InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unbridled, Unvoiced Passions ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )

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Unbridled, Unvoiced Passions

A bittersweet love story

In the depths of a hidden room, a library aged with the written works and family trinkets of a long forgotten tale. Scrolls, held captive from the brutal maturity of paper, told the secrets of lost time, of forgotten battles, of legends and myths, but mostly of his unbridled, unvoiced passions.

The room, sealed by an ancient magic, is opened after nearly three centuries of dormancy. A girl's curiosity and utmost respect for all things lost to time discovers the secrets of the hidden chambers; a secret she was unknowingly a part of. However, opening the chamber just might have been the biggest mistake of her life.

Chapter 9

Interesting, that's the only way to describe the girl. If anything I've learned through this entire escapade; it's that the girl is undeniably a mystery.

She's powerful, there's no doubt about that, but she doesn't seem to know how to control that gift very well. There are times, believe me there are times, but they are select and have only one common current.

Her powers are only wielded properly by their master when she is under a great deal of emotional turmoil. I have only been witness to the few displays of anger or protection, but never to a happy emotion.

Would that her powers conceded her will only in anger, I would be satisfied to leave, but I know this to be untrue. Her happiness is as powerful as her wrath, of this there is no doubt, but I want to see that power then.

She is always finding good in everyone, a weakness in itself, but she does so willingly. The woman knows of the evils of the world and yet still she seeks the good. Why?

Her outlook on life is surprisingly cheerful in its radiance and she does everything in her grace to make life reflect her. However, there is not much good that she can find in this time of war.

A moment ago, she and I discussed the past few days. We had been sharing the early rise of the sun together. It all started after that day, the day she became my responsibility.

She had awoken in a fit, embarrassed and quite a bit put out. There was an obvious need for time alone and so I let her go without me to the clearing in the forest just behind us.

I watched as Inuyasha foolishly followed her; the boy never did have much going for him in the rights of intelligence. Of course, I should have stopped him because of her foul mood, but alas I did not care.

Who was I to say whom the whelp angered? It was her own dream that put her in such a state and she made such a fuss over it, as all humans are apt to do I suppose.

There was a current, or maybe it would be better described as a surge of power not too long after they had disappeared into the thickening foliage. Something was amiss because it was her power but it screamed of pain and anger.

I had always thought the priestess to be a gentle and loving sort of creature, the kind that believed in fairy tales and dreams…like all foolish humans, this was to be her downfall, her weakness. She, like all others of her cursed race, are ruled by their emotions; the weakness being their inability to control themselves and so letting their thoughts and feelings take command.

Foolish creatures, the lot of them, and yet she still seems…different.

The monk, Miroku as I have come to know him, was giving me that damnable look again. But this time there was something different hidden in those strange almost purple eyes that were so abnormal to the human world.

Fear shined about the brims to take place of the amusement and mirth one would usually find in him. He knew something was wrong, something I had yet to become aware of.

He and the other girl, Sango the demon slayer, pulled me aside to inform me of the relations between the priestess and my half brother. There was much left unsaid, I am sure of this, but at the same time there was much revealed to me as well.

It seems they were truly a couple as I had once surmised; though she denied it outright with a vengeance. She lied to me then; she told me they were no more than friends were. From what I understand, they would have been mated if it weren't for that foul creature, Kikyou.

Now I'm sure he knows I disagree with his taste in human wench's, but to take one that had been, and technically still was, dead is just disgusting. There is no honor in that, and certainly there can be no pleasure, for what could an undead provide?

That would certainly explain his constant foul mood…

In any case, my little priestess did not get her way with the mutt and so she is…embittered? I wouldn't quite know what to call her mood anymore actually.

One minute she seems ready to spout poetry and love, but the next she's ready to spout fire and defiance. I do not doubt that whatever poor creature takes her in as their mate will have a time getting her to subdue; I'm not sure even I could do it!

She's a spitfire, a very rare and occasional flame that sparks at the most unusual things. A firefly, she is like a firefly, only coming out to shine during oddly chosen moments of her life. There is no better way to explain her, and yet it still doesn't explain her at all.

