InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Eien Ni Nakunatta Shunkan: A Moment Lost Forever ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 8: Arashi

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Deep autumn had settled on the Western Lands. It was a bitter season of raging storms and rain. Sesshoumaru loved it --- the dark weather was a perfect complement to his dark mood. Apart from the screaming winds that beat the shore, everything in the compound was SO unnaturally quiet. He lounged in bed, and tried to let the sound of the rolling ocean soothe him. As was usually the case in these dull, monotonous days, his thoughts automatically drifted towards Rin again. He remembered how these fierce squalls would excite her --- and would sometimes scare the hell out of her too!

In the past, when the weather became this wild, often he'd wake in the morning to find her sleeping outside his room, curled in a blanket against his door. She had never dared to come in or rouse him with her fears, though. Now he wondered how he would have reacted if she ever HAD been so bold.

His gaze traveled to his bedside table and over that small, telling scrap of parchment he'd found under her pillows all those months ago. He groaned. The longer he lingered in this house, the more questions arose. For instance, why had he let Naraku's words tear at him in the first place? Maybe they were too close to the truth, no matter what he tried to pretend. And why should it matter to him what that sorry excuse for a demon thought of him anyway? He was a great taiyoukai and beyond the petty judgment or contempt of his enemies! The girl belonged to him --- she was his to do with as he pleased!

He reached up and massaged the insistent ache in his temple. But you did do as you pleased --- you pushed her away, when all she ever did was try to offer comfort and support. Why had he turned on her based on nothing but hollow, empty words? No one knew him like she did, no one trusted him so completely. It was strange --- until now, he thought he had a good grasp on the cringing and cowardly nature of humankind. But Rin was steadfast, stubbornly loyal and brave. He still couldn't believe that she had tried to stand at his side against a foe that would have sent many a demon fleeing in terror.

Gods - he was going insane. He really should have forgotten her by now. How many months had it been anyway? Two, maybe longer?

Whatever the case, it was apparently not enough, he decided sullenly.

With a growl, he leapt from his large bed and hastily tugged his hakama around his hips. He pounded barefoot down the hall to her door, bowling over a rather surprised Jaken in the process. He yanked the screen open so violently that the wood cracked and fell from its track, and the delicate paper panels shredded under his claws. He entered the room with a snarl and closed his mind against the sweet scents that once again tried to envelope him.

Sesshoumaru swiped viciously at the racks of drying plants, watching as they splintered and spilled their contents onto the floor. He reached down and back-handed her small writing table into the wall, offering a smug grin at the resounding crunch of its impact. He bent and scooped up whatever he could carry, resolved to be rid of these reminders once and for all. Armloads of her bedding trailed behind him as he dragged everything into a haphazard pile in the courtyard.

There - he should have done this when he first arrived here.

Jaken had recovered from his initial shock and trotted up behind him nervously. He saw his master so infrequently these days. Sesshoumaru-sama was always either sequestered in his room, or out exploring his lands in his canine form, killing any local youkai that dared to challenge his authority. As such, the toad was completely unprepared for THIS particularly strange shift in behavior. He'd never seen Sesshoumaru-sama so ---- frantic. "My --- my lord? Is everything alright?" he spluttered. The menacing youkai only grunted in response, and stared down at the mess he'd created, as if oblivious to the world around him.

"My lord?" Jaken queried again. He tugged lightly on the fabric of his master's hakama in attempt to refocus his attention. Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped down angrily at the contact, and Jaken backed away a step in response to the heat in his gaze. The small demon instinctively raised his puny arm over his head, awaiting a blow that never came.

The taiyoukai had gone back to ignoring him, staring intently at the odd assortment of Rin's personal effects. It was astonishing, he thought. Who would have known that the evidence of the girl's existence could be reduced to such a small collection of broken, useless junk?

"Burn it," Sesshoumaru ordered with a sneer, pointing a sharp, clawed finger at the untidy heap for emphasis. Jaken's eyes widened in surprise and sadness, but he raised the Nintojou obediently.

