As must be mentioned, all rights belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi- this story would not exist without her and the world she created; I claim no right to the characters or their previously established stories. Also, a heartfelt thank you to the talented McAshe from Deviant Art, who so kindly gave me permission to use their artwork. If you care nothing for back story jump down to the chapter heading; if you're like me and enjoy inspiration explanations, read on.

I'm a firm believer that Sesshomaru is an INTJ personality type (according to MBTI), which is a big part of why he's so difficult for a lot of fanfics to properly portray: either he's a robot that somehow manages to have a hormonal awakening, or he's way too feeling-based and behaves completely out of line with the character established in the show (getting rewritten to suit our predominantly emotionally-motivated populace). As an INTJ myself, it's easy for me to "get inside his head" and craft reactions/reasonings that I believe would be the logical fallout as a maturing Rin reenters his life. People like Sesshomaru can't just fall in love with a snap of the fingers- it starts in the mind with intense analyzing and processing, and slowly works its way down to the heart.

Consequently, this is not some quick-fix one shot story. It's a novel (yes, check the word count) dedicated to the hardcore fans of this pairing who want a realistic, in-depth interpretation of the relationship. I hope you enjoy it; on the whole it turned out pretty well if I do say so myself.

Prologue: The Locket of Souls

The night was warm, almost unpleasantly so due to the moisture that clung in the air from the rain shower that had passed through earlier. A velvet mantle of the darkest blue was cast across the sky, the garment adorned with thousands of sparkling gems that winked in their beckoning way at the earth below. At such a late hour there was hardly a living soul about to wonderingly gawk at such a beautiful sight, and the lone figure who was present had no desire to stare at the sky for no reason- looking at something simply to appreciate its supposed worth did not count as a reason in his mind.

This scoffer of nature was a tall, thin being, with sharp facial features and an immense aura of power and intimidation that sent any woodland creature within yards scampering for cover. The moon illuminated his long silvery hair and accented further the cold light that shone in his golden eyes; at his side were two swords, and draped over his right shoulder was a long white piece of fur. The midnight traveler was not alone, though his companions were indeed silent. Trailing a short ways behind him was a two-headed dragon, and perched on the creature's back was a little green imp quietly snoring away. The trio made their way through the sparse forest as stealthily as ghosts, leaving no trace of themselves: to anyone who came after, it would be as if they had never existed.

The group reached a small clearing and the figure in front halted. There was nothing remarkable at all about the place to warrant any attention, but the leader remembered with perfect clarity the last time he had been in this spot; it had been with the same companions who stood behind him now, but back then there had been one more who traveled at his side. Not a single flicker of emotion crossed his face as he gazed another moment at one particular worn log, but he did feel the smallest twinge of melancholy somewhere in his chest region. With a puff of disgust he turned away and continued on through the forest, but somewhere in the recesses of his mind he heard the crackle of sticks in a fire….

"There! That should be enough to keep it going for a while," the little girl declared, tossing an armful of small branches onto the little mound of orange tongues before her.

Something she'd thrown into the fire apparently greatly agreed with it, because the flames briefly leaped much higher without warning and threatened to engulf her face and arms.

"Rin, you foolish child! How many times have I told you to immediately jump back the moment you've added fuel to the fire? Lord Sesshomaru will have my head if you burn your face off while I'm around."

The tiny green demon who had previously been lounging between the roots of a nearby tree was now hopping up and down angrily as he admonished the child in his grating high-pitched voice. Rin was nonplussed and simply plopped onto a log, pointing her hands and bare feet towards the flames to get them nice and toasty.

"You must start behaving like a proper young lady! If Lord Sesshomaru were here right now he'd probably-"

"I am here, Jaken."

The toad imp jumped higher in fright and whirled around to face his master. "Milord! I-I did not hear you approach! I promise that I was simply, ah, uhhh…."

He got no further in his groveling. The vassal was given a swift kick that propelled him into a bush on the other side of the clearing, where he wisely stayed put for the time being.

"Lord Sesshomaru, you're back! I was hoping to see you again before I went to sleep. I wasn't sure how late you'd be gone."

