Disclaimer: Inuyasha is Copyright of Takahashi Rumiko
Hurtful Words: The Present
Chapter 18
Tiny flakes of snow began to drift from the sky. It was the first snow of the year and it hinted that winter was soon on its way. The clouds were fluffy and gray, hiding the sun from view. Nearly every creature alive took shelter from the growing cold. And so it was dark, gloomy and surprisingly quiet.
Sesshoumaru could not help but feel a sense of foreboding.
He pushed his brother to the side and rushed through the door to his home. He brought his hand to his nose in an attempt to block out the offensive scent of his brother's pregnant mate and pups with their mixed blood. And something else was there but it was to faint for him to decipher it.
"Sesshoumaru...I'm so glad Inuyasha found you so quickly," Kagome plastered a smile on her face, trying desperately not to look worried.
"Where is she?" Sesshoumaru demanded. He made his way to the door she stood in front of.
"Wait," Kagome ordered as she held her hand up. "Let me check if she is wake yet. She has been sleeping since Inuyasha left."
As she slid the door open Sesshoumaru realized immediately what that strange scent was. Sickness. He could not recall smelling something so potent, so deadly, so...sickening. It made him stumble back and cover his nose again.
"How...how did this happen?" He wondered aloud.
Kagome peeked her head inside for a moment before turning to face Sesshoumaru. Some how she wasn't surprised by the emotion in his usually emotionless voice. She sat at Inuyasha's over-concerned command and turned to face Sesshoumaru, preparing herself to explain.
"We aren't sure when Rin fell ill. Tadaki-sama brought her here about a month ago. She had spent a month with them as well before Rin told them to bring her to us. Thus far, we can only think of one cause for her sickness: the poison from that pig youkai she told us about. Though Saori-sama tried, I don't think the poison was completely removed from her body. The poison was powerful enough not to be destroyed, but there was not enough of it to spread through her and kill her. So it was, instead, contained by white blood cells. The things that fight sickness causing bacteria in humans," Kagome added when Inuyasha looked at her in confusion.
"I went home, to my time, and did a little research. Rin has some sort of autoimmune disease. That means the body produces abnormal cells that attack the body. I think that some how the poison evolved, probably by combining with another sickness causing bacteria, and became these abnormal cells. They began to multiply and slowly ate away at her most vital organs. Not even the white blood cells could stop it. As I am sure you can imagine, this can be dangerous."
"Why weren't we able to tell that she was sick?" Inuyasha asked.
"Because it was essentially apart of her body. This began to happen nearly five years ago so even to your sensitive noses there was nothing odd about her body. And I think the only reason she is so sick right now is because of yet another foreign bacteria or virus. Her immune system is weak because it has spent much of its time trying and failing to destroy a different virus. Her body cannot fight the new and old virus. She has fought it thus far, but this is one battle she will not win. Perhaps if I had known sooner, or if I would have said something when I saw her cough up blood..." Kagome shook her head. "But I'm not really sure that would have made a difference."
A tense silence filled the room. Kagome and Inuyasha stared at Sesshoumaru, put off by his stiff frame. He held his head down - something someone so proud and mighty rarely did - to keep his eyes hidden from view. Had they been able to see his hands, they would have noticed that they were clenched tightly together. He was deathly quietly, deathly still, and deathly calm. At least on the outside.
Kagome cleared her throat. "Inuyasha, will you bring some fire wood inside? I want to make sure Rin stays warm."
When he left, Kagome slowly rose to her feet and moved to peak in Rin's room again. Sesshoumaru sat there, continuing to stare at his lap.
"Kagome," Inuyasha called as he stepped back into the house. "Why is our bedroom window open? Don't you know it's snowing?"
Sesshoumaru's head flew up and he quickly rose to his feet. Open window...?
Inuyasha came back inside to close the window. He stopped short as he slid the door open. "Oi, Kagome. Did you bring something of Rin's in our room? It smells like she's been in here."
Sesshoumaru snapped. The signs were there and he knew Rin well enough to know what was going on. He made his way to her room within two steps and slid the door open with enough force to make it come off track. And then he reached forward, forgetting to hold his breath, and yanked the blanket from the form underneath it.
There was no reason to hold his breath anyway, his heart had stopped and his lungs would not function.
Rin was gone, and some how he was not surprised that she was. All that was there was a small, rolled up futon and a small piece of paper sitting on top of it. He picked it up and immediately recognized the handwriting as hers. It was a bit shaky, as if she had encountered trouble writing it, but it was hers. He read it once. Then again and again and again, hardly believing what it said.
"Let's not say goodbye this way."
Kagome peered at the letter and gasped. "How..how did this happen? I don't understand. She was here. I was going to make lunch for the boys and I asked her if she wanted anything. That was a little over an hour after you left! She must have snuck out when I went to call for the boys..."
