Lost Rin
Rin happily walked behind her Sesshomaru-sama, enjoying the traveling. At times it was hazardous, but to prove herself strong to her Lord, she took the trouble head on. She never disobeyed an order he gave her, or an order Jaken-sama gave her. Though Jaken-sama was rougher towards her, she dismissed it and often times teased him. Frustrated as he was with the child, Jaken never dared strike her or abuse her, for fear of his master. But no one matched up to Sesshomaru-sama in Rin's eyes. He was wonderful, though detached as he was, in all his glory. She admired his beauty greatly, thinking him the most handsome creature upon the earth. His fine kimonos and armor only enhanced his cold beauty. She particularly liked his snow-white hair, a flowing mane of pure white that shined in the sunlight. She liked his fluffy white tail too, though she gets few chances to touch it. Unknowingly to her, Sesshomaru would sit beside her as she slept, and let her hug it to herself for warmth. And he was kind to her at times. Whenever she ripped or dirtied a kimono or yukata, he would send Jaken to retrieve another for her. She loved the feel of the fine clothes and often thanked her Lord for them. He would merely look at her passively and ordered her to follow. But she was very grateful to her Lord, for many things. One and first, for saving her life. She never thought that he would come for her when she was attacked by wolves. But when she had opened her eyes and gazed upon gold ones, she was forever indebted to him. Also, he would protect her countless times. Whenever a youkai threatened, he ordered Jaken to guard her and he would take care of it. In her eyes, Sesshomaru could be god and she wouldn't think more or less of him. She spotted a small patch of orange flowers and ran ahead to pick them.
Sesshomaru watched her pass, keeping a careful eye on her. In the blink of an eye, a youkai could attack. But what was it to him? She was just a human girl, just like the rest of her kind. His servant Jaken often asked him why he kept the girl, but was quickly reprimanded for his boldness. But as Sesshomaru pondered it, why did he keep the girl? She was of no use to him, yet here she was. Just another human child that could easily be killed by his hands. As the thought entered his head, a knot formed in his stomach. What was this? It happened every time he thought of disposing the child. But the knot grew as he thought of spilling her blood. Now that the image was in his head, he quickly pushed it away. He just couldn't bring himself to do it. Somehow this small girl had made herself a part of his life, one way or another. He watched as she came back to him, a ring of flowers upon her small head, giggling and ran in a circle around him. She stopped and walked beside him and held up a few flowers she hadn't used. He heard Jaken's nagging voice behind him complain to Rin about her foolishness, and she fell behind to nag innocently back. Sesshomaru now knew why he kept her with him. She was the only one who ever showed him kindness and wasn't afraid of him. Completely unafraid of him.
~*~ Jaken had finally given up on forcing some commonsense in to the girl, she was as oblivious as a rock. Rin went back to peacefully walking behind Sesshomaru, humming occasionally. Sesshomaru noticed today that she was especially durable, not showing a sign of fatigue since this morning. She had only stopped for a sip of water by a stream, that he determined she didn't even need. But it was soon approaching midday and she was in need of a rest whether she knew it or not. When they stopped beside a stream in a thicket, Rin gave him a questioning look.
With out turning he merely said, "quench your thirst Rin, then we continue after a rest."
Surprised, Rin kneeled beside the stream and cupped her hands. She had just been thinking about stopping for a drink on the way, but not rest. She really wasn't all that tired today, but she would do as her Sesshomaru-sama told her.
Sesshomaru turned as she knelt to the stream and observed her passively. Her brown hair fell to the side as she bent, revealing the scar on the back of her neck, which would strike people as odd but not to youkai. It was in the distinct shape of a bite, warning other youkai with its sight and scent that the human belonged to another. He remembered when he had put that scar there, while she was sleeping. She had built a small fire for herself as he rested in a tree, and she fell quickly asleep, content clear on her face. He stared at her for sometime, thinking till he had come to the conclusion that he would keep her. She really wasn't that bad and never got in his way. More like she got in Jaken's, but it was no matter to him. So if he was to keep her with him, he had to make sure she was safe, and the only way he knew that would guarantee that was to mark her. So as silent as the wind he leaped from his tree to her, and knelt. He moved the hair aside from her neck, and as gently as his fangs permitted, bit into her neck, drawing as little blood as possible. She had flinched but not woken. The metallic scent of her blood filled his nose, but dissipated as the saliva from his bite healed the wound, leaving a scar. Now all would know that this was his little human girl.
Sesshomaru was woken from his memory as he heard a sigh of contentment. Rin had dipped her feet in to the cool stream, resting as he told to. She really hadn't known how much her feet had hurt while walking, but now as she relaxed she fully appreciated the rest. They had only spent a few moments before the hair on the back of her neck stood up. It was only seconds before his order.
