I do not own any of the characters in this story. Owned and created by Rumiko Takahashi

Chapter 1

In the middle of a field, just past the thick forest, a gracefully beautiful woman sat peacefully alone humming a melody to herself. Her hair, the color of the night sky, shined as marvelous as the stars. Skin like porcelain, beautifully intricate with no blemishing caused from working in the sun light. Her lithe body was draped in a simple pink kimono that dressed with a dark green obi, which showcased every single one of her womanly curves, and a simple brown apron tied around her waist to keep her silk clothing protected from normal daily work.

Her time was usually occupied with the daily chores of picking many different medicinal plants that grew in this particular field and patches near the stream that flowed through the forest. Living with the village High Priestess came with a lot of caretaking of the villagers, so picking these different plants was very necessary.

After she believed the basket to be filled with an adequate amount of medicinal plants, she was satisfied with her work. Therefore, she decided to lean against a large and inviting tree that was nearby. Picking herbs can become very tiring, so she chose to rest a while before heading back to the village.

"Today is such a beautiful day. I just have a good feeling about it."

She spoke out loud to herself as her eyes closed, and began to drift off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~

"Lord Sesshomaru! Thank you so much for my new kimono! I really believe it is the most beautiful one I've ever seen!"

The dog demon prince stared at his young ward as she admired her new gift. He knew Rin was a very grateful child, and to see the level of happiness that she expressed, he knew that it was all worth the effort to gift her such a beautiful kimono.

He stared at her face, the way her cheeks lit up as she admired the color, the way her hair bounced back and forth when she moved. He began to notice a change in her body and how she was not a small child anymore; even her scent had changed a bit.

Rin had just turned 13 the previous Fall, and he felt the need to gift her something. He pondered about how she would grow even more very soon as she was reaching human adulthood. He wasn't one to observe nor care about the aging process of humans, but he did understand that they aged and died extremely fast in comparison to a demon, such as himself.

Rin wasn't just any human, she was Sesshomaru's whole world. Even though he willingly placed her in the care of the Priestess to raise her until she reached the proper age of adulthood, he couldn't help but feel a duty to make sure she was properly clothed. Expensive silk kimonos was what he believed she deserved and that is only what she wore. On his travels of the land, he would occasionally bring a new gift for Rin, but every year around the season of her birth, she would receive a new kimono. Each one, more beautiful than the last one, and as she grew closer to being a woman, the kimonos became more and more extravagant.

There is something different about Rin.

He thought.

She has become quite beautiful over the years…

He stopped himself in the middle of his thought.

He realized he felt an attraction towards Rin.

That bothered him.

He decided to push that thought in the back of his mind for now and spend the rest of the afternoon with her. They watched the flowers sway back and forth with the wind, almost as if the plants were dancing with the invisible force. She spoke about her studies and learning the differences between poisonous plants and healthy plants, and how to make medicines with the correct ones. Her experiences learning to help birth the newborn children that are born in the village. She also spoke about missing her Lord Sesshomaru and memories of traveling with him. Her cheeks blushed and she looked to her folded hands to avoid eye contact out of shyness.

"Rin."

"Yes, my Lord."

"It is time for me to take my leave."

Brown eyes grew wide with her head whipping back up to make direct eye contact with golden ones.

"Oh.. Y.. Yes, of course, My Lord."

With that said, the dog prince stands to his feet and looks off towards the sun setting in the distance.

"I won't be returning for quite some time. I plan to travel to new lands I yet to have seen..."

~~~~~~~~~~~

A loud crack from the sky woke the young woman from her peaceful slumber with a shocking jolt. Her heart could be heard pounding against her chest and breathing was slightly jagged.

I dreamt about him again..

The first drop fell onto her face, and she knew it was time for her to hurry herself back to the hut that she shared with the high priestess. Leaning forward so she was propped up on her knees, she extended her arm to collect her basket that was full of the medicinal plants she picked a short time ago.

"I hope I get home before it really comes down hard."

With fast footing but never losing her grace, the woman sprints through the dense forest till she reached her shared hut. The rain luckily wasn't coming down terribly hard, but she was grateful to make it home before catching sickness.

"Lady Kaede, I've returned."

Rin spoke as she walked past the door mat and noticed a pot of soup being cooked by her caretaker. She looked around but noticed she was alone. Checking in both rooms of the hut, she couldn't find the old woman anywhere.

"Lady Kaede? Hmm. She must have stepped out for a moment. I hope everything is alright."

With that said, Rin began to put away the herbs she picked earlier in the day and then went to check on the soup. The aroma always made her feel warm inside and comfortable with her life living as the priestess' apprentice.

Though she was happy in the village, a piece of her felt missing. She felt alone and at times wished for love and companionship. Most of the village men were attracted to her but none of them even dared to attempt to court her. She understood why. When she was younger she had a crush or two on a few of the village boys, including Kohaku at one point. Every time she thought that one of them might want to hold her hand, they would always say they had to leave. As she reached the age to become married and have children, she understood why they avoided her.

In a small village with little money and being raised by a single priestess, it was assumed that Rin was already being courted by someone of royal status. With all of the different kimonos she has worn through the years, she is taken care of by someone other than the old priestess. Therefore none of the single village men would ever approach her believing they could not afford such expensive items to win her affections.

After reaching the age of twenty, she had already given up on the idea of becoming someone's wife or mother. She spent her days working on perfecting recipes for different medicines, and teaching the village children how to read and write. She was fortunate that Lady Kaede began to teach her when she was a small child. The Priestess explained that it was wise to always want to learn new things, and Rin listened to everything that was taught to her.

At night, when all things have stirred down and sleep took over the small village, Rin would hike to a peak just past where the shrine of the priestess Kikyo stood. She has done this ritual of hers every week since she came to live with Lady Kaede. She was able to reach a very remote peak that was hidden by thick vegetation, she would sit against the trees and stare at the moon for hours.