*A/N I do not own InuYasha, or any of its characters. I only own my OC. Plot contains spoilers for the show from Season 2 until the end of Final Act.

A gentle breeze blew through the trees, ruffling the leaves and rippling across the otherwise calm forest river. A lone figure sat by the river edge, staring down into the water intently. Her long hair blew gently with the wind, but the rest of her body remained almost unnaturally still… until her reddish-brown ears twitched and her hand suddenly shot out, catching a fish just as it swam by.

She smiled triumphantly.

Allowing her claws to extend, Yuki killed the fish instantly as she turned back, ready to get back into the forest and start eating her dinner, when she stiffened suddenly as a cry sounded from deep within the forest, clearly a child calling for help.

Dropping the fish instantly, she dashed through the trees, leaping over the undergrowth as she headed for where she could hear the child crying and struggling. Her eyes narrowed and her teeth bared as she heard a human man's chuckle and another joking about how they would eat the kid if she wouldn't be quietly sold as a slave.

The man had barely finished his sentence when Yuki came flying out of the trees, kneeing him hard in the face.

The man fell back, knocked out, while blood spurted from his broken nose as the other two men absolutely started. They didn't even have time to react before Yuki punched one in the head, dropping him to the ground instantly, while kicking the other between his legs. The man hunched over in pain, and Yuki swung her leg, kicking down on the man's head and knocking him out as well.

"There." She said as she dusted her hands. "That teaches you to try and abduct a poor little girl."

She turned to grin at the child, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

The girl's eyes travelled slowly up Yuki's head and Yuki winced as she suddenly realized what the child must see: Yuki's long caramel hair was blowing freely in the wind, her ears poking out in the same reddish-white fluffy texture while her claws were still extended and dripping fish blood. All of which clearly marked her as non-human- as if her superhuman speed and strength hadn't been enough.

"Er…" She began awkwardly, when the child suddenly smiled at her.

"Thank you." The little girl said sincerely, taking Yuki aback.

"Um, you're welcome?" Yuki said slowly, before she blinked again as the child introduced: "My name's Rin. What's yours?"

"Yuki." Yuki answered, surprised that the little girl, Rin, was still talking to her. And as though it were nothing, at that.

"Yuki, that's a pretty name. It suits you." Rin complimented as she picked herself up and walked over to Yuki.

Yuki stared at the child, not quite sure how to react to this child's affectionate behaviour. She was used to people running screaming from her, not thanking her. Was she a demon hiding in a human form?

Yuki couldn't smell anything wrong, and Rin didn't seem that different from a normal human child; she looked perhaps about eight years old, and wore a typical orange and pale yellow patterned kosode with a green sash wrapped neatly around her waist as she beamed up at Yuki before glancing at the men on the ground.

"Are they dead?" She asked, sounding a little worried, and Yuki shook her head.

"No, just knocked out." Yuki assured, and Rin nodded before looking back at Yuki.

"I'm glad." The child smiled. "Though they were bad people, I would feel sad if they had to die."

"Oh." Yuki replied blankly, not quite sure what to do. "Well, they won't hurt you again, I promise. What was a young girl like you doing out here alone, anyway?"

"I was looking for food." Rin explained, and Yuki nodded. "And I'm not alone, there's Master Jaken and A-Un."

'A-Un?' Yuki repeated in her head, wondering who on earth named their child something so unfortunate. It sounded more like a pet's name, than a person's. Rin continued to chatter about what she'd been trying to find and what she would cook while Yuki listened.

She smiled and laughed occasionally, the child's bright and affectionate nature calming her down and letting her relax just a little bit, though she had to wonder. Was Rin a slave? It might explain this Master Jaken, but she hadn't seemed afraid when she spoke about him, nor even really sounded like she respected the man as she chattered now with Yuki.

And then, there was the fact that Rin was even speaking to Yuki. It was almost unheard of for the half-demon. Was this the universe trying to make up for the last two hundred years? They were a little late for that…

Yuki shook herself when Rin said suddenly, concern lacing her tone: "You have blood on your hand. Are you hurt?"

