Disclaimer: All but the plot to this particular story rightfully belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
Words: 468
Experience
Kagome smiled to herself as she exited the dining room, her nerves dissipating. That went well!
Sesshoumaru followed closely after, breathing in her relieved scent. If it weren't beneath him to do so, he would have rolled his eyes. After Kagome had retreated into her silence, he had allowed himself the pleasure of prolonging that silence to further increase her discomfort. It had been successful, and after many long moments of her fidgeting and nearly forgetting to breathe, he had ended the conversation, "I understand. You may go."
Just like that, her scent had spiked pleasantly and she had offered him a thankful (but apologetic) smile before turning to the door.
It was all very unnecessary, he deduced. After having the day to think, he had concluded that Rin's behavior was not entirely the miko's fault. And when he returned, he had intended to simply provide her with a warning as to how she went about molding Rin's fragile mind. However, as it had turned out, Kagome had spent a better part of the day thinking about the exact same thing, though she had been significantly more distressed about it.
He smirked slightly. Strange as she was, she was also interesting.
Kagome turned abruptly, mouth open to speak, when she caught his expression. Her brows came together and her smile waned, but then took on a kittenish quality before she could stop herself. He wasn't smiling per se, but... "What?"
Sesshoumaru's smirk disappeared as he detected a hint of mirth in her tone. Her scent, too, had taken on a somewhat gratifying quality. He would deny it if ever pointed out, but he found himself slightly leaning forward. "I do not recall saying anything."
"No, but you were... smiling." She laughed softly.
"Hn."
She folded her arms across her chest, smiling a little wider. "What was so funny?"
Sesshoumaru quirked a brow. In less time that it would take to walk from one end of the house to the other, Kagome had gone from acute anxiety to complete ease in his presence. She once again reminded him of Rin, which inspired the theory that all human women fluctuated between emotions at a dangerously rapid pace. Or perhaps, with his luck as of late, it was just the miko and his ward.
Kagome tilted her head in an exaggerated manner, as if prompting him to hurry and answer her question.
He felt flicker of annoyance spark at her cheekiness, but decided that rather than directly putting her in her place, he would go about it via a more subtle approach. "I was deliberating over my decision of putting you in charge of Rin's schooling,"
She gave him a confused look. Weren't they past this already?
Sesshoumaru's smirk returned, "Considering you have no experience in much of the subject matter."