Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. If I did, Sessh would never have on a shirt, in the entire series.

Kagome tried to draw a breath, but the panic enveloping her prevented her from breathing deeply. She began gasping for air- the dark. 'I hate the dark,' she thought frantically. The pitch black of the enclosed space pressed down on her. She knew, in the calmer, more rational corners of her mind, that there was nothing bad inthe elevator with her; the only other person on the elevator owned the casino, for kami's sake! Surely they would be rescued soon. They had to be. Her thoughts raced, along with her pulse and her breathing.

Across the elevator, Sesshomaru took note of the Kagomes panicked state. His instincts demanded he calm her. "Are you alright?" The question was horribly abrupt. He knew damned well she wasn't, but his fight to keep his instincts from taking control kept him from gentling his words.

"Oh, yeah, sure, I'm fine. Totally fine." The sarcasm lacing her voice and the hysterical giggle that accompanied it belied her words. Sesshomaru sighed quietly and crossed the elevator to her. He could see outlines and general shapes in the darkness, but no more- even his enhanced sight wasn't enough to see well in the all consuming darkness of the stopped elevator. He paused next to the control panel and fumbled for the call button. When nothing happened, he sighed and continued over to the tiny female. He laid his hand on her shoulder and she jumped, startled.

"Kami! Are you trying to scare me to death?"

Sesshomaru reminded himself he was stuck with her- he couldn't kill her merely for being annoying. Too bad, that; he generally found humans to be annoying. "No. I did not wish to scare you. I assumed you would hear my approach."

"Yeah, well, since you walk about as loudly as a cat, I didn't."

If the lights were on, Kagome would have seen his eyes narrow and his body stiffen. His very posture radiated anger. How dare this woman compare him to a lowly housecat? He was an Inuyoukai, a Taiyoukai, to be precise! He was infinitely better than a mere housecat. Besides, cats were arrogant and cold.He felt he couldn't be nearly as poorly behaved as a cat. Kagome shivered under his hand, drawing his attention back to the present.

"You have nothing to fear from the dark."

"Tell that to my subconscious." She shivered again, and huddled closer into herself. "The call button- there's a call button, we need to find it."

"I tried it on my way over here. It's broken."

Kagome moaned, the sound completely devoid of hope. She sank to the floor in her corner and curled into a ball, wrapping her arms around her upraised knees. Sesshomaru hesitated, then sniffed the air. The scent of her fear was permeating the space. He had no clue what triggered her terror, but it clearly was overwhelming her. He sank to the ground next to her and laid one arm across her shoulders. She paused for a moment, then threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Sesshomaru had no clue what had just happened. The small woman was now half in his lap, and half out of it, her delicate arms snugly embracing his torso. The feeling of her so close to him immediately aroused his beast instincts. The youkai side of him desperately wanted to draw her closer and pull her firmly onto his lap, comforting her and easing her fears. He fought to control the instinct, to keep the woman where she was.

Kagome sniffled and buried her face in his chest. Sesshomaru could smell her tears. Her body was still tense and her terror was still very real. He sighed, and pulled her slightly away from him, tipping her face up to his.

"Woman, what makes you so fearful?"

Kagomes answer was a mutter, one much to quiet for even Sesshomaru to make out.

"Repeat yourself."

It was her anger at his rough tone that allowed Kagome to answer him in a more audible tone. "It's the dark."

"Why do you fear the dark?"

He felt her shrug. Clearly, this fear of the dark was an irrational one and one that she would not overcome right at that moment. In what he told himself was an attempt to distract her, he bent his head and gently laid his lips on hers. He meant for the kiss to remain light and easy- simply a stimulant to keep her from thinking of the dark. His beast had other plans. In moments, the feel of her lips beneath his and her arms wrapped around his form had his eyes turning red around the edges. He wanted this woman. For two days he had told himself that this didn't matter, that her status as a human meant he would not indulge himself in her presence. Clearly, once the opportunity to be near her arose, his beast meant for it to last.

