Chapter Text
“Don't say you want me
Don't say you need me
Don't say you love me
It's understood
Don't say you're happy
Out there without me
I know you can't be
'Cause it's no good”
The humming voice of a lady was being carried by the wind, across the stream in which she was washing some clothes. Her long, silky hair sometimes dipped in the water, as she bent down to scrub the dirty fabrics against the rocks. Other women were also seen doing the same chore, while some other villagers walked past them. Rice farmers, hunters, monks and occasionally members of friendly demon tribes. Everything became possible because Naraku was defeated, while Kagome and Inuyasha promoted peace between youkai and humans.
“Rin…!”
The lady paused both humming and washing and straightened her body, before looking towards the direction of the sound.
“Rin!” It was Sango calling her.
“Lady Sango, hello. Are you sure you should be running like that? You have recently given birth, haven’t you?”
Sango and Miroku had four children: the twins Kin’u and Gyokuto, Hisui and now Houseki, who was their youngest.
“It’s been a month already, I feel fine. The twins are over the moon! They help me a lot and I can get enough rest.”
Rin was baffled she didn’t realise a month had gone by so fast.
“So, it’s been over fifty days since Kohaku went to battle… He didn’t even get the chance to meet your new baby yet.”
“You shouldn’t worry about me, Rin. You’re the one who’s been all alone, waiting for your loving husband.”
Rin was caught off guard and changed her expression into something like a disappointed wife, who was counting the days to see her beloved returning home.
“He’s not coming back any time soon, right?” - Rin inferred.
“Oh, poor thing!” Sango kneeled and gave her a hug. “He has sent a messenger boy only to tell us that enemies just keep coming and he doesn’t know when the war is going to end. Those foreign demons really want to spread their territory into our shores.”
“Ah, that’s unfortunate,” Rin responded, dispirited. She broke free from her sister-in-law and began gathering the clothes she washed. “I’m sorry to end our conversation like this, Lady Sango, but I really have to bring this to Lady Kaede’s. She’s gotten ill with age, you see, and has been counting on my help lately.”
They both rose up together. Sango smiled. “Now I know how you keep your head up, even though you’re lonely. You’re always helping out Kaede, aren’t you? She basically raised you, ever since you moved into the village, all those years ago.”
“Just… Keep me informed on my husband’s whereabouts, please.” Rin bowed to Sango, expressing gratitude.
“By the way, you have some gifts from Kohaku at Kaede’s. She will give them to you once you get there.”
The old miko’s hut was located in the centre of the village. It became rather populated over the years, due to Inuyasha and Kagome’s fame. The region was much safer now after their efforts to defeat mindless demons and befriend different kinds of clans. Kagome had taken Kaede’s place as the healer of the village, so it was as if the elderly priestess had retired. She still performed births, minor rituals and cooked healing recipes for the sick ones.
Kagome and Inuyasha also had a little daughter, a three-year-old girl named Moroha. Though small, she was the definition of a wild child, always causing trouble wherever she went, driving her father mad with her shenanigans. Rin sometimes envied them, for she wasn’t able to bear any children of her own, at least not yet. “It’s my fault there’s something wrong in my body”, she sometimes thought.
“Rin, my precious child!” Kaede greeted her, excitedly.
“I’ve brought you clean clothes, Lady Kaede. I’ll hang them to be dried…”
Kaede pulled Rin by the arm, stopping her from getting busy with another task. “I should have gone a little easier on you, when you were younger. Now all you think about is work, work, work!”
Rin agreed in silence.
“Now, come, child. Let’s have a look at the new fabrics your husband has sent you!”
Kohaku was sure busy choosing the best textiles when he wasn’t caught up in the battlefield. She has grown accustomed to the variety of clothing Kaede has sewn her with all those gifts. She must have owned twenty kosode, about ten yukata, and two overly exaggerated kimonos, which she never got the chance to wear. The old Kaede was grinning, as she observed the lonely spouse examine her presents.
“Do you miss him?” She asked, while Rin was distracted.
