Chapter Three: Rin Attempts to Talk
They had walked all day, and most of the night as well. Rin had gotten tired and had struggled to get onto Ah 'Uh, but she kept slipping off the saddle. Ah 'Uh had even knelt to assist her, and she had almost managed to wiggle her way up onto it, but her little foot slipped on the scales and Rin had fallen onto her butt.
Now she held onto her foot, looking at the crimson liquid that dripped from it. Ah 'Uh looked guilty, looking over at their other companions, who finally stopped. Jaken grumbled watching the girl seated on the ground, and raised his staff.
"You brazen child, get up. You're keeping Lord Sesshoumaru waiting."
Rin rolled her eyes. She had gotten tired of listening to his praises, and loud squawking sounds. Placing her foot into her hand, she almost was able to raise it to her mouth, but a firm hand stopped her, and she lifted her bright brown eyes smiling.
Sesshoumaru knelt down beside the girl, quickly intervening her sticking the barefoot to her mouth. Pulling out a small cloth from his armor, he lifted her into his right arm and planted her onto Ah 'Uh's saddle. Holding out the cloth, he waited while she took it and placed it on the shallow cut. Rin nodded her thanks. How she wished she could talk. If only to say thank you.
Feeling like she was being a burden, she lowered her gaze, watching the blood soak in the off white cloth the Lord Sesshoumaru had given her. Rin heard him walk away, and she lifted her gaze then and smiled at Jaken as Ah 'Uh followed Sesshoumaru.
Sighing, she shifted on the soft leather saddle. She began to hum a tune; that wasn't hard to do, but it was the talking she was having problems with. Try as she might, the only sounds her dratted voice made were ak's, awk's, ahh's, and uh's. Clearing her throat, she wondered why it was so hard to speak when she could hum perfectly fine.
Rolling her eyes at herself, she opened her mouth again trying to say the toad's name, but another "Ak." exited her mouth and she growled in her throat. "Ak, ak, ak, ak, ak." This was really making her mad. "Ehhn." She grinned. "AkEhhhhnnn." She grunted.
Sesshoumaru and Jaken both stopped, and turned back to stare at her in surprise.
"What did you say girl?" Jaken squawked.
She shrugged. "Akehhhhnnnn." She grumbled again.
Sesshoumaru turned away. The girl looked tired and now it was time to camp. "Jaken. We will camp here tonight."
The clearing was small, not as big as the one the night before, but suited Rin fine. She hopped off Ah 'Uh quickly, forgetting about her foot, and vanished into the forest looking for food.
"Get back here!" Jaken cried.
"Jaken! Knock it off!" Sesshoumaru growled. He seated himself down by a tree, and listened for the girl. Faintly, he could hear her trudging through the forest searching for food. Within minutes she had raced back, holding nuts and berries, another pear, although where she had found such a thing in this neck of the woods, Sesshoumaru would never know. Seating herself down beside the sulking Jaken, she held out her treasures to him, but he waved her off absently.
Shrugging, she thought maybe Jaken was like Sesshoumaru and didn't eat human food. Munching on a berry, she pondered what they did eat. One day she would ask the toad, who seemed to like to hear himself talk. However, Rin didn't think it was talking, it sounded more like an injured bird, and she giggled. Rin picked up a nut and cracked the shell in her teeth, and pulled out the inner nut. Crunching away on that, she pursed her lips happily.
Looking over at Lord Sesshoumaru, who had his eyes closed, never spoke. Unlike Jaken who talked all the time. Shrugging, Sesshoumaru talked, but it was so few words. That suited her fine. Turning her gaze away, she cracked another nut in her teeth, but when she went to crack her third, Jaken's hand shot out and caught her wrist. She jumped, dropping the nut.
"Must you do that?" Jaken hissed.
Smiling, she was amazed his hiss didn't sound like a squawk. Rin nodded, still smiling at him, and he grunted. "Akehhhhnnnn." She uttered then giggled.
"Do not tell me that horrid sound is supposed to be my name." Jaken did squawk this time.
Rin nodded her smile washing over her entire face.
