The Life After

6/27/06

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the characters of Inuyasha. I do not own Naraku, Inutaisho, Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Jakken, Rin, or Ah-Un. I also do not own Ayame, the Elder, or Kouga. Nor do I own the lunar rainbow promise. Rumiko Takahashi is the wonderful creator and owner of said characters, manga, and show. I do not make money off of her characters or this story. Anything that is not owned by her is still owned by the people who own the Inuyasha show and movies. I give them credit for their work as well. I do not make money off of their ideas or episodes. This Disclaimer applies to this and all following chapters.

Author's Note: I kept thinking about the Northern wolves...and it just made sense to bring Ayame in if I was going to go ahead and send Rin back there. I mean, Ayame lives there, right? So I'm kind of getting sidetracked in my story, with the cute little love story of Ayame and Kouga. Expect a chapter very soon that deals with the two wolves. I just had to tie up their loose ends for them. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's kind of short, but it's trying to bring all the random things I left hanging into the same basic area. And be proud of Sesshoumaru! He is trying to find her, in his own way.


Thanks: Thanks to Sorceressofthenight I think you have left me more reviews than anyone! Except for music for the masses, so thanks to you as well! Also, Sorceressofthenight, you are right about Rin's heart always being with Sesshoumaru, of course her heart is just a little bit shattered right now.... Music for the masses, I highly agree! Sesshoumaru is a lot more like Inuyasha (at least in my head) than he would like to think. He does not like to show emotion, but he feels it a lot more than he would like to let on. He's just too stubborn to admit such things. Femme Fatale thanks for all the wonderful things you said about my story! And great guess! About Rin meeting Shen again. lol. You get ten points. Thanks for the hint on smaller paragraphs, but I think I may be as stubborn as Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Kouga when it comes to writing with smaller paragraphs. ENJOY EVERYONE!

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It was dawn, the sun had barely risen enough to light up the sky at all. Humans and demons alike stood staring at one specific scroll…but it was not just one scroll. It was thousands upon thousands, each one baring the same message. Each scroll placed within inches of the others. Lord Sesshoumaru was calling, no, pleading for the return of Lady Rin. There were promises of wealth and protection and a million other things for only the tiniest piece of news of her whereabouts. The dog demon had spent the entire night posting them in every village his name was honored under. The humans and demons searched far and wide throughout his domain. There was no news, however. Not a single person knew where she was. There was only Ah-Un, but nobody had even noticed his disappearance the day before. All of Sesshoumaru's subjects shrugged their shoulders. There was nothing they could do to help their lord. They had no clue where Rin could be.


Sesshoumaru lay face down in a bed on the second floor. He clutched a blossom gently in his palm. He had not put it down for a moment. The dog demon was so very tired, but he would not sleep. What if there was news? No, he had put up scrolls EVERYwhere. Now he would wait for a reply. Hours passed. No reply came. Only Jakken showed up occasionally, forcing food upon the demon who had still not eaten. He was not hungry. He only wanted to find her. That was all that mattered. As the third day of her absence dawned, Sesshoumaru fell into a deep sleep. He would not wake up for three days after that.


Rin hugged Ah-Un and saw him off, before turning to the strange sight that lay before her. What was this place Ah-Un had brought her? There was a waterfall that fell from a high cliff, and a river that swept down in front of her. Up near the top of the cliff, there was a strange shadow behind the waterfall. It looked like a cave, but disappeared quickly, so you couldn't be sure you had actually seen it. None of this interested Rin. What had her jaw hanging open was the hundreds of white wolves sitting randomly along the cliff. A few of the wolves that were on the ground padded closer, sniffing at her clothes. “Excuse me,” she whispered, but didn't know what to ask the wolves. If only there was a familiar face. Someone she could turn to. . . but she was all alone without her lord.

“I just knew you wouldn't last without me!” a cocky voice laughed from atop the cliff.

Rin's eyes traveled up to find bright green eyes glinting down at her. “Master Shen?!” she called happily over the roaring of the falls. Of course he would let her stay with him. Ah-Un had been wise to bring her here.

Instantly Shen jumped from the cliff, landing softly beside her. “My Lady Rin,” he bowed, his beautiful tail sweeping out behind him, “I thought I should never see you again. How happy I am that you have returned to me,” he had taken her hands in his own, “I wasn't certa-“ He stopped, dropping her hands.

“Master Shen?” she whispered, frightened by the danger that danced in the wolf demon's eyes.

“You reek of him,” he jumped backwards as if she was poisonous, “Leave here. You have no business with the wolves! We want nothing to do with the dog demon lord or his bitch.”

Rin had been utterly confused before he mentioned her lord. The taiyokai had marked her as his mate, and Shen had smelled him all over her. No wonder the wolf's rage was building swiftly. “Oh, please, Master Shen! You must let me stay with you! I have nowhere else to go!”

His tail twitched, as he had turned his back on her, but he did not turn. Instead he muttered, “The pedigreed canine changed his mind of having a human for a mate.” It was more of a statement than a question.

“Yes,” she sighed, “I am not good enough for him or his domain. I…have ruined him.”

The wolf did turn at this, his eyes wide with excitement, “The great taiyokai? Ruined by a human?” he hissed quietly.

