Wow, I finally came out of the woodwork! I'm sorry it's been such a long time, you guys! Graduations and final tests and college stuff have all been hell to go through. I had a little free time, and I thought it was about time I updated, so I wrote a short chapter for you guys. Please enjoy~

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Things weren't going as horribly as she imagined.

Kagome was in her room, waiting for Sesshomaru. After the issue with Tatsuya, she was told to wait for him, and they would discuss the Mating Dance.

Kikyo smiled as she watched her.

She had watched Kagome and Sesshomaru from the day she died, amused with some of the acts between them. Kagome had finally accepted her mating to Sesshomaru, but if he continued to push her away, Kikyo knew Kagome would eventually become frustrated and leave. A girl could only take so much.

However, the interactions with Tatsuya had reassured both Kagome and Kikyo. Sesshomaru fought for Kagome. It made Kagome feel better, even if he had only done so for his own honor. And his admittance of wanting to try comforted Kagome.

He kept his promise about telling her what they would do, now that he was a willing, if reluctant, participant. Sesshomaru would be in shortly to talk about their progress and give Kagome more details on how the Mating Dance would work.

Kikyo knew this because she had connected with his thoughts as he was instructing Kagome to wait for him. The scramble with Tatsuya reminded Sesshomaru of how he wanted to prove that Kagome was worthy, and attempt to quiet his inner youkai about getting to know Kagome.

She could tell he wasn't serious, though. Kikyo sighed at the thought. Kagome was happy with Sesshomaru's apparent sincerity, unaware that the thought of being close with her made Sesshomaru ache with fury. Kikyo saw that all too easily. Happiness would be far out of reach if Sesshomaru tried to do something he hated.

It was at that moment Sesshomaru entered. Kagome stiffened, and looked over. The stoic youkai pulled out the chair from Kagome's desk, placed it in front of the bed where Kagome sat, and faced her. Kagome gulped, and looked away. She was nervous, not least so because she had no idea what Sesshomaru wanted to say to her.

"Kagome."

She looked up, biting her lip.

"The first step of the Mating Dance is for the female to accept it," Sesshomaru said.

Kagome nodded, wondering where this was going. "I know," she said, "You told me."

"And the second step," Sesshomaru continued, without acknowledging her comment, "is for the female to acknowledge that she can be protected by her mate."

Kikyo watched with curiosity. Kagome hesitated, and asked, "Why are you telling me this now?" Kikyo, knowing Sesshomaru's thoughts, smirked.

The inu youkai frowned. "Did I not protect you just now?"

Kagome paused. To acknowledge he could protect her. As might be expected, Sesshomaru's idea of protection was different from her own. Sesshomaru was right, but he was assuming one occasion meant she should trust him continually. "Well," she said, "of course you did, but that doesn't mean I trust you to protect me all the time. That's different."

Sesshomaru wanted to growl, Kikyo could tell. He was trying harder than he normally would, keeping his patience when he thought Kagome was in the wrong. It didn't stop the slight twitch in his lips, giving away his irritation. "I have protected you before, miko," he said, "when I saved you from the youkai, after you insisted on retrieving the shard."

Kagome blushed. "That was one time," she muttered. Louder, she said, "And I could have protected myself. You're trying to let a couple of occasions stand for what will be a lifetime of company spent with you."

He raised an eyebrow.

Kagome sighed. "Look," she said, "we're supposed to be mates forever, if the length of inu youkai life is any indication. But, just because you helped me a few times, doesn't mean I want you to be the one to protect me if I should happen to be incapacitated."

"And why not?" Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "Am I not worthy of protecting you?"

Kagome blushed. "No!" she sputtered, shaking her head angrily. "That makes me sound conceited. It's not a matter of being worthy." Kagome paused, lowering her eyes. "I have to trust you, Sesshomaru. And a person gains my trust with kindness. I can't change that." Kagome looked up, gazing into Sesshomaru's eyes. She knew he wouldn't like it.

Sesshomaru let her words sink in, gazing back. The miko would not concede. Very well.

"I can show kindness, miko," he said, standing. "I care for Rin, as you have seen." He stepped closer to the edge of the bed. Kagome jumped, and scooted back. Sesshomaru was invading her personal space. "However," Sesshomaru continued, sitting next to her on the bed, "deciding you are worth that kindness is a different matter."

Kagome pulled back further. Sesshomaru was closer to her than he had ever willingly been.

Kikyo, above, began to giggle with amusement. Watching Sesshomaru tease her was not what she expected, but one of the most entertaining things Kikyo had watched in some time.

Sesshomaru grabbed Kagome's wrist, pulling her underneath him. She yelped, closing her eyes. When she opened them, Sesshomaru was above her on the bed, his hair disheveled. "Kagome," he said, leaning close to her face. She blushed, but had nowhere to move. "You have the potential to be a powerful inu youkai," he continued, "and I do not think we are severely incompatible. But if you insist on keeping yourself away from this Sesshomaru, I will be forced to move the Mating Dance forward, whether you prefer it or not."

Suddenly he was across the room, opening the door. "I can protect you," he said, "and it will be easier for both of us to cooperate with each other. I will be in my office, should you wish to talk with me about the Mating Dance. Farewell." With that, he was gone, leaving a flustered Kagome on the bed.

Kikyo burst into silent laughter. Without the burdens and worries of the living, her soul was free to find joy in whatever she pleased, and Kikyo could not have stopped laughing if she wanted to. Kagome smoothed her hair and clothing, blushing profusely. Even if she hated Sesshomaru, which she no longer did, he could still have seduced her with such an act. It was no wonder the gazes of the females in the castle lingered on him.

