A/N: Oh my god, it's already been a month since I last updated this story! I'm sorry it took me such a long time to write this chapter. I had to make time for both the SAT (June 3) and the ACT (June 10). I had planned to have this chapter out by June 11, but then my dog passed away. I spent the week mourning and hanging out with my friends.
Before you start, I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed, followed, and even favorited this story so far. Your kind words are very much appreciated! This chapter is dedicated to you all.
Lil'Conqueror, Taco-sama, Guest (May 27), 1111, Guest (May 29), .73, Guest 111, Guest (Jun 4), ktvalmiri, Guest (Jun 11): Thanks so much! I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Gwenally: I'm glad you enjoyed this! I hope you enjoy my portrayal of Sesshōmaru!
Guest (May 26), jj: Thanks for reviewing!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Inuyasha franchise. This story is purely for practice and fun!
Edit: 10/03/18 A quality increase - I deleted some of the wordiness and fixed consistency issues with the spelling of Tōga and Sesshōmaru's names. I also continued to procrastinate on writing the fifth chapter.
Edit: 01/12/21 – Grammar, grammar, grammar!
SONG OF THE WEST
an Inuyasha fanfic
ii.
When her meal was finished and the momentary kindness of the shopkeeper's wife and daughter had lapsed, Rin set out, her stomach nearly tumid and aching from her miniature feast, towards the festival to find the Inu no Taishō. She wanted to thank him. She knew it was only naivety that made her believe it would be as simple to encounter him a second time, but even if things didn't go as she planned, she wanted to look back years from now and say she at least attempted to show some sliver of civility to the only individual to treat her with kindness in years.
Still cool and moisture-laden from the rain that had fell a week before, the forest was utterly quiet, save for the chirping of crickets and Rin's own bare feet slopping through the mire as she followed the trail to the bridge. Flames danced in their ornate wooden enclosures within the mighty maple trees, causing shadows to dance all around the landscape. The court officials in Yobetsu placed lanterns along the trail to aid wealthy nighttime journeyers, but she would know her way around even without them. She and her brother had scoured the forests many times for berries as children, with only the starlight to guide them. Ruts from wagon wheels were still visible ahead, but there were no others on the path at that moment, nor did she have anything to offer in exchange for a ride if they came. Ghosts of animal tracks occasionally crossed between the wheel tracks, but the two-day onslaught of traffic had long dispelled any threat from the fauna. Rin was truly the only soul in the forest.
It was peaceful in a way, being entirely separated from other human beings and their judgmental eyes. Still, there was an unusual eeriness that blanketed the forest like a thick smog, as if the trees themselves were observing her every move. Turning back now would mean spending more time with the trees than if she were to continue, for she could finally see where the forest ended and the bridge began. With a sigh of relief, Rin stepped out of the darkness and into the light of the full moon. She took the time to rid her bare feet of the mud in the river before stepping onto the wooden planks, careful to watch for splinters. In her current state of poverty, an injury was the last thing she needed.
To her delight, the festival had not lost its charm, even after so many years. A temporary settlement of pilgrims had burgeoned on the outskirts of the city, littering the riverbanks with grand tents that displayed different noble sigils, as well as the tatami mats of more humble travelers and servants. In Yobetsu, the abundance of ostentatious decorative lanterns joined together to create a golden aureole over the area that could be seen for miles. Sounds of the koto, along with a choir of one thousand voices, each one with its own regionalism, wafted throughout the light's amplitude. She observed everything with childlike wonder: merchants sold their goods as quickly as moneyed men demanded them; women fawned over flowers and fabrics and fragrances; children ran through the streets playing with strange knickknacks; and servants rushed to and fro, serving viands and packing items in carts.
It was then, as she not-so-gently began to shove her way through the horde of people, that she released finding the Inu no Taishō would be impossible. The city was much too large for her to take on alone. At this very moment, he could be submerged within the crowd, resting in one of the dozens of inns, or perhaps dining with the Lord of the city.
