I'm sorry it took a while to upload just didn't have any ideas for this fanfiction until now. I hope you continue to read as there will be plenty of challenges and perhaps juicy lemon along the way.

—°·°—

Feudal Japan, War and States Era

Several moments later once all the demons around were defeated Sesshomaru returns back to the woman with Jaken gawking at his master with pride and curiosity. He's known the dog demon to slay many but to save not exactly.

The woman's eyes snap open.

"Is she alive, milord?" asks Jaken as he waddles and peers down at her. Only silence answers his question. The orange-silk kimono, present with dashes of falling autumn flower petals and a green obi, is drenched by the flowing water of the kawa that continues to force her further downstream and would if it weren't for the strength of the man cradling her head above the water. "What's a human woman doing way out here? And what's with all the demons milord?" asks Jaken.

The woman's eyes flutter open to reveal deep chocolate coloured eyes slightly glazed over, as she gazes at the silver haired demon above her. His golden eyes remain devoid of any emotion as he watches her features, calculatingly. "What name do you go by?" Sesshomaru asks, his deep voice soothing loudly in her ears, instantly silencing Jaken's next string of questions.

"Rin."

—°·°—

*.*.*~ 3 years later ~*.*.*

Outskirts of the Crescent Moon Palace, Western Lands, Feudal Japan

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin calls.

As she slips around the nook of a tree, her maturity and womanhood leaks through the air in a succulent way. The sight of her lord sitting under a tree waiting for her return makes her happy. To stop her intimate assault, Jaken intervened the well-known toad demon, as he waved his staff of two heads in front of Rin's beautifully young features cursing and spouting:

"How dare you annoy milord with your insulant games!" he barks in his usual squawky voice. "And another thing! You can't go running around like a child after all you're a—"

"Jaken." Sesshomaru's voice deeply echoes over the quiet thickly dense clearing as he moves to stand on his feet. "Enough." Turning his heel he walks away, leaving Jaken to bow lowly, his attempt at forgiveness. Whilst, Rin on the other hand, ambles after her dear lord, while Jaken continues to bow. Several moments later, the small toad demon pops his head up, suddenly realising his abandoned position.

Jumping to his feet, he sprints after his two travel companions, calling, "Wait for me Lord Sesshomaru! Please don't leave me behind, milord!"

The sun beams down calmly on the group, as they march towards their destination. Ah-Un's large scaly pawed feet stamp against the dirt road, carrying Rin as usual, who sits handling a lotus plant she found moments before. A plant that too is patterned all over her warm orange yukata. This flower and vibrant colour complements the thick large green obi that wraps around her waist, with a large bow behind. Her feet suited nicely by the white Geta.

Jaken only now just manages to catch up with the group that has stopped, to wait for him. Rin continues to play with the lotus plant before she tucks it away behind her ear, its pearly white colour contrasting nicely her jet back well managed hair. Which falls down her back, deadly straight, down to her thighs.

There in the distance is the large silver walls of the Western Kingdom. Just behind the tall looming palace is the ocean, reflecting beautifully the mid-morning sun. "You stupid woman! You could have told me you'd run off!" barks Jaken as he points his staff at Rin.

"Humph!"

Is the only reaction Jaken receives in return from Rin, as she purposely ignored him. Her thin brows furrow down in annoyance—without her knowledge, Sesshomaru eyes the two behind him—with Jaken continuing to lecture poor Rin. Turning his gaze to the front Sesshomaru leads the group down the dip in land, through the open lands of tall swaying grass and into the large front iron gates of the palace walls.

Maids clamber around as they fuss over the small things. With Sesshomaru now present, those caught in his presence, immediately bow as he leads his trio past the servants and towards the main courtyard. Ah-Un stops near the entrance as normal and Rin hops off the two headed demon dragon with the aid of Sesshomaru. Once Rin is safely on the ground, she only now notices Jaken at her feet unaware she used him as a footstool, when her lord held her hand as support.

