*A/N* First of all thank you so much for the reviews! They make my day. ^-^ Sorry for the longer update time but you know...WORLD CUP Yes, hard to believe there are anime freaks that are also sports nuts! points to self

I'd also like to clear up a couple of things...it has been brought to my attention that there are characters called Suzaku and Seiryuu in an anime series called Yu Yu Hakusho. I have been asked if these are the characters I'm using. No they are not. Suzaku and Seiryuu are names and general characteristics (homeland and species) that I borrowed from actual Japanese mythology. This has been done many times and I know I am not the first but from here on out, any character in this story that is not part of the Inuyasha Universe created by the lovely Rumiko Takahashi are MINE.

Also it seems defining hanshin in chapter 3 was too long ago so I shall do so again

Hanshin = Demigod as in half human and half Kami.

And now without further ado...back to our story.

Sesshomaru, Lord of the West strode thunderously through the halls of his manor, 'She must be mistaken.' he snarled internally, 'the youkai cannot be wiped out.' He ran over in his mind what possible threats existed with the potential to obliterate demon-kind. There were no looming wars with his fellow youkai, the ningen causing such destruction was laughable and the Kami showed no inclination toward hostilities, from the appearance of this hanshin it seemed they too wanted to prevent this event. Sesshomaru was beyond agitated, 'It must be sudden for the ningen of the future to think us merely legends.' Entering his study he was brought up short by the presence of Suzaku, the heavy, spiced scent of the phoenix tickled his nose unpleasantly and he suppressed a snarl, this was really not a good time for whatever nonsense the southern lord had on his mind.

"What" he snapped.

"Now Sesshomaru, is that any way to treat your guest?" the fire-bird chided, "especially after keeping such an important thing from me." The phoenix had the satisfaction of seeing Sesshomaru's eyes widen fractionally at this then narrow, the Inu said nothing. Suzaku moved over to the desk and leaned against it crossing his arms.

"So the kami are moving again." it was not a question and Sesshomaru made no answer. "And your delicate little flower is a hanshin." he said this last bit with a leer that almost made the western lord growl. Suzaku looked at him for a moment, seemingly contemplating something then he shrugged and stood. "The other kingdoms have been told," he said briskly, "the dragons and elementals will be here within a few days, your staff should probably prepare." Sesshomaru inhaled and looked directly at Suzaku.

"I must compliment you on your spies, as I have only just found out the Miko's true nature," His golden eyes glinted in anger at the supposition of the southern lord.

"She will be highly sought after of course," Suzaku said casually, "My suit will be first and foremost in her mind as I have a head start." he chuckled, "I'm sure Seiryuu will be in the game as always, six hundred years with no mate must do things to a demon." He gave Sesshomaru an appraising look, "And I'm sure that sniveling shadow prince will be directed to acquire her by that witch mother of his." Sesshomaru growled deep in his throat.

"You may return to your guest chambers Suzaku," the dog lord moved toward the phoenix and paused as he passed the fire-bird, looking at him from the corners of his eyes, "and I will thank you to leave my other guests unmolested during the course of your stay." his tone was heavy and menacing.

"Ah, but I cannot help it if she and I happen to meet, ignoring the lady would be the height of impropriety." With a saucy grin that held no warmth, Suzaku sauntered from the room, keeping his eyes on the dog lord. Sesshomaru kept himself perfectly still until he was sure the fire-bird was out of hearing range, then allowed his rage some room. His muscles trembled with the effort of keeping his beast in check, the taiyoukai took a slow controlled breath and calmed himself as he sat at his desk.

'She will have to be told.' Sesshomaru's mouth tightened, 'She will not be receptive to this.' Everything he knew of the Miko told him this was going to be difficult and unpleasant. He settled into his musing, wanting to make them last a little longer, anything to draw out the pleasant silence, his days had been far too eventful for his liking and he missed the peace of a silent afternoon.

Twisting his mouth in a rueful smirk, he sent for Amaya, the neko seemed to have a knack for delivering volatile news with effective results, he would employ her here to break the news to the Miko with the least public outcry. 'Better from her trusted maid than from myself.' thought the taiyoukai, he had noticed she was fiercely independent and had a tendency to rebel against authority figures if she disagreed, especially males. 'Most definitely not a subject for me to broach with her.'

