When Kagome woke the next morning she found herself alone. Next to her she saw a beautifully painted pitcher sitting within a large matching bowl, beside them was a folded piece of parchment. Kagome picked up the note, flipping it open to read the words scrawled on it.

"Lady Kagome, in the bowl you see before you is a bar of youkai soap. It is used to erase foreign scents from your persons, it would be wise to stay in your quarters for the day as well. The youkai here may approve of young Rin, but they would never accept our Lord frivolously bedding a human, let alone a miko of your power. You would cause disruption and discord within the castle. If your presence becomes a problem you will be removed. -Emiki"

Kagome stared in disbelief at the words on the paper, Emiki had seemed like a kind young youkai but apparently she had misjudged her. Kagome crumpled up the note and threw it in the small fireplace in her room. She grabbed the soap and rag before pouring all the water into the bowl and washing herself furiously until her skin was pink and raw all over, when done she put on a thin summer kimono she brought with her. Angrily she threw the rag and soap at the pitcher knocking it to the floor and shattering it. Cursing she ran over and squatted down beside the shattered pitcher. Carefully she grabbed the biggest piece, sat it in front of her and started placing smaller pieces on it, the more she cleaned up the farther the pieces got from her, she reached out to grab another piece when she leaned too far out and fell. Her hand landed roughly on the broken pieces but that pain was nothing compared to the screaming pain running through her leg. Slowly she force herself up even though it meant pushing against the porcelain shards littering the floor. After rolling away she forced herself to look at her leg where blood was streaming down her leg into the small puddle on the floor. Care not to injure herself more she carefully pulled the painful shards out of her hand before moving to the ones that littered her whole right leg. Having pulled out all the shards she hobbled her way to the hallway door and opened it wide before collapsing in the hallway.


When Sesshomaru woke this morning he found himself still in the miko's bedroom, her plump backside pressed erotically against his groin. He knew he should go back to his room before Emiki came to wake the miko or Roan came for him. That and because he was stark naked and all his clothes were in his room. Gently he ran his finger along her neckline looking for any indication he had marked her as his mate, to his relief no such mark showed on the flawless skin of her dainty neck. Quietly he rose from her bed and made his way to his bedchamber where her book sat on the floor its pages creased open from sitting that way all night. Dawn's light hadn't yet touched his room so he made his way to the bathing chamber off of his room. Finally bathed and dressed the sun shone brightly through his window, silently he made his way through the family chamber to the hallway. He turned towards his study, down the hall a ways he saw Emiki carrying a pitcher of hot water, as he passed she turned and bowed to him.

"Emiki, do not awaken the miko she needs rest, do your cleaning quickly and quietly." With that he continued on his way to the study.


When Emiki opened the door to Kagome's room, the overwhelming scent of her Lord hit her, it seemed to ooze from Lady Kagome. Anger began to boil in her, how dare the priestess seduce her Lord into bed, there were hundreds of female youkai who would were better choices than this human female. Angrily she sat the pitcher down and pulled out a bar of soap, they usually reserved for the lecherous diplomats that stayed in the castle, and tossed it into the bowl on top of a rag. Spotting a pile of blank parchment scattered on the floor she picked up a piece scribbling an angry note to the treacherous miko before finishing her cleaning and leaving the room.


As Sesshomaru walked towards his quarters the strong smell of blood filled his nose, and not just any blood, the miko's blood. Silently he darted to her door to find her unconscious on the floor with blood staining her once white kimono. He listened to her heart beat and knew she was alive. Carefully he scooped her up and bolted to the infirmary. The old bird youkai that had served the last Inu-no-taisho as a healer stood quietly at her table mixing herbs when Sesshomaru burst through the door startling her and sending herbs into the air to fall helplessly to the floor.

"You whelp!" She cried angrily at him, "Now you've gone and made me spill my herbs." Only that old bird could call him a whelp, she had been the one to deliver him in this very room. She eyed him angrily but looked to see the miko in his arms, it was rare to see him bring anyone other than his precious ward to her so she made her way to look at the young woman.

"Sit her over there on that table Whelp-sama." She watched as Sesshomaru laid her carefully on the table and stepped aside looking almost pitiful as he looked at her then the miko.

"Either sit down or go away, staring at me like that will not make me work any faster." The old bird walked over and started to examine the miko's wounds. Sesshomaru begrudgingly sat down and waited for the assessment. He watched as the old bird pulled out tiny splinters of what appeared to be porcelain out of her legs and hand. The porous material had greedily soaked up the blood she has trickling from her wounds and left them tinted red. It occurred to him then that her body no longer held his deep seated scent, just her own light apple blossom scent and the whisper of his own scent from carrying her. Even using her soap alone he should still be able to smell their recent activities, but nothing from earlier lingered. Sesshomaru was unsure as to why that angered him, but it did, he theorized it was because she was currently part of his pack and without his scent it would seem like he was neglecting her, which he most certainly was not. He thought back to passing Emiki in the hallway, she'd been carrying washing water for the miko, he wondered quietly if Emiki had done such a degrading thing as to give her lecher's soap.


