A/N: And we're back!

Fish Out of Water

Rin smiled at the periwinkle, pearly-skied morning, appreciatively nodding toward the east and soaking up the quiet, predawn calm. While this twilit time was on the early side, she savored the rosy hours when only a few people crept from their huts, leaving the start of a new day mostly to herself. Rin preferred these mornings over dark, shadowy nights, simply because you could just do more in the day if you got up early enough. No point in staying up late if you can't see in the dark. Today, she rose just a little extra early to get her chores out of the way. Knotting the bow at the small of her back, Rin patted her work clothes into place and set to her morning tasks.

From the entrance to the hens' coop, Rin could spy the steadily expanding house behind it. Kohaku wasn't joking when he remarked that his sister's home was getting very crowded. Over the years, Miroku's home had gone from a modest hut like anyone else's to a small mansion to accommodate his growing family. But the monk was keen not to let parsimony come before public relations and freely shared his good fortune with the local residents who in turn looked the other way that their neighbor's house sported fluted shingles instead of the common thatched roof.

With the ease of habit, Rin reached under a fat, brown chicken, ignoring its clucking protests. Even if it's mostly the same routine, a lot has changed since I was small.

Without Kaede to supervise, this past winter had marked Rin's official transition as a professional midwife. Not that there's too much business in that field at the moment. For now there were only two women expecting in the village and Sango, the more advanced between the ladies, wasn't due for well over another month or two.

Number five…I'll have to be around for that.

By mid-morning, Rin wrapped up the last of her daily chores and returned to the hut she had once shared with the late priestess. Although it wasn't anything large, it had a planked floor and a cozy, welcoming ambiance that denied no entreaty. On the side where she kept a small chest, Rin carefully folded her work clothes away and searched for something lighter and more colorful. Distractedly, she took a moment to finger the golden butterflies that embroidered one bright blue kimono. For a reason, she couldn't quite place it reminded her of something. This one, then. Just as Rin was about to head out, a familiar admonition reverberated in memory. She crossed back over to the other side of her home and uncovered the delicately wrapped length of the blade Sesshomaru presented to her last year.

Twice Rin had to rework the knots on the scabbard until she tied it just right into her obi. The iron weighed heavily at her side, throwing her gait off balance. Rin hoped it wasn't so painfully apparent how unused she was to wearing a sword. It felt unneeded, unnatural, and…clunky.

But if I want to hold my own...The amber disapproval glinted freshly in her mind, and she tied the wooden sheath all the more secure. Lost in contemplation as she set off, Rin started when she bumped into a flashing set of golden eyes.

Lord Sesshomaru?

"An' where d'ya think you're going, kiddo?" Dog ears quivered and flexed quizzically.

"For a walk," Rin answered simply. She wished Inuyasha would stop referring to her as "kid." They practically looked the same age. It was one thing when I was younger, but I swear if he starts getting as protective as his brother…

Inuyasha eyed the sword at the girl's side. "Is he pushing you that hard?"

Rin drew herself up to her full height and, in a tone that brooked no debate, declared, "I have to become strong on my own because I want to be." Then, scanning his expression as if looking for some approbation, she added, "You understand that, don't you?"

With a huff and a side-step, the hanyo excused her from his scrutiny. But a second thought made him call after her. "Hey, kid!" Inuyasha's voice pitched with a note of concern. "Don't go lookin' f'trouble just 'cause you've got somethin' t'prove…An' don't smile and wave me off like that either!"

Rin's parting grin widened at the retort. Lord Sesshomaru placed accountability for one's person first. Check. And now I can deal with the other responsibilities for today, too.

oOo

"You're late," Kichiruka observed lightly, hugging the bank with his chin resting on his crossed arms.

"How long have you been waiting?" asked Rin, glancing at the sun. It was barely the hour of the boar, not quite yet noon.

"Since dawn." He quirked his head to one side. "I figured that humans weren't nocturnal since I've only see you here during the day. Are humans not early-risers either?"

"No, I was just finishing up my work during the morning…um, anyway…" While Kichiruka fixed drowning cerulean eyes on her, Rin realized what made her unconsciously pick out the bright blue kimono she wore. Eh, spending just a little too much time around him now. Nothing for it, she smoothed the skirted length down and knelt by the bank, unsure of what to do next. If he's supposed to learn how to walk today, am I obliged to help him out first? But before she voice her question, Kichiruka posed one of his own.

