Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Strength	By : djserani Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > Sessh?maru/Rin > Sessh?maru/Rin Views: 5963 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
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She stared, wide-eyed, as he slipped across the short distance between the tree and where she lay. She wasn't sure what she expected him to do, but it wasn't for him to kneel beside her and trace her forehead with the lightest brush of his fingers. She couldn't believe he'd lean down and press his lips, with just tiniest hint of a kiss on her lips.
She reached up, sure she was in a dream because she wouldn't have dared to do it any other time. She traced her fingers along the edges of his stripes, over the crescent moon on his forehead. She caressed his face, and ran her fingers through his silky hair.
"Sesshomaru�" she whispered as she sat up to press her lips to his. He reacted immediately and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her small frame and deepening the kiss. She pushed both hands through his hair, holding him close to her, reveling in the dream for just a bit longer. They broke apart and she tried to take in a full breath, but her senses were filled with him, his scent, his taste, the feel of his skin�"Sesshomaru�"
* * *
She was dreaming. He watched her move quietly on the bedroll next to the fire. She'd whispered his name twice in a way that could not be mistaken. He couldn't believe it, couldn't or wouldn't accept what it meant. She quieted after another minute and he wanted to stop watching her, turn his eyes back to the stars as he always had, but he couldn't.
She settled back into her regular breathing pattern and snuggled into her blanket a little more. She had a smile on her face and he tried not to wonder what happened during the dream. He knew she was untouched, but he didn't know how much she'd been taught in the village. What did she know of sex? What did she know of demons and sex? It was not the same as it was for humans, that much he had heard.
Even InuYasha had tried to tell him something like that once when he had shown up early again for a visit. He'd refused to discuss it, telling himself he'd never have to be concerned with it. He would not mate with her and make the half-demons he had so professed to hate for so long. He reminded himself of that fact again as he watched her sleep. No matter how many times she called out for him in her sleep, he wouldn't waver.
A quiet voice in the back of his mind reminded him that he had softened toward his half-brother. He no longer tried to kill him when they met and, as often as not, held civil conversation with him. He had even sought out his brother to teach Rin how to fight. He had started to recognize that InuYasha was not the weak, useless thing he'd let himself believe.
Part of that, he knew, was anger. Anger at his father for allowing his emotion to get the better of him. He had just left his human and her child when he'd gone to fight Ryukotsei and died in the process. He'd tried to tell himself over the many years that he had no emotion, that demons didn't feel. But he knew the truth, deep down. He knew that if his father, the Great Dog Demon had feelings for a human woman, that he, Sesshomaru, his father's son, had them, too.

He watched her for a little longer, trying to sort through these thoughts before giving up and standing and approaching her sleeping form. "Rin." He said, quietly.

She opened her eyes immediately and smiled up at him. He tried to ignore the small flip of a heart he was sure didn't exist. "We must go. We will reach the castle today."

She nodded and sat up. As she did, their faces were closer to each other than they ever had. Her nose was just a scant centimeter away from his and he could feel the warm puff of her breath on his cheek. He stepped back quickly, too quickly, but he needed some space. He was having trouble catching his own breath.
She sat there for another moment before shaking her head and turning to roll up her bed. She turned to him and before she could speak he motioned toward the stream where she would go wash up. She smiled again and took off through the trees. Only a few moments later, she was back and putting her things together to leave. She unwrapped a small bundle that held her leftovers from dinner the night before and began eating as she walked.
His eyes followed her a moment before he turned and walked next to her. She ate quickly and, after briefly frowning at her hands, wiped them with the rag the best she could and tucked it into her pants. He tried not to notice all of her movements, but he was incredibly aware of everything she did. He kept his eyes trained on the road in front of him and did his best to push his thoughts of her to the back of his mind.
* * *
Rin was nervous. She hummed quietly to herself to fight it, but it wouldn't go away. She didn't know what to expect of her lord's castle and moreover, she had no idea what to expect of her place there. Would her rooms be with the other servants? What would she be doing? How would they treat her? Were they demon or human?
The questions circled in her head until she thought she'd go insane. Just as she was about to put voice to them, they crested a hill and there, nestled at the edge of the mountains, the sea to one side, was the biggest castle Rin had ever seen.
