"You released my client?! Do you realize how many laws you have broken? You are defying the court and-"

"On the contrary, counselor. I did not release Mr. Taisho." He calmly interrupted Inumira's belligerent rant.

She folded her arms. "W-what?"

"He escaped. He went on some sort of...violent rampage. Take a gander at my school. There is blood everywhere. Quite a few lives were taken."

"If that's the case, why didn't you report this?"

"I did. Just not to you." Izen replied condescendingly as he stood. "Ah, agent Takahara. This is Inumira Tono. Counselor, agent Takahara and his team are working incessantly to find Sesshomaru." He explained, introducing the agent to Inumira.

"Rin is also missing. He took her after he attacked his family." She said, glaring at the suspicious agent. Was that even a real agent? Who knew.

"Oh, my. Perhaps he intends to escape with his lover."

"Well, there are agents investigating Kohaku's death as well. I'll make sure to give them your name Mr...Takahara." Inumira said coldly as she stomped out of the office.

Rin sat nervously in the back seat of the van. A strong smell of bleach assaulted her nose, making her nauseous. "Can you please open the windows? I can't breathe. The smell of bleach is bothering me."

Sesshomaru let out a grunt as he opened the windows slightly.

"T-thank you." His disposition disheartened her. For the rest of the quiet ride to an undisclosed destination, Rin stayed in her thoughts, trying to figure out what was really going on.

'Something does not seem right. Why am I being taken? Why was Kohaku killed?'

Rin's eyes widened when something dawned on her. 'I remember something from those files Miroku brought. The only way demon implantation experiments can be reversed is if the test subject is fully willing to separate. The only way Kohaku would have been willing was if I was involved. Izen must want that particular demonic energy for himself. It seems to me like he wants all demonic energy in the world. Kohaku and the Slayers were involved in so much bloodshed that only strengthened Kohaku's demon form. Killing Inukimi was no accident. There was no way the demon inside Kokaku could resist slaying another demon. Upon her death, her demonic energy was absorbed by the brooch...'

At that moment, she realized this ordeal was 10 feet deeper than she could swim. 'The brooch! He wants Sesshomaru to use it to strengthen his own demonic energy and then he's going to kill him and keep the brooch for himself! Sesshomaru is being used! Izen wants the world to think Sesshomaru a raving lunatic while he has him do all of his dirty work. That's why he got sent to the asylum, rather than prison, and it was so easy to release him after just 10 years. I feel like I've been used too...all along, he knew I was involved with Kohaku, and their rivalry seemed like it was connected to me, but all along it was something different.'

But...what now?

Would Sesshomaru hear her out?

Rin slowly took her phone out of her purse, constantly glancing up at Sesshomaru, hoping he would not notice. She did not want to get him in trouble, but he was unpredictable. She needed someone to know where she was.

She decided to text Miroku. Having government ties meant he could possibly find her.

As she was writing her text, the car stopped short and her phone flew out of her hand. Sesshomaru got out and opened her car door.

"Get out. This is where we will get food."

"O-okay." Rin was about to get out the car when

"Stop."

"What is it?"

"Empty the contents of your bag."

Was he serious? Rin didn't want to be subjected to his skepticism. Not again. "Sesshomaru! Listen to me-"

"Empty your bag. I don't want to hear your voice anymore."

Rin sighed sadly as she dumped her bag onto the seat. He rummaged through the small pile looking for anything potentially threatening.

"You can put everything back and get out of the car."

Rin shoved all of her belongings back into her bag. She couldn't stop thinking about the fact that her phone had to be left behind, but she couldn't let him see what she was up to.

Rin followed Sesshomaru into a small diner and the two sat at a table towards the back.

"This reminds me of a diner I took you to."

He glared at her before looking down at the menu. "Order whatever you would like."

"Um...any suggestions?"

"No. Just order."

Rin's eyes drooped in sadness. Her brightness and warmth forever shadowed by a cold eclipse.

"Hi, may I take your order?" A cheery waitress greeted.

"Rin, the woman would like your order."

"Um...I'm sorry. I've lost my appetite."

"Why don't I bring you some soup? Our cook makes the best chicken noodle." The waitress offered.

"That sounds nice." Rin said, returning her smile.

"What about you, sir?"

"Just water."

The waitress nodded. "I'll be back with your orders."

Rin stared out the window, cheek rested on her fist.

"We will leave as soon as you are done eating."

"Uh huh." Rin was reaching the point where she did not care what happened anymore. She put everything on the line for Sesshomaru-her job, her home, her entire life. Only to be repaid like this. It was absolutely heartbreaking.

