A Taste of Humanity
Disclaimer: Sesshomaru and all characters from Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, not me (Zukiko is mine though). This story is for entertainment purposes only; I make no profit from it.
A/N: Happy Mother's Day! This story is almost done, just a few more chapters to go, I think. Reviews are appreciated. Enjoy!
Chapter 13: Fit For A Demon
Sesshomaru gazed at his surroundings, pondering his new view on life. The area was ideal for a village and yet, no village had been constructed. The reason came to him shortly as his sensitive nose picked up the scent of a demon nearby. Expecting a fight, he leapt silently towards the scent. When he found the source, he blinked.
And blinked again, just to be sure his eyes were not deceiving him. He stood overlooking the waterfall and in the pool Kagome had mentioned was indeed a demon. A very female demon who seemed to agree with Kagome that the pool was perfect for bathing in. He watched her as she washed her long blue hair. He noted her skin also had a blue tint to it. 'A water demon then,' he decided, 'that explains the lack of a human settlement.' He had had very little experience with these nymph-like creatures, but knew they were fiercely territorial. Purposefully stepping on a dry twig to announce his presence, he approached the demoness. He watched calmly as she spun to face him, throwing her hands up to cover herself.
"How dare you!" she screeched, "This is MY pool!" Sesshomaru merely sat on a boulder near the pool. 'Though she is far stronger, I would rather face this demoness' wrath than Kagome's.' He luckily had avoided such altercations with his sister-in-law, but had seen plenty involving his brother. 'Even without the beads, she is not one to anger,' he decided. The demoness continued to fume at his interruption, though he paid no heed.
"My pack and I will be constructing our homes here," he stated, indicating where Kagome said was an ideal spot. "We will require use of this pool and the river."
"You are building a demon village near my pool?" she tilted her head quizzically.
"No," he replied, "my pack consists of humans and hanyou as well." She looked horrified at this, but he continued. "They are not like the humans you have dealt with before. They will not harm you."
"They will steal my fish and soil my pool with their human filth!" She lashed out at him, but he caught her wrist easily.
"My pack will need to eat and bathe," he explained, disliking having to waste time with the foolish demoness. She glared at him, her green eyes flashing angrily. He paused his explanation as he heard someone calling to him. He turned towards the sound to see Rin and Zukiko, flowers in hand, running towards him.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin called, panting slightly from her run, "Lady Kagome said you might be here. Zukiko wanted to give you the wreath she made." With a happy grin, Zukiko held up the slightly crooked flower wreath to him. Letting go of the demoness, he kneeled down in front of her and smiled softly. Zukiko's grin widened and she tossed the wreath onto his head.
"Pretty flowers for daddy!" she stated proudly. He nodded as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and returned the embrace. After the hug, he watched as Rin guided the little hanyou back to the others. Once they left, he removed the wreath from his head, but did not discard the lop-sided gift.
"You're…" the demoness stammered, "you are Lord Sesshomaru? The powerful inuyokai lord of the Western Lands and son of the mighty Inu no Taisho?" He felt a smirk tug at his lips.
"Indeed," he confirmed. The demoness seemed to reevaluate her situation. She gazed at him meekly.
"You're father was kind to my mother," she whispered, "If your pack requires use of my pool... so be it." She paused, considering something. "I will require something in return though..." He nodded, allowing her to continue. "There's a cave a short ways from here above the falls. A group of snake yokai has recently settled there and frequently harasses my sisters and I. If you could… deal with them, those of your village will have access to these waters." Sesshomaru nearly grinned. Snake yokai, even so-called strong ones, were pathetically weak demons. He nodded, agreeing to the deal. He looked up the waterfall and jumped, easily landing gracefully at the top.
The cave was not far, but a familiar strangled cry caused him to slightly quicken his pace. As expected, he found the three snake demons and a panicked Jaken. Jaken was the first to spot him and gave his usual cry of 'Lord Sesshomaru!' which Sesshomaru ignored. 'That insufferable imp is lucky I agreed to deal with these demons already,' he mused, remembering the imp had refused to even enter the human village when he was ill. Not bothering to unsheathe his sword, he dispatched two of the demons with his claws. The third seemed a tad brighter than the others and drew a large blade.
"I will avenge my brothers you…!" He slumped down unconscious, a flustered Jaken waving his staff.
"How dare you insult Lord Sesshomaru!" he bellowed, then turning to his lord, "Oh milord, your powers have returned!" He glared at the imp who curled into a protective ball. "Um… Lord Sesshomaru?"
"This Sesshomaru was informed about your opinion on the human village…" The imp trembled in front of him. "Do you dare to think you are above this one?" Jaken looked petrified.
