Chapter 7

After Rin got dressed, she found Kohaku and Tonbo who had been waiting down the end of the hall outside of her room and they headed towards the dining room to have breakfast. Tonbo, along with Rin's other handmaiden's, was treated differently because Rin liked them so much; Tonbo was treated especially different due to the fact that she was Rin's other best friend. Tonbo and Kohaku hummed a soft tune that Rin recognized as one of the songs they performed together when they had to help with the entertainment. Unconsciously, she began bobbing her head to the soft sound of the soprano and base of their voices as she drifted deep into thought; remembering what happened when she began travelling with her Lord again.

Flashback…

"RIN! Come on! Lord Sesshomaru is waiting child!" exclaimed Jaken as he tapped his feet at the door of Rin's room. "I'm coming Master Jaken!" exclaimed Rin as she ran off after the little imp-like demon, carrying a small bag in her hand. She had just turned 16 that spring and it was now summer; Sesshomaru had promised her that he'd come get her by the day after the first full moon. She had grown a lot over the past 8 years and was becoming a young woman. Her hair was long and stopped at her waist. Secretly, she wanted her hair to grow so long so that it could be the same length as her Lord's one day, so she never ever cut it. A long silk cerulean blue kimono hung onto her tightly as she shouted a quick goodbye to Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, their children and Kaede. "I'LL COME VISIT SOON!!" exclaimed Rin as she jumped up and down waving her last goodbye. The rays from the sun made the white and pink Lavender flowers embroidered into her kimono shimmer like jewels as it bounced up and down.

Her eyes then widened and shown brightly with so much happiness that it was blinding. A few yards away from her stood her Lord leaned up against a tree; the wind playing with his hair as it lifted it up and around his shoulders, making it appear to float. He still looked the same and she smiled, content that he hadn't changed one bit since she'd been away. Of course she didn't think he would change since he was a dog demon, but she still felt reassured to see him the same way he always did. His eyes opened slightly as he turned his head to look in her direction. Her heart jumped in her chest and into her throat as she began to feel somewhat nostalgic. "LORD SESSHOMARU!!" she exclaimed as she pushed herself to run faster, zooming past the little demon almost giving him a heart attack at how fast she was going. Sesshomaru's eyes also went extremely wide at how fast she was going and he had to walk a bit away from the tree so that if she decided to jump towards him, she wouldn't hit him against it. She let out a loud squeal as she jumped towards him, becoming caught in his arms as the speed she had been going at caused her to push him down. He lay there in amazement at how fast she could run, and if he didn't know she was human, he'd swear she was running as fast as a child demon.

He lay there letting Rin squeeze him as tight as she possibly could, which was rather strong considering she was…well, human. "OH MY LORD! I've missed you so much! I know I've gotten to see you a lot during the year but I still missed you so much!! I'm never going to go away ever again!" squealed Rin as tears of joy fell down her cheeks and soaked his royal white kimono. When Jaken finally caught up to her, he began screaming at her for jumping on their Lord like that "RIN! DO YOU HAVE NO MANNERS?! GET OFF OF OUR LORD THIS INSTANT!!" "NO!" replied Rin as she hugged Sesshomaru tighter. Sesshomaru let out a long sigh and struggled to stand up with her weight pinning him down on the ground. Finally standing, he looked down at Rin who was still holding onto him for dear life and he 

heard her say a little bit softer than a whisper "I hope this isn't a dream…" If it had not been for his enhanced senses, he would have never heard her say anything. Jaken then began cursing as he grabbed both of Rin's feet and began pulling her while she still held onto her Lord around his chest. "RIN!! LET GO!!" snapped Jaken as he tried with all his might to pull her away from their Lord. "NO MASTER JAKEN!!" replied Rin as she held on tighter to the straps holding his armor around his chest; even though the metal was hard against her face, she would not let go.

"Jaken." Sesshomaru finally said as he let out a long annoyed sigh at the little demons behavior.

"Yes My Lord?" asked Jaken as he continued to pull at Rin's feet.

"Release Rin."

"But My Lord-!"

"Jaken!"

