The Hot Springs | By : kuronekosama Category: InuYasha > General Views: 17152 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story. |
~~~~~~In the Kitchen~~~~~~
All three boys were silent for a moment, listening to the sounds of the house. Genbu twisted his mouth in thought, and then nodded.
“It seems that they finally went to bed,” he concluded, looking to his brothers for confirmation. Inutaisho and Toku nodded, agreeing. Though it had been faint, they had heard the sounds one only hears during mating coming from the direction of their parents’ room. Genbu was the first to hear it, being closest to the kitchen door. They had a good laugh for about ten minutes, wondering if their mother was trying to kill their father, and pestering Inutaisho about how “he was going to have to suffer through the wiles of the female species” soon en. I. Inutaisho’s cheeks colored themselves red, but it only angered him that his brothers would imply anything insulting to Yokiri. After horsing around with Genbu while Toku watched, Inutaisho managed to land a good punch in Genbu’s stomach, hushing him for at least a few minutes.
Toku continued laughing, though, in his light-hearted way. Inutaisho always had a harder time picking on Toku, who seemed a little gentler, but who was just as deadly. Genbu at least made it obvious when he was nagging his eldest brother.
“And just what are you laughing at?” Inutaisho growled, fisting his clawed hand. Toku, with his soft voice, smiled genially and held up his hands, half-chuckling and half-giggling.
“Nandemonai! I’m only laughing at the situation,” Toku entreated. Inutaisho was in the mood for a fight, though, and launched himself at Toku anyway. Genbu, behind them, was laughing and groaning at the same time, holding his abused midsection. When it seemed that Inutaisho might be winning against Toku, who was laughing too hard to defend himself properly, Genbu had recovered enough to pounce on Inutaisho from behind, yelling to Toku that it was time to gang up on him.
This went on for a while…the three boys were young and tireless. Though it was mostly an attempt to subdue Inutaisho since he seemed angered by something other than their teasing, thetherthers were even more tightly bonded after this. Once they had tired themselves out, sprawled out on the floor and panting, Inutaisho stared at the ceiling, wondering what Yokiri was doing right now. Heh…probably cursing my name for ignoring her for a month.
In truth, he had meant to seek her out several times over the past four weeks, but always turned back at some point. He once even got within a half-mile of where they usually met, but instead cursed to himself and turned to follow the border like he was supposed to, avoiding Yokiri yet again.
“Ne, aniki,” Toku said, sounding a little breathless but still serious. Inutaisho turned his head to look at Toku, laying a little diagonal to him. Genbu remained quiet.
“Nani?”
“This Yokiri…do you love her?” Inutaisho made an agreeing noise, wondering what Toku was getting at. “Then…I will gladly welcome her to the family.” Inutaisho heard Genbu grunt his own agreement from somewhere behind him, and smiled to himself.
~~~~~~Early Morning, the Next Day~~~~~~
Rin’s first sense of waking was fuzzy and muffled, as if something were closely pressed to her eyes. Realizing that she was still sleepy, Rin let her cracked lids shut again and slept a bit longer, feeling warm and heavy. Though only an hour passed in real time, Rin felt like three had passed when she next sifted out of the sands of sleep. She took in a deeper breath, cautiously opening her eyes. About three inches in front of her was the pale skin of her mate’s throat, mostly shadowed by the quilt over her head. She was tempted to nuzzle the Adam’s apple she saw, but gingerly lifted her hand to find the edge of the quilt. Surprised that Sesshoumaru didn’t move, Rin eased the quilt down over their heads, lighting up the scene with rays of the dawning sun.
His eyes were closed, and his breathing was slow and even, like he was asleep. Rin touched the tip of his nose, expecting him to say something trite but funny. Getting no response, Rin’s nose quirked in confusion. That’s strange…is he playing a game? Easing onto her elbow, Rin looked down at him, certain that he still hadn’t moved. His arm didn’t follow her waist, either; rather, it slipped down her body to the jut of her hip. Now that the quilt had slipped down her shoulder to the crook in her arm, Rin felt the chill of the room slide its fingers over her skin like an unwanted lover, and shivered.
