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"Sesshomaru-sama!" the faint distant yelling of a child could be heard. He turned his head slowly around to see a small child running towards him with a smile across her face and a hand full of yellow flowers. Jaken was shaking his head at her and walking along in front of her. When she ran passed him he gawked and began a series of yells…

"Lord Sesshomaru needn't be bothered by you Rin," he stated to her, but Rin completely ignored him.

"Look what I picked for you, Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin said once she had reached him and handed the flowers up to him. "Rin can hold onto them if you want!"

Sesshomaru looked down at Rin with a solemn expression. Placid as an undisturbed lake. He gave a single soft nod and then continued along the path that led around the edge of a river. Rin walked by his side, sniffing the flowers as a butterfly floated its way to land on them. She giggled lightly and Sesshomaru glanced down at her again.

It was strange still to him to have such a vibrant little child following him around… And a human one at that. Why do I come back for her? Sesshomaru often asked himself. He could easily just leave her and never come back. It wasn't like he held any attachment to her.

He could remember how he had actually felt worry, though it was very little, when Naraku had kidnapped her. He said that he hadn't gone for her… But, in truth he thought deep down inside that is why he had gone… To rescue Rin.

Sesshomaru yet again and looked to Rin. When he looked at her in trouble he did feel a strong feeling to protect her. But, Sesshomaru knew that as time went on and Naraku grew more powerful that Rin would be in more and more danger. It was best for her to just go and live in the mortal towns with her own kind. But, how could he leave her there and be sure that she would stay?

A gentle breeze blew and his silver hair danced in the wind. Only time could tell him what he needed to do…

Darkness loomed over the castle built into the mountain, the pale order of death. It was not a happy looking place, but who could expect such, not from Naraku's castle at least. He sat in the darkness of his room, cross-legged on a mat on the floor. He was staring off in thought, like most of the times before. Planning and plotting his next move. Images of past battles and failures came to his mind and he tried his best figure out how to make them better… How to stop failing. He had won many, but failing was not an option in this game.

There was another plan forming in his head. Another way for him to gain more power through the use of an innocent being. A child. Naraku sat kneeling on the floor looking over an ancient scroll that was written in blood. Before him sat a man with long black hair that went to his feet when standing. His hair had a single gray streak running through it down the side. Naraku glanced up from the scroll and looked at the man, clothed in a pure white kimono.

"All you need, my lord, to get the Sword of Souls is the sacrifice of one innocent life. It must be the life of a child who knows sorrow," the man clothed in white said. He stood out in the dark surroundings. "Would you like me to find this child for you?"

Naraku smiled cunningly as he looked up from the scroll. "No, I have a child in mind…" he said darkly and looked back to the scroll as he rolled it up.

"Any child with sorrow will do, my lord," the man said and bowed his head.

"I want this child." Naraku rose up and walked to the window, peering out in thought. Sesshomaru… I have been meaning to pay you back. The loss of that child will be just the thing. He laughed to himself.

Rin sat in front of a fire, throwing twigs into the flames as she rested her head on her knees. She glanced ever so often in the direction of Jaken who was sitting atop a log, leaning against his staff since his legs didn't reach the ground. His eyes were closed in thought or sleep, whichever one it was. She glanced back to the fire as it flickered and a deep sigh escaped her lips.

"Oh Sesshomaru-sama, where are you?" she sang softly and her eyes closed slightly. "When you're gone I have nothing to do. Oh… Sesshomaru-sama… where are you?" She was fading off to sleep and falling a sleep sitting up. Finally her eyes closed and she breathed softly and evenly, signaling the fact she was sleeping.

Sesshomaru entered the clearing where Jaken and Rin were supposed to be. It was quiet, much to his surprise. Jaken was a sleep and apparently so was Rin, given her expression. He took his own position, sitting down and leaning against a tree with his legs out in front of him crossed at the ankles. He looked over at Rin, thinking that it must be a very uncomfortable sleeping position to be in. He contemplated the idea for a very long moment before he finally rose from his seat and walked towards her.

Sesshomaru knelt and laid the girl back gently until she was on the ground completely, that way she would sleep more comfortably. What is it about this girl that makes me act so strangely? Sesshomaru asked himself as he gazed down at her. He ignored his thoughts once more and went back to where he had been before he preformed the kind gesture.

The surroundings were quiet all through the night up until the point where a soft whimper could be heard on the other side of the clearing. This didn't disturb the Lord of the Western Lands. His eyes were closed and his face was as tranquil as ever.

