a/n: New chapter! Sorry to leave you all hanging like that.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha (or Yashahime, for that matter!)
SONG OF THE WEST
an Inuyasha fanfic
xxiv.
Rin knew little of war. She hadn't been alive for the Great War, and because she was the offspring of a fisherman and not a foot soldier, she had heard little about it prior to Lord Tōga and Master Seiten's occasional anecdotes during travel.
She, however, did imagine what it would be like from time to time during said anecdotes. It seemed like blood and gore, the constant thundering of hooves and cannon fire, frantic days and putrid nights.
These preconceived notions she had in her head made this apparent despoiling of Hyōkusui, the debut of this new war she had suddenly found herself amid, feel so surreal.
Unlike the Yobetsu incident, a swift explosion with a raucous aftermath, everything that had occurred that night was drawn out and silent, from the moles at the festival to the assassins at the inn. Thus, Hyōkusui fell with little maelstrom in the city streets.
But whoever the perpetrators were, they had failed to account for the possibility of their perceived prey circumventing their web of spies and slayers. Aside from the brief yet frightful run-in with the assassins sent to kill them, Sesshōmaru and Rin were able to make it out of the city—albeit on the side opposite they had entered—with no other near-death experiences.
But the soundlessness was still strange. It was so quiet, in fact, that not even Sesshōmaru had noticed the flames engulfing Hyōkusui's proud castle until they were well away from the city and safe on a nearby mountain path.
Lord Tōga…
"Wait here," Sesshōmaru said roughly, helping her dismount from the horse.
Unexpectedly, she found her hands latching firmly onto his arm, even after he had let go of her. Gold eyes met brown ones in the darkness.
He was going back to the city. The thought unnerved her, especially after what she had witnessed in the inn stables. And though she fully trusted his ability to defend himself…
Rin swallowed nervously and pushed all alarmist thoughts to the remotest parts of her mind.
"What should I do if someone comes?" she asked.
She thought she saw Sesshōmaru hesitate for a moment before reaching toward his hip and unsheathing a medium-length blade. Rin's eyes widened, but she accepted the weighty thing.
"Do as you did with the tribesman," Sesshōmaru said simply.
Rin had tried her best to forget what had nearly happened in the forest a few weeks ago. She hadn't enjoyed stabbing the man, nor was she particularly eager to repeat the violent act.
She would if she had to, though.
With another slightly nervous swallow, Rin nodded, and soon Sesshōmaru was off towards the city again.
Rin waited obediently beneath the thick boughs. Of the tree, her eyes fixated on the burning city below. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes became hours—she didn't know how many, since the bells were not ringing on account of the towers being burnt to the ground. Instead, she watched the darkness of night give way to the budding orange rays of early morning.
Sesshōmaru had still not returned. Rin forced herself to lean against the gnarled roots of the tree in defiance of her anxiety.
Sesshōmaru is a good fighter, Rin assured herself as she fingered the whistle that dangled from her neck. He's fine.
Then again, her father had been one of the heartiest men in the village when he fell ill. And her brother, who had always known how to get himself out of trouble, had disappeared.
Before those intrusive thoughts could cause her further distress, the sounds of hooves striking against the earth grew in the distance. Rin scrambled to stand. Just down the slope of the hill was Sesshōmaru bestride her golden horse, with Tōga and Sai Hu close behind.
She ran forth to meet them. To her surprise, sitting behind Tōga was Lady Tōran, whose fine clothes and perfectly coiffed hair from the festival were a stained and disheveled shadow of their former glory. In fact, all the aristocrats' appearances were more disarrange than when she last saw them.
Tōga, whose golden eyes already looked wild enough, looked even more bewildered to see her there. He spoke with such aggression that Rin was taken aback.
"You left her here alone?"
If his father's temperamental tongue had bothered him, Sesshōmaru said nothing about it. Instead, he reached down to offer Rin his hand. With a relieved exhale, she accepted, and he pulled her onto the horse. Her arms wrapped instinctually around his torso to steady herself. He smelled of smoke and burning wood.
"What's going on?" Rin asked, glancing over at Tōran, who sat silent. The noblewomen merely continued to stare vacantly ahead of her.
"Later," Tōga said quickly, spurring Sai Hu to move. Sesshōmaru instructed Hikari to follow, and soon the four of them were headed south away from the ruins of the Northern capital.
