Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not the characters, not even a blade of grass--nor a single sakura blossom. Hell, I don't even own a Sesshoumaru plushie. All characters are from the inspired mind of R. Takahashi and everything else is my poor attempt.

Chapter 1: Beginnings

Many, many years before this inuyoukai stood humbled at the grave of his love, he had lain injured at the base of a great tree—close to a ningen village, but far away from any prying eyes or adventurous villagers.

A loud, angry snarl from the injured demon quickly got rid of any animals that dared approach the area, and he bit back a frustrated cry.

This Sesshoumaru does not admit to pain he thought angrily. The admittance of pain was tantamount to admitting defeat. And this Sesshoumaru would never admit defeat, especially to a disgusting hanyou and his pathetic ningen pack. His lips curled upwards in disgust. Inuyasha was a creature to be reviled, but even so he still carried some demon blood, the blood of the greatest dog demon—no greatest demon to ever live. Yet, he chose to consort with those filthy mortals.

An angry growl escaped Sesshoumaru at the thought of his half-brother and the insult he had paid him.

Looking down, he observed his tattered and bloody clothing—and the stump of an arm his brother had left him. Swallowing his disgust at the bloody sight, Sesshoumaru appraised the damages inflicted to his body. He had never been one to be conceited about his appearance, but a missing arm was not only unflattering, it would cause no small number of problems.

With a sigh, the tired youkai relaxed against the tree. Any creature—whether mortal or demon—who dared underestimate the power left in this Sesshoumaru would not live long enough to regret it. Once more reassuring himself that his blade was nearby, Sesshoumaru allowed himself the luxury of unconsciousness.

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Rin was hungry. Her clothes were no better than rags and her feet were only protected by thin soled slippers obviously several sizes too big.

A little orphan girl was not generally welcomed into village life. If she were a boy, at least she could be useful doing chores. But a girl! A girl was difficult and expensive to raise, with little gained in return through physical labour. Not to mention the matter of a dowry when she wed! No, the people of the village had thought—as sad it was that the girl's family died, she would not be an asset, but a drain on their limited reserves.

Despite the warnings of the village leaders, here Rin had remained. Without anyone to protect or provide for her, she had resorted to begging or stealing what she could and foraging for the rest.

Though she was careful, and had never been caught stealing, the villagers had branded the little girl as both a thief and a troublemaker. They forbade their children from playing or even talking to her. After all, the child was so filthy, who knew what diseases she carried?

So Rin existed—both a part of and apart from the village—reviled by the adults and feared by the children.

Rin had long ago learned to ignore the looks of disgust from the villagers. But no amount of time could teach her to ignore the gnaw of hunger that was currently besetting her. As if to comment upon the child's thoughts, her stomach growled loudly.

"Iie! Be quiet, or Rin will never eat!" the girl muttered to herself as she searched quickly for food items she could steal. Loud voices interrupted her search, signifying the owners of the hut were back. After a frantic search for an escape route, Rin scrambled out the nearest window and ran towards the forest that was her safe haven from the jeers and beatings of the villagers.

Tired and hungry, she sat at the base of a tall cherry tree near the edge of the woods. Now that her plan to steal food was ruined she would go hungry again this day. Slow, hot tears made their way down her face—it had been so long ago that she had a full belly! And now, all the work and running she had done would be in vain. She had tried foraging, but all of the berries near the edge of the forest were gone. It seemed that the animals were even foraging close to the village!

"Matte! Rin can eat the animals!" Feeling much more cheerful now, and optimistic about her next meal, Rin made her way deeper and deeper into the forest.

A low growl came from somewhere nearby, causing the little girl to shake with fright. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all, she thought while running quickly back to her cherry tree.

"Now what?" she asked herself. The lack of food, partnered with all the running she had done was making her weaker and weaker by the hour.

Sighing, the young girl made her way to the village stream. It was the only option left. Catching the fish in the stream had earned her quite the beating from the village elder. She still bore the scars on her back. But, she was hungry—beyond hungry actually, and any beating would be worth at least a few mouthfuls of food.

Rin had been fishing now for over an hour, soaking her blistered skin in the stream and drinking her fill. So far, she had managed to catch 6 small fish and she had even been able to pick some fruit from the trees nearby. Sitting on the bank, humming happily to herself and with her feet dangling in the water, Rin sated her hunger with the pears and plums she had picked.

"Baka!"

Rin jumped, startled at the interruption of her thoughts.

"Baka! You stupid child! Get out of here right now! Your filth will corrupt our stream!" Spying the remainders of Rin's dinner the elder gasped. "How dare you steal from our trees? Didn't you learn your lesson last time?"

With that, the woman grabbed Rin's arm, ignoring the girl's pleas to be released.

"Gomen! Gomen nasai! Elder-san! Tomatte kudasai! Rin promises never to do it again! Rin was just hungry!"

"Only a good beating will knock some sense into you, child." Those were the last words Rin remembered hearing. The next few minutes were filled with her screams and tears as she struggled for her freedom.

When it was over, Rin collapsed at the elder's feet in agony. The beating was worse than it was last time and she knew she would be unable to move properly for several days.

"Baka child, now you will never again steal from our tree or pollute our stream. Do you understand me?"

"Ha—hai. Wakatta." Rin moaned.

"Now get out of here you filthy creature. And don't let me see you here ever again." With that, the elder stalked off towards her hut, pleased that she was so easily able to rid her village of such a revolting pest.

Painfully, Rin pulled herself up and gathered the fish she had caught. At least the Elder didn't see the fish, she thought—if she had, the beating would have been even worse! Slowly, Rin trudged into the forest, resolving to go deeper despite the growl she had heard earlier. With the animals staying so close to the edge of the forest, perhaps there would still be berries further away.

With 6 small fish and a small skin of water bundled in her clothes, Rin slowly made her way deeper into the gloom.

Translations:

Ningen: Human

Hanyou: Half demon; generally term of contempt

Iie: No!

Matte: Wait!

Baka: Fool

Gomen nasai: I'm sorry

Tomatte kudasai: Please stop!

Hai: Yes

Wakatta: Understood; I understand.

A/N: Hey peoples! Guess what? I updated!

Uhmm…Can I get some feedback? Please? If you review, I'll give you Sesshoumaru!

Or maybe not.

Anyway, so far, my story has had 82 hits (well the prologue did anyway) and ZERO reviews! ZERO! I understand that though—the prologue didn't really have much content. But now that you have a chapter, please leave a review! If you do, I'll love you forever. I'll even make you some ramen.

Danica