Standard disclaimers apply.

A/N: Thank you to all of you lovely dears who left a review for the last chapter, and here's the next one! There's a lot, a lot more to this story, and I am trying out a new way of writing for this story. I didn't write Shanghai chapter by chapter like the other stories of mine, but instead, wrote down whichever scene came up in my mind and pieced everything together. My draft is at 72 pages on Microsoft Word, but the story is at bits and pieces, so bear with me while I get it all sorted out nicely.

~Shanghai~

The clink of porcelain spoons against bowls were the only sounds in the small space as Sesshoumaru and Kagome ate their breakfast in silence.

It had been four weeks since the fateful night when she crossed his path in that remote alley, and dragged his bleeding body back home with her. The doctor had done a rather good job of stitching Sesshoumaru up, and coupled with Kagome's meticulous care, he was almost fully healed.

Four weeks was a pretty long time for two strangers to get to know each other, but Kagome could not say or expect the same when it came to Sesshoumaru. This man was a living enigma - distant, reserved and cold. She had accounted it to the language barrier between them, but it soon failed to justify Sesshoumaru's aloofness. He was just not a people's person. He barely spoke unless absolutely necessary and no matter how she tried to initiate conversation, he would not respond with anything more than monosyllabic replies. The only thing he did was teach her a few Japanese phrases each day, which she responded to by teaching him the Chinese equivalent.

It was nice, of course. Kagome had always been an inquisitive girl, and she enjoyed interacting with the foreigners whom she got to meet at work. The Indian merchants, selling their impossibly wide variety of spices and incenses, were easily the friendliest and most interesting people to get along with. The Caucasian men, with their intense colored eyes, sharp, handsome features and curiously colored hair, were always gentlemanly and refined. In fact, the live band at Golden Phoenix had White Russian and Filipino members, with the former being in China after escaping the October Revolution and the latter seeking a better standard of living. Kagome got along fantastically with all of them.

Yet Sesshoumaru was so different. She'd hate to jump to conclusions, but was it really true that all Japanese were distant and cruel?

All she wanted was to know him better as a person.

Was that too much to ask for? Kagome thought almost dejectedly as she watched him take a hearty bite of the dough fritter held between his thumb and index finger. The only time he had revealed a hint of tenderness was when he had asked her to sing for him, and sadly, that was the first and only time.

"Why are you here in Shanghai?" She finally asked, gesturing with her hands to put the point across.

He did not answer her, but instead, appeared to be extremely preoccupied with the meal of fried dough fritters and plain rice congee. She watched him eat quietly out of the corner of her eye, and decided not to pursue further. After all, if he did not have the intention to tell her anything, there was no point in pushing for an answer.

Gradually, under Kagome's meticulous care, he recovered. He had lost count of the days though – was it three weeks, or four? All he knew that what had once been a gaping, bleeding wound in his side had scabbed over, and he was now able to get up and about without assistance. It made her happy to see him well on the road to recovery, but at the same time, there was the undeniable feeling of loneliness. The fact that he was well again meant he would leave as if he had never come into her life.

Yet he had grown so accustomed to having her around, as she had grown used to having him around in her life. Of course, there were the inconveniences expected from housing a stranger who had suddenly come into her life, such as an increased expenditure and small issues like insufficient room for sleeping, but there were the nice, simple moments as well.

For one, there was someone waiting for her to get home every day, instead of having to walk into a lonely, silent space. Having left her hometown of Guangzhou eleven years ago at the age of twelve to come to Shanghai to sing, she had missed the liveliness of her extended family and the simple luxuries of eating together at a large table. The only kin she had in Shanghai was her aunt, Feng (Kaede), who lived a few streets away. Kagome knew she should not expect anything out of this, but she had grown accustomed to Sesshoumaru's stoic yet reassuring presence in her life over the span of four weeks.

It was nice to come home to a room which had been cleaned up.

It was nice to be able to talk to someone after a long day at work, albeit not receiving replies and being lost in translation at times.

It was also nice to teach each other simple phrases in their respective languages, while attempting to include those phrases in conversation as they pored over the Chinese-Japanese dictionary she obtained from a flea market sale.

