Chapter 18- Forgiving Sins of the Past
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in this story expect Tristis, Astoria, Maaya, Masako, Ikue, Mitsuki, Tamiko and Kado. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, I just borrowed them.
"What do you mean she was up and fighting three hours later?"
Miroku calmly undid Mitsuki's hold on his short pony tail before placing the squirming girl tightly against his chest, away from his hair, and looking at his once again pregnant wife. He glanced at her belly, just barely showing signs of new life, and almost laughed out loud when he remembered Kagome's reaction to Sango's second pregnancy. She had screamed loudly at Miroku and hit him over the head while ranting and raving. Seems that in Kagome's time women were supposed to wait at least six weeks before having relations again and two years before having another child.
He hid his grin, "That is what Jaken told Inuyasha when he came to announce the birth of the twins. Rin gave birth and three hours later, she went to practice while the twins napped."
Rin, the official Lady of the Western Lands, had given birth to two very healthy twin boys, much to her mate's concealed delight. The boys were only a little over a week old but were already showing traits that they had inherited from their parents. Both boys were very quiet and hardly ever fussed. They also looked exactly like their father, except the youngest one had brown eyes like his mother. That was the only physical difference between the two, the differences in their temperament were quite noticeably already.
The oldest of the two, Kaoru, already showed signs that he would act very much like his father. His golden eyes looked up at others with the clear knowledge that he was superior to everyone but his own parents. Rin had already made several vows to break him of that, she wanted the pup to known humility and Sesshoumaru grudgingly agreed with her, though it did bring him pride that his oldest pup clearly knew his status. Kaoru would most likely take over the Western Lands by himself because he seemed to dominate his twin Shinya.
If Kaoru was quiet, then Shinya was practically mute. The brown eyed pup never seemed to cry, even when he was born he had only gave a small whine but was drowned out by his older brother's cries. From the start this worried Rin. He was almost too quiet and let Kaoru take up all the room in their crib, that's what Kagome had called it when she had brought to her. From what she could tell, Shinya would always allow himself to be dominated, a trait that he could not have received from either of his parents...perhaps from one of his grandparents. Sesshoumaru would have none of that.
Kagome listened to the couple and patted her own growing belly. After Ikue had taken her final rest, Queen Tamiko commanded her to drink from the lake and to not ask questions. When the priestess did so, Tamiko walked away muttering, "That water was recently blessed by Ikue and because you drank it, you will now be able to conceive once again."
No one but her mother had known that the half-demon couple hadn't been able to have anymore children after Tristis. She had been attacked shortly after giving birth and was told by doctors in her time that she would never be able to have children again. Inuyasha had a hard time dealing with it, he hadn't wanted his son to be an only child. While he did consider Shippo his son as well, the fox was too old for Tristis to really play with.
It had been Tamiko that had told Kagome to drink the water, but Sesshoumaru insisted that his mother was the one that should have been thanked instead of the fairy queen. In truth it was Ikue's kindness that allowed them to have more children, she had wanted to bless Inuyasha as well as her son.
The gift had been enough for the half-breed to stop his complaints of his injuries. While he claimed that he wasn't in any real pain, he still complained loudly to Sesshoumaru that he was a bastard (the demon lord felt the need to point out that it was Inuyasha that was the bastard) and he would get him back. He had walked away with a small hole in his chest, deep gashes on his arms, and some of his older brother's poison on his face; according to the elder brother, he had gone easy on him.
"Kagome, I know you told me that Sesshoumaru's mother had given her spirit to Rin so that she may become a demon but, why didn't she become evil like Naraku?"
She smiled at her oldest son Shippo, "Naraku was an evil demon made by several evil ones as well. Rin is a good demon made by an equally good one. Her heart is pure because of her love for Sesshoumaru as was Ikue's. The two had something in common so Rin was able to allow the spirit in and because the demon was more powerful, it forced the body to become a full blooded dog demon. Ikue was too much of a kind spirit to ever be able to turn anyone evil so Rin was able to stay pretty much the same."
Shippo threw a giggling Tristis in the air and caught him before looking back at his adopted mother. "So does she look any different?"
"Jaken told Inuyasha that Rin's appearance has changed a little. Her hair is much longer and darker and has some markings on her face and arms like her mate."
"Lord Inuyasha."
The group stopped when a tall purple haired dog demon stood in front of them. He bowed to Inuyasha and then to Kagome. "I am Kado, one of Lady Rin's instructors. I was sent by Lord Sesshoumaru to lead you the rest of the way to the castle, my lord and lady have been waiting for you."
