Kagome held out her arm and smiled welcomingly, waving at the little girl who struggled to swim towards her from the shore. She could tell Rin was having a little trouble going out so far but most of it she chalked up to fear. Cheering the small girl on, her thoughts faded and reformed as she processed everything that led to today. It was another rare break in the action for the tired shard hunters and she couldn't have picked a more beautiful day for a short hiatus if she tried. Things had been slowing down dramatically on the Naraku front. Not one scrap of evidence remained, not one clue that would lead them to his whereabouts. Nothing much was going on in the shard finding front either. They still managed to hold onto three miniscule shards and all they got for their trouble was constant demon cleanup. Yes, they'd spent the last two weeks killing loads of demons who found it convenient to surface now that Naraku was gone. Inuyasha was not a happy camper and had Kagome been more tuned to his moods, she probably wouldn't have been either.
But she'd ceased worrying about Inuyasha and the terminal case of grumpy pants he was tragically afflicted with as of late. Instead, she just ignored him when he got pissy or when in true doubt, she'd just sit him and that seemed to make things better. To his credit, he had been nicer to her lately, despite his grumpy pantedness. Probably because she could spend more time in the feudal era, hence more time hunting shards and that always made him happy. He was such a simple boy. The thought pleased her immensely and she smiled even wider. She hadn't really thought much about the whole uncomfortable matter of their "relationship". The last few weeks had been so much fun, despite the lack of progress that she just failed to notice anything but how happy she was. Really, it was all due to Shippou and of course, Rin. Over the last few weeks, she'd seen a lot of the little girl. It seemed that every time she and Shippou had a moment alone, Rin would just show up out of nowhere on An-Un's back.
Thankfully, her terrifying protector had remained mostly away. Mostly.
From that day forward, Kagome had come to the realization that two children were better than one. Rin and Shippou were like an instant pudding mix. Just pour the mix into the bowl with some milk and stir...and then, VIOLA! Pudding! Well, more like fun and less like pudding. But of course, pudding could be fun. Well, actually it was more tasty which could be fun...but she was getting off track now.
Rin began to falter a little once she left the relative safety of the shore. Kagome sighed, she knew the little girl was wary but she couldn't let her use fear as a crutch. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but the last few weeks had been joyous because she got to spend so much time with Rin and Shippou. It was strange, but she kind of liked teaching them new games and watching them play. There was an odd amount of peace that settled over her soul when she did it and she wasn't sure where it came from or why. Maybe it was because it gave her focus. It was something positive for her to do. Rather than dwelling on things she couldn't change, she had something that captured her attention AND was changeable. Kagome was a builder though not in the literal sense. She strove to create where others destroyed. To foster love where there was once only hate. She was a fence mender, a barrier breaker. In a word, she was a healer, always looking to improve the world, person by person.
And though she might never change the world this way, she certainly made the lives of at least two people a lot better.
She'd never considered herself one of those girls who "Loved Kids". But who was she to deny the simple truth. Kids were kind of fun. More fun than adults sometimes, barring Sango's new game with Miroku, of course. The demon slayer had developed a brand new technique to deal with the monk's lechery. Sango had perfected the art of smacking the hell out of Miroku and then pretending it was a mosquito. Kagome let out a silent little snicker. She'd actually taught that trick to Sango. It was an old game she'd played with her little brother. Childish, but it did guarantee results. Miroku wasn't as fast to grope when the threat of a good slap across the face loomed. And all this from a simple childhood game. There really was a lot you could learn from kids and vice versa, but only if you took the time to listen. And Kagome had decided to not only listen, but actively teach and hopefully learn a little herself. After all, in many ways, she was still a child herself, no matter how grown up she tried to be.
And maybe, with all her world changing, she needed a little bit of it for herself. Maybe, she needed someone else to make her world better and somehow, it all began and ended here. With Rin and Shippou.
She had decided a few weeks ago that she'd teach Rin how to swim. Kagome wasn't really clear why she'd settled on that decision so suddenly but it had seemed like a good idea at the time. And as she had time to think about it, there were several good reasons to teach her, the most prominent being that if the girl was going to travel cross country, knowing how to swim was just a basic survival skill. Besides, Rin was a fast learner and it was more fun to swim with three people than with just two. So, she'd begun to teach Rin the basics of swimming in earnest. It started out quite well. The little girl took instruction very well. She would listen intently to any directions Kagome gave her and responded almost instantly when given direction and all without complaint. Unlike Shippou, who you had to practically poke with a stick to do anything, unless it was something he already wanted to do. As much as she loved the little kit, he was indefatigably stubborn. The only thing that got him moving were treats or the threat of him disappointing her, which made guilt her optimum weapon when dealing with the obstinate fox demon. Whereas, just asking Rin was enough to get the girl moving, that was until this precise moment.
The girl was two steps from quitting. She could tell by her pace and the fact that her kicks, once so furious, began to slow incrementally. Kagome let out a deep, internal sigh, and managed not to show it on her face, keeping the smile she wore intact by sheer will alone.
