Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru, Rin, or anyone else. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
A/N: Rin's dance and Sesshomaru's feelings! The first two chapters were originally going to be one chapter, but I decided to split them up.
Please let me know what you think so far!
Dancing In My Heart
Chapter Two: Dance of Dreams
The amber flames flickered and crackled. The fires gave off a warm glow as the group silently watched Rin's majestic dance. Everyone, except the youngest of their children, was mesmerized by her movements. The little ones had fallen asleep in their parents' laps. Kaede softly beat a drum to the rhythm of the dance.
Sesshomaru stood apart from the others, but he was intensely focused on Rin's movements. Jaken sat by Sesshomaru's feet, subtly rocking from side to side while he enjoyed the show.
Rin executed every move perfectly. She gracefully swayed, turned, dipped and bent. Her arms and legs were always situated exactly how they should be. Rin held an open fan in one hand, and she positioned it flawlessly. She transitioned from one pose to the next with fluid ease.
The moonlight sparkled on her sapphire and ivory kimono. Her long, tapered sleeves and dark hair floated as she twirled around. Her facial expressions were exquisite, sometimes focused and serious, sometimes sultry and seductive.
Sesshomaru could not take his eyes off of Rin. Her motions stirred something inside him. Her beauty made his heart ache; it was like she was literally dancing in his heart. He pondered on why she had such an effect on him. She had always been his little girl, but his feelings for her had intensified over the years. Sesshomaru had long ago admitted to himself that he loved Rin. Could love evolve? Yes, Sesshomaru thought his love for her had become more than that of a protective watch guard. As usual, Sesshomaru's outward appearance was emotionless. It showed nothing of his internal feelings.
At times the dance was slow, but the speed of Rin's movements increased when Kaede beat the drum rapidly. Her body pulsed in time with the music. She arched her back and whipped her head. She would leap elegantly; it looked as though she was flying when her feet left the ground.
Rin had not looked at anyone in the audience. Her gaze was always focused off in the distance of her dancing dream world. But, at one point, when Rin slowly turned, her arm gradually extended as if she were reaching for someone. Her motions paused at the end of this pose, and she was facing Sesshomaru. For a brief moment, she made eye contact with him.
Sesshomaru was unable to breathe when he saw Rin with her arm reaching in his direction. Her smoldering, brown eyes engulfed him in an intense, passionate gaze. His gold eyes locked onto hers, and he could feel them burning with ardor. The moment ended too quickly as Rin continued her dance.
Rin's concentration had almost been broken. "What was that look I saw in Lord Sesshomaru's eyes?" She wondered, but she finished the dance without making a single mistake.
Everyone clapped and cheered while Rin bowed and thanked them. The older children, who had remained awake to watch the performance, scurried over to Rin and pounced on her. Giggling, she sat on the ground to play with them.
"That was fantastic, Rin!" Kagome said with a smile. "You improve every time I see you dance."
"I do practice a lot!" Rin responded.
"You should dance at Kohaku's wedding," Sango said. "I'm sure he'd love that."
Curious, Jaken asked, "Hm, Kohaku is getting married?"
"Oh, yes," Miroku answered. "He stayed for some time in a village that had employed him to exterminate some troublesome demons. There was a girl living there who he took a fancy to." Miroku let slip a sly grin. "They fell in love, and he's marrying her in a few days. I think she will be traveling with him so he can continue with his demon slaying."
"I can't believe my little brother is getting married!" Sango mused.
"Well, Sango, he is the same age you were when you married Miroku." Rin said, holding one of Sango's daughters in her arms. "He's older than me, and I'm old enough to be married now."
"I guess you're right, Rin. It's just hard for me to remember how grown up he is."
Rin's words made Sesshomaru uneasy. She had just acknowledged that she was old enough to marry. "Is Rin thinking about getting married? Is there some human boy in this village who wishes to make her his?" He could not understand why that thought bothered him so much. Should Rin not marry someone if it pleases her? Lord Sesshomaru realized he wouldnot be pleased about that. He could not imagine Rin being in love with someone, belonging to someone, who was not him.
