To The Readers: Thanks for sticking with this story. I hope it has been
as enjoyable to read as it has been to write. Keep your eye on this story
for a fun epilogue and post-story which should be appended at some time.
This chapter gets a bit mushy in places, and the characters will do some strange things. Please recall that Sesshoumaru believes he is going insane and Rin is forgetting who she is, and blame everything on that.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter 6 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sesshoumaru, the Great Lord of the Western Lands, stood above the fallen body of the young woman named Rin, his exquisitely pale hand grabbing the hilt of sword that had just pierced her heart, robbing her of her life for a second time.
There would be no restoring her, not this time, not from this wound, because Rin no longer resided in this body.
The scent of Rin's blood hit the taiyoukai, sharp and metallic, piercing him as deeply as the sword had done her. His mind would shatter. She was gone and he would be lost, lost forever without the companionship she had offered so freely.
At the junction of sword and breast, Rin's blood spilled out, and he...he had been the cause. He had failed everyone, his father, himself, but most of all, he had failed Rin.
Sesshoumaru could no longer discern himself from the whir of thoughts in his mind. A hurricane of grief raged, casting the taiyoukai into darkness as his sight grew dim. He could not breathe, he could not move, and he knew he would be trapped forever in this moment of horror.
The taiyoukai fell to his knees in defeat as the forest around the shrine seemed to vibrate with movement when its residents fled for their lives.
For every living being within the Western Lands had heard their master's pained scream of terror.
"RRRRIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
That morning, Rin awoke to find herself wrapped in a satiny softness she could not immediately place. She blinked once, twice, as her eyes adjusted to the rosy rays of dawn. 'This warmth. So familiar but, Rin can not place it.'
Sesshoumaru's tail twitched slightly as the young woman wrapped in its warmth stirred. He hadn't wished to disturb her during the night, but knew she would become too cold sleeping on the porch. Yes. He had done it because she would be too cold. It had nothing to do with the fact that his mind seemed even more disquiet outside of her presence now.
As the morning breeze ruffled the fur on his tail, Rin began to squirm slightly, loosening the coils fur. Had he really constricted them so tightly? He must have not noticed. Perhaps he had been thinking of strangling Claw.
And where exactly was that infernal creature? Disappeared again, it seemed, likely not to return until evening, when it would likely be too late.
Rin's face finally peeked out from underneath his tail, surveying the world between blinks. Without moving his head, Sesshoumaru's eyes darted to his side to observe the teenager. Rin. But, also not Rin. This person looked tired. Rin was a morning person. This face seemed hollow and sad, Rin's face shone with joy.
Between the loops of his tail, Rin's arm stretched out towards Sesshoumaru. As she pulled herself into a sitting position, she touched his face questioningly. Her touch traced the markings on his cheeks and forehead lightly as her eyes searched for understanding. Sesshoumaru held his breath. Rin had never been so brave as to touch him without his express permission. In fact, -no one- touched him without express permission. Sesshoumaru had a passing thought that he should be furious, but instead only sat, stunned, at the turn of events.
Rin ran her fingers along the edge of one Sesshoumaru's pointed ears, causing the taiyoukai's eyes to open wider in surprise. Instantaneously, Sesshoumaru's hand shot up and caught Rin's wrist.
"Do not do that, Rin," came the low growl.
For a moment, Rin looked terrified, and he caught the scent of abject fear that pulsated from her for only a moment before being replaced with a wave of relief.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin exclaimed, finally placing the face. "Rin is sorry...Rin...must have...your face...couldn't remember for a moment..."
Sesshoumaru released his ward's wrist delicately and returned his gaze to the courtyard in front of them. But, he could still feel her fingers on his sensitive ears, a touch which had set every nerve in his body to alarm. It had taken quite a bit of strength and self control not to crush her delicate wrist.
"You will go with me today, Rin," Sesshoumaru announced crisply as he returned to his senses.
"Leave the shrine?" Rin asked, her voice bordering on alarm.
"Only for a while. We will return."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As they walked, Sesshoumaru's thoughts alternated between the young woman at his side and the infuriating Inanima he needed to defeat. Thinking on one invariably led him to becoming annoyed and switching to think of the other.
They walked towards a grove he had seen on his patrols the previous day. The flowers there had been blossoming exquisitely. If anything, he would see Rin among her beloved flowers one last time. Not because he possessed an ounce of sentimentality, but because that seemed correct and fitting in the overall flow of the world. 'That makes absolutely no sense, Sesshoumaru.'
'You can't let Claw have Rin. Even if you can't find the Charm, if you kill Rin, you still beat Claw. You will have proven that you aren't weak, and then your mind should then be free. Everything will go back to the way it should be. The way it always was.'
On the other hand, the woman walking beside him caused his thoughts to be troubled as well. The little things seemed wrong. Like the way she looked down at the path instead of walking with confidence. Rin couldn't get enough of looking at nature. She'd inspect everything, taking leaf samples and picking up rocks as she walked. Any journey with Rin always became an adventure with the young woman's constant discoveries of something -new-.
He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her. But, it would be pointless.
They came upon a field blanketed in purple and white flowers. Sesshoumaru half expected Rin to name their species and then declare "My favorite!" It seemed every type of flower was her favorite. She would then run to the very middle of the field and spin around until she was too dizzy to stand, falling on the ground to roll on the blossoms until she reeked of their scent.
But no, the woman by his side merely looked forlornly at the field and asked, "Is this our destination?"
Without answering, Sesshoumaru strode into the field. Rin followed behind. After crossing its length, Sesshoumaru found a sturdy tree at the other edge of the grove and sat. Rin remained standing, fidgeting slightly with one of her yukata sleeves, as if unsure what she should do.
"Sit here, Rin," Sesshoumaru intoned, indicating a spot next to him.
They sat together quietly for some time, merely watching the field. The flowers swayed in the midmorning breeze as flying insects of every sort seemed to compose an ever-changing confetti in the air. Songbirds called to one another from the nearby woods, seeking to impress each other by composing elegant symphonies of sound. And as the heat of the morning rose, so did the intensity of the perfume of the flowers.
Sesshoumaru reached into the front of his haori and pulled out a small, fragile object which he had kept sequestered away within the folds for many years now. Rin watched him with mild curiouity as he extended his hand and opened his fist, palm upwards.
There, cradled within his cupped hand, lay a well worn origami dragon. Rin stared at the elaborate folded paper, unsure of the meaning of Sesshoumaru's gesture.
'Tell her. Tell her now, you may not get another chance,' Sesshoumaru's mind pleaded. However, this voice, this particular voice seemed wholly unlike the others he had been hearing. This voice seemed...small and frightened.
"You gave this to Sesshoumaru some years ago," the taiyoukai explained. "At the time, I did not understand. You wished me to be protected, but why would I, Sesshoumaru, need protection?"
Rin shook her head almost imperceptibly, indicating that she had no recollection of the event.
"The thought came that you were worried that I, Sesshoumaru, might be attacked. But now... Perhaps you wished for me not to forget you on my journey. Well, it was a futile gesture, Rin. This Sesshoumaru has been unable to place you from his mind since he met you. And, I swear by my great ancestors, there has been no lack of trying on my part."
Sesshoumaru placed the paper dragon carefully on Rin's knee as he continued. His words tasted sticky in his mouth, the cause of which he definitely understood now. Sadness. This definitely had to be sadness. The same feeling that had washed over him when his mother died.
"It is for you now, Rin," Sesshoumaru said as evenly as possible, "So that you will not forget this Sesshoumaru."
Sesshoumaru had meant to say more words. But, instead, he only looked out into the field as he struggled to not think of what life would be like without Rin. He would still be the Great Lord of the Western Lands. He would still rule justly and nobly. But, what meaning would it have if Rin did not walk beside him to appreciate all he did? Meaning? Why did his life need this 'meaning'? Was it not enough that he carried on the traditions of his forefathers, becoming their equal and perhaps even surpassing them in some regards? No. But why? 'Why is it not enough?'
Rin picked up the origami creature and studied it intently. As she did, she smiled widely, openly, unashamedly. She radiated joy, and her cinnamon scent of happiness replaced the hollowness that had been wafting from her all morning.
"Oh, thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin looked up at her master, who turned his head only slightly in her direction. He nodded minutely in reply. Rin turned back to look at the field of flowers. Almost instantly, she jumped up and ran into the grove, tugging at the tie which bound her hair.
Rin danced among the flowers, her now-unbound hair swishing around her like festival ribbons. The sun played on her tan skin and the wind frolicked with the fabric of her yukata. Occasionally, she would throw herself to the ground, disappearing in the gentle mounds of flowers, only to appear again moments later holding aloft some prize, a flower or an insect or an interesting rock.
'She is so like the gentler aspects of Nature itself, wild and carefree. Taming her is only an illusion, but one with which she will agree for the sake of the onlooker. This Sesshoumaru supposes then that he would be the darker aspects of Nature, such as storms and earthquakes and wildfires. He is that which brings fear to the world's inhabitants. Can not this Sesshoumaru be more? Can not his nobility be more than just controlling his people with fear?'
'This Sesshoumaru wishes he knew some words to describe that human who dances before him now. Perhaps this Sesshoumaru shall have to commission new words to be made, words that can only be used to describe Rin. Words that have never become debased through misapplication and overuse. Magickal words that immediately bring to mind the fullness of all that is wonderful about Rin.'
Rin returned, looking a bit tired from her exploits, her arms overflowing with vibrant purple and white blossoms. Sitting beside the grand youkai, she let her bushel of flowers fall from her arms into her lap, where she immediately began to create a flower chain.
The sun rose even higher in the sky as Rin focused on her task. Suddenly, she found that laying among the flowers in her lap was the silver-haired head of her youkai master, his cheek pressed into the flowers that lay strewn across her thighs. Both the human and the youkai inhaled deeply, Rin in surprise and Sesshoumaru in an attempt to fill himself with the scent of flowers, of cinnamon, of Rin.
Rin let the blossoms in her hand fall, and moved her fingers to a new task, gently stroking the white-silver bangs that shaded Sesshoumaru's forehead and eyes. Her nimble fingers entwined themselves in his hair, would pull gently upwards, and then release his hair to fall again over his temples. The rhythm soothed him.
'Yes. This is the way it should be. This is right. My pet is here for my comfort. This is so peaceful, so achingly peaceful. As if there should be no more battles, no more anger, no more madness. Just Rin. Just Rin doing this for me forever.'
Finally, Rin spoke.
"Rin thinks Claw-sama likes you a lot more than she pretends, Sesshoumaru-sama."
Sesshoumaru felt his nails dig into the hidden flesh within his tail. 'Rin does not start conversations. Rin does not speak before spoken to. This is wrong, wrong, wrong. And Claw -sama-? Why does she say its name with such respect?'
"This Sesshoumaru does not care one iota what that creature, or any creature, thinks of him."
"Well, that is obviously a lie," Rin said offhandedly, still stroking her master's hair.
"What...did...you...just...say?" He measured each word carefully, certain that he could not have heard what he just imagined. Rin would not dare to call him a liar. Such a thing would be unthinkable.
"Your words were a lie. You obviously care very much what people think of you, and that they think of you. Would you have given me the paper dragon otherwise?"
No. This was wrong. This was incredibly and horribly wrong. Sesshoumaru pulled himself up quickly, crouching on his hands and knees as he glared at his servant's face. His piercing feral stare bore into Rin, his incredulousness giving way to anger. Rin froze, as naive prey tends to do when it realizes it is trapped. She could feel his ragged breath as he moved closer to her face, growling animalistically.
All he had wanted, all he had needed, was that moment of perfection. Just one more hour, one more minute, one more second of things being right. Of Rin being Rin and giving him peace. And she...had...ruined...everything.
