Hey there! To respond to a reader, Sesshoumaru is usually kind and sweet in this story. This is honestly kind of like a crack fic and a fuel to my guilty pleasure couple. I wanted to create a world away from the standard cool, aloof Sesshoumaru and the innocent, girlish Kagome. Plus I don't often flood my other stories with sweet and light moments so writing this is a personal treat I really enjoy. This story has some heavy moments too, but here's hoping the good outweighs the bad. On with the story!

Tease

Ch. 8

Kagome yawned and awoke with a stretch. She looked over to see Shippo still slumbering. Overnight the ugly purple and blackened bruises had faded considerably. With some luck, he wouldn't even have any scars. Kagome sat up with a sigh; she feared his mental scars would take much longer to heal. The teacher looked around, taking in her surroundings for the first time. She was in a bed. She hadn't remembered heading home; then the night's events linked themselves together. She'd fallen asleep on Sesshoumaru's couch.

"Sesshoumaru must have put me in his bed," Kagome concluded, "Now, where is he?"

She crept out the room and down the hall to the living room. Hanging halfway off his couch was Sesshoumaru, asleep. His normally immaculate hair was in a tangle with his blanket. Kagome smiled.

'He gave up his bed and took the couch for me?'

Sesshoumaru turned from his side to lie on his back and his blanket fell. Kagome froze. He was shirtless. Sweet heaven, he was shirtless and it was like Christmas to Kagome. She delighted in the fact that she was the only one up and ogled him shamelessly, running her eyes down his pale, sculpted arms and broad chest with chiseled abs. His demonic markings folded around his forearms and licked at his hips. Kagome scowled at his pajama bottoms for obscuring her view. She was desperate to know where the markings ended. After a moment, Kagome begrudgingly placed the blanket over Sesshoumaru once more.

She headed to the kitchen, pulling out eggs for breakfast. She sliced up apples, bananas and oranges in a bowl and set the bowl on the dining room table. Sesshoumaru wasn't much of a cook, but at least he kept his kitchen stocked with healthy things for Rin. Kagome opened the kitchen and pulled out sausage links to cook. As she scrambled the eggs, two thoughts filled Kagome's mind, one: Sesshoumaru was possibly the sweetest man she'd ever met and two: she was determined to have this delicious, mouth-watering man at all costs.

The sizzle and scent of sausage dragged Sesshoumaru from his sleep. He groaned and rolled off the couch. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Sesshoumaru pulled on a discarded t-shirt and made his way to the kitchen. It took a moment for him to register that he had guests. Rin and Shippo were seated at his dining room table.

"Morning, Daddy."

Sesshoumaru patted the top of his daughter's head, "Morning, Rin. Hello, Shippo. How are you feeling?"

Shippo looked at him shyly, "I'm okay. Thank you for getting me."

Sesshoumaru nodded and popped a pineapple chunk into his mouth from Rin's plate.

"Hey! That was mine!" Rin giggled. Sesshoumaru grinned, replacing the pineapple on her plate before scooping some fruit salad on his own. Kagome poked her head out of the kitchen.

"Good morning, Sesshoumaru. I made omelets and sausage for breakfast. I hope you didn't mind."

Kagome came out with the breakfast, sliding portions onto the children's plates. She placed a heaping amount on Sesshoumaru's plate. He sat down in front of the food.

"I don't mind at all. As you know, my cooking leaves much to be desired."

Kagome giggled, setting out some tea, "I still liked the effort. It was sweet."

She gave his shoulder a squeeze. Sesshoumaru stretched and grunted. He felt a pop in his back.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked. Her eyes shimmered with concern.

"I think I slept the wrong way."

"Would you like me to rub your back?"

Sesshoumaru smirked, "What, are you a masseuse too?"

"For a cutie like you, I'll be whatever you want."

She kept her tone playful for the children, but they didn't see the devilish glint in her eyes that held a more adult promise. Kagome looked at him like she was going to devour him in the best way possible.

"What are we doing today?" Rin asked, grabbing the tea pot Kagome had placed on the table.