Sesshomaru was confused by Rin. His orders were to apprehend her and take her to a safe house, but he was not informed that she was pregnant with his children. He found it difficult to believe he was in a relationship with this woman.

Maybe there were relevant things in his past life after all. He couldn't help but shake the empty feeling nagging at him. Maybe she was the one that could fill that void. He intended to get as many answers out of her as he could.

"Your stomach is quite small. I know half demon pregnancies do not last long but..."

"I'm almost three months." Rin informed.

Just a few months ago? What occurred between then and now that brought the two of them to the table as complete strangers?

"We were separated that entire time, yes?"

"You don't remember anything, do you? You have no idea who I am, or what I've done for you, or what we've done for each other, do you?"

He paused, before shaking his head. Something about that blazing fire in her eyes, like rays from the sun, seemed all to familiar to him.

"Do you even remember who you are?"

He shook his head once more.

Rin was studying his body language. She noticed he hung his head down as she asked her questions. Was that a sign of guilt? Perhaps his conscience was reacting to their conversation? Rin was feeling hopeful. It seemed like his memories were not erased, but rather trapped in the recesses of his mind. Maybe she could trigger something. Maybe she could make him remember.

Hopefully she could do it before he was called to fulfill his mission-whatever that was.

Rin ate her soup and the two of them returned to the car. She had changed her mind about giving away their location. She wanted to be alone with him, just like she was when they first met. She knew she could get through to him. Sesshomaru was always hiding himself behind a thick layer, but this wasn't a barrier that he put up. She was going to have to dig him out more aggressively this time. She already knew what made him tick, what made him happy, what turned him on, what turned him off. She knew that man better than he knew himself, but would that give her the upper hand?

When they reached their destination, Rin immediately recognized the area.

"This is where you were told to take me?" She asked as Sesshomaru parked the car.

"Yes. Do you know of this place?"

"W-well...technically...it belongs to me."

He looked back at her, utterly confused. "This is your safe house?"

"This isn't particularly a safe house. It was a gift. From you, a-actually." She faltered, her eyes fixated on the front gate.

"A gift? From me?" Sesshomaru asked, the confusion and curiosity evident in his voice. "Why would I give this place to you?"

"You gave me all of your assets, your finances and your most precious belongings. Everything you have, you entrusted to me a few weeks ago."

His confused face hardened as he became annoyed and suspicious of Rin. "Why would I give you everything I have?"

"Because I was the only one you trusted. Now, you're in cahoots with the enemy, the very same ones that ruined your life-our life."

Sesshomaru was having conflicting feelings. What Rin was saying sounded quite reasonable, but then again, a woman being held hostage might say anything to make the captor trust her.

"I have the key-the only key to this place. The key to the house is the most important and precious heirloom you own. Take me inside and I will show you."

He continued to glare at her in annoyance, challenging her eyes with his own. It did surprise him that she was not frightened or intimidated by him. It was incredibly surprising that the person he was told to apprehend, wanted to be with him. Is that not odd? He decided he should humor her. How much damage could a small, pregnant, fragile human do anyway?

"Let's go."

He led her through the gate, where she immediately took lead. She stopped by the strange Venus flytrap and patted it on its head. It seemed to nuzzle into her palm as though it was familiar with her.

"I've missed this place." Rin said, sounding less serious and more cheerful. Her disposition went from midnight to 5AM sunrise within a matter of minutes. She glanced back at Sesshomaru with a smirk on her face. For a second she had forgotten his memories were gone.
s Sesshomaru was stunned by her smile, it hit him like a gunshot. That feeling was all too familiar. All the strange sensations irritated him as his mind seemed to be struggling to recall the things he was programmed not to.

He continued to follow Rin as she stopped on a small bridge. She looked up at the sky. "This is where you told me you would reach up and grab lightning before it could strike me because you weren't afraid of a little light" She reminisced, her left hand in the air.

She turned back to the blank faced Sesshomaru with a brighter, more hopeful smile. "We're almost there."

'What is it with this woman? Just a while ago, she seemed so dejected.' Sesshomaru was not sure what she was up to, but he continued to follow her until they reached the house.

Sesshomaru kept his distance as Rin ascended the steps of the house and placed the brooch into the crescent insignia, then turned the knob. His eyes were fixated on the brooch until the moment she put it back underneath her coat. Why did it give off a familiar aura? Why did it feel like it belonged to him? Why did he sense that everything Rin was telling him was the truth?

