Inuyasha never said what he and Kagome talked about during their walk, but Sesshomaru noticed a slight change in the boy's behavior. When they returned, Kagome nodded confidently at Souta, and Souta and Inuyasha went to gather their belongings to leave.
"What happened?" He asked, and Kagome smiled a sly smile that caught him off guard.
"Oh, he's worried about me, but I told him I have practice defending myself. I think he'll be okay." She said, and Sesshomaru let out the breath he was holding. The afternoon sun was warm through the window, and he let his eyes absorb it before looking back at her.
He started to apologize, and Kagome shook her head
"Please don't. I don't want to sound cliché, but I do like you. And I think Inuyasha and I have an understanding." She said, and Sesshomaru wondered at the terms of their agreement.
"I see," he ventured, stepping closer and putting his hands on her small shoulders. "I appreciate you talking with Inuyasha; he's needed someone like you in his life." She looked up at his angled face and was at a loss for words when the boys came over again.
Sesshomaru turned as the dark and white-haired boys brought Inuyasha's things. Inuyasha held a small bag of instant ramen and some treats. "What is that?" he asked.
"It's for when he needs something more than a power drink and a two-mile run for breakfast," she gave him a pointed look.
Sesshomaru looked at the boy who reached into the bag and brought out a new snack. "mine," he said clutching the bag tightly.
Kagome laughed at his comment and waved goodbye. "Bye Inuyasha, see you tomorrow," she said, and he gave her a knowing look before saying goodbye.
Sesshomaru made a mental note to ask Souta a few more questions the next time they were alone. While Kagome was talking with Inuyasha, Souta had enlightened him to a few surprising facts. He rolled them around in his mind as he walked back home.
He had gone over to the boy and sat down on the coffee table, lacing his fingers and leaning on his forearms, leveling with the boy.
"I know what you're doing; you can't hide it from me," he said seriously.
Souta hesitated, not expecting the intensity of the older brother's stare. "I have a problem I'm not strong enough to deal with. You look strong, so you can do it for me," he said, a little more nervous than he thought he would be.
"What problem? Tell me now," Sesshomaru wasn't known for his patience and he didn't hold back on the child.
"Onigumo has been stalking us since we left home. I tried to protect her from him, but I couldn't. He's such a bad guy." Sesshomaru saw the reddening of Souta's cheeks and lips; all signs that he would cry.
"Hold your tears!" He hissed looking at the door. He was glad she didn't come in just then. "If you want to help her, you have to be a man and never let her see you cry," he said and Souta nodded, sniffing back tears. Sitting back, Sesshomaru looked around the small home, the things there could be packed up and moved in a day. He had seen enough safehouses to know that the boy was telling the truth. "Why hasn't she said anything?" He asked
"She won't talk about him, she won't even say his name. I don't know what happened, but my sister isn't afraid of anything, not even a severed foot, but that man terrifies her," he said and Sesshomaru leaned back.
"Do you think I would be any better?" He asked, and Souta nodded.
"Inuyasha is always talking about you, I think you are great. Onigumo never even spoke to me; he hit me once when we were alone. You wouldn't do that, would you," he asked.
"Not personally," he replied and Souta laughed thinking that he was joking.
"Don't mess this up, you see what we could all gain if you play your cards right," Souta crossed his arms and challenged him.
"Boy, you understand that this is normally a different conversation," he pointed out and Souta shrugged.
"I'm a kid, I couldn't beat you up anyway, and I already have my own room at your house right?," he asked and Sesshomaru nodded.
"That was the deal," he said and Souta stood.
"Then don't mess this up," he said.
Thinking back on the conversation, Sesshomaru should have felt a little used. The boy was a conman in the making. Sesshomaru wondered about Kagome; she was mysterious. Those kind eyes hid something deadly. He recalled seeing her fearful eyes as she woke and he was sure that she had reached for a weapon that was not there. Those were the reflexes of a person plagued by violence.
