InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Youkai and the Exterminator ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two

 

 

Sango awoke slowly, the forest was still dark around her, but the sky had turned several shades lighter. She was warm, comfortable with soft fur wrapped around her naked body and an arm tight around her waist. With a startled gasp, she sat up, memory flushing over her and looked around desperately.

 

A hand stroked her back. “Do you always wake so abruptly?” his lazy voice asked, amused. She twisted to look down at Sesshomaru, a faint smile on his lips.

 

Her eyes were wide as she reached out to touch his face. “I wasn't sure where I was for a moment. I thought you'd left me.”

 

He shrugged, easy with an unfamiliar pleasure. “Even youkai need a chance to rest.”

 

“Exactly how long do you need to rest?”

 

He laughed softly at that. “Not long, but we have no time for play. You need to return to your brother.”

 

“Kohaku,” Sango whispered. It was impossible that she'd forgotten, even for a brief time. She intensely needed to see him, to hold his hands in hers and believe he was back.

 

Sesshomaru felt a strange wistfulness invade his mind as he watched the girl's expressions flicker across her face. “Your brother is waiting for you. There is a hot spring not far from here and I'd suggest you bathe before returning.”

 

She looked at him curiously and he sighed. “My brother may be a complete fool, but my scent is all over you now.”

 

Sango blushed furiously. “You don't want him to know?”

 

He shook his head. “Don't misunderstand me. Inuyasha might accept what we've done; he is still at least half a youkai. Your human friends...” His voice trailed off. She knew Kagome too well to believe that she'd turn against her for sharing pleasure with Sesshomaru. Inuyasha would be contemptuous and think it was an evil plot. But Miroku...

 

Sesshomaru was right, she wasn't part of his world and he wasn't part of hers. For a few hours she'd surrendered to her desires, but the exterminator inside her knew better.

 

Sesshomaru looked away, his manner almost diffident as he shifted back into the unreachable youkai lord. “Go. We will remain in each other's debt for some time.”

 

She smiled shyly. “I like that last night will belong to us alone. I won't forget it.”

 

His hand moved of its own accord to stroke her cheek lightly. “I know.”

 

Sango shivered, she'd never expected him to be able draw such response from her. It was inhuman what his delicate touch was doing to her body.

 

“Go,” Sesshomaru ordered, seeing how the girl could so easily melt from the soft brush of his fingers. He would have to push her away soon and found himself reluctant to spoil the moment.

 

Why am I acting like a lovesick pup, he thought suddenly. Unacceptable. He pushed the girl away from him, ignoring her surprised expression.

 

“You must leave now.” The youkai lord stood up and turned his back on Sango, pulling his clothing on with an unhurried disdain. She looked up at him, a tiny frown of her injured feelings evident.

 

“Did I do something wrong?”

 

He didn't look at her. “No, I'm done with you for now. Go back to your brother and your friends, exterminator.”

 

He left her sitting there, shame written on her skin and Sango buried her face in her hands and wondered just what she'd done to herself. She shouldn't have been surprised by his callous dismissal. He was a youkai and she was a mere human. Her gratitude for Kohaku's freedom meant nothing to him, just a reason to use her body for his own pleasure. She was certain that it wouldn't happen again and as she grimly dressed herself and shook back her hair, she swore it would be so.

 

It would not happen again.

 

oOo

 

Sango walked slowly back to camp, her hair hanging in a wet mass down her back. She was still trying to reconcile what had happened. Now that Sesshomaru wasn't with her, she couldn't believe it had happened to her. "What kind of a fool did I make of myself?" she murmured, her cheeks going hot again.

 

She'd spent the last half hour soaking in what turned out to be a very hot spring. Her body was pink from the heat of the water as well as her efforts to erase all evidence of last night's activities. She couldn't erase the way her body felt though, the youkai lord had left her deliciously sore in certain areas and Sango was grateful that her clothing would cover any suspicious bruising.

 

"Damn it," Sango cursed herself. "What were you thinking? Offering yourself to a youkai, letting him do whatever he wanted. Father would be so ashamed of you." She stopped as the flush warm memories surfaced again, his cool touch sliding over her hot flesh, his mouth taking control over hers, driving all good sense right out of her brain.

 

"I'm a youkai exterminator," she said sternly, shaking her finger at an inoffensive tree. "I should be able to control myself. Didn't Father teach me how to avoid traps like this? I'm not supposed to be vulnerable to demon tricks and spells."

