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

Rin Through the Ages

Italics- means thought or flashbacks

Chapter Five

Age 20 continued

"You'll be here tomorrow right?" His voice sounded so genuine and endearing. "I don't know. Why don't you come here tomorrow and maybe you'll find me." She smiled at him. "Stay here with me. I don't want you to leave me." Makoto's voice was very gentle.

They were lying on the grass.

"I love you." Rin whispered back. Never in her life had she felt it this deeply. Never in her life did she understand it till now.

"I love you." Makoto gripped her tighter. "Stay here with me forever. Right here."

She woke up from her wonderful dream. But it seemed too real to be a dream. Rin reluctantly opened her eyes. Makoto was staring at Rin with his blind dull eyes once again. This time Rin just smiled at him. So that night wasn't a dream. It was a moment in time that she would never forget. It was a beautiful piece in time shared between two people that loved each other.

"Good morning Makoto." She sat up and smiled at him.

"It's not morning any longer, Rin." He could feel her smile on him. Makoto was surprised that Rin was not acting shy or blushing. After a night of passion many women tended to shy away from their lover and blush meekly, but not Rin. Perhaps it was because they shared something beyond physical, but something deep within each other's hearts.

He kneeled beside her. "Here I brought you some food." It was a fish and some wild mushrooms. "When did you get these?" She took them from him and started to eat. The girl was still surprised that he was truly blind.

"What are you thinking about?" He reached for her hand and she took it.

"Are you really blind?"

Makoto slowly withdrew his hand away from the girl's. They remained silent for a moment longer. "I am truly blind. I've thought about killing myself many times, but I am too much of a coward to do it."

Rin hugged him deeply. "I'm sorry I brought up such bad memories. I don't think you're a coward. You're very strong and brave like Sessho-nevermind." She caught herself almost saying her master's name. Rin had promised herself that she would only think of her lover and only him. They stayed together in each other's arms.

"I wish I could stay like this forever." They both said it at the same time. They both laughed together. It was already mid-day and hardly anything seemed to happen. Rin watched the clouds and described what she saw to him.

"Makoto since you were poisoned don't you think there is an antidote to make you see again?" She sounded so sweet and innocent, but Makoto rolled to his side to avoid Rin's gaze.

"I have heard of a magical bloomless flower that grows in the Demon Mountain. It is said that it can cure any blindness including the kind that people are born with. But there are a lot of demons that live there. Even if I could see I don't think I could ever reach the top unharmed." He heard Rin shuffling to get up.

"I'll get it for you."

The girl didn't know what she was feeling towards him. The only explanation for this feeling deep within her chest was that it was love. This was the type of love that she had seen and felt once or twice in her life. This was a different type of love that she had towards her master. Sure, she loved her Sesshoumaru, but she loved Makoto in a different way. Riding on her trusty friend, Ah-Uh, she smiled when she remembered his beautiful face.

Some might have thought that Makoto was deformed in his face because his eyes could not see. But she knew that he could see into people's hearts and that's what really mattered.

She found the plant with relative ease. A few hours probably passed she was sure that he would be worried about her.

Love was something indescribable. This feeling that she had in her chest was not something that she could express with words. She had become his wife in actions, but not in words. She didn't need a promise to be loved. She knew in her heart that he would be there for her. With status or not she held love in a high place and she held Makoto in a high place. However she held her master in a higher place. He was practically a god and he was just as strong as one.

Makoto felt feet hitting the ground rapidly. It was the only woman that he ever loved truly running towards him. He didn't know, but he knew that she was the one. He wanted to be with her forever. The blind man didn't care about status when he was with her. This was a definite change in him in only a few days that he had known her.

Never in his life had he met someone that quite understood him. Never in his life had he met someone so kind and so selfless. She had given in to him completely without asking questions which made him feel guilty. That night that they spent together she might have become pregnant and then what would happen? He could have easily left her, but no she trusted him with all her heart and he could tell.

"Here." She placed the magical plant in his hands.

He ate it would out any thought. "Is it working Makoto?" She sounded shy. It was only natural to feel that way after that passionate night. "You don't have to be that way." He touched her hands and she blushed.

Makoto blinked a few times and saw blurry dark images come into focus. It was a dark night, but the stars seemed to be in the couples favour. He was able to see Rin with relative ease. His eyes had returned to normal with the magical plant that she presented to him.

The beautiful woman before was the one that he loved most. In only a few days she had managed to change a cold hearted murder's heart into someone that he himself didn't know. He was grateful to the girl for everything that she did for him. The debt he incurred would be for life. There and then when he looked into her warms eyes he knew that he would try to spend the rest of his life trying to repay her for everything she did. She did more than return his eyesight. She had given him a real reason to live and fight.

All these years he had battled the question of what he was living for and what was he fighting for. He finally got his answer after many years of hardships. He had been waiting for someone as wonderful as Rin to come to him. She was with him and he would never let her go. Never would she be away from his side. He would make her happy at all cost. He would never make her cry. To see her cry would be like physical pain to him.

