InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Small Story: A Tale of Rin ❯ Rin's Little Adventure ( Chapter 1 )

[This is an Inu-Yasha fan fiction mainly centered around Rin. I'm sure there's plenty of these kind of fan fictions out there, but you know...I just had to write one about the cute little girl and put in my two cents on why Sesshomaru-sama decided to save her anyway! Everyone has their own opinions and put them into a story, why can't I?! ^_^x Anyway, let me just say that this fan fiction is divided into three parts too (though the first part got a lot longer than I had expected. Weird, huh?) and I just hope you enjoy this little tale about Rin and the situations she falls into! Ja-na!]

A Small Story: A Tale of Rin

Part I: Rin's Little Adventure

Rin sighed deeply as she made her way through the brush of forest. She couldn't believe she had gotten herself so hopelessly lost! Sesshomaru-sama was really going to lecture her when she got back... She gulped. If she got back. Rin shook her forcefully and then clenched her fist with determination. She would get back to Sesshomaru-sama... But... She stopped for a moment to take in the surrounding area. Her heart pounded as she realized she didn't recognize the forest she was in and that she had no idea which way she was going. Her sight grew blurry as tears formed. She knew she had gotten lost... But to be this far away from Sesshomaru-sama and Jaken-sama...? She had no idea what to do.

Rin sniffed loudly, trying to hold back the tears as she turned completely around. Maybe if she retraced her steps... Suddenly she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She made a mad dash toward it, hoping that it could be some clue as to where she was and where she should head to find Sesshomaru-sama again. But when she reached the object she sighed in defeat.

All that was there was a large square well and nothing else.

Rin plopped down on the floor and struggled to control the wail that was trying to come out of her throat. She shouldn't have gone picking flowers... But Jaken-sama had said there was a beautiful valley of flowers nearby and she wanted to get some for Sesshomaru-sama so he could smile. But after wandering for a bit and not finding the flowers, she tried to go back... Only to wind up lost! What was she going to do?!

"Are you lost?"

Rin looked up quickly just as the tears were beginning to roll down her cheeks. She gazed up at dark hazel eyes and kind smile. The young lady held out her hand and Rin could only stare at it in surprise. Where had this lady come from? She was...trying to help?

"It's okay," the girl said again, her black hair shifting with her movement. "I promise, I'm not here to hurt you. You are lost, aren't you? Do you know where your parents are?"

Rin could only gaze up at the girl as tears filled her eyes again. Rin shook her head and sniffled, but didn't say anything. The lady looked nice, but Rin wasn't sure if she would hurt her. Lots of the ladies from her old town looked nice too, but they hurt her... But maybe this girl was different. She was wearing funny clothes. Rin figured though it would be best to play it safe and stay silent for now.

The girl only smiled. "It's okay. I understand. You don't have to say a thing. Look there's a village nearby. We can go there and you can stay with me and my friends until we can find your family. Is that okay? I promise I'll help you find your way home." The girl held out her hand with a warm smile.

Rin just stared at her, trying to judge the smile. She seemed nice. It looked like she was telling the truth. And what other choice did Rin have? She couldn't find Sesshomaru-sama on her own. She needed help. Maybe this girl and her friends could help.

Rin placed her hand tentatively in the girl's and soft fingers wrapped around Rin's hand gently. Rin smiled. The hand was warm. She sighed in relief; this lady would help her, she just knew it. Rin looked up at the girl and the smile she received was wonderful. The lady said, "My name is Kagome and when you're ready to tell me yours, go ahead. I won't push you into trusting me." Kagome grinned. "You know I have a little brother about your age, maybe a little older. Don't worry. I'll help you find your family. My friends will help too."

Rin could only stare at the older girl in wonder. She had seen right through Rin's silent act! This lady...Kagome...was smart. Maybe she and her friends could help her find Sesshomaru-sama. Rin smiled to herself. Boy, was she lucky!

* * *

"No, dammit!"

"Inu-Yasha, stop being so hard headed! She's a lost little girl! We can't just leave now! She needs our help!"

