Last chapter! (sobz). That's surprising, actually. I've never finished a long story before. So this is the result of my summer. Seriously, how sad. Oh well. I had fun writing it, and I hope you enjoyed reading it!

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Rin sat beside the village market fixing her sandal carefully. She was afraid it was going to break soon, and she would have to continue barefoot.

It had been five months since she left the western palace… five months since she had been with Sesshoumaru… and she still missed him more than anything.

"Excuse me, Ojou-san," a man's voice said to her. "Are you having a problem?"

She looked up at the man. He was about 20 and dressed as if he was the headman's son – or possibly the headman himself.

"It's nothing," she smiled slightly. "I'm just having trouble with my sandal strap."

"May I?"

Hesitating slightly, she thanked him and took her sandal off to hand to him. He tilted his head, grunted, and untied a piece of string from around his wrist. He worked for a minute before handing it back to her, fixed, with a smile.

#~#~#

Rin caught one glance of the strange woman's yellow cloak and her brain just seemed to die. The next thing she knew it was apparently several hours later and the sun was setting. She was in her room again, and the only one present was Izayoi wearing a worried look.

Sesshoumaru-sama wa?

"How are you feeling?" Izayoi asked, smiling kindly. "You had us all worried."

"What – happened?"

"So you can talk." She seemed unsurprised. "There was a reikon touzoku that attacked you, and you vanished with Sesshoumaru-sama leaving no trace. I suppose he must have saved you…"

Fear gripped her. "He didn't return?" she asked anxiously.

"Iie, he did. But he… he didn't stay. He left the western palace immediately."

#~#~#

"Arigatou," Rin said. "I'm afraid I don't have much money left – "

The man held up his hand. "No charge for pretty girls," he smiled again. "Anything else you need help with? I've never seen you in this village before; perhaps you're looking for somewhere to stay?"

She shook her head. "Iie, I'm just passing through."

"Oh," his face fell slightly. "Can't you be persuaded to stay? This is a very good village to live in."

She smiled at him again. "I'm afraid not. I'm looking for someone."

"Alone?" he looked shocked.

"Hai."

"Perhaps you would like an escort?" he asked hopefully.

"Iie, domo. I will be fine by myself."

"At least let me do something for you. Come to my house for dinner; it will save you buying a meal."

"Well…" she hesitated.

"I insist. You did say you had little money left."

Rin bit her lip. It was true the money Inu no Taisho-sama had given her was nearly gone, but she wasn't sure she could entirely trust this stranger. But if she didn't end her journey soon she didn't know what she would do. Back to stealing, she supposed. "Alright," she gave in. It would probably be best to save what she could.

#~#~#

"Sesshoumaru, what happened to you?" Touga asked, staring at amazement at his son's injury. That would not be healing. Blood poured freely to the ground, making a conspicuous trail.

Sesshoumaru avoided answering. "Rin is in the reikon touzoku's chamber. Make sure she's all right, Chichi-ue. Tell her I lost my memories. Tell her I have forgotten her." He continued walking through the corridor.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving without her. Don't follow me or try to find me. I'll come back when I need to."

With that… he disappeared.

#~#~#

"So you're passing through the village?" The question was asked by the man's mother during dinner.

"Hai," Rin said. "I'm looking for someone."

"Oh, describe them. Perhaps we can help."

"Well, he is tall and very beautiful. His hair is silver and very long; it reaches his knees, I think. He had a purple crescent moon on his forehead," she traced it on her own face with her finger, "And two magenta stripes on each cheek. He usually wears white silks. He's very distinguishable; if you've seen him once you'll never forget him."

"This man…" the woman said after a pause. "He's a youkai?"

"Hai," Rin nodded.

"Sou ka… What do you want with a mononoke?"

"I have to give something to him."

"Oh," the mood lightened slightly. "Well, I have little knowledge of goings-on outside the village – Keiichi, have you seen the youkai she described?"

Her son nodded slowly. Rin's heart leapt, suddenly full of hope again. "You did? Did he look well? Where is he now?"

Keiichi shrugged. "He came into the village looking for a certain monk, but he didn't stay more than a minute. He left heading toward the east. I only saw him briefly."

Rin left Keiichi's home when she had finished dinner, choosing not to sleep in a strange man's house. She traveled east, and was excited that she might finally see Sesshoumaru again.

"Yama no naka, mori no naka,

Kaze no naka, yume no naka,

Sesshoumaru-sama doko ni iru?

