Chapter Fifteen: A Near Kiss
XoXoXo
"Do you prefer walking or flying?" Toshimaru asked Helen as they left Kaede's village.
Helen frowned. "I hate flying…couldn't we walk instead?"
Toshimaru looked thoughtful. "Hmm…we could. However, unlike the palace of the West, the Eastern palace is much farther; it would take us five days of non stop walking just to get there."
Helen's eyebrows met in the middle. "Okay…how about we run?"
Toshimaru chuckled. "Running would tire you out easily; the best option is to fly."
Helen sighed. "I truly prefer walking."
Toshimaru shrugged. "Very well then, we walk and-"
The youkai lord stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes at the trees in front of him. Helen tried to see what he was staring at, but didn't need to; a moment later, they heard a cry…
"Lord Sesshoumaru!"
Helen sighed. It was only Jaken. The imp came out of the trees accompanied by Ah-Un and Rin, who was riding the two-headed dragon.
"Helen-san!" Rin called out. She alighted from the dragon and ran up to Helen and gave her a big hug.
"Who is this?" Toshimaru asked, raising an eyebrow at Rin. "I know that this"-he gestured to Jaken, who bowed at the sight of him-"is Jaken, Sesshoumaru's servant, and the dragon, too, belongs to Sesshoumaru…Who is the little girl?"
"I'm Rin!" Rin answered, giving Toshimaru a toothy smile.
Toshimaru frowned thoughtfully. "But you're…human."
"And you are a demon!"
A small smile crept across Helen's lips when she heard Rin's little remark. "By the way," the little girl continued. "Do you know where Lord Sesshoumaru is?"
Helen bit her lip. "Sorry, Rin-chan, the last time I saw him was when he was fighting."
Helen didn't say, "He was fighting Inuyasha" because she felt that Toshimaru's opinion of half-demons would change if he found out that Inuyasha had nearly killed his own brother.
"Oh," Rin said. "Where are you and lord…?"
"Toshimaru," the inu youkai said with a small smile.
"Oh! Where are you and Lord Toshimaru going?" Rin asked.
"To Lady Shinsuke's," Helen answered. A low grumbling noise sounded from Rin's stomach and the little girl grinned apologetically.
"Why don't you come with us, Rin?" Helen offered. She hated to think of Rin going hungry while she searched for Sesshoumaru.
Rin's eyes brightened at the offer but she frowned and said, "I can't leave Master Jaken."
"It's quite alright Rin," Jaken said, glad of someone to take over his job of baby sitting the little girl.
Rin smiled at Jaken and said, "Thanks Master Jaken!"
Helen smiled. "I guess we will be flying after all," she whispered to Toshimaru.
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"You're safe!" Shinsuke wrapped her arms around Helen the moment the young lady set her foot over the threshold of the palace. "When I heard what happened to Namiko…I thought…!"
Her hug on Helen tightened. When she finally let go, the young violinist was gasping for breath. "I am grateful that you're safe," Shinsuke said. She turned to Toshimaru. "Thank you so much, Lord Toshimaru, for bringing her back…I would have asked Sesshoumaru, but I couldn't find him anywhere."
A good thing too, Helen thought. You would have been enraged with him if you found out that he tried to kill me.
"And who is this?" Shinsuke asked, turning to Rin, who bowed.
"This is Rin…I was wondering if she could stay with us for a while," Helen said, hoping that Shinsuke would agree. To her relief, the inu youkai nodded.
"Of course," Shinsuke said. "You can put her in a guest room."
"She's staying with me," Helen said. Shinsuke nodded again then turned to Toshimaru.
"Lord Toshimaru, night has fallen and I hope that you would spend the night here," Shinsuke offered. The youkai lord nodded.
"Oh and Helen," Shinsuke said. "Do change your apparel."
Helen blinked then looked down at the miko clothing she wore.
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The full moon had now completely risen in the sky. Jaken walked back and forth, wondering where his lord was. Ah-Un was regarding the imp wryly as if he wanted to say, "Will you just sit down already?!"
Jaken, as if hearing Ah-Un's plea, sighed and sat down.
"It sure is lonely without Rin," the toad mused.
The trees suddenly rustled, alerting Jaken to an unseen enemy. The toad stood up and held the Staff of Heads aloft.
"Who goes there?" the toad called. A moment later, a stone whizzed sharply at him and hit him right on the head.
"Do you intend to use that Staff against me?" a cold voice asked.
Jaken straightened up, "Lord Sesshoumaru! Forgive me! I did not know that it was you! And milord, what happened to you?"
Sesshoumaru regarded him coldly for a moment before scanning the camp. Rin was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Rin?" he asked.
"Milord, Lady Helen and Lord Toshimaru took her with them," Jaken answered. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the imp and the imp, seeing this, bowed low. Jaken knew that look…It was the look Sesshoumaru always gave him before kicking him.
"Toshimaru and Helen?" his voice was low. "You permitted them to take Rin?"
"Milord, I didn't know what to say! I did not wish to offend your cousin!"
"But giving into Toshimaru means offending me." Jaken blinked.
