Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from Rumiko Takahashi's work.

A/N: The beginning of this story takes place after the last episode of the anime (Inuyasha Final Act). As explained in the episode, Rin is living in Inuyasha's village with Kaede.

Summary: Rin's third death forced Sesshoumaru to search his roots in order to bring her back to life. What secret had his mother kept from him for so many years? Could Rin still be saved? Who was going to save her: A shinigami whose presence intrigued him or an inuyokai clan he did not know existed?

Sesshoumaru had always believed it was impossible for any female to make him fall head over heels. What happened when he finally met his match: one whose heart was colder than his, someone who had been dead for 1000 years? Sesshoumaru x OC

GLOSSARY:

Miko: Priestess (most of the time it refers to Kagome)

Daiyokai: A powerful class of yokai, much more powerful than the regular ones

Aneue: Older sister

Aniue: Older brother

Baba: Old lady

Gobodo-sama: Honourable Lady Mother (this is what Jaken called Sesshomaru's mother)

Rulers of Four Directions

Chapter 01: The Girl Who Could Not Stop Dreaming

It was a night of the full moon.

On a meadow not far from Inuyasha's village, two girls were on their hands and knees, diligently searching for something among the grass. They only had two small lanterns to aid their search, but the lights of hundreds of fireflies surrounding them were more than enough.

"Have you found some, Rin?" Kagome asked, as she meticulously searched through the field of full grown grass.

"Not yet, Kagome-sama" The younger girl answered. She separated those blades of grass carefully and once in a while stopped to examine one weed or another.

"This really is like searching for a needle in a haystack, isn't it?" said Kagome, laughing light-heartedly. "Kaede-sama did warn us it will be difficult to find..."

"It can't be helped, right, Kagome-sama? Don't you need it for your sick patients?"

"Umm..." The priestess replied approvingly. For a moment, silence passed between them.

"Thank you, Rin." Kagome said. "Without you, there's probably no chance I'd be able to find it."

Rin responded with her carefree laughter. Searching for some weed in the middle of the night would be an unpleasant, if not troublesome, task for others. But the little girl seemed to be having so much fun.

"Please don't worry about it, Kagome-sama" She said. "Besides, didn't Kaede-sama say aside from being a potent medicine, it's also delicious to eat? If we gather lots of it, everyone can try some."

The girl's words caused a smile to appear on Kagome's face.

"Well then..." She said. "Let's hurry so we can get home just in time for dinner."

They each went back to their search. It wasn't long before Rin decided to widen her search area and moved further away from her companion. They had been searching for quite a long time and her body started to feel the exhaustion. She sighed and wiped her damp forehead with the sleeve of her kimono and almost immediately, regretted her carelessness. It was one of the fine kimonos Sesshoumaru-sama gave her as a present during his last visit. She lowered her gaze to inspect her soiled garments. She could see grass, dust, and dirt stains here and there. She sighed again and promised herself to wash the garments as soon as they arrived home.

A cluster of weed not so far away caught her attention. Her anxious steps brought her closer to the plants in question. She extended her hand to pick one stem, the one with tiny purple flower on top. As she peered at it with her curious eyes, she slipped her hand beneath her obi and pulled out a sheet of paper. On it was Kaede-sama's sketch of the sought weed. Her eyes moved back and forth between the paper and the weed she held in her other hand.

'This is it!' She thought cheerfully. 'It looks just like how Kaede-sama describes it! Even the flower is just like it!'

"Kagome-sama!" She called out to her companion who was still hard at work. "I found it! I found a bunch of them!"

"Ehh? Really?"

As Rin waited for Kagome to come closer, she peered at the weed even more closely. Can such an ordinary looking thing be so precious that they spent so much time searching for it? It looked just like a common grass...

'Oh well...' She thought to herself. 'If Kaede-sama and miko-sama say so...'

And with one easy motion, she brought the weed to her lips and bit it off.

Elsewhere, at the edge of a dark forest, an intriguing pack was seen making their camp for the night. They had lit a fire to fend off the chill air of early spring. Three creatures surrounded the fire: two yokai and interestingly, a human. A young male human child at that.