She had not seen it coming, but he had his own way of surprising her in his cold, detached manner. There was once when she had to work the last shift at the lounge, singing till the wee hours of the morning. But when she had stepped out from the back exit of Golden Phoenix Lounge, she found a familiar figure leaning against the cold brick wall where she had first met him. He had not said a word, and neither had she. They had walked home together, and she realized, he had deliberately waited for her so as to ensure her safety by walking her home. It was most probably a display of gratitude on his part, but it was good enough for her.

He shouldn't have been nice to her, Kagome mused as she stood up at the table, gathering the used plates and cups into a small pile. Tiny acts of kindness from him spoiled her; they made her expect more than she ever should. A subtle sideward glance at his bare back gave her the reality check she needed; the roaring white canine staring back at her seemed to be warning her to keep away from this man. Insisting on being with Sesshoumaru would gain her nothing. She would only end up being badly hurt by those bloodied swords that surrounded the menacing dog.

As she held the pile of empty plates and bowls up to bring them to the communal kitchen for washing, Kagome heard him call out to her in a slightly hesitant voice.

"Kagome," He began, addressing her by her Japanese name, before saying slowly in Chinese. "Jin tian…chu qu? (Today…go out?)"

Her eyes had widened at hearing his words, unwilling to believe that he would suggest they spent the day together. After all, it was her day off from work at Golden Phoenix, and she had initially been wondering how she should spend the entire day.

"Ii yo. (Sure.)" She replied him in Japanese with a stunning smile, and he couldn't help the involuntary upturn of his lips as she burst out into giggles. It was rather amusing how the Japanese man was trying to converse with her in Chinese while the Chinese girl replied in Japanese.

His eyes met hers in that instant. A few seconds slipped by, laughter died, and they stared into each other's eyes. There was something different about his eyes, she noted inwardly, but before Kagome could identify what it was, Sesshoumaru had looked away.

"My goodness, did you see that?"

Kagome clapped and laughed along with the other audience when the male character on the black and white screen fell into a pond, before emerging from the water looking like a drowned rat. There were no conversations in the movie they were watching at the open-air cinema, and every detail of the plot was simply depicted through exaggerated actions and facial expressions.

In a strange way, it reminded him of the two of them. Unable to communicate properly due to the language barrier between them, they had been interacting with each other using simple phrases and sign language. It might sound like an absolute disaster, but ironically, they had always managed to establish a certain level of mutual understanding. Just like the silent movie on the large screen, they had always managed to get the point across without using words.

She continued laughing, before the laughter died into quiet releases of breath when she realized he was not as amused as she was. Unfolding the handkerchief she held within her hands, Kagome tapped Sesshoumaru gently on the hand and offered him a sugared peanut. He shook his head and turned back to look at the screen, face still as expressionless as ever. Was the movie not to his liking, she wondered to herself.

Earlier in the day, Sesshoumaru had been almost fun to be around. They had tried street food like candied haw and steamed meat buns, watched street acrobatic performances and martial arts demonstrations as they strolled along Nanking Road, arguably the busiest shopping street in Shanghai. Kagome had deliberately dolled herself up, wearing a light pink satin cheongsam with dandelion prints, and had tried on countless of hair accessories by the roadside stalls with Sesshoumaru looking on in his usual seriousness as he gave his opinions with either a nod or a shake of his head.

Kagome had been under the impression that Sesshoumaru was simply patronizing her as they visited stall after stall, until he did something out of the blue which surprised her greatly. Due to the fact that Kagome was physically attractive and had a bit of a reputation as a performer at an entertainment establishment, it was inevitable that there were a rather substantial number of men who were interested in getting acquainted with her. She did not appreciate the attention too much, but nonetheless had to put up with the openly appreciative looks, perverse leers and even the occasional request for her to go to dinner with them.

This was the downside to being beautiful, she had concluded since long ago. That was why Kagome had not given it much thought when a certain man approached her as she left Sesshoumaru's side to buy two bottles of the highly popular carbonated drinks imported from the West. As she dug for coins from her beaded purse to pay for the sparkling orange soda, a hand swiftly beat hers to paying, before two glass bottles were held up right in front of her face.

