We arrive at Kagome's small apartment in a matter of minutes. Before she can reach for her door handle, I rest a hand on her leg making her look at me and shake my head. I get out, walk around the car, and open her door for her. She mumbles her thanks, a blush once again flashing across her pale cheeks. At her door, she turns around, key in hand.
"You can come in if you want. No need for you to wait outside if you don't want to." I shrug and follow her up the few steps. Once inside, she throws her bag and keys on a small table near the doorway and leads me into the living room kitchen area. "It's not much, but it's home. Make yourself comfortable, I'll only be a few minutes." I nod and survey the area as she runs off in another direction, presumably to her room. The decor is surprisingly modern, definitely closer to what I would have picked for one of my offices, or perhaps my own home. A white leather couch and silver ottoman take up most of the small room. There is a tv across from them and a large mirror hanging on the white wall over the couch. Looking up, I notice a bright purple ceiling and smirk. The only true color in the room, vibrant against its stark monochromatic surroundings; it fits the small human well. "Hey!" Kagome yells from her room. "Are jeans okay?"
"Whatever you will be most comfortable in, I am sure will be fine," I call back, smirking. I can almost see her eyes roll as she groans in indecision. She emerges moments later wearing dark blue skinny jeans and an olive green sweater. Black flats cover her feet and her hair is up in a loose bun, similar to the Gibson Girl hairstyle that was popular in the Victorian era. I fight back a smile and nod my head in approval. The miko releases a breath and smiles, grabbing her bag and keys once more. She locks us out and returns with me to the car. The ride there is silent but not uncomfortably so. There's a small gasp once we pull up to my home.
"You live here?" I nod, looking over to gauge her reaction. Her mouth is slightly open, eyes wide, as she looks over the large white estate. "Wow, it's beautiful..." The car stops and I open the door for her once again. Before we step inside, I turn to face her.
"Rin is a very excitable child and will undoubtedly bombard you with questions the moment you set foot inside. Jaken will most likely shout profanities about your being human. Should it become too much, let me know and I will silence them." Kagome laughs nervously, shaking her head.
"I'm sure it'll be fine, no need to silence anyone."
"Hn." With that, I open the door and almost immediately, a small girl with long black hair is jumping in place.
"Hi! This is Rin, you must be Kagome! Rin is so happy you're here! Are you the one teaching Sesshomaru-sama to dance? Do you dance? Are you good? Can you teach Rin? What kind of food do you like? How long have you known Sesshomaru-sama? Will you-"
"Rin, that is enough. Allow the girl to breathe and answer your questions." Kagome watches as the small girl's eyes widen before a determined expression settles in.
"Yes sir, Rin will do better to contain her endless chatter." Kagome giggles before getting on her knees to look the girl in the eyes and answer her questions.
"Hello, I am the one teaching your dad, I dance as often as I can, I think I'm pretty good at it, and I would love to teach you, if it's alright with your dad of course. I like pretty much everything except wasabi, way too spicy. And I've known Sesshomaru since I was in middle school pretty much. We didn't talk a whole lot until today, though. Did I get them all?" Rin's face lights up as she nods, surprising Kagome with a hug.
"I like her! Can we keep her?" I smirk at my daughter's request.
"Rin, it is illegal to keep people anymore, you will have to wait for Kagome to decide whether she would like to stay." The miko in question looks up at me, surprise written on her face. "I'm going to go prepare dinner. If you'll excuse me-"
"Lord Sesshomaru!" I groan internally at the shrill voice of my employee, Jaken. "Lord Sesshomaru! Thank goodness you have returned, I was so worried when you did not arrive at the determined..." He looks at Kagome, who is smiling and waving kindly, mouth open and disbelief in his eyes. "Sh-she's... she's a... human? Lord Sesshomaru, I do not understand. Why would you keep such lowly company?" Before anyone can blink, I am already across the room and have thrown Jaken to the floor. I hear Kagome gasp and Rin telling her this happens all the time.
