Heya, everyone! This is my first try at a Sess/Rin fic, so I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Inuyasha.

Please note that this story is set before Inuyasha is born. So, in this fic Sesshomaru looks the same, but he's still not an "adult" by demon standards.

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"So, cousin, when will you be settling down?"

It was a question that Sesshomaru despised. He was still a dozen years shy of being a marriageable age, and yet his grown cousins were always pestering him about finding a mate. Each time one of them would mention it, he would always reply, "Such a union is of no use to me."

Today, like so many other days, that answer wasn't enough for his kinsman, and the older dog demon barked, "Don't be so cold, Sessho! One 'a these days you'll find a sweet little human girl, you just watch!"

As if on cue, another young man added, "Yeah, yeah, she'll swoon over him like crazy."

Clutching Sesshomaru's arm, a she-demon, a friend of his, teased, "Oh, Sesshomaru-sama! You're so brave! You're so strong!"

Laughing, the first man borught his voice to a mock-womanly pitch and cried, "Oh, Sesshomaru-sama! You simply must show me how you do your hair, milord! You're so beautiful!"

Sesshomaru's kin all fell into fits of laughter, clapping their hands upon his shoulders and pinching his cheeks, tugging a his mouth into an toothy smile. Soon, one-by-one, his cousins went about their business and left Sesshomaru to his. Each man ruffled the younger demon's hair as they moved away from him, and the woman hugged his waist, still giggling from the previous commotion.

Once he was alone again, Sesshomaru rubbed his cheeks, as if to wipe away the slight soreness from being pinched, and he grinned slightly.

"Idiots…" he muttered. Idiots though they may have been, they were still his kin. There would always be a closeness between them all, even if they did annoy the younger demon to no end.

I will never waste my time loving a human, Sesshomaru assured himself, despite his cousins' teasing.

It was true that most of his kin had taken human mates, instead of demons, mostly because his father Inutaisho had always taught his family to be openly friendly with humans, but Sesshomaru had vowed to never follow those footsteps. Even if he did find a mate, she would be a demon. Not a half-demon. Not a human.

Never in a thousand years.

…………………

Sesshomaru hated formal meetings.

Get-togethers with allies, peace treaty signings with other lands, whatever the occasion, he hated it. His youth, his energy, all but destroyed his ability to sit still during such meetings. Because of that, thankfully, he was permitted by his father to take walks when these business decisions were being arranged.

On one such day in late October, an Kitsune clan from the Southern lands ventured into the Western territory. They were at war and needed assistance wherever it could be given. Uncaring in the matter, Sesshomaru dismissed himself from the meeting room and wandered into the woods outside his family's palace. His routine had begun; he was headed for his hideout, a shady marsh he and his cousins had played in when they were all just pups.

The pathway to the hideaway was well-worn, though in recent years only Sesshomaru ever visited the marsh, but was surrounded on both sides by thick shrubbery that hid it from the view of anyone who didn't already know it was there. The young lord tended to the plants around the path himself, making sure that no one else would find his hideout. He went there to take naps or collect his thoughts, and he didn't need any distractions while he was away.

Today, his time would be filled with reading. In his clawed hands, he clutched a crisp, new novel written by a human in a nearby village. The book had been given to him by a girl in his clan, a cousin who acted more like a sister, and leaving the book unread would upset her. So, Sesshomaru would read it. He didn't really have anything better to do anyway.

Still, though his plan was to scan through the book, Sesshomaru would soon discover that not all plans follow the path intended. The moment he entered his marsh, a soft ring of a tune washed around his ears and a human girl came into view. Sesshomaru gripped the book tighter, his claws digging into its cover.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

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