InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Finding Rin ❯ The Girl Is Gone ( Prologue )

Standard Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I claim to, own any of the characters from the anime/manga Inuyasha. All other characters will either be credited to another copyrighted work or stated as being an original character created for this work. Tsukino Cho is one such original character.

 

Finding Rin

by

Alexandra the Gray

 

Prologue:

The Child Is Gone

 

The sun poured over the ground through the leaves, leaving large patches of pale shadowed ground on the forest trail. All around were the sounds of nature; birds whistling and chirping at one another; the gentle gurgle of the water as it ambled along in a small stream; the sigh of the wind as it swept through the branches of the trees. The only sound that did not seem to fit was the irritating sound of an anxious voice.

 

“She was right behind when I last saw her, my lord.” That voice and its pitiful excuses were beginning to grate his nerves. “Sesshomaru-sama, I swear she was right behind me. Ah-Un did not even notice her disappearance. Why would she walk out into the forest without someone to protect her? She should know better than to...”

 

He continued on. As if these words could redeem him in any way. He had been the one to lose Rin the other day when Sesshomaru had instructed him to watch after her. Sesshomaru was already feeling beleaguered and didn't need any help.

 

“...lying dead in a ditch...”

 

Perhaps he should kick the toad to shut him up.

 

“I don't want excuses, Jaken,” Sesshomaru's elegant face remained stoic, but his voice managed to betray his frustration and weariness, “let's just find her.”

 

Up ahead there was a bend in the path which, Sesshomaru could tell, led to a small glade. They were just beginning to round the bend when he caught a perfume that seemed odd so deep in the forest. Underneath the fresh scent of the forest there was the sweet smell of lemons, white tea and ginger. The triad of aromas provoked his senses to explore the intriguing scent further.

 

The sound of soft grass and clover rustling under light feet aided him, apart from the distinctive smell which his nostrils had told him immediately, in assuming that the maker of this blissful aroma was female.

 

Somehow the rankness of sweat did not permeate the next layer of scent, excitement and a bit of exertion. It seemed unnatural in a human for it to be absent, and by the very nature of the scent there was something strange about the redolence that made it seem entirely sincere about its humanity, which would almost immediately cause someone to be suspicious of it, if one paid attention. Despite the oddity, the fragrances blended together in such a way that he had to admit that he had never smelled anything as engaging when they reached his sensitive nose.

 

 

It was when only a small cluster of shrubbery blocked the clearing from sight that another scent found his nose. The odor was a slight and at first unwelcome pong that had somehow hidden beneath and added a sourness to the other more pleasant odors upon discovery. The copper smell of fresh blood seemed to imbue within an inner layer of the perfume. Amazingly, those scents combined somehow managed to make an unbelievably arousing aroma.

 

When he had passed the foliage he saw the source of such a heavenly essence.

 

She stood before him, between two great trees on the other side of the clearing. The blue-silver velvet cloak which she wore seemed to be an attempt to conceal herself from the world. The cloak hid near all of her appearance and flowed behind her, delicately sweeping the forest floor. The loose cowl hood was pulled up over her head, putting her face in shadow, only allowing for someone to see her beautiful full lips, tinted peach-pink and glistening with moisture.

 

“Are you Lord Sesshomaru, Taiyoukai of the Western Lands?”

 

The question startled him, though it never showed on his face of practiced indifference. It wasn't so much the question as it was the voice which came from those soft lips. The gentle, composed and somewhat grave voice did not seem to match her mysterious appearance. Sesshomaru couldn't help but watch her lips as they moved around the words, around his name, and felt an unfamiliar warmth begin to grow in the middle of his chest.

 

“Yes.” His voice was strong and demanding of an explanation as to how this woman knew him. He waited for her to speak, but instead a moment of silence passed before them as he felt her eyes upon him, evaluating , from beneath her hood. Finally she spoke.

 

“Rin-san will be most pleased to hear that I have found you.” The voice sang in his ears, especially when she spoke the name of his charge. “I was starting to worry when I could not find any traces of you yesterday.”

 

A beat passed before he thought of anything other than the bliss of her voice.

 

“Who are you?”

 

The corners of her supple mouth turned upward in a slight smile at his suspicious sounding inquiry.

 

“I am Tsukino Cho. I found her in the woods not far from my home, being attacked by a pack of rabid wolves. We managed to save her from any serious injury, but she does have some scrapes and bruises,” she said, a bit of anger, presumably at not being able to save the girl from any harm, however slight, showed on her face in a small frown as she said in a faraway voice, “and she was so scared...”

 

A low growl escaped Sesshomaru's lips and he looked at Jaken momentarily to give the little toad a cold glare, then replaced his gaze, which was now less menacing, upon the woman.

 

“If you wish, I can lead you to my home,” she said, apparently having recovered from her moment of inward thinking as she reached an elegant hand up through the folds of her cloak to remove her hood.

 

When the hood had fallen away Sesshomaru was momentarily stunned, for the beauty of this woman was breathtaking.

 

 

Her ebony hair was as smooth and shiny as the water in a calm, fresh stream and reflected the light in muted shades of white with every cresting wave it took. Her eyes were like an early morning at sea. Dark, steely gray-blue crowded around her pupils before fading into white-gray fog trapped within black rims. Sesshomaru found that he could quite easily become lost in their depths. Her heart shaped face was fair and smooth, though with a group of fine freckles across the bridge of her nose, as she looked up at him with a slight smile upon her full, moist lips.

 

As he took in her features, Sesshomaru found that it took actual effort to hold the usually effortless mask of indifference in place.

 

What was this woman doing to him? To make him feel so flustered was unthinkable... and it only took her a few words and the revealing of her face!

 

“Alright.” Seshomaru found it incredibly hard to make that one word escape his mouth, though he managed it. The woman flashed a dazzling smile, showing her perfectly white and straight teeth that momentarily stunned him into mental silence as he stared.

 

“Good.” She started to turn in the opposite direction, her cloak rising slightly, allowing him to glimpse her slim feet which were clad in an odd kind of ballet flat-sock which revealed the top of her foot and had a kind of padded sole. It was made of a strange creamy white material that glittered in the afternoon sun. Then the cloak came back down and the odd garment disappeared beneath the folds again. “This way.”

 

A subtle, amused smile graced her features as she waited for Sessomaru to come to himself and follow her. With a bit of irritation flashing in his eyes he began to follow her, not even noticing Jaken's curses as he followed.

 

~_~

 

Glossary:

 

-sama - like lord or lady in English. Shows respect.

 

Taiyoukai - a High Demon Lord.

 

-san - like Mr. or Ms. in English.

 

Tsukino - of the Moon.

 

Cho - Butterfly.

 

 

A/N: I hope you like this so far. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon. Please remember to review. Thank you! ;P

 

A/N2: I just finished editing this chapter after getting back to the world of Microsoft Word and SpellCheck. Again, please review so that I may be able to judge how readers like or dislike this story. Thanks.