The Hunter

Chapter Twenty-Three

In the short time they'd been in the tea room, the house had come to life. Servants were up and moving about with purpose, lighting fires, airing out futons, and preparing the morning meal. Rin found Kaoru in the kitchen, barking orders at nervous looking servants. The woman gave her a sharp look and a sneer curled her lips.

"Well, look who has chosen to grace us with her presence."

Rin arched a contentious brow. When she'd first arrived in this place Kaoru had terrified her, but not anymore. She saw her now for exactly what she was – shallow, bitter and terrified of no longer being needed. Kaoru craved importance and Rin had every intention of giving her exactly what she wanted.

"I need to speak with you," she said simply. "Privately."

Kaoru sniffed and gave a few last orders to the congregation of waiting servants before waving her out into the hall. Rin followed and was led to a small room. The walls and floors were bare but the scent of sandalwood incense clung to the air. Rin turned as Kaoru slid the door closed behind her.

"Well, girl? Out with it. I haven't got all day."

Rin took a breath and counselled her features. "You are the eyes and ears of this place," she pointed out. "Nothing goes on here without you knowing about it."

Kaoru crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Go on."

"I don't have the luxury of your freedom, Kaoru. I can't walk the streets and listen to the locals' gossip, but I know something terrible is about to happen. What do you know about it?"

"It would be inappropriate for me to share any information like that. His lordship relies on my ability to be discreet."

"I am certain that he does. It's only… This morning I met with Sesshomaru and he seemed…troubled. Whatever it is, it has him concerned as well."

The old woman's eyes narrowed in a disapproving frown.

"If something is going to happen, shouldn't we warn the others? Shouldn't we be taking some sort of precautions?"

Kaoru ignored her questions and snapped, "Have you completely forgotten your place, girl? Even an Oiran should not use his given name. Watch your tongue or you will face consequences you can't even begin to imagine."

Rin blinked in astonishment. The kamiyashiki was potentially facing some unknown enemy and this was what Kaoru was concerned about? Propriety?!

"From the day we met he's asked me to call him Sesshomaru. I don't see the problem; he's an Edo-garo, after all, and I am no servant."

A cold gleam of satisfaction glinted in Kaoru's dark eyes. "Is that so?"

Rin couldn't understand why she suddenly felt uneasy. Kaoru had not had this effect on her since her first days here. Why now, after all this time, should she feel an icy pang of fear in her gut?

"Perhaps it is best if you take these concerns of yours to the daimyo himself."

Rin felt her head nod in agreement and followed Kaoru down the maze of hallways to the daimyo's quarters. The door was painted with the same ostentatious battle scene and she hated the look of it almost as much as she hated the man himself. She was determined never to paint over it, no matter what he threatened her with. The mural was ugly, proud and garish; a perfect testament to the man behind it.

Following Kaoru's lead, Rin knelt obediently at the door and waited. The older woman knocked and a servant opened the door from the other side.

"The lady wishes to speak with his lordship," she said, her tone sharp and curt.

The servant opened the door further and Rin crossed the threshold. She didn't need to look up to know that there were far more people milling about than had been there on her first visit to the daimyo. To her left, a group of armoured soldiers were kneeling in a circle, speaking in low tones, and to her right group of servants were sharpening and polishing katana. Before her, in the centre of it all, was Sesshomaru.

He was dressed in threatening looking armour and had pulled his hair back off his face. It was clear that a battle of some sort was imminent. Fear clutched at her and perhaps that was why it took longer than it should have for her to realize what felt so out of place. Sesshomaru was not standing where she imagined an Edo-garo might be, dutifully next to the daimyo's chair, but instead was seated in it with retainers on either side.

The disturbing truth of the scene before her clutched at the periphery of her mind and for a long moment she refused to accept it. It wasn't – no – it couldn't be possible! All this time…? Her ears were buzzing so loudly they drowned out every other sound. There was only the sound of her breaths, raspy and quick, and the all consuming lie sitting in front of her.

A servant gently touched her arm and she jerked it away as if she'd been burned. The poor girl bowed in apology and then spoke again. It was almost impossible to hear her over the terrible rushing of blood in her ears. She focused on the movement of her lips, watching each syllable form into something completely unintelligible.

"Do you wish to speak with his lordship?" the servant asked once more, her expression filled with concern.