The morning ritual, as it has become over the past thirteen days, is actually quite relaxing. When given the proper encouragement, she can be quite pleasant. Her soft sighs lift the morning breeze with the rising sun, bringing with it the warmth and comfort of a summer's day.

I have enjoyed those moments, but only those moments mind you. Throughout the remainder of her travels, the woman can be quite vexing indeed. Her penchant for practical jokes seems to have waned a bit, but her mood swings are ever present and not something to mess with.

Personally, I like it when she is angry at the mutt; that `sit' spell does wonders for one's ego and the other's humility I'm sure. The first time I had seen it up close, I could never forget the scowl he wore; it was days before the priestess could convince him that I would not use that against him. How could I? Honestly, the boy needs to use that head of his for something more than just swordplay!

Of course, then that would leave me with no entertainment when I need to get away from the ever-changing woman. I came here to learn more. Of what? I honestly don't know, but that too will reveal its self to me soon. In no way have I grown a tolerance more than already suited to my needs for these insufferable creatures. I have even found more reasons to despise my little brother.

For the moment I am stranded in a sea of fools that I willingly placed myself in to find the mystery to the woman that claims she is from the future. She is the one that will bring the destruction of that vile half-breed, and she is the one that will bring me enlightenment. Until then, I can only wait.

Wait and laugh inside at the fools I surround myself with. A moody priestess, two lovesick humans, a half demon sibling that I despise more than most humans, a clingy kit fox demon, a cat demon and an undead bitch…this may not have been a good idea after all!

~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagome looked over to Sango and Miroku atop Kirara and watched as his hand came dangerously close to her more unmentionable parts. With a heated glare, said hand froze before retreating back to its master.

Would he never learn? It was funny how those two would constantly fight, her for his attentions, him just for her, but neither of them was willing to do anything about it. One would think they enjoyed fighting with each other.

Kagome knew better; they both had too much to lose in their life's quest and so could not afford to become side tracked. They could pretend that their hesitation was because of his wind tunnel or her needs to avenge her family's deaths. They couldn't afford another weakness on top of all of that, but they had already fallen for each other; they were the strength of the other, and so became their weakness.

Kagome's head turned in time to see Kikyou plant a soft kiss on Inuyasha's cheek before turning a haughty smirk on her. She promptly returned the look with a raised brow; she was not impressed.

Kagome repressed a sigh and wondered if she was truly destined to be alone. It would seem so, and she was not helping matters any with her disability towards men. But then, that wasn't exactly her fault now was it? Perhaps it was fate's way of keeping her focused on her one real duty in life, to rid the world of evil.

She didn't resist the bitter sigh that followed that thought, instead embracing it with tenderness. Her heart hurt from all of the betrayal and her soul wanted, needed a partner. She needed love and she couldn't have it. Again she wondered if she was always going to be so alone.

The soft white and red of his silk kimono waved in her peripheral view, reminding her of her own companion at the moment. A bitter resentment for her own life grew at the thought of her position.

It had been nearly two weeks since they had watched the sunrise together, a regular occurrence lately, but she did not delude herself to think that he was with her for her friendship; he was just curious and could study her better when alone. As much as she wanted to believe that someone in the world wanted to be with her for reasons other than her duties to the jewel, Kagome was not one to lie to her self.

She was standing behind Sesshoumaru, hitching a ride on his cloud as it were, and watching all those around her. Was that what he felt like, detached and alone? Did he hate them too for finding something he couldn't willingly fall for?

How odd was it that she found more in common with the ice prince himself than with his half-brother, her former interest. There was so much animosity in her from her experiences. She had often wondered if coming to the feudal era to `fulfill her duty' was not a mistake.

Kagome had more than her discomfort with men to use as reason to return to the future for good and the more she thought about it all, the less reason she could find to stay here in the past. She used to be able to say that she was here for Inuyasha, and then it was for her friends, but now she didn't know what she was doing.

She could always say it was for revenge on Naraku, but what did he ever do to her? Every little evil plot he had used and tormented her with was dispelled the moment it started; she was always the victor. What did he ever do to her?

She didn't know and yet she didn't care either. Kagome was anything but dishonest, and the truth was that he didn't need to do anything to her personally; his brand of evil was what she was created for…to fight, to destroy, to rid the world of. Kagome Higurashi was born a powerful, sweet, and unbendingly forgiving woman that was meant to become one of the world's deadliest creatures. Sort of a catch-22 if you asked her.

