A/N: In response to a couple of comments about the two points of view being the same: the early chapters were, but as they've gone on, they have been over-lapping less and less. So please read both parts because they're both revealing about the different characters! Thanks! I appreciate all of the reviews!
Kagome tried to wait patiently, but sitting through Sesshoumaru's class became a chore, even when he flashed apologetic looks at her before running out the door as soon as class was over. By the time Thursday came around, however, she was tired of being tired of waiting. So when she got home, she shot him an email before getting to work to working on her homework with Katy.
"Sesshoumaru,
I'm sorry to rush you or keep bothering you, but you did promise me to tell me about Inu Yasha, and I'm dying to know. Please. Wherever you have a spare moment for me; I'll meet you anywhere.
-Kagome"
"You alright, Kags?" Katy asked when she saw her glum face.
"I'm fine. I'm just waiting for an email."
"You seem a bit glum for 'waiting for an email'... Sure you're okay?"
Setting up her computer in the coffee shop, Kagome sighed. "Yeah."
"It's not from a 'certain someone,' is it?" Katy insinuated.
Kagome gave her a harsh glare. "That's enough of that." She opened her book to the article she was supposed to analyse and review.
"No... it is! You secretive ho!"
"I beg your pardon?" Kagome looked up, alarmed.
"Huh? Oh! Ha! I didn't mean it literally. It's from Professor Inukami, isn't it? You're waiting on him, aren't you. Ooh, you lucky girl!"
Kagome rolled her eyes. "It's not even like that... But yes. I'm waiting for him to answer a question of mine. But he's been really busy..."
"Aww... don't worry, Kags" Katy patted her arm reassuringly. "He'll get back to you."
Scowling at her empty inbox, Kagome got to work. She was quickly wrapped up in her article, so when Katy asked her a question some time later, she looked up blankly. "Huh?"
"Has he responded yet?"
"He... wha—oh!" Almost dropping her article and pen, Kagome's fingers flew across her keyboard. "Ah... yes..." she breathed, eyes scanning hungrily.
"Kagome,
Again, so sorry for the delay. I'd much rather tell you in person, otherwise I'd tell you via email. If you're available, I have a meeting with another professor at Tanner's. If you'd like to meet me there around 9:00, I would love to tell you.
-Sesshoumaru"
She smiled. "Finally..."
"Good news?"
"Well. Yes. Kind of. We're meeting Friday. At a bar."
"Ooh... He gonna sex you up?"
"Katy!" Kagome squeaked, turning red. "Absolutely not. No. Hush. Keep your voice down!"
Katy grinned. "If you say so..."
Kagome glared. "Don't go there." Turning her attention back to her work, Kagome contained herself to wait until Friday.
Excitement hummed through her all day long with more than a little trepidation. Almost bouncing to class, she flashed Sesshoumaru a smile from the front row, Katy shaking her head next to her.
The day passed slowly, especially Sesshoumaru's classes. She was sure her constantly tapping foot was annoying for him, but he never gave any indication, and the release of nervous energy was cathartic.
"Kagome," Sesshoumaru said at the end of their last class. Shuffled paper sounded just under the hallway mutter and shuffle.
"Sesshoumaru!" She swallowed anything else she might say by the gushing quality in her voice.
He gave her a wan smile. "Kagome. As I said in my email, I have a meeting, but I'll meet you at Tanner's around 9:00? We're going to try for a back corner by the lamps. I'll see you then?"
Kagome nodded. "Absolutely. It's on Halen and John, yes?"
Sesshoumaru nodded, filing papers into his briefcase. "See you then, Kagome."
"Bye Sesshoumaru!" Kagome sped home to bury herself in her articles until it was time to meet him and find out about the man she had loved.
Eight o'clock came around and there was a knock at her door. At her invitation, the door opened and Katy's head poked in. "Where's your room-mate? It's like she's never here."
"She went home this weekend."
Katy looked around. "You're not getting ready?"
Looking at her clock, Kagome shook her head. "Not yet. I've got a half an hour before then."
"Um. No. Planting her hands on her hips, Katy shook her head. "That needs to start now." And then Katy was in her closet, rummaging through her clothes. "Geeze, where did you get some of these? Ooh! Pretty! This—"
"Katy!" Kagome jumped off her bed and pushed her miko garb and kimono back into the closet. "Please don't just go through my stuff."
Katy paused. "Okay. I'm sorry. It's kind of cool. The kimono is really gorgeous. What's the other?"
