It's been more than five years since he left her in the care of Kaede. Not one day passed by without her gazing at the sky thinking about the great daiyoukai, her savior. She would always be grateful for her life, for him bringing her back from death twice already, but this was her last chance, and as the time passed by she became more and more inpatient.

Is he ever going to come back for her? Is he going to keep his promise?

He told her that when she was old enough she could travel with him again if she wanted to. She already turned seventeen, so she found herself old enough to not be a burden.

But her life here in the village seemed meaningless. She missed the forest grass running through her toes, missed the sounds birds made in the very early morning, and the howls song just before the darkness took the place of light. She missed counting the stars with her Lord near her. She missed his presence that always felt just alright, she felt safe and whole with him. Even though she was just a child she never forgot how protective he was.

Now the childish thoughts were gone, and all that left was endless confusion and sadness. There were joyous days when her friends made her laugh and forget the Youkai for some time but it all came back eventually.

She would finish her chores around the village and found herself sitting on the edge of the forest sighing and waiting. This was her everyday routine and it was a sad way of living. InuYasha and Kagome tried many times to keep her company and take her mind off of the Youkai but it never lasted. She was indeed loyal.

There were sleepless nights when she was rolling around trying to fall asleep but couldn't stop herself from imagining a huge figure with long white silky hair, and merciless amber eyes. Those thoughts were keeping her awake until dawn when she passed out from exhaustion. The more she thought about him the harder it was waiting.

And then one rainy afternoon she got a letter from Jaken informing her that Lord Sesshomaru went to war. It hurt her badly that he didn't even care to come and say goodbye to her. She was sure that he would win but still… what if she's never going to see him again? She couldn't even get the chance to look him in the eye one more time.

So she spend all her free time praying for his safety and fantasizing about him coming back for her after the war ended, telling her that it's safe for her to roam the countryside by his side again. Some of these pictures made her smile but more of them brought tears to her eyes. What if Lord Sesshoumaru had already forgotten about her? What if he never intended to have her by his side again? If he got married and got busy with all the politics and duties being the Lord of the Western lands?

These hurtful thoughts tore her heart apart so she decided to comfort herself with happy memories about him. Yes, maybe she was in denial but she simply just wasn't ready to give him up.

"Rin!" Kaede rushed in the hut, followed by a loudly cursing InuYasha "Quickly, boil some water and bring clean towels !"

Just then Rin realised that the hanyou was carrying a wounded man on his back this whole time. He left a trail of blood and mud as he stepped further in and she couldn't help but gasp at the sight. Inuyasha put the unconscious body down on the tatami and Kaede started taking off the armor while Rin assisted her. He looked like some kind of a warrior, judging by the quality of the material his clothing was made from, seemed like it was a wealthy person.

"Where did you find him?" Rin asked after she started cleaning the wounds with the hot towels as Kaede instructed her.

"Just on the shore. He must've felt in the river and the waves brought him down here " he said and was ready to leave " I'll bring Kagome later. Let me know if he wakes up, we don't know if he's dangerous or not."

"Hai!" Kaede added and the hanyou left the hut.

Rin and the old mikor spent what seemed like a very long time cleaning the stranger man's body, they tended to the wounds and Kaede even sewed together some deeper cuts and stopped the bleeding. He was running a high fever though. Kaede stood and went looking for some herbs to make a medicine and Rin jumped to help her. True that she was a great miko of her time but she became old and slow in some ways. Rin could crush and squeeze leaves quicker for the potion.

"I'm not sure he'll survive " the miko said " We must bring the fever down."

The two of them were beside the man constantly changing the cold towels when the body started trembling and with one big quiver his eyes shot open. He looked up and down, confused by what he saw, and instantly tried to sit up in a defensive position.

" Hold on! We're not hurting you" the old miko said trying to calm him down but he seemed like he didn't listen. He really must've been a warrior of some kind because his instincts were making him doubtful. He looked for this weapons but they were gone, then he looked for his armor, gone too.