"So you live in that village?" He nodded in the general direction behind Rin.

"You make it sound unusual."

"A little…I mean, I visited once and there you were, but you dress like the daughter of a noble's house, not some peasant's."

"I was born to 'some peasant,'" Rin said and not without an ounce of umbrage.

"Hey, hey, no offense intended." Kichiruka's hands flew up and his fingers laced protectively through the spikes on his head. "So…your apparel must be provided by your guardian?"

Rin curtly nodded. "Yes."

Kichiruka glanced a ways down the brook, remembering how Rin once said that her caregiver assumed the role of family when she had none, and felt a pang of sympathy. Was she, too, an orphan? But Rin's brows scrunched together, so he decided not to press the subject, instead addressing the second topic on his mind. "Must be pretty rich, but why are you living here then?" The words were out before Kichiruka could censor himself. Watching Rin's knees shift and her gaze fall, he knew he'd made her uncomfortable.

"A couple of reasons," Rin replied. "He has a very dangerous lifestyle. And it's best I grew up with humans."

"As opposed to what? Yokai?"

Rin nodded.

Kichiruka mouthed a silent "wow." "He's a demon? What a wealth of experience this must have afforded you!"

"To an extent." It seemed that when Rin was younger, she had a world of opportunity before her. Lord Sesshomaru said she could do as she wished. He let her know that she had options and every day she had choices. Like back then he understood that children were people trapped by the decisions adults made for them. Now, it seemed as she got older her alternatives lessened. Do this, do that, and no, you're not ready yet.

"An' you didn't have one of these with you last time." Kichiruka tapped a claw to the tip of her sword's hilt.

"Yeah, yeah, so are you ready to start practicing?"

Kichiruka's gaze flicked nervously back to the sword.

Rin sighed. "I'm not going to use it on you, silly! Now, are you going to learn to walk or not?"

"Yeah…" But his voice came out small, like a child's. The moment Kichiruka had been dreading was at hand. Now or never. Smacking the conch staff into the water, he vaulted out of the little river and onto the land, skidding and slipping on the slick grass until slid to a stop some feet away from his coach.

Getting up, Rin strolled over to where the water demon lay sprawled on his stomach. He's yokai, so he should be fine.

"I landed on my staff," he winced.

Rin blinked, not sure how to interpret that. Then Kichiruka reached under himself and pulled out the spiked conch staff, its sharp, orange tines glinting wickedly in the sunlight.

Oh…ouch.

Seeing his full form for only the second time, Rin noticed how his gray hakama matched the color of his short jacket and, incidentally, his hair. They stopped just below the knee, tucked into cobalt blue leggings the same hue as the background for his clamshell-decorated kimono. The bare feet that stuck out at the end were dappled in dark blotches like the rest of him.

Gracelessly, Kichiruka flipped on his back…landing again on the conch staff with a loud "Yow!"

"Need help getting up?" Rin offered.

"No, I can do it," he insisted. Gritting his teeth, Kichiruka lurched on to the conch staff like a crutch. This body was meant to be compatible with the terrain, he reminded himself. By logic, he should be able to at least stand in it. He got as far as a hunched posture, then, like kelp in an undertow, the water demon's legs gave and he flopped back down on his stomach, the staff clunking off his head.

Kichiruka swore softly into the dirt. Maybe just crawl then.

"What's the matter?" Rin asked more out of curiosity than mockery. "I thought you could at least stand."

"It's been a while," Kichiruka grunted. "The muscles have probably atrophied by now. For my kind, walking is one of those 'use it or lose it' skills, which is why so few of us ever come to the surface."

Rin carefully stepped around the sprawled out water sprite. "It might help if you bent your knees."

"All right, then." With a grunt that indicated no small amount of effort, Kichiruka drew his knees under himself until he was supported on all fours. Yay, my big accomplishment for the day.

"Is it painful?"

"Not really…just stiff," he said hoarsely around clenched teeth. I'm not even s'posed to have limbs like these. But when he looked up and saw that patient expression, the soft, brown eyes almost pleading for him to try again, Kichiruka knew he couldn't just quit here.

