A/N: I'm back with chapter 1 all! 7 pages O.O lol. Anyways enjoy!

Chapter One: A PMSing Taiyoukai and an Unidentified Threat

A young, attractive woman suddenly sprang up from under a large, clear lake, gasping for breath. A second later, a young girl sprang up too, laughing.

"I won!" she cried. Kagome smiled.

"Maybe, but I'm gonna win next time!" And their contest to see who could hold their breath the longest began yet again. The sun had started its descent before the two stopped in their games.

"Wow! I'm so pruney Kagome!" Rin exclaimed looking at her hands, her honey-colored eyes round in amazement.

"I'd be shocked if you weren't." laughed Kagome. The duo had been relaxing after a week of training Rin the arrow of purification. Thoroughly exhausted, they had wandered around, looking for a place to set up camp. Finally, they stumbled upon a clearing surrounded by a lake with gently lapping waves, the side of a crumbling rocky mountain, and with the forest they had just emerged from surrounding them on all other sides. They had been surprised for it was untouched by the war that was currently raging in the north. Rin had gone to fetch dry sticks and twigs while Kagome set sand around what was the beginnings of a campfire, lost in thought. Before Inuyasha had tried to pull his little Kikiyo stunt, Kagome noticed that Rin had a certain… aura about her. Naturally, she asked Kaede about it.

"A certain aura?" Kaede asked. Fire crackled in the hearth in the center of her hut, illuminating the darkness inside. She had stopped turning a bundle of herbs into a fine powder in a worn, stone mortar and pestle and was looking at Kagome with a vague interest.

"Yeah, it feels like it's my own except it's…hers." Confusion was on her face, her shadow stretching out behind her from the fire.

"Hmm. Perhaps she is a miko then." Kaede said. "It would make sense too because the child is around you a lot." She returned to grinding the now dust-like powder.

"What's being around me have to do with it?" She asked with questioning almond eyes, her head cocked to the side.

"Being the powerful miko ye are, and have very little training, ye reiki tends to simply pour out of you. Being exposed to such vast amounts of reiki could possibly bring out another's spiritual potential." The elder miko explained, still grinding the powder.

"So essentially what you're saying is, is that being around me has awakened Rin's own spiritual power?"

"Aye." She stopped grinding the powder and rose slowly to her feet, her age expressing itself through the creaking of her bones. She slowly walked to the rice straw entrance cover, gesturing for the younger miko to come. Happily she obliged, and the two started to form a plan on how to test the elder miko's theory.

To see if this was true, Kaede had proposed that Rin do a test disguised as a…favor one could say. Or more like "I'm an old lady who's gonna play like she is weak to make you do something for her" type of thing.

"Rin!" the elder miko exclaimed. "Could ye pull this arrow out of this tree for me?" They were in Inuyasha's forest. Rin had offered to help the elder as she could learn the medicinal properties of herbs. The two had walked to were the Goshinboku was and there was an arrow wedged in the tree.

"Sure!" said the girl cheerfully. She liked to help Kaede, she saw her like she was a grandmother as much as Kagome did. Running up to the tree, she tried to pull the arrow out. It was tough. She pulled and pulled, but it was just stuck! Finally getting annoyed at the arrow and feeling bad that she couldn't get it out fast for the elder miko, she put all her strength into getting it out. She felt it loosen and she pulled harder still. She was so focused that she didn't see the bright light coming from the arrow, nor did she see the arrow dissipate in her hand. She was then flung back from her using all of her strength to pull out the arrow and promptly fell on her butt. Kaede came in front of her and helped her up with a smile. Rin quickly got to her feet and looked for the arrow in the dense shrubbery surrounding the tree. After searching for a couple of seconds, she hung her head.

"I'm sorry Kaede, but I think I flung the arrow somewhere." She said with an ashamed voice. She'd been trying to help Kaede, not make it harder for her!

"Nonsense child, ye did exactly what I asked of you" Kaede replied, a smile still on her aged face.

"I did? But the arrow—""You removed the arrow of sealing. A feat which ye could only do if ye were a miko yourself." Her smile had gotten bigger still.

"A miko?" she asked, astounded, eyes huge. Me? A miko like Kagome and Kaede?

"Aye." Rin squealed excitedly and ran over to Kaede, giving her a mighty hug. Slightly startled, the miko hugged back.

And that was that.

The two had, for the last half hour, been fishing. They figured that since they were already wet and pruney from earlier, a little bit more fun in the water couldn't hurt. Then they got dressed in their traditional miko garbs. Kagome's campfire had started to burn, while Rin practiced her purifying arrows, aiming at the poor, helpless trees. At sundown, the child stopped practicing and sat next to Kagome, who was checking if their fish, which she had started to cook sometime during Rin's training, was cooked.

"Hey Kagome, do you think that we'll see Sesshomaru-sama?" the child innocently asked, the fire popping occasionally in the background.

Sesshomaru… Kagome thought. I wonder what he would say if he saw me and Rin traveling by ourselves… Hm, he would probably just cut my head off when Rin isn't looking. Kagome mentally grimaced.

"Maybe…" But I hope not.

She stiffened, and trained her focus at the fast-approaching youki. Her eyes widened in surprise when she realized she knew just who the youki belonged to.

She then grimaced. "Well, speak of the devil" she said while sighing. Just great…this is just what I needed.

