Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not my property. I only write for entertainment purposes.

Rin Through the Ages

Italics- means thought or flashbacks

Chapter Four

Age 20 (in Japan age 20 is considered the age of adulthood)

Rin was lying on her stomach in a large field of daisies and other various flowers. Her legs were up and she was swinging them back and forth. The idea of wearing sandals was deserted. She was thinking about her favourite flower which was the daisy because it reminded her of Sesshoumaru. They two had left the girl with Ah-Uh, who was lying under the shade of a tree. Rin got up and started to look for the most beautiful flower in the field. She got up from various spots. When she couldn't find one she gave up and just fell back on the field of flowers. She closed her eyes for a moment.

When Rin woke up she heard someone calling her. Thinking it was either Sesshoumaru or Jaken she replied, "Can't I sleep for a few more minutes?"

"Excuse me?" It was not the voice of her master or his retainer. "Miss? What are you doing here?"

She finally opened her eyes fully and rubbed them slightly. "Eh? You aren't Sesshoumaru-sama or Jaken-sama." He was a young man with bandages around his eyes. It was obvious that he did not take care of himself very well due to the state his clothes were in. The man just smiled at the girl's comment.

"No I'm am only a poor man that has gone blind." He stated sadly.

"Oh that's so sad." She felt really sorry for him. "Is there anything I can do?"

The young man just smiled slightly. "It would be better if you were smiling." He held out his hand. She hesitantly took it. Rin smiled gently.

"Now that's better."

They sat there in silence. He was still holding Rin's hand. Rin could feel her face turning red and was happy that he could not see her.

"Describe the sun setting for me won't you?"

Rin hesitated for a moment. The blind man noticed immediately. "Out of all the things I can't see I miss the sun setting and sun rising the most."

The girl described the sun setting as best as she could. She always knew that she wasn't very elegant with words since she was never properly taught how to be polite. The blind man just smiled at Rin's description. After Rin's description, he had asked her what she was doing in the field. She told him that she was looking for the perfect flower. He just smiled at that. After their conversation there was a silence. They remained there sitting still. He had pulled his hand away but Rin was missing his touch. "Thank you." It was completely dark and the stars had begun to come out.

"You're welcome." She cheerily said.

"You've been very kind to me. Thank you again. Whoever you are." He started to get up from his spot.

"I'd ask you your name but I'm afraid you'd disappear if you told me." The blind man had his face pointing in her direction almost as if he could see at her.

"Why?" She had become curious. "I'll tell you."

"No. Don't tell me. I don't wan-"

"Rin." She cut him off. She was being rude she knew but she was very amused. "I didn't disappear now did I?" Rin grabbed his hand. "I'm right here."

"You are here." He brought up his hand and gently placed it on Rin's cheek. She felt her heart beating faster then usual.

"My name is Makoto." He let go of Rin and stepped back. "It was nice to meet you Rin." Makoto said her name with a gentleness that had not appeared in the blind man since his blindness came to him. "I better be going now. I hope I can see you again."

Rin watched him slowly turn around. A fluttering in her heart and an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. He turned around, Rin's stomach fluttered in butterflies as he appeared to be looking in her eyes.

"The perfect one is right next to your left foot. Just above the last toe." With that said he left on his way.

Rin watched him disappear into the distance not taking her eyes off of him for a moment. She hardly blinked fearing that she might miss something. Finally when he was gone out of her sight she looked down at her foot. There next to her left pinkie toe was the perfect flower. She bent down and gently tore it from the stem.

"I'll see you again for sure." She whispered to no one.

The next day Rin was having a drink of water by the stream. She saw her reflection in the water. Sometimes she would forget what she looked like. It had been while since she had last encountered another human being. The last time she was living in a real house was two years ago but it seemed longer than that. She felt bad for leaving Takeo, the samurai that was in love with her. But she knew that out there in the open field was where she belonged. Although, she had told herself that she would never forget the people she had met at Takeo's house she had forgotten them. It wasn't on purpose and Rin wasn't trying to be spiteful but she never really thought of them after she left.

Rin sat there sulking to herself because she thought she was a bad person for forgetting people. She also felt lonely, she wanted her master to come back. She thought of her master and she thought of the man Makoto that she had met yesterday. She didn't understand the feeling that she had in her stomach when he touched her. Never in her life had she felt this way. The feeling was new and very scary to her. All at the same time she didn't want Sesshoumaru to come back to her yet because she wanted to see Makoto again. If Sesshoumaru didn't come then she might see him again.

"In this quiet night, I'm waiting for you.

During this time, your smile has faded away.

Now that a little time has passed,

fond memories start to resurface."

It was a song that Rin had heard once from when she much younger. She hadn't heard the rest of the words so she had to sing the first verse all the time. It wasn't often that she sang songs.

"At the place where stars fall,

I'm always wishing for your laughter.

Even though we're apart now

We'll meet again right?"

Rin turned around at the familiar voice. It was Makoto. He had taken off his bandages. She could see his dull brown eyes staring at her. She fidgeted for a moment.

