A/N: Hi, all! Gracie here. I'd like to quickly apologize for my irregular updating schedule-I don't really have one at this rate. My school just started again and I'm swamped with work. So... updates will happen, but they won't be anything like every day or something amazing like that. I'm going to try for every other day, or every three days but... no guarantees. But don't worry-I'm defiantly going to continue this. Happy reading and have a nice day! ~Gracie
Sango pulled up in front of Sesshomaru's impressive mansion. His house was grand, with a large front door and elegant windows adorning the massive tan building. Sango would have been intimidated, had she not known it was also the home of her best friend, Kagome.
Her mission today was to deliver cookies to Rin, because she had promised the little girl sweets at the festival last night. However, Sango had bigger ambitions in mind. Approaching the door, she rang the bell and listened to the sweet chimes.
The annoying imp-youkai named Jaken opened the door. "What is your business here, ningen?"
Sango frowned, "I'm here with a delivery. That'll be five bucks."
"Lord Sesshomaru-sama did not order anything!" Jaken squawked, offended and made a move to close the door.
"That's ooookay," Kagome rushed up behind him and greeted Sango at the door. "I made the order, Jaken-san."
Jaken made an incoherent noise in the back of his throat and walked away. Before Kagome could invite Sango in, Rin appeared in the door way, excited.
"So? Did ya bring the cookies? Oh, Sango, you're the best!" Rin squealed when Sango held out the plate of sweets.
"Wait, Rin," Kagome hushed the excited girl. "Where are your manners?"
"Oh, sorry," Rin mumbled and bowed. "Please come in, Sango-san."
Sango laughed and patted the top of Rin's head. "If you insist, Rin-chan."
Rin danced around Kagome, took the plate of cookies from Sango, and sprinted into the kitchen, giggling. "Thanks!"
Kagome rolled her eyes. "She is a piece of work. But I love her all the same."
Sango smiled, her mind on other things. She needed to find a way to talk to Kagome in private… which would be hard with all of the youkai prowling around the house. Just as Sango thought of an idea, a buzzer in the kitchen went off.
"Oh, drat!" Kagome looked at Sango and observed her for a moment. Nodding to herself, she turned to the kitchen. "Sesshomaru?"
He appeared in the doorway, raising an eyebrow.
"Could you get the lasagna out of the oven for me? Sango has to talk to me about something. Dinner will be served in a couple minutes."
Kagome waited with baited breath to see if he would help her out. She knew he wouldn't follow a command, but he might be willing to accept a request. In her heart, Kagome found herself measuring his actions, and translating them into how much he cared for her. Would he let her call him by first name only? Would he perform a small task for her? She couldn't wait to find out.
Sesshomaru watched her in silence. He knew what she was playing at—she wanted to turn him into one of those modern husbands, who did the dishes and the laundry. However his mind protested to the idea of performing such a menial task for her, he found himself nodding slightly, and moving towards the kitchen. Just because he wanted to see her face lit up with a smile as they sat down to dinner.
Pushing all his thoughts aside, he entered the kitchen, leaving his wife and her friend in the main hall.
Kagome watched Sesshomaru leave to the kitchen with a whole hearted smile on her face. Something inside her heart was changing, she could feel it. And she loved it.
Sango cleared her throat. "Ah, Kagome?"
With her gaze lingering where Sesshomaru had just been, Kagome replied. "Yes?"
"Well, I would like to talk to you. Though, I'm not sure how you knew."
Kagome laughed. "You had that look on your face. It just… shows, when you want to lecture someone about their life choices. So what's my confrontation today?"
"I was wondering if we could go for a drive. You know, leave the house."
Kagome focused her full attention on Sango. "Is it really that important?"
Sango nearly had a change of mind when she saw Kagome's pained expression. And that, Sango determined, was exactly why she needed to talk to Kagome. She needed to warn her best friend.
"Yes, it really is."
Kagome sighed. "Okay, give me a minute. I'll go tell them dinner has been delayed, and to keep the food warm. I'll meet you at your car."
Sango fished her keys out of her purse and turned to open the door. Over her shoulder, Kagome turned and said, "Oh, but Sango? This is going to be quick, okay? I want to eat dinner with my family."
Sango took a right off of Kagome's street, and gathered enough confidence to talk to her friend. She knew Kagome wouldn't be happy with what she heard, but it was a friend's job to look of for her.
"Be careful."
Kagome turned and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Be careful with what?"
Sango glanced at her friend, and then continued to watch the road. "With Sesshomaru."
"Sango…" Kagome sighed, "you're making no sense. Why do I have to be careful with him?"
Sango bit her lip, trying to think of the best way to phrase her next reply. "Don't fall in love with him."
Silence ensued, as a stunned Kagome sat, regarding her friend with her mouth agape. "Excuse me? I'm not in love with him!"
