*Not sure what happened with this, but somehow chapter 4 was uploaded as chapter 2. Fixed a few years too late =/ *

Chapter 2 – Waking from the Fairy tale

"You are such a fool girl." An achingly familiar voice called out to Rin. Her voice felt like fingernails scratching across her eardrums. "He will use you just like he used me."

"Lady Kimiko?" She shouted across the darkness, her voice betraying her.

"He is a selfish being, little girl. It is in his nature to only care for himself, to only think in terms of his goals. He cares nothing of your well being if it doesn't benefit him." The voice seethed.

"That's not true!" Rin yelled. She searched around her, but there was only emptiness.

"If he truly cared for you, why would he take me as his mate? Why would he bring three heirs into this world? Why did he not bother informing you?" She continued. Her voice was singing with wicked pleasure and it echoed throughout the darkness. "Such selfishness. Tell me little naive girl, if you were truly his desired choice, why would he devote himself to another?"

"Your binding was arranged. You two did not care for each other. He told me that. It was nothing more than a business arrangement. You would give him his full blood demon heirs and in return you would share in his kingdom." Rin rationalized, desperately trying to push away these invading thoughts.

"I wonder what would have happened if I simply refused his deal and told him he had to get rid of you. Do you think he would have kept you in secret? Would you have been satisfied knowing that you are his little human mistress on the side?" She laughed at this as Rin cringed. Mistress was not something she wanted to be named as, but she supposed that in this situation, that's what she was. "Sesshomaru keeps you because you add something beneficial to his life. That is it. If you ever lose that benefit, he will dispose of you because that is what selfish demons do. He views you as a thing, little Rin. You are his to play with and when he gets bored he will toss you aside, just like me."

"No, that's not true." Rin's voice was trembling. There was no confidence, no certainty. She, herself, had questioned his true view on her. She always wondered if she was just his ward to use as he saw fit. No, he had proven otherwise. He had proven she was more than that, that he believed she was more than that.
"Just wait and see. When you become too much trouble for him, he will send you away. He will return you to that human village and never return. Or he won't even bother doing that. Maybe he'll just cast you into the frozen wastes, watching as you freeze to death. Such a fragile little thing you are."
"Shut up!" Rin covered her ears with her hands and crouched, dropping her forehead to her knees, but the voice did not cease. It was as clear as if she were standing right beside her, talking in her ear.

"It is true. He does not have the capacity to love. He is not capable of compassion. He is an evil demon, just like those wolves that killed you. Then again, it seems you share some of his wickedness. You were not disturbed in the slightest when he showed no sympathy for my death, were you? Tell me, has he made you immune to such unsympathetic behavior, that you cannot even cringe when faced with it? No, instead you wrap yourself up in that warm little bubble because your perfect demon lord has finally accepted you. How pathetic you are." She chuckled as an image of a wolf appeared in front of Rin. Rin whimpered, reaching frantically for her swords, but they were nowhere in sight. "He is evil just like all the humans that have hurt you, like the bandits that killed your parents and left you an orphan." The wolf transformed into an image of a human bandit, holding up a sword and smiling wickedly towards Rin. "Believe me, little Rin, he will hurt you again."

"Again?" Rin whispered. The image of the bandit transformed into one of Sesshomaru. There he stood wearing his stoic mask, Bakusaiga in hand.
"Yes, little Rin, again. Just like he hurt you when he left you behind in that village with the kind you despised. He hurt you when he snapped that bow of yours in half. He hurt you with his words, belittling your abilities. He hurt you by loving me." Rin could hear the smile in her voice.

"He did not love you! He did not even know what love felt like before me." Rin spat confidently. The image of Sesshomaru took a step forward.

"Believe what you want. I am simply trying to save you from making the mistake I did."

"You are spouting nothing but lies. Why would you help me? You hate me." Rin growled. He took yet another step towards her.

"I am dead. The only thing I could possibly want is to see Sesshomaru rot for his betrayal and make you see what I didn't see. We demons are selfish, greedy creatures. We crave power and strength and take advantage of others to obtain it. Sesshomaru is not immune to these desires, nor are his pups. That dragon demon of yours suffers from the same ailment. She may be pretending to walk a path of righteousness, but she is still blinded by her arrogance. She still thinks she is better than everyone around her. She is still as selfish as she was when she carelessly threw away the lives of her human family. You honestly think she came back to her home to prove a point? She was the heir to a kingdom! Her and her human family would have been well taken care of for the rest of their pathetic lives. She came back for acceptance and received none."

"How do you know all of this?" Rin whimpered.

"I can see everything, as clear as a bright sunny day." She purred.

"You are a liar. Miku wouldn't have run away and swore vengeance if that what you say is true." Rin shouted, clenching her trembling fists. Sesshomaru was only a few steps away now, but Rin couldn't move.