Kagome woke to a searing pain in her hand and leg, she tried to reach for the burning appendages but found herself unable to move. Cracking her eyes open she saw Sesshomaru standing over her with one hand firmly on her sternum and the other on her left hip. Beside him stood an old youkai, she was holding a needle and thread, Kagome lifted her head to see what was going on and noticed multiple areas on her leg covered in rows of stitches. The memory of her falling on the pitcher resurfaced in her mind, she laid her head back on the table and gritted her teeth as the old demon started stitching another wound closed. She felt Sesshomaru's thumb stroking her hip in an effort to sooth her a bit. After five more wounds were sewn shut and salve was put on each before she was bandaged. Carefully Sesshomaru helped her sit up and the old youkai handed her something to drink claiming it would help with the pain. She looked down at what used to be one of her favorite kimonos to see it filled with holes and soaked in blood. Sighing she began to try to stand before she smacked lightly on the head by the old youkai.

"Don't try to stand, you'll tear those stitches and I'll have to resew them. Whelp-sama here will take you back to your room, you are to stay off of your leg for the next two weeks, if they start to swell and turn painful you are to return here for further attention, also keep them dry we don't want the wounds to rot." With that the old youkai turned and walked to her herb table. Carefully Sesshomaru picked her up, it was then she realized he wasn't wearing his breastplate with the spikes but merely a hakama and haori. There were spots of blood on it from where he had carried her and she felt her chest tighten slightly at the though of him caring enough to get her medical attention.


Sesshomaru shifted the miko in his arms so she would be in a comfortable position before carrying her out of the room into the hallway.

"Miko," he paused waiting for her to acknowledge him, " how did you come to be injured?" She looked down at her stitched up hand and leg before looking at him.

"I fell while trying to clean up a broken pitcher." She said quietly, his nose caught the scents of anger, embarrassment, sadness and shame.

"What is on your mind Miko?" He hadn't a clue as to why he asked, but Rin had told him once that sometimes women just needed to talk with someone to lighten their mood. He watched as she seemed to stare at her navel before speaking again.

"Are you embarrassed at what happened last night? Is that why you sent Emiki to make sure no one could tell you had spent the night with me? To tell me if I became a problem I would be removed." The miko started crying and Sesshomaru felt rage boiling through him, how dare that pup make him seem uncaring. Sesshomaru stepped into the miko's room to see that neither the broken pitcher nor the blood had been cleaned. He carefully adjusted her once more to support her with one hand and used his other to open the door to the den. Walking swiftly he made his way towards his room, he could hear Rin and the cub playing in her room, but ignored them as he opened his door to reveal his large bed chamber, his large raised futon could comfortably sleep four other persons, a large window sat on the outer most wall giving a marvelous view of a huge garden, and a doorway off to the side held a large personal bath house. Carefully he laid the miko on his bed and made her comfortable before sitting on the edge of the bed.


Kagome was surprised when Sesshomaru exited her room and entered his. She had noticed that her room hadn't been cleaned, but she never expected him to bring her into his room. Her tears had started to dry when she decided to speak.

"Lord Sesshomaru," She paused to make sure he was listening, "my questions, will you answer them?" He simply looked her in the eyes, graced her with a nod of his head and a "hn".

"Miko, if this Sesshomaru did not have wish of your company he would have left you to your own devices. As such this Sesshomaru did not wish to have his scent removed, nor does he care what others may or ma not say. Lastly, it is unlikely a woman of your status would cause this Sesshomaru problems." Kagome began to cry harder after listening to Sesshomaru's words. 'So he didn't send Emiki.'

She thought as she sat there. She was startled slightly when Sesshomaru leaned in close to her face and softly began licking away her tears as the fell from her eyes, with one hand he held her head gently , and with the other his thumb stroked her jaw.


"Emiki will be reprimanded for her actions and a new lady in waiting will be appointed." Sesshomaru said between the miko's tears. The miko just nodded quietly. Her Tears finally ceased their falling and her scent had been freed from it's turmoil.

"Until such time as you can move about freely, you shall be staying with this Sesshomaru, as it would be inconvenient to another to have to care for you." Swiftly he stood and pulled a yukata from behind the changing screen and sat it carefully on the bed.

"Your yukata will need replaced, until then this shall have to do." He said as he gestured towards the robe. The miko nodded quietly before trying to remove her ruined garbs, Sesshomaru began assisting her when she realized there was no way for her to do it herself. His large hand slid her sleeves gently down her arms after having sliced the thin cloth holding it together. Once she was disrobed he lifted her once more and carried her into his bathing chamber. There he sat her on a bathing stool and carefully removed her bandaging before he pulled out a rag, dipped it in the hot water, and began carefully cleaning the blood from her skin while avoiding the stitches. When the miko was finally clean he softly dried her and picked her up once more to take her to his bed. Sesshomaru had forgotten his own garments were soiled with the miko's blood until he sat her down and caught a glimpse of his hakama leg. He dressed the miko as quickly as he could without hurting her and rebandaged her legs and hand, before removing his haori and hakama. The stress of finding the miko in such a state had taken its toll on his consciousness and he was beginning to feel the need to rest, he softly moved the miko to the center of the futon and covered her up. While still in the buff Sesshomaru climbed into his bed on the uninjured side of the miko before moving to lay against her.

"Rest now Miko, there is nothing more you can do today." He felt her adjust slightly and lean into him before settling down to rest. Soon enough her breathing evened out and she fell onto a slumber, it wasn't long after that sleep consumed him as well.