The next day after Kagome had visited Rin, she formed a plan. A plan so annoying she felt as though she'd rather pull out her out teeth with pliers than perform it. But, alas, she knew it had to happen.

At precisely one o'clock she found herself standing outside the door to Sesshomaru's work room. He had just returned from work and had started his papers, and Kagome had found out that he normally had a cup of tea with his papers. So there she stood, holding two hot cups of green tea, in front of her oppressor's door.

"Ehem," She cleared her throat as her husband called out to her.

"Come in."

She opened the door as if she was expecting to find a burglar in the room. His golden glare met her fierce blue gaze and she straightened herself. He frowned and resumed work on his papers.

"I'm here with some tea," she announced politely.

"Hnn… Why?"

He hadn't moved to respond to her, but she continued to approach his desk. Rubbing her lips together, she placed one tea cup on his desk. "I brought you your tea today. I'm going to do it from now on."

He frowned again and looked at her skeptically. "I have servants who will do that."

"I know, but I thought this would be more personal." With a glance his way she let out an irritated breath. "I figured we should get to know each other."

His face remained cold as he responded, "I know enough about you."

She bit her lip, trying to hold back her annoyance, which was now in full bloom. "I don't think you do."

"Then it is a good thing I do not take orders from you. Our opinions differ." For a second the idea that he might have a sense of humor flickered across her mind but she quickly brushed it aside. He was just being arrogant and condescending.

Without returning a word to him, she turned and walked to the couch resting along one of the blue painted walls of his room. She sat down with grace and took a dainty slip. Her eyes flashed towards him and her message was clear: she would not back down.

Despite himself, Sesshomaru was impressed with the small female sitting across the room from him. Her stature did not make her intimidating, but her eyes told a different story. She had her own ideas, and wouldn't bow down to his just because he was superior to her. He had met many other humans, but she surpassed them all because of one thing. She wasn't afraid to look him in the eyes.

"This is my proposal to you," Kagome said after a couple minutes of silence, "I will bring you tea at one each day, and in return we will spend time together for an hour."

Sesshomaru took a sip out of his tea and found it sweeter than he was used to. "I have maids to bring me my tea, as I have already told you. This is not necessary."

"Maybe it's not necessary, but I would like to do it anyways. We wouldn't even have to talk."

Sesshomaru found he did not care either way, and told her, "I will permit you to pass an hour each day in here for a week. If your desired result is not present by the end of the week, you will cease bringing me tea, and stay out of my way. Do we have a deal?"

Kagome almost laughed. She was beginning to understand him, and thought his version of her proposal was so like him. Of course he would try to control it. He would put a time limit on her idea, and expect results within the time limit. She likened him to a scientist; he always wanted his experiments to work out just so.

Kagome nodded in agreement, and they sat in silence until Sesshomaru returned to his papers. Kagome continued to sit on his couch and think. When the clock chimed two, Kagome promptly stood up, and collected Sesshomaru's empty cup.

"I'm going to give these to the maids." She turned and told him over her shoulder, "Oh, and I'll be back tomorrow. Same time, same place."

As she left, Sesshomaru found himself anticipating their next meeting.

When the clock struck one o'clock in the afternoon, Kagome found herself yet again standing outside Sesshomaru's work room. With a deep breath, Kagome shifted one hot cup of tea in her hand so she could open the door. Today she had brought a book for herself to read while they drank tea.

"Hello, Sesshomaru," Kagome smirked as she placed his tea on his desk. With one look at his stony expression, which was minutely different from his normal icy expression, but expressed a completely different meaning, she smirked larger and added devilishly, "-sama."

"Good afternoon, wife," Sesshomaru responded, just to irritate Kagome. He knew she didn't like to be referred to like that because the way he said it made it feel like an insult. Kagome wondered again if she'd just glimpsed at his bizarre sense of humor.

"I brought a book today," she mentioned to him, and took a seat on the couch.

Together they sat in silence as each drank their tea and worked on their work. Sesshomaru's imp Jaken entered the room once and began clucking about some absurd problem, but both ignored him. With a glance towards his watch, Sesshomaru found they had only spen thirty minutes together. As he was about to inform her that he wished to have more tea, he noticed that his wife had placed herself in an absurd position on his couch.

With her legs resting where her head should have been, he found her sitting upside down on his couch, rubbing her lips furiously and reading her book. For a moment he was surprised at how trusting she was, that she could feel comfortable enough around him to read in such a position was beyond even him. However Sesshomaru allowed her to remain in the position because he found he liked her better when she was relaxed around him, instead of formal.

The clock struck two, and its loud melody startling Kagome. She jumped from where she had been sitting, and knocked her head against the floor.

"Great Kamis, what the fu—," She looked around the room and her wide eyed stare met Sesshomaru's golden eyes.

"I—uh—I didn't mean—I wasn't!" Kagome stuttered and scrambled up off the floor.

Kagome straightened her clothes and found that she was exhibiting a bright blush on her cheeks. Sesshomaru waited with his famously silent stare, watching her with a slight interest.

"Do all humans read in the position you do?" He asked her.

Her blush increased and Kagome found herself wishing she could crawl up and hide away in a faraway hole. Anything to save her from the embarrassment of letting her guard down around him.

"Nope, just me… you should try it sometime. It's very comfortable." She smiled nervously.

He narrowed his eyes and said nothing. Nodding once, Kagome fled the room. Comparing the first day with the second, it seemed like Kagome should have quit while she was ahead and never returned for the second day. She had made an absolute fool out of herself. And in front of one of the most powerful demons, who happened to be her husband, no less.

The next day Kagome brought the same book with her when she brought him tea. Despite her embarrassment from the day before, Kagome needed to read the book. It was too addicting, so she decided that she would have to try and curb her tendency to read upside down while she was reading it.

He raised one critical eye brow at her when she sat down, but she politely ignored him. She still tried to act proper about him, but even though Kagome hated to admit it, she felt more and more comfortable around him. Maybe her tea proposition was beginning to work.

Twenty minutes after one, Sesshomaru looked up from his papers and noticed she was reading upside down again. He cleared his throat, and threw a pointed look at her.

Flipping right side up, Kagome blushed and said, "It's a really good book."

He just stared so Kagome asked, "Have you ever read this before?" Flipping the book around so he could see the cover, she pointed to the title.

"No."

"You should read it. It's very intriguing and thought-provoking, and I love books that question society and everyday living… What types of books do you read?" She inquired, partially with interest, and partially being polite.

"Books about business or economics, and biographies. Also various other fact based and informative books."

She frowned. "Don't you read anything that doesn't have to do with your job? There is such a thing as reading for pleasure, you know." Not that he knows anything about pleasure… Kagome couldn't resist adding.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. "That is what I read for pleasure."

"Oh." Kagome blurted, and then asked, "Would you like to read this? I've read it several times before, so I wouldn't mind lending it to you. It's about the future, or at least what the author thought the future would be like. It's a dystopia."

He looked at her for a moment and then responded. "I am busy. I don't have time to talk about books."

Sesshomaru returned to his work without responding and Kagome felt a smile forming on her lips. When she left at two, she set the book outside his door in case he wanted to look at it. Somehow, she knew he was tempted.

Later that night, as Kagome passed his room to make some dinner for herself in the kitchen, she saw the book was missing from outside his room. She had asked the maids not to touch it, so she knew it had to have been him. He was reading it.

Kagome smiled briefly. Maybe, just maybe, they would get along. Her future might not be as dark as she had thought it would be.

Hi, all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please RxR! (and for those of you on spring break, have lots of fun! I sure am!) ~Gracie

All characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.