Chapter 1 - Rin's Bad Dream

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Rin’s Bad Dream

Running. That’s all she could do. She could feel her heart racing as her feet flew beneath her. The pack of wolves were right on her tail and with no place to hide in this dark & gloomy wasteland, she didn’t know how much longer she could go on. Never had she felt so helpless. Where was Lord Sesshomaru? He always came to save her. Fear & loneliness tightened in her stomach as she pushed herself into the darkness.
“Please help me lord Sesshomaru...” her plea more of a mental wish... since she had no breath to voice it. Suddenly, a monstrous Wolf appeared before her, towering over her like a mountain, almost causing her to trip in fear. Stumbling to a stop she gasped in horror as she realized what the wolf held in it’s mouth... Sesshomaru.

It was a terrible sight. His armor had been shattered & his clothes were tattered & torn from the fight that had obviously been, with no sense of life emitting from him. “How could this be?! Lord Sesshomaru could never be defeated!” She thought in disbelief. She didn’t know if he’d been wounded or if he was even alive, which only added to the growing panic within her. “Lord Sesshomaru!” She cried. Hoping to see at least one little sign that he was alright. There was no response.

The wind started to pick up now with an eery howl, swirling dark clouds around the wolf still clutching Sesshomaru in it’s jaws. Rin ran towards him now, forgetting the danger of the wolves. She just had one thing in her mind... She had to get to him. She wasn’t going to lose him. She couldn’t. She’d lost everyone before. Her mother, father, & brother... That was hard enough. He was all she had left... She couldn’t bear the thought of losing him too.
Tears were blurring her vision now as she raced towards her Sesshomaru desperately trying to reach him before he was completely swallowed by the swifts of clouds consuming him.
“Lord Sesshomaru! please don’t leave me!!” her desperate cry echoed across the empty desert as Sesshomaru vanished in the billowing smoke, the wind taking it away. She fell to her knees unable to stop the tears as the sobs shook her body. How could he be gone? How could he leave her?
She couldn’t feel more alone. A menacing growl suddenly thundered through her ears, sending a roll of chills up her spine. She turned around only to find the wide open jaws of a savage wolf flying towards her. She shrieked in fear. “LORD SESSHOMARU!!”
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Her Cry jolted her out of her nightmare, springing her forward til she was sitting. Gasping for air she looked around to find herself laying in a small clearing on the cool grass under her blanket. A dream? It was just a dream? It was too frightening to believe. Clutching her blanket for comfort, she slowly looked around. Stars were still scattered through the night sky, as she saw Jaken & Ah-Un a few feet away sound asleep, apparently undisturbed by her cry.

“Lord Sesshomaru?” Her quivering voice was like a soft whisper in the calm & crystal night. After that terrible nightmare, She needed to hear the comforting sound of his voice, just to know that he was alright. That it was only a dream.

There was no answer.

Panic set in now. She felt like her nightmare was happening all over again, Only this time it was real. Frantically she searched with her eyes hoping to find him sitting near by... but he was nowhere to be seen. Tears filled her eyes. “Lord Sesshomaru!!”

“Rin...”

A sob caught in her throat as she heard the familiar deep voice behind her. She slowly turned around hoping she hadn’t imagined it. There was Sesshomaru. Sitting just a few feet away from her, undoubtedly lost in thought until she had cried out. Not even the dark of night could conceal the magnificence of his presence. Moonlight danced delicately over his features with a soft tint of blue, revealing the crescent in his forehead through his silver hair. The fur over his shoulder was equally luminous, shimmering slightly in the soft light. Although the sight of this great demon would have struck caution & fear into the hearts of others, she couldn’t imagine a more welcome sight.

“Did you... have a bad dream?” He asked in a mellow tone. His face was expressionless as usual, although a slight spark of interest glinted in his golden eyes.

Rin had to look at him for a moment, still struggling to convince herself that he was really there. She was still in quite a state of shock. Finally she looked down at her blanket & nodded.
Sensing the matter was settled, Sesshomaru casually drifted his gaze off into the distance.

