"Magic"

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Inuyasha characters contained within this story. They are the copyright of Rumiko Takahashi and are used for fanfiction purposes only.

Summary: Five hundred years, he thought, since he had left his past behind. Five hundred years he had witnessed and, now, here he was sitting in a secluded corner of The Sakura Tea House quietly sipping on the finest brand of Asian coffee. On a whim, he picked up the newspaper on the table in front of him. As he sat reading tales of tragedy and drama, he caught a glimpse of a woman who seemed eerily familiar to him. Who was she – this woman and how could she have disappeared so quickly? Was it serendipity or was it magic?

Note: Hello everyone! I know I've been absent for a while. I've actually been working on both this story and the conclusion of Innocent Enough so don't hate me too much. The waitress in this story has an accent so the grammar is off. Also, I usually don't write modern stories of this pairing but I was inspired by an old song by Mick Smiley called "Magic/I Believe It's Magic" I watched the vid for the original song on ytube. It was pretty interesting and so I took some elements from it. Enjoy!J

Five hundred years, he thought, since he had left his past behind. Five hundred years he had witnessed and, now, here he was sitting in a secluded corner of The Sakura Tea House quietly sipping on the finest brand of Asian coffee.

"Hmph!" he quietly smirked; amused at the realization that he, the great Lord Sesshoumaru, was now drinking coffee…human coffee.

Bored, he turned his head and looked solemnly out the window, watching the snow as it fell softly upon pedestrians passing by. Each one tightly wrapped in colorful scarves and heavy overcoats.

Across the way, the brightly colored neon signs of clothing stores and electronic shops flickered on and off through the blur of wind and ice. The streetlight signaled green causing a cloud of steam and exhaust to rise up as a line of compact vehicles raced off towards some unknown destination.

'It would be a bitter winter this year,' he thoughtfully concluded.

Just then, his amber gaze rested intently upon a small child, no older than his own would have been.

He grimaced then briefly smiled as the child tried hopelessly in vain to trudge through the thick flurry in quite cumbersome snow boots. His little almond-shaped eyes twinkled with laughter as he waddled in the white slush like a stuffed turkey, slipping every so often as his frustrated mother pulled him along.

Sesshoumaru couldn't help but purr silently in amusement.

"Excuse me sir!" interrupted a young waitress.

Sesshoumaru turned his head irritably, inwardly disappointed that this one moment of peace and contentment had been ruined.

The woman shivered slightly as he set his brooding, amber orbs upon her plain and unassuming features. Momentarily, all thought escaped her as she gawked openly at his utter beauty.

He stared, unblinking into her warm, gentle eyes. Somehow, they reminded him of someone.

She cleared her throat.

"You like more coffee or tea?"

He blinked then looked away.

"No thanks!"

"Okay, I come back with your check." She smiled amiably then walked off.

He returned to sipping his coffee, relaxing as the soothing vapor rising from the hot liquid tickled his sensitive nose.

On a whim, he picked up the newspaper on the table in front of him.

As he scanned briefly through pages of tragedy and drama, he paused at an obscure headline which read… Are Youkai Still Among Us?: One woman's unbelievable story of forbidden love between her long lost mother and her demon lover.

Casually, he scrolled down the article, zoning in on a small picture of the woman's odd but strangely familiar features. Though seemingly human, there were things about the woman the demon lord noticed right away - her pointed ears, her sharp-piercing gaze, and most of all, the patch of silver which stood out proudly against the rest of her dark, wavy locks.

'Could it be?' he wondered. Though it was surprising to him that she was of youkai blood, he was rather more astonished at the fact that she was clearly an hanyou.

'But how was that possible?' he wondered. Surely, the last of the hanyous died out with the advent of the Hakai No Kami No Hi. Even his worthless half-breed of a brother didn't escape that and yet here she was, most likely the last of her kind.

Indeed, many things had changed since that fateful occurrence and many things would never be the same, again.

He should know.

He was there…

…there in that day, when the gods sent the divine fire of destruction to root out the immortals and wrest them of their mortal bodies. No longer would they freely walk among mankind and mingle themselves with the same. No longer would the baser elements of life such as touch, taste and smell appeal to them. But they were utterly cast out, existing now as shades, night terrors and the stuff of dreams.