"Yes Sesshomaru-Sama!!" he replied as he let go of Rin immediately and bowed down onto the ground. "Rin." Said Sesshomaru as he watched Rin look up into his eyes and felt her grip loosen around his chest. She smiled up at him like she had always done ever since she was a child. He put his hand on her head and ran it through her hair as he said "This Sesshomaru has missed you as well Rin." Her eyes brightened even more, if at all possible as she let out a loud squeal and hugged him tight again.

End of Flashback…

Her thoughts were broken when she heard Tonbo and Kohaku exclaim simultaneously "GOOD MORNING SESSHOMARU-SAMA!!" She looked up to see that Tonbo and Kohaku were still holding onto her hands and bowing low to her Lord who was standing in front of them with a raised eyebrow.
"AH! GOOD MORNING MY LORD!" exclaimed Rin as she also bowed towards her Lord and in between Kohaku and Tonbo who were stifling giggles in their throats. "Did you attend to Mikata, Tonbo?" asked Sesshomaru as he looked over at Tonbo who stood and clasped her hands in front of her before bowing her head slightly and saying "Of course My Lord! I did it right away! As soon as you asked me to!" He then looked down at Rin and Kohaku who were still bowed down, holding hands. A strange feeling punctured his chest area when he noticed it but brushed it away as he then said "Rin. Come." Kohaku and Tonbo moved out of his way as he walked pass them. "I'll find you guys soon alright?" whispered Rin as she smiled at them and ran off after her Lord.

She followed him into his bedroom and watched as he locked the door. She sat down at the edge of his bed and bit her lower lip as she waited for him to speak. He sat down next to her and she looked up to see that his face had softened the way it always does when he's around her. Running his fingers through her hair, he rested his hand on her cheek and cupped it as he tilted her head to kiss her other cheek; pulling her to him he could hear her take in a deep breath before she began to relax against him and listened to his heart beat. Opening his mouth to speak, he stopped when he noticed a yawn escape her. A habit she had gotten when she was a child, the sound of his heart beat always seemed to put her to sleep. Before she could doze off, he tilted her chin up and kissed her gently, causing her to snap awake and return the kiss.



"Rin." He said as he took in a deep breath of her scent. She smelled of the flowers in the fields, milk, vanilla and honey…and of him.

"Yes Koibito?" she asked as she looked up at him with curious eyes.

"I want to…"

"Yes?"

"This Sesshomaru would like…" he tried to say again but his words trailed off. It wasn't easy for him to say what he was feeling.

"What is it My Lord?"

"This Sesshomaru wants to apologize."

"Apologize? Why would you want to apologize?" she asked as her eyes went wide in confusion.

"I let my demon nature control me…last night…did I hurt you?"

"You don't need to apologize to me Koibito…No you did not hurt me. I'm fine really. I enjoyed every minute of it."

"Are you sure Rin?"

"Yes. I'm very sure. I'd love to do it again." she replied as she smiled seductively at him and leaned up to place a kiss right under his ear.

"You are quite the vixen Rin. It puzzles this Sesshomaru where you got it from."

"My Lord…may I-"

"Do not refer to me as such when we're alone Rin, Itoshii." He stated as he put his finger to her lips to silence her.

"Sesshomaru…" she said which made her heart beat slightly faster "May I ask why you placed me back in my room this morning? Am I not your mate now, and you mine?"

"It was done with great reluctance Rin. You are my mate but I plan to let all the Lord's know at the next meeting so there will be no misunderstandings or unnecessary conflict."

"Oh, that's fine. I understand. You want it to be so that no one will trouble me about it."

"Precisely."

"I love you Sesshomaru…you always have my best interests at heart…" she replied as she leaned up to kiss him softly on the lips. His breath hitched slightly after hearing her tell him she loved him. He also loved her but he found it hard to express verbally. Wrapping his arms around her tightly as he kissed her 