But, with a small flicker of hope in her heart, Rin continued on through the noise and the mass. Wading to the side of the main road, she ducked into the less crowded alleyways, where stragglers reveled and committed dishonorable acts in plain sight. As quiet as a spirit, she slipped past drunken men and women of ill repute like her but with more beauty and more bravery. When she had first began to sell herself, she had come to the city, and had found inconsequential success before being ran out by the older, more experienced women. Plus, it took true tenacity to whore in a city with pretty inn girls and graceful courtesans, all controlled my businessmen of different levels of wealth. It was more trouble than it was worth.
The end of the passage led her to two small children, waifs like her, resting on the ground. The oldest of the pair sat with a box in her hand, watching closely as her young relative played nearby. Images of her and her brother all those years ago appeared in her mind as she dropped the bag of coins that the shopkeeper's wife would not accept into the girl's box. Startled, the girl looked up at her with bright brown eyes. Rin gave her a gentle smile and continued her journey.
As the alleyways became narrower and the crowds scarcer, Rin found herself near the edge of the large city. A woman yelled orders to servants at a nearby inn. Rin cringed as she walked past.
"Move along!" she shrieked into the cool summer night's air. Kitchen maids rushed different ingredients into the building, all while dodging physical abuse from the staff-wielding howling woman. "The master will have all our heads if we don't get this food to the Inu no Taishō on time!"
In that fragment of a second, the woman's shrill voice became kind to Rin's ears, transforming itself into a sweet birdsong that would lead her straight to the God-made-man himself.
The woman's fearsome gaze turned towards Rin, as if she could sense her glee. Brandishing the wooden plank, she slowly began to move forward. "Begone, beggar!" she boomed. "There are no scraps here for you. Go!"
Rin flitted from the alleyway and onto the main road before the inn. There weren't many people out and about in this area, save for the domestics. From the corner of her eye, Rin could see a group of well-dressed people unpacking ornamented chests from an equally ornamented coach. She could hear the distant clink of the objects inside of them. Elsewhere, a woman with layers upon layers of exquisite, beautifully-dyed clothing and a voluminous hairstyle full of gold fripperies entered a nearby building, flanked by two women and armed guards. Other people of similar dress strolled to and fro, chatting in the streets. When a group of wealthily dressed girls her age began to gawk and point at her, it became painfully obvious that Rin was in the more aristocratic section of the city.
Rin knew that the building would be toilsome to sneak into by its look alone. The inn was a massive, black multi-story wooden structure, half on the flat land and the other half nestled into the mountain behind it, with golden shibi on each level and a hanagawara at its apex that glowed in the light. A stone stairway led to the large red wooden doors with golden handles that served as its entrance, and each window was lit by a single candle. Its grandiosity certainly made it a hotspot for wealthy visitors. The whole structure was more of what Rin imagine to be a castlethan a hotel.
Peeking into the now empty alleyway, Rin began to look for a way to slip inside. The small gate that led to the kitchens had been left open. Rin could hear the chatter of the servants, letting her know that the shrieking woman was no longer among them. She took that opportunity to glance inside. The servants were cooking and cleaning, and the sound of the shoji opening and closing was incessant. Quietly, she stepped further into the kitchen.
"Hey!" Someone yelled.
Rin froze. She turned to see another young woman, with light brown hair and sharp eyes, staring directly at her. The stranger wore the red-brown yukata of the other servants and held two covered wooden trays. She briefly inspected Rin as well, her hazel eyes running over Rin's worn brown yukata. Rin assumed there was nothing amiss, because the girl simply took a deep breath and gave her a wolfish grin.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? We need as many working hands as possible tonight!"
By some unbelievable chance, the stranger must've thought she was speaking with another servant. Rin sighed in relief.
The young woman shoved the two trays of food into the vagrant's hands. "Take these to the rooms on the very top level. Listen carefully —the one in your left hand goes to the very first room on your right, while the other goes to the master suite at the end of the hallway. The last thing we need tonight is some rich pig's servant stumbling down here to yell about the orders."
