Inuyasha 1. Holloween

This is a series of fiction for holiday events, starting with this one and then I'm hoping to post for other holidays I end up celebrating/feel like writing for.

**Chapter One:** _Halloween_

She frowned.

It was difficult not to.

The entire thing was just silly.

She was standing outside of a creepy old school building eyeing it skeptically while some of her classmates whispered conspiratorially nearby. They had been talking about checking out the old building for almost a month now. There was some stupid superstition that anyone that entered on all Hallow's Eve would see the souls of the dead lingering inside.

Sure, she believed in spirits, but this was just a old building that wasn't used anymore, she didn't even think there were stories about anyone having died here like a lot of stories about haunted houses.

Instead she figured people started the rumors in the last month just to have something to be excited about for the holiday. Even if the haunted house the school set up was lame the party was at least inside and had food, much more desirable than this nonsense.

"You said you weren't afraid." Inuyasha mocked from nearby. Making her frown at him, she had only agreed to this nonsense cause her friends talked her into it. She might have been able to impress the boy, she'd had a crush on him for years and allowed that to let her lips agree.

"I'm not afraid." Kagome snapped in irritable reply. Sure, she still kinda liked him, but she didn't need the attitude at the moment, he was such a jerk sometimes. "I'm going, I'm going."

"Remember, the roof, activate your flashlight a few times from one of the windows at the front so we know you went all the way up." Inuyasha called after her as she headed inside.

Her frown only deepened when he then wrapped an arm around their fellow classmate Kikyo, she didn't have a chance in hell. Yet here she was cold, uncomfortable, and rejected again while she was trying to impress the boy.

_"I'm gonna kill Eri."_ She thought in irritation as she walked toward the dark old building and flicked on her flashlight. _"He broke up with Kikyo my ass...it was probably just a way to try to get me out here."_

Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi hadn't even shown up, just Inuyasha, Kikyo, Souten and his brother Hiten, and the last of the band was Yura. The group had picked on her for ages and likely had set up something else for tonight and told her other friends they'd canceled.

The building was older, parts of it in definite disrepair. A high-pitched squeeling sound came from the front doors hinges as she pushed it open, moving her flashlight left and right. It was a lobby area with a few benches and lockers, the ground was very dusty and a pile of dirt and leaves had built up in one of the corners. The lack of other lighting was disturbing and she was far enough away from the others now that the quiet only added to the mood.

Creepy.

She wasn't scared really, but it did make her nervous. The heels of her costume clicking on the marble floor echoed as the only sound and she tried to put more weight on her toes just to avoid it in case she wasn't the only teenager hanging around the place. It certainly seemed like a place delinquents would take a liking too.

And here she was dressed up like a sexy angel, another thing she needed to skin Eri for. _"What the hell was she thinking telling me I looked great in this getup..."_

Mostly it was just a slinky shimmery white dress with feathered wings added to the back and white heels for shoes with puffy sparkling cotton balls attached. She had a halo connected by wire 'hovering' over her head and had put glitter on her face and other areas of exposed skin.

Thankfully the stairs were right by the entrance and she took them up carefully so she wouldn't fall on the heels, another bad idea as she wasn't really used to wearing any. It became less frightening and more tedious by the time she was on her way past the third floor and toward the roof access. It was like any other school, darker and dustier, but she wasn't witnessing any spirits and doubted she would.

"Just get to the roof, light up the stupid flashlight a bunch, and go back down so I can at least try to get a little fun tonight." She muttered to herself as she shook the roof door to get it open and stepped out onto the concrete.

Rubbing her arms to try to fight against the autumn chill she slipped slowly toward the edge of the building. The fence was no longer there as this place wasn't suppose to have anyone inside, it took longer to get up her courage to walk to the edge than it had been to get inside. Flashing her light several times, her reward for the trek up to the roof through the dirty old building?

The engines of the cars the others brought revved below and they flashed their lights a few times before they drove away...leaving her to stare and blink slowly at the fact that she'd been ditched here in the middle of the night.

"I'm gonna kill them..." She muttered, hands balling into fists. "I can't believe they left me here. I'm suppose to cook something this month for Thanksgiving, I'm going to poison all of them...what was it in the one movie? Eyedrops? I'll buy a crate full."

"That would be unwise." The deep voice made her jump and twirl around, she hadn't heard the door to the roof open after her, and no one was up here when she arrived. It was close though and she stumbled backward, nearly falling from the roof before a strong grip closed around her wrist and saved her from gravity.

In a moment she'd been tugged back onto the roof, but still off balance she'd fallen into the chest of her savior. It took a moment, but she recognized the face and the tattoos on it, as well as the telltale silver hair.

"Se..sesshomaru senpai?" She blinked as her sparkling cheeks turned from white to pink. It was Inuyasha's older brother, two years her senior and he'd always reacted to her like she was the plague the few times she'd visited Inuyasha's house.

"As amusing as it would be." He steadied her on her feet and let go of her, looking up at the starry sky. "If you use too many eye-drops you really could kill them. I recommend just a little bit, more torment, less jail time."

Kagome smiled a little at that, she did remember Inuyasha saying a few times his older brother hated him. Maybe they had at least one thing in common then. "Oh...thank you...I..."

"Don't worry about it." His shoulders raised and lowered so slightly she wasn't sure it actually happened or if it was just her eyes playing tricks. "He just left you here right? You don't have a car of your own?"

"Right..." She nodded a little nervously, the thought of the building being haunted forgotten. "It's complicated."

"Playing pranks on people at Halloween?" He raised a superior brow at her skeptically, looking her over and seeming to consider her and her costume for the first time. "Come on. I'll give you a ride home."

"Right..." she nodded, not that she really trusted him, but she was cold and being stuck out here wasn't an alternative she was willing to accept. She continued to rub her arms, shivering a little as she headed back to the roof's door.

She struggled with it a moment before pausing, the feeling of warm fabric sliding over her shoulders made her pause and look back at the older boy. He'd taken off his jacket and dropped it over her shoulders before reaching past her to open the door for her.

Well, it was better than a perpetual frown.

**End Chapter**

Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you enjoy your holiday and enjoy candy and costumes :)

-Aura


	2. Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Kagome had the scowl settled back on her face.

It was no wonder she was always being walked over, she let herself be talked into anything. This time she was fairly certain she was in over her head.

She'd agreed to help the others with a special lunch for the American holiday Thanksgiving, but then Ayumi had called in sick and Eri was late so she was stuck doing it almost completely alone, if Yuri hadn't been there she'd of been in even worse a position.

As it was Yuri had only volunteered to help with sides, not with main dishes, and how the hell was she suppose to cook a turkey anyway? The only thing she'd ever made with that bird was a sandwich.

Still, she was fairly sure she'd followed the recipe the way she was suppose too, but the bird as she watched it through the glass of the stove seemed like she was forgetting something.

"Did you stuff it?" The deep, mostly unconcerned voice made her jump and spin to see the silver haired boy giving her a curious expression from where he'd backed away to avoid getting hit with her hair.

"Wait...what do you mean?" Kagome blinked and frowned. "Stuff it with what?"

"Stuffing." He stated, still offering the same expression. Then pointed at one of the bowls filled with the aforementioned side.

"Oh, dang it!" Kagome started to reach for the oven but he stopped her.

"It's fine if you didn't, but I think it makes the temperature go down when you cook it." Sesshomaru offered with a small shrug.

"Um...lemme see." Kagome flipped through the pages of her cookbook frantically before finding it and pointing at it with an audible 'Ha!'.

She turned the temperature down and released a sigh. "Thank you, I'd of burned it otherwise."

"Kagome?" Yuri commented as she returned to working at another stove in the kitchen area on the cranberry sauce. "Who are you talking to?"

Kagome looked around, noting that Sesshomaru had vanished but then picking up a tiny container left on the counter, laughing when she read the label.

She grinned and slipped them in a pocket, she was suppose to be serving everyone their plates as well as a part of the holiday celebration.

She'd all but forgotten about her threat in the month from her near death experience. Had he come by just to bring her these?

Eyedrops.


	3. Christmas

**Holiday Chapter Three:** _**Christmas**_

Kagome was never caught in the poisoning of a few members of the senior class, the teachers decided so many people in the school had reason to poison Inuyasha, Kikyo, and their gang, that it could have been anyone. She wasn't even accused, just asked if she saw anyone wander into the kitchen. She had said a few people were in and our but she was too busy to take note of who it was.

Apparently her perfect record had left her without even the implication of being the one behind their trip to the hospital. She'd felt bad and even thought about turning herself in, but then that could implicate Sesshomaru and she didn't want to turn the upperclassman against her as well. It had blown over eventually and now she was on Christmas vacation.

She was out trying to shop for Inuyasha as he'd invited her to a party his parents were letting him have while they were out of town on some sort of important business themselves. Kikyo was gone with her family for the weeks of holiday vacation so she wouldn't be there, and several of the other more evil members of their gang wouldn't be around either.

Thankfully, even Inuyasha didn't believe she was the one behind the eyedrops at Thanksgiving or likely he wouldn't be inviting her. She wasn't sure she wanted to stay long, but her family was busy that day too so it would be lonely at the shrine. Grandpa was off at some retreat of the health, Mom had to work both Christmas Eve and Day, Souta was going with a friend to some trip overseas. She'd be by herself so she might as well go somewhere where she at least would have other people around.

A lot of the class members were invited so people were excited about it. The brother's parents were rich after all, so it was a mansion where they'd all been invited. It was suppose to be a sort of holiday ball and a lot of the students were taking it more seriously than the winter formal - as it had been postponed until later in January. Kagome was sure that would be a big deal as soon as the break was over.

She eyed the colorfully decorated shops as she walked, she knew a lot of things Inuyasha liked, but mostly music, she figured it would be best if she could get him something related to that. She pushed into the largest music shop, downtown was a pain to take the train too with traffic this time of year but she wanted to make it something very nice.

The place was expensive but she'd saved extra money this year for gifts and still had a decent amount left over. She was hoping she could get the brothers each something nice and then buy a nice new outfit for herself to attend the party in.

She put down her hood and was dusting snowflakes off her shoulders when she ran into someone, bumping back and catching her balance a moment later. Her apology broke half way through as she matched her blue eyes with gold ones. "Sorry I..."

"Do you ever watch your step Higurashi?" The deep voice commented with a raised brow as he dusted off his chest and straightened the shirt of his uniform.

"Sorry." Kagome repeated, doing her best not to blush, thankfully the cold outside could be an easy excuse for the redness in her face. "Are you okay?"

"Hmph." Was the soft reply she got for the question, as if it was absurd he'd be hurt. "Are you?"

"Yes, yes." She nodded and offered a smile finally. "I didn't expect to see you here, are you Christmas shopping as well?"

"Not really." He replied shortly, eyes returning to the wall where they'd been before she'd bumped into him. He was looking at bow's for a violin.

"You play the violin?"