The main donjon, or tower, was five stories above ground. Rin remembered reading that they often had two or more stories under that, as well. There were three other donjons, two of which were larger than the last. The gate itself was two stories high and she could just make out a couple of guards patrolling in front of the gate. The whole castle was white with angled roofs and gold trim throughout. The walls of the keep were made up of long, low buildings.
And that's when Rin noticed the moat! It had a moat, with a long bridge over it!! She didn't realize the huge smile that was on her face relieved Sesshomaru who was, though he wouldn't admit it, very glad to know that his castle pleased her. She glanced up at him to catch him watching her take in the view.
On one side of the castle, outside the moat, was a long strip of beach with a rockier coast beyond the walls. The land immediately surrounding it was wide and grassy and full of flowers. Rin had the urge to go running through it as fast as she could. It just seemed to invite such a run.
She smiled even brighter at him. "This is your home? It's beautiful! I can't imagine someone not wanting to be here!"
He looked at her a moment more before answering. "My mother was here until recently. We�didn't always get along. She has moved to another estate and left the castle for me. It's time we finished this trip." And with that cryptic comment, he led the way down the hill and toward the gates.
Half way to the gates, they were greeted with a screech. "LORD SESSHOMARU! YOU'VE RETURNED!!" Were it not for the two-headed staff, Rin would never have figured out where the imp was, the grass was so high, it was over his head. But there it moved as if on its own, straight towards them.
She smiled up at her lord and bent down to pick up Jaken, hugging him tightly. "JAKEN! I've missed you!! It's so good to see you!"
Jaken made a choking sound and Rin loosened her grip. "It's good to see�err� I mean, what took you so long? Are you a slow learner, girl?" He waved the staff at her threateningly, but she just laughed and hugged him again before setting him down.
"Jaken." Sesshomaru's quiet voice interrupted them. "Please alert the servants that we have arrived and make sure Rin's rooms are ready."
"Yes, my lord!!" The staff wobbled as he obviously bowed before it took off again back toward the gates.
Sesshomaru paused and turned to Rin. "The guards of my castle are demon, but they will not touch you. They are under orders. Most of the servants and other people that work in and around the castle are human." And with that, he walked toward the gates and she had to hurry to catch up.
When they arrived at the gates, there was a flurry of activity as Ah-Uhn's reins were taken as he was led off to the stable. Rin turned to grab her bag, but it was gone. When she looked up at Sesshomaru, he simply said, "it will be in your rooms shortly." He turned to walk up the steps of what was the main door of the largest donjon.
The large wooden double doors were almost forbidding, if not for the bright white paint. She walked up the short stairwell and her nervousness, previously forgotten, came back with a vengeance. She looked to Sesshomaru, but he wasn't looking at her. Instead, he was walking purposefully across the main entryway that Rin was sure was lovely, but she was too nervous to notice much.
She followed him to the other side where there were a number of servants gathered. To hide her nervousness, she clasped her hands behind her back. "Rin." Sesshomaru said to her and she walked over to stand next to him. He turned to the servants.
"This is the Lady Rin. You will address her as such. She has been away being educated." With that, he stood for a minute, but Rin didn't have a chance to say anything because she was almost mobbed.
"Hello! It's so nice to meet you! My Lady!" and then they were bowing at her and Rin had no idea how to handle that.
"Listen to you! Everyone, go on! Back to your duties! The Lady Rin undoubtedly needs to rest!" An older woman of indeterminate years approached. Her uniform of simple hakama and yukata were clean and well mended. She had a weathered face that reminded Rin of Kaede and a large smile. As she approached Rin, she bowed to her. "My Lady."
Rin stared for another minute before she managed to close her mouth. "Oh. Um, please don't. I'm just 'Rin'."
The lady just smiled. "I am Yuki. I will be your maid. Please follow me." She held her hand out to her right and Rin, still rather bemused by it all, turned the way she indicated. Yuki lead the way down the hall toward a set of stairs that, Rin thought, might have been the direction Sesshomaru went. They climbed to the third floor then turned left.
Yuki opened a set of double wooden doors at the end of the hall. She stepped aside and Rin moved into the room. She stopped dead and simply gaped. The room was huge! There was a shogi door across from her that opened onto a balcony. To the left of the shogi door was a large four-poster bed draped with some sort of sheer fabric. A real bed! Rin had never slept on one before. Beyond the bed was another door that was still closed. She had no idea what could lay beyond.
