Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Inuyasha characters, they all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
Italics will be used for thoughts.
Bold and italics will be used for important messages and statements.
Assistance
There was one thing you could not take from the Western Lands and that was its beauty. Rin was already obsessed with the gardens she saw as she walked on to the stables with Pegasus and Lady Isana. The grandeur of the castle grounds was…breathtaking, of course there had been times when she was invited to houses of lords and ladies and they too was beautiful, but none of them took her breath away like this.
Tightening her gripped on the reins of her white stallion, Rin followed the silver haired beauty to the stables.
"So… how long have you known my son?" Isana enquired suddenly stopping in her tracks as she looked at the girl… the girl that her son no doubt had been willing to see.
"Mistress Rin…" Pegasus said trying to get her attention.
"Yes, dear Pegasus" Rin replied as she continued to stare at the gardens.
"Lady Isana is speaking to you"
Snapping back to reality, she turned her head to look at the Lady…the one who she had seen back then…
"Forgive me my lady for drifting off to dreamland, could you please repeat the question?" Rin enquired.
Isana lips curved into a small smile, this girl clearly had manners for those placed above her, but she knew that she smiled not for what the girl Rin did…it was what she was- virgin. Yes, clearly she had not been touched and that was exactly what Sesshomaru wanted. Someone not tainted by anyone…
"I saw you the last time when Sesshomaru came to see me about strengthening Tenseiga, it seems that time is moving very fast" she added with a smirk.
"So it seems my lady.." Rin answered looking at the divine creature, but something told her that this woman was not to be taken lightly and to proved her suspicion Pegasus was impatiently stomping his hoofs on the ground.
"Lady Isana…, my Pegasus wishes his stall now judging from his movements" Rin said while clutching Pegasus's reins tighter.
"Very well then…Lady Rin, I must say that you are indeed a charming creature, but I have to leave your side now since my son is waiting and I am sure you must know my son has no patience" Isana said while walking to the entrance of the castle.
"I will tell Ayame to come for you although I am positive you know your way back to the castle entrance, but since you love flowers why not relax in your lord's garden over there" Isana said while pointing a clawed hand to the garden enclose by a wall and a silvery small gate.
"Thank you my lady for giving me this opportunity" Rin replied while bowing although Isana's back was toward her. Stopping in her tracks, Isana turned around to face the priestess,
"No Lady Rin, do not thank me thank Sesshomaru instead" she said with that smirk she had given her earlier on before disappearing around the corner.
That woman gave her the shivers Rin thought while fixing her face into a frown. Walking Pegasus to his stall, she quickly unlatched the door and lead him in where another horse occupied, somehow her lord's mother gave off this aura, like something bad was going to happen if she mingle with her.
That's it, she needed not to play with this woman or whatever was happening at the Western lands right now, she came her for one thing and that was her lord's assistance on this journey she had to do.
Besides that woman is nothing but..
"Trouble" Pegasus said while giving off a snort, Rin sighed realizing full well that Pegasus knew exactly how she felt.
"You want to fit in, don't you?" Pegasus enquired while fixing his body comfortably on the stall floor.
"Yes…but not entirely" she said while resting her hand on the now latched door,
"Then what is it.."
"I have this slight need inside of me to please my lord once again…"
"In the same way?"
"What ever is that suppose to mean.." Rin said blushing fiercely.
"You should know my mistress" Pegasus added with a snort.
"My lord wouldn't want a human" she thought bitterly, but Pegasus did not reply for he was sound asleep. Rin smiled hoping that he never heard that statement or so she thought.
Well since she had permission to visit her lord's lovely garden, she might as well start since time was not on her hands and probably this was her only chance of relaxation…for now that is.
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Pushing open the huge door that led to the vast conference room, Isana came face to face with her son, she knew he was angry judging from the way golden irises were flickering from gold to red.
Looking at his mother he realized that the anger he had built up was enough to scare the two servants in the room with him…make that three he thought while looking at Jaken's trembling form so he started out in a calm tone, but to his horror finished it with a bark.
"Why are you so late mother, and where is Rin!?"
Letting out a low growl and pushing her hair behind her ears, Isana answered,
"Lady Rin is relaxing for a while and I have told my maid Ayame to escort her here when she was finished, what is wrong Sesshomaru are you afraid that your precious Rin will get pricked by thorns…my you seem so interested in this ward of yours lately"
Knowing his mother was playing with him, he refused the urge to start barking at her with all the obscenities he could think of at that moment in time. The three servants looked at each other with a knowing frown, their lord was on the verge of telling her a piece of his mine, something he rarely does and when he does it is hell at the Western lands.
Their hearts thumping in their chest, they look from their lord face and back to their lady hoping…no praying for anything that would..
"My lord…" the soft voice of a woman choked out.
The three let a sigh of relief when they saw that their lord had calm down reasonably judging from the fact that his youki had calmed down.
"Rin…" he said his voice unusually soft, "…are you alright"
"There is no need for you to be frightened my lord…I am safe, but…I believe someone is slipping closer and closer to death…" she replied in a serious tone.
