Hello everyone! Please understand this is my first fanfic in like 10 years. So go easy on me :)
Chapter 1: Lonely child
Sometimes it was the little things in life that made life worth living. Like a cool bath after defeating a boar demon on a hot summer day. Or shampoo and conditioner. At the moment, it currently felt like my life was over. I was all out of conditioner.
"No no no there has got to be something left," I muttered, mercilessly shaking the bottle. It was useless, my hair would have to deal with just shampoo for the time being. I couldn't stop the sad sigh.
Okay I know I'm over-reacting. I mean, I'm traveling in a time where shampoo and conditioner haven't even been invented yet. I should be grateful that I'd maybe have to go only another day without it before we reached Kaede's village. Still, could you blame me for being a little put out?
Sulking, I put the bottles to the side and focused on just relaxing in the water, the crickets chirping as the sun began to set. Another day gone without finding any leads on the Shikon jewel. Around my neck, four pieces of the jewel sparkled in its little vial. You would think after all these years we would have more to show for it, but unfortunately, life could be full of disappointments.
Inuyasha and the others were back at camp, not a far distance away. I kept my eyes and ears open though, just incase Miroku decided to get any ideas. A girl couldn't be too careful after all.
Rustling to my left drew my attention. "Please tell me thats just a innocent little bunny," I muttered, cautiously covering my chest. Should I scream or wait? Before I had time to decide, a childlike squeal sounded as a blur came running out of the woods and cannon balled into the water.
"Eh?" I screamed, ducking deeper into the water and looking around. What the heck was that?! I didn't have to wait long before I found out. A angry green blur followed shortly after, screeching for all the world to hear.
"Rin you little brat! Lord Sesshomaru will kill me if you keep running about as you please. Get out of that stream this instant," Jaken was the next to come running out of the woods, squawking, his ridiculous staff getting caught on vines and the like in his haste to chase after what must have been Rin.
A head of wet black hair emerged, giggling and splashing the only answer to Jaken's demands.
"Rin?" I couldn't keep the amusement out of my voice at seeing a familiar face. Keeping in mind Jaken's presence, I covered my chest. Golden brown eyes blinked away the water, before looking towards me. Without a doubt, this was Lord Sesshomaru's ward, Rin.
"Lady Kagome!" came her happy shout before she slowly splashed over to me, the stream shallow enough for her to touch the bottom, allowing her to walk over to me. "Is Shippo with you?" She inquired, her eyes roaming around the area searching for the fox kit.
"He's back at camp," I answered, eyeing the little imp who was standing at the streams edge, eyes bugging and his jaw dropping.
"Inuyasha's wench, get away from Lord Sesshomaru's ward this instant!" He squealed, his staff swinging in front of him at me. Without even thinking, I threw a giant rock at his head. Honestly, who does he think he is?!
"What brings you out here Rin? Is Lord Sesshomaru with you," I asked, eyeing the way they came suspiciously. Jaken I could handle. Sesshomaru seeing me naked however was a completely different story.
My cheeks flared up at the thought. If Inuyasha found out, I'd never hear the end of it.
"No…he's not." Something about her voice had me turning towards her, the sadness unusual for the little girl who was known for her smiles and laughter.
"Is everything okay?" I couldn't help but gently brush her hair out of her face, the wet strands thick and tangled. Something told me Sesshomaru didn't have a regular schedule of brushing her hair. He must own a brush, his hair always looked so perfect.
Getting off track here Kagome!
"It's just… Rin hasn't seen Lord Sesshomaru in over 5 moons," she whispered, bringing her knees up to her chest and staring only at the water. I didn't need to see to know tears were in her eyes, the loneliness and fear in her voice gave away what she was thinking.
5 moons…as in 5 months? I stared for a moment before looking back at the imp who had jumped to his feet, recovering a little too quickly in my opinion.
"Stupid girl! Lord Sesshomaru is a busy lord. He can not spend all his precious time wasted on a slip of a child! 5 moons is nothing to demons. Be grateful he allows you to follow me, Lord Jaken, instead of leaving you on the side of the road," he screamed, puffing up his chest as if to seem more important.
"Jaken, shut up, the humans are talking," I replied, already throwing another rock at him. This time he dodged making a harrumph noise before walking away, seemingly settled in knowing that Rin would not be harmed.
Turning my eyes back on the girl, I couldn't help but be worried. 5 months in the woods alone (Did Jaken really count as a companion?) seemed like an awful long time...
"Is Lord Sesshomaru usually gone this long?" I couldn't help but be curious. He wouldn't really abandon a child would he? Not one he seemed so protective of. Taking in her form, you could tell she was a little on the skinny side, where before she had definitely been well taken care of.
