One Week
by. homeostatis
When Rin first started following Sesshomaru her first realization was that things constantly changed; it didn't matter how long it took, there would always be some kind of difference between today and tomorrow. For example, her situation had changed from one of pain and fear to one of blind (yet not unpleasant)obedience. She would do whatever she could for this beautiful white image in front of her.
Her second epiphany was that she felt free outside that restricting village, away from the abuse and harsh words. Out in the wild forests she could run and play and make as much noise as she wanted; no one would stop her (although she found that she didn't really want to, following her new master was her first priority now).
Her last and most important one was that she had finally found someone she was willing to devote herself to. This wasn't much of a surprise to her anymore, she didn't even care that he was a youkai and a supposed monster. He had been nice to her when her own race hadn't.
All throughout the first day she had followed him relentlessly. She refused to stop and rest merely because he didn't (and she feared being left behind; he had not indicated that he'd noticed her presence yet). Her food was scarce and she ate whatever she could find on the ground: a few dry mushrooms, a small, sweet fruit, and an edible clover.
But still she followed.
The next day, after sleeping late and waking at dawn, she was a little more tired and a little hungrier. But Rin was used to hunger and fatigue so she continued on when her new master stood to leave.
This time he looked at her but said nothing. They walked from dawn until dusk and she continued with her meager diet taken from the ground. She managed to sneak a few drinks from a stream when the group stopped to give the large, two-headed dragon a drink.
They set camp earlier this time and Rin gave herself up to the luxury of sleep.
When she woke the next day, she was startled to find that the sun was already brightly shining above her but she was more shocked to find that her new Lord was still sitting in his previous position patiently waiting for something. The moment she stood, he rose and turned back in the direction they were headed. The little green youkai was awake as well and he glared daggers at her as they continued.
Had they been waiting for her?
Rin ran forward, closer now that she had been in the last two days. She followed them at a safe distance and was prepared for another day of rough trekking when her Lord turned down a narrow road. She paused when the green youkai paused and watched as her Lord beckoned to her.
Follow me; it said and she instantly obeyed.
They found themselves near a small village and her new Lord gave her a few coins, "Buy yourself clean clothes." Was all he said before he sat back against the shadow of the forest, watching her carefully.
She gladly entered the village and located the seamstress—who looked at her bloody and disheveled form strangely— and asked to see the kimonos. Rin paid for a beautiful orange and peach kimono and took it back to her Lord. He nodded his assent and allowed her to bathe and dress at a nearby stream.
It was mid-afternoon by the time they returned to the little green demon and the large, two-headed steed. The smaller of the two jumped when he noticed their approach and loudly chirped, "Welcome back Lord Sesshomaru!"
Lord Sesshomaru. So that was his name.
Never had Rin heard a more beautiful one. She smiled up at him, grateful for everything her had done for her so far. He saw the gesture but, once again, didn't say anything.
They continued on but this time Rin walked next to the small demon, proud of her new image and happy to find another who revered her Lord as much as she did. Throughout the walk the green man muttered and cursed her under his breath but Rin didn't mind him. Her attention was solely on the one walking in front of her, the one with his long, white hair being teased by the wind.
As she watched him she had a new realization, one that wasn't as serious as her previous ones but that was just as important (to her anyway).
She noticed that her Lord Sesshomaru would look very lovely with flowers in his hair.
Rin spent the rest the day darting in and out of the thick trees searching for any beautiful flowers. Suddenly, finding food wasn't a concern anymore. She only found a few, small rare ones that glared at her proudly but wilted when picked. She tossed them aside and vowed to find more beautiful ones; only the best for her Lord.
It was only deep into the night, when the darkness was encompassing and Rin could no longer walk without tripping at every step, that they set up camp. Despite the loud growls of her unfed stomach, Rin fell asleep curled up as near to her Lord as she dared.
The next morning, the fourth day since she had found her Lord Sesshomaru, she woke to the smell of cooking meat. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at a scene that made her giggle very softly. There was the small, green youkai attempting to cook a small boar that, despite its age, was three times bigger than him. Although it was slightly awkward, the youkai managed to cook the beast with little problem. It was then that he turned to her and, fuming slightly, thrust a stick of meat into her hand.
She understood now, the food was meant for her. She turned to her Lord to thank him (silently as her voice still didn't want to work properly) but found that he had his back turned to his followers. She decided to make it up to him at another time.
It took more than a fourth of the small boar to sate her hunger but she wasn't used to eating too much anyway. Rin watched as her green companion packed away some of it, and she felt a sense of curiosity as they hadn't eaten anything. Now that she thought about it, none of them (except for the dragon) had eaten a single thing since she began following them.
They walked the rest of the day and she learned that the green toad's name was Jaken (after Lord Sesshomaru quietly berated him and told him to keep quiet). She ate the rest of the meat for lunch and dinner and Rin couldn't recall a single moment in her life when she was as full as she was now.
The camped under the stars that night and Rin knew that there would be flowers over the next hill. Soon, she would be able to pick flowers that would match beautifully with her Lord's hair. She fell asleep imagining that she was lying in a bed of green and white flora.
The next morning was her sixth day and she woke earlier than Jaken. Eager to please, she cleaned out the dead campfire as she had seen the small youkai do the other days. Her Lord watched her as she spread the dirt and stopped her as she was about to wipe her hands on her new kimono.
"There is a river nearby." He deadpanned. She nodded and made her way in the direction he pointed. Rin washed as well as she could and even bathed for a short while to rid herself of the dust she had gathered throughout the last few days. When she returned she found that Jaken had woken up and that her two (three if you cont the dragon) companions were waiting for her.
She smiled eagerly and walked in step with the large, two-headed beast and the small, green youkai. They found a small field of flowers nearby and Rin enthusiastically ran forward to gather as much of them as possible. She stopped only when her Lord reached her so that they wouldn't have to wait for her.
They continued walking and Rin came across another field. They were full of flowers all as white as her youkai Lord's hair. She relentlessly gathered them and mixed them with her bouquet of pink and purple flowers.
They were beautiful. Raw and untamed, the flowers looked natural rather than messy; their colors melted into one another instead of creating a painful contrast of pink and purple and white.
She stepped up to her patient Lord and presented them.
"From Rin," She declared happily. The first time she had spoken in their presence. The first time she had spoken in years.
His eyes narrowed slightly although he calmly accepted the flowers after a while. Behind him, Jaken squawked about the indignity of presenting his Lord with such a mundane gift. He was silenced by a thrown rock (not from Sesshomaru but from Rin who had seen her Lord do this when he was aggravated by the toad). They continued their trek until the brightest stars came out.
The next morning Rin woke. She had been with her Lord for seven days and she had loved every moment of it.
Notes: Haha, drabble fic. I just needed to get it out of my system last night... er, morning... (1 am... which is also why you should forgive any of my errors.)