Kagome's fingers tapped nervously against the glass of wine she'd been nursing for the last thirty minutes, keeping herself close to Tsubasa and far enough away from Sesshoumaru to feel safe.

She snorted. Safe was the most inappropriate word when it came to hime. Nothing about him was safe.

Tsubasa had dragged her up to the daiyoukai when they'd first arrived, hoping to get the tension out of the way, but it had completely backfired. His eyes were intense as he took in her appearance, and Kagome had tugged at the full shirt of her cocktail dress. She always felt like a million bucks in it, but she didn't need to be paraded around in front of him while wearing it.

It had been on her dresser since that morning, as she hadn't had a reason to wear it in a while, but when it had been time to get ready, she'd hesitated, her mind automatically going to him and how'd he view her in it. It hugged her in all the right places, giving a little more cleavage than she did at the office, and was supposed to draw attention.

To her credit, Tsubasa hadn't left her alone with him, making idle chat before fluffing some of Kagome's loose curls. "Isn't she gorgeous? You'd never know her hair had this much volume with how she wears it in the office." Kagome had all but begged her to stop, making a poor excuse to lure her toward the bar.

The butterfly youkai had gone willingly, clicking her tongue in annoyance as the bartender mixed her drink. "Hnn? What kind of answer is hnn?" she grumbled. "I can't even tell if he agreed or not."

"Unlikely," Kagome said automatically.

Tsubasa sighed, leaning against the bar. "And here I thought it was just pent-up sexual tension."

She paled, eyes on her drink. "Not even close."

Her friend shrugged. "You never know. He stares at you all the time. I thought he might just be too shy to take the first step." She spotted a small group from another department and looped her arm through Kagome's. "Let's try with someone else, shall we?"

Kagome forced a laugh, still gripping her glass as she was dragged off again. If she could get through the next hour to the announcements, she could go home. Until then, she'd have to put up with Tsubasa's corny pickup lines and matchmaking attempts.

He endured small talk when needed, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. As it was, he wasn't even paying attention to what the woman in front of him was saying. She was trying to entice him with soft coos and a dress at least two sizes too small, and he sniffed in disdain, sipping his drink before scanning the room until he found the miko.

She seemed as interested in her conversation as he was. The male she was talking to was much more invested, pulling out his phone now and then to show off photos of something. He reeked of sexual prowess, meeting Sesshoumaru's eyes for a moment before leaning in closer. The miko looked bored but kept her back to him, and Sesshoumaru finally got fed up.

There was no point in tiptoeing around each other when they were in the same room. And if she wanted to play dirty, she would soon find out he was well-equipped to do the same.

He let his glass fall to the floor, grabbing his head as he bent over in mock pain. The woman in front of him jerked back in surprise, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Her stuttered response, along with the shattered glass, had silence descending around them, and Sesshoumaru kept his head bowed until he felt a warm hand on his back.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Smirking over his shoulder at the man she'd been speaking to, he grabbed her hand, pretending to use her for support as he led her from the room. As soon as they were out of sight, he straightened, fingers tightening around hers as she yelped in surprise. He dragged her down the hallway and around two more corners so as not to be disturbed.

"Should you be moving this fast when you're not feeling well?"

He finally stopped, still holding her hand so she couldn't escape. "You moved faster when you thought I was ill," he replied.

"Thought you were—" Blue eyes widened as he turned on her, smirk still intact. "Are you not?"

"Only as long as you continue to ignore me."

She flushed a deep scarlet, already pulling on his grip. "I haven't—"

"I am not so stupid as to not have picked up on basic human behaviour, miko." The muscles along his jaw clenched. "Am I that much of a threat to you?"

"Yes," she blurted, then waved her free hand. "No! It's not like that!"

"Then what is it?" he asked, advancing on her. Her back hit the wall, her sharp intake of breath belying her determination to keep her hands steady. "It has been some time since I have spilled a human's blood—for no reason," he amended.

She shook her head. "It's not that." His increased proximity only worsened her reaction. He could hear the wild beat of her heart, and he ached to reassure her, but releasing her hand would give her the means to escape, and he needed to get to the bottom of her fear.

"You have yet to say one word to me outside the office," he accused. "Or inside, for that matter. It so horrendous to be seen with me that you would rather I didn't exist?"

"I didn't want to be seen as one of them!" she snapped, reiki blazing. "They follow you around like vultures and I didn't want you putting me in the same category. All they care about is their image, your image. They don't care about you as a person—" She slapped her hand over her mouth, though it came too late, and her eyes filled with tears. Terror saturated her aura as she shrank against the wall.

Sesshoumaru stared at her in shock as realization set it, each of their interactions running through his mind as he focused on the heat in her cheeks after each one. He let her free hand drop to her side, softly prying the other from her mouth. "Why did you not say something sooner?"

She let out a warbled laugh as she tried to keep the tears from falling. "How could I possibly start that conversation? Hey, remember me? You tried to melt me, and I shot you with an arrow; want to see a movie sometime?"

"I would prefer it to be somewhere we can converse privately."

She bristled. "That is not funny!"

He stroked the inside of her wrist. "When have I ever been funny, miko?"

"That's—well, never, but that's not the point."

He stepped closer, the tips of their shoes touching as he brought her knuckles to his lips. "No, the point is you could have avoided all this strife if you had just been upfront with me from the beginning."

She swallowed slowly as amber eyes glowed through his glamour. "I didn't want it to stop at a simple conversation," she admitted.

He smirked, the tension finally easing. "Then I suggest we spend the rest of the evening together enjoying the free food and drink." He intertwined their fingers. "And, when I take you home, you can see if your seduction skills are as good as you think they are."

She eyed him closely, trying to discern whether anything he said was a lie. Then the telltale signs of a smile tugged at her mouth, and he was reminded of the warrior he'd come across in the past. "It would serve you right if you got nothing but a goodnight kiss."

"Considering how much I have been chasing you in the last few months, I will take what I can get." There was a slight growl to his voice, and her smile widened.

"You'll get whatever I give you." She tugged on his hand, and they walked back to the banquet hall. She was true to her word, offering him flattery and a more relaxed version of herself. Her friend rolled her eyes when she told her she was leaving, declining her offer to drive her home.

The blush that stained her cheeks was different than before, and the colour never quite left, even when she bid him goodnight—after leaning over the gearshift and gifting him with a kiss that spoke volumes of her desire.

She would not avoid him again.