For the third time that day, Kagome found herself staring out of the window, forced to shake her head to refocus. She had things to prep for tomorrow—and next week—but her mind kept drifting back to her dinner with Sesshoumaru.

There hadn't been any reason to stay, other than his assumption she would, the second bowl staring up at her expectantly, but their conversation had eased as the night wore on, and before she'd realized it, several hours had passed.

Sighing, she leaned back in her chair. Could she consider them friends? She hadn't planned on seeing him more than the one time at her family reunion, but they'd played their cards too well, and now everyone thought they were a couple. Even Inuyasha was beginning to ask questions, and he'd known about the plan to deter Hojo from the start.

She supposed she hadn't helped, considering how many times they'd hung out since then. Cleaning his house and making him dinner had become a regular occurrence, though the shift had only happened that first night.

Which was why she was so distracted by trying to put a label on their relationship. She saw him almost as much as her friends, and though some of those outings overlapped, most of the time, they spent time alone. He much preferred her cooking than any restaurant, and Kagome was less on edge within the confines of his home. She'd yet to bring him to hers, but the thought of forcing him into her tiny apartment when he was used to a house had her second-guessing herself.

Groaning, she smacked her cheeks, then quickly finished prepping the art project they'd be doing the next day. Her students would return from music class soon enough, and they still had an hour left in the day. She didn't have time to be daydreaming about a non-boyfriend.

She managed to get the supplies put away before her class scampered through the door, knowing they'd have a million questions if even the tiniest scrap of blue construction paper was visible. As it was, they wanted to show her the rhythm sequence they'd learned from music, which left only thirty minutes to review their English vocabulary before it was time to clean up.

A swirl of coats and backpacks intermingled with cheerful goodbyes, and soon, they were lined up at the door. The bell wouldn't ring for another minute, but Kagome took them outside, letting them soak up the sunshine before their parents and guardians picked them up.

Megumi stayed by her side, hands clenched around the straps of her bag, and Kagome knelt beside her. "What's wrong, Megumi -chan? You were so happy to see the sun come out today."

The girl nodded, then sighed. "I wish the sun made Papa happy, too. He's been extra busy lately."

Kagome bit the inside of her cheek. She knew exactly why Hojo was busy, as he was the type to bury himself in his work when he was upset about something, but there wasn't any sympathy left for him. He'd made his choice, and so had she. He was just upset that their choices hadn't aligned. "Don't you have a special daddy-daughter date this weekend?"

Megumi nodded. "He promised we'd go for ice cream after."

"Good! Make sure you hold him for that. Maybe you can convince him to make sundaes at home." She watched the idea turn around in the girl's head, slowly taking root before she clapped her hands together.

"We can buy toppings when we go grocery shopping!"

Kagome matched her smile. "That sounds wonderful. And that way, you can get more than one kind of ice cream."

"And sprinkles, too!" Megumi started listing off all the different kinds of things she wanted to add to her sundae, going as far as to add in ramen noodles, and soon the rest of the class was joining in, the ingredients becoming more ridiculous by the second.

"I have never heard of kimchi-flavoured ice cream before," a deep voice said. "Is it a new trend with school children?"

Kagome jumped to her feet, eyes wide with surprise. "What are you doing here?" she asked, wincing at the tone.

Sesshoumaru took it in stride, his suit jacket hung over one arm. "The forecast called for more rain, and you do not like wet feet."

A blush stained her cheeks, as she had said that, but it had been weeks ago and only a passing complaint when she'd shoved a new umbrella into her shopping cart. However, a soft tug on her skirt stopped her from questioning his motives, Megumi staring up at the youkai in wonder. "Who's that, sensei?" The rest of her class nodded in unison, some climbing over others to get a better look.

Kagome's blush darkened, as she knew there was no way to avoid answering, and she stepped aside. "This is Taisho Sesshoumaru. He's a—" She looked up at him, at a loss for words. "—friend." But the title did nothing to deter their curiosity.

"A friend?"

"What kind of friend?"

"Looks like a boyfriend."

"That's not right, sensei's married."

"Not all teachers are married."

Kagome groaned, for once thankful for the bell—and their short attention spans. They all straightened at the sound, bowing in unison before waving goodbye. Megumi hung back, as she always did, dark eyes still on Sesshoumaru. He raised an eyebrow, but the girl held firm, eventually leaning closer to Kagome. "I can see why you chose him over Papa."

Kagome's mouth fell open as the girl bowed again, this time to Sesshoumaru, then darted toward her father, waving to both of them. Kagome echoed the movement as she ensured each child found their designated grown-up.

"I take it that was the child of the man in question?" he asked.

"That would be her," Kagome replied, hands clasped in front of her. "She's very sweet and hardworking. But her father—"

"Cannot take a hint."