“Of course, I do! With all my heart!”
“And what about your husband, don’t you miss him too?”
Rin blushed intensely and heightened her tone. “Weren’t you speaking of Kohaku?!”
Kaede laughed. “You know who I am talking about. Sesshoumaru .”
Rin swallowed dry and clenched her fists when she heard his name, but only briefly, so the elderly miko didn’t notice. She decided to go with a neutral answer.
“Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard from Lord Sesshoumaru. Ever since my wedding, to be more precise.”
“Don’t you wonder how he has been?”
“Sometimes, yes.” Rin was lying.
“You’re about to find out then,” informed Kaede, as she got up to serve Rin some tea.
The young lady was perplexed, to say the least. “Lady Kaede. Are you perhaps feverish again? Would you like me to prepare you some medicine?”
The retired priestess became angry and shouted at Rin. “Do not treat me like I am ill or crazy!”
“I apologise, Lady Kaede,” Rin humbly bowed whilst kneeling, which was a gesture of utter regret after an offence. “What message has my husband left you, exactly?”
Kaede finished her cup of tea first, and began rummaging her stuff, looking for the sewing materials. Then, she sat down and grabbed the new piece of silk, to make Rin one more obi.
“Kohaku is deeply sorry for such a long absence. In order to spare you from the solitude, he has sent for an old friend, to aid you in your needs and keep you company while he’s away.”
Rin couldn’t be more surprised. Was Kohaku serious about contacting Lord Sesshoumaru? “He must be out of his mind!” She yelped.
“Why, child, there’s nothing wrong with that. You used to be so close in the past”, Kaede remembered. “Ah, you used to smile a lot more too. You have changed so much ever since you became Kohaku’s wife. I miss that sparkle in your eyes. Is it because you couldn’t bear any children?”
Internally, Rin was begging Kaede to stop the rambling. She would never understand. “I’m just not a child anymore.”
“Nonsense! Look at Kagome and Inuyasha for instance! It doesn’t seem like they have changed at all.”
Rin prepared to leave, as she thought the comparison was unfair. She wasn’t feeling as bad, or that much lonely as it was suggested. The young woman was already used to that feeling. There was nothing either bad or special about her marriage to Kohaku. Rin cooked meals, cleaned their house, made him company when he felt like chatting and occasionally lied and had sex with him when he asked. Her duty was being fulfilled.
Even so, to say that she was happy was hardly the truth. As ill as Lady Kaede was, she still gave out a blunt statement: “I should have never gone between the two of you”.
Rin’s ears refused to listen, to preserve her shaken state. “I beg your pardon?”
The elder one brushed her off. “Oh, it’s nothing! Off you go! Prepare a decent meal for Sesshoumaru and that imp he drags along with him!”
“Yes, Lady Kaede.” Rin made haste, hanging the clothes, and then set off.
In Rin’s remembrance, Lord Sesshoumaru was not particular on any kind of food. In the past, their menu consisted mainly of roasted fish, wild berries and mushrooms, had they found any. Since money wasn’t an issue, Rin bought several river fishes at the village’s market, and proceeded to collect mushrooms she was familiar with in the nearby forest. There was some dried persimmon at home. While kneeling down and plucking some maitake sprouts, a shadow jumped over, surprising the young woman. Placing his hands on his hips, with a proud pose, there was Inuyasha, by himself.
“Jeez, Rin, I didn’t think you’d fall for such a silly scare!” He hesitated, before deciding to help retrieve the mushrooms which got scattered.
“Lady Kagome and Moroha aren’t with you?” Rin observed Inuyasha’s complexion droop when she mentioned them.
“No… They are running some errands on their own today”, his voice was somewhat shaky. “You know, I still feel insecure leaving them, even if it’s just for a little while.”
“They are lucky to have you, Lord Inuyasha.”
“Cut the crap with formalities, Rin… You’re a friend!” The hanyou punched her shoulder lightly, then after an awkward moment of silence, he spoke again. “I just wanted to check in on you. Sesshoumaru will be here soon. I can smell his stench already.”
