Disclaimer: I don't own the characters mentioned here.

Author Notes: Mm, yeah so I really wanted to write a western story, but still leaning towards a modern twist. I didn't do a lot of research beforehand so please keep in mind that I'm writing this as I go along with the plot. I'm trying to focus the setting during the late 1800s to the early 1900, but with an alternative version. I don't know if this will make a good story or not, but please leave a review to let me know if this story caught your interest. Thank you for reading!

Road to Love~

He wasn't supposed to be here, but his legs couldn't move. His body was leaning on the rough bark of a tree, the leaves being held by branches, giving him shade. His eyes didn't want to stray from the maiden's body.

He was not a lustful man, but he couldn't help and glimpse at the woman with nude fair skin.

He could hear the chirping of birds and the sound of water traveling down the river. He could also hear the distant humming song coming from the mouth of the brunette bathing in the river.

His hiding location wasn't too far away. He could see the way the water droplets trickled down her neck towards her breasts. They were small breasts, but perfectly shaped.

'She really is beautiful. It feels like heaven wanted to give me a second chance to glimpse at this beautiful woman.'

Rin silently knew he was there. She usually wasn't so brazen, but her curiosity got the better of her. She wondered if the cowboy recognized her. She wondered what he would do. Would he approach her or would he bolt before she had the chance to speak with him, once more.

Her wet hair was splayed about her back.

'I wonder if my clothes are dry…'

She was starting to feel self-conscious of revealing her body to a man; to a stranger no less. She wasn't taking a bath in the river, because she wanted to entice a man. Her original thought had been to take a quick bath and remove the dirt and mud that had clung to her skin, when she had gone to pick wildflowers.

She lowered her arms and covered her breasts. She shyly glanced down to the reflection of the water; before she began her ascend out of the water.

Sesshomaru watched as the young woman picked up her chemise and began to dress. Her back was facing in his direction.

He heard a twig break only a few kilometers to his left. The noise seemed to bring his movement back. He pulled away from the tree's base and took out a knife from his boot. He threw the knife swiftly to the ground aiming at the throat of a coral snake.

Rin hurriedly buttoned up the buttons on her dress, before slipping on her boots. She patted the front of her dress in satisfaction, before turning around. Her gaze immediately fell on the spot where she had seen him glancing.

She felt a tad disappointed to find him gone, but she was immensely relieved to find out that he had not known she knew he had been peeking at her.

"Are you looking for something?" a suave, deep manly voice spoke.

Rin turned around and jumped back." Ah!"

She accidentally stepped on the back of the dress hem causing her to land quite ungracefully on her bottom.

"How did you-" her words left unfinished when he intervened.

"I never expected to stumble upon a naïve, clumsy girl. What are you doing out here in these dangerous, parts of the woods, girl?"

Rin gulped inaudible as she stared at the man with fierce, amber eyes. She noticed the shadow his cowboy hat cast on his face. His long silver hair pulled back with a blue ribbon down his back.

"I was picking out wildflowers for tonight's banquet. But, I accidentally rolled down a hill and became soggy with dirt and mud. That was when I decided to…" She paused in her explanation wondering why he was getting angry.

"You trust a stranger so completely that you will tell him your story," He grounded out.

Rin was now standing and facing him. She reached a little below his shoulders.

She looked at him through her lashes. A soft pink hue flustered upon her cheeks.

"I think you are a trust worthy person. Besides, this is my second time meeting you. Do you not remember? You helped me retrieve my pocket watch from that outlaw fellow. We were both riding the same train on that dusky evening."

Sesshomaru said nothing. He recalled that evening very well.

Rin fidgeted under the intense silence, when she remembered that she did not know his name. She wondered if he remembered hers. Surely not….

Her body turned tense when he reached out and touched her cheek.

"Your name is Rin Noto," He said before his lips descended upon hers.

Rin's eyes fluttered close, wondering why she was letting him kiss her.

'Why did I kiss her?' He asked himself as his lips coaxed to bring a response from hers.

Her lips softly swept upon his lips as she followed his example. Her lips parted and she felt his tongue enter her mouth.

"Rin! Rin, where are you!" A distance voice reached their ears.

They both pulled away from one another. Rin could feel disappointment surfacing on her facial features.

"Next time, I suggest you use another method when you're trying to seduce a man," Sesshomaru said with a hint of teasing. He tipped the side of his hat in her direction, before he turned around to walk away.

