a/n: Rin-centric (and light-hearted) chapter, as promised last update. Hope you all enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: :)
SONG OF THE WEST
an Inuyasha fanfic
xv.
And thus, Lord Tōga and his party took yet another detour from their primary goal of stopping Ryūkotsusei.
Rin was amazed at his commitment to good deeds. From the morsels she had heard of the men's political conversations, the Imperial Lord certainly wasn't beholden to the people, at least not legally—this was the territory of another Imperial Lord, Lord Katsushika, as she remembered Lord Yukinaga refer to him as back in Yobetsu. But he had not been beholden to her, either. He could've let her take the fall for the hotel bombing and be executed, but instead, he had allowed her to travel with him, despite the lingering inconvenience of her health. Now he was setting everything aside once more for a greater cause. He was the Inu no Taisho after all, who the common people throughout the land heard of in songs and poems. If not him, who else?
The sun was beginning to bear down hard on her forehead; thankfully the summer heat was less truculent the further north they traveled. Little by little, tall junipers and maples gave way to taller pines, the fallen needles of which accumulated on the ground of the rocky mountain path behind and ahead of them to perfectly absorb the heavy clopping sound of the horses' hooves. After their surprise at Lord Yasutoki's castle, the little group was now headed to the village of Shitori, as directed by Yasutoki's remaining men. Rin recalled silently watching Lord Tōga and Sesshōmaru descend and then ascend the mountain on their horses after departing from her and Seiten to get a better look at the devastation below. When they returned, the typical amicable expression on Lord Tōga's face had been exchanged for that of vexation, while Sesshōmaru, as per usual, bore no sign of shock, surprise, or disdain. A part of Rin was beginning to admire his emotional steadiness, especially after what had happened.
"Any survivors?" Seiten had asked.
"The commoners were evacuated to a village nearby," Tōga explained. "Lord Yasutoki has gone to Lord Naozane's to regroup."
Rin couldn't see Seiten's face from where he sat behind her, but she was sure he was frowning. "Lord Naozane's territory is a few days away from here. Why didn't he just stay and take the villagers behind his walls?"
"He probably didn't want to spare his stage room," Sesshōmaru said unfavorably.
Rin felt like she was missing some context to this acerbic witticism, but she didn't ask.
Thankfully, Shitori wasn't too far away. By the time, they arrived, the sun had reached its midday peak. It was refreshingly lively: children kicked around a ball in the middle of the road or played with wooden dolls off to the side, while their mothers, aunts, or old sisters tended to chores. There were no men, young or old, in sight. Naturally, the activity died down at the sight of the noble trio (and Rin) upon their mighty horses and the large dogs that railed after them.
"Who are the village elders here?" Seiten called out first.
After a few moments of awed silence, a young boy bravely stepped forward from the interrupted ball game in the street. He was short with dark hair, dark eyes, and a slightly dirty face that reminded her of her long-gone youngest brother after a long summer afternoon of play.
"Everyone is with Grandma Sen, right now," he said, his voice still pitched high by youth. "I can take you there."
Lord Tōga nodded, and the boy, abandoning the games and his friends, began to walk briskly deeper into the village. Though rural, it was by no means small, resembling more closely a few of the ones she had ridden through to find the Inu no Taisho so many weeks ago. But it was crowded: every twist and turn revealed a cluster of children and women playing and fulfilling daily tasks. If it were this eroded now, one could only imagine how claustrophobic it felt with the men around. The village had simply not been built to support such a large amount of people.
Grandma Sen's home was rather easy to pick out. The house was larger than the rest with its steep thatched roof and dark wooden walls. Men of an assortment of ages and heights were spilling out of its single room, and a coagulum of them had formed in front of and spread out from the threshold, where the noren was lifted for people to peer inside. A young man glanced back by chance, saw Lord Tōga and Sesshōmaru and Seiten on their fine horses and in their fine clothes and armor, whereupon he hurriedly pushed his way through the crowd and into the hut. There was some commotion inside, but by the time the men had dismounted and Seiten began to help Rin down from the horse, Grandma Sen had stepped out of the threshold to greet them.
Grandma Sen had long gray and white hair that was tied neatly behind her back. She was a tall, thin woman, and Rin could tell she had been rather beautiful in her youth, especially on account of her striking grey-ish eyes, which bordered on being intimidating. She was flanked by the men of the village. The first thing she did was glance at the young boy who had led them there, who now beamed with pride. Finally, she glanced at Sesshōmaru, who gave her an equally intimidating glance in return, and then at Lord Tōga.
