Kagome stared at him in horror, "What? NO! You can't do that!"

Sesshoumaru raised a nonchalant eyebrow at her, "No?"

Kagome nodded, "No, you just can't! She's so small and sick and soaked through to the bone! You can't be that heartless!"

Sesshoumaru stared at her, "Miko, you do know well of my reputation, do you not?"

Kagome sighed in frustration, "Yeah; End of the Life Cycle, Aristocratic Assassin, Killing Perfection. Everyone that's related to youkai has heard about you; the cruellest Daiyoukai in all of Japan, human hater extraordinaire, Western Lord and son of the Great and Terrible Inu no Taisho," She frowned, "What's that go to do with anything?"

Sesshoumaru gestured at the stranger on the couch, "So what makes you think that I won't slay it here right before you? A bum disappearance would hardly be notice and easily dismissed by the human authority. So believe me Miko when I said you will find that throwing that thing out will be the most merciful of me,"

Kagome gulped. She wanted to stand up against him, but she was worried what he would do to Orihime if she got on his wrong side. She sighed, "At…at least let us help her to get better before we send her away?" She looked at him with wide, scared but hopeful blue eyes. She clenched her hands together, shaking in her socks; partly from being so soaked to the bone, and partly because she was afraid of his cold anger and the consequences it might have on her new friend and the wet stranger.

Sesshoumaru stared at her, facing her gaze straight on. He wondered again about the excuse that he gave so that she stayed close to him. Two months have passed and he has yet to make up his mind about her troubling ability. He had watched over her for that much time and still he don't know just why he chased after her that day and gave her that silly excuse. He had met many before her who can see through the magical disguise but it wasn't that much trouble for him. Usually if they don't pursue youkai, they will be ignored. But if they do…well, that will be a different story for them.

But the miko knew nothing about this…

And of course he felt no obligation to inform her. Sesshoumaru looked over her head and her dazzling eyes to the stranger on his couch. Brushing pass her, he walked the distance toward the stranger across the carpet and pulled the blanket off. Kagome gasped, "Sesshoumaru,"

He stared at the small face with closed eyes. Two scars crossing over each other into a perfect 'X' lined the left cheek like a brand. Dirty hair matted over the forehead and against the cheek. Sesshoumaru checked the stranger's body with his eyes when he noticed something jutting out against the hip. Pealing tattered clothes from the item, he revealed the hilt of a blade. His eyebrow rise a bit in interest; it wasn't normal to have a sword on a person on this day and age due to the law. He tilted his head a little as he scanned the person before him before noticing something different. Decision made, he turned to his two troublesome tenants; "Leave and go to bed,"

Kagome froze, "Sesshoumaru?"

He sighed quietly, "No worry, miko. This Sesshoumaru decides that the stray stays. There is something that I want to know. Now go,"

That night, Kagome turned and tossed in her bed, restless. She groaned and huffed as she finally settled to a position that faced her with the ceiling of her bedroom. She scowled at the shadows dancing against the wide expanse of her ceiling, "What's he going to do with the girl?"

She worried her lower lip for a while before deciding to do something that she might regret after; knocking on Sesshoumaru's door so late at night. She sighed as she put on her bedroom slipper, gathering as much courage as she could, "Hopefully he won't decide that he has had enough of me and turn me into a mush on the carpet,"

Breathing deep, she forced her body to move and out of the door. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She sighed, "What am I doing? I'm such an idiot," She hesitated for a while, half wanting to just go back and go to sleep, or at least try to. She closed her eyes for a while before taking a deep breath and goes knocking on his door lightly. Walking toward the end of the hall where his door stood felt like a walk to the gallows.

Rising a small pale fist with sweating palm and shaking, unsteady hand, Kagome knocked on his door. She waited for his answer with baited breath. Then for what felt like eternity, the door opened. Kagome take one look at the sleepy Daiyoukai and felt like fainting from the rush of blood to her head. She gulped, "Uh…"

Sesshoumaru tightened the sash that held his silk robe together, "What is it miko?"

Kagome felt lost for words, her brain seemed to have run into the gutter. She has seen men's chest before, Inuyasha fit body included several times. Yet it seemed that Sesshoumaru's fit muscular chest drove her into a strange unfamiliar world. She could only stare at the wide expanse of white muscles before her…

Sesshoumaru frowned at her strange behaviour when he finally noticed the redness that peppered her cheek and the lush of her lips as they bloomed with extra rush of hot blood. He raised one interested eyebrow for the miko never look at him the way other females did when he noticed where her eyes focused on. Feeling male pride blooming in his chest, he promptly wondered what would happen to the miko if he bared his whole torso before her. In a sudden mood for a tease, he loosened his sash and he heard a strangled 'eep' emitting from the miko.

Kagome was sure her nose bled the moment his robe fall open, revealing sculpted body and abs for her eyes to feast on. She then noticed the teasing twin lines that disappeared under his sleeping pants that ride low on his hip; the exact same colour as his twin magenta slash on his cheeks. Kagome started to hyperventilate.

Sesshoumaru watched as the miko started to gasp for air and strike a pose; leaning against his door frames with one arm bracing his weight over his head and the other resting on his hip. Kagome's wide eyes turned to saucer and she started to feel faint. Sesshoumaru stared at her in mild amusement, "Miko, have you never seen a man's body before?"

