Fourteen Years Old

It had been two years, and Sesshoumaru had not returned to visit.

Rin still thought about him daily. She would often catch her heart skipping a beat at the sight of a faraway cloud that resembled his fur and long, silver hair.

Kaede was now on bed-rest, with the moment of her end nearing closer. Miroku and Sango were planning a fourth child in the near future, while Inuyasha and Kagome were still happily married without any children of their own. Shippou was elsewhere, as he'd been of late; the group suspected that with puberty, he became infatuated with a femme of his kind back where he trained.

At age fourteen, Rin was now considered a woman: her reproductive organs functioned regularly; she worked to earn her keep; she had already been offered marriage contracts from older males of the community, to which she instantly denied.

To achieve a more mature look, Rin removed her side pony and, in turn, bunned the top portion of her hair into a small knot. The length of her hair increased to where it now reached her hips.

Helping gather wood as the cold season was approaching, Rin was heading back to the village from the woods when a shiver was sent down her spine. She stopped; dropping the lumber to the ground as she automatically swiveled back to the sunset. There, in the far distance, was a silhouette of a deity she knew too well.

"L…Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin cried, running towards him while tears streamed down her face. When she finally collided with the tall demon, she pounded against his chest with her fist, sobbing. He was unmoved, his face emotionless. "Why….Why did you take so long to return to me, my Lord? I thought….I thought something had happened to you. Or that you had changed your mind, and you weren't coming back for me."

Sesshoumaru gazed down at her with no response. He gently picked her up with his single arm and set off to return to the village.

"My… It's been a while, Lord Sesshoumaru," Kaede greeted sickly as Sesshoumaru set Rin and her lumber down in Kaede's hut. Kaede was lying on her cot, watching the water pot begin to boil above the fire several feet away. "I did not think I would set eyes on thee again, before I would pass."

"Lord Sesshoumaru, would you like to go for a walk? Is there anything you came to talk about?" Rin's tears had dried and she beamed at him, now eager.

"I thought I smelt the stench of old dog," Inuyasha scoffed with a grin as he jaunted into Kaede's hut, beside his brother. Rin shot him a dirty look as the topic of conversation changed. "Where have you been all this time? 'Thought for sure you finally bit the big one."

"I've just been dealing with business," Sesshoumaru replied, his voice solemn.

"Please, Lord Sesshoumaru, can we go for a walk along the riverside?" Rin tugged on his sleeve, staring hopefully into his golden eyes. He glimpsed down for a second and agreed with a short 'hm.'

At the river, beneath the stars and the half moon, the two walked slowly together in silence. Rin waited intently for Sesshoumaru to begin speaking, but also was soaking up the attention she received from being at his side. She yearned strongly for this to be her life. Now, as an adult in the village's eyes, she couldn't wait for it to begin.

"Rin," He started slowly, and his pace halted. "I am not here to ask you for your decision."

She squinted, trying to decode what her Lord meant.

"I am merely here to visit, and to set my eyes upon the human life you have made for yourself thus far."

"But Lord Sesshoumaru, I am a woman now. I am an adult among the villagers. There are others my age who are married, and who are starting families. Surely this means I am capable to-"

"No," He stated firmly, running his hand through his hair. "You may be of childbearing age, but you are not yet enough of an adult to fully take this decision into consideration. Rin, you have only begun to understand how the village works around you; where you have found your place in it all."

"There is no permanent place for me there, because the place I truly belong is-"

"Rin, I understand. But you will not change my view on the matter. I came here to visit you, not argue. Let us enjoy this time together before I must leave."

Rin's bottom lip trembled as she nodded dutifully. She sighed and inched closer towards him, leaning against his body. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap, and the two sat in silence, for what seemed like ages. Rin felt truly at ease. But it wasn't long before Sesshoumaru declared quietly that he had to leave.

"You'll be back to visit me soon, right?" She asked, not wanting to protest anymore. Sesshoumaru was right; if he had his mind set on something, nothing in the world was about to change that.

"Yes, Rin; there is something I must do, but I will return thereafter." And with that, he was gone.

Rin's body slumped against her knees and she cried until it felt her heart might burst. A familiar hand ran across her shoulders and held her, and she knew that it was Kanta.

"I'm sorry, Rin," He comforted. After a few minutes, she sniffled and wiped her face with her sleeve and thanked him, and decided that they should just go home.

Kanta was there for Rin whenever she needed him: when Rin was unwell, Kanta would help his mother make Rin soup from the vegetables in their garden and deliver it to her; if Rin was injured, he would offer to do her chores until her injuries had healed; but most of all, when Rin was forlorn about Lord Sesshoumaru, Kanta was there with comfort. However, that being said, Kanta was definitely against Rin joining him the most, though he would never let Rin let on to his true feelings.

"Rin, I have to go and harvest the vegetables today for my parents. Would you like to join me? It would make the day far more fun!" Kanta asked at Rin's door. Rin smiled as she finished tending to Kaede and accepted.

Kanta's home was on the far end of town, out looking their large garden, which was responsible for feeding the majority of the village. Their lot had the best coverage of the sun. The work there was hot, and difficult, but Rin enjoyed helping out there when she had the chance… but most of all, Rin loved spending time with Kanta's family dog, Momo.

Momo reminded Rin most of her own family dog, back in her first life. She couldn't remember her dog's name, though she remembered he was a mutt about the same size and color of Momo, and would follow Rin wherever she went. Though Momo was not her own dog, she poured all of her love onto him, and getting to spend time with him in the fields with Kanta was a delight.

"Ah, the sun is setting rather early today," Kanta noticed, wiping beads of sweat off his forehead onto his bare arm. He had removed the upper portion of his yukata to relieve some excess body heat. Starting to take more responsibility in his family's farming, his body was beginning to display his involvement by becoming more tone; though, it didn't impress Rin much.

"Hmm, it is," Rin agreed, slightly troubled. Momo's body became defensive as he growled and arched his body at something behind them. Rin looked and placed her arm on Momo's back to calm him, wondering if Momo had spotted a rabbit or if it was something unseen to human senses. "Momo, what's wrong?"

Momo bolted full speed away from Kanta and Rin out at the nothingness that was the pasture behind them. Rin's instinct kicked in and she suddenly raced after him. "Momo, stop!"

"Rin!" Kanta yelled, reaching out to grab her arm before she fled. He missed.

Seconds later, the two teens were covered in blood. A swift slash was all it took from feet ahead for Momo to cease to exist. The two froze and watched a demon, maybe only three feet tall, devour the messy remains and set its sights on Rin, the closest living being nearby.

It sprung towards her, the small centipede like demon; its ten scarlet eyes shining with anticipation of its next kill.

Rin fell to her knees as blood burst around her. She looked up with fright to notice Kanta there, with the pick embedded in the demon's skull, and a claw through his back. He grunted hard as he ripped the pick from its head and carved across its neck, spilling more hot blood as the demon sank, defeated. Kanta looked down on her as he winced at his wound and drew a smile,

"I'll always be here to protect you, Rin."