a/n: forgot to mention this in last chapter's glossary, but honjin is simply the term for the unit (sonae) that contains the commander-in-chief. so every time "honjin" is mentioned, it's simply referring to Tōga's camp.
SONG OF THE WEST
an Inuyasha fanfic
xxix.
Rin's swift acclimation to the army routines and customs surprised Sesshōmaru, though he did not show it. Each morning, as he sat dressed for the day at his writing desk, the young Lord heard his companion bestir herself on her futon soon after dayspring. As sunlight streamed through the tent, she would stretch—long and languid and almost kittenish. Then she would comb her short brown hair with her lithe fingers, greet him with her high-pitched, honeyed voice, and dress behind the kichō. After, the two would break their fast together with a bowl of kayu, as they did when they were still traveling with his father earlier in the summer.
Then came the shrill voices of couriers from other encampments, announcing a message. Sesshōmaru was a quick writer by nature, but he had taken to penning his responses without hurry, as to delay Rin's departure. It never worked for long. She always leapt at the chance to deliver his response, throwing on her tabi and waraji to fetch her golden horse.
He was fortunate if he saw her again for the rest of the day. After the first week, Sesshōmaru coaxed himself into fretting about her less. She was quite punctual, returning around sundown each day. She would enter the tent, her exhaustion thinly veiled by her enchanting smile. After supper, she would speak to him about her day, usually something one of the other couriers said that she found amusing, or a pretty bird or flower she saw during her travels. Duties finished, she spent the rest of the evening spying on whatever he was writing, even though she could not understand the characters he wrote on the parchment before him, until she changed into her nightclothes and dozed off. He would take his rest soon after, then the sun would rise and it would be time to do it all over.
Rin also adjusted to the battles and the sorrow that came after, regarding the whole affair with what seemed like wistful solemnity to Sesshōmaru. During frays, Rin would station herself with the logistics unit a safe distance away from the battle, as instructed. Just as on the quiet days, they never saw much of each other while the sun was up. On his end, there were bodies to recover, reports to be written, and the Emperor enjoyed sending envoys to waste him and Lord Tokudaiji's time. He would always return to her with the moonrise, doubtless redolent of blood and death. But she did not seem to mind this. She helped him remove and clean his armor each time, just as she did the first day, and offered him a warm embrace.
Rin's hugs were rather consistent. Sesshōmaru did not understand why, nor could he grasp the reason he did not seem to mind much. Society's standards considered their set of circumstances scandalous—two young people shrouded in the secrecy of a closed tent, embracing in the night. That they were not lovers made it more indecorous, perhaps. But, considering their secret, there was no use in having such scruples over an act so innocent and pleasurable. So Sesshōmaru accepted her delicate touch without reluctance, enjoying how her supple form felt against him.
The last weeks of summer slipped by in this way—communication and conflict, kayu and clandestine caresses. Early fall arrived on swift wings, and an eerie quietude fell over the war-torn landscape. A week elapsed without a single stir from the Eastern forces. The accounts of the reconnaissance soon confirmed that the enemy army had retreated further into the Eastern territory, leaving Kyō no Miyako and the villages surrounding it sine die.
The soldiers were excited to hear this news. But at the honjin, before his other generals in the council of war, Lord Tokudaiji voiced his opinion that the alleged retreat was nothing but another stratagem.
"Raikuji is attempting to draw us East, away from the capital, or else drag out the war until winter," the Lord of the West claimed. Candlelight flickered all about the fabric enclosure they had gathered in, creating a chiaroscuro on his hard expression.
"Then it would be best to pursue," the Crown Prince said.
Lord Tokudaiji gave the prince a sidelong glance and a raised brow.
"The massif is too treacherous to move a large army through," Sesshōmaru said, bridling at the question, "and it would waste time to go around them."
"We also cannot afford to leave the coast unguarded," Seiten added, glancing at the Takeda and Naozane generals.
It was decided. They would dig in near the capital and await Ryūkotsusei's next move.
The pause in action gave everyone some much-needed time to breathe. They no longer had to collect the bodies of their fallen comrades or concern themselves with perpetual injuries. Even the couriers could deliver messages less frequently to other camps, which meant Rin could remain in one place longer than usual.
The pause also fell around the time the metsuke arrived.