Amaya padded silently through the corridors, this was a most interesting development, Kagome-sama a hanshin and now Suzaku-sama had involved all the demon houses. Kagome-sama was expected to mate with one to form an alliance, the Miko was not going to take this well at all. Sesshomaru had seemed subtly apologetic as if he knew exactly how enjoyable her next encounter with Kagome would be.

Amaya took a breath and steeled herself for the confrontation she knew was coming, the neko pushed open the door and found the miko sitting on her futon, chin in hand, elbow propped on her knee, deep in thought. She saw Amaya enter the room and sat up smiling.

"Hello Amaya." she said cheerfully.

"Kagome-sama." answered the neko as she bowed, trying to figure out how she would start the conversation.

"You look like you have something on your mind." Kagome said. Amaya figured this would as good a start as any, she supposed truth would be the best route to take with this. The neko came over to the side of the futon and knelt on the floor so she was level with Kagome, after folding her furred hands in her lap, she brought her gaze up to meet the Miko's eye.

"Lady Kagome I was just summoned by Sesshomaru-sama and I have something I need to discuss with you." curiosity sparked in Kagome's eyes, she remained silent, waiting for the neko to speak, Amaya hesitated for a short moment, then spoke, "It seems Suzaku-sama is aware of your...current state." Kagome's eyes went wide.

"How does he know that?" she said, "I just found out not and hour ago and the only others who know if this are Sesshomaru and you, not even Shippo knows yet for kami's sake." Amaya shrugged.

"One can only assume he has spies already active in the manor or some other way of knowing things that go on out of doors." The neko knew many ways of gathering information and while the phoenix's methods were unknown to her, she was more focused on damage control than anything else. "The important thing is what he does not know." Kagome's inward gaze cleared and focused on Amaya.

"What he does not know?"

"He does not know what the prophecy contains, but he does know of it." she replied mildly, "Also he said nothing of the disappearance of the youkai so it is safe to assume he is unaware of that possibility." Kagome's face was comical, her jaw dropped, her eyes grew, if possible, even wider, and her brows shot up to disappear into her bangs.

"B-But how did you..."

"How did I know?" the neko finished. "Sesshomaru-sama had entrusted me with this information so I may properly take care of you." Kagome opened her mouth to speak but was stilled by Amaya holding up her hand. "I am not simply your maid Kagome-sama, I am also one who protects you." the expression in the neko youkai's slitted amber eyes was one of absolute honesty and fierceness, it gave Kagome pause.

'She's more than she seems.' the miko thought, she had a feeling there was something lurking just beneath the surface of the neko kneeling at her side. She studied Amaya with new eyes, noting the grace and control she exuded in everything she did. Kagome felt the pieces click together suddenly, as she surveyed Amaya, the face of General Takeshi flashed through her mind and she realized her maid was the spitting image of the ranger.

"Oh!" Kagome exclaimed, without realizing it. Amaya lifted her brows in silent query. "You're related to Takeshi!" the startlement in the cat's gaze was quickly covered by a demure lowering of her gaze and a simple

"Hai milady, he is my brother." Kagome realized she was being abrupt,

"I'm sorry Amaya, that was rude of me." Amaya bowed slightly.

"It is nothing Kagome-sama, there is however another subject I must speak with you about, it concerns Suzaku-sama and his...intentions."

"His intentions?" Kagome suddenly felt wary, "what do you mean?"

"Well, you are hanshin and this changes everything, including the way you are seen." she paused, waiting for the meaning of her words to sink in, "Especially the way you are seen by youkai nobility"

"So does that mean they'll treat me better? No more snobby ningen stuff?" The neko couldn't decide if Kagome was being purposely obtuse or if she was truly unaware.

"Kagome-sama..." the tone in Amaya's voice focused Kagome's attention. 'I'm missing something here.' she thought, 'Something she's not comfortable telling me.'

"As a hanshin you are set to a purpose, the prophecies guide your path, once your purpose is fulfilled you are expected to join yourself in alliance with on of the youkai houses."

"With one of the...how many are there?"