"Why the hell would she leave?" Inuyasha asked, reaching his limit with the girl and all the trouble she caused.
"She must have heard us talking about him. She didn't want Sesshoumaru to see her that way," Kagome said as she turned to look at him. "We wanted to find you before but she ordered us not to. She was so weak and pale, she knew she was dying. She didn't want you to see her like that."
Sesshoumaru backed away slowly, then turned to march out the door, his brother and Kagome eagerly following after him. He was trembling on the inside and he felt as though his legs would give any moment. This was the second time she had run off without giving him the opportunity to explain himself. He felt rejected and hurt --both sensations completely new to him. Worst of all, he felt weak and powerless. Was there really nothing he could do to save Rin? She herself had doubted his abilities enough to run off even though she was clearly near death.
"No," he said out loud. He would save her.
He moved to the side of the house, quickly following the path Inuyasha had taken. He stood in front of the window and inhaled deeply, searching for any sign of Rin. But all he could smell was fresh snow. He growled and commanded Tenseiga to go to her, believing it may be the only way he would quickly find her.
The blade pulsed, then rattled at his side as if preparing for flight. And then just as quickly as it had begun its movement, it settled down and remained at his side.
"Tenseiga?" He asked as he stared down at his sword.
Sesshoumaru commanded it again, but this time it made no effort to move. The blood rushed from his head and he had to place a hand on the wall of the house in order to keep his balance. He held his other hand to his chest, willing what ever force that gripped it to loosen its hold so he could breath, so he could think. There was only one explanation for Tenseiga's inability to go to Rin.
No, he shouted to himself as he took off toward the forest. Rin is not dead.
He found her lying at the base of a large tree. Her hair, dusted with flakes of snow, fanned out all around her. Her face was as white as the snow that surrounded her. She wore a solid pale yellow kimono that was to big for her now that she had lost so much weight. She was as frail and weak as Kagome had suggested. Her skin deathly cold and he knew it had nothing to do with the today's temperature.
Sesshoumaru felt that strange force grip his heart again.
He dropped to his knees beside Rin's sleeping form as a sense of relief washed over him. It was faint, but he could hear the faint beat of her heart. She was, for the time being, alive. He did not have much time to find a way to save her. There was no other choice but to try using Tenseiga again. With Rin's life force diminishing with every passing second, how could the sword locate her? He hoped that now, since it was so close, it would be able to do something.
"Tenseiga," he growled as the pulled the sword from its sheath. "You will do something to save this girl. I am your master. Now, obey!"
The blade pulsed again. This time it floated from his hand and hovered above Rin's body. Much to his surprise a small barrier formed around her small frame. It outlined her form in a thin white light that repelled even his touch. How, he wondered, would a barrier that is meant to protect, save Rin?
Inuyasha and Kagome appeared just as Rin's body began to shake violently. The barrier grew brighter and larger in size. Sesshoumaru tried to reach for the blade but was again repelled by the barrier. He was forced to stand to his feet as it continued to grow. The blade pulsed and sent a shockwave through Rin's body. He heard her heart skip a beat, saw the blood leak from the corners of her mouth. He could not help but feel as though he was being struck by Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu.
"Tenseiga! Stop this at once!" He commanded fiercely.
Tenseiga pulsed again and the blood at the corners of Rin's mouth flew from the barrier. Her body stopped shaking and the barrier dispersed. The sword returned to its master.
Inuyasha stared at the strange substance that began to eat a hole in the tree it collided with. "What the hell is this shit? It isn't just Rin's blood, it smells like whatever was making her sick."
"Maybe...maybe Tenseiga was trying to protect her against whatever was making her sick," Kagome offered with hope in her voice. "Is she doing better Sesshoumaru?"
"No," He admitted grimly. "Her heart beat has picked up slightly, but her breathing is still labored. Even with the best herbs and attention, it might be months before the damage her body has undergone is reversed. If it can be reversed."
Sesshoumaru was glad for the silence that followed his statement. There was too much going on in his head to answer any more of their useless questions. He had far more important things to figure out at this moment. Rin's fate would be decided by him or by death itself.
Should he take the chance on these medicines? He had no way of knowing if they would work, or how long it would take for her to get better if they did. But he did know he had no interest in watching her suffer while he waited for his desired results. And what if she died? Would Tenseiga resurrect her a second time? Deep inside, a small voice told him it wouldn't. He realized he could not take either situation. He would give anything, anything, to save Rin from any more suffering and make her completely whole again.
Tenseiga pulsed in his hand.
