[Chapter 5] Dedicated to WhiteRose-Kurama: The life of Rin

The youkai nobles watched in silence as he settled in his seat beside his mother. He needed to be called to this meeting since he was an influential lord, but he refused to leave the little child alone for the hours during their meeting. The tiny babe was nestled safely in the crook of his right arm, sleeping peacefully and none the wiser as to the attention she drew.

Hours passed and she never interrupted. When she did wake she would spend her time brushing uncoordinated tiny fingers through a stray bit of hair before she fell asleep again clutching to the silvery lock. All took notice to the tiny glances Sesshoumaru would send the girl. The viligance with which he watched over her, constantly checking her comfort level, didn't escape the nobles and they had to wonder who she was to mean so much to him. He hadn't doted over a child like this since the girl he left in a human village half a century ago.

OOO

A young girl scurried about the small space in the forest they decided to take a rest for in that day. She danced around barefoot in the grass while holding her arms out and pretending she was flying. Her cheerful giggles carried the forest and danced around the pointed ears of her ChiChi-ue. She stopped for a moment and stared off into the forest, never losing her happy smile.

"ChiChi-ue? Can we go that way?", she pointed off into the forest. Before recieving her answer she slowly wandered past the vague treeline into the direction she felt an odd pull. There was something familiar about this place, she just couldn't get her finger on it.

Golden eyes slitted open as he heard the suddle shifts of the tree branches as the girl left the clearing. He looked over in the direction she was walking and furrowed his eyebrows as he stood. "Kohana", he called.

She turned to him and smiled as she beckoned him forward, "ChiChi-ue! ChiChi-ue! This way come on!", she called to him.

He took a few steps forward trying to think why she would be so avid about running off that way. He followed her at a leisurely pace while trying to think what was ahead, since he was familiar with this area. It wasn't toward the village: he'd smell that. It wasn't towards the road: that was too far. His foot stilled mid step as he realised where she was going.

"Kohana, come back", he said in a hard tone, knowing the girl would obey. She frowned before walking back to him and followed him to the clearing without protest.

She had run off in the direction of the lake... He wasn't sure how she knew it was that way but some how she must. He wanted to be close to it today because it was an anniversary of the day he found her with Jaken but he still had no wish to face the lake again.

He walked back to their home in silence, Kohana frowning in consternation as she followed. All the way he pondered what happened and hoped he would never lose his precious Kohana to the lake as well.

OOO

An old woman layed silently on the futon before him. He kneeled at her side holding he wrinkled hand in his unblemished clawed one. Her breathing was labored and her time was close. He would miss her, but he had stayed at her side this time. He was always there for her, forever her ChiChi-ue. She would leave this world happy, knowing she lived a full life. Her ChiChi-ue and her two children at her side 'til the end, she would follow her love into the afterlife.

"ChiChi-ue... I remember now...", her voice was quiet as the old long forgotten memories flashed in her mind. "There was a pretty lake... and the lady there...", what was her name? She just couldn't remember the lady's name. "She was like Tenshi, ChiChi-ue...", a quiet sigh escaped her. "You would have thought she was really pretty too... ChiChi..", her voice faded into the background of time as life left her old body.

Sesshoumaru stared down at her in silence as he brushed his thumb lightly over the hand he was still holding. He tried to push her words to the back of his mind and write them off as the ramblings of a woman near death.

At the request of WhiteRose - Kurama I have decided to add a chapter focusing on Rins life. I realised I had left it very vague and thought I would give you readers a little something.

I'm sorry Rose and SayaHaji1648 but I won't be doing a sequal :( I decided before I finished the fic that I couldn't do more past her reuniting with Sesshoumaru because it would take away from the ethereal, immortal being essence her character develoed through out the story if I put her in a modern life-like setting. I hope this is enough for you and I thank you for inspiring me to write this chapter.

MontiK