Jaken sat still watching the fire, his arms were hugging his only weapon: the two-headed staff called Nintojo. Behind him, Ah Un sprawled on the ground with both heads leisurely feeding on young grass below. The human boy sat quietly tending the fire. Most of the time, his dark eyes were fixated to the crackling source of heat but every now and then, he would raise his gaze to stare at the back of a male figure standing solitarily quite a few steps away from them. Though mentioned the last, the male did not appear to be the least important by any standard.

He stood motionlessly on the edge of a cliff with head lifted high to stare at the full moon above. He was certainly a sight to behold. The long silver strands of his hair reflected the moonlight. The soft breeze tousled his hair and the sleeves of his red and white kimono along with the white fury pelt draped over his right shoulder. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, though no one could tell what occupied his mind.

"Jaken-sama...?" The boy called out to the toad yokai, who only snorted to answer. "What do you think is going on with Sesshoumaru-sama? Don't you think he's been acting strange?"

"You insolent child!" Jaken scolded as he waved his two-headed staff at the boy. "Who are you to judge Sesshoumaru-sama that way?"

'But certainly...' The little yokai said inwardly after he calmed down. Secretly, he stole a glance at his master. 'My Lord seemed unusually troubled today... I wonder what's going through his mind... Or is he just having one of his foul moods?'

"Well..." Jaken said. "It's not uncommon for Sesshoumaru-sama to be a little strange. My Lord does many strange things. For example... YOU!" Once again he raised his staff and waved it at the boy. "Kohaku, I would never understand why Sesshoumaru-sama let you come along with him! Why would the honourable Daiyokai of the West travel with a mere human child? You would be nothing but a burden to him!"

Kohaku grinned at travelling companion's latest ramble of the day. With suppressed giggle he replied,

"Obviously... It's because Sesshoumaru-sama recognizes my skill as a demon slayer. This way, he doesn't have to concern himself with lesser demons, does he?"

"Hmmph!" Jaken grunted at the boy's words. "I've never heard such a stupid theory. My Lord need not rely on anyone to rid those pesky nobodies. Slaying them is easier than breathing for him."

Silence returned to the camp as they both returned to the realm of their own thoughts.

'Indeed...' Kohaku thought to himself as he continued watching the fire. 'It's still a mystery why Sesshoumaru-sama simply let me tag along. Even Aneue, Inuyasha-sama, and the others were quite baffled...'

Again he raised his gaze to stare at Sesshoumaru's back. The daiyokai was still staring at the big round moon, his thoughts remained as mysteries to his wards.

The daiyokai himself could not decipher the cause of his discomfort. He had mentally searched high and low for the reason for that unsettling feeling, but he still couldn't quite put his finger on it. A feeling of looming disaster was not something the daiyokai was familiar with. He had enough power and confidence to keep things going according to his desire. Even knowing so, why did he still feel something was amiss?

His sensitive hearing captured the whispered conversation among his wards. He turned his head just slightly so he could see them from the corner of his eye. They were safe as long as they remained by his side. Jaken, Ah Un... and Kohaku, who was temporarily under his protection...

'Rin...'

He gritted his teeth, summoning his strength to suppress his frustration. There could only be one reason left for this unsettling premonition... Could it be that Rin was in danger? With clenched jaw he considered the possibility. Sometimes he did not even know why he decided to leave Rin in the human village. Would there be a safer place than by his side, where he could watch over her and ensure her safety? But then, each time he allowed himself to entertain that thought, Tenseiga would pulse slightly to remind him of the Meido Zangetsuha incident that cost him Rin's life.

Rin's safety was something he needed to ascertain. Unwilling to waste any more time, he leaped into the night sky and flew as fast as his youki could carry him. Jaken and Kohaku called out to him, undoubtedly alarmed at his abrupt departure. But he did not turn back, he could not afford more delay.

"...RIN!"

Kagome's scream caused Inuyasha to jerk in alarm. Although she was away from the house, his sensitive hanyou ears could hear her desperate call, and it was enough to make him leap to his feet. He looked around at his comrades' confused faces. Her scream certainly did not reach their human ears.

"It's Kagome!" He exclaimed. "Something must've happened to Rin!"

Without waiting for their response, he leaped out of the house, trusting his nose to follow their scent. He reached the meadow in mere seconds, stopping only when he had reached their side. Kagome was on her knees with Rin in her arms. The little girl was motionless. Her eyes were closed, almost as if she was just sleeping.

"Rin...? Rin...!" Kagome called her over and over again as she shook the girl's body almost to the point of violence.