Rin tried another tactic and brushed the tip of her finger against his lips, expecting him to smirk and begin kissing the naked chest right in front of him. He seemed to breathe a little deeper for a second, but his lips remained slightly parted and immobile. Asleep? …No… No, couldn’t be. Rin lightly brushed her finger against his mouth again, moving more slowly to see if it would tickle. Deciding that a whisper might do it—that perhaps the goal of his game was for her to start complaining, Rin very quietly called his name. Again, no reaction. Confounded, Rin pondered for a few seconds, wondering what it was she was supposed to do to make him react. He certainly wasn’t asleep…Rin had to commend his “dead possum” act—it looked genuine.
Wait…
That’s when Rin realized how blank his face was. True, he normally seemed to have no expressions, but his was a constant serious expression, never smiling. But this one—it held no annoyance, no anger, no lust, no smiles, no frustration…it was his sleeping face. He’s not really…is he…how—how adorable! Rin’s heart ached for a few moments inside her chest as she watched the gentle breaths going in and coming out of his chest. His glossy, silver hair was especially beautiful, glimmering like icy water in the early morning sun. Rin traced the stripes on his upward-facing cheek, swallowing hard over the lump in her throat. It feels like my heart will burst. Licking her lips, Rin carefully scoot back down to her original position and pulled the quilt over her shoulder. Snaking her hand around his shoulders, Rin snuggled close to him, touching the tip of her nose to his. Smiling, she adjusted the angle of her mouth slightly and pressed her lips against the ones parted so invitingly. Gently suckling his bottom lip and once in a while flicking it with her tongue, Rin hoped to wake him up slowly.
Sesshoumaru, groggy, eventually had the sense that it was time for him to wake up. His thoughts began to move again, wondering what time it was. He felt a warm presence in front of him and automatically held it closer.
Rin felt Sesshoumaru breathe a little more deeply, and his arm began to move against her back, pulling her towards him. She was aware of her heart beating faster, and of feeling aroused by the position she was in and by Sesshoumaru’s response to her kiss. Parting his hair with her fingers, Rin absent-mindedly played with a few silken locks before holding the left side of his jaw to help open it. Taking a second to draw in some breath through her mouth, Rin pressed her thumb against the bone of his jaw, pushing it down, and brought her mouth close again, letting her tongue slip between his lips first. She softly sighed, barely noticing the cool air settling against her neck. It was warm and damp beneath the quilt, so Rin paid no attention to the draft. Lightly moaning against his mouth, Rin felt him start to respond, and his tongue moved to play with hers.
Sesshoumaru was aware that his body was automatically reacting, and that a wet, warm mouth was pressed to his, giving him a sweet morning kiss. His left arm, pinned underneath something, involuntarily folded upon itself, grazing the bottom of a soft surface and wrapping around a warm shoulder.
Rin slightly increased the pressure of her mouth when she felt his other arm against her back, and moaned a little louder, though it was unintentional. Even half-asleep, he still kisses me as if he were fully awake. Though she only wished to kiss him longer, Rin tested him by pulling her head away from his lips, wanting to see his reaction. A small, disappointed moan crossed the short distance between them, and Rin felt both of his arms tighten, holding her against him. The hand on her shoulder moved, cupping the back of her head and pushing her mouth forward again.
Sesshoumaru, finally aware that he was waking up again, took control of his body, but he didn’t dare open his eyes, knowing that they had to leave that day. Instead, he let the last vestiges of sleep continue to hover over him. Finding the back of Rin’s head through the sea of her tangled, silky hair, he pulled her head to him and pressed his lips against the warm, full lips of his mate. Rin was pliant enough, but Sesshoumaru forced her lips apart before she had the chance to open them herself. If Rin’s metaphor held true that their mouths made love, then Sesshoumaru was almost raping her. Rin groaned in sexual excitement, out of breath but warm with arousal. She could hear her heartbeat in her head.
