"Are you sure about this?"
He regarded her with concern, his tone clearly showed his uncertainty - lips drawn to a straight line. His gold-colored eyes, so similar to that of her lord's, stared her down with worry, his arms crossed against his chest. The half-demon was always distrustful of his brother's intentions, and given the daiyoukai's past record of hate crimes against humanity and long years of strong dislike towards anyone who fraternize with humans, it was warranted. To Inuyasha, 10 years was too short a time for a demon to fully change perspectives, despite the irony of it coming from him.
"Of course. I've always planned to return to Lord Sesshomaru, you know that."
He hasn't changed much in the last 10 years - if he even changed at all. Still donned in the red robe of the Fire Rat, he looked just like he always did, albeit his face showed a tad bit more mature features than it once did. He grew slightly taller, but not nowhere near as tall as the Lord of the West. He insists demon grow spurts take longer to show and he'd get taller, but everyone else is convinced he's simply in denial - they all think he's as tall as he's ever going to get. He did, however, grew calmer - wiser - than he once was. What physical aspect of growth he might have lacked over the years due to the demon blood that ran through his veins, he made up in mental maturity. While some things will never change - like his perspective on his older brother - his actions, his words, and his decisions were chosen more carefully other than just sheer impulse, as what the old Inuyasha would have done, though perhaps, parenthood had a hand in it.
"Yeah I know, but still. You might want to rethink this. I mean, he's never up to anything good."
She simply smiled in response. While she can honestly say the brothers no longer hate each other, they were nowhere near in 'good terms'. At the very least, they can exist for short while within a decent proximity of each other without one of them trying to kill the other, and that was progress enough.
"Don't listen to him, Rin. You know how he gets with Sesshomaru."
Kagome waved Inuyasha's comment off, flashing her a reassuring grin. The priestess sat across from her, folding the clothes she had helped her pluck off the drying line. Unlike her husband, she had gone through many physical changes that were nothing short of good: her body had matured, leaving a fine figure with a toned body and a slim physique, blessed with tasteful curves she could only assume Inuyasha was more than grateful for. Her hair was longer now and she apparently resembled the dead Kikyo in appearance more and more the older she became. She had always been a patient woman, but she had evolved into a new level of patience - as per the same case as Inuyasha, perhaps parenthood had a hand in that.
"I'm just saying", he chimed one last time before pushing the door of their home open and stepping outside, leaving the two women to talk in private.
"Don't worry so much about it. Just trust your gut. Besides, you know Sesshomaru better than any of us. If anyone could better understand his intentions, it's you."
The older priestess kept her gaze down, her attention focused on the laundry on her lap. She always had this strange way of folding clothes - something about a 'department store' style - that seemed to require more time and effort than the typical way people in their era did it, but to be fair, her intricate methods did prove to be neater and far more practical than the norm, in terms of presentation and keeping the clothes rather wrinkle free. With her small hands working her magic, she carefully laid the shirts on the wooden floor, shaking off the creases in the cloth before gently folding them in a symmetrical manner, beginning with the sleeves, then the bottom, then the collar, creating perfectly square shaped folds.
"I suppose you're right."
Rin hadn't yet told anyone about Kagura, but watching Kagome, she figured there's no better time than now to bring it up.
I mean, if anyone would understand, it would be her, right? After all, Inuyasha had Lady Kikyo in the past.
"Lady Kagome?"
"Yeah? What's up?"
She cleared her throat. The mere thought of its mention brought about the same turbulent emotions that plagued her mind just hours earlier.
"How did you feel about Lady Kikyo when she came back to Master Inuyasha?"
The priestess paused, lifting her gaze towards the young healer with a look of mild confusion and a hint of curiosity.
"Why do you ask?"
Rin shifted from her seat uncomfortably, feeling the pressure from her companion's questioning gaze.
"Curiosity, I suppose."
Kagome knew that wasn't the truth and she made herself a mental note to pester the girl later for the details, but for now, she decided to give her a response. Whatever the motive for the question might have been, it must be relevant to her meeting the demon lord earlier, that much the priestess understood.
"Well, a lot of things, I suppose."
She paused for a second, her mind replaying the past at the back of her mind. She recounted the day of Kikyo's reappearance, the moments shared between her and Inuyasha, those times she caught them alone together, talking about their past she didn't belong in. Kikyo held a part of the hanyou's heart she can never truly reclaim. It belonged to Kikyo and her alone and the harsh truth it took her long to accept was the fact that no matter what she did, she could never overwrite the past they once shared. No amount of loving Inuyasha will erase the reality that he loved Kikyo too - and he loved her first. And first loves can never be truly quite forgotten, especially not one as notable as his.
