The Hunter

Chapter Twenty-Two

The izakaya was overcrowded and filled with noise. Kohaku barely looked up from his cup as the door slid open and another boisterous group of soldiers stumbled inside. It was exactly the sort of place he needed to be tonight – somewhere he could blend in, get drunk, and dwell on more than a few unsettling regrets.

The daimyo's words from earlier kept circling through his mind, adding bite to every sip of sake that crossed his lips. If you truly cared about her, your first question to me would have been whether she was happy. Was she happy? All this time he'd assumed the worst, but perhaps her life there was good. Perhaps she spent her days painting and being dressed in fine clothes. Perhaps she had forgotten about him long ago.

His hand trembled slightly as he poured the last of the sake into his saucer. What did he truly know about Rin's needs and wants? More than anything she wanted to be reunited with her family and return home, neither of which he could offer. If he went to her now and asked her to come with him, would she follow? A month ago he would have known the answer with every bone in his body, but now…

A slight, overworked waitress deposited a bowl of grilled eel over rice on his table. He looked up long enough to ask her for more sake. She sent a troubled glance toward the two empty bottles sitting in front of him. With a sigh he tossed an extra handful of coins onto the table to silence her conscience and turned his attention to his meal.

The eel was fresh and the rice warmed his stomach. He chewed thoughtfully as his eyes panned the small establishment. Nearly every table was filled with travellers or soldiers of some kind. The table next to his was filled with the latter. They laughed loud and long, traded insults with one another and demanded toast after toast. Kohaku wrote them off as nothing more than a nuisance until a few choice words reached his ears.

"Did you hear they've got a demon?"

The others at the table guffawed and demanded to know how much their friend had drunk.

"It's true," the first one insisted. "And from what I hear the Shogun ain't too happy about it either."

"What's he gonna do?" his friends asked, eagerly leaning forward.

"Get rid of it, of course. Can't give a demon power like that. It just isn't right."

"I'd like to be there for that!"

The table erupted into a chorus of excited cheers and boasts of prowess on the battlefield. Once they had quieted down again, one of them asked:

"When's this all gonna happen anyway? Soon?"

His comrade nodded. "Real soon."

Another excited round of cheers erupted and Kohaku turned away. A demon with power in Edo? His curiosity was piqued. He'd never met a demon with any sort of intelligence before. They were all brawn and no brains, as he liked to put it. The prospect of battling a demon of that calibre was almost too good to pass up.

He listened in on the next table's conversation while slowly sipping at his third bottle of sake. It was mostly idle chatter with a touch of the grandiose tossed in every now and then, nothing that offered him any clues. As the table's occupants succumbed to their drunken stupor one by one, Kohaku gave up hope of gaining anything more from them.

Kohaku stood to leave and swayed slightly on his feet. A hand braced against the table was enough to steady him, but his face felt hot. He'd drunk far more sake than he'd intended to. Looking down at his blurred hands, he clenched them into loose fists. They felt less inclined to kill than they had an hour ago, so maybe he'd drunk just enough.

Moving with as much coordination as he could muster, he stumbled out of the izakaya. The sky had taken on the grey cast of predawn and the biting wind nipped at his ears and cheeks. As he walked with his hands tucked under his arms, he remembered a night not unlike this one. A night when he'd strolled down one of Edo's streets with her, like a real couple would, before returning with her to their room at the inn. He wanted another night like that with her; he wanted a lifetime of them.

It wasn't until he was standing next to the high walls of the daimyo's residence that Kohaku realized where his feet had led him. He gazed up the white expanse and touched his hand to the sickle at his waist. He was just drunk and reckless enough to try it. It wouldn't be hard to scale a wall that size and once inside…

'Once inside, what then?' he asked himself. Open every door until you find which room is hers? Ask every servant who crosses your path if they know where the daimyo's Oiran is housed?

His hand reluctantly fell from his sickle and tightened into a fist. It was a stupid plan. He'd need to devise a real strategy and figure out some way of reaching Rin without anyone noticing. Based on the reception he'd received last time, he didn't imagine the daimyo would be all that magnanimous if he were caught snooping about.