"Kagome, we are not here to help lost little girls! We have to keep looking for what's left of the Shikon fragments before Naraku gets his hands on all of them! We don't have time to waste!"

"What's a few days while we look for her family? It won't take that long, I'm sure we'll find them in no time. And if she trusts us with what her name is and who to look for, we can find her home even more quickly. Don't be so mean!"

Inu-Yasha growled at Kagome's stern face. They were in Kaede's house and had been arguing about the subject at hand for the last half-hour. Damn, she wasn't going to budge on the subject. This was not the time to waste on helping poor girls. Naraku was getting more and more powerful! Time was running out...for all of them.

"Kagome, look. Her family is probably dead or they got rid of her on purpose. We don't-"

Kagome turned her back at him. "Inu-Yasha, how could you be so heartless! She is wearing a kimono! She is not a peasant girl! Not only that but how could you even suggest that she was abandoned! That's terrible!"

Miroku, Sango and Shippou had been watching the entire argument. Finally Miroku decided to say something. "Inu-Yasha, Kagome-sama does have a point. The little one was wearing a kimono. She probably comes from a wealthy family...and if she's missing there could be a hefty reward for returning her."

Sango and Shippou both bonged Miroku on the head and he ignored them placidly. Kagome rolled her eyes. Sango growled at Miroku. "Houshi-sama! What way is that for a monk to speak?"

"I never did buy the monk routine of his!" Shippou commented.

Sango nodded in agreement.

Kagome gave a frustrated sigh. "Look everyone. I'm serious. I can't leave the poor thing alone. I'm going to help her find her family." She turned to Inu-Yasha with a look. "You don't have to help, but it will take longer without you."

"Feh." Inu-Yasha plopped down on the floor and closed his eyes. "Fine. Do whatever you want. But if Naraku's a pain in the ass to beat it's your own damn fault, Kagome."

Kagome grinned.

Rin was staring at the group of people with a smile. She had heard most of the argument and had now decided that she could trust them. They all looked like nice people that really did want to help her. Even the boy that had the same hair and eye color as Sesshomaru-sama seemed nice...even though he was all huffy. Kagome turned then to Rin, catching her by surprise. Rin blinked at Kagome's smiling face and then smiled back.

"It's all right. You can come out now. The boy with the dog-ears won't bite you, I promise. He's all bark."

Rin went completely through the door and ran right by Kagome to Inu-Yasha. He did look a little like Sesshomaru-sama! Rin giggled and went to touch his ears. Inu-Yasha only sniffed and began twitching his ears as to keep them from her touch. She ended up grabbing onto them with a laugh. Yup, she could trust these people.

Rin turned back to Kagome with a grin. "I'm Rin!"

Rin watched Kagome blink in surprise and then smile. "Hello, Rin-chan. That boy you're next to is Inu-Yasha." Kagome pointed to the dark hair man with a ponytail. "That Miroku, a Houshi. And next to him is Sango-chan and the little boy with the tale is Shippou-chan."

Rin took in the people and grinned. "Kagome-ne-chan! Inu-Yasha-ni-chan! Houshi-ni-chan! Sango-ne-chan! Shippou-chan!" Rin ran toward the other three and lightly touched Shippou's tail. He turned a bright pink. Rin laughed. "Kawaii!"

Shippou grinned back. "Kawaii yourself, Rin-chan."

Rin giggled and ran back to Kagome. "Kagome-ne-chan! I don't have a family anymore, but someone new is taking care of me. I got separated from him and I need to find him! He might be mad at me for wandering off, but I just wanted to get him some flowers so he'd smile more!"

Kagome smiled and bent down to Rin. "Well, what's his name, Rin-chan?"

Rin's lips sealed. She wanted to tell Kagome-ne-chan, but Sesshomaru-sama was famous! What if they didn't believe her?

"Oi." Rin turned to look at Inu-Yasha-ni-chan.

"Hai!"

Inu-Yasha bent forward and stared right at the little girl until his nose was practically touching hers. Rin had trouble trying to stifle her giggles. "If you don't tell us who to look for, how can we help?"

Rin blinked and then gave a light sigh. "Gomen nasai. But I can't tell you. I'm afraid you wouldn't believe me if I did. Maybe if you ask around he'll hear about and come for me."

