From The Incident onwards, their friendship flourished.

Sesshomaru didn't worry himself with the hours she worked anymore- content to come home at one in the morning and find her curled up with Rin. Sometimes she spent her free time animating, other times taking fashion advice from a seven year old.

Today, however, Sesshomaru motioned for her to follow him to his study. His expression was as regal as it ever was, but his shoulders showed signs of fatigue.

"Help me with something," he said once they were both seated.

"I have no legal training, I don't think I can help you."

Her apartment was an hour away and she knew she'd need to get going if she was going to have any chance at being well rested tomorrow.

"Just give it a shot," he smothered a yawn in his hand and she found herself wanting to smooth the angry lines that knotted the skin between his eyes. "Of course, I'll need you to sign something that legally binds you to silence since I'm not able to share details of the case with those not involved."

She hesitated to stamp anything.

"But I really don't understand legal jargon at all."

"The downside of hiring an animator," he grumbled, "lucky for me- it's not the legal aspect I can't decode. It's the human element. I can't defend the client if I can't understand him."

Sango let her stamp sit in the ink for a moment, "why not ask a human lawyer?"

"And share the credit with the likes of them? You must be out of your mind."

It didn't make any sense for him to be more willing to share credit with a lowly assistant than another accomplished lawyer, but she never had understood him or his convoluted way of thinking. She didn't think -when the night was bleeding into morning and her eyes were already bleary- that she'd start tonight.

"Can you tell me what you don't understand?"

"It's better if you read over it and give me your first impression." He yawned again, this time trembling with the force of the action.

Sango nodded and kindly suggested that he take a nap while she read, "there are dark marks under your eyes."

Her desire to rub his head went straight out the window when he barked, "I don't need your mothering. Just. Read."

"Grouchy."

"It's one thing Yuna was good for- taking out my frustrations."

Sango stuck out her tongue and went digging through the bag she'd brought with her to his office, "good for the libido, bad for your self esteem, what a trade off. Either way," she found what she was looking for and forced it into his hand.

"Lotion?"

"It's going to take me a while to read through these statements and I want that chair of yours."

He still looked confused by the lotion so she tried to tiptoe around her intentions, "it's going to take me a while to read this. Taking a 'break' and a nap might make you feel better."

"Are you telling me to go jack off?"

She spluttered, sinking behind the documents as she tried to compose herself.

"Why are you so crude?"

"Why did you tell me to go fuck myself?"

"I was trying to help!"

"This can be considered sexual harassment."

She rolled her eyes and tried to focus on the characters in front of her, "then give it back and forget I said anything."

"I don't think I will. Come find me when you've finished."

The door closed behind him and she set to reading, ignoring the downwards drag of her eyes well into the night.

When she'd finished her reading and then finished writing down her thoughts and questions she carefully padded towards the grand double doors at the end of the hall.

He was sprawled out on his bed, his hair catching the moonlight that poured in through his window.

InuYasha once said that Sesshomaru was a Lord in another century, a violent, but brilliant and skilled demon with reflexes so fast you could blink and find yourself in the afterlife. However, to find out it was true by being dragged into his bed and laid on top of?

His knee wedged itself between her legs and looped around her calf.

"What did you find out?"

Sango ceased her struggling when he buried his face deeper into her chest, too stunned by his sudden and uncharacteristic affection to be of much use.

"This is a major invasion of personal space."

"I have a million regrets. Not holding you will not be one that continues to stand."

"Excuse you?"

"Cuddling dogs is good for humans. Allow me to look after your health."

"That's not what you said," and he chuckled into her chest, tugging her so that she was flush against him.

"I'm still dreaming," he decided, "of a beautiful woman with eyes so warm they set the world ablaze. Forgive me."

He still didn't pull away and -it was hard to make him when he seemed so content in her hold, "keep your dreams in your head. I almost died."

"Nn."

"If you're going to hold onto me, can you get your face out of my boobs?"

"Nn."

She took that as a resounding no.

"So, I read everything and I don't know what you don't understand. They didn't tell the entire truth because they were all trying to take the fall."

He cracked one golden eye at her, "but why? It makes more sense to pin it on their weakest so the others can continue to provide."

