Hello Everyone, this is my first story that I am posing online so of course it is about one of my favorite pairings Soten and Shippo with a little Rin and Kohaku included as well. The story is rated for later chapters and I am not sure where I will post chapters if they end up being not suitable for the site, but I will make sure you know where to look if I end up writing anything like that.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy and feel free to comment, critique and review as I would love to improve the story.

Revision Note: I did not change much of anything in any of the revised chapter. I was manly rewording some things and fixing a few weird mistakes.

The air in Raimei Valley was thick with humidity and heavy rain clouds blocked the sunlight, painting the sky a dark grey color. Among the tumbling hills of the valley a large cluster of humans soldiers trudged across the wet grass, moving swiftly and quietly with a strong sense of determination. They were there on a mission, but unbeknownst to them their presence had not gone unnoticed. They were being closely watched from above by a red snake like figure. It weaved about the clouds, following their movements before it disappeared silently into the gloomy atmosphere.

"LADY Soten!" a frantic voice rang out distracting the thunder demon from her peaceful meditation. She had been monitoring the horizon from the rooftop of her home that was wedged amongst the mountains, but the shriek of her approaching familiar made her break concentration.

"What is it Koryu?" She spoke through her teeth as her loyal dragon descended before her.

"My lady - humans - a whole fighting squad - they are approaching from the east" Koryu's long scaly body coiled across the roof tiles as he heaved, completely out of breath from his haste. He had seen the soldiers as he hunted in the grasslands of the valley, and immediately returned to report.

"Don't you think I know that already?" Soten twitched in frustration at the thought that Koryu would underestimate her so easily. "Do you think me so incompetent that I can't keep up with what's happening in my own territory?"

"N-No lady Soten" Koryu quickly realized his mistake in assuming this would be news to his master. "I just thought I would offer my assistance in dealing with them".

"Please Koryu, I'm a lot stronger now than I was the last time a threat entered this valley" Soten smirked and extended her arm to point in the direction of the main building of the house. "Now fetch Raigekijin and bring it to me, I will handle this myself".

Without hesitation Koryu raced from the rooftop to retrieve the fabled thunder pike for his awaiting master. Ever since Soten became strong enough to hold the blade upright without falling, she had been training with it, and she certainly proved she could wield the family heirloom with an ease that rivaled her late brother Hiten.

As Koryu returned he promptly surrendered the weapon to Soten and moved to execute her next command before she needed to voice it. He used the tip of his tail to tap the top of his head three times transforming himself into an ominous looking storm cloud. Soten climbed onto his back with Raigekijin cradled in her arms, and they departed from the house to meet the invading humans.

The traveling group of soldiers had covered a decent amount of land in the short time that elapsed, so they were definitely moving with a purpose.

"Alright Koryu let's give 'em a welcome," Soten raised her blade to the sky, and as if commanding nature itself a swift bolt of lightning shot from the dark clouds above her and struck right in front of the human's path.

"A DEMON!" one of the soldiers cried out as he scattered to a safer distance with his comrades, catching only a glimpse of the thunder demon as she lowered to the ground during the chaos.

"State your reason for entering Raimei Valley," Soten used the most commanding voice she could, but she was actually curious to learn why they were there, seeing as they weren't heavily armed.

"We cannot be slowed by this demon men," the human commander yelled out to the other soldiers. "We must reach our destination, so stand your ground and fight at all cost" they continued to ignore Soten and only further infuriated her already escalated temper.

"Hump" she huffed as the men raised their bows, and sent a flurry of arrows coming her way. She gripped the staff of Raigekijin and began to twirl it around her wrist. The helicopter motion easily thwarted the projectiles with little effort from the thunder demon, and she sucked her lip in disappointment.

"Why you…MEN PREPARE TO ATTACK AGAIN!" the humans began to ready themselves for another attack, but this only made Soten grow more insulted.

She might not be the most intimidating when it comes to looks, seeing as she got her father and eldest brother Hiten's facial features. She had matured nicely, but she found it easier to hide her girlish figure beneath her armor and baggy pants. Her thick black hair was normally bundled into a messy braid and it complemented well with her tan skin. The most threatening part about her was her red eyes, but even their abnormal color never stopped people from underestimating her. She frowned at the thought that these humans would think her so weak that they could actually stand a chance of defeating her, so she planned to make them regret ever raising their weapons for a fight.

