A/N: As many of you many already know, there were no chapters for any of my fics in November as I always participate every year to work on my own novels.

As it is, here's this month's chapter!

Kagome stood hesitantly inside the doorway to Sesshomaru's study.

Hikaru had already snuck in and made himself comfortable, curled up on one of the spare cushions Sesshomaru had ordered to be brought in not long after he'd accepted Kagome and her adopted son into his pack. Once Hikaru had found him, Sesshomaru had known it would only be a matter of time before Kagome herself showed up.

He had attempted not to allow himself to become too eager at the notion, though he wouldn't hide his pleasure at her arrival, either.

"Come in, Kagome," he rumbled without even looking up from the scroll on his desk. It was a most unusual missive, which is likely why it had been left on his desk for his review without a comment from Kagome on how to handle it. "This is yours to use as well."

He had to admit that her knowledge and efficiency was more than he was accustomed to. Jaken was no fool when it came to politics—he had, after all, once been a leader amongst his own people—Jaken generally lacked finesse to handle situations with more finesse.

Kagome, on the other hand, thought of people first and often had a different insight that he had quickly come to appreciate. Her suggestions were often beneficial and had greatly improved the moral not just of his shiro but his lands as a whole.

She has stepped up as a most excellent alpha female. He had intended on taking her and Hikaru out later that week to patrol their lands, but had been derailed by one request after another.

And now, he didn't dare leave, not with what was about to occur.

"Right." Kagome didn't move from the doorway to approach either his own desk or the one he'd had brought in for her own use. "Um, you saw the scroll."

He looked up then, only to find that Kagome was studiously staring at the wall beside him rather than at him. He found it oddly charming, especially given the missive's contents. "So I did," he rumbled in amusement, chuckling at the odd look she was attempting to squelch.

She finally walked into the room and he wondered at the emotions running across her face. She had attempted to act normally during their morning meal after the incident in the dojo that morning, but Kagome seemed oddly incapable of it now.

She must wish me to address the contents of the scroll myself, he thought, smirking. So then, little priestess, you have read the missive and misunderstood its contents, have you?

He found the desire to tease her well up within him, indulging in a mood he hadn't often done as of late until she had entered his life. Would she be jealous?

"It would seem a favorable thing to answer," he replied calmly and noted immediately her irritation as she tried not to scowl at him. She didn't entirely succeed. "After all, such a match might well be fortuitous, should the other party find it agreeable."

"Dammit, Sesshomaru, you can't just arrange a marriage for InuYasha!" Kagome stalked over to his desk and sat down on a cushion with a vehemence that surprised him as much as her own words had. So she hadn't misunderstood the scroll's request. "He'd sooner let you cut his hair then tell him who to marry."

He raised a brow. "Perhaps it would be better managed, then," he replied calmly, chuckling at her glare. "As it happens, Kagome, the request is not for an arranged marriage itself, but rather for a meeting to see if parties are suitable to one another. It is a common enough occurrence and there are no expectations that a marriage must follow."

"Aren't there?" she challenged, raising a brow herself as she finally met his gaze. "The scroll specifically states an exchange of gifts, Sesshomaru. That sounds as good as an agreement of marriage between families as anything to me."

He was reminded of how human she was suddenly then, though he had oddly begun to discount her human roots, both because of her own power and because of her merits. "Perhaps, if we were human," he agreed easily, hoping his words would placate her ire, "but we are not, Kagome. The gifts are simply to show respect to both clans and to show what might be if such an arrangement proves agreeable. The only expectations involved would be that InuYasha agrees to meet her and is generally civil."

Kagome snorted. "Like that's nothing major," she grumbled but he saw a hint of a smile at her lips. "He won't be forced?"

"No." He had to admit, though, that he was curious, because arranged marriages weren't an unheard of thing with humans, either. "If either party does not find a match agreeable, there is no progression and there is no ill will for doing so. Both parties simply walk away."

"And you wouldn't pressure him into it?" She lifted her chin.

"No," he repeated, a little surprised. Had he not already stated that he wouldn't? He had no desire to meddle in InuYasha's life more than strictly necessary. Besides, the female would come live with InuYasha in Sesshomaru's shiro if the marriage was agreed to and he certainly had no desire to listen to any quarrels between them that might ensue from an ill-fated match.

Kagome sighed. "So you're going to agree, then?" He was confused at that until she added, "Don't you think you should ask InuYasha if he even wants to go?"

That took Sesshomaru so far aback that he blinked at her for a moment, at a loss for words. He had the feeling that answering truthfully might make the situation worse, so instead, he said neutrally, "Do you think InuYasha's counsel should be sought on this?"

He was unaware that InuYasha had even been seeking a wife; Sesshomaru had been inclined to agree to the proposal out of mere etiquette. He had expected InuYasha to decline once they met—if the female did not decline herself—and so hadn't bothered to consider the matter further.

