Kikyo noticed a drastic change in her relationship with Sesshomaru over the next few weeks after clearing the air about Manten. It's not like his words changed, or he suddenly was spilling his deepest secrets to her. His eyes didn't stare her down with a hardened threatening glare. His tone wasn't harsh and demanding. If she had to guess, this was the real Sesshomaru.

She could have sworn she was going crazy as the days went on. There were times when it seemed like Sesshomaru would go out of his way to be near her or touch her. He'd stand close enough when pointing out information on paperwork that she could feel the heat from his body. When he would grab anything she handed to him, he'd reach far enough to touch her hand slightly. Sometimes he would stare so intensely at her, it felt like he was devouring her soul. She had to admit, she enjoyed it. She would never be able to know if it was purposefully, but she hoped it wouldn't stop. She even initiated it sometimes. It was dangerous territory she was falling into.

Sesshomaru had noticed Kikyo was responding to the way he was treating her. There wasn't this uncomfortable tension between them anymore. With every physical connection, he yearned for more. They never spoke aloud about what was happening between them, if anything was even happening between them. Neither was sure how the other felt, or if there was something to be felt by the other. Because of the uncertainty, Kikyo never told Sango or Manten about it. If she was just imagining all of this, she didn't want the embarrassment of having to explain to her friends she was demented. She would much rather deal with the unrequited feelings herself.

"Kikyo?"

"Huh?" She blinked a few times to recollect herself. Lately, she found herself zoning out because her mind always seemed to wander back to Sesshomaru. Who surprisingly, was the one calling her.

"I'd like to bring the files back to the office tonight."

"Are you sure? I thought you wanted to keep them away from everyone."

"The only ones at your house now are the ones with issues. We already documented which case numbers each attorney is going to go over. It's time the attorney's get them back to start. We can bring them back tonight and make copies, to make sure nothing in the attorney's possession gets altered. That way tomorrow they're ready to be handed out and reviewed. We can drive in my car to your apartment, and after we grab them we can stop to get dinner before coming back to work. It might take later than 8 PM, plus I believe I told you before that on another occasion I'd take you out to eat."

"Dinner?" Kikyo held back the blush making its way onto her cheeks, 'What could this mean?'

He had offered to take her to lunch a while back, before anything had gotten confusing. He didn't mean anything by it then, so it's possible he meant nothing by it tonight. "Yea, that would be nice. I'll finish up some things, and then we can go. I'm sure everyone will be cleared out by then."

"I'll be in my office when you are ready."

{…}

Sesshomaru had picked a restaurant that specialized in ramen, as that is what Kikyo requested to have. If he had it his way, he'd be treating her to somewhere classier with great food. He couldn't remember the last time he even had ramen. Not since he was a child when his father told him about his infidelity with Inuyasha's mother and her pregnancy. Coincidentally, Inuyasha's favorite dish was ramen.

The hostess was a bird demon who was instantly interested in Sesshomaru. She leaned in against the podium to push up her cleavage through her barley buttoned up white shirt. She twirled a piece of hair and acted overly excited to be assisting him. It made Kikyo sick to see someone fall apart so easily and lose all self-respect.

Sesshomaru wasn't impressed with her courting either. When she offered to show them to a table he wrapped his arm around Kikyo's waist attempting to dissuade the girl. She instantly pouted and slammed the menus on the table, "Here. Gabriel is your server."

The way her attitude immediately changed amused Kikyo. Kikyo wasn't alienated from the idea that demons held themselves at a higher regard than humans. She faced discrimination constantly over it, and she was sure it was the other way around as well. She would not lie; it was satisfying to watch the demoness feel disrespected after she was flaunting so confidently.

"Was that uncomfortable for you?" he asked once the girl had resumed her place at the front of the restaurant greeting guest.

"No, it surprised me, but it wasn't uncomfortable." The look in her eyes surprised him just as much as he surprised her. Had this been different circumstances and he knew they were both there under the impression of it being a date, he would have taken her home right that second. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. He was a married man and she was his secretary. She had always been professional about their work and never let on to want anything more. At this point, anything he thought he saw was just an assumption.

"I guess you're used to that kind of thing, aren't you?" she asked him casually.

"What? Women?"

"Hello, I'm Gabriel. I'll be taking care of you tonight. Do you know what you'd like to drink?"

The waiter couldn't have had more perfect timing, "I'd just like a water."

"I'll do a double whiskey on the rocks."

"Of course, and do you guys need more time to look at the menu?"

"No, I'm ready!" Kikyo didn't mean to sound overzealous, but she wanted to be able to talk to Sesshomaru before she lost all her nerve asking him about his personal life.

