Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Frkkn copyright.
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A/N: Hello my lovely readers!! I hope you guys didn't forget about me, cuz I sure as hell didn't forget about you!! Forgive me for my lack of update; I've been failing at life more than ever recently. But thanks to those who read and reviewed!! You inspire me every time I write. Love you all!!
Please enjoy!!
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Chapter 5: Exquisite Dungeon
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"Just take one step at a time…and please don't trip yourself."
Rin took a shaky breath as she forced herself to continue walking. New prison? Jaken sure knew how to make someone feel welcomed.
She watched as the huge stone gates opened to their full extent, noting how much power was needed in order to move them. Grabbing Ah-Un's reins to keep from slacking in her pace, Rin let the sights and sounds attack her senses.
There was a soft whisper with every move the guards made, their demonic abilities allowing them to move silently. Children could be heard in the distance as she crossed the path towards the village, situated just before the castle. Every once in a while, an explosion could be heard as they accidently bumped into walls or threw the ball too hard, still learning how to control their strength. A village elder would then shake their head before mumbling to move and fix the damage.
The villagers spoke softly, too incoherent for her to even try and make out. Foreign and unusual music reached her ears and she turned her head to see a band playing on instruments only travelers brought along when they passed through Naraku's castle. Rin's eyes widened slightly as she took in the beauty of all the beings around her. Only the guards and a certain few had the same shade of silver for hair like their king. Some had purple, blue, brown, red, or black. And talk about their eyes! So many beautiful and rare shades she never knew existed; but not one person had gold like Sesshoumaru.
It was odd that she could see and hear so clearly. What was even more odd was that she noticed everyone's eye color. That's when she realized that it was because everyone was staring at her.
An ominous hush fell over the whole kingdom as they took in the sight of the newcomer. Men and women stopped to stare openly at the new snack trailing behind their king. Even the children stopped playing at the adults' silence.
Jaken slowed his pace to stride next to Rin. "You'd be wise to avert your gaze from beings much powerful than you."
Rin looked away from the crowd, but her responding tone was hardened with rebellion. She scoffed quietly. "Right. So I'm the newest freak in town. Great…just what I needed."
Jaken narrowed his eyes as he looked up at the brazen youth, but said nothing, too afraid of what Sesshoumaru would've done to him if he beat Rin in front of the kingdom. He contemplated whether or not Sesshoumaru would consider it a shameless thing to do, or an insult to his new territory. The imp sighed in dismay. Either way, it wasn't the best of ideas. So he decided to wait for his chance to discipline the human.
Without needing to avert his gaze from the castle, Sesshoumaru accessed and observed the scene around him. The whole kingdom was here to witness their mighty king become so low as to allow a human in his company. What shame it was. Already, this girl was more trouble than she was worth. Why exactly did she need to be holding Kiori anyway? Life would be so much easier if he could just rip the crystal from her neck. And the shameful degration she brought upon now only tempted him further.
Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru came to a halt. His wards stopped behind him as well. Rin looked on with open wonder at the unspoken command as the villagers stopped their listless staring and continued on their day like nothing happened. As soon as everyone busied themselves, Sesshoumaru opened his eyes and resumed the walk to his palace.
Horror, intermingled with amazement, entered Rin's heart as she looked at the demon lord before her. How could one being have so much control over a population like this? It was tyrannical and anarchical; but it wasn't the kind of control Naraku had. Naraku's minions feared him to the point of obedience, but this exchange between Sesshoumaru and his people was a different kind of obedience. Their obedience was driven only by a little fear --- to Rin's amazement --- but the majority of it all was: Respect.
Rin dropped her head and sighed in defeat. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked around at the village people once more. No one dared to look at their king again, but there were a certain few who were still brave enough to glare at her.
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The castle was absolutely grand.
