[A/N: Hi! Feels like its been forever! I know, I know. You might think my excuse sucks, but I chewed Orbit gum. I know you're asking, 'What the hell is she talking about?' but it gives you writer's block. Anyway, enjoy the chapter. I don't have much else to say, so dig in!]
Rin wistfully walked through the woods towards a local hot spring. She relished in the feeling of the warmth of Nanashi's lips upon hers. She stopped abruptly, and sighed. "Why am I doing this to myself?" she thought angrily, "I'll only lose him, or worse…" She leaned against a tree, and slowly slid to the ground, where she sat in silence for a moment, a moment that ended when she heard Nanashi calling out her name.
She looked to where she believed it was coming from, and saw him maneuvering around tree branches to get to her. "Rin!" he called. He stopped in front of her, and then, slowly sat down. "I'm fine, Nanashi. I was just going to bathe," she said, smiling slightly. He placed his hands on hers and spoke. "Rin, do you remember when you said that I reminded you of your old master?" he asked, an urgency she had never heard in his tone. Rin nodded slightly, not completely sure about what he was talking about.
"I think I finally understand now," he said. Rin looked at him oddly and put a hand on his forehead. "Nanashi, are you feeling alright?" she asked. Nanashi gently moved her hand away. "Rin…I know this might be hard…but I'm gonna need you to describe this guy…be specific. You know, every detail," he said. Rin looked slightly hurt, but the expression soon wavered. She faced forward, but her eyes were looking downward. "Nanashi, why are you talking to me about this?" she asked blandly. Nanashi grabbed tightly onto both of her hands. He gave her a piercing look, and she gave in.
"Fine!" she cried, "Fine…fine." A single, pearly tear ran down her cheek. Nanashi put his hand on her shoulder and rested it their gently. She slowly shifted into his arms and looked up at him. "Gods, it's been so long. His face, well, was identical to yours, just paler, and he had two scars here and here," she said, running here finger down the appropriate place, "And he had a purple crescent mark right here. His hair was the same color as yours, just longer. Really longer. And where that scar was…well, you know…"
"That's what I thought," Nanashi said softly. Rin lightly punched him on the shoulder. "Nanashi, what are you talking about?" Rin asked curiously, "What's the point of all this?" "Rin, I've seen you before," Nanashi said simply. Rin looked at him as though he'd fallen from a tree. "Of course you have, Nanashi," she said. "No, I mean before we met," he said, now looking down at the ground.
Rin gaped at him. "I'm sure that we've never met before Nanashi. I'm even more sure that we've never seen each other," she said. Nanashi shook his head. "It's more complicated than that. I've only seen you in my dreams, Rin. When you were a child. It's like…something's telling me to go out and find this girl and…and protect her. It's just this deep feeling…it's really hard to explain, but…"
"You think you're Sesshomaru's…re…reincarnation?" she stuttered, sounding completely dumbfounded. Nanashi was silent for a moment, his eyes seemingly searching for words that weren't too blunt. After a few moments, he simply shrugged his shoulders. "That's what I thought when I first saw you. When things started to add up, I was sure of it. I was hoping that you'd come to the same conclusion so I wouldn't feel like some kind of loon," Rin said, nearly sounding timid.
Nanashi smiled a bit. "I wouldn't think you were crazy if you ran outside right now and said a big purple lizard would be good entertainment for kids," he said playfully. She grabbed his hand and playfully kissed it. "Then would you think I was crazy if I told you that I wanted you more than anything?" she asked, almost panting. He pulled her into a deep, romantic kiss, even deeper than the ones they had shared the night before. He then slipped a shoulder of her kimono off and they parted from their kiss. "Is that a good enough answer?" he asked. Rin giggled a little, and they quickly tumbled to the forest floor. Only the sounds of Rin's giggling and their kisses filled the air until Nanashi threw his head up, looked around, and emitted a low, angry growl.
"Nanashi…what's wrong?" she asked. He snarled a bit. "It's him again. He's finally come for me," he growled. "Nanashi…? Who are you talking about?" she asked again. He looked down, a sinister look on his face. "My father."