She wiped her mouth and sat back, satisfied. They hadn't talked much while eating, much to Kagome's relief. He'd left much out of his story when he told her, so that meant it was fair for her to do the same. She frowned, thinking of her own past and how best to avoid breaking down and sobbing hysterically as she so often did when she dwelled for too long on the subject. Glancing at the man across from her from beneath her bangs, Kagome opened her mouth to speak.

"Hey! You guys finished? Here's the check, Sir. I hope you guys enjoyed your food!" the waitress interrupted.

Snapping her mouth shut again, Kagome didn't meet the waitress's eyes, pushing her plate towards her. "Thanks. Yeah, it was good."

They sat in silence after the waitress left, returning Sesshoumaru's card. Sesshoumaru leaned forward, his face familiarly unreadable. "So. Now that we're finished…" Kagome's heart sank. "I would like to hear your story."

Steeling her heart, Kagome sighed deeply seeing no way out of telling him. "I'm sure you know how it feels to lose everything that you love and know. You understand that, Sesshoumaru. But losing everything you love all at the same time…" She shook her head, saying quietly, "It's rough, to put it lightly. I don't even know what happened to them. Inu Yasha, Sango, Miroku… Shippo…" She watched his face for a reaction. His honey eyes may as well have been a mirror. Nothing to see but her own reflection. "I loved him, Sesshoumaru. I still do. Apparently the universe thought it fit to only give me as much time with him as I'd spent in the past. Three years. I had three years of happiness with him, Sesshoumaru. Then…" She took a deep breath, willing her heart to beat more slowly, tamping down on her rising emotions. "And then I was dragged back to the present. Though perhaps I should back up." She dragged another breath through her unwilling lungs, pushing her hair back out of her face. "As you know, I traveled with your brother, as the Shikon miko. That's how you knew me." She looked up at him.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Right. I remember."

"This is really my time. I belong here, but through some… I don't know. Somehow I traveled back in time, through the well. The Bone Eater's Well that I wrote about in my paper. It's all true. I don't know how it worked exactly, but I was able to hop back and forth between the Feudal Era and this present whenever I went through the well."

"Can you still?" Sesshoumaru interrupted, leaning forward.

Kagome gave him a withering look, her eyes beginning to burn. "Do you think if I could, I would be here? I was in love with him Sesshoumaru. I'm certain he's long dead by now… He would have found me…" She cleared her throat and continued. "Let me finish and then tell me about what you know."

Sesshoumaru nodded and Kagome thought she saw an almost imperceptible tightening around his eyes.

"Anyway, after Naraku was defeated and the jewel purified, then I returned to the present. I spent three years here without him, without them, and then the well happened to open up again, and I was able to return to the past. I…" her voice broke. "I was only there for three years and then I was—I don't even know how to describe it to you. I was just… yanked back to the future—my present. This time. The well didn't work again. Believe me. I tried. I guess my mother got sick of me moping around so sent me here. I broke my ankle one time, jumping into the well." She smiled bitterly, eyes watering. "Ugh! It's ridiculous!" She scrubbed at her eyes, wiping away the tears, feeling pathetic. "This… Ugh. Nevermind. I'll just… I'll be right back. I'm going to the washro—" Kagome made to stood up but stopped as her wrist was grabbed. Sesshoumaru's long fingers circled her wrist, but she didn't dare meet his eyes for fear of bursting into tears.

"Kagome…" he said so quietly and gently that it almost broke her. "Don't worry about it. I understand. You were right. I do understand."

She sank back into her seat off of her shaking legs. "Don't, Sesshoumaru. Stop, please. If you be nice to me I'll cry. I don't want to," Kagome threatened, not wanting her former enemy to see her so weak, neglecting to remember the times he'd probably seen fighting futilely back in the Feudal Era.

She felt more than saw him shake his head. "Don't worry about it, really," he continued kindly. "I won't mind, because I understand, more than anyone else. Would you… like to go somewhere more private?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, no, just… just let me calm down," she whispered, knowing he'd hear her, the tears sliding down her cheeks as she blinked, taking deep breaths. Well this was embarrassing. Definitely what she had been afraid of and definitely not what she had wanted to happen. She looked up through her bangs again, Sesshoumaru's hand lingering on top of hers. Kagome flushed, sniffling, still not willing to meet Sesshoumaru's eyes. He did understand. "Um…" She pulled at her hand gently.