Watashi wa hitori de machimashou

Sesshoumaru-sama omodori wo."

She tried to always make the most of the daylight hours, stopping only when necessary and bathing in natural springs at night. She preferred onsen not because of the obvious reason, but because they reminded her of living in the palace. She kept traveling east and stopping in every village she came to to ask if anyone had seen Sesshoumaru.

#~#~#

"Are you sure we can't persuade you to stay here?" Inu no Taisho asked as he walked her to the entrance of the castle.

"Hai," Rin answered determinedly. "I'm going to find Sesshoumaru-sama. I have to."

"But you do not know where he is. Japan is a big place; it could take you years to find him. And even if you do find him…"

"Hai, but I would rather spend years searching for him than sitting around doing nothing. I have to find him, Inu no Taisho-sama. Even if he doesn't know me… I still have to be with him." She smiled brightly. "I'll just have to make him fall in love with me again."

"Well… if you insist on going… take this money. Stopping in villages every so often is safer than living in the forest for you."

"It's too much!" she protested.

"It's the least I can do."

#~#~#

"Yeah, I've seen him," one of the five fieldworkers said, straightening his back and leaning on his hoe. "Walked past the village three weeks ago; he didn't actually come in to it."

"What way did he go?" Rin asked, encouraged that she was getting closer.

"Eh… north-east," the man replied.

"Arigatou!" she made to leave.

"Won't you stop and eat with us? You don't look like you've eaten in a while, Ojou-san."

"Gomen – I have to hurry. But thank you!"

The fieldworkers all exchanged a glance and shook their heads. "Strange child; in such a rush to meet a youkai. She has her whole life ahead of her."

#~#~#

"Give me your soul…" Ayane said to Kagome's unresponsive body.

"No, you don't!"

She didn't even feel the pain as claws tore through her, and her body faded into dust.

"She's dead?" Inuyasha asked himself.

His father appeared behind him. "Reikon touzoku are not strong unless it is their world they are fighting in. In reality, they are weak beings."

The six girls began to wake up and question where they were.

"Chotto, Kikyou wa doko?" Inuyasha asked. "These girls all came from Iwao's, where she should have been."

"Worry about that later. We must take care of Rin; she hasn't woken up yet."

#~#~#

Rin sat up and stretched beneath the rising sun.

This day marks the start of another month. It's now been half a year since I left the western palace.

A pile of berries sat beside her and she scooped them into her mouth. She had picked them last night so she didn't have to waste daylight looking for breakfast. Rising to her feet, she continued walking the direction the villagers had said.

They told me there was a house in the woods that Sesshoumaru-sama lives in. I must be near it now… I've been looking for two days in this forest.

The sun was bright, and it made her spirits rise. Humming slightly, she kept an eye out for the house.

"Haha wa iwareta hito no te aru wa hagukumi no tame…"

She stopped and caught her breath. There it was.

The house was small; barely bigger than a cottage. It looked like it had four or five rooms. It would have been picturesque, but something about it seemed… abandoned. It was dark, as if the owner was hiding from something.

It looks so sad… if it was a bit brighter it would be a beautiful place to live.

She walked up to the door and knocked lightly.

I wonder if Sesshoumaru-sama is here… I want to see him so badly.

An ache of longing filled her chest, and she pushed the door open. It creaked loudly, and she stepped inside cautiously.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

There was no answer. She walked a little further inside.

This house seems dead…

"Sesshoumaru-sama, are you there?"

A bird called out, but that was the only response. She hated to leave with nothing.

Maybe this isn't his home. Maybe someone else lives alone in the forest. If I wait for them to return, I can ask them if they know where I can find him.

Rin opened one of the doors in the hallway. It was apparently a sleeping room and had clearly been recently used. The white covers on the futon were not fixed, and were crumpled and had been wildly strewn about. Plain white silks lay discarded on the floor and some had been thrown in a pile under the window.

This room… everything is white. There's no color. Tears filled her eyes. It's so lifeless. Whoever lives here must be very sad.

Leaving the room she tried a different door. It was just an empty room so she tried the next one. In it was a tall figure in white, standing looking out a window beside a tsukue. Silver hair swayed as if in slow motion as he turned to look at her.

There was silence.

"Rin."

That voice! That wonderful, beautiful baritone that sent both chills and relief rushing through her. How she loved hearing him say her name! How she loved listening to him speak!