Sesshoumaru smiled as the flames roared forth from the staff. Despite the dampness of the ocean air, the conjured fire threatened to claim Rin's possessions rather quickly. Good. Soon there'd but nothing left. Every trace of her life in this house would be destroyed. It was all burning ---

Fuck!

With a growl he pushed his small servant aside, knocking the Nintojou from his tiny hands. The great demon appeared to be completely at war with himself. Every muscle was tensed for action, yet he was rooted to the spot, as if unable to decide whether he should allow the fire to continue to consume the girl's possessions, or stomp out the flames and salvage what remained.

Jaken picked himself up off the ground and stared open-mouthed in utter bewilderment. He was rather ill at ease with his lord's bizarre, impulsive behavior. Sesshoumaru-sama was half dressed, his hair was tangled in the harsh wind, and his amber eyes were darting wildly with indecision.

With no warning other than an angry snarl, Sesshoumaru suddenly spun on his heel and charged towards the house, racing back to his chamber. He NEEDED to get the hell out of here. The solitude and seclusion of his family home was not erasing his memories. The Western Lands were secured a thousand times over, and no creature of any significant power remained to offer future opposition. It suddenly occurred to him that perhaps violent action with GREATER prey might be all he needed to feel like himself again ---

And that damned Naraku DID need to die for once again insulting his honor! A fierce growl rumbled from within his chest.

Sesshoumaru snatched Toukijin and Tenseiga up from his bedside, enjoying the familiar weight of the blades in his hands after such a prolonged absence. He raked his fingers through his knotted hair, and decided that grooming the mass was a hopeless cause now. The youkai settled instead for pulling the fine, white length back into a simple ponytail. The style would keep it out of the wind and mud for now anyway, he reasoned.

He allowed his gaze to wander around his chamber one last time, not knowing when he would return. His eyes came to settle on that little folded piece of paper again, and he reached forward to gingerly grasp it in his hand. This last sentimental memento of hers would be so easy to destroy as well. He could simply let the acid build at his fingertips and watch it dissolve into nothing but dust. Something inside his chest ached painfully at the thought and he found he just couldn't do it. Instead, Sesshoumaru carried the simple scrap of parchment down the empty hall and into the family shrine. Solemnly, he placed it among the collection of assorted objects honoring the memory of his ancestors.

There. He would allow this one thing of the girl's to remain here, to become another part of the forgotten past. The expressionless taiyoukai slowly turned away.

Sesshoumaru marched outside and strode commandingly back into the walled garden and courtyard. Jaken's trembling became even more pronounced when he saw the obvious and severe changes in his master's appearance. The little toad wisely chose not to comment on the dramatically altered look, but gestured up at the two swords instead. "M-My Lord, will we finally be leaving now?" he asked.

"Iie. No, `WE' will not be leaving, Jaken. You will remain here, until I have need of you." Jaken gasped --- was he being discarded now too? What had he done wrong? His voice trilled in a cry of protest, "But what will you do, Master? Where are you going? When will you return?!" The small demon wrung his hands and struggled to contain his sorrow.

Sesshoumaru did not answer, having been distracted by his own reflection shimmering in the black waters of a small garden pond. He ran his hand over the fine fabric of a dark new haori and down to the blades at his hip. Something was still lacking ---

Armor.

Over the past two months, he had preferred to do his killing in his transformed state. As a result, he had not bothered to take the time to replace his imposing kikou.

Now he had one stop to make before renewing his hunt for his enemy. He knew exactly where to go ---

"Totosai," he mused out loud. Yes, that crafty old bastard had managed to deny him his services all those years ago. He would not allow the smith to refuse him again.