 

Sango stopped herself right there. He hadn't needed to use any spells or tricks. She'd done all the offering, let down her guard deliberately, and practically begged him to take her right then and there. How could she hold Sesshomaru responsible for her actions when he was the one who'd restored her brother's life?

 

She owed him whatever he wanted for Kohaku's sake. Her service, her loyalty, her body, whatever he wanted to take from her, she'd given it freely. It looked like all the youkai had wanted from her was last night, his dismissal still burned painfully in her mind. Sango sighed heavily. She knew very well what Sesshomaru thought about humans. A demon lord might amuse himself with a human woman such as herself, it sure as hell didn't mean he wouldn't snap her neck the next time she crossed his path.

 

Her teeth ground together in frustration. It was so unfair that he'd made her want him that badly!

 

She stepped into the clearing, quite consumed with her own thoughts. "Sister!" a young voice shouted.

 

"Kohaku!" Sango ran to him, sweeping her little brother into a hug. The boy's eyes were much brighter and now there was a wide smile planted on his thin face. She tightened her hold on him, his arms squeezing around her middle just as hard.

 

"Sis, I can't breathe!"

 

She let him go reluctantly. "I'm sorry; I just can't believe that you're really here. It's like all my dreams came true."

 

Kohaku rested his head against her chest. "Mine too. Sango, I can't tell you how sorry I am for everything you went through because of me. All those people..."

 

She put her fingers over his lips. "No, don't. Don't apologize, Kohaku. It wasn't you. I always knew it wasn't you."

 

Her brother looked up at her soberly. "But it was me. It was my body, my hands that did the killing. I can't just forget about it. Even if Naraku made me..."

 

"Don't even say his name," Sango said, her eyes blazing. Kohaku looked at her, a little frightened. "He'll never touch you again, Kohaku. I'll kill him myself, I don't care what happens to me, I will keep you safe, I swear!"

 

She was aware that they were being watched. Sango looked up to see Kagome's face, tears standing in her friend's eyes even as a smile parted her lips. Miroku's eyes were dry, but there was a firm set to his mouth that told the exterminator that he seconded every word she'd just said. Her little brother was not without friends any more than she herself was.

 

Kagome cleared her throat. "There's breakfast," she offered. "Aren't you hungry, Sango?"

 

She was indeed extremely hungry. Her nose told her that Kagome had made rice porridge. The mix that came from her era was so much tastier than the plain rice that she'd grown up eating. Her stomach rumbled. "Thank you, Kagome, I am starving."

 

"You're lucky there's any left, Kohaku-kun has already had four bowls," the girl said, grinning as she went to ladle up some breakfast for her friend.

 

"Four?" Sango asked, looking at her brother.

 

Kohaku smiled shyly. "I'd like some more, but I wanted to wait until you came back. Where did you go so early, sister?"

 

Sango snapped her mouth shut and hoped that her face didn't show her blush in the rosy morning sunlight. "Oh, I found a hot spring," she said as nonchalantly as she could manage. "I had to get that stink of miasma off me."

 

Kagome chuckled lightly. "You should have woke me up too; I'm dying for a hot bath." She put the bowl in Sango's hands and the exterminator was grateful for a chance to sit and eat. Kirara yawned from Sango's abandoned bedroll. The twin-tailed kitten stretched with luxurious feline abandon before padding over to nudge her preferred person for a little snack. Sango put her hand down to stroke the cat's head.

 

Kirara drew back suddenly and hissed. Sango stared at her little friend, surprised. "Kirara, what's the matter?" The cat demon glared at her and abruptly transformed, her eyes glowing with anger. Sango swallowed hard and sat perfectly still. The cat-demon sniffed her hair and rumbled with disapproval. Sango felt the blood drain out of her face when Kirara suddenly turned away and shot into the forest, an angry yowl splitting the air.

 

Miroku frowned as he watched the cat disappear. "What got into her this morning?" He turned and looked thoughtfully at the exterminator. "She seemed to be offended by something."

 

Sango bent her head and concentrated on her breakfast so she wouldn't have to look the monk in the eye. "I have no idea."