Thoughts like that were definitely unwelcome as they compared her too close in likeness with her newest friend. She wondered what his story was. Would he hurt her too? Could she really trust him the way she wanted, the way she needed to? Would her fear allow her to?

His eyes caught her staring and she quickly averted her sights to the ground. It was one thing to wonder, but staring was just rude! Why would she want to stare at him anyway?

~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

She had been staring at him for quite some time now and it was getting annoying. The woman was probably lost in her thoughts again and didn't notice how rude her behavior was. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't truly be angry at her…annoyed yes, but not angry.

Sesshoumaru turned to watch as she quickly looked away. It was almost cute the way her eyes widened that little bit when she realized she was caught. Obviously she knew what she was doing, and that it was wrong, so why did she stare at him for so long? What a strange creature she was.

He had intended to find out what made her tick, what made her go on every day as though nothing could stop her. But all he had to show for the entire tirade was an ever-growing companionship and understanding for their likeness in loneliness; the girl's spirit itself still eluded him.

There was so much about Kagome that just didn't make sense. She wasn't your average human, but she was still cursed with their inability to control emotions. Her relations with Inuyasha, though the finer details were still a bit unclear to him, had plainly taken their toll on her and yet still she stayed with him. Humans had a way of being overly pathetic when they really wanted to.

She was steadfastly loyal to her morals, her beliefs, and her friends. More than once he was the target to defend against and now it would seem that he was at the receiving end of her protection. He wanted to scoff at that; he didn't need protection, especially not that of a human girl.

His conscious thoughts skittered across his narrowing mind in no particular rhythm. The only connection was her, Kagome; he found himself thinking about her all too often as of late, but it didn't bother him as much as he expected it might. That was just more to add to her mystery.

Sesshoumaru glanced behind him again, only to see Kagome leaning over the edge of the cloud most likely trying to see what was beneath them. How foolish, she couldn't see things moving by that fast and she was most likely going to fall off with the angle she was positioned at.

"Things that can not fly hit the earth with indescribable impact."

It held the desired effect. Her eyes widened marginally as she scampered back to the center of the cloud and stood.

"I was just curious you know"

The statement itself could have been called foolish if he weren't nearly laughing inside at her chiding tone.

"Your curiosity will kill you"

"Yes, if you don't first"

He turned and raised a fine brow at her choice of words; she had said them with an air of flippant finality. It was as though that was the truth, as she knew it, and no one would convince her otherwise.

But why would he kill her now? Were they not allies? Perhaps she expected them to be enemies once again after the death of Naraku.

"I will shave those eyebrows if it keeps you from doing that"

He narrowed his eyes and turned back towards the front. Maybe she was right; maybe he would kill her. Gods knows it would alleviate his curiosity, which would rid him of his headache, and his brother's presence, and a powerful being…the list could go on forever.

"Are we there yet?"

"No"

"Oh"

"Are we there now?"

"No"

"Are we there…now?"

"No"

"A-"

"Say it again and I will slice your tongue off"

He could practically feel her tongue as she stuck it out in that crude gesture she so loved. Why was he allowing her to grace his presence again? Yes, her death would definitely be a bittersweet end to this fiasco.

She could very well have ridden on that cat demon with her friends and saved him a headache or two. Besides, her priestess powers were wreaking havoc on his magic abilities; she was unconsciously trying to purify him whenever she was on the damn cloud.

Sesshoumaru glanced over to the side and noticed Miroku's hand inching its way closer to Sango. Within seconds a resounding slap could be heard for miles around. Their stupidity was both amazing and insulting.

No, Kagome could not ride with them. Miroku would most likely try to grab onto Kagome and that was unacceptable. Not to mention, the woman probably wouldn't like to watch the death he would put Miroku through if he so much as looked at her the wrong way.

Although, Kagome would probably put the monk through some pain on her own, and that was a very enticing image. Sesshoumaru had wanted to entertain the wonderful mental picture that accompanied those thoughts, but was stopped short by a most unwelcome visitor.

