she was in near perfect health. Psychologically, there was no herb that could cure the ache of a broken heart.

The hanyou patted her head.

"Rin-sama, be strong. If you loved him – LOVED him – you'd already understand he wouldn't want you to live this way."

That had taken Rin aback. Always, when someone came to visit her, they purposefully avoided any mentioning of Sesshomaru. It was as if they had already written the daiyoukai completely out their lives, perhaps maybe he had never existed in the first place. They only begged her to leave her room, to acknowledge what was in the best interest for the pup. Jinenji was the first and only to even suggest what Sesshomaru would've wanted. Her opinion of the horse hanyou grew for the better.

Miroku and Sango each had been very supportive during this whole ordeal. Everyday, along with their six children, they came to the hut. Miroku had forbidden them to enter, and so frequently on these days Rin could hear the ringing squeals of laughter and happiness that emitted from the little ones as they ran and played together outside.

The demon slayer would spend at least an hour with her in the dark, just holding her hand, and Rin was grateful. Sango understood the feeling to lose everything that ever mattered, or reasons to keep on living. Words weren't needed for the silent communication of familiar connection that the two women shared. Miroku often came after his wife. His voice, gentle, so nervous that in any other situation Rin would've laughed at him, filled the dark empty void that lingered upon them. Literally, he spoke the entire time. This too Rin was grateful for. If it satisfied him enough to hear himself talk, without any contribution on her part, then he could chatter the night away for all she cared.

One day they had arrived at the hut and spoke of someone special that had come to see her. Briefly, Rin let her spirits lift, which had been very foolish of her. So was everything alright now? Was he here to take her home…?

The lone silhouette that appeared in the doorway was obviously human.

She sagged back into her pillows, the small flicker of hope inside her extinguished.

"Rin," he said.

She blinked in astonishment, before she could stop herself:

"Kohaku-kun?"

The young man kneeled by her bedside. His uncanny resemblance to Sango was striking now that he had matured. He'd let his shaggy brown curls grow long, and pulled them back at the nape of his neck. What appeared to be the smallest trace of facial hair studded his lower jaw. However, his eyes had remained that same shade of bright brown.

And like his sister, he did not breathe a word. It was out of respect, Rin knew. The boy had idolized Sesshomaru. Hearing of his death must have dealt hard on him.

He didn't make a move to touch her, not even to hold her hand. Instead, he kept his clasped firmly in his lap with lips spread across his face into a firm, thin line.

Finally, after an eternity of just staring at each other, he rose to leave. Reaching the door, Kohaku turned back to give her one last look.

"If," he began, "If you … ever need any… help, I'll come back."

He was a sweet boy, Rin thought.

The only person who never darkened the doorway was Inuyasha.

This truly did not surprise her. Rin understood, however much the hanyou would deny it, the news of his brother's death had shaken him. He would be left to grieve on his own terms. Anyone who had not known the inuyoukai as well as the two of them had would never understand. Inuyasha, who often had cursed and fought Sesshomaru as frequently as Rin kissed and loved him, was still trying to get over the initial shock of him being… gone.

Gone.

Suddenly, Rin was curious about… where he was. She vaguely remembered someone mentioning that the body was here, in Edo. Could it be, maybe, he was in this very hut?

The thought bolted Rin upright.

If so, then she must see him.

Where she gathered the strength to lift herself from the futon evaded even her. It was very painful, walking with her hands pressed firmly to her lower back. She winced. How many days had she just lied there? Fumbling with the glass door, she finally managed to slide it open.

Several gasps echoed throughout the room.

"Rin! Rin-chan! Hiya, Rin!"

She ignored all the pleasantries. Conversation was the last thing on her mind. Rin had eyes for only one person, and there he sat cross-legged, holding Tessaiga, staring off at the opposite wall with a look of deep thought. His golden eyes flicked in her direction briefly before flashing back to the wall. His dog ears quirked.

Kagome tried to hand Rin some food, and truthfully, she was very hungry. The tad bits of meals everyone brought her had mostly been ignored. However appetizing the steamed vegetables and beef looked though, she refused it.

Her large chocolate brown eyes begged Inuyasha. Thankfully, he understood.

Standing, the hanyou fixed the fang to his hip, the red fire rat's robe rustling around him. Wordlessly, he motioned for Rin to head out the door.

