Dislaimer: I don't own Inuyasha
Sesshoumaru looked out into the night sky and silently mused on the bright stars. On the outside, he looked completely composed, posture perfect, and emotionless. On the inside, he was falling apart.
He missed her.
Though he didn't want to admit it, he missed Rin. Everything he did lately reminded him of the girl. The last time he looked at the stars, she had been there...
"Look Lord Sesshoumaru! Look at all the stars, they're so pretty!" exclaimed Rin. Sesshoumaru said nothing, but continued to look into the sky.
They were alone; Jaken had fallen asleep marveling at the sky. Rin had slipped away to be with Sesshoumaru. She had crept up; fully knowing that Sesshoumaru could hear her and sat next to him.
Now they were sitting there alone taking comfort in each others presence, or at least that's what Rin thought.
She quietly shared her musings to him.
"Those stars look like my mother when she's smiling. She always told me stories about the stars, and that one over there...
Sesshoumaru never saw any of the images Rin described. He always thought that it was a childish game to see things in the stars, but he always found himself with an extra amount of patience when Rin told him her stories.
Though he would never admit it, he secretly found it quite amusing and enjoyed these quiet time spent with her...
The sun slowly rose over the western lands. Sesshoumaru found himself at the sea shore.
Once again he found his thoughts turning to a time long ago, when he was fortunate enough to be in the presence of a remarkable human girl. A human girl named Rin.
The waves seemed to match his mind in restlessness. They crashed one after another onto the shore, seeming to look for something that just wasn't there anymore.
Everywhere he went he found something that reminded him of Rin and he was beyond denying how much he missed her. The last time he visited the sea; she had been there...
The waves crashed onto the shore one after another, seeming to be drawn to the presence on the beach. They were met with an equally restless little girl, who ran with open arms to greet them.
"Ah! The water's so cold. Look Master Jaken, the waves can't knock me over!" Rin yelled trying to shout over the roar of sea.
She would run into the sea and crash into the strong waves, but would refuse to be knocked down by them and would run back to the shore to meet the next ones.
"Rin, you stupid girl! Get out of the water now, you're trying Lord Sesshoumaru's patience! We don't have time to waste with your petty habits! Hurry and get out!" Rin ignored him and ran to meet another group of foamy waves. Jaken continued his rant, unaware that they had an audience.
Sesshoumaru had become annoyed, and had looked over his shoulder fully intent on yelling at Jaken for his impudence, when he had caught sight of Rin.
He showed no outward sign that he was surprise - that the waves hadn't knocked her over. After all, they were twice her size.
Somehow she fascinated him with her strange tactics. She did things that he, The Great Sesshoumaru, had never seen before in his entire life; and he liked it. He liked her...
Sesshoumaru didn't want to have any more flashbacks. He was tired of being reminded that everything he did, was somehow related to Rin.
He was currently walking through a grassy plain, fully intent on 'disappearing' for a while. Secretly hoping to find a place where Rin had never been to, a place that didn't remind him of the child.
But even in the grassy plain, Sesshoumaru still found remnants of the past. He couldn't escape her. The last time he walked the plains, she had been there...
"Wow! Look at all the fireflies! They're so pretty." Rin whispered her words, believing that if she shouted, the moment would be ruined.
Jaken chose to ignore her; still angry about an argument they had had earlier. He walked right passed her, not even sparing a glance.
Sesshoumaru had decided to rest there for the night and was currently sitting under a near bye tree, keeping his distance. He watched as Rin ran around in a circle and caught some of the glowing fireflies.
What fascinated her about the insignificant creatures was beyond him. She was always amused by the simplest of things.
"You know they light up at night," Rin continued unaware that Jaken wasn't listening.
"To help all the other poor creatures who are alone and have no light in there dark life. These fireflies give hope to those who have lost theirs. At least, that's what my father had told me."
Jaken then said that that was the stupidest thing he had ever heard. Rin hadn't replied back, still caught in her own little world.
Rin had always said outlandish things. It was something that Sesshoumaru had no real interest in. Unknowingly to him, later he would find comfort in those exact outlandish words...
Even after three hundred years, Rin still haunted Sesshoumaru's mind.
She had been with him when he had watched the stars.
She had been with him when he had visited the sea.
She had been with him on the grassy plains.
The truth was that he couldn't go to a place that didn't carry Rin's essence. Because, he still carried her in his heart.
When he looked up into the stars, she was there.
When he visited the sea, she was there.
When he crossed the plains, she was there.
She was everywhere, and still he missed her.