Surprised at her sudden, rare streak of good fortune, Rin nodded, bowed her head without a single word, and went to deliver the food. All she had to do now was find the top level and avoid the violent mistress from the alleyway.
The hallway that separated the kitchens from the main building was long and lined with shoji. Just enough faint light spilled through the diaphanous paper for the servants walking back and forth to see. The very last shoji had already been slid open to reveal a small set of steps that, in turn, led to another lovely but seemingly endless hallway. Anxiously, Rin took a deep breath and continued towards a pair of voices at the end of the hall. Two serving girls were carrying empty trays back to the kitchen.
"Have you seen the young Lord yet?" One girl asked.
Her friend swooned. "I have! His looks put the moon and stars to shame. His Grace looked irritated when he left, though."
The servants didn't notice her as they passed. Young Lord, Rin thought, they must be talking about his son. Hearing of his absence eased her nerves slightly.
After many minutes of endless halls and stairs, she eventually made it to the top floor of the hotel. The ceiling was far higher on this level, and there were less rooms. All was quiet, save for the droning of a deep, recognizable voice coming from the very end of the hall, which the strange servant girl earlier had identified as the master suite…
The Inu no Taisho's suite!
She quickly placed the tray in her right hand at the door at the left, just as the young servant had told her, before rushing to the end of the hall with the other. Rin could see a single stationary shadow through the shoji.
Rin rapped softly on the screen door. There was a crinkling of parchment and a shuffling of clothes before a convivial but bored male voice boomed: "You may enter!"
Startled at the sudden loud voice, Rin made haste to slide open the shoji. In the middle of the large room, which was bedecked with all sorts of fine furniture, pottery, and art, the Inu no Taishō sat a long table, book in hand. Even without his mountain of armor, he was an overawing man. When sitting, he was still a towering man, who emitted charm and vigor. He lounged comfortably in his blue and white kimono, his red hanjuban peeking out from around his neck. A blue ribband faithful kept his long white hair in a ponytail, away from his mature, handsome face.
The Lord in question, however, seemed both surprised and pleased with her unannounced visit.
"Why," he chirped, thick brows raised in mirth. He shut the book and placed it on the wooden tabletop. "Good evening."
"I have your food," she spoke softly, suddenly shy now that she was actually in front of him again.
The Inu no Taishō grinned at her mousiness and motioned for her to bring the food forward. Rin mustered what little grace she possessed and walked towards the table.
"Forgive me for interrupting," Rin said, placing the tray on the table next to a black iron kettle.
"No need," he shrugged. "That book was getting boring anyway."
The Inu no Taishō's golden eyes concentrated on something else across the table. It was only then that Rin noticed an extra zabuton and cup.
"It seems my son is too busy brooding somewhere to join me for proper meal," he sighed and gesticulated towards the empty space. "Sit with me! You've eaten only a few hours ago, but already you look famished."
Rin awkwardly did as she was told. The Inu no Taishō uncovered the trays to reveal beautifully arranged rows of meat, rice, fruits, and vegetables. Rin's eyes grew wide as he began to shovel large amounts of food onto her plate. She wasn't used to such extravagance. She was still recovering from the food he purchased for her earlier.
She moved to politely object. "Inu no Taishō-sama–"
Lord Dog General. The nobleman laughed at the strange title. "Tōga is my true name, child."
Rin colored at her mistake. "Lord Tōga." She kept her eyes focused on the blue stripes on his sleeve. His gaze was too intense to stare into directly. "I don't mean to waste your night. I just came thank you."
"You mean to say that you walked from your village and through the entire city just to express your gratitude?" Lord Tōga asked. He had moved away from serving food and was now pouring tea into her cup.
Rin couldn't recall the last time she had tea. Every winter since her family's death had been spent with simple boiled water. It had a naturally sweet scent that pleased her.