"What happened?" asked Inuyasha as he knelt next to his mate.

His question startled her, as if she had just realized his presence. She turned to stare into his golden eyes.

"I... I'm not sure..." She said, her face filled with confusion. "One moment she was calling out to me... telling me we have found what we were looking for... then all of a sudden, she fell onto the ground..." She tried to explain. "And she has been like this ever since..."

They both stared at Rin's seemingly lifeless face, devoid of her usual cheer and good spirit. Inuyasha's eyes caught Rin's clenched hand and carefully, he unclenched her fingers. His finding caused a deep frown on his face. It was a stem of some sort of weed. He lifted it closer to his face.

"Is this what you guys were looking for?" He asked as he held it out for Kagome to see.

"Umm... yeah..." Kagome answered hesitantly, still couldn't fully comprehend what had just happened. "I guess so... it looks like the herb Kaede-sama described..."

Inuyasha's frown grew deeper. He brought the weed closer to his nose and sniffed it. It carried the scent of grass, nothing out of ordinary. He could not smell poison or any other substance they needed to be wary of.

"...She's not breathing..." Kagome's sudden words startled him. "Rin's not breathing!" She repeated, her glassy dark eyes bore into his amber ones.

"Oy... That can't be..." He couldn't believe her, but he came to realize something that stopped him from saying further. He could not hear Rin's heartbeat. He lowered his head, inching one inu ear closer to Rin's chest, hoping to capture a heartbeat no matter how weak it was. But nothing...

"This can't be..." He whispered. "Her heartbeat isn't there either..."

"Inuyasha! Kagome-sama!"

Inuyasha turned around to find Miroku running towards them, carrying Kaede-baba on his back. Both were beyond shock to see Rin's state.

"What on earth happened to Rin?" Kaede-baba as she shuffled over. She placed two fingers underneath Rin's nose to check her breathing, and again on her neck to check her pulse. Both were not present. The old miko was at loss.

"Baba," Inuyasha said as he handed over the weed he found in Rin's hand. "She was holding this when I found her..."

Kaede-baba took the weed and brought it closer to her eyes. A deep frown appeared on her forehead.

"This is..." She started to say. "This is not what you girls were looking for..." She looked at Kagome. "At least, I don't think it is... It does look similar to the herb but there are some subtle differences... But whatever this is, she must've eaten it..."

"Is it something poisonous, you think?" Inuyasha asked.

"I can't be sure..."

'This is bad...' Inuyasha thought to himself. 'To have neither breath nor heartbeat... Rin, what on earth happened to you?'

"Let's bring her back to the house for now. " Miroku suggested. He was already on his knees, ready to hoist her body up. "We'll think this through..."

Something changed in the air that caused Inuyasha to be on his guard. His nose captured a familiar scent, the scent of a certain yokai he really did not want around at that moment.

"Sesshoumaru..." He uttered under his breath.

The daiyokai could smell Rin's scent from miles away. However, her scent was mingled with Inuyasha's, as well as the scent of that priestess and their comrades. He narrowed his eyes when he saw them all but almost immediately, he saw something that almost stopped him in his track.

Rin was laying flat on the ground with her eyes closed. He wanted to believe she was just sleeping yet he sensed something different about her, and not in a good way. He landed a few steps away from the gathering crowd, Jaken and Kohaku followed shortly.

"You're here, Sesshoumaru..." Inuyasha greeted his half-brother cautiously. They were all aware of how much the daiyokai treasure the little girl. And thus Inuyasha was not sure how Sesshoumaru would react upon discovering Rin's death, but he knew better than to drop his guard. He would not be surprised if the yokai lord planned to make somebody pay for the loss.

"Sesshoumaru, there's got to be an explanation to this..." said Inuyasha. His eyes followed Sesshoumaru's every move warily as he sensed the pure-bred yokai's rising youki.

"Move." Sesshoumaru merely said as he approached Rin's unmoving body. The other humans parted to let him through. He was too engrossed in Rin's condition to care about what the hanyou tried to tell him.

Sesshoumaru had always thought of himself as a creature with superior senses, even amongst pure-blooded demons. He had always been able to sense those around him. Their scent, their breathing, their heartbeats, their aura... Nothing could escape him.

