A Warrior's Heart by Lelbet

Chapter One

A/N: This is my first fanfic so my grasp of the characters may not be as good as some, so just bare with me. I hope you enjoy.

CHAPTER ONE

Kagome sighed as she watched the flames of her small campfire dance happily over her dinner. It had been nearly two years since she had begun her restless wandering, two years since he had broken her heart. She had travelled constantly over those two years, alone, without need of companionship.

Now, though, she was gripped by a strong sense of loneliness that surprised her. Never had she experienced such a strong sense of longing for a companion, for any kind of contact. She was frustrated and annoyed at herself for allowing such loneliness to sneak up on her unawares. She usually squashed such feelings before they grew too prominent.

She turned the spit in the fire slowly; making sure the small rabbit she had caught was cooking thoroughly. She glanced around her small camp and sighed again. What was wrong with her? She had wandered for the better part of two years, content to be alone with nothing but the dusty road beneath her feet and her sometimes annoying thoughts of the past. Now she longed for a companion, a friend, someone that she could share her thoughts with.

She snorted at the direction her thoughts were taking her. 'I don't talk at all until I'm in Edo for the celebration, and that's only once a year and I say maybe two, three sentences, tops.' She shook her head, disappointed with herself. 'Now I'm wishing I could have a travelling companion. How sad is that?'

She took the rabbit out of the fire and placed it on a large leaf too cool. 'I need to talk to Kaede. She'll probably have some answers.' She thought for a moment, doing some quick calculations of her travels that day. She huffed approvingly. 'I should get there in a day or so. It'll be nice to sleep on a real bed for once.'

She was just about to take a bite out of her rabbit when a great wave of violent hunger washed over her senses. Close behind it was the sickly sweet feeling of deep fear. She looked at the rabbit mournfully before throwing it in the fire and dousing the flames. She was up and ready in a moment, adjusting the strap that held her quiver in place automatically.

She stretched out her senses, searching for the aura of hungry youki that she had felt wash over her. She smiled when she found it not far from her, towards the west, and took off running. 'Finally! Something to do!' Her mind cheered joyfully.

As she neared the area she felt the youkai in she heard the shrill scream of a young child in pain and grimaced. She ran faster, pushing some of her ki into her legs for an extra boost, dodging tree branches and random roots. She hoped to Kami above that she got there in time.

She jumped over some thick underbrush and suddenly found herself out in the open. The extra boost of her ki sent her sailing over the heads of not one, but four children, all crouching under a large bush. Not missing a beat she landed in front of them, her bow already drawn and pointed at the impossibly huge oni that threatened the children. Her aura crackled around her like blue lightening, making the oni step back slightly in fear.

"Back off before I rid the world of your filthy existence." Her voice was low and rusty form disuse and she cleared her throat reflexively. The oni made a growling sound of pleasure, obviously taking her action as a sign of weakness.

"Why would you protect these brats Miko?" The oni rumbled at her. "They are the offspring of the youkai that killed my family without mercy and he must pay for his treachery."

Kagome grunted out a surprised laugh. "You believe that killing this youkai's sons will make you feel any better? That it would bring your family back? You are a fool."

"Vengeance will be mine!" The oni screamed and charged at her. She expected the attack and defended against it easily. Throwing the oni across the clearing effortlessly.

"You would do well to judge your opponent with more intelligence." Kagome kept her voice calm and cool, knowing that it would piss the oni off more than her insults. "You would lower yourself so much to harm innocent children for the acts of a youkai who probably killed your family because they deserved it? I do not have any respect, let alone any fear of you. You disgust me."

The oni roared and attempted an attack again, this time aimed at the children huddling together at the edge of the clearing. Kagome calmly raised her bow and shot a single arrow at the oni. She did not wait to see if the arrow had hit, knowing instinctively that her aim was true. She turned to the children and observed that indeed they were youkai, inu-youkai.