Things had looked so good when she started. Yet despite all her efforts, the little girl seemed bent on her own failure. The first few lessons had gone...well...swimmingly but then Kagome had tried to pull her out into deeper water. It hadn't been pretty. Poor Rin ended up scared and sobbing, which resulted in a boatload of guilt for Kagome. For quite sometime she contemplated on how to resolve the girl's fear. Talking it over with her mom one day, she had decided on a plan. Her mother had gone out with her and bought Rin her own swimmees and variously sized swimsuits as neither woman was sure of the girl's size, and besides, kids grow so fast. They'd also picked up other little odds and ends for the little girl, some of them keeping with the beach theme, others not so much. They were the little girl's reward if she did well. The only downside was that she had to buy two sets of treats, so Shippou wouldn't feel left out. She could remember the mischievous twinkle in her mother's eye when she pointedly mentioned buying two sets of everything.
"Can't let anyone feel left out, Kagome. With two children, you have to maintain the appearance that everything is equal." And then she smiled quietly to herself.
Kagome didn't like the insinuation but she obeyed her mother anyway. It was a good idea, because when she finally explained her plan, she noted the look of worry on Shippou's face. No, he wouldn't lose his place as number one in her life, but he did have to learn how to share. He'd be Kagome's helper and for doing his part, he'd also be rewarded. And that was how the last few weeks had begun. With Kagome as their fearless leader and wise teacher, Shippou as the tireless assistant and Rin as the dutiful student, it almost sounded like the pilot to one of those ridiculous teen dramas she hated.
But again...she had dragged herself off track.
Rin had won the swimmees automatically, but she had to earn the swimsuit. And earn it she did. Kagome had started by allowing the little girl to cling to her while she swam out in the deep end. At first, she allowed Rin to just hold onto her and not let go. But gradually, she worked her into letting go just a little bit more, until she was comfortable with holding Kagome's hands at arm's length. This earned the girl her coveted swimsuit, yet still, the girl was so damned nervous. Today was the day she'd break her of it. Rin had to conquer her fear of deeper water and the only way to do that was to force her into it. She didn't have that much confidence when it came to new things. Kagome understood why but she simply wouldn't allow it to become an excuse. There were a lot of things out there that were scary to do when you looked at it from the outside. Not like it should stop you though. The reluctant pall in the girl's eyes and her frown were enough to tell Kagome she wasn't just ready to quit, she was going to quit. No such luck. There were no quitters in Kagome Higurashi's world.
"COME ON, RIN! YOU CAN DO IT!" Kagome shouted, her voice sounding as cheery as the bells during festival time.
"YEAH! KICK, RIN, KICK!" Shippou cheered as he dogpaddled around his friend.
His presence near Rin seemed to bolster the girl's confidence and his constant encouragement and shouts for her to kick harder were greatly appreciated. Shippou was quite the little cheerleader. He could be amazingly fearless when he put his mind to it.
Rin was afraid and she admitted it. She didn't feel so bad in the shallow part of the small pond they were in but Kagome was in the part that was dark blue and very deep. It didn't help any that she could see how deep it was. If the water were a little muddier, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad. But she could see the bottom quite clearly and the fact that not even Kagome could touch it without submerging herself worried her greatly. Rin suspected that even Sesshoumaru-sama couldn't touch the bottom without going completely underwater.
More than anything she wanted to swim right out to her friend with confidence but she warred internally with her natural fear of deep water. It was instinctual really. She kept imagining these big jaws coming out of the water and swallowing them all. Or worse, that she'd feel the deadly tug of something slimy and awful on her ankle, just before it dragged her underwater to eat her. Sesshoumaru-sama had said that you should always trust your instincts and her instincts told her this was scary and that she should run away. But he had also told her that even though you should trust your instincts that you weren't supposed to let them rule you. Her eyebrows furrowed in determination as she focused on her goal. She tugged on every good memory she had in her to keep the terror at bay. The image of the jaws had brought that day back, the one she didn't like to talk about. She squeaked, muffling it by pursing her lips together tightly. Pushing back the sudden wave of panic, she concentrated on Shippou and Kagome's voices as they cheered her on. Their voices were like the pretty green that brought her back from the dark place.
She could do this!
She wasn't afraid, just like Kagome and Sesshoumaru-sama. Rin could never imagine either of them being afraid of anything. Closing her eyes and concentrating, Rin kicked harder, until the muscles in her legs screamed. Everything around her became a focused sound that rang endlessly in her ears as she concentrated on the memory of that soothing green light. The sounds and the memory merged, until the voices of her friends became intertwined with the remembrance of the brilliant green light that led her back to the living world. Once the association was formed, she felt a brimming sense of confidence that overwhelmed her. The pinpointed sounds of her friend's cheers entered her ears, along with the hard rasping of her own labored breaths, muffled by the pounding water that surrounded her flailing form. She pressed herself to kick harder, to use her hands to propel herself forward as Kagome had shown her. Her eyes opened, and with a look of pure determination, she swam faster, her gaze locked on Kagome's outstretched hand. Closer and closer and closer, until she was within two strokes of her friends and Rin lurched forward, bridging the distance between them. Triumphantly, she reached for the proffered hand and the feeling of Kagome's fingers curling around her own was what reaching nirvana had to feel like. She could almost cry.
