Author's Note: Ergh. I am bothered by the behavior of my characters. Without knowing what exactly to do to fix it.

No Such Thing As Free Lunch

Chapter 13:

It had finally occured to him. Sesshoumaru realized it. He tended to overthink his problems. And ... part of this was so that he could avoid making a firm decision, by telling himself it was even more important to make a wise one.

But really. What normal person spent the entire night debating the pros and cons of dating in general, before even beginning to wonder whether he actually desired a particular girl or not? Most people thought about it in the opposite direction. First they realized they "liked" someone, then they worried about dates.

Did he like Kagome? Of course.

Did he love her?

How was someone supposed to answer an impossible question like that anyway?

All he knew for certain was that he didn't want to date, love, or marry anyone, if it would turn out badly, like so many of his father's experiences. Yet avoiding the issue was like fear, and he'd never be a happy person if he lived life in that fashion, would he?

Agh! It was enough to make his head hurt, and the morning had barely begun.

He had liked Kikyou, and Kagome was nothing like Kikyou. Except when she was. And perhaps she was a little bit better in some ways. Kikyou was beautiful, dependable, intelligent, and helpful toward others. Those were all things which he had liked about the girl who was his fellow class representative. And they were all things which could be said to describe Kagome as well.

Neither one of them let trivial, unimportant things upset them, although they dealt with it in different ways - Kagome with exuberance where Kikyou would remain calm. Still, the more time he spent around Kagome, the more he appreciated her sparkling, dynamic personality. Hadn't he just had that thought, at the shrine where Kikyou worked? That speaking to someone so calm and placid was difficult, and that Kagome was more fun to be around due to her range of emotions?

Only a few months ago, Sesshoumaru would have said that he had no emotion, that his feelings remained sealed up tight. But ever since meeting the young first year girl, he knew that for a lie. Around Kagome, he didn't pretend to be happy - he actually was, most times. She accomplished the impossible, easily.

From the very beginning, he had found her a little bit crazy, and maybe a little bit gullible (for believing everything Inuyasha said). But her flaws had been more amusing than anything else. Even back then, he had been disturbed by the idea of her dating his brother. . . he had felt guilty about how adorable her clothes were on her first "date" with the boy, but all that really meant was that he had been taking note of her styles and appearance from the start. He always found her attractive - even though he had told himself this was because she "looked like Kikyou" - it didn't change the facts.

With mounting dread, he realized that the decision might have already been made. She already knew his idea of a perfect date. He had stopped thinking of her formally, long ago, and he had started to enjoy their familiarity instead. He enjoyed spending time with her, thought she was both adorable in nature and beautiful in appearance. He liked her more than someone would like a casual acquaintance or even a friend.

So, maybe he was just like everyone else – he already liked the girl, and he only started to think about dating her after this was already established. He was simply slow on the uptake, and he took a long time to comprehend that he actually liked her. But that didn't change the order of events.

Ah, well. None of it really mattered anyway. She might have considered him a prospect at one point. Still, that rumor he started about lice... Technically, it was rather insulting. If Kagome had liked him before, it was quite possible she did not anymore.

All the same, her best friend seemed to think that she did. He couldn't forget what Sango had urged her to do. They had been talking about him in a positive way, right?

Okay, fine. He didn't know for certain what they had been talking about, at all. Maybe he could take Sango aside, and he could ask her what their last few comments had signified.

No. He was over-analyzing the problem again. Normal people just asked for a date and hoped the answer would be yes. It wasn't rocket-science.

Deep down, Sesshoumaru was afraid of how disappointed he might feel, if the answer was no. He would not ask, rather than be rejected. But wasn't that yet another piece of evidence on how greatly the girl could affect him?

There! The decision was made. He would not ask her anything, and they would continue to be friends, and that was fine. Good, in fact. He wouldn't ask, because she might say no, because she didn't actually like him as a boyfriend. And that was fine.

He really needed to stop thinking about it, now.

With a sour expression on his face, he rested his head on his hands. The sounds of other students settling into place in their home-room surrounded him. He had been considering the merits and the downsides of asking Kagome out on a date for a whole evening. But it was a stupid idea. How did he know this? Obviously, one would not attack the person on whom she had a crush, by putting stickers all over his locker and staining his practice uniform and . . .

Was it a plea for attention? That didn't seem to be Kagome's style. It had seemed like she was genuinely upset with him. And he still didn't know precisely why.

