Author's Notes:

Thank you for coming to check out this story! This is a Sess/Rin AU story taking place during the Sengoku era and will feature all of the Inuyasha cast! This story will most likely be a long series due to the fact that this story will contain more of the characters and I am also building the world and what events are taking place around our characters.

This story will also feature lemons but is not a lemon-centric story as my previous works. Once the first lemon is featured rating will go up. Sesshomaru will not be making his first physical appearance until a few chapters in. You will see what I mean ;)

As the story progress, I will be posting additional notes on what exactly is going, I do not want to give too much away ;)

I am also aware that the audience may not like AU stories of our favorite couple, I am hoping that people do like where this story goes and gives it a chance. I have a lot of story to tell for this one and do not plan on abandoning it.

Onto to our story!

Underneath A Sky Full Of Stars

Chapter One

Things to Come

The sun was brightly shining on this early morning. The small prey not aware that it was in sight of the deadly mammal that was silently stalking it. Although the predator was stealthy it was still learning it's practice. Still young in the ways of stalking, it accidently caused the air around them to rustle.

The prey stopped in its tracked, not seeing where the disturbance came from. Their small body beginning to shake in apprehension and fear.

The predator rightened itself and continued to stalk its prey. It watched as the small helpless creature tried find a way out. It called out for help, but none came. The predator could now feel the anxiety and terror radiating from its prey.

'Ah, what's this?'

The predator watched as reinforcements arrived. Not that it matters, reinforcements would do little at this point. The predator had its prey right where they wanted it.

'Just move a little more to the right.' The sly predator thought smirking.

The predator continued to watch its prey, as they looked around in terror unaware that they were moving right into the predator's plan.

'That's it, just a little more.'

The predator inwardly felt victory fill it's chest as the prey fall right into their trap.

'There!' The predator thought while jumping out to pounce on its long await prey.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Rin screamed jumping out from behind the curtain she was hiding behind, scaring her twin brothers to death.

Oda and Toda both screamed out in terror while trying to run from their big sister but failing miserably when she scooped them both up in her arms swinging them around.

"No fair Rin! We said no hiding behind curtains!" Oda said while sticking his tongue out at her.

Rin only laughed, "Ah, what's the point in playing hide and seek when I can't hide properly?"

The siblings laughed while Rin put them down. Staring down at her twin brothers, Rin still could not believe how big they were getting. Each day they looked more and more like their father. They celebrated their fourth birthday only two moons ago. She hoped they keep their innocence as long as possible.

Even though Rin's coming of age ceremony was coming up at the full moon, Rin still loved playing games with her twin brothers. She was trying everything she could to keep their innocent fragile minds on being children. They didn't need to know what was going on outside the castle walls. They didn't need to know the horrors of the world. She wanted to protect them from everything outside as long as possible.

'I wish Akashi was here to see them grow.' Rin thought sighing to herself.

Rin always had to keep her emotions under control whenever the twins asked where Akashi was. They didn't understand war. They didn't understand death. Why should they? They were too young to be worrying about those things.

"Rin, we're hungry. Can we have something to eat?"

Rin stared down at her brothers and smiling, "Of course, come. Let's go to the kitchen and see what the chef can make us, hm?"

Clasping both of her brothers' hands, she led the way out of the library and headed towards the kitchen. As she passed though the long halls, she could hear the hushed whispers of the servants and guards around her. Everyone was on edge today and knew what today could bring.

"M'ldy." Several of the servants and guards said while bowing to her and her brothers as she walked past the castle's staff.

Rin only nodded, keeping her pace steady. She did not want to be out in the halls longer than necessary. She knew the delegation would be here sometime this morning and she did not want to be seen. The entire castle was told in advance what today was, and everyone was doing their best to make sure everything was going as smooth as possible.

The castle staff had spent weeks thoroughly cleaning the castle from head to toe. All the curtains were replaced, every nook and cranny dusted, and everything polished to a high shine. At this moment, all servants and guards were dressed in their absolute finest to ensure a fine introduction was made.

Reaching the kitchen, Rin ushered her brothers quickly inside closing the large door behind her.

"Hideoki?"

She watched as the large graying hair head chef popped out from behind the wall to her right, coming out the room holding all their food stores.

"Ah my princess and young princes! What brings you to my kitchen today?" Hideoki asked with a twinkle in his eye. No matter how old Hideoki was, he always had the same twinkle to him. Even though the chef was far older than her father, Hideoki kept a spring to his step and his youthful eyes never aged.

Both boys chipped out, "We're hungry!"

"Well, it looks like you came to the right place my boys! Sit, sit! Let see what I can prepare for you young princes so you may grow to be mighty and strong like your father."

Rin pulled out the chairs for her young brothers and started helping the chef prepare them something.