And like that it was gone. Kagome smiled at Rin and helped her pour the tea to avoid spills. Now Sesshoumaru wasn't even sure if she'd been acting differently or if he was imagining it. Kagome poured tea for herself and Shippo. She moved on to Sesshoumaru's cup when he stopped her.

"It's alright. I prefer coffee actually. There's some instant coffee up in the cabinet." Sesshoumaru made a move to stand, but Kagome placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and lowered him.

"It's okay, I'll get it for you. Any cream or sugar?"

"A spoonful of each, thank you."

Kagome made the coffee and took a seat beside Sesshoumaru.

"Rin, I was thinking of going to the shelter today. Maybe you can find your Ah and Un?" Sesshoumaru mentioned, answering her previous question.

"That would be the best! Can Shippo come too?" She looked at Kagome and Sesshoumaru expectantly.

"Well Shippo and I have some errands to take care of, but would you like to go later?" Kagome asked him.

Shippo nodded, "I would like that."

Kagome smiled brightly at the quiet kit, "Okay, sounds like a plan."

While Shippo nibbled away at his omelet, Rin scarfed all her food down at record speed.

"This is really tasty, Miss Kagome!"

Kagome took a sip of tea, "Thank you Rin. What does Sesshoumaru usually make for breakfast?"

"Toast." Rin replied seriously.

"I make more than toast," Sesshoumaru defended.

"Toast with jelly?" Rin added.

"There's that pout again," Kagome murmured teasingly, eyeing the former officer.

Sesshoumaru glared good-humoredly at her and Shippo snickered at their antics. Adults could be so silly sometimes.

"I make eggs too," Sesshoumaru coaxed lightly.

Rin thought about it, "Daddy makes good yakitori!"

"Ooh that sounds delicious!" Kagome encouraged, "I'll have to try his yakitori one day."

They finished their meals and Sesshoumaru collected the dishes. Rin helped him, running the water to wash the dishes. In the dining room, Kagome turned to Shippo, speaking lowly.

"I'm going to contact your Mom and see if we can see her today. We can figure out all the details in a bit. In the meantime, did you want to play with Rin?"

"Okay."

"Rin, would you mind showing Shippo your room while I make a phone call?" Kagome asked, calling the girl.

Rin turned to Sesshoumaru, silently asking him for permission. He smiled.

"You can go play with him."

Rin bounced into the next room, "Come on, Shippo! My room is upstairs."

Rin showed off all her dolls, toys, and drawings. It seemed to lighten Shippo's mood.

"If you want, you can get on the rocking horse. It's one of my favorites," Rin stated, picking up a doll.

"Thanks!" Shippo scurried up the horse, swinging back at forth.

Rin beamed at him, "Here, wait!"

The girl ran to her closet and pulled out a felt hat, similar to a pirate captain's, gilded in glitter and fake gems. She placed the hat on Shippo's head.

"You look cool, Shippo! You look like one of those generals in our history books!"

"Really?"

His friend nodded emphatically. Shippo smiled proudly, taking on the persona of a general. After a moment, Shippo stopped rocking and cocked his head.

"Rin, why don't you have a door for your closet?"

Rin kept her head down, suddenly meek. She focused on combing her dolls hair, "I like it better like that."

Shippo jumped off the rocking horse, peering at the door-less closet, "But you can't even hide in it or anything with the door gone."

Rin frowned, "People shouldn't hide stuff in closets. It's bad."

Shippo frowned back, "No it isn't."

Shippo trapezed over to her closet, digging through the fallen clothes and shoes, "Do you have any more toys in here?"

"No, get out of my closet," Rin protested.

Shippo's hand brushed against a basket, wedged underneath some books and shoes. He pulled the basket out. It was filled with old fruit, brown and decaying.

"Rin, what is this?"

"It's my food for emergencies," Rin responded stubbornly.

Shippo picked up a small apple from the basket.

"Ew, they're all squishy!" Shippo said, throwing the rotten apple down.

"Stop it!" Rin ran to the closet, pulling at the basket. Shippo yanked back.

"You gotta get rid of these. They're rotten, Rin."

"No, you can eat them!"