Sesshōmaru, to his misfortune, was in the general's tent completing the list of the fallen when he heard wooden wheels creaking over hard earth. There was a shuffle of fabrics, the entrance to the tent flapped open, and then:
"Young Lord Tokudaiji!"
Sesshōmaru glanced up from the stacks of parchment. Before him stood a short old man, with thick salt-and-pepper brows and mustache, donning a simple brown sode-kukuri and light brown hakama.
Sesshōmaru allowed himself to look surprised. "You are my inspector?"
A proud gleam shone in the older man's green eyes. "Her Imperial Highness volunteered me to help with the war effort, milord."
Imperial Lady Tokudaiji must have grown tired of the older man's chatter, then.
"Confirm the stock at the logistics unit and medical tent," Sesshōmaru instructed, turning back to his parchment. "After, draft a report and send it to the honjin."
"Yes, milord!"
The older man did not bristle at the immediate commands. With a bow, he turned on his heel and left the tent, the wooden staff in his hand crunching in the hard dirt outside.
"How long do you suppose we'll be here?"
"Didn't you hear? The commander-in-chief said the war could last well into winter."
Ise threw his head back and sighed. "I'm ready to go home. Things are boring now."
"It's only boring because you barely help around camp," Kenji muttered. "You're lucky no one has reported you yet."
The two boys glanced back at Rin, who was riding close behind them. Rin waved innocently. As luck would have it, despite her close relationship with their general, she was no informant.
"You know, when I was told they would recruit me for the Inu no Taishō's forces, I thought things would be more interesting. Now, we're stuck here," Ise said.
Rin frowned. "The Inu no Taishō knows what he's doing."
"Sure. Whatever. Don't fall behind; the last thing we need is to have to explain to the General why his favorite courier did not return to camp."
Rin huffed, but spurred Hikari into a trot.
The forest was calm as the three rode through, the fading green canopy providing some relief from the still-balmy early autumn sun.
Though the camp had slowed, Rin remained active. Now that Sesshōmaru was spending even more time in the camp, she did not want to bother him with ceaseless hovering. As such, she had made herself busy by assisting Nobuo, the camp medic to whom she had spoken during the first battle, helping him keep track of medical supplies and retrieving extra from the other camps when necessary.
She had much to collect this time around, which is why she had asked Kenji and Ise to accompany her. But after spending most of the day traveling from camp to camp with them, Rin had wished she invited the quiet Maki instead of boisterous Ise.
"What did you expect? This is war, not some ballad," Kenji said to Ise.
"I don't know—something heroic," Ise said. "I've heard so many impressive stories about him. And he's still impressive, I guess, but I hadn't expected him to be…well, old."
"Imperial Lord Tokudaiji isn't that old!" Rin defended.
Ise scoffed. "You're his servant. You're biased. Speaking of which, where did you disappear to when we got to the honjin?"
"I had to pee," Rin lied with ease. "Aren't you glad I disappeared? If I were there, the Inu no Taishō would have been too distracted for you to suck up to him."
Kenji laughed at this. Ise rolled his eyes.
They were approaching the outskirts of their camp now. Rin allowed Hikari to slow to a walk and fall behind Kenji and Ise's horses again.
She had thought little of the news of their prolonged stay. Lord Tōga told her weeks ago at Shiraoi that the war could last well into the winter. If anything, Rin was grateful Sesshōmaru had let her accompany him, lest she be waiting without purpose in Shiraoi's guest rooms.
But she missed Lord Tōga. Dearly. Today's trip to the honjin only exacerbated the feeling. She could hear his resonant voice even from the forest. It was difficult to be so near, yet unable to say a word.
Kenji and Ise stopped their horses before the medical tent, dismounted, and were preparing to unload their freight of medical supplies. Rin spurred Hikari to a canter again to catch up.
From the corner of her eye, a man materialized from one of the many jinmaku. He was old, with simple brown clothes. She had never seen him in the camp before. The logistics man, whose true name she never learned but whom everyone called Rōjin, accompanied him with an exasperated look on his face.
"Count the arrows again!" the old man was saying. "It makes no sense for there to be—"
Rin had little time to react. Both she and the unfamiliar man's eyes widened as Hikari, spooked by his sudden appearance, reared. Before Rin knew it, she was off the saddle and on the hard earth, with Hikari staring at her.