"Rin get up. Stand behind me." She hurriedly got up and stood behind him, as Jaken took a stance beside his master, sensing the approaching youkai. As it got closer, trees could be heard as they were uprooted and tossed aside. A deep breathing was then heard and out of the forest came the youkai. It was a plant youkai, like a giant Venus flytrap. From its main body grew thick vines, with dangerous thorns attached. Every other vine had a mouth, jaws snapping for meat. The main mouth was on the main body, a gaping jowl with thick sharpened teeth drooling profusely. It had no eyes, but it sniffed every few seconds, determining their position.
Its body shook as a rumbling chuckle rolled out, "ah yes, I see now, it was a human child I smelled. And such an appetizing scent at that. But what's this? I smell a dog youkai, no wait, a dog taiyoukai. Could you be the Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands?"
"It is I, Sesshomaru. What business do you have here?" Sesshomaru sniffed again and narrowed his eyes, "and where is the other?"
"Oh my brother?" the youkai laughed, "he is fetching a meal for us."
Before he knew it, roots as wide as his head came from up and behind him, wrapping around the one he was trying to protect. Rin was brought high into the air, the roots coiling around her small body, reaching out to Sesshomaru.
"Sesshomaru-sama!!" she called to him. But her screams were cut short as the roots encased her in a cocoon of roots, and dragged her back down in to the ground. He could hear her scream and the sound of earth being torn from under him as she was dragged far away. Her sound drowned to nothing as she was taken farther way.
'Rin'. It was an understatement to say that he was a bit surprised. He was shocked, that the youkai could have sneaked past his guard that way. And this in turn angered him. That they would dare pull a move on him, the Great Sesshoamru, and kidnapped the girl for their meal. His normally calm eyes tinted a blood red in fury and Toukijin pulsed at his side. No, he wouldn't use Toukijin for a low life youkai like the plant. It had become personal now. Faster than the youkai could sense it, it was ripped part and dissolved by his poison claws. As its remains sizzled to muck, Sesshomaru calmed himself. Jaken, beside him, was quite surprised at his master's out burst, and all because the youkai, who thankfully, had taken the little human brat. Sesshomaru turned on his servant with cold eyes. Jaken cowered back in fear.
"Come Jaken," sesshomaru's voice was clam but full of cold fury. Jaken stumbled after his Lord as Sesshomaru used his youkai to form the cloud that he flew upon. He was going to find Rin, and the youkai was going to pay for its insolence.
~*~ All Rin could see was darkness as the area around her shook violently. She was very certain she was bruised in places she didn't even know she had. She could hear earth moving and roots being torn from the ground. Where was she going? What was going to happen to her? Will Sesshomaru-sama save her?
Her pod started to slow and she no longer felt the violent shaking. Gravity pushed her down to the bottom of the pod as she was lifted into the air. Vines twinned their way around her torso, and she shut her eyes as sunlight hit them. When she opened them she let out a scream. Holding her in the air was a youkai like that of plant youkai she saw before she was taken, except this one was a bright green with flowering jaws on its vines.
"Ah, yes, Brother did well in finding the child. And now I will drink your blood." From its gapping mouth on its body, came a root like tongue. It dripped with drool and made it way slowly to Rin. Rin struggled against her restraints and screamed. No! Please, some one save her! Sesshomaru-sama! Just as the tongue was inches from her throat, Rin started falling.
"Let her go!" a voice cried and a streak of light purple light blew the tongue to bits. The youkai let out a cry of pain and drew back. That's when rin started to fall. The youkai lost it grip on rin and dropped her. Rin expected to crash against the cold ground, but she was caught by a warm body that wrapped around her. They both fell to the ground with an "Oof!". The person quickly let her go and drew another arrow. They let it fly with a blast of power, and blasted apart most of the monster.
"Kuso, I missed," Rin heard her cursed. Rin looked back the youkai. Missed? The girl almost obliterated it!
The youkai let out painful yelps and drew back. "I will be back!" it cried and vanished into the forest.
A moment went by when Rin finally pulled enough strength from her trembling limbs to stand up. Her savior turned around to her, a warm smile replacing a determined look as she saw her. Rin carefully looked her over. She was wearing the strangest clothes Rin had ever seen, a long-sleeved shirt that showed her form and left no room for the imagination. Not to mention how short her bottom was, and she wore shoes Rin had never seen before. But her smile was warm and comforting, and her brown eyes showed concern for Rin. She laid a soothing hand on Rin's shoulder.
"Are you okay?" she asked. Rin nodded.
"Good. Do you live in the village, I've never seen you before."
Rin shook her head, "No, I live in the west."
