A/N: This story was nominated for 'Best Romance' in The Feudal Connection's third quarter for 2021! Whoo-hoo! Many thanks :). Voting is still open and there is a volume of amazing fanfiction and fanart up for awards this round. Visit feudalconnection on Tumblr to pick your favorites!

Chapter Nine – The Plan Goes Public

"No," Kagome reread her computer screen. "No, no, no, oh no."

A rush of wind burst from Sesshoumaru's office, and the daiyoukai appeared at her elbow, rustling papers on her desk and sending them spiraling to the floor.

"What's wrong?" He demanded. "Why are you distressed?"

Too preoccupied to react to his uncharacteristic display of inhuman speed, Kagome pointed a shaking finger at the words in front of her, scrolling up to the picture below a headline. The snapshot, grainy and glass tinted, was still clearly of them getting into a car together.

"How did they take this without us seeing them?" She asked, shaking her head. "Bet it was that little hostess, lurking in the wings."

Sesshoumaru frowned, skimming as she returned to the text. An unconscious growl rose at its choice of phrasing, speculating Kagome was Rin's babysitter and that even a demon could fall prey to a story as 'old as time'.

"I will make some calls," he ground out. That server would be dismissed by day's end, and the website posting the photo would be bought and scrapped soon after.

Kagome nodded mutely, trying to keep her breathing slow as dread began twisting her thoughts.

Sesshoumaru's ears tweaked, detecting it start to speed. "I will also accompany you home this evening," he vowed. "And ensure your apartment is safe."

Kagome barely heard, her heart hammering to a roar in her ears. Naraku would find out soon, and she knew from experience he did not like anyone encroaching on what he deemed his.

Sesshoumaru instructed the town car to drop them off two blocks from her apartment. He'd claimed it was to continue enjoying the warm spell, but Kagome suspected they were acting as bait. That, or he didn't want anything springing upon them while exiting the car at her doorstep. He'd brazenly taken her elbow as they walked, obviously forgetting the agreed upon terms of keeping their act strictly to the office, and she idly wondered if it was a youkai thing, warning Naraku off.

Now, Sesshoumaru's nose was in overdrive, hiked high as he sifted through the foreign scents of her neighborhood. For her part, Kagome kept looking around, darting glances over her shoulder, peering into shadows with a discerning squint.

Sesshoumaru caught her craning forward, eyeing a mailbox they passed in wary mistrust, and gently drew her close. "I appreciate your desire to assist," he started. "But it is insulting to see you so agitated. I am more than capable of protecting you."

Kagome gave the mailbox a final once-over. "You don't know Naraku like I do."

"You are as ignorant of me," he pointed out, trying not to take affront at her heaping snubs. "A daiyoukai is the largest and most powerful of demons, our strength and senses are unrivalled."

Kagome looked up wryly. "Sounds like your egos match."

"It is not hubris," he declared. "We are not merely the beings we pose to be."

Her gaze grew interested. "How big is your true form?"

Sesshoumaru glanced to the skyscrapers towering in the distance. "Big enough to take on even the most nefarious of mailboxes."

"How about runaway buses? Bent lampposts? Wayward trashcan lids?"

"Those too."

Kagome laughed. "Ah, he can be humble," her smile was warm. "Even witty if you squint hard."

Sesshoumaru regarded her. The feelings she was able to stir were dizzying; she could make him swing from indignant to crowingly smug with a word.

"I am the ultimate mystery," he said mildly.

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know about ultimate—," she froze as he tensed beside her. "Sir?"

Hands were under her in an instant, and the world tilted wildly as he launched them into the air. Kagome didn't even have time to squeak in surprise as he soared toward her fire escape, landing with a shudder of wrought-iron grating. He made no move to put her down, claws curled over her knees and spread across her back as he searched the platform.

A quaking, terrified 'meowr' drifted over, and a calico cat peeked out from behind empty houseplant pots.

"Buyo!" She exclaimed. "Hi buddy!" She turned to the man who had just carried her up six stories with a single leap, alerted to danger from a nine-pound ball of fur. "He's just a stray I feed sometimes."

"Hn."

"Guess its mailboxes and cats that should be afraid, huh?"

Back to indignant then, he thought with a frown.

Kagome's apartment was not what he expected it to be. At the office, the woman kept her desk tidy but cluttered, leaving post-its dotting its corners, wayward pens unreturned to their caddy, and a tray of miscellaneous papers perpetually half-full. Sesshoumaru had assumed her dwelling would be the same, splashed with oft-used items out of place, but clean and organized otherwise.

Golden eyes cast about her spartan kitchen and living room, surprised at their bare, unlived-in look. Aside from a coffee pot, there was nothing on her counters. A brand-new couch, full of stiff, unblemished lines, stood in the main room, surrounded by unopened boxes piled high. Spotting a pair of shoes by the front door, Sesshoumaru saw no other hints she resided here at all, and turned to her in surprise.

"Did you just move in?" He asked.

Kagome glanced at the cardboard collective. "Uh… six months ago."

"That is not 'just'."

"You're here to check for Naraku, right?" She asked. "Not remark on my procrastination."

Sesshoumaru waded into the living room. "I would not have let you enter if he were present," he reassured. Most of the boxes lacked labels, only one, getting slightly crushed at the bottom, read 'Kagome Sentimental'. He drifted deeper, willing her to follow. "Why are these still packed?"

Her plodding steps were reluctant as she approached his side. "Because," she grumbled stubbornly, keeping her gaze at her feet.

