Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Inuyasha characters that belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the children being introduced in this chapter.
A/N: This is a special chapter featuring the children of Kagome and Inuyasha and Sango and Miroku since they have been a tad bit ignored in previous chapters.
More action here and of course, Sess and Rin moments!
Dancing In My Heart
Chapter 4: Rude Interruption
In his haste to return to the village and see Rin, Sesshomaru had forgotten that Kohaku's wedding was to be taking place very soon. The wedding was going to be in the village where Kohaku's bride-to-be lived. Fortunately, Inuyasha and the others had not left yet.
"Please, Lord Sesshomaru, won't you consider coming with us?" Rin begged, giving him big hopeful eyes. She was hanging wet laundry up outside of Kaede's hut, and Sesshomaru had been keeping her company.
"I do not think I would be very welcome there, Rin." He was having a hard time resisting that pouty look she was attacking him with.
"Why not? I'm sure Kohaku would like you to be there. After all, he did travel with you briefly."
"I am not in the habit of attending human wedding ceremonies."
"Well, you don't have to make a habit out of it. Please, I want you to come with us."
Why does she have such power to weaken my resolve? "Maybe," he said in a voice that let her know the conversation was over for now.
Rin grinned. At least he didn't say "No."
And then there was a burst of giggles followed by eight playful children bounding toward Rin. They surrounded her, all demanding her attention. She scooped up the littlest one, a girl with bright blue eyes and a pair of tiny dog ears on the top of her head.
Lord Sesshomaru knew he should be able to recognize all of these children by name considering how many visits he had made to the village over the years, but he didn't. He was sure they were all the offspring of his brother, the young priestess, the demon slayer, and the monk. These children meant something to Rin, he could clearly see that. So why did he not know anything about them?
"Rin, did Inuyasha and Miroku father all of these children?" The youth in question all looked at him like they hadn't realized he was there. They were so used to him quietly standing amongst the shadows.
"Of course they did!" Rin answered, and with a sly smile, began to tease him. "Don't you know your own nieces and nephews?"
"I would know them by Inuyasha's scent, and," he looked thoughtfully at each child.
There were five who most definitely had nothing but human in their blood. The two oldest girls had taken over Rin's laundry hanging, two boys grappled with each other in the grass, and another girl was sitting with her hands folded in her lap.
A boy standing closest to him had a fluffy, white tail that almost reached the ground. Holding Rin's hand and trying to hide behind her was a girl who had gold eyes and pointy dog ears. And, there was the little one perched on Rin's hip.
Sesshomaru gestured to the three that had non-human features. "And by their appearance," he finished.
Rin cast him a disapproving look; he should have known them even if they didn't stand out like that. He knew the reason for her silent reprimand, and he knew she was right.
Nevertheless, her smile returned, and she continued her playful questioning. "What are their names, and which one is missing?"
"There is one missing? Oh, yes, Kagome recently had a new baby, correct?"
"That's right!" The boy with the tail proudly announced. "My baby brother, Morio, is at home with Mommy."
Sesshomaru took another look at the boy. He remembered when this one was born. "You're the oldest. You are Rikiya, and by now you must be four years old."
Rikiya beamed, surprised and happy that his uncle not only knew his name, but also knew his age.
"Good!" Rin bounced the little girl on her hip, "And this is Suzu. She's two." Then she gently pushed the other girl out from behind her. "And Hanako here is three."
Yes, Sesshomaru had heard all of their names, but now he was finally connecting the name with the face and the child with the parent. "So the rest belong to Sango and Miroku? I didn't realize they had so many."
"And we're not all here, either!" One of the older girls said. "Saburo is just a few months older than Morio, and he's at home with our mommy!"
"So Sango did have another baby. I thought I remembered something about that." Sesshomaru noticed the two girls were identical, except one was slightly taller than the other. "You are twins?"
"They sure are," Rin said. "Tell him how old you are!"