From the moment they entered, marble gleamed at the entrance as sunlight bounced of its emerald hue. Huge cotton curtains decorated the floor-to-ceiling balcony windows and lush rugs adorned multiple areas of the floor. Jewels were embedded into the silver finish of the white marbled walls. And that was just the entrance room.
Maids and servants standing in symmetrical order moved in synch to greet their lord. A few tended to Ah-Un, as Rin had learned was the dragon's name, and others went to tend to Jaken and the hellhole he had for a mouth.
None approached Sesshoumaru just yet. Instead, they followed him like they were his personal entourage. The stoic king walked forward as though they weren't there.
"What shall we do with the girl, my lord?" a servant suddenly asked as he took in her dumbfounded stance.
Sesshoumaru stopped walking to turn around and acknowledge Rin's presence in a haughty manner as though she was but a mere bug. Rin could've huffed about that, but decided against it. A moment of silence passed before Sesshoumaru nonchalantly dismissed her and continued to his room. "The dungeon seems like a reasonable enough place for the time being."
Rin blanched for a moment. Was this guy serious? She paled at the thought of darkness and bugs scuttering only inches from her feet. But just as fast as it came, her surprise was replaced with anger. "
The dungeon?" she seethed softly. Her eyebrow quirked at the no-nonsense tone of his suggestion. Seriously…the dungeon.
Sesshoumaru looked back at the human girl. It was bad enough that he had to take her into his home, let alone be seen with her. But now, she dared worsen the situation by defying him in front of his people?
Yes. The dungeon was indeed the most suitable place. She actually deserved worse.
"Since when did I become a prisoner, Your Majesty?" Rin asked sweetly, the sugar coated question unable to disguise the sarcasm in her voice. When Sesshoumaru hesitated, Rin continued. "Why must I stay in the dungeon if I've done nothing wrong? Surely, you don't mean that, Most Righteous Ruler." Rin wanted to barf then. "Kiss up."
The brat. She was using his image as her defense. If it weren't for his rising anger, Sesshoumaru would've smirked at her quick thinking.
"Of course. How silly of this Sesshoumaru," he finally responded. He turned to the servants still in the room. "Leave. I will see to her care," his eyes darkened a shade. "…personally."
Faster than the human eye could see, everyone was gone from the room, save for Sesshoumaru and herself. The demon lord blankly stared at her, seemingly trying not to lash out and attack. Suddenly, he took one intimidating step forward. Resisting all the alarms telling her to take a step back, Rin held her ground. He was smiling now, and that frightened the living hell out of her.
"You are the most annoying specimen I have ever come across. Honestly, I'd love nothing more than to give you an excruciating death." He said, taking another step forward. "But I must admit, that was quite clever…even for your species."
Rin swallowed the lump in her throat, stopping herself from taking that tempting step back. "I don't remember growing up with my species," she spat the word, "but I do know –-" she paused for a second, gathering the courage to say the next phrase. "…I grew up in the manners of a demon."
Sesshoumaru stopped his stalking walk. Waiting for a second to let the sentence truly sink into his mind, he chuckled darkly. How hilarious. How unbelievably, idiotically stupid. Did this wench honestly believe what she was saying?
"Foolish mortal, are you not ashamed to claim any likeness of my kind?"
"Why should I be?" Rin countered, her voice hardening. "I'm proud to have been raised by Ino."
The smile from Sesshoumaru's face faded. This reminded him of the most important matter at hand --- and also of the remaining time he had left. 28 nights and counting. If only he could get the curse over with and kill her now…
Sighing inaudibly, Sesshoumaru straightened his composure and turned away from her. How tiresome. He then began walking towards the grand staircase, knowing an argument would only cause him another headache to add to his already growing ailments.
When he didn't slow down or turn back, Rin took it as a sign to follow him. As she walked, Rin observed her surroundings. The beauty of the palace could enchant her later --- right now, she had to familiarize the place.
'Rule Five of Survival: Wherever you may be, whether in the midst of a familiar place or not, observe your surroundings and know the best escape routes.'
