It was an hour after midnight when Telonomaru entered Sesshoumaru's office once again. While Kagome had gone to bed a few hours ago, his cousin was still wide awake. For some reason, the taiyoukai of the Western Lands wanted to finish some of the work that had piled up in his absence.
He sighed as he walked up to the desk where the younger demon sat. Sesshoumaru paid him no heed, busying himself with his paperwork. "Sesshoumaru," Telonomaru began. "I have a question for you."
Finally, the occupied demon looked up from his desk. "About what, Telonomaru?" His voice was calm, emotionless, and neutral.
"Kagome."
A low growl tore itself from Sesshoumaru's throat. He didn't like the fact that his cousin was asking about the girl. "What about her?"
"Calm down," Telonomaru advised, giving his cousin an innocent look. "I'm just a little curious about her. You don't need to become so protective." When the growling ceased, he continued to speak. "How did you and Kagome meet? What or who did you save her from? And why was she so scared of me when I tried to touch her?"
The taiyoukai of the Western Lands sighed. "I bought her at a slavery store."
"WHAT?!?!" Of all the things that Sesshoumaru could have said, that was the last thing that Telonomaru had expected. "There is no way that... You couldn't have... I know that you were raised better than that!" The older dog demon glared at his cousin, eyes briefly flashing red in anger. If Sesshoumaru really had bought Kagome, then he was prepared to teach his little cousin a lesson that he would never forget.
"I bought her so Inuyasha could not have her," Sesshoumaru explained calmly. "I have freed her, as well as seen to her happiness and safety."
The older inu youkai calmed down upon hearing that. 'So, he bought her to annoy the hanyou... as well as for a few other reasons obviously. How intriguing.' "You're playing her knight in shining armor now, huh?" Telonomaru chuckled, amused. The look on his cousin's face told him that he was correct in his assumptions. "You always did like those fairy tales when you were small."
The younger inu youkai rolled his eyes as he stood up. "Enough," he stated, glaring at the male.
"Are you going to booby-trap my room again if I don't?" The smile on his face was a taunting one designed specifically to annoy whoever it was aimed at.
"No, but I do want to know why you gave Kagome that kimono to put on," Sesshoumaru responded, narrowing his eyes. "We both know that the kimono she had on is reserved for the Lady of the Western Lands."
Telonomaru shrugged, looking off to the side then back to his relative. "I thought that she would look good in it, and I was right." His smile grew bigger. "I know that you agree with me on that. Kagome was stunning in it."
"I never said anything of the sort," the younger inu youkai retorted in his defense.
"You didn't need to. Your face gives it away."
Sesshoumaru shook his head, sighing in disgust. "If you don't have anything useful to say to me, then get out."
"Would it kill you to admit that you're attracted to her?" Telonomaru wanted to know, voice curious. "That you like her? That you maybe love her?"
"Out," the young lord repeated coldly, his face blank.
"I'm going." Telonomaru made his way towards the door. "But you really should come out of denial. It's not healthy." With that last parting shot, he was gone.
Sesshoumaru rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to fight back an incoming, massive headache. After a few moments, when the impending pain receded, he went back to his work.
~*~ Inuyasha smiled as Varice and Sango playfully argued who had won the dancing contest. He was driving again, with Miroku in the passenger seat and the girls in the back seat.
"I am sorry, Lady Varice, but I believe that Lady Sango and I won," the electrician stated with a large grin on his face. He had enjoyed dancing with the raven-haired bodyguard more than anything else than had happened that evening.
Inuyasha snorted. "I don't think so. Varice and I kicked your butts all over the dance floor," the hanyou retorted. After the blond had dragged him on the dance floor, he had surprised himself by actually having a good time. Varice had turned out to be an excellent dancer as well as a fun person to argue with. She didn't lose her head in an argument, and she loved debating about just about anything.
For a hour or so, they had argued about whether or not a no-datchi was better than a katana. Inuyasha had been for the no-datchi, and Varice had placed her vote with the katana. Neither of them won the argument, but they had both enjoyed every minute of it.
"Riiight," Sango said sarcastically.
Raising an eyebrow, Varice laughed. "Sorry, Sango-chan, but I'm with Inuyasha-kun on this. We most definitely won." She smiled at her date, knowing that he would be able to see her in the rearview mirror. "Our dancing skills are way beyond both yours and Miroku's."
"WHAT?" the black-haired girl exclaimed, pretending to be scandalized. "How could you suggest such a thing? That is a downright lie."
Both girls broke into a fit of giggles. Inuyasha chuckled, very amused by their attitude. "She's not lying. I would smell it if she was," the half demon commented.
Varice leaned forward and gently placed a hand on the youkai's shoulder. The soft scent of rose and musk invaded the demon's nose. "Of course I'm not lying. We won, hand's down," the blond said, still giggling. "You're one of the best dancers I've ever met."
Inuyasha didn't quite know what to say. "Thank you."
She giggled. "You're welcome."
Miroku almost said something, but the hanyou caught him before the lecherous man could say a word. "Don't you dare, Miroku. I don't want the girls to beat up on you while I'm driving. It'll be distracting."
