Chapter Twenty Six

Rin felt strange. A dull had sparked within her chest, small at first but grew with each passing moment as though it were being fueled by an unseen force determined to burn her alive in her own skin. 'What is this feeling? Something isn't right…'

Her eyelids parted to gaze upon the barren landscape that was her dismal reality. Nothing had changed in the brief moments that she had begun to feel sick, or what she believed to be illness. Nothing else could explain the fire, which for the time being had stilled to a more manageable ember as she attempted to make sense of its presence. All hopes of discovering, however, were dashed upon viewing her world as it was. Even Rin could not explain the change that had somehow taken place before her weary eyes.

Instead of the dark forest that she had started out in or the black and white flatlands that had appeared after, she was now located within a field of color that could only be described as a fallen rainbow. It was familiar, yet she was positive she had never seen anything like it. A massive field of wild flowers in every possible hue expanded so far out into the distance that Rin believed there might never be an end to it. Within the center of this large meadow, a crystal clear lake, so placid in a appearance that it resembled a pane of glass, laid innocently beside a colossal willow tree which housed new yellow baby blooms. Each branch was licked by the oncoming wind, causing them to dance to the tune of the breeze that whistled through the limbs of far away trees.

Rin's lower jaw released and dropped down until her whole mouth formed a perfect O. She had completely forgotten about her pain at the sight of such tranquility. This was an image that she had never dreamed she would ever be capable of seeing and yet she was currently standing in it.

Her body responded to the pull of such beauty before her mind had a chance to catch up. Rin's feet shifted beneath her and carried her, almost floating, toward the water. Unlike other bodies of water she had seen, this one was entirely different. This one possessed an invisible power that Rin's inner self instantly distrusted, but the rest of her ignored the signs. With each step, she felt weightless. Gravity was obviously not a factor for wherever she had ended up but she was starting to think that because of this, she might never reach the water.

But reach it she did. Within seconds of starting her journey, she was rewarded by the sounds of lapping waves at her naked toes which caused her to look down. Her feet were just barely skimming the surface, but the cool liquid drew her closer. As she stepped into the welcoming water, the burning flared once more. Only this time she cried aloud. 'OH!'

Every intake of breath seemed to kindle the flames, but the water before her offered little assistance toward her plight. One stoke of the fire was enough to bring her to her knees and she landed with a splash so loud that her ear drums nearly exploded. Something was not right. Her heightened sensitivity to sound was highly unusual. There was no explanation. What was happening to her?

Rin dared to breathe in again but nearly choked as her nose and throat felt as if they had turned to ash. 'W-w-wha-what's…happening?!' She cupped her trembling hands and filled them with the clear liquid before, brought it to her lips and attempted to drink to soothe her burning insides. Nothing happened.

Horrified, Rin looked into her hands and discovered that the water had dissolved. Determined to relieve her pain, she instead leaned forward until her face broke the water's surface and tried to gulf down a mouthful, but instead took in what tasted like lamp oil. Before she could spit it out, the substance was already wreaking havoc on her insides. Determined to rid herself of whatever it was that she had ingested, she jammed a finger down her throat to cause her body to react. What she expelled was not what she had swallowed. What was supposed to be crystal clear water, or soft yellow oil, turned out to be her own blood. With every heave, Rin could do nothing to take back control of herself until she felt sure she would succumb to suffocation if she did not act. In one move, she harnessed what little strength she had left and threw herself backward until she felt her lower limbs leave the 'water'.

The bloodied bile ceased to flow as if a switch had been turned, leaving Rin breathless and weak as she clung to what was left of her sanity. But her relief was short lived once she noticed that the blood she had expelled was nowhere to be seen on the lake's surface. Everything appeared to her as though the horrifying incident had never even occurred. Looking down on her person, there was no evidence left behind on her soft pink kimono to prove what she had just experienced to be real.

Shaking, Rin gripped the soil beneath her tightly until she calmed down enough to stand. After a minute of deep healing breaths, Rin remembered the fire. Strangely though, it had diminished, leaving her insides feeling normal as though nothing at all had happened. Rin shook her head to clear her thoughts before standing erect to reevaluate her circumstances. 'I am not wet at all, my clothes are free of my blood, my mouth no longer tastes of ash and the fire within my body is gone. What is happening to me?'

Rin placed an open palm on her forehead to keep herself steady while she found the strength in her legs.

'Rin?'

Rin jerked free of her thoughts as the sound of her name being called reached her ears. Instead of having her eardrums assaulted, this sound was soft like summer breeze. She looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of a figure across the wide expanse of the lake. Her mouth moved to form a perfect O once more. 'How can it be?' Rin gulped before she addressed the figure, unsure if her words might scare the person away. 'I know your face…from my history.'