She gave him a bow out of respect. The crowd of men slowly followed suit.
Lord Tōga waved his hand. "No need for formalities."
"You're the Inu no Taisho," she said upon standing straight as if she thought his appearance might be a mere illusion instead of a corporeal reality. "You've heard about the tribesmen, then, your Excellency?"
He nodded. "We passed by Lord Yasutoki's castle today. But the truths of a nobleman often differ from those of the people. Care to clarify some details for us?"
The old woman nodded and invited the group in. The men moved to create a wider path for them to walk.
Sesshōmaru and Seiten moved forward. Rin's brown eyes scanned the milieu, examining all the unknown men within and without the building, many with their gazes curiously directed at her.
Lord Tōga turned his warm gaze to the young boy. "Do you know a place for my dogs and the horses to rest?"
The boy perked up. "I do!"
The older man looked to Rin again. "Secure the animals and get some rest. This shouldn't last too long."
Rin nodded and grabbed Sai Hu's rein. Lord Tōga pivoted to enter the building, and as he walked, dozens of eyes followed after him.
She was now alone with the boy. He blushed. "The stables are over here!"
The meeting went on for hours. She should have expected as much. Still, Rin watered the horses, tamed the dogs, and secured and tended both groups in the stables without complaint.
The boy had stayed for a short time, played with Yua and Tai and Shui, and asked her many, many questions: how old she was, her name, what is what like to go on adventures with the Inu no Taisho. She didn't mind this innocent small talk, but it did make her wonder if she too had sounded so fanatical in her first few days of being in the Inu no Taisho's company.
Eventually, the boy—Kei, as she finally discovered—rejoined his friends, leaving Rin by herself near the stables. It was quiet, at least, and clean smelling since it seemed no other horses had been there in a while. She was beginning to drift off against the wooden post when she heard a soft voice calling out to her.
"Um, hello?"
Rin opened her eyes. A girl her age was standing on the other side of the wooden rail, gazing at her with the same striking grey eyes of Grandma Sen, only slightly warmer. She was tall, too, with brown hair and lightly tanned skin.
Rin blinked in return. "Hi?"
"Kei!" The girl exclaimed, annoyed. "How could you just leave her here?"
Kei, pulled away from his game once more, looked sheepishly at the stranger. "The Inu no Taisho just told me to take her to tie the horses, and then she said I could go off with my friends."
"I can't believe you would just leave a lord's maid outside like this! Some gentleman you are."
"It's really fine," Rin piped in brightly. "I did say he could leave if he wanted to."
The stranger sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry about my silly brother. I'm Yosomi."
Kei grimaced behind his older sister's back. Rin fought to hide a laugh, but not hard enough, since Yosomi immediately noticed and turned to face her brother.
"How about you make yourself useful and see what's going on at the meeting?" Yosomi spoke crossly.
"You don't have to be so bossy," Kei complained. Still, he obeyed and walked off in the direction of the gathering.
Yosomi rolled her eyes and looked at Rin again. Her expression was warm.
"The older woman you saw earlier is our grandmother," she explained. "I guess she's still talking to the Inu no Taisho about the tribesmen."
Images of the dead girl in the woods flashed in Rin's mind again. She shivered.
"What's going on?" Rin asked.
"I'm not too sure—my grandmother and father won't tell me much. But a few weeks ago, a bunch of the villagers from Lord Yasutoki's farmstead came here seeking refuge after the Lord left his castle. Things have gotten a bit cramped here, but other than that, our scouts haven't seen much."
They seemed well-prepared, at least. Rin released a breath she didn't realize she was holding in.
"You seem exhausted," Yosomi accurately observed. "You should come with me to my friend's hut. It's no castle, but it's certainly better than sitting outside with my brother and his noisy friends."
The horses were resting, and the dogs were lazing around in the dried grass of the stable after a morning of constant movement. And, even if they decided to be hyperactive again, they were stuck behind a gate.
Just as Rin was about to speak, her stomach quaked loudly. She blushed.
"I'm about to start cooking, too!" Yosomi said. "You could eat with us. I'll just have my brother tell the Inu no Taisho where you went if the meeting finishes early."
