Chapter 57 - Echoes

The night passed in silence, other than the crackling of the fire, and the rain outside of the cave. Eventually, the storm outside subsided, and with it came a gentle pleasant breeze. It was the storm within Sesshomaru, which had no indication of stopping. Whatever had come forth, when his and Rin's eyes had met, would not subside. Vision, prophecy, precognition - he had no idea. Though he had little doubt that it was what Rin would become. It was her face and voice, just older, mature. Significantly separate from the young girl she was now. Sesshomaru feared, that the moment he had seen this different Rin, even though she had not come into being yet, he had lost his heart to the woman she would become. As Toga had to Izayoi.

I won't. He promised himself. Yet, something told him it was already too late. Is this your doing, Tenseiga? Or yours, father? Or perhaps it is Sakuya-hime, who fortold my future, who has laid this burden upon me. Yet, even as he convinced himself that this wasn't what he wanted... it didn't feel like a burden. It felt like a promise of something wonderful. Sesshomaru snorted in derision. He had learned in childhood, that promises of good things, were never to be believed.

So the night passed, painfully slowly for the yokai, in his angst. When dawn finally peeked over the horizon, he eagerly woke everyone, insisting that they must begin traveling again. He wanted to put as much distance as possible between this place, and himself. As it turned out, distance didn't prevent the vision, which seemed to have taken up residence in his mind.

Lord Sesshomaru. It taunted him over and over, echoing in his mind, a voice that set his blood on fire. Teasing him with something, he refused to believe could be attainable. He closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of the image, but it only intensified and became clearer in the darkness of his mind. Lord Sesshomaru. Gritting his teeth, he ignored the sound of her voice reverberating through his mind, and focused on the task at hand. Finding and destroying Naraku.

With determination in his steps, he led them toward the woods. Without many options left, Sesshomaru decided that it was best to hunt for Naraku near human villages. Perhaps the human's gossip and chatter would give an indication of his whereabouts, where scent and other natural clues were fruitless. While humans were not necessarily very observant, they did fear the unknown, and as such, would obsessively talk about anything that they saw which was out of the ordinary. It could serve as the key to finding Naraku.

They kept within the woods, and the trails that made their way through the tall trees. Sesshomaru in the lead, followed by Jaken on foot, and Rin riding A-un brought up the rear. Occasionally, a group of farmers would pass by on the path outside the woods. Sesshomaru would stop, to listen to their mundane chatter, until the humans were fully passed. Then they would continue on. So far, none of the humans seemed to have witnessed anything out of the ordinary. Their discussions mostly centered around their dull lives, or the work they'd completed for the day. Something which Sesshomaru was profoundly disinterested in.

That same irritation and simmering anger at Naraku stirred, thankfully, shoving aside the thoughts of the adult Rin that plagued him. Anger was a familiar emotion, one he could feel safe with. He grabbed hold of it and refused to let go.

"Lord Sesshomaru." Rin's sweet voice came from behind. "I'm starting to get really hungry. May I go and look for something to eat?"

Sesshomaru continued walking, considering Rin's request. Has she finished all the stored food? He thought back, and came to the realization that she likely was out of food. It had been a couple full weeks of traveling. Perhaps I can send Jaken into the local village? He was considering how to handle it, when Jaken broke in first.

"Quiet!" Jaken squealed in his excessively annoying way. "A forest like this will have nothing for you to eat." Sesshomaru's lips pressed together. Jaken wasn't wrong, but he wasn't right either. "You'll just have to wait."

"Yes but..." Rin began, only to be interrupted by Jaken.

"I don't want to hear any but's out you! Be quiet and..." The harsh way that Jaken spoke to Rin, was really starting to irritate Sesshomaru. Fortunately, Rin wasn't listening. She had slid off of A-un, and by the time Sesshomaru turned to look, her dark hair was vanishing amidst the foliage.

"I'll be very quick!" She promised as she raced into the forest.

"Silly girl!" Jaken quacked, "You come back here right now Rin!" The imp waved his staff in the air as he screamed after the girl.

Sesshomaru had enough of Jaken's intolerance. "Jaken." His voice snapped like an iron trap. Visibly, Jaken withered at his feet, casting a fearful glance up at his master. "Let her be." The warning was clear, a dangerous tone to his usually silky voice.

"Ohh..." Jaken melted into a sad, bulge eyed puddle, clearly distraught at Sesshomaru's evident preference to Rin.

Mumbling under his breath, Jaken took a seat on the path, sitting distinctly away from his master in some sort of silent protest. Sesshomaru paid the sulky imp little mind. His gaze roved the tall forest trees around them, tall and thick enough to black out all visibility of the sun. When they reached the edge of the woods, he would definitely send Jaken to get some food. They should be stocked up on provisions for Rin, at least enough for several days. That would lessen the need for snack stops, like this one.

A shriek pierced the silence, it rang dually in Sesshomaru's mind, so bright that it was almost painful.

Rin!