"Look Master Jaken, I have grown again" Rin beamed running out of the bushes "look you can see my toes now."

Rin had gotten a new kimono last year but it was much too big for her and had to be pulled up and held in place by her obi but now it was at its full length with Rin's toes only just poking out from the bottom.

"And look, you can see most of my hand to."

Rin held out her arms for Jaken to see then started to spin around, she had waited such a long time to grow so she could wear the kimono properly.

"You may have grown but your personality is still the same" Jaken muttered.

Rin poked out her tongue pulling a face at Jaken "you're just jealous that you haven't grown."

"FOOLISH CHILD!" he shouted turning away from her

Rin once again pulled a face at him then continued to spin around looking up at the trees, they were deep into the forest and not a single speck of blue sky could be seen. Rin giggled a little remembering the time she had thought that the sky had turned green then of course Jaken yelling at her saying she was stupid.

"Silly Master Jaken" she smiled "you have not changed at all."

Rin hadn't meant it as an insult but that's how Jaken took it, in fact Rin was quiet jealous that Jaken had not changed at all in all these years.

"It is late, go to bed" he ordered.

"But Master Jaken how can you tell, you can't see the sky, what if it's really morning?"

"Do as I say and go to sleep!" he shouted jumping around.

"But first we must eat breakfast, lunch or dinner" she giggled.

After they ate Rin found a nice soft patch of grass and laid down curling up.

"Master Jaken do you think that one day I will be as tall as Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked with a yawn.

Before Jaken could answer her she was fast asleep dreaming of her lord, the next morning she woke to Jaken yelling at her to wake up.

"Good morning Master Jaken" she yawned rubbing her eyes.

"Were Leaving" Sesshomaru said in the same cold tone Rin had grown to love.

"Yes Lord Sesshomaru" she chirped instantly jumping up and running after him.

The day was spent in silence like most others but as they walked Rin noticed the trees were starting to thin and she could see specks of blue sky above her, it looked like a beautiful summers day. Before Rin had a chance to lay eyes on the beautiful summer's day Rin could smell smoke in the air.

"Who would be lighting fires in this wether?" She wondered to herself.

But as they left the forest Rin saw the greyish black smoke rising from the ground and knew that a village had been attacked, it was something she had seen many times.

"Lord Sesshomaru..." she whispered.

"We are leaving."

Sesshomaru turned away from the black smoke and walked in the shadows of the trees, Rin looked towards the village, she wanted to go and see if there were any survivors but if Sesshomaru didn't want to go then there probably wasn't so she ran after Sesshomaru staying in the light of the sun. Walking together side by side, one shadowed in darkness and the other beaming in light, two opposites traveling together.

As they walked together in silence Rin noticed some flowers blooming, they were very pretty and there were many different colours it made her wonder what one she liked best.

"I think maybe yellow or gold!" she said out loud.

"What are you babbling about now" Jaken spat.

"What colours I like most of all, what colour do you like master Jaken?"

"None."

Rin pulled a face at Jaken then looked up at Sesshomaru "what about you Lord Sesshomaru? What colour do you like best?"

"Brown."

"The colour of your eyes" he thought looking straight ahead

"I think that is a nice colour to" Rin smiled.

As they continued to walk it got darker until Sesshomaru stoped allowing Rin and Jaken to set up camp for the night. It was a nice night, warm and with the full moon shining down on them it felt like a shame to light a fire but Rin needed to cook her dinner somehow. After eating more than half the fish Rin had caught Jaken was fast asleep leaving Rin to her thoughts alone.

Sesshomaru had left them for the night like he did many times and Ah-Un wasn't much for conversation so Rin decided she would go to the stream and look at the moon and stars. As she got closer to the stream she could hear the rushing water but there was another sound that made her freeze. Forcing her body to move forward she reached out and pulled away the branches blocking her from seeing the stream and whatever else was there.

The second Rin pulled the branches away she quickly let them go then turned around sitting on the ground covering her now red face.

"I'm so sorry Lord Sesshomaru; I didn't know you were here."

She had caught Sesshomaru in only his hakama in the middle of putting his armour back on and was now extremely embarrassed.

"Rin what are you doing here."

"I wanted to look at the moon and stars" she explained not daring to move.

Sesshomaru had quickly finished getting dressed and gone over to where Rin was hiding; he moved the branches out of the way and looked down at Rin who still had her hands covering her face. Rin noticed the small bit of light coming over her through her hands and managed to look up and saw Sesshomaru standing over her now fully dressed. She removed her hands from her face and stood up still rather embarrassed. Sesshomaru held the branch out of her way until she was clear of it, Rin sat down a little ways from the water's edge and looked up at the sky, it was like every star in the sky was shining extra bright tonight.