Without further explanation, he was soaring off into the roiling winds surrounded in a swirl of his youki --- leaving the forlorn Jaken and the memory of a small human girl completely behind him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The seasons had continued their rapid change much, much sooner than Totosai predicted. Rin now included sweeping snow from the ledge as part of her ever-growing list of daily chores. She wasn't used to the powdery stuff --- Sesshoumaru-sama had usually kept her and Jaken moving when faced with such weather. The snow had proved an amusing novelty at first --- she'd played in it, caught flakes on her tongue like a little girl, or simply watched in fascination as the wind set it whirling upon the mountainside. Now, she decided it was just plain bothersome and too damn cold! She looked down at the much warmer, still green valley below rather enviously.

Her pouting was interrupted by Totosai's shouts. She dropped her broom and quickly hurried back inside to see what was causing his excitement.

She found the old youkai hammering the finishing rivets into a most lethal and striking-looking new piece of armor. "Amazing!" she marveled, patting her mentor on the back. The demon that acquired this piece would doubtlessly be just as impressed as she! Rin smiled with pride as Totosai turned the dark armor around to display HER ornate metal scrollwork inlaid over the sode, chest plate, and haidate. She clapped her hands together and beamed.

"I didn't do a bad job on that, huh?!" she said matter-a-factly, tipping back and rocking on her heels. Totosai shook his head, "Don't get too puffed up, young lady! You'll look like those two swaggering boys who were here last week!"

Rin giggled, but his comment suddenly reminded her about a few questions she had been too embarrassed to ask for the past few days.

"Ano, Ojii-sama, speaking of Kohaku-kun and the fox --- whatever was the matter with them anyway?! The way they treated me! It was so --- so odd!?" She blushed, recalling their strange smiles, and their even stranger actions. "Is there something wrong with me?" she asked. She reached out to toy with the decorative crimson tassels hanging from the armor's sinister spikes while she earnestly awaited his answer.

"Well, what do you expect, girl! That's how young men behave when they're around such a beautiful young lady!" the demon replied with a knowing smile.

"Beautiful?" she echoed, "Me?"

"Yeah - pretty, beautiful, lovely, bewitching, gorgeous and all that other silly stuff!" Totosai laughed. "And it's not just those boys who've noticed! What about Lord Inoshishi?! That damn boar demon has `broken' his sword three times this month --- I can assure you he doesn't make his way all the way up here to see this wrinkly old man!"

Rin gave an indelicate snort. "He's broken his sword because he's a clumsy oaf, and NOT out of any desire to be in my presence!" she shot back.

"I wouldn't be too sure," the aged smith teased in a sing-song voice. Rin threw a dusty cleaning rag at his head.

Totosai grinned. "That's my girl!" he shouted, "Not the cringing thing I first met in the forest! Still not all the way there, but a vast improvement!" he added lightly. "Why, if I were a twelve hundred years younger ---" he trailed off with a sly smile.

Rin rolled her eyes, grabbed another scrap of cloth, and began to forcefully polish the armor. She desperately hoped the vigorous activity would cause her to forget her self-consciousness and agitation. Men couldn't possibly be interested in her! Wasn't Jaken-sama always saying she was too skinny and short?

Totosai stretched and made ready to take a short nap by the fireside. He noticed Rin's look of obstinate denial, and couldn't resist getting the last word in. "Get used to it, my dear! You ARE a pretty little catch! And I have a feeling the suitors aren't about to stop calling!" he mumbled as he closed his eyes.

Rin paused in deep thought. She was pretty? Really?

She had seen her own reflection often enough, but knew so few women that it was hard to find a basis for comparison. Images of Sango, Kagome, and even that angry demoness, Kagura, flashed through her mind. She had always thought each of them was attractive in their own unique ways. She felt a sudden inherent swell of girlish pride --- she was lovely like that too?! Her initial reaction was to flush with embarrassment, and she pressed her hands to her face to hide her rapidly warming cheeks.

But wait --- if she was so beautiful, how come Sesshoumaru-sama had never said anything? Sure, he had given her funny looks every now and then, but they were usually over before she had time to evaluate them. And there was never anything in his gaze like that outright longing she had accidentally witnessed between the hanyou and Kagome. Rin groaned and smacked her forehead. "Atashi wa baka da!" she hissed vehemently. It had been so long and still HIS reactions were the first things that leapt to her mind! She was such a fool --- Sesshoumaru-sama didn't care for her at all! She forced herself to remember the rage in his fierce red eyes when he'd held her pinned to the ground.

