A/N: Hello my lovely readers. :3 I'm glad to finally have this thing up. It gave me a lot of trouble to write, hence the long wait. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, ect. A good winter holiday, if you will. :D
And Happy New Years! Here's to hoping that this next year is better than the last!
Kagura stared at Rin with her cold, red eyes. Rin shifted under the demon's hard gaze, and she was also quite aware of a pair of golden eyes that were also burning into her.
Rin opened her mouth to speak, but Kagura beat her to the words.
"Sesshomaru, if you could leave us be, that would be wonderful."
Rin looked behind her, alarmed at the thought of being stuck in the same room with the demon. Her mouth hung slightly open as she watched Sesshomaru turn around to leave. His footsteps echoed through the hall as he walked, and Kagura didn't speak again until they had faded completely.
"Rin, is it?" gulping, Rin nodded once. Her spine tingled, and Rin knew that something bad was sure to happen. "Let's skip the formalities, just tell me why you're here."
Rin waited. And waited. Until…she realized that Kagura knew as much as she did, which was nothing. Kagura's eyes never left Rin's once as she waited for an answer.
"I, uhh…don't actually know. I was hoping that you could tell me."
"Me?" Scoffed Kagura. She looked amused. "I'm afraid that Sesshomaru doesn't care to keep me in the loop of things. But seeing as you're his little pet, I was sure that you could tell me what he wanted."
Pet? Rin blushed at the thought. Even when she and Sesshomaru had been involved, Rin would not have considered herself to be his pet.
Kagura had to be toying with her. Yes…that seemed the most likely explanation. Not just with the obvious 'pet' thing floating in the air between them, but Rin was certain that the demon knew something that she wasn't sharing. She wasn't the type to play the game without some trick up her sleeve; otherwise, she couldn't always come out on top.
"Kagura..." Rin started. She wasn't sure how to phrase her thoughts so that she didn't sound like a little girl poking her nose in someone else's business. Biting her lip, she wearily continued. "How well do you know Seshomaru? Why do you think he would bring me to you?"
Kagura's eyes narrowed as she looked over Rin. Rin felt very exposed under her gaze, and she wished that there was something she could throw over herself to shield her face from the demon's icy stare. After what felt like an eternity, Kagura opened her mouth.
"Not as well as I would like to, but I know him more than most anyone else can claim to. It's you that I'm curious about. Just how close did you and Sesshomaru get?"
Rin had a feeling that Kagura would throw the spotlight back onto her. Not wanting to feel weak, Rin decided not to tell the woman that she had loved Sesshomaru with every fiber of her being, nor how broken she felt when he deserted her. Instead, she shrugged and blew off a short "We were a little more than friends."
Kagura didn't seem convinced. She continued to tear through Rin's soul with her endless red stare, making the girl squirm in her seat.
Right as Kagura was opening her mouth again, Rin felt a strong hand clamp down on her shoulder. Looking behind, she saw that Sesshomaru had returned. But whether his presence was a blessing or a curse was a complete mystery. Kagura sat back and smirked at the sight of him. Sesshomaru looked at the demon with his usual mask of distaste, not paying any attention to Rin other than his hand upon her shoulder.
"Kagura." His one word echoed around the room, filling Rin's head with his rich voice. Watching the demon across from her, Rin wondered what Kagura's expression meant. It had been smug, but now she looked displeased. Rin wasn't sure what was going on. She was feeling so out of place lately, and she didn't know how to change that, or if she even wanted to.
"Sesshomaru…" Kagura began to growl, "Neither Rin nor I can figure out the reason for your presence. Care to enlighten us?" Kagura's bottom lip stood out in a slight pout. Sesshomaru ignored her expression, still giving her his usual masked, icy stare.
Pulling herself up, Rin looked from one demon to the other. Nothing was exchanged between any of them for quite some time. It wasn't until Rin broke the silence by sneezing that anyone seemed to remember anything but the sound of silence.
"Excuse me…" Rin apologized, holding her arm to her nose.
"Don't just stand there making a mess of yourself." Kagura raised herself to her feet, digging inside of her kimono for something. She found what she was looking for and held it out to Rin. It was a small, white square of soft fabric. Rin used it to wipe herself, bowing her head in thanks.
Again, the group was plunged into an awkward silence. Although it was possible that Rin was the only one who found it uncomfortable. She shifted around, still under the hold of Sesshomaru's hand. Finally, she saw his lips part, and she waited for what would come from his mouth.
"Rin." His one word sent shivers down Rin's spine. She looked up at him, eager to know what he wanted. "I want you to stay here, with Kagura."