Rin called out to him, "I never got your name."

"The name's Sesshomaru," He entitled, before Rin let him go.

Minutes later, Souten sloped down from the hill and into the river bank. "Rin, I've been looking for you. We need to get back. If your step-mother finds out we came to the woods. She will surely dismiss me from my job."

The woman was almost in tears from worry.

"I'm sorry, Souten. I didn't mean to worry you." Rin said as she hugged the woman. "Let's go home, Kay."

Souten nodded, before she helped escort Rin up the hill of trees. Souten made sure to avoid the shady areas, where she feared vile vermin's' scoured the area.

-xXx

Kikyo walked up the corridor of the horse stalls. She exited the barn and made her way to the cobble stone house. She noticed the chimney had smoke coming out of it. Mh, it seems Naraku's home. He must have locked himself inside the study room.

Kikyo thought wryly.

"Ma'am, welcome back! I have prepared the hot water for your bath." Gemini greeted. She had her red brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail. The girl's green eyes showed loyalty to Kikyo.

"Thanks. Where's Rin?"

"Ah, well she went out. She said that she wanted to go pick wildflowers to decorate the vases for the banquet. I told her it was unnecessary, but she did not listen to me." Gemini said her eyes on Kikyo's dirty riding boots.

"I suppose it can't be helped," Kikyo said after releasing a soft sigh.

"Can you go check if Lucy has finished preparing the errands needed for tonight's banquet? You can enlighten me after I have taken my bath." Kikyo stated, before she walked over to the staircase and started ascending the stairs.

"Yes, Ma'am," Gemini called out. She then walked off down the hall to seek for Lucy.

Kikyo walked inside her room and walked over to her dresser. She looked through her outfits, before choosing an outfit fit for tonight's banquet. She then strolled inside her bathroom and set her clean clothes on a hanger.

She doubled check that the bathtub was clean and the clog was well adjusted. Kikyo then proceeded over to pull a string that was hanging near the wall to the far left. A wooden lever came out and hot water started pouring out into the round bathtub.

I wonder if Rin will like the surprise that Naraku has prepared for her. I hope she doesn't cause a scandal if she does not agree with the idea of marrying her off to the mayor's son. The boy seems like a good candidate. I know Rin is not my daughter, but I promised her father that I would look after her.

Kikyo settled inside the bathtub after getting rid of her horse riding clothes. She dipped her head inside the water, before coming back up to catch her breath. She washed her hair, while singing one of her favorite tunes.

Rin and Souten passed through the Durango Ranch gates. Rin extended out her arms and twirled around, before resuming down the ranch's pathway.

"You look so happy. Did something good happen to you?" Souten teased. One of her hands braided her hair.

"Yup," Rin answered. She gazed at the oak trees. She noticed that the workers around the ranch had finished decorating the place. Paper lanterns were hanged up using cables that were attached to steel poles.

But, her attention was more on the animal herds that were located on the pastures of the ranch. She loved to stare at the animals and watch the cowboys round together the herd and lead them back into their proper stables at the end of the day.

"Rin, won't you tell me?" Souten inquired.

Rin grinned, before gesturing her forefinger. "I met someone. Oh, Souten he is the most wonderful man I have ever seen. He… He's just so mysterious."

Rin sighed contently remembering the kiss.

Souten smiled feeling glad for her friend. She really hoped Rin would be able to live a happy life. Her friend deserved to live a happy life after all the tragedies that had befallen her family. She and Rin had known each other since they were little.

Souten's mother had brought Souten to work for the Durango's landowners. One day, Souten was abandoned by her mother. Souten had to learn to grown up without a mother. Luckily, Rin's father Robert had taken her in as a second daughter. She was given privileges she thought she would never have around the ranch.

Of course everything changed when Katherine, Rin's mother passed away. Robert became distant and cold until eventually he remarried Kikyo. They lived two years filled with happiness, before another tragedy struck. Robert's death brought a lot grievance to the family.

Kikyo was never the same again after losing her husband. Robert was gunned down by outlaws a few days before Rin's birthday. The reasons for his death were unknown.

Kikyo became head mistress of the ranch properties, but because she didn't know how to handles negotiations or land properties, she decided to give power to Naraku. Naraku was half-brother of Robert making him, Rin's half uncle.

Naraku and Kikyo eventually had Souten returned to the position of a housemaid servant. But, Souten sometimes escaped from her duties to go escort Rin around town.

