By the way Tenjo is a modern strategy game that I've used in the story because I absolutely could not find any such games that were played in the Sengoku Jidai. Double zeros equal time lapse. Sorry about the ridiculously long wait.

A Lover's Spat?

Sesshomaru was fed up with this stupid wedding already. For the life of him, he could not understand why anyone would choose to live so far away from civilization and the learning it offered. Furthermore, Todo-sama's village was impossible to find!

"Jaken!" his voice harsh from the abruptness of use. Sesshomaru's retainer heard though, and scurried to his master. He bowed low.

"You called this unworthy one, Sesshomaru-sama?"

"Where in the name of Kami are we?" he growled.

"Umm, well, sir, we are uh…lost." Jaken's voice was low when he said the last word. Sesshomaru sighed and rolled his eyes to the heavens.

"Why is it that the group of demons assigned to travel with me are inevitably the ones who have no sense of direction?" then louder, to his men. "You fools mean to tell me that with all the youkai blood in you combined, you are unable to locate one single village?"

"Sesshomaru-sama," one of the lesser guards began, "it seems that there are powerful enchantments in the forest, keeping the village hidden. None have been able to break them yet."

Sesshomaru gritted his teeth in annoyance, but kept his mask of calm on his face. The problem was obvious, and easily fixed. If he hadn't been distracted by his own discomfort, this would have been taken care of already. He sketched some runes in the air and said a word of unraveling. The secrecy charms lost all power and the party regained their sense of direction.

00

Inuyasha decided to surprise Kagome with a picnic the next afternoon, to get to know her better. He secretly asked permission of her father, who consented, and led her blindfolded to a clearing in the woods. Todo-sama had been gracious enough to ask only two chaperones to watch them, and both that he had chosen were simply guards. Neither protested when asked to escort from a distance. He stopped Kagome and put down the basket and cloth.

"Can I take the blindfold off yet, Inuyasha?" Kagome inquired. Inuyasha felt a weird sensation in his stomach when she said his name. Her very voice was musical, with almost a flute-like quality to it. He shivered at the sound of it and imagined her voice soft and breathy, throaty and husky with passion as he…

"Inuyasha?" Kagome said again and he realized that he hadn't answered her yet.

"Wait." He placed himself behind her and slowly untied the knot, lengthening the time he spent this close to her, reveling in her sweet scent, imagining that what he was untying was really the lacings of her clothes…

"Ohh, Inuyasha!" she gasped. He opened his eyes, confused. Oh, yes, the picnic. He would rather the blanket on the ground be holding her perfect naked form, rather than food. Kagome was of a different class though; Todo had raised his only daughter with taste. She had never given in to the pleasures of the body as other unmarried girls had. Inuyasha knew; he had flattered some of those kinds of girls and been rewarded with them in his sheets. But Kagome was different, she was naïve, innocent, and it only made Inuyasha desire her all the more. The betrothed couple retired onto the blanket to eat and learn about their lost years.

00

"You have changed so much these past years." Inuyasha began, "I hardly recognized you."

Kagome gave him a benevolent smile tinged with laughter. "I knew you at once. I remembered your ears and how when I asked you if I could touch them you…" she was interrupted by Inuyasha mid-sentence.

"…growled at you and walked away." Her laughter pealed out into the sunshine, tinkling like bells.

"I didn't think you would remember!" Kagome exclaimed, eyes bright. Inuyasha grinned back at her.

"Oh yes, I also remember how you sat unmoving while me and my brother played Tenjo, speaking only to tell us how stupid our moves were and how you would position your men to defeat us. And also how easy it would be to do so."

Kagome flushed slightly, but grinned back at him. "I had forgotten about that. But what I came up with was effective and would have worked better that what either of you planned."

Inuyasha shrugged. "To a woman it might seem so, but men are the natural leaders in battle. Women have no concept of strategy."

Kagome's eyes flared in anger, turning an icy blue. "I am feeling faint from the heat Inuyasha-sama," she said coldly, "Perhaps it would be best for me to retire from the hot sun early today."

He looked at her curiously. "But we are in the shade, Kagome."

The look she gave him did not brook disagreement.

"By your leave, my lord." She responded, suddenly formal and just as abruptly, rising and asking one of the guards to take her home.

Inuyasha sat on the blanket, bewildered by her cold rudeness.

00

He shared the details of the conversation with his father who shook his head in reproof. "My son, you are a fool if you believe your own words."

Inuyasha reddened in anger and began to yell. Inutashio silenced him with a hand.

"I played Tenjo with Kagome once," He reminisced. "She beat me as easily then as I beat you now, at twice her age."

Inuyasha was shocked. "You let her win."

"No; she may have been young and inexperienced with some things, but battle tactics have been ingrained into her brain. Being a child of her father, what was lacking in him, was fine-tuned in her. The things she came up with were beyond brilliant."

"Then why does she not command an army and take over Japan?" Inuyasha scoffed.

Inutashio glared at his son. "You are an insolent young pup. Would you follow a woman into battle?" The look Inuyasha gave him said no.

"Her father has used some of the strategies in battle that she has contrived while playing Tenjo with him. You should be able to remember the battle he fought, known now as The Slaughter; it was Todo's greatest, and won by the plans of a mere woman-child. Of course she would be heartbroken to hear of it..." the last part was musing.

"She goes against nature then, when all know women to be weak and…" Inuyasha never finished: he was silenced by an angry growl from the older dog demon.

"You do not recognize a gift when you see one, and for that I pity not only you, but the woman you wed. She is the flower that will be crushed beneath your heel." He tuned and exited the room, leaving Inuyasha in sullen silence.