"There's a reason you have a human form, right?"

"Right," Rin heard Kichiruka say as if answering someone. She waved her hand under his chin. "Grab on."

The light eyes took a minute to register the offering and another to confirm. "I'm permitted?"

"Well don't make a project out of it," Rin huffed tersely.

His touch was cold and slick with some sort of film, but Rin noticed that the webbing between his fingers had receded a bit.

"I told you I was working on it." He grinned proudly. "Oh, wait a sec." Kichiruka clapped his hands together and muttered a soft chant. Rin watched in awe as the clothes straightened and dried. Maybe that isn't such a bad power after all.

"Mm-kay, let's go!"

Crouched beside him so her sword hung on the opposite side, Rin threw a navy clad arm over her neck, holding on with one hand while the other wrapped around the waist of the water yokai. "All right, but you have to push with your legs as best you can. Got it?"

The spray of steely bangs bobbed with the demon's nod.

Where Kohaku was athletic, Kichiruka was of slighter build. The abbreviated haori, with its broad shoulders and voluminous breadth, only served to puff him out. I can take 'im, Rin wagered. "Okay, go ahead and lean on me just a – Whoa! Too much!" She nearly caved from the strain as the water sprite threw his whole weight on to her small frame. Geez, he's heavy! "What'd you have for breakfast? Rocks?"

"Only the usual five or so for ballast. Why?"

Rin groaned as she figured he wasn't joking at all on that one. The girl was suddenly grateful for the sword's weight since it offset some of Kichiruka's. Within the minute they managed to stagger into a stance. Now for the more difficult objective: motion.

"Look, just focus on keeping your balance and matching one of my steps for your own. Can you do that?" Rin asked.

"Yup!"

"For sure?"

Kichiruka smiled.

He's not. "C'mon," she sighed.

Slowly, Kichiruka lifted one foot in time with Rin. It was pretty tough. She was used to these actions so alien to him and, deliberate as her steps were, Rin was still moving more quickly and fluidly than he could follow. Half of this walking stuff seemed innate. More than once, Rin had to remind him to set down his whole foot and not just his toe or heel if he didn't want to tip over.

Their progress was painstakingly slow, but, miraculously Rin didn't complain. Intermediately, she even gave praise when Kichiruka completed a series of steps without stumbling. It's as if she's as focused on seeing this through as I am. Taking heart, he plodded forward.

When the paces picked up, Rin started to loosen her hold. "Keep your back straight," she coached, nearly prepared to let go at any moment. Kichiruka noticed when she motioned to slip away and his confidence crumbled. "No, wait!" Claws scrabbled and legs went limp as the water demon lost all balance, dragging Rin down with him.

Maybe he is just hopeless. The human girl glanced over at her hapless companion, expecting to find a defeated look that mirrored own feelings. Instead, Kichiruka's laughter bubbled like a fountain, starting first in his shoulders until it rippled through the rest of him. Rin didn't see what was so particularly funny. He was doing so well one second and now they'd just crashed.

"In such situations, dear Rin, you either laugh or cry." Kichiruka's blue eyes danced with sparkling mirth.

Rin allotted him a smirk, but that was it. "Well, we can't just sit around either," she said in a business-like tone, then stood and scooped up his arm again. Kichiruka stood with her, hooking Rin back into the crook of his elbow where the short sleeves ended somewhere thereafter. Her grip shifted, making contact with the demon's bare forearm. The limb was solid enough, but whatever it was coated in felt like refined goop. Rin shirked back instantly, a surprised gasp escaping her. Without a second thought, she wiped her hand on the side of her kimono. Then regretted her action with equal intensity at the sight of Kichiruka's knitting brow.

"Rin," he said, modulating her name into a question. "Am I…slimy?"

The way Kichiruka phrased the question made it sound like someone had told him so before. Well, he does feel just a little…icky, Rin admitted to herself. But give the guy a break, if he's really not all that strong maybe his spells still need honing. "Does your drying spell still need some work?"

"Uh, no. I was congratulated on perfecting it last autumn," Kichiruka answered, then saw where she was going. "I realized that this is my usual, ah, texture when I'm outside my element. It's like my body makes an effort to keep itself moist."