"Ow."
"What was that?" Nobuo called from the tent.
"He almost trampled me!" the unfamiliar man squawked.
Rin sighed and slowly picked herself off the ground. The unfamiliar man seemed alright.
She was unharmed too. A bit sore with a fresh headache, but no broken bones at least.
"I'm fine!" Rin assured.
Rōjin laughed. "Just let him walk it off. Things like this build character in a boy."
Rin turned to the man who Hikari had almost flattened.
"I'm sorry I almost hit you."
"He's the one that walked into the path," Kenji muttered.
"And since when did the army recruit men this old?" Ise asked.
"Old? I'll have you know I am the metsuke for this unit, handpicked by the General himself!" the old man said.
The metsuke. It had taken the inspectors so long to arrive that Rin had almost forgotten they were coming.
"I'll do a quick check on you, just to be safe," Nobuo said, frowning. He looked up at the inspector. "You too, sir."
"No need," the old man scoffed. "As it stands, you all have wasted enough of my time."
Nobuo turned to Rin, who was shaking her head. "I'm fine, really!"
If word had gotten back to Sesshōmaru that she needed to be checked on by a medic after falling from her horse, he wouldn't let her leave the tent for the rest of the day.
The old man huffed and turned away in a flurry of fine fabric. Rōjin rolled his eyes but followed.
"What a character," Kenji said once the old man was a safe distance away.
That was an accurate assessment.
Rin sighed. She had known the metsuke for less than fifteen minutes, and it appeared she had already gotten on his bad side. She would have to avoid him as much as possible, then.
This was easier thought than executed, for when she entered the general's tent, body aching and head still pounding even after helping Nobuo organize supplies, the metsuke was there, ranting as Sesshōmaru tuned him out.
"How dare you enter the general's tent without announcing yourself!" he yelled, waving his staff.
Rin flinched. Sesshōmaru's golden eyes narrowed.
"Jaken," he warned.
"Milord, this is the boy that nearly trampled me with his horse!" Jaken exclaimed.
"I didn't do it on purpose," Rin said. "And I stopped before I hit you."
Sesshōmaru's eyes flickered over her. She seemed stiffer than usual.
"You fell," he deduced.
Rin reddened, embarrassed. "I…"
"Are you hurt?"
"Just a bit sore."
Jaken's jaw dropped at this innocent exchange and the softness of his master's words. Since when did young Lord Sesshōmaru care about the well-being of some mere servant?
"Milord!" Jaken cried out to remind the two of his presence.
"I'm sorry I almost ran you over, sir," Rin offered again.
Jaken huffed. "Well, you just ought to—"
"Jaken," Sesshōmaru hissed, annoyed. "Leave us."
Jaken frowned, but obeyed, stopping to show brief obeisance before leaving the tent.
"Lord Sesshōmaru, who was he?" Rin asked.
"The metsuke," Sesshōmaru replied.
"Oh, yes, I know that. Who was he before now?"
"The chief steward of Inujima. Pay him no mind."
That seemed like a rather important position. It was no wonder Jaken had felt so comfortable ordering everyone around so soon.
Rin frowned. "What if he complains about me to Lord Tōga?"
"He will not," Sesshōmaru assured coolly.
Rin eased a bit. She glanced around the tent, though it was already so well known to her. On Sesshōmaru's writing desk was a stack of parchment waiting to be parsed through, as usual.
"Rest," he suggested.
She shook her head. "I still have a few more things to do. I just wanted to check on you."
Sesshōmaru's brow rose. "Check on me?"
"You're always so busy nowadays! I came to make sure you're alright."
Rin's large brown eyes sparkled as she spoke. He knew she was being sincere.
Sesshōmaru's hand rose to touch her face. There was still a bit of residue, presumably from when she had fallen, which he brushed away with his thumb.
"I'll make supper today, too," Rin added, grasping his wrist. "It'll be one less thing for you to do."
The young Lord huffed. He was bored, perhaps, but not so tired that she would need to take on his duties.
"Don't overexert yourself."
"I won't! I like helping."
Rin spun on her heel, her short hair swishing as she turned towards the door. But, without her noticing, Sesshōmaru had moved to block the exit.
She blinked and stepped to the side. Again, he held his arm out to block her.