"It's traditional miko garb. A priestess," Kagome mumbled, running her hands over the silk fondly. "This was a gift..."
"From who? It looks old..."
"It is. It's from my...an old boyfriend of mine."
"Ooh...!"
Kagome shook her head. "It's not like that..." She said quietly, staring at the precious cloth.
Katy paused again, sensing Kagome's discomfort. "Bad break-up?"
"He died."
Gasping, Katy immediately enveloped Kagome in a bear hug. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring up sad memories... I'm sorry, Kags...!"
Only after a short hesitation did Kagome hug the girl back. "It's okay. You didn't know."
"Aah! No crying!" Katy jumped back. "Your eyes will get puffy!"
Kagome laughed. "I wasn't..." It was true. Her eyes were merely a bit blurry. "I'm okay."
"Good. Put this on." The girl thrust a shirt at her. "Can I look through your jewellery?"
"In the red box on my desk. Really? You want me to wear this?" Kagome looked sceptically at the off-the-shoulder black scoop-neck.
"You're going to a bar, doll. With a gorgeous guy. Got anything gold and sparkly? Mm... no. Wear this bracelet. I'll get you some earrings."
Kagome sighed and slipped into the shirt as Katy left and then returned, thrusting a pair of earrings into her hands. "Put these on. Then you're done; I'll do you your make-up. You have black heels?"
Kagome nodded. "in the back on the right in my closet." She finished accessorising and sat, beginning to put her make-up on. Hearing Katy sigh, she turned. "Hm?"
"What size shoe do you wear?" She held up the 1-inch heels, staring at them as if they were a bug.
"Size 6. Why?"
"Ugh. I guess these'll work. We're going to go shoe-shopping, my friend. Okay." She hurried over and examined Kagome. She smiled and picked up a brush. "Close your eyes."
It was shortly after 9:00 when Kagome made it to the bar. Despite being distinctive-looking, Sesshoumaru was surprisingly difficult to find.
"Kagome."
She turned to find the former taiyoukai standing behind her, two drinks in his hands. "Sesshoumaru." A smile came to her lips.
Tilting his head slightly, he returned her smile. "I have a table back here. Come on."
They settled themselves, Sesshoumaru pushing the drink across the table. "For you."
"Oh! Thanks..." Kagome sniffed it and then took a sip. "What is it?"
"It's just a rum and coke. How have you been?"
"Fine. You?" She laced her fingers anxiously.
He gave her a smile she couldn't read. "I've been fine. Thank you. I know. You just want to hear the story..."
Kagome smiled politely making Sesshoumaru chuckle. "Sorry. I just need to know."
He nodded. "I understand. It's...not an easy story to hear. Or tell..."
Kagome nodded eagerly, sipping her rum and coke.
He took a deep breath. "Inu Yasha.... Was kind of possessed after you disappeared. He must have travelled the length and breadth of Japan looking for you. Of course, this was after he dug another three feet into the Bone Crusher's Well."
Kagome gave a short laugh, the tightness in her chest growing.
"Of course he didn't find you," Sesshoumaru murmured. "He found a family of Higurashi's and became attached to them. Unnaturally attached almost. They came to me for help. They didn't want him hanging around their children, and knew of our connection."
"Oh Inu Yasha..." Kagome sighed.
"So I came to get him. With a few knocks to the head, I'm somewhat ashamed to admit. I brought him home with me and tried to... fix him. With my vast experience in personal relationships, this, of course, went very well. Most of the time we fought. Physically. And argued. I thought maybe even pushing him would help him to become more acclimated to his situation and...state of things. Without you..."
Kagome nodded, looking down. Poor Yasha... her heart hurt for him. "Go on," she whispered, finishing off her rum and coke.
"We'll take a break. Would you like another?" He indicated her glass.
She nodded, hunching over her hugged jacket, trying her hardest not to cry.
"Okay," Sesshoumaru continued upon returning, "He eventually mellowed. He moved back to the village where Miroku, Sango, and Shippou lived. I stopped by every once in a while—"
"You did?" She blinked up at him in surprise.
"Well..." He dropped his eyes. "I looked in on him—them, every once in a while—observed. Inu Yasha could always tell when I was there, but I let him. And he seemed fine. Shippou, Miroku, Sango, and their children all seemed well and healthy."
"Aah... How many?" Kagome asked tenderly.
