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"Whew, I'm tired." Rin exclaimed, panting and out of breath. She had shown Kagome all the things she could do—handstands, cartwheels, somersaults and the like. "Do you want to go inside? I can show you around if you want." She said exhaustedly.

"Thank you, I would love that, Rin," Kagome said, patting the young girl's back affectionately. "But why don't you go on ahead inside and get some water and rest a bit first?" The miko suggested smoothly, "I want to look around the grounds a little more, okay?"

"Alright," Rin said, "See ya at dinner!" she called back at her, already half way across the courtyard to the Entrance Hall doors. "I wonder where master Jaken is…" Kagome heard her say before a high pitched squeak sounded. She had a feeling that was the ugly green toad in question was getting pounced upon by a laughing little girl as of now. Even the fact that she was plumb tired didn't slow her down.

Kagome chuckled lightly under her breath. What a fun evening Jaken was going to have! The miko wandered aimlessly about the gardens. While doing so, a beautiful stone bench entered her line of sight, and sitting in it was an even more handsome taiyoukai. Kagome quickly made up her mind after a brief hesitation and turned her pace towards the demon.

oOo

Sesshoumaru instantly picked up the scent of sweet jasmine growing closer and closer.

'Not a bad scent for a human.' Sesshoumaru admitted unthinkingly—then admonished himself. 'Why would I think that? She is a human and therefore, her stench is unbearable. Or at least it should be… I wonder why it is that Rin has become so attached to her. She is nothing special.' He thought to himself firmly, even though in the pit of his stomach he knew he was lying to himself. 'There is no way that I enjoy the human's presence. The miko woman is here only for Rin! I have no interest whatsoever in a filthy human like her.' He thought resolutely, though in truth, deep down, with no idea how to make his involuntary feelings into words, he was surprised that Kagome was very pleasant to be around, almost refreshing.

Sesshoumaru inadvertently growled quite audibly, a low rumble from his chest. Kagome stopped in her tracks, thinking he growled at her. The Taiyoukai opened his striking golden orbs and gazed at the tiny miko. She took the last few steps to the bench and sat down on the hard seat. The cold stone hit her bare legs, making her repress a shiver.

"Hey," Kagome said quietly, drawing her hands between the bench and her legs to lessen the chilly feel.

"What do you want, miko?" He said exasperatedly. He had things to think about, such as why he was attracted to the girl sitting next to him, or, more accurately, why he didn't find her revolting. She was a filthy ningen woman, how could she affect him at all?

"Nothing…I just wanted to talk..." she said reproachfully. It seemed to Kagome that he was quite flustered; he answered her simple greeting in an annoyed, impatient manner. He didn't say anything back so they sat there in uncomfortable silence. Kagome had her head directed forward and tilted slightly downward, she glanced at him now and then, out of the corner of her eye.

"Well?" Sesshoumaru said, irritated that she wasn't talking, which was usually the exact opposite of what he would want. He knew she was feeling uneasy, he could smell it in her scent, just like he could smell fear and happiness and other emotions if they were strong.

"So what do you do here all the time?" Kagome asked.

"Paperwork." He replied distractedly, unbeknownst to Kagome the conversation was becoming a struggle to grasp for the taiyoukai; the miko's scent was almost clouding his head one hundred percent. He clenched his jaw.

"Ungh…" an involuntary low-pitched groan slipped out from between his gritted fangs and his spine tightened as he tried to pull his attention together to form something coherent. He suddenly realized why her scent was affecting him. That stupid miko was in heat! That shouldn't affect him! Why was his head clouding and his thoughts fragmenting?

"S-Sesshoumaru?" Kagome turned on the bench so she was facing him. "Are you alright?" She asked hurriedly, concern lacing into her voice and her already overpowering scent. He clenched his teeth harder and bent his long slender fingers into fists.

"Go." He commanded suddenly, ruthlessly. His eyes slightly wild. "Get away from me."

"Sesshoumaru! What's wrong? Are you okay?" Kagome jumped off the bench and held a hand out to grab his and try to comfort him, but in mid-motion…

"GET AWAY NOW!" he bellowed, his harsh voice rung in Kagome's ears. She snatched back her hand and threw both of them in front of her, as if warding off a blow. She slowly lowered her hands and backed away a few steps then turned tail and ran.

Once she was gone Sesshoumaru let out a loud growl. It took all of his self control to manage himself.

Such was the power of a demoness in heat. But she was a human. And a powerful of youkai like himself should never have been affected by their cycles. It was a phenomenon indeed.

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A/N: *"Heat" is when a woman is most fertile. Usually one specific day a year when it's much more than usual. (creative license :P)

Sorry for the late update, folks! I caught a bad cold and felt really terrible. I just cant deal with a crappy computer on days like that or it would be out my window lol.

So yes, this is a short chapter…later in the story they get muuuuuch longer. Next update will be soon, I promise. ^_^

Please review, and…

JA NE!