The office smelled of stale plum candies and pipe tobacco. One was more associated with a private detective than the other. Sesshomaru found them both aggravating, perhaps the detective would be as well.
The secretary was at her desk in the corner of the room. Her fingers were like lightning over the keys. Typing away what the woman currently standing before her said.
The waiting room was small with hard wooden chairs and a little water tower beside the door that led to, presumably, the detective's office.
Each time a door opened, Sesshomaru's gaze darted toward the sound.
His hair was pulled into a low ponytail and laid over his shoulder. In a crisp black t-shirt instead of his usual button down. It was casual, though he felt none the sort. It was simply easier to maneuver with his splint, which decidedly, he couldn't be rid of quickly enough.
As he sat there a shooting pain zapped down his arm, as if to remind him, he wouldn't be getting rid of it any time soon.
Another person came into the room. Straight to the secretary. Tapping away.
Sesshomaru ran his hand over the phone in his lap. The screensaver lit up. His fingers stroked the grainy image.
"Oh, would you look at that!" An old woman's voice came from behind. "Congratulations!"
He turned his neck, just enough to see who was there.
She looked to be around eighty years old with a scarf around her permed short gray hair. She had a crocheted white shawl draped over her shoulders and a large colorful tote bag draped over her lap. Her teeth were in good condition for someone her age.
She smiled the way old people do when nosing about. She didn't wait for a response before she continued, "Babies are such treasures. That is what I'm here for. I'm looking for my grandchildren. My daughter and I were estranged for many years, and I only recently discovered that she and her husband passed away a couple of years ago." Her grin slipped. Arthritic fingers trembled as she dug around in her bag only to pull out a faded photograph of a small pouty faced girl and a crying baby. To his dismay, she held it up for him to have a good look. "They probably won't remember me, but my greatest wish is that Bo can help me find them."
"I hope you are able to reunite with your family."
She smiled again and nodded, undeterred by his cool demeanor. With care, she tucked the photo back into a wallet and into her bag. "So what about you, what brings a young man like you to a PI?"
He inwardly cringed. There it was, the nosiness of an old woman. He wasn't about to tell her the truth. It was none of her business and a completely private issue.
Amber eyes narrowed, and just as he was about to glare the little old lady into silence, she popped up off her chair like she was a much younger woman. "Oh! Sorry dear, that's me!"
He glanced up at the screen that hung from the off white wall. As a new number flashed in white, he closed his fist over the ticket in his hand.
He was next.
A slow exhale calmed his nerves.
He had been working on figuring out who the hell was threatening him and Kagome for days with no results.
The encryption used to send the emails was complex and he had very little time to devote to the task at hand.
What was more, he couldn't think of any specific person who would want to hurt either of them. What would be the point of taking it so far?
He was at less than zero with the problem. Too close with barely any clues.
"So tell me what you are looking for?" The detective had white frothy hair and a beard to match. Both were the same length and resembled dollops of whipped cream.
He wore a loosely fitted white suit with suspenders and no tie. His one character name of "Bo" was etched into the middle of a long brass placard that sat at the front of his unkempt desk.
Stacks of files and haphazard papers littered its surface. The walls were covered in a multitude of maps with pinned notes of all shapes and sizes, all with the same fast scribbled handwriting.
There was only one reason why Sesshomaru didn't bolt from the disarray.
Kagura recommended him, which meant her father had used him in the past. Bo wouldn't still be around if his skills weren't the best.
Sesshomaru pulled out his phone, "My girlfriend and I have a stalker that is taking photos of us together, and her when alone. They have sent us each emails, and they have stolen something from my bag. I'm not sure how, or when that happened."
It was the thing he felt most guilty about.
"Intriguing, so this stalker, you say, you have no idea who it could be?"
"No." Sesshomaru's jaw tensed.
He watched Bo walk around his desk and push aside a pile of loose receipts to reveal a laptop. He took a seat in his chair and took on a new air.
His shoulders stiffened with his posture. Lips thinned as he opened the computer and began typing. "I take it, you'd like to find this person?"
