Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, Takahashi Rumiko does. I just own my imagination.
It was very silent in the vehicle. Sesshomaru read business briefs while Jaken worked on a laptop that had wireless internet. Five minutes later, she glanced out the window and realized they were nowhere near the Shinto Shrine. "Where are we going?"
Sesshomaru didn't even glance up. "My office."
"You said you were going to take me home." She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him.
"No, I didn't." He glanced up briefly while he clipped the pages of the report back together, putting them in his case. He retrieved another clipped report and started reading. "I said I would take you back. You never asked where 'back' was." He flipped to the second page. "Besides, it was out of my way to take you to the shrine, and at this time of evening, it's quicker to go to the office. You've probably failed to notice; but you're soaking wet, and it is a cool evening. My driver will take you home after you've dried off."
"Sesshomaru…" he raised an eyebrow, but didn't look up. "You haven't changed since the last time I saw you."
He smiled evilly and put down his report. "You have. You've aged." He snapped the lid of his case shut and opened the door. Kagome was so mad she hadn't even realized they'd reached their destination.
After a short trip in a very fast elevator, Sesshomaru unlocked the door to his office and waved her in. "Kagome, you are a wet rat. There is a private area behind that glass wall. Go back there and find something dry to put on. I will have your clothing returned to you when it dries."
As much as Kagome wanted to argue, she didn't. Her teeth were chattering too much and she hated to admit he might be right about something. Sesshomaru wasn't overly known for his kindness, and Kagome wondered what brought on this strange behavior. As she walked back to the bathroom hidden behind the glass wall, she noticed that this area seemed warmer than any other place in the building. She pulled a towel off of the brightly lit shelf, and walked through to a dimly lit room. At first she thought she was in a closet, but as she fully entered the room, the lights brightened and she realized that it was a bedroom.
Kagome took a minute to study the room that Sesshomaru had personalized. She wondered if his house had as much of him as this room. The walls were done in a light rusty-brown color, and teak colored bookshelves lined one entire wall. The bed was also teak, a simple Buddhist-style, no head or footboard.
However, it was the picture that hung on the wall opposite the bed that grabbed her attention. She had expected a plasma TV; but surprisingly there were no electronics visible in the room. Instead there hung a very old painting of a beautiful dark-haired woman wearing a ceremonial flowered kimono. The kimono had multiple layers and bespoke a woman of great wealth. Looking at her face, Kagome could tell that this woman deeply loved a man who returned that love. The painting itself looked like it had been painted by a master; and when she walked over to look at the signature, she realized that it had been painted during the Sengoku Jidai. Shaking her head and telling herself to mind her own business, Kagome walked over to the closet and pulled a simple black kimono off of a hook.
As she finished tying the sash, she walked back into the office area. There was a fireplace in one wall; and Sesshomaru was sitting with his back to her, drinking something and watching the fire. "Come sit down and finish drying off." He idly pointed to the other leather chair and took another sip of his drink. "If you want a drink, the decanter is to your left." Kagome vetoed the drink and sat down . She warmed herself by the fire and tried to maintain her silence, but couldn't.
"Sesshomaru-san, what do you think of on cold, wet nights like tonight?" Sesshomaru slowly blinked, but otherwise showed no sign that he'd heard her. She was silent for a moment, but then she continued. "I saw the painting in your room. I know you only of old, but I've never known you to care about anyone enough to have a picture commissioned. That one was done for you, by a master artisan." She sighed, but continued. "I noticed that the woman in the painting had silver in her hair; and although the wrinkles were slight, she was beginning to wear her age." This time his eyes cut over to her for an instant before they moved back to the fire and he took another sip of his cognac.
They both stared at the fire for a few more minutes, when suddenly he stood. He held a hand out, and she nervously took it. "It is time for you to go home." He helped her out of the chair, provided her with a very nice coat, and they headed out the door.
As he handed her into the waiting limo, he stopped and whispered quietly in her ear. "Being youkai is harder than being human, time is not our friend." With that, he shut the door on her and signaled the driver to leave.