Papa
"Papa, please don't die." Rin whispered, her little brown eyes secreting tears over and over again.
"Rin," Chon-Chan said, resting his hand on her cheek. "Do not cry for me, for I will see you again someday."
"Really papa? We will see each other again?"
"Yes," he sighed, and let out another series of painful coughs.
"Rin, please leave your father to rest." Chi-Chui, her mother said, taking her by the shoulders.
Immediately, there was a pounding at the door.
"Give us the goods and we will let you go!" a gruff voice yelled. Immediately, her two older brothers woke, up, and rushed out of their room, and over towards her and Chi-Chui.
"Mama, who is it?"
"I don't know." She whispered.
There was another pounding at the door, but then all fell silent.
"Alright, if ya won't come out, we'll smoke you out!" the same gruff voice said, and was followed by several other men laughing.
The house was suddenly in flames, and her brothers disappeared from sight.
"Aaron! Chang! Mama!"
"Rin!" she heard her mother's familiar voice, and suddenly she was there, picking her up, and shoving her out the window.
"You must run my daughter!"
The moment Rin was out of the house, she ran as fast as she could, and stopped on top of a hill, where she watched her house burn to the ground.
"Mama" She sobbed, shaking and wiping the tears from her eyes, "Papa." She curled into a ball on the ground, sobbing, endless tears streaming down her face, and onto the grass.
…..
Rin jerked out of her sleep, tears pouring out of her eyes, as she gripped onto her blanket tightly. The nightmare replayed over and over again in her head, refusing to be distracted by other thoughts.
Her eyes flickered around the camp restlessly.
Jaken was snoring loudly, curled up against the dragon Ah-Un's side, but Lord Sesshomaru was nowhere to be seen.
I'm sure they won't mind if I go out for a walk Rin thought. I won't get myself lost.
With that, Rin got up out of her bed area, and began walking out towards the forest.
It has to be around here somewhere. Rin knew this area of the forest like the back of her hand, since she had been through it so many times.
Finally, after endless minutes of searching, she found it.
A small farm.
The hut was burned , most of it in ashes, and the stable simply looked abandoned, as if animals had not been here in months.
"Papa." Rin whispered to herself, as she ran down the hill, towards the place that was once her home.
…..
A gentle breeze blew through the trees, giving the area a calming effect on it.
Sesshomaru closed his eyes, and breathed in evenly in and out. Peace and quiet. Something he didn't get to enjoy often now a days.
But, his peace was soon ended, as the smell of salt water came to his sensitive nose.
Someone was crying, and it just raced past him, heading west.
Growling to himself, Sesshomaru bolted after it, hoping to rid himself of this unwanted distraction.
…..
Rin laid curled up into a ball, on the dry, burnt grass of the place she once called home, ever so shivering from her sobs.
"Rin."
She lifted her head slightly to see who it was that was calling her.
She immediately stood up and tried to look presentable, "L-Lord Ses-shomaru." She stuttered between hiccups.
Sesshomaru kneeled down to her level, looking her in the eyes.
"Rin, is something wrong?" his voice was emotionless, but was softer than usual.
"No-It's noth-ing L-lord Sesshomaru." She wiped away her tears, and stood upright, seeming to look better.
"Let's go." Sesshomaru said standing up, and walking back towards camp.
…..
"Master Jaken, where are we going?" Rin asked.
"Somewhere north Rin, now stop asking such questions! Lord Sesshomaru is tired!" The toad demon rebuked her.
For some strange reason, following Lord Sesshomaru around like this reminded her of how she would follow her father around sometimes. "Are you really that tired Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin asked slightly concerned.
"Yes." Sesshomaru replied, but kept his eyes forward, as he kept on walking.
"Then why don't we take a break?"
"Rin! Stop asking Lord Sesshomaru such silly questions!" Jaken shouted at her.
"He doesn't have to answer Jaken," Rin whispered, "Are you sure you don't want to take a break Lord Sesshomaru?"
"Yes, Rin, I'm sure." He replied in his usual expressionless tone.
Rin put her hands over her mouth to hide a giggle. That's how much Lord Sesshomaru reminded her of her own father. She then smiled hugely, and said something by mistake.
"Ok papa!"
Immediately, her eyes widened, and both her hands flew to cover her mouth.
Jaken stumbled, and Sesshomaru stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening in shock.
Rin couldn't believe that she had just called Sesshomaru-LORD Sesshomaru 'her papa'.