The twins curtsied to the daiyoukai and simultaneously chimed, "We're seven!"
"I'm Akemi," the taller one said. "And I'm Mizuki," said the other.
"I'm five!" The girl sitting with her hands in her lap called out. "My name is Kiku!" She pointed to the boys who were still playing. "Kazuo is six, and Jiro is three."
"Got all that, Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin laughed. "I expect you to be able to repeat everyone's names to me by the end of the day."
Haughtily, Sesshomaru replied, "I will repeat them now. Akemi and Mizuki are the twins. Next are Kazuo, Kiku, and Jiro," he pointed to each one as he said their respective name, "and Saburo is the baby. My nephews are Rikiya and baby Morio. My nieces are Hanako and Suzu." To him, the words sounded odd coming from his mouth. His nephews, and his nieces. That is what they were, nonetheless.
The children all clapped. "Good job! I guess I won't have to quiz you again tonight," Rin teased.
"Oh," Mizuki tugged on Rin's sleeve, "we forgot we came looking for you to see if you want to go to the shops with us and look for"
"something pretty to get for Kohaku's bride," Akemi finished.
"I'd love to! Lord Sesshomaru, would you care to join us?"
"Looking for something pretty? I think not." Still, he did not want to let Rin and all of her little, defenseless charges go by themselves. "Jaken, go with them."
Jaken, who had been minding his own business at a distance from everyone else, was suddenly pounced on by several of the youngsters. He was knocked to the ground. As he pulled himself back up, he asked, "Mi Lord, Why?"
"Do not question me. Go with them," and with that, Lord Sesshomaru casually walked away, leaving Jaken to shop for wedding gifts with the eight giggling children and Rin.
SSSSS
Kagome was cradling baby Morio in her arms, rocking him back and forth, and humming softly when Sesshomaru wandered into her hut. She glanced at him when he came to stand in the doorway, watching her. "I'm trying to get him to fall asleep and take a nap," she whispered.
Wordlessly, Sesshomaru turned and went back to the main room of the hut. The home was quiet without the other children. Inuyasha was also not present.
Kagome joined him. "He's sleeping now. I hope he takes a good long nap. Did you need something, Sesshomaru?" She kept her voice down, trying not to wake the baby.
"Where is Inuyasha?"
"He's busy arranging transportation so we can get to the wedding. There's just too many of us for him and Shippo to carry. We won't make it there in time if we try to go on foot."
"AhUn can carry a few passengers, but that still leaves some without a ride."
"Oh, are you coming to the wedding too?"
"Rin seems to want me to go."
Kagome smiled. She knew Sesshomaru would be attending the wedding if Rin wanted him to. Rin was his weakness. She almost laughed out loud at how easily the girl had come into his life and transformed him.
"What is it like being married to a hanyou?" Sesshomaru's unexpected question brought her out of her reverie.
She braced herself, ready to defend her husband. Here he goes again, acting like hanyou is such a bad thing. "What do you mean by that?" She kept her voice even, not letting it disclose the anger that was rising in her.
"What is it like to be married to someone who is so different from you? Does it bother you that he is part demon?"
Kagome was surprised. He wasn't attacking the fact that Inuyasha was only half demon or that she was just a human. He was simply wondering how she felt about it. "Sesshomaru, I love your brother. It doesn't bother me that he is what he is. He knows that."
"You will age, while he still appears young. You will die, while he still has much of his life left to live. Hasn't that ever posed a problem?"
"That was something we were concerned about." She grinned slyly and stepped into another small room, indicating for Sesshomaru to follow her. There was a row of shelves lining one wall. Kagome stood on her toes to reach the top shelf. Over a dozen little vials containing a pale blue fluid were on the shelf. She grasped one of the vials and held it out to Sesshomaru, who took it and examined it.
"It was a problem until Kaede, Jinenji, and I concocted this elixir. It took us years to get it right, but we finally did, and I think it will work."