Sesshomaru walked to her side and looked up, he couldn't understand what was so fascinating about them. Suddenly he heard Rin gasp; he looked down at her and saw her closing her eyes tightly and placing her hands together.

"What are you doing?"

"Making a wish, Lady Kagome said that if you make a wish on the flying stars then it's bound to come true."

"You shouldn't listen to everything that miko says."

"But Lady Kagome is very smart" Rin smiled opening her eyes.

"What did you wish for?"

"If I tell you then it won't come true, Lady Kagome said that."

Sesshomaru huffed a little, Rin hadn't seen Kagome in a long time but still somehow she had managed to fill her head with these foolish notions.

"Lord Sesshomaru... Would you like to sit with me?" she asked looking up at him smiling.

Sesshomaru didn't answer her but he did sit down by her side and that was all Rin needed.

"Do you know why I like gold" she asked looking back at the stars.

Sesshomaru had no idea nor did he really care but still he knew Rin would tell him whether he answered her or not so he continued to sit there in silence.

"Because it's the first colour I saw after you saved me the first time" she explained lowering her voice to a whisper.

Rin slowly crept closer to Sesshomaru until they were almost touching, she looked down at the sword in Sesshomaru's belt, it was the sword that he got the same time he got his arm back. To Rin it was still a little strange seeing him with two arms after all the first time they met he had only one.

"What is it Rin?"

"I was just thinking how you had only one arm when I first met you."

Sesshomaru looked down at his arm, it was a little strange at first having it back but now he had pushed the memories of only having one arm away.

"Was it hard only having one arm?" she asked looking up at him.

"No."

"But with only one arm you couldn't do lots of things."

"Like?"

"Like pick flowers, you always need two hands to pick flowers, one to pick the flowers and one to hold the flowers you just picked" she explained moving her hands in front of her.

"I don't pick flowers."

"That's why, because you had only one hand" she nodded.

"Then why don't I pick flowers now?"

"That's easy because you don't have to, I pick them for you."

It always amazed Sesshomaru at the things Rin came up with, he enjoyed listening to the stories she thought up to explain things.

"Is that so."

Rin nodded and smiled, she enjoyed these moments with Sesshomaru, time where it was just them together and when Sesshomaru was more open with her.

"Lord Sesshomaru do you know what love is?"

Sesshomaru looked down at her, he couldn't work out what had caused her to say such a thing but no matter how she came up with it Rin never said things she didn't mean.

"Love is a foolish and useless emotion."

"Have you ever loved someone?"

"Of course not."

"I love you and Master Jaken and lady Kagome and Shippo and all my friends."

"That is not love."

"It's not? Then what is love?"

He stopped talking; he honestly didn't really know how to answer that, love wasn't something that could be explained with words.

"Lord Sesshomaru promise to never love me?"

"What?"

Rin stood up with her hands behind her back "I loved my family and even though they have been gone for a long long time it still hurts" she explained placing her hand over her heart "but if you don't love me then when I die it won't hurt."

"Don't talk such nonsense" he scoffed looking away from her.

Things stayed like that until Rin started to yawn.

"Go to bed Rin" Sesshomaru ordered.

"Will Lord Sesshomaru come with me?"

He looked at her slightly surprised but by her facial expression she had meant it in an innocent way and not what Sesshomaru first thought.

"Very well."

Her face lit up as Sesshomaru stood and led her back to camp, she lay down on the ground close to Sesshomaru but not close enough to be able to touch him. Over the years Rin had perfected pretending to be asleep so she could move closer to Sesshomaru and not have him move away. She rolled over towards him then stayed still for a while longer then moved a little closer until she felt the slight touch of his fur.

Sesshomaru watched as Rin moved closer to him and with every inch how her heart would beat a little faster and a small smile would appear. He often allowed Rin to move closer to him but only when he too felt at ease which since the death of Naraku has happened more often, now that Naraku and the jewel was gone there weren't many demons that were a challenge to him. Once Rin was close enough to grab hold of his fluff he moved it away from her and watched as her smile faded and her brow frowned a little.

She then moved a bit more closer think it was just out of reach when really it was in Sesshomaru's hands then just when she was about to touch him he would put the fluff around her keeping her safe and warm.

Rin felt the warmth behind her and turned around to come face to face with the fluff, she held onto it and buried her head taking in his scent then drifted off to sleep never knowing how close she was to holding Sesshomaru. It was on this night that Sesshomaru was feeling extremely nice and he lent down brushing her hair from her eyes listening to her steady breath. Even though she was now fast asleep her heart still raced a little at the feather touch, he smiled inwardly at the sound then lent down and kissed her forehead which made her heart race even more.

"But if you don't love me then when I die it won't hurt" Her words echoed through his head and he frowned.

"I won't allow you to die"