Sesshomaru found himself glowering as he attempted to look over missives before losing his focus. He was absurdly tense, with no outlet for it, and it all had something to do with the Miko, Kagome. First, it was the dojo.

Her entrance, where it seemed as though his friend was pleasuring her under her skirt had set him off. Eiji wasn't of course, the logical part of his mind assured his beast that Eiji was only securing the Miko on his shoulder. The beast in him couldn't help but comment that his head guard had an affinity for having her long legs on her shoulders.

Her sparring match was sweet torture on his senses. For some unfathomable reason, she chose to allow her scent to flow freely. Her sweet scent was tinged with the spicy scents of her excitement, then her arousal. But that wasn't all. Oh no, if it were just her scent the upheaval that occurred after would have been smaller.

The year she was gone by his side, she somehow became as nimble as a fox, and as flexible as a cat youkai. He wasn't sure what the fox prince had done to bring this development in her, but his bestial side thanked him profusely, and his rational side begrudgingly. He couldn't help but rake his eyes appreciatively across her form as it contorted deliciously as she moved. He also had to fight the images of himself testing the limits of her flexibility.

Suffice to say, Sesshomaru had had a challenging time.

Naturally, he wasn't the only one. There were only two completely coherent males in that room, and for once Sesshomaru had mixed with the common folk. His half-brother and the Miko's sensei were able to react first. While Sesshomaru stood rooted to the spot fighting his beast on claiming the unwilling Miko, the northern prince ordered Fubuki to carry her away from the grounds and the hanyou moved towards the exit to block anyone from leaving. Sesshomaru severely questioned the decision of having the snow wolf leave with her but he knew that she had to leave. Yet, her leaving brought out the chase in some of his soldiers. Kai, a black inu general of his, was the first to try to follow her out with the wolf prince.

That movement was all it took for Sesshomaru to lash out at all within the training grounds. His aura was thick and punishing, bringing nearly all to their knees. How dare they lust after what was his! Someone clearly under his protection and high favour. He kept them in that state until the red and the want in their eyes subsided.

But that was not the end of Sesshomaru's troubles.

It had not escaped his notice that she had become popular among the males in the castle. After her little power display the day before he realised that she had turned some of the heads her way. Before she arrived at the dojo, several of the conversations had to do with her and how to woo her. Those who were unsure of the worth of her pursuit surely had their minds changed when she, a human, held her own against one of the strongest demons in the West without much use of her powers.

Within the hour after the dojo debacle, everyone knew of the events that took place. Including his father and mother.

...888...

"Sesshomaru!" His father burst into his study, clothes in a disarray. The musk of sweat and sex hung off his frame.

" I heard you took my sweet moonflower to the barracks and she was nearly ravaged by the soldiers. Can you not control your men?" He said tersely.

His mother glided in behind him, scent mingled with that of his father and with a teasing, saccharine grin on her lips, "I heard she entered the barracks riding the shoulders of her guard, moaning his name as his skilled fingers brought her to release." She closed the door behind him and threw up a sound barrier.

"Nani!"

Sesshomaru resisted the urge to sigh. He flicked the silver hair he had just brought over his shoulder, back behind him. He was preparing to tie it with his usual red scarf into a ponytail and begin his duties. He had no desire to address the asinine, conflated rumours.

"My poor moonflower" his father bemoaned.

"This Sesshomaru did not bring her to the barracks. Her guard saw fit to bring her and settle the disagreement of her poisoning him."

"Maybe I went to easy on him the other day with his beating. His job is to protect her not seduce her! He has not properly stated his interest for her as a mate to me!"

His mind hooked on that last sentence. Eiji had already expressed an interest in the Miko, to his father, her sensei. His ire spiked at the idea irrationally.

"There was no seduction only a sparring match, to which it was a draw" his voice had a bite along its edges that was barely noticeable.

"No seduction? I heard that sight of him ordering the troops brought excitement to her scent. That she was so eager to fight that she made a show of subjugation on your brother to clear the area. That the feel of his prowess aroused her to the point of-"

"This Sesshomaru would never allow such to happen, " he cut his mother off smoothly, belying the anger coursing through him. His beast was close to the surface, clawing to be free of its constraints and punish the gossipers spreading lies about what happened with his sweet Miko.

His father was fuming, eyes turning red and cheek markings becoming more jagged than usual. His head bowed and hands fisted in the cloth of his hakama, a sign of his barely held restraint. A high pitch squeal of laughter flowed into the study accompanied by the scent of rain-washed moon jasmine on the wind

"Be gentle, Eiji~"

"But you were a bad girl this morning, so I have to punish you"

The minute scent of cinnamon followed quickly after his general's statement. On reflex, he snapped the quill in his hand, the only outward sign of his rage. A snarl of rage was ripped from his father's throat before he leapt out the window.

Sesshomaru met his mother's eyes with a farce of aloofness. She did not bother to hide the smirk on her face.

"Oops"

...888...

His mother had left him tense in his study claiming that she wanted to see his ward. If he had been a lesser demon of less control, he would have snarled at his mother like some ill raised pup.

