AUTHOR'S CORNER:

Yay! Update time:) I struggled a bit with this chapter and the ending's kinda lame, so review and let me know what you all think. I'm building up between Kags and Sesshomaru so it'll make them getting together that much sweeter! X3

Enjoy and remember to review!

Chapter 24

Another bone shaking sword strike sent painful vibrations shooting up into her shoulder and she backpedaled furiously, her eyes never leaving her opponent as she studied his stances and the cording of his muscles in order to gauge his next move. Kagome's days had become split recently. One day she would spend the majority of the day learning from Sho who was fast becoming a very good friend and the next day she would learn from Daichi who still acted like she was a ningen beneath his notice.

Gritting her teeth in frustration, she parried his next two hits and slid her blade under his guard to attempt a kill. A smooth block from him and her attempt failed. Although she was happy to be wielding Fubuki once again, Daichi was a hard teacher and she missed her old sensei. The general ran her relentlessly through routines and she swallowed her complaints and bore it in silence, not wanting to give him any more reason to call her weak. She was sure he was doing things purposefully to tire her more than necessary, but if she couldn't get the general of Sesshomaru's army to respect her then how could she get anyone else to?

Sho stood off to the side watching with a worried expression on his small face and Kagome had to suppress a smile and concentrate on the man before her. The kitsune had become someone she valued her time with. His ready smile and chipper attitude betrayed nothing of the deadly profession he practiced or his absolute command and respect of his men. She found she could look at him now without such painful pangs in her chest, though the older kitsune still reminded her a lot of her poor adopted son.

Sesshomaru had been acting strangely the past few days. She saw him very little, but he had now taken to sharing her evening meal in the dining hall. He would sit at the end of the table silently while she ate, sipping his tea and acting for all the world like he was the only being in the room. At first this bothered her, but after a day or two she just ignored the demon in turn and simply enjoyed what she considered companionable silence, though she was sure he didn't think of it that way.

This morning he had actually swept into the massive hall to tell her that after her training and bathing today she was to come to his office to speak to him and before she could form any sort of response he was gone. Miffed at him for his imperious attitude, she hadn't gone to training in the best of moods.

Gritting her teeth to keep from crying out at a particularly hard blow that sent pain shooting into her wrist, she glared daggers at the general and parried another blow. The little miko was sure he was hitting her sword as hard as he possibly could. Her shoulders burned and her joints ached and she wanted nothing more than to blast the stupid dog across from her with a pulse of miko energy and be done with him.

Daichi's sharp voice barked out her mistakes and demanded she rectify them as his sword twirled and dipped and struck again. Fortunately, he avoided actually cutting her when he would score a hit, though he would slap her hard with the flat of the blade leaving massive welts all along her arms, ribs waist, thighs and even one on her neck. She had yet to score a single hit and she considered herself a passable swordswoman.

Finally she was fed up. Their practice had begun shortly before sunrise that morning and had continued well on into the afternoon. Her body ached and she was at wits end.

A small charge from Fubuki and she sent a wave of intensely cold energy at her attacker, knocking him to his back and freezing his clothing to the floor. One quick leap and she was standing over him with her sword to his throat. A pulse of miko energy leapt from the blade and burned his throat, though not enough to damage him badly.

"Kill," the little miko stated, sheathed her sword and walked away.

"Miko, that was not a proper kill," he snarled pulling himself from the floor and breaking the ice cementing his clothing to the smooth wood.

"I don't care. I've decided we're done for the day. You've had your fun and I've been more than silent and willing to submit myself for your training. If you'll excuse me, I have other things to attend to other than being beat on for a few hours," giving the general a glacial glare she nodded to Akiko who rose and followed her mistress out of the hall.

Once they were gone Sho stood from his position leaning against the wall and approached the general who was sheathing his sword.

"For a human who's had little training, she's done exceedingly well in only a few days. Much better than I could have ever thought," the red headed captain said earning a snort from the taller man.

"True, she's better than I gave her credit for. She doesn't really complain at all either… but that attitude needs to go," he said with finality. Sho shrugged.

"I think it's what gives her part of her charm. How can she stand up to a demon across swords if she cannot match him in attitude?" he asked slyly and the general gave him an annoyed glare.

"You just like her," he chuckled and Sho shrugged helplessly.

"What can I say? She's a fireball with a big heart, what's not to like?" he responded with a grin and the general's face took on a serious look.