 

She smelled him, the girl thought, swallowing her porridge with a throat gone dry. She hadn't considered what Kirara's reaction might be if she got a whiff of the youkai who'd bedded her mistress last night. It wasn't like she could explain to the cat what had happened and dearly hoped Kirara wouldn't take long to get over it.

 

At that moment, her attention was distracted by blur of red and white that dropped unceremoniously into their midst. Inuyasha was swinging a pair of freshly killed and skinned rabbits from his hand.

 

Kagome laughed. "Are you saying my breakfast wasn't up to your expectations? I wondered where you'd gone off to."

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Rice porridge was all very nice for human stomachs and better than nothing when it was all they had. "I wanted meat," he said, smirking a little. "That crap is good for pups and old people, but I like a breakfast I can sink my teeth into."

 

Miroku chuckled. "Kagome, I suppose we should just be grateful he brought them back to cook them instead of just eating them raw."

 

Inuyasha grinned wickedly at the monk. "What makes you think I only caught two?"

 

"Spare us the details, Inuyasha," the girl said primly.

 

The hanyou sat down and started to arrange his kill neatly over the fire, sharpening a pair of spits with his claws. Sango watched him work, suddenly fascinated by the way his hands moved. The razor sharp claws were efficient tools and Sango felt her breath catch in her throat when she thought about how such claws, deadly weapons, could trace the inside of her thigh with a feathery delicacy. Her face suddenly burned.

 

Inuyasha's head shot up and he looked around. His nose had unexpectedly filled with a strange, alluring scent. That of an extremely excited female. He glanced back at Kagome, sniffing the air delicately. Nope, not her. His eyes flicked back to Sango, but the girl wasn't looking in his direction, instead she was watching her brother finish off her breakfast.

 

Must have imagined it, he decided, finishing his makeshift grill.

 

The sweet smell of roasting meat soon filled the glade and Inuyasha was generous with sharing his catch. Kohaku and Shippou sat next to hanyou, quite content to mooch the tasty meat even if the Buddhist monk and the exterminator weren't interested.

 

Inuyasha gave Kohaku an appraising look. "For your size you eat more than any human I've seen. What's up, kid? Didn't that piece of shit Naraku let you eat?"

 

Kohaku surprised the group with a small, impish smile. "Nah, it wasn't like that. He didn't care one way or the other, but I had to be creative and take care of myself when I could. I knew I couldn't die of starvation, but it could be uncomfortable."

 

Sango stared at her brother; she couldn't believe how easily he was talking about the monster that had kept him enslaved. Curiosity warred with her desire to pretend Naraku hadn't happened to her little brother. "What did you do then?"

 

Kohaku glanced around at them sheepishly. "I stole stuff from humans when I could. I didn't dare ask anyone for food. Naraku didn't want me talking to anyone and I didn't want to get anyone killed because I disobeyed."

 

Inuyasha spat at the fire. "Bastard."

 

Kagome reached over to tousle the boy's hair. He reminded her so much of her brother Souta now. "Kohaku-kun, no one is judging you. You did what you had to do, we understand that."

 

He grinned at her. "And I also hunted for myself when I could. Sometimes I'd leave rabbits for the farmers I stole from." He looked over at his sister. "I thought Father would approve of that."

 

Sango felt tears stinging her eyes. "I'm sure he would, brother." Whether or not her father would approve of her was a different story and not one she preferred to dwell on.

 

She smiled at her friends, her heart finally lightening. "I'm going to get us some more firewood," she announced cheerfully.

 

They had decided to stay at the camp rather than moving on. Kohaku needed to rest, dying and getting resurrected took their toll on his young body and he was still weak even if his appetite seemed quite strong.

 

Miroku looked at the boy thoughtfully. "I still don't understand it. Inuyasha, do you have any idea what Sesshomaru was thinking?"

 

The sound of the demon lord's name sent a thrill down Sango's spine and she had to hold herself back from jumping. Deliberately, she moved away from the monk, not wanting to draw anyone's eyes to her. She quietly picked up a few pieces of loose wood and held them in her hands. She was curious about what Inuyasha would say.

 

"Beats the shit outta me, I gave up trying to figure out that prick a long time ago," the hanyou said carelessly.

 

Sango's fingers tightened on the piece of wood she was holding, biting her tongue. Inuyasha was unaware of the storm his words were causing in the girl's heart.

 

"Count on Sesshomaru to do everything for his own reasons though. I seriously doubt if he was trying to be nice."

