Yep, I'm back. This drabble was written for the 10snuggles community on LJ. It's a themed community, meaning that I still have nine other drabbles to write, which I will add to this story. Anyways enough of my babbling. Here's the first drabble.

Remember to review if you can and constructive criticism is always welcome.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the amazing characters and I will probably never own it either. So there, happy now?

Title: To reach the Phoenix

By: Anime-Goddess-Sakura

Theme: #7 Stargazing

The late Mr. Higurashi had always loved to stare and admire the bright spheres of light that illuminated the dark sky for hours on end, a habit that his daughter seemed to have inherited.

Just like her father Kagome had always loved stargazing. Ever since she was barely a few years old, she had been doing this.

She smiled fondly as she recalled the look that her father would have on his face. It was a look of pure childish admiration, making her often wonder what might have been on his mind at that moment.

Her father had often told her stories that involved the gorgeous stars and as a kid she had always believed them and even as an adult she often questioned if maybe those stories might have been true in a sense.

…or perhaps she secretly hoped that they were true.

A child had the freedom to dream and believe, while an adult didn't. Life wasn't a fairy tale after all. That didn't mean that Kagome had a hard life, but just like every other adult she did have some things that she would rather do without.

And yet even in her most stressful of states, she could always turn to the stars for support and tranquility.

The dark haired woman wasn't certain what it was about those heavenly bodies, but she always felt a certain bond with them. They were so far away, out of reach to her and still so beautiful even during the darkest of nights. They were a constant companion to those that needed guidance and a strong reminder of her dear dad.

She was momentarily distracted from her thoughts, when the wind to picked up, making her hair swirl around her. She cursed under her breath as she recalled leaving the hair scrunchy inside.

She scowled as the wind seemed to be feeling extremely playful at the moment, making a mess out of her hair. The dark inky strands twirled wildly through one another, making her mentally wince as she pictured what a bothersome job it would be to comb out all of those knots later on.

Finally the wind seemed to calm down and leave her alone. Running a hand through her tangled hair, she realized that she would be having a hard time later on.

Still she was too lazy to go back inside now. From the two story balcony she had the perfect view of the other houses and by the looks of it she was the only one not asleep. Pushing herself up, she walked towards the metal railing and leaned forward, while she tentatively brushed a strand of dark inky black hair behind her right ear.

The sky was relatively clear tonight, making it easier to gaze at the stars. A look of concentration appeared on her face as she tried to discern the different constellations. She easily spotted the most well-known ones, but the one she was searching for, seemed missing.

Letting out a disappointed sigh, she cursed her bad luck. She had taken a trip to Australia just to be able to see that constellation…only to miss it, she thought dejectedly.

Her favorite constellation is the one called Phoenix. The ' Phoenix' is ggenerally invisible to anyone living north of the 40th parallel in the Northern Hemisphere and remains low in the sky for anyone living north of the equator.

And it's easily visible from locations such as Australia and South Africa during the summer.

True, very few knew about it and it was a fairly small constellation, having only thirteen stars to begin with, still it is and would always be her favorite.

She pouted as she thought of her bad luck. She had literally begged her fiancée to take a trip to Australia. A task that had been most embarrassing and that he had smugly enjoyed. She felt her right eye twitch as the picture of her fiancée's face popped in her head.

'Arrogant pompous ass.'

Pushing those dark thoughts away, she gazed once again at the sky. ' Phoenix' is her favorite constellation, for it had been the last constellation her father and her had watched, before he had died. It had been her father's last gift to her.

A sad smile graced her small full lips as she recalled that night. Memories both happy and sad seemed to come alive in front of her.

It was amazing how much detail a human mind could put into a memory. She could picture her father perfectly in front of her, from the small scar under his left eye to the way his lips quirked as he smiled.

She recalled that he had bought plane tickets for both of them to Australia. At the time she hadn't understood her father's rash decision, but now she did. It was his parting gift to her, one she still cherished. They had spent most of the night gazing at the stars with him pointing out to her, the various different constellations.

Yet when he came to the one called ' Phoenix' he stopped. The look on his face had been sad and at the same time proud, but she had been unable to decipher why exactly. And still she doesn't understand that one moment in time.

However that was the last night they spend together, before he got sick and eventually died a few months later.

Kagome couldn't stop the tears that escaped her deep blue eyes as her father's face appeared in her mind.

She still missed him. And there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't think of him. Her small hands tightened around the metal railing as she tried to take hold of her emotions. She didn't want to cry, knowing that her father would not want her to cry.

Her head snapped up as she felt strong arms wrap around her small frame and bring her against a strong chest. Her first reaction had been to struggle, but that line of thought left her mind as she noticed the familiar presence.

She instantly relaxed against him, grateful of his strength that he unknowingly offered her.

He seemed content to hold her and she was thankful for that. She shivered lightly as the wind picked up once again and traveled along her exposed arms and legs. He must have picked up her discomfort for he wrapped his arms even tighter around her, bringing her even closer to him.

Turning her head sideways, she was met with the deep golden gaze of her fiancée. His moon colored hair cascaded in long strands along his shoulder, the pale colored strands mixing with her dark colored ones as the wind played with them, creating the illusion of yin and yang, darkness and light. They were so different and yet in perfect balance.

Her gaze tentatively ran over her fiancée's face and she couldn't stop herself from wondering if she even deserved someone as special as him.

