Part III

Inuyasha blew out a long breath, shielding his eyes against the morning sun. There was still a haze of smoke in the air from the fires that had started yesterday and, while they had been able to prevent most of the fighting from breaking out within the village, there were a few damaged houses that would need to be repaired that day. When Inuyasha had arrived with Kouga, Kagome and Miroku had already returned to the village and were in the midst of fighting with the demons that had surrounded the village. The demons had not been necessarily strong, but the sheer number of them was overwhelming and incredibly unusual for a simple attack on humans. Even with the scents of Inuyasha, Kouga, and Sesshomaru in the surrounding areas, the amount of demons that targeted the village had made him suspicious.

He had been occupied with pulling Kagome out of the line of fire from one of the demons when a swath of demons was disintegrated by a bright light that appeared from the sky. Inuyasha had not needed to see his brother to recognize the attack from Bakusaiga. When he had looked around and saw Sesshomaru landing at the edge of the village with Rin, he had half-expected an attack to be directed at him. It was clear just by looking at her scratched up face that she had landed in some trouble between the time that he and Kouga had last seen her and Kohaku.

With Sesshomaru's arrival, the remainder of the demons had begun to retreat and, while the villagers had scrambled to find their families and ascertain that their houses had not been lit on fire or destroyed, Inuyasha had waited to see if his brother was intending to berate him for allowing an attack. Surprising him, however, Sesshomaru had said something to Rin and then departed from the village altogether. Later, when they were burning what was left of the dead bodies, Inuyasha had caught sight of Sesshomaru sitting peacefully on top of Kaede's house, a silent sentinel.

Reminded of that, Inuyasha looked around to Kaede's house, but found that the rooftop was now empty of the demon lord. Jaken had arrived sometime during the night and was splayed out nearby, snoring comfortably in a patch of grass.

It was hard for him to find Sesshomaru by scent. The stink of other demons and fire smoke muddled his sense of smell. When he did find him, Sesshomaru was lounging against a tree near the entrance of the forest, standing so still that he could have been a statue. His gaze shifted almost imperceptibly when Inuyasha approached, the only sign that he had taken any notice of him.

Inuyasha did not immediately say anything, watching as sunlight broke through the haze, making everything turn to shades of orange. In general, Inuyasha preferred to leave Sesshomaru to his own devices when he visited. He saw more of Jaken in the village than he did his brother, who preferred to remain in the forest when he was there. He would see Rin and him walk around the outskirts of the village occasionally, but unlike Kagome, he chose not to involve himself in their conversations. He had always given them their privacy and had no reason to seek out Sesshomaru in the past. When he had been more accustomed to seeing Sesshomaru infrequently, they might have gotten into a sparring session; now that his life was so close to Inuyasha's, the two of them seemed less inclined towards conflict. It was the most that Inuyasha had ever seen his brother in his life, actually, once he really thought about it.

The only time that Inuyasha had sought out Sesshomaru had been a few years ago when he had let him know about Hiroshi's intentions towards Rin. He had just been about to leave the village with Jaken when Inuyasha had approached him with the information. Sesshomaru had stared at him in his familiar, expressionless manner while beside him, Jaken had stuttered out a horrified exclamation. Sesshomaru had silenced him with a stern glance before asking, "And Rin is considering him?"

"I don't think so," Inuyasha had told him with a frown. "But Miroku's been hearing some weird stories about him. I mean, all the kids do it, but I guess he tries to steal kisses from girls and will hold them down and try to grope them." Noticing Sesshomaru's eyes darkening, he quickly added, "I don't think that's happened with Rin. Kohaku would have his nuts if he did. Just wanted to let you know."

"What do you think of him?"

"I don't like him."

"What a surprise," was Sesshomaru's dry observation.

"You asked my opinion! And besides, I've seen how he is with the girls. He's nice to them until he gets what he wants, then he moves on. He probably thinks the only way he's going to get anything from Rin is from marrying her. I don't trust him."

"Rin is a smart girl," Jaken had piped up, indignant on her behalf. "She's not going to marry a scoundrel like that! What a disgusting, low-life little – "

"Jaken," Sesshomaru had interrupted what had promised to be a heated tirade on Hiroshi.

