Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over Inuyasha. Though I have attempted on many occasions to capture him…but he just keeps getting away!

AN: As I recall, this was my first foray into this particular pairing. I think I was so hesitant to try it out that I didn't decide it was what I wanted to do until the very end! This piece was surprisingly easy to revise. It's one of the few fan fictions I think I did well the first time around.

Passion

"Passion. It lies in all of us. Sleeping, waiting and though unwanted, unbidden, it will stir, open its jaws and howl."

His movements were liquid, smooth and flowing. His untamable hair fluttered behind him like a cloud of silken light. Without even the slightest sound he landed – mere feet away from the source of his passion.

"It speaks to us, guides us. Passion rules us all, and we obey."

The moonlight reflected off her porcelain skin and created an ethereal glow. Raven hair pooled beside her like cascading onyx. A few stray locks were strewn across her face and her nose wrinkled when they brushed her petal soft lips.

"What other choice do we have?"

The stoicism that so constantly graced his face gave way to reveal a smile. With all the care in the world he reached down to touch her. His claws grazed the delicate skin underneath his fingertips as he removed the offending strands. The kitsune who slept so peacefully next to the miko stirred for a second before snuggling back into her chest. Was it foolish? To envy a sleeping child?

"Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love, the clarity of hatred, and the ecstasy of grief."

Quickly he looked around to make sure that his movements had not disturbed anyone else. But they were all asleep. The monk slept on the ground. His hands were outstretched and precariously close to the backside of the similarly positioned demon hunter. The kitsune, he acknowledged, always slept with the time-traveling miko. In fact the only thing that seemed out of place was the Tetsuaiga. Its owner was ever so careless.

"It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion, maybe we'd know some kind of peace."

He bit his lower lip, fangs causing a few spare drops of blood to appear. Again he had searched her out in his dreams. And again, like some sort of trained pup, he had come to watch her. Already the feeling of desire was stirring within him. Growling at his own longing for the human wench he stood. This time, he assured himself, would be the last. It wouldn't do to watch Kagome in her sleep anymore. No matter how much his passion urged him to do so. Clinging to his newfound determination he turned on his heel and began to walk away.

"But we would be hollow. Empty rooms, shuttered and dank."

It was all for nothing though. He couldn't restrain himself from turning back and hunching over the girl's sleeping figure. Just one more time he assured himself. With an abnormally large amount of restrain he leaned in and just barely allowed his lips to graze those of the sleeping miko.

His kiss lasted the entire night. He didn't dare to move and wake anyone up. As daybreak broke he finally moved away and took off.

"Without passion, we'd be truly dead."

Kagome's eyes fluttered open as she felt an increasingly familiar pressure removed from her lips. She caught a glimpse of him as he flew away into the dense forest. Her fingertips went up to touch her mouth and she whispered softly…

"Sesshoumaru?"

AN: How I long for the days when eloquence came easily!