Hello everyone! I just want to thank everyone who has been reviewing. It's so nice to hear that readers like Kin. Making OCs is such a dangerous game with such a well-known series.

I've been a little side-tracked these past few days with my new game, but I've been getting so many supportive reviews I decided to spend this evening writing instead of gaming. Don't tell anybody though or they might think I'm ill. I will try to not rush it I feel like these past few chapters have been kind of sloppy.

I don't own Inuyasha or any of the series' characters. Just Kin. She's my proud piece of work.

It was the day of the summer solstice. Ordinarily, Naraku couldn't care less about the significance of the day. He faked a smile as Kin bounced around the courtyard on her own, bare feet pounding softly on the dirt. She was normally the energetic sort but there was a special skip to her step as she did a strange ritual of movements.

She had appeared in the dead of night, covered in blood and wounds. Kagura had been the first to report her condition, catching him off guard. He could always sense her entrance because of his barriers but he hadn't realized before that her power levels were always constant. Believing she had just fought with Inuyasha he was eager to learn more about her injuries. Instead however he was shunned as she refused an audience with him, locking the doors to the room she often occupied during her visits. He had been outraged but feigned concern before returning to his chambers.

Kin had only allowed Kohaku into the room, but the human could barely get a single word from the usually talkative demon. The shard still hung from her necklace, glinting in the light.

The morning sun was shining brighter than ever now, and all signs of harm and seclusion had disappeared from the demoness. It was baffling and raised a deep curiosity within the hanyou. He chose to watch her for now though, trying to understand what was going through this strange woman's mind.

The clothing that she had been wearing had been tossed out, tattered and ruined beyond repair. She had been apologetic since it had been a gift from him but there was no way to avoid it. She was once again in her sun covered kimono. Her biwa was resting not too far away as she stopped her movement in the center of his courtyard.

He had to avert his eyes as she went to remove her kimono but realized that her body was completely covered in her dragon scales. Her skin was golden and shined brightly in the morning sun as she pooled the top half around her hips. She caught him watching and gave him a wink, causing him to raise a brow in questioning. The necklace around her neck suddenly looked dull in comparison as she took a deep breath and raised her hands in the air.

She opened her mouth as she began to sing. She didn't sing words however, but vocalized as her hands opened up to the sky. Her entire body lit up as she drank in the sun's light. He watched with intrigue as she began to clap, creating a rhythm before she began to move. She lightly dragged her feet across the dirt, creating shapes in a symmetrical pattern while never leaving an invisible circle. His brows knit together as he saw a symbol being drawn in the dirt and felt a strange pulse of energy.

He noticed that the feathers in her hair had lengthened and had the same golden glow as her scales. Her movements suddenly quickened as she neared the end of her song. As she finished the marks she had created on the ground lit up, blinding him momentarily. He surged forward, wanting a taste of the power he felt surging in the air around him. Yet before he could even extend a hand the power receded; gently going out like the flame of a candle. Kin stood in its place, her hair floating in the air as she inhaled. He could almost see the air around her fill her lungs before settling back down with her exhale.

She pulled her kimono back on, covering her dragon skin and picked up her biwa. She secured it to her back and ran a hand through her unruly curls before walking towards him.

He quickly composed himself as she neared and he felt a sudden surge of emotion he wasn't used to. He quickly buried it as she bowed in greeting to him. "Good morning, Kagewaki." She tapped at her chin as she tried to think of a way to explain what had just happened. "Sorry, that was all probably really confusing."

"I don't think 'confusing' is the correct term." He said, cautiously reaching a hand out towards her. She seemed to hesitate away from him, but allowed it as he touched her hair. It had a new shade of brightness to it and he was surprised to feel the strands had feathers mixed in. Only a few weeks ago the feathers on her neck were small and few yet now were long and many. It gave her hair an exotic appearance for it was still wild and curly, yet the feathers were long and straight. At first glance it looked like she had feathers adorned in her hair, but a closer inspection would reveal they were natural.

She seemed surprised by its new shade, turning her head slightly as she ran a feather in between her fingers. "I can't explain it, honestly. I was born on a summer solstice, and ever since then I've found life and energy from the sun," she seemed to be trying to shrug it off. He wanted to learn more but realized she still didn't trust him completely. "I didn't learn that dance and ritual until I was older though. It was hidden from me by Watatsumi." Her voice turned dark and he could sense that rare deep hatred in her.

"He was probably afraid of it." Naraku wanted it, but he wasn't sure he could even wield it.

