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: Reviews are appreciated. Enjoy!

Epilogue: Domesticity Interrupted

Sesshomaru sighed as he walked beside the wagon. It had been three days since word reached the new village that a group of demons were plaguing a small farming village to the north. He had been uninterested, but Miroku had reminded him that helping the village would allow him to provide for Rin and Zukiko. The monk and brothers had gone to deal with the situation and were now heading home. As he strolled along, he wondered how Jaken was fairing in the village.

…Jaken's New Role…

Jaken sighed and plopped down on a small boulder as he watched the three leave. He had wanted to follow his lord, but had been relegated to babysitting… again!

"Master Jaken!" He cringed as he heard Rin's cheerful voice. 'Foolish human! What does milord see in such a pathetic creature?' Sighing, he closed his eyes and tried to ignore her. Hearing nothing further from the girl, he cracked an eye open and, suddenly seeing Rin's face nearly touching his own, promptly fell backwards off his boulder. Brushing dirt off his robes and grumbling, he threw the girl a glare. She simply reached over and helped him up, not minding his refusals.

"I'm sorry Master Jaken," she said softly, "I was just going to ask you if you knew how to read." He grumbled some more and nodded. "Master Miroku was reading this book to Zukiko and I, it's a 'hairy tail' or something. We really want to know what happens next…" Taking the overly colorful object, Jaken looked it over. He did not want to read such foolishness to the girls, so pondered an alternative.

"Why hasn't the monk taught you to read then?" He had hoped to change the subject so Rin would forget about the story.

"Oh," Rin stood quietly for a moment, her head tilted slightly as she thought over the question. Jaken was turning away from her, trying to quietly sneak away when she piped up again. "He must think we are too busy learning all about herbs, cooking, and healing with Kagome. Would you teach us Master Jaken?" He squawked and sputtered in reply. 'Teach this human and some half-breed whelp?' He paused, realizing how his lord had treated both girls lately. 'The pup calls milord 'daddy' and he accepts it… to be in charge of the education of the daughter of milord… even if not by blood… would be a great honor…' He gazed dreamily off into nothing, envisioning the praise and acknowledgement he would receive for tutoring the pup in not only reading, but other skills vital to a member of the Western Lord's family. A couple pokes on his head brought him back to reality. Sighing, he pulled himself up to his full height, still not reaching Rin's waist.

"As the great Lord of the Western Land's loyal vassal, I shall be most honored to teach his daughter, and ward, how to read and write." Trying to ignore the suddenly loud girl beside him, he went to Sango and requested blank scrolls, pens, and ink. He also collected a number of books from Kagome in addition to the 'fairy tale' one.

…Back to Present…

"Feh, I'll never get this stench off me…"

"Stench, dear brother? You mean besides your usual one?" Sesshomaru resisted smiling as his brother attempted, and failed, to hit him. The hanyou's resulting fall off the wagon seat into a muddy puddle, however, made his eyes sparkle with amusement.

They arrived at the peaceful village without further incidents and Sesshomaru was greeted by everyone. Miroku began recounting the battle with the bull demons, with his usual excessive flair while Sesshomaru presented Rin with the supplies he had acquired from the villagers. He was still surprised at how skillfully the monk managed to over-charge the villagers for their services. He found himself smiling as he handed Rin pots and such, but soon frowned as he caught a whiff of a familiar scent and something else.

Noticing someone was missing, he asked Rin as he held Zukiko who couldn't seem to stop giggling as she snuggled into him. Before anyone could tell him where Jaken had gotten to, the imp appeared, at least he thought it was Jaken. He raised an eyebrow as the creature came closer, its body covered in black ink and bits of paper with imperfect kanji on them. He looked to Kagome and Sango for help, but they were too busy giggling, as was Rin. Confused beyond belief, he simply stared. Zukiko finally calmed her giggles and solved the great mystery.

