N/A: A little lemony toward the end, but nothing vivid (unless you have an extremely dirty mind -shakes fingers at you.-). Read and review! Enjoy

Chapter 8: Hot Springs and Hot Dreams

As the door slid open, Kagome started to freak out a bit when she saw Sesshoumaru standing there. She shrieked quietly, and practically flew into the water, crossing her arms over her chest, and submerged herself in the bubbling water.

Sesshoumaru perked a brow, but he couldn't help remembering the picture of her perfection without a stitch of clothing on. Against his inner... something, he remained calm. "It seems you are up early."

"And apparently you are as well, Sesshoumaru." Kagome wasn't worried about honorifics at the moment. She was really uncomfortable being in front of the demon lord without any clothes on, even if she didn't betray it with her voice.

Sesshoumaru caught a glimpse of her eyes, and for the first time, actually noticed them. Her swirling eyes of turquoise seemed to give away how she was feeling. "A bit edgy this morning, are we?" Her eyes were bright, and vivid, and oddly, he found he did not want to look away.

She had gotten lost in the endless abyss of goldenrod that was Sesshoumaru's eyes. She felt as if he were staring right through her, and she thought she felt the tell tale of tears beginning to prickle in her eyes. When he spoke again, she broke the eye contact before replying. "Not particularly, or at least I wasn't before now."

"Well, don't mind me, I'm going to be in a different hot spring." Sesshoumaru calmly got some towels and continued to a different hot spring. Mostly he continued because he was afraid of what he might do. Her personality seemed to tempt him, and seeing her naked really did not help. He, Sesshoumaru the Demon Lord of the Western Lands was attracted to a human miko, and part of him felt disgusted, whereas the other part felt far from disgusted. He quietly settled into a spring and let out a deep breath.

Kagome quickly washed and rinsed her hair and body, then got out and toweled her hair until it was mostly dry, then twisted it into a bun, and secured it with some decorative turquoise sticks, and quietly slipped the kimono she had picked out on, and laced and tied the front, then slipped on her slippers. She quietly exited the room, sliding the door silently shut behind her. She knew that Sen would not be back yet, for she had hurried and bathed before Sesshoumaru finished. So when she opened the door, she was not surprised when Sen was not there. She tried to remember from memory the halls they had walked down, and tried to find her way back to her room.

Sesshoumaru listened as Kagome quickly got dressed and exited the room. He shook his head. 'Humans and their useless modesty. You'd think that it would not bother her, considering what she used to wear. There was hardly anything left to hide that she hadn't already shown. I am glad she changed how she dresses herself, though. Rin seems to like her, and I would not want such an improper dressing style to influence her. I suppose it's because when that damn hanyou attacked Rin, the miko helped her without a second thought. The girl protected her the best she could when Naraku sought to harm her. For that I am thankful.'

He remained on the subject of Kagome's improvements, before his mind started falling downhill, and it once more brought the picture of seeing her naked to mind accompanied by other thoughts, and once more he felt ashamed. 'I am the epitome of demon perfection… I do not see how this mere miko could distract me so. There's just something about her...' Sesshoumaru slowly drifted into a light doze.

Cloudy images danced in his mind, then became crystal clear. He felt the scrape of fingernails down his back, and the smooth creamy flesh of another against him. He felt hot breath on his neck, and a needy moan filling his ear. It was then he saw who was below him. Her hair glistened like ink, and was plastered around her face with sweat; it was Kagome, yet unlike Kagome. It was then Sesshoumaru awoke. 'Not only does she occupy my thoughts when I am awake, but she tempts me in my dreams when I sleep.' He sighed and got out of the springs and dressed, deciding he should probably visit Rin.