a/n: Once again, thank you for all the kind reviews left on the previous chapter.

A few notes before we begin:

Ō-yoroi: earlier samurai armor; literally means "great armor." this style of armor fell out of favor around the 15th century due to its unwieldiness, but it looks cool so we're just gonna ignore than in my fic!

Kabuto: the samurai helmet. They were often highly decorated based on rank and family lineage.

Menpō: also known as men-yoroi, these masks protected the face during battle and helped secure the helmet. (Some scholars think that they weren't widely used, however, due to how it restricted the vision).

Maedate: frontal decorations on the helmet. So like the family crests or other symbols.

I also have some visual examples over on my twitter account ( orphelly).

DISCLAIMER: I do not own this series!

SONG OF THE WEST

an Inuyasha fanfic

xxvi.

The presence of Lord Tōga's ō-yoroi felt like an additional person within the room. All thirty kilograms of it sat lifelessly on its wooden stand; Rin was afraid if she looked away, it would come to life and seize her. Tightly laced blue metal plates made up most of the construction, extending from the spaulders to the cuirass and tassets; the thigh guards, more blue metal plates with black edges, peeked from underneath. Black armored sleeves, leather gauntlets and greaves helped diversify this color palette, along with the pure white ties that would inevitably become soiled in battle.

What was more impressive to Rin was the helmet, which rested proudly upon the entire display like a crown. Like the rest of his armor, the kabuto was a rich lacquered blue, with black winglets and a white chin strap. A golden maedate in the shape of a crescent moon emerged proudly from its front. The menpō was fearsome as well, with its lacquered finish and fang-like projections about the mouth.

Rin reached to grab the helmet. The ensemble seemed unbearably heavy to her—she couldn't imagine how anybody could walk, much less ride or fight, while wearing it.

"You should see my actual armor set in Inugawa," Lord Tōga spoke up. "Much better than this imitation, though I am grateful for it."

Rin turned around, surprised by the Imperial Lord's sudden appearance. His hair was loose and damp from his brief visit to the hot springs—perhaps his last in a very long time. He wore a simple blue kimono without nu-bakama. The coziness of his appearance surprised her more.

"It's bigger than this?" Rin asked.

Tōga picked up the helmet to inspect it further before turning to Rin.

"Slightly, if you can believe it," Tōga said. "The color is richer, as well."

Tōga placed the helmet on Rin's head and fastened white chin cords. It was exactly as heavy as she thought it would be; soon, she was forced to hold on to Tōga's forearms to keep from toppling over.

The older man didn't laugh, but Rin saw his golden eyes sparkle as if he were mildly amused by her ungainliness.

He was trying to cheer her up, Rin knew. Still, she couldn't help but give a small frown in return.

"Lord Sesshōmaru said you all would be gone for six months," Rin said lowly. "Is that true?"

Tōga hesitated. "Six months, at the minimum. It is a bullish estimation, though. Young men always presume their first war won't last long—I know I did."

Rin sighed and lifted her arms to remove the burdensome helmet. Tōga stepped in to gingerly relieved her of the task.

As he untied the chin cord, the golden whistle still fastened about her neck tumbled from the inside of her yukata. Tōga blinked at the sudden flash of light it reflected.

"What's this?" The older man asked, taking the whistle into his grasp.

"Oh!" Rin exclaimed. "Lord Sesshōmaru won it for me at the festival."

Tōga's brows raised in surprised. He couldn't imagine his son taking part in any festival activities, much less a game. "Really?"

"It was a game of tōko," Rin explained. "We also—"

There was a sharp rap at the shoji. Rin deflated.

"Seiten," Toga called. "Come in."

Sure enough, the shoji opened to reveal the slightly younger brown-haired retainer of the Inu no Taishō.

"Forces from Shiraoi are convening outside the castle gates," Seiten announced. "And the Naozane, Hōjō, and Takeda clans have outfitted their troops and are sending them as we speak."

"And your clan?" Tōga asked.

Seiten grimaced. Rin could remember Tōga telling her that Seiten hailed from the Yanagisawa clan, a warrior family whose famous members had a long history of serving the Imperial family and various Imperial Lords, as well as assisting in battles.

"No response yet."

Tōga sighed but didn't press further. "They haven't started on Sai Hu or Sesshōmaru's horse, correct?"

"Not yet, my Lord."

"Good. I want to watch them when they do." The Imperial Lord turned back to his mountain of armor. "Help me inspect this. We wouldn't want any more surprises on the road."