Rin just stared into Inu-Yasha's eyes for a moment before he uttered a "Feh". He straightened and looked down at the girl. "Okay. We can deal with that, but only under one condition."

"Hai?"

"If he hasn't come to pick you up within a week, you have got to tell us who he is so we can find him faster. Understood?"

Rin grinned and nodded. Inu-Yasha just nodded in return and lifted his head only to end up looking into Kagome's warm eyes. He felt his face redden and he turned away with a cough. Kagome only giggled.

Rin watched the exchange with curious eyes. She wondered if Kagome-ne-chan and Inu-Yasha-ni-chan were married.

* * *

Jaken grumbled to himself as he headed into the small village. His head was still smarting from where Sesshomaru-sama had hit him. He still didn't understand why Sesshomaru-sama was so attached to that little human girl. That was why he was in this stupid human village anyway. Trying to find that loud little girl that he had purposefully led away from them. But Sesshomaru-sama had ordered him to try and find her. Jaken cursed lightly. He really didn't need this.

"Have any of you lost a little girl?"

Jaken stiffened and hid behind the wall of a shack. He then poked his head out to see who was posing the question. A young girl dressed in a kimono with a huge boomerang on her back. Jaken leaned closer to hear more clearly what she was saying.

"Are you all certain? She has dark hair down to her waist, wears a kimono and is quite adorable. She's maybe at least six at most eight years old." The group of villagers before her only shook their heads. She sighed heavily. "That's all right. Is there any lord around the area who could have misplaced his daughter? She won't say her guardian's name yet, but I believe it's someone special." More negative responses. She shook her head. "Oh, well. If anyone comes by asking for her, send them to the village south of here. The little girl's name is Rin and she's staying with the old Miko."

The girl then turned and left with a sigh.

Jaken had already begun to make his way back to Sesshomaru-sama. That girl had seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before. Oh well, he had found the brat. But he was still wondering if he should tell Sesshomaru-sama. After all, if he couldn't find the girl then his lord couldn't blame him, could he? Jaken grumbled some more. The last thing he wanted was to bring back the annoying child, especially when he had worked so hard to get rid of her!

"Any word of Rin, Jaken?"

Jaken practically jumped out of skin. He turned to his lord quickly. "I-i-iye, Sesshomaru-sama. There has been no information in the nearby villages..." Jaken gulped. "N-n-none at all."

Sesshomaru glared at his servant his eyes piercing. "Don't lie to me, Jaken." Sesshomaru grabbed the creature's head and began to crush it beneath his hand. "I don't want your guts to splatter on me, but if you don't tell me the information you found out about Rin's whereabouts I will crush your brains. Then revive you so I could have the pleasure of doing so again. Understood?"

Jaken gulped and Sesshomaru only tightened his hold. "Do you doubt me, Jaken?" The creature shook its head as best it could. Sesshomaru released him. "If I didn't know better, Jaken, I would assume that you purposely led Rin astray to be rid of her. But you wouldn't throw your life away that easily, would you?"

"H-h-hai! Sesshomaru-sama!"

Sesshomaru turned his steely gaze back to Jaken. "Where is she?"

"According to a girl in the village, she is at a village to the south of here staying with an elderly Miko."

Sesshomaru stared at Jaken for a moment more and then turned south, heading in that direction. Jaken quickly got up and ran after him. "Sesshomaru-sama! Sesshomaru-sama! Why? Why are you doing for a human child? Why are-"

Sesshomaru stopped in his tracks and responded. "That, Jaken, is not your business."

Jaken froze at the icy death in Sesshomaru-sama's voice. He knew not to ask anymore or his lord would annihilate him. After a moment he recovered and hurriedly followed after his liege.

Sesshomaru was staring off into space the question rolling in his mind. Why? Why indeed. Why was he doing this for that child who risked even death to make sure he was all right? He was certain that Rin knew he was a Youkai lord. Yet she had never been afraid of him, had helped from the beginning, bringing him food when he could tell that she was starving. What had prompted that? Perhaps that was why he looked after her. She puzzled him, more so than any living being. What was it about this child that confused him, the great Sesshomaru, so?