"Fine then, you wanna do this the hard way," she swung her blade just in front of the soldiers and a lighting bolt ripped away the earth making the men tumble to the ground. "FOOLS! I am the last remaining member of the thunder demons, you dare attempt to best me with these weapons."

"Thunder…demon?" the soldier's leader spoke under his breath as Soten began to swing again. "NO PLEASE WAIT!" the leader charged in front of his men and fell to his knees at Soten's feet.

"Huh?" she froze her attack and stared at the man before her.

"If you are the last of the thunder demons then, might you be Soten?" he raised his gaze to look at her.

"You know of me?" she returned her pike to an upright position waiting for an explanation before deciding if she wanted to continue their fight.

"Yes, we have been sent to locate the thunder demon Soten by out lord. I do apologize, we were informed to locate a woman, so you understand that we were confused," he spoke honestly, truly believing that Soten was indeed a boy.

"Excuse me…" the expression on Soten's face suddenly began to radiate silent death and the men inched away from their leader allowing him to dig his grave alone.

After seeing his men cautiously retreating to a safer distance the commmander looked slowly toward the angry demon. Her eyes burned with rage, as the blade from her thunder pike swung down and landed just shy of the sensitive organ between his legs. He shuttered scooting backward from his place on the ground where he landed dodging her assault.

"I – AM – A – WOMAN!" she spoke each word slowly as she moved closer to the quivering human's face, shaking him to the core at the thought of his insulting mistake.

"S-Sorry, it's just – you look…" he stumbled over his words pausing to think of something to save his skin.

"I look what?" Soten asked as menacing as she could, hoping the man would consider it a life or death situation. She wouldn't actually kill him over something so stupid, but he had to pay for embarrassing her.

"You look so powerful and I have never seen a woman as strong as you" the man swallowed hard, before the words came spilling from his mouth so fast it was difficult to catch what he said.

"Nice save," Soten decided to be merciful and end her little game. She was anxious to know why they were looking for her, so she removed her blade from the man's personal space and stepped back so he could allow himself to breath again. "So, why have you sought me out?"

"That's right," the man recovered his composure and stood up. "We are here on behalf of the Fujiyama clan and we have a request from our master," he dusted off dirt from his pants and smiled.

"Fujiyama?" Soten paused for a second to see if she recognized the name, but she was certain that she had never heard it before.

"The Fujiyama clan is one of the ruling human families of the east," he took the liberty of enlightening her after seeing her confused expression. "Our lord has asked us to find you."

"For what business?" Soten wanted to put the pieces together on her own, but she was finding it harder to understand the more he spoke.

"Our lord has made a pact with the demon clan in the north," the man began to explain using his hands to gesture as he spoke. "He wants to integrate the two houses to strengthen the region. He and the northern demon's ruler have discussed ways to accomplish this, and they have decided to use the developing bond between humans and demons to their advantage.

"Why would demons need humans to be strong?" Soten chimed in after listening carefully to the man's explanation.

"Not all demons are out to destroy human life. Some demons, like the lord of the north, just want to live peacefully and befriending humans is a good way to accomplish that."

"That's all fine and dandy for YOU, your lord and the demons of the north, but what does that have to do with me?" Soten was starting to get frustrated that the man had yet to get to the point of why he was seeking her.

"Well our lord has arranged for his daughter to marry the great demon's son, but her life is in danger" he reached into his kimono and removed a large pouch of money. "He wants to request that you join a team to protect the young princess from any humans or demons who might wish to prevent her union with the prince. We will, of course, pay you handsomely" he offered her the money, but she turned up her nose.

"What makes you think I would accept?" she couldn't bring herself to figure out how they knew her name, let alone why they would bother her with this problem.

"Well we have noticed an improvement here in Raimei Valley since you took control of the thunder demon territory."

"Improvement?" Soten questioned his last statement in genuine disbelief. She wasn't sure how she should respond to the unexpected praise.

"In the past the valley was much too dangerous for humans, but in the recent years humans have been migrating and thriving here," he was most likely referring to her brothers who used to chase people away. She failed to see a reason to continue the practice. "I'm sure, being as strong as you are, you have noticed their settlement, yet you still allow them to remain. The people give you much praise, and we figured since you have shown sympathy and mercy toward them, this request would be a reasonable one," he paused but it took Soten a moment to register all he just said.

