Rin: God's Favorite Daughter

Filtered Truth

Sakura blossoms……… that is what he smelled. That overly intensifying smell was sakura blossoms. He felt the cool wind spread across his body. He opened his eyes and blinked several times. The sliver moon had risen to its full height. He rose and stretched out his limbs from the sleep that was still circulating through his muscles. Then he heard the light footsteps stalking on the grass behind the bushes. He quickly got to his feet and went to part the bushes.
“Kiryuurin…” He was assaulted by a dark form that flew from behind the bushes and threw him to the ground and when he looked down he found the smiling face of the one he was looking for.
“You should not scare me like that………”he said quickly before she kissed him. It lasted as long as he could go without air.
“I am sorry Taishoumaru. I forgot that you mortals do not have heightened hearing. Did you have to wait long for me,” she said as she nuzzled into his chest.
“No, I fell asleep,” he snickered.
“I am sorry. It took me forever to escape the tentei’s gaze. I was able to leave when Kazane lulled him to sleep with her tategoto,” she said pouting and then smiling at him and fluttering her eyelashes.
“It is ok I forgive you. But there is a reason why I wished to meet you here,” he said as his face shifted into a serious scowl.
“What is wrong, my love,” she said with a hint of worry.
“Will you marry me,” he said trading the scowl for a wide toothy smile.
“Of course………”she said as she drew his face down and kissed him passionately.

That invisible power coursed throughout his body again, rousing the darkness that was in his veins. He began to gasp wildly for air. He awoke sweating and his bed sheets were in disarray. His eyes were glowing with the intensity of the burning sun. His clawed hand gripped and tore through the soft-feathered mattress beneath him. He growled low in his throat. That damn dream again………it has been haunting me for two weeks. He put one hand in front of his face and let his hair cover him as he leaned forward. Each night the dream became even more vivid and then when he awoke it would quickly begin to recede back into his subconscious. This had been the worst to date. That women’s taste was new but it was like how she tasted. His resolve had melted away and his composure was broken and let that nameless fear out of his blood.

“Sesshoumaru- sama. Lyoko has returned from his scouting mission. He awaits you in your study,” squawked Jaken from behind the closed door. As soon as he finished his statement the door swung open and hit him square in the beak and knocked him to the floor.

Sesshoumaru stalked his way towards his study. He found Lyoko sitting in a chair near his desk. He rounded the desk and sat facing him.

“What have you found, Lyoko,” he said in an icy emotionless tone.
“Something very interesting my Lord. It seems that the feral and human zombies are being controlled through demon puppetry. I found that there were demon and human commanders controlling the movements of the zombies far from the battle sites. I tracked them after one such battle and found myself in the eastern mountains in the fortress of Naraku.”
“Naraku. Are you certain Lyoko,” he said interrupting the fox demon.
“Yes my Lord I saw him myself. Then I overheard some of the men whispering about the human army that will be marching from Teshura into Lord Koga’s territory. The zombie army is organizing a full frontal attack on Lord Inuyasha and Lord Koga’s encampment. Their few numbers of troops will not be able to hold off the sheer number of rotting corpses my Lord,” he said stopping and then awaiting his Lord’s instructions.
“Go to my little brother and the wolf and warn them. Tell them all that you have told me and give this letter to him,” he said grabbing a piece of parchment and scribbling a few characters on it and sealing it. With a swift bow of his head, Lyoko took the letter and hurried out of the room and into the dark hours before morning.

Naraku………You bastard. Trying to distract me by going after Koga’s territory. Also allying yourself with a treacherous human. This shall be an interesting little tiff.
His eyes gleamed and a deadly smirk spread across his thin lips. He quickly strolled over to another table and uncovered a map of Japan. The yellowed parchment was filled with a rainbow of colors, each representing the different realms. The west had always belonged to the inu-youkai since before time; the north held by their distant cousins, the ookami-youkai and the east was taken and forged by force by the demon Naraku. He belonged to no family, had little allies but the amount of demons in his army that stuck to him like flies to a rotting carcass was a sight to behold. The south however was a different animal. His eyes glided over the mismatching array of colors that looked like a quilt put together by the inexperienced fingers of a child. The humans had held the south loosely together by a confederation of feudal lords but the boundaries of each kingdom changed every year due to their greed. This was out dated he decided he had not been paying attention to the humans because there was no need for it. He needed to know what Naraku’s ally was doing.