They had become ghouls and goblins, feeding off the fear of unsuspecting humans; lurking in the shadows of every dark alley way with power to do no more than frighten and fascinate.

Some had even taken to possessing the living that they too might live again.

'Pathetic,' thought Sesshoumaru.

It was true that 500 years of living amongst humans had changed him in ways he could not imagine but he could never stoop so low as to take away the right of another being to live their own life by their own free will, especially not a frail and lowly being such as humans. 'What would be the benefit in that?' he wondered.

Truth be told, he had actually come to admire them in a way. For though they were frail and base; they were also loving, generous and even courageous.

Unfortunately, they could be very gullible and easy to control as well, which is why the gods sent the hakai no kami no hi in the first place.

He remembered it like it was yesterday...

After the fall of the half-demon Naraku, a great and terrible war broke out among the youkai as they fought for dominance over regions, territories and even each other. There were a few who managed to succeed and, subsequently, enslaved the humans living in their domain. Darkness gripped the land and the sound of weeping could be heard as the young and innocent were carried off, never to be seen again.

More and more, their ghastly appetites grew to epically vile proportions. They would stop at nothing to get what they wanted - even his beloved, recalled Sesshoumaru. Drunk on the supple flesh and intoxicating blood of men, they became utterly depraved, provoking the kami to act on the humans' behalf. A cry went up to heaven as the human slaves cried out against their demon oppressors. The gods responded by sending the divine fire of destruction (the hakai no kami no hi) and stripped all but one from their dual existence. This gave the humans the break they needed to destroy demon-kind forever. Methodically, they went throughout the land searching out and snatching up innocent hanyou victims and their human sires.

There would be no place for half-breeds in the brave, new world they were creating for themselves. Even Inuyasha's Tessaiga couldn't hold back the angry and disillusioned mob which descended upon his tiny village.

He would never forget the day he saw the bloodied and severely beaten body of the half-breed hanging lifelessly from a tree.

He clenched his fist tightly as he bored unseen holes through the spread newspaper.

'Inuyasha…you fool!' he scolded inwardly.

Immediately, he composed himself.

'Now was not the time to dwell on the past,' he admitted.

His cat-like pupils dilated then diminished into slits as he adjusted his focus and returned to viewing the article.

Perhaps, he would entertain this…story of the would-be hanyou after all. It did so remind him of his own, once.

"Sir, your check," spoke the waitress as she turned to walk away.

"Woman!" quietly called Sesshoumaru.

Giddily, the woman spun around, almost tripping over her left foot.

"Yes, sir?" she replied eagerly.

"More coffee, please." He said nonchalantly.

"Yes, sir!" she shook her head willingly.

"You like cream or sugar too?" she inquired enthusiastically.

"No thanks!" he replied.

"Okay! I get your coffee now," she said as she backed away awkwardly.

Without taking his eyes off the paper, Sesshoumaru nodded slightly.

["…The mother of two, 34 year old Anja (pronounced Un-Yah) Soto claims that her father was a great youkai prince (whatever that means) who took a human as his wife during the (get this) Edo Period or what is known as the feudal era. (hmmm…really?) That's why she looks so young! I'm guessing. Anyway, after agreeing to meet the mysterious mom of two, I must admit I couldn't wait to see if her claims were true, but I gotta' tell ya, I was more than a little intrigued by the time she finished her story. Furthermore, upon seeing the tall and exotic woman as she strolled across the Kyoto Inn lobby, I couldn't help but be dumbstruck by her striking beauty and unusual eyes which could melt the snow caps on Mount Fuji. I was more than unnerved, to say the least. As we sat at the table carrying on small talk in the Inn's fancy 5-Star Restaurant, I was completely taken aback by her vibrant and candid demeanor. Truly, she was a dichotomy of sorts. A valley girl wrapped up in an amazon's body. A match made in heaven if you ask me…"]

Sesshoumaru frowned. "Lecherous fool!" he muttered quietly.

