You know what? Listening to Yiruma really helps the writer's block! Try it if you are plagued with this mysterious illness! I recommend What Beautiful Stars and Time Forgets. What's that you say? Who is Yiruma? What? Where have you been this century? He's a Korean pianist and composer – the man's a genius! LISTEN TO HIM TODAY!!!

Anyway, here's the chapter. It's slightly longer than usual, but I was waiting for the perfect place to end (evil laugh – I am so not hyper at all).

Weeeecurtain: Rin is 14/15 at this point. Let's just say fifteen. Just remember that in the warring states era it was extremely common for girls to get married at 14.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Rin waited in her new sleeping room for half an hour mulling over what had happened that day and trying to make sense of anything, before a knock sounded on the door. She got up to answer it, the heavy and unfamiliar silks of her new clothes rustling.

Sliding the shoji open she saw Sesshoumaru standing outside. He neither moved nor spoke, silently asking permission to enter.

He… doesn't need to ask. He doesn't have to knock, either. He's never knocked before. He's my master, not my equal. Why is he acting like this?

She stepped away from the door and he entered, not closing it behind him. He walked out onto her balcony, and she followed.

"Rin."

She looked up when he spoke, and saw some scrolls in his hand.

"These papers contain everything that is known about you; your background, any conditions you have, and past and current owners."

She was feeling uncomfortable with the intensity of his gaze, and looked away.

"Without these, you could leave the western castle and legally I would not be able to stop you."

At a sizzling noise she looked up and saw his hand glowing green, melting the scrolls and burning them to ashes. The wind caught the dust and blew it away.

A sudden panic jolted through her. "Are you sending me away?"

He looked at her through expressionless eyes. "Iie."

Relief flooded through her, and suddenly she felt foolish. Of course he wasn't! He gave her a new room, his mother's clothes and made her eat with him instead of wait on him. But then… what did this mean? What were his intentions?

"Rin, I – " He hesitated. "With those documents destroyed, technically you aren't a slave anymore. I am going to give you a choice. You may stay here in the western palace, if you wish, or you may leave and do whatever you want. It is for you to decide."

He swallowed. He didn't know what he was so nervous about; had she not said she loved him? The way she said it… it didn't seem like she was merely trying to get into his good books. And she wasn't the type who would try to do that sort of thing. But still… a flicker of fear was there that perhaps she didn't want to stay in the castle. The pain gripping at his insides returned, sharper than ever.

Rin stood gaping at him, as if unsure of what was happening. After a full two minutes of silence, she spoke. "What does Sesshoumaru-sama want?" she asked.

Sesshoumaru was surprised at that response. "It is not for me to decide for you; I am no longer your master."

"Hai, demo…" she smiled brightly. "I still want to please you, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Then…" he leaned closer to her. "I would… very much… like it if you… stayed. Rin…"

She smiled up at him, waiting for him to finish.

"Will you… be my mate?"

#~#~#

Seven young girls lined up, all staring straight ahead with dead, emotionless eyes. Misei looked them over with distaste.

"Which do you think would be best, Ayane-Obaa-chan?"

"Mmm…" the blind mononoke walked along the line, waving a hand in front of the girls' heads. When she reached the end five of them collapsed, breathing normally. "These two have the most beautiful souls, yes they do." Using both hands to compare them she considered carefully. Eventually gesturing to the older one, she said, "This one has more love in her heart, yes she does. I will enjoy devouring her soul, yes I will."

The rejected girl, Kagome, also fell to the ground with the other five.

"Are you sure it's such a good idea to only send one?" Misei asked.

"Only one is needed, yes that's true. The others will be kept for later, yes they will. The longer they have had their soul removed, the less control I have of them, yes I do. Besides, the less there are, the less noise will be made and so there is less chance of Sesshoumaru wakening, yes. Although, even if he wakes he will be able to do nothing, yes, that's true," Ayane said slyly.

"What do you mean by that?" Misei asked.

"I mean nothing, Misei-sama, yes I do."

#~#~#

"So you decided," Touga commented as he entered his eldest son's study.

"Yes," Sesshoumaru replied stoically. "Rin agreed to be my mate. Are you disappointed?"

"Perhaps in your leadership skills. But as your father, of course I'm glad you will be happy." The older daiyoukai grinned while dropping a pile of scrolls on the tsukue and leaving the room.

Sesshoumaru held the fude still over the page.

I still don't know what to do about the lands. When people attack, if I die then so does she. I cannot let that happen.