The two men gathered around Lord Tōga's armor, leaving Rin standing alone in the center of the room.

"Where's Lord Sesshōmaru?" Rin blurted suddenly.

"He's at the castle shrine," Tōga responded, his gaze still focused on his armor. "He should be back soon."

Rin made a small sound of surprise at this. Lord Sesshōmaru had never struck her as the spiritual sort.

Quietly, Rin slipped out of the room to allow the men to work in peace. Unbeknownst to her, Lord Tōga's eyes followed.

"Sesshōmaru's scheme better work," he said, brows furrowed.

Seiten huffed in amusement. "He's your son. Why wouldn't it work?"

Shiraoi's shrine was smaller than the Asano family's, though no less elegant. The doors of the dark brown wooden building were wide open, and as she approached the torii, she could see Lord Tsukuyomaru and Lord Sesshōmaru conversing about something inaudible.

Rin waited outside, not wanting to be rude and interrupt. In no time at all, Tsukuyomaru was exiting the shrine and coming towards her.

Rin bowed when he was near enough to be greeted. Tsukuyomaru nodded in return.

"Have you seen Miss Shizu today?" Tsukuyomaru asked.

Rin made a small, surprised noise. "Not yet, my Lord."

"I've assigned her to help you attend to Imperial Lady Katsushika," Tsukuyomaru said. "I thought she would be best since you two are already familiar with one another."

Rin smiled. "Thank you, my Lord."

He gave a soft smile back before continuing on his way.

When Rin turned back to the shrine, Sesshōmaru was exiting the shrine as well. He frowned when he saw her.

"Why are you here?" He asked, though not unkindly.

"I came to find you," Rin chirped.

"I told you not to walk alone."

Oh, right. He did.

"It's daylight," Rin excused, "so I thought I'd be fine."

Sesshōmaru huffed and walked ahead, his strides long and quick. Rin followed.

"What do you need?" Sesshōmaru asked, gazing forward.

"Hm?"

"You said you were searching for me."

"Nothing in particular," Rin said. "Lord Tōga is busy…"

"As am I," Sesshōmaru interjected.

"… and I didn't want to sit alone in my room—"

"Am I your entertainment now?" Sesshōmaru asked.

Out of his view, Rin pouted. "I wasn't saying that. I wanted to talk to you before you left, is all."

Sesshōmaru didn't respond. Rin didn't mind; just being close to him was enough.

It was curious how much their relationship had changed since they had first met. He had gone from detesting her, to rescuing her from certain death on multiple occasions, and then to winning her gifts at the festival. She was unsure of where she stood in his mind, but she at least felt comfortable calling him a friend, much like Tōga or Seiten.

A grumpy, untalkative friend, but a friend still.

Rin walked face-first into his back, too distracted to notice that he had ceased his stroll. They were halfway back to the main castle now, amidst the teahouses and guest buildings.

Sesshōmaru faced her. "Do you remember how to get to the shrine?" He asked.

"I thought you said not to walk around by myself?"

The young man scoffed, but leaned down to speak to her. His warm breath smelled of mint.

"If there is an emergency, you might need to," he said lowly. "Can you?"

"I can, Lord Sesshōmaru," Rin whispered. "Why?"

Sesshōmaru straightened. His golden eyes shifted to examine their surroundings. Servants were milling about doing chores while castle guards made their rounds.

"Come," Sesshōmaru said.

He took hold of her hand. Her warm, soft fingers wiggled in his grasp.

"Why do you do that?" Rin asked as they walked.

"What?"

"Grab my hand like that," Rin continued. "You do it a lot now."

Sesshōmaru frowned. He hadn't realized.

"Not that I mind. I was just wondering," Rin added.

He let her hand fall from his grasp. She missed the warmth and wished she had said nothing at all.

Suddenly, Sesshōmaru felt two lissome arms encompass his torso from behind, clasping him in place. His core tensed.

"Rin—"

"I'm sorry," Rin said, her voice muffled by the layers of fabric at his back. "I'm just going to miss you when you leave, that's all."

The nearby servants glanced up at the pair curiously, but scurried along to do their duties.

"We can speak in your room—"

"No, we can't," Rin said, her soft voice still muffled. "You'll be too busy, just like Lord Tōga."

Sesshōmaru relaxed. Of course she was concerned about the war.

"You act as if we're going to die," Sesshōmaru said.

He felt her shiver against his back.

"I know you won't," Rin said. "But I'll miss you all the same."

