AN: Okay, fyi, I am now posting WWT at A Single (under Scooby9049) as well...and will have a link on my bio here at as soon as I remember to get around to it...Till then, on with the show!

Oh! And before I forget, the suits of armor look a little like the Spartans' armor from the HALO video games and awesome novels! If you don't know what they look like, then I'll get around to sketching some up and posting them at pretty soon, or you can search the web for HALO or HALO 2 pics.

"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."George Bernard Shaw

Walking With TITANS

By Rockrgrl9049

'The human has surely had sufficient resting time, yet she still sleeps...Why does it matter?...She is my responsibility, that is why I wonder...,' Sesshoumaru thought to himself as he glanced across the room to the tiny figure, who was dwarfed further by the huge bed she lay in. Soon enough, the Taiyouki's extraordinary hearing picked up the girl's breathing becoming more shallow, and her heartbeat beginning to speed up, signifying her awakening.

'Where am I,' Kagome wondered as she came to. Looking about, she found herself in a mammoth circular bed, covered with sage green sheets and a puffy white comforter. The rest of the room was painted an airy off-white with sage accents and had pale hardwood floors, many windows and pine furnishings. She was about half way through assessing her surroundings when she saw a towering figure standing within the doorframe of 'her' room.The seven foot-something male had silvery hair that fell to his calves and piercing golden eyes; he wore baggy kaki-colored cargo pants and a white, ribbed tank top. Said figure moved into the room on silent feet, stopping when he stood next to the bed, staring steadily down at her. Kagome looked up at the looming figure with no fear, something that seemed to annoy him, for he narrowed his eyes slightly before he spoke in a cool, indifferent tone.

"You are now under the protection of the TITANS. You will not leave this premises without permission, my permission. You will be under my...guidance until further notice. While that is so, you will obey this Sesshoumaru without hesitation. My word is law, no questions asked. Am I clear?"

Kagome merely raised an eyebrow in minor annoyance, 'Just who does this guy think he is? 'This Sesshoumaru,' who speaks in third person anyway?' Deciding against a response, the girl just blinked at the speaker, unleashed a long suffering yawn and turned on her side to go back to sleep. A deep bass rumble sounded from behind her, and Kagome looked back at the man over her shoulder. 'Is he growling at me?' Sure enough, the man had parted his lips, revealing an upper row of pearly white teeth, complete with two abnormally long canines. The longer she waited, the louder decibel the rumbling reached. Flashing him a curious look, she cleared her throat and attempted to use her long forsaken voice.

"Wh(yawn)what's with the growling? Are you some kinda dog," she asked blatantly, not realizing just how correct that assumption was. This only elicited a louder snarl from the enraged male, and faster than she could blink, a clawed hand was hoisting her slight frame from the heavenly mattress and hauling her to the ground by her shoulder. In less than a second she was shoved roughly to the nearest wall, and pinned by her captor's much larger frame.

Finally subsiding his growling enough to speak, he grounded out, "When this Sesshoumaru asks you a question, you are to reply. Am I understood?," he asked in a belying silky tone. He was bothered further by the girl's non-existent fear. He demanded complete submission and compliance, and he demanded it now.

"Sure. But when this Kagome asks a question does the same apply," she asked innocently enough. She was startled when she felt her hands being wrenched above her head in only one of his much larger hands and his face situated only a breath's width away from hers, all before she could blink her eyes. This time she was close enough to see the red tint flow into the edges of his steely amber gaze. And, this time she could feel the harsh growl that reverberated through his chest.

The Taiyouki nearly smirked in triumph when he smelt the first faint wisp of the cinnamon fragrance her fear, swirling amongst her normal jasmine sent. But as quickly as it came, it was gone, replaced by a strong tang of citrus, symbolizing her anger. Her ever-changing blue eyes darkened to a sapphire as she glared at him. Emboldened by her ire, she pushed as hard as she could, accidentally putting a bit of her miko ability behind her shove at his chest. His eyes widened fractionally at the tell-tale lavender glow of her purifying powers, and reacted by moving clear a millisecond before he was fried to a crisp. Surprised at the quick shift, Kagome stumbled forward, her balance lost. She prepared herself for the coming plunge, squeezing her eyes shut and throwing her arms out before her, but her momentum was pulled to an abrupt halt by a strong hand clenched into the oversized tee-shirt she just realized that she wore. That was right, she had been wearing a hospital gown-like attire while she was a captive at the research facility; she had been filthy as well, who had given her a bath! She was snapped back to the present when she was raised to hang like a rag doll by the back of her garment at eye-level with the angry male. And, though she was dangling over six feet from the ground, she was about to give her a piece of her mind right then and there, when she was interrupted...