"Oh," Yuki chuckled, "no, this was from a fish I was catching for dinner."

Rin's eyes lit up excitedly and she asked: "You eat human food?"

"Um, yeah." Yuki said slowly, bewildered by the girl's reaction especially considering the fact that the child had spent the better part of ten minutes talking about her lunch. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Oh, that's because Lord-" Rin began, when Yuki suddenly lifted a hand, silencing her.

"Sh!" Yuki hissed as she suddenly jerked into a crouch, her ears twitching as she moved to stand before the girl protectively. "Something's here."

The little girl's face became alarmed as Yuki sniffed, trying to place the scent. It was vaguely familiar but definitely not one she recognized, and that puzzled her. Why did it have that familiar quality? And why was she still unable to detect where it was coming from?

Yuki's eyes narrowed when a demon suddenly appeared from the trees, silently cursing her luck as she tensed for battle though she knew it was likely a battle lost.

It was clear, before she even saw him, from his ability to hide his approach from her until now that this demon was powerful. Possibly very powerful as Yuki had the sneaking suspicion he had been there for a while now. And that did not bode well for her as a half-demon.

Yuki eyed the newcomer warily, quickly scanning him as he walked calmly out from the trees.

He was tall and extremely handsome, that she could tell right away. He was also dressed in a white silk kimono with delicate blue and red patterns embroidered onto it, but the delicacy was ruined by the thick armour he wore over it, paired with durable-looking black boots and a sword sheathed at his waist. A white, fur train that trailed from his shoulder down behind him completed the look.

But what caught her off-guard was the long white hair and golden eyes. They were very similar to an old friend of hers, though the reddish-purple markings on the side of his face and the purple crescent moon mark in the centre of his forehead made it harder to tell if the resemblance was really there or not.

Not that it mattered really, because the smell gave him away. And Yuki knew instantly that she was in trouble. From what she had heard, there were very few as powerful but cruel as-

"Lord Sesshomaru!"

Yuki positively started at the child's delighted cry, and she could only blink as Rin ran out from behind her and towards the dog demon. Yuki slowly straightened up as the demon glanced down at the girl before looking back up at Yuki and the men lying on the ground around her.

"Rin." Sesshomaru said and the little girl answered: "Yes?"

"Are you alright?" He asked, causing Yuki to frown slightly, but Rin smiled and answered blithely: "Yes!"

"Then go back to A-Un." Sesshomaru ordered, and Rin hesitated as Yuki tensed once more.

"Um…" Rin began, but Sesshomaru cut in smoothly: "I will return shortly."

"Yes, milord." Rin said slowly, glancing at Yuki once more before turned to go.

But before she did, she touched Sesshomaru's loose sleeve, and whispered, though Yuki could hear with her advanced hearing: "Miss Yuki saved me."

Sesshomaru just nodded, and Rin smiled before she ran off into the trees, while Yuki eyed Sesshomaru warily as he watched her silently.

"You're Sesshomaru." Yuki stated and he made no move to either deny or confirm her claim. "Inuyasha's brother."

That brought out a stronger reaction. He bared his teeth in distaste, his eyes flashing slightly in warning but Yuki stood her ground. She would have only one shot at escape, and she was waiting for it, praying that baiting him would distract him long enough for her to get away.

Hopefully, if she ran in the opposite direction Rin had gone, Sesshomaru wouldn't feel compelled to follow her. Unless he enjoyed hunting for sport, as other demons tended to. Then she wasn't sure what she would do.

Sesshomaru meanwhile contemplated this strange creature before him.

She was obviously a half-demon: that was instantly clear from her smell. But what puzzled him was her appearance.

Her dress was nothing out of the ordinary, with her red kimono with white accents and a white top, a long-knife holder strapped on either side of her belt. Perhaps the layered fabric, rather than the traditionally smooth design of regular robes, and the ribbons wrapped loosely around her wrists could be considered odd additions, but it was nothing unnatural, particularly amongst demons. What was startling – though he would never admit he could be surprised – were her hair and eyes.