"Ah. Yes. Um. Sorry. Of course," Sesshoumaru said quickly, sounding almost flustered, as he pulled his hands away slowly.

Bending down to her bag, Kagome pulled out the pack of tissues, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose. "I'm sorry. I just—"

"You don't have to apologise for something that makes you unhappy, Kagome. You don't need to apolgise for emotions either," interrupted the demon. "You should trust me on that one."

Laughing suddenly, Kagome sniffled, finally meeting his ambery eyes and giving him a small smile. "I suppose you're right on that one…"

"Of course." He gave her a smile that made her feel fluttery and then stood. "Well, now that I've caused you enough trauma, shall we go? Would you like dessert at… Dairy Queen?"

Her eyes almost spun at the thought of Sesshoumaru even saying the words 'Dairy Queen,' let alone eating there. "Um…"

"If you don't want to, that's fine, but I just thought I should offer, to make up for making you cry," the tall man said, offering her his hand.

Kagome kept her face down lest she regard the man like an alien. This was so not Sesshoumaru.

"Kagome?"

"What's wrong with you?" She began to giggle, the absurdity of the situation finally getting to her.

"I beg your pardon?"

Eyes watering again, Kagome continued to giggle, her shoulders quivering with the effort to keep them quiet. "Nevermind… Let's just go get ice cream…" Picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder, she walked passed Sesshoumaru, shaking her head at herself.

Sesshoumaru waited while Kagome stalled, eating, wiping her mouth, avoiding his eyes, drinking. He let her. When she had finished, he pretended he didn't notice her eyes on him. He could fairly see the words written across her face. She was looking for some way out of telling her story. But if he had told his, then she would have to tell hers. He could smell that she was uncomfortable and nervous. Admittedly, he felt badly about that, but curiosity over-ruled his pity.

When she opened her mouth to say something, the waitress zeroed in on their table. "Hey! You guys finished? Here's the check, Sir. I hope you guys enjoyed your food!" Kagome's mouth snapped shut with an audible (to him) snap.

Sesshoumaru soothed his irritation as he accepted the slip of paper and pulled his wallet from his back pocket, and handing her his card.

"Thanks," Kagome muttered. "Yeah, it was good."

Sesshoumaru leaned forward on his elbows, gazing at the girl. He was highly curious about why she was here, and what her story was. There was no reasonable explanation that he had been able to fathom, and her being a demon was not plausible. She was a miko. He knew that much. The waitress returned with his card and then left. "So," he began, how they were alone. "Now that we're finished… I would like to hear your story." Her unease came off her in waves.

He watched her as she mentally prepared herself. "I'm sure you know how it feels to lose everything that you love and know. You understand that, Sesshoumaru. But losing everything at the same time…"

There was truth in that statement. Losing everything at the same time would be devastating, but watching those that you loved grow old and die was just as heart-breaking. Now was not the time, however, for comparing heartache.

"It's rough, to put it lightly," she said, his own emotions echoing the pain he saw on her face. "I don't even know what happened to them. Inu Yasha, Sango, Miroku… Shippo…" Here she looked up at him as if she expected some sort of reaction.

He gave her none. The mention of his brother's name had long ceased to ruffle him. There was simply no point any more. What she said next, however, did give him cause to rethink his ambivalence, though he was unsure why.

"I loved him, Sesshoumaru. I still do. Apparently the universe thought it fit to only give me as much time with him as I'd spent in the past. Three years. I had three years of happiness with him, Sesshoumaru. Then…" Another deep breath as her heart sped up. "And then I was dragged back to the present. Though perhaps I should back up."

That would help him considerably. What she was saying didn't make sense. Time travel? That was impossible.

"As you know, I traveled with your brother, as the Shikon miko. That's how you knew me." She looked up, her blue eyes filled with hurt.

True enough. Perhaps time travel wasn't as absurd as scientists might believe it. He was a demon, for goodness sake. Humans had long forgotten their belief in such creatures, so perhaps… "Right. I remember."

"This is really my time. I belong here, but through some…I don't know. Somehow I traveled back in time, through the well. The Bone Eater's Well that I wrote about in my paper. It's all true. I don't know how it worked exactly, but I was able to hop back and forth between the Feudal Era and this present whenever I went through the well."

