This chapter has implied sexual themes, so if you're uncomfortable with those things, please avert your eyes and run away screaming.

But, it's nothing gross or graphic, I swear! I don't write stuff like that.

Anyway, enjoy.

Oh yeah. I don't own anything. (Not even Sesshomaru. Dammit.)

Chapter Two

Secrets

A red blush of shame plagued Rin's cheeks as though it were a rash. Jaken and Sesshomaru had waited patiently as she vomited, neither saying a word, until she was finished. And now, standing with her hands fastened to her sides in front of Sesshomaru, the embarrassment almost overwhelmed her. She felt as though she had somehow travelled back to when she was a child, being scolded for not walking fast enough or reprimanded for burning her dinner.

"That was unwise," Sesshomaru repeated, thinking she had not heard him.

"I'll say," Jaken piped in. He shook his staff harshly at the girl, the double heads bobbing slightly. "If Lord Sesshomaru hadn't deemed your life worthy enough to save, you would have died, you silly thing!"

"A little girl…her doll was up a tree." The explanation, now said, sounded more ridiculous with each word. No demon – no human in control of their wits, either – would risk themselves for something made of cloth and thread. But she had. It had been a silly, dangerous situation to rush into; Rin realized that now. She also realized that she would never have been able to turn her back on that little girl no matter how angry Sesshomaru would become.

However, as far as Rin could tell, he was not angry. Then again, she could only read him as far as he would allow her. A few times she would see something flash under his eyes, barely scraping at emotion, and then in the next moment it would disappear, leaving her to wonder if she had simply imagined it. She had learned to interpret his body language, any small movement, to tell her what he thought.

Rin jumped when a two-headed staff swung alarmingly close to her nose.

"A tree? Why are you so fascinated with trees lately?" Shaking his head, Jaken muttered something about the stupidity of mortal women. He then made an obvious show of appraising her appearance. "And look at you! We will be ashamed to be seen with you!"

"Jaken."

Swiftly, the frog demon slapped his beak shut. He grunted, frustrated, and looked to Sesshomaru, who looked back steadily and without further comment. They would leave. Staying near a human village for too long caused the humans to become anxious, often violent, and Rin had no desire to see them slaughtered by the great demon's blade. She stared longingly at the simple houses, experiencing a small, confusing ache in her heart. She had missed humans but not the memories they brought with them. A moment in the midst of their children and she had almost forgotten how cruel her kind could be.

"Miss! Miss, wait!"

The three stopped, their bodies automatically turning towards the noise. A man dressed in what seemed no better than rags ran up as close to her as he dared once he saw her demon companions. Incredible fear was etched into his gentle, tanned face, and yet he chanced another step forward, and another, and another, stopping only five feet away. Jaken almost dropped his staff with surprise; this was not something humans did regularly. Approaching a woman with a demon? Unspeakable.

"My name's Hiroshi." The man was slightly proud his voice had only shook a little. His hands clasped in front of him, saying, "Are you the woman who got my girl's doll for her?"

"Oh." Rin looked down at her basket. "Yes."

"The town's talking about you. Not just anybody would risk their life for a little toy. And way up in that tree, too. Wow." He let out a soft whistle through his teeth, grinning so wide that Rin had to smile too. He definitely had a certain charm about him. "You are amazing."

"Oh," she said again. This situation was becoming increasingly uncomfortable; she had never received this much attention from a man before and she was uncertain if she hated it or liked it. Flattery, as well, she was unused to.

"She don't have a mama, you know," he said quietly.

Rin's face dropped. She took a few steps to stand in front of the man. "But she told me…the doll…"

"Yeah. Her Mama bought her that before she died. She still thinks her mama's gonna come home." Hiroshi pushed a patch of his black hair out of his eyes. "You know, she needs a mama to treat her right, to teach her about womanly things. I was wondering…if…if you…"

"Rin." The command was firm but there was a slight undertone of annoyance. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed with an unusual show of obvious aggression. It caused one side of Jaken's brow to go up, but he said nothing.

"Coming, Lord Sesshomaru!" the girl called over her shoulder. Pushing her basket to rest on her forearm, she grabbed the man's hand, giving it a good-natured squeeze. "Good journey to you, Mister Hiroshi!"