"My lovely Shanghai Warbler…no lady should be allowed to pay for her own drink." The mystery man lowered the glass bottles, and Kagome suppressed a sigh when she saw that it was a young man who went by the name Gang Ya (Kouga), who was also the son of a very prominent textile and apparel merchant in town. She had met him two years ago when the wardrobe managers at Golden Phoenix had brought her to his family's shop for her measurements to be taken for her new stage costumes.

It had been 'love' at first sight for the young man, who had suddenly acquired the very impressive ability of appearing within five meters radius of Kagome whenever she went to Nanking Street to do some shopping. Kouga was a pretty decent guy, really, with boyish good looks, mischievous eyes, masculine brows and a rather attractive physique. It was just a shame that Kagome felt nothing for him romantically, and had unfortunately grown a little tired of his undying enthusiasm. As if things were not bad enough, the handsome young heir to the textile business was the love interest of her close friend Chang Pu (Ayame), making it as awkward as it could get for poor Kagome.

"Ni hao, Gang Shao Ye…(Good day, Young Master Gang)" She greeted with a forced smile, before reaching out to take the drinks from him, only to close her fingers around air when he smoothly lifted the bottles out of her grasp.

"Can we have dinner together at Fortune Jade restaurant tonight?" The handsome young man asked smoothly, before winking cheekily. "By the way, I love the soft waves in your hair. The new Western style suits you very well."

Huffing almost inaudibly, Kagome unclasped her purse to pick a few coins out, holding them out in front of her on an open palm. "Please accept the money then."

"Oh no, no…don't stand on ceremony with me, dear A-Lee. It's merely a few coins!" He shook his head dismissively, before taking a long sip from one of the bottles, much to Kagome's annoyance. "Now, why don't you take a sip? It's more romantic this way."

The other bottle in Kouga's hand was brought nearer to Kagome's lips, but before she could come up with a proper reaction, the bottle had been promptly whisked out of the young man's hand.

"Se-" Kagome started in surprise, before holding her tongue just in time to prevent saying his name out loud.

"Who is this guy, A-Lee?" Kouga asked, narrowing his eyes in annoyance at Sesshoumaru as the latter stood protectively by his beloved songstress' side. "You have some nerve, trying to steal the drink which I've bought for my woman. No one around here dares to offend me."

The young woman tried to hide the amusement on her face before looping her arm around Sesshoumaru's, before tiptoeing to draw a sip from the bottle the Japanese man was holding. Kouga's face was a priceless picture of astonishment, and she had to fight the upturn of her lips. Sesshoumaru's face was simply as stoic as always, unreadable like the mystery he was.

"You mean this guy? He is someone I'd prefer sharing a drink with." She smiled playfully at Kouga, before turning around to walk away with Sesshoumaru by her side. Kouga would most probably bombard her with questions the next time he saw her, but this was nonetheless good enough for a little payback for all the times he had cornered her with his 'You are my woman' claims.

But that was not the only reason behind the smile on her lips; she was smiling partly because she had not expected Sesshoumaru to do something like that for her. While it had most probably been nothing but a convenient helpful act on his part, Kagome was nonetheless secretly pleased that he had stood up for her somehow and came to her defense when he thought she was in trouble.

They had had a good time, she concluded to herself. Kagome sincerely hoped Sesshoumaru felt the same way, though he seemed to grow more and more gloomy with every hour that slipped by.

The movie ended, and it was a cue for them to head home. After all, night had crept into the skies above, and stars were already shining down upon them with their glittering smiles. Taking the path that would lead them back, Kagome was surprised when Sesshoumaru expressed his wish to sit down by the grassy banks of Huangpu River. It had never occurred to her that he was a man who appreciated simplicity like this, but she complied nonetheless. After all, it was not often that she heard his request anything of her.

The autumnal breeze whipped her thick, glossy raven tresses back, and she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Silence reigned between them as they sat side by side on the grassy bank, but neither bothered to disrupt it, for it was comfortable after all. There was an unspoken peace which Kagome appreciated greatly.