Rin immediately stood up and tried to appear tough: “I appreciate it, but I don’t require you to be worried about me this much."
Inuyasha noticed how flustered she got. “I don’t know… It’s just a feeling. It’s been bugging me and it’s not Myoga!”
There was always this weird atmosphere, whenever Rin and Inuyasha shared a conversation, an elephant in the room. There were things Inuyasha wasn’t sure if Rin knew he also knew. All in all, Inuyasha would say for certain that he was familiar with the kind of expression on her face. He had suffered a lot from longing, hate and lost love in the past.
“Thanks for helping me with the mushrooms, Lord Inuyasha. I’ll fetch some for Lady Kagome and Moroha another time.” - she promised, when Inuyasha began to walk away.
“As for you, Rin, I hope you know what to do once you are reunited with your significant other.”
Deep inside her heart, she wanted to believe he meant Kohaku, although it was clear Sesshoumaru was the subject of his provocation. Rin was overwhelmed. Why did suddenly Kaede and Inuyasha made it so obvious they were aware of her secrets? She tried so hard to keep them buried, all these years, only to have them exposed in this delicate time of her life. Kohaku was a good man, a good husband. He loved Rin dearly, to the point he would do anything to see her happy, but little did he know what a single favour asked would lead to. It was written in the stars above.
A breeze of the upcoming autumn welcomed Sesshoumaru to the village which he knew so much. Preceding his first encounter with Rin, he avoided human settlements as much as possible. The warriors would attempt to fight him, exuding their hatred and fear of demons, unable to distinguish low life forms from noble families. The inuyokai clan was so much different from those huge, mindless insectoids. Their stupidity still amazed Sesshoumaru, though in recent times he had been recognised as a saviour, and sometimes was gifted with food through Jaken’s mediation. However, the main emotion he provoked on the poor folk remained the same: fear. Villagers made way and closed the blinds over their windows as he passed. Jaken hissed and spat on the ground. “How dare they treat their hero with so much disrespect?!” He shouted. Sesshoumaru didn’t react nor answer, because their hero was Inuyasha, not himself.
It was dusk. A few lamps were ignited by the locals, breaking the nerve-gripping darkness that fell. Sesshoumaru followed the familiar scent to the according home. She no longer slept in Kaede’s hut. Kohaku built Rin a lovely smoked wood shack, and they must have moved in a short time after getting married. A pot burned over the fire, warming the place. Jaken and his lordship entered without asking or announcing themselves beforehand. Sesshoumaru never asked permission to pass, he simply did. Rin was already expecting they would come in like that, so she was far from being surprised.
Sesshoumaru had to hold a grip of himself not to express his feelings when facing her for the first time in years. The young frail maiden from the past had developed to be a full-fledged woman. With a dry voice, he failed to say her name, in which Jaken had taken the chance to greet her first.
“Riiiin!” - The imp was bawling. “I missed you!”
She smiled fairly and patted his head, saying “Me too”. Sesshoumaru hummed, leading to a proper visual connection between Rin and him. The wife in waiting inadvertently blushed but shook it off in a swift. “Lord Sesshoumaru, I hope you have made a pleasant journey. You may feast on this humble meal that I have prepared,” she offered, looking down again.
The great dog demon got irritated with her attitude and struggled to speak. When he finally did so, he noticed how his voice caused pain. “Have you been well, Rin? Are you happy in your marriage?”, he directly asked.
Swallowing her tears, she replied: “Of course I am. I can’t wait to see my husband again. I don’t know why he sent you. I can take care of myself perfectly fine”.
Sesshoumaru humphed, as he took a better look around the shack and gently ate the meal. Rin’s firewood was low, as well as the meat stock. “You clearly cannot carry as much wood or maintain house chores the same way without help”, Sesshoumaru pointed out, and Rin gasped, embarrassed. She only wanted to look tough in front of the daiyoukai, in a twisted way to say she was over him.
