Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

To Protect the Alpha Female	By : Sylean Category: InuYasha > General Views: 10682 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I do not make a profit from this story.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
Chapter 15: To Experiment

The dense forest seemed to part before him, giving way to a perfect path between the undergrowth and dense bushes that grew between the bases of trees both old and new. His steps made no a sound on the dirt and leaf covered ground, seamlessly avoiding any twig or dried foliage that would generate the slightest of noise. Not that he needed to for stealth reasons, since the booming, cumbersome treading of Ah-Un would have easily alerted anything within a wide radius of the passing presence and the light, unafraid humming of young Rin would tell of a band consisting of more than just the dragon beast of burden. It did not matter; he would dispose of anything that sought to hinder his progress.

There had been no sign of the vile hanyou whose life Sesshomaru sought, so in lack of an objective, he skirted around the vicinity of his intended’s company. He kept his senses open, projected, ensuring that anything that could potentially defeat his foolhardy sibling was dealt with by his own claws. Technically, she was not yet his intended, seeing as he needed her consent, but he was determined to change that. She would be his.

She wanted to be in love, she told him as much, and he knew enough to piece together that in order for such an emotion to bloom in her for him, he had to make her feel happy. Rin explained she followed himself because she felt safe, and what made her feel safe was not his strength, but the things that made her happy. What a task, making others feel emotions that he, himself, refused to exhibit. He had been using Rin to experiment different ways in which to accomplish this. He thought back to only a few days ago, letting his thoughts wander just as his feet did: with a purpose.

Flashback

A few days ago, as they rested at an orchard full of blooming trees, he noticed Rin eyeing the pink petals intently. They were far too high for her to reach as she twirled around in the tall grass. Her love of flowers was extremely obvious, and she had told him that flowers made her happy. ‘I wonder,’ he pondered before rising to his feet and approaching the tree she was currently spinning in circles beneath. Her eyes never left the splotches of pink as they formed tantalizing circles in her upturned vision before collapsing from dizziness onto the soft earth in a fit of giggles. Her vision still swirling, she reached her hand up towards the buds longingly, thinking how similar they were to the flowers adorning her Lord’s shoulder and sleeves in contrasting red and white.

He watched her eyes darting unnaturally as if there was something before them and understood she must have disoriented herself; she did not notice he had approached as her raised arm wavered in its reach. Turning his eyes to her object of fixation, he delicately selected the most flawless of blooms and with a quick bend of the stem, sliced it free with a razor sharp claw.

‘I’ll do a test,’ he thought to himself as he knelt down at the dizzy child’s side.

Oh, her head was spinning; no, the whole earth was spinning. In the childish innocence she briefly wondered if her actions had actually caused the ground to move like this, and if so, was it affecting her dear Lord Sesshomaru. Was she making it hard for him to rest too by making the forest spin? Her eyes were clamped shut as she tried to regain her sense of stability.

“Rin,” the deep baritone called to her. It was a voice she could identify anywhere and would obey its call at any moment.

Her eyes opened and she sat up abruptly, still wavering from her unsteadiness. “Yes Milord?” she asked before she even had a grasp on her surroundings. Fully intending to get to her feet in respect, she instead stilled when she saw him knelt on the ground near her. Her large eyes silently questioned his actions until she saw the small, modest looking flower held in his fingers. He extended it to her, watching acutely for every little nuance in her actions and change in her scent. She stared in awe before realization seemed to dawn on her that he was giving her a flower! Her face lit up in a dazzling display. Had it been a light, she would have eclipsed the sun with ease. She eagerly took the tiny blossom with an impossibly wide smile and launched into extreme gratitude. She professed to him how beautiful the tiny piece of tree was and how it was the greatest gift she could ever ask for. It was a dizzying experience for him as well.

End Flashback

That left him with even more questions, questions he was now pondering answers for, ‘That’s all it took? Would it work on Kagome? What would the odd priestess react so exasperatedly to?’ That was the problem; he really didn’t know what she would want. Things of monetary value seemed to have little appeal to her, seeing as she had not reacted favorably when offered a place of prestige at his side and in his care, a place that would ensure she have only the finest of anything she requested. There had to be something.

His thoughts were silenced when the sharp, piercing scream of his ward, whom had wandered off to look for food, cut through to his sensitive ears. No sooner had the sound reached him had he dashed off and slashed the offending horde of Siamyosho away from Rin. “That Naraku, he left behind some annoying vermin,” he spoke aloud. Naraku had left in a hurry, but he was not careless. He was tactful and rarely did anything that did not serve a purpose, however twisted it may be. Did Naraku perhaps think to use these insects to intentionally lure himself towards the cowardice spider? It would not be the first time he attempted to lure him into a trap. Either way, Sesshomaru was not one to shy away from pursuing his prey; this lead was also a much-needed distraction from his thoughts that had been going nowhere earlier. A well-aimed blast from Tokijin destroyed the hive and most of the drones, leaving them no choice but to return to their master. “They should lead me to him.” Already the hunt was underway and his demon nature burned for blood to be spilled.

