Lord Nishi returned Umeko to the Yomitora under cover of night, depositing her outside the rooms that formerly belonged to her Lady. Sesshoumaru followed them at a distance and stayed behind after his father left to see how the Yomitora would react to Umeko’s return. It was Lord Nishi’s plan that they keep Sesshoumaru’s presence a secret from the handmaiden—the better to catch her at it if she really was Lord Yomitora’s spy. If she was, they would continue to pretend she was Lord Nishi’s spy, as if they were ignorant of the truth. She would be their tool to give false information to the enemy.
        Sesshoumaru alighted on the rooftop over Lady Shinju’s old apartments and listened for sounds of Umeko. Hearing none, he moved across the tiles, stopping periodically to listen until at last he heard Umeko’s voice. A deep male voice replied, ordering her to follow him. Sesshoumaru followed the sound of their footsteps until they were too deep into the castle for him to hear them, and he was forced to guess where they’d gone. After a few frustrating minutes of hopping about the roof, Sesshoumaru at last heard Umeko’s voice again, coming through an open window.
        "Why have you returned?" The male voice demanded. "I ordered you to stay with Shinju!"
        "Forgive me, My Lord," Umeko replied humbly, and Sesshoumaru’s ears pricked up. Could she be talking to Lord Yomitora, himself? Who else could it be, since the Lord had only daughters, and Shinju was the only one with a husband? Hm. Could be a vassal… "Lord Nishi brought me back."
        Sesshoumaru ground his teeth and made himself comfortable. "Get to the point, woman!"
        "Brought you? Where is he now?" the man barked.
        "Lord Nishi returned to his lair," Umeko told him evenly, then added: "Everything went as My Lord assumed it would: Lord Nishi accepted my story that war was imminent, so I rushed to warn her and her Lord of the danger." She paused, then added in a wry voice: "I was sent back as a spy and ordered to report what I learned to Lord Sesshoumaru, who will meet me at certain agreed upon times."
        Sesshoumaru grinned. So it was Yomitora she was talking to. It had to be him! And she was obviously a Yomitora spy, or she wouldn’t reveal what had happened in Lord Nishi’s lair. "Bitch," Sesshoumaru thought darkly, "I can’t wait to lick your blood from my claws again…"
        He heard the man pace, then stop. "Lord Nishi is more clever than that. I advised Lord Yomitora to send men to search for you to make your story more plausible, but he didn’t think that would be necessary."
        Not Yomitora? Sesshoumaru frowned. If not the Lord, then who? Who else commanded Umeko? Who else would she call "My Lord"? That could be quite a list of people in a noble household, assuming Umeko was nothing more than a servant. Even a ninja, if that’s what she was, wasn’t much higher than a servant, though much more deadly. Who was she talking to?! Sesshoumaru crept as close to the window as he dared and carefully flattened himself against the roof tiles. He scanned his surroundings, looking for a vantage point that would allow him to see inside the room, without those inside being able to see him. If even one of them was a ninja, that might prove difficult. Their senses were trained to be almost as keen as his own. "Damn!" No trees in range, at least not the kind that would support his weight and/or provide cover. The room was at ground level, so no balcony. He’d just about decided to risk dropping to the ground and peeking into the window from there when a pair of guards came around the corner of the building, and he was forced to abandon that idea until he figured out how often they passed by that point. He hoped Umeko would say the man’s name in the course of their conversation. Actually, he found it a bit suspicious that she hadn’t done so already.
        Umeko and the man were silent until the guards passed, then much to Sesshoumaru’s irritation, the man walked to the window, paused, then closed the shutters. "Shit!" The demon prince cursed under his breath. He could still hear them through the wooden shutters but not as clearly as before.
        "How do you advise me to proceed, My Lord?" Umeko asked after a few more moments.
        "Play along for now," the man advised her thoughtfully, then in a slightly husky voice, he asked: "How did you come by an injury here, Umeko?"
        In a sultry voice, she explained: "Experimenting."
        Kissing? Sesshoumaru wondered in confusion. How did they go from a businesslike interrogation to kissing? Whoever he was, this man was obviously Umeko’s lover. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru smiled as he remembered exactly where he’d left claw marks on the girl’s body. Her lover wouldn’t like knowing a demon prince had touched his woman’s breasts.
        "Experimenting?" The man pressed, his voice even more muffled, as though speaking into her skin. "With whom?"
        "I wanted to test my stealth against a demon’s senses," she told him breathlessly.
        "And?"
        "And Lord Sesshoumaru’s senses won," she sighed. There was a soft thump, then she gasped softly.
        He chuckled. "You were lucky he only clawed you."
        On the rooftop, Sesshoumaru grinned wickedly: "You have nooo idea."
        "I think he wanted more," she panted, "though he acted like he didn’t."
        "The hell I did," Sesshoumaru muttered grouchily.
        "Did you want to give him more?" The man demanded, all sexiness gone from his tone.
        "He’s beautiful," she pouted, "and I’ve never been with a demon."
        "You little slut," Sesshoumaru growled under his breath. "Is that the only reason? Novelty?" At least she had enough taste to notice his beauty.