"So you were kidnapped? And now your lost?" nod. Nod. "Well, that's too bad. Tell you what, I'll take you to the village, get you cleaned up, and you can tell me what happened. Okay?"
The girl put her bow over her shoulder and lifted Rin into her arms. Though surprised, Rin quickly found comfort in being held.
"By the way, what's your name?"
"Rin."
"Well, Rin-chan, its nice to meet you. My name's Kagome."
~*~ Rin soon fell asleep in Kagome's arms, her head resting on her shoulder. Poor kid, she went though a lot today. Kagome only held her closer and continued on her way to Keade's village. She let out a sigh as they reached the boundary.
Back in Keade's hut, a certain hanyou was waiting for her to get back. Stupid girl, she sure likes to take her time. When the wind blew through the reed curtain, his ears twitched and he picked up a rotten scent. Another sniff and he caught Kagome's scent. Was she in danger? He immediately got up. Miroku and Sango looked up in surprise.
"What's wrong Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.
"I smell youkai," he growled.
"Is that it?" sango stated.
"And Kagome's scent is mixed with it."
Sango and Miroku suddenly tensed. Sango picked up Hiraikotsu and Miroku his staff. But when they ran outside, they were hit with a confusing sight. They saw Kagome walking towards them, carrying a dirty and sleeping little girl. Sango's heart melted and she went to meet Kagome.
"Kagome, what happened?" Sango smoothed the sleeping girl's hair.
"I saved her from this giant plant youkai thing. And no Inuyasha, it didn't have a shard." Kagome didn't even need to look past Sango to know that he was about to open his mouth. She heard him huff and Miroku snort. "She got really dirty, I'm going to give her bath. Want to come Sango?"
"No, I'll take care of her kimono."
"Heh, she needs a bath," Inuyasha complained, "she reeks of youkai."
Kagome gave him a dirty look as she past him, heading for the hot spring. She threw over her shoulder, "she probably takes more baths than you do, Dog-Boy."
She didn't see Inuyasha blush, but she heard Miroku's laughter, that was then replaced with a sharp curse as Inuyasha cuffed him over the head. Sango insulted the boys and followed Kagome.
When they reached the spring, Kagome nudged Rin awake. The girl blinked up at her sleepily.
"Come on, sleepy head, its time for a bath."
Rin looked to the spring then Kagome, then Sango. Sango gave her a smile.
"Hi, I'm Sango, what's your name?"
"Rin."
"Well, hello, Rin-chan. I'm going to wash your kimono while you and Kagome take a bath. Is that okay?" Rin nodded.
She then blushed and looked up at Kagome. "You-you mean the both of us?"
Kagome laughed at her shyness and put her down. "Its okay Rin-chan. Me and Sango take baths together all the time. Besides, imagine how it would be if you were a boy." Rin giggled and blushed more.
"That's what I thought. Now give your kimono to Sango and she'll wash it. Sango, hand me one the buckets over there. Thanks."
Out of her pack, Kagome pulled out some shampoo and conditioner, and a bar of soap. Sango took the other bucket, filled it with water from the spring, and went to wash Rin's kimono. Rin stood patiently in her under kimono as Kagome undressed, leaving her bra and panties on. Rin found it curious that Kagome would wear such small and tight undergarments, but kept the question to herself. Kagome then took the soap and handed to Rin.
"This is soap, and keep a good grip on it, its gets slippery when wet. I'm gonna wash your hair, so you can wash your body. Make sure not to get it in your eyes or mouth, it doesn't taste very good. I'll wet you down first."
As Kagome went to get a bucket of water, Rin took off her under kimono and tossed it to the side. Kagome respectively kept her eyes face level as she came back.
"Ready?" she held the bucket over Rin's head. Rin nodded, and was greeted with hot water. Rin started lathering herself with the soap and Kagome squirted some shampoo into her hair. It let out a fruity fragrance as Kagome scrubbed it into her hair.
"What is that Kagome-ne-chan? It smells nice." Rin's head moved to the motion of Kagome's hands.
"Its called shampoo, and it cleans your hair really well. You then rinse it out and put in conditioner, which makes you hair healthy and takes out the knots. You done? Good now close your eyes." Rin closed her eyes and was rinsed head to foot with hot water. She then felt a cold liquid spread over her head, guessing it was the "conditioner" Kagome mentioned. That too was rinsed out after a moment.
Kagome then led Rin to the spring, taking off her remaining clothes on the way, and dipped in after Rin. She relaxed with a sigh.
"Why didn't you wash?" Rin asked.
"I already did this morning," she smiled. She smiled wider when she thought of how she took her sweet time too, irritating the hell out of Inuyasha. Of course that was followed by a sit when he came looking for her. She wondered if the face print was still there. She heard a rustle and turned to see Sango carrying the girl's surprisingly dry kimono over one arm. Sango laid it on the rock beside her with some towels.