Rin opened her mouth to speak but no words emerged. Closing it, she shook her head and eyed the door. She needed to leave now, before this got any worse before he…

She felt his gaze on her like two red hot brands. Sucking in a breath, she reluctantly turned her head and saw wide-eyed shock written across his features. Instantly her heart sank. The faint glimmer of hope she'd held on to - that this had all been a simple misunderstanding - was brutally snuffed out. There was no mistake, no misunderstanding. Her friend was nothing more than a ghost. He'd never truly existed at all.

Her legs were moving towards the door before her mind had the chance to catch up. He didn't try to stop her. He didn't call her name. Forgetting all formalities, she shoved the door aside and fell out into the hall. Kaoru was waiting for her, looking smug.

Every ounce of rage she felt surged forward at the sight of the sneer on Kaoru's lips. She was sick to death of being lied to, sick of being tricked and played for a fool! Kaoru opened her mouth to make a snide remark and Rin felt her hand fly with more force than she'd ever thought possible. It came down hard across the older woman's cheek and connected with a satisfying slap that sent her tumbling to the floor. A servant lingering behind her gasped in horror, but she didn't care. She was done with caring about anyone or anything in this place.

Turning heel, she stormed blindly through the maze of halls. Her socked feed pounded relentlessly against the hardwood floor as her mind played back over every encounter, every meal and conversation she'd shared with him. It seemed impossible that they were the same person and yet, the undeniable truth had been sitting right there before her eyes.

Whatever else she thought she knew about him, at least she knew this – the man was a brilliant liar; he'd never once broken his façade as the well-meaning Edo-garo. He'd played her for a fool and no doubt found great amusement at her expense. She wondered if he'd laughed at her with the others, perhaps placed bets on how long he could fool her for. She wiped the feel of his kiss from her lips with the back of her hand and felt her stomach churn. To think of how close she'd come to-!

Though she was still fuming, the pace of her feet began to slow. At first she thought they were leading her back to her room, but in front of her stood the door that led to the daimyo's private garden. The irony of the situation was not lost on her. This place had once been their private retreat from the world and now it felt tainted as if it had been washed over with a pot of black ink. She debated leaving, but decided to go outside instead. At the moment she could think of nothing she needed more than to look upon those snow dusted treetops.

Keeping her eyes down, she gingerly slipped the waiting pair of outdoor sandals on her feet while her hand slid the door open. A cool gust of wind greeted her, stirring the hair ornament hanging by her face. Righting herself, she looked up and felt the air evaporate from her lungs. For a long moment she stared into the pair of familiar brown eyes waiting for her on the other side of the threshold and then dark spots crept across her vision.

Breathe! she told herself, but it was too late. With an ungraceful wobble her legs crumpled beneath her and then she was falling headfirst towards the snow-covered stone steps.

oOo

Don't be an idiot!

He could hear Sango's voice in his head just as clearly as if she were standing there next to him. She would have disapproved of this plan wholeheartedly. Sango never took uncalculated risks. It made her one of the best tacticians in their village, but sometimes you just had to jump into the pot and hope for the best. That's what he was doing now, standing just outside a door that would lead him into the daimyo's residence. He still had no idea how he would find Rin, but he was out of time and other options. If he was lucky he'd find a servant and force them to tell him where Rin's room was. In the impending chaos, he might just have a chance to get out again alive. If not, well… What better reason to die, than for love?

Fool, Sango's voice answered him and his mouth twitched in amusement.

Drawing his short sword, he put his hand on the door to slide it open but took a step back when it began to open on its own. There was no time to hide, no time to run. In the space of a heartbeat the door was open and a woman stood before him on the other side. She was fumbling with her sandals, trying to wedge them onto her socked feed.

He lowered his sword marginally and debated jumping up onto the roof. She hadn't seen him yet and with any luck he could remain hidden up there until she went back inside. But by the time the thought crossed his mind she'd finished fussing with her shoes. His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. He couldn't escape, but perhaps he could use her to help him find Rin.

It was obvious from the layers of fine silk that she was someone important. If worse came to worst perhaps he could use her as a hostage to negotiate for Rin's release. It was a horrible thing to consider, but he was desperate enough to try anything at this point. He'd resolved to demand she lead him to Rin's room when she looked up and everything came to a sudden halt.

From behind layers of stark white make up and kohl-lined eyes, two familiar chestnut-hued orbs peered back at him. He blinked and felt his mouth suddenly go dry. She looked like a Hina doll he'd seen once at a shop in Edo. They'd dressed her in an elaborate, vibrantly hued kimono and pulled her hair up in the stylish design worn by noble women. In it were stuck half a dozen hair ornaments, each worth more than he would make in a life time of demon slaying. Her face they'd painted white to hide the tell-tale darker skin of her inaka origins and then added just the barest hint of red to her lips to give them life. She stood there frozen, just as beautiful and fragile looking as the expensive doll he'd seen in the shop and then her eyes rolled up into her head and she was falling head first towards him.

