Ugh. You all have the right to smack me. I'm sorry, I know it's been months since I've updated. Just been losing my focus, I guess. And for a while, I didn't know where I wanted to take this fic. But I think I'm getting better. I hope. Ugh. XD;
Props to Colin, Tdei, Kat, and Catie for betaing. Also to Kat, for giving me the inspiration for the first half of this, as well as the idea for Jake. ^^ (She drew me a picture, but I'm not sure where it is currently. As soon as I find it, I'll upload it to my page)
Oh, one technical note: Kagome, I'm assuming, is around 25-30 in this fic, and she's a trained priestess now. Because she gets the short end of the stick -far- too often. She's way more badass than Takahashi-sensei (from what I've seen o.o;) lets her be :/
--==--
Sesshomaru was not a happy youkai.
Okay, so youkai weren't supposed to be "happy" per se anyway. Fearsome, yes. And they could also be stoic, handsome, powerful... commanding. Happy wasn't really a requirement.
And ridiculous was definitely -not- on the list of accepted appellations.
He sighed, staring through the clear plastic walls of the small aquarium that Kagome had given him. A large toad stared back at him, puffing its cheeks in boredom. In simple, loopy, young-girl script, "Jake" was written on the top of the aquarium.
The priestess had a terrible sense of humor. He glowered at the animal, his best withering glare; the one that had sent countless thousands of demons fleeing in terror. The animal didn't even have the decency to -blink-.
He poked at the cage, slightly, shaking it on the tabletop. The toad let out a disgruntled croak, and it jiggled, like jello. He shook his hair out of his face, sighing.
If Inuyasha were here now, the halfbreed would die laughing. And honestly, could he blame him? Ridiculous. Where were his lackeys? His palace? All he currently commanded was a fat toad and a cramped single-bedroom apartment. And apparently not even the toad, who seemed intent on ignoring him.
He sighed, standing up, heading to the kitchen. Tea. He could do tea. Fill the kettle. Turn on the stove. Boil the water. Easy.
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms. Stared out the kitchen door at the toad. Sighed, then began, conversationally, "you know, a few hundred years ago, I was the most feared youkai in Japan."
Another croak, derisive this time. "Do not talk back to me. Or would you like to be gutted and roasted?" The toad stared impassively. "... Fine. I admit, it was perhaps not all of Japan. However, the point is that... I should not have to make my own cursed tea."
No response. Jake was obviously unimpressed. Sesshomaru sighed, shifting his attention to the kettle. His reflection was distorted, leering back at him. He scowled.
Perhaps, he had to admit, the priestess had a point. To leave Masa in such an... unstable state could be catastrophic for the boy. Although why he bothered to care baffled him. And why he came back -with- her made even less sense.
She had pleaded that she might need his help. That perhaps the reason Miroku had come back -now- was to talk to him. Why he was in his bloody apartment making tea and being stared at by a corpulent toad right now was beyond him.
He poured the water, dunking a teabag in it, staring off into the distance. Contemplated Miroku, and that the priest might have actually come back to talk to him, of all people.
Why him? Though it galled him to admit it, what they had was truly nothing. A few snatched days, no more than a breath of time. Perhaps he remembered it clearly, but Miroku had forgotten it, pushed it aside. Yet another one of his varied conquests, abandoned for the stability of a home, a family.
So why wasn't he with the spirit of his wife, his children? Or even his friends? It made no sense.
Sesshomaru growled to himself. What was taking the woman so long?
--==--
Miroku sat up, slowly, his head throbbing. "What are you doing here, Kagome?"
She scooted back a bit, giving him room. "I live here, Miroku."
"I wondered if you might. The clothing is very similar." He smiled lecherously, and she raised an eyebrow. Sighing, he continued, "but... I meant why are you here, specifically.
"Ah..." she tucked a stray lock behind her ear. "Cleaning up your mess, actually." She grinned wryly. "Honestly, Miroku, don't you know the type of damage you can cause by doing this?"
He blinked. "Damage?"
"I can't believe they didn't teach you that when you became a monk." She sighed, standing, smoothing her skirt. "Possession of your reincarnation leads to all sorts of nasty stuff. Emotional instability in both personalities, at very least. At worst, the soul could be damaged, throwing it out of the cycle of reincarnation to be a lost spirit - or even fragment the soul itself."
"Oh." He stared at her, eyes slightly wide as he pulled himself to his feet.
"Also... you wreak havoc with magical fields when things like this occur. I'd imagine anyone sensitive in the vicinity has felt it. I recognized your feel in the magic, which is why I came."
He nodded, slowly. "I see..."
She picked up her briefcase, smiling. "Well. We have a lot to talk about. Do you want to come with me to have some tea? Or sake, if I remember your tastes correctly."