He stood up and went over to the window, staring out at the extensive gardens.

I could keep her a secret… the servants have an oath not to gossip outside the castle walls.

No, I couldn't do that. When I leave the palace I would want to take her with me, and then we would be seen. I wouldn't take her as my slave; I couldn't ask her to pretend something like that and I won't act like I'm ashamed of her.

Hearing a sound at the door he turned and saw Rin hesitantly enter the study, her clothes rustling loudly. A smile tugged at his lips and he extended his arm to her, inviting her to stand with him. She beamed at him and willingly rushed to his side. She stood close to him and rested her head against his shoulder as his arm encircled her slim waist. Her scent calmed the now-searing pain that was tearing at him.

I wonder if my mother would help. I suppose I should tell her of my decision anyway, and hope she takes it well. There is nothing she can do if she doesn't like it, anyway; Chichi-ue is still stronger than her, even if she doesn't fear him.

After half an hour he still couldn't think of anything else that might be the slightest bit helpful. Rin was soothingly stroking his hand with her thumb, but the pain was next to unbearable now.

Curse my position as the prince of the western lands!

The thought struck a chord in him.

Whose idea was it for me to be the next lord of the west, anyway? I –

The pain receded slightly.

I don't want to rule!

The realization made him feel so much more light-hearted – as if he had just dropped a heavy stone he had been carrying all his life.

That's right; I always assumed I would because I have been brought up with the knowledge that I would be the next lord of the west. I thought it was a position dedicated to the strongest, the most powerful. I always wanted to be strong, to walk the path of supreme conquest, but… though I accepted my role as a future leader I never really desired it!

The pain was almost gone now; everything seemed so clear and simple.

I can leave; I can take Rin to a safe place where enemies won't easily find us. We can travel for a while, and then stop in our new home for a rest. It will be perfect. And I won't be distracted by all my work; for once my time will be my own. I can spend more time with her. Chichi-ue will be displeased that I am renouncing my inheritance, but he'll understand. He has to. This is important to me.

"Rin," he said in a low voice. She looked up at him questioningly. "How would you like to leave the western palace with me? To live in a smaller house?"

Rin smiled. "If that's what you want, then I want it. I'll follow you anywhere." Once she had said that she blushed and looked away, not entirely used to being able to speak completely freely around him.

"Do you want a human marriage?"

His question took her by surprise. "Wouldn't that be awkward for you?" she couldn't help but ask.

"That doesn't matter. If you want it, just say so and we'll have one."

She considered. "I… don't think so," she said cautiously. "Humans have never acted kindly towards me, and I know they would be worse if they saw me marry a youkai."

"That's fine. I have some work to finish for the western lands; once that is done I will make you my mate and we will leave. I would do it sooner, but I don't want anything to distract me from you."

Rin smiled up at him and stood closer to him, almost unable to believe he really wanted her.

#~#~#

"Yamete."

Misei and the seven girls stopped walking obediently, and the inuyoukai looked inquisitively at the hunched old woman.

"What is it, Ayane-Obaa-chan? Are you trying to be a seer again? That didn't work very well last time, please remember."

"I cannot deny my visions, Misei-sama, yes that's true," Ayane replied. "As for last time, I simply wasn't meant to make a living as a seer, yes. I am certain of this, yes I am. The human Rin will be in a different room from before, yes she will."

"A different room? Is Sesshoumaru changing her status?"

"Her new room is much grander, yes it is. I suspect he has freed her, yes he has."

Horrified, Misei asked, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that he is either being extremely generous to his human slave, or he plans to make her his mate, yes he does."

#~#~#

"Sesshoumaru, are you going on a journey?"

Sesshoumaru looked to the balcony door, where his father stood.

"Iie. I am…" he turned to face his father completely. "I am leaving the western lands, Chichi-ue. I do not plan on returning."

The lord of the western lands looked more than shocked. "Then… the title?"

"I do not wish to keep it." Turning to look at the gardens again, he said, "I realized that during my whole life I had been told I would one day take your place as lord of the west. I never stopped to consider what I wanted for myself. I want to be strong, Chichi-ue. But to be a leader… having to care for so much and so many people is not the kind of person I am. I was not meant to rule, and although I accepted my position as your heir it was never what I truly wanted."

"But what about the lands?"

"They would have fallen out of our bloodline in any case, with only hanyou to care for them."

"And you're just going to let that happen?"