Rin looked up into the girl's eyes. Like her brother's, Yosomi's eyes seemed to sparkle with genuine affability. Perhaps it would be safe to join her, only if for a little while. The meeting so far seemed like it would last forever. Plus, she was still exhausted – she hadn't gotten a lick of sleep since she woke up to relieve herself so long ago.
"Okay," Rin chirped. "I'll come."
"She didn't tell you her name yet?" A soft, mature voice spoke.
"No; she's really tired. She came in and fell asleep before I could even start cooking! How should I address her?" Yosomi's disembodied voice responded.
"Just say 'miss.' Poor thing! These palace maids are far too delicate to be traveling such long distances on horseback."
Someone scoffed. Another older woman with a rich timbre spoke out. "You think she's a maid?"
"Why else would she be traveling with them?" Came the soft voice.
"Palace maids don't travel with Lords if there's no lady present. I reckon she's somebody's lover."
Rin felt the sudden urge to open her eyes and bang her head against the wooden floor beneath her. Now fully awake, she sat up from the tatami mat and began to fold the soft brown blanket that Yosomi must have laid over her as she slept. She could see Yosomi's tall shadowy figure on the other side of the noren in the threshold.
The woman with the soft voice gasp. "You can't just make an accusation like that!"
"It's not an accusation; it's an informed opinion!"
"And just how many Lords have you seen traveling through these parts?" A third woman chimed wryly. "If she were the lover of one of the Lords, she'd be riding in a palanquin, and she wouldn't even be here, much less out of their sight."
"My mother's cousin's daughter became lover to some Eastern lord when I was a child, and they traveled everywhere together, no palanquin. That certainly made her big in the head. She made the villagers and the servants of the castle call her 'Lady' and then quit visiting her own mother," the rich-voiced woman recalled.
"Should I call her Lady, then?" Yosomi asked, still puzzled.
"Hmm. I don't know. Probably not. When the actual Lady of the castle caught wind of it, she had my cousin whipped, and that was the last we'd ever heard of her."
"We shouldn't just make blind guess about something so sensitive without any facts," the soft-voiced woman said.
A small voice babbled as if in agreement.
"Who is judging? I wish I'd been clever enough to steal the heart of some handsome Lord when I was still young and fresh, instead of marrying the first charming deadbeat that came along."
"Okay, I'm still confused. Should I call her 'Miss' or 'Lady'?"
"'Rin' is fine," Rin said loud enough for the women to hear. "And I'm really just a maid."
The women went silent.
"Oh, now you've done it," the third voice hissed.
"Well, at least we know for sure now!" The rich-voiced woman said.
Yosomi poked her head into the single-room building before entering completely. "Oh, um, hi Rin! This is Chiyo and Ino and Shizu."
Three women entered the room behind Yosomi. Chiyo's round, freckled face was kind, and strapped onto her back was a basket from which the equally round and kind face of an infant peeked out. Ino was a tall woman with black hair, green eyes, and a proud expression on her face. Lastly was Shizu, who had dark eyes that gazed fiercely around the room from beneath equally dark lashes and thick brows.
"Sorry about everything you might've heard out there," Chiyo said with her soft voice.
"Ino has a tendency to speak before she thinks," Shizu said.
Ino huffed. "Well, it's better to clarify things now so we can prevent any rumors. Anyways, did you enjoy your nap?"
Rin hadn't even remembered falling asleep in the first place, but she certainly felt better prepared to interact with people than she did earlier. She nodded and reached to fix her hair with her fingers. "How long was I asleep?"
"A few hours. But you didn't miss too much," Ino said. "Everyone is still at that damned meeting. I don't know what's left for there to talk about, though. It's not like the issue is so complicated."
"Now that the Inu no Taisho is here, everyone is probably airing out their grievances with Lord Yasutoki with the hopes that he can be removed from his post one this is all over," Shizu said.
Rin blinked at this. "Removed from his post? That can happen?"
"I think so, but it's super rare," Chiyo said.
"Of course he can; he's a courtier, and the worst of them, too! Apparently, all he ever does is write poetry and put on performances in his castle with that actress wife of his," Ino ranted.
"When other villagers began trickling into the farmstead, complaining about the destruction of their villages, he just ignored them," Shizu explained to Rin. "It wasn't until a young couple went missing that we began to take them seriously, we still don't know where they got off to, but it's far too much of a coincidence that they'd go missing while those tribesmen are out there."
A young couple… Rin sucked in a breath. It couldn't have been the couple she found in the woods, right?