"Can you still?" Sesshoumaru inquired, wondering for himself if he could go back, just… Just for fun? He could… If he went back, he could see Rin, he could—he met her eyes and almost shrank back from her stark stare of ridicule and anguish.

"Do you think if I could, I would be here? I was in love with him Sesshoumaru. I'm certain he's long dead by now… He would have found me…" She stopped and cleared her throat, emotion burning brightly in her scent. "Let me finish and then tell me about what you know."

He should. However, if the past still pained her this much, then perhaps that would wait for later. He did know of his brother's demise, as well as her friends. He had kept quiet tabs on his brother and the humans, never realizing that the information might ever be useful in the future, might assuage her questions. He nodded, realizing that that same information was still painful for him as well.

"Anyway, after Naraku was defeated and the jewel purified, then I returned to the present. I spent three years here without him, without them, and then the well happened to open up again, and I was able to return to the past. I…" Her voice broke and her eyes seemed to focus on something else that wasn't in the restaurant with them. "I was only there for three years and then I was—I don't even know how to describe it to you. I was just… yanked back to the future—my present. This time. The well didn't work again. Believe me. I tried. I guess my mother got sick of me moping around so sent me here. I broke my ankle one time, jumping into the well." She gave him a bittersweet, aching smile, the scent of tears drifting across the table.

"Ugh! It's ridiculous!" She exclaimed suddenly, scrubbing her eyes to wipe away the tears. "This… Ugh. Nevermind. I'll just… I'll be right back. I'm going to the washro—"

Sesshoumaru grabbed her wrist, stopping her from rising completely. If she left, he would lose her, any hope of a connection that they might make. He didn't want her to cry alone which was, undoubtedly, what she would do. Females often did.

"Kagome…" He said as gently as he manage, waiting for her to meet his eyes. "Don't worry about it. I understand. You were right. I do understand." She was very close to crying, upset and distressed. He waited, not realizing that he was holding his breath, for her to sit again. He didn't want her to raise those barriers again.

Finally sinking back into her seat, Kagome still didn't meet his eyes. "Don't, Sesshoumaru. Stop, please. If you be nice to me I'll cry. I don't want to."

He almost smiled. He'd seen her cry before. He knew his brother had pushed her to the task before. It didn't matter. They were both pitiful beings, there was no reason for her obvious shame. He shook his head. "Don't worry about it, really. I won't mind, because I understand. Would you… like to go somewhere more private?"

The girl shook her head and whispered, "No, no, just… just let me calm down." He could smell the tears, but let her cry, pretending not to notice. He waited patiently, watching her, his hand resting on top of her small one. She finally peeked at him through her bangs and then pulled lightly on her hand under his. "Um…"

Oops. "Ah. Yes. Um. Sorry. Of course," he said too quickly for his pride, pulling his hand back, wanting it to linger there.

Kagome leaned over and returned upright with a tissue, taking care of the evidence of her distress. "I'm sorry. I just—"

"You don't have to apologise for something that makes you unhappy, Kagome," Sesshoumaru quickly interrupted. "You don't need to apologise for emotions either. You should trust me on that one." He joked, hoping she might cheer up more quickly.

To his instant pleasure, she laughed, sniffling. Finally looking up at him, she gave him a small smile that meant broken barriers and a bright potential. "I suppose you're right on that one."

"Of course," he replied, hardly helping the smile that curled his lips, pleased also by her increasing heartbeat. Standing, he continued, "Well, now that I've caused you enough trauma, shall we go? Would you like dessert at… Dairy Queen?" He liked Dairy Queen. He liked their Oreo blizzards. And treating the girl might further ingratiate himself. He held a hand out to her, perplexed by the sudden surprise lacing her scent. She didn't look at him. "Kagome?"

"What is wrong with you?" His surprise barely had time to register before she giggled.

"I beg your pardon?"

The girl continued her giggling, standing. Thinking rapidly for the reason behind his mirth, he came up with no reason. "Nevermind…" she said. "Let's just go get ice cream." He almost missed it as she leaned over and grabbed her bag, walking by him, her scent full in his nose. As she shook her head, he dumped some cash on the table and then hurried after her, still wondering what she had thought was so funny.