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Said the Joker to the Theif

Let's Take a Step Back, Shall We?

The pianist was very talented. He was a young man, not exceptionally handsome, but his passion could be heard in his music. Most nights there were a few single women sitting at the bar waiting for him on his breaks. From Kurama's own seat at a relatively secluded table at the edge of the pit which was framed by curved ramps and flanked by two bars, he had been listening to a group of three women gossip and chat, for lack of anything better to do, for the past half hour as he waited for Kagome in the lounge of the hotel he usually stayed at. Youko was calm this evening and hadn't been overly talkative, which was unusual considering they were meeting Kagome tonight. The group of women they were sat close enough to hear so clearly were in their late twenties and seemed to work together in an office of some sort. Not the most interesting of people, certainly, but what else did he have to do?

"Do you think Kitaura-kun noticed my dress? It's more low-cut than I'd usually wear, but…" the young woman giggled and smoothed the front of her red dress in a feigned expression of self-consciousness.

"I'm sure he did. I saw him look this way when you stood up a moment ago!" her friend assured her, smoothing her own muted green dress and pretending to take a sip of her cocktail.

"I'm sure he didn't notice any of us. He never does," said the third young woman in a pair of jeans and a sequined blouse, who was not pretending when she drained her beer.

"He'll notice me tonight!" the one in red announced, sounding sure of herself. "This dress cost half my paycheck," she bragged.

"It's lovely, Mi-chan," the one in green said, giving her own dress a somewhat regretful look.

Red seemed to have noticed the look. "I look better in red, Sae-chan; we decided. That green dress suits you so much better, no?"

"Of course," her friend agreed weakly, her eyes downcast.

"He's clearly in love with someone. He never responds," Jeans chimed in again, working on her third or forth beer. "It's a waste of time to wait for him."

The one in green spoke up, "I've never seen any woman with him. Or even heard him talk about a woman."

"Exactly!" Red cried triumphantly. "A sensitive man like Kitaura-kun would speak endlessly on his love."

"Mh-hm! I'm sure of it," Green agreed. Then she let her gaze wonder longingly to the oblivious pianist as he played. Her hands smoothed over the waist of her dress unconsciously, coming to rest on her thighs.

Red noticed that look, too. An expression of disgust briefly passed over her face before it disappeared under a coy mask. "Sae-chan," she said sweetly. "You have a crush on Kitaura-kun, don't you?"

Green's face flushed brilliantly and her eyes found the floor again. "That would be silly, Mi-chan, you know that." Her voice was small. She had snatched her drink up again and was pretending to sip it.

Looking satisfied, Red continued, "If he's looking for a wife, he can find one better than a shopkeeper's daughter, Sae-chan," she giggled, swatting the other girls arm as though it were a joke she was in on. Green cast her eyes down, giving a half-hearted, "Yea, of course."

Jeans seemed unbothered by the exchange and offered, "Maybe they are a very private couple, and maybe she's just not the type of woman who comes to bars."

Red looked flustered as though she felt that she wasn't the type of woman who came to bars! …She was only at this one to see Kitaura-kun, of course. "Well, if I were his wife, I would come to hear him play every night."

"Nah, if you were his wife, you'd be working too much to come see him play. You think he could support you both on his salary as a hotel bar pianist?" Jeans said dryly.

Kurama smiled into his drink. This woman was very entertaining. Red was getting increasingly flustered. Green looked torn between comforting her and reveling in her despair.

Red looked like she didn't know what to say. Her tone was obstinate when she said, "Well, it doesn't matter, because I'm not the type of woman who marries for money! I adore Kitaura-kun for his grace and passion."

Now jeans was openly laughing at her. "That's the funniest thing you've ever said! I didn't know you had a sense of humor, Hariyama!" she laughed.

Red was fuming. Perhaps trying to remove herself from the spotlight, she changed the subject. "Even if Kitaura-kun is unavailable, there are other attractive men here. Don't you agree, Sae-chan?" she asked, giving her friend a pointed look to go along with it.