"You...would not...should not...dare to speak..." Sesshoumaru hissed as he leaned in closer, not even realizing what he intended. He would kill her. He would have her dead. Not for her trespass in calling him a liar. He would kill her for stealing his solace, his peace. "...of this Sesshoumaru...in such a manner. You would not DARE!"
Rin remained motionless, her coffee-colored eyes only growing slightly larger as her master's anger washed over them both. Rin watched as Sesshoumaru's gaze moved from her eyes, down her face to her lips, and then lower, over the creamy expanse of her neck.
'Yes,' Rin's mind pleaded, 'That is where you should be looking, Sesshoumaru-sama.' To emphasize this, Rin tilted her head backwards very slightly, allowing the skin to pull taught.
"You...would not...dare..." Sesshoumaru whispered again, mesmerized by the heartbeat he could now see, pulsing softly through the skin of Rin's neck.
"-I- would dare," Rin replied, moving forward ever so slightly.
Sesshoumaru felt his lips come into contact with Rin's skin, the ephemeral layer that protected her blood flow. Rin's lifeblood coursed only millimeters from his touch. Anger and confusion blinded him, leaving him in a darkness composed only of the smell of Rin, the sound of her heartbeat, and the feeling of her skin on his lips.
"Please, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin's voice said shakily, barely audible to the youkai above the tides of her blood, "Please don't let me forget. I won't get another chance...to ask."
Suddenly, Sesshoumaru understood. This is what she wanted. To make him angry, to enrage him enough to kill her before she forgot everything. 'Yes. Yes. She wants this. You gave her back her life once, and now you must take it. If you won't do it for yourself, then do it for her.' Sesshoumaru felt his teeth graze over Rin's neck, feeling the longing to succumb to her wishes reverberate achingly in his fangs.
'No. You are Sesshoumaru. No one commands your actions. No youkai. Not Claw. Not Rin. She may wish to die, but this is not allowed. Isn't that why you came here in the first place? To seek the Charm that would bestow upon her immortality? The Charm that would protect her so that she would always be by your side? You have not failed. Not yet. There is still time.'
When Rin opened her eyes, Sesshoumaru was gone.
She brushed the errant blossoms off of her lap, retrieved her hair tie, and stood to return to the shrine.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sesshoumaru felt his entire body literally shaking as he finally stopped running. Although the physical exertion of his flight from Rin should not have caused him any problems, his breath came in quick pants. Sesshoumaru steadied himself by placing one hand against a tree, thanking whatever benevolent gods had stopped him from killing Rin.
If only those same gods would see fit to assist him with his -other- problems.
'When did she stop being my pet? When did she start to be my world?'
'What? Where did that thought come from?' Sesshoumaru wondered. 'By the wondrous Kami of Nature, compose yourself, Sesshoumaru. This is exactly what Claw wanted, for you to spend time with Rin and lose focus on the main fight.'
'Or, maybe Rin -was- right. Maybe Claw -is- trying to help me out, and this Sesshoumaru just can't see it. Rin always sees things in such a different way from other youkai, and other humans, and it isn't often that she is wrong.'
'Argh. This is so confusing. This Sesshoumaru is -losing- his mind!'
As if to punctuate that last assertion, Sesshoumaru threw his arms around himself and banged his forehead against the tree upon which he had been leaning. Over and over and over, he tried to calm his mind by the use of brute force. By the time he had finished, the tree's bark had been completely stripped in an area about the size of a hand.
Somehow, it did make Sesshoumaru feel a bit better. He brushed small flakes of bark off of his forehead and out of his hair, and set off to return to the grove where he had left Rin.
But, when he arrived, Rin was nowhere to be found.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sesshoumaru could see Rin sweeping the porch of the shrine as he arrived. 'Of course. Of course she would return here. There really was no reason for you to run quite that fast through the woods, now was there?'
The youkai Lord opened the gate of the shrine causing the rickety wood to squeak slightly as he entered the courtyard. The young woman looked up from her obviously consuming task and smiled.
"Hello Sesshoumaru-san," she said, leaning her broom up against the wall as she stepped off the porch.
'What? Wait. What did she just call this Sesshoumaru? That didn't sound right.'
Rin bowed formally to Sesshoumaru as he approached, and as she raised her body she said, "How may I be of assistance to you today?"
Sesshoumaru's mind swam at Rin's strange behavior, everything from the bowing, to speaking of herself in the first person, to changing the honorific she used with his name. Certainly he couldn't have been away from her for more than twenty minutes. How could she have changed so much in such a short time?
"I don't understand," Sesshoumaru finally grunted, "What has happened?"
"Oh," the teenager said, bowing again, "Please forgive me Sesshoumaru-san, if I seem a bit strange today. Things have been quite bizarre of late. I think I may perhaps be ill or, possibly a rival miko has tried to put some spell on me. Of course, it shall be of absolutely no use. I know of no miko who can rival the power of the great Iemitsu, hm?"
Sesshoumaru all but stumbled backwards at the revelation. 'Rin thinks she is Iemitsu? Claw lied. That damned Inanima lied and told this Sesshoumaru we had until sunrise. She's already forgotten. And somehow Rin knew, she knew how close she was to forgetting, and she tried to tell me when she bore her throat to me.' The taiyoukai felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He sank to his knees as his head swam with fury.
"Sesshoumaru-san! Are you quite alright? Are you ill, Sesshoumaru-san?"
'Wait. She hasn't forgotten everything. She still knows my name. So...some part of Rin must still be inside. There is still hope.'
Suddenly, a thought seized Sesshoumaru. He looked up at the young woman standing before him, stared hard into her concerned eyes.
"You are Iemitsu."
"Yes. I am," the teenager said sweetly.
Sesshoumaru shot up and grabbed Rin, now Iemitsu, by the shoulders. "Where is it? Where is the Charm?"
"Oh, that hurts!" the youth complained as the youkai's grasp tightened, claws digging into her soft flesh, "Please..."
"Tell me. The Charm. TELL ME!"
He knew that Rin must be within this human somewhere, but Sesshoumaru could barely sense her. Even her voice had changed, becoming high and nasal rather than warm and windy. Her scent had begun to change as well, oozing that sickly fetid smell that wafted from most of her race. Sesshoumaru tried not to choke on the scent as he waited for the teenager to answer.
"I...can't...remember. I had it...and then..."
"AND THEN WHAT?" Sesshoumaru realized he was yelling, and he realized that when he did speak, he shook the girl by her shoulders. 'Careful, Sesshoumaru. Rin is in there -somewhere-. You have to look past this putrid human.'
"I gave it to your father!"
"Think hard, Iemitsu, did he say what he was going to do with it?"
"Please stop shaking me, that hurts!" Rin's lips and Iemitsu's voice said. Rin's eyes closed as her face contorted in thought. Sesshoumaru wanted to slap the miko for making Rin's face look like that, but then her eyes flew open and she spoke. "Yes! I remember! He said he was going to put it in a sword.
"A sword?" Sesshoumaru asked as he unceremoniously dropped the girl, letting her land roughly on the ground. 'Tenseiga. It must be in Tenseiga.'
Sesshoumaru quickly drew his birthright sword and held it in front of his face. But, just as on the previous night, he had no idea how to unlock whatever secret power the sword might hold. 'Maybe all I have to do is...'
The Great Lord of the Western Land flicked his wrist expertly and positioned the sword under the miko's chin. Iemitsu winced as she felt the cold metal scrape against her flesh. 'If this Sesshoumaru is wrong...then...then...who knows what might happen? But, what else can be done? It has to be tried, for Rin's sake...'
Rin's eyes pleaded with him silently. No. He couldn't look at her face. If he did, and this failed. That would be too much to bear. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and thrust Tenseiga forward.
The resistance he met surprised the taiyoukai. The sword didn't budge.
Sesshoumaru opened his eyes to find Claw standing beside Tenseiga, slightly in front of Rin, her obsidian hand curled around the middle of the blade. Claw gingerly lifted the katana, careful to move it to the side to miss Rin's face.
"Ah, Sesshoumaru, that would not be wise," Claw said her grasp still tight on the sword. "Perhaps I should remove this sword from your possession for now, if you have decided to make yourself a danger to this young woman."
"You..." The demon lord's eyes became slits as he hissed at the wild creature standing before him. Careful not to breathe through his nose so as not to be distracted by Claw's molten metallic scent, Sesshoumaru slid the sword from her stone grasp. As he did, tiny sparks from the friction of metal on rock flew up through Claw's fingers. "You want the sword? Of course. That makes me all the more set upon using it. This Sesshoumaru must be correct in is assumptions, otherwise why would you try to stop me?"
"Because you will kill her, Sesshoumaru. This sword can restore life, yes. But it is also a normal piece of metal. Thrusting it through this young woman's neck will certainly kill her."
"So? If it does, this Sesshoumaru will use Tenseiga then to bring her back."
Claw turned over her hand and inspected it, flexing her fingers. Upon finding no damage, she looked down at the young woman on the ground. The Inanima extended her wiry arm, hand bent backwards at the wrist, and made a small circular motion with her fingers.
Rin slumped over on her side, her cheek pressed to the dirt.
"What did you do to her?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"She is merely sleeping, Sesshoumaru. Our words are too confusing for her. Rin still struggles with Iemitsu. Should we tax her mind too much, neither one will survive the process with any sort of sanity in tact." Claw leaned down and picked Rin up, placing her on the shine's porch in a more comfortable position. "No, as to your assumption that you would merely resurrect her, you are incorrect. Depending on how far along the process is, you may bring Iemitsu back to life -instead- of Rin. Tenseiga can only resurrect the soul most in control of the body. Do you want to chance it?"
"Maybe you are lying to me," Sesshoumaru hissed.
"Maybe. But again, do you want to take the chance?" Claw chuckled and shook her head, "I like you, Sesshoumaru. You don't trust anyone. That is going to make my job much more enjoyable."
Sesshoumaru shifted his weight as he finally re-sheathed Tenseiga. "You can't fool me, Claw. Rin...Iemitsu...she said that my father decided to put the Charm in a sword. So, it -must- be in Tenseiga."
Claw sighed deeply and looked up at the rapidly darkening sky. Evening had arrived quickly, and the sound of the spring cicadas had died down sharply. "Must it be in Tenseiga?" Claw asked absently, "Are you sure?"
"Where else could it....." Sesshoumaru stopped abruptly as his eyes grew wide. No, certainly his father would not play -that- trick. With all the power that Tetsusaiga had, certainly his father had not given Inuyasha the Charm -too-!
"No, I know what you are thinking. But, the Charm is not in your brother's destiny. Though, wouldn't that be hilarious?" Claw began to laugh so hard she clutched at her sides, "Your brother running around after the Shikon Jewel to become a full demon if he...had Iemitsu's Charm...all along. How witty of you to think of such a thing Sesshoumaru."
"This Sesshoumaru does not find anything funny. Stop laughing."
Claw laughed for several more minutes, until her frenzy died down to a whimsical chuckle. "Yes, yes, Sesshoumaru. I know. A youkai such as yourself must keep composure at all times. That will prove annoying in the future. Ah, if only I could have traded places with my sister. She'll certainly have an easier time of things."
Sesshoumaru flexed his fingers on his tail, wondering if his Dokkasou could melt Claw's face. "What...are...you...talking...about, you mad wench?"
"Ah. Nevermind. Idle chatter. And really, do you have any room to talk about beings which have gone mad? I think -not-."
"ENOUGH. Where is the Charm, Claw?"
"You were so close...earlier today. You were so very close to unlocking it. I thought you had it when you and Rin were together by the tree."
Sesshoumaru racked his mind, trying to figure out Claw's infuriating riddles. Why was the creature being so obtuse? Why couldn't she ever say what she meant?
