A pair of amber eyes stared transfixed as the midnight hair slipped through his pale, claw tipped hands. The woman's face was relaxed as she slumbered beside him, strangely at ease despite his nature. He propped himself up on one arm so to get a better vantage point while he continued his silent exploration of her body. His fingers trailed along her soft, creamy skin while following the slope of her neck, brushing her collarbone, rounding the mounds of her breast, before continuing down her stomach to her waist where he began to make lazy circles with his thumb. Disliking the distance, he lay back down and pulled her on top of him. Senses, on fire he buried his nose in her hair at the base of her neck and inhaled deeply. It frustrated him that he was unable to place her scent, knowing only that it was intoxicating. Slowly, as he continued to breathe in her scent, he felt his body relax. His tongue then began to lap languidly at the underside of the girls jawbone.

Feeling her begin to stir, he paused in his ministrations and watched as she opened one disgruntled, glassy blue orb before looking down at him. They watched each other for a moment before she let out a great huff of air and collapsed back down, content in her decision to ignore him and return to sleep. A silver eyebrow arched at her disregard toward him and nipped her ear lightly in reprimand. Of course, this did earn him a "fierce" glare from the girl, though in his opinion, she resembled a petulant puppy.

He nipped her again.

With a roar she attacked him, going straight for the jugular. Amused at her antics, he humored her for a moment before restraining her against the bed; hovering over her immobile form. She huffed and blew a hair from where it rested in front of her eyes and looked over her shoulder at the demon above her.

"Good morning to you too." She grumbled, though her voice betrayed her enjoyment of his personal wake up.

"Hnn." He leaned in to take another sniff of her hair.

"Ugh, will you stop doing that? It tickles!" she giggled

"Hnn."

"I see, so you're ignoring me now."

"Hnn." He paused and couldn't help but smirk at her pouting face before leaning down for a searing kiss. Believing her to be sated, he began to pull away only to be shocked when, to his great surprise, she bit him!

Taking advantage of his shock, she rolled them so she was looking down upon him, his face trapped between her arms. Her tinkling laughter filled their room as she enjoyed his discomfort. Though, when she smiled lovingly at him, he felt his stomach fill with butterflies and a heat rush through his body.

"I love you, Sesshomaru." She said softly as her eyes warmed.

He pulled her down against him; his arms wrapped possessively aground her slim frame. "You are mine."

"Yes." She giggled, "And you're mine."

He hummed contently and clutched her closer. "My mate," he whispered reverently.

"My lord." A croaky voice called. Upset at the intrusion he turned to the great wooden door only to find the entryway empty. Confused and thinking that it was his imagination he returned to the beauty sprawled across him. "My lord." Now he was sure he was not just hearing things.

The girl on his chest removed herself from his arms despite how tight his grip was; he felt as if he were trying to grasp smoke. She walked from his bed to the window before turning and waving. Not understanding, he moved to go to her and was frustrated when he body wouldn't obey his mind's commands. "My lord Sesshomaru!" His eyes widened as the image of the woman and room slowly began to fade; the last thing he saw before the vision completely faded was her gentle loving smile.

Sesshomaru woke with a snarl and instinctively began to choke his retainer, Jaken, who was undoubtedly the one responsible for the voice in his dream. Still slightly disoriented, he assessed his situation. He was seated, leaning against a tree with the cool ground beneath him; there was no soft mattress to rest upon. The day was well underway, as the sun was high above his head; not the dimly lit room which seemed to cast seductive shadows across the walls. The air was crisp with the familiar scent of forest life; the intoxicating scent was nowhere to be found. The wind disturbed the trees which rustled presently; though it was not the bell like laughter he desired. He looked to his hands. They were empty where a woman, his mate, should have been resting. His mate…

Almost as if by thinking upon her, the dream slipped away from his memory. Already he was grasping for the last tendrils of her existence, yet his effort was wasted. All recollection of his dream vanished and he was left with a deep hollow feeling in his chest. The loss of memory was so painful he almost whimpered like a pup. Seeing Jaken in his grasp he raised an eyebrow in accusation. Jaken flailed wildly before Sesshomaru finally released him.

"My lord Sesshomaru, forgive this humble servant, but that terrible Rin has disappeared again! She tricked me into finding firewood while she wandered off. I do not know why you allow her to follow us around. It is this servants opinion that we leave her and allow her to live in the wild alone as she had so obviously chosen."

"Jaken."

"Yes, my lord."

"Go find Rin."

"Yes, my lord." He croaked as he quickly scampered in the direction the girl had left to. Sesshomaru was not terribly concerned over the wellbeing of the girl, Ah Un and followed after her, if their absence from the camp site is any indication. It was good to have at least one intelligent companion. He had left Rin in Jaken and Ah Un's care for the past few weeks while he searched for his mate, it was likely that Rin was in the nearby meadow collecting flowers to welcome him back. Closing his eyes, he leaned against the tree and tried to figure out why he felt so empty.

He would never tell a soul and if anyone suspected anything, he would slaughter them on the spot. Sesshomaru, the great lord of the western lands, was confused.

When he had first felt the pull on his energy days ago, he had immediately recognized it for what it was; his mate had been born. Though, he has never been known to show his emotions, a broad smile stretched across his face. The smile did inspire those nearby to run for their lives; he only smiles when planning someone's death.

His father had told him of his own mating call and how he had been driven to hunt his mate down. It had only taken his father half a day to locate his newborn mate at the time despite being a pup himself. After that moment the two were inseparable and deeply in love.

