Author's Note: so… it has been four moths since I uploaded a story onto Fan Fiction. And don't go thinking I've been out of ideas or something, I've had a LOT of ideas. I just haven't finished any. Until now.

Dryshore Demons was originally written as an original work but when reading it back, I couldn't help but notice some… similarities between Ivy (Rin) and Askin (Sesshomaru) so decided to change the names and… publish as a fan fiction.

Now, there is something you NEED to understand before starting this and that is time.

As is commonly said; Time is a very strange thing.

So, short version; while 30 days may pass, a human will age as if 1 year has passed. Don't go looking into how long an hour or minute works out as, you'll only ruin the story. But as is no sun or moon, just a constant purple sky, days pass without notice.

This story is broken down into 9 parts which is one month/year each and then each part is made up of three chapters.

Oh, and sorry but Sesshomaru won't show up until Part 4: Kanbe. But I will be updating pretty quick so… anyway, enjoy!

Part 1: Alboino (10 Years old – March)

Chapter 1

Arms weighed down with bags from his purchases, the tall man smiled to himself and to the people that he passed in the street, deciding to treat himself as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small striped bag filled with chewy sweets. As he popped one into his mouth, something caught his attention off to one side.

He turned to the alleyway he was next to, watching curiously as he saw a young child rummaging in some trash, looking for scraps to eat. Watching her pick through the dirt and filth, slowly the man stepped towards her, smiling as she looked up at him, her gasp fearful as she backed up into the wall.

He held up his free hand and nodded. "Hello there." He said, keeping his voice soft and warm.

She kept her eyes locked on his and her back pressed against the wall, her heart clearly pounding as she looked at him.

"Easy, I'm not going to hurt you." He confirmed then glanced down at his small striped bag, holding them out to her. "Would you like a sweet?"

Her eyes darted towards the bag but she made no movement to have one of the offered goodies.

Putting the other bags down, he knelt onto the floor, not caring if his own clothes got dirty, taking one from the bag and holding it up. "Ohh, cherry flavour, my favourite." He smiled at her and put it in his mouth, chewing it happily. "You sure you don't want one?"

As he munched on the sweet, he could see the hunger and curiosity in her eyes as she slowly swallowed and reached out into the small bag, and with her eyes still locked on his, she took one out between her fingers, briefly looking at the small clear shape.

"Oh, pineapple, very nice." He commented as he saw the colour.

The girl looked at the sweet then slowly put it in her mouth, chewing it softly, her eyes closing for a moment at the exotic syrupy flavour, her lips curling up with a bright smile.

Seeing her grin made his own grow and he nodded to her. "Good, right?"

She returned his nod with her own, still chewing slowly to make it last.

"Tell me, what's your name little one?"

"Rin." She mumbled with her mouth full

"Well, I'm Tarn. Tell me, how long have you been in Dryshore Rin?"

She blinked a few times at the odd question, swallowing the last remains of the sweet then looked up at the ever purple sky that hung above them. "I'm not sure, time is funny here."

The man glanced up as well. "Yes, that it is." He hummed and looked around for a moment before nodding. "So, Rin, would you like a hot meal?"

Her eyes widened at the idea but then she backed up into the wall again. "But… you're a demon."

Chuckling, he nodded, his turquoise hair ruffling softly as he did. "Yes, I am. But that doesn't mean I'll hurt you. There are good and bad demons just as there are good and bad humans." He smiled at her again. "So, if you want, you can come to my home and we can get you cleaned up and give you a hot meal. How does that sound?" He asked, holding out his hand to her.

For a bit, Rin looked at him before slowly reaching out and took his hand, holding it loosely.

Keeping his grip loose so not to scare her, Tarn picked up his bags in his other hand and walked out to the main street once more. Some of those they passed stared at the filthy little girl as she held the hand of the neatly dressed demon but Tarn didn't give them a second glance, even if Rin was a little disturbed by their looks.

It was a short walk down the street until they came to a row of shops, stopping outside one in particular; the window filled with all sorts of odd items like crystals, bird skulls, bottles of potions and jars of strange substances she couldn't identify. Shops like this weren't uncommon in the area but this one appeared to have a stronger presence than the others she had passed and looked at. This was a magic store with a sign above the door written in three different languages but the largest read 'The Sapphire Rune'.

Tarn opened the front door and allowed his guest to enter first, a soft bell marking their arrival, the shop inside having lots more jars and products for sale as the window showed while a counter was on the far side with a till and a door behind it. Suddenly a woman with dark tanned skin, red eyes and green hair tied up behind her head came out, wiping her hands on a cloth. "Oh, Master Tarn, you're back early."