["…Finally, we got down to the juicy part – her story or should I say her mother's story. It was strange and quite detailed as if she had recounted it from memory but of course that's not possible if she's only 34. Yet, if she truly is a youkai as she claims, then 34 would be nothing at all in youkai years, right? I don't know. The jury's still out on this one guys! Decide for yourself. Here's her story in her own words…"]

"Sir, your coffee," beamed the waitress as she set the hot ceramic mug on the table with a few napkins and a coffee stirrer.

"Must be good article," she intoned, trying to make light conversation; however, the demon lord was in no mood for conversation, light or otherwise.

By this time, he was eager to read what the woman had to say and couldn't wait for the bashful waitress to make her clumsy exit.

"I like to read newspaper, too…very interesting." She, again, attempted; this time, twiddling her hands nervously.

He could see she was not going to budge until he at least acknowledged her.

"On second thought," he began. "I believe I would like a bit of cream in my coffee and perhaps some spice," he finished.

The waitress' eyes grew wide with gladness as she turned and sped off quickly.

'Good,' he smirked to himself. 'That should keep her preoccupied at least for another ten minutes,' he gloated smugly.

[I would like to start by saying that I never actually knew my parents because when I was just a babe, I was left at the gates of a demon slayer's village. I was found and taken in by a kind but fearless slayer and his wife. I don't exactly know how he knew my parents, but growing up, he would often tell me stories of how he and my mother went on several adventures with my youkai father…]

Sesshoumaru stared, puzzled at the article before him.

[Though, he wasn't particularly fond of my father, he did joke that he wasn't much of a talker. My mom was the more outgoing one, he would say. He even claimed that she changed my father's life – for the better, he thought. She was like a ray of sunshine, always smiling and happy. She would give anyone the kimono off her back, he claimed.

For a time, they parted. That's when he went to go train at the demon slayer's village.

He did not see her again until 8 years later.

She was just as beautiful, even more so then, than she was when they first met. He recalled. Those warm, big brown eyes he always said he'd never forget; although, he was a married man. Personally, I think he was in love with my mother but I'm not sure...]

Curious, the demon lord furrowed his brow in suspicion.

[He understood how much she loved my father and that there could be no one else in her life. He recalled the times when my father would bring her kimonos and all sorts of expensive items. She would delight in each and every one of them and kept them pristine as if they were her own personal shrine to him. Her favorite was the very first kimono he ever gave her. It was checkered orange and white with green swirls…]

Sesshoumaru gasped inaudibly as his golden orbs flickered with intrigue.

'Wait!'

'He did not have a daughter, only a son who died a long time ago along with his beloved.'

'There was nothing to worry about.'

[Even as she got older, she never parted with anything he gave her, no matter how worn and threadbare some of it became.

I once asked my dad how'd they meet and he told me that the demon prince was wounded by his brother on one occasion…and it just so happened that my mom found him lying there in the forest bleeding and unconscious. Innocent and unafraid, she tried to tend to his wounds but he prevented her. She would offer him food and water but he refused, something about him not eating human food…]

The demon lord's eyes widened a fraction of a second then returned to their usual gaze. 'After all, that could have been any demon,' he reasoned.

[During this time, my mom had been orphaned and left to fend for herself. Daily, she would visit my father in the forest until one day a pack of wolves attacked her village, killing everyone - including my mom.

From what I was told, my father possessed a sword of sorts called the tenseiga which he used to bring her back to life.

After that, she would follow him wherever he went.]

The demon lord just sat there and stared blankly at the paper, shocked and dumbfounded.

'How is this possible?' he mused.

[I don't know why my father saved her but, from my dad's point of view, my father wasn't the most friendly and approachable person in the world and he absolutely despised humans, especially hanyous. Yet, for some reason, he did not despise my mother and often went to great lengths to protect her. So, it was no surprise to my dad when he found out that they had mated.]

Sesshoumaru's cat-like orbs softened as if he were remembering his beloved. He could feel his heart swell in anticipation of some highly relevant disclosure. He calmed himself, trying not to appear overtly excited.

[At that time, my father had been in search of an hanyou by the name of Naraku. From what I understand, he was originally human but he made a pact with a hoard of demons to possess the historical shikon jewel. My father and he had been acquaintances until he betrayed my father in an attempt to kill him and absorb his youkai power.]

