• 1-The Hot Springs
• 2-Chapter 2
• 3-Chapter 3
• 4-Chapter 4
• 5-Chapter 5
• 6-Chapter 6
• 7-Chapter 7
• 8-Chapter 8
• 9-Chapter 9
• 10-Chapter 10
• 11-Chapter 11
• 12-Chapter 12
• 13-Chapter 13
• 14-Chapter 14
• 15-Chapter 15
• 16-Chapter 16
• 17-Chapter 17A
• 18-Chapter 17B
• 19-Chapter 18
• 20-Chapter 19
• 21-Chapter 20
• 22-Chapter 21
• 23-Chapter 22
• 24-Chapter 23

~~~~~Evening~~~~~

Sayo was busy chopping up vegetables and tossing them into a pan full of water, which sat over a fire, but was not yet boiling. Rin was neatly cutting up some chicken meat, piling the small chunks into a bowl to be washed again after she was finished. Jaken entered with a huff, plopping down at the low table a few feet from the cooking area, and grumbling to himself as he rubbed the crown of his head. Rin smiled down at the cutting board, and looked over to see Sayo with a smirk on her face as well. Tossing out the remains of the chicken, Rin washed the chicken meat and placed the bowl next to Sayo before rinsing her hands with soap. Then watching as Sayo worked on the hearty soup, Rin took note of which spices Sayo added, and how much, so that when Sayo could no longer be there to cook for her and Jaken, Rin would be able to.

“How was the village, Sayo? Did everyone seem happy and well?” Rin asked conversationally, hoping to hear of the outside world despite her want to stay with Sesshoumaru, which usually meant staying away from other humans.

“Yes, they did. Their crop this year went well, Rin-san,” Sayo said, her voice hoarse and cracked with age. Rin sighed, thinking of what it would be like to live in a village. She would have to work more, most assuredly, but more people would be around for her to talk to, and she could raise her children with others their age so that they could have friends. This thought stopped Rin…her child would be a half-demon, a hanyou, like her master’s half-brother, who eventually had proven to be a very worthy person. Rin did not hear much about Inuyasha from Sesshoumaru, but Jaken had told her a few good gossip stories about how he had defeated Naraku, and married the girl that always followed him around wearing that odd kimono. Jaken had mentioned a priestess, but Rin was confused as to why he referred to her as the dead priestess. He had said that the dead priestess found a change of heart after seeing the changes in Inuyasha, though Jaken had been speaking bitterly of both the dead priestess and her master’s half-brother at the time. The dead priestess left this world, leaving Inuyasha and the foreign girl alone to marry. Hoping that her own half-demon children would be as favored in honorable deeds as Inuyasha, Rin let that course of thought fall away, taking in a deep breath when the soup’s thick broth began to simmer inside the pan, releasing a heavenly smell.

“It smells wonderful, Sayo! I don’t know if I could ever make this soup as well as you,” Rin sighed, setting her chin in her palm as she leaned upon the counter. Sayo’s eyes slid over to her mischievously as she rhythmically stirred the contents of the pan.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll cook fine, and it’s not as if the master will ever need to eat your cooking. Only that little toad over there,” Sayo said, throwing the blunt insult over her shoulder at Jaken, who sat at the table. He was oblivious to their conversation, however, still deep in self-pity as he rubbed the sore spot on his head. Rin giggled, looking at poor Jaken in his everlasting plight of hero worship. Well, Sesshoumaru-sama really is a hero. Perhaps only in my and Jaken’s eyes, but he’s a hero nonetheless.

Sayo brought a steaming bowl of soup over to the table, setting it down in front of Jaken, who was brought out of his stupor. He grabbed the chopsticks sitting on top and dug in, slurping the noodles and getting broth all over his chin. It was no wonder that Rin ate her bowl of soup at the counter with Sayo so that she didn’t have to watch Jaken eat. The three ate in silence, although Jaken did interrupt it when he asked for another bowlful. Now that her stomach was full, Rin lean back away from her empty bowl contentedly. Sayo was still working on hers, and Jaken had long ago left the kitchen, burping and rubbing his belly instead of his head. Well, it shows that he liked it, at least. Rin cleaned her and Jaken’s bowls, and helped Sayo store away the extra soup. Sayo, saying she was tired from the long day, went straight to her cot, and Rin tucked her in before heading back to the front hall.

The sun was setting as she walked, and Rin’s heart gradually felt heavier the closer she got to her master’s bedroom. He’s leaving tomorrow. And I might not see him for months! Rin stopped right at the front entrance, clenching her fists and biting on her lower lip in order to gain control of herself before she started crying. Swallowing and letting her hands relax, Rin took a deep breath, and continued walking. Further down the hallway, Rin slid open the door of Sesshoumaru’s room, looking inside. He was gazing out the window when she entered, and his hair was almost dry. Closing the door behind her and having shucked her house slippers, Rin loosened the belt of her under-robe. Seeing that Sesshoumaru was leaning forward to close the window shutters, she let her robe fall to the tatami mats at her feet and reached up to find her braid so that she could unravel it. When Sesshoumaru turned to her, Rin saw him pause for a second and take a long look at her nudity. Rin, smiling broadly when she saw his body’s reaction underneath his own robe, fluffed out her hair, which was still a bit wet from being in a braid.