Green nodded. "Oh, yes," she agreed, her eyes scanning the room. "Oh, Mi-chan, I hadn't noticed him before."

"Oh? The gorgeous one with long hair and perfectly tailored high-end business suit and no ring?" her friend replied.

'That took longer than I would have expected,' Youko said.

You mean longer than you would have expected, if you cared to consider that sort of thing? Kurama asked teasingly.

'Of course.'

Red insisted, "I noticed him when we came in tonight. He was staring at me when we came up to the bar."

'In your dreams, Mi-chan.' Youko curled his nose.

"You don't think he can hear us from here, do you?" Green asked, her voice lowered.

"Don't be ridiculous. No one can hear us over the music and the voices."

Jeans couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice. "Him? He wouldn't blink in your direction, Hariyama," she said.

"Excuse me?!" Red was fuming again.

"He comes in here every so often to meet some legs and never so much as glances at another female," Jeans said.

"Legs?" Red asked.

Legs? Kurama mused, hiding his smile behind a sip of wine.

'What the hell? Have we really become so predictable?' Youko no longer found Jeans amusing.

It is true. We have been very focused on one woman lately. It would be natural that other people would notice, too. Kurama countered. The idea of being predictable rubbed him the wrong way as well, but…

'I know that. It's still irritating.' They agreed on that. '…It's just… Since we've become intimate with Kagome, any other woman just seems so… charmless. Even ones that might have piqued my interest before, for the night,' Youko mused.

At the bar, the women were still talking. Red, perhaps fueled by frustration, had just asserted that she could turn his head. And Jeans, predictably, elevated the offhand comment into a challenge. "Go ahead and try. I'll bet you our next round of drinks that he won't flick an eye if you walk right by his table."

"How am I supposed to do that? He's tucked down in the corner there away from the isle. How can I just casually walk by his table?" Red asked, flustered. Perhaps she wasn't as confident as she had seemed.

"I'll tell you what," Jeans said, picking up a cheap pair of sunglasses which she'd laid folded on the bar. "I'll give you the advantage," she said. Promptly, she dropped the sunglasses to the ground and kicked them with a booted foot across the isle, over the ledge, and down into the pit. Incredibly, the gorgeous red-haired man had not noticed the sunglasses tumble down next to his table.

Red was in shock, mouth agape. Green was trying to hide her intense interest in the situation, and failing. Jeans looked smug. Finally, Red managed to gather herself. She stood, back straight and cheeks only faintly pink, smoothing her dress over her waist. "Fine," she said, her temper overcoming her doubt. She would show Yakamura who she was dealing with. "I'll get his number. And if I don't, drinks are on me for the rest of the night." With that, she turned on her heel and started down the ramp which curved down to the ground floor, at the base of the stage. The other two women watched in anticipation.

Kurama, of course, had heard everything, and had in fact seen the sunglasses tumble over the edge of the low wall and bounce under his table.

'I hate to break it to Mi-chan, but passive aggressive little poodles weren't my taste even before Kagome,' Youko sneered, his ears pinned in distaste.

Hm, I'd agree with that. How do we get rid of her?

'Pretend we don't notice her. Make it clear we're not interested. Don't give her any encouragement,' Youko instructed.

Got it. I won't give her an inch, Kurama agreed.

'I wouldn't give her eight,' Youko sniffed.

And now, here came Hariyama in her red dress. Strictly speaking, Hariyama was not an unattractive woman. She was slender and graceful, a little on the tall side. She had a very pretty face and she wore her chocolate brown hair in a smart, long bob. She carried herself like she knew she was an attractive woman, and she was the kind who had probably blossomed early and been quite popular in high school. She was a woman who was accustomed to getting what she wanted. And as she strode confidently toward Kurama's table, turning several male heads as she passed, it was clear that what she wanted at that moment was Kurama's attention. It was unfortunate for her that Kurama was not an ordinary male.

