Hi guys! Here's a little Valentine treat! This chapter didn't start with the intention of being a 'Valentine's Day' chapter but one time, I looked at the calendar and I was like, "Hey! Valentine's Day is coming up and this chapter is a bit fitting! What timing!"

Thank you for reading and as always, constructive criticisms are welcome!

I love you all and I hope you have a great Valentine's day no matter if you're single, in a relationship, married. Let's all give lots of love today, and every day :*

THIRTY NINE

"We have plenty of time before the production meeting for the concert. Let's get a bite to eat, it's way past lunch and you didn't have any of the snacks they offered back there, just coffee," Sesshoumaru told Kurenai as they headed out of an office building fresh off a meeting with her real estate agent for a few investment prospects.

It's been a few days since the siblings jumped back into days packed with music, meetings, rehearsals and business that allowed them reprieve from the ache of waking up to one less bark echoing in the house, one less dog bowl to fill with dog food and one less pitter patter of paws on the ground.

At the same time, Sesshoumaru has been completely immersed into his role as executive assistant. He'd be lying if he said that modern day business dealings do not baffle him especially when they seem to be skipping from one stone to another in a snap, but with Kurenai, Ren and even Miguel's patience, he's steadily easing into it.

Between him and Sango as Kurenai's assistants and bodyguards, Kurenai usually only takes him to business meetings like today because she doesn't like having an entourage when doing business and she can take care of small personal stuff when she's out. She needs Sango more for errands that makes running the household lighter when she gets home.

The mountain of work is actually easier for Sesshoumaru to handle compared to being under the microscope that is Mavick Walry. Mavick stayed in the Moretti home for a few days as expected and Sesshoumaru's been subjected to his appraisal during his stay. It was especially intense when Sesshoumaru and Kurenai have their one-on-one sit downs, the daiyoukai's actually impressed that he's able learning anything amidst the suffocating ocean gaze on him.

"Hm. I'm not really hungry." She looked up from her phone, "But let's grab your favorite By The Wayburger for you on the way."

The adorable smile on Kurenai's face caused by the fact that Sesshoumaru has grown fond of her era's food made the daiyoukai's chest tighten and it's all he could do to stop himself from finding out if her lips tasted like the strawberries they smelled like.

But this is not the time to be smitten, "Kurenai, you haven't been eating properly. I understand that you have some diet restrictions in preparation for your performance but I'm quite certain that living off of green juice and coffee is not gonna help you be at your best."

"I'll eat at the meeting, I promise."

The daiyoukai looked at her, skeptic. "You're aware of how highly I value someone's sworn word. You must to follow through."

The miko sighed and raised her hand, "I swear, I'll eat."

"Well then, no time like the present." A silver Toyota timely stopped in front of them and Kurenai stood flabbergasted as Sesshoumaru casually opened the backseat door.

"Get in." the daiyoukai urged with a smirk while red eyes blinked at him.

"That's not my car."

"I called an Uber."

"When?"

"While you're saying goodbye to your agent."

"What about my car? I could've driven instead."

"No, you have a tendency to go off course. Ren will pick us up from the restaurant, drive us back here and we'll head to the meeting together."

Kurenai crossed her arms over her chest, "You're showing off."

Sesshoumaru shrugged his shoulders, "I'm just doing my job."

Her lips spread into a grin and tried to hide it by looking down at her feet. "You get an A for persuasion, I'll give you that." She's still smiling as she looked back up at him.

"I'm aiming for a higher grade than that." Her eyebrows creased at his cryptic words and smirk.

"Look man, if you can't persuade her to get in, you'll get an F from me." The impatient remark dissolved the daiyoukai's playfulness into a scowl and Kurenai felt bummed out herself that their exchange was cut short but they are delaying the man who's trying to make a living so she quickly hopped in the car.

Sesshoumaru refused to tell her where they're going but it didn't matter, she hasn't been in high spirits in quite a while for an understandable reason but she wanted to bask in the thrilled anticipation stirring in her stomach for however long it lasts.

"This place is great Sesshoumaru. Good call," Kurenai said before chomping on a forkful of avocado toast.

The daiyoukai's relieved that the restaurant lived up to its Yelp reviews and his miko looked very pleased. Denim The Eatery is a small yet charming restaurant tucked along Pico Blvd. It's oozing with what Kurenai called "cowboy" vibes and feels quite homey as well. They chose to dine outside since there's more space between the tables so even if their conversation swings to the Feudal era side of things, other diners won't overhear easily.

"I just wish we learned about this place before I started the meal plan."

Sesshoumaru's forkful of barbecued beef stopped its journey into his mouth when he noticed Kurenai staring at it longingly with her fork tucked between her lips. Realizing he noticed her, she chuckled.

"Sorry about that, but those ribs look so good and the smell! Oh my God." The daiyoukai almost choked at her ardent declaration, especially the way the last sentence came out. Damn it, how does his mind convert a statement about food into something sensual?

