"Sesshomaru, keep your eyes down." Taisho muttered to the five year old boy. "You don't look at them."

Lowering his head, the boy looked to the dirt. "But… why father?"

His father sighed. "Because we are demons. Our job is to keep our heads down and serve our masters. Now, get back to work."

The boy sighed then went back to the weeding, daring himself to look up at the carriage as it rolled past him, three humans looking ahead, ignoring him and his family while one pair of eyes looked at him. Black hair and big brown eyes.

The young lady Rin. He thought as she waved shyly at him, only to be scolded by her mother. He nodded at her as she tried to keep her eyes on him. She's only three. Curious. About the world and about us demons.

"Sesshomaru!" his father hissed, pushing the boy's head down to the ground. "Get back to your weeding young man! If they come back and it's not done, we won't be eating tonight." The older man sighed, rolling his shoulders with his workload. "It's bad enough there are only two of us."

"The baby's on his way."

"He'll be here soon. Then she'll be able to help again. And then the baby will too."

-(-)-

"InuYasha… please… sit down and eat." Sesshomaru stared at his young brother. The four year old looked at him then stuck out his tongue. The older boy sighed, looking down at his dinner. A simple bowl of some bitter stew made up of leftovers from the main house. He sighed at his step-mother. "Couldn't they give us anymore?"

The woman shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry Sesshomaru. That's all they had to give."

"We work every day… for them." He nodded over his shoulder. "And they can't be bothered to feed us properly then complain we don't do enough work."

The older man sighed. "I know Sesshomaru. But this is the way things are. We are theirs. It's their choice how much they give us."

The demon sighed then began his meal, eating slowly and silently to make it last. He looked over at the woman. Ever since InuYasha had been born, the demoness had been weaker. She always had been weak but now she was too weak to really work. She was bringing them down. She was the reason they had so little to eat. But he pitied her. She was the only female servant of the Moegi and the only one to clean their mansion.

He finished eating then stood, excusing himself and leaving the tiny one room building that was their home and going into the gardens. He sighed, looking up at the moon then climbing up a tree and perching as high as he could.

One day… one day I'll find the pendent. And I will destroy it. Then I'll take father and InuYasha far away from here… we'll leave the walls… we'll go and be free. I swear… someday… we will leave.

He stared at the moon a little longer then looked back at the house. Some of the rooms were lit up for the night as the family of four sitting down for a meal. His mouth watered at the sight of rich roasted meats, boiled potatoes, piping hot gravy, steamed vegetables… followed by hot sticky pies and sweet deserts.

He wiped his mouth and watched them. That's more food than we see in a month.

Then he looked at the actually humans. First he watched the Lady Naimi Moegi. A dark haired woman with a stuck up nose, thin as a stick and with her hair tied high up off her head in a tower, dressed in a long black dress with high collar.

Sesshomaru huffed. He'd never seen the lady much. She was too rich to step out into the gardens and often sent a messenger for him when she wanted her carriage prepared.

Bored of watching her tiny nibbles of food, his eyes moved to the other end of the long table where the Lord Osano Moegi. A tall, strong man like Sesshomaru's father but only in build. He was completely bald and wore a white powder wig to hide the fact. He was a horrid man to work for. If the grounds weren't taking care of perfectly then he wouldn't hesitate to strike Sesshomaru's father, even if it was the young demon's fault. He closed his hand into a fist. He tried. He really tried. And yet his father took the pain and blame.

The laws on demon ownership said he couldn't be struck until at least ten years old. At only nine, he was a year away from taking his own punishment. He wanted the time to come… so his father wouldn't have to suffer… but also feared it. Osano had struck his father, a full blooded demon, so hard in the past, that he had bruised. That took strength.

Shuddering away from the thought, he looked at the other male at the table, his back to the window but the demon knew him. The young lord Taru Moegi. A lean young man in his early teens who was meant to spend his time studying to take over his father's business but instead spent most of his time gambling, drinking and with women.

Sesshomaru remembered the first time he met the young lord; in the young demon had only been seven and he'd been taking hay to the stable when he heard giggling and saw the lord with two young women, both being practically undressed.