The oni screamed helplessly as the arrow pierced his side and began to burn. Kagome did not turn to it and merely threw over her shoulder, "You should not have attacked these children, for now you pay the price and no one will avenge your family." The oni roared in a last attempt at scaring the girl before he succumbed to the holy power slowly eating away at him.

Kagome looked to the children, trying to determine which one of them had been hurt. As far as she could tell at least three of them were unharmed, if a little shaken. She looked past the three uninjured ones and gasped softly. She took a step forward, intent on helping, when a low, menacing growl sounded behind her.

She spun around as quickly as her body would allow, her bow already up and aimed at the unnoticed threat. She soon found herself staring down a red-eyed, growling demon lord who looked as if he would kill her as soon as he looked at her. She resisted the urge to gulp in fear and met the youkai's red eyes with a calm expression.

"Father!" Three voices interrupted their impromptu staring match as both looked towards the three children racing across the clearing towards the enraged taiyoukai. They barrelled into his legs all speaking at once.

"We were just playing in the clearing!"

"We stayed where you told us father, we swear!"

"That oni attacked us!"

"Aniki tried to defend us--"

"And now he's hurt Father!"

"That miko saved us father!"

"Yes! She killed the oni!"

Sesshoumaru held up his hand and the children fell silent. He looked at the stunned miko and she noticed vaguely that his eyes were no longer red. Now they held a silent question, a demand for her to tell him if what his sons were saying was true. She nodded slightly and he gave a short nod of gratitude back.

~*~*~*~*~

Sesshoumaru had never been more frightened in his life. He had been hunting for him and his sons, who were still too young yet to be hunting with their father, when he had heard his eldest's cry of pain and fear. He had rushed to his pups as quickly as he could but was stopped in his tracks when he felt a powerful miko's aura sweep through the forest, warning any who come near. His beast had gone ballistic, raging against the tight control his master kept on him.

In his rage he had not noticed that the power of the miko was very familiar to him. Nor did he notice that his sons were still alive and as well as could be expected as he entered the clearing. All he was focused on was killing the one who would dare harm his pups.

Now Sesshoumaru was focused on his three youngest. They were not harmed, although there was still a lingering scent of fear on them. His eldest, however, did not fare as well. He made his way slowly over to his son, careful not to make any sudden movements. He knew the scent washing off his son in sporadic waves. His eldest was experiencing his first blood rage and Sesshoumaru knew better than to provoke the beast.

He knelt at his son's side and growled softly, assuring the boy that his pack was safe and the miko was not a threat. The boy calmed slowly, relaxing now that his alpha was near and telling him everything was fine. Soon the boy was laying limp against his father's side, weak from his rage and loss of blood from a gaping wound in his side.

Sesshoumaru heard the miko gasp softly and turned his eyes to her. She was staring at his son, concern obvious in her eyes. She was clutching her bow tightly and looked as if she was fighting to control her aura, which was still washing over the area in protective waves.

He turned back to his son when he heard him give a little whine of pain. He concentrated on his youki and pushed some of it into the boy to speed his healing. When the wound in his son's side was nothing more than a bit of raw skin he woofed softly at his other sons, telling them to watch over their brother while he dealt with the miko.

He rose slowly and faced the miko that had saved his pups. He did not understand why the miko would defend his pups and he did not like it when he didn't understand something. He would figure this new development out and he planned to get all the information he could out of the now calm miko before him.

~*~*~*~*~

Kagome was really confused and a little worried. She had no idea that Sesshoumaru had children, nor did she understand why he had approached one of his own sons so cautiously.

She started when she felt his powerful youki fill the air. Her miko powers were still raging in her blood, screaming at her to protect the children at any cost. Her first reaction to the youki was to tense and prepare for an attack. But as she observed the interaction of Sesshoumaru's youki and his son's she realized that Sesshoumaru was healing his son, not harming him. She visibly relaxed and it was that knowledge that helped her get her raging blood under control.

She was able to meet Sesshoumaru in the eye when he faced her and she knew, just from the look in his eyes, that he meant to ask her questions, many questions. She prepared herself mentally for the onslaught. She knew from experience that it wasn't fun when the taiyoukai took it in his head to question anyone and she wanted to be able to answer him without breaking down or loosing her temper.

