Disclaimer: "Lets just say that I'm not Rumiko Takahashi, ok? So, by
deductive reasoning, I DON'T OWN JACK DIDDLY SQUAT, OK?"
To Fulfill One's Destiny
Chapter Five- Oh, What's In A Name?
Some time had passed since Maria had proved herself a worthy ally in her first fight with a demon. So, with some cajoling from Kagome and several invitations from the others (in various forms that gained one monk a beating and a dirty look for one hanyou), she had joined the group soon afterward in their quest for jewel shards, traveling through time alongside Kagome. Her outfits varied from time to time, but now she had acquired a katana as a most surprising gift from Inuyasha (who defended his actions with a "Keh, humans need some way to protect themselves from getting eaten.") and several small throwing knives of several shapes and sizes that she had traded for in different villages that they had passed through. With each new battle with different youkai, she had become a formidable enemy and a valuable ally. Silence and speed were usually large contributors to her fighting style. But now, with her new pair of scimitars that she had just recently acquired, she could pull off headlong attacks even better than before with just the katana. To comfortably carry her weaponry and be able to protect herself in case of a surprise attack, she took to wearing fitted shirts to better strap the sword on her back and the scimitars on her hips. She had even grown accustomed to wearing shorter skirts to have easy access to the throwing knives that she strapped around her upper thighs, although her skirts were never as short as the school ones.
Two and a half weeks had passed since they had last acquired a shard of the Shikon jewel. And for some reason, this made Inuyasha desperate (or dumb, your pick) enough to wander near the Western Lands and chance an encounter with his elder brother. Of course, he'd neglected to inform his companions of this possibility, so they were by no means on the lookout for possible danger.
During a short break that Kagome had pleaded for to give everyone a break from walking, Maria had strolled off to relax. Stumbling upon a flower field, she wandered aimlessly until finding a soft grassy patch to relax in. Smiling into the beautiful spring sky, she sighed and closed her eyes for a short nap.
Nearby rustling awoke her about fifteen minutes later.
Her senses had sharpened over time to recognize possible danger. It was a requirement in this dangerous time, and she was forced with training from the others to adapt and be able to survive on her own. Remaining perfectly still, she lay in wait, ready to defend herself if the need arose.
The grasses parted, and a young girl emerged.
Startled, both drew back a little, then slowly eased toward each other inquisitively.
Maria gave her a gentle smile, and at this encouragement, the young girl smiled as well, introducing herself: "Hi! Rin's name is Rin."
Meanwhile, Inuyasha was becoming reacquainted with the ferocious attacking style of his brother Sesshomaru. Not even time had dulled the taiyoukai's desire to claim the Tetsusaiga, and he was still intent on taking it for his own. Too bad that Inuyasha wasn't willing to relinquish it.
"I see that you still haven't fully mastered father's sword Inuyasha, I wonder what he would say if he saw it being so misused?"
"Shut up you bastard, I've got the skill it takes to wield the Tetsusaiga."
"I would have to disagree, little brother."
And so the fight continued, both physically and verbally. The rest of the group had become so used to the battles between the brothers that they just stood back and watched the action with just a tinge of nervousness whenever there was a close call. There was always the chance that fate would side with Sesshomaru, after all.
This time the battle lasted through the night into the next day, commencing about ten minutes after Maria had wandered off and continuing up to this point. Both brothers were tired, but not to the point of ceding victory. As if they could ever reach that point anyway.
Then, the ugly little servant that tagged along with Sesshomaru ran screaming out of the brush, shouting curses on weakling humans and calling for his master. The fighting paused for the small intruder to continue his course to hide behind the tall taiyoukai.
"Jaken, what is the meaning of this. And where is Rin?"
Before Jaken could give a reply, the brush rustled again.
"I'LL TEACH YOU TO CALL ME A FILTHY HUMAN YOU MIDGET TOAD! WHERE ARE YOU? COME OUT AND FACE ME YOU LITTLE COWARD! HOW DARE YOU YELL AT RIN AND THEN HIT ME!"
Maria bursted forth from the brush, cradling Rin on her hip with one hand and swinging the two-headed staff that Jaken usually carried with the other. If her yells didn't betray her rage, the deadly look on her face and the wild swinging of the staff should have been some indication. With a drop of newfound courage the toad answered.
"You couldn't hurt me ever you stupid human, my master could kill you with his little finger if he so wished!"
"THERE YOU ARE YOU LITTLE BEAST! I'LL SHOW YOU WEAK AND STUPID!"
Ignorant of the interrupted situation, she marched forward until she ran into Sesshomaru, whom the toad had taken cover behind. The taiyoukai stoically questioned this stranger who now held Rin like she knew her and had the gall to ignore him.
"Who are you and what are you doing with my ward."
"I'm sorry, I'll have to answer that as soon as I beat the life out of that STUPID TOAD first."
Not used to be spoken to in such a manner, the taiyoukai arched an eyebrow and blocked her move to get past him.
"I'm am not used to such treatment. I asked a question and I expect to receive an answer."
"Well sorry I can't spare one right now. So get over yourself and MOVE."
