Sessh Rin fic chap 46
A/N: sorry to say that the fluff is going to be disappearing soon, so enjoy it while you can! The darkness is going to build…
Gobodō-sama chuckled lightly, covering her eyes with one small hand, peeking through her fingers. It wasn't as if she was really embarrassed to see her son unclothed, since she had birthed him, and changed and bathed him for years. It was more out of respect for him than her own discomfort.
"you could have awakened us from the door," Sesshomaru pointed out, sitting up and quickly grabbing the tail of his moko to cover his nakedness, a faint flush of embarrassment on his cheeks. He wasn't surprised to find Rin growling a few feet behind him, leaning against the wall and wrapped in the blanket.
"well, you were sleeping quite deeply actually," she informed him, chuckling again and lowering her hand. She smiled softly at his disgruntled expression.
"will you excuse us, Mother, so we may get dressed?" the woman smirked at how the awkward situation made her son suddenly much more respectful than usual.
"yes, of course, my children. Take all the time you need," she added rather teasingly. She knew, of course, that they had not been doing anything of the sort she was implying, but she had caught them in a compromising position and she wasn't going to let them forget it while it could bring her amusement. She strode outside to wait for them, a wide smirk still on her face.
Rin kept growling until she was completely outside, then scooted over to Sesshomaru, still clutching the blanket to herself. "how rude!" she spat in the direction of the door, brows furrowed in flustered anger.
"perhaps. But Mother is here now, which means it is safe to return home." He indulged in a tiny smile as Rin's face lit up, her anger forgotten. She jumped up and started putting on her dry clothing a layer at a time, chattering happily about full meals and hot baths and the friends she'd made among the servants in their manor.
"will you join me for a bath when we return home?" she asked as he finished putting on his armor. He simply nodded and took her hand gently, stepping outside to where his mother was waiting. She still had that disturbing smirk of something like amused pride on her face.
"is the manor confirmed to be safe now?" Sesshomaru asked, still being a bit more polite than he normally was with his mother. She nodded.
"There have been one or two changes to your staff, for assurance's sake, but it should be perfectly safe now," she confirmed. "that servant girl was next to worthless. She was sent back without even crossing the Dō border, but she has a great knowledge of herblore and can spot poisons that seasoned guards and healers would never find. She has sworn to serve Rin and protect her from any attempted harm in those areas."
Sesshomaru nodded and followed his mother to the edge of town, where she transformed and he did as well. Rin prepared to join them, but Gobodō-sama barked sharply and growled. Rin turned to her mate, bewildered, and he realized she would likely take years to learn the language of an InuYōkai's true form.
She says you are not to transform, Rin. I will carry you, or you may ride upon her shoulders if you choose. But she is worried you are overexerting yourself.
Rin bristled once again at her mother-in-law. "I'm not helpless, you know!" she insisted, arms crossed in a pout. The massive white hound growled again, and Sesshomaru turned to his mother in surprise. Rin did not like getting left out of the conversation.
Rin, please just climb up and rest on my shoulders. You have done too much running, and I am worried about the pup, as is Mother.
Rin pouted some more but climbed up and settled between his shoulder blades, laying down to rest in the thick, fluffy fur, as the day was colder than the few just before. Gobodō-sama looked at her in approval before bounding forward, leading the way back to their manor as Rin was quickly rocked to sleep by Sesshomaru's smooth, gentle gait.
While Rin slept, Sesshomaru spoke with his mother, starting by asking what she had meant by what she'd said in the village. "I meant exactly as I said," she told him with a small smile. "she proved herself as my daughter the moment she proved she would do anything to protect her family. And of course the pup she carries is my grandchild. They are yours, and I have been waiting centuries."
"that is hardly my fault."
"and whose fault would it be, if not yours, my son?" she asked teasingly. "there were women who threw themselves at you simply for being the heir. It was you who rejected them all." She made a chuckling sound as he sulked. "though, after meeting your Rin, I am glad you did. She seems perfect for you."
