Frowning at the door, Kagome adjusted her sunglasses, hoping the restaurant was obscure enough that none of her classmates would see her and recognize her. Hopefully, she also looked like an older woman. Her frown deepened. He was just so damn conspicuous… She'd spent hours agonizing over what she was going to wear, asking Katy's advice, though it was hard to keep it a secret what she was dressing up for. Ridiculous. The words of his email ran through her head again: Kagome, I would love to meet with you on Saturday. That sounds just fine. I look forward to it. Sesshoumaru

She sighed, waiting for him to arrive, having gotten there early to pick the table, hoping to put herself on the upper hand. Her nerves grew jitterier as she checked her phone for the time. 9:58. He would arrive, she was sure, exactly at 10:00, because that's the type of person Sesshoumaru was.

Leaning down, she rustled through her purse for her lipstick. Kagome gave her reflection a last once-over before resettling herself in her seat. She looked at her phone again. 10:04. He was la—

"Kagome. Good morning." Sesshoumaru's shadow fell across her as he slid fluidly into a seat. He gave her a pleasant smile.

"I never thought you would be the type to be late," Kagome commented almost sourly. He probably did it on purpose, to throw her off.

"Late?" He looked a bit surprised as he checked his watch. "Ah, yes. I suppose I am. I apologise. You haven't ordered yet, have you?"

"No. I haven't." She took a sip of water. "Go ahead and order."

"Are you getting anything?"

"I was thinking about it."

"Oh? What were you going to get?"

"I don't know! They supposedly have good mushroom burgers…"

Sesshoumaru nodded and flagged the waitress who came over, bright smiles, hips swaying. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"I'll have two mushroom burgers. Bill to me, if you please. And a cola. Diet."

Kagome gaped. "N-no!" She waved her hands, protesting. "N-no! Split it please!"

Sesshoumaru winked at the woman and shook his head. "One tab is fine, thank you."

The waitress blushed and walked away.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome hissed. "You are not paying for me!" What was he doing?! Kagome went into panic mode. If he was thinking to put her in his debt, he had another thing coming—

"Don't worry about it. I have a salary. You're a student with an allowance. Allow me to treat you, so you don't have to worry about money."

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, she pushed her sunglasses back up onto her head. "Why."

"Why? Why what?"

"Why are you paying for me? You don't have to."

"Of course, but I was hoping to appease your anger some, and give a demonstration of good will. Is that so surprising?"

"Yes! Yes it is!! It's because it's you!" Kagome growled a sigh and laced her fingers through her hair in an attempt to get a hold of herself. Calm down. Just calm down. She took a deep breath and sat back, folding her hands on the table, straightening her spine. "Listen, Sesshoumaru. Why are you here?" she asked.

His eyebrow arched. "Why? I'm teaching here."

"You know what I mean."

He gave her a bittersweet smile, his voice a bit sour. "Starting with an easy question, are you?"

"If you answer mine, I'll answer yours," Kagome stated. True, she was curious, but more importantly, why was he coincidentally at the same school she was, and why was he so obsessed with gaining her good favour?

"It's a long story, you know. There's no simple answer," he replied, leaning back in his chair. His bangs brushed his cheekbones as he shook his head.

"Of course there isn't," Kagome agreed. There was nearly five hundred years of history here. "I still expect the answer. Tell your story, Sesshoumaru. I'll listen."

"I left Japan years ago," he said softly, his deep voice entering story-telling mode as his honey-amber eyes softened. "Though perhaps I should go back further… Time changes rapidly. I…"

Kagome's face tightened as he paused. "I'm not looking for some pre-rehearsed, edited novel, Sesshoumaru," she explained, the words softer than she had wanted.

"Of course. You're the only person I'll have told this to, you understand."

Kagome nodded, understanding, from the Sesshoumaru she had known, he was a private person, the necessity of privacy even more pressing in his current situation. "Yes, but that doesn't mean that it can't be pre-rehearsed."

His hollow chuckle went through her. "Too true. Anyway. Rin married a human boy. He was killed, she was pregnant. She… nearly miscarried once, but survived. She had the baby, but died in childbirth."

Why he'd started with Rin, Kagome didn't understand, but knowing how the little girl had traveled with him, she knew he must have had great compassion, if not affection, for her.

