Chapter Two:
Rin continued to chatter. Sesshomaru-sama had gone somewhere for a while, leaving her with Shaya and Master Jaken by the big tree in the clearing.
"Do you want to play a game Rin?" Shaya asked nicely.
Widening her eyes Rin nodded. "Oh yes! Rin loves games, Shaya!"
"Silly wenches. Games are for children." Jaken huffed, spreading out next to AhUn, though he did keep one curious eye on them to see what this onna had in mind.
"She is a child." Shrugging the woman turned back to sit in front of the little girl. "Ok, Rin. Hold your hands out for me." The girl sat down in front of her, excited at the prospect of some new game.
"Like this?" She held her hands flat out in front of her. "Almost. I'm going to hold my hands out flat, like this, above yours palm down. The object is to try to slap my hands lightly before I can move them away."
"Rin doesn't want to slap Shaya!"
"It won't hurt! Now come on. I bet you can't win." Shaya teased lightly. Rin got a determined look on her face and sat up straighter.
"Rin can!"
Jaken watched intently as the two silly females attempted to slap each other. Sesshomaru-sama had certainly left him with some very strange creatures. Why were they so weird?
Rin giggled though, so it was pleasant enough. At least they were being quiet now. Since the woman had joined them a week ago the human had not been quiet for more than a few moments when she was eating, or longer when she was asleep. At least this female was mostly quiet.
He had a small headache.
Did youkai get headaches? Jaken did not know.
He heard a small slap as Rin triumphantly caught Shaya's hands. Turning her fingers into claws she soon attacked the girl's middle, tickling the girl onto the ground. "That's cheating!" Rin screamed with laughter, wriggling on her back as the onna continued to tickle her senseless. "It tickles!"
Shaya laughed too. "Oh yeah?"
She quit, leaning over the girl with a grin on her face, balancing her hands on either side of the child. "Do you give up yet?"
Rin was beaming. "Rin will never surrender! Sesshomaru-sama would be disappointed." Instead she made a swipe for the long red hair dangling over her, wrapping it around her hand. Tugging Shaya made a great show of falling over onto her back next to Rin.
Yes, very weird women.
Looking up with a sigh he spotted the white figure of his powerful lord. Getting to his feet he tried to get the attention of the jovial girls who had yet to quit their playing. Rin was leaning her arms on Shaya's stomach only to gasp as long arms came around her shoulders as she sat up, pulling the girl up to sit in her lap. "Rin doesn't surrender!"
Shaya grinned, leaning her forehead against the girl's. "Of course not."
"Jaken." Sesshomaru's usual greeting. Raising their heads they all saw him gazing at none of them.
"Welcome back milord." Rin said brightly.
They set back onto the road immediately with no protest as usual. The rain clouds that he had seen as usual had him concerned that the roads nearby would delay their journey if they did not press forward with haste. Rin was singing quietly to herself even under Jaken's balking.
"Leave her alone Jaken," Shaya sighed.
"You do not order me, wench! Who are you to command me!" Jaken said angrily. "I have served Lord Sesshomaru for many years, and…"
"Enough." Sesshomaru ordered without turning. Jaken stuck his tongue out at Shaya, making Rin giggle.
"Master Jaken is very funny, Shaya."
"And rude." Shaya sent the retainer a look. Jaken fell back to walk on the other side of AhUn wishing that he were able to grumble freely at these insulting females. Sesshomaru-sama always sided against him! Why for once could he not be favorable to his most faithful follower?
"Stupid onna," he said quietly. Sesshomaru stopped walking then, frightening him. Was he about to be hit with a stone as he frequently was? So cruel to his servant!
"I-I'm sorry. The onna…she's…" Jaken swallowed hard.
A youkai streaked out of the nearby forest intent on reaching the girls. Moving quickly Sesshomaru struck it down with his Tokijin before it could come closer to the others. "Wow Sesshomaru-sama! You're amazing!" Rin praised.
He only sheathed his sword, continuing after a moment.
OoO
When they stopped for the night Rin and Jaken waded into the water to collect fish while Shaya prepared the fire. Rin's praise of Sesshomaru's retainer was apparently comfortingly familiar to him and Jaken seemed much happier. Shaking her head she looked over to the taiyoukai reclining against the nearby boulder appearing as distant from the pair he gazed through without seeing.
He was always so quiet. Rin's tug on her arm attracted her attention again.
"Look at how many fish Master Jaken caught!" Rin grinned. Holding up a string of fish she removed it from the girl's grip.
"Well, now we have to clean them."
"I"ll help!" Rin volunteered cheerfully. Touching the girl's hair gently for her sweetness they set to preparing their dinner.
"Ah…Sesshomaru-sama?" Calm golden eyes moved slowly, the only part of him that moved. "Would you like to eat?"