Straightening her posture she continued,
"I smelt blood…demon blood to be exact, as I was being escorted I smelt it in the walls, I wondered why Ayame could not smell it either…and then I realized that there must be a barrier around that vicinity, since I have the powers of a priestess I was able to sense it and I am positive.." she said while pointing at the passage in the wall "…that is the way to it" she finished.
"Demon blood…" Sesshomaru eyes narrowed, "Rin…" he said while looking at the passage.
"Bring my two servants inside and search for the source" he added as he moved from the passage to where his mother stood,
"Kira, Renji" he commanded, "…go with Rin, and the instructions I gave you still apply"
"Yes my lord" both replied in unison.
Grabbing his mother hand by the wrist Sesshomaru purposely began to squeeze the delicate thing in his hand,
"As for you mother.." he said while yanking her to the exist door, "we need to talk right now"
Isana looked at her son, both their irises had changed to cold amber.
"But mi lord, what about m…" Jaken said but was immediately interrupted,
"Jaken, I didn't know you could read minds, judging from the fact that you know I wasn't planning on giving you something to do" he said with a hint of sarcasm.
His mother was struggling to wrench her hand free from his grasp. However, he tightened his grasp around her wrist until his claws were sticking into her vein.
"Stay still mother, or else you'll lose your hand" he said while giving a low growl.
"Jaken, assist Rin" he said finally leaving the room.
"Yes mi lord" he said while bowing, he then ran off to where the group was standing. Rin was looking at the door where her lord stood not too long ago, as if reading her mind Kira said,
"Don't worry about them, …she always angers our lord until he has no choice but to end up bickering with her"
"Well that's their problem, right now we need to find where that blood is coming from" Rin replied turning her head to the passage.
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He dragged her until they were out of reach of hearing ears. Removing his grip from her wrist he spun her violently around to face him.
"Mother, you are walking on dangerous grounds" he said moving away to stand by a window.
"I am walking on dangerous grounds because I simply told the truth!" she spat.
"First of all mother, it is not the truth" he said turning around to face her.
"Oh really now Sesshomaru, you don't love that beautiful woman that you called your ward"
"I don't love anyone mother"
Suddenly hurt by his words, she stood her ground and replied,
"So I presume what you told me days ago was all a lie, something to make me feel happy!" she spat yet again.
"Let me refresh your memory mother…" he said while walking to stand where she stood.
"I said I wasn't able to tell you three words you wanted to hear, but those words have three possibilities…"
"But you clearly stated Sesshomaru, that it was what I wanted to hear…"
His lips curved into his signature triumphant smirk,
"So mother you have answered your own little question, it was what you wanted to hear not what I intended to tell you…" he said while walking back to the conference room.
"Remember mother that there are words called love, like and most importantly hate"
Standing in the corridor, Isana legs were trembling, they felt so weak and she knew they would give out soon and that she would fall to the floor, and just like that she did.
The tears were rolling down her cheeks freely now, it was all in vain she thought. The harder she tried to please him the more he seemed to ha… her, no she couldn't say it, let say dislike instead. She hoisted herself into a sitting position and placed her head in her lap. She would stop provoking him to wrath, it made no sense whatsoever she would only get hurt and he would… still stand like a rock.
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"The barrier is right here.." Rin said giving Renji the candle to hold.
Placing her hand on the door, Rin began chanting something that clearly no one else understood.
"So, you are trying to break the seal"
"So, you have a awoken Pegasus!"
"Well yes, unfortunately you placed me in a stall that contained a mare"
"Oh goody, so how many foals do you plan on having"
"I am not going to have foals!!"
"Why not, they will be very pretty, and importantly they will have wings and they..""Will you hurry up and free me from this torture!"
"Bye Pegasus…"
"Wait no, you can't.."
"Ta taa.."
"Do this to me!!!"
"Are you okay Rin, first you were smiling, next you pouted and then you had a huge smirk on your face…" Renji enquired.
"Oh Renji, don't worry I am very fine" she said while giving him a big smile.
"Okay…if you say so.." he replied.
After a few minutes she stopped chanting, the wall then slid back and that was when the scent hit them full throttle. Sesshomaru immediately smelling the strong scent rushed to where the group were.
Rin and Kira immediately turned statue-totally immobile, Renji was trying to talk but the words wouldn't come out and Jaken…the poor toad was running around in circles wailing. The group couldn't go inside, the sight before them was too…horrific.
"Jaken…" the voice of non other than lord Sesshomaru said.
Jaken immediately froze and the other three looked at their lord.
"What is wrong with all of you" Sesshomaru continued looking at the group.
Unable to speak they moved from the open door allow their lord to see what they all were so afraid of and when he moved to where they once stood…he stilled. He was shocked, yes, he had to be because there inside the room were scrolls covered with blood, the door had been splattered with it and there was lots of it on the floor, but that wasn't what had caught everyone's attention.
It was her, the silvered hair being lying in the blood obviously dead.
…Saya Ichimaru…
Legendary Priestess:
Sorry for the long wait, I apologise to sweet7angel for not updating yesterday, but speaking generally I am sorry to everyone. Trust me, the sciences are not really easy to study and school is not really nice either.
Please inform me of my mistakes so I will be able to correct them.
Read and review please…
Salut