"Just because I don't chase them away like a barbarian, it doesn't mean that I am some kind of human loving teddy bear" she turned away making sure to fold her arms to look tough.

"Maybe we were wrong to make that assumption, my apologies for that," the man seemed saddened by her refusal and turned to his men to see the disappointment on their faces from the unsatisfying feeling of a wasted journey. He sighed then spun around to face the pouting demon with what seemed like a new spark of determination. "I would ask you to please consider the offer," he dropped to his knees before her bowing low and holding his position until she turned to witness his display.

"Why would I? It makes no sense," she once again turned away from the man this time to hide her flushed cheeks from his display of groveling.

"You see lady Soten we have gathered together the best warrior's we could find for this task. In fact the other members of the team are humans and demons that are directly connected to the group responsible for the defeat of Naraku. We know good quality fighters when we see them and we are certain that you are among the greatest" he spoke confidently, sure that his flattery would change her mind.

"So if you have such strong members why waste time on me?" she was disheartened at the mention of Naraku. She never found out who survived the battle and she was terrified to hear that someone she hoped to see again might have perished.

"Each of the members are extremely skilled in a specialized area. There is a young male demon slayer who has expertise in demon and human territories."

Soten's mind immediately went to the thought of the demon slayer Sango, whom she met in her childhood. She had known her to have a younger brother, and she pictured the slayer possibly living in peace with the womanizing monk, so long as they both lived through the final battle.

"There is also a young human woman who is rumored to have traveled with a very powerful demon throughout her youth, before studying under a great priestess."

She wasn't sure who this 'great' priestess might be, but she remembered the feisty woman Kagome who insisted she was the most adorable thing on the planet. It made her shudder to think about that woman pinching her cheeks mercilessly, treating her like some plaything.

"Lastly there is a young lad that is quick on his feet, a master of disguise. If I am not mistaken he is quite the accomplished kitsune."

"Shippo," she whispered to herself and finally faced the man with all her previous feelings of embarrassment vanishing. "Fine,"she conceded "tell this lord Fujiyama that I will accept his offer. She smirked and pushed away the money that was given to her for payment. "You needn't pay me money. I have my own reward in mind."

"ALRIGHT MEN SHE AGREED!" the human leader shouted to his men as they cheered. "Our castle is about two days east of here. Lord Fujiyama will be expecting everyone's arrival in five days, so take your time to prepare. When you arrive tell the guard that you are there to see chief Raizo, i'll brief you and introduce you to your comrades." He spoke excitedly then turned to his men with raised fists. "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, RETURN HOME MEN!" he shrieked to his smiling soldiers and they turned to take their leave.

"Koryu," Soten called her familiar after she watched the humans leave the valley. "We can go now," she commanded as he lowered to the ground before her so she could climb on his back. He stayed silent until they got close to their house and he felt like he had to give his opinion on the situation.

"Lady Soten are you sure that you have chosen the right path?" Koryu had been listening to the conversation from the clouds and he noticed that she was set on not going until the man mentioned a kitsune. He was sure that she drew the same conclusion as him about the fox in question being Shippo, but he wasn't sure if her feelings might overwhelm her.

"I know what I'm doing, and I know HE will be there."

"That's what I'm afraid of, I didn't want you to go overboard when you face him again - " he was quickly silenced by Soten's fist striking his head.

"I know how to handle myself, and now is my chance to prove to that fox had no right to treat me like a child."

"B-but at the time you were a child-" Koryu was once again silenced by the sharp pain of Soten's knuckles against his skull.

"SHUT UP KORYU! Just take me home so I can prepare," she pouted and turned her attention to what would soon be unfolding.

Three days time and she would come face to face with HIM again. This would be her chance to prove how strong she really is.

Last time they met, they were evenly matched. Fighting Shippo was the first real battle she ever fought, and she let him get away. Ever since then, every fight or threat that entered the valley ALWAYS underestimated her, and she couldn't help but somehow blame it on her failure of a first battle. She thought it would be fine and she would eventually forget. Yet, she thought about him way too much, even after their battle, so it only made sense that to clear her mind she would have to prove that she could be just as strong, if not stronger than him. She just needed the opportunity, and her patience finally paid off.

So the story begins. Thank you so much for reading!

See you next chapter!

-EryneBenae