Sesshomaru caught himself having these thoughts about Rin. He did not think it at all proper for a daiyoukai to be thinking of a human in this way. Yet, he was, and he had many times before. Sesshomaru was feeling so uncomfortable, he suddenly desired to leave.
"Rin, I shall be going now." He addressed the girl, and her smile disappeared as she looked at him with sad eyes. "Will you speak with me for a moment?" He asked.
Rin's features brightened at this request, and she quickly made her way to his side. "Yes, Sesshomaru-sama?"
Sesshomaru and Rin stepped away from the group, leaving a disgruntled Jaken behind. Sesshomaru explained the dream he had about the teenagers pegging Rin in the head with a large, jagged rock. "Do you know any boys like that?" He inquired.
Rin thought for a moment before replying, "No, I don't think so. Besides, no one here would do something like that to me."
"Good," Sesshomaru gave a small nod. He almost went on to ask if any of the males in the village had shown affection for her, but he could not bring himself to discuss that topic. "Then I will be taking my leave."
Rin cast her eyes down, sadness clouding her beauty. "What is it?" Sesshomaru asked.
"I just…well, it's nothing, Sesshomaru-sama."
Sesshomaru knew why Rin was upset. She had hoped he would ask her to travel with him again. He wanted her to, but he felt the time for her to leave the village had not come yet.
Rin's dark, brown eyes searched Sesshomaru's gold ones for any sign of hope that he would bring her with him. She finally asked, "Did you like my dance, Lord Sesshomaru?"
"I loved it, Rin," he told her and internally said, "as I love you."
SSSSS
On a remote cliff top somewhere in Japan…
Jaken sighed and his shoulders drooped because his lord was, as usual, being very silent and completely ignoring him. He gave a sideways look at AhUn, who was peacefully sleeping. "How can you be content to just sleep while our lord is so clearly distraught?" Jaken thought to himself.
Sesshomaru was standing a few feet away at the edge of the cliff. He was staring up at the sky, a distant look in his eyes. A light wind made the grass roll, and Sesshomaru's ankle-length hair gently whipped back and forth.
Jaken knew something was bothering Sesshomaru, but he had no idea what it could be this time. "I wish Lord Sesshomaru would, for once, tell me what he is contemplating."
Sesshomaru's thoughts were on Rin. He could not make himself stop thinking about her. Her ravishing beauty as she danced kept flashing threw his mind. "Rin, what have you done to me? Why can I not take my mind from you?"
No matter how often he visited the village, he always missed her at his side and wished to go see her again. Now, the thought of Rin not being with him forever was simply unbearable to him. He could not live without her.
"This great and powerful daiyoukai has become that which he hated most," he nearly chuckled at his realization. Sesshomaru had always scorned his father and his half brother, Inuyasha, for letting themselves fall in love with human women. This love had caused his father's death, and Inuyasha had spent fifty years of his life dormant on a tree.
"But, without even noticing it, I allowed myself to fall in love with a human girl." Not only that, but Sesshomaru had put himself in danger for this girl. He had even hurdled into the depths of hell to rescue her. Of course, he would never admit that he was ever in any actual danger. Not this Great Dog Demon, who fears nothing. Yes, Lord Sesshomaru tended to fear nothing…except the loss of his human girl, his Rin.
Rin had been the only creature Sesshomaru was capable of loving. And it was now apparent to him that he loved her deeply. He had recently been thinking of her in ways he had never thought of her before. She captivated him, mind and body. He hated having to be away from her. Absentmindedly, Sesshomaru clenched his fists in angst. "Rin, I desire to be with you, in every way."
Jaken grew very nervous when he saw his lord show outward signs of his inner turmoil. He couldn't stand the tension anymore. "Uh, Mi Lord," he said in a shaky voice, "what is the matter? You seem quite upset over something that has escaped my attention. I can't decide if you look angry or sad or frightened or…"
Very slowly, Sesshomaru turned around to fix Jaken with a deadly glare. Jaken shrieked and made a clumsy attempt to scuttle away. Fists still clenched, Sesshomaru took a few quick steps toward the little green youkai. AhUn was startled awake by the sound of Sesshomaru's fist making contact with Jaken's head.
XiaraRain