With Sesshomaru wandering into the palace, Rin hastily walks after him, careful not to trip. She quickens her pace to catch up to her lord, with Jaken calling after her—cursing at her unladylike mannerism. "Rin! Don't go frolicking around it's unbecoming of a lady!" he growls waving his staff of two heads in her face, once she stopped.

Rin bends over to meet Jaken at eye level. "I'm sorry master Jaken." she apologises even with the beauties frown Jaken couldn't stay mad at the human woman. Instead, he vastly turns his head away and taps his staff of two heads on the ground before retorting:

"Good you should be." Without another word to Rin, Jaken rushes after the powerful demon lord. "Lord Sesshomaru wait for me, milord!" he calls after the tall lean fair silver haired figure in the distance.

Rin sighs before thinking with a furrow of her brows, why can't master Jaken be forgiving?

Shaking her head she rushes after the two knowing that this is the only time she'll spend with her lord until she's pulled away.

—°·°—

Crescent Moon Palace, Western Lands

Within the large open halls of the palace.

A Japanese garden sits largely within the centre of the quad. Its simplicity and elegance is complemented by a pond, a small bridge, cherry blossom trees that have yet to bloom and other thick trees surrounding the edge, the sand stones are moulded into shapes that give a sense of yin and yang to the place.

Several other female demons sit around, straight back and pleasant in the presence of Sesshomaru who has yet to find a mate of his own this only adds to the heavy competitive air surrounding the garden.

Rin sighs at the sight of the small group of seven women who have yet to win over the demon lord, as she was never one to get along with those girls. They resented her closeness to the inudaiyoukai even though Rin was oblivious to this fact. Instead, assumed they hated humans and as such—her.

"Rin," calls smoothly the voice of her Lord. Not noticing the sudden stop of Sesshomaru she blushes at the close quarters of their presence which only causes the other female demons in the area to glare at Rin, their teeth grinding and eyes flooding with rage. He's only within arm's reach, the closest she's ever been to him in this past three years, though with Jaken between them, he continues to scold her for her negligence and ignorance of her close presence.

"Watch where you're going!" barks Jaken. Even though his words are ignored on Rin's part. This she knew would give Jaken another reason to lecture her.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru?" she asks, still a little red faced.

"Its best you continue your training with Lady Hitmoi and Lord Akio." he states before continuing on his journey to the war room. Those words are Rin's in line orders of: "not to follow" after all, she isn't allowed in the war room.

That room is an immediate red zone as Jaken had said for ladies like her, she still remembers his words, "Lord Sesshomaru would never place you of all people in the clutches of unworthy men."

Rin never thought too much of it but instead, just dropped the subject but even now she attempts to keep her mind, firmly on her new task of training.

—°·°—

The Crescent Moon Palace, Western Lands

As Rin wanders towards the dojo.

The designated area for her first training session of the day with Lord Akio or rather Master Akio, her mind continues to wander towards the possibility of outdoor training. It's something she's never considered however, regardless, the need to be outdoors when she works up a sweat is something that she enjoys or has always enjoyed.

Even though Sesshomaru has offered her training sessions for the past three years she feels as though she's no closer to beating Ichiro. That fiend when I find him, I'll be there to end him! She thinks with hostility. "That look again, can't mean something good, my lady," purrs a male voice.

Looking up, Rin eyes a human man around her age. He smiles kindly at her and she lights up. "Hachirou! What brings you here?" she asks, only now realising they're within the confines of the shōji doors. The washi papers filters lightly the midday sun enough to see each other clearly. Hachirou's dark chocolate eyes slide down to the numerous scrolls under his arm.

"Work. The demon generals from the nearby lands have come for their monthly battle negotiations." he states his tone a little grim, suggesting more to Rin than what he's supposed to.

"Are the negotiations going well?" she asks.

"Fairly too mildly. Lord Sesshomaru is rather stubborn. No matter how valiant the offer, he won't go for it unless he sees no fault." Hachirou sighs in slight defeat. The work load really gets to him especially at this time of each month.