Sesshōmaru felt a foreign, uncomfortable tightness in his chest. His hands moved to cover where hers gripped the front of his kimono. Their fingers interlocked.

There were soft footsteps behind them. Rin's friend from the village was there when Sesshōmaru glanced over his shoulder, looking at the oddly intimate scene with a bewildered expression on her face.

"You should go," Sesshōmaru said. Rin did not budge.

"Rin!" Shizu called. "I just brought some mochi to the teahouse. If we don't go soon, the birds might eat it."

At that, Rin's embrace loosened enough for Sesshōmaru to free herself from her arms and face her. She wasn't crying—thank goodness—but that miserable look to her doe-brown eyes he disliked had returned.

His hands moved to either side of her face. Their gazes met.

Then, without another word, Sesshōmaru was walking down the path to their rooms and away from her.

In the valley beyond the gates of Shiraoi's castle were rows upon rows of soldiers arranged into neat square-shaped crowds. The appearance of their armor varied according to their rank, with Lord Tōga's being the most elaborate and the common foot soldiers' being the least. A few were on horseback, but many had nothing to support them but their own two feet. With this small army—about 800 strong, Lady Tōran informed her—were also carts of materiel ranging from provisions to medical supplies.

Somewhere among the formation were Lord Tōga and Lord Sesshōmaru, proud and strong atop their houses, although they were too far off for Rin to see from her vantage point. The salutation party for the army gathered atop Shiraoi's castle walls. Since they were acting as Lady Tōran's maidservants, Rin and Shizu were given privileged with being a part of this formal affair. Rin had borrowed a plain black kosode from Shizu for the occasion—after all, now that she would rarely ride Hikari, there was no need to wear her pretty golden kosode and kiribakama—and joined the party. Two guards supplied by Lord Tsukuyomaru stood behind them, along with Teiji, one of Tsukuyomaru's closest attendants.

She hadn't the chance to speak to Sesshōmaru again before his departure, but she at least was able to give Lord Tōga a similar too-tight embrace and exchange a few parting words with him.

He kissed her forehead, slow and sweet and familial, when it was time for him to leave.

"Remember," he said lowly. "If there's any trouble, go to the shrine."

Rin looked up at him with furrowed brows. It was the same thing, albeit more cryptic, that Lord Sesshōmaru had told her.

"Do you want me to make offerings for you while you're gone?" Rin asked. That wasn't something she knew how to do, but she supposed she could ask around for proper instruction.

Tōga laughed at this. "If you wish."

"Taigokumaru finally makes his appearance," Tōran muttered, glancing to her right.

Rin looked in that direction. An old man in elaborate black and blood red formal wear stood watching the departing soldiers with a ring of guards surrounding him. Like his son, his hair was long and silver, but unbound; his tan, wrinkled face bore no trace of any long-gone youthful handsomeness. He looked solemnly upon the rows of soldiers and supported himself with a black lacquered cane.

"Don't look at him too long," Shizu jested in a low voice. "You might turn to stone."

Taigokumaru's head turned in their direction, as if he could sense that he was being discussed. His cruel red eyes seemed to consume light. Rin returned her gaze to the army.

The old man walked toward them in a manner that reminded her of a nightmarish snail, his host of faithful courtiers trailing behind him. He gave a small bow to Tōran when he was in an appropriate proximity.

"Imperial Lady Katsushika," he spoke, his voice comparable to nails scraping against wood. "My sincerest apologies for my absence—with age comes malady. I suppose you are finding your arrangements up to par?"

"All is well," Tōran replied.

If the terse response offended Lord Taigokumaru, he did not show it. Instead, he simpered.

"I know my son has provided adequate assistance to you, but I'd like to contribute to your comfort as well."

Beside her, Shizu stiffened.

With an indolent wave of his hand, two men stepped forward, also dressed in sentry attire.

"Your safety is of the utmost importance," Taigokumaru asserted. "Of course, if there is anything else you need, feel free to alert me."

Tōran gave a smile, as if she were accepting some sort of challenge. "Naturally."

When the bells of Shiraoi range for the eighth hour, the army formation moved forward into the horizon, not to be seen again for the next six months.

Or so Rin thought.

The next few days were rather uneventful. Rin pretending to be Lady Tōran's maid didn't mean she actually had to do any work. Tōran expected Rin and Shizu to act as company rather than subordinates.

Tōran would read and compose letters from and to her other Northern vassals in her room as Rin and Shizu discussed random castle happenings nearby. The men assigned to Tōran by Tsukuyomaru would always stand just outside the door or patrol her apartments.

