A/N: This is a new story I was thinking about for some time now but never actually typed until recently. Updates will be rather slow, so please do not be mad at me. Please excuse any mistakes I may have made. I do deeply apologize for that. Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the original characters from the series. They belong to their rightful owners. Thank you and happy reading.

Prologue

It was the beginning of the season of winter and snow had already covered the Lands of the West. But even with the cold front, servants and the common people continue to work in the freezing weather. One woman in particular went through such weather. A little fragile girl was wrapped in a cloth sleeping peacefully in the woman's arms with a basket of herbs carried on her back. The woman stood in front of the large castle. This woman in particular was no ordinary woman. She works under the royal Taisho household as an herbalist. Two guards stood at the front of the gates, halting her. She revealed who she is with her papers. One of the guards approved of her papers after examining them and allowed her entrance. She walked inside and sighed. The heaviness of the herbs from the basket she was carrying on her back with the poor girl in her arms had been uncomfortable for her.

As she entered, she was met with the blacksmith, Totosai. Totosai noticed the little girl in the woman's arms and had a look of worry. The woman sighed and looked over at Totosai sadly. Totosai was about to ask about the girl, but the woman beat him to it.

"Abandoned," she replied simply. Totosai nodded and looked over at the child again. He kneeled and patted her head. The girl woke up and looked at him listlessly, which worried Totosai greatly.

"Then we shall take care of her, Kaede," Totosai replied. Kaede nodded curtly.

"But first, we shall seek the help of His Majesty," Kaede told him and Totosai agreed.

"What is her name?" Totosai asked, looking at the young child again.

"On the letter stated her name was… Rin," Kaede stated. Totosai nodded and touched the young girl's cheek.

"Rin…" Totosai whispered before they both left to speak to His Majesty, Inu no Taisho.

Chapter One

A boy, around the age of thirteen, was walking in the lavish gardens only nobles could afford. He wore a regal white silk robe that stopped at his ankles. Red patterned flowers adorned his shoulders to the neckline, sleeves, and on the bottom of his robe. A yellow sash with purple tips held his robe together. It fitted him quite well and showed that he is of nobility.

Behind him, was a girl much younger than him. Instead of walking like the boy, she was skipping and smiling excitedly at the beautiful flowers surrounding them. Her clothes were opposite of the boy. She had on a faded and ragged red robe with black dots adorning all over with a green sash to hold her robe together. The girl was rather slim and frail, making her clothes that much bigger on her. It showed she is of a much lower rank than that of the boy, a servant to be precise.

The boy suddenly stopped his tracks and looked behind him. His cold amber eyes stared straight at the young, energetic young girl. The young girl did not take notice as she was preoccupied with staring at the flowers that they passed. Her smile seemingly made her glow like the sun.

"Rin, keep up," the boy ordered. The girl, Rin, looked over to him, smiled once again and nodded. She immediately caught up and stood next to him. The boy nodded and continued his way with Rin, who was trying her best to keep up his pace with her small legs.

"Sesshomaru?" Rin called. Sesshomaru stopped, and Rin sighed in relief.

"What is it, Rin?" Sesshomaru asked, not turning to face her. He seemed a little irritated, but it was hard to decipher with his face masking his emotions.

"Rin's feet hurts," she stated, looking down at her dirtied feet. Sesshomaru looked over at her and down to her bare feet. He frowned even further than he already did, and he squatted to have a better look. He noticed her feet were bruised and scraped from walking through the trail. He sighed and turned his body around, still squatting.

"Come," he ordered, signaling Rin to get on his back so he could carry her. Rin frowned and shook her head, even though he may not see it with his back turned to her.

"Rin can't. Mother Kaede will be angry at me again. She told me a servant such as Rin should not get piggy backs from Sesshomaru," Rin stated sadly. Sesshomaru scoffed and turned around to Rin. He then picked her up in a bridal style, making Rin squeal in surprise.

"It hasn't stopped you from calling me Sesshomaru instead of Prince Sesshomaru," Sesshomaru stated before adjusting her in his arms, "And Kaede should not scold you for this since I'm not carrying you on my back but in my arms instead."