Now everyone realized what was happening, and stopped their progressions instantly. Though she was their friend, who had refrained from brushing her hair, changing her kimono, even bathing, Rin was still a noblewoman. Respectfully, the company fell to their knees and bowed. She nodded in acknowledgement, following Inuyasha. The hanyou, for once, was patiently awaiting her.

He spoke first, once they had gathered enough distance between them and the hut.

"How?"

Straightforward he was, just like his brother.

Rin decided the most painless way to recount the death of her lover was to be as monotone as possible. And no specifics. He had fought valiantly, that was all that had to be known.

She did well, and Inuyasha listened carefully without once interrupting. Whether he knew what a hydra was, Rin couldn't be certain by the expressions that played across his face. Generally, they were of anger, particularly when he realized it was the pup that had been sought after, but his blank astonishment was clear when Rin told him it had been the souryuuha that had actually killed his brother.

"His own attack…" he murmured, "But how?"

Rin shrugged. That question had been frequently contemplated within her thoughts in the long days she had spent alone in her dark room, and she still didn't have an answer. Now she just didn't care.

Inuyasha looked at Tessaiga.

"That should've been impossible."

Interest flickered vaguely within Rin. "How so?" she asked.

The hanyou grasped the hilt of his fang. "He wields Tenseiga. It should've protected him, unless he wasn't wearing it."

He was met with silence.

"Rin?"

No… this was all HER fault?

"Rin?"

Sesshomaru had given her his fang, his only defense against potential dangers that stalked him wherever he went. He could've been saved?

"Are - ?" Inuyasha knew better than to ask if she was alright, because it was evident she wasn't. The haunted look crept back into her eyes. The question instantly died in his throat. So instead, he asked: "Would you like to see him now?"

"…Yes."

~oOo~

He was so beautiful. Even in death.

Seeing him, lying there, was almost too much.

Inuyasha had done this? For her? Rin would've thanked him if she could've found her voice.

He had taken her through the village, upon his back, to the shiro, a temple that sat at the highest point in Edo. Using his demonic speed, he easily jumped all the towering stone steps and landed carefully at the entrance. He glanced back at the pregnant woman, ensuring she was alright, before allowing her to slip her hands from his shoulders to stand on her own.

Once so eager to see him, now so hesitant, Rin slid the heavy wooden doors of the shrine open. Only a handful of times had she been in this particular room, the room of worship and prayer. Several times she'd join Kagome in sessions of meditation that she had always found relaxing. Her mate had regularly ventured up here as well, which she found very odd, as he was never a spiritual man. Maybe it was the gardens that encircled the shiro that brought him there; he'd always had a known fondness to look at pretty things (mostly Rin). Or, it could just be that the temple was secluded, far away from most of the other humans, unless they came for prayer. It was an ideal place for him to wait out a visit.

The large room was empty, as she had expected it, not even a picture in remembrance of the inuyoukai had been placed at the alter, but Inuyasha made a motion for her to continue on to a small alcove located in the back. Of course, as the husband of a priestess, he had access to such hidden places.

The second, much more enclosed room was dark and filled with the smoking fragrances of incense. It held a futon.

Rin's breath caught. Was she ready for this? Inuyasha urged her onward. She had to do it now, or else she'd never find peace in this life.

Her heart leaped to her throat.

Both Tenseiga and Bakusaiga lay on his chest. The cuts and slashes that had once adored his body had been cleaned and bandaged. His skin was smooth and clear as it use to, though his complexion maintained a look that was paler than normal. The clothes he wore were obviously not his own. They were white, as Japanese traditions called for, but were nowhere near as elegant as his noble's robes had been. The white fabric brought out the luster of his silvery hair, which immediately made Rin wonder, if days had passed since his demise, why was it he appeared… untouched?

The sutra scrolls placed at either side of him jumped out to her. Of course, to preserve the inuyoukai, Kagome must have placed them there. How kind of her.

At the foot of the futon was a table, decorated with a variety of blooming flowers and green plants. A candlewick burned singularly, on its own as the only light that was able to break through the thick sheens of incense smoke.

The expression on his face was fitting. There was none at all.

Nothing could have prepared Rin for this. Nothing. Somehow, she thought if she could kiss those cold full lips, perhaps they would become flushed with life again and respond to her. If she could just hold him, maybe everything will be okay.