She mentally kicked herself. _"Lame question Kagome."_

"Yes. Father insisted both of us play an instrument." Sesshomaru answered with a practiced neutrality, near boredom..she was pretty certain he'd played through the conversation before.

"I guess I never took you for the musical sort." Kagome commented. "I was actually wondering if you wanted anything for Christmas, I thought it'd be a nice gesture after you ah...gave me a gift last month."

That got him to quirk the smallest of smiles, though the mirth didn't linger on his face more than a moment. "You don't need to get me anything. I helped you as much for personal amusement than anything."

"Well...still, I'd like to. I'm coming to the party at your house and it's only fair if you're having me over to get you something." She reasoned with her smile firmly back in place. "Just polite you know."

"I'd rather you didn't. Get something for Inuyasha, that is why you are in here isn't it?" Sesshomaru returned again.

"Yeah...I wanted to get him new drumsticks." Kagome confirmed. "Here I figured you'd get him a C.D. by David Archuleta or Justin Bieber. He always tells Kikyo he loves them because she's obsessed with them but he can't stand them."

"I see." Sesshomaru glanced back to Kagome thoughtfully. "I"ll have to keep that in mind."

"Uhoh...well if you do something like that, I didn't say anything." Kagome insisted raising her hands in an innocent way. "I guess I should let you get back to your shopping. See you later Senpai."

She offered a small wave and wandered off down the isle, finally coming across the various types of drumsticks. She didn't know much about instruments but she remembered a few types of wood he had told her once were the best for drumming. Peeking a glance back toward Sesshomaru she found him gone already, the bow he'd been looking at back on the wall where he'd taken it from.

Grabbing a set of sticks that were one of the types Inuyasha had wanted but the least expensive she returned to where she'd bumped into his older brother. Biting her lip as she looked at the bow. It seemed simple and they all looked the same, but so did drumsticks and apparently they were largely different. It was expensive but she could afford it and still be able to pull a dress, it would leave her savings a little lower than she intended but she picked the bow up off the wall anyway.

_**ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**_

Spinning in her dress Kagome watched it twirl a moment before the lovely fabric settled back down around her legs. The frilled skirt was black and white with a red pattern on one side like a poinsettia. It showed off her figure neatly and was a bit more low cut than she'd prefer but not so much that she'd feel like a slut. It was sleeveless but she had a short dress sweater made of velvet that helped shield her arms against the cold. She'd even managed to find white lace gloves with red ribbons. She had put up her hair in a simple but elegant style, held by fake ivy and berry hair pieces that fit with the season. Her earrings were dangling snowflakes and she thought she'd kept to theme very well.

She grinned and picked up her neatly wrapped presents for the brothers and after checking to make sure she had her purse dashed out and down the steps to catch the train.

It wasn't too long of a ride, and more of a walk to get to the estate where the brothers lived.

Thankfully Eri was going with her boyfriend and they stopped to give her a ride out, the pair getting to chat for a while before they got there and parked on the lawn. He even had people directing parking. The mansion was aglow with lights and a sparkling large tree was visible through a set of wide windows on the first two floors. She sighed a bit as she looked, it was lovely, but it really put into place just how different she and her family were from Inuyasha's. As it was he was still dating Kikyo again so she couldn't really tell him how she felt even if she wanted to.

She walked in with her friends, her feelings a bit more deflated as she started to dwell on the reasons she shouldn't be there. Lots of other kids were already there mingling or dancing in the ballroom. There wasn't a place for gifts so she didn't have anywhere to put them and she kept getting strange looks which made her doubt that she should have brought anything with her at all.

Inuyasha looked handsome in his tux, he'd certainly gone all out for the event, though the top button was undone and the tie was loose it gave him a certain roguish charm. Kagome had to blush when his eyes looked her up and down upon her walking up to greet him.

"Hey you look great Kagome." He offered with a smile and returned a hug. "You didn't need to bring gifts you know, it said that on the invitation."

"You look handsome too, and I know, but it seemed like the nice thing to do. I thought it might be nice as Kikyo won't be able to make it. You two aren't apart much after all." Kagome stated, it was digging her own grave bringing up his girlfriend, she couldn't really hang around him after commenting on her.

"Kikyo and I aren't together again, she's the one that asked me to see if my parents would let me set this whole thing up and then she wouldn't even come." Inuyasha commented, rubbing his hair nervously before shrugging. "I dunno, she's just so selfish I guess. Anyway, save a dance for me, White Christmas is the song you like right? I asked the band to play it tonight cause I knew you'd like it."

"Oh thank you Inuyasha." Kagome blinked in suprise, the news was good for her, perhaps if they did get to dance she could finally say what she wanted to him. Then she blinked and lifted her other gift. "This one's for Sesshomaru, where is he?"

Kagome used the excuse to look around, to try to keep her eyes off her crush, though her heart was back in the party now that she knew she had a chance with him again. What a Christmas gift it would be if he told her he returned her feelings, he was always so nice to her after all...

"Oh him." Inuyasha deadpanned before sighing. "You really are a bleeding heart if you'd get him something. He's hiding away in his room being a Grinch. Even though mom and dad invited his class too he never wants to lower himself to hanging out with other people. He's such a jerk."

"Maybe he's just shy." Kagome suggested as kindly as possible, she knew his brother was a bit of a sensitive topic. "Should I find him to give him this? I'd rather not hang onto it all night."

"Well, give him a bit, we just argued some before people came and he's probably still ticked off, we can leave it in the closet over here and you can go up later okay?" Inuyasha said opening one of the side doors and slipping both the gifts onto the shelf. "I want to open it but it seems a little odd to do it here and now you know? Go ahead and get something to eat and some punch, we'll dance later. I should greet folks as they come."

"Right." Kagome nodded in agreement, leaving his side to go do as he asked, she was actually famished, she'd spent so much of her day getting ready she hadn't eaten much. She gathered a plate happily and sat down to nibble as she daydreamed.

It would be the best Christmas ever if she could get Inuyasha to understand how she felt now that he and Kikyo were apart from each other again. She half watched him and half chatted with her friends. He wasn't always so polite, a lot of the time he was pretty foul-tempered, but it was times like this that made her really love him. He was being considerate of everyone and a good host, though she wished that he had more time she knew she shouldn't be greedy. He'd asked her for a dance after all, to a song he'd picked out for them, so he was thinking about it.

She was so giddy, and finishing her food just made it harder to wait for the song she wanted to come on. So she drank the punch instead, several glasses and songs later she wandered off to use the bathroom and had her tights around her ankles when she heard the band start playing White Christmas. She finished her business and was tugging up her tights when she heard them tear, she grimaced at the long tear on her left leg, of all the times for the band to choose to start!

Dashing from the bathroom after a quick wash of her hands she stared around the ballroom looking for him but her high heart sank when she finally caught sight of him, well less him than the woman he was dancing with instead. Kikyo was there, she wasn't suppose to be, but there she was, dancing in his arms where Kagome was suppose to be for this song. Thankfully her frantic search hadn't gotten her any attention and she ducked into the long entry closet to get away from everyone outside, tears threatening to fall made her unable to stay out there where people would watch her crying over him, again.

The gifts on the shelf only served to mock her as she searched for her coat. She sniffed and tugged a handkerchief from her purse to wipe her nose and face, giving up on finding her coat in the throng of them hanging there, she'd figured she'd be staying a while and didn't make a note of where it was hung up.

She fought off further tears, picking up the present she'd gotten for Sesshomaru, she might as well give it to him while she was here, she never wanted to come back. It was quite clear Inuyasha would never want to be with anyone but Kikyo.

After getting directions from one of the workers to Sesshomaru's room she padded up the stairs and down the hallway, it was actually difficult to hear more than a gentle hum of the party from here. She was glad to be away from it though, and she knocked on his door.

"I'm not interested in your party, leave." Was the only greeting his cool voice offered. But she pushed open the door anyway, eyeing the boys room out of curiosity. She was fairly sure she'd just entered territory few had ever dared to tread.

He was at his desk, several school books open around him, there were a few violins decorating his walls but otherwise they were empty. He had two desks, the one where he was now was only covered in books and the other held a monitor with a computer underneath part of it. He had a queen sized bed with simple cranberry colored sheets and a comforter. His closet was closed, as was a second door and the long dresser. It looked a bit like a hotel room, well furnished but mostly empty of other home like details.

She froze two steps inside as she glanced back and noted the glare that honeyed gaze had leveled on her. "Sorry, I um...got you something and wanted to give it to you before I left."

He considered her a moment, then glanced to the watch on his hand. He was dressed in a white long sleeved shirt and dark jeans though the shirt was only half buttoned it was tucked into his pants, an amusing contradiction. Though the glimpse of his sculpted chest left Kagome with another blush on her cheeks as she met his eyes again. He looked her over, and she had a moment of pride as he seemed to appreciate her outfit.

"You seem ready for the party, it's still early, why are you leaving?" Sesshomaru questioned observantly.

"Well um...Inuyasha and Kikyo...I mean I don't really have anyone to dance with and I'm a little tired as I got up early this morning. I figure I should go home early." She lied, and the way he was watching her she was certain he knew it too.

"So then...are you going to stand there or give it to me? I can't open it if you are clinging to it." He commented, nodding toward his desk.

She pouted a moment and then sighed, walking up and putting it on his desk. "You could be a little more friendly, I'm giving you something here and being nice."

He didn't reply, instead glancing over the wrapping job, which looked like a three-year old tried to do it and giving a skeptical look before opening it carefully. He considered the box a moment before lifting it out and looking at the bow and smirking a bit. His eyes closed a moment, then opened again as he laughed once. "I didn't want this, I put it back because I didn't...otherwise I would have bought it while I was at the store."

"Oh..." Kagome frowned, starting to get angry, he didn't have to laugh at her. "I just thought you might want it, and besides, you wouldn't tell me anything. It's suppose to be the thought that counts anyway! Jeez, Inuyasha's right, you are a jerk. Just...just stay up here and be unhappy and alone then. Hmph!"

She turned to storm out of the room, both the brothers were really assholes as far as she was concerned.

"So Kikyo came and he turned right back." Sesshomaru observed, he sounded amused, Kagome continued storming out. She'd reached the stairs by the time someone grabbed her arm. She paused, glancing back to a freshly stoic faced Sesshomaru and frowned at him, opening her mouth to start yelling at him but he spoke first.

"I am suppose to give you a gift as well. That is how this whole silly holiday works isn't it?" He asked glancing down the steps toward the party. He had a pair of gifts: one long wrapped gift that looked like a tube, and the other a smaller one that looked like it was probably a C.D. They were glittering gently from the light downstairs as he buttoned back up his shirt. "This isn't for you, but come on, watch the show, you'll understand."

