1) Chapter one: Last I saw you.

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any of its characters.

Hosshimaru was reading to her son, Takahiro, in her bedchamber trying to make him fall asleep but it seemed the story was capturing the infant's attention too much, since his eyes were fixed on Hosshimaru's face instead of dropping in sleep. The room was quite peaceful, with the wind and bird tunes coming through the opened doors of a balcony that had a view to her garden and personal hot spring. The peace was interrupted when Hosshimaru gasped, grabbed her son and ran out the door. The little demon did not cry; her mother had done this other times and he was accustomed to it. She came to a stop in the stables where a silver haired demon was ordering a little kappa yokai to bring him Ah-Un. Hosshimaru called him three times with a moderate voice; on the fourth time she raised her voice a note and yelled in his mind. The demon turned around with a furious glare in his usually stoic face.

"They know." He answered irritably. Hosshimaru did not need any other explanation. She looked deep in the eyes of the lord seeing nothing but anger and perhaps a little fear.

"I'll go…"

"No."

"Do not interrupt me. If you go, they'll know how important she is and she'll be in more danger." Hosshimaru explained but the dog demon wasn't listening correctly, his mind was set on one task and only one. "Sesshoumaru listen to me! Do not go! It will only worsen the situation."

"Sesshoumaru–sama! Sesshoumaru-sama! I've brought Ah-Un. I apologize for my tardiness, milord, but the great beast wouldn't come more quickly." The two-headed dragon snort, as it was the kappa's little legs that made them go slowly. Sesshoumaru paid no mind to any of this and started walking at a quick pace toward the east gates with the dragon demon, Hosshimaru, and Jaken behind him.

Sesshoumaru. I've warned you.

That though alone made him stopped and turned toward the demon holding his pup.

"They already know and are headed toward the village. Do not stop me again." The inu youkai turned around. "I trust you to take care of everything. I'll be back in two days." He started his walk but was stopped again by his pup's soft cry. The lord turned and put his hand on top of the silver-haired head of Takahiro. They locked gazes, the amber eyes of the demon lord softening when looking at the face of his son. "And you, make sure not to be much of an annoyance to your mother," he whispered in his ear.

"I can't make you stay, do I?" Hosshimaru asked and let out a sigh. "Well then, bring her back safe," she looked down to her son. "And you too."

"Hn," was the response of the lord. He turned and finally left through the gates with Ah-Un behind him.

Takahiro looked at the figure of his father and then to his mother who had a worried look on her face, the baby demon coo, calling her attention, who looked down to her baby. "It seems we are finally going to meet Rin. Jaken, prepare a room for the girl. " With that command the silver-haired demonness headed toward the castle once more leaving Jaken kneeling for her and speaking alone.

"Yes Hosshimaru-sama! At once, Hosshimaru-sama! Oh, she left already. Why do they always do that?" The little demon cried.

Some miles away from the castle there was a small village where a young woman with long black hair was sitting in front of her hut making flower crowns for the daughters of her friends. While her delicate hands worked, she hummed a sweet tune to amuse herself. The sunrays made her fair skin shine and in that instance she looked like a fairy from a child's tale. She was quite a sight to behold; one that did not pass overlooked by the village men. Ever since the girl turned sixteen she started receiving marriage proposals, after all she wasn't only beautiful but a strong fighter and excellent healer. From the age of eight, the girl started her studies in healing techniques. The demon slayer, Sango, as soon as she was out of her first pregnancy, taught her defensive combat. Later on, when the priestess Kagome came back from her time, the girl of eleven asked the miko to teach her how to use the bow. Now, a few months away from her twenty-first birthday, she is the must skillful single woman in the village and so it was common to see young males in her hut's door courting her, as was the case this very afternoon.

"Hello, Rin-san. How've ya been today?" asked a young man with brown hair standing near Rin, who tried not to growl since it would be impolite, but this particular villager had been quite insistent in his proposals, even though she had already said no three times.

He's perseverant. I give him that.

"Very well Ichirou-san. How is your sister doing? Did my potion work?"

"Oh yes, yes. Would you like to walk with me?" he asked, dismissing his sister illness far to quickly.

Rin was never impolite but she was tired of him. Standing up, she cleaned and straightened her kimono. Ichirou seeing this thought she was going to accept.

"Ichirou-san. I'm going to be very clear with you. I do not want to walk with you today or any other day. I already declined your proposals, so I asked you to please stop your courting and please give me no more presents of any kind. I'm flattered, but marriage is not my goal."

