Sesshoumaru opened the door of the bar and walked inside. He had had another round of meaningless conferences that day and a booming headache. He was recovering though, having the bourbon to look forward to once he sat down. He unconsciously looked around the bar for a familiar figure and didn't seem to find it.

Sighing, he sat down rather close to a wall, in a seat at the bar itself. It was Myoga who came to take his order this time.

"The same?" he asked the business man, wiping his hands before grabbing a glass from the wall on his side.

"Hn." Sesshoumaru confirmed.

"Kagome's working at the shrine today." the bartender added over his shoulder as he turned from him to fill the glass with bourbon. He didn't see how Sesshoumaru looked up at the mention of her name. He quietly slipped back into indifference as Myoga handed him the drink.

"Really." he said noncommitally, taking a sip of the warm liquid.

"Yes." the old man replied, "She loves her job, too." he leaned his elbows on the counter, the trademark cleaning rag slung over his shoulder.

"Yes." Sesshoumaru nodded, he knew she did. He was disappointed that she wasn't there drinking with him, but at the same time, he was content with her doing something that made her happy. It gave him an odd, fuzzy feeling to know that out there, somewhere, she was smiling.

"She's about as smart as they come, that girl." Myoga continued. Sesshoumaru vaguely wondered why he was being told all of this, but didn't interrupt as the subject interested him.

"Do you know she speaks three languages?" he asked, as if this would impress anybody.

"Really." Sesshoumaru said again, though his tone held more interest. It certainly impressed him.

"Yes, she speaks Russian, German and Japanese as well as English." he said, sounding as if he was boasting of a daughter instead of a coworker. Sesshoumaru was even more impressed at the languages she knew. Those that she could speak were hard to pick up and even harder to understand fluently.

"Hm." he said, pondering. So she was intelligent as well as being a lady. Hmmm, indeed.

"And you couldn't find a sweeter person." Myoga seemed to finish, his voice taking on a tone of affection. Sesshoumaru noted with satisfaction that the people around this young woman obviously cared for her. He was slow in his choosing, and was glad he had chosen wisely.

"What lies are you telling him, Myoga?" a feminine voice came from the corner of the bar. The two men turned their heads as Kagome walked to the far side of the bar where they were sitting. She took no time in seating herself right next to the intimidating demon who was now looking at her. It seemed the right thing to do, he thought, that she should sit next to him.

"Not lies." the bartender grinning playfully, faking hurt at her accusation. He would never let on that she had been the subject of their conversation.

"Really now." she said with a mischevious grin of her own, before turning to her right and greeting Sesshoumaru, "Hey Sesshou." she smiled.

"Hello." he returned, giving her a nod. He turned back to his drink to keep from giving her too much attention. The bartender was suspicious as it was. And then he almost chuckled, it was much too late to avoid giving her 'too much attention'.

"So what were you two talking about, really?" she asked, leaning her elbows on the bar interestedly, "It looked like it was something pretty interesting."

Myoga turned around to the wall and automatically got her a Smirnoff Ice, "What makes you say that?" he asked. She tucked her legs under her on the chair.

"Well, you," she turned to Sesshoumaru, "looked absolutely enthralled." She took her drink and thanked the bartender.

He raised an eyebrow at her, "Did I." he said skeptically. He hadn't payed attention to the fact that he was completely engrossed in hearing about her.

"Yes, you did." she said smilingly. She thought she saw a ghost of a grin appear on his face, but it disappeared before she could accuse him of it. As Myoga smiled at them and walked away, a comfortable atmosphere came down on them.

The chatter of the bar didn't quite reach the bubble against the wall that was Sesshoumaru and Kagome. Both were simply content to be in each others' company again. She had missed him alot since the last time she saw him, which honestly, had only been three days ago.

But miss him, she did. She watched him as he drank his bourbon, looking very deep in thought, and found she liked the little quirks and idiosyncrisies he had. She could barely put them into words. It was his coldness to everyone but her, his indifference to everyone but her, his dislike, his aloofness, his seeming cruelty to everyone but her.

He made her feel so special. He caught her staring and she saw his eyes soften from the hard look of thought. Her stomach suddenly grumbled, telling her that she was suddenly ravenous. She blushed furiously. Why did it have to make noises in front of him?

As he watched her ears turn beat red, he had to hide his amused smirk behind his glass.

He was turned toward her as he brought his bourbon glass to his mouth, "How do you feel about Italian?" he asked.

She gave him a broad smile, momentarily dazing him as they finished their drinks, before travelling nextdoor..