Kagome raised a brow and followed after him, pausing where he touched her arm and whispered for her to stop. It flustered her more than it was commanding. His breath had brushed over her open neck and behind her ear and she was fairly sure had lit some sort of fire in her belly. She had to stop for fear she'd of fallen over otherwise, by the time she'd pushed aside the strange feelings she noticed he was walking up to Kikyo and Inuyasha, offering her the smaller disc and him the larger cylinder.

"You should go ahead and open it, no one really cares, it is Christmas Eve." Sesshomaru assured, and sure enough some people nearby nodded, everyone was curious as they'd rarely seen the brothers speak, more or less give gifts. Most of the girls were whispering a conspiracy nearby and Kagome was too focused on watching and trying to listen from her safe distance, not wanting to get incriminated.

They opened their gifts, Kikyo squeeled with joy and hugged the older brother, which made the fire in Kagome's gut turn into more of a nauteous feeling, that's what he wanted her to see? Maybe he was cruel after all. She was preparing to turn around when she saw what he'd given Inuyasha and had to cover her hanging jaw.

It was a half naked signed poster of David Archuleta...if he said he didn't like it then Kikyo would definitely get pissed at him. He just nodded that he liked it when Kikyo glanced over and asked, then pointed and grinned at him. "I know just where you can hang it in your room."

The room had broken into more whispers and snickers and Kagome found herself watching in morbid fasciation as Inuyasha nodded awkwardly and thanked his brother. They shook hands and Sesshomaru headed back out of the room, though he was quickly approached by other girls from his class and Kagome decided it was best if she went ahead and went home.

She couldn't help but smile though, it was a better gift than she'd been expecting, vengeance was always sweet.


	4. New Year

Chapter Four: New Years

Kagome was dressed in proper priestess attire for the festivities at the shrine. Her grandfather had goaded her into wearing the red and white common for the occasion-he'd promised to pay her for her time. When she was young she used to love to dress up just for the sake of doing it but more and more responsibilities in running the New Years celebrations had begun to fall on her as she'd gotten older so she'd finally stopped volunteering to help for free. The money would help even back out her bank account, it was still a bit low from her Christmas purchases so this job would get her back up to where she normally liked to keep her checking.

She was attending a stall for someone that needed to take a break, her brother had stolen her original job of selling tickets at the top of the steps. It was the main way they got money this time of year. They got a bit of money from the various shopkeepers and games that opened in the large yard but mostly it was people walking around and just browsing so the several hundred yen they charged for entry was the main source of income for the shrine.

"So, how do you paint them, around all those corners?" She heard a familiar voice ask. It drew a smile to her face naturally when she heard him, even if she knew she needed to get over Inuyasha it wasn't as easy to convince her heart as it was her mind. Usually he dropped by for the holiday with his family, they'd were often philanthropists with their money and had donated to the small shrine often through the years.

"Really funny," Kagome replied with a roll of her eyes. "You know they paint the fans patterns on before they ever fold them. I'm just stuck watching when folks take breaks."

"I saw that Souta stole your usual job," Inuyasha answered with a smirk. "You going to be doing a kissing booth? That might get you a lot of extra donations."

She wanted to keep the blush from her face but willpower alone wasn't enough to keep the pink from coloring her cheeks. "No. Don't give Grandpa the idea either."

"Yeah yeah all right," he laughed at her and his friendly attitude slipped away just as Kikyo slid an arm around his and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. She'd dressed in priestess attire as well, though she was apparently only wearing it for fashion as Kagome had never heard of the girl actually working at her family's shrine. The similarities between them were even greater though now that they were wearing the same outfit. It reminded her of the scene not long ago where Kikyo had taken her place dancing...it was a very obvious slap to show her just how much she wouldn't end up with her crush.

"Get over it," she told herself, pinching her arm and making herself look to someone else that was there. It made her blink slowly, Inuyasha and Kikyo were wandering off and seeing another person with silver hair made her pause.

"Something in particular?" Sesshomaru asked with a raised brow, glancing from the decorative fans to Kagome. "I don't believe I asked anything yet."

"Oh sorry." Kagome rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "Can I help you with something?"

"That one there, how much is it?" He gestured at one of the fans on the wall. It was a fairly large sized one with a scene of cranes taking off over a ocean at sunset. The colors and flow were quite good, one of the better ones for certain. Kagome checked the tag before whistling lowly.

"Perhaps thats what I should get over then?" he asked, his voice was neutral but she still smiled, recognizing the joke for what it was.

"Sorry, it's marked at 25,000 yen," commented Kagome, still fighting with the embarrassment showing in her face.

"I'll get it," he stated, still watching. "I should wait until the regular shopkeeper returns though and see if I cannot get it for a bit less."

"Sure," Kagome nodded, blinking at how easily he pushed off such a large amount of money without concern. Not that she'd ever seen him show much emotion for anything but that much yen was half as much as her mother made in year. "Though I think they won't be back for another few minutes, they headed off to their car and thats down the stairs."

"Hmm," was the only reply he offered her, then he looked at her more fully as his golden eyes slid away from the expensive fan. "You do work here."

"Yeah," she answered. She could tell he wasn't phrasing it as a question but not talking would have just been awkward so she kept up the conversation. "It's all right, I get paid at least by Grandpa for helping with things. It should make up for most of the Christmas gifts I bought."

He was silent for a time before speaking again, the stark honeyed gaze had her captured and she had to stare back, it was doing nothing for the heat in her face though. Eventually he blinked and looked back to the other fans.

"Yes, my joke at my half-brother's expense left me with the unfortunate need to get gifts for others as well," Sesshomaru commented, with the smallest flicker of a smile. "Though I suppose it will be worth it."

She smiled a bit at him. "I appreciate the gesture, it wasn't all that expected."

"You did give me the idea, it only seemed fair to let you witness it," Sesshomaru commented with a glance after his brother and the annoying girl he was always with. "You two do look somewhat alike."

"Somewhat?" Kagome snickered. "According to most we look exactly alike. It's a bit uncanny even I have to admit."

"It's quite easy to see how different you are." Sesshomaru replied with a shrug. Though before she could ask him what he meant the shopkeeper returned and she walked off a bit while they conducted business. It was a little quieter on the edge of the rows of stalls, it gave her vantage over the trees and roads below, leaving her to watch the train speeding by below. It wouldn't be all that much longer before the city fireworks would begin. There was a decent vantage from the shrine given it's height on the hills and a lot of folks had gathered on the steps with blankets and picnic baskets, all ready to watch the approaching celebration.

"You like all this nonsense." She recognized the deep voice as the older of the Toshai brothers but it made her smile anyway. The comment wasn't a question, as usual.

"I think it's good to have times to just ignore the rest of the world and enjoy a few moments for something simple but beautiful." Kagome answered after a moment to think about it, glancing at him and back to the sky. "It's a nice break from all the other worries and concerns. I get a moment to just be a kid again and have a little bit of magic in my life."

"Hmm." It was a non-answer, she was noticing how gifted he was at them. She was going to point it out but then the lights started in the air and she dismissed it. That was just how he was, it was annoying sometimes but she could accept that.

The show was loud, but breathtaking. Colors danced with the sky as the explosions curled into the deep horizon as if they wanted to mingle with the stars. By the end it was left somehow making the sky seem to glitter more than when it had started. She was grinning as she finally looked back down, though was surprised to see Sesshomaru watching her.

"I suppose I can agree, some things are simple and beautiful." He commented, leaning a bit closer and making her hold her breath as she stared at his face from the closer proximity. "Happy New Year Kagome."

The red was firmly back in her face but as fast as he'd leaned forward he'd kissed her cheek and headed off again with the long fan settled on a shoulder. She was left to stare after him and the easily noticeable silver hair as she touched her cheek where she'd been touched by his lips.

The fireworks weren't in the sky but they hadn't vanished either...

circular key

winyard


	5. VDay, Part One

The school kids had been horrible to Inuyasha since the Christmas incident, there were a lot of pictures of David Archuleta that had been shoved in both his normal and gym lockers, kids would shove them in his pockets, one kid gave him a key-chain of the guy while Kikyo was watching so he'd been forced to make the whole situation first by still pretending he liked it and putting it on his keys. Where it still remained to the best of his older brother's knowledge.

A sinister grin spread across the older boy's face, yes, he enjoyed the attention his younger brother was getting, that had been the best gift he'd ever gotten anyone, it just kept giving back to him in such amusing ways.

He passed his younger brother in the hall as he was being hauled to the principles office for punching a guy that suggested he get a tattoo of the musician. It was just priceless and difficult not to enjoy, he watched after his brother's pain for a while then looked into the library, he had work to do and as fun as reveling in Inuyasha's pain really was he needed to finish that book report for the extra credit in his English class. He didn't really need the extra points but it was safe just to have them on hand if he felt like ignoring an assignment later.

Kagome was studying, she didn't see him walking toward the library, but he found himself watching the girl. He wasn't certain why he'd kissed her on New Years Evening, he'd barely seen her since then and she still seemed to be moping over Inuyasha so apparently it hadn't changed anything between them. Though he wasn't sure why that even mattered to him, she was just another of his worthless sibling's fans after all...even if she was different than some she still pined over the brat.

Still, the way she'd blushed at him...the slight color in her cheeks, she was an attractive girl, cuter given her uncommon innocence for her age. That very ignorance though is why she was dangerous to have around, if she ended up blindly saying the wrong thing to someone else it could look bad for their family. It stood up that for all her years chasing after Inuyasha, who had repeatedly abused her affection, she hadn't gone to the press to tell them stories. Though it also made her look like she wanted to be his dog...what a disgraceful position.

Sesshomaru, despite all his thoughts, found himself sitting down across from her, and offering a smile, the sort of smile he knew could have gotten him just about any other girl in the school, teachers included. "What you working on Higurashi?"

She blinked at him, staring a long moment, a blush slowly appearing on her face, just the reaction he'd quietly been hoping for. He liked it when he was the reason she got a little extra color, it was something he had rarely done to girls for kicks, but he didn't actually want anything from her that he could fathom. She was just a poor commoner after all...

"Um...I had some research to do for a paper Sess...Senpai." She stuttered barely before correcting herself to the appropriate format, continuing to stare, obviously not sure of what to say.

She hadn't forgotten about the kiss, but when Sesshomaru had not really paid her any mind after school had started up again over a month before she decided it was probably better to assume it was just something of a rare event. Maybe he'd seen her mooning over Inuyasha and felt it kind to give her a little moment of something else. She knew he wasn't really the most caring guy, so as she stared at him with that disarming smile on his face all she could do was stare. Likely such a thing happened as often as a solar eclipse so it was best if she saw it while she could.

"Here I only thought you gaped stupidly like that at Inuyasha." Sesshomaru commented with a smirk, leaning back and dropping the charming act. "I suppose I should be flattered."

"Just surprised Senpai, you've been avoiding me for over a month." Kagome shrugged, still not sure what to say. "Or at least it seemed that way I guess..."

"Valentine's Day is this coming Monday yes?" He asked, half interrupting her comment and staring at her with those alluring amber eyes.