"Wow, that was fast Sango, how did you do it?" asked Kagome.
Sango smiled, "that, my friend, is a secret." Sango turned and left Kagome and Rin once again. Kagome stood.
"Come on, let's get you dried and dressed."
Kagome grabbed a towel from the rock and held it in front if her. Rin quickly wrapped herself in it, the chill creeping upon as she raised her form from the water. Kagome then wrapped the other around her self, and went to get the girl's under kimono. She came back and Rin scrubbed herself dry. Much to Rin's surprise, she felt really good after using Kagome's wash things. They left a nice scent and left her feeling soft. Kagome slipped on her clothes as Rin did her kimono, and grabbed the girl's hand. Rin looked from their connected hands, to Kagome's smiling face.
"Let's go. I bet Inuyasha probably caught something for dinner by now."
"Inuyasha?" the name was familiar, but she couldn't remember from where.
"Yeah, he's not too bad. He can appear tough and mean, but in truth, I think he's got a soft spot for kids. And he can be nice at times." Rin noticed how Kagome's eyes softened at describing Inuyasha. Is she in love with him? It was fast approaching dusk, and they picked up the pace, as the shadows grew longer.
They neared Keade's hut, and Rin could smell a wonderful stew cooking. "mmmmmm..."
Kagome laughed, "yeah Keade-babaa can make some great stews."
Kagome pushed aside the reed curtain and led Rin inside.
"Now, Kagome-sama, who is this young lady?" a woman said. Rin saw an old woman beside a boiling pot. She wore a miko's robes, and a patch over her right eye. But she gave Rin a friendly smile.
Rin ran up to her and pointed a finger at herself, "I'm Rin-chan. Kagome-ne- chan saved me from a really bad youkai."
"Oh my Rin-chan," Keade faked awe, "well sit and tell me of Kagome-sama's heroics."
Rin sat and started from when she was pulled into the ground by the youkai's roots. Keade slipped a bowl of stew into her hands, and she talked in between bites. Keade sent a look to Kagome when Rin exaggerated on a part, causing the girl to blush. Meanwhile, Miroku and Sango sat to the side amused. Miroku couldn't help but noticed how fine the girl's clothes were. She obviously wasn't a poor peasant girl. Maybe she was the daughter of a lord or king, and they would offer a great reward for her return.
"And that is how Rin came to be here, eating your very good stew." Rin ended.
Keade laughed, "don't flatter this old woman. Well, Kagome, it looks as though your archery is getting better by the sound of it."
"I hope so," Kagome sighed.
"So Rin-chan," Miroku spoke, "who is taking care of you? I mean before us."
And here she hesitated. Rin wasn't too sure about telling them about Sesshomaru-sama. He was the Youkai Lord of the Western Lands, and pretty famous. If she told them who he was, they might think she's lying. But whom else could she say? Sesshomaru-sama was the only one taking care of her.
"I..." oh forget it. She took the cowards route, "I can't tell you."
"Why not?" Kagome worried.
"Well because-"but just then Inuyasha walked in from his nightly scout.
"I took a look around and-"he paused. Confusion was emanate upon his face. Of course he smelled Kagome's wash things, they had taken a bath, but there was something else. Now that the girl had bathed, he got a clear sniff of her scent. There was lavender, and jasmine, and the forest, but...what was the other? He inched closer to the girl, sniffing periodically. The closer he got, the stronger it became. He knew this scent, he knew it very well. He was about three feet away from Rin when it hit him.
He jumped back, "what in the Seven Hells?!"
"What? What is it?" Kagome became edgy. Why had he been sniffing near Rin?
In a shocked breathy voice, he pointed at Rin, "You, move your hair aside."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome pounced on him. "Why in the hell are you talking like that to her for?"
But he didn't listen. Still dumbfounded, he merely went up and did it himself. He tilted her head forward and pushed her hair out of the way. If his eyes went any wider, they would have popped out of his head. He hurriedly got up and left, leaving a very bewildered group behind. Kagome looked from the door to a worried Rin. So she went up to Rin and did the same as Inuyasha. She gasped as she saw the scar. It looked like a bite mark, but what was it to Inuyasha? Concerned, she went after him.
"Inuyasha!" she called.
"Here," he said behind her. She turned and saw him leaned against Keade's hut, staring at his feet. He didn't look up when she planted herself right in front of him.
"Inuyasha, what's wrong with you? Do you realize how rude you were?" she hissed at him. Her brows furrowed when she got no response. "Are you listening?"
"I just don't get it," he murmured to himself more than to her.
"Get what?" she persisted.
"That scar on her neck, it was from..."
