"Left. Right. Dodge. Jump!" Sesshomaru barked commands that Kagome tried to follow, her steps flying away from his each second. "You are slow," he said, striking again. Kagome yelped and dodged at the last moment. "Hold your tongue, it gives away your position."

"Sorry!" Kagome said automatically, and chastised herself for speaking again. Sesshomaru's poison claws could melt her skin if they were to touch her, and Sesshomaru was not above harming her to teach a lesson. She was understandably panicked. The green venom was in front of her again. Kagome leapt aside, kicked off the back wall, and launched herself across the room. Sesshomaru turned to face her. Kagome's own hand, the same sickly green color, was at his neck.

"Finally got you," she panted, letting her hand down. The world spun, and Kagome yelped again. Sesshomaru had his foot planted on her stomach, his claws at her legs. "No," he said, "I have bested you. How many times must I remind you to wait for my surrender?"

Kagome frowned and stood when Sesshomaru freed her. "I'm not used to hand-to-hand combat," she complained, wiping dust off her training outfit. "I just point and shoot my arrow. Even the whip of light lets me keep a distance."

"If you do not learn close combat," Sesshomaru said, letting the poison fade from his fingers, "you will never be a powerful youkai. However, for your first time, you were not terrible."

"Thanks." Kagome smiled a little, but Sesshomaru did not return it. She never expected him to do so. A small part of her hoped for it, though. "Off to breakfast, I presume?"

Sesshomaru was halfway to the door. "Yes, Kagome." He used her name several times this morning. The affect was pleasant, as Kagome was less surly when addressed personally. Sesshomaru found he did not mind using her name as he might with another.

"I'll see you then." Kagome grabbed a towel she brought with her, drying off the sweat. Sesshomaru nodded, and left. The sun was rising, it being dark when Kagome was awoken by Koneko for early training. Today's session was on fighting with their poison claws. As with the whip, Kagome learned to use her poison after a few minutes, but utilizing it in battle proved difficult. "Ah, well," she said to herself. "I'll get used to it."

Finished, she took the towel and left the dojo, which was still in the middle of repairs. For the damage she'd done, Kagome was surprised how much was fixed already. After their training, Sesshomaru told her, many servants went to work fixing it for the day. Another week and it would be finished.

What brightened Kagome's day the most, was how Sesshomaru treated her. There was less contempt in his voice when they spoke, and he called her name and looked her in the eye more often. It made Kagome feel like an equal, though Sesshomaru still acted superior in plenty of other ways. Maybe the picnic really did help, she thought.

"Kagome! Kagome!"

She turned, to spy Rin running toward her from the castle. "Hi, Rin!" Kagome waved, and walked to meet the child. Rin beamed and hugged Kagome tightly. "It's odd for you to be up this early," Kagome said, petting Rin's hair.

"But I had to, Kagome!" Rin looked up and stepped away. "I have something to show you."

"Oh?" Kagome followed Rin inside the castle and through the halls. The servants were up and about. No guests showed their faces. They would still be asleep, or preparing for breakfast. It would be a while before it was ready. Kagome removed her hair from its ponytail as they walked.

"You've seen my room, Kagome." Rin turned back briefly to smile at her. "Except this part."

"Hm?" Kagome raised an eyebrow. Rin did not elaborate. They walked up stairs and down another hall for some time, until they reached Rin's bedroom. As far as Rin knew, Shippo and Hatori were still asleep in their shared room. No one was in here yet. Kagome saw it a couple times, when visiting Shippo during their play.

Rin led her inside and walked to a far wall on the left. Kagome watched curiously, letting out a small gasp when Rin unlatched a hidden lock. "This," she said to Kagome, "is amazing." She yanked the concealed door open to reveal a room known previously to none except Rin and Sesshomaru.

Kagome let out a true gasp this time, eyes widening. Within this castle bedroom like any other, was a child's wonderland. Painted in bright reds and greens was a forest filled with lush flora and fauna. Kagome stepped behind Rin into the playroom, at the wooden toys scattered on the tatami mat floor. It was exactly like the rooms at Kagome's nursery school when she was young. Full of life.