The demon lord narrowed his fiery orbs in disgust and took another sip of the flavorfully brewed mixture.

[Vowing to repay him for his deceit, my father sought to increase his youkai aura by perfecting his celestial sword; however, my father was not alone in his quest.

Everyone wanted the evil hanyou dead, it seems; even my father's brother who was, himself, a half-breed.

My dad, as well, held a deep hatred for the hanyou, though, he never told me why. I suspect it had something to do with his family. Even so, he would often talk about this time in his life as it pertained to my mother. Somehow, they had come to be in each other's company by way of Naraku's evil schemes. Even in that short period of time, they had become the best of friends and would remain so until her disappearance.]

"Your cream sir," beamed the waitress as she suddenly came upon him, surprising him in the process; although, he didn't show it.

He nodded his head in thanks.

"…I also brought some spices for you - cinnamon and ginger," she said cheerfully as she sat the saucers on the table.

"I think you like, yes?" she asked eagerly.

'This could turn out to be a very long day,' he thought sarcastically.

"Satiated," he said simply.

"Good! I make better for you next time." She remarked.

Apparently pleased with his approval, she turned and quickly walked away then suddenly stopped.

"Oh!" she blurted and turned around as if she forgot something.

"My name is Kiala if more you want." She smiled suggestively.

"Of course," he replied then returned to reading the article.

[It was, also, during this time that my dad came to travel with my youkai father. He had protected him from Naraku and saved him from the nether world.

At first, it felt awkward, he recalled…a demon slayer being protected by a demon but over time, he grew to highly respect my father, especially after witnessing the affection he showed towards my mother.]

Briefly, his solemn demeanor blushed and a gleam flitted across the taiyoukai's golden orbs.

[Never had he seen my father show emotion of any kind, neither regard until she came along.

He knew then that she was special to my father and silently vowed to return his benevolence by protecting her if ever she should need it. So, when the half-demon Naraku was defeated, my dad parted ways with my parents to train to be a master demon slayer. If he was to protect her and serve the great demon lord when needed, he would have to be at his best. He reasoned. He would not fail them after they had showed him such kindness.

Although, my dad had good intentions, it was simply not to be. For soon after, he was informed that my father (anxious over losing my mother) ordered her to follow him no more and live the life meant for a human but she refused…]

"Hmph!" quietly chuckled Sesshoumaru as he remembered the stubborn but rare side of his beloved's nature.

[My dad would always say it was the only time she ever disobeyed him. Still, he decided to take her to the village of Edo where he left her in the care of a great miko.

Needless to say, that didn't work either. She just kept running away until he finally permitted her to return to his side for good.

A few years later, my dad received word that they were engaged to become mated and dutifully agreed to attend the ceremony as her personal guard.

By this time, she had grown into a graceful young woman, lovely and very much pregnant, he would remark - with twins, no less!]

Again, Sesshoumaru's eyes widened instantly in utter astonishment.

[For years, my dad held a secret he could not bring himself to face until his final days.

As he lay upon his death bed full of regret, he told me of a private meeting he once had with my mother before she was to be mated.]

An invisible lump began to form in the youkai's throat as he waited anxiously for what was about to be revealed.

[Now, my dad was certain that mother never kept secrets from father, except for one and not without good reason…]

Taking another sip of his coffee, Sesshoumaru blinked unconsciously then plunged eagerly back into the article.

[She had come to him and besought him to promise her a favor without knowing what it involved. Excited at the chance to repay my father, he quickly took the oath but did not know it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Only once did he use the mystical powder to thwart my father's keen, demon senses.

He would later comment that my mother feared having hanyou children due to my father's extreme contempt for them; therefore, he masked the scent of her unborn child until it could be birthed and hidden from my father.]

Sesshoumaru's heart sank as he continued to sip his coffee.

'Why did he feel so betrayed?' he wondered.

'Could he have, indeed, disowned his own pup?'

'Did she not trust him enough to accept the fact that he desperately needed her and would cherish whatever he received from her hand?'

'Did he not show her every day how much he loved her? For, he would risk his life for no other.