Kagome pulled the little girl close and hugged her fiercely with one arm. Rin smiled and wrapped her arms around the older girl's neck. She couldn't help it, she began to laugh and cry at the same time. The arm around her back tightened instinctively and Rin bathed in the warm feelings it gave her. Pulling back, Rin flashed her teacher a weary but grateful smile as she wiped the tears away. If someone had asked her a year ago if she would be this happy, she wouldn't have said anything at all. Happiness had been beyond her then.
Kagome thumbed a tear away, regarding the girl with a lopsided smile. She didn't want to say anything to break the moment, but it was awfully hard to swim and hold onto the little girl like this. Then Shippou made things slightly worse by leaping from the water to attach himself to the back of her head. It was a familiar place for him, one he often occupied, but now really wasn't the time.
"RIN THAT WAS AWESOME! YOU" Shippou exclaimed loudly, right next to Kagome's ear. He paused for a beat, noticing something was awry, "HEY! You're crying again! YOU WON!" He shouted, pointing at her for emphasis, "You're not supposta cry when you win!"
"Shippou..." Kagome tried to explain without drowning, "...She's crying because she's happy...not becaus"
Shippou scowled, immediately derailing her train of thought, "Well, that makes no sense at all!" Giving a bit of a pout, he looked at Rin earnestly, "You did a great job, Rin. So don't cry, okay?"
The little girl nodded and snuggled closer to Kagome. Her arms wrapping around the older girl's neck, and while Kagome was appreciative of the gesture, the fact that she wasn't helping to keep both of them afloat was apparently lost on her. This left Kagome to shoulder the burden, which she didn't mind. She was a pretty strong swimmer, but her legs were beginning to ache. Shippou wasn't one to be left out of the love, so he quickly abandoned his post on her head for her neck. Her head abruptly dipped below the water and wide eyed, she struggled up enough to speak.
"Okay. Drowning Kagome now. Wee people must let go."
Shippou immediately let go and dove back into the water. Rin was more reluctant, actually squeezing the older girl's neck a bit harder.
"Rin..."
The little girl grunted disappointedly, and slowly she released her hold, though she held onto Kagome's shoulders loosely for a moment or two. Smiling warmly, Kagome removed the little girl's hands and held them with her own. There was a brief little squeeze before she guided the little girl to her side. Rin obligingly left the comfort and safety of her friend's arms but it was clear to Kagome that she didn't really want to. She gave the little girl an encouraging wink before letting her go and swimming ahead of her. Rin tread water for a beat as she fought blind panic. She was alone in the deep part of the pond and she froze suddenly in fear, only regaining her confidence once she remembered the encouraging words and smiles of her friends.
With a shaky sigh, Rin began to swim and at first her progress was halting and unsure. She continued to swim, pushing back her fear and with each push forward, she became more confident. Very soon her strokes evened out, making her look less like a beginner and more like a natural swimmer. Suddenly it struck her, she was swimming. She was swimming with her friends! The thoughts caused a surge of joy and she found herself kicking harder. This time it wasn't out of the fear that was behind her, but the happiness that was in front of her. Rin smiled brightly.
And when she reached the shallow end of the pond, she was greeted with more hugs and love than she'd ever gotten in her short life. Even when her family was still alive. Kagome picked her up and hugged her, swinging her around as she did. A quick kiss was placed on her cheek before she was set back into the water. As soon as her feet hit the sandy bottom of the pond, she was promptly knocked over by Shippou. Kagome laughed, the little kit's idea of a hug could sometimes be more trouble than it was worth. Rin got up, spluttering and surprised. Shippou could only grin back at the annoyed glower the little girl sent his way.
This, combined with the laughing sent all three into an all out water fight. Rin was the first to throw down the gauntlet, slapping a hand into the water, sending a small tidal wave at the fox that started it all. It progressed nicely from there. Kagome managed to avoid most of it, being taller. Until both children decided to gang up on her, Shippou grabbed one leg, Rin grabbed the other, toppling her with little effort. She'd never say anything, but she had let them do it. Their cheers of joy at their "victory" were worth the bruised pride.
And after all the excitement died down, the three friends swam together for the better part of the afternoon. Kagome was pleased to notice Rin's continuing progress. She watched the little girl swim and her confidence seemed to soar with every minute that passed. Her earlier trepidation had disappeared entirely as she followed Shippou around the pond. For awhile they played Marko Polo, which made Shippou deliriously happy. He'd been waiting almost a whole year to finally be able to play it. They were in the middle of their tenth game when Kagome felt a familiar sensation prickling at her nerves. She paused, and looked over her shoulder, scanning the surrounding area for the offending demon.
Yes, she'd seen less of Rin's protector but that didn't mean he wasn't around. In fact, he'd made his presence infuriatingly obvious, at least to her. And the way he did it was always the same damned way. All demons had an aura that prickled at her senses. That aura could be strong or weak depending on the demon, and depending on how much of their power they were currently using. Her senses weren't as sharp as Inuyasha's were.
Still, she could feel it quite clearly when he was near and sometimes, it was almost painful. At first, she figured it was just the normal thing. Just her noticing he was around, until she began to notice that it wasn't just the normal feeling of his presence. It was like he was poking her with a phantom finger and it was really annoying. Sometimes the poke would be very hard and very noticeable, enough for it to register with Shippou. Other times, it was more subtle. Sometimes it was constant, sometimes it came in bursts. But overall, it was just annoying and she really, really couldn't figure out why he was doing it, until last weekend when she went home for a couple of days for supplies and school shopping.