Sesshomaru had never directly addressed what Inuyasha had said about Hiroshi. Once Jaken had subsided, he had simply left then, ignoring Inuyasha's questioning call to him. The next time he was visiting, Inuyasha caught sight of Sesshomaru in the village (an unusual occurrence for him) boring holes into the human teen. Hiroshi had been with Kohaku and, upon facing the demon lord, had shrank down behind Kohaku like a cowed pup. It did not appear Sesshomaru had said anything to him, though he rarely needed to speak at all to intimidate someone. Hiroshi did not linger around Rin much for a few months afterwards, interpretating the silent threat for what it was.

But, with Sesshomaru's absence and with those in Rin's group getting past the peak age for marriage, Hiroshi had been a little bolder in his attentions towards her. Inuyasha had tried his best to dissuade him and any time Kagome caught him having words with him, she would drag him off by the ear and end up in a yelling match with him sitting outside the house overnight. Inuyasha had been outraged at such treatment. She knew how Hiroshi was, as well, and while they were not Rin's guardians by any means, she had grown up with them and Inuyasha thought he had as much right to express disapproval as she did. It had become a sticking point for them, where both were telling the other to mind their own business, with neither of them doing a good job of it.

He was sure Kagome had some other boy in mind for Rin and while he was convinced anyone would be better than Hiroshi, he was uncomfortable with the idea of meddling beyond that. Somehow, he felt that Sesshomaru would not take kindly to them influencing Rin's decision in regards to a husband. Sesshomaru had certainly never involved himself in any of Rin's life activities in the village and if she had ever told him she was bullied when she first arrived, Sesshomaru had done nothing about it. He seemed content to allow Rin to live as she liked. Inuyasha still did not know when Sesshomaru intended to take her from the village to live with him and Jaken again, but he suspected it must be soon.

It was this thought that had brought Inuyasha out to look for Sesshomaru.

To anyone watching, the ten months' absence had been long for Rin. Sometime in the first six months, she had worried Sesshomaru had died somewhere and would pester Inuyasha incessantly about the possibility. Eventually, she stopped asking Inuyasha and would instead occasionally walk the route she and Sesshomaru would take around the village, as if it could will him to her. During the spring, she seemed to have resigned herself to waiting and although there was no outward expression of her sense of loss, Inuyasha doubted she had suddenly become comfortable without his brother's company. He instead thought that she must have gotten better at hiding her feelings on the topic and was doing her best to pretend that she was not missing him.

It was because of this that he consistently told Kagome not to meddle in their lives. He could not understand Rin's attachment to Sesshomaru, but it was more than apparent how much he meant to her. Inuyasha was not one to take that from someone. He was sure his own mother had been similarly dissuaded from any association with Toga and he knew that Kikyo had been warned to not go near him, a mere half-demon. Even Kaede had told Kagome not to trust him when she first came to the feudal era. He was well acquainted with how damaging those words could be and how easily the mind could be poisoned. Nothing the children had said to Rin had stirred any anti-demon sentiment in her, though, so Inuyasha had not felt the need to try and speak praises for demons. He was deeply grateful for that, too, because he hardly wanted to compliment his older brother.

Aware that he had now been standing in front of Sesshomaru for some time, distracted by his inner thoughts, Inuyasha cleared his throat and said, "You know, you could have sent word that you were going to take this long."

Sesshomaru smirked slightly. "Worried, Inuyasha?"

"Like I would bother," Inuyasha sneered in return. "But you might think of Rin's feelings."

"She knows better than to worry," Sesshomaru said dismissively. He sounded so confident in his words that Inuyasha guessed he really did believe that.

"Well, you've got shit for timing. I don't even know what happened to her. She was riding with Kohaku the last time I saw her yesterday."

"Timing has nothing to do with it," Sesshomaru replied calmly.

"How long are you planning to stay this time?"

Sesshomaru turned to stare at Inuyasha and when he stared back, Sesshomaru turned around fully to face him. His eyebrows had lowered slightly in annoyance. "Did your woman not give you my message?"

"Kagome? No. You sent her a message?"

There was a beginning frown turning down the corners of Sesshomaru's lips. He looked displeased. "This will be the last time I come here. If she had told you, you wouldn't have felt the need to bother me right now."

"What do you mean, 'last time'?" Inuyasha demanded. "What about Rin?"

Sesshomaru eyed him darkly before pushing off the tree and brushing past him, stepping from beneath the shade of the tree. He was displeased, Inuyasha decided. At any other time, Inuyasha would have grumbled his way back home, but something made him follow Sesshomaru – whether it was curiosity or stubbornness, he could not say.