His words rang strong in her mind, and forced Kagome to think for a few minutes. Sesshomaru was much better than he used to be. He was making an effort. Kagome stared at the mirror in her room. At the mark on her forehead, binding her to Sesshomaru.

An idea struck her, and Kagome smiled. If Sesshomaru wanted her to accept his protection, he would have to work for it.

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Evening was descending upon the castle and its inhabitants. The sunset had concluded, the reds and pinks fading into a deep blue. The first stars were appearing. Kagome emerged from the kitchen, holding a woven basket not unlike the picnic baskets of her own time. The last time Kagome had anything resembling a picnic was with her family the visit before last, and it ended with Souta shoving rice in their mother's face because he couldn't attend an older boy's birthday party. Kagome was looking forward to having another picnic that might end well.

Although, the ending could go either way. It was Sesshomaru she was thinking of, after all.

Kagome wasn't trying to upset him. She wanted to work together, truly. But she and Sesshomaru barely knew each other. Their training sessions were filled with battle, not conversation. Kagome wanted to be able to trust him, and for that to happen, they needed to bond. As much as Sesshomaru might not like it.

Koneko was kind enough to arrange a basket of food for Kagome. "I hope you too will find commonalities," was what she said, which Kagome interpreted as meaning 'Good luck.' The basket was filled with traditional Japanese foods that Kagome hoped Sesshomaru would like.

The only problem would be getting him to agree to it. Kagome sighed as she walked down the castle halls. Sesshomaru might not want to skip dinner, leaving his noble guests without a host, but part of her felt this was a good idea. They had to do something about their animosity.

Upon reaching his office, Kagome paused for a moment, allowing Sesshomaru to smell her presence. She knocked gently, and waited again. "Come in," Sesshomaru said from behind the door. Kagome stepped inside quickly, wondering what his reaction might be.

He was seated, as usual, with many papers surrounding him. Kagome could read some of them, though others were written in illegible handwriting. Sesshomaru peered at her, and asked, "What is it that you want?"

Kagome stood up straight, hoping the proper posture might help his mood. "I have a question to ask," she said, holding up the basket.

Sesshomaru eyed it, and said, "I will not dine with you, if that is what you wish."

Expecting this, Kagome said, "Sesshomaru, you want me to know that you're a protective mate, right?" The words felt odd, but anything to get him to come with her.

He frowned, turning back to his papers. "You expressed a want for my kindness. If you intend to bring it about with food, as females are wont to do, it will not work." Idiot! His inner youkai was fuming. She is throwing a chance to spend time together in your lap! Take it! Sesshomaru continued sorting papers.

Kagome tried not to groan. "I'm not appeasing you with food," she said, holding the basket closer. "I really want this to work," she said. Sesshomaru noticed the sincerity, and looked up again. "I think, if we spent a little more time together," Kagome continued, "we might get along better than you would think."

Sesshomaru watched her face, observing it for any signs of lies, but could find none. And if he thought it through, he would know he did not think the miko a liar. She was making the best of an unfortunate circumstance. She was fairing better than the rejected women who had interest in him, and that was a solid statement considering how badly those women wanted to mate him. Sesshomaru put down his quill.

"Fine," he said, looking Kagome in the eye. He did not miss her startled and mildly pleased expression. "If I must dine with you privately to win your concession on the next part of the Mating Dance, then I will allow it. However," he said, "I will request that you answer to any nobles inquiring as to why I will not be attending dinner."

Kagome nodded, glad that he agreed at all. "I will," she said, smiling. "I was hoping we could eat in the garden, have a little picnic for ourselves."

Sesshomaru was unfamiliar with the term 'picnic,' but nodded. "Fine. I will be there in a moment. Go and wait for me." He picked up his quill again, signing off on a few documents. "That will be all," he said, waving a hand dismissively.

Turning to go, Kagome wished she could tell him off for dismissing her like a servant. But they needed to get along. The situation would only worsen over time if they didn't do something. "All right, I'll meet you there," she said, looking at Sesshomaru over her shoulder.

He nodded, and listened to Kagome leave his office. The sacrifices he was making for the Hana no Shukumei. Sesshomaru wondered if it would be worth it in the end.

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Hey, everyone, it's Mattaki, and I'm still alive! Right, so like I said at the beginning, I was super busy with graduation and college stuff and friends and school and everything. Woosh, time goes by like lightning. I still like this story and want to update more frequently if I can, with hopefully longer chapters. A major thing is that I have an original novel I'm working on, and I usually end up working on that instead of this.

But I forgot how fun it is, writing Kagome and Sesshomaru together! Maybe they'll finally get along? Or maybe not XD The wonderful thing about them is, even if they don't interact in the canon story, their personalities would work really well if they ever did become a couple by Rumiko Takahashi's hand. Which means I have to make sure they stay as close to their original personalities as I can manage, because I don't want to lose that dynamic.

I'm going to definitely have the picnic in the next chapter, and some more stuff with Kikyo and the children. I might throw Jaken in too, since he hasn't shown up in a while. There are a lot of things to consider in the future. For those of you that didn't read the original (and poorly written) Mysterious Flower story that this one is derived from, this picnic doesn't happen until much later. I decided to shift it because I thought it would work better. Here's hoping that wasn't a poor choice.

Thanks so much to everyone who has been patient and stuck with the story! I love you guys! Thanks for reading! And remember, please review! I love opening my email to see those cheerful messages, and even constructive criticism is welcome. Reviews keep me alive! And I promise it won't be months before my next update. I'll try to make it by next week, at the latest. I want to finish this dang thing.

Thanks again :-) You readers are amazing!

Ja ne~