He took a few cold sips of water to hopefully cool his head then replied, "It's not like you can't have some right?"

"True, I can eat lean red meat but I usually avoid red meat altogether to be safe."

The sheer discipline and dedication Kurenai has in preparing for their big performance is something Sesshoumaru admired. It's no secret that the woman LOVES food. She often eats balanced meals but she's not afraid of indulging herself with the not-so-healthy stuff, so her diet program for a healthy voice and body is a bit of a torture. It's hard to watch her long for a slice of cheesy pizza, a few scoops of ice cream or in this case, a juicy grilled meat. But she sticks with the program and her restraint is incredible. Ren already has a healthier diet than Kurenai on normal days so it wasn't a difficult transition for him.

She also religiously works out and goes on hikes with her brother and the dogs. She's conscious to not put too much strain on her ankle because even if it's basically healed, it's not back to its former strength and the last thing she needs is injuring it again before the big day.

"That's why I chose this place. They have a great selection of food that could cater to your meal plan and they fortunately live up to the reviews," he said.

Kurenai smiled, pride twinkling in her eyes. "You sifted this gem of a place off Yelp efficiently. It's really amazing how quick you picked up on the tech stuff. But how about the rest of the job? Are you sure you want to continue doing it?"

Sesshoumaru sighed, it still hasn't sunk in to Kurenai that he's willingly working for her. He can sense her guilt whenever she assigns him tasks and he understands why, but he just wants her to believe in his intentions to support her.

"We've been at this for over a week Kurenai, I believe you've known me well enough to agree that if I didn't like doing this I would've stepped down long ago," he popped a French fry into his mouth.

"Maybe your ego just won't let you step down."

He stopped chewing and stared at her, she really is something else to have the guts to call him out with a straight face.

"I think if it was myself in the past, continuing with the job is more damaging to my ego."

"True. What changed then?" she asked.

Sesshoumaru knows what or to be precise, who changed everything and he yearns to tell her but he didn't want to give her another shock amidst all the other emotions she's yet to deal with.

{My, my, the ferocious daiyoukai, Sesshoumaru being considerate.} echoed a guttural mockery in his head.

Sesshoumaru stopped himself from scowling, /Didn't we agree that you will not interfere unless I commit a mistake?/ he snapped.

{I'm not interfering, I'm complimenting you!} his beast then sighed in relief, {She's finally eating well. Thank Heavens.}

/Indeed./

"Uhm, Sesshoumaru?" Kurenai called out and his vision zoomed in on the bewildered look on her face. "You okay?"

He cleared his throat, "Yes of course. I got too engrossed thinking of an answer."

"Judging by the look of satisfaction on your face, it's a good one."

"It's nothing complicated," he set his utensils on his plate before lacing his fingers together and looking straight at her. "I'm fascinated by how your world works. By the tremendous things you and your brother achieved and how you achieved them. I believe it's a waste to have access to such incredible knowledge and not explore it."

She nodded, "Of course. I mean, you always give the impression that you know everything but now I see that it's because you're a curious one and you always satisfy that curiosity." She smiled while digging into her lettuce and chicken breast. "You know, when you answered so formally, it made me miss how you used to say 'this Sesshoumaru' instead of 'I' or 'me'"

Sesshoumaru froze, did he hear her right? Or is his mind tricking him with what he hoped to hear? "But didn't you guys tell me to stop referring to myself as such?" he asked through knitted brows.

"That wasn't my idea." She pointed the fork at him. "But dad does have a point about people being reluctant towards dealing with an assistant who refers to himself in a superior manner. They have no idea that you're entitled to doing so and we can never tell them."

"But you wish that I still refer to myself that way?"

Confusion flashed in her eyes, she sensed the hint of urgency behind his question. "Well yeah, it's what makes you you—the nobility you're born with, your powers, your strength, your expertise in battle, you deserve to regard yourself highly. I honestly feel bad that we stripped that away from you in a snap."

Her answer took the daiyoukai's breath away. He never cared that demons and humans regarded him as a cold, vicious demon because that's what he believed as well, and yet, he's never felt more understood until he discovered how Kurenai's scarlet eyes saw him. She understands him with such depth that she could accept even the parts of him that people despised.

"But I'm not gonna lie, your arrogance was sickening when we first met and even I thought you're a massive jerk," she added.

Sesshoumaru wasn't offended by the admission. She's still going easy on him because he was more than a jerk back then. He almost killed her! He couldn't be anymore grateful to the powers that saved the life of the woman he loves on that day . . .

Wait.

Did he just?

Love?

Huh.

Guess it shouldn't be surprising since Kurenai has steadily grown to be an invaluable existence to Sesshoumaru.

He loves her.

Beyond physical attraction, beyond the primal desire to have her as his mate, beyond wanting her to mother his pups. She's so precious to him that there's nothing he wouldn't do to see her happy and make her feel safe.

