Kagome stood in absolute shock as she watched the silent figure of her brother-in-law lay a very demon-looking Rin on her futon. Leaning over the prone figure, Kagome reached out and gently brushed her fingers over the now pointed tips of Rin's ears. Pulling on her power, she sent a probing tendril out towards the sleeping girl, only to have it rebuffed by a powerful surge of Youki. Kagome gasped at the force of it and fell back a little. She turned to Sesshomaru when he growled softly at her in warning. His normally stoic face seemed strained, as if it was taking a great deal of effort to maintain the cool façade and she felt her heart squeeze a little as his obvious concern for his former ward. She turned back to the girl she had come to see as a little sister and closed her eyes to try again. Again she was pushed back Rin's Yokai energy, but this time she was prepared for it and was able to sense the soul within struggling for survival. Kagome opened her eyes and felt the first wave of panic in her gut. Rin's soul was dying. The Miko stood and planted herself in front of the intimidating DaiYokai.

"How did this happen?" she asked quietly when his eyes slid to hers.

Whatever control he had over his features disappeared at her question. His face contorted into a terrifying visage of barely controlled rage. Kagome gasped and took a step back, suddenly intensely grateful that her children were at Sango's that day. Her reaction seemed to alert him to his surroundings and his eyes returned to their normal gold color, though his face remained twisted in disgust.

"Mother," he spat out the name, saturating it with loathing. He looked back at Rin and his expression softened. To Kagome's surprise, he continued speaking, "She would not accept a human as her successor and has attempted to turn her into a Yokai."

Kagome nodded. She had known about Rin's love for her brother-in-law since Rin was old enough to understand she felt that way and Sesshomaru…well, she wasn't surprised he had decided to take Rin as his mate.

"Ok, that explains what happened and why, but I need to know how, Sesshomaru. How did your mother do this? What method did she use? What power? Was it magic? Youki? Reiki?...Inuyasha?" her questions stopped as her mate walked in the door and she became instantly irate, "I thought I told you to stay with the children!"

The Hanyou gave her a withering look and snorted derisively.

"I ain't no pup needing protection, woman!" he crossed his arms defiantly, "and I sure as hell ain't leaving you alone with this bastard and some...strange…Yokai..." his voice tapered off as looked down at the unconscious female in his home and his jaw dropped, "Rin?" he whispered, then his head jerked up to glare at Sesshomaru, "You unbelievable asshole!" his voice dropped to a deadly whisper, "She wasn't good enough for you as a human, so you had to go and do…this! You disgust me…"

Sesshomaru's eyes whipped up to his brother and Kagome saw the promise of death in his answering glare.

"INUYASHA!" she screamed putting herself squarely between the two, Her tone had Inuyasha's ears plastered against his head instantly and his body tensed in preparation for a "sit" that wouldn't come. Kagome wanted to grin, but restrained herself. She had removed the subjugation spell from his rosary when they married, though he still wore the beads. However, old habits were hard to break and all it took to make him stop whatever he was doing and freeze, was the sound of his name spoken in a tone that promised a face full of dirt.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Kagome told him firmly, "This was not Sesshomaru's fault and even if it were, we don't have time for the blame game. Rin's soul is dying and I need Kaede's help if we're going to save her." She glanced over her shoulder at Rin and grimaced, "Possibly Miroku as well. Please, go get them…quickly!"

Inuyasha finally looked at his mate and nodded.

"I'll be back," he said sparing one final glare at his brother, "They had both better be alive when I get back or I'll kill you with every attack Tetsusaiga has."

Kagome let out a breath of relief when her beloved Hanyou was out of sight and turned to Sesshomaru who had regained control over his face but had paled considerably. She knew his reaction had nothing to do with the now traditional parting death threat.

"She is dying?" he asked quietly, the sound of the question made Kagome think he was afraid of the answer and she wished she could tell him it was a lie to get her mate out of the way.

