(A/N- Thank you for all the encouragement to keep writing this! The feedback really does make it all that much rewarding. My apologies for taking a hiatus. I hope to post more frequently in the weeks to come until this is completed.)

Chapter 7-

Near the river's edge, Rin knelt down with her basket of laundry. She pulled back her sleeves and began soaking clothes then ringing them out. It was still early morning, providing cooler temperatures as she worked. Whenever she got too heated, all she had to do was reach down and splash the water on her face. It smelt nice and refreshing, just like the soil of the riverbed, earthy and natural.

The chores she performed felt hollow and empty but needed to get done. She was still very much working through the grieving process, and was now caught in the crossroad of finding purpose in life again. How could she be a mother from afar until she could meet up with her children again? Just then she saw Sesshomaru's reflection in the water, standing behind her. Pausing for a moment, she took a break from her work and stood up to properly acknowledge his presence.

Although she appeared well, he still asked, "Rin, is there any support you need right now?" He tilted his head slightly with his stoic expression.

Rin smiled gently, "I assumed you're not referring to the laundry!"

"That would be something more fitting for Jaken to assist you with," he replied. Although he wasn't smiling, his golden eyes appeared bright.

After the moment passed, Rin's face turned red and her eyes moved to his feet. "There is something I need."

He waited patiently, listening for her.

Knowing Sesshomaru wasn't quite familiar with emotions, she tried to describe how she felt in ways he could understand. "With Towa and Setsuna away from me, I have all this love pooling in my heart. It feels like its overflowing with nowhere to go." Rin turned back to the river, watching it flow downstream to a destination unknown. Before she could finish, she stepped away and waded out until she was ankle deep. She then bent down to gather the water into her cupped hands to bring back to him. Both of their reflections existed on the surface. "I am still determined to love my children, no matter the distance. I need to redirect my purpose in ways that honor them. Lord Sesshomaru, is there any support you need right now?" she asked, still holding out the water, raising it even.

After a moment of hesitation, he placed his hands beneath hers. When she let the water go, some of it spilled over his hands, while the rest pooled into center of his palms. He understood her metaphor, as she smiled gently. Sesshomaru released the remaining water from his hand slowly, then turned his back to her in one quick movement. "You wish to honor our daughters by pouring into me, is that it?" he asked.

She nodded.

After a long moment of contemplation, he turned back to her, staring her down intently. Rin had gained a fair bit of her weight back. Her body appeared clean and her hair was kempt. He had found her in the morning on a series of days now. However, her eyes still seemed dark. Rin inspected him just as well. He hadn't appeared to age one bit, in fact, his body hadn't changed at all since the first time they met. He had no need for food, perhaps even sleep. The only need he had, that she was aware of at this point, was to protect.

Without voicing the grand debate that was now transpiring in his mind, he started to make his leave. "Take care, Rin." The woman felt slight relief in knowing she had at least given him something to think about.


Back in the village, Kagome had now taken residency with Lady Kaede temporarily. Her pregnancy was moving along, and they had the safety of the village and assistance from other sources of support. Inuyasha stayed close but didn't really like being around the locals. "So, what do you think you'll name the baby?" Rin asked over their dinner. The three women were now gathered around the fire.

"If she's a girl, Moroha. If he's a boy, Shiba Inu," Kagome began to crack up into laugher. Neither Lady Kaede or Rin understood it. Kagome's face turned red instead. She shrugged in her bubbly, light-hearted fashion. "Speaking of Shiba Inu, I should probably take these scraps out to Inuyasha." She referred to him as if he were a pet.

Suddenly he stepped through the entrance with his hands rolled into fists, as if he had been listening the whole time. "Scraps? I've been busy keeping demons away from you and this is how I'm repaid?"

"You signed up for this responsibility!" Kagome sassed back. "Besides, I'm eating for two now!"

Lady Kaede tried to break up their bickering. "Children, we can always make more!"

While the confrontation continued, Rin stared into the fire, suddenly pondering about flames. She set her bowl aside and drew her arms around her knees. Fire doesn't lose anything when spreading its energy, but it had the potential to be destructive. Suddenly Kagome shouted, 'SIT BOY!', and the half-demon was down.


With a knot on his head, Inuyasha sat beside Kagome eating the left overs. They were watching stars in the night sky, propped against the back of Kaede's hut. There seemed to be so many starts without the pollution of modern day lighting. When he was finished he set the bowl and chopsticks aside to wipe his mouth with the sleeve of his clothing. Kagome then reached for his hand and put it against her belly. He felt the movement within.

"It feels like the little quarter-demon's rolling around in there," he commented.

"They're going to tucker out soon though with a meal that filling!" Kagome sounded hopeful. There were nights where she couldn't get sleep from all the constant moving and sometimes unrelenting hiccups. He removed his hand from her belly and put his arm around her instead.

"You know I would go without, so long as the two of you have what you need, right?" he asked on a more serious note.

"Your tone sure has changed a bit since earlier, hasn't it?" she barked back.

He turned his head, pressing his lips against hers, immediately disarming her. "Sometimes I just need to give you a hard time, that's all. You should know that by now."

Kagome brushed her hair back behind her left ear. "Yeah, you do have a weird way of showing you care about others."

He scoffed, "That kid better be prepared! I don't want them to get the idea that they can call all the shots just because they get to decide when they want to be born!"

"Good grief," Kagome put her palm against her forehead. "That isn't even how that works!"


The following morning, Rin returned to the river with a basket of dishes to be cleaned and rinsed. Amid her chore, she stopped, dropping the dish near the basket. As if in a daze, she began to walk along the riverbed downstream. She could feel the resistance of water against the back of her calves. Rocks and gravel could be felt beneath her feet. She continued on and on, from when she had started in the morning, to evening, into the night.

"Rin," Lord Sesshomaru's voice sounded behind her. "What are you searching for?"

Shivering, she removed herself from the water, coming up the bank to fall on her knees before him with her arms wrapped around herself. She proceeded to weep with all her soul. "I want to find the end of this river…" she sobbed.

"And what will that accomplish?" he tiled his head, truly curious.

Rin tried to think of ways to explain to him, but her emotions were so strong at the moment that rationalizing was difficult. "I have it in my mind that if I can find the end, then I can find our children someday!"

Sesshomaru gazed upon her, as if in awe, with his head still tilted. He then knelt down, placing his hands on her wet cheeks. "Rin. Rivers don't end. They flow into larger bodies of water." His eyes did not move from hers as he continued. "There is no need to search for them when we will all be guided back to the same destination."

Her eyes were so dark and he could see her visibly trembling from not eating today, especially when she stood up in the moonlight. She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him. Her warm tears clumped in her eye lashes. He placed one hand on the top of her head and the other around her shoulders.