The cool evening wind ruffled Kagome's hair, curtaining her eyes as she looked up towards the horizon. She lifted her hand to push aside the raven locks and sighed wistfully, gripping the basket of fresh vegetables from Kaede's garden tightly in her hand. It had only been two nights since InuYasha had left with Miroku and Shippo. She had been upset to learn, from Sango none the less, that they would be away for quite a few days. InuYasha had neglected to tell her where he was going or even that he was to be away for more than a few hours. It irritated her that he hadn't even bothered to tell her such important information. Before she could further agitate her annoyance with her own thoughts she was pulled out of her musings by a whistle from Rin who was holding up a very large carrot.
"Look at this thing! It's huge! Kaede is an amazing plant grower... I mean, gardener." The girl corrected, pouting momentarily at her slip up. She had been trying to break herself of the baby words she had yet to grow out of, for she knew that someone wise like Sesshomaru would frown upon her inability to form grammatically correct sentences. When he came to visit her, she wanted him to see that she was growing and learning; becoming stronger and more intelligent in wait for the day that she would once again spend all of her time in his presence.
Rin released a distraught breath of air through her barely parted lips. It felt like despite three years passing, she had yet to grow or mature which constantly reminded her that her fantasies of a romance with her Lord Sesshomaru were just that; fantasies. She looked toward Kagome who was plucking onions from the earth a few feet away and gave a jealous half smile. Where Rin believed herself to be a shapeless young girl, Kagome was a woman; curvy in the right spots, tall, long legged, and beautiful.
"Kagome...?" Rin called, dropping the giant carrot into her basket and placing both hands on her knees where she squatted, "May I ask you a question?"
The priestess turned quickly, almost as if she had been caught off guard, "Yes? What is it?"
"Am I pretty?" And if she hadn't looked as if she were caught off guard before, she certainly was now. The girl sat worriedly as a look of confusion formed on Kagome's face, though it melted away to form a bright, warm smile moments later.
"Of course you are Rin. I think you're very pretty. Why do you ask this all of a sudden?" Kagome asked, eying the girl suspiciously, as if the answer was merely a set up for her next question. She was right to be suspicious.
"Well, when do I get to look like a woman?" She asked, standing up in a huff and folding her arms across her chest. "I mean. I'm 13 now. And I don't have nice lips, or breasts, or big hips, and I certainly am not radiating sexiness." She pointed out, gesturing to Kagome with each word as if she were speaking specifically about the young priestess' features.
Kagome's eyes widened and her mouth fell open, completely taken aback by the outburst. Rin had always been a very spirited girl, but her personality was changing as she aged. Where before she had been an innocent, sweet, adorable child, now she was becoming a feisty, willful, and beautiful young woman. Her year spent with Sesshomaru had not turned her into a cold, calculating, composed copy of him at all, in fact, it had turned her into an incredibly and admirably strong girl.
"Rin. Don't be absurd. You've definitely grown! You've gotten taller and even prettier for sure! Plus, you still have a couple years of growing left in you. I didn't hit my real growth spurt until I was fifteen!" She explained, attempting to comfort the girl.
"What!" The younger girl cried, clearly not comforted by the words, "I have to wait two more years to get curves!" She shouted, weaving her fingers through her hair, "There's no end to the waiting."
"Ahh ha...," Kagome murmured, clamping her eyes shut in turmoil. It seemed that no matter what she said, the girl was not going to be soothed by her words of reassurance, even though they were honest.
"Now, now, Rin," Kaede's voice chimed in as she approached the small patch of soil where she was growing her vegetables, "Ye are a very pretty young lady, and ye will without a doubt become an even more beautiful woman who will catch the eye of any man; human, half demon, or demon otherwise." She said with a knowing wink.
"Huh?" The young priestess murmured, looking back and forth between Rin and Kaede for a clue as to what she was missing. Slowly the spreading blush on Rin's face and Kaede's words formed a reasonable answer and she quickly connected the dots. "You have a crush on Sesshomaru...!" She said exclaimed her mouth opened in an 'o'.