Trying to calm himself from the rage and pain that threatened to engulf him, he closed his eyes momentarily and took a deep breath.

[Apparently, things didn't go as planned.

It was the beginning of the end.

After the fall of Naraku, war had broken out amongst the youkai and they began to enslave and destroy human villages. Little by little, the world of mankind fell to the youkai until there was no safe place to go but to the western lands. My father, being a taiyoukai who fell in love with a human despite his disposition, fought bravely to secure his domain and protect the people's within it.

He was constantly at war with his neighbors, seeking to overrun the west and absorb his power. Yet, through it all, my mother stood by him and helped everyone she could, demon and human alike but their efforts were in vain…]

Discreetly, the demon lord hung his head, unable to face the shame and sadness of not being able to protect the one thing he cherished in all the world.

[Hours before the ceremony, my dad overheard voices in the hallway of my father's shiro. Curious, he crept silently from his room and peaked around the corner only to witness my pregnant mother clinging desperately to my father for dear life. He would never forget the words she spoke as my father turned and walked away, prepared to defend his keep.

"Please come back to me!"

"Come back to us!" she cried out…but he never came back.

It was the last time my dad would ever see them.

That's when the hakai no kami no hi came…]

Sesshoumaru found himself clenching his fist in anger and grief underneath the sturdy, wooden table.

'Tensaiga, why?' he growled silently.

[On the day of the ceremony, chaos, confusion and darkness settled upon the land as the kami rained down the divine fire from the heavens. Demon's sought to escape their wrath by taking human hostages but it was too late. In the blink of an eye, they were stripped of their yokai and made vulnerable to the weapons of man.

Anxiously, my mother waited inside the heavily guarded walls of the shiro for my father's return. Yet, after a few days, there was no sign of him and she was entreated to flee while she could – but she would not leave without him.

Being a demon slayer, my dad had left early on the day of the ceremony to defend human villages which came under siege from the demon hoards. Expecting to return in time for the wedding, he was prevented by the sheer number of them.

He never forgave himself for leaving her when she needed him most.]

"Sir, you okay?" harped the waitress.

Immediately, he looked up, unaware that he had been ripping his claws through the soft fabric of his seat.

"You know, my mother always say it not as bad as it looks. Just look harder and things get better. You'll see." She said as a warm smile spread across her homely face.

Quickly, she poured more coffee into his mug and quietly slipped away.

[Some time after dad departed, he was informed that the demon hoards had broken through to the western lands and attacked the shiro. None survived, he was told.

Needing to see for himself, he returned to the shiro and sure enough…nothing stood but the burnt out shell of a once glorious palace. As he searched through the cloud of soot and debris, there were bodies everywhere but there was no sign of my mother or her twins. He could only imagine what must have befallen them. With a heavy heart, he silently offered up a prayer when he spotted something lightly blowing in the breeze amidst the charred rubble.

It was my mother's checkered orange and white kimono.

Carefully, he dusted it off and placed it within a pocket of his armor.

It is the only thing I have left of her…]

Sesshoumaru's breath hitched as the gravity of her words suddenly struck him.

He couldn't believe it!

Somewhere in the world, he had a daughter. Living evidence of the love he shared with his beloved.

It was more than he could grasp.

Again, he slowly rested his eyes upon her picture, taking in every detail of her façade. Only now, could he see how much she resembled him from her pointed ears to her cat-like orbs.

'Interesting,' he thought.

The waitress was right.

It did get better.

[Months later, the demon hoards had been pushed back to the outer territories of the western lands and my dad had returned to fortify the slayer village.

One night, he and my stepmom had retired for the evening when he heard a loud banging on the front door. Immediately, he arose expecting to prepare for battle but instead was notified of a loud noise outside the village gates. Apprehensive, he stealthily climbed the gate walls and went over to investigate a small bundle lying at its entrance.

It was covered in blood.

Carefully, he un-wrapped it and found me inside. Though, I was not harmed, I had been gravely ill, possibly due to the weather which could only mean my mom was either lying somewhere sick or dead.

Judging by the amount of blood on my blankets, he concluded, it was most likely the latter.

