A/N: Before I start, I just want to thank everybody for all the positive, encouraging reviews that were left on the last chapter! Once again, I'd like to apologize for taking such a long time to update this story! Unfortunately, I wasn't kidding when I said I was a slow writer.
I know many of you were excited to see what has happened to Rin; now you all get to find out! I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter!
UNDER THE PALE MOON
three
All was quiet as the yokai led Rin through her small village, quieter than it usually was during the nighttime hours. For once, not a single nuhi walked about the area finishing their last minute duties, no lanterns blazed in the small doorways, no one shuffled in their sleep. This unusual, haunting quietude only served to unnerve Rin even more. As she walked, her mud-colored eyes focused on her bare, dirty feet, only braving the barest glance at Matsumoto-sama's expensively clothed back every once in awhile, one question floated in her rattled mind:
Why were they taking her?
She had been told tales of nuhi who were taken away by demons and never seen nor heard from again due to simple things such as refusing to complete their duties or planning insurrections. By no means was she perfect –– she had her slip ups just like any other human. However, Rin could not recall doing anything that would require Mistress Kaede's firm hand, much less that of a powerful daiyokai like Matsumoto-sama.
At that moment, a single sentence popped into her head.
Don't you ever wonder what life is like beyond these walls, Rin?
The girl cringed and looked around, only to see nothing else out of the ordinary. Had her dear friend Sachiko been apprehended as well? They couldn't be taking them because of that one trivial statement, could they?
Rin held in a shudder and took one last glance at Matsumoto's back. What she saw both ensorcelled and unnerved her even more.
In the midst of the village square, guarded by two lantern-bearing yokai on either side, sat an elaborately decorated carriage, its embellishments gleaming in the soft light of the full moon. With a wave of his hand, Matsumoto-sama instructed one of the guards to open it. As the door slid open, a formless, vexed voice drifted from within, speaking in a high dialect that Rin could barely understand.
"It's high time you returned, Matsumoto."
"A bit of patience would suit you well, don't you suppose?" The older demon replied, his tone patronizing. The woman merely scoffed. Matsumoto turned to face Rin, who quickly directed her gaze to your ground.
"Get in." He said simply. Rin did not hesitate.
As she climbed into the carriage, Rin was greeted by another expensive pair of shoes and well-kept toes. The presence of the female yokai only served to puzzle Rin further. While she had practically known of Matsumoto- sama since her toddler years, she had never once heard Mistress Kaede mention a woman.
"Look at me." The yokai commanded. A pallid hand snaked its way under Rin's chin, jerking her head upwards and out of its submissive angle. Rin's eyes widened.
The woman before her was absolutely stunning. Dressed in a lavish, darkly colored kimono, she looked like a figure from a reverie. Though her long, thick hair was gray, the woman looked like she could not be more than nineteen years of age. Her hand was soft beneath Rin's chin, and as she turned the teen girl's head side to side to examine her, there was a deep scowl on her prettily painted face, an unmistakable blue blaze in her eyes.
"This is what you made me wait for?" The woman said, pushing Rin away in disgust. "I can't believe this!" The carriage shifted as Matsumoto stepped inside. Combined, their presence was well-nigh overwhelming.
Matsumoto rolled his snakelike eyes. "If the Lady needed a beauty, she would have sent for a yokai, not a human nuhi."
"I'd rather have a yokai. Plain or not, she's simply one more human in the manor that I don't think I'll be able to stomach." Rin watched as Tsubaki flipped her hair over her shoulder and clicked her tongue. The yokai's blue eyes flitted over her once more. "Such a scrawny, sickly thing, too. She won't last long at all."
Rin's eyebrows furrowed and she pursed her lips. If she had not known better, she would have tried to speak up, to defend herself. Rin would have given her the snarky replies she gave the children in the neighborhood when she was still young and their words still hurt. But if Rin had not known better, she would be dead.
"Though your fear is slightly amusing, wench, I'm going to have to ask you to stop shaking so much. The smell of your perspiration is the last thing we need in such close quarters." Matsumoto jested. "Sing something for us, go on."
