*Sorry for the long time between updates! The holidays are taking up all of my spare time. I would like to extend a casual warning here - one I probably should have warned of from the get-go. There IS going to be a romance story between Sesshomaru and an original character, that takes place centuries before Rin is even born. I hope it won't bother die-hard Sesshomaru/Rin fans, but it could. Keep in mind that I am 100% Sesshomaru/Rin myself. I just think it's not outside the realm of possibility that there were others before her, though :) . I hope you like this chapter - it's taken forever to write!*

The two had sat down, their legs crossed. Rin was confused, but curious. Could this she-youkai be part of Sesshomaru-sama's past? Rin was definitely interested.

"I am very, very sorry that you are lost from your body," Inuyuki said. She lowered her eyes and said demurely, "The same thing happened to me long ago, and I was never able to get it back."

This did nothing to ease the nagging fears in the back of Rin's mind. "Does that mean there's no hope for me?"

"I'm not sure," Inuyuki said, though Rin thought for certain that something flashed momentarily in her eyes.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments, before Rin finally said, "Well, if you don't mind my asking... how come you're talking to me? I'm a human; you're not. I follow Sesshomaru-sama, you do as well. I would think that would make us..." Rin struggled for the right word.

"Rivals?" Inuyuki asked, her eyebrows raising. "No, we definitely are not. My time is past; I have no body to go back to, as you have."

"Well, what happened to it? Sesshomaru-sama once told me that when youkai die, they don't continue on to the afterlife, like humans do." Rin was getting insatiably curious now; the same curiousity that had driven Jakken mad. There was no stopping her until she got her answers.

Inuyuki was silent for a few moments, looking pensive. "That is an incredibly long story. I do not mind telling it, but it will take a considerable amount of time."

Rin looked sideways as she said, "Well, it's not as though either of us is going anywhere anytime soon."

At this, Inuyuki smiled gently. "No," she replied, "I suppose we're not. I will tell you; I hope that what I say does not make you think less of your lord." She sighed, looked down, and then began to speak.

...

I am of a very old youkai line that lived in the wilds of the western mountains. We were a small family, and we lived an unusual life.

My father was Inuyoukai, and my mother was an ice-youkai. They were both very kind and gentle souls, and didn't live much in youkai civilization. We actually lived in a small village that was inhabited by humans. I know it sounds strange, and it was, even for that time. But my father had a liking for them, and they had come to accept and even care for us. I'm certain that it was mostly because we helped defend them from enemies, but after a few human generations, my father was able to live among them seamlessly.

I was very young when my mother died. When my father found out, he brought me to live in his human village. I found it strange at first, but accepted it with the trusting nature of a child. My father and I developed a type of dog that had minor youkai abilities, such as sensing youkai auras. They were very wise and unusually intelligent animals. Our human friends in the village valued them immensely.

I lived like this, content in the village with my father, until I was ten years old. At that time, a distant cousin of his visited us. She was elegant and beautifully clothed, with white hair (I found this unusual; my father and I were both dark-haired), and she was barely able to hide her disapproval of our lifestyle.

"Inushiro, I can barely believe that you tolerate life like this," I remember her saying, as she stepped into our modest house, where I was sorting herbs. She looked around disdainfully, until she saw me.

"I did not know you had a child," she said. She approached, and looked into my eyes, which gazed away from her in fear. "Such an unusual beauty! Look at all that dark hair!"

My father, who was being unusually gracious (he had a temper that was famous), said, "Yes, Inukimi-sama. I take great pride in my daughter."

"One would be hard-pressed to believe so," she replied, looking around our hut with distaste. "Inushiro, I am needing a new hand-maiden. I am going to insist that you allow Inuyuki to accompany me."

"To the Western Palace?" My father looked slightly pale; but inside, I felt as though my world was crashing down. "But what will the Inu no Taisho have to say about this? You know that in comparison to your side of the family, our power is small."

"One would usually say so, but I sense something of potential greatness in your daughter." She looked at me with her golden, piercing eyes.

"But-" my father began, as this Inukimi swept past him, with my hand in hers. "You know that you owe me many great favors, Inushiro. Now is the time in which I will call upon them. Your daughter will spend the next hundred years at the palace. Where she wishes to go after that will be her decision."

My father had no choice but to accept. Inuyoukai are very different from most other youkai, many of whom spend their lives largely alone. Like dogs themselves, we have an intricate social hierarchy, and it must be observed. Unless you are confident that you are more powerful and can overthrow someone who is more dominant than you are, it is foolish to object to the whims of the powerful ones, or their mates. Inukimi was dominant over my father; and he had to do as she said, or risk losing his life.

