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Red Strings of Fate	By : northstar Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > Sessh?maru/Rin > Sessh?maru/Rin Views: 11810 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Chapter List
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*Thoughts*

[Character]

~* Chapter 2: Leave Taking *~

[Rin]

The thoughts in my head scrambled one against another, their panic tinged
struggle threatening to pull me under. Ignoring the seething of my frantic
thoughts, I trailed my fingers through the dust layer on an elegantly carved
inn table.

Beyond the dark and musty room I had sought refuge in, Jaken's
throaty commands sounded over the grumbling of youkai
and human alike as he reigned over the furious cleaning effort taking place
within the ancient palace. Once, he had been the prince of his people. After
seeing him brow beat insolent youkai and fearful
humans into a smoothly working team, I believed it.

I drifted over to the sliding door that lead into the
lord's private garden. Opening it, I beheld the splendor of cultivated plants
gone wild. Carefully I lifted my robes and stepped out into greenery, pausing
to dip my fingers in a still, hidden pool.

There was rustling behind me and I turned in time to greet a bowing, female
moth demon.

"My lady, Jaken-sama requests your
presence." The moth girl kept her exotic face averted, motioning me to
follow.

Awkwardly I half bowed in return, trailing along behind her as she ignored my fumblings and started down the hall. My brief respite was
over, my absence noticed.

Unbidden, a sigh escaped my lips, its sorrowful sound overloud in the
surrounding silence. Following the escaped sigh, a fragment of memory surfaced,
making me smile despite my anxiety and confusion.

Once upon a time, before bad memories of wolves, mistreatment, and war, my
mother had told me a story of a beautiful princess who was loved by everyone in
the world. Now, somehow, I who had once been nothing more than a ragtag orphan
was the princess of this ancient palace.

The servant youkai bowed again, holding open a door
expectantly. Shuffling in, my gaze skipped over Jaken's
ugly head and came to rest on the beautiful female youkai
sitting across from Sesshoumaru-sama. Belatedly I
bowed my head, never taking my eyes off the pair relaxing in well cushioned
chairs in front of me.

"Rin," Sesshoumaru-sama
called, his tone brisk. Raising his hand, he beckoned
me to his side.

Obediently I knelt at his side, having been instructed by Jaken
that I was not to presume and take a seat myself unless offered.

Immediately the female youkai lifted my face for
inspection, my chin caught between her finger and thumb. Cool, strict, but not
unkind yellow eyes assessed my features as one� would read a book.

"This is the girl?" She asked in a strange, lilting accent, her S's
slurring slightly.

"This is Rin, my ward. Rin,
this is Lady Kisika, my cousin," Sesshoumaru-sama said, his tone shaded by a warmness I had
never heard before.

I studied the snake demon more thoroughly, a sinking feeling starting in my
gut. She was cold elegance, her beauty a darker twin to Sesshoumaru-sama's
with skin the color of mocha and blue hair the color of twilight. Across her
brow, seven blood red stars paraded in a row and matching swipes adorned her
cheeks, wrists, and ankles.

"I'm pleased to meet you. Please call me Kisa-sama.
May I can you Rin-chan?"

Kisika offered her hand, and under Sesshoumaru-sama's watchful eyes, there was nothing else
for me to do but put my hand in hers and nod acceptingly. She pulled me to my
feet, ushering me over to a chair.

"Please! Have a seat. Tell me about yourself,"
Kisa-sama cajoled, her icy mask melting to reveal a
gentler expression.

Refusing to meet her eyes, I tugged on my hand experimentally, wishing she
would let go. She had given me no cause to dislike her, but beneath all the
recent turmoil, I sensed that she was a part of all the changes that I feared
were permanent.

She squeezed my hand in reassurance, which upset me more because of the fact
she thought I needed to be reassured.

A cool hand came to rest on my forehead. "Child, are you alright?"
Her tone was sympathetic and I longed to turn into her touch.

"Rin?"
Sesshoumaru-sama questioned, worry and impatence darkening his usually strict tone.

Swallowing my panic, I shook my head vigorously, ashamed that I had made him
worry.

"I'm alright, Sesshoumaru-sama, Kisa-sama," I told them in a small voice.

Relief showed on both their faces, flashing across Sesshoumaru-sama's
like a sudden storm while it lingered and grew into a smile on Kisa-sama's.

The snake demon cradled my hand in both of hers and took a deep breath.

"Rin-chan, we have something to tell you that pertains to your future," she paused, her yellow eyes
flicking from my face to meet Sesshoumaru-sama's over
my head. An almost imperceptible nod from the demon lord allowed her to
continue.

"I will be acting as your guardian in Lord Sesshoumaru's
absence from now on. I will also be overseeing your instruction in becoming a
lady," Kisa-sama paused, reading the shock on my
face. She smiled gently, but there was no yielding in her demeanor.

