How All Came to Be

DISCLAIMER: If I owned it Rin would have stayed with Sesshomaru in the end. Thus, I do not own it.

Chapter 1:
Merging of the Packs


“In a time of darkness her life was put in danger, and even though his pride protested, he sought help to keep what was most precious safe.”

“What was she like?” Tsuki’s eyes reflected the lightning.

A small smile graced Kagome’s lips, but her eyes held sorrow. “She was full of life.” Kagome hugged her daughter closer to her, remembering a bright gap toothed smile and an orange yukata.

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Sesshomaru observed his half-brother’s rag-tag group from the forest. The sun had just slipped below the horizon and the first stars of the night winked into existence. The pack was gathered around a small fire in the clearing and had just finished a meal of...something. It had smelled of salt and other spices, but appeared to be some form of noodles.

He watched as the demon slayer tensed before a cry of ‘Hentai’ and a resounding slap caused a flock of birds to alight from the trees. The monk lay on the ground unconscious, but his face remained pleased.

His half-brother’s woman turned her attention from the fire to the visibly steaming demon slayer. “You know Sango, if you keep doing that he’s going to end up brain dead,” she giggled.

'Brain dead,' Sesshomaru wondered. 'An affliction where the mind dies yet the body remains active? Perhaps that is what happened to Inuyasha.'

“Well if he could just learn to keep his hands to himself,” the fuming woman trailed off casting the pile of monk a rueful stare.

“Keh,” his half-brother leapt down from his perch on a nearby limb. “I think we all know the pervert won’t ever learn to do that.”

The fox kit nodded his head sagely and the neko mewed in agreement. It seemed the camp was in accord when it came to the hentai monk.

Sesshomaru turned around, content that he had seen enough. He made his way back to the clearing where A-Un was keeping watch over a flower picking Rin and a dozing Jaken. After he delivered a swift kick to the head of the toad and suffered through the small minions groveling he announced his decree.

“We are leaving.”

He turned on his heel and walked back the way he had come. The sound of A-Un’s heavy footfalls and his retainer’s complaining fell into line behind him. For a moment he listened with half an ear as Jaken berated the small mortal girl before he decided, purely because the toad’s voice was grating on his nerves of course, to kick a rock towards the small demon’s head. There was a second of satisfaction as he heard a dull thunk and the screeching stopped.

After the second blow in what felt like as many minutes to Jaken’s head the words of the miko came back to Sesshomaru. He mused absently, and wondered if the toad was brain dead. His thoughts on the matter, which amassed many indications that Jaken was indeed brain dead, were halted by the permeating stench of his half-brother. He wanted to sigh.

Why, oh why, was he doing this again? It would be torture and the whelp would be lucky to make it out alive. He entertained the thought of killing his half-brother after the situation, which justified this little joining of packs, was rectified. It made him feel a bit better, but overall he still felt sick.

Granted, from what he’d observed over the past several weeks, the antics of the humans in the group were amusing. His half-brother, however, was still as annoying as ever. No doubt the whelp would do something that would prompt his correction. Sesshomaru allowed himself to relish the thought.

A happy gasp met his pointed ear as Rin’s eyes landed on the field of wildflowers they were about to cross. Childish giggles bubbled from her as she reached out delicate fingers to snag one of the taller heads of Queen Anne’s lace she could reach from A-Un’s back. That was why, Sesshomaru conceded. Because Rin didn’t deserve the ignoble death Naraku had planned for her, all to get to him.

His hackles rose as he again considered the events that had lead him to this. Because of Naraku he found himself forced to join packs with his hated half-brother. Naraku. The coward who would not attack him directly.

It was apparent that since the evil hanyou knew he would lose in a head to head battle he had decided that diversion was the next best course. Much to Sesshomaru’s displeasure the results of the hanyou’s scheme had been exactly what he had desired.

Weeks, for weeks he had been slaying vermin. Low class youkai he would not have deigned to bat an eye at where it not for the frequency, and the target. In the first few attacks, he had simply thought that the demons were rouge. That was until, while he was gone, a group of boar demons overpowered Jaken and A-Un. The leader of the group had been raising his sword to kill Rin when he was cut through by Sesshomaru’s youki whip.

What was more disturbing was that the leader had a jewel shard. Sesshomaru had pocketed the shard and left the remains to the carrion eaters. But the attacks did not cease.

