I don't own Inuyasha. Not do I own any other dog demons, I just set out food for them every now an then, I claim no responsibility if you piss them off and get eaten.

reviews make me want to update quicker.

Sesshomaru fumed as he stripped. His wife, Melissa! She was human! It couldn't happen, it just couldn't. If she were a youkai he'd take her, but she was a human. He couldn't father a hanyou.

Then he froze, she couldn't bare one. She was barren, that's why she had to stay in his care. If he took her there would be no harm done. People were already talking and she could not bare his child. But he couldn't marry her. She deserved to be someone's wife, not a concubine.

He pulled on the yukata he'd wear to the bathhouse. It was foolish to entertain such thoughts. The woman he one day took would have to be willing and Melissa was proud of the fact she was not an loose woman, not a slut. She'd never agree and he was not a rapist.

He heard a rap on the door frame. Whether a servant or his mother he didn't care, They'd wait. He opened a chest in which his kimonos were stored to decide what he would wear after the bath. The first thing he found was an outfit he'd worn 200 years ago, when he'd last seen his father, the last time he'd disappointed him. He tossed it aside and pulled out one that was was dark green with his crest in white, he found the matching hakama and set them carefully on top of the chest.

Melissa watched Kame flit around speaking so rapidly she didn't catch half of it. She had brought a bucket, a towel, and a white yukata with her and was laying out bedding. The basket containing her belongings, her bow, and arrows were put carefully away. She had been hesitant to leave Raven and asked what Sesshomaru would do with his weapons. Upon hearing a warrior always keeps a sword near she tucked Raven into the obi of her yukata, much to Kame's surprise.

When she slid back the door she was shocked to see Sesshomaru and his mother both dressed in white yukata as she was. Just how communal were the baths? Surely Sesshomaru wasn't going to bathe with them! The group started moving, Kame joining Kumiko and another girl carrying a towel and bucket walking behind them.

"The baths are segregated by sex." Sesshomaru whispered to Melissa, sensing her discomfort. "Men are on one side, women on another. The tub is shared but there is a screen divider, you will not be seen by any men."

"She needn't worry about that, we will be bathing in the family bathhouse." His mother informed them.

"Mother, that bathhouse is not segregated."

"And why should it be? We are family, you never had a problem bathing with me before."

"I was a puppy, and Melissa is not family!" Sesshomaru replied.

His mother glanced over her shoulder, the girl was blood red again, and her son... She paused, Sesshomaru's cheeks had taken a pinkish color at the thought of bathing with Melissa. He had been telling the truth, he hadn't bedded her. Not yet anyway.

Kimiko gave her son a motherly smile. "You will always be my puppy, Sesshomaru. But if you would feel more comfortable bathing in the public house I will not prevent it."

He nodded and soon he and his assistant left them to enter a large windowless building. Melissa stopped in her tracks, that girl was going in with him? He was being assisted in the bath by a woman. She thought the girl would hand him the bucket and towel at the door, not go in with him. Was she going to see him nude? Maybe wash him? It wasn't right!

"Is something wrong?" His mother asked, seeing Melissa stare at the door, her expression dark.

"Girl went in there." She told the youkai in shock.

"She is to assist him in bathing." Kimiko explained.

"But she is girl! Sesshomaru man!"

"All bath assistants are female. Is that not the case where you are from?"

"All bath alone in America."

"Well here people of standing are assisted in the bath house."

"But... But is inappropriate." Melissa replied adamantly.

"If I didn't know better I would say you are jealous. This is how things are done here. My son does not act inappropriately with the assistants, and if he did you are not his wife, it is not your place to care who he beds. Now come along."

She obeyed, but she was still bothered. But his mother was right, it wasn't any of her business. Let him fuck every girl in the castle, it wasn't her business. He might end up with a dozen diseases and enough child support to bankrupt a small country, but that wasn't her problem if he did. But it still bothered her.

They entered the bath house and began to strip as the assistants set up stools, and filled the buckets from the tub. Kame had seen her tatoos earlier, but the other two had not, though they were polite enough not to stare.

"Those paintings, they do not wash off?" Kimiko asked once they had scrubbed and rinsed.

"Not painting, tattoo. Tattoo never come off." She replied shaking her head as she followed the other woman into the tub.

"Your skin is permanently stained?"

