Chapter Nine:

The Inu Lord

"Be quiet, Rin!" Jaken yelled at Sesshomaru's ward. "Lord Sesshomaru needs some quiet! How can he possibly contemplate his defeat by that lowly hanyou Inuyasha if you keep singing?!"
Sesshomaru could feel his annoyance growing from the shrill shriek of his loyal and trusted follower. The more he whined and complained about Rin's singing -which Sesshomaru found to be quite soothing, though he'd never admit it- the more angrier the inu lord grew.
It was only when Jaken began to retell the battle to Rin, that Sesshomaru's patience grew thin. Mid-sentence, the lord slammed his fist into the top of the toad's head, and then stepped on him, grinding the pathetic creature up with his boot.
"F-forgive me, Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken managed out a strangled cry, and with one last boot shoved into the back of his head, Sesshomaru stepped on him and started to walk away.
"I'm going on ahead," he said. "Stay with Rin."
"This is why you shouldn't annoy Lord Sesshomaru, Master Jaken." Rin said, walking over to the injured imp and helping him up.
Sesshomaru moved forward, not caring if he was followed or not, and delved deeper into the depths of the woods. That Inuyasha had certainly grown much stronger, yet he hadn't yet reached his full potential. Sesshomaru was able to injure him several times before Inuyasha actually put his full strength into the fight. It was the only reason why Sesshomaru had 'supposedly' lost.
Reality was, Sesshomaru was testing his half-brother to make sure he was strong enough. It's what he's always done, despite the times they fought over the Tetsaiga. It was an older inu-brother's duty to make sure the younger brother could hold his ground in a fight, and the young lord was a stickler for duty and rules, even if he didn't particularly care for Inuyasha. What annoyed him most of all, was the fact that it took the miko throwing herself into danger that got Inuyasha to seriously fight him. Sesshomaru admired her spirit to stand up to him, but her presence was a disinterest to him. Inuyasha needed to learn to fight fully without worrying about the damn girl, she was clearly capable of handling herself. Naraku would never be defeated by the halfling at the rate he was going.
Sesshomaru stopped walking when he felt a sudden burst of power. He turned his head to the source, and could scarcely make out the blue glow of fox magic. He could also feel that small presence was facing off against a much stronger target. Curious, he started towards the fight, and came across a peculiar scene.
A strange fox girl was standing against one of her own kind, and the man was slashing at her with everything he had. Was the tiny woman- who was clearly half human- be such a pain he couldn't finish her off quickly? He stood by and watched, the girl setting him on fire, fighting back with such spirit it made Sesshomarus' beast hunger for a battle himself. He was not one to be ruled by his instincts however, and watched until the end, where he saw a sword half way through the kit-girls' chest. He could smell her blood, and assumed she was down, which meant Sesshomaru could let out his frustrations on the victor. He appeared next to the struggling demon and kicked him as hard as he could manage, feeling his foot sink into the demons' body, and sent him flying across the open field. His gaze was focused on the older kitsune, his clawed fingers wrapping around his hilt.
He stopped when he suddenly felt tiny hands on his arm, and he looked down, feeling his gaze turn cold. The kit looked worse for wear, and much older than she smelled. Her kimono's were rumpled up, slipping down her skinny shoulders. She was bleeding from her chest wound, he could clearly see where sword met organ, just through the hole the blade created between her layers. His eyes traveled up towards her worn face, and he was instinctually drawn to her determined gaze. He found himself distracted by the gem colored orbs.
"Don't you dare kill him." She growled. "Don't interfere." She didn't care if she was going to die or not, she planned on fighting until her last breath, and she wasn't there yet. He almost felt a smile tugging at his lips, just from her single determination. He slid his sword back into his sheath, and waited for her to release him. She slowly let go of him, and then turned towards the man he just kicked. He watched in mild fascination as the demoness allowed her instincts to rule her as the older kitsune was thrown through a loop. She had no weapon, and relied on claws and teeth, but Sesshomaru had already wounded her opponent well enough, he wouldn't be able to fight back with full strength. She collapsed finally when the battle was one, falling onto her knees and landing on the grass as she fell to the side.
"Hm," Sesshomaru muttered, intrigued still by her. He slowly walked up to her body, noting how her breath was slight, and her blood stained her blue robe. On closer inspection, his eyes slightly widened, and he knelt down to turn the girl over onto her back. She made no sound, and was unable to object as he pushed open her other layers to better see the symbol on the robe.
"Lord Tomosue..." he commented, and looked at the male demon, who bore the same house colors and symbol, and kicked his side till he rolled over. "Two members of the same house, fighting?" His gaze turned back over to the kit, her breathing getting softer, and quieter. He placed his hand on Tenseiga, and was surprised to see there weren't any imps attempting to pull her into hell. She was alive enough, but if he left her she'd likely die.
"Hm.." he muttered. She clearly had ties to Tomosue, otherwise, she wouldn't be wearing his colors and emblem. She was a hanyou. Perhaps even Tomosue's hanyou. "A bastard* daughter, perhaps?" He questioned. Whatever she was, whoever she was, she had to either be important to Tomosue, or a disgrace. Given the fight he had just witnessed; it was hard to determine what was really going on.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken's voice broke through the clearing, but stopped when he saw the girl in his lord's arm. "And who might this be, my lord?"
"I'm heading back to the manor." Sesshomaru said instead. "Keep an eye on Rin." He didn't even glance at the toad as he lifted the kit up into his arm, and flew off.

Author Note:

Bastard: In case some of you don't know, back in the day, bastard was used to describe a child that was born out of wedlock. He's not calling her a name, promise its just a term.