“Jaken retrieve Kagami’s mirror.” He said as he heard Jaken scurrying away from the door and down the hallway. He gazed back to the map and what seemed like a few minutes he heard a soft raping at his door.

“Come in,” he said not looking away from the map.
“I am sorry to interrupt my Lord but will you have need of me today,” he heard her say as he looked up from the map. It took him a second to realize that she was standing there.
“……Hai. I will need you today. I need to ask you some questions,” he said finally after a deafening silence.

“I wish to know all you can tell me about your kingdom, Rin.” He saw her straighten and she cocked her head up and stared at him bewildered.

“What do you wish to know about my kingdom, my lord?”
“What can you tell me about the land and its people? And also about this Shiteka?”
“Well my lord, there is not much to tell. I guess there are many hills and forests. The people are simple farmers. They are not fighters, my lord. My family forged our lands through peace.”
He nodded in understanding. Someone before him had the same notions through his head. She fell silent again. She appeared to be looking for the words she was afraid to speak.

“And what of Shiteka.”
“He is a bastard. He has no honor. He is the devil himself. He feigned friendship and betrayed my family.” She had long since passed grieving and only felt angry. She grew silent and her eyes grew dark and void of any emotion. Pure hatred was in her heart for that man and his family. Her anger snaked off her skin in waves. Her features had twisted and became even scarier than any youkai he had ever seen. He stood in awe at the small woman that was able to summon enough emotion to envelope her being and become awesome and terrifying. Then the scene was broken abruptly by a knock at the door. He blinked a few times and he could see that her expression had changed and her mind was back at the surface. Again another knock sounded at the door.

“Come in,” he said turning away from her and towards the door. The door swung open and Jaken’s little stumpy body inched below a heavy large mirror.
“Here is Kagami’s mirror my Lord,” he said huffing and puffing trying to hold the mirror up from trying to squish him.

“Good. Put it over there, Jaken,” he said pointing at the far end of the room near the window. After several minutes he finally reached his destination and adjusted the mirror to its full height. It had finely polished glass and gold dragons crawling and twisting on the frame. Rin blinked several times and then scrunched her brow into a pensive look. This mirror was familiar. Sesshoumaru stepped forward and said a few words into the mirror and soon the mirror’s glassy surface liquefied and changed to view a woman kneeling in front of a pool of water. Her black hair spilled over her shoulders despite being held back by a crown of twisted branches. Her hands held a deck of cards that she had been shuffling.

“Ah Sesshoumaru-sama. It is has been quite sometime. I hear that there is trouble in your cousin’s land and you have dispatched the adorable Inuyasha to help. How may I be of service,” she said as she placed one of her cards from her deck onto the water.

“Kagami, I need you to investigate something for me. It seems that Naraku has greed in his heart, but that is not your concern. I wish to know everything about his human ally in the South. The one called Shiteka. He is encamped in the kingdom of Teshura.”

“Ah yes the kingdom guarded by the Honoo no Ryu. It is a pleasure to see you alive and well, Kiryuurin hime,” as she lifted her gaze and bowed her head towards Rin. Rin eyes became confused as she was at a lost for words at this unexpected greeting.

“Forgive me madam but I fail to know who you are,” she finally said.

“I am an old friend of your family,” she said not revealing more and smiling at her.
“However my lord, I ask a favor in return. Protect the hime at all cost her life will be able to assuage the tides of war in your favor……… I will do as you ask Sesshoumaru-sama if my favor is granted,” she said as she bowed her head as the glass reverted back to Sesshoumaru’s reflection.
The kingdom guarded by the Honoo no Ryu………the light that I always see is red like a flame. He thought as he turned back to Rin.
“Jaken leave,” came the simple direct command.
“Hai,” said the little imp scurrying to exit the room.

“What is the Honoo no Ryu Kagami spoke of?” He saw her move her head to contemplate his question. She shifted and a small glint sparkled near her chest. He never noticed that she wore a necklace.