"Is that why your village got evacuated, Shizu?" Yosomi asked. Shizu's face hardened. "We were never formally evacuated. A merchant Yasutoki was friends with got attacked and looted, so he and his family abandoned their castle in the middle of the night. We evacuated ourselves."
"They made sure to leave a few guards in case the villagers got too many clever ideas," Ino said. "The rest of the villagers be damned."
"Chiyo is my cousin, so I came here, along with a few other people. Some decided to follow Lord Yasutoki to Lord Naozane's holdings," Shizu explained to Rin.
That didn't match up with the sheer amount of people she passed by outside. "Some of these people are from other villages, then," she deduced aloud.
Ino nodded. "A lot of them weren't so fortunate. It's all the same story, too: burnt crops, slaughtered or stolen animals, murdered men, raped women."
Chiyo shuddered. "I heard they kidnap the people they aren't killing, too. It's unimaginable."
The energy in the room felt darker now that Rin had finally gotten a grasp on what was happening. The girl and boy in the woods were not an isolated incident—it had happened to dozens of people so far, people who were more or less on their own. Still, despite the horrific threat and the cowardice of the local officials, there was some hope.
"The Inu no Taisho is here now;" Rin said, her voice suddenly bright and full of conviction. "If there's anyone that can help, it's him."
Yosomi nodded in agreement. "Rin's right. If he had no intention of helping us, why would he still be at the meeting?"
Chiyo and Ino exchanged cautious glances. But it was Shizu whose expression bore the most skepticism.
"Trust, I've heard all about his great deeds in the past," Shizu said. "But you hear great deeds about every lord, and they always end up being not so great."
Rin felt scandalized by this implication. Yes, many noblemen were undependable—the Asano courtiers had proved to her that much, and the accounts of Lord Yasutoki's blunders and Imperial Lord Katsushika's blind eye had only reinforced this. But the Inu no Taisho was none of those people.
"Lord Tōga is different," Rin insisted emphatically. "I've seen it."
"Well, we'll take your word for it. After all, it's not every day an Imperial Lord comes around these parts anyway," Chiyo said cheerfully. The little baby at her back began to babble again.
There was a sharp knock on the side of the building that made the five women jump.
"The meeting is over," Kei's breathless words came. "The Inu no Taisho has agreed to help us."
Yosomi sighed. "Is that really all you have to report? We already knew that."
"Kei," Chiyo said softly. "Do you know what's taking them so long?"
"You'll have to ask Grandma Sen about that. But he's spending the night in the village."
"An Imperial Lord sleeping in a mountain village? That's certainly new," Ino mused.
Rin beamed proudly. If only they could know everything he had done for her so far! But there was no way she could tell them that—they'd certainly look at her differently if they'd known anything about her past.
The sun was beginning to set now, and Rin could hear a cricket on the other side of the wall. The noise in the village that had only recently died down slowly began to flicker back to life now that the men were flooding back in.
"I guess the Inu no Taisho will want you back now," Yosomi said. "Me and Kei can escort you."
Yosomi and Kei led her to the shelter that Lord Tōga and his party would be staying in for the night, bickering all the way there. Rin smiled at this. They were loud, which she wasn't very used to, but it didn't bother her. She slowly found herself enjoying the company of the lively pair.
The shelter was as large as Grandma Sen's hut and, thankfully, not too far away. Lantern light flowed from the window and the noren-covered threshold. It flickered in the shadow of Lord Tōga's large form as he exited the building. He smiled warmly when he noticed her.
"You seem perkier," he said. "I was just coming to look for you."
"I slept a little," Rin said.
Lord Tōga nodded. "That's good." Then he directed his attention to Yosomi and Kei. "Thank you for taking care of her."
Kei had that childish beam on his face again. Yosomi, meanwhile, blushed under Lord Tōga's golden gaze. The two young people bowed, said their farewells to Rin, and turned to go back to the own home.
"Glad to see you've made some friends," Lord Tōga said vibrantly.
Friends? Rin supposed she could call Yosomi a friend. It felt strange though—she wasn't much used to having other women enjoy her presence.
The smell of food—rice, meat, vegetables in broth—emanated from inside the room.
"What's all that?" Rin asked, peering past Lord Tōga and into the shelter.
"The villagers decided to show their gratitude by preparing some food. You're lucky—there's far too much of it, so you get something other than kayu."
