Hello everyone! It's been a while since I wrote a fanfiction, but I've had this story in my head for a long while now and I felt the need to write it out. I even created a new account and thought others might enjoy it as well. Please give me feedback and let me know how you feel about the pace.

This story takes place towards the later part of the series and stars mainly Sesshomaru, Rin, and my own OC. Other main characters will make appearances as well. For you RinxSesshomaru fans, trust me when I say I think it's an adorable pairing. In this story Rin plays a key role in the relationship between my OC, Kin, and Sesshomaru, for she is important to him and I couldn't ever ignore her.

Obviously I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters. Kin, however, is my own creation. For now, enjoy.

It's difficult to say where a journey truly starts. Everyone experiences their own tale. Unexpectedly, however, their stories can become intertwined to create an epic. Within these epic tales there are dozens of different moving pieces, each playing their own roles. Sometimes these pieces join the story a little later, yet have just as large of an impact as those that have been there since the beginning.

This is one of those times.

The grass swayed gently across the fields as the farmers tended their crops. It was a hot day, but fortune had shined upon them this season as they brought in a bountiful harvest. Sweat dripped from their brows and dirt caked on their faces. Recent rains made the dirt paths difficult, but leaving their fields alone because of poor weather wasn't an option.

Demons had been attacking the village, and it was taking all of their earnings to pay the demon slayers to protect their homes. The group took almost all of their earnings, ate almost all of their food and had caused more than one or two fights. They almost wanted to take their chance against the demons but few dared to challenge the heavily armored men.

The worst yet was the tale of a golden haired demoness prowling the edges of the fields. A few children had created a song about her, appearing and disappearing across the tree line. It was almost a game as they popped out of hiding to scare each other. Some said she had the face of an angel, while others believed it to be the face of a wretched beast.

It was the ruckus caused by the demon slayers however that brought Kin to the humble entrance to the village. She had bowed to the farmers who ran to greet her in welcoming on her way in. They seemed surprised to get a visitor during these troubled times. "I am just a humble performer, trying to make coin through song and dance." They seemed nervous however at a woman travelling by herself, but before they could voice their concerns she was moving forward as if she was on a mission.

The sun was about to set, and she had business to attend to before the rest of the village returned for the evening.

Rin yawned as the sun finally began to set. They had travelled far without Sesshomaru, A-Un following the squabbling imp as Jaken protested about the lack of supplies. It had been a while since Sesshomaru had checked in on his loyal group, but Rin wasn't too worried. Jaken seemed concerned about food though Rin had caught fish for lunch only hours prior. Apparently he was tired of surviving off of lowly fish. Why he couldn't manage anything more on his own was unknown.

"I, a loyal servant of the Lord Sesshomaru, should be feasting on a banquet! Surely we can find something better to eat than blasted fish! If I have to spit up those tiny bones one more time I'm going to…to…to-"

"Look, Jaken there is a village coming up." The young girl pointed in the distance. They were exiting the tree line and coming up to the edges of the fields. "If you want, I can go buy something."

"Absolutely not, you are not to step foot in that filthy human village! Those vile beings would tear a young girl like you to shreds in an instant."

Rin pouted, turning her head away from him in irritation. "Lord Sesshomaru said we need to fend for ourselves. I only need to buy a few things, and A-Un can fly above me. If something bad happens he will just come down and pick me up, right A-Un?"

The herbivore shook its head in response, pawing at the dirt as though to signal its agreement. "See? Besides it is a small village, they won't notice a little girl like me." In her past humans had either ignored her or caused her trouble. With A-Un nearby she felt she would have the courage to at least get some food, water, and maybe a new needle and thread. Sesshomaru sometimes brought her kimonos to wear when the one's she had fell apart, but there were times like now where she had to mend her own clothes.

I'll be fine. It's just a farming village.

Rin's sandals made little noise as she walked through the paths of the village. Although the sun had just set, there were a few shops that still looked to be open. Most of the people looked to be humble farmers just now getting home from a day in the fields. She darted underneath a cart as she made her way around a group of women gossiping about a new visitor. She paused for a moment, wondering how they could have already known about her before realizing they were talking about a young woman. A beauty apparently dressed in a kimono covered in suns.

She glanced down at her own clothes which were rather dirty now that she looked at herself. Yet, it was because of this that the villagers probably didn't notice her. She smiled to herself, taking note to clean their clothes later before continuing down the path.

Finding the needle and thread was easier than she had thought. Sesshomaru had dropped a large wallet full of money on her lap one day, and she was always careful with it. She had never had so much money before and was too afraid to spend more than she needed.

She knew what it was like to have none.

She figured she should try the inn, where there was bound to be food to take for travelers and guests. As she approached the wooden building she hesitated. The people inside were loud and she could hear angry shouting. She was about to leave when suddenly there was the strum of a biwa, followed by a gentle melody. It was almost lost to the noise around it, and soon she found herself walking inside.

