"What will the price be?"
"Everything."
"Agreed."
Sesshomaru obtained the Deep-Sea Ice Soul Stone at the cost of his entire being. Once he handed the Ice Soul Stone to Lotus, it would be time to pay that price. He returned to the Western Lands one last time and entrusted them to his mother. Wise as Rinyō was, she had already sensed something, even though Sesshomaru had not told her everything. This time, however, she did not stop him. Instead, she smiled as she watched her child make his choice.
Once, she had believed that her child and that human girl could never have a happy ending. Humans and demons belonged to different worlds, after all. So she had asked her son, "Do you want your child to be a half-demon?" That single, casual question had put an end to their thoughts of having children. But after the human woman died, she could sense the desolation and grief in Sesshomaru's heart, even though he showed nothing on his face. Those emotions should never have belonged to her proud son. At that moment, she thought that perhaps it would have been better if the human woman had left a child behind. Then Sesshomaru would surely have taken care of himself for his child's sake.
"Go, Sesshomaru. Do what you wish to do." As his mother, she knew he might never return.
"From now on, I entrust the Western Lands to you," Sesshomaru said.
"I understand." Rinyō smiled faintly.
Back then, her husband had died for a human woman without leaving any final wishes. Sesshomaru had not yet been strong enough to command everyone's allegiance. Though the Demon Dog Clan and the Western Lands appeared peaceful, dangerous currents ran beneath the surface. In those turbulent times, Rinyō had secured the clan's faltering rule