Rin moved to lift her leg over Sesshoumaru, but the pain that followed was enough to remind her that her body needed a break to heal. The pain wasn’t sharp and unbearable, but it was painful enough to douse Rin’s plans. She tried pulling her head back, but Sesshoumaru would have none of that. He felt much better now that he had slept, and was very willing to simply toss Rin’s leg over his hip and rock them into oblivion again…and again. Rin seemed to be resisting a bit, so Sesshoumaru sent out little feelers again, browsing through Rin’s conscious for what was the matter. His connection reminded him that she was feeling pain, and Sesshoumaru, disappointed, relented his hold on Rin, letting her pull back from him. Rin opened her eyes and took a few breaths. Smiling at him and surprising Sesshoumaru somewhat, Rin breathlessly whispered,
“Ohayo-gozaimasu…Sesshoumaru.” Sesshoumaru smiled back at her, finding it alluring that she had dropped the “-sama” since they were sharing a private moment. It was one of Rin’s charms when she saved the less formal way of referring to him for when they were alone together. And yet, she showed him respect by speaking to him more formally when they weren’t in the bedroom. Sesshoumaru rubbed his hand slowly against her back, looking at her young face resting against his arm. Today was the day to leave—they would be heading into completely unknown territory, and Sesshoumaru wanted to save this image of her in his mind…just in case.
I love her more than life itself…I only wish I could make her own life last forever.
“Are you feeling pain, Rin?” Sesshoumaru asked, moving his right hand down to her upward-facing hip. Rin heard the quilt rustle as he moved his arm, and then a warm hand on her hip, very close to the source of her discomfort. She adjusted her head a bit, moving the point of pressure off of her ear.
“Hai…gomen, Sesshoumaru…but I think I need a couple of days to heal,” Rin said, slowly losing her smile. Sesshoumaru lightly shook his head, leaning forward to touch his nose to hers, confusing Rin as well as surprising her since he rarely did such a silly thing, even if it was affectionate.
“Iie, don’t be sorry. I have asked too much of you ever since I found you running from that despicable human. You’ve shown great resilience, love,” he complimented. Rin smiled at him again. “What was that man’s name?” Rin pouted, not wanting to talk about such a subject, but she complied.
“His family name is Yamamoto, and his first name is Kagatsu. He does have brothers, all of which are fine men, but he and his father…are despicable, as you said.” Rin watched Sesshoumaru’s eyes divert away from her face in thought, wondering what he was thinking.
“Despicable how?” Sesshoumaru asked, looking to Rin again. Rin was a little embarrassed to say, since Kagatsu’s most evil side was wicked in a sexual sense. Why does Sesshoumaru want to know?
“Why?” Rin simply asked. Sesshoumaru could tell that she was uncomfortable talking about it, but he wanted the whole story—for it was always in his mind to hunt down this Yamamoto Kagatsu after Rin and he returned, and slice his head off for even considering to touch his mate.
“Does it bother you that much to speak of him?” Sesshoumaru said, pulling her a little closer. Rin noticed the tightening of his arms, and felt her heart skip a beat. Stuttering a bit since his unfaltering gaze was looking straight at her, Rin replied,
“H-he did not give me any good memories.” Sesshoumaru frowned at that, wanting to know more about Yamamoto even more.
“I want to know what memories he did give you, Rin,” Sesshoumaru insisted in a low voice. Rin unconsciously began to chew on her bottom lip and cast her gaze down to his chest. Sesshoumaru waited patiently, watching Rin abuse her lip and quietly think. After a minute, she suddenly began to speak, but it was a quiet voice, meant only for him.
“Until I was eleven or so, Kagatsu treated me just like any other servant. He was just shy of his fifteenth year at the time, so he did not yet know of…of what some masters' sons do with their female servants. The housekeeper told me that on the night of Kagatsu’s fifteen birthday, she overheard the master speaking with Kagatsu, giving him his samurai name and advice. The housekeeper had raised me like a daughter, so she…I think she wanted to make sure I wasn’t in the dark about the changes that would happen. So…she told me that the master had advised his son, ‘Now that he is a man, he should allow himself indulgence with the women servants,’” Rin said, mimicking a lower voice range. “She said that Kagatsu didn’t understand at first. So the master explained that Kagatsu should find the prettiest female servant and bed her.”
“Bed her?” Sesshoumaru asked. He could tell what the term meant, but it was an odd way to phrase it. A human way of phrasing it. Rin nodded, explaining its definition.
“He meant mate with her, but not in the sense that it was a mate for life. More like…a concubine?” Rin said uncertainly, not sure if she had the word correct. She rarely talked about such aspects of sex, only overhearing the other servants and using her past life’s memories. “Anyway, Kagatsu did as his father told him. I didn’t know the girl very well because she worked in the north wing, cleaning. I stayed in the kitchen on the east wing, so I only knew that the girl’s name was Ayoko. According to the housekeeper…Kagatsu merely propositioned her first. The girl thought he was jesting with her—he had never asked anyone that before so she didn’t believe him. Kagatsu got mad, saying that his servants shouldn’t laugh at him or talk back. The housekeeper was retrieving linens at the time, and walked by as Kagatsu yelled this to Ayoko. The housekeeper wanted to help Ayoko, but…Kagatsu told her to leave them, and the housekeeper couldn’t say ‘no.’
