I do not own Inuyasha. I write these for my own amusement and for the joy that reviews bring. :D if you don't know what any Japanese words mean, it should be listed at the bottom.

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The ten girls lined up quickly, their bare feet making muffled thuds on the wooden boards. The youngest was not yet 14, and the oldest had just turned 19. They had all been ill-treated, and had cuts and bruises on their faces and what could be seen of their arms and legs – which was a lot. Their dirty, colorless clothes just covered their bodies, ending just past their shoulders and before half-way down their thighs. Each of them had either black or dark brown hair, and it was long and hanging free down their backs, often longer than their clothes. Their leader, a thick, burly man of 40 with a bad eye, cracked a whip in the air and they all bowed their heads, clasping their hands in front of them.

A buyer appeared on the stage, but all they could see of him was his black boots and red hakama. He stopped short of the first girl.

"You haven't got any that smell a bit better?" he demanded of the leader.

He bowed on the floor. "I assure you, ouji-sama, that they will be properly washed immediately before being sent to you, should you grace this lowly slave-dealer with an offer."

"Keh," the buyer said dismissively, approaching the silent line. Some of the younger girls were trembling. He stopped in front of one girl and grabbed her by her hair, forcing her head up to look at him. She saw his amber eyes, silver hair, and dog ears. She saw his unfriendly frown.

"What's your name, wench?"

"Sango, ouji-sama," she replied, repeating the address that her leader had used.

"How old are you?"

"19, ouji-sama." She did not tremble in fear at his gaze, and he sensed her fearlessness.

"I'll take her," the ouji said, releasing her hair and walking down the line. He stopped at another girl and posed the same question.

"Kikyo, ouji-sama."

"And your age?"

"18, ouji-sama."

He accepted her also before looking at another girl. His next choice was the 15 year old Kagome, and then the 13 year old Kaede. He was about to leave when he stopped at the girl at the end of the line and grabbed her hair. Her head tilted up to him, but she would not meet his eyes.

"You, girl. What's your name?"

"Ouji-sama, forgive me, but she is mute," the leader interrupted.

"Mute…" the ouji repeated.

"Hai. Her name is Rin."

"And what is her age?"

"She managed to communicate that she is 14, ouji-sama. She was found wandering through the forests."

"Hm. I'll take her, too. My brother likes the ones that don't talk."

"Ano… ouji-sama, I am unaware of whether or not she still has her purity – "

"My brother doesn't expect them to. Have them sent to the castle in two days. But bear in mind that I'm not buying yet. Only seeing what my father and brother think. I'll send them back if we reject them."

"Of course, ouji-sama. I am honored that you find the girls of this lowly slave-dealer worth considering."

The five chosen girls were washed until their skin was bright pink, and given sickly-sweet smelling perfumes to add to their scent. Their scanty clothes were replaced with thin, tight-fitting kimono with an obi that tied in front, and in two days they were bundled into a palanquin and taken to the castle.

"Nee-sama, I'm scared," Kaede sobbed, clinging to Kikyo.

"Shh, it's going to be all right, Kaede," Kikyo soothed. "Chances are, the lord of the west will send us back to Iwao and he won't use us."

"What if he doesn't?" Kagome asked, looking worried. "We'll have to stay at the palace and live as concubines."

"Well, that's all there is for us to do," Sango said, looking straight ahead. "It's the only way we can survive. We who have no families and no qualifications."

"But, Sango-nee-san, you could work as a youkai taijiya."

"Not in the west. The lord of these lands has forbidden taijiya," she said in a flat tone.

They quickly arrived at the castle, and got out of the palanquin. They stood in order of height, leaving Rin at the end and Sango at the beginning and walked inside, heads bowed, as they were led by a servant. They stood in silence in a large hallway until a door burst open and two men came through it.

"This is all?" asked the low, cold voice of one of the men.

"I picked the best there was, nii-sama," the familiar voice of the ouji replied sarcastically.

"I told you that slave-dealer Iwao was pathetic. Smell them; how repulsive!"

"You're just saying that because they're human."

"And two are above marrying age. That in itself is a disgrace."

"So what! Anyway, one of them is mute. That one at the end. You've always been complaining about how they talk too much, so I found one that doesn't talk at all. You're never happy, are you?"

"Very well. I will keep the mute. At least she's still young. You may do what you like with the rest, as Chichi-ue wants nothing to do with them."

"Keh."

The ouji's brother left the room, leaving him and the girls.

"Rin, wasn't it?"

Rin nodded without looking up.

"Come over here." She obeyed. "You, you're Kikyo, aren't you?"

"Iie, ouji-sama. I am Kagome."

"Well, you and Kikyo get over here as well. The other two can go back. Make sure you include payment for the other three," he ordered the servants.