"Yes."
His gray eyes peered over the lip of the screen at Sesshomaru. "To what end?"
Amber eyes gleamed with the first thought that popped into his mind. Instead of voicing something completely illegal, he told the detective, "I'd like them to return what was stolen, from there the proper authorities can have them."
Without replying, and perhaps the action itself was enough, Bo looked back down at the screen and continued typing.
He reached for a pen and scribbled across a sticky note. "Forward the emails here."
Sesshomaru took the offered note.
"Just what was stolen from you then?"
"A photo."
"From the look on your face, I'd say a compromising one?"
"Slightly. It's in the email sent to me."
"So this person has taken photos and stolen photos? Not very inventive are they?"
"It's just the one stolen."
"Yes, well enough. I'll get back with you sometime this week, I don't expect it will take much longer than that to figure out this mystery." The man had a glint in his eyes.
Sesshomaru left feeling more uneasy than when he had arrived.
Kagome stepped off the bus and onto the sidewalk in front of Kyushu University. The large campus stretched multiple blocks. All the buildings were made of stone and though the area had been developed, it fit into the picturesque island backdrop. There were more seabirds than students. Which wasn't that surprising considering most were on break. The gentle crash of waves miles away mingled with the calls of the birds as they swooped down to eat crumbs from the street.
Food carts lined the buildings. The air smelled like grilled fish and seaweed as each cart catered to sprawling lines. Much to Kagome's relief it left her mouth watering instead of her stomach turning.
She glanced down at the map on her phone and up at the name of the street. Just a few buildings and she would make it to her destination.
Her flip flops slapped against the cement as her steps picked up.
Carved between two larger stone buildings sat Sesshomaru's new lab. The new metal gleamed in the sunlight. It looked out of place and cold compared to the warmth around it.
The automatic glass doors parted and she walked through them and into the deserted lobby. Blown up images of cells hung on the cream colored walls. The entry smelled crisp like new carpet and filtered air, almost as if the air itself was professional.
Anxious buzz ran through her nerves as she walked over to the raised mahogany desk. It stood off to the side of the entry.
She rubbed her lips together. Waiting.
"One moment." The receptionist had chin length bright red hair and and intense expression as she stared down at what looked to be a romance novel. A muscled naked man with a silk scarf draped over his nether regions adorned its cover.
Kagome flushed and tried to focus on something else, but the cells on the walls were far less interesting. Her brain replaced the man with Sesshomaru. His silky silver hair, the only thing hiding what lay below.
The need to fan herself felt great.
The receptionist looked up from her book, page slowly turning as she cast Kagome a quick glance. "Are you Kagome? Tanaka's expecting you, down the hall, last door on your left."
"Okay, thank you!" Heart pounding from both anxiety and an overactive imagination, she walked quickly to the hall entrance.
The cellular artwork continued. A cold institutional feeling overtook the slight warmth of the entryway. Even it had been overly polished, if not for the receptionist it might have felt just as cold.
Her fingers tapped the strap of her backpack as she grew closer. Her steps slowed.
She let out a slow breath.
He had invited her, but a reluctance weeded it's way into her confidence.
The end of the hall glared back at her as if to tell her that was it, end of the line, get in there.
She pressed her lips together and peered through the glass door.
Sesshomaru's back greeted her as he moved through the room. He wore a tshirt and his hair was still in the ponytail he'd put it in that morning before kissing her cheek and walking out the door.
He alone drew her in. His warmth. He could make the Antarctic toasty.
As she stepped inside, she spotted his name embroidered in bright blue on the white coat hanging beside the door. The lab coat didn't fit over his splint.
He almost looked naked without it in the lab. The thought dropped her down a rabbit hole. A blush creeped in.
She let another slow breath out. Less nerves than bothered by her own thoughts.
She watched him from the door for a few minutes. His care and dedication for his position showed with every careful action. From the way his eyes focused in on what he was looking at, to the care he clearly placed on each piece of equipment. Jotting down notes every few seconds. He moved with a rhythm of practiced urgency.
