"Master Jaken, please show me how you cook the fish? Lord Sesshoumaru seems to like the smell so I wanna know how to make it smell just like it to make my Lord happy," Rin smiled as she asked Jaken the favor.
"Peh, I will not teach such a worthless human anything," Jaken huffed as he slipped his hands into the arms of his sleeves, the Staff of Heads tucked in the crook of his elbow & forearm. "I will only do so if Lord Sesshoumaru requests for me to."
"But Master Jaken-"
"No! Now be a good servant & gather some fish so that I may have a meal prepared for Lord Sesshoumaru by the time he returns from checking the lands."
Rin lowered her head with a sad frown & turned her back to him. "Yes Master Jaken," she said softly as she walked in the direction of the river they passed by earlier. Rin sighed, tired of not seeing any flowers since the winter cold had made the pretty flowers, that she loved to pick so much, die & the snow had covered up any that might have found a way to survive.
The snow covered the ground in a thick blanket & that was why Sesshoumaru left her & Jaken behind. So they wouldn't be made to walk around in freezing weather & they could just stay by a fire & keep warm. He may have kept it to himself, but he did care for his servants since they were all he had since he refused to acknowledge his brother as something of any value to him.
At the river, Rin found it to be covered in a thin layer of ice that had some snowfall on it since it had only recently gained the sheet of ice. She sighed & picked up a rock, breaking a hole in the ice with it by throwing it at the sheet. Once the hole was made near the shore, she waded in & winced from the sting of the ice-cold water, but she was able to break more ice by pressing against it with her knees. She found a spot where fish were brushing against her legs so she went to work catching as many as she could, throwing them onto the snowy shore of the riverbed. -For Lord Sesshoumaru, I have to keep fishing,- she thought to herself before she threw six more fish on the shore with the other five she managed to catch.
As she made her way back to the shore, she shivered, her body going into a painful numb feeling that made her fall to her knees as she lost feeling in her legs. She finally made it to the shore where she sat on a big lump of snow that she thought would be a rock covered in snow; but when she sat down on it, she yelped after hearing it groan & feeling it move beneath her. She watched the "rock" with wide eyes, feeling some fear until it settled back into its spot. Walking back over to it, she nudged it then jumped back when it moved again. Not even thinking about the fish, she made a run back to the campsite even though her legs were hurting her & they had begun to awaken from the numbness that overcame them earlier.
"Master Jaken, Master Jaken!" She yelled as she came upon the campsite where Sesshoumaru & Jaken were both waiting for her. "Oh! Lord Sesshoumaru!"
Quirking a brow, Sesshoumaru looked at her. "Rin, where have you been?" He asked as she dropped to her knees in front of him.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, I asked Master Jaken to teach me how he makes the fish since I noticed you liked the smell of his fish cooking & I wanted to learn it so I could make it & make you happy at the same time, but he called me worthless & said he wouldn't teach me. So he sent me down to the river to get fish & when I was down there, the river was iced over & my legs still hurt from being in the water & when I got out, I went to sit on a rock. But the rock wasn't a rock at all Lord Sesshoumaru, there is someone or something covered in snow & I would like it if you would take me back to the person or thing & find out who or what it was. Please Lord Sesshoumaru?!" Rin breathed heavy from the little amount of air she took in during her story.
Sesshoumaru looked at Jaken, who only smiled at him with a nervous smile that begged forgiveness, then he looked back to Rin who was looking up at him with a hopeful smile.
"Oh no! I forgot the fish by the river Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin yelled before she took off in a fast run to where she left the fish.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, she has gotten out of hand lately & I can barely control her anymore... What do you intend to do about the child's behavior?" Jaken asked, as he looked in the direction the girl ran off. When he got no response, he looked at Sesshoumaru to see his Lord staring at him with a slightly amused expression. "My Lord, why do you smile?" Jaken asked; his voice panicked.
"Let us follow her Jaken," Sesshoumaru said as he got up & followed after Rin's scent, not even caring to see if Jaken was following or not. When he found Rin, she was bending over, picking up the fish she had left behind, minus one or two that turned up missing while she was gone. He didn't need to ask her where she saw the person or thing she was talking about, because he easily found its scent & followed it to the "rock". He listened for a heartbeat but found none as he brushed the snow off the "rock" to find a human that carried the scent of a hanyou.
"Lord Sesshoumaru?"
Sesshoumaru looked at the girl who appeared to be frightened by what she saw her master uncover. "Yes Rin?"
"Is that a girl?"
"Yes. She's dead though."
"But how? When I was here, she groaned & moved after I touched her."
"From what I gather about humans, some have a little movement in them before they pass on." Sesshoumaru turned his head to the girl whose heartbeat could somehow be heard. -How is this possible?- He thought to himself. -This girl was dead a moment ago; I was unable to hear her heart beating in her chest. But now it's beating clearly, but very weak... She must be fighting to keep herself alive.-
"Lord Sesshoumaru, shall I set the body ablaze & use it to warm myself & Rin?" Jaken asked, earning a warning look from Sesshoumaru.
"You will do no such thing Jaken," Sesshoumaru spoke.
"But Lord Sesshoumaru-"
"Silence." As that word escaped Sesshoumaru's lips, Jaken became quiet & watched his master as Sesshoumaru knelt beside the body of the woman, cocking his head to the side slightly, some of his hair falling over his shoulder then brushing against her shoulder as he leaned down closer to her, taking in the half youkai, half human scent surrounding her. "Jaken."
"Yes my Lord?" Jaken asked as he moved closer to the great youkai.
"Go back to the camp & bring to me the pack animal. I wish to bring her back to the castle with me," Sesshoumaru answered as he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her up so she was leaning against him, her head resting against his shoulder.
"But my Lord, I thought you told Rin she was passed into the other world?"
"That is true Jaken, but without use of my Tenseiga she has already revived. She must have known she was dying & didn't wish to so she revived herself."
"How is this possible for a human, Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin asked, standing in front of Sesshoumaru so she could better see the girl her master held against him.
"I do not know Rin." Sesshoumaru looked at Jaken since his scent hadn't faded yet. "I thought I told you to go back to the camp & gather the pack animal?"
"Yes Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken said as he scurried away back to the camp.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, do you plan to keep her?" Rin asked, looking at the face of her master.
"I will decide when she comes to. I will help keep her alive until I can find out if she is of any use to me. If she is of use to me & wishes to stay, I will keep her," Sesshoumaru answered, looking down at the girl he held against him with his arm. When he looked up at Rin, he saw that she was smiling the same smile she gave him the second day they knew each other & he asked her what happened to her face. That was the day after she had been beaten for taking fish from the village hatchery, trying to get food for Sesshoumaru. "What are you smiling about Rin?"
"Lord Sesshoumaru is a very kind master," Rin said as she pointed in the direction of Jaken who was returning with Ah & Un. "Master Jaken has returned Lord Sesshoumaru!" She smiled.