She was nothing more than a kitten pretending to be a full-grown feline. To her dissatisfaction, the Daiyoukai seemed very mindful of this. Only weeks ago, she had been trotting through the rain. Back then, she had been terrified and in the form of a kitten. Now, She traveled as a demoness, but instead of terrified, she was annoyed and frustrated.

Traits that the stoic lord she traveled with seemed to disregard.

Turning her face towards the sky, she hissed in irritation at the scent that was fast approaching.

Rain.

"You wish to call yourself mature but cannot even hide dissatisfaction with the weather?"

His tone held impatience and criticism, but she knew it was a trap.

A trap to let her emotions rise to the challenge.

Instead, she tilted her head in a curious catlike manner and debated on why she would waste her time doing such a thing.

"What is the purpose of such a thing? Hiding emotions?"

She knew the question would aggravate him. Questioning him always had that effect. A mischievous smirk surfaced on her face before she could resist. What was it about the Daiyoukai that made her want to annoy him perpetually?

Was it merely from the effects of cathood? Or was this a sprinkle of kittenhood that would forever be integrated into her personality? Before she could stop herself, she once again spoke.

"I am not ashamed of my actions, Sesshoumaru-sama."

For reasons unknown, she felt like the queen of the world.

Tail held high.

Pride overflowing her.

Sparkling eyes that demanded the attention that every cat deserved.

An unfamiliar sound escaped the Daiyoukai that the feline was almost sure was a snort.

Mirroring an action that she saw far too often from the dog, the kitten raised her brow in curiosity and faced her alpha. Confidently, she questioned his previous reaction.

"A snort, Sesshoumaru-sama? Perhaps I am rubbing off on you."

Her wording made her snicker.

Yet, had the opposite effect on the dog.

Instead, he stopped in his tracks, and within seconds was before her.

"Feline, I will repeat myself one final time. I do not desire children or pups—unlike a certain wolf."

She hissed at his words.

Whether she wanted to admit it or not, they hurt.

The former Miko was trying to handle a whirl of emotions.

Yet, the now feline sulked due to the harsh response.

The constant change of emotions brought the feline back to an important issue. In that a moment, it seemed that the former Miko and feline finally voiced a concern that was on both their minds.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" This time, her tone took on a rare characteristic.

Uneasiness.

I have these conflicting—" but before she could finish, he responded.

"Conflict of identities. Pups experience this. It is not unusual. Training will allow both your personality and youkai traits to coexist. "

Not unusual? But how normal could this situation be? How many had individuals had become Youkai? Subconsciously, Kagome fell in step with the Daiyoukai but not before her ears twitched back in frustration at such an answer.

To her shock, he addressed her behavior.

"It takes hundreds of years of training. Have patience."

Her eyes widened at the words.

Had he just reassured her?

Before she could ask, her body reacted in a way that was consistent with her animal form.

She purred.