Kagome, Inuyasha, and the others were on their way to go see Jinenji, or at least they were, until pair of Siamyosho suddenly dropped dead at their feet. They had tried to follow the giant wasps, at Miroku’s suggestion, and restrained from killing them, but they died anyways. As Inuyasha poked the lifeless bodies with a toe, a bright orb flew past and materialized into Sesshmaru before their eyes. His aura was contained as always, but his harsh expression, angled only slightly more than indifference, was enough to imply his displeasure.

“What happened to the Siamyosho? Did you kill them?” he was frustrated, having been looking forward to cornering his prey and rending him into pieces with his claws. His blood was coursing and his beast howling within its confines, anticipating being let loose. Inuyasha threw out one excuse or another, but even if he did have a valid explanation, the racket in his head would not allow Sesshomaru to hear it. His beast demanded a fight and that’s just what he was going to get. A hunt was not to end in such an anticlimactic manner; it would end after sufficient energy had been expended, in this case, at Inuyasha’s expense. “Inuyasha, I’m not feeling particularly magnanimous today; I won’t go easy on you like I have in the past.” It was fair warning, one Inuyasha callously disregarded as he charged in with Tessaiga waving haphazardly.

Once their swords clashed, Inuyasha understood the predicament he was in as he struggled to simply defend himself against Sesshomaru’s precise and powerful strokes. Even the wind scar had no effect as Sesshomaru broke through it and knocked Tessaiga to the ground, causing it to impale the earth and reverse its transformation. The younger dog was found with the deadly sword to his neck in far too short of time. Couldn’t the whelp provide any more of a fight? “I win this time,” he declared, attempting to goad the boy into another reckless move and expend more pent up aggression. “Are you prepared to die, Inuyasha?”

From a ways away, Kagome comprehended that the only reason Sesshomaru would be following the Siamyosho is if he too was going after Naraku, which made sense, so then maybe she could placate him with the knowledge they had gained only a few days ago. Her decision was made up as he knocked Inuyasha to the ground and pressed his sword to her friend’s throat. “Wait,” she hollered between labored breaths as she ran. “Do you want to know where to find Naraku? Then head for the ox-tiger; someone sensed Naraku’s presence heading that way!”

The urgency in her voice was not missed. Even though he truly had no intention of killing the pup, he doubted she realized that. If she had, she would not be fearful for her protector. Her news was enough to divert his beast’s demands, seeing as he now had a direction to resume his hunt. “In the direction of the ox-tiger?” he clarified, ignoring Inuyasha’s outburst at Kagome to stay out of this, “That’s all I need to know, thank you.”

“You were fortunate this time, Inuyasha,” he told the boy truthfully as he walked away. If Kagome hadn’t stepped in and redirected his beast’s focus when she did, the pup would likely not have been walking away from this field without assistance.

Kagome stared after him from Inuyasha’s side, still completely astonished. ‘He actually told me thank you,’ her mind floundered at the great Lord Sesshomaru expressing gratitude to anyone. ‘Wow.’

They were still in fair proximity, seeing as both groups had the same direction as their goal, so when one of the tassels of Ah-Un’s harness snagged on a protruding limb and unraveled, marring the pristine appearance, Sesshomaru deemed this a good opportunity to heed a certain request. “Jaken,” his firm voice ordered, “take Ah-Un and have the harness repaired.” The toad knew what to do; it was not the first time, it was an inevitable wear and tear.

“Yes, Milord,” the servant obeyed without delay and took to the sky. The imp was prone to making comments that would surely start a fight where he was going; it was better to go without him. Sesshomaru walked off without a word, Rin still at his heels with a cheerful smile.

The distance was covered quickly, and soon he was leading her through the tree line and into a meadow. The first thing she noticed was the numerous flowers that covered the ground. She gasped in awe and with a look up at her lord for permission, she took off with her arms outstretched, smiling and giggling. It wasn’t until she was in the center of the clearing that she noticed they were not alone. She made a furtive glance behind her to see Lord Sesshomaru lounging casually at the crest of the slight hill she had just ran down. He seemed calm, so the figures in the distance must not be dangerous. Squinting her eyes, she finally realized they weren’t just anyone, but, “Kagome!” Her feet flew down the hill, barely keeping up with the downward momentum. “Kagome, Kagome, I’ve missed you!”

Hearing her name, the aforementioned priestess looked up the hill just in time to see the small girl before she was barreled into. How she kept her balance, she didn’t know, but after a stagger backwards, she was still on her feet, miraculously. Looking down at the little ball of energy, she recognized the cheerful smile immediately. “Rin?” the child nodded jovially, “its good to see you again, too.”

“Um, Kagome, who is this child?” Sango asked, this being the first time anyone beside Inuyasha and herself had seen her. Miroku mirrored the curiosity with his glances toward the demonic presence perched on the far side of the rolling meadow.

