Chapter 1

"That should do it." Kagome looked down into her basket, her finger pointed as she double checked the items to make sure she had everything. Tonight was special, and she wanted to be sure she had everything she needed.

It was her grandfather's birthday. She was going to make his favorite meal for her family to enjoy and later tonight, they would go to her grandfather's grave to leave a bento box as an offering. It was what they did every year since he died three years ago. They did it for her father too, though he had been gone so long, she could barely remember him.

Family had always been important to her. Her mother and brother were all she had left, and she would cherish them to the end. Everything she did was for them, especially her mother who was getting older. Hitomi had worked hard her entire life. After Kagome's father passed away, she had raised two kids, took care of her grandfather, and then took care of a shrine all on her own. She deserved a break, and Kagome was glad she could give it to her.

Finally, years of being bullied for being a nerd paid off. All of her cosplay adventures, her time spent reading manga, watching fantasy, and gaming had paid off. She was a mermaid, a highly sought after one that was paid handsomely.

She was one of the last Miko's alive, which made her extraordinarily rare. Training her reiki had been hard. She had been on her own with no tutor and it took her years to get the control she had. However, using that control gave her a boost for her dream job. She knew people laughed at her, thought she was too old to be playing dress-up, but she didn't care.

She was a professional mermaid and model. She made more than half the people that judged her, and she absolutely loved her job. When she had her tail on, she was free. She could swim and pretend she really was a mermaid. Her job at the aquarium was her favorite. She loved interacting with the kids and making their day. She had the power to put a smile on their face, and who wouldn't be happy about that.

"Come on, stupid." A young boy yelled, catching Kagome's attention. His hair fell to his shoulders, his white, fuzzy hanyou ears perked up on the top of his head. Behind him trailed a little girl, several years younger than him. She was the opposite coloring, hair black and her ears were flat on her head.

Clearly they were siblings. They looked alike, and the older boy, while calling the girl a name, was concentrated on her, protecting her. His eyes were forward, but his ears were alert, his hand wrapped around hers tightly. He cared about his sister, even if he didn't really show it. It reminded her of Souta. They bickered all the time, but she would die for him.

Smirking she went back to her basket, once again making sure she had everything. When she was sure she had what she needed, she nodded, then headed towards the front to check out. As she was waiting in line, she heard a sudden shout that had everyone turning.

"Hey you!" An older woman yelled, her hair cut short into a layer manager's style. She was pointing an accusing finger at the two kids Kagome had seen earlier. They had a carton of eggs and a gallon of milk. The little girl was holding a candy that she clearly just grabbed off the shelf.

"Where are your parents? You two are stealing!" The woman yelled, causing a scene, and Kagome frowned. Something in her told her that the kids were innocent. They were carrying the items in plain view. The girl was hiding behind her brother, and he had his head held high. Kagome didn't think they had been stealing at all.

"We didn't steal anything." The older defended himself, holding the eggs and milk to his chest. "Our brother had an important call. He sent us in for milk an-"

"Likely story." The woman cut them off, stepping forward. "You aren't going anywhere. Half breed's like you shouldn't be left alone. To think my kind would dare to lay with demons." The woman scoffed in disgust, shaking her head as she placed her hands on her hips. "I'm calling the cops. They can deal with two delinquents like you."

Kagome had seen enough. She couldn't stand women like this, who thought they were superior. It was no lie that many of the humans thought negatively about the demons. Because they were different, they were frowned upon, given separate laws and expectations. It wasn't fair, and Kagome hated it, but there was nothing she could do.

It was only recently that demons were even allowed into stores where humans were. For hundreds of years, demons were segregated as if they were outcast. They had been tossed aside, and the humans reigned superior. If only the humans knew the truth.

In the past, demons had been the stronger species. They had been the ones to rule the lands, to keep it healthy and strong. It wasn't until the human's breeding patterns began to overwhelm the demons that demons were forced to step back. The truth was, if demons really wanted to, they could annihilate the humans. They were strong enough to do it, but they didn't want a war. They wanted peace between the species.

That was why it angered Kagome so much when women like the one harassing the children ran rampant. It was women like that, that made living peacefully impossible. The demons may be different, but that didn't make them bad.

It was time to get to work and send this Karen running.

"Oh my god!" Kagome yelled suddenly and gave a nervous chuckle as the older woman turned to look back at her. She waved herself dramatically, placing her other hand over her heart, her basket in the crook of her elbow. "I am so sorry! I thought you had a poodle on your head. You know, one of those overgrown, matted ones. But it was just your hair."

"How dare you!" The woman turned her full attention on Kagome, thoroughly offended. "Didn't your parents ever teach you to respect your elders! You should be respecting me-"

"You're right. You are clearly older than me. I don't know how I missed it." Kagome smiled sweetly, though there wasn't any part of her that thought this woman deserved. However, her attention was on Kagome now, and the kids were free.

Flicking her eyes back towards the boy, Kagome whispered low enough so that only he could hear. "Run while you can. Take the stuff you have, I'll pay for it." The boy hesitated for a second before he grabbed his sister's hand and pulled her behind him as they left.

When they were gone, Kagome turned back to the woman. "Shut up." The older woman's mouth dropped as if she had been physically struck. "Those kids were doing nothing wrong. They weren't trying to steal or hurt anybody. Just because their blood was split doesn't mean they are bad. You are worse than they are, and it's people like you that makes living peacefully difficult. They are living creatures just like us, and they deserve as much respect as everyone else. I know you're old, but grow up."

