"Why are you following me?"

Why was that so hard for him to figure out? He kept saying it like there was some reason that she shouldn't come. What was wrong with her going?

"You were nice," she said. "I'll do whatever you want."

"Go play. Or eat if you're hungry."

Rin got up, leaving him sitting alone. She ran around, enjoying the morning. He only sat, occasionally looking in her direction. That was fine; even back in the village, grownups never played. Rin played with flowers, dug in the dirt, and watched the dragonflies that zoomed around. It was much the same game that she had played in the village to entertain herself. Since she had mostly been alone, she had soon found many ways to have fun quietly by herself. She moved over to the stream to wash the dirt off of her hands and feet, and watched the small fish that swam in the sparkling water. She made a few half-hearted attempts to catch some from the bank as Lord Sesshoumaru had done, before deciding that she wasn't going to be able to.

Not being that hungry, she moved back to a thick spot in the grasses, and began picking flowers. She talked to herself as she played, trying to recall a favorite story about a princess who lived in a garden of magic flowers. The story was fuzzy, though, and all she could remember was that the princess picked flowers everyday. Rin couldn't even remember where she had heard the story, but it seemed that she had heard it often, and for a very long time before it had stopped being told.

When she thought that she had enough flowers, Rin walked back over to Lord Sesshoumaru and sat down next to him. She began making a necklace out of the flowers. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was looking straight ahead, seemingly staring at nothing in particular. He hadn't spoken to her since that morning, so she spoke to him, beginning a short exchange. Lord Sesshoumaru was quiet, but would talk back if she ask him something, she learned. He said that he was going to get a new sword, and that his was broken. She wondered why he carried around a broken sword. He apparently didn't live anywhere, and only traveled with Lord Jaken. Rin had decided that Lord Jaken wasn't as bad as she had first thought, and that anyone traveling with Lord Sesshoumaru must deserve a 'Lord' themselves. Lord Jaken didn't seem to like her very much, but Rin was sure that he would if she was nice to him.

She continued playing with the flowers until Lord Jaken returned, along with the dragon. Lord Sesshoumaru walked over to them, and put on something that Lord Jaken had brought back. They spoke a few words before Lord Sesshoumaru turned to her.

"Come Rin, we're leaving."

She jumped up and hurried to catch up with him as he began to walk. She had two flower rings around her neck, and a half finished third one that she attempted to complete as they walked. But Rin quickly gave up on that; she couldn't hold the extra flowers and string them together at the same time. So she discarded the unfinished chain and settled on swinging her small food bag from side to side as they walked. She also talked to Lord Jaken, which had gone well enough, she supposed. He hadn't said that he liked her, but he hadn't said that he didn't. She ate the rest of her food around sunset, and again wondered why she never saw Lord Sesshoumaru eating.

It had been dark for a long time when Rin began to get tired. She didn't want to walk anymore. Her feet hurt and she only wanted to stop. So she told him.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, I'm tired."

Lord Jaken told her not to complain, but Lord Sesshoumaru picked her up and set her on the back of the dragon.

"Ride here until we stop," he said.

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru!" she said. It was nice riding here. She watched the dragon for a moment before she looked down at Lord Jaken.

"Lord Jaken, what's its name?" she asked, pointing to the dragon.

"It doesn't have one."

"Then I'll give it one!"

"It doesn't need one."

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" she asked.

"Give it one if you want," he said.

Rin thought for a moment. She wanted to pick a good name for Lord Sesshoumaru's dragon. "I'll call it Ah and Un," she finally decided.

"It doesn't need two names," Lord Jaken said.

"Then you can call it Ahun. But Ahun has two heads. One name for each head! Is that good, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"It's fine."

Rin sat happily on Ah and Un, glad that she had picked a good name. It was nice riding and not having to walk. She even found that she could lie down comfortably, and did so, looking up at the stars as they moved. When Lord Sesshoumaru finally said that they would stop, Rin had almost fallen asleep several times.

She sleepily jumped off of Ah and Un, which Lord Jaken led away. Then she went over to Lord Sesshoumaru, who was already sitting down. She curled up next to him as she had done on the nights before, but something was different this time. He was wearing that armor now, and it was cold and hard. Rin had noticed it before, but she hadn't really paid attention to it. She wondered how he could sleep in something that looked so uncomfortable, but he showed no signs of removing it. She couldn't sleep like that so she moved, only lying beside him instead. But when Rin closed her eyes, she felt alone again, without proof that he was sitting barely a foot away. So she reached out her arm to touch his, and soon she was asleep.