Amber and Gold

Chapter 3: Questioning

* "What's wrong?! I can't do anything anymore!" *


As they walked the green path to the village not far away, her words rung in his ears like bells that had yet to cease.

* "Just stop it! Stop it Sesshomaru! Let me be free for once!*

He swallowed the lump in his throat when recalling the word. Free. What an...odd word. Freedom could ensure obvious trials and tribulations seeing that no matter who you were, one way or another, something or someone, would try to take that freedom away...So was anyone REALLY free?

'Of course they are...I am.' The dog demon pondered these thoughts to himself yet kept his stoic expression plastered.

'...yet I am not.' Looking to his right, beside him walked his incapability in being 'free'.

This girl, this girl that had somehow made him have an obligation. This girl, who had somehow made him to care. No...this was not a girl. This was a woman. A woman who wanted to be in control of her own actions.

Sesshomaru kept his eyes on the young woman walking in front of him, her anxiety apparent, event to human senses. Unconciously his jaw tightened and his inner turmoil flared up again.

A burden. Nothing but a burden. She had proven herself to be more trouble then anything else and he should of known she would turn and do something like that.

'That is Jaken. Those were Jaken's words, not mine.' he reminded himself and had to find what his own feelings on the subject were.

The youkai lord paused in his thoughts for a moment and came up with one word he knew was what explained this entire situation. Possessiveness.

He'd watched over her, given her protection, done everything any mate would do.

'Mate?...Guardian. Guardian would do.' He corrected himself. And now, the dog demon saw her as being rightfully his. In every aspect of the word too.

One example of this being last night.

"Rin-chan!" Came a loud voice, breaking him from any further pondering.

The chesnut haired teenager put on a large smile and waved over the tall grass they were now walking through, picking up her pace. Sesshomaru saw this and looked to see a very pregnant Sango, her round belly and welcoming grin greeting their new guests.

Miroku and Sango had settled in a hut just outside the village, one part of their house under construction on the west side. The former monk emerged from the door, his eyes darting to where his wife was sitting to Rin's direction. When seeing the young woman, he gave a smile as well gesturing from inside the hut for someone to come out.

Jaken grumbled, his complaints about humans and them not knowing when to stop breeding seething from his beak like mouth. Sesshomaru silently sighed to himself and knew the little imp's words held truth. The human species had doubled in the western lands from years previous. This, being an example of why.

They were soon a few feet away from the village, Sango unable to stand from her position on the bench by herself due to her large stomach, Miroku assiting her his prideful glow rubbing off on his wife.

"Hello my friends! Haven't seen you for a while!" he welcomed loudly.

To the ex-houshi's left, was a wide eyed child with inky black hair and bright violet eyes. Sesshomaru gave a glance at the little human and could tell by his scent as well as his appearance, that he was their first child.

Inuyasha was now holding the bubbly little Kimi, his attention going back to his brother.

"Oi, you gonna let Rin stay for a while?"

Sesshomaru looked toward Rin who was hugging Sango, her attention on thier first child and the pregnant woman. She was in heat now, so in a week or so, the teenager would be having her monthly blood cycle.

In an indifferent voice he replied,
"Yes."

With that simple answer, the taiyoukai waited and listened in on the human's conversations until the young woman gave him a second glance.

"I'm so glad to see you Rin, you remember Keiko?" Sango said bringing the little child hiding behind her leg around to greet his guest. The little boy was small, barely over a year old, his little rag bear fit for a small girl his age clutched in his arm.

Rin bent down in a friendly way, her hand going to the little boys fist that was holding onto his mother's kimono. Touching his fingers in a gentle caress she said a quiet 'hello', and laughed at how shy he was.

Miroku piped up giving a proud grin saying,

"He has grown alot since the last time you've come Rin-chan, wouldn't you agree?"

Rin giggled and smiled up at the proud father.

"Mmhmm, he has Miroku. He looks just like you."

At this remark the former monk blushed, and looked at Sango as she rolled her eyes...that was all she was going to hear now.

Kagome gave a laugh at her friends comical expression, Inuyasha 'kehing' and knowing Sango's reason for being so sarcastic. They would ALL hear about that now...constantly.

"AH! Yes, my son indeed looks JUST like me. You know I was discussing that with the others earlier and-"

Before Miroku could finish however, he was interrupted by the taijiya.

"*AHEM* Hello Sesshomaru, it's nice to see you again as well."

Miroku blinked at first, but soon got the jist and looked to the silver haired taiyoukai. Sweat dropping, he gave a nervous smile and an uncomfortable laugh.

"Oh, how rude of me, hello Sesshomaru, I was busy chatting my mouth off. How are you?"

Their chatter was cut short as they waited for him to answer, his golden eyes cooly going from one person to another until finally coming up with a decent answer. His voice held a wry calm tone.

"...Fine."

With that, he looked to Rin, her eyes diverted to the people in front of her. If he didn't know any better...she was TRYING to keep from speaking to him. Or even looking at him for that matter. No one said anything until Kagome cut in, her voice uplifting and happy.