Miroku smiled a bit, bowing. "It would be my pleasure."
"You paying?" She slipped her arm around his, smiling impishly, and he rolled his eyes.
"Yes, Kagome, I'm paying. With the currency of my charm and good looks."
She snorted as they left the classroom. "It's a good thing that I brought my wallet then."
--==--
The water burned his skin when he moved, and the clouds of steam were so thick, it was like breathing underwater. He sucked his breath in slowly, keeping his eyes on the light silhouette across from him.
He knew he had been detected. The youkai had keen senses, and probably had known he was there before he had even spotted Sesshomaru. He didn't act like he knew, however, golden eyes shut, resting gracefully against the rocks, his hair carefully draped over them, out of the water.
He could have been part of the pale rock, still and silent. Masa moved through the water, quietly, coming to a halt barely a foot away.
The demon opened his eyes lazily. A questioning, haughty glance, meant to quell him, to intimidate.
It should have given him pause. Though they were no longer enemies, they were hardly friends. But Masa smiled at him, a slow half grin, and slid up onto his lap, straddling his hips.
"Hello." He spoke softly, laying an arm over the demon's shoulder.
A sharp indrawn breath and widening of eyes were his reward, making his smile grow a touch wider.
"Monk." The word was flat, an acknowledgement of his presence. It would do.
He leaned in to press his mouth to Sesshomaru's, brushing a teasing kiss over it. For a moment, he thought that maybe that was a shiver that he felt against his lips. Sesshomaru reached up to his arm, wrapping a hand firmly around the bicep, pushing him back.
"What do you think you're doing?"
He laughed, softly. "I thought that was obvious, Sesshomaru."
A perfect eyebrow arched. "No."
"No what? It's not obvious?" He kept his voice light, playful.
"No thank you."
Masa bit his bottom lip, pouting slightly. "Why not?"
"Because you... you're.." Sesshomaru trailed off, clearly not wanting to complete the sentence. But Masa knew what he was thinking. It was written all over his face, the disapproving, set line of his jaw, the way he lifted his chin, narrowed his eyes.
"Because I'm a human?"
He looked away, distastefully. "Yes."
He rolled his eyes. "I'm not asking for commitment. I'm asking for a good fuck." He pulled himself forward, sliding a leg around Sesshomaru's waist, rubbing against his body deliberately and was rewarded by the parting of the youkai's lips, in a silent gasp.
Masa leaned down to kiss him again, a teasing, hungry caress of lips, and a soft scrape of teeth on his lower lip. "So. Are you up to it?"
Props to Colin, Tdei, Kat, and Catie for betaing. Also to Kat, for giving me the inspiration for the first half of this, as well as the idea for Jake. ^^ (She drew me a picture, but I'm not sure where it is currently. As soon as I find it, I'll upload it to my page)
Oh, one technical note: Kagome, I'm assuming, is around 25-30 in this fic, and she's a trained priestess now. Because she gets the short end of the stick -far- too often. She's way more badass than Takahashi-sensei (from what I've seen o.o;) lets her be :/
--==--
Sesshomaru was not a happy youkai.
Okay, so youkai weren't supposed to be "happy" per se anyway. Fearsome, yes. And they could also be stoic, handsome, powerful... commanding. Happy wasn't really a requirement.
And ridiculous was definitely -not- on the list of accepted appellations.
He sighed, staring through the clear plastic walls of the small aquarium that Kagome had given him. A large toad stared back at him, puffing its cheeks in boredom. In simple, loopy, young-girl script, "Jake" was written on the top of the aquarium.
The priestess had a terrible sense of humor. He glowered at the animal, his best withering glare; the one that had sent countless thousands of demons fleeing in terror. The animal didn't even have the decency to -blink-.
He poked at the cage, slightly, shaking it on the tabletop. The toad let out a disgruntled croak, and it jiggled, like jello. He shook his hair out of his face, sighing.
If Inuyasha were here now, the halfbreed would die laughing. And honestly, could he blame him? Ridiculous. Where were his lackeys? His palace? All he currently commanded was a fat toad and a cramped single-bedroom apartment. And apparently not even the toad, who seemed intent on ignoring him.
He sighed, standing up, heading to the kitchen. Tea. He could do tea. Fill the kettle. Turn on the stove. Boil the water. Easy.
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms. Stared out the kitchen door at the toad. Sighed, then began, conversationally, "you know, a few hundred years ago, I was the most feared youkai in Japan."
Another croak, derisive this time. "Do not talk back to me. Or would you like to be gutted and roasted?" The toad stared impassively. "... Fine. I admit, it was perhaps not all of Japan. However, the point is that... I should not have to make my own cursed tea."
No response. Jake was obviously unimpressed. Sesshomaru sighed, shifting his attention to the kettle. His reflection was distorted, leering back at him. He scowled.