He picked up a vial of clear liquid and swirled it at eye level.
His head turned and he caught her staring gaze. "I see you there. What are you waiting for?"
She answered his smirk with a grin.
"You look so professional in your element."
"I am a professional." He sat the beaker down and turned, leaning back against the table as if he could do as he pleased. He was preening and they both knew it. Why he tempted her when he had little time, she wasn't sure.
"Even without the lab coat, you look right at home here."
His confident glow flickered as his lips thinned for a split second and she realized she had struck a nerve. Of course she had.
"You'll be back to wearing it soon."
He changed the subject, "What do you think of the lab?"
Walking deeper into the room, she looked around. He had shown her pictures, but in person it was much more imposing. There were wall to wall shelves of glass measuring devices and high end machines she couldn't name. Safety equipment and boxes of gloves. She spotted his desk. It stood out with its puppy dog mug.
Kagura had already decorated her own with a bright red mouth shaped desk organizer.
"It's definitely impressive, and a bit intimidating." She muttered as she took it all in. The height of the walls alone felt imposing.
His brows rose, "Intimidating?"
"Well yeah, this is expensive equipment and most of it is glass. One earthquake and it all comes crashing down."
He laughed as he caught her with one arm around her middle. The sound relieved the nervous knot in her chest. The slight worry that she had hurt his feelings by being insensitive to his situation. "Are you worried?"
"A little." For all sorts of reasons.
He kissed the side of her face. His breath tickled her skin. "How was the bus ride? Any trouble?"
"No." She smiled then, blue eyes catching with the happiness he could hear in her voice. "It was great actually, the views during the ride were nice and there weren't many people so it wasn't cramped. There were only a few stops from your dorm to my Uni. Speaking of," she held up the badge that hung from the lanyard around her neck, "My new school ID isn't half bad looking."
Sesshomaru frowned, "You never look bad."
"You say that because you love me."
"I say that because it's true."
Meaningless compliments were not something he ever gave. She couldn't help the floating feeling that lifted her up. For someone incredibly serious, he could be incredibly romantic and sweet.
For a moment they simply looked at one another in comfortable silence. Warmth spread throughout her chest.
His amber eyes seemed to glow as he took her in.
With a turn of her chin, she left a chaste kiss on his lips.
He stole a second.
"I have missed you today." The whispered confession caught her off guard.
"Yeah? It has only been a few hours."
Every word that left his lips came like a secret she felt lucky to hear. "I know. It can't be helped.
You and our baby occupy all of my thoughts. I'm here in the lab and only thinking of how I can complete as much as possible before our baby comes. What can I finish now that would have waited until this Autumn? What can I finish this Autumn that would have waited until Spring? What more can I do to provide stability when we will need it most? What more can I do to give you both my time when it matters most? There is a great deal of pressure, and I will exceed all expectations."
"Sess." She touched the smooth side of his face and his eyes closed. "You do not have to bear it all. We will figure it out together." He pressed against the comfort she offered. The solid hand on her spine held her close. They hadn't had a chance to really make a plan. He felt the clock ticking. She did as well. "We can make a plan together."
His lips pressed against her palm. "We will. I am looking forward to it."
"You love planning."
His eyes caught the light as he smirked. "I do."
"I know, it's so attractive." He made the most mundane things desirable. Planning their future together, she couldn't wait.
"Hn." She closed her eyes. His kiss was fair and soft. Barely a brush, but it held in it a heat that made her heart feel like it might burst. It didn't take much to ignite an overwhelming amount of feelings.
She blinked back watery eyes, there was no way that she would let herself cry. Happy tears or not.
His fingers left her spine and he took her hand in his. "I want to show you everything."
"Everything?" Her brows rose.
A small playful grin tilted his lips, "Let me show you what I get to work with every day."
"You're so cute, okay, show me everything."
Any time she could get him to blush was a win. The pink flush on both of his cheeks left her grinning and an equal if not darker shade of pink. Another door to his world opened just for her. He wanted her there. To know about something he cared deeply for. It touched her heart.
