Chapter two! (I already gave disclaimers in the last chapter so I don't feel like saying it again,)

XXX

Sesshomaru awoke that morning to find sunlight streaming into the cave. He blinked and looked around to find a young maiden curled up next to him, hugging his arm. At first he was puzzled, but when he realized who it was, he blushed. He watched Rin sleep peacefully for a few moments. His lips curved into the slightest smile and he carefully pulled his arm from her grasp and pushed back some hair that had fallen into her face.

Suddenly, fear flickered into his eyes, and he drew back, carefully as not to wake Rin. He stood and walked to the cave entrance to find Jaken snoring quietly by the entrance. Jaken woke suddenly and stood.

"Oh! Lord Sesshomaru. Uh… good morning!" He said nervously.

Sesshomaru just looked at him before saying. "I'm going out for a walk. Watch Rin."

"Yes Lord Sesshomaru."

"Oh, and don't do anything perverted." He shot Jaken a dangerous look. "Or you'll regret it."

"Y-yes Lord Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru nodded and began away, a feeling and a thought stinging his chest. Am I doomed to fall in love with a human, just like my father and my foolish half-brother Inuyasha? He sighed. If that isn't so… Then what is this that I feel in my chest every time I'm near her?

He began returning to the cave when the image of her sleeping body flooded his mind. No… I can't be in love with her… He shook his head. He had never felt like this about her before, so he was sure that once they found that Spring of Youth and she became a child again, it would all subside—all the more reason to look for it.

He returned to see Rin waving at him from the cave entrance, a wide smile on her face. "Good morning, Sesshomaru!"

"Rin! How disrespectful! You must call him 'Lord' Sesshomaru!" Jaken hissed at her.

"Oh, but 'Lord' is such a scary-sounding title. Sesshomaru has been so kind to me, I don't think it suits him at all."

"Rin, Lord Sesshomaru is supposed to sound scary, you can't just—"

"No. It's fine."

"What?" The two of them looked at Sesshomaru and he repeated. "It's fine. I don't mind if she calls me just Sesshomaru."

"Oh! Does that mean I can call you—" Jaken cut in.

"No." Sesshomaru replied flatly.

XXX

They reached a spring soon enough, and Rin knelt by it and bent over to drink. She closed her eyes and waited to turn back, but when she opened her eyes she was still the same. Both she and Sesshomaru looked towards Jaken.

"Oh… I guess this isn't it…" Jaken looked around nervously.

"Now what?" Rin asked Sesshomaru.

"Yes. Now what indeed." Jaken pondered aloud. "Where can we find a place where nobody with foolish intentions could find that spring…?"

"Mt. Hakurei." Sesshomaru said suddenly. "It must be on Mt. Hakurei."

"Yes, but we can't go there, it would kill us!" Jaken said.

"I know. And we can't send Rin on her own, she would be killed." Sesshomaru thought for a moment. "There is only one other option, which I am not too eager to take."

XXX

"You wanted us to do you a favor?" Inuyasha sputtered, staring disbelievingly at his brother.

"Yes. Believe me it is not what I wish to do, but it is my only choice." Sesshomaru said finally. "Neither Jaken nor I can go to Mt. Hakurei, but it is the only place we can think to look for that spring, making it the only way that Rin can get back to normal."

"We'll do it." Kagome cut in suddenly.

"We will?" Inuyasha turned to her.

"Yes. We will." Kagome gave him a death glare.

Inuyasha gulped and turned back to Sesshomaru. "Fine. But not for you, for the girl."

Sesshomaru nodded. "Very well then. I entrust her to you. I will be watching. If she gets even a scratch I will find you and kill you." He said with finality.

"Fine." Kagome took Rin's hand. "Okay, come on Rin. We'll get you back to normal in no time." She smiled.

Rin smiled back, and turned to Sesshomaru. "Bye, Sesshomaru."

"Goodbye Rin."

There was an awkward moment, when the two stood in front of each other in silence. Suddenly, Rin stepped forward and hugged Sesshomaru. "Thank you, Sesshomaru." She said into his chest.

Sesshomaru stiffened for a moment and relaxed and awkwardly put his arm around her. "You're welcome."

They pulled away and Rin bowed. "I will see you soon, then."

"Yes, soon." Sesshomaru was trying to hide the redness in his face from his brother. Rin was slightly pink too.

But Kagome noticed the sparks between them. She smiled to herself and took Rin's hand again. The three headed into Mt. Hakurei.

Sesshomaru watched her go, sighing. Once she gets back to normal, everything will be as it should.

XXX

That night Sesshomaru stood at the foot of Mt. Hakurei, scanning the area. I wonder if Rin is alright… He shook the thoughts from his head. What am I worrying about anyway? She's just a human girl.

Sesshomaru knew that Rin wasn't just a human girl to him, but he would never admit it.

Somewhere on the mountain, Kagome and Rin were in the forest, sitting around a fire. Inuyasha was off searching for the spring. The two of them sat in silence, warming their hands.

"So…" Kagome said and started looking around distractedly. Finally her eyes focused on Rin. "I can't take this anymore!"