Perhaps, he had to admit, the priestess had a point. To leave Masa in such an... unstable state could be catastrophic for the boy. Although why he bothered to care baffled him. And why he came back -with- her made even less sense.
She had pleaded that she might need his help. That perhaps the reason Miroku had come back -now- was to talk to him. Why he was in his bloody apartment making tea and being stared at by a corpulent toad right now was beyond him.
He poured the water, dunking a teabag in it, staring off into the distance. Contemplated Miroku, and that the priest might have actually come back to talk to him, of all people.
Why him? Though it galled him to admit it, what they had was truly nothing. A few snatched days, no more than a breath of time. Perhaps he remembered it clearly, but Miroku had forgotten it, pushed it aside. Yet another one of his varied conquests, abandoned for the stability of a home, a family.
So why wasn't he with the spirit of his wife, his children? Or even his friends? It made no sense.
Sesshomaru growled to himself. What was taking the woman so long?
--==--
Miroku sat up, slowly, his head throbbing. "What are you doing here, Kagome?"
She scooted back a bit, giving him room. "I live here, Miroku."
"I wondered if you might. The clothing is very similar." He smiled lecherously, and she raised an eyebrow. Sighing, he continued, "but... I meant why are you here, specifically.
"Ah..." she tucked a stray lock behind her ear. "Cleaning up your mess, actually." She grinned wryly. "Honestly, Miroku, don't you know the type of damage you can cause by doing this?"
He blinked. "Damage?"
"I can't believe they didn't teach you that when you became a monk." She sighed, standing, smoothing her skirt. "Possession of your reincarnation leads to all sorts of nasty stuff. Emotional instability in both personalities, at very least. At worst, the soul could be damaged, throwing it out of the cycle of reincarnation to be a lost spirit - or even fragment the soul itself."
"Oh." He stared at her, eyes slightly wide as he pulled himself to his feet.
"Also... you wreak havoc with magical fields when things like this occur. I'd imagine anyone sensitive in the vicinity has felt it. I recognized your feel in the magic, which is why I came."
He nodded, slowly. "I see..."
She picked up her briefcase, smiling. "Well. We have a lot to talk about. Do you want to come with me to have some tea? Or sake, if I remember your tastes correctly."
Miroku smiled a bit, bowing. "It would be my pleasure."
"You paying?" She slipped her arm around his, smiling impishly, and he rolled his eyes.
"Yes, Kagome, I'm paying. With the currency of my charm and good looks."
She snorted as they left the classroom. "It's a good thing that I brought my wallet then."
--==--
The water burned his skin when he moved, and the clouds of steam were so thick, it was like breathing underwater. He sucked his breath in slowly, keeping his eyes on the light silhouette across from him.
He knew he had been detected. The youkai had keen senses, and probably had known he was there before he had even spotted Sesshomaru. He didn't act like he knew, however, golden eyes shut, resting gracefully against the rocks, his hair carefully draped over them, out of the water.
He could have been part of the pale rock, still and silent. Masa moved through the water, quietly, coming to a halt barely a foot away.
The demon opened his eyes lazily. A questioning, haughty glance, meant to quell him, to intimidate.
It should have given him pause. Though they were no longer enemies, they were hardly friends. But Masa smiled at him, a slow half grin, and slid up onto his lap, straddling his hips.
"Hello." He spoke softly, laying an arm over the demon's shoulder.
A sharp indrawn breath and widening of eyes were his reward, making his smile grow a touch wider.
"Monk." The word was flat, an acknowledgement of his presence. It would do.
He leaned in to press his mouth to Sesshomaru's, brushing a teasing kiss over it. For a moment, he thought that maybe that was a shiver that he felt against his lips. Sesshomaru reached up to his arm, wrapping a hand firmly around the bicep, pushing him back.
"What do you think you're doing?"
He laughed, softly. "I thought that was obvious, Sesshomaru."
A perfect eyebrow arched. "No."
"No what? It's not obvious?" He kept his voice light, playful.
"No thank you."
Masa bit his bottom lip, pouting slightly. "Why not?"
"Because you... you're.." Sesshomaru trailed off, clearly not wanting to complete the sentence. But Masa knew what he was thinking. It was written all over his face, the disapproving, set line of his jaw, the way he lifted his chin, narrowed his eyes.
"Because I'm a human?"
He looked away, distastefully. "Yes."
He rolled his eyes. "I'm not asking for commitment. I'm asking for a good fuck." He pulled himself forward, sliding a leg around Sesshomaru's waist, rubbing against his body deliberately and was rewarded by the parting of the youkai's lips, in a silent gasp.
Masa leaned down to kiss him again, a teasing, hungry caress of lips, and a soft scrape of teeth on his lower lip. "So. Are you up to it?"