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Yuudai no Keikoku	By : ashlin86 Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 15516 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
Yuudai no Keikoku

Chapter Eight

Rin did not know what was going on.

While this was not particularly uncommon—Lord Sesshoumaru hardly ever took the time to explain his actions to her—this time the excitement seemed to center around her, and that was uncommon. The kind lady, Madame Junko, had spoken with her lord in hushed voices earlier, after dinner, and then Lord Sesshoumaru had ordered her to accompany the demoness.

Lady Junko had been very polite and even offered her some kind of tasty confection back in her rooms. After that she’d just closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate very hard—Rin hadn’t had to do anything at all, except sit there and munch on her treat. When she had finally opened her eyes again they had been shining, and Junko had smiled a very pretty smile that had made Rin smile back (even though she hadn’t known what she had been smiling at). Junko had allowed her to go after that, and to Rin’s surprise, Lord Sesshoumaru had been waiting outside. He didn’t look anxious, but somehow Rin knew that he was. He waved her away to find Jaken, then shut himself in the room she’d just come out of.

She obeyed her lord and sought out the toad. Perhaps he would be able to explain things to her. (He rather did like to listen to himself talk.) However, Jaken could not give her any answers either, and anyway he was always in a hurry nowadays, running errands for the kitchen servants.

She tried to find Lord Inuyasha, but he was mysteriously missing, which she thought was strange as it was nearly nightfall. Left with nothing to do and no one for company, Rin wandered to her room to take a bath. It was nice to have warm water and she took advantage of the novelty every chance she could.

After her bath, as she was getting ready for bed, she heard a commotion in the corridor. She grinned when she heard Inuyasha swearing, and was about to open her door to see what was going on, when it slid open. Rather, when Lord Sesshoumaru slid it open.

“Rin,” he called, before spotting her below him.

“My lord?” she questioned.

Then her savior did something unheard of. He knelt before her, so that he could look at her face to face. She he was about to say something important, because his face was very, very serious. He was looking at her, but she had the strangest feeling that he was actually looking into her, searching her soul or her heart. She looked back at him solemnly, trying hard to show him whatever it was he was looking for.

At length he seemed to relax, and while he didn’t smile (he never did) his eyes and face softened as they did only for her. “There is a task Lady Junko and I would like you to complete, Rin. It is very important that you listen to and understand our instructions.”

Rin stood up straighter and puffed out her chest. Lord Sesshoumaru needed her for something important! She would do her very best not to let him down. She nodded sharply and listened very hard as he spoke.

“Do you know about the necklace that Lord Inuyasha wears?”

Rin wrinkled her nose. Yes, she remembered it. When she touched it once, accidentally, she got the most horrible, ugly feeling. She’d been very careful not to touch it again. “Yes,” she said, then added, “It’s a nasty thing,”

“You are correct. It is not pleasant because it has a curse on it, one that harms Lord Inuyasha as long as he wears it.”

“Why doesn’t he just take it off?”

“He cannot. Part of the curse is that it would bind to his youki—his demon energy—so that neither he nor anyone but the person who owns the curse, can remove it.”

“That’s awful! Can’t you ask Lady Kagome to take it off? She’s the one who owns the curse, isn’t she? When she says ‘sit’?” Rin didn’t understand why her lord’s features tightened again.

“That is impossible.”

Rin nodded again, though she didn’t understand, exactly. “What do you want me to do?”

“Lord Inuyasha is a half-demon, which means he has a time every month when he is more human than demon. Tonight is his time. His youki will recede to almost nothing, weakening the curse’s hold over him. Lady Junko thinks that a human with strong spiritual powers can remove the necklace during this time.”

Rin didn’t understand at first. Then she gasped and felt her eyes go big. “Me?” she squeaked. She didn’t have spiritual powers! “I don’t have spiritual powers!”

“Lady Junko thinks you do,” Lord Sesshoumaru said quietly. “She has been observing you and she senses great spiritual potential within you. Rin—would you be willing to try?”

She didn’t even have to think about it. If it would help Lord Inuyasha—“I’ll try my best,” she swore.

Lord Sesshoumaru nodded, then stood up. “Follow me, then.”

When Lady Junko had first come to him with her proposition, immediately after dinner, Sesshoumaru had not even been willing to consider it. Only after many assurances that no harm would come to his charge, had he warmed to the idea. Thus far, Rin had not shown any hint of miko-type powers, but she was still young and Junko was infinitely more experienced in these matters than he was himself. Still…

“You are absolutely certain that Rin will not be…damaged.” He asked again, quietly, once he had fetched the little girl.