“Promise me one thing, Sesshoumaru-sama,” Rin said, setting her hands on her hips. Sesshoumaru tossed off his under-robe as she said this, walking the ten feet that separated them. Rin had thoroughly distracted him, but he was lucid enough to hear her question.

“And what is that?” he asked huskily, reaching out to hold her breasts in his hands. Rin’s mouth fell open a bit, and she set her hands on his forearms, looking up at his sweltering gaze. Swallowing, Rin continued.

“Promise me that you’ll come back as soon as you can…or if I need you. If I desperately need you here, promise you’ll come,” Rin demanded, her eyes blinking rapidly over the tears ready to spill. Sesshoumaru lifted a hand to brush the backs of his fingers down Rin’s cheek, and he leaned down, tilting her head back with a thumb underneath her jaw.

“I promise.” Opening Rin’s mouth, Sesshoumaru thrust his tongue inside, tasting the salt from her meal over the sweeter taste of her mouth. Rin’s hands settled on Sesshoumaru’s hips, and her chest felt tight with emotion as her master plundered her mouth. The hand he left on her breast was massaging it, rolling the taut peak between his two longest fingers. When he pulled away from the kiss, Rin’s lung pulled in some much-needed air as Sesshoumaru looked down at his hands, both of which were now manipulating the tips of her breasts. Rin slid her hands up to his biceps as she shuddered underneath his touch.

“Uhhnn…it feels good,” Rin breathlessly said, arching her chest forward into his hands. When Sesshoumaru answered, Rin was happy to hear a gruff quality in his voice,

“I love your breasts…just seeing them is…stimulating.” When his hands slid around her back underneath her arms, Rin made a slight noise of protest, but then gasped in surprise as he lifted her. Hearing a gruff command to wrap her legs around him, Rin obeyed, tightening her thighs against his waist. She felt a single finger trail down her scars, and hissed as a small tremor of sensation trickled down her body to dampen the warm area between her legs.

“Am I too heavy?” Rin asked, forgetting about Sesshoumaru’s strength. She felt another finger drift down her scars, pressing harder than before, and Rin made a strained noise as her womanhood swelled with arousal.

“Of course you aren’t, Rin,” Sesshoumaru roughly said. “Let me make love to you.” Rin bit down on her lower lip and nodded, and the two of them adjusted a bit, hooking her knees over his forearms. Rin felt awkward and open, but it was erotic and new, so her body was very excited, and she was aching to have him. Rin secured her hold around his shoulders, breathing shallowly and landing small kisses along his jawline. She could feel his arousal brushing her entrance, and a draft from the window gave her goose bumps.

“Onegai, master…I want you inside of me,” Rin achingly whispered into his ear. Sesshoumaru tightened his grip on her rear, clenching his teeth. He lowered her slowly, bucking a few times to seat himself inside the tight muscles of her slick body. Moving her over his rigid length was easy work for Sesshoumaru’s arms, but he was panting harshly from keeping his body from climaxing. Rin was moaning in his ear, loving the feel of him moving in and out of her, and gasping for breath just as fast as he was. Rin opened her eyes to see their shadows on the floor, cast by the lone half-burned candle next to the window. Sesshoumgreagreatly enjoyed their carnal position, having his mate cling to him as he held her up and pumped their bodies together.

“Uhhhnn…harder,” Rin gasped, sighing high and shakily when he did as she asked. It’s our last night…after so many nights such as this one. It’s our last night for what will feel like ages. Rin’s eyes teared up, and she brought her mouth close to Sesshoumaru’s ear again. “I love you, Sesshoumaru.” She cried out when he hitched her up further in his arms and pushed deeper into her body with each thrust. She kept expecting them to fall over, which would thoroughly ruin the moment, but Sesshoumaru’s strength and balance was winning out.

Sesshoumaru could smell the salt from her tears, knowing what she was going through. The sad pain in his chest was at once saddening and joyful. It did mean that Rin was feeling her own personal anguish, but it also meant that their connection was truly being forged, and the two of them were that much closer to becoming forever bonded. When she once again reminded him of her love with a desperate whisper in his ear, it took a great deal of willpower for him not to arch into her right then and spill himself inside the hof hof her body. She called me Sesshoumaru…I didn’t know it, but I’ve longed to hear her say that. Instead he held his own, deepening his thrusts. Rin’s body loved the pounding of her master’s arousal, and she could feel the pleasurable itch quickly gaining strength.

“Mmnn! I…I’m almost… Sesshoumaru!” Rin said through her clenched jaw. Though she was sure that Sesshoumaru could hold her up, Rin wasn’t so sure that she would be able to hold herself up—her arms seemed to be involuntarily loosening. Determined to hold on, Rin fisted her hands in Sesshoumaru’s glossy hair. I’m so close. Clenching her thigh muscles and tightening her inner ones, Rin felt a string inside her body snap into two, and achingly exhaled as her climax gripped her.