“What is that?” he said pointing to her chest.
“It is a trinket given to me by my father. He said it has protected my family since the beginning of our rule in Teshura. It is ironic since it failed us in our hour of need.” She reached behind her hair and unclasped the hook and let the sliver necklace slide into her hand.
“It has been passed down through my family for generations. There is a legend in my kingdom that tells that it was born of the tears and blood of my ancestor that wept for her family’s safety. It was meant to be a means of protecting us from strangers and invaders.” She watched him hold out his hand and then she responded by placing the ruby in his palm. He slowly encircled the ruby with his clawed hand as he felt the power seep into his skin. This power was raw, it invaded his blood without mercy but it had the same feel as her power. What is this girl? Then he felt the twitching of his muscles as the nameless fear began to eat away at his conscious. His nails grew and pierced the skin on his hand and brought him out of the suffocating darkness. He quickly let it slide out of his hand and back into hers.
“What are you,” he finally said after regaining his composure. Rin blinked a few times and was silent for a few seconds.
“I am afraid my lord that I do not know what you mean.” He took a deep breath and exhaled in annoyance.
“I am demon. My brother’s wife is human. You are something much more different than a mere human. I will ask you one last time. What are you?”
She still had that bewildered look on her face.
“I do not know what you mean, my lord. I am human,” she said sounding confused.
“No. Humans have spiritual powers like my brother’s wife but your power is far different. Your power is far older than that of human spiritual powers and far purer than that of a demon. How long does your clan go?”
“More than a thousand years, my lord.”
“And you can trace all of your ancestors?”
“Yes my lord all the way to Taishoumaru and Kiryuurin.”
Tai-shou-maru………That name struck somewhere deep inside of him. He had a vague vision of a woman forming the name with her lips. Several minutes flew by as he delved into his mind as he tried to remember where he had heard that name before. Then her voice broke into his mind.
“My lord, are you alright? You have been silent for a few minutes. May I get you something?” He shook his head dislodging whatever he was thinking of out of his mind.

“No I am fine. You are dismissed for the rest of the day.” He said turning back towards the map on the table.

___________________________________________________________

A woman slowly made her way in the moonless night towards the gates of the once beautiful castle that was now riddled with bombshell wounds and black soot. She stopped her horse in front of the main gates and eyed the two guards that were fast asleep.

“Awaken,” she said in a bored tone. She heard the men stir and groan. Then she heard footsteps above on the cobbled stones of the wall.

“Ohayou…” she heard a man’s voice called down towards her.
“Ohayou. I wish to speak with you master,” she said.
“What business do you have with my master?”
“That is none of your concern…..” she let her voice trail to a faint whisper and chanted a few words in an indiscernible language. Her invisible words floated to the guard’s ear and then he called down, “Please excuse my intrusion miko-sama, you may enter.” The guard yelled down at the two sleeping guards and commanded them to open the gates. The heavy wooden latch was forced open and the mountainous iron gates were pushed aside with loud creaking noises. She clicked her tongue and guided the horse into the compound. The shiro was ablaze with torches and soldiers and nobles could be seen walking around the gardens and verandas. She slid off her horse and dusted the journey’s dirt off her hibakama. A young soldier along with a young page wondered over to where she stood. His black hair tied to the base of his neck and his boots clanking on the cobbled stones. He bowed deeply and watched her as she returned his bow.
“What brings you here miko-sama,” his rich velvety voice echoed off the stones. He watched her as she removed her bow and arrows from her pack and hand the reins to the young page.
“Nothing, really I am making my yearly rounds to the Teshura oushiro. I do not recognize you soldier, Pray tell what is your name,” she said scanning him from head to toe.
“Prince Ikano from Kariudo. I am sorry to inform you miko-sama but King Takemaru and his family were murdered. My sister Itani was married to Prince Riko earlier this year and we forged a peace but those that were opposed decided to attack and murder King Takemaru. My father feeling the lost of his ally and family hunted and executed the culprits and took control of the lands to bring peace once again. We humans are strange creatures.” He said leading her into the great hall.
“Yes,” she replied.
Then she spoke again, “I wish for you to take me to their graves.” He nodded and guided her outside to the garden. She followed him into the groves of sakura trees. She saw four mounds each marked with an incense burner baring the buried one’s name.
“I will leave you in private.” His deep voice came from behind her.
“Arigatou,” she said kneeling and bowing her head in prayer. She waited until she heard his footsteps die and lit the incense burners and placed her hands upon the mounds. Sparks of lightening flashed through her mind, brief images of weddings and then weapons, bombs and katanas. She heard their voices but one voice was missing, the hime. Imouto………She is alive. She said a silent prayer, “ May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.” She rose and quickly turned on her heels hurrying towards the main palace.