"How about we make a dinner? For eveyone, since..well, we're all here!"

Her wide smile was directed in Sesshomaru and Rin's direction. The miko and others weren't stupid. They could sense the tension and anxiety radiating off each of them, so Kagome's offer seemed like a life saver.

"Ye-yeah! That sounds great. How about we start? I've got some tastey boar meat Miroku and I were saving for later, but since it's enough for everyone we can eat it now."

Sango said this trying to lighten the mood, her son cutting in with a little 'Okaa' after she stated this. Looking down, the pregnant female asked what he wanted and was told that the little child was 'hungy'.

Inuyasha gave a scoff and commented that Kagome still needed to feed their daughter as well. With a yes from both women, they went to work on making food in Sango's hut, with Rin joining them. The men were left to talk or do whatever outside and advised that dinner would be done in a while, so as to not go and find something else to eat...

"Meaning YOU Inuyasha." Kagome said this pointing an accusing finger in his direction. She received a 'Keh' for an answer, making Rin laugh and shake her head at the impeccably amusing hanyou.

As the three women sat around the campfire, it's make shift kitchen counter on Sango's lap as she cut vegetables for their meal, Kagome spoke up, Kimi breast feeding off her mother.

"So Rin, how old will you be this summer?"

Rin helped in chopping the meat and looked up with a small smile.

"This will be my 16th summer Kagome-chan. I'm looking forward to it since now I can be looked at more like a lady in the castle instead of a 'little girl'."

Sango glanced to the young woman, her eyes shinning with recognition of how she was feeling. Turning to Keiko, she handed him a little peice of vegetable she was cutting and observed as her son started chewing on it. Perhaps soon Rin would realize that being seen more like a woman could involve other things as well...other more complicated things.

"I see."

They became quiet, the only sounds being the knives cutting and Kagome adjusting Kimi by shifting the blanket over the small child. The group couldn't talk freely with Sesshomaru or Inuyasha so nearby, so Kagome and Sango stayed silent for the time being.

"How long will you be staying Sesshomaru?" Miroku cut the silence with a friendly question, his nervousness permeating the air, making Inuyasha 'feh'.

An annoying voice came from behind the person Miroku was originally speaking to, his obvious disgust in the question apparent as he shot back,

"Lord Sesshomaru will stay until that stupid girl has-" A swift kick came from the dog demon, its quickness faster than the blinking eye. The little toad landed a few feet away with a 'humph', his head containing a large lump from his master's abuse.

Inuyasha and Miroku saw this, their expressions blank when trying to figure out why the taiyoukai was so...'protective'? Sesshomaru's usually cool gaze came back to them again, now replaced by a fiery irritation. In a low voice, knowing the old toad could hear him he spoke,

"Jaken. Shut up."

The little imp grunted in response to his master's demand, the answer not good enough for Sesshomaru. Turning his head delicately in the direction of the toad, he narrowed his eyes in a death threatening glare, the point being taken as Jaken scurried to get up and bowing in apology. 'Gomen-nasai's' were the only thing that escaped his mouth until Sesshomaru interrupted with a growl.

"Retrieve AuUn."

With that the little imp jumped to do what was asked, disappearing into the lush foliage they had come out of. Inuyasha cleared his throat and stood next to his brother commenting,

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Miroku just blinked, that same question on his mind as well.

The taiyoukai turned with that same irritated gaze not answering.

"Keh! It's Rin isn't it?.."

"Don't make the same mistake Jaken did Inuyasha..." Miroku warned, his eyes weary of the tall demon.

"Shuddup, it's just a question. So what the hell is wrong with you and Rin? I ain't as stupid as I look."

The hanyou wasn't close with the young woman Sesshomaru traveled with, yet did consider her to be...'pack'. Her well being as well as Sesshomaru's were somewhat, of the hanyou's buisness.

Inuyasha said this in a cocky voice, ending his sentence with crossing his arms making a point that he wouldn't leave the subject alone until he got some sort of an answer. Sesshomaru just shifted his gaze to his younger brother and let a small sigh escape his tense lips.

"Then you hide your intelligence well little brother, my business is my own."

The former monk let a smile of laughter come to his lips at the comment, yet he kept silent, observing the now, increasingly pissy Inuyasha, turn red.

"Oi! She ain't happy like usual, so I was just asking. Keh, stupid ass..."

Unable to come up with a decent come back, Inuyasha growled out the last part like a pouting child.

Miroku cut in adding his opinion.

"Yes, she isn't as...interactive like last time."

Sesshomaru listened to each concern, his teeth clenching with the thought of 'She must hate me.'

Debateing whether to say anything, the demon lord cleared his throat yet only answered in a low voice,

"She is fine. Our confrontation was petty. Rin will return to normal soon."

Inuyasha lifted his eyebrow at the reply giving a scoff.

"So you DID get in a fight. Keh, that explains it then."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the hanyou his brow in a slight frown.
Was it THAT noticeable...?

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thanks,

Suketchi.