CHAPTER ONE

It's been nearly 8 years since Inuyasha and his group had gotten rid of almost all major evil threats. Unusually, peace had prevailed over evil especially with Naraku put to an end.

Rin had grown up to be a beautiful young woman of 15 years. Her hair grew even longer to her waist and the hair on her ponytail went up to her neck. She never got rid of that ponytail, even when kaede attempted to, time after time telling her that it was unsanitary and that a girl should be clean at all times. Rin never wanted to get rid of it, and she didn't like anyone touching it. She tried not to be rude about it when she let kaede down time and time again. How could she ever remove it when her mom had done it up for her long ago a day before her death? She missed her so much. Rin wasn't big on sulking, so she wasn't sad for long. She was always happy and upbeat especially when Sesshomaru and Jaken would visit her.

Every time Sesshomaru visited Rin her smile would bring warmth to his lonely cold heart. He felt that he didn't deserve such kindness and affection from Rin. He was a demon that killed and she was an innocent girl. But still, he liked having her as his companion. Although he would never admit that.

Jaken too missed Rin. He missed her never ending chit chat that made a day less boring, and would eagerly wait to visit Rin and listen to all her adventurous stories, and of course she over talked but he didn't complain, after all she was Rin.

Kohaku would occasionally return from training and visit Rin and his sister Sango. He taller and well built. He loved being an uncle and his niece and nephew loved him too. Inuyasha and kagome had some kids too. All of them regarded Rin as their big sister because she was kind of like a big sister figure. Even though she was surrounded with so much love she still felt lonely and out of the picture. She longed for the day when she could finally be with Sesshomaru and Jaken, her "family" and that day was coming near.

But the peace could only last for only so long. The scale of peace and evil was slowly tipping downwards on the evil side.

Thanks to kaede, kagome and Sango, Rin had learned everything that she needed to know more or less. She could now cook (everyone loved her cooking), do medicine and learnt to be midwife. Skills she learned in the village.

She remembered when she first came to the village, the other villagers shunned her and just the same she was quiet. They didn't like of having an unknown outsider residing in their village. "She's a spy!" they would protest to kaede. But kaede sorted things out. They relaxed and eventually accepted her, but she still was silent. She never talked and when she did it was a very short conversation. The villagers didn't take it personally they thought at first that she was mute. But then she opened up to kaede and a few others and was a chatter box. So they thought she was just being shy.

Kaede didn't think so. Rin wasn't a shy person she spoke what was on her mind and wasn't afraid too. She never cried and never showed fear in the face of the few demon attack on the village. Rin was anything but shy. Kaede observed this odd manner. She thought, "maybe Rin talks to those people she liked…no-no- that wasn't it Rin wasn't that type of person she was friendly to all." Kaede observed and finally came up with a theory, "she probably talks a lot to the people she trusts and rarely to the ones she didn't trust." Indeed, it was an odd behavior for a girl her age kaede just couldn't figure out for what the reason behind this was.

Rin was now grown up but still the same. Kaede noted as she saw Rin with a small basket heading towards the forest. Typical. She was going to go look for rare or beautiful flowers again. Rin was Rin she sighed as she headed home. A gust of wind blew in her face. It was ice cold. It felt as though her whole body had frozen up. Looking up she saw bundle of unusually dark clouds gathering covering up the light blue sky. A foreboding feeling swept over her as she walked tightening her cloak around her and pulling down the hood over her head. A nasty storm was brewing and it was no ordinary one she could feel it and even the animals were acting strange. She turned around not liking this feeling, to call out to Rin, but she had already disappeared into the forest. "This was not good…" kaede's thoughts over flowed with worry. A rain drop landed on her cheek and sent chills through her body. This was defiantly not normal. She moved as quickly as she could to look for Rin in a half running half walking manner hoping that it was just her imagination going wild.

Just as she entered the forest a vein of lightning struck a tree behind her, setting it ablaze. There was no turning back on that path. Kaede hoped nothing would happen to Rin. It was strange. For some reason she felt like Rin was in danger. The smoke spread in the forest her lungs couldn't take it any longer. Kaede moved on with sheer will. Finally she saw Rin up ahead a smile crossed her face for a split second until she saw that Rin wasn't alone. She had that stern look which she wore in the face of an enemy. Just as she was going to call out to her she fell down with a thud. Her lungs couldn't take no more. Rin… she thought before her eyes closed shut as she passed out.