He perked up at her praise, noting that it was not the least bit grudging. She quickly stopped, remembering that they hadn't eaten, and offered some cooked fish, vegetables and rice that she had brought along, as well as a canister of water, for her daughter-in-law. Sesshomaru left them together so he could quickly hunt while Rin ate. Rin sat on her paw, leaning against her front leg like it was a tree while she ate the food like she'd never seen a meal before. Gobodō-sama tilted her massive white head to the side so she could watch the girl eat with an approving eye. Once Sesshomaru returned, Rin climbed back up and they continued, finally reaching the manor before sunset. She let out a cheer when she saw it, and the other woman sneezed in amusement, nodding to her son before bounding away.
Sesshomaru laid down to let Rin down, then finally returned to his human form, shaking himself a bit to settle the transformation. Rin immediately took his hand and started pulling on him, wanting to reach the bath house and take a nice, long, relaxing hot bath. But she didn't manage to take a single step forward, as he didn't move.
"come on, let's go have that bath!" she encouraged him, but he still refused to move for a moment. "I will follow after. Go ahead." Rin pouted at her mate for a moment more before letting him go and hurrying ahead, making a beeline to the nearest door of the bath house.
Sesshomaru wanted to check over the changes to his staff and ensure all was well and had gone smoothly in his absence. After visiting the servants' quarters to find only one change to his staff—namely that the Dō servant girl had come in to replace one of his older kitchen servants who'd wanted to retire anyway—he decided it was safe to join Rin for a bath, as he certainly needed one.
Rin was already relaxing in the large soaking tub with her washed hair piled on her head when he came in. she looked over as he settled in a washtub and started to scrub the dirt from his incredibly long hair, and couldn't resist the chance to tease him a little.
"wow, look," she said softly, "your hair is actually white!" he looked sharply up at her to see her grinning teasingly at him, and just narrowed his eyes.
"are you certain you're clean?" he teased back. "your skin is awfully brown next to mine." Rather than laughing, as he'd expected, she sunk a little in the water and turned pink, looking upset or embarrassed by the jab. He opened his mouth again to apologize and she mumbled, "but my skin's always been this color…"
Sighing, he climbed out of the washtub and stepped over to soak alongside her, tying up his hair with a cord from nearby. "you know I didn't mean it seriously," he told her, a bit taken aback when she suddenly started to cry. "I didn't mean to upset you!" he insisted, trying to comfort her.
"you didn't, you didn't," she blubbered. "I don't…I don't know why I'm crying!" he just put his arm around her and let her settle into his side, crying until she actually fell asleep in the soothing warm water. He got out, scooping her up gently and drying her off, wrapping her in an underlayer and carrying her to bed, supposing she would probably be up early tomorrow. He would have to be up with the sun as well, if his desk was any indication of how behind he was on his duties…he sighed deeply again and woke her long enough to have dinner so they could both sleep just after sunset that day.
Sesshomaru woke early the next morning and started on the mountain of papers at his desk, resolutely grinding an ink stick as he read over the first treaty of the day. Rin woke not long after, as the winter birds began to chirp more as the sun warmed them. Sesshomaru glanced over to see her stretch and yawn, getting up and going in search of breakfast after a moment. He picked up his brush and dipped it in the newly made ink, starting to write a response as he heard her picking out breakfast downstairs.
"look, look!" Rin chirped as she came back upstairs with a small plate. "the clans have started sending presents! Someone sent me little mochi!" she picked one up and munched it. "they're delicious! Do you want some?" he noted they were covered in white powder, probably starch, that would make working with the ink rather difficult. She shrugged and finished the one she had bitten, picking up another off the plate before pausing to look at it closer.
Sesshomaru noticed nothing amiss until the plate clattered to the floor, slipping from Rin's trembling fingers.
A/N: Oh dear! what could be happening? will it be good or bad? leave your predictions for me with your reviews, and soon we'll see who's right!