"You really don't get it, do you Sesshoumaru? You don't deserve Rin."
Sesshoumaru looked at the young woman sleeping on the porch, her face pained even though her breathing came rhythmically. "Rin belongs to this Sesshoumaru. She is his property."
"Don't you get it? She's been slowly losing her memory these past two days, and she came to a point where she had only two things left...her memory of herself...and her memory of you. Which one did she choose, Sesshoumaru? You idiot! She sacrificed her memory of herself, just so she could hold on to the memory of you for a few hours more. Doesn't that -mean- anything to you?"
"Rin has always been exceedingly loyal," Sesshoumaru replied. Nonetheless, his mind buzzed with Claw's words. They were true. Even if everything else the Inanima said had been a lie, he had seen with his own eyes that -this- was true. Sesshoumaru felt something within his chest grow sore, and his throat tightened. 'Maybe I don't deserve her. Perhaps she would be better off here. She'd be revered by the humans as almost a goddess. But, she would not be Rin, either. No. That is not acceptable.'
"Loyal? Is that -all- she is? A loyal servant? I don't think so. Great Demon Lords do not come to haunted human shrines to find legendary Charms to turn ordinary human servants into youkai."
"I've grown used to her companionship. She is useful. It would be annoying if she died." Sesshoumaru looked up at the sky, adding silently to himself, 'And it would somehow hurt me badly.'
"Feh. Pitiful. Your father was obviously wrong about you. I see that now. Well. I've had enough. Time to stop wasting time, because sometimes there just isn't enough time to waste!" Claw turned back to the porch and bent over Rin's sleeping body.
"What do you mean? What are you doing?"
"I'm taking Rin to Iemitsu's grave. A closer proximity will assist the transition," Claw replied incredulously, as if even the most simple of creatures would know this information.
Sesshoumaru stepped forward and grasped Claw by her shoulder, throwing her to the ground while she was off balance. As Claw skidded backwards and landed sitting in the dirt of the courtyard, the taiyoukai growled, "This Sesshoumaru will not allow it."
"Do not be difficult, Sesshoumaru."
'My only chance is to transform. Then this Sesshoumaru could possibly defeat Claw with mere strength.' The demon lord allowed his full powers to flow through his veins, coursing over him as raw energy blasted through his body, causing his garments to billow outwards and his hair to toss wildly.
"No. You shall not transform." Claw intoned as she lifted her arm, her hand again bent upwards at the wrist. She mouthed a word that Sesshoumaru did not catch, and he watched as a stream of white light leapt from his chest into her hand. Sesshoumaru's breath caught as he felt the unbridled power of his true form leave him and pass through the night air into Claw's hand.
"I'll just keep this for the time being," Claw said with a chuckle as she turned again to gather the sleeping Rin into her arms. Turning around again, Claw smiled, "She does smell nice, doesn't she, Sesshoumaru?"
After spending but a few seconds catching his breath, Sesshoumaru stood again, drawing Toukijin. He couldn't try his poison now, not with Rin so close, but perhaps...perhaps if he stabbed the annoying creature in its eye, he could distract it long enough to grab Rin and run.
"No, no, Sesshoumaru. Stay here. There is no need for you to accompany us." Claw merely flicked her hand in his direction, and Sesshoumaru felt a jolt slide through his body, landing at his feet. As he tried to move forward, he found himself bolted to the ground by Claw's powerful magick.
Claw rocked Rin softly in her arms, watching the now-trapped Sesshoumaru as she did so.
"Say goodbye to her, Sesshoumaru."
"Do not do this Claw. Do not."
Claw smiled and pushed some of Rin's errant hair from the teenager's temples, "Why not?"
"I do not care where you go, or what becomes of you, if you leave with that girl, I will hunt you until the end of my days, until the world grows dry and turns to dust."
"Feh feh, pretty words. We'll be leaving," Claw announced, shifting Rin's weight in her arms, looking bored.
"I will come back to this shrine and kill her."
"No, Sesshoumaru, she will be protected."
Sesshoumaru desperately attempted to stall Claw while he concentrated on his legs. 'Move, damn you, move.'
"Here, Sesshoumaru, I'll give you something to remember her by." The capricious Inanima grinned evilly as she tore two small strips from Rin's sleeve. Using one long ebony talon, Claw punctured the skin on Rin's wrist. She held one of the strips of cloth there for a few seconds before removing it and tying the other strip into place as a bandage. Claw wadded up the bloody fabric and tossed it at Sesshoumaru's face.
The taiyoukai caught the strip of cloth easily and stared at it for only a second before the overpowering odor of Rin's blood drew his attentions away from his paralyzed legs. He reeled from the aroma, scenes of Rin flashing through his mind. Rin ill. Rin wearing geta. Rin bleeding in a tree. Rin staring at him in the lake. Rin dancing. Rin smiling.
"You. Will..."
"Die. Yes, yes," Claw said, exasperated, "We've been over that. Goodbye."
Claw began to rise into the air, clutching Rin's body. Floating upwards, she kept her gaze locked on the struggling taiyoukai below. The night breeze ruffled their various garments as the moonlight seemed to bathe the scene in an ethereal glow.
"Rin!" Sesshoumaru called, his only hope now to wake the sleeping form of his servant. "RIN!!!!
Within the body of the Great Demon Lord of the Western Lands, something burst. Some wall, some barrier, some obstruction that he had placed within his heart in his youth cracked down the middle, and the lake of emotion that had been dammed there for so many decades rushed out, creating a tidal wave that consumed him. All at once, fear and hope, sadness and joy, grief and longing consumed him in such a raging surge that he fell to his knees, clutching at the clumps of grass beside him as if to hold on to the Earth for fear he might be swept away.
"RINNNNNNNN! DON'T LEAVE ME!"
There would be no way, no way he could live without her, without the meaning she brought to his life. Nothing would have any meaning if he could not share it with Rin. Life would be completely pointless.
"Rin, please, please listen. Please...I can't live without you!"
Claw stopped moving upwards. The Inanima's head tilted slightly to the side, a motion imperceptible to the taiyoukai now far below. And then, Claw smiled.
Sesshoumaru beat his fists against the ground, summoning all of his strength in an attempt to convey his message to the one being in the world he needed above all others.
"Remember me, Rin!!! Remember that...remember...that I love you!"
Above the shrine of the miko Iemitsu, a creature known as Claw took in her last breath as her world became a molten white light.
Sesshoumaru watched as the pair began to fall to Earth. At first it looked as if sparks were shooting off of Claw's skin, but then Sesshoumaru realized that Claw's skin -itself- had begun to flake away. Larger and larger chunks shed into the ether, leaving in their wake a bright glow.
Faster and faster they fell. When Claw's arms disappeared, Rin slipped from the Inanima's grasp, and began to fall faster than Claw, who, though plunging downwards, still seemed to possess some power which allowed her to float.
Rin hit the ground with a thud, causing a cloud of dust to raise up from the earth. Above her, Claw all but exploded in light as the remainder of her obsidian flesh shed away. After a few moments, the glowing light died down.
And that is when Sesshoumaru saw it, the tempered metal flashing blue in the moonlight, floating in the sky where Claw had been.
A sword.
A sword that was now plunging to earth.
In horror, Sesshoumaru watched as the sword which had been sequestered away within Claw's body fell faster and faster...only to be stopped when it plunged into Rin's chest, piercing his beloved's heart.
Finding that Claw's spell had broken with her transformation, Sesshoumaru moved faster than he had ever moved before.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sesshoumaru, the Great Lord of the Western Lands, stood above the fallen body of the young woman named Rin, his exquisitely pale hand grabbing the hilt of sword that had just pierced her heart, robbing her of her life for a second time.
There would be no restoring her, not this time, not from this wound, because Rin no longer resided in this body.
The scent of Rin's blood hit the taiyoukai, sharp and metallic, piercing him as deeply as the sword had done her. His mind would shatter. She was gone and he would be lost, lost forever without the companionship she had offered so freely.
At the junction of sword and breast, Rin's blood spilled out, and he...he had been the cause. He had failed everyone, his father, himself, but most of all, he had failed Rin.
Sesshoumaru could no longer discern himself from the whir of thoughts in his mind. A hurricane of grief raged, casting the taiyoukai into darkness as his sight grew dim. He could not breathe, he could not move, and he knew he would be trapped forever in this moment of horror.
The taiyoukai fell to his knees in defeat as the forest around the shrine seemed to vibrate with movement when its residents fled for their lives.
For every living being within the Western Lands had heard their master's pained scream of terror.
"RRRRIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Rin?" the female voice asked through the darkness. "Are you still here?"
"Who is that?" Rin asked, trying desperately to see anything, "Its dark. Rin can not see you."
"My name is Iemitsu." A glowing orb of warm light rose between the two women, illuminating only their faces and upper bodies, revealing nothing of their environment but infinite darkness. "Is that better, Rin?
Rin gasped slightly as she looked at the woman before her, "You look just like Rin!"
Iemitsu smiled knowingly in response and whispered, "Or perhaps Rin looks like Iemitsu?"
Rin hung her head down slightly, staring at her hands, "Rin is afraid she doesn't understand."
"Ah. You would be my great great great great great great great granddaughter, Rin."
"Oh," Rin replied, slightly confused, "Is Rin perhaps dreaming, then?"
"No, sweet child, you can see me because you are very, very close to death, and I...of course...-am- dead. But, please don't panic. Time acts very differently here. One second of your mortal life might be an eternity in this place. And, before you even ask, do not worry about Sesshoumaru. One way or the other, you will be seeing him soon."
"Oh thank you, Iemitsu-sama. You are very kind."
"You're welcome, Rin-chan," Iemitsu said softly as she reached out to touch her descendant's cheek. "I've been watching you for a long time, Rin-chan. You've done a good job with your life. But, I wanted to tell you something."
"Please do, Iemitsu-sama," Rin replied, leaning back on her hands only to find that there did not seem to be anything to lean upon.
"Do you remember the story of the Silver Dagger Butterflies, Rin-chan?"
"Yes! One of my favorites. I made Jakken-sama tell it to me often." Remembering how she had flustered the toad youkai with the constant re-telling of the story made Rin giggle.
"Do you remember how it ends?"
"Very much so. Such a sad ending. The Silver Dagger Butterflies are sent by the Dragon King to test the hearts of all the humans. They do so, but don't find any virtuous and pure humans, so all the humans die. And then the Silver Dagger Butterflies find out that human blood is poisonous to them, and they die too."
A mysterious smile appeared on Iemitsu's face, "Except that isn't what -really- happened. If it was, there would be no humans, right?"
"Right! I asked Jakken-sama about that, but he didn't have an answer."
"Do you want to know what really happened?"
"Oh yes! Very much so, Iemitsu-sama."
"The Dragon King sent the Silver Dagger Butterflies out to test the hearts of all the humans. This they did, and every single human was found to have a defect in their virtues, every single one found to have a heart filled with decay, with anger or hatred, with envy or greed. Every single heart...except one."
"In a hut beyond the highest mountains, through a pass covered in ice, within a dense and enormous forest, the last Silver Dagger Butterfly found the human to which he had been assigned. He plunged knowingly into her heart, having already seen the fates of all his brethren. And he waited."
"But, once within the confines of her heart, he could find no defect. 'Surely', he thought, 'I must be missing something,' so he delved deeper and deeper, but could find nothing amiss. Her heart was filled with pure joy, pure kindness, pure love. And to his great surprise, because of this, her blood was not poisonous to him."
"She asked the Silver Dagger Butterfly why he had come, and he told her of the mandate of the Dragon King. The young woman was filled with sorrow upon hearing the fates of both the humans and the Silver Dagger Butterflies. She promised the last Silver Dagger Butterfly that she would set things right, so she set out to find the Dragon King."