He stopped when he reached Rin's side. He lowered himself to his knee and lifted her upper body. Her head fell on the armour on his chest, eyes closed still. Her pink lips were slightly open. A peaceful face, as if she was just dreaming. But one thing he was sure of... he could not sense her life-force. Just like those times.

'Open your eyes, Rin.' He called her inwardly.

The strength of his wish to have her opened those dark brown eyes to look up to him and smile astonished him. If only she would grant him that wish, then he would gladly be astonished. But the girl remained motionless. There was not even the slightest flutter on those raven eyelashes.

'Wake up, Rin.' He commanded her silently. 'Are you trying to force this Sesshoumaru to accept your death, again?'

Only the howling wind answered his command. Sesshoumaru was at loss. It took a great amount of strength from within to force himself to realize that Rin was indeed dead. The yokai lord held the girl's body closer, pressing her cheek against his chest plate. He could feel tremor rising from deep inside him, though whether it was anger or grief, he could not distinguish.

"Rin..." Jaken tried to call as he reached her side. The toad yokai could not stop tears from running down his face when he saw her. "Why are you doing this again, Rin?" He wailed. "Don't you know what you're putting Sesshoumaru-sama through?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama..." Kohaku said in his low voice when he joined the Lord and servant on his knees next to her body. "Is Rin truly...?"

"How did this happen?" Sesshoumaru's low, menacing growl sent alarm through them all. "How did this happen?" He repeated, growing more and more enraged with each word.

"Sesshoumaru, if you want to blame someone... blame me!" Kagome exclaimed, much to her mate's surprise, causing him to stare at her as if she had gone insane.

"Kagome, what do you think you're doing?" He tried to stop her, fearing she would add more fuel to the fire. But she ignored him fully.

"... I was with her when it suddenly happened..." She told Sesshoumaru, whose eyes were still glued to his ward's expressionless face. "Rin's death was my fault... I didn't watch over her... Therefore, Sesshoumaru... If you want to kill someone, then kill me!"

Inuyasha laid his hand on the hilt of his sword, preparing himself for the possibility of Sesshoumaru losing composure to his grief and attacked. He could feel the dampness of his palm as he anxiously waited for the yokai lord to make the first move. But Sesshoumaru remained motionless on one knee.

"If I kill you..." He said in a low voice, causing Inuyasha's eyes to widen. "If I kill all of you... Would it bring Rin back to life?" His question left them all speechless. "...Miko, yours is not the life I want."

Inuyasha took his hand off Tetsusaiga though his eyes were still fixated on Sesshoumaru's back. He never felt emotionally close to Sesshoumaru, but he could sense the despair his half-brother felt over losing Rin.

'Sesshoumaru... Your sorrow is so deep that you don't even care about revenge?' He mused.

The yokai lord could not take his eyes off Rin's face. He could not comprehend how death could snatch her away so suddenly. Without wounds, without illness, and also without the appearance of those small creatures of the afterlife...

"That little girl is not dead" A sudden silky voice yanked the demon lord back to reality. He was so perturbed that he did not sense the arrival of the owner of the voice.

"...Go...Go...Gobodo-sama...!" Jaken shrieked.

Sesshoumaru swiftly turned around and found himself face to face with the demoness who was his mother. He rose to his feet to stand before her. She had her usual cold, ethereal smile on her face as she regarded him. Her eyes paused momentarily on his left arm, the one he regenerated when he obtained Bakusaiga, yet she said nothing of it.

"Did you hear me, Sesshoumaru?" The demoness asked again before repeating herself. "The little girl is not dead."

"What do you mean by that, lady?" Inuyasha asked the stranger who had suddenly appeared unnoticed.

Lady Isha regarded the owner of the question with her pair of golden eyes. It was a half-breed with pointy white ears and long silver hair. She did not need to think twice as to who this hanyou was.

"So you are their son..." She said indifferently. "I do see a great deal of him in you..."

Inuyasha frowned. She said things as if she knew exactly who he was, but she was a stranger to him. Before he had a chance to utter any words, Sesshoumaru spoke,

"What are you trying to say, Mother?"

To hear Sesshoumaru referring the uninvited demoness as "Mother" brought shock to the group of humans and half-blood who gathered around. Needless to say, no one even knew she was still on this earth prior to her unexpected appearance.

Lady Isha did not answer. For a brief moment, she fixed her eyes on Inuyasha or rather, at what he held in his hand.

"Hanyou," She called him. "Hand over that weed you are holding in your hand..."