Her rampage was stopped as the taiyoukai swiftly seized her throat and began to press his claws into her constricted throat. He ceased when the young girl situated on her hip cried out.
"Sessy-sama! Stop! Please! Don't hurt okasan! Jaken was being mean! Please stop!"
Shock flitted across Sesshomaru's features as he released Maria's throat. "Your okasan."
"Hai, I asked her to be my okasan, and she said 'Hai', but then Jaken came looking for me and then okasan got mad at Jaken for yelling at me, and he hit her with his staff and then.."
"That's enough Rin."
Maria interjected, looking at Rin. "Wait. You mean to tell me that HE is Sessy-sama?!?"
"Hai okasan! This is Sessy-sama."
Sesshomaru inwardly grimaced at the pet name Rin had given him. He, the great lord of the Western Lands, the taiyoukai everyone feared, responded to a name that made him sound like a furry pet.
After getting to her feet, Maria faced the taiyoukai and bowed slightly in greeting. "I apologize for my earlier behavior, I am Maria."
Silence.
She straightened and then shifted Rin on her hip. "Usually someone responds by introducing themselves as well."
He delicately arched one eyebrow. She did the same.
He narrowed his eyes.
She narrowed her own.
"Show respect to the almighty Lord Sesshomaru. You should be crouched on the ground in fear you..."
Without breaking their locked gaze and still standing straight, Maria twirled the two-headed staff twice and struck the servant, pinning him to the ground and cutting off his tirade.
"I haven't forgotten you, don't you worry. And, the only way for anyone to deserve respect is for them to show it to others as well."
'Impressive' thought Sesshomaru. 'She is informed of who I am and still stands her ground. I have seen powerful demons stand before me begging for mercy, shaking and quivering. She is either extremely brave or extremely stupid. The extremely stupid do not usually apologize for their actions, however.'
Taking a quick glance at his servant pinned to the ground by the staff gave the inu-youkai a small amount of satisfaction. He then shifted his gaze to her and looked her up and down, taking in her strange and scandalous clothing and relatively familiar weaponry. Her looks weren't wholly unnoticed either, but were dismissed. 'She is a human. Also, she seems to be dressed in the same manner as the miko Kagome, with heavy weaponry besides. She must be involved in their quest.'
He looked to realized that her stare had become even more leveled and irritating. 'Why is it that she affects me so? She is simply staring at me, she is only a weak human.'
"Hello? As much as I love watching people I don't even know give me the once-over, this is getting a little tiresome."
Without a hint of any emotion behind his features, the demon lord did something he had never done before. He introduced himself to a mere human.
"I agree. In response to your request, I am Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands."
To Fulfill One's Destiny
Chapter Five- Oh, What's In A Name?
Some time had passed since Maria had proved herself a worthy ally in her first fight with a demon. So, with some cajoling from Kagome and several invitations from the others (in various forms that gained one monk a beating and a dirty look for one hanyou), she had joined the group soon afterward in their quest for jewel shards, traveling through time alongside Kagome. Her outfits varied from time to time, but now she had acquired a katana as a most surprising gift from Inuyasha (who defended his actions with a "Keh, humans need some way to protect themselves from getting eaten.") and several small throwing knives of several shapes and sizes that she had traded for in different villages that they had passed through. With each new battle with different youkai, she had become a formidable enemy and a valuable ally. Silence and speed were usually large contributors to her fighting style. But now, with her new pair of scimitars that she had just recently acquired, she could pull off headlong attacks even better than before with just the katana. To comfortably carry her weaponry and be able to protect herself in case of a surprise attack, she took to wearing fitted shirts to better strap the sword on her back and the scimitars on her hips. She had even grown accustomed to wearing shorter skirts to have easy access to the throwing knives that she strapped around her upper thighs, although her skirts were never as short as the school ones.
Two and a half weeks had passed since they had last acquired a shard of the Shikon jewel. And for some reason, this made Inuyasha desperate (or dumb, your pick) enough to wander near the Western Lands and chance an encounter with his elder brother. Of course, he'd neglected to inform his companions of this possibility, so they were by no means on the lookout for possible danger.
During a short break that Kagome had pleaded for to give everyone a break from walking, Maria had strolled off to relax. Stumbling upon a flower field, she wandered aimlessly until finding a soft grassy patch to relax in. Smiling into the beautiful spring sky, she sighed and closed her eyes for a short nap.
Nearby rustling awoke her about fifteen minutes later.
Her senses had sharpened over time to recognize possible danger. It was a requirement in this dangerous time, and she was forced with training from the others to adapt and be able to survive on her own. Remaining perfectly still, she lay in wait, ready to defend herself if the need arose.
The grasses parted, and a young girl emerged.
Startled, both drew back a little, then slowly eased toward each other inquisitively.
Maria gave her a gentle smile, and at this encouragement, the young girl smiled as well, introducing herself: "Hi! Rin's name is Rin."
Meanwhile, Inuyasha was becoming reacquainted with the ferocious attacking style of his brother Sesshomaru. Not even time had dulled the taiyoukai's desire to claim the Tetsusaiga, and he was still intent on taking it for his own. Too bad that Inuyasha wasn't willing to relinquish it.
