Red Herring
As a professional slayer who often had accommodations arranged for well over half of his jobs, Kohaku had always traveled lightly. Then he got a female partner. Outside on his sister's porch – it's only quiet area of the house – he surveyed the contrast between his neat, little pack of spare equipment and uniform and Miyoko's bulging bundle of…stuff. "You're going to thank me when it comes in handy," she reminded regularly, sparing no smug smile when she was right. Girls, he inwardly groaned.
Seeking to busy himself with other things, Kohaku set to polishing his greater kusarigama for the second time that day. It was a precious, hard-earned gift and he took immense pride in its gleaming twin curves at either end of the central handle. The mastery of this weapon was what made him a demonslayer, a "taijiya" as he heard people cry in help and hurrah. Kohaku's attention was so rapt upon his task it took a moment for him to realize someone outside of his head was indeed saying his title.
"Taijiya," the voice grated with just a hint of a growl underneath its annoyance. "Where is Rin?"
In the daiyokai's presence, Kohaku scrambled to his feet. "Lord Sesshomaru," he greeted politely, executing a quick bow. "She went out with Miyoko."
Keeping his distance from the human settlement, "Is the two-tailed with them?"
"Yes, Kilala's their ride."
This bit of information seemed to placate Sesshomaru's mind. Then his nose wrinkled as a new one made itself known.
Yoked under a wooden bar with two filled water buckets on either side, Inuyasha paused on his way in to Miroku's house to scowl at the visitor. "Keh, thought I smelled peevish bastard."
Sesshomaru glared freely at pricked canine ears. "Peevish perhaps, but hardly the latter, half-brother," he tartly returned.
Before the encounter escalated from trading insults to blows, Kohaku audibly cleared his throat. "Is there any other way I may be of assistance, m'lord?"
"Geez, kid," Inuyasha groused. "Ain't like he owns the damn village."
Turning a deaf ear to his brother, Sesshomaru nodded, striding off in the opposite direction. "Kohaku. Come."
The taijiya picked up his professional weapon and followed after Sesshomaru. Probably wants to check on my progress, he surmised.
Sure enough, they walked southbound toward the field that had served as Kohaku's training grounds with the daiyokai since he was "under assessment." Jaken greeted the pair – or at least, greeted Sesshomaru and nodded toward Kohaku – when they arrived at the clearing a good mile or so from the village, then the imp quickly scurried out of the way. A word from his master, and Jaken disappeared from the scene entirely. Calmly, Sesshomaru drew one of the blades at his side. He held still long enough only for the demonslayer to get his bearings.
Kohaku didn't see Sesshomaru move, but his blade was instantly on guard the second steel clashed with its edge. Striped cheeks stretched in a half-smile.
"Very good, taijiya." With an easy grace, the dog-demon dodged the chain that threatened to disarm the sword from his grip. Although Kohaku didn't actually see the cerulean hilt, he glimpsed the etchings on that of the other sword, which remained undrawn at Sesshomaru's side.
Tenseiga. The young man's grip relaxed a bit, at least so his knuckles didn't turn white. His mentor was in a better mood today. Or he wants to talk. Among the daiyokai's odd mannerisms, battle loosened his mouth the best. Kohaku knew he hated idle chatter in the middle of practice, but the slayer gave it a go.
"I thank you for these lessons, Lord Sesshomaru," he began, dancing just out of the sword's swing. "In the past five years of my profession these territories have become virtually safe from hostile yokai."
Interestingly, his combatant was already prepared with a rebuttal. "Can the same be said of humans?"
"Rin is capable of defending herself," Kohaku assured, and successfully rebuffed Sesshomaru's next strike. "My sister has seen to it."
"Your sister has been expecting for a few months now. Edges dull without practice." The demon's tone remained neutral even as he aggressively lunged forward.
Kohaku leapt back and twisted into a razor-edged tornado. Sesshomaru took a moment to appraise the style – nothing short of his own print – then sprang and slashed down from above. "And she can't fend off a demon alone," he concluded.
"Then why don't you provide her the means to?"
For the exchange of several strikes, Sesshomaru remained silent. "Virtually safe, eh?"
Kohaku lowered his kusarigama for a moment, perplexed. "Yessir," he answered when he picked up the old thread of conversation. "Why do you ask?"
"There's bad form," Sesshomaru chided gently before forcefully wrenching the chain from Kohaku's grip.
No fair. He tried to fight it down, but the scowl crept across the taijiya's face.
Keeping the Heaven Fang at his opponent's throat, Sesshomaru replied to Kohaku aloud. "To the helpless, life hardly is."
oOo
"You certainly look recharged," Miyoko said as Kohaku's friend regrouped with her and Kilala in town.