~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

Wind whipped around her in the jaded dance of a lover. She would embrace this feeling as long as possible, for it was her only freedom. How she hated her master and creator.

The small group she sought had landed and she watched with interest as the western prince unconsciously `helped' the priestess from his cloud by holding her to him while the thing dissipated. A pang of jealousy brought her from her musings with a spiteful snarl. She wanted that demon for herself and she was determined to get what she wanted.

"Kagura"

She turned to Inuyasha and smiled as she landed her large white feather shrinking to nothing more than a cute hair ornament. The half-demon that was said to be the one with the ability to slay Naraku sure was taking his time with the task; why wouldn't he just get on with it? As it was, Kagura was already on the receiving end of many painful nights and snide remarks.

"What do you want?"

She lifted her beloved fan and flicked her wrist to open it in front of her lips. It felt comfortable to have something to hide behind, as though no one could touch her when her darling fan was there to hide her true features from view.

"Naraku wishes to extend an invitation to you. A gathering is being held in your honor Inuyasha."

"Keh. Like I would just walk into a trap."

"Inuyasha"

~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

Inuyasha turned around to see Kagome advancing on them. She had a soft look of determination etched into the fine lines of her facial features. What was she planning?

He stepped to the side and allowed Kagome the space she needed to address the wind witch, but not before sending Sesshoumaru an expectant look. If she were to get into trouble, it was his job to protect her now.

"Where is he now?"

"Ah, the little priestess coming out to play, is she?"

"Cut the crap Kagura, just tell me where he is!"

Well Kagome certainly picked up a few traits, albeit as nasty as they were, from him.

"Such a mouth! He awaits your presence near the place you follow home, priestess."

What the hell was she talking about? Was Naraku at the bone eaters well? It would seem so.

"Anything else, Kagura?"

Inuyasha looked to Kagome curiously. What did she mean anything else? Was she not there to fight them?

"No Kagome, there is nothing else right now"

He watched Kagome nod and turn back to Sesshoumaru, not sparing even a glance at their enemy. Did she trust Kagura not to attack, or him to keep her from harm? And since when did Kagura address Kagome by name?

A gust of wind brought him from his thoughts and turned his attentions to Kagura as she floated above them on that large feather of hers.

"Kikyou"

Kagura caught the undead priestess' eye and nodded.

"A pleasure, as always"

He caught the smirk Kikyou replied with and wondered what it could mean. From what he understood of Kikyou's dealings with Naraku, both Kikyou and Kagura held a deep hatred for the other. Perhaps that was a cover for the true story; he would have to question her later.

~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagome watched the exchange between Kikyou and Kagura with tightly veiled interest. Whatever those two had discussed in Naraku's stronghold was not good; they obviously did not like each other. However, Kagome couldn't find any hatred or ill intentions directed at Kagura specifically.

It was intriguing trying to pick apart the emotions of an undead woman that didn't want to die, but also didn't want to live as she was now. Such a complex and intricate life it must be.

"We need to go back to Inuyasha's forest. That's where Naraku will be waiting."

She took Sesshoumaru's hand and lifted herself onto his cloud.

"You wish to walk into this trap willingly?"

Kagome looked up to see Sesshoumaru watching her expectantly. It was obvious that he didn't like her plan.

"Yes. He cannot succeed. I know something about him that he quite clearly doesn't expect me to know."

"What is that?"

Kagome shook her head lightly in response and looked out to the surrounding area.

"His minions are tricky and manipulative, just like him."

He didn't seem to like that answer. After being pulled closer to his face than she would have liked by his hand on her collar, Kagome couldn't help but smile in spite of her rueful emotions toward him. What was it about him that always seems to get under her skin?

"I will explain when we are certain it is safe"

That seemed to have done the trick. Kagome pulled her offended clothes back into place and glared only half-heatedly at her attacker. He could be such a pest sometimes with his holier-than-though attitude, the arrogant prick!

Her body lurched forward and she was forced to hold onto his kimono to keep from falling, earning herself a glare. But the look of amusement in his eyes dispelled any fear she may have had and replaced it with anger; he did that on purpose.

Jerk!

"What of our previous destination?"