His eyes narrowed slightly. She had been asking him that every so often, hoping to tempt him into joining into his own group on and off for several days now.
Always so distant.
"Quiet Shaya! Do not bother Sesshomaru-sama with unnecessary questions!" Jaken scolded.
"Aren't you hungry though?" She hadn't seen him eat yet.
"I do not eat human food, onna." His eyes flickered distastefully over the fish roasting over the fire for only a second.
"But…"
"In fact, it surprises me that you eat so often." What had angered him so?
"You're mad at me?" she asked dubiously.
"You eat as a human," he stared.
"What are you talking about?" Somehow this question seemed to anger him even further. Turning his head he fixed her with a calculating expression…almost, for him anyhow, tilting his head.
"You are unaware." Asking questions in the form of statements again.
"What have I done to make you so angry with me?" She could hear the disbelief in her own tone.
"You grew up in a human village, correct?"
Her mother had died when she was very young, her father when she was a child. They had been residing in a human village, her father had been providing protection for, but…She hadn't even expected that he'd been listening when she'd told Rin.
"…Yes?"
She could feel the distinct flare of his aura. There were very few physical changes that he allowed to show. "Little fool. You were raised by humans."
"I don't see how that's so offensive to you."
His eyes widened a bit before he rose to his feet quickly. Leaning back he still came to stand in front of her, bending to grasp her upper arm tightly, hauling her to her feet. Without a word to her they were soon heading for the forests' edge.
"Sesshomaru-sama?" Now she was nervous. His aura was so turbulent at the moment that she was unsure if he was completely himself. He was walking so quickly, with her frame unbalanced with his grip that it was making her stumble.
He dropped her underneath the branches of a large tree, kneeling to grab the rabbit that raced from its place in the bushes. She heard the snap of its neck as he held it limp in his hand, turning those narrowed eyes back onto her.
"I will not stand for this…humanization." Sesshomaru's voice was a bit tight.
"But…What are you doing? I already have dinner cooking back…" He laid it in her lap, resting his arm on his leg.
"Eat, onna." She could only look at him with a frog in her throat and wide eyes.
"Raw?" she finally squeaked. Squeaked! In front of this taiyoukai.
He did not ease his gaze or make any show of moving. "I eat with Rin because she has to so frequently! That little girl is not going to like it if…"
He was ignoring her. Removing the rabbit from her leg she watched him cut its throat open with one long claw, holding it aside while it bled onto the ground.
"Are you even listening to a word I'm saying? You can't really expect me to just…just…" she bit her lip for a moment. "Sesshomaru! Respect Rin's feelings."
He was focused on the rabbit. "I can't…"
A large hand held her chin in his palm, sharp claws resting on either side of her jaw. It effectively silenced her. Squeezing, his eyes narrowed on her again.
"You will."
She touched his wrist, trying to pull herself away. His claws only pressed a bit more into her skin. "My patience wears thin."
How dare he? Feeling angry herself she glared back. One dark eyebrow raised minimally on his face. "No."
"If need be I will force it down your throat." Sesshomaru's voice held no doubt in it. "I suggest you obey."
"Who…" the hand pressing down on her jaw made it difficult for her to speak now. He really was going to do it. Rolling her eyes she managed a small nod, taking a deep breath when he retracted his hand.
Sending him a glare she used her claws to skin the rabbit. Sesshomaru's eyes did not waver for anytime at all. It was making her a bit self-conscious. Did he really need to watch her this closely?
Her nose wrinkled at the meat. "I don't think I'm hungry anymore."
She saw Sesshomaru's hand clench ever-so-slightly. Perhaps she really shouldn't push her luck too far right now. Slicing off a piece of leg she shook off a bit of…some kind of liquid.
"This is so gross…"
She pulled her handkerchief out of her pocket, just in case she got sick. Raw? What kind of…
She put it into her mouth. Preparing to spit it out she raised her handkerchief to her mouth…but it didn't taste so bad actually. Chewing experimentally she didn't feel the urge to be sick all over the taiyoukai's flawless white clothing.
It was actually good; chewing freer now she didn't really want to meet his golden eyes. He was already smug enough.
But her stomach gave her away. Reaching for another strip it wasn't long before Sesshomaru's kill was nearly gone.
He was already standing before she noticed. Tossing the remains into the bushes she hurried to catch up to him. "Sesshomaru-sama, wait!"
He continued towards the others. "Sessh-"
"Ignorant of your own breed." Sesshomaru stated simply. "Disgraceful."
"It's not my fault! But…you were right ok?"
He did not answer.
"But I have a question, if you'll answer." Shaya sighed. Sesshomaru turned his head to fix her with one eye. "Why are you so against eating? It's ridiculous."
He did not answer…again. She had to satisfy herself with following after him.