"Yes..." She nodded, she felt butterflies activate in her chest like a wind tunnel had been turned on pieces of paper. Her mouth was much too dry suddenly, but she couldn't bring anything to drink with her into the library, she needed to study at home...

"Come out with me on Saturday, we'll celebrate." He stated, it was less a question and more a order. "We'll go somewhere nice and get away from town for a while."

Kagome found her body nodding wordlessly while her brain still tried to fight over what was happening here and if it was real or not.

"Great." He got back up from the table. "I'll pick you up from your house at six that night then. Be ready."

Then off he went to get his book, frowning to himself as he walked, thankfully it seemed no one else was around the library to see his asking out of the commoner, but what the hell was he thinking? Sure, she was decent for a good kick, but what the hell was he doing asking her on a date? Not that he had anyone to go out with for Valentine's but it was such a strange thing, he'd just done it...acted on impulse.

She was still watching him, he could feel her eyes on him as he picked up the book he needed and headed to the desk to check it out, the old hearing impaired woman checking it for him after a moment. He was certain she was still watching him as he passed out of sight.

Which she was, she didn't know what to think of the whole thing and it wasn't until he finally left that she stared back down blankly at her paper, all thought of homework had flown from her mind, the words didn't comprehend to her busy mind.

"Oh god..." She realized, thinking to herself. "I really just agreed to go on a date with Sesshomaru...for Valentine's Day! Even if it's not actually on the day...oh god..."

She found herself grasping the table, closing her eyes, it seemed like such a bad idea...she wasn't even sure she'd ever get over his younger brother...why did he want to go out with her now? Had he decided to stop being nice to her and torment her instead? Either way she'd already said yes. She groaned to herself. "What on earth should I wear?"


	6. VDay, Part Two

**V-Day, Part Two**

She'd figured out something to wear, though now as she looked at herself in her mother's mirror she wasn't certain how to feel about it. Her figure was good, she was rather well curved for a girl her age, and the dress didn't fail to show that off. In fact, if it didn't have a slightly frilled skirt she wouldn't have agreed to it at all. It helped that the skirt actually went below her knees as opposed to most of the other dresses her friends had suggested. Whose lengths she would describe as 'might as well just wear a bathing suit'.

Her mom was letting her borrow a dress half-sweater with long sleeves that was black velvet. It blended well with the deep crimson color of the dress, she'd of preferred blue but the red was half as much as a blue dress she liked in a similar fashion. Kagome had on a silver necklace with a quarter moon pendant and small stud earrings in a ruby color. Her hair was pulled up and out of her face. The jewelry she borrowed from mom as well as a small purse.

_"God…I'm nervous."_ Kagome thought, it seemed to have become her personal mantra the last hour and a half. But finally she was mostly happy with her appearance. The sweater really helped, she wouldn't be as cold or look as easy with it on. _"I hope I didn't over do it, but he said it was a formal dress sort of restaurant."_

Grandpa was busy with some new shipment and mom was at work, Souta had teased her for a while but was now distracted with a video game so Kagome was pacing between her moms bedroom and checking herself in the mirror and the door. He was supposed to be here any minute and she couldn't sit down to wait.

_"What if he doesn't come? What if it's all just some cruel trick? Obviously he's not beyond them…even if he does come…what does he want from this? He knows I had a thing for Inuyasha for ages now."_ Kagome was fretting over things she'd already fretted over a lot in the few days leading up to their 'date'. She hadn't really had the chance to talk to Sesshomaru, and she didn't know what it was he wanted from her.

Then the bell rang and she pushed the thoughts aside, running up to it and then pausing, straightening her dress a last time before opening the door in what she hoped was a calm enough manner to not immediately give away how apprehensive she felt.

Sesshomaru eyed her up and down in a manner that certainly gave the impression he wasn't out to be just friends and she felt her mouth go dry as he looked her over. He was dressed well himself, she was used to seeing him in the uniform from school but this was different. He was in a nice suit, the fabric notably more impressive than the stuff used in the school uniforms. It was a charcoal grey with a crimson tie and handkerchief that complimented her own dress well enough it made her smile a bit at the coincidence. He looked older than a junior, and certainly like a serious businessman.

Sesshomaru noticed her looking as much as she noticed his, he broke her from her stare when he spoke though. "Good evening Kagome, are you ready to go?"

"Yes." Kagome wished she could keep the blush from her face but that seemed to be a dream she'd never attain. She slipped outside and made sure the door was locked after double checking that her purse was on a shoulder. "Thanks for coming up to pick me up. It can be quite the work out coming up to the shrine."

"You made it worth the walk, you look stunning." His smooth reply made her blush more and glance away from him.

"You look handsome." She murmured bashfully, having a hard time knowing what else to talk about. She was a sophomore in the choir and he was a junior in all advanced courses and on the student council. She knew he could play an instrument but there weren't any violins in the band. There seemed little they actually had in common, but she didn't know much about him either.

She wasn't acting like he usually remembered; perhaps asking Kagome on a date had changed the rules somehow. Though girls were usually bashful for a little while at first, he knew that much from the few dates he'd been on in the past. He had to admit though that he liked her outfit, she showed off her body so rarely when he saw her that it was easy to forget what he'd previously imaged until he saw her dressed like this.

He opened the back door of the limo at the bottom of the steps and Kagome got inside carefully, looking around the leather interior curiously. It was expensive, though not completely unfamiliar; she'd been in his family's privately owned limo a few times before now. She offered a small smile to Sesshomaru when he got in behind her, he told the driver they were ready and she felt the vehicle start moving.

"Thanks Sesshomaru, for bringing me out. I was a little afraid you'd ditch me." Kagome admitted, for lack of having anything else to say and not wanting to fall into an uncomfortable silence.

"How fortunate that I didn't," Sesshomaru's deadpan tone got her to let out a single laugh. "There we go you finally smiled; here I thought I might be tormenting you."

"No. It's lovely, we haven't even gotten there yet and I'm sure it'll be perfect. You always seem to do everything magnificently." Kagome replied, relaxing now that they were talking.

"Many would disagree when it comes to social matters." The upperclassman pointed out, curious what she would have to say. "I can't say they would be wrong."

"I dunno. Things can be harsh and cold, but beautiful and capable of warming someone's heart…like the snow." Kagome gestured outside where it'd started to snow lightly. "God I sound cheesy."

"Yes, you do." Sesshomaru smiled at her. "I appreciate the compliment however, even if your views are off. People can die if they get lost in a snowstorm after all."

"Well, I think I'm safe. I do my best not to raise your ire. I've seen how badly you can bite people." She replied, giggling at the continued 'snow' conversation. "So…why did you ask me out?"

They hadn't even reached the restaurant. She'd told herself all day she'd wait to ask him but here she was doing it right away. _"So much for personal discipline Kagome."_

"I didn't have a date, I assumed you didn't…"

_"There's the attitude, probably why you didn't have a date."_

"...You don't generally make me want to hate you constantly. I wanted to go out and thought you might want to go out. It was logical to invite you." Sesshomaru explained matter-of-factly. He had thought out ahead of time if she asked him. He wasn't completely certain himself but the logical explanation seemed the best to hold onto.

It didn't surprise Kagome, though she was a little more hurt by it than she expected she managed to nod. She was well practiced at swallowing pain to stay near people she liked. She knew she didn't like Sesshomaru the way she'd felt about Inuyasha for years, but it was just as well she didn't need to go pining after someone else. It was relieving as well, she didn't need to worry about impressing him, she could just be friends.

"I guess." Kagome nodded, relaxing a bit more. "Does it get lonely at your house during the holidays?"

"It can get tedious, my parents were throwing a party for friends and I didn't wish to attend." Sesshomaru replied. "I actually prefer to be alone, so I wouldn't say I get lonely."

"Still seems sad to always just sit in your room and study." Kagome replied, and then changed the subject as it didn't seem to be one he would want to discuss. "Where are we going?"

"We should be there soon, it's a popular place downtown the meals are prepared in a Fondue style. You choose your appetizers, meats, and deserts and the sort of cheese, broth, and then chocolate you want to dip them in." Sesshomaru explained. "I suppose it's not for everyone but I enjoy it."

"It sounds interesting." Kagome smiled a little more as she tried to picture it, blushing and poking her stomach when it growled. "Sorry, I didn't have much time for lunch."

Sesshomaru smirked and looked out the window. _"So she put a lot of effort into looking so nice for me…who was I kidding. Of course she was going to assume it was a romantic date, I asked her out for Valentine's Day…even though it's not until Monday a lot of people are celebrating tonight. She had no reason to think this was purely friendly…I'm not sure myself if that's all I want. It's all I should want…but…"_

Generally he could stay home during the parties his family held but Father had wanted him to escort a woman from another prestigious family he had no interest in. He'd been given the ultimatum last week to find a date or be set up…it was the night before he'd asked her out and it had been a whim. He could have asked anyone, but most people he'd of wanted to go out with likely already had dates, and while he didn't doubt many women would drop their other date for him he didn't want the drama that would come with it.

"…_but she's so cute when she blushes like that_." His thoughts were treacherous.

He felt a little guilty for misleading her but now wasn't the time to confess his father's ultimatum. It had involved his step-mother as well but he didn't care for Inuyasha's birth mother. They were only married for six months when Inuyasha was born, did they think Sesshomaru wouldn't figure out Father had cheated on his own mother? His mother and father's divorce had been finalized quickly, and only a month before he remarried, she must have known he'd gotten another woman pregnant.

The scandal around that had cost the company countless yen, people always stop wanting to invest in companies with problems at the top. There were still people that wouldn't deal with the family but it'd been long enough that most people didn't remember the scandal anymore.

"Are you all right?" Kagome's voice drew him from his thoughts and he nodded to her. Though he was rescued the need of giving an excuse when the limo stopped. He rarely made the driver get out; instead he opened the door and helped her out. The restaurant was on the edge of downtown, with a small red carpet for its patrons laid out. It looked like it was built in a old factory though it had been heavily cleaned and made up for the higher society. Neon blue illumination reflected from over the top of the door; 'The Melting Pot'. She'd heard of the restaurant a few times, the name let her recognize it more than his description had. Yuka or Eri had mentioned that it was impossible to get a reservation here a few weeks ago or so.

She followed Sesshomaru inside where it was clearly busy and they didn't even have to stop to wait when he spoke to the greeter. She blushed a little at a girl glancing her way she recognized from school, that expression of surprise on the girls face was a little insulting, but she knew there would be rumors now. Sesshomaru rarely went out, and usually when he did all the girls were chatting about it.

There weren't many people from the school here, none she knew well, but enough she recognized that at least seemed to know who her date was that Kagome was nervous again by the time they were seated at a booth and told a waiter would be with them shortly.

Kagome picked up her menu she opened it and did her best to resist the urge to hide behind it, suddenly self-conscious with the glances they were getting from other students out on their own dates for the romantic holiday. "Do people have to stare so much?"