Sesshomaru did not care for the love his father spoke of but the strength of his mate. Both his parents had been great and he had surpassed his father when he claimed his sword Bakusaiga after a battle with the demon Mōryōmaru. Yet, despite being over 800 years old, he had not felt the presence of his mate. Sesshomaru figured this was because there was no being worthy enough to mate with him. So he forged on in life alone.

There were times when he felt the loss of a companion keenly; where he would go years without speaking a word to another living creature. It was in these moments he truly felt alone and distance from life. He didn't like to be alone, he is a dog after all and they tend to live in packs. No, he did not want to be completely surrounded by people, but he wouldn't mind someone to watch the world fall away with; someone who could understand him without the need of words and would support his endeavors. Though it could not compare, it was for this reason that he had taken in young Rin and allowed that annoying imp to serve him.

Although he did wish for companionship, he had no desire for the weakness love would bring. He has killed many in his lifetime and would continue to do so in the future. He had heard the cry of a deceased's mate numerous times and if they did not try to avenge their loved one, they would ask that he took their life as well; he never hesitated to fulfill their desire. Yes, love made them weak. His mate would be strong or he would reject the bond.

So when he first felt the pull, felt the incredible power she held, he grinned viciously. It was very impressive. He immediately set out in the direction he felt his mate's aura. Though she would be a newborn, as this was the first time he felt her so she must only now be coming into the world of the living, it would not hurt to introduce himself to her parents and ensure her protection.

It had not even been five minutes before he found the place his mate's power was radiating from as it was surprisingly close to his citadel. Yet it felt strange, as if she was there but at the same time, not. He approached the clearing with the well slowly, staying to the shadows, so that he could assess the situation. Though, when he examined the clearing he found it to be empty.

'Something is not right here.' He could feel his mate's presence not twenty feet from him but it was warped, as if a veil was placed between them. His amber eyes flashed from a stray beam of sunlight and he felt his mate's surprise. 'Has she seen me?' But even as he though the words, her trace completely vanished.

'What manner of magic is this?' He stepped forth into the clearing and expanded all his senses, finding nothing. A putrid smell and the sound of sizzling brought his attention to the green acid dripping from his claws. Quickly, he halted the flow. He had not lost control since he was a pup. It was as he turned his back to the clearing that he clearly felt her loss. It was a glaring hole in his chest.

"It's really no wonder that father remained with mother all the time if this is what one feels when they are not with their mate." He mussed as his had clutched the fabric over his chest. Yet despite the emptiness he felt a salvage smile spread across his features. She was certainly proving to be interesting. His mind was whirling with different possibilities and people he would need to 'interrogate.' Though it was difficult to concentrate with the pain her lack of presence seemed to bring. He needed to run. He needed to dispel this feeling. A hunt was in order.

He was on the mountainous island when he next felt her presence. He had been attempting to release his stress from not having her with him by hunting some of the larger mountain cat demons. Childs play really, but it was keeping him distracted. He was about to strike the finishing blow on his opponent when her aura flared for a moment before disappearing. It did not last long and it was still veiled, but strangely, the burst had given him hope. He had begun to think that she had died and that was the reason he could no longer feel her. Though his mind told him this was not the case, for certainly he would know if she were to die, but the pain in his chest would not disappear.

It was with renewed vigor that he slaughtered the exhausted cat.

He had been cleaning his sword beside the corpse when her aura returned; this time there was no veil shrouding her. Realizing that this meant she was physically a part of the world, he quickly sheathed his sword and set out in the direction he had sensed her.

It was strange that her aura was flaring so much and that he only now felt that she was physically in the world. Perhaps she is so powerful that she could be felt even before her birth. That would mean that the veil which previously prevented him from feeling her whole aura was her mother and the protection of being in her womb. Though his inability to find her parents and the fact that the clearing where he first felt her was empty was certainly strange. Sesshomaru felt he was missing something big. Something that would change the whole equation.

He closed himself off from all distractions and focused only on her aura. This time, there being no cover over her, he could better sense where she was. Though, her energy signature still puzzled him. It gave him a vague feeling, as if it was trying to be generic to mask something greater. In the back of his mind he wondered if she felt a pull to him. Infant or not, her demonic nature would recognize him as her intended.

Unfortunately, the mountainous island was the farthest from the forest island which used to be known as the western lands. It would be a week before he reached her. Prior to the Fracturing of the world, he would have been able to easily make the journey in half the time. Now, though, there were no longer oceans between continents but open spaces. Traversing the expanse between islands was tedious and extremely difficult to do without channeling unless one possessed immense power. This was due to the fact that the different types of energy tend to collide violently in the open space making the ability to suppress the violent collisions necessary. Though, Sesshomaru did possess such strength, he required rest before each crossing.

He had been carefully monitoring his mate's aura while traveling and it was only an hour in when her aura expanded exponentially and became vivid in its individuality, causing him to actually trip. He let it wash over him, and briefly wondered if all mate pairs felt their counterpart so strongly, so personally, as if they were one being. He supposed it was because she was an infant and didn't know how to properly shield her mind that allowed him to feel her more intensely. Their connection was strong and he felt her struggle with her new found senses as infant demons always do. As she tried to calm herself, he helped her control her senses to manageable levels.

What he didn't expect was the additional ability to see and acutely feel the different energy waves in the world. Through her he saw the different colors swirling together and couldn't help but smile with her as she laughed in joy of the new abilities.

His amusement quickly ended when he felt her attention shift and their connection slowly fade. He blinked and found himself on the ground, his side smarting from his fall. Absently, he reached out to his mate only to find her aura had vanished completely. He jolted to his feet. 'No!' he yelled in the confines of his mind, "No! I just found her!" Yet, try as he might, he was unable to distinguish her location.

Immediately, he was on his feet and dashing across the desert island before taking flight. Like hell am I letting her get away again!