That feeling did not sit well with him, and as Sesshomaru entered his front gate and walked into his house, he pondered the stalker.
"Hey boss," koga said, greeting them as they came through the front door. He looked at Koga perplexed and they locked eyes. he looked around quickly. this expression was a precursor to many days spent in obsessive contemplation "Oh!...You want a beer?" He asked and Sesshomaru nodded once and Koga threw him one. He sighed and leaned against the counter in the big kitchen.
"How did this happen?" He wondered and Koga scoffed.
"Women! Did she kick you to the curb?" He wondered and Sesshomaru shook his head numbly
"No, she kissed me back," he said and Koga cheered
"That's good news, are you going to give me the deets?" He asked. Sesshomaru took a long drink.
"There is a stalker she won't talk about and the kid has determined that it's my problem," he said and Koga crossed his arms
"You gonna do something about it?" He asked. Sesshomaru crumpled the can in his hand and threw it into the recycling.
"Probably," he replied and Koga nodded.
"You want me to watch her," he asked and Sesshomaru knew better. Shaking his head he knew Koga was a notorious womanizer; he had more girlfriends than any man should and the combination of Kagome versus the smooth talking wolf was not worth the risk.
"No," he said finalizing it.
Inuyasha listened to his brother and snorted. The man didn't know who he was dealing with. He had underestimated Kagome, and thought she was weak but the woman had proven herself as a force of nature.
He shivered remembering what she had shown him. He had never seen anything so scary as what she was capable of. Sesshomaru didn't even realize. He smirked and laughed to himself as he put his snacks in the closet and shut it firmly.
"See you tomorrow Kagome," he muttered happily.
Kagome spent the night awake. Her knife was in hand, her eyes locked on the door and she imagined every situation that Onigumo could enter the apartment. The window was easy, the door would only take a simple shove, but she was ready for him. Souta slept soundly. She checked in him a few times.
Her breath escaped her lips in a sigh every time she saw that he was safe. Sitting back she kept her mind clear, but could not help but think about Sesshomaru. The sight of the demons mark was not new, she had treated a lot of those men in the last few weeks, but there was a crescent moon sitting atop the mark and that she knew was a sign of a high ranking Yakuza. What had she gotten herself into, again.
She shook her head, gripped the handle of the knife and tried to forget about his soft lips pressed to hers. It was all too easy, their meeting, the boys and his coincidental interest. She had to wonder why her, why did it always have to be one thug after another running through her life.
Any moment Onigumo could find them, and when he did they would have to leave. Or she would have to kill him, she didn't know if she could.
Kagome watched the sunrise before she let her eyes drift closed. She hid the knife in the couch beneath her hands as it rested at her side. Curling up she finally gave way to exhaustion. It had been five days since she had slept last. The coffee and busy schedule had served her well, but her body betrayed her now.
Somewhere inside of her she knew she would have a guest soon, that she would have to play host to the two boys, and she wanted to get up, take a shower, get dressed in something nice,and make breakfast. She would answer the door with a smile and greet har handsome new friend.
Kagome jerked awake when there was a heavy knock at the door.
Her tired eyes perceived the clock beneath the television and she saw that it was already past ten o'clock. She scrambled to stand and went to the door. Looking down she groaned. Sweatpants, a loose fitting shirt and her hair was rebelling against her scrunchie. Sighing she adjusted her glasses and knowing there was no time to get ready. Kagome opened the door.
Sesshomaru was a little surprised by her appearance. He felt the warmth touch his cheeks. "Good morning," he said, not knowing what else to say.
She blushed, noticing the warmth in his eyes and pushed strands of hair from her face. "Good morning," she returned his greeting, and Inuyasha smiled and walked past her with Taeko.
"I will be gone for a few hours but I will be back for him by 2 at the latest," he said and Kagome nodded. she knew he wanted to say something else, she felt his eyes absorbing her messy appearance and could tell he was enjoying it.