Jaken sensed the tension in the atmosphere and meddled in: “Carrying logs, food, and preparing soil for crops is something A-Un and I can do easily!”
Sesshouaru reacted, shoving Jaken out of the housing: “Jaken, interfere one more time, and I’ll kill you.” Finally in privacy, Sesshoumaru closed in on Rin’s neck and took a good old dog whiff. Rin’s skin crawled. “Get any closer, and I will scream for help”, she menaced.
What kind of vibe was that right now? Rin was acting aggressive and defensively and Sesshoumaru’s hands were tied. Still, he was not one to give up so easily. He wanted to fix the mistakes of the past, but not without setting Rin up for the same task, as he judged both of them ended up in the wrong. “I am ready to talk about what happened and lay my stupidity on the table, but you have to admit what your choices led to…” He stopped as soon a tear emerged from Rin’s eye and immediately regretted forcing the subject on her: “I apologise. I will be back by morning to assist you with the firewood”.
Rin had her answer on the tip of the tongue: “Do as you please”. It was just like he used to tell her. He rose up and left right after eating, since his time there wasn't productive at all. Still, with all those mishaps, he had a feeling his presence shook Rin’s world. She wasn’t expecting to meet him ever again until that very evening.
The next morning Rin ignored what they had talked about. She went alone to fetch wood. She had tired herself, her muscles and her feet. Blisters and bruises began to appear on her hands and heels, which had been happening quite often. Rin worked hard to prove herself, escaping from the perception of a frail, weak lady. She learned resilience from Sango and Kaede, her role models while growing up in the village. However, every effort came with its price, especially with a thin and short build such as hers. This time, a sprained ankle. Sesshoumaru saw her limping while dragging a full bag of food. He pulled it away from her.
“What do you think you’re doing?” He calmly, but firmly, asked.
“Let it go, please,” Rin attempted to snatch it away, but her foot failed her, so she fell.
“You never learn, don’t you. Always going beyond your limit,” by the time he said that he was already walking ahead, aiding with the heavy load, but he soon stopped, noticing Rin wasn’t following him. She was sitting on a rock. “You can’t walk?”
“I just need time. This has happened before.” All this time performing domestic duties and tending to her home without Kohaku’s help caused Rin to overwork herself. She only wished Sesshoumaru wasn’t there to attest to her human imperfections. The youkai pondered on what he should do. He turned his back on Rin and kneeled down. The young woman clicked her tongue. “Are you expecting me to piggyback ride on you?”
Sesshoumaru huffed, impatient. “Be quiet and climb on here”, he demanded.
“I refuse”, she quickly replied.
Sesshoumaru was lost for words and once again got away from her. He was so frustrated that he couldn’t get through, to the point of almost letting his anger get the best of him. How did they get this far apart? Rin also pondered on the recurrent crisis. The Sesshoumaru she knew would never stand such stubbornness. So why didn’t he leave already?
Even though told not to interfere, Jaken had a strong resolve. He lived through the same things Sesshoumaru and Rin lived. He was there too, although not in the same way. In the evening he weeped Rin’s name, begging to be let in her shack. Jaken was different, he was basically the first foster parent she ever had. Of course, he was welcome. Rin served him miso soup and kawaebi, a type of river shrimp. The little one’s eyes sparkled with joy. He almost never ate as well as that while on the road with this lord.
“I don’t want Lord Sesshoumaru to scold you for coming here to defend him.” Both Jaken and Rin were surprised at the tone of her voice that time. It finally sounded like the person she once was, or should one rephrase, it sounded like the real Rin, the girl lost inside her sorrows and traumatic experiences.
“Rin, please, believe me. Lord Sesshoumaru was never the same after you got married. His eyes became dead, he lost the will to fight, the smirk, everything! It’s not just you that’s hurting!” Jaken couldn’t stop sobbing just from talking about it. Rin could never doubt his words, as much as she wanted to, because Jaken was always honest.