"The girl traveled through the dense forest, down the pass covered in ice, over the highest mountain and into the great land beyond. The Butterfly within her heart directing her, she eventually came to the palace of the Dragon King. She spoke to the guards and demanded to be seen. Upon hearing that one human still lived, the Dragon King was intrigued. He sent for the young woman and had her brought to his chambers."
"But, when he saw her, so fair was her skin and so great the beauty of her heart, he fell instantly in love. He pleaded with the young woman to stay with him forever, but she was so filled with sorrow at the loss of her fellow humans that when she looked upon him, she could only weep."
"So the Dragon King made her a promise. If she would stay but for a year and a day, he would restore the human race and let them live within his lands. The young woman agreed to this, and came to live in his grand palace. The Dragon King asked the girl her name, and upon finding she had none, he gave her a name that he thought at least touched upon the brilliance of her beauty. He named her Sunshine."
"The days passed quickly within the great palace, and the Dragon King and Sunshine spent many happy moments together. They took picnics on the clouds and wove elegant tapestries from the rains. They listened to grand orchestras performed by forests and watched plays performed by the oceans. In time. Sunshine found that she had grown quite fond of the Dragon King, and grew sad as the day approached for her to leave."
"He begged her not to go, but she said that she had to return to the humans. She had to help them find their way, to show them joy, and kindness and love so that they could grow to be a good race. But, someday, she promised, she would return."
"When Sunshine left, the Dragon King wept. No one within his court could console him. He felt lost without his love. So, he decided he would make one final plea for the heart of the maiden. He dressed all of the butterflies of the world in the finest array of colors, in all the colors of his love, and sent them down to the lands as a message to Sunshine."
"When Sunshine saw the butterflies, saw the intensity and grandeur of the Dragon King's love, her eyes filled with tears as she realized that she loved him, too. Her joy at this revelation caused even the Silver Dagger Butterfly now living within her heart to leap with excitement. But the wings of a Silver Dragon Butterfly are sharp knives, and by accident he slit her heart in twain, causing her to die."
"When the Silver Dagger Butterfly, who had witnessed the love grow between the Dragon King and the girl Sunshine realized what had happened, it was too late. As Sunshine breathed her last, the Silver Dagger Butterfly wrapped itself around her broken heart, trying to hold the pieces together. As it did, it fused with Sunshine's soul."
"'We will come again,' he exclaimed to his dying friend, 'We will return to earth again and again to guide the humans until they no longer need us. And when our task is through, we will test the heart of every man, woman, and child until we find the heart of our beloved Dragon King!'
"But, the Dragon King did not know that Sunshine would return. So he grew cold and cruel because of his sadness. With her loss, his heart changed to pitch black. And because of this, when Sunshine did finally return, the Silver Dagger Butterfly fused within her soul was unable to recognize the heart of Sunshine's beloved."
As Iemitsu's words came to an end, Rin felt hot tears trailing down her own cheek. Smiling bravely through a sniffle, Rin whispered, "A beautiful story. Thank you, Iemitsu-sama."
The miko's ghost leaned forward and wiped away one of Rin's tears with the soft pad of her thumb. Iemitsu stroked the young woman's cheek with the back of her hand.
"Oh my dearest Sunshine," Iemitsu whispered, "You've traveled so far, you've parted so much darkness. If you can but tell me the name of the one who now contains the heart of your Dragon King, your journey will be at an end. Tell me, Sunshine, have you found him?"
Rin reached up to lace her finger's through the miko's. Rin squeezed the other woman's hand.
"Thank you Iemitsu-sama."
"What is his name, Rin?"
The glowing light between the two women grew bright as Rin whispered, "Yes. I have found him. His name is Sesshoumaru."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Sesshoumaru?"
"Where is this Sesshoumaru?" Sesshoumaru demanded, clenching his fists in the darkness. "Who is there?"
"Just me, Sesshoumaru," Claw's voice replied as dim moonlight began to seep into the area. Sesshoumaru realized he stood in a field, the same field of purple and white flowers he and Rin had gone to view earlier. Oh no. Rin!
"Claw..." Sesshoumaru growled. As he did so, the dark-skinned Inanima stepped from the tree line and approached the taiyoukai. "You killed Rin!"
"Well well, you're a bit quick to place blame, aren't you? Don't you think -you- might have had -something- to do with that?"
Sesshoumaru wanted to rush Claw, beat her with his fists until either every bone in his hands turned to dust or she perished. But, instead, he merely sank down into the flowers. The sweet aroma of the field reminded him of Rin. Filling his lungs, he closed his eyes, wishing that he could stay here forever and imagine that Rin danced nearby.
"Sesshoumaru, you are an idiot. This is no time to resign yourself to death. You just admitted your love for Rin. Aren't you going to fight for her?"
"She's dead, Claw." Sesshoumaru laid down in the flowers, pressing his youkai face against the delicate blossoms. 'Mmm. They feel like Rin's skin.'
"First of all, my name, Sesshoumaru, my true name, is Tenzenryoku. It is the name your father gave me when he had me fashioned from one of his claws. Second of all, Rin isn't dead. Yet. Third, snap out of it. You aren't insane, you're just stupid."
"What? Rin isn't dead?" Sesshoumaru sat up quickly, attempting to gather his senses.
Claw sighed audibly and put her hands on her hips, "Pay attention. First thing first. You aren't insane. You were just confused about how you could love Rin, a human. Added to this was the problem that my brother, Tenseiga, tried his hardest to give you advice. Unfortunately, as you have already deduced, you are not Tenseiga's master. Therefore, my brother sword's words came out in a language you couldn't understand, confusing you further. For instance, when Tenseiga told you to kiss Rin on the ear, you thought he said you should EAT her ear. You have a frightening psyche, Sesshoumaru."
Sesshoumaru blinked, processing this information as a slight wind skipped through the grove. "Then Tenseiga's master is..."
"That is right. After Iemitsu gave him a vision of the destiny of his sons, your father crafted Tenseiga for Rin. He crafted Tetsusaiga for Kagome. He crafted me, Tenzenryoku, for you. And, he crafted Tentamawaru for Inuyasha. This is why Kagome was able to pull Tetsusaiga from your father's grave when neither you nor Inuyasha could. And this is why Rin was able to activate Tenseiga even though she'd never held a sword in her life."
"Four swords?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Yes. Two made from your father's fangs, two made from his claws. Four swords instead of two. His gifts to you, and to your mates. Rin will wield the sword Tenseiga, holding the power of life, and the power to turn demons to humans. She holds this power because, knowing the pain of being a human, she will be loathe to use power lightly."
"Kagome will eventually wield Tetsusaiga, when your half-brother stops being such an incredible idiot by using it to destroy everything in sight. She has such a kind and fair heart that she will only use its full power in the most dire of situations."
"You will wield me, Tenzenryoku. Because I contain Iemitsu's Charm, I have the power to turn humans into demons. This power is given to you, because, of course, the human would have to be very special indeed to convince you to use this power. But, my true power is the one I demonstrated earlier this evening when I stole your ability to transform. I am a magnet for demon powers, calling them into myself to be used by my master."
"And then there is my sister, Tentamawaru. Inuyasha's sword. No one knows exactly what it can do, only that Inuyasha will use it to save the world from destruction."
Claw snickered at the thought of Inuyasha saving the world before she continued, her voice lowering.
"You unlocked the Charm when you admitted your love for Rin, Sesshoumaru. But, I want you to realize how close you came to losing her. If you ever willingly put her in danger, if you ever hurt her, if you ever through your stubbornness push her away...if you ever do these things again, I swear by my tempered metal, You...Will...Die. I will steal your youkai powers and replace them with the pain of molten metal flowing through your veins. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
Sesshoumaru nodded, but he hadn't really been listening. Nonetheless, it didn't matter, Claw...Tenzenryoku, would explain it again later. 'Rin is alive. Rin is alive. Rin is alive.' The words timed themselves to his heartbeat.
"Alright, my friend, let's go see your beloved."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sesshoumaru's vision blurred. Something seemed to be burning in his eyes, causing his sight to grow troubled. Reaching up with one hand, he felt at his eyes, trying to discern the problem, and found that his fingers met with a warm wetness. 'Tears? How frivolous. Well, no time to think on that now. Where is Rin?'
Brushing aside his tears, the prone form of Rin swam into view, Tenzenryoku still sticking from her chest. The silver-haired demon lord quickly reached forward and removed the sword, wincing as the blood-coated blade slipped from Rin's body. Without a thought, Sesshoumaru tossed the sword aside and lifted Rin's head and shoulders to place them into his lap.
Sesshoumaru placed his fingers on Rin's forehead to push back the hair which had fallen into her face. Her ebony locks seemed even more silky than he remembered, and sent electric shivers through his fingers. Sesshoumaru stared at the delicate face which lay in his lap. Something was different.
By the outermost corners of each of Rin's eyes lay three silvery dots in a line. In the middle of her forehead was a purple teardrop marking. Carefully, so as not to scratch her with his claw, Sesshoumaru brushed across one of the set of dots.
The taiyoukai felt something flutter rapidly against the ground near his knees. He looked down to discover two sets of metallic silver butterfly wings jutting from Rin's back.
She was a youkai.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, please don't cry," a quiet voice pleaded.
Sesshoumaru looked back at Rin's face. Her eyes had always been beautiful, but now, in the moonlight of the deserted shrine, they seemed magnificent, even radiant.
"Rin. You came back. You came back to this Sesshoumaru."
"Always," Rin whispered, moving her hand to the already rapidly healing wound on her chest. Her other hand lifted upwards, as if she wanted to touch Sesshoumaru's face, but her movement faltered in her weakened state. The demon lord caught her hand and turned it over gently, pressing Rin's palm to his lips. "Rin will follow Sesshoumaru-sama forever. Wherever you go, whomever you become, I will always find you."
"Rin, listen to me," Sesshoumaru's voice became quiet, solemn and deep, "I, Sesshoumaru, do not care if you are a human or a youkai. I do not care. You are the only one who ever cared for this Sesshoumaru. Not for my power, not out of fear, you saw something in me that even this Sesshoumaru did not know existed. Please just let me love you, let me love you forever." Sesshoumaru bent forward and buried his face in Rin's hair,
"I promise, Sesshoumaru-sama. I promise forever."
And that is when, in the shrine of the ancient miko Iemitsu, a butterfly youkai removed her hand from her wounded heart and found the strength to pull the face of her long lost beloved to hers.
They say that there are some kisses that are soft, and some are sweet. Some are full of passion and lust, and some shake the world to its core. Kisses come in many forms, creating wonderful beginnings and sorrowful tear-filled endings. Some kisses encompass so much love that they become legendary, living forever imprinted on the hearts of men.
And sometimes, just sometimes, a kiss can be so powerful that it can unite two souls for eternity.
The end?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"But, Sesshoumaru-sama?" the butterfly youkai whispered.
"Yes, Rin?"
"You'll have to smile more."
THE END...or rather...the beginning.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In the epilogue: Yes! Please do look forward to the epilogue, which shall be a fun romp through some of the events which take place afterwards. If I can figure out how, it might even get a bit lime flavored for your enjoyment.
Thank you again to all the wonderful reviewers. Your suggestions and encouragement helped me to write this story. I very much hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. (And I especially hope this last chapter wasn't too long and rambling.)
I thought I would credit the musical inspiration for this story. Sesshoumaru's theme song was Angie Aparo's "Wonderland". Rin's theme song was Bjork's "Human Behavior". Other songs used for inspiration, U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", and They Might Be Giants' "Birdhouse In Your Soul".
Tenzenryoku: I do not know Japanese, so I used an online dictionary. This was as close as I could get to "The Sword of Demon Powers".
