Don't Annoy Me by Dawn

one

Don't Annoy Me (5)

It would seem that Sesshomaru has found himself in a bit of a spot. Should he save Kagome from the horrible pack of wolves or let the girl die? Against his better judgment, he chooses the former. Now, he is stuck with an annoying girl at his side, forever. Yeah...if chivalry isn't dead, it should be.

~*~*~

Chapter one: Young Sesshomaru*Young Kagome

Sesshomaru strode down the twisted hallways with ease. His entire body was rigid and the air around him was filled with tension. No one dared seek him out or call him; even Jaken's presence was missed, all because Sesshomaru was angry, very angry to be truthful.

If it were possible, the heir of Inutashio would have made the tears of the sky that were desperately pounding on the castle roof turn to the blood that he was seeing before him. If there had ever been a time that he wanted to rip out his father's lungs and heart and feed them to servants, it was this day. The Lord of the Western Lands was so dim witted, so easily manipulated, by a human woman. Yes, although it shamed Sesshomaru to admit it, his father had fallen for a human.

If that were not shame enough, his father was not going to keep her safely tucked away, being his silent mistress. No, he had every intention of letting the world know that he had sunken to depths unseen. His idiot father was going to mate with this woman. Marry her.

Now, that in itself, was enough to make Sesshomaru want to tear something apart, after all there was only so much one man could be expected to take. But, no that was not all...far from it. It seems that his father was not as patient as he had taught Sesshomaru to be. The human woman was breeding...pregnant, and had been for seven months. Sesshomaru was consumed with rage when he had heard the news, and so soon after his own mother's death. The shame.

While on his journey through the castle, Sesshomaru began to calculate the number of months the human had been pregnant, and how long his mother had been dead. And, when he did, he came to a startling realization. Mother had died only six months earlier...the human was seven months along. Now he really did want to kill someone. While his mother lay dying, his father had been entertaining this...this...whore.

Sesshomaru shook his head, trying to clear his hazed mind of his father's betrayal. How could all of this been going on, under his own nose? When did his life become so dramatic? He hated that the only thing he could think of was questions, but no answers. His normal premature wisdom did not come in handy now, and Sesshomaru did not know how to act...and he wasn't sure how to feel. His heart and mind rebelled against his father's teachings. How could he ever be like his father, if his father was not worth the ground he walked on? Sesshomaru could not and would not follow his father's word anymore.

Which meant, his toleration of humans was out of the window. In the last couple of years, his father had been a large abdicator of peace between man and beast. Now Sesshomaru knew why, to please his human, so he could continue to feed out of the palm of her hand. It seemed to him that everything he'd ever learned from his once beloved father was a complete lie.

Well, Sesshomaru would just have to make up his own rules from now on. The first being that he got out of this mad house he once called home. The air around the castle was heavy and weighed down by the human stench that had suddenly inhabited the area. It was funny to him how the air never used to bother him. Sesshomaru felt crazy with grief and crazy with rage. Not exactly a winning combination.

With that thought in mind, Sesshomaru gracefully switched direction, and headed back the way he came. Almost instantly, he was back in the room that he swore he would never go to again. How quickly he broke his promises, even to himself. He went into the room without knocking, too angry to be polite. When he set foot into the room, his eyes focused on a white haired figure that had its back to Sesshomaru. Ever so slowly the figure turned around, and Sesshomaru suppressed a growl. He stared into a face that was identical to his own, and up until this point he had been proud of the fact, but now he would rather claw at his own face, just to rid himself of the reminder.

"Sesshomaru," The demon Lord said with a sigh. "Back so soon, my son. I've seen your face twice in one day, that is not normal."

"Father," Sesshomaru said with ease, throwing his anger into the back of his mind. He did a slight bow, although every arch downwards made him grit his teeth. Despite the fact that he no longer found this demon acceptable enough to be deemed with the title of father, Sesshomaru still had his manners, the one thing he refused to let go of.

"Father, I believe that I shall take a journey. I fear that the house shall be in much...tension in the coming months, what with the young one coming. I believe that I shall find myself...underfoot. A time away shall do us all good." His tone was clipped, and by the look on his father's face, the older man had read between the lines of his son's speech. Sesshomaru was acutely aware of the sharp gasp of the human woman. But, he ignored her protest, because his eyes were locked with similar golden eyes. The two demons held the other's gaze for a long moment, before Inutashio broke contact by nodding his head.

