A/N: Thanks to SilentEyes1707 for the beta...You're the best! =)
This is my first Inuyasha fanfic. Hope you all enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, don't shoot! The characters belong to Rumko Takahashi.
The sun blazed down upon the meadow on the outskirts of Inuyasha's forest. The delight of spring had recently ended as the heat of the summer spread throughout the lands of Feudal Japan.
Sesshoumaru and Rin stood about 5 feet away from each other as a staring contest ensued between them, both hesitating to break the silence. Jaken stood between them, pacing and muttering incessantly to himself.
Sesshoumaru sighed inwardly and, without breaking his stare with Rin, commanded Jaken to go tend to Ah-Un, his two-headed dragon mount. Now alone with her lord, Rin clutched the flower in her hand closer to her chest.
Brusquely, Sesshoumaru stepped forward, knelt down in front of the little girl and put his hands on her shoulders, nudging her towards him slightly. Without any hesitation, Rin threw her little arms around his neck and rubbed her nose into the collar of his kimono.
Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and allowed this moment of weakness to continue for a few more minutes before gently pulling her arms away from his neck. He stared as Rin took a deep breath and looked him directly in the eye.
"Lord Sesshoumaru…I will do as you please. But may I ask why?"
After a small pause, her lord responded, "Rin, you are an 8-year old girl who will be going through many changes in only a few short years. Living a nomadic lifestyle with a male demon is no life for a human girl. Growing up with others of your kind will help you smoothly transition into womanhood. You've experienced living with a demon, now it is time for you experience life in a human village."
Rin absorbed every word uttered by him with a slight frown on her innocent face. "But my last experience was—"
Sesshoumaru held up a hand to stop her. "I know your past few interactions with humans have not been pleasant, but I was under the impression you liked the people in Inuyasha's village?"
"Oh I did!" Rin's frown suddenly cleared and she replied in an excited voice. "Lady Kaede treats me like a granddaughter, Kagome and Sango see me as their little sister… and even Inuyasha was fun to play with!" His right eye twitched at the last bit, but made no comment.
Understanding dawned on her face now. "I just made your point, didn't I?"
Sesshoumaru nodded. "You need their kinship…you cannot find a deep, stable connection with a wandering demon who…" He finally broke off his gaze with her to look off into the distance.
A soft smile graced her face as she laid her hand on his cheek…his inhuman eyes looked at her again.
"I have found a connection with you that I will find with no other being in the world. Please never forget that, my lord. If it were not your wish for me to leave, I would gladly stay with you now and for the years to come."
She spoke like a girl beyond her years…her uniqueness truly astounded him sometimes. Lord Sesshoumaru vaguely removed his stoic mask to reveal a somber look of tenderness meant only for Rin.
"So, you do not intend to forget me?"
Rin gasped. "Forget you? My lord!" Tears sparkled in her eyes. "You must visit me as often as you can!"
He closed his eyes and smiled ever so slightly. "As you wish."
In just a few hours, Rin will be entering a human village filled with old friends who will help raise her and teach her everything they know. In those very same hours, Sesshoumaru will be bidding his Rin farewell and trying to still the aching in his heart at the sight of her leaving him.
But he is not really leaving her. No, Sesshoumaru intends on staying in her life as long as she allows it. He wanted her to know he will always be there for her. Always.