Moonlight Sonata (A Rin and Sesshomaru love story) CH. 2

It was a restless night for Rin, tossing and turning, unable to get Kohaku’s words out of her head. Her dreams woke were up more then once, breathing heavily and drenched in a cold sweat. On one of these occasions, she wasn’t able to get back to sleep for nearly two hours and simply lied there, staring at the ceiling and listening to the rustle off the curtains as warm breezes drifted through the window.

Her dreams were always about the same, or close to the same, thing. They began with her standing beside Sesshomaru, hand-in-hand, but continued with him walking away and fading out completely. Rin would be left standing alone in the dark and tears would begin pouring down her face, tears that burned her skin and eyes. As she kept on crying, she gradually aged until she was nothing more than a shriveled, sobbing shell of a woman, wrinkled and hunched. Sometimes Kohaku would be there, facing her as she grew old, looking at her with contempt and disdain. Though things did change a little, one thing was always, always the same. That sad bird’s tune was ever present in the nightmares. It only made things worse, as if it was singing of all the regrets of the world.

The sun was rising as she awoke from another of these dreams. She couldn’t take it any more. She got out of bed and slipped on her scarlet robe and headed down stairs to the kitchen. The water pump filled her glass with icy liquid and she drank it gratefully.

As she made her way back to her bedchamber, she passed the door leading to Sesshomaru’s study. The thick wooden door was closed and usually locked. She knocked, hoping he would be inside so she could see him. There was no answer so she knocked again. Again, no answer. She opened the door just enough that she could peer around it. There was no one inside.

She entered and shut the door behind her. Lord Sesshomaru’s smell filled her nostrils along with the aroma of paper and old, leather bound books. Bookcases lined the walls, filled with many varieties of books from fiction and art to history and old documents. The large window let in ample light from the sun, now above the trees of the nearby forest. The single table held a candle used to read at night and the book Sesshomaru was currently reading. A chair sat near this table, the lord’s usual seat when he was here, and across the room nearer to the window was Rin’s chair. It wasn’t often she came to this room and never while the lord was away, but this morning was different and she needed comfort.

Rather than going to her seat, she slipped silently over the large rug to the master’s chair and sat down. She curled herself into a ball and wrapped her arms around her knees, laying her head against the arm rest. She breathed deeply, inhaling his scent. She stayed here for a long while, watching the sun move ever higher in the sky, until at last she fell asleep. Her sleep was dreamless and peaceful.

The door opened and a figure came in quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping Rin. He merely stared at her resting form, unable to resist smiling at her lovely features. Sesshomaru gently took her into his arms so as not to disturb her. She snuggled up closer to him and laid a hand against his chest. Her gazed at her a moment longer before exiting, closing the door noiselessly after them. He took her to her room and put her to bed. He turned back for a final glance before leaving.

It was hours before Rin awoke to find herself back in her room with no idea how she got there. It must have been lord Sesshomaru! she thought to herself. She leapt out of bed and dressed quickly in a black kimono with pink sakura blossoms and a matching pink obi. She half-walked, half-jogged down the many corridors and stairwells until she finally came to the door leading to Sesshomaru’s quarters. Taking but a moment to catch her breath, she knocked rather loudly. For five minutes she waited with no reply. Again she knocked, this time even louder and with a tremulous hand. No answer.

Rin began to feel panicky as a maid walked past her. She stopped the woman dead in her tracks, grabbing her arm and not letting go, ignoring the attempts of the woman trying to free herself.

“Where is lord Sesshomaru?” Rin demanded firmly.

The servant woman’s face grew worried, frightened even, as she answered, “He left early this morning, lady Rin. I think he left a note for you though.”

Before the sentence had completely left her lips, Rin let her go and dashed a way to the entrance hall. There on the table near the door was a folded piece of paper with Rin’s name on the outside. Her hands shook as she unfolded it and read it once, twice, three times. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes as she sank to her knees and let the note fall to the floor. The note said this: Rin, I have gone away to the east. There are a few things I need to check on, but I do not know when I’ll be back. I don’t expect it to be soon, however. Stay safe while I’m away. Sesshomaru.

Two maids walked though the wall, gossiping loudly, not noticing Rin on the floor. One said to the other, “Did you hear? One of the cooks told me that the lord left to go see a lady friend he met at the celebration yesterday.” “No!” said the other. By this time, Rin had turned her head around sharply, tears flowing down her face in streams. “Yes!” continued the first. “They talked and danced for quite some time last night. The cook even thought he would bring her back here! Can you believe it?” They left, still yammering on.

No, Rin thought turning back around. She closed her eyes, sobbing, leaving wet drops on the note sitting in front of her. This was how she sat for some time. Then suddenly, she got to her feet. Having stopped crying, she wiped the tears away from her face with her sleeve. A look of determination spread across her face. She pulled the heavy door open enough so that she could slip out. Once outside, the sun shining brightly in her face, she ran. She ran into the forest without knowing exactly where she was going and brambles and twigs poking and scratching her bare feet. With no way to tell which way she was headed, she mearly went straight, certain that she wouldn’t go back, no matter what.

END CHAPTER 5