Hariyama arrived at his table. Perhaps unaccustomed to having to make her presence known, she stood somewhat awkwardly at the edge of the table while Kurama pretended not to notice her. She was standing perhaps a meter and a half before him, obstructing his view of the low stage, and there was no way he didn't see her. This wasn't off to a good start… But she thought she could hear Yakamura snickering so she pressed on, determined. "Um, excuse me," she prodded, doing her best to look cute and apologetic.

The man didn't look up from his drink when he responded with a disinterested, "Hm?"

Hariyama took a small step closer, trying to get his attention. He took his phone out from his pocket as though he'd just received a text. "Um, I'm so sorry, really, to bother you, but-" he began typing out a reply, not looking up from the screen. She was beginning to wonder if he'd actually heard her. She raised her voice a little, in case he was a little hard of hearing. "Oh, well, I seemed to have dropped my sunglasses somewhere around here, I think-" he tucked his phone back into his pocket and glanced back towards the door. What was going on. Was it the music? He couldn't hear over everyone else's voices? She really didn't think it was that loud in here. She spoke a little louder. "I mean, I think my sunglasses might be under your table-"

"You don't have to shout," he said, finally raising his eyes to meet her's.

Hariyama, momentarily embarrassed, shook it off quickly and straightened her back, subtly pushing out her chest. She looked amazing in this dress. He would notice her now. But, to her shock, he looked her up and down briefly, then looked away, taking a drink, unaffected. Becoming flustered, Hariyama leaned down over the table to catch his eyes, putting her chest directly in his line of sight. "I'm so sorry, would you mind if I just took a quick look for my sunglasses under your table?" This was the part where he, being a gentleman, would retrieve the glasses for her, their hands would touch briefly, and he'd ask if she'd like to see each other again.

But Kurama simply pushed out his chair and gestured that she could look if she wanted. Hariyama couldn't believe it. She barely managed to keep her mouth closed. But she did manage a thankful smile. She could still salvage this! First, she turned her back slightly to him and bent at the hips to look under the table, giving him a good view of what she knew to be her second best feature. She glanced back over her shoulder, fully expecting to see his eyes focused on her. But he was checking his phone again! What was with this guy?!

'This is becoming embarrassing. Kagome will be here soon. Mi-chan needs to go back to the bar.'

What do you want me to do about it? Kurama asked, becoming equally irritated.

'Just pick up the damn glasses and give them to her. Maybe she'll take the hint.'

It really wasn't difficult for him to push his chair out, bend at the waist, and reach the glasses under the chair next to his. Hariyama had watched him pick them up and thought for sure this was where he would hand them back to her and their hands would brush and he would ask for her number. She quickly stood and took a step closer to accept his offering with a gracious smile. Her fantasy was interrupted by the sound of plastic sliding across a wood surface. She looked down at her empty outstretched palm and then her gaze found her sunglasses lying on the table next to her. "Wha-? Oh!" she caught herself. She managed a tight smile. "Thank you so much."

He was looking away again. What was wrong with him? What did she have to do to get this guy's attention? She was going to do something she rarely ever had to do. She was going to drop a hint. "Uh, listen. I, um-" Yes! Finally! She had his attention! He had raised his eyes to her! "I just moved to this district. I don't really know how to get around yet. I've been looking for someone to show me around…" And yes, he was going to speak! This would be it!

Ok, I've had enough of this.

'We're going to have to make it plain to her we are not interested.'

I know exactly what to do.

"I live in Kyoto," he replied flatly. Then, having reached the end of his patience for this one-sided interaction, Kurama continued, to Hariyama's shock, "I am meeting someone here, obasan, please excuse me but I must break off this conversation."

The effect was immediate and dramatic. The young woman's face fell. This was probably the first time in her life she had been called "obasan." She was mortified. Her face was hot. She stuttered an apology and turned on her heel, practically sprinting back to the bar.