"Woah, you're so smart, Sesshomaru," Rin's eyes sparkled as she spoke with high admiration to Sesshomaru, making Sesshomaru smirk in reply. At this time, he started walking while carrying Rin with ease. She was quite light like a feather, and Sesshomaru seemed unhappy about it. He could almost feel her bones, and it made him even angrier.

"Now, let's go back. I shall take you to Kaede to bandage your feet," Sesshomaru told her and Rin happily nodded in reply. "It is silly of you not to wear the shoes that I gave you."

"But Sesshomaru's gifts are too pretty to be used by a lowly servant such as Rin." She frowned at her own words, but she knew it was true. After all, it was imbedded in her mind that a servant like herself can never be treated the same way as the nobles.

"You are my servant Rin. You were given to me by my father to serve me. And as long as you serve under me, you shall listen to my orders. And I, Prince Sesshomaru of the Taisho family, order you to wear the shoes I give you," Sesshomaru told her. Rin looked up at Sesshomaru and then at her feet.

"But Rin is disgusting! Rin was told that Rin is more disgusting than dirt, and that whatever Sesshomaru gave Rin is unworthy to be worn by Rin's lowly self. Sesshomaru's friends said so," Rin stated sadly. Sesshomaru's eyes darkened and held Rin a bit tighter.

"They are not this Sesshomaru's friends," Sesshomaru replied.

Not before long, they entered the castle. The conversation ended right then, and Sesshomaru had set Rin down on her feet. After all, it would be considered as a disgrace if anyone caught Sesshomaru carrying a servant girl. He slowed his pace when they continued their way to the herbalist so Rin could catch up to him. He would have stopped altogether and waited for Rin to walk beside him, but it was not allowed inside the castle or in the public eye as it was another unwritten rule that servants must always trail behind their masters. Servants were not allowed to be next to or in front of them.

Rin tried her best with her aching feet to catch up to the fast-paced Sesshomaru, but the numbing pain had slowed her steps. Thankfully, another servant had crossed their paths. Like all servants other than Rin, the servant bowed to greet the prince. The servant was tall with long midnight black hair with his hair tied down. He seemed like a man in his mid-twenties and wore a brown-colored servant's robe.

"Stand," Sesshomaru ordered. The servant stood up straight and looked over to the prince and then at Rin.

"Yes, milord?" The servant asked.

"Carry Rin and follow me to the herbalist," Sesshomaru ordered once again. The servant nodded and followed his orders.

"Yes, milord." The servant nodded his head.

The servant looked over at Rin and smiled. Rin smiled in return and hugged the servant.

"Thank you, Yasu," said Rin generously.

"You're welcome, Rin-san," he said gently.

Sesshomaru glimpsed at them for a moment before looking foward and started walking. The walk was peaceful and quiet, but Rin seemed to have taken a nap on Yasu's chest after a minute of walking. Sesshomaru took a glimpse again towards Rin and the arms holding her. Sesshomaru didn't know why, but he seemed unhappy about it.

Rin had been his servant for a year now. At first, she seemed to be mute and keeps to herself, but she was able to easily situate herself quickly and learned the ways of a servant. It was Sesshomaru's stepmother, Izayoi, that assigned Rin as Sesshomaru's personal servant. Sesshomaru was unhappy about it when he first found out, not only because he thinks Rin was unnecessary and gets in his way, but he disliked that his stepmother was the one who assigned the girl to him. After his mother and father separated, he held animosity towards his father and stepmother. And for his stepmother to appoint Rin as his personal servant made Sesshomaru almost lose his cool for he did not need a servant from Izayoi, and the girl looked timid which Sesshomaru highly disliked in a person.

But after some time with Rin, he found her incredibly the only person he would manage to accept other than Jaken, his annoying advisor, and Ah-Un, his rare two-headed steed. Rin readily accepts his commands yet she was stubborn at some others. Rin may be childish, but she is also a hardworker. Sometimes, she annoys him but that genuine smile of hers gets rid of that feeling. Though he does not know why he accepts her, one thing he does understand is that he found Rin interesting. And as long as he continues to be interested in her, she will stay by his side until he no longer needs her.

Sadly, that day would come when Sesshomaru will dismiss Rin, and Sesshomaru will soon realize that he can make mistakes. And with those mistakes will come at a great price. It is a price so great that it will make even the great Sesshomaru realize what true emptiness feels like, and that will be the one thing he wishes to have never felt.