When he'd first observed her as he came upon her saving Rin, she'd had light-brown hair with hints of red, like her ears, and deep blue eyes. But the instant she sensed him, her hair and ears had changed colour, going pure white. And when she'd turned to face him, her eyes as they met his gold ones were an icy light blue.

Arctic fox-demon, Sesshomaru realized. 'But what is one of their kind, even if it is a half-breed, doing so far south from their homelands? And this smell…'

He noticed her tensing just slightly, almost undetectable if it were not for his keen eye, and he also tensed a little as he wondered what her plan was. Surely she wasn't planning on attacking him? That would be foolish beyond belief, and something in the intelligent gleam in her eyes told him she was no fool, unlike the idiotic half-breed Inuyasha.

Before either of them could say or do anything more, they both stiffened.

Their ears twitched, both picking up on the foul stench of a demon and the faint sounds of it approaching from the far north. Normally, it wasn't something Yuki would pay much attention to, for the demon was still far enough that it shouldn't cross her path.

But something about its movements made Yuki frown, and she saw that Sesshomaru too seemed to find something was wrong. While his expression hadn't changed from its emotionless mask, his eyes had slid away from her and towards the sound.

Yuki briefly debated using that moment to run, but suddenly the mysterious demon changed course and she frowned as it suddenly broke into a speed rare even amongst demons… and headed to their right. The direction Rin had gone.

"Rin." Yuki gasped, and Sesshomaru was already gone.

If it weren't for her own enhanced senses, Yuki would have completely missed the moment when Sesshomaru launched himself, almost gliding in his grace, and disappeared into the trees.

Yuki meanwhile hesitated; if Sesshomaru hadn't been there, she would have thrown herself after Rin without another thought - just as she had earlier. But his presence brought danger to herself, while she was certain that even if she didn't go after Rin now, the child would be safe with Sesshomaru.

'What to do, what to do, what to do?' Yuki wondered, worrying her lip as she glanced between her left and right, wanting to run left but unwilling to do so when there was a chance Rin was in danger.

Suddenly, Rin screamed: "Help me, Lord Sesshomaru!"

'Oh, for the love of-!' Yuki thought as she threw caution to the winds and turned right.

Yuki dashed as fast as she could, launching herself through the trees and speeding towards the where she could faintly hear Sesshomaru growling while Rin screamed. There was another voice, high-pitched and annoying, that she didn't recognize but Yuki only focused on Rin's as she broke the tree line once more.

"Rin!" The annoying voice shrieked as Yuki spotted the child, just narrowly avoiding getting crushed by a giant snake demon.

Yuki quickly dodged as a giant tail swung her way, sparing the demon one glance as she jumped over its swinging body. She reached down quickly to grab the human child as she did while Rin screamed again, cowering as the snake demon threatened to crush her once more.

"Miss Yuki!" Rin gasped, and Yuki replied: "Hang on!"

She jumped with Rin in her arms, avoiding the snake demon as it turned its head and tried to bite them… only for Sesshomaru's hand to puncture a hole right through its mouth. It screamed as the acid on his claws caused the hole to burn and poison to spread through its body, while Yuki glanced back.

Sesshomaru was fighting an entire herd of the demons, which explained why Rin had been left exposed in the first place. It also explained why the demon Yuki had sensed earlier had seemed a little odd – it wasn't one demon, but an entire nest, moving as one and working together in a seamless flow that was currently causing the dog demon some trouble.

Well, 'trouble' considering how powerful he supposedly was. Though, he seemed to be missing his left arm, and Yuki noted also he was, for some mysterious, not drawing his sword, which hung simply at his side as he used his poisonous claws to kill any of the demons that came close.

To the side, there stood a two-headed dragon beast that was firing a few lightning bolts at the demons, to very little avail, while a small goblin-like creature yelled and cried out as he waved a staff with two heads.

"Rin!" The goblin screeched, his annoyingly high-pitched voice seeming to scrape against Yuki's eardrums. "Unhand her, you filthy half-demon!"