“Yes. In fact, I am more concerned about what an attempt at removal could possibly do to Inuyasha’s youki. I will be guiding Rin, instructing her on what to do, how to move. The spell is specifically designed for youkai—it would never think of hurting a human. Now...where is your brother?”

“He is being difficult. Seiichiro and Shinmaru are attempting to subdue him, but even as a human he is altogether too…stubborn. Perhaps Rin can calm him, if nothing else. I think he has become rather fond of her.”

“Yes, your little human does seem to inspire affection,” Junko said with just a hint of amusement.

Sesshoumaru made a noise, whether of acknowledgement or dismissal even he didn’t know. He called for Rin to follow them as they made their way to Inuyasha’s rooms, from which the sounds of struggle still emanated.

At their knock, the door was opened by a harried looking Shinmaru. “Lord Sesshoumaru, thank the gods! Lord Inuyasha refuses to settle down and in his…state, Seiichiro and I are unsure how to proceed without harming him.”

“I ain’t weak, assholes! Why’d you have to come looking for me, anyway? If you’d left me alone I would have come back in the morning, good as new! Fucking—let me go!”

Seiichiro was holding the hanyou’s arms behind his back firmly and keeping his legs still with his own. They were in a knot on the floor, his general hesitant about how to proceed. Shinmaru was wringing his hands, at a loss.

“Inuyasha!” Sesshoumaru said sternly, hoping to distract his obviously frightened (and not wanting to show it) brother. How terrifying must it be? To be at one’s weakest and surrounded by so many others who were so much stronger? Sesshoumaru could not fathom it, and so he was marginally sympathetic to his brother’s plight.

“You bastard!” Inuyasha shouted and tried to lunge, but Seiichiro easily kept him in check. “How could you tell them? I fucking knew it was a mistake to trust you for anything!”

For some reason, those words cause a sharp feeling in Sesshoumaru’s chest. Perplexed, he pushed it away for later sound of a slap echoed through the room.

Rin lowered her hand and glared at the now-stunned form of his brother. “You should not speak to Lord Sesshoumaru in such a way! He’s trying to help you.”

Seeming to recover, Inuyasha turned his face away sulkily. “Oh yeah? And how’s this helping?” He made a movement no doubt meant to encompass his situation.

“Well, if you would stop fighting so hard, you wouldn’t have to be restrained,” Rin replied reasonably.

His brother seemed to deflate in the face of this unassailable logic. He nodded reluctantly and stopped struggling. Seiichiro released him and he stood, brushing imaginary debris from his kimono in a bid to avoid the gazes of the onlookers. Finally, he looked up, still sulky, but not belligerent. Yet. Sesshoumaru dismissed his general and healer with a pointed nod.

“What are you supposed to be ‘helping me’ with?” Inuyasha asked when they had gone.

Rin was apparently no longer angry with him as she answered brightly, “We’re gonna take the ugly-feeling necklace off!”

Inuyasha started and looked at the adults for confirmation. “We’re going to try.” Junko corrected gently.

“But you think you can?” he asked, with just the beginnings of hope sparking in his violet eyes. Actually a rather striking color, if Sesshoumaru allowed himself to think about it.

“We think there is a very good possibility that Rin can.”

Inuyasha blinked, and looked at the little girl, who was smiling at him proudly. “I’ll try my best,” she repeated the words she’s spoken earlier. He nodded and looked back at Junko.

“What do I need to do?”

“Make yourself comfortable. Your active participation is not required, nor advised. Relax, and allow Rin and I to work.” She turned her attention to the girl. “Rin, you must do exactly as I say, alright?”

“Yes, Madame.”

“Very good. Go to Inuyasha and hold your hands over the rosary, about a finger’s breadth away. Do not touch it.”

Inuyasha had situated his body against the far wall with his legs folded in, knees pointed out-and upward. Rin went to him and did as Junko instructed. “Like this?”

“Yes, very good.” Junko was kneeling about three feet to the side so she could oversee the proceedings. “Now close your eyes. Do you feel anything coming from the rosary?”

Rin’s brow knit, as if she was concentrating very hard. Her voice was uneasy as she answered. “It feels ugly and…and stubborn. Like it doesn’t want to let go.” Her hand was moving over it now, but Rin didn’t seem to realize it.

“Is there anything else?” Junko asked quietly.