"You are gorgeous; of course they want to stare." Sesshomaru replied smoothly, he supposed it was wrong to tease her but the way she colored pleasantly when he said it made it impossible to resist.

"Stop that." Kagome retorted, remembering they weren't on a real date. "I'm sure they're just staring at you. Seeing you out of school is as rare as getting hit by lightning."

"I do go out on occasion you know." The smiles he'd spared on the ride over were gone now, he was back to being serious under the observation of others. "It's not quite that rare."

"So more like spotting a UFO," Kagome corrected, grinning a bit.

Then the waiter arrived and Kagome glanced back at the menu, she hadn't given it much thought and she wasn't sure what she wanted. Why did the women always have to order first?

"Um…I'll have a coke to drink…and…whatever Sesshomaru is having." She generally didn't like to do that, but she didn't want to leave them waiting when they were so busy.

Sesshomaru didn't argue though, he gave the man an order of bottled water to drink and then listed off the different courses they would have. The waiter nodded, glancing back at Kagome.

"When the pots come out don't touch them, they'll be very hot, only use the prongs to dip your food. When the main meal comes I'll explain how long you should let the meat simmer in the broth for it to be cooked." He was speaking just for Kagome's sake, she could tell. "I'll get those drinks for you."

"Do you like the restaurant?" The upperclassman seemed curious as to what she thought.

"I think it's great." Kagome nodded, she'd been looking at all the old factory styled piping far above them, then was glad for how sectioned off it was so there weren't too many people that could stare. "I like how unique of an idea it is. I figure the food must be good if you come here so much."

"Well I normally get a spicy broth but I got something more toned down that I wanted to try. I wasn't sure how you would take to something spicy." Sesshomaru replied glad for food as a nice neutral topic.

"I don't mind a little spice to my meals, but I can't just eat a jar of peppers. I guess I'm not as wimpy as some but wimpier than others." Kagome said thoughtfully as she thought about her own experiences with spices.

"I remember you doing that once." Sesshomaru commented. "You were trying to impress Inuyasha; Dad had to take you to the E.R. because he wasn't sure what to do. You were crying the whole way and your face was a lot more flushed than it is now."

"Oh, that was when we went to Disney in Tokyo…that hurt." Kagome giggled a little as she remembered. "I'm surprised you remember that, it was almost ten years ago. Inuyasha was so mad we had to leave; I thought he wouldn't talk to me for weeks. He brought me ice cream and left it for me, he even squeezed my hand, so I guess it couldn't have been too bad. I always figured you were angry at me too. After that I didn't really see you at all when we hung out. I thought you hated me."

"A little back then," Sesshomaru replied with a tiny shrug. "We were just kids, though I hope this won't turn into an Inuyasha reminiscing session."

He sounded bitterer than he meant to. Sesshomaru had been the one that brought her ice cream and squeezed her hand but her face had been covered then…she'd assumed it was Inuyasha and he had been angrier about that but it seemed silly to tell her that now. Inuyasha hadn't gone to see her even though his father had told him too, he was too angry, and he hadn't talked to her for weeks. He was as selfish then as he was now. As she said, it was ten years ago and they had just been children, his reasons for getting away from her and everything had more to do with himself than that interaction.

"You really hate him…" Kagome commented, watching him quietly, empathy was something she had enough of that she could tell that the dislike went deeper than usual. "You guys are brothers, why do you hate him so much?"

The answer had to wait until the waiter delivered a tray with a pot and a small burner below it, inside the pot was melted cheese and to the side of it were different types of veggies, cracks, and other dip able things. There were two prongs and Sesshomaru picked one up, looking over the tray as he replied to her.

"Inuyasha is selfish, he's only ever been just concerned for himself and his own entertainment or how he can best one up other people around him. Certainly you've noticed he is quite good at taking and very bad at giving when it comes to anything important." For Sesshomaru the answer was easy; he'd hated his half-brother for his selfish nature for ages. "Inuyasha thinks of Inuyasha first and anyone else only if it helps his own agendas. He has no concern as to the consequences of his actions. He dared you to eat those peppers for his entertainment ten years ago, and just last year he ditched you at the old school for the same reason. I'm surprised you don't hate him more than I do, he's certainly given you even more reason than me."

Kagome blinked, it was a lot at once, but she should have known Sesshomaru wouldn't pull punches, if you asked him a question you had a chance to get a harsh truth in reply. She didn't believe that was the only reason, he couldn't hate Inuyasha that much just cause he was selfish, but reason told her not to push it right now. Instead she smiled a little sadly. "I…don't want to hate anybody. I knew that's who he was and I still did it, I wanted to blame Kikyo and say she made him that way. I guess it was stupid but I can't hate him for doing stupid things myself. I got even with him and that's that. I'm done being tormented by him. I'm just lucky you were there to rescue me, otherwise we might not be having the conversation at all….wait…you were there on purpose! I meant to ask you for a while why you were at the old building when it was closed, you knew I was going to be there."

Kagome pulled the piece of broccoli she was dipping back out of the cheese and put it on her plate, it was falling apart from her hesitation to pull it out more quickly but she was also curious if she was right.

"I was cleaning up after Inuyasha's mess. I've been doing it for years." Sesshomaru nodded to her conclusion, he saw no reason to deny it, speaking between bites of appetizers. "I overheard him talking on the phone about their Halloween prank plans. I didn't know it was you, though I suspected, I just knew it was a good idea to be there in case something bad happened."

"Well…thanks again…" Kagome offered a slightly awkward smile. "I got so caught up the last several months with school and everything else that I almost forgot about it. You saved my life."

"Don't go saying that or telling anyone." Sesshomaru commented matter-of-factly. "You'll ruin my reputation. Besides, it would have looked horrible on the family and our companies if he was behind the death of a young girl."

Kagome laughed. "Well, you do make it easy not to go spreading your praises."

He offered a slight smirk at that retort, the veggies were steadily vanishing.

"Glad I can assist."

"Well, I'll keep your secret but…" Kagome leaned a little closer, watching the pot so she didn't burn herself, and lowering her tone in a mock conspirator way. "…I know you aren't all just ice in there."

"Oh?" A silver brow arched slightly, as though in reply to a challenge. Then he leaned a little over the table, pushing the tray to the side and leaving his face so close to hers she thought he was going to kiss her a moment. "Are you certain you aren't just being manipulated?"

Kagome swallowed, she'd be surprised if he couldn't hear the sudden thundering in her chest. She sat back then and looked away from his intense gaze. "Well, not anymore."

Whatever Sesshomaru might have said died on his lips as the waiter came up to take away the first of the courses and then others followed behind him with a slightly larger pot and a separate tray of different meats and a few different types of veggies so it wasn't just all meat at once and they explained how long you should leave in each type of meat before eating it. There were skewers that you could leave in many pieces at once and while the 'cook it yourself' option might not appeal to some she liked the idea. She could have the beef how she liked it just by putting it back if it was still too rare for her.

"I heard that you are contenting for best in your year with grades, you could apply for various scholarships if you keep that up, everything still going well in your classes?" Sesshomaru changed the subject back to something less personal as he prepared his skewers with different types of meat and set the small timer they brought when Kagome was also ready so they wouldn't overcook things.

"They're okay. Most classes aren't too hard, science and math are the hardest to deal with, that and I think maybe I shouldn't have taken economics this semester. I'm having a hard time with it. It's probably going to bring down my overall grade." Kagome answered with a sigh. It wasn't a shock he'd know about her grades, people on the student council often dealt with the students with higher marks. She'd actually been approached about running once before but had no interest in it, she didn't have the time for more school activities unless she dropped choir and she'd rather not do that.

"I could tutor you. I got top marks in my Economics class." Sesshomaru offered before he really thought about it. What was it about this girl that made him so impulsive? Was it just that he'd known her for so long?

"You got top marks in all your classes, you're the highest in the school remember?" Kagome laughed a little. "I'd love the help but are you sure you'd have the time?"

"It would be a mutual effort. I have a project for my Business Management class. I'm supposed to work with someone over a few weeks and help teach them something while keeping a record of how they were trained. Teaching Economics is a good subject for such a project." Sesshomaru explained.

"You really have things all thought out pretty quickly." Kagome observed. "But yeah, it sounds like a good trade to me. Did you have a time in mind? I usually have events after school for about an hour but after that I could meet you in the library a few days a week."

Sesshomaru was silently amused at how little she realized that he planned so little in her case. They discussed scheduling as they ate. Though Kagome also side-tracked into how good the food was, it was so tender, the broth wasn't spicy but it had a full flavor that she definitely enjoyed. Between figuring out a time to work with him on tutoring and raving about the meal the time went by quicker than she realized and before long the meal had depleted and they took the pot away, bringing then melted chocolate with cookies and fruit and sweet breads to dip into the thick liquid.

Sesshomaru skewered a strawberry and got some chocolate on it before offering it to Kagome across the table. She went red, which was his intent in the action, he did enjoy seeing her flushed. She even leaned forward to take the strawberry off the skewer, despite her blushing and looking away after.

"I've never been very interested in sweets, is it good?" He was preparing to do it again, as he was amused at her reaction.

Then his mood plummeted at a familiar voice and the silver haired boy that stepped up to the table with his dark haired date. "Well, this is the last thing I expected to see, this is your date? What poor thoughtless woman did you convince to go out with you? Did you tell them you'd probably never see them again."

Kagome was mortified! Inuyasha and Kikyo had to have seen her eat the strawberry a moment before, what the hell were they doing here? Apparently they hadn't recognized her face though so she kept it down. Sure it would get around school soon but she was hoping she'd at least be able to enjoy tonight. Though given the chill that had invaded the table she doubted that would be possible.

"Wait…Kagome?"

She may not hate Inuyasha, but boy did she hate Kikyo right at that moment…

**End Chapter**

Steadily getting through V-Day, one more chapter left for it after this one.

_-Aura_

To my reviewers:

_Anon_ – Thanks for the kind words. Hope you keep reading.


	7. VDay, Part Three

_**V-Day, Part Three**_

"Kagome?" Inuyasha was clearly more shocked than Kikyo, and Kagome offered a small wave and a smile. She refused to act like this wasn't okay. He never wanted her after all, and well, she supposed Sesshomaru didn't either but Inuyasha could shove it.

"Evening." Kagome put on her best friendly smile. "Hope you two enjoy your dinner, it's all been great."

"I think it's a little barbaric being asked to cook our own food." Kikyo commented with a superior shrug. "I just wanted to come cause it's so popular and Inuyasha said he could get us a reservation. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I got him to feed me though."

Yeah, they'd definitely seen Sesshomaru feeding her that strawberry when they walked up.

"Kagome…you sure you wanna have dinner with Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha sounded downright skeptical, like he was watching a KKK member dining with a Black Panther and expecting things to go incredibly wrong. He gave Kikyo a look that seemed to say 'what?' when she elbowed him.