"Don't you want to go inside?" Rin asked as she stood in the doorway.

Sesshomaru followed her into the doorway ever so slowly, mentally and physically prepared for any sort of traps or danger that could be waiting for him.

He glared at the marble gargoyle by the front door.

Rin figured she would try a tactic to take control of the situation.

"Please take off your shoes in my house." She said as she slid out of her flats and walked towards the kitchen.

Sesshomaru grunted and took off his boots. He followed Rin to the vintage style kitchen, scowling at the tacky color and vintage themed decorations.

She opened the fridge and sighed. "We haven't been here in weeks. The milk has expired." She continued as she placed the jug on the counter. "The eggs too." She placed them on the marble as well.

Sesshomaru leaned up against the wall of the kitchen, watching Rin prancing around the house like it truly did belong to her. He was beginning to believe her more and more.

"The last time we were here, we had a lovely candlelight dinner, you wrapped me in a warm towel after I was soaking wet from the rain," she rambled on as she began tossing the old food into the garbage "and then, you got me pregnant."

"Here?"

She nodded. "I'm pretty sure it was here. It was my ovulation day when we came here. Unless it was back at our old apartment." She said with a giggle. "It's funny, it was only the day before that you had taken my virtue."

"Did I?"

"Yes. You were so gentle and sweet and-"

"That doesn't sound like me." He spat, interrupting her.

"Well, it is you." She said, her voice sounding more broken than before. "The person you are right now, doesn't sound like you. You aren't yourself."

He folded his arms. "Hn. How do you know the person you knew, was the real me?"
"You told me everything, about your past, and your vulnerabilities. I was there to watch you develop into a better person, the person you wanted to be."

"That sounds ridiculous."

"Please, stop countering everything I say. We never exactly argued as a couple, and I'm not speaking to you like my boyfriend, or even like my patient."

"What do you mean...your patient?"

"I used to be your therapist. The same people you work for now, were the reason you spent ten lonely years in a mental hospital. I was the reason you were a free man. Don't you see?" She approached him boldly, speaking desperately. "These people keep imprisoning you. The only time you had true freedom, was when you were with me."

Rin apprehensively reached her hands onto his shoulders, only to be rejected by his rough nudges.

"If what you say is entirely factual, why would they tell me to apprehend you? Knowing you could possibly turn me against them?"

"There are a few possibilities that crossed my mind." She said as she left the kitchen and sat on the couch in the living room. "1. They are confident their control on you is unbreakable. 2. They want to deliberately sabotage you."

"Sabotage me? How?"

"Well, they told you to bring me here. I'm almost positive the police know I'm missing by now. Why would they tell you to take me to such a familiar place?"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. Her theory made him feel uneasy. Now he was unsure who to trust. Could he even trust himself? He didn't even know himself. The whole ordeal was frustrating.

Still and yet, he showed no emotion, but Rin knew better.

"Don't worry, my love. I know I will be able to bring you back to your old self. I do have more evidence to provide you if you would like." She said as she lowly unbuttoned her shirt.

"What are you..."

She paused, and let out a giggle. "Oh, no, no. I wasn't doing anything like that!" She said, reaching into her bra. "Even though I would like to..." She remarked as she pulled out a note, the very same note he had written her when he was readmitted to the mental hospital.

Rin handed it to him, and he opened it slowly. The handwriting was unfamiliar to him, as was the wording. He read it as if the words were foreign, because to him, they were.

"You mean to tell me I wrote this?" He asked as he glanced up from the paper.

"Yes. Sesshomaru I have no reason to lie to you. I know that you aren't yourself and that you're powerful enough to rip a person to shreds. I also know you can transform and-"

"You know about my transformation?"

"Yes, and your sheer will."

"So you are aware of all these things, and still, you are not afraid."

Rin glided her fingers across the deep grooves in the couch and chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"I remember when I dug my nails into the couch here when we were...well, the point is, I had no idea I had done so much damage." Rin said in surprise, looking at her French manicure.

Rin decided to move upstairs to Sesshomaru's room, possibly trigger some memories in his childhood atmosphere.

"Come with me" She suggested as she headed towards the stairs.

Sesshomaru followed behind, wondering what else there was to see in the house.

"You know, I'm surprised Sesshomaru. You don't like to follow rules."

"I don't." He agreed.

"So why are you now?" She questioned, stopping in front of him on the top step. "What did they tell you? What did they promise you?"

"They told me I was a soldier on the journey to immortality."

'Immortality? This must have something to do with Izen absorbing demonic power.'