"Isn't it about the age for her to be choosing a husband?" Sesshomaru asked Inuyasha when he joined him in his slow meander outside the village. "Didn't you say that boy was going to make an offer?"

"Well, yeah," Inuyasha said uncomfortably. "He's halfway through building his house. I think he was waiting until he built it to ask her. It's a human custom, I guess, to have a house before proposing marriage. He's waited this long, so he must be serious."

"Hm."

"Rin's not interested in Hiroshi, though," Inuyasha continued. "She won't even be alone with the kid. There's no way that she'd accept a marriage proposal from him – you said yourself you were going to let her choose. He's got no chance, so what point would there be in her staying in the village?"

"And Kohaku?"

"Er, what?"

"Are you blind or just stupid?" Sesshomaru lazily questioned, pausing in his steps to meet Inuyasha's amber gaze with his own. "Even I can see how the boy feels about her and I'm rarely here."

Inuyasha frowned, hesitating. His instinct was to shout Sesshomaru down for insulting him, but the comment gave him pause. He had been so focused on keeping an eye on the other boys in the village that he had not even considered Kohaku as a potential match. He not thought about Kohaku, who had always had Rin's back when she got in an argument with the other kids or would protect her when the village was being attacked. He had travelled with them when he was younger and was trusted by Sesshomaru. He had never had a reason to give Kohaku a second glance.

The longer he thought on it, the more foolish he found himself feeling. The times when he would walk in the room and Sango and Kagome were murmuring with heads together, Sango sending the two out together on purpose, and the way that Kohaku would lounge comfortably with Rin while simultaneously refusing to spend time alone with the other girls. It was subtle, true. Kohaku was not outwardly affectionate towards Rin the way Hiroshi was and if Inuyasha was not mistaken, Kohaku might have been actively been trying to smother any feelings he had for the girl. He had never made it known to anyone, except perhaps Sango, which would explain why she would devise little tete-a-tetes for the pair. How Kohaku felt about that was unknown to Inuyasha and, from what he could see, Rin was similarly oblivious otherwise she would have treated him with the same insouciance that she had directed at other boys.

Sesshomaru had been watching Inuyasha in the time that it took for the pieces to fit in his head. He snorted slightly when Inuyasha sent him a sidelong, guilty glance. "As usual, your deductive skills are lacking."

"So, what then? You're waiting to see who Rin chooses as a husband? Making sure she's set up alright before you go off?" Inuyasha asked defensively.

"If she wishes it," Sesshomaru answered placidly. "Rin is at an age where I can trust her decisions. If she wants to get married and remain at the village, then so be it."

"And what if she wants to go with you?"

"That is a decision she must make after seeing all her options." Sesshomaru's gaze shifted towards the village. "Hiroshi will force Kohaku's hand. Until then, I'll be staying here. There is something else we need to take care of in the meantime."

"We?"

"Yes, Inuyasha, 'we,'" Sesshomaru repeated, his mouth twisting with distaste. "You might have noticed that those demons were accompanied by a demon lord."

"Ah, right..." Inuyasha rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing. "Kohaku mentioned something about that. You know him?"

The demon gave him a long-suffering look before saying, "We both do. Bushuugi, the dragon demon of the north. He was Ryukotsusei's successor. He doesn't seem to have the same power as Ryukotsusei. He's a pest, at most."

"Alright, fine, but why's he here?"

Sesshomaru was no longer looking at him, his sight catching sight of something near the village. Turning, Inuyasha saw Hiroshi making his way down the outside pathway with Kohaku, yawning openly. Kohaku said something that made him laugh, giving his friend a playful shove before stretching his arms above his head and then crossing them behind him. As if feeling their stare, Kohaku turned slightly and even from this distance, Inuyasha could see the wary look in his eyes. It disappeared when he noticed the two brothers and he raised a hand in greeting. Inuyasha returned the gesture and Hiroshi looked around to see to whom Kohaku had gestured. Upon seeing Sesshomaru, Hiroshi immediately turned back around and broke into a slight jog, even though they were already far from the two.

He's not even going to pretend not to be scared of Sesshomaru, Inuyasha thought, amused in spite of himself.

"Bushuugi fled when his armies fell," Sesshomaru spoke up, still watching the retreating backs of the boys. "He took the demons that he had and ran from the west. He had overtaken the most land in our father's old territories, which is why I was delayed."

