Walking along the rough path, her feet calloused but mostly clean—for the moment—Rin watched her master's back. She had been following him like this for so many years that she wondered if she had ever done anything else.
She took a few moments that morning to figure her age and to guess that she must be close to her eighteenth birthday. Did something special happen on on an eighteenth birthday? Or was it the twentieth? Did you need parents for it?
As she thought about it over the day, she felt that she sorely missed other people. That nasty man named Naraku had died long ago, and she no longer saw those human people that traveled with the master's brother—she didn't even see Kohaku. It was just Sesshoumaru-sama, Jaken-sama, and her.
All they seemed to do was wander, and Sesshoumaru would occasionally fight a demon trying to takeover his title. When they did rest at his home, she would be alone so much that she wondered if her master was even still there. Sometimes she would find Jaken. He would be lay out food, but then disappear again.
She had learned to entertain herself, which often involved role-playing in the fields that they passed. Imagining that her master was presenting her with flowers, she would blush the way she had seen when she was young and still had a mother and father. Or, pretending that she was the participant in a game of tag, she would envision her brothers chasing each other before coming after her.
Looking back, she was saddened at how lonely she was, even though she wasn't alone. She had her two guardians—not really like family or parents—more like companions who rarely offered her much companionship.
Her heart weighed more heavily the more she thought about it, and, looking up at the tree canopy overhead, she felt a sting behind her eyelids. Her feet stopped, and her eyes settled on her master's back. It was only a few seconds before he paused, glancing over his shoulder.
"Are you tired already?" he asked, his tone impassive. Is that how he felt towards her? Impassive? She couldn't say anything for a long five seconds, and her heart throbbed slowly and dully in her chest. Her eyes traveled over his face during those seconds, noting the beautiful features that had never aged and probably never would. She wondered if her feelings showed on her face, or if she had learned to hide them as well as he did.
It was time. Time to leave.
"I want to live with my own kind," she said simply, quietly, but without faltering. His lips parted, as if it had surprised him. "Can you show me the way to the nearest human village, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked, her shoulders drooping with sadness. Jaken stood a few feet in front of Sesshoumaru, looking at her with a greater degree of surprise.
Sesshoumaru nodded, turning away swiftly and walking with more purpose. She followed him again, only this would be for the last time. He told Jaken to stay on the path—he would return later. Jaken grudgingly sat down on a tree root.
They traveled through a part of the woods already affected by the onset of autumn. The red, orange, and yellow leaves fell as gently as snow. The walk lasted for maybe an hour, but the ground suddenly fell away, and they arrived at the edge of a steep hill. The trees ended here as well, and she spied a large village nestled in the valley below. People farmed, unaware of the arrival of a young human girl and an ancient dog demon, and smoke rose from those homes where families were preparing the noontime meal.
She looked down at the sight of so many busy and happy people, but instead of beating easier, her heart only hurt more. Looking up at Sesshoumaru, she was surprised to see his eyes staring at her intently.
"Is this what you want?" he asked, his voice no longer impassive. It was gruff, low in pitch with an emotion she did not understand. Her gaze slid down to the ground, her mind mulling over his question. She thought of what it was that she missed about her family, but it was difficult to pin it down. They had been happy, but...not because they were with other humans. It had been that they were with people they loved. Being around people they loved made them happy.
Rin looked down at the village, and knew that she did not love anyone there—how could she? They were all strangers to her. But she loved her Sesshoumaru-sama, and even Jaken had grown on her all too quickly. She had been lonely while at her master's home because it had felt that they weren't near her, and she had been lonely while playing in the fields of her master's lands because they did not play with her.
So the only way for her to be happy was to be with her two guardians as much as possible, even though neither was human.
She looked back at the beautiful face of her favorite dog demon, a happy smile on her face.
"No, this isn't what I want. I want to be with you, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said. He sucked in a shuddering gulp of air. His eyes closed and his arm swept around her, pulling her to him in a tight hug. His chin settled in the crook of her neck, and she felt a shot of adrenalin course through her veins like fire.
"That is what I want as well. I want you, Rin," he whispered to her. She couldn't seem to fill her lungs completely and felt dizzy. He smelled nice from this close. His hair was soft, and his voice was making her feel so... His grip on her loosened, and she drew back from him, a bit overwhelmed. She put her hands up on the collar of his outer coat to push herself away, but his hand cupped the back of her head. She looked up at him, confused, and barely had any warning before his lips were pressed against hers.
Her heart was now in her throat, but she didn't dare pull away. His lips felt so smooth and warm. She realized that this was her first kiss, and she pressed her body closer to him. He moved his lips gently, something she didn't expect. She thought kisses were simple pecks—it was all she had seen her mother and father do. He watched her from beneath his eyelids, pulling his lips over hers and letting his tongue lap at their fullness.
When he pulled back, she was blushing from the roots of her hair to the toes on her feet. She didn't realize it, but she had fisted her hands in his white coat.
"Close your eyes...and open your mouth," he softly commanded, obviously not done yet. Her blush became even more intense, if that were possible. The hand on the back of her head pulled her close again, and she closed her eyes, expecting him to find her mouth. Letting her jaw fall open, she gasped when his tongue swept inside. It shocked her so much that she jerked against him. His hand moved down to her waist again, and his other arm finally came around, gripping the back of her thigh and lifting her up against him.
She opened up to him like a flower unfurling its petals, and he drank her nectar as if it were the sweetest taste in the world. How long they stood there in that delectable embrace, she couldn't tell, but the workers from the farms were walking to the village for lunch when he finally released her. Now with a mutual understanding that needed no words, they walked back to Jaken, hand in hand.
Rin never felt lonely again.