Rin happily walked behind her Sesshomaru-sama, enjoying the traveling. At times it was hazardous, but to prove herself strong to her Lord, she took the trouble head on. She never disobeyed an order he gave her, or an order Jaken-sama gave her. Though Jaken-sama was rougher towards her, she dismissed it and often times teased him. Frustrated as he was with the child, Jaken never dared strike her or abuse her, for fear of his master. But no one matched up to Sesshomaru-sama in Rin's eyes. He was wonderful, though detached as he was, in all his glory. She admired his beauty greatly, thinking him the most handsome creature upon the earth. His fine kimonos and armor only enhanced his cold beauty. She particularly liked his snow-white hair, a flowing mane of pure white that shined in the sunlight. She liked his fluffy white tail too, though she gets few chances to touch it. Unknowingly to her, Sesshomaru would sit beside her as she slept, and let her hug it to herself for warmth. And he was kind to her at times. Whenever she ripped or dirtied a kimono or yukata, he would send Jaken to retrieve another for her. She loved the feel of the fine clothes and often thanked her Lord for them. He would merely look at her passively and ordered her to follow. But she was very grateful to her Lord, for many things. One and first, for saving her life. She never thought that he would come for her when she was attacked by wolves. But when she had opened her eyes and gazed upon gold ones, she was forever indebted to him. Also, he would protect her countless times. Whenever a youkai threatened, he ordered Jaken to guard her and he would take care of it. In her eyes, Sesshomaru could be god and she wouldn't think more or less of him. She spotted a small patch of orange flowers and ran ahead to pick them.
Sesshomaru watched her pass, keeping a careful eye on her. In the blink of an eye, a youkai could attack. But what was it to him? She was just a human girl, just like the rest of her kind. His servant Jaken often asked him why he kept the girl, but was quickly reprimanded for his boldness. But as Sesshomaru pondered it, why did he keep the girl? She was of no use to him, yet here she was. Just another human child that could easily be killed by his hands. As the thought entered his head, a knot formed in his stomach. What was this? It happened every time he thought of disposing the child. But the knot grew as he thought of spilling her blood. Now that the image was in his head, he quickly pushed it away. He just couldn't bring himself to do it. Somehow this small girl had made herself a part of his life, one way or another. He watched as she came back to him, a ring of flowers upon her small head, giggling and ran in a circle around him. She stopped and walked beside him and held up a few flowers she hadn't used. He heard Jaken's nagging voice behind him complain to Rin about her foolishness, and she fell behind to nag innocently back. Sesshomaru now knew why he kept her with him. She was the only one who ever showed him kindness and wasn't afraid of him. Completely unafraid of him.
~*~ Jaken had finally given up on forcing some commonsense in to the girl, she was as oblivious as a rock. Rin went back to peacefully walking behind Sesshomaru, humming occasionally. Sesshomaru noticed today that she was especially durable, not showing a sign of fatigue since this morning. She had only stopped for a sip of water by a stream, that he determined she didn't even need. But it was soon approaching midday and she was in need of a rest whether she knew it or not. When they stopped beside a stream in a thicket, Rin gave him a questioning look.
With out turning he merely said, "quench your thirst Rin, then we continue after a rest."
Surprised, Rin kneeled beside the stream and cupped her hands. She had just been thinking about stopping for a drink on the way, but not rest. She really wasn't all that tired today, but she would do as her Sesshomaru-sama told her.
Sesshomaru turned as she knelt to the stream and observed her passively. Her brown hair fell to the side as she bent, revealing the scar on the back of her neck, which would strike people as odd but not to youkai. It was in the distinct shape of a bite, warning other youkai with its sight and scent that the human belonged to another. He remembered when he had put that scar there, while she was sleeping. She had built a small fire for herself as he rested in a tree, and she fell quickly asleep, content clear on her face. He stared at her for sometime, thinking till he had come to the conclusion that he would keep her. She really wasn't that bad and never got in his way. More like she got in Jaken's, but it was no matter to him. So if he was to keep her with him, he had to make sure she was safe, and the only way he knew that would guarantee that was to mark her. So as silent as the wind he leaped from his tree to her, and knelt. He moved the hair aside from her neck, and as gently as his fangs permitted, bit into her neck, drawing as little blood as possible. She had flinched but not woken. The metallic scent of her blood filled his nose, but dissipated as the saliva from his bite healed the wound, leaving a scar. Now all would know that this was his little human girl.
Sesshomaru was woken from his memory as he heard a sigh of contentment. Rin had dipped her feet in to the cool stream, resting as he told to. She really hadn't known how much her feet had hurt while walking, but now as she relaxed she fully appreciated the rest. They had only spent a few moments before the hair on the back of her neck stood up. It was only seconds before his order.
