Tomadoi

I.

Events took a dramatic turn and changed the entire course of life within a ten-year period. Although those momentous occurrences were taking place around everyone, they were not aware of their importance until much later. It was as though they looked through a misty glass; they saw them, but they did not understand their significance.

It all started when a large, fierce battle took place that would surely make history for the Feudal Era. It was the battle that finally set score between good and evil.

Naraku, the corrupt hanyou once known as being the mountain thief, Onigumo, had been defeated. Thanks to the devotion and talent of the Shikon no Tama travelers, Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and not to mention the young kitsune Shippou, peace was once again restored among Japan.

The hunt for the Shikon shards was still on, however. The group managed to find well over half of the pieces, but six of the shards would continuously go unknown of their whereabouts, leaving the tama unable to complete.

Of course, that was ten years ago.

During that time period, only Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippou continued the search for the shards, while Sango and Miroku finally decided to settle down together and start a family. To everyone's surprise, the couple stopped at one child, a boy they named Joji. Also living with them was Kohaku, who was now free of Naraku's possession, though he still simply survived by the shard in his neck. All were still unsure of how to go about that situation.

Kikyou was finally set free when she had been in a captive place that did not permit youkai such as her Shinidama Chuu. Inuyasha and Kagome grew older and wiser, leaving them to finally admit their feelings for one another. However, they didn't want to have any children until their mission was totally complete. And for the wondering people…Kagome did graduate from high school.

Eight years had passed and they still were not able to locate the site of the six missing pieces. Well, that puzzle was soon figured out when Naraku once again made his appearance. As it turned out, they managed to beat him…but not destroy him. They had won the battle, but not the war. Naraku went into some sort of state of a coma, as he had before, taking six shards into this state with him somehow, leaving everyone to be set free for a period of time.

The period of victory seemed shortly lived. Kohaku was once again under Naraku's control, and Miroku reclaimed his kazaana, his seven-year-old son also revealing the curse.

The group reformed, prepared to start all over again. This time, they were determined to defeat Naraku for good, despite two years passing with no luck.

So it begins…

~*~

A young girl with long, raven black hair that flowed around her form looked into her reflection that appeared back at her. Curious, chocolate colored eyes stared into the water, her thin lips set in a small smile. She sat on her knees on the bank of a slow-flowing river, the three-quarters moon high in the sky, lighting up the water with its' blue flame.

The soft breeze blew against her, leaving her with no choice but to reach up and push her hair behind her ear, her mouth now forming into a childish smile, a small giggle escaping her lips. With her delicate fingers, she extended her arm down to the water's surface, her hand tracing back and forth to create ripples to distort her image.

"Rin."

Hearing herself being addressed by the same low voice she hears everyday, she stood up and spun around happily, taking a few steps forward, "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Her lord didn't respond to her immediately, standing only a mere five feet away from her. She, too, stood where she was, admiring his form before her. Her favorite feature about him that she always admired was his golden eyes, so cold yet so sparkly. When her own orbs met with his, she flashed him one of her bright smiles she's had since she was seven, ten years ago.

Rin watched as his silvery hair (she was constantly overjoyed that her hair length had almost caught up to his) got blown to the side from the wind, the boa he carried also blowing, almost seeming as though it blended right in with his strands.

She nearly always tried to read his eyes, to see if he was studying her the way she was studying him, but it never seemed like he did. No matter, she wasn't worried about such trivial things; that seemed like nonsense. Jaken had always told her that about time she reached her eighteenth birthday, Sesshoumaru would send her away. The inu-youkai had done his "good deed" by taking care of her as a child, but once she became a full grown woman, she should be on her own.

Of course, Rin never really listened to Jaken before and didn't plan on starting any time soon. When her Sesshoumaru-sama actually did such a thing, that's when she would believe it. But until then, she was perfectly happy and content with following her savior wherever he went.

"It's time to leave." He finally stated simply, turning gracefully to begin walking out of the clearing and back into the dark forest. Without saying another word, she began jogging to catch up with him, slowing down to a fast walk when she was right behind him.

Up ahead, she could already hear Jaken complaining about this and that, not really making any sense. Once he came into view, she saw that he was swatting his arms and legs and face, indicating that mosquitoes were biting him. Rin watched as he seemed to dance around, every now and then making fire come out of his two-headed staff to maybe burn the little buggers.