~oOo~

The following of Rin's days were spent in the shiro.

This change in her behavior was encouraging in the eyes of Kagome, who often picked wildflowers that grew on the outskirts of the village. She gave them to Rin, who in turn used them to decorate his futon.

Tending to the body of her dead husband seemed to be the only thing that kept Rin alive. Everyone else respected that, though many questioned her claim on sanity, as being in so close a proximity with the dead was unhealthy. Inuyasha had explained Sesshomaru's death to Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Myoga, who upon hearing the rumors that the Western Lord ceased to exist, had scrambled across the country all the way to Edo. Only his brother would be able to confirm this.

"Yes, he is dead."

"By Kami…" Myoga glanced up in the direction of the temple, "Impossible! But he had the Tenseiga…"

"He didn't," Inuyasha said flatly, abruptly ending the conversation.

The flea stared down at the ground, muttering to himself. Rin suddenly appeared then, slowly climbing down the stone steps back to the rest of the village with her hands clasping firmly around her middle. His eyes bulged.

"Who is that?" Myoga leaped onto the hanyou's shoulder, pointing at Rin, "Was that a human visiting him?"

"That's his mate," Inuyasha said, impatiently, "Rin has grown since you last saw her… ten years ago."

"Kami," he muttered again, "Her? The little girl that used to follow him…you mean her? She's – she's beautiful! And… pregnant," His face flushed, "Just like his father…"

Inuyasha flicked the flea off his shoulder.

That same day, Jaken arrived.

After the imp accepted what his own large yellow eyes saw before him did he finally let the grief befall him. Together, he and Rin comforted each other in their painful sorrow.

But Jaken had not days to spend mourning, nor did Rin any longer. Political complications must be resolved.

"Rin," he said to her, on their way back to Kagome's hut after several long hours spent at the temple. Dinner was awaiting them.

"Hai?"

He glanced up at her uncomfortably, using his staff to help him maneuver down the large steps, "My Lady, allow me to introduce you to Reizo-san."

"Reizo?" her brow furrowed.

"At your service," said a velvety, smooth voice. Rin looked up, almost toppling backward from the closeness and sudden appearance of the intruder that now stood before her. A clawed hand reached out to steady her.

"Be careful, My Lady," the inuyoukai said calmly.

"Who are you?" she snapped, shooting a deathly glare at Jaken, "Do you know this demon?"

He nodded, "This is Reizo, Rin-sama. You've met him before."

Her brown eyes flashed back to the inuyoukai. He still didn't look familiar. Like all dog demons, he shared the glowing silver hair, though he had chopped and trimmed his short and neat. His eyes, instead of a molten amber color, were electric blue and very intimidating to look at. Rin felt exposed at the sharpness of his gaze. However, by the detailed stitching of the kimono he wore, the symbols and colors of the House of Inu, she could immediately place him.

"You're on the Western Council, aren't you?" she asked.

That brought a grin out of him, showing off an impressive set of pointed white fangs.

"Am I on the Western Council, you ask? Dear Lady, I am the Chief Minister of it!"

Suspicions began blooming in Rin's mind. Sesshomaru had never liked the Council, despite the necessities that came with it. He spoke to her of the deep frustrations demon politicians always gave him, usually over such trivial matters, and Rin's opinion of the members were never particularly high.

"If you would care to share your dinner with me, Lady Rin," Reizo bowed grandly, "There are certain matters that must be discussed before Sesshomaru-sama's body is returned to the West. A funeral and date of cremation must be set. Also," he glanced at her round belly, "A type of, unrest if you will call it, has engulfed your province. A figure of leadership must be restored immediately."

He said this much too fast, overwhelming Rin with the harsh reality of it all, she was to raise a hanyou and rule the West herself.

No, wait, she had the Council. Of course.

This was undoubtedly why Reizo was here. Rin realized, at this moment, she was under an evaluation. Her actions would determine how much power she would maintain.

The thought stiffened her back, and though the inuyoukai easily towered over her, she glared down on him. She raised her hand.

"Then do your lady a favor and escort her down to the miko's hut," she said curtly, "Jaken, run ahead and tell Kagome to set another plate for our guest."

~oOo~

A/N: I apologize; it's been a MONTH since I update this. I had everything all planned out, but things have been pretty hectic. Luckily, summer is here, and updates should come faster now. Please, review, and tell me what you think!