It was several seconds before Kagome came up with a response.

"Huh?" Not the most eloquent, but the only thing in her mind at the time.

Sesshomaru frowned. "I said I will try. That is what you wanted, was it not?"

Kagome looked away. "Well, yeah, but I never thought you would agree to it. You've been cold toward me since I've known you. I thought it would be a long time before we could try and be close, if we ever came that far."

He placed his elbows on the table and folded his hands in front of his face. "I have no mate, and no heir. I am not in a position to be picky, and Lord Tatsuya has reminded me of that. You have potential with your powers that could be honed to incredible skill, and the fact that you are not a true inu may be overshadowed by your reputation as a giver of assistance to those who need it. That a hanyou boy you had never met came to seek aid from you says something about the relations you forge with people, a useful trait, and something I myself do not possess."

"So," Kagome said, her brow furrowing, "I have talent?"

"Potential," Sesshomaru clarified. "As a powerful Lady of the West. Keep in mind," he added quickly, "I would not do this if I did not have to. But the reactions of those around me have told me that resisting the Hana no Shukumei is difficult and wastes energy I do not want to exert."

"The reactions of others? Like a certain Lord of the South?"

He paused. "Lord Tatsuya has power that is to be respected. Nonetheless, I detest him. It would not be a shame to prove to him that you are more than eligible as my mate."

Kagome frowned. "Just yesterday you hated me. Sesshomaru, I don't want to do this if you don't actually mean it."

Sesshomaru wanted to punch the table. Kagome was making this difficult. He had just given her what she wanted, and she had more demands? Wasn't telling her that he would participate in the Mating Dance enough, regardless of his reasons?

Dummy! His youkai sneered. Women like sincerity, you know that. Doing this to get back at Tatsuya isn't going to make her happy.

And how do I please her? She is relentless.

Try thinking, for a change.

Kagome would have wondered why he was suddenly silent, were her own inner youkai not berating her as well.

He's finally agreed to try with you, and you get suspicious? Come on!

Hey, Kagome shot back, I'm a romantic. I want to have a little normality in my relationships. I've already been paired with a guy who hates me, by a mysterious flower under the influence of the gods. Is it too much to ask that he do this with some honesty?

"Kagome."

She snapped out of it, eying Sesshomaru. His lack of expression made it hard to figure out what he was thinking, but something that only her youkai senses could have picked up told her that he was growing impatient.

"Yes?"

"I . . ." Sesshomaru sighed mentally. "I am not simply doing this because of Lord Tatsuya, although I do not dislike proving him wrong. I also think that you may truly have potential as a powerful Lady of the West. And seeing as everything about the Hana no Shukumei has proven true thus far, it may be in my best interest to follow its guidance."

The phrase startled her, and Kagome had to let it sink in before she could believe it. "Really?" she asked. "You mean that?"

"It is not what I personally would have chosen," he said, making Kagome sigh with relief that he was still himself, "but if you continue to try while I remain impassive, it may create difficulties."

"Great." Kagome thought for a moment. "I guess this is better than nothing."

"Yes. I will inform you of what we will do with this change in plans later. For now, I have work that I must attend to." Sesshomaru hesitated, and under the advice of his youkai, said, "Enjoy your day."

Pleasantly surprised, and wondering if Sesshomaru would keep his word, Kagome left the office, planning to see the children once more.

Sesshomaru watched Kagome leave, hoping the change wouldn't affect him negatively. At least she is more tolerable than some of the people I have met, he thought, grabbing a land treaty.

()

Kagome could hardly believe it. Maybe he still didn't like her, but he recognized her abilities. He was willing to try. And that said more to her about him than all their previous encounters.

The children were in Shippo's room. Kagome opened the door, smiling when she saw them talking briefly, before stopping to look at her.

"Hi, Mama!" Shippo grinned. "I saw you go to Sesshomaru's office. What was it about?"

"Nothing," she said, sitting by them. "We just talked about some things. Hatori," Kagome said, facing him, "Do you know when your grandfather is coming to get you?"

Hatori shook his head. "No, my lady. I have not received word back from him yet."

"Call me Kagome. And you're welcome to stay as long as you need, if I have anything to say about it." Kagome rubbed his tiny head affectionately.

"Thank you." Hatori smiled. "I am grateful for it."

"Kagome, how has Lord Sesshomaru been treating you?" Rin twirled her tiny ponytail, expectant. Kagome looked away.

"As he treats everyone else," she answered, sighing. "But he said he's going to accept the decision of the Hana no Shukumei, finally," she continued, brightening.

Rin beamed. "Really, Kagome? That's fantastic! I didn't think Lord Sesshomaru would ever accept anything in regards to you, he's so stubborn."

"Yes." Kagome felt herself smiling, and caught herself, wondering why she would. But she put the thought aside, focusing on the kids.

There wasn't much else Kagome could think of to do besides spending time with the children. But when she got the vibe that Rin wanted to play with the boys alone, she said goodbye, and went to the only place she could think of.

The courtyard garden.

It was beautiful, adorned with many kinds of plants and trees from different regions. Kagome had to wonder why Sesshomaru would bother with something like this. Perhaps it was the same reason he kept artwork in the halls, for appearances regarding the other lords.

Whatever the reason, Kagome enjoyed it. She picked up a fallen tree leaf, observing it and taking in its scent. She loved being able to tell the subtle differences in smells, guessing which trees had dropped which leaves without even looking. It was wonderful, especially in a garden full of this many scents.

Kagome's mother had kept a small garden when she was young, but after Souta was born, she didn't have any time to keep it alive. The plants wilted, and the garden stayed empty for years. Only until her grandfather started living with them, able to babysit herself and her brother, that Kagome's mother started gardening again.

