They woke and rose at the first light, silent as ever, but lacking the tension that had been present of late. Kagome made a quick breakfast and said goodbye to Rin, leaving her with Jaken, while Sesshomaru sorted his paperwork and readied the car. Kagome slipped in and they left the house, still without speaking a word. She was too stubborn to break the silence first, and he, completely unconcerned.

When it was clear that they wouldn't have a conversation, Kagome rested her head on her hand and watched the scenery pass them by as they headed off to the meeting. She had a lot of things on her mind that she wanted to sort out first before talking to him again.

It seemed like they were always fighting. Maybe that would've worried her a couple weeks ago when she first realized she had feelings for him that weren't fading, but it didn't now. They fought about one thing: her freedom. She knew even though he had seemed fairly flexible for himself the night before, he still wasn't on the same page as her when it came to freedom. He wanted to keep her close and guard her while she wanted to be out in the world, to explore and see, and just experience. She want to do all the things Kikyo had never gotten to do, and always regretted. After, of course, the Naraku problem was dealt with.

But aside from the fighting... she couldn't help a sigh from escaping. She was a twenty four year old woman with a healthy imagination and there was a certain thing she'd been thinking about every time he looked at her with his dark golden eyes and spoke to her in a voice that just made her shiver. She definitely felt a lot when it came to him, good and bad, but the one that felt the biggest was a warm, sort of slow burn that ignited in her heart when she thought of him, that made her want to be near him, fighting or not. And she smiled against the window, a little wistful, a tad hopeful but mostly... in love.

They entered the building and Kagome's palms felt clammy, the way they always did when she knew she was walking into a battle field. These youkai hated her, and had no qualms in expressing it, even disliking her more openly after her status as the shikon miko was revealed, for reasons secret to her. Rubbing her lips together, she walked as straight as she could into the elevator with Sesshomaru, barely noticing he didn't choose a floor.

"Kagome."

She whipped her head around and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Stop rubbing your lips."

She blinked, and then nodded, feeling foolish. She muttered an apology and began to wring her wrists. Reaching out, Sesshomaru placed a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her in for a quick kiss. She felt him smile against her lips, and whispered quietly, "If you rub them off how will I kiss you?"

She mock rolled her eyes and they quickly fell back into their old rhythm, where the icy cold demon lord quietly reassured his human bride that everything would be okay, and if it wasn't, he would fix it for her. They walked slowly from the elevator to the door of the meeting room, their hands locked together as proof of their bond. When he took his seat at the large table, she sat at his right hand, confident in her unwillingness to show them how afraid she was.

The youkai glared at her, familiar faces mixing with the unknown and she breathed in slowly, and met their oppressive gazes. There wasn't much she could do, for she was mute in the council room, there to be seen but not heard, but she could show them one thing. She wouldn't back down, not from her place at Sesshomaru's side, not from her birthright as the shikon miko-she would fight them if they challenged her. By now, they had all heard about her mishap with the enemy, but she was there to show them that it wouldn't happen again.

"So tell us, Lord Sesshomaru, what course of action has been planned?" A dark female was the first to speak, her voice harsh and challenging.

"Yes, Milord, what should be done about Naraku now?" A nekoyoukai seconded the female's question without giving him time to speak.

Kagome watched Sesshomaru for his reaction. He wore a stony mask and nodded at the youkai on his other side. The inuyoukai straightened in his seat and addressed the crowd. "It has been decided that the shikon miko will continue to train and once she has mastered her skill, she will fight the hanyou Naraku."

Displeased noises circulated in the crowd and Kagome attempted to keep a blush from appearing on her cheeks. Sure, Sesshomaru was fine with that decision, but it was obvious he wasn't the only one who would be affected by it. The youkai had to be extremely careful and clean up this mess before it became public news, because the humans would throw themselves into chaos.

So she understood how important it was to the youkai, but she didn't know why they were so impatient.

Admittedly, she did know Sesshomaru, and she knew exactly when he would deem her powers acceptable for fighting against Naraku—but still. At this rate, Naraku had only attacked her, and while they couldn't let a few instances dictate how they reacted towards him in the future, it appeared that she would be the only one suffering from the decision to wait.

So, why?

"We gave that idea a chance, Lord Sesshomaru, but it isn't working. We want progress, and if anything, your little miko has proven to us she can't fight and won't ever be able to."

Kagome seethed, not allowing herself to believe the youkai that spoke for even one second. She would do better. She could prove herself. She had to.

Sesshomaru held up a hand. "I won't be questioned on my decision."