"I saw you kiss."
"Sango!" Kagome blushed furiously. "That was private!"
"In the middle of a festival? Yeah, sure. I'd be surprised if Rin didn't see you two locking lips. You guys were as much a spectacle as the fireworks!"
"Oh, be quiet," Kagome waved a hand in the air, dismissing her friend. "You and Miroku should be ashamed of yourselves, with how much PDA the world has seen from you. I expected it of Miroku, but you… I always thought of you as a puritan, Sango."
"Yeah, yeah, but that's different." It was Sango's turn to blush lightly. "We're married."
"Sesshomaru and I are too, Sango."
Both women quieted, and Sango resumed her focus on the road. "It's different, Kagome. And that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Do you remember what your goals were when you first married him?"
Kagome frowned. She had only gotten married a month ago, but with all of the changes in her life, it seemed like decades ago. Back when she had married Sesshomaru, she had thought her life would be like a living hell. With an ice-hearted husband, she had assumed she would live her life alone. So, she had decided that she would try to be friends with him, but still keep him at a comfortable distance. She didn't want to be attached to him…
Sango's idea dawned on Kagome. In a quiet whisper, Kagome hesitantly asked, "You think I'm getting too close to Sesshomaru?"
Sango nodded. "You told me you didn't want to even talk to him during your marriage, when we arrived at the church. I accepted that, because I wanted you to do what you thought was best. Then, you told me you wanted to be friends with him. So, okay, that made sense to me too. But this… is getting to be too complicated now."
"I'm not falling in love with him. I enjoy his presence, and I think he enjoys mine. That's all."
"Kagome," Sango drawled, "it's not going to work. Think this through, please! I don't want to watch you suffer when things turn sour."
Sighing, Sango waited to continue. "What do you think is going to happen? He's an emotionless Taiyoukai, so he's not going to fall in love with you. You're only going to hurt yourself."
"He's not emotionless. You don't know him very well, so please don't act like you understand our relationship." Kagome shot a defensive glare at her friend.
"You're already kissing him, Kagome. At this rate, you're going to be taking… bigger steps into the romance world soon. Even if you don't think so, he might, so…" Sango tried to dance around the subject as directly as she could.
Kagome smirked. She wasn't sure how Sango could be married to Miroku, and still act like a nun, but somehow, Sango made t possible. One would think the ideas would cancel each other out. "I don't know what you're talking about, Sango dear. I haven't the slightest clue."
"Oh shut up," Sango fumed, and pulled the car over. "I'm just going to say it! Don't have sex with Sesshomaru!"
"I'm not going to have sex with him! What the heck?!"
"Yes you are! I know, I can tell!"
"No you can't!" Kagome shouted, angry and embarrassed. "And besides, I never said I was going to do anything with him!"
"You didn't have to! Your eyes told me!"
Kagome bit back a retort, and tried to remain mature. The whole conversation was beginning to resemble an adult version of the fights they'd have back in elementary school. Now, though, they were talking about Kagome's love life, instead of the best TV show on channel thirty three.
After a quiet moment, Kagome turned to Sango. "Okay, I'll hear you out. Why shouldn't I become romantically involved with Sesshomaru?"
Sango took a deep breath, only to be cut off by Kagome. "But don't think you're telling me anything new! I know it's not smart to get involved with him. But sometimes, I just can't help myself… He's very charming, actually. And I think he might even have a sense of humor…"
"Just put the brakes on this relationship, okay? You don't want to start something complicated, and then end it. You guys are going to have to stay married for a long time, and you don't want it to be a bitter or awkward marriage. And besides, he's a lot more experienced than you."
Kagome straightened, and pretended to be offended. "Experienced in what? I am very—"
"You're a virgin, Kagome." Sango said bluntly. "And when it comes to love, studies show virgins are absolutely clueless."
Throwing her friend an irritated glance, Kagome could only say, "That's not true."
Sango shrugged. "Maybe, but you are pretty clueless. He might just be after you to have a sex friend. You are too trusting."
They turned back onto Kagome's street, and both women sighed simultaneously. It was painfully clear to both women that Kagome was in over her head, and even Sango, who was the mastermind behind all of their plans, couldn't fish her out of this situation. And, Kagome herself might not want to be removed from her situation.
As Kagome exited the car, Sango patted her friend's arm. "I'm sorry I got frustrated. I just want you to be happy, so I thought I should warn you. I didn't want to yell at you."
Kagome smiled. "I know. I don't deserve such a good friend. Thank you, and I'm sorry I got mad too."
The women separated, both leaving calm and refreshed. They didn't know what would happen for Kagome, but they knew they would stay friends through it all. Kagome would always have Sango to watch her back, because that's what friends were for.
All characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.