A/N: This story is slightly AU from the original plot line.
All Credit Goes To Rumiko Takahashi. Without her, we wouldn't have these amazing characters.
Chapter 1
Dark clouds casted over a quiet rainy village. It was a sad day. That morning fifteen year old Rin woke to find a non-breathing Lady Kaede. That day the village lost their greatest elder. All the villagers gathered later that afternoon as they buried Lady Kaede next to her sister Kikyo's grave. It was her one wish if she were to ever pass away in her sleep that she be buried with her older sister. After the funeral everyone but Rin left after saying their prayers and goodbyes. Falling to her knees, Rin released her tears. She didn't care that she was getting cold, wet, and muddy. She had lost the woman who had raised her since she was just eight years old. Lady Kaede treated her like she was the granddaughter that she never had. "I'll miss you my dear granny Kaede. Watch over me always," she whispered to the wind. Rising to her feet, Rin headed back down to her hut that she had shared, now alone.
In the evening Kagome tried to cheer her up with a small dinner with just her closest friends. But to her dismay Rin refused. She was just too distraught to eat. All Rin wanted to do was mourn Kaede's passing. "Rin, I know you're sad about today, but come to my home and have dinner with us," Kagome encouraged.
Rin lowered herself onto her hay mat, "I'm not hungry. Please Kagome? I just want to be left alone." She covered herself with her thin blanket.
"You haven't eaten anything all day. You need to eat something." Kagome was now hovering over the sad teenager. "Come on Rin."
Getting to her feet Rin yelled, "KAGOME, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT I'M NOT HUNGRY!" She grabbed her hooded cloak and ran out into the pouring rain.
"Rin wait!" Kagome called out from the hut.
"LEAVE ME ALONE KAGOME AND DON'T FOLLOW ME!" Rin ran down the muddy path barefooted into the woods. There was a place where she called her sanctuary when she wanted to be alone. "Why can't Kagome just understand my feelings? I just want to mourn," she thought as more tears ran down her cheeks.
After running for quite some time she made it to her special place. Her sanctuary was a hidden meadow deep in the woods that held its own hot springs and a mini waterfall. Assortment of colorful flowers scattered around every inch of the field. The rain had finally passed over with the moon shining down. Rin looked at the huge hot springs that lay before her. Checking her surroundings Rin removed her cloak, white yukata, and undergarments. She also tied her long hair into a high bun. Leaving her clothes along a huge boulder she stepped into the hot steamy water. If there were days when Rin wanted to clear her mind she'd come here. "Granny Kaede, I miss you already. Give my mother, father, and brothers a hug for me." Rin sank herself more into the water until it reached her neck.
After Rin spent a great deal of time soaking in the hot pool, she rose to her feet to exit out. Getting back into her clothes, she went to start a fire under a magnolia tree. This was her favorite tree in the whole area. The smell of the pink flower was very citrusy and sweet. Rin enjoyed the scent. It was under this tree that someone made a promise to come and visit her. To this day this special someone broke their promise, and hadn't seen her in seven years. She looked to the starry night sky hoping to see a shiny ball of white light fly over.
Rin was of the age now where she could make her own decisions. Girls her age were choosing suitors while she ignored all of them. None of these men were interesting to her. All these men who came and asked for her hand only wanted two things, a hot wife and many, many children. She wasn't ready for marriage or motherhood. Rin still felt like a child herself. She wasn't ready to grow up.
Resting her head against the bark of the magnolia tree, Rin closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the night. Many different calming sounds were echoing around her. Owls hooting through the forest. Crickets singing and many other sounds surrounding her. One sound alerted her. Twigs crunching from behind her and a startling voice. "There you are!" the familiar male voice made Rin jump to her feet. Turning in the direction of the voice, Inuyasha came from the darkness. "Kagome had me come looking for you."
"I told her I wanted to be left alone," Rin informed him as she took her seat again.
Inuyasha joined her sitting beside her. "I know, but she insisted. She threatened to make me sit."
"I'm not ready to go back. I'll go back to the hut when I'm ready," by ready Rin would go back when the sun came up.
"I don't blame you. So is this where you come when you want to be alone?" Inuyasha wondered.
"Yes, I call this place my sanctuary. I've been coming here for a long time. The first time I came here was when..." Rin trailed off. Thinking of that memory was bringing tears to her eyes.
Inuyasha could tell something was on her mind. "Rin, what is it?"
