For the Love of a Demon
Chapter Two: Rin's Disappearnce
Part One
by Lady Bliss
"Pathetic humans." - Sesshomaru
"Haven't you heard? Rin has been gone for several days now."
"Keitaro's wife?"
"Yes!"
He had heard every word they said even when they tried whispering. He knew the rumors that were floating around, ones about his dear wife's disappearance. Everyone was sure she left to find the demon, the one that had been sighted ever since she was taken in by the village elder. Everyone was positive that she had something to do with the demon, for none had ever been around the village except for him. The one that did not attack, just watched his home from afar.
Keitaro did not want to believe that his wife had anything to do with such foul creatures. It had to be a coincidence. Perhaps the demon had been waiting for the opportune time to abduct his poor Rin. But deep down he knew the truth. He knew the demon and Rin were connected, he just did not want to believe it.
"Perhaps Rin is a demon herself," one villager spoke softly to another as they plowed the fields.
"Yeah, and the demon that had been watching her must be her brother, or true husband!" another villager whispered back.
"Enough!" Keitaro exclaimed, his eyes welled up with tears. How could they think such things of Rin? he mused, she was the sweetest and most innocent person he had ever known. He knew she loved him, and he loved her with all his heart.
He threw the rake he had in his hands down to the grown with full force. No more, he thought. He would no longer take the rumors, he would no longer wait around as he was ordered for his beloved Rin to return. He would find her and bring her back to their home, whether she was in the clutches of a demon or not.
- - - - - - - - - -
Rin awoke inside the damp and dirty cave, her head throbbing. She reached a hand up to sooth the pain as she sat upwards, looking around to place where she was. At first she did not remember, but soon her mind caught up to her in one painful memory. She let out an agonizing scream from the pain in her head, tears blurring her vision.
She wondered how long she had been sleeping as she viewed her empty and dark surroundings. It was then she noticed that no light was emitting from the gas lamps that were placed about the room, yet she could still see. She stood up and began walking toward the smell of the outside, her headache easing as she carried on. Once she was out of the cave her eyes adjusted rather quickly to the sunlight, and she found there was no need to shield them even though the day was hot and cloudless.
Her smile began to grow. Everything was different. The smells of the world, the sounds, the views; it was all more intense than it had ever been. She looked down to the ledge that was only a few feet away, finding her feet had already began moving before she completed the command in her mind. She was already jumping swiftly from ledge to ledge until her feet were on the cool grass beneath her.
"Amazing!" she exclaimed to herself as she spun around. Her long hair twirled and bits fell over her shoulder, catching her eye. Her hair was no longer the dark brown it had once been, but a rich silver. She reached to scoop up the long strands and studied them, another smile of delight gracing her supple lips.
Rin allowed her nose to take in a deep whiff of the scents around her until one of fresh water caught her interest. She followed it, her legs moving at a pace she never thought possible. It did not take long before she arrived at the water source, a calm river that flowed through the forest. She leaped from the bank over to a rock jetting from the water and looked down at her reflection.
Her hair was indeed a rich color of silver, long and soft. Her eyes were a deep gold color and her cheeks bore one purple mark on either side. She turned her head to see that her ears were both long and pointed, a feature she was not sure she liked on herself.
With a rumble, her stomach protested its emptiness. She sat up and removed her eyes from her reflection to look down at her growling stomach. She frowned as she realized she did not have any money in which she could buy food. She stood and took in a deep breath when a fish caught her eye.
Grinning, she jumped into the water trying to grab the delicious looking morsel. To her dismay, it slipped through her fingers and began to swim away. She leaped for it, submerging herself completely in the chilly water, but once again missed. She began to growl at her frustration, feeling her anger rise. Her clawed fingers began to glow an eerie yellow color under the water, causing her to quickly bring it up to her face to observe, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.
And as if a gift from the Gods, the fish she had been after slowly rose up from the water. She eyed it for a second and then quickly grabbed it to find it was dead. She studied it carefully, and then she noticed that slowly more and more fish began rising up to the surface of the water. She watched as the current began to take some down stream. She slowly grabbed a few more and jumped out of the water, tossing them on the ground. Whatever the fish's problem, she would not let it get in the way of eating.
- - - - - - - - - -
Rin patted her stomach, a satisfied smile on her lips. She laid back on the ground next to the fire she had built and stared up at the sky that was slowly growing dark. She wondered if it was safe to stay and sleep alone out in the woods. She did not feel scared, which made her very curious. She never liked being alone, yet it did not bother her right then.
