Chapter 3

Faster than she had ever moved, with more strength and power than she had ever used in her life, the dragoness threw her mate away from her long, forsaken sister and dug her fangs into his throat. Before he could even try to mark as her as his, he had been forced to his humanoid form and watched in confusion and anger as his mate ran to the human child side with tears in her eyes. He watched as his new mate cut herself and dropped her blood into the child's wounds and mouth in hopes of saving the human child. It wasn't until he had gotten close to the two, that he had heard his broken mates whispered voice say, "Aya, Aya my little dragon…what were you doing here? Why? How?"

"Aya, Aya as in your lost, mortal sister?"

"Haku you…we need…oh good so much blood." She whimpered in a worried filled voice as she realized that her blood wasn't helping her heal fast enough.

"Why…who…go away…" Rin's weak whispers were heard as she fought hard to stay awake. She knew that Miroku would have felt it, felt the break of her weapon, the break of the seal that Kagome had left on her weapon to keep her safe. She knew that it would only be a matter of time before Kohaku and the rest would reach her and for some reason she could not stand the thought of the two being killed.

"Aya my little dragon why…why were you here. You should not have been you, your place was in the western lands by the lord's side…why my Aya why…"

"Go…run…leave…"

"Maya my love I'm so sorry, I didn't know, I never saw what she looked like, I just recently, oh god love I'm so sorry." Her mate roared out in a grief as he tried to control the emotions that his mate was being overwhelmed by.

She could hear the sound of Kirara's roar in the distance, could hear the sound of Kohaku's running as he struggled to keep up speed with Kirara, Miroku and his sister. She could smell the clean scent of the dragoness that gently held her, a scent that reminded her of the western lands, of the feeling of finally being home. With a weak smile and a feeling in her heart that this was not the end but a means to a change, to a new beginning, Rin slowly and painfully raised her right hand, ignoring the blood that dripped down as she patted the grieving dragoness and whispered, "Go, go, we'll see each other soon, I…we…go…"

"No, no I just found you…I'm not leaving you." Maya struggled to say as her instincts to finish her mating, her bonding to her mate roared and demanded that she finish what she had started.

"Ane.." was the last word her strength allowed her to whisper as the world around her went dark.

"Get away from her!" Kohaku roared in anger as he made it into the small clearing on to freeze in place.

There before him, before his sister and his brother, lay Rin in a bloody mess. In the arms of a dragon demon that seemed to be grieving over the loss. Before anyone could make a move, Sango's calm, cold and collected voice was heard say, "You have one minute to explain to me how this came to be dragon. One minute before I chain you down and keep you sealed in place so that the great Lord of the West will have his revenge for the death of his ward, so that Inuyasha, the hanyou that killed Naraku can kill the demon that killed a member of his pack, his daughter."

After putting himself in front of his mate and the injured girl, Haku let out a low growl and answered, "I, we were in the middle of our bonding, we have just become mates and were in the process of finishing the dragons ritual for it when she stumbled upon us. It may have looked to her as if we were fighting, as if I was attacking my mate and she intervened."

"I tried to stop it, I yelled at them to stop…but it did no good…she's gone." Maya whispered as she gently laid the child on the cold, wet floor and took a step back.

"She has been tried as a Taijiya, was she never told about demons and our mating rituals or was she only taught to fight?" Haku pressed on as he fought the grief that his mate felt from consuming him.

"No…this can't be happening…Miroku tell me you can heal her." Kohaku whispered in an emotionless voice as he stayed frozen in place and kept his eyes on the body of the woman he loved.

"She was explained to…name yourselves, I'm sure that Lord Sesshomaru will want names when I go and present them with this news." Sango hissed out in anger as she stood in place while keeping an eye on her husband as he slowly made his way to the child that they had all helped to rise.

"I am Lord Haku mate of Lady Maya, dragon of the mountains."

After slowly getting her emotions under control and after realizing that her sister was not dead but being reborn, the dragoness locked eyes with the Taijiya that was sure to have trained her younger sister and said, "I am Lady Maya, princess of the east, Heir to the Eastern Lands, dragon of the earth."

After getting better control over his emotions, Kohaku looked up and glared at the two dragons that stood before them and yelled out, "Go away! Get the fuck out of here! Just leave!"