It didn't help.

Without thinking, she brought her hand up to her scars, recalling the feel of his fangs and warm breath trailing slowly along her throat. She felt an unfamiliar tremor in her belly and knew instinctively that this strange new reaction wasn't purely due to fear. Rin tossed her head suddenly, as if hoping the dizzying motion would help rearrange her memories.

In a small fit of temper, the young woman threw her polishing rag into the glowing coals, and uttered an angry curse that she had heard the hanyou use on more than one occasion. She didn't need these thoughts. She cast a quick glance over to the already snoring Totosai, and yawned.

It looked like she could use some sleep as well, preferably the dreamless kind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rin awoke hours later with a deep sense of foreboding. Something was wrong. Totosai usually worked late into the night, seized by fits of energy and flashes of inspiration at the most ungodly hours. She had actually become accustomed to sleeping through his racket ---

But now there was nothing but unnerving silence.

She rose from bed, tip-toed down the shadowy hall, and crept stealthily into the foundry. The flames were still rumbling --- but Totosai was not tending to them. She found him towards the mouth of the cavern, standing very still, and peering owlishly up into the night sky.

"Ojii-sama?" she whispered, pausing to gather her long nightgown out of the dust and soot. The strange old youkai didn't answer, but motioned that she stay back with a choppy wave of his hand. He continued to stare pointedly into the distance.

Rin followed Totosai's fixed gaze in curiosity until she picked up a strange kind of shooting star. It was low, moving purposefully, and growing larger by the second as it headed straight for them. "What is that?" she breathed. The glowing ball actually seemed quite pretty and benign, but after years spent in the company of demons, she knew things were seldom as they appeared. Not for the first time, she found herself envying and wishing for the enhanced senses of a youkai.

Totosai sniffed at the air, gasped with sudden fright, and then whirled on her in a flash. "RUN!" he shouted.

He raced back to the forge and began to stoke the fire madly, looking back and forth between the curling billows of smoke and the steadily approaching ball of light. "I can't believe this," he muttered repeatedly, reaching to throw whatever was closest at hand into the greedy flames. He leapt up, slammed the flue closed, and began to stuff whatever left-over scraps of cloth he could find into the chimney to further block any gaps. The entire cavern was filled with noxious, burning ash in a matter of seconds. Rin had never seen him do anything so irrational or panicked.

"What?!! What's happening?" she coughed out shrilly, fear starting to overtake her. Her eyes burned and she was forced to breathe through the fabric of her sleeve.

"What the HELL are you still doing here?" Totosai screeched, "I told you to RUN!" When she only shook her head and looked at him with numb confusion, he knocked her down to the dust-covered floor behind an old cauldron. "Ahhh - no time!" he gritted.

"Jii-sama? WHAT IS THAT?" she yelled in desperation, struggling to get back to her feet, and shielding her stinging eyes from the blinding white light that seemed to fill the whole sky now.

Totosai fixed her with a grim look. "I think I might have made a mistake bringing you here, girl!" he whispered, staring hard into her pale face. "That's --- that's Sesshoumaru ---"

Totosai didn't have to worry about Rin remaining hidden anymore--- at those words she felt as though all her blood were frozen. She collapsed back into the dirt, completely paralyzed with horror. Sesshoumaru-sama was here? She didn't even want to begin to imagine why. Had he made the connection between her and the Tenseiga already? Was this to be her end, filthy and cringing on the floor of a cave? And how had he come by the knowledge of her present whereabouts anyway?! She stifled a quick groan at bloody images of Inuyasha and Kagome dying or already dead. Despite her slight dislike for her lord's half-brother, she had never wished him any real HARM or PAIN ---

Two things, she realized suddenly, that her former master would have NO trouble delivering to the hanyou.

