Revolving Around Water by Vixeria Snow

Playful Night

Quote of the Day:

It may be that your whole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

~Anonymous

Revolving Around Water - Chapter Two:

A Playful Night

Groaning again as she rolled over, she looked at the moon. It was dark, the middle of the night once more. She honestly just couldn't sleep. She was exhausted from the rather long day. It was just too hot and tiring today. It felt like they really hadn't gotten anywhere. There were no jewel shards in the area, there weren't even any youkai that she could sense. For once, Inuyasha had been able to fall fast asleep tonight. He never falls asleep anywhere. It was like the boy didn't know how to take a rest.

As for the rest of the group - everyone was all knocked out after a rather satisfying dinner. Kagome had pretty much decided that everyone needed a load off and cooked a bit of a variety to allowed everyone to rest easy. Even Inuyasha had gotten so relaxed as to fall asleep. Now, being the only one awake, she couldn't seem to relax enough to actually sleep. Go figure. If it wasn't Inuyasha that was watching over the group at night, it was her.

Sighing, and being careful not to disturb Shippou who slept beside her each night, she slipped from the "bed" that she had made with her sleeping bag. It was just too hot and humid to even cuddle up and snuggle into the stupid thing anyway. Looking over the camp again to make sure she didn't wake anyone up, she stretched and looked up at the hanyou in the trees. His ears were drooped - he looked exhausted himself. And he didn't even break a sweat over the hiking he had put them all through.

She guessed with all that extra stamina or "metabolism", she figured if anyone would be worn out, it'd be him. It was tiring trying to keep up with his pace. She was sure that if she weren't around, Kikyou would be, and the pace would continue for at least a couple of days until-

She halted her thoughts and cleared her brain. What in the world has gotten into her? She must be overheating or something. Her thoughts have just been jumbled all over the place ever since Sesshomaru had decided to have personal "audiences" with her. She couldn't really blame him, either. She would think that being a Lord meant keeping your lands safe, signing treaties, creating treaties, discussing political business with people, group gatherings, and all kinds of other stuff. She supposed he needed a way to escape sometimes, too. Perhaps that's why she always saw him traveling.

Then her thoughts wondered to Rin. Where in the world had the little girl even come from? As far as she knew, Rin had been dying and Lord Sesshomaru saved her. There I go again, she thought to herself. What was with her? She had taken to calling him Lord rather than just his name. She wondered why that was. Whenever they were alone together, she called him by his name, but when they were in public "Lord Sesshomaru" it was. It was actually really weird as well. She never called Sango "Sango-san" or Miroku "Miroku-sama". She simply called them by their names. When she first saw Sesshomaru, that's what she called him - Sesshomaru. No "Lord", "Sama", or "Chan" anywhere in there. It's always been just "Sesshomaru". Then again, when she first met Sango and Miroku, she had used the suffixes in there. She never did it with Inuyasha or Sesshomaru. She didn't do it with Shippou because he's too young. He doesn't really care for honorifics or things like that. It was just something that was there - it meant nothing to him.

Shaking her head, again, she decided that going for a swim would be the best thing to do. She could use the cool water to bring down her temperature - plus, it would actually relax her. Perhaps she will run into a certain someone during her swim.

Pausing a moment as she dug through her bag for a towel, she had to wonder just why she had thought that. Could she be actually...no. It wasn't possible. For heaven's sake, he tried to kill her in the past! Shouldn't that say something?

Then again...she always said to keep moving forward and don't look back. Maybe that same saying applies to this scenario as well?

Shaking her head - which she found herself doing several times tonight - she cleared her thoughts once more. She couldn't even stop thinking about the youkai lord. She knew he only saw her as a means to entertain himself with until he got bored - at least, that's what she thought anyway. She didn't think he'd ever have those sorts of feelings when it came to her person.

Finally wrapping her fingers around a fluffy towel, she grabbed her some new clothes that she had recently bought. They were just made for the feudal era. She had thought it was...more or less...appropriate to wear in the warring states era. Besides, she'd get a kick out of seeing Inuyasha stare at her as if she were nuts.

Quickly taking off toward the stream she knew was nearby, she felt...anxious. She wanted to see him again, that was a given, but she couldn't help but wonder why? She grumbled to herself briefly before looking around to make sure no one was watching. She quickly stripped, leaving her clothes strewn about on the bank of the stream.

It was quiet there. The miniature waterfall that was a little ways away was a relaxing sound. You could hear crickets chirping and grasshoppers singing. You could see the fireflies buzzing around, lighting up the area with an ethereal sort of glow. She smiled to herself. If this was the future, this would be the perfect spot to go for a date.

Looking at her reflection in the water, she noticed her hair had gotten much longer than what she remembered. It had been so long since she had a trim and she was sure she had tons of split ends. Her bangs were long enough to place behind her ears and flow over her breasts. Perhaps she will ask her mother next time she sees her if she could cut it for her.

"Miko," a cold monotone voice said from behind her. She turned, her face growing red as she noticed Sesshomaru staring at her. Looking at herself some more, she quickly ducked beneath the water to cover herself from his intense gaze.

"Y-Yes?" She stuttered. She was actually a little surprised he had shown up. She actually thought he was too busy to even come to her. "Do you need something?"

"Why are you in a freezing stream?" He asked, clearly confused. "Would you not catch a cold?"

Like it should matter, Kagome thought to herself. "Not really," she said, "it's actually warm. The humidity in the air along with the heat warmed the water up nicely. Unlike many, I am immune to most things. So, I can handle it." She gave him a smile to reassure him.