She shook her head quickly, her tiny side ponytail flicking water everywhere.
"Lord Sesshomaru has never left for more than half a moon cycle, a full moon at most." she answered, the worry obvious in her voice.
I thought to the last time I had seen him. That had to have been at least 6 months ago at least. Everything had seemed fine then. In fact, we had traveled together for almost two weeks.
"Come with us then," I replied. There was no way in hell I was going to let a little girl wander by herself in these woods. Jaken couldn't even protect himself against a rock, let alone a demon. How they had lasted this long was a mystery.
"Really!" For a moment the sparkle was back in those eyes, a smile to match.
"Really. I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru is very worried about you. I don't think he would mind if you came with us. We'll make sure nothing happens to you until he gets back," I answered truthfully. I tried not to think of what I would tell Inuyasha. Something tells me this little situation would get his panties in a twist.
Just like that the smile was gone, a tiny frown staring back at the water.
"But what if Lord Sesshomaru comes back to find Rin, and Rin is not here?" she whispered, her arms clenching her knees as tight to her chest as they would go.
"You guys haven't left this area in 5 moons?!" How in the world had they survived? The other side of the woods was crawling with demons! Plus, I had not seen a camp anywhere near the clearing we were staying at.
Rin nodded, pointing up towards a cliff above the treeline. I looked to where she was pointing, eyes widening at the darkened incline.
"Ah-Un keeps us safe up there," she smiled, but there was a lonely expression on her face.
Ahh, the double headed dragon. No wonder she was still ok. That seemed more plausible than Jaken keeping her safe. Quietly I reached over to my shampoo, and slowly worked it into her hair. Something tells me she won't notice the lack of conditioner.
"It smells good," Rin mumbled, tears slowly falling from her eyes. When was the last time someone washed her hair for her? My heart broke and I pulled her into my lap, my arms wrapping around her.
"Lord Sesshomaru will definitely find you with us. He's one of the strongest demons I've ever met, and I bet he could find you no matter where you are." I reassured her, continuing rubbing the shampoo into her hair, working through the tangles and undoing the band on her ponytail.
It was gonna be a nightmare to brush this out later.
Gently I dunked her head under the water to wash her hair. Sometimes the best therapy for a bad day was to have someone wash your hair. No offense to Rin, she definitely looked like she needed it.
Grabbing the soap, I worked it into a lather, starting with her arms, getting underneath her fingernails, chest, back, legs. Soon she smelled as clean as she looked.
Giggles were finally making their way out, soon turning into laughter. "This stuff smells funny, but I like it. It makes bubbles!" Ah, to be so easily amused. I couldn't help but chuckle at her childish glee. For years, I had only Shippo to care for. Giggly girls could be so much cuter than sullen boys, that was for sure.
After washing myself, I grabbed two towels out of my bag, wrapping one around myself before going through the process of drying her.
I frowned as I did. She really was skinny. I could see every rib bone.
"Are you eating well Rin?" I couldn't keep the curiosity out of my voice. Did Ah-Uh not hunt for her? I watched as she bit her lip before looking up at me. "Rin eats berries and fish. But its hard to find edible berries in this forest, and Rin sometimes has a hard time catching fish."
Well, and there was your answer. This girl needed a good meal and a soft bed, asap. I dried myself, pulling on my pajamas before looking back at her. No doubt her kimono was filthy. Pulling out a large shirt that I sometimes slept in, I discreetly sniffed it. Guess this would have to do.
"This is a strange kimono," was thankfully her only comment before I helped her put it on, the light pink shirt hanging to her knees. Yup that would definitely have to do. Walking around the stream, I grabbed her kimono she left on the ground.
The imp had his back turned toward me, his posture radiating unpleasant thoughts. I sighed.
"Jaken, Rin is going to come back with me, are you coming?" Please say no. Please say no!
"Absolutely not! She will not come back with you. Lord Sesshomaru gave me strict orders to guard her! Not leave her with his half demon brother and his human wench!" He cried, the staff once more being waved around. I could feel my eyebrow ticking in aggravation. A hot ball of fury starting in my stomach that slowly worked its way into my blood stream.
"And what will Lord Sesshomaru say when he finds out that she's practically starving to death?!" I yelled back, anger barely kept in place. Had he not seen how skinny she was? Did demons honestly think that was normal?
Apparently not because he immediately looked at the ground, guilt causing his shoulders to droop.
"This forest is not very plentiful. I thought perhaps we should move on, but did not expect Lord Sesshomaru to be gone so long."