"Yes," she said sorrowfully, "A human soul was not meant to channel Youki, at least, not like this." She looked past her brother-in-law to the soul in question, "If her soul had been given more time to adjust then…maybe. I don't know. There's still a lot I have to learn about how Youki affects humans, but…wait a minute!"

Kagome grabbed Sesshomaru's hand and pulled him towards Rin. Kneeling him next to her Kagome placed his hands on either side of Rin's face before moving to place her own hands on top of the girl's head.

"We need to buy her time, right?" Kagome said smiling at a very confused InuYokai, "So we just need to seal her demon energy until she's strong enough to handle it!"

Understanding dawned on the Lord of the West.

"Like the Tetsusaiga," he mumbled

Kagome nodded.

"This will be a little different, but essentially, yes." She said as she pulled on her spiritual powers, "the only problem I can see is that we won't be able to attach the seal to a physical object, like the Tetsusaiga. We'll…," she took a deep breath and gulped at the enormity of the task. She met Sesshomaru's eyes and her smile fell into a determined grimace, "We'll have to hold her energy ourselves until help gets here."

Sesshomaru didn't react except to nod and returned his attention to his mate.

Working together they focused on containing the enormous amount of Youki flowing through Rin's weakening form. Kagome's powers had strengthened considerably since her adventures as a teenager and in that moment, she was grateful for the natural strength the Kamis had blessed her with. She needed every ounce of it to balance the massive raw power coming from her Yokai counterpart.

"Sesshomaru," Kagome growled through gritted teeth as she fought to keep up with the Yokai Lord, "You've got to dial it back a little, I can't keep this up!"

Sesshomaru looked at Kagome with a slightly confused expression and she sighed in frustration. This wasn't the first time a modern turn of phrase had slipped from her and caused confusion.

"Your Youki is overpowering my Reiki and if this is going to work we need to keep them balanced." She explained and to her immense relief she felt him immediately pull back his power.

"That's better" She sighed and turned her focus back on her task.

A minute later Sesshomaru's head suddenly swiveled towards the door and Kagome could have sworn she saw some tension flow out of him, though his face, of course, didn't change. He returned his gaze back to Rin and Kagome wondered what it was that had gotten his attention.

Her question was answered a few minutes later when Inuyasha stomped in the door of their home carrying an old woman and followed by the only Buddhist monk in the village. Kagome felt a wave of relief wash over her. Help had arrived.

"Kaede, Miroku!" she cried in greeting, "Thank the Kami! Get over here, I need your help."

Inuyasha placed the old woman on her feet with a grumble at being overlooked in Kagome's greeting. However, no one paid it any attention.

"Well now, what ails ye child?" Kaede's aged voice began, "Ye haven't called for me thus in some time."

"I don't think it is Kagome that is in trouble Lady Kaede," Miroku's ability for quick observation had already spied the figure laying prone on the bed and he had sensed her large protector as soon as the Dog Lord had entered the village. His violet eyes met Kagome's worried blue ones and his naturally cheerful demeanor became serious

"It's Rin."

The statement was met with a nod from the younger Miko and Kaede gasped.

"I sensed the strange Youki, but I never thought…" she started and knelt down to place her hand on Rin's forehead before turning to the demon holding the young girl's face, "Lord Sesshomaru, How did this happen?"

Kagome saved him from answering and she saw gratitude in his eyes.

"His mother apparently didn't approve of her son taking a human mate and decided to do something about it." Kagome looked down at the face of her sister-at-heart, "It would have been kinder to have killed her."

A vicious snarl ripped through the air and Kagome met the furious glare of her brother-in-law with a calm she didn't feel.

"I didn't say I wanted her dead, idiot." She huffed, "I said it would have been kinder. At least she would have been reborn at some point and you could have found her again. This way…," Kagome's voice dropped to a near whisper and a tear fell into Rin's hair, "Her soul may be destroyed from this and there's no coming back from that."