Tentamawaru: Again, I do not know Japanese, so this was as close as I could get to "The Sword of Bestowing".
This chapter gets a bit mushy in places, and the characters will do some strange things. Please recall that Sesshoumaru believes he is going insane and Rin is forgetting who she is, and blame everything on that.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter 6 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sesshoumaru, the Great Lord of the Western Lands, stood above the fallen body of the young woman named Rin, his exquisitely pale hand grabbing the hilt of sword that had just pierced her heart, robbing her of her life for a second time.
There would be no restoring her, not this time, not from this wound, because Rin no longer resided in this body.
The scent of Rin's blood hit the taiyoukai, sharp and metallic, piercing him as deeply as the sword had done her. His mind would shatter. She was gone and he would be lost, lost forever without the companionship she had offered so freely.
At the junction of sword and breast, Rin's blood spilled out, and he...he had been the cause. He had failed everyone, his father, himself, but most of all, he had failed Rin.
Sesshoumaru could no longer discern himself from the whir of thoughts in his mind. A hurricane of grief raged, casting the taiyoukai into darkness as his sight grew dim. He could not breathe, he could not move, and he knew he would be trapped forever in this moment of horror.
The taiyoukai fell to his knees in defeat as the forest around the shrine seemed to vibrate with movement when its residents fled for their lives.
For every living being within the Western Lands had heard their master's pained scream of terror.
"RRRRIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
That morning, Rin awoke to find herself wrapped in a satiny softness she could not immediately place. She blinked once, twice, as her eyes adjusted to the rosy rays of dawn. 'This warmth. So familiar but, Rin can not place it.'
Sesshoumaru's tail twitched slightly as the young woman wrapped in its warmth stirred. He hadn't wished to disturb her during the night, but knew she would become too cold sleeping on the porch. Yes. He had done it because she would be too cold. It had nothing to do with the fact that his mind seemed even more disquiet outside of her presence now.
As the morning breeze ruffled the fur on his tail, Rin began to squirm slightly, loosening the coils fur. Had he really constricted them so tightly? He must have not noticed. Perhaps he had been thinking of strangling Claw.
And where exactly was that infernal creature? Disappeared again, it seemed, likely not to return until evening, when it would likely be too late.
Rin's face finally peeked out from underneath his tail, surveying the world between blinks. Without moving his head, Sesshoumaru's eyes darted to his side to observe the teenager. Rin. But, also not Rin. This person looked tired. Rin was a morning person. This face seemed hollow and sad, Rin's face shone with joy.
Between the loops of his tail, Rin's arm stretched out towards Sesshoumaru. As she pulled herself into a sitting position, she touched his face questioningly. Her touch traced the markings on his cheeks and forehead lightly as her eyes searched for understanding. Sesshoumaru held his breath. Rin had never been so brave as to touch him without his express permission. In fact, -no one- touched him without express permission. Sesshoumaru had a passing thought that he should be furious, but instead only sat, stunned, at the turn of events.
Rin ran her fingers along the edge of one Sesshoumaru's pointed ears, causing the taiyoukai's eyes to open wider in surprise. Instantaneously, Sesshoumaru's hand shot up and caught Rin's wrist.
"Do not do that, Rin," came the low growl.
For a moment, Rin looked terrified, and he caught the scent of abject fear that pulsated from her for only a moment before being replaced with a wave of relief.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin exclaimed, finally placing the face. "Rin is sorry...Rin...must have...your face...couldn't remember for a moment..."
Sesshoumaru released his ward's wrist delicately and returned his gaze to the courtyard in front of them. But, he could still feel her fingers on his sensitive ears, a touch which had set every nerve in his body to alarm. It had taken quite a bit of strength and self control not to crush her delicate wrist.
"You will go with me today, Rin," Sesshoumaru announced crisply as he returned to his senses.
"Leave the shrine?" Rin asked, her voice bordering on alarm.
"Only for a while. We will return."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As they walked, Sesshoumaru's thoughts alternated between the young woman at his side and the infuriating Inanima he needed to defeat. Thinking on one invariably led him to becoming annoyed and switching to think of the other.
They walked towards a grove he had seen on his patrols the previous day. The flowers there had been blossoming exquisitely. If anything, he would see Rin among her beloved flowers one last time. Not because he possessed an ounce of sentimentality, but because that seemed correct and fitting in the overall flow of the world. 'That makes absolutely no sense, Sesshoumaru.'
'You can't let Claw have Rin. Even if you can't find the Charm, if you kill Rin, you still beat Claw. You will have proven that you aren't weak, and then your mind should then be free. Everything will go back to the way it should be. The way it always was.'
On the other hand, the woman walking beside him caused his thoughts to be troubled as well. The little things seemed wrong. Like the way she looked down at the path instead of walking with confidence. Rin couldn't get enough of looking at nature. She'd inspect everything, taking leaf samples and picking up rocks as she walked. Any journey with Rin always became an adventure with the young woman's constant discoveries of something -new-.
He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her. But, it would be pointless.
They came upon a field blanketed in purple and white flowers. Sesshoumaru half expected Rin to name their species and then declare "My favorite!" It seemed every type of flower was her favorite. She would then run to the very middle of the field and spin around until she was too dizzy to stand, falling on the ground to roll on the blossoms until she reeked of their scent.
But no, the woman by his side merely looked forlornly at the field and asked, "Is this our destination?"
Without answering, Sesshoumaru strode into the field. Rin followed behind. After crossing its length, Sesshoumaru found a sturdy tree at the other edge of the grove and sat. Rin remained standing, fidgeting slightly with one of her yukata sleeves, as if unsure what she should do.
"Sit here, Rin," Sesshoumaru intoned, indicating a spot next to him.
They sat together quietly for some time, merely watching the field. The flowers swayed in the midmorning breeze as flying insects of every sort seemed to compose an ever-changing confetti in the air. Songbirds called to one another from the nearby woods, seeking to impress each other by composing elegant symphonies of sound. And as the heat of the morning rose, so did the intensity of the perfume of the flowers.
Sesshoumaru reached into the front of his haori and pulled out a small, fragile object which he had kept sequestered away within the folds for many years now. Rin watched him with mild curiouity as he extended his hand and opened his fist, palm upwards.
There, cradled within his cupped hand, lay a well worn origami dragon. Rin stared at the elaborate folded paper, unsure of the meaning of Sesshoumaru's gesture.
'Tell her. Tell her now, you may not get another chance,' Sesshoumaru's mind pleaded. However, this voice, this particular voice seemed wholly unlike the others he had been hearing. This voice seemed...small and frightened.
"You gave this to Sesshoumaru some years ago," the taiyoukai explained. "At the time, I did not understand. You wished me to be protected, but why would I, Sesshoumaru, need protection?"
Rin shook her head almost imperceptibly, indicating that she had no recollection of the event.
"The thought came that you were worried that I, Sesshoumaru, might be attacked. But now... Perhaps you wished for me not to forget you on my journey. Well, it was a futile gesture, Rin. This Sesshoumaru has been unable to place you from his mind since he met you. And, I swear by my great ancestors, there has been no lack of trying on my part."
Sesshoumaru placed the paper dragon carefully on Rin's knee as he continued. His words tasted sticky in his mouth, the cause of which he definitely understood now. Sadness. This definitely had to be sadness. The same feeling that had washed over him when his mother died.
"It is for you now, Rin," Sesshoumaru said as evenly as possible, "So that you will not forget this Sesshoumaru."
Sesshoumaru had meant to say more words. But, instead, he only looked out into the field as he struggled to not think of what life would be like without Rin. He would still be the Great Lord of the Western Lands. He would still rule justly and nobly. But, what meaning would it have if Rin did not walk beside him to appreciate all he did? Meaning? Why did his life need this 'meaning'? Was it not enough that he carried on the traditions of his forefathers, becoming their equal and perhaps even surpassing them in some regards? No. But why? 'Why is it not enough?'
Rin picked up the origami creature and studied it intently. As she did, she smiled widely, openly, unashamedly. She radiated joy, and her cinnamon scent of happiness replaced the hollowness that had been wafting from her all morning.
"Oh, thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin looked up at her master, who turned his head only slightly in her direction. He nodded minutely in reply. Rin turned back to look at the field of flowers. Almost instantly, she jumped up and ran into the grove, tugging at the tie which bound her hair.
Rin danced among the flowers, her now-unbound hair swishing around her like festival ribbons. The sun played on her tan skin and the wind frolicked with the fabric of her yukata. Occasionally, she would throw herself to the ground, disappearing in the gentle mounds of flowers, only to appear again moments later holding aloft some prize, a flower or an insect or an interesting rock.
'She is so like the gentler aspects of Nature itself, wild and carefree. Taming her is only an illusion, but one with which she will agree for the sake of the onlooker. This Sesshoumaru supposes then that he would be the darker aspects of Nature, such as storms and earthquakes and wildfires. He is that which brings fear to the world's inhabitants. Can not this Sesshoumaru be more? Can not his nobility be more than just controlling his people with fear?'
'This Sesshoumaru wishes he knew some words to describe that human who dances before him now. Perhaps this Sesshoumaru shall have to commission new words to be made, words that can only be used to describe Rin. Words that have never become debased through misapplication and overuse. Magickal words that immediately bring to mind the fullness of all that is wonderful about Rin.'
Rin returned, looking a bit tired from her exploits, her arms overflowing with vibrant purple and white blossoms. Sitting beside the grand youkai, she let her bushel of flowers fall from her arms into her lap, where she immediately began to create a flower chain.
The sun rose even higher in the sky as Rin focused on her task. Suddenly, she found that laying among the flowers in her lap was the silver-haired head of her youkai master, his cheek pressed into the flowers that lay strewn across her thighs. Both the human and the youkai inhaled deeply, Rin in surprise and Sesshoumaru in an attempt to fill himself with the scent of flowers, of cinnamon, of Rin.
Rin let the blossoms in her hand fall, and moved her fingers to a new task, gently stroking the white-silver bangs that shaded Sesshoumaru's forehead and eyes. Her nimble fingers entwined themselves in his hair, would pull gently upwards, and then release his hair to fall again over his temples. The rhythm soothed him.
'Yes. This is the way it should be. This is right. My pet is here for my comfort. This is so peaceful, so achingly peaceful. As if there should be no more battles, no more anger, no more madness. Just Rin. Just Rin doing this for me forever.'
Finally, Rin spoke.
"Rin thinks Claw-sama likes you a lot more than she pretends, Sesshoumaru-sama."
Sesshoumaru felt his nails dig into the hidden flesh within his tail. 'Rin does not start conversations. Rin does not speak before spoken to. This is wrong, wrong, wrong. And Claw -sama-? Why does she say its name with such respect?'
"This Sesshoumaru does not care one iota what that creature, or any creature, thinks of him."
"Well, that is obviously a lie," Rin said offhandedly, still stroking her master's hair.
"What...did...you...just...say?" He measured each word carefully, certain that he could not have heard what he just imagined. Rin would not dare to call him a liar. Such a thing would be unthinkable.
"Your words were a lie. You obviously care very much what people think of you, and that they think of you. Would you have given me the paper dragon otherwise?"
No. This was wrong. This was incredibly and horribly wrong. Sesshoumaru pulled himself up quickly, crouching on his hands and knees as he glared at his servant's face. His piercing feral stare bore into Rin, his incredulousness giving way to anger. Rin froze, as naive prey tends to do when it realizes it is trapped. She could feel his ragged breath as he moved closer to her face, growling animalistically.
All he had wanted, all he had needed, was that moment of perfection. Just one more hour, one more minute, one more second of things being right. Of Rin being Rin and giving him peace. And she...had...ruined...everything.