"Rin was buried next to her husband. I… I raised her daughter." Kagome nearly smiled at the thought of Sesshoumaru as a grandfather. "Rin's girl, Hikari was her name, Hikari died from disease. She was…twenty four."

Her heart tightening, Kagome pictured him. He probably hadn't changed at all while everything changed around him.

"Anyway," he continued, Kagome noticing his discomfort in telling her this. "I left Japan. I went to Africa. I became bored there, so I went and spent time in England and the British Isles. That too, soon bored me. India, Russia, Greenland, and then I migrated to Canada. That was… boring. I came to the United States after my brief stint in Canada. That was about 60 years ago. 1940s. I…"

When he looked up at her, she nodded almost imperceptibly, waiting for him to continue. He, of course, was skipping over a huge amount of details, but she got the gist of what he was saying. He shrugged and gave her an apologetic smile, a strange expression from the dog demon.

"What does that mean?"

"There's nothing more."

"What do you mean 'there's nothing more?' You've been here for 60-70 years and there's nothing more?" Raising her own eyebrow, Kagome leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms.

"I… I haven't really done a whole lot here. I wrote books for a lack of anything else to do. There were only so many I could write. I got into teaching more by accident than anything else. So that's what I've done."

Narrowing her eyes, Kagome gave him a look. "You traveled, wrote books, and teach. Sesshoumaru, there's more than that, I'm sure."

He shrugged and leaned forward, lacing his fingers and leaning his chin on them. "True. But what about you? How about your story?"

Kagome stiffened, nearly blushing at his eyes staring at her. She shook her head. "We'll do my story la—"

"Hello! Here's your food!" The waitress interrupted her, setting their plates down on the table. "I hope you guys enjoy. Feel free to ask me if you need anything else."

"Thank you," Sesshoumaru said as Kagome nodded. When the waitress left, the dog demon looked at Kagome. "How about your story after we eat."

Kagome gave him a reluctant nod, looking away, hoping he would forget about it by the time they were finished eating.

"Don't worry," he continued. "I won't forget." Sesshoumaru smiled and took a bite out of his burger.

Damn! There was no place to park! That was the one thing about college campuses; there was never any place to park—and if you wanted free parking? Forget it. Sesshoumaru drove around the block for the fourth time, having not calculated this into his schedule. Damn it! "Ah!" He stomped on the gas, spying a parking space, maneuvering his car into the small spot. Finally. Jumping out and adjusting his clothing, Sesshoumaru made his way casually towards the restaurant. He was late.

"Kagome," he said as he walked up to the girl who was checking her phone. She was probably peeved. "Good morning." He smiled, hoping to alleviate her tension.

It didn't work. "I never thought you would be the type to be late."

"Late?" He replied, pretending he hadn't noticed the time as he checked his watch. "Ah, yes. I suppose I am. I apologise." He was going to have to work really hard to gain her trust. "You haven't ordered yet, have you?"

"No. I haven't. Go ahead and order."

"Are you getting anything?" Really hard. He sat and took a sip of the water glass that was presumably for him.

"I was thinking about it."

"Oh? What are you going to get?" She certainly wasn't forthcoming with her answers.

"I don't know! They supposed have good mushroom burgers…"

He nodded and flagged the waitress who was quick to respond, swaying her hips to catch his attention. He ignored her flagrant attempts to catch his favour. "I'll have two mushroom burgers. Bill to me, if you please. And a cola. Diet."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl's jaw drop. "N-no!" Her hands waved in protest. "N-no! Split it please!"

Using the woman's appreciation of his appearance to his advantage, Sesshoumaru winked and shook his head. "On tab is fine, thank you." She blushed and ducked her head before walking away.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome hissed, blue eyes spitting fire behind her sunglasses. "You are not paying for me!"

That had backfired, he sighed mentally. "Don't worry about it. I have a salary. You're a student with an allowance. Allow me to treat you, so you don't have to worry about money."

Kagome pushed her sunglasses off of her face, giving him a clearer view of her emotions. "Why."

"Why? Why what?"

"Why are you paying for me? You don't have to."