Along the wall to her left was a large, floor to ceiling cabinet of some sort. To her right was the biggest bookcase she had ever seen and it was packed with books. Along the right wall was a small writing desk, an easel, a stand that looked like it was for her biwa and another small table with a vase of flowers in it.
Rin managed somehow to close her mouth and take another step into the room. There, on her bed, was her small bag. She turned to Yuki and smiled. "This is amazing!" She remembered herself enough to take off her weapons, then she giggled a little and did something that was completely silly. She ran to the bed and threw herself on it.
It was so soft!! She sat up again and pinched herself. She had to be dreaming, but no, that hurt. Yuki stepped up to her. "Lord Sesshomaru's rooms are next to these. That door leads to your bathing room. The wardrobe - " she pointed to the large cabinet against the wall, "should have everything you need. I'll have hot water brought up shortly, if you would like and we will help you dress. That rope in the corner," again, she pointed, this time to a rope hanging down between the bathing room door and the wardrobe, "will call me if you should need me. Please don't hesitate."
She bowed again and backed out of the room, closing the doors behind her.
Rin sat and simply stared around the room. She could not believe that she would be living here. She wondered if there was some kind of mistake. Perhaps she'd been given the wrong room�? He'd told them to call her 'Lady' which confused her.
She approached the balcony door. It slid silently open to reveal the most beautiful view Rin had ever seen in her life, second, of course, to her Lord. She could see half way across the ocean, she was sure! The beach was below her, beyond the castle walls. To the right, she could see the base of the mountains and to her left, a small portion of the meadow and the forest beyond. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of the ocean air.
"Do you approve of your rooms?" Even though his voice was as quiet as usual, it startled her a bit. She didn't realize that the balcony connected to his.
"There must be some mistake, my lord." She turned to indicate the room.
He simply raised an eyebrow and stared at her.
"What I mean is, it's so beautiful and big and I'm just your servant, my lord." She looked down, half-afraid she was right and the dream would end.
"You are not my servant, Rin. These are your rooms." He turned to contemplate the ocean and Rin took a moment to study him.
Somewhere in her contemplation, she found her voice. "What is my place here?" She didn't know if she really wanted to hear the answer.
"You are my�ward. As far as the castle knows, I have adopted you after your family died. They will not question me, they wouldn't dare." He looked at her.
She was stunned, yet again. She managed to close her mouth and swallow. "Then�they really will be calling me Lady Rin?" She had read enough over the last few years to understand how the nobility worked. Demon lord or Human lord, the rules, according to InuYasha, were the same.
"Yes. Does it displease you?" There was a flicker of unease in his eyes. Rin realized she was getting better at reading him.
"No! Of course not! I just�" she paused, to think through how to phrase it properly. "I don't want to pretend to be something I am not." She nodded. She was well read, having consumed every book that had been given to her over the last four years. But she couldn't always readily find the words she wanted.
Sesshomaru nodded and the glint of pride in his eyes shone through. "That is good. But, for all intents and purposes, that is what you are. The only lack is any official paperwork. As I am the Lord of the Western Lands, my word is law. You are the Lady Rin." His voice left no room for further doubt.
Rin grinned and, forgetting herself again, launched herself at her lord. Caught off guard, Sesshomaru hugged her back. She remembered herself quickly and, much to Sesshomaru's ignored disappointment, she stepped back. "Thank you." She said simply and bowed her head.
He reached out and lifted her chin again. "You were taught a great many things in the village with the old miko. However, if you are a Lady, you do not bow your head to me. Do you understand?"
She nodded. That would take some work. She'd spent so many years bowing to him. But if this is what he wanted, she would do it. She was suddenly very tired and she knew she was dirty from the road and the quick cold bathing she'd done. She fought valiantly to hide her yawn.
"I will leave you to rest. There is a formal dining room, if you wish, or you may have your dinner served here. It is your choice. I do not dine there as I do not eat the same things that the humans do. There is also a large library on the second floor if nothing on your shelves pleases you. I only ask that you stay within the castle gates." With that, he turned on his heel and went back into his room.
Rin stared at his empty place for a few more minutes. She still wasn't sure how she would handle all of this, but she would. She would do it for him. So lost in thought was she, that she didn't hear the door to her rooms open. Yuki approached her. "My Lady?"
Rin started and turned to her. "Yes, Yuki?"
"Your bath is ready."
"Thank you, Yuki. I am definitely in need of one." She laughed and Yuki smiled with her.
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Strength