InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ East of the Sun, West of the Moon ❯ An Interesting Find ( Chapter 1 )

*Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Inuyasha owns me.*

A/N: Here's the first chapter. Sorry for the long wait. It's not going to

follow the Cupid and Psyche template right off the bat because I want it to

be original as well as having the sweet romance of that tale. Well, here

goes and enjoy!

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"Rin, wait up. Don't run off so fast," yelled Kagome. Before she could

catch up, her younger sister was long gone. "Oh great," Kagome sighed.

`I have to find her before nightfall. This part of the forest is known to be lurking with youkai, especially at night. Gosh, she's only six and she thinks she can take care of herself already,' thought Kagome. Kagome looked up at the sky toward the west. From its position, she knew she had about an hour and a half before sunset. "I'd better hurry," she breathed.

"Sooo cold," Rin said as she giggled. She was standing knee-length in stream of flowing water; her small hands grasping the bottom of her kimono so as not to get it wet. She reveled at how the cool water felt against her bare skin. She looked down at the water, watching the sakura petals that had landed on the water's surface get carried downstream. Her mind wandered to her two sisters. She loved Kagome dearly, but sometimes Kagome was just too protective of her and it can get annoying. Kikyou, on the other hand, gave her more freedom to run around and just be herself. She really missed Kikyou.

"There you are," gasped Kagome. "I thought I told you not to run off by yourself. It's getting late. We should head back soon."

"Demo, Rin wants to stay just a little bit longer," Rin whined.

"Okay, but just for a few more moments."

"Kagome-neechan. Twins can feel each other right? How's Kikyou-neechan feeling?" Rin asked as she looked up at Kagome. Kagome could feel that Rin really misses Kikyou.

"Our Kikyou-neechan is doing just fine. I can't feel her all the time, but that's a good thing. I can only feel her when there are strong emotions, like fear or anger. Right now I'm not feeling anything, so I'm sure she's just fine. Don't worry," Kagome said reassuringly.

"I really miss her. Do you think she misses us too?"

"Oh Rin. Of course she misses us."

"Then why is she avoiding us? Does she not care about us anymore?"

"It's not like that. You were too you to understand what happened. You know she doesn't get along with Father's new wife."

"Oh I hate Kagura sooo much!" Rin said as she clenched her fists. If not for her, Kikyou would still be here."

"Actually," Kagome began, "its Kagura related. But the real reason is that she wants to avoid getting married to Onigumo."

"Who's Onigumo?"

"You wouldn't remember him anyway. You met him once several years back."

"What's he like?"

"He gives me the chills-the way his eyes look. It's like he wants to devour you. Anyway, he appeared soon after Father married Kagura and asked for Kikyou-neechan's hand in marriage when she was of age. Father initially refused, but Kagura persuaded him by singing praises of Onigumo when in reality, she just wanted the bribes coming from him. So six months ago, when we turned sixteen, Kikyou left to continue her miko training as an excuse to avoid the marriage. Father allowed her to leave on the condition that the wedding will `commence immediately upon her return' as he puts it."

Kagome then gazes up at the darkening sky; her thoughts wandering to Kikyou and how lonely she must be feeling right now, away from her family. Tears began welling up in Rin's eyes.

"Kagome-neechan, I don't think she's coming back," Rin sobbed. "I don't think we'll ever see her again!"

Kagome then turned her head to face her distressed younger sister who was still standing in the water. She wanted to comfort Rin, but instead gave a horrified expression as she cried, "Rin! Get out of the water quickly!"

Rin looked down, startled to see that the water beneath her has turned a crimson red. Blood. Dumbfounded, she quickly glanced in the direction of the source of the blood. She hastily jumped out of the water and ran toward the source. Kagome followed suit. Rin ran as fast as she could. Ahead of her, she could make out two forms laying on the ground near the bank of the river. She slowed down as she neared the smaller of the two forms. Kagome reached her moments later, gasping for air. Rin knelt down to check out the blood stained form.

"Kagome-neechan. It's a puppy. It's not moving, but I think it's still alive."

Without further hesitation, Kagome walked over and knelt by the larger form a few feet away to check out its condition. She could make out that it was a leopard-an unusually large leopard.

"Rin, this one wasn't so lucky. It didn't survive whatever happened. It appears that the blood came mostly from this leopard," Kagome said as she glanced over to Rin, who was already knee deep in the stream washing the small dog's fur.

"Kagome-neechan. Look. Its fur is white. I couldn't tell earlier from all the blood. It's such a cute puppy. I want to take it home and take care it." Kagome walked over to Rin to check out the dog.

"Rin, the dog's a he and it's not a puppy. It's small, but the features are of an adult dog. See, it's not chubby cute like you are," Kagome said as she playfully poked Rin's tummy. "Anyhow, I don't think it's such a good idea to take him home."

"Why not?"

"Well, Kagura hates pets-not like I care, but this dog might be dangerous."

"He's not. I just know he'll be a good dog."

"Rin, just look around you. This small dog took on that leopard and survived, leaving that leopard, who's fifteen times its size, dead. It's not safe to have such a creature around."

"But he's injured, Kagome-neechan. I can't just leave him here," Rin said as she held onto the dog protectively.

"Alright. I guess it's ok to take care of him until he recovers, but we have to find a cave were we can place him. He's not coming home with us."

"Thanks so much Kagome-neechan. You're the best!"

Kagome sighed. It's hard to refuse Rin anything, especially since she's lost so much at such a young age. At least she and Kikyou have memories of their mother. Rin doesn't have such memories. They try not to mention Mother when Rin was there. They never wanted her to feel sad about not being able to share the memories.

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"Okay, I think this cave will do," Kagome said. Rin had been carrying the dog the entire time, trying to absorb as much of the water from its fur as she can on her kimono. By the time they reached the cave, the dog's fur was almost dry while Rin's kimono became uncomfortable damp and heavy. Rin found a comfortable spot and laid the dog down.

"So Rin, whatcha gonna name the dog?"

"Fluffy! His fur is so amazingly soft."

"Alright, Fluffy it is! We'll come visit him tomorrow. For now, we should head on home."

"Okay," Rin said as she hesitatingly followed Kagome out of the cave's mouth. She glanced back at Fluffy, relieved to still see his chest rising and falling.

* * * * *

`Hmmmm. That small girl is peculiar,' Sesshoumaru thought as he sensed them leaving the cave. `I guess I have to stay here until my wounds have recovered. Meanwhile, I should maintain this form to conserve my energy.' Too tired to open his eyes, Sesshoumaru quickly drifted off into a restful sleep.

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A/N:

Hehehe. I just had to name him Fluffy. It was just oh so tempting, I couldn't resist. Anyway, that's my first chapter. I know I promised it out sooner, but life gets in the way. <sigh> Anyhow, I hoped you liked it. It's kinda slow to start, but to me, it's essential to how I want to carry this story. Don't worry, Rin will be older later-so no worries about pedophilia, k?

Please remember to review. Anyone who wants me to send an email when I update the story should leave their email in the reviews. This is my first fanfic, so please be kind. I do however appreciate constructive criticism.

I'll try to get the next chapter out soon. Bye for now.