InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Awaken ❯ Hesitation & Absolution ( Chapter 3 )

Gently, he laid Rin down on a bed of soft grasses. He took off his boa and put it beneath her head and shoulders, just the way he had been while she took care of him. After pushing the blanket off to the side, Sesshomaru began checking her bandages.

"A cave?! This is where we're staying? A damp, musty cave?!"

Sesshomaru pulled his hand away from Rin. "We must only stay here until Rin is well again. I do not wish to risk her health on the journey back to the castle." Sesshomaru thought for a moment before adding, "And this cave it not damp. It's completely dry or I would not even have considered it. Now go, Jaken. You'll disturb her."

Jaken trudged out of the cave with a sullen expression on his face. "You'll disturb her, he says. Wait outside, he says. Hmph." He glanced back at the cave. "Stupid girl."

"I can still hear you, Jaken." Jaken sulked off into the woods and Sesshomaru smiled to himself as he watched Rin sleep. She's so beautiful, he thought again.

He sighed and cautiously lifted one of the bandages. She seems to be healing fast. He picked up the sack Kaede had given him. Now, what are these for again?, he thought, pulling out an herb pack. He compared it to the bandage he'd just removed. No. He dumped out the remaining contents of the bag. Ah, that looks right. He placed a new bandage over the wound and tossed the old one aside. Jaken will get it later.

Sesshomaru did the same for the other two more serious wounds and left the others, mostly small cuts, open. He again looked down at the herb packs. He recalled Kaede putting one across Rin's forehead. It's worth a try... He carefully placed one exactly as he'd seen it before.

Satisfied that it was as close as it would get to the way Kaede had done it, he pulled his hands back, his fingertips brushing the top of her breast. Sesshomaru inhaled sharply and jerked his hands away. He stared at her chest. I hadn't noticed she'd matured that much. Her hair, it's so much longer. She looks to be a young woman now, not at all the child I knew and... Sesshomaru stopped himself before that last "and" even formed in his mind.

Frustrated with himself, he sat against the wall on the edge of the makeshift bed. "Worthless hanyou...," he muttered to himself before drifting off to sleep.

Sesshomaru awoke hours later to the sound of soft laughing. He attempted to ignore it at first, but his eyes shot open when he realized who it was. "Rin?" He began to stand, stopping immediately when he felt a warm weight on his shoulder. He looked over to see that Rin had moved very close to him. Her head was resting on his shoulder. She gazed up at him.

"Oh, good morning Sesshomaru! I'm sorry if we woke you, Jaken was just telling me about how Kagome beat him with the Staff of Skulls while you were seeking out your father's tomb."

Jaken, who had been looking very displeased at Rin's laughter, began to apologize. "My Lord Sesshomaru, please forgive--"

"It's alright, Jaken." Jaken stared at him, bewildered. "It's in the past."

Jaken grumbled continuously about how he was being ignored for "that wretched human." He sat at the entrance of the cave, where he'd been instructed to stay until Rin and Sesshomaru returned, and watched the two fade away into the sunset.

"Bah. Wretched girl!"

Walking alongside Sesshomaru, Rin laughed softly. "All these years, Sesshomaru, and you still have nothing to say to me?"

Sesshomaru looked uncomfortable for a moment. "I..." He looked at Rin, reassured by her warm smile. He sighed happily and smiled back at her.

Rin looked out at the landscape. It's beautiful, she thought. She saw that they would soon come upon a small lake. Absolutely perfect. Smiling still, she said, "How long has it been? How many years?" It wasn't as if she'd lost count herself, she wanted to know if Sesshomaru had kept track.

Sesshomaru didn't hesitate. "Ten years and seven months." He glanced at Rin. "According to you humans, anyway." His slight emphasis on "humans" did not go unnoticed.

"Us humans, huh? Oh yes, I almost forgot. The great Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, would never admit to liking a human." She stopped and smiled up at him. His serious expression melted and he touched her hair. Rin's heart skipped a beat and she inhaled sharply. Sesshomaru saw this and dropped his hand immediately, walking again toward the setting sun.

"It's okay, you know. To like humans." Sesshomaru continued walking and Rin had to quicken her pace to keep up. "Sesshomaru...," she said softly. He stopped. I knew that'd get his attention, she thought. She caught up with him and they continued walking.

"Rin." Sesshomaru said her name softly, almost inaudibly against the buzzing nature and wildlife around them. Rin looked up at him in response and he frowned. "Nevermind." Rin looked at him curiously for a moment, then took his hand in hers. Sesshomaru smiled to himself and allowed Rin to lead him to the edge of the lake, where she sat down in the soft grass.

Sitting next to her, Sesshomaru looked out at the gold and blue expanse of the lake before them. The sun's final rays were reflected on the water in amazing pinks, reds, purples, and countless other colors. The sunset itself was beautiful as well. The sky and clouds lit up with every color reflected on the lake and more, all of it eventually fading to deep blue speckled with stars.

Rin rested her head on Sesshomaru's shoulder once again. "Isn't this nice?" She spoke softly, intertwining her fingers with his. "If only this moment could last forever... There would be no more pain." She gently squeezed Sesshomaru's fingers. "Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Sesshomaru responded by tightening his hold on her hand. "Sesshomaru, what if Naraku comes after me? I don't want you involved. I want you to promise me that you'll stay away from him. I don't know what I would do if I caused you any more pain... Will you promise me that?"

"I cannot do that, Rin." Sesshomaru sensed her protest before it left her lips. "Because," he said simply, "I love you."

"But--"

"And I will protect you, no matter what. It was wrong of me not to hunt Naraku down as soon as he took you from me. I regret that. By the time I'd decided to follow, it was too late. Naraku's trail was too well hidden and I had no way of knowing where you were. But, I will not let it happen again. I was careless then. I will not be careless now. Not with you."

"Sesshomaru..." The word came out as little more than a rush of air. "You can't..."

"I will." Sesshomaru sat Rin upright. "I have no other choice." Then, gently, as if he was afraid she would break apart, Sesshomaru pulled her to him. "I love you, Rin. And I will protect you this time." Sesshomaru kissed Rin. One soft, sweet kiss that held in itself all of their love for one another and the confirmation that the pain had ended.