She opened the door to his bedroom cautiously... only to find it empty.
With the light now on, that was obvious to determine, as was the fact that the unoccupied bed was made like it was on display. Not a flaw in the fold would put any soldier to shame, and Kagome had a feeling his guest was not as thorough as he in that regard. She doubted anyone was.
She would also swear the sheets were a different color than before, but she couldn't say for certain.
Passing it with trepidation, she was not looking forward to an awkward introduction. She had hoped to be asleep when the woman made her walk of shame - or stride of pride, depending on how she felt about it - in the morning.
Then again, Kagura might serve a worthy distraction from her own miserable life.
Perhaps she was perfectly nice. Kagome just didn't have the greatest track record being viewed favorably by Sesshoumaru's conquests. Maybe she gave off the wrong vibe... or maybe he needed to stop screwing women who were so insecure.
Either way, she really hoped she didn't have to hear them through the walls. Sesshoumaru tended to incite a lot of... noise from his partners.
With damp hair and borrowed clothing, Kagome was on alert as she made her way back to the main room; however a telling, tantalizing scent caused her to detour into the kitchen before she got too far. Unsure of what she might walk in on, she entered this room nervously as well - though loudly enough to give fair warning and save them all an unpleasant situation.
What she found though was far from scandalous: simply a side view of her gracious host - alone - as he was transferring a cut of well-seasoned steak from his skillet to a plate containing a generous helping of grilled vegetables.
She paid no mind to the time, aware he often kept odd hours; she was just pleased he was remembering to eat a meal. He could go days without a break when he was really in the zone, and if her disruption forced him to stop even for leftovers, it made her feel a little better about being there.
"Pants not to your liking?" he asked, not bothering to look up as he put the final touches on his dish.
She never even saw his pupils slide her way, but chalked it up to military training as she took a few steps inside.
"I was too hot after the shower," she mumbled, looking around the room distractedly before peering unsubtly down the hall.
"You are going to burn yourself one day."
"Thanks, mother," she snarked, smirking when he lifted a brow.
She knew she must look pretty sorry when instead of some biting retort, he simply continued ladling sauce.
"Would you like me to find you-"
"Where's Kagura?" If there was anxiety in her tone, he didn't acknowledge it.
"She had to leave," he answered simply. Satisfied with his presentation, he shut down his burners and placed any remaining cookware in the sink full of soapy water.
Initially relieved, she only watched him clean a moment before gnawing on her lip.
"Because of me?" she ventured.
She continued her timid ingress as he grabbed a towel to dry his hands.
"It was simply time for her to go."
When he finally turned around, the troubled look that greeted him made it impossible to contain his chuckle.
"She never intended on staying," he explained, putting the last of his cleaned items away with careless poise and speed. "She has a young daughter at home, and she was supposed to relieve the sitter 20 minutes ago. I honestly forgot she was here."
That allayed her somewhat, and she moved to stand beside him while he set himself a place at the table. However now she gazed on with a new brand of sympathy. "Work's that bad, huh?"
"It is not bad to be challenged," he said, laying out the silverware. When his arm brushed against hers, she didn't move away. He momentarily stilled as the contact endured, before quickly resuming his pace. "Though it can be taxing," he conceded.
She watched him flitter about his kitchen with a modest grace, and didn't really need the reminder of how efficient he was. He had things down to a T, made good use of his time... but it always seemed like he was under the gun.
That was how he liked it though; he had everything set up just the way he wanted, and it worked for him. It wasn't fair of her to come and disrupt things like she did. Like she always did.
Sure, if he ever needed her, she would absolutely be there for him, but that was the thing - he didn't need anything. If he did, he certainly wasn't telling her. It was always her needing his help.
He didn't seem to mind much; it just made it worse, knowing he'd already had a long day and here she was, making it longer.
She felt so useless in comparison, so full of guilt and gratitude with no idea how to express it. He didn't seem to want anything from her, but that didn't feel right either.
"Sesshoumaru," she said, struggling for something adequate. "I-"
"Here." His plate was placed down swiftly at the spot he'd set, and he pulled out the chair.
"This is for me?"
He responded by guiding her into the seat, finding very little resistance beyond apprehension as he pushed in her chair.
As she looked down at her thoughtfully prepared dinner, she tried to remember the last time she'd eaten a home cooked meal not of her own making. The last time she was at her mother's, most likely. 'Or here…'
"Sit," he commanded, "Eat."
And she adhered with trance-like obedience, even as she parted her lips in preamble of her protest. No words came, and a steaming cup of hot tea was suddenly in front of her.
Guilt and gratitude struggled for purpose once again, when a loud buzzing noise blared at them from down the hallway, stealing only her attention.
"I need to transfer your clothing to the drier," he informed her. She turned back to find him leaning close, eyes boring into hers. "and then you will tell me exactly what happened."
He had no qualms issuing orders, and wrapped his concern in them so perfectly that you could hardly notice its disguise.
Receiving no argument, he glanced instructively at the plate before her, and made his way down the hall. Despite the beautiful arrangement of delicious food tempting her empty stomach, her gaze followed him, and lingered even after he disappeared.
A/A: this was the first chapter i didn't make my word limit, so i had to cut it up. Too bad, i really wanted the next part in here... Oh well, you'll prob still get it this weekend =)