Rin poked Souten's cheek catching her friend's attention.

"Hey Souten, what are you thinking about?" Rin asked curiously. They had both stopped to stand on the front porch of the house.

"Mh, well, it was just about the occurrences of life." Souten replied back. "…But, Rin I must ask you if the man you met is trustworthy. He isn't someone dangerous, right?" Souten had to ask.

"Uh, well he seems to be trustworthy person, but I don't know him well enough to ascertain you. Souten, don't worry I know how to take care of myself." Rin said patting her friend's shoulder.

Actually, he might just be dangerous like Souten suspects. After all, why was he wandering around the woods? His reasons are unknown to me.

"Alright if you say so," Souten stared at her keenly.

Rin and Souten walked inside the house and went their separate ways. Rin went upstairs to her room and found an outfit lying on top of her bed mattress. She brushed her hand down the dress, before settling down near her seat window. She gazed out merrily.

A knock came to her room, shortly.

"Rin, can I come in?" Kikyo called out.

"Come in," Rin answered.

Kikyo walked inside Rin's bedroom. She gazed at the orange drapery hanging on Rin's window sill. The light shade of pink wallpaper contrasted nicely with the curtains. Rin's room was nicely decorated with shelves filled with books and small trinkets lying around on top of her drawers.

"Rin, I came to help you get dressed for tonight's banquet." Kikyo picked up the corset from the mattress, after putting aside her black fan.

"I appreciate that you came to help me get dressed." Rin said wondering why the occasion. Kikyo only came to help her get dressed when there was something important to occur.

"But, I must bathe before changing into clean clothes." Rin announced.

Kikyo stared at her step-daughter disapprovingly. "I thought you bathed earlier, today."

"Well yes, but I got dirty after frolicking through the fields. I promise that I won't be long." Rin stared apprehensively into Kikyo's brown eyes.

"Very well," Kikyo said motioning a hand forward.

Rin left inside her bathroom. She took a quick bath with cold water washing her body, thoroughly. She knew the swim inside the river wasn't sufficient enough to be called a proper bath.

She stepped outside into her room wearing only her chemise and undergarments. Kikyo walked over and requested Rin to remove her chemise. Rin obliged, before allowing Kikyo to adjust the corset around her frame. The contrast of the corset made it hard to breath, but Rin adjusted to it.

Kikyo then helped Rin into her yellow dress. The dress was cross-stitch with expensive cloth material. The dress reached to Rin's ankles. The hem of the outfit had really nice flower stitch patterns. Kikyo then helped Rin into her dress boots. The boots were brand new and were fashionable for girls to wear with dresses.

"There, you're ready." Kikyo nodded in approval. They had blow-dried Rin's hair, before curling it up with a curling ironer. Light makeup was applied to Rin's face.

"Come let us go downstairs. The guests have probably started arriving." Kikyo held out her arm to escort Rin downstairs.

"Okay," Rin answered. She took her step-mother's hand, gratefully.

00000

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Rin." Kohaku greeted. He placed a light kiss on Rin's hand. Rin smiled, before slipping her hand away from his. Kohaku stared off into the distance and appreciated the night. Rin stood beside him. Her hand felt heavy with the engagement ring. It was a small, modest silver ring band, but the responsibilities it came with became weight on her.

"Rin, I know we don't know each other very well, but I will try hard to be a good husband for you." Kohaku made the situation clear. He turned to stare at her with a grin.

Rin knew Kohaku was being sincere, but she just felt like screaming and running away from this celebratory festival. Everyone seemed to be having so much fun. She wondered if her suffering was oblivious to them. She didn't want to marry a stranger she didn't love. She didn't want to abide to her uncle's demands.

Rin didn't say anything. She turned to stare at the crowd dancing around the bonfire. Kohaku sighed feeling dejected. He truly wished to capture Rin's attention.

At first, he had felt compelled to reject the idea of marrying someone he wasn't accustomed to knowing. He did not agree of marrying for money-wise. In the end, he could not reject the proposal. He fell in love at first glance when he met Rin.

She had looked so beautiful with the evening sunlight splayed upon her face.

"Rin, you've probably heard, but I wanted to tell you that I will be traveling on the country road for a few weeks. I really wish I didn't have to go. I would have loved to spend that time getting to know you better. But, alas I can't leave work abandoned. Though, I promise I will write letters to you. I hope you will write me back letters, too." Kohaku's boot scuffed the dirt. He had one of his arms draped around her shoulders.

