Chapter 22:
Sesshomaru had left after telling her that Sakura would lead her to the courtroom. Rin remained outside until she heard the faint knock at the door.
Sakura was there and bowed lowly to her.
"General I've been instructed to lead you to the royal court by his Lordship."
Rin nodded and motioned for the demon to lead the way. Rin was uncomfortable with these ladies showing her such respect. Feeling only Sesshomaru could be bowed to in such a way but when she tried to get the servants to stop, they merely persisted in doing so. Claiming 'I couldn't dare' in such a way Rin felt bad for telling them that bowing was unnecessary.
Rin knew the castle was large but it felt like a lifetime as they made their way from one end of it to the other.
Two doors almost thrice the height of Lord Sesshomaru laid ahead and Rin openly gawked as it opened. It was a huge oval area spanning out wide like an arena. Rows of seats with red, velvet cushions seemed to be built into the thick stone walls.
Gold painting and tapestries gave it a regal appearance showing the wealth of the West. The ceiling was made of a glass dome allowing the sun to pour into the court. Rin wondered briefly how they made the glass bend like that.
Directly in front of her were two pillars with gold vines wrapping around them and high above was a railed platform. Fixed with giant chairs adorned with the signs of each clan at the top carved into the wood. The dog clan signa was, of course, a giant white dog that appeared to snarl down at the courtroom aggressively.
Inukimi sat there with perfect posture and looked onto the court with unforgiving eyes. Not a hair out of place on her head with a gold lined purple kimono and her momoko wrapped delicately around her body. Dark red nails and lips stood out in contrast to her pale skin.
Next to her was the snake demon clan which was a black serpent with shiny, black scale carvings starting at the left of the wooden chair and up to the top leading to a serpants' head with two pointed fangs.
The leader was a pale skinned demon with inky, black hair and pointed features. Silver necklaces dangled from his neck and he wore silver cuffs on the muscled part of his upper arms. Only noticeable due to his cut, green sleeved shirt. He sat back as if he didn't care to be present at all.
Then there was the wolf clan with a wolf head howling up at the ceiling, the carver made it appear to have thick brownish fur. Though the dog and wolf clan symbol had a similar appearance, the ears were a dead give away between the two.
The wolf clan leader looks roguish with thick, shoulder length hair and his kimono top open down to his naval. Eyes as blue as the sky above as he leaned back with his hands on his head staring up at the sky through the dome.
The cat clan symbol was two huge, claws painted silver, crossing over each other. The leader was a slender woman who sat with her legs crossed and claws out on display. Her clothing was sparse and showed her delicate neck that had silver painted intricate designs. The demoness's sleeves hung loosely over her shoulders and a fur-like fabric covered her chest but left open her midriff down to her hips.
Next to her was the leader of the dragon clan. This chair had a torch of fire above it that appeared to be scorched black. The leader sat still as a statue, draped in red clothes without any adornments except one ruby earring in his left ear. His hair was blonde, almost gold in the light with slitted, silvery eyes. Under his eyes appeared to have a faint trail of translucent scales that disappeared every so often in the light.
Rin gazed onto the next chair and saw that the symbol was a group of crystals clustered together. Rin wasn't sure what that meant but assumed it was a type of frost demon clan. She looked at the leader in wonder. The woman had grayish skin with bright red eyes circled by thick black eyeliner.
Unlike the rest, she had no pupils and wore a pale blue kimono with a solid black necklace high up on her neck. The woman's hair was in a tight bun with curls falling loosely around her small face. Rin needed to ask Sesshomaru about her later because her appearance was so different from any demon present.
Rin went towards the left of the court where she saw the blue bloods sat in rows looking uninterested at the scene around them. Rin's Captains were in the front row and her seat was the first one left open for her.
When they saw her approach her captains began to stand and Rin shook her head. Rin sat down and looked around the court warily. The clans, much like their leaders, all sat divided. They never seemed to mingle with the others.
The double doors opened and a tense silence filled the room as Inuyasha entered. Rin noticed that he tied up his hair in a high ponytail and didn't do much else, he even refused to wear shoes.
Inuyasha stopped and looked up at the clan leaders, letting his eyes roll over each figure before turning to sit next to Rin. If Rin didn't know him as she did, she would say that he was intimidating to behold even by demon standards. To everyone he looked as if he didn't care but Rin saw the tension in his eyes as he walked to her.
Rin also felt tension in her bones at the scrutinizing gaze of the leader's sitting above them. Inuyasha and Rin shared a look of understanding before everyone stood at the arrival of the Lord of the West.
Rin's breath was caught in her throat at his appearance. Calling him beautiful didn't do him justice at this moment. Sesshomaru wore a black kimono and a black haori over it that flowed behind him as he moved forward. A golden crescent moon was on the back of his haori and his sleeves stopped at his elbows, showing his demon markings on his forearms.
He had two, thick golden bracelets on each wrist and an engraved, golden band that went around his head and connected to his forehead marking. The golden crown appeared to hold the moon marking and Rin was enchanted by him.
All were silent as he made his appearance into the court, the room felt suffocating with the power pulsing off his body. Even Inuyasha fidgeted and was surprisingly silent as he entered.
Unlike the towering clan leaders, Sesshomaru's chair was on the ground. Rin was so focused on the clan leaders she hadn't noticed the gold, throne-like chair there. It had pearl steps leading up to it and was larger than any of those the leader's sat at.
Once Sesshomaru sat down, so did the rest of us.
Sesshomaru was the first to address the court.
"This court has been called to address the previous threat to the West."