“She found Ayoko later, crying in the west wing’s servants’ quarters. Kagatsu…dragged her into the nearest bedroom and forced her. He didn’t hit her, but he said mean things the whole time, according to Ayoko. The housekeeper warned me not to let him get me alone, or to draw any attention to myself when he was near. She told me how to dress and how to do my hair to make me…well, more plain. I didn’t mind really—I didn’t want what happened to Ayoko happen to me.
“Kagatsu kept Ayoko for about six months. When she got pregnant, he made her get rid of the child, but he also got rid of her. The next girl was a friend of mine, though I only got to speak to her in the evenings when the servants were allowed to bathe down by the hot springs. She was a year older than Kagatsu, and let him do what he wanted instead of trying to fight him—I suppose she was choosing the lesser of two evils. Miomi lasted a whole year, the longest time. She told me that he had fallen in love with her, which I didn’t believe, but the master did, and he sent Miomi away.
“Over the next two and a half years, he slept with eleven girls, forcing almost all of them, and he even went after a visiting relative’s servant, who was only thirteen. She left unharmed thanks to the housekeeper, but I would see him looking at other visiting servants—one of which was eleven. The whole time, though, I steered clear of him, letting the housekeeper serve their meals while I merely cooked out of sight.”
“You were almost fifteen then?” Sesshoumaru asked, waiting patiently through her story. This Yamamoto Kagatsu… Sesshoumaru wanted to kill him even now.
“Hai, it was on my fifteenth birthday that he noticed me. The housekeeper was holding a little party for me in her quarters. A girl from the south wing came, and two of the field workers. We got a little too loud, and Kagatsu happened to be walking by. Hearing so many female voices…well, a man like him got curious. He opened the housekeeper’s door without calling out first, though I suppose that is his right. Since I was in the housekeeper’s and my room, I hadn’t taken any time to disguise myself to look plain. I…I could see the lust in his eyes. Unlike your gaze,” Rin said, glancing up at Sesshoumaru quickly, “Kagatsu’s eyes were…frightening. I think he became used to forcing women, and that it was what excited him.
“A couple of days later, I was in the kitchens by myself, preparing food for the next morning since we had just finished cleaning our mess from making the master’s dinner. Kagatsu walked in, unannounced, and…sort of smiled at me. I bowed, like I was supposed to, with my nose to the tatami mats, and asked him if he needed something to eat. Thinking about it now, his retort was kind of funny, and I didn’t understand the double meaning until later that year, but it was frightening enough at the time. He told me that what he wanted to eat was me. I kept my nose to the tatami mats, not knowing what I was supposed to do. I think I said that we had some tonkasu left over, and he laughed at me.
“I think the housekeeper saw him come in because she arrived just then, as if she ran down the hall to stop him. Kagatsu knew very well that I was basically her daughter, and that the housekeeper, after working there for over thirty years, had enough sway to get him in trouble, especially if the master found out that other girls had been raped. So he left me alone. I didn’t see him again for a few months because he left to train as a samurai under a sword-master who lived a considerable distance away. When he came back, he took up one of his old lovers for a while. I was about four months shy of my sixteenth birthday when he tried something again.”
Sesshoumaru nodded, ready to hear the rest of Rin’s story. Rin only looked up at him every once in a while, keeping her eyes on his chest as her memories played in front of her eyes.
“It was very, very early on the morning of Yoichi-sama’s sixteenth birthday—Yoichi-sama is a younger brother of Kagatsu, so I was one of the only servants awake. I was preparing breakfast, and the housekeeper was still sleeping. I should have woken her up to help make the food, but she had been sick recently, and I didn’t want to tire her out. The same thing happened again—I was fixing something, I can’t remember what, but the kitchen door suddenly slid open, and Kagatsu stepped in, giving me that odd smile. Again, I bowed and asked if he needed anything, nose to the mats, and the next thing I knew I had been pulled up and knocked back. I remember being surprised at how fast he moved, and landing so hard on my rear end that it was sore for a few days afterwards.