“Sesshoumaru…” Rin said, her face contorted with strain and ecstasy. Sesshoumaru held her body in place, attempting to ignore the wonderful pulsations surrounding his length. Not yet… Gnashing his teeth against the primal urge to let his body have its own way, Sesshoumaru attempted ut hut his mind somewhere else. He couldn’t look at Rin—that would only send him immediately into orgasm. Not yet! Turning his head up to the ceiling, he desperately tried to ignore the sounds Rin was making. Not yet! As Rin quieted down, and relaxed a bit, Sesshoumaru took a deep breath and concentrated on looking at the ceiling. Having held himself back, Sesshoumaru waited patiently, although it was painful, while Rin’s body finished. Not yet… He felt Rin’s breathing slow down and heard her swallow, and she lifted her head.

“S—Sesshoumaru-sama…you did not take yours. Did I do som—” Rin began as he walked them to the futon, covered with another fresh silk sheet. He cut her off with an abrupt negative answer, and Rin’s eyebrows quirked in uncomfortable confusion. Bending his knees and keeping himself inside her body, Sesshoumaru carefully laid Rin down on her back, lying over her as he braced some of his weight on his forearms. Rin brought her knees up, allowing her feet to leave the futon and letting her thighs fall open. She closed her eyes as he tucked his face against her neck.

“I know you’re tired, Rin…but I wanted to make this last just a little longer…” Sesshoumaru settled most of his weight on her chest, anved ved inside her again. He lifted a bit to place his hand over her heart once more, and Rin could feel the connection between them strengthen as her thighs involuntarily trembled. My body is exhausted, but it…will always want him, no matter what—and now is no exception. Moist again, and needing Sesshoumaru’s body rubbing against her, Rin reached down to grip his hind end, and pulled him into her body. Rocking into her almost lovingly, Sesshoumaru breathed heavily against Rin’s neck, softly growling as her hands rode his posterior. Rin’s jaw was clenched, and as Sesshoumaru’s thrusts became more forceful, hitting a deeper spot inside her body, her body jerked back with every buck of his hips.

“Uhhhnnn…master, it feels so good,” Rin uncontrollably cried out. She moved her arms since they were tired, and let the backs of her hands rest on the futon near her head. Biting down on her lip, Rin forced herself to open her eyes, and she looked up to the ceiling, made out of large panels of wood. The ceiling rhythmically veered in front of her eyes, jerking in time to Sesshoumaru’s thrusts. Rin wondered to herself how many times she had seen this same thing, lying here with her lover between her thighs. She could feel the pointed tip of his ear brushing her cheek, and his hot, sticky chest pressed against hers. Closing her eyes again, Rin made a small noise as a wonderful throb vibrated through her loins.

“Unh,” Rin moaned with a very high voice, “I…I’m coming, master!” Rin could tell by now—it was very close. The way he pressed her down into the futon, the way his arousal stretched her and penetrated, and the way his body moved over hers—Rin was tense as the swimming sensation filtered down from her head to where they were joined, going slowly and yet coming fast.

“Now, Rin…Kami…” Sesshoumaru growled, never wanting to stop but needing his release more than anything else at that moment. Sesshoumaru’s hands fisted in the silk sheet, tearing small holes in it, and he rammed into his lover’s body.

“Huhhhnn! S-Sesshoumaru!” Rin called out. She lost her voice of a sudden, panting, but frozen. Sesshoumaru, half-groaning and half-growling against her neck, straightened his legs and pressed his phallus as far inside her belly as he could, emptying his seed into her. Rin’s hands were fisted, and her mouth was open in a silent cry. Exhaling as she set her feet on the futon again, Rin let out a satisfied moan, and concentrated on the last few pulses of her inner muscles. Sesshoumaru still lay there, breathing heavily against Rin’s neck and shoulder. She looked up at the ceiling again, smirking to herself as a naughty idea came to mind. Deciding to act upon it, Rin brought one hand up to the nape of Sesshoumaru’s neck and pulled three fingers down without hesitation. She heard Sesshoumaru’s small noise of surprise and fatigue. His body was almost petrified like a tree as his length grew and then filled her with his seed again. He let out a long, breathy groan as he climaxed a second time in the space of perhaps a minute. Rin…you little minx.

“Now we’re even, master,” Rin whispered aloud, taking a few seconds to kiss the tip of his demon ear. She pulled the other half of the silk sheet over them as Sesshoumaru’s body recovered from their activities, and she giggled a bit when she felt his nose nuzzling the side of her neck, licking her skin. Bringing his weight off of her, Sesshoumaru lied down on his side, holding Rin close against his chest as she settled in for a night’s rest.

“I love you, Rin,” Sesshoumaru purred, rubbing her shoulder. Rin, already half-asleep, returned the sentiment with a light squeeze of her arms, and closed her eyes.