She deftly shrugged her shoulders while getting caught up in her thoughts again. This time, however, she entertained the idea of having her own poisonous claws. Kagome decided that she wouldn't kill him, only torture him a bit; she quite enjoyed the look of twisted pain etched on his face at her hand.

Her eyes flew open a moment as she realized just how sadistic her thoughts were. But then again, he wanted to do the same to her at times as well, didn't he? What was the harm in entertaining the thoughts? Its not like she would have access to her own set of the poison claws anyhow, so it was not big deal, right? It was all for fun, and maybe a bit of a stress relief with no real consequence.

With the thought justified, Kagome nodded resolutely and continued her mental torture on the hot demon with the icicle stuck up his ass.

~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

She was so cute when she lost her balance, but did she have to grab him? It wasn't enough that she was keeping her plan from him, whether she was going to tell him later or not, but did she really need to assault his person like that too?

She was an interesting mystery, and damns the curious nature that he couldn't gain the upper hand on! Kagome was also an annoyance, a very loud annoyance that he would love nothing more than to rid his self of, if only he could think of how to do so without killing her.

For some reason he couldn't find even the thought of her death as appealing as it should have been, no matter how many times he tried to convince himself otherwise. Kagome had nagged her way into his protection and what's worse; he couldn't even blame that on her. It was his curious nature, he sought her out, and he kept her close. Damn him and all that he couldn't control!

Losing control was not in his nature, he just didn't know how to do it and yet here with Kagome, Sesshoumaru couldn't call on a single semblance of his tight reigns to help himself out of the hole that he was quickly burying himself in. Although admittedly, it was a rather nice place to be sometimes, so long as it was just the two of them together.

Sesshoumaru let his mind wander back to the few times that he and Kagome had been graced with a moment of peace together. There were so little of them to count that he almost treasured them…almost.

This morning's sunrise was spectacular, the colors of early autumn coming in short bursts of light and clouds. It gave Kagome an almost ethereal appeal when the blues turned to grays just before the final whites and yellows of morning came into the sky.

She had closed her eyes then, a look of complete serenity marking her features, and Sesshoumaru had discovered that one moment to be damnable in his eyes for he found himself in a position none-too-familiar. At that very moment, when she let her peaceful sigh escape her cherry pink lips, all Sesshoumaru wanted to do was bask in the feeling of her.

He didn't know what that meant and he was quite certain he didn't want to find out. At that moment in time however, it didn't seem to matter. Right then, Sesshoumaru had closed his eyes and reveled in the warm feeling of her aura coupled with the early rays of the morning sun.

Each morning he had spent with the woman, Sesshoumaru questioned her through and through. The more they talked the more her story of the future seemed too crazy to be untrue. She was simply a product of the future, which explained many things without explaining her.

It was frustrating and thoroughly unnerving, but even as he said he didn't want to spend time with her, Sesshoumaru heard something deep inside of himself counter otherwise. There was truth to that too, for if he truly didn't want to be near her then he could have, would have left already.

Yet he remained and he was forced to admit that he was content in doing so most of the time. It was a shocking revelation that had him fighting a gasp and wishing that he could allow himself to lie just this once. Why would he want to stay with her? What about her calmed him; while at the same time unbound his masterfully restricted control?

With his mind reeling on revelation of truth and detail, Sesshoumaru failed to notice that his current topic of thought had fallen asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

Inuyasha leapt from tree to tree and spared only a glance back to his traveling friends every now and again. The last time he had checked on Miroku and Sango, the stupid monk was making his moves again, which of course earned him a fresh bruise that he was no doubt happy to sport.

At the back of the group were his brother and Kagome. When he had looked back there, Inuyasha had to narrow his eyes just to see the girl as she curled up near the edge of the cloud.

She was asleep!

How in the seven hells she found it possible to sleep in his brother's presence was a mystery he might never solve. Of course, upon closer inspection he could see that Sesshoumaru was lost in his own thoughts and probably hadn't even noticed Kagome's current position.

Inuyasha slowed down a bit and was none-too-surprised when his brother didn't even pretend to not notice; he really was insane, he knew it!

Inuyasha's little victory dance was short lived as he saw Kagome's slight form scooting closer to the edge of the cloud in her fitful rest. The girl was going to fall if someone didn't wake her up soon.

