A/N: First I'd just like to say that I love you all and I'm a horrible person. I have excuses of course but I still feel horrible. Let me tell you though, having two jobs and studying for school kills. I feel like ground beef by the end of the day. Also, I've had writers block, mostly because I know what happens during the rest of the story and also because I've been moping about paying for school. But ignoring all that hideous reality crap, it's thanks to the reviews that I've finally updated. You readers are truly lovely. And don't fret I'm working on the next chapter right now as well. Hope you enjoy this long awaited installment!

Chapter Sixteen

Kagome had no more than stepped into the village before Sesshomaru was on them like a very white, fluffly storm cloud.

"That female!"

"Er… hello Sesshomaru-sama. Are you talking about Kodi?" she asked.

"For the three days your pack has been gone that girl has been unmanageable! She has been crying for no apparent reason, throwing tantrums and being generally irrational! Yesterday, when the sweets you left her ran out, she was crying for over an hour!"

Sesshomaru head snapped around at the muffled snort. Sango quickly coughed and covered her smiling lips. Inuyasha didn't bother, "Ha! Now you see what I go through every month with two females!"

That wiped the amusement from the slayers eyes. She glared at the hanyou, but didn't lift hirokoutso. She knew Kagome would take care of him.

"Inuyasha! Sit boy! Hmmph," the miko turned back to the demon lord, "Ah, Kodi can't help it Lord Sesshomaru. During a woman's erm… gekkei, her hormonal balance is disrupted, and her emotions become erratic."

"Well, they're definitely out of balance!" Inuyasha's voice floated up from the pit he was still laying in.

"This Sesshomaru does not care what is causing this idiocy, just fix it."

"Fix it?" Kagome squeaked, "Me?"

"Yes, fix it. Has your era not created a medicine to balance a female?" Sesshomaru snarled.

"Not really…"

Miroku snickered, "I am afraid that such a medicine would be impossible to create."

Sango knocked him in the head.

"Something must be done! I cannot tolerate this irrationality any longer!"

"Well, it's been three days. It should be winding down by itself by now," Kagome offered.

Sesshomaru snarled and turned away. He walked away a few steps before looking back at them and ordering gruffly, "You will inform the girl, that if she continues to ignore this Sesshomaru, she will not like the outcome." He spun back around and stalked off.

"Ignore?" Kagome murmured as he stalked away.

"What do you think he meant?" Sango asked curiously.

"I have no idea."

Kagome sighed and continued walking. Inuyasha leaped out of the hole he had created and they all made their way to Kaede's hut.

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I prodded the bowl of porridge in distaste. Was this all Kaede could make? We had been eating it almost non-stop since we had arrived here. I would kill for a steak. Or curry. I'd be happy with freaking onigiri at this point. I was practically salivating at the idea.

I was hungry but had absolutely no interest in eating the porridge in front of me. Rin had scurried out of the hut early this morning to play, and Sesshomaru had long since quit hanging around. I smiled as I thought of how he had been sulking the last few days. Served him right.

I looked up as the mat swished out of the way and Miroku ducked inside. He held the mat aside for Sango and Kagome. Shippou was perched on his shoulder.

I greeted them and offered them the rice porridge. I successfully foisted my bowl off on them.

I cast a sidelong look at Miroku when I noticed him smiling at me strangely. What the hell? "Sango? Why is Miroku smirking at me?"

Sango sighed, "Don't worry about it."

"Er, Kodi, Sesshomaru-sama said something about you ignoring him?" Kagome asked.

I giggled, "I have not been ignoring him. I'm simply doing what he asked."

"What did he ask of you?" Sango asked curiously.

I shrugged, "He just wanted me to be quiet, so I have been."

"When was this?"

"Three days ago."

"Ah…"

"Yup. Pretty much. I believe his exact words were," I deepened my voice and pasted a sneer on my face, "'be silent the rest of our stay here.' Why? Is my not talking bothering his Great Doggyness?"

Sango laughed weakly.

"Good," I replied. "I was beginning to lose interest."

"So are you going to talk to him now?" Kagome asked.

"Of course not! Not until he talks to me first!"

"He hasn't said anything to you for the last three days either?" Miroku asked curiously.

"Nope. How was shard hunting by the way?"

"Good and bad."

"Oh? How so?"

Kagome cleared her throat, "Well… we got the shard we were going after."

"That's good," I smiled.

"Keh, and then that bastard Naraku stole the rest of the shards," Inuyasha growled as he ducked inside. He plopped down near Kagome.

"Er… so that means?"

"We're back where we started," Kagome sighed.

"Well, he can't make a wish on a broken jewel no matter how big that piece is. Don't worry about it," I smiled consolingly.

"As usual, the ningen's naiveté is boundless," Sesshomaru murmured scathingly from the mat door. I noticed he made sure to address the comment to the room at large rather than to me. I frowned.

I turned to Sango and asked calmly, "Do you hear yapping? It sounds like one of those little, annoying, lap dogs. You know, the ankle biters? Can any of you hear it too?"

Sango blinked at me as a choked noise of fascinated horror escaped her. I widened my eyes innocently. Sango really was the most fun to traumatize. She was always so dumbstruck when I was disrespectful to the taiyoukai, seemingly horrified and fascinated with the morbid absorption of watching a train wreck. She was very traditional in that sense.

A growl from Sesshomaru brought me back to my game.

"Will it rain do you think? Sounds like thunder," I hummed.

