SONG OF THE WEST
an Inuyasha fanfic
xxx.
Sesshōmaru and Rin returned to the camp to little fanfare, as Sesshōmaru preferred. They dismounted; and as Sesshōmaru motioned for a soldier to take their horses, Rin strolled to their tent to rid herself of the soiled clothing in her hands and find something in which to prepare their bounty of river oysters.
But the tent was not as unoccupied as they had left it. Inspector Jaken and another unfamiliar elder were seated on either side of Sesshōmaru's writing desk with a lacquered mahogany board and black and white chips between them. Rin could tell the stranger was rather tall, even as he sat in his fine evergreen dōfuku and rich brown kosode and hakama. His wood brown eyes turned to Rin with curiosity when she entered.
"Unannounced, again!" Jaken squawked.
Ignoring him, Rin blinked at the unfamiliar man in front of her and bowed.
"Um," she started. "Hello?"
"This is the troublesome courier I was telling your Lordship about!" Jaken said to his companion.
The old man's silvery, long gray hair swayed as he cocked his head and contemplated Rin's appearance in silence. His eyes sparkled with the warmth of recognition.
"My!" he exclaimed. "You are rather tiny."
Neither Rin nor Jaken knew how to respond to that observation.
"Where is your General?" he asked.
Before Rin could open her mouth, she heard the swish of tent fabric and felt a familiar, tall presence beside her. Sesshōmaru's hair was unbraided again, the gentle waves in his hair the only vestiges of the plaits.
Jaken stood and bowed to show obeisance. The elder did not.
"Never mind," the old man said.
If Sesshōmaru was surprised to see the man, he did not show it.
"You may leave, Jaken," Sesshōmaru instructed, his gold eyes focused on the unexpected guest.
Jaken stole a quick, discourteous glance at Rin before bowing again. "Yes, milord!"
Sesshōmaru's eyes then flickered to the little courier beside him. "You as well."
Rin looked askance at the elder, who still sat with an amused glint in his eyes. Regardless of her misgivings, she gave a simple, "Yes, my Lord," before being ushered out and away from the tent by Jaken.
With them gone, Sesshōmaru returned his attention to the unexpected visitor.
"Why are you here, Bokusenō?" Sesshōmaru asked, though not unkindly.
"I am here on Takeshige's behalf," Bokusenō intoned. "He apologizes for the delay and assures you he will pay you a call within a fortnight. Something about the Crown Prince…"
Sesshōmaru glanced at the desk. On the other side sat three books, thick with new pages.
"An ill-fated leak damaged a few treatises on war from my library; I went to the palace to transcribe them again," Bokusenō went on. "Considering this commotion, I thought it would be best for you to have them."
Bokusenō may have played an active role in the Imperial court at one point in time, but his ultimate passion was for intellectual attainment, not politics and meaningless court affairs. The library in his home was immeasurable, containing subjects ranging from military strategy and law to etiquette and poetry.
Sesshōmaru flipped through the first book in the pile. He recognized the lines. It was one of the many treatises he had copied as a child during his two years spent at Bokusenō's manor.
It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can understand the profitable way of carrying it on.
"I doubt I will have time to read these again."
Bokusenō hummed. "Yes; it appears you have other matters with which to occupy yourself in your free time."
Sesshōmaru's brow rose.
"Sit! Fix this game," Bokusenō said, gesturing towards the board. "Jaken delivered quite the tirade as he was playing and paid so little attention that I almost defeated him with ease."
The game of go was unsalvageable—or, at least, appeared to be. Though there were many other things he would rather do, Sesshōmaru sat at the writing desk to humor the old man and made his first move.
"Surely you did not visit for something as mundane as this," Sesshōmaru commented.
"There was more, but I have forgotten," Bokusenō shrugged, moving a chip on the board. "No matter; let's chat. We have not seen each other in so long!"
Sesshōmaru rolled his eyes and offered nothing with which to start a conversation.
"Oh! Takeshige told me about that damsel servant girl he rescued from the execution," Bokusenō said.
Sesshōmaru made another board. Servant girl. His father must've omitted the more dreadful details of Rin's past, then.
"And?" Sesshōmaru asked, feigning disinterest.
"He discussed sending her off with me for the duration of the war. Said she might delight in the greenery."
Sesshōmaru gave brief pause. Rin would love Bokusenō's manor, he thought, with its many magnolia trees and lush gardens. Secluded, serene, and above all, secure.
