A/N: So it has been a long time. I'm sorry, I really am. My son just turned 2 and life has been busy here. I've been wanting to post this chapter for awhile now, just had to get it all out! Anyway, on to Chapter 2! Oh, btw, please review! I love, love, LOVE input and I was sad that I didn't get any for the first chapter. The only reason I continued were the readers who favorited me and/or this story, y'all rock!

~~~SL~~~

It had been a month. His life was starting to fall apart at the seams. He couldn't sleep, always replaying their night together in his dreams. But they were different somehow. He was more of an observer rather than living it. He spent night after night on that corner, arriving after 8 pm and not leaving until well past 4 am. Then he collapsed in his bed and the dream started again. He'd wake up to his alarm at 7 am and force himself into the shower and off to work.

It was no better there. Inuyasha was furious that he refused to come clean about whatever it was that was making him so... Un-Sesshomaru-like. Every morning, the hanyou watched him come to work and he'd slam his office door, making poor Ayame jump a foot and let out a small squeak in surprise. He didn't even feel bad about it, the stupid wolf demon should have gotten used to it by now in his opinion.

Miroku was avoiding the entire situation. He usually answered to Inuyasha anyway, so avoiding the taiyoukai in charge was relatively easy on a normal day. However, apparently today was not a normal day. His morning coffee was interrupted by a soft knock on his door, followed by the entrance of the very attractive wolf youkai Sesshomaru had recently hired as his receptionist. "Ah, the beauty Ayame. To what do I owe such a pleasure?"

" would like to see you in his office. Immediately." She responded, his flattery ignored. She was informed upon hire that Miroku was the biggest pervert around, even though he was actually a monk and from a long line of them. While anyone could see the good man underneath, the pervert on the outside wasn't worth dealing with.

"Inuyasha sent you to tell me that?" He asked, confused. I knew he was mad at Sesshomaru, but using his personal receptionist is a bit much.

She smiled softly. "No, Mr. Sesshomaru Takahashi. He told me not to return without you."

The Monk's almost purple colored eyes widened. What in the world would Sesshomaru want with him? "Of-Of course, my mistake." He set down his mug and straightened his tie. "Best not keep him waiting then." He sent her a dashing smile before she turned and lead him down the hall. She missed the look of concern that followed.

Miroku wasn't stupid. Sure, he might play dumb sometimes, but he was very good at reading people. Which was exactly why he had been avoiding the tormented demon like the plague. He knew Sesshomaru wasn't all he seemed either. He was not the frozen, heartless man he pretended to be, not to those who he deemed important enough to care about. Like his adopted daughter Rin. She was away at the best boarding school in the country, but when she was around and it was just family and friends, Sesshomaru was a warm, caring man.

Miroku also knew that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru shared more than a father and their coloring. They were both stubborn and hot-headed, Sesshomaru simply possessed better self-control. Neither of them could deal with emotions well either. Today was going to be a long day indeed.

They stopped outside his office door and Ayame nodded at him. She was not stupid and, although new, she knew enough to be certain that, unless her boss wanted her in that room, she wasn't going near it with a ten foot pole. She then turned and hurried back to her desk, not wanting to risk her boss inviting her in. Miroku watched her flee, wishing that he could do the same. Taking a deep breath and putting on his best confident smile, he knocked on the door.

"Enter." The deep voice almost made him jump. One last steel of his confidence later, he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Sesshomaru, what can I do... For... Are you okay?" His smile vanished as he took in the sight of his best friend's brother. Sesshomaru was slumped back in his chair, his cuffs unbuttoned and sleeves rolled to his elbows. The black tie around his neck was pulled loose and the top button of his shirt was undone. His tailored jacket was tossed on the corner of his desk and his normally perfect hair was unkempt, as if he had been continuously running his hand over his forehead and down the back of his head. His hands hung at his sides and his eyes were red from lack of sleep. He hopeless look he gave Miroku in response was nothing he has never seen from the man before. He moved across the room and sat down in the chair in front of him. "What's going on and how can I help?"

Sesshomaru looked at him for a moment, before sighing and looking at his desk with unfocused eyes. "I need you for find someone for me. Address, phone number, work place, everything. I need to you do this quickly as well as secretly. Not only can this person not know you are looking for them, but no one else is to know you are either." Purple eyes met amber as he looked at him. "Inuyasha especially. If he asks, you were given a top secret assignment directly from me and if he has a problem with it, he can address me personally. He is also barred from punishing you in any way for refusing to tell him, assigning you elsewhere or terminating your employment."

Miroku studied him as he spoke. This was obviously important and the source of the man's problem. "So someone is missing? And you've been out looking every night, which explains your exhaustion. Why haven't you contacted the police? Surely a detective could do this task better than I can."

"She is not missing. I just do not know her location." Miroku blinked.

"Alright... How do you know her?"

This question was met with silence. Sesshomaru continued to stare at the monk as he thought about his situation. How much could he trust this pervert? He looked over Miroku's shoulder and caught sight of himself in a large mirror behind his door. Seeing the state of himself, he took a deep breath and began to tell his story.