"I was letting it happen when I decided to take Rin as my mate," he said, a hint of aggression entering his tone. "But Chichi-ue, I think the lands should be ruled by someone who actually wishes to rule, rather than someone who had it forced upon them. Rin and I will leave."

"You would be a good leader, Sesshoumaru."

He paused and looked down. "My desire is strength, not a kingdom."

Touga exhaled, seeing his son's tenacious expression. "Alright, I can see you have made up your mind. I won't try to stop you, as I know you must make your own decisions. But I wish…"

He trailed off, and didn't finish. Eventually he took a step forward, clapped Sesshoumaru on the shoulder, and left him alone.

#~#~#

Misei groaned for the sixtieth time on their walk to the western castle. "Ayane-Obaa-chan, those girls stink!" she complained.

"I know, yes I do, Misei-sama."

"What does it matter if our soldiers are killed anyway? We were going to kill them in the end."

"We must succeed in this first attempt or a second will be impossible, yes it will. Humans are sentimental creatures, yes they are. The human Rin will not want her friends to die and she will plead with Sesshoumaru to spare them, yes she will. If we are fortunate he will heed her, yes he will."

"What if she truly is mute as she claims?" Misei asked.

"She can speak, yes she can," Ayane said confidently.

"You're absolutely sure?"

"I saw it in a vision, yes I did."

The inuyoukai groaned again, hoping with everything in her that her old friend's abilities as a seer were not unfounded.

#~#~#

A week later a strange old woman wandered into the western palace grounds, requesting shelter for a single night. She was short – half Touga's height – and hunched over, wearing a brown and dirty cloak over her clothes and hiding her face. She said it was because she was blind, and didn't like people being able to see her eyes. Touga permitted her to stay for one night.

"Who is that?" Sesshoumaru asked, approaching his father after the old woman was shuffling off to her borrowed room.

"Just someone wanting shelter. Why?"

The younger youkai narrowed his eyes. "She smells like a reikon touzoku."

"True," his father agreed. "Well, she has no aggression in her scent."

Leaving, Sesshoumaru tried to have Rin in his sight as much as possible that day, although he knew it was just his protective instinct – and maybe a little paranoia. In any case, nothing happened to threaten her.

That night, Rin awoke to the pounding of feet. Groaning sleepily, she told herself that it was nothing and to go back to sleep.

Her shoji was thrown open and she felt someone shake her shoulders desperately.

"Rin-sama," Rika's voice reached her. She opened her eyes, hearing the anxiety. "You must come quickly to Sesshoumaru-sama's chamber. He's been badly hurt, and he asked for you."

Rin sat up, quickly wiping crust from her eyes, and threw the covers off her, running for the door.

"Rin-sama!"

She turned back to Rika and saw her holding a bucket of water and several pieces of cloth. She grasped them and smiled her thanks before turning and sprinting to Sesshoumaru's room.

He was lying on his futon, breathing heavily, with three servants standing worriedly around him. One of them tried to do something to help, but he snapped at her and she shrank away from him. He looked up when Rin entered and ordered all the servants to leave.

"Demo, Sesshoumaru-sama – " one protested.

"Leave!" he all but shouted.

Rin fell on her knees at his side and gasped at the amount of blood that was creating a pool around him. Sesshoumaru looked up at her and raised a bloody hand to caress her cheek.

"I'm sorry. You were asleep," he said.

She grasped his hand and kissed it. "It's fine."

"I just don't like people so close to me in such a vulnerable state. But I trust you."

His words warmed her inside, and she beamed down at him in the dim light of the flaming torches on the walls. She got to her feet.

"Where are you going?" he asked – or rather, demanded.

"Just to close the door; the servants left it open."

"Leave it."

She frowned, but obediently sat down next to him again. "Why?"

"Rin, you're not my slave anymore. Until we are mates it is inappropriate for us to be alone in each other's rooms. That is why the door must be open."

"Oh, I see." Rin reached for one of the rags Rika had given her and soaked it in the bucket of water. She rang it out and gently touched it to Sesshoumaru's bare chest. The main injury was from his stomach to his chin, passing over his heart, and it was fairly deep. He had already lost a lot of blood from that wound in particular, and there were other minor cuts alone his arms. He grimaced every time she touched him, and she felt awful for it.

"Don't cry," he said after a while. "I don't like to see you crying."

She looked at his face, surprised. "I – I'm not…" her voice wobbled, and he reached up to her face to brush away silent tears that she hadn't even noticed.