"I do not know how many times I must tell you princess; you do not need to help me."

"And I do not know how many times I need to tell you this, but I will always help." Rin said back smiling.

"They are arriving today?" Hideoki asked softly not wanting the young princes to hear.

"Do you think this could be…." Hideoki stopped becoming overwhelmed by emotion. Clearing his throat, he started over.

"Forgive me princess, what I meant was could this be the day to end all of this?"

Rin sighed, gods she hoped so. This war was going on for over two years now and even though everyone outside the castle walls thought the war was going in their favor in actuality it was not. So many people have perished, so many of her country's people have lost so many loved ones. Loved ones like Akashi…

Rin knew she lived in a strong and mighty kingdom, but every kingdom has their limits. From what she could overhear from her father and his generals, things were not going well. Things have not been going well for the past six moons. Her father was unaware of the fact that she knew this. She understood he was trying to protect from what was going on outside by omitting this information from her just like how she was trying to protect her brothers.

She wished her father had more faith in her though when it came to this. She was older now, she wanted to help in any way she could. She wasn't sure how she could help, but she knew she would do anything to help her country, she would do anything to save more lives. If she could help one family spare the loss of losing a loved one, she would do it. If she could help bring home one more solider to his family, one more like Akashi, then by the gods she would do it.

Turning to look at Hideoki and smiling sadly, "I hope so. I don't know how much longer we can keep on fighting. How many more lives will be lost….."

Hideoki placed his weathered large hand on Rin's shoulder, "Have faith princess, if anyone can find a solution to this and end this war, it's your father."

Rin blinked back the tears in her eyes, shaking her head yes to agree.

Hideoki clapped his hands together and turned towards the twin boys, "Alright my young princes, who's ready to eat?"

The quiet kitchen was soon filled with excited young voices of two four years exclaiming in union, "Me! Me! Me!"

Their small young voices being the only thing in the castle filled with excitement that was now usually filled with dread.

~oOo~

After having seen to her young brothers' nourishment, she dropped them off at their tutor's study so they could begin their lessons. Having nothing else planned for her day since her tutor was off with her father, Rin headed back to her room.

She stepped into her large bedroom to find her servants changing out her bedsheets and dusting her room.

"Princess." Her servants said while bowing to her, stopping all their activities.

"Please pretend I'm not here. I wanted to be away from the meeting that will be taking place. Go back to what you were doing. Do not worry about me." Rin said waving them off.

Her servants nodded and went back to their work. Rin walked to the large glass patio doors on her balcony, very carefully and quietly she opened them and tiptoed out along the banister. She crept along staying low coming to where she could see the main garden and castle entrance down below.

Peering down she saw as two large carriages pull up, wanting a better view, Rin took a chance and poked her head out. She watched as the first carriage doors opened and a large man with silver hair in a high ponytail and blue stripes on his face appeared. He held out his hand and she saw a beautiful pale woman with long dark obsidian hair step out after him. The beautiful looking woman turned and said something to someone else in the carriage. Soon another silver hair man stepped out, not as tall as the first silver hair man and wait….. What was on top of his head?

Rin squinted as hard as could leaning over the banister, not realizing she was in plain sight now.

'Wait, are those puppy dog ears on top of his head?!' Rin let out a gasped not knowing that the guests downstairs had superior hearing and soon made eye contact with the first large silver hair man. When her eyes stared into his, she saw him tip his head in acknowledgement towards her. Completely horrified at being caught, Rin ran back into her room ordering one of the servants to close the patio doors. Sitting down and panting, all Rin could think was, 'Please do not let what I did have any impact on today's proceedings.'

Seeing that her servants had finished all their duties for her room, she sent them away. The last servant Maiko stopped at the door, "Is everything all right my princess?"

Rin looked to most loyal servant, Maiko. Maiko has been with Rin since she had moved to the castle with her mother. Maiko was at least seven seasons older than her, and her family has been serving Rin's family faithfully since Maiko's father had taken up employment many many years before. Maiko once told her that her father had taken up employment when Rin's father had taken the throne. Maiko's father was more than pleased to be serving a just and kind king and the wages were good, thus he sent for his family once he was able to procure them all study jobs working at the castle.

Once Maiko and her mother reached the castle, her mother was assigned to the kitchen and because Maiko had just reached her maturity she was assigned as a personal servant to the young princess Rin.

Out of all her servants Maiko was the one Rin trusted the most. Maiko had been there for everything. She was there for her when she would come back crying from her lessons because she didn't understand, she was there to take Rin to the healer whenever she would fall and scrap her knee to get bandage up. Maiko was there when Rin awoke to blood on her sheets and found her trembling in fear hiding in her thick blankets thinking she was dying. Maiko merely hugged her and told her this was normal and drew a bath for her. Maiko was also there when Rin received the news of Akashi passing and let the princess cry in her lap softly stroking her head.