A woman, petite in size with long, flowing black hair was playing the instrument in the corner. She was dressed in a golden kimono with bright red suns woven across the fabric. Her eyes were closed, and Rin would have been lost in the music had she caught the scent of freshly baked bread. She also sensed something different in the air as the woman continued to play her song. It was when she opened her mouth and began to sing that she truly became alarmed.

One group of men, the loudest and by far the most ill-behaved suddenly stopped their conversation and turned their heads towards her. As if in a trance they all got up from their seats and forcibly shoved other patrons out of their way. They all had the head of a snake baring its dripping fangs around their necks. They were all heavily armed, and Rin quickly made her way to the counter while the rest of the room was distracted.

The man at the counter at first ignored Rin until she placed a shiny coin on the counter. "I have more for food, but that's for who the pretty lady is."

The owner eyed Rin cautiously, but the money called to him even louder than the song and he snatched up the money before filling a large bowl of rice for her and setting it on the counter. She handed him payment for the food, and shoved large mouthfuls down as he shrugged. "Not too sure. She said her name was Kin, and started to play. Hasn't even been here for a full day." He glared at the men surrounding Kin, intimidating and almost menacing as she continued to play as though they didn't exist. "Those men however are the demon slayers we hired a few months back. They say they're protecting us, but they're causing more trouble than the few demons we had problems with. They scare away every traveler that comes in here, and are killing my business. They've even killed a few men, and attack women whenever they see an opportunity."

Rin set her empty bowl down, licking the few grains from her face as she studied the group. They reminded her of thieves and sent shivers down her spine. "Bad men…." She muttered, though the man didn't seem to hear as he put down a cup of tea for her. She took it happily though wasn't surprised when he held out his hand for payment. Her feet didn't even touch the floor but she had a feeling he would try to empty her purse.

"Nobody will dare stand up to them. We are a farming village, not an army. Their leader isn't even here he just comes by to scare the locals and take his fee. He's the worst of them all, a real scumbag." He complained before walking away to help another patron.

Rin waited until he wandered back towards her before purchasing a small sack rice to go, as well as managing to buy something for Jaken and tea leaves. She began to wrap up her new things in a satchel when she heard the song begin to end. She turned her head, and froze when she saw the woman's hand casually grasp the neck of the biwa. There was a faint click, and she slowly pulled out a cylindrical piece. Within moments it extended into a pole, before a blade emerged. It was a hidden naginata.

The men were still in a trance, unaware of the danger they were in. Rin quickly turned her head away as a scream reverberated off the walls. She didn't even turn to look as she dashed out, looking up frantically for A-Un. She didn't see the man with the snake tattoo until she ran into him, knocking both of them into the damp dirt.

She scrambled to her feet, shrieking when she suddenly felt herself being lifted off the ground. Tears sprung to her eyes as she kicked and scratched in a feeble attempt to escape. She heard A-Un above her, but it was faint and distressed. The demon slayer's angry eyes glared at her as he shook her violently, slapping her across the face. Were his eyes red? She winced, tears streaming down her cheeks as the man suddenly pulled out a knife. She let out another shriek and squeezed her eyes shut, but the pain never came. She heard the man grunt in distress before suddenly landing on her rear with a thud. She opened her eyes hesitantly to see the woman, Kin, hovering over her shoulder as the naginata penetrated the man's throat.

She was about to scream again when the woman made a soothing sound, hushing her and carefully pulling her away from the man. The woman smelled like sunflowers, and wiped her blade off before putting the weapon away onto her back. It slid into the neck of the biwa, folding into itself as it hid the blade within the instrument with a click.

Rin just wanted to get away however, from both the dangerous woman and men. Were they dangerous demons? It wasn't until A-Un landed on the soft ground and grunted at her to come to him that she finally felt safe. She ran to him, scrambling onto its back before urging him to take off. It wasn't until they were in the air that she saw Kin picking up her dropped supplies. She groaned, feeling like a failure as she nuzzled her face into A-Un's necks.

"Jaken's going to scream. With reason this time."

Kin picked up the dropped satchel, peering into it carefully before shouldering it along with her biwa. The village was already beginning to realize the 'demon slayers' were dead, and she had little reason to stick around. The man she had been looking for hadn't been among them, but had a feeling he wasn't too far away. She padded down the dirt road away from the village. As she left the view of the villagers her dark brown eyes turned into a lighter, hazel shade with flecks of gold and green. Her hair changed from black to a bright gold, shimmering in the moonlight.

She let out a breath of exhaustion. Passing off as a human like that was difficult. She had been surprised by the little girl and the demon she rode off on, but she had her scent and would return the dropped belongings later. For now, she had a snake to kill.

That's all for the first chapter. If this receives enough positive feedback I will be more than happy to continue sharing. Sorry if it's a bit rough, this is all a first draft and I'm a little rusty. I am planning on following along the original story as much as possible. I was a huge fan of the series growing up and don't plan on changing it much. If, however, this is well liked I have a plot for 'after series' continuation that would include the main characters a few years later facing a new enemy.

Maybe.

Please review, and thanks for your time!