She heard the rustle of the tall grass surrounding them, and saw how Sesshoumaru had plucked two long blades of grass from the side. Lining the green strips against each other, his fingers worked deftly and confidently to weave a pattern out of the grass. Kagome watched in awe as a form began to take shape under his talented fingers, and it wasn't long before awe faded to be replaced by elation. In place of the two long strips of wild grass was a woven grasshopper, looking as lively and realistic as could be.

"For you."

He offered it to her, and she smiled as if surprised, asking, "Is it okay if I take it?"

Nodding, he placed the grasshopper into her palm, noting the way she had blushed prettily.

"Konaida no iroiro…arigatou. kansha shiteru. (Thank you…for everything that had happened recently. I appreciate it.)" His voice was quiet, and she simply sat by his side, hearing but not listening.

She did not understand a word of what he was saying, and instead, settled for a teasing poke on his arm. "Ni shuo de hua, wo ji ju ye ting bu dong. (I dont understand a word of what you're saying)"

A contented smile lingered on her lips as her fingers fiddled with the grasshopper he had skillfully woven out of two long blades of grass for her. Kagome was so easily contented, he noted, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

The next moment, his hand was covering hers, and the woven grasshopper fell onto her lap with a gentle rustle. Eyes widened in surprise upon seeing his hand on hers, Kagome looked up questioningly to seek answers within golden pools. Yet there were none, as always.

Looking straight at her, he said almost inaudibly in Japanese, thankful for the fact that she could not comprehend a single word.

"Issho mo wakattekurenai kamoshirenai kedo, boku wa ikanakya. (Even if you might never understand where I am coming from, I have to leave.)" He said softly as she continued smiling sweetly at him, not knowing that every second of her lingering smile was adding to the heavy guilt in his chest. Kagome extended her hand in invitation for him to write kanji on her palm, but he shook his head. "Sayonara. (Goodbye.)"

"Sayonara?" Kagome repeated, and for a moment, he thought she understood what he meant by that word. But a second ticked by with her still peering at him in mild confusion, leading him to the conclusion that she did not understand him.

Nodding once, Sesshoumaru repeated himself. "Sayonara."

She gave him a heartfelt smile and nodded firmly. After all, his facial expression was solemn and his voice was sincere. She still did not understand what he said though.

Yet he hoped she did. He tried to fool himself into believing that the sincere smile and nod indicated her understanding of his inevitable departure.

But as if she wanted to get back at him for saying so much in a language which she did not comprehend, Kagome launched into a string of rapid Chinese as she shifted closer to him.

Peering at him curiously, her eyes narrowed and those small yet full lips pouted endearingly.

"Ni zhi dao ma? You shi wo hui xiang, ni dao di shi shui? (Do you know? Sometimes I think to myself, just who are you?)" She mused, taking in his curious yet devastatingly handsome features. "Ni you ru yi ge mi tuan…zen me jie ye jie bu kai. (You are a mystery which I can never seem to be able to solve.)"

"You don't understand me, do you?" She continued in Chinese, knowing his piercing eyes were studying her intently as they always had been. Suppressing a sigh which would have otherwise aroused his curiosity for sure, Kagome smiled wistfully, "It is for the better that you do not understand. Sometimes it's not good to know too much, and…I am very happy with how things are for now. It's good enough for me; I don't ask for too much. The present situation is enough for me."

Neither knew how they should have simply adhered to communicating without words, just like how the black and white movie had been. But instead, they had chosen to communicate using words, pushing themselves onto a path which would lead to nowhere.

Stirring on the makeshift bed consisted of a thin mattress and a few straw mats, Kagome's eyes cracked open to take in the thin beams of sunrays filtering into her room through the gaps in the patched cloths covering the hole she had for a window. Stirring slightly, she arched her back in a comfortable stretch to dispel lingering sleepiness. A contented smile spread across her face when she felt the tautness within her back muscles dissipate, and she exhaled contentedly.

The room was very quiet as always, probably because Sesshoumaru was still fast asleep. That was a rare occurrence; he was always up earlier than her everyday at the same time, and he seemed to possess a very accurate biological clock within him.

Groaning softly, Kagome pulled herself up into a sitting position on the straw mattress before turning to greet Sesshoumaru.