"Hai, ouji-sama," they bowed and hurried to obey.

Turning to the remaining three, he said, "So there are few rules you need to obey, but the ones there are you have to adhere at all costs, understood?"

The girls all bowed and two said, "Hai, ouji-sama!" simultaneously.

"First rule; don't call me that. My name is Inuyasha and you are to use it. My father is the Inu no Taisho, and you must be respectful to him as well as my brother. His name is Sesshoumaru, and whatever you do, don't forget that. He's a heartless son of a bitch and will punish you harshly for having a hair out of place. You will probably not see much of him, except for Rin, and I doubt any of you will ever see my father unless he sends for you, which isn't likely. I'm assuming you've all been trained on how to act in the presence of royalty, and let me tell you now: I couldn't care less what you do in my chambers as long as I haven't forbidden it, but outside of it you are to adhere to even the servants. Your sleeping room will be beside mine and you are to stay in them at all times unless someone has ordered you to do something or when it is time to eat. And finally, you never disobey anyone. Got that?"

Again they bowed and said, "Hai, Inuyasha-sama."

"Good. Rin, I don't know where you're sleeping room will be. Sesshoumaru might want you beside him, he might not. Stick with me for the time being and I'll find out later. Now all of you, follow me," Inuyasha turned and began walking down the corridor swiftly.

Kagome and Kikyo were silently cursing their bad luck at being chosen, but were glad that they had apparently been picked by the kinder man. And they felt bad for Rin, who was to be slave to the "heartless son of a bitch".

"First of all, you won't be wearing those rags," Inuyasha eyed their cheap clothing when he got to his chambers. Going to one of the rooms behind his, he swiftly opened the door and entered, speaking to the girl inside. "Rei, I need you to lend two of your outfits to my newest slaves."

"Of course, Inuyasha-sama," the girl bowed and went to her wardrobe, pulling out the first two kimono she touched and handed them to her master, who brought them to the girls.

"Change now."

Kikyo and Kagome lowered their gaze in embarrassment before tugging their obi loose and letting their robes fall to the floor and pulling on the expensive ones. Again, the obi tied at the front.

"Rin, if Sesshoumaru wants you to wear something else, then he'll be the one to give it to you. Thanks, Rei. You can come for dinner when you're ready," he flashed a smile at the girl inside before leading the three of them outside. Again, they followed him through the corridors until they met a ningen woman who appeared to be 40 years old. She was dressed like them, with the offensive obi.

"Inuyasha, you have new slaves?" she smiled at them.

"Hai, Okaa-san," Inuyasha answered.

"Why is one not dressed properly?"

"Rin belongs to Sesshoumaru. I'm going to find him to make sure she gets seen to with all her arrangements."

Walking on, he explained to the girls, "That's Izayoi, my father's slave." He said nothing else, and they were not permitted to ask. Stopping outside two huge doors, he pounded on one of them with his fist and yelled, "Hey, Sesshoumaru!"

After a moment the door opened and the girls bowed their heads in respect.

"What do you want?" Sesshoumaru asked in a bored tone.

"I brought you Rin. Don't forget to show her the way to the kitchens so she can eat."

"I am not a half-wit like you; I would not forget such a thing."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Well, she's all yours." He walked down the corridor, followed by Kagome and Kikyo.

"Come in, I suppose," Sesshoumaru pushed the door open to allow Rin access to his chamber. She stepped inside, daring to look up and see it. It was twice the size of Inuyasha's, as was all the furniture, and it seemed so much lighter than his. There was a huge balcony on one wall, and there were several huge windows high above the floor. The walls were painted white and the covers on the huge futon were the same color. Looking at her new master, she was able to examine him for the first time. He wore white robes with a red pattern and yellow and blue obi. He had long silver hair, like Inuyasha, that fell down his back. It looked better kept than Inuyasha's, and was far shinier. His eyes were more golden than amber, and his ears were mostly human other than the pointed shape they took. There was a purple crescent moon on his forehead, two magenta stripes on each cheek, and a red lining to his eyelids. His pale skin seemed to reflect the sunlight.

"Did I give you permission to look up?"

Rin jumped and instantly bowed her head, clasping her hands together.

"You are not to do anything inappropriate in this palace," Sesshoumaru said. "And let me make this very clear; if I don't like you, I will rid myself of you. Whether that means to kill you or to send you away depends solely on what it is you have done that I don't like. Do you understand that?"

She nodded violently, still keeping her head down.

"Good. Your sleeping room will be behind mine. You enter it through a different corridor and you are not to come in to my chambers at any time unless I have ordered it. You will not be wearing those rags; suitable attire will be placed in your sleeping room for you to change into after you have eaten dinner. Wait for me there when you have changed." He turned and opened the door, expecting her to follow.

