AN: Hey guys, I'm back! Thank you very much for the reviews, they really motivated me to finish this chapter! I know it took my quite long to upload, and I'm soo sorry. I want my chapters to be a bit longer and I didn't really have the time.. But anyway, I'm happy to know that there are readers, so don't worry, I won't ditch this story :D. I know how it feels when the author stops updating.. Enjoy!

Everyday it's getting colder and colder, Rin noted as she was sitting in the palace's lavish garden while hazily gazing into nothing in particular. No wonder though, it has been more or less five months since the girl left Inuyasha's village with her lord. Because it was the last month of autumn, it was only natural for the weather to turn frostier.

The garden itself was placed within the mansion's area, therefore it was completely surrounded by powerful walls. In the middle of the terrace there was a huge oak tree, similar to the one near the Bone Eater's well, and since it was November, the leaves of that tree were stained in a vast palette of yellow, red and orange hues. The only difference between these two wooden giants was that Edo's tree symbolized purity and spirituality, while the castle's tree indicated power and timelessness. And there, just below the tree's massive branches, sat Rin, gently staring into the distance. I wonder how everyone is doing back in the village, she thought, while tucking her palms deeper into the sleeves of her fairly thin yellow kimono.

"Girl, what are you doing in this cold weather?" Rin suddenly heard a curious voice. As the teenager turned her head to see to whom did this voice belong, she noticed a rather elegant looking female yokai. She had light brown eyes which held a certain kindness underneath and cinnamon colored hair with two pointy cat-like ears poking out of it. Her features were rather soft and delicate, indicating that she was still relatively young compared to the other highborn individuals of the Western lands. This woman was dressed in a beautiful crimson colored kimono complimented by a yellow obi which only suggested that she too was of higher rank.

"I was just about to leave" the girl exhaled as she stood up from the cold ground.

"No, no, stay. I'm not kicking you out," the woman chuckled heartily, "you must be that famous human our lord Sesshomaru brought to the palace, Rin, if I remember correctly, was your name?"

"Human - yes but not so sure about the famous part though" The teenager slurred with irony and a tint of caution sounding in her voice.

Seemingly pleased with what she just heard, the yokai beamed and bowed her head in a graceful manner. "It's a pleasure to meet you Rin. I'm Tomoko".

Rin was completely puzzled. Every noble in this castle surely tried to avert their eyes from her wherever she went. The girl felt as if she was unworthy of being amongst these people. The only folk that didn't regard her as someone of no significance were her Lord, Jaken and some of the maids. Keeping this in mind, she inhaled and asked the seemingly obvious question on her mind while knitting together her dark eyebrows and creating a frown "Tomoko-san, may I ask what caught your interest in me? Most of the nobles don't show an interest of any sort concerning my presence".

"Please, just call me Tomoko. It's that I've never actually spoken to a human before! I've seen them-yes, but mankind is rather weary of demons, and kitsune yokai, even though we have a humanoid form, still have ears. I'm just really interested in your way of life, but the only things I've heard about you humans were mostly bad" Tomoko snickered showing off her fanged teeth.

The whole garden was beautifully illuminated by the setting sun, which only reminded Rin that she had promised the dog demon to show up at his chambers once the sun was fully set. "Ah, I see. Well it was really nice meeting you. I do wish we could talk more, but I must be going now, Lord Sesshomaru requested me to join him this evening." Rin said with a smile as she bowed.

"Okay, Rin, I look forward to seeing you again!"

As Rin leisurely strolled through the mansion's dimly lighted hallways filled with aimlessly roaming nobles and working servants, she pondered about the exchange she just had with the fox demon. Tomoko seemed very kindhearted and friendly, Rin observed. Probably the nicest person I've met during these last 5 months. Perhaps now the girl will have someone to talk to, she did ,after all, feel rather lonely being enclosed within the castle's walls without having anyone to confide in. The only real friends she had were Sango and Kagome but they too were miles away and the only means of communication Rin had were letters which she rarely got these days. Soon the train of thought of the young woman ended when she reached the hall in which her quarters were located.