"Lord Sesshōmaru!" Rin exclaimed.
His arm reached around her, and she felt his hand press into the small of her back, where she was still sore. She squeaked at the twinge of pain.
Sesshōmaru's eyes narrowed again. "Rest."
"But—"
"Now."
Rin looked up into his eyes. They were firm, but gentle, considering his autarchic tone.
She hadn't seen him so bossy since her accident in the woods. Falling from her horse was far less severe that incident.
She frowned, kicked off her waraji, and plopped down on her futon. Then she winced, because that sort of hurt, too.
Satisfied, Sesshōmaru returned to his writing desk to continue his work.
The next few moments passed in silence, save for the delicate sound of Sesshōmaru's brush moving against the parchment. There were birds singing outside, too, far beyond her reach.
Soon, she found herself humming with them to the tune of the Chrysanthemum and the Fox, which she had first heard so long ago. When that grew tedious, Rin glanced over at Sesshōmaru. His back was to her. His braid was messier now, with gossamer-like strands falling from their allotted spots. It would need to be restyled soon.
She adjusted her position to sit in seiza. "Your hair—"
"Braid it later," Sesshōmaru said without glancing at her.
Rin pursed her lips. He was committed to keeping her as unoccupied as possible.
Well, since he was making her stay, she might as well pester him.
"Lord Sesshōmaru," she called. "What is Inujima like?"
He said nothing. Determined, Rin furrowed her brows and scooted beside him.
"Lord Sesshōmaru," she sang.
"Continue acting like this," Sesshōmaru started coolly, "and you will stay here longer."
Rin blinked. "Act like what? It's a genuine question."
Sesshōmaru gave her a sidelong glance. Rin twinkled at him.
"It is large," he said.
"That's it?" Rin asked.
Sesshōmaru said nothing.
"The city is on an island, right?" Rin pressed.
"No," he responded.
"No?"
"The castle is on an island—Inujima. Inugawa, the city, is on the shore."
Rin closed her eyes and attempted to imagine a castle on an island from the shore. With so little detail, her mind could only create a poor representation.
Sesshōmaru was staring at her when she opened her eyes again.
"I bet there's lots of good fish there," Rin said. "I'd like to visit someday."
Sesshōmaru scoffed. "You will."
"I will?"
"Did you expect us to desert you at this point?"
Rin shook her head. She knew Lord Tōga had wanted to send her there at one point to avoid the war, but it had never occurred to her she would return to the castle with them when the conflict was complete. She couldn't imagine where she would fit. She was no maid, as her time at Asano castle proved. And, of course, there was still the matter of her brother…
"Did Lord Tōga ever tell you about my brother?"
"He did," Sesshōmaru said. Lord Tōga had told Sesshōmaru all about Rin's missing brother, but had never informed Rin of her brother's likely fate.
"Oh!" Rin nodded but said nothing more on the subject.
"Milord!" a shrill voice came from outside the tent.
Rin scooted back over to her futon so as not to be caught so close to Sesshōmaru.
Brows furrowed, Sesshōmaru called for Jaken to enter.
"A message from honjin!" Jaken announced, handing Sesshōmaru the folded piece of parchment.
Sesshōmaru's eyes scanned it. Then he penned a quick response and handed it to Jaken.
Jaken glanced at Rin, who was now watching from her futon. But before Jaken could order her to do anything, Sesshōmaru said, "Find another courier to deliver it."
Rin let out a relieved breath. Jaken, confused by this entire ordeal but unwilling to comment on it, threw another look at Rin before bowing and exiting the tent.
"What does it say?" Rin asked.
"My father will visit within the week."
Rin's eyes widened. "What then?"
"You will simply make yourself scarce that day," Sesshōmaru said.
Rin nodded. She could always find messages to deliver in other camps.
A low rumble carried through the tent. Rin glanced down at her stomach.
"Lord Sesshōmaru," Rin started. "Could I at least cook something?"
She had been there for a little over half an hour, Sesshōmaru surmised. She needed to rest longer, but he could not argue with her stomach.
"Go," Sesshōmaru said. "Don't prepare anything for me."
Rin blinked. "What will you eat, then?"
"I'll eat later."
"But aren't you hungry?" Rin pouted. She wasn't so tired that she couldn't ease his burdens.
