A/N: I do not own the Inuyasha characters. Any others are mine though.

Chapter 10 Reality Check?

There was normally a day of rest between each battle but Taishou had already promised the girl that the next would actually be the next day. Sesshomaru watched her as she intermixed with those who helped to run his fathers palace. All of the staff took to her right away and none looked askance that Bankotsu trailed silently behind her the whole way. As she headed towards the private gardens he left his work to join her.

He caught Bankotsu just as he was about to enter as well. "Why don't you take a break? I can escort Lady Kagome for a moment."

"Milady?" Bankotsu questioned as Kagome had turned back to them at hearing Sesshomaru's voice.

"It's all right. I'll be fine with him," she answered his underlying question. As the human left he made his way to walk beside her. They walked in silence for a ways heading again towards his private garden. She was smiling gently to herself. It appeared to him as if she knew something others didn't. It piqued his curiosity as he walked with her.

"What are you smiling for?" he asked as they walked past the willow to the fields. She glanced up at him, her smile wider.

"I can make you laugh," she answered. He smirked slightly at that. When she saw a slight pout appeared on her face. "You don't believe me."

It was a statement so he felt no real reason to respond even though it was untrue. At least he though so until she ran further into the garden. A thought crossed his mind that he had upset her somehow. Though it was undignified he ran after her. He enjoyed chasing her. It was a challenge to his beast. Not many females would include the beast in their courting anymore.

She kept running from him in the meadow hiding behind any shrubs or trees so she could peek back at him. She was hoping to find a way to get behind him in the chase but it did not seem to be working so far. Once she hid behind the willow tree she lost sight of him. She waited thinking it was a trick to get her out in the open. That was until he jumped down on her from the branches above. They rolled down the hill opposite the small stream laughing the whole way. She landed on top straddling his waist as he continued laughing. She stared down at him watching as he laughed with a small smile on her face. As he began to calm down she reached down and started tickling his sides making him laugh once more.

She finally relented allowing him to catch his breath. Once he was calm again he took control flipping the girl to her backside and began torturing her in the same way. She laughed uncontrollably trying to stop him physically though it wasn't doing her much good. He just grinned evilly down at her.

"M-mercy," she managed to gasp out. "Mercy, please."

"If you insist," he said calmly as his actions ceased. He watched her as she was attempting to catch her breath. He looked down at her with a smug smile.

"I… told you… I could… make you laugh," she said with a smirk between breaths. He gently licked the tip of her nose before standing and pulling her with him. Her smirk had dropped to a serene smile then. That was until her leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"Run."

They spent the next few hours playing in the clearing as if they were pups. The laughter of the two could be heard across the palace grounds. Cerberus smiled to himself as he sat in Taishou's study. He had a very strong suspicion that their children would be mates by the time all this was over. It was an interesting thought.

Taishou knew Cerberus was in the room. His secretary had let the Lord of the Underworld in on his command. With all the excitement of the last week he had temporarily forgotten what year it was. The events had made it seem like the feudal era once again. He wished it was as life would have been so much simpler but that was not to be. The girl had reminded him of that with her antics in the arena. At the moment he was finishing off some paperwork for West corp. It was a computer company he had taken charge of not long ago. It had been doing just fine in the hands of its human founders but he had bought it from the elderly owners to allow the business to continue as they had no heirs. It was now only competing with the American company of Microsoft. At one point he had been tempted to change the name from West to Taishou but had decided to leave it. After all he was Lord of the 'West.'

With on last signature he turned to face Cerberus. The elder demon lord stood staring down at the gardens. It was then that he heard his eldest sons' laughter echoing rich through the grounds. When he made it to the window to find his son it did not surprise him to see the boy in his mothers' garden. The sight of his 'Ice Prince' of a son running around the meadow with the young demoness as if he was a pup was what shocked him.

"You see how they get along?" Cerberus asked with a slight chuckle from his position next to him. He nodded in agreement as he was too stunned to speak. "We may have a joining of our families soon."

Taishou again only nodded in agreement. The two fathers stood watching their pups for a time before moving away from the window to discuss business.

Sesshomaru spent the rest of the day with the demoness. He was now escorting her to her quarters. She had a gentle smile playing on her lips. The moonlight was playing with her dark hair making it shine in a dazzling way. He smiled himself letting her see as they reached her rooms.

Her smile brightened as he turned her towards him. He stared at her a moment wishing he could kiss her. It was too soon though. Naraku had only recently mimicked him to do the same thing. He did not wish to anger her in any way.

He did lean towards her though. Her body tensed as he had thought it would but he only nuzzled the top of her head gently. She relaxed then and responded accordingly. As he pulled away he brought her hand to his lips as he bowed over it. His gaze never left hers though. With that done he smiled gently.

"Good night, milady," he whispered softly.

"Good night, milord," she responded in kind. He stood watching as she entered her chambers. Once the door closed he made his way to his own rooms for the night.

He turned away walking in the opposite direction of Sesshomaru. A low growl escaped him as he wandered the halls. The girl must be his. Sesshomaru was the 'Ice Prince.' He should never be able to win the girl the way he was. He knew he needed to further his plans the moment he had heard the dogs laugh echo through the stadium that morning. It was obvious then that the two had connected somehow. He then slammed his fist into the large oak standing before him. She would be his. Nothing would stop him. He smirked wickedly to himself before he turned to make his way to the rooms allotted to him. The girl would be his. And now he had a plan to accomplish this.