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Chapter 1: Teenage Woes

When I was younger, I fantasized of white knights in shining armor battling fearsome dragons and saving beautiful damsels. I never imagined I would meet one in real life. Nor did I ever imagine raising a child with one either.

"You spoil her." I ignored him, instead focusing on my task at hand. Building a fire was no easy feat without the help of lighters or matches. Those were like a distant memory to me now. A soft rumble across from me finally had me looking up, irritation rising within me.

"Thats funny coming from you. Were you not the one who bought her a new kimono that last visit?" A slight narrowing of his eyes was the only answer to my question. Smirking, I went back to attempting once again to get the stupid sticks on fire.

You would think five years of making my own fires that I would be better at it. Yet the chore was still just that, a chore. It required thought, hard work, and on days like today, failure.

"This and that are not the same thing." I rolled my eyes. Was he still going on about that?

"It's a cat Sesshomaru, not a castle." I silently thanked god as a tiny flame appeared from the sparks of my flint, and with renewed faith, I fed my tiny source of heat with a bit of moss, before gently blowing life into it. Soon my flame became a fire, and with a relieved sigh, I went about the hut to start getting ready to cook dinner.

"This Sesshomaru did not agree to this decision. Take it back to wherever it is the feline came from." I could feel my temper rising, but with hard won patience that I had earned over the years, I instead slammed my pan none to gently onto the fire.

I was still working on the patience thing.

"No." Best to keep my answers short and sweet. He would get over it eventually. So what if I had let Rin keep a cat. She had been lonely this past winter, and the poor thing had been starving. It was what you called a win-win situation. Besides, it was easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission.

"Get rid of it or I will." And just like that, my patience was gone. I crossed my arms, practically vibrating with anger as I glared at him, thick hot energy pulsing around me in a blaze of pink.

"Touch one hair on that cat and you will have a lot more than a cat to worry about." Those golden eyes sparked with something that I could not describe. It was a look I'd only seen a few times, and for a moment, I was unsure if I was seeing things.

Perhaps threatening the lord of the west wasn't exactly the wisest decision, but there was no way I was going to let him give into his doggy instincts and hurt an innocent kitten. I didn't even want to think of how Rin would react to it. She had barely left her new furry companion alone for more than a few seconds.

"A kimono is a necessity. The cat is not a necessity. It is an inconvenience." With an irritated sigh, I threw a bit of oil onto the pan, letting it heat up as I glared at the irritated dog demon.

"Fine. Go tell Rin to give up her cat. I'll wait." There was something about getting under his skin, it was like a secret pleasure, finding all the hidden buttons that could get him to do exactly as I wanted. Perhaps this was what you called feminine charm?

"You gave her the cat. You get rid of it." I couldn't stop myself from chuckling, knowing that the battle was already won. There was no way in hell Sesshomaru would ever hurt Rin. Would never be the "bad guy." He must be crazy if he thought I was going to let him play good cop on this one.

"I'm not the one who has the problem with the cat. You do. So you take care of it." Hook. Line. And sinker. The subtle shift in his posture was a dead give away what he thought about that.

"The cat stays here. It will not travel with us." It was like witnessing a bad soap opera, watching Rin come in at that exact moment, her sweet chocolate brown eyes widening in shock, her arms tightening around her cream colored companion.

"Artemis…isn't coming?" She asked, her bottom lip quivering as she stared at her lord.

If he had been a cursing man, I'm certain he would have spouted a few choice words at her bad timing. I pretended not to notice his exasperation, choosing instead to feed the hot oil with some deer meat, enjoying the sweet scent of cooking meat.

A sad mew left the little feline, his big impossibly blue eyes looking at Sesshomaru with a sweetness that no one with a heart could ignore. I watched from the corner of my eye as his eyebrow ticked, unconsciously holding my breath as I watched the showdown between the two.

Rin was finally at that age where hormones were rearing its ugly head. Thirteen was a rough age for anyone, and secretly I wondered how Sesshomaru would be able to handle the headstrong woman Rin was turning out to be.

No one ever said fatherhood was easy.

"It stays." He sounded so sure. As if there was not a doubt in his mind that the cat would stay here. Certainly, he expected his ward to listen to him, for he was her lord. Unfortunately, he hadn't just spent the winter with her, or realize that after you received a visit from aunt flow, that the word no was no longer an acceptable answer.