It was not only his daughter he could manipulate; he realized he knew exactly how to coax her compliance. "Friends confide, Kagome."

She heaved a gusty sigh. "Low blow."

"Rather apt though."

Her second huff was dramatic. "It's stupid, Sesshoumaru."

It was the first time she'd uttered his name of her own accord since Iris – the instances in front of Rin had only been for the girl's benefit.

"I will not think so," he offered softly, needing no calculation for his tone this time.

A head of black entered his field of vision as she stepped forward, tracing a sealed, cardboard side.

"I was… worried," she murmured. "Afraid I wouldn't be able to leave in a hurry if he found me," fingertips ran along tape. "A few cities over didn't seem like quite enough distance."

Sesshoumaru felt his hatred of the hanyou grow. He continued to control her, even from afar. "That was before you had befriended a daiyoukai," he reasoned, keeping the animosity from his voice. "Now you have the means to be whisked away in the blink of an eye," he glanced back at the fire escape, where Buyo's round face remained buried in a mound of wet food.

"T-There's a lot of memories in these too," she stammered. "Ones I'm not sure I really want to face."

"You don't have to do so alone. We could start now. Tonight."

Kagome shook her head, but not before he glimpsed the start of a wry smile. "You Taishos…," she said. "So pushy."

"Thorough," he corrected.

"It's late though," she let her arm drop from the box. "You have to get home."

Sesshoumaru could see the spreading cracks in her resistance – he had her almost convinced with barely a word. "Rin's uncle is with her, and I do not require the amounts of sleep humans do."

Kagome's eyes widened. "You have a brother?"

He frowned briefly. "I do. We do not… get along well," he had called Inu-Yasha only to watch over Rin in case Naraku's search through the city landed him at their front door.

Kagome's smile strengthened. "If we tackle a few of these, will you tell me about him?"

Sesshoumaru felt himself nod before he'd even thought to refuse. He knew how little battering her trust could withstand.

Sesshoumaru sliced open his next box with greater zeal, eager to inspect its depths. This impromptu exercise was a trove of insight into the woman seated cross-legged beside him on the floor, surrounded by books and sundry household items.

Kagome had put coffee on, and he'd accepted the mug she had offered, feeling caffeine's effect as little as alcohol's, but wishing to show his intention to stay.

Lifting cardboard flaps back, Sesshoumaru sent her a dry look. "More books," he said flatly. "How surprising."

She waved him away, searching through the spine-bound stacks starting to grow at her knees. "Yes, yes. I have too many," she lifted her steaming mug and took a sip. "Less commentary, more sorting."

Sesshoumaru extracted several glossy covers, uncovering a well-known title. His eyebrows inched upward as he pulled it free, holding it out for Kagome to see.

The woman replaced her cup on the floor, peeking over distractedly, before blushing bright red and yanking 'The Kama Sutra' from his grasp. "It's for historical purposes," she mumbled, face aflame. "An ancient compendium on intimacy deserves to be archived."

"Undoubtedly."

Kagome returned to her piles, hastily stuffing the book under others. "Pushy and nosy," she grumbled.

"You have just spent the last half-hour learning everything about my past with Inu-Yasha," he pointed out. "I was merely sorting as instructed."

Another grumble rose. "Yeah, with those judgy eyebrows of yours."

Sesshoumaru deliberately hiked them higher. "Would you like to investigate the rest of this box yourself, lest I uncover any other texts I might misconstrue?"

Instead of dismissing his jest, Kagome considered it, which made him immensely interested in what else lay within.

"No, it's fine—," she paused, thinking. "Actually, I better look," she extracted herself from her piles, standing to rummage.

Sesshoumaru's view was suddenly full of her bent backside. He blinked. Kagome leaned further, pulling out novels and nonfiction by the armload, unaware her curves were on full display.

She scraped the bottom and straightened, looking triumphant. "No smut in here," she turned, catching Sesshoumaru hastily whip his eyes away.

Kagome took a long moment to fathom the distinct embarrassment in his face, then grinned, wagging a finger amid the books cradled to her chest. "And I get eyebrows for the Kama Sutra!" She laughed. "You're one to talk!"

"You were right in front of me," he explained. "And I was not expecting it."

She stuck her tongue out. "Guess my 'otherworldly beauty' is noticeable too."

Sesshoumaru blinked again. "Did you just compare your butt to my face?"

"Did you just start talking about my butt?" She shot back.

He frowned. Must you always have a comeback, woman?

"We should focus," he growled out.

"I'm not the one getting distracted," Kagome teased, lifting legs high as she maneuvered over new book piles.

Sesshoumaru dove for another box, using it as a lifeline. Opening it with a blur of claws, he started pulling out a mishmash of items, thrown in with far less care than her personal library. A battered, yellow backpack, a trio of irreverent coffee cups – all polka-dotted and pastel – and several, half-empty first aid kits were quickly withdrawn.

Kagome had restarted her own box, fingering the ear of a fluffy stuffed animal, when she looked over. Her expression fell at the totes of gauze and bandages, and Sesshoumaru instantly knew why.

"You won't need these again," he uttered, opening the empty backpack and throwing them inside. "I will break Naraku's arm is he ever tries to touch you again."

That was not true. It would be his spine, fractured and mutilated beyond repair.

Kagome stared at the bag, now hiding the kits, before meeting Sesshoumaru's eye. "Is that another inuyoukai trait?" She asked weakly. "Overprotectiveness?

"I believe it's another unfortunate Taisho habit."

A ghost of her smile returned. "I think I can live with it."