InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Every Heart ❯ Chapter 13

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Author’s Note: Thank you so much for your views and reviews! I have tried to contact my reviewers via the email option here, but I noticed that a test email went into my spam filter. I’ve answered some questions and made some observations in these emails; for the most part I prefer for the story to tell itself, but I’m always happy to clarify if asked. So – if you’ve reviewed this story, check your spam filters!

Disclaimer: The Inuyasha concept, story, and characters are copyright Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Media.

The character Ryûtatsu is original to this story.

The title “House of the Moon” is original to Resmiranda’s Tales from the House of the Moon. It is used here in homage to said fantastic story.

This is merely one girl’s dream of life after “The End.”



Sesshoumaru gazed down at the stack of documents before him, doing his best to keep his eyes from straying to the window. He glared at the carefully etched record at the top of the stack with intense concentration, as if he could glean its contents through sheer force of will.

It was no use.

He looked up and to his right, watching as the snowflakes dusted the windowpane. The weather was dreary, overcast and gray, but the flurries lightened the mood. The freshly fallen blanket of snow made the scene outside beam with innocence and purity, as if this place hadn’t been a battleground scant months before.

His vassals and allies had proven quite loyal. It had only been three months, but already the House of the Moon had been restored – the main dwelling, that is. Sesshoumaru had led the planning of the structure himself, but had been largely absent during construction, due to his obligations to the inuyoukai and wolf demon tribes. While he was off negotiating peace treaties and offering his support in petty squabbles, his vassals had put up the entire edifice. Only the onset of winter stopped their feverish building spree. It was quite the gift to come home to.

He decided to have his office on the western side of the building, mostly for strategic reasons. That was the direction from which Ryûtatsu disappeared, and he was still largely suspicious of the dragon taiyoukai. Even if there had been nothing but relative peace in the western lands since their battle, Sesshoumaru knew that Ryûtatsu was still alive, and would undoubtedly seek vengeance.

Sesshoumaru sighed at the thought; it was a tiresome dilemma. He had enough on his mind as it was; there was no need to contemplate possible future battles. He reluctantly turned his attention back to the ever-growing pile on his desk. Paperwork will be the death of me, he mused.

Certainly, being the retaining lord to a large portion of the country had its share of dreary, utterly dull work. He had inherited not only his immediate vassals – those that had served his father – but also those from the surrounding areas. On condition of their participation in his ambush of Ryûtatsu, the inuyoukai tribes had declared him their general leader. The upside? He had their armies at his beck and call. The downside? He had to deal with the petty infighting between regional commanders. Sesshoumaru’s idea of untying a knot was cutting through it with his sword; this diplomatic business was a challenge to his patience. But, if ever there was a lesson for him to learn during the battle against Naraku, it was how to be a true leader, how to gather his forces and have them work together.

He attempted to focus on his work once more, but again found his attention wandering. Why am I so restless? he groused silently. He pushed himself away from the desk and paced about the room. Even if he hated doing paperwork, he usually had the discipline to get it out of the way.

Soon enough, he was back at the window, as if drawn by some inexplicable force. The flurries had ceased for the moment; all he could see before him was a soft white landscape fading into the dark ocean. The sea was calm, the land was calm, so why was he ready to climb the walls?

Rin.

The name didn’t come consciously to his mind, but the instant he thought of her, he relaxed. Of course! He was missing his little ward. All told, it had been six months since he left her in Kagome’s care; this was the longest period of time they’d ever been separated. She was sweet, cheerful, annoyingly optimistic.

But he missed her.

He missed her smile, her laugh, her stupid questions he never dignified with an answer. He missed watching her pick flowers. He missed listening to her sing silly songs about Jaken. He missed her innocent, cloyingly positive outlook, her utmost loyalty and belief in him. In the wake of conquering these lands, his vassals compared him to his father – and found him lacking, even if they were smart enough not to say it. Rin had no one to compare him to; he was absolutely perfect in her eyes.

Even taiyoukai needed that kind of confidence once in awhile.

He glanced back outside, this time directing his attention to the sky. It was still overcast, but the clouds seemed to be moving out over the ocean. If his read was correct, the weather would be clearing over the next few days – especially to the east, where Rin was sheltering in Kagome’s village.

Now would be as good a time as any to retrieve her. The living quarters of the House of the Moon were complete; it wouldn’t take much time or effort to prepare rooms for her. More importantly, if he introduced her into this environment now, while the entire estate was still in the process of reconstruction, there was a better chance of his vassals accepting her as a member of his household. All youkai, regardless of status, had the same prejudice against humanity. He’d always known the acceptance of Rin into his home would be an enormous hurdle to overcome.

I will fetch her tomorrow, he decided, turning away from the window to face his desk again. Maybe this would give him the motivation to get his affairs in order…

“Youkai!”