Rin found she could gauge the progress of the war preparation effort by the Imperial Lady's body language alone: when the letters were positive, Tōran's pen moved energetically while writing a response; when the letters were less jovial—news of another Northern family toppled and their lands seized by Ryūkotsusei's fearsome Northern unit—she would grimace and set the note to the side in a neat pile with the others.

When Tōran wasn't in need of companionship (which was often), Rin would assist Shizu with her daily tasks around the castle, such as making sure Lord Tsukuyomaru's apartments, where Shizu was assigned, were free of dust. Teiji, oddly enough, would always accompany them, acting as their shadow.

Once or twice, they went down to the stable to tend to Hikari. The pretty golden horse was already throwing fits from being in one place for so long and could only be calmed by frequent brushing.

It was while they were making the long trek to the horse stables that Rin realized what Shizu said about the Shiraoi servants a few days prior was true. They were a strange bunch.

Rin and Shizu couldn't take one step around the castle grounds without receiving a dirty look from one servant or guard or another. Shizu simply ignored it, but this made Rin uneasy considering she had to stay for so long and she did not know why they regarded her so negatively.

As they were passing by another pair of servants, the reason became apparent.

"What's the going rate for one's honor nowadays?" One whispered.

The other servant let out a wry laugh. "It's a tale as old as time. These whores come in and trade themselves for a few days of favor and ease while the rest of us do hard, honest work. Just wait until their Lords get sick of them; then, they'll see."

Rin frowned and turned to look at them. She had been there for less than a week—how could she already be lambasted as a whore?

Shizu, rolling her eyes, grabbed Rin's wrist so they could continue their steady pace.

"Don't pay any attention to them," Shizu scoffed. "They're just upset about me being assigned to Lord Tsukuyomaru's room while he's away, and they're mad at you because you're my friend."

"Why would they be mad about that?" Rin asked.

Shizu shrugged. "No good reason. They're silly little girls who think that they should be able to catch the eye of some nobleman and climb a high branch. What they don't realize is that Tsukuyomaru allowed me to attend to his rooms because I do my job, not because he favors me."

It took little time to brush and feed Hikari. Soon they were returning to the guest apartments again—Teiji in tow—after a brief stop at the garden. Shizu had picked up some decent floral arrangement skills during her employment at the castle; Rin figured if she was going to be there for so long, she might as well have something to look at that wasn't painted cherry blossoms or books.

When they arrived at guest apartments again, the guards provided by Tsukuyomaru and Taigokumaru were making their rounds about the corridor. Teiji joined them.

In the room, Tōran was much as she was when they left her—bored within her cushioned and well-protected temporary dwelling. She was reading one of the many random books on her shelf when Shizu and Rin entered with their flowers and vases.

"Did you want to arrange flowers with us, your Excellency?" Rin asked Tōran.

Tōran's blue eyes seemed to go blank as her gaze landed upon the flowers.

"No thank you," Tōran responded. "My sister was always better than I at things like that."

A wistful fog entered the room. To change the subject, Rin turned to Shizu again.

"Lord Tsukuyomaru doesn't look a lot like his father," Rin mused.

Shizu huffed as she trimmed the flower stems. "Of course he doesn't. According to the other servants, he looks more like his mother. It's probably because his father was already halfway decrepit when the young Lord was conceived."

Mother. A lady of the castle had been absent this entire time.

"Lord Tsukuyomaru's mother is dead, then?" Rin asked.

"She died a few years after his birth," Shizu said, shrugging. "I heard Lord Taigokumaru wasn't sad to lose her. The Lady was the true heir of Shiraoi; he only married her for the land and title."

Rin found her thoughts drifting back to Sara Asano and felt sad.

"The marriage must have been unhappy," Rin wondered aloud.

"Who could be happy married to a fossil like that?" Shizu said. "I'd rather be a poor single village woman forever than have my father marry me off to some beast."

Tōran, who had since abandoned her book, chuckled at this statement. "Such is the status of noblewomen. Concurrently precious and disposable."

"Here, so are noble children in general," Shizu said. "If that old man could have more children, he'd be rid of Tsukuyomaru. Apparently, he's 'running from his own mortality' or something like that."

Tōran's brow quirked at the phrase. "… Did Lord Tsukuyomaru tell you that?"

Shizu hesitated. "The poor man has no one else to talk to, especially since his father is… well, like that. Sometimes he shares things with me; sometimes he doesn't."

