RATING: K+
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"Did you know that the moon is tidally locked with the earth?" She asked after a few moments.
It was the night of full moon. Kagome's sleep had been effectively stolen away from her after having a rarely recurring nightmare that involved her late father. It always left her aching and restless. So, she had sneaked away from the camp to sit by the lake. The night sky was completely visible from there. The moon and the milky way streaked across the water like paint on a black canvas, only to be disturbed by subtle ripples caused by the creatures inside.
After a few moments she had sensed a familiar yoki approaching. Sesshoumaru had settled nearby. Keeping a watch on a very agitated miko. He was concerned by the scent of sorrow he was picking up. Not that he would let her know. They both were aware of each other's presence but he decided to give her the space she required. He sat quite, until she had broken the silence with her sudden amd peculiar statement.
"Elaborate." He asked.
"It means that there is only one side of the moon visible to us all the time. The other side is veiled in darkness. Unknown to everyone. It's because the time taken by it to rotate around its own axis and the time taken to complete one revolution around the earth is the same."
Sesshoumaru soaked in the information. As much as he loved stargazing and moon watching, he was not made aware of such a fact. And he was impressed by her vast knowledge on everything. Over their time travelling together, she had always managed to amuse him by unfolding a new piece of information about the world.
"That is amusing, indeed." He intoned. "What else do you know of the moon?"
Kagome giggled lightly. "Do you like the moon? It reminds me of you, you know."
Though he was perched against a nearby tree, his face was hidden in the shadows of the night. Small patches of moonlight that managed to slip between leaves and branches illuminated his otherworldly beauty, revealing a gold glimmer here and a magenta mark there. He raised his eyebrows in genuine amusement at her remark.
'The moon reminds her of me'. Why did that thought made him feel so warm?
"Why so, miko?" There was an unexpected gentleness in his voice.
"I don't think I want to share that with you yet." She replied. A hint of of challenge, ever so subtly in her voice. She was expecting an indifferent 'hn'. She was in for a surprise though.
"What is required of this Sesshoumaru to do in exchange, oh great miko?" His question a mix of tease that she picked up and of genuine respect that had her thinking what it was.
Kagome's heart skipped a beat. He took her by utter surprise by such a question. It took her a moment to recover from the sheer amount of surprise. But she was enjoying this tease way too much to lose words.
"Well, if you are that curious. Let me see... " She tapped her chin with mock thoughtfulness. "I couldn't sleep because of a nightmare. Maybe you could sing me a lullaby or something after I tell you, Oh great Lord of the West?" Oh! The sweetness and mischief that laced her voice.
Sesshoumaru was infinitely pleased as all the negative scent he had picked earlier had vanished completely. All he could smell now was the sweet jasmine and sakura that was unique to his little miko. But she had pushed her luck with the lullaby.
With an annoyed huff and a placid voice he intoned, "You can keep your opinion of This One to yourself. This Sesshoumaru will never retort to singing. Not so desperate miko."
Of course she knew he wouldn't. The sun would have to rise in the west for him to sing her a lullaby. "Not my opinion of you, silly. Just musings. But I'll tell you if you come closer." She patted the space beside her for him to sit. His presence was lifting her mood surprisingly. And she was not the one to lose the chance to speak to a willing Daiyoukai who otherwise spoke two or three words in an entire day for crying out loud.
He chanced a glace at her. She wanted him to come closer. It had been quite some time together, travelling. He knew she wasn't afraid of him the way a normal human should be. Offended he was at the beginning, but now the thought of her cowering away from him was disturbing.
From where she sat with her knees to her chest, leaning back against the tree, the moonlight washed over her completely. Even in her funny night garments that she called her favourite 'bunny pyjamas', she was quite a beauty to behold with her inky raven hair tumbling down and her ever so endless depth of blue eyes that reminded him of the night sky and the deep of the ocean alike. Timeless, infinite expanse of warmth and compassion.
He walked over to her and sat at his designated place and followed the path of her vision. The moon she was adoring with such reverence. Without looking at her he whispered a single word. "Why?"