"She was banished for her betrayal. So she needed another plan to retake her kingdom. Allying with the great Lord Sesshomaru seemed like an admirable thing to do. What do you think is going to happen when you are old and decrepit, Rin? She will return to take your place at his side and then she will regain her kingdom. Demons, they are selfish."

"She wouldn't do that." Rin yelled with confidence. Sesshomaru was just one step away now.

Kimiko chuckled. "Well I can see there is no convincing you. It would be wise of you to heed my warning, little Rin. It would have been better if you stayed among your own kind. You would have not suffered nearly as much as you are about to. Say goodbye to him for me. As soon as I am free from you, I can wait for him in the underworld."

"What are you talking about?" Rin questioned. With those final words, the image of Sesshomaru stepped forward one last time and stabbed Bakusaiga into Rin's chest. She gasped in response. Both of her hands grasped the blade, trying to remove it.

"Naïve girl, you will learn eventually."

Rin flew to a sitting position in bed, gasping for breath. He hands quickly checked for any stab wounds on her chest. "It was a nightmare." She breathed. "The strangest nightmare I've ever had." The marks on her wrists pulsed and she once again felt that tingling sensation beneath her skin. She swallowed hard, trying to regain her composure.

She looked around the room as the tingling faded. Sesshomaru was nowhere in sight. "No surprise there." She mentioned, her tone laced with disappointment. She tried with all her might to push away her recent nightmare, but the words were as clear as a recent memory. Was she a fool? Was she just a naive girl living in her fantasy? It was true, it had hurt learning of Sesshomaru's new family, but he apologized. Had she let him off too easy? Had she given in too quickly? He was a demon and she was human. There was no way he would have returned her feelings, especially since she was just a young girl. Of course he would move forward with his life. The fact that he finally did return his feelings for her had felt like a dream. Did this cause her to overlook his mistreatment of her, of his reaction to Kimiko's death? Did she think so lowly of herself that she didn't find herself worthy of him? Was she that desperate for his approval?

Rin gasped at her own questions. She found herself suddenly reliving memories, analyzing her actions and his behavior. No, she had done well in standing up for herself. She had proven to him how strong she was. She had told him she would not suffer as a servant in his family's home and he attempting to fix the situation by offering Kimiko his lands. She was the one who refused. She was the one to attack her. Perhaps she did move too quickly into this relationship, but it had felt like a long time coming.

"Even so." She mentioned to herself. "I will do as I wish. I am not his plaything. I will prove her wrong!"

A loud knock coming in the direction of the main entrance startled her. She quickly dressed in a plain purple kimono with a green obi sash and equipped her weapons. She made a speedy approach to the main entrance, Sesshomaru still nowhere in sight. She opened the large wooden door carefully, and peaked out the crack. An old man, with a group of humans varying in age, was standing nervously at the entrance.

"Can I help you?" Rin asked. She glared at them suspiciously.

"My apologies for disturbing you, my Lady. Am I to assume you are the new Lady of the Lands?" The old man asked, his whole body shaking from the cold.
Rin furrowed her brow in thought. "I suppose I am." She answered finally.

"Oh, please, my Lady, we are in need of assistance. A demon has taken up residence in our village and has taken our children hostage. Will you please assist us?" He begged.

Rin felt a sudden rush of emotions. Everything from concern to suspicion traveled through her mind. Humans were known for their deceitful tactics. How did she know these humans were not trying to kill her as vengeance for their former dragon masters?

"Please, believe us, my Lady. I understand you are skeptical, but believe us we have no love for our dragon lords. They required sacrifices from our village as payment. They treated us terribly and wouldn't let us leave. Now one of their kind sits in our village, consuming our people. We need your help." The old man continued to beg.

"Alright, I'll help you." Rin replied. She slipped out from behind the door and shut it behind her.

"Oh thank you!" The man sighed with relief. He paused for a moment, "Excuse me for asking, my Lady, but are you human?"

Rin glared at the man for a moment, uncertain of a proper answer, so she went with a strategy similar to Lord Sesshomaru's. "All of you will stay in front of me until we get there." She commanded. "I'm sure you understand." She couldn't believe this new wave of power she felt leading these people. She never thought of herself as much of a leader. She always followed her Lord. This was a whole new experience. She felt the demonic energy pulse in her wrists once more.

"Of course! This way, my Lady. It isn't far." The old man disregarded his earlier inquiry and began leading the group back through the woods in which they came. Villagers of all ages were among them. There were mothers clinging to their chilled newborns, young men and women of Rin's age holding an array of farming tools as makeshift weapons, and elderly people clinging to their thin garments. Rin suddenly felt the weight of responsibility for these people.

