Stopping as he took a nervous breath, Jaken gave a small knock on his Lord's study. He knew that he wouldn't like what was about to happen and was actually very scared to even tell him.

"What do you want Jaken?"

Walking in, Jaken kept his head bowed as he took a deep breath. Looking up though, it was like a blast from the past. When Sesshomaru wasn't in the public eye he dressed the same way that he did five hundred years before in the traditional hakama and haori that he always wore when they would travel. And was always a welcome sight for him to see in a world of constant change. "Me Lord. Your Court Noble Merkamaou and his daughter Mitsukai are here. They wish to see you in the meeting hall."

Closing his eyes as he took a deep breath, Sesshomaru growled. "Did the happen to say what their visit was for?"

Shaking his head as he dropped it again, Jaken sighed. "They did not Me Lord. But I would suspect that they plan to offer her to you as a mate. They are dressed traditionally and she is wearing a veil over her face."

Growling, Sesshomaru stood and angrily stormed for his door. "And since I do not have a mate as of yet, I will have to allow her to come in and stay for the next thirty days and hope she doesn't draw out my demon yet. Damnit."

Once Sesshomaru was out of the room, Jaken slinked to the ground as tears streamed from his eyes. "Lord Sesshomaru is not happy about this. But I am just grateful that he did not kill the messenger."

X

Standing nervously with her father, Mitsukai played the loving and devoted daughter to her father. Though she really didn't care anything about her father other than he was a noble and had the power to offer her to him. All she wanted right now was to get to her room and then she could start following him anywhere and everywhere. Smiling she took a deep breath. 'And in retrospect it would make Kagome's life hell knowing she couldn't get to him. Perfect!'

Hearing the door open, she turned with a start and then let stars dance in her eyes when Sesshomaru walked in as traditionally dressed as she and her father were. And he was the picture of perfection. 'I will have you. No one else is fit to be your mate but me.'

Giving Sesshomaru a low bow, as Mitsukai bowed even lower than him, Merkamaou smiled. "Lord Sesshomaru."

Stopping about ten feet from them, Sesshomaru had his emotionless mask on. "What is it that you want Merkamaou?"

Standing up with his daughter, Merkamaou smiled as he turned and gestured to her with his right hand. "I have come to offer my daughter and only pup Mitsukai to you as a mate My Lord."

Acting as though he just heard the weather report for the day, Sesshomaru merely crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "I see. And by tradition in the demon world, I will take her in for the next thirty days and she will be under my protection. However, there are some rules that she must obey without question or everything is null and void and she will be out before the end of those thirty days. Understood?"

Giving a low bow as she knelt to her knees showing the upmost respect to him, Mitsukai smiled. "Whatever you wish of me Lord Sesshomaru, it will be done. No matter what it is."

His cold eyes opening as he looked down at her, Sesshomaru glared. "You know of my daughter Rin do you not?"

Keeping her eyes down, Mitsukai gave a nod. "I do. She is such a darling child and I do so look forward to getting to know her."

Taking a deep breath as he growled slightly, Sesshomaru pulled startled eyes from her father as he kept his on the female. "You are to stay away from her. Do not speak to her, tell her to do anything in the least. And that goes for her caretaker as well."

Blinking as he looked at his lord, Merkamaou had never heard of such a thing. Even in races where demons didn't mate for life, if there was an existing child, the mate of their parent would become their parent as well. Stepping forward he sighed. "My Lord if this does work and she draws out your demon to become your mate, that will make her Lady Rin's mother."

A sharp growl and a glare to the noble making him shut up, Sesshomaru was standing his ground on this. He knew how demons felt about him adopting Rin as a human. And they did not need to know a thing about what he was planning either until it was said and done. "If she does that, just because she becomes my mate does not mean that she becomes Rin's mother. This is not the dark ages anymore Merkamaou. Rin is to listen to only myself and her caretaker Kagome when she moves into the palace in ten days. Or nothing."