Rin shrugged nonchalantly, unsuccessfully trying to stifle a grin. "Must be the salty air."
Miyoko nodded, and pretended to agree. She's got a real sparkle going. Admittedly, Miyoko felt like letting them tarry just a bit longer, but, shouldering a bag of newly purchased wares, she jerked her head toward the little demon cat. "Ready to go?"
As the world fell away beneath Kilala's fiery feet, Rin felt just a little bit of her cheer go with it. The beach wasn't terribly far, but the distance was enough to make her wonder when she'd get to see it again. Maybe Kichiruka will let me borrow his teleportation power again. She giggled at the absurdity.
"What's so funny?" Miyoko cracked a slight smile, wanting to share in the mirth.
Rin waved her hand through the air. "It's nothing."
"Okay." Even without understanding, her smile broadened anyway. Rin was a surprisingly easy person to be around.
"You seem pretty used to handling Kilala," the girl behind her piped, but this time without any roughness in her voice. Just conversation? Miyoko felt like calling it a compliment. "So…what's it like being rappa and accompanying a demonslayer?" Rin asked.
"Hey, not so loud or—" Miyoko's knee-jerk reaction eased when she remembered just how high up in the air they were. Her head tipped to one side, she considered, "It's not that much different from my old job, but better. My targets aren't people."
"Is that why you're not…?"
"I left my clan." I escaped. "Miyoko isn't my real name," the young woman confided, sorrow tingeing her tone.
"What is it?" Then Rin hastily added, "If you're allowed to tell me."
"It used to be Ayu."
"Ayu? Like the fish?" She chuckled. "That's actually a cute name."
"I haven't even told Kohaku," Miyoko confessed. "It's rather nice to hear it again…Erm, and don't tell anyone, 'kay?"
"Tell them what, Miyoko?"
Since their meeting that was the first time both girls had shared a genuine smile between each other.
oOo
On the wooden planks of Miroku's veranda, Miyoko eyed the humble set of supplies beside hers. He's so underprepared. Looking to the miko over her shoulder, she called, "Lady Kagome, have you seen where Kohaku's gone?"
The young priestess nodded. "You know the southern field? That's usually where they head out to practice. Kohaku was carrying his kusarigama when he left, so you'll probably find them – oh! There they are!"
Hopping off Kilala, Rin waved to the pair – half in greeting, half to keep Sesshomaru's attention from their gawking neighbors. Though there wasn't anyone who didn't know about Inuyasha's full-blooded brother, there was always a little more in the way of whispers and warnings whenever he strode into the village itself. Rin noticed a light sheen of perspiration coated the daiyokai's pale neck. Kohaku really was improving.
Dismissing the slayer from his side, Sesshomaru stopped an arm's breadth before his charge. "Your blade," he said simply.
Even though the weight at her side was very real, Rin's hand automatically flew to the hilt, afraid the sword had somehow been forgotten. "It's here."
"Let's test it." Sesshomaru inclined his head toward the practice field.
She nodded, then turned to her friends. "Be back in a little while."
Kagome, Kohaku and Ayu – Rin smiled to herself – waved them a quick "see you later," and a collective exhale of relief washed through the observing villagers to see the demon go.
As they strolled along, back to the clearing where he had evaluated Kohaku, the daiyokai couldn't help but notice the burbling effusion of his bright shadow. Even without a canine's nose, he felt the waves of contentment rolling off Rin. But, curiously, she kept quiet. Sesshomaru had known her to be a hopeless chatterbox as a child and, even in adolescence, her eagerness to speak her mind hadn't ebbed. Although the dog-demon remained silent, he broke his usual stoic expression to allow a faint smile for the girl at his side; it was his wordless inquiry of her wellbeing.
"It's nothing! It's nothing!" Rin laughed with a careless flick of her hand when she did take notice of Sesshomaru's quizzical look. "I had a good trip. Master Jaken isn't with you today?" She scanned the area as they came to a stop in the field.
"He's on an errand," Sesshomaru said simply, offering no more information than Rin had. He drew Tenseiga. "Begin."
Academically, all of Rin's moves were correct. She dodged, darted, and lunged. She knew how to defend, circle, and parry. He picked up on one stutter-step, but many of the common errors had been ironed out. Everything was there and, had he been human, Sesshomaru would have wagered she might take him yet. And yet. Even the best techniques against a stronger opponent could be nullified. She would need his help on this.
"Good," he finally pronounced after crossing the blade over with his own, driving the edge into the ground.
Good. It was a step up from his usual "satisfactory." "Thank you." Her grip still secured, Rin bowed from the shoulders, then made to collect her blade. Sesshomaru kept it firmly pinned.
