At 854 words, this is a long drabble--again for the iyissekiwa Special Challenge--and there was no word limit. I didn't think it was quite long enough to count as a one-shot, not having an actual PLOT, so I left it here with the drabbles.

A rather simple look at young Rin/Sess...from his perspective. I thought perhaps he might wonder at that way that children have of falling in love with things and people wholeheartedly--and the odd way they get you under their spell when they do. :)

Enjoy!

-Ash

There was love there.

It had not escaped him, that look in her eyes. He indulged himself in a moment of truth—he was not blind to it. Simply because emotions did not dictate his actions did not mean that he could not recognize the differences when he saw them. He had seen her eyes cycle through fear, kindness, panic, surprise, adoration, sadness, happiness…

…Love.

The feeling may not be reciprocated, but neither was it denied. Simply….acknowledged.

It was a child's love, he knew. Bright and innocent, she shined like the sun when her smiles touched her eyes, her face alight with love. He tried to remember—perhaps he had loved like that once. But like all things childish, he surely had outgrown the emotion, finding comfort in simple honor as he had aged. For the life of a demon, it was, perhaps, a natural progression. For a human, though, she had not yet outgrown falling in love with things…with people…with demons.

He noticed when Ah-Un was the first to fall victim to her. Faced with the formidable taiyoukai and his ever-protesting vassal, she had turned to the dragon for something to love. Soon she was petting the animal, cooing at it and wreathing one head or the other with garlands of the flowers she collected, like a pet. Never mind that her "pet" could immolate her where she stood, she whispered soft adorations to the animal nonetheless. She spoke to them, mindless human drivel about her feelings and fears and worries as she tenderly stroked their muzzles with her tiny fingers. Innocent, childish things, pointing out flowers or butterflies or dragonflies—she especially like pointing out dragonflies to the beast..'How does Ah-Un fly without wings? But aren't the little wings quite pretty?' On one occasion, she even wished to have her own set of silvery wings.

Absurd.

Human.

In return for her quiet, heartfelt murmurings, the dragon protected his ward unfailingly—for which he was silently thankful. It was an awkward situation he had placed himself in, and hadn't yet to come to terms with dealing with a human on a daily basis. The dragon took part of the burden of protection away from him—perhaps the child's inane words had some use, after all.

However, a part of him was slightly jealous that the dragon had been her first, when he had been the one to save her life.

Next had come poor, burdened Jaken. The little toad was as lost as he was in how to deal with the child, who seemed to think him just another playmate rather than the fearsome youkai that should have struck her heart with fear.

Had he not been occupied with more pressing matters, he might have found the little youkai's position amusing. His mother certainly would—when she remembered the imp's name.

Rin loved Jaken as he had seen human children love their siblings—certainly not the feelings he shared for his only brother—but as items to play with for amusement unless one's guardian was watching, in which case a tentative respect was given until said guardian's back was turned. She laughed at him and mocked him, sang to him and bedecked the poor fellow with the same garlands of flowers and showers of petals that she'd plagued the dragon with—quite undignified for a demon of Jaken's age and reknown. The pure shock and outrage on the little demon's face seemed to set her off into even more gales of giggles, which at first had made his head ache. But she was happy, and for all that he was unconcerned with human emotions, he was satisfied that she was not in torment, or fear. Since she had never shown true fear of him, he was resolutely determined that she should never show fear of lesser beings. He was proud, most times, that she had learned his lessons so well.

Once stabilized with her two newfound loves at her back, she turned to him, as always, without fear.

It was that look that sent razor-sharp panic through him, in truth—he, who had never known fear.

Had she never formulated that wide-eyed expression of devotion, he might have left her, might have had Jaken leave her at the nearest human village and never think of her again. He still could not understand why he did not.

She was a weakness. He had been told, again and again by various and sundry lesser demons, Jaken, and Naraku more than once. Even the part of his own subconscious that was concerned with such things emitted a protest or two, which he did not heed.

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She was his ward, his responsibility. He had given her life in that dark forest path with Tensaiga and, like a father should—as his own father had—he protected her, taught her the lessons that he was sure she would need to know.

He was proud that she learned his lessons so well.

She had never shown fear—to hell and beyond, she had never lost that look of love.

…His mother was right. He was still a fool.