Mizuki was on her way to the dinning hall when she was stopped by the same messenger that she sent with her note to her father that morning. "Did I get a response?"

The messenger bowed low. "Hai Mizuki-sama." And handed her the note then walked away.

Mizuki stood there and opened the note. 'I wonder if this is from mama or papa. Oh I hope that it is from papa.'

Mizuki,

You do owe me a full explanation about why you have been carrying on a secret friendship with Sesshomaru. You know how I felt about his brother, but I had nothing against him. You could have told us about it.

If you really think that you can handle him, and you really want to give this a try, then go ahead. I will handle your mother best as I can. Keep us informed.

Ashiteru.

Papa.

Mizuki smiled. 'Arigato papa.' Then she folded the note and stuffed it inside her haori. She would tell Sesshomaru what her papa said later that night. Walking into the dinning hall she sighed when it was only Nariko there. "Nariko where is Sesshomaru-sama?"

Nariko sat at the table with a bored look on her face. Sesshomaru and Mizuki were not there yet. She knew that Sesshomaru-sama had something to do before he came to dinner and would be late. 'Demo, where is Mizuki-sama?' She perked up when she heard Mizuki ask where Sesshomaru was at. "Sesshomaru-sama will be late this evening. He said that he had something that he had to do first."

"Honto ni." Mizuki took the seat that she used when she had been there before. It was right across from Nariko and right next to Sesshomaru.

Nariko smiled up at her. "Mizuki-sama, will you be mating Sesshomaru-sama?"

Mizuki almost fell out of her chair the question was so out of the blue. She didn't know that Nariko knew about it. "Nani?"

Nariko glared at her. "I know all about it Mizuki-sama. Sesshomaru-sama told me that he was going to be taking a mate soon. And that I had to obey her like I did him. If it is going to be you, that won't be a problem."

Mizuki smiled. "I don't know yet Jo-chan. This is still kind of a trial period. Nothing is certain right now."

Nariko nodded. She was fine with that answer. At least there was a chance that Mizuki was going to be the one to become Sesshomaru's mate.

x

Hime was walking past the dinning hall when she saw the oukami Mizuki. She thought that she was getting wiffs of wolf all day. And now she knew why. 'She is here? It was only yesterday that Sesshomaru told my father and the other advisors that he was going to search for his mate. I should be his mate. My name means princess after all. No oukami should come in and taint generations of inu blood.'

When she smiled after she read the note that a messenger gave her it sent her hair standing on end. 'What was that note about?' She stood at the door and listened to her and Nariko talking. Sesshomaru had brought her hear to see if his youkai would claim her as his mate!

She glared at the closed door and stormed off. 'I won't let him claim her! If he spends more time with me, then his youkai would more than likely claim me as his mate.'

x

Sesshomaru held the pendant in front of his face. It was just right. His pendant was a crescent moon the same color of the one he bore on his forehead. It was the family crest passed down from father to son. 'I wonder if she will like it or if I am doing this for nothing. She said she would stay though and see where this goes. I would rather she become my mate.'

Shoving all negative thoughts away he turned to Jaken. "Take this to my room and put it on the bed. Stand guard and let no one touch it. Know that if you don't, you will die."

Jaken knew what this meant. He was going to have to deal with yet another annoying female to contend with. "Hai Mi Lord." Then he scurried off.

Sesshomaru sighed. He used that same threat every time. Most of the time, with tasks like this he came through. But on some other ones he never did. But he was never killed. He even brought the toad back to life at one point. "Baka."

Entering the dining hall he spied Mizuki and Nariko at the table. Nariko was telling her some story, and Mizuki was smiling and listening. He stood in the doorway for a few moments, watching, before Nariko realized that hew as there.

Nariko turned a bright smile toward him. "Sesshomaru-sama! When did you get there?"

Sesshomaru made his way to the table and took his seat. "I had been there a few moments."

Nariko growled to herself. It was to be her ningen night that night. The night before the new moon. "It is because of what night it is. Damned ningen night."

Mizuki smiled. She could remember her mother grumbling about it as well. "You know Nariko, it is not that bad. My mama is hanyou as well. She uses her ningen night to write poetry."

Nariko jerked her head up. "Nani?"

Mizuki nodded. "Hai. My mother would use the emotions that she feels strongest as a ningen and write beautiful poetry. You like to write poetry don't you?"

Nariko nodded. She always loved writing poetry. Being hanyou she had a stronger sense in her feelings than normal youkai. "I will have to try that tonight. Sesshomaru-sama I am done. May I retire to my room now?"

Sesshomaru nodded. As Nariko left the dinning hall he nodded to his captain. The captain of his guard would stay with her tonight. He had other things that needed to be settled between himself and the oukami.

x

Koga dodged another rock that was chucked at his head by his mate. "Sora would you please calm down and read the note that your daughter sent you about the whole matter?"

Sora glared as she threw another rock. "How can you just stand there and not go after her?! You know he is a taiyoukai, and won't take kindly to someone who is to be his mate bucking up against him. And Mizuki would never bow down and do as she is told. We are her parents and can't get her to listen half the time!"

Koga dodged the rock then used his speed to get to her, grab her hands and pin them above her head to the wall. "Damnit Sora would you just read the note. And since when did you have so little faith in your daughter?"

Sora jerked startled eyes up to him. "I have all the faith in the world in her. I just don't trust Sesshomaru!"