Inuyasha seemed quite surprised by the honorific but shrugged it off. They had once called him that when he was a small child and figured his title had been restored because of Sesshoumaru's doing. He "feh'ed" and followed the servant to the castle he had once called home. He knew the others were amazed by it but the sent of death and a fresh grave filled his nose, distracting him from the beauty that was Sesshoumaru's home.
Tristis smelled it too, "Eww, what is that Daddy?"
His father did not answer him. The silver haired half-breed ignored everyone around him and walked straight to the family graveyard, the one where Sesshoumaru's mother had been buried. He scanned the area and ignored the old graves, a bunch of demons that had died in battle, he had never known them and he was sure they would all scorn despite that he was their kin. Towards the back he spied three fresh graves and his heart turned over when he noticed that a young woman was sitting in front of them.
Rin looked up and gently smiled at the speeding Inuyasha. She inclined her head and cuddled her two sons closer to her, "Your uncle has finally arrived. Inuyasha these are your nephews Kaoru and Shinya." She motioned her head towards the three small graves, "This is Kyo, Daisuke, and Ayumi; the niece and nephews you were not able to meet."
Her brother in-law paled but gave bowed to the graves. After the others caught up to him, Rin explained that after her mating with Sesshoumaru had became official, he had commissioned the headstones and their pups' graves were moved to the family graveyard. The others showed their respect and the commented on how cute the twins were.
Inuyasha studied his sister in-law and his nephews, they really didn't look like her. Rin still looked pretty much the same, with the exception of the markings Jaken had told him of. She now had a small dark blue star at the corner of her outer eyes and the mark that showed who she belonged to had changed into a crescent moon. Blue stars graced her wrists and a thin line from the stars wrapped around her arms and disappeared as her clothes hid parts of her flesh. Her long nails were now claws, but other than that she was pretty much the same.
He glanced at the graves again but skipped over Ayumi's when he noticed the name of the last tombstone: Izayoi. His heart jumped into his throat and he felt his palms grow clammy. The earth in front of the stone hadn't been touched but the stone was obviously new. Inuyasha sank to his knees and lightly touched the stone with his claws. He felt Kagome sit next to him and hug him from behind, but he said nothing.
"Do not look so surprised Inuyasha."
He looked behind him and saw his older brother staring at him with his forever expressionless gaze. When the half-breed said nothing Sesshoumaru continued, "She was Father's mate and belongs in the family graveyard. I did not know where her remains were laid to rest so I merely put up a headstone for her."
Had things been different between the two, had the others not been there, had he not known that Sesshoumaru would always see his mother as the one that broke up his family; he would have hugged his older brother. They had made up and vowed never to go against each other, but the bitterness they had for one another still clung to their hearts. It would take a few more lifetimes for everything to be forgiven, but they were headed in the right path.
A look of understanding passed between the brothers, and then Sesshoumaru looked at his mate. She was surprised when he had ordered the fourth one to be made, but said nothing. The twins had noticed their father long ago and Kaoru made small puppy like whines, demanding his father's attention. Shinya just looked up at his father with his big brown eyes but made no noise to indicate that he wanted anything from him.
The lord of the Western Lands helped his mate up and looked at his pups that had not had the chance to be held in their mother or father's arms. His eyes flickered with sadness but stopped when Rin cleared her throat. He looked back at her and then took Shinya, allowing her to soothe Kaoru. She eyes smiled at him as her mouth made up nonsense words that clamed their son.
Despite the difference in her physical appearance, Sesshoumaru still saw her the way she had looked the day he had first mated her. When they returned to their home, she had asked if he liked her new look. Amber eyes looked into nervous brown and stated, "I see nothing but you, you are Rin and that is all that matters. The shell your soul is in makes no difference."
Sesshoumaru gave her the tinniest of smiles and then turned to his guests. "Let us go into the castle, it is time for the pups' feeding."
The group of demons, humans, and half-breeds walked away from the graves. All hoping in their deepest of hearts that the sins they and others had committed in the past could be finally laid to rest.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow, I finally finished this fic! I hope everyone has enjoyed this story and will continue to read whatever else I write and post on here. I cannot tell you how much every review means to me, seeing your mailbox filled with reviews is a wonderful thing. If there are any questions please either leave your email address in a review or email me at DeadRosesaol.com mailto:DeadRosesaol.com and I will write back. I currently have 15% of the prologue for Betrayal in the Blood but will not post that until I have chapter one written as well. While I am writing this I will also be writing and posting another Sess/Rin fic called Malice Melodies. This fic will be an AU and center on the world of Japanese rock (J-rock), and when I say J-rock I mean actual Japanese rock. This will not be a fic that has the Inuyasha characters in a rock band but act like American rock bands. There's a summary of the story on my profile and if anyone wants to know exactly what makes J-rock different from American rock, then please email me.