"There are four, it matters not which one you choose, so long as you cement the alliance formally once your quest is complete." Kagome frowned in confusion.

"I don't understand, why do I have to make any alliance? I'm already allies with Sesshomaru."

"The ties you have with Sesshomaru-sama are not officially recognized by the youkai court, the heads of the other houses must come and be given the chance to court your favor." '

'Well I suppose it's got to be official.' Her head snapped up.

"Wait-court?" Kagome said incredulously, "as in to marry?" her voice rose about an octave.

"I'm not familiar with the word," Amaya said "but courting is the beginning of the mating process for youkai, there will be a banquet held to formally introduce you to your suitors..." that was as far as the neko got.

"The hell..." the miko spat, she rose swiftly from the futon and made her way to the door. "Where the hell is sesshomaru?"

"He is not available for..." Kagome whirled around, her hair flying and fixed Amaya with a glare that would have cowed a lesser youkai.

"You can either tell me where he is or I will go through every corridor shouting for him until he is forced to come to me! You can bet your ass he won't like that!" Amaya was galvanized by the thought of the miko's ranting alerting Suzaku to the issue at hand, this would result in embarrassment to Sesshomaru's house and it didn't take much for the neko to envision her master's reaction to this.

"The study Kagome-sama," blurted Amaya, "He's in the study." Kagome swept from the room, mercifully not screaming to high heaven. The neko took a deep breath and settled back on her heels, there was no use following Kagome, the storm would return to her in time.

Sesshomaru sat in his study, at long last beginning to calm, he could wait a while before seeking out the miko, she would undoubtedly be in a volatile mood after the news Amaya delivered. 'She is a Hanshin...' He found himself thinking of the miko, he had been curious about her since the first time they met...well, once he had overcome his murderous rage.

He winced inwardly at the memory of their first meeting, he had almost killed her and doomed the second Shikon prophecy to failure without even knowing. Even through all the encounters he had with Inuyasha's group he did not realize she was the one from the prophecy until the end. His motivations, besides punishing that filthy hanyou Naraku for touching Rin, had been simply to ensure the jewel remained intact. When he saw her disappear into the well, he had half a mind to go after her and find out where exactly it lead, instead he chose to train his newly full youkai brother and his mate.

His mind returned to the concealment of her heritage. 'Who is her sire to have put such a powerful enchantment on her?' he mused. He had been unable to even detect the presence of the spell much less it's nature. The Kami parents of hanshin more often than not revealed themselves when their children were recognized, he had a flash of memory from his childhood when Ame no mi Kumari had appeared at his father's court to recognize Midoriko and his father's warnings of her scheming. His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of feet moving with a purpose toward his location, he looked at the door in time to see it burst open and a very angry Kagome come into the room.
He could tell she had worked herself into a positive frenzy on her way here and decided to circumvent her forward momentum.

"I see you have spoken to Amaya." he said drolly. Kagome stopped in her tracks practically quivering with outrage.

"What's all this shit about being courted?" she blurted, "and who came up with this ludicrous idea?" She was out of breath and her pale skin glowed with exertion.

"I told you being a hanshin changed everything did I not?"

Dammit, I want nothing to do with this, I have a choice here!"Sesshomaru regarded her in silence for a moment, this was a knee jerk reaction, he surmised, perhaps with some persuading she would change her mind.

"Miko, there have been a select few hanshin throughout our past, each of them has fulfilled their prophecy and gone on to strengthen the bond between youkai and kami." Her eyes darkened with anger and he held up a staying hand, "Allow me to finish miko." grudgingly she reigned in her temper and closed her mouth. "The hanshin are the physical representation of the compact we made with the Kami thousands of years ago. Unlike your Hanyou counterparts, each hanshin is created for a purpose, a great purpose." He paused to consider the most concise way to put this, "Hanyous, while they posses traits of both parents, tend to favor the human side, making them weaker than youkai and woefully unable to carry on the legacy of their youkai parent."

Glancing at her he saw she seemed a bit less frenzied but still incredibly angry.