Koga growled. "Mizuki would not put herself into a situation that she didn't think she could handle. Don't sell her short on this one either Sora. And as far as Sesshomaru goes, he was never anything like Inuyasha. He has honor and won't force anything on her."

Sora let her head drop. "How do you know that? He is a taiyoukai after all. He is surely not use to someone telling him no or stopping him from doing something that he wants to do."

Koga let go of her hands and pulled her into his arms. "I know that is what it seems like. But I never had any beef with him. The only two things about each other that we didn't like about each other were minor. I didn't like him because he was Inuyasha's brother, and he didn't like me because before I stopped eating ningens, my wolves killed Rin. Other than that we had nothing to fight about. He is honorable koishii. If nothing else trust in your daughter."

Sora sighed as she let the tears fall down her face. "It is not so much him as the position that she would be in if he did claim her as his mate. Koga, she would be the target of any who would want to kill her. For generations the royal families have been all one race. The North leopards, the East hayabusa, the South falcon, and the West inu. She being oukami, and even worse having a hanyou for a mother, she would be targeted."

Koga smiled. "And pity the poor fool that tries to kill her. I trained her to be a match to Sesshomaru. She will be able to handle herself."

Sora snuggled into his embrace. "I hope you are right Koga." 'Oh Mizuki what mess have you gotten into this time?'

Kosha smiled as he listened to what his father and mother were fighting about this time. Not only was he on his way to claim his own mate, Mizuki is trying to get Sesshomaru to mate her. 'I bet she does it. Then no one would dare buck up against the Western Lands. Still, I think that I should pay her a little visit soon. I got to let her know that I am mated after all.'

x

Mizuki followed Sesshomaru toward his room. She could smell her own nervousness. 'Damn why can't I relax now? Oh I know, this isn't just a visit, this is to see if his youkai will claim m as his mate. Baka what have you done?'

Sesshomaru slid his door open, and stepped to the side to allow Mizuki to enter first. He stood outside as he looked at her. "I will allow you to pick something for you to sleep in and change. Just say my name when you are ready for me to come in." Then he shut the door.

Mizuki sighed. She went to the closet that he told her earlier was hers and pulled out a dark blue silk yukata. Slipping out of her clothes she pulled it on and secured the sash. "Sesshomaru."

Walking into his room he starred. She was sitting on the bed with her pony tail down and running her fingers through her hair. Since she was youkai, her hair was always flawless. Not realizing what he was doing until he was already doing it, he moved to stand in front of her and ran his hand through her hair. "You do not have to be so nervous Mizuki. Nothing will happen tonight."

Mizuki was holding her breath and did not breath again until he walked away. She had always thought that he was handsome. One of the two most handsome youkai in the world that she had seen. Her father being the other.

She was not sure if it was her father coming out in her, or what part she did inherit from her ningen grandmother, but she knew she wanted him. She wanted to be there with him, and to try everything she could to get him to claim her as his mate.

Her father would say that she was in love. She would not doubt him either because he had fallen in love before he met her mother. That was a different kind of bond that went beyond love. 'I want to know both with him.'

She slid under the blankets on her side and curled up in a ball. Sleep fell fast on her. She had an eventful day. Fought a dragon, came to see Sesshomaru, was asked to become his mate, and now she was sleeping in the same bed as he was!

Sesshomaru could smell the tension in her muscles. "Mizuki, calm. I give my word as Lord Of The West, nothing will happen tonight."

Mizuki smiled. "Gomen Sesshomaru. It is just, I never expected to be in this position before." She rolled so that she was facing him. He was laying on his back, wearing only his hakamas and had his fluff draped over a chair on the other side of the room.

Sesshomaru cracked one amber eye to look over into her emerald green eyes. "Is it because you felt you had to take the deal that I offered you?"

Mizuki sat up and starred down at him. "Iie. It was not that." Turning to sit with her back leaning against her pillows she sighed. "If this does work out and we do mate, then sharing everything with each other is a must correct?"

Sesshomaru was now looking at her with two open eyes. 'What is she getting at?' "Hai."

Mizuki let her head fall forward so that she could use her hair to hide her eyes. "I have always been attracted to you Sesshomaru. I don't know if it is father coming out in me, or if it is something that I got from my hanyou mother or from my ningen grandmother. But I have always been physically attracted to you. But we never spent that much time together to see if my youkai would come out. Now that I have that chance, it is a little scary."

Sesshomaru moved closer to her in the bed. He had no clue. This was something that she hid from him very well. "Mizuki." He reached over and used a finger to pull her head around to look at him. But he didn't say anything, instead he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers.

Mizuki felt like she was melting to a puddle of slush! He was kissing her! But it wasn't a demanding kiss, and it wasn't like he was trying to devour her. It was a sweet gentle kiss. When he pulled his head back she turned her startled green eyes to look into his shinning amber eyes. "Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru smiled. "Sleep." Then he laid her back and pulled her up against him so that her back was resting against his chest.

Mizuki was still too flustered to sleep. She knew she was tense, but she could not relax. No matter how much she willed her body to do her bidding.

Sesshomaru moved his hand from around her waist to her neck and began a gentle massage. It worked. Her eyes were closed and she was relaxed. He continued this until her breathing fell into the steady rhythm of sleep.

Content that she was asleep he wrapped both his arms around her and fell into a sleep himself. His dreams brought him hope that it would happen for the both of them. For they were filled of Mizuki.