Rin hesitated.
"Is something wrong?"
"I don't know many songs, Matsumoto-sama." Rin said quietly.
The old demon dismissed her comment with a wave of his bony hand. "That is none of my concern. Sing anything."
Rin took one quick glance towards Tsubaki, whose eyes were now focused on her perfect nails.
With both Matsumoto's expecting gazed fixed upon her and the surprising lack of Tsubaki's snide remarks, Rin began to sing. As expected, her song was nothing special: she knew no grandiose songs or ballads of any sort, so she sang what she knew –– playground songs from her youth. It was one of the many songs she sang just hours before while working in the fields with Sachiko.
When she finished, Matsumoto merely leaned back into his seat, his face expressionless. Tsubaki had since looked up from her nails. Rin merely waited for a response.
"See? She is no siren, but her voice is somewhat lovely, even for a human." Matsumoto said, his eyes on his companion.
Tsubaki merely scowled. "Just as long as she doesn't give me a hard time."
The fanciful carriage came to a halt a few uncomfortable minutes later. Tsubaki was the first climb out, her gray hair a harsh glow in the light. She then motioned for Rin to exit as well.
The first thing Rin noticed as she stepped out from the carriage was the lush vegetation, as well as the chill of the night. The ground, though it was simply plain earth, was kinder to her bare feet than that of the village. Far behind her and the carriage, a large gate was just beginning to close. Before her on either side of the pathway stood trees, trees, and more trees, and something else obscured by the shadows. Though dimly lit, this vast change in scenery from the village only confirmed one thing.
She was at the top of the mountain, near the manor house.
"She must look presentable by noon." The older demon said from inside the carriage. He seemed to look more ancient than he did previously. "Will you be able to manage that, Tsubaki?"
Tsubaki scoffed for the umpteenth time that night and, choosing to ignore the old demon, turned to face Rin. "Come, human, we don't have all day."
Rin nodded and threw a quick glance at the carriage and Matsumoto. To her surprise, it had vanished. When she turned back to Tsubaki, Rin found that she was already gliding down the path. Rin had to quicken her step to catch up to her.
Without looking at her, Tsubaki clicked her tongue. "Quit fumbling about back there. You walk entirely too loud."
Rin had only known the woman for less than an hour and already she could tell that nothing she could do would ever be good enough for the critical, ill-tempered yokai. Still, she slowed her pace and attempted to walk a bit quieter, though she did not quite know what Tsubaki meant by it.
The two walked along the pathway in silence. As they approached the building, the path suddenly twisted, leading them around to what Rin correctly guessed was the front of the building. Tsubaki seemed to float onto the raised wooden engawa. With incredible ease, she slid open the shoji to reveal a candle-lit room. The floor was lined with tatami in lieu of the dirt she was used to. In the dead center of the room, peacefully reclined on a lush futon, lay a sleeping figure. A flute and an unfurled scroll rested forgotten near her head.
Rudely, Tsubaki cleared her throat. "Sara! Wake up –– the girl is here."
Sara immediately lurched away from her slumber, the flute and the scroll forced away by the rapid movement. Her beautiful brown locks fell down her back in waves. She stood and bowed deeply. "Forgive me, Tsubaki- sama. I am fully awake and ready to work now."
Tsubaki scoffed again and turned back to Rin, who turned her gaze to the floor in deference. "Stop doing that," she said, disdain heavy on her tongue. "I despise false modesty." Then, to Sara, she said, "Surely you've prepared her bath like I've asked you to?"
Sara, now upright, nodded. "I did."
"Perfect." Tsubaki moved towards the other side of the room, slid open the shoji, and disappeared without another word, leaving Rin alone with Sara.
Rin turned her gaze to Sara, who stared back at her with wary blue eyes. Though she was as lovely as a flower, Sara was not nearly as gorgeous as Tsubaki. There was a warmth in the girl's complexion and a minute imperfection in the way she moved that assured Rin that she was indeed a human like her. Hers was a comforting presence. Sara's eyes were foggy as if she didn't know what to make of the girl before her. Rin could only imagine what a sight she must be to the elegantly dressed woman before her: wild hair, old yukata, and dirty skin. She felt horribly out-of-place.