He pulled her fully into his lap, his arms sliding around her waist. His lips slanted over hers, taking possession of her mouth. Kagome moaned, allowing her lips to fall open. He immediately took advantage of the opening, and slipped his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues dueled for dominance, each struggling to have the upper hand. Her arms unwound from his waist and she slid her hands up his chest, feeling the strength in his muscles. His muscles quivered under her hands and she rejoiced in her ability to make the stoic man feel. He slid a hand under the hem of her dress and slid his palm across her upper thigh, and smirked when she groaned against his mouth. He wished for a moment that he could show his claws. He wanted to run the tips of his claws over her back and have her arch against him in pleasure. Instead, he ran the tip of one finger under the back edge of her silk panties, reveling in the soft skin there. He got the reaction he desired, Kagome arching her back and pressing herself fully to his front. He purred at the feeling of contact, the soft rumbling sound filling his chest.

She struggled to think, and pulled back from his seeking mouth. She never threw herself at men. She had never had sex, either. She rarely dated and never kissed a man she wasn't involved with. It was so difficult to think about all the reasons she shouldn't be in the position she was in as Sesshomaru's lips found her throat, his tongue lapping at her pulse point. Her ability to think rationally was rapidly disappearing, and with it, her desire to think at all. Her mind was as overwhelmed as her body; the sensations rushing through her were completely new and oh, so fascinating. She turned slightly, her maneuver allowing Sesshomaru's hand to slip further under her panties, his palm now caressing the globe of her ass. The new position also allowed her to tangle her hand in his hair, holding his mouth to her throat. Her free hand went for the buttons on his shirt, struggling to undo them, passion making her hands unsteady.

Understanding what it was she was after, he moved his free hand to his shirt front, and brushed hers out of the way. In the space of a breath, he had the top four buttons undone and grabbed her hand and replaced it on his chest, pressing her small palm onto the naked flesh that was now exposed. She wondered at the feel of it, the smooth, silky skin, with the taut muscles lying right under the surface. She dragged her fingers across his skin, her nails lightly scraping him. The light sting of her nails instantly faded, pushed him over the edge. Suddenly, Sesshomaru moved and Kagome found herself lying on her back, held in place by the weight of the large man between her thighs. With one of his hands, he grabbed both of hers and forced them over her head. His other hand roamed her body, grabbing the bottom hem of her dress and pushing it upwards. The silken material pooled around her waist, the rough texture of the carpet on the elevator floor pressed into the bare globes of her butt. Sesshomaru had pulled the sides in; turning the bikini cut lace into a thong in his attempts to get closer to her.

He hooked one finger under the top edge of the dress and pushed it lower, freeing her pert breasts. She was well built for a woman of her petite stature. He liked women with curves that fit their body- too small didn't seem feminine enough, to big just came off as vulgar. Kagome's curves, in his mind, were utterly perfect. He bent his head and dragged his tongue across the left nipple. Kagome arched up, her back lifting off the ground and her hips pressing against his. The bulge of his arousal pressed into her stomach, sending a thrill through her. She had done that. She made him want a single minded intensity

He bent his head to suckle the nipple he had already dampened, his free hand caressing the other breast. He was absorbed in his task, his only thoughts involving ways to get her completely naked and utterly under his control. The earth itself moved with the force of their passion. Suddenly logical thought reentered his mind. The earth did move for something as petty as a moment of passion. The elevator was moving again. He pulled back from Kagome, and she moaned at the loss of his weight. The gold of his eyes flashed red for a brief moment, but he managed to repress it and pull away from the small woman.

"Onna, the elevator is moving. The lights shall be on again in a moment."

Sesshomaru's cold voice invaded the luxurious haze filling Kagome's mind. She scrambled backwards, away from his heat, shivering slightly at the loss. She frantically pulled her dress back into place, blushing as she realized how far they had gone. She had been lost to logic, controlled completely by her feelings.

The elevator returned to the ground floor, called there by the mechanic who had come to free the occupants of the elevators. The doors opened to a cold and composed Sesshomaru, his gold eyes once again hard and uncaring. Kagome looked composed and put together on the surface, but her eyes showed her lack of comfort. The manager on duty came over from a group who had apparently been trapped on a different elevator.

"We are so very sorry for the inconvenience. The power outage blew the fuse to the elevators, so when the backup generator came on, it took a bit to get them moving again. They are working fine now, and you make take any them back up if you want." The manager smiled and shook hands with a tired Kagome. Sesshomaru merely stared at the offered hand with a cold look. The manager stuttered out another apology and slinked off to make things good with yet another group had been stuck on one of the many elevators.

