Chapter 12

Sesshoumaru's bad mood had only gotten worse. When he had decided to accomplish this task, he had only really bargained for his brother's company. Then there was the Flea, who had to come along because Myouga was the only one to possess the knowledge needed. Fine. He could accept that. But no where along the line had he expected or even agreed on a baby. Sesshoumaru may have had his vicious and cruel acts, but nothing equaled the punishment of having to endure a baby.  Hell, he hadn't even chosen a mate yet.

They walked along the long road back to Kaede's village, having decided earlier that there was really nowhere else for them to go, unless they wanted to just stand around in a forest while they figured out what to do. Sesshoumaru wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of spending time in a human village, but that's where his brother's wench was. Not to mention that female exterminator. Between the two of them, they should be able to care for a baby. Sesshoumaru wasn't thrilled with that idea either. It was demeaning to have a great youkai lord taken care of by two humans, but there was little choice in the matter. He didn't trust any of the youkai females around him, as there would be far too many eager to wipe out the inu family if given the opportunity. The two humans had to be better at taking care of the kid than any of the three present could. This was the one occasion Sesshoumaru was willing to admit he was not the best at something. It appeared Inuyasha was willing to make that concession too.

"Argh! Let go you little…" The hanyou barely resisted saying the final word. It was unclear whether he intended to curse or not, but in any case, it would have been rude of him to call his father names, no matter how tightly said father was grasping Inuyasha's locks of hair. "How the hell are you so strong anyway?"

"Would you expect less of my father?" Sesshoumaru's smug voice drifted back from where he was leading the group.

"Our father!" The hanyou shot back, visibly bristling for a fight despite the babe in his arms.

It was as if Sesshoumaru had rubbed his fur the wrong way. A smirk curled the youkai lord's lips, unseen by his companions.

You're enjoying this.

Immensely.

You do realize that means you're enjoying being around your brother, right?

That wiped the smirk off his face. No. Silence took over, both in his mind and over the group. Sesshoumaru preferred it that way.

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 As soon as they neared the village, Sesshoumaru noticed hat Inuyasha seemed much more alert than he previously had been during that day. Not being able to help himself, which in itself was unusual, Sesshoumaru inquired condescendingly, "Looking for your mate, little brother?"

Inuyasha jerked guilty, a dull red forming across his cheeks. He might as well have held up a sign that said his brother's assumption was correct. However, within seconds, he was snarling, "I don't have a mate."

"Not so loud, Lord Inuyasha! You'll wake up your father!" Myouga's chide held a bit of pleading. None of the group wanted the babe awake. It seemed their father was quite the whiny child.

Inuyasha took the Flea's words to heart, and his voice more hushed as he continued, "And who the hell are you to comment? Your idea of female companionship is a little girl."

Sesshoumaru stopped short, eyes narrowing as he turned slightly to coldly regard the hanyou behind him, "Would you care to elaborate on what you are insinuating?"

"I'm not insinuating anything. I'm saying that you're a ped…." Fortunately for his own health, Inuyasha didn't get a chance to finish that word as he was distracted by the appearance of a figure clad in green and white over the hill, "Kagome." The name was murmured softly, but not so soft that Sesshoumaru didn't catch it.

The youkai rolled his eyes upwards to the sky in disgust. Even he saw the way both his brother's and the human's girls lit up when they saw each other. It was revolting. He was about to make a snide comment on it when suddenly a whiff of a scent he knew very well on the breeze. For a moment, Sesshoumaru just looked amazed, as if he didn't believe what he smelled. Then slowly, his cold mask slid over again, eyes glinting with fury. "Where is she?"

Kagome, who had been approaching, came to a halt. She didn't have to ask who Sesshoumaru was referring to, "Ah…she's…"

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" A small dark-haired girl clambered over the hill, waving exuberantly at the youkai lord, "You're back!" The girl ran the rest of the way towards the source of her adoration, gazing up at him with guileless worship.

"Rin." It's amazing the amount of displeasure that can be put into one word.

Rin had the good sense to look guilty now, knowing Sesshoumaru was displeased with her. "Rin missed you." She pleaded, brown eyes gazing up at him, "I was scared that you wouldn't come back because Jaken-sama said that…" Those brown eyes began to fill with tears, "He said that it was dangerous… and… and.. even though I knew Sesshoumaru-sama would win…I…"

Shit. She's crying. 

What? She is not. She couldn't be. Rin never cries.

Well, she is.

Sesshoumaru froze, panicked as to what to do. He had to reassure the girl that he forgave her for not staying where he told her too, though it was still incredulous to him that she had disobeyed. Yet, doing so would reveal a side of himself that he really didn't want his brother to see.

Just do it! What choice do you have?

None. Rin's tears struck a chord in Sesshoumaru that he completely didn't understand. All he knew was that he wanted them to stop, and for them to stop now. Not because they were a nuisance, but because they actually concerned him. He didn't dwell on the thought.

Wordlessly, the youkai reached out and placed his hand on top of the girl's head. It was all he could bring himself to do, though he did gentle his voice as he questioned, "And where is Jaken?"

Rin, who seemed to cease her crying instantly at Sesshoumaru's touch, smiled brightly to him and pointed towards the village, "Jaken-sama is sulking." Concern touched her sunny features as she inquired, "Sesshoumaru-sama won't hurt Jaken-sama, will he?"

"That remains to be seen." As he said those words, Sesshoumaru became aware of the fact that everyone was now watching them. Even the babe in his brother's arms seemed entranced by the youkai and the human girl's interactions. Mentally cursing, Sesshoumaru strode towards the village, hoping to keep at least some of his pride. Any hopes he had of doing that were ruined, for Rin skipped right beside her dear Sesshoumaru-sama, humming a cheerful children's song as she went. Yet, this wasn't the worse. He might not have entered the village if he knew the blows his dignity was about to take there.

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A/N:  ::looks sheepish:: I know. It's been over a month since I've updated, again. Thank you for those who are still sticking with me despite my sporadic updates. The next few chapters may be a bit fluffy (no pun intended) and not have much to do with the main plot, but well, I enjoy writing more light-hearted things, so that's how it goes! Plus, I haven't quite decided how I want to resolve the story, but when I do, I'll start wrapping things up for it. Please review and let me know what you all think!