He felt a surge of power from his sword, a power so great that it even coursed through his body. Everything around him darkened until it was too obscured for him to see. Everything except Rin. But instead of seeing the small creatures from the underworld attempting to take her soul, he was able to see into her. He was able to see the parts of her body that had been damaged by her strange sickness.
Willing to try anything, he slashed across her once, then twice. Then he smoothly placed Tenseiga back in its sheath. Suddenly his knees buckled and he collapsed under his own weight. He braced himself with his arms just before he crushed Rin.
Sesshoumaru turned with an instinctive snarl when Inuyasha took a step forward, his red eyes burning holes in his brother as he glared at him. He forced his mind to accept that Inuyasha was not a threat, forced himself to regain his composure as he moved to sit. But his entire body felt heavy and he had to struggle to keep his breathing even. He felt robbed of most of his energy, as if he had just finished battling a powerful opponent. He had not felt this weak since his brother nearly killed him.
"Keh, you don't look so good Sesshoumaru. But Rin, on the other hand, seems to be making a rapid recovery," Inuyasha pointed out as he walked over to him.
"Nani?" Kagome asked. She desperately wanted to check Rin herself but bending down to do so was out of the question with such a large belly.
"She's been healed, Kagome. Sesshoumaru has mastered Tenseiga's healing ability."
Kagome's face brightened with a smile. "Is that true Sesshoumaru?"
"Hai. But apparently the act requires a portion of my youki. And the more damage to the person I heal, the more youki I must use. This Sesshoumaru now understands why the technique was so difficult to master."
"Keh, you and I both know that is not why. You simply never had a reason to save anyone so weak. Until now that is," Inuyasha teased. "Why don't you tells us what makes Rin so special?" He knelt beside her, intending to pick her up.
"Mind your business, hanyou. What are you doing?" He had to bite back the growl that threatened to escape past his lips.
"I'm taking Rin back to our house. Were you planning on trying to go somewhere like that? You're too weak to even stand, let alone walk. She can't stay out here while you get your energy back."
Sesshoumaru glared. "You forget who you speak of, little brother. This Sesshoumaru has no intention of staying here, nor does he have any intention of letting Rin out of his sight. Bring the girl to me. I have other methods of travel other than walking."
"A little over-protective are we? I think I am beginning to understand what makes Rin so special," Inuyasha added with a chuckle. "You know you don't have the energy for that either. Just come for her when you are ready to make the journey." He hefted her into his arms.
Sesshoumaru held out his own. "Do not question my abilities. Now, give me the girl."
Inuyasha shrugged and did as he was told. "She smells...different. Almost like m-"
"I know, but she is no longer your concern." And he especially did not want to discuss it. "Just trust that I will find out why." He pulled Rin tightly against him, attempting to warm her, and immediately began concentrating on focusing enough energy to use to travel.
"Wait, Sesshoumaru," Kagome called out. "Rin, she'll be staying with you from now on right? Where are you going to take her?"
The demon lord nodded as his power began to build. "She will live with this Sesshoumaru at his estate in the Western Lands."
And with that, they turned into a ball of light and disappeared.
The end, the end, the end, the end, the end! Hope it isn't too much of a disappointment. But I've accomplished all that I wanted to. Sesshoumaru has overcome that obstacle that wouldn't allow him to completely accept Rin as an important person in his life. Sesshoumaru is still Sesshoumaru, I think, but his attitude towards Rin has changed quite a bit. But we all know he has always had a different attitude towards her or else he wouldn't have kept her around! Keeping him in character as much as possible was very important to me and I hope you all think I did good in that area. Rin has overcome her silly hate for Sesshoumaru and essentially returned to being that sweet girl who adores him, who puts him first no matter what. Take care of yourself, he said. She didn't (though it wasn't her fault), so she ran away. Sure its cowardly, but she wants to please him. I know there was a bit of confusion earlier on about Rin's character but I hope you see now who her character really is. And I'm glad that most of you are pleased with how she turned out. I am, in the end, quite pleased with this story.
Even though it isn't quite finished. >=)
The sequel will be 100% romance with, naturally, lots of interesting twists. But remember that Sesshoumaru hasn't really come to grips about his "true feelings" for Rin and Rin doesn't seem to have any those kind of feelings for him. And why does she smell different? Mwhahaha, the story will not go how you think it will. Let your curiousity build and just be satisfied I'm doing a sequel. I originally intended to end the story with Sesshoumaru leaving with Rin and Rin not smelling different. But my heart and readers got the better of me in the end. Have patience is all I ask. I'm just as anxious to write it was you are to read it.
I want to thank EVERYONE (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU) for the reviews and also thank the people (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU) who have me on their favorite or author alert list. Both list have become quite long. Your support means a lot to me and I really hope to become a better writer for you guys. Thanks again!
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