AN: This is just a short story. I do not own the Inuyasha characters. I do own Sadi and Kano. Enjoy.
Sesshoumaru sat on the ground with Rin in his lap. She stared at the book he had given her. Every once and a while she would ask him what they people in the pictures were doing. He would explain it to her the best that he could. He was content with her in his arm.
He looked up at a small boy that walked into the clearing. The child was a demon and he looked franticly around. He saw Sesshoumaru and gasped. Sesshoumaru stood and Rin stood behind him, her eyes curious as she held the book against her chest.
The small demon child backed up and turned towards a woman that entered the clearing. He ran towards her. "Sadi!" he yelled. The woman looked at him and pushed him away as a lizard demon appeared out of nowhere. It charged at her and struck her stomach. "Sadi no!" the boy again yelled.
The demon walked towards the frightened boy.
Rin hid herself behind Sesshoumaru and whimpered.
The demon was ready to strike down its prey when it suddenly stopped. There was an arrow in his back and the woman had the bow. He turned back towards her.
Inside she was terrified that she and the boy would die. Outside she showed no fear. She had no clue that Sesshoumaru was there. He watched her with a new found interest.
"Kano RUN!" the woman yelled. She stayed put and the boy took off.
"First I'll finish you then that sorry excuse for a demon," the demon said to her. Her eyes flashed anger and then they stayed calm. The demon went into a run at her. The demon stopped right before slashing at her.
Sesshoumaru saw what happened but it was to fast for the other demon to see. She had unsheathed a sword and stuck it in his chest. Sesshoumaru was amazed that a human was so fast. The demon fell and she took the sword from its chest. She sighed heavily. She looked around at her surroundings. She fell to her knees and her eyes locked with Sesshoumaru's eyes.
"SADI!" the boy shouted. The woman broke the trance.
"Kano," she said as if she was out of breath. "We need to get you trained," she laughed as if nothing had happened. As if it was routine. The little boy watched as she fell into her own blood.
"Sadi," the boy sobbed. He turned her body around and dragged her to a near by tree. He took off her top and used it to clean her wound. He took his top off first and had covered her chest. He worked carefully placing herbs over her wound.
Sesshoumaru watched them with great interest. He wondered what a demon child was doing with a human.
"Kano?" Sadi slowly opened her eyes. The child looked at her.
"You should be fine now. Maybe I should talk to Kouga. He could give me the proper training."
"No. We are not going back to his den. Not again, never again."
Rin stepped out from behind Sesshoumaru. "Who are they?" she asked.
Kano turned around to face the girl. "Hello," he said warily. Sadi sat up and held the small top against her chest.
"I'm sorry for entering your lands, Lord Sesshoumaru," she said as she took Kano's hand. "We will leave right away."
"No, don't leave yet!" the little girl cried as she ran towards them. They continued to walk. "Sesshoumaru don't let them leave!" Rin whined.
"You said you needed someone to train the boy?" Sesshoumaru said emotionlessly. Sadi stopped.
"Yes, but I thought the Lord of the Western Lands did not help anybody," Sadi said.
"There will be a price. You will watch my ward when I'm gone."
Sadi looked down at Rin and then back at Sesshoumaru. They did need a place to stay, and a bath. Kano did need training. She wondered if she could trust him. She nodded her head in agreement.
"Good. We shall return to the castle so that you can get cleaned up. Training for him shall begin tomorrow, early."
"Thank you," Sadi said. Sesshoumaru walked off and they followed.
When they reached the castle, Sesshoumaru was surprised to see that Sadi wasn't tired, even with her wound. He ordered Jaken to lead them to the hot spring in his castle.
Sadi helped wash Rin and Kano then she put them to bed. She returned to the spring to wash herself.
She looked up as Sesshoumaru walked into the spring. He sat on a rock near the spring's edge. She slipped farther into the water.
"Why do you take care of him?" he asked.
She looked down at the water. "His parents and I were very good friends. He was young when they died. They always helped me so I decided to return the favor. He has been with me ever since." She stood with her back facing him and pulled a towel from the bank. She turned as she wrapped it around her body, but not fast enough that Sesshoumaru didn't notice that the scar across her stomach was gone.
"How did you heal so fast, human?"
"I never said that," she said as she turned to him. "My grandmother was a hanyou. My father, grandfather, humans."
Sesshoumaru stared at her. The towel fitted against her body showing her every curve. He shook himself from his thoughts as she left.
The next morning Sadi awoke before dawn and headed for the room Kano was in. "Wake up Kano," she whispered softly in the boy's ear.
"It's too early," he whined.
"Lord Sesshoumaru said early in the morning, now get up." Her voice was stern and fierce. He sat up and got dressed slowly.
Sesshoumaru walked into the room. "Is he ready?"
"Yes Lord Sesshoumaru," Sadi replied. She pushed Kano to follow Sesshoumaru.
"Feed Rin and then bring her to the training grounds," Sesshoumaru ordered.
"Yes Lord Sesshoumaru," Sadi said as she went to Rin's room. She felt like a servant.
They walked outside. The little girl smiling as she saw Sesshoumaru. "Rin wants to pick flowers for Sesshoumaru."
"Go ahead Rin, but stay away from Kano and Sesshoumaru-sama. They are training," Sadi told her. She watched Rin play in the fields for a while. Then she sat on a boulder and watched Sesshoumaru train Kano.
Sesshoumaru hit Kano who didn't block the attack like Sesshoumaru had taught him. The wolf child ran to Sadi, crying. Sesshoumaru waited for her response to want he had done. He expected her to yell at him and tell him to take it easy on the child.
"Sesshoumaru hit me!" the boy cried.
"Lord Sesshoumaru. You are training now Kano. You can't run to me for help anymore. Did he not just teach you how to block that move?" Her voice was hard and stern.
It shocked Kano that she was treated him this way, exactly like Sesshoumaru was. He stepped back. He hit her with all his might and ran for the woods.
She did not move. It hurt her deep inside but he wasn't a child anymore. She couldn't treat him like one either. That time when she would protect him had passed. It was time for him to defend himself. She did not let herself cry even though she wanted to. She wanted to so bad.
"Rin stay here. Let him be," Sadi called out to the girl. She had to leave Kano be as well. He would come back when he was ready.
Sesshoumaru was shocked though his face never betrayed this feeling. She did exactly what he would have told her if she would have blamed him. She even knew better to let the child be when he ran.
Rin walked up to him with a slight frown on her face. "Will he come back?" she asked. Sesshoumaru looked down at his ward and nodded so she wouldn't cry. She forced a small smile and ran over Sadi. "These are for you." She handed the flowers to Sadi and smiled as she ran off into the field again.
"How did you two come to be?" Sadi asked Sesshoumaru with a smile. "She really is sweet. Reminds me of my baby sister." Sadi sighed knowing Sesshoumaru wasn't going to answer.
"I brought her back to life and she has followed me ever since," Sesshoumaru said coolly.
Sadi looked at him in shock while his gaze was fixed on Rin. "Thank you," she whispered.
"For what?"
"For answering and training Kano." Sadi stood walked into the field to play with Rin.
Sesshoumaru watched her. The way she lifted Rin into the air and the way they threw flower petals at each other. He was falling for her and he knew it. He wasn't trying to stop it either. He had his father's heart.