"Hanshin however, are much stronger than hanyou, they posses more traits from their Kami parent and are highly sought after. Each Hanshin is created for a specific purpose, once that purpose is completed they are courted by the youkai and allowed by the Kami to mate the youkai of their choosing." His golden eyes met her green ones and held her gaze for a moment before continuing. "The youkai are given this opportunity in return for their action to safeguard the hanshin." Her mouth dropped open.

"Safeguard?" she spluttered, "You tried to kill me when we first met!"

"As you well know, neither of us were aware of your true nature," he snapped, "if you are hell bent on arguing at least form sensible arguments." Kagome shut her mouth with a snap and something that sounded suspiciously like a growl to the taiyoukai, he instinctively answered her challenge with a low growl of his own. Looking at the dog lord as his golden eyes flashed and her and his body reverberated with a menacing growl, Kagome was struck my the thought that Sesshomaru was literally the scariest son of a bitch she had ever seen. A bubble of near hysterical laughter threatened to work it's way out, she quickly tamped that down before she committed suicide by laughing in his face.

'I just snapped and growled at him.' she thought in horror, 'shit.'

Kagome lowered her eyes and looked at the floor off to her right hoping he would realize she was not meaning to challenge him. Sesshomaru ceased his growling and stared at the miko, she had understood what her reaction had brought out in him, he knew her nature made it very difficult for her to submit to anyone, much less someone she felt was in the wrong and if he wasn't a taiyoukai she would not be giving in right now. Sesshomaru continued speaking,

"There will be a banquet held here in a week's time, the four houses of the youkai will be in attendance as well as yourself. At this time you will be publicly recognized as hanshin and the prophecy will be read in the presences of all youkai lords and nobility." Kagome had refocused her attention on sesshomaru as he spoke, her innate curiosity had been warring with her scorching indignation, in spite of her anger she was interested in how all this worked.

"From those in attendance you will have three suitors," his brows drew together slightly in warning as the color rose in her face and her eyes sparked. "They include Suzaku, whom you've met, Seiryuu, the Azure Dragon Lord of the East and Yasuke, son of Ansatsusha the Northern Shadow Queen." At the mention of Anasusha, Kagome's brows shot up,

"A queen? Why is she a ruler? I thought you youkai were rather patriarchal."

"Elementals are different from the rest, I think you may find the shadow queen a formidable female." Sesshomaru said with a sniff. Kagome got the feeling he did not like the youkai lady, or maybe it was elementals he didn't care for. Either way she didn't have the patience to find out, here he was dictating to her the way in which the rest of her life would be decided without batting an eye. He told her about her suitors like she actually wanted to know, 'If he thinks I'm just going to go along with it he's got another thing coming.' She felt suddenly stifled, her future had been decided before she was even born.

"Wait a minute," she said in a flash of inspiration, "what about Midoriko?" Sesshomaru turned his head and fixed her with an opaque gaze,

"What about her?" he said. He seemed slightly guarded as he studied her, waiting for her to continue.

"Nothing I ever heard about her said anything about her being promised to a youkai, she was a priestess for kami's sake! They don't mate." The note of triumph in Kagome's voice amused Sesshomaru, 'She thinks there's a loophole.' He decided to put an end to this notion immediately, the sooner she realized this was her only option the more time she would have to accept the idea.

"She was promised, she had taken a pledge with a ruling yokai lord." he said flatly.

"But she didn't go through with it!." Kagome insisted.

'Is she really that unaware or just that irrationally angry?' he asked himself.

"She did not survive her trial." The taiyoukai let that sink in, he watched a string of emotions flit across Kagome's face like the reflection of clouds on a pond, confusion, realization, sheepishness and finally curiosity flickered.

"Who did she choose?" The question took Sesshomaru by surprise and he paused before answering.

"My father." Those two words were the last things Kagome expected to hear.

"Y-Your father...?"

"Yes Miko, my father." His tone was heavy and he seemed tired for the first time since she had known him.

"I had no idea Sesshomaru-sama," she said "was it before Izayoi?" His face twitched in annoyance

"It matters not miko, you must prepare yourself to encounter your suitors, they will be arriving soon and you will be courted at once." Her face changed immediately and her spine stiffened in anger.

