To Protect the Alpha Female

Summary: Kagome had no idea she had been claimed from the very beginning, nor the depth of the request she made of Inuyasha. How could a human ever grasp the intricacies of pack politics and the reason why Sesshomaru was so intent on obtaining Tessaiga? The off-limits girl knew not of her situation, but soon, she would.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

(A/N: Not sure how often I'll update this one, its just a way to clear my mind from my main story, but I do foresee it being a decently long story, 10 chapters at least.)

Chapter 1: To Become the Alpha Bitch

He stood on shaky legs, bloodied and battered, his once silver hair streaked red. That asshole of a brother of his came out of nowhere and proceeded to beat him to a pulp, again.

"What the hell is your problem, Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha panted out, exhaustion and pain laced into his voice. The tormentor in question hadn't a scratch on him, not a single drop of blood staining his pristine, white, silk clothes.

The stoic demon would never say out loud the reason he was here, which was to provide training for his pathetic sibling, and instead used a repetitive fallback, "You are weak, Half-breed; a disgrace to our father's blood." It was the truth after all, seeing as Inuyasha was barely conscious and he had been going easy on the whelp. He should be grateful for this opportunity, he came out of every battle learning at least one new thing, whether he realized it or not. An outright offer to be trained had been denied, but it was a family duty to do so; Sesshomaru simply had to find cunning ways to trick the pup into learning.

"Keh, I think you just need to go get laid or something; find a mate to focus your attention on and leave me be already," Inuyasha suggested carelessly, wanting these routine beatings to stop already. It seemed that as soon as he had healed, Sesshomaru would return and land him right back on bed-rest, which was not so comfortable seeing as he lived alone in the woods.

"This Sesshomaru shall only take a mate if the female proves worthy," he showed no emotion as usual, even at the callous way his inferior spoke to him.

"And how would she do that?" Inuyasha asked. Not like he really cared, but if he got Sesshomaru talking, maybe he could catch his breath.

A sly smile peeked across his lips, "By surviving my attempts to end her life."

Inuyasha was only briefly able to think about how impossible that search would be before the attacks resumed.

That had been about 60 years ago, before Inuyasha met Kikyo and got sealed to a tree for 50 years. Inuyasha had all but forgotten the conversation, one he knew Sesshomaru was completely serious about, until the very event he described, happened. Both brothers were stunned speechless when the frail looking human girl managed a feat they had both failed at, pulling out Tessaiga from its podium. It even caused Sesshomaru to cease his attack and turn his attention on her. No normal human could have managed it, made evident by Sesshomaru's question of "What are you?" Not who, but what. Standing just arm's length in front of her, perusing her assets and trying to identify her strength, he could detect an unknown amount of untapped holy power, but other than that, she was just a human. His curiosity sated, and feeling a bit let down that his search would continue, there was no way a human could be worthy of him.

Inuyasha identified right away what was going on, "Sesshomaru, leave her alone, she's not involved in this." He understood his brother enough to realize he intended to kill her, that was the only way to prove she was not his equal, or even, superior, seeing as she accomplished what he could not.

"Inuyasha," she called for help, then did the most foolish thing possible, she threatened Sesshomaru. "One step closer and I'll cut you." Her knees were knocking together, the sword shaking in her hands as she tried to look brave.

"For some unknown reason, I was unable to draw Tessaiga. Fortunately, you were unable to draw it either. Its obvious that she must die," Sesshomaru vocalized Inuyasha's worries.

"You're right. It is weird that she could do it but we couldn't, but she's still just a human girl," Inuyasha was trying to remind Sesshomaru that his word he gave so long ago needn't apply to humans. She would never be able to survive him, so he didn't need to prove anything. He was begging for her life, begging Sesshomaru to let it go this time. "Kagome, give him the sword, there's no choice." He was hoping the sword would be gift enough to placate him, a sign of surrendering on her part to simply hand it over.

"No way, why does he automatically get to keep it?" Kagome snapped back, letting her attitude put her life in a very dangerous place. "If he couldn't pull it out then he's not supposed to have it. He'll have to come and take it." If Sesshomaru had been considering showing mercy, she had obliterated that thought with her declaration. There was no other course of action now, and Inuyasha saw that all too clear.

