A Taste of Humanity

Disclaimer: Sesshomaru and all characters from Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, not me. This story is for entertainment purposes only; I make no profit from it.

A/N: Please take a moment to vote in my new profile poll. Reviews are appreciated. Enjoy!


Chapter 8: Helplessness

Sesshomaru awoke, but felt reluctant to stir. He was warm and quite comfortable. An equally reluctant Rin was curled in his arms. 'In moments like this I can see how my father could fall for a human woman,' he mused. 'Rin deserves better than a life with a demon. Though the mate mark is supposed to lengthen a human's lifespan…' He tried to pull his thoughts away from that train of thought. He remembered Kagome insisting on finishing her 'school' and waiting until she was 18, an adult by her time's standards, before becoming his brother's mate even though he had heard the old miko, Kaede, mention 13 was marrying age in this era. Still, he was not going to take Rin as his mate so young. 'Wait, I did not just…' he sighed. 'Rin said she saw me as family, not a mate, and I have no interest in mating with ANY female right now.' Satisfied, he glanced down at Rin. 'Regardless of what lies in our future,' he decided, 'I will be glad to have her by my side.' They lay together, each feigning sleep, until a large rumble disturbed them. He tried to ignore the sound, but it persisted. Growling even though he wasn't a demon anymore, he reluctantly removed the covers, causing Rin to moan in protest.

"Rin…" he said gently. She glanced up at him sleepily and smiled.

"Rin likes lying here with you milord," she admitted. He smiled and nodded.

"Indeed," he replied softly, "this Sesshomaru enjoys it as well, but this one requires sustenance." As if in reply, a softer rumble came from her tummy. "You should eat as well." Nodding, she grabbed her kimono and went into a small side room which housed a large tub. He waited for her to emerge from the room and they left the hut together. The weather was again sunny and warm, with a gentle breeze that reminded him a Kagura. He had found Rin's comment about the mischievous wind demoness being in love with him amusing until he had found her dying later. He wondered briefly if they would've become mates if she had lived to see Naraku defeated. 'What is with my thoughts constantly bringing up mates today?' Shrugging it off, he settled down beside Rin and had breakfast with Kagome and his brother.

"You two slept in late," Inuyasha commented, "feeling better today?" Sesshomaru nodded. "Good. There have been more demons around the village lately. Nothing too strong, but I could sure use some help keeping the buggers away from the villagers."

"Sesshomaru is not going to fight demons in his condition Inuyasha!" He saw his little brother flinch, expecting the dreaded word to be next. It irked him that she did not think he was capable, but then he realized all his swords were useless to him as a human. All three were demon swords and only a demon could wield them. Also, his poison whip and claws were gone. He was completely helpless. He pulled his thoughts away from the dark path they were heading towards and focused on the conversation.

"Keh," Inuyasha muttered, "I know that! I was referring to Miroku and Sango. They said they would be back today." Sesshomaru felt a bit stung by Inuyasha's words, but had to admit he was right. Though they were only humans, the monk and slayer were quite experienced fighting demons while he was still getting used to the limitations of his human body. Even the slayers brother, Kohaku, was capable of killing demons and he was barely older than Rin.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled at her mate, "You can be such a jerk!" She turned to him and smiled reassuringly. "He didn't mean to imply you couldn't help Sesshomaru…" He raised his hand to silence her.

"No," he said calmly, "my brother is right. All my swords are demon swords and I no longer have my demon powers either. Even if I were not weakened by the illness, I would still be helpless." It was hard to admit it, even to them. Rin hugged him, drawing him out of his suddenly dark mood.

"Ah-Un can help," she chirped, "Jaken is pretty useless though." Everyone chuckled at that and even Sesshomaru managed a smile. Inuyasha agreed the dragon would be helpful and soon left to team up with the two-headed steed.

Their meal finished, Kagome went to help a young woman who complained of stomach trouble. Rin led him by the hand back through the village. The women seemed to be gathered around something. Curious, he let her guide him towards the growing crowd. It was a young half-demon. Its long silver hair and golden eyes reminding him of his own, though the tell-tale hanyou ears twitched anxiously. It was very young, far younger than most hanyou he had encountered away from their parents. Slowly, he approached the pup. It whimpered and tried to crawl away from him as he knelt down beside it. 'Far too young,' he thought, 'it needs its parents still.' He had a sinking feeling that this innocent pup had lost its parents, perhaps to the very demons lurking about the village. 'This pup is probably the reason there are so many demons lately. Many lower demons would find this pup a treat.' The pup stared at him, its ears forward.

"I will not harm you," he said softly. The pup sniffed at him, inching closer cautiously. He waited patiently for the pup to approach. When it had come within reach, he scooped it up gently and stood. It yelped and struggled, but he held firm. "Cease your struggles pup. I will not harm you, but there are plenty outside this village who would." The pup quieted. He noticed the women around him nodding and whispering quietly about what to do with the 'demon child that looked a great deal like Inuyasha'. Sesshomaru had never cared for half-demons, but for some reason this one did remind him of his brother. He remembered when Inuyasha had lost his mother; he had not protected him from the demons that sought him time and time again. He despised him, even wished him dead. Though he had smelled too much of their father that he had spared him when they met. He had explained it away, that to do so was 'wasting his time'. Now he held a similar 'half-breed' though a much younger one. Glancing down at the pup in his arms he noticed it had fallen asleep. He walked back to where he had last seen Kagome, hoping she would provide a clue as to what was to be done with the pup.