"It's okay! My friend found you on the shore" Rin spoke in a calm tone. His eyes turned to see her face and he instantly froze. She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but he didn't react. " Here, drink this! It'll help with the fever!" She held up a wooden bowl and pushed it closer.

Whatever was in it, it sure didn't smell good. But the stranger was so drawn by her mesmerizing eyes he felt like he would drink anything she would give him. He nodded and drank the whole thing.

Rin looked happily at Kaede, but she was already sitting in the center of the hut, starting a fire in the irori*.(japanese traditional sunken hearth)

" Can you speak?" The young woman looked at the stranger again.

"Hai!" a broken but strong voice replied.

" What is your name?"

" I am Nobunaga Mazaru" he said with a sigh. Still couldn't take his eyes off of the girl.

" Hai, Nobunaga-san, I'm Rin. My friend brought you here, you have been heavily wounded. What is the last thing you remember?" She asked him while put the now empty wooden bowl down next to herself.

" I was on the battlefield fighting with a spiteful cockroach demon when I lost my attention for a second and he managed to threw me into the river. "

" Hah! And just where did you fight this demon?" Inuyasha's voice cut through the hut, and Mazaru looked at him with a slight of disgust.

" There is great demon war at the Eastern boundary and all the weaker disgusting creatures follow the big demon army hoping for some leftover human body they can feast on, and even tend to attack smaller villages where there are no slayers to protect the people " Mazaru's voice was filled with obvious hatred towards all demons " All this while the big Youkais fight each other for some land, their attacks sometimes reach the nearby cropfields and huts, but not like they care about ningen lives. I am a samurai of the Damiyo, and I have been ordered to defend the villages. " he said and sat up straight. " I'm truly thankful for your help my Lady, but I cannot stay any longer" the samurai took Rin's hand in his big palm, and bowed his head to her.

" Hold on!" She said quickly " You are not even recovered yet!"

" If you are that much of an idiot, you can leave!" The hanyou didn't like this man at all, he seemed arrogant and didn't even try to hide his disgust towards him.

"You fever isn't down yet" Kaede said without even looking back "You must sleep now, you can leave in the morning though if you're so determined ".

" I cannot lose more time, miko, I'm afraid! " with that said, Mazaru tried to stand up but his freshly sewed wounds sent a sharp pain through his war-torn body.

" You can't even stand , if you go there you'll meet your pathetic end" Inuyasha grinned with a matching arrogance when Kagome stepped into the hut.

"Inuyasha, sit!"

"AHHH! KAGOME!" And with a loud bang the hanyou's face met the floor.

"Gomenasai! He's not very skilled in social interactions! " the young girl sat down on Mazuru's other side.

" You needn't apologize, miko, he's a hanyou after all"

"You don't really like demons, do you?" Kagome asked with a soft voice.

" There's nothing to like about them." His reply made Rin sigh sadly.

" Not all of them are evil" she said and turned to face the young man "I was revived back to life by one of them, twice. Some of them are truly great."

" I see, my Lady, you possess a kind heart, but don't let any of them fool you. Never in my life saw them care about ningens, if it wasn't for their own interests."

"Hey, just watch your mouth, samurai!" InuYasha growled and turned his back to the chatting trio.

Mazaru didn't even pay attention to what the hanyou was saying, all he thought about was how Rin's eyes were glowing when she talked about this mysterious Youkai. He decided to bring up this topic later again.

" Still, I can't stay longer. My men could be dead by now, I must know what happened to them ."

" Can't we help you?" Kagome asked hoping " We have a monk, and a skilled slayer and also we have Inuyasha here!"

" Forget it, Kagome!"

" InuYasha, if these demons come down to our village, the people will be in danger! We have helped many before, why shouldn't we do the same now?" The young miko walked to her husband and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder. " I know you want to."

" Ahg, fine! " he turned to her " But only because I don't want any demons lurking around my forest."

And so Mazaru gave them the exact location of the villages , and before their departure he handed them a scroll explaining everything to his people. Sango had to stay in the village because of her children and also because they couldn't leave the people without protection while Inuyasha was gone.