"If that is so," he continued, moving on to his own cup, "then you are much nobler and more dedicated than most of the Lords in this land."
He set the tetsubin on the table. "The owners of this establishment familiarized my son and I with all those who would be serving us. For security, as you can imagine. If I recall correctly, I did not see your face, and, though it is the proper color, you certainly aren't wearing the proper uniform required for those working here. Yet, this hotel supposedly has the best security in the region. How did you get in?"
Rin shuffled uncomfortably on her zabuton. She hadn't even noticed any guards on the way in. "…I guess I was lucky."
"Lucky indeed," he gave her a pearly white grin. "You've made it all the way here, so you might as well stay a while."
From there, they spoke and continued to eat. Lord Tōga somehow ate everything on his plate, while Rin poked at all she could muster for his sake. They discussed the festival, mostly – what was being sold, what activities there were, the size of the crowd. Rin told him all she could remember.
When she could finally hear crickets chirping, and the tetsubin was empty, the little urchin decided it was time to return to reality.
"I should leave," Rin spoke, "before it gets too dark."
Lord Tōga stood, offering her a steady hand. "I'll escort you, then. It seems I have nothing else to do."
As they started to stroll down the beautiful well-lit hallway, Rin mused on this small adventure. When she woke up that morning, she had not imagined that she would be talking to such an important man by the end of the day.
A silly question began to tickle at her brain. "Lord Tōga?"
Lord Tōga hummed.
"Why do they call you the Inu no Taishō?"
He shrugged. "It's an old name, something slightly rude that evolved into an honor. In my younger years—"
A loud creak came from the Inu no Taishō's suite, interrupting him and startling Rin. Lord Tōga's eyes narrowed.
"Lord Tōga?" Rin spoke hesitantly.
With rough urgency, Lord Tōga grabbed Rin by the waist and flung them both down the hallway. A forceful roar ripped through the floor, making the grand hotel quiver under its strength. The scent of smog burned her nose and throat.
Lord Tōga muttered a plethora of expletives before standing. "Are you hurt?" He asked roughly, his fiery gaze search her frail form for any injuries. Rin, despite the stiff pounding in her head, was unharmed.
The other end of the hallway had been bedimmed by a pall of smoke and char. When Lord Tōga turned to look into the darkness, she saw a large piece of shrapnel protruding from his upper arm. Her eyes widened in shock as blood steadily oozed from the wound. "You're hurt."
He continued to stare into the slowly dissipating dark mass. Absentmindedly, he replied, "It's only a flesh wound."
Then, to her surprise, he stepped forward into the smog. For a moment, Rin bounced from foot to foot in anticipation and fear before she felt she had no choice but to follow after him.
The explosion had blown a gaping hole in the building, exposing the room to a hazy view of the gardens behind the hotel. The once peaceful nighttime air was now fraught with fearful screams and pandemonium. Lord Tōga seemed to balance himself on the edge of the destruction as he stood, hands akimbo, with eyes focused on the ruin below. Curious, Rin peered over as well.
In the artificial pond of the promenade gardens outside of the hotel, a group of lone corpses floated alongside pieces of shrapnel. Bloated and bloody, their faces were marred with expressions of abject terror, their throats gashed from ear to ear. Some were almost completely decapitated. Others had no faces at all.
Rin was no stranger to dead bodies. She had seen countless in the wake of the plague that had struck her village so long ago. Still, she had never seen someone so horribly brutalized and tortured. The metallic smell of blood mingled with the smoke; the sickly sweetness of death hadn't set in yet.
Frightened, Rin slowly back away from the scene. The entirety of the two meals she had eaten might've been lost as well if she had not suddenly felt an iron grasp on her forearm jerking her rearward with enough strength that she was sure her arm had been torn from its socket. Gradually, her fearful eyes followed the trail from the stranger's large hands, along his arms, and to his face, over smooth skin and expensive silks. It was Lord Tōga's son, his recognizable white locks cascading over one shoulder. Up close, he seemed as large as his father, perhaps a few centimeters shorter, and with a leaner physique. The alluring, golden eyes that had regarded her with contempt mere hours ago now bore all the ill will that his beautiful, dispassionate countenance would not.