"You...would not...should not...dare to speak..." Sesshoumaru hissed as he leaned in closer, not even realizing what he intended. He would kill her. He would have her dead. Not for her trespass in calling him a liar. He would kill her for stealing his solace, his peace. "...of this Sesshoumaru...in such a manner. You would not DARE!"
Rin remained motionless, her coffee-colored eyes only growing slightly larger as her master's anger washed over them both. Rin watched as Sesshoumaru's gaze moved from her eyes, down her face to her lips, and then lower, over the creamy expanse of her neck.
'Yes,' Rin's mind pleaded, 'That is where you should be looking, Sesshoumaru-sama.' To emphasize this, Rin tilted her head backwards very slightly, allowing the skin to pull taught.
"You...would not...dare..." Sesshoumaru whispered again, mesmerized by the heartbeat he could now see, pulsing softly through the skin of Rin's neck.
"-I- would dare," Rin replied, moving forward ever so slightly.
Sesshoumaru felt his lips come into contact with Rin's skin, the ephemeral layer that protected her blood flow. Rin's lifeblood coursed only millimeters from his touch. Anger and confusion blinded him, leaving him in a darkness composed only of the smell of Rin, the sound of her heartbeat, and the feeling of her skin on his lips.
"Please, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin's voice said shakily, barely audible to the youkai above the tides of her blood, "Please don't let me forget. I won't get another chance...to ask."
Suddenly, Sesshoumaru understood. This is what she wanted. To make him angry, to enrage him enough to kill her before she forgot everything. 'Yes. Yes. She wants this. You gave her back her life once, and now you must take it. If you won't do it for yourself, then do it for her.' Sesshoumaru felt his teeth graze over Rin's neck, feeling the longing to succumb to her wishes reverberate achingly in his fangs.
'No. You are Sesshoumaru. No one commands your actions. No youkai. Not Claw. Not Rin. She may wish to die, but this is not allowed. Isn't that why you came here in the first place? To seek the Charm that would bestow upon her immortality? The Charm that would protect her so that she would always be by your side? You have not failed. Not yet. There is still time.'
When Rin opened her eyes, Sesshoumaru was gone.
She brushed the errant blossoms off of her lap, retrieved her hair tie, and stood to return to the shrine.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sesshoumaru felt his entire body literally shaking as he finally stopped running. Although the physical exertion of his flight from Rin should not have caused him any problems, his breath came in quick pants. Sesshoumaru steadied himself by placing one hand against a tree, thanking whatever benevolent gods had stopped him from killing Rin.
If only those same gods would see fit to assist him with his -other- problems.
'When did she stop being my pet? When did she start to be my world?'
'What? Where did that thought come from?' Sesshoumaru wondered. 'By the wondrous Kami of Nature, compose yourself, Sesshoumaru. This is exactly what Claw wanted, for you to spend time with Rin and lose focus on the main fight.'
'Or, maybe Rin -was- right. Maybe Claw -is- trying to help me out, and this Sesshoumaru just can't see it. Rin always sees things in such a different way from other youkai, and other humans, and it isn't often that she is wrong.'
'Argh. This is so confusing. This Sesshoumaru is -losing- his mind!'
As if to punctuate that last assertion, Sesshoumaru threw his arms around himself and banged his forehead against the tree upon which he had been leaning. Over and over and over, he tried to calm his mind by the use of brute force. By the time he had finished, the tree's bark had been completely stripped in an area about the size of a hand.
Somehow, it did make Sesshoumaru feel a bit better. He brushed small flakes of bark off of his forehead and out of his hair, and set off to return to the grove where he had left Rin.
But, when he arrived, Rin was nowhere to be found.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sesshoumaru could see Rin sweeping the porch of the shrine as he arrived. 'Of course. Of course she would return here. There really was no reason for you to run quite that fast through the woods, now was there?'
The youkai Lord opened the gate of the shrine causing the rickety wood to squeak slightly as he entered the courtyard. The young woman looked up from her obviously consuming task and smiled.
"Hello Sesshoumaru-san," she said, leaning her broom up against the wall as she stepped off the porch.
'What? Wait. What did she just call this Sesshoumaru? That didn't sound right.'
Rin bowed formally to Sesshoumaru as he approached, and as she raised her body she said, "How may I be of assistance to you today?"
Sesshoumaru's mind swam at Rin's strange behavior, everything from the bowing, to speaking of herself in the first person, to changing the honorific she used with his name. Certainly he couldn't have been away from her for more than twenty minutes. How could she have changed so much in such a short time?
"I don't understand," Sesshoumaru finally grunted, "What has happened?"
"Oh," the teenager said, bowing again, "Please forgive me Sesshoumaru-san, if I seem a bit strange today. Things have been quite bizarre of late. I think I may perhaps be ill or, possibly a rival miko has tried to put some spell on me. Of course, it shall be of absolutely no use. I know of no miko who can rival the power of the great Iemitsu, hm?"
Sesshoumaru all but stumbled backwards at the revelation. 'Rin thinks she is Iemitsu? Claw lied. That damned Inanima lied and told this Sesshoumaru we had until sunrise. She's already forgotten. And somehow Rin knew, she knew how close she was to forgetting, and she tried to tell me when she bore her throat to me.' The taiyoukai felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He sank to his knees as his head swam with fury.
"Sesshoumaru-san! Are you quite alright? Are you ill, Sesshoumaru-san?"
'Wait. She hasn't forgotten everything. She still knows my name. So...some part of Rin must still be inside. There is still hope.'
Suddenly, a thought seized Sesshoumaru. He looked up at the young woman standing before him, stared hard into her concerned eyes.
"You are Iemitsu."
"Yes. I am," the teenager said sweetly.
Sesshoumaru shot up and grabbed Rin, now Iemitsu, by the shoulders. "Where is it? Where is the Charm?"
"Oh, that hurts!" the youth complained as the youkai's grasp tightened, claws digging into her soft flesh, "Please..."
"Tell me. The Charm. TELL ME!"
He knew that Rin must be within this human somewhere, but Sesshoumaru could barely sense her. Even her voice had changed, becoming high and nasal rather than warm and windy. Her scent had begun to change as well, oozing that sickly fetid smell that wafted from most of her race. Sesshoumaru tried not to choke on the scent as he waited for the teenager to answer.
"I...can't...remember. I had it...and then..."
"AND THEN WHAT?" Sesshoumaru realized he was yelling, and he realized that when he did speak, he shook the girl by her shoulders. 'Careful, Sesshoumaru. Rin is in there -somewhere-. You have to look past this putrid human.'
"I gave it to your father!"
"Think hard, Iemitsu, did he say what he was going to do with it?"
"Please stop shaking me, that hurts!" Rin's lips and Iemitsu's voice said. Rin's eyes closed as her face contorted in thought. Sesshoumaru wanted to slap the miko for making Rin's face look like that, but then her eyes flew open and she spoke. "Yes! I remember! He said he was going to put it in a sword.
"A sword?" Sesshoumaru asked as he unceremoniously dropped the girl, letting her land roughly on the ground. 'Tenseiga. It must be in Tenseiga.'
Sesshoumaru quickly drew his birthright sword and held it in front of his face. But, just as on the previous night, he had no idea how to unlock whatever secret power the sword might hold. 'Maybe all I have to do is...'
The Great Lord of the Western Land flicked his wrist expertly and positioned the sword under the miko's chin. Iemitsu winced as she felt the cold metal scrape against her flesh. 'If this Sesshoumaru is wrong...then...then...who knows what might happen? But, what else can be done? It has to be tried, for Rin's sake...'
Rin's eyes pleaded with him silently. No. He couldn't look at her face. If he did, and this failed. That would be too much to bear. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and thrust Tenseiga forward.
The resistance he met surprised the taiyoukai. The sword didn't budge.
Sesshoumaru opened his eyes to find Claw standing beside Tenseiga, slightly in front of Rin, her obsidian hand curled around the middle of the blade. Claw gingerly lifted the katana, careful to move it to the side to miss Rin's face.
"Ah, Sesshoumaru, that would not be wise," Claw said her grasp still tight on the sword. "Perhaps I should remove this sword from your possession for now, if you have decided to make yourself a danger to this young woman."
"You..." The demon lord's eyes became slits as he hissed at the wild creature standing before him. Careful not to breathe through his nose so as not to be distracted by Claw's molten metallic scent, Sesshoumaru slid the sword from her stone grasp. As he did, tiny sparks from the friction of metal on rock flew up through Claw's fingers. "You want the sword? Of course. That makes me all the more set upon using it. This Sesshoumaru must be correct in is assumptions, otherwise why would you try to stop me?"
"Because you will kill her, Sesshoumaru. This sword can restore life, yes. But it is also a normal piece of metal. Thrusting it through this young woman's neck will certainly kill her."
"So? If it does, this Sesshoumaru will use Tenseiga then to bring her back."
Claw turned over her hand and inspected it, flexing her fingers. Upon finding no damage, she looked down at the young woman on the ground. The Inanima extended her wiry arm, hand bent backwards at the wrist, and made a small circular motion with her fingers.
Rin slumped over on her side, her cheek pressed to the dirt.
"What did you do to her?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"She is merely sleeping, Sesshoumaru. Our words are too confusing for her. Rin still struggles with Iemitsu. Should we tax her mind too much, neither one will survive the process with any sort of sanity in tact." Claw leaned down and picked Rin up, placing her on the shine's porch in a more comfortable position. "No, as to your assumption that you would merely resurrect her, you are incorrect. Depending on how far along the process is, you may bring Iemitsu back to life -instead- of Rin. Tenseiga can only resurrect the soul most in control of the body. Do you want to chance it?"
"Maybe you are lying to me," Sesshoumaru hissed.
"Maybe. But again, do you want to take the chance?" Claw chuckled and shook her head, "I like you, Sesshoumaru. You don't trust anyone. That is going to make my job much more enjoyable."
Sesshoumaru shifted his weight as he finally re-sheathed Tenseiga. "You can't fool me, Claw. Rin...Iemitsu...she said that my father decided to put the Charm in a sword. So, it -must- be in Tenseiga."
Claw sighed deeply and looked up at the rapidly darkening sky. Evening had arrived quickly, and the sound of the spring cicadas had died down sharply. "Must it be in Tenseiga?" Claw asked absently, "Are you sure?"
"Where else could it....." Sesshoumaru stopped abruptly as his eyes grew wide. No, certainly his father would not play -that- trick. With all the power that Tetsusaiga had, certainly his father had not given Inuyasha the Charm -too-!
"No, I know what you are thinking. But, the Charm is not in your brother's destiny. Though, wouldn't that be hilarious?" Claw began to laugh so hard she clutched at her sides, "Your brother running around after the Shikon Jewel to become a full demon if he...had Iemitsu's Charm...all along. How witty of you to think of such a thing Sesshoumaru."
"This Sesshoumaru does not find anything funny. Stop laughing."
Claw laughed for several more minutes, until her frenzy died down to a whimsical chuckle. "Yes, yes, Sesshoumaru. I know. A youkai such as yourself must keep composure at all times. That will prove annoying in the future. Ah, if only I could have traded places with my sister. She'll certainly have an easier time of things."
Sesshoumaru flexed his fingers on his tail, wondering if his Dokkasou could melt Claw's face. "What...are...you...talking...about, you mad wench?"
"Ah. Nevermind. Idle chatter. And really, do you have any room to talk about beings which have gone mad? I think -not-."
"ENOUGH. Where is the Charm, Claw?"
"You were so close...earlier today. You were so very close to unlocking it. I thought you had it when you and Rin were together by the tree."
Sesshoumaru racked his mind, trying to figure out Claw's infuriating riddles. Why was the creature being so obtuse? Why couldn't she ever say what she meant?
"You really don't get it, do you Sesshoumaru? You don't deserve Rin."
