This is a collaberative effort. I wrote this story with listersgirl! She's the bomb diggity. You can check out her art work on Deviantart . com and her other stories on animespiral . com under listersgirl
Rin stirred awake as if from a deep sleep. She was enveloped in warmth. A strong arm held her. Relief flooded her. She was safe. It had all been a dream. One horribly long nightmare.
She opened her eyes. They widened in surprise. Eyes the colour of sunshine looked back at her. They appeared to be almost surprised as she.
They were the eyes of the demon she had cared for in the forest. He was even more beautiful up close. His pale skin delicately accented by two sets of rose coloured stripes on both cheeks. The blue crescent marking his forehead peeked out of his silver bangs hanging over his forehead.
When Rin had first found him she knew anyone else from the village would've been afraid of him and done their best to kill him. That was why she had kept him a secret. He was alone and hurt. She knew too well what that was like.
So she had done her best to help him bringing what food she could steal. Some villagers had caught her and beaten her severely, knocking out her two front teeth. Later when she'd showed up with her paltry offering the great demon had been alarmed at her appearance and wanted to know what had happened to her. It all seemed worth it. No one had showed any concern for her for such a long time.
She'd been trying to reach him when the wolves attacked the village. She remembered thinking that if only she could reach him she would be okay.
He stood from his crouching position and let her slide from his arms. She stood for a moment in wonder. She remembered the wolves biting her but there wasn't anywhere that she was hurt. She looked at the ground. There was a spot of blood soaked earth. How could this be? She ran her tongue over her teeth. They were all back! She became dimly aware of someone ranting as she looked in awe at her savior.
He was so tall and regal like no one she had ever seen before. Even scuffed up as he was there was no mistaking his nobility. He turned and started walking away. She felt herself being drawn towards him her feet moving of their own accord.
Dimly she became aware of a voice calling out from behind her: "Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru! Wait! I'm coming!"
Lord Sesshomaru. His name was Lord Sesshomaru.
Jakan speedily passed the girl who seemed to walk in a daze to catch up to his leader, his lord, his master. 'Who is this girl? How does my lord know her? She is wearing such ragged clothing. What a pest! My lord and I shall soon leave her behind. She will tire out in no time.'
An hour passed and Jakan continued to follow his magnanimous lord through the ever darkening wood. 'That child is still behind us! Why is she following us! My lord is too important to have such vagrants following him! I must find a way to shoo her away!'
So, Jakan, not feeling particularly inspired turned around to the girl and said "You! Girl! Shoo!" and he waved his hands at her, motioning for her to leave. Rin saw Jakan's motion, but ignored him and soon skipped happily past him.
She was intent on following Lord Sesshomaru! Jakan realized that this girl would pose a problem for him. 'How will I get rid of her? She cannot follow i US /i through our journeys! A human child is bad enough, but a human girl! At least she can hold her tongue.'
Jakan noticed the girl stopping to pick flowers. She was making noises, but not words. "Eh! Ah uh, Mmm" she said as she admired the simple flowers of yellow petals.
Sesshomaru turned to look at his vassals and he saw Rin picking little flowers. Jakan halted when his master did. Sesshomaru took the opportunity to gather his thoughts and his bearings. Rin ran up to Lord Sesshomaru with the flowers in hand. She tugged on his hakama and handed the flowers to him "Uh! Uh!" she said.
The lord looked down at the flowers and said "Are these for me?"
"Uh!" she said with her new smile.
"Mm" said Lord Sesshomaru. "Yes. Flowers are agreeable" he said.
Jakan was shocked by the insubordination of the scene. 'How dare that impudent little girl dare touch my lord! Her filthy grimy hand on his brilliant self is obscene! She didn't even address him properly!'
Jakan had a sneaking suspicion that she couldn't talk. 'Those noises she made picking flowers…Ooooh! What a worthless human being! A mute!' Jakan's brain began to scheme. 'Wait…he took the flowers? My Lord Sesshomaru accepted that pitiful gift? What is this world coming to? I just don't understand!'
