Chapter 3: Deceit
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His sword hand was his dominant hand. Being a lefty was quite handy in fights. Since most of his enemies were right-handed, they find it awkward sparring with him.
His other arm is good with a sword too. He had trained for some time with it after his old man had cut off his left arm several years back. Inu Taisho never spared much thought if it were his own flesh and blood, the blow he dealt was fatal and it took long for the younger demon to grow the limb back.
But slashing and stabbing were easier to perform. Finer things such as tying bandages, holding utensils and cutlery, all require intricate movements. And his right hand fail to deliver.
He spared a glance on the half undone bandage hanging from his amputated limb. A small part of the stump visible.
He wouldnt have it any other way. He would be more angrier if that idiot of a brother had gone easy on him. Sesshomaru had always appreciated a full and all-out fight.
It was low of him to use such tactic against the hanyou. His half brother Inuyasha had always had a soft spot when it comes to his human mother. He only ever meant to provoke the half-wit when he showed him a replica of the princess Izayoi.
Despite his looks, the half human-half dog demon respects him as an older brother and had on countless times refused to point a sword at him. Well, except for that time.
Tetusaiga had the same destructive powers as the sword their father had. If the blow he had received was any indication. Like father like son, Sesshomaru thought.
It's only been 6 days since his encounter with the half-mutt. He found it peculiar that he could not detect any bit of trace of Inuyasha's demonic aura on his wound. Not even Tetusaiga's power.
Instead, he found something far more ominous. Far more darker in nature. And it was a disturbing thought. Who's youki is it that he felt?
Was it even his younger brother that attacked him? The western lord is starting to doubt himself. Yet he couldnt recall it being otherwise.
He was silently brooding over the facts in his head when he felt the human's presence nearby.
A few more seconds and the door to his room swung open revealing the timid girl.
"I didnt call for you."
"No you didnt." The impertinent lady answered as she continued to come closer to his bed, with a basin of water in hand and a washcloth on her shoulder.
"What are you doing here?"
"That needs changing." She pointed to his side. "It will pester otherwise. And didnt a particular someone say that I should be of use to him?"
"Come on then. We cant have you in such condition." She shot back the exact words he told her the other night. She motioned for him to turn on his side. And unwrapped the long strip of cloth without warning.
"You are one stubborn human."
"That I am." She looked him in the eye. "You should know by now that nothing you say will make me leave."
"Why are you smiling?" He voiced his annoyance.
"You remind me of someone."
He didnt say anything nor asked who it was he reminded her of, so she continued, taking his silence for approval.
"You remind me of my master. He's a demon too."
Sesshomaru would have cocked a brow at what the human had said. Only, he wasnt really interested. He could care less about who she worked for before all this. He just wanted her to be done with changing his bandages and leave him be.
"He took me in when I was no more than a child."
A rare feat. A demon who's fond of humans. Sounded like someone he knew. His old man was fond of humans. Inuyasha was the product of that particular fondness.
"He was very grumpy too." She talked fondly of her master. The human seemed to adore her lord.
No. It was more than that. She didnt just adore the man. She loved the man. He could see it in the way she looked even as she had all her attention on his arm.
And Sesshomaru found that he didnt like the thought. Why should it concern him if she had feelings for another person?
"And he was very scary too." Her reminiscing broke through his train of thoughts.
"You are wary of me. Why do you tend to my wounds?"
"To be honest I was afraid of you at first." She said unblinking. He decided to observe her as she continued washing the dried blood away from the wound.
"You're a demon after all and you had blood all over your clothes. But when I saw that you were wounded, all I could think was that I had to help you."
He couldnt find it in himself to trust the lady's words. He could feel she was telling the truth but she was also telling lies.
The last thing he did remember was resting on a tree on the nearby forest after receiving the fatal blow to his arm. And he did remember being found.
Yes, a human had found him, but that human wasnt Rin. Because the hands that he felt touch him and the toothy smile he recalled wasnt hers.
Rin is a grown lady. The one who found him wasnt a woman. It was a child.
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It had soon become a routine. Every night she would come knocking on the door of his chambers to bring him food and a change of linens.
She would proceed to clean and change his dressings. And she would start to tell him her stories. Night after night she would come by and tell her tales and lies.
He didnt need the bedtime stories but she wont have it any other way. He is beginning to wonder who the lord and master of the house really is. Even Jaken seems to ignore his commands.
"Dont give me that look." She immediately fired even before she had closed the door. He had a ready scowl on his face everytime she barges in on him.
Tonight she had brought her dinner too. And like the other night, she'd sit beside him and eat.
"Dont worry. The fish is mine." She happily chomped off on a slice.
"You're not touching your food again. It will go cold." She reprimanded when he stayed there, stoic.
"Im not hungry."
"Yes. Yes. You dont eat human food. I know. But you need it to recover fast." She handed him the fork.
"You know, the lord, I mean, my master, he really hated fish." Rin smiled on the memory. She knew it was terrible of her to twist the truth. But this was all she could think of. Lord Sesshomaru may hate her for this, but she's desperate.
"One day, I remember thinking he must be starving. So I went and caught some. When I came back and showed him, he goes on saying he doesnt need human consumption. And after all the trouble I've been through to catch them."
"You'd think that he'd consider how I feel. Right?"
Sesshomaru felt cheated. The insolent lady is guilt tripping him. The nerve of this human. Nonetheless, he picked up the fork and stabbed a piece of meat and brought it to his mouth. Just so he could have some peace and quiet..
"I was about to take my leave, I was sulking you see. So I took the fish with me and decided I'd go cook it somewhere when master called me and inquired about my injury."
Her village was just ransacked by demon wolves and she was afraid and frightful. But Rin could still remember how gentle Sesshomaru-sama's hands were when he touched the side of her face as he healed her bruised eye.
And here he was, Sesshomaru-sama couldnt even recall who she was to him. He had no recollection of that fateful day. He had lost all memories that had her in it. All he has were from the time before they met. He believes that the injury he had now was the same injury he had before she found him in the woods back when she was just a child.
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It was considerate of her to cut the meat into small pieces so he didnt have to do it himself. That would have taken him forever.
Sesshomaru could only observe the human as she chewed on her food. She kept on talking about this master of hers. But she's never really spoken a word about him and the circumstances of their meeting.
She was kind. She was forward. She had this air of innocence. But with her, Sesshomaru found it difficult to distinguish the truth amidst the lies.
Rin's spoon stopped midway to her mouth when she heard what Sesshomaru had to say next.
"So tell me, how did we truly meet?"