After offering them a single nod, Maya took hold of her mate and led him away, led him back toward their village. Once they were a good distance away and once they had reached the eastern lands, Maya stopped her travels and turned to look at her mate. Before she could even say a word her was pinned down and ravaged by her mate. 'After…after we've finished the ritual I'll explain to them what happened, that we need to go back for her.' Were her last thoughts as she allowed her instincts to take over to finish their bonding and mating.

When she was sure that they were not going to return, that this was really all just one big tragic accident and that there really wasn't anyone that was after her, Sango let out a long sigh and followed after he husbands side as he continued to pour his spiritual powers into the small child that they all cared for. She knew that this would be hard for her brother, Sango looked over her shoulder and said, "Go to the village and wait for Shippo and the others. We'll, we'll take her home."

But before Kohaku could voice his disagreement, before Miroku could tell them that she would only hold on for just a few more moments before she would pass on, Sango held her breath as she heard his cold, emotionless, and enraged filled voice growl out, "No one will leave until this Sesshomaru gets the answers that he requires."

Before Miroku, Kohaku or Sango could begin to explain how this had happened, all eyes turned to the dying girl as they heard her much stronger voice call out, "Lord Sesshomaru…my lord…you're here."

"Rin…Rin what have you done?"

"My Lord…please…forgive me…I just wanted…I've always…wanted…to be…by your side." Were her last few words that she could master after Miroku had partly healed her after she had been so close to the end of her life.

Silence filled the clearing, even the storm had stopped, the rain had come to an end and the thunder that had once filled the sky was nowhere to be found. Not even the breath of those that filled the clearing could be heard as they all waited for the moment that the great Lord of the West lost all control and exploded to his true from so that he could go in search of the ones responsible that had done such a thing to the ward he loved with all his heart.

After watching her eyes close slowly, after watching the last breath she would ever take in leave her body the great Lord of the West stared down at the human child with emotionless eyes. While he wanted nothing more than to take her body, to take her back to the west where her true home should have been, he knew, he realized that he had no right to take her from the village, from the people that had helped raised her. That had had more time with her rather than keeping her at his side. After slowly lifting her up and turning his back to the group of humans for him, Sesshomaru took in a deep breath and said, "I'll be taking Rin and placing her in her home before I go and retrieve my brother and sister. I hope that once we are all gathered that everything can be explained."

"Lord Sesshomaru, my lord please, can't you bring her back with Tenseiga? Please my lord bring her back."

"Tenseiga can only save a soul once. There is nothing that this Sesshomaru can do."

"Then you can take her to your Lady mother my lord, she saved Rin once, she could do it again. Please my lord, please get her back."

Ignoring the child's pleas and allowing his family to speak to him, Sesshomaru began to make his way in the direction of the village only to freeze in please when he heard the sound of the young Taijiya that had traveled with him for a short while draw his weapon. As he looked over his shoulder through narrowed eyes he growled out, "If you think that you can defeat this Sesshomaru draw your weapon boy but know that she is dead that I will no longer have to allow you to live should I wish to end you I will."

Before Kohaku could issue his challenge before he could complete draw his weapon and attack the demon that refused to bring back the woman he loved, he was surrounded in a powerful barrier as Miroku drew in the attention of the great lord and said, "We'll speak to him, we'll await your arrive at her hut so that we may explain what it was that has happened."

"Please forgive me." Sango whispered not only to her brother but to the lord she knew was sure to have at least some feeling for the dead child he now carried.

Having nothing to say the great lord started this slow trip to the village where he was sure he would find silent and filled with humans that wished to know what it was had had caused the last of their protectors to flee the village in haste. As he walked in silence and as he felt the cooling of her body, Sesshomaru felt his heart fill with regret for the first time since he was a child. Why had he not visited her more often? Why had he not just kept her at his side? Why had he left her in the human village? So many questions that he had been cretin he knew the answers too now left him speechless and without answers. They left him filled with uncertainty and worry if he had done right by her.

'Foolish child, just what were you trying to do…what were you thinking go out on your own. Even if the elder Taijiya gave you the title of master, you still had so much to learn.' Sesshomaru thought in anger as he held her tighter against him.

Once he had reached the edge of the village Sesshomaru kept to the trees until he had reached the hut that belong to the child in his arms. While she was seen as a woman by the humans, in demon standards she would still be nothing more than a child and she would still have had lots to learn before she could be seen as a proper female in his world. Just he had reached her hut, Sesshomaru quickly entered her hut and was about to lay her down only to notice a letter with his name printed in elegant writing on the front. Once he had carefully laid his ward down, Sesshomaru lifted the letter and carefully and sniffed to see who it was that had left him a letter in his Rin's hut. When he found no other scent other than the child in question Sesshomaru was hit with grief for the first time since he could remember. Never had he felt such a strong emotion in him, and he refused for it to consume him. After one last glance at his ward, Sesshomaru let out a low, whine/growl of goodbye and left to go to his brother and sister.