Jaken whimpered.
"Ssssshhhrrrrooo." Rin rolled between her teeth. She was quite pleased with herself.
"That doesn't even sound like his name, girl." Jaken hissed, glancing over his shoulder to see is Lord Sesshoumaru heard the awful, and unprofessional attempt at his name. "For your information, it is Master Jaken, and Lord Sesshoumaru."
Rin blinked. Nodding, she grinned wider. Lifting her tongue to the roof of her mouth, trying to remember the movements the tongue did to help speech, she made an 'L' sound. It came out raspy. Sighing, she tried again. Still the same. Shaking her head, she cracked the nut instead.
"You'll break your teeth that way." Jaken scolded her.
Narrowing her eyes at the toad, she cracked another nut for good measure, right by his ear. Jaken jumped to his feet, and wobbled away grumbling about annoying humans. Rin giggled.
She felt a yawn steal across her features, and despite her trying to hide it behind her hand, she finally gave in to her sleepiness. Standing up, placing her left over nuts and berries in her hand, along with her uneaten pear, she walked over to Ah 'Uh who were beside a tree and both lifted their heads as she approached. Kneeling beside them, she curled up close and closed her eyes, still protectively holding her meal for when she woke.
She fell asleep quickly. Her dreams did not go seen on this night as they had on the first however, and she was quickly bombarded with images that had become hazy in her mind.
----------------------
It was a bright spring day, the sun beating overhead on two children, aged five and ten. Two adults walked behind them, carrying baskets filled with fruit and bread. The little boy at ten was chasing a small girl who seemed to laugh and play at all times. The image became smoky.
The hazy image cleared with the family sitting in a glade, flowers scattered around, eating their food and laughing at everything. The image dimmed and faded into a dark grey mist.
Once again it cleared, this time with the little girl racing in the glade, picking flowers. The image faded.
This time when the haze cleared, the trees were orange, they were headed home. Shouts of alarm filled the night, but they were muffled. Screams of pain were also heard, but she couldn't see.
Her father had tossed her into the bushes, yelling at her to stay down. She cried, holding her hand out to her mother, who held her own hand out for her daughter, tears of pain and sadness filling both orbs of eyes.
As the little girl watched, she cried out, "Mommy, don't, don't leave me!"
Her small cries were lost in the screams from her father and brother.
--------------------------------
Sesshoumaru opened his eyes, hearing small whimpers coming from the girl, and he frowned. He watched silently, as she struggled with some unseen force, and he shook his head, looking away.
Her small cries became desperate, and he felt his heart twitch in response to that cry. Blinking confused, that was the first time his heart ever beat differently. In all his many battles, and constant wanderings his heart never changed from its steady sure beat. Sesshoumaru frowned deeper, and lifted his head to the girl again.
This time Ah 'Uh had curled up closer to her whimpering form, and Sesshoumaru sighed. 'Why am I taking a human girl?' He mused. 'Why do I feel like it is ok to allow her to follow?' Growling low in his throat, he watched her silently. Rin's cries grew even louder, and she jerked against Ah 'Uh, causing Sesshoumaru's heart to twitch again.
Swallowing at this unknown action his heart was making, Sesshoumaru pushed himself to his feet and exited the clearing. He had no business with a human. Somehow she had managed to twist her little finger around him, making it seem alright that she tagged along. Looking at the moon, he sighed. 'That's right, she has no home.'
Thinking rapidly, he wondered if she considered them her new home now. Her smile was lifting, despite him denying it. Rin's laughter seemed to ease the tension in the air as they searched for Jaken, but being in their company was going to be dangerous. 'Does she not realize what we are?' Sesshoumaru mused. Night was passing quickly, the little girl's cries had stopped and now he turned back towards the clearing calmly.
Sesshoumaru glanced over the small group silently. They were all asleep, even Ah 'Uh who rarely slept seemed content to relax fully this night. 'Hmm. Perhaps this little girl can tend to Ah 'Uh.' He mused. Seating himself down at his tree again, he waited for the sun to crest the horizon, before they traveled again.