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The restaurant was quite crowded when they arrived. Kagome guessed it was because of the dinner rush. After all, this was a high-end place to eat. She looked down at her skirt and blouse, and was thankful that she had dressed nice in the hopes of seeing Sesshoumaru.

She did feel that easiness, and yet there were the unwanted nerves trying to throw her off. She handed her heavy winter coat to the greeting hostess before walking up to join the demon at the host's stand. The female greeter had been distracted while taking Kagome's jacket, and hadn't been able to tear her gaze away from the most attractive male she had ever seen.

The host was very Italian and had a cheerful accent, but was no doubt intimidated by this demon tycoon now requesting a table. Kagome smiled at the familiar host as she walked up and his face was wiped clean of some of the tension when he saw her.

"Buona sera, Miss Kagome!" he greeted her cheerfully. She smiled brightly at him, "Buona sera, Cosmo, come sta?" she asked, walking to stand beside the host's stand next to Sesshoumaru.

"Grazie, va bene cosi. Come va?" he returned, taking her hand and placing an audacious kiss on it. He was indeed italian, the demon thought, watching his romantic actions. Jealousy was something he would have to get used to.

"Ci sentiamo bene, grazie." she told him, still smiling. He released her hand and grabbed two menus from his stand. Sesshoumaru silently followed Kagome as she followed 'Cosmo' through the chattering restaurant. They finally came to a table directly under a speaker. Kagome smiled as she heard the soft Italian music that had been drowned out at the entrance. Sesshoumaru watched her as they found their seats.

They sat down across from each other and Kagome smiled at him as Cosmo placed their menus in front of them. One last italian smile at Kagome before he turned to leave, looking at her one last time, "Ciao, bella." he said affectionately.

"Ciao, bella." Kagome returned with a friendly smile. She then looked at Sesshoumaru, and that eyebrow that was raised at her, again.

"That was Cosmo." she shrugged with a sheepish smile. They must have looked pretty friendly toward each other. When he didn't say anything, she elaborated, "He's just my boss for when I sing here on Tuesday's and Thursday's!" she said exasperatedly, unable to shake the feelings of accusation coming from his side of the table.

"Hn." he said. He picked up his menu and began to look through it. She did the same and propped it up in front of her so she could put her hands on the table. When Sesshoumaru looked over the top of his menu, he had to fight the his mouth from twitching into a dark smirk. Her menu was standing up by itself and only the top of her head was peeking out as she hummed to herself and read from the right side to the left.

A bus-boy came by and placed a basket of breadsticks on the table. Kagome peeked out over her menu and snatched a breadstick, ducking under her menu again and resuming her humming as she munched.

Having decided what she wanted, which was also one of the most inexpensive things, she looked over at Sesshoumaru to find him staring at her. He had a humorous look in his eyes as he set his menu down and folded his arms in front of him.

"What are you getting?" she asked him. He answered her composedly, "I will be having the Polenta con gli osei." Now, all he could see over her menu was her eyes. He knew she wouldn't ask what the dish was, being able to speak the language.

She raised an eyebrow, expecting as much from him. It was an expensive and very large dish, something like fish cooked with wild birds. He must have a massive appetite, he was a demon after all.

"And you?" he looked at her. She looked back to the menu for a second and was about to answer before she was interrupted by the waiter.

"Are you ready to order?" he asked in a thick accent. She turned from the demon to the server and said, "Yes, I'll have the children's manicotti, please."

"Si, Kagome." he said, writing it down with a smile. Sesshoumaru raised that confounded eyebrow at her yet again as she folded her menu and handed it to the waiter. She gave him a look.

"And you, sir?" the waiter continued, taking the menu from the woman and turning to the demon. Sesshoumaru folded his menu and handed it to him, "I'll have the Polenta con gli osei." he said. The waiter made an impressed face as he jotted it down before Sesshoumaru continued, "And also, two glasses of your finest wine." His eyes had a wicked glint as he looked at Kagome.

"Si." he said before turning and leaving.

Sesshoumaru took this oppurtunity to turn on her, "The children's manicotti?" he accused. He leaned his elbows on the table, tilting towards her, waiting for her answer.

"Have you seen the size of the portions, here?" she asked, giving him a look, "They're huge!"

"Really." he looked at her skeptically and amusedly. She was starting to motion with her hands to make sure he understood just how huge the amount of food they served was. The waiter came with a bottle of wine and presented it to Sesshoumaru. He glanced at it, nodded, and turned back to Kagome as the italian went to retrieve two wineglasses.

