A/N: Hope you like this new series of mine! I wanted to see what would happen to Sesshomaru in the darkest of situations (For him at least)

P.S I don't like my title but I can't think of a better one... Any ideas? Reviews appreciated!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters or anythiing like that.

Prologue

The great Sesshomaru, coldest assassin in the nation, Lord of the Western Lands, owner of a moderately-sized castle and full-demon employees, was very confused. Light shown through the windows of his chamber, blinding him with their intensity. He remembered the last night vaguely, namely the fact that he returned the injured Rin to her chambers, before retiring with a large brew of sake.

It was a guilty pleasure of his, something to help calm his nerves. After all, this had been the second time Naraku had tried to use Rin against him. That couldn't be allowed to happen again. Sesshomaru grimaced as he once again warned himself that the closer he got to Rin, the more danger came to her. It was always that way with humans. They were so…

Hmm… At one point in time Sesshomaru would easily have been able to say 'weak'. But humans weren't, not really. He had seen that, in the way that Rin faced danger to help him. She was possibly one of the strongest humans he'd ever met, albeit a young one. He shook his head to clear it of such thoughts, and instantly regretted it when a wave of pain washed over him. His heightened demonic senses only made the hangover worse.

But he'd been trying to lengthen the bond between Rin and him, hadn't he? That was why he'd given her a human nursemaid, to reintroduce humans to Rin. The woman was a healing priestess, not a very strong one, but with enough power to keep Sesshomaru's demon employees from bothering her. She was kind and patient, perfect for dealing with Rin's shyness around humans.

Rin trusted her now, enough that she would talk to the miko on a regular basis, when they were staying at the castle. It had been a bonus that the woman could heal. Rin's injuries weren't horrible, but she needed some medical attention to keep her wounds from getting infected. She had a sprained wrist, as well.

The Demon Lord turned over in his bed, stifling a moan, and almost jumped in surprise. But of course, the great Sesshomaru would never allow himself to do something like that. Across from him, her face pale in the early morning's light, was the human miko! She was lying in his bed as if she belonged there, sleeping soundly. 'What the hell did I do last night?!' Sesshomaru thought to himself. He silently cursed his lack of awareness of his surroundings. Sesshomaru sat up, his long, silvery-white hair whispering over the covers. Then, he did jump in surprise, although he concealed it very well. He, along with the woman, he presumed, were naked. He once again cursed himself, before quickly going to the dressing chamber adjacent to his bedroom.

He hastily dressed himself, thanking the heavens that his annoying retainer, Jaken, had not come to check on him. Wearing only a simple kimono, so he could mange the ties on his own (which had taken lots of practice, considering his lack of a left hand), he drew himself up to his full height. He gathered the clothes of 'the woman', as he had begun to think of her as, and envisioned in his mind a quiet stream. Then, he thought of the beauty of a swift decapitation, straightforward and effective.

Finally, he approached the woman, still asleep on the bed, and unceremoniously dropped the pile of clothes on top of her. As she awoke, as surprised as he was, Sesshomaru noted, he said in his coldest, most monotone voice, "Needless to say, you are no longer needed here. You and your belongings will be out of this Sesshomaru's lands by midday." And then, without waiting for her reaction, he turned away from her and walked out of the room, his long hair sweeping behind him like a silver cape. Looking into a small mirror on the wall, he was satisfied to see that the woman was shocked, mouth hanging open like a lazy cow.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

'Oh my god, what have I done?' Kohana thought to herself, staring, disbelievingly, at the wad of clothes in her hand. She was a miko! A healer! She was supposed to be pure and graceful, to be a sign of hope against demons, a person for humans to look up to! And (If her guess was correct), she had just slept with one! 'So much for being pure…' the disgruntled priestess thought, not that she had been completely pure before.

Regardless, there was work to be done, so Kohana hastily packed up her things. She didn't have much to pack, because most of her belongings were at her small cottage in the woods. It was little more than a hut, really, with only a kitchen, a living area and a small bedroom. But it was a good house. Then, she left a note of apology in Rin's room, saying that she was sorry for her abrupt leave, and that she loved Rin very much and hoped she would forgive her. And finally, she left the estate, with all its grandeur.

Her head began to clear some more as she headed home, the effects of a sleeping potion gone wrong wearing off. Missing a vital herb, the potion had only made her dazed and confused, as well as slightly horny. It wasn't until she finally reached the hut that she was back to normal. She began to realize that she was feeling something else, deep inside… A thing that without her spiritual powers she would be unable to feel… But that was impossible! She could never become… But she felt it again, the sign of a fluttering life.

At once she realized that she and the unborn child were in terrible danger. After all, surely a demon with a good sense of smell would be able to sense the faint scent of a fertilized egg. What would Lord Sesshomaru do if he found out he had fathered a child? A partially human child? Looking down at her stomach, she thought, 'We're fucked, both literally and figuratively.'

Now in a state of near-panic, she began packing everything she would need for her new journey. She had to get somewhere safe, somewhere far away. She wouldn't let Sesshomaru kill her or the babe. But who would be stupid enough to stand between the great demon lord and his prey? Kohana smiled to herself as the answer dawned on her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sesshomaru growled quietly in frustration, for once allowing expression to bleed into his features. He was in his bedchamber again, and in a lesser person his attitude could be described as pouting. But, because Sesshomaru was not a lesser person, it seemed as if he were only in deep thought. Yes, today was a bad day indeed. First, there was that woman. And then to top it off, Rin had been quiet all day. He knew she was sad about her nanny leaving. Any other child would be in tears. But not his Rin, she was stronger.

Regardless, it still pained him (Dare he admit it?) to see her upset. And as always, he took his frustrations out on Jaken, who was currently scrubbing the dungeons. Walking over to his bed, which had not been washed and remade, to his annoyance, he noticed a particular smell… His eyes widening, he cursed his stupidity. Now he would have to go visit the woman again. The shame of it all! At least he knew where her house was, or at least Rin did.

The woman would have to be exterminated. Yes, that would work out nicely. With his poison, there would be no more evidence then an empty house. No body to hide. And he could hire a new woman to watch his Rin. Sesshomaru smiled to himself. There was no way a human girl could evade him. This would be too easy. His day wasn't so bad after all.