He called out to Sango and had her take Kikyou, all of this going unnoticed by Sesshoumaru, and ran to attempt waking the foolish woman. When he called out to Sesshoumaru and he didn't answer, Inuyasha sighed and reached for Kagome.

Of course, just as his luck would have it, her body slid right off the cloud before he could get to her. He could hear her slight gasp of surprise and willed himself down to catch her before she really regretted falling asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

He was torn from his self-betraying thoughts as he heard her slight gasp. What baffled him was the fact that it was below him, not behind him. How had he not noticed she had fallen? Was he really so caught up in thoughts of her that his senses were thrown off? The girl was more of a bother than she was worth.

His quick senses confirmed that the damn creature had taken her leave of his cloud unexpectedly, but as he was going to turn down and retrieve her, Inuyasha called out to him.

"Get your ass down here Sesshoumaru"

A fine brow lifted at his brother's irritation. When he landed, he was graced with a flushed Kagome scampering away from a fuming Inuyasha, fear pouring from her in waves. For some reason, he knew that fear wasn't from falling.

"Would you at least keep your ears on the woman? What the hell were you so wrapped up in anyway?"

Sesshoumaru looked to Kagome and bore his heated glare into her eyes. She was definitely much more trouble than she was worth.

"That is none of your business"

"Feh, whatever. Get lost in your head all you want just watch out for her. She's your responsibility, remember?"

The fool dared to question his ability to protect her? How dare he even begin to insinuate that he, Sesshoumaru, was incapable of watching after a small human woman! He blatantly chose to ignore the voice that told him he had missed the girl's apparent lack of stability without a constant eye on her; technically he did fail in protecting her.

"I'm sorry"

All eyes turned to Kagome as she sat on her knees and stared to the ground in front of her. Her head was bowed with her hands on her knees in a clear symbol of submission; it was unsettling how displeased he felt at that gesture.

"Let's go"

Inuyasha was obviously annoyed, but it didn't matter. Kagome was clearly ready to cry and that was not something he wanted to deal with right then.

Sesshoumaru walked up to her and held a hand out. When she looked up to him, it took him a moment to realize that she was more ashamed than anything else.

She accepted his outstretched hand and looked away so he simply pulled her up to stand next to him and wrapped his arm around her waist. At her slight gasp and spike in fear, he leaned down to whisper in her ear softly.

"You will stand by me from now on. Obviously you cannot be trusted to keep yourself out of trouble"

She opened her mouth to reply but he didn't want to hear it.

"Did I push you off, or did you fall of your own accord? I did not seek you out only to have you waste my time by letting yourself die at the hands of your human foolishness."

Kagome's mouth formed a thin line as they took off in the air once again, this time with him holding her close. It was strange, but he didn't sense as much fear this time. She was still distressed at his touch, but the amount of fear was infinitely less than previously.

Looking down to the girl, Sesshoumaru could easily read her tired form. She apparently wanted to rest some more, but she would probably fall again. With his irritation riding tightly beneath his poorly checked emotions, Sesshoumaru willed the day to come to a close as it was the one time he could find peace from her.

She really was too much trouble for such a small creature.

~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagome yawned and let her arms stretch above her, uncurling along the way. She met resistance from her left fist and paused mid-stretch to see what it was.

Tilting her head backwards, Kagome saw the bone and metal armor that covered Sesshoumaru's strong chest. Something moved at her side and so she looked down.

There next to her was the puffy white pants and yellow tie that signified Sesshoumaru's lower half. At that moment something scratched against her ribcage, not roughly, but none-too-gently either.

She looked to her torso only to find Sesshoumaru's hand wrapped around her slight waist, lightly scratching her. It wasn't too surprising to find his hand there, as she had fallen asleep within his arms while still flying at unmentionable speeds over the earth. However, Kagome could clearly see that they were both leaning against a tree, quite plainly resting on the forest floor, and still his hand remained. Only one question remained then. Why?

"You snore"

"Huh?"

Kagome felt Sesshoumaru's ribs tighten beneath the leather of his armor and looked up to him curiously. She could see the mirth clouding his eyes and nearly squealed in delight at her new discovery.

