(A/N: Okay, wow, so I am working on this ahead of the official 5 year anniversary of my first fic ever. I have done a lot since then and will do a lot more in the future. I have grown as a writer and my re-write will hopefully reflect that. I am leaving the original 'What a Demon Lord Does for Love' up as a testament to the way I once wrote and posting this to show how I have grown. I don't want anyone thinking that I have stolen the fic or anything like that because that just isn't the case, it was always mine. I don't however; own InuYasha and I never will. This story contains Sesshomaru/Kagome and all of that other good stuff that you will remember from the original. Now let's get on with the show folks!)
What a Demon Lord Does for Love
Chapter 1—What Desperate Times Require
Re-written as:
A Demon Lord and his Love
Chapter 1—Desperate Times: Part 1
Sesshomaru watched her silently, his sharp eyes carefully monitoring her movements, analyzing the downcast expression on her face, the way she fiddled with her fingers, holding her hands clasped in her lap. The girl was depressed, had been for the last several weeks that he had been at watching them. He knew that she was hurting, that she was beginning to realize that she was being used. Shard Detector he could hear her chaotic thoughts, the depression, the pain was compromising her powers, the integrity of her shields was down and he was able to sneak into her mind as easily as slipping into a bath. He had been waiting for such a thing and he wished dearly that he had a little more time.
Kagome, the Miko, the tiny human woman that had carried the Shikon Jewel within her body and had such power inside of her that she could purify a lesser Demon into dust. He had met her once, long ago, when she was young and barely able to walk, she had trusted him then, wanted to be his friend but he had been forced to send her back home. In the back of her mind, he could sense that she still wanted to trust him; she could not believe that he was truly a monster. That much gave him hope. A monster would not be on the mission that he had set himself on, a monster would not beg a Miko for help.
He had need of Kagome's help and he was not ashamed to admit that. The one person that he truly cared about aside from him was Rin, his 12 year old adopted daughter and she was desperately ill. He did not know what it was that ate away at her so, but it was a malignancy that gained ground in her small body nearly every day. It had stolen her life away little by little and Sesshomaru had stubbornly gone from doctor to doctor, Demon and human alike, seeking someone that could help him. One Demon had been able to excise a growth from within Rin's chest where it had clung to her small bones and progress had been slow ever since. Sesshomaru had taken to stalking Kagome's group, waiting for an appropriate moment to steal the Miko away. He needed the Jewel to heal Rin, he was convinced of it. So very many things had failed him, this one would not, could not.
"I am going for a bath," Kagome rose to her feet and brushed her skirt off, lifting an over-large pack with her, eyes fixing critically on the Monk and InuYasha. "Alone," she said firmly and turned on the toe of her shoe. She strode away purposefully and Sesshomaru silently gave chase, eyeing her outfit with disapproval as he did every time he saw her. It was the garb of an age far in the future, as he understood from hours of eaves dropping on their group, but he could not equate it with anything in their day. The pale skin of her thighs was easily visible and if she bent over in just the right way, he could see her undergarments. To be blunt, he had seen more clothing on a common whore than he saw on her, a woman of immense purity and grace.
The large yellow pack landed with a thump beside a group of rocks and Kagome sat for a moment to remove her shoes and socks. She dipped her toes into the warm water and a visible sort of relaxation went through her, a smile just brushing the corners of her lips. Rolling her shoulders she began to shrug out of her clothing and Sesshomaru carefully averted his eyes. As soon as she slipped in the water he was able to look again and noticed with some surprise that she had laid out a proper kimono on a large flat rock beside her bag. It was a traditional set of clothing for a woman of her station and he smiled slightly at it.
Another hour passed and she climbed out, Sesshomaru averted his eyes while she wrapped herself in the red and white robes, focusing instead on the sky above, tinged pink and orange with the setting of the sun. It was late; he had been watching her for hours, knowing that he needed to return to the Western Citadel before long. But at last, there seemed to be no better a moment than this, she was sitting on the rock, brushing her long hair out carefully as she stared off into the spring. Her pack was sitting beside her and it was as if he had been expected and she was ready to make an escape.
"Lord Sesshomaru," she greeted without missing a beat as he stepped up beside her, scooping the large pack over his shoulder as he did so. A small smirk adorned her lips and he carefully schooled the surprise off of his face, perhaps he really had been expected. He looked down at her out of the corner of his eyes, watching her as she continued to brush her hair.
"Priestess Kagome," he replied, he had no reason to be discourteous toward her, and she had greeted him with propriety if not the deference he deserved. He was not going to risk her denying him when it meant so much to him and his daughter that she agreed. Though Kagome's heart was one of infinite purity and goodness and so even though he had done much to abuse his brother, he was certain that she would not hold it against him.
"Should I scream? Is it InuYasha that you want? Or do you have some use for a weak human woman?" Kagome said, tucking the brush away and straightening her back, sitting rigidly, seeming indecisive about whether or not to stand. He helped her in that by offering her his hand, prompting her to take it.
"I would prefer to avoid a confrontation with InuYasha if it is possible. And you are not a weak woman Kagome. You are a powerful Priestess, guardian of the Sacred Jewel. You deserve my respect and the respect of many others as well. I have no 'use' for you; I do not seek to use you. I merely beg your help on behalf of young Rin," Sesshomaru said at last and Kagome looked sharply up at him before chancing a glance toward camp.
"Your ward is in danger?" Kagome inquired, applying the mannerisms that she had learned over the last several years. At 19 she had grown considerably as a woman and had come to make her own decisions, regardless of InuYasha's wishes. They were still looking for the Jewel because every time they seemed to get anywhere, InuYasha ran off to Kikyo and the Jewel shards wound up stolen. Naraku still loomed over them and it was almost as if they had accomplished nothing and were merely repeating life day after day.
"The gravest of dangers. Would you require the details immediately or will you accompany me and allow me to fill you in as I go?" Sesshomaru asked and Kagome took another half second to consider things.
"I will accompany you. On the condition that you do not impede my search for the Jewel shards," she said calm blue eyes as serious as they had ever been. Sesshomaru afforded her a curt nod and called his magic to bear. The cloud that rose beneath their feet was not stable enough to support Kagome's mortal body and so Sesshomaru wrapped his arm across her shoulders, supporting her so that she did not fall.
"Thank you my Lady Priestess," he said softly, before the roaring of the wind in her ears silenced him and the whipping of her chocolate locks obscured her vision.
(A/N: No, this is not a complete translation of the first chapter. This is only a small fraction of it and it will be broken into several parts until I have covered everything. Yes, this is in a sense, a different story than I wrote before, but there was a great deal that I felt needed to be changed. So the characters are older and the story will take place over a longer span of time. I am also trying to incorporate more real fact into it as well. Let me know what you thought in a review, and the next chapter will be up in what I hope will be a timely manner.)