Sesshomaru seemed about to reply but Kagome beat him to it.

"Shut up Inuyasha." The snapped phrase surprised even her, but she was already going, and once her temper broke it was like there was no damn left to keep back the water. "I'm having a great time with Sesshomaru, he's been a perfect gentlemen. It's been interesting conversation, and I've had a much better time than the last time we went out. Remember that, when Kikyo was out of town and all you wanted to do was have burgers and talk about sports and how awesome you are. The meal was wonderful even if it was barbaric, the conversation is refreshing, and the night was great until you two losers walked up to impose yourselves! Take a hint and go away!"

She went too far, she knew it, but she was still angry and she didn't look away as the scowls formed on the faces of the couple next to their table. She was done being the doormat for them. Sesshomaru smoothly shifted the melted pot of chocolate to the back of the table just before Kikyo went to reach for it, his golden eyes offering her a biting smile. He clearly knew what she'd meant to do with it.

"Now, now, none of that 'lady' Kikyo, if you are hungry escort that oaf and attempt not to burn yourself at your table." Sesshomaru commented the sarcasm on the title of her name was clear in his cold baritone. His voice cutting into the stare Inuyasha had been giving Kagome and in a moment the pair of brothers had matched gazes gold for gold.

Inuyasha seemed to want to say something, but couldn't quite form the words. His mouth opening, then closing again, this was beyond his ability to quickly take in.

"Forget them." Kikyo was the one that stopped the tense scene by pulling Inuyasha away. "You have to tell me, why you were going out with Kagome when I was out of town…"

From there Kikyo had pulled him away far enough that she couldn't make out what was being said, they'd gone around a corner, but she could guess that Valentine's Day wasn't going to go well for Inuyasha. She sighed and put her face in her hands, god she had just screwed up, if they had made her life hellish before, now making a deal with the devil wouldn't look too bad…

"I think you're falling for me." Sesshomaru's relaxed and amused attitude was so careless compared to her frayed nerves that she had to laugh at the absurdity of the statement, and the situation.

"Lord help me." She replied, smiling though when she peeked at him, he seemed in a great mood after that exchange. "How can you be so happy about it? Kikyo and her band of misfits is going to torment me at school after that. I can't believe I said all that, you're a bad influence."

"Guilty as charged. Besides, it's good for you, I thought you were brilliant." Sesshomaru replied, holding out a second dipped strawberry. "Here, let's not let them ruin the night."

Kagome reached up to take the skewer from him this time but he pulled it away, offering it again after a moment. She sighed and reached up to eat from what he offered again. It was probably a bad idea to let herself have such a good time with him, but she'd worry about the consequences later, for now she was going to take his advice and just let go. There was nothing wrong with being out with a friend, even if it was for just a little while, it was good to not feel worried about things.

_**Down Time - Between the Holidays!**_

Kagome's following week was less terror filled than she expected, there were snow days on Monday and Tuesday because of a blizzard. Rumors didn't get pretty well spread about her date with Sesshomaru and the scene with Inuyasha and Kikyo until Thursday as it generally took a day and then some phone tag that night to really get stories started. She'd managed to mostly evade the group that would torment her; she hoped her paranoia was keeping her one step ahead of them.

She was the first one out the door, usually the first one to class, spending as little time as possible in the halls where she was most likely to get hit by something of Inuyasha and Kikyo's little gang. It also left her unable to see much of Sesshomaru…so she didn't know what to think about him. She thought they'd both had a good time. After dinner he'd taken her home, he'd even given her a rose and a chocolate with the comment that 'traditions are important'. He'd kissed her hand and it was all quite romantic and even if the evening hadn't been completely perfect it was very nice and definitely memorable. Though now that it was later in the week she wasn't sure what to say when people asked her if she was dating him regularly.

She usually said no, and that they were just friends, it was the safest thing to say. She'd said it for years about Inuyasha…but she'd pined over him for that time as well. Now she was worried she might start pining over Sesshomaru, though thus far she was more worried that the night out they had he would suffer for as much as she was expecting to.

After the first week the rumors got worse and she still hadn't seen Sesshomaru. Going into second week, men began hitting on her and offering her gifts, it was only thanks to Ayume that she managed to find out that Kikyo had started the rumor that Kagome was easy for rich boys.

During the week she was still hoping to find Sesshomaru as she'd heard that people were starting to talk about him as well…it was a large mess. Friday they were suppose to meet for the first time for him to tutor her but he didn't show up. She found out from another member of the student council that he'd left early because he had a trip tomorrow with the school he had to attend. He'd mentioned that might happen when they discussed it but that wasn't much comfort.

Two weeks and she hadn't spotted him at all in her efforts to avoid trouble with other bullies. If he was gone over the weekend she'd be going into week three with nothing either. It hadn't been enough time yet for the rumors to die down, and she hoped he hadn't canceled because he'd been told something horrible about her.

It seemed a strange fear, and one that wasn't justified. It was just a trip out, a single fun night; Sesshomaru had told her honestly that it was just a way to enjoy a single dinner. They weren't supposed to start real lessons until the next week; even today wasn't actually set in stone. He'd mentioned that trip back during the dinner but she'd forgotten, so it wasn't as though he was ditching her on purpose. Perhaps he thought she was avoiding him since she wasn't in her usual places between classes.

For all her paranoia she was preparing her backpack to go catch the train when the the first blow came to the back of her head. Her face was covered a moment later and then more hits reigned down.

"Slut, whore, worthless commoner, go to another school, we don't want you here." The insults and curses continued but she wasn't listening too much, instead focused on protecting her head as much as she could with her hands. The voices were muffled but familiar though she couldn't see the faces. They beat her to the point that she was still there when the janitor found her later. She spent the night in the hospital, and then was out of school on Monday and Tuesday. She was mostly fine then, there were still obvious bruises and her lip was still busted but she was lucky to have no broken bones and only a sprained left wrist.

When she got back the middle of the next week she got in late, she paused to go to the bathroom as she was already late to class and when she was drying off her hands was the door opened and Kikyo and Yura exchanged a glance at seeing her inside.

"Stay away from my boyfriend, it was cute for a while…but really, going out with him when I'm not in town. Who knows what might happen?" Kikyo commented with a sinister grin. As Yura stood in front of the door Kikyo walked up to Kagome, her eyes were dark and amused.

"Only two this time, there were at least four last time." Kagome replied with a bravado she didn't feel. "You were supposed to threaten me before you beat me up, you have it backwards."

Kagome's cheek stung as Kikyo slapped her, the sound echoing in the tiled bathroom. "Don't get smart with me you cunt! You leave Inuyasha alone! Obviously his brother doesn't give a shit about you either you little slut. You don't have money so you are just looking to be a gold digger. Did you really think either of them would ever want you?"

Kagome reacted without thinking about it…she ducked down and pressed herself up, her good hand finding the stomach of Kikyo as she used her full weight into it, knocking the girl off balance. Neither she or Yura had expected that to be certain, Yura was staring without reacting. As Kikyo doubled over Kagome grabbed her shoulders and kneed her in the face hard enough that she figured the sickening crack had to be the girl's nose breaking. She could feel something sticky and warm come down onto her leg as she pushed Kikyo, who had started to scream away and Yura finally had moved toward Kagome.

"Cheap, I'll kill you this time." Yura promised, she pulled a knife from a pocket and flipped it open.

"What the heck is going on here?" The voice of one of the teachers interrupted the fight before Yura had the chance to gut her. The woman came in after Yura left her post by the door, she hadn't locked it. "All of you to the principle's office now!"


	8. St Patrick's Day - Part One

**St. Patrick's Day, Part One**

_**Down Time - Between the Holidays**_

Sesshomaru didn't see Kagome much after their dinner, he didn't have time really and then he heard about the attack on her. By the time he learned about her being in the hospital he also heard she was already getting out soon. He'd hoped to see her today, but this wasn't quite what he had in mind. He was watching her walk into the office with a shrieking Kikyo and her pet Yura. Though Kagome had a sling around her arm and her left wrist held close to her chest Kikyo was holding her face and there was blood on it as well as her hands and she was yelling about being attacked. Kagome's skirt had blood on it as well, the bright crimson liquid still in the course of drying, apparently she had more fight in her than he thought.

"You girls sit there, Kagome you come over here." The middle aged woman sounded less than pleased.

Miss Nakashi was the math teacher, and about as strict as they came. That generally never bothered him, the few times he cared to break the rules he hadn't gotten caught, but in this case he could use it to his advantage.

Whatever it was about Kagome that got him to act without thinking it through reared it's head again, he read situations quickly, and he knew that if someone didn't speak for her it would be turned on her with the odds two to one.

"Miss Nakashi, may I speak to you for a moment please, privately?" Sesshomaru asked. He wasn't sure why he was sticking his neck out for her...possibly because he had somewhat gotten her into the mess in the first place. Either way he followed the teacher into the hall and put on his best serious expression. "Thank you...I just wanted to tell you I overheard Kikyo and her friends this morning discussing and laughing about how they attacked Kagome, and that they were planning to do it again. It's part of why I was waiting in the office."

That was a complete lie, but in truth the reason he was in office wasn't important enough to linger on, he normally wouldn't be here at this hour so he could wait and deal with the question about the council later. He was receiving the teachers 'I wish I could see if you were lying' stare and watching her with a vaguely concerned expression, if any student at the school had a poker face, Sesshomaru was it. Finally the teacher sighed and nodded.

"All right, thank you Sesshomaru, I'll let Kagome return to class then if you care to escort her? We may need you to file what you heard later." The woman leaned in to call Kagome over, the young girl following, relieved to see the silver haired upperclassman but too nervous to really show it. "Sesshomaru will be returning you to class for now as you said you weren't hurt. I'm sorry for what happened with them Miss Higurashi. You two move along."

The teacher was berating the other two without yelling as she moved back into the office and Sesshomaru couldn't help but smirk a little when Kagome looked at him suspiciously.

"You are welcome." He commented, walking off toward her homeroom without explaining it. "I'm glad you are all right. Figures it would be like them to do something to you when you weren't able to defend yourself. We still on for tutoring tonight? I understand if you aren't up to it."

"Yeah, yeah." Kagome nodded to him. "I think after missing a couple days I'll need the help more than ever...so um...what did you say to Miss Nakashi?"

"I told her I overheard Kikyo and her band bragging about attacking you and planning to do it again this morning. That's why I was in the office, but it seems you took care of it. Did you break her nose?" Sesshomaru was curious and Kagome blushed and shrugged.

"I don't know, I shouldn't have hit her, she'll just be worse now." Kagome sighed, it was all messed up. "Anyway, yeah, where should I meet you for tutoring?"

"Come to the student council room, we aren't meeting for long today and we can use the space." Sesshomaru replied, stopping in the hall, watching her nearly run into him and not lifting a hand to stop her as she waved her own arm to pause in time to keep from bumping into him. Instead he just lifted a brow at her they'd reached her class after all.