"Yes." she confirmed, "I once ordered a plate of spaghetti, and they came back with this mountain of noodles that was bigger than me!" she let out a wooshed breath in remembered exhaustion, "No matter how much I ate, it never got smaller."

"It must have multiplied as you ate it." he said in mock seriousness. She heard his mocking tone and fixed him with a smiling look, "That's exactly what it did. I think I ended up with a bigger plate of noodles than I started with."

The waiter returned with two glasses in one hand and the bottle of wine in the other. He filled each glass carefully before placing one in front of each person.

Kagome promptly continued, "It was just like this time I was in China, and I had a giant bowl of corn to eat." she looked at him seriously, "They gave me chopsticks."

He chuckled darkly, "That must have been difficult for you."

She closed her eyes and nodded solemnly, "It was a dark time in my life."

Sesshoumaru chuckled again and reached for his wine. He swirled his glass a bit before taking a long sip. It was very exceptional, he would have to find the name so that he could get a bottle for himself. He looked across the table at Kagome, who was smiling at him.

She asked, "Is it good?"

"Very good," he replied, "try it."

She reached for her glass and brought it to her nose, appreciating the smell and seeing if she could place a name. No name came to mind and she guessed that this wine was a really good year. A sip confirmed that it was indeed excellent, and his taste flawless.

"Wow." she said, placing her glass back on the table and returning her hand to her lap, "It's good."

"What were you doing in China?" he suddenly asked, curiosity apparent in his voice. It never ceased to amaze her how chatty this demon was sometimes. Granted, his chatty was the normal antisocial, she knew it's significance.

She smiled, "I was studying the language there. Plus, I just like to travel."

"Myoga told me of your impressive resume." he said, his eyes holding respect as he looked at her.

"Oh he did, did he?" she giggled. He guessed that the relationship between them was that of a father and daughter.

"But he seems to have missed a language." he continued. Kagome furrowed her brow at him and he looked at her, "He didn't mention Italian."

Kagome smiled again, "I only know a little of that." she confessed, "Cosmo speaks it very slowly for me, so it won't all go over my head."

"History isn't your only love." he said in a convinced voice. This woman now had more of his admiration and respect than any other being on the planet. She had definitely gone above and beyond her calling as a human.

"No," she laughed, "Languages will always be my first love." she reached for her glass and took another sip of wine. She looked over her glass and blushed. He was smiling at her again. She couldn't stop herself from melting under his suddenly warm gaze.

It was a good thing the waiter showed up with their food then, or she would've gaped at him like an idiot for a good five minutes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome leaned forward against the table and smiled at the demon across from her. Their empty plates were now at the edge of the table, waiting to be picked up by passing busboys. They had no leftovers, surprisingly, so there were no takeout boxes to worry about.

The restaurant was almost empty and whole sections where being shut down as employees were being cut. The kitchen had slowed down and a few of the staff were chatting amiably in a nearby booth. Only a few straggling couples remained, scattered here and there

, Sesshoumaru and Kagome included.

Sesshoumaru was leaning against the back of his chair and looking at her humorously. He saw the mischeif in her eyes and knew that she was going to do something. As soon as she called Cosmo over, his suspicions were confirmed. She flagged him down with some difficulty, too. He walked up eventually, and smiled down at his friend.

"What can I get you, Miss Kagome." he asked in that thick, italian accent. Sesshoumaru knew that he was speaking in English only for his benefit.

Kagome smiled back up at him, "Possiamo avere baba' et limoncello, per favore?"

"Si, Kagome." he said cheerfully, jotting it down and turning on his heel to deliver the order to the kitchen. "Grazie!" Kagome called to his retreating back.

As he entered into the kitchen, Sesshoumaru's hearing picked up a repeat of the order and other shouted things in Italian. Detaching himself from the clanging of pots and pans, he focused his attention once more on the woman in front of him.

"What was that?" he asked. He had to admit, he liked it when she spoke in another language.

"Dessert." she said simply, smiling impishly at him.

"And whad did you order for us?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Kagome could've sworn he smiled for a minute.

"It's a surprise!" she exclaimed.

He sighed and rolled his eyes at her. Pretty soon, their dessert was brought and Sesshoumaru was left looking at a glass of bright, opaque, and yellow liquid now sitting in front of him. Kagome had already grabbed a fork and was beginning to eat the strange cake in the center of the table that was soaked in some sweet smelling sauce.