He managed to sheathe his sword and thrust his arms out in time to catch her before she hit the ground. With a wary look at the hallway in front of him, he lifted her body the rest of the way outside and then used his foot to push the door closed. They'd be safe from prying eyes, at least for a little while.

By the time he'd knelt down, she was already coming to and he uttered a sigh of relief. Her eyes fluttered open and he tenderly cupped her cheek with his hand. She blinked as she stared up at him, her expression a mixture of confusion and surprise.

"You're here…" she said, though her words were so soft he wasn't sure they were meant for his ears.

He smiled down at her and she looked around, only belatedly realizing they were outside and she was sitting on his lap.

"What am I…?" she squirmed and struggled with her kimono to get her feet under her.

"You fainted," he offered, helping her to her feet.

Once she'd righted herself she looked down at where her hand was still held in his and pulled away. He reluctantly let her go and felt the shock of it as sharply as if she'd struck him in the face. Taking a step back, he expelled a weighted sigh and scratched nervously at the back of his head.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. Her eyes raked over him and he caught a hint of suspicion in their depths.

"I…" He struggled, finding himself at a loss for words. She lifted a brow expectantly and he nervously cleared his throat.

"I came to rescue you."

"Rescue me?" she replied, practically choking on the words.

"Is that so hard to believe?"

Her gaze hardened and she tried to step past him but he caught hold of her wrist and held tight.

"Rin, listen to me. The Shogun's soldiers are surrounding this place as we speak. If we don't leave now we won't get another chance."

"Why are there soldiers-"

"I don't have time to explain," he pressed, pulling her down the steps. "You'll just have to trust me."

"I'm a little short on trust at the moment," she snapped and jerked her hand hard to free it from his grasp.

He listened carefully and could just make out the distinct clink of armour as soldiers ran into position down the street on the north end of the garden. Once they made their way around the east side the two of them would be trapped. Uttering an impatient grunt in the back of his throat, he pulled her against him and held tight.

"The Shogun believes that a demon lives here and he's sent soldiers to kill it. Whether it's true or not doesn't matter. Either way they're going to attack and they already have this place mostly surrounded. I need to get you out of here before all hell breaks loose."

Her eyes widened in horror and she pushed against him.

"What?! No! I can't go! I have to-"

"Rin!"

Her mouth snapped shut and she went very still. He'd never raised his voice to her, never held her with the bruising force he was using now. He could see how much it terrified her but there was no helping it. He couldn't lose her again, not when he was this close to saving her!

She pulled towards the door again and he gave up all hope of negotiating with her. Grabbing her by the waist, he put her over his shoulder and ran for the wall. She beat her fists against his back and screamed at him to put her down but he couldn't stop now.

He reached the edge of the garden as the first of the soldiers turned down the street running behind the east wall. He cursed under his breath and ordered Rin to hold on to him as he pulled them both up into the branches of a large yew tree that grew close to the garden wall. He shuffled along one of the broader branches, using the one hanging above it for balance, until his feet touched the top of the wall. He set Rin down next to him and she glared at him with murder in his eyes.

"Hate me later," he said, pointing to the soldiers heading toward them. "I'm going to climb down first and then you need to jump. I promise I'll catch you."

She looked dubious but there was no time to argue. Releasing his hold on her, he climbed down the chain of his sickle and released it from the roof tile it was lodged into. It returned to him and he tucked the weapon neatly into the belt at his side then held out his arms.

"Jump!" he pleaded, glancing frantically over his shoulder at the approaching hoard of soldiers armed to the teeth.

They'd already been spotted. If she didn't jump now they didn't have a prayer of escaping. Rin cast one last beleaguered glance over her shoulder at the house beyond and then jumped into his waiting arms.

Author's Note: Who knew I could still update this quickly? ;) What did you think of the big reveal? Was anyone able to figure out Sesshomaru's secret before now? Take a second and let me know! I'm genuinely curious!

Also, I just wanted to say a BIG thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I haven't had the chance to respond to them just yet, but I will today. Each review was truly wonderful to read. I am so incredibly grateful to you for taking the time to leave me such thoughtful and insightful reviews. If only all writers could be so lucky :)

Until next time,

Langus