Chapter 6

Sesshomaru's cloud pushed him higher into the sky, so high the clouds were thick around him, making visibility nonexistent. When he breached the clouds, he looked over at InuYasha, noting the mystified wonderment on the boy's face. Sesshomaru couldn't remember a time InuYasha had ever looked like that. Not since their parents had passed.

His eyes flicked over to Sango, narrowing. A demon slayer. That was what the woman was, but he didn't know how to feel about it. The cops enforced the laws with the yokai guns, but even they weren't strong enough to kill all demons. The stronger ones, the daiyoukai, required something else to keep them in line.

Demon assassins.

From the moment a slayer is born, they are thrown into training, taught to be murderous creatures from the very start. It's all they know by the time they are released into the world. They normally itch for the chance to kill, but this slayer was different. She rode on the back of a demon, was friends with his angel.

If Kagome trusted Sango, so would he.

"You said Rin was attacked?" Sesshomaru asked, looking forward once more. Sango was leading the way, and while they were moving quickly, they still couldn't speed through the sky without risking detection. Slow and steady was the best way to do this.

"She was. I'm not sure what was going on. All I know is that when we went to leave work, three men were holding Rin down. They claimed Rin could have taken them all out, but Kagome damn near fried them and told them how stupid they were. She took Rin home, and I handled the authorities to keep Rin from getting in trouble." Sango rolled her neck, looking tired. "Rin is safe with Hitomi, who is Kagome's mom. Knowing Hitomi, Rin will be stuffed full of cookies and watching cartoons on the T.V."

"There is a T.V.?" InuYasha asked, peeking his head around, and Sango chuckled.

"There is."

Kagome groaned then, squirming in Sesshomaru's arms. He slowed his speed, watching her. Her nose scrunched up before her eyes fluttered. Those brilliant blue eyes were confused for only two seconds before they lit up with recognition. She smiled softly, tilting her face deeper into his chest. "You smell really good."

Sesshomaru blushed down to his neck.

"We can't smell you." InuYasha said loudly, and Kagome's eyes snapped open, a blush forming on her own cheeks.

Clearing his throat, Sesshomaru brought her attention back to him. "We are flying back to your home for Rin." Sesshomaru explained, and Kagome looked down, then sat up slowly, moving herself until her feet pressed into the soft cloud beneath them. Sesshomaru pushed extra power into his cloud, to strengthen it and making sure to keep Kagome safe.

"Good." Kagome flicked her eyes to InuYasha, then Sango. "Go ahead please. We will catch up." Sango simply gave a nod, then urged Kirara forward. Sesshomaru growled softly as InuYasha left his sight, but he didn't move. He trusted Kagome, but that didn't mean he liked being away from both of his siblings.

"He's okay. Sango is a slayer, but she uses her title for good. Because of what she is, she can influence any situation she is found in. Most of the time, she is on the demon's side. She won't hurt InuYasha." Kagome looked up at him, their chests nearly touching. He could feel the heat from her body and wanted to step back, to keep from touching her pure body with his. His cloud was too small for even a step back.

"Sesshomaru, Rin says she heard that you were getting rid of her and InuYasha? Is that true? If it is, I will take them. I'll adopt them right now. I'll keep them together, and you won't Have to worry about-"

"It's not that." Sesshomaru felt his heart constrict. Now he knew why Rin had run away. She thought he didn't want them anymore. "I lost my job, Kagome. No one will hire me. Being a demon is not easy, being a Daiyokai… most people take one look at me and send me away with the order to never come back. I have three days left in that run down trailer before I am kicked out. I cannot provide for them like I thought I could. I cannot… I am no longer the best option for them." Admitting it out loud gutted him.

"You are their brother. They aren't going to want to go anywhere else, no matter what happens to the three of you. Rin wasn't upset about your living conditions. She was more upset that she thought you didn't want her anymore. Never give them up, Sesshomaru. You mean everything to them." She placed a hand on his chest, just over his heart. "We can figure out the rest."

"We?" He questioned, a single brow raised.

"I'm going to help you." He opened his mouth to argue, but she placed a finger over his lips. "Nope. No arguing. There is nothing wrong with needing help, and I want to be the person to help you. So it's going to happen."

He growled softly, and she moved her finger, still smiling up at him. He was a daiyoukai, and she didn't fear him in the slightest. "You fell unconscious. Your nose bled. Why?"

"I told Rin I was fine, so if she asks, that's what we are going to stick with. But my body can't handle my reiki. It never has. I can use little amounts with no problem like during my shows. But when I start pushing the limits, what you saw, happens. We don't know why. Momma doesn't like me using it, and for the most part I don't. Only in dire situations." Kagome wrapped one of her arms around his, turning so she was standing beside him, the warmth of her body along his side. "You should go down here."

He did as she said, lowering them through the clouds. "Do not use your reiki for me again." He didn't like the idea of her getting hurt for him. Not someone like him, as low and disgusting as a demon was. He wasn't worth her compassion.

Breaking through the clouds, Sesshomaru was surprised to see a large shrine. There was a temple on the back side of the property, an old thick tree a few feet away from it. Smaller buildings were placed randomly along the yard, and a house near the steps that led past the tori gates. It was a decent sized shrine. Well respected and valued by the community.