Lord Sesshomaru led the way and Rin's eyes were transfixed on his graceful movements. His hair swayed back and forth on the slight breeze, with each step and she admired the pure whiteness of his clothing. Though it was torn in places, she assumed from recent battle, it was clear it had been a brilliant pure white. She had no difficulty imagining her dashing savior gallantly performing in battle.
All the while, next to her Jakan plotted her demise. 'I cannot allow this child to sully milord's presence any longer! I know Ah-Uhn will scare her off!' Jakan laughed evilly to himself "Ooohooohooohooo!"
Soon Lord Sesshomaru led his retinue to a specific little corner in the wood. Sesshomaru said "Jakan, collect Ah-Uhn and we will then be on our way to repair my armor. I do not want to be delayed. Hurry."
'Oh. Ah-Uhn can be so disagreeable when it is time to stop eating! That fat dragon is so useless at times!' Sesshomaru and the girl stayed on the path while Jakan began to huff and puff then skittered off into the woods.
Rin slowly looked up to her savior admiring his stately appearance. She heard some strange baying coming from the darkness. Rin instinctively clung to Lord Sesshomaru's leg.
Lord Sesshomaru stood firm, but the new addition to his leg was not something he was comfortable with. His body was stock still, but his eyes were wildly searching the darkness for some way out of her grip.
He was relieved when she gained the courage to let go and step forward. She gasped as Jakan pulled Ah-Uhn forward out from the brush. Jakan was sure the little girl would panic at the sight of a hefty two headed dragon.
Rin's hands balled up then came to her mouth. Her eyes went wide and Jakan thought 'Ooohooohooo! Lord Sesshomaru will not want a squeamish child around! He has no time to calm her fears! He will abandon the child for sure now! He he he he!'
Ah-Uhn reached out and chewed on some nearby tree branches. Rin realized Ah-Uhn was a herbivore and was definitely not furry like the wolves who had caused her so much pain.
Jakan's glee quickly plummeted when Rin removed her hands to reveal a broad smile. "Ah!" she grunted, still unable to form words. She ran up to the leaf chewing creature and wrapped her arms around it. "Aaah!" she squealed with delight.
Jakan noted Lord Sesshomaru's boredom and followed his subsequent command. "Jakan, come."
"Yes! Milord!" he said, dragging Ah-Uhn with him. 'Perhaps Ah-Uhn will trample the girl! Or accidentally zap her with it's lighting!' Jakan grinned evilly picturing a Rin standing, covered in soot a look of shock on her face. He envisioned a single stream of smoke rising off the top of her head. He snickered to himself.
A short while later the three found themselves at the mouth of a cave. The small opening was narrow and tall, and almost hidden by the leaves and branches crossing its entrance. Lord Sesshomaru turned and said to Jakan "Stay here with the girl. I will go inside to the armor-smith. Wait here until I return."
Jakan leaned on the two headed staff and sighed. For the life of him he didn't understand why Lord Sesshomaru left him here with this human child. He looked over at her. She was drawing in the dirt with a stick apparently as bored as him. She shifted her position. It dawned on him that she'd been shifting around that fairly often in the last few minutes. Perhaps she had some waste related human activity she had to attend to.
Jakan snorted in disgust. "Well what are you waiting for? I'll stay right here."
The little girl hurried into the forest out of sight. Jakan leaned on the staff and waited. Then it occurred to him that this might be a chance to finally rid them of the girl. He looked around. She was no where in sight. He headed into the brush disappearing from view. This was too perfect.
Lord Sesshomaru Obviously felt some sort of misplaced obligation to this child but she was nothing but a hindrance to him. It would simply be a matter of saying she went wandering back to her village. He was sure his Lord would be pleased.
As he wandered through the trees he almost ran into some deadly demon vines. A devious thought occurred to him. He might do well to be sure that she really did never bother them again.