He found her talking to an old man. After handing him a small bundle, the old man left. Sesshomaru watched her eyes widen as he approached her. As he did, the pup awoke. Yawning wide, its ears twitched around, taking in the various sounds of the village.

"Where did you get her?" she asked him, "She looks a lot like Inuyasha, though her hair seems more like yours… wait this isn't…" He shook his head, surprised she would think he had sired a hanyou pup. He explained what happened. Nodding, she reached out to take the pup, but was greeted by fierce growls.

"Enough," he gently admonished, "Kagome means you no harm." The pup seemed quite reluctant to believe him and instead buried herself deeper into his arms. Sighing, he noticed Kagome smiling.

"Seems she trusts you," she said, "I see no harm in letting her stay with you. She doesn't seem seriously hurt, just a few scrapes."

"This Sesshomaru knows little of raising pups," he confessed. He noticed she merely chuckled.

"You've managed well enough raising Rin," she reminded him, "I'll see what Inuyasha says when he finishes with the demons. Until then," she hurried into her hut and came back out with her bag, "here. I've gathered a few items you might need. Rin will help and I'm just a few huts away." She then grabbed a few supplies of her own. "I need to go check on Aimi. She was badly hurt by one of the demons." 'Aimi,' he thought, 'that woman who cursed me was named Aimi.' She must have noticed his recognition for she nodded. "Yes, she's been staying here since she brought you. She's very old and the wounds are quite deep. I will do what I can for her." With that she left. He looked at Rin, uncertain what to do. He realized he worried about his aunt and felt he should go see her, but he did not want to get in the way. Focusing on the young pup in his arms, he decided to go back to the hut he was staying in. He had a feeling the small hut would give the girl more security than being outside. Dens were common shelters for dog demons, so the girl probably had lived in a cave or large burrow not far from the village.

Once they entered the hut, the pup tried to wiggle out of his arms. He gently set her down and she began sniffing everything inside. He knew she would smell four fairly strong scents in the hut and one would most likely give her pause. He saw her sniffing the spot he had seen his brother sit often and knew he was right. She stayed there for awhile, eyes wide and nose twitching furiously.

"That's my brother, Inuyasha," he stated calmly. "You should recognize the other three." She looked at him for awhile, unsure what to do. Cautiously, she nodded and continued smelling the rest of the hut. When she was done, she began to sniff Rin. She barely came up to Rin's knees so she knelt down for the girl.

"I'm Rin," she said sweetly, "what's your name?" The pup seemed shy of Rin and backed away. Sesshomaru knelt beside the pup and she ran into his arms. 'This is the second child that shows no fear of me.' Gently, he tilted her face up to his.

"I am Lord Sesshomaru. What is your name pup?" She looked down and seemed to think on his question. He worried the child was too young to know her name.

"Zukiko," she said softly, "I am Zukiko." 'Moon child,' he mused, thinking of his missing crescent moon marking. She tilted her head up a bit more and he noticed a small moon on her forehead under her bangs. It was more curved, the tips almost touching, and soft lilac in color instead of the darker violet of his.

"That's a very pretty name, Zukiko," Rin commented. "Where are your parents?" Zukiko glanced up at him and sighed.

"Dead," she said, a soft whimper escaping, "The demons surrounded us. Daddy died fighting them. Mommy told me to run and then attacked the demon that killed daddy." She began to snuffle and he wrapped his arms around her a bit tighter. She turned to him, burying her face into his chest. He felt his shirt getting wet, but didn't push the pup away. He had no idea how to comfort the girl since he had been equally helpless when Rin had cried. It seemed his embrace was enough for he noticed she had fallen asleep again. Careful not to wake her, he carried her to the bed. She curled into the blanket he draped over her and mumbled his name in her sleep. 'For a demon who claims to hate both humans and half-demons, I seem to be collecting them.' Turning to Rin, he decided to see what Kagome had packed for the pup. Small rags, some clean clothes that seemed her size, and an array of small jars of what seemed to be food judging by the labels were the bulk of the contents.

"She's like me," Rin whispered. He nodded silently.

"You were much older though, she is too young to be without her parents." He was surprised he felt such a bond with the pup. 'What happened to being cold-hearted, to showing no weakness?' Yet he couldn't just abandon the girl. He noticed her whimpering again and sat beside her. Reaching a tentative hand out, he gently rubbed her back as he had done on occasion with Rin when she had had nightmares. She quieted and snuggled closer to him. He felt Rin sit beside him.

"Kagome was right, milord," she whispered, "She does trust you." It surprised him that the girl would trust him, yet be afraid of Kagome and even unsure of Rin. 'I have killed thousands of demons, humans, and hanyou without mercy or remorse,' he reflected, 'of all of those to trust, I should be the last.' He stayed there in the dark hut, comforting Zukiko and wondering when his brother would finish with the demons. Rin stayed by his side, seeming to understand his need for support. 'Here I sit in a human hut with a helpless pup and a nearly helpless human,' he mused, 'demons circle the village and I am equally helpless to stop them if they decide to attack this hut.' He disliked the situation he had be put in, but found himself worrying not about himself as he would've thought, but worrying about Rin and Zukiko. 'I may not have my swords or my demon powers, but I refuse to let such filth harm what is mine!' He wrapped his arm around Rin and waited.