"Rika, show this slave to the kitchens," he ordered a passing servant. "While she is eating dinner, prepare one of the sleeping rooms behind my chambers and ensure suitable attire is placed in it. When she is finished, show her the way back to her room."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rika bowed and obeyed. She had a cute smile and a mischievous glint in her eyes when she looked at Rin.

"So, you're Sesshoumaru-sama's new slave?" she asked on the way to the kitchens.

Rin nodded.

"Well, good luck with him. You know he's never kept a slave more than a month. He usually complains about how much they talk when they should be silent. You seem like a quiet one, though."

She gave a tight smile.

"You really don't talk much, do you? Perhaps Sesshoumaru-sama has found someone he'll like."

They arrived at the kitchens, and she took a seat beside Kagome and Kikyo and listened to the gossip.

"So the lord of the west only has two sons," Kagome confirmed.

"Hai," Rei, the other slave of Inuyasha, answered. "I'm glad I belong to Inuyasha-sama rather than his brother."

"What is he like?"

"Ah, Inuyasha-sama is a good master. Probably because his mother herself is a concubine to my lord."

"We saw a woman he called Okaa-san in the hallway," Kikyo supplied.

"Hai, Izayoi-sama was his father's slave. Since his birth, she has been treated like his wife by the servants. She eats with my lord and his sons, and he has never had another concubine since. Although, when there are important guests for my lord to entertain, Izayoi-sama and Inuyasha-sama come down here to eat."

"Then… he is a servant?"

"Iie, iie, Inuyasha-sama is the prince of the west. But because he is a hanyou and the child of a slave then he must not meet with the youkai that are his father's guests lest they be offended. He is kind to humans, though. He will wait to see if he likes you before he beds you, and will not if you do not wish it." Rei glanced at Rin. "I do not know much of Sesshoumaru-sama except what I have been told. He never has more than one slave at once, and they usually do not stay for longer than two weeks. He is ruthless, and cares nothing for the feelings or wellbeing of his concubines."

Seeing Rin's expression, Kagome said, "I'm sure he cannot be that bad."

"Probably not," Rei agreed. "As I said, this is only what other have told; I would not know whether they exaggerated or not. He and Inuyasha-sama may be different in many ways, but they are brothers, after all, and I am sure they are not so different when it comes to women."

Rin quickly ate and was lead to her sleeping room. It was larger than she expected, with a big futon and bookshelf filled with books. To amuse herself and pass the time, she supposed. Going to her wardrobe, she pulled out a kimono, letting the rich silk brush against her skin. It was so soft; softer than any clothes she had ever felt. She pulled it on and hugged it to herself. Even if she had a bad master, at least she was well dressed.

Picking up a book, she began to read until the light faded. She was a quick reader, and when she was half-way through it the room became too dark to continue, and she set it to one side. Sitting up, she sighed and flopped back on her futon again, spreading her arms wide.

The shoji snapped open and she automatically flipped over to press her forehead to the ground in a bow.

"Sit up," Sesshoumaru's cold voice sounded.

Rin pushed herself into a sitting position, her backside resting on her ankles.

Sesshoumaru came and sat cross-legged in front of her. "The room – it is suitable?"

She nodded.

"How old are you? Sixteen?"

She smiled and shook her head.

"Seventeen?"

Shaking her head again, she held up one hand and folded her thumb to her palm.

"Fourteen?" he sounded surprised.

She nodded.

"Hn." Leaning toward her, he pulled back her head by her hair and pressed his nose into her neck, inhaling. "You have a nice scent for a human, but it is clouded and spoiled by the perfumes you wear. I will have the servants see to that in the morning." Nuzzling deeper into her neck, he inhaled again and closed his eyes, lingering before pulling away. "I will not take you tonight because I cannot stand the scent of those perfumes. However, I plan to the next time the sun sets. That is all." Rising, he went back into his own room and shut the door connecting them tightly.

Trembling, Rin touched her neck where his nose had been and shivered before lying down on her futon and falling asleep.

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ouji-sama – prince

nee-sama – older sister

youkai taijiya – demon exterminator

nii-sama – older brother

Chichi-ue – Father

iie – no

ningen – human

Okaa-san – mother

shoji – sliding door

So what'd you think? Good so far? Review and let me know! Or review anyway!

I hope I'll be able to portray Sesshoumaru as someone who is cold and cruel; I haven't really done a good job of that in this chapter because I'm a bit too compassionate. In the next part I'll try harder to make him cruel so he can be more in character. Then he'll eventually become nicer because of Rin (obviously). The rating will probably go up to M a little later, but I will NOT be making this a lemon for any reason