Chapter 1

A lone figure stood in one of the high balconies of the castle, sitting amidst the western ranges that separated the castle from the rest of the world. The gentle breeze caressed his silk covered form, and his dark mane, streaked with a single lock of white, as his amber orbs gazed at the sun setting into the arms of the mountains. A small smile began to form on his lips as the laughter of a young child, playing in the castle courtyard reached his ears, along with the equally exciting yips from a small puppy who followed the girl, wagging its little tail in sheer enjoyment.

"Rin, get back here, lord Sesshomaru won't be pleased when he sees you all covered in mud and with that… that filthy thing." Jaken shouted, his grip tightening on his staff in anger, as he pointed his finger towards the puppy who had jump into Rin's arms, both covered with mud from head to toe, and was licking her face playfully as Rin giggled, stroking it's fur.

"NO! I wanna play more…" Rin pouted, as she ran to create some distance between the hikigaeru and herself. "…And don't call Snowy filthy, he's my friend."

The puppy yipped, wagging its tail as if agreeing with Rin's statement.

"Rin!" Jaken snapped, "You will obey me, I will not have you anger lord Sesshomaru seeing you in such a state, you shall go to the bathing chamber at once and get that mongrel off you."

A frown crossed his face. Snowy was a gift he had given to Rin, two weeks before, on her birthday. He felt the girl was too lonely living in the castle with no friends to play with, and needed a companion, and what better than a little puppy to become her playmate. And now that he had his own to play with…. A slight tinge of pain in his backside confirmed his thoughts.

He had remembered how the girl's eyes had widened with delight when she lifted the cover of the basket he handed her. A happy smile graced her face when a small head, with two floppy ears peered out of the covers and two dark eyes stared at her with an innocent but curious gaze, before a pink tongue rolled out to place a small tentative lick on her nose, making her giggle. The girl nearly tackled him, giving him a big hug and placed a kiss on his cheeks making him smile.

"Thank you, thank you so much papa." She smiled, holding the small puppy in her arms. "I love him…Thank you…." She squealed, before a thoughtful look crossed her face as he settled her in his lap, with puppy in her arms. "But…papa… what do we call him?" Rin asked, looking up at the houshi.

"Ummm…. How about Snowy?" He offered. "His color resembles the snow, so Snowy would be a good name for him."

"Yeah!" Rin squealed, "Snowy is a nice name, isn't it Snowy." She lifted the puppy up and smiled when it yipped in response, placing another loving lick on her cheek.

Beside him the western frowned, looking a bit peeved at the idea of not being consulted before bringing in a common breed dog into their house, and that his present consisting of books and some clothes lay forgotten of the floor, while Rin cooed and cuddled the small pup in her arms. He was about to object, but the look of sheer happiness on his daughter's face, together his mate's pleading look, and the silent promise to make it up to him later, silenced him even before he could speak.

The amber-eyed figure winced slightly, thinking about that night and the price he had to pay… Not that he was complaining, but Sesshomaru was a very demanding lover and sometimes it was quite hard to keep up with his 'fantasies'.

However, he was soon brought into reality when Snowy barked angrily and jumped out Rin's arms, stalking the toad standing across the courtyard, growling menacingly.

"No! Get away from me you monster." Jaken cried, out hitting Snowy with his staff. That did it. Snowy gave a loud bark before landing itself on Jakens foot, and sunk its teeth into the hikigaeru's limb.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Jaken screamed, before clutching his leg and jumping around a bit. Snowy growled dangerously, as if daring the toad to say something more against it, and was about to attack again, when Jaken, sensing the danger yipped in fear before scrambling off the courtyard with Snowy at his tail, and leaving Rin rolling on the ground with laughter.

Soon the puppy was back, yipping happily as it jumped into Rin's arms, bathing her face with licks. "Good boy!" Rin said, scratching behind its ears, earning a gratified yip. "Now let's go to the garden and play." She said, carrying the puppy in her arms as she made her way to the castle garden.

The figure couldn't help but laugh silently at what just occurred before him. Rin and Snowy had bonded rather quickly over the weeks, the two becoming nearly inseparable. 'But she'll have to take a bath before Sesshomaru wakes up, or Jaken is in big trouble today,' he smirked at the toad getting bashed. The toad demon sometimes got on his nerves.

"Grrrr…" The small growl made the monk turn his attention to the large canopy bed in his room, where the silver haired beauty lay sprawled, mumbling incoherently in his dreams, and kicking his legs slightly, trying to fight some unseen foe in his dreams. He chuckled as he watched, "The high and mighty lord Sesshomaru", struggling and growling in his sleep, like a mere pup.

'He looks like Snowy, when the whelp's asleep that is,' he nearly laughed out loud at the thought. 'And he is sleeping a lot these days and has even begun dreaming. Wonder what's causing it', Sesshomaru snorted for the last time, before his breathing evened out and he sighed, slowly settling down into the soft furs and pillows.

'Probably won his fight, he always does', The figure mused, as his mind drifted to the events of the few months before that changed his life forever…

A/N: Okay so who is the amber-eyed mystery figure? Any guesses?

Inu chan puppy