Chapter 2: Can I keep her?

Rin ran as fast as she could, her breath coming out short and like little fogs that soon disappeared in the freezing air. Snow swirled and whipped all around her as the trees parted to reveal a wide chasm. The other edge was far beyond her jumping range, her being only 10 and it being about 20 feet across, but her brown eyes found another scene. She saw a woman with raven hair backed up by the cliff's edge and in front of her was a huge, ugly wolf that looked about to spring on her and the outcome was more than terrifying. Suddenly, her mind was filled with awful memories…the village…the wolves…the pain…the drifting between life and death… Her own natural enemy and greatest fear, the wolf, was standing in front of her, the only kind of creature she ever feared and hated because of what it had once done to her. She had once been killed by wolves. All the horror and fear she felt then, she felt now as if her painful past were reacting itself and she was reliving the tragedy of her own death. She screamed, trying to push those horrible memories aside and trying to escape the wolf-like form only on the other side of the chasm but her legs only bucked with fear and weakness, bringing her to her knees and suddenly the wolf's attention was on her…the easier prey.

Kagome watched as the wolf bounced into the air and took a defense stance that Sango had taught her, ready to fight to her dying breath. That's when she heard it… a little girl's scream. She watched as the werewolf's attention and direction changed as it shot toward the smaller girl, who looked too frightened to move as she pulled at her hair and clawed at her temples as if trying to relieve herself of some awful pain.

Kagome didn't stop to think…she acted. Just as the wolf was soaring over the cliff, she jumped right after it and latched onto its back. Her added weight made it impossible to reach the other side and they fell downwards in a free fall, the mouth of the chasm like a smirking gin as it swallowed them whole. The werewolf tried desperately to free itself from her grip but she held on tight to its neck so that it was wheezing for breath from the pressure, determined to save the little soul that waited at the top.

She heard the running water of a river and knew that this was the end and briefly savored the thought that at least she was taking someone down with her. The werewolf struggled to turn around in her grasp, considering how weak she was to it, and it bit deeply into her slender shoulder in the tender flesh that was the muscle that connected her neck with her shoulder and she felt warm blood ooze down from the painful wound. She cried out in pain and just as the icy cold water and the darkness of unconscious threatened to claim her, she heard the wolf cry out in anger and pain as a strong warm arm gripped itself around her slender waist.

She felt herself being lifted into the air and out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the fingers that held her close to the warm body of her rescuer had claws and a strand of silver hair blew in the wind by her.

Inuyasha, she thought tiredly as she lost herself in her consciousness, feeling incredibly safe.

Sesshomaru flew out of the canyon, landing gracefully on his feet in front of the frightened child. He looked down at the unconscious miko he was holding and stared at her with disgust. Weak human…

He set her gently against the tree with all her things, (at least he THINKS it's her things… it smells like her but he never saw anything like that yellow bag...) and he began to paw through it till he found and pulled out a shirt, using his claws to slice it into strips in which he used to make a makeshift bandage for the bite wound she had received on her neck. He bent down and tightly tied it over her exposed flesh and clothes, making sure it had enough pressure before standing up and admiring his handy work.

That will stop the blood flow for now. I'll have to patch it up better later. He knew that Inuyasha wouldn't like the wench wounded but considering that had been beyond his control, he could at least show he made an attempt to heal her wounds. He heard the girl behind him whimper and this brought him to his next human-related problem. He turned and walked over to Rin and looked down at his "pup" with a hard-but-not-to-harsh look on his face.

"Rin…why are you here?" he asked calmly but firmly, his anger rising. She knew better than to leave his house without his permission or knowledge. Rin, shaking with unshed tears and fear, ran to her foster father and hugged his legs tightly, making it hard for him to stand properly as she sobbed into the fabric of his pants.

"Oh Sesshy-sama! I saw you leave suddenly and I knew something was wrong and I thought it was a demon and then I was so worried about you getting hurt again so I snuck out and I followed to take care of you but you flew too fast so I became lost and cold and came to this big hole by accident and then the…the…" She stumbled momentarily in her rambling as she fought with her tongue to say the loathsome word. "The…wolf tried to attack me but it didn't because the Pretty Lady jumped on him to stop him and got hurt and they fell into the big hole and…" She looked at him with huge brown eyes full of tears and fear, "Sesshy-sama! I was so scared!" and she buried her face further into his clothes, her warm tears soaking his pants.

