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"Come on Miroku, Kohaku, she's so close to us." She stroked Kirara's mane as the demon cat led them through the forest.

The monk sighed, "Why are you so keen on helping her? Sure Rin looked a bit strange, but she can obviously hold her own!"

"Drop it, Miroku, you know how Sis gets when she's determined," the boy's voice wavered as he remembered how violent that determination could become.

The three were searching around the forest clearing where Rin's scent suddenly disappeared. It was like the girl vanished into thin air. Perhaps Miroku was right, maybe the girl did not want to be saved - let alone found. Kohaku idly spun his Kusarigama around, careful not to disturb any of the wildlife. As his stomach growled, he reached for some nearby berries.

"Oh! These are perfect for a quick snack," he stuffed a handful into his mouth before calling out to the pair, "Hey guy! Let's eat lunch, I'm starving!"

As the trio opened some of the meals that the villagers packed for them, Miroku and Sango continued to argue about what to do with Rin. Sure, taking her to Kaede seemed like a simple solution, but they were nowhere near the village. As an added problem, Sango had been very sick lately - with excessive traveling and fighting only making it worse. Yet Sango continued to demand they help the girl, thinking back to the few times that she and Sesshomaru helped them.

Miroku begrudgingly rose to his feet, "Come on, let's go find her."

Kohaku laughed before also rising, "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I'm tired of arguing with your sister," he then mumbled, "I never win anyway."

After cleaning up their meal, the group continued their search past the clearing, deducing that the girl must have discovered that she was leaving a scent behind. Not to mention how she was very small and could move equally quickly. Either that, or the group had gotten slow.

"Come on, Rin, we just want to help," Sango gasped for air, tired from a combination of running after the girl and yelling for her.

"Sister, are you okay!"

"Damn," she whispered low enough so the others could not hear, "It's becoming more noticeable."

On the outskirts of the forest, Rin waited for her orders. Unsure of what the Black Widows would do since she failed yet again. Part of Rin hoped the group would find her, but she also knew that if they did, it would be their demise.

"Come child, since you failed in capturing them, lead them to us. Find them now and bring them back."

Rin's head snapped back as their words infiltrated her mind, unable to resist the hold they had. Slowly her eyes began to cloud over once more.

"Rin understands," she spoke as she began to run back in the direction from whence she had just come.

There. Rin crept around the corner, careful not to make a single sound. The trio sat before her, taking another break as the woman had grown tired from searching. Rin tried to slowly approach them, but Kirara was already on edge and ready to attack.

"Rin wants you to follow Rin," she beckoned them forward.

The group immediately joined Kirara in a surprised defensive stance; shocked that she had found them instead of the reverse.

"Rin, what is going on, where do you want to take us?" Sango's voice was obviously strained.

"Just follow."

"Surely, it's safe, Sister...she knows that in the end, we are stronger and can overpower her if needed."

"Yes child, lead them to us," The voices in Rin's head hissed as she and the demon slayers grew closer to their lair. Rin knew it was a trap, yet her body would not stop moving and her mouth could not open to warn them. The Black Widow had complete control of her body, all the way down to its core.

The path to the demonesses' lair was riddled with the Black Widow berries, each bush more tempting than the last. Kohaku quietly reached into his pocket and ate a few more of the ones he had found earlier - berries that looked oddly similar to the ones by the cave they were approaching.

"Kohaku!" Sango slapped the fruit out of his hands, "Those are Black Widow Berries! You cannot eat them!"

"What will happen if I di - do?"

"Don't you remember? They allow those very demons to control your mind -" her words trailed off as she began to put two and two together. The reason why Rin was behaving so strangely, perhaps that was the cause!

"Rin," the woman's voice became even more stern than before, "Did you eat the berries?"

"Yes," her voice barely came out as a whisper as tears streamed down her face.