Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Rumiko Takahashi's and do not profit from this at all…though I kind of wish I could :-C
A gentle breeze playfully lifted the soft brown strands of Rin's hair as she sat amid the bright green grass and wildflowers of an otherwise deserted meadow. Her face, lifted to the light and heat of the mid-summer sun, seemed contemplative, her dark eyes glazed over in deep inner reflection. She absently twirled a hapless flower by its stem as she wondered to herself: when had things changed? There wasn't an obvious difference in her life. She still wandered the countryside with bare feet and a free spirit, although she did not travel quite as light as she used to, the advent of womanhood having forced her to take more notice and care of her appearance and hygiene.
Womanhood. For some reason, the term scared her. Ever since her thirteenth year when the old woman who had taken her in for that first bleeding had explained to her what it meant to be a woman, Rin had shied away from it. It seemed too big a word for her to handle; full of meaning and obligation. Full of change. So, she'd ignored it. She was content to spend her days pestering Jaken and following her lord. Her lord Sesshoumaru had always been the main point of consistency in her life; he was her world. Yet, somehow her world had shifted. Nothing had truly changed; lord Sesshoumaru still walked silently ahead and he still spoke few words. He still threw pebbles at Jaken and he still doted on her with gifts of kimonos, combs, and soaps….and yet…he was different, now.
Rin realized as she sat in the meadow that it was not Lord Sesshoumaru who had changed, it was herself. Her world hadn't changed, but her perspective on it had. Something in the way he moved stirred something within her. Something about the depth of his voice, the rough edge of a growl when he was driven to anger….made her breath quicken just a bit. Something about the way his silver curtain of hair shined and his golden eyes glowed….it was really very odd. As a child, Rin had always known and praised her lord's beauty and skill but, lately it seemed wrong to do so. Inappropriate and strange. What had happened? She dropped her gaze to the simple, white flower in her hand.
"Womanhood…" Rin mumbled under her breath, thinking once again on the old woman's words and the dream which had brought on all of this pondering. She'd woken up that morning feeling….damp. She remembered vividly the dream she'd had of her lord that night. He'd been caressing her, his claws gently grazing against her bare flesh as he spoke to her in low, sonorous tones with his breath hot in her ear. She was confused and a bit disturbed by this development and yet, couldn't deny that it had been a pleasant dream…although that pleasure had left her curiously achy and wanting. To add to her confusion, she'd woken up to find lord Sesshoumaru gone and Jaken off watering and grooming AhUn by a stream a ways from camp. These things were not out of the ordinary occurrences but, in conjunction with her dream they seemed a bit…pointed.
A flush of embarrassment crept up her neck as she wondered; could lord Sesshoumaru have possibly smelled her? Could he have guessed at the nature of her dream and left in an act of rebuke? To show her those feelings were unacceptable? But, that was ridiculous! Rin's lord was a demon who did things of his own accord for his own reasons. She shouldn't presume to understand or guess at the intent behind anything he did! And yet, she couldn't seem to help herself. Rin had been noticing of late the way her lord inclined his ear towards her whenever she sang or spoke to him, as if he wished to hear the sound of her voice, and the way his austere gaze seemed to soften whenever he looked her way. She wondered if these things had always been so and she had just failed to notice until recently.
A sudden rush of cool air, thrumming with power reminiscent of thunder storms blew up behind Rin, signaling her lord's return. She turned just in time to watch as his long, glorious tresses and robes settled about him in a swath of glittering silver and white. He turned his bright eyes to her and spoke her name in greeting, "Rin." And she remembered to breathe, letting out the air she'd been holding in a short gust.
"Where have you been, my lord? You were not here when I woke up…" Lord Sesshoumaru walked past her, his eyes now searching for his dragon and Jaken.
"Nowhere," was his short reply. Rin nodded her head in acquiescence of his reticence. She stood and brushed off her kimono before trotting after her lord. Her legs had grown long indeed by her fifteenth year but their slender grace still had trouble compensating for her lord's powerful stride. As she followed, she straightened out the ribbon which tied back the upper portion of her hair in a loose ponytail at the back of her head. A present from the last time her lord had left her unexpectedly, it was in her signature shade of tangerine orange and she was constantly making sure it stayed put in her hair as she adored it and was loath to lose it.
She giggled at Jaken's profuse apologies for not being ready upon his lord's return, already pushing back her mid-morning musings. Scratching under Un's head, she picked up a brush and started straightening out his mane. The sooner she and Jaken finished up the dragon's maintenance, the sooner they could set out again for the day's wanderings.
A/N~ So…what do you think? Any suggestions or comments or whatever are most definitely appreciated! Reviews, please!