"O-Of course not Lord Sesshomaru!" He turned to leave.
"You will not leave this cave until that snake demon is dead," he stated coldly. "Bring me its head as proof." With that he left the terrified imp.
Back at the village, he tracked down his brother and sister-in-law. They were happily planning the village layout.
"Ah, Sesshomaru," Kagome smiled, "we were just discussing where your hut could be." He peered at the roughly marked map and pointed to a spot near the woods that overlooked the flower field. Kagome nodded and he suspected she knew he would want it there.
"There is an… issue with this location that needs discussed," he began. They looked up from the map and he explained the water demoness and the snake demons. "I eliminated two of the three and tasked Jaken to deal with the third as… punishment for acting 'high and mighty' earlier." Inuyasha chuckled at that and even Kagome needed to suppress giggles.
"I'll check up on the fool in a few," Inuyasha assured them, "Snake demons are weak, but then, so is Jaken." A round of nods ended the discussion and Sesshomaru went to Miroku for guidance on building a hut for Rin and his adopted daughter.
As night approached, Sesshomaru had managed to have most of the hut completed. 'It is hardly a hut really,' he mused as he took in the fairly large structure. It was three times the size of the previous one and had two enclosed bedrooms and a large area for tea and dining. His sharp claws had proved adept at slicing wood so instead of a straw roof as typical huts had, he created a roof of wooden shingles. All that was missing were some decorations. 'They will need pillows and furs,' he thought, 'and places to store clothing. Cooking supplies like Kagome has will be needed as well.'
"You always have to outdo me, don't you?" He turned, surprised to see Inuyasha behind him. His brother's new home was also larger and fancier than the previous hut, but not quite as lavish as the one he had built. He secretly was pleased his home was indeed better than his brother's, but he had not planned it.
"It is not my fault you can't think beyond the basics," he teased. He was surprised his new relationship with his brother had retained the name-calling and insults even though the anger and hate was long gone, but found he enjoyed the playful banter.
"Basics?" his brother huffed in mock anger, "Yesterday you didn't even know how to build a house!"
"Precisely," he smirked. His brother fumed a bit longer before Rin and Kagome came over with refreshments. The brothers accepted the drinks and snacks. Sesshomaru took a mochi cake and popped it in his mouth hesitantly. He found the treat was still enjoyable in his demon form and noticed Rin seemed to study him as he chewed thoughtfully.
"Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked cautiously. Knowing what she was going to ask, he nodded.
"The flavor is much stronger, but it is not unpleasant," he informed her. She smiled, obviously pleased he still enjoyed the treat, and offered him another. Finishing the second one, he turned to Kagome. "Rin will require items similar to those you and the slayer have…"
"She can borrow mine for now," Kagome offered, "Inuyasha and Miroku often go to village in the area, dealing with demons and spirits for supplies which can be traded or sold as needed. You can join them if you want…"
"Keh," his brother huffed, "we don't need him. I barely break a sweat with most of the demons we encounter."
"That may be Inuyasha," the monk chimed in, appearing suddenly amongst the group to pilfer a mochi cake, "however considering the large influx we've encountered lately, it would be helpful to have your brother along." He stood quietly as the monk and his brother argued about him. He was tempted to refuse joining them, but he looked at Rin and Zukiko. 'I am responsible for them now,' he realized, 'I am their alpha. I must see to their needs.' He watched Zukiko yawn widely and bent down to her. She glanced at him with sleep-heavy eyes and curled into his arms.
"L-Lord Se-Sesshomaru!"
The group paused and turned towards the sound. A small figure limped slowly towards them. It seemed to be struggling with something round as well as a stick of some sort.
"Jaken," Sesshomaru stated, identifying the imp. He handed Zukiko to Rin and gracefully leapt to the imp. He studied his bedraggled vassal and noted he had many wounds from his battle with the snake demon. He was mildly surprised the imp had managed to do as he asked. He had seen Inuyasha leave to check on Jaken, but did not ask about it. "Jaken," he repeated to the imp. He watched as his vassal shakily handed him the head of the snake demon.
"A-As m-milord ordered… the h-head of the snake demon," Jaken trembled violently, though Sesshomaru did not know if it was entirely from fear. He decided the small demon had been punished enough and nodded. He took the head from the imp.
"Allow the miko to tend to your wounds," he instructed, "then rest. This Sesshomaru will return shortly." He turned and headed to the pool, hoping the water demoness was still nearby. When he arrived, he noticed she was joined by three other water demonesses. He strode to them and handed her the head. She took it hesitantly, but smiled. Her sisters seemed frightened of him, but did not flee.
"Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru," she said quietly. "As agreed, your pack will be allowed to use our waters." He nodded and left them to their evening bath.