"It's nothing. I'll be fine."
"You know you can talk to me anytime you want to, remember that."
"Thank you, Inuyasha, you're a dear friend."
"Anytime kid. I'll stay here with you until you're ready to go back." Inuyasha cared for Rin a lot. She was like a little sister to him, someone to watch over and protect.
"Kagome won't get mad that you're not coming back right away? She did just give birth a few weeks ago." Kagome and Inuyasha's newborn son was the last baby Kaede helped deliver. Their son looked so much like Inuyasha with fluffy ears, silver hair, and golden eyes.
"It will be okay. She was nursing Takumi when she threatened me to find you. I'll take whatever she throws at me when I get back. Kagome doesn't scare me."
"I thought Kagome only scares you when she tells you to sit?"
"Except that!" The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He hated when Kagome used that incantation. When the fire was about to die down Inuyasha threw some more sticks into the pit. "It's starting to get cold out. Are you sure you want to sit out here much longer? I don't want you to catch your death. Even though it's early spring."
"I'll be okay. The cold weather doesn't really bother me. I actually enjoy the cool evenings. The cool air helps me relax." The cool weather usually helped Rin sleep at night.
As the two pals remained quiet for a while, a small gust of wind blew around them, sending the aroma of the magnolia flowers in their direction. One of the many flowers detached from the tree and fell onto Inuyasha's lap. He picked up the pink flower to examine it. Being the kind friend he was, Inuyasha gifted it to Rin. "Here, I hope this makes you feel happy."
Happy tears fell down her rosy cheeks as she lightly took the flower from Inuyasha. "Thank you, Inuyasha," sniffing the delicate pink flower. "It's so beautiful."
"You're welcome, Rin." The two good friends didn't say another word for the rest of the evening. When the moon reached the middle of the sky Rin had finally fallen asleep against his shoulder. Inuyasha very carefully picked her up and headed back to the village.
All the villagers had turned in for the night once Inuyasha landed outside the hut. All that could be heard was the sound of the wind and sleeping villagers. Inuyasha took Rin inside the hut that now belonged to her. Before he placed the sleeping girl into her bed, he looked at the empty bed that was Kaede's. A tear released from his eye. The first memory of Kaede he remembered was meeting her as a small child. That was when his first love Kikyo was alive. "Kaede, please watch over Rin," Inuyasha thought as he placed Rin on her hay bed. "Goodnight Rin," he whispered quietly before he left to head back to his home.
It was the following morning with the sun slowly rising into the sky. Rin awoke to the roosters crowing in the fields. Sitting up on her bed she looked around to see she was back in her hut. "I guess Inuyasha brought me back last night."
As Rin still sat in her bed she noticed the door curtain swing open. Kagome was standing there with her hands on her hips in an unpleasant mood. "Rin, where did you run off to last night?"
"Why does it matter, I have the right to go anywhere I please." Rin went back to laying down and covered her head with her blanket. But the blanket got ripped right off of her.
"You're fifteen now, you need to start acting your age and settle down. Girls your age already have husbands and children."
Rin jumped to her feet and balled her hands into fists, "why can't you just understand that I'm not ready to settle down? I don't think I'm ready for that part of life. I'm not ready for motherhood." She began releasing her tears again. "When you came back to us you were well over the age when you got married to Inuyasha."
"I'm not here to talk about Inuyasha and myself. This conversation is about you. Rin, you need to settle down, get married, and start a family of your own. You only get to live once and no second chances after that."
Hearing Kagome's words Rin fell to her knees, "GET OUT KAGOME AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Kagome stampeder off, "you really need to grow up Rin," she shouted from outside the hut.
Rin began hugging herself, "it is you who needs to grow up," she whispered to herself. Their friendship had been going downhill since Rin became of age. It was getting to the point that they could no longer be friends. "If she keeps this up with trying to marry me off, I'll be losing someone I considered a big sister."
Later on in the afternoon Rin was tending to her chores when a horse could be heard galloping not too far off. She already knew it was another suitor coming to ask for her hand. She didn't care. She didn't want anything to do with him. The horse was right outside her home when the curtain door swung open again. "Rin, please meet a gentleman who would like to ask for your hand."
Rin eyed Kagome heavily and went back to tending the hut. "No, now leave."
Kagome strutted across the room and pulled Rin by the arm.
"Kagome let me go. I don't want to meet the suitor."