She said that it was unacceptable for him to flirt with girls that his brother wanted to date. That was it, yes. She had gone from annoyed to absolutely furious, the moment that he mentioned Inuyasha and brought his half-brother into the conversation.

Maybe he was reading the signals all wrong, and she was still interested in his younger brother?

As the teacher called class to order, silence fell amongst the students, and it seemed to clear away the debris in Sesshoumaru's mind as well. Their teacher began to read the morning announcements, and he couldn't hear a word of it, because he was busy reviewing Kagome's words in his head once more. She was angry about him flirting with girls in general. It was the same thing which bothered her about Inuyasha toward the end of their brief 'relationship'. . . which meant her concern was more about him than about his brother. Which meant that she did like him, after all?

This was probably why people pulled petals from flowers along with a ridiculous rhyme – just to help oneself make a decision, at last. Yes, Sesshoumaru definitely had a problem with over-thinking any given subject. At least, he recognized it was a problem now.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Any good hypothesis deserved to be put to the test.

When Inuyasha left that afternoon, he walked with Miroku, Sango and Kagome. From the front gate of the school yard, Sesshoumaru observed them quietly. Then, with a smirk, he stepped forward into his half-brother's path, fully enjoying the jerk of surprise the younger boy gave when he saw who it was.

"No way! I'm not going home yet," Inuyasha said quickly, assuming that was the reason for his brother's presence. "We are going to hang out at the arcade!" He crossed his arms over his chest, as if to make his point more clear.

"Naturally. That's fine," Sesshoumaru assured him, "Only . . . I need one small favor."

His smile seemed to be making the others even more nervous. Inuyasha stepped backward, warily. "Okay. What?"

"I must leave early, to meet Rin after class," he explained, trying as hard as he could to keep his expression friendly and innocuous. It wouldn't do any good if Inuyasha realized this favor was unnecessary and refused to help. "Could you tell the kendo-club instructor that I'll miss practice this afternoon?"

"Oi," whined Inuyasha, "Why can't you do it?"

Inwardly, he enjoyed this. Egging on his little brother would make the result more likely. "Because I have to meet with Rin," he repeated himself, firmly, word-for-word. Then, as if he wasn't sure the intelligence level of his brother was enough to understand it, he insisted. "Do what you're asked. It won't take long."

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha finally agreed. The other three students went with him, until halfway across the school-yard, when Inuyasha turned for a parting shot. "Have fun with your fiancée!" he called out over his shoulder, knowing that it would probably irritate his brother.

But today, this was what Sesshoumaru was hoping to hear. It was the hypothesis that he wished to test.

Instantly, Kagome stiffened, stopping behind her friends. Next, she whirled about to face him. "You're engaged?!" she called out, with what appeared to be disgust written on her face.

Hmm. That meant he might be right – she liked him. Otherwise, she wouldn't seem too horrified to hear he was engaged to someone else.

"Not by choice," he replied calmly, walking toward her and endeavoring not to smile. For the first time, it was truly difficult to keep a straight face. On impulse, he grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the street. She followed, mostly because she was too startled to do anything else.

In the distance, Miroku shook his head and pushed Inuyasha toward the gym, despite his protests; they still had a promise to keep. This, also, Kagome failed to notice. Her face grew red, as they walked – not an embarrassed sort of blush – no, it was an angry color.

"Where are we going?" she asked, voice tight.

"To meet her, naturally," he answered. Equanimity. Calm composure. Serenity. That was the ticket. No humor. The slightest bit of laughter would not be well received.

Although the corner of his mouth was twitching slightly.

"I don't want to meet your fiancée," she hissed in frustration.

"Oh?" He played dumb. "Why not? She's not so bad, once you get to know her."

By now, they were at the tram-station, although the commuter car hadn't arrived yet. Kagome was fuming silently. "Hmph. Do you 'know' each other well?"

"Well, we aren't married yet."

"So honorable." She tugged on her arm, but he refused to release her hand. Her cheeks grew a little bit more red, and it looked like she was. . . pouting. Yes, it was kind of cute.

Turning away, he looked down the railway so that she wouldn't catch a glimpse of his expression. "She's a bit young for my tastes anyway," he admitted.

Clearly interpreting him to mean 'young' like a high-school freshman girl, Kagome took insult at this. "Let go," she growled, tugging harder on his hand.

"No." The tram was pulling into the station, and people were getting off the train.

