Disclaimer: Yeah, right, like I own a damn thing…

A/N: Ah, what the heck. I seem to love this Rin/ Sesshoumaru daddy's-little-girl stuff, so why not give it another try. This is going to be longer and more in-depth, and involve a lot more characters, original and otherwise.

Special Thanks: cuban inuyasha fan (well, if I confused you, you confused me), MoreEverything (being a dad and an emotionless demon lord is hard, you know), Odi et amo (the extra sword was to protect his little girl, of course! hehehe), SilentKiller (nothing like Sesshy being cute, huh?) sphinx, (Sesshy would never sell her, at any rate…), Cochrann, (no more chapters for that one, but there will be plenty Sesshy-Rin cuteness and bloodshed here!)

She wore her hair differently, now that she was a grown woman. Seventeen might seem young to be considered grown, but the world was unkind, and her only protector far from gentle, even when showing affection. Or especially when showing affection.

So dark it sucked in light, and so glorious other women begged to know her beauty secret , it rushed down her shoulders to her waist when lose. But she wore it high on her head now, almost as high as a topknot, and simply bound. Her master and guardian had chosen a red ribbon for her, and she wore it always, a mark of her allegiance and devotion.

It had been he, with long fingers and wicked claws so gentle, to first bind her hair up as a woman, instead of a girl. She stared into the water, watching her reflection change, her face morph from child to something else, something almost frightening. As he tied the ribbon securely, he glanced down, meeting her gaze.

She turned her head quickly, staring into his eyes, her breath catching. There seemed, for a moment, to be two people there, a child clinging to his robe, face adoring and imploring all at once; and a woman, walking on her own two feet, the hilt of her blade firm in her hand, her eyes calm and sure. Then the child and woman merged, and she saw herself through his eyes.

"You are growing up now."

That was all he said.

He stood, touched the ribbon, the lose sides flowing down on either side of her face, and gave that strange smile, only in his eyes but very much there. She smiled back, with everything but her eyes. Her eyes shimmered dangerously, though she knew better than to cry.

He was gone when she woke the next day.

The village he left her near took her in. A lovely young girl of marriageable age is always welcome in hard times. That she came with her own blade, not only capable but incredible in the art of death, made her even more graciously received. Any demonic problems she dealt with swiftly. She earned her food and respect through the blade and training he had given her.

Friendship and love were not so easy to come by. The frost settled in her eyes and heart kept people at bay, even the well meaning ones. Only the children were not afraid of her, but their parents refused to allow them near her for too long.

She lived a solitary life, her blade and her ribbon her only company. In the night, all alone, she clung to silk and steel as though she could will back her childhood; a froglike demon, a two-headed dragon steed, and a beloved master-guardian-father-lord. Every morning she woke to find herself still alone.

Speaking little, she stared strangely at the villagers that first day when they asked her name. Her head bowed. Her lashes lowered. The tears threatened, but again she pushed them back. From the corner of each eye she saw red.

She lifted her head, and gave the name not of the child, but the woman she would be from now.

"Akai."

Another A/N: Akai means Red.