Oh god, this chapter was entirely more work than it's really worth. *sighs* Forgive me for the long delay, as well as the shortness of this chapter-- I had to find the best cutting off point in the action, both to actually -get- it posted, and because the second half of the chapter is lemon anyway... I'll put the finished lemon up on my webpage as soon as I beat it into shape.... probably a week from now or so, I've got midterms to work on. x.O
Anyway, warning for this chapter: NCS limeish, yaoi. You've been warned -- and sorry to the couple of people who asked me not to make this a ncs fic, it was in the cards since I plotted it out.
Thanks to Catie and Colin for beta-ing and keeping me from killing it entirely XD
--==--
Fat, ginger shadows drifted under Miroku's feet, and he paused on the low bridge, watching the koi for a moment. They created tiny, shimmering ripples on the surface of the moonlit water.
Lovely. The gardens were perfect, exquisitely designed and maintained. But for some reason, he couldn't appreciate them. A faint sense of unease clung to him. Frowning, he shook his head slightly.
He was beeing foolish. He had been in the boy's company for hours, drinking, talking about nothing. He was absolutely normal. There was nothing for him to worry over. He glanced up, suddenly self-consious to see the young lord was watching him curiously. "Is something amiss?"
Miroku shook his head. "Not at all." He smiled slightly. "I was simply appreciating the beauty of my surroundings."
The boy leaned against the rail of the bridge, eyes dark as they rose to stare at the stars. His hair shimmered faintly, a few moonlit strands the only thing that seperated it from the inky sky.
Miroku raised his cup of sake to his lips, letting the firey alcohol slide down his throat like water. He had lost track of how much he had already drank, enough to feel pleasantly warm and fuzzy, as if the world had been dimmed slightly.
Not nearly enough. He sighed, eyes once again resting on his drinking companion.
"Beautiful..." he breathed the word out, hardly realizing it. Eyes that reflected starlight dropped back to his, and without thinking, he reached forward, catching the back of the boy's neck, drawing him forward into a slow, deep kiss. Dimly, he knew that he would regret his rashness shortly, but...
But the other's mouth tasted of sake and cherries and he trembled ever-so-slightly as he kissed Miroku back languidly, not quite hesitantly.
And as suddenly as the kiss begun, it ended. The lordling stared at him, eyes wide and strangely empty.
Miroku shivered slightly, turning away. "Forgive me, lord. I.... forgot myself."
"Yes... I suppose you have."
A moment of heavy silence fell. It wrapped itself around Miroku, a heavy weight constricting his chest. And suddenly, it was broken by low laughter, and a pair of warm arms winding around his waist.
"You have not offended me. In truth, it is I who should apologize." Miroku relaxed into the embrace slightly, enjoying the warmth of the arms that held him.
"For what?"
Warm breath danced over his ear as the boy behind him chuckled, making him shiver.
"I haven't even introduced myself, have I, Miroku?"
The feeling of something being very, very -wrong- came back, a thousandfold, and he tensed, eyes going wide.
"My name is Naraku."
Miroku felt his heart thud into his chest and his breath stop. His head was suddenly, painfully clear. He jerked forward, out of that seductive, soft embrace, spinning to face the other boy... disbelieving.
But he wasn't there. The sake cup slid out of his suddenly loose fingers to clatter hollowly against the wood of the bridge, and he reached for the beads that twined around his wrist automatically, eyes searching the darkness.
A low laugh sent him spinning back around, pulling at the knot, a hairsbreadth from ripping the seal open before his hand was caught in an impossibly strong grip.
"Miroku, do you think that will really have any effect?" The demon shook his head, pulling at Miroku's wrist, dragging him a couple steps closer. "I have nothing to fear from the void..." he pressed his lips to the priest's fingertips. "I created it."
Miroku stared, utterly incapable of speaking.
"I must say..." fingertips brushed his face again, echoing their movement from earlier. "I'm quite pleased. You're a great deal more attractive than your grandfather was."
He flinched away, testing the other's grip. "Let me go," he growled.
The demon quirked an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth turning up in a smirk. "After all the trouble I took to get you here?"
"You..." He sputtered, drew in a shuddering breath, clearly furious.
