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Want To Be Your Slave	By : LordYouko Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 70996 -:- Recommendations : 6 -:- Currently Reading : 10
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 27
- 28
- 29
Chapter
28 � Flower
The next day, for Inu no Taisho, dawned way too
early.
�Mmmph,� the reigning Lord
of the West mumbled as his shoulder was shaken insistently by a delicate but
persistent hand.
�Get up, Taisho,� Tsukiko hissed, glaring holes in
the pillow pulled firmly over Inu no Taisho�s face.
Inu no Taisho, the Great Dog General, burrowed
deeper in his covers, rolled over and fell asleep again.
�Taisho,� Lady Tsukiko said warningly one last time.
When her mate only snored gently in response, Lady Tsukiko quietly turned away
and exited the room.
___________________________________________________________________________
22 seconds later, the guards posted outside the
Western Lord�s chambers were startled by a very unmanly shriek from their
master. Long accustomed to ignore whatever shouts and screams emerged from the
chamber when their Lady was around, the two sighed and exchanged knowing looks.
�What the fucking hell was that for, woman?� Taisho
demanded, now very much awake, looking around to see what
his esteemed mate had dumped on him. If he was lucky, it would only be ice cold
water.
�You would not awaken any other way,� Tsukiko
informed him primly.
�I doubt you know any other way to wake people up,�
Taisho muttered, grabbing a handful of his hair to make sure it was still the
same colour as before. He sighed subtly with relief: dripping wet but still
silver.
�Oh I do,� Tsukiko informed him, filing her claws
with a razor sharp blade that had appeared in her hand at Taisho�s comment,
�But I had a feeling you did not wish to regenerate any of your limbs right
now.�
Taisho eyed the deceptively small blade in her hand
warily then turned his eyes to his mate to see her for the first time. She was
fully dressed in her formal garb, something unusual even for his morning lark
of a mate. Even after centuries together, it never failed to astonish him how
beautiful she was. Even in the silver, almost colourless garb of the Lady of
the West, Tsukiko was glowing.
�What is it?� he asked, anger having subsided slightly.
Tsukiko did not approve of his habits of waking up late but usually let him
sleep in unless there was something urgent.
�Naraku,� the Lady of the West answer succinctly.
Taisho looked up from wrenching the water out of his
hair. �Naraku?� He searched his memory for the name
but it did not ring a bell.
Tsukiko sat down on the bed in front of him. �There
are some�details�about that border campaign that you should know.�
Taisho narrowed his eyes �The one you insisted I was
better off not knowing too much about?�
Tsukiko inclined her head. �The time has come�you
need to know.�
By the time the water dried from Taisho�s clothes,
the sun was high in the sky and the story was told.
�So this Naraku,� he said at length. �He is a
youkai?�
Tsukiko shook her head. �He is hanyou. Half demon, half-human. Though he was not
born that way.�
Taisho frowned. �Meaning?�
Tsukiko turned her head and looked out the window at
the fully risen sun. �Meaning both his parents were
human.�
�That�s not possible,� Taisho said decisively.
�Hanyou are born; they cannot be made.�
Tsukiko looked back at her mate and her face was
inscrutable. �They can,� she said softly. �There is a certain magic�magic of
the darkest kind. When the soul of a mortal becomes corrupted with evil,
sometimes, at the time of his death, parasitic youkai come to him to make a
pact.�
�Life in exchange for his soul,� Taisho guessed. That
was not magic; that was just the nature of certain dark parasitic youkai. They
were attracted by the stench of suffering and resentment and death and near the
end of a person�s life, came to him to make the fatal deal that would give the
human a few more moments to live but damned his soul for eternity.
Tsukiko nodded slightly.