They began the tour at the nearest wall of glass test equipment. Vials and beakers and strangely shaped instruments lined the shelves. Well organized and sleek like the building that they were in.
Sesshomaru's eagerness showed in his actions and she realized the expression on his face was one she hadn't seen before. Lighter. Happier without him even smiling.
Watching him was a joy all its own.
"Touch the shelf, they are coated with a polymer meant to keep the glass in place. There are also ridges where each piece fits." He preened. "I designed the storage system for the lab, so you can rest assured, if there is an earthquake, walls of glass will not be crashing all around me."
"You've got me there, that's exactly what I was imagining." She fingered one of the ridges on the shelf. It left just enough room for the beaker he had been using when she walked in, "you put a lot of thought into this."
"Of course. Without a proper storage system there would be no way to produce and reproduce results. Every project would be at risk of having inaccurate data."
When he was particularly proud of something, she noticed his chin tilt up just a little, his eyes took on a haughty gleam, and he wore a small self satisfied smile.
He had that look on his face now.
Months were spent planning out the lab, and he had a role in all of it. The room may have been impressive but Sesshomaru took the proverbial impressive cake.
He made things like shelving hot.
Or perhaps it was simply how dedicated he happened to be. His dedication lit her aflame every time.
He leaned down and for a moment she thought he would kiss her. Her stomach filled with giddy butterflies. Her switch flipped. She wondered just how far things would go. The possibilities of where they could take it farther. His desk maybe. The cold steel table maybe. Only seconds passed before hot breath skated over her ear, but she had already turned a deep shade of red, her skin awaited his mouth, and her heart was pounding in her chest.
"No looking at me like that in the lab."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about."
"Hn."
He led her around the room explaining instruments and the different high tech machines that they used. Ones she had and had never seen before. His eyes brightened as he told her about it all, and Kagome found herself studying his face more than studying the room. His voice in itself was distracting. It was hard to focus when she felt hot already.
Just a look from him and she turned into a puddle.
"Have you been paying attention?" He asked her once they made it around to the other side of the room. "Your face tells me no."
"Stop reading my face." Her cheeks grew hotter and she covered them with her palms. "I can't help being distracted by how impressive and happy you look while talking to me about centrifuges and your new PCR machine."
"Kagome." He pinned her with a heady gaze. One that made her ache with anticipation.
"You're one to talk, looking at me like that." She didn't mean to sound so breathless.
He had her backed against the wall. His body heat soaked into her skin. Hot and tempting.
Her eyes closed and her chin tilted awaiting his kiss that never came. His fingers brushed her jaw. His thumb slid over her silken bottom lip.
A soft gasp escaped her parted mouth. Her skin felt on fire. She ached to have him quench her thirst.
She felt his chest beneath her hands before she realized she had touched him. His muscles were hard and warm through his shirt, begging her fingers to explore the rest of his delectable body.
His index finger drew a line down her neck, to her shoulder, and down her arm. So simple yet it fanned the flames of her desire.
His nose brushed her temple. Lips barely touched as he asked her in a voice that only made her ache all the more, "Do you want me to punish you?"
Definitely. "Yes."
Her heart pounded as he slid a pair of glasses on to her nose. "Here." His warmth left her.
Her eyes snapped open and she blinked back at him, "Wait, what are we doing?"
He unhooked a spare white coat and held it out for her. "Put this on. You get the privilege of assisting with what I am currently working on."
"But…" She bit her lip.
"Later." He looked completely serious.
"You're such a tease. Fine." She snatched the coat from his hand and pulled it on. "Are you sure this is okay? At the risk of sounding unattractive, I have no idea how to assist with anything in a lab."
His smirk both aggravated and made her want him all the more, which was in fact even more aggravating. "You weren't worried about any issue a moment ago."
Her blue eyes were flames. "If we aren't going to, don't bring it up."
"Moving on then." Sesshomaru laughed. It didn't sound nearly as maniacal as it felt. "This is a task you can handle. I am in charge of the lab today, and I give you permission to work with me."
