A/N: One of my readers – musecues passed me an uncompleted 5000 word draft of this story and basically asked if I could do a rewrite of it by weaving in Sess/Rin into the plot and thus this story was born. It is a completely original story and set in an alternate universe (though still in the feudal era). We were both surprised why no one has done a story like this before and so here it is!

As I am not Japanese and this story setting is in a feudal era, I had to do quite a lot of research before writing the story down. As such, any mistakes and historical inaccuracies are mine and mine alone. But above all, this is a work of fiction, so enjoy and review if you like it!

Of course, unfortunately I do not own Inuyasha nor any of the characters. Rumiko Takahashi does. I have, however written a confession letter to Sesshoumaru regarding my love. He sent it back in shreds. Sigh.

/

The year was 1616.

Nippon was ruled by the Tokugawa Shogunate; a feudal society often known as the Edo period. The country was divided into twelve regional domains, governed by feudal lords, daimyos, who had total power over their respective lands. The samurai protected these lands and served their daimyo and shogun with the utmost loyalty dictated by the tenets of bushido, the way of the warrior. The bushido provided a code of ethics that defined the service and conduct of the samurai; that he may not kill indiscriminately and at all time, safeguard his honour as an elite member of society.

Upon unification of Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate, the Shogun had bequeathed twelve special talismans shaped into a pendant to each of the twelve daimyos in hopes that they would come to his aid for the current state of peace was never meant to be permanent…

/

Year- 1707

"Ne, Otou-sama, will Rin ever get to follow you to visit Deijima?"

Ryunnosuke looked at his only treasure and smiled. Since when had his little girl blossom into such a formidable beauty? It felt like only yesterday when the love of his life gave her last breath so that Rin may breathe her first.

"Otou-sama…"

Of course, she also had to inherit her mother's annoying little whine – a weakness of his he would never admit of course.

Ryunnosuke put away his scrolls and motioned for her to come forward. Just what was he going to do with Rin?

His daughter was not in any form traditional and he had no one but himself to blame. Where young women her age were interested in dowries and suitors, Rin was fascinated by swordsmanship and increasingly in military science and medicine – studies he had recently been taking at the Dutch quarters of Deijima, off Nagasaki bay. Having no other that he trusted, to discuss the novelty of the west with; Ryunnosuke had of course offloaded his knowledge and concerns to his only child.

Rin for all her ten and nine years was just as ravenous, if not more, for that knowledge. In that respect, she was so very much like him. At times like this, he truly wished that she was the son he was grooming to eventually take over his role as the Dragon Lord of the East.

"It is too dangerous Rin. Only men are allowed in those schools." At the sight of her impending pout, Ryunnosuke gave a sigh. "You know I will teach you everything I know. Have I not been generous?"

Her trembling lips curved up slightly at his words. "That's not it Otou-sama." Large doe-like brown eyes looked up at him. "It's just… Rin is lonely when you go away."

The Dragon Lord looked at his daughter's gentle face and felt the first tinge of heartbreak. It was a well known fact that Lord Ryunnosuke was unlike the other demon Lords. He was immortal and powerful not because of his Youkai blood but because of his Dragon pendant. But Rin on the other hand… was a human child raised in the house of Dragons.

The tatsu-youkai under his rule may respect and fear him but they often left Rin by herself, tending to her as a cat would when approaching water. Because they were never mean nor disrespectful to her, Ryunnosuke could not find a reason to dismiss them.

"Come my child. Perhaps we should practice a bit of calligraphy? I heard from Tatsuya-sensei that you have become quite a poet."

At the sound of her favourite tutor's name, Rin smiled once again; the mellow aura replaced by the bright sunshine she often radiated.

"Shall I compose something for you Otou-sama?" she chirped, reaching out for his brush and ink even before he nodded his approval.

As she busied herself with the strokes on a sheet of rice paper before him, Ryunnosuke felt a wave of pride at the gem he had raised by himself.

That was before he caught a whiff of an ominous scent –rats.

"Rin, shut the shōji and lock it. I will come for you my child." Ryunnosuke turned his back to her, almost unwilling to see the fear cast in her wide brown eyes. "I promise," he added.

/

Not one to be afraid, Rin calmly closed the bamboo doors of her father's study and returned to her seated position to resume her poetry. Even as she struggled to concentrate on the strokes, Rin kept a hand over her weapon; her senses on high alert.

But when she heard the war cry of her Dragon Lord, Rin raced to the end of the room and pulled apart the shoji to reveal a brick red sky, set ablaze by burning houses of the villages closest to the palace.

"Otou-sama!" Gathering up her kimono, she made a quick run for the shoin where her father kept his most treasured arsenal.

/

Unknown to Ryunnosuke, a pair of eyes was watching him from the darkness provided by the trees. Dressed in all black, it was almost impossible to spot the perpetrator. He had a mission: Kill the samurai and steal his pendant and his daisho. The daishowas a pair of swords that represented the samurai's status and he knew those katanas were special or else his master would not have wanted it. Being the rat that he was, he began planning his moves.

