Chapter Text
Chapter 1
When the sun hung nearly overhead above the city, casting its light across the wooden rooftops, two nuns stepped out of the convent’s silence and into the bright, bustling street. The church bells were still echoing as one of the sisters adjusted her veil beneath her hair and settled a cotton satchel over her shoulder. The other carried a wicker basket in her arms, meant for the fruits and vegetables they would bring back from the market.
“Let’s be quick, or we won’t find him before lunchtime,” Sister Kaori said.
Rin smiled. She knew how much Sister Kaori loved the fantastical tales told by the old storyteller who occupied the square, always surrounded by children and curious onlookers like them. It was rare for them to leave the convent, and rarer still for the world beyond its walls to feel so alive and inviting.
A few steps from the convent, they realized this was no ordinary day in the city. Ahead, the central square was far more crowded than usual. Banners and standards bearing the symbols of the army were stretched high, a clear sign that something was happening. Two men passed by them, and Rin’s companion dared to ask,
“Good morning, gentlemen. Could you tell us what’s going on?”
“Good morning, sisters, and our blessing,” the men replied, tracing the sign of the cross. “The army is returning victorious from a three-month campaign against the monsters of the Fire Kingdom. Much of the city has gathered in the square to welcome them.”
The men went on their way, as did the sisters. There was no avoiding the square; to reach the market, they would have to cross that crowd.
“Let’s go around to the left. It looks less crowded than trying to cut through the middle,” Rin said.
As soon as they stepped into the square, they realized the army had just arrived. Music filled the air, mingled with shouts, cheers, and applause. Celebration erupted on every side. The warriors marched proudly, bathed in the people’s joy. There was no way not to stop and watch.
But as Rin took in the scene, she began to feel that something was wrong. Heat crept up her cheeks, her hands started to tremble, and soon she was sweating heavily. Weakness washed over her legs, and she staggered, nearly collapsing where she stood.
“Something’s wrong with me,” she said to her companion.
“It must be the crowd,” the other replied. “Let’s get out of here.” She reached for Rin’s arm and tugged.
But Rin couldn’t move. Her legs buckled again, and then she felt a burning sensation on her left wrist. Pulling back the sleeve of her habit, she saw something forming there. The skin was red, burning slowly as it darkened, like a small tattoo being etched by something unseen. Rin screamed.
“Holy God!” her companion cried. “Help! Someone, please help!”
Rin’s head spun, her body trembling as if searching for something it could not find. Just as the world began to darken around her, a strong arm caught her. Confusion burned in his eyes, mirroring her own, and for a few seconds they stared at each other in silence.
“Make room, now!” someone shouted. “She’s not feeling well!”
Those strong arms lifted her from the ground and carried her into a nearby establishment.
“Tell them to keep the celebration going,” he ordered one of the men following him. Outside, the music resumed.
His gaze never left Rin’s, still confused, intense. Suddenly she screamed again, clutching her arm and staring at the mark, which now darkened faster, growing sharper, almost complete. The shape of a crescent moon.
Rin looked back up at the man before her—and there it was, the same crescent moon etched into his forehead, identical to the one now branded on her arm.
“What’s happening?” she finally managed to whisper, her voice hoarse. It felt as though part of her strength had been drained away.
He did not answer, only continued to study her, his eyes moving from her face to her arm as if assessing the situation. Rin tried to stand, searching for the sister who had come with her.
“Stay seated,” he said at last, his deep voice making her shiver.
She felt his fingers close around her wrist as he examined the fresh mark.
“A partnership mark?” someone nearby asked with open curiosity. When Rin looked at him, she noticed how much he resembled the man in front of her. “Can you feel it?” he asked the one holding her.
“I can. It’s… vibrant. It draws me to her without cease,” he replied, his gaze returning to the mark and then to her. “What is your name?”
Rin didn’t answer.
“Partnership? What do you mean by that?” she asked, still dazed. “I just want to leave. I need to go.”
“Wow,” the other man exclaimed. “I never thought this was real. It’s extremely rare—we haven’t heard of such a thing in years.” He sounded genuinely astonished.
A murmur rippled through the room as people whispered in surprise. Sister Kaori looked just as stunned. Rin turned pleading eyes toward her, and the other seemed to snap out of her trance.
“All right. All right,” she said, crouching beside the man. “Look, we’re just nuns from the convent. You know you can’t keep us here. It’s chaos out there, and now in here too, and she’s not well. Either you let us go, or you come with us.” Her voice was firm.
The man looked at her as though he might strike her at any moment.
“We’ll go with you,” the other said quickly. “We’ll accompany you to the convent. Can you stand now?” he asked Rin.
Before she could answer, the first man scooped the young nun up again, lifting her into his arms. She cried out in surprise.