"I'm sorry I should have left my bandages on." He closed his eyes.

"No it's not that. It's just I was surprised you know that song." She walked closer to him. Each step making her stomach turn in excitement. "I've always wanted to hear the rest of the song. Will you teach me?"

Makoto surprisingly found his way to Rin's side. She was amazed and thought for a moment that maybe he wasn't really blind but his eyes were closed so he had to be blind. They sat there all day and he taught her the song. He sang it to her and she sang it back word for word. Whenever Rin stumbled on the words he gently and patiently corrected her. Soon Rin had committed the song to memory.

They sat side by side. He had reached out to touch her hands. Her hands were rough from all the times that she had to find her own food, but they were very fragile at the same time. They remained still.

Rin could feel her entire body getting hot. She had never felt this way about anyone. There were times when that samurai had tried to hold her hands but she never understood why. Now she was starting to understand why people held hands.

"Is the sun setting?" He asked her gently, his face towards the setting sun.

"Oh it is. I hadn't noticed. It's gotten so late already." She knew that she had to get back to the spot where she had left Ah-Uh. She began to get up, but he pulled her wrist gently.

"Stay." The gentleness in his voice only made Rin want to stay with him just a little longer. All thoughts of her master were gone from her head. All she could think about was this moment with this stranger.

"Ok."

It was like the day before when Rin had described the sun setting to the blind man. They hardly knew each other but somehow they had a strange connection. Rin wanted to ask how the man got blinded. Maybe he was born that way since he seemed to see the world in a different way. But he couldn't have been born blind because he had bandages on his eyes. Many crazy scenarios played through the girl's mind. Finally she had to ask.

"Makoto how did-"

"I get blind?" He finished the sentence for her. His eyes were still closed but his face was facing her own.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this. But I'm a wanted fugitive. I was poisoned and doomed to never see again. The irony is I live to see things. I was an assassin. I betrayed the clan that's why I'm like this now." He sounded very sad. "I guess it's better that I got blinded. These past three months of my life have been different. Never have I had to find my own food let alone be blind at the same time."

This time Rin was the one to reach and hold his hand and leaned on his shoulder slightly. Makoto gasped slightly.

"That's horrible."

"You don't care if I killed people? Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" He wanted to know why she wasn't afraid. Everyone he had come close to had been afraid of him. When he turned blind no one would take him in not even his family. From that day on he vowed that he would live through anything. If he were to ever gain back his sight he would never kill again he had vowed that to himself.

She brought up her hand to touch his cheek. "If you were going to kill me you would have done it already. I know you have a kind heart. What has happened in the past stays in the past." Rin gently leaned in closer and closer. He felt her breath on him.

They both leaned in closer and pressed lips against each other.

It was completely pitch black. The stars had refused to come out that night. The shining moon was a tiny line of a crescent. Sesshoumaru with his demon ability was still able to see perfectly fine and was able to smell anything suspicious in the air. It had been a horrible battle once again. It seemed that battles never seemed to stop and he didn't care too much about it. He was actually looking forward to seeing Rin and her smiling face.

The great demon saw Ah-Uh in the distance. He walked slowly. Rin would be sleeping right now and he wasn't expecting her to jump up and down for joy to see her master. Although Rin was considered an adult in the human world, she still acted like a child and never hid her joy when seeing her master.

He smelt something strange in the distance. It was the scent of another male. A male and Rin's scent together somehow were mixed together.

Sesshoumaru quickened his pace almost leaving Jaken behind.

"Wait Sesshoumaru-sama." He cried after him.

Something must have happened to the girl, he had a bad feeling with this scent in the air. Maybe a bandit had attacked the little girl and Ah-Uh was not there to save her. He felt his right hand twitching to take out the Toukijin. But there was no such need because Rin was sleeping peacefully on Ah-Uh. Sesshoumaru calmed down for a moment. It wasn't like him to lose his cool but he somehow had to worry for the girl. He didn't approve of it.

When the clouds cleared for a moment Sesshoumaru was able to see the girl in the faint moonlight. He stood there staring at the girl, half expecting to have the girl open her eyes at any moment. But she just kept on sleeping. No surprise after what she must have gone through.

He didn't think much of what she did. She was her own adult and she was allowed to do as she pleased. It was no concern of his. In fact he decided that he would leave this place for a little longer. Maybe she could find happiness with this strange man that she had chosen to be with.

"Jaken we're leaving." He turned away from the girl and hurried in the other direction. Jaken just looked at the girl and then at Sesshoumaru. "Hai." And Jaken was off with his master.

Rin stirred slightly in her sleep but just kept on sleeping.

TBC

AN: The song that Rin and Makoto are singing is called "In the Quiet Night" by Rie Tanaka. This song is an insert song from Gundam Seed. I thought I would use the English version because it's much easier to understand. You can find the lyrics on (animelyrics . com)

As usual please review, anything appreciated. Thank you and I hope I'll have the next chapter finished soon.

Meryl Lee