Not only had she realized how to read him in body along with his eyes, but also she could make him do something she was sure no one else did. He was working, actually full body, tight lipped working at not laughing. Never mind that she was the core of amusement just then, Kagome was simply happy to know that she could cause such a reaction.

Forgetting her discomfort for the moment, Kagome smiled and finished stretching. It felt like a new day should, fresh and relaxed, and she had woken in time to watch the sun come up.

She stood, leaving the warmth of Sesshoumaru, and walked to the edge of camp to wait for him. When he walked past her, Kagome simply shook her head and followed; he always had to play the leader, his ego would have no less.

~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

He must have scouted the area earlier because there was no way they had luck so high as to find such a wondrous field full with nightingales and midnight irises blooming together. The soft blues and whites mixed with the greens and browns of the natural earth, creating a platform of stars on the ground.

It was so beautiful that Kagome found she was making a twisting trail that left much of the natural beauty untouched. She would be sure to come this way again on their trek back down the hill she was approaching.

Kagome looked to the top of the hill and caught a smile on her lips. Sesshoumaru was watching her as though she was some goddess that he had just met, but wasn't sure she was real.

She laughed at the thought of him comparing her in likeness to a goddess and continued her trek towards her protector. This day was just beginning and it was already memorably blissful; nothing could go wrong now.

~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

He couldn't hide the wonderment in his body when he noticed her chosen path. Kagome was doing her best not to disturb the natural beauty of the clearing he had found. Funny thing was that it was working; she had yet to even come close to a single bloom by following a small dirt and grass trail.

Her attention to detail and her careful steps were overly considerate of something that would grow back no matter whether she or the next creature trampled them. Still he knew that she would not be happy if she was the one to upset such a gorgeous display of nature, and so he simply watched and waited.

If there was one trait he could flaunt about himself lavishly, it was his patience; he had trained himself to be extensively patient, he had to be when so many idiots surrounded him. Her soft laughter brought him from his thoughts and back to the almost angelic creature before him.

The failing light of the moon played across her features like a silk smooth river over sandstone and rocks after polishing. He noticed her movements were much the same in comparison to the trick of the moonlight on her; she was like fluid, utilizing a grace she didn't usually possess.

Sesshoumaru found himself entranced by her elegance that moment, and he didn't stop to analyze his interest this time. He realized that no matter how often he would justify or deny an attraction to the small human, it would not go away.

It was something he was afraid to admit, and stubbornly he still refused to. However, somewhere inside he heard that voice remind him that he was attracted to her on some small level, and he would have to face that fact eventually.

When she stood next to him, Kagome was a small and meager creature, a slight form that was dwarfed by his commanding presence. But when he heard her, listened to her, watched her fight her battles, she was as commanding as he was; a strong warrior at heart and a deadly enemy to anyone that opposed her, Kagome was every bit the priestess she was born to be.

What power that girl held was amazing and almost unreal. Such a small figure as hers should not have room to house such a large soul and even larger priestess powers. Her mystery, he realized, might very well never reveal itself to him, but at the moment he didn't care, so long as they could enjoy this sunrise together.

~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

Time passed slowly in brilliant rays of light signifying the love the evening moon made with the morning sun as the two most unlikely companions looked on. The elements reached out to them, held them close and warmed them as one.

Kagome sighed in utter contentment. If only the days could be filled with sunrises and the quiet morning blooms of coming autumn.

The day seemed to be starting off perfectly, a first for the feudal era…a very overdue first. But there was always that rule, that one exception that got in the way.

Kagome forgot not to count her chickens before they hatched. Had she taken that moment to remember the age old adage, she might have been prepared for the drastic turn of events that was going to play with her life once more before the setting of the sun she was watching.

~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok, this was a `filler' I suppose. If you couldn't tell, the next chapter has some action in it…and a lot of Naraku!!! Wesa gonna gets down tos it now!

I haven't got review responses again, but then I don't think you all are too surprised by that. For everyone that reviewed, thank you. I really do appreciate the interest you guys all have in my story…I hope I haven't lost that! LOL

Anyhow, press the purple button and when I reach 200 reviews on ff.net, there will be an extra little surprise!!!

Loves and all

~Mistress Hime