They left him to stand dejectedly near the oak tree, staring abashedly down at his feet, his bravery fast depleting. Rin breathed a relieved, yet slightly guilty, sigh when they were covered by the green arms of the forest once more. A part of her wondered what the man would have said, what he would have offered, and a part of her squirmed at the thought of leaving Sesshomaru. She could not leave him.

They walked in silence, interrupted only by the crushing of branches and twigs under their feet. This silence should not have bothered her. She had lost count of how many hours she spent tracking across the countryside after her demon companions, none of them speaking to the others. Though, at these times, it was rare that Jaken did not talk at least once, and so any moments away from his chatter provided her with some time to her own thoughts. Had she not gone to pick herbs for the main reason of escaping Jaken? Now it itched at her. Rin wanted to speak with Sesshomaru and to ask him the questions she so wished she could ask.

Somehow, though, today she knew that her questions would not be heard.

And so Rin kept to the silence. Her mouth remained firmly shut even as they entered the place where they would sleep for the night, even as Jaken scurried off to collect firewood - which was normally her responsibility - and even as she saw A-Un watching nervously for her. A surprised snort came from the dragon, who eyed her wearily from where he lay, most likely wondering after her odd appearance.

She hid her face the best she could and turned to the river a few paces from the cave in which they would sleep. The river served well as a source of drink and a place for washing clothing. It would serve that much better as somewhere to wash herself away from anyone else, where she could find solace before Sesshomaru spoke to her of her idiotic human sentiment towards a doll.

Her embarrassment overflowed when she glanced down in the water and saw her reflection. Though it was darker out now and the water was a deep blue, Rin could still see the tangled nest of her hair, the lines where unyielding tree branches had whipped at her face. When she removed her kimono, Rin was pleased to see it had remarkably survived without being torn, but it was barely a slight relief. She waded out into the water then. Her scratches stung but the water was refreshing on her skin, washing off the disgusting feeling of dirt that had seemed to creep everywhere, and, honestly, she had suffered much worse.

Dressing, she made her way slowly back and into the cave where her lord sat waiting. Sesshomaru lifted his yellow eyes to hers for a moment before they fell back to a pebble sitting on the ground. Jaken had already gathered the first necessities of wood to start a fire, though he was nowhere to be found, and the flame bathed their surroundings with a hot light.

Rin's hand flew up to tug on the bottom of her braid, as she always did when she was nervous. It was a habit that had formed throughout the years, though she was uncertain when it had started.

With a jolt, she remembered that her hair was cascading around her instead of being pulled back. She then realized that the girl whose doll she had saved had also taken her hair ribbon. She would have to find something else to hold her hair.

She wandered over to the area where their provisions had been set down and, kneeling, she picked up the only comb she had in her possession: a worn, old one made of a dark wood Rin could not name. It had been one of the first gifts Sesshomaru had ever presented her. She treasured it.

They said nothing to each other. Rin could feel his gaze on her back as she worked the tangles out of her long hair. She winced, knowing that he was thinking of the events of that day, but pretended that she had recoiled because the tooth of her comb had hit a particularly stubborn knot. Taking in a breath, she prepared herself for the unpleasant, yet always calm, reprove she would receive for her silly, emotional decision that day.

"What did you want with that man?"

The question was flat and sounded rather lifeless to Rin's ears. It took her off guard, as well, for that was not what she had expected. There was the scrape of shoe against dry dirt as Sesshomaru stood, a powerful figure facing away from her back and seemingly studying the wall of the cave with great interest.

She stood just as he had, carefully, and held back the grin threatening to break out. She forced her eyes to stay focused on the ground, willing her hands to calmly keep the comb running through her hair.

Rin replied honestly: "Nothing. He was thanking me."

"Of course he was."

Sesshomaru stiffened, squelching a wave of anger that washed over him. He had seen the way that man looked at her, and though his demon blood did not give him the ability to look into other's minds, he knew what the human had been thinking.

"Sesshomaru."