~~~SL~~~

"So we're going?" Sango asked as she tried to keep up with the melting cone of strawberry ice cream in her hand.

Kagome smiled, nodding. "Yeah, let's go out tonight. Call the guys, see who is up for a night on the town." She rolled her eyes and laughed as Sango whipped out her phone and texted with her free hand, trying to eat her ice cream with the other.

After a few minutes, the chiming of Sango's phone signaled the start of a hopefully enjoyable night. Shippo was coming, so long as he could get off work in time. He also mentioned bringing a friend or two, if they could come. Koga was more than happy to come, but less happy that his very clingy and not really his girlfriend girlfriend was coming too. They were complicated, her wanting him, him wanting to Kagome and Kagome not really very interested in him. She liked the girl though, and hoped her persistence won out in the end, she was a sweet thing. Along with them was Koga's cousins Ginta and Hakkaku, both Kagome adored. They treated her like family, even though they understood how Kagome really felt.

Plans having been made, the girls finished their frozen treats and decided that some retail therapy was in order. Besides, they needed new outfits for the club. Kagome did her best to lock her little Sesshomaru box up tight in the back of her mind. No use worrying about it now and ruining the day for her friends.

Shop after shop, Kagome was getting frustrated. She was usually a clothes horse, not able to leave any store she set foot in without 2 or 3 items. But today, she couldn't find anything she liked. After the first dozen or so shot-down suggestions, Sango and Kirara decided to let her deal with it herself. Just as she was about to give up, she happened to look at the store across the mall to her right. She gasped loudly, stopping in her tracks and causing a 3 girl pile up, as Kirara and Sango were following behind her and didn't see her stop.

"Kagome! Watch it!" Sango righted herself and gave her friend a dirty look. "Why did you stop?"

"Look..." Kagome mumbled, walking toward the display window. On the front most mannequin was a dress. It was a light green that made her skin look flawless and her chocolate eyes pop. The dress had a halter top and hung mid-thigh, a small slit up each side. She knew this dress, she'd worn it once before. "It's my dress..."

Sango looked at the dress. "It's pretty, but I've never seen you wear it before, you already have it?"

"Kagome... From your dream?" Kirara asked softly and smiled when her friend nodded.

"Oh hell, that dream again? You probably saw it in a magazine." Sango snorted, rolling her eyes.

Her friends didn't respond. Kirara rolled her eyes and Kagome darted into the store. She asked an employee, who informed her that it was the last one in stock. She bought it right off the mannequin, not even wanting to try it on. It would fit, she knew it. She ignored Sango's huffing and muttering as she swiped her card. She knew that she just didn't understand and she was going to let it slide, for now. "Come on ladies, let's look for shoes!" She called to them as she left the store. Her outlook was significantly better. Sure, Sango could have been right, but she had a gut feeling that she wasn't. Maybe, just maybe, this was meant to be.

~~~SL~~~

Miroku was letting it all sink in. When he came to work that morning, he did not expect his Lord of a boss to confide in him about anything. If someone had told him it would happen, he would have told them to get some serious help. Sesshomaru's story was a bit crazy, he had to admit. But something about it called to the monk's trust in fate. He knew there was no such thing as chance and everything happened for a reason. Looking at this poor man now, he knew that he had to help him find this dream girl. Because he knew she must have been real. Not because Sesshomaru claimed to have seen her, but because Miroku knew that Sesshomaru was suffering from loss. Dog demons like Sesshomaru are the most loyal partners one could ever wish to find. And when one finds their soul mate, not being with them is physically painful. One look at the man in front of him was proof enough for him. "So." He said, leaning toward his boss. "We know her first name, a fairly common woman's name these days. We know she's a teacher, but not at which school-"

"Elementary teacher." Sesshomaru said, nodding.

"Right, okay... She's got black hair and brown eyes, like most of the local population. She petit with curves, fairly normal build... How am I going to find her?" Miroku sighed, shaking his head. "It's not much to go on. In school, I knew at least 3 Kagome's..."

Sesshomaru sighed, standing up and walking to his window. He look down at the city streets below and shook his head. "I don't know."

Nodding, Miroku stood up and smiled at his boss. "Don't worry Sesshomaru. One way or another, I'll find her." Sesshomaru said nothing as Miroku excused himself from the room. He made his way back to his office and closed his door, sitting down at his desk and staring blankly at his computer screen. "Now what?" He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. His day had only begun hours before and he was already praying for quitting time.