Kaede placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, smiling when Kagome looked up at her mentor.

"Don't fret child," the older woman said comfortingly, "That will not happen."

"Of course not," Miroku knelt at Rin's feet and directed his gaze to the thoughtful face of the Lord of the West, "Rin is dear to all of us. We won't let her suffer such a fate."

Sesshomaru nodded once and turned back to his task.

"Very well then, I need to know how this was done my Lord Sesshomaru," Kaede asked in her no nonsense manner, "By what means was this transformation accomplished?"

"The Tenseiga," Sesshomaru answered flatly without looking up, "Mother placed Rin in a bath of foul smelling herbs and channeled her power through my father's fang after placing it in Rin's heart."

Kagome shared a look with Inuyasha who was already moving to Kagome's herb cupboard. She quickly named several ingredients and Kaede listed a few more. Inuyasha brought the bundle over to his brother.

"Did it smell like this?" he asked, shoving them under his brother's nose.

Sesshomaru pulled back with a sneer of disgust, but didn't release his hold on Rin.

"My sense of smell is better than yours, Half-breed," he said derisively, "I don't require such…proximity to detect a scent and yes…" he paused and struggled to suppress a sneeze, "The smell is the same."

He lost the battle and gave a very canine woof as he sneezed into his sleeve. At any other time, Kagome would have laughed at the ridiculousness of the great Lord of the West becoming so disheveled, but as it was she only smiled a little. Kaede's voice brought her out of her amusement.

"It is as I thought," she said quietly, "It is the same concoction that was used to bring my sister Kikyo back from the dead."

"But Rin isn't made of clay and her soul's still there, if weakening." Kagome protested, "How could that spell work for something like this?"

"I did not say the spell used was the same," Kaede argued, "I said the concoction of herbs used was. This brew is used to immobilize a soul and render it passive to allow whatever spell is used to take effect. It also acts as a sort of medium or buffer against the power of the spell, thus allowing the caster to use more power, making the spell stronger."

"Does this mean we can undo the spell?" Kagome asked hopefully

Her hope was squashed when her mentor shook her head.

"I'm afraid not child." She said grimly, "Even if I knew exactly was spell was used, the power for it was fueled by Youki. A priestess cannot undo a curse cast by a Yokai save by purification and to do that now…"

Sesshomaru's head snapped up and his eyes bored into the old woman's

"Her body is now Yokai. To purify her Youki energy would be to kill her." He growled, "You will not do that."

Kaede nodded and turned back to Kagome.

"I think ye first instinct, to keep the youki energy at bay until Rin's soul can absorb it all, was correct," she stated professionally, "However, with the state her soul is in, it is unlikely she will be able to do so without assistance."

She turned to Miroku

"Kagome and I will need to heal her soul of its injuries before it can finish what was started. I need ye to, carefully, place a barrier between her Youki and her soul."

Miroku stared at the old Miko in consternation

"I can certainly try Lady Kaede," he said hesitantly, "But with the amount of power she has, I don't know how long I could hold such a barrier before it collapsed."

"Ye will manage," Kaede said looking at Sesshomaru, "Ye will have help. Lord Sesshomaru, I will need ye to hold back as much of Rin's Youki as ye can." Casting her single eye around the room her gaze fell on Inuyasha, "It falls to ye to protect us from interruption whilst we are working, Inuyasha. No one must come through that door or cause us disturbance in any way, under any circumstance. Can ye do this for us?"

Inuyasha nodded and then looking at his brother, grinned cockily.

"Who'd of thought the mighty Lord of the West would be needing protection from his little brother?" he teased

Sesshomaru's expression didn't change, but he couldn't stop himself from answering the taunt

"The Lord of the West doesn't require anything from you, little Brother," he stated primly. "It is Rin you will be serving." He looked down at his beloved and continued in a voice too quiet for humans to hear, "Do not fail us Inuyasha"

The quiet despair in his brother's voice killed any further teasing from Inuyasha and he nodded his acceptance as he replied in the Inu language.

