Chapter Text
Sesshomaru was pissed off. At least that could be surmised from the irritated thrum of his fingers that impatiently tapped against his knee. His subtle actions did not pass Rin’s notice; each finger tapped slowly after the other, but the dip of a clawed nail into his knee gave him away. Rin sighed as she set down her gathered firewood and tossed a piece of wood into the small fire. After many years of traveling with him, she knew her Lord’s body language better than anyone else. Well, with the exception of one, the object of this quest.
Kagome had been missing for over a year now. After an urgent letter from a lord near the Eastern territories, she made her way almost instantly. However, she declined company to go with her and made the journey alone. In recent times, the miko became independent to a fault.
It was supposed to be a typical mission for her, but there was danger as demonic sightings had been on the rise. War had broken out in the East between a clan of panther demons and a daimyo with too much ego to be allowed. The unrest resulted in more humans being left for dead on the sides of main roads, shredded or gutted like animals. Her decision to go alone, in hindsight, felt foolhardy and dangerous.
Such musings were spoken aloud by Jaken, who called her ungrateful and foolish for declining Sesshomaru’s offer to accompany her. The declaration was soon followed by a nasty lump delivered by Sesshomaru’s fist. Violence against Jaken was not a new phenomenon, but the reason behind her father striking him was. Rin knew he had fallen for the miko. There was a warmth that would surround him when she was near, Kagome’s smile and affectionate displays had softened his heart. Just like everything though, he kept such feelings to himself. Not told to Kagome or herself, even after she prodded him with endless questions. There were no straightforward answers with her stoic father, so Rin settled on the assumption that he was madly in love with her which would explain his irritable mood.
It was all conjecture, though, which irritated the hell out of her. Rin’s honey brown eyes glanced away from her father and towards her other traveling companions. Jaken, looking surlier than usual. He did seem to reflect her father’s moods, after all. Behind the imp, Ah Un settled himself next to a tree and was fast asleep. Next to them, Kohaku sat cross legged by the fire, studying a map. Rin sat herself next to Kohaku, settling her chin on his shoulder to look at the map. She smirked to herself at the sudden flush that crept across the demon slayer’s face. When she was the age of twelve, living with Kaede and the others in Edo, Rin had set her eyes on the boy and was smitten. Now, at the age of fifteen, she made it her mission to become his wife one day.
“Are we on course?” Rin asked him. This seemed to snap him out of his daze, he coughed and pointed to a spot on the map.
“According to the map, we are only a half day’s walk from the village Kagome went to a year ago.” Kohaku answered. “If we travel fast, we should be able to get some good information on Kagome-sama's whereabouts.”
“What do you think happened to her?” asked Rin, shifting herself to throw another piece of wood into the fire. Kohaku frowned.
“I’m not sure. I would venture to guess she got kidnapped by a strong demon. Kagome-sama is a powerful priestess and with her immense spiritual power she would pose a threat to any that tried to come near her. However, there are rumors that speculate she absorbed the powers of the Shikon no Tama. They might have wanted to take her for that reason.”
“Didn’t she wish it away a long time ago?”
“Yes. But you can’t argue logic with power hungry demons.” Kohaku sighed, rolling up the map and setting it aside. “Kagome-sama is powerful, but she is ill equipped for battle with her lack of training. They probably took her by surprise.”
“Serves that silly human woman to go off galavanting the country without accepting the company of our gracious Sesshomaru-sama,” Jaken interjected with a grumble. “She was so stupid that even her comrades aren’t looking for her.”
It was a quiet barb at Kagome’s character which earned him pointed looks from the rest of his traveling companions. A swish of fur crossed Rin’s vision before a resounding THWACK reverberated in her ears. Sesshomaru’s boot was firmly planted on the back of Jaken’s head, his eyes a stormy shade of amber. Kohaku and Rin shivered, unified in their fear of Sesshomaru’s wrath.
After pushing his impudent servant deeper into the dirt, Sesshomaru released his foot and stalked off. When Rin tried to call out for him, he brushed her off as he jumped into the sky and out of sight. Releasing a sigh, Rin helped Jaken out of the dirt, but not without shaking her head.
“Are you okay, Jaken?” Rin asked, gently poking the side of his head. Clawed fingers brushed her off in irritation. She sighed.
“Jaken, you of all people should know not to make Sesshomaru-sama angry like that.”
“I will critique any fool who goes against his wishes!” Jaken shouted at her, stomping his feet indignantly. Rin merely gave him a bored look.
“Why would you say such mean things about Kagome-sama? She has been nothing but kind to you.” Kohaku interjected, his voice tight with anger. “If my sister wasn’t having such a hard pregnancy right now she would be here, alongside her husband.”
“What about Inuyasha? He of all people should be wanting to find her the most.” Rin interrupted with her question. It was strange that the hanyou wasn’t involved.
“I believe he is down East with his wife. They left to go help the human villages wrecked by the war down there.”
Rin frowned. This surprised her, considering Kagome and the hanyou were best friends. The girl thought back to a time when she was a bit smaller, a time when she would eavesdrop on Kaede and Kagome’s adult conversations.
After their journey had come to an end, they had tried a romantic connection which ultimately fell through. Their friendship was something stronger than the romantic bond they tried to forge. This separation led to Inuyasha traveling more, then led to him reconnecting with his now wife, Shiori. However, his new wife didn’t seem to put a damper on their friendship. Rather it seemed to cast a shadow over Kagome.
“We should get some rest. Sesshomaru-sama will want us to depart as soon as the sun rises,” Rin said. Kohaku nodded and went to prepare the bedrolls. Once Rin was settled in, her mind was too busy racing with thoughts to fall asleep. Looking up at the stars in the sky Rin wondered if Kagome happened to be looking into the same ones.
