Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Sesshomaru... Or Rin... Or Jaken... Or Aun... Or Naraku... OK, I'm just gonna shut up now before I start mourning over how I don't own any of the Inuyasha characters.

Notes: Sorry it took so long for this chapter! I hope you all haven't given up on me. :(

"Come, Rin." Sesshomaru said.

"Hai!"

Rin climbed onto the bank and wrung out the bottom of her kimono before obediently following her lord. She happily trotted behind him in silence, looking at everything they passed. She finally let her eyes rest on the tall youkai before her. "Sesshomaru-sama, may I ask a question?"

"You just did," he answered simply.

She thought for a brief moment before seeing what he meant. "Well... Then, may I ask two questions?"

"Yes, Rin."

"Where are we going?"

Sesshomaru considered not telling her, but then again, he did say that she could ask her question. On the other hand, he said she could ask it, he didn't say he would answer.

While he was having this inner battle with himself, Rin waited patiently for an answer, sometimes it took quite a long time to get it out of him anyway. His nice side won and he told her that they were going to find Naraku.

"Is he the one who sent that lady with the feather after me? And the one that controls Kohaku?"

"Yes," Sesshomaru had slight displeasure at hearing the pity in Rin's voice at her mention of the boy because he knew that she had a small crush on him... You know, the sweet little puppy-love that nearly all humans get one time or another.

Sesshomaru sees her blush if she thinks about Kohaku, and he inadvertently pops up in most of her questions. He didn't quite know what was going on in that little head of hers, or what she felt for that boy, but he didn't like it.

'I don't know what she feels for him, but she's still too young to be having any kind of feelings for a male of her kind.' he thought as they walked.

Sesshomaru looked down at Rin to see her staring ahead blankly, with a dazed smile on her face and a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks. He stopped suddenly, but Rin kept on walking. He reached out with a clawed hand and grabbed the back of her kimono. Breaking her from her fantasy, (about what he has a faint idea,) she was lifted from the ground and set back down beside him, only to realize that she'd almost walked right of the edge of Mt. Hakurei, from which they were descending.

Rin looked back at Sesshomaru with a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry, Sesshomaru-sama, thank you for saving me. I guess wasn't paying attention to where I was heading, "

He looked at her strangely. "I know," he then turned around and waited for the girl to catch up and stand by his side.

At around sundown, Rin yawned but kept walking. Sesshomaru noticed, picked her up, and set her down on Aun. "Go ahead and sleep, Rin."

She nodded and curled up near Aun's mane, instantly warm at the thought of her two favorite people: Sesshomaru and... Kohaku.

Rin's Memory

I ran from Kohaku as her tried to kill me with his scythe. 'What's gotten into him?' I thought.

He was fine about five minutes ago, but then his eyes got all lifeless, and he came after me. Suddenly, he tripped me with the end of the chain and I fell unconscious in the tall grass. That's all I remember, besides feeling like I was being turned over, but Jaken told me the rest.

He said that Sesshomaru-sama came after Kohaku for trying to hurt me, and held him up by the neck. If I had been awake I would have asked him to let Kohaku go, but there was no need, Inuyasha-sama and his friends showed up and he let him go.

Rin woke up the next morning alone, except for Aun, that is. Even Jaken was gone. "That's strange, usually Sesshomaru-sama leaves Jaken to watch me." she muttered aloud, looking around, "Aun, do you know where they went?"

The dragon with two heads looked at her sleepily and shook its heads 'no'.

"Will you come with me to look for them?"

They nodded and stood up, letting Rin hop on their back and taking off into the air.

Not long after, Rin saw Sesshomaru standing in a field and Jaken getting water. She wondered why Sesshomaru was just standing there. Was he in deep thought? 'Oh, well,' she thought, 'I guess it's none of my business... I shouldn't bother him.'

She landed Aun nearby Sesshomaru and sat and waited. She decided to pick a few flowers and weave them together to kill time.

When Rin was done picking the last bellflower that she needed and sat cross-legged on Aun's back, she heard rustling in the trees behind her. "Sesshomaru-sama?" she inquired.

A young boy walked out of the bushes, saw Rin, and gasped. "Rin! Why are you here?"

"I was just waiting for Sesshomaru-sama to get back, Kohaku. Why? Is there something wrong?" she replied.

Kohaku began to panic. "You shouldn't be here! Kagura and I are supposed to be searching for you, but I don't want you hurt... Naraku wants to kidnap you to lure Sesshomaru to him! You have to tell him!" he said concernedly.

"Hey, Kohaku," a woman's voice called idly, "Would you hurry up? What's the hold-up?"

"Rin," he said hurriedly, "I have to go, but don't forget to tell Sesshomaru what I said."

Kohaku turned to leave, but Rin stopped him. "Wait," she said, "Hold out your wrist."

"Why?"

He did as he was told while Rin tied the chain of flowers that she was making around his wrist. "Thanks," he said, looking at it fondly, "But, why?"

"As a symbol of our friendship. 'Till we see each other again?" Rin asked.

"Yeah," Kohaku replied, "Till we see each other again. Now go tell Sesshomaru, I'll lead Kagura in the opposite direction."

Rin nodded and smiled at him before he disappeared into the trees, then she took off with Aun towards the field where she had seen Sesshomaru.

Naraku chuckled to himself after hearing what the saimyosho had told him. "So Kohaku's decided to betray me... How foolish he is."

He had told himself that he would get revenge on Kohaku... Somehow.

OH. MY. GOD. It took me SOOOOOOOO long to get this one out!!! I wouldn't be surprised if some of my readers haven't stopped reading this one. I am so SORRY!