Rin didn't realize that war could involve so much paperwork, either.
The five of them—she, Lord Sesshōmaru, Lord Tōga, Lady Toran, and Master Seiten, who they rejoined in the woods eventually—were now miles away from Hyōkusui and one-and-a-half days removed from the violent confusion.
Shiraoi, in the very middle of the Northern lands, the nearest town to the south whose Lord hadn't been murdered, was young Lord Tsukuyomaru's future seat. Rin vaguely remembered him from the village Lord Tōga had helped rid of Northern tribesmen. For now, Shiraoi was still in the enfeebled grasp of Lord Taigokumaru, Tsukuyomaru's aging father.
When the group arrived at the castle gates and were led inside, the noble people whisked themselves away to the nearest study, leaving Rin to be nudged out of the way towards a hastily prepared guest room where she collapsed onto the bed without bothering to remove her festival clothing or kanzashi. She woke the next morning to the sight of a still-empty room and searched for her traveling companions.
After a few minutes of walking aimlessly through complex corridors and past curious servants, she stumbled upon the three familiar men, along with Toran and Tsukuyomaru, still in the nondescript study, their writing brushes moving with great speed. Seiten and Tsukuyomaru would write something down on parchment and pass it along to Lady Toran, who was also writing, to add the imprint in wax of the heavy Katsushika clan crest. There was a more controlled flurry of activity on Tōga and Sesshōmaru's side of the table, but they were just as busy: Sesshōmaru and Tōga were also writing, with Tōga also stamping letters.
Quietly, Rin slipped through the open shoji and towards the empty zabuton in the room's corner. No one seemed to notice her presence but Sesshōmaru, whose golden eyes met hers briefly before returning to the piles of parchment before him. Meanwhile, Lord Tōga's deep voice continued to throw orders and names she had never heard of about the room.
"Draft a letter to the emperor to inform him of Hyōkusui's devastation, and send another note to Lord Bokusenō to ensure that word reaches the capitol," Lord Tōga said. "Send a message to Tōtōsai to gather as weapons as he can, and to Lord Saya so that he may discover Lord Myōga's current whereabouts and call him back to the West. For now, Lord Kirinmaru will have control over the Western forces. Also—"
Rin's eyes widened slightly. He spoke of Hyōkusui's apparent ruin, of gathering swords and men and horses. Of war. Yet, she had still barely knew what had taken place in the city and why she and Sesshōmaru had so suddenly been attacked.
A servant appeared at the threshold of the room. He paid his obeisance to the noble people before lifting his head to speak to Lord Tsukuyomaru.
"Young Lord, the courtiers are awaiting your arrival in the reception hall," he announced.
Tsukuyomaru stopped writing and glanced up from the parchment with a slight look of surprise on his face.
"Why isn't my father meeting with them?" He asked.
"The master still feeling ill, young Lord."
Lord Tsukuyomaru glanced uncertainly at Lord Tōga.
Lord Tsukuyomaru glanced uncertainly at Lord Tōga.
The Western Lord waved his hand. "Go attend to your court. Any information they might have about the state of the rest of the North will do us good."
Lord Tsukuyomaru nodded and stood from the table. Upon his departure, Tōga leaned back and exhaled deeply. It was the first time Rin had ever seen him betray a hint of exhaustion.
"How many people did we compose letters for?" Tōga asked no one in particular.
"About half the country," Seiten said, gathering the completed stacks of paper in his hand. "I'll have these sent out right away."
Tōga nodded, and Seiten left the room.
Toran, who was also still donning her festival finery, rose from her seat at that answer. Though she appeared no worse for wear than the men of the room, Rin could see the young woman flexing her hands slightly, as if her fingers were cramping from writing for so long.
"If there's nothing else to do," the Lady started, "I'll take my leave as well."
Tōga nodded. "Very well. It's been a long two days. Get some rest."
Toran gave a lady-like bow and left in a flurry of silks, leaving Tōga, Sesshōmaru, and Rin together in the room.
Tōga turned to his son. Sesshōmaru, despite the nearly three-consecutive nights he had gone without sleep by now, didn't seem the slightest bit tired.
"You should get some rest as well," Tōga said. "At least a few hours. Who knows what news we might hear tomorrow."