�But it has been many centuries since the time you
went to settle that,� Taisho protested. �The beings kept alive through such a
union do not last more than a few years. The host�s body would be consumed by
the youkai before long as soon as whatever the person wanted to complete was
finished.�
Tsukiko�s face turned grave. �That is the
difference. Usually, these beings are kept alive by a yearning to fulfil some
wish, some unfinished business they have in the world or greed or fear. But
Naraku�.that man�s soul was so dark that it consumed the souls of the youkai
that came to prey upon it. Now, in some twisted way, his body has merged with
those of the youkai with the result that he is neither human nor demon.�
�I don�t believe that is possible,� Taisho stated.
�Unless a dark miko helped him, I suppose��
With the existence of youkai, came the existence of miko and monks�human women and men born with holy powers
usually passed down through generations that could be used to fight against
youkai. And with the existence of holy men and women, came the existence of
magic. These priestesses and monks were born with holy magic, supposed to
selflessly protect human kind with their blessing. But like everything else,
they sometimes their purity turned upon them and dark priestesses threw their
lot in with youkai and turned their power upon their own kind.
�No,� Tsukiko told him, �A spell
cast by someone else, no matter how powerful the sorcerer or sorceress, always
has limitations. Naraku�s transformation was complete; he was not a human given
demonic power by s sorcerer. Naraku gave his human soul to evil and gained
immense power in return.�
�Gave his soul to evil?� Taisho asked sceptically.
�What do you mean gave it? Gave it to
whom?�
�Tsukiko�s
eyes softened. Her mate was a powerful youkai but she had seen more of some
things than him. Taisho was a brilliant strategist and an able ruler but of the
darker side the world, his knowledge was purely academic.
�When a human soul has known too much suffering, too
much evil and no kindness, the damage caused to his soul is irreversible,�
Tsukiko said softly, eyes fixed on the rapidly lightening sky. �Naraku�when that creature was human, he has done things and had
things done to him that no living being was ever meant to endure.�
Many
many centuries ago, before the reign of Inu no
Taisho, in the storehouse of a daimyou, a boy, no
older than 7 or 8 screamed behind his gag as a pot-bellied, balding man thrust
brutally into his ass. Pushing him viciously forward onto the sacks of rice
piled in the store room, the man yanked his victim�s bound wrists up
carelessly. A nasty cracking sound could be heard and the boy screamed louder.
The
man�s eyes were closed and he grunted with pleasure as he imagined a beautiful,
busty young woman in the place of this scrawny boy. The man was not well
endowed and fortunately for the boy, it was not long before he pulled out and
spattered his cum all over the boy�s still-clothed back.
Pulling
away in disgust, the man wiped his hands on the boy�s shoulders, clumsily tying
his clothes back into place.
�Ishi!� someone yelled, and the boy tried to straighten up
quickly. The pain in his ass, however, made him bend over again.
�Clean
yourself up quickly,� the man grunted, throwing him a piece of dirty cloth.
�And if you go shooting your mouth off, you�ll be back out on the streets in no
time.�
The
young boy, Ishi, sobbed quietly, biting his arm to
keep from crying out from the pain in his ass and his hand.
The
pot-bellied man left and Ishi forced himself to
straighten up, gritting his teeth against the pain. The ragged top he wore fell
away from his shoulder, exposing the ugly spidershaped
scar on his back.
�Ishi,� hissed a woman�s voice from the doorway of the store
room, striding in towards the boy. She grabbed him by front of his shirt to
pull him up but recoiled her hand quickly in disgust,
feeling sticky cum on her fingers.
�Whoring
around again,� she whispered harshly, glancing furtively at the door. �Jiro is waiting for the sacks of rice. He sent me to find
out what was taking you so long. Get your ass back out, unless you want a good
hiding.�
�I-I
can�t,� the boy managed to rasp out, voice low and trembling. He could barely
manage to stand on his own, let alone lift the sacks of rice.