Her expression softened, her voice sounded solemn. She pulled the clothes off her lap, setting the down on the floor next to her as she turned her body to adjust her position, facing her companion better.
"Hurt was probably the majority of it. I knew so little of the part of his life with Kikyo but I knew enough to know he held her in a whole different platform of sentimentality than where he held me. He loved her, and for the longest time, she love her more. I was jealous and part of me was angry too - but neither of those really came close to that feeling of heartache knowing that he loved her first and would likely love her forever, even long after she's gone."
"Did it ever stop you from loving him? From wanting to be with him?"
The older maiden giggled softly. Rin was just so innocent still.
"I wish. Unfortunately, love doesn't work that way. No matter how bleak it all looks, no matter how hopeless - you can't just turn around and turn the feeling off, you know?"
The young healer nodded in response and understanding. Somehow, she can kind of understand. 10 years of waiting for her lord had given her that experience. Some days, she missed him so much she wished she could turn it all off and stop waiting. At the back of her mind, she toyed with the idea of what life would be like if she stopped waiting for him and just decided to live her days out in the village - but the mere action of just about it felt like a betrayal to him and to herself. A future trapped in such normality felt bland and the idea of living the rest of her life out as a simple human felt like a never ending nightmare. She had been touched by the otherworldly; she could no longer turn back and find the customary life - marrying a nice, local boy and starting her own family in a quiet and peaceful village - to be anymore than a dull and monotonous last resort alternative.
"So what brought this on about? Did something happen?"
Subconsciously, her lips pursed and her teeth clenched as she the assumptions flooded her mind. She knew, after all, how Kagura felt about her lord. From the day he brought her back in his arms, weak and barely conscious - clinging to the mokomoko-sama against his right chest, to the day she left, looking at the horizon westward with hopeful eyes - Rin knew the youkai loved the demon lord too. The realization gave her a burning sensation in her stomach and her jaw ached from the clenching of her own teeth. Perhaps it was the prolonged silence and the sudden stiffness in her posture that hinted the woman in front of her of the turmoil that raged in her heart.
"Rin?"
Her mind snapped back to reality, dragging her attention back to her companion.
"I'm sorry, I just..."
Just... what?
What was she about to say?
The priestess seemed to have understood.
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
She forced herself to smile, to reassure her friend of her intentions.
"Thank you, Lady Kagome. It's just that... Lady Kagura had returned, and I found out earlier she had been Lord Sesshomaru's primary travel companion for a whole now."
It took the miko seconds to piece the puzzle pieces together. Even she noticed the way the wind sorceress looked at the dog demon; and who could blame her? He saved her life in more than one occasion, and even before that, she was convinced he was the only one who had the power to free her. And in a sense, he did.
"I'm sure everything is fine. Besides, you'd be joining them soon, so you'd be keeping them company. I wouldn't stress much about it."
She's right. She would be with her lord soon, so it wouldn't matter much anymore.
She gave out a small smile, accompanied by a shaky laughter. Parting her lips just slightly, she let out a small sigh of relief.
"You're right. Thank you, Lady Kagome."
"You're welcome! Kaede should be back soon, so you should definitely head out. I know we all anticipated this decision but I'm sure she'd be happy to hear the news from you herself."
"I will! Thank you!"
Rin gathered herself up, gracefully tucking the bottom of her kimono close as she swiftly stood up from her seat and headed for the exit. She had some preparations left to do and clothes in need of packing, which she had almost forgotten.
"Oh, and don't forget to pack some provisions!", the young priestess added as her companion darted casually out the door.
The next morning felt like it took ages to arrive. In anticipation, she found it hard to sleep even when she tried. Perhaps it was her excitement: after all, today is the day she rejoins her lord in his travels. Her excitement and enthusiasm was so much that she almost forgotten about Kagura's unwelcome presence in their soon-to-be trio.
As the sun began to rise, the sky lightens in streaks of pink and orange and clouds are lit from the bottom in a fiery glow. Sunrise intensifies with each minute, growing brighter and sharper as night was cast off. As the rising sun warms the early morning, the smell of greenery filled the air - dew drops from the night before evaporated into the warm air, and flower petals began to open, releasing their scent into the softly blowing breeze. The chirping of birds and the crowing of of roosters can be heard from miles away - nature's little melodies reminding her of the life she'll likely miss, even if just a little.