"Don't worry, take as much time as you need," she smiled and he nodded slowly. He lingered a while longer than he meant to and kept the image locked in his mind as he went on through the day. He could smell her shampoo and saw the unmistakable pressure lines of her sofa's floral pattern pressed into her cheek.
He would arrange for them to kiss again, and this time he would find a way to recreate the messy hair and sleepy eyes. He imagined her hair spread out over his pillowcase. He closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the image before hearing his phone ring once more.
"I'm on my way," he said and signaled for Hakkaku to drive on.
Sesshomaru found himself thinking about her through the next four hours. He didn't realize he would be so turned on by the sight of her in night clothes. He shook his head to clear the image and went back to the meeting. His enforcers were gathered, preparing a plan for he next phase of the war and this time they were going to dominate the four arms of the demon gangs.
Bonkatsu sat back with his long braid whipped over his shoulder. He wore white, an odd color for their profession, but he was an efficient handler who had just returned from their overseas operations. He and his six brothers were highly effective at reinforcing their authority through the merchants and defending the lines of battle. "I have a sure way to assure loyalty thrrough the ranks," he said and Sesshomaru turned to listen.
"Speak," he commanded and the dark haired man swallowed a bit of nervousness down before continuing.
"We ramp up our presence on the street, the enemy is doing the same but those men are dogs, we hit harjuku and the red light district and I bet we can flush out the spiders," he sits and Sesshomaru nodded.
"Our shipments and informants have all been compromised. I have a single contact to rely on and he is worried that there is a leak within the force for them," he said coming back to the table to sit.
"There is one more informant, no one has seen him for a few months but I have it on good authority that he has resurfaced.
"Who,"
"Myoga, he was loyal to your father. He also knows a lot about the older crime families. If this Naraku is a legacy we will know after speaking with Myoga.
"The spider gang has systematically undermined the foundations of our empire. Since my father's death, they have stopped our drivers killed our informants and ended a decade long alliance with the Neko. There is no more searching for this Naraku. It's time to even the score. Koga, tell them what your informant has revealed." He said and koga preened
"I found two witnesses that have seen the spiders moving along the streets in the harajuku district every day at 2pm." He revealed, and looked between the leaders of their gang. Each man before him held the rank of General. They nodded, absorbing the information he gave and scheming accordingly.
"We will observe them for now. When we have confirmation on their activity we will strike. Jenenji, I will leave that to you." He said and the large man stood and bowed
"You can count on me Boss."
Kagome was sluggish through the day. The boys were content to play videogames in the living room. She had made breakfast and went back to bed. Souta knew she had finally gone to sleep. She had done this through the last six months since the last time they had seen that man.
Inuyasha was a little concerned when he saw Kagome's hollow movements. She had served them breakfast and he watched her sit a plate down as she sat but didn't see her eat at all. She picked up her fork and cut the omelet but she never did take a bite.
When Sesshomaru knocked on the door the boys popped up and went to the door to unlock it and let him in. He held his blazer over his shoulder the button up shirt he wore was was unbuttoned to his collarbone and the sleeves were rolled to his elbows.
"Where is she?," he asked tiredly. Inuyasha pointed to the small bedroom in the back of the house and he stopped. How long has she been sleeping?" He asked.
"Not long. She doesn't sleep like ever," Souta said, and Sesshomaru went to the sofa and put his feet up on the coffee table. he suspected that it was due to the stalker and decided to wait until she woke up to talk to her about this problem.
He let his head rest against the couch. The boys resumed their game and he looked around for Taeko, finding him sleeping in the hallway outside of the woman's room.
"Sesshomaru do you want to play?" Souta asked.
It was an hour before Kagome emerged from her room. She had not meant to fall asleep again but was fully rested now as she came awake, sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She looked into her mirror and combed her hair quickly before turning to the closet to put on something suitable for the rest of the day.
As she emerged from her room she heard the sound of three voices. She stopped to step over the mass of white fur in front of her door and went to the living room where Souta and Inuyasha fought over who would play the next round with Sesshomaru. He was comfortable, odd looking in her apartment dressed so nicely, but she was happy when he turned to look at her and smiled pleased to see her.