Kagome shook her head, "Nothing like yours…" She breathed. Sesshoumaru felt pride growing in his chest and a slight shyness seeped into him at her unexpected compliment. Deciding that he had enough amusement for the night and covered his chest by wrapping his arms over his chest, but it only emphasized his chest. Kagome whimpered, "Uh…"

Sesshoumaru sighed, "Speak miko. The night grew old,"

She seemed to be struggling for simple words, "Wha...what did you…d-do with…uh…her?" She shook her head and blinked rapidly before turning her gaze to his faze. Sesshoumaru stared at her, "Didn't I tell not to worry?

She nodded, still not trusting herself to speak without biting her tongue as she forced her eyes to stay on his face. Sesshoumaru nodded, "Then why do you insist on enquiring about the stray?"

His choice of word strike at her conscience and she snapped, "That's not very nice!"

He stared at her, "Miko, it would do best for your health to mind your tone as you speak to this Sesshoumaru,"

Kagome glared at him and struggled to keep her tone level, "Then mind your words, Mister!" She hissed at him. The two glared at each other when Sesshoumaru added his piece, "That guest of yours isn't a girl but a man, miko,"

Kagome blinked, her challenging demeanour immediately changes as she echoed his word, "A man? But I thought that…" Her face paled then turned red as a ripe apple, "Oh no, how did I make such a mistake?!"

Sesshoumaru frowned at the volume her voice took in her surprise, "Calm down miko! It is easy to made such mistake due to his size,"

She bit her thumb, "But…but…"

Sesshoumaru sighed and reached out to pull her thumb from its current abuse, "Hush now…will you go back to bed if I told you that I will give you my word of honour regarding the safety and health of your guest?"

Kagome stared at the long pale fingers, both elegant and dangerous with its shiny claws holding on gently to her thumb. She noted how small it was compared to his larger fingers. She sighed, "I'll take your word for it,"

Sesshoumaru nodded, "Now off to bed. You are acting like child afraid for its new illegal pet that your brought home against my approval,"

Kagome chuckled, "Are telling me that you feel like my pops?"

Sesshoumaru stared at her, "Are you trying to seduce this Sesshoumaru?"

Kagome blushed when she realised how she might have sounded to him, "N-NO! It's not an innuendo or anything like it!" Flustered, she pulled her hand turned to run to her bedroom, "Good night, Sesshoumaru!"

Sesshoumaru watched as she fumbled with her doorknob and slammed the door behind her in her rush to her safe harbour. He chuckled quietly as he closed his own bedroom door. Who would have thought that teasing the miko would be so much fun? He should do it more often then, he decided.

Kagome gasped for air behind her closed, and locked, door while her face grew red as a cooked crab. She fumed, "What has gotten into him?! Seriously, he shouldn't have taken my word as an innuendo!" She then frowned, "Though I can't blame him. I bet a lot of other girls used those kinds of words to get his attention," Her eyes then turned wide, "Oh no, what if he thinks that I'm flirting with him?!"

She slipped against the doorframe as she fell to the floor, "He's Inuyasha's hated half older brother. What would he think of me if he ever found out about this? Oooh…Kagome, you're a GREAT IDIOT!" She muffled her scream of frustration against her arms. She then stiffened and looked up, eyes wide as she listened outside her door; he might have heard her.

When nothing came to her hearing, she sighed, "Since I am an idiot anyway, might as well get some sleep," She slipped into her duvet, "Besides, Sesshoumaru always keep his promise. He never turned back on his words. I'm so lucky that despite his cruelty, he has that much honour in him,"

She turned to her side, looking at the moon outside her window, "Hmm…how do I face him tomorrow after what he said tonight? I really am not coming on him like that…"

Her eyes then widened as she flipped onto her back, "Wait! I'm sure he had his robe closed when he answered the door so when does it come loose?!" Her cheek turned red at the memory of his suggestive posture by the door. She blinked in confusion when a thought came to her, "Did he just tease me?" Kagome pouted at the idea, "If he did, I'm returning the damned favour!" She vowed as she muttered about stupid Daiyoukai and their undone strip tease.

Bur who knew Sesshoumaru has a sense of humour, twisted that it was? Kagome chuckled alone as she was reminded of it despite the victim of his twisted humour was her.

The next morning, two girls rushed about in their room to get ready for school. Both deciding to skip breakfast, they ran out, or in Kagome's case roller blade to school. Orihime jogged to keep up with her and both went out into town where their school was located, memory of the homeless stranger out of their mind and forgotten for the day.

However, Sesshoumaru doesn't. After the girls left, he came down with Ulquiorra flapping over his head toward where they left the stranger in the sun room. Sesshoumaru stared as another person was already there, reading a book over by the other chairs in the room. Haku looked up as the landlord entered the room. Standing up, he greeted the man, "Good morning, Lord Sesshoumaru,"

Sesshoumaru nodded his greeting to the forgotten river kami. He then turned to the Miko's guest,

"Now, time for interrogation…" He looked behind the chair that the bum slept in, "…yuurei,"

A shadowy figure appeared and stood behind the couch; a medium sized man in white men's kimono with the right side folded over the left and the white triangle over his head as the dead always dressed with greeted Sesshoumaru, "Forgive us but we meant no harm. However, I assure you that it would be a different matter if you were to injure or threaten my host,"

Sesshoumaru's eyes glinted to live steel, "Interesting…"