Summery; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.
Thanks to 123 (); aveon 16; and foreeverjinxed for your reviews! foreeverjinxed - the only advice about writing a Sesshomaru fic is: think of an idea. You can go AU, and put him in the weirdest situation imaginable. Or you can keep him in the Feudal Era. Will he love anyone - Kagome - someone else? Think about what kind of story you want to write him in, and work from there. I rewrite my stories MANY times, so don't get discouraged!
I hope that helps. I'll be bumping up the rating to M, for a lemon/lime that's coming next chapter. It just kinda happened that way...heh-heh-heh. If you don't like it or anything, don't hesitate to tell me off.
Please review if you read! Comments, criticism, ideas, and suggestions are welcome.
"I wish she would answer already," Sesshomaru thought impatiently, as he waited on the doorstep. He tried to ignore the guilty feeling that was nagging him as he heard the front lock click open.
"Hello?" Leslie began, and then stood in shock. His silver hair hung down past his waist, and his amber eyes glowed at her in the moonlight.
"I am Sesshomaru," he introduced himself, edging inside. "Kagome told me you needed someone to look for something?"
"Oh, yes," Leslie nodded, returning to her senses. Sesshomaru inwardly smirked at her reaction, but sobered instantly as tears filled her eyes. "My dog, Bach, is gone!" she said, a hint of panic edging her voice. "I don't know what I'll do it he's gone…" she trailed off.
"I meant much to her?" Sesshomaru thought, shocked at the amount of panic and fear that he sensed from her, "A mere pet sent her into hysterics?"
"He's…he's big," she began again. "His head almost reached my shoulder. And he's got big blue eyes, and a shiny coat – almost the same color as your hair, actually," she added, blushing.
"Get your coat," he ordered shortly, unable to throw years of aloofness and coldness off in a single encounter, "And flashlights. We'll search around for him. What's his name?"
"Bach," Leslie told him, slipping into a heavy jacket to protect her from the cold. After grabbing two flashlights, she locked the door and followed Sesshomaru into the darkness.
"I don't know why he ran off," she lamented, "Unless he didn't like Mozart…but he was going to be put down unless someone adopted him within the hour. I couldn't let them kill him!"
"I doubt he ran off because of a cat," Sesshomaru ventured, but pleased that his curiosity regarding the cat was satisfied.
"I just wish I knew whether he ran off willingly, or was hurt," Leslie continued, ignoring his vote of confidence. Sesshomaru frowned, partly at himself, at seeing how worried she was.
"I mean, it's supposed to snow soon," she worried. "What if he gets caught in the storm? I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I was so sure I'd locked the door," she berated herself, and paused when Sesshomaru placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Worrying isn't going to find your dog faster," he said firmly. She nodded, heaving a shaky sigh, and followed him into the woods.
After almost four hours of searching, Sesshomaru finally convinced Leslie to return home. Kagome and the other two demons were, of course, sitting at home waiting for him to return, knowing full well where Leslie's pet had gone.
"I feel kinda bad," Inuyasha said suddenly. Kagome and Koga looked at him in surprised, and he glared at them, embarrassed. "Not for Sesshomaru!" he protested, "For Leslie! She has no clue her dog is really a demon under a curse."
"I know what you mean," Kagome agreed, "I wonder how Sesshomaru's going to handle it?"
"Humph," Koga grunted and crossed his arms, slightly put out at the proof that Leslie wasn't interested in him.
"It's getting kind of late to walk home," she thought, as she made some coffee. Sesshomaru sat on a bar stool, observing her movements with new eyes. "You can stay here, if you want," she offered, "I have a guest bedroom. I normally don't let guys stay overnight, but if Kagome trusted you enough to send you over alone, then I guess it's okay."
Sesshomaru smiled at her defensive tone, and nodded.
"I think I will," he decided, and glanced down at Mozart.
"He really seems to like you," Leslie commented, as her kitten rubbed up against Sesshomaru's leg. "It's like he already knows you."
"So it would appear," he said dryly, "Do you have any spare clothes I might borrow to sleep in?"
"Um…" she thought, and rushed to a closet. She returned several moments later with folded flannel pants and a shirt. "They're my friend Koga's," she explained, flushing when he raised an eyebrow. "He worked on my old car, and on my house, and he kept spare pajamas for when he worked later," she said, and thrust them at him, "They'll be too short, but it's all I have."
