DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the InuYasha Character, but I do own Sakura and my friend Kylee owns Lotus.

Ok. My friend Kylee and I have teamed up and we're writing this fanfiction. She wrote it and I came up with the ideas and tweaked it a tad. I hope you all like it!

Chapter 1

"Suikotsu, are ye sure ye want to be alive again? As an inuyoukai?"

"Yes, Kaede-sama, more than anything. I want to be alive, be able to feel; I hate killing, and I only want to live in peace." Suikotsu answered.

"Ye understand that being a youkai means that ye will be scorned by the majority of humans."

The man sighed. "Yes, but I'll try my hardest to find a way around that"

"It may be painful, because I will have to purify ye first. Then I must insert another inu youkai's spirit inside of ye,"

"I'll do whatever it takes, Kaede-sama"

Everything was peaceful as Sakura, a beautiful inuyoukai with snow white hair, walked alongside Rin, a cute little 7-year-old human child. Birds sung, trees waved their branches slightly in the gentle breeze, and Sakura listened to the light pat their footsteps made on the the earthen path.

"Sakura-san?" Rin asked.

"Huh?"

"Where is Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"I don't know, Rin. Sesshoumaru-sama isn't exactly the talkative type, you know that. Everything he does is a mystery to us all." Sakura answered.

"Could he have gone after Naraku again?"

"I doubt it. Not unless he caught the scent of him."

"Oh...How do you smell so well? I only smell the forest." Rin stated.

"Well, I'm a inuyoukai," Sakura said, perking up a bit in pride and smiling down at Rin, "You know how dogs have an amazing sense of smell?" Rin nodded. "That is why Sesshoumaru-sama and I can smell so well."

"I wish I was an inuyoukai," Rin said, looking admiringly up into Sakura's eyes.

"Really? You would want to be hated by all beings lower than yourself?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow curious at Rin's statement.

"No, but that isn't true, is it?"

"Most humans hate all youkai, and less-powerful youkai hate the powerful ones."

"Why?" Rin asked.

"Humans are prejudiced creatures, they hate anyone different from them."

"That's not true, Sakura-san! I don't hate demons! I hate night-bandits... They scare me more than any demon..." Rin said.

Sakura laughed and put her hand on the top of Rin's head. "That's because you're different, Rin. You're not foolish, blinded by prejudice and hate. You're too innocent for that."

The next few minutes were filled with idle chatter, but then Sakura stopped in mid-sentence and looked around. "Stay close, Rin, someone's after us."
Rin stayed calm and walked in silence, holding Sakura's hand. "What's following us, Sakura-san?"

"I think... It's a demon, Rin, but don't worry, you'll be fine. It won't attack unless it has a death wish."

Rin smiled in spite of the situation and looked behind her. Nothing was there that she could see, but then again, Sakura was an inuyoukai. She could sense things that normal people or demons couldn't; such intriguing creatures, inuyoukai were. Suddenly Sakura stopped walking again and Rin, still holding her hand, almost ran into her. "What's wrong?"

"Rin..." Sakura said, her eyes wide, "Run. Now!"

"But, what is it?"

"Just run! It won't go after you unless you stay! Run, Rin!"

"I don't want to leave you alone..." Rin said, just standing there.

Sakura turned around briefly and stared into Rin's eyes pleadingly. "Rin, please! Run! I'll be fine, just go!"

Tears in her eyes, Rin turned and ran, praying that Sakura would be alright. She followed the path that they had come form, hoping that it would lead her back to where Sesshoumaru might've come back. Sakura watched her go, then straightened and waited.

A large snake-like youkai, slithered soundlessly towards her, stopping inches from her face. Sakura just stared into it's slitted eyes and didn't flinch. "What do you want?" She growled at the serpant.

Apparently the demon wasn't the talking type; It only opened its mouth and struck at Sakura, but she leapt into the air as the snake narrowly missed her. Landing on its back, Sakura swiped at the demon with her claws, drawing blood from its neck.

Screaming in pain, the serpent thrashed around, dislodging Sakura from its back and making her land hard on the ground. Wincing slightly, she sat up just in time to see the giant snake seize her and wrap tightly around her. Sakura could feel it tightening around her torso and one of her arms, but she still had the use of one of them. Just as the snake was about to strike at her again, she plunged her claws into its neck and tore the flesh. There was a shrill scream and Sakura felt the grip around her loosen, and soon the demon was disintegrated into a faint smoke that was quickly fading. She opened the hand of her uninjured arm and saw what seemed like a pink shard of a jewel.

"Huh, this looks intresting."

She decided that she would bring it back to Sesshoumaru to ask what it was, but she thought she knew it was a shard of the Shikon no Tama.
Sakura turned and walked in the direction she saw Rin go, hoping that she wasn't lost.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin called when she arrived back with Jaken and Ah-Un. "Sesshoumaru-sama, are you here?"

"Yes, what is it, Rin?" Sesshoumaru asked, coming into view.

"It's Sakura-san! She was fighting a demon. She told me to run, so I came and got you because I thought you could help."

"Where is she?" Sesshoumaru asked emotionlessly, though truly he was worried about the woman who was like a sister to him.

"I'll show you," Rin said as she took of running in the other direction.
Sesshoumaru followed her, but after seeing how out-of-breath she was from running all the way there, he scooped her up and started following Sakura's scent.

"What kind of demon was it, Rin?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't know, she told me to leave before I saw what kind it was."