PURE FLOWER

Chapter 16

The Awakening

XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX

She was sitting in the middle of a colourful flower bed. It was rare these days to find flowers that bloom so beautifully because due to the constant wars going on around their neighbouring villages, the land was either burnt or tainted with blood.

When Rin was helping her mother with the chores of fetching water from the river, she had slightly walked a bit further than usual, and had chanced upon the beautiful flower bed. She hoped her parents and her siblings would be happy when she gave them the flowers, because she wanted them to be happy.

Gently picking the flowers from the ground, Rin placed them into a cloth she had brought along with her and carefully packed the flowers into the cloth. Smiling happily, Rin stood up and not forgetting her chores, picked up the water pail beside her and proceeded to the nearby river.

Suddenly, she stopped in her track and paled. A pack of wolves were slowly approaching her from the opposite direction. It had been years since anyone spotted any wild animals in daylight, because of the excess hunting by the armies. Rin clutched the water pail against her chest and turned around and ran as fast as she can.

She did not turn around when she heard the paws crushing the grass or the howling and growling of the wolves. Hot tears were beginning to fill her vision as she thought of her parents and brothers. She would not run back to her village as it would lead the wolves to her family and friends. She had to lead the wolves to somewhere else.

Looking ahead, Rin spotted a huge tree not far from where she was at the moment. If she could just run to the tree, and perhaps climb onto the tree, she might still have a chance of living. Narrowing her eyes, Rin turned towards a small hill that she thought would lead her to the huge tree.

As Rin climb up the hill, she could still hear the sound of the wolves behind her. She dare not turn around to see if the wolves were still following her, for fear of delaying her escape, even the slightest. When the view of the huge tree became nearer and clearer, Rin fastened her pace and used her last strength to run towards it.

When she reached the tree, she immediately climb up, and still holding onto the water pail. Because her family was poor, they could not afford to lose anything, even a pail. She yelped when one of the wolves jumped out from the bushes and slammed into the tree, missing her leg just by an inch.

Rin climb up and sat on the tree branch that she could reach and panted heavily. She was sweating and she felt as if she could faint anytime, but the presence of the wolves beneath her kept her awake and alert.

"...I should have listened to mother..." Rin whispered to herself. Although she had managed to climb up the tree to avoid the wolves, but now the problem was how to lure the wolves away so she could return home. Rin laid her head against the tree and closed her eyes, hoping that the wolves would go away on their own when they realized they could not get her.

Suddenly, everything around her became strangely quiet, even the wolves. Opening her eyes, Rin stared down from the tree and watched as the wolves were staring at something, or rather someone not far from them. Panicking, Rin was afraid that someone was coming, not knowing that there were a pack of wolves waiting. Opening her mouth, Rin shouted.

"GO AWAY! GO AWAY! THERE ARE WOLVES HERE! GO AWAY!"

Shocked by her shout, the wolves turned around and growled fiercely at her. Rin gulped and hoped whoever was there had run away after her warning. Suddenly, something lashed out and all Rin could see was a green flash and blood covering the ground beneath her. Rin covered her mouth with her hands in shock as she looked at the decapitated wolves around the tree.

Then, Rin saw someone with long silver hair walking towards the scene. The man, a demon wearing expensive looking armour with a fluffy white fur draped across one of his shoulders walked pass the decapitated wolves as if they were invisible. Rin could not see the demon's face clearly because of where she was, but from the aura the demon was emitting around him, Rin knew he must be one of the demon lords she had heard about.

"...Thank you, my lord." Rin whispered.

Rin smiled when she saw a slight movement; a stiff, as the demon lord continued to walk pass. Rin knew the demon lord heard her but had chosen to ignore her, because perhaps he was a demon and he had nothing to do with a human.

"LORD SESSHOUMARU! WAIT FOR THIS JAKEN! LORD SESSHOUMARU!"

Rin watched as another demon assembled a toad ran passed the tree while pulling hard on a rein of a double headed dragon. Rin smiled again and watched until they disappeared from her sight.

"Lord Sesshoumaru..."

XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX

Rin groggily opened her eyes as she felt the sunlight on her face. Sitting up on her futon, Rin turned to look beside her, an open sliding door leading out to a garden. Taking in the scent around her, it would seem Ryoko had taken the twins out somewhere to feed them, knowing that she could not stand to be around them unless it was for pretence. Clutching her head, Rin frowned and narrowed her amber eyes.