        "Liar," the man chuckled, "you’ve been with me."
        Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and double-checked his senses. No, he was definitely the only person with demon blood anywhere near the castle. "The nerve! She can’t possibly believe such an empty boast!"
        She giggled. "You can call yourself Yasha, my love, but that doesn’t make you a demon." She gasped, and it was his turn to laugh.
        "You can’t tell me you would rather be with him," he teased, then did something that made her cry out in a way that had nothing to do with pain.
        Alright, so he was a man who called himself Yasha and who Umeko referred to as "My Lord", indicating he was someone of rank. Sesshoumaru went through the short list of Yomitora vassals he was aware of and couldn’t think of one who called himself Yasha. He’d have to ask his father about it later, he decided.
        Sesshoumaru listened for a while longer, then came to the conclusion that they were just going to have sex rather than talk. However, it was possible they would resume their conversation after sex, which meant he should probably stick around just in case. If they fell asleep instead, he’d leave. An hour later, Sesshoumaru started to wonder if the couple would ever tire. He lay back on the roof and tried to listen to the sounds of nature outside the castle, rather than the ones coming from within, but Umeko’s and Yasha’s passion was a little hard to ignore since both of them seemed to be screamers.
        "Disgusting creatures," Sesshoumaru muttered and stuck his fingers in his ears to block out the sounds from below.
        The guards made their third pass by the window. Each time they went by, they seemed to find it harder to keep walking, rather than give into their voyeurism. Sesshoumaru found it interesting, however, that they didn’t make the sort of lewd jokes he would’ve expected from soldiers. Were they afraid the lovers would hear them? Afraid of the lovers? Which? Umeko, Yasha, or both? He pondered that until the moans and groans below gradually faded to silence. Sesshoumaru waited almost a half an hour before deciding they’d fallen asleep. It was with great relief that he flew home to report what he’d learned to his father. Irritatingly, he couldn’t stop wondering what that little human slut would be like in bed after listening to her for over an hour.

        Umeko reported to Lord Yomitora in the morning, accompanied by her lover. They knelt before their Lord in his audience chamber, ringed by his somber vassals. Lord Yomitora was dressed in full armor, his tiger’s head helmet at his knee, as if he expected to ride into battle at any moment.
        "Well?" He demanded ominously. "Lord Yasha, why is this woman here in my castle when she is supposed to be with Lord Nishi?"
        Lord Yasha bowed, then slowly straightened and replied: "Lord Nishi returned her in the middle of the night, then left, unseen. However, Umeko reported to me that the demon believed her story and sent her here to spy on My Lord and report to Lord Sesshoumaru each night, just after the moon sets."
        Lord Yomitora smiled. He pulled his armrest to him, leaned his elbow on it and began to thoughtfully stroke his skinny mustache. "He suspects nothing, then?"
        "My Lord," Lord Yasha replied carefully, "Lord Nishi is an old, cunning demon, as you well know. I recommend we proceed on the assumption that he suspects all is not as Umeko claimed, and use her to give him false information about our plans."
        "That was my own thought, as well, Lord Yasha," Lord Yomitora replied slowly, "and perhaps Lord Nishi’s…Hmmm." He tugged his mustache for a few moments, then said: "If that is true, then we must be suspicious every bit of information we get from Lord Nishi’s camp through Umeko. I had hoped to have her remain there and feed us information, rather than be here and give information to my enemy, but we must use this to our advantage."
        "My Lord," Lord Yasha asked, "what would you have us do now?"
        Lord Yomitora grinned. "Lead them astray, of course, but with enough legitimate information that the lies will be believed. This should be an interesting game."

        Sesshoumaru didn’t wait till morning to tell his father what he’d witnessed at the castle of Lord Yomitora, though he left out the gory details of Umeko’s romantic encounter. When he mentioned the name of Yasha, Lord Nishi’s face became suddenly grim.
        "No," he mused aloud, "it can’t be the same man. That man is dead."
        Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at his father and asked: "Who was this Yasha, father?"
        Lord Nishi explained: "The old Lord Yomitora, who tried to kill your mother, employed a monster of a mercenary, who called himself Yasha."
        Sesshoumaru’s eyebrows shot up at that. For a Demon Lord to call a human a monster, the man must have been truly disgusting.
        "I saw this Yasha drink the blood of his enemies from the necks of their severed heads," Lord Nishi continued in a low, dark, rumbling voice. "Not a disgusting thing for a demon to do, but coming from a human it was…disturbing. In battle, he was filled with an uncontrollable rage and often dispatched his opponents with his bare hands, which had fingernails he let grow till they were claws." He wiggled his clawed fingers in front of Sesshoumaru’s face to illustrate. "His hair was long and unkempt, and his eyes blazed like hot coals."
        "A man after a demon’s own heart," Sesshoumaru interjected with an evil glint in his golden eyes.
        His father smiled with him. "Indeed. His talents were wasted working for a human Lord, but when I offered him a place with me, he laughed in my face." Lord Nishi shrugged. "So I killed him, roasted him, and my Lady and I dined on him that evening. Insolent bastard."
        Sesshoumaru chuckled. "So do you think this might be one of his spawn, or just a pretender to the man’s reputation?"