For the next several minutes she had explained how an artist used needles to place ink just beneath the skin to make these images. It sounded extremely painful, but Melissa said it wasn't that bad. It also sounded expensive and time consuming. The peasants of her lands had neither money nor time to spare, which brought her to the obvious conclusion that Melissa was someone important in America. Melissa could not correct her because she didn't voice this belief.

"I must say, you are a beautiful woman, I am surprised you are not married yet." She told her after a long silence.

"I was." Melissa replied hugging her knees to her chest. "He gone. Almost year and one half."

"I see. I too am a widow. But I cannot be very sad. My husband is gone but he left me with one of his sons, an honor he bestowed on only one other woman. Sesshomaru is a brat, but he is my dear son."

She didn't correct her. How did you explain divorce to someone from 500 years in the past? Besides, he wasn't alive, so in a way maybe she kind of was.

"Sesshomaru is good man. You did good job being mother."

"Yes," Kimiko replied standing to exit the tub, "I suppose I did." So that's where he got his modesty.

Has she accepted the towle Kumiko was handing her Kimiko looked back over her shoulder. "You realize you just spoke a great deal of Japanese."

Melissa froze by the tub and stared at her , dripping on the floor.

"I want an answer and I want it in Japanese, what are you to my son?"

"We are friend."

"Anything else?"

Melissa thought about all he'd done for her, to protect and provide for her. He owed her nothing and did it all the same. And after the quake he'd insisted on holding her in his lap for the night. She felt her face grow warm and her heart fluttered.

But then she remembered Kagome's warning not to allow him to know she mistook him for the part human. And Sesshomaru's words came back to her "When my father took a human for his second wife many saw it as weakness. Inuyasha has always been seen as a taint on the blood line." Sesshomaru was proud. Too proud to let anyone see him as weak.

"I am human." She replied.

When she and Kame got back to her assigned chamber there was another youkai female there and she had spread out a dozen or so gorgeous silk kimonos. Was Melissa going to get to choose which one she wore, or were they going to have her try them on so they could decide? Before she could ask Kame had slipped her Yukata off and the other woman paused to marvel at the designs all over her skin.

Then they started to dress her. They put one on her. Then another without taking the first off followed by a third. Wait, was she suppose to wear all of them? She tried to protest, but they kept piling silk on her. By the time they were done she was wrapped in so many layers she could hardly move.

"Now make up." Kame stated happily.

"Her complexion is already very fair. She has lovely skin, it seems a shame to cover it up."

"But her lips could use some color."

Before she could voice an opinion on the matter Kame was applying red liquid to her lips with a brush. Then they did up her hair, twisting it into a knot and securing it with a small gold comb. They stood back to admire their work, she looked like a proper princess. Infact with her strange blue eyes and gold hair she almost looked like a youkai princess.

It all happened so fast Melissa was left slightly dazed. She felt like she'd been mobbed by fashionistas, because she had been. Then they led her to Kimiko's private dining room.

Sesshomaru and his mother were already seated on cushions on the floor, across from each other. Where was the table? Sesshomaru looked around when they brought her into the room. His mother watched him, saw his eyes widen and his lips part before he schooled his features into his usual mask of indifference, then she looked at Melissa. She smiled, the woman cleaned up well.

She was seated next to Sesshomaru and then each person was given a small personal table and servants began bringing out dozens of tiny dishes with little jewels of food that were almost to pretty to eat. Delicate slices of raw meat arranged attractively on tiny plates for the dogs and cooked meat, veggies, and rice for Melissa.

Melissa had never seen Sesshomaru in anything but his white and red kimono. Most people so pale would look totally washed out in such a dark green, but he seemed to glow. And the green played up the gold color of his eyes. The contrast of silver and green drew attention to just how long and thick his hair was. He was gorgeous.

Kimiko made some small talk, but she was more interested in watching Melissa and Sesshomaru. Both kept trying not to seem interested in the other, but stealing glances when they thought no one was paying attention. The attraction would be obvious to anyone but the two of them.

When Kimiko asked personal questions Sesshomaru would refuse to answer. If she addressed them to Melissa the woman would look to Sesshomaru first then answer very carefully. A few times Sesshomaru rudely cut across her, answering questions for her. Well, she knew a way to loosen stubborn tongues, even one as stubborn as her dear son.