"That doesn't explain why he's here. Don't you think that's a little weird?"

"No, you just lack common sense." Sesshomaru at last returned his gaze to Inuyasha, levelling a hard stare upon him. "Every demon lord is aware that I took Rin in when she was a child. He clearly intended to kill her. I don't think he bargained on the other son of Toga's being in the same village. It's about time you live up to your lineage, Inuyasha. I expect you to take care of Bushuugi."

"What the hell does any of this have to do with me? I'm not the one that led him here! Take care of your own goddamn mess."

"You really are an idiot." Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed on him. "He's been killing villages on his way up here to feed what's left of his army. What makes you think he'll spare yours?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth, closed it, and then swore loudly, pacing away from Sesshomaru. When he glanced irritably at him, he caught sight of Sesshomaru's satisfied smile and dearly wanted to run his fist into his face.

"This is stupid," Inuyasha muttered irritably. "You have a better nose than I do. You're more likely to track him down." He turned around to find that Sesshomaru had walked several feet away from him, apparently deciding that the conversation was over. "Hey, asshole!"

As usual, Sesshomaru ignored him.

Dick, Inuyasha thought sourly to himself. He's just making me do his dirty work so he can look after Rin. Not like I couldn't watch over her and the village while he's out hunting.

Of course, as Inuyasha stormed back to the village, he supposed from Sesshomaru's perspective, he believe him unable to watch over everyone since he had been led away the last time by Bushuugi. And as he thought of this, his temper was re-ignited towards the dragon demon. It was one thing for Sesshomaru to make a fool of him, but a whole other thing for a random nobody to do it.

Rin made her way into the forest, her hands clasped behind her back. She had stayed in the fields later than the other villagers and, after changing into her kimono and combing her hair out, she had made her way into the forest. While the sun was still high in the sky, it was late in the day and most of the villagers had begun to settle in to prepare their evening meal. Kouga had disappeared from the village to reconvene with the wolf demons that he had brough with them, which made Rin more comfortable to walk from the village alone. There had been no signs of the demons that had attacked the village and the dragon demon was similarly absent, allowing them some small bit of peace.

As she stepped into a small clearing, she spotted Sesshomaru sitting amongst the thick roots of a tree, eyes closed and looking to the world as if he were in a deep sleep. She paused at the edge of the clearing, her breath catching in her throat. No matter how many times she saw Sesshomaru, she found herself overwhelmed by his beauty. Even when she had been younger, she had been in awe of how otherworldly he had looked to her. Now that she was older, she realized that there were no men that could be compared to Sesshomaru in terms of appearance. In regards to his personality, she yet to find someone as composed as he was in the midst of danger. Even Kohaku was apt to get distressed from time to time during battle. His steadfast confidence had become one of his most attractive qualities the older she became; most of the boys she had met seemed not only uncertain of their own abilities, but unsure of their own desires and aspirations. It was always refreshing when Sesshomaru visited and reminded Rin why she, too, had not lost sight of what it was that she wanted most to compliment her life.

Stepping down, she tucked her hair behind her ear and made her way to Sesshomaru, leaning against the root. Another girl would have become shy, awkward, or nervous around the person they liked. Rin had never been that way with Sesshomaru. No matter how much affection she harbored for him, she could be no one else. She felt too comfortable in her character with Sesshomaru to be anything else.

"Lord Sesshomaru? You're awake, aren't you?" she asked quietly, leaning forward slightly. He opened his eyes, raising them to her own. She smiled in greeting. "The twins got hold of Master Jaken. Can I sit with you?" Without waiting for a reply, she sat next to him, pulling her legs up to her chest and clasping her hands around the ankle. She could feel the warmth of Sesshomaru's body close to hers even when they were not touching. It reminded her of how warm and secure she had felt when she had flown with him back to the village.

Because Kouga had been around the village, Rin had seen little of Sesshomaru since he had brought her back during the demon fight. It had been nearly a year since she had seen him and while she had been yearning for such a moment, she could not bring herself to get over her fear of the wolves to seek him out. Her mind would construct horrific images of being torn to pieces and Sesshomaru finding her bloodied and torn body in the middle of a pathway again. Since she knew he could no longer bring her back from the underworld, she had become a little more cautious with putting herself in dangerous situations.

As if reading her mind, Sesshomaru asked, "Do you want me to take care of the wolf demon?"