“No—yes. But I don’t know…”

“Try looking harder,”

“Inuyasha belongs to its owner so it will keep holding Inuyasha for her. It’s owner doesn’t want to let Inuyasha go yet, so it won’t. That’s terrible!” she fretted.

“Hush, Rin, it’s alright! We’re going to get it off. Do you see anything else, like threads or a knot?”

“Yes! Blue ones. They’re wrapped around something yellow, squeezing it. Is that Inuyasha’s youki?”

“The yellow is. The blue is the spell that comes from the rosary, and it’s tying up the youki. Do you think you can touch the blue threads?”

“I don’t know.” Rin’s fingers hands moved as if chasing something. “They don’t like me touching them, oh! I have one!”

“Excellent! Now, this is the difficult part. You must want very much for the strand to break. Do you want that?”

“I want Inuyasha to be free.”

“And this is the way. Now, think ‘break’ to the string.”

Rin was quiet, biting her lip. She made a discouraged humming noise. “It won’t. What if I…? Oh, that’s better.”

Suddenly there was a flash of blue light and a snapping sound, then a hundred small tapping sounds as the beads of the rosary fell to floor and into Inuyasha’s lap.

“It worked.” Junko breathed on a sigh of relief, smiling.

“Not thinking at it to break, but I imagined a sword cutting through the string, and that worked.” Rin grinned, which morphed into a yawn. “I’m sleepy. Good night.” Then she wobbled and fell into Inuyasha’s lap, dead asleep.

“Poor thing,” Junko said indulgently. “Expending that much power must have exhausted her. I believe I am ready to retire myself. It has been a very…productive day, indeed. I will rest easily tonight.”

“Thank you,” Inuyasha said sincerely. He was cradling Rin gently. “I’ll tell her when she’s awake to appreciate it.”

“You are very welcome. Such a despicable harness needed to be removed. I was happy to help do it.” Then she was gone.

“I will take Rin to her room.” Sesshoumaru said into the somewhat awkward silence that followed Junko’s departure.

“That’s okay. I’ll do it. Least I can do for the one who finally unhooked my leash. I can’t believe it’s really gone…” he lifted his hand to touch the place where the rosary had rested.

“Perhaps now that it is gone you will be able to concentrate on your studies. If nothing else, your strength training will undoubtedly improve.”

Inuyasha seemed to be working himself up to say something, so Sesshoumaru waited.

“Thank you, too,” he finally said in a rush. “I, uh, appreciate everything you’ve been doing, it’s just, y’know, hard to accept that there’s no catch. That you’re still not trying to kill me. I’m…sorry…for what I said earlier, calling you a bastard and stuff.”

Sesshoumaru was at somewhat of a loss as to what his response to that should be. He halfway thought the apology was undeserved—he would have been a fool to think two century’s of malice could be so easily forgiven. Another part of him thought that there was nothing to forgive—his reasons for hating his brother had been righteous, if not wholly legitimate or deserved on the hanyou’s part. Finally he settled on, “Do you forget that this valley will allow nothing to hurt you?“ He saw from Inuyasha's blush that he had. “Your apology is accepted. Do not, however, think that I will allow you to get away with such behavior in the future. I have told you that I no longer wish you ill. If you cannot trust me, at least trust that I am not a liar. What I have done and what I will continue to do is in the best interest of the Western Lands—as I am in the process of appointing you heir, those interests do not include damaging you in any way.” ‘Nor allowing anyone else to do so,’ he added silently, before he exited the room, returning to his own for the night.

Kagome awoke with a gasp. She had the unsettling feeling that she’d lost something very important, but upon doing a quick inventory in her head, decided it had only been a nightmare. She couldn’t think of anything she was missing.

For some reason, though, this feeling of loss was accompanied by anger. Anger toward Inuyasha. Surely he should have been able to overpower his captors and escape by now. She was going to give him a sound sitting next time she saw him, for making her worry so darn much! Right after she made sure he was alright.

Probably.

After the rosary was removed, the days proceeded much more smoothly. Some of the weight that always seemed to sit so heavily on the young hanyou had been removed and, as a result, he was much more relaxed. He looked and acted, well, lighter. He smiled more, and was less reserved around his new companions. And his studies—all of them—were coming along very nicely.

Junko was very pleased with his progress.

Within a week, a comfortable routine had been established. Inuyasha would awaken before the sun came up, meet Seiichiro for his sword and martial arts lessons, then he would see Shinmaru, if there was a need.