The wail of the villagers brought Inuyasha out from his reverie. He quickly stood and palmed Tessaiga, shaking his head to sweep the cobwebs from his brain, before bolting out the door of Kaede’s hut.

The scene inspired a sense of déjà vu in him, and for a moment he couldn’t figure out why. The villagers were swathed in heavy clothing, gripping spears and bows as they crowded around the miko’s hut. Kaede herself was in the middle, her arrow pointed into the center of the widening demonic cloud. Inuyasha was proud to note Rin was close by, also adopting a battle stance.

Suddenly the girl’s expression broke, and her bow and arrow clattered to the ground. “Lord Sesshoumaru!” she cried, pushing her way to the fringes of the villagers.

Inuyasha’s jaw dropped as he watched his brother’s form materialize from the cloud. He quickly put his sword back into his belt and moved forward, calming the crowd of nervous humans and attempting to gather his wits about him.

“I see you still have no sense of timing,” he greeted Sesshoumaru, his voice thick with sarcasm.

Rin threw herself against Sesshoumaru’s form, her arms encircling his waist. He didn’t so much as acknowledge her, much less return her embrace. Instead, he turned his attention to Inuyasha. “And you still surround yourself with humans,” he returned, his eyes casting a look of disapproval. “How little things change.”

Inuyasha glared at him, but if he wanted to reply, he never had the chance.

“Lord Sesshoumaru, you came back for me!” Rin cried, her smile wide enough to crack her face. Happiness radiated from her as she pulled away and looked up into Sesshoumaru’s face.

Sesshoumaru’s expression softened ever so slightly, and he raised a hand to her head. “Did I not promise to return for you?” he asked, running a hand through her hair.

She merely beamed back at him, catching his hand between both of hers.

Inuyasha’s jaw once again hit the floor as he witnessed this little exchange. Distantly, he heard Kaede rounding up the villagers and urging them back inside their warm huts, and he was grateful to be spared the audience for whatever scene was to come. He was a bit embarrassed on his brother’s behalf by this bizarre display of affection.

Rin turned towards Inuyasha, practically glowing with joy – and relief? – as she ran back to him. “See?” she whispered, as if a conspirator. “I had faith he’d return.”

Her words struck deep in Inuyasha’s heart. He knew what she was implying – that his faith in Kagome would be duly rewarded – but the whole situation struck him as incredibly strange. He’d been under his brother’s care once, and he sure as hell never felt such glee at the proposition. Hmm. How much of this would have something to do with Rin’s sudden change in behavior?

Six months she’d spent in Inuyasha’s company, and for the first five of those months, she’d been his shadow, even moreso after Kagome left. Over the last few weeks, however, she’d distanced herself from him, growing moody and dramatic and generally spending her time in Kaede’s company exclusively.

“Where is your woman, Inuyasha?” Sesshoumaru’s question sliced through his musings.

Inuyasha narrowed another glare in his direction. It hadn’t gotten any easier over these last few months to speak of Kagome’s leaving. The pain had lessened into a hollow ache, but every time anyone mentioned her absence, it stabbed him in the gut. Somehow, knowing Kagome was still far away from him, while witnessing this reunion, set his teeth on edge.

Rin supplied the answer for him. “Lady Kagome had to leave,” she told Sesshoumaru. “She’ll return from her own time soon enough, though.”

Sesshoumaru’s expression shifted into one of very slight confusion for a split second. His gaze slid from Rin to Inuyasha and back again as he contemplated this answer. “I hope she at least attempted to do as I asked her before running off,” he finally sniffed.

“Of course she did!” a new voice popped up. Three sets of eyes looked down to see the indignant Shippo, who had been watching and listening from the doorway of Kaede’s hut. “Kagome is a woman of her word, Lord Sesshoumaru!”

Sesshoumaru appeared satisfied with this answer, though he said nothing to affirm it. “Shall we leave, Rin?” he said, his tone dismissing. It was more of a declaration than a question.

“Can Inuyasha come with us, Lord Sesshoumaru?” Rin asked, hopeful. “And Shippo?”

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow as he looked at his half-brother. “You wish to leave this village? And if your wench comes back, only to find you’ve abandoned her?”

“Forget it! I’d never subject myself to your hospitality again,” Inuyasha said viciously, baring his fangs, fisting his hands tightly.

Shippo shuddered and jumped onto Rin’s shoulder.

Rin looked at Inuyasha. “Will you at least visit?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Inuyasha could smell the tears on her, and that made him doubly angry. Why did Sesshoumaru deliberately provoke him?

Why did he show his weakness to his brother, to allow this provocation?

Why did he feel so jealous?