~~~~~Morning~~~~~

Rolling over onto her other side, Rin wished that the birds outside weren’t so loud. Feeling a light draft, she peeked an eye open to see that the window shutters were slightly ajar, and that the morning sun had risen at least an hour ago. I’o slo sleepy to get up just yet…mouu… Deciding to lie there for another hour, Rin closed her eyes, vaguely wondering why it felt a little cold. Sensing something to be amiss, Rin rolled back over, but didn’t find what she always found in the mornings.

Sesshoumaru was gone.

Rin’s eyes shot fully open and she sat up, uncaring of her state of dress. Whipping her head about the room, she noted that his armor and swords were gone. All that was left was the bag of kimono materials, and Rin’s own things. Rin didn’t want to believe it, but even her body was telling her that Sesshoumaru was not in the mansion. Her scars were burning a bit, and Rin brought up her knees to her chest. Wrapping her arms around her knees and hiding her face, Rin silently shed a few tears, hiccupping into her thighs. When she last remembered, she had her arms wrapped tight around his torso, and now her arms were empty. Come on, Rin! He’ll be back! It won’t last forever. Unable to bring herself out of it just yet, Rin cried for a few more minutes before they dried on her cheeks, having been spent. Now feeling sorry for herself, Rin made a pitied moan and rolled down and onto her side.