"I will not fail, Alpha"

Sesshomaru's eyes widened in surprise and his head snapped up to meet the steady gaze of the male he had always seen as a stain on his family. He had no idea where Inuyasha would have learned their native tongue, but the promise he made gave Sesshomaru a measure of peace. In Inu, to say you will not fail meant you died before you failed. Inuyasha had just promised to protect the sanctity of the hut with his life and Sesshomaru knew better than most how formidable his brother could be.

In the same breath, Inuyasha had also acknowledged Sesshomaru as his Alpha. If Sesshomaru accepted the claim then they would be bound as pack and the Hanyou would have yet another motive to help Rin. As Sesshomaru's mate, Rin would be the pack's Alpha female and Inuyasha would feel the need to protect her as fiercely as if she were his sister.

Sesshomaru considered all of this in a fraction of a second before deciding. Perhaps it was time for him to forgive Inuyasha for existing and allow him the place he should have had from the beginning.

"Witnessed and Accepted"

Sesshomaru's smooth baritone voice was clearly heard as he spoke the Inu words that would bind the two brothers for the rest of their lives. Inuyasha nodded his head and went out the door to stand guard.

Sesshomaru took a deep breath and let it out slowly. They would be undisturbed for as long as they needed to save Rin.

The two Mikos and the Monk shared a slightly confused look over what had just happened, but mutually decided to investigate later. Without speaking they positioned themselves at the cardinal points of Rin's body. Kagome at the head, Miroku at the feet, Kaede and Sesshomaru at her sides.

Placing their hands on her body all four closed their eyes and began their assigned tasks. Each of them hoping their plan would work.

Rin found herself surrounded by brilliant white. It should have blinded her, but it didn't. What she felt instead was a warm, peaceful, joy that soothed her and took away a pain she hadn't even realized she carried. A sudden urge to twirl and dance in the light filled her and she saw no reason to deny herself, so she did. Her laugh rang clearly through the empty space that suddenly wasn't empty anymore.

All around her, a meadow filled with flowers sprang into existence and rather than finding this strange, Rin squealed in delight. She ran through the expanse plucking blooms as she went, until she fell laughing into the grass. Everything was perfect! Well almost perfect. There was one thing missing. Rin sat up to look.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" she called, searching for her beloved.

There was no answer, however just beyond the veil of white, she could see the blurry outline of a figure clad in white.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" she exclaimed happily and got up bounding into a sprint towards the figure, "I'm here, my lord! Over…here…"

She slowed as the person came better into focus and she realized that the person was far too short to be her Lord. Disappointment filled her, but she was curious who could be here. She continued towards the stranger at a more sedate pace and was shocked when she got close enough to recognize the woman.

"Kagome?" she said in astonishment, "What are you doing here?"

Her adopted sister turned at the sound of her name and Rin saw profound relief cover her features.

"Rin!" Kagome exclaimed before rushing to hug the taller girl, "Thank the Kami! I was beginning to think we were too late!"

"Too late for what?" Rin asked confused and then thought about the rest of her statement, "Wait, We? Someone else is here?"

"Aye child," Kaede said as she appeared from the white, "We have come to help ye."

Rin was baffled.

"Help me?" she repeated, "With what?"

She was met with a pair of worried looks from the two Mikos.

"Rin, do you remember what happened before you were here?" Kagome asked cautiously

Rin thought back.

"There was blackness and I was watching a memory. It was one of the bedtimes stories you would tell me and your pups when we were little." She smiled a bit sheepishly, "I never told you, but those stories would always keep me awake, instead of putting me to sleep. I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid you'd stop telling them. I loved your stories."

Kagome hugged her again.

"And I loved telling them to you," she said warmly, "But I need you to focus. Do you remember what happened before the blackness and the memories?"

Rin struggled to recall.