The bed was empty, and it was neatly made.

Her first instinct was to fall back onto her mattress, laze around a bit, and wonder where he could have gone. He must have gone to the bathroom, she thought, snuggling in the warmth of her sheets.

She waited, drifting in and out of sleep as she waited for him to return.

Eventually, she slipped back into a deep, dreamless slumber.

Then she woke up again, not knowing how much time had gone by. Drowsily, she groaned his name, feeling the need to berate him for not waking her up earlier.

"Sesshoumaru…"

But there was no reply. The room remained as silent as ever, and she suddenly froze, as if suddenly noticing the emptiness and loneliness that now resided within the same space.

Her heart sank within the confines of her chest, dispelling all signs of sleepiness as her mind entertained the possibility of her greatest worry. It was the dreadful feeling of knowing something had gone terribly wrong, yet unwilling to believe the undeniable truth. Frantic with worry and self-denial, Kagome clambered into a standing position before running out to the courtyard. Standing in the middle of the vast space, her eyes scanned her surroundings, looking for signs and glimpses of a silvery head.

The autumn winds were growing colder and colder, and so was her heart. There were no signs of him no matter how hard she looked around the compound; the kitchen was empty except for a middle-aged woman, and the men's bathroom was not occupied. He was nowhere to be found.

Not caring if anyone else heard her, Kagome called out to silence. "Sesshoumaru!"

There was no reply. As if mocking her, fallen leaves rustled against the ground as the autumn winds chased them playfully.

For a few minutes, she stood alone in the vast courtyard, listening to the wind, hoping to catch whispers within. But alas, there were none. The initial denial and shock dissipated to be replaced by a hint of rationality which she desperately clung onto. He might have gone out to buy something, she reasoned. He'd be coming back; he had to be coming back.

She contemplated going out to look for him on the main street, but then again, it would not do for him to come back to an empty room. Stubbornly, she told herself to wait for him, even though a suppressed voice within her mind was screaming for her to acknowledge the truth that he was never coming back.

Legs trembling from cold and dread, Kagome managed to make her way back to her room. Its emptiness was exceptionally pronounced, and she could not help but wonder since when her humble room had become so spacious and forlorn. Yet it felt so suffocating at the same time, and she found herself fighting to draw in steady breaths.

Walking to his, no…her bed, she sat herself down on it. It had been so long since she had slept on this bed, and she had almost forgotten the feeling of the stitched peony embroidery of the sheets against her skin. A hand ran along the soft sheets, and that was when she saw it.

A simple note, placed beside the pillow.

She knew she would read it sooner or later, but she allowed her escapist tendencies to get better of her. Turning away, she gazed into nothingness, terrified of seeing what the note would say. But what was the point? What was the point of fearing something one already knew would happen?

Shaky fingers reached out for the note, closing around the small piece of paper before bringing it to her chest level. Scribbled on the paper were the Chinese characters 「再見」and「珍重」…

'Goodbye'…and 'take care of yourself'…?

Is that all you have to say, Sesshoumaru? She asked within her heart, sitting on the edge of the bed motionlessly. It was probably nothing more than naivety on her part, but she'd think he'd have more to say to her considering what they had gone through together. Warm tears fell onto the piece of paper, blurring the words he had written so elegantly.

She should have known it was too good to be true; she should have known from the very beginning. Yet she was deliberately naïve, if such a term existed.

But even though her mind was telling her that it was nothing to feel upset over; she had anticipated this since a long time ago, her heart was still broken.

All she could think of was his face yesterday as he leaned over the bed to wish her good night and brush his fingers against her cheek, and how that would never ever happen again because he had left. He was really gone, and would never be coming back again.

Inconsolably, she sobbed into her pillow, only to sob harder when all she could smell on the fabric was him. Didn't he know doing this would hurt her? Why couldn't he have bid her goodbye properly, instead of leaving as if he had never come into her life? How could he do this to her after fooling her into letting her guard down?

Just like every day for the past four weeks, he had taught her a new word.

He taught her 'sayonara', she recalled with a fresh wave of tears assaulting her smarting eyes.

So it meant goodbye.

To be continued…