Shippo yanked the basket of fruit away with so much force he tumbled back. Shippo landed on his butt and the fruit was flung every which of way, staining the floor in their juices.

"Stop it! Look what you did!" Rin cried.

"What is it? What's going on?" Sesshoumaru asked, running into the room. He'd heard their shouts and bumps from downstairs.

"Shippo, Rin are you two alright?" Kagome called from behind them.

Sesshoumaru saw Shippo on the floor sniffling while Rin was frantically scooping up her treasure of rotten fruit. Sesshoumaru's eyes softened, having an idea of what happened. He knelt beside Shippo.

"I think Kagome is ready. Why don't you head downstairs, Shippo?"

Once Shippo left, Sesshoumaru shut the door and sat on Rin's bed. He beckoned her to sit next to him. Rin walked slowly, basket in hand, to the bed. Sesshoumaru wiped the tears brimming in her eyes, speaking softly.

"Remember what I said before? If we ever run out of food, I'll go to the store and buy more. You don't have to hide any."

"It was for emergencies!" Rin protested.

"But Rin," Sesshoumaru said gently, "this food isn't good anymore. You can't eat this."

He squeezed an orange for emphasis, letting it deflate under the small pressure.

"This food is bad. Understand?"

Rin nodded mutely.

"Do you have more food hidden?"

Broken down by Sesshoumaru's intense gaze, Rin crawled under her bed and pulled out a ziploc bag. It was filled with the oyakodon he'd made last night. Oyakodon he knew for certain he'd thrown in the trash.

"I got up last night for water and saw a lot of it in the kitchen. I didn't want to waste it." Rin mumbled, passing the bag to Sesshoumaru, "It was just in case."

"Just in case what?" Sesshoumaru implored.

Rin stared at the ground, "In case you stopped feeding me."

Her voice was a squeaky whisper, but Sesshoumaru heard her just fine. Sesshoumaru sighed. He knew that there would be an adjustment period, but it would seem despite Rin's resilience and high-spirited nature, she still had a lot of wounds to mend.

"Am I in trouble?" Rin whispered again, sounding fragile.

"No, no of course not." Sesshoumaru assured, smoothing out the fly-aways of her hair, "How about this? I'm going to take some time off work and we'll get this all sorted out."

Rin nodded and Sesshoumaru lifted her up. He sat her on the floor.

"Right now, here's what I want you to do. Gather up all the hidden food and put it in the trash. That's where all rotten and bad food go. We'll replace the bad food with good food that we'll keep in the kitchen and anytime you're hungry you can get your food there. Anytime."

"Okay," Rin agreed softly.

Sesshoumaru looked at her once more, his golden pools reflecting a gentle expression.

"Rin, I'm not mad at you."

Rin still wouldn't look him in the eye. She focused her attention on picking up and discarding the rotten fruit. Sesshoumaru shut her door quietly behind him and returned downstairs. Kagome smiled over at him.

"I was just about to text you. I was going to head up, but I knew you probably needed a private moment with Rin. I'm going to take Shippo to see his mom and then see if he's able to get anything from his home."

"Okay…I'll walk you out," Sesshoumaru responded.

Sesshoumaru walked Kagome out to his porch and down the steps toward her car. Kagome turned to him with a small smile.

"If you're still heading to the animal shelter, let me know. I think we could all use a little fun and what could be more fun than playing with some furry friends? Maybe you can share more cute stories like your flea one."

Sesshoumaru's stomach knotted, but he knew what he had to do. "Kagome, I enjoyed last night. I really did, but…I can't date and take care of Rin. I have to look out for her well-being, I-."

Sesshoumaru expected a scowl or an outburst of some sort. This was the second time he'd rejected her advances. He expected her to stomp over to her car, maybe even slap him for wasting her time. What he didn't expect was the dazzling smile and glimmering blue eyes that looked at him in adoration.

"You really are one of a kind," Kagome breathed out.

She stood on her tippy toes to gain some leverage in height. Sesshoumaru dipped his head down and Kagome captured his lips with hers. Her scent was sweet and her lips molded into his perfectly. Sesshoumaru stubbornly pinned his hands to his side, afraid that if he held her or deepened the chaste kiss, he wouldn't let go. Still, he nearly whined when Kagome pulled away.