Rin's lip curled slightly. She decided to speak what was on her mind. "I do not wish to marry someone I don't love. Kohaku, if you wish to write me letters you may, but please understand that I am not oblige to answer them."

"Yes, I understand our situation," Kohaku felt a little undignified but kept silent. He was taught better than to scold a woman's cheekiness.

Rin excused herself and walked off to join a group of girls. They spent the night chattering about gossips and the daily life. The party lasted for a good while, before it ended. Everyone retreated to their proper houses for the night.

"Today was definitely a good evening. I enjoyed the company." Naraku commented as he walked Kikyo and Rin to their respected rooms.

"Yes, it was enjoyable. The food was exceptional. The party guests were thrilled knowing Rin became engaged to a good hardworking man," Kikyo agreed. She carried her shawl in her arms.

"The music was very enjoyable," Rin stated adding her input on the conversation. Naraku glanced at his niece with a sturdy apprehension. He had expected for her to go against his demands, but she didn't seem interested in doing so.

'I don't think right now is a good time to converse about the plans I have for her future. Tomorrow, during breakfast we'll talk the situation more calmly.' Naraku thought to himself.

Naraku bid goodnight watching them go inside their rooms, before leaving to his own quarters.

Rin opened her chest drawer and started throwing clothes out into her bed mattress. She took out her suitcase from under her bed and started packing up her clothes. She packed things that she thought were very important to her.

'I'm not going to allow Naraku and Kikyo to manipulate my life. I'm going to go search for my own destiny.' Rin thought defiantly. She changed out of her evening outfit and into more comfortable clothes. She put on pants with a brown belt, a button sleeved blouse, and her cowboy boots.

She picked up her suitcase, before sneaking outside using her bedroom window. When she was small she used to love climbing trees. It didn't become a difficulty for her to climb down the tree that stood near her bedroom window.

"Where are you going?" a voice called out. Rin's back was towards Souten. She glanced to stare behind her. "I'm leaving. I'm not going to stay here and watch as Naraku destroy my life. Souten, I know his intentions are not good. He is trying to profit out of me."

Souten knew that Rin was right. She couldn't force her friend to stay just because she didn't want to be left behind.

"Then… I'm coming with you." Souten announced. She walked over and took one of Rin's hands in hers. Rin stared down at it, before looking up at her face. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Rin knew that they would be struggling to make a life anew in a town far away from here.

"Of course," Souten replied back.

"Okay," Rin nodded before she glanced to stare back at her house. Souten knew she didn't have time to pack her stuff, so she would just have to adapt to what she could afford to buy.

Both young girls rode out of the Durango ranch not looking back. They took Rin's horse with them.

000

They reached the train station just as the train came in. It roared its mechanical roar, blasted smoke from its smoke hole. There were people already there and some arriving. The train station was a busy place to be even late into the night.

Rin petted her brown horse with affection bidding goodbye. Souten had gone ahead to go buy their train tickets.

"Goodbye buttercup. I promise you will be taken care of properly." Rin hugged her horse, before allowing the young gentleman to take her horse away. She was lucky enough to make negotiation with the young man to buy her horse. They were using the money to buy the train tickets.

Rin wiped away the tears from her eyes. Souten patted Rin on her shoulder comforting her. They had ridden Buttercup for two hours before reaching the train station. Rin hadn't wanted to sell her horse, but she knew she couldn't take her with her. If she wanted to escape far away, she would have to travel by train.

"Come on, Rin. We have to board the train." Souten said leading Rin towards the train. The whistle for the last boarding call sounded. There was a rush in the throng of people as the workers hustled to their stations and the passengers hurried to the train.

Rin and Souten sat near a window. They both silently watched at the first light rays of the sun started rising over the land.

Once everyone had settled into their seats a train conductor stood in the front, "We are about to depart from the station. Please, make sure you stay in your seats at all times." He left to go talk to the rest of the sections to relay the same message.

A noise resounded throughout the train.

Souten stared wide eyed, looking everywhere for the source of the noise. It was her first time on a train. Then she looked outside the window. Outside the earth, trees, everything was whizzing by. They were going faster than a horse could run. They couldn't see one thing clearly; it was all a colorful blur.

Rin placed a hand on top of Souten's trembling hand. Rin manage to calm down her friend.

They slept for the first half of the trip of the train ride, before using the second half of the train ride to talk and make plans for their new lives.

