Touga isn’t blind to see how much of an influence Rin has become. For the short period of their meeting, the young girl was able to sway Sesshoumaru’s possible outburst, as his do his own, without any violent protest from the one whose name bore meaning of “killing perfection”. His appearance before his return allowed him only to rest worries of his children falling into bad company; not enough to conclude that whatever bond between him and this human child would last. Indeed, Sesshoumaru has surpassed his sire’s expectations; he now only hopes InuYasha has as well.
And then it dawned upon him; Rin, despite the presence of this village, is an orphan. Though he would not comment on the matter as to make his son uneasy, the General merely smiled and lowered his head in thanks. “You are very kind, Rin. I am eternally grateful.” A pause, the elder daiyoukai points at himself, playful in his tone.
“Tell me, Rin. Do you think my Sesshoumaru looks just like his Chichue?” Hoping to keep at the merry mood Rin has brought.
Lifting a brow carefully at the former ruler of the west, Sesshoumaru watched in idle interest and curiosity as Rin left his side to approach his Sire, her own adopted grandfather, and somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered at the idea of slowly building a family to replace the ones she had lost so long ago. It went against his nature as an inuyoukai to be solitary, and as he watched his adopted daughter cast a glance back at him, he wondered if she too longed for the company of others.
Rin’s approach to the former lord was inhibited, standing directly between the two daiyoukai, casting glances between them, a finger to her jaw in wonder, “You do look very alike Lord InuPapa, but Lord Sesshoumaru is much easier for this one to understand. I think you are much kinder than you let Lord Sesshoumaru know.” She smiled knowingly at the elder Daiyoukai, walking the rest of the distance to his side, and reaching up to take his clawed hand into her own. Leaning close to him, she dropped her voice to a whisper, “Lord Sesshoumaru would be much kinder to InuPapa if you were kind to him.”
When a second silver brow rose to meet it’s companion, he wondered, not for the first time, how he had become so transparent to his pup, and resisted the urge to shake his head in awe of her openness with others, and lifted his gaze to meet Touga’s. Flicking a strand of hair behind him, Sesshoumaru stepped back once before turning on his heel, casting a backwards glance as he did, “Come, Rin… Chichue, we should be outside of the village before Inuyasha returns. He is… more uncouth than this one when he is startled.” He did not have much love for his half-sibling, but even he would not shock the boy without any warning of his father’s reanimation into life. The pup had a negative history with those he cared about coming back to life and probably would not react well.
Very much pleased of the young girl’s answer, he felt at little more at ease being in such a close proximity to his son. Admittedly, he never was much of a present father in Sesshoumaru’s childhood; though he loved him far too greatly to indulge in wars and expansion for his son’s benefit. To ensure no harm would come to his kin and vast lands plenty for young Sesshoumaru to reign over. His affair didn’t help either; while they triumphed in his prime, side by side with his firstborn, an affair was an affair. It brought pain and distrust, agony and betrayal; it brought a child.
For once, wise as the great Inu No Taisho is deemed to be, words betrayed him in answer. Has he been unkind? Was it wrong to have fallen in love? To rekindle a sense of purpose of being needed? Clearly his wife and Sesshoumaru are omnipotent in their own accord; they can very much hold and destroy if they wished to. Was it selfish to have find his place in the arms of Lady Izayoi and InuYasha?
Though his thoughts wounded him with uncertainty, the sound of his son’s voice calling to him was all the comfort he needed; and perhaps, the warmth of Rin’s touch and purity. “Perhaps jiji can tell you a story later?” Touga offers a delighted smile; index over his lips in a hushing fashion. “But in turn, you’d have to teach this one how to be unkind.” He points to himself, then rubbing the back of his neck.
“Your brother seems to dislike me… as much.” Came the General’s comment, adjusting yet again the band of his hair. Turning glances left and right, looking for a suitable makeshift band to keep his hair penned up.