"This is so pretty, Rin," she said, fingering the walls. "I never imagined you had a place like this hidden in your room."

Rin spun around to face Kagome. "I don't really play here anymore. I outgrew it. But after seeing how much you care for Shippo, and kids in general, I thought you would like to see it."

"It's beautiful," Kagome whispered. "Did Sesshomaru commission someone to make this?"

Rin grinned, picking up one of the toys, a wooden deer. "Even better, Kagome. Lord Sesshomaru did the paintings and made the toys himself."

Kagome's hand stopped in its tracing of the artwork. She turned to Rin, stunned. "What?"

Rin fingered the deer gently. "He did this himself. I asked him to. I said that it would never be as good if it was done by someone who didn't know me, who didn't love me the way Lord Sesshomaru does. And he spent days doing all this on his own." Rin lifted the deer, tracing the small dents carved in to resemble hair. "He put in a lot of details."

Kagome took the toy, eying it carefully. "The craftsmanship is impressive. I make stuff for my friends, but this is far beyond my skills." Kagome examined it for a few minutes, taking in the quality of the wood and intricacies in the face. "Sesshomaru did all of this?" She looked at the floor, at the other toys around her feet. Foxes, birds, youkai figurines, and huts were among them, every piece painted with accurate colors.

"Yes!" Rin smiled again. "He wouldn't have done it if I hadn't begged. I spent all my time here whenever we had to stop at the castle. I love this place, even if I don't play here much anymore."

"It's amazing, Rin," Kagome murmured, bending down to look at the other toys. The youkai figurines were of noble men and women, with long hair and bright eyes. After a moment, Kagome noticed two figurines in particular, and picked them up. "How cute!" she exclaimed.

They were figures of Rin and Sesshomaru. Rin had her classic smile and orange kimono. Sesshomaru was painted with a stoic expression, but closer inspection revealed a hint of a smirk. "He made those for my ninth birthday," Rin said, bending down with Kagome. "Lord Sesshomaru said I would probably be too old for the playroom soon, and wanted me to enjoy it while I could."

Kagome fingered the toys lovingly. "Wonderful craftsmanship, Rin," she said. "But I know why you brought me here." She stood, and raised an eyebrow. "Did you do this to show me something nice about Sesshomaru?"

Rin flinched, and shook her head. "N-no, of course not!" She waved at the walls around her. "I thought you liked kid stuff. I wanted you to see this because it's pretty and cute!"

"I do like childrens' things," Kagome said. "And yet, I think you have a different reason." Kagome knelt to Rin's level, brushing her hair away. "Rin," she said, "this is nice. And, to be honest, I never would have thought Sesshomaru would do something like this." Kagome looked around the room once more, at the detail and care in every inch. "It does give me some perspective, and something to think about." Kagome faced Rin again. "But I don't want you doing this just because Sesshomaru and I don't love each other. These things take time, and interference is no help for either of us."

"That isn't fair!" Rin frowned. "You're so wonderful, Kagome, I have no idea why Lord Sesshomaru doesn't like you yet. You're kind, and smart, and strong. I can't help how he feels. But you haven't seen Lord Sesshomaru's other side. The side he shows to me, the tenderness. He takes care of me. When I was little, I always thought he was great." Rin lowered her eyes. "I'm older now. I realize he isn't like that all the time. He kills people that get in his way, and he's cruel. But I think he's lonely, too."

This made Kagome's eyes widen. "Lonely?" she asked. "How do you figure?"

Rin sighed. "All he ever does is travel with me and Jaken. When we're on the road, he never has the chance to have an intelligent conversation with an equal. And at the castle, all he does is work. I've never seen him with a friend, and his family is gone. He needs someone like him." She peered into Kagome's eyes. "Someone to love."

"Oh, Rin," Kagome said, and smiled. "Sesshomaru was alone a long time before you and Jaken came along. I'm sure he's fine."

"He didn't care when we weren't around!" Rin said adamantly, stamping her foot. "He was used to being alone, and he didn't need anyone else!" She clenched her fists. "I've thought a lot about how he was when I was younger, and I can tell now. How cruel he really was when I joined him. And how much he's changed since. I see something . . . in his eyes. When a noblewoman tries to warm up to him. There's a look. Like, he wishes he could get closer. And he's scared to do that, because the last person he cared about, his father, died for the woman he loved. He's scared to find happiness, Kagome." Rin looked pleadingly at her. "He needs you to open him up, to erase that fear."