Kagome turned back to the elevators, hit the up button, entered and watched the doors close. A sleek, elegant hand stopped the doors progress. She groaned inwardly- the ass just had to share her elevator again. The kamis hated her. She was sure of it. If the power went again… well, she wasn't sure what she would do, but she was pretty sure there would be men in white coats and strait jackets involved as a result.

Sesshomaru entered the elevator, speared her with a look, then promptly ignored her as the elevator began its ascent.

"How dare you?!" Kagome could no longer control her temper. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides and anger stiffened her posture. This man's audacity was astounding.

"Excuse me?" His frosty tone was a far cry from the warm, passionate noises he had been making only minutes before.

"How can you kiss me like that and act like a total ass only a minute later?"

Sesshomaru merely stared at her for a moment, breathing deeply. Kagome was convinced he was ignoring her, but in reality, he was drawing in the scent of her arousal, which still permeated the air of the elevator. He, who was so used to having complete and utter control over himself and his emotions at all times, was overwhelmed by her scent. Hiding behind the cold mask he used on a daily basis was the best way to maintain a safe distance from the tiny woman. He feared his beast's reaction to her. He had never been so drawn to a person before and he had no clue what it was about this woman in particular that got to him so deeply. His eyes began to bleed red as his beast fought to take control. The woman was near, his instincts said. Take her. He closed his eyes and stepped back, as if to escape her scent which was laced with her current anger and traces of her lingering arousal.

"Excuse me, but are you going to answer me sometime this millennium?" Frustration colored her voice.

Sesshomaru snapped. He crossed the elevator seemingly in a blur, and grabbed her by the shoulders. He peered into her eyes and she noted, as if through a fog, that his eyes that a ring of red around the pupils. He bent his head and sniffed her throat, then growled low in his chest. Before Kagome could wonder at his odd behavior, his tongue darted out to lick her pulse point. White hot need shot through her body, pooling in her groin, sending her arousal spiking. The scent of her increased arousal hit Sesshomaru like a fist to the gut. He groaned then pulled her close. This time the kiss was punishing, fierce. He was compelled to dominate her. He gave her no chance to respond as his tongue slipped through her lips and took complete control of her mouth. She went limp in his arms, her need staggering. A tiny bud of rational thought fought its way to the front of her mind, though. She pushed against his chest. He ignored her attempt to stop the kiss. She pushed again, harder, and turned her head away to force an end. He merely went back to her throat, licking and nipping his way up to her ear. He drew her earlobe into his mouth, drew it lightly through his teeth.

Kagome shivered with need, but reminded herself why this needed to end. The man was an asshole and a menace to society. She pushed away yet again, even harder this time. "Stop!"

Sesshomaru shuddered and pulled back, fighting hard to regain control over his baser instincts. The ningen was right- there was no reason for this to keep occurring. He would maintain his distance from her- a very large distance. If she wasn't near, then he couldn't lose control. Simple. Now, he merely had to stick to that plan and all would be right in his world.

"I apologize."

Kagomes eyes went big. She already knew he wasn't one to apologize freely- clearly he was still rattled from their embrace. Well, embraces if she was going to honest with herself. And they were rather incredibly hot. 'No, bad Kagome!' Her own thoughts were trying to turn on her!

"Apology accepted."

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Kagome quickly slipped off and all but sprinted down the hall to her suite. As the door shut with a firm click behind her, she slumped against the wood and let out a sigh of relief, safe and sound, in her own room, where no one could bug her. The door rattled behind her and someone tried to push it open. She jumped forward and turned to face the door.

Sango. So maybe Kagome wasn't as safe in her own suite as she had thought. Sango was going to want to know details…

"Kags!" Sango threw her arms around her friend, not bothering to care when Kagome merely stood completely still. She was in high drama mode, and damn it, Kagome not wanting to play along was not to kill her fun! "Oh, thank the heavens, you're alive!"

"As is your ability to be the world's biggest drama queen, apparently."