back gently, he spoke in between kisses "Rin…I…" Rin pulled away from the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck and stared deep into his eyes to see the love for her that lay deep within his soul. She put her finger to his lips as he tried to say what was in his heart and she said "You love me too Sesshomaru…I know you do more than anything." He opened his mouth to object but she silenced him with a deep passionate kiss. It would have continued but a loud knock was heard on the door as Jaken shouted "Your breakfast is ready M' Lord!!" Sesshomaru frowned and hugged Rin tighter as he continued to kiss her. Jaken's annoying voice only became octaves louder as they continued to ignore him. Finally becoming agitated by the little demon's squeaky voice, Sesshomaru stood up, breaking free of Rin's hold rather quickly as he walked over to the door and opened it to make Jaken fall flat on his face. "AH! MY LORD!!" exclaimed Jaken when he noticed that Rin was also in the room again. Jaken shivered at the sound of his Lord's voice "Jaken." "Y-y-y-yes M-m-m-my L-lord?" replied Jaken as he slowly looked up at Sesshomaru to see an evil smile on his face. "Run." He ordered as he watched the small imp-like demon scream at the top of his lungs and run away from him. Before Sesshomaru could walk after him, Rin hugged him from behind and tiptoed as she whispered in his ear "Don't be too hard on him Koibito." He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes before walking down the hall.

…:iiillliii:…:iiiiii:…:iiillliii:…

Walking down the long bright hallways, Rin held up the bottom of her lilac colored silk kimono with one of her hands as she dragged her fingers across the wall. The sound of music could be heard coming from the dining hall and Rin recognized the song that was being sung. Picking up her kimono a bit higher, she began running until she finally got to the dining hall. There on a leveled piece of ground that was higher than the normal one, stood Tonbo singing one of Rin's favorite songs while Kohaku played his guitar. It was a gift Kagome had given him when he turned 21 and he treasured it greatly. She had taught him how to play until he became better than her. Rin danced to the tune as she made her way pass servants and over to the long piece of glass covered wood that was the dining table. Sitting down next to Jizenka, she smiled as he said "Good morning Rin! I hope you slept well." Rin blushed as she remembered what happened and said "Yes, I slept very well. Did you sleep well Jizenka-Sama?"

"Yes I did indeed. I need to remember to ask Sesshomaru what those beds are filled with. They are certainly very relaxing!" replied Jizenka as he grinned from ear to ear.

"That's good to know." Replied Rin as she let out a laugh.

"Indeed it is Rin." He replied as he turned his head towards the entrance of the dining hall. Both he and Rin tilted their heads from left and then to right as they watched Jaken run into the room, screaming at the top of his lungs "PLEASE FORGIVE ME MY LORD!!" Sesshomaru walked into the room at his usual pace and stared down at Jaken for a few minutes before walking over to the table and saying "Do not let it happen again Jaken." "Yes M' Lord!" replied Jaken as he scurried off into the hallway. Jizenka was laughing hysterically and Rin had to slap him on the back as he had caused himself to choke on a piece of sausage. After Jizenka regained his composure he coughed into his fist and looked at Sesshomaru who was now sitting across from him. "What an interesting way to start off your morning Sesshomaru!" said Jizenka as he looked from Sesshomaru to Rin continuously. Rin smiled and nodded nervously and even though she wasn't looking at Sesshomaru, she could tell that he was staring at her. The sound of footsteps came into the room and they all looked up to see Mikata with a fowl look on her face as she walked towards them rather quickly.



She had made herself look very dressed up even though it was just breakfast. A long green satin kimono with black swirling patterns on it draped over her small body and her long dark red hair flowed over her shoulders while the rest was pinned up with a jade comb that had been embedded with gold stone. The only ones sitting at the table were her, Rin, Jizenka and Sesshomaru. She smiled brightly from ear to ear; if she had smiled anymore Rin swore her face would be stuck like that permanently. She was smiling so much because she got to sit next to Sesshomaru who wasn't even paying any attention to her. Rin rolled her eyes and inwardly sighed; had her Lord come to the dining hall the same time as her then she would be sitting next to him instead. Ignoring the strange expressions she was being given by Mikata, she picked up a few pieces of the sausage from a bowl and placed them onto her plate, along with a large helping of fried eggs and strawberries with cream.

"Did you not eat already Mikata?" asked Sesshomaru as he raised an eyebrow at the small woman sitting next to him. He remembered that he had asked Tonbo to do it since all the other servants had been busy.

"No I did not. That handmaiden of Rin's was quite rude to me!" replied Mikata as she poked out her lips before piling pancakes onto her plate with blueberries and raspberries on top of them with thick whipped cream.

"How was she rude to you Mikata?" asked Jizenka as he popped a sausage into his mouth.