She'd never say it, but she had Souta to thank for it, him and his freaky obsession with dinosaurs. Souta had always loved Godzilla, as all boys his age and younger did. The fact that he was getting old enough to leave the G-man behind wasn't lost on Kagome. It was all well and good for him to love Godzilla at age six but he was nearly ten now and it was time to leave it behind. At the very least, it'd be normal for him to develop other, more varied interests but he never did, much to her consternation.
This might suggest that her dislike of Godzilla as it related to Souta was a new thing, when this wasn't entirely the truth. It was one of those weird, long lasting arguments that most siblings have had at one time or the other. She'd always given him crap about Godzilla, just as she gave him crap for playing his video games too much. If she were to be completely truthful, she only complained to bug him. As an older sister, she liked to watch him squirm, just as he loved to mock her when she'd try a new make-up experiment or when he'd make kissy-faces when Inuyasha or Hojo came over. Didn't lessen her hate for Godzilla though or for the rabid fascination her brother had for the be-suited lizard. Yet she couldn't deny the fact that she now owed something of a life debt to Godzilla. As her brother's love for the man in the kaiju suit lead him to a general interest in paleontology and from there, dinosaurs. He was a smart little kid and he had begun to devour anything that had to do with dinosaurs. Their small living room at one point had been full to brimming with books about paleontology and not those stupid books for little kids either. Souta had sought out books written by the top minds in the field but even then things went hideously awry, as all things did when it involved her little brother.
It all started out so well. She was actually proud that her brother could be semi-literate when he wanted to be. Yet somewhere along the road, things had gone all wrong. He'd begun by reading books written by Robert Bakker, which was excellent, and it then that book led to another book by Michael Crichton which was not so excellent and that book inevitably skipped over to a certain movie by Stephen Spielberg...And this was how she ended up watching a dubbed copy of Jurassic Park last Saturday, and it was also the moment the mystery of Sesshoumaru's demon death pokey was solved.
She'd never paid much attention when she was forced into watching the movie. Sitting there in the small TV room with her brother, she just stared at the screen for lack of anything better to do at the moment. They came to the part where the raptors were introduced. The game warden guy was going on and on about how dangerous they were and Kagome couldn't have been more bored. Until one particular bit of dialogue caught her attention.
"...had them all attacking the fences...testing the fences for weaknesses. Systematically..."
That was pretty much all she heard before she felt the color draining from her cheeks and her mouth had dropped open in surprise, following by a furious punch to the floor. It wasn't one of those 'A-HA!' moments you liked to have. He was testing her. TESTING HER! Poking at her senses to see when she could sense him. Though the reasoning behind it was beyond her, it wasn't like she was the only one would could tell he was near. And it wasn't like she was the best at it either. If he was looking for a weakness, well, she had plenty of them. She wasn't a threat to him...well, maybe his armor but that hardly warranted the persistent poking thing he was doing. Sure, know thy enemy and all that, but he wouldn't exactly gain an advantage by knowing when she could sense him. And it was just...irritating. It did occur to her that maybe he was worried about her ability to protect Rin, which made slightly more sense. Still aggravated her though.
Kagome searched the area, seeing if she'd be able to catch a glimpse of him. All the times that this had happened, she could never pinpoint exactly where it came from. It had annoyed her and so the last few times, she tried to focus her senses to see if she could follow the feeling. Over the weeks, she'd gotten closer but it had still been beyond her abilities. She just bet he was smirking over it too. Stupid, weak human couldn't even find the source of her annoyance. Oh, how she'd like to catch him in the act...to do...well, she wasn't really sure what she'd do once she found his hiding place, if she found it.
Forgetting the game she'd been playing, Kagome stood up and strode out of the water, stopping just at its edge. The children noticed her absence, their gazes following her as she left the water. They bore twin looks of confusion, wondering why Kagome would suddenly get up like that. And the strange way she just seemed to hover between water and shore as she stared at the horizon. It was kind of weird, even for Kagome. Shippou just shrugged and looked over to Rin, who returned the shrug before deciding on a new game to play.
Kagome narrowed her eyes and balled her fists as he poked at her defenses again. She could just imagine him, sitting there with a smug look on his face. All, "Ha-ha! Stupid human, be gone or I shall poke you another time!" If she could figure out how to poke him the hell back, she SO would. Maybe she'd do just that. Then sensible Kagome broke in and chided not-so-sensible Kagome for being to impetuous, not that it mattered. No one told not-so-sensible Kagome what to do, not even her own brain. The nerve of that demon had wounded her pride. He doubted her ability to protect one little girl. The big jerk, jumping around the trees, poking at her...like he had nothing better to do than bother her, thinking he was so superior. Well, who was he to judge anyway? And if he thought so low of humans, why did he let one follow him along anyway? Who did he think he was?
He wasn't anything special. Not that she could see anyway. Just a big arrogant ass, who thought he was all better because he had powers and...and he was just a big stupid snob. An ignorant, rotten, spoiled, rich snob, just like the well to do bastards at her school that looked down at you if didn't dress and think like they did. She hated people like that. Being rich didn't make you better than anyone else. Your bloodline, no matter how pure, didn't give you the right to step on other people. She'd never bowed low to those snobs at school and she certainly wouldn't do it for Inuyasha's snotty half-brother. No matter how powerful he might be, she had every right to put him in his place. In fact, he deserved to be brought low by a pathetic human. That'd learn him!