Loki-TheGrimScreamer: giggles Thank you so much and yes I love you too in that reviewer/platonic way as well. I hope you enjoyed this final chapter.
Badgerwolf: Yes this is the last chapter and thank you. I was actually listening to a J-rock song called "Cage" by the band Dir en Grey while writing the last chapter and the song talks about child abuse, and suddenly it just made sense. Sorry a long story for something that could have been explained rather simply.
angel of darkness flame: See what I got done after eight hours of not answering my IMs. Lol, hope you enjoyed this and will most likely be talking to you pretty soon. Ja ne.
anhimals: There actually was going to be a bittersweet ending but my buddy April talked me out of it. Originally I was going to have one of the twins end up dying in the end but after my talk with April (and a death threat) I decided not to.
fireblazie: Lol, yeah I think everyone was expecting me to make some horrible twist in the end. As you can see I didn't do what I had planned to do so I gave somewhat of a happy ending. I hope you liked this.
Dragon Man 180: Well I hope I explained Inuyasha's injuries and Rin's new look nicely for you. As you can see I decided not to give Rin a tail or ears, she's pretty much like Kagome. They both look like themselves when they were humans but Rin has markings similar to her mate's.
neko-yashaccs: Thank you so much, I'm happy that you have enjoyed this story. Well, here's the epilogue and I hope you liked this.
Winged Princess: Takina you dork, I thought those reviews sounded like you and had to look at your profile to make sure. giggles Thank you so much for reading and reviewing this story, you know this has been my baby for almost a year now. If people use Sess's mom in their stories, she's usually this cold hearted evil bitch, you know how I love to be different so I made her the exact opposite. Talk to you later.
Airen2: Oh don't worry about it, I felt bad that I confused some people with the whole Ikue in Rin thing.
Also thank you so much to my other reviewers: keeper-of-the-triforce,CometsChaos, Kerei Kitsune, immortalbreeze04, c'fay,
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in this story expect Tristis, Astoria, Maaya, Masako, Ikue, Mitsuki, Tamiko and Kado. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, I just borrowed them.
"What do you mean she was up and fighting three hours later?"
Miroku calmly undid Mitsuki's hold on his short pony tail before placing the squirming girl tightly against his chest, away from his hair, and looking at his once again pregnant wife. He glanced at her belly, just barely showing signs of new life, and almost laughed out loud when he remembered Kagome's reaction to Sango's second pregnancy. She had screamed loudly at Miroku and hit him over the head while ranting and raving. Seems that in Kagome's time women were supposed to wait at least six weeks before having relations again and two years before having another child.
He hid his grin, "That is what Jaken told Inuyasha when he came to announce the birth of the twins. Rin gave birth and three hours later, she went to practice while the twins napped."
Rin, the official Lady of the Western Lands, had given birth to two very healthy twin boys, much to her mate's concealed delight. The boys were only a little over a week old but were already showing traits that they had inherited from their parents. Both boys were very quiet and hardly ever fussed. They also looked exactly like their father, except the youngest one had brown eyes like his mother. That was the only physical difference between the two, the differences in their temperament were quite noticeably already.
The oldest of the two, Kaoru, already showed signs that he would act very much like his father. His golden eyes looked up at others with the clear knowledge that he was superior to everyone but his own parents. Rin had already made several vows to break him of that, she wanted the pup to known humility and Sesshoumaru grudgingly agreed with her, though it did bring him pride that his oldest pup clearly knew his status. Kaoru would most likely take over the Western Lands by himself because he seemed to dominate his twin Shinya.
If Kaoru was quiet, then Shinya was practically mute. The brown eyed pup never seemed to cry, even when he was born he had only gave a small whine but was drowned out by his older brother's cries. From the start this worried Rin. He was almost too quiet and let Kaoru take up all the room in their crib, that's what Kagome had called it when she had brought to her. From what she could tell, Shinya would always allow himself to be dominated, a trait that he could not have received from either of his parents...perhaps from one of his grandparents. Sesshoumaru would have none of that.