"Master Jaken!" Rin scolded as Yuki landed beside them, dropping the human child down beside the dragon.

"Thank you, Miss Yuki, for saving me." The child said gratefully, and Yuki answered a little bluntly as she glanced at the horde of snake demons: "Thank me when it's over."

"How dare you!" The goblin, Jaken, huffed as he glared at her. "Lord Sesshomaru is perfectly capable of taking these creatures down- ah!"

Jaken screamed as a snake demon came speeding towards them, and Sesshomaru glanced over sharply. But before he needed to jump over, Yuki had drawn her twin long knives and she jumped up high to meet the demon, her eyes flashing a dangerous blue as she swung the knives in a wide arc.

The speed and power behind the knives cut through the air itself, severing the snake demon's head from its body without her even needing to touch the demon, a technique rare even amongst demons and one Sesshomaru had most often witnessed with the Tetsusaiga.

He watched her momentarily as she landed gracefully, her swords still lifted before her defensively. Her movements were elegant, unlike another half-breed he could think of, and spoke of long hours of practice wielding the swords. No movement was unnecessary, and he could see she was a skilled fighter, conserving her strength for the rest of the battle as any noble sword master should.

And then she spoke.

"Stop staring, and move, you idiot!"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed while Jaken screeched indignantly: "How dare you address Lord Sesshomaru in such a crass way, you insolent half-demon!"

But Yuki wasn't paying attention to him as she ran with her blades lifted, her face set with determination. Sesshomaru simply lifted his hand, hitting the snake demon that had been about to attack him with his poison claws and killing it instantly as Yuki blew passed.

He watched her, sitting back to observe her skills and Yuki sensed it. She growled in annoyance as she swung her blades around to be parallel along the right side of her face as she faced the remaining five or so snake demons.

'So that's why he was moving so slowly.' She thought as she readied her attack. 'He was testing me.'

The thought irritated her to no end, and the anger only fueled her attack as her blue eyes flashed once more.

"Winter Blaze!" She shouted as she jumped right in front of the demons, swinging her knives around sharply as her hair flew up behind her like a silver curtain.

Sesshomaru raised a brow as the twin, curved slices from the knives flew out, glowing blue as it expanded to impressive width and depth. The snake demons screamed as the blades cut them cleanly in half, killing them almost instantly, while Yuki dropped gracefully back down to the ground.

"Amazing." Rin gasped, while Jaken gaped.

Yuki meanwhile had tensed again as she slowly stood up and turned to meet Sesshomaru's eyes. Her eyes were filled with distrust, and he noted the way her feet shifted just slightly in a defensive position, waiting to flee. He could see instantly that this girl had learnt the hard way that no-one, not demons not humans, reacted well to half-demons, and had sensed his test as a test of strength before battle.

She watched Sesshomaru as he met her gaze, and she was surprised when he seemed to show no interest in her at all besides just watching her. She was just ready to slowly back away and make her escape, when Rin suddenly broke into a happy run.

"Miss Yuki!" She called, and Yuki's mouth almost fell open when Rin hugged her legs. "Thank you so much! And you were amazing, even with Lord Sesshomaru."

"You careless child, come back here at once!" Jaken shouted as he came marching towards them, shaking his staff at the girl as Yuki stood in almost shock.

"Eh, Master Jaken, you're just jealous because Miss Yuki was so much stronger than you." Rin sniffed, and Jaken screeched: "What?! Why you-!"

"Jaken."

Yuki tensed again as both she and the tiny demon felt the power behind that simple word.

"Yes, milord?" Jaken asked, immediately becoming deferential as he bowed before Sesshomaru.

"Leave her be." Sesshomaru ordered, and Yuki frowned while Jaken nodded instantly, answering: "Of course, milord."

Sesshomaru turned and began to walk away, causing Yuki's mouth to actually drop open.

*A/N So I've been toying with this story for ages actually, and finally just decided to publish it. Hope you all enjoy!