Sesshōmaru ignored her.
Rin huffed. Then she paused. If he didn't see her prepare the meal, he couldn't tell her not to make him a portion as well.
"Alright, Lord Sesshōmaru," she chirped.
By now, Sesshōmaru was all too familiar with that puckish note in her voice.
"Rin—"
It was too late. Free from her involuntary rest, Rin exited the tent and went off to prepare food for them both.
One thing Rin missed about everyone knowing her identity as a woman was the simple luxury of a bath.
The task had been much easier when she was still traveling with the Inu no Taishō. Then, she could go off to the nearest lake or river and handle her business, with Lord Tōga watching out for any strangers from an appropriate distance.
A week and a half had passed since combat had paused. Baths had—thankfully—become more frequent, with soldiers making it a new habit to bathe and swim as opposed to relying on pails of water. Kenji even invited her to join him and the other couriers at the lake, an offer which she declined for obvious reasons.
Still, Rin made do. She kept a pail around and collected water whenever she ran errands near a river or whenever it rained. In the tent she would bathe behind the kichō—whenever Sesshōmaru wasn't there, naturally. It was inconvenient, but it was better than having no way to bathe at all, as was the case when she still lived in her village.
She was carrying one such water pail back to the tent when Sesshōmaru emerged, with Inspector Jaken in tow. Her interactions with the old man had been sparse since the horse incident, but they had still run into each other sometimes.
Jaken glared at her. Rin ignored it.
"Good afternoon, my Lord!" she chirped.
Sesshōmaru, however, was glancing at the pail in her hand.
"Have someone fetch my and Rin's horses," Sesshōmaru instructed Jaken. "I want to hunt."
"Should I gather a few guards, my Lord?" Jaken asked.
"No."
Jaken glanced warily at Rin, who stared back at him with a blank expression. He sighed, bowed, and departed towards where their horses were kept.
Sesshōmaru entered the tent again.
"Um, Lord Sesshōmaru," Rin started. She would do most anything he asked, but a hunt was inconvenient, especially since she was in need of a bath.
Sesshōmaru pulled clothing out of the wooden chest. "Bring extra clothes. You can have a proper bath."
"Really?"
He said nothing. With an excited smile on her face, Rin retrieved her extra clothing from the corner of the tent.
The area Sesshōmaru led her to was far from the camp and the rivers and lakes the other soldiers bathed in. Small animals still scampered underfoot, and the underbrush was less trampled upon than elsewhere in the forest. If Rin had to guess, they were southwest of the camp now, south of Kyō no Miyako's boundaries.
The gentle whir of rushing water grew louder as they continued. Soon, the trees gave way to a foaming river. Further upstream, a deluge of water cascaded over the cliff and into a plunge pool, generating a shroud of mist.
Rin gasped as she dismounted. Sesshōmaru kept his gaze on her.
"Have you been here before?" she asked.
"When I was a child," he responded.
Sesshōmaru had not been a child in a long time, Rin knew. She was surprised he could remember where to go.
Sesshōmaru, still bestride his horse, took Hikari's reins from Rin's hands.
Rin blinked. "Where are you going?"
"Downstream," Sesshōmaru said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Rin flushed. Right. They had left the camp so that she could bathe, not sightsee.
"I'll be quick!" she said, as he spurred both horses into a walk.
The water was warm when she submerged herself in the river, and the sound of the rapids crashing against the rocks created a natural cradle song. Far more relaxing than using a bucket to bathe. Rin might've fallen asleep if she hadn't promised Sesshōmaru to be speedy.
The only thing she had kept on as she bathed was the golden whistle around her neck in case she needed to alert her companion from afar. She had discarded her old clothes onto the rocks, close to where her new clothes sat folded with her shoes and her hat.
After she dried and dressed, Rin found Lord Sesshōmaru waiting downstream where he said he would be. The horses were secured to a tree and were grazing on the verdancy.
Sesshōmaru was lazing on a boulder, gazing out upon the tranquil scenery. His hair was unbound again, leaving it slightly curled and satiny under the afternoon sun. Rin's breath hitched at the sight; she almost hated to disturb him.
"Lord Sesshōmaru," she called. "I'm back."
His gaze flickered towards her.
"Did you catch anything?" she asked.
"I didn't hunt."