"We will be living together, Rin-chan. What do
you think of that?" She prompted.

Aware of Sesshoumaru's eyes on me, I placed a careful
smile on my lips.

"If Sesshoumaru-sama wishes..." I stalled,
needing to know from him and only him that this was his will.

My pleading eyes met his and there was no softening, no leniency in his gaze. I
read the intent there clearer than I ever had before. My head bowed in defeat.

"Then please take care of me from now on," I finished lethargically.
Suddenly I wanted as far away from everyone as I could get.

"May I be excused?" I asked dejectedly, knowing that the burning
behind my eyes was tears, and knowing that I did not want to humiliate myself
in front of Sesshoumaru-sama.

Sesshoumaru-sama started to reply, but Kisa-sama, understanding more than I would have liked her
to, beat him to it.

"Yes, of course child. You look rather pale. Why don't you go rest now and
I will send dinner to your room in a bit." Her words had all the finality
of a command, and without argument I obeyed. As simple as that, I switched
masters. I lowered my eyes so that Sesshoumaru-sama
would not see my heart ripping itself in two. Quietly I closed the door behind
me, oblivious to Jaken's smirk, and fled into the garden.

[Rin]

A rough hand on my shoulder awakened me the next morning. I blinked
uncomprehendingly into my handmaiden's face, still caught in a dream daze.

Through the door, Kisa-sama's face appeared.

"Hurry and let her dress you! You don't want to miss Lord Sesshoumaru's departure, do you?" she asked urgently.

I struggled with the covers, standing wobbly as my handmaiden wrapped me in my
robes. Rubbing tiredly at my red eyes, I blinked at Kisa-sama.

Exasperated, Kisa-sama shooed away the servant girl
and finished dressing me herself. With expert hands she washed my face, applied
some cosmetics, and wrapped my hair into a simple bun that she secured with a
comb.

Grasping my hand she hurried me along the corridors, and some of her fervor
leaked through my grogginess.

"Where is he going?" I mumbled.

"To Eibou, and he is leaving momentarily,"
she shot back, ignoring my rudeness.

My eyes snapped open, and I caught myself from stumbling.

"Why is he going?" I replied, my voice coming out high and forlorn.

"He is going to renew ties with the families of his father's human lords.
He hopes to find a suitable match for you so that you will be well taken care
of," Kisa-sama expounded, shocking me to my
core.

*Sesshoumaru-sama was looking for a husband for me?!*

I stopped in my tracks. "Why?"

She whirled around, electing to push me the rest of the way to the court yard.
Straightening my clothing, she pronounced me presentable and propelled me
forward with one hand in the middle of my back.

Placing her mouth next to my ear, she answered in a low, husky voice.

"Because he cares."

She halted my efforts to look at her with one firm hand. With it still on my
face, she directed my attention to the waiting form of Sesshoumaru-sama.

She gave me a final push to the front of the crowd of servants, her last words
almost lost to me. "Smile, so that his last sight of you is a happy
one."

Mindful of her advice, I approached Sesshoumaru-sama
respectfully, bowing so that he did not see that I wanted to cry all over
again.

His hand came into view, a pool of silver chain with a fang for a pendant in
his palm.

"This is for you," he told me gravely.

Startled out of my tears, I reached for it, my fingertips brushing his skin. Funny that I should notice a small detail like the texture of his
calluses at a time like this.

Undoing the clasp, I fastened the chain around my neck. I held the fang up to
the sunlight, watching it gleam wickedly as I turned it this way and that.

"This is my fang. Wear it always to show that you are my ward. Should you ever
find yourself in danger without any means of escape, take the fang and slash
your palm. Hold the fang within your fist while calling my name and I will come,"
Sesshoumaru-sama explained; his voice heavy with the
weight of his words.

He paused as if to say something more and I caught the indecision in his mood.
Looking up into his eyes, I saw a shadow of melancholy. For an instant, I was
sure that he cared and that he would miss me too, if only a little. It cheered
me enough so that I could show a smile to the most important person in my life.

His hand came up, and with the back of his fingers he brushed away the
unnoticed tear that had escaped to roll down my cheek.

"Goodbye Rin," he whispered only to me, his
voice thick with some emotion I could not name.

Then he turned his back to me, mounted Aun in front
of Jaken, and rode away into the blue of the sky.

I watched his speck disappear, shading my eyes and staring in the direction he
had taken long after the last glimpse of him was gone. Listlessly my arm
dropped to my side.

The court yard had emptied of servants, only I was left mourning the loss of
the center of my world.

Unexpectedly, arms encircled my shoulders and Kisa-sama
took me into her embrace.

"Cry child. There is no one to see your tears," she commanded softly,
sheltering me from prying eyes.

Her kindness dissolved all my resentment towards her, and I sobbed like a child
into the front of her kimono.
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Red Strings of Fate