"I see that you still haven't fully mastered father's sword Inuyasha, I wonder what he would say if he saw it being so misused?"
"Shut up you bastard, I've got the skill it takes to wield the Tetsusaiga."
"I would have to disagree, little brother."
And so the fight continued, both physically and verbally. The rest of the group had become so used to the battles between the brothers that they just stood back and watched the action with just a tinge of nervousness whenever there was a close call. There was always the chance that fate would side with Sesshomaru, after all.
This time the battle lasted through the night into the next day, commencing about ten minutes after Maria had wandered off and continuing up to this point. Both brothers were tired, but not to the point of ceding victory. As if they could ever reach that point anyway.
Then, the ugly little servant that tagged along with Sesshomaru ran screaming out of the brush, shouting curses on weakling humans and calling for his master. The fighting paused for the small intruder to continue his course to hide behind the tall taiyoukai.
"Jaken, what is the meaning of this. And where is Rin?"
Before Jaken could give a reply, the brush rustled again.
"I'LL TEACH YOU TO CALL ME A FILTHY HUMAN YOU MIDGET TOAD! WHERE ARE YOU? COME OUT AND FACE ME YOU LITTLE COWARD! HOW DARE YOU YELL AT RIN AND THEN HIT ME!"
Maria bursted forth from the brush, cradling Rin on her hip with one hand and swinging the two-headed staff that Jaken usually carried with the other. If her yells didn't betray her rage, the deadly look on her face and the wild swinging of the staff should have been some indication. With a drop of newfound courage the toad answered.
"You couldn't hurt me ever you stupid human, my master could kill you with his little finger if he so wished!"
"THERE YOU ARE YOU LITTLE BEAST! I'LL SHOW YOU WEAK AND STUPID!"
Ignorant of the interrupted situation, she marched forward until she ran into Sesshomaru, whom the toad had taken cover behind. The taiyoukai stoically questioned this stranger who now held Rin like she knew her and had the gall to ignore him.
"Who are you and what are you doing with my ward."
"I'm sorry, I'll have to answer that as soon as I beat the life out of that STUPID TOAD first."
Not used to be spoken to in such a manner, the taiyoukai arched an eyebrow and blocked her move to get past him.
"I'm am not used to such treatment. I asked a question and I expect to receive an answer."
"Well sorry I can't spare one right now. So get over yourself and MOVE."
Her rampage was stopped as the taiyoukai swiftly seized her throat and began to press his claws into her constricted throat. He ceased when the young girl situated on her hip cried out.
"Sessy-sama! Stop! Please! Don't hurt okasan! Jaken was being mean! Please stop!"
Shock flitted across Sesshomaru's features as he released Maria's throat. "Your okasan."
"Hai, I asked her to be my okasan, and she said 'Hai', but then Jaken came looking for me and then okasan got mad at Jaken for yelling at me, and he hit her with his staff and then.."
"That's enough Rin."
Maria interjected, looking at Rin. "Wait. You mean to tell me that HE is Sessy-sama?!?"
"Hai okasan! This is Sessy-sama."
Sesshomaru inwardly grimaced at the pet name Rin had given him. He, the great lord of the Western Lands, the taiyoukai everyone feared, responded to a name that made him sound like a furry pet.
After getting to her feet, Maria faced the taiyoukai and bowed slightly in greeting. "I apologize for my earlier behavior, I am Maria."
Silence.
She straightened and then shifted Rin on her hip. "Usually someone responds by introducing themselves as well."
He delicately arched one eyebrow. She did the same.
He narrowed his eyes.
She narrowed her own.
"Show respect to the almighty Lord Sesshomaru. You should be crouched on the ground in fear you..."
Without breaking their locked gaze and still standing straight, Maria twirled the two-headed staff twice and struck the servant, pinning him to the ground and cutting off his tirade.
"I haven't forgotten you, don't you worry. And, the only way for anyone to deserve respect is for them to show it to others as well."
'Impressive' thought Sesshomaru. 'She is informed of who I am and still stands her ground. I have seen powerful demons stand before me begging for mercy, shaking and quivering. She is either extremely brave or extremely stupid. The extremely stupid do not usually apologize for their actions, however.'
Taking a quick glance at his servant pinned to the ground by the staff gave the inu-youkai a small amount of satisfaction. He then shifted his gaze to her and looked her up and down, taking in her strange and scandalous clothing and relatively familiar weaponry. Her looks weren't wholly unnoticed either, but were dismissed. 'She is a human. Also, she seems to be dressed in the same manner as the miko Kagome, with heavy weaponry besides. She must be involved in their quest.'
He looked to realized that her stare had become even more leveled and irritating. 'Why is it that she affects me so? She is simply staring at me, she is only a weak human.'
"Hello? As much as I love watching people I don't even know give me the once-over, this is getting a little tiresome."
Without a hint of any emotion behind his features, the demon lord did something he had never done before. He introduced himself to a mere human.
"I agree. In response to your request, I am Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands."