A/N: For reference, midnight pomegranate is a real perfume and it smells really good, just add that with sweet dew and that is what Tsukiko smells like.
Disclimer: Sniff…
What did she mean by that? What did she mean? Sesshomaru would have sat tossing and turning all night if not for how undignified it was. Still, he worried and this was one of the few nights he had allowed himself sleep. Finally, he got up to write some more documents, but her could not concentrate. You are unable to protect your daughter… Sesshomaru growled and banged his fist down on his desk.
He stood and rushed out of the room. He wanted, no, had to know what she meant! It was imperative to Rin's safety- or at least that's what he would say. He absolutely loathed the idea that the insolent woman knew something he didn't. By time he had followed her dew and pomegranate scent to her, he had calmed down enough to knock on her door normally. Surprisingly, he heard her whispering.
"Shh, I know, baby. Go back to sleep, I don't need you to defend me. There's nothing in this castle short of Sesshomaru that can so much as put a scratch on me…"
Sesshomaru's ego swelled a little at that, but his thoughts forcefully reminded him that this Sesshomaru did not need the praise of some half-human. Tsukiko opened the door.
Her hair was let down and it cascaded wildly around her face. She was still wearing the clothes she had been wearing for the past few days and Sesshomaru briefly wondered if she even bathed in them. Her hip was bent slightly outward as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Sesshomaru growled. "What did you mean, I cannot protect my daughter?"
Tsukiko's eyes looked shocked. Then a blush stained her pale cheeks. Finally, she smiled slightly. "Lord Sesshomaru, come in. I believe you need to hear a certain 'talk'."
Sesshomaru, noticing her proper title using, followed her into the room. He looked around and realized that Jaken had done a very good job picking out a room for his 'guest'. The room's theme was various shades of blue and silver, something that seemed to suit Tsukiko very well. She motioned to the couch, in front of which there was a large fire and next to it, an open window. Sesshomaru stood next to the couch and Tsukiko leaned against the fireplace's stone, crossing her arms in front of her.
"Whom were you talking to?"
Tsukiko smiled. "Is that what you came down here to talk to me about?"
"No."
"Then let's start with the first problem. What is it that confuses you?"
"I fail to see how protecting my ward in two different stages of sentences is an different." Sesshomaru said stoically.
Tsukiko smiled lightly. "Well the difference in my sentence was the word daughter replacing the word, ward."
"I am aware of that."
Tsukiko's mouth parted slightly, he guessed this was her way of gaping. "If you would like to catch an insect in your mouth, then by all means keep your mouth open."
Tsukiko snapped her mouth shut. "I apologize Lord Sesshomaru, but I'm really surprised. A ward is something you take care of because it is your obligation to do so, while a daughter is someone you take care of because you hold a certain affection for her."
"And?"
Tsukiko growled exasperatedly. "A ward you do not have to look out for the subtle reaches of the opposite sex meanwhile a daughter you will try to rip any male that comes within two meters of her."
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at her bluntness. Normally people would dance around the point, choosing the advantages and disadvantages before speaking, but her outburst was a change- a slightly refreshing one, too. And it summed up how he felt about the opposite sex and Rin.
Tsukiko rubbed her temples with her thumb and pointer finger. "Lord Sesshomaru, I've only known Rin a short while, but I've become protective of her. I have also seen how distant you are. If you wish, I'll protect Rin in your stead against unwelcome advances."
Before she had time to blink, Sesshomaru's claws were around her throat. He allowed a little poison to seep into her skin with a growl, "I am not so incompetent to not be able to protect Rin." He leaned forward so that his silver hair was brushing her blue and he could have touched her ear with his lips. "Any male who so much as looks at her the wrong way will end up with a very dire and disfiguring mishap."
Tsukiko smiled. "I feel so much better. Good night, Lord Sesshomaru."
As Sesshomaru left, Tsukiko smiled. Score one for me. She had successfully ensured several things. One was that Sesshomaru had not yet figured out about her dragons, and would want to find out about them, but would avoid doing so to save face, at least tonight.
The second one was that she made sure he would not get a good night's sleep. He would have dreams of hormone-jacked young males and Rin. When he got up, he would slowly become worried and would probably be slightly disheveled in the morning. And the third…
She strode over to her dragons. She petted them each until they were asleep and wrapped them each in a warm sock. Smoke would filter out of their noses every once and awhile, but it would be decades before she would have to worry about her clothes catching fire.
She climbed into bed and watched the moon float through the midnight ocean. As the moon hit the middle of the sky, she fell asleep (A/N: Remember, different creatures have different sleeping schedules.). Her last thought was, The Ice Prince does have a heart.
A/N: So… tired… must… sleep…
The review per chapter thing is still in effect.