"Any business Kusu?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle sir."

"Good. I want you to close up the shop for the day and then I would like you to put together a meal and a bath for my guest here." He smiled down at Rin by his side who was looking at the other demon in the room. "Rin, allow me to introduce Kusu, she's my assistant and housekeeper."

Kusu and Rin looked at each other, the green haired demoness smiled at her kindly. "It's a pleasure to meet you Rin." She said then looked at Tarn. "Satremon?"

Tarn nodded with his ever present smile, leading Rin behind the counter and through the door on the other side to a large central room, half of it looking like a kitchen with a cooker, surfaces and cupboards while the other half was filled with more jars, books and small stands for brewing potions. Letting go of her hand, Tarn walked over to a door on the far side of the room. "I will leave Kusu to look after you Rin. I will be in my study should you need me."

"Very well Master."

"I hope you behave yourself Rin."

She took a moment then slowly nodded. "Yes sir." She whispered.

"Good." The other chuckled then opened the door and stepped inside, the door closing silently behind him.

Left alone, Kusu chuckled. "Well then, let's see if I can find you something to eat while I close the shop?" Before Rin could say a word she was already walking around the place, pulling together a plate of food and placing it down on a table in the middle of the room. "Come and sit down my dear."

As Rin sat, she began to wonder if all this was some kind of trick and these demons were going to hurt or kill her. But at the same time, deep down, part of her wanted to believe it was real.

The plate of food that was placed before her contained some bread, cold meat and fruit while beside it was a cup of cold milk, a simple meal but to her, the freshest and most delicious meal she had seen in a very long time.

Slowly she nibbled on each bit of the meal, trying to make it last as long as she could, watching Kusu as she went from one room to the other, sweeping and cleaning, carrying things from the back room to the front. She didn't say a word to Rin but did give her a smile when she caught her eye.

Eventually she stopped, shutting and locking the door to the shop and began to work in the room with Rin, cooking something in the kitchen while also brewing in the other part of the room.

Having dragged her meal on as long as she could, Rin finally put her cup down and swallowed, licking the last bits of milk off her lips. "Thank you for the meal." She whispered as she waited for the moment she was thrown back onto the street.

Kusu looked up from her work and then at the empty plate. "Ah, finished have you? Would you like anything else? I have some ice cream if you'd like some?"

The idea was tempting but she shook her head. "No thank you ma'am."

"Alright then." She turned to the potion then turned off the flame, wiping her hands on her apron. "Come upstairs and we will get you cleaned up."

Tipping her head in confusion, Rin watched as Kusu opened another door in the room and revealed a staircase going to a level above them. The green haired demoness headed up first, Rin a careful step behind before they arrived on a small landing with five doors in it, Kusu heading to one near the back and pushed the door open.

Somehow the room was already full of steam and smelt of flowers while a toilet, sink and large bath were also in the room, a folding screen set to hide the bath from the view of the door. There was small neat rows of jars on a table near the sink and flowers sat on a chest by the door, the whole place feeling homely and warm. Kusu walked over to the bath and put her hand in carefully, testing the temperature before nodding and looking at Rin. "That should be just right for you." She said with a nod at the surprised Rin who was still stood in the doorway. "You get undressed and climb in. I'll be back in a bit to help you, I just realised I forgot something downstairs. I'll only be a moment."

Once she left and Rin was alone, she slowly walked over to the tub and looked at the water, her own reflection looking back and she saw herself; her face filthy, her hair a ragged mess, caked with mud and other things. She wasn't sure what her clothes had once been but now they were barely covering her body in a decent fashion.

She was glad to be rid of them, still folding them neatly on a nearby seat that she then used to climb into the bath, the heat a shock to her body but as she got used to it, she relaxed and began to rub the water into her face and over her arms.

A gentle knock at the door disturbed her and she gasped, covering her chest and pulled her knees up to under her chin, peaking out behind the screen to watch the door but only Kusu stepped in and smiled, holding a small tray in her hands. "It's alright dear, it's only me." She looked at her in the bath and closed the door. "How does that feel? Better?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Oh you can call me Kusu, I don't mind." She explained, removing the small pile of clothes from the chair so she could sit the side of the bath, taking a cloth and a bar of soap and using them to wash the girl's shoulders and back gently. Then she began to take a cup and poured water on her head.

After a few cups, her hair was soaked, mud flowing down to join the water below before Kusu gave a deep sigh. "Oh dear." She muttered then put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Rin, I thought we could clean your hair up but… I'm afraid we might need to cut it."

"C-cut it?"