Rin hid an amused smile. Shizu and Tsukuyomaru were closer than Shizu had let on—not close enough to receive such derogatory labels as whore, but certainly a confidante.

"What's your book about?" Rin asked Tōran, changing the subject again.

"It's an old story," Tōran started. "A young woman disguises herself as a man to join the army and be with her love. I think they performed a show of the sort at the festival."

Rin didn't recall seeing such a story; nevertheless, it interested her.

"How often does that happen?"

Tōran started to speak but stopped short. "… You aren't considering it, are you?"

Rin did not know what that was supposed to mean. "I'm just asking!"

Shizu stopped tending to her flowers to look at Rin. "Don't get any crazy ideas. We don't what a repeat of what happened in the village."

"What happened in the village?" Tōran asked.

"When the Northern tribesmen were nearby, she ran off into the forest without telling anybody," Shizu said. "She got hurt pretty badly, but she saved two people."

Tōran hummed, as if she were mildly impressed.

"I wouldn't know—after all, they would be disguised," Tōran said, answering Rin's original question. Then, "Can you ride well?"

"Yes, Lord Tōga taught me himself," Rin responded.

"And can you navigate?"

"Lord Tōga taught me, too."

"We're short on couriers," Tōran mentioned casually. "Even so, I doubt Imperial Lord Tokudaiji will allow you to go. He speaks of you like a dear daughter rather than a servant."

Her words carried the implication that she and Lord Tōga had spoken about her at some point.

Shizu seemed baffled at the direction the conversation was going in. "Rin—"

"Lady Katsushika," Rin started. "What sort of tasks do couriers—"

The shoji slid open, drawing the women's attention to the front of the room. Teiji was standing there with a hard look on his face.

"The guards Lord Taigokumaru supplied you with have shown their true colors," he said cryptically. "It's time to leave."

Rin's blood ran cold.

Shizu jumped from her seat on the floor. "What?"

"The guards are fighting in the courtyard as we speak, but there's no telling how long they can hold them off," Teiji explained, eerily calm about the situation. "Taigokumaru's men are coming this way as we speak."

Tōran, still sitting at her low table, ripped an empty page from the book and wrote on it as if all was well. Rin and Shizu gaped at her.

"Here," Tōran said, handing a folded piece of paper and a heavy, square-shaped item to Teiji. "Take them to safety."

"What about you?" Rin asked.

"I won't be able to fit on a horse with you all," Tōran said. "Go—I'll be fine."

Teiji grabbed Rin and Shizu's arms. "Come. We need to leave, now."

If there was anything Rin had learned over the past few weeks, it was that wealthy people had lives that were woefully dramatic. Being associated with these wealthy people was bound to bring constant unrest to a person's life.

Still, Rin thought she was handling yet another siege attempt rather well. It felt sort of like déjà vu—people, mostly servants, were running about the estate, just as they were in the streets of Yobetsu; and the wild rush to safety felt a lot like her and Sesshōmaru's escape from Hyōkusui just a week before. She felt somewhat accustomed to these experiences by now, though she didn't know if this was positive or negative.

Shizu was rather frantic though, to the point where Rin thought Shizu's firm grasp would surely crush her hand.

The trio hurried through dusty castle corridors and tight alleys between buildings—any forgotten space that Taigokumaru's soldiers would most likely avoid. This worked: the thick of the fray was occurring in open spaces.

Soon, Shiraoi's shrine was in view.

"The shrine?" Shizu asked incredulously.

Horses whinnied behind them. People were fast approaching.

To Rin's surprise, Teiji furrowed his brows and shoved the items Tōran had bequeathed to him into her hands. Then he drew his blade.

"Get inside," Teiji said. "At the end of the tunnel is the stable. The stable master will be waiting for you there."

Shizu was speechless.

Rin sucked in a breath. A tunnel. Suddenly, those cryptic words Sesshōmaru and Tōga had spoken before their departure made some sense.

Had they known what would happen at the castle?

Rin gave Shizu's hand a reassuring squeeze before turning back to Teiji.

"Good luck," Rin said.

Teiji gave Rin a small smile before running back in the direction from which they came.

Shizu looked at Rin. "What tunnels is he talking about?"

"I guess we'll find out," Rin said, pulling Shizu along the path toward the shrine.

I hate to leave this on a cliffhanger, but I felt this was the perfect point to end on for this chapter.

Full disclosure: I probably won't get around to chapter 27 until mid-December. This semester has been a bit hectic for me honestly; I've got to finish strong!

Still, you can find me popping in on twitter every now and then orphelly.

Until next time!