"She would not give me what I wanted! And then she actually had the audacity to pour water on my head when I asked her for some!!" replied Mikata as she let out a small growl which was rather un-lady-like. "YOU!!" she then exclaimed as she looked up to see Tonbo and Kohaku standing behind Rin and Jizenka.

"Hello there again little missy. Not having water anymore eh? Finally decided to eat some real food?" replied Tonbo as she placed her hands on her hips and hovered off of the ground slightly.

"Tonbo? You were rude to Mikata?" asked Sesshomaru as he glanced briefly at Tonbo before helping himself to a few pieces of sausage. He knew that Tonbo was only rude to people if they were being difficult and she was not known to lie.

"Yes My Lord. And she definitely deserved it with all the crap she made me put up with! Asking me to bring her two different meals and then refusing them when I do! Bloody hell!! I'm not going to put up with that!" replied Tonbo as she looked at Mikata who was now steaming at the ears. She spoke rather quickly because of her accent and it made Rin, Jizenka, Kohaku and any other servants who were nearby laugh heartily. It always surprised Sesshomaru how Tonbo always said what exactly was on her mind.

"No wonder she poured water on your head Mikata. You deserved it! I apologize for my sister's behavior Tonbo-san." Replied Jizenka as he slowly recomposed himself after having had a good laugh.

"Quite alright Jizenka-Sama! Quite alright! If your sister was as polite as you she'd probably be treated better!" replied Tonbo as she rested her chin on Rin's head which made Rin giggle slightly.

"My Lord. Would it be alright if Tonbo and Kohaku could join me for breakfast?" asked Rin as she looked at her Lord while dipping a strawberry into some cream and then biting it.



"They may if you so choose Rin." Replied Sesshomaru as he forced himself to take his eyes away from her lips that seemed to be preoccupied with biting into another cream covered strawberry.

"Why thank you My Lord! You are far too kind indeed!" said Tonbo as she bowed deeply and sat next to Rin and began piling strawberries, raspberries, cranberries and a mixture of chocolate and whipped cream onto her plate. Dragonflies, demon or not, loved anything sweet.

"Yes, thank you Lord Sesshomaru. Tonbo-chan is right. If the other Lords were like you and Lord Jizenka, then there probably wouldn't be any problems." Agreed Kohaku as he piled sausages, fried eggs (sunny side up) and bacon onto his plate.

"Wouldn't that make everything just wonderful?" said Rin as she smiled and sipped some water.

"How right you are Kohaku! Very wise observation!" stated Jizenka as he clapped his hands together and took a sip of water from his large glass.

"I agree Onii-Sama. You and Lord Sesshomaru are quite wonderful Indeed." Replied Mikata as she glanced over at Sesshomaru, pink tinged her cheeks slightly and she took in a deep breath before letting out a sigh.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were in-love with Lord Sesshomaru, Mikata? Unless…I'm mistaken?" asked Kohaku with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Oh Kohaku! You always amaze me! You took those words right out of my mouth, you did! Just as I was about to say the exact same thing you know!" exclaimed Tonbo as her eyes brightened and she smiled slyly.

"I'd say the both of you are right on the mark!" replied Jizenka as he quirked an eyebrow in his sister's direction and winked at her.

"ONII-SAMA!!" squealed Mikata as her face turned bright red. She put her hands to her cheeks and ran away from the table, squealing as she ran out of the dining hall.

"Hmmm. Perhaps I said too much." Pondered Jizenka, as he rubbed his thumb over his chin, as if he was contemplating on whether or not to go see if she was alright.

"I'm sure she'll be just fine Jizenka-Sama." said Rin as she grinned from ear to ear. "Just fine indeed…" thought Rin as she tried to stop herself from laughing.

…:iiillliii:…:iiiiii:…:iiillliii:…

Tonbo watched as Rin ran through the field of rainbow colored flowers that seemed never-ending, picking up different ones and rearranging them into a bouquet before throwing them into the air so that they fell all around her. Smiling, Tonbo picked up a light blue carnation and placed it behind her ear as she walked over to Rin who was now lying in the pile of colorful flowers she had made with the bouquets. The soft wind of the summer blew Tonbo's sapphire hair out of her face as she sat down next to Rin who was now completely hidden from view. Kohaku, who was leaning against a tree with a piece 

of wheat grass in his mouth, made his way over to them as well. Sitting in between Tonbo and Rin who had moved to sit up when she noticed he had come over, he wrapped his arms around both of their shoulders and said "So, what's on the agenda for today ladies?"

