This is my first attempt at writing in forever, since I finally got some free time.
It's a random story I just kind of came up with, and I'm debating on whether or not to continue it or not.
I'll see what the reviews say. Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Her dreams always seemed so real. When she finally drifted off to sleep, curled up against an old tree's root, her mind seemed to hit play and resume where the nightmare had left off the previous night.

Many times she had jarred herself awake, after thrashing about, drenched in a cold sweat with her heart pounding. It was always right before the wolves attacked.

Fear was all she could smell; it's heady scent permeating every surface around her. Her palms were slick with sweat, and her ankle throbbed from catching on a root. The ground shook with the cacophony of paws thundering towards her; she reached her arms outward, reaching for nothing. But praying for something, anything. Her blood was roaring in her ears; the only other sound breaking through was the ferocious snarls that were right by her head. She whirled around, a cry caught in her throat as the many glistening teeth of the wolves neared her face…

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Her voice broke as it carried throughout the small clearing in the forest. She blearily rubbed her eyes, and peered into the dim light. She could faintly make out the outline of Jaken and his staff, but the dog demon was nowhere in sight. Although this was not uncommon, she still hated not having him around. She felt less secure.

The green imp mumbled something unintelligible in his sleep and rolled over, undisturbed by Rin's sudden outcry. He, on the other hand, was dreaming most pleasantly about following his Lord Sesshomaru all over the lands, conquering monsters and terrorizing innocent people. His hand clenched tighter around his staff, a wicked grin flickering across his face.

Rin leaned back against the tree, her lower lip trembling. She was not a stupid girl; she knew that Lord Sesshomaru thought no more of her other than a human he could tolerate. Yet she wished he would show her more emotion from time to time, because all she wanted from him – from anyone – was to know that someone cared.

Sighing, she turned on her side and tucked her hand under her head and shut her eyes. Her last conscious thought was that she wished the morning would arrive quicker.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Her plea was ringing in his ears, clouding up his thoughts. Although he easily over a mile away from the girl, his keen hearing had picked up her cry with ease.

It didn't sit well with him. By now, his natural instinct was to run to her side and sooth her in whatever way he could. It wasn't much he always felt, but it pacified her enough that she'd have a wide, toothy smile for sometime after. And each time her sweet innocent face filled his mind, and he nearly had to repress a smile. A smile.

But a few months ago, precisely sixty-two days – he had kept track – he began to wonder if Rin belonged with him and Jaken. He hated to admit the fact that the idea of the her leaving was actually painful. Yet he couldn't deny that her being around him was not safe. Did he not seem to draw monsters to him, vying for battle? And with Rin around, his focus wasn't devoted entire to the battle. One eye was constantly watching her in case she managed to fall into the hands of trouble. A lack in concentration was a bad thing indeed, because in the worst possible situation, it could cost him the battle. And Lord Sesshomaru hated to lose.

So tonight he stood on the hill, with his back firmly away from the forest where Rin slept fitfully, and began to solidify his resolve. Tomorrow morning he would take her to the first human village he could find. She will be happier there he thought.

For hours he didn't move, lost in thought, his eyes unfocused on something in the distance. When the first pink rays of sun crawled up over the valley below him, he knew it was time to move. Stiffly, he turned, poising himself to run back to where he had left Jaken and Rin.

As he ran, the trees flying past him, he could easily picture Rin in his mind's eye; her eyes lighting up when she saw him enter the clearing, a grin splashed across her face. Always happy to see him.

He pushed the thought away, his brow puckering. No thoughts like that today.

"Jaken." His voice rang throughout the clearing, startling the green imp. He jumped around, his staff drawn to him as he looked up at his master.

"Y-yes, Sesshomaru-sama?" His voice quivered; no matter how much he adored Lord Sesshomaru, he feared him just that much more.

The dog demon looked down his nose at his servant with disdain, and then flicked his gaze over to Rin who was idly humming to herself a few feet over. "I want you to take Rin and get started walking for the day. We have much ground to cover."

"Yes. Yes of course my Lord!" Jaken bowed clumsily then pattered over to Rin, his staff poking her most roughly in the side. "You! Get ready to leave soon, Lord Sesshomaru says we have much to do today"

Rin didn't seem to notice, or didn't mind, just how crude Jaken was to her. She just nodded to him happily, and then resumed humming to herself while she ran her small fingers through her hair, easing out a few knots.

When she was done, she sprang up and skipped over to where the others were standing. She glanced up at Lord Sesshomaru and giggled. "Isn't it a beautiful morning Sesshomaru-sama?" Before he could answer, she danced ahead, her arms spread as she basked in the early morning light. She was determined to keep the monsters from the night at bay.

He tried not to watch her; instead he began walking, his silver hair flying out behind him. Jaken scurried up behind him, the staff repeatedly thudding against the ground in a rhythm that matched his pace. Even he was enjoying himself, at least as much as he could.

It just seemed like a perfect morning, with nothing in the foreseeable future to spoil it. At least for Rin and Sesshomaru's favorite servant.

Her antics had died down as the minutes dragged by. What started off as an innocent child's frolicking through the dewy grass diminished to her walking quietly beside Lord Sesshomaru. He seemed too lost in thought to notice the slowly growing frown on her face.

When her small hand reached out to grasp his clothing and tugged, he looked down and noticed she was licking her lips slowly. "What is it Rin?" He asked her, his voice distant and cool.

"Rin is thirsty… May I go search for some water?" Her voice sounded unusually raspy, he noted. With a quick jerk of his head, she dashed off in hot pursuit of finding a stream.

He halted suddenly, and Jaken smashed into him from behind. A series of mumbles and hasty apologies bubbled out of his mouth, and he tried not to look as ruffled as he felt. "What, what are we waiting for?" He tried to keep the annoyance out of his tone.

"Rin is getting some water to satisfy her thirst. We are waiting for her return." He watched the very spot where she had escaped through the underbrush. He felt a unusual prickle of unease, but he kept his expression blank. He shouldn't worry, it was a silly feeling anyways.

After a long ten minutes, he finally started and slowly walked forward. Jaken bustled after him. He turned and fixed the imp with an icy glare. "You will stay here."

Jaken nodded then sat down on the soft ground. He knew better than to argue with Lord Sesshomaru.

The demon turned and began to stride through the thick underbrush, his nose picking up Rin's trail as she doggedly tried to locate a source of water. Eventually he heard the distant sound of water trickling over rocks, and knew that some sort of river was nearby. Rin's scent was strong too.

When he finally saw the river with his eyes, he scanned up and down the riverbank looking for the girl. He saw a slip of brown hair draped across one of the rocks farther on down the bank and he walked towards it. "Rin." He called, his voice clear.

She didn't respond, and it struck him as odd. She always replied. "Rin." He tried again, but again all he could hear was the breeze and the rushing of the water.

When he was standing over the rock, his shadow shading the ground beneath him, he said her name one last time before bending down to her level. "Rin." He shifted so his shadow wasn't blocking her from his view. The scene in front of him caused a growl to rattle his throat.

A young woman was sprawled across the ground, smelling of Rin, looking like her too. But much, much older.