"Ms. Higurashi is my guest and you will treat her as such. You will not disrespect her, am I clear?"
"Y-yes Lord Sesshomaru." I nod my head and make my way into the kitchen, gesturing for Kagome to follow. She does and Rin asks Jaken what game he wants to play until dinner.
"You didn't have to do that you know, I'm used to the whole demon superiority complex thing." Her tone is light but there is a tinge of fear in it.
"I did not mean to frighten you. Jaken is still stuck in the old ways, I am regrettably tasked with the job of bringing him to light to this new world's way of doing things." I explain as I gather everything I'll need. "Though you may be used to it, I do not tolerate that behavior in regards to my guests." Kagome takes a seat on one of the barstools across the counter.
"But you act all high and mighty most of the time." I stop what I'm doing and look at her. Her arms are crossed as she leans across the counter, her brows furrowed slightly, eyes calculating, and lips just barely pursed in thought.
"There is a difference in knowing you are better and boasting it to the world. I may, as you said, act high and mighty, but I do not outwardly put down humans... anymore. I've hired many into the company and everyone is treated fairly, not based on breed but integrity and work ethic. I associate with them in the same manner as I would any demon. Jaken," I pause, shake my head, and take the pre-cut chicken out of the refrigerator. "Jaken is a whole other story." The petite human nods her head slowly.
"I guess that makes sense. So where does Rin fit into all of this?" The smallest of smiles pulls at my lips.
"I found her dying in the woods, some wolves had attacked her and her family. She was the only survivor, and just barely." I look at Kagome to find her eyes wide. "She's been mine ever since."
"That's horrible, the poor thing. Does she remember any of it?" I shake my head.
"The doctors believe that, due to the trauma, she has forced herself to forget. All she remembered when she came too was her name and that I had saved her." Feeling a sudden warmth over my left hand, I look down to see Kagome's on top of my own.
"You're a wonderful person, taking her in like that. You could have just as easily left her either in the woods or in the hospital. Everyone says you're some cold, heartless jerk. I never thought so, though. You have a good heart and you care, in your own weird way." She smiles, chuckling, and releases my hand. I frown at the cold that suddenly set in over the area, missing her warmth. "So, whatcha making me, Chef Sesshy?" I narrow my eyes, fighting back an amused smirk.
"This Sesshomaru does not answer to Sesshy." She laughs, moving her bangs out of her eyes.
"This Sesshomaru needs to lighten up. Now come on, what're you making?" I smirk, causing the girl to smile wider.
"You will see."
"Ooh, surprise. If I guess right will you tell me?" I arch an eyebrow at her, a challenge. She narrows her eyes in acceptance, her smile still in place. "Clearly it's got something to do with chicken, your remaining ingredients suggest a Southern European influence... French or Italian? Wait! Don't tell me." I chuckle quietly at her enthusiasm, finding her quite amusing. I sear the chicken in a large pan coated in olive oil before putting them in a deep red Dutch oven. Right as I reach for a bottle of red wine, she calls out, "French!" I turn to face her, a small smile on my face.
"Very good, human. What gave it away?" She walks over, handing me carrots, celery, and mushrooms. I do believe the girl has found me out.
"I watch a lot of food channel stuff." She replies with a shrug. "Coq au vin, right?" I allow my smile to widen, taking her by surprise. "Is that a smile I see? Have I, a mere human girl, impressed the great taiyoukai Sesshomaru to the point of an actual smile?" I chuckle again, louder this time, barely able to contain myself. She grabs the wine bottle and points at me, a victorious smile gracing her rosy lips. "And laughter! I've broken him!" She takes a small sip from the bottle before grabbing two glasses from a cupboard. "You know, in all the years that I've known you, I don't think I've ever seen you do that. It's nice, you should try it more often." I roll my eyes at her, still smirking and seemingly unable to stop. "So, anything I can do to help?" I shake my head, chopping the vegetables and tossing them into the pot.