"Why?"

Kagome blinked at him. ''Why?' Why what?'

Sesshoumaru sent her a look that told her that he knew exactly what she was thinking and that he thought that she was a complete twit for thinking it. She huffed indignantly.

"Well excuse me your Highness, but unlike you seem to believe, I do not have the ability to read minds." She spoke calmly, not sure how he would react if she used the tone of voice she wanted to. "If you would be so kind as to inform me as to what you're asking why about I would be more than glad to answer."

He continued to stare at her, although she thought she saw a flicker of amusement in his golden eyes. Before she could analyse it further, however, it was gone and she was left wondering if she had seen it at all.

"Why did you help my pups?"

The look in his eyes said, there, happy now silly human? She glared at him, but answered as honestly as she could.

"I felt a wave of demonic hunger and a wave of fear and thought that it may have been a human that had wandered into the forest somehow. I heard a child scream and thought that it may have been a human child. When I got to the clearing I saw that an oni had attacked your sons, though at the time I didn't know that they were your sons. The oni said something about getting revenge on you or some other foolishness and attacked me, then your sons. I killed it, and then when I tried to help your wounded son you snuck up behind me and I reacted on instinct and nearly shot you. I'm sorry about that, by the way."

Sesshoumaru grunted and he looked a little far away to her. Probably trying to remember what he did to the oni she figured. She turned her attention to the children and smiled softly. They were devoted to their aniki, it was obvious. They were intent on protecting him.

~*~*~*~*~

Sesshoumaru was indeed trying to remember what he did to deserve the oni's wrath but decided that it was unimportant when he caught sight of the miko's gentle smile. She seemed to be watching his pups, who were at this moment staring between him and the miko with slightly fearful looks. They knew what their father usually did to people who thought that they could be so familiar with him and they obviously didn't want that to happen to the young miko.

The miko saw him staring at her out of the corner of her eye and she glanced back at him with a surprised look in her expressive blue eyes.

He nodded at her. "This Sesshoumaru thanks you for saving his sons."

He watched as her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. His sons gathered around his feet, his eldest now strong enough to follow as he turned away from the miko and began the long walk back to his palace.

"Wait!"

The sudden cry stopped him and he turned curious eyes on the miko. She blushed and he watched, fascinated, as it spread down what little of her upper chest he could see.

"Um... I just wanted to say... Um... That, well, I didn't know that you had children. I was, um... a little surprised." She fiddled with her nails and he found her nervousness amusing. He shook his head mentally. He should not have found anything about the miko amusing, or fascinating for that matter.

"You would not have known miko, unless I wished it to be so, and I did not."

She hummed a little and then smiled. "Well, I'm glad I know now." She turned to his pups. "Sorry if I startled you guys, but all I knew was that someone needed help, and I was able to give it."

His eldest cocked his head at the miko in a blatant display of curiosity but said nothing. His youngest, however, took a small step forward.

"Will we see you again miko?"

The miko smiled at his son. She knelt down so that she was eye-level with him and he scooted a little closer. "I don't know, but I hope so. I'd like to get to know you guys a little better."

His son smiled at the miko and stepped back to his father where his brothers gave him strange looks. He gave her one last nod and turned away. He heard her sigh and then the rustle of her clothing as she walked in the opposite direction.

He wondered if they would really meet the miko again. He still had many questions he wanted answered, like why her powers had not harmed his sons, or him, while she was struggling to keep them under control. He decided that he would confront the miko again in the near future, once his pups were safely back at the den and in the care of Rin and their numerous teachers.

He smiled mentally. Yes, he would see the miko again, and he would get the answers he wanted, whether she was willing to answer or not.

~-~-~-~-~

A/N: Well, there we go, the first chapter to my first ever fanfic. I really hope you guys like it. Please review. Constructive criticism is welcomed, flamers are ignored. Thank you!

Lelbet