Slight spoilers for episodes 66 & 67.
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It was going to rain. Sesshoumaru could feel it and smell it in the air, even though it wouldn't begin for several hours. It was just past midday now, and the clouds would probably begin to set in just before sunset. Sesshoumaru hated the rain. It was annoying, a waste of time, and an inconvenience. One had to stop whatever they were doing and wait somewhere, or continue on and end up looking like a drenched fool. As he had nowhere pressing to go and had no intention of looking like a drenched fool, Sesshoumaru decided to find somewhere suitable for them to stop.
Later in the day, they came upon some cliffs, and while there were no caves, there was a sufficient enough overhang to shield them from all but the windiest rains. He stopped, though it was still afternoon. He wasn't going to continue on and chance not finding another place.
"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin asked.
"What?"
"Sesshoumaru-sama's stopping before sunset?"
"It's going to rain."
"Really, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked. Sesshoumaru couldn't tell if she was pleased or upset with the news.
"You should get some firewood," he said. "Jaken, you help her."
They went to do so, and Sesshoumaru surveyed the area, frowning slightly. Something was odd. Exactly how, he couldn't pinpoint, but it was the same slight abnormality that he had detected the previous night. There was just something different in the air. It wasn't necessarily dangerous, just different. And it annoyed him for some reason.
Jaken and Rin came back with wood, and Rin went to get something to eat. She came back with fruit, and then ran off again. She was still playing among the grasses and trees as started to rain, but she didn't come under the ledge like he thought that she would. She only darted around in the rain and splashed in the growing puddles. Sesshoumaru didn't see a particular reason to call her back, as she was already soaked, and it was only a rain, not a storm. She must have eventually gotten bored with doing whatever she found so fun, since she started to come back to where he and Jaken were sitting. Or maybe it was the fact that she didn't wish to continue it after it began to get dark and cool.
The sky was black and the rain was still falling as Rin finally came under the ledge, her hair plastered to her head, her clothes clingy and dripping, and every part of her completely soaked. Sesshoumaru appraised her skeptically. If she thought that she was going to sit next to him all wet like that, she was mistaken. But she didn't even try, instead automatically sitting down in front of the fire that Jaken had made.
"Rin likes it when it rains," she said after a moment. "Does Sesshoumaru-sama like the rain?"
"Not really."
"Oh. Rin likes it when it rains, but Rin doesn't like it when it thunders and lightnings," she told him.
The rest of the evening was really uneventful. Rin was quiet, Jaken was quiet, and both fell asleep by the fire. The night was still except for the crackle of the fire and the patter of the raindrops. It was sometime after midnight when the rain stopped and the night became completely silent. As the time went on, the same odd thing that Sesshoumaru had sensed before came again. The night seemed eerily calm and incredibly restless all at the same time.
Sesshoumaru wanted to go out and find what was annoying him so. The rain had stopped, there was no reason not to. But he suddenly felt that he didn't want to leave Rin behind here. They weren't exactly in the nicest of spots. After several moments of considering whether to stay or go, he soon decided that she could sleep just as well on the dragon as she could on the ground.
"Jaken," he said. "Wake up."
"Y-yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken asked, getting up.
"We're leaving."
"Now, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Yes."
Without further question, Jaken moved to get the dragon and brought it over. Sesshoumaru picked up Rin and set her on its back. She opened one eye and looked at him. "Sesshoumaru...sama?" she asked sleepily.
"We're moving. You can sleep there," he told her.
"Yes... Sessho...ma..." she trailed off drowsily. Sesshoumaru wondered if she ever really heard him.
"Jaken, let's go." Jaken grabbed the reins of the dragon, quickly falling into step behind him.
Sesshoumaru wasn't sure where he wanted to go, but he quickly decided that being in the boggy leftovers of the rain wasn't it. He slowly wound his way up to the top of the cliffs, where a fresh wind blew and the clear sky was overhead. There was something in the air. There was hardly any activity, but the lower youkai were restless. As a new wind blew, he found the reason for it, and the reason why it had vaguely annoyed him earlier. It was the scent of Naraku. It was faint and faraway, but he was definitely there, and probably up to something by the feel of things.
Sesshoumaru wasn't particularly pleased with Naraku, but he wasn't sure that it was worth his time or trouble to actually hunt Naraku down. If Sesshoumaru happened to see Naraku, then he would kill him. But as long as Naraku didn't bother him again, Sesshoumaru was fine to let him alone as long as Naraku didn't come across his path.
As Sesshoumaru stood there, he noticed that something was quickly approaching from the direction that Naraku was in. Minutes later, that woman of Naraku's dropped from the sky. However, it seemed that Naraku didn't send her; indeed, she seemed to want him dead. She also wanted to make a deal to help her kill Naraku. Sesshoumaru had no interest in her offer, and she promptly left after he told her so, quickly vanishing into the sky.
Sesshoumaru absently wondered if she would kill Naraku herself. He certainly wouldn't be troubled to see Naraku go, and it would possibly save himself the bother of doing it later. But he didn't really care. It didn't involve him.
Having found the answer of why the night felt so odd, and having had that detachment woman annoy him again, Sesshoumaru suddenly wanted to leave the area.
"Jaken, Rin, let's go," he said.
They both started to follow him as he walked, and Rin, who was now suddenly very wide awake, was practically bouncing up and down. But soon her excitement at this midnight adventure passed, and she was on the back of the dragon again, asleep.
Sesshoumaru decided to continue on and not stop again that night. He didn't need sleep, Jaken had had enough of it, and Rin was fine on the dragon. They would just continue on as the day came.
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Wow again! Thanks so much for all the reviews everyone!