"It was a crime of desperation," she told him easily. His fine hair threaded around her fingers with ease, "and humans don't have a 'weakest'. We aren't punching each other to see who cries first, you know."

His muttered, "weird," was muffled.

"Is that the motive you couldn't find?"

"I still don't understand not sacrificing the least useful."

She didn't know how to be more plain, "they love one another and don't want the other to suffer. If they share the blame they feel like they've done all they could to help," his eyebrow never lowered, "humans are social creatures. They need to be held and loved and protected. It's simply in our nature to try and shield one another- even if it makes no sense."

"Humans are weird."

"Can I go home now?"

"No."

There was a moment when she was back to squirming, but then his grip tightened and his knee came up so far she felt butterflies go wild in her gut.

"What a nice smell." His muttering had gone all dreamy again, but when she asked what he meant by that he changed the subject again, "you can go home tomorrow. Sleep."

"I can't! I've got to go home so I can get dressed for tomorrow and eat breakfast and-." He snorted- an obvious sign that she was talking to herself- and so she shifted a bit. "You'd better not turn on me tomorrow and call me a harasser when you trapped me in this vice grip"

He peered up at her once more, a small smile dancing in his eyes, "what would the fun in that be?"

xXx

Sango hated to admit that Sesshomaru's bed was far more comfortable than her own.

When she woke to accusations of her nefarious plans she'd barely been able to properly flip him off before she went diving back into the pillows. He'd had to forcibly extract her and shove her into the bathroom with a bundle of clothes and an ultimatum.

Of course -with the rain style shower head came more threats.

She wasn't ashamed to say he had to come in there and fish her out.

"No wonder you're single," she really was making his life difficult, "you're a menace in the mornings."

She was lying across his lap, texting Kagome as his driver pulled away from the curb.

"You kept me up too late, kidnapped me, and then accused me of sexual harassment." He balanced a folder on her butt and leaned back as he went over something, "you don't get to be inconvenienced today."

Kagome was having a conniption, throwing question after woefully ignorant question at her.

Did you hear about the lawyer's

trip to Okinawa this weekend ?

She had not.

"Se-Sho-Ma-Ru," she broke his name into notes, kicking her stockinged feet to the beat, "you're hiding things from me?" Although she'd be the first to admit that she was more miffed about his taking Rin with him for a whole week.

That was her little buddy.

"I wouldn't be surprised if I were," he plucked her phone from her hand, "oh, that. Leave it to InuYasha to inadvertently self sabotage. I don't like his

Fiancée."

Spicy. Sango shot skyward, "so?"

"So, I've got a bit of a plan in the works. You're better off not knowing too much about it. That way your reactions and surprise are authentic."

"I didn't get an invite to this retreat thing, what do I have to do with it?"

He became -suddenly- overwhelmingly involved with the report he was reading.

"I have a date this weekend! You can't be serious!"

"You'd rather eat lukewarm Love Love rice in a maid cafe with a man with an earring than go on an all expense paid vacation to Okinawa?"

"Is Okinawa going to get me laid?"

He flicked her on the forehead, "if you ask nicely the Gods may smile upon you."

"By Miroku you… perverse old man."

"Now, now, that wasn't happening anyways."

He said it with such confidence she had no choice but to ask for clarification, "he's notorious for his self preservation and I've long since made it known that pursuing you is bad for his health." His smirk made him look more like a cat than a dog man, "detrimental really."

"You can't do that!"

"Rin looks forward to spending time with you. She'll be happy to know she doesn't have to keep the secret anymore."

Sango didn't know where Sesshomaru got off thinking he could make demands about her love life- or her life in general- but she wouldn't let him use Rin to manipulate her into compliance.

"Besides, humans act for the good of one another, right? I can't imagine how Kagome would feel if she found out you were the thing standing in the way of her happily ever after."

"You're being a bastard and you're not being truthful and I'm not a fan."

"Truthful?" He chuckled at the thought, "I have been truthful. I don't like Kikyo. She isn't the person she presents herself as. I have watched your friend watch him and she seems genuine."

"That doesn't explain why you'd get involved."

He didn't seem inclined to answer for a long while, "it's more than I can explain in a moment, but.. my brother deserves the world."

A.N. Not Sesshomaru admitting to almost loving his brother