Rin slipped her arms around his waist. Though she had been doing this for over three years, it still caught him off guard. Frustratingly so. Sesshomaru wondered idly how long he had been this way with her. When had he allowed her to touch him this way? When had he first kissed her? The kiss, he recalled dully, was a little over two years ago, and had stemmed from Rin's shocking peck on his cheek. He had not expected his face to turn. He had not expected to kiss her.

And yet he had.

As for the touch, she had always tried to touch him in some shape or form ever since she was a child. First it had been his hair, which she had found so fascinating that he had allowed her to explore it, and gradually grew into her grasping onto his arm or reaching up for a hug after a particularly dangerous battle. Rin had even dared once, while they were walking side by side, to stretch out and hold his hand. Sesshomaru, of course, after a surprised second, had shrugged her off and had looked down at her, expecting to see hurt in her eyes but saw only delight that he had permitted her that mere moment.

Then, as she grew, the touch became alarmingly different, repulsive and fascinating at the same time. Rin's hand would brush his as they walked together or her head would lean against his back, arms locked tight around him, as they rode A-Un. And he had allowed it. One night, perhaps a year before, he – he, Lord of the Western Lands – had reached out for her, and it had been her turn to allow his touch. After this, whether it was Sesshomaru or Rin who reached for the other, they would bond themselves together for that night.

They did not speak of these nights. Jaken did not know, though he most likely suspected somewhere in the back of his mind – the part of him which would not fully push away the prospect of a demon and human. Sesshomaru and Rin's conjoined lives continued on each day quietly and unchanged. There was an understanding that did not need to be spoken: it was to be kept secret.

Sesshomaru then wondered why he had lusted after her in the first place. He knew she was not beautiful. Pleasing enough to look at, but beautiful? No, not beautiful. Her hands were calloused and she hardly ever wore shoes unless it was winter or Jaken insisted hard enough. He reasoned that it had been because he was a young demon and he had needed a mate. A calculated, unemotional decision.

He faced her now, his expression as calm as ever.

"Rin," he chided, "do not be childish."

She looped her arms up around his neck and offered him a giant grin. His face was impassive but his eyes were burning liquid pools of ember. Her small hands moved to his neck, slipping under the collar of his shirt to stroke his skin. A jolt of pleasure pulsed through his body, his eyes darkening with the touch. Such a clever little human.

Sesshomaru removed his swords, driving both Tenseiga and Bakusaiga fast into the dirt, not too far away so as to keep them in reach if there were intruders, and then he rounded on Rin. His hand flew up and gripped her chin tightly, tipping her face upward. His mouth came crashing down on hers and he pressed hard enough that it made her lips ache. Rin relished in the feeling, her pulse thumping inside of her veins. Almost shyly, though no one but Rin would have noticed his instant of hesitation, Sesshomaru's arm fell from her face and slipped around her waist, dragging her closer.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" a shrill voice called out from beyond the cave entrance, interrupting them. Startled and embarrassed, Rin made to pull away but Sesshomaru held her firmly to him.

"Jaken," Sesshomaru growled against Rin's lips. "Sleep with A-Un."

"Wha –" The frog demon sounded incredulous at the very idea and he halted just before he could enter the cave. "But, Lord Sesshomaru –"

"Go!"

There was a frightened yelp and small footsteps as Jaken scurried away as fast as his legs would take him. He would be spending his night huddled alongside a large scaly beast, dodging from searing fireballs spewed out of the double-headed dragon's snouts as it slept, curled around his staff as he lamented over his situation.

Rin snickered into her lord's chest, though she stopped when she met his smouldering eyes, slicing her into silence. Fluidly, she pushed his spiked armour from his shoulder, ignoring the sound it made when it fell, kissing and stroking him where it had sat. His eyes closing, he peeled her kimono from her body and slid his teeth neatly into the flesh over her collar bone.

She gasped, startled, and wriggled uncomfortably with the pinpricks of slight pain that he had caused. When Sesshomaru pulled away, she glimpsed blood on his fangs and it rattled her spine with a chill. Confusion then wracked her; he had never done this. Rin tried to meet his eyes, to question the significance behind what he had done, but his fingers were untying her obi and her own had knotted in his hair, and soon her previous thoughts were forgotten. They fell to the ground, Sesshomaru again guiding her lips back to his.