So, he took me in and raised me until his death. From there, I left home and started a family of my own. Since then, I haven't looked back; however, a few years ago, I received knowledge of a valuable piece of information concerning my mother.

I learned that when a human mates with a youkai, they share the lifespan of their demon mate. I also learned that my father may be the youkai of Shinto legend said to be the perfect killer and sole survivor of the hakai no kami no hi.

In the legend, the youkai was spared by the kami because of his love for a lowly ninjen for which he fought bravely to defend the humans within his territory; therefore, the kami honored his selfless act by restoring his dual nature.

That means that somewhere in the world, his beloved is still alive and maybe…just maybe she is my mother.]

'Rin, alive?' thought Sesshoumaru with a glint of hope in his fiery amber orbs.

[I know it's silly, but sometimes I think that maybe she didn't die and that we'll be together again, someday. Until then, I will continue my search to know the truth.

As for my father,…]

The taiyoukai silently held his breath and stared unblinking at the black and white newspaper.

Maybe legends are true and maybe they're not.

I'm hoping they are…]

He sat back in his chair, listening to the pitter patter of snowflakes as it began to storm heavily outside.

Somehow, it all seemed surreal. He mused.

What were the odds that he would pick up a random newspaper at a tea house and find the daughter he never knew he had and the knowledge that his beloved still exists?

He remembered the day he returned to the shiro.

It was dark and empty. Smoke and ash were everywhere.

He was horrified as he searched frantically through the rubble for his beloved and their newborn son.

Just as he was about to give up hope, he caught a faint whiff of her scent. Thoroughly, he searched the surrounding areas but to no avail.

The trail had gone cold.

Blindly, he flew across the western lands, until he came to its northern border, frigid and covered in ice. He could see the smoke rise from a nearby taijiya outpost as he descended gracefully into the forest. He knew it was a long shot but perhaps she had escaped with the demon slayer. In any case, he needed to know.

Stealthily, he crept near the village and immediately picked up her scent. Yet, it was changed somehow, he noted.

'Could it be that his son was still alive?'

With renewed hope, he quickly followed her scent deeper into the forest as it extended upward into the mountains. But the forest was vast and densely overgrown and he feared he'd never find them in all the brush.

On the verge of despair, suddenly, he spotted what looked like a trail of blood leading to a soiled piece of cloth lying near a tree.

As he came closer, the smell of blood (her blood) stung his highly sensitive nose 'til he felt the strongest urge to vomit.

Horror and dismay lodged in his heart as he rested his eyes upon the small and bloodied mess leaning precariously against a large oak and breathing heavily.

With nothing but the thin sleeping yukata she often wore to bed, she lay there fiercely holding onto a small bundle he instinctively knew was his pup.

He smiled sadly as he considered her bravery. For, even in her mortally wounded state, she attempted to protect the pup by shielding him with her body and feebly trying to rise to her feet.

He became filled with compassion and, in a moment, tenderly scooped them in his arms. Then, flew off to his mother's castle in the clouds.

When he arrived, she had been all but unconscious, wheezing heavily with every breath.

There was something else…

The pup wasn't breathing…

Without hesitation, he held tenseiga over the lifeless babe but there was no response.

'Tenseiga, what is the meaning of this?' he silently gasped.

The sword lay still.

"Tenseiga!" he roared but there was still no answer.

"Father, why have you cursed me with such a useless sword?" he snarled as he threw it to the ground in disgust.

Frantically, he burst through the palace doors, searching for the lady mother's healer.

As the young girl and his pup lay there in death's shadow, the healer did all he could but nothing could help them now.

They were traveling to the underworld but he would not let them. In a flash, he raced to the nearest human village seeking any miko he could find but they were all dead.

His world was crumbling all around him and there was nothing he could do.

His land was being ravaged by war.

His pedigree consumed by the divine fire and now…

His heart shattered by death.

It was more than he could bear.

No, he could not go back and look upon their still faces.

He would never forget the small, tender hand of his pup as it desperately clung to his long, clawed finger or the look in his beloved's eyes as she sadly blinked at him with one lonely teardrop running down the length of her placid face.

It was over.

He would never see them again.