The perpetrator hid among the shadows, avoiding the chaos of the plundering set to distract the house of Dragons. As he got closer, he could see the samurai more clearly – the long golden hair tied in a whip atop his head; his swords a mirror image of his fangs when in his true Dragon form. The Rat knew that he would be no match should that happen.

However, Ryunnosuke, was no longer the mighty Dragon as his name suggested for he was ageing and the perpetrator knew that killing the old man would be an easy job.

But the Dragon Lord had sensed him.

"Rat," he heard him whisper into his ears. He had not anticipated the old man's agility but he was now being held tight with the samurai's sword at his neck.

"Who sent you?" But the nezumi-youkai kept quiet. The samurai had been quick, but he was younger and much faster. Using hiskusari-gama, a chain weapon hidden in his sleeve, he disarmed the samurai in a split second, claiming his katana though he knew Ryunnosuke still had the wakizashi with him. But what use was a short sword when it was the longer sword that could do real damage? He could already taste victory on his lips and a battle with a famous samurai simply whetted his appetite.

Swinging his kusari-gama once more, the Rat demon wrapped his weapon around the Dragon Lord's remaining sword and knew it was now a matter of strength –whoever pulled the other to the ground first would most likely win. He might be less skilled, but he had youth on his side.

Which was why he was not expecting Ryunnosuke to let go of his weapon – the sudden lack of tension sending him reeling backwards to the ground.

"What's the matter Rat? Cat got your tongue?" the samurai Dragon Lord leaned forward; his claws closing tight around his neck.

"Say goodbye Dragon. Your time has come," seethed the Rat demon. Turning the tangled mess of weapon around, he took a grip of the wakizashi –ignoring the fact that he held the sword by the blade- and plunged it upwards, straight through the old man's heart.

Amber eyes widened in shock as the Dragon Lord released his vice-like grip around the Rat's neck. Stumbling backwards, he looked down at his wound before dropping to his knees.

Pleased with himself, the Rat demon held the sword by the hilt this time and drove the blade a few more inches into flesh before yanking it out. Kicking the Dragon Lord's body to the ground, he then began to search for the pendant under Ryunnosuke's kimono. Confusion washed over him when he realized that the pendant was nowhere to be found on the samurai.

"Where is it?" he demanded; angered when the Lord's only reply was a peal of human laughter.

The Rat demon was about to backhand him with the hilt of his own sword when he realised the plainness of the katanas in his hand. These were not the swords he was supposed to steal! He knew it was too good to be true how easy it had been to disarm the legendary swords. That bastard! He probably died thinking he had the last laugh.

The Rat demon had to find the swords and the pendant fast. The houses were slowly burning and he did not want to return to his master empty handed.

He had to go into the Eastern Castle and retrieve the items. The fire had not reached the castle yet, so there was still time. Leaving the Dragon Lord for dead, he eased into the darkness once more; a rat scurrying towards his goal.

It was almost too easy how he slipped unnoticed under the watchful eyes of the Dragon youkai guards. It would do them some good to look down once in a while but their pride and majestic demeanors denied them of such lowly behaviours.

He was almost confident that he would not be caught as he tracked the scent of the Dragon Lord down the corridors past the public quarters until he caught sight of a flickering light from a candle coming from one of the rooms.

Someone was waiting for him inside and by the scent of it; it was clearly not a Dragon youkai. Gripping his kusari-gama in his hands, the Rat demon tiptoed towards the room, hiding always in the shadows.

He could still see the light through the shōji. The translucent bamboo door made it possible for whomever inside to see his silhouette. Not intending to waste more time, the Rat demon sliced through the door and braced himself.

That's when he caught sight of her.

Her eyes were wide with shock but she stared at him with an intensity that was not one of fear –defiance perhaps.

She knew why he had come.

He knew he ought to move but his body was paralyzed in that moment by the pureness of her beauty. Dressed only in her hiyoku, the inner garment of her kimono did nothing much to hide her curves, causing him to avert his gaze to her face out of politeness. That too, was a mistake.

Skin pale as porcelain was made flawless by the glow of the candlelight; her long dark tresses falling like a curtain over her heart-shaped face. But it was her lips that captured his attention. For a moment, he forgot the reason why he was there. In all his surveillance of the Eastern Castle, never once had he gathered information about this human girl.

That second of hesitation almost cost him his life. The beauty had pulled out her tessen, a fan shaped weapon, with the blade edge currently pressing against his neck.

"No…" he choked. "Ryunnnosuke-sama sent me. I am Kohaku, the guardian of the Rat pendant."

"Liar!" she hissed and kicked him between his legs.

Kohaku felt the wind knocked out of his lungs and by the time he reopened his eyes, she was gone.

/

Taking her heirloom possessions with her, Rin dashed out of the shoin and headed towards the stables. She didn't know who the Youkai was but she knew deep in her heart that he had come into the room looking for what he couldn't find on her father –which only meant one thing.

Forcing back the tears, she pushed past the stable hands towards her only other companion. Kaze, the black stallion was almost as distressed as his mistress; his hooves pounding angrily on the doors of his box stall. It took Rin nearly ten minutes to calm the beast enough to mount him.