"Sesshomaru, I approve of the journey. In a year or so, it would have been time for your Koukan, anyhow. You have always been rather mature for your age, young Sesshomaru. This will serve as your Koukan. I declare it to be so."

"Why must you leave, Sesshomaru?" asked a quiet and tender voice, "You and I have no knowledge of one another. We have not yet come to an understanding."

"You speak as if I would like to have an understanding with you," Sesshomaru thought angrily. "I am your better, you don't deserve my understanding."

"And," she continued in a wobbly voice, "your younger sibling shall be coming soon. Is that it, Sesshomaru? Are you leaving because you fear that there is no more room for you here? This is your home, Sesshomaru." Her voice was soft, but Sesshomaru did not miss the determination in her tone. When, Sesshomaru said nothing to confirm or deny her accusations, the human wench began to weep. Women...

"Shin' ai," the demon Lord began, as he pulled the filthy creature to him, "I know it must be hard to understand, but Sesshomaru must do this. This is not exactly the most opportune time, I shall agree, but we must give the boy our consent. He must do this for his own sanity, I believe." Sesshomaru resisted the urge to curl is delicate lip; this display was making him ill. He was disgraced by the unbound display of emotions that his father was showing. No...this was not his father! Who this horrid imitator was, Sesshomaru did not know. But, as far as he was concerned, his true father had died along with his mother. Buried and never to be seen from again. This weakling that dared inhabit his body was a blemish on Sesshomaru's good name, and he had to get away from him.

He was also angered that his father had never shown this type of affection and tenderness for his own dear mother. Jealousy and betrayal once again arose in him. Even in her final hours, his father could not muster one word of sorrow or regret. He remained stoic and cold until the end, while Sesshomaru let his feelings for his mother known in the only way he could. No, Sesshomaru did not say them outright, but he knew that she understood. But, when her beautiful lavender gaze fell on his father, Sesshomaru could see the pain and regret in her eyes, but Sesshomaru had been naïve then, and did not understand.

Now, he did. His mother had died of a severely broken heart, and she left the world giving up, defeated. His mother's sadness burned within him. And, he knew that he would not forgive. He refused to forget. For his mother, he would carry the burdens of her life, with him. As, penitence for not being able to see the truth of his wicked father and defending him, over her, for not being able to ease her pain in her final hours, because his eyes were too closed to see. His eyes were open now, and he would not forget. He would not forget.

Sesshomaru left the embracing couple, letting the woman believe it was for their privacy. Naturally, his thoughts were not so noble. He needed to get out of the stifling room. He could no longer take the scent of love and lust that emanated from it.

He soundlessly traveled down the hallway, and up a long flight of stairs, until he arrived at his wing of the vast estate. He immediately went into his chambers and shut the door. He did not bother finding a lantern to light his path, so he crept through the dark, searching for his bed. Once he found it, he gracefully laid himself upon it, and closed his eyes.

~*~*~A Week Later ~*~*~

Much to his now stepmother's chagrin, Sesshomaru was indeed leaving for his journey. He would be gone the entire winter, because if this was to be his Koukan that was one of the necessary requirements. Koukan literally meant facing the winter. Every male in Sesshomaru's line had taken the journey; it was both a duty and an honor. The one taking the journey would prove his resourcefulness and ability to one-day rule over multitudes. If the one taking the journey could live on his wits alone, for an entire winter than he was worthy to be called "The Lord of the Western Lands". Technically, Sesshomaru should take this journey in two more years, but his father was willing to bend the rules for his only son. Besides, the dog demon knew his son had many issues that he needed to sort out, before he could interact healthily with his new family.

Sesshomaru was not nervous nor was he excited. Traveling on his own was not something that frightened him, and he was a fierce fighter, so no harm would come to him. He would carry enough money to support himself during the winter months, and he would again see the world that existed outside of his window.

He was currently eating breakfast with his father and his woman, for the last time for many months. The woman looked ready to cry and his father was rubbing circles into her back. And, Sesshomaru was fighting the urge to roll his eyes. What a family they made. Yes, he needed to get out of here, and the sooner the better.