"What good is immortality if you don't even know who you are? This is about power isn't it? They've blocked out every aspect of your personality except the thrill you get from having more power."

"That isn't-"

"What did they tell you to do once you had me? What is the rest of your mission?" She interrupted him as she headed down the hall and opened the door to his bedroom.

"I was told to apprehend you and bring you here, then wait for orders regarding my mission, which they said was the most important thing I had to do. They said it was my entire purpose."

Rin stepped inside his old room and stood by the window, playing with the little green army man on the sill. "Do you have a phone?"

"No." He told her as he stepped in behind her.

'So how do they intend to make contact with him?' Rin thought to herself.

His eyes slowly scanned the room, the overwhelming familiarity striking him once more. He could smell his scent mixed with Rin's inside the room as he stared at the unmade bed.

"We slept here?"

"Yes. The bed is quite small so you held me tightly. I move around a lot in my sleep, and you made sure I didn't fall over." Rin's eyes drooped. "You were always keeping me safe, but now I don't know what will happen next."

Sesshomaru stared at her with empty eyes. He thought she looked so pitiful and pathetic, but no matter what she said, he could not connect with her, mentally or emotionally. Maybe they took away his heart too, he thought. Yet...how could that make sense? Would a man with no heart feel so much sadness and frustration? How could one feel cold in their own snowstorm?

Rin was still pondering the entire ordeal. She knew his mother had some sort of connection to all of this, but what kind of trials was she conducting? What was she murdered for? Why does it seem like Sesshomaru is being set up? Then she realized something...

"You never showed me the entire house when we were here. I was too busy in the garden, and then we were a bit...distracted." Rin admitted shyly.

"The sex must have been good. You keep mentioning it." He said as he picked up a picture off the carpet. "Who is this child?"

"That's you."

He felt a slight headache coming on as even more familiarity set in. His brain was trying to do things it was not supposed to do and it was becoming quite uncomfortable.

He grabbed his head in what appeared to be irritation, but Rin knew better.

"Oh, love, try to take it easy. Why don't you sit down for a moment?" She suggested worriedly as she guided him to the bed. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No." He said through a slight groan. "Just don't hover so much." He waved her off.

Rin backed away and sighed. "I'm going to see the rest of the house."

She headed down the hall towards the room that used to belong to his mother. Something felt strange, and she was a little afraid, knowing she was tangled up in a terrifying web. She decided she wasn't ready to explore on her own just yet, and she started to feel the twins tense up, the more she worried. She turned on her heel and let out a shriek when she noticed Sesshomaru behind her.

"My God!" She let out a heavy sigh as she grabbed her stomach. "You scared me."

"I refuse to let you out of my sight."

Rin placed her hand on her chest and breathed slowly. She quickly grabbed Sesshomaru's hand and placed it on her stomach.

"They always bounce around when I get nervous and stressed. I guess that's their way of letting me know they're there for me."

He held her small bump as the babies moved around. He gently moved his hand to the opposite side, and the two followed his hand.

"They know it's you. They know you're their father. They can probably sense your energy."

He made eye contact with Rin. Her bright eyes shining and her pupils dilating as he stared at her. He could feel it. She was most certainly in love with him. There was no way she could fake that.

Everything felt so strange and out of place, but he still did not want to let her go. He did not want to stop touching her stomach, feeling his children and looking into her eyes. Despite what was going on in his mind, the moment felt right.

"You know," she said, speaking softly. "at first, we thought we were having just one child. The other was shy during my first ultrasound, hiding behind their sibling."

"I have a sibling, also, apparently."

"Inuyasha. The two of you never got along very well, but you always took care of him."

There was a long drawn out pause, like time had frozen. Neither of them was sure of what to say, or what to do next. But neither of them wanted the moment to cease. Sesshomaru could clearly remember the rush he got from power and slaughtering his targets, but it was incomparable to being loved.

"The look in your eyes, it isn't as angry as it was earlier."

"I was never angry at you. I did not trust you, but I was not angry."

"Do you trust me now?"

"I'm not certain."

"Can you just do something for me?" Rin was scared to ask the next question, but she needed him to oblige.

"What is it?"

"Hug me, please. I've longed to see you."

He thought this would be advantageous. If he returned her affections, she would be willing to talk more.

Sesshomaru wrapped his arms around Rin, and she did the same in turn as she began to cry into his shirt. "I love you. I love you so much. All I wanted was to see you again."

He couldn't understand how she loved him so deeply, yet he felt nothing towards her. He appreciated her affections, nonetheless.

