Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha


After a brief flying trip, Sesshomaru arrived at a suitable hot spring. He carefully set Kagome on her feet near a sandy bank as his boa was gently disengaged from her form. Amber eyes filled with warm amusement regarded her as she sighed dreamily at the sight of a steaming, large pool of sparkling water at the base of the mountain. River stones speckled the sandy bank, their surfaces smooth and glossy from the steady current and the soles of her feet threatened to slip as she made tiny steps towards the water.

Her eyes felt sore and achy, as if she'd spent the entire day staring at a high vaulted ceiling or in an Imax theater. Trying to focus on a certain point, like a rock in the distance, seemed to bring that rock right before her eyes until it was all she could see. Her proportions were thrown off and she blinked as she felt her head getting dizzy. In order to stave her sense of unbalance, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose, exhaling through her mouth.

The sounds seemed more under her control and she found if she focused on a sound she wanted to hear, she could briefly isolate it from everything else around her, giving her the ability to examine it closely for something she recognized and ultimately providing her with facts about her surroundings from places too far away for her to even see. Like the nest of crow youkai roosting in the tree tops to the northeast of her. If she focused on it, she could just make out the sound of feathers rustling together, wings flapping and the occasional faint, scratchy caw that made the morning with its mists and rays of sunshine beaming on a hot spring waterfall seem surreal and otherworldly.

She focused on the sound of the water falling into the pool, coupled with the hiss of the leaves as a comfortably cool breeze whisked through the warm air. It was pleasure incarnate and while she had always appreciated such things more than the average person, with her new senses in such a naturally beautiful, serene place she couldn't help but feel like she was touching sacred ground. Walking into the water until it was up to her ankles, she reached down and brushed her fingertips across the glistening surface before bringing them back up and touching her forehead softly in reverence as her eyes gazed respectfully up to the sky. The entire gesture took only a few seconds but Sesshomaru understood its meaning. She was thanking the Kami for allowing her this moment in her life, that she would cherish the memory of this place and he was pleased at her reaction.

The sun was bright and cast a dazzling reflection on the pool's surface. She squinted her eyes to appreciate the sight as she undressed, peeling off her soiled attire and folding it up on the bank. Her muscles both ached and stung at the same time as the hot water moved up her form.

Sesshomaru watched her slowly move into the deeper parts of the pool as he undressed and moved in behind her silently. Just as she reached the point where the water met her shoulders, she took a deep breath before going under the surface.

Astonished and confused at her actions, he waited for her to resurface. His concern grew when she didn't immediately come back up and before he could think about what he was doing, he dove head first in the water to pursue her.

All his senses were dulled the instant he was submerged. He realized in this position he could not hear her, smell her or sense her as the water seemed to muddle everything. Everything but his vision. He did a full circle trying to locate her position when alarm seized his senses in the form of something gripping his ankle in a firm lock before pulling him rather forcefully deeper into the spring.

Assuming whatever had him in its grasp was obviously responsible for the disappearance of his mate, Sesshomaru whirled furious eyes to his feet, prepared to vanquish the foe as quickly as possible. What met his gaze, however, caused him to immediately soften in his course of action. His mate was grinning from ear to ear, barely able to contain her laughter. It was her hand holding his ankle and as she let go, she shot off in the opposite direction, using her arms and legs to propel herself through the water. The action reminded him of a frog swimming and he could not help his amusement at her comic actions. However, it did not take him long to see the purpose of the almost rhythmic-like movement as he found he could not match her speed when he tried to pursue her. She always stayed one step ahead no matter what he did and the barrier of liquid between them was beginning to grow irritating. He wanted his mate in his arms and he would have her.

Above the water, he found her still quite a distance away. She was waving to him and smiling challengingly from across the pool. The juvenile action was meant to goad him into action and goad him it did. Narrowing his eyes on her form with renewed determination, he watched with satisfaction as she gulped nervously before submerging herself with an 'eep!' beneath the water's surface.

As soon as she'd submerged, her legs kicked furiously as her arms flailed in her attempt to dive deeper and deeper into the water, knowing without having to look that he was hot on her heels. Her heart pounded as she raced to the bottom, hoping to hide in the shadowy depths of the spring. As she turned her head over her shoulder to gauge her progress, she squealed in fright to find him right behind her.

'Hide, hide, hide!' Her mind chanted like a mantra, the only option of escape from the dangerous demon, though she knew he would never hurt her. The thrill of the chase was just too much fun to resist and she had a feeling that like all dogs, Sesshomaru loved to play.

Sesshomaru reached out, he was almost there. Another second, another inch. He reached out with both arms to lock them around her waist. Just as he thought he had won, his arms closed over empty water. Blinking in confusion, he halted, staring at her with wide eyes.

Kagome, expecting him to catch her, turned around in confusion to be met with Sesshomaru's astonished expression. Feeling her heartstrings pluck with concern, she motioned him to follow her to the surface. Something was terribly wrong, she just knew it.

Sesshomaru caught her movements and did as she gestured. As soon as he surfaced, all he could hear was her voice chanting over and over: "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god..."

Swimming over to her position, he took in her form. She was see-through, her entire body somehow comprised of water. She had merged with it during the chase, rendering her insusceptible.

"Kagome..." he began, interrupting another hysterical intonation. She slowly turned to look at him, her watery tendrils of hair fanning out around her. He found her eyes were still blue, the only coloring on her body. The sunlight glittered on her watery assets and he could not help but think her beautiful, despite the panic of her situation. "Calm down."

"Calm down?" she asked him incredulously. "I turned into water! I AM water! How am I supposed to fix this?" She'd seen something like this before on an American TV show called 'Alex Mac.' The poor girl had been doused in toxic waste and then been given the power to become liquid. She had never felt more sorry for that girl.

Half his mouth turned up in a soft smile and Kagome couldn't help but take comfort in the expression. "Calm down," he repeated himself. "Center yourself and think only of retaining your original form."

Kagome obeyed, closing her eyes so she could find that inner balance. She dived deep within herself to locate that delicate core and held it still. As her mind cleared, she could feel it, sense it. There. The energies of the water ran through her, replacing her blood, bone and skin with its essence. She remembered Sesshomaru's words, recalling easily the way it felt to be flesh, blood and bone and just like that, she was back to her old self. The water making up her body fell back to its home, casting ripples where it fell when flesh took its place.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she looked over at him smiling in thanks. He responded by wrapping his powerful arms around her tiny form, finally succeeding in his mission to capture her.

As their chests connected, she felt herself relax gratefully in his arms."That was...odd," she commented after a moment and he did nothing to suppress the small, endearing smile he wore. "Hnn..." he hummed in agreement, his claws sliding through her hair. She was so unaware of the powers she possessed that he had no doubt his time with her would never serve to be less than entertaining.

Idly, he wondered what other elements she could change into, even as he handed her his own white horai to wear, the ends falling past her knees and he hummed his amusement and approval at the sight she made dressed in his attire, smiling serenely.

Kagome broke his gaze only to gaze back up in wonder at the waterfall and the mountain it fell from. Her eyes roamed up and up and up, searching for the top. Where her old vision would have failed, her new eyes pin pointed the cave they had come down from high, high up above them. It was perfect.

"Sesshomaru! Our cave, it's just what we need! For the.." her eyes checked their surroundings in a quick scan before whispering, "...plan!"

His eyes widened slightly with understanding.

"We need to get back to the others."


AN: Reviews are my fuel :) Expect more very soon!

AN: Reviews are my fuel :P