Every time he was away from camp a youkai would attack. From formless slithering snake-like youkai, to a lone elemental with the control over earth. He had encountered attacking youkai of every power level. A smirk formed on his lips. That is except for one more powerful than he.

Regardless of the fact that Sesshomaru easily dispatched the insolent pests, it was bothersome. With youkai attacking his ward every time he was absent he was forced to stay close to the group. It had curtailed his ability to hunt Naraku.

He had entertained the idea of taking his ward back to the castle. It was, for all intents and purposes, the most logical course of action. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He reasoned that there was always the chance of a spy, and that she would be too far away for him to save.

Which brought him back to his current situation, mainly being in the scent vicinity of his half-brother. Sesshomaru allowed himself to hope that there wouldn’t be too much of a fuss. Besides, if he remembered correctly his ward and the miko were fond of each other. Surely the miko would keep the hanyou in line. His eyes glittered with mirth as he imagined his brother being forced to the ground.

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Kagome had been asleep only minutes when the sensation of her chest being crushed alerted her unconscious mind to the need to awaken, now. Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked down at her chest puzzled. There was nothing there to account for her difficulty to breathe. No Shippo, no Buyo, no Miroku. Thank Kami, she thought. Then, as if in answer to her unvoiced question, another swell ripped through her and she heard the chimes of her friend’s staff as he lifted himself to his feet.

She tilted her head back and took in the wary stance of the monk. Violet eyes scanned the clearing before resting on the miko. A jerk of his head alerted her to the need to rise. After pulling herself from her sleeping bag Kagome nudged Sango awake. Immediately the demon slayer’s eyes widened and she leapt up, grabbing her hiraikotsu. Kirara transformed beside her.

Kagome glanced around looking for Inuyasha and met the monk’s gaze. Miroku shrugged his shoulders and Kagome scowled. She shot a pointed look toward the forest to their right and he nodded. His lips pressed into a thin line.

The soft chock of wood against wood sounded as she threaded an arrow onto her bow and turned to face the trees. Sango and Kirara stood to her left as Miroku nudged Shippo awake. The little fox rubbed the sleep from his eyes and glanced around questioningly. He took in the battle ready stances of his companions and leapt onto the back of the fire cat, eyes wide and tail quivering.

'Why would he approach so slowly,' Kagome wondered as she tightened her grip on her bow. 'He must be able to tell Inuyasha isn’t here.' Blunt teeth worried her bottom lip. 'Stupid Inuyasha, of all the nights to run off you have to pick the one where Sesshomaru walks through our camp.'

She knew there wasn’t much they could do if Inuyasha’s older brother decided to attack them, but that wasn’t going to stop them from fighting back. 'And why swell his youki like that anyways,' she questioned. 'It’s like he’s announcing his presence.'

A trick Kaede had taught her floated to the front of her mind and Kagome decided to use it. She would try to feel out Sesshomaru’s intentions, to ‘see’ if he was emitting hostility. As she stretched out the invisible fingers of her aura she felt the brush of three other beings with him. 'He brought his whole group,' she faltered in surprise. 'This so makes no sense. Maybe he really is just passing through.'

Tentatively, she prodded his aura and was almost startled to the ground when his energy grabbed onto hers and held it fast. No amount of mental tugging freed her. The feeling wasn’t painful, just firm and extremely unsettling. She caught his irritation and what felt like a few less than peaceful thoughts, but mainly exasperation.

When Sesshomaru’s aura latched onto hers Kagome must have let loose an involuntary squeak. Miroku turned to her with a questioning look just as the demon Lord and his entourage broke into the clearing.

Cool eyes surveyed the humans in front of him before coming to rest on Kagome. She wanted to wilt under that gaze, especially since with her energy still grasped in his, she could feel what he was thinking. Kagome was sure of one thing. He was not thinking pleasant thoughts.

“You have learned a new trick.” His words were flat. There was no hint of emotion in those pools of gold, yet still he did not release her.

Kagome voiced the only thought that was running through her mind at that moment. “Inuyasha isn’t here.”

He titled his head slightly to the side, as if to display his disinterest in his brother, and Kagome felt like throwing up. Thankfully her stomach and nerves were saved by the joyful cry of a little girl.

“Kagome-nee-chan,” Rin exclaimed as she bound out from behind her protector to make her way to the still dumb struck miko.