She lounged around for an hour, like she had decided, but no sleep came, and Rin cried a few more times in short spurts. esshoumaru-sama… Once hunger pains began to sink in, Rin realized that she at least had to eat and move around to keep her growing baby healthy. Mother always said that babies feel everything the mother can.

Rin didn’t want her baby to feel the depression she felt. She didn’t want her firstborn to be affected by something that could turn out to be trivial. Pouting to herself as she laid there on her side, Rin wiped the tears off her cheeks. Then sitting up, Rin slowly came a stand. She took a swallow of the morning-sickness medicine and dressed in her light yellow kimono. Making up the sheets of the futon and straightening the room, she slid open the door of the bedroom, stepping out into the hall. Putting on her slippers, Rin made her way to the kitchen, fin it it hard not to wallow in self-pity. Inside the kitchen was only Sayo, who was setting the pan of soup from last night onto a fire she had just started.

“Ohayo,” Rin glumly said, sitting on her shins next to Sayo. The old woman frowned at her, picking up a wooden spoon and stirring the contents of the soup as it warmed up.

“Now what’s this? Are you sad that he’s gone, Rin-san? You must not be sad. Sesshoumaru-sama will return as soon as he is able,” she croaked out, obviously needing some water to loosen her throat this early in the morning. Rin stood up to take the empty pitcher from the table and made her way to the outside well, but paused for a moment at the sliding door.

“It hurts when he’s not near me, Sayo,” Rin said, cradling the pitcher in her arms. She exchanged her shoes then, and walked outside. After bringing up a bucket of water, she carefully poured some into the pitcher before dumping the rest back inside and setting the empty bucket on the sill of the well. Her scars did not burn as much, but now they ached as if someone had bruised them only a few hours ago. Coming back inside, Rin poured some water for Sayo, setting the cup next to her. Sayo nodded her thanks and sipped at the water while Rin looked out the open kitchen door at the breezy summer day. I wish I could hide under my sheets until he returns, hibernating.

“You say it hurts, Rin-san? So I take it that you and the master have performed the marking ceremony?” Sayo said, slowly stirring the soup with one hand. Rin looked over at Sayo in surprise.

“You know of the practice? Sesshoumaru-sama said that humans weren’t aware of it.”

“Oh, living in this house for so many years with only youkai around me, I’ve picked up a few things. When you came to the house ten years ago, I felt like I was human again. But yes, I know of it,” Sayo admitted, still stirring. Rin nodded, and they fell quiet.

For the rest of the day, Rin merely sat on the side porch of the kitchen with her hand over her stomach, watching the breeze blow about random debris such as leaves and petals. Sayo went about her daily chores slowly, glancing over at Rin once in a while to make sure she was still in the same place. Rin felt as if her heart were breaking, and despaired at being able to cope without her master for so long when she was having such trouble with the first day. She tried to think of her baby, and feeling happy for its sake, but she and Sesshoumaru had not been this far apart for this long since she first found Sesshoumaru when she was a child. Rin hoped for the best—that she would feel better after a few days—but at the moment, she was in a sorry state. Leaning against the post on her left, Rin swung her feet, imagining her master walking up to her from the forest in front of her.

Sayo brought her in for lunch and dinner, after which Rin continued to sit on the porch with a candle next to her. Sayo sat with her for a bit, and they spoke a few words about Rin’s health concerning the child, but then Rin finally got up to go to her master’s bedroom. Sayo bid her a good night, and blew out the candles in the kitchen. Once Rin arrived at her room, she pulled out some of the bolts of silk, pondering how to change the kimono design for when her figure no longer allowed for a petite size. She cut out a proper design, going by the faint light of three candles sitting next to her. Though Rin’s evenings were usually spent in silence, she also usually had her master there to keep her company, so the silence of the room was oppressive, and Rin reached to her right to open a shutter so that she could hear the crickets outside. A couple of hours after sundown, Rin’s fingers were aching from sewing, so she neatly set aside the kimono materials, which were only a little bit closer to actually being one.

