Title: Demonheart
Author: Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)
Rating: R
Genre: Romance/Adventure
Pairing: Kagome/Sesshoumaru
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Distribution: Feel free. Just let me know where it goes :- )
Notes: And the foundation is set...




Chapter Two: Weakness





He stood at the forest's edge, his entire body weary from exhaustion as the three made their way slowly through the land. With a slight frown, he turned to the child who had been stumbling behind him for the last few hours. Even he, a demon lord, was having a difficult time navigating through the terrain. How did the child manage to make it?

He turned away, intent on concentrating on his own steps even as he pushed aside a fern as he waited for Rin to follow in his steps.

Hiding a wince as he tried to ignore the sound of the girl falling to her knees, Sesshoumaru silently cursed the lack of restraint these humans seemed to have when it came to emotions.

It was pitiful really, he thought as he stopped dead in his tracks to lift the girl to her feet. Shooting her his most imposing glare as she lisped a thank you, the former demon continued on his way, leaving his retainer to hurry the child along.

The urge to growl or even sigh in frustration was nearly overwhelming at times, he thought in wonder as he waited for the toad demon and human to catch up. He just simply couldn't understand. It was truly amazing humans achieved anything considering the amount of time they must waste a day with their petty "I love you"s and hatreds. After all, it wasn't as if demons had no emotions: they just possessed a greater restraint. And even among demons, his own restraint had been legendary.

Yes. Life had been much simpler then.

Barely intercepting a sigh before it left his lips, Sesshoumaru glared at the toad demon as the small creature pulled the child along cruelly by a wrist.

Jaken had been acting quite unusual this morning, he reflected as he tried to ignore the rising urge to pound the retainer's head in retribution for his callous treatment of the child. The demon undoubtedly found his hackles rising at the idea of serving a human, albeit only a temporary one, master. Forcing himself to ignore the anger that was attempting to spin out of control, Sesshoumaru instead considered the calm serenity that the forest offered.

He would soon be entering his brother's territory.

Unable to control the slight growl that escaped from his throat, Sesshoumaru once again wondered what perverse god had encouraged him to take this shortcut.

Suddenly, struck by the desire to turn back before his brother could discover his shame, Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks.

"My lord?" Jaken asked, his voice sounding oddly impertinent even as it uttered the subservient words.

"It is inconvenient to be forced to wait for you two. Carry the child and be done with it," he quickly responded, hesitant to show his weakness before his subordinate.

"Ah, yes. It is too large to carry, my lord. Can we not just leave…"

"Ask that again and I will strike you down where you stand," Sesshoumaru said, struggling to keep his voice calm and inflection-less. His confidence boosted by the success, he turned back briefly and hefted the child up into his arms. "Well, then, if you are too weak to do it, then I suppose I must."

"Sesshie-sama!" the girl giggled in delight, her tired eyes brightened by the contact.

"Say not a word, child. I will not deal with your prattling now," he muttered, barely resisting the urge to nuzzle his face in her soft hair even as she buried her head at the crook of his neck.

"Thank you, Sesshie-sama," Rin whispered as she wrapped her chubby arms about his neck.

Biting the inside of his lip in impatience as he realised the child was on the verge of falling asleep, the demon lord continued, trying not to walk too jarringly as he abandoned his previous direction and instead headed towards the river he knew was nearby.

The child had not complained once, he thought as he tried to deny the sudden affection that tugged at his heart. She deserved a break for her loyalty.

"Master?"

"We shall break for a few minutes until the child regains her strength… I shall not carry her the entire way to the Oracle."

"Yes, my lord. Shall I requisition a meal?" the demon asked, his bulging eyes looking away from the man's visage.

Amusing, Sesshoumaru decided even as a part of him was repulsed by the idea, the little toad can't abide to look at me now that I'm human.

"Very well," he inclined his head towards the comforting whisper of the river, "we shall be over there. And Jaken? Buy the meals. I do not feel like dealing with angry human mobs right now. It's bad for digestion."

The toad nodded once, scurrying away before the man could add a single word.

Making a note to reprimand his retainer for the transgression, Sesshoumaru forced his feet to continue walking towards the water.

This human body, he thought in disgust as he came to the cliff's edge, was severely unsuited for the task of traipsing throughout the land. His muscles aching as he climbed down the small but steep cliff, Sesshoumaru allowed a sigh to escape as he placed the child upon the grassy knoll beside the calm river. It would have been easier and a lot less taxing had he just awoken the child like any reasonable demon lord would, but something had kept him from disturbing her slumber.

No doubt the threat of being pestered by her constant questions, he told himself firmly as he knelt by the edge of the gently flowing water. Frowning as he caught a glimpse of his new reflection in the water's surface, the demon-come-human dashed a hand suddenly into the water.

He simply couldn't get used to the unmarked face, he thought as he pushed the mass of black hair over his shoulder and out of sight. Without thinking about it, he splashed the cold water upon his face, only to grimace as the chill invaded his system. Instinctively, he raised his face towards the burning sun, enjoying the way its warmth usurped the chill from his body only to replace it with its own comfort.

Disgusted by this strange neediness of this foreign body, Sesshoumaru shook his head as he glanced around the riverside.

And then he saw her.

Almost like a vision, she rose from the depths of the river, droplets of water glistening in her jet-black hair as she hummed to herself. Wrinkling his nose as he felt his body respond to the girl's nakedness, Sesshoumaru turned his head away from the priestess whom followed his younger brother's every step.

Beautiful, yes, he told himself as he forced his eyes away from her tanned body and bared breasts. But human. And a certain sign his annoying little hanyou of a brother would be around somewhere. The bathing girl forgotten for the moment as he imagined his brother's reaction to the most recent turn of events, Sesshoumaru turned back towards the sleeping Rin with the intention of leaving the river and its inhabitants as quickly and quietly as possible.

They would be upwind, he realised in relief as he swept the child into his arms. Perhaps he would find luck on his side and his scent wouldn't carry to his brother's keen nose. In the midst of it all, the last thing he wanted was to see his brother's gloating…

"You aren't leaving so soon, are you now, Lord Sesshoumaru?" a new voice interrupted, its soft voice free of any hint as to gender.

"You aren't worth my time," the former demon bit off as he lowered the child gently back to the moist earth. Cursing the black hair that swung dramatically around his head as he turned to face the owner of the softly threatening words, Sesshoumaru silently prepared himself for a fight against a water demon that he knew he could never win while trapped in this body.