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Chapter 12 - Kizuna
By the time Sesshomaru caught up to Rin and Jaken, she had discovered the stream. It was rather more of a waterfall into a nearly crystal clear pool of water. Briefly he cast a glance around. Boulders and roots intertwined around the pool and grew thick with soft green moss. Butterflies and dust motes lilted through the air, giving it an ancient, almost magical feel. Further than the pool, there was what appeared to be a cave, created by the boulders and roots. It jutted from the ground with a tall peak, the darkness within prevented any further inspection without light.
"Oh Lord Sesshomaru! Look at the beautiful waterfall!" Rin exclaimed while dancing on the rocks next to the clear pool of water. Laughing she leapt into the water, dousing Jaken who had just walked over to inspect.
Jaken squawked and spat water. "You silly girl! You almost drowned me! You should respect your elders and apologize—"
"Jaken." Sesshomaru said, a warning in his tone.
The imp withered with a whimper. "Y-yes milord." Bowing, he backed away, leaving a wet trail of water as he went.
It was quiet here. Peaceful. Exactly as Sesshomaru remembered it had been when his father had brought him, so many years before. This spot, he did not remember in particular. Toga had brought him to a secluded cove on the beach, equally as peaceful, but an entirely different aesthetic.
Rin had abandoned the pool, her yukata dripping water as she skipped up to the mossy rocks. Within moments she was enamored with the different mushrooms and edible plants that she found growing.
"Stay with Rin." He ordered Jaken, who was still standing in his own puddle.
"Yes my Lord."
Turning, the yokai headed back towards Bokuseno's tree, the foliage seeming to absorb him as he vanished between the trees.
Before he even stepped into sight of Bokuseno, the tree addressed him.
"You want to know about the voice."
Sesshomaru shouldn't have been surprised. Bokuseno seemed to have clairvoyant abilities. Since he already knew the direction of the yokai's thoughts, he didn't bother to reiterate them. Instead he came to stand before the ancient magnolia, and met his wizened gaze. For a moment the normally verbose demon, was silent, as if assessing Sesshomaru.
"What do you know of the Kizuna?"
Again Bokuseno threw Sesshomaru off balance. Kizuna? What did that have anything to do with it?
"Only what my father told me, when I was young." His mother did not believe in offering protection to… well… anyone. Not even her only son. As far as Sesshomaru knew, she'd never shared a Kizuna with any being. For a moment he flashed to the night he'd resurrected Rin, on the mountain in Tanko's hut. He lost himself to the memory.
"Please don't leave me." Rin's voice had dropped to a whisper. "I'm not afraid with you." Her eyes were plaintive, expressing the sorrow of her soul, which she didn't have the words to explain.
"I cannot be with you every moment. You will have to accept that." The fear in her eyes intensified, as she absorbed what he spoke. "But, I can leave you with something for the moments that we are not together — a gift."
Before he could question himself, or truly consider the consequences of his actions, Sesshomaru closed his eyes. The half moon on his forehead began to glow softly, filling the space between them with a faded milky purple light. Lifting his hand, he placed two fingers against his forehead. A portion of the glow from the moon, seemed to be absorbed into his skin. Opening his eyes again, he took the same two fingers and extended his arm to Rin's forehead. He was careful not to touch her skin with his sharp claws, only the soft pads of his fingertips brushed the skin of her forehead. The glow from his fingertips was transferred to her. He watched as the outline of the half moon glowed against her skin brightly for a moment, before absorbing and vanishing completely into her forehead.
As if suddenly realizing that Bokuseno was still waiting for an answer, he refocused and looked up at the tree who was patiently waiting.
"My father told me that Kizuna is an offering of protection. Reserved for the person who matters most in a demon's life. For dog yokai, we offer the protection of our moon. It connects two beings. He said it is more, and that he would instruct me later." Momentarily he pressed his lips together, a sudden rush of anger sliced through him, realizing that his father neglected to pass Sesshomaru yet more information, that he needed. "That is what I know."
Bokuseno huffed. "I presume you were quite young, when he told you, or he would have given you a more thorough answer. "
Sesshomaru's eyebrows raised a fraction. In silence he waited for Bokuseno to elaborate.
"The voice you're hearing, is the girl's inner thoughts."
"Rin? How is that possible? Kizuna affords protection, allows one person to call for the other."
"On a very basic level, yes. Kizuna is a form of protection. But for a demon, it is far more. It is a connection of the soul."
Something shot through Sesshomaru's body, hot and terrifying. Externally, he kept his tone even, his face impassive.
"Explain."
"When a demon initiates Kizuna with another being, it is an entwining of the soul. Two souls becoming mirrors of each other. Initially, it is a call of protection. But as time advances, the connection will deepen and intensify. The space between the minds will become thin, and thoughts will become audible, one to the other. Eventually the souls will be knitted together in a bond that cannot be parted."
Sesshomaru felt as though he'd been doused with ice water. He'd entwined his soul with Rin's? He never would have gifted her the Kizuna if he had known.
"That cannot be."
"I have no reason to lie. I am not your father, Sesshomaru, but in the stead of the great dog demon after his early death, I will give you all the truth that I know."
"I would never have given her Kizuna if I had known it was dooming her soul to be bound to a demon."
The trees eyebrows drew together. "You did not doom her soul. I trust, that in the moment, you gave her the best instinctual protection that you could. If you choose to allow her to live a mortal life, she will. If you eventually choose a life with her, she will experience a bond that few mortals have ever known. The choice is yours."
A host of confusing emotions flooded Sesshomaru's chest. For a moment he felt again as if the Tetsusaiga was tearing him apart from the inside out. Taking on deep breath, he pushed all his tumultuous feelings aside for the moment. What mattered most? Rin. Rin mattered most. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "No." His hand curled into a fist. "The choice is hers." He met Bokuseno's gaze, eyes intense.