Rin walked happily along Jaken, her ponytail bouncing as she did, Jaken called it playing with an invisible skip rope when he explained it to Sesshomaru, acting as though he knew everything as he had been of late, or at least, that's what Rin thought.
"Sesshomaru sama." She chirped as she stopped skipping and sat down in the field.
"Rin, I've told you countless times not to tell me that." Sesshomaru scolded rather annoyed.
Rin bowed her small head, upset that Sesshomaru would not allow her to address him as sama, "Rin." Sesshomaru said sharply, and she was forced to bring her attention back to him, her eyes glossed over with tears, "Answer me when I speak to you." He continued edgily.
Rin gulped, wondering why Sesshomaru was being so unusually cold to her this afternoon, "Yes Lord Sesshomaru." She replied softly.
"Better…." He mumbled sitting down, his back resting against a stray tree.
"Why have we stopped moving?" Rin asked in a desperate attempt to make conversation with Sesshomaru, it was an appropriate question though, seeing as she couldn't stand still for even a minute.
"Because my tenseiga cannot pick up on Inuyasha's sword the tetsaiga, and I have no desire to go out of my way to walk miles and miles when I just recently encountered him." He replied.
"Why?" Rin asked innocently.
Sesshomaru sighed loudly when hearing Jaken butt in, "Why must you constantly bombard Lord Sesshomaru with such nonsense? Foolish girl."
"Jaken." He growled when hearing the added insult, "That is not your place." He continued smacking the poor toad demon over the head.
Jaken said nothing, but instead made a few whining noises, proceeding to rub his throbbing head. Rin uneasily etched ever closer to Sesshomaru, gathering small flowers as she did so. She planned to give them to Sesshomaru this time, she vowed to rather. She was determined not to get out of it and instead just turn to Jaken when she thought she'd put together a suitable bouquet and ask, "Do you think they'll look pretty in my hair?" as she usually did.
"Rin." Sesshomaru said simply as he saw her going off somewhere, holding a beautiful collection of flowers, her face still revealing that she was about to cry.
The child didn't even look up, she just sat there, hearing her name called, taking herself back to her family, remembering them, remembering her mistakes. Remembering how they were always so cross with her just as Sesshomaru was coming to be, remembering how she blamed herself for everything.
"Rin." He tried again more sternly as he turned to face the child and saw not a smile on her face, but instead fresh tears. He winced at the feeling in his stomach, Why does it make me feel things I am never supposed to when I realize I am the one that makes her cry…? He thought to himself infuriated.
Still Rin stayed in an unshakable stupor, no matter how he called her name, angry as he got he could not reach her, "Why do you cry child?" He asked her, but she never responded. Jaken yelled at her as he heard Sesshomaru do earlier, but was rewarded with another smack.
Hesitantly, Sesshomaru grabbed the child that was in half an arms length of him, careful of his long 'claws' as Rin called them. He shook her, but not violently, drew her near him, but not too close, stroked her, but not lovingly, he didn't know why this simple girl made him feel, but she did. He knew he couldn't hide it, but he didn't want to fall all over her either, somehow, in touching her he was finding a balance. Between what should be felt when a demon interacts with a human, and what is felt.
He revealed no emotion in his eyes or facial expression when the shaking child he now held and monotonously spoke to awoke. He merely let her go, his hand on her cheek to catch her tears was slowly sliding down her cheek, and desperately she fidgeted, pleading eyes boring into Sesshomaru's.
This was the only comfort she'd ever had from Sesshomaru, and she didn't want it to go away just when she could realize it was there. Somewhat frantically she lifted her small hand on top of his own, holding it there. Right then and there, she spoke to him without saying anything, with that one touch she communicated to him that she needed him, without being chided by anyone. Right then and there Sesshomaru realized that, and out of pride, kept his hand where it laid, where it belonged, and in that touch he understood and found the balance he'd struggled to find.
Because he thought more of her than everyone thought, and because she needed him more than he'd ever know, they were allowed to share that moment. But it was because somewhere deep down that Sesshomaru loved Rin like a daughter, though he'd never admit it that he was able to smirk when she offered him her flowers. Becoming her normal self, the one he needed to see to be okay, for reasons not even he was sure of.