A demon didn't belong here, let alone three.

"Sesshomaru!" Rin shouted, and Sesshomaru fell to a single knee, holding out his arms as Rin ran into them. She cried into his shoulder, and he held her. She smelled like blood and antiseptic. Gripping her arms, he pushed her back, looking over her bruised and swollen face.

A growl slipped from his throat, but he knew there was nothing he could do, or he would leave InuYasha and Rin without a caregiver. Instead, he hugged her again. "I would never get rid of you, Rin. I want to give you the world. Sometimes I feel like I am not enough for you or InuYasha. Sometimes I think you could do better without me. That is all you heard, my own self-doubts."

"You are all I want." She wrapped her little arms around his neck, and his chest rumbled in a purr.

"So, you are the Sesshomaru I have heard so much about." An older woman walked out of the house, a smile much like Kagome's on her face. "Rin has told me so much about you. InuYasha is darling as well. He found the cookies and T.V. and has been content since he arrived." She bowed to him as he stood to his feet. "I am Hitomi."

"Sesshomaru." He gave a bow, not letting go of Rin. She had scared him, and he wasn't ready to let her go yet.

"It's nice to meet you. Come with me and let the children play. I think you and I need to have a talk. Sango has already left, as well." She took on a motherly tone, and Sesshomaru looked at Kagome with wide eyes. He felt like he was going to get chastised for something he wasn't even sure he did.

"Don't look at me. You are on your own with her." Kagome peeled Rin from him, setting her down so she could run inside and watch T.V. with InuYasha.

"So much for wanting to help." He grumbled, and Kagome laughed, smiling at him fondly.

"There are many things I would help you with, Sesshomaru, but when it comes to my mother and that tone… nope." She gave a wave over her shoulder, still chuckling as she left. "If you survive, come find me."

"Very reassuring." She laughed again, and he couldn't stop the small half smirk of his lips. Swallowing, he followed Hitomi's scent, finding her in a storage shed at the back of the property. She was looking up at some of the artifacts, quiet and contemplative.

"You need help." She finally turned to look at him, and his brows furrowed. "Rin didn't really know what she was saying, but I knew what questions to ask. You don't have a job, and you have been given an eviction notice. Don't worry, she doesn't know what it means, and could barely say the word, but I understood what was happening."

"I won't deny any of it." He wouldn't lie, though he was ashamed to admit just how far he had fallen.

"I know." She pointed up to the roof of the shed. "This shed has many artifacts in it, some from hundreds of years ago. The roof needs to be repaired, and I need someone to do it." She turned to look at him. "I want to make you an offer. I need help around this shrine. There are things that I can't do, and Kagome works to keep us afloat most of the time. I could hire someone to come in and fix it, but most of the quotes that we have been given are just outrageous. It would be cheaper to hire you and buy the supplies. I will pay you a fair wage. You, InuYasha, and Rin can live here on the shrine. InuYasha can have my son's old room, Rin can have the spare, and the attic has been refurbished as an extra room, and you are welcome to it. So that is my offer. A well-paying job, and a roof over your head, in exchange, you help me with shrine duties."

"Kagome's money keeps you afloat?" He wasn't sure why he asked, but that was the one thing that stuck out to him.

Hitomi pointed to the temple. Sesshomaru didn't see anything at first, but then he saw the smaller temple to the right, the one no doubt meant for his kind. "We accept all, but the world doesn't agree. We have many who come to pray to the gods, and we do well for ourselves, but Kagome's income is what keeps our shrine looking as it does. I can't put more on her shoulders. We had a man just a few days ago… he wasn't happy about the shrine. He said some things, and Kagome snapped off like she normally does. She said things, he said things, and it didn't end well. He plastered us on the internet. He's labeled Kagome a demon's whore. I don't tell you this because I want you to feel bad. Kagome, nor I will ever regret helping those that need it, demon or human. I tell you this, because I want you to know this offer is safe. There is nothing hidden within it. If you decide against the offer, Kagome and I will still help you get back on your feet."

"You would help a demon? You let your own kind slander you for the compassion you carry? Why?" Sesshomaru had never met anyone like Kagome and Hitomi before. He wasn't sure what to think of it.

"Because when I look at you, I don't see a demon. I see a living creature that just wants to be accepted and loved." She smiled at him, placing her hand over his. "Take your time to think. There is no rush, no hard feelings."

"I don't need to think about it." Sesshomaru turned towards her, feeling something lightening on his shoulders. "I accept. It gives Rin and InuYasha more than I could ever give them on my own."

"You are a very good brother, Sesshomaru. You love them. Raising two kids on my own, I can tell you that sometimes, it does get hard. Sometimes it seems like the children don't appreciate everything you do, but I promise they do. They notice it all and will always love you for it." She smiled at him, and motioned for him to follow. "Come on then. It is getting late. I need to show you to your rooms, then start cooking dinner. Do you mind if I ask Rin and InuYasha if they want to learn to cook?"

Sesshomaru watched her leave, barely registering his answer. He was well aware of the blessing he had just been given. He would never be able to repay Kagome and Hitomi back, and that settled like a rock in his stomach. He didn't deserve their generosity, but he would take it. He would take it for Rin and InuYasha, because they deserved it more than anyone else.