She had begged, no pleaded with him to return to her but defending his title over the western lands was more important to him than his family and now, he was doomed to face the ages alone; doomed to wander the earth forever. Yet, it was because of this small and defenseless human girl that his continued presence in the natural world was even permitted.

He could never repay her and even if he could, it was too late.

Bitterly, he lowered his golden orbs, hiding them behind long bangs which contrasted his short and trimmed mane.

He grimaced. It was not the life he wished but he knew he had to except whatever hand fate had dealt to him.

Composing himself, he reached into his coat and pulled out a wallet. Quietly, he put the money on the table and sighed.

'Rin,' he thought.

For a moment, he allowed himself to remember…

…the way she would gaze upon him with adoration.

…the way she would beam and giggle with joy whenever he would return from battle.

Eagerly, she would desire to jump into his strong and deadly arms but refrained from doing so for fear it would displease him. Yet, he found it most charming. His amber orbs twinkling with unspoken permission to do so and in child-like fashion she would throw herself into his embrace.

He chuckled to himself as a warm smile dared to spread across his pale, ethereal features.

Somehow, he could never refuse her anything she wished. Indeed, he would give her the world.

'Did she even know the power she held over him?' he mused.

'No,' he thought. His Rin was no temptress neither was she a deceiver. Yet, she beguiled him endlessly with the sweetness of her lips, the supple summits of her twin peaks, the sensual curves of her thighs, and the potent fragrance of her womanly folds.

He could go on forever, he thought.

Still, he missed the way she would come for him during their intense moments of pleasure.

Desperately, she would cling to him with all her might. He would take her fiercely. In a blinding wave of passion, they would die in each other's arms. Through soft mewls and silent tears, they spoke volumes to one another no words could convey – and rightfully so. For, no words were needed.

…and though, he had been without her for 500 years, still, she loomed in his mind and haunted his steps. His flesh was filled with the need for her, even now.

He could readily recall the taste of her blood, the sweet smell of her skin, the warmth of her body heat, the melody of her breath as she lay sound asleep.

Many nights while on patrol, he would deeply long for her as he stood, gazing up at the moon. Unable to help himself, he would return to the shiro just to watch her sleeping form. He needed to know she was safe… safe in his bed…safe in his heart.

…and now, here he was, sitting calmly within the cozy atmosphere of the tea house as if he had awoken from a dream.

Quietly, he folded the newspaper and placed it in the pocket behind the lapel of his coat.

She was alive…and he was going to find her.

As he got up to leave, he noticed the small figure of a woman heading down the aisle towards him. Immediately, his cat-like orbs dilated as they locked eyes for a brief moment.

'It couldn't be!'

'Rin!'

'Here?' he marveled supposing it to be a figment of his imagination.

Yet, the feeling that came over him was unmistakable.

It ran through him like a shockwave and permeated every fiber of his being.

Without a doubt, he would know her wonderful fragrance anywhere.

Hastily, he rushed after her when a family, waiting to be seated, temporarily blocked his path.

Unnoticed, he passed effortlessly around the large and noisy brood, watching anxiously as she walked through the entrance and onto the snow-covered sidewalk.

'Rin!' he called to her in his mind.

As he reached the entrance, his stony heart fluttered wildly at the thought of seeing her again.

Quickly, he ran out into the furor of wind and ice; his amber orbs desperately scanning the hustle and bustle of the scene before him but…

…she was nowhere to be found.

He was stumped.

'How could she have disappeared so quickly?' he wondered for not even the slightest wisp of her intoxicating scent lingered that he might follow suit; and how was it that in all the time he sat there in the tea house, he did not recognize her until now?

'Maybe, he was just seeing things,' he admitted. Yet, he could not deny the feeling he felt when she looked at him nor the article he just so happened to read.

'Surely, it couldn't all have been a coincidence,' he reasoned.

'Yet, how could it be real?' pondered the taiyoukai.

'Perhaps, it was some form of human magic?' he proposed. After all, there were still many things in this new world he did not understand and the humans had become quite advanced for their kind.

Magic or not, as the snow continued to fall profusely upon the crowded streets, he pulled his coat tighter for warmth and silently walked away in search of his beloved…