Kagome turned on her heel, stalking back towards the check out. The woman was so flabbergasted that she stumbled for words. Kagome was able to check out quickly, including paying for the items the kids had, and make it outside before the woman could get a thought through her dense head. That suited Kagome just fine.

…

Sesshomaru sighed, hitting the end button on his phone to hang up the call. He knew this was coming, but he had hoped it wouldn't. He for sure thought that this time he would be able to keep a job for longer than three months.

It wasn't that he didn't work or that he got fired for reasons that were his fault. It was all because he was a demon. Construction paid enough that Sesshoamru could provide for his brother and sister without having to go to college. But with construction jobs came insurance, and insurance refused to cover demons.

Demons may be stronger, but they could still get hurt. However, insurance companies didn't want to cover that cost, so they didn't offer insurance for them. With the lack of insurance, construction companies didn't keep demons employed for long. Demons came in handy because of their strength, but they could only stay so long before management began to get nervous. Demons were asked to do the dangerous jobs, but the management didn't want to cover the cost of injuries. Because of that, demons weren't able to keep their jobs for long. This year alone, Sesshomaru had gone through six jobs. Six jobs in nine months.

He didn't know what he was going to do now. He had been through so many construction companies that he was running out of places to work. He was going to have to find another trade to work in. One that didn't require a college education but paid enough to keep a roof over their head and food on the table.

"Maru!" Rin's shrill cry hit his ears, and he spun around just in time for her to collide into him. She was crying, the scent of her tears strong. InuYasha was behind her, holding the milk and eggs in each hand. His ears were back, both angry and humiliated.

"What happened?" Sesshomaru took the groceries from his brother, setting them on the trunk.

"There was a scary lady." Rin hiccupped, calming slightly when Sesshomaru placed his hand on her head, between her two fuzzy ears. "She said we were stealing. She called us half-breeds."

Sesshomaru growled, fury surging through them. Rin was eight, just a child and she didn't fully understand what a half-breed was. She just knew it was bad. InuYasha however, was older. He was eleven and had learned the hard way what a half breed was. Sesshomaru tried to protect them from the cruelty of the world, but he couldn't do it. The world always won, and it was always cruel.

"Where is she?" Sesshomaru looked towards InuYasha. He wanted to know what woman had made his sister cry. He wanted to ask her what her problem was, to make her regret ever even looking at his siblings.

"It doesn't matter." InuYasha shrugged past Sesshomaru, opening the back door and sliding into the car. He slammed the door behind him, leaning back into his seat and closing his eyes. Sesshomaru knew he wasn't going to get anything more out of InuYasha, and maybe it was for the best. If he went after that woman, he would likely end up in jail. He couldn't let that happen, not when InuYasha and Rin needed him.

"She saved us." Rin was still holding onto Sesshomaru's legs, but her little hand came out to point towards a woman. She was gorgeous, black hair flowing down her back, bright blue eyes that shined with her heart. Sesshomaru felt his throat go dry, and he tried to swallow past the lump that formed. If he was a man, a human, he would run over to her to ask her on a date. However, a woman like her wouldn't see anything in a demon like him.

"Get in the car, Rin. I'll be there in a moment." He ushered Rin away, then turned to the woman. He wanted to thank her for defending his family, but he couldn't rush over. He didn't want to take the chance of scaring her.

When he was close enough, she picked her head up, those blue eyes spearing through him. He didn't see any ill will towards him, which surprised him more than anything. "Thank you." He motioned back to his falling apart car, where InuYasha and Rin were sticking their heads through the window. "They told me you protected them. I cannot thank you enough."

"It's nothing!" She smiled at him, and he felt his heart flutter in his chest. She was gorgeous. "That woman was just being cruel, and I couldn't just stand there and watch."

"Not many would stand up for them." Sesshomaru wanted to say more, to tell her just how much he appreciated her, but he was stopped by another shrill voice.

"There she is!" An older lady yelled, pointing straight at the woman he was talking to. The manager of the store was behind the older woman, looking both annoyed and bored. "That woman insulted me! I demand you ban her from coming to this store ever again!"

The beautiful woman rolled her eyes, and placed her groceries on the trunk of her shiny car. She looked back up at him, smiling again. "You should go. If she caused trouble for those two, she will for you too." Sesshomaru hesitated, but the woman waved him off. "Go. It's easier for me to handle her than it is for you." Her eyes saddened at that statement, and Sesshomaru knew she was a good soul. A soul that he could never tarnish with his demonic touch.

He took a step back, his eyes glued to hers. She gave a wave, her smile bright and saddened at the same time. Forced to make a decision and chose his siblings, he left the woman behind and rushed to his car. He wanted to help, but as a demon, he would just make things worse. The angel that saved his brother and sister would be better off without him. Like everyone was.

...

Here is the new story, and this one is going to be fun and interesting. I've never done a story where Demons are considered the inferior race, so writing this will be new for me. There will be a lot of hardships for Sesshomaru, but Kagome won't let that last for long. We all know she is going to help in anyway she can, and eventually love will bloom. It will just take a long time to get there. So, join me on this new story as it unfolds.

I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of this new adventure.