She pressed her hand over her mouth tightly, as the strange, eerie glow suddenly died. Surely, the great taiyoukai would not need to kill her --- the intense waves of guilt, anguish and fear coursing through her body were bound to stop her heart before he could even draw his sword. Rin trembled at the unmistakable sound of even steps picking through the gravel --- coming steadily closer.

An ominous shadow suddenly darkened the whole entranceway to the cave. Her hand flew out to grip Totosai's wrist and she opened her mouth to speak but no words would come.

"It's okay!" Totosai whispered in warning, shaking a finger at her trembling lips. "Don't you move now, and not ONE sound!" Wrenching his hand out of Rin's surprisingly tight grasp, he stepped in front of her and looked angrily upon the approaching intruder.

"Hello again, Totosai ---"

Rin's breath fluttered weakly in the shadows. That voice --- so deep, so hypnotic, so cold --- she'd recognize it till the end of time.

Sesshoumaru entered the cavern imperiously and shook his head, trying not to show any sort of undignified reaction to condition of this forge. The flames in the oversized hearth raged loud and uncontrolled. Their furious roar drowned out any other sound and filled his pointed ears with a harsh, irritating buzz. He wanted to sneeze, to rub his eyes, or even gasp for good clean air, but continued to maintain his outwardly unaffected posture. A multitude of nauseating odors were playing havoc with his delicate sense of smell --- ash, smoke, mineral steam, and the cinders of demon bones and melted metal.

Yet through it all, he thought he felt vague traces of something sweet --- something feminine? He looked down dubiously upon the old demon moving to confront him and tried to erase a particularly disturbing mental image from his mind. This ancient walking carcass was keeping some woman here? He wrinkled his nose and sniffed again. And a young woman at that. Revolting.

Despite her terror at the situation, Rin couldn't resist this opportunity, and quietly resolved to steal a quick glance at the demon who'd cared for her for so long. She had not seen her lord since that heart-breaking day in the forest. Though little more than two months had passed, it felt like a lifetime.

She opened her eyes and gazed upon him, her heart contracting bitterly at the sight.

His long knee length hair was bound and loosely gathered in a high ponytail, and he had traded his flowing white robes for ones of deepest black. Tenseiga and Toukijin were now looped through a simple wine-colored obi that perfectly complemented the crimson stripes on his cheeks. He was as imposing and ethereal as ever, especially wreathed in misty smoke with nothing but the moon and firelight to illuminate him. Regal, haughty --- simply beautiful.

His face was different though, grimmer than she remembered, and there was a deep sadness in his eyes that she was sure she had never beheld before. Rin tried to take a second glance, but he suddenly moved out of her narrow field of vision. She muffled a soft, involuntary cry of dismay in her hands.

"My, my," commented Totosai, effectively ending the tense silence. "That look takes me back about four hundred years --- you so resemble your father!" Apparently, even the old demon couldn't help but notice the striking change in the taiyoukai's appearance as well. "Yep, just like Inutaisho," he continued, offering fond smile of remembrance. "Well, except for that ---" He waved his wrinkly hand absently towards the emblem of the crescent moon.

Sesshoumaru cast off the attempt at conversation with a dismissive nod. "I did not come to this filthy hole to reminisce about the past," he intoned blandly, gazing down to inspect his sharp claws. His eyes clearly warned that he was looking for ANY reason to put them to good use. "Keep your observations to yourself, old man."

Totosai frowned. "Well, you may look like your father but you certainly don't have a tenth of his honor!" he shouted in a huff. "Or his wisdom!" he added sourly under his breath.

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes --- what was that?! This lunatic still dared to insult and defy him? "Wisdom?!" he grated. "I do not know on what grounds you seek to lecture me on wisdom ---- this from a smith who apparently cannot even manage his own fire! How you garnered such a high reputation is beyond me, fool."