Breaking into a trot, she steered the horse towards the gates. She had been trained for this – their secret getaway plan should anything happen to her. Otou-sama knew that without him, Rin would never be accepted and protected in her own home. Safety and any hopes for revenge would have to be exacted in the neighbouring daimyo castle of the Hare Lord.

But of course, no escape was easy. Blocked at the main gates by two Dragon youkai guards, her horse was barred from leaving with their long spears.

"Rin-sama! You must not leave the palace. It is unsafe!"

"Leave me be!" she yelled, digging her heels slightly into Kaze's side, forcing the horse to slam through the makeshift barrier of spears. Rin was in no mood to entertain their condescending tone today.

She had lost the only remaining family she had and the worst part was, no one else in the world knew of her existence.

/

Sesshoumaru hated being a messenger. But the Shogun's orders were law – well at least some of them were when their interests overlapped.

Still, he was not a common dog that the Shogun could command at whim. Sesshoumaru was the great Lord of the West –his lands surpassing even those in direct control of the Shogun himself. At his helm were five of the strongest and richest domains headed by the Rooster, Boar, Sheep, Monkey and of course the Dog demon clans.

But it was loyalty and respect to his father's memory and legacy that made him accept the humiliating task of being the letter bearer tasked to deliver a message to the Lord of the East. It would probably not have annoyed him as much if the Dragon Lord was indeed a Dragon Youkai as his title suggested but he was a hybrid of some sort – human and yet imbued with the powers and immortality of a Youkai. Ryunnosuke was no better than the hanyou Inuyasha in his opinion. Filthy half breed.

Skilled as he may be in the ways of the bushido, Sesshoumaru would never ever wish to associate himself with the Dragon Lord any more than necessary. The Eastern domain was all mountains and hotsprings –not exactly valuable assets a true Lord such as himself required to sustain an empire.

Still, as he drew closer to the Eastern Castle, Sesshoumaru found himself stopping suddenly; chin tilted to the sky.

"Hmph." The scent in the wind was… unusual.

"What is it my Lord?"

Sesshoumaru flicked a glance at the green toad Youkai beside him. Do all these lesser creatures always need to know everything?

"Jaken, you and Ah-Un will wait here."

"But… but my Lord! Where are you going? Why can I not come with you?"

Sesshoumaru simply turned and walked away, not caring if the imp was following him. He would not be able to keep up anyway.

Launching himself into the air, Sesshoumaru broke into a stream of white light; his speed five times faster for he was unhindered by the pace of his companions. He didn't know why but there was something not right about the Eastern Castle. The scent of death was rife in the air, almost choking his senses. Did the Dragons not sense it?

When the stench got overpowering, Sesshoumaru had to force a sleeve of his kimono to his face, blocking out what he could of the smell of decay. Before him were human bodies in various stages of charring –whoever set these houses on fire made sure that nothing survived. And this far up in the mountains, the villagers had been trapped by their own geography, unable to escape without plunging to their own deaths.

But what of the Dragons? From where he was, Sesshoumaru could see that the castle stood strong and regal as ever. Surely if this was an attack on his lands, the Dragon Lord would have intervened? Moving faster until the castle gates were just within sight, Sesshoumaru landed gracefully, not a single strand of his straight white locks out of place.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! We… we were not expecting you my Lord," greeted one of the Dragon guards.

"I am here to see Ryunnosuke-sama."

The two guards exchanged looks before crossing their spears to block his entry.

"We are afraid that we must deny your request my Lord. We did not receive prior notice of your arrival. The Lord of the East is currently… occupied."

Sesshoumaru did not have time for such pettiness. "I am bearing a letter from the Shogun himself. Surely your loyalty to him is above your Dragon Lord. Move or I will slay you." And with that, Sesshoumaru pushed his way past the guards into the Eastern castle.

He knew the instant he passed the inner bridge towards the royal residence that something was wrong. Not only was Ryunnosuke's scent amiss, two other scent patterns gave him pause –The first was that of a Rat. What was a nezumi-youkai doing so far from home? And the second was a much softer scent. Clearly human. Female. As far as he knew, Lord Ryunnosuke had no children and even if he had, they would smell like a hanyou.

Was this human and the Rat working in tandem to bring down the Dragon Lord? It mattered not if they were but Sesshoumaru knew that small cracks of chaos like these were symptoms of a larger and impending threat. How long before they came after him as well?

Tucking the Shogun's letter into his kimono, Sesshoumaru then turned away from the castle grounds and walked back towards the gates.

"Where is your Lord –and do not lie. I can smell deceit."

The guard looked down to the ground. "We do not know my Lord. We found traces of his blood but his body…"

The other guard placed a hand in front of his comrade. "Even Rin-sama has left the castle. Where to, we do not know. We are still looking for them."

Rin-sama?

Sesshoumaru replied with a slight nod before taking his leave. He knew he ought to report these strange circumstances to the Shogun but something held him back.

After all, the Shogun was a Rat himself.

/

A/N: So what do you think? Worth continuing?

Also, I'm keeping true to the Japanese-ness of this story thus the use of lots of Japanese words. I'm not going to do a glossary here for you because the meaning of the words can be inferred in the story as I've written it in such a way. Hope you like it so far!