"Rin get up. Stand behind me." She hurriedly got up and stood behind him, as Jaken took a stance beside his master, sensing the approaching youkai. As it got closer, trees could be heard as they were uprooted and tossed aside. A deep breathing was then heard and out of the forest came the youkai. It was a plant youkai, like a giant Venus flytrap. From its main body grew thick vines, with dangerous thorns attached. Every other vine had a mouth, jaws snapping for meat. The main mouth was on the main body, a gaping jowl with thick sharpened teeth drooling profusely. It had no eyes, but it sniffed every few seconds, determining their position.
Its body shook as a rumbling chuckle rolled out, "ah yes, I see now, it was a human child I smelled. And such an appetizing scent at that. But what's this? I smell a dog youkai, no wait, a dog taiyoukai. Could you be the Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands?"
"It is I, Sesshomaru. What business do you have here?" Sesshomaru sniffed again and narrowed his eyes, "and where is the other?"
"Oh my brother?" the youkai laughed, "he is fetching a meal for us."
Before he knew it, roots as wide as his head came from up and behind him, wrapping around the one he was trying to protect. Rin was brought high into the air, the roots coiling around her small body, reaching out to Sesshomaru.
"Sesshomaru-sama!!" she called to him. But her screams were cut short as the roots encased her in a cocoon of roots, and dragged her back down in to the ground. He could hear her scream and the sound of earth being torn from under him as she was dragged far away. Her sound drowned to nothing as she was taken farther way.
'Rin'. It was an understatement to say that he was a bit surprised. He was shocked, that the youkai could have sneaked past his guard that way. And this in turn angered him. That they would dare pull a move on him, the Great Sesshoamru, and kidnapped the girl for their meal. His normally calm eyes tinted a blood red in fury and Toukijin pulsed at his side. No, he wouldn't use Toukijin for a low life youkai like the plant. It had become personal now. Faster than the youkai could sense it, it was ripped part and dissolved by his poison claws. As its remains sizzled to muck, Sesshomaru calmed himself. Jaken, beside him, was quite surprised at his master's out burst, and all because the youkai, who thankfully, had taken the little human brat. Sesshomaru turned on his servant with cold eyes. Jaken cowered back in fear.
"Come Jaken," sesshomaru's voice was clam but full of cold fury. Jaken stumbled after his Lord as Sesshomaru used his youkai to form the cloud that he flew upon. He was going to find Rin, and the youkai was going to pay for its insolence.
~*~ All Rin could see was darkness as the area around her shook violently. She was very certain she was bruised in places she didn't even know she had. She could hear earth moving and roots being torn from the ground. Where was she going? What was going to happen to her? Will Sesshomaru-sama save her?
Her pod started to slow and she no longer felt the violent shaking. Gravity pushed her down to the bottom of the pod as she was lifted into the air. Vines twinned their way around her torso, and she shut her eyes as sunlight hit them. When she opened them she let out a scream. Holding her in the air was a youkai like that of plant youkai she saw before she was taken, except this one was a bright green with flowering jaws on its vines.
"Ah, yes, Brother did well in finding the child. And now I will drink your blood." From its gapping mouth on its body, came a root like tongue. It dripped with drool and made it way slowly to Rin. Rin struggled against her restraints and screamed. No! Please, some one save her! Sesshomaru-sama! Just as the tongue was inches from her throat, Rin started falling.
"Let her go!" a voice cried and a streak of light purple light blew the tongue to bits. The youkai let out a cry of pain and drew back. That's when rin started to fall. The youkai lost it grip on rin and dropped her. Rin expected to crash against the cold ground, but she was caught by a warm body that wrapped around her. They both fell to the ground with an "Oof!". The person quickly let her go and drew another arrow. They let it fly with a blast of power, and blasted apart most of the monster.
"Kuso, I missed," Rin heard her cursed. Rin looked back the youkai. Missed? The girl almost obliterated it!
The youkai let out painful yelps and drew back. "I will be back!" it cried and vanished into the forest.
A moment went by when Rin finally pulled enough strength from her trembling limbs to stand up. Her savior turned around to her, a warm smile replacing a determined look as she saw her. Rin carefully looked her over. She was wearing the strangest clothes Rin had ever seen, a long-sleeved shirt that showed her form and left no room for the imagination. Not to mention how short her bottom was, and she wore shoes Rin had never seen before. But her smile was warm and comforting, and her brown eyes showed concern for Rin. She laid a soothing hand on Rin's shoulder.
"Are you okay?" she asked. Rin nodded.
"Good. Do you live in the village, I've never seen you before."
Rin shook her head, "No, I live in the west."