After that, he would bathe and dress in one of his beautiful, newly tailored kamishimos with the ever-patient help of the servant, Dayita. Since the twins had deemed him capable of eating without instruction, he would then join the others in the formal dining room for luncheon. He no longer resembled a wild beast at the table and ate slowly, with decorum. He’d even begun to make polite conversation.

After the noon meal, he would receive further lessons with Retsuhi and Atsuihi. With basic etiquette adequately understood and demonstrated by their pupil, they’d begun to move on to ceremonies, of which there were many. For the time being they were concentrating on the three he would need to know for his Coming of Age celebration: The Pledging of Allegiance, which was between the individual and the current Inu no Taisho; The Blessing of the Lands; and The Recognition.

First, however, because Inuyasha was going to be attending the birth of Retsuhi’s child before all of this as a kind of beginner’s introduction to the realities of court, he also had to learn The Welcoming ceremony. Though he probably wouldn’t be asked to participate on the floor, he still had to know the lyrics so that he could sing along with the rest of court when the child was introduced and named. None of this would take place until after the birth at the end of the month, however. Retsuhi had requested the child be allowed to be born in Yuudai no Keikoku, as she didn’t want to risk a dangerous journey to Central Castle in her last weeks of pregnancy. “Why should I,” she’d said, “when the best healer in the west is already here?” Shinmaru had beamed at her.

The group would travel to the Central Castle then for The Welcoming, and return afterward. It seemed the twins had quite fallen in love with Yuudai no Keikoku and had asked to become permanent residents. Inuyasha had blushed as he’d stammered his approval. Despite their rocky introduction and subsequent lessons, he had become very fond of the two, and they of him.

After his sessions with the twins Inuyasha would seek out Rin to play if there was time before supper. After the meal, of course, were his lessons with her. While he was progressing satisfactorily in his geography and history lessons, Junko was even more pleased with his other progress. He was beginning to gain confidence in himself, the more he talked to her; the more he learned and understood; the more he allowed himself to be content.

He confided that, even though he was a little nervous (terrified) about the new responsibilities he was being given by Sesshoumaru, he was also relieved (ecstatic) to finally be a part of something and have something of his own. All of which, he attributed to Sesshoumaru, though grudgingly at first. At times, more frequently these days, he truly seemed to admire and respect his older brother, a fact which he had difficulty reconciling with his past hatred and distrust.

Junko had learned of the entire sad history between the siblings and had thoroughly reprimanded Sesshoumaru for his behavior. The Inu no Taisho had been either unable or unwilling to offer any excuses, and had merely accepted the scolding with a nod. While he was far too proud to admit regret for his actions, he did appear to be making an effort to right the wrongs he had committed.

Between Inuyasha’s lessons and Sesshoumaru’s security meetings with her mate, Junko didn’t have many opportunities to observe them together, but she had begun to foster a delightful suspicion. One that had been gaining momentum within her as more evidence appeared to support it. Most especially at meals she would, at times, catch Sesshoumaru looking at his younger brother thoughtfully, then seemingly catch himself staring and look away.

Though happily mated herself, and much too old for him besides, Junko had to admit she could understand why her Lord found the young hanyou so…worthy of attention. Dressed in his new, flattering wardrobe, Inuyasha made quite a fetching picture. The better fitted clothes emphasized the lean line of his body, and leant him a softer, more delicate aura. It also made for fantastic deception. To look at him, one would never guess he was quickly becoming a first class swordsman and could hold his own (for a while at least) in hand-to-hand combat against two generals in the Western Army.

In any case, even if her suspicions turned out to be correct, Sesshoumaru was far too adept at hiding what he felt, and so Inuyasha doubtlessly had no idea that their young Inu no Taisho was looking at him in a less-than-brotherly fashion.

In her opinion, they would make a fantastic match—and not only for aesthetic reasons. Politically, it would be a sound move—the two sons of the late Inu no Taisho mated and united together. Few other actions could silence the recently escalating quarrels of the court and high council as effectively.

Then, of course, there was the almost uncanny way the brothers complemented one another on a deeper level. Whether he knew it or not, Sesshoumaru needed someone to protect and love in order to thaw the ice that had consumed his heart so long ago. As for Inuyasha, whether he knew it or not, he needed to have someone who was willing to protect him at all costs, and to accept him for whoever and whatever he was.

Now, if only she could get the two stubborn demons to see reason...
- 7
- 8
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Yuudai no Keikoku