Summary: An older Rin finds a girl abandoned in the forest. Is she the key to all of their destinies? Or will she be the one to finish Naraku's work? No pairings because this isn't a romance. Rating may change.

Prologue

It's not every day you find a young girl lying in the forest bleeding a lake. But then again, this is the middle of the Warring States period in Japan. These were the thoughts that ran through the head of a 16 year old Rin as she crouched down over the injured girl. Her appearance was very odd for the times. Her hair was cropped pixie short, and was a dark brown color. She wore strange clothes similar to that of Lady Kagome, with a short kimono and trousers. Her sandals also covered her entire feet! As these thoughts circled in Rin's mind, she came to a decision. She would help this girl, no matter what. There was, however, one wrench in the plan. She would need a certain Daiyoukai's help, and such was not acquired easily.

Rin stood up, while racking her brain for a plan. Just as she stood, her annoying babysitter Jaken approached her.

"Rin, you irritating child! Must you always run off! Sesshomaru-sama will

kill me if you get hurt!" Jaken rambled.

Rin payed his annoying banter no mind. She had gotten rather accustomed to ignoring Jaken over the years, seeing as how he only got more and more annoying as time passed. In her thoughts she had almost forgotten about the girl who lay dying just a few feet away from her.

Snapping from her thoughts, she said,"Jaken-sama, we must help this girl!"

"What makes you think I want to help this human wench?"

"Please Jaken-sama?" Rin replied, giving the best pair of puppy-dog eyes Jaken had ever seen.

Jaken did not get the chance to reply, because at that moment, a majestic being entered the clearing. With his mokomoko over his shoulder, and the swords Tensaiga and Bauksaiga at his hip, Sesshomaru flew into the clearing.

"Sesshomaru-sama, can we pretty please help this girl? Please?"

"Hn. Do as you please." Sesshomaru replied with his usual lack of emotion.

"Thank you Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin chirped happily.

She wasted no time in bandaging the wounds that the girl had received from kami knows what. She appeared to have deep gashes down each of her sides and her back. Her left leg was also broken, same as her right arm. It seemed that her bleeding had stopped some time ago of its own accord, but her injuries were still severe. Rin wrapped her wounds, and put braces on her arm and leg. She hoisted the girl on her back, and walked the short distance back to the camp.

~With Inuyasha and the gang~

"PERVERT!" the demon exterminator Sango shouted for all the world to hear before brutally whacking said pervert upside the head with her bone boomerang. Miroku, having been knocked unconscious, slumped to the ground, where he stayed for the rest of the night. Sango sighed before sitting back down in front of the fire. Inuyasha sat directly across from her, his eyes glazed over.

He had been like this ever since Kagome left to become a wanderer. Kikyo had long since been dead, and when Kagome left, Inuyasha felt he had no one left. The two women in his life he had valued above all others had left. He had nothing. He only really snapped out of his stupor when Kagome came to visit every two to three months.

Sango and Miroku were beginning to worry about Inuyasha, so Sango decided to forcefully snap Inuyasha out of it, and she was going to do it NOW.

"Inuyasha, sulking like this isn't going to bring Kikyo and Kagome back you know. If anything it will make it worse. Whatever happened to you being tough? Or are you so weak now that you can't even swing your sword?" Sango taunted. She knew this probably wasn't the best route, seeing as how he had an unconquerable temper, but she was done putting up with his sulking. Inuyasha's head snapped up in anger. He surprisingly stood up, and walked off without another word. Sango knew he would come back if he wanted to. Tomorrow, she and the lecherous monk would head to the slayers village, to begin the rest of their lives.

~With Kagome~

Kagome's life had been a simple one since she had left Inuyasha. She simply wandered from place to place, seeking odd jobs, slaying random demons, and the such. She didn't really think about her previous mission in life, or what became of the jewel. It had disappeared during the final battle with Naraku, and after 4 years of searching, it was never found. Naraku had been dead for some time, and Kagome was glad. She wouldn't have to put up with the irritating spider putting a damper on her days with his evil actions.

She had seen Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku from time to time. She enjoyed their company, but being a wanderer was her true calling. She even saw Sesshomaru's group from time to time, and things never seemed to change. Sesshomaru was still cold, stubborn and aloof. Jaken was still biased, a Sesshomaru cheerleader, and annoying. Rin was still, well, Rin. She had grown older and more mature, but all in all she hadn't changed. She still cared about everything that crossed her path, be it human or youkai.

Kagome herself hadn't changed much either. She still had that caring, nurturing personality, and an intense temper. She had by all means matured, seeing as how it had been 8 years since she first entered the well. Oddly enough, she had stopped aging at 21, and she was now 23. She had also abandoned her school uniform for much more practical clothed from the time period. Mainly she wore the miko garb that used to make her look so much like Kikyo, but not so much anymore. She no longer had any insecurities about looking too much like her incarnation, seeing as how she had her whole soul back. A part of Kikyo would also always live on in her, because Kikyo had died for all of them, including her. Such enlightenment was the reason behind Kagome always being at peace. She was a wanderer, she permanently resided in the Feudal Era, and she was content.

~With Rin~

The girl from the forest began to stir. Rin was by her side in an instant, should she need anything. In a flash her eyes opened, revealing strange grey colored irises.

"What the hell?" the girl mumbled.