"Shh!" Rin exclaimed cupping her dirty hand over Kagome's mouth, "Don't say it so loud!" She screeched as if she expected said demon to drop from the sky and laugh at her feelings. There was little doubt in her mind that Sesshomaru did not feel the same adoration and love that she felt for him. In fact, she was sure that Sesshomaru could never truly love a human.
Kagome scooted away from Rin's hand, wiping at the dirt that was now splotched across her chin and smiled, "I'm sure you'd be surprised, Sesshomaru isn't completely unfeeling. Besides, he's not around so there's no harm in talking about it!"
"How about we talk about it over dinner? As soon as ye finish harvesting it, that is." Kaede suggested, nodding her head towards the half full baskets with a smile not devoid of humor.
Tiny embers flickered under the heavy metal cauldron, causing the bottom to redden as the metals heated and the contents of the pot. The wood crackled as it burned, and tiny sparks of it's ashes floated up every so often to try and escape the heat. Kagome, Kaede and Rin sat around the pot with individual bowls of stew, each enjoying the fruits of their labor.
"Wasn't Sesshomaru supposed to come visit ye today, Rin?" Kaede inquired as she set her empty bowl down in front of her.
Rin sighed, shrugging her shoulders as she feigned indifference, "Yes, but, it's not like he has all the free time in the world to come visit me. I'm not his top priority." She answered, instantly frowning at the taste that statement had left in her mouth.
"I'm sure if he was supposed to see you, only something incredibly important would have stopped him. He always comes to see you, and I can't imagine Sesshomaru as the type to take punctuality lightly." Kagome pointed out, stirring the half eaten stew in her bowl as she gazed down into the thick soupy broth.
"Yeah. I suppose you're right. Lord Sesshomaru comes around often, and he is always giving me presents. I can't imagine what would have kept him this time." She said, looking back towards the wall piled with neatly folded Kimono's of all different colors and fabrics. She looked down at her orange and yellow checkered Kimono and smiled, remembering that this was the Kimono she wore when she met her Lord, and her favorite of them all. It was growing tighter on her, though, and she had a hard time closing the top of it. Instead of resigning to the obvious truth that her chest was growing, she remained convinced that she was getting fat. She was oblivious as to why the neckline of the Kimono was drifting very slightly downward with each passing day.
Suddenly their conversation was cut short as a loud boom sounded from outside the hut, and the the worried shouts of villagers made their way to their ears. The three exchanged glances towards each other, and promptly got onto their feet. After strapping their bows and quills to their backs, the two priestesses were quickly outside the hut. Rin, unarmed, stood behind the two elder women with a look of shock on her face as she watched villagers scrambling away from the cloud of dust that was rising from the explosion.
"Lady Kagome! Lady Kaede!" A villager called, running up towards them. The man stopped, breathing heavy labored breaths, "It's a demon! A centipede demon! It's attacking the village, it's already eaten two villagers!" He shouted, pointing towards the dust as it faded away to reveal a green armored centipede that stood at least six huts tall.
Kaede nodded, "Rin, stay here where it's safe. Do not leave this hut." She commanded, and turned towards Kagome who nodded to her before they took off towards the center of the village where the demon was ransacking a hut in attempt to get at the screaming children huddled inside of it.
The demon hissed, spitting a corrosive acid at the two priestesses as they drew near. Barely avoiding the attack, Kagome stopped short in her run and strung an arrow, raising it with a steady hand to point directly at the demon's head. "Hit the mark...," She whispered to herself as she released the arrow from her fingertips and cursed as she felt the string on her bow snap, sending the arrow flying uselessly to the ground in front of the demon.
"Kagome!" Kaede called, watching the look of despair cross the younger woman's features as the centipede flung itself at her, mouth opened wide with the intent of devouring her. Quickly stringing the bow, Kaede shot an arrow that embedded itself into the demon's back, only momentarily stopping it's attack.
The demon turned to Kaede, angered by her and seemingly unaffected by the arrow lodged inside it. It made another hissing sound as it's massive body turned to her, crushing a house in the process. It dived forward, it's body slithering towards her, quickly closing in the distance between them. It's tail, scaled and lined with sharp spikes, swung behind it, slamming into Kagome and knocking her to the ground as it neared the elderly priestess.