Rin regards him intently before speaking, "Isn't that a good thing? He's being careful."

"In a sense I guess, but there's a, such thing as being too careful."

"Really?"

"Yeah." he nods, a bit square shouldered and prideful.

"There's no point in trying to explain it to the lady," comments a familiar but different voice—a voice Rin knows is not Hachirou's.

"And what exactly do you mean by that General?" demands Rin, as she hold her head high and glares evenly at the rather roughly looking man. His tanned skin glows under the filtered light some several shades darker than Hachirou's. His pointed features and narrow face only adds to the malevolence radiating from him since, the day she met him. Ever since that day, not once has she trusted to be alone with this man—there's just something that rubs her the wrong way.

However, it's perhaps the green glowing eyes and hair to match that shows the demonic heritage running through his veins and the dark markings on his face—Isamu instead smirks at Rin's glare as if her rage is non-existent. "I mean what I say. A lady of an imperial family has no right in a war. You're just our bargaining chip. That's the only reason why you're still alive."

"General Isamu!" growls Hachirou. "How dare you speak that way to her—"

Isamu jade green eyes slide towards Hachirou, with the intent to kill. "What are you going to do about it boy?" Just like that Rin hears the sound of an unsheathing blade. Glancing up she notices Hachirou with a katana in hand pointed at Isamu's neck.

"I'll protect her, it's my lord's wish in his place." he seethes. Rin was too caught up by the pain in her chest to really understand how Hachirou moved so fast. He's no demon she knows that but a very skilled samurai warrior someone who too was resurrected by Sesshomaru.

"Well . . . isn't this a first. An inudaiyoukai protecting a mortal woman, how troublesome. I guess he's more like his father than that half-breed brother of his now?"

"Don't you dare!" snapped Rin, tears streaming down her face. "Don't you dare compare Lord Sesshomaru to a weaker man! He's beyond your comprehension! Like you said, I'm nothing more than a trophy by his side something that will shake the human armies to their knees. You're right he can kill me anytime he pleases because he can!" she growls, her clenched fists shaking, forcing back the last tears brimming at the edge of her eyes.

"But don't you dare throw him into class of low some people. And you're right he may be protecting me for his sake like his father did that human woman but not in a romantic sense no. But rather a diplomatic sense, keep me alive and he can keep the peace. And yes if you say Lord Sesshomaru's power is not too far off of his father's power than by all means, say he's like his father but at the end of the day. Lord Sesshomaru will have your throat in seconds for mentioning his half-brother."

Isamu glares at Rin and she holds his gaze firmly. The sound of a gripping katana doesn't even pull her eyes towards Hachirou, "Remember General." Hachirou spits, "You kill any one of us within the walls of the Western Lands and you'll start a war. Lord Sesshomaru doesn't like it when people or other youkai touches his things, he's a prideful demon and honour rings through his blood like his father and his father before him. He will not taint the power of the inudaiyoukai by allowing some demon of your lowly breed to get away with any chance of survival."

Isamu light presses his fingers against the blade, his long green nails and slightly scaly fingers identify him as Ami-kiri or rather an Amiyoukai. Though like Sesshomaru in his human form, he's dangerous but in his true serpent form he's dangerous, perhaps as dangerous as the cat demons.

With one last glance at Rin, Isamu leaves.

Moments later, Rin releases a breath she didn't realise she held. "My lady, are you okay?" Hachirou gently asks, concern plastered all over his youthful yet handsome features. Rin forcefully wipes away the dry tears, knowing that the other female dog demons will pick up on it and cause nothing but trouble for her. That is something Rin definitely isn't looking forward to.

"I'm fine Hachirou, don't worry." she declares, slipping past him while putting on the best happy face she can master. "I'm going to head to the dojo now, wouldn't want to keep Master Akio waiting."

Like that she turns her heel and sprints down the hall all the way to eastern side of the palace.