“Oh, this is Rin,” Kagome introduced. “I’ve gotten to talk to her a couple times when I’ve accidentally run into Sesshomaru.” ‘Wait, accidentally ran into him? Now that I think about it, in order for that to happen, he’d have to be keeping nearby. Has he really been looking out for us, for me, for Inuyasha? Does that mean he really does protect him as he implied?’ she temporarily took on an awed expression as the pieces fit together. Shaking herself from her thoughts, she continued the introductions, “Rin, this is Sango, Miroku, Kirara, Inuyasha and Shippo.” The little fox was peeking out from Kagome’s legs, wondering if he was allowed to play with her. Normally he wouldn’t hesitate, but she smelled like Sesshomaru, and that meant she belonged to him. It could be dangerous. “What brings you here, Rin?”

“Lord Sesshomaru brought me,” she looked up at the top of the hill and shot him a smile in gratitude. “I wanted to show you how good I’ve gotten at making flower chains like you taught me!”

“Then what are we waiting for; come on,” she encouraged and they moved to sit in the flowers and weave. “Shippo, do you want to play too?” she invited the suddenly shy boy, coaxing him to help make a long chain with them.

Inuyasha knew they had been approaching before they even showed through the trees, but could detect no ill intent. The distance was a nice buffer too; he just crossed his arms and harrumphed at the scene while Sango and Miroku whispered amongst themselves.

Sesshomaru kept silent watch as the three worked together to make a flower rope. Being a demon, he could catch every word of their conversation and easily caught on to the relationship between the miko and the children. She was so at ease just keeping them entertained and engaged. She would be a natural mother to his pups; all he had to do was get her to agree and he could give her many. That was part of his purpose for being here; using Rin as a cover, he was able to sit back and observe the woman he was determined to have without her feeling self-conscious. She probably thought he was only concerned for the girl’s safety.

With a mischievous gleam in his eyes, the fox child took one of the flower wreathes and crept up behind the determinedly obtuse hanyou, only to toss the ring over his head and shower him with pink petals. The obstinate pup chased after his “attacker,” after ripping the offending garland from his neck and trying to brush off the girly flowers. He just knew Shippo was only doing that to make him look like a fool in front of his brother. Meanwhile, a slow steady tick formed in Kagome’s temple and just before Inuyasha captured the pest, “Sit! He was just trying to give you a gift, Inuyasha.”

“Yeah,” the little kit started fake crying, feigning hurt, “I just wanted to give you something.”

“Don’t think I don’t see through you too, Shippo,” she scolded, knowing that even though throwing flowers at Inuyasha was harmless, and not warrant enough to allow him to get pummeled, he was also intentionally trying to anger her protector. The boy slumped a bit at being caught. “Just, try not to start any fights while I’m bathing, okay?”

“Can Rin take a bath with you, Kagome?” the little girl asked, setting down her flowers.

“Go ask Sesshomaru,” she suggested after a moment of thought. She didn’t want him to think she was taking her away or anything, since the spring was out of sight. Kagome watched the child prance up the hill and get a nod from the indifferent demon. “Are you coming too, Sango?”

“Yeah, might as well,” the slayer agreed and by the time Rin returned, supplies were gathered and the three disappeared into the forest, heading towards the heavenly feeling of soaking in hot water.

When Kagome and Rin were out of sight, but not out of sense range, Sesshomaru catalogued all he had gathered so far. First, he still hadn’t determined any interests she had besides children, an interest he had in her to begin with. Just him being here, in his mind, was lowering himself to discover what she liked. Second, he could clearly see that the miko cared for the kit, ‘So this Sesshomaru shall protect the kit.’ Third, the miko cared for Rin’s well-being, ‘So this Sesshomaru will care for Rin.’ Forth, and last, it was begrudgingly shown that the miko cared for his intolerable sibling, ‘So this Sesshomaru will ignore his existence.’

(A/N: That little funny is courtesy of Stuck.in.Wonderland.8510. It certainly made me crack up laughing.)

“I’ll get you back for that flower prank now that Kagome isn’t here to sit me, Shippo,” Inuyasha’s voice boomed, pulling Sesshomaru from his thoughts. The child yipped and the chase began anew, but this time, Shippo lacked his head start and was caught quickly in a headlock. Before Inuyasha could even blink, his wrist suddenly stung and sported a shallow gash. The shock made him release the boy who quickly hid in Miroku’s lap, watching from relative safety. He caught a glimpse just seconds before the glowing whip vanished back into Sesshomaru’s clawed fingertips. The demon lord had not even risen from the ground, eyes closed as if he was asleep, and the only motion was that of his raised arm. Nevertheless, all eyes present were now on him and his unexpected actions.

“Hey, what the hell was that for?” his golden eyes opened at Inuyasha’s retort, causing the dog-ears on his head to droop slightly in reprimand. They were emotive even when he attempted to control them, a dead giveaway.

“You shall not harm that which the miko cares for,” he stated simply, his voice carrying unnaturally as if he was standing right next to them.

“But, he started it!” Inuyasha continued to defend himself, acting more a child than the kit, but eventually gave up. “Keh, fine.” That slap on the wrist was just that, minor in comparison to what he could have gotten. ‘What is that bastard trying to do now? Does he think he can win her over by protecting that little brat?’ Inuyasha skulked off to lick his wound.

‘Hn, it may be harder to ignore his presence than I expected,’ Sesshomaru admitted to himself as his objectives interfered with one another.
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To Protect the Alpha Female