Ice and Snow, Mind and Heart

Chapter 1: Meeting

*A/N I do not own InuYasha, or any of its characters. I only own my OC. Plot contains spoilers for the show from Season 2 until the end of Final Act.

A gentle breeze blew through the trees, ruffling the leaves and rippling across the otherwise calm forest river. A lone figure sat by the river edge, staring down into the water intently. Her long hair blew gently with the wind, but the rest of her body remained almost unnaturally still... until her reddish-brown ears twitched and her hand suddenly shot out, catching a fish just as it swam by.

She smiled triumphantly.

Allowing her claws to extend, Yuki killed the fish instantly as she turned back, ready to get back into the forest and start eating her dinner, when she stiffened suddenly as a cry sounded from deep within the forest, clearly a child calling for help.

Dropping the fish instantly, she dashed through the trees, leaping over the undergrowth as she headed for where she could hear the child crying and struggling. Her eyes narrowed and her teeth bared as she heard a human man's chuckle and another joking about how they would eat the kid if she wouldn't be quietly sold as a slave.

The man had barely finished his sentence when Yuki came flying out of the trees, kneeing him hard in the face.

The man fell back, knocked out, while blood spurted from his broken nose as the other two men absolutely started. They didn't even have time to react before Yuki punched one in the head, dropping him to the ground instantly, while kicking the other between his legs. The man hunched over in pain, and Yuki swung her leg, kicking down on the man's head and knocking him out as well.

"There." She said as she dusted her hands. "That teaches you to try and abduct a poor little girl."

She turned to grin at the child, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

The girl's eyes travelled slowly up Yuki's head and Yuki winced as she suddenly realized what the child must see: Yuki's long caramel hair was blowing freely in the wind, her ears poking out in the same reddish-white fluffy texture while her claws were still extended and dripping fish blood. All of which clearly marked her as non-human- as if her superhuman speed and strength hadn't been enough.

"Er..." She began awkwardly, when the child suddenly smiled at her.

"Thank you." The little girl said sincerely, taking Yuki aback.

"Um, you're welcome?" Yuki said slowly, before she blinked again as the child introduced: "My name's Rin. What's yours?"

"Yuki." Yuki answered, surprised that the little girl, Rin, was still talking to her. And as though it were nothing, at that.

"Yuki, that's a pretty name. It suits you." Rin complimented as she picked herself up and walked over to Yuki.

Yuki stared at the child, not quite sure how to react to this child's affectionate behaviour. She was used to people running screaming from her, not thanking her. Was she a demon hiding in a human form?

Yuki couldn't smell anything wrong, and Rin didn't seem that different from a normal human child; she looked perhaps about eight years old, and wore a typical orange and pale yellow patterned kosode with a green sash wrapped neatly around her waist as she beamed up at Yuki before glancing at the men on the ground.

"Are they dead?" She asked, sounding a little worried, and Yuki shook her head.

"No, just knocked out." Yuki assured, and Rin nodded before looking back at Yuki.

"I'm glad." The child smiled. "Though they were bad people, I would feel sad if they had to die."

"Oh." Yuki replied blankly, not quite sure what to do. "Well, they won't hurt you again, I promise. What was a young girl like you doing out here alone, anyway?"