Rin glanced at him somewhat sheepishly. She should have expected that he would notice at some point. This was not the first time she had not left the village because of Kouga's presence while Sesshomaru had been there.

"No...it was so long ago. I should be over it by now." She leaned forward, plucking at a tiny flower that had begun to bloom beneath the tree root. "You're never afraid of anything – how can I be that way?"

"Be stronger than your enemy," was his simple answer.

She laughed. "That's never going to happen. I'm too small, Lord Sesshomaru. The wolf demons are bigger even than Kagome. I've seen her ride on the back of one before."

His mouth turned down at this and she had to stifle a giggle. She was sure that Sesshomaru was scorning a demon for allowing a human to ride on top of them. Rin certainly could not imagine Sesshomaru ever allowing her to ride him in his demon form. The image seemed too ridiculous.

A silence settled over the pair. In the distance, Rin could hear the gentle lull of cicadas beginning their evening lullaby. It was a quiet, chirruping sound that she had always associated with summer. The birds were beginning to quiet, their wings fluttering occasionally as they returned to their nests in the treetops. By herself, the sounds of insects and animals in harmony had always left her making the rounds with her inner worries and anxieties. Next to Sesshomaru, her mind felt at ease. His presence was enough to calm her anxious heart.

She had not used to have such a propensity of anxiety, at least not when she had been traveling with Sesshomaru and Jaken. Like Inuyasha, they did not seem inclined towards worrying about the unknown. It was a learned behavior, she suspected, one that she had adapted from either Kaede or one of the other women. Then again, there had been little worry about when she had been with Sesshomaru and Jaken.

"How old are you now, Rin?"

Roused from her sleepy daydream, she yawned. "Sixteen." She paused before hesitating adding, "Kaede told me I should ask you about...marriage proposals. She didn't know if you should be the one to approve them or if she should."

"I have no power over your marriage choice," Sesshomaru replied. "The only one who can choose their mate is you."

Rin straightened, her arms releasing her legs as she turned to look at him. She could not hide her surprise. The concept of a girl choosing her husband was unheard of. While they certainly had some say in who they might like as a husband, it was always ultimately up to another person to either approve or deny a marriage match. As the only male in her life, Sesshomaru had been the obvious choice or at the very least, Jaken. Kaede had taken great offense to this when Rin had told her that second in line would have been the little imp and she had needed to soothe the old woman's ego by reassuring her that she would choose a fine man for her. Even so, Rin had never once thought that she would be able to make the choice for herself.

But I would choose Lord Sesshomaru, she thought, a familiar ache forming in her chest. I don't want anyone else.

She had to stomp down the urge to say as much to Sesshomaru, reminding herself that he viewed any liaison between humans and demons as abnormal, if not abhorrent. She could not stand to see Sesshomaru look at her with disgust. As such, she kept her secret to herself, even though her heart protested with its own line of logic.

"None of the men are going to accept that," Rin told him instead. "They'll go to Kaede and complain."

Sesshomaru slanted a look towards her through the corner of his eye. "You're not an ordinary human, Rin. Don't submit yourself to being one – you're better than that."

Rin smiled and nodded, flushing at the compliment. "Yes...Okay." She moved a little closer, laying a hand on his arm. "Hey Lord Sesshomaru, could you teach me how to fight while you're here? Kaede's taught me some archery, but I'd like to be able to defend myself a little better."

"Later," he answered, reaching over and resting his hand on hers. This time, he had turned his head to look at her directly. "Are you worried about wolves or men, Rin?"

Her smile faltered somewhat and she bowed her head, looking at his hand resting atop hers. She could not lie to Sesshomaru, not when he asked a direct question. "Both."

"Then you will need to learn something aside from a bow." He removed his hand and rested back against the tree, closing his eyes. "I will look into it."

Even though he could not see it, she smiled at him and then leaned back with him, keeping her hand on his arm. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru..."

When they fell into another silence, Rin eventually drifted into a light doze. She had already been so tired when she had been done with her village work and even though it had just been a short conversation, talking about marriage matches with Sesshomaru was exhausting. As she daydreamed, her eyelids grew heavy until she could no longer keep them open. There was something comforting in knowing that she could nap in the forest without fear of being attacked or abducted.