"Milord forgive me!" the toad said, practically kissing the ground. Sesshoumaru looked down at Jaken.
"Where have they taken her?"
"To the East, milord," Jaken replied. Sesshoumaru turned to leave.
"Jaken."
"Milord?"
"If this happens again, I will kill you."
Jaken cringed and immediately stood up just as his lord left the clearing. "Lord Sesshoumaru, wait for me!" the toad cried as he pulled Ah-Un by his reins.
XoXoXo
Rin was now sleeping peacefully on Helen's bed. The young woman was sitting at the edge, regarding the sleeping Rin with interest. She had changed the miko's clothing for a dark blue kimono with a gold colored obi.
Her thoughts wondered vaguely. She wondered how Rin ended up with Sesshoumaru, who hated humans, yet here he was, protecting a little human girl.
Rin stirred slightly and gave a soft sob. Helen carefully stood up and sat down next to the sleeping girl; tears were running down her face.
"Okaasan," Rin sobbed softly.
She's dreaming, Helen thought. She gently stroked Rin's cheek while she sang a low lullaby:
If you find that tears fall
Always you find that you cry
Bleak is your day
Gone is the light
And yet your spirit can fight
Nothing can overcome love
For it is a precious gift from above
But if you find that you are lost
And your world has turned black
Reach out your hand
And you will find me in this land
For I will be there for you
And this, my love, my child, is true
She repeated the song until she saw that Rin's tears were slowly ebbing. The girl quieted and Helen stared thoughtfully at her. The lullaby that she had sung was made by her mother-her human mother. She sighed and noiselessly stood up to stare out the window just as a pebble hit the side of the window.
Helen blinked. Where had that pebble come from? She looked below her window; Toshimaru was standing beneath her window, a big grin on his face. Helen smiled down at him.
"Hey," she called out softly. "What are you doing down there?"
"Wondering if I could have an audience with you."
Helen smiled. "I'll be right down."
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"Sesshoumaru, what on earth happened to you?!" Lady Shinsuke's worried voice echoed throughout the empty palace. Sesshoumaru had arrived and forgot that he still looked defeated.
"A little tussle with my…half-breed brother," the inu youkai answered simply.
Shinsuke eyed his torn haori with slight disgust. "You should…stay the night."
"I only came to take my ward."
Shinsuke raised an eyebrow at him. "Your ward?"
"The little human girl whom your daughter brought back with her," Sesshoumaru said.
Shinsuke bit her lower lip. "I think Helen is asleep as is your young ward. Why not stay the night? Lord Toshimaru is here as well."
Sesshoumaru inwardly groaned. His bastard cousin was here?
"I must leave," the inu daiyoukai said.
Shinsuke shook her head. "It is dark-"
"I can handle myself."
"You are a mess. You had best leave in the morning."
Sesshoumaru sighed. There was just no arguing with Lady Shinsuke, who was as fussy as his mother was.
"Very well," Sesshoumaru said, giving in.
"And I think Jaken can stay with the servants and Ah-Un shall do well in the stables," Shinsuke mused. Sesshoumaru inwardly sighed. She was just as fussy as his mother.
Shinsuke called to a servant. "Show Lord Sesshoumaru into a guest room and give him something to change into." With that, the inu youkai left.
Sesshoumaru followed the servant into the room. The servant bowed and left. Sesshoumaru scowled. He wanted to find Rin and leave; above all, he would do anything in his power to avoid Toshimaru.
He changed his torn haori with a white one which was conveniently laid out for him. He frowned and stared out the window, at the garden. He spotted Helen and Toshimaru taking a stroll in the garden. The youkai lord frowned. He suddenly realized that he didn't like seeing Helen with his cousin. The reason was not a romantic one. He thought that was shameful if his betrothed was seen with his cousin.
Scowling, he turned and left the room.
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Helen pulled her knees closer to her chin and admired the small lake in front of them. She and Toshimaru were sitting against a tree on an old log, watching the moonlight play against the water.
"The moon is beautiful," Helen said softly as she stared at the water, the moonlight reflected clearly in her eyes.
Toshimaru murmured his agreement. "It certainly is."
She looked at him. "When I was a child, my human mother took me to a lake."
"Go on."
"She told me not to swim…It was dark and I disobeyed her. I jumped into the lake and I nearly drowned. I saw the moonlight shining through the surface of the water and then someone saved me. At first, I thought it was some sort of fairy, or goddess, I like believing in those kinds of things. When I got to the surface, the person who saved me was my mother…Funny how we imagine our loved ones to look so different when we are at our ends."
Toshimaru nodded his head then he looked at her. "Lady Helen, may I ask you a question?"
She smiled at him. "I'm all ears."
"May I ask what kind of kisses you prefer?"
Helen blinked at him. "Kisses?"
"Yes, kisses."
Helen turned away, aware of the blood rushing to her cheeks. "Um…Why do you ask?"
"As for me, I prefer them slow, gentle and passionate."
"Slow, gentle and passionate?"
"Yes. A kiss must be slow, for it must not be rushed. And it must be gently given and yet passionate."