No one pushed Kagome Higurashi around. No one.
Her anger flared and she closed her eyes and focused on the poking, following the flowing energy back to its source. Her eyes flew open and she spun around to the right, staring at the very top of a large pine tree. He stood on one of the highest branches, looking down at her with impossibly blank disdain. Kagome smiled with satisfaction, glaring at him with the kind of triumph she hadn't felt in a long time. He poked her again and without even thinking about it, she sent the poke right back. And she was delighted to see that he'd noticed because as soon as she sent it back, he disappeared from sight.
"HA! I SAY HA UNTO YOU, SESSHOUMARU! Gotcha..." she thought to herself gleefully as she formed her hand into an imaginary gun. She held it out, pretending to shoot it, before whispering softly, "Bang."
There was a tiny warning bell in her head that sounded off at that moment. It clanged loudly at her about the foolishness of baiting a demon of Sesshoumaru's stature. The thought was forgotten as quickly as it formed, overlapped and overturned as it was replaced by the sudden need to fend off two attention starved children. They'd tired of waiting for Kagome to stop being weird so she could play with them again, so they'd taken matters into their own hands. Both Rin and Shippou had ganged up on Kagome and had begun to splash her without mercy. With the two of them working together, they were better able to splash the taller girl, much to her dismay. Kagome squealed and held a hand over her eyes. She bent down quickly, her own hands smacking the surface of the water blindly as she struck out at her attackers. Soon the air was filled with a flurry of heated splashes and the ringing laughter of three friends who had nothing better to do than enjoy each other's company. For the better part of the afternoon they played like this. Wakeful, yet not heeding the turning of the earth, and for all three companions, it was something akin to pure bliss.
The hard glow of early afternoon turned hazy as the day passed them by. It overtook the bedraggled trio as they finally pulled themselves slowly from the water to rest on a nearby hill. Plunking themselves tiredly on the soft grass, they ate, they talked, and laughed about pleasant things. And for a single moment, none of the world's customary violence and sorrow could touch them. Worries of the past and future were forgotten, as nothing existed beyond the companionship this solitary afternoon held. Kagome smiled dreamily as she dried and then carefully brushed Rin's hair, watching the whitish gold rays of sunlight turn to burnished amber. They had perhaps two or more hours before sunset. Plenty of time left to enjoy what was left of the day.
Absently, she finished brushing Rin's hair and summoned Shippou for his turn. He wasn't nearly as easy going as Rin was when it came to this ritual. Despite the fact that he wasn't human, he was much like a regular little boy in that he didn't enjoy being well groomed or neat. He quite enjoyed being dirty and didn't much care if his hair was a tangled mess. Brushing his hair wasn't an enjoyable activity, as it was with Rin. It was like wrestling a very small, irate puppy, only with less biting and more complaining.
"OW! Are you done yet?" Shippou griped, batting at her hands in a futile effort to halt the hairbrush.
Kagome rolled her eyes and sighed, "No, I'm not and if you'd stop squirming, this'd go much faster."
He mumbled something unintelligible in a tone that was scarily reminiscent of her younger brother.
"Yeah, grumble, grumble to you too, Mister." Kagome replied, "I guess I'll just give your treat to Inuyasha then..."
Shippou let out a small, panicked squeak of distress and then he suddenly quieted. She suspected an apology would come soon after, but she cut it off before it could be voiced, reassuring the tiny fox demon with a smile and a hug that his present wouldn't be regifted to the ungrateful hanyou. Kagome had really been looking forward to giving today's gifts. Mostly because she'd made them herself, well, with some help from her mom. With a smile, Kagome dug her gifts out from her backpack and cheerfully handed them to her companions. She'd given each child their very own backpack, made with her very own hands.
Shippou was the first to carefully open the draw string on his bag. No doubt, she'd packed it full with all sorts of interesting stuff from her time. He dearly hoped she'd included some candy. Fumbling with the drawstring on the sack, he gave due attention to the acorn and leaf motif painted on the soft canvas of his brand new bag. His hands curled around the familiar form of his favorite treat from the future. Pulling it out, he grinned. In his hands, he held not just one, but no less than five lollipops. Kagome truly was a saint. Eagerly, he unwrapped one and stuffed it into his mouth before digging more deeply in his band for more treasures.
"Fwank yew, Kah-goh-may..."
The older girl laughed openly at the little fox's muffled voice, his head stuffed firmly into the bag. Kagome shook her head and turned from the rather amusing sight to gaze at Rin. The younger girl seemed puzzled by the gift she'd been given. Rin looked at the bag uncertainly, her gaze shifting from the gift to Shippou. She looked up at Kagome in pure bewilderment, as if asking her what she ought to do.
Kagome smiled warmly, waving a hand at the little girl before stating simply, "Open it."