Kagome’s eyes swiveled down to rest on the gap toothed smile of the girl in the orange yukata. “Hello, Rin-chan. What are you doing here?”

The girl glanced back to her demon guardian and received a slight nod of his silver head. “We’re going to stay with you,” she chirped excitedly. Happiness shone from her face like sunlight.

Sango made an odd strangled noise, Shippo fell off of Kirara, and Kagome almost choked on her own tongue. Miroku, thankfully, took over.

“Sesshomaru-sama,” he bowed. “May I inquire as to your business in relation to us?”

Without taking his gaze from Kagome he answered. “This Sesshomaru desires to form an alliance.” His words fell like stones into a still pond.

A single thought went through the minds of the three humans, one neko, and one kitsune present to witness this declaration. Inuyasha isn’t going to like this.

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It had been very late when the negotiations with Sesshomaru had ended. Had it not been for the fact that she now had to sleep in the same clearing as he she would have laughed at the conditions.

1. No killing (and Kagome had added maiming) of anyone in the pack, including Inuyasha.

2. If there was a youkai attack everyone would fight, excluding the children.

Kagome had found it odd that it had been Sesshomaru who insisted on that one.

3. They would continue to hunt jewel shards while hunting Naraku.

The demon Lord seemed perturbed with this rule but Kagome had convinced him that the shards had always lead them to Naraku. It had been at this point in the discussions that Sesshomaru had chucked one at her head.

There were many things that she expected after traveling in the Sengoku Jidai for so long. Having a jewel shard thrown at her head by the Ice Lord was not one of them.

She had been startled (of course anyone who had something thrown at their head by the demon would be wise to be distressed), but instead of showing it she had simply nodded, purified it, and stuck it in the glass bottle hanging around her neck.

There had been a flicker of something across their bond then, but it was gone before she could identify it. Kagome had taken to calling the connection between their auras a bond because Sesshomaru had either refused, or been incapable, of releasing the tendril of her energy that joined them.

Last but not least...

4. Kagome would be the one to tell Inuyasha about the agreement.

She had protested, wondering why she had to be the lamb to the slaughter, and even gone so far as to suggest that Jaken do it. That was until she felt a decidedly mischievous tickle cross the demon Lord’s aura. Shocked, she had pinned him with what she hoped was an appraising glare, but met nothing but impassive amber in an equally impassive face.

Oh, if only she were looking at that face now. Inuyasha was livid. His expression put her in mind of a teakettle on high. Ears back, fangs and claws bared, he stood nose to nose with Kagome, bellowing.

“Inuyasha,” she tried to break into his tirade.

“...that you let that asshole...” He continued on, oblivious. She was certain that two villages away people were covering the ears of their children.

'How can he yell that loud when his own ears are so sensitive?' She cocked her head in contemplation feeling the anger and annoyance building around the other volatile demon in their company. Of course Sesshomaru wouldn’t give any warning. There would be no yelling. There would be no stomping. There would be no spittle flying from his mouth. She grimaced. He’d just cut Inuyasha’s head off and be done with it.

“...you be so stupid!?”

Kagome flinched at that. She hated it when he called her stupid. She most definitely was not stupid. In fact at the moment he was the one being stupid because he was definitely pissing off his brother.

“Inuyasha. Stop!” Once again her words fell on deaf ears.

Sango and Miroku looked on in sympathy. They had both already tried to quiet his foul mouth. All it had taken was one pointed glare and a growl to know that Inuyasha was a hair’s breadth away from striking out at someone. They both knew he’d never hit Kagome. Plus she could always sit him.

When Kagome had sensed that Inuyasha was really working up his momentum and wouldn’t be stopping any time soon she had sent Shippo to go play with Rin. The little girl had left shortly after the first string of foul words exited the hanyou’s mouth. Sesshomaru was with them, but from his feelings he could obviously still hear everything said.

“...no way in hell I’m gonna let that bastard stick around!”

Kagome sighed and rubbed her temples. Inuyasha was really getting tiresome.

“...betray me like this!? First you let him into our group. What’s next are you going to invite him into your bed!?”

Her head snapped up and if the fire in her eyes wasn’t enough to warn the hanyou the reflexive clenching of her fists should have been. “SIT!” Kagome was now officially furious. The thud Inuyasha made when the rosary forced him into the ground and cut off his words wasn’t even satisfying.