"Yes, I'm afraid it's in too bad a state to save. I think the best thing to do would be to cut it off and let it grow back clean and healthy."

Reaching up and pulling a lock of black hair over to look at it, Rin thought about what was being suggested and realised she was right. "Alright… I guess."

"I will save what I can, I promise."

Taking a pair of scissors to the hair, the green haired demon gently snipped at the worst parts, silent in her concentration. Rin didn't mind, she just looked at the water around her and waited. Finally Kusu stopped cutting and began to rub something into her hair, rinsing it out a few times.

As she did, some water ran down into her eyes and Rin was forced to rub it away and swallowed. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

The woman smiled as she continued to work, getting what was left of the mud and dirt out of her hair. "Well, it would appear the master has decided you are to be his Satremon for the festival."

"Sacrifice!" Rin gasped, turning around to look at her with horror.

Kusu laughed happily. "No dear child! Satremon. Now sit still, I'm not finished."

"But what's a… Sat…sat…"

"Sat, ree, mon."

"Satremon." Rin repeated.

"Good. And Satremon is an ancient festival that demons celebrate every 50 years. It used to be really popular but it's fallen out of favour since demons now prefer the human holidays to their own historic ones." She sighed. "But there are still some of us who remember and celebrate it."

"But what is it?"

"Well, Satremon is all about helping others. Centuries ago, demons would go out and find someone…" She nodded and tapped her on the nose with a cloth. "Like you, who was less fortunate than themselves and they would give them a hot meal or fresh clothes or something to just help them get by. But some demons, like Master Tarn, will take someone in and do all they can to make their greatest wish come true."

"M-my greatest wish?"

"Yes, whatever that may be." She tipped her head slightly to the side. "Do you have a wish?"

Her gaze fell to the water before her, the clear water now grey with dirt. "I don't think anyone can make my wish come true."

"Oh? And what is it?"

"To see spring again."

Kusu frowned at the odd request as she combed her hair down, looking for knots or problems with it and hummed when she found none. "Why do you say that Rin?"

She didn't reply, just hugged her knees and looked at the water.

The house keeper decided not to push on the issue and did what she needed, washing off the last of the dirt and grime before getting her a big fluffy towel to dry with while she pulled out a large white shirt for her to wear. "It's one of the masters but he never wears it." She explained, helping roll up the sleeves around her arms. "It will do for one night."

"Night?"

"I told you, you're our Satremon. You get to stay here for as long as you want. You're our guest. Now, come along, we have a bed ready for you."

Swamped in the master's shirt, Rin walked behind the housekeeper and down the hallway to another room, looking in to see a cream room with shell shaped lights on the walls illuminating the room, the double bed already turned down and the curtains drawn over the window. Kusu walked to the bed and fluffed up the pillow. "Right then, come on, up into bed."

Slowly, Rin walked over and heaved herself up into the bed, her body soon sinking into the warmth and comfort of the sheets. Kusu smiled as she tucked her in, blanket up under her chin and the edges loosened so she could move and toss, sitting on the side and stroked the remains of her wet hair from her brow. "There, you try and sleep now Rin, and tomorrow we will talk more." She soothed.

Rin tried to stay awake but the gentleness of her touch and the sweet smells in the air and soft bedding around her had her dreaming in a matter of seconds.

Once sure she was asleep, Kusu slowly made her way out of the room, turning off the lights and pulled the door partly closed, leaving a crack of light from the hallway. From there she made her way to the study downstairs where she found the turquoise haired man busy with his books but he stopped when the housekeeper came in. "How is she?"

"Finally clean." She sighed, walking around the room and picking a few bits up as she went. "Took half a bar of soap to get all that dirt off but she's really quite pretty under it all." She took a seat near the demon. "Unfortunately I had to cut most of her hair off. I couldn't save it sadly."

"I'll prepare a tonic to help it grow back for her." The master said, already making a note to remind him to do the task. "Did you explain what was going on?"

"I did sir."

"And did she tell you her wish?"

The green haired woman nodded but then frowned as she remember the confusing conversation. "Yes, she did. But it's strange; I expected her to say something like 'to see my parents again' or 'to never be hungry', like the previous ones. But she said… to see the spring again. She wouldn't tell me what it means and I have no idea what to think of it."

Tarn frowned as he thought about the statement as well. "Nor do I. I will ask her tomorrow about it. Anything else I should know?"

"She's very polite and shy as a mouse. But she's a good girl, I can tell."

"Thank you Kusu. I'll see you tomorrow."

Kusu nodded her head at the dismissal and made her way out of the room to prepare for the next day.


Hello again! Hope you liked it so far? Let me know in the review?