His eyes moved to a more pleasant sight. The young lady Rin Moegi. He smiled as she sat at the table, her small hands struggling with the knife and fork. She often forgot them and picked at her food with her hands, earning a stern word from her mother. He chuckled a little while watching her. She was so small, so soft and sweet. She almost didn't belong with that family. He didn't know her well. She was only seven years old and didn't have any reason to see him. But that was changing. Her mother was beginning to teach her how to ride. That meant she would be in the stable more. Meaning he could be near her. He'd probably have to teach her how to saddle and see to a horse alone. The stable was not a place for the lady.

Of course, contact would have to be at a minimum. He wouldn't be able to speak unless spoken to. He wouldn't be able to look her in the eye.

He was a demon… he was below humans.

-(-)-

"Hi there!"

Sesshomaru looked over the horse he was grooming to the doorway. He gave a small bow of the head. "Good morning, my lady."

The little girl blinked. "What's your name?"

"I am Sesshomaru, my lady."

Rin giggled as she walked over to him. "You don't have to call me lady."

He held in a sigh and a smile. "It is the correct address, my lady. I have to."

"How old are you Sesshomaru?"

"Nine, my lady."

"You look so much older!" She smiled and walked quickly over to him and grabbed his hand, looking over his hand and claws.

The demon blinked and allowed her strange contact. She walked around him and pulled at the tail of his hair and kept looking up and down him. "My lady… what are you doing?"

"I've never seen a demon up close before…" she looked up at his face. "Could… could you… kneel? I want to look at your face."

He did as he asked, kneeling down on the floor so they were eye level. Her curiosity peaked as she stared into him, running her hand over his cheek and down the marks. "What are they?"

"They show my family linage as servants."

"Oh."

"You… you might have seen that my father has the same kind of mark, but only one of them. I have two as… as I'm second generation."

"What about that other boy? I see him playing from my room. He doesn't have them."

He blinked. She watches us? "He is too young. They come to us when we start working."

"I see. What about this one?" Her finger traced the mark on his forehead.

"That one is from my mother's linage. I'm third generation on her side and second on my father's."

"So your whole family have been servants?"

"We are demons… we're born to it."

"Rin! Young lady, what are you doing?" Sesshomaru stood up quickly as the Lady Moegi walked over to them, her eyes burning. "What were you doing to my daughter?"

"My lady I was merely answering her questions." He spoke quickly and kept his head down.

The woman pushed him backward. "Questions?"

"I was asking about his marks mother. They show he's a servant."

The woman turned to the child and huffed. "Yes. They do. And don't you forget it. Either you. You…" she pointed at the demon. "Will keep to your duties. You will teach my daughter what she needs to know and I expect results. And you…" she turned to the child. "Will not speak to him unless it is to do with your riding. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes mother."

"Yes my lady."

"Good. Now, come with me Rin." The woman marched out of the stable and Rin walked behind her, looking back at the demon and gave a small smile.

"Bye." She whispered then went after her mother.

The demon gave her a small smile back. "Bye."

A/N: Well, what do you think? Do I keep going with this one? :S

I have to thank my ANGEL Taraah36 for convincing me to take this one up and helping me with the names of the family. I mean, all of them; The young lord Taru Moegi. Lady Naimi Moegi. Lord Osano Moegi.

Ok, the young lady Rin Moegi was… fixed but, she gave me the surname.

This story is… sort of French countryside mansion in the… late… Georgian time frame I think. When the lords and ladies of the land had power and riches, living life up above the common people.

I'm working on the idea that demons are less than humans instead of the other way around, which is quite popular as a fan fic.

So I made it that demons are sold to humans in families and they work on their land, tending to gardens, tending to horses for the men, cleaning and cooking for women. Basically, they are born into service. And yes, I made Izayoi a demoness. A weak one (bet you can see where that's going) but a demoness.

Anyway, really need your opinion on if I should continue this one.

Yes Taraah, I know want me to but… I need a little more encouragement.