"Lady Rin?" asked Dysuki as she knocked on the screen to Rin's chambers. Upon receiving no answer Dysuki pushed open the mahogany screen and stared into the empty room. Disgruntled by the absence of Rin the gentle dog demon drew her motherly face into a worrisome frown. 'Where is she off to now? Lord Sesshomaru will be arriving any minute! I have a feeling that he will be quite angry with her if she wasn't near when he arrived. Lord Sesshomaru has been gone now for over a year helping battle Naraku and finally defeating him with his own hand. I wonder how he will react once he sees Lady Rin. She has changed from the skinny bubbly girl he left to a beautiful intelligent woman. I must find her.' Dysuki retreated out of Rin's chambers and swiftly closed the screen behind her. She scanned the long corridor hoping to pick up on Rin's scent. Nothing. Dysuki then headed down the west wing towards the garden one of Rin's favorite spots.

"You have got to do better than that Kanori!" said Rin as she pinned the furious dog demon to a tree.

She laughed at her friend taking joy in embarrassing the older demon. His green eyes burned with fury as his charcoal hair hung matted against his back. He was holding his sword inches away from his neck staving off Rin's katana.

Rin noticed a lapse in concentration, which she pushed to her own advantage. She swung her right leg out hooking it around his ankles brining him crashing down to the ground. Before he knew it her sword was resting on his neck.

"My Point." She said as she back flipped away from him landing a few feet away.

Kanori stood up brushing off the dirt from his light blue haori.

"You have improved since our last spar Lady Rin." He said as he prepared for her next attack.

"You don't think I was going to let you beat me again did you?" she said with a smirk on her face.

Kanori smiled at her, satisfaction written all over his handsome face. He first started training Lady Rin right after lord Sesshomaru left for the final battle with Naraku. He never imagined that he would be here a year later getting his ass kicked.

"I assume not Lady Rin." He sighed as he charged at her noticing the beads of sweat beginning to form on her delicate skin. Their swords clashed sending a deafening roar into the forest around them.

"Give!" She said as she stared at him dominance glistening in her hazelnut eyes.

"You give!" He replied humor laced in his voice.

"Not Possible." She said as she uncloaked a hidden dagger from her midnight haori and hurled it into his shoulder. This gave her the distraction she needed to kick him backwards flying into the ground below.

Kanori looked up disbelief on his face as he saw the gleaming tip of her sword piercing into his neck. 'Damn. She has definitely been paying attention to the diversion tactics we have been going over.'

"What's wrong Kanori? Did you just get your ass kicked by your student?" asked Rin as she beamed down at him triumphantly.

"That's enough Rin." Said Lord Sesshomaru as he emerged from the forest edge Jaken in tow.

"My Lord…you have returned." She said as she allowed Kanori to get up off the ground.

"Jaken." Lord Sesshomaru said his voice as cool as ever.

"Yes my Lord." Replied Jaken at bit anxious as to what his lord would tell him.

"Accompany this young dog demon back to the castle."

"Right away my lord." Replied the little green toad as he walked away Kanori at his side.

Rin gazed at Lord Sesshomaru noting that he had not changed a bit. His long silver hair was gently blowing behind him and he was staring at her with those menacing golden eyes. She felt a strange sensation stir within her stomach, as she looked him up and down. She felt her cheeks flush red as her eyes rested on his face 'Why is he making me feel this way? It's as if I am attracted to him…he is terribly handsome. What am I thinking?'

Sesshomaru stood staring at Rin not believing what he saw. When he first saw her battling with Kanori he thought she was just another one of his soldiers sparring for fun. It wasn't until he noticed her scent that he put two and two together. 'She's a woman now, no longer the child I left behind. Her scent has changed. She smells of flowers and spice. He gazed into her soft hazelnut eyes sensing the confusion that was pouring off her in waves. He noticed that her raven hair was tied back into a complex braid that came down past the bottom of her back. She was wearing a beautiful suit of armor and a silk midnight kimono. Beads of sweat were dripping down her face as she stood looking at him sword in hand. He felt a leap in his abdomen as he locked eyes with her. 'What in the hell is this feeling that has come over me?' He lifted his hand enclosing it around Tokijin pulling it from its sheath. 'She seems to be an experienced fighter. Let me put her skills to the test so I can find out for myself if she is worth of holding a blade.'

'What is he doing? Is he going to fight me?' Rin adjusted her stance bringing her sword up across her chest diagonally waiting for his attack. 'Oh shit this isn't going to be pretty.'

Sesshomaru lunged at her Tokijin aimed at her head. Rin rolled out of the way just in the nick of time. 'Is he tying to kill me? I better think of something and fast.' She stood up watching him closely strategizing her attack. She fingered the hilt of the sword slowly sliding out the dagger hidden within. She ran at him and swung her sword inches from his head. The dagger released itself from the velocity in which she swung and lodged into Sesshomaru's chest just below his collarbone. She stood locking swords with the powerful Inu youkai watching as an expression of sheer astonishment crossed his handsome face. He could feel a twinge of pain radiating out from the wound.'She threw a dagger in my chest?' In a blink of an eye Sesshomaru replaced the cool exterior she was so used to seeing. 'Got him, although this may be the last day I spend here on earth.' Sesshomaru pushed Tokijin hard against her sword causing her to go flying backwards skidding to a halt as she slammed into a giant oak. Rin winced in pain as she slowly started to rise to her feet. She looked up only to see Lord Sesshomaru's face inches from her own. She noticed the blood that had seeped from where the dagger had been had turned his white haori crimson. Rin brought her gaze up to Lord Sesshomaru's as he pushed his body up against hers pinning her to the tree.

"You injured this Sesshomaru Rin." He said coldly

"I'm sorry Sesshomaru-sama." Said Rin as tears began to fill her eyes. She didn't mean to hurt him.

Sesshomaru looked into her eyes and saw the tears that threatened to fall. He could feel the sadness in her aura and it cut into his heart. 'She feels sadness for injuring me.' He shifted his weight causing her to drop her sword.

Rin looked up at him reading his golden eyes for any sign of what he was feeling. She felt the strange sensation in her stomach again as she realized just how much his body was pressing against hers.

Sesshomaru noticed the change in her emotion as she stared up at him unsure of his thoughts. 'So she has finally noticed that I have her pinned here against this tree.' He looked down unaware that his hand rested underneath her arm. He felt a shiver travel down his spine at the closeness they shared. He backed away releasing her from the tree and sheathed Tokijin.

'What is he doing? He is letting me go? I feel bad for harming him even though he is probably healed by now.' Thought Rin as she bent down picked up and sheathed her own sword. She stood there staring at him waiting for him to speak.

"Rin."

"Yes my lord?"

"I see that you are not as inexperienced as I thought."

With that Sesshomaru turned and started walking towards the castle leaving a dumbfounded Rin behind.

'Did he just complement me? What is wrong with him, you would think I hit him in the head.' Rin noticed that she was being left behind and ran to catch up with her lord. She stopped at his side and glanced over at him sending him a smile that could brighten the night.

Sesshomaru looked over at Rin smiling at him so freely. 'I see that Rin has changed a lot since our last meeting but she still retains her caring self.' He nodded his head to acknowledge her presence as they walked in silence towards his estate.