Sesshoumaru looked at the young woman sleeping on the porch, her face pained even though her breathing came rhythmically. "Rin belongs to this Sesshoumaru. She is his property."
"Don't you get it? She's been slowly losing her memory these past two days, and she came to a point where she had only two things left...her memory of herself...and her memory of you. Which one did she choose, Sesshoumaru? You idiot! She sacrificed her memory of herself, just so she could hold on to the memory of you for a few hours more. Doesn't that -mean- anything to you?"
"Rin has always been exceedingly loyal," Sesshoumaru replied. Nonetheless, his mind buzzed with Claw's words. They were true. Even if everything else the Inanima said had been a lie, he had seen with his own eyes that -this- was true. Sesshoumaru felt something within his chest grow sore, and his throat tightened. 'Maybe I don't deserve her. Perhaps she would be better off here. She'd be revered by the humans as almost a goddess. But, she would not be Rin, either. No. That is not acceptable.'
"Loyal? Is that -all- she is? A loyal servant? I don't think so. Great Demon Lords do not come to haunted human shrines to find legendary Charms to turn ordinary human servants into youkai."
"I've grown used to her companionship. She is useful. It would be annoying if she died." Sesshoumaru looked up at the sky, adding silently to himself, 'And it would somehow hurt me badly.'
"Feh. Pitiful. Your father was obviously wrong about you. I see that now. Well. I've had enough. Time to stop wasting time, because sometimes there just isn't enough time to waste!" Claw turned back to the porch and bent over Rin's sleeping body.
"What do you mean? What are you doing?"
"I'm taking Rin to Iemitsu's grave. A closer proximity will assist the transition," Claw replied incredulously, as if even the most simple of creatures would know this information.
Sesshoumaru stepped forward and grasped Claw by her shoulder, throwing her to the ground while she was off balance. As Claw skidded backwards and landed sitting in the dirt of the courtyard, the taiyoukai growled, "This Sesshoumaru will not allow it."
"Do not be difficult, Sesshoumaru."
'My only chance is to transform. Then this Sesshoumaru could possibly defeat Claw with mere strength.' The demon lord allowed his full powers to flow through his veins, coursing over him as raw energy blasted through his body, causing his garments to billow outwards and his hair to toss wildly.
"No. You shall not transform." Claw intoned as she lifted her arm, her hand again bent upwards at the wrist. She mouthed a word that Sesshoumaru did not catch, and he watched as a stream of white light leapt from his chest into her hand. Sesshoumaru's breath caught as he felt the unbridled power of his true form leave him and pass through the night air into Claw's hand.
"I'll just keep this for the time being," Claw said with a chuckle as she turned again to gather the sleeping Rin into her arms. Turning around again, Claw smiled, "She does smell nice, doesn't she, Sesshoumaru?"
After spending but a few seconds catching his breath, Sesshoumaru stood again, drawing Toukijin. He couldn't try his poison now, not with Rin so close, but perhaps...perhaps if he stabbed the annoying creature in its eye, he could distract it long enough to grab Rin and run.
"No, no, Sesshoumaru. Stay here. There is no need for you to accompany us." Claw merely flicked her hand in his direction, and Sesshoumaru felt a jolt slide through his body, landing at his feet. As he tried to move forward, he found himself bolted to the ground by Claw's powerful magick.
Claw rocked Rin softly in her arms, watching the now-trapped Sesshoumaru as she did so.
"Say goodbye to her, Sesshoumaru."
"Do not do this Claw. Do not."
Claw smiled and pushed some of Rin's errant hair from the teenager's temples, "Why not?"
"I do not care where you go, or what becomes of you, if you leave with that girl, I will hunt you until the end of my days, until the world grows dry and turns to dust."
"Feh feh, pretty words. We'll be leaving," Claw announced, shifting Rin's weight in her arms, looking bored.
"I will come back to this shrine and kill her."
"No, Sesshoumaru, she will be protected."
Sesshoumaru desperately attempted to stall Claw while he concentrated on his legs. 'Move, damn you, move.'
"Here, Sesshoumaru, I'll give you something to remember her by." The capricious Inanima grinned evilly as she tore two small strips from Rin's sleeve. Using one long ebony talon, Claw punctured the skin on Rin's wrist. She held one of the strips of cloth there for a few seconds before removing it and tying the other strip into place as a bandage. Claw wadded up the bloody fabric and tossed it at Sesshoumaru's face.
The taiyoukai caught the strip of cloth easily and stared at it for only a second before the overpowering odor of Rin's blood drew his attentions away from his paralyzed legs. He reeled from the aroma, scenes of Rin flashing through his mind. Rin ill. Rin wearing geta. Rin bleeding in a tree. Rin staring at him in the lake. Rin dancing. Rin smiling.
"You. Will..."
"Die. Yes, yes," Claw said, exasperated, "We've been over that. Goodbye."
Claw began to rise into the air, clutching Rin's body. Floating upwards, she kept her gaze locked on the struggling taiyoukai below. The night breeze ruffled their various garments as the moonlight seemed to bathe the scene in an ethereal glow.
"Rin!" Sesshoumaru called, his only hope now to wake the sleeping form of his servant. "RIN!!!!
Within the body of the Great Demon Lord of the Western Lands, something burst. Some wall, some barrier, some obstruction that he had placed within his heart in his youth cracked down the middle, and the lake of emotion that had been dammed there for so many decades rushed out, creating a tidal wave that consumed him. All at once, fear and hope, sadness and joy, grief and longing consumed him in such a raging surge that he fell to his knees, clutching at the clumps of grass beside him as if to hold on to the Earth for fear he might be swept away.
"RINNNNNNNN! DON'T LEAVE ME!"
There would be no way, no way he could live without her, without the meaning she brought to his life. Nothing would have any meaning if he could not share it with Rin. Life would be completely pointless.
"Rin, please, please listen. Please...I can't live without you!"
Claw stopped moving upwards. The Inanima's head tilted slightly to the side, a motion imperceptible to the taiyoukai now far below. And then, Claw smiled.
Sesshoumaru beat his fists against the ground, summoning all of his strength in an attempt to convey his message to the one being in the world he needed above all others.
"Remember me, Rin!!! Remember that...remember...that I love you!"
Above the shrine of the miko Iemitsu, a creature known as Claw took in her last breath as her world became a molten white light.
Sesshoumaru watched as the pair began to fall to Earth. At first it looked as if sparks were shooting off of Claw's skin, but then Sesshoumaru realized that Claw's skin -itself- had begun to flake away. Larger and larger chunks shed into the ether, leaving in their wake a bright glow.
Faster and faster they fell. When Claw's arms disappeared, Rin slipped from the Inanima's grasp, and began to fall faster than Claw, who, though plunging downwards, still seemed to possess some power which allowed her to float.
Rin hit the ground with a thud, causing a cloud of dust to raise up from the earth. Above her, Claw all but exploded in light as the remainder of her obsidian flesh shed away. After a few moments, the glowing light died down.
And that is when Sesshoumaru saw it, the tempered metal flashing blue in the moonlight, floating in the sky where Claw had been.
A sword.
A sword that was now plunging to earth.
In horror, Sesshoumaru watched as the sword which had been sequestered away within Claw's body fell faster and faster...only to be stopped when it plunged into Rin's chest, piercing his beloved's heart.
Finding that Claw's spell had broken with her transformation, Sesshoumaru moved faster than he had ever moved before.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sesshoumaru, the Great Lord of the Western Lands, stood above the fallen body of the young woman named Rin, his exquisitely pale hand grabbing the hilt of sword that had just pierced her heart, robbing her of her life for a second time.
There would be no restoring her, not this time, not from this wound, because Rin no longer resided in this body.
The scent of Rin's blood hit the taiyoukai, sharp and metallic, piercing him as deeply as the sword had done her. His mind would shatter. She was gone and he would be lost, lost forever without the companionship she had offered so freely.
At the junction of sword and breast, Rin's blood spilled out, and he...he had been the cause. He had failed everyone, his father, himself, but most of all, he had failed Rin.
Sesshoumaru could no longer discern himself from the whir of thoughts in his mind. A hurricane of grief raged, casting the taiyoukai into darkness as his sight grew dim. He could not breathe, he could not move, and he knew he would be trapped forever in this moment of horror.
The taiyoukai fell to his knees in defeat as the forest around the shrine seemed to vibrate with movement when its residents fled for their lives.
For every living being within the Western Lands had heard their master's pained scream of terror.
"RRRRIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Rin?" the female voice asked through the darkness. "Are you still here?"
"Who is that?" Rin asked, trying desperately to see anything, "Its dark. Rin can not see you."
"My name is Iemitsu." A glowing orb of warm light rose between the two women, illuminating only their faces and upper bodies, revealing nothing of their environment but infinite darkness. "Is that better, Rin?
Rin gasped slightly as she looked at the woman before her, "You look just like Rin!"
Iemitsu smiled knowingly in response and whispered, "Or perhaps Rin looks like Iemitsu?"
Rin hung her head down slightly, staring at her hands, "Rin is afraid she doesn't understand."
"Ah. You would be my great great great great great great great granddaughter, Rin."
"Oh," Rin replied, slightly confused, "Is Rin perhaps dreaming, then?"
"No, sweet child, you can see me because you are very, very close to death, and I...of course...-am- dead. But, please don't panic. Time acts very differently here. One second of your mortal life might be an eternity in this place. And, before you even ask, do not worry about Sesshoumaru. One way or the other, you will be seeing him soon."
"Oh thank you, Iemitsu-sama. You are very kind."
"You're welcome, Rin-chan," Iemitsu said softly as she reached out to touch her descendant's cheek. "I've been watching you for a long time, Rin-chan. You've done a good job with your life. But, I wanted to tell you something."
"Please do, Iemitsu-sama," Rin replied, leaning back on her hands only to find that there did not seem to be anything to lean upon.
"Do you remember the story of the Silver Dagger Butterflies, Rin-chan?"
"Yes! One of my favorites. I made Jakken-sama tell it to me often." Remembering how she had flustered the toad youkai with the constant re-telling of the story made Rin giggle.
"Do you remember how it ends?"
"Very much so. Such a sad ending. The Silver Dagger Butterflies are sent by the Dragon King to test the hearts of all the humans. They do so, but don't find any virtuous and pure humans, so all the humans die. And then the Silver Dagger Butterflies find out that human blood is poisonous to them, and they die too."
A mysterious smile appeared on Iemitsu's face, "Except that isn't what -really- happened. If it was, there would be no humans, right?"
"Right! I asked Jakken-sama about that, but he didn't have an answer."
"Do you want to know what really happened?"
"Oh yes! Very much so, Iemitsu-sama."
"The Dragon King sent the Silver Dagger Butterflies out to test the hearts of all the humans. This they did, and every single human was found to have a defect in their virtues, every single one found to have a heart filled with decay, with anger or hatred, with envy or greed. Every single heart...except one."
"In a hut beyond the highest mountains, through a pass covered in ice, within a dense and enormous forest, the last Silver Dagger Butterfly found the human to which he had been assigned. He plunged knowingly into her heart, having already seen the fates of all his brethren. And he waited."
"But, once within the confines of her heart, he could find no defect. 'Surely', he thought, 'I must be missing something,' so he delved deeper and deeper, but could find nothing amiss. Her heart was filled with pure joy, pure kindness, pure love. And to his great surprise, because of this, her blood was not poisonous to him."
"She asked the Silver Dagger Butterfly why he had come, and he told her of the mandate of the Dragon King. The young woman was filled with sorrow upon hearing the fates of both the humans and the Silver Dagger Butterflies. She promised the last Silver Dagger Butterfly that she would set things right, so she set out to find the Dragon King."