Sesshōmaru hummed, but remained seated.
Tōga stood from his seat and stretched slightly. He had individually addressed everyone else in the room; logically, she had expected him finally to turn his attention to her.
Instead, without another word to spare, Lord Tōga left the room.
Rin bristled. It was as if he hadn't even noticed her.
Frowning, she looked towards Sesshōmaru, who was glancing at her again. Their gazes remained locked for a few moments until Sesshōmaru rose to leave. Despite his longer strides owing to his height, Rin caught up with him.
"Lord Sesshōmaru!" Rin said, grabbing his sleeve.
His pace seemed to slow a little, albeit unwillingly, upon hearing her soft voice.
"What happened in Hyōkusui?" Rin asked.
"Imperial Lord Katsushika was assassinated," he responded, still walking, "along with a host of other Northern officials."
The image of Lady Toran sitting vacant and disheveled on the back of Sai Hu entered her mind again. There was no reason for her and her siblings to have been separated, unless…
Rin's eyes widened. "Lady Karan and Lady Shunran, then…"
"Dead, as is their brother," Sesshōmaru said coolly.
In the matter of one night, the entire Northern Imperial family had been erased, save for Lady Toran—or, now that the Imperial Lord of the North and his male heir were dead, Imperial Lady Katsushika.
It felt so… odd. Only hours before the attack, she had been sitting with the inn with the Katsushika sisters, watching a theatre play about clan annihilation, of all things. And just like that, they were gone.
Rin glanced up at Sesshōmaru's face to glean his emotions regarding his estranged and now-deceased cousins. He remained as self-possessed as ever, his golden eyes fixed on her face as he awaited more questions.
Rin swallowed. "Was it that Ryūkotsusei person you and Lord Tōga are always talking about?"
"Yes."
"And those men at the inn?"
Sesshōmaru let out a lofty huff. "They were sent to kill me."
That plan had obviously failed, and thanks to Sesshōmaru's excellent swordsmanship, she had avoided becoming collateral damage in a conflict she knew very little about. Rin frowned at the thought.
They had reached their guest corridor again. It wouldn't be long before Sesshōmaru retired for the day.
"After you left," Rin started, "what happened in the ca—"
The sound of heavy footsteps plodded on the other side of one of the shōji, which slid open quickly. Before the two now stood Lord Tōga, who seemed surprised at her sudden appearance before him as well.
"I thought you were still asleep," he announced. "How long have you been wandering around here?"
Rin blinked. It wasn't that he had purposefully ignored her presence in the study—he truly hadn't noticed she was there.
As wordless as a ghost, Lord Sesshōmaru slipped past Rin and his father to slide open the shōji to the adjacent room. Meanwhile, Tōga beckoned Rin to enter his room with his hand, a signal she quietly obeyed.
"I suppose Sesshōmaru has informed you of everything?" Lord Tōga asked.
Rin shook her head. "Not really. He told me about Imperial Lord Katsushika's suicide, and the people who tried to kill us at the inn, but—"
"Someone attempted to kill you two?" Tōga asked, his voice growing louder.
Rin stiffened at the sudden volume. "… Well, technically just him, but…"
Tōga sighed and leaned against the wall behind him. She hadn't noticed previously, but his long, silvery hair had begun slowly to free itself from the ribbon that fastened it neatly together, perhaps on account of the rough combat he had no doubt engaged in the other night. Like this, he looked to be the exact likeness of his son, with only the slight lines of maturity around his golden eyes revealing his true identity.
"You've gathered we are at war," Tōga said.
Rin nodded. "What happened in the castle?"
"First, understand that Katsushika was not nearly as intelligent as he purported himself to be," Tōga said. "He was ignorant and proud, but for the sake of the Northern lands it was much easier to have him alive and ignorant than dead and utterly useless."
Rin was unsure if Tōga should speak of a dead man in that manner, but nodded in comprehension.
"Whenever Katsushika hosts a party—or, I supposed, hosted a party—he would get far too in his cups," Tōga recalled. "Whenever this happened, which was quite often, he needed to be assisted back to his room. Mind you, Katsushika was quite a large man, and often needed a group of servants to help him into his bed after a night of drinking."