"Huh?" Rin's head snapped up and she gave Kagome a puzzled expression. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong! It's just that…" Kagome paused. "Well, what's your relationship with Sesshomaru? You seem to care a lot about each other so…"

Rin blushed. "Well, I'm not quite sure myself. Sesshomaru has always taken good care of me. Everyone says he's cruel and scary, but he seems extremely kind to me…" Rin's eyes looked to her feet. "I've always sort of thought of him like a father, I suppose… Except once when I told myself that someday I would marry him." She giggled. "I feel so childish now." Her smile faded. "But recently… It's been different. I'm really not sure how I feel about him. Every time I'm around him, I feel weird, and I keep thinking about him and wanting to be closer to him… I'm so confused!" Tears began to fill her eyes. "I don't know for sure… but I think I'm… in love with him! But… I don't think Sesshomaru would love me, I'm just a human girl, after all. And once I'm a child again, it would be impossible. I don't know what to do!" She began crying, hands covering her face, hunched over with her knees to her chest.

Kagome looked sadly at her and put her hand on her shoulder. It must be hard… suddenly one day being a child, and the next being an adult. How confusing it must be to just suddenly have feelings for someone… I know that my feelings for Inuyasha grew slowly, not just appear suddenly.

Rin looked up and wiped her tears. "I shouldn't worry about it now. Once I drink some of the water from that Spring of Youth, I'll be a child again, and hopefully things will go back to the way they were before." She smiled at Kagome. "Thank you for helping me, and listening to me. It must seem silly to you, seeing that you and Inuyasha are so in love…"

Now Kagome blushed. "Well, I wouldn't say…"

"I can see you as a wonderful husband and wife!" She giggled.

"Now I wouldn't go that far…"

Suddenly a sound was heard in the forest. The two went quiet and Kagome quickly drew an arrow to her bow.

Voices drifted through the trees.

"Hey look a place we can rest for the night."

"Yeah, it looks good to me."

"Yes, tonight I will finally have you in my bed."

"Don't count on it. We're not married yet, and I intend to keep my chastity."

Kagome and Rin exchanged confused looks. They looked up to find Miroku and Sango bursting through the bushes, Miroku with a handprint on his face, as usual.

"Kagome?" Sango said, looking up.

"Yeah… what are you doing here?" Kagome smiled, surprised.

"Well, there was a shrine we wanted to visit before we…" Sango stopped mid-sentence and turned red, looking down at her feet.

"Before we get married." Miroku finished her sentence and put his arm around her.

"Yeah, that…" Sango was still blushing. She looked up at Rin. "Oh, who's this?"

"A beautiful maiden, in distress, as far as I can see." Miroku stepped forward and took her hand. "Allow me to solve all your problems, if only in return you bear my child, seeing as my fiancé is so unwilling."

Kagome sighed. "3… 2… 1…"

"GRRRR THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF YOU!" Sango grabbed him by the ear and pulled him back. "I'll bear your child AFTER marriage." Sango immediately covered her mouth with her hands. Oh shit, what have I said?

"Really? You will? Thank you dear Sango, but why wait so long? We can do it right now!" Miroku grabbed her into a kiss. For once, Sango didn't resist. But after they broke off, she stared at him before putting a fresh slap across his face.

"HAVE YOU NO SHAME? IN FRONT OF EVERYONE?" She was beet red.

"They're an odd couple, huh?" Kagome asked Rin.

Rin smiled. "I think it's cute."

Rin interrupted the arguing couple. "Where do children come from?"

Miroku and Sango stared at Rin and Kagome cut in quickly "Don't answer that!" She turned to Rin. "There are some things that you will know when you're older." Then she went to answer the other two's puzzled looks. "Do you remember that little girl Sesshomaru always had with him?"

Miroku and Sango thought for a moment before nodding.

"Well, this is that little girl. Apparently, she had a little run-in with the Spring of Growth. Now, since Sesshomaru can't look for the Spring of Youth with Rin on Mt. Hakurei because he is a demon, he has asked us to look for it with her."

"He asked us?" Sango raised an eyebrow. "As in you and Inuyasha? I thought he would rather die than ask Inuyasha for a favor."

Kagome thought for a moment. "Well I suppose he didn't really have anyone else to turn to. And believe me, Inuyasha wasn't exactly thrilled to do it."

"I bet."

"Hey, is anyone calling for me?" Inuyasha stepped in from the bushes, a cut bleeding on his arm.

"Inuyasha, what happened?" Kagome rushed to his side and pulled back his sleeve to examine the cut. She took out her first aid kit and began applying alcohol to the wound.

Inuyasha flinched a bit. "Had a little problem with this demon when I wandered outside the barrier a bit."

"You idiot!" Kagome fumed. "Why'd you go outside the barrier, you know there are demons there!" She began wrapping bandages around his arm.

"Shut up! I'm a half a demon, too! The barrier was making me a bit tired, so I left it to get some fresh air!"

"Oh alright!" Kagome lowered her lips to his arm.

"W-What are you doing?"

Kagome kissed his wound. "If you kiss a wound, it'll heal faster." Kagome smiled up at him.

Inuyasha blushed. "T-that's ridiculous…"

Kagome's face turned into a scowl. "Oh, so everything I say is ridiculous?"

"No, it's just that you come up the weirdest things. Next thing you know, you'll say that its good luck if I sleep with—"

"GRRR SIT BOY!"

Crash.

Inuyasha fell into the dirt. "Ka… go… me…."

Kagome stalked off dusting her fingers off.

"They have a strange relationship, don't they?" Sango asked Rin, sighing.

"Yes… but I think it's wonderful…" Rin smiled. It would be wonderful if I could be with Sesshomaru… even for a short time… Her smile faded. But that would be impossible… Why… do I love him… so much? Tears stung her eyes, but she held them back until everyone was asleep, when she cried herself softly to sleep.