"Is that because you'll be trying to protect me?" the ex-monk wanted to know.
The silver-haired demon shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road. "No. I'll be laughing so hard that I won't be able to concentrate on my driving."
Feigning hurt, the electrician turned to the girls for help. They just laughed at him; he sighed. "It appears that everyone is against me tonight."
"That is because you are a hentai, Houshi-sama," Varice stated. "Isn't that right, Sango-chan?"
"Most definitely." The black-haired girl nodded her head in agreement, eyes sparkling with good humor. "But... I believe that he has been good tonight. He didn't even grope me once. Now that I think about it, he didn't grope anyone."
Varice blinked. "Wow. From what you've said, that's a record for him."
"I am not as bad as you two ladies say. I have gone for extended periods of time without groping a woman," Miroku protested.
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at his friend, doubtful of the man's words. "Feh. I don't believe you." He pulled into Sango's driveway right as he said that.
"It is the truth," the black-haired man stated, gracefully climbing out of the car and opening the door for his date.
"Well, Miroku, I have a little challenge for you then," Sango said, smiling. The ex-monk saw her look and almost winced. She had something evil planned. "I'm off work for the next two weeks, so we can test that little statement of yours."
Varice quickly caught onto what her friend was thinking. She thanked Inuyasha for opening the car door for her, and then she jumped into her friend's conversation. "Let him take you on a few more dates, and if he gropes you, then he loses. If he doesn't, then you know that he was telling the truth."
"What if I touch you on accident, Lady Sango?" Miroku asked innocently. "Would that count against me?"
The black-haired girl thought on that for a moment. "Hmmm... if it was truly and accident, then no; however, you have a habit of making things look like an accident..." She paused. "Perhaps we will need impartial judges." She gave Inuyasha and Varice a meaningful look.
The hanyou gazed back at the girl, surprised. "You want me to play baby-sitter for you two?"
Varice laughed. "No, Inuyasha-kun. I believe that Sango-chan wishes us to watch Houshi-sama and judge on whether or not a touch is pure accidental," she answered him.
Inuyasha frowned slightly. "But I'd probably be biased towards Miroku."
"And I'd be biased towards Sango-chan, so it evens out," she countered easily. "So... what do you say? You wanna play "judge" for our two friends?"
After thinking it over for a moment, the half demon shrugged. "Sure. Why not." He meant it too. Varice was quickly becoming a friend, and if anything, he would find the dates very entertaining.
Miroku smiled happily. He and Sango were going to go on more dates, a very good thing in his mind. With a fancy bow, he offered his hand to the black-haired female. "Shall I escort you to your door, Lady Sango?"
Sango laughed, shaking her head. She took the offered hand. "Thank you, Miroku."
"My pleasure."
Inuyasha snorted at his friend's behavior. "Twenty bucks says that he loses this little challenge," he whispered to Varice.
"You're on."
~*~
Sesshoumaru sighed as he turned off his desk light and left his office. It was late, and he was finally tired. 'I'll just check on Kagome and then go to bed,' he thought as he walked around a corner. The castle was perfectly silent, a blessing in his mind. If the place was quiet, then his cousin was most likely either asleep or somewhere else.
Stopping long enough to assure himself that Telonomaru had not booby-trapped his room, the taiyoukai quickly entered the miko's room, which was right next to his. The room was richly decorated, and he made a mental note to ask his cousin who had done the decorating. The older dog demon could do repairs and upgrading but not interior design.
Lavender and a pale rose were the predominant colors in the room; however, splashes of gold in the Turkish rug and on the furniture helped bring a warm glow to the room. A large dresser and vanity sat against the wall directly across from him, while the door to a closet was on the adjacent wall along with the large canopy bed. On the wall to his right was a third door --the door that linked to his room. He could tell that the door was locked just by looking at it.
Curled up in the bed, black hair strewn all around her, was Kagome. She was whimpering slightly in her sleep, once again calling out the names of her family members. Her soft sounds easily reached his ears, causing a feeling of sympathy to rise inside of him.
Sesshoumaru gave a small, sad sigh, shutting the door behind him and going over to stand by the bed. With a gentle hand, he caressed the side of her face, enjoying the feel of her smooth skin. "Shhhh..." he said then whispered more soothing words to her.
Kagome quickly quieted down. "Ses... shou... maru..." she mumbled, latching onto his hand with both of hers. Hugging the appendage to her chest, she rolled closer to the center of the bed, dragging a surprised dog demon onto the bed with her.
'Kuso,' he thought, trying to pull his hand out of her grasp. Unfortunately, the more he tried, the harder she held on. 'Not good. I could pry her hands off of mine, but I might hurt her in the process. I don't want to hurt her. Perhaps if I stay very still she will release my hand.'
The inu youkai relaxed, laying down behind Kagome on the mattress, intent on waiting for her to free him. Despite his best efforts, he was not able to stay awake long enough. Within minutes, he fell asleep, his hand still being tightly held by Kagome.