"Exactly." She watched as Hojo took Megumi's bag, concentrating so as not to miss any details of her day as they walked toward the parking lot. His look of longing, however, was not missed—by either of them—and Kagome stiffened as Sesshoumaru leaned closer, lips brushing her cheek before he turned them around and led them back inside. "Was that necessary?" she griped, skin tingling where he'd touched her.

"I was making a point," he replied, unrepentant. "You voiced the need for my services was to dissuade a specific individual from crossing boundaries you had been adamant about. Would such displays of affection not do exactly that?"

She had, and they would, but that didn't explain the rapid way her heart was beating against her ribs. "Just keep it to a minimum when I'm at work," she said. "There's a boundary there, as well."

"As you wish."

She eyed him warily. He'd said he'd shown up because of the weather, but he couldn't have known Hojo would pick Megumi up today. Half the time, she went to an after-school daycare because he worked late. "I still have a few things to do before I can leave," she murmured, inching toward her desk. Sesshoumaru wasn't the most patient person, so if he had to wait around while she organized her classroom—

"I assumed as much," came his easy reply. "Our reservation is not until six."

Kagome blinked in confusion. "We have a reservation?"

The edge of his mouth twitched. "I would not be a good boyfriend if I picked you up from work only to take you straight home." She continued to stare, and he rolled his shoulders. "You have cooked enough meals at my home; I wish to repay you."

The tension that had been building slowly dissipated. He just wanted to repay her for cooking for him. That was all. That she could handle. She offered him a grateful smile. "That sounds wonderful. It shouldn't take me that long to get ready." He inclined his head, wandering around the room as she wrote down some notes about her class's progress. He was far less imposing here than at his home. She always left thinking he had some hidden agenda.

Their conversations felt genuine, but this was still Sesshoumaru; he'd never shown up during their hunt for the shards without an ulterior motive. First it had been the pearl, then Tessaiga, which had gone on far longer than it should've.

He paused in front of a display of awkwardly cut hearts, the writing inside each one slanted but sincere. "You condone love letters at this age?" he asked.

Kagome chuckled, joining him in front of the display. "There are different kinds of love. They're too young for the romantic kind, but we work on gratitude and showcasing our love for everyone in our lives." She pointed to a light blue one in the centre. "This one is about his mother's cooking. And this student loves when her brother picks her up from school; he's away at university, and she only sees him during holidays."

"Hnn." She eyed him warily, wondering if he was just humouring her, but he pointed to a mauve one, the lines a little smoother. "And this one?"

A soft smile touched her lips. "That's the one we started with. We read a story, and I explained that I love it when people are honest." He said nothing, tracing the lines of her words with a single finger, and she eventually pointed to a green one, breaking the silence. "This one actually reminded me of you. The little girl loves frogs, especially when she chases her mother around with them because she tends to shriek."

A frown marred his brow. "A shrieking frog reminded you of me?"

Kagome shook her head. "Not you. Jaken." She leaned against the wall. "He'd shriek at you all the time, but you never got rid of him."

"That is not to say I never tried."

She outright laughed, shaking her head. "Probably for the better. Rin would've killed you."

"Indeed." His tone wasn't as sombre as she thought it would be, and she went back to her desk.

"How's he doing? Still barking orders when someone insults you?" she asked, shuffling things around for the next day.

"He spends most of his time at the beach," he replied, still reading over the other hearts.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't peg him for such an unpredictable habitat," she admitted. "Though I suppose he enjoys the water?"

"He enjoys it because Rin does."

That gave her pause, and she straightened, watching for any telltale sign of emotion. "Is she buried there?" she asked softly.

He stiffened in surprise, then turned to face her. "Did Inuyasha not tell you?"

Kagome crossed her arms. "Unless it's about a ramen restaurant or a new pocky flavour, Inuyasha never initiates any conversation. And I can't say you ever came up." He continued to stare at her, and she flushed. "Sorry, that was insensitive. You probably still think about her—"

"She mated an otter demon," he cut in, eyes dancing with amusement. "They live on the coast, so that they are close to his family. Jaken manages their estate when they travel south."

Her mouth dropped open. "You did that on purpose!" she accused.

"Perhaps. But you brought it on yourself by not asking first." She scowled but said nothing, banging a binder against her desk before he took it from her hands. "Are you finished?" She was tempted to throw it at him, but he placed it exactly where she'd planned on putting it, leaving her surprised yet again.

He continued to tidy up her desk, and she watched in fascination as he put everything in its proper place. "Do you expect me to ask about things like that?" she eventually asked, curiosity winning over anything else.

"Do you wish to ask about things like that?" He finally met her gaze, expression placid, and Kagome chewed on the inside of her lip as she gave it some real thought.

"I guess so. If you're willing to talk about it." She shrugged on her coat.

"It would depend on the one asking the questions."

Her eyes narrowed again, but she flipped her hair over her shoulder as she passed by him. "Guess you're lucky I'm so attractive then. I can distract you with my good looks into giving me real answers."

"Why do you think I have spoken so candidly before?"