"Is this all that is left?" Rin asked from behind.

"Yes, my Lady. The majority of our capable men and women attempted to fight the demon to protect the rest of us, but they failed." The old man said solemnly. Rin looked down upon a young boy, whose face was stained with tears. Past memories attempted to resurface as she remembered her own run in with demons. The same run in where Lord Sesshomaru had rescued her.

They walked for nearly an hour before they reached an opening in the trees. The group hesitated, withdrawing to the nearby trees to hide. Rin stood beside the old man and looked to where he was staring. A dragon demon similar to those Rin had fought before sat in the center of the small village. A few of the nearby structures were on fire. She could hear the wailing cries of the young children within.

"I'll take care of it." She replied with an eerie sense of confidence. She pulled that familiar vial from her kimono and poured a bit of her replenished poison on the tip of an arrow. This poison was significantly stronger as she had extracted it from the minuscule remains of the Lady dragon.

"May I borrow that?" She asked one of the mothers for the band of cloth wrapped around her hair. The mother complied and Rin wrapped the cloth around her nose and mouth. She approached the village as quietly as possible, crouching behind the buildings, and moving with ease despite her shoulder injury still hindering her. Slipping between two homes, she moved towards the center of the village. The smoke became thick. She pressed the cloth tighter against her face, taking shallow breaths. Soon she was within range of the dragon demon in its full form. She aimed her bow through the smoke and pulled back her arrow. "Poisoned Aimed Shot." She said barely above a whisper. Just as she released, she felt a familiar burning energy jump from the marks on her wrists to her arrow, engulfing it a green glow. The arrow went flying, penetrating through the scales, and lit the dragon with an electric green energy. The beast exploded, much like the stone wall did the previous day. Chunks of demon fell from the sky, signaling its complete destruction.

Rin's eyes went wide with shock. How did her attack become so powerful? "That was incredible!" A young boy cheered from the woods. The group that had inquired her assistance came running into the village. When they reached her, she began directing them.

"You five need to start putting out the fires. You three, come with me to find the children. The rest of you stay here until I'm certain it's safe." She commanded the group.

She began making her way through the smoke to the wailing cries of children. Two young men and a young woman carrying pitch forks followed her, wrapping similar cloth around their faces as well to protect against the smoke.

"They are probably in the storage house." The woman said to Rin. Rin pushed forward through the thickening smoke, following the direction the girl pointed. Soon they were pushing against a large barn door. Flames enveloped the buildings nearby and were quickly spreading. Huddled in the center were a group of about ten children, ages ranging from toddlers to ten-year-olds.

"Come on, the dragon is dead. We have to get you out of here." One of the young men said to the children. The older kids grabbed the hands of the younger, while Rin and her followers carried the youngest of the group out. Rin had picked up a small boy no older than two. She pulled the cloth from her face and wrapped it gently around his. The boy buried his face into her shoulder, clinging to her with both arms as they ran out of the storage house. An instinctual need filled her, demanding her to protect the boy with everything she had. It was a warm, yet empty feeling.

Rin pushed the feeling aside and it was quickly replaced by frustration. Flame covered debris blocked their path out, leaving them surrounded by flames. "What do we do?" One of the young men looked to Rin for some guidance.

"You hope no one is standing in front of us." She replied as she pulled one of her swords from its sheath. She concentrated her energy into the sword. One Dancing Dragon attack could put out the flames, or it could feed them further. She battled with indecision as the flames grew larger. She raised the sword in the air, clinging to the child in her arms and…stopped. A shower of water dampened the debris and suffocated the flames. The entirety of the remaining villagers came into view as they made a clearing. "Hurry!"

Rin led the group over the smoldering debris and into the arms of the remaining villagers. She coughed wildly while settling the child into the arms of a young woman. "You saved them!" One of the young men that accompanied her said in a disbelieving whisper. "My name is Haruto. May I ask what we may call you, my Lady?"

"Rin." She croaked, still trying to regain the air in her lungs.

"Lady Rin, we are forever in your debt." Haruto replied with a bow. He raised his head and gave her an appreciative smile, his deep blue eyes gazing into hers. A mop of disheveled black hair fell into different directions on his head. Rin couldn't help but giggle at the young man.

"Your hair is a mess." She said while trying to rearrange it. She was surprised how at ease she felt in this place and around these strangers.
"I suppose the last thing I really think about when I'm running into a fire is if my hair looks ok." He smirked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I was just…" Rin realized how rude she was being.

"No, don't worry Lady Rin. You didn't offend me. I just thought it was an amusing thing to notice after what we just went through." He offered.

"Rin." She said firmly.

"I'm sorry?"

"You can just call me Rin." She smiled at Haruto reassuringly.

"But you are the new Lady of these lands, yes?" He asked cautiously.