"...So you had known Sesshoumaru from before..." Rin whispered to herself as she had just had a dream about the young woman whose body she now occupied. She had yet to accustom to the new body, and it was a nuisance because although she had expected a human body to be weak, she had not anticipate that it would be so painfully weak and troublesome. It had even started to give out a rotting scent. She almost regretted exchanging her body with the young woman, if not for her plan to work, she would just love to return to her own body that was hidden in the underground cell.

Suddenly, the door of her chamber slid open and revealed her trusted servant, Ryoko who was carrying a pot of hot water, probably for her washing.

"Lady Rin, you are awake. How is your body?" Ryoko asked and knelt down beside Rin. She placed the pot of hot water beside her and soaked a cloth in it. She knew her lady would need a bath the moment she woke. "I have prepared some broth for you today, my lady."

"I don't need nourishment, Ryoko. This body is deceased, remember?" Rin said and reached out her arms so her servant can wash her. Because of her experience in the dirty cell since she could remember, Rin could not stand the scent of sweat and dirt on her body. She would demand a bath whenever she caught the scent on herself. "Where are the girls?"

"The twins are with their father, my lady. When I was feeding them this morning, Lord Sesshoumaru happens to walk by and demand their presence in his chamber." Ryoko said and gently assist her lady to wash herself. However, she did not inform her lady that she had also gone to the underground cell to feed the young lord. When lady Rin caught the young lord Ryuya spying on them, her lady had demanded the young demon child to be thrown into the cell without food or water. Pitying the young child, Ryoko had acted upon herself to bring food and water to him without her lady knowing.

"Keep them in sight, Ryoko. The girls are the important sacrifices for my plan to work tomorrow." Rin said softly and closed her eyes as she felt another wave of fatigue hit her. Just one more day and she would be free, and her mother's curse complete. "Keep me inform if you feel the demon lord notices anything."

"Yes, my lady."

XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX

Shura stared at his sisters lying in their crib on the floor with wonder in his eyes. He did not dare to question his father why his sisters were half breed instead of being born full demon like him. Ever since his sisters were born, both Rin and his father had been acting strange.

Rin had been isolating herself from the twins and only allowed the servant named Ryoko to take care of her and his sisters. His father seemed to be granting Rin anything she asked even when she asked to be left alone due to her being tired after the birth.

Not to mention his younger brother Ryuya was still missing. His father had already sent out several warriors to look for his brother and had ordered him to stay near his newly born sisters.

His gut told him something was amiss; especially when his father suddenly ordered him to look after his sisters before flying off to somewhere.

"Lord Shura, that servant is asking for Lady Aya and Lady Maya again."

Shura narrowed his golden eyes and turned to look at the chamber door where Jaken was standing guard outside. He too, had received order to look after the twins.

"Tell her to go away, Jaken. Inform her that their brother wishes to spend time with them." Shura said out loud, but not loud enough to wake his sisters.

"Yes, my lord."

Something was definitely amiss and Shura did not like it one bit.

XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX

Something was not right.

Sesshoumaru flew along his border, while looking for his missing younger son, also take note of the silence around his territories. Ever since the birth of his half breed daughters, his instinct had warned him that something bad was coming. His golden eyes narrowed when he thought of the day when Rin was attacked by Ren.

He knew Rin was hiding something from him, but he had not pressed her for her secrets. Sesshoumaru wanted Rin to tell him herself. Since the birth, Rin had distanced herself from him; only present when he demanded to visit their daughters who were cared by a fox demoness.

Rin rarely smile these days, but when she smile, her smile was not the one that placed warmth in his heart, but a smile that seemed forced. Sesshoumaru wondered what had happened to his mate whom he swore to protect.

When a huge green mountain came into view, Sesshoumaru started to descend onto the ground near a shrine surrounded by waterfalls.

Sesshoumaru...I know you will come to me...

Sesshoumaru walked pass the himorogi and towards the shrine where two small winged statues were carved on the doors of the shrine. As he reached before the stairs leading up to the shrine, several soft silver shining orbs appeared before him and formed a line up the stairs.

"Kannabi no Mikoto...this Sesshoumaru demands to know what is happening."

Suddenly out of nowhere, a figure slowly materialized between the silver orbs before the shrine. A woman with long indigo colored hair in priestess attire stood before the shrine and looked down on Sesshoumaru with her blue eyes. Her ruby lips turned up in a smile while Sesshoumaru scowled in return.