The young Lord frowned. He did not want her to leave. At least, not yet.
Plus, there was the matter of her not being at Shiraoi anymore.
"He decided against it, owing to your words of guidance," Bokusenō added, moving another chip.
Sesshōmaru said nothing. Bokusenō glanced about the tent, his gaze alighting upon the extra futon across from Sesshōmaru's.
"Good thing." Bokusenō's voice was full of mirth now. "It seems she is your courier now."
Sesshōmaru glared at the old man, brows furrowed. "Bokusenō—"
"No need to strike me down with your gaze, young Lord," Bokusenō interrupted. "I am rather well-versed in keeping secrets."
"How did you know?"
The elder huffed. "I am Bokusenō. Much wiser than these silly soldiers or Jaken. And, I must say, your hair looks quite interesting right now."
Sesshōmaru scowled. He would have to re-assess the practicality of allowing Rin to braid his hair, then.
"But how intriguing!" Bokusenō exclaimed, turning his gaze to the game again. "Your father said you had changed some, but I had not believed him."
"I have not changed."
"You seem—" Bokusenō paused to think "—more at ease. Far less vainglorious, too. It seems you startled poor Jaken, too: when I arrived, he accused that courier of being a kitsune."
Sesshōmaru pursed his lips. That sounded about right for Jaken. Smart, but over-dramatic.
"I thought he was being theatrical," Bokusenō said. "Who would have supposed that you of all people would be struck by ardor?"
"Ardor," Sesshōmaru repeated, his brow raised. The idea of him losing heart to anyone felt absurd.
"You say it as if it is an expletive," Bokusenō said.
"I feel no ardor," Sesshōmaru asserted. "She is my courier; nothing more."
Bokusenō hummed and made his last move. "You lose."
Sesshōmaru glanced at the board. Indeed, Bokusenō had delivered a finishing blow. Not that Sesshōmaru had cared enough to give the game much effort.
"This is a good thing," Bokusenō started again. "You never had much time for pleasure, being heir to the West. But be wary of distractions and recklessness."
Sesshōmaru huffed with dark amusement. That was the last thing anyone needed to worry about from him.
The young Lord saw the elderly man out. Bokusenō's carriage was called as close to the tent as his servants could get it, and as the servants assisted Bokusenō inside, Sesshōmaru felt Rin alight beside him like a little mejiro.
"He is Lord Bokusenō," Sesshōmaru stated, anticipating her inquiries. "My old mentor."
Bokusenō. Rin had heard that name before.
"And Lord Bokusenō was Lord Tōga's mentor, too?" she asked.
"Yes."
"So he must be really—"
"Old. He is."
Rin hummed, her curiosity satiated, unaware she had almost ended up in Bokusenō's carriage.
"I roasted the oysters," Rin chirped, shaking them around in the weaved, shallow basket she had found. "Are you hungry, my Lord?"
Sesshōmaru glanced down at her. She was looking up at him with those round, soft brown eyes he admired so much, and a pretty, expectant smile on her face.
He nodded. Happily, Rin strolled back to the tent. Sesshōmaru watched as she walked away.
Ardor. He had not realized there was a word that could so perfectly describe it.
In two weeks' time, the residual summer heat gave way to the clement climate of autumn, and the soldiers accepted that they would not see their families or homes for quite a long time.
Not that Rin had a family or home to which to return. Thus, she made do with the sturdiness of the general's tent and the warmth of the water at the spot Lord Sesshōmaru had shown her.
They went twice more after their first visit. He didn't allow her to braid his hair anymore—she didn't know why and was rather dismayed by this development—but she still enjoyed their chats and oyster-gathering. And though the war was quite a serious affair, she couldn't help but consider how much better that autumn was compared to those of years prior.
Friend. Sesshōmaru had called her his friend. The memory of it made Rin feel warm inside. It had been a long time since she had a friend close to her in age, and she had never supposed that she would one day meet a young man who did not demand a sexual favor from her.
Instead, they were close in more virtuous ways. He spoke to her in kind tones; she helped him with his armor; and they would take turns gathering food and cooking for each other. When he cupped her face with his firm hands, rough from years of holding a sword, she felt safe. As with the hand holding, she could not remember when or why it started, but she didn't mind, and knew better than to ask this time around. After a while, Rin assumed that was what friends did, and left it at that. What's more, she was grateful she got to wake up in the same tent as him each day and end the day with him nearby as well.