Rin saw as Ichirou's face turned from surprise, to defeat, to anger. She saw as he brought his arm back to strike, but was stopped by a scream that sounded from up the road. Immediately, Rin grabbed her bow and ran toward the upper side of the village. Soon many of the villagers got out of their homes to see what was the commotion, but ran back in when they saw enormous eagle like birds flying above their heads. These weren't ordinary birds, they were eagle demons and they were viciously killing everything that moved.

The black-haired woman started shooting arrows and with the help of Kagome they were able to bring down some demons, but they were far too many. Inuyasha was about to use his Wind Scar when a strong demonic aura stopped him in his tracks.

With one strike of his sword the demon lord of the west got rid off all the lowly demons. All of the remaining villagers ran to their huts screaming 'monster,' not realizing that said monster just saved their pitiful lives.

The monk Miroku, his wife Sango, the half demon Inuyasha and the miko Kagome turned around to face Sesshomaru; only Rin, who was in shock, stayed in her position.

"Where's Rin?" the dog demon asked, but no one answered, making him to asked again with anger in his baritone voice. At his tone, Rin snapped out of her trance and turned to look at her lord.

"Se…Sesshoumaru-sama? What are y-hmph!" The dragon demon pushed the woman making her stumbled and laughed. "I've missed you too, Ah-Un," she said while patting their heads.

"What are you doing here, Sesshoumaru?" InuYasha asked angry, but his older brother was too busy looking at the young woman now standing in front of him. Her scent was almost the same, it was the flowery one he remembered but…more mature. Her hair, her midnight hair cascaded till her small waist and her chocolate eyes shined with happiness and innocence, and that innocence in her was what convinced him that the woman was indeed his little Rin.

Not so little anymore.

"Sesshoumaru-sama. You-you are here! How've you been? Why do you come now? Where's Jaken-sama? Oh! I'm so happy to see you at long last, my lord!" And she truly was, for her it was the first time she had been truly happy in almost eight years.

He hasn't changed one bit. He's as handsome as always; well, his eyes have changed, they look less…icy.

"Rin?"

"Yes, yes! It's me! Come Sesshoumaru-sama. I've some tea in my hut, if you like, and…"

"Rin." The girl had started heading toward her house but stopped walking at her lord's command. "We are leaving."

"What?!" The rest of the group yelled.

"Yes, my lord!" Answered the woman, to what her companions and friends turned surprised. Even Sesshomaru was surprised; he didn't expect this to be so easy.

"But Rin-chan, wait! Where are you taking her, Sesshoumaru? And why? And what about the attack from earlier? It seems to me, you knew it was going to happen. It can't be a coincidence that you were here when they attacked after years of not coming." Kagome asked.

Sesshoumaru thought he had no duty explaining anything to the woman, but he was going to explain to Rin after all, so better to do it now or the others wouldn't leave him alone.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"The east declared war to the west three years ago. They found you are my ward and that I left you here. The attack from earlier was from them. You'll be living in the west castle now."

"Ok. I'll go pick up my things." Rin couldn't believe she was leaving the village at last. It wasn't that she was unhappy here, but she never was truly happy like when she travelled with her lord. The girl heard the others discussing something, but she was too excited to care. Rin took what was essential and most precious, almost all being Sesshoumaru's gifts. When she was done, the woman looked around her hut. It never was a home, just a resting place. Rin took some time to remember what happened here, when she lived with Kaede, when the old miko passed away and the many times she treated injured soldiers or sick people. She remembered the dinners with her friends and that was the first time she realized that she was leaving not only the village but also her dear friends, her family.

I'll be able to visit, I'm sure, although there's this war to consider. Rin gasped, for she realized that the village could be attacked again if the demons from the east believed her to still be living there.

"Rin." The girl turned toward her lord, who was waiting in the door for her. She had tears in her eyes, until now she hadn't realized the danger their friends could be facing. Sesshoumaru, thinking she was crying about leaving the village, was about to reassure her that she could visit when the war was over or, if she wanted, return to live here, but Rin talked first.

"The demons of the east will keep looking for me, won't they? This village will be in danger because of me."

"Do not speak such silliness. Finding those demons dead will be a clear enough message that you are within my castle."

"You think we can't handle a bunch of low lives like those? Come on, Rin!" Inuyasha said from the door.

"What InuYasha means is that you don't have to worry about us, take care of yourself and we'll be alright." Kagome explained for her mate.

Rin went to the miko and hugged her hard; she and Sango had become sort of her sisters. After saying her goodbyes and everyone reassuring her they would be fine; Rin promised to visit, mounted Ah-Un and went away into the orange colored sky following her lord once more.

A/N: Thank you for reading! This is just the first chapter. I've finished writing this story so I promise to publish a chapter every Friday till I'm done. Please review and tell me what you think. All constructive critics are welcome. Again thank you!

xoxo – Pritxka