~~~With Butterfly Wings~~~

~Act 1~

The young woman stepped out of her large quarters and onto the moon-soaked balcony, sighing with the sight of the starry sky. The air around her was icy, but it didn't faze her. As a weak breeze blew past, she pulled her thin robes tighter around her dainty body. She looked down, and saw the small, faceted emerald orb that hung from her neck. "Oh…Lord Sesshomaru," she sighed. A few weeks earlier, perhaps a month or so, her lord had given it to her. "My Rin deserves the best" he had said. But now…Rin was getting an awful feeling.

The lord of a neighboring land, a man called Blood Mage Kael Dawnfield, to discuss some politics that Rin was in the dark about. Sesshomaru wasn't one for negotiations, but then again, the demon lord had said many a time that he didn't like to leave his young human lord for battle. Rin sighed. This 'Blood Mage' worried her. "I wonder why they call him a Blood Mage," she thought aloud. Perhaps he cast his spells with blood? "No…that's a foolish idea…" she muttered. Rin looked up at the full moon once again, serenity washing over her. Then she looked down at the surrounding land, and that serenity faded.

Rin saw the visiting Blood Mage, along with his small entourage, drew near the castle. She got yet another bad vibe. Why does he have an aura so filled with evil? He is only a demon lord…right? As more wind blew, she shivered slightly and walked back into her warm quarters, where a small fire burned in the hearth.

She walked across the icy floor, and then sat before the warmth of the flames, hugging her knees to her chest. The gold embroidery on her red silk kimono glistened almost like fire, as the shadows danced on the nearly dark walls. Being that it was late at night, the entire castle thought she was already asleep. But the dark, ominous vibes she had been getting scared off even sleep. Rin could hear the servants bustling about in the floors below in anticipation of the important guest, though she doubted Sesshomaru was paying much attention. He would probably just act like he cared during their discussions, then send him on his way. Rin heaved a sigh. Perhaps I should see what this Blood Mage is all about…

~--**--~

Sesshomaru stood on the highest tower of his castle, the winds blowing at him sharply. He gave a slight sigh, thinking of his young ward. He had seen her standing on her own balcony, simply staring up at the stars. She had gone back into her room, and he suspected she was finally retiring for the night. Of course he realized that he would soon have to tend to the matters of the neighboring lord at hand. "Blood Mage Kael Dawnfield. Pah," he mused. He certainly did not feel like doing this at all, wishing more to spend time with his lovely Rin. It was amazing how she had crept into his heart, a feat that had been thought impossible by even the great Lord Sesshomaru himself.

Was it truly possible that he, the mighty Sesshomaru, could fall in love with a mortal girl? He breathed a slight sigh. Apparently, it was. A warm smile came to his face, as he turned and walked inside, heading down the spiral staircase of the tower. With his demon speed, he quickly reached the bottom, which led into his large quarters. Without passing a glance, he exited his quarters, which was practically the west wing of the castle. Soon, in the sweeping foyer of his fortified stronghold, where he saw a tall, muscular man with a long mane of golden hair, wearing a large black cape lined with red, a matching black tunic below it all, and standing around him was a small group of sorcerers and their female counterparts. This was certainly the Blood Mage.

As Sesshomaru neared him, the mage spoke. "Lord Sesshomaru, I presume," he said. Sesshomaru simply gave a nod, pausing for a moment. He was too overwhelmed by the scent of death and the aura of darkness to speak. It was as if the group before him was a troupe of living corpses. When he was finally able to come to his senses, he gave a reply. "And you are the Blood Mage Kael Dawnfield," the demon replied icily. Kael lifted and waved his hand, quickly dispersing his magic-wielding companions. Taking Sesshomaru's sharp amber glare as a hint, the two or three servants cleared the area. It was if they were about to battle it out, and no one wanted to be caught in the crossfire.

Of course, the mage had not come to the demon lord's castle to fight. And if Lord Sesshomaru changed his mind and tried to settle their dispute in that way, he had brought his top mages to take care of the demon for him. Kael had no wish whatsoever to sully his hands with the blood of a slaughtered lord. But it would be fine if his underlings were blamed. He gave an icy smile, earning a strong, piercing glare from Sesshomaru. "Keal…it seems that you have tried to take power in the northern parts of my lands…but when hell-born scum show up and begin draining the blood of the people you claim are yours, you let them be to try and defend themselves from these creatures. Is there any explanation for this, or are you simply incompetent of ruling?"

It seemed that Sesshomaru struck a cord when he mentioned creatures that drank blood. There were a wide range; vampires were most known, but there were ghouls, goblins, zombies, and any other creatures that simply did. Any one of this array could've been the cause, so the demon brushed it off. But something about this 'Blood Mage' disturbed him. Why exactly was he called a Blood Mage? Once again, the lord brushed it off. It simply was not important. What was important was getting his land back.

"Simply because my mages are needed at our capital to defend our small city. It is not an army…simply a large group of powerful magic wielders. Even with their strength, being outnumbered would be their demise. And it is better to have some forces then none at all, is it not, Lord Sesshomaru?" Sesshomaru simply gave him a sharp smirk. "Hai…but it is better to have actual people to rule then simply a stronghold," he hissed. Kael seemed uneasy at this, and took a moment to reply.

~--**--~

Rin hid behind a doorway, just peeking her eyes out at the two negotiating lords. She was still wearing her obi and formal kimono, along with her emerald pendant. She hadn't bothered take the time; she just wanted to learn what and who this 'Blood Mage' really was. Rin could still feel the evil aura emanating from him, as well as still getting the bad vibe. But being closer to him…it was so much worse. She sank to her knees as her head throbbed in pain, so much escalating that she disregarded her master and the mage speaking. It was as if she could sense the slight stress in the mage's mood. She bit her lip to stifle a whisper, when the mage's red eyes fell on her. And then, Blood Mage Kael Dawnfield spoke.

"My, my, Lord Sesshomaru. You have quite a lovely young ward spying on us…"