"Of course, but I was hoping to appease your anger some, and give a demonstration of good will. Is that so surprising?" Obviously, her view of him was greatly out-dated. He'd lived among humans long enough to understand the way they lived and how they thought.

"Yes! Yes it is!! It's because it's you!" The girl gripped her hair in frustration, growling softly. He almost chuckled. After she had regained control of her mental functions, she sat back and met his eyes. "Listen, Sesshoumaru. Why are you here?"

Choosing to misread her question, he replied, "Why? I'm teaching here."

"You know what I mean."

Of course he did, he just preferred not to jump to that… "Starting with an easy question, are you?"

"If you answer mine, I'll answer yours," she said, her voice firm, broking no argument.

"It's a long story, you know. There's no simple answer," he warned her as he leaned back.

"Of course there isn't," she agreed readily. "I still expect the answer. Tell your story, Sesshoumaru. I'll listen."

He smiled to himself. This was what he wanted. Here was the bridge. Here was where they could connect. "I left Japan years ago. Though perhaps I should go back further… Time changes rapidly. I…" Where to start? Pain threatened the corners of his heart as he thought how best to tell it.

"I'm not looking for some pre-rehearsed edited novel, Sesshoumaru," she said, saying the words that he needed, almost as if she understood. Sesshoumaru expected she did.

"Of course. You're the only person I'll have told this to, you understand," he warned her again.

The girl nodded, and Sesshoumaru trusted that she did understand. "Yes, but that doesn't mean that it can't be pre-rehearsed."

"Too true. Anyway." Giving a mirthless laugh, Sesshoumaru nodded and began. "Rin married a human boy. He was killed, she was pregnant. She… nearly miscarried once, but survived. She had the baby, but died in childbirth." This was where his affection for Japan had died. Rin had been the light in his life, the joy. Her happiness gave him pleasure. "Rin was buried next to her husband. I… I raised her daughter. Rin's girl, Hikari was her name, Hikari, died from disease. She was… twenty four." She was so young, so like her mother. So much happiness lost and wasted away, the same with her body. After Hikari had died, there was nothing left in that land. There was no more use for the daiyoukai, the House of the West, his lineage. Youkai were dying out, and so his place in the world was coveted. There was no use in fighting for something he did not want. So he chose to blend. "Anyway, I left Japan… I went to Africa. I became bored there, so I went and spent time in England and the British Isles. That too, soon bored me. India, Russia, Greenland, and then I migrated to Canada. That was… boring. I came to the United States after my brief stint in Canada. That was about 60 years ago. 1940s. I…" He paused, looking up at Kagome, a bit surprised to see her serious blue eyes trained on him. The in between bits weren't so interesting, but he had learned many things, both about humans and about himself. He caught Kagome's nod, and gave her a small shrug and sorry smile.

"What does that mean?" Kagome looked confused.

"There's nothing more."

"What do you mean 'there's nothing more?' You've been here for 60-70 years and there's nothing more?" Kagome leaned back, folding her arms across her chest, giving him a challenging look.

Feeling at a lack for detail, Sesshoumaru continued, "I… I haven't really done a whole lot here. I wrote books for a lack of anything else to do. There were only so many I could write. I got into teaching more by accident than anything else. So that's what I've done."

She still looked suspicious. "You traveled, wrote books, and teach. Sesshoumaru, there's more than that, I'm sure."

Shrugging, the demon leaned forward and laced his fingers, setting his chin atop them. "True." There was more. There had been incidents. He had been required to move, change his appearance, create a new identity… He had had run-ins with humans who had inklings of what he was and there had been deaths. They got too close. There were women… Only a very few, and none could be kept too close, so they always left in the end. "But what about you? How about your story?"

She stiffened at the sudden turn of conversation, flushing slightly. Shaking her head, she defected, "We'll do my story la—"

"Hello! Here's your food!" The waitress cut Kagome off, much to Sesshoumaru's irritation, but set their plates down on the table. It did smell good, he had to admit. "I hope you guys enjoy! Feel free to ask me if you need anything else."

"Thank you," Sesshoumaru dismissed. He waited until she left before saying, "How about your story after we eat."

Kagome nodded reluctantly, clearly not pleased about being cornered into spilling her secrets.

"Don't worry," he assured "I won't forget." He gave her a smile and then picked up his burger and took a bite.