The Life After

6/23/06

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the characters of Inuyasha. I do not own Naraku, Inutaisho, Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Jakken, Rin, or Ah-Un. 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. This Disclaimer applies to this and all following chapters.

Author's Note: This is a short chapter...but it entails to a good bit of Rin's time spent in the castle. If you are still looking for the "good" chapter in this, it is Chapter 7. Which will be posted soon. I am nearly done with the story, and I do not like to keep any avid readers waiting, so the chapters should be up in two weeks at the very absolute latest.

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The next morning, after breakfast, Sesshoumaru brought Rin to the bottom of the third floor stairs. Her room was directly next to the stairs. Sesshoumaru had chosen it so that she would be near to him if she needed him. The great dog demon pointed to their right, as they faced the stairs, “All the way, at the far end of this corridor, is where your history tutor is staying. His name is Tuu-Yen. You will refer to him as Master. He is a panther demon. I offered the northern tribes a treaty if they sent me their wisest master. They agreed immediately, of course. A treaty between the west and the north would make our lands beyond the reach of any uprisings. Tuu-Yen will explain all these things to you. You shall not have to visit his room, as he will meet with you in the library,” Sesshoumaru lowered his hand and then raised his other, pointing to their left, “At the very end of this corridor is where your weapons tutor's room is at. You shall meet him in the training yard behind the castle. His name is Shen. You will refer to him, also, as Master. He is a wolf demon, also from the North. It was only because the wolf demon tribe fears me that they sent him down. There was no treaty, as the wolves prefer to keep to themselves. Shen will teach you to defend yourself, for when I must be away visiting my subjects. Do you understand?” Rin nodded. “Very well. You will meet with Tuu-Yen after breakfast, and Shen after lunch. The evenings are yours, as are the weekends. If you wish to learn cooking or foraging and hunting, then ask the chefs or the maids or the hunters and fishers. If you wish to go shopping or traveling, take Jakken with you, but always be home by dusk. I will not always be around when you need to find me, Rin. I am very busy here. If you are ever in danger and I do not come immediately, call for your tutors. They are strong and are being paid to protect and teach you.” Rin nodded again. “If that is all. I must be off. Good day, Rin. Report to the library as soon as you wish,” with that, Sesshoumaru was already walking down the stairs behind them.

Rin looked around. There was absolutely nothing to do. The maids and servants did not have to clean on Mondays, so instead they went down to the human village to meet with friends and family. They were allowed the freedom to go wherever they chose as long as they finished their chores first. She sighed, looking down both hallways, though it was impossible to see the ends. She almost wanted to go see the rooms of her tutors, to get an idea of what they were like, but Sesshoumaru had told her to go to the library on the first floor. Just as she was about to turn and walk down the stairs, someone walked up the stairs beside her. Rin turned to gaze up at a man nearly as tall as her lord. Her chin dropped as she stared at him. He stared back at her, but only out of the corner of his eyes. Time seemed to stop as his bare feet landed on the floor beside her.

He was certainly handsome. He was wearing brilliant armor that was plated black and blue. He had long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck. His bright green pupil-less eyes danced between his pointed ears. He had a white fur sort of loincloth that reached almost to his knees. He also wore white fur around his lower legs that stopped at his ankles. He had a long white wolf tail that matched his fur clothing. Without a word, he turned left and padded down the hallway. Rin's jaw was still hanging open, and she suddenly noticed it and shut her mouth. That must have been Master Shen, she thought, staring after him. I wonder if Master Tuu-Yen has a neat tail like he did… She whirled around and raced towards the library, suddenly very excited.

As she entered the library, she saw two hands gripping a scroll at the big round table in the library. The scroll was dropped and a man stood up from the table. He had light brown hair that descended a little past his shoulders. He had a plain white kimono top and a navy blue hakama. His feet were also bare. His cat-like eyes were a brilliant green, a darker shade than Shen's, and he had a long cat's tail the same color as his hair. Tuu-Yen smiled happily at her. He bowed his head, “Good morning, Lady Rin.”

She bowed in return, “Good morning, Master Tuu-Yen.” she paused for a minute, but couldn't contain herself, “I like your tail!” she blushed, chiding herself for acting so childishly, though she was only eight.

Tuu-Yen just laughed, “I quite like it myself. Now, if you'll have a seat at the table, we'll begin.” He proceeded to teach her many things. Over the next few years he would teach her about Sesshoumaru's domain and the alliances and enemies that made it strong or threatened to break it. He taught her of demon traits, about inheritance, and even demon mating when she was several years older. He taught her of the history of the rule of the western lands, and about the life and reign of Inutaisho. He even told her of Sesshoumaru's life before her. About his beautiful mother and his annoying half-brother. Also about his rule of his kingdom before his search for the Tetsusaiga, the amazingly powerful sword Inutaisho had left to Inuyasha. He taught Rin how to read and write and how to act when important guests arrived at the palace. Rin's eyes grew wise over the years. She never missed a lesson with Tuu-Yen.

After her first lesson with Tuu-Yen, she joined Jakken for lunch. “Where is Lord Sesshoumaru?” she asked, but Jakken only shrugged. She did not know it at the time, but he would not join them for dinner either. After lunch she headed quickly to the training grounds. Upon entering she saw the breathtaking Shen. She bowed so low that her hair was touching the ground, “Good afternoon, Master Shen.”

“And to you, my lady,” he bowed, his tail sweeping out behind him, “Are you prepared for your training?”

“Yes, Master,” she smiled.

Shen took up a fighting stance immediately, “Then let us begin.” Her years with Master Shen were spent learning many different styles of fighting. He taught her how to use bows and arrows, swords, her bare fists, and many other types of weapons. He taught her how to track things and sense were an opponent would attack next. She was a quick learner, and all these things came easily to her. Rin grew strong and stayed lean over the years. She met Master Shen every single weekday as well.

During her childhood in the castle Rin rarely saw Sesshoumaru. He was gone for weeks at a time, but whenever he did see her, he always asked how she liked it in the castle. Sometimes she would walk to his room in the middle of the night, just to see if he might have come home. If he was in his room, his golden eyes would glow at her. She would bow her head and whisper, “ I just wanted to say goodnight, my lord.”

And he would close his eyes and say back, “Goodnight, Rin.”

If he wasn't there, then sometimes she would walk to his bed and lay down, reveling in his smell that laced the sheets. Not once over the years did he move anything from where she had put it her first full day in the castle. Also, his room stayed amazingly clean. The servants still would not go near his room, so she knew it must have been him that kept it so nice and neat. Every week Rin would empty and refill his vase with new flowers.

Some nights, Rin would not come to his room, and Sesshoumaru would sneak in after dark. On the nights that she did not come, he would lie awake in his bed for hours. He could smell her scent all over his sheets, and he knew that she visited his room while he was away. He noticed that she always changed his flowers, and he kept his room clean for her. He nearly smiled every time she said she loved life in his castle. He wished he did not have to be away so much. He had noticed something else, as well. Rin had grown beautiful over the years.