Rain droplets hit the straw roof of a hut as a village was slowly brought to a waking point. Men began to peek out of their homes and mothers started to grab the backs of their children's shirts to keep them from going out in the wet and getting sick. The air was thick with laziness and quiet as everyone had a hard time getting their day started with the grey and groggy weather. One hut, however, seemed to be going against the trend. A loud voice very suddenly rang out over all else in the village, causing the birds to fly away and some of the water to shake from the roof.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RIN!" Six voices rang out in unison. The one room home was extremely crowded with human bodies and excitement. Kagome, InuYasha, Shippou, Miroku, Sango, and Lady Kaede were all clad in birthday hats that Kagome brought across from her era. Inside everyone's mouths were noise makers that, to be quite frank, made Rin want to strangle whoever had the audacity to invent those contraptions.

"Thank you guys. Really, it's no big deal." The sleep-riddled raven-haired women sat up on her futon, waving everyone away sheepishly. Sleep was still heavy on her eyes and her hair was tangled in a mess that was matted to the back of her head with sweat. Although the room was cold, Rin was often plagued with nightmares in her sleep.

"What do you mean 'No big deal'?!" Kagome and Sango scoffed at the exact same time.

"You are eighteen today! Don't you know what that means?!" Kagome knelt beside Rin and attempted to pull her up so that she could dress her for the day. Rin, however, had different ideas and tugged her arm away from the girl.

"It means that you are a full-fledged woman now. It means that any day now men are going to start lining up at that door asking you to bear their children." A fist quickly collided with the top of Miroku's head and he immediately went into sulking mode.

"Try not to listen to him. It is an art I still have not completely mastered." Sango sighed apologetically before glaring at her husband once more for emphasis.

"Why don't you all back off of her? I'm sure she wants some space. We all know what this day really means." InuYasha pushed off of the doorframe and took his place beside Kagome, pulling her to her feet. He was right, everyone did know what this day really meant to Rin. It was all she had been able to talk about since it was promised to her by Sesshomaru.

"Aye. This day has been long coming. I am sure the young woman wants some space to think." Kaede began to shoo people out of the hut and out into the ran where they were forced to quickly disperse to their own homes. "Take ye time, dear Rin." The old woman said before bowing out of the door herself. Rain did not mean that she could rest for the day. If anything, more villagers were bound to be sick in the wet and cold weather.

Finally alone, Rin stretched and began to brush the tangles from her hair. The rain pattering on the roof made for a fine mood brightener as she ran the bristles of the hairbrush that Kagome brought for her through her raven locks, giving them the sheen that men tended to love so much. After she finished, she got up and washed herself before putting on her clothes for the day. She chose the last kimono that Sesshomaru brought her: a long-sleeved kimono with a midnight-blue base and silver koi designs. She loved it because it made her feel like royalty, but hated it because its size reminded her that it had been almost three years since Sesshomaru came to see her last.

She could still remember when she received the gift. She was fourteen almost fifteen at the time, and she had been eagerly awaiting his arrival for almost two weeks. She made sure to pay attention during her lessons during that time. She always figured that if she seemed like she had learned all that she could from the humans then maybe, just maybe, Sesshomaru would take her with him once more. However, that day never did come. Instead, when the day came for him to arrive, he did so late in the night which was not common for him. Rin was not awake, which was most likely his intention, so he left the kimono delicately placed right beside her futon with a note that told her he would not return until the day of her eighteenth birthday.

Rin saved the note all of those years in hopes that it would keep his scent which calmed her whenever she felt as though she may be in danger. Throughout her childhood she began to develop severe anxiety whenever she was around too many humans at once, and as she got older she began to make the decision to stay inside and away from the others more and more. In short, Rin lost most of her innocent cheer.

After putting some essential oils on her skin, Rin poked her head out of the hut to get a whiff of the fresh rain-ridden air. She loved the rain so much. It reminded her that even the earth took the time to have an off day every once in a while, and that ultimately, the earth benefitted from its time off. With her anxiety, Rin had many days that she was hardly able to brave going outside, but Kagome and Sango were always there to assure her that it was okay to take some time to care for herself. They always reminded her that she would never be able to help anyone else if she wasn't first able to tend to her own needs.

The sound of children laughing filled the air suddenly as the clouds above began to part and let the sun through, signaling the end of the rain and, symbolically, the end of Rin's alloted introvert time. She knew that she needed to take advantage of the clearing weather to go see her "kids" as she had begun to start calling them.

At the edge of the village, there was a hut that was home to all of the orphaned children that Rin had come across in her time among the humans. Having grown up an orphan herself, she knew how hard it was to live among other humans who didn't understand what being an orphan meant to not only the child's quality of life, but their mental state as well.

As she approached the hut, she began to sense that there was a looming sense of tension. Cautiously, she stepped foot within the hut. The source of her feeling was quickly made known to her as feathers filled the air and the shrill sound of singing children filled her ears as they shamelessly belted out the "Happy Birthday" song that Kagome taught them a few years ago.

"Happy Birthday Rin!"

"We love you!"