The sound of retching drew his attention to the end of the street. A soldier, perhaps one of the many who'd crowded into his izakaya, had propped an arm against the wall of the daimyo's residence and was in the process of emptying the contents of his stomach all over his boots. Kohaku winced and felt his own turn in sympathy.

When he was finished, the soldier stumbled towards him with an uneasy gait.

"Admiring the view?" he asked with a mirthless chuckle. "Better take it in while you can."

His arm shot out, stopping the soldier in his tracks. "What do you mean?"

The man wavered unsteadily on his feet and exhaled a heavy breath that stank of bile. "The Shogun's planning to attack the place. Didn't you hear? They've got a demon lurking inside."

At demon the drunk cracked up into a loud, cackling laugh. Kohaku's brows lifted in surprise and he lowered his arm. A demon? Here? He turned his attention back to the wall while the soldier carried on down the street, still howling at the idea of a demon living in a daimyo's household.

Kohaku sobered up instantly. He'd never imagined the demon would be here. His stomach turned at the thought of what a demon might have done to Rin in his absence. They were vicious, ruthless and completely unmerciful. He'd seen the results of a demon's lust, they were the kind that were permanent and disfiguring if the victim survived at all.

His hands were shaking as he pushed them through his dark hair. He willed himself to calm down and think rationally. Even if it weren't true about the demon, it was clear the Shogun had every intention of attacking this place and who knew what might happen to Rin in the chaos.

He gazed once more at the towering white wall that surrounded the daimyo's residence and felt his resolve harden. Fate had made the decision for him, it seemed. He would find Rin before the Shogun's forces attacked and take her away from this place. The rest they could figure out in the aftermath, once she was safe.

Silencing the ever-present doubts that lingered about how she would respond to seeing him again, Kohaku pulled the sickle from his belt and swung it up over the top of the wall.

oOo

The shoji rattled in its frame and then closed again. She waited, listening to the soft rustle of silk as he moved from the door to his place on the floor and knelt.

Patience, she counselled herself, taking a breath.

Sado required patience. It was the art of balance, a ritual of choreographed, perfect movements. It demanded that one be fully present in the moment, with all five senses devoted to the art of making tea. The feeling of her heart in her throat told her she was more than present in the moment, but it was a struggle to direct the rest of her senses to focus on anything but him.

Her eyes wandered about the dimly lit tea room. It was a small space, only six tatami in size. At its centre lay the hearth where the tea master would prepare their tea. Regrettably, from this distance she could not feel the warmth of the burning coals on her chilled skin. To her left was a small alcove and she was surprised to see one of her own painted scrolls hanging on its wall.

It was a simple black ink scene of swallows in flight, her homage to the Uesugi mon-crest Sesshomaru had shown her in the gardens. She had given it to him weeks ago as a token of gratitude for his friendship. She never imagined he would put it on display in this way. She was tempted to say something to him, but at that moment the tea master entered effectively putting a halt to any conversation.

The tea master was an older woman with streaks of grey cutting through her dark hair. Rin admired her kimono as she shuffled into the room. The garment was crafted of silk the colour of the sky at twilight, and the obi was the same cool blue as the full moon. She knelt next to the hearth and greeted them with a deep bow.

As the tea master unpacked her tools one by one, Rin shifted her gaze to Sesshomaru in the hopes of catching a glimpse of his features in the early morning light. He looked serious, more serious than she could remember seeing him. She waited, hoping he would look her way. When he didn't, she looked away disappointed.

Hours earlier, while the moon was still high in the sky, two servants had awoken her saying that Sesshomaru requested her presence in the tea room. While she was still half asleep they poked and prodded her until she was deemed presentable and then she was deposited in this room and told to wait.

It crossed her mind that perhaps he'd chosen this setting because within the tea ceremony there was no room for idle conversation, no window for questions or lulls where one might demand answers. Yesterday he kissed her and today he felt like a stranger seated next to her. What had happened in the course of a day to change him this much?