"How long has it been, Sesshoumaru? How is your father?" The woman named Kannabi no Mikoto asked and walked down the stairs. She smiled when Sesshoumaru stepped aside to let her walked pass. She had not missed the wary look on the dog demon's eyes when he looked at her.

"Father died long time ago." Sesshoumaru said and saw the woman turned to look at him with a shock expression before it turned to sadness. "You warned him of his death but he let it happened still."

"...Well, your father can be a little stubborn sometimes." The woman sighed and shook her head.

Kannabi no Mikoto, according to Sesshoumaru, was a close acquaintance of his father since they were children, and a high priestess of the sacred pure blooded winged clan. Ever since he could remember, Sesshoumaru had known of her existence because not only she was his father's friend, but an advisor to his father as well, with her ability to foresee the future.

"One must not change the future for risk of inflicting another change in others." Kanna said and smiled sadly. It was a phrase her old friend Inu Taisho used to tell her whenever she predicted the future for him and his family. "A change comes with sacrifice."

Hundreds of years ago when they were still young, Kanna predicted the day that he would die with his sons in a clan war with the fire cat clan. Her friend had looked solemn for awhile before smiling at her. He told her he did not mind dying, but he wished for his sons to live longer.

"I know how to prevent their death in the war...and I need a few things to accomplish that." Inu Taisho said and smiled. He sat closer to the indigo haired young woman and whispered something into her ear. After a moment, the young woman turned and stared at the dog demon with shock in her blue eyes.

"There must be other ways! You can't...even this is too...you can't be serious! They will end up killing one another!" Kanna said and shook her head.

"No, they will end up becoming stronger than their old man." Inu Taisho said and smiled again. His golden eyes filled with hope and determination.

Kanna looked up and stared at her old friend's eldest son with her knowing eyes. She was there when Sesshoumaru was born into the world; she was there when he took his first human form; she was there when he first walk; she was there when he started training with Inu Taisho; she was there when he first celebrated his first success hunt.

"Enough with the talk of my father. This Sesshoumaru..."

"Say, how is your younger brother?" Kanna interrupted Sesshoumaru, ignoring his glare. He would not dare to disobey her because she knew he too, respected her as his elder. After all, she was his teacher as well. "I hope still alive?"

"This Sesshoumaru is not interested in the well-being of that half-breed." Sesshoumaru spat and glared up at the woman who once taught him reading and writing. He had not forgiven her for what befallen his father. She had known what would happen to his father but she had not warned anyone else other than his father about it. The result, he lost a figure he looked up to.

"I take it he is still alive and well." Kanna said with a smile. The death of her friend had prevented the death of both brothers, but it had resulted in hatred between them. If Inu Taisho had not died, both brothers would be getting along well and would usually fight alongside together with their father. "...And he shall continue to live."

Suddenly, a huge silver orb floated in between Kanna and Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru watched as the priestess placed her hand over the orb and sang out an enchantment. After awhile, the orb turned dark before it glowed in silver light again.

"It seems one of my descendents had placed a curse on this land." Kanna said with a worried frown. When the war occurred five hundred years ago, most of her descendents got separated with each others. In order to survive, most of them mingled their blood with the humans, slowly wiping out the clan existence. She was surprised when she saw the person who placed the curse was a pure blood. "A curse that cannot be stop."

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes narrowed into dangerous slit when someone came into his mind; Rin's mother. If what Ren said was true, Rin's mother was a pure blood winged clan survivor and while was in captive in the Southern Land, had placed a curse somehow. What he did not understand was how Rin was involved.

In their first meeting, Rin was not someone whom she was now. The Rin he knew then was someone who yearn excitement and freedom; who enjoyed walking in open green field and stay under the blue sky. The now Rin hid herself in her chambers, and her eyes...instead of filled with joy, it was filled with hollowness. How was it possible for such drastic change as if they were two different Rin?

Speaking of Ren, since the attacked on Rin few days ago, he had not detected her scents since then. He knew his son Shura was worried about her, even though she had not been a mother figure to his son.

"Tell this Sesshoumaru the whereabouts of his mates." Sesshoumaru demanded.

Sesshoumaru watched as a smaller silver orb emerged from the bigger orb. His golden eyes widened slightly when he saw Ren curled up within the silver orb. The silver orb flew to the open palm of Kannabi no Mikoto and Sesshoumaru watched as the silver orb suddenly burst like a bubble.