She was not sure how long she had been asleep in the cave, nor how long she had left. Surely no more than a few days had passed, but she could not be too careful. Her search for Sesshomaru had to begin soon, she thought, or she might never see him or anyone else again.
A wind blew harshly over Rin, causing the fire to dance from the sudden wave of oxygen. It blew a familiar scent into her nose, causing her heart to nearly skip a beat. She stood up and followed it, thinking the Gods must be on her side that day.
Part Two
Sesshomaru picked up on the rumors around the village. He was not completely sure whether or not to believe them. Rumors were vicious no matter where they were and who they were about. Even among the demon world it seemed rumors drifted with the wind on a far and wild trip to nip a person right in the ass.
But an awkward feeling tugged at his gut; it told him that they were probably correct. Well, he thought, at least one part that seemed solid in all the different rumors. Rin had disappeared and had not been seen for several days. It was true he did not spot her when he browsed the area, but he simply thought she was indoors each time he came by where he could not see nor smell her. There had been times in the past that it had happened, but this time was different. The villagers seemed panicked, and accused her of running off with a demon he assumed was himself. Obviously that rumor was not true, for he had not seen the girl.
Other villagers talked of her running away with another man, leaving her husband behind without a second thought or feeling of guilt. That was the rumor the demon lord scoffed at. There was no possible way the caring girl that took care of him only so many years before was capable of hurting someone like that.
Slowly, the demon felt a twinge of worry start to form for the girl. He disliked the fact he felt that way. He was a great demon with no weaknesses such as those kinds of emotions, or so he told himself. He had not been happy with how he often found himself going back to the village to see Rin, let alone care that she was missing. Deny as he might, he could not help but feel and tolerate the bond that started when she was only a child of seven.
- - - - - - - - - -
The little girl did not speak, which did not bother Sesshomaru in the least. She would bring him food and fresh water before retreating back to her village quietly. She seemed somewhat troubled and very unhappy for such a young child, though she went through the unnecessary steps to be sure he did not die.
He often wondered why a human girl would care for a strange and wounded demon, but did not break the silence between them. He was never one to question, and did not like being questioned himself.
At first he stared at her offerings of food and water, but soon accepted her help. His chances of survival would have been only slightly less if she did not care for him like she did, for time and rest was all he really needed. He did not have a doubt in his mind that he would live, but the silent and kind gesture from the human warmed his heart - even if it was only slightly.
When the fresh scent of human blood drifted in the wind, he did not seem to make a second thought about it. He did not care for the welfare of man; in fact, he despised the weak humans. Nothing but soft flesh and silly emotions. But when he saw the child, the very same one that cared for him, he stopped. He eyed her body which was slipping away from life quickly and contemplated whether or not he would leave her there to rot.
He felt Tenseiga throb and he slowly unsheathed the blade he deemed worthless. Looking down at the girl's body, he saw pall bearer demons surrounding her. With a swift move of his sword, he sliced the demons and killed them. Slowly, the girl's soul and life returned and her mortal wounds were healed.
The rest of the people living in the village Rin was from were not as lucky. All of the humans had been slaughtered, including her parents. It was not completely clear, even to Sesshomaru, why he allowed the girl to follow him after learning of her loss. He could have easily left her to fend for herself, or if not, he could have sent her to another human village that would adopt the young orphan.
As the years went by and he saved the girl's life again and again from demon attacks, he soon felt it was her time to lead a normal human life. She needed to find a husband and start a family; she needed to be surrounded by other humans. He could not longer care for the child the way she needed to be cared for.
He found a simple and suitable village and sent Rin on her way, though he did not leave her completely. He sometimes watched her from afar and found himself protecting the entire village from demon attacks. Though he would not admit to even himself the kind deeds he did for them.
- - - - - - - - - -
An unfamiliar scent, Sesshomaru mused. He sat underneath a large tree, the branches casting shadows made by the moonlight and the tree's branches. He felt the gentle wind toss his hair and watched the strands dance as the presence of another drew near. He stood, directing his eyes and Tokijin toward where he felt the other drawing closer to him. He felt their hesitation and took the moment to speak, "I know you are there."
Rin could not believe it. There she stood at the wrong end of Sesshomaru's sword. Though she was sure he could not see her hiding in the darkness, she cursed herself for letting her mind slip through the knowledge of his acute senses. She thought that perhaps she could be more quiet and unnoticeable than before when she had been human, but should had known better to think that Sesshomaru would not catch her.