Rin cautiously examined the gift, her fingers lightly brushing the flowers that decorated the bright yellow backpack. The little girl smiled softly. No one had ever given her anything like this. Her parents, even Seshhoumaru-sama, had only ever seen fit to give her the very basics for survival. Food, clothing, practical things and while she wasn't ungrateful, she'd always dreamed of having toys and things other more fortunate children had. She'd always made do and had never complained. Rin understood how the world worked and she had calmly accepted it. What little she had in the world had appreciated, as it could be torn from you at any moment. This didn't stop her from longing for a little more, didn't stop her from wishing. As her mother had always said, it's okay to dream, so long as you don't get caught up in it too long and miss out on life.
Rin could no longer remember what she sounded like, but she'd always held onto her words. From the farthest corner of her mind, the shadowed voice of her mother called out to her, "...And if you're very good, Rin...the gods will provide for you. Whether it be on earth or in the afterlife. Have faith."
She smiled sweetly, tracing the outline of a small white dog Kagome had painted amidst the flowers. Rin wondered if her mother could see her now. She hoped so, because she'd been patient and good, and had never lost her faith. Even when both her parents passed. Even when the people in her village, that had been her parent's neighbors and friends, had turned against her. She' endured the daily beatings, and the cat calls and the insults. Always close to her heart, she held her mother's words and nightly she prayed to the gods. Believing that this was just a test and then they'd sent her Sesshoumaru-sama. She'd done just as her mother instructed her to do. Rin observed the customary tradition of showing respect to a traveling stranger.
You never knew who it might be. God or demon or man, it didn't matter. If you give courtesy, you will be sure to receive it. She'd taken care of him, even though she knew he didn't really need it. That wasn't the point, he needed help and he'd treated her far better than anyone else had. She should have been afraid, he was a demon...but strangely, she had never been afraid of him. He'd been polite to her and curious about her, asking questions of her in that quiet voice of his. No one in the village was interested in her. No one had cared if she lived or died. Except for Sesshoumaru-sama. He repaid the courtesy and kindness she'd given him with a favor larger than her own. She'd never be able to repay her lord's kindness, as he'd been unduly generous. From that day forward, she'd followed him, buoyed by her own faith in not only the gods but her new protector. And she thought that it couldn't get any better than this.
Then the gods sent her Kagome.
Rin wasn't sure what she'd done in a former life to deserve this. But whatever it was, it must have been very good to receive this twice blessed gift. If this bag had been the only thing Kagome had given her, it would have been enough. She'd have been grateful and happy, but she could tell there was more to this present than a simple bag. Licking her lips nervously, she gingerly opened the bag and began to pull out the contents. Rin instantly recognized the brightly colored wrappers of candy from Kagome's home. She knew there was some kind of secret about Kagome's origins. When she asked where Kagome's village was, the older girl had been evasive and vague, which was out of character. Kagome had always been very open and honest about everything...but that one thing. Wherever she came from, it must have been an amazing place to have such treasures readily available.
Shrugging, Rin dug into the bag a bit further. Her fingers curled around something hard and flat, and she frowned as she pulled it out. It was a strange brick of paper and when Rin flipped through it, she noticed the pages were blank. It looked sort of like the funny little books and scrolls she saw in the calligrapher's hut in her village. What in the world was she supposed to do with a calligrapher's block? The other thing in her bag was even more confusing. It was a box of some sort, decorated in bold colors with strange writing all over it. Rin turned it over experimentally, trying to figure out its purpose. As the box turned end over end, she jumped when she heard something moving around inside it. She frowned and shook the box, to see if the first noise was just a fluke. It made a pleasant plinking sound as the contents of the box shifted and rustled. Rin shook it again, just to hear the noise again. Now this was the kind of gift she could understand. It was oddly shaped for a rattle, but it made Rin happy all the same.
Not only was it her very first toy of her own but it was a gift from Kagome, which made it all the more special. Plus, she was pretty sure it would annoy Jaken. She couldn't wait to rejoin Sesshoumaru-sama, so that she could show the little retainer her new toy. The little girl's behavior when it came to the retainer was the text book definition of learning by example. She, like her lord, took great delight in torturing and generally upsetting Jaken for entertainment purposes.
Jaken's reaction to this new toy would no doubt be priceless. She knew it was kind of wrong, teasing him the way she did but she couldn't help it. He was just so funny when he got upset and he made it so easy. It was no secret to her that the little retainer liked her more than he was willing to admit. His half-hearted insults fell on deaf ears and his attempts to make her feel like an unwanted burden were amusing for their futility. Jaken liked her and she liked Jaken, even if he was sometimes rude to her. She liked teasing him even more and secretly, she knew that he liked it as much as she did. It was a fun game they played, one that she never tired of. Though someday, she'd get Jaken to admit that he was glad she was around. As kind as Sesshoumaru-sama was, he wasn't very talkative. Having Rin around meant that Jaken had someone to talk to who'd actually listen to him and vice versa.
Rin smiled as she shook the rattle again, imagining the sound of Jaken's high voice crackling with annoyance. She paused mid rattle when she noticed her new friends looking at her rather strangely. Cocking her head, she looked at Kagome inquisitively. The older girl just smiled and gently took the rattle from Rin's hands. She watched Kagome intently as she fumbled with the rattle, holding the box close to her chest as she pulled at the top. Rin was at first rather horrified, because it looked to her like Kagome was breaking her new toy. But of course, Kagome would never do something like that. So, she waited patiently as Kagome opened the rattle to reveal a number of little pointy things that were stuck in the interior of the strangely decorated box. The little pointy things were all different colors and Rin was having a hard time at guessing their purpose. Kagome pulled one out, and held it in one hand. She then grabbed the block of paper and proceeded to mark on the paper with the little pointy thing.
