DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA, AND I NEVER WILL...

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A/N: THIS IS A GIFT FIC FOR A WONDERFUL WRITER AND FRIEND, BY THE NAME OF KIRAYASHA AKA KIRA WHO REQUESTED I WRITE SOMETHING CUTE, FLUFFY, AND WAFFY FROM RIN'S CHILDHOOD, AND IF YOU HAVEN'T READ HER WONDERFUL FANFICS, YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD. HER TEO TORRIATTE IS ONE OF MY FAVE SESS/RIN STORIES AND NO ONE WRITES THE 'BAND OF SEVEN' THE WAY SHE DOES!

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Twelve year old Rin raced into the hut, seemingly in a panic.

"I need some sake, some bandages, and a poultice!"

Kagome and Kaede both looked up from their work of bundling recently dried herbs to regard the girl, wondering what could possibly be wrong?

"Child, calm ye self, is someone injured?"

Rin shook her head frantically up and down.

"Well, tell us who and we'll all go." Kagome suggested helpfully.

Rin went about explaining her discovery in the woods, and Kagome and Kaede nodded knowingly. It was decided that Rin could handle this one on her own… after all… she DID have experience, Kagome noted with a laugh.

Days went by, and every day Rin woke and gathered supplies. Water and rags, antiseptic herbs, and beef marinated in sake, to help with the pain. She'd gotten her patient to eat some of the mold that Kagome-chan swore would be good for staving off infection.

Each day her patient got better and better, and Rin was happy to note that his injury seemed to have some of the skin growing back around it.

She got him sufficiently drunk, and finally cauterized the wound… much to his displeasure, but it had to be done she reminded herself, if she wanted him to live.

This patient needed more than simple time to heal, and it had taken more than a month to get him in back in tip-top shape.

She thought about bringing him to the hut with her, but he wasn't too fond of groups of people, if his reaction to the local village boys was indication.

Snarling at them, fangs barred her little puppy-patient would only allow her to come near him.

He was finally over his days of convalescence when her OTHER favorite puppy came to visit, although when he'd shown up, she hadn't been there.

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Sesshomaru approached the hut, annoyed that his charge's scent was not fresh, indicating that she was not inside.

He didn't relish the idea of having to walk through the village looking for her, as he tended to make the other villagers… uncomfortable… as the men grabbed their women and the women held their children close. Some of the brighter ones, (in his opinion), made no pretense of bravery and simply ran away, reeking of fear and the occasional soiled fundoshi.

No, he did not want to have to look for her, and where was she anyway? She knew he'd be arriving today, intent on taking her with him for a three day trip to a lovely youkai seamstress that resided in his territories, who would be making her heavier winter kimonos, ones that would block the cold completely, and repel the wetness of the snow.

He had gone to much trouble to get the old spider youkai to agree to weave kimonos for his human ward, and how does she repay him?

By finding some other matter more pressing.

"Hn." He inwardly snorted.

Outwardly, he made to interrogate his mutt brother,

"Inuyasha, where is Rin?"

Inuyasha regarded the dour daiyoukai with a look of amusement in his eyes, and he even chuckled when he responded,

"Doing what she does best…"

That was not an answer, in Sesshomaru's opinion.

He didn't have a chance to question further though, as suddenly he heard laughter and picked up two scents… Rin and…

She came around the corner only a moment behind…it.

She raced after the little puppy, who was missing…

It's left front leg.

Inuyasha outwardly laughed at the girl's antics, and the look on his brother's face, as he made to continue,

"She's chasing after some three-legged dog!"

Sesshomaru was not amused.