Sesshomaru surveyed Rin as she beamed up at him, and he took a moment to once again mentally shake his head at himself. What had he been thinking, taking a human child under his wing? She'd already gotten herself into a number of situations in which he'd had to intervene to protect her from an enemy or her own foolishness- not to mention the fact she'd been used as a hostage by that treacherous villain Naraku. She was a liability and had inconvenienced him multiple times and yet…and yet he couldn't find it in his heart to send her away. Rin tugged slightly on a sleeve of his kimono, wordlessly inviting him to sit down.

"You've been gone for several days now," she informed him as she began to roast a row of mushrooms she'd speared on a stick. "Did you succeed in finding Naraku?"

The demon beside her replied flatly, "Naraku has moved on to yet another location. He changes hiding places as often as some snakes shed skin."

"Well, there's nothing to worry about," Rin stated with complete confidence. "You'll get him and you'll destroy him because you are the most powerful demon that's ever lived!"

Her innocent faith in him was commendable, especially considering she was human. Sesshomaru had decided he would never understand how a frail mortal- and a young one at that -could be completely unafraid of him and not carry even the tiniest doubts about his treatment of her. She respected him but never once cowered, and she was not the slightest bit disturbed by the fact that he killed or at least maimed others on an almost daily basis. It stymied his otherwise all-encompassing intellect, which was an event in and of itself to wonder at.

He watched as Rin experimentally pinched a mushroom, placed the stick back over the fire, and then withdrew it again thirty seconds later. She blew on the closest fungal bulb several times before gingerly pulling the hot piece of food free and popping it into her mouth. This resulted in a happy smile accompanied by a scrunching up of the eyes, and the process was repeated. The child offered the stick to her companion, but he declined. There was an undeniable…charm about Rin that Sesshomaru could not ignore, though it shocked him to apply such a word to a human. This prompted him to remember an item he'd come across in his travels earlier that day, and instinctively his hand went to a small pouch to make sure it was still there.

He had spent the last three days scouring a nearby mountain for any clues as to the latest whereabouts of Naraku, and of course he was waylaid once or twice by lesser demons who were hoping to find a mislaid piece of the fabled Shikon Jewel. One such interruption came from what turned out to be a little old forest spirit who, once her spell of illusion popped and revealed her to not be a giant ferocious tiger, had fallen prostrate to the ground and begged her life be spared. Seeing she was of no consequence to him, Sesshomaru had sheathed his sword and prepared to walk away; however, the elderly demoness had been so relieved by this act that she crawled after him and insisted on repaying his mercy.

The demoness rushed in front of him and dumped the contents of her bulging sack onto the road, eagerly holding up various shiny trinkets and good luck charms. This vase contained powdered happiness, and this ribbon would make the wearer invisible…she'd babbled on and on until Sesshomaru wished he'd killed her after all. The hag had then shoved a soft pouch into his palm, assuring him that this locket was blank and ready to be written, and out of annoyance he asked what exactly that was supposed to mean. The demoness then explained what she had given him, and with mildly aroused curiosity Sesshomaru took it and left the wench to her prattling.

He now reached into the bag that hung from his waist and felt cold metal press against his fingertips. It didn't seem to be much bigger than a coin, though it was thicker; he withdrew his hand and carefully inspected the gold bauble, making sure it wasn't some sort of trick or anything dangerous. When at last he was satisfied that it would not bring harm, he curled his long fingers around the locket and turned to Rin.

"I brought you something."

The girl paused with the last mushroom halfway to her mouth, surprise and curiosity plainly written in her eyes. Sesshomaru could count on one hand the number of times he'd given her anything, as he had no desire to spoil her, but even then it had only been food he'd happened upon. The demon held out his hand and slowly revealed the locket, gauging his young companion's reaction. An 'ooh' of delight escaped her lips and her eyes fairly danced with excitement, but she did not reach forward.

"Is that really for me?" she asked quietly, staring up at her lord with slight disbelief.

Sesshomaru took one of Rin's small hands and placed the locket there, noting in that brief instant of touch that his hand completely engulfed hers. Rin held the jewelry close to her face to scrutinize every detail of her present, clearly stunned by this unprecedented generosity. She found the tiny button on one side of the disc and pressed it, and the front of the locket flew back to reveal a soft blue glow within. Sesshomaru held his breath and waited: this was what he was curious about, what he wanted to experience. The concept had fascinated some small part of his mind and refused to leave until he'd satisfied it, and now was the moment of truth.