"I can't be expected to fall in love with one of them much less marry – I mean mate one, and how can you limit my choice of who I will spend the rest of my life with down to three snotty spoiled Lords?" Her voice had increased in volume as she spoke, he was confused by her outburst but damn his ears were ringing.

"Miko, cease your screeching." he snapped, fighting the urge to clap his hands over his sensitive ears, "why are you talking about love? No one said you have to fall in love at all." She was completely thrown for a loop.

"Not fall in love? But we're talking about marriage, how can love not be involved?"

"Youkai do not mate for love Miko, they must form alliances based on power, prestige and fertility, nothing more." The finality in his tone brought her up short, she was struck absolutely speechless by the coldness in his eyes, feeling tears begin to well up , she fought against the inevitability of the situation. 'I will not cry dammit'

"So I'm supposed to be a trophy? Or...or a brood mare?" her voice was rising again, shrill and uncomfortable. He winced, this had gone downhill quickly,

"That is now how these things are spoken of and I would thank you to observe decorum while in my home." He was losing patience with the obstinate woman in front of him. "You will abide by youkai as long as you are here Miko!"he thundered, drowning out any protest she may have attempted. He stood, eyes bleeding red around the edges, waiting for her submission. Kagome was having none of it.

"How dare you!" she shrieked "You do not rule me Sesshomaru! I am not some pawn for you to play with!" Her eyes glowed brilliant green , her skin shimmered and sparked, crackling holy energy swirled about her. Sesshomaru was reminded how much more powerful a hanshin was than a human, 'If she could scorch me before, she could most likely damage me pretty severely.' He was not worried however, hanshin or no, he was a taiyoukai and there were few beings that could bring about his end.

Her fists clenched and she let out an inarticulate sound of rage accompanied by a pulse of energy that shook the walls then spun on her heel stalking from the room. At her emergence from the study Shinji allowed her a few paces before falling into step and shadowing her back to her chambers.

Inuyasha, having been nearby, picked up on the flaring of a holy aura, knowing it could only be one person he made his way down the hall to investigate. Catching sight of Kagome in full enraged glory he stopped dead in his tracks and allowed her a wide berth. Once she passed he poked his head into his brother's study, taking in the sight of a very miffed taiyoukai standing amongst scrolls that seemed to have fallen from the shelves.

"Erm...everything OK?" he asked. A sharp glare from Sesshomaru was his only answer, easing into the room he watched curiously as his brother took a seat. "so what was that all about and I gotta ask...was she glowing?" Sesshomaru realized Inuyasha had not yet found out about Kagome's true nature, inhaling slowly he replied,

"She's hanshin." Inuyasha's head jerked around,

"Hanshin? No way! I traveled with her for four years, she's human!."

"I assure you brother she is not human" Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and took on the belligerent look his tutors had labored in vain to remove from his mannerisms.

"I don't buy it." the younger Inu said.

"Weather you do or not Inuyasha, she is hanshin and woefully unprepared for the courting process." Sesshomaru watched as his brother's mouth made a small 'O' and he began to laugh silently, shoulders shaking as he tried to hold it back. Giving up he let out a loud guffaw and reached up with a clawed hand to wipe tears of mirth from his eyes. He knew of the process from his fifteen years of forced tutoring at Sesshomaru's insistence. Thinking back to the way she acted when they traveled together and how vastly different her time was he was starting to understand the reason for Kagome's outburst.

"Oh I'll bet that went over well." he chortled, "forgot to warn you about that part, count yourself lucky she never got the chance to put a rosary on you." Sesshomaru drew his head back, affronted,

"The onna would never get that opportunity whelp!" he snarled. Inuyasha brushed this off, he was enjoying Sesshomaru's discomfiture far too much to be deterred.

"So what set her off like that?" he said, gesturing to the door. When no answer was forthcoming he grinned, "Let me guess, she was throwing a fit and you laid down the law didn't you?" the taiyoukai remained silent, only a slight twitch of his eyes telling Inuyasha he had hit the mark. "Oh wow, seriously?" he said with a chuckle, "I do not envy you at all brother."

"Her actions make no sense." Sesshomaru growled, "Any ningen should be honored to have such attention paid her, she acts as though it is an insult." Seeing the puzzled expression on his brother's face, the younger Inu took pity on him.