Couple of days went by, and Mazaru would leave the hut for short walks, always assisted by Rin, and couldn't help but feel happy that she kept him company. As his wounds started healing and the bruising was gone, his face was revealed even more. And he was the most handsome ningen Rin ever saw, tall, muscular, tanned and very proper with a big smile. His warm dark eyes however reminded her of a very opposite color.

The young samurai couldn't hide his affection for Rin, which grew even stronger day by day. When he felt strong enough to walk alone he would go and sit beside the girl while she picked herbs. He would even hold the bucked for her when she had to get water. Not only the villagers saw through him but Kaede as well. She didn't mind though. Nobunaga Mazaru was a high lord and by what she saw, he was very much fond of Rin. She could do worse, if Mazaru wanted to wife her it would be Rin's best chance to live a happy, long fulfilling life. There was no point in waiting for someone who would never be able to give her what she deserved . Or who would never even want to.

Even Rin was able to see Mazaru's affection for her, he made it so clear she couldn't misunderstand.

It truly was nice to have that kind of attention, but she still looked up at the sky waiting, she still turned her head every time she thought she saw something white from the corner of her eyes. Her heart still jumped whenever someone mentioned the western lands. Noone ever said his name when she was around. She knew everyone tried to avoid direct conversations about him because she was hurting.

Rin felt pathetic but she would throw away everything she had if he asked her to. Although this lifestyle wasn't healthy, she was skinny and the glowing from her eyes disappeared long ago. She would do everything for her Lord. But would she marry someone if he told her to? Could she give children to someone? Could she love a man with passion?

Rin never experienced love before, of course she knew what love was, she loved her friends and Kaede, and loved the villagers, loved the birds songs, loved when the sun came up in the valley, loved when the flowers started blooming, or when the sky was so clear it looked like a big ocean, but she never experienced what was like being in love. She saw the intimate touches between Kagome and Inuyasha, and heard the gentle words Miroku said to Sango, saw every single promising look in their eyes.

Was she selfish wanting the same for herself?

If she wasn't, then why was that she couldn't even think about falling in love with nobody?

And why Lord Sesshomaru appeared in her dreams? Why was he the only man she wanted to follow for the rest of her life? And how could she have both of these things at the same time?

You can't be in love with someone and still follow the Daiyoukai. She wasn't even sure if she remembered his face anymore.

" My Lady Rin, I see you treasure the nature ." It was an early spring day, when Mazuru walked to her. InuYasha and the others were gone for two weeks now, and she hoped they will return soon, but their lateness only meant that the war wasn't over yet. She was standing next to a peach tree looking at the buds that would soon bloom. The frost just started melting and everything seemed to come back to life, screaming in Rin's face that it was time for a new start.

" Hai" she replied and looked him in the eye. She knew he was an outstandingly good looking guy, and in any other universe she would be delighted by this affections, but not in this one. Not in a universe wherein her Lord was living in.

" I'm sure you know I must be leaving soon" he started speaking " According to my initial plan I should have left earlier. There was only one thing that kept me in this village."

"Nobunaga-san, I…"

" No, please, just let me finish!" He took her hand " You may not know me very well but I'm a reasonable man. I'm respected and I will always treat you the way you deserve, but I can't help myself anymore . My time here right now it's over I must go back, but I can't leave here without telling you this. I can't take my eyes off of you, you completely wrapped me around your fingers with your beauty. If you come with me, I can offer you everything you ever wished for, if you marry me, I'll make you happy."

" oh Kami! Nobunaga-san I'm so honored by your words! " she said kindly " But I'm afraid I can't accept your offer"

" Is there some else?"

" No, I…"

" Is it that demon you talk about so highly?" Mazuru pulled her closer.

" No , he's not like that…"

"Is it him?" He asked the question but wasn't looking at her anymore. His eyes were so focused on a spot behind Rin that she turned her head to see what he was looking at so intensely.

And when she saw Him her mind went blank.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?!"