The weeks seemed to pass by with ease. Rin didn't say a word about her past. She had helped him settle in a nearby village and she was happy to live with him in peace. But of course the inevitable question would come up. The whole village had assumed that the couple was married. Why else would they be living in the same house.

Rin was truly happy. She hadn't felt this way in a long time. Never did she imagine that this is what it felt like to be a normal woman. If she stayed with Makoto longer she knew that she would be with children. But she felt something missing from her life. There was something out of place and it nagged at her all day and night. There were nights when she was lying by his side that she couldn't sleep because she kept thinking about the thing that was not complete.

It was her master. Somehow she felt him with her at all times. Ah-Uh had disappeared one day and she knew that Sesshoumaru must have left her. But in her heart she knew that he was nearby. Her master was always by her side and she had vowed when she was younger that she would be by his side as well.

Sesshoumaru was indeed watching the happy couple live in domestic bliss. The man proved to be stronger than the average human. The man that she had chosen was capable and always tried to make the young Rin happy. Maybe it was time that the great demon let the girl live her own life. In his heart he knew that the day to let the girl live her life would come. But somehow he just thought that she would always stay by his side like he had stayed by her side. Rin was happy. She seemed to be truly happy and that's all he ever wanted for the girl.

The girl was no longer a girl she was now a woman in love with a man. They laid together in the same futon as man and wife almost every night. Sesshoumaru couldn't help, but feel slightly sad that she was indeed an adult. He was sad that she couldn't stay a child forever. Maybe that childish innocence would be gone forever. But she was happy and that's all that ever mattered.

"Rin I have to ask you something."

Rin could feel where this way going and she didn't like it one bit.

"Why haven't you promised me?"

The promise was about being man and wife forever. She had never made such a promise. She was taught better to only make promises that she was able to keep. This promise she felt she could not honour. He told her almost daily that he loved her and he wanted to stay by her side forever.

It was finally time to get the worst conversation of both their lives out of the way. He was the first to speak.

"I'd do anything for you. You'd never have to feel sad. You would win every fight." Makoto was walking closer to her. A gentle hand touched her small shoulder. "I'd make sure you'd never regret staying here with me."

He whispered to her. "Stay." Rin just looked straight ahead saying nothing. "You want me to be happy?" She asked very unsure of her words.

"Yes, I want you to be happy always." He sounded so happy. Maybe she could stay with him forever. "You'll always be happy with me, I promise."

"Then let me go."

"What?"

"I said if you wanted me to be happy you'd let me go. I can't leave here unless you let me." She answered in such a strange way. Then again Rin was always a strange woman.

He turned away from her. "I'm not making you stay. You can leave anytime you want." His back slouched slightly. He felt defeated. There was no way that he could defeat a great demon lord of Sesshoumaru's stature. Just when he was about to leave the hut he felt a warm head against his back.

"Rin?"

"I can't leave here knowing you're unhappy about me. I care about you too much for you to feel sad." Rin touched his back with her palm. "You're important to me and I care about you."

The man turned around and brought Rin in his arms. "I don't want to let you go." He whispered into her ear. "You're the only one I ever want." His words were becoming desperate. His voice was breaking up. "Even if I say these words to you, you've already decided haven't you? You've always been stubborn that way." He let her go.

It was cold not being in his arms, she also felt very empty. Rin remained silent. "Rin do what your heart desires. All I want is your happiness. Even if I'm not the person to make you happy." The man had small tears in his eyes. He touched her cheek gently. "Be happy." He left the hut.

She watched his retreating back and stood there staring at the spot that he left. In all her life this had never happened to her. There was that time when the samurai fell in love with her, but that was completely one-sided. This was what it was like to fall in love. Love, this was it, in all its pain and glory. Her heart felt a little heavy and had a little trouble breathing. Was this the right decision, she asked herself.

The young woman got out of the tiny suffocating hut and ran to the edge of the cliff that was overlooking the sea. She looked far into the sea. There was one thing that she could do. Only one thing.

"SESSHOUMARU-SAMA!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

"SESSHOUMARU-SAMA!" She shouted again, trying to be louder than the last time. Rin called one more time. This time a white light appeared behind her. It was him, her master.

"Rin."

She turned around seeing the most important person to her. "Sesshoumaru-sama! You came for me." It was a happy sadness. Giving up the love of her life and returning to the one she loved most. She ran up to him like she did so many times in the past. "I'm ready to go now." Although she said that with her usual cheerfulness she had tears in her eyes. He saw this, but knew better than to say anything.

"Do what you like." Sesshoumaru had said that many times to her. Each time she did do what she liked. Each time he said that to her she would say, "Hai." Everything would turn back to normal. The great demon turned around and started to walk the other way. She followed quickly. Tears slipped out of her eyes, but she wasn't quick to wipe them.

Sesshoumaru knew she was crying. He saw her tears from the side of his eye. But somehow he knew that this is what she wanted. Rin just smiled for him like she always did.

TBC

AN: Please leave a review if you feel the need to. Anything is appreciated. Thank you for reading and I hope I'll have the conclusion ready very soon.

Meryl Lee