 

"Sango, are you okay?" Kagome had noticed the stiffness of her stance and Sango cursed herself for not being more in control of her reactions.

 

"I'm fine," she muttered, not meeting her friend's eyes. "I'm just really tired."

 

The monk looked concerned too. "Maybe you should sit down, Sango. The firewood can wait."

 

She shook her head. "No, I'll go. I need a little air; maybe I inhaled a bit more of that miasma yesterday than I thought." She slipped away from them and disappeared into the woods.

 

Kagome glared at Inuyasha. "You are so insensitive sometimes."

 

"Huh?" He looked surprised and scratched his head, quite befuddled. "What did I do?"

 

Miroku cleared his throat. "I think what Kagome means is that you might have offended Sango with your words. Even if Sesshomaru's actions aren't comprehensible, they are still the reason that we have Kohaku alive and with us now."

 

"Ah shit," he muttered crossly. "I didn't mean it like that." He looked at the boy. "I'm glad he did it, I just don't get why."

 

Kohaku smiled shyly. "Me neither. He didn't tell me a thing, but I'm glad also."

 

Kagome folded her arms and looked at Inuyasha meaningfully. "You should apologize to Sango; tell her that you were just putting your feet in that big mouth of yours."

 

He gave her a dirty look. "Sango knows what I meant."

 

The girl tossed her head with a decidedly cold expression. "I'm not so sure. You should still tell her you're sorry."

 

"All right, all right," he said, knowing when he was beat. "I'll go find her and apologize for whatever I said to piss her off. Damn you people anyway."

 

Inuyasha trotted off into the forest, sniffing the air to follow Sango's scent. The exterminator couldn't have gone far. He really didn't understand why Kagome was always jumping his ass over what he said, she knew what he meant and so should Sango. Still, he wasn't likely to have moment's peace unless he was able to go back and report that all had been forgiven.

 

He snorted. Humans, they were just impossible to figure out.

 

He spied Sango sitting on the ground, her face in her hands. Shit, he thought uncomfortably, she's not crying over what I said, is she? Quietly so he wouldn't startle her, he came up behind her. "Sango, are you..."

 

The smell hit him quite suddenly and Inuyasha found himself very aware of where Sango had been last night and exactly whom she'd been with. With a rough growl, he grabbed the woman by her hair and hauled her to her feet. Sango gasped, but didn't cry out; her hands automatically went to grab at his arms to spare the pain in her scalp.

 

"Inuyasha, what's wrong with you?"

 

"What's wrong with you, bitch?" he snapped. He shifted his grip so he could seize her shoulders and shake her hard. "Is that why that son of a bitch rescued Kohaku? How long have you been fucking him?"

 

"It wasn't like that!" Sango yelled, desperately trying to squirm out of the hanyou's cruel hold.

 

"Don't lie to me!" he snarled. "I can smell him all over you. Have you been working for him the whole time you've been with Kagome and me? Is that why he always seems to know right where to find us? You better start telling me the truth!"

 

Sango stared at him. "I am telling the truth, I'm not working for anyone! Please, Inuyasha, I haven't betrayed you!"

 

His claws dug into her arms and she cried out, unable to get away from him. Inuyasha pulled her closer and sniffed hard at her face. "Not lying," he muttered, her scent was scared shitless, but he wasn't picking up any deception from her. He sniffed at her again, now that he was looking for it, he could smell Sesshomaru all over her body. The scent made him angry and he seriously considered dropping the bitch where she stood. Then he remembered that this was Sango, this was the same person who had fought at his side, risked her life for him and Kagome on numerous occasions.

 

Inuyasha shoved her roughly to the ground and knelt beside her. "So start talking, what happened? As surprised as I am that the pompous bastard would rut with a human, I'm twice as surprised that the human was you."

 

In a few short sentences, she related what had happened between her and the youkai lord. Inuyasha scowled briefly, and then shook his head. "So that's why, I shoulda guessed it."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

He waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, you hauled that kid out of the miasma so he thought he owed you. Sesshomaru isn't the kind of demon who'd rest easy knowing he was in a human's debt. Youkai honor and all that crap."

 

Inuyasha grinned wickedly. "So how was it, Sango?"

 

She stared at him. "I can't believe you just asked me that."

 

His eyes gleamed with mischief. "Ah, come on, it couldn't have been that bad that you don't wanna tell me."

