There was skipping and sunflowers.

Sesshomaru was not accustomed to seeing either.

In all his days, Sesshomaru had never seen another creature skip on its heels the way that the little human Rin did now, her short arms full of flowers, halting just below his perch halfway up a tree. He thought at first something to be wrong with her; that maybe she had injured herself somehow in all that twisting and dancing around she had done in the middle of the clearing he was currently patrolling for signs of Naraku. But, he heard no sound of discomfort come from the child, nor smell any distress on her. Instead, she was humming a melody high in her throat and had a small smile plastered on her face.

"Lord Sesshomaru! I have something for you!"

He looked down at her blankly. The pup knew he did not care for petty mortal things. So what could she possibly have to give? He eyed the bouquet that lay in her arms. She did not mean this, did she?

"What do you want with this Sesshomaru?" He inquired, his voice monotone and unamused, not making a motion to move from his place.

"Please, come down! I want to give you something!"

His eyes still bore into her tiny little face with the same empty expression.

"Oh, come on! Pleaseeeeee?"

Finding the infernal whine of the pup was more bothersome than actually coming down from his perch he dropped from the tree at once, curious but careful to keep his disinterested mask on. She motioned for him to kneel down and with a bit of coaxing and of course, more whining, he did.

After five minutes of more humming and her small hands in his hair, Rin stepped back from the Lord of the Western Lands with a satisfied look on her face.

"YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL," she stated in the loudest voice she could muster.

Jaken ran over from his post just across the clearing, presumably thinking something had gone awry given the volume of the girl's voice, but when his bulbous eyes set upon his master, Sesshomaru was surprised they did not pop straight from their sockets.

"MASTER, HOW COULD YOU LET HER DO THIS TO YOU? YOU ARE A LORD OF LANDS, YOU SHOULD HAVE A CROWN OF GOLD, NOT OF PLANTS! I NEVER –"

The imp's remark was cut short by the sound of Sesshomaru's fist meeting the crown of its head. Rin exploded into a fit of giggles as Jaken ran around bouncing from foot to foot trying to ease the pain of his aching skull.

Yes, it was true, Sesshomaru was the Lord of Lands. But, in this moment, protected by the forest just outside that clearing, he was willing to be Lord of Flowers.

If only for the sake of her smile.

And the stop of that damned whining.