Rin tossed in her sleep, her face in an expression of discomfort. A man in white clothes was running after her. He was so fast… she couldn't get away. "Sesshomaru-sama!" Where was her lord? She tripped and stumbled down into a hole with water at the bottom. The man stopped at the edge of the hole. His white eyes looked at her and she backed away and up the other side of the hole. There were spiders everywhere. She couldn't get away because their webs wouldn't let her. She ran and fell into one. "Lord Sesshomaru! Help!" The man closed in on her with his white eyes and the spiders hovered around with glowing purple orbs. Thousands of them… "Lord Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru came awake at the urgent screaming of his name. It was Rin's voice he knew, even in his sleep. He could smell her fear and he turned his head, expecting some vile creature to be upon her. Instead he found her still sleeping, but in a state of terror. She was having a nightmare. Sesshomaru was used to her waking in the night to a nightmare, but she didn't usually talk in her sleep. His eyes narrowed and he wondered what he should do. He guessed she could wake her own self from it and so he leaned back and closed his eyes again. After all, it was just a dream.

She was trying to back away, but a man dressed in a purple kimono with black slightly curling hair was standing behind her. She couldn't get away. The man looked familiar. He looked like the man her master often fought… the one called Naraku. He was smiling at her…the smile was so evil it scared her. The man in white clothes was there too. They were laughing, evil laughter. "Sesshomaru is dead and soon you will be, too." Sesshomaru was standing in front of her all of the sudden and they were in an open field. The man in the white clothes and with the white eyes raised a hand into the sky and blood red lightening fell, striking Sesshomaru in the heart. She screamed.

Sesshomaru's eyes came open when he heard Rin scream. She still hadn't woken from that dream? He made a slight noise of irritation and guessed that he should wake her.

Sesshomaru was on the ground, his head turned to the side and his eyes closed. She was hovering over his head and looking at him with wide eyes. "Sesshomaru-sama! Don't die…"

"…Don't die…." Rin whimpered and Sesshomaru tilted his head lightly. He could see the sign of tears on the edge of her closed eyes. He stooped as her eyes fluttered and she rolled over on her side. She pushed herself to sit up and she shuddered slightly a soft sob escaping her. Sesshomaru's expression turned confused as he gazed at her from behind. He towered over her, her protector and friend. She didn't notice him yet, but once she felt his presence she turned around and looked up at him. Her cheeks glistened and her eyes were watery. But, even with that a smile came to her small face and she stood up quickly. Before he had any say about it her arms were flung around his legs and she was hugging them tightly.

Sesshomaru's face was surprised for a moment, but then it returned to its usual expression. He just stood there, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the child clinging to his legs with a good bit of strength.

"Rin dreamed you died," she said plainly and looked up at him. "But, you won't ever die, will you Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru only nodded once reassuringly and she relinquished her grip and took a step back. Sesshomaru placed one of his hands on the top of her head and then turned to walk back to his makeshift bed. He sat down again with his back to the tree and Rin still stood there gazing at him. She nodded with a smile and took her place on the ground again.

Sesshomaru watched her long after that, images of her tear filled eyes in his head. She cried over me? Because she dreamed I died? He had never known someone to cry over him before and he really didn't know how to react to it. He finally closed his eyes and fell to sleep, waiting for the morrow.

The next day was hot, so hot Rin was begging Jaken to let her go for a swim. But, each time Jaken refused to let her go. Rin secretly thought it was because he was afraid of water. But, whatever it was Jaken was being annoying and Rin didn't like it one bit. She was now tugging on his kimono and pleading with him to let her take at least one dip in the nice cool water.

"Please Jaken-sama!" Rin pleaded and almost jerked Jaken to the ground.

"Fine! Just as long as you leave me be!" Jaken screeched, jerking away and taking a seat on a rock in front of a cool stream.

Rin giggled and ran into the water with her arms out to her sides. She splashed it in the air and tried her best to splash Jaken but sadly he had chosen his rock well and the water wouldn't reach him. She continued to play until her hands and feet were like prunes and Jaken was complaining about how long she was taking.

"Rin is finished," she said with a smile and ran on shore, her wet feet gathering sand until they were covered in light brown dirt. "When will Lord Sesshomaru come back? Rin misses him…"

Jaken looked up with his big round eyes and narrowed them for a second. "You needn't worry when he'll come back. You're lucky he comes back for you at all. Lord Sesshomaru hates humans!"

Rin smiled softly at Jaken. "But, I am not a human, because Lord Sesshomaru loves me!" she protested and went to stand in front of Jaken.

"Lord Sesshomaru loves no one," Jaken replied, standing. "Least of all a human like you."

Rin wasn't usually hurt by the things that came out of Jaken's mouth, but for some strange reason they stung at her. Jaken watched the happy expression fall and the little girl turned from him, walking towards the woods. "Rin! Wait, where are you going!"

Rin didn't answer. She just kept walking into the forest, her mind far gone in thought. She didn't stop until she reached a nice sized log where she sat and thought some more…