"Hi, sorry for being so tired, I didn't realize how sleepy I was," she said and he stood.
"Don't apologize, I did want to talk to you about something though," he said. Kagome couldn't guess what he wanted to talk about but she suspected he wanted to address the lack of supervision today. She held her breath and and grabbed her coat
"Want to take a walk," she asked and he followed her from the small apartment and out to the sidewalk. It was always strange for him walking through this place. The serenity of this neighborhood had been what drew him in, the retaining walls, house grouping, and the small park left him feeling like he had when he was a kid. They had lived in a neighborhood similar to this one and Sesshomaru remembered it fondly.
"Kagome, I know what happened," he started and she looked at him nervously.
"I suppose I have been working a lot lately. I didn't expect to sleep the entire time, but I tried to listen for any real issues. The boys played videogames pretty much all morning," she rambled and he scoffed as they came to a cross walk.
"You think I want to talk about you finally going to sleep?" He wondered. Kagome stopped and it took him a few steps to realize it. When he turned she was ghost white and her eyes held a skeptical amazement that he could not read.
"What did Souta tell you!" She was angry and Sesshomaru turned and leaned his weight on one foot and then the other before answering.
"I could understand all that he said, but he gave me a good idea about what your dealing with. There are a few clues that tell me that he is telling the truth and the fact that I've known you a little under a week, but this is the first time that you have slept," he said
"How do you know that?" she asked, and he held up his watch.
"I can count the hours. If you are at school, then work, then studying, then taking the boys to the park, you are not sleeping. He said and she crossed her arms.
"We all have problems, it's not fair for Souta to make my problems, yours." She said still not giving anything away.
"A stalker is a problem I could deal with easily," he said and she walked on.
"Not this one," she finalized it and he followed after her with some irritation.
"I would protect you," he said and she turned again. A few bypassers looked at her. Her anger surprised him, the flaming rage and resentment rivaled his most fierce enforcer.
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into. Am I really worth it?" She asked confused.
"You don't know what I'm capable of, if you are this afraid, I will do what I need to do to keep you safe," he said Kagome walked in in silence.
Kagome glanced over at the calm face and sighed a little tired from the conversation. "Is that all you wanted to talk about?"
"No, I would like it if you modify your sleeping schedule," he was casual though it was not really a request.
"Oh yeah? When is that supposed to happen, I have my schedule locked in with the hospital and my classes," she said and she looked over at his cool expression. He was being completely serious.
"After you get off work. At my house." He said and Kagome scoffed.
"Isn't that a bit soon, what will the neighbors think?" She said and he smirked as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"Let them ask. When the boys attend school together they will ask more and when you take them to their events they will ask again. Whats it to them?" He said and she smiled.
"You have planned that far ahead?" She was surprised by the details envolved with his example. Sesshomaru didn't answer. He didn't admit it out loud but he had planned even further.
"I have considered many scenarios, and you and I make perfect sense," he reasoned and she laughed
"We do?" She said not convinced.
"You need me, I need you, it is not any more complicated than that. I am not content the way things are," he said and she bit her lip feeling her face heat up.
"You really think this will work don't you, what if you find out you can't stand me and we fight all the time," she asked and he shrugged.
"Then we will reassess our relationship,"
"What relationship?" She asked.
"Be my woman," he said.
The wind hit her face, she smelled the smoke from the street vendors and saw the activity as they passed out of their neighborhood and into the city proper. her stomach twisted at the thought of officially acceptinng his request, but as she looked up at his earnest eyes there was only one answer. "Okay."
He turned and grasped her hands and kissed her there on the street corner. She gasped but her hands did not pull away and she let herself sink into the strange new situation.
So what if he knew about her ex. So what if he was rushing into things a little faster than she had wanted, and so what if she held that strange hope a little tighter than she normally allowed herself. What she had with Sesshomaru had been easy, mutual and she had no idea what would happen next.