Naraku laughed, drawing the angry human into a loose embrace. "I think it's important to know one's enemy, don't you?" His lips sealed Miroku's angry retort, reducing it to a strangled shout.
Anyway, warning for this chapter: NCS limeish, yaoi. You've been warned -- and sorry to the couple of people who asked me not to make this a ncs fic, it was in the cards since I plotted it out.
Thanks to Catie and Colin for beta-ing and keeping me from killing it entirely XD
--==--
Fat, ginger shadows drifted under Miroku's feet, and he paused on the low bridge, watching the koi for a moment. They created tiny, shimmering ripples on the surface of the moonlit water.
Lovely. The gardens were perfect, exquisitely designed and maintained. But for some reason, he couldn't appreciate them. A faint sense of unease clung to him. Frowning, he shook his head slightly.
He was beeing foolish. He had been in the boy's company for hours, drinking, talking about nothing. He was absolutely normal. There was nothing for him to worry over. He glanced up, suddenly self-consious to see the young lord was watching him curiously. "Is something amiss?"
Miroku shook his head. "Not at all." He smiled slightly. "I was simply appreciating the beauty of my surroundings."
The boy leaned against the rail of the bridge, eyes dark as they rose to stare at the stars. His hair shimmered faintly, a few moonlit strands the only thing that seperated it from the inky sky.
Miroku raised his cup of sake to his lips, letting the firey alcohol slide down his throat like water. He had lost track of how much he had already drank, enough to feel pleasantly warm and fuzzy, as if the world had been dimmed slightly.
Not nearly enough. He sighed, eyes once again resting on his drinking companion.
"Beautiful..." he breathed the word out, hardly realizing it. Eyes that reflected starlight dropped back to his, and without thinking, he reached forward, catching the back of the boy's neck, drawing him forward into a slow, deep kiss. Dimly, he knew that he would regret his rashness shortly, but...
But the other's mouth tasted of sake and cherries and he trembled ever-so-slightly as he kissed Miroku back languidly, not quite hesitantly.
And as suddenly as the kiss begun, it ended. The lordling stared at him, eyes wide and strangely empty.
Miroku shivered slightly, turning away. "Forgive me, lord. I.... forgot myself."
"Yes... I suppose you have."
A moment of heavy silence fell. It wrapped itself around Miroku, a heavy weight constricting his chest. And suddenly, it was broken by low laughter, and a pair of warm arms winding around his waist.
"You have not offended me. In truth, it is I who should apologize." Miroku relaxed into the embrace slightly, enjoying the warmth of the arms that held him.
"For what?"
Warm breath danced over his ear as the boy behind him chuckled, making him shiver.
"I haven't even introduced myself, have I, Miroku?"
The feeling of something being very, very -wrong- came back, a thousandfold, and he tensed, eyes going wide.
"My name is Naraku."
Miroku felt his heart thud into his chest and his breath stop. His head was suddenly, painfully clear. He jerked forward, out of that seductive, soft embrace, spinning to face the other boy... disbelieving.
But he wasn't there. The sake cup slid out of his suddenly loose fingers to clatter hollowly against the wood of the bridge, and he reached for the beads that twined around his wrist automatically, eyes searching the darkness.
A low laugh sent him spinning back around, pulling at the knot, a hairsbreadth from ripping the seal open before his hand was caught in an impossibly strong grip.
"Miroku, do you think that will really have any effect?" The demon shook his head, pulling at Miroku's wrist, dragging him a couple steps closer. "I have nothing to fear from the void..." he pressed his lips to the priest's fingertips. "I created it."
Miroku stared, utterly incapable of speaking.
"I must say..." fingertips brushed his face again, echoing their movement from earlier. "I'm quite pleased. You're a great deal more attractive than your grandfather was."
He flinched away, testing the other's grip. "Let me go," he growled.
The demon quirked an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth turning up in a smirk. "After all the trouble I took to get you here?"
"You..." He sputtered, drew in a shuddering breath, clearly furious.
Naraku laughed, drawing the angry human into a loose embrace. "I think it's important to know one's enemy, don't you?" His lips sealed Miroku's angry retort, reducing it to a strangled shout.