"Sesshomaru, you are the only one here."
"Indeed." His eyes were laughing at her. She scowled. He took a pair of yellow rubber gloves off the wall. "Put these on."
Her lips pressed together and her brows pinched. Clearly he wasn't going to let her out of it. A nervous energy bubbled up in her stomach. Just what did he want her help with? Aside from burning the building down, she doubted her ability to manage anything in a lab.
He held the yellow monstrosities out and asked, "Well? Are you assisting me or not?"
"I guess?" She shoved her arms into elbow length yellow rubber gloves. The cold rubber made her skin sting. She clenched her teeth. Her fingers swam.
The gloves were way too big. She looked back at him. He was in a tshirt for crying out loud. Why did she need all the gear? "I have to wear these? Why don't you have any on?"
He laughed, "It's more entertaining this way."
"Sesshomaru!" She wacked his side with the giant loose fingers of the glove. "I look ridiculous."
"They are a wholly necessary part of the safety equipment." His lips pressed together to hold back another laugh.
She couldn't trust him.
"That pout only makes you look more adorable."
Her face flushed. "I'm not sure adorable is what I want you to think of me as."
"As I am certain you realize. I think of you as many different things, now quit pouting and come over here."
She let him usher her around the room to a large stainless steel table.
As he began pulling beakers and tubes from the shelves and placing them in front of her, her stomach filled with knots. "What if I break something, or spill some sort of acid, and it eats a hole through the floor?"
He gave her a pointed look, "That is not going to happen."
She chewed the inside of her lip. "What exactly are we going to be doing?"
"Quality testing. The different measurement instruments that we use need to be checked for accuracy."
He brought a carafe of clear liquid to the table.
Her brows furrowed and she frowned, "And what is this?"
"Some sort of acid."
Instantly her eyes widened and she took a step back. "Uh, no thanks."
"Kagome, it's water."
She looked from him, to the carafe, to the gloves. It took a moment for her to snap, "Then why am I wearing all this safety gear? And these giant gloves?!" She waved the wiggly fingers in the air.
His smile cracked.
She tossed the gloves at him, "Go put those back, and quit teasing me."
"What about the goggles and the coat?"
She pushed the goggles higher up on her nose, "I'm pretty sure you think they look hot on me, I'm wearing them. Plus I feel like a doctor or something."
"Or something." He winked and she scowled at him again.
She couldn't help it. He made her happy and nervous and completely bothered. Her frustration lingered.
He came close again and she tamped down her incubus of a libido.
"Hold it like this. Good. You can fill up the tubes with this."
He handed her a bulky needle shaped device.
"What is this little thing?"
"It's a pipette-!"
She clicked the button on the top. Water squirted from the tip right into his face.
"Oh!" She dropped it on the table. In a split second she went from stunned into a fit of giggles as he wiped the water off his face with a paper towel. "Your mouth was open and everything! I'm so sorry!"
She didn't look sorry. Her eyes were closed and she was laughing hard. Her hand rested on the table to keep herself upright. "Your face! Priceless!"
The next week went by in a flash. The days were long, the nights sweet, and the mornings sweeter still. Dodging reporters became a game that Kagome and Sesshomaru were winning. No new harassment emails came for either of them.
Kagome felt her guard dropping. The ease of the days washed over her anxiety. She opened the window and let the salty sea breeze into the room.
The door opened and Sesshomaru walked in fully dressed, hair damp.
"How's the water pressure today?" She asked as she reached for the shower tote in his hand.
"Terrible." Soft lips caught her cheek before she moved away to put the tote back inside the closet. "We need to look for an apartment farther away from the water."
"It's near the top of my list."
He sat in the office chair beside his desk. Laptop open beside the blow dryer that she had already plugged in. They had settled into a routine.
Her fingers gathered his hair. The blow drier came to life.
As he checked and answered emails, she dried his hair. The sound of typing faint behind the whirring sound of the blow dryer.
How he managed to find the time to take care of the gorgeous strands, she still had no idea.