"Chichi-ue," his voice was as deep and austere as his expression. He continued to glare at her even as he addressed his father. Despite her simultaneous feelings of alarm and awe, Rin couldn't take her eyes off of him.
Lord Tōga crouched to observe the corpse of the nobleman that was now floating in the pound. "Lord Kusakabe, and what I assume to be his guard. All dead for hours. Ryūkotsusei's doing, undeniably."
Rin whimpered as she felt the young Lord's nails begin to burrow into her skin. Hearing her distress, his father finally stood to face his likeness, brows furrowed. "Release her, Sesshōmaru. She's a bystander, not an accomplice."
Sesshōmaru turned to his father. A few more painful seconds floated away in silence before he loosened his grip.
Seizing the opportunity, Rin did what she usually did when things went awry. Slipping her petite body underneath Sesshōmaru's arm, she darted down the hallway, bumping into frightened servants as they ushered wealthy patrons outside of the ruined building for safety. All of the flights of stairs blurred into one mass as she made her way through the hotel and towards the large red doors of the exit. The scene on the streets was no less chaotic. The joyful music and merrymaking had long since ceased. A crowd of festivalgoers had begun to crowd around the hotel, their perturbed murmurs floating through the air.
From the outside, Rin could see the damage much clearer. The gaping hole in Lord Tōga's room was merely a portion of the damage: the rooms above and below, as well as a little bit of the foyer, were now exposed to the public eye. The explosion was so close to a load-bearing wall that a support beam was now visible, with some parts of its exterior gone and other parts slowly chipping away. Shrapnel and expensive treasures like fabric and jewelry were now scattered about the streets, put people were too shocked to gather them.
Truthfully, Rin was surprised the hotel was still standing. Whoever planted the bomb obviously meant for it to be a smoldering pile of debris. She released a shaky breath as she slipped into an alleyway to avoid the crowd.
"Hey!" A smooth voice called from the mouth of the alley.
Rin threw a quick glance over her shoulder. She had escaped one predator only to end up in the claws of another. Kahei, who had brough his friend Gōjō to her earlier that day, stood before her with his trademark leer on his face. His clothes were a bit disheveled, and Rin noticed a slight sway in his step as he walked towards her.
"I wasn't expecting to see you here," he spoke coolly, his dark eyes probing her figure in a way that sickened her. "What did you spend that money we gave you on? Jewelry? Perfume?"
"Not right now," Rin shivered and turned away from him. Kahei grabbed her by the back of her neck before she could walk away and pressed her small frame against his. Rin squirmed against him.
"I see you got caught in that little surprise we set up," Kahei gazed back at the crowd and the burning building. The cruel scene of liquor singed her nose and he spoke. "It was supposed to be bigger, but I guess that idiot forgot to set off the other one. Oh well."
"Let go of me!" Rin cried, fighting against him. She could hear the steady footsteps of booted feet from around the corner. She tried to pull away, but Kahei pulled her back roughly by her hand, causing her to yelp and pain, and practically pushed her against the wall closest to them.
"Hey!" He yelled, almost crushing against the building as he tried to get her to stay still. "I am not finished with you. I told you this morning that I would need you later." He began to try to hike up her yukata in his drunken rage, exposing her bare knees and thighs. He dug his nails into the soft flesh there, causing Rin to release another pained sound. "I should've just fucked you earlier when I—"
Rin could feel the Young Lord's overbearing presence before she even turned to look at him. As he stood near the end of the alleyway in the direction she had been heading in before Kahei had apprehended her, Sesshōmaru regarded the carnal scene him with palpable apathy. The moonlight caressed his light hair, casting a circlet of light about his head and bedimming his breathtaking features.
