Rin shielded her eyes as the wind calmed and finally she could see the figure in front of her.

It was a little girl dressed in a silken pink kimono. The girl was quite small and pretty, only her face was all seriousness.

"You are the priestess Rin?" the girl repeated, for she had called out to Rin before.

"Yes?" Rin replied, unsure who the girl was and why she was looking for her.

The girl bowed. "I am Saya, servant to my master Koimiomaru. My master bid me seek out the priestess Rin and give her this."

The little girl held out a small white scroll, tied together with a silken white ribbon. Rin took it from her hands but before she could even read it, Saya had sailed away.

Rin was confused, but all the same she opened the scroll and read its contents:

A flower in snow
Is the most beautiful one of all

Hello, my name is Koimiomaru and this invitation is to all the young monks and priestesses in the region who are still training.
Your powers of purification are stronger than you think. So strong that it may be able to suit my purpose.
My purpose is the same as yours: To exercise all the souls of demons and to make the world pure for humans.
However not just any monk or priestess may do it. Only one with the most immense spiritual powers may accomplish this feat.

This is why I invite all of you to come and join me in my castle for a grand banquet, after which we will see which of you is fit to help me.
If you have no interest in this event, merely tear this invitation in two and it will be assumed that you will not attend.
If you do have an interest however, keep this invitation until the night when you receive it.

If you have chosen to accept, at night an escort will come to you by the same means as the invitation.
Dress in your official costumes and be far from all other eyes. This banquet it for you, and you alone.

A frozen heart
Beats the most strongly

Rin looked it over a few times. She understood the message perfectly, save for the two lines at the beginning and at the end, but she thought that perhaps they weren't important. She thought over the main message, wondering if she should go. It was addressed only to monks and priestesses in training so that meant that neither Kagome, Miroku or Lady Kaede could go with her.

Rin somewhat wanted to go because she thought that it might be good to go out of the village, only she didn't much like the purpose of going. The purpose was to exercise all the souls of demons, and of course this brought on thoughts about Sesshomaru and how he was a demon and a very powerful one at that.

Rin looked down at her own hands, thinking how she might have the spiritual powers that the invitation talked about. She had never thought of herself as being very special, and the idea that she might even be powerful scared her. Was she really meant for the life of a priestess after all?

Ever since she had begun her training, Rin had always looked to Kikyo for advice. She looked to Kikyo when she shot her first arrow and every day since then when she practiced and then she had even thanked Kikyo when she had been able to distinguish the difference from a purifying arrow and an arrow of sealing. Even now she looked to Kikyo for help, only she needed a real answer this time and Kikyo wouldn't be able to give it to her.

Rin picked up her basket of berries and roots and then tucked in her scroll as well. She wouldn't tear it for now, because she had a lot of time before nightfall to think about what she would do.

Sesshomaru nodded his head as a servant left his throne room, carrying his dinner. Sesshomaru had left it untouched, not in the mood for any food. He ate rarely as it was, but every now and then Jaken, as both his Minister and his caretaker (self-claimed), felt the need to send Sesshomaru some food. Sesshomaru didn't protest against this, because he never knew when an appetite might strike him.

Sesshomaru now banged a nearby gong once and Jaken quickly appeared. From the look on the little imp's face, as well as the beads of sweat sliding down his forehead, it was clear that he wasn't nearby when the gong sounded.

"Jaken, any news?" Sesshomaru asked.

Of course he was referring to the treaty he had asked Jaken to look into, concerning the Northwestern Mountains that the Northern Wolf Tribe occupied. Sesshomaru had very little land left to claim in the demon world, but he had saved those mountains as one of the last things he intended to collect, as the Wolf Tribe was no tribe to be meddled with. Of course he could have simply just started a war to force them out of the mountains, only the Northern Wolf Tribe would fight back and thus, the war would take a while. Sesshomaru wanted things to be passed by peacefully if possible.

"No my lord!" Jaken panted. "T-the Wolf Tribe h-has not agreed t-to sign any treaty yet!"

Sesshomaru sniffed. Those wolves were sure stubborn. The entire 'signing' process of the treaty had been going on for a month and still the wolves refused to budge.

"Offer them more reserves," he commanded, for what seemed like the hundredth time. Already he had offered up plenty of reserves, and even some armory (since he knew that the wolf tribes had none) but they still preferred their homes. Sesshomaru was losing his patience.

"Y-yes milord..." Jaken replied, bowing deeply. "Eh, milord?" the imp dared to ask.

Sesshomaru glanced down at him, not in a kind manner but also not in an angry manner. Just in his usual, expressionless manner. "What is it?"

"Eh...I was just thinking of young Rin..." Jaken confessed. "And if we might be checking up on her soon."

Jaken himself could feel the air in the room get a little more tense. Sesshomaru himself never brought up the subject of Rin and actually he wouldn't have talked about her at all, if Jaken hadn't brought it up. It wasn't that Sesshomaru hated the idea of the girl of course, only he preferred to avoid it. Jaken didn't know why, only his lord wasn't all that responsive when he brought on the subject of Rin.

"When was the last time?"

"About a month ago, milord."

Sesshomaru looked up, deep in thought. "Jaken," he said at last. "Go out and find a suitable kimono. I'll be visiting tomorrow."

Jaken's face lit up with a smile, but he quickly hid it and left before Sesshomaru noticed.

Sesshomaru stood and went over to his window, where he glanced down at all the land that was his.

It suddenly felt very empty.

Well I hope you liked it. I also introduced Sesshomaru in this chapter and I hope I kept his character in line. Please tell me what you think! :3