"Kohaku dear, since when did you get so enveloped in our lives? You don't have a girlfriend yet?" asked Tonbo as she laughed and leaned her head onto his shoulder.

"No Tonbo, he doesn't have one. Not yet!" replied Rin as she giggled as well and put her head on his other shoulder.

"Damn…I wonder why you guys are my best friends sometimes if this is how you're going to treat me. Honestly! I'm just worried about my two favorite girls!" stated Kohaku as he pulled out a camera from inside his brown kimono and took a picture of all three of them.

"You know we love you Haku. Don't take it to heart!" replied Tonbo as she kissed him on the cheek and giggled when he blushed "But on a serious note here, how are you doing Rin?"

"I'm fine. I'm just anxious as to when we can finally tell everyone that Sesshomaru and I are mates." Said Rin as she let out a sigh and fell back into the flowers, pulling Kohaku and Tonbo down with her.

"Has he said why he has not let everyone know about it yet?" asked Kohaku as he stared up at the sky which was patched with white fluffy clouds.

"He wants the other two demon Lords and the ones from the human villages nearby to be there so he can announce it to everyone at once." Replied Rin as she traced the wings of a pink butterfly that had landed on her finger.

"Oh I see. He just cares about you so much! It's so sweet! Haku! Why don't you ever do anything like that for me eh?" asked Tonbo as she squeezed Haku and laughed when she heard him squirming.

"Tonbo…can't…breathe!!" exclaimed Kohaku as he then let out a long sigh after finally being released from Tonbo's hold around his chest "Hey…isn't that Mikata?" He said as he sat up and looked towards the thick trees of the forest to see her running into its darkness.

"Is she crazy!? Ogres pass through that bloody excuse of a forest!" exclaimed Tonbo as she watched Mikata's tiny form disappear out of sight.

"Damnit!!" shouted Rin as she stood up quickly and whistled loudly. Murasaki appeared from high in the sky and swooped down next to Rin, allowing her to jump onto her back in one swift motion.

"Where are you going Rin!? Let us come with you!!" said Tonbo and Kohaku simultaneously as they stood up and watched as she snapped her fingers. She was now wearing her demon slayer outfit and going towards the direction of the forest.

"I'm going to get her before she is seen by the ogres!! I don't want her death on my conscience!! If I'm not back soon then get help!! Stay here in case she comes out without me!" replied Rin as she too disappeared into the thick dark leaves of the trees of the forest.



…:iiillliii:…:iiiiii:…:iiillliii:…

"Curse Rin!! Curse her and that Tonbo woman, and Kohaku and my stupid Onii-Sama as well!! Curse them all!!" shouted Mikata as she ran through curtains of vines that hung down from the trees. "AHH!!" she screamed as she tried to pull a humongous spider web from out of her way. She had run straight into it and got her hair caught in it, as well has her hands. "What kind of forest is this?! It's not normal! So many disgusting things…" she thought as she squirmed in the stickiness of the spider web. She was completely unable to use her powers to get free since her hands were stuck. "NOO!! I'M GOING TO DIE!! I'M GOING TO DIE AND NEVER EVER BE ABLE TO FEEL LORD SESSHOMARU'S LIPS ON MY OWN!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs as tears began falling down her cheeks. Her mouth was suddenly covered and she tried to let out a scream, only to be slapped hard across the face. "Shut up. You aren't going to die. But you will attract bad attention from the demons of this forest if you don't be quite." Whispered Rin, a hint of annoyance in her voice as she stared at Mikata, her eyes glowing white. Mikata nodded her head and watched as Rin sliced through the spider webs with her war fan, causing her to fall onto the ground.