"Don't forget she's isn't just any ningen, five hundred years is a long time, many things have changed." Sesshomaru looked at him.

"Did you ever go there?" he asked, rather subdued.

"Yeah, I went there a bunch of times, it is strange beyond words. Females there expect and receive equal treatment as males, the stench was almost unbearable when I was a hanyou, I couldn't imagine what it would be like now." He shifted thoughtfully,, "even back when we were looking for the jewel she was really independent, Kouga tried for years to mate her and she wouldn't hear anything about it." He smiled softly, "You'd have better luck having a female talk to her." Sesshomaru turned this thought over in his mind, perhaps time with Amaya would mellow the Miko's attitude, or perhaps time and advice form another female entirely. Thoughtfully he looked at Inuyasha, this would take some doing.

Kagome let out a sigh as she felt her muscles finally begin to relax in the heat of the springs. She had paced and raged for hours before finally exhausting herself and giving into tears, she had only been dimly aware of Amaya's comforting words and soothing hands on her back as she cried herself dry. Once the tears had ceased, she lay there unmoving and melancholy until being prodded by the neko to the baths.

"Amaya..."

"Yes Kagome-sama?" came the soft reply.

"I..." the lump in Kagome's throat stopped her for a moment. Was she really about to ask for more information about these damn suitors? Through her ranting and crying she had not been idly cursing her fate, she had been working over the issue in her mind. She was not just Kagome the Miko anymore, now this whole new facet had been added to her identity. Hanshin, she turned the word over in her mind, was that man in her dreams her father? He looked nothing like the father she remembered from her early childhood, that part of it really got to her, 'Mom must have known something, why didn't she ever say anything?'

She had come to the realization that she was essentially alone in this, she knew Shippo would do everything he could for her but he couldn't understand what she was going through really, she'd changed species in the blink of an eye and had no idea what to do with all the input from her heightened senses. There were times where she felt like she was going to overload from all the added power thrumming through her now, it frightened her if she was going to honest about it. 'I will have to play along with this at least until I figure out what to do.' She thought she should at least get some information to use for her benefit. She tried again,

"Amaya, I have some questions for you about the youkai lords and what exactly is going to happen." She felt the neko move to fetch her yukata and help her out of the water. Once inside she settled on her futon and faced Amaya,

"I will answer as best I can Kagome-sama." the neko was relieved beyond words that the miko had decided to be reasonable.

"Well, could you tell me about youkai mating traditions?" The miko's earnest expression displayed just how ignorant she was of youkai in general.

"Each race is different, some are very similar there are generally two things that are shared when youkai mate, weather it's with another youkai or not."

"What things?"

"One is their abilities such as transformation ability and elements they control as well as any unique powers they posses" Kagome seemed a little uncertain and asked,

"Could you give me any examples?"

"Sesshomaru-sama gained his transformation ability from both his parents, the poison claws and light whip were his mother's. He's as strong as he is because both his parents were Inu Taiyoukai so his animalistic traits are twice as strong."

"So his hearing and sense of smell right?" Amaya smiled, she was glad Kagome was intelligent, or this would have been a special kind of torture.

"Hai, Kagome-sama, when his parents mated they shared their abilities with one another while their mating lasted."

"As long as it lasted? You mean they didn't stay mated?" The neko hesitated, she was kicking herself for choosing Sesshomaru's parents for this conversation, there were delicate subjects here.

"Their situation is a rare one, they dissolved their union voluntarily and separated, this is incredibly rare among Inu, Neko and Wolf youkai. Usually they mate for life with a single mate, which brings me to the second thing that is shared." Kagome was all ears and even a little wide eyed, even after all the time she spent around Inuyasha and Shippo she knew virtually nothing about youkai mating.

"Inu, Neko and Wolf youkai also share mortality with the one they mate."

"Mortality?" Amaya took a quiet pause and continued,

"When two youkai from these houses are mated, they share a lifeline. Should one die, so does the other." Kagome's mouth fell open.

"But why?"

"It is the intense connection of the mating mark they share, it links their emotions and souls and knits them together so closely that the death of one is also the death of the other."