"Yes, we definitely should keep moving around and not stay too long in one place." Souten agreed with a nod. Rin picked up her suitcase and placed it on her lap. "Well, since we have that settled, I think I'll take some time to read some of my novels I brought with me. Here you can read this one."

Rin handed a novel to Souten. Souten stared at the romance novel in her hands. "Rin, I didn't know you still read these books. I thought Kikyo had taken them away from you."

"Yes, that's true, but it didn't stop me from continuing to buy them. You already know how much I love romance novels." Rin said releasing a happy sigh.

Souten smiled, before she flipped around the pages of the book. Women were not supposed to be educated, but Rin had begged her father to teach her. He obliged with the condition that Rin would be discreet in public about her education. Since Robert was fond of Souten he allowed her to participate in the private classes he gave to his daughter.

Rin squealed in delight when she reached an interesting part of the novel. Souten placed down the book on top of her lap. She looked out the window. Her eyes had adjusted to the train's fast movement, so she could distinct some sceneries from others.

Rin's eyes soon grew weary and she placed down her novel on top of her lap. She closed her eyes and thought back onto the earlier memory she had of her previous travel on the train ride.

Rin remembered perfectly how the train had slowed down to a halt. She remembered hearing the screams of passengers panicking in alarm. The door to their compartment had slammed open and two men and a woman walked inside. They had demanded for their silence and for their most precious valuables. The woman had been the one to take away her watch. She had begged for the woman to return her watch back claiming its value was worthless.

Rin remembered hearing a gunshot come from the other compartment. She had watched in surprise as a tall man walked past the doors and demanded the woman to leave the pocket watch. The tall man had elegantly returned the pocket watch back to her, before he followed after the outlaws that were escaping. She assumed he was a faithful police officer riding the train with them on that dusky evening.

"Rin, wake up!" Souten called out in a panicky voice. Rin opened her eyes to stare back at Souten's damp ones. Rin became confused by the look of panic in Souten's eyes.

Rin sat up on her seat and noticed that all around them there was shouting. People were getting out of their seats. The train was stopped, but it was too dark to see if they had reached their destination.

"What's going on?" Rin asked.

Souten grabbed Rin's hand. "Bandits have taken control of the train. They are demanding for the passengers to deposit their valuables to them. I heard they haven't reached our compartment, yet." Souten explained.

"Barr the doors!" A man shouted to nearby passengers. They turned to the door and walked up to it willing to protect themselves from the bandits.

Before they reached the door it burst open causing screams from startled people. Souten grabbed Rin and threw herself on the floor.

Dark figures came into the train from the broken door into the light. The first man to be seen pulled a gun from the inside of his coat. Aimed at the first shaken man and fired. It hit him dead on, right between his eyes. Blood squirted out of the hole that was blasted in his head. He went cross-eyed. Then fell limply to the floor.

"Ah!"

Panic ensued after that. The men fired randomly, killing whoever was in their way.

Souten lay on top of Rin protecting her. Rin wanted to help, but she could not escape Souten's strong grip.

Someone stepped on Souten but she didn't mind as long as they thought she was dead. She knew that the dead weren't worth a bullet. There was a loud thud to her right. Someone had fallen down. She looked over to the person. The body was torn and bloody.

The smell of blood was thick in the air.

Souten whispered to Rin. "Keep your eyes closed, don't open them."

Rin nodded keeping her eyes closed. 'What kind of bandits are they? They are so vile compared to the ones I encountered previously.'

Most of the noise eventually died down. They didn't know how much time had passed. Souten looked around noticing the seat's cushions were ripped open, the stuffing covered in blood. Bodies strewn across the floors, piled on each other. She then noticed that there were two women huddled together talking, their voices carried over to her but not their words.

Souten slowly and quietly stood up. She noticed that the women had yet to notice her.

Rin sat up. She looked vigilantly around the train. She was shaking in fear. Rin had never encountered so much violence in her life before.

Souten was nervous about calling attention, especially after what just happened but these women looked confused about what just happened. "Excuse me, but-"

"Souten!" Rin yelled after her friend.

Behind Souten, a tall bulky man pointed a gun at her back. The bandit had appeared out of nowhere. The man became surprised when he heard Rin shout that his aim was fired weakly. The bullet hit Souten's arm throwing her back. Blood squirted out from the impact.

