"Who was that girl you were dancing with?" The wolf prince asked.

Kei looked the wolf over and shrugged his shoulder. "She is just a ningen." He stated causally.

Koga looked over at the neko. "I know that. It's just she is the most beautiful female I have ever seen."

"Yes, she is rather striking." He smirked.

"Can you introduce me to her?" Koga asked with hope filling his eyes.

Kei eyed the prince trying to keep a face of indifference about him. "Perhaps, but it seems as if she is not here at the moment. I will speak with Lord Sesshoumaru about it and if he concurs with your request, I shall bring the girl to your company." He kept his eyes locked upon the wolf demon. 'I will gut you like a pig if you so much as speak a word of greeting to her.' He thought with irritation. "If you will excuse me." He stated as he made for Sesshoumaru, who looked as if he needed to be saved from the incessant rambling of the southern lord.

As he stepped up to them he gave a respectful bow. "Lord Sesshoumaru, I must speak with you about a matter of home."

Sesshoumaru looked at his general, grateful for the distraction and the escape from the lord of the south. He gave a small curt bow to the lord, turned to his general and both made a quiet exit from the talkative lord. Stepping through the door to the gardens, Sesshoumaru turned towards his general waiting for him to speak.

Kei gave a smirk as he already knew how Sesshoumaru was going to take what he was about to ask him. "I have been asked to pass a request before you by the Eastern Prince."

Sesshoumaru gave a snort. Prince Koga was nothing more than a horny little pup who only cares about taking his pleasures from the female body. "What is his request?" He asked already having an idea as to what the wolf wanted.

"He desires to meet with the girl Kagome. He would like to woo her and possibly mate her." Okay so the last part was a lie, but if it gave him the desired reaction from the demon lord then what was a little lie; and a reaction was exactly what he got.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as he imagined the various ways in which he would gut the wolf. "Iie, I will not allow it." He stated with a lot more force than he had intended.

Kei bit hard upon his inner cheek, drawing his blood in order to keep from laughing out right. "Very well, I shall inform him that you have denied him his request." He turned and made for the door, but stopped just as he placed his hand upon it. "The girl informed me upon her arrival this evening that she was really hoping that you would escort her on a midnight walk, so that she could enjoy the last of the summer stars." Wow he was really becoming quite the little liar, but in the war of love there were no rules. "However I will tell her you have denied her her request as well; she is a human after all and well beneath you." Before he could open the door Sesshoumaru's words halted him.

"Iie, I will acquiesce to the girl's request." Now why would he suddenly agree to do something like that? When it came to the girl he was finding he responded first and thought later; this would not do. He had to get his self under control when it came to the girl and do so soon.

Kei gave a nod trying to hide the smirk upon his lips and entered the gathering hall. Fist order of business was to take the girl to Sesshoumaru then he would take his pleasure of denying the wolf his request.

xx

Kagome laid on her bed staring blankly at the ceiling, trying to sort out why the demon lord kissed her. She could not come up with one single reason he would do such a thing, except for the possibility that he likes her. Which was preposterous, he made it well known that he didn't like her in the least.

Before she could continue on with her wonderings, a small tap upon her door drew her attention away. Rising to her feet she made for the door and slid it open. "Kei? What are you doing here?"

Kei smiled at her. "I have been sent to summon you."

"For what?" Kagome asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Lord Sesshoumaru wishes to have your company under the last of the summer stars in the gardens."

Kagome's face twisted in confusion as she stared at the cat. "Why?"

Kei reached out and took her hand. "Only he knows why." He gave her a small jerk to get her moving and continued as they walked down the hall. He wasn't going to give her the chance to say no. "Perhaps he wants to show you that he isn't the constant cold bastard he portrays himself to be." He looked down at her and smiled mischievously. "Or it could be because he likes you and just wants to spend time with you so that you two can get to know each other better."

Kagome looked up at him with eyes wide. "He likes me? Impossible, he makes it well known that he doesn't, with all his talk about mating me off once his enemy is destroyed and such." She then dropped her head and looked down at the floor, moving under her feet. "Then again if he hated me so much he wouldn't have…" She trailed off.

Kei narrowed his eyes at her. "What?"

She snapped her head up to him and waved her hand in the air. "Oh nothing." She said with a huge smile that was clearly hiding something.

He wasn't so stupid as to not know that something occurred between the girl and Sesshoumaru, his scent was all over her and her room. It was so strong in fact that he knew for a fact that it wasn't that long ago he was there. Something happened between the two and he was determined to find out what it was, but not tonight. "Well perhaps we will have to take time and have a little talk. You can tell me everything and we will sort out your problems together. You are my friend and I hope that I am yours."

"Oh you are." Kagome gasped in shock that he would actually think that he wasn't. "Tomorrow I will tell you everything providing I can find the words to do so."

He stopped them in front of the door to the gardens. "Do not worry; I believe that once you are ready to tell of all that is on your mind, the words will come easier than you think they will." With that he slid the door open and released her into the garden. Leaning down next to her ear he pointed. "Over there."

Kagome looked in the direction he was pointing in and found the beautiful taiyoukai standing by the pond staring up into the night sky. "Thanks." She whispered and began silently making her was towards the youkai.

As she came up behind him, she knew that he knew she was there. "Sesshoumaru." She whispered not wanting to disturb the quiet of the garden.

