Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this new beginning… especially for the short one. A nod of recognition is bent towards Rumiko Takahashi for her creative prowess.

A Debt of Gratitude: With thanks to the illustrious Fenikkusuken, who is my beta and my friend. It was your Sess/Rin that dragged me into this fandom in the first place. Blame or credit, take your pick. ׃׃twinkle׃׃

Author's Note: This collection kicks off my participation in another drabble contest community on Live Journal, this time for Sesshoumaru & Rin. Future chapters will be at the whim of the week's writing prompt and word limit, but installments will be chronological, and there will be a gradual progression. Undeniable is a story of sorts; it will just be told in bits and pieces.

This drabble was originally posted to Live Journal on January 14, 2008.

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Obligation

The child sneezed… again. It was an unpleasant sound, thick and wet, and though he might not know much about humans, it didn't require any stretch of the imagination for Sesshoumaru to realize that the girl had sickened somehow. He wondered vaguely if he could be held accountable for this proof of the innate frailty of her race. Much as he'd like to deny the possibility, he couldn't quite convince himself that protection and prevention were mutually exclusive.

She'd been following them for days now, and her continued presence—her very existence for that matter—amounted to an unforeseen and unwanted obligation. Not for the first time, Sesshoumaru berated himself for acting on the impulse to use Tenseiga. Consequences. He knew better than most that actions came with consequences, and the honorable took responsibility for them. In his case, this meant accepting responsibility for a wisp of a girl. In essence, she was his now.

As resignation settled around him, Sesshoumaru stopped and waited for the others to catch up. The child—Rin, he reminded himself—sneezed again and dragged her sleeve across her nose, blinking and snuffling for a moment before lifting fever-bright eyes to his face and smiling hopefully. Sesshoumaru frowned; Jaken quailed. They were ill-equipped; something must be done. So be it. Jaken would be sent to fetch Ah-Un, who could carry the child by day and lend her warmth at night. Let it never be said that Sesshoumaru neglected his duty—no matter how distasteful.

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End Note: This drabble was written for the Live Journal community mf(underscore)sanctuary, which is the LJ affiliate of the Moonlight Flower website, and their theme for Week 1—Cold Comfort. 249 words.