When Sesshomaru had disappeared from sight, Sango had dove at her brother and had quickly disarmed him before pinning him to the ground as he struggled to go after Rin and her demon lord. Once he had calmed a bit, Sango nodded at her husband so that he knew to keep the barrier around the two of them so that Kohaku could not go after the two…after Sesshomaru and demand that he do something. Once her brother was under control she whispered, "I know you loved her, I know what you wanted but Kohaku this is not what she would have wanted."

"I want her back…I want to prove to her that I could have been the best choice…Ane I was the best choice for her."

"I know Kohaku I know but she's gone, she's gone and you have to accept that…there is nothing that we, that Lord Sesshomaru or his mother could do. You know it, I know you do." Sango whispered into his ear as she held tightly on to him.

"I don't want her to be gone…"

"Sango, Kohaku…we need to get going." Miroku stated in a calm voice as he walked Kirara over to the two grieving siblings.

"I know…I know…are you ready?" Sango whispered as she slowly released her brother so that he would be able to move freely.

Having nothing to say Kohaku followed after his brother and his sister as the two began to get ready. It was clear to them that even Kirara was not happy with the news and with what had happened to Rin. It was at that moment that he was hit with a sudden thought. No, not a thought, a realization, a realization of what Rin, the woman he had loved, would have wanted everyone to mourn to and to enjoy their life of peace after all they had gone thought. He would honor her memory and he would make sure that Lord Sesshomaru would have a very long life, even if it meant that they would have to keep him in the dark for a short while. It was with this realization that he turned to face his brother and sister with a small frown on his face and said, "We can't tell Lord Sesshomaru the names that we were given. We need to lie to him about how we found her…their scent would have been masked by the rain."

"Kohaku what are you talking about? To do such a thing…it lie to the beta of our pack…Kohaku he would have the right to kill us." Miroku stated in a calm voice as he tried to get his younger brother to see reason. Sesshomaru may be the Lord of the West but Inuyasha was the leader of their pack, he was their friend, leader and protector and they would always answer honor their friendship.

"Ane you know I'm right. We all know what he will do when we tell him what exactly happened. He will go to the eastern lands and kill those responsible."

"He won't see the need to when we tell him just what it was that Rin stumbled into." Miroku augured.

"He's a demon…he…his instincts…" Sango mumbled to herself as she began to really think this through.

"He'll want blood Miroku, he'll want the blood of those responsible, do you really think that the King and Queen of the East are going to hand over their only daughter so that she can be killed? Rin would not have wanted that! She would not have wanted a war to break out over her!" Kohaku roared in anger, pain and sorrow as he tried to get them to see what he had just realized.

Silence was all that surrounded them after his outburst. While Miroku finally saw and acknowledged what he had not wanted to, Sango let out a long sigh as she took hold of Kirara and held on to her for support. So much had happened and so much more was to come. How would they get through this? How would they be able to control a raging Inu demon and keep him from starting a war that not only sure to true the lands apart that was sure to dishonor the memory of Rin. Before Miroku could try to offer another option, Sango locked eyes with her husband and whispered, "He's right and you know it, we can't tell him the whole truth. At least not now."

"What do you think we should do?" Miroku asked in a worried filled voice. "I don't see any way to avoid this."

"I…I know what to do…just leave it to me." Kohaku mumbled as he jumped onto Kirara.

So with great sadness the family of Taijiya's made their way over to their village where they were to meet with the rest of their pack and where they were to begin to make the plans for her funeral. Once they had reached the village, Kohaku whom could not stand to watch the lifeless body of the one he loved so dearly, but he had a promise to keep, a silent promise that he had made to Rin the moment she had left this earth for the final time. So with the courage he had no idea where he had obtained from, Kohaku took in a deep breath and was the last to walk into the already packed hut and froze when he heard Inuyasha's deep growl as he asked, "Alright, just what the hell happened while we were gone."

A/N: Alright, I promise you all that this really is a Sesshomaru and Rin fanfiction. I just don't want to focus on just the two of them. I hope you don't mind the back and forth-ness of the story but I promise that it will all work out in the end. Please let me know what you all think….REIVEW!