Sesshomaru hurriedly finished his breakfast, and went up to his room, to check on Jaken. His idiot servant was bustling around the room, making sure that he had everything, when Sesshomaru strolled in. The ugly toad immediately stopped hopping around the room, when Sesshomaru came in, and dropped its slimy body to the ground to bow before his master. When a sufficient amount of time had passed, Jaken rose and greeted his master.

"Hello Master Sesshomaru!" He chirped, trying to sound as joyous as possible. His heart swelled with joy, when his young master nodded; he usually did not recognize Jaken or his greetings.

"Have you prepared for our journey?" Sesshomaru asked, as he changed into his traveling clothes. The little toad immediately began to check and recheck the light traveling bag that he had prepared for his master, until he replayed what Sesshomaru had said.

"Our journey, Master Sesshomaru?" he asked quietly, trying not to sound defiant to his master.

Jaken heard an annoyed sigh from behind his master's changing screen. "Yes, our journey, Jaken. Does this displease you?"

"Oh no! Not at all Lord Sesshomaru. I just thought that you had to take the Koukan by yourself. I thought that was the point."

"No, Jaken. The rules state that I am allowed to companions, so long as neither is more superior to myself."

"Oh."

~*~*~

"Before you go, my son, I have something for you." Sesshomaru watched as his father turned to his mate, and took a finely wrapped parcel from her hands. His father turned around to see his son, once more, and handed him the gift at the same time.

"Open it," The demon commanded, and began to speak as the other male opened his gift. "I was going to give this to you later on, but I guessed that

now is as good a time as any."

Sesshomaru opened the gift, and was almost shocked to see a shining sword glistening in front of his eyes. His hand lightly touched the blade, and a strange vibration rippled through his body. He chanced a confused look at his father. "Ah, I see you have discovered that sword is special. You see it was forged from one of my fangs. Its specialty is to heal the sick and revive the immediate dead. A powerful and dangerous weapon, that already seems to know its master. Take care of the sword and it will take care of you. Who knows, you may use it sooner than you expect."

Sesshomaru did the customary bow, to show his appreciation. "Many thanks, Father." Sesshomaru murmured as he resheathed the sword, and hung it around his waist. Sesshomaru turned to leave, but his father's voice stopped him.

"My son be wary of the Tenseiga (which is it's name). It may act strangely in its first use."

"How so?" Sesshomaru asked with narrowed eyes.

"The sword may react strangely...for a few days, you will feel a strong bond with the person that you revive. It will wear off soon enough, and after the first use, the problem should not occur, again." Sesshomaru merely nodded, noting that he would have to be careful with the sword.

"Farewell Father, until the spring comes."

"Until spring." was the older demon's reply.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome stood behind her mother, Kikyo, and waited silently. Her mother was busy making more healing medicine for the ailing population in their village. She was not to be disturbed. But, Kagome had another question to ask, and Grandmother Kaede was already distributing the medicine to some patients.

"What is it Kagome?" Her mother's soft voice sounded tired to Kagome's ears, but she ignored it.

"Momma, I could not decide which of these roots was the one you needed for your potion, so I brought one of each." Kagome held up both plants, so her mother's eyes could glance at them.

"It is the one in your right hand. I need to have at least twenty of those, to finish the potion. I would like you to immediately come back to the shrine, so you can help me."

"Yes." Kagome called, as she ran outside the door. She then ran quickly back to the field, to collect the much needed herb. Once she was in the wild field, Kagome collapsed in a fleshy heap in the middle of the field. She let her breathe catch up to her body, and she felt her body heave up and down.

After a moment, when her breathing was normal, Kagome began to search for the herb, and soon found that she did not remember where she had found it. "Oh No!" she exclaimed out loud. "Momma will surely be disappointed. I promised to hurry."

Kagome then began to frantically search for the herb. Finally, she found it, in an entirely different field. As soon as she had picked enough, she ran straight to her mother's shrine and laid the herbs before Kikyo. The older woman looked over the herbs, and nodded with approval. "Good Kagome. Now, where is that sister of yours, she wanted to help with the sick, as well."

"Um...I don't know where Rin went. All she said was going to play with some of the non-ailing village children." Her mother smiled slightly, and nodded her head, while hooking arms with her older daughter, for a moment.

"Then, let her be. You and I can manage the sick ones. Come now Kagome, and bring the medicine."