"What?" Rin and Kagura shouted in union. Kagura dropped her fan, and Rin tried to back away. She managed to escape Sesshomaru's grasp, although she wouldn't have been able to had he not allowed it. Rin didn't believe it. What purpose did this serve? Sesshomaru wasn't a man of nonsense, and Rin didn't see any sense in this situation. Turning her gaze to the other Demon, Rin saw that Kagura looked equally upset, if not more. Her face was tilted down, shadows dancing over her eyes, giving her face a haunted appearance.
"And you didn't think to talk this over with me before you made you big decision?" Kagura snarled at Sesshomaru. "I may not be afraid to be around humans like the other demons, but I most certainly don't wish to have one living inside of my home." Unmoving were the gazes of either demon. Rin wasn't sure which would win the stare, but she should have guessed. With the slightest tilt of his lips, Sesshomaru gained leverage over Kagura. Her eyes wavered, and she looked away.
"Fine. But she can't go outside, do you understand? I won't let the community know that I'm harboring your human."
Sesshomaru turned to leave without saying a word. The two women stared at him as he left. Rin felt tears start to pool in her eyes. Without Sesshomaru, she wouldn't be able to go home. She didn't want to be stuck here in this strange world. And being stuck with Kagura made it twice as bad.
I never asked for this…
But you did. You went with him. And willingly I might add.
A voice spoke to Rin from her head. It sounded like her own, but different. It seemed harsh, and cold, and the tone was sarcastic. Rin knew that the voice was right. She had come willingly. But if she had known what was going to happen…she would never have come.
Rin ran her hand along the wall beside her. She was walking down the long corridors of Kagura's palace, trying to memorize the different rooms and how they connected. She had left the demon back in the room where Sesshomaru had left them, not caring to be around the woman any longer than necessary.
Too busy studying the intricate pattern engraved into the wall, Rin never noticed the man standing in front of her until she had bumped into him. Looking up, Rin feared that she already knew who it was that she would be looking at.
She was right. Sesshomaru stood towering above her. Gathering up what little courage she could, Rin ignored the frosty glare he gave her as she opened her mouth.
"I don't want to stay here. I know that I came with you willingly, but I am not some pet for you to torment and play with until you grow tired of me." The words tumbled out of Rin's mouth before she knew what she was saying. It was too late to stop herself now.
"If a pet is what you want, then I suggest you go look for someone else to distress with your mystery and devilish ways. I will not stand for this any longer. Either take me home and leave me alone, or tell me what it is you want from me!" Rin's voice had raised throughout her speech, and she was almost screaming by the end of it. Sesshomaru's golden eyes gave nothing away save for a spark of amusement at Rin's attempt to be forceful with him. But he had to hand it to her…most wouldn't dare speak to him like that under any circumstance. She held a fire within her that no one else did.
"Then come with me again, Rin. Your questions will be answered in due time. But you must be patient to receive them." His deep voice rang in Rin's ears.
"No. I'm not willing to wait any longer. You made me wait for you for two years. And now that you've come back, I'm still waiting around for you to explain yourself. I want answers now." Rin glared at Sesshomaru with a scowl planted on her face. Her arms were crossed across her chest, and her feet parted. Sesshomaru knew that look well. She was stubborn, and she wouldn't back down now.
"…as you wish." In one swift movement, Sesshomaru lifted Rin off of the floor and threw her across his shoulder like he had when he carried her in. Loudly, Rin protested. She didn't like it the first time, and it wasn't any better now that she was angry with him.
"There's been a change of plans. I'm taking her with me." Sesshomaru stopped in front of the entryway where Kagura was sitting. She looked up at the two of them, surprised to see how Rin was being handled. Kagura didn't say anything in response to Sesshomaru's words, just nodded her head in a show of understanding. She watched as Sesshomaru left the area with Rin held under his arm.
Those two…she seems to pull something from him that no one has before…not even his father could get him to put on an emotion other than cold. What is it about her that makes even the great Sesshomaru take down his usual walls?
Kagura rose and stared at the retreating forms as they left her palace. Her silent muse continued on in her head as she watched them. That Rin was a strange girl, she was. Kagura wondered how long it would take the girl before she had found what she was searching for inside of Sesshomaru. Couldn't be too long, though. That girl was a complete mystery.
A/N: This chapter…ungh. Yeah, sorry 'bout this. I wasn't really sure about what I was going to do, and it just seems out of place, a waste of words if you will. But I plan to get Sesshomaru's hard shell to crack soon! Soon, some of his motives will be showing through! Won't that be exciting to look forward to?! :D
But yes. I hope you didn't find this chapter too disappointing. It would be even better if you didn't find it bad at all.
Have a wonderful 2014! :D