"So you were kidnapped? And now your lost?" nod. Nod. "Well, that's too bad. Tell you what, I'll take you to the village, get you cleaned up, and you can tell me what happened. Okay?"
The girl put her bow over her shoulder and lifted Rin into her arms. Though surprised, Rin quickly found comfort in being held.
"By the way, what's your name?"
"Rin."
"Well, Rin-chan, its nice to meet you. My name's Kagome."
~*~ Rin soon fell asleep in Kagome's arms, her head resting on her shoulder. Poor kid, she went though a lot today. Kagome only held her closer and continued on her way to Keade's village. She let out a sigh as they reached the boundary.
Back in Keade's hut, a certain hanyou was waiting for her to get back. Stupid girl, she sure likes to take her time. When the wind blew through the reed curtain, his ears twitched and he picked up a rotten scent. Another sniff and he caught Kagome's scent. Was she in danger? He immediately got up. Miroku and Sango looked up in surprise.
"What's wrong Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.
"I smell youkai," he growled.
"Is that it?" sango stated.
"And Kagome's scent is mixed with it."
Sango and Miroku suddenly tensed. Sango picked up Hiraikotsu and Miroku his staff. But when they ran outside, they were hit with a confusing sight. They saw Kagome walking towards them, carrying a dirty and sleeping little girl. Sango's heart melted and she went to meet Kagome.
"Kagome, what happened?" Sango smoothed the sleeping girl's hair.
"I saved her from this giant plant youkai thing. And no Inuyasha, it didn't have a shard." Kagome didn't even need to look past Sango to know that he was about to open his mouth. She heard him huff and Miroku snort. "She got really dirty, I'm going to give her bath. Want to come Sango?"
"No, I'll take care of her kimono."
"Heh, she needs a bath," Inuyasha complained, "she reeks of youkai."
Kagome gave him a dirty look as she past him, heading for the hot spring. She threw over her shoulder, "she probably takes more baths than you do, Dog-Boy."
She didn't see Inuyasha blush, but she heard Miroku's laughter, that was then replaced with a sharp curse as Inuyasha cuffed him over the head. Sango insulted the boys and followed Kagome.
When they reached the spring, Kagome nudged Rin awake. The girl blinked up at her sleepily.
"Come on, sleepy head, its time for a bath."
Rin looked to the spring then Kagome, then Sango. Sango gave her a smile.
"Hi, I'm Sango, what's your name?"
"Rin."
"Well, hello, Rin-chan. I'm going to wash your kimono while you and Kagome take a bath. Is that okay?" Rin nodded.
She then blushed and looked up at Kagome. "You-you mean the both of us?"
Kagome laughed at her shyness and put her down. "Its okay Rin-chan. Me and Sango take baths together all the time. Besides, imagine how it would be if you were a boy." Rin giggled and blushed more.
"That's what I thought. Now give your kimono to Sango and she'll wash it. Sango, hand me one the buckets over there. Thanks."
Out of her pack, Kagome pulled out some shampoo and conditioner, and a bar of soap. Sango took the other bucket, filled it with water from the spring, and went to wash Rin's kimono. Rin stood patiently in her under kimono as Kagome undressed, leaving her bra and panties on. Rin found it curious that Kagome would wear such small and tight undergarments, but kept the question to herself. Kagome then took the soap and handed to Rin.
"This is soap, and keep a good grip on it, its gets slippery when wet. I'm gonna wash your hair, so you can wash your body. Make sure not to get it in your eyes or mouth, it doesn't taste very good. I'll wet you down first."
As Kagome went to get a bucket of water, Rin took off her under kimono and tossed it to the side. Kagome respectively kept her eyes face level as she came back.
"Ready?" she held the bucket over Rin's head. Rin nodded, and was greeted with hot water. Rin started lathering herself with the soap and Kagome squirted some shampoo into her hair. It let out a fruity fragrance as Kagome scrubbed it into her hair.
"What is that Kagome-ne-chan? It smells nice." Rin's head moved to the motion of Kagome's hands.
"Its called shampoo, and it cleans your hair really well. You then rinse it out and put in conditioner, which makes you hair healthy and takes out the knots. You done? Good now close your eyes." Rin closed her eyes and was rinsed head to foot with hot water. She then felt a cold liquid spread over her head, guessing it was the "conditioner" Kagome mentioned. That too was rinsed out after a moment.
Kagome then led Rin to the spring, taking off her remaining clothes on the way, and dipped in after Rin. She relaxed with a sigh.
"Why didn't you wash?" Rin asked.
"I already did this morning," she smiled. She smiled wider when she thought of how she took her sweet time too, irritating the hell out of Inuyasha. Of course that was followed by a sit when he came looking for her. She wondered if the face print was still there. She heard a rustle and turned to see Sango carrying the girl's surprisingly dry kimono over one arm. Sango laid it on the rock beside her with some towels.