Stretching out over the silk sheet on the futon after blowing out the three candles, Rin lied there in the darkness, once in a while feeling a breeze from the half-open window, and wished to herself that she had her master there to lie upon. It was hard to fall asleep without him there. Please return soon—very soon. Rin had the idea that it was past midnight when she fell into an exhausted sleep, and in her dreams, she saw a tall demon with red stripes on his cheeks, looking at her from a distance as a strong breeze lifted his silvery hair. The sun shone brightly, and Rin’s heart ached painfully as he looked at her. Sesshoumaru…


~~~~~Time Elapse~~~~~

As Rin hoped, the days didn’t feel so empty and long after a week. She finished her first kimono, one to wear for when she was perhaps three or four months along, and started on another one for when she was five or six months along. The first was a dark burgundy color to keep in some warmth since it would be the middle of fall by the time she wore it. It had gold embroidery, which Rin painstakingly perfected, on the chest and back. Another week passed without her master’s return, and Rin saw the trees begin to turn into their autumn colors the week after that. Her pregnancy was no longer causing her as much nausea, but now her back ached constantly. Sayo was good enough to rub the offended muscles once in a while.

Rin finished her second and third kimono, the last being for when she was her largest. One was dark blue with white embroidery and gold trimming, and the other was a red floral pattern of silk cherry blossoms. She was starting a few simple designs for her child after that, needing something to do with her hands. Now near the end of her third month, Rin had been without her mate for seven weeks, and was becoming sadder with each passing day that he didn’t send some sort of message to her.

~~~~~Morning~~~~~

Feeling a chill from the early morning breeze that was filtering in through her open shutters, Rin raised her head to look about her as she lied there on her side. Any other position hurt her back so that she had to lie on either side holding a rolled up blanket between her knees. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, Rin saw that the light of the day indicated that the sun was about an hour or two above the horizon. Coming up to sit, Rin smoothed her hand over her stomach, now more rounded. She blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust to the light, and rubbed at her arms, which had goose bumps due to the colder air of autumn. Flipping the heavier blanket off of her legs, Rin came to a stand, steadying herself against the wall. She exchanged her under-robe for a thicker one, not yet wanting to put on her burgundy kimono in case she was messy during breakfast, and opened her bedroom door. Sliding her feet into the house slippers, she walked to the kitchen, now feeling more awake and ready for another day, although she just wanted to curl up on her futon and wait until Sesshoumaru returned.

“Ohayo, Sayo!” Rin called as she entered the kitchen. Looking around, she couldn’t see the servant anywhere, and the covered dish they had been basting last night still sat where she had left it. “Sayo? Where are you?” The old woman’s cot was made, so it was obvious that she had woken up this morning, but she was nowhere to be found. An awful feeling slunk down her spine, causing her scars to burn painfully, and Rin’s heart fluttered inside her chest as she quietly checked the cabinets. Did something get Sayo? Rin hissed, feeling her scars react negatively to that thought. She looked around the kitchen, wondering what to do, and noticed that a knife was missing… S…Sayo has a knife? She… Rin immediately noticed that the pain in her back lessened, and wondered if they were reacting to her premonitions. Sayo…is…

“Kami-sama…” Rin whispered, whipping around to see if Sayo knew she was here yet. Running to the kitchen door, Rin ran down the hall to the exit that led to the south path, and ran from the mansion, not caring that she was still wearing her house slippers or that the cold morning air was chilling her skin underneath the robe, despite the fact that it was thicker. She was going to run to the tree where Sesshoumaru had made love to her more than a month ago, but had to find the breakaway from the south path in order to reach it. The tree could hide her from Sayo while she figured out what to do, and it was the one place an old woman like Sayo could not reach her. Yes…yes, I can hide there. With one hand underneath her stomach to attempt to protect her child, Rin held her under-robe together with the other. Coming around a bend in the path, Rin skidded to a halt upon seeing Sayo, in her under-robe as well, and holding the knife from the kitchen. Her white hair was hanging down, slightly disturbed by the breeze infiltrating the complex.

“S—Sayo…onegai…just stay away from me,” Rin shakily said, barely able to keep the tears from her voice. Sayo raised her knife-hand slowly, letting the blade glint in the early morning sun.

