Note: Sorry for the long wait for any updates on my stories. I just want to let everyone know that over a month ago I moved across country and have now just settled into my own place. Things have been hectic which includes finding a new job, a new apartment and now a new car as my other one was totaled my first week in my new province. Right now I have temporary internet service that will change in a few days. Until then here is an update on one of my stories. The chapters for the other stories will be up soon. Again sorry for the long wait.

P.S. Sorry about any little mistakes that are in this chapter. I haven't had any time to edit it or actually read through it fully. But I didn't want to keep anyone waiting any longer.

Chapter Six: A Startling Moment

They had walked all day, and now she was tired. He knew this, as she whined walking behind them and beside the two headed dragon she had named. Every once in awhile Jaken would scold the girl. The toad youkai was agitated; his yelling was now becoming irritable to his sensitive ears. Sesshoumaru frowned deeply, his mouth turned downward with growling anger at the squawking of his retainer.

Rin was not slow, and had incredible energy for a human, he thought. Having her travel with them was dangerous, and she stuck close to them, without really knowing why. However, she never once lost that smile that lingered in her eyes, even though her little mouth no longer held the same smile her bright brown eyes did. She was a wonder, and had him thinking more on what it was about her that made him allow her to travel with them.

He despised humans, and yet here he was, Sesshoumaru of the great western province, allowing a human, a very young human girl no less to travel with him. He felt a snarl slip onto his tongue when Jaken bellowed at the girl once again. Biting it back he glared down at the youkai who stumbled along seemingly having difficulties with remaining in stride with the taller Inu.

Another whimper behind him told him that Rin had now stopped and looked around. He heard a small grumble from her stomach and he sighed. Turning his gaze slightly to catch her in the corner of his vision, he saw her dart off into the woods, and began her search for food.

The toad youkai called after the girl scolding her and this time Sesshoumaru was unable to hold back the snarl that erupted in clear distaste.

"Enough! Set up camp, we will rest here for tonight." Sesshoumaru turned around with a flurry of robes and vanished into the woods away from his now frazzled retainer, and went in search for the little girl who he now considered his. Jumping into the canopy of the trees, Sesshoumaru quickly found her amongst a clearing of melons and he perched onto the branch over head watching her silently.

Frowning, he heard her grumbling to her self. She was clearly irritated about his retainer, he thought amused, hearing her little attempts at his name escaping her lips roughly. He felt his brows crease when he heard his name upon her lips, and almost chuckled at the horrid sound. Biting it back quickly, he watched as Rin rolled the large melon away from its mates and peered at it pondering how to get to the pulp inside.

She shrugged her shoulders and backed away from it quickly, and glanced around her, judging her distance, and to Sesshoumaru's surprise she took a deep breath and ran right for the oval shaped food laying feet in front of her. His mouth dropped open as she launched herself at the melon and firmly landed on it with a grunt, and she rolled off the other side now rubbing her stomach snarling at it rather impressively to his amazement.

Feeling his brows raise in amusement, he watched as Rin kicked the offending melon and growled at it furiously. It seemed that she was imitating his own sounds and he found himself feel pride in that. Shaking his head, he jumped from his perch and landed a foot away from her, and she jumped into the air startled.

Grinning, she waved and ran up to him, startling him to the core. Freezing instantly he blinked in surprise as she latched her arms around his legs with a large sigh. Lowering his head, he shook himself out of his shock and lowered himself to her level kneeling on one knee, and felt a smile spread across his normally stoic face.

She pulled back and waited for a moment before waving to the melon with a look of distaste on her face. She frowned and peered at him curiously.

"What?" He asked softly.

She waved to the melon again to his annoyance, and he shook his head firmly.

"Say it!"

She blinked a moment and she sighed. "Thts foood?" She asked waving once again at the melon.

"Yes, it is edible." He felt the corner of his lip lift.

"Wazzit?" She asked.

'Wazzit?' his mind stumbled over the strange word quickly. "What is it?"

She nodded. "Wazzit!" She stated seemingly pleased with herself.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he shook his head. "What…is…it." He repeated.

"Waah…zzz…it." She frowned and snarled. "Waahh iss it." She attempted again.

Sighing, he patted her shoulder. "That is a melon. A honey melon if I am not mistaken." She nodded frantically and ran over to it and rolled it over to him. Rin picked up his hand, and placed it on his sword and waved at the hard shelled melon at his feet.

Shaking his head slowly, he lowered his hand from Tenseiga and flexed his fingers, showing her the long claws on his right hand. Rin's mouth fell open and she stared at them in surprise.

Sesshoumaru sliced through the melon quickly and handed her a piece, which vanished almost immediately. Her eyes lit up in amazement at the sweet taste and she grinned broadly. Rin picked up a small piece and held it to his mouth, and he drew back from it quickly, staring at it and then at her in confusion.