Sesshomaru was at the moment flying over Inuyasha's forest. Something was wrong. The half-breed's scent was stale. His eyes narrowed dangerously when he landed in the half-breed's village. The wench was gone too, and so was "Rin!" his eyes widened. Running so fast that the normal, untrained human eye couldn't see him, he ran to the old miko's hut. When he shortly arrived, the elderly miko did not seem surprised.

"Sesshomaru-sama. Welcome. I was wondering when ye would come." She greeted kindly sipping the tea that was in a worn cup in her hand. She had obviously been cooking dinner, for the fire occupied a pot filled with various vegetables and meat.

"Where is Rin?"

"She's with Kagome" he didn't acknowledge if he heard her. "And the worthless half-breed?"

"Inuyasha hasn't been here for a little over six months, Sesshomaru-sama" his eyes golden eyes thoughtfully narrowed. The worthless half-breed abandoned his home? He could not help but be curious as to why. Perhaps his half-brother's wench knew.

"Where is the miko?" She stirred the stew that she was cooking before replying.

"The direction Kagome said that she'd be travelling in was north due to the hot weather." She replied, stirring again afterwards.

"Hn" and with that, he was gone. The miko stared with her chocolate eye at the place where Sesshomaru had just been before sighing and grabbing a chipped bowl, filling it with stew. I sure am lonely right now, with Kagome and Rin gone. And Miroku and Sango have kids to take care of… She sighed again and sipped at her stew.

He flew north over a couple of forests, searching for his half-brother's wench and his now ex-ward. It didn't take him long for him to smell the campfire. He quickly landed just a little ways away from his ex-ward the wench and observed them, the full moon's light illuminating their clearing along with their campfire.

Foolish human senses. For this Sesshomaru to be so close and you not notice… A lesser youkai could be nearby and you wouldn't even notice. Foolish miko, this Sesshomaru will rid the Earth of your incap— "Could you stop fucking staring at me! It's pissing me off, Sesshomaru!" an angry (and apparently brainless) miko yelled at him. But wait, how had she known that someone was staring at her, or that it was this Sesshomaru? Interesting… the miko isn't as unobservant as this Sesshomaru thought.

"I said, quit fucking staring at me, Sesshomaru!" His eyes narrowed. But that doesn't make her a smart human either. He left the cover of the trees and approached the clearing where the miko and his ex-ward were. She was glaring at him with an annoyed expression on her face, sitting by the fire with Rin on her right, eating fish.

"Miko, you will not tell this Sesshomaru what to do." He said approaching the duo, his voice soft yet deadly.

"Well sorr-y, but I think I just did." She sassed, glaring harder if possible.

"Miko" he growled lowly.

"Youkai" she mocked. That was it. The wench had to die.

"Sesshomaru-sama" Rin yelled cheerfully. Hn, for now, the miko will live. Rin ran up to Sesshomaru and gave his leg a great hug, as she only reached his hip. "Sesshomaru-sama, it has been so long since I last saw you! Have you been doing well Milord? She asked happily.

"Hn, this Sesshomaru is fine" she giggled. She then turned around and sat back next to Kagome, her fish left forgotten on the floor from when she had jumped up and ran to Sesshomaru.

"Rin, why are you here?"

Rin, no! Kagome frantically thought. He'll kill me for sure! "Kagome's training me!" No…!

His eyes narrowed. "What training?" he inquired. What foolishness does the miko have going on here?

"To be a miko!" she responded giddily, staring with adoration at her lord.

He growled before turning to Kagome. "Miko, what nonsense have you put into my ward's head?"

Kagome sputtered. Nonsense!? "You denying dog! You think that I would lie to a child and train her to be a– a pretend miko?!" she said angrily. He did not just imply that–

"Hn" she gasped in outrage. He did!

"How dare you!" he raised a brow, turning towards her. "How dare you miko by talking to this Sesshomaru in such a manner. You should die for your impudence, —"

"How dare you threaten me!" She yelled. You're not getting away with calling me a liar, mister!

"I see, so you're ignorant as well as foolish" he said, glaring at her.

"Says the guy who can't talk like a normal person!" he turned and started walking towards her, an annoyed gleam in his eyes. Never mind, the miko dies now.

She stiffened, and he assumed it was fear before he sensed something. Something bad was approaching. "Sesshomaru! Do you sense that too?" she yelled to him.

"Hn. This Sesshomaru is not deaf miko, although it would not be surprising if your outbursts changed that" She then did something he did not expect: she growled at him. He raised his brows in surprise. She sounded just like a demoness!

She then turned to her left side, staring out into the forest. She squinted at it with focused eyes. Something's there, watching me. I hate being stared at. But whatever it is, it intentions definitely aren't good. She stiffened again. It's gone! But where to? Where would it attack? The answer came to her swiftly, her eyes widening and her feet moving at an incredible speed. Sesshomaru seemed to have come to the same conclusion, for he was suddenly next to her.

"Rin!" they cried in unison, a dark, humanoid figure with gleaming, bloodthirsty red eyes standing behind her with what looked like a dark scythe moving quickly towards her throat.

Not this time, bucko! You're not gonna hurt her! Suddenly, Kagome's eyes squeezed shut, red filling the bright night sky.

A/N: OOOOH CLIFFY! lol. I wonder if Kagome or Rin were hurt! :O lol. ANYWAYS, I WILL BE UPDATING ON EVERY SUNDAY (hopefully) I had a project to do and I was doing this...lol I'm such a bad student. But no chapter this Sunday because I have no time to write one in two days...probably. Ahem, so besides that, thanks for your opinions guys! I'm so glad you enjoyed the prologue! Your my favorite people now. Here, have a cookie! :D lol. As always, R&R!