Rin gave him a toothy grin and moved to enter the hut, only to be blocked by his thick, cloth-covered arm. Rin cocked her head to the side.
"Sesshōmaru is going to Lord Naozane's castle tomorrow to retrieve Yasutoki and bring reinforcements," he explained.
Rin's eyes widened slightly. "By himself?"
Lord Tōga's brow rose in amusement. "You sound worried."
Rin had watched Sesshomaru sever a man's arm in one swing not too long ago. But if these tribesmen were truly as fearsome as the villagers had claimed…
"Trust me, Sesshomaru's safety is not something you need to fret about," Lord Tōga said. "In addition, he won't be alone. You'll be joining him."
What was left of Rin's smile died. "What?"
"It's too dangerous here. The castle will be much safer for you than this village. When this is all over, we'll go back and get you and continue on to Hyōkusui."
The last time she stayed in a castle, she was nearly killed, and that was with Lord Tōga, Sesshōmaru, and Seiten there. She couldn't imagine staying in such a large place with people she barely knew by herself.
Then, of course, there was the matter of Sesshōmaru. He hadn't so much as glanced at her since she'd clung to him like a scared child in the woods. She had probably solidified herself as more of a burden in his eyes after that display.
"Lord Sesshōmaru still doesn't like me," Rin said. "Plus, I'll only slow him down."
Lord Tōga scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You don't have to worry about him mistreating you. And you're still as light as a feather; it's not like the horse will get tired quickly."
"Why can't I just stay here with you?" Rin pouted.
"I'm not going to be here," Lord Tōga responded. "I'm leaving for the border tomorrow to organize the soldiery there to take care of the situation there. And that's even more dangerous than here?"
"Then I'll stay here with Seiten and Yosomi and Kei," Rin answered. "And I can help out with chores around the village."
Lord Tōga stared at her. "Rin—"
"Please," Rin begged. "I can make myself of use here."
"It's not if you can be of use that's the question, it's whether you'll be safe," he explained roughly.
"I'll stay close to the village and listen to everything Seiten says."
Lord Tōga stared at her, his golden eyes hardening into something serious. But, to her credit, Rin stared right back at him, her eyes pleading and pliant.
Suddenly, the Imperial Lord knew why fate had never given him a biological daughter.
"Alright," he said. "You can stay. But you must stay in the village, not just close by. And don't try this on him, because it won't work."
Not that it should've worked with him. But if she truly felt comfortable around the villagers, then so be it.
Rin let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Lord Tōga! Can I please eat now?"
Lord Tōga reluctantly lowered his arm, allowing Rin to slip past him and into the hut.
They woke early, just as the sun was beginning to rise. The crowded village looked hollow when no people were lining its dirt paths.
Lord Tōga and Sesshōmaru sat bestride their horses. Tai, Shui, and Yua ran about the feet of the horses – after a brief, playful dispute with Seiten, Lord Tōga had decided to take the dogs with him so that the other man would have less to worry about.
"I should be back within the fortnight, and Sesshōmaru in a little over a week," Lord Tōga said. "If the scouts see anything suspicious, have someone reliable deliver a message to the wall."
Seiten nodded silently in agreement.
"And remember: stay in the village. Now's not the time for any adventures," the older man said to Rin.
The young woman nodded eagerly. "I will, Lord Tōga!"
Lord Tōga bid them farewell and spurred his horse to move.
Rin turned her attention to Sesshōmaru. If he had heard her and his father's conversation last night, he gave no indication. She imagined that he was relieved she wouldn't have to travel with him on the three-to-four-day trip to Lord Naozane's castle.
Still, it wasn't good to hold grudges in times of danger. People could slip out of your life as quickly as they slipped in. It was one of the many truths of the world.
"Farewell, Lord Sesshōmaru," she called out gently.
Sesshōmaru glanced down at her. Daybreak glimmered on his shining hair and the metal adornments of his armor. His expression was even, as usual; however, there was something slightly different in his eyes, something that wasn't scorn.
Without another word, Sesshōmaru spurred his horse to move.
a/n: So I broke my every-two-weeks update streak—finals season is ass. But, as always, thanks for the kind reviews/comments, subscriptions, etc.! Sorry for any typos that might be hidden within this chapter. I always proofread but honestly I'm only half-awake at any given time, so things may slip past me. The next chapter will also focus predominantly on Rin. Until then!