Well, here am I, writing once more. This is a story of courage, honor, hope, and loss. At least, that's what I'd like to say. It's more just me writing about a random idea that popped into my head. It holds no plans nor true plot, but one seems to be forming with every line written. Which is saying something, because I didn't even intend this to be anywhere near a serious endeavor. However, I've found myself working on it two days in a row, which must mean something.

It's rated as it is because I might throw a bit of gore in there, I don't really know. Better safe than sorry. No bad language though ;-). And there's no Japanese in here. While I love the language and know more than your average fanfic author, I just don't see the point of throwing it in an English story. So, here it is, my first fanfiction to be posted on here (which means it may take a few tries to get the hang of uploading stuff). I wish I knew what I was doing, lol

Minor Complications

.: Prologue :.

He peered into the depths of the old well, waiting for something, anything, to signify the return of his sister. Everyday he would come and follow this routine, waiting for only a few minutes, then entering the house. Everyday he was sorely disappointed. Nothing ever happened, he merely stared in the general direction of the base of the well, his eyes seeing nothing but black.

His shoulders slumped as he moved away from the well. A small sigh escaped his lips as his eyes reflected his dashed hopes. Removing his arms from the wood of the well, he turned around, only to be hit by a powerful gust of wind. The wind came from nowhere, the trees outside were still stiff and unmoving from no breeze. Unfortunately for our young human, the wind was strong and sudden, pushing him back. He was hit with such force that, before he could even draw another breath, he was thrown into the well. With a flash of light, he vanished, leaving no trace behind.

He was staring to the east, his instincts telling him that trouble lie in that direction. Curious, he thought to himself. He had been following a trail to the south, sensing a powerful evil force. Yet, now he was torn in two directions. Trouble to the east, and evil to the south. Tilting his head in thought, he went over his options, sifting through the pros and cons of each. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with anything particularly evil that day, and whatever was east was closer, so he decided he'd go that way. The evil could wait, no doubt someone else would deal with it anyway.

Turning to the right, he led his little crew in the direction that his instincts had singled out. No matter that he was ignoring the flight instinct; he was bored and tired of chasing a cowardly half demon and dealing with another one that acted as though his mother dropped him on the head. Multiple times. From a cliff. This line of thought resulted in a slight sparkle in his eyes. His mind went over the different possibilities that would have resulted in his half-brother's mental retardation. This, of course, was what he focused on for the next hour.

Eventually, he realized that the sun was setting and his human companion was growing tired. He turned to the child as she confirmed his thoughts with a noisy yawn.

"We will camp here for the night. Jaken, start a fire." He used his extraordinary senses to scope out the area, searching for any form of danger. There were some lesser demons in the area, but they were avoiding his group, aware of his great power. Other than the fact that his instincts screamed danger to the east, the area was safe. That determined, he went over to a tree and gracefully plopped down, watching Jaken start a fire as the little girl ate some berries… and something that looked suspiciously like a flower.

"Rin, while flowers may look appetizing, they are not meant to be consumed by the human body." He told her. He was a second too late, he noticed, as her face scrunched up in disgust. Lifting an eyebrow at her antics, he exhaled and settled in for the night, in the company of a crackling fire, a screaming toad who went by the name of Jaken (who had somehow managed to burn his hat and foot), a little human girl that was coughing and wheezing from the flower, and a two-headed dragon/horse/thing, each head going by the name of either Ah or Un. He couldn't for the life of him understand how he ended up with such a group, but at least he was entertained. That thought out of the way, he stared at Jaken throughout the night, contemplating if he could pop that blasted snot bubble without the toad waking.

He set out the next day, aggravated for no reason, yet many reasons. Jaken wouldn't shut up, and had hit Rin repeatedly over the head with his staff. Rin, in turn, would cry out to him for help. As much as a stress reliever throwing rocks at Jaken was, it was beginning to grate on his nerves. Not only that, but he was beginning to regret ignoring his instincts. He hated questioning his actions, and he hated it even more when he knew that he was wrong. Alas, it was too late to turn back, as his instincts alerted him to having arrived.

Walking into a clearing, he watched as, before him, a figure had appeared out of thin air. Or so he thought, until Rin commented on how the figure had been watching them for so long. An illusion then. Hoping that the figure he saw was no longer veiled in illusions, he looked them over. It was a female, dressed in a flowing black kimono. Her hair was jet black, half of it tied up. She had fair skin and eyes black as pitch. He also realized that she carried no scent and bore no aura. He summed up his description with one thing: she was just plain creepy.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, Rin doesn't like the creepy lady." Rin, either gifted with mind reading or extreme intelligence, had unknowingly agreed with Sesshoumaru's own thoughts.

"What is your purpose here, woman?" He asked, his voice steady, yet filled with malice. He did not like this woman. Not only that, but she was the reason his instincts had been screaming run! for the past day.

"You, my dear boy." She smiled, then raised her hands in offering, her eyes taking on a sinister glow. A bright light shot from her body, engulfing the entire area, blinding all present. The woman began howling with laughter, the wind joining with her voice, as she slowly vanished.

Please point out any errors, grammatical or otherwise, and they will be corrected. Each chapter uploaded has already been proof-read, but only by me. Reviews are appreciated, not required (I don't write for you, but for me, although it's okay either way). Keep in mind that, while I enjoy writing, I do have trouble finishing. If people pester me enough, I'll pop something off semi-regularly, otherwise I will lose motivation. Even one loyal reader is enough, although I don't expect any until I actually upload more chapters :P. I upload this, giving the story the chance to reach completion. The fate of this story lies in your hands, my dear readers.

Flames will be laughed at loudly :-D (because, really, I'm not writing this for you. I know I have talent, and I also know I could do better, so flames will get no one no where, lol)

Random bit of advice today: don't buy a wireless router that operates on the same frequency as your wireless phone. You lose the internet at the most inopportune times.

With love,

socsaint, the saint born of shredded socks, so shredded that they lost their 'k'.