And she knew what he was asking. 'Why does it remind you of me?' She took her time to collect her thoughts and started.
"First, because of the crescent on your forehead, of course, and the moon is beautiful. And we can't dispute the fact that you are beautiful. In a manly kinda way I mean." She stated matter-of-factly. 'More like in a godly way', she thought.
"Hn."
"Well, not ever so arrogant like a certain dog I know but the moon also appears very cold and distant."
He gave her a half hearted glare. But had this uncontrollable urge to lean and nuzzle his nose in her raven hair. But reigned himself nevertheless.
"Cold and distant it appears, a deep silver in a monochrome painting, like the blazing reflection in the water. Look....." She pointed towards the surface of the lake. He followed her fingers with his gaze. "... But it can be warm like the rays of the sun it reflects to those who really are willing to look. Warm, gentle and passionate. Very very passionate."
"You are getting rather poetic, Miko." The words left his lips not more than a whisper of night breeze. His intense gaze now trained on her.
There was a shift in her aura as she continued with her next comparison. He couldn't comprehend the reason for the slight change. And when she spoke her voice was hushed and she looked to her side, her face tilting up to meet his moonlit honey pools of golden eyes.
"And like I said, there's always a side that is not known to anyone. Which is veiled from each eye that lands upon you. A side that only people can foolishly wish to explore. And it needn't be dark and cold."
'This is it. This is my doom.' This strange miko right here who transcended time by risking losing her family to help his hanyou brother who barely acknowledged such sacrifices to be with them here. Right here. 'This Sesshoumaru is doomed'. He thought. His mind was all over the place. His heart picked up its speed. Who can make the Great Daiyoukai's heart beat in such a way if not for his impending doom? While his subconscious was busy in a passive panic mode, his consciousness was lost into a trance elicited by her eyes, her voice and scent.
"Is it too much to wish for? To wish for me to know that side of you Sesshoumaru? The one that you keep hidden from everyone?" Kagome would not realise the gravity of her request until later. It was said in the heat of the moment.
Her voice brought Sesshoumaru crashing back to the mortal plane. Somewhere far, his father was laughing at him, he knew. He tore his gaze away from her to look at the moon that had been the beginning of something new. After tonight he would come to love the celestial body ever so more than before.
"What makes you so sure that I have such a side to myself, Kagome?"
Her name from his lips sealed her feelings for him at that moment. The fleeting feelings that she had experienced and had dismissed as something that any girl with an intact brain would face being around such a handsome creature.
Abandoning her sanity, she reached with her hand to lightly guide him to look at her. Her warm fingers landed on his magenta stripes and with slight pressure she forced him to look into her eyes. She felt his whole body tense at the audacious contact.
When she had his unwavering attention, she spoke in a calm tone that was completely the opposite of what she was feeling inside, "That little angel that you allow to follow you and protect so fiercely is the single evidence that is needed for me to believe that you have a different side to the blood-lust beast that you wish for everyone to view you as."
That was all it took for the Great Lord of the Western land, Sesshomaru, son of the Great Inu no Taisho to be rendered speechless.
Kagome knew she couldn't take this night any further smoothly anymore. So, she decided it was time to go back into her sleeping bag and force herself to the elusive sleep that she was sure she won't be able to catch tonight. The adrenaline rush was way too great. And also the reason for her following action.
She reached up and kissed the Daiyoukai on his cheek and whispered a hushed 'goodnight' before taking off towards the camp, leaving a great inu very stunned and stilled.
He stole a last glance towards to full moon hanging in the endless sea of black and closed his eyes. Not knowing what to do or think, he focused on the task of breathing that he had so utterly forgotten. 'This is my doom', was all he could think of.
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A/N: I'm a newbie here... A baby writer. I hope you enjoy. It's really scary to put stories here since I do not usually write stories. I'm a more poetry person. And my first constructed stories happen to be fanfics. So any review would help and encourage a lot. Criticisms are openly allowed.
Disclaimer : Don't own InuYasha or any character. If it had been so, then Sesskag would have been canon.