“How dare you?” Her voice was low and dangerous, little more than a whisper. “Who do you think you are to talk to me that way?”

Her friends could see the metaphorical dark clouds and lightning gathering over the young miko’s head.

“SIT!” Kagome yelled again when the hanyou made to rise. She wanted to kick him. She wanted to hit him. How could he say something like that? “Where in the hell were you last night!?”

Being around children so much, Kagome didn’t normally curse. But when she felt the need she could bring out some very colorful phrases courtesy of her home time.

“Don’t try to change the subject!” Inuyasha sputtered as he pushed against the binding spell.

Kagome’s tone took on a deadly whisper of finality. “Sit.”

The angry hanyou was once again treated to a mouthful of dirt.

“Listen very closely Inuyasha. Sesshomaru is staying. I don’t give a flying fuck what you think about it.”

In the background Sango gasped. Miroku looked on in admiration. Sometimes their hanyou friend really needed to be put into his place.

“You left us all night,” Kagome emphasized. “For all you knew we could’ve been dead when you got back. You weren’t here to help make the decision so we came to a consensus on our own. It was a majority decision. Deal with it.” She spun around on her heel to stalk out of the campsite but stopped just on the edge of the tree line to gather her bow and arrows. “Sit.”

Once again Inuyasha was subdued.

Over her shoulder she called, still in that vicious whisper, though it now was oddly tremulous. “And don’t ever question my honor again.”

Sango and Miroku were left with a grumbling hanyou as they stared into the forest after their friend.

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Sesshomaru watched as his ward chased the fox kit around the small clearing in some game that the kit had called tag. It seemed relatively futile to him but Rin enjoyed it. A small warmth rose in his chest as he listened to her laugh. She threw her arms wide spinning in a tight circle before bolting off after the kitsune again.

The fox kit pressed a leaf to his head before several copies of himself burst outward to run in different directions. Rin’s shout of ‘no fair!’ echoed through the clearing.

“She’s right Shippo.” The miko appeared from the forest a dozen feet to the left of Sesshomaru. She sunk to the base of a nearby tree and let out a worn sigh.

Shippo giggled madly, his copies echoing him before disappearing in little poofs of smoke. Rin leapt on him crying out ‘you’re it’ before running away through a patch of knee high yellow blossoms, kicking up grasshoppers in her wake.

The scene calmed Kagome and she allowed the tension from her confrontation with Inuyasha to slowly melt away. She had been on the verge of tears when she fled the camp but the merriment of the children that had filtered through the trees made her remember that there was someone here who loved her. A small smile made it’s way onto her face. Yes, Shippo loved her very much.

The fox turned to face his adoptive mother and though he could see the quirk to her lips he knew that any other time it would’ve been a full-blown smile. Unlike Rin, he could hear everything said back at camp. The hanyou would be repaid.

He ran full tilt towards Kagome and buried his little face against her stomach. “Don’t cry,” he whispered.

That nearly undid her. She could never hide from her little Shippo. He always knew. Moisture built up along the edges of her eyes and she blinked it back furiously.

“Kagome-nee-chan?” Rin’s small voice caused Kagome to look up from the bundle of fox snuggling, and making a noise that was strangely close to a purr, into her stomach. “Are you alright?”

The little girl looked so concerned. A small wrinkle had settled itself between her brows and her bottom lip stuck out ever so slightly.

Kagome bit her own lip before a gentle genuine smile came back. “Yeah Rin.”

A blinding gap toothed grin was her reward and she couldn’t stop herself from reaching out and hugging Rin to her. The child seemed surprised at first, before returning the squeeze with more strength than Kagome thought possible for a girl her age.

Sesshomaru watched the three out of the corner of one golden eye. Rin verily glowed after the miko had embraced her. She was usually a joyful child, but he was not above noticing that the few times he had crossed paths with his half-brother’s group the child had seemed even more jubilant.

He heard the miko giggle and send the children back out to play. Her face now alight with happiness. 'She is like Rin,' he mused. 'Surprising, yet fitting.'

As if sensing his gaze Kagome looked over at Sesshomaru, only to find him with his attention fixed on his young ward. She shrugged and leaned back against the tree letting the delighted cries and playful shouts of the children wash over her as the sun rose high overhead.

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