Rin was sitting against Ah-un making sure her hair didn't blow into the fire as she braided it. Jaken was finishing the leftover fish he'd caught earlier. As for Sesshomaru, he was standing near a tree watching the moon while keeping an eye on Rin.

She has indeed changed a lot since the last time we've traveled together.

It was true. Rin had long since lost the flat and square form of a child. Now she filled out her baby blue kimono with a surprisingly large bust. Her midnight blue obi gently wrapped itself around her hourglass curves. Sango had taught Rin how to fight and defend herself against both human and demon enemies, so her toned muscles shimmered like those of a celestial being near the amber glow of the fire. The sparkling gems on the right shoulder side of her kimono would've been hidden by her long wavy hair had she not tied it in a side braid for the rest of the night. Even her personality changed. Gone was the naive and spiteful child. Now Rin had gained patience, self-control, and intelligence.

The only thing that hadn't changed about Rin was her large cinnamon eyes. Those gentle pools of kindness absorbed the stars that shined that night, and Sesshomaru was entranced by them.

But Rin had gained something else over the years, a vibe of sadness. If it was because she missed them, it would've disappeared. But it still continued to invisibly linger around her and Sesshomaru was getting worried. He tried to approach her about the subject but always changed his mind at the last minute. He didn't want to start a fight after they had just been reunited.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin cooed. Sesshomaru turned away to hide his slight blush. He didn't know he'd been staring at Rin for so long. After he felt the heat from his cheeks go away, he got the courage to face Rin again. She gave him a smile and a forgiving look in her eyes.

Rin softly spoke, "Good night my Lord."

Sesshomaru nodded his head in return. Ah-un then curled around Rin like a cocoon to keep her warm from the wind that blew. Sesshomaru then returned to the fire and sat against a tree. Now that Rin was able to defend herself a great deal better than she could as a child, he was able to sleep more peacefully. Rin opened her eyes and checked to make sure that Sesshomaru and Jaken were both asleep. Afterwards she grabbed her hunting knife from Ah-un's saddle, headed toward a nearby tree, and started carving a message. As she carved, Sesshomaru dreamt.

There was fire and the smell of smoke and burning bodies. Women were shrieking as their children were being slaughtered. Soldiers with arrows and spears embedded in their bodies were running like wild dogs to weaken the flames on their bodies. Humans fought on the ground while demons collided in the air. Sesshomaru could see his clawed hand covered in blood. He looked up as a demon screeched while heading toward him, mouth open and fangs exposed. He saw a glow from underneath him.

Sesshomaru awoke in a start. He felt a drop of sweat escape his forehead.

A dream?

He couldn't remember the last time he slept deep enough to dream. He turned toward the horizon and saw it was about an hour after dawn. He turned his head toward the direction he saw Rin sleeping in, only to find that space empty. Ah-un was missing too.

Well, there was a spring nearby. She probably took Ah-un and went to bathe herself.

Sesshomaru waited until the sun was midway up the sky, but Rin had still not returned. Sesshomaru was getting worried.

"Jaken, you will stay and notify me if Rin returns when I'm gone, understand?"

"Oh yes, of course my Lord!" Jaken boldly replied.

Sesshomaru then departed toward the spring, ready to scold Rin for making him worry, but she wasn't there either. He searched everywhere nearby that she could've easily walked to, but to no avail. If she flew on Ah-un while he was sleeping, she could be miles away by now. Sesshomaru stormed back to the campsite, ready to unleash his wrath upon Jaken. Much to his luck, Jaken had left the campsite as well. Sesshomaru closed his eyes as he felt them go red with the angry feeling he got from his chest.

"My Lord! Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken's unmistakable voice echoed from the trees and a second later the toad bolted out of the forest.

"Jaken, I specifically told you to stay at the campsite and wait for Rin until I returned!"

"Oh I know my Lord, but please don't hurt me! You see, I've been looking for you for a few hours now! Look my Lord, at the tree! The one you were sleeping next to! Something's carved into it. The scratches look like ones that could come from Rin's hunting knife!"

Sesshomaru opened his eyes, the redness now gone, and quickly approached the tree. Sesshomaru's eyes widened in shock as he read the message before the sun set and shadows encased the tree.

My beloved Lord,

I'm sorry that I had to do this, but I feel that there's no other way to approach my situation to you. You see, all my life I've been running away from my past, and I don't want to do that anymore. I'm afraid that I'll end up using you to run away instead of caring for you like I have for the past 10 years. No matter how much I tried to avoid the fact, my departure was unavoidable. I pray that I'll be able to find you and see you again, even if it would only be for a short time. Until then, I promise to take good care of Ah-un and I will pray for you and Jaken's happiness.

May the Gods bless you,

Rin