That was why he kept her around. To finally discover the puzzle that was Rin. A tiny human girl whose life he could crush in a heartbeat...yet he could not even imagine such a thing. Why was that? His eyes narrowed. He would find out. He had the rest of her life to discover her.

* * *

"All right, spit it out, chibi. We've been to all the neighboring towns and not one soul has lost a child like you recently. How far did you wander from if no one knows you around here?" Inu-Yasha growled at the girl.

Rin just stared at him. "But, Inu-Yasha-ni-chan... I'm sure my guardian has already found out I'm here and is on his way. Can't you just wait till tomorrow? I'm sure he'll be here by then!"

Inu-Yasha groaned and looked at Kagome pleadingly. Kagome sighed and shrugged her shoulders. She turned to Rin. "Rin-chan, we want you to find your way home. But if you did wander so far away how can you be sure that he's heard you were here?"

"Because he's always traveling, Kagome-ne-chan!"

Miroku, Sango, Inu-Yasha and Shippou all groaned simultaneously. Now the munchkin told them. If her guarding was a wanderer or at least a ronin, who knew when the guy would notice that she was gone and retrace his steps to find her? It could even take weeks before he found the village and Rin. It no longer mattered what the guy's name was. They probably wouldn't be able to find him anyway.

Sango turned to Kagome. "Kagome-chan, what are we going to do? We can't hang around here till her guardian arrives!"

Kagome sighed. "I know, I know..."

Miroku agreed. "And we certainly can't take her with us. It would be too dangerous for her. We don't want her prone to any attacks."

Kagome flopped on the floor with a sigh of defeat. "I guess our best bet is to leave Rin-chan here with Kaede until her guardian returns. We've spread enough information that she's here. Hopefully he'll be by sooner rather than later."

Rin's eyes filled up. "Kagome-ne-chan...are you going to leave me here alone, then?"

Kagome's heart clenched and quickly gathered the little girl into her arms. "Oh, Rin-chan, don't cry. I just don't know what to do, that's all. We have to continue on our journey soon. There are bad people out there we have to stop and soon. If not, more people like you will lose their families."

Rin nodded and grabbed onto Kagome's shirt tightly. "I understand, Kagome-ne-chan. But I just don't want to be alone again."

"Oh, Rin-chan..."

Rin felt a hand drop to her head and ruffle her hair. She turned to look up at Inu-Yasha. "Inu-Yasha ni-chan..."

"Don't worry about it, chibi. I'm sure that person will be back to get you in no time." He bent down to her and gave her a crooked smile that made her giggle. "But if you at least tell us his name and what he looks like, then if we run into him on our journey we can direct him here to pick you up."

Rin sniffed and gave a small nod. "Okay... just don't be too surprised. I know he's kind of famous, but I'm not sure how famous."

The group nodded reassuringly. Rin took a deep breath and just as she was about to open her mouth...

"YOUKAI! THERE'S A YOUKAI HERE!" Screams from the village erupted abruptly, startling the group sending them rushing out as quickly as possible.

"Shippou, stay here and protect Rin-chan!" Kagome cried as she ran out with Inu-Yasha, Miroku and Sango.

"You got it, Kagome!"

When the group got to the square of the village the last person they had expected to see was standing there, giving them a bored look.

"Sesshomaru!" Inu-Yasha growled pulling out Tetsuaiga. It hummed with power, Sango and Miroku beside him, ready for battle. Kagome was behind Inu-Yasha already making a grab for her arrows.

"What are you doing here, Sesshomaru?" Kagome cried from behind a tense Inu-Yasha.

"Hmph." Sesshomaru turned to Jaken. "You did not inform me that they were in this village."

Jaken swallowed harshly and took a nervous step back. "The girl with the giant boomerang. I thought she had looked familiar. She was the one with the information... Forgive me, Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken promptly and appropriately groveled.