"Be careful you do not do anything to anger his lordship. Though he doesn't admit to caring about her, he wouldn't go to all this trouble for something he was just going to throw away. He has plans for her, what they are, I have no idea, but keep your nose clean.

Sho nodded and waved as the men parted ways.

Kagome had walked tall and with her head up until she was out of sight of the two men then slumped slightly and rubbed her wrists. She knew she was going to be in a lot of pain tonight and tomorrow.

Akiko rushed her lady into a bathing kimono and hurried her down the hall. The neko demon knew her lady would need to soak and was determined to rush the preparations so she would have at least a little time before having to meet with his lordship.

As Akiko bustled around preparing to bathe her lady, Kagome sighed and sank gratefully up to her eyes in the warm soothing water, blowing bubbles as her mouth sank below the surface. The water felt so good on her aching muscles and throbbing joints and she knew dinner would taste twice as good that night as well. It always did after she trained so vigorously. One good thing about all this was her figure was vastly improving.

Already she was noticing in satisfaction that the small bit of puppy fat she still carried around her midsection was beginning to disappear and the muscles were being shaped nicely, standing out in noticeable, though still feminine cords along her arms and she could feel the planes of developing muscles along her back as Akiko had her stand so she could wash her.

The serving girl had to remind herself every day that her mistress was not a demon. The girl was remarkably resilient for a human and had an attitude that rivaled that of a dominant dog demoness. The miko was also strangely lacking the ever present smell of human decay. Most humans could never rid themselves of the scent no matter how much they bathed because it was a natural scent for them. Their bodies were in a constant state of entropy. However, Kagome lacked this smell. It was this smell that turned most demons off to mating humans because it was a poignant reminder of the being's absolute mortality.

Sniffing gently so as not to disturb her lady, she again realized that even after hours of training, under the smell of sweat, dirt and general normal grubbiness, there was only the soft and soothing scent of sakura blossoms and spring water. Puzzling over this, she quickly washed and rinsed her lady's hair and then let her soak for a few minutes, not wishing to disturb the tired woman's few moments of solace.

It ended all too soon for the little miko. Sighing in resignation, she let her friend pull her from the soothing waters and her thankfully blank thoughts to dry off, re-robe and return to her rooms.

Akiko steered her charge back to her rooms, noticing that the girl seemed oddly quiet and withdrawn until she remembered that Kagome had that meeting with Sesshomaru right after this. The girl was probably nervous, the poor thing. Akiko quickly dressed her mistress in her usual miko garb, choosing a midnight blue set of pants because the little miko had insisted that she never have to wear red ones. This puzzled the servant, but the woman never explained, so her wardrobe contained not a single pair of red miko pants.

Sitting Kagome down, Akiko went to work on the long raven tresses, always amazed at how midnight black they were. There was not a single strand of other color in them save for the deep blue highlights that shimmered in the depths like expensive silk. The hair hung straight past her waist to tickle the tops of her thighs when it was down, curling slightly at the bottoms. Akiko swept the still damp tresses back to the nape of her neck, tying it back with a white ribbon and letting the traditional pieces hang to the front as was called for in a miko's attire.

Akiko waited for her lady for a few moments, uncertain if she should break the girl's apparent reverie when the miko in question looked down at the hands folded in her lap neatly, turning the now calloused appendages over to look at them more closely. Muttering something that made no sense about missing something called 'chocolate' the little miko stood, her midnight blue pants swishing about her lean legs as she moved to the door and proceeded down the hallway with Akiko close on her heels.

Kagome was aware that although her display in Sesshomaru's office had gained her a reprieve, she was still on the receiving end of many nasty looks and comments. It was going to take time to make the palace inhabitants warm up to her. With a silent sigh she continued down the hall to a confrontation she really didn't look forward to.

Knocking on the door quietly, she waited to be told to enter. The voices within ceased and she heard Sesshomaru's voice bid her enter. Opening the screen quietly and closing it politely behind herself, she stood in place across the room and waited to be bid to come in. Sesshomaru sat behind his desk, two advisors on cushions before the mountain of papers they were apparently going through when he waved them to leave, not sparing them a single glance, though staring intently at a paper he still held in his hand. The vassals scrambled humorously, gathering up all the papers and quickly exiting the room.

Still standing by the doorway, she clasped her hands inside her voluminous sleeves, trying to smother her nervousness and focus on the demon behind the desk with cool detachment.

Apparently she'd succeeded because he looked up boredly and gestured for her to sit across from him on one of the cushions the vassals had vacated. The miko settled down properly and waited to be spoken to. Kagome wasn't used to acting this way, but she was exhausted and wanted nothing more than for this to be over so she could return to her rooms. Sesshomaru had become an enigma to her and was even more exhausting to her mentally than her training was.