“You share my father’s blood, Inuyasha,” Sesshoumaru said. “Don’t forget that I may one day call on you to honor this familial bond.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” Inuyasha muttered. He looked back at Rin. “I’m sure we’ll see each other again,” he told her, working to keep his tone even. All those trials with Kagome’s tears had taught him that much, at least.

Rin nodded, turning back to Sesshoumaru.

“Shippo, you’re leaving too?” Inuyasha asked. He wasn’t really surprised. Without Kagome’s soothing presence, his friendship with the little fox had fractured pretty badly. It seemed he still couldn’t forgive Inuyasha for wrenching away his chance to bid Kagome goodbye.

Shippo nodded, his expression somber. “Sorry, Inuyasha,” he said softly.

Inuyasha just looked at him. I’m sorry you don’t have faith, too, he thought. It took every fiber of his being to keep from saying the nasty sentiment out loud. If he was honest with himself, he was sympathetic to Shippo’s broken heart. He knew Shippo was just as frustrated as he was, and this was the only way the kit could deal with it.

Sesshoumaru looked at Shippo. “Don’t waste my time,” he warned.

Shippo nodded vigorously, clinging tightly to Rin as Sesshoumaru pulled the girl into his arms, holding her securely against his mokomoko. Rin happily put her arms around Sesshoumaru’s neck, which led to a reckless grin from Inuyasha.

“Watch yourself, brother,” he called wryly as Sesshoumaru took flight. “She has already started to bleed.”

Rin settled herself contentedly against Sesshoumaru’s shoulder. They were travelling quite high in the sky, and at a generous pace; the magic of the flight put Shippo to sleep rather quickly. It had done the same to her in the beginning; as she travelled more with Sesshoumaru and Jaken, she’d learned to keep herself awake and alert during their journeys.

She gazed up at Sesshoumaru’s impassive face. She had been so happy to see him, she could barely contain herself. She never doubted his promise to return; far from it. He’d always rescued her when she became the pawn in Naraku’s games, or when others – humans and demons alike – tried to lure her away. There was something about having someone save your life that made you loyal to them forever!

Memories of their time together came to her mind. She remembered meeting him that first time, dumping water on his head when he was unable to move. She remembered how swiftly he’d reacted when Kohaku tried to kill her, but how he’d spared the soulless boy’s life after one glance into his eyes. She remembered pitching headfirst into the river after Kagura, who’d come to die in Sesshoumaru’s presence. She remembered asking him not to forget her after she died, drawing a huffy response from Jaken in the process. She remembered, quite vividly, waking up from death in his arms, on two occasions – after being mauled by the wolves shortly after they met, and after venturing into hell with him.

These memories had been plaguing her of late. The look on his face after each incident – surprise, shock, fondness – was emblazoned on her brain. She tried to imagine it now, when he was so close again, but found it hard to map over his current stoic expression.

Her grip relaxed around his neck as she continued her reflection. Her lips curved into a small smile. Never before had she wanted to touch him so much – not even six months ago, the last time they travelled thusly. She’d been nervous and scared then, too upset to wonder about the softness of his skin under her hands, or the silky brush of his hair over her arms.

I wonder, she mused, her eyelids falling closed, if I’d met him for the first time today…would I dump water over his head and offer him rats to eat, or would I put my arms around him and comfort him as he healed himself?

Sesshoumaru felt her shift against him, which led to Shippo fidgeting around as well, and briefly wondered if she had brushed up against part of his armor. When she settled with no verbal complaint, he dismissed the thought from his mind.

He was still assessing Inuyasha’s parting words. She’s already started to bleed? He sensed a very small change in her scent, but not that of a mature human female. Hmm. If she was indeed ready to bear children, finding her a mate would have to be at the top of his priority list. Perhaps when they returned, he could have Jaken or Myoga venture down into that human enclave to the south of his stronghold. Surely one of those villagers would be suitable.

He furrowed his brow. Suitable, perhaps, but he wanted nothing less than her happiness. A niggling worry at the back of his mind told him this would not be an issue so easily solved.

He was happy to arrive home before the next storm blew across the horizon. “We’ve arrived,” he announced, touching down a few feet from the restored courtyard.

Rin opened her eyes and yawned, taking in the sight before her. “It’s beautiful, Lord Sesshoumaru!” she breathed.

His mouth quirked into a half-smile at her response; he was surprised at how her much approval pleased him. He set her on her own two feet and began walking towards the dwelling, when suddenly he spotted Jaken racing towards him.

“Lord Sesshoumaru!” he cried, stumbling over himself to reach the small group. “She’s here!”

Rin looked surprised and pleased. “Master Jaken, did you miss me so much?” she asked.

“Not you, silly girl!” Jaken shot her a frustrated glance before turning with wide eyes to his master. “Lord Sesshoumaru, your mother is here!”