"Let go!" she insisted, struggling against his grip.

He merely slipped his other hand behind her back and manuevered her onto the carriage.

"Oooh! I'll scream!" she told him, while the doors began to close behind them. "All these people will think you are a kidnapper. An abuser of women. A rapist."

Somehow unable to stop playing the game, because her reactions were just too hilarious, he trapped her against the doorway of the tram with his arms. "Rapist?" he asked, "Not if it's consensual."

She failed to reply at all, except with a tiny squeak. For a full minute, she stopped meeting his gaze. Then, she elbowed him in the chest and the breath rushed out of his lungs. "Don't. Touch. Me."

Okay, maybe he was causing a bit too much alarm, Sesshoumaru thought. He didn't try to touch her again. On his other side, an elderly woman stared at him, like he was the devil incarnate. The old woman gathered her shopping bag more closely against her chest.

Finally, as the train arrived at their station, Kagome seemed to recover possession of herself. The doors opened, and she pushed him hard in the chest. "I don't tolerate two-timers!"

Stomping down the staircase that led from the elevated track, Kagome turned to go back toward their school. It hadn't been a long trip; she would simply walk. She would meet up with the others. Sesshoumaru picked up his bag and rushed after her. "Wait!"

She crossed her arms and tucked both hands beneath the shoulder, so that he couldn't grab either hand.

He knew he should probably tell the truth now, but her temper tantrum was still. . . kind of adorable. Mostly because he was pleased by the emotions that were causing it. Instead of explaining, he caught up with her and said, "Two-timing? That would imply we had a stable relationship. Do we have a . . ."

"No!" she shrieked. "You jerk!"

When he lifted one hand, even the tiniest bit, she sputtered. "Don't touch me, or I really will scream, and people will call the police and you'll be sorry."

The downside to teasing someone was that it might go too far and actually bother that person, a lot. Kagome looked quite upset, so Sesshoumaru didn't want to press his luck. "It's only a little bit farther to the school yard," he murmured. "Please accompany me?"

She seemed equally shocked by his polite request, as by his calm tone. But she didn't budge. With a sigh, he knew he'd have to explain. "I'm not really engaged."

Kagome didn't look at him or reply at all. Maybe she didn't believe him. Maybe she didn't know what to think. Thankfully, she did not leave either. Nervous being this far from the schoolyard, Sesshoumaru looked toward the elementary school building. What if he missed seeing his step-sister entirely, and she went home without them, and Kagome never fully believed him. . .

There! A group of fourth-graders was crossing the street to reach the tram. Surrounded by friends, Rin walked at the center of the group, but only until she saw the two older children. Then, the little girl's face lit up.

"Sesshoumaru-husband!" Rin yelled with glee, breaking away from her friends to run toward him. She hugged his legs. Although she normally went home alone, she didn't mind meeting family on the way. "You came!" she exclaimed happily.

Kagome stared while he introduced the girl, one hand on her head. "My step-sister – Rin."

". . . the lunch-boxes." All at once, he could see the relief in her eyes. "Hmm," Kagome pondered, one finger tapping her chin. Apparently, she was ready for some revenge. "Even if you aren't really blood-related, isn't she a bit too young for marriage?"

A big grin formed on Rin's face. The small girl proudly asserted her claim. She was tricky like that. Because of the earlier comment about lunches, Rin stated, "Sesshoumaru-husband makes me an o-bento every day! When I grow up, I will cook for him too."

Sesshoumaru nodded sagely, patting his sister on the head. "Yes, and that is what marriage is all about. Let's go."

Kagome traveled home with them, getting acquainted with Rin along the way. At first, she seemed embarrassed. Next, she seemed frustrated and also much happier, this time. While they rode the tram three stations down, toward Sesshoumaru's home, Kagome eventually had to ask. "Say!" she inquired brightly of the small girl. "What do you think about the food that Sesshoumaru makes for you?"

"You're fishing for compliments from a nine-year old."

Rin looked a bit lost. "Because I know about the food Sesshoumaru makes," Kagome continued, watching him over the little girl's head, "It is really gross."

"Now, now. I've gotten much better."

"You made mine yucky on purpose?" Kagome gasped in mock dismay, placing one hand over her heart.

"You never even tasted it," he reminded her.

"And whose fault was that?"

Just like that, they were back to normal, able to have a good time together. And Sesshoumaru knew his test had been proven right.