In her chambers, Rin intently looked through the clothing she hid in the dark walk-in closet. Since the kimono she wore at the moment was far too warm to have on while inside the castle, it was a good idea to change into something lighter. The wardrobe itself wasn't as big as the one Sesshomaru had in his room, but it was just as filled with all kinds of garb– beautiful and extravagant kimonos, simple yet lovely yukatas and an impressive amount of different colored obis. There's way too many fabrics in here, Rin pointed out to herself. Running her hand through the soft cotton cloths, she decided to clothe herself in a plain violet yukata, something similar she would wear when going to sleep or in summer. This'll do.

As she stood in front of the massive mirror adorned by silver frames, while putting on her chosen garment, Rin was inspecting the reflection of herself, running her hands down every small curve and dip of her form. Her petite body had more muscle definition compared to when she lived in Edo, she noted as she slid her palm over the fine line that appeared in the middle of her abdomen. Then, she slowly moved to her ribs, noticing how the protruding bones underneath unintentionally highlighted her delicate breasts. Although the skin may seem soft to the touch, Rin's flesh was also covered in quite a few bruises from training with Ryu. The instructor was both merciless and cruel, manhandling her on every occasion the yokai would get, which resulted in dark purple marks on Rin's skin. Carefully caressing the surface of the marks with the tips of her fingers, she winced at the prickling feeling her touch produced. These bruises made the girl feel insecure about her true strength but either way, she won't give up just yet.

Once she had finished tying the white sash around her yukata, Rin thought about fixing her long ebony hair. She usually wore her thick locks completely loose, with her fringe messily swept to both sides of her face but this time she wanted something different. Rin carefully separated a few shorter strands of her dark hair from the front of her head and gracefully tied them into a simple topknot. The teenager once again looked herself over in the mirror examining the new hairstyle. Perfect, she thought, seemingly satisfied with her work. Turning her gaze a bit upward while still looking into the mirror, the girl suddenly noticed a reflection of someone standing on the threshold of her room.

"Rin, Lord Sesshomaru is awaiting for you," said the maid which had been serving Rin ever since the training with the dragon demon started.

"Okay, Mako, I'll be there soon." Rin chimmed, already feeling the anxiousness building up.

"Our Lord has also asked you to bring him this –" Mako pointed her nose to the tray she was holding with both of her scaly hands, "I believe he wants you to join him for tea" The maid chuckled with clear amusement.

"Tea? Okay, sure." Rin hid her annoyance by faking a smile. The girl really didn't want to sit down and chit-chat with Sesshomaru. Not only because he wasn't exactly a conversationalist, but also because he didn't approve of her fighting. He wanted her to give up, which only made her wonder what did Sesshomaru want from her exactly with this 'meeting'.

The Dog demon was casually lounging on one of the tatami mats with his head resting in his palm. He too, just like Rin, wore an ordinary yukata, which, in his case, revealed quite a bit of the dog demon's muscular chest, and not too far from him was a half-finished bottle of sake. The alcohol, although not by too much, had an effect on him – he felt warm inside and his mind had getten foggier. Soon, the lord's attention was captured by Rin's presence.

"May I come in, Seshomaru-sama?" the young woman asked politely while standing at the doorstep. For some reason, she felt overly exposed when he held his gaze on her for more than a few seconds and Rin started to shift from one foot to another in a nervous manner.

"You may." He said with approval.

With those words, the yokai lord straightened himself into a more appropriate position and his eyes followed her as she entered his chambers. Just like she was instructed by the attentive maid, Rin brought a silver tray with two small porcelain cups placed upside down and a kettle filled with hot green tea. The girl was unsure as to why did she have to bring tea in general, but decided to play along. I hope he's in a good mood today, Rin wished quietly.

"Sit." Sesshomaru ordered her in a commanding tone. The whole room was dimly lighted by the crackling flame in the fireplace, which was placed not too far from where the demon lord was resting currently, and the last rays of the setting sun coming through the windows. The orange and red hues of both the fire and the sunset illuminated the place celestially, which made Rin gasp with amazement. "These lights look almost otherworldly, my Lord" she uttered while turning around.

"Hn."

When the girl lowered herself onto the tatami mat and set down the tray on the wooden floor, she started calmly pouring in some steaming tea for both herself and Sesshomaru. But as she was about to pass the warm cup of tea to the dog demon, her fingertips slightly brushed against the dog yokai's skin of his outstretched hand. Almost instantly, Rin felt a shivering sensation travel throughout her whole body, as if it was electric, and sensed her cheeks get warm. Please don't tell me I'm blushing. "S-sorry" she silently mumbled. What the hell is this feeling?