"Daddy," she announced happily, "Master Jaken was teaching Rin and I how to read and write." He was surprised and a bit impressed the usually cantankerous imp had taken on such a task. He nodded, and turned his attention back to the stumbling Jaken.

"Jaken," he stated in his usual impassive tone, "You will continue this… though perhaps with less mess than today." He strode to his hut, his back safely turned away from everyone, and allowed a smirk to creep onto his face. He was pleased his ward and daughter would learn and wondered if the imp would teach them other skills useful in the running of his court. Sighing, he knew he would need to 'stop by' his mother's castle and be briefed on court happenings. He did not look forward to the visit as he knew the topic of his ward would be brought up as well as the detested topic of mates. 'No doubt she'll wish to meet Zukiko as well.' Just as he finished thinking of his mother, he caught her scent on the wind. 'Seems she won't let me delay any longer,' he thought, frowning. Schooling his face into its usual impassive mask, he mentally prepared himself to face his mother.

Sesshomaru did not have to wait long before a large white dog came to land in the center of their small village. As expected, she transformed into her human form and sauntered over to him. He encouraged Zukiko quietly that it was indeed safe, though the girl insisted on burying herself deeply into his mokomoko.

"Is it too much for a mother to ask that her son visit her now and then?" He expected such over-dramatic antics from the woman, though her face was devoid of all the supposed emotions she claimed to feel. Hiding his desire to sigh, he greeted his mother in his typical formal greeting.

"Mother," he stated, nodding in acknowledgement. 'Now comes the hard part,' he thought. "This is my adopted daughter, Zukiko." Managing to pry the pup from his fur, he formally presented her to his mother. He was mildly surprised to see her eyes widen and her usually unexpressive mouth form a delighted "o". She took the girl gently and began to fawn over the pup.

"Oh don't you have the prettiest eyes!" He tried not to roll his own eyes as she gushed. "And you have a little moon too!" He noticed her attention return to him as she raised an eyebrow. "She does look a great deal like you. Are you sure you aren't hiding a mate somewhere?"

"No mother," he replied coolly, "this hanyou is not mine by blood, but by choice." He saw surprise flit across his mother's face. As he watched her glance down at the pup, Zukiko's ears, which had been flattened due to her nervousness, perked up. Knowing his mother's dislike for hanyou, he feared she would suddenly hurt the pup she had just fawned over.

"You take after your father in the most interesting ways," she said softly. She caressed one of Zukiko's tiny ears gently. "I formally acknowledge this pup, Zukiko, as yours. She will be your heir until you decide to take a mate and have pups of your own." He hid his surprise and simply nodded. He did not think of the pup as a potential heir, but was pleased his mother now seemed content with her adopted granddaughter. 'Perhaps she will stop suggesting mates every visit.' He doubted that, but he decided to hope for it regardless. Taking the girl back from his mother, he caught one of her rare smiles. Instantly suspicious, he raised an eyebrow. She merely chuckled.

"Sesshomaru dear," she purred, "How will you teach the girl all she needs to be a Lady of the West?"

"Jaken has already started to teach her how to read and write. She is learning other valuable skills from the miko, Kagome, and Monk Miroku as well." He saw his mother nod and was secretly relieved. 'I was half-expecting her to insist on teaching her herself!' He took Zukiko into his arms again and watched his mother turn to leave. Before she took to the sky, she smiled at him.

"There is a gathering in five days at my home," she commented off-handedly, "It wouldn't kill you to come by and show some support for your dear mother." Without letting him refuse, she transformed and took off. He sighed internally, knowing his mother would force him to meet and socialize with every eligible female in attendance. 'And as usual that will be every female demon in Japan!' he thought, trying not to let his exasperation show. 'Some things never change…' he mused. Sesshomaru put his daughter down and decided to enjoy the calm before the inevitable storm.

THE END

A/N: Sorry if the ending isn't as final as many of you may want, but I have been toying with the idea of a sequel so I wanted to leave it open a bit. Thanks so much for reading!