"Everything is fine Maiko, I'm merely worried about today. So much is hindering on this meeting that is about to occur, we can't afford to lose this." Rin said looking towards the patio doors.

Maiko came to kneel in front of her gently taking her hand, "I know but I also know that your father can do this though, he is a just and smart king. I'm sure he has a plan to turn this in our favor."

Rin squeezed Maiko's hand, "You're right, I need to stop worrying. There is nothing I can do about it at this point. Go, enjoy the rest of the day, if I need you, I will send for you."

Maiko smiled at her princess and was gone.

Rin sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day and made her way over to her standing mirror. Taking in her appearance, Rin stood looking at herself. Her hair was down to the middle of her back now, she had been growing out since she foolishly decided to cut it short a couple of summers ago. Turning around to look at the length from the back, Rin reached a hand up to see if she could touch it. Not quite, but her hair was getting there.

Stepping closer she studied her face; she looked at the small feckless that spanned across her nose and upper cheeks. She looked into her light brown eyes. She had been told that when the sunlight reflects on her eyes, they look hazel with speckles of green.

Rin placed her hands on her hips, they weren't wide like some of the ladies in the castle. Her mother explained that they would most likely broaden after she would have her first child. She turned to the side again to examine her breasts; they weren't too small but weren't overly big either. She supposes they were just right for her.

Rin wasn't sure if her body would continue maturing but from what her mother told her, she had reached her age where she would be presented, and she could start looking at marriage offers. Rin knew her coming of age ceremony was at the next full moon, which according to her calculations was only two weeks away.

For the past few moons her mother was busy planning her ceremony while her father was constantly looking at how to end this war. Her father was so busy, he was hardly there for any of the meetings for her ceremony. Her father basically left all planning to her mother. Every time a meeting was held regarding the colors, the guest list, and decorations, Rin always hoped her father would come. He would never be there though. In some ways Rin also felt guilty about her upcoming ceremony as well.

Why should she have a ceremony when her country is at war? Why should she get to have a happy celebration when more of her kingdom's people were dying? It wasn't fair to them.

During one of planning meetings, Rin had become upset and cried out at the decorator throwing down all the pretty fabrics that were laying out for examination. The room fell silent, her mother, the queen, commanding all to leave so she could be alone with her daughter.

As Rin stood there heaving out her frustration, she fell to the floor, "It's not fair mother. I shouldn't be celebrating when people are dying. Not when people are barely living outside these castle walls. This money could be spent on feeding people, it could be spent on supplying our armies. It shouldn't be spent on me, not on some silly coming of age ceremony."

Rin clutched her kimono in her hands fighting back the tears. She felt her mother come to sit beside her and placing her fingers under Rin's chin, she brought Rin's eyes to her's, "We celebrate because that is all we have left. We celebrate to honor Akashi. Akashi would had been so proud of you and he wouldn't want you to be sad. Akashi wanted to be there for your celebration, you do not know but Akashi wanted to ask your father if he could be the one to present you to count on your special day."

Rin started crying and uttered out, "Oh mama!" then throwing her arms around her mother's waist and letting all her emotions out. She cried for her kingdom, she cried for her lost brother and she cried for herself. Her mother simply held her, stroking her back murmuring nothing but loving things into her ear.

After that day, Rin tried to look at her ceremony in happiness. Her mother was right, Akashi wouldn't want her to be sad. She would honor her fallen brother's memory by being herself. Akashi had always told Rin that no matter what happened, she always had a smile on her face. That Akashi could always count on her to cheer him up whenever he was in a foul mood.

Needing to take her mind off of everything, Rin went to writing desk and pulled out her calligraphy set and parchment paper. If anything could calm her down, it would be calligraphy.

~oOo~

Rin heard knocking at her door, setting her brush down, she leaned back to stretch out her muscles. She wasn't sure how much time had gone by since she sat down.

"Come in," Rin called out from her desk while standing up making her way to see who it was.

She was greeted by Honda, her father's personal guard.

Bowing low to his princess, he stood, "My apologies princess, your presence is requested in the ready room."

Surprised, Rin asked, "Do you know why? Isn't my father there with the delegation from the western lands?"

"Yes, my princess your father is there. I am not at liberty to discuss as to why you have been requested. I am to personally escort you the ready room by your father's orders."

Rin frowned and turned to her desk where her hairbrush laid, "Please wait outside, I'll shall be there in a few minutes."

Honda bowed and closed the door on his way out.

"Why am I being requested?" Rin said softly to herself. She brushed her hair and ran some oil though it to give it a nice shine. She quietly changed into one of her finer kimonos, a deep blue with white stitching and pink Sakura blossoms, and pinched her cheeks to give herself some color.