Kagome listened to the couple and patted her own growing belly. After Ikue had taken her final rest, Queen Tamiko commanded her to drink from the lake and to not ask questions. When the priestess did so, Tamiko walked away muttering, "That water was recently blessed by Ikue and because you drank it, you will now be able to conceive once again."
No one but her mother had known that the half-demon couple hadn't been able to have anymore children after Tristis. She had been attacked shortly after giving birth and was told by doctors in her time that she would never be able to have children again. Inuyasha had a hard time dealing with it, he hadn't wanted his son to be an only child. While he did consider Shippo his son as well, the fox was too old for Tristis to really play with.
It had been Tamiko that had told Kagome to drink the water, but Sesshoumaru insisted that his mother was the one that should have been thanked instead of the fairy queen. In truth it was Ikue's kindness that allowed them to have more children, she had wanted to bless Inuyasha as well as her son.
The gift had been enough for the half-breed to stop his complaints of his injuries. While he claimed that he wasn't in any real pain, he still complained loudly to Sesshoumaru that he was a bastard (the demon lord felt the need to point out that it was Inuyasha that was the bastard) and he would get him back. He had walked away with a small hole in his chest, deep gashes on his arms, and some of his older brother's poison on his face; according to the elder brother, he had gone easy on him.
"Kagome, I know you told me that Sesshoumaru's mother had given her spirit to Rin so that she may become a demon but, why didn't she become evil like Naraku?"
She smiled at her oldest son Shippo, "Naraku was an evil demon made by several evil ones as well. Rin is a good demon made by an equally good one. Her heart is pure because of her love for Sesshoumaru as was Ikue's. The two had something in common so Rin was able to allow the spirit in and because the demon was more powerful, it forced the body to become a full blooded dog demon. Ikue was too much of a kind spirit to ever be able to turn anyone evil so Rin was able to stay pretty much the same."
Shippo threw a giggling Tristis in the air and caught him before looking back at his adopted mother. "So does she look any different?"
"Jaken told Inuyasha that Rin's appearance has changed a little. Her hair is much longer and darker and has some markings on her face and arms like her mate."
"Lord Inuyasha."
The group stopped when a tall purple haired dog demon stood in front of them. He bowed to Inuyasha and then to Kagome. "I am Kado, one of Lady Rin's instructors. I was sent by Lord Sesshoumaru to lead you the rest of the way to the castle, my lord and lady have been waiting for you."
Inuyasha seemed quite surprised by the honorific but shrugged it off. They had once called him that when he was a small child and figured his title had been restored because of Sesshoumaru's doing. He "feh'ed" and followed the servant to the castle he had once called home. He knew the others were amazed by it but the sent of death and a fresh grave filled his nose, distracting him from the beauty that was Sesshoumaru's home.
Tristis smelled it too, "Eww, what is that Daddy?"
His father did not answer him. The silver haired half-breed ignored everyone around him and walked straight to the family graveyard, the one where Sesshoumaru's mother had been buried. He scanned the area and ignored the old graves, a bunch of demons that had died in battle, he had never known them and he was sure they would all scorn despite that he was their kin. Towards the back he spied three fresh graves and his heart turned over when he noticed that a young woman was sitting in front of them.
Rin looked up and gently smiled at the speeding Inuyasha. She inclined her head and cuddled her two sons closer to her, "Your uncle has finally arrived. Inuyasha these are your nephews Kaoru and Shinya." She motioned her head towards the three small graves, "This is Kyo, Daisuke, and Ayumi; the niece and nephews you were not able to meet."
Her brother in-law paled but gave bowed to the graves. After the others caught up to him, Rin explained that after her mating with Sesshoumaru had became official, he had commissioned the headstones and their pups' graves were moved to the family graveyard. The others showed their respect and the commented on how cute the twins were.
Inuyasha studied his sister in-law and his nephews, they really didn't look like her. Rin still looked pretty much the same, with the exception of the markings Jaken had told him of. She now had a small dark blue star at the corner of her outer eyes and the mark that showed who she belonged to had changed into a crescent moon. Blue stars graced her wrists and a thin line from the stars wrapped around her arms and disappeared as her clothes hid parts of her flesh. Her long nails were now claws, but other than that she was pretty much the same.
He glanced at the graves again but skipped over Ayumi's when he noticed the name of the last tombstone: Izayoi. His heart jumped into his throat and he felt his palms grow clammy. The earth in front of the stone hadn't been touched but the stone was obviously new. Inuyasha sank to his knees and lightly touched the stone with his claws. He felt Kagome sit next to him and hug him from behind, but he said nothing.
"Do not look so surprised Inuyasha."