"Lrrsesshroo eat." Rin bit her lip.

He blinked, and shook his head. "You already know I do not eat human food."

She frowned. "Waahh iss Lrrsesshroo eat?"

Sesshoumaru took a deep breath. "I eat meat, and other strange items to mortals."

Rin held the melon to his lips again and seemed determined to get him to at least try it. Sesshoumaru shook his head again. Leaning in slightly, he sniffed at the strange green item and frowned. His golden eyes met hers and he shook his head again.

Rin crossed her eyes and rolled them. "Try?"

Sesshoumaru took a deep breath. Nodding quickly, he prepared himself for an awful experience, as Rin placed the melon in his mouth. She took a step back and watched his face and reaction anxiously.

Sesshoumaru didn't know what to expect, and closed his mouth around the soft substance slowly, allowing its juices to fill his mouth first before he allowed his teeth to penetrate the pulp. To his surprise it was not unpleasant. The texture was different then the raw meat he was accustomed to, and the sweet taste filled his mouth, causing his brows to furrow in curious contemplation. Pushing the pulp to his teeth he chewed it slowly, and then swallowed, staring at Rin's anxious face.

Licking his lips, he nodded, and shook his head when she handed him another piece. "The taste is not to my liking." He explained. "Not unpleasant, but nothing I would eat."

Rin nodded at that turning away from him and gathering as much of the cut melon as her little arms could carry. Satisfied, she turned to face him and grinned from ear to ear. Smirking, he gathered the rest of the melon and turned toward the camp that Jaken was preparing.

Rin stopped suddenly and turned around looking behind her. Sesshoumaru stopped and frowned, sensing and hearing something among the bushes. Narrowing his eyes, he allowed his eyes to peer into the greenery and waited for the youkai that was too stupid to know who it had stumbled across. It was stalking Rin, Sesshoumaru noticed with anger. The weak youkai or oni that hid in the bushes was waiting for an opportunity to strike when he was not looking, and he felt a growl enter his throat at that.

Whirling around in front of Rin, Sesshoumaru darted to the tree line with such force, that it left leaves shooting up off the ground in a flurry. Sesshoumaru slashed at the trees bringing down the small lesser youkai before it had time to register what had hit it. Snorting through his nose, Sesshoumaru nodded in satisfaction and turned away from the dead corpse and walked back to a startled Rin.

Rin stood there blinking in stunned silence, and she glanced up at the youkai who now stood before her. Frowning, she glanced past his legs at the slashed trees trying to see what he had attacked. Turning her gaze back to the tall white haired Lord, she grinned. She was met with a frown, and her smile faded as he knelt down to her level.

"You still wish to travel with us? There is no one that could care for you?" Sesshoumaru sighed as she shook her head. "Remain close." Without another word, Sesshoumaru stood up and walked back towards the camp.

As he walked he wondered again what it was about this little girl that intrigued him so. She was a human. One of those very creatures he had come to despise and detest. Yet here he was, a youkai, traveling with the very creature he despised, and yet something about her left him feeling extremely protective. Blinking at this new revolution, Sesshoumaru turned his eyes slightly to peer at the tiny girl who barely came up to his knees.

Sighing audibly, the inuyoukai strolled through the trees and found that his retainer had started a fire and was skinning some fish Jaken had caught in the nearby stream. Sesshoumaru sniffed the air and smirked.

"Rin, I believe a bath is in order for you." There was no way he was going to keep a dirty human around. He had now grown accustomed to having this little girl travel with him, but a dirty girl was something he would never be accustomed to. His sensitive nose would not allow for it, and so he pointed towards the direction the river lay, and pointedly glanced at Rin.

Rin grinned and nodded racing past him towards Jaken who backed away with his hands outstretched in front of him trying to ward her off as she barreled towards him at full speed.

"No!" The toad cried. "Stay back, get away." With a yelp, Jaken spun on his heels and high tailed it out of the small clearing as fast as his feet could carry him. Rin giggled and quickly chased after him as he ran in the direction of the river.

Before Sesshoumaru was able to seat himself beside a large tree he heard the distinct sound of splashing water and Jaken's high pitched cry of anger. Smirking, the youkai leaned back against the trunk and closed his eyes, listening to Rin's joyful laughter, and Jaken's angry cries. Silently, Sesshoumaru hoped that Rin remembered to take off her outer kimono before attacking the toad youkai in the river. It would do no good for the small human child to catch cold. He had heard stories about their chest colds, and illnesses of the lungs. Shaking his head to dislodge those thoughts, Sesshoumaru decided that such a thing would have to be dealt with when the time came. Until then, there was nothing he could do.