“He…he got…” Rin sighed here, clenching her free hand in the glossy strands of her husband’s hair. Then continuing, she spoke slowly to keep her emotions under control. “He got his hands underneath my yukata…and…I tried to push him off, but he settled all of his weight on me and my arms couldn’t lift that much. It took him a little while…because I was struggling, but…he managed to loosen my yukata so that he…he…so that he could push…my legs open. I would have tried screaming, but he had stuffed a small towel into my mouth almost from the start, and…I think he was trying to get my wrists into one hand for a while. I kept trying to squirm away, but I was starting to get tired. When he was able to hold my wrists together with one hand, he brought that hand above my head and pinned my hands to the floor.
“Since I couldn’t…couldn’t do as much and since he had a free hand, he…he…laid…laid down between…between my legs. And…” Rin started breaking up, and tears had gathered over her eyes. “And he started saying these awful things, and I started crying.”
“What did he say, Rin?” Sesshoumaru said, interrupting her. Rin shook her head, shutting her eyes. She buried her face in his neck, holding him as tight as she could. Though her voice was muffled, Sesshoumaru heard her say,
“I can’t…”
“What did he say, Rin?” Sesshoumaru asked again in a firmer tone, though he did hold her a little tighter. Rin pulled her face back only slightly, enough so that Sesshoumaru could hear her better.
“He said that he had been waiting for this. That he had wanted to see me cry while…while holding me down. That I was a great…wh—whore. After that, he…I think he was trying to unfasten the front of his hakama, but that’s when Yoichi-sama walked by—I think he was coming down to request something specific to eat. Yoichi-sama grabbed Kagatsu and pulled him off of me, yelling the whole time. For some reason, I was so relieved but I thought Yoichi-sama was mad at me, rather than at Kagatsu. They fought for a while, and I put my clothes as back to rights as possible. I looked up right when Yoichi-sama punched Kagatsu. It wasn’t hard enough to knock him down, but Kagatsu had a black eye for a long time. Then he stalked off, cussing to himself.
“Yoichi-sama spent about half an hour with me, apologizing and trying to make sure I was all right. I wish there was some way I could repay him…” Rin sighed, sniffing and wiping the tears off of her cheeks. Sesshoumaru pursed his lips in thought for a moment, pondering this section of Rin’s story.
“What happened after that?” he asked after a while, having waited for Rin to regain her breath.
“About three months later, he tried again while I was in a storehouse. He tried to push me down over some bags of flour while I was trying to reach for bags of rice, but he didn’t get too far. The housekeeper heard me scream and ran inside. After that, he made me uncomfortable a few times, touching what he shouldn’t or saying what he shouldn’t, but it wasn’t until the night you found me that he might have succeeded. There would be no one to help me out in the woods, and he had already proved fast and strong enough to accomplish it…I still wonder, though, if you hadn’t already killed him. You landed on him pretty hard,” Rin commented, looking up at Sesshoumaru. The angry look on his face startled Rin, and she made a choking noise.
“I promise you, Rin, that I will kill that human for what he has done,” Sesshoumaru growled out, clamping her to him. Rin gasped, surprised by his anger. “He touched what was mine, put you through pain, and did it without remorse…without a doubt, he shall die for it.” Rin’s mouth fell open in amazement. She always knew he was territorial, but…Rin technically didn’t even know Sesshoumaru at the time of the incidents. A flash of memory hit her then, and she saw a clear picture of the anger on Sesshoumaru’s face when he approached Sayo, who was being restrained by the tree demon. Rin wanted to tell him not to do it—that she didn’t want Kagatsu’s blood on her hands, but something didn’t let her say it. Something in his eyes told her that Kagatsu’s death was more to sooth Sesshoumaru’s conscience versus her own.
I should have retrieved her a year ago…the search for the Shikon no Tama wouldn’t have been so desperate, Yamamoto wouldn’t have been able to even bend his gaze in her direction, and I could have had another year with her… Sesshoumaru suddenly felt incompetent and vulnerable—he hated feeling like that. The only way to help it was to make up for his mistakes. First, find the Shikon no Tama. Second, kill Yamamoto Kagatsu. Three…get Rin pregnant again. She loved her children, and he wanted to give her more. He couldn’t lie to himself, though, and say that he didn’t want more children as well. He felt such pride when watching his three strong, clear-headed sons and his talented, beautiful daughter. Last night, he had smelled that she was fertile, which had almost galvanized him to break the weak bond of Rin’s favorite ribbon so that he could properly plant his seed in her womb, but this morning, her scent did not hold that of a newly conceived child, despite the amount he had spilled into her body.