“I'm sorry?” Rin asked innocently, as she had not caught his whispered words.

“Nothing, nothing at all. I suppose…I can allow you to stay for a while. Just keep that stench away from me. The women will tend to you.” He was gone before she had blinked.

She looked up to find two more wolves jumping down at her. They appeared rather human like Shen, but their tails hung gracefully over their hips. They had gorgeous white pelts on their hips as well. Just as Shen's pelt, they were clearly of their own fur. Their eyes were a misty brown, but not pupil-less like Shen's. They also wore armor, but theirs was purple and black plated. Their legs and feet bore no fur. “This way, Lady Rin,” one of them smiled, pointing at the cliff, “You may bathe in the hot spring, and we shall bring you some better clothes.”

Rin whimpered, tears welling in her eyes, “Couldn't I keep this kimono? I am…quite partial to it.”

“Very well,” one said.

“As you wish,” the other agreed. Then they each grabbed one of her arms and leaped with her up to the top of the waterfall and into the cave behind it.

Shen stood at the very top of the cliff, staring down at them, “The canine has lost his mate…he must be worried about her.” He turned, chuckling softly to himself.


Rin had been fed and bathed and taken care of by the two wolf women all day. Even though the lord had servants in his castle, she had never allowed them to do all of these things for her. She found it much harder to argue with the wolves. Even though Shen was angry with her, the wolves were kind, and they thought it was their duty to make sure her stay with them was comfortable. She had given up hours ago and just asked their names. The one who had light brown hair pulled up into a high ponytail was called Kouseki, and the other, whose soft white hair glinted like snow down to her shoulders, was named Tsurara. It had been a long day and she terribly missed the lord. Tsurara and Kouseki had found it strange that she always referred to the dog demon lord as THE lord. She just shook her head. He was no longer hers, and she should never call him by his name again. He was the lord. That was all he would ever be, but, oh, how she missed him.


Throughout Sesshoumaru's domain, the humans and demons were joyful and celebrated for days, unaware of their ruler's deep sleep. Their great, kind, fair, and wise lord was to be celebrated. There was no more fear. He would not harm them; certainly Lady Rin would not allow him to…if she was ever found. However, they had no news, and their searches had proved fruitless. So now they rejoiced in the new rule of Lord Sesshoumaru.


Shen bowed deeply, his blonde hair brushing the ground. He kneeled on a high cliff, far from the cave and waterfall. “I have news, Elder.”

An old white wolf with bushy gray eyebrows sat before him. His eyebrows shaded his eyes, and his voice was deep and wise when he spoke, “Speak, Shen. State your business.” Beside him stood a female wolf. Her arms were crossed, and she snorted at Shen as he stood up. She was human in appearance, unlike the wizened wolf who sat beside her.

“Elder,” he said as he stood, his ponytail flowing in the gentle breeze, “The supposed great dog demon is in ruins. He has mated with a human girl, and his entire kingdom is in an uproar. He has gone soft. . . and I have got his human in my clutches. He will surely come to get her, and then I will kill him! We will take over his entire domain!” Shen was beaming, his eyes wild.

“Shows what you know,” the girl hissed, turning her head and her pigtails bouncing. She had bright red hair, and a beautiful purple flower woven into her left ponytail. She had dark green eyes and wore a beautiful white fur cape that was held on by a string with three green fang shaped beads. She had a pink sword that matched her pink and black armor. Two short tails hung at her side, instead of one long one. Her wrists were covered with fur, as were her lower legs. She wrinkled her nose at Shen, who growled softly back.

The Elder cleared his throat, and sighed, “Ayame has just come from the dog demon's lands. She brings news that his domain is rejoicing. They are pleased that their lord has shown emotion. They are in a deep search for the human girl, indeed. You should return her to him, before Sesshoumaru comes here and destroys our entire lands to get her back.”

“She doesn't even want to go back, and I CAN defeat him! I know it! Just let me try,” Shen begged.

“Give it up, wolf boy. You will never be Elder,” Ayame grinned.

“Ayame,” the Elder said sternly.

“Sorry, Grandpa.”

“I want nothing to do with the dog's bitch,” Shen growled, turning his back on the old wolf and his granddaughter. “Do what you wish with her,” he started to leave, “…and don't sound so cocky, Ayame,” he paused, then smirked, “Your precious Kouga is never coming back.” With that the wolf demon leaped from the cliff and out of sight.

Ayame growled, then sighed. He was probably right about Kouga, after all…and she still hadn't learned to sense the jewel shards like she promised. It was especially hard now that there was no jewel. She hung her head.

The Elder turned to her, “What do you think should be done with the human girl, Ayame?”

“Let me talk to her,” Ayame said finally, “If she really does not wish to return home, then I think we should allow her to stay here. I don't think Sesshoumaru would tear this land to pieces if Rin was here.”

“Very well. Go to her. . . and do not give up on Kouga so easily. I know that wolf well. He may yet return to you and keep his promise,” the Elder silently padded off in the opposite direction of Shen.

“Thanks, Grandpa,” Ayame's green eyes sparkled in the sunset. Perhaps Kouga would come back and marry her, just like he had promised ages before on the night of the lunar rainbow. Until then, she may as well go meet this human.