Upon his return from his chat with his advisor, Sesshoumaru holed himself up in his study to take on his new task. Bokusenou had said that there had never been an instance of a demon mating a miko. And though he believed the tree demon, Sesshoumaru was nothing if not thorough. He had been pouring through his scrolls for hours, for hope of finding something on the topic; but to no avail.

It appeared that his brother's case would have to remain the authority on the issue. And though helpful that they did indeed share blood, it was only by half. And a strong demon such as he could surely see different results when pairing with a miko. That his particular miko happened to be much stronger than his brother's mate, it would no doubt alter the results. He supposed it helped that they now shared a soul... There were simply too many factors at play for him to be certain. He hated being uncertain.

Bokusenou had theorized that his incredibly powerful youki, when forced in with her reiki, could create a war inside the miko, to troublesome results. And if that were the case, they were indeed proving troublesome. She seemed to be getting worse instead of better, and he considered that perhaps taking her every time she was in his presence was only adding to his problem.

He had said that the youki could be passed through a bite, as well as more pleasurable activities. They were certainly guilty of engaging in the latter, but he supposed penetrating her with the tips of his fangs that night hadn't helped matters. It hadn't been a full bite, that was true. And though he exerted his last bit of restraint in preventing himself from forcing his demonic power into her bloodstream, it was likely that a bit of pre-youki was able to slip past his control.

He himself had only recently reigned in his instincts enough to allow himself capable of a more evolved manner of thinking- regarding his views on humanity, and his species treatment of them. And he had housed the power his entire life. He could understand that the feelings and thoughts she now harbored were a result of the youki blindsiding her. He could also understand, that he couldn't understand what it must feel like to have it mixing with reiki within her being.

She simply needed time to become accustomed to it; to get it under control, as he had done. He would do all he could to find a way to speed the process along; but for now, it appeared he would simply have to remain patient. A task she was not making easy on him.

A knock at his door alerted him that his next appointment had arrived.

"You may enter, Kai."

The demon did as he was bid; and let himself in to stand at attention before his lord's desk, pounding his left breast in solidarity.

"Relax. It is my desire for you to speak freely."

"In that case, allow me to congratulate you on your victory in tournament, My Lord. It was a most impressive display. The fortress would do well to be reminded of your might at more regular intervals, in my humble opinion."

Though his opinion was by no means unbiased. He had been furious with Jiro for beating the information out of him that had implicated Sesshoumaru, and alerting Sesshoumaru to that fact. The merciless assault he endured at the hands of the dog demon made huge strides in mending his upset.

"Noted. How are you taking to your new duties?"

"Very well, my lord. Lady Kagome is a most charming young lady, despite being human. You are a lucky demon."

He fixed him with a glare that showed doubt in his statement.

"I believe This One asked you to speak freely."

Kai looked back at him with a nervous uncertainty, but decided to obey.

"I am growing concerned with her intentions toward you. At first, she seemed quite harmless, if not slightly insufferable..." he waited to be sure he would not be punished by his statement before he continued.

"But the statements I have heard her make as of late have me worried. I was privy to a conversation between her and Lord Inuyasha's mate. I am aware when together females may often speak ill of their partner, but...she sounded quite cross with you. And Inuyasha's mate with him as well. They disagree with your tactics on the human issue, and believe you may cause injury to our species as a result. They view it as a weakness. I must say, it is quite troubling to see them so distrustful of their own kind. And express such little faith in you, My Lord."

"Have they any plans to interfere with This Sesshoumaru's dealings? In council, or otherwise. Of which you are aware."

"Not that I am aware. Though the topic of possibilities of a new Southern Heir has come up quite a bit, I know of no plans in which they mean to take part."

That was a relief. The miko's recent statements regarding his politics hinted at possible ambitions she had desired to see through; pertaining to strengthening the divide between the species. It pleased him to know that Kai hadn't heard anything from her in that regard.

"Is there anything else?"

"I know you did not ask; but the way I see it, she is not worth the trouble. You are the strategist. The trouble she may bring- to you, or to The West- appears to outweigh any benefit you may receive from taking her. I can think of a thousand better prospects for you than she, particularly in regards to her behavior as of late."

He hated to admit that the thought had crossed his own mind more than once. He had put a lot on the line in choosing her as his, and she didn't seem to be at all grateful to him. Not that she necessarily needed to be. But the very things about her that had endeared her to him seemed to be slipping away to nothing. Without constant reminder of why he even fell for her in the first place, it made it easy to sow doubt in his own judgement. But he pushed those concerns aside.

He was confident he would have her back eventually. He saw this as a test of his loyalty. She had once told him that the difference between true love and puppy love was that true love must endure hardships. He was bent on proving that they would make it through this test, and would reap the spoils later.

"You are correct, Kai." He regarded him a long moment before he continued.

"I did not ask."

A/N: lol, pre-youki...