"You have no choice. It's time to meet the man who might be your husband soon." Rin was shoved out the door where the man was waiting. The man looked absolutely boring to her eyes. Rin could already tell he was going to be the same as all the other suitors. All she saw was a pale man, with the same features as all the other men, scruffy brown hair and lusting brown eyes. She watched him eye her heavily up and down.
"My, the rumors I've heard were true. A beauty does reside in this village. Dear girl, my name is Captain Yumiko. I'm a very high ranking archer and I've come to ask for your hand. Will you come with me to be my wife and the mother of my future children?" The man held his hand out for the teenage girl who had anger running through her blood.
"I refuse your proposal, now leave." Rin's hands were balled into fists to a point her nails could break her delicate skin.
"But I come bearing gifts. A beauty like you deserves the finest things. Look, I have a beautiful kimono that was made from the finest silks. These fabrics are hard to find," Yumiko showed off the silk lime green kimono to her. It was the ugliest color of fabric she'd ever seen. "This color here would bring out your lovely brown eyes."
"No, I don't care for the kimono. You are just like all the other men who've come and asked me for my hand. It doesn't impress me. Leave and find another woman to be your wife," Rin informed him angrily.
"Rin, this needs to stop. It's time for you to settle down." Kagome was now standing in between Rin and Yumiko.
"Stay out of this Kagome and mind your own business. You," she pointed towards the man on the brown horse "leave and never return." She turned on her heels and headed back inside her hut.
"But dear girl, you have no one to call family. I wished to be your new family. If kimonos don't impress you, how about jewelry?" The man pulled out a golden necklace that was god awful. The jewels were not impressive as they matched the ugly kimono.
When Rin saw the necklace she could tell it would break your neck just by wearing it. Standing in the doorway of her hut, "no, nothing will impress me. Goodbye." She walked inside her home to get away from everyone.
"But, you can't be single forever. What will it take for you to be my wife?" The suitor shouted from outside the hut.
Before Rin could talk back to the suitor, Inuyasha came up from behind him. "You, man on the horse. The girl said she's not interested. There's a lot of other girls seeking people like you elsewhere."
"Inuyasha, stay out of this," Kagome informed him in a really bad mood.
"Kagome, when are you going to realize Rin is not ready to settle down? Geez, remember you were well past the age when we got married. Let Rin decide who she wants to be with. She has the right to make her own decisions."
Kagome was becoming furious with her husband. But she couldn't use her incantations on Inuyasha while he held their newborn son Takumi.
"I suggest you leave on your horse now and stay away from the village and Rin."
"Fine. The girl is too ugly for me anyway," he shouted. With that said the suitor Yumiko left, heading back in the direction he came in.
"Inuyasha, why do you always have to butt in when a new suitor comes for Rin?" Kagome demanded as she took their son from his arms.
"Because none of these men show the amount of respect Rin wants. She doesn't want to be used to just bare children. Rin doesn't want to get married right now. Give her time. When the right man comes around let them get to know each other, instead of forcing her to be with someone. Kagome just let Rin make her own choices. Remember, I waited three years for you to come back to me."
"Inuyasha, yes I do remember. But Rin needs to stop acting like a damn child."
"She isn't acting like a damn child. For god sakes Kagome, let the girl have some space. You've been breathing down her back since Rin hit the age of fifteen. Did girls at Rin's age get married back in your time?"
"No, they were going to school to learn."
"That's why she's not ready to settle down. Rin probably wants to learn some more things. Hell she probably doesn't want to be married and have children."
"It's still not healthy for her to wait this long. She needs somebody who can take care of her. Rin can't live alone and take care of herself."
"You...you don't think I can take care of myself Kagome?" Rin asked as hard tears streamed down her cheeks. Kagome and Inuyasha were both staring at Rin when they heard her open the curtain. "Did you know that I lived on my own for three years? When I lost my family ten years ago, I had to fend for myself. I had to travel outside of my old village just to find food. I stole fish late at night from the ravines in my old village so I could eat. I suffered abuse when I was five to eight years old. The male villagers would beat the crap out of me for stealing. They would hit me and kick me on a daily basis. I've been through so much that you probably won't understand. I'm capable of taking care of myself without a man by my side. I'm even capable of traveling on my own. So don't say such things like, I need a man to help take care of me. I'd rather be on my own and live the way I want to live."