She grinned a fanged smile, "He was. Normally I don't let others watch but last night I ran into a…complication." She fumbled slightly, "Your castle was the closest haven I could think of. Sorry to intrude so rudely. I was in such a sorry state I didn't want you to see."

"Kohaku said you had been gravely injured. What caused it?"

"…I'd rather not say." She waved him off dismissively and he had to clench his jaw to keep calm. She suddenly turned on her heel, tugging down her kimono as a pair of wings sprouted from her back. They were a blend between dragon and bird as she spread them in preparation for take-off. He'd been surprised, but once again masked the emotion as she twisted to wave. "I have to get moving though, I have a promise to keep."

He raised his hand as she lifted herself off the ground, disappearing over the walls of his castle. Sometimes her visits were more like brief encounters, while other times she stayed for long conversations.

As she slowly shrunk from sight Kagura appeared at his side. "…What are you planning…?" she asked cautiously as she saw an expression she hadn't seen before cross his features. He looked like a child who had found a new toy. She almost thought he looked happy, but knew better than to mistake his expressions for anything normal.

"Nothing really." He walked out into the courtyard to examine the ground. He went inside and retrieved a scroll to copy the markings as closely as possible. Once finished he handed Kagura the scroll, "I want you to travel south. Try to find out as much about this as possible, and don't come back empty handed."

Kagura scowled, snatching the scroll away as she took off.

Naraku stared at the ground, kneeling to touch the soil. "So many new surprises…"

Rin waited at the water's edge, kicking small waves with her feet as she began to grow impatient. "She's late…" she grumbled as she looked up to the sky in search again. Jaken was resting farther away from the river in a feeble attempt to get an early afternoon nap.

"She will come. Despite her quirks Lady Kin is the first demoness I've met who doesn't seem to break promises or lie." He crossed his arms in front him, jumping when a new voice joined their conversation.

"Awww, that's practically a compliment coming from you Jaken," Kin teased the imp as she startled him with a sudden landing only inches away from his resting form. Before he could respond Rin had leapt to her feet in exclamation, a surprised laugh emitting from the child as she took in the sudden change.

"Kin, you look…you look…" the young girl reached up and ran her fingers through Kin's golden locks. "What did you do?"

The demoness laughed, ruffling at Rin's hair as she approached the water's edge. "Nothing, really. Just getting older. I might not grow the same way you do Rin, but as the days and years go by I am affected by time in my own way."

"Yeah, but I don't think I will ever get to shimmer like gold and have feathers grow in my hair." Rin pouted, looking down to kick at a small pebble. Her head snapped up when she felt Kin put something in her hair and reached up to find a feather there.

"I will let you use some of mine, but you have to promise not to let others have them."

The young girl lit up instantly, "Why?"

"My feathers and scales have a sort of power that humans and demons often try to steal. It can be dangerous, but I know you would never use it to harm others."

Rin seemed to understand, for despite her young age she had a sense of maturity far beyond her years. "I will treasure them."

"Good girl. Now if I remember correctly you wanted to go swimming today? It is the summer solstice so it's a perfect day for swimming, but…"

"But what…?"

"I'm tired of swimming in lakes and rivers. I want to swim in the ocean."

"The ocean sounds amazing! Jaken, do you think Sesshomaru will mind us going to the ocean today?"

Jaken seemed to hesitate, but he had a strange look on his face as he studied Kin carefully. He could sense a change in her aura. "No, as long as we are with Lady Kin I doubt Lord Sesshomaru will worry."

"Yay!" Rin ran over to A-Un, scrambling onto his back. Kin scratched at the herbivore's heads, gaining a pleased rumble as Jaken joined them.

A few hours later the four were sprawled out in the sand, tired from swimming and searching for clams along the rocks. Jaken noticed that Kin had more dragon scales and feathers than before, but realized she was scaring away any potential dangers by doing so. The sun was high in the sky, shining relentlessly onto the sand as the waves crashed against the rocky cliffs not too far away.

Kin inhaled, taking in the smell of the ocean. She lifted a hand towards the sun, blocking its light from her face. She was lost in thought when suddenly a looming figure blocked out the sun completely. Sesshomaru was towering over her, the furs of his mokomoko tickling at her nose.

"…Afternoon," he greeted as Rin sprung to her feet to greet him. He knelt down and wiped some of the sand from her face as he held out a small handful of persimmons. "I found these and thought you might like them. They're ripe."

She eagerly took the delicious fruit, chomping down on one as she offered a second to Kin. Surprisingly to Jaken the demoness took the fruit and bit down without hesitation.