The powerful beings, dead and living, that knew the daiyoukai back then would definitely find it laughable how this emotion that he used to dismiss as a weakness now makes him feel indestructible. It made him think back to the first words Ren told him, that compassion grants someone strength they've never known before. Seems like it's true.

But as much as he wanted to declare his love for her, this is not the right time. Kurenai has other emotions that she needs to sort out first before she can properly confront his feelings towards her.

For now, he's content that his affections for her, though undeclared, seems to be getting her in high spirits even through adversity.

Along with Sesshoumaru's immense gratitude for Kurenai's existence in his life came realizations of what would have been grave consequences of his past self's actions and his soul couldn't bear the thought of it.

"I was more than an arrogant jerk back then, I endangered your life, and it's too late to tell you this, I've never told this to anyone before actually, but I truly am sorry Kurenai for what I did back then."

Kurenai was caught off guard by Sesshoumaru's sudden remorse. She did open the subject, but no one would've expected him to take her admission to heart and on top of that, offer the first apology of his life!

She smiled at him reassuringly, "You saved my life too, Sesshoumaru. I forgave you long ago."

"I understand but you still deserve an actual apology from me," the daiyoukai insisted.

Sesshoumaru's somber expression made Kurenai think of droopy dog ears and puppy dog eyes. Her heart ached with the reminders of her beloved Nimbus but she also felt the desire to soothe Sesshoumaru himself and just hug him but she doesn't know how he'll react to it so she just held his arm firmly.

"We have a saying here Sesshoumaru: 'Actions speak louder than words.' You didn't attempt to hurt me after that and you even saved my life. That's as good an apology as any because anybody can say they're sorry a million times, but it doesn't mean anything if they continue doing the thing that hurts the other person. Besides, here you are taking care of me," she said, motioning her hand up and down at Sesshoumaru. "Talk about redemption right? But if this is what you need, then . . . I forgive you Sesshoumaru."

"Thank you." he replied and she watched his features relax while he carried on with his meal.

When it came time for dessert, Kurenai watched fondly as Sesshoumaru devoured a scrumptious plate of French toast, partly because she's drooling over it and partly because she can't help but imagine his invisible moko-moko wiggling with every sweet bite.

This has to be the first time they sat together just the two of them without the pressure of work hanging over them and just enjoyed each other's company. They talked about random things and it's refreshing because she sped through the past week with indifference that she barely remembers anything that happened.

"I never thought I'd say this but thank you for dragging me out here Sesshoumaru," she told him. "I really enjoyed myself."

Kurenai's heart swelled when Sesshoumaru's eyes seemed to explode with stars. He's happy. Happy that she enjoyed herself and happy that he caused it and if Kurenai thought intense Sesshoumaru's gorgeous, man, happy Sesshoumaru's damn irresistible. The miko had to make an effort to cool down the heat stirring in her core. Inappropriate K, she chided herself.

"I'm glad you did, and I'm glad you ate very well. I'm sure the others will be happy to know," he stated.

"Yeah, I got everyone worried about me."

"You have your own process of grieving Kurenai and we understand, but we can't take it when you neglect your well-being."

She nodded, "I know. I'm thankful that you guys gave me my space and I'm also grateful that you called me out on my recklessness. You're on your way to being a great assistant," she teased.

"Aren't I already?" Sesshoumaru smirked.

Kurenai playfully rolled her eyes, "Oh, there it is. The signature Sesshoumaru cockiness."

"It's not cockiness if my boss regularly praises me."

"Well maybe she's just being polite." Sesshoumaru's jovial disposition fell. Oops. Kurenai wanted to kick herself. She enjoyed the exchange so much and the way his eyes glowed with delight that she didn't think he would take it seriously. "I'm kidding Sesshoumaru. You're exceptional at the job."

His face broke into a smirk and mischief twinkled in his eyes, "Of course I am. Never doubted it for a second."

Kurenai's eyes flared, "Oh my God! You demon!" she playfully smacked his arm before chuckling herself.

"Looks like you guys are having fun." They turned to see Ren approach their table, looking pleased with the scenario while Inuyasha, Ren's security detail for today, trailed behind him looking grim.

"Hey brother, hey Inuyasha. Come sit!" She pulled her bag off the chair beside her.

His sister looked so radiant and of course Ren wants to be in this moment with her, but thought a fuming Inuyasha at the table may not be a good idea.

Turns out, Ren thought wrong. It seems Inuyasha understood the importance of the situation and quietly sat beside Kurenai. It may be killing him that his detested older brother made it happen, but the hanyou's still grateful to see his bestfriend happy and he doesn't have it in him to ruin it.

Ren took the seat beside Sesshoumaru, ordered coffee for himself and French toast for Inuyasha, and even though the inuyoukai brothers were quiet most of the time, the sprightly atmosphere stayed and they relished it.