"Where are you?" He called out as loudly as he could. "Yoohoo!" After a few more calls he hurried away confident that the plants would do the rest.
Rin finished her business and started to walk back to the path. The sky had darkened. She was trying to find her way back to the path, but the plants were growing right before her eyes. "Uuuuh!" she said and the plants vines began to twitch closer to her.
She thought back to when the thieves attacked her family. She had stayed quiet and went unnoticed by the gang of murderers. 'If I stay quiet now the plant won't be able to find me!' The same strategy that worked for escaping the blades of thieves didn't work with the demonic vines now creeping at her feet.
'Oh no! What do I do?' she thought "Eh!" The weed's branches slid down off from the trees like snakes and up from the ground. They began to wrap around her limbs quickly pulling her down into a pit full of roots. The demon plant was also spraying something in the air. Rin noticed how overwhelmingly sweet it smelled. 'What do I do? How will I get out?' Then she thought of Lord Sesshomaru.
'He's the only one who can save me! How will he find me?' "Eh!" She reached upward towards what little light there was. Her arm was soon covered by the slithering vines and the circle of light above her was beginning to be eclipsed by the malicious plant. Again the plant sprayed sweet mist into the air covering any scent Rin may have left in the foliage above.
Lord Sesshomaru emerged with his new armor a short while later.
"Jakan" said Sesshomaru coldly. "Where is the child?"
Panic washed over Jakan. It was simply not possible that His Lord could care about the welfare of a mere child. An insignificant human at that. He was perhaps merely curious.
"Ah…I.. she… she wandered off," stammered Jaken unable to hide his nervousness. "Perhaps she went back to her village…" he ended lamely. It seemed like such a believable story in the woods.
"Jakan" began Lord Sesshomaru. "I put the child in your care. If anything should have happened to her…" He left the unspoken threat dangling.
"Yes my Lord, I'll find her at once! Immediately!" Jakan bowed and scraped as he backed away and hurried back into the woods.
Rin flashed back again to the night her family was attacked. She saw shadows and heard the crackle of flames. She hid under some cloth in the corner. 'All I wanted to do was scream, but I couldn't. I couldn't scream.' She decided she wouldn't do things the same way this time around "LORD SESSHOMARUUUUUU!" 'I screamed! I can do it! I can talk! I can scream! She called out for him again "LORD SESSHOMARU……HELP! LORD SESSHOMARUUUU!"
The plants constricted around her pulling her further in and enclosing her in darkness. Then suddenly the pressure encasing her was gone and the tattered vines fell away from her. Like a curtain they fell away to reveal Lord Sesshomaru standing before her. She looked up at him in amazement. He lifted her up out of the plant's center and set her down on the forest floor besides him as Jaken ran up to them out of breath.
Sesshomaru gazed down at Rin without expression. "What is your name, child?"
"Rin" she answered softly a little amazed at the sound of her own voice.
Jaken opened his mouth as if to speak just as Lord Sesshomaru looked directly at him. He shut it with a snap. Sesshomaru's glaze lingered for a moment and then looked off at some far distant spot.
"What is it you wish?" he asked her.
"To come with you," she answered bolder, finding more confidence in her self-expression.
Rin looked up at him hopefully. Jaken waited apprehensively. Now that the request had been made formal he felt sure Lord Sesshomaru would send the urchin packing. The moment hung in the air.
Sesshomaru turned to contemplate Rin once more. "Do as you please" he said before turning and walking away.
"Yes!" Rin cried hugging herself in excitement before joyfully running after him.
"Eeep!" was the only sound Jaken could make. He stood there in shock unable to believe his ears. This girl, Rin, was going to come with them! It went against everything he knew about his master. Yet he was still the great Lord Sesshomaru and if that was his decision far be it from Jaken to question him. The girl might even prove useful – he may be able to find some chores for her to do. Of course Lord Sesshomaru knew what he was doing.
Suddenly Jaken realized the two of them were out of sight and ran to catch up. He had no trouble finding them. He just followed the sound of laughter.