"Mm... total? They had six of their own, and they adopted another four or five. Inu Yasha stayed with them until Sango passed and Miroku shortly thereafter. So he, Shippou, and Kouga travelled. Over the next hundred years, I saw him a few times. When he tired of that, he came home to me. And that's when I got to know him."
Kagome chewed on her lip, listening to Sesshoumaru's stories. She absorbed every word, tracking his lips that easily told the stories.
"We kind of became friends by the end. Of course we still argued, but he was much better at controlling his temper and putting together a clear thought. But it was only 63 years because he was growing old. He was quite cantankerous, as I'm sure you can imagine..."
Laughing, Kagome nodded. "Yeah. He would be a cranky old man."
"But he became...lost. He...forgot. He became stationary, not recognising even me. He...fell apart. Before I knew it, he'd become an old man. And then... he'd died."
"Oh..." There it was. It was so ordinary. It was all so ordinary. She would have thought that Inu Yasha would have lived a more extraordinary life. But it was just an ordinary life, just like everyone else's. Tears slipped down her cheeks. So pathetic. So ordinary. But she still wished she'd been there, living alongside him, sharing the simplicities of life. They'd shared enough adventure to have the right to relax and take time to smell the proverbial roses.
"Kagome?" She could see him lean forward in her peripheral vision.
She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. "I'm fine. Thank you for telling me."
He nodded. "Of course. You have a right to know." His smile turned from sad to bittersweet. "It feels good to talk about him, you know. He never forgot you either. Even when.. He wasn't in such good shape. Your name always got some recognition. Kouga would come and visit sometimes. They would talk. Or really... Kouga would talk at him."
There was some silence before Sesshoumaru left and returned with drink refills.
"Trying to get me drunk, Sesshoumaru?" She teased tiredly.
He blinked. "Oh. No. Sorry, I forget—you don't have quite the same tolerance. You don't have to—"
"I want to," she interrupted flatly.
Another drink and a half later, Kagome found her watch to reveal the surprising time of almost a quarter after midnight. "I should get going," she excused.
"I have a car. Let me drive you. I'm parked close." He stood quickly to steady her.
"I'm okay. I'm just... a little wobbly. I'm okay." She slipped into her jacket, giggling when her hand got caught in her sleeve.
Babbling the entire way to his car and to her dorm, Kagome wished she could shut up. She was embarrassing herself, but oddly didn't mind blathering on.
"Kagome. Sorry to interrupt. We're here."
"Oh. Ha," she giggled. "Right. Thanks for the ride. And drinks."
"Of course. My pleasure. I'll wait until you get in. Wave when the door's unlocked," he was telling her as she gathered her things.
Kagome trotted up to the door, rifling through her pockets for her key to open the main door. Panic planted itself in her mind as she began to search through her purse. "Crap. Crappity crap crap." She bit her lip as tears of frustration, anger, and fear pricked her eyes. Bending to pick up the dropped items, she set her purse down, turning when she heard her name. Reluctantly, she shuffled back to Sesshoumaru's car.
"Can't get in?"
"I... lost my keys..." she whispered, mortified.
"Oh. You can stay at my apartment if you wish."
Kagome blinked. "What?" Talking with him, seeing him, joking about him, thinking he was attractive was one thing, staying at his place was something else entirely.
"It's fine. Come on. Get in."
Her hand opened the door before her mouth had even said 'okay.'
He hated making her wait. It wasn't fair, he realised, but not only was he not ready to tell this story, but he was legitimately busy. He had things he had to finish before deadlines, he had to finish a manuscript and then meet with the department head and a whole slew of other meetings. It wasn't fair, and he felt bad every time he saw her in class. So he settled for flashing her the apologetic smile or wave or nod of the head and hoped that she understood. Maybe she did.
Then again...her constant tapping in class was certainly driving him crazy. He didn't say anything. He could smell her nervous energy. She was being polite. Giving him space. And he was grateful for that, knowing she was as impatient as she was.
Thursday morning he got up early to run. The girl was good for him, he decided after he finished stretching that morning. His head clearer than it had been in a long time, he decided that it must have been due to Kagome. Talking with her. She brought up painful issues from his past, but she was also there for him to talk to about these same issues. She understood. She experienced similar feelings and elements, so she could relate. They had something in common, though he wasn't sure if she realised it.