"Okay, see you then." Kagome said, moving around him and still blushing. "Thanks for the help Sesshomaru."

"Don't worry you'll pay me back later." The words were calm, and yet she felt quite ominous as she headed into her classroom as to what he meant.

_**St. Patricks Day -**_

Kagome was scowling down at the green liquid sloshing around beneath her perilous seat at the end of the plastic seat hovering over the dunk tank where Sesshomaru had gotten her to work for one of the fundraising events. She was less than comfortable, she wanted to refuse, but at least she finally knew what he meant when he said she'd pay him back. Things had died down a little after her last interaction with Kikyo and Yura. She hadn't been blamed, the rumors were still pretty awful but her closest friends knew they were lies and she could deal with the rest. She was doing better in Economics thanks to the few times she'd spent with Sesshomaru on the matter.

Then it was a couple days ago when he asked her to help with the fundraiser. She didn't really want too, particularly given it was for prom and she wasn't even planning to go. Sesshomaru had mentioned he was only helping because it looked good on him to have raised certain amounts of money for the treasury, but he needed someone the student body had a reason to pay money to dunk. He expected to make a pretty penny off of Kagome from Kikyo's groups of friends alone.

Kagome frowned as she looked at the line already forming, Yura was toward the front of it, Kikyo wasn't far behind with an uncomfortable looking Inuyasha, other members of their usual group and then more people that seemed to have bought into the rumors were forming more of a line. Kagome was glad she could swim well, apparently she was a main event and things hadn't gotten as mellow as she thought during the past weeks. Maybe if people saw her dunked enough they'd finally move to something new.

"I think this is worth a little more than what I owe." Kagome muttered as Sesshomaru was looking over the tank with the technician, seemingly curious as to how it worked. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

"Oh, it's not so bad…most of them are girls, they'll probably miss a lot." Sesshomaru replied with a smooth shrug as he nodded toward the front when the technician claimed it was ready to start. The person started taking money and Yura seemed all too eager to collect the three baseballs.

"I'll pay you back for this." Kagome hissed after jumping when the first baseball hit the board though missed the target. She was being tormented just with the possibility of falling in. "Did you have to dye the water green?"

"It's with the theme of the celebration as I understand it. Green is Ireland's color, and it's a holiday to enjoy that culture." Sesshomaru replied. "Besides, I think you'll look good in green. It'll wash off."

Kagome jumped slightly as the second baseball hit but didn't knock her down. "I'm gonna make you pay for this Sesshomaru."

"I'll keep you away from the eyedrops." He replied with a smug smirk as she sent him a scowl. "I'm going to go get in line; I wouldn't want people to think I don't support my own idea at the fair."

"Wait…you…" Kagome grit her teeth to keep from calling out unladylike things after him. The third baseball hit and she didn't fall so she breathed out a little, frowning. Kikyo was next, and she wouldn't be good but Inuyasha played baseball for the school…he'd hit her without a doubt. There was quite a line, Kagome jumped as Kikyo missed her first throw. Kagome's nerves were going to be shot before the end of the night.


	9. St Patty's Day - Part Two

_**Note: **_This fiction is now rated MA. I hadn't realized 'cunt' was such a naughty word *shrug* no worries it should be fixed now. I'm going to start rating all my fictions MA to save myself the trouble in the future. Sorry to teen readers – you can read my stuff when you're older!

_**St. Patrick's Day, Part Two**_

Kagome sighed as she leaned back into the spray of the shower, glad she at least got to use the showers in the gym area for the girls after her day. She'd dutifully kept her mouth shut because she said she'd stay, but now she just wanted to get clean and go home. Her view of her schoolmates was much lower than it had been when the day started. Sure it was supposed to be in good fun but after the thirtieth or so time she had stopped taking getting plunged into the water good naturedly.

It didn't help her mood that Kikyo had paid a hundred bucks to give people free balls to see Kagome dunked more often…she had lost count of how many times she plunged into that nasty green water. Her butt was sore from having sat all day on the end of the plastic seat, her lungs weren't too happy with her after that last plunge where it was pushed when it wasn't a throw and she hadn't been expecting it. She'd taken a breath of the water and was still having the occasional coughing fit. She'd swallowed the water a few times and figured it was going to end up making her sick.

Her hair still had bits that had a green sheen to them but she'd gotten most of it off of her skin, the hot water was running out so she turned the shower off and got dried off before pulling on her clothes. Putting the towel with the soaked green clothes in the hamper, whoever did the laundry could deal with it. She picked up her backpack, looking over her locker and slamming it only to jump at seeing Sesshomaru in the locker room.

"It was a good take." He said, looking over Kagome, her hair was still dripping though she was already dressed in jeans and a sweater. "You did a good job."

Kagome snorted at him, shaking her head. "Good to know. I just wanna go home. That was awful."

"Don't get bitter with me just because Kikyo paid for baseballs for other people. This fundraiser made us a record amount of money." Sesshomaru replied, standing still as she needed to walk by him or climb over the bench to get out of the room. She was clearly angry by her body language.

She'd only gotten dropped about four dozen times…more than many such events, but the second person that was supposed to attend had dropped out so he had convinced her to stay the entire day. As he was blocking the door she had to stop and look at him, her blue eyes fiery as she narrowed them at him. "Can you get out of my way. I'm sore, tired, and likely going to be regretting this for at least a week."

"Then why did you agree?" Sesshomaru asked curiously. "I said you could leave earlier if you wanted, we'd only agreed to half the day as you paying me back."

"You asked me to, people do things they might not want to otherwise do to help their friends." Kagome retorted hotly. "Then you went and took several extra shots at me just to get Kikyo to pay for more."

"It was for the event Kagome. Kikyo alone got us half the money the booth made." Sesshomaru replied, though he remained as difficult to read as ever. He didn't seem to actually have any concern for how angry he'd made her.

She didn't have the patience for his attitude right then, so instead she shook her head. "Bite me Sesshomaru, just get out of the way."

The reply she got wasn't the one she was expecting at all, her anger replaced by shock as he pressed her against the locker, his face close enough to hers that she could feel his breath on her lips. It smelled like wintergreen, he must have had mints sometime recently. She opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing when his mouth captured hers, muffling her voice. She widened her eyes, blue meeting gold, though he was watching her and that just confused her more.

Before she could think to push him away she felt a small piercing on her lip and jumped, trying to go back but she was already against the locker. Sesshomaru had already backed off and she could feel her lip a little swollen.

"_He bit me!"_ Kagome's thoughts were shocked, though she managed to finally find her voice; her voice going up several octaves as she gaped at him like he'd grown a second head. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Obliging your wishes," Sesshomaru said, the smug smirk on his face making her scowl again. "I thought after you spent the day in the tank that we could get dinner. You barely stopped to eat so you have to be hungry."

Kagome had a hand over her mouth, he hadn't pierced the skin but it still stung a bit. Had he always been so aggressive? He usually seemed pretty laid back.

"I was trying to oblige your wishes." He commented as he stood up straight. "I wanted to see if you were up for going out for a bit, just the two of us. I thought I could thank you for the help today with dinner. You barely stopped to eat all evening, you have to be hungry."

"Aren't you busy with the fair?" Kagome asked, glancing toward the door, she wanted to forget that he just kissed her.

"No, I finished my volunteer time already." Sesshomaru replied, smirking at her when her stomach growled.

"Fine." She accented with a sigh. What had gotten into him? Was he just manipulating her? He was much too difficult to read.

"You sound overjoyed." Sesshomaru commented dryly as he opened the door for her and headed toward the exit in step with her, apparently unconcerned with the looks they got. They always earned stares when they were together; whenever someone walked in on them studying people were shocked.

"I'm concerned. You haven't been drinking have you?" Kagome asked, still trying to figure out why he'd bit her. It was so unlike how she remembered him when she was still pining after Inuyasha. Not that she'd ever known him well…but it just, went against everything she'd thought about him. He'd always been cold, but proper in his own way, that definitely wasn't.

It wasn't a long walk out of the building and his driver was just outside, he opened the door for her again and retorted. "Not yet. We have champagne in the limo, drinking is one of the things the Irish seem to adore and it seemed appropriate to celebrate."

Kagome blinked curiously as she crawled inside, it smelled nice too. She laughed when she saw take out boxes from Outback. She'd only told him a few days ago that her favorite meal was the Sirloin with a side of veggies and sautéed mushrooms. Despite her earlier anger she had to laugh. "You really do think of all the details don't you?"

"Of course," Sesshomaru's ego never took a break. "Close your eyes. I have something else for you."

Kagome gave him a skeptical look.

"Come on. The food will get cold if you stay stubborn and the mushrooms aren't good cold." Kagome frowned but closed her eyes. He was right, she didn't like them as much once they got cold, they were a little like fries in that way.

She felt something fall on her chest a moment later and blinked at the sensation. Before she could look down she found herself blushing at the closeness of Sesshomaru's face. His features were so smooth, she couldn't see a single blemish, the tattoo's on his face were a little strange but she liked them. It was fairly common for the rich families to have some sort of marks similar between them. She thought they were exotic. His arms were around her neck, and she heard something fasten. She'd been thinking of reaching up to trace the quarter moon on his forehead when he held up the gem. It was an emerald in the shape of a teardrop held by a gold frame connected to the chain.

"Sesshomaru…it's…lovely…I can't…"

Her words were paused as he dropped it and set a finger on her lips. "You aren't wearing any green right now, that's another part of the traditions for the irish isn't it? You washed off all the green from earlier so this will have to do."

He touched his cufflinks that had hints of green as if to keep her from protesting that he wasn't either. She blinked curiously at him but he just leaned forward and got her meal for it. It wasn't exactly an extravagant night out given they didn't have plates and the silverware was plastic but Kagome liked it anyway. The limo was moving, but it was smooth enough that she was barely aware of it. Then he poured them glasses of champagne. It was illegal for either of them to drink, they weren't old enough, but she had to admit she was curious. She'd ha a few tastes of wine before, during the new year and then during her cousin's wedding last year, it wasn't very good but champagne might be different.

"Why are you doing all of this Sesshomaru? Just to keep me from being angry?" Kagome wasn't sure what to think of it all, what it seemed like didn't fit Sesshomaru at all.

"Are you no longer angry then?" He answered her question with one of his own, sipping the champagne and smiling at her in the more relaxed way he did sometimes when they were alone.

"That's not what I asked." Kagome replied, she should have thought this all romantic…but it was hard after the day she'd had. She took the glass and despite herself she let her curiosity get the best of her and took a sip.

It was smoother than she imagined after some of the stories she'd heard about sake, it was bubbly like an over-carbonated soda and left a sweet berry flavor in her mouth that was lovely.

"I wanted to do something nice, friends do nice things for each other don't they?" Sesshomaru replied with a half answer and another query of his own. "If you don't like champagne we can get something else. The driver would oblige."