"Just keep talking."
"Seriously? That's it? How come?" She sounds taken aback, but I don't turn around, intent on the task at hand.
"I enjoy the sound of your voice." The words slip from my mouth before I can stop them. My eyes widen and there's a brief pause in my movements before I regain composure. Might as well go with it now. "It is not shrill and needy like Jaken's, you do not cower or sound fearful like those I work with, it is a nice change of pace." There's a silent pause as she considers my words.
"Alright. I can do that. We've got a lot of catching up to do anyway." I glance over my shoulder and find her sitting on the counter, wine glass in hand. "So, whatcha wanna hear about, oh silent one?" She winks and takes a delicate sip from her glass. Only when I turn back to the food do I allow myself to smile once more.
"How did you begin dancing?" She giggles behind me, a melodious sound.
"Oh god, I can only imagine what you thought when you walked in. A total uncoordinated klutz teaching ballroom dancing. Well, it actually stemmed from some petty jealousy. Back when I was still into InuYasha, I used to compare myself to Kikyo all the time figuring, if I could be more like her, he'd like me better and she was always so graceful and delicate with everything she did. So, I started back at ballet which I hadn't done since I was three or four, but I just couldn't get into it. I saw a couple in a dance competition, ballroom, of course, they were doing this beautiful paso doble and I remember thinking how passionate and elegant they looked gliding across the floor and I knew then that's what I wanted to do. I found a studio not too far from where I lived at the time and it was right around then that I realized I didn't actually care who InuYasha picked. I was so happy with what I was doing that I barely had any time to compete with Kikyo, all my time became devoted to dancing and school.
"I think it was a year or two after I graduated high school that I saw a building with a For Rent sign on it, a former dance studio, just my luck, and I made the call. A few weeks later, I had my own job teaching people how to dance. I love what I do, it's not exactly the most glamorous job or the best paying but it makes me happy." Her voice turns whimsical, almost far away. I'm so fascinated I turn around, mesmerized by the look on her face. "Like, for those few minutes I'm on the floor, I'm someone else but expressing myself at the same time. Whatever's bothering me melts away, time stops, and all the things I keep locked up are suddenly set free." She shakes her head, a slight blush on her face. "Sorry, didn't mean to start babbling on you." I put the chicken in the oven and set a timer, walking to stand in front of her. Even with her sitting on my high counter, I am still taller by a couple of inches.
"I enjoyed it. You spend so much time taking care of everyone else, ensuring their happiness and solving their disputes; tell me, Kagome, when do you take time to help yourself?" We make eye contact and freeze.
"When I dance, I guess." I rest a hand on top of her's on the counter and delight in hearing her heartbeat a little faster.
"That is not what I meant. Who do you trust, not just with your life, but with your heart? Your innermost thoughts?" She shrugs, pulling her hand from mine and resting it in her lap, turning her eyes there as well.
"I guess I haven't found anyone like that yet." She looks up suddenly, a smile on her face. "It's okay, though, my time will come eventually and, until then, I'll always have my studio." I back away from the small human and am reminded, quite suddenly, of just how fragile she is. The image of a younger Kagome crying in a deserted hallway at school flashes across my mind. InuYasha had been acting a fool again and said some things he later regretted. They hurt the miko deeply and forced her into isolation for several days. I will not do that to her.
"Hn." I nod and turn to start some buttered noodles. We remain in silence for some time, each of us lost in our own thoughts when realization dawns, Could I be developing feelings for this human? I turn to look at her and catch her staring. She blushes, looking away immediately. The thought doesn't seem impossible, but unlikely enough that I decide to refrain from pondering it further. This could just be from seeing someone I once knew having grown up and come into her own, residual emotions I'd perhaps neglected in my earlier years. Though, if the increased rate of my own heartbeat is any indication, signs are beginning to point towards the former.