Finally the demon finished reading and looked up at the miko, bored gold clashing with bored blue for a few moments before he decided to inform her why he had called her there.

"The northern lord is visiting in a few days to inspect you," he said abruptly. The silence was deafening as she stared at the stoic demon in a manner that he couldn't quite pinpoint. Sure, he could have phrased it a different way, but he felt the need to do things in a way he knew would fluster her. Unfortunately for him, he discovered he would have to try harder. No flush, no telltale heated blush rose to her cheeks, she just stared at him in bewilderment.

"Inspect me?" she finally spoke, "like I'm some sort of horse or cattle up for auction to the highest bidder?" she asked with more bitterness than she'd intended, but the response took the demon by surprise.

"No, not for auction," he said, leaving it at that.

"What then? Why does this lord feel the need to inspect me?" she demanded quietly, staring the lord across from her down, demanding he give her answers that satisfy her. He stared back, his own will clashing silently with hers.

"A human miko living in the house of a lord is an unusual thing. Unfortunately, the affinity for humans runs in my family. First my father, then InuYasha, and then I took in Rin," he elaborated. "Obviously he is afraid I am not telling him something and he is coming to see you for himself and determine if there is a need to kill you." Kagome was beginning to look agitated.

"Kill me? Why would he feel the need to kill me?" she asked, flabbergasted, this conversation was not at all what she'd had in mind.

"He obviously fears I would take you as a potential mate," his eyes never left the girl, his conversation with Fubuki briefly surfacing before being squashed, "a demoness who would stand by my side is judged by the lords to determine if she is strong enough for the position. The trials can sometimes be dangerous. A human in that position would most likely not survive long," he said and Kagome felt like he was announcing her death. "In fact, they would probably judge her more harshly. She would need to expect several death attempts," he finally finished, his eyes revealing nothing.

Kagome stared at him for a few moments, trying to assess what he was thinking. Giving up, she finally shrugged and spread her hands in a helpless gesture.

"Then we have nothing to worry about, do we?" she said matter of factly, "you obviously have no intention of even being around me long enough to court me and …" she paused, "I need to find a way home," she finished quietly. Sesshomaru was surprised at her lack of willingness to argue with him and how quiet she was being. He had dropped the information to see what she would do with it and was surprised that his answer was nothing.

Kagome looked down sullenly and picked at her sleeves, pulling at the plain embroidery holding it together as she waited for him so speak. His attitude over the past few days had told her that he clearly did not wish to be in her presence and though it hurt a lot, she was willing to accept that. The girl had finally gotten over and said good bye to InuYasha, she didn't want another un-returnable love and go through the process of letting go all over again. He'd made it obvious he didn't want her, so she would honor his wishes and let him go.

"Hnh," he responded and Kagome resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "So I see your training with Daichi is proceeding well," he began and a pang of jealousy shot through his chest at the sudden fiery look that entered the miko's blue eyes at the mention of his general.

"Pompous, disrespectful, arrogant…" the insults for the dog demon became more colorful as she kept muttering them, more to herself, but greatly amusing Sesshomaru despite himself, though that pang wouldn't quite go away. He cut into her monologue of increasingly vulgar insults to bring the attention back to their conversation.

"I will come by the dojo sometime in the next few days to monitor your progress. Perhaps if I am not busy we will see how much you have learned since we last fought." Her head snapped up and she looked at him with saucer-like eyes, convinced she saw a glimmer of satisfaction spark in the golden depths before it was gone. Slumping slightly, she glowered at him. Great, this is the last thing I need right now.

Sesshomaru regarded her in inner, silent amusement for a few moments longer before breaking the miko out of her glaring by gesturing at the door and turning back to his papers.

"You may go," he said imperiously and with finality. Kagome rose to her feet with more grace than he'd remembered her having, though he refused to look up. Casting one more glare over her shoulder at him, she exited quietly, refraining from slamming the door immaturely and made her way down the hallway, Akiko falling into step behind her.

Sesshomaru looked up from his paper that he wasn't really reading and stared off into space at the spot she had been sitting moments ago, her scent still filling his nostrils with every breath.

Yes, it would indeed take more effort now to put his little miko off balance than it had before. The girl had matured and was no longer as susceptible to some of the comments he used to make before. Inwardly he cracked a smile at the thought of the amusing challenge and his beast growled his pleasure.