He was, to put it simply, beautiful. With a face that would make even the Gods envious and a body that many would do anything to have, he was the fantasy of many women and men alike. This androgynous male specimen could have chosen any of his admirers…and yet he chose her.

Compared to him, she found herself so plain and so undeserving of him. He was regal, elegant, and mysterious and she was just simple Kagome, just a simple a naïve young woman that was most of the times too emotional for her own good.

Momentarily put down by her thoughts she averted her gaze away from him, unable to compete with his penetrating stare and instead focused on some of the stars she could see.

He possessed an inner strength that she could only dream to one day to possess. And she was reluctant and embarrassed to admit that she often drew her strength from him. It was astonishing how a man like Sesshoumaru could offer so much comfort and strength without even speaking a word.

"What's bothering you, Kagome?" He asked in his deep and soft voice that could make every trouble she could have vanish with only the simplest of words.

She found herself once again shivering, but it wasn't from the cold this time and apparently he knew this too. The dark haired woman swallowed hard as she felt his chest vibrate against her back, all the while a rich chuckle leaving his parted lips.

Sesshoumaru knew very well what kind of affect he could have on her and he wasn't remorseful about using it to his advantage, she thought blushing as she recalled all those times he had gotten her in his bed.

Kagome couldn't stop the smile from appearing on her lips as she leaned closer to him, finding a comfortable place to snuggle. He had a magnificent body, but it was also strangely perfect for snuggling.

She was just about to close her eyes, when something caught her attention. She blinked a few times, making sure that she wasn't seeing things.

However it was real. Pushing herself away from him she leaned on the railing almost as if wishing that she could touch the stars themselves.

"Look, it's Phoenix!" she cried out excitedly, a smile blooming on her face.

She couldn't believe her eyes. It was there. She quickly turned her face to gaze at Sesshoumaru, who was looking strangely at her.

Letting out a sigh, she quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him towards where she was standing.

"Look, that's the constellation called the Phoenix." She said eagerly, pointing at the thirteen stars that seemed to shine brighter that all the others.

Sesshoumaru interestingly gazed at the constellation. He didn't know too much of the stars, but his petite fiancée had always been more than willing to teach him. Kagome grinned as she noticed the look of attentiveness on his face. She didn't know why, but it felt nice to be able to share something as personal as that with him. She averted her gaze once again to the stars and calmly counted the thirteen stars, making sure that she had the right constellation.

"Isn't that the one your father said represented you?" Sesshoumaru's voice brought her out of her musings, making her once again gaze at him.

His words had been true; her father did tell her that that one constellation was the most like her; even if in reality she didn't really believe it. She still wondered why he would say that. She would have liked to have asked him, but apparently that answer she could never get.

Sighing she leaned against the railing of the balcony, her head lowered and her dark hair covering her face.

"I don't understand why he would say something like that. I'm nothing like a phoenix." She answered softly, avoiding Sesshoumaru's gaze, which she could feel on her.

The earlier excitement evaporated just as easily as it had appeared, making her feel tired and just plain sad. Just as the thought of going to bed passed her mind, she found herself gazing at the tall man that would soon be her husband.

Sapphire met gold as Sesshoumaru cupped her face and made her look at him. She couldn't stop the way her breath hitched in her throat as he gazed sternly at her.

His eyes seemed brighter in the darkness, hypnotizing her and drawing her in, while he leaned closer to her. Closing her eyes, she waited for him to kiss her, but instead she felt his warm breath against her compliant lips, making her eyelids flutter open.

"Kagome, don't doubt yourself like that. A phoenix would be the only creature I would dare to compare you with." His hot breath danced against her lips, making her instinctively lick her lips. She watched his eyes momentarily linger on her lips, before they once again met hers.

"Why?" She found herself asking in a soft and confused voice, making him slightly narrow his eyes at her.

Thick silence settled between them, while he studied her. She resisted the urge to squirm under his scrutinizing stare and silently wished that he would say anything already. Just as she was about to say something just to break that uncomfortable, he finally spoke up, his voice was strong and unwavering, making her weak in the knees.

"You're strong-spirited, fiery and compassionate; you have this thirst for life that no one can imitate and without even trying or realizing, you shine brighter than all the rest, beckoning everyone towards you. You're a true phoenix in the purest sense of the words, Kagome." She was speechless as she gazed at him, never known that Sesshoumaru felt that way about her.

She certainly didn't fathom that someone like him would dare to say such things to her. Sesshoumaru was someone to express everything with actions and words were unfortunately not his forte. And yet those words, those simple words, he spoke made her heart soar.

By now his lips were only a few inches away from hers and with his just spoken words, she wanted nothing more than to kiss him.

And kiss him, she did.

He seemed taken back by her bold move, but he didn't last too long to get a hold of himself and take over the kiss, molding her delicious lips to his own and making her do all that he wanted.

He was once again taken aback when she broke the kiss. He would have protested or just continued kissing her if it hadn't been for the look in her eyes.

"Shall I further strengthen your opinion of me being a phoenix or better said your phoenix?" She asked seductively, making his body come to live.

No words needed to be spoken as she gently grasped his hand in her hers and began leading him towards their room. For this time he would let her lead, even if in the end he would have the control.

For even a phoenix needed to be tamed.

And he was more than ready and willing for that job.

End……