"Come!" ordered Rin as she took off in the direction she had come from, Murasaki running behind her in her small demon state. Mikata followed her without any argument, running as fast as she could to try and keep up with her strenuous pace. She then hit something which caused her to fell backwards into a pile of dirt. "Shit…Get down!" whispered Rin as she got down behind some overgrown bushes. Mikata crawled next to her as she tried to get clumps of dirt from out of her hair and peered through the bushes. She gasped when she saw two giant mountain ogres, sitting on the ground talking to each other while roasting a very large animal over a fire. They were both extremely ugly, with rough gray skin that seemed to have a scar or gash on it everywhere you looked. Dark gray pieces of worn out torn cloth that were probably supposed to be kimonos covered their bodies. "These large deer sure do take a long time to cook Kazu!" stated the larger one as he poked the animal with a stick. "Be patient brother Yuu. We will find something else to eat in the mean time if it does not cook fast enough!" replied the one named Kazu as he stood up to scan his surroundings. Mikata couldn't hold her fear in any longer and let out a small squeal. It was barely above a whisper, but it was enough for the ogres to hear it. Rin slapped her hand over Mikata's mouth but it was too late and they heard the voice of one of the ogres as it said "Who's there? It seems food has come to us brother!!" "Indeed it has!!" replied Yuu as he got up and slammed his overly large arms down on the bush where Rin, Murasaki and Mikata were hiding.

Rin jumped up while Murasaki pulled Mikata away from danger. They were now out in the open and there was no way for them to escape. "Look Kazu! Two very young women! A demon and a human! How delectable they look! And a demon cat as well!" exclaimed Yuu as he grinned from ear to ear and licked his lips at the sight of them. "I will have the human woman and you can have the demon woman! We can both share the cat demon for desert!" agreed Kazu as he rubbed his rough hands together. "Like I'll let you lay any of your nasty hands on us!!" retorted Rin as she stood up, spinning her fan in between her fingers "Murasaki! Take Mikata and go now!" Murasaki let out a loud growl as she transformed into her true size and picked up Mikata by her kimono, tossing her onto her back as she took off into the sky. "How brave of you woman! You think you can take on two full grown ogres by yourself!?" asked Yuu as he let out a loud hard laugh that filled the entire forest. "Yes. I certainly do!" replied Rin as she smiled evilly and her eyes glowed white.

…:iiillliii:…:iiiiii:…:iiillliii:…

Jizenka walked with Sesshomaru through a small garden that was at the very front of the castle. Sesshomaru looked off into the distance. He could see Tonbo standing in the middle of a field of flowers and she looked extremely worried. Kohaku, who was a few feet away from her, was pacing up and down with his arms folded; he wore his demon slayer outfit and Kirara was in her transformed state, watching him as he seemed to mutter things to himself. He wondered where Rin could be, it wasn't like her not to be with them. Before he could think of it anymore, Jizenka said "Will you be accompanying me to the human village?"

"Why would I do such a thing Jizenka?" asked Sesshomaru as he glanced over at the red haired demon next to him.

"There might be some sort of benefit for you. I'm not very sure how, but I'm almost 100 sure Rin would like to visit a village of half demons."

"You are probably right."

"I knew you'd consider it somewhat if I mentioned Rin."

"Hnn."

"When do you plan on telling the entire court and the other Lords that you two are mates now?"

"I should have suspected that you would realize it. As soon as you are finished with your appointment with that village thing."

"Congratulations. I was beginning to think that all women were afraid of you Sesshomaru!" stated Jizenka as he laughed at Sesshomaru's facial expression. Before Sesshomaru could answer, they both heard Mikata's loud squeaky voice shouting "HELP!! HELP!!" Sesshomaru and Jizenka were over by Kohaku and Tonbo in the blink of an eye. They watched as Murasaki landed and Mikata jumped off of her. It took her a while before she could walk normally and she made her way over to her brother and buried her face in his chest. "What happened to Rin!?" exclaimed Kohaku as he waited impatiently for her reply. "OGRES!! TWO OF THEM! IN THE FOREST! HELP HER!! HELP RIN SESSHOMARU-SAMA!!" yelled Mikata as she turned her head towards Sesshomaru's direction to see that he was already gone. He didn't even need to be asked; as soon as he heard her name the first time, he had run into the forest so fast that they hadn't even realized he was gone. Kohaku jumped onto Kirara's back as well and headed into the forest after Sesshomaru.