"It's different, a good different, I was just surprised. You seem like such the straight shooter. I didn't take you for the sort that would drink underage." Kagome commented with a smirk.

"I've had drinks before, I'd be surprised if you haven't. Most kids our age at least are allowed a little sake on special occasions. It's actually quite smooth; I'll have to get another bottle or two put away." Sesshomaru answered with all his usual confidence. It just came so easily to him. She took a second sip and he nodded a little before turning to his meal.

They ate in a pleasant quiet as they drove, there was quiet classical music playing lowly in the background, Kagome had to admit it was quite nice compared to her day. She was still sore but the food was good and she really did enjoy the champagne, before she knew it she was finishing her third glass and chatting more freely than she usually would. Though she didn't remember how many glasses she had, or part of the ride at all really by the time she woke up with a headache the next day.

There was a pot with a single rose next to her bed along with a bottle of ibuprofen and a note.

_ Kagome – _

_ Thanks for the dinner, you were rather entertaining, though I think perhaps you should stop next time after two glasses. I'm leaving you the ibuprofen because I think you'll probably want it. I hope your headache goes away by Monday. Thanks for celebrating the holiday with me._

_-S_

If it wasn't for the pounding in her head and her need to rush to the bathroom to throw up she probably would have thought the letter sweet.

(OOC: Wouldn't be a real St. Patrick's celebration without a hangover afterward ; ) )


	10. Easter

Kagome spent the rest of that weekend, and much of Monday as well, recovering from the drinking. Apparently she hadn't done anything too stupid while she was downing glasses of champagne because Sesshomaru was treating her no differently than usual.

She was sore for a while but her quiet suffering was somewhat eased now that much of the school had found someone else to torment. A girl a grade below her had gotten pregnant and she along with her boyfriend had become the subject of the latest scandal and Kagome was suddenly old news.

A few weeks went by with little of note happening and the neighborhood was coming up on Easter. There was a church where mom volunteered some of her time for the homeless that went in. The whole family was going to help out for the special events for the children there. They were getting baskets and organizing an egg hunt. Though she always thought the holiday was suppose to involve rabbits, and they did have someone else dressing as one of those, it seemed the theme this year was hello kitty as most of the children were girls.

She chuckled to herself as she looked over the large stuffed outfit she was wearing for her mom. The top of which was nearby, it was hot with it on and she knew she'd be wearing it for a while yet this afternoon. The smiling face of the well known cat was looking back at her. She had to stifle a laugh when she heard a mutter of protest from inside the changing room in the back of the church. She was finally getting Sesshomaru back for the stunt he pulled with the dunk tank. Originally Hojo was suppose to help but he'd gotten into a bike accident an broken his leg and she'd convinced her upperclassman that it was really important to the church and they needed the volunteer, she hadn't completely explained what he was filling in for.

"I can't believe I agreed to help you…" Sesshomaru muttered from inside his own costume. He had on his hat and all already when he left the changing room, maybe he didn't want to be at all connecting to this and was trying to avoid any pictures of proof otherwise. She could tell he wanted to scowl as much as the ducks face of his costume when she started laughing.

Her mom had only been able to reserve two costumes for them because it was fairly last minute. They'd gotten a Christmas Hello Kitty – but it was in a red and white dress and if you took off the snowflake laden hat it still worked for easter well enough that the kids wouldn't know. The only other available costume was a Badtz-maru, which honestly fit Sesshomaru more than she would say to his face.

"I didn't openly laugh at you in the tank." Sesshomaru commented dryly from inside the anime ducks face.

Kagome laughed more, sitting down and holding a paw to her stuffed side as she gasped for air between her giggles. "But…but…this is too funny."

"I could leave." He commented, inside his costume his eye twitched a bit. "Put on your head, lets get this over with."

"Oh god, stop talking…that only makes it funnier." She waved a hand at him and looked away, wiping her eyes with her other paw. Something about hearing Sesshomaru's voice come out of the grumpy costume was too much for her. If she didn't look at him and he stopped talking she should be able to handle the hilarity. She picked up hello kitty's head and put it on, turning around and doing her best to keep her continued laughter as quiet as possible when she saw him 'nodding' at her. Thankfully you weren't suppose to talk at all when you played such roles, and it was a good thing, she'd of spent the day looking like she'd gotten into the cat nip.

They were a hit with the kids however, and it was all the more funny when badtz-maru seemed dejected by children climbing all over him. She could picture him fuming inside that suit. They walked with kids around for the egg hunt and helped the third person (her mom) in the Easter Bunny suit, hand out baskets. She and Sesshomaru were more popular than the easter bunny though.

As the morning wore on it was getting ridiculously hot inside the suit but she wasn't done yet. By the time the lunch with everyone was over and they left she was soaked in sweat. She looked like she ran a marathon and smelled a little bit like it too, not quite the image she was going for when spending time with Sesshomaru but oh well. Mom was still at it, and would be until they got back.

Sesshomaru was the same; he was soaked when he pulled off the duck head and looked about as grumpy as the mask he'd taken off, which got Kagome to perk another smile before looking away. She figured it wouldn't do to go into another fit of laughter just then. She pulled the gloves off with some effort and helped Sesshomaru with the zipper on the back of the black fabric. At least he didn't smell that much better than she did.

She grinned at him when he was nice enough to let her take the first shower. Though she didn't linger as she otherwise might, not wanting to leave him uncomfortable she made short work of it and headed out again. Blushing as she realized he'd already stripped down to his boxers. He'd organized the costumes back into their boxes while she was showering and stripped down like that she had to blush, stepping to the side.

"Uh here, I'm done." Kagome commented, pushing the door open and looking away from him after a long moment of staring. He was more muscular than she would have guessed, but then he also seemed full of surprises. One more when he leaned close enough that she could smell the sweat on him, it didn't seem that bad as it was contending with her own soapy freshly washed scent.

"Pity, you could have joined me. Feel free to peek if you want." He whispered, kissing her neck. Though as she stared after him, holding a hand to her neck, all she got was the closing door. It didn't lock and she bit her lip.

_"What was that!?"_ Kagome felt her heart thundering still as she watched the door, somewhat tempted by the offer. This was a church! She wasn't a Christian…but still! _"You devil…you…gah! This is what I get for asking for –his- help."_


	11. Chapter 11

Kagome was walking quietly, keeping to herself as she wandered along. There were some days that were getting warmer and she wanted to get out and walk while she had the chance. Finals were coming up soon and then they would be on summer break, she should be studying for the tests that were due in only two weeks but she needed a break from her brother's party of loud boys at the house. She had been told that this weekend was Earth Day but she was so busy with her other concerns and worries that she'd forgotten until her walk took her through the park. There were people planting flowers and trees around it and that brought more of a smile to her face.

A glint of silver out of the corner of her eye drew her attention and she noticed that it was the unique color that belonged to Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's family. It was drawn back into a pony tail. The man in question with the platinum hair was wearing only boots and jeans and his back was muscular enough to leave little to be imagined about the other side. For a moment she wasn't sure which of the brothers it was, but the tattoos on his wrists gave it away. She'd heard that Sesshomaru also had similar marks there as to the ones he wore on his face from Inuyasha but she hadn't seen them before now.

Of course she hadn't seen this much of him before now at all…

His chest was glistening lightly from sweat and the metallic locks of his hair were sticking to his forehead where they weren't long enough to pull back from his face. He had a shovel in his hands and hadn't noticed Kagome, putting the spade back into the dirt and then using his boot to get it a little further before he pulled up more of it. Apparently he did spend a lot of his time volunteering when he wasn't studying. The only time she ever saw him out was for that style of event or on the holiday's it seemed.

The muscles in his back and arms rippled pleasantly when he continued the digging process and Kagome was caught staring by Eri as her friend spoke. "Yeah, a lot of the girls have been doing that today. Myself included. He's gotten us several more walk by volunteers and certainly more attention than we were expecting. I have to say, it was a good idea to have him work that station with the digging."

Kagome blushed at having been caught silently drooling after the upperclassman, then glanced to Eri with a forced smile. "Hey Eri, well, it wasn't what I was expecting when heading through the park today to say the least. I forgot this was going on, I've been studying all morning and needed a break."

"Well you don't have to work if you don't want too." Eri commented, glancing over to Sesshomaru and back to Kagome. "You could work with him if you wanted. Just take off the sweater and leave on the tank top. You'd look good like that. Here I even have an extra tie for your hair, let me put it up."

"Uh, uh Eri…I…ow…what…"

Before she knew it she had a shovel in her hands, she was without her sweater, her hair was up in a high ponytail on her head, and she was approaching where Sesshomaru was digging and he still hadn't seen her, no wonder he got so many stares. He didn't have to be huge to be hypnotizing, he was the most handsome man she could remember, even more than Inuyasha she found herself drawn to him. It was a fight to keep her eyes off his chest and on his face when she got close enough that he turned toward her.

"Kagome. Didn't expect to see you today, you weren't on the sign up sheet for volunteers, you aren't stalking me are you?" Sesshomaru asked with a smirk, pointing toward the white X's marked on the ground to give her a direction to point the spade.

"No." Kagome commented in a near deadpan. "I was taking a break from working on my final essay for economics. Unlike you I can't do that all the time, my brain needs other things."

"So you decided to come to the park and dig holes in the ground? How stimulating…" Sesshomaru retorted in his dry manner before turning his own attention back to digging. There were only about a dozen X's remaining to dig up. So at least Kagome shouldn't be here too long.

"Eri asked me to help and we've been friends a long time." Kagome commented with a shrug. "I still have this week and the weekend to finish the paper so it seemed best to help out a friend."

"Yes, all well and good until you call it in for her." Sesshomaru finished the hole he was on and moved to the next X past Kagome's.

"I wasn't mean to you; it was pretty easy and not nearly as physically painful as getting dropped in that tank a few dozen times." Kagome sent a slight pout/slight scowl his way as she hit the ground with her shovel and bounced back slightly, it wasn't as easy as Sesshomaru made it look. She looked down and focused more on the digging, trying not to pay the laughs and snickers any mind.

"God, what did Eri get me into? Did she think I'd suddenly become a bodybuilder? This earth is pretty damn hard."Kagome thought with a grumble to herself; earning herself another laugh from Sesshomaru as she fought with it.

"You're cute; just break up the earth a little first, like this." Sesshomaru showed her how to make it easier before continuing his own work.

"Wait…" Kagome thought, maybe volunteering wasn't so bad. "Did he just call me cute?"

**END CHAPTER**

Life's been rough lately, but I haven't forgotten my stories. I'll get to them when I can. I home school my son and so by the time our school days are done I feel very drained and not creative. However, I'll still be working on things sometimes.

_-Aura_

P.S. Warning to people that commission artwork. The artist LadyShieru at Deviantart (she does the comic 'Tears of the Fallen') is a thief. She took my commission then never finished my picture - when asked for a refund she just blocked me. She will steal your money - I'd avoid it if you wish to commission anyone.


End file.