Rin glanced at his horse. Sure enough, his bow and arrows were still attached to the load. "Oh!"
The young Lord abandoned the boulder and walked in the waterfall's direction.
"Don't stray too far," he said.
"I won't, my Lord!" Rin chirped in response.
Save for how to navigate towards the Takeda camp, she did not know the area that much. So she sat off to the side on the riverbank, watching the horses graze, listening to the water splash against the rocks, and trying to think of anything other than Lord Sesshōmaru bathing nearby, the knowledge of which felt odd.
When he returned, his hair was slick with river water. She had never seen him with wet hair before.
"Can I braid your hair now, my Lord?" she asked.
Sesshōmaru gave a hum of consent. Provisions were made for their stark difference in height, and soon she was perched on one of the many boulders, with Sesshōmaru standing on the ground between her legs.
She had left her mother's comb in the tent, so instead, she ran her fingers through his hair to get rid of any knots that might be there.
"I'll do two this time, so it'll last longer," she said, mostly to herself, but loud enough for Sesshōmaru to hear.
She parted his hair down the middle. Sesshōmaru shivered as her finger brushed against his scalp.
Rin blinked. "Lord Sesshōmaru?"
"I'm fine," Sesshōmaru said. "Continue."
So she did. As she worked, Sesshōmaru's eyes focused on the way she swung her feet back and forth, back and forth as she concentrated.
The braids were quick and neat, and Rin was rather proud of them. Sesshōmaru's hair was long and thick, and braiding it made her miss her own, though hers had never been as healthy.
"Finished!" Rin chirped, sliding from the boulder. Sesshōmaru caught her in his arms and set her on the group, which was unnecessary since it not that far of a drop, but still appreciated. It was his way of thanking her for the style, she supposed.
Rin frowned as Sesshōmaru walked towards the horses. She enjoyed the serenity of this little secret spot in the forest, and the reprieve it offered from the camp.
She glanced around at the scenery again. When her eyes went to the water, she gasped.
Sesshōmaru turned to look at her. "What?"
"There are oysters here!" Rin said, excited.
She flitted over the large river rocks and knelt. They camouflaged well with the smaller stones, but Rin could still make them out.
She picked one up and bashed it against the rock. She winced when she tried to open it; it was sharp.
"Give it to me," Sesshōmaru said, crouching beside her.
Rin did. With his knife, Sesshōmaru pried the shell open easily. Rin happily plopped the oyster meat into her mouth.
The young Lord frowned at this.
"What?" Rin asked innocently.
"Wait until it's cooked," he responded. "You'll get sick."
"We used to eat them like this all the time in my old village," Rin dismissed.
Sesshōmaru huffed. She seemed to have an interesting preoccupation with seafood. "Is that where you learned to fish?"
"Yup!" Rin nodded. "My father was a fisherman. And my friends and my brothers and I would make games out of catching fish and hunting for oysters."
Those had all been fond memories—watching her dad and his men heave scores of fish into their boats, running around with the other children on the seashore, swimming from dawn to dusk.
More importantly, for the first time in a long time, she could remember those things without feeling sad.
"My brother taught me how to open oysters," Rin continued. "I guess I sort of forgot."
"It seems like you might have had an easier life as a fishmonger," Sesshōmaru said.
Rin giggled at the thought of herself pestering people to buy fish. She supposed that's what her life would have been, had not her family perished. Or if Tarō had brought them to a village along the sea, instead of one locked by land. But one could only expect a child to have so much forethought.
"I did try to be normal for the first few years after Tarō disappeared," she said, "but I never made much. Then this man asked me to help with something…"
She trailed off. There wasn't much point in explaining the rest of that encounter.
"It was surprising, and it hurt, but he gave me a lot of money, so…"
Sesshōmaru's golden eyes were fixed on her when she glanced back at him. She felt her cheeks heat. She had never shared that story with anyone, not even Lord Tōga, nor had she ever planned to. Sesshōmaru must've been disgusted by her now.
Sesshōmaru was appalled, but not at Rin. For the first time in his life, he felt remorseful. She had been maltreated for the most recent portion of her life: taken advantage of by men and boys; despised and abused by the women; and then maligned and shamed in situations where her background should not have been relevant, such as at the trial.