Will Lord Sesshomaru leave me behind now after what I just said? Will he strand me somewhere? Rin thought to herself. All she knew, was that when Sesshomaru stopped, it was for something important. He NEVER stopped when she had said something silly or stupid! Never!
"What did you say?" Jaken squawked, in utter shock. But Rin didn't respond. She kept her hands over her mouth and shook her head, her own eyes filled with worry and fear. She felt like those words were swear words, and if she repeated them, she would get in trouble.
"Rin! What did you call Lord Sesshomaru?" Jaken shrieked again.
Rin slowly removed her hands from her mouth.
"I-I called h-him pa-papa." She stammered.
Sesshomaru slowly turned his head towards her, and she could almost picture him giving his 'kill' glare, but instead, he retained his normal solemn face, as if he heard nothing, or the word gave affected him not.
"Let's go." He called, and continued walking. Jaken followed hurriedly behind, along with Ah-Un.
It took a while for Rin to catch up again, and for the rest of their walk, she stayed silent.
Sesshomaru found this silence peaceful, but yet also very disturbing. It wasn't natural for Rin to stay quiet like this. As he walked, he also pondered that word.
Papa. Why would that even cross her mind? Sesshomaru thought, I am a demon, and she is a human. Our worlds are nothing alike, and are not meant to be mixed.
Sesshomaru turned his head, and slightly looked back at her. She followed farther behind than usual, and her head was bowed, as if she were either sad, or was thinking about something deeply.
Perhaps it is not wrong for her to think that. Sesshomaru thought again, as he turned his head forward again. She is an orphan, and perhaps the place she was last night was her old home? Perhaps, I remind her of her father in some ways?
Sesshomaru cleared the thought from his mind, as he kept on walking forward.
…..
Night soon fell upon them, and they stopped for the night.
Sesshomaru had sent Jaken out on a late night errand, and to be sure that the little imp wouldn't get himself killed, he sent Ah-Un along with him.
Sesshomaru sat against a tree, still thinking deeply about what had happened earlier that day. Papa, that word puzzled him.
Why would a human child see me-as a parent-someone to look up to? A normal human child would think of a demon as nothing but a threat-nothing more.
Sesshomaru's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of talking.
"No….no…no." the voice whispered, and Sesshomaru's gaze flickered over towards where Rin was sleeping.
She was tossing and turning, a worried expression on her face.
She's having a nightmare? Sesshomaru thought, and she talks in her sleep? Good grief!
It's true, Rin was mumbling, in her sleep, and soon the words became clearer.
"No….no (huff)…mamma…brothers (huff) (huff)…" she whispered, and then began to quietly wail, "papa….papa!"
Tears fell down the child's face, as she began to shake slightly, and grip onto her blanket tightly.
A sharp pang went through Sesshomaru's heart. What's this? He thought, "Do I actually CARE for this child?
"…Lord Sesshomaru." Rin whispered.
She must have woken up, Sesshomaru thought. Sighing to himself, he stood and began to walk towards her.
"Lord Sesshomaru?" she whispered again, a tinge of worry in her voice.
Sesshomaru kneeled down, but was shocked to see that she was still asleep.
She's dreaming about me? Sesshomaru thought.
Rin turned over in her sleep, now facing him, as she continued to whimper. "..Lord Sesshomaru….please….help me…"
Sesshomaru reached out one clawed hand, and gently shook her shoulder.
Rin's eyes immediately snapped open, and she jerked up out of her sleep, quivering slightly.
"Rin." Sesshomaru said, and she immediately turned her gaze to him. "It's alright, you were just having a bad dream. It's over now."
Rin just stared at him for a few seconds, before closing her eyes; more tears pouring out of them.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" she wailed, and quickly wrapped her little arms around his neck, her tears soaking into his silver hair.
"I…dreamt t-that you l-left me and n-never came b-back." She sobbed.
As if by instinct, Sesshomaru's arms tightened around her, and another sharp pang went through his heart.
Why do I care for this child? Sesshomaru thought, Why could her sadness make me feel so horrible?
"Papa…papa." She whispered in between sobs, tightening her grip on him.
Another feeling swept through Sesshomaru, one that he had never felt before. A warm-tingly feeling.
Is this what it feels like to be loved? Sesshomaru thought, and he tightened his grip on Rin.
"Rin…" he whispered, running his other talloned hand through her hair, "…chan."
Rin pulled away, and looked into his gold eyes, and was surprised to see that they were soft, and caring.
More tears fell from her eyes, but she smiled and threw her little arms around Sesshomaru in a hug once more.
"Papa!"
The End