“I believe you, but it’s too late now… I have people relying on me and…” Rin stuttered, and Jaken interrupted.
“Stop thinking about those petty villagers and focus more on yourself, you silly girl!” The imp shouted, banging his tiny fists against the floor.
A deafening silence followed after that. Jaken said he ought to have returned, before Sesshoumaru squeezed the life out of him. Rin chuckled, and the small demon saw a tiny sign of hope in her shy laughter.
“I'll be fine
I'll be waiting patiently
'Til you see the signs
And come running to my open arms
When will you realise?
Do we have to wait 'til our worlds collide?
Open up your eyes
You can't turn back the tide”
“Lord Sesshoumaru, Lord Sesshoumaru! I have never seen so many birds together!” Rin thought it was strange, listening to her own voice in a version younger than the current one. Her mind belonged to the present, but her vision and voice followed an automatic script, which she had no control of. In this scene, she sat on a large branch of a tree, with the dog demon right behind her. Their hips touched, and he smelled her walnut-coloured hair, while she was happily gazing at an Amashimabe flock circling the skies in the distance. Those birds were small, brown and also had very angular shaped wings, just like those of a swallow. Sesshoumaru twirled Rin’s hair locks between his fingers and spoke: “At this time of year they come here to form pairs and reproduce.”
Rin playfully bent her head backwards and smiled. “You know so much about these things, Lord Sesshoumaru”. Her beaming smile left him in a catatonic state, until she pecked him on his lips just the way she was, upside down. Ah, it is a memory - Rin finally recognised, before the image faded. She blinked and then another remembrance appeared before her. Something that must have happened only a few months prior to the vision she’d just had.
The female teen was rummaging for something inside Kaede’s hut, without her permission. She opened and smelled every clay jar. The old miko trained her well enough to identify the scent of the herbs and other ingredients to craft ointments, antiseptic pastes, medicine and so on. The priestess followed the noise inside her personal deposit and scolded the young one: “How many times must I tell you not to make a mess out of my supplies?!”
Rin protested, deeply concerned about a matter, which she informed Kaede about. “I am very much in need of a healing cream! Lord Sesshoumaru is wounded! He’s bleeding through his clothes, yet he doesn’t let me see where the injury is!” The elderly healer was annoyed, and sought to shield Rin from ill intentions. “Know your boundaries, child! Sesshoumaru won’t allow anyone to test his patience, not even you!” Kaede warned her.
Rin found the cream and poured some of it inside another flask, so she could carry it fast enough. “Don’t worry, Lady Kaede, I’ll hand this to Lord Jaken and he will be the one tending to the wound,” she said, reassuring the miko, then off she ran back to her dear divine creature. Sesshoumaru was resting by the foot of a tree, hidden in the forest. Rin followed the trail of blood to the spot where he was sitting. The yokai was surprised by her tenacity. “Lord Sesshoumaru! I have brought something to heal you!” She raised the flask in the air. His response was direct: “There is no need. I can heal by myself.”
“B-but..! This will make it go away faster! And Jaken will apply it on you.”
Jaken jumped, lost between the look in Rin and Sesshoumaru’s eyes. “Why me?”
“Lady Kaede told me to mind my boundaries, so Lord Jaken will apply it”. There was no deep meaning to it. Rin was only following what Kaede asked. Jaken cleared his throat and took the flask from Rin’s hands, as he announced: “No one better than a trustworthy vassal to perform such a task!”
Sesshoumaru frowned and exposed his glowing green poisonous claws. “Come any closer and I’ll kill you, Jaken.”
The imp tossed the flask back to Rin and hid behind her. “On second thought… You do it, Rin!”
Rin stared at Sesshoumaru’s hakama pants, and they were soaked in blood. She swallowed dry, and shyly asked: “Will you allow me to come closer, Lord Sesshoumaru?”