Youko was very pleased. 'Sometimes that silly human etiquette does have its uses.'

Hariyama was being comforted by her friend while Yakamura laughed at her when Kagome finally walked through the door. The moment he caught her scent from across the room, Kurama turned to see her descending the ramp. She was wearing her cafe uniform, a neat gray skirt that hit mid-thigh on her long legs and a white collared shirt, minus her apron. She had obviously just come from work. Her ebon hair was pulled back in a ponytail, disheveled from a long day. Her posture was tired. She was stunningly beautiful.

Hariyama realized who he was looking at and when her gaze found a tired-looking waitress walking to meet him her face fell even more. The beautiful man raised his hand to get the woman's attention and she waved back to indicate she saw him. Hariyama was, by now, glaring at the woman who was clearly her inferior in looks and status and who had somehow wrangled this well-to-do bachelor into a romantic tryst. How had she done it?

To Hariyama's shock, the waitress took a sudden detour as she came to pass the bar, and at first she thought the stranger woman was approaching her. Did she somehow know that she had just tried to make a pass at her date? She steeled herself for the altercation. It wouldn't be the first time a jealous female had confronted her. But the woman's target was, somehow… Sae-chan?

"Oneesan, excuse me," the young woman said as she approached them, speaking to Saeko.

Saeko looked confused. "Me?" she asked meekly.

"I'm sorry, I hope I'm not being intrusive. I just saw your dress and I had to ask where you got it," Legs said, because yes, now it was clear why Yakamura had called her "legs."

Saeko looked cautiously pleased. She unconsciously touched the dress in question. "My dress?"

The stranger's long hair had fallen over her shoulder. It was blue black and glossy, even as untidy as it was. She smiled and gestured to the dress. "It's beautiful! Green is my favorite color, and that's such an attractive cut. Did you buy it in town, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh! Thank you for the compliment." Saeko's eyes darted to her fuming friend beside her. "Well, actually, I bought it from the boutique down the street called Mitsu."

Legs' face lit up. "Oh, is that the one in the 9th block? On the west corner?" she asked.

Saeko nodded, leaning in towards the stranger and sharing her infectious smile. There was something magnetic about this woman. She was so lovely and warm. Her eyes were haunting. They were so unusual, Saeko was sure she'd never forget them. When the woman thanked her and left with one last parting praise of her outfit, Saeko was left feeling a little colder. Although, that could have been the glacial stare of Mi-chan beside her…

At the table, Kagome sat down across from Kurama and gave him her usual smile and greeting, apologizing for being late again.

Kurama was still processing the puzzling interaction that had just taken place. Do you think she saw Hariyama come to our table? he wondered, looking to his counterpart for his input.

'Maybe… but if she did see and she was jealous, why did she approach the friend instead of the perpetrator?' Youko mused. The situation was confusing. They knew for a fact that Shippo made all of Kagome's dresses. They couldn't see her actually buying a dress like that from a shop. For one, Shippo would be displeased and probably a little hurt that she would buy a dress instead of asking him to make it. And two, she was quite frugal and wouldn't buy something so extravagant for herself. So, if she wasn't genuinely interested in the origins of the dress, then she had to have approached the group at the bar for some other reason. And the only reason they could fathom was that she had entered the room sooner than they thought, seen Hariyama return to the bar from their table, and became jealous. They had experienced female jealousy many times before. If this were the case, however, why hadn't they caught her scent sooner and why had she talked to Sae-chan rather than Hariyama?

"It's ok," he said aloud to Kagome, "I know you don't always know when you'll be able to leave the cafe. And I've been enjoying the entertainment. Don't think of it."

Kagome smiled brilliantly and leaned forward casually with elbows on the table. "You're always such a gentleman. I don't know why you put up with me," she joked.