He tentatively took a sniff of the glass now in his hand and looked at the one by her. She looked at his confused and hesitant expression and laughed out loud.

"Don't be scared." she laughed.

He simply looked at her skeptically and then returned to glaring at the strange yellow slime in his wine glass. Kagome took her fork and dug it into the cake, pulling a bite out of it and swirling it around in the liquid before holding it out to him. He sniffed it lightly and silently declined it, much to her amusement. She simply smiled and put the fork in her own mouth, savoring the sweet taste.

She used her fork to point to the cake, "This," she said with a mouthful of food, "is baba'."

He looked at it and then at her and she continued, "And that," she pointed her fork to the yellow slime, "is limoncello."

"And what are 'baba'' and 'limoncello'?" he asked curiously. His tongue curled over the Italian accent flawlessly.

"Try them, and I'll tell you." she answered, authority in her voice.

"You do know that I can simply call Cosmo over to tell me what they are, don't you?" he said with a bored expression. But his bored countenance soon became an amused one as she glared at him.

"You're no fun." she said, taking another bite of 'baba'.

He smirked at her antics and grabbed a fork, reaching for the plate of cake. His eyes widened in surprise when her fork blocked his own. She looked at him with a wicked glint in her eyes, "Uh-uh, you didn't want any, remember?" she told him with a smirk.

He frowned in confusion before she giggled, "Just kidding, try it." she moved her fork away and he speared a peice of the small cake, copying her movements and swirling it around in the liquid, before putting it in his mouth.

It was very good, and very sweet.

"What exactly is 'baba'?" he asked her, swallowing the cake. She took another bite for herself and answered, "It's an old-style, italian desert that Cosmo makes for me. It isn't on the menu because not that many people would order it." she stated, "It's a small batter cake soaked in liquor. It's good, isn't it?" she looked at him, waiting for his approval of the dish.

"Indeed." he said, feeling daring and taking another bit, "Very good."

She smiled, glad she had chosen well. It was then that he returned his gaze to the forgotten yellow in the wineglass. He grabbed it and brought it next to the cake, grabbing Kagome's attention.

"And what exactly is 'limoncello'?" he asked.

"Lemon wine." she said, smiling. She reached for her own glass and took a sip, "It goes perfectly with desert."

He looked at the unappealing liquid and finally gave in. If she liked it, it couldn't be that bad, right? Well, he was about to find out, anyway. He took the small glass in his large hand and brought it to his mouth, taking a large enough sip to grasp the taste. The light sweetness surprised him.

"It's... good." he said. He took another sip and thoroughly enjoyed it.

"I'm glad you like it." she said sincerely, smiling at him. He smiled back at her and almost laughed when her fork completely missed its target on the way to her mouth. She set it down and reached for her napkin while a light blush spread across her cheeks.

They finished their baba and lemon wine quickly.

Kagome then flagged Cosmo down, who came, smiling, with their bill.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As they shrugged into their heavy winter coats and stepped outside, Sesshoumaru offered her his arm. She took it, admiring the fact that under his cold personality, chivalry was alive and well.

He looked down at her and Kagome smiled brightly up at him. Lord knew she didn't know what she was doing to him. Her dainty hand on his arm sent shivers up his spine. He could also feel how cold they were through his work jacket. He put his other hand over hers as they walked, giving her some warmth.

"You should wear gloves when you go out." he said as they walked.

Kagome was simply enjoying the feeling of his hand on hers, and trying not to freak out. It was very warm. "My hands are always cold," she said, "whether I wear gloves or not."

"Are you still being harassed?" he asked, suddenly changing the subject. Kagome was taken aback at the sudden turn of conversation and blinked in surprise, "Not anymore." she stated proudly, "I haven't heard from him in a month."

"Good." he said tightly. His voice sounded just as dangerous as his eyes looked.

She looked at him warily and wondered why he had reacted that way.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Did you like it?

This chapter turned out spectacularly.. ordinary, i guess... But I like the mood nonetheless.

They're friends at the moment so they weren't about to have depressing, dark, or lifechanging conversations about they're hidden pasts. They just talked about ordinary things. I tried to make the conversation flow naturally.

Baba and limoncello are here courtesy of wikepedia, since I wanted to be thorough. So was the dish that Sesshoumaru ordered. Both desserts were doused with alcohol, so I thought them fitting :D.

Also, let it be known that I have the privelage of requesting a one-shot from the talented Notes-and-Photographs. Im uber excited! Like I told her, I feel like I've won the lottery :).