Covering her mouth with her hand, she giggled behind the shield, glancing up at Sesshoumaru to see if he found it humorous, also, "Poor Jaken-sama…"

Of course, Sesshoumaru kept his infamous emotionless expression, simply walking past the pitiful toad and deeper into the forest. He kept his senses alert, for he knew that the particular forest they happened to be in at the moment, Kiken no Mori, was full of youkais that could most likely kill Rin within one swipe. The thought disturbed him a bit, but he was in full confidence of his ability to defend the girl, and he showed it perfectly.

However, once he realized he was almost half of a mile ahead of them, he stopped and turned slightly to the side, listening to Rin's continuous laughter and Jaken's ceaseless complaining.

Turning around all the way, he seemed to become a bit upset that they weren't right at his side when he specifically, in his own way, told them to follow; "Jaken. Rin."

Though he was some distance away and he hardly raised his voice any higher than the tone he usually used, he immediately heard the sounds come to a halt, followed by the sound of their feet crunching over the leaves and twigs on the forest floor.

"Gomen ne, Sesshoumaru-sama!" they would both call out in unison, only stopping when they were directly in front of him.

While Jaken did look utterly sorry and scared of what Sesshoumaru might do to him for lagging behind, Rin quickly put on a grin and rushed to stand in front of him when he again turned around to continue. Stopping in his tracks once more, he looked down at his follower, looking at her with eyes that obviously said "speak or move."

"Where are we heading this time?" She questioned him, clasping her hands in front of her. Even through all her years of growing up, she managed to never lose the child that still held captive of her soul, though there were times when she decided to act her age, thinking about things teenagers think of.

Blinking once, Sesshoumaru walked forward, only slightly pushing the girl aside, knowing full well that she would move out of the way for him. Sure enough, she did move but instantly began walking closely as his side, only having to look up at him at about six inches. Rin now held her hands behind her back, leaning over a bit as she walked, making sure she would be able to look at her lord's face as she spoke to him.

"Are we getting out of this forest?" Rin asked, looking over her shoulder for a second to see Jaken still fighting off the mosquitoes.

"There is a cave we will come across," Sesshoumaru finally answered her, his pupils barely gazing down at her, "You and Jaken will stay there for tonight."

Behind them, they heard Jaken make a sound of astonishment and disappointment, "Nani? D-demo…Sesshoumaru-sama, do I really have to stay with her? Can't I come with—."

The kaeru youkai covered his mouth with his slimy hand immediately when Sesshoumaru glared back at him, only giving him a few seconds of his time.

"You will stay with her." And that was final.

Sighing in defeat, he decided to just talk to himself in his head, glaring angrily to the front of him watching as Rin babbled out about who-knows-what while Sesshoumaru never once interrupted her, hardly even seeming to take notice to her annoying behavior. Why did she have to be number one? What did she do that he didn't to get that spot? She was a mere human! Sesshoumaru was changing more and more, Jaken knew, for when he first met the

Godlike youkai, he wanted nothing more but to destroy every human he happened to come across.

"…picking flowers in this large field when all of a sudden…whoosh! All these monsters came out of nowhere!" Every word Rin said, she had to emphasize on to indicate its full meaning and how real the dream seemed to her, "And then…and then…

"BOOM!" She screamed this word, stopping in her hiking quickly and throwing her arms into the air. She heard Jaken make a small scream from his surprise behind her, while Sesshoumaru continued on, unaffected by her boisterous attitude.

Keeping her stand in this current position, her calves were more open for when Jaken came up behind her and smacked the back of her leg with his staff.

"Ow!" Rin lowered her arms and rubbed the back of her right leg, though feeling only a slight pain in the area above her ankles, "What was that for?"

"Shizuka ni! I'm surprised millions of youkai haven't come out of their resting-places to kill you yet! If you make one more sound…" Jaken put his staff right in front of her face, the woman facing her. Rin took a step back, knowing full well that fire could come out of it. However, she wasn't that afraid of the threat. Jaken most likely wouldn't go through with it and if he did…he would have to hear from Sesshoumaru.

"Jaken, leave her alone," Sesshoumaru warned, though never stopping, "Rin, behave."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin said happily, rushing forward to catch up with him once again, already forgetting about the dull ache Jaken had put on her calves. As she was told, she behaved by staying close by his side and not saying a word, entertaining herself with the beautiful night sights around her. Every once and awhile, she would see a flower that would especially catch her eye, making her hands reach down to snatch some up if they weren't too far out of the way.

Finally, after about ten minutes, they reached the end of the forest, and immediately, they saw the cave Sesshoumaru was talking about. The hole in the side of the mountain seemed deep, but not very wide. The narrow opening maybe allowed two people to squeeze in at once, leaving the area almost youkai resistible. After all, the youkai around this area were a bit on the large side.