"Rin." Her name rolled off his tongue with authority, and she knew he meant for her to come with him at once. Against her better judgement, she allowed her eyes to stray from his face to the two blades latched to his hip.
Kahei, ignorant of the looming danger in his inebriated state, merely blinked at the perceived intruder. "No way," he huffed.
Sesshōmaru's flitted from her to her assailant, as if he had just noticed his existence.
Kahei's grip on Rin tightened, causing her to wince.
"You'll have to wait," he spat. "I caught her first, and I don't like to sha—"
His vacuous declaration was cut short by the fell sound of steel cutting through flesh and bone. An inhuman, blood-curdling scream escaped the boy as he staggered backward and fell onto the hard earth. Blood gushed from the side of his neck and the stump where his arm once was, staining Rin's yukata and dripping from the blade of Sesshōmaru's katana, which neither commoner had seen him unsheathe. Sesshōmaru stared at gore that marred his sword with discontent before turning back to a thoroughly traumatized Rin.
"Do not even think about running again," he said coolly, eyes narrowed, as if the situation were a mere annoyance. "Fix your clothes."
The majority of her leg was still exposed from Kahei's assault, and, during the chaos, the fabric of Rin's yukata had slipped, uncloaked a starveling collarbone and her shoulder. Embarrassed, she adjusted her clothes quickly.
As the light in Kahei's eyes finally faded and his blood began to amass further in a pool around the severed arm near her feet, Rin could faintly make out the steady footfalls of the Inu no Taishō.
"Gods," Lord Tōga grimaced as he took in the scene before looking askance at his son. "Whatever happened to your plan of being inconspicuous, Sesshōmaru?"
"It blew up," Sesshōmaru replied drily.
Prudently stepping around the maimed corpse, Lord Tōga rushed to Rin's side and gently took her elbow. Still in shock, Rin recoiled.
"I didn't mean for you to scare the poor girl," Lord Tōga reproached.
Sesshōmaru stared at her as if she were the scum of the earth. "Your poor girl seems to be an accomplice."
Rin regarded him with wide eyes. Sesshōmaru must've heard the Kahei's words and deduced that she was somehow culpable for the building explosion and the attempted assassination of his father. And from the cold look in his eye, she knew that if Lord Tōga had not arrived when he did, Sesshōmaru would've dispatched of her without hesitancy as well.
Suddenly disregarding the blood pool, Rin slipped out of the older man's grasp, falling to her knees at the great Inu no Taishō's boots.
"I had no part in this," Rin bowed her head, her voice shaking as she spoke. She knew by now she could not appeal to his son, but maybe he, who she'd eaten with and who had paid for her meal only a few hours prior, would still listen. "I swear on my life."
Thankfully, Lord Tōga still regarded her with warmth. "You'll soil your clothes even more. Arise."
He helped her on her feet. Rin didn't dare look at Sesshōmaru as she stood and kept her eyes on the ground.
The chaos had died down some, but the fear in the air was still palpable. Lord Tōga sighed into the night sky, which had long-since been made hazy by the fiery fog from the inn. "What a fine mess we have made."
A/N: This chapter could have easily been longer but I decided to cut it off there for the sake of readability and time. According to WordCounter, this chapter is 4,274 words and takes 15 minutes 32 seconds to read.
Another reason that it took a little over a month to update this (besides the length, of course) is Sesshōmaru. I felt nervous about my portrayal of him; I really wanted to do him justice. If you guys could leave feedback on how I did, I would appreciate it!
Also, how do you all feel about Tōga? I imagine him to be an amalgam of Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha but with him own charismatic, extroverted flair. So far, I truly enjoy portraying him.
Even though I'm a notoriously slow writer, I want to tell you guys that I have a lot planned for this story. I sat down the other day and made a list of all the Inuyasha characters that I would include in this fic and what their roles will be. I also have a general idea of how this story will end, lmao. I'm thinking about making a playlist of the songs I listen to while writing.
Anyways, remember to leave a comment! I enjoy reading your reactions! I'll try to update soon!