"They're called crayons...Where I come from, little kids use these to draw and stuff. See?" Kagome explained, as she continued to mark on the paper. Once she finished, she held up what she'd drawn to show Rin. "They come in lots of different colors, so that way you can draw whatever you want. You can buy special books that have pictures already drawn in them for you to color...or you can buy pads like this. That are all blank, so you can draw what you want to."
"Oh." Rin replied, drawing out the sound slowly as if testing the idea in her own mind.
Kagome handed the pad and the crayons back, and watched silently as the girl examined what she'd drawn. She wasn't that great an artist, but she wasn't that bad either. On the page, she'd drawn a picture of Rin, Shippou and herself as she saw them on this sunny afternoon. Sitting together, laughing underneath the bower of a great oak tree in the grass. She'd even taken the time to label each figure, just in case Rin couldn't tell who was who because...well...even she had a hard time telling. Rin stared at the drawing for a moment before looking up at Kagome with a bright smile.
"I like your drawing, Kagome but what are those funny marks over our heads?"
Kagome then went into a lengthy explanation of writing that probably bored the poor girl to tears. If it did, Rin didn't show it. She listened raptly to every word and when all the explaining was done, she'd asked Kagome to show her how to write. The little girl seemed especially interested in knowing how to spell her own name, so Kagome showed her. It occurred to her that she probably shouldn't be doing this. Women weren't taught to read in this era. Not that it was illegal or anything but she wasn't sure if was such a good idea, teaching someone something they had no business knowing. Besides, the Japanese learned in this era differed somewhat from what was commonly used in her own. Grammar was taught differently, and there were differences in kanji. There were quite a few characters that were common in this era that just weren't used in hers. So, if she taught Rin how to read and write, she'd use more modern characters. Ones that were streamlined for ease of use, and devoid of the archaic complexity that characterized the feudal era. Not to mention this was before everything had become more standardized.
Why couldn't she detect such tactical errors before she made them? In this time, people were less educated and sometimes, Kagome had forgotten about that. It made her a bit sad, but that's the way of the world sometimes. Still, it seemed unfair not to pass what she knew along but at the same time, wouldn't spreading her knowledge screw with the future? There had to be some kind of goofy time flux capacitor paradox stream thingie that she was breaking by just being here. She had often wondered if she was screwing with the future. Sometimes, she'd page through her history books wondering if she'd find some kind of evidence that she'd changed the future. But then it occurred to her that if she'd changed the past, then she'd change the future so she wouldn't remember what it was she'd changed in the first place, if she'd changed it at all. Kagome abruptly stopped this line of thought, as it only lead to a massive headache anyway. She just wouldn't worry about it.
Kagome showed the little girl how to write her own name. Carefully, she explained to Rin about stroke count, showing the little girl her name as written in hiranga. Soon after, she was gazing at Rin's name, copied over and over again in the little girl's own crude handwriting. Rin then insisted that Kagome teach her more. She'd shown her Shippou's name, Jaken's, even Sesshoumaru's and the little girl had dutifully practiced each one many, many times. After a bit, she left Rin to her own devices, as the little girl seemed happy to draw and write on her own.
The little meadow became absurdly quiet and Kagome almost wanted to laugh just to break the silence but she didn't. It was too peaceful, too dreamlike and all the time, she was just waiting for the other shoe to fall but it never did. Kagome had enjoyed the peace, she looked forward to afternoons like this and she couldn't help but wonder when it would all end. Because it would. Nothing lasted forever, especially something as peaceful and wonderful and perfect as this. Sooner or later, Inuyasha would find out what she was doing. Who she was traipsing off to see at every opportunity and though the truth was, she wasn't seeing his brother but the little girl who followed him, it wouldn't matter. Anyone who was associated with Sesshoumaru was bad business in Inuyasha's book. If he found out about everything, he'd put an immediate stop to it. Despite the fact that Rin herself wasn't a threat, his brother was. Rin was with his brother, and like it or not, he might use her to his advantage. The little girl could find out things for Sesshoumaru that he, himself, could not. Though that didn't really seem his style...but she could see the point, even if it was a bit paranoid.
She'd tried to think of a way around this simple fact but she hadn't really. Again, she'd made a tactical error and now she was scrambling to figure out a way to fix things. She supposed there was nothing to be done about it and so it was best not to worry. Once the shit hit the fan, she'd deal with things, until then she'd just sit back and enjoy the moment. Not the smartest decision in the world, but Kagome was content with it. As she watched the sun drift towards the horizon, Rin stood up abruptly to show Kagome what she'd drawn. Proudly holding her pad of paper up and pointing to each figure she'd scribbled on the page. The little girl was slightly more gifted as an artist than Kagome was, though not nearly as talented as Shippou, who Kagome liked to refer to as Mini-Hokusai.
