A/N: Cultural note – 'itadakimasu' roughly translates as 'I gratefully partake' and generally used before eating a meal, especially if someone else has prepared it. FYI: 'Gochisosama' is what you say after (lit. That was a feast! Idio. That was delicious, thank you!). Moving on...

With Fronds Like These

From his perch on the thatched roof, Inuyasha smelled Rin well before he saw her trudging down the main road to the village. She had Sesshomaru's scent all over, like she'd come within a hair's breadth of his yoki at full blast. Inuyasha bristled. He knew what that felt like.

Bastard.

As Rin approached Kagome's home she saw the sign pinned to the threshold that announced, "Back in twenty minutes." Considering that only a handful of people in this village could actually read the sign, Rin always thought it was a little silly. It wasn't Kagome she was looking for, anyway. She parked herself on the bench out front and waited.

"Yo," Inuyasha gruffly greeted, pouncing off his roost. "So what happened now?" He took up a seat beside Rin and pointed his nose at the scent's strongest source.

"A gift," she sighed dismally.

Inuyasha quirked a heavy brow. "Most people are happy when they get somethin'."

"Yeah, but…I'm sure those 'somethings' aren't so complicated."

Tapping the fang at his side, Inuyasha smirked. "Wanna bet?" Then, a little more seriously, he added, "I thought you wanted to get stronger."

"I do." She toyed with a loose thread on her kimono. "But I didn't think there was so much entailed, y'know?"

Yeah, I do. "And?"

"And…I couldn't perform when the pressure was on. There were times where he left himself blatantly open for me to attack and…I didn't." Rin lapsed into silence.

Well, that explained the onslaught of yoki. He's pushing her again. But…White, canine ears swiveled in mock confusion. "Y'mean, you had a chance to take a real good swing at him, one that he might feel, and didn't? Why?"

Cracking a smile, Rin rolled her eyes the half-demon's way. "It's not easy for everyone to want to wipe that smirk off Lord Sesshomaru's face."

Inuyasha barked his one-syllable laugh. "I guess. But you're also doing wrong by him when you don't."

"Really? How's that?" Her head canted to one side.

"Well, think about it. You're the one he wants protected, and he's the damn scariest thing out there, no matter which way you slice it. If he pits himself against you don't think twice about hurting him – chances are good he's got it under control, anyway," Inuyasha hastily added the last when her face paled at the thought of injuring the creep.

"Look, girl," he continued, "Sesshomaru sure as hell doesn't want you to have any emotional qualms when it comes to protecting yourself. He's pretty weird when it comes to these sorta things." Since the kid was still looking at him with that blank stare, he figured he'd have to elaborate. Rigorously scratching the back of his head, Sesshomaru's brother considered his phrasing. He went with direct one anyway. "Y'know, I don't think that jerk even had a heart 'til he met you and got an example to go by."

Rin blinked.

Inuyasha grunted. "Keh, just keep in mind, you're real import'nt t'im."

"What Inuyasha means to say," Kagome intervened, overhearing the conversation as she popped up from around the side of the hut, "is that Lord Sesshomaru loves you very much and makes your best interest his priority."

"I know that."

"Then you should validate it," the priestess concluded.

Validate it by…? Rin looked at the green banded hilt and sighed. She knew she was Sesshomaru's priority. I just sometimes I wish I were just a little lower on the list so he wouldn't worry so much.

"Your call, kid," Inuyasha's voiced trailed as he followed Kagome inside.

When she was a child, she trusted the great demon's judgment unconditionally. He gave her a place to belong and a sense of stability when she needed it most. But as she grew, Rin noticed that not everyone made the right decisions and adhering to the acceptable only left the mundane. What she wanted to do was to have the independence to test her own judgment. But earning that was more of a challenge than she expected. And the recklessness she thought she craved lost much of their appeal in a matter of moments.

I guess this part of helping me grow up.

When Rin looked at her sword again, she reacquainted herself with the grooves of hilt, feeling the ease with which it was tailored to her grip. It was hers. A means of defense, a way of fulfilling her top priority: herself. And priorities always carried responsibility.

I'll prove I can handle mine.

oOo

The next day that followed, Rin packed a few extra materials in a cloth she tied up and slung over her shoulder. She looked forward to these visits with Kichiruka mostly because they made her feel important, like she had someone to protect. So long as he was picking up something from her Rin felt, at the bare minimum, that she was needed.

Kichiruka sat in the brook, amusing himself with…juggling? His arms keeping time with the circular pattern, Rin was impressed to see such dexterity from her normally clumsy friend. The demon didn't say anything when she sat down on the bank to watch. She guessed that the balls must have been glass until, with a flick of webbed fingers, one of the balls split into two perfectly shaped spheres and rejoined the circuit without a hitch.