"What does it do?" Sesshomaru asked, rolling the vial between two of his fingers, still inspecting it.
"This will make me age very slowly, so Inuyasha and I will grow old at the same pace. Eventually, it should also build up my immunity. If it works, I'll be almost immortal like Inuyasha, but not enough time has passed for us to see if it's effective. I've been mixing it with my food, though."
Sesshomaru popped the plug out of the top of the vial and sniffed the elixir. It had a sweet aroma. "That is rather unusual. You and Kaede would have to be phenomenal priestesses and Jinenji just as a good an herbalist for such a thing to be successful."
Kagome couldn't tell if he was being doubtful of their abilities or if he was praising them. "In time, we will find out if we were successful."
Almost to himself, and before he thought about his words, Sesshomaru asked, "Could Rin consume this?" Then he realized what he just said.
Kagome gave a little gasp. "That's what this is about! That's why you were asking me about Inuyasha and me! You love her, don't you? I knew it!" She was almost bouncing up and down with excitement.
Sesshomaru glared at her. "I said no such thing. I was simply asking because Rin could benefit from the immunity it provides."
"And because she would age slowly and be with you forever!" Kagome dared to make that assertion. "Yes, Rin could use it. She helped me prepare these batches, so she knows how to make it. Admit it, Sesshomaru, you want to be with her."
Why does she always have to be so nosy? "I have always cared for her and failed at keeping it a secret. Why are you so happy about it now?"
"Because, there is a difference between caring about her and really loving her. If you care so much about her, why haven't you asked her to rejoin you?"
There was no point in concealing anything from this priestess. She, like Rin, had always been able to see past his façade. However, he was not very keen on discussing his feelings with her. But, knowing her, she would not leave him alone about it until he did.
He took a deep breath and began, "I am facing a dilemma. I do desire Rin to travel with me again, but I desire more than her companionship. I have always loved her, but I think my love for her has morphed over time. She has become so much more to me than the little girl who used to tag along after me. I wish not only to ask her to leave with me, but also for her to be my mate, my wife as you would call it. I'm not sure how to go about doing that or even if I should." He said it quickly and without emotion.
Kagome was shocked that he actually admitted his feelings for Rin and that he said he wanted to marry her. Before she could respond, the baby started to cry. She hurried back into the room where Morio was supposed to be taking a nap.
The baby's crying turned to screaming, and Kagome picked him up. She patted his back and tried to sooth him. Morio spit up a little, and Kagome grabbed a cloth to clean him. She noticed Sesshomaru looking at them with a raised eyebrow, a trace of disgust evident in his expression.
"You'd have to deal with all of this if you married Rin, you know. You would have babies."
The prospect was not altogether appealing to him. "I think Rin will be the one taking care of the children."
"You can't make her do all of that by herself. You also can't make her do anything she doesn't want to do. You don't know if she feels the same way for you that you do for her. She was a little girl when she met you. She might see you as a father figure and not as a potential lover. She loves you, for sure, but she may not love you in that way."
"How do I find out if she does?"
"You have to talk to her. Let her know the same things you told me, ask her how she feels, and be prepared to accept whatever response she chooses to give you."
He considered this for a moment. If he was able to express his feelings to Kagome, then he should be able to do the same for Rin. "I will speak with her." As he exited the hut, he said, "Thank you," over his shoulder.
"Glad I could help." Kagome smiled at her baby who was now sleeping again. She was quite excited and had a lot to tell Inuyasha when he returned.
SSSSS
The sound of laughter carried to Sesshomaru's ears as he stood beside the entrance to Inuyasha's hut. Soon the children came tumbling into sight, followed by Rin and a disgruntled Jaken. Sesshomaru's eyes locked onto Rin, and for a moment, her dazzling beauty left him breathless.
Rin was carrying the packaged presents in one arm, little Suzu in the other. "We got a pair of earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet we think Kohaku's bride will like," she informed Sesshomaru, happily.