Inuyasha nodded and surrendered the weed he had in his possession since Kaede-baba and Miroku's arrival. The demoness examined it briefly before she announced,

"As I thought... The little girl has fallen under the spell of Nemuri Hime... How rare to see this plant here, as it is not native to this land"

"Nemuri Hime?" Sesshoumaru repeated. The crease on his forehead deepened. "A poison?"

"Not exactly. It is an herb incredibly useful for curing insomnia and thus the name, Nemuri Hime, the 'sleeping princess'. When used inappropriately, it causes one to fall into a deep sleep without a chance of ever waking up. And as I see here..." She pointed to the top portion that had been bitten off. "The little girl has feed herself an enormous dosage of the herb."

"So you are saying..." Kagome started.

"...She is sleeping, lost in the realm of dreams." Lady Isha affirmed the human Miko's inkling. "And will continue to do so..." She took one last look at Rin and shrugged. "Well, that's all there is to it..."

"Wait," Said Sesshoumaru as he took one step closer to the demoness. "Did you say there is no chance for Rin to ever wake up?"

Lady Isha did not answer. She returned her son's glare with her own olden eyes that appeared very much identical to his.

"...You heard me correctly" She finally confirmed it.

"But didn't you say she's not dead yet?" a deep growl came from Inuyasha. "If she's not dead yet, there's gotta be a way to save her!"

"Any effort will be futile." The demoness said, returning the hanyou's fervent gaze. "I simply said she is not dead just yet because she is still in the realm of dreams at present. Her soul still resides in her body. However..." She shifted her gaze to her son. "She is steadily treading the path to the afterlife. Similar to those who went to sleep and never wakes up."

She observed Rin's calm face one last time, just as if the girl was merely sleeping soundly. With a deep sigh, she turned around and began to take her leave.

"The only thing you can do now is be grateful that she passed in peace..." She uttered as she passed Sesshoumaru. "For a mere human child to spend so much time with you, a full-blooded yokai... Imagine what kind of pitiful ends she could have met. That girl is destined to die sooner than later."

His mother's parting words caused the yokai lord to grimace.

"Don't listen to her, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha barked. "Let's find a way to cure Rin! There's got to be something we can do to wake her up!"

Inuyasha's confident exclamation caused the demoness to halt her steps.

"You may try your hardest, but I can assure you that you will fail." She calmly said. "And while you are wasting your time to find a cure, the girl is walking deeper and deeper into the realm of dream and sooner than you can imagine, she will pass on to the netherworld. And that is a point of no return."

"...Meido-seki..." Sesshoumaru whispered in a low, almost inaudible voice, but alas loud enough for his mother's fine hearing. "I want you to use the Meido-seki Father left you to bring her back."

Lady Isha did not utter a word. She merely kept her silence as she gazed into her son's adamant amber orbs. Sesshoumaru's attachment to the little girl... To say that it was incomprehensible to her was a huge understatement, though it did amused her at times thinking about their relationship. She shook her head and heaved a deep sigh.

"...Sesshoumaru. I could only guess the state of your despair but your words have confirmed how desperate you are." She said. "Have you forgotten my warning after I revived her that last time? Or are you so cocky that you believe the rule of mortality does not apply to you and your minions?"

She paused to gesture towards Rin. "The girl has died once and revived with Tenseiga. She died the second time and yet again revived with this Meido-seki. Sesshoumaru, a third revival is not possible." She took the Meido-seki necklace around her neck and traced the large round pendant with her long, slender fingers. "Even if I were to place this necklace around her neck, it will not bring her back. This is the end for her."

The female inuyokai arched one eyebrow when she heard the soft sobs coming from Jaken.

"Little yokai..." She called him.

"It's Jaken, Gobodo-sama!" The green imp shrieked, another futile effort to remind the lady.

"Tell me, little yokai... Are you crying again?"

"...It's like what I've told you last time, Gobodo-sama..." Jaken weeped, round teardrops were running down his face. "Sesshoumaru-sama by nature cannot shed tears... So it is my duty to cry in his stead..."

The female inuyokai shifted her gaze to her son, whose eyes were fixated on his ward's seemingly sleeping face. It was difficult to see what went on under that cold mask of his, but she could sense the inner turmoil he was struggling with.

