Sesshomaru leaned against a tree watching Rin chase Jaken through the meadow. His ward had taken to torturing the kappa through her games of tag. Though he appeared to be staring off into the distance, he had his eye on Rin. He had only now noticed that she had grown considerably in the time she had been under his care. The checked kimono that he had given her rested at her knees. Her dark hair hung in her eyes—she constantly had to push it away from her face. He couldn't remember the last time that she had bathed. He provided her with food, but not the proper care that she needed. Allowing her to remain so unkempt greatly diminished his stature. Perhaps he would need to change that. Even from the distance between them, Sesshomaru heard Rin's stomach begin to rumble. She stopped her playing to look toward him. She knew that he had heard it when he nodded, a slight movement that might have been missed by the casual observer. Rin smiled.
"Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru!" she called as he turned to leave the meadow.
It was a ritual. Sesshomaru often left Rin and Jaken with Ah-Un in order to find her food. Rin returned to tormenting Jaken with her games without sparing Sesshomaru a second thought as he disappeared into the trees.
Nearby, leaning against a tree, Hisa allowed herself a moment of silence for the first time in what felt like ages. However, she couldn't stop moving for too long. Her mind raced each time she stopped, so she forced herself onward. She knew her brother had sent people out to find her; he wasn't one to let things go very easily. She continued her slow trek through the trees, absently sniffing the air for familiar scents.
She stopped suddenly. A scent… So innocent, it felt as if she was being drawn toward it. Hisa allowed her legs to carry her toward the scent. Through a small clearing of trees, she stumbled upon a small child chasing a shriveled green demon. Near her lay a two-headed demon beast. It raised its head upon seeing her, sniffed the air, and then relaxed again. The shriveled demon disappeared into the trees and the child seemed to be the next to notice Hisa. She immediately stopped her playing, gasping at the sight of the woman. She moved to step away, almost run, but stopped. Hisa cocked her head in curiosity, her eyebrows furrowing at the child. The girl returned the expression, though Hisa could sense her tension.
"Child, why do you fear me?" Hisa asked softly.
Rin noticed how lyrical her voice was and seemed almost taken aback.
"My… Lord Sesshomaru tells me… To scream when I see a demon," she explained, already breaking her rule of not speaking to other demons.
"And, has your lord left this demon to care for you?" Hisa asked, gesturing toward the sleeping two-headed demon.
"Y-yes," she admitted. It was curious that Ah-Un had not attacked the woman yet. Perhaps she really didn't mean Rin any harm?
"Tell me, child. What is your name?" Hisa asked, cautious of not scaring the child away.
Her hesitation did not go unnoticed, but Hisa noticed the girl slowly beginning to relax in her presence.
"Rin," she replied tentatively. "What's your name?"
"Hisa," she answered.
Rin slowly began approaching Hisa, each step carefully calculated. Hisa noticed her weariness and sat herself down on the ground in an attempt to calm the girl's nerves. She noticed that her aura gave off more comfort than fear now. In fact, she was becoming genuinely curious. Soon the small girl was just about a foot in front of the woman, studying her face. She was certainly a demon, but Rin thought she was beautiful. Her eyes were a pale shade of green. Her long blond hair was pulled behind her head, but much of it had escaped and now framed her face. Her features reminded Rin of a mother wolf. Typically, Rin was afraid of wolves ever since they attacked her village and very nearly killed her. But she felt herself growing evermore curious of this one.
"You're very pretty," Rin found herself saying before she could stop the words from exiting her lips.
She clapped her hand quickly over her mouth, but Hisa just smiled. It was such a warm smile that Rin found herself returning it. Rin reached out and touched Hisa's ear with her forefinger, running it over the pointed end. They were very similar to Lord Sesshomaru's ears, though his were a bit bigger. She wore a very plain dark blue kimono. Rin jumped when she felt Hisa's hand on hers. She could feel long nails running down the back of her hand. However, Rin felt her anxiety once again dissipate at the innocent curiosity on Hisa's face. Rin allowed the woman to take her hand in both of hers. Hisa examined the skin of Rin's hand delicately. Though by her pack's standards she was considered delicate, Hisa was like stone compared to this child. Her eyes met with Rin's dark brown ones, and Hisa allowed the small smile to return to her face. A slight wind passed over the meadow and Hisa immediately tensed, the smell of another demon filling her nostrils.