"There was…pain. More pain than I've ever felt before." She wrestled with her memory trying to get through the fuzzy block that prevented her from accessing it, "Then before that….there…was…"

Rin's eyes flew wide open as the block disappeared and she remembered.

"Lady InuKimi!" she cried, "She tried to turn me into a Yokai!"

Kagome nodded calmly and Rin quickly looked herself over.

"Did it work?" she asked almost hopefully

Kagome paused at the tone in her voice. Did Rin want this? She had assumed the former Lady of the West had forced it on Rin, but now…perhaps Rin wanted this as much as Sesshomaru's mother did. Why? Before she could ask Kaede spoke.

"Nay child, " she said calmly, "At least, not yet."

The older woman turned to her apprentice with a question in her eyes and for the first time since meeting her, Kagome realized the sister of her reincarnation had no idea what to say. Kagome stepped forward and took Rin's hand.

"Rin," she started, "This change isn't natural. Your body has been changed but your soul wasn't made to carry so much power. It…you are dying…"

Rin's happy face dropped into a resigned sadness almost immediately, but before she could say anything a voice that belonged to none of the three women interrupted them.

"The Miko is wrong Lady Rin," a clearly feminine voice rang out causing the three females to turn to the source.

Emerging from the whiteness, moving with the inherent grace that only a Yokai can possess, a woman stepped before them. Kagome and Keade gasped in unison while Rin only raised an eyebrow in a manner that mimicked her beloved Lord.

The Lady looked so much like Rin that it was difficult to tell between the two. There were a few subtle differences however. The most obvious of which were the black Yokai markings slashed delicately across her across her cheekbones, and the yin yang symbol on her forehead. This was eerily similar to when she first encountered her previous incarnation, Kikiyo and Kagome reeled a little from the sense of dejavu she experienced at the sight. Who was this woman? Kagome opened her mouth to ask but Rin beat her to it.

"Who…Who are you?" Rin queried the strange woman.

The lady smiled and placed a hand on her hip.

"You know who I am," she said confidently, "You simply need to admit it."

Rin stared at her in concentration, her brow furrowed from the effort. She did seem familiar. Beyond the similarities in their faces there was something about her that she knew, something she had seen recently…her eyes drifted to the mark on her forehead and it clicked.

"You're the goddess of balance, aren't you?" Rin whispered quietly, "You're the one from the story Kagome used to tell me. You joined yourself with the soul of a human woman…"

Her voice drifted off, but the woman smiled regardless and bobbed her head slightly in confirmation.

"Correct" she congratulated her and turned her attention to Kagome, "You did well in educating her, but there is part of the story that no one knows save myself and my counterpart," She turned back to Rin, "You have correctly identified me. Now it is time you know who you are and when you do, you will have a choice to make."

Rin felt her world shrink to the three women in front of her. The grass disappeared beneath her feet as the meadow vanished around her. The whiteness flooded her eyes and the only thing holding her to reality was the pressure of a hand that was identical to her own gripping her limb tightly.

Before she was pulled into the black again, Rin heard voices softly conversing.

"There isn't much time left." The voice of the strange woman said firmly, "You came here for a purpose. Do what you can and I will do the rest."

"Are you certain you can't fix this?" Kagome's worried voice floated across the white void, "Can't you turn her back?"

A sad silence pervaded the space before the woman spoke again.

"This is not how it was supposed to happen, but her fate has been decreed from before her birth. The only thing left to do now is help her adjust. If she cannot…" a touch of fear tinged the Goddesses' tone before she finished more firmly, "There is no choice. She must succeed or all will be lost."

There was no reply from the Miko from the future, however Kaede felt the need.

"We will do what we can" she assured the Goddess, "If ye truly are who ye say ye are, then there is much depending on this child."

The response was so faint Rin almost didn't hear it.

"More than you know Miko. If Rin dies, so does the world."

The blackness consumed her then, but this time she was not alone.