He knew that Rin needed two days to recover, but he still had another day after that to complete his third task. Determined now, he took his mind away from such thoughts and brought them back to the present. Looking down at Rin, who watched him warily, Sesshoumaru silently sealed the deal with a short but tender kiss, pressed upon Rin’s startled mouth. He felt Rin’s fingers tighten over his shoulder, and brushed the tip of her ear with the pads of his left fingers. Though the kiss ended too soon for Rin, Sesshoumaru drew back his right arm and flipped the heavy quilt off of their bodies, earning him a gasp from Rin, who was more surprised from the cold air and his sudden movement than from the lack of protection to her privacy.
“You may take a bath if you wish—I doubt we’ll have more than one chance to bathe again between here and my brother’s home. I shall rouse the boys into preparing the food and horses. Bring one change of clothes only. We’ll leave within the hour,” Sesshoumaru commanded, easily rising to his feet. Rin reached for her under-robe next to the futon and drew it to her, feeling chilled already. He could’ve let me put this on first. “Rin,” he said, standing in front of her. Rin found it extremely difficult not to stare at his pelvis since he had not yet put on his own clothes, but she managed to keep her eyes on his face.
“Nani, Sesshoumaru-sama?” she asked, pulling the under-robe around her shoulders.
“Are these bruises from yesterday?” he queried, pointing at her knees. Rin looked down at her legs, and her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. The bruises were large and purple, spread over both kneecaps. They didn’t hit the floor that hard! Rin finished tying her robe around her waist, at least protecting her modesty, and leaned forward to inspect her knees, which caused a little shock of pain from the more abused area between her legs. “I was too rough,” Sesshoumaru commented, turning from her to cloth himself.
“Iie, Sesshoumaru-sama,” Rin said fervently, coming to her feet a little shakily. Her thighs ached for some reason. “That was the whole point! …Ah—I…I mean, I…it sounds awful, but…it was nice having it rough…Sesshoumaru-sama.” Rin was blushing like mad, staring down at her feet, and heard Sesshoumaru turn around, having put on his under-robe. He had also grabbed a pair of hakama, but Rin could tell just from look that they were much too small for him. He held them out to her, and Rin, looking down at his hand, hesitantly took them.
“It will be easier to ride a horse if you wear these today.” Rin looked down at the hakama, and wondered if she had anything like a haori to wear with them. Deciding to find one of Karran’s old haori, still packed away in another room, Rin looked back up at Sesshoumaru.
“You’d better get going, Rin. You’ve only got an hour,” Sesshoumaru reminded her, smiling a little. Rin bobbed her head and scooped up her towels and soap from the table near the window. Making her way towards the back of the house, Rin saw Toku walking towards the kitchen and waved at him as she jogged. He hesitantly waved back, watching her disappear down another hallway.
As expected, the three boys had been up all night, discussing Kurokuma, and their mother and father’s quest, which Inutaisho had been good enough to fill them in on. Toku and Genbu certainly weren’t pleased that their father was putting their recently found mother into danger, but they knew that they couldn’t say anything against it. Mostly, they were saddened that they wouldn’t have more time with her before she left. They had obligations in the north, and so couldn’t accompany her and their father, either. As it was, they only came home because they needed a few fresh supplies and because they wanted to brag to their eldest brother about their victory. Jaken caught up to them perhaps in the last hour of their journey home, screaming for them to slow down, but as was family tradition, they raced him home as a tease instead. So they arrived without knowing that their mother was waiting for them, after sixteen long years of planning and wars and death. It was…almost symbolic that she passed away when she did, and came back to them when she did.
Toku continued on his way, arriving at the kitchen to find Genbu contemplating the mixture he had made in the pot over the fire. Inutaisho was sitting at the table, chin in his palm as he thought and staring off into the distance. Genbu turned to Toku,
“Oi…where’s the salt?” Toku looked to where the salt normally sat, but it was gone. Confused, he held up his nose to sniff for it, and Genbu did the same. Inutaisho still sat there, not hearing them. Toku eventually walked to the set of cupboards in the back and opened the left cupboard, pulling out the salt gourd that usually sat next to the stove. Seeing it in there, Toku realized that this was where their mother kept the salt when she and Jaken cooked the majority of meals. Looking to Genbu, who was watching him, Toku could see the realization in Genbu’s eyes as well.