"Lord Sesshomaru is returning!" the small green demon announced, returning through the trees. He immediately jumped at the sight of Hisa.
Sesshomaru had already caught the female's scent. The carcass slung over his shoulder did little to mask the overpowering smell of wolf. However, he did not smell Rin's fear that often accompanied the sighting of wolves. He was naturally curious. From the distance, he could see Rin standing across from the seated figure of what he assumed to be a demon. Ah-Un had not attacked her, had not shielded Rin from her. Very interesting.
Hisa was stunned by the demon that entered into the clearing and dropped a medium-sized animal carcass onto the ground. He was quite the marvel. Long silver hair flowed down his back. His amber eyes seemed to take in her presence, yet stare right past her. His movements were elegant as he moved toward them, stopping just next to Rin.
"Jaken," he commanded, never averting his eyes. "Dinner."
"Y-yes, my lord!" the green creature squealed, scampering off into the woods yet again.
"Rin," he began once the creature had gone, "what have I told you?"
"I'm sorry, Lord Sesshomaru! But Ah-Un didn't attack her!" the small girl protested, her hand still sitting in Hisa's.
He stared down at them for a long time, taking in their position. Rin was not one to fraternize with other demons, especially wolves. Yet, here she was, literally hand-in-hand with a demon of pure wolf decent—he could smell it on her. This woman seemed very well groomed, but she had been wandering for a long time.
"You are traveling alone." He didn't really say it as a question, more of a statement.
"Yes," she replied anyway.
She was looking up at him with hardened green eyes… Or were they blue? No, they were green, the palest green he had ever seen. They were the eyes of one who had been well educated in the ways of the world. Though he required no help, she would likely not be a hindrance to him either.
"My ward requires a caretaker," he said calmly, flicking his eyes to Rin, then quickly back to the woman.
"Oh, Lady Hisa, you could travel with us!" Rin exclaimed, looking excitedly at her. "Jaken is not much of a companion, and Lord Sesshomaru is often away—though I am grateful that he takes such good care of me. Oh please, oh please, oh please?"
Rin looked up at her with such expectant brown eyes. Hisa felt a pull toward this girl like none she'd ever felt. It was not as if she had a place she desired to return to.
"Why not?" she replied with a smile toward Rin.
The small girl jumped excitedly and Sesshomaru saw the woman laugh in response before returning to his spot beneath the tree. He dropped into a seated position against the tree and stared off seemingly into nothingness. Jaken returned and began the fire to cook the animal that Sesshomaru had brought back.
"So Rin, tell me about yourself then," Hisa said as the girl sat down across from her.
"Well… My father, mother, and brothers were all killed by bandits. They weren't really very nice to me in the village where I lived, but I never complained. One day I found Lord Sesshomaru injured out in the forest. I brought him some fish, but then the villagers beat me for stealing from them. Lord Sesshomaru was so kind, asking me about my bruises," she gushed. "Then one day a pack of wolves attacked my village. They killed everyone… Even me. But Lord Sesshomaru brought me back to life with his magic sword. And I've followed him around ever since."
"Wolves, you say?" she asked, her eyebrow quirking a bit as she eyed the young girl before her. "Is that perhaps why you hesitated upon our meeting?"
"Yes," Rin replied with a blush. "I've been afraid of them ever since. But not really of you. You're nice! I like you. So did you live with wolves? I bet you weren't afraid of them."
"Well, my brother and I were born to the leader of the eastern demon wolf tribe. My mother died when we were young. I was older than my brother, and much smarter, and a better fighter… But my father deemed him more fit to lead the pack when he died because he was male. Father died, and my brother took over as leader. He tried to assert his dominance over me, but I wouldn't have that. I overpowered him and ran away. And now, here I am."
"Wow, your brother sounds mean," Rin sounded awestruck at her story.
"Oh, he is," Hisa nodded in agreement.
"So then you're a really strong demon, aren't you?" Rin marveled, staring up at the woman before her, who laughed softly in response.
"Some might say that. I believe my brother is just weak, but to each their own," she replied, chuckling.
"Lord Sesshomaru has a little brother too, just like you! And Lord Sesshomaru is much more powerful than his brother. In fact, his brother is much louder than Lord Sesshomaru too," Rin explained seriously.