So even Jaken was worried. Concerned, I looked down at Rin, big brown eyes staring back up into my blue. Something had to be wrong. There is absolutely no way Sesshomaru would abandon them. He might be terrifying, but he was honorable. I had seen first hand how much he cared for her, there wasn't a doubt in my mind something had to be amiss.
"Come back with us, I'll explain everything to Inuyasha. There is a village not far from here who are willing to house an extra human and a few demons if we give them a good word about you."
At least I hope they would. I wouldn't be surprised if they decided Jaken could stay in the forest.
For a moment, it seemed like he would refuse again, but one look at Rin had Jaken nodding his consent. Alone in the woods without protection was no place for a little girl, especially not Lord Sesshomaru's precious ward.
Rin made a sharp whistling noise, and in a few moments, Ah-Uh appeared from the foliage. His two heads looked at me curiously for a moment, before snorting and slowly walking over to Rin.
It didn't take long to walk back to camp. Honestly, I'm surprised Inuyasha didn't notice all the commotion yet.
Sango and Miroku were feeding a blazing fire, talking quietly amongst themselves as Shippo and Kirara napped against one another. Inuyasha apparently was out hunting as his tree he had taken residence of was surprisingly empty.
"I'm back," I called out, Rin's small hand in mine. "Welcome back…" Sango started before seeing what was following me. I could see the curiosity in their eyes. Everyone knew who Rin belonged to, and it didn't take a genius to notice a certain dog demon was missing from her entourage.
It took little time to explain the situation to them. Miroku and Sango both frowned, equally concerned that Rin had been left in the woods for so long.
"You have no idea where Lord Sesshomaru may have gone?" Sango asked, gently helping Rin find a seat .
Rin shook her head, water drops flying from her damp hair. I dug through my bag till I found my comb. Better work on that hair before she crawled into bed and made it worse. Holding my hand out to her, I helped her find a cozy spot by the fire.
Once settled, I sat behind her, pulling all her hair behind her and starting at the ends and slowly combing the snarls away. The dead ends would need to be trimmed.
"Lord Sesshomaru said that there was something concerning happening to the eastern end his lands," Jaken finally admitted. It seemed to disgust him to provide information of his Lord's whereabouts, but you could tell he was worried.
"The east?" Miroku commented, before looking at Sango and I. "And this was about 5 moons ago?"
Jaken nodded. "Did he mention what might have been happening there? That it might take longer than usual?" I looked over at Jaken, curiosity keeping me from focusing on Rin's hair.
This time, Jaken shook his head. " My Lord has no need to tell this lowly one these sorts of things. Only that I should watch Rin and wait for his return."
We all fell quiet at that, feeling an unusual chill in the air for what was such a hot day. After an hour of working on Rin's hair, I was finally able to get my comb to go through from top to bottom with no snags. My scissors made quick work of the split ends, and though I was no hair stylist, I could honestly say I had made a pretty even trim.
Inuyasha finally arrived soon after, 4 geese had been his evening prey. His eyes bulged out at the sight of Sesshomaru's crew, and before he could open his mouth, I had already grabbed his wrist and pulled him away.
"What the hell Kagome!" Guess I should have expected a tantrum. Here we go.
"I found Rin in the woods. Sesshomaru has been gone for 5 moons and she was starving. I couldn't leave her out there." Good girl Kagome. Keep it simple.
For a moment, it looked like Inuyasha wanted to argue, but he turned around, looked at Rin, who looked so tiny in the large shirt I gave her. With a sigh he relaxed but there was still an irritated ticking vein on his forehead.
"5 moons?" He asked. I nodded. Jaken was trying to look tough, but somehow hiding behind Ah-Uh glaring at us didn't seem to help his case. It had been a long time since Sesshomaru and Inuyasha had honestly been at odds with each other. Sure they made rude comments at one another but that was as volatile as it could get in the past 3 years.
Inuyasha looked up at the moon for a moment, thankfully bright and full for the oncoming night, and nodded, seeming to have answered some argument he was having within himself.
"Whatever. Lets go make dinner." I rolled my eyes but smiled, happy that this wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. Maybe Inuyasha really was starting to grow up.
"The imp can starve though." Or maybe not.
I FINALLY went back and revised this chapter. My writing style has changed so quickly after writing Solace of the West and It takes a Village. Going back, I realized this may need some tweaking, the spelling errors that I thought I had conquered blaring out at me with neon lights. A part of me wanted to completely rewrite this into my more current style, but I realized, you know what, a lot of people like this already the way it is, so bear with it and change what you can.
Please understand this fanfic was my first in almost a decade, so go easy on it. My thoughts for it seem to shift like the wind, so don't be too surprised at the curveballs. Please be sure to follow, favorite, AND REVIEW!