Stripping and stepping into the hot shower, Sesshoumaru continued his musings. She was like therapy. There were these painful issues from his past that he could not share with anyone, and then along she comes, and he felt comfortable sharing his past and trials with her. All these years of hiding who he was, moving around, watching people die around him. He'd seen enough human life-times. His kind were few and far between, so there was no one to talk to about 'the old days.' Kagome filled the slot. He smiled as the hot water sluiced over him, running his hands through his silver hair fondly. The days when he could walk proudly as who he was were gone. And while the girl reminded him of those prideful days, he was also grateful that they could sit and discuss them, as equals. Like old friends. He shook his head. It was a relief.
His classes passed quickly that day, and when he sat down in his office to check his email, he found a letter from her.
"Sesshoumaru,
I'm sorry to rush you or keep bothering you, but you did promise me to tell me about Inu Yasha, and I'm dying to know. Please. Wherever you have a spare moment for me; I'll meet you anywhere.
-Kagome"
Lifting a nail to his teeth, he chewed it distractedly. Of course he had promised. And he couldn't break that. Sesshoumaru sighed, wishing he had time for a nap. Packing his computer up, he pulled his keys from his pocket, heading home before he had to meet a colleague for dinner. His mind was focused on the girl, composing a reply before he sent it back. He didn't have a whole lot of time this week and he didn't want to keep her waiting until next week. He unlocked the door to his apartment and kicked off his shoes, hanging his jacket on the hook near the door while he loosed his tie and tossed it into his bedroom. He dropped his satchel on the couch and fell into the furniture beside it, unbuttoning a few of the buttons that, today, seemed to choke him with formality and structure. It was days like these when he longed for his kosode and loose-fitting clothing of his past. He groaned. He needed to talk to the girl, he realised. She was quickly becoming the tether to he past he didn't know he needed, to keep him sane in this time period he had grown into. Pulling out his computer again, he started it up and waited for his email to load before allowing his fingers to fly over the keyboard.
"Kagome,
Again, so sorry for the delay. I'd much rather tell you in person, otherwise I'd tell you via email. If you're available, I have a meeting with another professor at Tanner's. If you'd like to meet me there around 9:00, I would love to tell you.
-Sesshoumaru"
Seeing her after meeting with Professor Malin would be a good form of stress relief. Malin always made him tense, as much as he didn't like to admit. The man was stiff and had no personality, adhering too strictly to the rules and never, as near as he could tell, having any fun. Perhaps, Sesshoumaru mused as a wry smile came to his lips, the man was too much like him of the past. He didn't like being intimidated. Especially by a man in his mere 70s.
Picking up the remote, he flipped on the TV for background noise and got down to work.
Friday came too quickly but passed too slowly. After his last class with Kagome, he called her aside after class. "Kagome..."
"Sesshoumaru!" She bounced over, excitement radiating off of her.
He refrained from chuckling aloud at her simple joy and said, "Kagome. As I said in my email, I have a meeting, but I'll meet you at Tanner's around 9:00? We're going to try for a back corner by the lamps. I'll see you then?"
"Absolutely! It's on Halen and John, yes?" She looked up at him hopefully.
"See you then, Kagome," he said, slipping the rest of his papers into his briefcase.
"Bye Sesshoumaru!" She gave him a cheery wave and then was gone. He smiled fondly after her. This was more like the girl he had known of back then.
Sesshoumaru glanced at his watch and heaved a sigh, hefting his satchel and heading back to his office to get some work done before he had to meet Professor Malin. Luckily, he was well-adapted to burying himself in work. Six thirty rolled around and he once again pulled himself into the living world and packed his things to stash in his car before making the short drive to the bar. Parking, of course, was a nightmare, but he pulled his 2009 Nissan GT-R SpecV into a space and paid the meter. Again glancing at his watch, Sesshoumaru patted his pockets to be sure had his wallet, phone, and keys before sauntering into the bar shortly before 7:00.
"Shintaro, good evening," Malin's voice carried through the early quiet of a college bar.
"Jacob. Good evening to you as well," Sesshoumaru extended a hand which the old man accepted and shook.
"Take a seat, Shintaro." Malin sat back down and Sesshoumaru slid into the seat across from him, irked that the man would order him around. "Can I buy you a drink?"
Smiling politely when he would rather give the man a punch to the face, Sesshoumaru nodded. "Thank you. I'll take a whiskey. I've no preferences."
Malin nodded and made his way to the bar giving Sesshoumaru time to calm himself down. The old man had a certain way of getting under his skin. Perhaps the review wouldn't be about something bad. He grimaced. Life was so much easier when he could merely kill someone who offended him. Now it was a crime and all was dependent on personality and skills with abstract concepts. Like teaching.