"Well you can't travel on your own. There are bandits out there who would capture you, sell you, or even...The point is Rin.."
Rin already knew she was going to put her foot down. She got up close into Kagome's space. "The point is you don't want me to be happy do you Kagome? You want to see me get married off to some stranger I don't even know. That suitor," pointing in the direction he left in. "He could have been a serial killer. Hell, he could have been someone who could sell me to a geisha house. That man could be multiple things that might cause harm to me. I will not stand around and be treated like a fucking prostitute..."
Without notice Kagome swung her hand across Rin's face knocking her to the muddy ground. The sound of slap echoed almost throughout the whole village.
"Ka...Kagome what the hell did you do?" Inuyasha shouted. He was beyond shocked at what just occurred.
"Inuyasha SIT!" His face planted the muddy ground. "Rin...don't use such language. It's improper for someone like you to say that word."
Getting to her feet Rin ran down the muddy path once again to get away from everyone. The last time she got hit was at eight years old, before everyone was killed by Koga's wolves. Inuyasha called for her to come back, but she ignored him. The pain from Kagome's slap could still be felt upon her face. Rin couldn't even place her fingers against her face without wincing from the touch. "Why does Kagome have to be like this? Why can't she understand how I feel?" Rin thought as she continued running away from the village.
She arrived back at her sanctuary from the night before. She fell to her knees again right in front of the hot springs. The stinging pain along her face hadn't gone away yet. She looked at her reflection along the current of the water. A red hand print remained on one side, and mud on the other side. Not caring to check her surroundings, Rin removed all of her clothes and stepped back into the water. Soaking in the hot springs, her stomach growled. She hadn't had anything to eat since yesterday morning. Her mind was too scattered with everything that had been occurring. If anything she would find some edible mushrooms in the forest.
Rin looked at her reflection again. She washed the mud off her skin and hair. Seeing herself in the water made her feel like the suitors' words were true. "That man was right, I am ugly," her tears kept coming and going. "Who would want someone like me? There's nothing special about me. I'm nothing but an orphan. I think it would be best if I leave tonight. I will live the rest of my life out in the woods. Hidden away from everyone I've known."
Looking up towards the dark cloudy sky, Rin knew tonight would be the night to leave. The rain would wash away her scent so that Inuyasha wouldn't be able to find her. He was the only one in the village she would miss the most. She would miss Sango and Miroku too if they hadn't left the village to travel and visit Kohaku's family. Sango was the only other female who understood Rin's feelings. "I wonder how Sango would have reacted if she saw Kagome hitting me?" She knew Sango would be very upset.
Several hours after spending some quiet time alone to herself, Rin headed back to her hut. She would soon start packing to leave as everyone ate dinner with their families. Walking by the villagers' huts, she could hear laughter coming from each home. "Everyone here has someone to call family. Unlike me, I'm alone in this world. What I would give to see mama, papa, and my dear brothers once again." Walking inside her dark and empty hut, Rin took a seat on her hay bed. "Tonight I'll run away as far as I can. I'll start a new life and maybe, hopefully find someone who is meant to be in my life."
Pouring rain came down in sheets when Rin started packing a small bag. She was only packing what she needed most. An extra kimono, a white yukata, a few pairs of undergarments, and all her money she'd been saving up from working in the village. "I'm going to do whatever I can to save my money. I'm going to live off eating anything I can find in the wild." The more food she found in the woods, would save her money. Fishing would be easy for her. She would sleep in the woods too, instead of staying at another village for the night. The last thing she packed was a wooden bottle to drink water from.
Placing her bag near the door, Rin took a seat next to Kaede's bed. "I'm sorry granny Kaede. But I must leave and...start my own journey. I need to find my own place in this world. Maybe one day in the future when I find what I'm looking for I'll return. Watch over the village and keep everyone safe. You'll be in my thoughts always. I love you granny Kaede." Rin placed the flower Inuyasha gave her the night before along Kaede's pillow, after she kissed the delicate petal.
Rising to her feet, Rin put her cloak back on. She then slipped into the sandals she hated wearing and grabbed her bag. Looking back one last time to her empty home, she walked out into the pouring rain. She took the same path as before, not looking back. "I'll take this road for as long as my journey takes me." Rin was grateful that Inuyasha and Kagome's home was on the other end of the village. If it were on the end she was walking, they would stop her from leaving. She released the last shed of tears as she walked under the shade of the trees.