"The girl traveled through the dense forest, down the pass covered in ice, over the highest mountain and into the great land beyond. The Butterfly within her heart directing her, she eventually came to the palace of the Dragon King. She spoke to the guards and demanded to be seen. Upon hearing that one human still lived, the Dragon King was intrigued. He sent for the young woman and had her brought to his chambers."
"But, when he saw her, so fair was her skin and so great the beauty of her heart, he fell instantly in love. He pleaded with the young woman to stay with him forever, but she was so filled with sorrow at the loss of her fellow humans that when she looked upon him, she could only weep."
"So the Dragon King made her a promise. If she would stay but for a year and a day, he would restore the human race and let them live within his lands. The young woman agreed to this, and came to live in his grand palace. The Dragon King asked the girl her name, and upon finding she had none, he gave her a name that he thought at least touched upon the brilliance of her beauty. He named her Sunshine."
"The days passed quickly within the great palace, and the Dragon King and Sunshine spent many happy moments together. They took picnics on the clouds and wove elegant tapestries from the rains. They listened to grand orchestras performed by forests and watched plays performed by the oceans. In time. Sunshine found that she had grown quite fond of the Dragon King, and grew sad as the day approached for her to leave."
"He begged her not to go, but she said that she had to return to the humans. She had to help them find their way, to show them joy, and kindness and love so that they could grow to be a good race. But, someday, she promised, she would return."
"When Sunshine left, the Dragon King wept. No one within his court could console him. He felt lost without his love. So, he decided he would make one final plea for the heart of the maiden. He dressed all of the butterflies of the world in the finest array of colors, in all the colors of his love, and sent them down to the lands as a message to Sunshine."
"When Sunshine saw the butterflies, saw the intensity and grandeur of the Dragon King's love, her eyes filled with tears as she realized that she loved him, too. Her joy at this revelation caused even the Silver Dagger Butterfly now living within her heart to leap with excitement. But the wings of a Silver Dragon Butterfly are sharp knives, and by accident he slit her heart in twain, causing her to die."
"When the Silver Dagger Butterfly, who had witnessed the love grow between the Dragon King and the girl Sunshine realized what had happened, it was too late. As Sunshine breathed her last, the Silver Dagger Butterfly wrapped itself around her broken heart, trying to hold the pieces together. As it did, it fused with Sunshine's soul."
"'We will come again,' he exclaimed to his dying friend, 'We will return to earth again and again to guide the humans until they no longer need us. And when our task is through, we will test the heart of every man, woman, and child until we find the heart of our beloved Dragon King!'
"But, the Dragon King did not know that Sunshine would return. So he grew cold and cruel because of his sadness. With her loss, his heart changed to pitch black. And because of this, when Sunshine did finally return, the Silver Dagger Butterfly fused within her soul was unable to recognize the heart of Sunshine's beloved."
As Iemitsu's words came to an end, Rin felt hot tears trailing down her own cheek. Smiling bravely through a sniffle, Rin whispered, "A beautiful story. Thank you, Iemitsu-sama."
The miko's ghost leaned forward and wiped away one of Rin's tears with the soft pad of her thumb. Iemitsu stroked the young woman's cheek with the back of her hand.
"Oh my dearest Sunshine," Iemitsu whispered, "You've traveled so far, you've parted so much darkness. If you can but tell me the name of the one who now contains the heart of your Dragon King, your journey will be at an end. Tell me, Sunshine, have you found him?"
Rin reached up to lace her finger's through the miko's. Rin squeezed the other woman's hand.
"Thank you Iemitsu-sama."
"What is his name, Rin?"
The glowing light between the two women grew bright as Rin whispered, "Yes. I have found him. His name is Sesshoumaru."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Sesshoumaru?"
"Where is this Sesshoumaru?" Sesshoumaru demanded, clenching his fists in the darkness. "Who is there?"
"Just me, Sesshoumaru," Claw's voice replied as dim moonlight began to seep into the area. Sesshoumaru realized he stood in a field, the same field of purple and white flowers he and Rin had gone to view earlier. Oh no. Rin!
"Claw..." Sesshoumaru growled. As he did so, the dark-skinned Inanima stepped from the tree line and approached the taiyoukai. "You killed Rin!"
"Well well, you're a bit quick to place blame, aren't you? Don't you think -you- might have had -something- to do with that?"
Sesshoumaru wanted to rush Claw, beat her with his fists until either every bone in his hands turned to dust or she perished. But, instead, he merely sank down into the flowers. The sweet aroma of the field reminded him of Rin. Filling his lungs, he closed his eyes, wishing that he could stay here forever and imagine that Rin danced nearby.
"Sesshoumaru, you are an idiot. This is no time to resign yourself to death. You just admitted your love for Rin. Aren't you going to fight for her?"
"She's dead, Claw." Sesshoumaru laid down in the flowers, pressing his youkai face against the delicate blossoms. 'Mmm. They feel like Rin's skin.'
"First of all, my name, Sesshoumaru, my true name, is Tenzenryoku. It is the name your father gave me when he had me fashioned from one of his claws. Second of all, Rin isn't dead. Yet. Third, snap out of it. You aren't insane, you're just stupid."
"What? Rin isn't dead?" Sesshoumaru sat up quickly, attempting to gather his senses.
Claw sighed audibly and put her hands on her hips, "Pay attention. First thing first. You aren't insane. You were just confused about how you could love Rin, a human. Added to this was the problem that my brother, Tenseiga, tried his hardest to give you advice. Unfortunately, as you have already deduced, you are not Tenseiga's master. Therefore, my brother sword's words came out in a language you couldn't understand, confusing you further. For instance, when Tenseiga told you to kiss Rin on the ear, you thought he said you should EAT her ear. You have a frightening psyche, Sesshoumaru."
Sesshoumaru blinked, processing this information as a slight wind skipped through the grove. "Then Tenseiga's master is..."
"That is right. After Iemitsu gave him a vision of the destiny of his sons, your father crafted Tenseiga for Rin. He crafted Tetsusaiga for Kagome. He crafted me, Tenzenryoku, for you. And, he crafted Tentamawaru for Inuyasha. This is why Kagome was able to pull Tetsusaiga from your father's grave when neither you nor Inuyasha could. And this is why Rin was able to activate Tenseiga even though she'd never held a sword in her life."
"Four swords?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Yes. Two made from your father's fangs, two made from his claws. Four swords instead of two. His gifts to you, and to your mates. Rin will wield the sword Tenseiga, holding the power of life, and the power to turn demons to humans. She holds this power because, knowing the pain of being a human, she will be loathe to use power lightly."
"Kagome will eventually wield Tetsusaiga, when your half-brother stops being such an incredible idiot by using it to destroy everything in sight. She has such a kind and fair heart that she will only use its full power in the most dire of situations."
"You will wield me, Tenzenryoku. Because I contain Iemitsu's Charm, I have the power to turn humans into demons. This power is given to you, because, of course, the human would have to be very special indeed to convince you to use this power. But, my true power is the one I demonstrated earlier this evening when I stole your ability to transform. I am a magnet for demon powers, calling them into myself to be used by my master."
"And then there is my sister, Tentamawaru. Inuyasha's sword. No one knows exactly what it can do, only that Inuyasha will use it to save the world from destruction."
Claw snickered at the thought of Inuyasha saving the world before she continued, her voice lowering.
"You unlocked the Charm when you admitted your love for Rin, Sesshoumaru. But, I want you to realize how close you came to losing her. If you ever willingly put her in danger, if you ever hurt her, if you ever through your stubbornness push her away...if you ever do these things again, I swear by my tempered metal, You...Will...Die. I will steal your youkai powers and replace them with the pain of molten metal flowing through your veins. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
Sesshoumaru nodded, but he hadn't really been listening. Nonetheless, it didn't matter, Claw...Tenzenryoku, would explain it again later. 'Rin is alive. Rin is alive. Rin is alive.' The words timed themselves to his heartbeat.
"Alright, my friend, let's go see your beloved."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sesshoumaru's vision blurred. Something seemed to be burning in his eyes, causing his sight to grow troubled. Reaching up with one hand, he felt at his eyes, trying to discern the problem, and found that his fingers met with a warm wetness. 'Tears? How frivolous. Well, no time to think on that now. Where is Rin?'
Brushing aside his tears, the prone form of Rin swam into view, Tenzenryoku still sticking from her chest. The silver-haired demon lord quickly reached forward and removed the sword, wincing as the blood-coated blade slipped from Rin's body. Without a thought, Sesshoumaru tossed the sword aside and lifted Rin's head and shoulders to place them into his lap.
Sesshoumaru placed his fingers on Rin's forehead to push back the hair which had fallen into her face. Her ebony locks seemed even more silky than he remembered, and sent electric shivers through his fingers. Sesshoumaru stared at the delicate face which lay in his lap. Something was different.
By the outermost corners of each of Rin's eyes lay three silvery dots in a line. In the middle of her forehead was a purple teardrop marking. Carefully, so as not to scratch her with his claw, Sesshoumaru brushed across one of the set of dots.
The taiyoukai felt something flutter rapidly against the ground near his knees. He looked down to discover two sets of metallic silver butterfly wings jutting from Rin's back.
She was a youkai.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, please don't cry," a quiet voice pleaded.
Sesshoumaru looked back at Rin's face. Her eyes had always been beautiful, but now, in the moonlight of the deserted shrine, they seemed magnificent, even radiant.
"Rin. You came back. You came back to this Sesshoumaru."
"Always," Rin whispered, moving her hand to the already rapidly healing wound on her chest. Her other hand lifted upwards, as if she wanted to touch Sesshoumaru's face, but her movement faltered in her weakened state. The demon lord caught her hand and turned it over gently, pressing Rin's palm to his lips. "Rin will follow Sesshoumaru-sama forever. Wherever you go, whomever you become, I will always find you."
"Rin, listen to me," Sesshoumaru's voice became quiet, solemn and deep, "I, Sesshoumaru, do not care if you are a human or a youkai. I do not care. You are the only one who ever cared for this Sesshoumaru. Not for my power, not out of fear, you saw something in me that even this Sesshoumaru did not know existed. Please just let me love you, let me love you forever." Sesshoumaru bent forward and buried his face in Rin's hair,
"I promise, Sesshoumaru-sama. I promise forever."
And that is when, in the shrine of the ancient miko Iemitsu, a butterfly youkai removed her hand from her wounded heart and found the strength to pull the face of her long lost beloved to hers.
They say that there are some kisses that are soft, and some are sweet. Some are full of passion and lust, and some shake the world to its core. Kisses come in many forms, creating wonderful beginnings and sorrowful tear-filled endings. Some kisses encompass so much love that they become legendary, living forever imprinted on the hearts of men.
And sometimes, just sometimes, a kiss can be so powerful that it can unite two souls for eternity.
The end?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"But, Sesshoumaru-sama?" the butterfly youkai whispered.
"Yes, Rin?"
"You'll have to smile more."
THE END...or rather...the beginning.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In the epilogue: Yes! Please do look forward to the epilogue, which shall be a fun romp through some of the events which take place afterwards. If I can figure out how, it might even get a bit lime flavored for your enjoyment.
Thank you again to all the wonderful reviewers. Your suggestions and encouragement helped me to write this story. I very much hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. (And I especially hope this last chapter wasn't too long and rambling.)
I thought I would credit the musical inspiration for this story. Sesshoumaru's theme song was Angie Aparo's "Wonderland". Rin's theme song was Bjork's "Human Behavior". Other songs used for inspiration, U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", and They Might Be Giants' "Birdhouse In Your Soul".
Tenzenryoku: I do not know Japanese, so I used an online dictionary. This was as close as I could get to "The Sword of Demon Powers".
Tentamawaru: Again, I do not know Japanese, so this was as close as I could get to "The Sword of Bestowing".