The tea master set a bowl of steaming tea in front of the Edo-garo and he took it up with both hands. There was a sense of formality in his movements as he turned the cup twice and then brought it to his lips. She tried not to stare, but found herself watching his throat move as he swallowed and his hands as he turned the cup once more. Those hands that could kill with a movement so quick it was indiscernible to the human eye held the relic between them so carefully that she was certain he'd never dropped a cup in his life.

Soon the bowl was in front of her and the tea master was explaining the chawan's origin, and how it was hand crafted by Master Nomomura. His name was spoken with the sort of reverence that implied she should be aware of who he was. She bowed and attempted to look suitably impressed before tasting the bowl's contents. The tea was bitter and thick in her mouth. She swallowed it down but the aftertaste was no better. Wearing a polite smile, she finished the rest and then set the empty chawan in front of their host.

They watched in silence as the tea master went through the ritual cleansing of the chawan and each tool she had used to prepare their tea. Then, with a nod from Sesshomaru, she excused herself and they were alone. By this time, the grey light of dawn had begun to seep through the windows, erasing the shadows from the corners of the room. In this light he looked the same as he had on the first morning they'd met, standing on opposite sides of a rushing river.

"We are alone here," he said softly as though to reassure her. It seemed an odd thing to say. Hadn't they always been alone when they were together?

With a soft rustle of silk he stood at the open window, impervious to the chilled morning air, and watched the sky grow steadily lighter. She moved to join him, standing as close as she dared. His body turned ever so slightly towards her and though his arms remained at his sides it was as though he'd wrapped them around her and pulled her into him. She felt at once warmed and comforted.

"Did you enjoy the tea?"

Not wanting to lie to him, she deflected by posing a question of her own.

"Are tea ceremonies always so early?"

A faint smile lifted a corner of his mouth. "No, the akatsuki no chaji, the dawn tea ceremony, is special. Only here do you truly feel the passage of time. It happens so gradually that you do not notice it at first, and then suddenly, as though all at once, the shadows are gone, the room looks different from before, and you know that a new day has begun."

The back of his hand ghosted across her cheek and his eyes held hers.

"The akatsuki no chaji teaches us how to mourn the loss of the old while appreciating the beauty of what is new."

His words were like poetry, but the message behind them left her feeling hollow. She turned her face towards the garden and breathed a soft sigh. He asked the impossible. Her heart would never forget Kohaku. With patience and determination he'd carved out a permanent place inside of her. Whatever she felt for Sesshomaru, it would never change what she felt and would always feel for him.

"There is something I would like to give you."

She looked back as he pressed a small bundle of silk into her palm. He waited patiently for her to open it and she carefully lifted the silk away. Inside was a simple wooden comb with teeth that had been worn smooth by years of use. Along the face were small but perfectly carved sakura, each one unique and as sharp as the first day they had been crafted.

"It is beautiful," she breathed, knowing that the word was wholly inadequate to describe the object in her hand.

"Many years ago, it belonged to my mother."

Rin looked up, startled. "I-I can't possibly accept such a gift."

"You already have," he replied with a faint smile.

Before she could respond, he pushed open the sliding door that led to the veranda. He stepped out into the cold morning air and braced his hands against the wooden railing. The sun had yet to break through the grey clouds hanging over Edo. Even with the scent of hearth fires being re-lit in the air, the city remained asleep.

After re-wrapping the comb and tucking it carefully inside her kimono, Rin followed him out on to the veranda. She took up residence next to him and wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chilled morning air.

"I fear that after today, many things will change."

The sense of foreboding coloured his tone and she looked him over carefully. There was weariness behind his eyes that hinted he had not experienced a sound night of sleep in weeks. Her hand reached out and touched his arm.

"What is it?"

His eyes lingered on the place where her fingers tightened around his arm, offering him comfort and support.

"There are times when I wonder… Would you touch me so if you knew the truth?"