After all, InuYasha had shown up at Sesshomaru's doorstep and would have known that meant taking up certain responsibilities when he agreed to stay at the shiro.

Had he been wrong? Had he earned Kagome's ire not because of the missive itself but because it involved InuYasha?

His own lips thinned at the idea. No, he hadn't been wrong. There was no misreading the interest in her eyes nor the scent he'd begun to search for whenever she was in his presence. She was certainly attracted to him and whatever affections she once held for his half-brother, it was clear they had become platonic since she'd returned.

Kagome leaned on his desk with one elbow. "Wouldn't you like to know if you were being set up for an arranged marriage meeting?" she countered.

He wanted to bare his fangs at the very notion. No one would be foolish enough to set him up for an arranged marriage meeting without his expressed consent, but somehow, he had the feeling that answer wouldn't please Kagome. "Perhaps you are right," he conceded, setting aside the scroll for now. He certainly had no desire to deal with the hanyo's rage if she was correct in this. "We will simply ask it of him when he returns."

The irritation abruptly left her face and she grinned at him. It was only then that he was aware of the tension leaving his own body in turn as she relaxed. "Good," she said, pleased. "I think he'll agree if you explain why it's important, but it's always better to be asked than told."

He considered her words, carefully filing them away. If it was important to her, he would endeavor to seek out and ask rather than simply deciding, both when it came to InuYasha and when it came to the priestess herself.

Of course, that would mean she would also want to be asked in terms of courting, but he had the feeling she wouldn't readily agree yet, so he resolved not to ask nor pressure her until he sensed she was ready. He would tease and cajole, but he would be careful of any boundaries she established in the process.

He had no desire to pressure a mate into mating with him before both parties were aware of what such a relationship would entail. He would not follow in his father's footsteps.

"Sesshomaru?"

He blinked, realizing then that he'd been drifting. "Yes, Kagome?"

She pressed her lips together and seemed to consider something. "Um..." She trailed off and he got the feeling that she had been about to ask something and had changed her mind. After a moment, she asked, "Have you thought about marriage yourself?"

"It has come up from time to time." He reached for another scroll, not wishing to alarm her with his own intentions. "It is not something to be rushed, so there is no concern as of yet. As it happens, few have proven worthy of all that is required."

"As a wife, you mean," she guessed, but she didn't look happy. "I'm sure you have some high standards."

"Should I not?" He set aside the scroll to meet her own gaze. "I am the alpha of my pack and I will not settle for someone who could not lead it with me. It would not be fair to my mate nor my pack otherwise. My future mate would need to meet many qualifications to ensure she would be ready for such a task."

If she'd been surprised before, she looked downright flabbergasted now. "But what about love?" she blurted out, licking her lower lip.

He tried not to stare at the movement. "What about it?" he asked, striving not to be distracted.

"Don't—don't you want it?" She flushed.

He considered her question. If she had asked him four years ago, he would have said that love was unnecessary. After all, look where such sentimentalities had gotten his father. But now?

"It is preferable," he admitted, hoping she understood what a concession that was, "though it is not required." But he hoped she would come to love him for he'd seen how great her love was and how empowering it could be.

It had protected his brother and her friends on more than one occasion before and it protected Hikaru now. He had the feeling that children raised by her would want for nothing and would grow up with the confidence and security he himself had been forced to find on his own.

"I think it should be required." She straightened. "No one can live a life happily without love, Sesshomaru."

He was beginning to agree with her there, at least when it came to her own affections. "Perhaps you are right," he said again, amused at how taken aback she was. It seemed he was constantly surprising her today.

She bit her lower lip and then confessed, "I realize I don't really know a lot about you, Sesshomaru." She sounded troubled at that and it wasn't hard to guess why. For Kagome, relationships were the most important part of her life. Before he could attempt to reassure her, she added, "But I'd like to."

His gaze softened as he smiled at her. It was a small smile, but there was no hiding his delight at her words. "I have nothing to hide from you, Kagome. You may ask anything you wish. You are, after all, the alpha female of this pack and it is your right to do so."

But she shook her head. "No. Well, actually, I'm sure I'll still ask you a lot of things, but that's not what I meant. I want to get to know you, Sesshomaru. I want to spend time with you and understand who you are."

He had no objections, though he wasn't entirely sure what such a feat would entail. Still, he considered this to be a good sign. "Then you shall. Though I admit I am not as familiar with what this would entail, Kagome."

Her own expression softened. "Time, most likely," she admitted with a small laugh, "but the rest is natural, Sesshomaru. There's no need to try and force anything. I just wanted you to know how I felt, that's all."

She then swiped the scroll his claws were closing around. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think you're doing my work, alpha." She winked as she pulled back and headed to her own desk with the scroll she pilfered.

She had no idea how the words heated his blood and was oblivious to the reaction within him as he took a deep breath.

And then another.

This courtship, he thought to himself, might very well be the thing that kills me.

His father was probably laughing at him even now.