All of this overwhelmed Kagome, and she shook her head. "You can tell all that?" she asked, patting Rin's shoulder. "You're eleven, Rin."

"And so I can't tell when someone needs something?"

Kagome shook her head again. "I don't mean it that way. I just mean, that Sesshomaru is more complicated than that. What he does and doesn't need are hard to discern. I know what I need, though, and what I need is to fall in love naturally." Kagome thought back to the day she found the Hana no Shukumei, the mysterious nature of the flower and her youkai status. "The Hana has changed everything I knew about how love works. I didn't think you could force people to love each other. But if the legend behind the Hana is true, Sesshomaru and I can fall in love, if you give us time." Kagome gave Rin a tender smile. "Be patient, Rin."

Rin looked away. "I suppose," she conceded. "Did you mean it, though?" She peeked at Kagome. "When you said this room changed your perspective on Lord Sesshomaru?"

Kagome paused, and nodded slowly. "I think so. It is nice, to think he did all this for you." Kagome stood, and brushed the dirt from her clothes. "For now, let's get to breakfast. We'll be late if we don't hurry."

Rin nodded, leading Kagome from the room. "Kagome?" she asked, catching the miko as she was about to open the door. "Is it okay . . . if I call you Kagome-neechan?"

Kagome blushed. "You think of me that closely?"

"Of course I do! You're important to me, and I want to acknowledge that."

Her blush spreading, Kagome nodded. "All right, Rin. Thank you."

()

Rin slammed the door, and kicked the blankets free from the bed. Both boys graoned, and opened their eyes. Rin put her hands on her hips and frowned. "It didn't work."

Shippo bolted up, disappointment obvious on his face. "Really? After all that time we spent cleaning up your playroom so it looked nice?" Beside hime, Hatori sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Yes," Rin huffed again. "I hadn't gone in there since the last time we were at the castle. It was so much cleaner after we were done. But Kagome-neechan saw through my plan. She guessed I was doing it to improve her opinion of Lord Sesshomaru."

Shippo raised an eyebrow at Kagome's new honorific, but didn't question it. "Mama is smart. I'm not that surprised that she figured it out."

Rin sat on the bed, watching Hatori get up and straighten his hair out. Shippo did not move, and looked at her. "So it didn't help at all?"

"Well." Rin remembered Kagome's words. "She said it changed her perspective on Lord Sesshomaru. She also said she would have to think about it for a while. What does that mean?"

Shippo shook his head and grabbed his hair tie from his wrist, tying his hair back. "Mama likes to think about new information after she hears it. She probably wants to figure out if she'll like Sesshomaru better knowing he was nice enough to make that room for you."

"I guess it wasn't a total failure, then." Rin collapsed on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "I told her about Lord Sesshomaru, how I think he's lonely."

"And you are sure about that?" Hatori spoke for the first time, fully awake, and stood beside the bed. "The the Lord of the West needs a female companion?"

"Yeah!" Rin shot up. "Jaken says it's stupid, but I've seen how he looks at the women in the castle. He looks at them sometimes, and he never used to look at them. He pretended they didn't exist. Last time we were here, though, I saw him watching them. Especially the ones from powerful families. Even if he doesn't know it himself, Lord Sesshomaru wants someone to be with. Someone on the same level as him."

"If you say so." Shippo shrugged. "I don't think he's different."

"He is, trust me." Rin smiled at Shippo. "I've spent too much time around Lord Sesshomaru not to know. And that girl he needs has to be Kagome-neechan."

()

Mattaki, here again to say thank you for reading! I enjoy writing and hearing all your comments. The kids are up to shenanigans yet again, and Kagome isn't too dumb to see through it. I like developing Rin a bit more, especially since she's older than she was in the first InuYasha anime series. I haven't seen any of the newer InuYasha anime, although I hear it's good.

I'll be updating again next week. Thank you for reading, and please review! Ja ne~