After All This Time?

Regret

"Se...Sesshomaru..." Rin whispers.

Kagato became curious cause the human spoke so quietly he couldn't hear her.

"Do you have something to say?" The brute demands, swaying the woman's limp body left to right by her hair.

Washu grew impatient.

"We don't have time for chatter. We have to lea--"

It struck like lightning, a whip of light sliced the forearm of Kagato clean off, dropping the woman and a now severed arm to the ground. The brute screeches in pain clutching at the fresh amputation that was pouring out a massive amount of dark purple blood.

Washu watched with shock and fear in their eyes. Then they turn to the source of the whip.

"Dammit! We're too late." Washu hisses, facing towards the trees, "He's already here."

A figure emerges from the trees, a tall man with long silver hair, golden eyes, and wearing a fur pelt over his right shoulder. You could see the fury in this daiyokai's eyes from a distance.

Washu growls at their interruption and pulls the wounded Kagato to them, forcing them to retreat up into the trees. They quickly disappear as the scent of blood fades.

Rin had fallen on her knees and was confused at how she had ended up on the ground, it all had happened so quickly. She looks over to see the severed arm of Kagato and was in disbelief.

"Was I just saved?" She questions, pressing her hand against her bleeding shoulder.

The daiyokai slowly walks forward, the crunch of the grass could be heard under his feet.

When he stops in front of Rin, she manages to look up to him, slowly revealing a relieved smile across her beaten face as she immediately recognized her precious Lord.

"You came...." she spoke softly before leaning and falling towards the ground.

Sesshomaru kneels to one knee and catches her in his arms before she hit the ground. He embraces her firmly, internally enraging at the aroma of her blood and tears.

"I'm so sorry... Rin." Sesshomaru exhales harshly under his breath.

"You came for me... I knew you would." Rin mutters in a whisper. Her vision was fading to black and she fell into darkness.

Sesshomaru carefully scoops up Rin into his arms, supporting her back with one while the other was holding her up from her knees. He was silent as he walked across the clearing, hearing thunder in the distance.

"This will never happen to you again, Rin. I'll make sure of it."

""

She tosses and turns her head in her sleep. A beam of light cracks through the cover on the window. Rin opens her eyes slowly, noticing that she was in Kaede's hut.

"Oh my gods, you're finally awake Rin!" Suddenly spoke a voice. Rin turns her head to her right to see Kagome kneeling beside her, Kaede quickly approaches behind her.

"Oh what a relief." Exclaims the old miko.

Rin blinks slowly, feeling woozy and lightheaded. She tries to push herself up but felt a rush of pain going to her left shoulder that was bandaged. She gently places her hand on her shoulder, feeling the thick layer of bandages.

"You were so lucky, Rin. We almost ran out of bandages patching you back up." Kagome says concerned, she presses her hand gently against Rin's forehead, "and it feels like you don't have a fever anymore."

Still in a daze, Rin stares at Kagome.

"How--how long have I been asleep?"

"Two full days." Kagome responds.

"Oh..." Rin sounded surprised that she slept that long, then she remembered that she did lose a lot of blood.

"Had you came to us any later, things would've been a lot different for you." Kaede spoke bringing a bowl of warm water with a clean cloth inside. Kaede kneels and pats the warm cloth onto Rin's bruised face.

Rin scans the room to find someone but sadness forms in her eyes for she didn't see Sesshomaru anywhere around,

"Did--did he leave?" Rin asks with her voice cracking.

Kagome and Kaede look at each other with regret in their eyes.

"He left as soon as he brought you to us." Kagome explains, "he told us what happened and just left without saying anything else."

"Oh... I see..."

Rin's eyes became glossy at the realization of what she had feared; he was gone for good now.

Kagome tries to reassure Rin that she had tried to convince Sesshomaru to stay until Rin woke up but was ignored and he flew away. Rin chuckles softly; he hasn't changed. The same Lord, the same daiyokai from when she was a little girl. He was still her precious Lord.

"Enough talk," Kaede interrupts, "you need more rest, Rin."

Kagome nods in agreement and pushes herself to her feet. She tells Rin and Kaede that she would come by later to check up on Rin. Kaede agrees and Kagome walks out of the hut.

It fell silent in the hut.

Rin turns her head to Kaede while she was putting more wood to the fire in the irori.

"Granny Kaede?" Rin broke the silence.

Kaede turns to her.

"Yes, young Rin?" She replies curiously and is alert to attend to her needs.

Rin was trying to hold in sobs as tears stream down her cheeks.

"I'm--I'm so sorry for how I spoke to you. I shouldn't have been so rash and lost my temper." Rin apologizes with a lump in her throat.

Kaede walks up and kneels beside Rin and takes her hand in her wrinkled ones.

"Don't worry yourself with such things. I'm not upset with you." Kaede spoke with a soft smile.

Rin's eyes widened at Kaede's gentle tone.

"But I got so angry with you. You didn't deserve that, Granny Kaede."

Rin was expressing how awful she was feeling. She wasn't only upset at how she spoke to Kaede that day, she was also upset at the fact that after briefly reuniting with Sesshomaru, he didn't stay with her.

Rin lets out her sobs.

"Is--is Se--Sesshomaru gone for--for good?"

Kaede holds Rin's hand tightly.

"Sweet child, no need for those tears," Kaede began, "Lord Sesshomaru isn't gone."

Rin sniffs with confusion written on her face.

"What do you mean?"

Kaede elaborates.

"I was told earlier today by a familiar kitsune that Lord Sesshomaru is still in the area. He's probably waiting for you to recover before he comes to see you again."

A light was brought back into Rin's soft eyes. Now she was no longer sobbing from sadness but of relief and happiness. Kaede wraps her arms gently around Rin, consoling her tearful adopted granddaughter.