Moments later Sesshomaru's lead Lieutenant, Juuki stepped forward to retell the events of the day's long battle against the Igami. It was concise in detailing the involvements of the half-demons and blue blood, highlightly that without them more demons would've been lost.
The demon court hung onto his every word as he continued to address them.
"This enemy…" said the dragon leader, "Would not die?"
Juuki bowed his head politely, "It took repeated lethal blows before they stopped getting back up again."
"What are they then, walking dead?" remarked the cat leader.
"They just didn't die, from what information we gather from the prisoner, they regenerate fast. We lost many in this war."
Inukumi leaned forward, "Prisoner you say?"
"Yes my Lady, the leader of them known as Tokin. He is kept in a cell below the castle. He is responsible for their creation." replied Tokin.
Inukimi leaned back, "I see. How troubling. Is he going to be present in this court session? I think we'd like to hear it from him, he is responsible for the loss of so many demons as you say."
Juuki turned his gaze to Lord Sesshomaru who nodded his head to the guard stationed at the double doors.
They opened them and two more armored guards dragged Tokin in by his last remaining limb. The whole court gasped at his state and Rin almost smiled. Rin had no doubt that her soldiers also felt pleased at his haggard appearance.
Sesshomaru rested his cheek on fist as Tokin was dragged before him, and when Tokin saw the regal Lord his eyes filled with pure terror. At that moment everyone in the court knew who was responsible for his mangled body.
Apprehensive looks were on the calm Lord seated in the center with shock and horror. Even Inukimi couldn't keep her eyes from widening at the ruthlessness of her son.
Inuyasha ran his hand down his face and shook his head.
Tokin shrieked and tried to crawl back away from him but Sesshomaru didn't allow it. A green whip lashed out and around Tokin's arm, dragging him even closer to Sesshomaru's throne.
"I told you everything you wanted to know." Tokin shrieked out.
Sesshomaru merely stared at him, unfazed by his outburst.
Much to everyone's disgust, as Tokin held his gaze, he urinated on himself.
Juuki spoke again, "I call on General Rin to step forward and speak of the realm this man came from."
At the summons, whispers erupted in the court.
'General?'
'A woman?'
'She doesn't have the scent of a demon.'
'Or a human.'
'Her scent is-'
'She smells like-'
Rin slowly stood and made her way to the center in front of the court. Trying to tune out the whispers on her strange appearance and scars.
Rin wasn't sure how to address them as they all stared at her oddly, some glared even but Rin didn't care. The praises sung by Juuki on their war prowess paved the way for her to speak freely.
"I am Rin. I am the last of fifteen Generals from the other realm."
Tokin seemed to snap awake at that moment, "You'll pay for t-"
Rin placed her foot over his head and bashed it into the tile court floors as she continued on.
The white tile cracked under the impact as Rin remained emotionless, continuing as if the interruption never happened.
"My soldiers and I were all captured from different areas in the West. We were experimented on and made into what you call blue bloods. We are not human and we are not demons. We seek asylum in the West, a place we all came from originally and fought to protect against the invasion of the Igami."
Inukimi scoffed at her words and Rin turned her cool gaze on the demoness.
"If Lieutenant Juuki is corrected, you lead 2000 of your soldiers into battle. What's to stop you from turning on the demons here in our land?"
"My loyalty is sworn to the Lord of the West, as such my soldiers fall under his rule and his orders. My Lady, what reason would we have to turn on our savior?" replied Rin.
Inukimi spoke with venom, "That man under your foot, was he not your Lord before?"
Rin cocked her head to the side, "I've only ever served one Lord, and it was never him. Do you not remember me, Lady Inukimi?"
Inukimi looked taken back by Rin's reply and narrowed her eyes at her in scrutiny. Looking her up and down for several moments before realization dawned on her. When it did her gaze leveled on Lord Sesshomaru before slowly turning back to Rin with slitted eyes.
"Rin…was it?" she snarled showing her fangs.
Rin smiled but it didn't reach her eyes, "Yes, my Lady."
Upon the growing tension, Juuki stepped forward.
"I ask Lord Sesshomaru to allow asylum of the blue bloods," he paused, "And to add a representative to speak for them at the demon court."
At his words chaos broke out, even the clan leaders looked ruffled at his request.
The cat demoness stood and placed her hands on the railing.
"You say these blue bloods are strong but they're only 2,000 of them, 13,000 demons are the reason for the victory of the West!" she voiced loudly.
The snake clan leader snarled, "Why should we add them? They're not even demons!"
Next was the roguish, looking wolf demon, "I question your judgment on their power Lieutenant."
Sesshomaru's voice boomed through the madness, "Silence!"
Juuki kept his stance and addressed the demon leaders once more, "I speak for every lieutenant that fought in the battle. You question their loyalty? The key to our success was knowing our enemy! General Rin is the reason we had this information, the key in killing an enemy who was as fast and strong as any demon in our Army. An enemy that outnumbered us and had to be killed more than once. You question my judgement, Lord Ishan? When the blue bloods first appeared, I thought the same as you and I was quickly corrected. I say they're strong because I fought their General and lost within minutes!"
Juuki boldly took off his kimono and everyone stared at the scars covering his torso.
The clan leader looked shocked at the extensive scars surrounding his entire chest.
Juuki spoke once more, "Demons don't scar, yet how is it blue blood could do this to me? There is no question of their strength and their loyalty to the West."
Sesshomaru nodded to him and Juuki quickly took a seat off to the right. Sesshomaru nodded to Rin who finally took her foot off Tokin's head and returned to her seat.
The guards rushed forward and dragged him away, his thick blood left a trail leading out of the courtroom.
To be Continued ~