Chapter 2

Kagome's thoughts were running in frightened little circles. She was in such a panic, that she didn't realize that the door had been opened and the owner had made his entrance. Her first look at him was such a shock that it stopped any thought immediately. Long silver hair, slightly pointed ears, deep gold eyes, magenta colored stripes on his cheeks and a purple crescent moon on his forehead, and those were just the most prominent features… This man was extremely tall, dressed in a silvery grey button-down shirt and charcoal grey slacks that did nothing to hide how extremely well muscled he was. He had a nametag on his shirt but all she could read was the emblem of a local fancy department store.

Kagome didn't realize that her mouth had fallen open until he reached out a clawed hand and gently shut it for her. "Well hello to you too, Ms…" He waited for her answer. "Higurashi. Kagome Higurashi. Who are you?" She knew she sounded stunned, but she didn't care. This man was like a combination of a model and a Greek statue! How could she not stare? He chuckled as if he had read her thoughts (well, she probably was pretty transparent right now…) and stepped away from her. She could suddenly breathe again, and with both her adrenaline and His overwhelming presence gone, her hangover returned with a vengeance - seemingly punishing her for forgetting about it.

"Urgh…Forget questions… I need some aspirin…" She sank down onto the nearest piece of furniture that could serve as a place to sit, with her head in her hands. She heard another chuckle with accompanying footsteps. "You can come in now Miroku," called Kagome's still nameless benefactor out the door. "But NO groping. She's had a hard night." A dark haired, violet-eyed head popped around the corner. "Well hello there! Name's Miroku," said the man, moving closer with a hand extended and a wide grin. Kagome eyed the proffered hand nervously. She thought he looked familiar, and realized that she knew this man. "You're Sango's…uh… Friend, right?"

From the look on his face and the way he retracted his hand, he seem rather disappointed. "Ah, so my reputation precedes me," said Miroku with mock arrogance. "So, what has my darling Sango told you about me?" Kagome groaned as a new flare of pain was loosed in her skull, and returned her head to her hands. She managed to mumble through her pain, "Watch out for his hands…" She could have sworn that she heard Miroku's pout.

More footsteps signaled the arrival of Kagome's Savior, which was what she dubbed him when he re-entered the room carrying hot coffee and a glass of water with some aspirin. Blessed Blessed Aspirin! Kagome thought. As she downed the painkillers and coffee, the silver haired man introduced himself and began to tell her the story of the past evening.

"Well, to begin, I am Sesshomaru. That is all of my name you need to know so don't bother to ask for more. I work at that club you were in last night – you do remember the club?" Kagome nodded. "As it was, my shift was just about over when I saw your friend Sango – drunker than you, if that's possible… leave the bar with this idiot." He jerked a thumb at Miroku, who tried to look innocent. "I assumed you had no ride, and was about to offer my services, when my idiot cousin, Kouga, tried to drag you off for…questionable purposes. He was… more than a little rough, seeing as he was quite intoxicated himself, which is why you are sore. I'm sure he dropped you several times…" Sesshomaru wrinkled his nose slightly in distaste. "I removed him from the club, and threatened to remove his testicles if he ever tried anything like that again, and then I brought you here."

Whether she was imagining or remembering, her mind called up images of being carried up several flights of stairs, and getting to know the inside of a toilet bowl, accompanied by a woman as well as Sesshomaru. "Was there a woman with you?" she asked, to confirm her memories. "Yes, actually. That was Rin. My…Friend, if you will… She was the one who cleaned you up and dressed you. And before you ask, yes those are my clothes." He grinned, which seemed out of character when he did it, and jokingly continued, "I would like to have them back, so I had Miroku bring over some of Sango's things for you." He gestured to a bag she hadn't seen before; Miroku had dropped it at the foot of the bed.

Anyway, Sango knows you're here, so you can take your time getting yourself cleaned up. I have to go back to work, and you," he pointed at Miroku, "can leave. Any more questions?" Both shook their heads. Miroku flashed a grin at her as he walked out the door, and Sesshomaru glared at him until both men were outside of the firmly shut door. Kagome shrugged and searched through the bag of clothes.

About five minutes into her shower, she realized that she hadn't thanked Sesshomaru for all of his generosity. She finally decided to write him a note since he hadn't left her with any way to contact him. Once she had finished getting dressed, she searched for something to leave a note on. Pens, pens everywhere, and not a drop of ink… The crazy man had quill pens, of all things, but no ink in sight and not a scrap of paper anywhere. Guess I'll have to improvise…

Later that night, Sesshomaru came home to find a note in shaving cream on the wall of his shower. It read:

Thanks for everything! I hope I cleaned everything up…

Well, maybe I'll see you again sometime!

Sincerely, Kagome

He went to bed that night with a smile.