"Thank you for everything that you do!" The young woman was quickly surrounded by six children who all but worshiped the ground she walked on. She was to them what Sesshomaru was to her: a savior, an idol, a source of life in their world of darkness and despair.

"Thank you guys!" She mustered the happiest sounding voice that she could manage amidst her inner conflict that day. "How did you guys do last night? It was cold. Did you tend to yourselves like I told you to? It's going to be warm today so you all need to make sure that you bathe..." before Rin could get too lost giving the children directions, the eldest stepped forth with a chuckle.

"We have it down, Rin. I will make sure that everything gets done. You just make sure to have a good birthday for us, okay?" The boy's name was Taiyo and he was the first orphan that Rin found. He was going on seventeen now and always seemed to ease Rin's mind when she would almost lose it worrying about the others who lived in the hut.

"I will be sure to. Do you remember what we talked about?" Taiyo sighed at the question, having been fearing that question.

"I do, and I am prepared to take the actions discussed then as well. I have everything taken care of. Just have a good birthday, Rin." He emphasized. He agreed to let the children know about Rin after she left the village. She knew that was unfair, but she simply didn't have it within herself to look into their eyes as she, their only parental figure, made the decision to leave. Of course her intention wasn't to leave them, but they couldn't possibly understand that at their young age.

After hugging each and every one of her "kids" twice over, she got up and left to find Kagome. She said that she had a few items that she wanted her to take with her when she left. Honestly there was no telling what Kagome had thought of in that crazy head of hers. Rin smiled softly as she thought of all of the times that the Higurashi girl burst into Lady Kaede's hut with something new from her era. The thing that Rin favored the most was these things called "tampons". They allowed her to pass her blood without making a huge mess. So, at the very least, she hoped that Kagome's looming care package included some of those for her journey.

The day passed with relative ease. Kagome's care package consisted of tampons, chocolate, and various other things that Rin had grown accustomed to in her time around the humans. Rin sat inside of Kaede's hut staring at the yellow backpack with a mild sense of sadness as she realized that this was probably the last time that she would be able to stock up on these things that she had grown to love. She also knew the meaning behind the yellow backpack and what it meant to everyone who had been taking care of her these past years. It made her heart warm to know that they found her worthy to pass it down to.

The only part of the day that was particularly difficult was the goodbyes. InuYasha and Miroku decided that it would be best if everyone said their part a few hours before Rin was set to leave. That way they could start "healing from their loss" as the two men so delicately put it. Rin knew that it would be difficult for them, but she hoped that they would soon manage to get back into the swing of life. The village definitely needed all of them to be on their best game. Especially with all of the children being born lately.

As the moon came to its crest in the sky, the air around the hut began to stir, causing the foundation to creak and moan. Rin gingerly got to her feet and moved the bamboo curtain aside to reveal a man of inhuman stature. His tall, slim figure was adorned with a beautiful, white-based robe adorned with mighty armor fit for a king. Long, silver hair outlined the man's entire frame and his golden eyes pierced through the night. "Rin." He greeted.

"Lord Sesshomaru." She murmured. Normally she would have bowed as she had been taught in her lessons, but at this point in time she was much too distracted by how utterly unchanged the man before her was from the last time she saw him. His skin remained every bit as youthful as it was when she first saw him wounded in the forest, and he seemed to be in as good of shape as ever. How Rin managed to form any sort of bond with a man such as this one was completely beyond her.

"I assume you have made your decision?" His deep voice surrounded her with a peace she hadn't known for a long while. She always had an overwhelming sense of safety around Sesshomaru, like she was untouchable. Though, in a way, she was. She knew that the InuYoukai would never let anyone lay so much as a threatening finger on her.

"Aye, my Lord." She stood, holding her bags, knowing that would be all the explanation that the man before her would desire.

"Then let us depart." The two walked out of the hut to be met with a certain white-haired hanyou that Sesshomaru had no particular liking for. "What is it, brother?" A hand surrounded in a green mist extended towards the half-demon.

"I'm not here to fight for once, so don't be a jerk. I just...take care of her." InuYasha sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers; something he did often now that Kagome was around almost constantly. "I know that you aren't really built for caring about people, but Rin has been through a lot. You know that. Just take care of her, alright?"

Rin stepped forward and, much to Sesshomaru's dismay, placed her hand on InuYasha's cheek before giving it a kiss. She then wrapped her arms tightly around the man and whispered a "thank you" in his ear. He returned the hug after a brief moment and breathed a quiet "happy birthday" in return. As the pair parted, the white-haired man gave his big brother one last look before jumping off into the night, no doubt going to comfort a disgruntled Higurashi girl.

Rin stared after him for a second before turning to run after Sesshomaru, who was already almost out of sight. When they made it back to A-Un, Rin sat right behind her Lord on the animal with ease. Before taking off, a clawed hand presented the woman with a tiny, wrapped package. "Happy Birthday, Rin." A deep voice rumbled before the air picked up, and the two set off into the dark night.

AN: Other chapters will be longer, but I had to get through the awkward leaving phase first. Thank you!

-SephyraCrescent