Kaede fell backwards, her bow landing beside her as she made contact with the dirt. She looked up at the centipede, but a blur of orange met her eyes as someone stood before her protectively. The elder woman's eyes widened as she recognized the back that faced her.
"Don't you dare hurt her!" Shouted Rin, boldly jumping in front of the aged woman in an attempt to shield her from harm. She held her arms out, blocking the priestess from the demon's view, though it didn't falter in it's ascent. She closed her eyes tight, bracing herself for the pain that she was sure the demon would inflict upon her. A horrible tearing sound was heard, and warm blood splattered across her. She was sure she had died when she opened her eyes and all she saw was a whiteness that rivaled new fallen snow.
"Rin." Her usually plain name sounded beautiful when spoken by the golden eyed demon who stood facing her, and for a split moment she saw a flash of concern and worry in his normally steely expression. Though she was always excited to see him, never before was she entirely unable to control herself. She latched onto him, gripping him tightly around the his mid section, completely ignorant to the fact that she had never been able to truly hug him before due to the height difference.
"Oh Lord Sesshomaru!" She said, her voice muffled due to her face being buried into his chest, "You came! And you saved me!" The girl exclaimed as if it were a shock to her that he would save her despite the fact that it was a very common occurrence.
"Your clothes, Rin, they are covered in blood." The demon Lord said, pushing her back with his only hand and turning away from the girl. His eyes dipped to the the chunks of demon that lay on the ground before him as Sango trotted up to them.
"Kagome, are you alright?" The demon slayer asked, helping her up from here she lay on the ground. "I'm so sorry. If I were here earlier I could have helped. You wouldn't have gotten hurt." She said apologetically, her eyes gleaming with sincerity.
Kaede, who had picked herself up, made her way towards the girls slowly, "Don't ye even think it, Sango. Ye have children to care for, and they are yer top priority." The elder woman said, earning a nod of agreement from Kagome.
"I'm just glad you are all alright. Are you in pain from those cuts?" Sango asked the priestess, who gently touched one of the cuts on her upper arm from where the demon had scratched her. She flinched a bit, but shook her head none the less.
"I'm okay. These are nothing." She assured them, and turned to see Rin standing self consciously beside the demon Lord. "She on the other hand..., she's got a problem." She muttered under her breath in exasperation of the girls seemingly hopeless crush on the stoic man next to her.
"Let's get back to the hut." Kaede said as she adjusted the bow on her back. The others nodded in agreement.
The villagers filed one by one back into the village by Sango's direction, and they quickly cleaned up the remains of the terrifying demon. The carcass of the centipede was discarded into the now unspectacular bone eaters well, and the buildings that had been damaged were repaired by nightfall. Now quiet again, the shaken villagers settled into their homes for a hopefully sound sleep.
"On my way here earlier today I came across a large group of newly hatched centipede demons on their first hunt. They foolishly attacked me. The one that attacked you must have somehow gotten away." Sesshomaru explained, sitting cross legged in front of the fire in a way that reminded her very much of his younger brother though the elder brother was much more regal and proud.
"So you didn't forget to come." Rin surmised, smiling brightly up at the demon who remained impassive as always. "I thought you weren't going to show up. It would have been strange, because you are always here when you say you will be." She added, unable to stop herself from going on and on.
"You should change." Sesshomaru said, his gaze landing on the stack of Kimono's that he brought her every time he came to see her. He was unsure if it bothered him that she had not worn them, and for a moment he thought to ask if she was displeased with them. He was decidedly appalled that the thoughts even crossed his mind, so he bit his tongue and chose to stay quiet. No respectable demon ever cared what a human thought, he told himself, though somewhere deep in his mind he heard a nagging voice comment that no demon ever came to see a human child as often as he did... or ever, for that matter.
"Aye, Rin, yer clothes are soaked and torn from the demons acidic blood. Ye should change out of the Kimono, it is beyond repair." Kaede added, earning a reluctant nod from the young girl who stood and grabbed the Kimono at the top of the pile.