"Get some rest," he ordered, telling Rin this more than Jaken. The Lord of the Western Lands turned and walked east of the cave, expecting them to obey, "I'll be back in the morning."

"Ja ne, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin waved her arm high in the air, though his back was towards her, "Rin will be waiting for you! Hurry back! Don't get hurt! Remember to—."

"That's enough," Jaken stated dully, disappearing within the cave, still sulking about having to stay with Rin instead of keeping up with his lord. Since when did he become a baby-sitter anyway? …Couldn't the girl take care of herself, regardless? Couldn't Sesshoumaru fetch Ah-Un and have them "protect" the girl that he called a nuisance?

Rin stood outside of the cave until she could no longer keep sight of Sesshoumaru, only then feeling content enough to enter the cave with Jaken.

**********

A twig snapped. That was the only explanation of what made Rin wake up with a start. For some reason, she had a hard time falling asleep, but just as she was about to doze off, she heard some kind of sound form outside of her shelter.

She squinted her eyes a little to try to get focus in the darkness, but saw that it did not work too well, "…Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin whispered loudly, wondering if he had come back earlier than had been expected. She heard no answer, but of course, she figured Sesshoumaru wouldn't answer her, even if he were standing right outside.

Looking down, she could barely make out the outline of Jaken, but she heard his snoring, only then knowing his exact location. Crawling over to him, she shook his shoulders, trying to wake him in case there happened to be some sort of danger out there, "Jaken-sama…Jaken-sama?"

He merely shrugged her off, turning over to his side, facing away from her. Rin sat back on her knees and eyes him through the darkness for a moment before glancing back out the narrow passage. Oh well, it wasn't like he would be much help anyway.

Standing up, she brushed off her blue and green kimono, walking towards the exit to see if she could get a peek of what made that sound. Again, just for measures, she called out; "Sesshoumaru-sama?"

When she didn't hear an answer again, she walked the rest of the way out, keeping her hand rested gently on the side walls, just in case she happened to trip over something in the dark. Rin looked to the right and then to the left, only to do a double take back to the right. About a half a mile ahead, she spotted something that was black and yellow, making her take another step out of the cave. She recognized those colors from somewhere…a long time ago.

Taking another step, she flinched when her bare foot tramped on a stick. Looking down, she saw that it had already been broken, a sign that that person had been walking past the cave and that was what she actually heard.

Curiosity took over her mind, her legs beginning to carry her towards the man wearing the black and yellow. That had always been one of her traits, even throughout her childhood; she just couldn't seem to outgrow it. Her motto to herself: When something looks interesting, go after it.

To go after it, however, she had to go into a jog, the person already far ahead of her and walking at a very quick pace.

'I know I've seen that outfit before…' She told herself, trying her best to remember. The suit was tight…a warrior's outfit. The man, Rin could tell, had pitch-black hair like hers, his hair going a little past his shoulders and then tied back in a high ponytail.

In the back of her mind, she knew she should stay at the cave like Sesshoumaru had told her to do, but she was sure nothing bad would happen. Everything else around her seemed to be sleeping, the dead of the night having its effects. Up ahead, she saw that the man had slowed his gait, leaving her all the more time to catch up to him.

For some reason unbeknownst to her, her heart began pounding more heavily in her chest and that usually only happened when she knew something was going to happen. Whether that something is good or bad remained a mystery. Rin put her right hand over her heart to try to settle it down, especially when she saw the man stop abruptly.

Quickly, she made her way to him, only slowing down when she was about ten feet away. The wind blew, brushing her hair across her face again, also seeing how the man's hair got brushed to one side. Taking one more cautious step forward, she heard her voice come out squeaky and high-pitched, "Su—sumimasen, um…"

Before she could think another thought, the man was directly in front of her, his rough hand holding her behind her neck, a sharp weapon pointing to her throat. Sucking in a breath, she found that she couldn't breathe, let alone scream for help. Rin squeezed her eyes shut, just waiting for him to strike her dead. That is, until he spoke.

"What do you want?"

Opening one eye first, she squinted at him, making sure he didn't make any other sudden movements. However, once she got a short glimpse of him, she had to open both of her large eyes in wonder, subconsciously feeling her breath flow out. Taking a quick peak down at the weapon at her throat, she noticed that it was a kusarikama. It was then that she was sure.

Looking back up into the dark eyes of the man that looked about twenty, she had to question:

"Kohaku?"