But now he had her.
A light smile tilted her lips.
She ran her fingers through silk. Shoulders relaxed.
Even if she woke up tense with worry, this part of their routine brought her out of it. Good things were coming.
Sesshomaru sent off the last reply and closed the lid.
The warm heat from the blow dryer shut off. Her stomach brushed his hand just where his splint stopped, a sizzling jolt ran up his fingers. A nearly silent gasp left his lips.
"Sess?" Kagome flushed as she caught his wide eyed line of sight.
Fingers slid against her white button down shirt, one of his that she had commandeered as a nightgown. It moved over her skin. He held her, his hand unable to lay flat.
His eyes glistened. "You're showing."
"Yeah." She placed both hands on either side of her clear baby bump. "It just blossomed overnight."
The chair turned and she found herself standing between his legs.
"I think you've doubled in size."
"I know!" She grinned. Eyes bright and happy. She had never felt such joy over looking bigger before. "The baby must be healthy." She didn't have to voice the fear she held in the back of her mind. The worry that they would lose it. That the scan or perhaps fate itself would rip their child from them. The bump meant so much more to her than she could put to words.
Sesshomaru pushed her shirt up and touched her bare skin, lightly at first. The tremble of his fingertips steadied on her skin.
She watched him as the world shifted beneath their feet. His hand settled on one side of her baby bump and time paused.
He leaned down and whispered to their child, so quietly she couldn't hear the sound, but she felt the barest tickle of his lips and the heat of his breath with each utterance.
Tears pricked the edges of her eyes.
What was once only words became tangible reality at that moment.
Her arms wrapped around him, hands in his hair as she embraced their entire future. Their family.
A few nights later, Kagome pouted as Sesshomaru woke her up.
Fingers swatted the air, "Let me sleep. You have no idea how exhausting building a human is."
"You can go back to sleep as soon as I am done."
"Not again, put it away."
"Kagome."
"You can do it to me in the morning." Kagome tugged the blanket back up to her chin.
"It must be at the same time every day, just give me sixty seconds and your thumb and index finger." Instead of pulling the blanket down, he pushed it up.
Cold air shocked her sleep warmed skin.
"Let's just switch to mornings."
"Kagome."
With a groan, she gave in. Already knowing exactly what Sesshomaru wanted, she reached down and held out her thumb and finger over the top of her abdomen.
The cold metal edge of a fabric tape measure pressed against her thumb and she pinched it and held it against her skin. The strip ran the length of her lower stomach.
Warm fingers pressed it against her skin.
"Another centimeter."
"Mhm. Good. Put the blanket back."
Warm lips placed a kiss over their growing baby and Kagome let out a little sigh.
Suddenly hot breath kissed lower and a sharp gasp left her mouth as her knees tried to close.
Sesshomaru pressed one firm hand against her inner thigh. His lips left a trail of heat.
"Ah— Sess!"
He licked her through silk underwear. His face buried between her legs.
She trembled as he teased her clit with his lips and tongue and a scalding heat. Entirely unprepared for the onslaught of pleasure.
"It's— ahh! Too much!"
Pressure eased and she relaxed. Her moans shifted from sharp to drawn out. Nails scratched his scalp. Her back arched off the bed.
The cadence of her voice matched the rhythm he played.
He devoured her slowly. Her knee hooked around his neck. His name fell off her lips in pleas.
Her body shuddered and her fingers relaxed in his hair.
Lips caressed her inner thigh. Intense amber eyes looked up at her heady stare. "Sweet dreams, Koi."
AN: Hi lovelies! I wanted to let you know that I've joined the new SessKag site, PinkMoonObservatory and have a new story there (The Time Given to Us). It will be exclusively there until June 1st. It's a good and, hopefully, unique one, plus the chapters are pre-written for it so no worries about me taking ages. :)
I appreciate everyone sticking with Step Into Love for so long. The growth between the characters and my writing means so much to me and knowing it has a following and makes people happy, it makes me very happy. It's why I keep writing fanfics.