"Yes, they often use volume as a way of drawing attention to themselves when they think they can't get it anywhere else," she said with annoyance, remembering her brother's boasting to their father.
Sesshomaru, who had listened to her story, spared her a quick glance. He often felt the same way about Inuyasha—a lot of talk to get himself noticed. He rose swiftly from his spot under the tree and disappeared into the thicket of forest.
"Does he do that often? Just leave?" Hisa asked, gesturing toward the trees through which Sesshomaru had just disappeared.
"Sometimes, but he always comes back," Rin said cheerfully. "What is that?" Rin asked, gesturing to the coil wrapped around her obi.
"That's my whip. My mother gave it to me when I was learning how to fight. When I hit others with it, it strikes them with a force so hot it feels like they're on fire. It can cut through demon bones, I learned," Hisa replied, astonishing the child.
"Wow… Lord Sesshomaru has something like that, but his comes right from his hand, and his is poison, not fire," Rin remarked.
"Rin! Come eat!" the creature called Jaken grumbled, stomping away from the fire.
Rin scrambled to get her food but quickly returned to her spot near Hisa's feet.
"Are you hungry?" she asked before stuffing her mouth full of food.
"No, but thank you, Rin," she smiled at the small girl.
Rin ate hungrily, shoveling the meat into her mouth. Hisa took this time to examine the girl more carefully. Sesshomaru had not been exaggerating when he claimed that Rin needed a caretaker. Hisa could smell that she hadn't bathed in an inexcusably long amount of time. Her hair was shaggy, and the girl's kimono was getting to be too short. However, she was as cute as a button. Her brown eyes seemed to bear a piece of her soul to Hisa. When she finished her dinner, Hisa took Rin to bathe in a nearby lake.
"Lady Hisa, have you ever taken care of children before?" Rin asked, skipping along next to the wolf demon.
"Rin, please, might you just call me Hisa? I don't like the formalities," she explained with a slight grimace.
"Hisa… Have you ever cared for children?" she repeated, testing out the new name. She seemed a bit embarrassed, but also excited by the fact she didn't want Rin to be so formal with her.
"On occasion, I watched the children in our pack. But not the way I'll be taking care of you, Rin," she answered.
"Do you know how to take care of kids?"
"Well, I think I'll be able to figure out the tough stuff," Hisa laughed, patting the small girl's head.
"I'm a very easy child, so you don't have to worry," she advised, looking up at the taller woman.
"I think I trust you on that one," Hisa winked as they stopped in front of the lake. "How long has it been since you last bathed?" she asked as she helped Rin out of her kimono.
"I'm not sure. We've been traveling a long time, and Lord Sesshomaru says it's not appropriate for him to watch a young child bathe."
"Honorable," she mused, watching Rin run into the water.
Hisa sat on a rock just above the water's surface and watched Rin scurry about in the water. She gathered a few herbs near the water and instructed Rin on how to clean herself with them. The young girl seemed awed at Hisa's knowledge.
"Ookami," Hisa heard from behind her.
She turned and saw a flash of silver, recognizing it was probably Sesshomaru. She jumped gracefully back onto land, telling Rin to wait for her there as she wandered toward Sesshomaru's figure in the trees; he was turned away from her. As she drew up next to him, she saw his amber eyes turned toward her.
"Yes?" she asked, stopping in front of him.
Without words, he handed Hisa a folded up piece of cloth. Curious, Hisa unfolded it, finding it to be a kimono similar to the one Rin wore. It looked brand new.
"Is this for Rin?" she queried, looking up at him.
He gave a curt nod before walking swiftly past her back to the clearing. Rin was overjoyed at the gift. She stepped out of the lake, eager to put it on.
"Lord Sesshomaru is such a generous lord. He sometimes seems rather quiet, but he has a good heart. I know it. He takes good care of me and Master Jaken and Ah-Un," she gushed. "It's so pretty. I wonder where he got it?"
"Let's go show him how you look," Hisa smiled, walking back toward the clearing.
Hisa felt Rin's hand circle hers. She looked down, surprised at the contact. How had this girl already become a soft spot for Hisa? Smiling, she grasped Rin's hand as they returned to Sesshomaru.