"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin called out, dropping her basket of dirty clothes as Kagome called out her name in vain. The bright smile on Rin's face was directed to the dog demon who had arrived in the village. It had only been two months since Sesshomaru had left Rin in the village.
There were only a few combinations of words powerful enough to describe her joy at seeing him. He stopped as she ran to him, watching her short legs carry her to him, her kimono being that of one he had given her upon his earlier visit. The child collided into him, only able to hug his legs.
She felt the lord tense for a moment before relaxing under her touch.
"You disrespectful child! Let go of Lord Sesshomaru this instant! Do you have no sense of proper greetings?!" Jaken's high pitched voice rung in from Rin's left. She desperately resisted the urge to stay clinging to him, removing herself from his pants as she bowed in apology. Sesshomaru looked down at Rin with his golden eyes.
"Hello, Rin." He said in greeting. Rin looked up at him, clasping her hands together in her happiness.
"Hello mi'lord!" She practically cheered. For a moment she could have sworn she saw a smile softly motion on the edges of his mouth before vanishing without a trace.
"Where is Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru asked her, having spotted Kagome already when he arrived. Rin tilted her head in a childish manner, trying to remember where she last saw him.
"I think he left with Miroku to set off somewhere..." Rin said, having a hard time recalling all the details. Sesshomaru nodded before turning away.
"Very well. Follow, Rin." Sesshomaru ordered as he began walking away. Rin nodded eagerly as she walked beside him. Jaken began to follow as well, but Sesshomaru ordered him to go find A-Un and return to him.
Jaken did as he was told with a few mutterings under his breath as he went. Rin was overjoyed, wondering where her lord was leading her. Was he bringing her with him to leave this village?
She had liked living with Kagome and Inuyasha, and receiving some training from Kaede, but she definitely preffered traveling with Sesshomaru. It was easy for her to become disappointed when he led her to the nearby river and sat down to lean against a tree. Rin sat down next to him, not sure of else what she could do.
She looked up at Sesshomaru as he was sitting against the tree. Usually when he visited, atleast what he did the first few times, was give her a gift and talk to her for a while. Being taken to the river was something that confused her.
"Rin, don't you like to play in the river?" The dog demon asked, glancing over at her from the corner of his eye. Rin looked over at the river.
"I do.. but it's not as fun by myself." Rin admitted, hoping Jaken would arrive soon so she could play with him like they used to before Naraku was killed. Sesshomaru turned his gaze back to the water. The dog demon rose from his spot and began walking toward the river.
Rin watched him for a moment before getting up and chasing after him. She was left amazed as Sesshomaru reached the edge of the river, looking as if he was pondering his actions. She watched him break from his thoughts as he took a step into the river, surprising her.
She smiled widely as she realized what this meant. She began to roll up her kimono, tucking the bottom of it into her obi to keep it from getting wet. Sesshomaru turned and laid the fur that usually sat on his shoulder down by the river bank, glancing at Rin as she jumped into the water.
She giggled as the water splashed around her feet, squating down to grab a shiny stone. Sesshomaru did not express any joy or cause the water to splash, he simply watched Rin explore the river, searching for shiny stones and leaving them by the shore as a rapidly growing collection. He had watched for a while, occassional moving to another position, following Rin on her hunt.
Each stone she found she displayed it to Sesshomaru, asking him if he liked it or not. Each time she asked he always nodded, not really finding any beauty in any of them. He just had the goal of keeping Rin happy. Rin looked up from her hunt as she saw Jaken and A-Un coming to the river.
"Master Jaken! Will you help me collect these stones?" Rin asked as she ran to the edge, dropping three new stones into her pile as she ran over to the duo. Sesshomaru watched as she began petting A-Un and talking to Jaken.
"What? Collecting mere stones from the river? What do you plan to do with them child?" Jaken asked incredulously, dropping A-Un's reins as he looked over at his lord.
"L-Lord Sesshomaru! What are you doing standing in the river?!" The imp demon called out in disbelief. Rin turned to look at Sesshomaru.
"Lord Sesshomaru was helping me collect stones!" She said with a large grin. The dog demon began making his way to the waters edge, looking at the sky to see it was still only noon. Jaken was astonished, watching as his employer retrieved his fur and cast it back onto his shoulder.
"Jaken, help Rin pick out more stones she likes." The white haired demon ordered, retreating to sit by the same tree he had used earlier. Jaken sighed as he looked at Rin running back to the river.
"Yes, mi'lord..." He said in defeat, unable to understand the predicament he had witnessed and now was involved in.
Rin and Jaken had gathered more stones together until Rin believed she had chosen enough. She had moved on to other means of entertainment, asking her lord if she could wash A-Un in the river. Sesshomaru agreed without much enthusiasm, continuing to sit and watch his charge and Rin work together to remove A-Un's saddle and reins to wash him.
Rin paused as she realized they didn't have anything to wash him with. She ran out of the river to Sesshomaru, causing him to look up at her.
"Lord Sesshomaru, may I run back to the village to get a cloth to wash A-Un with?" She asked. The dog demon nodded his head. Rin smiled and ran back to the village.
It was hard for her to remember how to get back, but she kept running in the general direction of the village and soon the forest became familiar.
"Lady Kagome! Lady Kaede!" Rin called out as she ran to their huts. Kaede stepped out of her hut with a curious look on her face as the child ran up to her.
"What is it, child?" The priestess asked.
"Lady Kaede, I am going to wash A-Un. I need a rag to clean him with. Do you have one?" She asked. Kaede put a hand to her chin as her other arm folded behind her.
"Yes I should have one, I suppose. Wait here, child." She ordered. Rin nodded with a smile, watching the old woman go into her hut to only emerge a moment later. The woman handed her an old rag.
"Be careful on your way back, Rin. Don't get lost in the forest." She warned. Rin nodded and took off running back to the river. It took her a while to find her bearings but soon she arrived at the river and spotted Sesshomaru. She ran over to A-Un and Jaken as they stood waiting for her.
"What took you so long, Rin? You must really learn to be quicker!" Jaken complained, huffing in annoyance. Rin giggled at him.
"Sorry master Jaken." She apologized.