His anger dissipated seeing the adorable child in such stress. She was only a pup after all…and was worried about him…and he hated CRYING! The smell of salt, the noisy sobbing, the wet tears, IT DROVE HIM NUTS! Not to mention that crying was a sign of weakness. If she wasn't a girl child, he would have slapped her for showing such fatigue. Even worse, he hated the effect it had on him when she cried. He would do anything for her if she would just STOP! He kneeled, causing her to release his leg, to comfort the sobbing child. "I didn't mean to scare you…"

Rin looked up at him, eyes still full of tears, "Sesshy-sama forgives Rin?" she asked softly, almost unbelieving. He just nodded as his clawed hand wiped the tears still on her cheeks. "Just promise me one thing…never do this again."

Rin grinned and hugged him tightly. "THANK YOU SESSHY-SAMA! I PROMISE!" her voice was full of relief and gratitude as he felt her smile against his neck.

Sesshomaru smiled as she hugged him tight; only a little one that the child missed, like the one who did it was not used to smiling and didn't very often in his long life.

"What about the Pretty Lady?" She broke from the embrace and ran over to the big tree and looked at the bite mark on Kagome's shoulder as she sagged limply against the tree's trunk. "She's got hurt!" Rin exclaimed in horror as she looked up at Sesshomaru in distress once again and made her cute brown eyes wide and formed her little pink lips into a pout, creating an adorable "puppy pout". "Sesshy-sama? Can I keep the Pretty Lady? Pleeeeeeeeeeeease!"

He nearly laughed out loud but kept control of him self for the child waited pleadingly for an answer and would not appreciate being laughed at. He must really spoil her or something if she expected him to let her keep another human in his presence…unless he had other reasons anyway.

"For now…" he said placidly, looking into those laughing eyes that caused him so much trouble and headaches over the past four years. He'll play along with her for now; she does not need to know about his plan.

"HAPPY DAY!" she exclaimed, jumping in the air and hugging Sesshomaru again excitedly. Sesshomaru awkwardly hugged her back as her joy leaked into him like a plague. He knew that this girl shouldn't be with him; that she only showed the neighbor demons that he was weak and had a soft spot for her but when he tried to drop her off into some village that would foster her, he couldn't do it.

She had helped him in his time of need (though he didn't really need it but it was the gesture that counted) and then burrowed past the ice barrier he had around his heart and she seemed to grow in his presence. Where she had been a miserable human child unable to speak after her parents' deaths, she became the talkative, lively girl she was today; the one he now held in his grasp, who snuck past inattentive demon guards (he will have to correct that little problem when he returned) to loyally follow him anywhere whether it was a danger to herself or no.

He supposed he thought at first that she was entertaining, like an unknown creature he wanted to study. But as time went by he began to find that she filled his life with amusement and a vague happiness, helping the time fly by in his long life. Deep in his heart, he knew that she was a human; that her life was only temporary like a sweet flower; that it would blossom and bloom and then wither and die. He knew that she was not eternal like he was; that the passing of time would wear her down and cause her to fade away while he would remain the same, resistant to time's constant flow.

He held his little flower close to him. To her, he was her father and he regretfully, and after much denial, felt that she was his daughter. However he was gone from time to time, sometimes taking her with him and sometimes leaving her in Jaken's care. He knew that behind the smile and laughing eyes, there was a loneliness; a gap in her heart that he would not, could not replace.

She really needs a mother…

At first the thought surprised Sesshomaru but after he pondered the thought, remembering how protective the wench was of a certain little fox demon doing their little "meetings", he then realized that the wench might give his little pup the female companionship she needs, if only for a short time. Perhaps he should keep her around for a little bit longer than he had planned…

"Sesshy-sama! I want to go home! Pretty Lady is getting cold!" she whined impatiently as she wiggled out of his grasp and stood by Kagome again, tapping her foot to suggest that he needed to move immediately. Sesshomaru looked behind his shoulder toward his ward and the wench and saw that indeed the wench was shivering and moaning in her sleep.

He picked her up as carefully as he could by wrapping his tail around her, starting from her knees to underneath her shoulders and pressing her to his chest so he didn't cause her much pain and she wouldn't remain cold, as little Rin grabbed her bag and bow and the cloud formed at their feet. He was slightly surprised to see the wench snuggle up to his chest, seeking warmth and safety.

"Inuyasha…" she muttered in her trace, smiling in her sleep as she gripped the end of the tail with a hand and bring it to her cheek.

Sesshomaru nearly threw her back down the hole he just saved her from, disgusted, but refrained…barely.

To think that ANYONE would ever mistake the great demon lord of the Western Lands for his loathsome half brother! He glared angrily at her sleeping form.

You will join your hanyou soon wench… after he gives me the Tetsusaiga!