Then
one of those sacks was thrust onto his back and the woman gave him a sharp
slap. �You wouldn�t be in this position if you�d waited until after work to
raise your ass to whoever came to ask for it.�
The
boy did not answer, face red from trying to shoulder the weight and yet trying
to keep the weight off his ass. But it was impossible
and tears fell once again as the woman swiftly led the way out of the
storeroom.
It
would do no good telling her there was no �until after work� because work was
never over. There was always more work to be done � if his own was finished, he
would be forced to do someone else�s � but the worker women were not concerned
with that. No one was concerned with a scrawny little orphan boy who owned
nothing except the clothes on his back.
But
all other thoughts went out of his mind as he concentrated on putting one foot
in front of the other without collapsing from the pain. He was already going to
be punished for being late; why make it worse by dropping his goods?
��How do you
know�?� Inu no Taisho asked hoarsely, staring at his wife�s expressionless
countenance. She had told the story as if she�d been there when it happened.
�That is how Naraku was defeated,� Tsukiko answered
softly. �The weight of memories gets too heavy when they are summoned without
permission.�
In
the heavy miasma that would have vaporized lesser demons where they stood, Lady
Tsukiko fruitlessly cut away what seemed to be the body of the enemy she sought
but what was actually only a puppet. She looked around swiftly, knowing the
puppet-master would not be far if his toy was here.
There!
Beyond that hill�she could feel the dark, corrupted aura of a dark hanyou,
filled with rage at being defeated.
She
flew straight for it, cutting through the heart of the miasma. Soldiers and
companions were left behind and as Lady Tsukiko reached the place where the
aura originated, all she found was the already disintegrating form of the
hanyou.
The
body made up of several small demons was breaking apart on the orders of their
master and Tsukiko reached just in time to watch Naraku laugh mockingly.
�Clever,
my lady,� Naraku acknowledged in his husky, soft voice. �You found me; not many can be
said to have that honor. But it will do you no good.�
Purple-red
eyes dropped briefly to the sword in her hand, shining as new despite the many
battles it had seen.
�That
is a fine weapon you have there but it will do you no good. Swords can only
kill what is alive.�
And
Tsukiko understood the source of his powers, the evil that allowed him to
command a whole army of lesser youkai. And yet�
Golden
eyes pierced narrowed red ones and Tsukiko smiled � a small, quiet smile.
Naraku�s
smirk died away and he searched her face. This woman�she could be dangerous�
Tsukiko
stepped forward then, within touching distance of the creature that was neither
alive nor dead. Seen from afar, Naraku was handsome -� a beautiful young man with wavy black
hair and the bearing of a prince. But this close, Lady Tsukiko could smell his
rotting breath, could see the cruel line of his mouth, the evil in his eyes.
�Naraku,�
she replied just as calmly, as though this was no more than a conversation they
were having over tea. �You claim you cannot be killed by swords because you are
no longer alive��
She
allowed the weapon to drop from her fingers and Naraku recoiled slightly,
wishing there was some way he could hasten the process of disappearing.
��but
there is still that thing within you which can hurt men, the thing that can still be damaged, that thing that
gives you life��
Long,
rigid fingers stabbed through his chest, at the place where he still had his
human heart.
Naraku
gasped, eyes widening in rage and hatred�not far, if only he could get rid of
that part of his body before the bitch laid hands on his weak spot�
Tsukiko�s
hand touched the pulsing warm organ just as the disintegration spell reached
his chest. Her fingers closed around it and she concentrated, shooting a
pulsing light green wave of magic onto her hand till she could feel the phantom
shape of the thing that had once been onigumo�s
heart. It was like putting her hand through a translucent jelly; her hand
passed right through it but she could feel the ghost of the essence of that
thing. Magic opened up pathways that the hanyou had long since tried to forget,
and Tsukiko brutally attacked the now exposed most vulnerable part of the
hanyou � repressed memories.
Naraku
gasped, memories he had not perused in a long time flashing before his eyes.
And looking into Tsukiko�s hard eyes, he knew she was seeing everything he was.