"Oh, but we are also members of the council, Sesshomaru-sama." An aged female inuyoukai spoke in a croaking voice. All heads turned to watch her, Kagome with baited breath.

"And, old friend, I would hate to suggest you have impure motives driving your decision." The old woman coughed and settled back into her seat. Kagome narrowed her eyes at the female youkai, whose eyes seemed alighted with amusement over the disruption she had created.

"That is correct, isn't it? Sesshomaru the old Lord of the West is misusing his power to protect his whore!" Someone yelled over the argument that was stirring.

A tremendous snarl erupted in the room and everyone silenced to stare at Sesshomaru. His eyes had bled red to signal his lost composure, and thankfully no one was stupid enough to challenge him.

No one foolish enough except Kagome, of course.

Tugging on his shirt, she whispered in a deadly tone, "What are they talking about, Sesshomaru?"

His glare was a signal that she was not to ask here, and especially not now, but the male nekoyoukai next to her had heard her question.

"What don't you understand, human? Was it the fact that he abandoned our original plan when he found out that you were the shikon miko? Or was it that you can't believe someone had the guts to call you a whore?"

He took in her aghast expression and sneered. "Can't we call you what you are? Your scent has mingled with his—you're his little mistress that he is willing to protect, but not willing to mate. Face it, he may want to keep fucking you today, but he certainly doesn't want to spend an eternity with you!"

In her shame, Kagome couldn't think. She didn't know what action she could perform to save face and still act diplomatically, all she knew was she was embarrassed and horrified, and unsure of what to do. Standing, she stiffly walked from her seat and to the door, bidding them goodbyes as she left the room.

From there, her heart was painfully constricting within her too-small ribcage and she simple exited the building and hailed the nearest taxi cab.

She was sitting at the kitchen table sipping a cup of tea when he arrived home. And seeing his wife waiting for him, appearing calm and collected, did enough to stir his heart in a way less anxious, but more prideful, than anything. Kagome looked like a force to be reckoned with.

"Sesshomaru," her voice was barely above a breath, "what were they talking about?"

He placed his brief case on the counter and made no excuse for his lack of response.

"I don't care about the whore comment," Kagome dismissed it with the wave of a hand, "I don't expect them to understand our relationship. But I want to know about the plan you abandoned when you figured out I was the shikon miko."

Her mind flashed in rapid fire to the day they had returned from their camping trip and she hadn't been allowed into the meeting room. I eavesdropped… and heard Sesshomaru say something, didn't I? She searched her mind until she remembered Sesshomaru had mentioned something about a change of plan that day.

She placed her hands on her hips and waited. He looked at her again, and sighed, massaging his temples.

"Bait."

"Excuse me?" Kagome frowned.

"The plan was," Sesshomaru slowly articulated, "to use the shikon miko as bait."

"For Naraku?" Her voice hit an octave higher.

"Hnn."

She was stilled to silence until all hell broke loose in her mind. "Oh My KAMI, you beast, what's wrong with you youkai—how could you even think of something like that?! Using someone as bait?! That's sick—despicable—horrid!"

Kagome beat her fists against his chest until she calmed to take a breath. "And what's worse, is you changed it for me."

"Hn."

She squeezed her eyes shut, and let out a ragged breath. "Special treatment. If we hadn't become connected the way we are now, you would've simply fed me to the wolves, without a concern for Rin or my family."

"So," she swallowed and glared at him, "I am too mad to talk to you anymore tonight, Sesshomaru. But keep in mind, this is the last night you'll be sleeping alone!"

Kagome turned on her heel and walked down the hallway to her old room, shutting the door behind her.

Going about the motions, Kagome prepared herself for sleep. She walked about her room, brushing her hair, finding some pajamas, and she slipped off her day clothing. Finding the clasp for her skirt, she let it drop to the floor, trying to create the smallest amount of noise possible. She had an odd feeling in her gut that twisted her stomach into knots.

The feeling of being watched haunted her every movement, and she couldn't stop herself from taking quick, frequent glances over her shoulder to make sure no one was there. It was the feeling that had driven her from the room in the first place, and made her feel vulnerable.

Not today, she reminded herself, and brought her spiritual powers to a simmer beneath her skin. She wanted to be prepared, even if it was just a bout of paranoia.

When nothing happened for a few minutes, she scoffed at herself for being so jumpy. It was a completely irrational feeling, and she knew it. Opening her closet door to grab a fresh pair of undergarments, Kagome was met with a face.

A smiling face that held up a mirror and pulled on something very deep inside her body, something that felt very much like her soul.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Only a few left now! ~Gracie

all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.