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The golden eyes disappeared as quickly as they had come. Kagome finally lay down in a patch of vivid yellow daisies and bright pink tulips, a great sigh escaped her slightly parted lips. She placed her head back and closed her eyes...
oOo
"Come, Rin" Sesshoumaru demanded gently. Rin hurried to follow her master's orders, though with reluctance weighing her shoulders.
"Oh, but Sesshoumaru-sama! Can't we watch her dancing some more?" She asked innocently, bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation of the answer. Sesshoumaru looked at her and Rin could tell he was about to say no, so she pressed on, trying to persuade him.
"Please, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin continued, putting on her best puppy dog face. Her large, chocolate eyes looked at him pleadingly.
"Jaken!" The retainer bounded up to him at the call of his name.
"Yes sir?" Squawked the imp, his high pitched voice making his master inwardly grimace. He scrambled to where Sesshoumaru stood, awaiting his orders.
"Watch Rin. Keep Ah-Un with you. I doubt you will be able to protect her if something happened." He said unconcernedly.
He enjoyed ruffling Jaken with some offhanded remark and then watching him bluster and preen himself afterwards. That and taking care of Rin were some of the few things that brought him entertainment. Of course no one knew this.
"But milord! I am your faithful servant and retainer! Why must I babysit the young nuisance of a human?" Jaken squawked out, momentarily forgetting his place and talking back to his lord. An astonished look swept over his face as he realized what he had said. He bowed deeply and squealed, "I am sorry S-Sesshoumaru-sama! Please forgive this insolent servant" Jaken stuttered as his forehead knocked against the ground in his haste to make up for his disrespect. When he resurfaced from his bow a bruise was flourishing on his forehead.
"You will do as you are told," he said simply, and with that he walked away, stepping on the ugly, green imp on the way into the tangled trees and dry undergrowth of the forest.
oOo
Kagome laid there for a while, content, when she started humming her favorite song from some old, childhood movie she didn't remember anymore. Eyes still closed, and in her far away distant mind, she didn't hear the footsteps of the small girl approaching her.
Since Kagome had stopped dancing, Rin came out of the forest to talk. She squatted down next to Kagome.
The miko was still oblivious to her presence so when Rin reached out and patted her arm Kagome started. Her eyes flew open, and she sat bolt upright. She gazed down at Rin who smiled up from her spot in the flower field. Kagome's face, still bewildered, softened.
"Hi! What's your name? I'm Rin!" Rin started off loudly. Kagome blinked.
"My name is Kagome. What are you doing her all by yourself?" Kagome asked. She couldn't cover up her surprise at finding a little girl around the age of six or seven alone with no one around. Her first thought was that she was lost.
"Rin is fine; I am with my Sesshoumaru-sama! He let me stay here to talk to you!" She replied brightly.
Kagome sat there, shocked, She couldn't believe it; 'this little girl certainly can't be with Sesshoumaru… That can't be possible, he hates humans…'
"S-Sesshoumaru? Are you sure?" Kagome asked, finding it hard to be told that the almighty Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands would take in a young human girl as his charge. Sesshoumaru taking in anyone was surprising in itself, yet apparently he has two faithful followers, or three if you counted Ah-Un. How anyone could stand that ice prince's attitude Kagome didn't know, 'he must be a great conversation piece' she thought sarcastically with a small smirk.
"Of course I'm sure! Sesshoumaru-sama lets me follow him around almost everywhere!" Rin stated proudly, grinning. Kagome got off of her knees and stood up, looking around to see if he was watching from nearby. A small relieved sigh came from her mouth when he wasn't anywhere to be seen.
oOo
Sesshoumaru walked, instinctively proud and graceful, through the forest, in search of a hot spring. He really needed a bath; smelling putrid did not suit a Lord of his stature. Of course the humans detected nothing, but with his demon senses he could smell himself quite strongly. When he finally saw a spring far to his left he redirected his path for it. It was rather large and surrounded by brightly colored flowers and plants.
Sesshoumaru slid his haori and under shirt off his shoulders, his well-toned upper body gleaming in the sunrays bathing the clearing. Folding them neatly, he laid them on one of the many large, slightly damp boulders surrounding the spring.
He was just about to slip off his pants when a shriek sounded from far-off; his head snapped to the direction it came, 'Rin!' Sesshoumaru thought quickly and bounded to the area he had left her, without another thought.
He got there in a matter of milliseconds. Quickly locating his charge, he spotted Rin not too far from him. He moved as a white blur until he was at her side.
His brother's miko that he had spotted dancing earlier was tickling Rin. Rin was letting out screams of laughter.
It took Kagome a few seconds to realize that someone else was now standing next to Rin. She raised her eyes to Sesshoumaru. Her eyebrows immediately shot up; he had no top on and it was hard for Kagome to tear her eyes away from more interesting parts to look up at his face.
"What's going on here?" He asked in his usual emotionless voice, though tinged with disapproval.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin squealed "Rin missed you!" The little girl said as she hugged his leg, that was about all she came up to. "Sesshoumaru-sama, this is Kagome! She's the pretty lady that we saw earlier!" Kagome blushed deeply, "Kagome is very nice! Sesshoumaru-sama is Rin's Otousan, so can Kagome-chan be Rin's new Okaasan?" Rin asked him. She felt his hand twitch slightly on her shoulder, but thought nothing of it.
Kagome's eyes opened wide and she suddenly launched a faux coughing fit to fill the uneasy silence that followed the question.
Once Kagome was able to 'breathe' again she said, "Uhm…I don't think so, Rin." Rin looked up Sesshoumaru, "No," he said simply and icily. Rin looked crestfallen,
"Can Kagome-chan stay with us, then, Sesshy-sama?"
Kagome raised an eyebrow and looked up at Sesshoumaru; he flinched ever so slightly but didn't address Rin's pet name.
"She says that she does not want to stay with that kuso-yasha, whatever that means, anymore!"
"You will not use such language with Rin ever again, understand?" Sesshoumaru said quietly, looking Kagome square in the eyes for the first time. It was more of a command than a question, but Kagome nodded all the same.
"I didn't mean for her to hear," she mumbled, knowing his demon hearing could pick it up easily.
"Can Kagome-chan stay with us?" Rin asked again, this time adding the puppy eyes, noticing that the adults were getting off-topic. Puppy eyes always seemed to work with Sesshoumaru, maybe it's because he's a dog demon, Rin didn't know, but the great Inutaiyoukai's eyes softened.
Rin's innocence always got to him. For sure, his one vulnerability. An emotion like annoyance bubbled up in his chest, but he felt it was more from what he knew he was going to do next and not from Rin's influence over him.
"It matters not to me." Sesshoumaru said icily, his eyes piercing Kagome so bitterly that she actually cringed. If she had anywhere else she could go, that look would have sent her running for it. As the situation stood, however, this was her only offer for safety. Relative safety.
"I would greatly appreciate it if I could stay with you and Rin for a while." Kagome stated quietly.
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A/N: Ok so she's in! Now the fun begins =) updates can be as fast as I want since all of this is written already, it's just a matter of motivation ;) tell me watchu think! Thanks for reading!