At first he heard nothing, and the demon lord wondered if this toy even worked. Then his keen ears detected the faintest of notes beginning to drift out of the locket, and he focused his full attention on them. Music rose from the enchanted piece in Rin's hand, a melody that was slow and wandering and held an air of sadness to it; it was beautiful yet haunting, painting in the mind's eye a picture of a lonely spirit drifting through a gray world of twilight and solitude. As the music reached a rest a new tune was introduced, and its contrast was as stark as day to night. This strain was happy and carefree, bounding over meadows and bringing light to the darkest of places, tugging gently at the listening heart to follow. It was nothing but sweet loving care, bringing rest to the weary and kindness to the furrowed brow.

Sesshomaru cast a covert glance at Rin and saw that she was entirely spellbound by the song, her small face reflecting the blue glow and her eyes large with attentiveness. Well, this had been an interesting experiment- the demon paused his thoughts as he detected a shift. The first line of music was coming back, and it was intermingling with the second. It was still the same tune, but it had changed from minor to major; the second song was reshaping the first, replacing sorrow with joy and filling it with hope. The first song retained its character but was somehow different, in ways that words couldn't quite describe, but against the odds the two songs wrapped around each other to become one mesmerizing experience. They complemented perfectly, and by the time the melody had started to fade away it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.

Silence at last returned and stayed for several minutes. Rin was still gazing at the locket in wonder and awe, and Sesshomaru was mulling over the deeper meaning behind the music. He had no intention of telling Rin how this thing worked, as it would be highly embarrassing to discuss, but inside his own head he was thoroughly debating the subject with himself freely. Could this little piece of ensorcelled metal really do what it claimed? Or had the old hag merely been lying and the locket's melody composed by its creator?

"Lord Sesshomaru?"

Rin was looking at him now. She was clutching the locket tightly and holding it to her heart, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What is this?"

"It's called a locket of souls. I obtained it from a demon who had no further use for it."

"Whose souls are they?"

Sesshomaru waved the question away. "It is inconsequential. I do not need such a bauble, but I thought it might occupy some of your time, especially when you're alone."

The glowing admiration was back in her eyes. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru. You are too kind to me."

The demon stood and prepared to walk away. "Eat the rest of your dinner and go to sleep. We're setting out early."

"Yes, milord."

Rin was soon obediently curled up beside the dragon A-Un, the locket now around her neck but open to sing her away to dreamland. Sesshomaru watched as the dying firelight danced across her angelic face, and noted the way his dragon protectively regarded their surroundings; she'd made her way into the heart of even such a lowly creature as he. Sesshomaru closed his amber eyes and meditated upon the song as it floated across the grass towards him. As the old demoness had informed him earlier, the locket was devoid of music and simply waiting for material to be inserted; when Sesshomaru touched it, the locket copied down his soul and internalized it as song. At that point it was halfway filled, and when it was passed to Rin the object had then read her soul as well and transcribed what it needed to make the second tune.

Sesshomaru had known this was how it was designed to work and he had been curious to "hear" a soul for himself, as he had never experienced such a thing. However, he had not been expecting the locket to combine his and Rin's songs into one coherent piece; he had been caught off guard by the way her song made his more…full and not so sad. Was this the locket just taking artistic license? Or was it possible that- no, he couldn't think such a thing. Yet he couldn't help but wonder: was it possible Rin had such an effect on him that she had changed his very soul? The demon lord's eyes snapped open and he glared at the night sky. No, he was his own master and no one could remake him, especially not a mere mortal.

He shuddered with contempt at the very idea that a human could make him better than he was. Suddenly seized with a desire to get away from these thoughts, he stole across the lawn to the sleeping Rin and carefully gathered her up in his arms. He paused a moment to review her again before gently placing her on the dragon's back, and then proceeded to kick Jaken awake.

"Get A-Un," he commanded the simpering imp. "We're going."

Sesshomaru glanced back at the dark clearing before the line of trees behind him closed in. It had been eight years since that night here, but he still remembered every line of the melody; Rin had played it almost every night before she went to sleep and any other time she felt like it, so the tune was burned into his memory for all time. Of course he never did tell her how the music had first been written, not even when he left her at Kaede's village to become re-accustomed with human living. There was no need for anyone other than himself to ever know the secret behind the music. A hum of a bar or two of melody escaped him, but it was extinguished with a cough, and Sesshomaru continued on into the night in silence.