"So they're monogamous then." Amaya frowned and was about to ask what the word meant but Kagome provided it, "Sorry it means only one mate and not more than that." the neko nodded,

"Keep in mind this only applies to the Inu, Neko and Wolf."

"So there's also Dragons, Phoenix and...Elementals?" Her maid looked at her for a moment and replied,

"Hai, they are all different than what I just described." Kagome cocked her head slightly to the side and lifted her brows at this. "The Dragons, rule over the snake and lizard youkai as they are all originally from the same line, the Phoenix oversee all types or bird youkai, when they mate they only share abilities, not mortality." Kagome seemed to consider this and said,

"So whoever Suzaku mates don't have to worry about dying when he does. Does this mean they don't have a strong mating mark?"

"Hai, they also traditionally have more than one mate and concubines are common in those households." At the mention of concubines, Kagome's eyes narrowed and she shifted in agitation. Amaya watching this reaction and waited for her next question.

"What about elementals? Sesshomaru told me they have a queen." the neko nodded and decided the miko had filed away whatever issue she had with concubines for later in favor of new information.

"The elemantals are unique, many mating traditions do not apply to them. They are ruled by the oldest child of the Lord or Lady regardless of gender so they have had kings as well as queens. Right now their ruler is Queen Ansatsusha, she is a shadow youkai."

"What happened to her mate? She has a son so..." Amaya smiled,

"That is one of the traditions that differ greatly from all other youkai. In the elemental kingdom the ruler and her court may choose to discard their chosen mate should they show themselves unfit for any part of their position. Her former mate, a wind youkai was chosen for his virility and once her heir was born she turned him from court."

"How heartless!" Kagome exclaimed.

"No, it is simply the hierarchy they hold in the north, Shadow and light youkai are royalty, snow, wind and fire youkai are the military class and all the other, earth, trees and rain are the peasant or serving class. They adhere to this very strictly, her mate was deemed strong enough to produce an heir but not fit for ruling as so was cast out." Kagome huffed angrily

"Are all mating negotiations based on breeding?" Amaya shrugged mildly.

"In the upper classes more so for breeding and alliances, the balance of power is very important. But you find mating based on love and comfort in those who are free to do so. And more often than not arranged unions end up in comfortable companionship if not actual love with time."

"I find that hard to believe." Kagome said slowly, "what happens if a female is mated and mistreated by her mate?" Amaya looked slightly disgusted.

"That is a very rare occurrence, youkai males treat their mates as treasures and do everything in their power to satisfy them in every way." she paused, noting the blush that stained the miko's cheeks. "Should something like that happen, the female has court right to being formal complaint against her mate to the other youkai nobility." Kagome scoffed,

"Yeah like that works out for the female." Amaya sat up straight and locked eyes with Kagome,

"It is a thing of pride for all youkai to treat their mate so well she would never look anything less than her best to all others. For a complaint to be brought against a youkai Lord is the highest disgrace in our society. It is a failure on an epic scale." Kagome had the grace to look shamed.

"I'm sorry Amaya, there's still so much I don't know. This whole thing scares me, I don't know what's expected of me or what kinds of things are appropriate, I just...I feel very alone." Amaya understood her loneliness, she felt it every day, she and Takeshi were the only ones from their tribe left, but she supposed it was a different kind of loneliness. "There's just so much to take in at once, I still don't have a handle on my new powers and all my senses are so much stronger I don't even think I can sleep tonight. I keep starting when someone on the other side of the manor coughs." The Miko looked so miserable, Amaya felt a wash of pity.

"I'll get you a sleeping drought from Tatsuki if you would like." the gentleness in the neko's voice almost set Kagome off again, she could feel the singing of tears again.

"That's would be wonderful," she said with a smile, "Arigatou Amaya." Amaya rose and exited the room silently.

Kagome found herself along for the first time that day. She would continue to question her maid over the next few day leading up to the banquet, or the day she put her yet unformulated plan into action, whichever came first. She had to talk to Shippo and let him know they may need to leave suddenly, she would need his help if she was to leave here without the consent of those who expected her to stay. She was glad of the sleeping drought otherwise she wouldn't be able to sleep at all and she knew she would need all the rest she could get.