"And it took them forever to decide which ones to get," Jaken said with annoyance in his voice.
"You're just mad because we didn't get you anything," Kazuo said and poked Jaken's shoulder. Jaken swiped at the boy with his Staff of Heads, and Kazuo ducked to avoid impact.
"Behave, you two," Rin fussed at them, then said to Sesshomaru, "I swear, Jaken's just like a child. He bickered with everyone the whole time."
"How dare you call me a child!"
"Shut up, Jaken," Sesshomaru's voice was sharp, but he hadn't taken his eyes from Rin. "I am glad you found some nice things to give as gifts."
The children were now tugging on Sesshomaru's clothing, begging him to play with them. Even shy Hanako was trying to get his attention. "Rin, I need to speak with you." He glanced down at the children. "Alone."
He noticed that Rin seemed a little nervous, but she said, "Okay everybody, you should go inside now."
"Ahhhh, why do we have to go? We wanted to play with Uncle Sess!" Rikiya whined.
Suzu leaned over, reaching for Sesshomaru with her tiny fingers and squealed, "Unca Sessy! Unca Sessy!"
The daiyoukai had to resist the urge to take a step back, out of Suzu's reach and away from the rest of the children. He managed to stand still and stare at them with disinterest.
"I'll tell you what," Rin told them, "Uncle Sesshomaru will play with you later, okay? But he won't if you don't go inside right now."
They all yelled with glee and raced into the hut. A baby's cries could be heard, as well as Kagome's chastising voice, as their noise woke up Morio.
Rin shrugged sheepishly under Sesshomaru's wide-eyed glare. "Sorry," she said. "It was the only way to get them to leave us alone."
"I hope their memory is poor. Come; let us find a quiet place where we can speak without interruption."
As Jaken watched them walk away, he thought He'd kill me if I did something like that! Lucky Rin!
Lord Sesshomaru led Rin into the forest and stopped by a big tree. A large root jutted out from the ground, and Rin perched on it. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about, Lord Sesshomaru?"
Sesshomaru was silent for a while, and she patiently waited for him to speak. He was trying to gather his thoughts and choose his words carefully. But he was being slightly distracted by the heavy scent of a rodent. It smelled very strange, but he tried to ignore it. This conversation with Rin was much more important.
Finally, he said, "Rin, there is something I must tell you. I know you have been waiting for me to ask you to leave the village and come with me."
Rin was afraid she already knew what he was going to say. He was finally going to do it. He was going to tell her he did not want her to travel with him again. She had been so scared he would eventually do this. She felt tears stinging the back of her eyes.
"Lord, Sesshomaru, please…you don't have to say it. I know you don't want me to come with you. Just please don't say it," she pleaded.
Sesshomaru was taken aback. After all the times he painstakingly took to come see her, she thought he would not want her to return to him? "Do you really think that is what I am going to say?"
"Isn't it?" Rin's eyes were lowered; she could not bear to look at him.
The rodent smell was still bothering him. What was making it? It seemed to be coming from the village. He pushed it from his mind again and returned his attention to Rin.
"I do not know what would make you think so, but that is not my intention."
Her eyes snapped up, a glimmer of hope sparkling through her restrained tears. "Then what is it?"
"Rin, I am not sure how you feel about me…"
"I love you, Lord Sesshomaru!"
Deep down, his insides leapt for joy at her words. "Yes, but, there are many forms of love. I need to know if you love me in the same way that I love you. And if you do not, I would not want your decision to travel with me to be affected by what I am going to ask."
Rin could have died from happiness upon hearing him say, "I love you," but she did not get to find out exactly in what way he loved her or what he wanted to ask because there was a sudden commotion coming from the village.
Both Kagome and Sango were yelling with anger. They could faintly hear the children screaming in fear. Rin stood up abruptly. "Something's happened to the children!" She took off running toward the village and the screams.