        Lord Nishi gave the jug of sake a meaningful look, and Sesshoumaru hurried to refill his father’s bowl. Lord Nishi took a drink, then said: "Any woman who would bear the young of that beast must have had the strength of demon, herself. But I think he would have resorted to rape to continue his line. He seemed that sort of man." He took another drink and added: "I haven’t heard of any children. Yasha was a mercenary Lord Yomitora hired for the purpose of killing Lady Dokutsume. Prior to that, I had no reason to notice him, though I seem to recall rumors of a crazy, blood-drinking human. Well, I certainly killed him easily enough, no matter his reputation."
        "I imagine either of us could deal with this latest Yasha just as easily," Sesshoumaru smirked. "I’ll try to see what he looks like next time and find out more about him."
        Lord Nishi nodded. "We must be careful, Sesshoumaru. This Yasha is suspicious of Umeko’s claim that I believed her story and will pass his suspicions to his Lord. I think we can expect them to play the same trick on us as we plan to play on them. We must expect bad information with the good."
        "Perhaps we should have another spy?"
        Lord Nishi smiled. "Exactly."
        Father and son looked at each other in silence for a few moments, then Sesshoumaru realized who was being appointed to be the other spy. "I can’t pass a human, Father," Sesshoumaru sighed, "so I’d be unable to mingle with the mortals."
        "I am aware of that," Lord Nishi told him with a sharp glare that made Sesshoumaru duck his head in embarrassment. "Use whatever resources you deem necessary to get information. Just be sure Umeko is the only one who ever sees you."
        Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes, father."
        "You should leave now," Lord Nishi commanded in the voice he used when his vassals were there to hear him talking to his son. "You will meet daily with Lord Jigokuyari. I leave the details to you. Now go."
        Sesshoumaru gulped the rest of his sake, bowed to his father, then left to find Jigokuyari. He couldn’t keep himself from thinking that his friend would be more than happy to give Umeko the experience with a demon that she so wanted. Come to think of it, Jigokuyari would give just about any pretty girl that kind of experience without a second thought. Hm…if he did give Umeko the ride of her dreams, that could be an opportunity to glean more information from her. No, that wouldn’t work. It would compromise Jigokuyari’s anonymity.
        "Ugh," Sesshoumaru’s stomach knotted as the alternative occurred to him. If he wanted someone to get into Umeko’s bed, it would have to be him. So much for the seduction idea.
        …and yet…
        He paused in the passage just outside the main hall and remembered the sounds Umeko made during lovemaking, remembered her scent, the taste of her blood, her pale skin beneath his hands…
        "No!" He shook the recollections from his mind with a snarl. "I will not sleep with that conniving bitch!" Unless he got to kill her afterwards, he thought with a grin. Now that might make it worth lowering himself to taking a human female.
        "You won’t sleep with what conniving bitch?" A quiet voice purred in his ear, and Sesshoumaru nearly jumped out of his skin.
        "Dammit, Jigo, I hate it when you do that!" Sesshoumaru growled as he spun on his friend. If he hadn’t had his brain in his loincloth, he would have at least heard Jigokuyari’s approach. "Shouldn’t you be warming Lady Gintsuki’s bed?"
        "She’s on patrol tonight," the young Lord reminded Sesshoumaru with a smirk, "remember?"
        "And you are awake because…?"
        "I was keeping her company, of course!"
        "Of course," Sesshoumaru knew exactly what that meant. "Well, you get to keep me company now. My father has an assignment for us."
        Jigokuyari’s mirth evaporated and he was suddenly all-business. "When do we leave?"
"Now," Sesshoumaru replied shortly. "At least you don’t have to stay with the humans, so count yourself lucky."
        "But I find humans amusing, Sess," Jigokuyari shot back quietly, just in case anyone but Sesshoumaru might magically hear and tell Lord Nishi one of his vassals thought humans were funny.
        "Good," Sesshoumaru retorted sourly, "then you hang around Umeko, and I’ll get a good night’s sleep in my own bed."
        Jigokuyari grinned. "My pleasure. She’s beautiful. I can’t believe you turned her away when she was throwing herself at you."
        "She’s human."
        He shrugged. "So? A pretty girl is a pretty girl under those circumstances. I say take her if she wants you so badly."
        Sesshoumaru shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You’re incorrigible."
        Jigokuyari jogged ahead of his friend to give him a mocking bow. "My Lord flatters me!"
        "Idiot," Sesshoumaru grabbed him by the ponytail on the way past and led him the rest of the way to the door in that fashion. "What would I do with a half-blood whelp when I don’t even have a full-blooded heir yet?" He let go of his friend’s hair and watched him rub his scalp with a hurt look on his face.
        "I see your point," Jigokuyari agreed reluctantly, then brightened and slapped Sesshoumaru on the back. "Well then! We shall simply have to find a demoness good enough to cool Lord Sesshoumaru’s fire!"
        Sesshoumaru gave up with a heavy sigh, then grinned. "Jigo, if you can find me one I like, I promise to give her my fullest attention."
        They snickered at his innuendo, then pushed open the doors and disappeared into the forest.