A.N. Okay, you people are seriously scary, especially you Sesshylover! I'm terribly sorry about the long wait its just so much has gone on since my last update, my mom moved away, school started and then my boyfriend left for college, but now things in my life have returned somewhat to its normal state of tolerable chaos so the next update should be soon as well as ones for my other fics. Feel free to review and tell me what you like or don't like, and opinions on where you would like to see this plot go and PLEASE DON'T HATE ME!

Snowballs and Surprises

Sesshoumaru barely heard the mayor as he spoke to him. He sipped his wine and watched a smiling Kagome make small talk with Shippo, if he had not just been privy to her outburst moments earlier he would have never guessed the turmoil that was hidden beneath that merry countenance.

Although one could probably say the same about him, for his youkai was still seething. Sesshoumaru was keeping a tight rein on it now but it wanted free and the pressure was giving him a headache. It roared and Sesshoumaru forced himself not to flinch.

"Shut up!" Sesshoumaru ordered. His youkai continued on its rampage and Sesshoumaru sighed excusing himself from the mayor's company, allowing himself time to think.

'Why don't you care!'

'Why should I? She means nothing to this Sesshoumaru.' He snapped.

'But she should.' His youkai replied cryptically.

'What is that supposed to mean? Why should a ningen such as her mean anything to this Sesshoumaru?'

'You shall see.' was all the explanation Sesshoumaru got from his youkai.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"Child you will have to learn to control your emotions." Kaede said softly as she poured tea for herself and her pupil.

Kagome tucked a raven lock behind her ear and nodded her head. "But I don't even realize its happening until it's already begun. It's like I become someone else entirely…" she sighed. After the party Kagome had decided she needed to forgo her Christmas Eve plans to have another day at the shrine with Kaede. She could've seriously hurt Kouga and it bothered her greatly that she could so easily lose control of her powers. Granted she did not tell Kaede the reason behind her outbursts.

"You have to center yourself, child, always aware of yourself and others. You must stay clear minded in order to avoid acting rashly. Something is troubling you but you must not allow it to rule you."

"Yes Kaede-sama." Kagome said as she sipped her tea.

The door bust open and a small girl ran in, who Kagome knew to be the orphan girl that Kaede took care of. "He's here! He's here! Can Rin give it to him now? Can she?"

"Rin-chan, slow down." Kaede chuckled.

"Who's here?" Kagome inquired.

Kaede led them from the room, their socked feet padding lightly across the wooden floor. "There is a young demon that has a cabin in the woods nearby. He often comes here to buy supplies and Rin has taken a liking to him for some reason."

Rin ran ahead and ducked into her room, returning with a huge white stuffed dog that was almost bigger than her.

"I believe you may have met him already child." Kaede said as they followed Rin in to the front room.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin squealed.

Kagome froze in the doorway as her eyes rested on the inu demon that dominated the room. "Yes we have met before."

Sesshoumaru turned away from the ecstatic little girl before him as he picked up on the subtle shift in energy in the room. "Wench."

"Demon." Kagome curtly replied.

His amber eyes narrowed at her insolence. "I am still your boss, and you will respect this Sesshoumaru."

"To give respect is to earn it."

Rin thrust the large stuffed dog into Sesshoumaru's claws. "He looks just like you Sesshoumaru-sama." Sesshoumaru merely nodded.

'Yes Fluffy-sama, it looks just like you.' His youkai chuckled

'So, now you wish to speak?' Sesshoumaru scoffed. 'And you mean it looks like us.'

'Funny how you only wish to see us as one when it suits you.'

Sesshoumaru ignored the comment.

"Sesshoumaru-sama wont you join us for our evening tea?" Kaede asked.

Sesshoumaru reluctantly agreed as it seemed he would no time soon escape from Rin's surprisingly strong grip.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Kaede watched the curt banter between miko and demon. One could not say anything without the other disagreeing for the spite of it.

Rin shot towards the window, almost spilling her tea. "Oh! It's snowing! Can Rin play outside?"

Kagome, disgusted with Sesshoumaru's latest comment stood up. "Sure Rin, I'll take you outside." They bundled up and stepped outside into the crisp winter night. The pale moonlight glittered prettily on the fresh powdery snow. Rin rolled playfully in the snow, giggling and catching flakes on her tongue. Kagome watched a small smile on her lips. Lost in thought she didn't fell the presence until it was almost upon her. She instinctively lashed out with her miko powers and felt an opposing youkai aura.

"Wench." Sesshoumaru growled ignoring the reflex to retaliate.

Kagome's eyes opened wide. "Sesshoumaru! I'm so sorry, but you really mustn't sneak up on people like that."

"Had this Sesshoumaru been sneaking, as you say, you would not have known it."

"Ugh, you are despicable!" Kagome said, attempting to step around him, only to slip on a patch of ice and by some insane stroke of luck manage to pull Sesshoumaru down with her. Twisting on the way down, he fell on his back with her on top of him. Her face was mere inches from his, her hair creating a dark curtain around them, in a way it reminded Kagome of climbing over him back at the cabin only this time he was staring back up at her.

She blinked down at him in disbelief, her mouth a small 'o' of surprise. Then out of nowhere she began to laugh.

"For what reason are you laughing, wench?"

"You fell." Kagome managed to say.

"This Sesshoumaru does not fall. I merely stopped you from acquainting your face with the ground."

"No," Kagome laughed, "don't try to pin this on me; you fell just as much as I did." She pushed herself off of his chest and rolled over to lie in the snow beside him. She opened her mouth and caught snowflakes on her tongue.

Sesshoumaru watched her out of the corner of his eye. "She is so childish." He thought to himself.

"Yet she has more power than you could ever imagine." His youkai countered.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"If you weren't such a self-absorbed prick and took the time to get to know her and soothe the wounds left by your brother you might find out."

"It is not the duties of this Sesshoumaru to make up for the sins of his brother." He shot back, sitting up in the snow and then as an after thought added, "And this Sesshoumaru is not self-absorbed."

"Oh really? Not self-absorbed huh? If you weren't you would've realized that statement was not solely about you, and if you aren't so bloody self-absorbed why the hell do you speak and think in third person!"

Sesshoumaru had no response for his youkai, as he was plastered in the face by a snowball from Rin.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Kagome sat in the break room, eating her lunch, leftover Christmas dinner. She ignored the two young interns, a brunette and a redhead who sat at the table across from her babbling on about how good looking Sesshoumaru was. All she could remember about Sesshoumaru's looks was the priceless stunned expression on his face when Rin had hit him with a snowball. Kagome laughed to herself, as she pictured clumps of snow caught in his pristine silver hair and dripping down his face. He had been speechless; Kagome doubted if he had ever been hit with a snowball let alone in the face.

Kagome's attention turned to the intern's conversation.

"Oh my God! And not only is Mr. Takahashi drop dead gorgeous but it runs in his family!" The redhead squealed.

"I know." The brunette breathed laying her hand dramatically on her chest. "His brother isn't half bad either."

"Half bad? He is such a total hottie; he's got the bad boy look only those puppy dog ears of his just make him so adorable!"

"Hey what was his name anyway, I forgot."

"InuYasha, InuYasha Takahashi."

Kagome dropped her fork, sauce splattering on her pink blouse as she forced herself to breathe as her mind absorbed the severity of what had just been said.

InuYasha was Sesshoumaru's brother.