"FINE! IF ARTEMIS STAYS. SO DOES RIN!" and with that, she was stomping out of the hut, her feline companion in tow.

Ah. Sweet sweet revenge.

I admit, I felt a little bad for him as he stared after his ward, his mouth slightly agape, eyes staring with disbelief at the flapping fabric that was my door. Within an instant though, my sympathy was gone like the wind, as he turned accusing eyes on me.

"What…was…that?" I flipped the meat over, ignoring his biting tone. I had spent the last few years dealing with his temper with barely a thank you or even a compliment. It hadn't bothered me when we first met, nor would it bother me now.

"That my dear fluffy friend, is what we call a teenager. Get used to it. She's all yours this summer." I couldn't help but smile teasingly, enjoying how lost he looked at the moment. He was probably still trying to wrap his mind over the fact Rin had yelled at him…over a cat.

I watched him take a tentative sniff of the air, his eyes closed as if he was working out a problem in his head. My long years of friendship with Inuyasha had taught me that a dog demon's nose was not something to take lightly.

It had been beyond embarrassing to realize that he always knew when my cycle was, or if my stomach was upset, or hell, if I was having a daytime fantasy. And he was only a half demon. I could only imagine how strong Sesshomaru's sense of smell was. It was…concerning to say the least.

"Her scent…is different." Despite my eagerness at teasing him, I couldn't stop my heart from breaking a little bit at his tone. His little girl was growing up. It felt like just yesterday she had been a child of eight full of laughter and childish pranks.

Now, Rin's head touched right under my jaw, her legs long and awkward at this age, her hair so long that on most days she kept it in a ponytail as she helped me with the sick and suffering. She had seen so much for one so young, and lately, it had been showing.

"She had her first cycle shortly after you left, and I suspect she has grown another 5 centimeters since then." It was hard, to see him try to conceal his pain.

"She is too young to be considered a woman. She is still…a child." I stood up quietly, before walking around the fire to sit next to him. Without thinking, I gently grabbed his hand and squeezed it, my eyes looking at his. I felt him stiffen for a moment, but he didn't pull away.

Perhaps it was because he was surprised at my nerve. Or maybe he was so distraught that he wasn't thinking clearly. Somehow, I highly doubted that, but whatever reason it might be, I took it in stride.

"She IS still a child Sesshomaru, no matter what her body does. Just because her…scent is different…doesn't change anything. Just because she has the ability to have children now, doesn't mean that she should. Believe me when I say, if any boy or man looks at her wrong, you will have to fight me for first dibs at them."

Despite the circumstances, a tiny smirk appeared, and I could feel my heart skip a beat at the way his eyes glittered with amusement. Apparently the way to Sesshomaru's heart was threatening to kill something. Figures.

With slightly pink cheeks, I realized I was still holding his hand, and quickly let go, instead focusing back on my cooking meat. With a pair of chopsticks, I grabbed the now cooked meat and put it on a plate, before throwing some more oil and meat into the pan.

I offered the plate to Sesshomaru, who took it without a word. We had long since had the argument of him turning down perfectly good food due to his demon sensibilities, whatever the hell that meant.

Apparently old dogs really could learn new tricks.

"Do you think she wishes to stay here for the summer?" I couldn't stop my sigh, knowing that not only did I have a brooding teenager to deal with, now I had a brooding dog demon as well.

"I don't know. Do you think her bringing a cat is really that big of a deal?" I could see the way his eye ticked with irritation, our previous argument rearing right back up again.

"It is inconvenient…and useless." I couldn't stop my eyes from rolling, knowing this would probably go on for awhile.

"So is Jaken, but you keep him around." As I flipped the meat, I almost jumped at the unexpected sound of him chuckling, and instantly turned my head at him in shock. I had made him laugh? Me? Was the world ending?

"So you are saying I should get rid of Jaken and take this feline instead?" I couldn't stop my laughter at the image of the poor imp begging his lord not to have him replaced by a cat. The pain, the agony! Oh the humiliation!

"Now my dear Lord, when have I ever told you what to do?" Joking with him always felt so fun. So right. It was as if there wasn't this ginormous gap between us.

That he wasn't some great demon lord who only gave me the time of day because his ward liked me, and because I was a great babysitter during the winter months. Anything more than that was out of the question.