She recounted the items in her small sack bag, making sure for the 100th time that she had everything there she needed: extra set of clothes, her lord's latest gift, a comb, some matches Kagome had brought her from the modern world, some food and a few bags of chips - courtesy of Kagome, again -, and a book on medicinal herbs. Oddly. she had developed a unique liking to reading since after the miko had taught her to read years back. While book were still a luxury reserved only for nobility in this era, she had gotten access to some from Kagome's personal collections, brought straight from her own era where she claims books were free to use from so-called 'libraries'. The priestess' stories always made her wish she could see this world so different from her own, but alas, only Kagome and Inuyasha had been able to utilize the well, much to her utter disappointment.
She spent the rest of the day making sure the house was in perfect order, clean and neat, and went on to brush up on her studies regarding healing herbs and how to better recognize them.
They day flew by painfully slow - sundown came hardly quick enough, but when it finally did, her excitement was apparent.
As the sun lowers beyond the horizon, the colors of the sky changed to orange, pink and red. The light from the sunset left a fading warmth on her skin as the dusk approaches, bringing with it the cool night breeze and the dark, starry skies.
"Be sure to come visit every once in a while, child. And be careful. Though the spider had long been vanquished, there are other dangers the lurk in these woods."
The old woman gave her a long farewell embrace; one the taller Rin had to lean down for to reach. Lady Kaede had grown much older - in a few years, she would be hitting her 70's, and yet she still works like she always did, with little to no intentions of slowing down.
"I will, I promise."
The rest of her friends were in a line by her home; they all came to say goodbye. Sango and her lecherous monk of a husband, Miroku, both gave her tight embraces and their children she had helped raise in the last years offered her the same. While Kohaku was out on a job, his sister assured her he meant to say goodbye, though he was fairly certain they'd see each other again pretty soon - he did run into the Lord of the West fairly often, he says. Kirara purred softly against her ankle; the feline had been one of her favorite companions in the village over the years, perhaps because she felt more at ease in the company of demons, especially since she reminded her much of Ah-Uhn. Inuyasha still bore that judging look in face, arms still crossed against his chest but he surprisingly didn't say anything today, and she could only guess Kagome had a hand in it. The miko stood by his side, carrying their child in her hands as she leaned forward towards Rin, planting a small kiss in the young healer's cheek.
"Good luck."
And then she set forth, heading straight towards the Bone Eater's well where her lord waited patiently.
The skies turned from orange and deep red to the darker hues of purples, blues, and grays, as she walked briskly through the paved roads, leaving the town behind her. Gradually, the stars began to show one-by-one and the sounds of civilization grew more distant, leaving the loud chirping crickets and the croaking of frogs to fill the solemn air as dusk approached. At the end of the dirt path through the tall trees, she could see the familiar clearing in the distance, and a tall, white-clad, silver-haired figure standing alone against the dried, stone well.
Lord Sesshomaru.
Hastening her pace, her heart beating wildly in her chest, she made her way through the woods towards the waiting daiyoukai. She could feel his golden eyes watch her as she neared and it did nothing but cause the pounding in her chest to grow wilder.
"Rin."
His voice was nostalgic, bringing about fond memories from a decade ago.
"Yes, my lord?"
Her question was met with a few seconds of empty silence. Slowly, he walked over - keeping those deep, gold eyes, locked on her very own. Stopping short, only a few inches away, he reached out a pale, clawed hand to her face, gently brushing a stray hair off her cheeks, tucking it behind her ear. She could feel the slight touch of his hand against her skin, leaving her with a tingling sensation, a dry mouth, and a fluttering stomach. His face was as calm as it's always been and his expression remained stoic and cold, giving away none of the emotions he actually felt, but his choice of gestures spoke volumes. There was warmth in his subtle actions and she had long learned to read his silent ways of speaking. He had always been a man of few words, but she never did mind. They stayed there for moments longer, just staring into each other's eyes wordlessly, before he dropped his hand casually back to his side, leaving the young healer with a sense of unfulfilled anticipation.
"We're leaving."
And with that, he turned around and started walking slower than his usual pace, leaving her room to easily catch up - a subtle hint she caught on to quickly and welcomed entirely. With a gleeful grin painted on her full, round lips, she jogged quietly to his left side, keeping his pace with ease.
Together, they walked away into the darkness, welcoming the majestic view of the clear evening sky in all its glory, the light from the disappearing village far below fading slowly with each further step they took.
Finally, she thought, I'm right where I belong.