And, until recently, he had been one of the many people who had made her suffer because of forces out of her control.
"Forgive me," Sesshōmaru uttered.
Rin blinked. That was not what she had expected him to say.
She cocked her head to the side. "What for?"
Sesshōmaru glanced at her hand. The scar from where Sara Asano had cut her palm so long ago was faint, but still visible.
"Everything," Sesshōmaru said. "I am sorry."
Rin had not needed a verbal apology from him. He had already done multiple things to make amends for his poor treatment of her in the beginning.
Still, upon hearing three simple words, she felt light. Buoyant even. No one had ever apologized to her before.
"That's all in the past now! I forgive you," Rin said. "Not that I would change anything. If all that had never happened, we wouldn't have ever arrived here."
She gesticulated to the grand forest around them–the rushing river, the chirping birds, the humming cicadas.
Sesshōmaru was still staring at her, silent. With a small smile, Rin clasped his hands with hers and pulled it into her lap.
"What about you, Lord Sesshōmaru?" she asked, changing the subject to something a little less emotionally charged.
Sesshōmaru glanced at where his hand now rested in hers. "What is there to know?"
"What was it like growing up in Inujima? What were your friends like?"
"I had no friends."
Rin gasped. "You didn't have friends?"
"No."
Rin frowned. How lonely he must have been!
"It was by choice," Sesshōmaru said. "The courtiers' sons were bothersome."
"That's worse," Rin whispered.
Sesshōmaru rolled his eyes.
"But you were really good at tōko!" Rin remembered. "You must have played with others sometime."
"I learned from my mother."
"So you never played games with other children?"
Sesshōmaru stared at her.
"Can you skip rocks, at least?"
"Yes," Sesshōmaru said, annoyed.
Rin grabbed the smoothest, flattest stone around her and stood.
Sesshōmaru spoke before she could say anything.
"No."
"So, you can't skip rocks," Rin accused.
"You are acting like a child," he said, looking up at her.
"How would you know?" she asked with an affected innocence. "The way you tell it, you've never been around any children."
Sesshōmaru stood, took the stone from Rin's hand, and turned to the river. With a quick motion of his arm, the stone left his hand and plunked over and over again on the surface of the lake, creating twenty distinct splashes in the water. Then it was gone.
A perfect skip, despite him not attempting one since he was a child.
Rin had that bright, beautiful smile on her face when he looked at her again.
"Wasn't that fun?" she chirped.
"Not particularly," Sesshōmaru responded. Still, his eyes seemed soft again.
"But Sesshōmaru," Rin continued. "You must have done something other than your lordly duties."
Sesshōmaru thought about it. Indeed, his childhood had been filled with court meetings, combat training, and copying or reciting passages on everything from literature and etiquette to law and history until his fingers hurt and his voice was hoarse.
But there were some moments that resembled what Rin considered a "childhood," particularly when his father would return from traveling.
"Inujima has wild dogs," Sesshōmaru started.
"Dogs like Yua?" Rin asked.
Sesshōmaru nodded. "Larger. The dogs are not an issue as they once were, but they are still there. My father domesticates them for leisure. Occasionally, he took me along."
"You train dogs in your free time, then?" Rin asked.
Sesshōmaru brought his hands to either side of Rin's face and squished her cheeks.
"Hey!" Rin cried, embarrassed.
"You've become too casual," Sesshōmaru said.
"I wasn't even teasing that time, Lord Sesshōmaru!"
Sesshōmaru huffed. "I do not train dogs. It is only a memory."
Rin imagined a little Sesshōmaru, playing with cute puppies. She smiled again.
"That seems like a lovely memory."
Sesshōmaru's hands lingered on her face a while longer.
"And do you have friends now?" Rin asked.
Sesshōmaru gave her a stare that answered her question.
"Me! Since when?"
"Don't act coy."
"I've considered you a friend since that day in the village," Rin said. "But it is nice to hear you admit it, too."
All went silent. For a moment, the physical plane seemed to slip away, and it was just him and Rin and enlightenment.
Rin grabbed his wrist, and he was on earth once more.
"It's getting late. We should go back," she said, still smiling.
She was right. There was still a war to fight, and many other things to be done before he could enjoy the luxury of bliss.
"Yes," Sesshōmaru said. "Let's go."
a/n: :^) Until next time ~