Chapter 1

A Demons' Contemplation

The sun was just beginning to rise above the horizon and paint the world with its palette of rosy reds and burnt oranges, as a figure stood tall and regal against the fading night. The grass was still wet with the nights dew and had a sweet scent that enticed the cows in the meadow far below to munch on the long tendrils. The village below was still sleeping as dawn came, the only witness to the birth of the new day was the silent sentinel on the ridge. This was his favorite time of the day, when every other being was still and the world was beginning again. The breeze lifted long silver strands of silken hair in the breeze and rustled the silk fabric of his clothes. This was the only time of the day the great taiyoukai felt at peace with the world and himself.

The great taiyoukai often found his thoughts wandering onto his young charge at times like this. She was young and had not learned everything she needed to learn from her human mother. The lord knew he could not teach her everything a human female needed to know. He could teach her to read, write, and defend herself, but the things a girl must learn from her mother he could not teach her. He wanted Rin to learn everything she needed to learn to become a great lady. He did not understand the reason for this want nor did he try to understand it he just knew in the small corner of his heart that was still warm that he wanted Rin to learn to be a great lady. Many did not understand the lords' interest in the young human girl but they understood she was his and so left her alone, mostly. The ones who did not leave the young girl alone where soon dealt with swiftly by the claws of the taiyoukai.

With a sigh the youkai made up his mind to find his young charge a mother, a human mother. This meant the human woman would be traveling with the group and he would have to protect her. He would only protect her though if Rin took an interest in her. Now that he had decided to get Rin a human mother he began to plan what kind of mother to get Rin.

The woman would have to be intelligent to teach Rin everything she needed to know. She would also have to be graceful, kind, gentle, loving, understanding, and patient. She would also have to be able to defend herself and Rin if the need ever arose. Not that it would, he never wandered far from the child and would not let anything harm what was his. And Rin was his.

A shrill voice interrupted the youkai's thoughts. "RIN!!! It is time to get up! Stupid human, you are very lazy. Why Sesshomaru-sama does not kill you or leave you is beyond this youkai. Move! We must not keep the lord waiting." The toad was answered by a sweet soft voice "Jaken-sama, Rin is sorry Rin is a stupid lazy human. Rin will try harder to be better so Rin does not embarrass Sesshomaru-sama." And so the two beings in camp began their day preparing breakfast and packing their bedding. Sesshomaru turned back to the valley and thought once again Rin needs a mother who is assertive and will take Jaken to task about telling the girl she is a stupid lazy human. Sesshomaru set off with only the confidence a great taiyoukai could have in his ability to find a human goddess willing to travel with a toad youkai, a two headed dragon, a small human female, and a cold taiyoukai. Thinking to himself what a great plan he had created, Sesshomaru walked into camp and informed his companions they would be traveling to some villages today to search for something. Four heads turned to Sesshomaru in utter confusion; he never went into human villages because of the stench.

Midday and he had not seen a human female yet he would trust to care for Jaken let alone his Rin. The females were more interested in throwing themselves at him then the little girl hiding behind his leg. Did they not understand he was not searching for a mate but a mother to Rin? Why could they not understand that? Humans were difficult to understand but human females were the most difficult. A deep breathe and a no to the human in front of him who had told him she could teach Rin to satisfy him. I do not want Rin to satisfy me. I want a mother for a child. Humans make me ill. Above the noise Sesshomaru heard the voice of a man begging another man for more money for….. What was that the human male was holding? It looked like a long horse's tail. With a flicker of golden eyes the youkai took in the pitiful family huddled behind the man. A woman with six small children clinging to her, an older male child standing with his arms crossed, and a female holding her hand up to her hair. Sesshomaru knew then what the male held, the girls hair. She did not cry for the loss of her hair nor did she seem to notice the looks other females were giving her she just stood there still and resigned to the fact that her hair now barely brushed her shoulders in uneven layers. Sesshomaru looked at her again as he would an animal he was purchasing. Her head would only come up under his chin, she was delicate almost fragile looking with long graceful looking arms and hands. If not for her eyes her face would have been quite plain. Her eyes were the most unusual color of brown with flecks of green in them. Sesshomaru saw what he wanted for Rin and decided this was the perfect human female. Acquiring the female should be no problem as the family seemed to need money.

Sesshomaru walked up to them with the confidence that had been bred into him and addressed the man. "You are trying to earn money to feed your family?" The humans all stared at the youkai unsure of his interest in them and their life. The man finally managed to stumble over his words "Yyyes. We we are very poor and I need to feed my small children." Sesshomaru looked at the human and knew he would have no problem acquiring the female now. The man had not interest in feeding his family he only wanted to but the drink that soured his breath. "I wish to purchase your oldest daughter. I will give you fifteen coins for her. You could feed your family for many days." Sesshomaru watched the greed play across the mans face as he looked back at the stunned face of his daughter who was shaking her head viciously no. The man began to think with the fifteen coins the youkai was going to give him for his daughter and the five the man was going to give him for her hair he could have quite a good time. The man agreed readily enough. Sesshomaru gave him the coins, turned, and began to walk away confident that all of what was his would follow him. He could hear the girl talking to her father and her fathers' response. "You no longer belong to me, you belong to the youkai. Go with him. He seems to have a use for you. You are only a burden to me." The girl turned from her family and began to follow the youkai. Sesshomaru was quite proud of himself. He had found a mother to teach his Rin all she needed to know from a human female and it had only cost him fifteen coins.

Little did Sesshomaru know that he had just gotten himself into a lot of trouble that no male, human or youkai, had yet been able to tame. Fate was indeed playing a cruel trick on the great taiyoukai today. Walking behind the group was not the thankful, subservient human female Sesshomaru imagined but a walking, breathing, and fuming female who could and would give the lord the time of his life.

And so the odd little group continued into the forest. Sesshomaru so sure of himself led the way, followed by a confused Jaken, a curious Rin, a worried Ah and Un, and a human female who was already plotting the downfall of the great Lord Sesshomaru-sama, Lord of the Western Lands.

Authors Note

Okay that was the first chapter. I am a first time writer on I usually do not show what I write to anybody but I would like any reviews, good or bad, for the beginning of this story. I have several chapters ready to go but have decided to only post one this time.

Lady Morganna