"Like it?" Kichiruka asked, his attention still adhered to juggling. "I've been meaning to show you for a while now."

Rin clapped delightedly. "It's cool!"

"Think fast." He rolled one off his elbow, but just as Rin made to catch the water ball its surface tension broke and splashed in her face. His focus gone, the rest of juggling act splattered back into the brook. Kichiruka's smothered laughter choked out in broken bits.

Wiping her soggy bangs aside, Rin huffed. On second thought, using this sword won't be so difficult.

"Do you want to try?"

Rin started at the sudden suggestion. "Huh? Me? Do what you did?"

Cupping a hand into the water, Kichiruka conjured a new liquid sphere. He whispered softly and the trembling water stilled to a perfectly smooth surface. Free hand extended, the fingers motioned for Rin to lay her own hand palm up on top. She did and the water sphere plopped into her hand, jiggling slightly.

While Kichiruka issued hushed commands, he maintained his hold on Rin and she could the dark edge of yoki that danced along her skin; but where Sesshomaru's aura intimidated, Kichiruka's teased a titter from her throat. At the giggle, he took half a second to smile up at her, then returned to the quivering sphere before it broke. Slowly, the demon drew away.

Rin tossed the bubble from one hand to the other, and Kichiruka's eyes tracked it, willing the water to keep its shape. Until he realized it was being throw at him! Focus lost, the sphere exploded on impact, drenching him straight on.

"Gotcha!" Rin rocked back on her heels in peels of laughter.

Still blinking water from his eyes, Kichiruka spluttered his amusement. Formidable!

Tidying her collar and trying to straighten out her goofy smile, Rin stood. "Come on, let's get moving."

The water demon nodded. He climbed out of the brook without much trouble and, with some support from the conch staff, made it to his feet.

"Want to walk a while?" Rin offered.

"Well, actually, I think I'm good to g—EEEK!" He tipped over, but was caught up gently. This time Kichiruka's balance came much more quickly within a few minutes.

"You'll be a natural at this," Rin beamed.

"So where are we headed today?" Kichiruka straightened and fell into step alongside his coach unassisted. "The stream scene's getting kinda old."

"Yeah, we're actually going somewhere today." A smile brightened Rin's face. "Think you're ready?" Rin ignored his non-committal "Uhh…" "Good," she chirped. Don't answer. "There's a small hill over there. It's time you learned to walk upwards."

Blue eyes blinked. "Walking up?" Kichiruka seemed discomfited by the thought. The last time he tried walking up he fell straight through the air. Land atmosphere was nowhere near as supportive as water.

"Well, it's more of an incline," Rin called from over her shoulder as she trotted a few more paces ahead. "You coming or not?"

Kichiruka glanced nervously back at his brook. Maybe the scene wasn't that old.

"C'mon, there's a really great to view to enjoy!"

Well, it's something new.

It was very new. Tedious, slow, steep - this hill was definitely more of a strain on his calves than just plain walking and, looking around Rin, there was still quite a ways to go. Kichiruka's spine sagged making his knuckles scraped along the grass. His self-moisturizing properties kicked into overdrive and the water demon felt he was ready to collapse into a puddle of goo on the spot. When he did trip, half a step later, he hardly bothered moving.

Rin turned around at the defeated thud behind her. "Kichiruka, what are you doing?"

"Enjoying the view," he mumbled around a mouthful of dirt.

"Well, c'mon or you're going to miss the best part."

A light patter of steps alerted Kichiruka that she was probably standing over him. He stayed put. "Best part what? The top of a hill? They all look the same, I'm sure."

"Have you ever seen the top of a hill outside the ocean?"

He didn't budge.

"Fine, suit yourself, quitter." He heard Rin turn around and keep marching up.

She's like a jockey from hell. But, it spite of his legs' burning protestations, Kichiruka lurched to his knees – and noticed that Rin certainly did have a point – though whether or not this was the view she had in mind wasn't the case. Her working posterior had that sort of hypnotic swing, the muscles bunching and rolling nicely along under the bright prints of her kimono. It was like a very fine sculpture come to life, the kind you wanted to run your hands all over just to trace the curves.

His hand involuntarily squeezing, Kichiruka fought down the urge to reach out for a feel. He remembered how discriminating Rin was about touch.

But she did say to enjoy the view.

With a wry smile, Kichiruka could appreciate that much.

oOo

"See? You made it!" Rin cheered when they finally staggered to the hilltop.

"Yeah, uh, last minute motivation…" Even with a self-warning tug at the spikes of his topknot, the yokai couldn't censor a rakish grin.