He hummed, and usually that meant yes , Rin reckoned. She asked him if the wound was located on his upper body. He answered that it wasn’t. Sensing a dangerous situation, Rin took a deep breath and attempted to act professionally: “Then, Lord Sesshoumaru should undress so I can access the injury”. Rin was nervous about it, yet she kept a straight face, when the kimono was stripped off first. He turned to Jaken and ordered him to fetch temporary clothes while the one he had ruined was not available. As soon as the servant left, Sesshoumaru proceeded, and untied his hakama. They fell at once on his feet, exposing his bare bottom, with an ugly laceration, right below his gluteus.
“Lord Sesshoumaru! What happened to you?!” Rin’s shock was so great she’d even ignored the fact that he was completely in the nude.
“Poisonous insect demon. I let it attack me first so I could strike. I am immune to poison. Then, when I removed the sting, it ripped my flesh open,” the noble youkai swiftly explained.
Rin didn’t even know how to approach, fearing she would cause Sesshoumaru too much suffering. Pain was something he was already very much used to, thus the last of the problems. Rin touching him and tending to him in such a manner would be a thousand times more complicated. He lied down, covering his intimacy the best he could, though in a position the infliction could be taken care of. The closer Rin got, the better she realised the meaning of her request. She kneeled right behind Sesshoumaru and announced her following actions: “I will touch you now, so stay still, my lord.”
First thing Rin did was to clean his exposed flesh by pouring an acidic anti-bleed solution on it. Sesshoumaru flinched. “I am so sorry! Is it too bad?” Rin desperately asked.
“No. Continue.” He allowed her.
After taking a deep breath, the girl resumed. She knew the next step would feel even worse, for she would touch the wound directly. “Please forgive me, Lord Sesshoumaru,” she said, before applying the paste deep in the damaged muscle tissue.
The yokai snarled, though in a controlled manner. Little by little, the pain became bearable, and Rin worked more efficiently to seal the wound, using Kaede’s medicine. The human one inadvertently leaned on his body and used it as support. Sesshoumaru silently savoured her proximity and her touch, so much that his belly tingled.
“Aren’t you done yet?” He asked, as if in a hurry. He didn’t want Rin to see what had become of him, getting a boner in a situation like that.
“Almost there, Lord Sesshoumaru…” Rin noticed his discomfort. Perhaps he was aching again?
As she attempted to make haste of the treatment, a sudden change of position revealed a bit of skin between the mighty demon’s legs. It looked supple and darker in colour. Rin couldn’t tell if that was another injury, so she nudged it with her thumb. Sesshoumaru jumped, shoving the girl on the ground. He didn’t push Rin on purpose, but it was merely a reaction, after having his testicles touched without warning. The male one calmly rose up. Rin’s gaze was fixed on his demonhood - fully erected, gently curving upwards, but still pointing at her. “Don’t look,” said Sesshoumaru, composed.
His call made Rin realise she wouldn’t stop staring at his cock. “I apologise, Lord Sesshoumaru!” She finally turned around, dazed from the sight. Rin’s conscious self analysed that episode and laughed. Maybe he wasn’t expecting to feel pleasure and underestimated the ability to control his own body. Once entirely exposed, it was no use hiding it, but Rin knew now he must have felt mortified. Sesshoumaru was at least three centuries old. On the other hand, the Rin from that memory, at only fifteen, thought everything about him was beautiful, including that exquisite part of his body. She was so amazed she’d forgotten about being pushed away.
“Are you hurt?”, he asked, long after being dressed again, referring to his aggressive reaction.
“No,” answered Rin, still blushing whenever their eyes met. Sesshoumaru sighed in relief.
Rin woke up following the sound of his breath, but he wasn’t there. She was alone in bed. It was her imagination, or even an expectation. After cooking the okayu, Rin filled some bowls and went outside. Sesshoumaru was there, waiting, guarding her hut. She offered him the meal and asked for Jaken. The imp was out with A-Un. Rin continued on her way, to offer breakfast to Kaede. It was so early that almost no one had left their homes yet. Sesshoumaru silently followed her from a distance. Weirdly enough, the elderly one wasn’t there.
“Where could have she gone to? Did you see her leave?” - Rin asked, unexpectedly.