"Your scabbard," he requested.
Rin fumbled with the knot for a moment before turning over the wooden sheath.
"I'll have it back the day after tomorrow. Until then stay close to home," he solemnly instructed.
"Your side doesn't count?" Rin teased, giggling a bit.
Sesshomaru smirked and it wasn't entirely mirthless. "Not anymore."
She may think like a son, but she is nonetheless a girl. He sighed imperceptibly. A young lady, Sesshomaru amended. He could only be there for so many turns. The point of Rin staying in a human village was to ensure her safety and to grant the opportunity to grow up among her own kind. At that time, the daiyokai had never considered a haven may eventually become a prison.
Suddenly a screeching caterwaul brought Sesshomaru back to himself and he glanced up in time to see his pint-sized vassal make a – I suppose there is no other word for it – groundbreaking entrance, with the claws of the twin-headed dragon skating behind barely missing his head.
"Ah-Un!" Rin dashed to her old friend.
Sesshomaru huffed in amusement at her childlike delight. The scaly beast-of-burden had been too much to lead around, especially without a small child to give it purpose, but bringing it by once in a while seemed to particularly lift Rin's spirits.
Not that there seems much need for that today.
"Are we going anywhere?" Rin eventually asked after driving Jaken in a furious rant about appreciation and belittling his position to the all mighty Lord Sesshomaru.
The daiyokai nodded. It was late in the season, but not too much for the last glimpse of a little-known sakura valley beyond the next hilly range. He knew it was one of Rin's favorite places, that even without saying so, she knew exactly where they were headed. As they drifted through the sky at a breezy pace, Sesshomaru noticed the young woman's effusion contain itself to a quiet contentment.
Or quiet contempt? He recognized that look on her face, the kind that pined let me go, I want to try for myself. Although he wanted to see Rin grow into her own she obviously didn't understand all the frets and stresses of adulthood. For a long time, it hadn't been her place to bear the responsibilities he did and Sesshomaru knew the harsh realities over the romantic ideals his charge entertained about wandering alone in the world.
But a little frog in the pond does not know the great sea.
A pink sea, Rin thought, admiring the swaying branches below on their approach and how the clusters of blooms blended into each other. She turned to Sesshomaru and pointed to the third sword he carried. "When I get stronger will I be…capable?" It sounded better than "can I do what I want?"
"We'll see." He tilted his chin as if to continue, then stopped.
Rin glanced at Sesshomaru. Pauses in their "half-talks" as Rin used to call them when she was smaller, were common. The daiyokai always selected his words with care, so these little lapses of silence made sense to her.
"Adulthood has certain responsibilities. Protection of self is simply one."
"What else?"
In the saddle beside her, Jaken harrumphed. "Don't you get it, girl? You're not there –"
"Owning your word," Sesshomaru continued.
"Like about choosing lifestyles?" Rin edged.
"To your superiors," the dog-demon finished. His implicit I have none hung in the air.
"Will I at least be your equal?" She kept her tone light, but not out of the range of serious.
"You're a few hundred years too early to think like that." Sesshomaru smirked. "Come. We shall walk from here."
Rin dismounted, but took the comments in stride. Sesshomaru still carried her sword, so he was "working on it." Mostly working it out with himself. And, for the time being, she didn't feel too bad that still his to claim.
oOo
"Wasn't that girl grumpy just earlier this morning?" Inuyasha's ears swiveled in confusion. Dusk had swept in and, even over the crackle of the hut's central fire, he could hear Rin's light humming from outside as she bustled about for her last tasks before bed.
"Oh, c'mon," Kagome giggled, playfully jabbing her spouse in the arm. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed? The moodswings? The sighs? The restlessness?"
"What of it?" He sniffed the air. "It ain't that time of the month yet."
Kagome frowned. "That's not what I meant. I'm saying Rin's got a crush."
"Again? Damn, how many of those things can you women go through? An' just what tips you off in the first place?"
"For starters, she is pretty happy," Shippo observed from his corner of the room.
"That ain't nothin' new." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "For whatever reason, she's hardly ever in a bad mood after visiting with that uptight bastard."
"Are you blind?" Kagome sighed.
"No, but –"
"This is different!" both kit and priestess barked in unison.
Hoisting the last bucket up with both hands, Rin's tune turned into song…then she noticed the crowd staring out of Kagome's home. She stared back and they all hurriedly looked away, save Inuyasha who had to be dragged back in, swearing, "I don't see anything diff'rent!"
Sesshomaru's ward stared just a little longer at the vacant threshold before moving on. Back to humming, softer now.
Honestly, they sometimes give me the creeps.
.
A/N: Thank you for reading! Reviews are always appreciated.