Sesshomaru stood staring at the spot where she had been sitting. What was probably the most important conversation he would ever have in his life had just been very rudely interrupted. More ear-piercing screams snapped him out of his frozen state. The children were in trouble, and Rin was now putting herself in that danger as she rushed to rescue them. He zoomed after her, easily overtaking Rin and making it back to the village before she did.
They got there just in time to see a huge, silver-grey disc shaped object rolling away to the trees that lined the opposite side of the village. Kagome and Sango, as well as Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo were chasing after it, enraged.
Kaede approached Rin and Sesshomaru, a baby in each arm. Suzu was clinging to her leg, and Jiro and Hanako stayed close to her other side. The three children and both of the babies were crying loudly.
"What happened?" Rin asked. "What is that thing?"
"That is a giant, insane armadillo youkai," Kaede replied, and hastily explained what had happened. "Rikiya, Mizuki, Akemi, Kazuo, and Kiku were all playing outside. These five were inside with their mothers. That crazy armadillo came out of nowhere and kidnapped the children that were outside! It lifted up its armored shell, grabbed them, put them on its back, and closed its armor around them. Then it curled itself up and rolled away before anybody could stop it."
"Oh no!" Rin gasped in horror. "Sesshomaru-sama, please help save them!"
For her sake, Sesshomaru would do anything. Together they took off in the direction the armadillo had gone.
They followed its scent deep into the forest. When they caught up with it, it had uncurled itself and was standing. Facing it were Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo. The armadillo was snarling and hissing at them.
"Give us back our children or die!" Inuyasha growled in outrage.
"I'd rather eat them!" The beast's voice sounded like that of a grotesque old hag.
Muffled wails could be heard through her armor as the children cried out in fear. Inuyasha unleashed a vicious snarl and charged at the armadillo youkai. He made an attempt to slice through her skull with Tetsusaiga, but she rolled herself up in a tight ball before his sword could make impact.
"Damn! If I use Tetsusaiga to break through this armor, I might hurt one of the kids!" He yelled in frustration.
Sango flung herself at the giant animal and gripped the ridges of its shell as tightly as she could. Hoping to pry the armor apart, she exerted force against it.
Kagome circled the demon, trying to detect the exact location of each child. "She has them spread out all over her body. There's no way we can use our weapons without hurting them!"
"She could be eating them right now, and we wouldn't even know it because of that stupid armor!" Miroku screamed in desperation. Both he and Shippo lunged toward the armadillo.
The youkai chose that moment to uncurl herself, and she swung her clawed foot at the two people who were attacking her. She knocked both of them to the ground. Blood trickled from Shippo's arm where she had cut him.
Rin stood next to Sesshomaru, watching the events with a look of horror etched on her face. "Lord Sesshomaru, isn't there anything you could do to help?"
"I could possibly break through its shell very carefully without harming any of the children." He began to approach the armadillo youkai.
"Wait," Kagome said. She was utilizing her priestess powers as she observed the youkai. "Something isn't right. I think it's being possessed!"
"Then I will rid it of whatever possesses it!" Miroku shouted. Before the youkai could block him, Miroku slammed her head with his staff.
The armadillo roared with anger and used her neck to send Miroku hurtling to the ground again.
"No!" Kagome exclaimed as she was struck by realization. "It's not being possessed, it's being controlled!" She pointed to the branches of a nearby tree. "There!"
They all looked up to see a normal sized, green and tan badger youkai partially concealed by branches and leaves. He was clinging to a branch and quietly muttering incantations. His bulging, red eyes were directed toward the armadillo.
He was so focused on the task of making sure the armadillo was doing his evil bidding that he did not even notice he had been discovered. He also did not notice Inuyasha bounding up the tree.
"What the hell are you doing?" Inuyasha punched the badger so hard, it went flying several yards away from the tree. With the badger's concentration broken, the armadillo snapped out of her trance. It was like she was just waking up. She shook her head and looked around, confused.
"Oh my," she said, her voice sounding much more feminine now. "What is that on my back?" She forced the sides of her armor up and away from her body.