She spun on her heels and headed towards the door of the hut to change around the back of the hut where no one could see her. Kagome sighed as she watched her retreating form and shook her head, "Poor girl, liking such a cold hearted guy." She thought, eyeing the demon who's gaze was focused on the pot in the center of the room that contained their dinner with his nose wrinkled in distaste.
The mat on the door swung open and Rin stood in the doorway with an unsure expression on her face. "Well?" She questioned, hoping she didn't look ridiculous in the new Kimono.
Sesshomaru turned and eyed the girl, his expression blank as usual. The off-white Kimono clung tightly to her middle where it was bound by a crimson red sash that hung to to her knees where the kimono itself cut off. The long flowing sleeves were embroidered with the same crimson trim that wound up to her elbows with white flowers weaving through it as if they were floating in a pond of red fabric. Cherry blossoms seemed to cascade from the collar of the kimono, down her left side and on the inside of each sleeve until they fell in a pile at the hem of the outfit.
"Rin it's beautiful!" Kagome declared, her hands covering her mouth that was wide with delight. She turned to see the demon Lord's reaction, but he didn't seem as awe stricken as she was.
Sesshomaru stood, nodding in approval of the Kimono on Rin and stepped aside her, "I must be taking my leave now. Behave yourself, Rin. Stay out of trouble."
"Yes, of course Lord Sesshomaru. When will you be back?" She inquired, her bright brown eyes twinkling up at him in adoration.
"I will return to check up on you on the first day of the next lunar cycle." He answered before ducking his head under the door flap and making his exit.
"I should be heading back to. I'll see you around, Kaede." Kagome called, waving behind her as she took off to follow Sesshomaru.
The demon paused momentarily in his stride, only a few feet from the hut, and turned to see Kagome jogging up to him. Normally he would have kept walking, and he was unsure of what stopped him this time.
"Sesshomaru, wait!" She called, stopping before him with a look he disliked on her face. "May I ask you something?" Knowing that he would not give her an actual answer, but deciding that not turning and walking away was his go ahead she began, "Do you care about Rin?" She asked, catching him by surprise with her bluntness.
In the past he would have answered her with 'No. No demon cares for a lowly human.' without missing a beat, but strangely he could not say that truthfully any more. What he said to this human would not affect him at all, but he couldn't bring himself to give her such a lame answer. Unable to say anything profound he answered her instead with a question, "What does it matter to you?"
"It doesn't. It matters to her." Kagome replied hotly, daring to speak to such a powerful demon in a tone that one would use on a friend of underling.
"Then I do not have to answer to you." Sesshomaru replied, his voice even and unwavering as if he had already known from the beginning what he would say. "It is none of your business whether or not I care for the girl." He said, turning to walk away, but not quite moving to take a step forward.
"But if you didn't, you would have just simply said, 'no'." Kagome answered, a small smile gracing her features at the conclusion.
"Tell InuYasha that next time he should protect his woman better. I won't always be around to save you pathetic humans." Sesshomaru answered, skirting around the girls statement before a cloud appeared under his feet and he lifted away with the grace of a hawk.
"So he does really care for her." Kagome said triumphantly as she turned and made her way back towards the village and up to her hut. Sesshomaru had always been a proud demon and she was inspired by the way that one little girl had changed him into someone who cared about humans and their safety. Rin had made him the way that his father had dreamed he could someday become.
As she lay in her bed, sunken into the downy fluff of a mattress that InuYasha had made for her, she turned and breathed in his scent from the pillow he had slept on. Her heart ached, but she smiled none the less. As her eyes closed tight and her mind drifted off to sleep, one final thought floated through her mind,
"Why can Sesshomaru fly... isn't he a dog...?"
Soooooooooooooo... I finished my little... uh... homework thing. So here's chapter 6. With an awesome ending, lol...
And guys, what do you think, Sesshomaru and Rin? This weird for you guys, or do you dig it? I could deffinitely make SesshxRin work. Because honestly I don't really like RinxKohaku, which would be the alternative. Let me know; Reviews please! :D See you next update!