Kagome stopped in her tracks halfway back to her room, making Akiko almost bump into her, thinking wildly for a few moments before spinning on the poor surprised demoness and pinning her with an appraising stare.

"Akiko, you know about the northern lord coming, right?" Akiko stood her ground, though her mistress was making her nervous, where was she going with this?

"Yes, my lady. He's due to arrive in four days," the servant responded and Kagome became lost in thought for a few moments, tapping her chin with one finger as her eyes glazed over.

"Do you know anything about preparing for a lord's arrival? Who usually does that kind of thing?" the neko stared at her questioningly.

"Usually it falls to the lady of the house. In the absence of a lady as in Sesshomaru's case, it usually falls to the next female in line or the highest ranked servant," Akiko suddenly began to put two and two together. "My lady, in this case, that would probably be you…" she trailed off before continuing, "and yes, mistress, I do know about preparing for a lord's arrival." With a big grin Kagome laid her arm companionably around the demoness's shoulders and squeezed.

"Well, let's get a move on then!" she exclaimed, happy to have something to do other than train and sit in her room, "we wouldn't want Lord Sesshy to be disappointed, now would we?" Akiko blanched at the nickname and Kagome laughed jovially as they continued to the servant's wing.

It had taken her a little bit to convince the servants that she was indeed serious about taking over the preparations for the lord's arrival. Many snide comments and glares were sent her way and she ignored them in favor of concentrating on her task. A few servants refused to cooperate and a pulse or two of miko energy got them literally hopping back to their tasks.

Akiko was a fountain of knowledge and a great strength to the miko in her learning experience. The neko told her how to prepare the lord's personal chambers so they were to his liking, how to set up a receiving dinner for when he arrived including how much and what type of food was appropriate. There was also a celebratory dance to prepare as was custom. With Akiko's help she catalogued every meal and had servants running to do her bidding, many of them shocked into submission at her dominant and absolutely authoritative attitude. Kagome expected results, though she oversaw them with gentleness and the occasional show of force.

When dinner finally rolled around, Akiko had to pull her lady away from the preparations, letting Kagome pick a servant to leave in charge until her return after training the next day and led her to the dining hall.

Sesshomaru regarded the girl boredly over his tea cup as she entered the room without looking at him, bowing before sitting down and beginning to eat. Though his look was one of boredom, he studied her intently; his interest peaked by her performance that day. He had been surprised to learn that after she had left his office she had set his staff on a whirlwind of activity in preparation for the northern lord's arrival. Though he was tempted at first to rip out throats when he heard the grumbling of his vassals, he let the miko work on her own and watched in amazement as she dealt with them appropriately, ignoring their cruel remarks and pulling them in hand efficiently and absolutely.

By the end of the day he was thoroughly stunned to see his entire staff working without complaint, their own minds a whirlwind of confused thoughts regarding the odd woman who seemed to completely take over things as if she was supposed to. None of the demons had expected her to step up and take over the responsibility that truly was in reality hers, and when she did, they had doubted her ability. For many of them the little miko had already proven herself and she had gained their full respect. There were a few who still needed some convincing, though the comments had stopped for the time being.

"Where did you learn to run a palace?" he asked curiously. Kagome's wide blue eyes rested on him at the end of the table as he set his tea cup down, as if realizing for the first time that he actually was there and wasn't just some illusion to put her off and make her uncomfortable. Shifting nervously, she looked back down at her food and picked at her sleeve.

"Akiko helped me a lot," she finally said, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth to worry it with the little pearly whites, distracting the demon more than he would care to admit.

"Hnh," he responded taking a sip of his tea, "it had not been expected of you." She waited for him to elaborate, though it seemed she would be waiting all night.

"Well," she shifted, "it seemed like a good idea and it gives me something to do other than training all day," she admitted and Sesshomaru gave the barest of nods. Perhaps it would be wise for him to keep her bored all the time. Who knew what other surprises a bored miko had in store for his unknowing palace?

The meal was finished in silence and Kagome quietly excused herself before retreating to her rooms thankfully. He confused her so much and she wanted nothing more than to relax for the rest of the night after such a whirlwind and exhausting day. Akiko dutifully followed her back to the rooms and helped her change, the gears turning over the miko and her lord's conversation as she got the girl ready for bed.

If she didn't know any better, she would say Sesshomaru was showing tendencies of desiring to court the young woman, though he had yet to act on it. The neko suppressed an annoyed sigh. The two of them would be so wonderful together despite the fact that her mistress was a human. In Akiko's opinion she more than made up for that little fact and she wanted nothing more than to see the two of them happy.

