Disclaimer: Rin, Sesshoumaru and all other characters from Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi and the other various entities involved with the production of the manga and anime. I do not profit from this piece, nor is any copyright infringement intended by it.

Vanity

The young woman sat in the summer sun, fussing with her dark, unruly locks. Some days she just could not stand her hair. Hers wasn't smooth and straight like the other girls in the village. Hers was curly, frequently frizzy and a colossal pain. No matter what she did, what herbs or oils she used to wash and style her hair, nor how often she brushed it, it never seemed to lay the way she wanted.

Rin cast a quick glance towards the figure lounging in the distance and sighed. Why couldn't her hair be more like his? He had the most incredible hair—smooth, shiny, silky . . .

Perfect . . .

She doubted her lord had ever had one strand of hair fall out of place. Even in the heat of battle, his hair, like the movements of his body, flowed smoothly and precisely; so unlike her. It was probably the reason why none of the boys in the village even knew she existed, at least none the ones in whom she would have also been interested.

Rin sighed again. She did not even bother deluding herself with thoughts of the daiyoukai behind her. She could fill a hundred scrolls with all the reasons he had to reject her. In all honesty, she was surprised he still came to see her at all. He had to have better things to do with his time.

Rin gasped as Sesshoumaru's large form suddenly materialized before her. She stared with wide eyes as he knelt to the ground, amber eyes studying her intently—almost as though he was searching for something. Or maybe . . . he was staring at some horrible disfiguration on her head!

Good grief! Why did he have to be so hard to read?

So lost in her thoughts was Rin that she nearly jumped out of her skin when his hand brushed the side of her head.

"Be still," he said, his deep voice sending a chill down her spine. She froze in place, eyes only flicking towards his hand long enough to see a bright pink morning glory between his fingers. He tucked the blossom behind her ear, giving her an approving nod as he rose to his feet; a single word slipping from his lips as he turned away.

"Perfect."

Rin couldn't help but blush.