a/n: I know that Rin was raised by Tenseiga, but does she really understand that? I don't think she does, but if you have a differing opinion, my apologies ahead of time for tampering with your viewpoint on the story.
Charge on!
The Kitten that Adopted Rin ----
The longer that Rin decided to lie on the ground crying, the longer that she made Sesshoumaru wait to start the day's journey. Some part of her mind wondered if he wouldn't decide that she wasn't worth waiting on, and would be better off if left for dead. Just the thought made a fresh wave of tears cascade down her dirty cheeks.
Vaguely she could feel pain throbbing dully in her knee, the one that had hit the ground first upon her fall. Even without touching it she could tell that it was tender and swollen. Maybe sprained, or even broken.
With a debilitating injury, would Sesshoumaru even consider letting her continue to travel with them?
The rustling of leaves made Rin lift her head and wipe at the bleariness that had overtaken her eyes. After several moments of blinking and snuffling, she finally got a clear view of what stood in front of her, only feet away.
Boots. Black boots to be exact, and attached to those black boots were a very large pair of white hakama pant legs, and a sash that hung down around the owner's knees. Looking up, she met a pair of familiar gold eyes that were strangely missing their frigid stare.
"Why are you on the ground?"
"Because I fell."
"You shouldn't have run away."
"Jaken-sama said mean things," she said, her bottom lip quivering as the memory came rushing to the forefront of her mind. "He said he would get rid of me."
"Did he?"
Rin nodded and tried to stand up, but her knee gave way and she collapsed back into her bed of foliage and dirt. Frustrated at having to show such weakness in front of a much stronger being, she tried standing once more. Yet again she found herself laying face down on the ground.
"My knee does not work, Sesshoumaru-sama, I can't get up," she said as the tears welled up in her eyes again. "I can't get-"
-Shing-
Freezing mid-sentence, Rin looked up into the cool face of her superior. He had unsheathed one of the swords that he kept so closely by his side, and was beginning to raise it as if to strike.
"No!" she screeched, reaching forward to grab at the soil and pull herself away from the blade. It was apparent to her that if she couldn't walk, he would just have to kill her.
His chest gave a painful twinge as she began to crawl away from him, her face contorted in pain, betrayal, and fear. He didn't want to cut her, but it was for her own good.
"Gomen nasai, Sesshoumaru-sama," she pleaded, "I did not mean to make you angry! Gomen nasai, g-gomen nasai …" Her voice was overtaken by sobs and the occasional fearful and disbelieving plead for her life.
Dropping the sword into the ground beside him, he knelt down and rested his hand on Rin's back to try and calm her. She was going into hysterics, making more noise than he'd ever heard her make in the short time that she'd been traveling with him.
"This Sesshoumaru will not harm you, he only intended to heal you."
Shaking, Rin turned her head to take a glance at the sword that was sticking up out of the ground a few feet away. What else could that thing do but harm her? Swords were made for killing, not healing, and he had raised it to strike.
"Tenseiga saved your life before; it will mend your wounds now."
The bond that she kept with Sesshoumaru was strong, and she knew now that she had been foolish in thinking that he was going to harm her. Turning around to face him, she pointed at the knee that was giving her problems.
"This one."
----
Later that night when things were settled and Rin had dozed off into a calm, restful sleep, Sesshoumaru sat on his usual guard, waiting for dawn to rise so they could continue their travels. As he sat perched on a fallen log mere feet from where Rin had bedded down, he smelled the troublesome scent of a cat that hadn't the good sense to leave when it wasn't wanted.
Darting his eyes back to the sleeping girl, he expected to see the feline curled up in sleep beside its chosen mistress. Surprisingly, there was no sign of the creature. Maybe the smell had only been a passing odor carried with the wind. He could only hope.
No such luck.
"Meow!"
Growling low in his throat, the taiyoukai watched the kitten stroll out onto the grass mere feet away. It gave the demon a casual, offhand glance over its shoulder before plopping down on the ground and beginning to groom itself.
Sesshoumaru watched in astonishment as the cat ignored the mortal danger into which he had placed himself. Obviously it was either very brave or very foolish.
Hearing Rin murmur something in her sleep, Sesshoumaru was momentarily distracted from his thoughts of feline homicide. He turned his attention to the child to make sure that she was alright before looking back to the now-empty spot that the kitten had occupied.
Blinking lazily, he wondered where the animal had gotten to.
His question was answered moments later when the tip of his bushy, white tail – barely brushing against the ground – was subjected to the paw-batting of a suicidal kitten that had nothing better with which to keep itself amused.
Narrowing his eyes until they were nothing but slits of gold upon his face, he glared down at the grey mass of fur and annoyance.
Two slits of blue eyes glared right back.
A white paw dared to bat again.
Reaching down, he picked the beast up by the nape of its neck and held it several feet off the ground to inspect. The kitten made very little fuss, seeming to inspect right back.
Such odd things kittens were with their whiskers and button noses. They smelled awful and caused nothing but trouble for everyone that was cursed enough to encounter them.
Of course, they did have their uses where meddlesome and petulant servants were concerned. Jaken was especially at odds with the kitten, as he broke out into fits of sneezes and itchy rashes whenever the cat was nearby. Added to the beating he had gotten after Sesshoumaru returned from the forest with Rin, Jaken was in a bad way.
Chuckling, Sesshoumaru wondered where the imp had gone.
"You are more trouble than you are worth," the inu lord said amusedly to his counterpart.
Reaching out a clawed paw, the kitten touched Sesshoumaru's nose.
"Everything you do causes more difficulty than you could ever comprehend."
The kitten mewed softly, clearly not afraid of the judgment being passed up him.
"This Sesshoumaru does not like you," he explained.
The kitten yawned, exposing rows of sharp teeth. It was obvious that the cat did not understand or care about what Sesshoumaru had to say.
"If it were not for Rin, you would be dead," he said while lowering the cat to the ground. "Be thankful that she is fond of you, for she is the reason I will allow you to stay."
----
a/n: How's that for an ending? Of course it isn't the ending, but only a few chapters left to go – if that.
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