Inspector Jaken was the only downside. Unlike the heat, Jaken's rancor towards her had not broken since their initial horse-related encounter. While their day-to-day activities kept them apart, they often crossed paths entering and exiting the general's tent, where they would exchange a brief, awkward glance before scurrying about their separate ways.
Despite this, Jaken had not complained about her in his weekly reports to the honjin. They surely would have seen Lord Tōga by then if he had.
It seemed to Rin that Lord Sesshōmaru and Jaken had a long-standing, unspoken pact not to tell the Western Lord of Sesshōmaru's affairs, which was ironic, seeing as it was Jaken's job as metsuke to do so. Either way, since Jaken's time in Sesshōmaru's sonae would soon end as the metsuke were rotated around the camps, Rin figured she could bear another week and a half of tense eye contact.
This was easier said than done, for after Rin returned from yet another outing with Sesshōmaru one day, Seiryo and Ise approached her with a simple request.
"Could you tell the inspector to ease up a bit?" Seiryo asked, exhausted. "He has been hovering and criticizing since he arrived."
Rin blinked. She had been so busy avoiding Jaken that she had not noticed his behavior towards others.
"He knows you, at least, since you're both from Inujima," Seiryo pointed out.
Oh, right. She had told them that.
"The Inspector won't listen to me," Rin frowned. "He hates me."
Ise huffed. "He doesn't like anyone but the general."
"And you are close to the general," Seiryo added. "That has to count for something."
Rin paused. It felt sort of wrong to leverage her proximity to Sesshōmaru, especially when she knew Sesshōmaru himself had no qualms with Jaken's work as inspector. After all, their work hadn't increased or gotten more difficult with Jaken around—
"Who gave you three permission to stand around when there's still work to be done?" a familiar voice squawked from behind.
Seiryo and Ise straightened. Rin let out a long sigh before turning to face Jaken. Green eyes met brown eyes, and once again, that awkward silence settled in.
"Good afternoon, Inspector!" Rin chirped.
The awkward glance became an annoyed glare. Rin frowned. There wasno winning with this man.
Jaken turned to Seiryo and Ise and shoved some papers into their hands. "Deliver these to the metsuke at the other camps. And do so posthaste; I'll have more for you when you return!"
The two couriers grumbled, but hurried off to complete their tasks.
Jaken's back now to her, Rin tried to creep away without him noticing.
"Halt!" Jaken called out.
Rin winced and looked at him again. "The general is waiting for me to—"
"What ruse are you trying to pull?" Jaken said, eyes narrowed.
Rin blinked. "Huh?"
"You think you can charm your way to favoritism and live in bliss while everyone else works?" Jaken accused. "I, Jaken, am on to you! You may have bewitched the young Lord, but you will not lead me astray!"
Rin furrowed her brows. "I've been working as hard as any other courier."
"Why can't you deliver messages to honjin?" Jaken huffed.
Rin quieted some. "I—"
"No need to respond, boy! I already know," Jaken asserted. "You are a malevolent spirit, and you don't want the Western Lord to discover you."
If not for the 'malevolent spirit' part, Rin might've thought Jaken had discovered her and Sesshōmaru's secret. She stared at him, bewildered. How come he seemed to care so much when no one else seemed to mind?
"I'm no spirit; I'm just a normal person," Rin asserted. "Are you saying you are smarter than Lord Sesshōmaru, inspector?"
Jaken grew flustered. "That's not what I'm saying at all—"
"Well, it sounded like it!" Rin exclaimed. "Perhaps you should think before accusing someone wildly!"
"Oh, confound you—"
"Jaken. Rin." A deep voice called from behind them.
The two servants froze. The voice came from none other than Sesshōmaru, staring at them with furrowed brows and pursed lips.
"Milord!" Jaken gave a histrionic bow.
Sesshōmaru's eyes flickered to Rin, bypassing Jaken. Rin flushed. Hopefully, Lord Sesshōmaru had not heard too much of their squabble.
"Yes, my Lord?" she responded.
"Your lunch is ready," he intoned, beckoning her in the direction of the general's tent.
Jaken muttered something low enough for Rin not to hear. Sesshōmaru, however, did, and he turned to Jaken again, his gaze harder.
Rin's stomach sank. She grabbed Sesshōmaru's hand.
"We should eat!" she said, as she coaxed him towards the tent.
The tent smelled of roasted oysters when the odd pair arrived. But for once, Rin was not hungry. Instead, she sighed and dropped Sesshōmaru's hand.