“I have not. There's been a strong evil aura lurking since the night before”, Sesshoumaru replied. Rin figured he was on her vigil the whole time, while she was asleep.
“Maybe she decided to go take a look with Miroku…”, she pouted. “I have to check that with Sango. Lady Kaede shouldn’t perform exorcisms by herself anymore.”
The smell and presence of the aura was so intense and foul that Sesshoumaru failed to smell and locate the old miko. “You shouldn’t stray too far. It’s dangerous.”
“So, I have to stay and watch you sulking the whole day?”
Sesshoumaru hummed. At least she was speaking to him again. It meant something must have changed in her mind. His fingers ran through the sleeve of Rin’s yukata. It was light blue in colour, sewn together with indigo and white tatewaku pattern fabric, which wavy shapes are supposed to remind the river stream or currents in the sea. Rin took long enough to notice her clothing being tugged. She pulled away from Sesshoumaru, saying: “What are you doing?”
“I was the one who bought this fabric,” deliberately informed Sesshoumaru. Rin didn’t believe him one bit.
“But… It was Kohaku who gave it to me two years ago.”
“He came to me first. He said I was the only one who knew your taste for fashion.”
“Lord Sesshoumaru, if that’s a joke, I suggest you stop now.” Rin knew him well enough. Sesshoumaru never joked.
“The one you were wearing yesterday too, with the carnation flower pattern,” he kept going. “Kohaku often finds me in his travels, saying you never wear the ones he bought, but always prefer the ones I send through him.”
Rin blushed. She was red from the forehead down to her neck. Even though apart from each other, they remained closer than Rin imagined. Through Sesshoumaru, Kohaku won her sympathy and gratitude. He did all he could to keep her happy and make her love him back. When they finally reached Sango and Miroku’s home, their children greeted them first. The twins were taking care of their mother’s newborn, which Sesshoumaru didn’t know of. He looked away from the child, as if trying to avoid it, and Rin nodded, painfully observing him.
“Gyokuto, Kin’u. Are your parents home?”
“Yes, auntie Rin, both of them”.
Rin’s eyes opened wide. Both Sango and Miroku approached, smiling, but were soon alarmed by her expression. “Is there something wrong?” - Sango questioned, placing her hands on her shoulders.
“Lady Kaede… She’s been gone all morning and there’s no sign of her” - Rin shivered while speaking.
“What?! Sango and I sensed an evil aura nearby last night. She couldn’t have followed it could she?”
“That’s what Lord Sesshoumaru and I suspect. Please, do something!”
Miroku frowned, with a serious face. “Sango, get my shakujo. Hisui, run and tell Inuyasha to meet me at the Sacred Tree”. Seconds later, the warrior wife handed him the staff. She was going to stay home, caring for her family and protecting the village perimeter, if necessary. Miroku invited Sesshoumaru to come along, but he refused. “This is a job for a monk, not for a swordsman”, he said. It was advised that villagers stayed inside, until the danger was over.
It was rather uncomfortable for Rin to stay enclosed with Sesshoumaru in her hut. She brewed some tea and prepared lunch with pickled vegetables, rice, and chopped dried fish, also called okaka. Rin surely had become the perfect wife - dedicated to serving, pleasing… She didn’t have time for herself at all, no freedom.
“You wouldn’t be stuck in a hut all day if you had come with me,” Sesshoumaru suddenly commented.
“What was that again?” Rin tensed up.
“There wouldn’t be this much food, however.”
“Oh, please, don’t even start,” Rin held her hands to her eyes, forcing them not to water with emotion.
“I already did.” Sesshoumaru moved closer to the woman, gently exposing her overflowing tears, caressing her palms. His smell was too much for Rin to resist, or take the pain all by herself, so she allowed Sesshoumaru to hold her in his arms. “Do you remember when it all began?”, he whispered. “Yes, I do,” Rin sniffed. “I was a child and I said I wanted to be with Lord Sesshoumaru forever.”