Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha nor do I gain any monetary profit from writing this.
It all started with his hair, innocently enough.
She had always acknowledged the fact that it was beautiful, what with its unique color, length, and silken qualities. But when he slid into the dining booth she was currently occupying, she wasn't ready for the sudden change that he had made to said hair.
"Good thing you didn't shave it all off! With your pale skin, you would've looked like a cancer patient," she blurted out before blushing lightly.
An irritated look flashed across his face fleetingly. "Hn. I was under the impression that encounters such as this typically start out with a greeting."
"Oh! Sorry, how silly of me! Um, how are you, Sesshomaru?"
"Fine. My business is running smoothly and nobody has any complaints when I take a day off every month in order to make it to our little get-togethers….Not that anyway would dare to voice any complaints. They are too terrified of losing their job," he said with a wry smile.
"What exactly is it that your company does again?"
"I run a market research company so our focus is on statistical analysis," Sesshomaru stated.
He continued on to explain his company, but she tuned him out in favor of studying his new hairstyle more closely. He was sporting a longish sort of crew cut and it seemed his hair had been brushed slightly forward. Honestly, she had never been able to picture him with anything other than floor-length hair. But while his long hair had given him a regal and noble air, his much shorter hair gave him a somewhat roguish and more predatory look. All in all, he looked good.
With a start, Kagome realized that Sesshomaru was no longer talking. Instead, he was staring at her with a raised eyebrow. Belatedly, she realized that she had been staring at his hair for quite some time now. She flushed deeply, although she was not too sure why she was so embarrassed to begin with.
"I see five hundred years hasn't taken away your ability to imitate a tomato," he noted aloud.
It was her turn to have an irritated look take place on her face; unlike his, hers stayed put. "It may have been five hundred years for you, but it's only been two years for me," she grumbled, although her tone held a touch of sadness.
He chose to stay quiet; he remembered just how depressed she had seemed when they had run across each other in a café almost a year ago: She had been sitting dejectedly at a lone table when he had entered the café. They had caught each other's eye and had only been able to stare in amazement. He had been shocked that she was still alive after five hundred years; she, shocked because she had not expected anyone from the feudal era to survive until now. Still, she was able to brush aside her shock quickly enough and hesitantly invited him to her table. Surprisingly, he had taken her offer and sat down. They had gotten conversation going on soon after and it was then that their monthly get-togethers started.
He picked up and opened his menu and indicated that she should do the same. She already knew what she wanted though so she took the opportunity to continue to study his hair. She opened up her menu and peeked over it to stare. Of course, the couple minutes in which she had taken her eyes off of it had not changed it whatsoever. It remained bristly—albeit soft—looking. Although he had much less now, his hair still shined a beautiful, moonlit color. 'Tch! Does he ever look bad?' She tore her eyes away from his hair and crossed her arms grumpily.
Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow at her childish antics but she chose to ignore his questioning look. Thankfully, a waiter came right at that moment to take their order. They placed their orders and waited for their food in relatively peaceful silence. Soon enough, their food arrived. As they settled in, Kagome found her eyes drifting back to Sesshomaru's hair.
'I want to pet it,' she suddenly thought to herself. She couldn't help herself; his hair just looked so soft. She knew that if she were to run her hands through his hair, she would experience a prickly, almost fuzzy, sensation. At the moment, she had an insane urge to rub herself all over his hair. Her eyes widened. 'Where on earth did these urges and thoughts come from?' Kagome mentally screeched. She knew it was practically suicide to do what she had imagined because Sesshomaru wasn't someone you just petted. She might be closer to him than most others, but that didn't mean she still couldn't gain his rage and ire. She wasn't one to encroach upon personal boundaries so she quickly quashed any desires she had to pet his hair and resumed eating.
They continued chatting while dining, though it was mostly Kagome that did the talking; Sesshomaru chose to punctuate her sentences with only a word or so every once in a while. She didn't mind though and they carried on in this manner until the diner was set to close.
As they stepped out of the diner, she turned to him, "Well, I guess I'll see you next year then. You can choose the restaurant next time!" She ended her sentence with a beaming smile.
"Hn."
She chose to decide that his monosyllabic answer had been a sound of agreement. She chose to switch topics though and brought her attention back to his hair. "Why did you cut your hair anyway?" she asked curiously.
He was silent for a moment before answering. "It was becoming burdensome," he quietly stated.
Kagome's eyes softened. 'It must be a blow to his pride, knowing that everybody used to know and fear him as the great Lord Sesshomaru, but now he is only the great and feared boss of his company.'
Sesshomaru must've seen her look because he smirked and added, "Besides, I no longer have fawning slaves to take care of it for me. It's quite troublesome to not have them here to respond to my every whim and fancy."
She rolled her eyes at him but had no reply. 'Stupid jerk. He thinks he's so awesome and perfect.' She was able to neglect the fact that Sesshomaru was as close to perfect as anyone could get. "I should get going. I've still got a job to do on Monday and I can't be late or my boss will have my head. Not everybody can be their own boss, you know!" she teased him.
Amused, he looked down at her and said, "Until next time, Kagome." His eyes held hers briefly before he turned and left.
Kagome watched him go. 'Wow, I always thought his and Inuyasha's eyes were the same color. I guess I was wrong.'
As she hurried home, she failed to realize that she had been able to think of Inuyasha without the usual deep pang of sadness that accompanied thoughts of him…
Please review and tell me what you honestly think! I'd really like to improve my writing so don't be afraid to be honest!