The
memories felt like something warm and alive and she watched them in her head as
though she had somehow materialized at the place where they were taking place. The
contact lasted only for a few seconds but time did not move the same way in
those few moments and it took a will of steel on Tsukiko�s part to not be
overwhelmed by all the horrors that made him the evil creature he was. Even so,
the attack was successful and Tsukiko saw far more than Naraku had ever wanted
to reveal�
�and
then he was gone, disappearing in the thick cloud of miasma along with a horde
of his other demons. Tsukiko stared after him, hair blowing wildly in the
corrosive wind. The brief contact at the crucial moment had shown Tsukiko his
real soul; the act of having his most intimate defences breached would leave him
weak and powerless for quite a while.
But
Tsukiko wondered how long peace would prevail till that vile creature still
existed.
Taisho was silent for a long moment after the story,
processing the facts and the level of danger the undead
creature could cause.
�Why did you not tell me this?� he asked at length,
glancing sideways at his wife.
Tsukiko shrugged. �There was no point.� Even this
was only a small part of what she had seen; that moment when time had slowed
down, Tsukiko had seen all those fragments that the hanyou Naraku himself had
tried to forget, all the things that made him who he was � from the boy Ishi, to the bandit Onigumo to
the dark hanyou Naraku.
Taisho did not pursue it any further. That was the
way it was for the both of them; if they sat down to recount each and every
battle they�d ever fought, no productive work would ever get done. Tsukiko�s
enemies were her own; she would be the best person to recognize the threat when
it reappeared. Only now, it was a concern for all of them because Naraku was
close enough for her to feel his aura. The entire kingdom was in danger till
they figured out just what the dark hanyou planned to do.
�You felt him just now�� Taisho mused aloud,
wondering why the hanyou had chosen this time to show himself.
He would have to alert his family and the generals of his army as soon as
possible.
�No,� Tsukiko answered and Taisho looked up at her
with a frown.
�I felt him at night, sometime before dawn,� she
clarified.
�Then what,� asked her mate, �was the urgency that
could not wait another hour or so till I woke up?�
Tsukiko cocked her head to the side innocently. �Urgency?�
Taisho glared at his mate, speaking through clenched
teeth. �You�threw�a bucket�of icy water on�me.�
One dainty sleeve came up to her mouth as Tsukiko
hid her smile. �It has been a while since I saw this priceless look on your
face, my love.�
Taisho was concentrating on breathing normally. Must�not�strangle�mate�
�You.
You did this�because you felt like
it?�
Tsukiko gracefully leaned down and kissed her
furious mate�s lips. �Get dressed quickly, koi. I have called the full court
and it will convene soon.�
The guards outside winced as there was another,
frustrated scream from their Master.
___________________________________________________________________________
Later on in the day, it was time for one of those
garden visits that Kouga and Sesshoumaru forced Hiro into. It was mid morning and the sun was shining brightly in the
cloudless sky upon the two demon princes and Hiro and Satoko.
It had been Inuyasha�s idea. Sesshoumaru and Kouga
had been putting their heads together over the latest scheme to force Hiro out
of his shell, when Inuyasha had shyly suggested that Hiro-san�s wife might also
benefit from the warm sunlight and fresh air. The two demons had exchanged
identical evil looks and Raia had been ordered to drag the poor blushing woman
out of the palace rooms and into the gardens with them.
Now, they sat together under a huge tree�s shade,
enjoying the chirping of birds and the light, cool breeze. Kouga had made
himself at home on one of the branches of the tree and was lying back with his
eyes closed, one leg dangling off the branch. Hiro and Satoko
sat stiffly on the grass, facing Sesshoumaru and his pet, still uncomfortable
in the presence of the two princes. Sesshoumaru sat leaning against the trunk
of the tree, Inuyasha kneeling next to him.