"Sesshoumaru," She called his name, forcing him to avert his gaze to meet hers. "If indeed this girl is so precious to you, why have you not protected her and ensured her well-being with your own hands? Have I not scolded you enough about the sorrow and fear of losing a loved one? About the desire to save a loved one? Or did you truly believe you need not fear death as long as you possess Tenseiga, or this Meido-seki?"

Sesshoumaru did not answer. He could not. He regarded Rin's first death as nothing momentous, merely an opportunity presented to him at the right time and place to test the power of Tenseiga. Her second death, however, was entirely different. The fear and soon after, the realization, of losing her had shaken the daiyokai to his core. The dreadful memory of it was precisely the reason why he expelled her from the pack, as difficult as it was for him not to have her around. He had believed she would be safer living amongst her own kind, not amongst demons and constantly facing danger.

'How could this happen?' He thought inwardly. 'Should I have not let you leave my side? Rin... have I killed you once again?'

The sorrow he felt was almost too much to suppress. It sent waves of grief and remorse through his entire being, causing the usually calm and composed yokai lord to shudder slightly. He lowered his head and gritted his teeth, his fingers were balled into a fist. His grief was so deep and numbing that he did not even feel the pain as his sharp talons jabbed into the flesh of his palm. Fresh blood leaked out of his clenched fist, slowly dripping onto the ground.

'Sesshoumaru...' Inuyasha was at loss just thinking about consoling his mournful brother. He did not even know where to start. He had guessed Sesshoumaru's attachment to Rin was strong and had witnessed proofs of it over the years, but never had he seen the proud pure-blooded yokai in such a deep sorrow.

Lady Isha watched Sesshoumaru's quiet struggle. Finding ways to save the human girl was not her responsibility to bear, and she certainly wasn't planning to do so at the beginning. But even so, she could not bear to see his pained face. She was not that cold of a demoness to ignore her own son's suffering completely.

'Another chance, Sesshoumaru...' She sighed inwardly. 'But do not expect any more...'

"Listen to what I have to say, Sesshoumaru, and listen well..." She told him, her voice stern and commanding.

"There is something you do not know about your mother, and about yourself." The lady yokai began. "Around the same time when your father started seeking for affection from a certain... human lover," She paused to give Inuyasha a meaningful glance. "I realized I was carrying his child. Clearly, it wasn't you. It was another, three hundred years younger than yourself."

"Your father had marred my pride as a pure-blooded inuyokai of nobility and thus, I left him without saying a word about his unborn child. During the twelve month cycle of my pregnancy, I hid myself in my homeland until I gave birth to a pup. A female. Right after she was born, I left her there and have never seen her since."

There was silence as Lady Isha observed her son's expression. He maintained his usual regal composure on his face as she expected, but a flicker of astonishment in his eyes as she delivered the news did not escape her. The thought of what went through his mind at that moment almost brought a smile on the demoness' lips.

"That's right, Sesshoumaru." The lady yokai said gently, her expression softened. "Your sister. A pure-blooded inuyokai such as yourself. The blood that runs in her veins is the same as yours. You will not find another yokai who possesses a closer tie to you."

Another moment of silence passed before Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to speak.

"I have had my suspicions but now you have confirmed them..." He said. "You are indeed insane."

His words could be considered offensive, but they put a smile on his mother's face nonetheless.

"Ara... Sesshoumaru, do you not believe what your Mother just said?"

"For a mother to abandon her pure-blooded yokai offspring... It is quite a disturbing thing to hear, even coming from a mother like you."

"Honestly, Sesshoumaru..." The female demoness whined as she turned away from her son, sulking. "You are just like your grandfather... Saying such cruel thing to your own mother..."

"My grandfather?" He frowned. Just like the sister he did not know he had, his mother had never mentioned anything about his grandfather either.

"That's right." She turned back to face him. "Your grandfather. My father, the daiyokai of the East."

"Sesshoumaru, you have always worshipped your father and put him on a pedestal in your own mind. And perhaps he did deserve all that glory. However, you have never realized that your mother comes from a long, incredibly powerful lineage of inuyokai. And Shogo-sama, the inutaisho of the east... Your grandfather, is the eldest and most powerful inuyokai alive. He has reigned over the eastern lands for over 2000 years. If there is a being on this earth who can save your precious girl..." She gestured towards Rin. "It would be him."