"Inspector Jaken really doesn't like me," Rin commented.
"I'll speak with him," Sesshōmaru said, his voice stern.
Two slender arms wrapped around his. When Sesshōmaru glanced at her again, she was staring at him with pleading eyes.
Rin shook her head. "Please don't. He already thinks I'm some evil spirit. Plus, I can't rely on you for everything."
Sesshōmaru's brows furrowed. "Why can't you?"
Rin giggled at this, her laugh sweet and light, even though it was not a jest.
"I only have to avoid him for the next week," Rin said to herself. "Then he'll be gone, and I'll be fine."
Thus, Rin threw her all this new strategy: evading Jaken altogether. Whenever she'd heard his shrill voice or spied him walking through the camp, she would turn on her heel and walk in the opposite direction.
This worked. Their contact decreased the next few days, with their only meetings being whenever they were both in the general's tent, where Jaken felt obligated to hold his tongue in Lord Sesshōmaru's presence. Once more, Rin could exist in the camp in peace.
Soon enough, a much more sinister force quelled that peace.
It was evening. The sun was setting, the sky was orange, and Rin had returned exhausted from another camp after delivering a few medical supplies. As she approached the outskirts of the camp, she heard the shrill, unwelcoming voice of inspector Jaken. Alongside him were a few soldiers, armed with their swords but not concerned enough to be in proper form. Kenji and Seiryo were also alongside him with expressions of unease on their faces.
Rin tightened Hikari's reins, prepared to turn around and walk along the outskirts of the camp until she reached the other side, far away from Jaken's criticisms. But as Hikari trotted closer, the subjects of his ire grew into focus.
Women! There were women in the camp!
A group of four women stood before Jaken, with unamused expressions on their faces. Three of them were rather unremarkable compared to one another: each had dark brown hair and eyes and were of average height. The fourth woman—
Rin blinked in disbelief. The fourth woman was extremely familiar. Though she lacked the rouge and adornments she had while dancing at Hyōkusui's festival, Rin could recognize her jet-black hair and striking red eyes anywhere.
The woman seemed to recognize her as well, for her eyes narrowed upon seeing Rin. Rin didn't know if it was this recognition or Jaken's grating complaints that caused it, but the mysterious woman pivoted on her heel to walk back into the forest afterward.
Noting this, Jaken glanced at Rin. "Good! Now, make yourself useful and run off these other whores, too."
Rin cringed at his diction. "Inspector…"
One of the remaining three women let out an audible groan.
"How many times do we have to tell you this, old man?" the woman said. "We're here to help the war effort, nothing more, nothing less."
"Oh yes—we're well aware of that," Jaken deadpanned.
Rin frowned at the insult. A low snigger rose amongst the soldiers behind him but was silenced by Jaken, hitting the ground with the end of his staff.
"Even if your sort of assistance was upright, you would get nothing in return. The soldiers here haven't even received pay yet," Jaken said. "Begone, trollops! None of you can be here by order of His Excellency, Imperial Lord Tokudaiji of the West!"
"There's no need to be so rude," Rin said, frowning.
Jaken was glaring at her when she looked at him again. The woman spared Rin a quick glance as well. Then she squinted, before her eyes widened in disbelief and amusement.
Rin did not know who this woman was, but she would not chance it. As she was preparing to spur Hikari into the other direction, the woman said,
"Some camp. Here we are treated as pariahs, yet that girl is allowed to enter the camp without a fuss."
"Excuse me?" Jaken said, eyes narrowed.
Rin could feel her blood growing colder with each second. But, oddly enough, the woman's statement was met with laughter from Kenji and Seiryo, as well as a few other soldiers.
"You're mistaken!" Seiryo said, still laughing. "Rin may be young and cute, but he's no girl."
The woman huffed. "You must be jesting."
Jaken, to Rin's surprise, spoke up next. "There's nothing to jest about. Leave."
The women grumbled something to each other before throwing one last irritated glance at Jaken. Soon, they were walking in the opposite direction back into the dark woods, and Rin could feel a deep pit of commiseration rising in her stomach.
Kenji clicked his tongue. "You're too innocent for your own good."
Rin blinked. "What?"
"You even tried to help them, yet they still tried to frame you with a silly accusation," Kenji said. "You'll just have to learn more about how the world works."
Jaken was glaring at all the couriers, but especially Rin, who had dared speak up against his authority before others.
"You're no innocent," he squawked. "You're just a lustful young fool!"
Another false statement. But it was not as if she could admit her identity.