"That's fine," he replied smoothly, and strode to the bathroom to change. Leslie returned to drinking her coffee. Except for that single brief moment, she had barely paid Sesshomaru any attention, too preoccupied with thoughts of her lost pet.
"Infuriating woman," he thought mildly, as he pulled the shirt on, "I'm surprised she's so worked up about me – well, her dog, technically, I suppose."
Frowning at himself, he pulled the too-tight shirt off with a sigh, but luckily managed to fit into the pants. He strode out into the main room again, to find that Leslie had changed into pajamas – flannel pants and a long-sleeved shirt, much more different than her regular outfit.
Covering his slight disappointment, Sesshomaru eyed her as she took in his torso.
"The shirt…didn't fit?" she asked, slightly out of breath. Sesshomaru mentally slapped himself for forgetting she was a virgin, and nodded.
"Oh, sorry," Leslie shrugged, embarrassed, "That's the biggest thing I've got, though."
"That's all right," he replied. Glancing out the window, he narrowed his eyes. "It appears as the snow has started."
"Damn," she hissed under her breath, and then looked at him. "Um...well, I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to bed. The guest room's down the hall, and I put extra blankets on the bed for you. Good night."
"Good night, Leslie," Sesshomaru said, and mentally savored the triumph of saying those words aloud.
"Mmm…" Leslie stretched lazily, and glanced out the window. She shot upright, throwing Mozart on the floor in the process, when she the snow was almost to the windowpane.
"Ah, damn," she sighed, and in her slippers padded down the hallway. Looking around, she didn't see a trace of Sesshomaru. Checking the bedroom, she frowned when she saw the bed made, and a note on it.
"Dear Leslie," it read, "I apologize for leaving on such short notice, but I wanted to get home before I was snowed in. I am sure that Bach is safe, and please don't make yourself sick worrying. I'll stop by again to thank you for putting me up for the night. Sesshomaru."
With an odd feeling of regret, she crumpled the paper and headed back to the kitchen to make herself some breakfast.
"You left her?" Kagome shrieked, causing the three demons to cover their ears. "How could leave her? There's a huge snowstorm coming!"
"How would I explain the disappearance of a suitor, and the reappearance of her dog, if I was snowed in with no way out?" Sesshomaru pointed out.
"Did you say suitor?" Inuyasha repeated, spluttering. Koga grunted, and Sesshomaru ignored their notice of his slip of speech with affected dignity.
"Well, I guess you have a point," Kagome admitted, but glared at him. "It was still mean, Sesshomaru! She's going to be so lonely, with only a cat there! Did you at least leave a note?"
"Yes, I did," he said, glaring back at her. "And I do not have to answer to you, Kagome. If you'll excuse me, I have several affairs to get in order now that I'm in human form again."
"Suitor?" Inuyasha repeated, still in shock that his brother would use that word in regards to himself. "Did he really say that?"
"Yes, Inuyasha," Kagome sighed, glancing at Koga. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah," he nodded, "Ayame's my girlfriend, anyways, remember? I just think it's not fair that he's taking advantage of Leslie. That's how it seems, anyway."
"Yeah…" Kagome sighed, and looked out the window. "But with this storm, there's nothing we can do. I wonder how long Sesshomaru'll remain in human form?"
Sitting in the study, sifting through various files Inuyasha had kept in order for him during his time as a dog, the same thought was going through Sesshomaru's mind as well.
"Will I remain like this long until I win her love, or just shift forms sporadically?" he wondered, stoically accepting the fact that he was learning to care for Leslie in his own way. Frowning to himself, he fervently wished for the former.
Leslie sat on her couch, with Mozart curled up on her stomach as she read a book, and mourned the apparent loss of her pet. To her private surprise, Leslie was surprised that she had come to care for her dog so much, but sighed.
"I knew it wouldn't last," she said out loud, startling her cat. "I just wish I had someone to talk to. Oh, you're fine," she added, seeing the dirty look Mozart gave her, "But Bach seemed to understand me. Almost like he wanted to answer me."
With another sigh, she returned to her book, ignoring the growing heap of snow that piled against the house.
"I think it's finished," Kagome sighed in relief, at almost eleven at night. The snow, throughout the previous night and day, had reached almost eight feet, and was packed so hard that it was nearly impossible to get out.
"Maybe you should call Leslie and see how she's doing," Inuyasha suggested. Kagome nodded, perking up.