Helen looked at the water. The moonlight seemed to cast a silvery glow at it. She suddenly looked at Toshimaru.
"Show me."
"Of course."
He placed his hands on her waist and drew her closer to him. But before their lips could meet, the old that they were sitting on split. They both fell to the ground. They looked at each other and laughed.
"Well, well, well."
Helen and Toshimaru looked up. Sesshoumaru was raising a delicate eyebrow at them both.
Toshimaru stood up and helped Helen to her feet. "Cousin! May I ask why you are here?"
Sesshoumaru glared at him. "Lady Shinsuke invited me here."
Helen looked at him. Had he seen their near kiss?
Sesshoumaru's eyes suddenly snapped to hers and she blinked at him. He suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from his cousin.
"Hey!" she said as the youkai lord pulled her away.
"Where are you taking her?" Toshimaru's voice called after them. Sesshoumaru glared at his cousin from over his shoulder.
"She is my betrothed and I may take her wherever I wish." Helen blinked as Sesshoumaru pulled her into the palace. Since when did he ever care about her being his betrothed?
They stopped in the hallway and she glared at him. "What was that for?" she demanded, placing a hand on her hip.
He looked at her. "I cannot have you going around kissing my kin."
She blinked at him. Was he jealous?
"Why?" she asked. He looked at her.
"The reason is not romantic," he said. "It is merely shameful for me if people find out that you, my would-be mate as others say, are in love with Toshimaru."
She glared at him. "Why do you care?"
"My title would be degraded."
She glared at him. "Baka! Inu baka!" she shouted. She turned on her heel and stormed off.
Sesshoumaru watched her retreating back. What just happened?
XoXoXo
Morning found Helen sitting in her room with Rin. The young woman had taken the liberty of combing Rin's hair and Rin enjoyed the gesture.
"Come on, Rin," Helen said. "Let's go downstairs."
Rin nodded and hopped off the bed. She and Helen made their way downstairs and Helen found, to her dismay that Toshimaru had left already.
Lady Takeida was in the dining room along with Sesshoumaru. It seemed that his mother had brought him his usual armor because he was now wearing it. Helen and Rin sat down next to Shinsuke.
"You still haven't told me why you were a mess yesterday," Takeida was saying to her son. "Shinsuke told me that you came here messy and wounded searching for Rin."
Helen looked at Sesshoumaru from over the cup of tea which she was drinking. The youkai lord didn't answer his mother's question. Helen had a feeling that he didn't want his mother to find out that he had been beaten by his hanyou brother.
"Well?" Takeida prompted.
Sesshoumaru didn't answer, instead he said, "I wish to continue my search for Naraku."
Takeida scowled at him. "Naraku? You wish to continue looking for him"-she suddenly had an expression on her face as if she had been hit by a great idea-"yes, you may. There is one little condition."
"And that is?"
"Take Helen with you."
Both Sesshoumaru and Helen raised their eyebrows at her.
"That woman will weigh me down."
"I don't wanna go with him!"
"She will be a burden."
"I can't go with him!"
"She's a fool."
"He is an idiot!"
"She doesn't know how to defend herself and no one is there to protect her."
Takeida raised a delicate eyebrow at her son. "Neither does Rin and yet you protect her."
At the sound of her name, Rin looked up at her lord's mother and smiled.
"Rin," Takeida said. "How would you like Helen to travel with you?" She knew how to get to her son.
"That would be wonderful!" Rin said, much to the dismay of both Sesshoumaru and Helen.
"Then it's decided," Shinsuke said. "Both of you could travel together."
"I can't!" Helen objected. "I have school to go to!"
"School?" Shinsuke asked.
"It's a place where you go to learn so you can prepare for your future," Helen said.
"But," Shinsuke said gently, "it would be useless…You're future is with Sesshoumaru…"
Helen averted her eyes and looked into her cup of tea. With Sesshoumaru? She didn't choose that but, it was her…fate. She suddenly felt like a violin and fate was the musician. She didn't want this for herself. She suddenly regretted signing up for the exchange program…
Sesshoumaru looked at Helen. She was looking into her tea and there was a look of pure sadness in her eyes. He felt sorry for her. She didn't want to marry him; she didn't choose that and he certainly didn't. He understood how she felt. Both of them were like caged birds trapped in a cage that was a promise between two demon lords to have their children marry each other. He thought, for a moment, of Kagura.
"Well," Lady Shinsuke said, seemingly oblivious to her daughter's discomfort. "How about it?"
Helen looked at her. "I want to finish my schooling…I'm not traveling with him!"
Sesshoumaru inwardly smirked. The feisty Helen was back.
"Please," Shinsuke said. "Alright. How about you travel with him and at the same time go to this 'school' of yours."
"I can't be in two places at once."
"Please, Helen-san!" Rin said, tugging at her sleeve. Helen looked down at her and thought for a moment. Rin wanted her to be with them and how could she deny the wishes of a little girl?
She sighed. "Fine…I guess I can fit school in somehow…"
"Wonderful!" Takeida said as Helen sighed.
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End of chapter.
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