Perfectly aware of the reaction Rin just had from this meager contact, Sesshomaru asked with a smirk, "What for?"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. Really" The girl suddenly felt pretty flustered and started fumbling with lose strands of her hair.

"Hmm. Your face is getting red. Are you alright?" The dog demon said as he placed his palm to Rin's forehead. This only furthered Rin's agitation, her heartbeat getting faster.

"N-no, it's probably the lighting of this room or the temperature, it's kind of warm in here, you know" the girl blurted out, feeling even more awkward than before.

"I see. I've heard you are doing quite well in your calligraphy lessons" Sesshomaru felt Rin's uneasiness so simply decided to not play around anymore.

"I suppose". Gosh, this conversation is so awkward, she cringed. Sesshomaru was not used to starting conversations. It was always Rin babbling about her day, telling him all kinds of stories and singing ridiculous songs but recently she barely even talked to him. The dog demon had an idea why he may be at fault for Rin's unwillingness to open up, but he wasn't quite sure as to why she flat out avoided him. He felt the need to address this matter one way or another.

During those few minutes of this complete uncomfortable silence while the yokai lord was deep in considaration, Rin had emptied her cup of tea and was once again reaching for the porcelain teapot for a refill. But when the girl outstretched her hand, Sesshomaru's attention was caught by the few blueish marks on her wrists which were previously hidden by the sleeves of her yukata. Suddenly, the young woman felt a hard grip on her hand.

"My lord, what are you doing?" Rin protested while trying to yank away her wrist from Sesshomaru's strong clench. At that moment, she wanted to hide away from the sheer embarrassment she felt. In her mind, these bruises signified that she was weak, frail and not capable of defending herself.

"Where did you get these from?" the dog demon stood, pulling the girl up with him. Unfortunately, Rin just continued to struggle against him, which only furthered his impatience. The girl simply stared back at him wide-eyed with an annoyed look on her face. Geez, I have no idea. I guess they just appeared, she thought sarcastically.

"Was it Hino Ryu that did this?" Sesshomaru once again snarled with anger while pulling the sleeve up higher to see if there were more injuries. The alcohol he drank before Rin's arrival clearly affected his composure, making him appear a lot more temperamental than usual.

"Of course he was the one. Don't act so surprised, I know you're trying to make me stand down by having Ryu treat me as he does!" Rin slurred with hurt in her eyes and her arm still in her lord's possession.

But seeing more and more bruises emerge from within the folds of her robe, Sesshomaru became even more furious. That bastard, he seethed and felt a boiling rage fuel his instincts. The yokai lord specifically instructed Hino Ryu to avoid harming Rin. Although he did allow the dragon demon to make her training as hard as it would take for her to quit, he did not anticipate that Rin would get injured to this extent.

Just a few moments later Rin noticed her lord's eyes become crimson and abruptly knew that she'd better stop resisting. "Sesshomaru-sama. I'm sorry." The girl lowered her eyes to the ground. He still hadn't released his grip on her, which was now starting to hurt. "T-this won't happen again," she stammered.

Soon enough Rin felt her wrist become free and saw new fresh marks adorn her petite arm. Caressing the raw skin of her hand, she pulled her hand closer to herself and looked away from Sesshomaru. The teenager felt ashamed that her lord saw her vulnerabilities.

"No, forgive me. This… This is my fault." he said softly while stepping one step closer to the young woman. To his surprise, Rin stepped back from him. To Sesshomraru, it seemed like he lost the trust she had in him for all these years. He was, after all, the sole reason Rin was in such a situation. He felt guilt, the so rarely experienced emotion that it felt almost foreign.

Rin's eyes started burning from the hot tears welling up, her lungs felt as if they were filling up with anything but the much needed air and the only thing she could hear was the fast rhythmic beating of her heart. Before long, she turned on her heel and swiftly left the dog demon's chambers.

Clenching his fists, Sesshomaru decided to search for Ryu.

The sun had set long time ago and the nightly sky was adorned with small sparkly dots scattered all over it like specs of dust. At least that's the view the dragon demon could see from his rooms' large windows. The man sat with his legs crossed wearing nothing except for the dark red hakama pants, his chest completely bare, with dark hair cascading down his broad shoulders. From afar, it might've looked like he was meditating or resting, since he had his eyes closed and was in a rather calm position, but in all actuality, the demon was far from relaxed. Up close, his face held a scowl which was a bit more pronounced than usual and his posture was tense. Suddenly, he opened his eyes revealing golden orbs with snake-like pupils when he felt a hostile aura come close. Just moments later, someone with that same aura shoved open the thin paper shoji doors of Ryu's chambers.