“It’s not fair,” Toku said, walking to Genbu. Genbu nodded in agreement, taking the gourd and adding the amount of salt he needed. Inutaisho blinked and seemed to come out of his reverie.
“What’s not fair?” he asked, setting his arms on the table and leaning forward a bit. Toku sat down at the diagonal side, wearily setting his elbows on top. Genbu had his back to the table.
“Father, you, Genbu, Karran, and I never have to worry about death from age or disease. It’s not fair that mother should,” Toku commented. Genbu’s shoulders tensed, but he said nothing. Inutaisho looked down at the table, feeling the stress in the room.
“Aa…”
~~~~~~An Hour Later~~~~~~
The preparations to leave went by quickly. To save time and to ensure that Rin did not fall from her horse since she had not much practice with horse-riding in either life, Toku prepared only one, packing food and mother’s clothes onto their best horse. Rin had decided to bring Karran’s two pink haori, made for her by her mother. Wearing one with her white hakama, Rin felt a little odd, but…it was sort of liberating. Genbu made sure that mother ate a bowl of the food he had fixed, blushing when she praised how wonderful it tasted. Inutaisho spoke with his father in private for a bit, telling him of his plans for the next few weeks and of what Genbu and Toku would be undertaking once Sesshoumaru and Rin left. Rin’s hair dried while she ate, sitting across from Genbu, who looked downtrodden this morning. She attempted to ask him what was wrong, but he kept insisting that nothing was wrong at all.
“Mouuu…Bu-chan doesn’t have to hide his troubles from me. If there’s something wrong, then you wouldn’t look so upset and tense,” Rin commented, bringing a cup to her mouth as she sipped on her water. Genbu pouted, somewhat chastised but mostly embarrassed that she had called him ‘Bu-chan.’
“I just wish you didn’t have to leave so soon,” Genbu said, half-lying. His real reason was that Rin might not survive the ceremony with the Shikon no Tama, but it was true that he wished that she didn’t have to leave. Rin took his answer, knowing that something else was bothering him, but not pressing him since he was an adult now, and would keep his problems to himself if he wished. She set down her cup, taking a deep breath, and gathered her hair to one side. Starting to braid it, she looked up at Genbu, who was watching her with an odd expression on his face.
“What is it now, Bu-chan?” Rin asked, expertly moving her fingers.
“I remember you braiding your hair when I was young. We all thought your hair was nice, okaasan.” Rin smiled prettily, silently accepting the comment. “I remember that you let us play with it when we were upset about something. And Karran even complained that it was nicer than hers.”
“Bu-chan, I think all of you have a beauty all your own. Tai-chan has his uncle’s good looks. You and To-chan take after your father,” Rin said with a smile, not needing to add that Sesshoumaru was extremely handsome. “And Karran-chan has her father’s beautiful facial structure. I like to think that she got her smile from me.”
“But okaasan, Karran looks more like you than otousan. She got her good looks from you,” Genbu said with a blush. Rin softly smiled again, nearing the end of her braid.
“You think I don’t notice, but I know that you and To-chan worry about finding a mate. But you don’t realize that time is on your side, Bu-chan. The right girl will come along, I’m sure. And she’ll love everything about you.” Rin looked down at the end of her braid then, clamping the end shut with her favorite clip. Genbu wondered how she did it… He knew in the back of his mind that he wondered if he would find a love as powerful as his father and mother’s, but—like Toku, he had sort of blocked the worries with other tasks.
“Arigatou, okaasan,” Genbu said, quietly. Rin flipped the braid back over her shoulder, flashing him another smile. Aa, Karran got her smile from you.
Picking up the scent of his eldest brother and father approaching the kitchen from within the house, Genbu composed himself. Rin continued sipping her water, only hearing their footsteps a couple of seconds before they opened the door. Inutaisho stepped in first, looking a bit too serious. Rade ade a gesture to smile and earned herself a hesitant smirk from Inutaisho. Sesshoumaru stepped in behind his eldest son, wearing full armor and a section of his own father’s pelt over his shoulder.