"This mate was dead." Kanna said. The woman resembled one of her kin but she detected none of her blood in her spirits. "She died a few days ago."

Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth in anger. How dare a stranger have trespassed into his territories, killing his clan members under his nose? What about his younger son? Were he harmed too?

"This mate..."

Sesshoumaru looked up when he heard the priestess spoke again. His golden eyes widened in disbelief as he watched another silver orb floating above Kannabi no Mikoto's open palm; a silver orb with Rin's figure curled up in it, before it burst like the previous orb.

"...was dead before your first mate died."

Rin!

XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX

Shura looked at the bright full moon with his golden eyes and a frown. He had always admired the full moon because it looked gentle yet stunning at the same time. However, tonight's full moon gave him an eerie feeling that he could not understand. He turned around when he heard one of his sisters whimpered from the cribs and hurriedly went to kneel down beside them, making some soothing sound.

"Aya, Maya...your big brother is here...do not be afraid..." Shura whispered and smiled when his sister Aya's tiny hand held onto his finger.

Suddenly, the hair on his neck stood up, warning him of something dangerous was happening. Shura turned around from his sister's cribs and looked at the sliding door.

"...Jaken?" Shura called out but frowned when he received no response. His golden eyes turned slightly to look at his weapon lying nearby on the tatami floor. "...Jaken?"

"Shura."

Shura slightly startled when he saw Rin's silhouette on the sliding door. Shura wondered since when Rin came to his father's quarter as he had not detected her scent at all. Suddenly, he froze as he detected something else in the air; the scent of something rotten.

Her scent! Her scent is different! She is not Rin!

"...Oh, it's you, Rin. Why are you doing here?" Shura said with a steady voice and slowly reached out towards his weapon with his hand.

"It's the girl's feeding time, Shura. It's time for me to take them back."

"I see. But Rin, they are sleeping very deeply now. Maybe you can come back later?" Shura said and clenched his sword in his hand over his sisters. He stared nervously at the shadow behind the sliding door as the person pretended to be Rin remained silent. A moment later, he saw the shadow moved.

"I see. Sure, I will come back for them." The person said and the shadow disappeared from the sliding door. Shura strained his eyes to listen to the fainting footsteps and when he made sure it disappeared from the corridor, he sighed.

"I am back for them."

Shura gasped when a shadow fell over him and he immediately turned around, but a slender hand shot out and grabbed him by his neck. In his shock, his sword fell out from his clench and onto the floor.

Shura glared into the hollow amber eyes of the fake Rin who lifted him off the floor by the neck. He did not understand. His attacker smelled like Rin, looked like Rin, but mixed with the foul rotten scent, as if the body before him was Rin's corpse.

"What...have...you done...with Rin..." Shura choked out his words as the grip on his throat tightened. He could not move his hands or his legs as if they were bind by some unseen robes. From the corner of his eyes, he saw another figure; the demoness who supposed to take care of his sisters seemed to be chanting something. After that, the serene look on Rin's face was the last thing he remembered before darkness took over.

XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX

Sesshoumaru looked up at the full moon with a fierce look. He had no more time to waste after he obtained what he wished to know from the Kannabi no Mikoto. However he was asked to wait by the priestess.

Sesshoumaru glared at the back of the priestess as she walked back towards the shrine, the silver orbs floating around her. When she reached the shrine door, she placed her hands on the doors and a burst of silver light come into sight from within.

"This is something I promise your father that I would give you when you come to me, Sesshoumaru." Kannabi no Mikoto said and reached her hands into the silver lights.

Sesshoumaru watched as the priestess took something from within the light before turning around. In her hands, he saw a sword glowing in silver light; a sword that he remembered seeing his father using; a sword that unable to cut; a sword that heal.

"Tenseiga."

XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX

A/N:

Hi all, sorry for the super late update. I lost all my files and story ideas and plots when my laptop died, plus writer block. But I finally have the ideas to continue with the stories. Yay!

Even I can't wait for the next chapter or how it is going to end since I lost the plot ages ago. It's like starting brand new story over again as I have to read this story over and over again to get back the feelings.

I can't promise I will update the next chapter soon but I will update it, and the other stories.

Remember to put on alert so that when I update, you will know immediately.

Till next time.