He shook his head again and tried not to cough. He'd better hurry with his task before the suffocating smoke or this vexing old demon drove him mad. Sesshoumaru strode deeper into the cavern, brushing arrogantly past the startled Totosai. His golden eyes roamed over the recently completed weapons and armor hanging on display.

"Hey, hey!!" Totosai yelled, bristling at the indignity of being ignored and disrespected in his own home. "So, to what do I owe the honor of this little visit? Just what the hell do you want?" Maybe the arrogant boy didn't know Rin was here ---

Sesshoumaru continued to ignore him, moving instead to inspect a rather intimidating looking o-yorai that caught his fancy. Despite his words to the contrary, he could see in an instant why Chichiue had chosen this crazy old smith. He lifted the armor down effortlessly to admire its fine craftsmanship up-close. This piece was more than he could have hoped for: wicked, powerful, and simply radiating with the energy of whatever formidable oni had donated its scales. It was deadly, yet beautifully elegant at the same time. He ran his claws lightly over the delicate designs carved into the spikes of the sode and chest-plate. Strange - Totosai's work had always been rather plain, absent of artistic embellishments such as these. When had he changed his style and technique? And where had he seen these patterns before?

He decided to favor Totosai with a short explanation for his presence as he continued to trace the lines of the intricate etchings in fascination. "Much to my surprise, a lowly excuse for a half-demon managed to break my kikou." he supplied curtly. "I have come to acquire a more suitable replacement. This one here will do nicely."

The sword-smith blinked in outrage as Sesshoumaru suddenly reached out to begin unfastening the buckles and re-lacing the bindings. With practiced hands, the proud demon pulled the armor to fit snugly around his chest.

"Wait a minute! Get your damn paws off that you --- you --- dog!" Totosai shrieked.

The taiyoukai growled. "Hold your tongue, old man! I am no thief! Consider this as suitable repayment for my ALLOWING you to live after your interference with that whelp, Inuyasha!"

At Sesshoumaru's heated declaration, Totosai ceased all protests with a gulp, while Rin, still concealed in the murky shadows, simultaneously buried her face in her hands. Oh gods! He knew?! He was just toying with them!? Sesshoumaru-sama HAD found out about her!? She was as good as dead ---

Totosai paled. "Interference with I-Inu-Inuyasha???" he asked. "H-How?!? Ahhh --- when?! I-I don't know what you're talking about!" His eyes darted unconsciously to Rin's hiding place.

"Gods - it seems that time has done NOTHING to improve your mind," the younger demon snapped, unable to mask his contempt. "Or your grasp on reality! Did you think this Sesshoumaru would forget?" He finished adjusting the new armor around his torso, and scoffed at the other youkai's semi-vacant expression. "You pitiful wretch, shall I refresh your memory?! I speak of your meddling with the Tetsusaiga when you helped that lowly mongrel master the Kaze no Kizu!"

Totosai exhaled sharply. "Ohhhhh! Right, right, right! Of course you're talking about THAT! My interference with Inuyasha WAY, WAY back then! H-Haven't had anything to do with him these days! Ha, ha!" the old youkai tittered nervously.

Sesshoumaru's slitted eyes narrowed. Totosai had started to sweat, and it wasn't from the heat of the fire.

There was FEAR in the old demon's face. Something more was happening here ---

The stench of twisted, melting metal was still setting his mind into a frenzy. Sniffing out a lie, or just whatever it was that this crazy old creature was trying so desperately to hide, was utterly futile at the moment. The intense roar of the flames continued to overload his other senses as well, but he chose to ignore the ache. He began to concentrate on listening to the old youkai's thundering heart. It was pounding WAY too fast and was followed by --- another?!

Someone else was in this very room. He swore he could detect a second VERY erratic beat, though the sound was faint and slightly muffled. Sesshoumaru took a threatening step forward --- there were other ways to flush out unseen traps or deceptions. He flexed his fingers and extended his claws.

Totosai set his jaw defiantly. "That's far enough, boy," he warned, reaching for his tools and brandishing a long mallet, "If armor is what you wanted, then you got what you came here for! Now go, you ungrateful puppy!"