"I hope I'm not disturbing anything...," came an amused and distinctly masculine voice.

Sesshoumaru identified Kouga's wintry scent immediately, and hastily set Kagome on her own two feet. Much to his chagrin though, he watched as a flash of realization flared to life in his companion's eyes and a heart-stopping smile spread across her face directed at the 'Wolf.'She quickly crossed the room to the doorway where he stood, and tried her best to wrap her (in comparison) small arms about his mid section as she cried out happily, "You! You are the one who saved me! I recognize your eyes!"

"Hello, Little One. I'm glad you recognize me," he replied laughingly, returning her embrace, and smirking at the 'emotionless' Taiyouki behind her. It was obvious that he was angry that he was so close to this onna, but that was just too bad; he liked this one. His smirk widened as he began to rub slow circles at the small of her back, watching as the silver-haired Leader's countenance darkened ominously. But then he inhaled her scent, and he realized that her unique jasmine fragrance was mingled with that of a serene pine forest and a hint of an advancing thunderstorm; only one person had that particular scent; Sesshoumaru.

Now it was the Taiyouki's turn to smirk, he had purposely changed her into one of his own shirts instead of borrowing one of the female TITANS.' It was meant as a not-so-subtle sign to encourage Kouga to 'back off.'

Kouga simply leered at the taller man and purposely let his wolfish tail circle the girl's waist, he would merely replace the scent with his own. But, before he could finish his task, the girl giggled melodiously and pulled herself from his grasp saying, "Ack! That tickles...Oh! Is that real? Can I touch it?"

The dark-haired man smiled down at her and nodded, extending his long, dark-brown and white tipped tail for her to see. She ran her hands through the silky fur for a moment then wrinkled her nose cutely in thought and asked, "Are you some kind of wolf?"

"Yes, and then no...it's a bit hard to explain," Kouga began tentatively, he wasn't sure how much he was permitted to reveal to the girl.

She didn't seem at all offended or put off though, and soon turned her attention to Sesshoumaru, her brow again creasing, "Well, if you're a wolf, then he has gotta be a dog!"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes minutely, he wasn't sure if he should take that as a complement or otherwise. The Wolf laughed none the less at his disposition, not many people could keep the 'Ice Prince' on his toes like this one could.

But her thoughtful look was quickly replaced by a pleading one, "Do you have a tail?"

Kouga laughed uproariously at that one, but the girl seemed undeterred as she stared up at the imposing male, her big, turquoise eyes shining with innocence and sheer curiosity. Said male sighed silently and called forth his large, fluffy, pelt-like tail, wincing slightly as she squealed in delight. He had sensitive hearing after all. He was nearly knocked over as she launched herself at the downy appendage, her aquamarine eyes lightening further to a baby blue in her immature, though amusing, happiness. She reminded him of his little sister when she acted like that...

His laughter subsiding momentarily, Kouga addressed the...preoccupied male, "I came here to relay orders for the Little One."

The Taiyouki narrowed his eyes at the blue-eyed Wolf, he really didn't like that he already had a pet name for the girl. The last thing he needed was one of his least favorite people hanging around, all for the sake of 'seeing' his involuntary...ward. "And," he prompted.

"She is to visit the General, then Totousi, for debriefing and weapon distribution. Evidently, she's joining one of the Squadrons."

At this the Taiyouki's mask came precariously close to faltering. You weren't allowed to just join the TITANS, you were raised and augmented to become one! Did this mean...? Surely not! It was far to dangerous to preform those procedures on an adult...

Sesshoumaru pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind for contemplation at a later time, and replied, "We will be down within an hour," clearly dismissing the Wolf.

Kouga grinned rakishly, bid a quick goodbye to Kagome and turned to leave.

Once he heard the front door of his home slide shut with an audible click, Sesshoumaru turned to Kagome and snapped, "The bathroom is there," pointing to a connecting door that she had failed to notice previously, "So, kindly take a shower, you stink of the Wolf."

The girl scowled blackly in response and countered, "And just what am I to change into Sesshoumaru-sama, when I obviously have nothing to wear?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama...I believe that is rather befitting. You will address me as such from now on. As for your clothes, it will be taken care of."

Kagome just stood there, mouth agape. 'He thinks I am going to refer to him as a Lord! Was he serious?' "And what if I refuse?"

"Then your...lack of adequate clothing, will cease to be of my concern," he replied, smirking the slightest bit. 'Let's see her wiggle out of this one.'

A shocked gasp, then, "You wouldn't dare!"

He merely raised an eyebrow in response, and supplied, "Care to test that theory?"

"You are impossible," she huffed.

"You are not the first, and will not be the last to tell me so."

"Ooh! You...y-you! Ugh," after sputtering for a moment, she threw up her hands in defeat and stomped moodily to the adjoining bathroom.