"I'm so sorry. I just – you're hurt so badly," she sniffed quickly, turning her head away slightly and wiping her cheek with her sleeve before continuing cleaning his wound and wrapping bandages around it.

"How did this happen?" she finally asked when she was cleaning his arms.

Sesshoumaru tensed suddenly, a spasm of pain hitting him especially hard.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" she panicked.

"I'm – fine," he struggled to speak. "I was – fighting with – Inuyasha." He didn't say the cause for the fight – he didn't say that Inuyasha called him a hypocritical, self-pleasing bastard because he was mating a human after all he had said about them and hanyou. "He has – been in a foul mood since – he sent all his slaves away."

"All of them?"

"He no longer wants Rei and – until he chooses – between the other two – he doesn't – want them – near him."

"Sesshoumaru-sama," she lowered her face and pressed a kiss to his stiff temple. It seemed to relax him slightly, and she resumed wiping blood off his arms.

"I'm finished," she said eventually. Setting the water bucket and what remained of the cloth aside, she lay down beside him, holding his hand and being careful of his injuries. "Will you be alright?" she stroked his forehead softly.

"I – "

His voice was laced with pain, and he seemed to be having trouble breathing.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin sat up anxiously. "Are your wounds that sore?"

He shook his head jerkily, not the smooth action she was used to seeing. "It's not – "

"I think I should go get the physician." She bit her lip.

"Dameda," he gripped her hand. "I'll be fine in a few hours."

She gently brushed his bangs away from his face. "Do you want me to leave?"

"Iie," he replied in a calmer voice. "Stay with me. I like your scent; it's very soothing."

Smiling, Rin lay down next to him again. Sesshoumaru's breathing steadied over time, and eventually it slowed down to show he was asleep. Rin, too, dozed into a half-decent slumber, cuddled against him, and only fully woke when she heard slow footsteps enter the room a few hours later. Sleepily opening her eyes she expected to see a servant, and was shocked at the shadowy figure looming over her.

"Kikyou-nee-sama!" she exclaimed. In the dim light she could just about see the dead, emotionless expression in the older girl's eyes, and the sluggish, limp way she moved.

Her exclamation woke Sesshoumaru. His better eyesight saw the dagger in the slave's hand, and he leapt to stop her as she approached Rin. With one hand he grasped her wrist, and the other glowed bright green.

"Dame!" Rin cried. "Onegaishimasu, Sesshoumaru-sama, dame!"

He hesitated and glanced at his future mate.

"She's my friend," Rin pleaded.

"Her soul is gone," he stated. "She cannot be saved."

"Iie…" her eyes filled with tears. A thought struck her. "If she has no soul, then how is she still moving?"

"Someone is controlling her." His eyes narrowed; there was a barrier surrounding the palace that blocked this kind of control from coming in from the outside world. "Someone within the castle walls."

That reikon touzoku… it must be her.

He threw Kikyou across the room, and the knife flew out of her hand. "Rin, come with me."

Rin got up and hurried across to her friend.

"Rin!"

"She's hurt, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"In this state she is trying to kill you! You aren't safe left alone; come with me."

Giving in, she took his outstretched hand and allowed him to drag her through the castle to one of the poorer guest chambers. He flung the door open and light blasted out of it in energy waves. He could barely see the old woman standing with her back to them, still wearing the cloak – but, for some reason, it had turned from dull grey into a bright yellow. A small part of him registered six girls sitting motionless along the wall with their heads down.

Rin...

Feeling her hand go limp, he looked up at her. Her eyes were dead as she slowly made her way forward, towards the soul stealer.

"Rin!" He tried to pull her back, but she wouldn't respond to him. "Rin, don't look at her; don't be drawn in!" Kuso! I should have told her to stay away from the door! Humans can't withstand the power of a reikon touzoku! "Rin!"

"Sesshoumaru-sama, too bad," the woman said, turning around. Her voice was no longer the feeble sound she had used earlier, but strong and demanding. She threw her hood down and straightened her hunched back. Her eyes were white and empty, with no light in them. While they were directed straight at him, they glowed red. "It is too late for her; she is mine."

Henshin… she's showing her true form… I have to save Rin!

Wrapping his arms around Rin's shoulder, he felt the wind of the woman's transformation. It buffeted around him viciously, and he felt the inner spasms of pain returning with greater force; so much so that they became unbearable. The soul stealer exploded with light, and suddenly she no longer looked like a babaa, but a young woman. She was tall, perhaps an inch shorter than him at most, and wore glowing white robes that wrapped around her shoulder and hung down around her. Her hair was blonde and swept behind her, captured with ornate pins on her head, but two strands fell down on either side of her neck. Her face was pale and hard, and there was a jewel on her forehead, held there by a string. [A/N: if you have seen Full Moon wo sagashite (don't own), then picture her as the nameless woman in the last episode that Takuto and Mereko meet on the beach]

"You lose!" she raised a powerful hand, and the light energy hit him hard. The pain increased, and his surroundings became bleached the color of the light. Rin tried to pull her way out of his arms, and she started to vanish.

Rin! I will… he gripped her tighter, ignoring the agonizing pains inside him, and refused to let go. I will absolutely not let you die!

All solid matter around him vanished as he was sucked into the alternate dimension with her. There was no sound, no darkness anywhere. The pain had suddenly vanished. All he could see was white, and Rin – who had collapsed and hung limply in his arms. He set her down gently, brushing her hair out of her face.

Rin…

He heard footsteps and spun around to see the woman approach them.

"No closer," he threatened.

"What can you do?" she taunted. "You are all but dead. That is why you feel no pain. This world… this reality – it is not for the living."

"What do you want with Rin?"

"Her soul. I am a reikon touzoku, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Why her and no one else?"

The woman met his glare evenly. "Misei-sama asked for a favor; that girl's head." Her gaze softened slightly, and she looked confused. "But you – knowing what would happen to you – protected her, even though you were already injured, only resulting in both your lives. Why is that?"

Sesshoumaru looked at the ground. "If I could not save her from you… the least I could do was die trying."

"Is that so," she stated. She walked up to him and around him, kneeling down and holding her hand over Rin's body. A white glowing light rose from her chest.

"No!" Sesshoumaru knocked her hand away, and Rin's soul returned to her body.

The woman threw him away with one sweep of her hand, returning to her prey. He ran at her again.

"In my world you cannot win, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"That may be so, but I will die before I let you take Rin's soul from her."

"Really?" she asked, intrigued. "How far will you go to save her?"

"As far as it takes," he replied.

"You would give me your soul for the promise that she walks free?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation. "If she was safe, I would give you whatever you wished for."

"Truly…" she pondered. Raising her hand, she placed it on his chest. He felt a searing pain jolt through him as his life was sucked toward her. Then it stopped. She removed her hand, laughing mirthlessly.

"Youkai souls do not please me," she said.

Anger filled him. "Then you won't let Rin go?"

"On the contrary," she said dryly. "I will. Her soul is deliciously pure, but since you are so prepared to save her, without a second thought to your own safety, devouring it is impossible. A shame, but nothing can be done."

With a wave of her hand, Rin's body darkened and she vanished.

"She's in the world of the living again. She will be fine."

Sesshoumaru was at a loss for what to do now.

"When I first came here… you explained why my pain was gone," he said. "How did you know it was there?"

"I caused it," she said. "I have the abilities of a seer – to a certain extent. A year ago I saw a conflict with you and decided to curse your soul. For a while now it has been very loose inside you; it could have come out by itself if you were troubled enough. That is why you were so pained when you were stressed or confused – but that part took a long time to set in. It is the reason your father thought you were sick, and your mother was close to guessing the real cause."

"Then – "

"Enough," she held up a hand. "You cannot linger here for long; the generousness of your past action has given you a choice. You may decide your own fate. You may die, or you may live – with a blank memory."

Sesshoumaru caught his breath. "If I die… Rin will be sad for the rest of her life. But to live with no knowledge of her… I may never see her again. That would be just the same as dying. But… if I do see her…" he lowered his gaze again. "Without knowing who she is, I might hurt her. I might even kill her. I – I would rather die than harm her."

"You harmed her before," the soul stealer pointed out.

"Before she meant so much to me," he argued. "I couldn't ever do that to her again. If it means… if it means Rin will be safe…" he closed his eyes and hung his head. "I choose… to die."

The woman threw her head back and laughed loudly. "You truly are strange, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, her voice laced with amusement. "I cannot understand you. You do not consider what you want; you think only of that human. She truly means more to you than your own life. In such cases as this…"

Sesshoumaru looked up.

"You may live… but your memories come with a price."

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Ooooh…. cliffhanger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please review, the next chapter is the last!

fude – a brush used for writing

yamete – stop

reikon touzoku – soul stealer, loosely translated

dame(da) – "no", used to say something like "don't do that"

henshin – transformation; literally "change"

babaa – old hag; a ruder way of saying "Obaa-chan"