Sesshomaru just gave his servant an unreadable careless look and turned back to his younger brother and his band. "Despite what you may be thinking, I did not come here for you. I came...for someone else. Clearly, my servant has-"

Sesshomaru cut himself off, startling the hell out of the group. His gaze had focused to something behind them. Inu-Yasha, Sango and Miroku all looked to see what the hell the demon could be looking at. Kagome was too shocked at how Sesshomaru's eyes had suddenly softened.

"Sesshomaru-sama!"

Hearing Rin-chan's voice call out that name, promptly made Kagome turn around in shock. And there, to the stupefication of the entire troupe, was Rin-chan hauling ass toward Sesshomaru. Shippou was lagging behind her, clearly to stunned to follow. Their eyes followed the little girl as she ran toward the demon, her giggling laughter following her.

Sesshomaru bent down with one arm slightly open. When she reached him, he lifted her with that arm and turned to face the shocked expressions of his younger brother and his friends. But before Sesshomaru could even utter a word, Rin did.

"Kagome-ne-chan, Inu-Yasha-ni-chan! See! I told you he would come for me! You didn't have to worry! Sesshomaru-sama came for me, so I'll be all right now! Thank you for helping me! Arigato, Shippou-chan, Houshi-ni-chan, Sango-ne-chan, Inu-Yasha-ni-chan, Kagome-ne-chan! Thank you all so much for taking care of me!" Rin giggled again and waved at them.

The group could only wave back dumbly.

Rin looked up at Sesshomaru with adoring eyes (surprising the hell out of him, though with that poker face you could barely tell). "I'm sorry I made you worry, Sesshomaru-sama. I only wanted to get you the prettiest flowers so you could smile. But they took good care of me."

Sesshomaru said nothing. He only turned silently around, giving his back to the group. He stayed there for a moment before moving his head over his shoulder to gaze at Inu-Yasha. "Rin has spared your lives today." And with that he turned back and began walking away, Jaken stumbling behind him.

The last thing Inu-Yasha and company heard before the three disappeared into the forest was Rin's voice saying, "Jaken-sama, gomen, but I couldn't find that valley of flowers. And because I couldn't find it I ended up getting lost!"

Then silence.

The group just stood there for a few minutes more, taking in the scene they just saw. Shippou was the first to recover. "Well...I didn't think he was her guardian at all and it sounds like that stupid Jaken is going to get it. Jerk made Rin-chan get lost."

Miroku shook his head. "That was why she took to Inu-Yasha so well. He does look a bit like his older brother, despite the fact that they're completely different in temperament."

Miroku and Shippou started to head dumbly back to Kaede's house. Sango followed them dumbfounded. "I think I need a good strong cup of tea. That was a bit too weird."

Kagome and Inu-Yasha were still staring at the place where the trio had disappeared. Eventually they turned to each other with blank confused expressions.

"I didn't think I'd ever live to see Sesshomaru taking care of a little human girl. After all, Rin is human...isn't she?" Kagome said.

Inu-Yasha slowly nodded. "Oh, yeah. She's human." Inu-Yasha pinched himself and winced. "Nope, it's not a dream. I really did see that. My 'kill-all-dirty-humans' big brother is...taking care of ..." Inu-Yasha shook his head. "No way."

Kagome smiled at him. "You saw it too. Don't disbelieve it for an instant." She looked back at the place where they had disappeared and remembered the soft look in Sesshomaru's eyes. "I wonder what the story behind them is..."

Inu-Yasha shook his head. "Well, I for one, don't care. We reunited the girl with her...guardian... I guess. Got rid of the youkai that freaked out the villagers and managed to avoid another annoying fight with my big brother." Inu-Yasha grinned smugly. "Actually, I think we did good today. Now we can get back to looking for those Shikon fragments. And despite what Sesshomaru said, he still owes me, and he knows it."

He turned to head for the house. Kagome just shook her head at him and couldn't help but wonder want had been really going on in Sesshomaru's mind when he had realized his younger brother had been the one caring for Rin-chan.

"Oi! Kagome! We don't have the whole day to dawdle, dammit! Let's get going!"

Kagome snapped out of her thoughts and turned to Inu-Yasha with a smile. He was right. They didn't have the time to waste away the day... But she just hoped that Rin-chan would be all right.