"Ah, Sesshomaru. Isn't it a bit late for chit-chat?" Ryu smirked while the dog demon stood behind him. They never were on the best of terms but the dragon demon was still one of the lord's best war commanders, no matter the nature of their relationship.

"I precisely instructed you not to hurt Rin." The dog yokai started. He was furious and the alcohol surely didn't help him control his emotions. But once again, Ryu acted on his own accord. Even while in battle the dragon would defy Sesshomaru's strict orders which sometimes ended up in the dog demon having to save his ass.

"I hope you do understand, my dear Lord, that some injuries are very much unavoidable. The girl is just a lowly human after all." Hino Ryu turned his head and answered with bitterness in his voice. He was extremely pissed off for having to play around with some sickly human. The dragon felt humiliated so it was only natural for him to rebel against Sesshomaru's commands.

"Just 'some'? Her whole body is covered in bruises!" Sesshomaru growled with frustration, blood boiling in his veins and chest moving up and down more rapidly, which Ryu assumed to be out of sheer anger.

"Hmm. Perhaps the girl should be more careful."

"Ryu, don't test me. If this happens again, I will see to it myself that your lineage disappears." The dog yokai threatened, recalling the war that almost made dragon yokai go extinct.

"Sesshomaru, I find it rather interesting how you despised humans with all your being not even a decade ago and yet here you are, menacing me for some measly wench. Say, why do you care so much? What does that girl mean to you?" Ryu wondered with viciousness gleaming in his eyes and lips curling into a snarl.

These words put the yokai lord off, but he was quick enough to regain his composure. "That is none of your concern."

"As you wish, my Lord" the dragon demon said resentfully and glared at the back of Seshomaru's head as he left his dark room.

The next morning was uneventful. Rin woke up tired since she didn't sleep much from overthinking about the incident with the dog demon and, although the girl felt very washed-out and unmotivated, she still had to go through today's training. The fact that days were getting shorter and the weather colder didn't excite her either. Soon, the young woman managed to force herself out of the warm futon and started getting ready with a constant heaviness on her mind and messy bed-hair.

Reaching the tall hill covered with dewy grass, Rin anxiously looked up to see if her instructor had already arrived and, to her misfortune, Ryu was standing firmly at the very top with a crooked smile, which showed his white fanged teeth in a rather mischievous manner. At this point, the teenager knew that today she was going to get her butt kicked.

"You're late" The dragon yokai stated when Rin was just a few feet away.

"Or maybe you're just early?" The young woman cocked her head to the side, her voice filled with sarcasm.

Hearing this, the dragon demon chuckled with a low rumble "I see you're feeling quite brave today – being as bold as you are. Clearly it's the result of you complaining to Sesshomaru about how you can't even take a single hit and how hard my methods are on you," his eyes suddenly darkened at these last words. "I guess we'll have to go extra easy with this".

Rin was utterly dumbfounded as she knitted her eyebrows together. She didn't ask for any kind of 'special' treatment. What the hell is he talking about? Did Sesshomaru go to him after we talked? "What? I didn't tell on you to Sesshomaru-sama. I didn't even complain! The only thing that happened yesterday was that he saw my bruises and then just lost his shit. Wow, I thought that he was the one who ordered you to make this harder in the first place?" The girl went off moving her hands mid-air with frustration.

"So you're saying Sesshomaru came to me on his own accord?" the yokai observed.

"Clearly" Rin told her instructor truthfully and rolled her eyes.

The information Ryu just received might make him change his opinion about this human. He appreciated honesty and knowing that she wasn't trying to get back at him for treating her like shit, let him see the girl in a different light. Maybe this girl is not as bad as I thought, he mused. But this also proved that Sesshomaru was way too overprotective of her, which indicated that he must hold at least some sort of feelings for this girl. But is he aware of that himself?