Ino had been drilling those rules into Rin's mind since she turned twelve; the first time she began her monthly cycle. It was a standard procedure the older woman made sure Rin performed by heart. Especially when the fear of Naraku and his more-than-disturbing desires started curving to the sight of the her body.
The corners of Rin's mouth quirked at the memory, but she kept the smile in her heart. It was best for Sesshoumaru not to see it.
Rin took note of the ground floor balconies. There were no guards situated anywhere near them; at least, not on the inside. And the stone doors were kept open. That was a possible emergency path, though, the most obvious. She'd have to check for guards on the outside as well. Taking a few more cursory glances, Rin decided the entrance would be too risky as an escape route.
Reaching the staircase, she looked up and took in the sight of its on-going spiral structure.
"May I ask, just how many levels does your castle have?"
There was no response from her bane as he continued. "If you don't want to climb up the stairs, you can always climb down to where the dungeons are. It's still an open option."
Rin scoffed but refrained from speaking further. She hastened her steps to catch up to Sesshoumaru.
They walked further and further up the stairs than Rin had first expected. When she saw the ghost of amusement flash in his eyes as he looked back at her, she swore he only climbed more stairs to spite her.
When they finally reached the intended level, Rin was out of breath. They began walking down a white-marbled hall.
Expanding her lungs even further, so as not to look as bedraggled and out of shape, Rin tried to take in more air than necessary. Her tattered dignity didn't need any more insults from the smart ass he had for a mouth. Unfortunately, that method only backfired and ended up choking her air passage.
Spewing a few broken, yet colorful oaths under her breath, Rin tried desperately to clear the sudden jam in the middle of her throat. It was a rather futile attempt, as the jam would only stubbornly stay, further making her sound like the idiot she was.
Sesshoumaru didn't even bother shaking his head or commenting on it. It wasn't even worth his attention in the least.
Rin gave up and stopped walking. She needed concentration to get rid of the dryness in her throat. Not only did it prolong her idiocracy, but it was sure as hell annoying. Coughing ridiculously for a moment, she managed to get rid of the majority of the jam. But, as was her luck, the itchiness only worsened. It didn't seem to budge at all.
Then, out of the blue, Sesshoumaru appeared right before her, forcing her to build pressure in her throat from the surprise. Holding back the shock, she swallowed the scream that threatened to escape. Amazingly, the jam in her throat disappeared.
Rin stared in open wonder at Sesshoumaru. He only looked down at her shamefully before turning around again.
She huffed then. Oh, how she absolutely hated that antic of his. Looking off to the side, she let her anger boil and steam the appreciation into oblivion. Stupid demon…
Hearing his footsteps stop, Rin looked up to see him waiting for her. When she reached him, he pushed a huge rosewood door open. Looking around, Rin noticed that the area was pretty much isolated from the rest of the castle. Not that she was complaining, but gee…was he really that ashamed of her?
Looking inside the rosewood doors, Rin was completely taken aback at what she saw.
"This will be your room for the time being. Do not leave it unless I call for you or unless I tell you that you can. Is that understood?"
The amazement at the sight of her enormous room faded with the condition that left Sesshoumaru's lips. What did he mean, she couldn't leave her room? In Naraku's castle, she could go wherever she wanted as long as it was within the slaves' area. But now, she was restricted to only one room. Looking around for something to use as an excuse, she noticed there was no bathroom.
"What if I must relieve myself?"
Sesshoumaru considered not answering her. But that would only result in more of her pestering. "Then hold it."
"I'm human, remember? I may not be able to hold it."
Bad idea…whether he answered or not, she'd pestered him anyway. "If you really must use the restroom, it is down the end of the hallway. If I find that you are out of your room for any other reason, punishment will be brought upon you by my own hand. And trust me…you will NOT enjoy it."