What had been a few minutes to her had been actual hours and by the time she opened her eyes again, the light in the forest had shifted into dusk. Her face was pressed against Sesshomaru's arm, her body curled up to his side like a kitten. Alarmed, she righted herself, rubbing her eyes briskly. She inwardly cursed herself, thinking she must have looked horribly immature just then for falling asleep against him without his permission. It was something she would have done when she was eight, not sixteen!

Sesshomaru, however, seemed wholly unbothered with her slumber or cuddling. When it was clear she was awake, he rose to his feet, saying, "You should get back to the village before dark."

"Y-yes," she managed out, still trying to sort herself out. She brushed her kimono off distractedly, feeling that she must look rather ridiculous trying to straighten out a kimono when all she had done was sleep. As she was attempting to straighten her sash out without untying it, she noticed Sesshomaru's eyes on her and paused, horrified that she had drooled during her sleep or something else equally embarrassing. "Is something wrong?"

Without answering, he reached down and a tiny frisson travelled down her spine as his fingers dragged through her hair. His nails ran over her scalp, pulling through the silken threads with ease. When his withdrew his hand, he had a leaf in his fingers that he released to float back onto the forest floor. "You have leaves in your hair."

"Oh..." She reached up and pulled out a few other leaves that had gotten caught in the dark strands. After passing her hands over her hair several times, she attempting to smooth it down and gave him a bright smile to dissuade any awkwardness. She still felt the flutter that had entered her stomach when he had run his hand through her hair, as if a butterfly had gotten caught in her belly. She almost thought she saw Sesshomaru smile when he turned away from her to lead the way back to the village, but she could not be sure.

Once on the outskirts of the village, Sesshomaru halted as Jaken came rushing towards them, halfway near tears. He looked like he had been abused by the twins as a babysitter and grabbed hold of Rin's arm, as if he intended to shake her.

"Those wretched kids," Jaken moaned piteously. Rin leaned over him, sympathetically rubbing his back. "The older they get, the more evil they become!"

"They seem to really like you, though, Master Jaken," Rin told him.

He scowled at her and straightened, his fist bunched around his staff as he slammed it into the ground. "I won't visit you even once, Rin, if you have children like that! I mean it!"

Children? Rin thought. I guess I never thought about having children...

"Jaken," Sesshomaru interrupted, seeming annoyed at the mention of Rin's potential offspring, "enough. We're going."

"Goodnight!" Rin called to Sesshomaru's retreating back as Jaken followed him. Jaken waved tiredly to Rin in farewell as he stumbled after the dog demon.

She watched them for a long moment and then turned to head towards Kaede's. She smiled to herself, remembering what Sesshomaru had said about the marriage proposals and training. She would not be forced to marry someone and, with luck, she would be able to fight Hiroshi off from attempting to get her alone. With a little more energy, she hurried on to Kaede's, where she found the old woman standing outside talking to Inuyasha and Kagome. Kaede caught sight of Rin and she stiffened in shock.

"Rin! What in the world have you been up to, child?" Kaede demanded.

"I was with Lord Sesshomaru," she replied simply. This seemed to further scandalize the old priestess.

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome repeated, raising her eyebrows and eyeing Rin with some amusement.

It took Rin a moment to realize she had forgotten to straighten her kimono and, with her mussed hair, she must have looked more of a wreck than she thought. She nervously tried to flatten her hair where she knew it was sticking out haphazardly. She had seen enough girls fixing themselves up after making out with the boys to know where their minds had jumped. The concept of something so intimate with Lord Sesshomaru, while enticing, was so far out of the realm of possibility for Rin that she was having trouble remembering how to speak just then to make any sort of protest.

"Oh, come on!" Inuyasha snapped at the two women. "Stop looking at her like that! Who do you think we're talking about? It's Sesshomaru."

"Well, you do have a point," Kagome admitted, although she still had that curious look in her eyes.

"Get inside, get inside," Kaede sighed to Rin, ushering her past her. "Go clean yourself up. You've always been such a wild child, I wouldn't be surprised if you've been rolling down hills again."

Rin meekly moved past her to go inside to her room. She re-adjusted her kimono accordingly, untying it and retying the sash so she was not so much out of order. As she made to comb her hair, she paused, recalling the brief moment of contact between her and Sesshomaru. It was not unusual for Rin to initiate contact with him, but this had been one of the rare times he had done as much to her. She smiled to herself, allowing the butterfly feeling to take over her stomach.

She would not think of her future with Sesshomaru – for now, she wanted to take the small moment and lock it away in her memory for safekeeping.