He looked behind him and saw his older brother staring at him with his forever expressionless gaze. When the half-breed said nothing Sesshoumaru continued, "She was Father's mate and belongs in the family graveyard. I did not know where her remains were laid to rest so I merely put up a headstone for her."
Had things been different between the two, had the others not been there, had he not known that Sesshoumaru would always see his mother as the one that broke up his family; he would have hugged his older brother. They had made up and vowed never to go against each other, but the bitterness they had for one another still clung to their hearts. It would take a few more lifetimes for everything to be forgiven, but they were headed in the right path.
A look of understanding passed between the brothers, and then Sesshoumaru looked at his mate. She was surprised when he had ordered the fourth one to be made, but said nothing. The twins had noticed their father long ago and Kaoru made small puppy like whines, demanding his father's attention. Shinya just looked up at his father with his big brown eyes but made no noise to indicate that he wanted anything from him.
The lord of the Western Lands helped his mate up and looked at his pups that had not had the chance to be held in their mother or father's arms. His eyes flickered with sadness but stopped when Rin cleared her throat. He looked back at her and then took Shinya, allowing her to soothe Kaoru. She eyes smiled at him as her mouth made up nonsense words that clamed their son.
Despite the difference in her physical appearance, Sesshoumaru still saw her the way she had looked the day he had first mated her. When they returned to their home, she had asked if he liked her new look. Amber eyes looked into nervous brown and stated, "I see nothing but you, you are Rin and that is all that matters. The shell your soul is in makes no difference."
Sesshoumaru gave her the tinniest of smiles and then turned to his guests. "Let us go into the castle, it is time for the pups' feeding."
The group of demons, humans, and half-breeds walked away from the graves. All hoping in their deepest of hearts that the sins they and others had committed in the past could be finally laid to rest.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow, I finally finished this fic! I hope everyone has enjoyed this story and will continue to read whatever else I write and post on here. I cannot tell you how much every review means to me, seeing your mailbox filled with reviews is a wonderful thing. If there are any questions please either leave your email address in a review or email me at DeadRosesaol.com mailto:DeadRosesaol.com and I will write back. I currently have 15% of the prologue for Betrayal in the Blood but will not post that until I have chapter one written as well. While I am writing this I will also be writing and posting another Sess/Rin fic called Malice Melodies. This fic will be an AU and center on the world of Japanese rock (J-rock), and when I say J-rock I mean actual Japanese rock. This will not be a fic that has the Inuyasha characters in a rock band but act like American rock bands. There's a summary of the story on my profile and if anyone wants to know exactly what makes J-rock different from American rock, then please email me.
Loki-TheGrimScreamer: giggles Thank you so much and yes I love you too in that reviewer/platonic way as well. I hope you enjoyed this final chapter.
Badgerwolf: Yes this is the last chapter and thank you. I was actually listening to a J-rock song called "Cage" by the band Dir en Grey while writing the last chapter and the song talks about child abuse, and suddenly it just made sense. Sorry a long story for something that could have been explained rather simply.
angel of darkness flame: See what I got done after eight hours of not answering my IMs. Lol, hope you enjoyed this and will most likely be talking to you pretty soon. Ja ne.
anhimals: There actually was going to be a bittersweet ending but my buddy April talked me out of it. Originally I was going to have one of the twins end up dying in the end but after my talk with April (and a death threat) I decided not to.
fireblazie: Lol, yeah I think everyone was expecting me to make some horrible twist in the end. As you can see I didn't do what I had planned to do so I gave somewhat of a happy ending. I hope you liked this.
Dragon Man 180: Well I hope I explained Inuyasha's injuries and Rin's new look nicely for you. As you can see I decided not to give Rin a tail or ears, she's pretty much like Kagome. They both look like themselves when they were humans but Rin has markings similar to her mate's.
neko-yashaccs: Thank you so much, I'm happy that you have enjoyed this story. Well, here's the epilogue and I hope you liked this.
Winged Princess: Takina you dork, I thought those reviews sounded like you and had to look at your profile to make sure. giggles Thank you so much for reading and reviewing this story, you know this has been my baby for almost a year now. If people use Sess's mom in their stories, she's usually this cold hearted evil bitch, you know how I love to be different so I made her the exact opposite. Talk to you later.
Airen2: Oh don't worry about it, I felt bad that I confused some people with the whole Ikue in Rin thing.
Also thank you so much to my other reviewers: keeper-of-the-triforce,CometsChaos, Kerei Kitsune, immortalbreeze04, c'fay,