“Well it’s over now. You should try to get some sleep.”

Rin looked up at him again. She almost hoped he would say something more, perhaps maybe, Everything is okay or it was just a dream... something comforting. But he continued to look off, apparently dismissing the situation. Of course she understood. It wasn’t like him to do such a thing, & she wouldn’t want to expect anything from him that was against his nature. But that didn’t stop her from wishing he would. Just this once. Especially with the frightening memories of her nightmare still looming fresh in her mind. She needed to hear that now. Still, she decided to take his advice & try to sleep. After all, she didn’t want to burden to the great demon with something as silly as a little dream.

Letting out a shuttered sigh, she closed her eyes, trying to fill her mind with as many pleasant thoughts as she could. It didn’t take long for the haunting images to return however. Flashing through her mind even darker & more frightening than before, with Sesshomaru being taken away just beyond her reach, the wolf lunging for her throat. She forced her eyes open to keep herself from crying out again. It didn’t look like she was going to fall asleep tonight.

There were still three hours left til dawn. A cool wind gently rustled the trees as the calm night silently drifted along. Sesshomaru didn’t have to hear her footsteps to know she was approaching. Apparently she had failed to go to sleep he thought to himself. Still, he waited until she was next to him before glancing her direction.

Her hands were quivering, even though she was gripping the sides of her kimono to try & steady them. It took her a few moments to finally gather the courage to speak. “Lord Sesshomaru?” He slowly turned his head to look at her directly. “ May I... Sit with you.. for a while?”

The Youkai looked at her for a moment, not quite sure what to make of this request. It seemed her dream had been more upsetting to her than he thought. He didn’t see the point of how sitting closer to him would make her feel better. Still, he didn’t see the harm in it. Brushing off a hint of irritation he slowly looked away again. “If you wish.”

He hadn’t paid it a second thought until a touch to his arm took him by surprise. Looking down he realized that she had sat down right next to him, wrapping her arms around his, snuggling deeply into the fur on his shoulder. Not exactly what he had in mind. Carefully she slid her hand into his resting at his side & squeezed it tightly.

Her fear was beginning to fade now. The images that had previously flooded her mind slowly drifted away as she felt the steady rhythm of his breathing. Feeling the warmth of his arm so close to her, she let out a relieved sigh. He’s okay now. He’s safe. As long as she could feel him sitting next to her, she knew everything would be alright. He’d never be taken away again. She’d never be alone again. A tear moistened her closed eyes as she gave his arm a gentle squeeze.

“Thank you lord Sesshomaru...”

The demon looked down at the little girl for a moment, finally recovering from his slight surprise. She was already drifting off to sleep. She seemed content now, He thought. After a moment, he decided to brush off the situation, returning his gaze to the mountains to continue with his former musings. However, try as he might, he couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander to the little bundle curled beside him.

She was asleep now. Almost as though nothing had happened. That was fast he thought. Considering how upset she had been when she first cried out. What could she have dreamed to upset her so? He had never seen her so frightened, not even when her life had been in danger. Normally he enjoyed seeing the fear in someone, but this time it was different. It had slightly disturbed him in a way he couldn’t understand, especially the intensity of the fear held in her eyes.

Another thought casually crossed his mind as he looked down at her sleeping form. Why did his presence have such a calming affect on her? He was a demon after all. He would normally think of himself being the cause of one’s nightmare, & yet here she was, seeking comfort from him because of one.
He couldn’t understand why she had never feared him. Even from the first day she met him. She always followed him with a smile, unlike the countless others who followed only out of fear. A thought that perplexed even he who had lived for centuries.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel pleased that she was comforted by his presence. Perhaps it was refreshing to be near someone who enjoyed his company. Drifting his gaze to the mountains, he gently let his hand close around hers, her hand unconciously squeezing his in response. Maybe that was the reason he let her follow him...

He looked up at the night sky, where the moon lazily hung, unaware that the crisp & clear morning was soon to be on its way. At least she could sleep peacefully for a little while longer.


“Goodnight Rin...”



The End

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