 

Sango gave him a glare that would have dropped a lesser demon in his tracks. "It's none of your business!"

 

Inuyasha smirked, his body shaking with silent laughter. "Knock it off," she ordered tersely, her face flushing with embarrassment. She caught a look from the hanyou and barely had time to scramble backwards when he jumped at her. She couldn't move fast enough and he had her pinned to the ground, laying on top of her and holding her wrists.

 

"By the way you're blushing I'd say you had a pretty good time."

 

"Leave me alone," she snapped, squirming underneath him. It was useless; she was trapped by the greater weight of his body and couldn't get any leverage to throw him off.

 

He leaned in close so that his breath tickled in the ear. "What's the matter? I thought you liked demons now. Hey, isn't it against the rules for exterminators to bed down with youkai? I thought you were trained to kill them, not roll around on the ground with them like this."

 

She caught her breath. "Stop it," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly.

 

Inuyasha felt a twinge of guilt that he was playing with her so cruelly. Slowly, he pushed himself off the girl, still kneeling with his legs on either side of hers. Sango's jaw was set in an angry, hurt line and he sighed.

 

"Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't tease you about it. It's your business, Sango, but if you'll take my advice, don't trust him. Screw him if that's what you want to do, but don't forget that Sesshomaru is a bastard straight from hell and he won't hesitate to use you or hurt you if that's what he wants."

 

She looked at him. "Are you going to tell Kagome and Miroku what happened?"

 

Inuyasha shook his head. "Nope. Like you said, not my business. I can keep my mouth shut, but I'm going to want something from you in return."

 

He saw her startled expression and grinned. "Don't get so worked up. I'm not going to molest you. I just want you to go back to Kagome and tell her that nothing I said hurt your feelings and she's totally out of line for thinking that in the first place. Yeah, and tell her to apologize to me for a change, I'm sick of getting nagged all the time."

 

Smiling back, Sango nodded in agreement. "You've got a deal."

 

oOo

 

Returning home, Sesshomaru thought, always gave him mixed feelings. The sight of the ancient stone fortress where he'd been raised instinctively comforted him, but the thought of the unrelenting pressures and demands contained within gave him the youkai equivalent of indigestion. Still, it was home and he sent his two-headed dragon to the main courtyard knowing that the sentries had duly noted his arrival and his staff was already preparing to receive him.

 

“Welcome back, Sesshomaru-sama,” the stable attendants said, bowing very respectfully to their lord. Sesshomaru ignored them; he always did, knowing that they would have taken any other response as a surprise.

 

He tolerated absolutely no familiarity from his people; any such hint of disrespect would be answered with extreme measures. Only two residents of the vast fortress would be exempt from his displeasure. One of them was currently flying down the stone steps at a truly alarming rate of speed. He braced himself.

 

“Sesshomaru-sama! Rin is so happy you are home!” The child skidded to a halt just before she would have crashed into his knees. It had taken some time, but Rin had finally managed the grasp the fact that he didn't want her to fling herself on him every chance she got. Her small face beamed at him, possibly the one living creature whose happiness truly depended on the daily sight of his face.

 

He would never show it, but a tiny portion of his carefully guarded heart belonged only to her. “Rin. You have been behaving yourself, I hope.”

 

She shook her head, her eyes dancing with delight. “Rin has been very naughty. Jaken says that Rin is the reason that Sesshomaru-sama had to leave again so soon.” The child frowned and looked at the ground. “Jaken is wrong, isn't he, Sesshomaru-sama?”

 

The youkai reflected on that. “Jaken is not wrong, but it is by no fault of yours that I left.”

 

He continued on his way up the stairs and towards his personal apartments. A bath was in order, he decided. The woman's delicious fragrance still clung to his body and he knew he'd find it difficult to concentrate on wholly youkai matters if he didn't do something about the scent.

 

Rin clambered up the steps, following him. Her knees were scuffed with dirt and there were spiderwebs in her hair. His nose twitched. Rin had been escaping from her caretakers again. He could well imagine the kind of anxiety the human child inflicted on her well-meaning youkai guardians. Not the least of the anxiety was the fact that if the child came to harm during her adventures, they knew they would be held accountable.