…:iiillliii:…:iiiiii:…:iiillliii:…

"You think I'll let you kill me? FOWL DEMON!!" shouted Rin as she spun around in a blur, slicing one of the ogre's directly across his chest and hitting the other one with her Nunchaku's in the face. She threw her war fan behind her, causing it to stab the ogre straight through its heart as she jumped towards the other ogre and kicked him in his chest. She then got low onto the ground and did a sweeping low-kick that caused him to fall down. Flipping backwards, she landed on top of her war fan that was half way into the ogre's chest and ripped it out as she flipped through the air, landing on to a large boulder that was a few feet away. The same two orbs of purifying energy and demon energy appeared at each corner 

of her war fan and she threw them at the ogre that was now lying on the ground. "Quite fast for a human!! BUT NOT FAST ENOUGH!" exclaimed the ogre named Yuu as he quickly caught Rin by her legs, stopping her movement. Rin hung upside down and had to keep leaning up as the ogre attempted to knock her upper body off of her legs. "DAMN YOU!!" yelled Rin as she threw her war fan at his arm that was holding her, slicing it off completely. The ogre screamed in pain as his blood splattered the dark green trees of the forest and Rin's porcelain face. Her eyes narrowed as she picked up her war fan and sliced his other arm off before jumping back after almost getting slammed into the ground by the other ogre. "Just a little more, and your aura will disappear completely!" shouted Rin as her eyes as well as the marks on her body began glowing. The war fan hovered off of the ground and floated over to her. She grabbed it out of the air and opened it completely so that the light from the sun would reflect off of it and at the ogre. "Don't worry. Death isn't all that bad." Whispered Rin as she suddenly appeared beside the ogre's ear before disappearing back to where she had been standing before and closed the fan. The ogre's eyes widened and he yelled so loud that all the birds in the trees flew off from the horrible sound. By closing her fan, Rin had crushed every bone on his body and caused them to pierce through his skin.

Rin then fell to the ground on her knees. Never before had she used so much of the war fans power. It was taking a toll on her body since she was not used to it. She struggled to stand but fell back onto her knees and hands. "DAMNIT!" she exclaimed as she gripped the closed war fan in her hand, it's sharp edges cutting into her hand as she willed her body to move. "Move! Move! MOVE!!" she thought over and over as she heard the other ogre walk towards her, his menacing laughter filling the air around them. "DIE FOOLISH HUMAN!" exclaimed the ogre as he slashed her across her back, causing her to scream out loud. She fell to the ground as her own blood pooled around her. She could see the ogre walk pass her as he dragged his brothers body away, deep into the forest. "Ses…sho…maru…Sa…ma…" she barely managed to say as her breathe escaped her. "I want…to…live…to be with…Sesshomaru…" she thought as her mind went blank.

"RIN!!" exclaimed Kohaku as he appeared next to her and picked her up in his arms, her blood staining his demon slayer suit completely. Sesshomaru stood over Rin and had to control himself from going on a rampage at the site of her blood stained body. "RIN!! WAKE UP!! WAKE UP RIN!!" yelled Kohaku from the top of his lungs as his tears fell down his face and drenched Rin's blood stained cheek. He shook her vigorously as if willing her to wake up. Rin's body lay limp in his arms as he rocked her back and forth. "Rin……" his voice trailed off as he cried hysterically, cradling her body against his chest. Sesshomaru picked up Rin's body in his arms and just stared at her. Her beautiful face and her hair were covered in blood. He had to hide his face away from Kohaku who was now leaning in the puddle of Rin's blood and banging his fists in it as he continued to cry out her name over and over. "RIN!! YOU IDIOT!! LIVE DAMNIT LIVE!!" he shouted as he gripped the wet dirt between his fingers. Sesshomaru clutched her body tightly to his chest and hid his face into the crook of her neck as he wept.

"Rin…" whispered the soft voice of a woman.

"Who's that…who's calling me…" replied Rin as she spun around in the darkness to find out where the voice was coming from.

"Wake up Rin."

"I don't want to…it's so calm here…"



"You have people who need you Rin. Someone will die if you don't wake up in time."

"People who need me? Someone's going to die?"

"Yes Rin…remember him? He plans to take his own life after he kills the ogres."

"Sessho…Sesshomaru…Sama…"

"Yes Rin. Hurry and wake up. You will be different when you awake however."

"Different? How will I be different?"