After nearly walking for three hours, she made herself camp far off from the path. She wanted to be out of sight in case anyone was walking by. After getting a fire going and taking a proper seat under a huge willow tree, Rin turned in for the night. When the sun would start to rise she would be back on the road.
Back in the village the rain had finally slowed down. Everyone in the village was sound asleep except for Inuyasha and Kagome. They'd been at it since Rin ran off after being smacked to the ground that afternoon. "Kagome, you really need to apologize to her. After what Rin said about being abused by villagers, you went and did what they did. She's probably going to be more emotionally scarred than ever."
"I owe no such apology. Rin needs to apologize for being disrespectful. That man was perfect for her," she informed, as she breastfed Takumi.
"I beg to differ. There was something off with him. I hate to tell you this but I have a feeling he would've easily harmed Rin."
"I'm a Miko and I didn't pick up any bad vibes off of him. So what makes you think that?"
"Well, I picked up the presence of not just a human on him, but a demon as well," Inuyasha announced from the other side of the room.
"Okay, Captain Yumiko did say he's a high ranking archer. So he must hunt other types of demons. He may have killed some just before he came to the village."
"I would have smelled it even before he got to the village," he addressed as he got to his feet. "I'm going to check on Rin."
"Whatever, I'm going to finish nursing Takumi and then I'm going to bed."
Inuyasha didn't say anything else. He leapt through the village till he reached the hut near the shrine. The rain had picked up again when he walked inside. "Hey Rin, I came to check..." Inuyasha examined the room and saw that she wasn't inside the hut. Darting back out, Inuyasha ran for the sanctuary she was at the night before. "Please be there Rin." He arrived in a matter of minutes. Panic was now running through him. He realized she wasn't there and neither was her scent. For how much it rained today, it washed any traces of her scent away. "God dammit Rin, where are you?"
Inuyasha would search for over an hour without any luck finding Rin. "Dammit, dammit. Kagome, why did you have to open your mouth and say such words to her? Why did you have to hit her?" He shouted so loudly. He was on his knees punching the ground. By now he was soaked to the bone, but continued his search for Rin with no luck. "It's so damn cold out. She's seriously going to catch her death out here." Inuyasha continued his search until the sun was almost out. "Rin, where are you?...Come on Rin please answer me?"
Inuyasha returned back to the village hoping Rin was back inside the hut. Running inside he saw that she still wasn't there. He sat on the ground so upset. "I failed to protect Rin. I failed a promise to make sure she stays safe. Now she's run off." Lifting his head as he looked around the small room, he saw the magnolia flower on Kaede's pillow. He went to take a seat by her empty bed. "Kaede, please protect Rin and watch over her."
Inuyasha took his time getting back to his home. He took notice the villagers were all waking up and heading to work in the fields. He could hear his newborn son waking up just as he reached his home. Walking inside Kagome was picking him up out of the basket. "Are you just coming back home? Did you stay out all night talking to Rin?" Kagome's words were harsh.
He took a seat next to her. "Rin's not home. I looked for her all night and she's nowhere in sight. Your words caused her so much sadness she ran away."
The news didn't affect her. "Are you sure Rin ran away? She could just be hiding somewhere nearby."
"Kagome, she's nowhere even near the village. I looked everywhere she tends to go. Rin wasn't in any of those places. Her scent was washed away with the storm last night."
"She'll come back. She can't live out there on her own for so long." Inuyasha was a bit upset that Kagome would say such things. "She'll come crawling back and begging she's sorry for the way she acted."
"What if Rin doesn't come back, Kagome? She may never come back. If Miroku and Sango come back to visit, I'm going to have them help me look for her."
"She'll come back on her own, Inuyasha, and they won't be back for a long time. Plus, Sango's due to give birth soon."
"Dammit," Inuyasha shouted again.
Rin was up before the sun started to rise. She headed for the river to fill her bottle up. She took a quick swift and then placed it back into her bag. Then she headed back for the same path again. "I will travel this road till the sun fully sets tonight. As I journey I need to keep my guard up. Everyone is a stranger and I can't trust anyone." Once back on the road, she headed west. "Maybe I'll find what I'm looking for near the sea. This journey will take a week of traveling. But I have faith I'll find what I'm looking for in life." She kept her head held high, not looking back.
Thank you to my amazing beta reader Elohiniar. Thank you for helping me fix up my stories. You're amazing.
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