Chapter 16: Old Ways

"Milord, how long will we remain in America?" Rin asked leaned back against a tree, picking the petals of a flower. "I do miss Japan."
"Until I have what I am looking for. I have found it." Sesshomaru replied calmly.

Rin's eye's widen. "You found it?"

"And something else of interest as well ."

"What?"

"Shh." Sesshomaru suddenly became still. "Rin, come here."

"Milord?"

"Do as your told, come here and stay behind me."
Rin got up and ran to Sesshomaru. Why is Lord Sesshomaru acting so peculiar?

Suddenly she felt it. A presence, it was almost a strong as Sesshomaru's.
Then there was a cloud of what seemed to be bugs. Sesshomaru stood protectively in front of Rin.

Then a person in an odd baboon suit appeared.
"Lord Sesshomaru, how nice to see you. How long has it been."

Sesshomaru stood up straight.
"Times have changed, you should know, Naraku."

Naraku chuckled "Yes, yes they have. But I shouldn't take the credit, at least not all of it."

"I was never in an alliance with you, I did what I did because I wished to."

Naraku took a step forward. "Of course, as you say, you were never in alliance with me. But it was what you did that helped me."

Rin stood there quietly. She had not seen Naraku in many years. Last time she saw him, is when she was a child, traveling with Sesshomaru in the Feudal Era.

Flash back

"Rin."

A twelve year old girl in a side ponytail stood up. She was holding a bunch of wild flowers.

"Yes milord?"

Sesshomaru was looking at the sky. He turned to Rin.
"Are you happy, always traveling with me?"
Rin giggled,
"Yes, I want to be with you always."

Sesshomaru thought
Rin is very near becoming a woman. I don't understand, this need to keep her safe.

"If we we're to travel to a different place, I far away place, would you be alright."

Rin smiled. "Yes milord. I will follow you where ever you go."

Sesshomaru looked to Inuyasha's forest.

She has no family, no friends and I have nothing to lose. If Naraku is right… maybe altering time is for the better. That girl, the miko, Inuyasha is always with. She comes through a well, another world, another time away.

A cloud of bugs appeared in front of him. Rin ran behind Sesshomaru, she didn't like bugs much. Sesshomaru placed his hand on his sword.

"Sesshomaru, have you made a decision?"

Sesshomaru took his hand off his sword. He looked at Rin and gave her a look to calm down. She nodded and began to braid the flowers she had just picked. "Yes, but before I inform you of what it is, what is it you want?"

"Very simple," Naraku said. "To alter time."

"And what do you mean by this?"
"The ningen Inuyasha travels with, the oddly dressed one. She is not of this time."

"She comes and goes as she pleases through a well."

Naraku nodded. He looked to the forest. "If you could change time. what would you want?"

Sesshomaru stood still.

"I would not change what has happen. We play our part in this world, I would not want to defy the stars."

Naraku chuckled. "Then what would you wish to prevent?" Sesshomaru said nothing. Naraku looked over to the girl braiding the flowers. "Do you wish to protect her? To have your ningen live in a safer time?"

Sesshomaru tensed up, but remained silent.

Naraku grin beneath his mask.
"If you ever wished to, there is away. But it would alter time. The well the miko comes through, it is uncertain why, but only she and Inuyasha can travel through it easily and with out consequence. That doesn't not mean anyone else can't." Naraku pause as for allowing Sesshomaru to talk. Seeing he was not going to speak he continued. "If a strong demon were to attempt to go through, if he truly wanted to, he could. The only problem is, it would unravel time."

Sesshomaru looked Naraku in the face, "What do you mean by unravel time?"

"What I mean is, what has happened will be changed. Kagome will never have discover the well. Inuyasha will never have met Kagome. Anything caused by that well will be undone and the only one's with any memory will be with those who went through the well."

Sesshomaru turned to Rin and told her to go and get herself food. Rin sadly stood and left. That was all she heard of the conversation. A few days later she and Lord Sesshomaru went through a well and ended up in this time.

Naraku looked at Rin. She felt his eyes on her and stood frozen, she was paralyzed with fear. No wait, I can't move. She tried to move but couldn't. She could hardly speak. She finally got out a whisper.
"Lord… Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru turned around. He put his hands on her shoulders, her eyes where in fear. He looked at her, She not breathing.

He turned around.
"Take the spell off her now." He snarled.

Naraku laughed. "It seems you have developed a weakness. Very well."

Rin took a deep breath, and fell to her knees.

"What do you want." Sesshomaru snapped.

Naraku looked to the sky. "It seems you were right. You can't defy destiny. As it shows, Kagome is the guardian of the Shikon No Tama. She was always meant to be it true guardian and not Kikyo. And as fate would have Inuyasha has fallen in love with her in this time as well. No matter what is changed things that are meant to be, will be." He smiled, "As to what I want, I came to check up on an old friend." He turned his back to Sesshomaru.

"I am not your friend." Sesshomaru slashed at Naraku. He smirked as a wooden puppet fell to floor. "Back to old ways."