"I wasn't expecting that type of response."

Kagome covered her mouth to hide her laughter. "Listen, I get it. I'm certainly going to have a lot on my plate with Shippo now. I would never fault you or fight you for helping Rin. It's like I said at the parent teacher conference, I want to see her thrive. Still, I don't want it to end between us when we've finally, I don't know, made a connection? Is that right? Is that corny?"

"Not at all," Sesshoumaru answered sincerely.

Kagome cleared her throat, "Um Shippo told me a little bit of what happened. I'm not going to pry, but it probably wouldn't hurt for Rin to talk to someone. A professional I mean. I'm looking for someone for Shippo to speak to. I called a few people, but their schedules are pretty busy."

"Already ahead of you. I have a friend who is a psychologist's assistant. His father is the psychologist. I know he can get Rin on the schedule. I can call today and see if a spot is available for Shippo too."

"Thank you, that would be great Sesshoumaru."

"Of course…I'll contact you before Rin and I head out."

Kagome smiled, glad they weren't parting ways just yet, "I'm holding you to that."

Kagome slid into the driver's seat of her car, glancing back at Shippo through the rearview mirror.

"Ready to go?"

Shippo exhaled, "Yes, I want to see her."

It was a sight to make Kagome cry. Shippo sat on a pillow of his mother's hospital bed, caressing her cheek. He was putting on a brave little act. Sachi wrapped her slender arms around the kit.

"Thank you Shippo," She whispered, "I don't know what I did to deserve such an outstanding son. You did what I was too afraid to do. If you hadn't called the police…"

Sachi stopped, just tightening her hold on him. She shook around him and buried her face in his pumpkin colored locks, muffling her sobs. Kagome brought over a tissue box, nudging Sachi gently. Sachi took the tissues appreciatively.

"Thank you, Miss Kagome. Not just for this, but everything."

"It's no problem, Sachi. I'm glad you contacted me."

Sachi smiled, "The doctor said I have a bit of bruising on my ribs still, but the swelling in my eyes and on my face have come back down. Once I'm released, I'll try and find a job and a more stable living environment for Shippo and I. Until then, be very good for Miss Kagome, alright Shippo?"

Shippo shook his head in affirmation.

Kagome gave Shippo some money, "I'm a little thirsty. I saw a soda machine down the hallway. Get yourself something too."

Shippo slid off the bed and left the room. Kagome turned back to Sachi.

"I really think Shippo needs counseling. I wanted your permission to get it for him…and I need to know this will never happen again. Regardless of what happens, I need to know that you won't have Hiten in Shippo's life anymore. I'm not going to judge or berate you for the past, Sachi, but…just please say it's over."

Sachi frowned bitterly, wiping her puffy eyes, "I understand what you're saying and I agree that Shippo needs someone to speak to. I'm completely for that, but there really is a lot you don't know about Hiten. He could be a great man some days."

Kagome frowned, "I don't know him well, but the bruises he left on that little boy's face tells me all I need to know about him. Sachi, I would never keep a mother away from her child, but as Shippo's teacher and current guardian, I wouldn't be able to let you see him if Hiten stayed in the picture."

Sachi swallowed, "I-I understand. You don't need to worry about that."

Kagome sighed, "I hope not."

Shippo returned with two cans of soda. Kagome popped the tab of her cola.

"Okay, Shippo, I'm gonna give you some alone time with your mom, but I'll be right outside if you need me."

Shippo smiled a little, "Okay, I'll be out soon."

Kagome ruffled his hair, "Take your time."

As Kagome walked out the hospital room, she felt a light buzz in her pocket. Kagome glanced at her phone to see a text from Sesshoumaru.

Rin and I are at Matsuhi Animal Shelter…Help me.

Attached was a picture of Rin attempting to ride an Irish wolfhound. Kagome laughed. She was glad to know Rin was in a better mood, even if it was at Sesshoumaru's expense.

She texted back. That thing is the size of a miniature pony! Are you going to let her get something that big?

After a couple minutes, her phone pinged.