Trying to argue on his daughter's behalf again, Merkamaou stepped up behind her as he gestured toward her. "My Lord my daughter would never do anything to hurt…"

Growling so loud he caused the wood to vibrate, Sesshomaru glared harder at Merkamaou. "She agrees to this or you can take her home with you and never bring her back. Your choice."

With a glare at the floor, Mitsukai used all her strength to stop her growl. She wanted to be able to make Kagome's life pure hell though that kid as his mate. But not being able to do that she didn't know what to do. But she knew she could make him mate her. Then her eyes went wide. That would do it in and of itself. With her as his mate, she wouldn't be able to seduce him and her plans would be ruined! 'Perfect!' Taking a deep breath she slowly let it out. "My Lord I agree to such terms. In my time here I will not speak to either Lady Rin or her caretaker."

With a sigh, Sesshomaru turned to Jaken as he walked in and glared. "Jaken show Mitsukai to her room." Turning back to the female Sesshomaru sighed. "I will be there shortly to go over the rest of the house rules other than what I have told you about my daughter and her caretaker. Understood?"

"Yes My Lord."

Once they were out of the room, Sesshomaru turned a glare and deep growl on Merkamaou as he crossed his arms. "You do understand that according to tradition, that if she cannot draw out my demon not only will she be returned home but you will not be able to offer her to me again correct Merkamaou? However you should also know that if she does violate the rule I she just agreed to and interferes where my daughter is concerned, she will suffer whatever punishment that I see fit. Even if that means that she dies for her actions. You are still alright with this?"

Knowing that his little girl knows what to do, and confident that she will draw his demon out in no time, Merkamaou nodded as he bowed his head and smiled. "I understand the situation My Lord as well does my daughter. She has agreed to it and she is a good girl, she won't disobey those rules. I will take my leave now. I shall see you in a few more weeks at the next Court Meeting My Lord."

"Right." Sesshomaru then turned with an annoyed glare as he left the room and went toward where the female was at. He hated this and just wanted everyone to leave him be. He will find his mate when it is time and not a second before. But this was tradition. 'And at least he is the only Noble that has a daughter old enough to offer to me for a while.'

X

Once in her room, Mitsukai stood silently as she waited for the imp to leave. Once he was gone she smiled as she looked around this grand room as she removed the veil off her face. "This is like a dream come true. I can't that I am going to be staying here and this is going to be my room for the next thirty days at least. Unless of course I can get him to claim me quickly."

"I would not get your hopes up."

Jumping with a start, Mitsukai fell to her knees and dropped her head. "I am sorry My Lord. I did not mean…."

With a sigh as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms, Sesshomaru wasn't even going to entertain it. He had heard the apologies before and he knew them all. "So far in thousands of years no one has been able to spur my demon into showing himself and claiming anyone. So I would not get your hopes up where that is concerned."

"Yes My Lord."

"In addition to what you have been told about Rin and Kagome, there rest of the house rules are very simple." Meeting her eyes as she looked up at him and stood, Sesshomaru glared. "You are free to wonder about the palace, but you are not permitted in my study, Kagome's room, or Rin's. If my brother gives you any trouble while you are here, inform me at once and I will deal with him myself. I will make time to spend with you one on one to give you the chance to see if you have exactly what it takes to draw out my demon to mate with you. Understood?"

Giving a nod and a small bow, Mitsukai kept her smile. "I understand completely My Lord." When he didn't say anything, Mitsukai waited until she heard footsteps and then the door close behind him. With an evil smile she stood up and then giggled as she spun in a circle falling back on the bed. "And now for the next ten days, I can try and draw it out without Kagome getting in the way. Hmmmm. Lady Mitsukai. The Lady of the West. Oh it has a perfect ring to it!"

Standing and going to a full length mirror on the other side of the room she gave a nod as she let her hair down and smiled. "And once I am his mate, I will have more pull over him. And that brat human kid and the miko bitch are going to be shipped off to a different country somewhere forever. That way he can focus only on me, and producing his full dog demon heir."