“Don’t be afraid,” he told her. “I would never harm you, for many reasons.” He strode toward the back of the building. “Bring me my horse, now!”
“I—I can walk,” Rin finally managed, though her head throbbed, and being so close to him only made it worse. “Please, put me down. I can walk. I just can’t be this close to you. I feel my strength draining whenever you touch me. Something isn’t right.”
“It’s the bond calling itself into alignment,” he said.
Before she could ask what he meant, a horse white as snow appeared before them. In a matter of seconds, he set her atop it and mounted behind her.
Rin was in a state of panic. Beyond the sudden illness, everything was happening far too fast. One moment she had been heading to the market; the next, she was dizzy atop a horse with a stranger and a strange mark burned into her arm. May God soften the wrath of the Mother Superior when she learned of all this.
“Wait! Let me walk!” Rin protested. “Where is Sister Kaori?”
She tried to dismount, but the man held her firmly in place.
“Don’t worry,” the other man said calmly. “I’ll walk with them to the convent.”
At her side, Sister Kaori swallowed hard and nodded in agreement.
“I’ve never ridden a horse before,” Rin groaned to the man, who ignored the complaint and urged the horse into a slow trot across the square.
The victory procession had already moved on to another part of the city, taking most of the crowd with it, but those who remained stared in intrigue at the unusual sight—one that truly must have looked strange. A nun riding a horse with a warrior. Now so close to him, Rin found herself studying the man behind her. He wore armor like the soldiers who had just arrived in the city; in fact, his looked more imposing than the rest—yet it was scratched and nearly entirely stained with mud and blood. His strong features were framed by a silver helmet. The scent that clung to him was that of war and death, turning her stomach.
“Hold on a little longer,” he said. “We’ll be there soon.”
“What’s your name?” she asked, her turn now.
“Taishou. Sesshoumaru Taishou,” he replied, lowering his gaze to her. “That’s my brother, Inuyasha.”
Rin glanced back and realized they were moving slowly enough that this Inuyasha and Sister Kaori were walking alongside them.
“Your turn,” he said. “What’s your name?”
“Rin,” she answered simply.
“And your surname?”
“I don’t have one,” she said, embarrassed. “It’s… a complicated story.”
Sesshoumaru didn’t reply this time.
Soon after, they arrived at the convent.
“Please, let me down now,” she asked. “I don’t want the sisters to see me like this.”
He complied, setting her gently on the ground.
“You should go inside. I’ll call the Mother Superior,” Sister Kaori said, disappearing down a corridor and leaving the young nun alone with the two men.
When she returned, she was accompanied by the Mother Superior, her expression drawn with concern.
“I am Mother Superior Kirara. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said, offering a slight bow. “Why don’t we all go to my office?”
“I am General Taishou, and this is my brother, Major Taishou,” Sesshoumaru said as they followed her.
“Sister Kaori has already given me a brief account of what happened,” the Mother Superior said. “So you believe this to be a partnership bond?”
“Yes,” Sesshoumaru replied without hesitation. “I am certain of it.”
“I thought such a thing no longer existed—that it was only a legend,” the Mother Superior said thoughtfully. “I know of no recent records proving its existence, but I remember hearing of it when I was young. In the village where I was born, there was a couple who believed they shared such a bond. If this truly is the bond, it is not a simple matter—especially under these circumstances. You are a general of the army, and she is a simple nun.”
“I don’t believe that matters when it comes to partnership,” Sesshoumaru said. “The bond is stronger than what we are.”
“Wait a moment!” Rin interrupted, her voice sharp with anger. “Don’t talk as if I’m not here. So far, I don’t understand any of this—this bond, this partnership. What exactly is happening to me?”
The Mother Superior looked at Rin with calm eyes, tinged with something like pity.
“My dear, according to the ancients, the partnership bond is the perfect union of two souls born to be together. As if they were destined,” she explained. “It is a very powerful bond of love. Some only feel it through attraction, but you also bear the mark, as Sister Kaori told me.” She gestured to Rin’s arm, where the crescent moon had recently appeared.
Rin shivered slightly and felt her cheeks warm.
“You’re saying something like this… binds me to him?” she asked, glancing at Sesshoumaru.
“That is something you can confirm yourself,” the Mother Superior replied gently. “What are you feeling right now?”
“Fear,” Rin answered.
Sesshoumaru scowled at her.
“Well, honestly,” he snapped. “I already told you there’s no reason to be afraid of me.”
“Set the fear aside for a moment,” the Mother Superior said calmly. “What else are you feeling?”
Rin looked down at her lap, at her trembling hands.
“Something that pulls me toward him and drains my strength,” she said quietly. “Something restless, turning me inside out.”