If the girl was disgusted, she made no sign of it. Sara gave Rin a slight bow, staring at her all the while. "I'm Sara."
Rin bowed in response. "Rin."
Sara gave Rin a slight smile before grabbing her wrist and gently leading her out of the room in the direction that Tsubaki went. The other shoji led to a long corridor, at the end of which was a room with light streaming from it.
Inside the room, Tsubaki leaned over a large, wooden tub, slowly dragging one pale hand through the water to test its temperature. "Remove your clothes. You smell of earth and sweat." The yokai stated, her lips pursed. Sara retrieved a few bottles from the small table near the tub and poured a few liquids into the water.
Rin could only stare at the large bath before her. As she looked down at her dirty feet and wild hair, she could not recall the last time she was able to take a true bath. Still, she wasn't too keen on taking off her clothes in front of two women she didn't even know.
As if reading her thoughts, Tsubaki clicked her tongue. "There's much more for us to do. I don't have time for your shyness." She snapped.
Holding back a sigh, Rin slowly began to remove her yukata, all the while being prodded towards the tub by Sara. The girl had to fight a gasp of pleasure as the warmth of the water and the perfume of the oil quickly enveloped her. Unfortunately, this delight was short-lived. Tsubaki immediately got to work, scrubbing at her arms and legs with such ferocity that Rin thought her skin might tear away from her bones. Suddenly self-conscious, Rin tried to cover herself as much as she could with her arms, to the utter dismay of both the grey-haired yokai and herself. Rin did not need anyone's help bathing –– after all, she was fifteen, not five. However, she was somewhat grateful for Sara's gentle fingers in her and her scalp, gingerly removing all the dirt and kinks from her dark locks.
When her torturous bath session was finally over, Tsubaki grabbed her upper arm and pulled her from the tub. Sara handed her a large, dark towel to cover herself with.
"Fetch her something clean to wear." Tsubaki said to Sara, wringing out Rin's thick, dark hair. "And take those with you." One hand gestured towards the Rin's old yukata, which was neatly folded on the floor. "Throw them out."
Sara nodded and collected the dirty, sweaty fabric from the floor. Panic flashed in Rin's dark eyes. "Wait!"
Tsubaki and Sara turned to Rin, confusion in their matching blue eyes. "Can't I keep it?" Rin asked, a bit of desperation in her voice.
Tsubaki cocked her head to the side ever so slightly. "Why?" She sneered. "It's filthy."
"I can wash it and repurpose the fabric later on." Rin breathed. Tsubaki rolled her eyes and gestured for Sara to leave them there. Rin released a quick sigh of relief as Sara began to help her into her new clothes: a simple white yukata with an equally simple pair of geta. The wooden footwear was foreign to her and, to be quite frank, somewhat uncomfortable to walk in. At least the yukata was comfortable.
Rin also took the time to run her hands through her hair. For once, it was somewhat tame and soft to the touch. Her entire body smelled of something sweet, like flowers.
Tsubaki, ever a vision of patience, clicked her tongue. "Now is not the time to be admiring yourself. There is still much left to be done."
Rin blinked and turned to face the yokai. "...May I ask you something?"
Tsubaki huffed, yet said nothing.
Rin continued, eyebrows furrowed. "Why exactly have I been brought here?"
Tsubaki sneered again, nostrils flared. "Are humans truly so dense? From now on, you are to serve and entertain the future lady of the manor."
A/N: Sorry I had to end that so abruptly, but I do need to save some exciting things for the next chapter! Even though Sesshomaru was not in this chapter (he does appear in the next one, however), this was honestly somewhat fun for me to write. Sara's character actually intrigues me, and I'm somewhat upset that I don't see her in more SessRin AUs. Tsubaki was also a joy for me to write; I hope I didn't do a terrible job! I might as well give you guys another tiny piece of info: since Tsubaki and Sara are both canon characters (well, Sara is only canon to the anime, but still), I plan for them both to have somewhat major roles in the plot later on.
Thanks for reading!