Kurama was still trying to figure out if she'd seen Hariyama speaking to him. But she didn't seem bothered. If she was jealous, why was she acting so normal? Well, he'd be normal too, then. "Kagome, my dear, you are never less than excellent company. Beauty to look upon, stimulating conversation, a delight for all the senses," here, a smile quirked his lips that was somehow sincere and suggestive at the same time.

The miko across from him snorted sarcastically and rolled her eyes, good humor curving her own lips even as she pointed out smartly, "Those are only two of the senses."

"Ah, the other senses…" and the grin was all Youko, " Your taste, the smell of your skin, the heat of your thighs, for example?… they aren't exactly proper to be talking about in a public place, now are they?" he teased.

There was only a touch of color in her cheeks when she retorted, "That's never stopped you before," recalling their first date.

Kurama shrugged. "Perhaps I just wanted to hear you finish the thought. But, as always, you leave the dirty talk to me," he lamented.

"You know what, I take it back. I don't know why I put up with you," Kagome responded dryly.

He might have continued the line of conversation, but just then a hurried waiter dropped off the drink Kurama had ordered for her. Kagome thanked the young man and put her hands on the tall, colorful drink before her. "Ah! My new favorite!" she said excitedly, taking a sip of the fruity cocktail and sighing at the sugary, tangy taste. She cornered her gray eyes at him conspiratorially. "Don't tell Shippo I've been drinking these," she told him.

"Why is that?" he asked her, enjoying the look of bliss on her face as she slurped the sweet, girly drink. When they had first met, she only drank wine.

"He made these for us one night at the house and I told him they were too sweet and kind of poked fun at him for liking such a childish drink," she told him guiltily. She took another sip and closed her eyes in pleasure. "But they're so good," she admitted.

Kurama smiled at that. "I won't tell, as long as it suits me," he told her.

She blinked at him. "'As long as it suits you?'" she repeated. "What does that mean exactly?"

He took a sip of his own wine and leaned back in his chair. "Well, I won't tell for now… but who's to say an opportunity wouldn't present itself at some point which would benefit me to reveal that secret to him? I don't like to make a liar of myself," he told her earnestly. Really, he didn't need to say any of this. But both he and Youko really enjoyed teasing her.

Her face lowered into a look of consternation. "That's what promises and keeping promises is for," she retorted.

He shrugged. "Promises are prisons."

"Is that some kind of kitsune proverb?" she asked smartly.

"More of a children's rhyme," he said, keeping his facade nonchalant and secretly enjoying her reactions.

"I'm glad Shippo never learned that one," she replied hotly.

"A kitsune anywhere is a kitsune always," he quoted another one to her.

"Now that one I've heard," she laughed, seeming to forget her ire as she sucked up her drink and began to really relax into the conversation. She always carried her tension in her shoulders, he had noticed, and they had begun to sag. He had been around her enough to read her body language as well as her voice. It was enjoyable, this sort of interaction with her. He liked that he could help her relax. And he liked the expressions she made when he teased her.

"You disagree with the first one. Have you found this one to be true?" he asked, giving her a vulpine grin. By now, Youko had intertwined their souls more closely, putting them both at the surface. This had been an awkward endeavor when he had been younger. After so many years together, though, they had perfected the complicated task of running one body with two active souls.

"Absolutely," the miko agreed.

I wonder if she notices Hariyama glaring at us from the bar, Kurama wondered.

'I've been wondering that, too, but she hasn't looked again in their direction. I almost wish we had Hiei here to tell us what the hell she's thinking.'

"So, how did your big financial presentation go?" she asked conversationally.

Kurama zoned back into the conversation but her words confused him for a moment. Oh! Right! He had met with a Tokyo company's CFO this afternoon and had gained them as a client for his stepfather's company. It was a big account. He would be very pleased with his work. Well, Minamino Shuichi was the best representative the company had. He was just a little surprised to hear her ask about it.

"It went very well. We gained a very affluent client today," he answered. His day job was painfully boring. He hated talking about it.