"I'll have the seafood ramen bowl, please," she tried to bring down the excitement in her voice.

Sesshomaru stared oddly at her, her little outburst was out of character for her. "I will do the same." He didn't care what he got, he wasn't a fan of ramen, and probably wouldn't have eaten much anyway.

The waiter confirmed their orders and excused himself to enter it, but Kikyo hadn't paid attention to him. "Yes, women throwing themselves at you."

"I don't go out often. Would it be arrogant of me if I say it's been a common thing for my family when we do go out?"

"Yes, it is arrogant." Kikyo hoped it didn't come out as harsh as it sounded.

"I can't help other people's actions, but I can help how I react to them. Does it bother you that I get that attention?"

"Other women wanting you doesn't bother me in the slightest." Liar. It bothered her. She just refused to believe why.

That wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear. It was discerning that she didn't care about the idea of other women and him. Kagura had always been a jealous woman, because she wanted him only for herself. A quality he didn't used to like, but that quality never belonged to a woman he was infatuated with.

"I see. I have reviewed our findings with my father, and I have a good suspicion about who is committing fraud within the company. I anticipate pressing charges depending on the feedback from the other attorneys."

"That's great, who do you think it is?"

"Regrettably, I can't tell you that. We have decided it was best that only the two of us knew about the matter."

"Oh, I guess I can understand that. So, I must ask. Does your father think me of a fool? The first time I met him was the night I tried to resign. I had planned my first encounter with him to go more professionally. I think about it often."

"Quite the contrary. My father has heard many positive things about you from around the office, and is aware of the work you've done on the files. He was disgruntled about you quitting and my letting you leave the office like that. Perhaps, sometime in the future, you can be properly introduced to him."

So, that was the real reason he had come to her apartment. His father? There was only one person on this earth capable of making Sesshomaru do things, and it was certainly Toga Taisho. In her opinion, she was safe to assume he hadn't wanted her back or needed anything from her. She was replaceable to him.

"Yes, I would look forward to the opportunity…" her disposition felt off and he picked up on the solemnness in her voice.

{…}

He had tried to get her to talk to him about things she would be interested to raise her spirits. Nothing had seemed to work and she had become distant from him. He didn't know where he went wrong during their dinner. The car ride and the last hour of work she spent to herself just focused on her work. Kikyo and him had too many fluctuations in their relationship. They never seemed to be on the same page, always one chapter ahead or behind the other.

"I've finished copying everything and made a comprehensive break down of everything we noted that was off about each of the files. I'll email it to you in the morning. Would you like for me to set the files on the desk this evening or tomorrow morning?"

She was deciding to finally speak, and tragically for him it was just about work. "You can leave the files in here. I will send an email out explaining what the files are for and then you can pass them out about 30 minutes after they've had time to roger up to me."

"Alright, then if there's nothing else you need of me. I should be heading home. It's almost 10." She was gathering up her work from off his desk.

He didn't want her to leave. He needed to say something, anything to get her to stay. "I'm impressed with your quality of work on this project." A compliment. He surely thought that was a good way to go, it was something he never did. However, she looked offended from his compliment. Now he was completely lost on how to proceed.

She was holding her work close to her chest with both arms, looking at the ground afraid to look at him. She was done tip toeing around him, trying to get an idea of what was on his mind. She needed to ask him for a straightforward answer. "Tell me, if you are so pleased with my performance, then why didn't you want me to stay?"

Didn't want her to stay? Had his compliment gone over her head? Where did she get this ridiculous impression from? There were many times he off-handedly complimented her work since she's been here. He figured she'd have been smart enough to realize that he treated her differently than any employee in this office. Than any woman in his life.

"I take your silence as you not wanting to tell me… I guess I'll be off then."

Sesshomaru quickly stood from his desk, causing his chair to roll into the window behind him. He walked around his desk to be closer to her, "Kikyo, I don't know where you're getting this misconception from?"

He was so close it made her heart stop. If she had moved an inch forward she would be against his chest, and if she moved to the balls of her feet she'd be kissing him. "Your father is the one who wanted me to stay, not you. Correct?"

"What an incredulous woman," he pinched the bridge of his nose using his other arm to support him at the elbow. He settled his hand on her shoulder, looking into her eyes with the sincerest expression he knew how to give.

"Kikyo, my father was upset you decided to leave but he was ok with whatever I wished. I went to your apartment that night, because I wanted you here with me."

Her heart felt like it jumped into her throat. She could hear her blood pumping in her ears. He was so close, there was only a step of distance between them. Gravity felt like it was pulling them together, and everything in her body tensed with anticipation from what she thought was going to happen.

