Author's note: I apologize for not posting sooner, as many things demand my attention once again. I will not forget about this story however, and it shall be finished. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Chapter 11

Lady Kimi was not expecting Sesshomaru to leave before informing her of his current mate. She could smell someone on his person, could tell his youkai had chosen its mate. She could not place the smell of the other demon, though she knew it was familiar. To think her son had chosen another male for a mate, rather than the females she had offered to him. They were all high of birth, and by the mere fact her son ran off without informing her of anything could only mean the male was probably not high of birth or rank.

Who could her son, one of the highest demons of power have fallen for so heavily?

Is this why she was not informed of the beta's connections, or rather intimacies with her beloved son?

Sesshomaru was always keen on keeping her out his personal affairs, though why was beyond her understating. She did not push however, knowing she would meet this mystery male soon enough. Sesshomaru would return, as he always did.

Her beloved pup always returned to her.

After waiting for a day her son returned, though not with who she expected. If it had been a lowly demon she would have found a way to seed him out of Sesshomaru's heart.

However, she knew this half demon.

"Mother, this is my mate. His name is Inuyasha."

Her mate's bastard son.

"A powerful demoness offers herself to you, and you choose the half breed?"

She wanted to beat some sense into her son, demand why he took in a such a troubling mate. But she could see it.

There was no way she would be able to separate them. Their youkai were deeply connected, a connection that will all of her power she could not destroy.

She would still try.

"I guess him being your concubine is out of the question?" It had been a gamble to suggest it, even with the veiled threat delivered to her. Sesshomaru was determined to have this hanyou as his mate, and there was little she could actually do about the matter.

After another decline and veiled threat through golden eyes, Lady Kimi took in a small sigh. She could probably make the half breed run if she was rude to him.

She separated the mates and tried to persuade Inuyasha that he indeed did not belong in this world next to her son.

For the way he seemed to be shy and withdrawn, there was a very stubborn youkai beneath it all. After all her attempts at trying to convince the half breed this was a bad idea, the younger prevailed.

This made her want to kill the half breed and demand Sesshomaru get another mate.

She reminded herself the half breed was pregnant, taking in a deep breath.

Stubborn like his father.

"I want more than one grandchild."

If she was going to have to deal with the situation, she was going to milk the hanyou for all of his worth. The hanyou seemed more surprised and bashful than angry, the emotion the demoness had expected.

They were in love.

Now to explain this to the council. She knew they would not be pleased, though she would have to push for this. The hanyou was in fact carrying the heir to Sesshomaru's throne, and she needed to ensure its safety.

Too many in the council wished for Sesshomaru's throne.

She would play their game however.

She went to her office and grabbed a scroll and a brush, sitting down and dipping the end of the brush in ink.

She paused.

How could she possibly write out these events without leading to an uproar? No, either way there would be an uproar, she knew this much from experience alone. When it had come to Inuyashas mother, everybody questioned the demon lord on his apparent choice. Though that didn't mean the demon gave in to any of their probes.

He had been a hard wall to break.

Even after his death.

Lady Kimi sighed softly and sat back, thinking back to the hanyou who had changed her world in a mere second.

Sesshomaru had so much potential.

The hanyou however, seemed to fight the mating quite a bit. Though the two seemed perfectly synced, there was something that pulled them apart as well as draw them near.

And gauging from the length of a heat and a musk, Sesshomaru had to have initiated contact first. He had to show Inuyasha he was a viable mate, which brought the demoness around in a full circle.

They loved each other.

Sesshomaru had never put effort into actually pursuing a mate before, so this was all new to the demoness.

He normally fought against anybody she had been willing to offer. It was strange in and of itself. She could only explain the stubbornness of both pups by returning the man that had sired both.

He was probably grinning in his grave.

Lady Kimi placed the brush in the ink bowl before putting her head in her hands, massaging away an oncoming headache. She seemed to be getting them more and more now, a testament to the stress she had been dealt.

The council would attack her judgement before they attacked Sesshomaru's and would probably demand a quick death to come to the hanyou.

After all, demons were too proud to have a half demon anywhere in their ranks.

It was all to frustrating.

Lady Kimi picked up the brush again, careful as she began to explain the situation, making it very clear where Sesshomaru stood on the matter. She lightly threw in her own disagreement in the matter, if only to throw more eyes at her son versus herself.

She quickly wrote off the hanyou's parentage, knowing it was as valuable as infuriating. No matter how she wished to get rid of the hanyou, he was the son of the late Inutaisho. After she felt she had made as efficient as possible, she stood up from her seat, letting the ink dry.

A maid walked in shortly after, bowing deeply in her presence. Lady Kimi's eyes twisted to get a look of the maid, her stare silent and hidden behind a fountain of white hair.

Now would be a good time to get answers.

"What do you think of the hanyou?" Lady Kimi asked, the maid bowing again as she seemed to gather her words.

That was already a sign in and of itself.

"He is very… kind, My Lady."

The pause indicated a lie. The hanyou probably did have the temper she witnessed with everybody, especially those who pointed out his heritage.

"You will not be whipped for your true words," Lady Kimi comforted the maid, the younger girl looking away with uncertainty.

"He killed my friend." The whisper was small, but Lady Kimi heard loud and clear. This was something she hadn't expected from the hanyou.

"Why?" Lady Kimi asked, the maid shuffling her feet as she looked to the ground.

"She said she felt his pup was nothing… And that he should die…" Lady Kimi almost snorted.

Well then obviously the hanyou was going to kill the maid. That was the instinct of a mother.

"You are dismissed. Make sure this scroll is sent to the council." The maid nodded and shuffled forward, carefully rolling up the scroll before leaving the room.

Lady Kimi watched her leave, her eyes digging into the maid's back. The maids were not educated demons, most demons weren't. The royals were educated, knowing everything from the very beginning to now. The maids merely knew the basics, and even then, their intelligence was barely above a fly.

They heard everything though, and the demoness would use this to her advantage as she tried to gather more intel on how the two became mated. There was something definitely missing, and she wanted to know why the information was kept from her.

Who her son mated outside of her jurisdiction was one thing, however how he even managed to get the shy hanyou to agree was sensitive ground. The hanyou seemed better at hiding secrets than she had originally thought.

"Troublesome," Lady Kimi whispered, rubbing circles into her temples. This was all very frustrating.

When the demoness heard a moan, she tried not to flinch. Her son was determined to please his new mate, though she really wished his attention was trained elsewhere.

Like the mountain of paperwork, he neglected in his pursuit his mate.

For now, she would comply.

For now, she would make sure to have the hanyou feel at home. The last thing she needed was for the hanyou's youkai to feel threatened and try to abort the pup in its haste. That would be beneficial to no one, and she knew it would possibly lead to her death if Sesshomaru had a say in it.

"Insolent pup," she muttered at the sound of another moan, walking out of the cramped room to head towards the garden.

She needed some fresh air.