Tōga continued. "I supposed Ryūkotsusei had one of his men disguise himself as a servant of Hyōkusui and slit an old drunk man's throat. Surprisingly easy; if I were an evil bastard, I might have done the same thing.
"Ryūkotsusei had already left by the time this all happened. I should've struck him down before he left—it would've been much easier to simply be put on trial before the emperor than to deal with the mess we're in now.
"Anyway, the rest is a bit of a fog. I was just leaving when the guards informed me of Katsushika's death. That's when more of Ryūkotsusei's men—also dressed as servants of Hyōkusui—launched their attack against the Northern capitol. Thankfully, I could recover Lady Tōran and the Northern Imperial seal; however, Katsushika's other children…"
It was no wonder the city remained quiet as the castle burned, then. There was no grand invading army as Rin had imagined—only spies and spiders.
Suddenly, Tōga frowned. "All of this, yet Sesshōmaru still left you alone with a blade as if you could do anything with it."
She had nearly forgotten that Tōga knew nothing about the man whose throat she had cut in the woods. It had been her and Sesshōmaru's secret, after all.
"I was safe," Rin excused. "He seemed worried for you."
Tōga huffed at that but said nothing more about the issue.
"Now," Tōga started, clearing his throat. "Regarding the matter of your brother…"
Back at Asano castle, seemingly so long ago, Lord Tōga had informed her he was sending one of his most trusted aids—Lord Myōga, she believed—to investigate the disappearance of her brother from Yobetsu and find some information on his whereabouts. Now that the war was starting and the Northern lands were so unstable, the search would most likely be postponed.
Rin sighed, though she understood. Lord Tōga, despite his incredible grace in helping her was foremost the Western Imperial Lord. His duties to the country took primacy to his favors towards her.
Plus, her brother could easily be one of the many lower-class men recruited as foot soldiers for this war. If he were to die in battle, she would never find him.
"I get it," Rin said. "The sooner the war is over, the safer everyone will be."
Lord Tōga nodded. "Very well,"—then, suddenly—"How did you enjoy your room last night?"
Rin blinked. "My rooms?"
It was no wonder no one had come back to the room last night. Apparently, she was the only one meant to be sleeping in it.
"We must head towards the capitol soon to protect the Imperial Residence," Lord Tōga said, standing from his seat. "Unfortunately, you may have to stay her for a while, at least until we can ensure you have safe passage to Inugawa."
Rin's heart sank. Just like that, her whirlwind summer was over.
She opened her mouth to protest, but Lord Tōga beat her to it.
"As I've said before: a war camp is no place for a young woman."
"But I don't know anyone here," Rin said. She couldn't help but remember the last time she had stayed in a castle with a family she did not know—only to end up getting attacked by the Lady of the manor.
"You'll be fine here; there's no one to murder you in a jealous rage, at least," Tōga said. "Tsukuyomaru will ensure that you receive proper care. Plus, Lady Tō—Imperial Lady Katsushika will be here as well."
Rin frowned but said nothing more.
"I'm going to check on the horses and the dogs," Tōga said, walking towards the threshold again. "Try not to worry too much."
With that, Lord Tōga exited the room and slid the shōji shut behind him. In the silence, nothing else could be heard but his footsteps down the hall and Sesshōmaru's gentle, dozing breaths in the adjacent room.
a/n: I realized while re-reading this that Rin and Sesshōmaru look at each other a lot in this chapter. It just felt right to write.
Anyways, big apologies for the nearly two-months of radio silence on my end. School hit me full force after I posted chapter 23. As always, I appreciate everyone's lovely comments, especially the one's concerning my absence (I'm fine yall! Just forever busy with stuff I don't want to be busy with, lol). Honestly, I was thinking about doing a soft re-write of this story (cleaning up typos, adding small details, etc.) before posting this one, but I successfully resisted that urge and pushed through to the end of this chapter that's been sitting in my computer folder for over a month.
Other news: I've decided to cave and reveal the account I use to like Inuyasha content on Twitter. I can't guarantee I'll be too active there since, again, it's largely meant for lurking, but I think I'll be posting word count updates so that you guys will know that I haven't completely abandoned the story. My account is orphelly.
Honestly, as of now I have no idea when the next chapter will be up. I do know what scenes I want to include, but we'll see what else real life throws my way in the meantime. I also have a bunch of research on samurai armor to do!
Until next time!