"So, Shintaro," Malin said as he returned, placing the drinks on the table. "Cheers." The old man lifted his drink, waiting for Sesshoumaru to follow suit before they clinked glasses and sipped. "I just wanted to get together and talk with you about how this has been working out?"
This? Sesshoumaru assumed he meant his job at the university.
"From speaking with the other faculty in the department, they have nothing but good things to say about you. The only complaint is that you're sometimes anti-social." Malin coughed. "Which, with a bunch of extremely antisocial history-lovers, that's saying something, you know what I mean? But that's no real problem. So you're a bit private. That's allowed."
Sesshoumaru smiled, gritting his teeth. The way he said it certainly made it seem like it wasn't allowed.
"From student reviews, however, your performance is quite excellent. And teaching the students is really the main priority, so that's what we base performance reviews on most heavily." He paused and took a drink, dabbing his mouth with a handkerchief.
Sesshoumaru waited, sipping his own drink with practised patience.
"So I suppose what I'm saying is that your performance as a member of the faculty here is rather above normal. You are doing very well in the department, and we are ultimately pleased with your performance."
He refrained from breathing deeply in relief, instead settling for a calm smile and thank you.
"As such, Shintaro, we would like to offer to you a raise, as well as the opportunity to do more research of your choosing."
He blinked. "You are?" Stupid question. "Thank you, Jacob. I—"
"You don't need to make any decisions now, but when you have, merely submit the paperwork to me. It will be taken care of." The man pushed a folder across the table. "The correct forms are filed here for your perusal. Please take advantage of this opportunity."
Nodding, Sesshoumaru accepted the folder. "Thank you. I will. Thank you, Jacob."
The old man brushed away the thanks and downed the rest of his drink. "So, you're publishing soon?"
He nodded again, somewhat stunned by the honour done to him.
"Your first?"
"Ah, no. Not my first. My second. Thank you." His second under this name.
The two men exchanged pleasantries for the next half hour and then Malin left. Scowling at the table which he imagined to be Malin's face, he slumped in the booth. The needless build-up to this conversation was irritating and pointless. He checked his watch. 7:52. An hour until Kagome arrived. He dug out his wallet, went up to the bar, and opened a tab.
He smelled Kagome before he saw her. As he came up behind her, he called her name.
When she turned to face him, a smile came to her lips making him want to kiss her. "Sesshoumaru."
Surprised by the urge, he smiled back. "I have a table back here. Come on." He led the way, pushing a drink across the table when they were seated. "For you."
"Oh! Thanks." She sniffed it and then sipped it. "What is it?"
He almost laughed. "It's just a rum and coke. How have you been?" he asked, hoping to put off the story a little while longer.
"Fine. You?" She reeked of nervousness.
He smiled, knowing she needed to know. Knowing she was looking for closure. Knowing she could probably handle it. "I've been fine, thank you. I know. You just want to hear the story..."
She smiled, but he could tell it was just typical polite manners. She really wanted to know. "Sorry. I just need to know."
"I understand. It's...not an easy story to hear. Or tell."
She was only eager to hear as he watched her sip her rum and coke.
Steadying his own nerves, he took a deep breath. This was a story he hadn't told anyone else. "Inu Yasha... was kind of possessed after you disappeared. He must have travelled the length and breadth of Japan looking for you. Of course, this was after he dug another three feet into the Bone Crusher's Well." He continued when her only response was a short, bitter laugh. "Of course he didn't find you..." She would have gone back to her own time. This time. "He found a family of Higurashi's and became attached to them. Unnaturally attached almost. They came to me for help. They didn't want him hanging around their children, and knew of our connection."
"Oh Inu Yasha..." She sighed. He could hear the hurt it caused her to hear of his pathetic attachments to people who didn't really matter to him.
"So I came to get him. With a few knocks to the head, I'm somewhat ashamed to admit. I brought him home with me and tried to...fix him. With my vast experience in personal relationships, this, of course, went very well. Most of the time we fought. Physically. And argued. I thought maybe even pushing him would help him to become more acclimated to his situation and...state of things. Without you..."
She finished her rum and coke and whispered, "Go on."
He decided to let her absorb that for now and refill her glass to ease the hurt. "We'll take a break. Would you like another?"
The scent of tears permeated his nose as she nodded. He felt bad about her pain, but it was something she had asked for, so he continued. "Okay," he opened, setting down her drink when he got back. "He eventually mellowed. He moved back to the village where Miroku, Sango, and Shippou lived. I stopped by every once in a while—"
"You did?" She interrupted.
