Sesshoumaru idly tapped his desk, eyes unseeing as he stared at the computer screen in front of him. He knew in the back of his mind that the information was important and that the chief would have his ass if he didn't file the paperwork today, but his mind was elsewhere.

Blue eyes accompanied the feel of lush curves, and his hands flexed.

He wasn't known for being impulsive, but Kagome's request had left him floundering—and wanting. She'd been so logical, her gaze unwavering until he'd brought up the likelihood of them running into each other that he'd initially thought it was a joke.

And then she'd blushed and tried to push him out the door.

He continued to tap his desk, his mind drifting back to her bedroom, the soft lighting sliding over her skin moments before his hands did, and his jaw clenched. He'd nearly torn the head off the burglar they'd arrested, not knowing what Kagome was thinking after he just left her after their encounter.

Only the fact that she agreed to 'start at the beginning' had kept him going. He'd managed to grab her contact information before he left, Kagura already blowing up his phone on his ETA when he hadn't shown up right away.

A sigh escaped his lips. His partner hadn't let the matter alone, especially when he hadn't spared any details on where he'd been prior to the call. He'd been in the same clothing, so she knew he hadn't gone home, eying him constantly during the interrogation.

"Ready to spill your guts, yet?" Kagura sidled up to his desk, one hand on her hip.

"It is no business of yours where I spend my free time," he said, sitting up in his chair.

"Ah, but therein lies the intrigue," she said, dark lips curving up into a smirk. "You've never wanted free time before. You live and breathe work. The fact that I had to actually call you because you weren't the first to arrive means that it's something."

He glared at her, purposefully shifting paperwork on his desk so she was forced to move out of the way. "It is nothing to do with you. I am not obligated to—" His phone suddenly went off, and both of them lunged for it at the same time.

"You're getting a personal call during work hours? Who are you?" Kagura said in disbelief, eyes lighting up as she looked at the phone. "And who is Kagome?" Sesshoumaru snatched the phone from her hand, already walking away, his thumb sliding across the screen.

"Are you alright?" he asked, turning the corner for more privacy.

"What makes you think something is wrong?"

"You are calling me in the middle of work."

There was a pause, and he imagined her chewing on her bottom lip, working through her answer. "I need to cancel our plans tomorrow." A million things ran through his mind, the first of which being she was going back on their agreement. But before he could question her, she let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't find my apartment key, and because it's Friday, the building manager won't be available until Monday."

Sesshoumaru's brow furrowed. "Do you not have a spare?"

Kagome groaned. "I've been meaning to get one after the last one broke but kept forgetting."

"So you are only cancelling our date due to being unable to prepare yourself ahead of time." He couldn't hide the relief in his tone, wondering if it was as evident on her end.

"I don't want to!" she said. "But I'm going to have to stay at a hotel tonight, so it's easier if we just—"

"Stay with me instead." The pause was longer this time, a few things rattling in the background, and Sesshoumaru leaned against the wall, refusing to take the offer back. He was being impulsive again, especially since she'd only just agreed to date him a few days prior, but he didn't want her wasting her money when he had the space to accommodate her.

Her voice was soft and hesitant when she finally responded. "There's a cheap place just down the street from my apartment."

"That you will have to stay in for at least three days without any of your belongings. Or food," he argued. His logic was sound, and they both knew it.

"I don't want to intrude," she said.

"I want to see you." It was the one factor he hadn't brought up but was likely the most important. He probably should've led with it.

The texts had been an acceptable interim, but Sesshoumaru hated technology—he only had a cell phone because his job required it. If he'd had the time, he would've shown up at the restaurant again just to see her face, hear her voice.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Sesshoumaru ran a hand down his face. He was not used to spelling things out so plainly but knew Kagome needed—and deserved—the direct approach. "I am always sure," he said, wondering if he'd managed to make her smile, even the slightest amount.

"Alright," she conceded. "I work the evening shift, so I'll—"

"I will pick you up."

A third pause, but her voice was brighter this time. "Are you always this pushy?"

A smirk touched his lips. "Only when necessary."

"Liar."

"Never to you." A snort sounded behind him, and Sesshoumaru whirled around, Kagura's eyes gleaming as she grinned at him. "I will keep you appraised of my schedule. Let me know what you would like for dinner," he said mechanically, quickly hanging up the phone before stepping around his partner.

Kagura immediately fell in step beside him. "Spill."

"No."

"Oh, come on!" she said, not letting him escape. "First, you're distracted, then you answer a personal call during work hours, and now you're smiling?"

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes. "It was not a smile."

"It was what you would consider a smile," she argued, crossing her arms. "I'm the only partner that's lasted more than a week with you. That comes with perks." He sat down at his desk with a huff, tucking the bottom of his tie into his shirt pocket.

"The café you sent me to last week," he began, leaning back in his chair.

"Seikii?" she asked, leaning against his desk again. "You said the food was good."

"It was," he agreed, refusing to meet her gaze. "The service was better."

Both eyebrows raised instantly before she kicked the arm of his chair. "And you've been carrying this around since then? I'm insulted!"

He scowled at her. "It did not happen right away."

"But you noticed her right away."

He pursed his lips, unable to refute her claim. He had noticed her right away, the sombre expression in her blue eyes capturing his attention before she'd comped the young mother's bill. The same eyes that had enticed him into accepting her dinner invitation and then into her bedroom.

He was not impulsive, but Higurashi—Kagome, his mind whispered, taking him back to that moment right before he'd left, his lips lingering on her neck before insisting she call him by his first name.

"You're so screwed," Kagura said with a grin, interrupting his wayward thoughts.

"Nothing has happened—"

"You've been sitting here with a faraway look on your face for the last few minutes," she said smugly, finally getting to her feet and patting him softly on the shoulder. "Screwed." She went back to her desk, leaving him with his thoughts—and a load of paperwork that he was now determined to finish by the end of his shift.

Nothing would delay him in meeting up with Kagome.