 

It wasn't really fair of him to insist that Rin have no contact with any of the youkai children who resided in his fortress, but it couldn't be helped. He'd not have his charge damaged by the carelessness of demon younglings who couldn't understand how fragile human skin could be.

 

Human skin, the taste of her was still making his mouth water. It was becoming an annoyance. Rin looked up at him, unable to guess the nature of his thoughts.

 

“Sesshomaru-sama, did you find Kohaku-kun?”

 

The child was sharp. Just the fewest vague hints and she had determined what he'd been planning. He knew she couldn't understand that a monster had controlled Kohaku, but she'd always sensed the overwhelming sadness that followed the boy.

 

Sesshomaru glanced down at his young charge. “I did.”

 

Her face brightened and she skipped happily around him as he walked slowly down the corridor. “And Sesshomaru-sama rescued Kohaku? Just like he rescued Rin?” He confirmed her questions with a nod.

 

Rin reached up, greatly daring to take her guardian's hand in her own. “Was the pretty lady happy to see her brother? Rin thinks she would be, Rin still misses her brothers.” The child looked thoughtfully at the demon. “Did the pretty lady thank Sesshomaru-sama for his help?”

 

He smiled. “She most certainly did.”

 

oOo

 

“Get out of the way!”

 

“You get out of my way, I've got it so back off!”

 

The monster roared, showing black and green fangs. Sango hurled Hiraikotsu with her usual precision, slicing up the back of the multi-armed demon. Rank blood splattered the ground and she danced nimbly out of the way.

 

She turned to look back at Kagome and shouted. “Miroku! Behind you!”

 

The monk leapt to the side just in time to avoid the creature that had sprung at him. His staff flashed and a burst of energy drove the monster back as Kagome drew her arrow and fired. Her shaft struck true and the fanged abomination shrieked wrathfully as its body was shattered into a thousand shining pieces by the purification.

 

Sango turned back to the wounded oni that still remained in time to see Inuyasha tear its head off with his claws. The hanyou tossed the head casually to the side and shook blood off his fingers.

 

“That all? There were just three of them this time?”

 

“Just three?” Kagome asked, wiping her forehead. “Three was enough for me. None of them had shards anyway.”

 

He scowled. “So we just hunted them down for the hell of it, is that what you're telling me?”

 

“Yes. You heard those villagers; they were terrified of going into the forest. We can't just let monsters like those run around freely, people could get hurt.”

 

“Shit, I thought they had shards. You let me think that on purpose, didn't you?” Inuyasha was annoyed, not that he wouldn't have pursued the monsters anyway, but they didn't have to trick him into it.

 

Miroku grinned at Inuyasha's irritation. “It's not as if we didn't get compensated. The village headman was very grateful, and generous, when I told him we would put an end to the problem for them.”

 

Sango gave the monk an arch look. “You talked him into paying you? When were you going to let the rest of us in on that? I wondered where you disappeared to that night.”

 

The monk's expression was blissful. “Like I said, the headman was very grateful. As were his lovely daughters.”

 

Kagome blushed and Sango stared hard at Miroku's pleased expression. “Perverted lech, how do you have the nerve to call yourself a monk?”

 

He grinned at her, his eyes twinkling. “I can call myself quite a few things, but I could hardly insult the young ladies by refusing their hospitality.”

 

The exterminator snorted in disgust, but her attention was distracted. “Kohaku, Shippou,” she called out. “It's all clear, are you two all right?”

 

Her brother slid out of a tree, the kitsune clinging to his shoulder. “Yes, we saw the whole thing. You were amazing, sister. I guess you didn't need any help from me.”

 

She tousled his hair affectionately. Just the sight of him still made her want to leap up in joy. “You're still getting stronger; don't worry about fighting anything for awhile. I will protect you and so will the others.”

 

Kohaku grinned, ducking away from her hand with a normal boy's blush at his older sister's attention. “I'd feel better if I were doing something useful.”

 

Inuyasha yawned loudly. “At least you take a turn at cooking dinner, kid. That's more than Shippou has ever done.”

 

The kitsune glared at him. “That's not true; I help out in lots of other ways.”

 

Inuyasha laughed sharply and picked up Shippou by his tail. “Oh yeah? Name `em. I must have missed something.”

 

Shippou struggled to free himself. “Let me go, stupid dog. I'm not a toy, you know.”

 

Inuyasha grinned evilly. “I know, we could use you for bait next time we're tracking demons. I hear kitsune meat doesn't taste half bad.”