~*~*~

Kagome and her mother visited every house in the village, administering the healing medicine to the sick and ailing. The entire village had been struck with the same weakening illness. The sickness had swept over most of the continent, and many priestess and monks had been busy corresponding, desperately trying to find a cure. It was Kagome's grandmother, Kaede that had found a lasting solution. Since then, Kagome's family had been busy sending word to other villages all over, to save the dying population.

Kagome was proud to help out her village and other villages, which had not yet received word on how to cure the illness. She and her mother had made plans to visit other places, to help with the effort, although it would mean leaving her beloved grandmother and her younger sister and brother. She could not wait to begin the journey, because she did not know the world that existed outside of her small town.

When she and her mother had done all that they could do, the two women went back to their home. As they neared their home, the aroma of cooked fish wafted up to their noses. They shared identical smiles; Grandmother Kaede had started dinner.

They entered the house quietly, and went to help Kaede with the food. The old woman turned to greet the other women, with a frown. "It is about time ye got here. Souta and I have been waiting for the three of ye to return."

"Three?" Kagome asked.

"It was just Kagome and I." Said Kikyo.

"Well, where is Rin?" asked the old woman.

"Playing with the village children," answered Kikyo.

Before another word could be said, Kagome's brother, Souta came into view, shaking his head. "No Momma. The village children stopped playing before it became too hot. Rin was not with them, then."

"Oh, where could that girl be?" asked a frustrated Kikyo.

"Don't worry Momma, we can go look for her." Said a chipper Souta. Kikyo smiled down at the boy, and kissed his forehead.

"Alright, Souta and I will search for her in the village and the fields. Kagome you will search in the forests, and near the hot springs. Momma will you stay here, in case Rin comes home?"

"Yes, Kikyo. Now make haste, my dinner is getting cold."

~*~*~

Kagome was tired now. She had searched every hot spring that was in five miles of the village. There was no trace of Rin, and Kagome prayed that her mother had found the girl. But, Kagome's search was not finished. Her mother had given her strict instructions to search the surrounding forests, much to Kagome's dismay.

Kagome was a little frightened of the forests, especially at night. Once, when she was very young, she had gotten lost in the forests at night, and the nocturnal noises had scared her witless, since then she had been wary of them. But, for Rin she would go.

The sixteen-year-old girl then changed direction, and headed for Hanyou's Forest. She decided that she would quickly skim through the forest, because the sun was setting. It was getting darker. Kagome hugged herself as the entered the large patch of trees. She willed herself to calm down, remembering that any youkai or vicious animals could sense her fear. She knew that they would be drawn to the smell, and she would be as good as dead.

Kagome traveled rather quickly through the forest floor, and not finding a trace that anyone had ever been there. She was ready to turn back, and go home, when her eyes caught something. She saw a figure moving, but she could not make out any details, they were too far off. For a fleeting moment she wondered if it could be Rin, so she leaned closer, in the direction of the figure. Kagome did not notice that she was extremely close to the edge of the patch of land that she was standing on. The rest of that path had been eroded, leaving the tangled up roots of the trees, exposed. Kagome continued to lean over, until she inevitably lost her footing.

On instinct, Kagome let her arms flail out, and wayward branches, and tree limbs (causing blood to seep out of her skin) caught her bare skin. She fell ungracefully to the bottom of the forest floor. Kagome could feel indistinct pains all over her body, and she was vaguely aware that her arm was in an unnatural position, twisted around her back.

Kagome lay in agony for a few quiet moments. Her mind was too hazy and fog filled to form any sort of intelligent thoughts. She could only think of one thing...pain. But soon enough, another thought filled her thoughts, and that was hope. Which soon turned into fear.

Heavy footsteps were approaching her, and for a moment, Kagome thought that her village had been searching for her. Knowing that they needed to save her. She let out a sigh of relief, and she decided to greet them, so they would know that she was still conscious. When her head painstakingly turned to the direction of the noises, Kagome immediately regretted it. There were no villagers, coming to get her. The growls of hungry wolves filled her senses, before she fainted.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The smell of innocent blood filled Sesshomaru's nostrils. For a second, the fact that it was human did not deter him. He almost instantly began to follow the smell, curious, yet wholly uninterested. He followed the scent, and other smells began to mingle with it, when he neared it. The smell of wolves and death lay in the air, and Sesshomaru felt somewhat ill. But, his curiosity at finding any sort of life in the deserted woods kept him going.