Of course he didn't. He bitterly reminded himself that this was not to make him look like a good person and endear himself to her. Focusing instead on his lap so she couldn't see his shame, he continued, "Well. I looked in on him—them, every once in a while—observed. Inu Yasha could always tell when I was there, but I let him. And he seemed fine. Shippou, Miroku, Sango, and their children all seemed well and healthy."
"Aah... How many?"
They had been busy. "Mm... total? They had six of their own, and they adopted another four or five. Inu Yasha stayed with them until Sango passed and Miroku shortly thereafter. So he, Shippou, and Kouga travelled. Over the next hundred years, I saw him a few times. When he tired of that, he came home to me. And that's when I got to know him." The girl knew they had never gotten along, despite being brothers. But the time when Inu Yasha came back to him, half-broken and searching, was when they stayed up late into the night accompanied by sake and quiet conversation. How Inu Yasha would have hated that he was here with Kagome now. Though... perhaps not. "We kind of became friends by the end. Of course we still argued, but he was much better at controlling his temper and putting together a clear thought. But it was only 63 years because he was growing old. He was quite cantankerous, as I'm sure you can imagine..."
She laughed, as he'd hoped she would. "Yeah. He would be a cranky old man."
"But he became... lost. He...forgot. He became stationary, not recognising even me. He... fell apart. Before I knew it, he'd become an old man. And then...he'd died."
"Oh."
And then he waited. She was crying again. Sesshoumaru wrung his hands underneath the table, counting the seconds until she had absorbed it all. He watched her, admiring the way she took it quietly. Her tears were quiet and unobtrusive. Finally, he leaned forward across the table, wanting to take her hand, share the pain, share the comfort, but instead settled for her name. "Kagome?"
"I'm fine," she breathed. "Thank you for telling me."
"Of course. You have a right to know," he said while smiling sadly, swirled in his own memories of his mentally decayed half-brother. He couldn't say it, but he was grateful that he had her to share the burden of the past. "It feels good to talk about him, you know. He never forgot you either. Even when... He wasn't in such good shape. Your name always got some recognition. Kouga would come and visit sometimes. They would talk. Or really...Kouga would talk at him." She said nothing so he left to refill their drinks.
"Trying to get me drunk, Sesshoumaru?"
He blinked, suddenly struck with the urge to smack himself in the face. Humans didn't have the same tolerance for liquor that he did. How easily he forgot... Three drinks for her might be a limit where his going-on-seven were hardly a bother. "Oh. No. Sorry, I forget—you don't have the same tolerance. You don't have to—"
"I want to." She met his eyes, challenging, but he nodded, understanding.
"I should get going," she said when it was after midnight.
Taking in her state, he offered, "I have a car. Let me drive you. I'm parked close." He steadied her when she stood, hoping she'd say yes so he would feel sure that she arrived home safely.
"I'm okay. I'm just... a little wobbly. I'm okay." She giggled when her jacket didn't go on properly, but allowed him to steer her towards his car. She chattered at him the entire way, saying mindless things, minor secrets that he was sure she didn't wish to be spilling. And it was fine. He understood the need to share secrets. He'd shared with her; now she was sharing with him. He hated to interrupt—it was almost cute, her blabber, but he did. "Kagome. We're here."
"Oh. Ha. Right. Thanks for the ride. And drinks..." She giggled as she undid her seatbelt and gathered her things.
"Of course. My pleasure. I'll wait until you get in. Wave when the door's unlocked." He watched her stumble out of the car, wanting to be sure she was safe. If he owed anything to his brother, it would be to take care of this girl. That and he felt slightly guilty for getting her drunk. She stood by the door, shuffling about, digging hands into her pockets. He chuckled to himself as she crouched, picking up things dropped. She'd probably lost her keys. Lowering the window, he leaned over and shouted her name. She turned, looking like a guilty child, but shuffled back towards him, head lowered.
"Can't get in?"
"I...lost my keys," she slurred quietly. Embarrassment rolled off her in waves.
"Oh. You can stay at my apartment if you wish." The words popped out of his mouth.
"What?"
That was his question to himself. His apartment? He'd never allowed anyone else there. It was his domain. But Kagome wasn't 'anyone else.' She was special. They shared history. It was allowed. His brain walked him through the logical process. "It's fine. Come on. Get in."
And then she was in his car, and he was driving home.