Although she did not speak loudly, the person across the water from her had heard every word clear as day. 'It has been many years since our paths have crossed, Rin.' The figure did not move, but their hair flowed freely in the warm breeze. It was darker than a moonless night and almost as long as they were tall.

Rin nodded. 'Many years, indeed. Why-why have you come here? Why am I here?'

The figure smiled sadly. It was such a beautiful smile. 'I am here to guide you to your destiny, Rin. You are here to meet me.' Their eyes were nearly as dark as their hair, but still kind just the same if not a little sad. 'Does my appearance frighten you?'

Rin shook her head. 'I am not afraid. Not of you.'

Again, the figure smiled. 'You appear so young though have become so mature. But I see the years you have attained through your weary eyes. Your soul has witnessed more pain than happiness, just as mine has.'

'You have not changed at all, Lady Kikyo.' Rin took a step forward, not realizing where her feet where taking her.

'I would not do that, Rin!' Kikyo held her hand up to halt the other woman in her tracks. 'The water may appear innocent, but the illusion can cause more harm than good. Its powers drew you in and attempted to drain your soul from you.'

'I do not understand.'

Kikyo lowered her hand and motioned for Rin to take in the water with their eyes. 'This is a tool designed by time to bring those unlucky enough to reach it to their ultimate demise.' Kikyo nodded her head in Rin's direction. 'Should you attempt to cross it, go around it or drink from it, it will consume your soul and you will never be reborn… nor will you ever see Sesshomaru again.'

Upon hearing her beloved's name, Rin drew her hand quickly to her lips to stifle a cry of surprise. 'Sesshomaru! How could I have forgotten?' The heat behind her eyes indicated that she was near tears, but she refused to release them. Instead, she steadied herself and looked back up at Kikyo. 'Is this where you came to when you died?'

Kikyo closed her eyes, bowed her head, and hid her oncoming smile. 'I suppose.' The answer was vague, but there was no time to dwell on it at the moment.

Rin sucked in air to calm herself before she allowed her next question to be asked. 'Am I dead, Kikyo?'

The priestess looked up at her from the cover of her bangs and gazed hard until Rin shifted uncomfortably. 'It is my understanding that you are neither dead nor alive.' Kikyo held another hand up to stop Rin from speaking. 'Your soul is suspended between the world of the living and the world of the dead. It is a most interesting situation, but extremely dangerous to say the least.'

Rin could not stay silent. 'My soul has attached itself to another person. I am connected to another soul's body!'

Kikyo nodded. 'Indeed you are. And if your soul is not removed from the body that it has attached to, you and the other person will die. It is quite obvious that because you have ended up in this valley, this field, your soul and Miho's body will succumb to the oncoming grip of death. I fear that she will soon be joining you.'

Rin lost control of her legs and crashed down onto the crisp green grass and a small crowd of lavender and sunflowers. 'Then I will not be saved? I will not be resurrected?'

'I am not here to predict the future. However, I am here to prepare you for the battle that you might soon have to face.' Kikyo's attempt at an answer did nothing more than inject fear into Rin's heart.

'Am I to remain here for the rest of eternity?' Rin whispered. ' Forever suspended between life and death?'

'My existence now is to ensure that you follow the path that you are drawn to following.' Kikyo stood tall and gazed sadly from across the water at the woman crumpled in a heap. 'You seem destined to follow the same path that I was once forced to endure. The only difference is Miho, the woman who holds your very existence inside of herself…but even she is beginning to reach her limits.'

'She-she w-will not surv-v-vive?' Rin's form shook so bad that it caused her voice to tremble.

Kikyo sought Rin's deep brown eyes until she had her full attention. 'Her survival, despite her courage and her strengths, is as of right now…unlikely.'

The tears behind Rin's eyes fell then, in spite of her best efforts to control them. 'Can I do anything to alter this?'

Kikyo gazed at her for a long moment, never taking her eyes off of Rin. The priestess held the woman's tear stained face within her sight until she seized up the nerve to respond. There were no words…only a simple shake of her head.

Author's note: Ah, to be resurrected once more from the depths of my summer vacation. I did not mean to take so long. I hope you guys are not too upset with me, though I have a feeling I might get chewed out here soon for my abrupt halt in the advancement of my story. My sincerest apologies.

Anyway, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to a very dear friend of mine. Her name is Kelly and she passed away over a week ago due to complications from her type one Diabetes. She was driving home two Fridays ago and slipped into a diabetic coma. Her car collided with another and she died on her way to the hospital. I am putting this up as a way to form awareness for this debilitating disease so that I might educate some of you about what it is. Please do your research and educate yourselves if possible.

As always, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as there will be more to shortly follow.

OliviaAR