Stepping outside to find Honda waiting for her, she followed behind as he set the pace. After a few minutes of walking though the long halls and down the main staircase, they reached her father's ready room. She watched as Honda knocked and heard her father call out to enter. Honda pushed opened the door and ushered Rin inside and closed the door behind her, then took his usual place behind her father.

As Rin took in the room and people surrounding her, she had to take a deep breath. Standing before her was the same guests from earlier. The ones she had seen coming out of their carriage. Feeling their eyes bore into her, Rin bowed her head as an offering of respect.

Turning to her king, "Father you asked to see me?"

Her father stepped out from the behind his desk and waved her over to him, "Yes, daughter. Please come and say hello to our esteemed guests."

Rin turned to see her mother standing behind her father's desk, not moving, she noticed that her mother's face was completely blank.

"Mother?"

"Do as your father's ask, Rin."

Stepping from her spot from the door, Rin walked over to her father taking his offered hand and felt herself being led to the imposing figure standing to the side of the room.

"Rin this is the great Inu No Taisho, ruler of the western lands, one of his wives Lady Izayoi, and their son Inuyasha."

Rin bowed to each of the guest, keeping her eyes downcast.

"Come now child, I can hardly see those beautiful eyes that were peeking at me earlier. We will not bite, well at least I can speak for myself and my wife. Inuyasha on the other hand….." The Great Inu No Tashio said stepping forward and lifting Rin's chin to meet his eyes.

"There we are, just as beautiful as her mother!" Inu no Tashio said with the same smile from earlier.

"Your words flatter me my lord. Although I must confess, I pale in comparison to the beautiful Lady Izayoi." Rin said slowly moving back from the great lord.

Rin heard the lady Izayoi quiet laughter fill the room. Coming to stand beside her husband, "She's also quite the charmer, isn't she Toga?"

"Come, let me see you child."

Rin once again stepped forward, she felt like a prized animal on display for the whole world to see.

Rin saw Izayoi come to stand directly in front of her and put her hand under her chin and turn her head side to side as though she was examining her.

Rin watched a small look pass between Toga and Izayoi when Izayoi stepped back in line with her husband.

Rin was wondering what that was when she was pulled from her thought by Lady Izayoi asking, "I hear it's your coming-of-age ceremony is next week. How excited you must be!"

Rin smiled, "Excited as one can be during these trying times."

Rin saw a brief look of amusement pass over Toga's face at her reply at the same time her father scowled at her.

"She also has a sharp tongue as well; she must be keeping her tutors on their toes." Toga said looking towards her father.

"Your coming-of-age ceremony indicates you are ready to accept marriage proposals, did you have your eye on anyone in particular?" The lady Izayoi asked smiling gently at her.

"No, my lady. Between my time helping raise my younger brothers, duties to my country and keeping busy with my studies, I've had no time to think about such things. With the war also going on, there is not much time for socializing."

"Ah, so no one then. Are you ready for marriage if your father found you a potential husband? Are you willing to do what you must do for your country if this was thrust upon you?"

Rin could only stare at the beautiful lady Izayoi stumped by her words. Quickly composing herself, Rin answered, "I will do what my father asks. I want to see my country continue to thrive and my people happy."

Toga beamed at her father, "Spoken like a true princess. You have raised a smart beautiful daughter."

Rin not sure what exactly was going on, saw a look pass between Toga and his son Inuyasha. Inuyasha glanced at Rin before looking away sighing.

About to open her mouth to inquire as to the series of their questions was about when her father abruptly turned to Toga, "Was there anything else you would like from my daughter Rin?"

She saw all three guests from the western lands look between themselves and Toga turned back, "No that was all."

Stepping forward and taking Rin's small hand in his large one, Toga laid a kiss upon it, "My dear princess Rin, it was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for your time."

Rin bowed to all three and turned back to her father, "Will there be anything else father?"

"No, Honda will see you back to room. Please stay there for the remainder of the day until you are called upon."

Bowing to her parents, "Father, Mother."

She followed Honda out the ready room as quickly as she could.

As she walked the halls back to her room, the only question that she could think of was:

'What was all that about?'

~oOo~

Author's Notes:

If you have made it this far, thank you! Like I said this series will be featuring all of the Inuyasha cast but it will take some time before they all start making their appearances.

So hopefully you guys are picking up the pieces of what Toga and Izayoi were asking Rin. I already have chapter two ready to upload and currently working on chapter three! I plan on posting once a week unless for some reason I am unable to. If anything does happen I will keep you guys posted! Please please leave a review!

BTW, for anyone familiar with my work, I will be branching out and writing my first Miroku and Sango love stories! I have a few ideas of one-shots for them. Stay tuned for those!

Thanks!