“Of all the days to change your routine…you didn’t come to the bathhouse to bathe today, unlike the past seventeen days. Today you slept in…of all the days to change it!” Sayo screamed, taking a step towards Rin. Rin took a step back.

“Today is a special day, Rin-san. Today my husband died eighteen years ago. He was a wonderful husband. A kumotaiyoukai…so powerful was my husband! He was handsome and loved me! I was going to do it today, but you had to change it!” Sayo took another step towards her, and Rin took another back.

“Wh—why the bathhouse, Sayo?” Rin asked, her voice cracking with barely contained fear.

“You’re most vulnerable there—I don’t know how, but I can’t enter the bedroom anymore. Your master does not trust me…as well he should. So I couldn’t do it while you were asleep.”

“H—how do I know your husband then? Did I wrong him in any way?”

“My poor dear, you were not involved in his death. You’re merely my means to an end. I love you like a daughter, but revenge takes first priority! Always!! …Sesshoumaru killed my dear husband! He slaughtered him! My dear husband, who was powerful and strong! I came home from the village to find him dead, slashed to pieces! The underlings told me who did it, so I planned out what I would do to avenge my husband!” Sayo was still creeping closer, and the one thing Rin made sure of was that she stayed a certain distance from her.

“But you could never kill Sesshoumaru by yourself! Why even try?” Rin asked, needing to know Sayo’s reasons.

“I knew all of that, Rin-san. I knew I couldn’t kill him, but I could hurt him the same way he hurt me. I was going to kill someone he loved. I would take them away from him forever! When I first arrived as a servant, Sesshoumaru had no one living with him that he cared for…not even that Jaken pest was important to him. And then you came, Rin-san. I was so happy the day you came home with him. I felt sick for killing another human, but you were a means to an end. I had to wait ten long years, though. He never left you alone, and I couldn’t find the right timing so that I could escape his wrath before he found me out. With him and that damned sword, Tenseiga, there was no opportunity. So I created one.

“My underlings found your party near the end of this year’s rounds of the land, and attempted an attack upon you, Rin-san, to get Sesshoumaru’s suspicions up. How appropriate that you returned home with a deeper place in his heart and pregnant with his brat! I knew my planned worked when he informed me the morning of his departure that you were to stay behind at the complex. I waited for weeks to go by so that he was as far away as possible, unable to help you, and unable to find me once he reached the mansion. I wanted to wait another two weeks, but today seemed so fitting as the day of my revenge.” Sayo began to simply walk towards Rin, and Rin hastily stepped back fast, putting more distance between herself and the old woman.

“That’s how you knew about the marking ceremony! You carry the mark of your mate! You won’t be able to get away with this! I’m younger than you, and I can hide in the forest until Sesshoumaru has felt my call to him,” Rin reasoned, hoping to deter Sayo’s plan.

“How will you find water to drink? I will keep an eye on the well and even the bathhouse. And though you are young, you are hindered by your pregnancy…and I’m patient. You know this by now. Even if you last a couple of days, it won’t be enough. You can’t scale the complex wall to find water in your condition, and the youkai outside these walls would hunt you down before you could reach the stream. And at night when the cold air of autumn settles over us, how will you keep yourself warm?! Just give up now, Rin. You can always meet your precious master in about twenty years when your soul returns to him. I can allow that, I suppose. Besides, your violent death will be enough to break that damned dog!” Sayo screamed, coming at Rin at a full run. Rin picked up the skirt of her kimono, still holding the underside of her stomach as she sprinted into the forest.

Sesshoumaru! Sesshoumaru! How will I survive this?! Rin ran hard, hoping she was heading in the right direction. Sayo wasn’t fast, but she was close enough behind to see Rin ahead of her, and Rin had to get a good lead in order to have enough time to climb the tree. Sesshoumaru! Sesshoumaru! Please help me!< Her Her lungs were already aching, and her under-robe was catching on random branches. Rin’s eyes blurred with tears, and her voice caught on a sob before she gasped for more breath.

“Sesshoumaru!!!”

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Not as heavily revised, but a full page of new stuff was added. Enjoy!

~~Sincerely,
The Black Cat