It was with that that Kagome had learned the names of a lot of edible herbs. Rosemary and jasmine were her favorites, mostly because it made her tea taste wonderful. Spotting a plant that looked similar to jasmine, Kagome sniffed the leaf, but it wasn't what she hoped for.

Absorbed in smelling the plants, Kagome didn't notice the presence behind her. Teleporting was a specialty of his, and useful for getting past Sesshomaru's guards. It would only be a matter of time before Sesshomaru himself sensed his youki, and he knew he had to act fast.

Grabbing her was too easy. Her squeals were useless under his hand, and he grinned. Just like a young inu pup, she hadn't enough knowledge to be constantly aware of her surroundings. Her sense of smell was futile when he hid his scent, and from what he had heard, her only way of detecting a youkai was if she used her silly jewel shard sense. He would bet his life that her ability to sense the youki of others was unused as of yet.

"Stay still, and I won't harm you," he whispered into her ear.

Kagome, baffled until now, recognized the voice immediately. She knew she was still an amateur at smelling youkai near her, but she'd been using her sense of smell on the plants so much, she should have caught his scent on the air. And how had he been so quiet?

I suck at this, Kagome thought. I'll have to ask Sesshomaru about training my youkai senses. For now . . .

She eyed the youkai behind her. Tatsuya was almost as tall as Sesshomaru, a fair bit taller than her. To a normal girl, his strength meant death. Kagome, on the other hand, may be new with her youkai powers, but she'd been a miko for years. She knew how to purify his ass.

"Lady Kagome, I have never seen Sesshomaru throw me out like he did earlier," Tatsuya whispered. "I have crossed the line plenty of times, but he is always polite when he asks me to leave. Today was different. And I think it's your fault."

Kagome frowned, not understanding.

"You see," Tatsuya continued, "I figured it must be you, the only change in his life since I last saw him, that caused him to act so unfriendly. And I want to find out what's so special about a former human that would kill me if she had her precious arrows."

That startled her. Tatsuya knew more about her than she thought. What he didn't seem to know was that she no longer needed arrows to use her powers.

"I bet you're the best fuck he's ever had, for him to defend you the way he did."

Kagome blushed, a completely inappropriate but inevitable reaction. She'd never thought heavily about anything sexual, only going as far as giving Inuyasha her first kiss. For Tatsuya to be so blatant caught her off guard.

"And I'm going to test it," he continued, moving a hand from its grip on her upper arm to her waist, and purring. "All you have to do is stay quiet."

That was it. Kagome was done biding her time.

Teeth dug into flesh, the same moment her hands grabbed his wrist and her power surged through her. A distinct burning smell caught her nose. Tatsuya yelped, pulling back and swearing.

Kagome whirled around, putting her hands in front of her and murmuring a chant Kaede had taught her. It was a simple ward, but would stall Tatsuya in case he thought about getting close to her again.

The words ended, and a blue energy shot from her hands to Tatsuya's chest. He snarled, falling to his knees. The element of surprise was on Kagome's side, but he would no doubt right himself in a minute. Kagome moved to get away.

Her arm was caught by another hand, and she screamed.

"Silence, Kagome."

The voice stopped her, and she looked into Sesshomaru's eyes. They were focused on the Lord of the South, trapped between his two strongest guards. Tatsuya knew better than to fight, watching Sesshomaru release Kagome and flex his claws.

"Explain yourself," he said, the tips of his claws glowing the indicative green of poison.

"I suppose lying is out of the question." Tatsuya snorted. "I only wanted a piece of what you were getting, Sesshomaru. She must be one hot little youkai, for you to get so worked up about her."

"Take him away," Sesshomaru ordered. "And if I catch you here without an invitation again, I will personally tear your throat out. I would much prefer to ask for a pardon from the other lords for your death, rather than permission to end your life."

Tatsuya didn't answer, but didn't fight as the guards led him out of the courtyard. Kagome rubbed the arm where he had grabbed her, wondering what he might have done had Sesshomaru not showed up.

Expecting her to berate him about how she could handle herself, Sesshomaru turned to Kagome. But instead of anger, he faced gratitude.

"Thank you," she said, smiling a little. "I figured he would overpower me once he got his bearings. I was going to run away." Her smile faded. "I knew I wasn't good enough to defeat him."

Sesshomaru saw his guards throw Tatsuya out, sealing the gate and watching him vanish into thin air. His teleporting ability would be the death of him, if he continued to abuse it. "You are correct," he said, facing Kagome once more. "You are not trained well enough to take him on. If he does this again, call for assistance."

Kagome nodded. "I should have known to call for the guards."

"I would be the one to help you, Kagome."

Surprised, she looked up at him. Sesshomaru stared back with cold indifference. "You are, for all intents and purposes, my future mate," he said when Kagome didn't respond. "If I am going to try with you, it would be idiotic not to come to your aid when you require it."

"Oh." Kagome looked away. "Thank you, I suppose. It's different, seeing you do something other than stand there hating me."

"I protect what is mine," he said simply. "Rin is my ward. Jaken is my adviser. I protect them. And so I will protect you as well."

"Hmm." Kagome didn't like being thought of as belonging to him, but she could hardly complain. Sesshomaru was being decent to her. "Thanks again," she said. "I'll try my best to get stronger, so you won't have to bother with this."

"Good." Sesshomaru considered her for a moment. "It is cold today. Come inside."

Kagome couldn't help smiling a bit. Despite the scare, today was turning out to be rather promising. "Okay," she answered, following Sesshomaru.

()

Chapter twenty! Yay! I hope everyone enjoyed this :)

Sesshomaru, ever so slowly warming up to Kagome, even if he denies it XD

Next chapter will probably shift back to some other characters. It's been a while since they got any screen time. Stay tuned!

Thanks so much for reading, and please review :) Ja ne!