Sango pouted. "You were stuck in an elevator! Surely that calls for some drama." She huffed and stalked over the couch. In a quick movement, she had kicked off her heels and flopped onto the cushions. She patted the seat next to her. "Come on, sit down, and tell Auntie Sango everything."

Kagome snorted, but sat. "You know, I think I liked you better when you were serious all the time."

"Pish. I was no fun, that's what I was. But now that family stuff is resolved, and the stress of school is gone, life can be fun again. Speaking of fun… How was it?"

Kagome froze, panic sneaking through her. How could Sango know what happened in the elevator already?! She struggled to modulate her voice. "How was what?" Her voice cracked a bit on the last word and she prayed Sango didn't notice.

"Being trapped in the elevator with the sexy casino owner. I heard about it from his brother."

"It was no worse than being trapped in a dark elevator by myself."

"Oh, no! I forgot! It must have been pitch black in there. Are you okay?"

"I survived."

Sango paused for a moment, taking in her friends stiff posture and carefully controlled voice. "Something happened. What was it? What went down with the gorgeous billionaire?"

Kagome stared at her friend in horror. "You don't think he's really worth that much, do you? Dear god, I yelled at him. Screamed even! He could destroy our business, couldn't he? Oh, Sango, what have I done?" She was nearly hyperventilating at this point.

"Kags! Breathe. It'll all be fine, I promise."

"You don't know that!" Kagome's voice had reached uncomfortable decibels by the end of her sentence, startling her companion. Sango slapped her hands over her ears.

"Ow!"

Kagome blushed, slouched a bit, and giggled uncomfortably. "Sorry…"

"Now, why did you yell at him?"

Kagome mumbled a completely unintelligible reply.

"Pardon?"

"I said- he kissed me. Happy?"

Sango stared in shock.

"Sango, say something! Anything! You're scaring me."

"How was it and why didn't you tell me that right away?" The words ran together with the speed of her talking, forcing Kagome to spend a moment deciphering her friend's gibberish before she could do anything.

"It was fine, I guess, and I didn't say anything because I knew you'd freak out."

"Uh-huh. You expect me to believe a man who looks like that kisses just 'fine'? Try again."

"Fine. It was… amazing. Earth shattering. He is a complete and total ass and he kisses better than I ever thought possible. Happy?"

"Yes."

"What? Did you miss the part where I called him an ass? Because he is!" Kagome was starting to look even more decisively unhappy than she had. The whole incident had her incredibly confused. Sesshomaru had made her forget where she was and her fear of the dark. No other man had ever made her feel quite like that, and it left her decidedly off balance. Through college, she had dedicated herself to her studies; she wasn't the world's best student when it came to her non-design classes, and she had worked hard to keep her B average. Between the constant studying and long hours in studio, she hadn't had much time left over to bother with dating. The few dates she had gone on had left her convinced it wasn't worth her while, anyways. She had always been attracted to men in a more vague sense, but there had never been a driving attraction to any one man in particular. Now, though…. Sesshomaru was different. She disliked him- intensely- but she wanted him- just as much as she disliked him, in fact. And this wanting left the particularly confused Kagome particularly yearning to be with Sesshomaru.
She sighed.

Sango heard the deep sigh and looked carefully at her best friend. This Sesshomaru guy really had her in knots. Sango personally thought that this was a good thing, but she had a feeling Kagome wasn't so sure about that. She decided to leave Kags alone for now, let her fret by herself. Maybe without outside pressure she'd come to the conclusion Sango had already made- that this guy was perfect for her.

"Go to bed. Forget about the guy and enjoy our vacation, okay?" Sango pulled Kagome off the couch and pushed in the direction of her bedroom. "Go. Read. Sleep. It's all good."

Kagome giggled at her friend's orders and complied, still lost in thought about the sexy, white haired man.

A/N: THANK YOU to all my reviewers. You peeps are the reason I still write this thing. Have a cookie. Sorry this chapter was so long in coming. Tis finals season and school is currently telling me when to draw, when to build shit, when to play with wires. It occasionally lets me eat, and once in a while lets me sleep. There is no time for writing. Hence, the shortness of this chapter. I figured this beat nothing, right? Final crits are in one more week, then I sleep for 2 days, then I write again. So enjoy!