"I don't believe I've met your new assistant?" the sound of Sesshomaru's office door swinging in and the shrill voice of a woman snapped them both out of their moment.

Without being too obvious Kikyo side stepped once more to give a little more distance between the two. Luckily he hadn't kissed her like she assumed was going to happen, and luckily neither had jumped at the sudden disturbance from this unknown woman. No one would have thought anything was going on, they acted as if there was nothing to know.

"Kagura. What are you doing here?" Any animosity he ever had for her was all spilling out through his words as he watched her ruin this moment.

Kagura? Kikyo had heard her name a few times, and recognized her as the woman who occasionally called to speak to Sesshomaru. Many men and women called to speak to him, and Kikyo never thought too much into why. It was a law firm, most of the time people didn't want to discuss the specifics of what they were calling about.

Kagura had strutted into the room up to Sesshomaru. She entangled her arm into his and kissed him on the cheek, "Does a wife need a reason to visit her husband?"

Wife? Kikyo's chest ached and her head was spinning. He was married? He never spoke of her. There were no pictures. No one in the office said anything. He wasn't even wearing a ring. This woman seemed to just appear out of nowhere. She studied his face and it was unreadable, drastically different than just moments before.

Kagura sized Kikyo up, looking her up and down, "How long have you been working here?"

Kikyo bowed quickly and reached her hand out to shake Kagura's, "I'm Kikyo Hatake, Mrs. Taisho. I've been Mr. Taisho's secretary for a few months now."

Kagura looked distastefully at Kikyo's hand, refusing to shake it, "A few months? Yes, I do recognize you as the woman answering the phone lately. I'm surprised Naraku hasn't fired you yet. He has a type you see. They're incredibly beautiful, but often… simple-minded, for lack of a better word. Once he's looked at them enough he gets rid of them for poor performance, and then on to the next."

Kikyo's blood was boiling. This woman had just insulted her, and the man who was about to smack lips with her was standing there in the audience. Was she staking her claim with Sesshomaru? Is this what she did to all the secretaries he had, and is this what he allowed? Kikyo let her arm fall back to her side in a clenched fist, digging her nails into the palm of her hands. With a forced smile, "I suppose I'm lucky, or maybe, not as simple-minded as you think."

Sesshomaru couldn't help but inwardly smile at Kikyo's attitude. He wasn't too sure before, but now seeing her be her normal 'I don't take shit from anyone' self to his wife, made him realize he had feelings for her. As quickly as he realized it, he feared it wouldn't matter anymore. This is not how Kikyo was supposed to find out about him being married. It's not like he planned to lie to her about it, and trick her into believing he was single. It just happened.

"I see she has a tongue. I bet Naraku likes that."

He could see Kikyo reach her breaking point. He had to deescalate the situation immediately before he had an all-out cat fight in his office. For Kagura, she would have been fighting for Sesshomaru. It wasn't the same for Kikyo, she would have fought for her own dignity. She wasn't one to stand for being degraded. With that, she had nothing to lose except her own self-respect, and he was confident she probably would've been the victor.

"Kagura, I am just now finishing up. I will meet you at home, I have to close up the office."

"I was dropped off by a taxi, I was coming down here to make sure you'd come home with me. You worry about your work too much."

He could feel his own temperament rise, she was a truly wicked woman, "Here are my keys. Go wait downstairs in the car for me. Kikyo go start shutting down your computer so that we can finish up for the night."

'Shut down my computer?' Sesshomaru knew she hadn't turned her computer on the whole time since they'd gotten here. Perhaps he was trying to make sure she stayed so he could say something to her, but what was there to say? She certainly didn't want to speak to him about it. Yet, if she just stormed out without pretending to mess with her computer, would Kagura have assumed something was going on?

"I can wait for you up here Sesshomaru," Kagura eyed Kikyo as she spoke. She was not trusting of Kikyo.

Kikyo hadn't even waited for them to squabble about it. She went off to pretend to mess with her computer.

"Kagura you know I don't like you in my office messing around with things while I'm working. I will be down in 15 minutes' tops. Go wait." Kagura growled under her breath as she snatched the keys from him. She made her leave not before glaring at Kikyo on her way out.

Once Kikyo was sure Kagura had made it into the elevator she tried to make it out the door to the stairs before Sesshomaru stopped her. She wasn't fast enough and she felt him grab her arm, stopping her from her escape.

"Kikyo wait." He sounded desperate.

"Wait for what?"

"We need to talk."

"Talk? Talk about what? You're married. There's nothing to talk about. Nothing even happened for us to talk about, and nothing will ever happen for there to be something to talk about."

He tightened his hold on her, "Kikyo just stop. Look at me."

Against her wishes she turned around to face him, giving him a look that would have ended him if the world worked differently. "Speak your peace so I may go."