We said a tearful goodbye, and I followed Inukimi to the Western Palace. I had no idea what to expect, and I was afraid. I was determined, however, not to do anything that would disgrace my father and his family line.

It is difficult to put into words the beauty, elegance, and sheer size of the Western Palace. It is far more elegant and beautiful than even the most ornate buildings men can make, and it is heavily enchanted, as well. The Inu no Taisho had it built to house his family, and keep them from harm, especially during his many wars with other youkai clans. He had to trust that its magic would keep them safe.

Inukimi-sama set me to work immediately as her handmaiden in the castle. This was highly unusual, since most handmaidens were picked from among the maids already there; you could say that I had was an instant favorite of hers. This did nothing to help me have a good relationship with the other maids, so I was very lonely and outcast. They teased me, mocked me, and did everything they could to make my life more difficult.

One day, when Inukimi-sama was gone from the castle on a personal errand, I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I ran to one of the large cherry trees outside in the garden, bringing with me the largest hairpin I could find, nearly six inches long. I said aloud, 'I go now to meet you, mother,' and prepared to drive it into my heart. However, before I could, a hand grasped itself over mine, stopping it.

'Why do you do this?' I heard next to me, and when I opened my eyes, it was Sesshomaru I saw. He was much younger then than he is now - and quite small, only an older child, like I myself was at the time.

'I - I don't know,' I stammered, surprised.

'Yes, you do,' he said in his matter-of-fact way. 'You simply don't know how to tell me.'

I looked down as I said, 'I miss my family. I miss my dogs. I miss my freedom.' I looked up, and was surprised to see him simply staring at me, blank-faced. Sesshomaru was not always as cold and ruthless as he is now, but he was always distant and quiet. He was so silent for so long that I was certain he wasn't going to speak to me.

Then, he said, 'Be thankful. Those are all things that I have never had.' He began to walk away.

The next day, while I was mending silk, a young demoness came in to tell me that my presence had been requested outside, in the kennels, by Sesshomaru. She looked as astonished as I felt. I had no idea that any kennels were kept somewhere as grand as the Western Palace.

I arrived in the kennels, which were a large wooden building not unlike a barn. There were beams in the ceilings, as well as individual doors holding each dog behind it. They were an unusual breed for our country - very, very large and ferocious. I could tell that they had little love for anyone or anything.

I didn't notice any of these things as much as I might have, however. Sesshomaru was standing at the end of the barn, looking at me quietly. He said, 'You told me that you miss your dogs. I've been told that you have a talent for breeding them. Take these and make them better.'

'But how do you want them changed? If they are war-dogs, then they seem to fit the task well.' I couldn't see how I could make them much stronger or more intelligent - in simply being around them for a few moments, I could see that few youkai could resist them on the battlefield.

'If your talent is as great as your reputation, you should be able to figure it out for yourself,' he said, haughtily. I had a sudden flash of temper and said, 'Mind reading isn't one of those talents.'

Everyone in the stable, from the kennel-master down to the boy scrubbing the floors, turned and looked at me incredulously. No one dared to speak to the son of the Inu no Taisho himself in such a way. I think that they were all expecting me to be immediately obliterated. However, instead Sesshomaru smiled.

No, Rin, don't give me such a horrified look. It wasn't one of those smiles. When he does that, it means he has no other way he could possibly show his displeasure. Like I told you, Sesshomaru was not the same in those days. He was still largely humorless, but it amused him that someone dared stand up to him. For whatever reason, he decided not to kill me. In retrospect, I was incredibly lucky.

He looked at me and said, 'Very well. These dogs are ruthless and perfect for tearing enemies to shreds. What I would like changed is their ability to obey. They don't always respect their handlers.'

'That's easy to see,' I said, looking one of the snarling animals in the eye. 'They have no love for you, and see you only as a captor. You need to mix in blood with some more common dogs that will obey well. It will take a few generations to get it right.'

The kennel master, who was listening intently, looked at me with indignation. 'Common dogs? You must be kidding.'

'Certainly not. The aggression in these animals has not been balanced with respect. The breeding has to go back to the beginning.'

'Do as she says.' Sesshomaru looked meaningfully at the kennel-master.

'But, my lord-"

'Tell me, Kuji-san, do I ever repeat myself twice?" He may have been smaller and younger, but Sesshomaru still had a will of iron and a dominance that couldn't be outdone. Kuji-san bowed his head.

'Yes, my lord.'

'Very well. Do what needs to be done.' He walked away, slowly. My mind was reeling. Had this truly happened, or was it a dream? Why had Sesshomaru taken such a fancy to a common housemaid, a relative so far removed and simple? It was a mystery to me.