The two bickered a bit longer before Sesshomaru hummed to himself and spoke, drawing their full attention with his smooth baritone voice, "Inuyasha, your patience with this creature is astonishing to me." He still was a bit unclear if she was simply a human, that power he sensed within her, it was disguised even from his keen senses. "You protect her, indulge her, even seem to love her." He noted Inuyasha's unease at his statement. "Certainly, these feelings of mercy of yours are not something I inherited from out our great and terrible father. It must have been that mother of yours; that human mother, who caused our father to meet his end in this ignoble place. Her blood affects you as well. Is it that which so endears you to them? When it comes to humans, I of course, bear no such weakness." He ended his monologue with a shower of acid over Kagome, reducing her to a puddle of sludge, or so he thought. His insults continued, reminding Inuyasha that he will never be the alpha, "You forget your station, worthless half-breed." Inuyasha suddenly increased in power and speed as his anger reached its peak. He landed a few glancing blows, closer than he'd ever gotten to actually wounding Sesshomaru. "All that for a memory and a dead mortal girl? If I'd have know that's what it took to make you fight, I'd have killed her sooner." He was not only referring to today, but in all their past battles, possibly even Inuyasha's own mother, or so he perceived it.

"I'm going to slit your stomach, take out your guts and put 'em in a bowl. By the time I'm through with you, your gonna wish it was you that's dead," Inuyasha threatened through clenched teeth.

Gasping for breath, Kagome emerged from her slimy puddle, "I thought I was a goner." Again, both demons froze in there actions to observe her unbelievingly. Neither could believe what they had just witnessed. A female had actually survived Sesshomaru, not only that, but a human female. "Hey you, you tried to kill me didn't you?" She pointed Tessaiga at Sesshomaru again, displaying her defiance and walked towards the dumb-struck Inuyasha. "Don't go thinking you're gonna get away with it, Mister." She threw yet another threat before changing her tone and addressing Inuyasha. "Here, I think we underestimated it. Don't let me down." Another oblivious move, by gifting the sword to Inuyasha, she declared him as her protector. He knew though, that Sesshomaru had an overriding claim, made many decades ago, that he could never compete with. That was just how pack politics worked. As much as he hated it, Sesshomaru was the alpha, and he the beta. The alpha always got first pick and unless he was killed, that status would never be taken from him. He declared that if any female, not specifying species, should survive his attempt on her life, she would become his mate. This made Kagome the alpha female, although she knew nothing of it. It was already his job as beta to protect her if requested, and she had.

"Hey, uh, how come you're still alive?" Inuyasha struggled to grasp everything that had just happened. She just looked at her hands confusedly and shrugged her shoulders.

Sesshomaru was seething inside; no way a human would be his mate. He felt her power when she emerged, encasing her body and protecting her, but he did not wish to speak it out loud. He had not specified in what manner a female need protect herself either, whether it be of own strength or with the use of some object. He opted to state the less insulting possibility, and unsurprisingly, the others followed suit, "The sword, that's what protected you." He could still try to kill her again, since he never said how many times she need resist him. That was one option to get out of this mess. His aura whipped around him madly, and Inuyasha knew why, Sesshomaru had no intention of letting this woman live, for if she did, he would have to keep his word and she was not something he desired.

Skulls swirled and were flung at inuyasha, shattering against his own hard head. Not understanding the complexities of the situation, Kagome ranted in her mind, 'What's his problem; what a jerk.'

"Lets see if a half-breed can even wield the Tessaiga. I myself will be the witness," he declared before his eyes burned a dangerous red and his body became encased in light, transforming himself into a giant dog. But we all know how this battle progressed; fighting for their lives, Myoga appearing and fleeing, and toxic fumes forcing them out of the body of InuTaisho. In order to go after the girl's life properly, Sesshomaru must first take out her protector. Aiming straight for her would be dishonorable.

Kagome cheered Inuyasha on from the sidelines, "Tessaiga's yours, you just gotta believe in it, like I believe in you."

"You are nuts, this sword is good for nothing," he waved it around trying to get it to do anything. "Me, I'll live, I'm half-demon. You though, you ain't got a chance." He knew Sesshomaru wanted her dead, and would make sure she ended up as such if he failed to protect her. She would not be able to defend herself against him in this form.

"So, I should just give up hope?" she started crying softly, only to be told to stop crying. "Oh, should I laugh?"

"No, you should shut up at let me protect you," he yelled back. Sesshomaru growled again as he advanced, drawing Inuyasha away. He had to succeed or she would be shredded to bits. "Stay here and watch." He strode off and managed to make Tessaiga work for him, warding off his alpha and ensuring that Kagome would be his brother's future mate. He wondered how Kagome would take the news when Sesshomaru returned to collect her. She survived, that was Sesshomaru's criteria.

(A/N: So does this plot-line sound like its worth continuing? Share any ideas you'd like to see, I still need material to get it flowing.)