Everyone turned towards the entrance of the gardens
as 4 guards approached the little gathering. Sesshoumaru frowned and Kouga
raised his head from his leafy recliner. The guards were not encouraged to roam
these gardens because they were not the most civilized, careful bunch and
tended to trample upon the gardener�s hard work. The last time it had happened,
the short-tempered woman had threatened to spike their drinks with something
that would, in her word, make them �shrivel up like the poor gardenias.� The
soldiers had made sure to steer clear of the place after that, preferring to
take the lengthier routes for their rounds. If they came in here knowing the
prince and his guests were present, it must be something urgent.
They bowed to their prince and Sesshoumaru inclined
his head in acceptance of the greeting, looking at them enquiringly. What was
so important that could not wait till they were all back at the palace?
�Forgive me, my Lord,� one of them bowed. �But she
insisted on seeing them immediately.�
�She?�
Kouga asked from the tree, leaning down from his branch to see properly.
Two of the guards stepped aside and a small face
peeked out from behind them, hair tied up in an untidy ponytail on one side of
her head. She was barefoot, wearing only a dirty thin yukata
that came up to her knees and tears were beginning to form in her eyes. Then
the child�s gaze landed on Hiro and Satoko and teary
eyes widened.
�Oto-san!
Oka-san!� she cried out and flung herself at the couple. Satoko
gasped, one sleeved hand coming up to her mouth in surprise and Hiro�s usually
melancholy face brightened. Both of them could hardly contain their own
happiness on seeing their daughter after such a long time and embraced her
tightly.
�Dear,� Satoko admonished
lightly after releasing her, glancing pointedly at the lazily watching prince.
�Where are your manners?�
But the girl merely peeked out curiously from behind
her parents� shoulders.
When she returned home with her auntie�s retainer,
she had found the soldiers standing guard outside her house. Her mother and
father did not seem to be anywhere around. When she demanded to know where they
were, the scary-faced guard had told her that they were at the castle of the
Lord of the West and that prince Sesshoumaru had ordered that she be brought to
him as soon as she arrived.
Rin had been frightened, thinking the soldiers were
bad men, like the other guards, dressed exactly like them, who had been mean to
her parents. She had turned on her heels and run, swiftly dodging in and out of
trees and bushes she knew as well as the back of her hand. The youkai soldiers
were faster than an eight year old human girl but Rin knew the land better and
the huffing, panting soldiers soon lost sight of her.
She had only come out of hiding hesitantly when one
of them had called out to her, threatening that she would never see her parents
again unless she went with them quietly.
So she had gone, wondering anxiously what they had
done with her parents and what they planned to do with her; without doubt, she
would at least be beaten for having fled from them.
But the soldiers had not laid a hand on her even
though they certainly felt like giving the little runt a good hiding.
Sesshoumaru-sama had explicitly ordered that she was
to be taken straight to the castle and no harm was to come to her. There was no
need for an �or else�� The guards were all too familiar with their prince�s
whip to even consider going against his orders.
Once they reached the castle, the guards told her to
wait there till Lord Sesshoumaru returned. But the child has been too scared
for her parents� well-being to wait quietly. She had heard Sesshoumaru-sama was a hard, cruel, ruthless man who did not tolerate
the slightest disobedience. Maybe he was punishing her parents because she�d
been a bad girl!
To the guards� horror, huge brown eyes had filled
with tears and she began to cry. The soldiers looked at each other in shock;
what the hell was the matter with her? If she told Sesshoumaru-sama she�d been treated badly, the prince would have their
heads. From the way she was bawling, it was obvious that the girl was upset about
something. They didn�t think having to wait a few hours to see her parents
should upset her this much but who knew with human brats? Maybe she was ill�or
dying. Best Sesshoumaru-sama see her alive and know
that they�d done their duty. If the demon Lord thought their misbehaviour with
her was the cause of her death, they might as well say their goodbyes now.
