Rin capered about like a lively spring hare, while Sesshoumaru trailed behind at a more measured pace. The duo had been journeying for several days after Jaken had split from their group, and they were now headed towards Kaede's village.
The demon lord hadn't originally planned to stop by and visit his brother, as he had more pressing matters related to his weapon to attend to. However, Rin had been insistent. He'd rather face a gruesome death than admit it, but he found her requests impossible to refuse.
He observed her as she gleefully waved her hand through a cluster of dandelions, scattering white, fluffy tufts in the wind.
She awed him in so many ways. In how such small things she found pleasure in, her perseverance in optimism when everyone else would have given up. And many had given up on him. The great demon lord had convinced himself that sentimentalism was for fools. In his heart, for the longest time, there did not exist a corner for love, compassion or any other needless emotions. He believed only the feeble sought comfort and affection during hardship.
However, his mentality shifted when that tiny, malnourished human girl, despite her fear, had approached him, willingly offering him food. Even after he had rejected and disregarded her, she persisted. She hadn't given up on him when logic dictated she should have.
Back then, he had experienced a strange fluttering in his chest that also terrified him. The impenetrable gates to his heart had been nudged ajar. All sorts of new feelings followed in her little footsteps. They crept in like thieves in the night, soundlessly, and claimed hold of everything in his heart.
The year he had spent with her had brought about more changes than centuries of wandering the earth and other realms alone.
Her influence over him far exceeded any power he held within himself. So, naturally, each request she made, accompanied by an innocent flutter of her lashes, became a command he felt compelled to fulfill. It vexed him to no end, but any grumpy rebellion was quelled by the sight of her happiness.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, look!" The little girl chirped, hopping on her tiptoes. "I can see the lumberjack's hut; we're almost there!" Her giggle invigorated her tired steps, making her quicken her pace.
Yet, something felt off.
"Rin. Stop." Sesshoumaru commanded as his ears twitched. Instead of the usual hum of people chatting and children laughing, he heard distant echoes of something worrisome.
The demon lord pulled his young charge behind him as they cautiously advanced towards the village. The lands were still unsettled following Naraku's death, with various demon and human clans fighting for new territories. While none had been foolish enough to challenge Sesshoumaru's authority, it was only a matter of time before Naraku's minions regrouped under new leaders and dared to defy him. Most demons were aware that Kaede's village was under Sesshoumaru's special protection, primarily because Rin spent a significant amount of her time there.
As they entered the outskirts of the village, they passed the first human dwellings. Yet, there were no farmers laboring in the fields, no women hauling firewood for supper, no boisterous children running amok. It was eerily silent.
Rin, too, sensed that something was amiss.
"Where is everyone, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
The demon lord did not reply. He simply ensured that his temporary katana was within easy reach beneath his yukata. As they drew nearer to the village, the faint scent of iron began to permeate the air.
Upon arrival, Rin heard the blood-curdling cries and moans originating from the village center. People had gathered around a high table—an altar made of hinoki wood—with a figure laid upon it, hidden beneath a crimson-stained bamboo mat. Several other bodies lay nearby, each concealed from the sight of the living. Some villagers were weeping in anguish, while others bellowed in anger.
The reek of life blood was so thick, even Rin could smell it. The earth itself seemed saturated with it.
"What happened here?" Rin asked her lord, the childlike lilt absent from her voice.
But her liege was just as uninformed as she was. Sesshoumaru had noted claw marks scarring the walls of the houses they'd passed earlier—a clear sign of a powerful demon's handiwork—but who was responsible?
Some of the villagers noticed the demon lord's presence, momentarily pausing their lamentations to distance themselves from him, pulling their children closer as they eyed him with a mix of anger and fear.
A woman stood further from the rest of the crowd, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around her. Her shoulders sagged, giving her a defeated, small appearance. Her raven-black hair was in disarray.
Sesshoumaru guided Rin towards the woman, and they approached her from the side.
As they drew nearer, Rin recognized the woman. She wanted to call out her name with her usual cheerfulness, but the woman's miserable appearance silenced her. What could Rin say? What could she even begin to ask this woman, who bore little resemblance to the vibrant person they'd bid farewell to at their last meeting?
The pair halted a few steps away from the woman. Seeing her face, they discovered it was half-covered in blood. Her right eye was swollen shut, and bruises were beginning to form on her jaw, forehead, and cheekbone. Blood stained the collar of her otherwise pristine white priestess garments.
But for Sesshoumaru, something else, thankfully unnoticed by Rin, stirred a greater sense of alarm.
He could smell what was concealed beneath the pristine white fabric. Entwined with the scent of her maiden blood was the unmistakable smell of his own brother.
Slowly, Kagome turned her head to face the demon lord and his young companion. Her eyes appeared vacant, but her soft, trembling voice carried such profound hurt and regret that it could have broken the heart of any man.
"Sesshoumaru," she wept.
A crimson tear traced its way down her wounded face.