Rin didn't notice. "Here, I picked these this morning." She undid the cloth, revealing a pair of succulent-looking peaches. "Take one."

Food! "Thank you." Kichiruka bobbed his head and politely accepted the fruit with his first three fingers.

Heh, points for courtly manners. But Rin's smile was wiped clean as the demon's mouth suddenly expanded to engulf not just the hapless fruit but his whole hand up to his wrist.

From the corner of his vision, Kichiruka noticed that Rin had barely pecked at her peach and stared at him with wide, wondering eyes instead. Did he make some breech in protocol?

Ah! He hastily pulled out his hand and the now half-dissolved, saliva-slicked peach it held. It didn't appear quite as appetizing as it did moments ago, but Kichiruka still managed the gusto for a hearty, "Itadakimasu!" And made assume his previous position.

"Wait!" Rin gripped his wrist. Eew, slimy. "It tastes better when you chew it."

"What's chewing?"

The water demon's oddball questions were starting to faze Rin less and less. He simply wasn't used to these sorts of things. Walking, chewing... Rin vaguely wondered what sort of commonalities she was missing out on his world. Probably stuff we don't have words for. Taking a bite of her own peach, she demonstrated.

His comprehending "Ooooh…" reminded her of the twins after one of their father's long-winded lectures. Except Kichiruka actually tried acting upon the suggestion.

Just as they settled into something resembling normalcy, the conch staff tapped timidly at Rin's sword.

"Careful!" Relief exhaled through Rin when Kichiruka didn't attempt his prodding a second time. She really didn't want to explain why his hand had melted off.

At least quick demon eyes didn't miss the greenish sparks that few from the hilt. "Something's different about your sword." His nose wrinkled. "It doesn't…taste right."

"Taste?"

Kichiruka touched a finger to his mouth then nose. "Direct connection." Sidling away from the blade, he continued to study it with a grim fascination, especially the hilt's grip that was dyed to match the strange sparks. "An infusion blade, eh?"

"Infusion blade?" Rin hadn't heard such terminology before.

"It's when you take a base weapon and imbue it with demonic energies," Kichiruka explained, his eyes never leaving the black scabbard. "Got to say, though, it must have taken quite a bit of magic and craftsmanship to contain that aura. It speaks volumes of the smith." He paused in his appraisal to ask, "Something from your guardian?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because he wants me to…"

"No, why are you undertaking something so dangerous," he clarified.

"I'm doing it for my independence, my freedom to go where I please." Rin nodded her head definitively.

"Why not take a strong friend along?"

"Are you volunteering?"

Kichiruka balked. "…Uh, I guess…not."

Leaning back against the trunk, Rin searched into the tree's shifting leaves, trying to locate the soft twitters overhead. "I want to be like him," she said, pointing to a little bird that flitted off the branch above.

Kichiruka's azure gaze followed the lark. "I wonder whoever decided that birds are free," he mused aloud.

"They sure look like it," Rin grumbled enviously.

"A lot of things appear and are not. Don't you think that their wings get tired every now and then after so much flying?" Crossing his arms behind his neck, he flopped back into the grass. "I think freedom might just be having a place to call home."

Sneaking a peek from the corner of her eye, Rin saw an almost peaceful expression cross Kichiruka's face. Except for that pinch between his eyebrows. She'd never seen the carefree demon look troubled before. Then, although he remained completely unaware of her observation, the water demon did that strange thing again – he just stopped. Rin leaned in and, for the second time, she saw Kichiruka's face make that adjustment. He didn't laugh…but he didn't frown or furrow his brows either. He simply stopped. No emotion, not a twinge.

"Something wrong?" Rin asked.

"No, nothing at all." Much-too-wide blue eyes turned her way and Kichiruka's voice could've given Lord Sesshomaru competition in the flat department. Rin sighed inwardly. Although it wasn't a groomed expression of disinterest, she knew a mask when she saw one.

"Something's upsetting you," she said bluntly.

Kichiruka got up. "It's nothing."

With a sure tug on his arm, Rin yanked him back down. "Then you can at least share. If it troubles you that much, you shouldn't keep it to yourself."

She looked for any emotions that might flicker across Kichiruka's face, but he stared back like a pretty, painted doll. He's well practiced at this.

"All right, don't tell me. I was just curious, anyway." She shrugged. When he was ready, he'd talk. "Let's go. We'll practice walking downhill."

As Rin made her way down the knoll, she focused on not turning around. She knew that when she did Kichiruka would be smiling and something like that would only bother her more. Laugh or cry, he says. Huh.

In truth, Kichiruka's smile was faint. But it was very real. Just last season he would have never fathomed in a million years that he might find, on land of all places, a shot at freedom.

.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Reviews are most appreciated!