"Wow, that was fast Sango, how did you do it?" asked Kagome.
Sango smiled, "that, my friend, is a secret." Sango turned and left Kagome and Rin once again. Kagome stood.
"Come on, let's get you dried and dressed."
Kagome grabbed a towel from the rock and held it in front if her. Rin quickly wrapped herself in it, the chill creeping upon as she raised her form from the water. Kagome then wrapped the other around her self, and went to get the girl's under kimono. She came back and Rin scrubbed herself dry. Much to Rin's surprise, she felt really good after using Kagome's wash things. They left a nice scent and left her feeling soft. Kagome slipped on her clothes as Rin did her kimono, and grabbed the girl's hand. Rin looked from their connected hands, to Kagome's smiling face.
"Let's go. I bet Inuyasha probably caught something for dinner by now."
"Inuyasha?" the name was familiar, but she couldn't remember from where.
"Yeah, he's not too bad. He can appear tough and mean, but in truth, I think he's got a soft spot for kids. And he can be nice at times." Rin noticed how Kagome's eyes softened at describing Inuyasha. Is she in love with him? It was fast approaching dusk, and they picked up the pace, as the shadows grew longer.
They neared Keade's hut, and Rin could smell a wonderful stew cooking. "mmmmmm..."
Kagome laughed, "yeah Keade-babaa can make some great stews."
Kagome pushed aside the reed curtain and led Rin inside.
"Now, Kagome-sama, who is this young lady?" a woman said. Rin saw an old woman beside a boiling pot. She wore a miko's robes, and a patch over her right eye. But she gave Rin a friendly smile.
Rin ran up to her and pointed a finger at herself, "I'm Rin-chan. Kagome-ne- chan saved me from a really bad youkai."
"Oh my Rin-chan," Keade faked awe, "well sit and tell me of Kagome-sama's heroics."
Rin sat and started from when she was pulled into the ground by the youkai's roots. Keade slipped a bowl of stew into her hands, and she talked in between bites. Keade sent a look to Kagome when Rin exaggerated on a part, causing the girl to blush. Meanwhile, Miroku and Sango sat to the side amused. Miroku couldn't help but noticed how fine the girl's clothes were. She obviously wasn't a poor peasant girl. Maybe she was the daughter of a lord or king, and they would offer a great reward for her return.
"And that is how Rin came to be here, eating your very good stew." Rin ended.
Keade laughed, "don't flatter this old woman. Well, Kagome, it looks as though your archery is getting better by the sound of it."
"I hope so," Kagome sighed.
"So Rin-chan," Miroku spoke, "who is taking care of you? I mean before us."
And here she hesitated. Rin wasn't too sure about telling them about Sesshomaru-sama. He was the Youkai Lord of the Western Lands, and pretty famous. If she told them who he was, they might think she's lying. But whom else could she say? Sesshomaru-sama was the only one taking care of her.
"I..." oh forget it. She took the cowards route, "I can't tell you."
"Why not?" Kagome worried.
"Well because-"but just then Inuyasha walked in from his nightly scout.
"I took a look around and-"he paused. Confusion was emanate upon his face. Of course he smelled Kagome's wash things, they had taken a bath, but there was something else. Now that the girl had bathed, he got a clear sniff of her scent. There was lavender, and jasmine, and the forest, but...what was the other? He inched closer to the girl, sniffing periodically. The closer he got, the stronger it became. He knew this scent, he knew it very well. He was about three feet away from Rin when it hit him.
He jumped back, "what in the Seven Hells?!"
"What? What is it?" Kagome became edgy. Why had he been sniffing near Rin?
In a shocked breathy voice, he pointed at Rin, "You, move your hair aside."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome pounced on him. "Why in the hell are you talking like that to her for?"
But he didn't listen. Still dumbfounded, he merely went up and did it himself. He tilted her head forward and pushed her hair out of the way. If his eyes went any wider, they would have popped out of his head. He hurriedly got up and left, leaving a very bewildered group behind. Kagome looked from the door to a worried Rin. So she went up to Rin and did the same as Inuyasha. She gasped as she saw the scar. It looked like a bite mark, but what was it to Inuyasha? Concerned, she went after him.
"Inuyasha!" she called.
"Here," he said behind her. She turned and saw him leaned against Keade's hut, staring at his feet. He didn't look up when she planted herself right in front of him.
"Inuyasha, what's wrong with you? Do you realize how rude you were?" she hissed at him. Her brows furrowed when she got no response. "Are you listening?"
"I just don't get it," he murmured to himself more than to her.
"Get what?" she persisted.
"That scar on her neck, it was from..."