 

Shippou sank his teeth into the hanyou's wrist. “Hey! Let go, you little shit,” he cried, shaking his arm to dislodge the angry kitsune.

 

“Tastes…better than…hanyou,” Shippou snarled, unwilling to let go of his piece of flesh.

 

Inuyasha smacked the fox into a tree, knocking him silly. “Shut up, runt.”

 

Shippou wailed and ran to Kagome for protection from Inuyasha's temper. “Save me!”

 

“Sit.” The hanyou slammed into the ground. Kagome stroked the fox's hair. “Inuyasha, that was just mean. You really need to watch your temper.”

 

“I'm not the only one,” he muttered into the grass.

 

oOo

 

Sesshomaru stared into the fire, willing himself to relax enough so that he could sleep. Rin was curled up in a ball on a small futon, her tiny snores rustling gently. Every once in a while she would giggle slightly and sigh in her sleep. Absently, he wondered what a human child being raised among demons would dream about.

 

She was probably dreaming up new torments for Jaken, he decided. There was little that amused the child as much as harassing his retainer. Sesshomaru smiled privately to himself. The entertainment he derived from watching her pester and provoke the imp was reason enough for him to have restored her life.

 

A quiet step drew his attention and he glanced over his shoulder. “Jano. I was starting to wonder at your lateness. Have you anything new to report?”

 

The bodyguard slipped easily from the shadows, the black leather of his clothing blending seamlessly with the darkness. “No, my lord. As you requested, I went to see about the matter in the south. I can report that we will no longer be troubled by Ashira-sama or his dealings with human army that's been raiding along the southern border.”

 

“My compliments, Jano.” Sesshomaru wasn't interested in discussing the details of the lord's recent demise. The clanlord's heir had been the one to report his own father's excesses and he was certain that within days he'd receive a flowery declaration of loyalty once the dust had settled. Jano reached over the edge of the chair to ruffle Rin's hair affectionately and the child stirred in her sleep.

 

Sesshomaru watched impassively. Jano was one of the most feared youkai that served him, but Sesshomaru knew he had a soft spot when it came to children. Even human ones, it seemed. His young charge had quite charmed Jano from the moment he'd brought her into the household.

 

“Have you given any thought to Namichi's replacement?” Jano asked quietly.

 

Sesshomaru frowned slightly. Namichi had been his personal bodyguard and Jano's partner until the willful woman had met a grisly end. He wondered why Jano was making conversation about the matter. “No. Have you any recommendations?”

 

The bodyguard shook his head, leaning his elbows on the back of the chair and continuing to brush his fingers through Rin's hair. Jano looked up at him again, a faint smile on face. “I've been approached by half the household guard about the position. Seems they think I somehow influence your decision, Sessh.”

 

“Don't you?” Sesshomaru leaned his head on his fist and looked at Jano. In private, he took no offense to the casual nickname. Jano's father had been his father's bodyguard and they had grown up together, were even related by blood through Jano's father's line.

 

Namichi's replacement was a sticky issue, Sesshomaru wasn't about to entrust just anyone with the order. Jano was nothing less than his personal representative and answered exclusively to him. Politics and court machinations aside, no one expected a decision from him soon about such a delicate and important matter.

 

Jano didn't answer his question, instead looking back down at the sleeping girl. “You want me to take her back to her room?”

 

Sesshomaru waved his hand and the bodyguard tenderly lifted the child to his shoulder. He stared into the fire after they left, quite alone with his considerations. He closed his eyes and breathed a deep sigh. Again, the human woman's face swam before his eyes and distracted him. He scowled, a frightening expression that made him strongly resemble his half-brother.

 

It was unthinkable that he should find himself dwelling on it again, but there it was. Damn her anyway, he wished he'd never bothered to involve himself. He should have just killed the brat anyway instead of using Tenseiga to spare his life. What did a measly human life matter to him, he was not his brother. He certainly didn't care for the creatures, even if he had chosen to make Rin a part of his household. That was his choice and no one would dare say otherwise.

 

Sesshomaru snorted, disgusted with himself and the weakness he'd admitted to in bedding a human, even out of curiosity. Anger filled him suddenly, anger and a longing for blood that would satisfy his youkai nature. There was no other answer to his dilemma.

 

He would kill her.