"Good idea, Inuyasha," she agreed, dialing. She frowned slightly when it reached four rings, and finally shut off. "Her answering machine didn't even go on," she thought, "It said the line was disconnected."
"The lines are probably down or frozen," Koga reminded her, "All this ice and snow is bound to have some repercussions, remember?"
"I wish I knew whether she was okay or not," Kagome frowned, "I mean, she lives pretty far out, and she's fairly isolated. If something happened…"
"What're you up to, Sesshomaru?" Koga demanded, as the lord strode out, fully dressed and in winter gear.
"I'm going to check on her," he replied.
"How do you propose explaining to her how you managed to get there?" Inuyasha reminded him sarcastically, "That you flew? You can hardly tell her that, stupid."
"I'm counting on the chance that she'll be too relieved to have someone there to ask questions," Sesshomaru testily, suppressing the urge to kill his younger brother.
"Leslie's not like that," Kagome informed him, "She'll wonder – if not then, later."
"Later she'll know I'm a demon," he told them, edging toward the door.
"I don't think it's a good idea," Kagome protested, "Use your head, Sesshomaru."
"Yeah, it's thick enough," Inuyasha muttered, earning a dirty look from Sesshomaru.
"I'm still going," he announced. With that, he was gone.
"Idiot," Koga shook his head, and Kagome shrugged helplessly. Inuyasha snorted.
"I'm not going after him, so don't even think it," he warned them, seeing Kagome's mouth open.
"Ack!" Leslie shrieked, as Sesshomaru suddenly cam down from her low-ceiling attic. "How the hell'd you get there?" she demanded, catching her breath.
"I walked," he said, "And climbed in through your small attic window."
"I'm surprised you could fit," she commented, and looked at him. "Why'd you come?"
"Kagome tried to call you, and the phone went dead."
"Yeah, I always lose power whenever there's a big storm," Leslie shrugged. Only then did Sesshomaru notice that the house was dimmer than usual, and that she was wearing her heaviest jacket over sweaters and shirts. "It's not a big deal," she continued, shivering slightly, "So, you came because Kagome was worried?"
"Well, I was worried as well," he admitted, unaffected by the cold. Inspecting her slightly-blue lips and pale face, he frowned. "Are you all right, Leslie?"
"Yeah," she nodded, "Just cold. Poor Mozart." At this, the kitten poked its head out of her shirt, and mewed quietly. "He's too cold – like me, I guess," she sighed, and sat down on the couch, "This is the coldest it's ever gotten, with the heat out. I can't find my kerosene heater, either."
"Would you like to come back to Kagome's with me?" Sesshomaru asked, hesitating between joining her on the couch and leaving.
"It'd be too cold for Mozart," she shook her head, "Even with this chill, the snow's still insulating the house. I can only imagine how cold it is outside."
"Well, I can't leave you alone," he sighed, decision made. Sitting next to her, he wrapped his arm around her, and pulled her close to him. "Body heat," he explained, and she nodded stiffly.
"You know, I've got the weirdest feeling that I've met you before – other than last night, I mean," she said, almost an hour later. "Odd, isn't it?"
"I know what you mean," Sesshomaru nodded, "And I don't think it's odd. Perhaps it means something."
"Maybe," Leslie agreed, snuggling closer to him. To her surprise, she felt a sudden warmth spread from her toes to her head, enveloping her. Unknown to her, Sesshomaru had also experienced the same feeling, along with chills up his spine.
"Are you hungry?" she asked suddenly, as Sesshomaru began to say something. Jumping up, she strode to the kitchen. "Obviously, we can't really heat anything up, but there's plenty of stuff we can eat cold."
"Ham," he remembered, and she gave a strange look.
"How'd you know I had ham?" she asked, taking it out of the refrigerator.
"Lucky guess," he replied smoothly, ignoring her suspicions.
"That wasn't bad," Leslie thought, once they had finished eating, "I didn't know pizza would taste that good cold, actually."
"I told you it was worth a try," he retorted, standing up. Glancing out the window, he noticed the light that had filtered through the snow was beginning to fade. "Once the sun goes down, it's going to get a lot colder," he warned her.
"I can't take Mozart, and I won't leave him," she said defensively, frowning at him. "I'm staying here. You can go if you have to, thought. Don't worry about it."
"Kagome might kill me if I do," Sesshomaru replied, and sat back down. After a moment's hesitation, Leslie joined him, with Mozart snuggled underneath her shirts for warmth.