Feeling irrationally pleased with himself, the Taiyouki walked leisurely to his living room and grabbed his small, silver mobile flip-phone from its resting place on the low coffee table. Pressing a number on the speed dial, he waited patiently for the person on the other line to pick up. After a moment, a feminine voice could be heard at the other end. "Agent Taijia...Yes, I realize that...No, I didn't give this number to Miroku...No, I don't know how he got it then...I called because I need a favor...It's not that odd...Point taken...I require clothing for my ward...Yes, she is the Hiragashi girl...That sounds sufficient...In ten minutes? Yes, that is fine. Good Day to you as well."

"I thought my clothing situation would be 'taken care of.'"

Turning, the Taiyouki saw the still miffed female enveloped in one of his favorite silver silk bathrobes, with her arms crossed across her chest and her wet, waist-length hair in a braid down her back.

"Well," she demanded again, tapping her foot impatiently.

Realizing that he was starring, he looked away and responded quickly, "Your clothing will arrive shortly. Though I believe it will be a bit large for you, it will do until more can be obtained."

Kagome just sighed and decided it was high time to investigate her surroundings further. That decided, she shuffled awkwardly in the robe that was easily ten times too large for her, toward the kitchen in search of something to munch on. Reaching her destination, she was greeted by a room with no shortage of stainless steel appliances or white paint. 'Woah! Neat-
freak, much?' Shrugging, the girl began poking around inside the fridge, only succeeding in finding water bottles, and other exceedingly healthy provisions. 'He's a health food nut too? Man, what have I gotten myself into this time?' Grumbling a bit under her breath about obsessive compulsive 'Dog-dudes,' Kagome fished about the fridge for another moment then surfaced, bringing with her a bottle of 'pure spring' water and a snack-sized bag of baby carrots. Satisfied with her find, the girl tottered over to the bar/island in the center of the kitchen. After perching herself upon one of the high, backless steel stools, she was about to dig in, when a sarcastic voice floated to her ears.

"Making yourself at home?"

"Yup, after all I'll be 'under your guidance' until further notice. Plus, I'm hungry."

"I could see as much...I trust you find everything up to your...expectations?"

Kagome was just itching to say, 'Actually, I think that, with all the metal and white, it's a few padded walls short of an insane asylum.' But, recalling his reaction to her earlier jabs, she settled with, "Yes, it's very...homey."

The irony was not lost on Sesshoumaru though, and he was about to respond when a ringing sound filled the air.

"That would be the arrival of your clothing," Sesshoumaru stated dryly. This girl was really more trouble than she was worth. He walked to the front door, rubbing his temple with his right hand, careful of his claws. Which reminded him, if the girl was to become a TITAN, she would have to have this whole situation explained to her, be outfitted with a weapon, trained...and augmented, that in itself would be extremely risky...great, now he was really getting a headache. Sighing inaudibly, he reached to the keypad at his left to allow Agent Taijia to enter. Immediately after the correct button was pressed, the door slid open, and the dark haired woman stood before him, sporting a rather precariously tipping pile of clothing in her arms.

"The clothes you requested, Leader," she intoned, indicating the pile by shifting it in her grip slightly.

Sesshoumaru nodded his approval, and stepped aside a bit to allow her passage. Behind him stood Kagome, nearly hopping in excitement at the prospect of new clothing. She hadn't worn fresh, actual clothing for what seemed like an eternity. Finally deciding she had waited long enough, she charged up to the Agent and introduced herself. "Hello! I'm Kagome Hiragashi. What's your name," she questioned sunnily.

"Hey! I'm Sango Taijia, but everyone calls me 'The Taijia'," the Agent answered, smiling back whole-heartedly. The smaller woman was innocent and sweet; Sango took an immediate sisterly-liking to the younger girl. "So, is there a place you're staying that you'd like me to put these for you?"

"Oh, yeah! Follow me," Kagome replied, leading the way to the sage green and white room that she had woken up in.

Watching the girls meander about his abode, the golden-eyed man sighed again, he could already see the friendship budding between the girls. That would mean he would be chaperoning a lot of outings, and seeing a lot more of Agent Taijia in the near future. How did he go from nearly reclusive to an unintentional 'social butterfly' in such a short amount of time? Not to mention, he would have to answer to The Taijia if Kagome got upset, and he had heard frm Miroku and InuYasha that her 'Hirakotsu' could be brutal...What was he thinking! He was Taiyouki, no one would dare question his authority! (Sigh) who was he fooling, this girl had been here a grand total of twenty-four hours, and she was already changing things up...

END CHAPTER

AN: Thanks to all the reviewers, and any helpful comments/suggestions are welcome! Until next time, Ja ne!