Rin crossed her arms, her delicate sniff less than penitent. "Now wait just a damned minute. If I remember correctly, you're the one who needs my help. Not the other way around. So what is all this punishment nonsense spewing from your mouth?"
Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. It's been centuries since anyone had the guts to speak to him in that tone, and the only person who's ever gotten away with doing that was his mother…and on occasion, his burden of a half-brother. "I detest being spoken to like that."
"Well…I detest being threatened for minimal actions."
"Deal with it."
A vein popped. "And if I don't?" she asked.
In a flat voice, Sesshoumaru responded, "I'll kill you."
Rin faltered, but only for a moment. Gaining her wits again, she countered, "You can't."
"And why not?"
Rin pointed haughtily at the crystal. "Kiori."
Narrowing his eyes, Sesshoumaru glanced at Kiori and back to Rin's defiant face. "I'll make you suffer."
"I'll leave."
"Then I'll hunt you down."
"I'll run away again."
"That won't be possible."
"It will be…" Rin hesitated, "…when you're no longer a full-pledged demon."
Before Rin could prepare herself, Sesshoumaru disappeared from the doorway and reappeared just inches away from her. Yelping, she took a step back and toppled on the bed.
"Do not get cocky just because Kiori's protecting you." Sesshoumaru's voice deepened, and Rin could hear the suppressed angry within his tone. "There are other ways to put you through pain, so I suggest you stop trying my patience, because really, I've had quite enough of you."
A few moments passed as the tension thickened. It became harder to breathe the longer Sesshoumaru glared into her eyes. Just when she thought she wouldn't be able to hold the eye contact any longer, the demon lord turned away and started towards the door again.
Without turning back to look at her, Sesshoumaru hissed out another threat before closing the door. "Behave if you don't want to die." The timber of his voice dropped another octave, sending a curious shiver up Rin's spine. Ignoring the unknown spike in her scent, Sesshoumaru glided away from her room into another part of the castle.
It was the same threat that he had used to end her bickering with Jaken the first time they met. And with that threat ringing in the air of her new room, the doors closed with an eerie bang.
A whole minute passed. Rin could only stare at the wooden doors that kept her prisoner. How could such a luxurious place be the equivalent of a dungeon? And how could such a devastatingly handsome man be so devastatingly horrible?
Rin sighed deeply. Dwelling on her new misfortunes was not going to get her anywhere. Glancing around her room, she decided she might as well explore it.
Her bed was huge. The canopy of the four-poster bed was draped in white sheer gauze --- resembling the ones from stories she'd heard of sultans and middle-eastern kings. It was designed with red sakura blossoms and hexagonal patterns, much like Sesshoumaru's own clothing. Now that Sesshoumaru wasn't there to intimidate her, she could relish in the extra soft silkiness that composed the sheets. At the headboard, she counted seven plushy pillows that lined the wooden frame. To the each side of the bed was a small drawer of the same rosewood material. The walls were marble, like the entrance room. Only this time, the marble had a glittery lavender hue instead of white and emerald.
At the far side of the room, a vanity taller than she was laid on the wall next to a desk with a matching chair. On the opposite wall, another door was situated at the center. It was also wooden, but much smaller than the door that led to the hall.
Curiosity spurred in her mind as she wondered what was behind it. Getting up from her position on the bed, Rin walked over and reached out for its handle. Turning it slowly, as though afraid to see what she'd find, she opened the door.
Immediately, her jaw dropped. It was a personal closet almost as big as her old room in Naraku's castle. To her left, the wall was lined with luxurious and exotic kimonos of all colors. And to her right, there were accessories arranged in organized categories and size. On the third wall, half of it held shelves of different kinds of geta slippers, and the other half was a glass mirror.
Rin stared in awe of everything. Her face only came to a scrunch when she couldn't find any comfortable kimonos. Once, she met a priestess named Kagome who sported a kimono with a red bottom that was separated so that both legs weren't stuck in one. She made it on her own of course, as regular kimonos of that style were only made for men. Rin wanted one of the same fashion since then.
Closing the door to her newfound closet, Rin secured the handle and walked back over to her bed. She ran her hands over the satiny silk of her bed, slowly lowering her body down. The mattress wasn't as firm as foam, yet it was strong enough to contort only to the contours of her body.
A yawn escaped her then.
"Mm…since when was I so tired?" she mused aloud. Settling herself better on the silk sheets, Rin pulled a pillow close and decided that a small nap won't hurt. Besides…being locked up in this room, she had nothing else and nothing better to do.
"I might as well…"
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"WHAT do you mean you can't find her?"
Without warning, a random man in the room was beheaded in the blink of an eye. The other subordinates knew better than to look in the direction of the fallen soldier, but a few could not help but flinch. Another man was slaughtered for their mistake as Naraku watched the growing fear take over them like the worms they were.
"How is it…that one human --- and a girl, for that --- escape even the likes of you?" Naraku paced around the men he ordered to search for Rin and Ino. They had found Ino's body…dead, cold, and drenched from the rain the morning after her daring attempt to escape. But they came up with nothing when the question shone on the status of Rin.
"Answer me, you hordes of worthless bakas!!" Naraku yelled, slicing through another soldier with his claws. "Answer me…" he growled lower, "or you're all gonna die." He waited a moment to prolong their suffering. It was a twisted pleasure of his to see them like this. And even in this moment of anger, it was pure amusement to play mind games with their density, and the frightened scent that became dominant of their smell was even more appetizing.
"Now I'll ask again. For every question that doesn't get answered right away, one of you will die. Now…how in this blasted world did she escape from you?"
"N-n-none of us knows, m'lord." A soldier spoke up, scared to his pants with Naraku's threat. "None of us were anywhere near them when you gave out the ord----"
He was swiftly silenced. Naraku looked down at the soldier's twitching form with bored eyes. "Wrong answer." And definitely not one he wanted to hear. "Anyone else want to try?"
"It was raining, Lord Naraku," another soldier spoke up. "It was hard to find their physical tracks, and even harder to search by scent."
Naraku walked over to him prominently. A tense second went by as he stared into the man's eyes for a good measure. A bead of sweat rolled down the soldier's face as he struggled to keep eye contact with the evil in front of him.
"Is that so?" Naraku mused.
"Y-yes, m'lord."
"Hmm. Good answer."
The soldier relaxed his composure.
Naraku's eyes gleamed then and the corners of his lips twitched upward. "But not good enough."
An agonizing scream tore the thick air in the room again as blood splattered onto fellow soldiers. Naraku looked up at the remaining soldiers. "Really, can anyone else give me a better answer than that? What are with all these excuses, you pathetic morons?!"
Hyoga, desperately wanting to roll his eyes, though knowing that death may result in it, stepped forward and explained something to the dark lord. "Lord Naraku, if memory serves correctly, I believe it was Kanna and Kagura who interacted with the girls last. You should inquire them rather than your soldiers. I'm sure they'd have more answers."
Naraku narrowed his eyes a bit as he turned to look at his general with disdain. The bastard had to ruin his fun just when it started. "Are you telling me what to do, General?"
"No, my lord. Just trying to answer your questions quicker," Hyoga answered with a straight face, refusing to cower back.
Naraku smirked at his reply. "Fine." He turned to his soldiers. "You're all dismissed."
The soldiers in his presence hastily scrambled to get out of the room. Naraku chuckled disgustingly at the sight of them. "Like worms, indeed. Now, Hyoga, if you would retrieve Kagura, I'd like to have a word with her." His eyes gleamed with evil again, sending goose bumps up Hyoga's arms. Naraku then stood up to leave the room.
"Where shall I send her?"
Naraku paused and looked back, smiling with unknown intent. "Send her…to my chambers."