[A/N: Wow! I actually got response! I was thinking that you'd think I'm a terrible person for killing Sesshomaru! In other news: I've only just heard! Those bastards Siegfried & Roy finally got what was coming to 'em! Nice kitty, kitty, kitty…AHHHHH!!!!! Sorry…I just get a little out of control sometimes. Thanks for reviewing, and please remember to…well, read and review!]
A now much older Rin rode through a forest on the two-headed monster, Aa and Um. Sixteen years had passed since that fateful day in the woods where Sesshomaru had died. She patted the demon on the shoulder to hurry them along, since she wasn't too far away from the next village. She leaned back and sighed. No doubt she was still very happy. The sun was warm, the grass was green, and all was right in the world. She had heard word that Sesshomaru's half-brother and their companions had finally completed the Sacred Jewel and defeated the one called Naraku, but she could really care less.
She inhaled the sweet scent of the forest signaled for her demonic steed to stop. She quickly hopped of and wandered over to some tall grasses, where she picked a large amount in each handful. She gave each of the heads a handful, and they gladly accepted the young woman's gesture. She patted each of their reptilian heads a little and sat under the shade of a large Japanese maple tree. She watched as a few of its red leaves fell and danced gracefully in the gentle breeze. She sighed and leaned her head back against the tree, and slowly closed her eyes.
She awakened what seemed like only minutes later, but actually hours had passed, and night had fallen. She slowly stood up and walked over to Aa and Um, who had wandered away, but not too far. She patted them on their heads once more and sighed. She looked up at the billions and billions of stars in the sky, and watched as a comet shot across the sky. She then did something that she hadn't done in a long time, probably before her family was killed: she made a wish.
She closed her eyes, and with all her might asked the heavens one question. "Please, please bring my Sesshomaru-sama back to me," she pleaded. A few silvery tears ran down her cheeks as she opened her eyes once more. She slowly got on Aa and Um's back and shook her head. "Why am I being so childish?" she thought, angry with herself. She patted their side and they began to walk forward once more. "I'm being too greedy," she thought, "Although only for a short time together, it was more than some others get with each other. I should be grateful, not resentful." She sighed a bit and rolled her shoulders. "Falling asleep there was not a good idea," she muttered, rubbing her right shoulder.
Rin, now completely down in the dumps, began to hum a lullaby that her mother had sang her, and then after a while, Sesshomaru caught on and calmed her with it once or twice. She started to whistle it, and did so for a few moments until she heard something. She stopped whistling and looked around.
She could see nothing around her, but when she listened closely, she realized that it was someone playing a flute of some kind. When she listened even closer, she realized that it was her lullaby. She quickly stopped Aa and Um and listened for a moment. "Who could that be?" she asked quizzically. She slowly hopped off her steed and walked towards the woods, where the music was coming from.
She stopped and hid behind a tree for a moment, her hand tightly gripping the hilt of Tokijin, which was secured in her belt. When she wielded it, it never had the same power as it did when Sesshomaru would use it, but it was still a good weapon that she had grown to trust.
She slowed her breathing and listened to the song that pierced through the silence. When whoever played the usually cheery melody, it sounded so strange, almost like a burial precession, but then again, it wasn't that mournful. She moved from her spot behind the tree and walked closer, following the music. She took a few silent steps forward, still listening to the song. "Who could know my song?" she thought aloud. She walked a few more steps until she came across a small clearing in the woods, with a large tree in the center with gnarled branches. But that was not the focal point of the clearing.
In the tree, in one of the uppermost branches, sat a young man with short, silvery hair. He was the source of the music. He was the one who played Rin's song so well that it was as if she had taught it to him. Rin took another step closer, but she unknowingly stepped on a small branch, snapping it in two.
The young man immediately stopped playing his mournful song and looked around, his golden eyes radiating in the light of the full moon. "Who's there?" he asked in his deep, but almost childlike voice. Rin took a few steps backwards, hoping to make her way back to Aa and Um. The man stood up on the tree branch and slipped the small wooden flute that he had been playing upon into a pocket. He looked around, until his eyes found their way to the ground, where they discovered Rin.
"And who might you be, woman?" he asked, sounding slightly angry. Rin took another few steps back, heading for the path. "I'm sorry to bother you…I'll leave you…be," she said, completely transfixed by his eyes. He leapt from the tree and landed right in front of her. "Oh, no you don't, wench. No one interrupts Nanashi and gets away with it that easily," he said, almost growling.
Rin took a few steps back, and accidentally backed into a tree. The young man looked down at her as she trembled. "What? Are you afraid of me?" he asked sarcastically. "Stay back!" Rin warned. He looked at her and laughed a bit. "What are you gonna do, scream?" he asked, once again his voice dripping with sarcasm. "No," she said, drawing Tokijin, "I'm going to fight you!"
"Oh, really?" he asked. Rin gripped her sword tightly. "Do I need to paint a picture?" she asked in reply. "You're quite feisty, wench. But that alone won't help you much!" Rin lunged forward with the sword and he quickly dodged her attack. "His speed…" she thought in amazement, "He's so fast! It's incredible!" She stopped and turned to him. "What are you?" she asked quizzically. "I'm a demon," he replied simply, "And you're unconscious!" Rin looked at him strangely as he ran towards her, his elbow raised. He hit her in the back of the neck with his elbow, knocking the wind out of her. She fell to her knees and then flat down on her chest, and she was out cold.