"I didn't want you to find out like this."

"So you were purposefully hiding her from me?"

"No, of course not. There was just never an appropriate time to mention her and you never asked if I was married."

Kikyo held up her arm to point to the hand grabbing her, "Then where is your ring?"

"I never wear my ring; you can ask anyone in the office that. You can ask anyone in the office that's been here more than a year, about Kagura, and they know she's my wife. She's not a secret. She comes into the office occasionally throughout the year."

"You never wear your ring? So, this is something you've done to all your other secretaries?"

He let her arm go, "No. I haven't done anything with my other secretaries or even done anything with you." He couldn't control it. He was getting angry with her. Why wouldn't she just calm down and listen to him?

"You're right. You've done nothing with me. So, what are we having this conversation for? What do you want from me?"

In that moment, his anger vanished. What did he want from her? He did almost break his vows, but that was the key word. Almost. He considered himself an honorable man, and in the five years he's been with Kagura he's never once cheated on her or considered it. This shouldn't be any different. He was a married man. Even if he was going to, it was clear that Kikyo wasn't going to help him. The question wasn't what he wanted from her, it's what he didn't want from her but had to deal with.

"I don't want anything from you Kikyo. I saw you were upset about meeting Kagura that way. I don't know if I've given you the wrong impression, but I was not implying I wanted to cheat on my wife."

She would have been upset either way. If he wanted her or not, but she didn't plan for it to hurt like it did. He was saying what was true to him. What did she expect? What did she want him to say? That he wanted her despite being with Kagura? To beg for her to understand him? She wasn't that kind of woman, and wasn't about to be that kind of woman now.

"No, Sesshomaru. I think I've given you the wrong impression. I am your secretary, and I have not implied or pursued any type of relationship other than that. Goodnight." Kikyo resumed her exit to the stairs. Her body ached all over, but she wasn't going to fall apart in the stairwell like this. She was going to go home and study.

Kagura watched Kikyo leave to her car. She couldn't decipher the mood she left in. She knew Sesshomaru had a new secretary, but she hadn't known that secretary looked like Kikyo. Kagura did get jealous over the women who got to spend time with Sesshomaru when she couldn't but she never felt insecure about herself until now. She didn't catch them in any scandalous act, but she felt that they were too comfortable when she walked in.

Shortly after Kikyo left, Sesshomaru had come out with his things. When he got into the car Kagura could sense his anger with her. She's suddenly dropped in on him before, throughout their life together. Today was the first time he's been angry with her about it, or with her in general. Usually he's just annoyed and bothered. Before he could start off on her she reached over the center counsel to grab Sesshoumaru's face and she kissed him.

He wasn't pleased with her today. He pushed her off him, "What are you doing Kagura? Explain yourself."

"Why are you so upset? You were ignoring all my calls and texts. You haven't stayed this late in a while without saying anything, and I was worried. I came to check on you."

"You came in and harassed my secretary." He hadn't stuck up for Kikyo earlier, but he was going to make up for it now.

"Why do you care?"

"Naraku has never once made a decent hire. Kikyo is the first promising secretary I've had, and she does everything perfectly. I don't need you coming in there and running her off because you feel threatened. My work is important, and is not something you can interfere with."

"I don't feel threatened," she hissed. She was lying, but she didn't want him to know that. "She's the one who got an attitude with me. Anyways, you should know better than to step out on me."

Has she gone insane? "I'd watch your threats woman. I've been a faithful husband, and you would know if I hadn't. Get off your high horse and be quiet for the rest of the ride. I'm done with you for the night."

Kagura bit her lip in anger. It hurt to have him so upset with her. She had always loved him and cherished him, there was no reason for him to treat her this way. Kikyo was the only catalyst. He was right though. He hadn't cheated on her, ever. He had done nothing adulterous tonight either. That's why she kissed him. To taste what he tasted like. To smell how he smelt. Nothing was different. Kikyo scent was lingering slightly, but all his secretaries did considering they worked closely together. None of this reassured her though. She felt like she already lost him.

Sesshomaru could sense Kagura's uneasiness with him. He had never been the doting concerned husband, and he wasn't going to start now. Even if he knew he was in the wrong. She didn't do anything wrong. She did occasionally drop in on him to take him home when it got too late. It always irritated him, but tonight was different. It was different because she had ruined everything with Kikyo. Their relationship would never be the same. He had accepted he couldn't pursue her in an intimate sense, but he still needed her in his life. She brought a sense of purpose in his life he had been missing. He pined for the smallest touch from her. If Kagura hadn't shown up, would he have discovered a whole new world in her lips. He would never find out now. It was all gone.