Rin looked up at the sky, it was such a beautiful shade of blue today. She hummed a children's song as she skipped along happily beside her guardian, Sesshoumaru, randomly picking flowers. If she found one that was particularly beautiful, she would not touch it. Instead, she would tug on his sleeve and smile and point towards the blossom, exclaiming in awe.

"Look, Sesshoumaru-sama! Isn't that flower beautiful?" She would say, her eyes fixing upon him in a look of adoration.

And Sesshoumaru would glance at it expressionlessly and nod, continuing on his way. And Rin would continue her humming.

Sesshoumaru glanced at the child by his side, why did it matter to her that one flower was more beautiful than another? So much so that she had to tell him of it? He looked at the flowers growing, but could not see why the child loved them so. The simple beauty of a flower was lost on him. Why? Because it did not matter to him. It was not in his nature.

But neither was it in his nature to love and care for humans. Or so he had thought.

But the little girl next to him was a reminder that he had indeed done so. Cared for her at the very least. Why? In the beginning, he could have passed it off as gratitude for her kindness. That it was his duty since he himself had brought her to life with the Tenseiga. Now there was something more. Caring. How unlike him.

Sesshoumaru had never before cared for anyone. Except his father, but it was mostly respect that prompted him to do so.

Tenseiga, a sword he had deemed as useless. It made him save a human and made him feel something he was reluctant to. Maybe it had even made him love.

He had no need of love. He did not need love to kill. He did not need love to conquer. He did not need love to attain and surpass his father's level of power.

Sometimes he himself suspected that he had no heart at all before meeting Rin. Or if he had one, it had been made of cold stone. In fact, maybe he preferred it that way. Life was a little less complicated without much emotion.

Rin looked up at Sesshoumaru, unaware of what he was thinking. Then, a fluttering of wings caught her eye. A pretty little butterfly! She thought and stopped to watch it, causing Jaken to crash headlong into her. The both of them tumbled to the ground, and Jaken landed in a most undignified heap.

"Y-you stupid child!" Jaken raged at Rin, who stuck her tongue out at him. "You bumped into Rin first." She said sulkily and pouted, which only served to make Jaken even more furious. "Sesshoumaru-sama!" He complained, "This horrible child is causing me trouble!" Suddenly, Rin began to giggle. The sight of an angry Jaken, hopping from foot to foot and covered head to toe in dust from his fall and waving the Nintoujou at her was too funny. Plus not to mention what he was sputtering incoherently.

Sesshoumaru sighed inwardly. There went his peaceful and silent walk. He turned and fixed Jaken with a death glare. "Stop that noise and get moving," he growled, then turned to Rin. "Rin, ride on Ahun in case you fall again." Rin clambered onto the two-headed dragon thing and sat there in silence. She did not want to irritate Sesshoumaru-sama again. Jaken muttered a few words under his breath, then picked up Ahun's reins and sulked. Sesshoumaru turned his back to them again and they resumed their journey to who-knows-where. Peaceful (Somewhat peaceful anyhow) silence now reigned among them again.