Chapter 7

Sesshoumaru felt an overwhelming concern for the girl in his arms. As his mother led him to the girl's room he wondered why he would care so much for someone he had never met and had nothing to do with. When they got to her room he found it odd that her room was just down the hall from his and yet he had never even had a glimpse of her, he didn't even know that the room was occupied. 'Why have I never seen her?' he thought to himself as he and his mother put the poor girl to bed.

Just when he had learned where she had come from his father interrupted his conversation with his mother. Then his mother asked him to go sit with the girl while she had a moment with his father. He complied with her wishes completely forgetting about meeting Shizune in the gardens.

When he walked into her room for the second time he took more notice of her chambers. There was a low table off to one side with untouched food 'So she doesn't eat,' next to her untouched plate sat a stack of letters that seemed to have been read and re-read several times. Although he was very curious about them he felt he would be trespassing were he to read them so he turned his attention to something else. Against one wall her wardrobe had been left open and was overflowing with kimono. 'Which she obviously doesn't wear.' he thought as looked down at her. She was only wearing her sleeping kimono and a robe. As he took in the shades of green her room was decorated in he noticed that some things seemed familiar to him. 'Nonsense.' he thought as he took a seat in the chair at the edge of her bed. It was then that he realized that someone sat with her often.

"This must be the friend that Inuyasha is so troubled over." he whispered to himself. As he stared at her something deep within him was stirring. He thought it odd and concentrated, it was something within him all right, his beast, and it was whining at him.

"Just look at her! She is suffering!"

"I can see that!" he replied.

"Well don't just stare at her, comfort her, stupid!"

His beast seemed a little desperate about this small woman. "We do not even know her." he argued. "It would be inappropriate."

"The hell with inappropriate! She needs us!"

And then an argument ensued. Then Sesshoumaru asked why they should care so much for some girl they had never met. But his beast only replied that she needed them. All the while there was a pull inside him that whispered that he did know her, and that he had always known her for her entire life.

Sesshoumaru was so caught up with his inner musings that he was unaware that his sire was even in the room until he felt his hand settle on his shoulder.

"Tragic, is it not?" his father asked.

Sesshoumaru started then processed what his father had said then nodded in agreement. 'Yes, it is.' he thought.

His father sighed and sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her while surreptitiously watching as his son untangled his claws from the blankets, and inwardly smiled.

"She sleeps so fitfully." Sesshoumaru commented.

Toga nodded. "She hasn't slept soundly since it happened."

Sesshoumaru reached out to smooth her hair. "She cared for him a great deal, didn't she?" he whispered as Toga watched Kagome calm at Sesshoumaru's touch.

"Yes, she loved him. She still loves him." he said looking at his eldest son.

Sesshoumaru studied her closely for a while. "I can see the woman she used to be, just beneath the surface." he said quietly. "How could someone not want such a creature?" he questioned.

It almost seemed as if he was talking to himself but Toga answered him anyway. "We suspect foul play." he answered just as quietly as he put a hand on his sons shoulder.

From the back of the room Takimi cleared her throat. "Beloved I am getting tired and you promised you would spend some time with me before bed."

"Okay my love." Toga said with a wink to his son.

Sesshoumaru smiled at his parents as they started out the door.

"Sesshoumaru dear be careful with her would you, Inuyasha should come to check on her later. Have a good night." Takimi waved before they left.

*Meanwhile in the Gardens . . . *

"Where is he? It's been hours!" Shizune fumed and kicked a rock into the koi pond she was standing next to. She had been waiting for Sesshoumaru to come to her. But he never came so she huffed one last time and went off to find him muttering something about having to find Sesshoumaru right away.

When she entered the castle she went straight to his rooms. But he wasn't there so she followed his scent. When she got to the room he was in the Great Lord and his Lady were just exiting.

Startled she bowed to them and greeted them. "Hello my lord and lady. How are you this evening?" she inquired sweetly.

Takimi looked at her carefully. "We are well. What brings you to this part of the palace so late?" she questioned.

Shizune hedged, she wasn't really shore why she was here other than the fact that she followed Sesshoumaru's scent there. "Um . . . I was just looking for my beloved." she answered hesitantly.

Takimi smiled and said, "Sesshoumaru is busy right now but I am sure he will come to see you later."

Shizune nodded solemnly. "I see," she whispered then looked up at the lord and lady. "I bid you good night then." She said as she bowed and turned to go back to her rooms.

"Hmm, I wonder what she needed him for." Toga wondered aloud as they watched her leave.

"I don't know." Takimi replied as Toga led her away toward the library so they could spend some time together.

"What could he possibly be so busy with that I cannot see him?" Shizune fumed as she paced in her room. "He's too strong; my spells fade quickly with him."

She knew that if he came to his senses he would kill her and fast. She had to strengthen the spell every night. She knew she would never mate her if he was in his right mind, so she had to keep him under a spell for her plan to work. If he ever came out of it then she would really be killed.

"Arg." She was so frustrated. How was she supposed to drain his power and revive her lover if she could not even be alone with him long enough to simply strengthen a love spell!

Then an evil gleam came into her eyes and she thought out loud. "There will be plenty of time to be alone with him after we have been mated." (insert evil laugh here =])