He spoke again. "Rin…"

He… remembers me… Joy flooded through her. Without a second thought she ran across the room and closed the distance between them, throwing her arms around his torso and bursting into tears.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" she sobbed. "I missed you so much!"

He returned her embrace but didn't speak again.

"When did you remember? When did it come back?"

She tried to draw away but to her astonishment he pulled her closer and buried his face in her neck.

"Sesshoumaru-sama…"

"I… never forgot… anything," his voice was soft and muffled.

She pulled out of his – lopsided? – grasp to look up at him. There was a heavy silence. His gaze was deep and… there was a strange emotion in his eyes. One she hadn't seen before. Fear? And… something else.

"I knew you would be less hurt if you thought I couldn't remember you than if I just left."

She stepped backward, unable to understand what he was saying.

He wouldn't say anything else. He seemed to hesitate… then he raised his right hand to pull at his haori and remove it. The two layers were shed, and he was bare-chested. She could see how perfectly shaped he was, how finely each muscle stood out. She could see…

She gasped and covered her mouth, taking another step backward automatically.

"You see why I left," he said quietly, his head bent as he refused to meet her gaze. His bangs hid his eyes and any clue to his thoughts.

"Sesshoumaru-sama…" She swallowed, wondering what on earth she could say. "Wakarimasen. How could such a thing make me love you any less?"

His head snapped up, and anger filled his eyes. "Don't you understand? If I made you my mate now you would practically be made my slave again. You would have to help me do next to everything!"

Worry filled her face. "How did you manage on your own for so long?" she asked quietly, taking a step toward him.

Sesshoumaru openly stared at her. "It's been hard," he admitted softly, turning away. A moment later he nearly jumped when he felt Rin touch his shoulder. She ran her hand lightly down his left arm – what remained of it. He visibly tensed as her fingers brushed against the healed stump, and she pulled away slightly.

"Sesshoumaru-sama…"

"I didn't – I don't want to make you have a half-life of serving me," he said, looking at the floor again. "That's why I left. I… couldn't stand to let you see me in such a weakened state. I didn't want you to think… that I wouldn't be able to protect you anymore. So I had to go. Until I could find a way to replace my arm… it would be better for you to think I had forgotten."

He took a step closer to her and caressed her cheek with his hand. "I didn't think… I had no idea you would try to look for me if you thought I wouldn't know you."

"Sesshoumaru-sama…" Tears streamed down Rin's face as she took Sesshoumaru's hand in her own. "If you thought something made me forget you, wouldn't you do everything you could to make me remember again?"

He dipped his head again.

"Yes," he whispered. A moment later he gasped when he felt her lips lightly touch his. "Rin, if you stay with me then you'll have to work hard."

"I know," she said sweetly as she embraced him. "But as long as I'm with you, then I'll be happy. I love you, Sesshoumaru-sama."

She felt a drop of water land on her head and looked up in surprise. Running down Sesshoumaru's cheek was… a teartrack.

He held her tightly. "Gomenasai, Rin. I – should never have doubted you. Yurushite."

Rin smiled against him. They were together again; everything was perfect.

"No matter what happens…" she murmured contentedly, "I'll always be with you."

He ran his claws through her hair, unable to believe the lengths she had gone to just to be with him, unable to believe she was here with him again.

"Always…"

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Ojou-san – young miss

Sesshoumaru-sama wa (colloquialism) – where is Sesshoumaru-sama?

reikon touzoku – soul stealer, loosely translated

chotto (colloquialism) – short for "chotto matte"; wait

sou ka – I see

onsen – hot springs

tsukue – low writing desk

wakarimasen – I don't understand

ai shiteru – I love you (but really, who doesn't know that???)

Haha – I bet you didn't foresee the loss of Sesshoumaru's arm!

When I came up with this idea I was like "this is so Jane Eyre" (not the arm part – the meeting in a cottage). I didn't mean it to be like that; it's just how it turned out. Anyway, I like Jane Eyre. I'm even related to Charlotte Bronte – isn't that exciting?

The second song Rin sings (Haha wa iwareta etc) is from the Song of the Spirit Sending [English: Song of Parting] (Inuyasha movie four… sadly I don't own it). It means "Mother told me a human's hand was a hand that raises me", loosely translated.

Oh, yeah. About those (*cough* strange *cough*) people who are wondering about Inuyasha and what happens with him, I'll explain in the epilogue.

Please review! There will be an epilogue up in a few days so stay tuned! I would have posted this chapter ages ago, but I had major writer's block with the epilogue and I wanted it finished before posting.