"Do you like sweets, Lady Kin?"

"Yes. Why? Does that surprise you?"

"I thought you might solely eat meat."

Rin giggled as the demoness rolled her eyes, "You might not realize it, but humans have the ability to make a myriad of flavors. I think it'd be rather uncultured to not try new things."

Jaken grumbled. He didn't like being made a fool and huffed as he marched off to find something else to occupy his time.

Throughout the entire exchange Sesshomaru had studied Kin, noticing the change in her appearance. He reached forward and ran a clawed hand through the golden curls, surprised by the feathers there. She had been expecting his touch for he tended to do things without permission. Rin grinned as she twirled at the feather in her own hair, "Lady Kin says that today is a special day because of the summer solstice."

"…" It looked like he wanted to ask a question but chose to hold back for now as Rin reached for another fruit. He glanced at the sky to see the sun shining brightly above them without a single cloud to block its light.

Kin knew she would have to explain the changes once the sun set. The shimmer in her scales was still there but didn't shine quite as bright as the moon took its place as ruler of the night sky. Rin had long fallen asleep with Jaken against A-Un, all three exhausted from the day's activities. Sesshomaru had stayed for the rest of the day much to Rin's delight, though he didn't participate in any of their games. He merely watched in silence as the demoness played human child games with Rin, and forced Jaken to participate. The poor imp had no idea what he was doing half of the time and seemed to constantly lose despite his efforts.

She followed after Sesshomaru as he began to walk away from the small camp they had made in a cave along the beach. It seemed to have once been an underwater cavern though now it was dry and no longer faced the ocean. He didn't stop walking until they were above the cave on the top of the abrasion. The waves pounded against the rock not too far away, creating a wave-like texture into its side.

He stared up at the moon, seeming to be lost in thought. Kin had long learned that his silence often meant something and looked up as well.

"I've always felt that I've gained strength from the moon." He said, though he doubted that needed any sort of explanation. The crescent moon on his forehead had been inherited from his mother, and it didn't take much to assume he felt kindred to the night because of it. "Yet you seem to get your strength from the sun. Almost literally. I never noticed it but every morning you bask in its rays." For once, Kin was silent. Slowly her scales turned into human flesh as she took on a more human appearance. The feathers however stayed and she made no attempt to hide them. He turned his attention towards her, his eyes silently imploring her to speak.

"I honestly don't know how or why I am able to use the sun for power. My mother doesn't have the ability and I was never able to ask my father." She yawned and stretched her hands up into the air before folding them behind her head. "The summer solstice only occurs in this region during this time of the year and it is the day I am able gain…a boost?" she struggled to find the correct words.

"So, essentially your powers are not completely demonic."

"…I don't know." She seemed to be telling the truth. There was a deep sadness in her eyes though her face did not show it. He pondered for a moment, trying to understand how someone couldn't understand where their power came from.

"Is that what you are searching for?"

She seemed surprised and nodded slightly, "In a way. Watatsumi stole the sole piece I had for finding out where this ability comes from." She gazed out towards the ocean, a look of longing crossing her features. She suddenly looked homesick and lonely despite the ties she had created in this new land.

"Hn." He seemed satisfied for now and took a few steps towards her. He placed a hand on top of her head, startling her from her train of thought. She froze, confused as he pet her head in an almost comforting manner. "If I can assist you, I will."

She laughed breathily before leaning forward slightly. She rested her forehead against his chest, allowing the moment of intimacy. He thought he heard her whisper 'thank you' before she removed herself from him. "I'm going to rest now. Believe it or not soaking up all those rays drains me almost as much as it fills me."

He nodded as she disappeared back to the cave where the rest of his followers were resting. He looked up at the sky, gazing at the moon as it brightened the starry night.

Well…that was mildly intense.

Seriously, made myself shiver as this last scene played out in my head. If only if only…

I'm pretty sure I answered a mystery in this chapter but opened up a whole new box of unanswered questions. Gotta keep you guys interested somehow, don't I? That, and I'm pretty sure I'm a little evil.

Again, please read and review. I want to give a little shout out to a few people such as Royal Kitsune, Anzai, Jamie…flowermanga, and everyone else who has reviewed so far. Especially those of you who make a point to write one for just about every chapter. I'm often at work when I get them on my phone and it's quite uplifting to read your words of encouragement. I've been in a bit of a slump lately and it's surprising how a stranger's compliments can make your day.

Thank you also to those who have followed or favorited Golden Sun so far. You guys rock too!