Years ago, after the destruction of Naraku and the final chapter of the Shikon Jewel, he had brought his young human ward to our village. The winter would be rough that year, and he did not wish for her to get sick on their travels. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and they weren't kidding.

Despite Rin's ability to handle herself, she was quite the handful, and had a penchant for trouble. Maybe she got that trait from me?

While Rin had eventually became comfortable being a part of this village, Sesshomaru on the other hand, had not. He rarely stayed longer than a few hours, and we had gotten in our fair share of arguments of how Rin should be raised.

Sango and Miroku would both joke about how we acted like a real married couple. Inuyasha at first would get in-between us, fearing that one of these days I would truly bite off more than I could chew. Despite my sometimes lack of tact, Sesshomaru never raised one claw at me, and eventually Inuyasha relaxed, trusting that his brother would not harm me.

That or he decided I wasn't worth dying for.

Either way, I had become expectant of Sesshomaru's arrivals, even came to anticipate them. He was like a breath of fresh air in the mundane every day life of this village. I missed adventure. Missed not knowing where I'd be tomorrow.

It didn't hurt that he was easy on the eyes, despite his taciturn personality. When you rubbed him the right way though, he was quite fun to talk to. You could tell he loved Rin deeply, even if he had a funny way of showing it. Though according to Rin, he was incredibly caring once you got to know him.

Sometimes, I wondered if the stories she told were just her imagination. But as I took in the way his shoulders relaxed, and the gentle way he smiled when he thought of her, I knew I was foolish not to believe her.

Knew it was foolish to hope the only person who had ever made him laugh was me.

"I'll talk to Rin about Artemis later. I'm sure she will calm down after she eats something." Another funny side effect of her newly awakened hormones, I'm sure. I wasn't quite sure if I should let Sesshomaru be privy to that sort of information though.

He only nodded, otherwise quiet as I placed the now cooked meat on a plate, before throwing another chunk in the pan. Smiling, I glanced at him as I stood up, plate in hand.

"Watch the fire for me ok. If that meat is burnt when I get back, you'll be in big trouble mister!" I didn't bother waiting for his reply, his dark look spoke more than I wanted to hear anyways.

Instead, I walked outside, enjoying the quiet of the evening as everyone had quit the fields for the day and were turning in. The scent of cooking food was heavy in the air, a gentle scent of homeyness that always seemed to soothe my soul.

I found Rin at Sango's hut, holding the demon slayers rowdy son as she prepared dinner for her wicked lot. Artemis had found himself a home in Kaya's arms, the oldest of the twins. Saya, the younger twin, apparently wasn't handling it well, and was begging her father to let her hold the pretty kitty.

He only laughed and told her to help her mother with dinner.

"Rin, its dinner time. Are you ready to come home?" I asked, gently combing her hair with my free hand. Pouting, she turned away, but the scent of cooked deer was too much to resist, and soon she was reaching for it.

"Ah ah ahhh." You can eat it at home. Now, how about you and Kaya switch what you are holding and we will head back.

For a moment, it looked like she would argue, but at the sight of the juicy meat on my plate, her shoulders slumped and with typical teenage angst, she spun on her heel and stomped to her destination.

Soon, Artemis was in hand, and we were wishing everyone a good night before heading back.

"So…you wanna talk about it." I asked, knowing that if I started this conversation wrong, it would blow up in my face.

"He is Rin's cat. He's a good kitty. Rin will take good care of him. Why won't Lord Sesshomaru let Rin keep him? It's not fair!" I couldn't help but wonder if I was like this when I was thirteen. How mama and grandpa survived it was beyond me. I could only pray to have my mother's patience, and grandpa's good humor.

"Rin. You know its dangerous out there. Artemis isn't like Kirara or Ah-Un. He's just a sweet little kitty cat. Sesshomaru is just worried that he will get hurt and thinks he would be safer here with me. I promise I'll take reallllly good care of him while your away." Despite my gentle tone, I could see the tears in her eyes, and the way she was shaking her head.

"Rin isn't strong and Sesshomaru protects Rin just fine. Why can't he protect Artemis too?" As much as I wanted to agree with her, I knew I couldn't. How could I trust Artemis not to wander off at the wrong moment and put Rin in danger? I couldn't.

