Rin's Winter

Rin's arm extended to reach out to touch a star in the sky. The stars twinkled brightly in the cold night. She wished to be able to feel the star in her hand, but the star was simply too far away. Rin sighed before she dropped her hand to her side.
'Sesshomaru-sama, will I have the chance to see you this winter?'
The wind billowed through her hair. She heard footsteps behind her causing her to turn around. She found Kagome standing a few feet away from her. Kagome smiled at the younger woman, before stretching out her hand for Rin to take.
"Rin-chan, we should head back inside the hut. Kaede said that tonight it will get colder. I even made tea for everyone."
"Okay, Kagome-san," Rin answered as she walked over and placed her hand inside Kagome's. They both walked back to the village, together. The silence was peaceful and serene.
"Kagome-san, is it true that Kohaku-kun is coming to visit the village, tomorrow?" Rin asked breaking the silence between them. Kagome gave Rin a sideway glance, before responding. "Yes, that's true. Rin-chan, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what do you wish to ask me?" Rin asked, curious at what Kagome wanted to ask her.
"What do you feel for Kohaku-kun?"
"Ah, well he is a very good friend. I really enjoy our conversations and it makes me happy to know that Kohaku-kun is well." Rin answered with sincerity.
"Okay, what do you feel for Sesshomaru?"
"Sesshomaru-sama is very important to me. When I was younger and I traveled with him, he protected me countless of times and was always there for me. He is someone I can confide in and…. he makes my heart go pitter-patter, every time I hear his voice." Rin spoke the last few words in a soft voice.
Kagome smiled, but stayed silent. She had already known where the young girl's heart resided in, but she wondered about Sesshomaru's.
Rin skirted to stand in front of Kagome once they reach the front of Kaede's hut.
"Kagome-chan, why did you ask me about my feeling towards Kohaku and Sesshomaru-sama?" She questioned with her face titled to the side.
"Well, I had been wondering for some time now, where your feelings stand on."
"Really?" Rin asked doubting that Kagome was telling the whole truth.
"Mm-hmm," Kagome smiled before pushing aside the bamboo cover from the doorway. Rin followed behind Kagome and greeted Kaede with a hug.
"Kaede, do you want me to bring in more wood for the fire?" Rin asked as she stood in front of the fire.
"I already brought the wood, kiddo." Inuyasha's voice reached her ears. He walked inside the hut carrying a good pile of wood.
"Inuyasha welcome back." Rin greeted.
"Thank you, Inuyasha." Kaede said.
The old woman patted Rin's hand," You can serve the tea for us, Rin."
"Okay," Rin said, happy to help.
Rin picked up the kettle and started serving tea inside the ceramic cups. She spent the rest of the evening hearing the adventures of Inuyasha's journey. Inuyasha had gone to see Totosai looking to create a sword with his fang. He wanted to pass his fang sword to his soon to be born child. Kagome was carrying his child of two months. Inuyasha had said he wanted to honor his father's legacy.
Rin went to sleep late that night. She had noticed that it started to snow outside. It took her a while, before she finally fell into a warm slumber, curled near the hearth.
She felt a warm hand pressed against her cheek causing her to stir awake. Rin found Kaede still sleeping on her futon. She stood up and stretched wondering if she had dreamed up that warm presence.
Rin picked up her orange cloak and draped it around her shoulders. She was about to go outside to inspect the weather, when she spotted a rectangular box sitting near her abandoned futon. She hadn't slept on her futon last night.
Rin curiously walked over and took off the lid of the box and gasped in surprise. Inside the box she found winter boots. She glanced at her bare feet, before a smile lit up in her face. 'Sesshomaru-sama was here.'
She picked up the winter boots and wrapped them around her feet. She wrapped her cloak more firmly before she ran outside and searched the area for his face or any sign of him. She found none.
'Sesshomaru-sama, where are you?'
The village was covered in a heavy blanket of snow.
She ran down the villager's path and headed to the outskirts. She could spot bare tree branches around, but still no sight of her lord.
Rin began her ascend up a hill running all the way up. Her breath formed puffs of breath when it came into contact with the chilly air.
When she reached the top of the hill, she had to stop to recuperate her breath. She wiped the small drops of perspiration from her forehead, before she surveyed the area.
Pine trees stretched across the land and Rin strained her eyes to spot him through the white snow. Just when she was about to give up, she spotted his silhouette figure kilometers away from her. He was walking away from her life, again.
Rin wasn't about to let him do this to her, again. She didn't want to spend another lonely winter without him. She ran forward the snow crunching beneath her winter boots.
Her hair billowed against the air and her cloak was flimsily gripped with one hand. She was wearing the kimono that he had given her for her seventeenth birthday. Lotus flowers were imprinted on the fabric.
Her lips parted to call out his name as he became closer to see. She could see his long silver hair, his familiar armor over his chest, and his Mokomoko wrapped around his shoulder.
"Sesshomaru-Sama,"
Her feet stumbled across the snow. She regained her balance before she fell down into the snow. Sesshomaru turned sideways to see his ward running up the hill calling out to him.
He was surprised to see her strong determination to reach him. His amber eyes stared firmly on her flushed face as Rin reached out with open arms to him.
Rin reached out to embrace her lord Sesshomaru. She pressed her cheek against the cold metal of his armor plate. Her winter clad boots had sunk down into the snow. Sesshomaru's right hand was outstretched and was touching her shoulder to hold her balance against him.
"Sesshomaru-sama, I came looking for you." Rin whispered with all the courage she had inside her.
Sesshomaru stared down at the young human woman. She looked at him through her dark accentuated lashes.
Rin continued to embrace her lord Sesshomaru as the sun slowly melted the snow away. Sesshomaru reached out with his left hand and placed it on top of Rin's head.
"Rin?"
"Can I spend winter with you, Sesshomaru-sama?"  
Rin silently enjoyed Sesshomaru-sama's affectionate caress.
Sesshomaru brushed strands of black hair with his claws.
"You may,"
Rin opened her eyes and stared up at him with a sunlit smile, "Thank you."
They both began there descend down the hill heading away from the village and into the forest. Sesshomaru's right arm remained draped across her shoulder; as he quietly listened to Rin tell him stories accompanied with her laughter.  
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