Kagome had been very quiet as they had gone back and she had been changed, but now she jumped up with a huge grin on her face. She had been remembering her past times with the confusing demon and now she wanted to enjoy herself with her friend.

"Akiko! I'm going to teach you a song from… where I come from," she exclaimed excitedly and Akiko looked at her in confused bafflement. The demoness knew she came from somewhere far away, but she hadn't thought that it would be so far that the customs or songs would be different. Though come to think of it, it should have made sense to her with the way her lady miko acted.

"Do you know English?" she asked the neko curiously and the woman gave her a blank look, telling her that was a no. "It's ok, you don't have to. Where I come from it's required that we learn a language called English because… we do a lot of trade and commerce with a country that only speaks that," she finished lamely. Akiko looked at her strangely but let her continue.

"Ok! Since you won't know the words, I'll just sing and if you pick up on the melody you can sing along too, but I'm gonna teach you how to dance like we do where I come from! Just to warn you though, it's really different," Akiko watched the miko warily but with great interest. In all the time she'd served her lady she hadn't really talked much about where she had come from or what it was like there. It surprised the servant slightly to know that her lady knew other languages, but again, she figured it shouldn't be too shocking, the girl wrote beautifully and spoke extremely well, so she was obviously educated.

"Ok, the song's called "Every Time We Touch" and it's sung by Cascada… though you wouldn't know who that is, but that's ok. Kagome started singing and Akiko couldn't help but he pleased and lulled slightly by the sound of the miko's sweet voice even if she didn't understand the words.

"I still hear your voice, when you sleep next to me.

I still feel your touch in my dreams.

Forgive me my weakness, but I don't know why.

Without you it's hard to survive."

The tune was swift moving and Kagome began stepping her feet to a fairly fast beat, humming out parts that were instrumental and showing the demoness how to move her hips in a manner that made the older girl blush furiously.

"Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling.

And every time we kiss I swear I could fly.

Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last.

I need you by my side.

Cause every time we touch, I feel the static.

And every time we kiss, I reach for the sky.

Can't you hear my heart beat so.

I can't let you go.

I want you in my life."

Kagome spun the girl around with a giggle and hummed a fairly long instrumental part, the demoness picking up quickly on how to move her feet and letting go of her embarrassment let herself imitate the girl's body movements, finding it was easier than it looked and quite a bit of fun. Soon the girls were giggling and dancing easily around one another. Fubuki watched in great interest from his spot on the floor across the room, though his ice blue cat eyes were trained solely on Akiko's slim figure.

"Your arms are my castle, your heart is my sky.

They wipe away tears that I cry.

The good and the bad times, we've been through them all.

You make me rise when I fall.

Cause everytime we touch, I get this feeling.

And everytime we kiss I swear I could fly.

Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last.

I need you by my side.

Cause everytime we touch, I feel the static.

And everytime we kiss, I reach for the sky.

Can't you hear my heart beat so

I can't let you go.

I want you in my life."

Stopping outside the door when he heard the soft voice singing from within, he stared at the screen, his mask slipping only a little to show wide golden eyes. That was the same song that had been playing at one point in the 'club' she had taken him to that night. Memories came flooding back of bright lights, loud music and a soft body brushing seductively against his own battled hardened body. He had walked up shortly after Kagome had begun her solo and could hear the girls stepping and dancing within as the miko sang in a smooth velvety and sweet, though untrained voice.

"Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling.

And every time we kiss, I swear I could fly.

Can't you feel my heart beat fast.

I want this to last.

I need you by my side."

By the time the last verse came along he could hear the demoness servant picking up on the tune and humming along, the two dissolving into giggles when they were finally finished. Resisting the urge to snort, he knew his choice of handmaiden for the miko had been the right one.

Though the demoness hadn't understood the words, Sesshomaru himself had traveled far in his lifetime and had picked up quite a few languages. Living with the miko in the future for a week had vastly improved his knowledge of the English language and although he hadn't heard it in over twenty years, he found he still understood most of what she had sung.

Though the words had been sung without her knowledge of his presence or of his hearing them, he still felt a strange warmth pool in his chest and stomach. His beast stirred impatiently within him as he wondered briefly if she would ever speak words like that to him and mean them.

Shaking himself internally and giving his beast a firm shove down he shook his hair indignantly and stalked off down the hall, huffing to rid his nose of the sweet smell of sakura blossoms and spring water.