Inukimi-sama returned some days later. When she found out what had happened, she was annoyed, but could do nothing. Sesshomaru may have been her son, but she had limited power over him. The only one who did was the Inu no Taisho, and he was, as usual, gone off on conquest. She had no choice but to consent to allow me to spend much of my time in the kennels.

This pleased me greatly. Though I grew to have affection for Inukimi-sama (she severely punished the other maids who teased me to the point where they hardly dared look at me, for fear), I still saw her as the woman who had taken my life from me. For all the splendor of the palace, I missed my father, my dogs, and even the human villagers.

I poured my heart and soul into creating the perfect dog of war. They were precise, bloodthirsty, with powerful youkai abilities, and very hard to defeat; yet they submitted well to an Inuyoukai who had a properly alpha attitude. They were loyal unto death.

The Inu no Taisho himself greatly approved of the animals; he won many, many wars with them. Of course, I saw him very little (which was fine with me, since I found him terrifying), but I was glad to be of good use.

One late evening, I was out in the gardens, under the ancient Sakura trees, which happened to be in bloom. I was holding a puppy on my lap, lost in my thoughts, when Sesshomaru approached me quietly. We had both grown; we were about as old as teenaged humans. I couldn't help blushing and looking away; his presence always held me on edge. I was beginning to realize that I loved him, and this was something that was absolutely forbidden. Yet I couldn't help myself.

He looked at me, almost as though he had no idea of what to say. "I greatly admire what you have done," he said, which is about the most elaborate compliment I'd ever heard him give. He then continued, "Tell me - do you still miss your father? The hundred years here are almost over, and you may go and see him within the next change of seasons." This surprised me; I had known that the time was coming, but I didn't realize it would be so soon.

I said, carefully, "Yes, I would very much like to visit my father. I'm not sure what I would do afterwards, though, as my service to your mother will be released." I hadn't much thought about it, but it was true - that meant I wouldn't see Sesshomaru anymore. I was suddenly very conflicted.

"Why do you look so downcast?" He asked, his eyes narrowing. I blushed again, and rolled my fingers through the puppy's hair. The animal immediately got irritated, snapped at me, and ran off. His eyes followed the dog. "They can sense your unease, and so can I. Tell me." He said that as a command, so I had no choice. I knew he'd be able to tell if I was lying.

"I - I will greatly miss my life here, as well now. I have been here so long, and made more friends than I ever imagined I would. I will miss this garden, miss the dogs, miss Inukimi-sama, and..." I looked up almost defiantly as I said, "And I'll miss you as well, my lord."

If Sesshomaru was surprised by this comment, he didn't show it. "No one said that you couldn't come back." He said it as though it were a fact.

"But Inukimi-sama told me that after I leave, it's for good."

"Of course she did. However, if I were to take you into my service, there is nothing she could say." He moved toward me, slowly. His slender fingers clasped around mine, and he took my hand, and then he shocked me by gently kissing the inside of my palm. To this day I'm surprised that I didn't faint on the spot. As it was, an intense flush moved up my neck, and I'm sure a surprised sound must have passed my lips. Looking up at me with his fiery gaze, his eyes locked on mine, and somehow his gaze froze me.

I won't go into much detail, but it was right there and then, under the cherry trees, that Sesshomaru took my virginity. He was surprised I still had it - a virgin youkai is rare indeed. In a way, I myself was surprised that no one had tried to take me yet. But Sessshomaru claimed me as his, right then and there.

...

At this, Inuyuki briefly stopped her story, looking at Rin intently. She pierced her with her gaze, and said, "Is my story upsetting to you?"

Rin hesitated. "Well, of course I was upset at first. How could Sesshomaru-sama not love you, and love me instead? You are the most beautiful being I've ever seen - and you're so gentle, especially for a youkai."

Inuyuki smiled, somewhat grimly. "Some would say I'm rather boring."

"You don't seem boring to me - and your story certainly isn't. But anyway, as I was saying, I don't feel jealous of you, and I couldn't. You no longer have your body, just like me. Any memories we both have are twice as bitter as they were sweet."

Inuyuki looked at Rin thoughtfully. "You are very eloquent; and very correct." They both turned their eyes down, sadly.

"There's something I still don't understand, though," said Rin. "You lost your body somehow. What happened to it? Who took it from you?"

Here, the youkai's eyes flashed bitterly, surprising Rin somewhat. "Of course. I haven't told you the most important part yet. Let me continue - you must learn the name of the one who took my body from me, for she also took yours from you."

At this, Rin gasped, audibly. "The silver haired woman? The one with a single eye?"

Inuyuki's eyes narrowed. "Yes. Her. Inuchiyo."