Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Now on with the story!

Don't Let Me Go!

Eight years has passed since Naraku was defeated. Rin was now eighteen and had grown into a gorgeous and deadly young woman. As a child she was helpless, but that had never really mattered because Sesshomaru had never had a problem defeating anyone who threatened her. But around the time Rin turned thirteen and started to blossom over night the demon and human attacks began to increase rapidly. Rin did not doubt Sesshomaru's ability to protect her, but she felt guilty that he was having to fight to protect her so often. So by the time she was about fourteen she had convinced Sesshomaru to teach her how to defend herself. At first he only agreed to teach her a few basic skills, but she excelled quickly. So quickly that by the time she was fifteen, Sesshomaru acquired a small sword for Rin's use. Rin could only slay smaller demons at first, but eventually she became so skilled that Sesshomaru rarely had to unsheathe his sword.

Rin was sitting in the midst of some thick woods, remembering these things. She had been walking all day and was exhausted, but even now that she was so far away from him, it still hurt to think about him. She had convinced herself that if she left she would stop hurting, but of course she was wrong. "Why couldn't things have just stayed the same?! Then I wouldn't have had to leave. Stupid, Stupid Rin!" she thought to herself.

Flashback -

Sesshomaru stood outside of Rin's room, waiting for Rin to invite him in. He didn't like to just barge in on her, after all her room was one of the few places in the castle that she had any privacy. Moments earlier he had stood in the same spot and asked if she was in her room, and she had responded, yes. So naturally he was getting quite annoyed at her, but when Rin finally came to the door with a troubled look on her face, his annoyance changed to concern. That was the same face she had been wearing for over a week now, and the main reason he was there. As soon as Sesshomaru walked in Rin retreated back to her window and began to peer out over the Western Lands.

Still looking out the window Rin asked, "Is there something I can do for you, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Tell me, Rin, why you have been so troubled lately. It is not like you." He replied in his normal, unconcerned tone.

Several minutes passed before she said anything, but when she finally replied, it was said so quietly, that only someone like Sesshomaru couldpossibly hear it. "I believe that it is time for me to leave and perhaps live in a human village, but I would like to have your permission first."

Sesshomaru had expected Rin to say those words someday, but he had never expected it to hurt as much as it did. He recovered quickly though, and simply asked, "Does that mean you are ready to find a mate and start a family?"

As soon as he said that Rin stopped breathing. It was only for a moment, but for her it felt like a lifetime. All she could think of to say was, "No."

Sesshomaru arched a brow and asked, "Then why?" Even to him it felt like a stupid question, but what was said, was said and he couldn't take it back now

Rin was very surprised by this. Sesshomaru usually didn't seem to care so much about what she did. Rin turned around to face him. She had been afraid to before and still was. Every time she looked at him she melted inside, but she just had to be strong now! "If I tell you, will you let me go?" she asked nervously. When Sesshomaru just nodded his head in agreement, she continued.

"Lord Sesshomaru, you see," she said sheepishly "I can never thank you enough for all that you have done for me; but, I just can't stay with you anymore. Because – well – you see --"

Sesshomaru was getting tired of her dragging this out. He needed to know what he haddone to make her want to leave. "Just spit it out, Rin."

Rin knew he was right, but she hated it when he snapped at her, she always had. She winced slightly and then continued, "Lord Sesshomaru, I can't stay with you anymore because I love you." She mentally kicked herself. She had practically screamed the last three words at him! "I am sorry, Lord Sesshomaru, but that is why. I will get the items I will be needing for the trip, together andleave tomorrow morning." Then she bowed and walked out of her room.

Sesshomaru just stood there staring at the wall. You would not know it by looking at his face, but inside he was a complete wreck. He hated feeling like this. He hated it with every fiber of his being. His mind was screaming, "Did Rin just say she loves me?"

Rin ran outside to the garden. Being killed by wolves, hadn't been as scary as what she just did. She felt like she was going to throw up. All she could think was, "Why didn't he say anything?" Rin's eyes burned and she finally let herself cry. She had felt like crying ever since she decided to leave, and that was over a week ago! She had been crying for about fifteen minutes when she finally ran out of strength. She pulled herself back into the castle. Rin was sure that Sesshomaru knew she had gone outside, and she didn't want him coming to look for her. Pretty soon she found Jaken and explained to him that she was going to be leaving, and that she would need his help with her packing. Really she probably could have done it herself, but she wanted to spend a little more time with her dear guardian before she left. Jaken just mumbled that it was about time and lazily followed her around for the rest of the day helping her collect her belongings and reminding her if she forgot something.

The next day Rin got up really, really early! Something she hated doing, but did today out of necessity. She had to tell all of her friends goodbye before she left! Rin knew this would be painful, so she thought she would start with the easiest and work up to the hard one. First were the few servants that Lord Sesshomaru kept around to keep the castle in order when he was away and tend to his needs when he returned. Then Rin went to see her good friends Ah and Un, the two-headed dragon demon. She gave them both a hug around their necks like always, and then told them sweetly, "Thank you both so much for always protecting me, and letting me ride on your back, and for always being my friend! I love you both very much, and I will miss you always!" Then Rin started to cry again and Ah and Un wrapped their long necks around her as if to say that they felt the same, and that made Rin feel a little better. Awhile later Rin walked up to Jaken's room to tell him goodbye, but when she walked in she couldn't see him anywhere. His room was very dark.

She was about to leave when Jaken came bursting out of the darkest corner of his room yelling, "Wait, Rin, Wait!!! You can't leave yet! Wait!"

Rin was surprised and said, "Oh, Jaken, good I am glad I didn't miss you! What is wrong?"

Jaken, who was now very out of breath from the sudden action, looked very embarrassed, and stuttered out, "Rin – uh – I – uh – I will miss you, that's all. So don't go acting like it is some big deal."

Of course this thrilled Rin! She was so happy and sad that she forgot how big she was compared to Jaken, and scooped him up into a big hug. Jaken was screaming for Rin to put him down the entire time. When she did, she said, "Oops! Sorry, Master Jaken, I just wanted to say, thank you. Thank you for always watching out for me and taking care of me and stuff. I will miss you a whole lot!"

Rin was back in her room a little later, looking out of her window for the last time. The sun had risen about an hour ago. She sighed, that meant it was time to go, but she had one more person left to say goodbye to. The hard one. Rin approached his room. She was nervous, very nervous. She hadn't seen him since yesterday, and did not think she would even be able to look him in the eyes. Then before she knew it his name slipped out of her mouth, and there he was standing in front of her in all his majesty.

"I am leaving now, Lord Sesshomaru." She said while studying his shoes.

Rin looked so cute standing there with her face all red, he thought. What was he supposed to say? He couldn't tell her to stay, but he wanted to. He couldn't ask her to stay, because he couldn't give her a reason to do so. Then he realized she had looked up and was staring right at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something, anything. So he said the only thing that seemed to fit the situation. "Be careful, Rin."

That was it. Rin nodded, bowed, and began walking away. When she was far enough ahead silent tears began to trickle down her face and she whispered, "Goodbye, Lord Sesshomaru. I will miss you more than anyone else."

Maybe Rin had meant for Sesshomaru to hear it, maybe she hadn't. Sesshomaru didn't know, but he had heard it, and he kept hearing it as he watched her leave. Out of the large window in his bedroom the mighty dog demon Sesshomaru, watched as Rin, the woman whom he cared for more than anyone else in the whole world, walked out of his life forever.

The End, for right now. I will be adding other chapters soon. This isn't over yet, not by a long shot. I hope it didn't make you too sad. Please, please Review!