His mouth hardened into a thin line and his eyes reluctantly met hers. "I am not what you think I am."

The breath escaped her lungs in a shaky exhale, "I know what you are. I have since that morning we first met in the woods. No human moves that quickly."

The sudden vulnerability in his gaze made her mask temporarily fall away. It made no difference to her what he was - human or demon, he was her friend and that was all that mattered in this place.

"It truly does not matter to you, does it?" he asked as his fingers stroked the soft underside of her jaw.

She shook her head and leaned ever so slightly into his touch.

"It is because of what you are that I am alive. I would sooner hate myself than hate you."

A wan smiled ghosted across his lips and he pressed them against the chilled skin of her hand. The heat of his touch spread up her arm in a sudden rush that sent goose bumps rippling across her flesh. She gasped at the sensation and then when his arm encircled her she found she could breathe no more.

His lips pressed against hers, soft and inviting. Their first kiss had been no accident, she realized, merely the cracking open of a door that had since been flung wide. Whatever riddles crossed his lips, his kiss told her everything she needed to know about the nature of his heart. It was good, and so was the man holding her close on this cold winter morning.

She shivered and Sesshomaru's larger hand wrapped around hers, pulling it against his chest to protect it from the chilled air. She gasped as his lips moved over hers, and moaned softly when his tongue began to gently explore her mouth.

"Sesshomaru…"

She managed a breath and with it came his name. He pulled back, just enough to catch his breath. It was difficult to form words; even more difficult was to form them into something intelligible and coherent.

"We should stop…"

He nodded in agreement but his lips found her neck anyhow and wasted no time lavishing it with attention. Her eyes fluttered closed and for just a moment she allowed herself to be swept away by the feel of him – his warmth, his power, his presence… But what she felt no longer mattered and it hadn't since that grey morning when she'd first come here.

"I am his," she pleaded and felt her eyes moisten with tears. He had been a friend to her when she hadn't a friend in the world. He deserved more than the dishonour and shame that would be brought upon him if they went any further down this path.

She felt his exhale as much as heard it. His eyes were heavy when they met hers and she knew with a single glance where this encounter might have gone.

"You are right," he admitted with reluctant defeat. "Please forgive me."

"I would not see you punished because of me."

He looked as though he might kiss her again, but turned his attention to the garden instead. Her hand remained in his, held pressed against the warmth of his chest.

"There is so much you do not know…" he said softly, speaking more to himself than to her.

"Tell me."

For a moment he looked as though he might and then his eyes narrowed at the garden beyond. They swept the perimeter, studying every bush and tree. Rin followed his gaze but could not see anything out of place. Beneath her hand, she felt the muscles of his chest stiffen and then his attention was back on her.

"I must go," he said with an apologetic smile. "Duty calls."

She nodded in understanding.

"We will continue this conversation later," he promised, then kissed her softly on the brow before departing.

She waited until the shoji door had drawn shut behind him before letting out the breath she'd been holding. Her lips still burned from his kiss, in fact her whole body felt warm with it, yet deep inside lingered the unsettling ache of loneliness. She didn't feel the warm tear sliding down her cheek until it landed atop the back of her hand. She stared at it for a long moment, wondering just who it was she was meant to be crying for.

In that same moment the sun crested the horizon, turning the morning sky an ominous blood red. Unease crept up her spine and she brushed the tear from her hand without a second thought. Something was coming, she sensed it with every bone in her body. Is this what Sesshomaru had meant when he said that many things would change after today? Determined to find out, Rin stepped back into the tea room and went in search of the one person she never imagined she would seek out willingly - Kaoru.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long break everyone, but I hope you liked the new chapter! It sets things up nicely for the bit of drama that will be coming your way next time around. Please take a minute to let me know what you think :)

I'm also pleased as punch to announce that The Hunter placed second for "Best Romance Fiction" at the Feudal Association Awards. A heartfelt thank you must go out to the nominators and voters. You guys are amazing!

Until next time,

Langus