Kagome was falling… deep into the darkness of her mind. Memories flooded to her in an overwhelming wave…she saw her family…her first birthday…the first day she went to school…her 15th birthday…the day she fell into the well and meet the one person who could completely change her life and did…

"Inuyasha…" she whispered to her self in a husky version of her own voice as all their adventures ran through her mind like a river, its water continuously changing, telling different stories all at once…

The day she freed him…the day she shattered the jewel…the day he called her "Kagome" for the first time... the day they met Shippo… the day Kikyo was resurrected…the day he hugged her… the day they met Naraku…the battles for the jewel shards… her new found friends… the day Kikyo nearly took Inuyasha to Hell…ok days Kikyo nearly took Inuyasha to Hell…

All the good and the bad memories rushed through her mind…causing her sadness, happiness, anger, and fright all at the same time.

Suddenly she saw the memory of Kikyo and Inuyasha…Kissing…the other night…other nights… and she felt her inner self cry out in pain. It made her so sad…and jealous… and angry? She was confused at this emotion. Sure she felt upset but was she truly mad at Kikyo or Inuyasha? Truly hated Kikyo's trickery or Inuyasha's idiocy and betrayal?

That's when she saw a black wolf as dark as night move out of the darkness and sit in front of her, looking knowingly at her with its eyes as silver as the silver crescent moon on her forehead.

Kagome lost her self in those eyes… silver eyes that seemed to know everything about her; her past, her present and probably even her future. Deep in those silver depths she could see her happiness, sorrow, anger and heartbreak as if this creature was merely an extension of herself, a self that desired to be strong and independent. An image of the full moon flash through her mind as the wolf's eyes turned red, blood thirsty, and jumped on Kagome, mouth biting into her neck as its claws racked at her flesh as her body pulsed with pain. Her wounded shoulder hurt as she fought back at her attacker but the attacks didn't stop…

Jaken put the human child to bed and waited outside the room that his master had brought the wench into and waited for his master's reappearance or call. He paced nervously. Oh Sesshomaru is going to have a Word with him about keeping a closer eye on the human child…and that usually involves a beating.

He winced at the thought and filled with hate for the child. After years of faithful service… to Sesshomaru and his father before him… and he is brutally cast a side for a mere human child! He clutched his little fist but let it relax in defeat.

Ok. Maybe Rin wasn't so bad. Despite all her troublemaking and such, she was a good child and did save his life once or twice but still! After four years of looking after that little brat and instead of getting bored and angry with the human child, Sesshomaru goes out and brings another human female into their lives… Inuyasha's wench no less! He could handle one human girl but two was unthinkable! Especially one who had been in Inuyasha's presence, tried to hurt his Lord on one occasion, and had beaten Jaken himself on more than one occasion!

He glared at the oak door and prayed to the Gods that the wench's wound was fatal and she died tonight! He heard something smash and howl and became worried again and started pacing…

As Sesshomaru laid her limp form gently on the bed, Kagome's blood dripped through her bandages, leaving crimson drops on the silk sheets. Sesshomaru threw off her jacket and ripped open the shoulder of her shirt as to not harm her and unwrapped the wound. The makeshift bandages were completely drenched and she was losing a lot of blood.

She is no use to me dead… he thought in annoyance as he dipped a rag in hot water and examined the wound. It wasn't a deep wound but it seems to have hit an artery. She winced as he cleaned the wound, causing him to look at her chest and noticed specific… differences about her.

She's certainly not the little girl I battled four years ago…

Immediately he felt disgusted that he would ever look at a human girl like that. His hand reached for the jar of salve he had Jaken fetch before sending him to tend to Rin and he aggressively rubbed it into her wound, as if that thought was her fault. She squirmed under his powerful hands and moaned in pain. That was not helping to get his mind where it should be.

He was just starting to rewrap the bite when she started to howl in agony as her body convulsed, pain rushing through her every vein as she lashed out at an imaginary attacker. Sesshomaru jumped on her, trying to pin her down with his hands and body but she threw him off like a rag doll and he hit the far bedroom wall. He jumped to his feet, ready to slash her throat with his claws but realized that even though he was no longer near her, she still lashed out, claws forming where nails used to be as she struck the air and she threw her head back and yowled as he saw fangs growing in her open mouth and an upside down silver crescent moon glowed on her fore head.

He glared angrily as wind began to blow about the room knocking things down as her aura changed and she continued to howl and thrash as her body transformed, changing her human form. Her eyes flew open…glowing as red as blood. He growled dangerously.

What was happening to her? He was about to really slit her throat this time and end her, and his, misery when she suddenly stopped…no longer feeling pain, she slept peacefully as if nothing happened. He walked over to her and poked her side with a claw. She just moaned in her sleep and rolled over. He pondered this event and as he looked down at her, noticing that…certain parts of her appearance remained wolf like such as the crescent moon and the claws and fangs…

She looked incredibly weak.

He left the room, telling Jaken to make sure the mess was cleaned and went to his study to see if his father had any tomes on werewolves.