Rin held him as tightly as she could, crying in happiness and sadness as the twins danced inside her belly harmoniously, enjoying the feeling of being between their parents.

She quickly snapped back to reality and pulled away. "I have to tell you something."

"This never ends, does it?"

Rin explained her theories from earlier. She backtracked to her conversation with Kohaku, even explaining the nature of their relationship. She had gone through every detail from the moment they met, to the moment they basically met again. It was like living through their life together a second time.

Sesshomaru did not know enough about the people he worked for to corroborate Rin's story, but now that he knew he was more than an empty man who lived merely to complete a mission, he wanted to look into things. He was intent on remembering the woman who loved him dearly.

"Let me ask you something, now."

"Anything."

"Kohaku said something to me before I took his life...'your shadow is purple, my shadow is blue, you are more me than I am you.' Do you have any idea what that means?"

Rin paused before her eyes widened and a loud gasp escaped her lips. "I want to show you, but I need my phone."

"Where is your phone?"

"In the car."

"The road is quite a walk from here."

Rin paused and stared at him in confusion. "You can't fly anymore?"

He returned the same stare. "Excuse me?"

"They didn't remind you that you can fly, did they? Well tap into your instincts and remember how to fly again."

Sesshomaru took a deep breath and nodded. "Ah, yes. I will return momentarily."

Rin paced the hallway, nervously awaiting his return. She sighed in relief the moment he came up the steps holding the iPhone in his hand.

"Although there seems to be some truth in your words, I would advise you not to call anyone."

"I just want to be alone with you." She said as she ignored the numerous texts and missed calls.

"Here it is." She said, scrolling through her phone. "I remember reading this book at Kohaku's house when we were kids. I thought these things were made up theories, until I witnessed it all first hand."

Rin read an excerpt from a book called The Color Of The Gate, Published by Dr. Anonymous. All souls have a blue shadow. Blue signifies the color of heaven, the base of all souls created by God. Then there are the souls tainted by the Devil's red, creating the purple shadow of the demon.

"Maybe he was just trying to insult you, by telling you the foundation of your soul is similar to a Human's?"

"Perhaps." He said as he looked at the door to his mother's room. "What is this room?" He asked.

"This is your mother's room."

"You said she was murdered because of her involvement in this, correct? We should go inside, then."

Rin nodded in agreement as she slowly opened the door. The first thing she saw was an oak desk in front of a large window, papers in stacks a foot long. There was a bed on the left with a golden frame, and an armoire to the right, along with a black radio on a small nightstand. The room was painted an eggshell white and smelled like sweet roses and...maple syrup, possibly? At the head of the bed was a small dresser covered in knick nacks that Sesshomaru did not waste any time shuffling through.

Rin was eager to be of some assistance so she began sifting through the papers on the desk, assuming she was going to find more plant-related research notes. What she got, was not what she expected.

"I found something." The two of them said at the same time.

"You first." Rin said.

"This necklace, I have seen it once before." He told her, holding up a lion's head necklace.

"That's the insignia of Kanma, the place where you were being held. Those are the people that programmed you."

"I see. What did you find?"

She motioned for him to come closer. "I found pages from that book we were just talking about, but these don't look like they're from a published copy. They look like drafts...rough drafts."

"Why would my mother have those? Was she Dr. Anonymous?"

"I'm not sure, but look at this." She said as she showed him some scribbled notes. "It seems like your mother created the demonic implantation processes, using her knowledge of the brooch." Rin explained, showing him a photograph of the brooch, identical to the one on Rin's shirt.

"That same insignia is carved into the floor." He said, pointing at the hardwood.

Rin nodded understandingly. "It's your family crest, such a thing makes perfect sense."

She went back to skimming through all of InuKimi's notes and found some things relating to the flowers. "It seems your mother's research was important," She commented as she turned the pages in a leather bound notebook. "These are regarding the flowers here. You were the one who told me these flowers never die."

"Hmm..."

"I think your mother's research was related to immortality. She knew how to extract demonic energy and use it to make people immortal."

"There is demonic energy in all of these flowers, so this sounds incredibly accurate."

"Maybe Kohaku was warning you...oh? Oh no..." Rin said disappointedly. "So many of these pages are ripped out.

"Never mind, we have enough evidence to prove my mother's connection to this."

"Well, now what do we do?"

The two stood near one another in pensive silence, when suddenly, static started coming from the radio.

"That's weird." Rin said as she walked over to it and attempted to turn it off. She clicked the off button to no avail, and the static became louder and louder, until Moonlight Sonata began to play very, very slowly.