Sesshoumaru was about to murder everyone in Lord Haruto's War Room. The pale limestone walls could use a bit of color, the demon lord never considered himself a decorator but red would really liven the place up. Maybe he could also add some more windows by punching a few of these dimwitted eastern generals through the soon to be newly painted walls.

The dog demon was pulled from his Feudal Home Makeover fantasy by one of the lower eastern lords asking him a question. What was this bear cub's name? It didn't matter, Sesshoumaru had no intention of even acknowledging the young demon. He had no opinion on the failed mating agreement between the eastern and the southern house.

What had started as a standard mating and land contract quickly turned ugly nine moon cycles back. Each lord laid claim to a small enclave nestled in a valley between the territories but neither could provide maps to prove its ownership. Eventually the Southern Dragon Lord Raika withdrew his sons claim to mate the eastern lord's daughter causing more tension. Now each side had a small army posted on their border. The eastern bear lord was obtuse, and the southern dragon lord was stubborn.

Sesshoumaru had yet to bring his own troops with him. He had a small hope that the two lords would find a way to resolve this feud, but that hope quickly died when many moons have now passed since his arrival and no progress had been made. The demon lord would observe and only add his own input if Lord Haruto requests it. Once again, he cursed the late western lord for allying his house with the eastern bears.

Turns out just observing and listening was deathly boring. Now that the eastern cub had stopped trying to get his attention, Sesshoumaru was able to zone out again and think about other matters. Like how that annoying little priestess had yet to write. He had sent correspondence to his lieutenant over a moon phase ago and now it was Rins first winter away from the Shiro and the dog demon wished to know how she was being cared for. As much as he adored Rins own perspective on what had been happening since his departure, she tended to focus on unimportant details. Although, the bit about the priestess tripping into a muddy puddle was appreciated. Perhaps the woman had broken both hands in the fall and that was why she had not written yet. The fact that he basically molested the poor woman and ran away never crossed his mind as to why she never got in touch.

The mental image of Kagome falling face first into muck brought an amused smirk to the dog demon's face. The sight of the great Lord Sesshoumaru smiling immediately quieted the room. Taking notice of the silence he decided that he had suffered enough for one day and stood up to dismiss himself. All the other lords and generals around the war table watched him glide from the room, no one dared to question his early departure from the meeting.

The walk back to his temporary chambers was peaceful. Sesshoumaru paused along the open corridor to admire the falling snow. His mind went back to Rin and wondered if she was staying warm enough at the priestess's small hut. After taking in the sea of white the demon lord continued his way and was pleased to find a fire was already lit in the fireplace attached to the sitting room. Taking a moment to rid himself of his armor and swords, the scent of lilies and rain made him halt his movements. With a quick look at his desk, he saw someone had left a letter on top of his maps and scrolls. Sesshoumaru threw the last ruminates of his chest piece to the ground and snatched up the cream-colored envelope.

The words Lord Sesshoumaru looked up at him in neat feminine writing. The beast inside him began to purr in contentment as he lifted the paper up to his elegant nose and inhaled deeply. Since the day he left the upset priestess in the woods Sesshoumaru's primitive side had been distraught. It was against his instincts to abandon his female in such a state, but the demon lord fought with himself to keep moving and get as far from her as possible. His beast had mourned and howled for weeks trying to crawl its way through his skin to get back to its priestess. The more logical side of him was furious for allowing himself to touch her in such an intimate matter. Alpha Bitch or not, it was beneath him to force such urges upon Kagome.

None of that mattered now. She had followed his instructions to write and that thrilled him immensely. Taking great care to open the paper pouch without tearing it, Sesshoumaru finally set his amber eyes on its contents.

Dear Sesshoumaru,

Look here you Son of a Bitch-

Sesshoumaru looked up and blinked a few times in disbelief before rereading the first few words on the page.

-how dare you threaten Masaru like that! If you wanted me to send you updates then you should have told me or wrote to me yourself, I can't read minds!

This is the only reply to you will get until you apologize for the way you treated me. Seriously what the hell was that?! I have a scar now thanks to your damn fangs. Poor Masaru had to come up with some stupid 'instinct' excuse when Rin saw my neck. If what he said is true and you were trying to 'mark your territory' to keep other men away from me, I swear to God I will come there and kick your ass.

He felt his beast rumble with pleasure knowing the small priestess still bared his mark.

Not that you care, but Shippo was kind enough to write to me, unlike you, and said he wouldn't be able to stay with me this winter. For the best since I didn't want to explain how a horny dog demon bit me.

I will be waiting for your apology, and you better not bully Masaru again to get what you want!

Kagome H.

P.S.

Rin is fine and happily sleeps with your stupid mokomoko every night. She is also starting to show signs of having her first period soon.

I hope this bit of information is up to your royal standards.

So, the priestess was capable of writing after all. Sesshoumaru took the letter with him to the adjoining room where he sat with his back against the raised platform his futon sat on. He should be angry, no, he should be furious at the way she addressed and insulted him. But all that he felt was amusement at Kagome's spirited response and elated at being able to smell her scent again, even though it was now growing faint. How he missed that fire. All those fools he left in the war room would never dare to speak to him in such a way. No… only her.

Sesshoumaru pressed the parchment to his nose once more and detected just a hint of ginger. Ah, there it was, traces of her reiki embedded into the ink and paper. His smirk returned as he was thinking about all the ways he could get under the priestess's skin and ignite that spark his beast desired.

Frowning for a moment he scowled back down at the last words on the page. What did she mean by Rin showing signs of a 'period'?