He had left Jaken, to search for food to eat. The annoying toad had gotten on his last shred of self-restraint, and he knew that if they did not part from each other, Sesshomaru would kill him.

So, here was Sesshomaru, following the scent of blood, with only a sword as his companion. Finally, he found where the scent was strongest. Before him where frenzied wolves that were now circling their prey, all waiting for the exact moment. Sesshomaru began to turn away, his curiosity gone, when he felt a strange pain going through him. He tried to ignore the feeling, but the farther way from the scene he went, the stronger the pain got. The sound of a voice rippled through his vein, and it seemed to whisper, "Help me...please."

Of their own accord, Sesshomaru's body walked back over to the scene. The wolves growled at him, as they began to jump on their prey. Sesshomaru growled back at them, with a fierceness that they did not possess. Sensing the power and danger of the demon dog, the wolves hurriedly made an exit.

When he was sure that the wolf pack had gone, Sesshomaru turned to their intended prey. He saw that it was a young human girl that had several cuts and bruises all over her body. She was swimming in a pool of her own blood, and the smell of death surrounded her. But, that was not what interested him most. He could see the spirits of death crowd around her. The ugly creatures chattered and laughed as they looked at her. Sesshomaru felt the painful tingle again, and realized that it came from the Tenseiga. He pulled out the sword, and he could feel it telling him to save the girl.

Sesshomaru battled with the idea, should he save her or should he leave? What would happen if he defied the sword? Would the pain become unbearable? He continued to wrestle with the two choices, and he did not even notice the sound of many footsteps sneaking up behind, until he heard the call out.

"Stop Demon! Do not harm the girl!" A deep human voice's command flared

anger in Sesshomaru.

"No one orders the future Lord of the Western Land, especially a filthy human!" he thought fiercely. In defiance of the man, Sesshomaru took his gifted sword, and let it touch her skin. The death spirits vanished, just as a large crowd of humans surrounded him. All watched as Kagome's wounds disappeared, and the color returned to her cheeks. She opened her eyes, and seeing all of the faces before her, stumbled back.

"He has tainted the young priestess." Some called out in horror. Sesshomaru growled at the people and their horrid smell. They instantly stopped speaking, but a small man came forward. Sesshomaru looked down at him, with a raise eyebrow.

"Stop, do not touch her." called a strong femimine voice. A woman identical to the girl made her way through the crowd. She had her bow and arrow ready to fire. "Move away demon."

"It is too late Priestess. His demonic sword has touched her skin. He has tainted her." Another voice called out. Sesshomaru watched as her brown eyes became hard and brittle. Almost in defiance, she moved ever closer to the frightened girl behind Sesshomaru. When she was in touching distance, she pulled the girl to her, checking her body for injuries.

"She was dead, Priestess. The demon healed her with his sword. He has tainted her."

"Quiet." The Priestess said in a calm voice.

"But, she no longer belongs to us, Priestess. She belongs to the demon." Several sounds of agreement followed.

"Quiet all of you. She is my daughter." The Priestess held the girl even closer to her chest, while drawing arrows with her other hand.

"They are right, Kikyo. Let the girl go. She is property of the demon, until she is cleansed." Sesshomaru watched with confused eyes as an old woman came through the crowd. Kikyo still held her daughter tightly, but tears of sadness began to stream down her face.

"Momma?" asked the girl, with confusion also written across her face.

"Give her to the demon, Kikyo. She is his." The old woman said with an aggravated sigh. The Priestess nodded slowly, and held the girl for a long moment, before kissing her head, and slowly pushing her in Sesshomaru's direction. Sesshomaru did not move during the display, although he did not want to admit, he was very curious to understand what was going on.

"Momma?" The girl said with hurt evident in her voice. The Priestess Kikyo did not answer, instead she backed away slowly, going over to the old woman.

"Grandmother? What is going on?"

"You are not yet a priestess, but you have the power. It is considered a misfortune for a priestess who has not yet received her training to be touched by demons. It is a silly tradition that when touched, you are property of that demon, until you have cleansed yourself."

"Cleanse myself? How do I do that?"

"By drinking from the Shikon well."

~*~*~*~*~*~

This story obviously does not follow the story line...I took bits and pieces of some epiosodes to create this chapter! So Disclaimer- I Do Not Own Inuyasha...big surprise.