She licked her lips that suddenly went dry before taking in a deep breath that only hardened the fresh saliva over her soft skin. "I should have known as much," she said, continuing to hide in the protection of the shadows, "you were always so aware of what and who was around you."
Rin's words caused Sesshomaru to raise an eyebrow slightly. He cautiously sheathed Tokijin and let his hand fall to his side. He could not sense a threat coming from the figure hiding in front of him. He did not speak, and instead waited for her to explain how she knew him.
Rin debated whether or not she would reveal herself. She wanted to spill her heart to the demon lord, let him know how she felt and how long she waited to see him again. Before she could allow herself to do that, another thought came to mind. She remembered what the man had said about why Sesshomaru sent her away - that he left her because she was human. She feared that if she revealed her true self, the demon before her would scoff and leave her again. Even if she was different right then, it would not change the fact that she was still human at heart.
Swallowing a hard lump that formed in her throat, Rin stepped forward so Sesshomaru could see her. She wanted to see if he would recognize her through the demon façade, but as she stood and stared, their golden eyes meeting, she did not see him react at all. Her lips dried once again and she licked them out of nervousness, wondering if behind his nonchalant mask he could see right through her.
"Do you remember me?" she asked before she could stop herself. Her heart began to beat wildly as she waited for an answer.
Sesshomaru stared at the silver-haired woman in front of him, taking in her appearance. There was something odd about the demon, something he could not place. She did not seem familiar in the least, yet a deep-rooted feeling in his heart told him different. He ignored the calls from his chest and spoke, "I do not know you."
Rin was not sure whether that was a good or bad thing. She did not know who she could be if she was not going to be herself. She exhaled a breath she was not aware she had been holding and smiled, "We did not really meet," her lie began, "but I heard a lot of the great Sesshomaru."
"It has been some time since I have seen another demon of our stature," Sesshomaru said.
A wave of relief fell over the girl when Sesshomaru did not call her on her lies. Her mind began to conjure up a life for her new self, and even a name. "I am Nozomi," she said, bowing politely.
Sesshomaru only continued to stare as an unsettling feeling started to build inside him. He simply closed his eyes and gave a small tilt of his head which could only be described as a lazy nod, to show he heard her introduction. He turned his back to the girl and began to walk away.
Rin's eyes widened as she saw Sesshomaru slowly slipping from her fingers once again. "W-wait!" she shouted, but received no answer in return. She did not let herself run after him, for she felt a strange instinct force herself to stay until he was out of sight. As much as she desired to follow him, the demon in her forced her patience out.
She would have to wait before forcing her way back inside Sesshomaru's life. She knew he was not one to be tampered with, so it was best not to appear to be following him or he would catch on and avoid her. Time was of the essence, and she had to think of a plan.
Part Three
Sickness spread rapidly through the small mountain village. People began to fall violently ill and the doctors of the town did not know what to do. At first the sickness was passed off as a simple cold, but it did not take long before the villagers discovered it was much more than that.
Keitaro was one of the few that did not fall victim to the sickness that had been going around. All who were well tried caring for the sickly, which put his search for his wife on hold. He wanted to travel to the neighboring village, but he could not bring himself to leave in his fellow villager's time of need.
He began to think there was a curse set on the village. When he was younger the village was not always so peaceful, but once the strange orphan girl showed up, demons and other plagues seemed to disappear. It seemed as if a bad curse had been lifted. He knew Rin was special, and set his heart in her hands from the moment they met. But only a few days after she left, the animals in which they lived from began to die.
It started with the fish. They began to float downstream across the village's main water source. The animals that drank from the water and ate the dead fish began to grow ill, and then those who ate the sickly animals began to grow sick themselves. At first he did not eat for his sorrow from the loss of his wife was too much to bare, but after seeing the fish float belly up, he refused to eat a single thing in fear of getting sick.
He did not care for his own well being, however. He only wanted to be healthy so he could journey to find his beloved Rin.
Author's Note: I am sure some of you are thinking back to the episodes of "The Woman Who Loved Sesshomaru" and how he saw through the demon's desguise. If you do not know what I am talking about, don't worry about it, but I will not give away too much about it. I am just wanting to say that this is a totally different situation. Rin is actually a demon, and not just possessed like Sara was. Well, in my story anyway.
I hope you enjoyed chapter two of For the Love of a Demon! See you next time. And remember, everyone loves to hear reviews. I am not just saying a comment about whether or not you liked or disliked the story xP but on how I can improve and any mistakes I might have missed while I quickly edited. Thanks in advance!