A few quick enquiries revealed that Sesshoumaru-sama was in the gardens with the girl�s parents, and the
bawling child had hastily been ferried to the gardens where Sesshoumaru-sama rested with his guest.
Now, she stared cautiously at her parents� kidnapper.
�Inscrutable golden eyes, silver hair and
white silk robes; this was the prince of the Western Lands, Lord Sesshoumaru! She
mumbled a greeting in a soft voice, discreetly looking her parents up and down.
Oka-san and Ototo-san didn�t look hurt or upset in any way. Why had the demon imprisoned them in
his castle, then, if not to hurt them?
��Forgive her rudeness,�
Satoko said, bowing to Sesshoumaru and Kouga. �She is
shy of strangers. This is my daughter, Rin.�
Rin unconsciously hid more of herself behind her
mother as inscrutable golden eyes landed pierced her own. She gasped slightly,
losing herself in the swirling depths of Lord Sesshoumaru�s eyes. If not for
the razor-sharp claws on his hands and his pointed ears, he could be mistaken
for a human � the most beautiful human male ever to live, to be sure � but he
looked nothing like the drooling, blood-thirsty youkai she had seen so far, like
those jerks who had threatened to hurt her parents.
�He is just as pretty as the stories say,� she
murmured under her breath, unaware that the demon Lord and Kouga had both heard
her. Amusement flickered in Sesshoumaru�s eyes and Kouga smirked, deciding to
wait until after Hiro and his family had gone to pull his friend�s leg.
She had never seen a prince before; all her friends
had told her that princes were heartless and cruel and mean but she couldn�t
help but think that Sesshoumaru-sama didn�t look like
that at all. He looked�kind. Then he spoke and Rin smiled happily, her
appraisal of the man confirmed. Any man with a calm, mellifluous voice like
that could not possibly be evil.
�Prepare a room for the girl, next to Hiro�s,�
Sesshoumaru ordered, turning his eyes on the guards.
Satoko
gasped. �Th-that is really not necessary, my Lord.
Rin can stay with us. You were already generous enough to-�
She cut herself of as Sesshoumaru shook his head
slightly. Satoko looked appealingly at her husband.
Hiro nodded slightly and turned to his childhood friend.
��You have
been too kind already, Sesshoumaru-sama,� he began.
�We cannot accept anything more-�
�I do not believe it is up to you, Hiro,�
Sesshoumaru interrupted serenely.
Molten golden eyes landed once again upon the eight
year old girl and Rin blinked.
�Rin,� Lord Sesshoumaru said, addressing her for the
first time, �Would you like to live with your parents or would you like a room
of your own?�
�M-my room?�
Rin asked in a small voice. �That means we can�t go home?�
If Sesshoumaru-sama really
wasn�t a bad man, then why was he keeping her parents here against their will?
�Sesshoumaru-sama has been
generous enough to allow us to live at the castle because those bad men harass
us at our house,� Hiro spoke up, willing his daughter to be sensible and to let
prince Sesshoumaru know that there really wasn�t any need for him to do any
more than he had already done. �We have a huge room in the castle now, and
Sesshoumaru-sama is even going to give daddy a job so
we won�t be so poor anymore.�
Rin�s face split into a huge grin again, unashamedly
displaying a missing front tooth. She knew this kind looking man wasn�t evil!
�Thank you very much, Sesshoumaru-sama!� she chirped, stepping out of hiding and bowing to
the demon Lord
A slight rustle of leaves of the tree under which
they all sat caught Rin�s attention and she took and unconscious step back as
Kouga�s grinning face appeared out of the branches of the tree.
�Come on, girl,� Kouga drawled. �Wouldn�t you like
to have a big, beautiful room all to yourself?�
Rin�s eyes shone with happiness. All her life had
been spent in the small hut at the farm; the only space she could call her own
was the small futon at the corner of the room where her parents slept and even
that had to be shared if they had guests.�
A room all for herself in the prince�s castle?
It was too much for an eight year old to refuse and she nodded shyly to Kouga.