The taiyoukai flashed a brilliant, wicked smile and paced forward again, daring the weaker demon to try to stop his advance. Rin was forced to stifle a squeak as his boots stopped almost directly in front of her hiding place. She was torn with the simultaneous desire to burst forth from the shadows and beg for forgiveness, and the equally desperate urge to flee. She quickly realized that proceeding with either of those actions would most definitely get her killed, and flattened her shaking form lower to the floor instead!

Despite his immediate peril, Totosai would not back down. "Don't make me have to teach you a lesson!" he shouted angrily at the taiyoukai. "Get out now, Wan-chan, or so help me, I'll deliver the beating your father should have given you when you were small!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened marginally and he gave a harsh laugh. Rin shivered at the deadly sound echoing above her --- that short, mocking noise seemed even more frigid than the snow outside.

Wan-chan? No one had ever dared call him that --- not even when he was one! His laughter ceased abruptly. "Take care with your words, you decrepit half-wit," he sneered. "You SHOULD really be grateful! This Sesshoumaru could very easily take your life, instead of just a mere piece of armor!"

Totosai shrank back nervously as the dog demon's eyes shifted to red and his youki began to build. He shook the mallet in anticipation and prepared himself for the inevitable attack.

After a tense moment, however, Sesshoumaru merely smiled again and began to back slowly from the cavern. Let this senile old fool keep his secrets and his mysterious hidden companion. What did it matter to him anyway? He had more pressing things to deal with now.

"You'll be leaving then?!" the old youkai asked, voice filled with equal parts of relief and surprise.

"Most assuredly," Sesshoumaru confirmed. "After all, I have no desire to stain MY new kikou with the blood of an enfeebled old man --- I have slightly more important creatures to kill." He strode out into the night, casting one last look of scorn over his shoulder.

Totosai waited until he felt all traces of the taiyoukai's power disappear, then fell in a state of nervous collapse next to Rin. Neither of them spoke for the space of several long breaths.

Finally, Totosai broke the edgy silence and burst out, "Well, that just took about five hundred years off my life!" The girl said nothing in reply, but rose steadily to her feet. She took a few small steps forward until she came to be on the very same spot that Sesshoumaru had stood mere moments before.

Rin gripped her robe more tightly around her trembling frame. At the present moment, she couldn't tell if her shivering was in response the deep chill in the air or to her gradually waning fear.

She left the cavern and treaded daintily into the light snow, pausing to compare Sesshoumaru's large footprints to her own tiny ones. The young woman slowly followed the few tracks until they simply disappeared off the cliff. She stared out into the night sky and could find no sign of his presence at all.

Like always, she realized, Sesshoumaru-sama had simply TAKEN what he wanted, without stopping to ponder about the after-effects of his actions. She thought of him streaking away into the distance without an emotion in his empty heart. He would never know or care that she had just crouched in the dirt, concealed beneath his very gaze. He would never know that at this very moment he was wearing the o-yorai she had so painstakingly helped to craft.

She bowed her head and hugged her own shoulders in a tight grip.

But strangely, even despite the bitter irony of the situation, she couldn't bring herself to cry anymore.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yes, another evil chapter ending --- I know. Stay with me though, the "rude awakening" is coming very quickly, I PROMISE! Thank you VERY much for the reviews. I really appreciate them all. I think I'm going to spend the next week trying to clean up the past few chapters and take some of you up on your advice and constructive criticism! Thanks again for all your time! And I'll update in a few days!

And to the one person who has been repeatedly flaming me in my PERSONAL e-mail, you have been blocked. I think I've made it perfectly clear throughout this fic that Rin is an adult! Furthermore, if you don't like my writing style, simply offer advice on how I can improve! I thought that was the whole point of the "review" option! Or, better yet, if you "hate this story SO much" --- just stop reading it!

Okay - I'll stop whining now! I apologize to anyone else who got stuck reading that pointless rant.