The five kidnapped children tumbled out, some still crying. "What have I done?" The armadillo asked when she saw what she had been holding hostage.
Kagome, Sango, Rin, and Shippo immediately ran to the children and hugged each of them.
"Are you okay?" Sango asked, inspecting them for any damage.
"I don't think any of us are hurt," Akemi affirmed.
Kagome explained to the armadillo youkai, "You were being controlled by a badger youkai. You kidnapped our children."
"Oh, please forgive me!" The armadillo begged.
"It's alright, you didn't do it on purpose," Kagome said. "The badger is the one who should be afraid."
Meanwhile, Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sesshomaru went to interrogate the badger. He was trying to sneak away, to no avail. Inuyasha snatched him up by the scruff of his neck and held him at eye level.
"Why did you make that armadillo youkai steal our kids?" He growled.
"Because I couldn't do it by myself!" The badger had a gruff voice. "I'm not big like that armadillo youkai, and I don't have any of that armor to protect me. The only thing I can do is control dumb demons like her!"
"Fool, that's not what he meant! Why did you want our children!" said Miroku.
"The armadillo was supposed to bring them to me so I could eat them! You're lucky she's the one with the armor. If I was that big, I would have eaten those brats by now!"
"Big mistake," Inuyasha said and flung the badger, ramming it on a tree. While Inuyasha still had it pinned down, Sesshomaru drew his sword and made a clean cut through the youkai's midsection.
Half of the badger fell to the earth. Inuyasha released the other half, and it dropped down to rest beside its lifeless match. Then, the three men rejoined the others. They all said, "Goodbye," to the armadillo youkai and returned to the village.
Kaede and the five children she had been keeping ran up to the others as they approached. "I am so relieved you were able to retrieve them," she said.
Rin tended to Shippo's wounded arm. Sango and Miroku took their children home, comforting them along the way. Inuyasha brought his children into his hut. Before she went inside, Kagome turned to Sesshomaru. She caught his attention and waved him over to her, out of Rin's earshot.
"Did you talk to her yet?"
"No. I was trying to tell her everything when we were interrupted by the kidnapping."
"I'm sorry. You'll have to wait until we get back from the wedding now. There won't be any time for you to have a private conversation with her. We have to leave soon."
Silently, Sesshomaru nodded. After he already started to tell Rin how he felt, he was feeling rather unnerved by the tension that would inevitably rise in him if he had to wait to finish his conversation with her. Kagome went inside to join Inuyasha and their children.
Kaede came to stand beside Sesshomaru. "You know," she began, "I am getting old. I may not be around for much longer."
"Why are you telling me this?" Sesshomaru asked.
There was a serious look in her one eye as she spoke to him. "I am currently the primary caretaker of Rin. Kagome and Sango have too many children to be troubled with adding her to their burden. I know she is old enough to take care of herself, but I would hate to leave her all alone."
He knew she was exaggerating a bit. Rin would not be all alone. She would still have Inuyasha and his friends even if they were not literally taking care of her. Does she really think she has to convince me to take Rin back? It was her idea to leave Rin here with her in the first place, not mine.
Kaede went on, "Do you think the time will come soon for you to ask her to rejoin you?"
Sesshomaru chose to ask his own question rather than answer hers, "Will you explain to me why, earlier today, she thought I was going to tell her I did not want her anymore?"
Kaede did not know under what circumstances Rin had said this to Sesshomaru, but she knew why Rin felt that way. "She has been very sad lately because you have not expressed any desire for her to travel with you. She has, for a long time, been thinking that you don't want her to. After all these years living in the village, she still wishes to be accompanied by a demon rather than humans. If it were not for that, and her sadness, I would never advocate her leaving with you."
Sesshomaru considered Kaede's words and how ironic they were. She did not know that he had already tried to ask Rin today before they got interrupted. "I will ask Rin soon," he assured her.