"Yes, well I suppose I am. This is all sort of new to me, so I'd prefer if you'd just call me Rin." Her nonchalant tone set him at ease.

"Rin." A cold uneasy voice caused Rin to jump in surprise. The force that was put into her name was so intense that she almost gave in to her instinct to cower. No, I will not cower from him.

"Lord Sesshomaru." She replied as she turned to face him, still feeling lingering doubts from her dream this morning. The villagers quickly retreated to behind Rin, realizing that this demon was obviously their new lord. They all dropped to their knees and bowed respectfully to him.

"What are you doing?" There was a level of anger that Rin had never heard before. His voice sounded ragged, like he was trying with all his energy to control himself.

"Helping these people. They were attacked by a demon and you weren't around. Since they are now under our care, I felt responsible for helping." She replied firmly. She stared back at him with a strength she didn't think herself capable of.

She noticed Sesshomaru's fist clench and tremble slightly. Oh how angry he was for her disobedience. Too bad she wasn't in a caring mood today. "Our?" He questioned.

Rin lifted her hand to brush against the mark on her neck, giving him the subtle reminder that they were bound. "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru, our."

He took a few steps forward, his anger seeping into his features now. "I told you to stay in the castle." He growled.

"I know." She replied. He raised an eyebrow, his features looking more shocked than angry. She knowingly disobeyed him.

She saw him swallow hard, his breathing becoming labored. "Come." He commanded.

"I'm not finished here." She opposed. A sound similar to a growl passed through her lips.

"Rin," he responded to her growl with his own, "I will not say it again. Do not make me drag you back." His jaw clenched as he exposed his fangs. His tone of voice so intimidating, Rin involuntarily shuttered.

Haruto suddenly got to his feet, moving in front of Rin. "Haruto, don't." Rin commanded, pushing the young man behind her. "I'm coming, Lord Sesshomaru." Rin suddenly became nervous, not for herself, but for the villagers. She was not sure what Lord Sesshomaru would do to them if she continued to be defiant.

"But Rin," Haruto argued, but was immediately cut off by Lord Sesshomaru's snarl.

"It's alright. You all take care of yourselves." Rin reassured the group with a smile and then trotted off towards her Lord. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her into the air with him, leading them back towards the castle.

Sesshomaru's mind was thrust into a whirlwind of anger. She had disobeyed him not once, but twice. She had been defiant in front of an entire human village. She had outright challenged him. She showed him no fear. It had been three days and it was already getting out of control.

Mingling with this overwhelming anger was another emotion he had felt in the past when he desired the sword given to his half-brother idiot. Watching that human boy step in front of his Rin had nearly cracked his last bit of control. He had called her by name, she called his name. She had touched him, comforted him. This possessiveness he felt was unlike anything he had felt before and it pushed him to a desire to kill.

But he was not some lowly demon unable to control his instinctual desires. He had other things he needed to concern himself with, like Rin's well being. Those marks on her wrist were a danger to her and were an immediate concern. Once dealt with, he could refocus his efforts on the arrival of his men and taking complete control of this region. Addressing Rin's misbehavior would have to wait.

"I have called upon someone to help you with those marks on your wrists." He mentioned idly as they traveled through the air back to the castle.

"I don't need help with them. I have them under control." Rin remarked.

Sesshomaru halted his advance, glaring down at Rin. Perhaps her misbehavior can't wait. "What is the meaning of this?" He tried to keep his voice calm, despite his frustration.

"I can take care of myself, Lord Sesshomaru. You don't have to baby me." She replied while crossing her arms much like a child would.

"What did those humans do to you?" He accused.

"What? Nothing. I'm just tired of being treated like your plaything that you command around, following your every order like a good little human." She grumbled.
Sesshomaru felt his jaw clench. "I will not dignify that with a response." He said between grinding teeth.

"Of course you wouldn't. You don't think it's true." She huffed again, allowing her eyes to wander into the distance.

Sesshomaru was at a loss. How does she go from being this joyful woman to an angry whirlwind because he refused to let her run into dangerous situations? "If the humans are not responsible for this change in attitude then what is?" He asked, determined to pinpoint the cause. He wanted his Rin back. The one that smiled brightly, danced and singed, and warmed his heart. This Rin was a nothing but anger and resentment.

"It's…nothing." She whispered, her mood quickly deteriorating yet again.

Sesshomaru scoffed, weary of her continued defiance. He continued on his way to the castle, too frustrated to play this game with her. He knew if he was pushed any further, he'd lose to his desire to destroy something. One of her words stuck out to him, however. 'Plaything.' She had never referred to herself in such a way, but he knew exactly who had and it sent his thoughts into a whole new disturbing direction.

Hopefully this woman can explain this.