"Why are you awake at such a late hour?"

"I couldn't sleep," Kagome admitted nervously. "It's weird really, everyone was able to fall asleep except for me. It's...not normal."

"Hn," he said, "may This Sesshomaru join you?"

She hadn't even replied and he was already taking off his armor and swords. She turned turned around quickly to give him some privacy. Her face was as red as a strawberry now. Not the best impression she would have liked to give him, but hey, whatever works.

She felt the water move around her and she knew that he was now submersed in the water. She turned around to peak at him and found that he was directly behind her. She almost screamed when his hand touched her naked arm. "How did you get over here so fast?"

He raised a single, delicate silver eyebrow as if saying "isn't it obvious?". She sighed and sank deeper into the water, only realize that she was still rather close to him, and he was much taller than she was. Certain aspects of a male's body is very...ahem...noticeable when one was shorter than the other. He sunk lower into the water and she noticed some float up around them. She looked and found that it was Sesshomaru's "fluff" that was always hanging around his shoulders.

"What is that?" She asked, reaching out and stroking it.

Sesshomaru growled softly as his tail twitched beneath her fingers. He didn't say anything as she continued to pet it. A lot of times he has cursed the damned thing for being a nuisance, but in the end - it's what scored him the "ladies".

Kagome noticed his "purr of pleasure" and realized that it was actually connected to him. That fluff that she called it was actually a tail. Who would have guess that Sesshomaru had a tail in his humanoid form? Then again, she didn't think it was that hard to believe. After all, he was a dog.

Kagome stopped stroking it before uncrossing her arms from her chest and actually swimming. Sesshomaru watched her every movement. "What are you doing here?" It was Kagome's turn to ask the questions now.

"I am on my way back to the Western Domain," he replied. "I simply came to observe and understand."

There it was again - those words. What on earth did he mean by those? "Care to explain?" She asked as she sort of ran her hands over her shoulders and arms.

"I wished to understand why you stay at his side despite the way he treats you and your pack. I came to observe you." So she had been correct - he was talking directly to her that day.

"So I was right," she said, "but why do you want to know?"

"I was...curious," he said, leaning closer to her, "I am still curious."

Blushing more than ever, she shrunk away from him, not used to the close proximity. "You are an enigma in itself," he commented with a slight chuckle, startling her out of her whits. He leaned back and began to circle her, like a predator and its prey.

"W-Well," Kagome said, blushing furiously, "I don't know about all that. I've heard that people have had a hard time trying to figure me out, but you? That's a bit surprising."

She watched him swim circles around her in the stream. His hair flowed behind him in the water, along with his tail. She was surprised his tail was so long. She was too busy admiring his tail and the colors that clashed in the water to notice that his circles were getting suspiciously smaller.

"Hm," he said just before he wrapped his only around her mid-section and lifted her from the water before throwing her over his shoulder and into the water behind him.

She came sputtering back up, clearly surprised the Sesshomaru had done such a thing. "Okay, that was completely uncalled for," she said as she splashed water at him. She looked him and laughed wholeheartedly. He was drenched in water. From the tips of his ears, the tips of his bangs, and the tips of his eyelashes, you could see water drops just dripping off everywhere. She laughed at his "stunned" expression. He never truly showed any emotions. He always had that stoic facade that he wore practically twenty-four, seven. It was nice to see some sort of emotions coming from him.

Then again, he had shown a little bit of emotion before, too. She just hadn't realized it then. He had shown it when battling his brother - his intentions of "observing" and "understanding" fell under the category of "curiosity". Him in the water showed that he was playful. Him dunking her in the water showed that he was...what was it? Toying? Him looking at her right now shows that he was...annoyed? Was annoyed by her laughing? And his stunned expression...it was just too much for her.

Sesshomaru frowned before lept forward. She "eeped" just before the two of them went beneath the surface of the water. She barely had enough time to catch her breath before she was pulled under. She opened her eyes and saw Sesshomaru floating above her. It was the most magical visage she had ever seen.

His hair flowed around him and her like a barrier, his fluffy tail barely being seen floating around them as well. The moon behind him from above the water could be seen in a blue of movement from the water. Sesshomaru was looking at her with a smirk. His hair looked almost green as he stared at her own surprised, yet happy, expression. His golden eyes looked darker than normal beneath the water.

He was in much the same boat. The reflections from the surface of the water splashed rays of silvery moonlight all over her body. Her hair was wildly flowing around her head, mingling with his own silvery white strands. Her eyes were looking at his with curiosity and...awe? Was that the emotion he saw? Her lips were formed in an "o" shape, air bubbles slowly flowing from her mouth and bubbling up to the surface of the water.

Kagome gave him a smile. Sesshomaru wondered briefly if she had finally gotten over her nakedness and simply wished to enjoy herself. He wondered if now, if she was comfortable. He couldn't help but feel like he had made some sort sort of connection.

Suddenly, she shot upward, running out of air. He followed straight after her - the stream was deeper there than what he had first thought. He broke the surface just seconds before she did, and when she did, it was a sight to behold.

When she broke the surface of the water, she gasped for air, her hair flinging toward her back and draping over her shoulders, past her breasts, and covering her from prying eyes. Her skin glowed from the moonlight and reflections of the water. Her eyes were closed with her mouth wide open for air.

She finally caught her breath before splashing him and taking off. "You are so not getting away with what you just did!" She said, chasing after him. He quickly swam around the stream, letting her chase him in circles.