Kagome gave him a smile. "Very nice! I knew you would win him over," she said. And she didn't follow it up with a jab about his silver tongue. She just left it at that.

Well, since they were asking about work… "How was your day?" he asked, returning the pleasantry.

"Long and exhausting," she sighed, stretching her back and shoulders to emphasize.

"Why don't you tell me about it?" he said. It wasn't really something he would usually ask a woman he was involved with. Generally, he wasn't interested in the response and he liked to keep small talk to a minimum. But, he was actually interested in how her day had gone. She looked more tired than usual, like she hadn't slept much the night before.

The miko/waitress looked embarrassed and tried to wave the question away. "Oh, you don't want to hear about that," she insisted.

But he insisted. "No, really, tell me. You'll feel better if you vent."

She gave him a look that he struggled to interpret and her eyes held his for a moment as she considered whether or not to discuss the mundane details of her day with him. He really hadn't thought she would be so reluctant. Most women he'd known loved to talk at great length about themselves and their day. The moment ended and she sipped her drink before beginning, "Well, I knew it was going to be a long day when Grandpa woke me up at five this morning trying to cook breakfast and breaking basically every bowl we own. Luckily, he wasn't hurt and I got him fed and dressed for the day and the kitchen cleaned up, but by then it was already time to get up anyway, so-"

Kurama listened and responded appropriately while she told him what had led to her being extra exhausted this evening. And truthfully, he hadn't really given much thought before then as to how much exactly she did every day to care for her grandfather and Shippo, to run the shrine, and to pay the bills. She had stepped into her mother's shoes after she had gotten remarried and moved into her new husband's home with his two adolescent sons. And now, both he and Youko couldn't help but think about how remarkable it was that she was even able to make time to see him at all.

'Well, considering the reward…' Youko said.

You know we benefit from this arrangement just as much as she does, Kurama responded, a gathering feeling of- something, he didn't know what- making his tone a little snippier than he meant.

'I don't know, I still think she has the better end of the deal,' the fox couldn't help but tease.

Youko. Kurama's tone was warning.

'Don't get snappy with me because of your misplaced human guilt,' and the kitsune's tone went from teasing to reproachful. 'Kagome is an adult. She can make her own decisions and if she didn't want to be here, she wouldn't be.'

I'm not saying she doesn't want to be here. I just… think we underestimated the effort she puts into seeing us.

'We ride that stinking metal trap six hours round trip every time we come to Tokyo to see her,' Youko defended.

But there wasn't much Youko and Kurama could keep from each other for very long, and Kurama knew Youko was feeling the same way. The ancient fox was just deflecting. But we're getting paid.

'Alright, yes, I know,' Youko said, his ears flattened.

"And every time I turned around I had another person trying to order the special and I would, of course, have to tell them we had run out of the special. I went up to the host station and they hadn't even bothered to take the special off the board! And Watanabe ran out without doing her dishes, again, and- Ugh!" Kagome took another long sip of her drink, emptying the glass. Kurama motioned to the bartender for another. "Ok, I'm finished venting now, I promise." And she did look a little more relaxed.

"Don't you feel better?" he asked.

She smiled. "I do, actually, thank you."

Kurama shrugged and took another sip of his wine. "Don't argue with me, darling, I know what I'm talking about."

"Oh, is that right?" she said, a smirk on her lips, her eyes turned away from him, spotting their waiter coming from the bar with her drink. "I hope you don't think that condescending youkai tone has any effect on me."

"I've had some success with it, though, in certain contexts," he hinted.

And that little innuendo was enough to send the color rising in her cheeks just as the young man arrived with her drink. When he turned to walk away, Kagome quickly stopped him, making direct eye contact with Kurama as she requested, "This one and the rest of my drinks will be on my tab, thank you."

The waiter confirmed and hurried back to the bar, leaving Kagome smugly satisfied and Kurama stunned into silence.

'She just looked us right in the eye…'

And she knows we don't like it when she pays for her drinks.