“It’s time to leave,” he said, not skipping a beat and walking towards Rin. She held out her hand and let him assist her to her feet. Genbu said he would take care of the dishes and followed his parents and older brother out the porch door. Toku approached the porch, leading the horse and holding his mother’s shoes in his other hand. The horse was a fine black mare, as fast as any stallion but less temperamental.
“I’ll open the door for you, otousan,” Toku commented, referring to the overgrown secret panel in the complex wall. Sesshoumaru nodded, pulling on his shoes. Rin stepped into her sandals, holding onto Genbu for support. Then daintily hopping down to the ground, she came around to the horse’s head and rubbed her muzzle, praying silently that their journey was swift and without interruption.
“I-is there anything else you need, okaasan?” Inutaisho asked, his hands fisted. Rin looked up, not expecting Inutaisho to look so pained. Is it really that bad? She looked to Toku and Genbu as well, both of whom were tightly clenching their jaws. Smiling a little, Rin walked to Toku and took him in a big hug, holding tightly. He was a little unsure at first, but then returned her embrace, folding the sleeves of his white haori around her.
“Be good for me, okay?” Rin said, speaking up to Toku’s ear. He took a deep breath, and she felt him nod. Patting his back, she pulled away, giving him a reassuring smile before turning to Genbu. She held open her arms and was immediately met with a fierce hug. Rubbing a circle over his shoulder blade, Rin couldn’t help but get a little teary-eyed, wondering what awful event was in store for her.
“Let us know as soon as you get home,” Genbu said, letting her go. Sesshoumaru mounted the horse behind her, having finished with his boots. Rin looked up at Inutaisho, still standing on the porch and held out her hand to be pulled up. Inutaisho swallowed and gripped her hand, pulling her up and into his arms. Rin held him especially tight, knowing that he was the most taciturn of her sons, and would hold it in without a word of complaint.
“Go see Kiri-chan for me, ne? And take care of the house?” Inutaisho made a small noise, breathing deeply as if taking up a store of her scent. “I have to go, Tai-chan…” Rin said, realizing that Sesshoumaru was probably getting impatient. She felt one last squeeze and was finally released. Inutaisho took a step back, and Rin turned to look at Sesshoumaru. He eased the horse next to the porch and held out his hand, helping Rin onto the saddle in front of him.
“Good-bye, okaasan,” Genbu said, folding his arms somewhat petulantly. Inutaisho bid her good-bye as well, and Toku walked ahead to the hidden door, clearing away brush with his sword as he went. Rin waved back at her other two sons before facing forward. Sesshoumaru set his arms around her waist, and Rin, excited despite the imminent danger, couldn’t contain a smile. It was about five minutes, but they reached the wall and cleared away part of the forest debris surrounding the secret door. Toku heaved his body onto the wall and shoved it open, surprised that it didn’t creak as loudly as he thought it would.
“Good-bye, To-chan,” Rin said, watching Toku as the horse walked by. He was breathing a little heavily but smiled at her, feeling better ever since she gave him the hug. Okaasan always knows what to do. “Isee see you when I get back!” Rin called, waving. Toku waved back and gripped the dent in the wall that served as a handle. Looking upon his mother for the last time for at least a few weeks, Toku pulled the door shut, bulging his biceps as the door resisted until it shut almost with a bang.
Rin jumped, a little surprised by the noise, but Sesshoumaru only held her a little closer, placing his hand over her abdomen and silently hoping. Lightly tapping the horse’s flanks with his heels, the mare moved into a gallop, carrying the Lord of the Western Lands and his mate away from their home, headed towards the Southern Lands.
“Ne, Sesshoumaru-sama?” Rin said, her voice bouncing along with the horse. Sesshoumaru made a questioning noise.
“They’ll be alright, won’t they?” she asked. Sesshoumaru smirked, accustomed to Rin’s selfless thinking. You should be worrying about yourself, Rin.
“Aa, they will be alright.” And with that Rin enjoyed the ride, letting her mind’s worries wait for another time. I’ll be alright, too—as long as I have Sesshoumaru with me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another chapter done! Yeah, no lemon, but this chapter only covered about an hour and a half, so… you can’t have it allll the time. Please review! It’s all I have!
~~Sincerely,
The Black Cat
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