�O-only if Oto-san and
Oka-san want Rin to�� she added dutifully.
Hiro and Satoko beamed
with pride. They knew their little girl would never let them down.
�We must not impose upon Sesshoumaru-sama�s hospitality, Rin-chan,� Satoko explained apologetically. Rin�s smile dimmed
slightly but she nodded. As long as she got to live with her parents, she
didn�t need a big fancy room.
Sesshoumaru watched the exchange placidly and turned
back to the waiting guards.
�You will make sure it is ready by the time we
return,� he continued, as though the whole conversation had not happened, �And
for your sake, it better be to my satisfaction.�
The guards swallowed nervously, bowed and left
hurriedly. Who knew when the prince would feel like heading back? It was best
to get started as soon as possible.
�Sesshoumaru-sama,� Hiro
protested, looking exasperatedly at his stubborn friend. �Rin already said-�
�-that she would not mind living separately from the
both of you,� Sesshoumaru finished. �This conversation is over.�
Hiro sighed and he and Satoko
bowed quietly in gratitude. Rin�s face brightened again as she caught the spark
in Sesshoumaru-sama�s eyes.
Having remained quiet and still through this entire
exchange, Inuyasha squirmed now, gazing interestedly at the new arrival.
�Show Rin around the gardens, Inuyasha,� the demon
Lord ordered, noticing his pet�s restlessness and curiosity. Inuyasha blushed,
bowed to his master and stood up, walking hesitantly towards her.
�I�m Inuyasha,� he began cautiously.
After appraising him for a moment, she stepped forward.
�Rin is pleased to meet you, Inuyasha-san,� she
said, smiling at him shyly, impossibly large brown eyes flickering curiously to
the watching Lord behind Inuyasha. It was obvious this boy belonged to the
prince; the collar and leash around his throat identified him as a slave or a
pet. But Inuyasha did not look unhappy or frightened at all. That must mean
Sesshoumaru-sama was a good master�
�W-would you like t-to see the rest of the garden?� �Inuyasha asked shyly, and Rin brightened. Rin
loved flowers and this was the biggest, most beautiful garden she had ever
seen. She glanced once at her parents for permission and when her mother smiled
her permission, she beamed at Inuyasha and nodded hard, her one-sided pony-tail
bobbing adorably.
�I would like that very much, Inuyasha-san,� Rin
said and after bowing deeply to Lord Sesshoumaru and Kouga in a way that was
cute more than respectful, Rin hurried off after Inuyasha.
Sesshoumaru, watching them, could not help but think
that little Rin seemed more like a flower than a human being. He would keep an
eye on them, of course, but he could not help but think the little girl was not
as sly and petty like other humans. Perhaps the warmth of companionship from a
child his own age would do his little puppy good and
help him come out of his shell.
The sun was low in the sky when Rin and Inuyasha had
been recalled and it was time to head back.
At the gates of the garden, the guards Sesshoumaru
had ordered to prepare a room for Rin waited respectfully to escort the guests
upstairs if that was the prince�s wish.
One of them happened to glance down at Rin and his
face turned pale upon seeing what was clutched in her hand. He nudged his
companion who alerted the fellow next to him and eventually, all 4 guards were
staring at her hand as though she clutched a live scorpion.
�What are you mutts looking at?� Kouga demanded,
amused at the look on their face.
The guards glanced fearfully at their master and
quickly averted their eyes, bowing their heads. They mumbled something unintelligible
that brought an amused glint to Sesshoumaru�s eyes.
�What?� Kouga demanded, not having heard the low
murmur.
The guards looked at Sesshoumaru-sama,
then the wolf prince and trembled. �I-It�s nothing, my lord.�
Kouga made an impatient sound. �Well, of course it�s
something. You boys look like you�ve just seen a ghost.�
One of the guards finally had the courage to speak
up. �S-she picked flowers from the garden,� he said shakily, keeping his eyes
lowered, praying Sesshoumaru-sama did not skewer him
for insulting his guest. Granted, said guest was an 8 year old human girl but
you never could tell with Sesshoumaru-sama.