No, I'm hoping she'll wear herself out and just want ice cream. I have no idea what I signed up for.

Kagome cracked up. Parenthood, that's what you signed up for, buddy.

Ping. Parenthood huh? Much harder than my job as an officer and I'm getting nowhere convincing Rin to pick a small breed. Interrogation and negotiation used to be my specialty and now I'm losing to an eight year old.

Kagome covered her mouth to hush her voice. A few nurses glanced at her strangely, but didn't say anything. After composing herself, Kagome turned her attention back to her weary, but well-meaning suitor.

How the mighty have fallen. I spend most of my days negotiating with kids. I consider it a victory at this point if they just look like they're paying attention

Ping. I'm conceding. The kids have the victory today. I'll settle for a nap. Are you and Shippo still coming?

As if on cue, Shippo walked up to her, looking more at ease than before. Kagome picked him up.

"Hey, Shippo are you still up for a trip to the shelter?"

Kagome pulled up. She could see Rin in the yard running around with a group of large breed dogs chasing after her. Sesshoumaru was there too, following behind and looking uncharacteristically haggard. Kagome recognized the look; it was a specific kind of tired that came from entertaining hyper children. As Sesshoumaru lifted Rin away from a slobbering Saint Bernard, Kagome knew he had his work cut out for him. Shippo ran out the car, waving at Rin. Rin waved back before a dog barked and lunged at her. She feebly fought off the licks before erupting in a pile of giggles. Sesshoumaru pulled the dog away, holding its abandoned leash firmly.

Kagome walked up beside them, cooing at the different dogs as she stepped. She greeted Sesshoumaru.

"How is Operation: New Pet coming along?"

Sesshoumaru dragged his fingers through his hair, "I think we need to find a smaller dog."

"It has to be a big dog though." Rin pled.

An attendant ran out with two Great Danes on leashes. As soon as they saw the group, the Great Danes bolted for them, breaking from the attendant's grip.

"Ah!" Shippo ran up into Kagome's arms.

The Great Danes stopped short of Rin, allowing her to pet and inspect them before giving her a friendly lick.

"These two! These are the ones!"

Kagome gave the dogs a cautious pat, letting one nuzzle into her hand "They seem sweet, but Rin do you really want these dogs? They're really big."

"Yes! They're perfect," Rin turned to Sesshoumaru, "Can we get them?"

The attendant walked up, panting a bit, "A Great Dane is a great addition to the house and these brothers are gentle giants. Here's a bit of info on them: they're great around kids, protective, they get along with other pets, and have had all their shots. If you have a big yard and house, they're perfect for you."

"We have those things!" Rin exclaimed.

Sesshoumaru sighed and looked at the dogs. Even they seemed to understand what was going on, whimpering and begging at his hip to take them. It was an unfair game of three against one. There was no point in saying no. He'd just have to contend with all of Rin's puppy dog faces and that was a losing battle for sure.

"Are we able to take both dogs today?" Sesshoumaru asked to Rin's delight.

The attendant grinned, "Come right through and sign off on a few things, sir and we'll get you out soon. If you want, your wife and kids can keep playing with the dogs."

"Oh, she's not my- I'm mean we're not- where do I sign?" Sesshoumaru sputtered, feeling his cheeks heat.

The attendant blushed, "Oh sorry, I just assumed."

Kagome gave a light laugh, amused by the flustered Sesshoumaru more than the attendant's assumption. She waved away the mistake.

"Go, go. I'll watch the kids, Sesshoumaru."

He flashed a grateful smile, following the attendant inside.

Rin jumped for joy, holding the large dogs by their collars. "Are you excited? You two are my newest friends. You get to live with me."

Rin gasped and yelled out, "Daddy, don't forget their names on the papers. Ah and Un!"

At first, I was going to jump right into sexy type scenes and I have the first written out a bit, but as I flesh out this story, I realized I needed to wait. Both Sesshoumaru and Kagome want to help the kids they have and of course that means sacrificing their wants and desires. I don't want to hurt this story by rushing too much. However, soon I will give them a change of pace within, probably the next two chapters. Thanks for reading!