"I had a cat when I was about your age. His name was Buyo. He was the fattest, sweetest, laziest cat you had ever met. When I moved here, I was really sad I couldn't bring him with me. But when I thought about it, I knew it would be really dangerous for a sweet kitty like Buyo. So I trusted him to my mom to keep him safe for me till I came back. Rin, do you really think Artemis would be okay out there?"

Standing outside my hut, I turned to look at her. Every sniffle and choked sob broke my heart, and as much as I wanted to throw my arms around her and promise her the world, I couldn't. A part of me wished she had never brought home that cat all those months ago, if only because I couldn't stand her tears.

I had known this would happen. Had known without a doubt Sesshomaru would never allow her little feline friend to accompany them. I had also known though, that I was more than willing to keep him for her in the meantime.

I was an animal lover after all.

"Kagome promises to take good care of Artemis? Promise to give him belly rubs every day and feed him every morning and every night." I couldn't stop myself from smiling, knowing that by the will of god I had somehow gotten through to this stubborn child.

And got a cat out of it too.

"I promise to rub his belly as much as he wants, and to feed him every day and every night and sometimes in-between."

Hiccuping, she held the purr machine up to me, and with a heavy heart, I traded my plate of cooked meat for her furry companion. Once more, my hand stroked her hair, loving the silky texture, and the way it always soothed her.

Biting her lip, she looked at the hut, before her big brown eyes were once more peeking up at mine.

"Do you think Lord Sesshomaru is angry with Rin?" She whispered, her eyes once more darting back and forth between the hut and me.

Quietly, I leaned down so I could whisper into her ears, knowing Sesshomaru could hear every word, but wanting to let her believe it was a secret anyways.

"I think Rin owes lord Sesshomaru a very sincere apology." She did chose a cat over him after all. Every doggy sensibility in him must be absolutely mortified. I tried my best not to giggle.

She nodded before taking a deep breath, silently preparing herself for what was to come. I gave her an encouraging smile before walking in, holding the door open for her incase she got scared and bolted off.

Rin was a trooper though, and with a straight back and stiff shoulders she walked straight up to Sesshomaru, before bowing at the hip, her pretty long hair falling like a black waterfall around her.

"Rin was … Rin is sorry Lord Sesshomaru. Rin shouldn't have yelled or said those things. Rin … Rin wants to be with Lord Sesshomaru. Kagome promised to watch Artemis while Rin is gone. Rin is really sorry my lord."

It was the first time I had ever seen Rin get upset with Sesshomaru about anything, other than maybe that first time he had brought her here. She had begged and pleaded not to be left behind. Now she was excited, happy to spend time during the winter learning different ailments and herbs.

To be honest, I couldn't help but feel proud as she apologized. True, she might be a child, but she was growing up. Too quickly it seemed. Looking at Sesshomaru, I couldn't help but feel that he felt the same.

"Come eat Rin. We leave shortly." And just like that, she was forgiven. If you called that forgiveness…

"Yes my lord!" she crowed, eagerly taking a seat next to him. I handed her a pair of chopsticks, setting down the cat before taking my seat next to her. A plate was handed to me, and with shock, I took it, noticing that it was cooked just the way I had liked, and a pair of clean chopsticks were already on the plate.

I accepted the meal, my cheeks heating up as I realized I had literally threatened Sesshomaru to cook for me. Peeking up at him, I whispered a thank you, feeling strangely warm at the thought that not only had he caught this deer, he had cooked it for me.

Maybe I was the spoiled one after all?

So what did you think. Those of you following solace will probably notice that Artemis is my cat who unfortunately passed away a few days ago. This chapter is dedicated to him. If there was anyone in the world I would ever give him to, it would be Kagome and Rin. I wanted to write something for him, but didn't really see how I could incorporate it into my other fanfics without it seeming silly, so I decided to start a whole new story just for him.

I know, crazy cat lady alert. Anyways, please note that Kagome will go more in detail of her relationship with Inuyasha, or rather lack thereof, in later chapters. I hate starting every fic like no those two are not together and Kagome is totally available. Sometimes, I just want her thoughts to speak for themselves. As you guys may have guessed, this is gonna be another parenting fic of my favorite couple, but its gonna go more in detail of how they drive each other crazy, while trying to raise a teenager.

Hope you guys liked this story, and remember to follow, favorite, AND REVIEW! Happy New Years!