�So?� Kouga asked, glancing from the bunch of
flowers in Rin�s hands to the terrified guards.
The guards looked at each other and swallowed
nervously. �I-I�the lady gardener��
How to tell the young prince that they feared
near-castration if the irate lady gardener found out they had allowed her to
pick flowers from the royal gardens? Of course, it wasn�t really their fault
because they couldn�t very well yell at her in front of Lord Sesshoumaru,
seeing how the girl�s parents seemed to be his guests, but they had found that
the short tempered, rather unpleasant old woman was not inclined to be logical
when it came to her precious gardens.
�Oh let her be, you buffoons,� came a raspy, high
voice and everyone turned towards the hunched old woman with startling blue
eyes glaring at them.
�Izumi,� grinned Kouga, now
understanding what had these tough, military trained soldiers terrified.
�What, no complaints that little Rin here ravaged your garden?�
Satoko
gasped, ready to admonish her daughter for being so brazen in someone else�s
home but Rin was looking at the hard, bent old lady and smiling merrily.
The gardener, who no one at the castle had ever seen
with anything other than a scowl on her face, looked straight at Rin and
smiled, eyes softening briefly. �I gave her those,� she clarified.
Then she turned her gaze on the silently watching
prince and looked him straight in the eyes. �I have tended to these gardens
since I was a little girl. Flowers are things to be cherished and protected,
not trampled and plucked mercilessly. But it has been a while since I saw eyes
as bright and pure as hers. If my flowers can help her keep that smile for a
few moments longer, that is all that is important.�
�Leave,� Sesshoumaru ordered the fuming guards
coldly and they jumped at the command, tearing their eyes away from the old
woman and hurrying away.
Sesshoumaru lingered behind discreetly as Kouga, Inuyasha,
Hiro and the two females walked towards the castle, Kouga whispering to Hiro
something about finally getting� some after 8 years that made the young man
blush bright red.
Izumi gasped as her hand was gently but firmly
grasped by the demon prince and Sesshoumaru closed her long bony fingers over a
handful of gold coins. She opened her mouth to protest but Sesshoumaru�s eyes
locked commandingly with her own and Izumi bowed gratefully as the stoic demon
Lord followed the others into the castle.
___________________________________________________________________________
After dinner, Inuyasha and his Master once again
prepared for bed. He�d had fun today, showing the cheerful little girl about
the gardens. In actual years, Rin was probably much younger than him but she
seemed to him like the older sister he�d never had.� She had such bizzare
ideas about flowers that in listening to her, time passed quickly.
Folding his hakama neatly
after having changed into his night yukata, Inuyasha
glanced out of the window at the clear, ink blue sky and felt the day�s joy and
enthusiasm drain away.
The sky was dotted with many stars but the moon was
only a thin slit in the sky. Soon, it would be gone and he would be human.
Inuyasha felt a stab of regret as her remembered what had happened the previous
New Moon night�he had caused so much trouble for his Master and still
Sesshoumaru-sama had been so kind.
He turned his eyes from the sliver of moon in the
sky and glanced at his Master at the other end of the room, undressing for bed.
This time would be different. For once, he would
disobey his master; it did not matter what punishment he got as a result. He
could not endanger Sesshoumaru-sama�s authority in
the castle again. This time, before the sun set on the moonless night, Inuyasha
would sneak out of the castle to ride out his human night alone.
___________________________________________________________________________
Somewhere away from the castle, the now fully
regenerated Naraku watched the same sliver of moon with a pleased smile on his
face.
___________________________________________________________________________
A/N:
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand we have Rin! �A Sesshoumaru-centric fanfic just wouldn�t be the same without our little
Rin-chan.
- 27
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