"Wake up to see Rin. Hurry! You don't have much time." Replied the voice as she spoke her last words "WAKE UP!" Rin shot up off of the ground in a sitting position and then let out a loud growl as she felt a strong pain in her head. She looked down at herself to see that she was covered in blood and then looked to her right to see that Kohaku was curled up in a ball on the ground saying "Rin…please live…please!" Rin crawled up to him as memories of what happened to her filled her mind. "Oh…that ogre tried to kill me!!" she thought as she hit her fist against the ground. "KOHAKU!" exclaimed Rin as she jumped on him and hugged him.

"RIN! RIN!! YOU'RE ALIVE!! YOU'RE….WAIT!! WHY ARE YOU ALIVE!!" yelled Kohaku as he jumped away from her, completely shocked by the whole situation.

"I never died Kohaku. I'm not sure what happened but a voice woke me up from the darkness and said I'd be different now."

"I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru will be happy to know that."

"OH NO! WHERE IS HE KOHAKU!?"

"He went to go avenge your death by killing those ogres."

"NO! TAKE ME TO HIM! HE PLANS ON KILLING HIMSELF AFTER HE'S DONE!!" exclaimed Rin as she jumped onto Kirara's back and Kohaku jumped on behind her.

Sesshomaru sped through the forest as fast as he could, more than that if possible. He couldn't think, his heart was aching and his stomach was churning around. The feelings he had felt after seeing Rin dead a third time made him curse himself over and over. What he felt was incomprehensible; it was as if his insides were threatening to turn inside out. His mother had told him that she could not be revived a third time; there was no way of him ever seeing her again unless he killed himself. He should have known that she could never be alone, she feared nothing, she feared no one, and she never feared death anymore because of him. He should have known that she would greatly take on a demon as powerful as Ryūkotsusei by herself if she had to. His eyes were blood red and his stripes continued to become jagged as his anger took control of his body. He then transformed into his true form and went on a rampage through the forest as he sought out the ogre who had done this to her. Sniffing the air, he finally picked up on the ogre's scent. He ran faster, knocking down trees as he went, destroying everything in his path with one thought in his mind "KILL!"



Finally reaching the ogres, he stomped his paws into the ground behind them and growled evilly as he watched the ogre cower in fear. "PLEASE!! SPARE ME!!" shouted the ogre as he stared into Sesshomaru's eyes that were blood red and reflected his own scared image in his eyes. His poisonous saliva spilled onto the ground, burning it like acid as he held the ogre down with his left paw. He dug his claws into him, taking pleasure in the pain he was inflicting on him. To silence his annoying pleads of being spared; he ripped of his head and crushed it under his other paw as he crushed his body with his other paw. Transforming back to his human state he then took out Tenseiga and revived both ogres, but quickly killed them by slicing them to bits before they could even take their first breaths. Unsatisfied with only being able to revive them once, he continued to rip them to shreds, now with his claws until there was barely anything left of them. His eyes were still red and his stripes were still extremely jagged as he got down on his knees and grabbed Bakusaiga. "Rin…" he thought as a single tear fell down his cheek.

He pulled the sword straight towards his stomach…but the blow never came. His eyes widened and he let out an annoyed growl, wondering who dared to try and stop him. He felt small hands go around his waist and hold onto him tightly. "Koibito…" whispered Rin as she looked up at Sesshomaru with tears in her eyes. His breath hitched as he stared into Rin's chocolate brown pools. She reached her hands up to his face and ran her fingers over his jagged stripes. "I'm here Sesshomaru…I'm here." Whispered Rin as she kissed his cheek. He held his breath and wrapped his arms around her; he couldn't tell if he was dead and now with her in the after life, if he was so far gone that his mind had created an illusion or if she was really there. As if she could read his thoughts she said "I'm not dead. I'm here Sesshomaru…I promised I'd never leave you remember?" Before he could answer her, she pressed her lips to his, kissing him as if she hadn't seen him in years. He kissed her back with the same passion as he held her tighter against his chest. He stood up, still holding her in his arms and swept her off her feet with his other arm, still kissing her in the process. "Glad you both are alright! Shall we head back? Tonbo's worried about you, and surprisingly, so is Mikata!" said Kohaku as he flew over head, smiling down at both of them. Rin laughed at Sesshomaru's annoyed expression and pulled him by the arm through the trees that were now either broken in half or uprooted. "I love you…Sesshomaru…" said Rin as she turned her head to smile at him. "This Sesshomaru…I…love you as well…Rin…" replied Sesshomaru as he tightened his grip around her hand.