'She's insisted on paying for hers before, but she's never done that.' Youko couldn't decide if he was irritated or turned on by her blatant obstinance. As usual, his libido won out. 'We need to get her back to the room now, Kurama. I want to hold her down and fuck her into the mattress until she understands that she will not defy us like that and get away with it.'

Youko pushed his way to the forefront. He wanted to put his hands on her. He wanted to put his weight on her, to have her under him, receiving him and making those beautiful noises she made for him. But he also kind of wanted to see that look in her eyes again. "My dear, has that liquor gone to your head already? Because I believe you know that I pay for drinks."

Kagome smiled sweetly back at him. "And my dear, I believeyou know how I feel about you always buying my drinks." And here, she grinned, confessing, "But, I also just really wanted to see that look on your face.'

"What look?" he asked, unable to resist the bait.

"You know, that look when something isn't going exactly as you think it should go. You get very offended," she teased, pale eyes flashing at him under her dark lowered brow as she sipped her fruity mixed drink.

Inwardly, they reveled in her defiance and cheeky demeanor. Outwardly, however, he leaned in and lowered his voice. "Enjoy the power now, little miko, because in short time you will be in my room and I will be on top and you will love every moment of it."

The color rushed to her cheeks but she grinned and winked. "Oh, I don't doubt it. But I have to get my digs in somewhere, don't I?"

Oh, how they enjoyed this dance. And they spent the next hour or so sipping wine and enjoying their little lover's teases and witticisms. He'd never enjoyed a woman's company as much as her body before. He still wasn't sure which he enjoyed more, in this case.

Finally, they rose from the table and Kurama laid his hand on the small of her back to lead her out of the lounge and to the elevators. Again, he felt the heat of Mi-chan's stare on their retreating backs. He still couldn't figure out Kagome's motives in approaching the young woman's friend earlier in the evening. He chanced a look at his companion as they left. Her cheeks were flushed with the warmth of alcohol and good humor. Her steps were steady and sure, but he could tell from the heat coming off her and the slightly unrestrained, wide quality of her grin that she was a little tipsy. She never got drunk. She was too vigilant for that. But she was in that space where perhaps she was open to some questioning…

His curiosity won out. "Kagome?" he ventured as the elevator doors closed behind them and they were alone on the ride up to his room on the sixth floor.

"Hm?" she answered, leaning into him and sighing in a tired sort of way. Her eyes were ahead of her, absently. Her dark lashes fluttered with mild interest.

"That girl in the green dress…" he began, making sure she was following him before he continued, "Why did you approach her?"

Her pale gray eyes lifted to his, her cheek against his chest, her weight shifting to her other hip under his hand. Her brow was drawn in confusion. "What?"

But he pressed on, his curiosity needing an answer. "I thought Shippo made all your dresses," he explained. "Why did you ask that young woman about her dress?"

Realization dawned on her, but she still seemed somewhat confused by his question. "Oh! Well, I did like her dress, but…" she shrugged, pulling slightly away from him unconsciously as though she were uncomfortable having to examine this small dishonesty, "I just felt like she might need a little pick-me-up, I guess. She seemed kind of sad, you know?" Her eyes held his for a moment, perhaps trying to see if he understood.

He didn't. That doesn't make sense, does it?

Youko wasn't sure how to answer. He sensed no deception in her, but… well, no, this explanation didn't make much sense. Why did she think that woman was sad? He'd overheard enough of their conversation to ascertain that Sae-chan seemed to be the subordinate in the relationship, and that Mi-chan was a bit of a bully. But how should Kagome know that? And why should she care about the feelings of some stranger in a bar?

"Hm," he answered noncommittally just as the door dinged and opened up onto the sixth floor. Kagome didn't seem to be much bothered with his question and happily followed him to his room at the end of the hall. But Youko and his counterpart would continue considering this conundrum for the rest of the evening before coming to the conclusion that perhaps Kagome really did just want to cheer up some stranger for some reason.