Kagome cleared her throat, "Er, anyway, I do think that the shard we found was the last missing piece. I can sense the one we have and Naraku's pieces and that's it."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"I don't know. We wait I guess, for Naraku to make a move. We can't find him after all. His youkai is veiled. Can't sense him until he's right on top of us."

I tilted my head thoughtfully. Damn. I wanted to ask if Sesshomaru could do that as well. I'd ask later, once I won the cold shoulder game.

Sesshomaru straightened and for a moment I thought I had spoken out loud but he turned toward the door. A few minutes later I heard the unmistakable sound of Jaken groveling. Sesshomaru stood and exited. I followed out of curiosity. Inuyasha stepped out as well, a frown on his face as he sniffed. I figured out why when I saw the newcomer accompanying Jaken and Ah-Un.

Rin peeked out as well. She tugged on my sleeve and I leaned down to listen to her whisper, "That's the lady I saw wrestling with Sesshomaru that time! Remember, I told you?"

I remembered. In the flower field, she had been telling tales about Sesshomaru and a woman wrestling…naked. Oh. Well… Shit.

She was lovely. If you liked sleek, perfectly coifed and groomed women. Blue-black hair, every strand smooth and swaying in a nonexistent breeze, her ears ending in delicate points. Her clothes were spotless. She was also tall and slim, and somehow managed to be curvy in all the right places. I crossed my arms over my own barely there chest.

"An inu-bitch," Inuyasha murmured with a grimace. I shot him a sharp glance.

"You shouldn't call her names Inuyasha. Unless you know her and she is actually a bitch?" I added the last part hopefully.

"It is hardly an insult for an inu female to be called a bitch human… girl," the woman murmured, loudly enough for me to hear from where she was standing. She had heard us. Stupid demon senses. The way she had paused over the word girl made me bristle. The woman dismissed me.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I am sorry I have been delayed. I followed the wrong trail and was set back a few days. The trail I was following disappeared quite unexpectedly and I had to back track."

"You were following this Sesshomaru's scent?" the taiyoukai asked.

"Of course. But as I said it must have been an older trail. It only fooled me because of how strong it felt. Your lordship must have been completely youkai when you traveled in that direction."

"Hnn."

I cocked my head. What on earth were they talking about? I snapped to attention as the woman stepped closer to Sesshomaru. I choked on my own spit as she lay her hand against his arm. The woman cast a disparaging glance my way.

"Lord Sesshomaru, may I enquire as to the human? I can't help but notice her scent..."

"The human is unimportant. Have you brought any updates from the palace?"

"Unimportant!?" I growled.

Sesshomaru shot me a bland look but otherwise ignored me. I gritted my teeth. The stupid, insufferable, egotistical, albino, mutt.

I grunted as Inuyasha elbowed me. Damn, apparently that was out loud. The demoness eyed me with horrified fascination, before casting expectant eyes toward Sesshomaru. She obviously expected him to react in some way. When he proceeded to do nothing she cleared her throat.

"Ah… yes. I've brought updates. Your presence is required back home as soon as possible if we are to arrange the peace treaty with the northern lands."

I frowned. Well, hell. More traveling? I was getting a bit tired of moving around all the time. Besides, Kagome and the rest had only just gotten back. Was it so much to ask for a few days to visit? I wriggled up to stand next to Sesshomaru, shoving myself coolly between him and the woman. I sighed when she performed a slinky little move to situate herself back where she had been to begin with.

I coughed, "How urgent is this?"

The woman merely took her cue from Sesshomaru and ignored me, "Will you return my Lord?"

"Hnn, this Sesshomaru will handle the matter."

I let out a huff of breath and turned to grab my bag from the hut.

"The human and my charges will remain here."

My mouth dropped open and I spun around to gape at him.

"Stay here!? But, what about the… you know?"

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Sesshomaru allowed a sneer to lift his lip. At the moment, he was annoyed enough with the girl that he didn't particularly care about the binding. He was not so stupid as to allow the girl to be in any true danger, but was loathe to allow her to accompany him at the moment. She would slow him down tremendously. Without her accompanying him he'd be back within the day. Besides, the lord of the northern lands was that snake, Ayame. He was not allowing him anywhere near the girl again. He turned back to Meruinu.

"You will stay here until I return," he ordered.

"Her?!" Kodi blustered at exactly the same time and involuntary "Me?!" escaped Meruinu's lips.

He almost recoiled as the woman placed her hand on his arm. He didn't restrain the growl of warning from escaping his lips however. The sheer impertinence of the act was unacceptable. The inu bitch knew better then to assume to touch this Sesshomaru. Her act likely stemmed from the intimate encounter with her earlier this year. The woman ignored his unspoken reprimand and did not drop her hand. He narrowed his eyes.

"My Lord, surely I would be more use to you if I were to accompany-"

"You will remain here," he repeated firmly, allowing the faintest treble of a growl to lace his words.

Meruinu immediately bowed her head in submission, withdrawing her grasping fingers as one would withdraw from scalding fire. Kodi showed no such compliance. She openly scowled at him and questioned his judgement; nevermind that her speaking to him declared him the victor of their battle of silence. "Sessho, why can't I just go with you? It's safer that way anyway isn't it?"

It was her use of that infernal moniker diminutive that made him lose his temper. She had actually dared to act so informally in front of one of his subjects. He snarled, "This Sesshomaru would never shame himself by bringing one such as you back to his court as a mate."

He noted the widening of her eyes with satisfaction before whipping back to the demon bitch and clipping out orders. He was gratified to hear her quiet steps padding away from the meeting and blessed silence returning. Inuyasha was long gone and after a terse exchange with Meruinu Sesshomaru made himself scarce as well.