A/N: I am so sorry again everyone that it has taken me to long to post another chapter. I was eaten alive by the end of the semester and then I was moving which is finally over and now I am enjoying much more free time of the summer! I hope to write at least another chapter or two today to post in the next few weeks so updates should be coming to regularly! Now! Thank you all for reading! Please Enjoy!

The Lady of the West's threats originally had me living constantly on edge. Every noise, every movement or brush of the wind had my body full of tension set on a fiery edge. However, now that six months had passed I found it to just be a reality to watch for. I trusted no one within the castle but my mate, father, and brother just to be careful, and I continued to train with Inuyasha, and sometimes, now, Sesshomaru almost daily. Although Inuyasha was quite distracted as of yesterday.

My nephew's name is Tatsuya and boy is he a screamer. One thing for sure is that his lungs are well and developed. He has black hair with white streaks throughout it and to Inuyasha's dismay he inherited the puppy dog ears, only they were black. His eyes were a brown much like kagome's but they held golden flakes within them and his face held no markings.

Puppy dogs ears or not I had never seen Inuyasha look so proud.

Father also thought the little screamer was a beautiful sight to behold and Sesshomaru couldn't help the smile that graced his eyes upon looking at him. Nashika seemed to just think he was too loud and threw her sock at him.

Nashika was truly growing up much faster than I wished. At 8 months old she was already standing up and walking with the help of any furniture that she could get within her grasp. She calls me Papa and Sesshomaru Dada and has become even deadlier with her little fangs coming in. She was the light in my darkness and I found myself watching her sleep after any nightmare I had of Sesshomaru's bitch mother ripping her away from me or the still all too gripping pain of losing Akihiko. She eased the pain within me.

Kiyo was also her new best friend. The two of them loved to play, and being only a month apart they had much in common with their giggling and one word coos. Kiyo's hair had become a curly nest of joy that my father and Kitao couldn't seem to stop melting at.

Overall everything was good. Bright even, if we ignored the shadows that I always felt lurking.

One thing had truly started to make me wonder though. How did the lady of the west ever really expect to do any damage to us? Surely she should know the power of her son and ex-mate? Not to mention the rumors of Inuyasha's power and the knowledge that he has a priestess at his side or the fact that before I was even trained I was more than a capable fighter. Now with training I was really starting to shape myself into an able warrior.

I shrugged my shoulders and let the thought disappear once again, leaving almost as quickly as it had taken hold. Sesshomaru was watching me from across the room as I entered back in from Nashika's nursery. The deadly giggler was finally down for her nap when my eyes locked with that of my mates.

"Jin." He spoke gently, more so than usual as he closed the distance between us, a hand cupping the side of my face.

"Yes?" I looked up and he kissed me, deeper than he had in what seemingly felt like a lifetime. I gripped tightly to his thin silk kimono and wondered if I was trying to pull him closer or push him away. We had not physically mated since before Nashika was born and I wasn't sure now if I was ready or not. Sesshomaru pulled back and rested his forehead against mine. I knew I was blushing and looked down shyly before he nudged my chin to look up at him.

"You are going into heat again."

My whole body froze.

"What?" I asked, completely still and tense. My muscles like stone.

"I can smell the beginnings of your heat, Jin." His fingers ran along my neck and lightly against my mating mark.

"No." I whispered before pushing away from him. "No. No. No. No. No."

"Jin." He reached for me but I simply backed farther away, hitting the bedroom wall. "We need to discuss this."

I looked up, my eyes meeting his with a dark fury, "There is nothing to discuss! I, you- We can't, Sesshomaru! We can't. After the heat, I will be all yours, but I can't get- Not again." Tear began to build in my eyes and the moment I tried to blink them away Sesshomaru was before me, holding me tightly to his chest.

"Be calm now, my mate. This is not something I will push you on." He kissed the top of my head. "Someday we will need to have more heirs but time is not something us Youkai are short in. However, there are facts that remain. You are going into heat and you are going to be slipping into that desperation you felt last time once again. I can restrain myself from taking you, but if you are begging me in the delusions of heat I do not think I would be able to withstand it."

I once again pulled back from him, "But you have to! You can't, Sesshomaru. I- I won't recover..."

Sesshomaru shook his head and pulled me close again, "do not say such things. Besides, I may have another solution, my mate."

I dared to hope as I looked up gently at him. "Yeah?"

He nodded, "There is an herb said to help suppress demon heats up north. It's rare, but if we can find it the heat won't be nearly as intense."

"Really?" I felt relief flood me before another dark thought grew, "But if my heat is already starting and we don't have much time, how are we supposed to get it in time?"

"Father and Kitao already left to look for it. Kiyo is with Rin in their wing of the castle."

I nodded and let the sigh of relief leave me as I sunk deeper into Sesshomaru's hold. "I love you." I said as I nuzzled into his neck.

"I love you." He replied and picked me up, carrying me to our bed and tucking me into his side. It was my favorite place to be, beside him. "They should be back before the heat truly takes hold, so for now, be calm. Rest."

He didn't need to tell me twice seeing as all the excitement around Tatsuya as well as Nashika being a brat had kept me up the last few days. I swiftly fell to sleep in his arms, being lucky enough to not have a nightmare for once.