She'd drawn several figures across the page. In the middle of the page was a small, dark haired girl, which was undoubtedly Rin herself. On her left sat a squat little blob of green and brown with big yellow eyes. Kagome giggled as she identified the blob as Jaken. Next to Jaken stood a proud figure, clad in all in white and it was odd, but the little girl had managed to crudely capture that look of cold boredom on his face. On Rin's right, she'd drawn Kagome herself and next to her, Shippou. Underneath each figure, she'd carefully written their names. It was undeniably the cutest thing she'd ever seen and she told Rin so. Shippou had gotten a bit jealous at the comment and had objected, showing her his own drawing. There was an amusing moment where both children argued about whose was better before Kagome ended the argument by declaring a drawing contest. And when all was said and done, both children became irritated with her when she couldn't decide on a winner. They were in the middle of a rather serious tickle fight when their fun was interrupted by the arrival of Rin's protector.
Kagome had honestly tried not to think about this moment, because if she thought about it, then she'd remember that she'd kind of, sort of disrespected him in an indirect way. He could very well kill her for sending back his demon death pokey. Her rationale for the whole incident was that what he was doing was annoying and she couldn't really help it. Not that explaining anything would stop him from killing her. The good news was he couldn't kill her now; he'd have to wait till later.
"Way not to comfort yourself, Kagome..." She grumbled inwardly, suddenly realizing that said demon was staring at her right now and he didn't look happy. "...Then again, when does he?"
Somewhere between the tickling and his arrival, Rin had danced up to him, bag secured on her back. She'd gotten on the dragon and she'd already left with a cheerful farewell, but her lord hadn't. He just stood there and stared at her. Shippou had waved goodbye to Rin, immediately turning around to better act as if he didn't notice Sesshoumaru's sudden intent interest in his guardian. He kept his eyes down and his back turned, pretending that he was drawing and not at all paying attention to anything. Kagome reminded herself to be mad at him later. Hesitantly, she met the demon's eyes and attempted a smile which fell within seconds of its arrival. Dear god, he was going to kill her now. First there was fear and then indignation. If he was going to kill her the decent thing would be to do it when all the children were away. And she was just about to tell him so when something in his eyes stopped her. He wasn't giving her his normal death glare, the one that did the weird freezy thing to your heart and caused your mind to become a complete blank. This look was more inquiring, as if he were assessing her worth which was as insulting as it was complimentary. His eyes narrowed fractionally before he turned and left.
Kagome released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her heart was pounding frantically, and she could feel the sweat forming a slight slick on her skin. She hadn't noticed how afraid she really was. Perhaps she'd gotten a bit used to not being afraid of him that when it came time to be afraid of him that it was sort of an unwelcome surprise. Then again, she really didn't have a reason to be afraid. He hadn't killed her. That was something to consider. Kagome decided she'd stop assuming things about people, especially Sesshoumaru, who seemed to be as unpredictable as the wind and the rain.
Then she remembered to be mad at Shippou.
"Nice drawing you're doing there..." She commented dryly, looking over his shoulder at the blank expanse of white beneath his fingers. "...I could've used your help, you know."
He winced at the tone of her voice, but he wouldn't apologize. If she'd really been in danger, he would have done something but she wasn't, so he didn't.
"He wasn't gonna kill you, besides...I'm only a little kid." He replied quickly, bracing himself for her argument.
"I suppose you're right." Kagome sighed and stared at the empty page, "So, you gonna draw something or what? We still have a couple of hours of light left, might as well enjoy it as much as we can."
Shippou shrugged and put crayon to paper, drawing a nice little pastoral depiction of the afternoon that had just passed. Something bothered him greatly and though he never liked to second guess Kagome, as she was usually right, this time he wasn't so sure.
"Kagome, I don't think you should have taught Rin that."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't think you should have taught her how to write."
Kagome sighed. He was probably right. Women were rarely educated in this era and no doubt, a young girl like Rin would be more pleasing to some high and mighty future husband if she were ignorant. That was if she were to marry well, if at all. She wasn't sure what relation the girl had to Sesshoumaru, whether she was a foster daughter or a servant. Either way, educating her wasn't in his best interest and as royalty, what he did with his ward was his business and his decision, not hers. It was an awful way to look at things and Kagome hated it but she promised herself not to try and change things. You can't change the world overnight and in order for change to be enacted, you had to have a reason for it. Then she went and screwed her whole plan up.
"You're right, Shippou. I probably shouldn't have, but it's too late now."
"What're you gonna do if he finds out?"
Kagome shrugged, "Don't know. But I'm not afraid, if that's what you're asking. I regret nothing and whatever happens, I'll be ready for it when it comes."
Shippou smiled and hopped over to her side, giving her a hug. He really did admire Kagome. She wasn't at all like other humans and that was a very good thing. She was brave, smart, and best of all, she seemed incapable of the prejudice so common in this day and age. He knew why she'd taught Rin those things, because she didn't care about the inconsequential matters of station. She'd given him the same gift and when he'd asked why, she said that it was the right thing to do. To Kagome, it didn't matter if you were demon or human or both, everyone was the same. Teaching that little girl how to read might anger her protector, but Kagome was willing to face it because it was the right thing to do. As the sun relaxed its hold on the world, he cuddled closer to his guardian and promised himself that if she got into hot water for what she did, he'd be right by her side...no matter what.