"O-Oh." Rin nodded her comprehension. Ewwww…

"But," – Kichiruka shrugged – "I guess it's no more gross than what you're doing right now."

"Huh?" Rin stopped dead in her tracks, bringing their walk to a sudden halt. "What's that s'posed to mean? What am I doing that makes me so disgusting?"

Holding up a claw-tipped finger to her forehead, he carefully gathered a bead of sweat into the cusp of his nail. "You're slimy, too. See?"

"That's perspiration!" Rin retorted, but Kichiruka wasn't paying attention anymore.

"Tee-hee, salty!" he chuckled, closing his eyes and licking finger clean. He glanced at Rin to find her staring. Still grinning, the oceanic yokai explained, "You taste like home."

Guess that's a compliment in his world. Awkwardly, Rin tried to half-smile. "Uh…thanks."

Kichiruka chuckled lightly in response. Maybe it was his chipper mood, but to Rin it seemed his steps enlivened considerably as they ambled along at a faster pace. A few steps more and Kichiruka's weight gradually lessened on his aide. Rin kept one arm encircled about his side, but her friend's paces were becoming more independent. And confident.

Suddenly, the conch staff set off a low thrum, hollow and deep as if someone were blowing in from one end. Stopping abruptly, the young demon's frame leaned back onto Rin, crushing a surprised yerk out of her. Kichiruka uttered a quick apology before he brought the shelled end to his mouth. His jaws unhooking in that strange demonic fashion, he emitted a gurgle from the depths of his throat that popped and crackled. It's certainly doesn't sound like a language. Rin stared at the odd exchange.

"Tensai," Kichiruka groaned as his features reverted to normal and he slipped the staff into his sash again. "I'm needed back." Turning around to look at the brook, his expression lit up at the sight of distance, a testament to his progress.

"Okay, let's go." Rin sidled up under his shoulder, ready to help him back.

"No. It's all right." Kichiruka slipped his arm away, reaching out only once to steady himself. And slowly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and letting his knees bend and push himself forward, Kichiruka began to walk on his own. Just as he had tried before it became much easier as the momentum picked up.

Straightening to watch him go, Rin didn't realize what a difference Kichiruka's weight made until she tried to walk herself. Feeling the forgotten sword's load throw her off kilter anew, Rin staggered to one side, trying to regain her footing and only successful in treading over her lengthy kimono. A yelp followed by a stumble, Rin hopped in vain to keep from plopping gracelessly to the ground. Eek, his clumsiness in contagious! And she laughed at the idea.

Kichiruka spun around at the commotion. "Oh! I didn't take your walking power, did I?" Trying to run over to the fallen girl's side, he defaulted to a stiff-kneed waddle. And tripped over his own ankles.

Rin laughed harder. Still trying to catch her breath, she crawled the short distance to where Kichiruka sprawled. She tried not to giggle at the earnest worry clouding his eyes.

"Will you get to walk again? I'm so sorry. I would never have –"

Rin pressed her palm over his babbling mouth to get in a sound word. "Walking isn't a magical power…for people," she corrected. "Now sit up."

Insisting on trying it out for himself, Kichiruka had to rock on his haunches for a minute before swinging himself upward. He tilted forward for second, but Rin pushed into him before he fell for the umpteenth time. Firmly, she steered him around in the proper direction. "Thatta way."

Although he started off at a slow shuffle again, Kichiruka picked up speed a bit quicker this time and guiding hands were able to slip away sooner.

Rin smiled at the spectacle. It reminded her of how children carried cups of tea they had filled to the brim, putting far too much concentration on each movement compared the casualness with which an adult acted. But either way… "You're walking!"

All in the first day! He'll have this down in no time! Rin cheered.

Completing the last step to the bank, Kichiruka pivoted around, triumph glinting in his eyes. "I did it!" Then his spine gave funny jerk as he teetered to keep his balance. One foot kicking up over the other, Kichiruka toppled helplessly head over heels and splashed head-first into the brook.

On second thought, this is going to take a lot of work. Rin rolled her eyes skyward, but still had trouble keeping a smile at bay.

.

A/N: Thank you for reading! More to come.