The hours after that he stayed in his study; slowly and meticulously combed through the missives before him. Trade reports, castle activities, the incidents that occurred on his lords and ladies attempting to bribe him to take special consideration in their daughter.

There were several from Lady Hatori insisting on how much of an asset her daughter would be as his mate. She wrote, reminding him of their shared childhood together, her intelligence, her power, his close relationship with Eiji and the historical lineage.

Each of those letters he set to the side with the intent to give it to the Miko. Part of him wanted to melt those contemptible letters but if the Miko found out he destroyed something that would make her job as a sorter easier, there will be hell to pay.

Rationally, Sesshomaru knew he could handle her wrath. Sometimes he even relished it. However, her tirade would bring to light his plan. And he refused to have any obstacles in his path, especially his mother when she inevitably realized.

He had no intention of taking a mate or finding an intended. It was an idea he and his beast agreed on, somewhat. His beast had no intention to take a mate that wasn't the Miko.

To take a mate meant he had to settle, that he could no longer do as he saw fit, that he could not just throw himself into battle. To have an intended meant he would have to drop his mask, become emotional with them, be worried about them. At the young age of 200, Sesshomaru did not want that. That attachment to someone.

Not that he did not want it, per se. He just saw no reason that he had to find one this year and not in ten years when the fox prince turned 205 and had his Mating Games.

Essentially, his plan was to find each female unsuitable with sound arguments, which would not be that difficult. Then when no one is left by the end of the Games, neither his mother nor the Miko would be able to stop his bachelorhood. At least for the next 10 years.

He casts his eyes on the pile.

"Jaken, " he said softly, "inform the Miko that this Sesshomaru will see her in 2 hours."

He heard the imp scramble from behind his study doors to follow his orders.

When it came upon that time, he took the pile of letters after tugging the red scarf out of his hair and placing it in his usual resting place. He would deliver them himself to the Miko.

...888...

The most egregious part of this kami forsaken day so far was that the Miko proved to be elusive. Jaken had been unable to locate her and deliver his message. Sesshomaru knocked him unconscious for his failure.

His first instinct was to find her amongst the children. A few minutes of walking brought him to his wards room. Inside his ward, the kit and his mother speaking idly. She was not there. They had last seen her with his general and the snow wolf heading for the library.

He found Eiji still in the library studying through many scrolls and tomes. He was not surprised at the sight in the least; the library was where his friend was most likely found when he had leisure. But Eiji was not with the Miko. She had asked to be taken to his father after an altercation with the wolf prince. The snow wolf had to haul his unconscious cousin away after his general thoroughly put him in his place for trying to lay claim on her.

His father directed him to the monk with a confusing teasing look on his face. He came across his father in the corridor, returning from walking her there. He did say much but grumbled about needing to put the soldiers in their places.

When he went to the monk's study, she was not there. Her scent in the room was still fresh; as if she had just left the moment he arrived. A notion he may have believed to be impossible if he lacked the knowledge of her shinobi training.

"Good day my lord. The next trial would be on etiquette..."

He tuned the monk's voice in favour of listening to his on thoughts. He seemed to continuously miss her presence. It may be coincidences, however, as he took in the still swaying window that must have made her exit, and found himself reluctantly agreeing with his beast.

She was avoiding him.

Sesshomaru said nothing, dropped the letters before the monk and turned on his heel to leave.

"If you are looking for Kagome, she said she would be meeting someone in the garden with the large pond of demon koi."

The monk's seemingly knowing voice did not stop his stride, only changed the destination. He found his beast snarling at the realisation that he was meeting someone. Who was it? Most likely it was her lover, her sensei. Oddly enough his beast disagreed with that thought, but had no alternative.

He quickly made his way to her location, hiding his aura and scent. He stood in the arch and locked eyes on her form.

The kami refused to shine favourably upon him. She had picked up a stray admirer as and was lavishing all of her attention on him. She laughed and blushed and found excuses to touch the male's skin. She seemed to genuinely enjoy herself. But her companion in question, was none other than Kai, the same Inu that tried to follow after her.

At the back of his mind, he made a note to keep an eye on the general that saw himself important enough speak with his Miko.

Beside him, he heard a tut. Without turning his head, he took in his companion which was none other than the fox prince. There was a clear disdain in his face as he looked upon the Inu.

"I do not like this at all. Don't you have a better reign on your soldiers?"

Then in a moment of neither tact nor guile he let out the question on his mind. "Do you have interest in the Miko?"

The fox's face wrinkled up in disgust before letting out a low chuckle.

"I love Kagome, but not like that. I just think she could do way better than him" Natsu gestured at the black Inu but kept his eyes solely on Sesshomaru.

There was a lightness on Sesshomaru as he heard those words. A deeply cynical side in him thought the fox was just posturing before him, contradictorly, his beast readily believed him.

"I think we should keep an eye on her 'suitors'. After all she deserves the best and we know her better than most, save Miroku-san."

"Hnnn"

He rolled the concept in his mind before concurring.

His kind, warm, intelligent, trouble garnering Miko, Kagome, deserved the best. Especially in the affairs of the heart.