"Hmm. Well then, let's start with this. Although I won't make the training easier, I'll try to see to it that you receive less injuries. I can't have Sesshomaru breathing on my neck from this bullshit again." The dragon yokai breathed. "Take up your position, we'll do northern shaolin first, then generic combat." He then declared with his monotone teacher-like voice and started the training.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" a loud screeching voice could be heard throughout the whole fourth floor of the Western palace. The small frog-like imp trotted as fast as he could with his short legs towards his lord's rooms but soon collided into one of the residents just as he was about to reach the shoji door.

"Jaken, dear, you really need to look where you are going." He heard a warm feminine voice. Lifting his head to see who was addressing him in such a disrespectful manner, he saw a pair of brown eyes staring down at him curiously.

"O-ooh, Tomoko, I didn't see you there," the imp shrugged while looking behind her, noting that the woman had just left Sesshomaru's chambers. Why was this wench disturbing Sesshomaru-sama? "I have a very important matter to discuss with my lord! No time to waste!" He squeaked again and ran straight past the fox yokai, barely managing to hold the abundance of letters and scrolls in his weak arms.

"Jaken. What do you want?" The dog demon asked coolly from the desk he sat in. He really didn't feel like dealing with Jaken's nonsense at the moment.

"Uh, Sesshomaru-sama, we have received some news that your eastern borders are under a threat to be invaded." The imp slurred nervously, holding tightly onto the scrolls.

"So I've heard. Is there anything else?" Sesshomaru simply asked, not even sparing a single glance towards his most loyal servant.

"N-no, my lord. But I did bring the documents you required and also a few letters that had just been delivered. I think a few of them are addressed to Rin, so I shall carry them to the girl myself."

"Hn." Was the only response Jaken got. Understanding the indication that he should leave, the imp exited the room, placing the scrolls near one of the large bookshelves while still keeping the paper envelopes that belonged to Rin in his slimy hands.

Sesshomaru, finally alone again, stood from his desk and slowly made his way to the large window. While he was only simply gazing into the distance and enjoying the mountainside view, his attention was soon caught by Rin and Hino Ryu. 'What does that girl mean to you?' the words he heard yesterday so clearly had once again resurfaced in his mind while he watched Rin move gracefully across the training field. The girl was just a ward to him and even though he cared for her quite strongly, he was not going to acknowledge the doubts that his heart has been creating recently. I won't lose my honor with such stupidity, the yokai reassured himself. He won't follow the footsteps of his father. Or so he thought.

Turning away from the glass of the window, the dog demon stared at the stacked-up papers on his wooden desk. One of the scrolls he read over today was from the Commander of the East, owner of the Eastern lands. In the letter, the Commander stated that he would like to unite both kingdoms at some point in the future, which Sesshomaru most definitely won't even consider. The East had no use for him. But there has been some commotion in the eastern lands recently too, and fortunately it was nothing that he, the great Lord of the West, couldn't handle. Usually, such minimal sieges were led by bandits or lowly demons, but it seems like this time, the East itself is trying to initiate a war. Of course, these are just speculations, but the dog yokai was becoming extremely suspicious of commander Seikyo's motives.

Rin was panting. Hard. Small droplets of sweat covered her forehead and arms, making the girl sparkle in the bright morning sun. Today's training was not what she had expected - Ryu used a lot less force than usually, landing softer hits on the girl's body but the training itself was nowhere to be called easy. Rin was lying on the still wet grass from pure exhaustion but her rest was soon disturbed when a looming shadow made it's way towards her.

"Stand up." The Dragon demon urged and crossed his muscular arms over his chest. "We are done for today and as for tomorrow – rest. You're going to need it." He smirked vigilantly, knowing perfectly about the torture that's awaiting for Rin.

The girl lifted herself up from the ground squinting her brown eyes and groaning from the aching feeling of her every fiber and muscle within being pulled and twitched. "Mhm. As if resting could help me in any way" She mumbled. Although Hino Ryu seemed to act a bit friendlier, Rin still didn't like him all that much.

"Watch your attitude, girl." The yokai pointed out with clear dissatisfaction in his voice. Even though he may have gone easier on this measly girl today, he won't let her show disrespect. He knew she held a certain dislike towards him but she must either deal with it, or be punished. "Now don't waste my time," he turned around and started walking away, letting down his jet black hair, which were held in a tight ponytail, "Having to train you is already a big misfortune."

Rin's eyes narrowed at his wake. Fuck this guy, she mumbled under her breath, hoping he wouldn't hear her words.

AN: Please review, I take into consideration every idea that you come up with! Feel free to critique too :)