The two women who had been huddling close to one another disappeared out the busted door. Souten staggered forward.

"Kill her!" Rin heard a man shout out at his companion. The man walked inside the compartment. He kicked the dead bodies aside. He yanked Rin upward and held her close to him. "You're coming with me." He whispered harshly.

Another shot rang out. A painful scream escaped Souten's bloody lips. Rin thrashed under the man's firm grip. "No! Leave me alone!"

The bandit that had shot Souten walked over to the man holding Rin down. "Let's get out of here now! We got what we came for! Let's go!"

"Okay, we can go now," The man replied back knocking Rin unconscious. Rin's body fell limp upon his arms.

Loud footsteps echoed behind them as the two men turned around to face Sesshomaru. "Put her down," Authority rang clearly in his voice.

"Shit! It's him."

"What the heck is he doing here?"

The two women who had disappeared walked back inside the compartment. They were each holding a gun. "Put down the girl. Maybe we'll be nice to spare your lives."

The two women were backing up Sesshomaru. The men dropped their weapons and Rin to the floor. One of them tried to take the opportunity to escape, but Sango aimed her gun at him and allowed her bullet to graze his thigh leg. The man fell to the floor paralyzed in fear.

The other man had surrendered willingly. Kagome walked over and picked up the guns from the floor. She detached a rope from her cowboy belt. She used the rope to wrap and tie down the unconscious bandits.

"I already got the other men tied down. I left them unconscious." Inuyasha said as he walked inside the compartment where Sesshomaru and his two other companions resided in.

"Damn, we should have brought Miroku with us. He could have at least tried to attend to some of the wounded." Inuyasha cursed under his breath.

"Well, it's not like we knew that this train was going to be hijack by another gang of thieves." Sango said out loud. When they had gotten here, the place was already full of the wounded. Most of the passengers were either dead or dying.

"This girl is still breathing, though." Kagome announced. She was checking over Rin's pulse.

"So, what do we do now? We also have to get out of here. We don't want the bad fame of these bandits to smear our good reputation." Inuyasha huffed in anger.

"Did you get what we came here for?" Sesshomaru asked Inuyasha.

"Yeah, I got it." Inuyasha answered. He had the map they came looking for. The rumor was that that map held the secret hideout to a rare treasure chest. The person who would become owner of that treasure chest would become rich for a lifetime.

"Let's get out here!" Sesshomaru declared. He was about to turn around when he heard a voice call out his name.

"S-Sesshomaru, is that you?" Rin manage to cough out as she regained consciousness.

Kagome and Sango were surprised that the girl knew Sesshomaru's name. "How does she know your name?" Sango asked, concerned.

"This isn't my first time meeting her. We've met beforehand." Sesshomaru answered Sango's question. Kagome turned to stare at Rin who was weakly trying to sit up. 'I thought it was just me, but apparently it's not. This girl is the same girl from that other hijack we did a few weeks ago. Sesshomaru had amended to her pleas.'

Kagome smiled her brown eyes fixed upon Sesshomaru. "How about we take her with us? I don't see the harm. She could be useful to us."

"We don't kidnap people. We don't sell them off as merchandise, either. What do you want us to do with this girl? You seriously-" Inuyasha looked annoyed.

"Oh, I don't know. But we just can't leave her here with these bandits that were going to end up raping her, anyway." Kagome interrupted Inuyasha's rant.

"P-please don't leave me here with them." Rin pleaded. She had tears in her eyes.

"Bring her with us. We'll see what we'll do with her afterward." Sesshomaru instructed. He turned around and walked off. Inuyasha glared at the floor feeling like a fool. He had expected Sesshomaru to contradict Kagome, but he didn't. Inuyasha walked after his half-brother.

Kagome helped Rin up to her feet. "Don't worry, you'll be safe."

Sango had her arms crossed over her chest. "You know, he's not too happy about bringing her along. I wonder what kind of relationship you have with him."

Rin's heart was stuttering rapidly. She noticed Souten's sprawled and bloody body, before staring up at Sango with a turbulent expression. "P-please can you check on my friend? Is she dead?"

Sango tipped her head to the side noticing Souten's unconscious form. It was the girl that had been trying to grab their attention, earlier. "Sure,"

Rin smiled weakly before passing out again. Kagome wasn't surprised and had been prepared to hoist Rin onto her back. Kagome walked out of the compartment following behind her companions.

They were soon riding out on their horses towards the tall mountains and vast countryside.