"You didn't have to be so cruel," Rin said, brows furrowed. "They're just trying to survive."
"There's no use in being kind to them," Seiryo explained, posturing himself as if he were some wise man and not a boy of merely fifteen. "Whores, especially low-class ones like them, are basically like strays. No matter how you treat them, they'll always return."
Rin's brows furrowed. "That's not true—"
"He's right. Or they'll just make their way around to another camp," Kenji pointed out.
Jaken scoffed at this. "And you call me cruel! Prostitutes are forbidden. They might even be spies. If they show up at the honjin, the commander will probably have them flogged."
"He wouldn't do that," Rin asserted.
"How dare you presume to know what His Grace would or wouldn't do?" Jaken said.
Jaken was right. She was, perhaps, overstepping. Still, the Lord Tōga she knew—the Lord Tōga who had rescued her from certain death and took her under his wing—would never punish people so down on their luck.
"Unbelievable!" Jaken said. Around them, other soldiers had trickled away, yet he continued. "The first women you see, and you lose whatever sense you had!"
Rin frowned. This was no longer the village, and she was no longer required to hold her tongue. She had come too far to let some short old man who knew very little about her to bully her into submission.
"What does that matter?" Rin said. "You're so small and cruel that you probably have no experience with women, either."
Kenji and Seiryo fought back laughter.
Jaken's eyes widened. But before he could say much else, Rin was already striding off in the opposite direction with Hikari. As she tied her golden horse in the makeshift stables for the night, she realized she felt more tired than she had been in a long time.
Sesshōmaru was still cloistered alone in the tent when she returned, either unaware of or unconcerned with Jaken having to drive away camp followers.
Rin plopped down behind him and crossed her legs. His hair was loose but preternaturally neat despite the wartime living. It shone softly under the many lanterns that lit up the tent's interior.
"Are you sure you don't want me to braid your hair, Lord Sesshōmaru?" Rin chirped.
"I'm sure," Sesshōmaru said, his eyes still focused on his writing.
Rin deflated. She missed the feel of his soft, pretty strands in her fingers.
With nothing much to distract her, Rin's mind drifted back to the annoyed expressions of the women. They hadn't appeared to be in dire straits, at least, but Rin knew that the words of Jaken and the other soldiers must have been painful. They had felt like daggers for Rin, though they had not been intended for her.
There wasn't much point in being concerned about her secret. Even though the woman had correctly guessed her identity, it was her word, as well as those of Jaken and the other soldiers, against that of a prostitute. Rin felt even worse with that knowledge.
Her body felt heavy again. Against her better judgment, she leaned forward so that her forehead was resting on Sesshōmaru's back and closed her eyes.
Sesshōmaru stopped writing.
"Rin," he called out.
"Men are cruel," Rin whispered, simple and sad.
He said nothing. The next thing Rin felt was his warm arms around her, pulling her so that she was seated beside him. When she opened her eyes again, she was in his arms, and he was staring down at her with his warm, golden gaze.
Rin could remember the first time she had seen those eyes. Back then, they had been filled with such revulsion. Yet, now…
"You can braid my hair again," Sesshōmaru said.
Rin was happy to hear this, though that was not what she was sad about. Her sadness was easing as well, too, now that Sesshōmaru's arm was around her.
Rin reddened slightly, embarrassed to have drawn Sesshōmaru's attention away from his work. Men were not all cruel. After all, Lord Tōga was a man. He had saved her at the trial and invited her to start a new life away from that horrible village, despite her being a village whore. She could call him a father figure, even. In her mind, this position was fixed.
Things had been more complicated with Sesshōmaru. But he had apologized and proven himself to be someone on whom she could depend. In some ways, things felt easier with him than with Lord Tōga, even. He was her friend—a fluid category, which could mean many things.
And, yet, he was a man, too. She felt acutely aware of that now that she was in his arms, could feel his lean muscle beneath layers of fabric and hear the steady, powerful heartbeat within his chest.
Why was he holding her so? Rin held her tongue. She had asked something similar before at Shiraoi and felt as if she had ruined something.
"Never mind, my Lord," Rin said softly, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I'm fine now."
Sesshōmaru's brow raised. Rin didn't bother trying to move. They remained that way, with Rin in Sesshōmaru's arms, until it was morning, and she woke in her futon, enveloped in blankets.
Not much to say here, other than 1.) sorry for the late update and 2.) i've changed my twitter handle again! i'm itsophelly now!