When she approached the steps to enter into the great hall there was a bulbous round figure standing in a black haori, his hands barely fitting over his round stomach.
“Miko-sama, It does the dead good to have your blessings,” he said bowing his head in respect.
“Thank you my lord….”
“Shiteka.”
“My lord Shiteka, and I hear you have taken care of the ones that are responsible for these heinous crimes. For that I wish to extend my gratitude, King Takemaru and his family were very close to my heart and it pangs me that someone would betray him like that. He was very much loved and respected by his subjects but in the end there are always those with jealousy,” she said with sadness in her eyes.
“Often is the case in these times of war and strife. Miko-sama it would please me if you would stay and bless this house and my army,” he said.
“There is no need for formalities my lord, my name is Kazane. Since you have righted a wrong and your daughter is a part of the family you will occupy a place within my heart and I will bless this house and your army, but I can only stay till the end of next month. Then I must be off,” she said following him into the great hall. There were torches lit all around and nobles talking in hushed tones.
“I am afraid that the only room that is left open is the dear hime’s room. It is a real shame that this happened. Her body was never found and we gave up hope of ever finding her alive. My heart grieves for them even now,” he said stopping and sinking his head into his chest while leading her through the hallways towards the desolate room.
“Do not feel ashamed to grieve, she was the one closest to my heart. I am sorry to hear that her body was not found. Thank you for allowing me to stay again,” she said placing one hand on his shoulder. He bowed his head in return. He then turned and headed back down through the hallway. She quickly closed the door and lit the torches in the room. The room and its objects were covered with dust and cobwebs. She stood silent for a few minutes scanning the room, than she caught the object of her quest. The large mirror stood in front of a small step, its gleaming dragons shone through the dust that had settled over the months. The polished glass still held its refractory surface. She approached the mirror and whispered an incantation. The surface began to ripple and than came the familiar scene of a kneeling woman.
“Must you always be so damn serious, Kagami,” came Kazane’s voice as she let a small smile creep onto her lips.
“Must you be so insulting, imouto,” Kagami said looking down at her cards floating perfectly upon the surface of the small pool.
“What have you found,” came her question.
“Nothing as of yet, aneue, just a bunch of liars and a fabulous looking prince. Also dear sister, you failed to mention that Kiryuurin is still alive,” she said arching an eyebrow.
“I hoped that you would not find out but yes she is. She is in the castle of the western lord, Sesshoumaru. I did not say anything because I want that knowledge to be kept secret,” she said looking up and glaring into Kazane’s eyes.
“With the demon, Sesshoumaru. Are you sure that is wise? The Honoo no Ryu in the hands of a demon could be dangerous.”
“I have no fear of this demon. He is not one to rely on sorcery and magic tricks. He is one of reason and logic. Also his hanyou brother is married to the carrier of the Shikon no Tama, one of your family members if I am not mistaken. I believe that he will be able to protect her in the coming war. I expect you to find something by the end of your stay, dear sister,” she said as the glass reverted back to Kazane’s face. She shook her head and headed to bed, the next two months will be strenuous.

Thanks for joining me on another one of my dribbles. As always please leave a review with your visit. : Humbly bows:
I put in the line from the end of Hamlet because I love that play.

Taishoumaru- Circle of Life ruler
Kariudo- hunter
Ookami- wolf
Kagami- mirror
Honoo no Ryu- Dragon’s flame
Shiro and oushiro- fortress
Kazane- wind’s maidservant
Hibakama- the red pants of a miko’s outfit
Imouto- younger sister
Aneue- older sister
And please feel free to ask me about any other words that I forgot to mention in this glossary. Oh also one more thing I went back and changed Rin’s real name in my fic to a different spelling. It is spelled Kiryuurin now. The way I spelled it before did not really give a good meaning. So if you haven’t gone back and seen the changes it is now spelled Kiryuurin. Ki – fire Ryuu- Dragon Rin- companion or Fire Dragon’s companion. The reason why I mentioned the name of the ruby in this chapter and not in the beginning is because the name is the true name of the necklace. You will understand this later.
Oh and also I am looking for a beta reader for this fic and its sequel so if you are interested please feel free to email me at mllamos @ tampabay.rr.com.