"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!" The girl's voice sliced through the air. The hideous demon chasing her was crashing through the trees, and she was unable to keep the pace up. Her feet caught on a root and the girl fell to the ground. Her hands came over her head in defense as she whimpered her lord's name "Sesshoumaru-sama, please save me!" Her trepidation was interrupted as the sound of an arrow shot through the forest. The girl turned her head only to see the last of the demon being purified to dust.
Kagome jogged over to the girl and helped her up,
"Are you alright?" As soon as Kagome saw the face, a shock of recognition shot through her veins, she knew this girl. However, she could not place where or how she knew her, she just seemed so familiar. The girl had long black hair, down to about her waist, she looked to be about 11 or 12 years of age. Realization struck the miko, 'Had she called out Sesshoumaru's name?' It had been almost five years since she'd last seen the taiyoukai 'Could this girl be...' Kagome kneeled down in front of the girl and got a closer view of her face, "Might you be Rin?" The girl's face lit up,
"Yes! Yes I am! You are the miko Sesshoumaru-sama's brother traveled with aren't you?" Kagome smiled, but her eyes revealed the sadness she bore at the mention of the hanyou,
"I'm surprised you remember me, you've grown!" Rin smiled as Kagome patted her shoulders.
"You look different too miko-sama."
"Call me Kagome, mmkay?" Kagome smiled warmly at the child and rose to her feet. Rin watched the priestess rise with awe. Kagome looked so beautiful and powerful in her miko garb and bow at her side. Her hair was tied back in a high ponytail, much like Sango's used to be in battle. Kagome looked down at Rin and smiled.
"Hai, Kagome-sama" Rin replied with warmth. However the smile she wore was soon replaced with a look of worry, "Where could Sesshoumaru-sama be? He must've heard the demon, it was so loud!" Kagome's face twisted into a look of worry and dread. One, she really didn't feel like dealing the with youkai lord near her village, though he most likely meant no harm. Two, she hadn't seen him in so long she didn't know what to expect or what her reaction would be. Three, the resemblance would most likely stir up memories the miko had been trying to suppress all these years. But Kagome couldn't just leave the girl to fend for herself until the demon lord returned. Kagome sighed but quickly perked up for Rin,
"Say Rin, would you like to help me find some herbs and maybe some berries or mushrooms?" At the sound of food Rin jumped,
"Hai Hai! I'm so very hungry!" Kagome smiled and took the girl's hand into her own.
"Let us go shall we?" The two padded off into the trees, while a secret observer took in the whole scene.
"The miko." A deep, smooth voice whispered as his golden eyes watched over the woman and the child. He hadn't laid eyes upon her in years, not since the defeat of Naraku. She had changed, but the same girl was still there. Her face had matured, her curves become more defined, and her hair had grown much longer, down to past her waist. She was no longer in the strange clothing as he had remembered, but adorned the robes of a priestess. However, there was something very different about her than he recalled, something he couldn't quite explain. Her eyes had taken on a sort of sadness, a solemn glow that had once been the bright and fiery spirit of a teenage girl. She still retained the bold courage she had before however, and the taiyoukai flinched slightly at the memory of her shooting her arrows at him. 'What a fool she had been' he thought to himself. His ears twitched as the two girls' laughter echoed through the trees, 'Perhaps, I will wait for the miko to find me." He smiled once more, lowered himself against a tree, and waited.