The great taiyoukai turned to face the girl. "Kagome." He said with a small nod of acknowledgement.

A gasp of shock passed her lips. "You said my name."

He looked at her plainly. "It is your name is it not." He stated like she was the dumbest being he had ever met.

Her face dropped at his tone. "Hai." She whispered as she turned her face to the ground and turned away from him.

"Come." He stated as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

Kagome turned to face him. "Where?"

"We will walk the gardens." He stated smoothly as he grabbed her by the elbow and began leading her through the gardens.

They stayed in silence as they walked, both enjoying the night air and the companionable silence. Kagome's mind was running a hundred miles a minute and it kept coming back to the events that happened in her room when he kissed her. So badly she wanted to question him as to why he did what he did, but just couldn't bring herself to do so.

Sesshoumaru looked down at her and could easily see that she was plagued with confusion and knew what it was. He himself was plagued with the same thoughts; however, he pushed them aside as a slip of judgment and swore to himself that it would never happen again. "Tell me of your home." He stated as they came to a bench under a large tree.

Kagome looked up at him for a moment before sitting down and sighing. "I don't think that that's a good idea." She stated as she locked eyes with him. "Any information I give could alter the future I know and that could be dangerous to me and my family."

He looked down at her impressed with her thought process with the situation of the past in relation to the future and had to agree with her. "Perhaps." He responded as he sat next to her. Sitting in silence, he stared up into the night sky pondering the girl and why she was invading his mind so often. Her scent was intoxicating and seemed to follow him everywhere he went. Even in his sleep her scent was there and every morning he would awaken, body taught with desire craving the girls body. He had to do something about her and do so soon, before he did something he would regret.

She and Kei seemed to be close and the neko was a strong warrior. He protected her when the occasion called, but then again so did he. Yet since the girl's arrival to the palace, Kei had been behaving rather strangely. The neko's excuses were dubious at best and Sesshoumaru could easily see that there was something the cat wasn't telling him. For example, the neko said that he only threw tree branches at the girl the other day in order to stop her in her retreat; yet why didn't he just go after her? His answer to that question was that he didn't want to startle her and be purified to hell. Sound reasoning but it just didn't settle right with him; so he decided from that moment on he was going to keep a hard eye on the neko and find out exactly what his general was up to.

He knew Kei would never do anything to put his position at risk or his life in danger and although he would never say it out loud he and Kei were like brothers and knew more about each other than even their own parents did. Since the day of their births they had been together, training, learning, causing as much trouble as they could and even being punished together. Even when one of them would do something that would constitute disciplinary measures; both would be punished together under the assumption that even though one wasn't directly involved in the trouble making, it didn't mean they had nothing to do with it; and with a friend like Kei they were always in trouble.

He had felt the broad side of a sword across his backside more times than he could count due to Kei and his devious little mind. First they would be punished by his father in the center of the training grounds in front of everyone and then Kei's father would dish out his punishment. You'd think they would have learned; but following each punishment they received, by sundown they would be plotting their revenge upon their fathers for the shame of the chastisement in front of the palace inhabitants. He knew Kei liked to plot and plan and he was sure the manipulative little neko was up to no good and it somehow involved the girl and himself. Whatever the cat was up to, he was going to bring it to a grinding halt.

"Sesshoumaru?"

He looked down at the girl sitting next to him. "Hai."

Kagome stared at him for a second. "Are you okay?" A curt nod was all she received. "Oh." All the silence was beginning to get to her and she had to bring it to an end; and during this silence she finally worked up the nerve to bring up what had happened between them. "So… um… why did you…" Her hands began to tremble in her lap when his eyes turned slightly hard as he stared down at her. She tore her eyes away from him as her resolve to question him began to falter. A nervous giggle left her lips as she decided to forget it. "Um… never mind."

He knew what she wanted to ask him and he was relieved inwardly that she didn't. He knew why he did it and did not want to explain to her why he did it. The kiss should have never happened and he swore afterwards that he would never do it again; no matter how nice it was. He needed to be rid of her and do so soon.

He took some time to ponder on the girl and what he was going to do with her after the fall of Naraku. If there was no way to get her back to her home, he had told her she could stay with him and since she was his responsibility he would have to make sure she was well taken care of. She would need a mate and one that he could trust to take care of her and there was only one being he could think of. "Tell me your thoughts on my general."

Kagome looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows, wondering where this was coming from. "Kei? I like him. He's funny, nice and I find him easy to be around." Unlike you. She thought cynically.

Somehow he felt sick with the idea of her being with his general but if he managed to give her to him, he would be free of the plague of her to his mind. "If you are unable to return home would you accept him as a mate." He stated as he stared into her blue eyes, watching the emotions fly through them with hurt being the most common emotion flying by.

Kagome dropped her head and fought off the tears that wanted to fall at the thought of never returning home. "I suppose." She whispered brokenly. Rising to her feet she whispered. "You have control of my life and you will do with it as you see fit." She gave a small bow and left heading for her room.

Her words cut him like a newly sharpened sword and he did not like it one bit. Rising to his feet, he followed the scent of her tears. Why she was crying he didn't know, he was only offering her an option if she was unable to return home. She should be grateful that he was taking the time to consider her future and her feelings regarding his thoughts were uncalled for.