"How can you be so sure?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Because Nemuri Hime is something I learned from him..." She answered. "The plant is native to the eastern lands. No one here knows of its existence. As far as they know, such a thing does not exist."

Lady Isha waited for her son to respond. After some time passed without a sign of Sesshoumaru opening his mouth, she spoke,

"...What will you do, Sesshoumaru?" She asked, a cunning smile bloomed on her lips. "Firstly, with your precious ward's life at stake, will you not go to the east and seek your grandfather's help? And... Are you not just a tiny bit curious to meet your sister? Don't you think it would be a pleasant change to have a sibling whom you have no desire to kill every time you both meet?"

"Hn. This Sesshoumaru will be the judge of that." He simply said. He was ready to lift Rin up and carry her away from the meadow when Lady Isha raised her hand to stop him.

"I am not done yet." She said.

Sesshoumaru inhaled deeply. The Gods knew how much his mother loved to test his patience. He never had any reason to put up with it and thus he never did. But this time... Just this one time, in view of the fact that she had given him a lead that might revive Rin, he was willing to exert all his strength to entertain her.

"Yes, Mother?"

"Sesshoumaru, do not think I told you the truth about your lineage to save the human girl." She said. "It was all for your sake. As a daiyokai, you are merely a child and still have so much to learn."

"Are you saying this Sesshoumaru is not fit to rule?"

"That is irrelevant." Lady Isha said as she waved her hand to gesture the insignificance of his notion. "The point of the matter is, there are many things you do not know yet. For example..." She raised her hand to show him the Nemuri Hime she held between her fingers. "...This. You may say this is a mere weed and yet, Sesshoumaru... this mere weed is threatening the life of your precious ward." Her eyes narrowed into a pair of golden slits. "What if you had known...? What if you had known how to awaken her?"

The yokai lord narrowed his eyes. His mother's criticism on his knowledge was certainly not welcomed. Alas, he could not deny the truth in her words.

"And you don't even know anything about your grandfather and the eastern lands..." She resumed and at the same time shook her head in mock despair.

'That's because you've never told him!' Jaken, who had been silently witnessing the conversation between the strange pair of mother and son, shrieked inwardly.

"Hn. How ridiculous." Sesshoumaru said. "Are you finished now, Mother?"

"One last thing I shall do..." She replied as she approached him. She took off the Meido-seki necklace and draped it around his neck.

"You shall carry this with you." She said softly and much to Sesshoumaru's amazement, stroked his right cheek. He had not felt her touch for many years, but her hand felt unexpectedly warm. "Just one look at you, even without this Meido-seki, your grandfather will instantly recognize who you are. But with this necklace, no one shall have any doubt that you are indeed my son."

Sesshoumaru gave her a nod. He finally had the chance to turn around and lower himself to lift Rin's body from the ground. As he was leaving, her mother stopped him with parting words.

"Sesshoumaru, remember this. Though I said your grandfather can save the little girl, there is only a slim chance that he would be willing to. He is an old fashioned inuyokai who utterly loathe the lesser being. Think back to the times when you absolutely could not tolerate even the slightest thought of humans, and multiply that by tenfold. Knowing this, would you still go?"

The yokai lord stood still with Rin's body in his arms. He turned his head just slightly to call his wards before he resumed his departure.

"We're leaving."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken and Kohaku answered in unison and hopped on Ah Un saddle, ready to take their leave.

"Aniue," Kohaku said to Miroku before they left. "Please give my regards to my sister. Tell her I'm sorry I can't see her just yet. But I will visit you both and my nieces and nephew very soon."

Miroku nodded. "Take care, Kohaku." He said. "Do your best to assist Sesshoumaru to bring Rin back."

Kohaku gave his brother-in-law one last nod before he pulled Ah Un's reins and soared to the sky to follow the yokai lord. Inuyasha and Kagome, Miroku and Kaede-baba, along with the inu demoness watched Sesshoumaru and his pack in silence.

"...So, that means Rin can be saved, right?" Kagome asked, her voice filled with hope.

"Ah...Let's hope so." Her mate answered.

"It's unfortunate..." Lady Isha said, causing the humans to stare at her with alarm. Her eyes were still glued to the two small, faraway figures of her son and his pack. "The little girl is going to die..."

Thanks for reading! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. It's nice to know there are people who read my story after working so hard on it. We'll part here for now. See you again at the next chapter.

-Chiaztolite-