Sesshoumaru watched her, his eyes burning.
“That will continue while we are close, until the bond stabilizes,” he said. “And if we are separated, we may even fall ill. Before meeting one’s partner, life can go on normally for a while—but after the meeting, the bond rarely sleeps again. It always seeks its counterpart.”
“How do you know so much about partnership?” the Mother Superior asked him.
“I met a bonded couple years ago, during a campaign,” he replied. “A nurse and a captain. We haven’t seen each other in a long time, but we’re still friends. They live in the Water Kingdom.”
“I see,” the Mother Superior murmured.
“So what happens now?” Rin asked, anxiety tightening her voice.
“Now we marry and confirm the bond,” Sesshoumaru answered, watching her growing distress.
“Marry?” she exclaimed. “I’m a nun, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“You’re still a woman, aren’t you?” he countered. “The bond is far too strong to be ignored.”
“I don’t intend to marry,” she said, standing and heading for the door. Sesshoumaru rose immediately, blocking her path. “I don’t know what this bond is, but I will not marry you. Please, let me pass.”
He didn’t move.
“No. I won’t step aside until you say you accept me,” he insisted.
“I already said no. You can’t force me—we both serve the Crown,” she shot back.
“I see we’ve reached an impasse,” the Mother Superior said. “May I speak with you privately for a moment, General? Rin, you may rest in your room. I’ll join you shortly.”
Sesshoumaru made no move to step aside.
“Brother,” Inuyasha said quietly, “she has the right to at least think about it. She’ll be inside the convent.”
Reluctantly, Sesshoumaru shifted, clearing the way. Rin hurried past him without looking back.
“Keep an eye on her,” he ordered.
“I do not allow men to wander freely through my convent. I will not have the other sisters disturbed,” the Mother Superior said firmly. “So you will remain here. Kaori, keep an eye on her, and come get us if anything happens.”
The two men had no choice. The Church was neutral in matters of the army, and within the convent the Mother Superior’s authority was absolute. They could not question her orders. Sister Kaori left, closing the door behind her and leaving the three of them alone. The Mother Superior let out a quiet sigh.
“I’ve heard that the bond is stronger in men than in women,” she said, taking a seat. “I’ve just discovered that to be true.”
“In fact, the intensity is the same for both,” Sesshoumaru replied, irritation edging his voice. “But men have a stronger protective instinct toward their partners. That’s true even in relationships without a bond—ordinary marriages. And besides, it is the partner’s role to anchor the bond.”
“And how is that done?” she asked.
“The bond is accepted symbolically through marriage,” Sesshoumaru answered, “but it is truly anchored on the wedding night, so to speak.”
“Did it all really have to be this complicated?” The Mother Superior removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. “I won’t even ask whether you intend to accept the bond.”
“Of course I do,” Sesshoumaru said sharply. “From now on, she is my responsibility.”
Silence settled between them for a moment.
“And if she refuses?” the Mother Superior asked. “What then?”
“As I said, not anchoring the bond is complicated as well. As far as I know, in the long run it can lead to serious consequences,” he replied. “She may be confused now, but she must be feeling the same things I am.”
“She needs time to understand. Until today, she didn’t even know what a bond was, as you saw,” the Mother Superior said. “And frankly, your appearance isn’t helping—armor, blood, and grime. Rin hasn’t had an easy life. She will need time. She’s had very little contact with men, and after what happened… I cannot simply push her into a marriage.”
“What do you mean by that?” Sesshoumaru asked, tension sharpening his tone.
“Simply put, Rin is an orphan. She was left at the door of a convent as a baby and raised there until adolescence. When she was nineteen, the convent received a visit from two young priests. We often gave temporary shelter to those traveling with recommendations from the Order. One of those priests abused Rin.”
The Mother Superior saw fury ignite in Sesshoumaru’s eyes.
“I don’t know the details, but it’s clear it wounded her—body and soul. After that, she was transferred here. She is a gentle, intelligent woman, but with a very difficult past.”
“I understand,” he said, his voice simmering with rage. “I would like to know more about this—about what happened, and about that man.”
“That is all I know. The details would be known by the Mother Superior of the other convent,” she replied. “For now, let me speak with her first. Let her absorb the idea, let her think. Then we will decide what to do.”
Sesshoumaru said nothing.
“It’s not as though she can run away—she has nowhere to go. And I promise I will keep an eye on her,” the Mother Superior continued. “You may return in a few days.”
“I’ll return tomorrow,” he said, rising to his feet.
Inuyasha and the Mother Superior exchanged a look.
“She said a few days, brother,” Inuyasha pointed out.
“And I said tomorrow,” Sesshoumaru replied coldly. “Leaving is hard enough as it is. So—until tomorrow.”