Photograph

Kagome returned to her modern era, and had purchased a new camera, despite the fact it was coming out of her college money. 'I'll pay it back as soon as I get paid,' she thought determinedly, and when she returned home to present her new camera there hadn't been a single person in the house-hold. Not so much as surprised but more disappointed, Kagome wandered into the kitchen where a sticky note was signed for her.

Sorry honey, taking Souta and Jii-san out for grocery shopping. Someone needs to teach the men how to provide the house with food. If you leave today I love you.

Kagome sighed, removed her bookbag, and took out the new camera that was still in the box she had purchased it in. She gently tore open the flaps and took out the camera, which was navy blue, and was only five-hundred dollars than her other one. She hoped the quality would be just as good as the eight-hundred dollar one. 'Kaa-san will be sad to hear of the broken one, and that I took a lot of money from my bank,' Kagome thought, but discarded it, and started to try the new camera out by snapping photos by her own God Tree.

She stood beneath the dark green canvas, watched in awe as the birds took residence in the branches, and started to snap photos, pleased with the color quality and the lack of distortion. True she only bought Sesshoumaru a cheaper twenty dollar camera, he hadn't seemed to complain a bit about the picture quality. Or maybe he didn't know it was bad. Shaking her head, she resumed her photos, before she eventually grew tired, and thought of how Sesshoumaru would look like under the younger God Tree.

Returning into the house, she packed her supplies and jumped into the well, not surprised to see him waiting for her, meditating on the grass. Kagome threw down her knapsack, rummaged through it, and brought out her new camera. Approaching the taiyoukai with a grin on her face, she turned the camera on, and, while he was not moving, took her time and snapped the photo.

'Man, even in the dim overcast he looks so intriguing.' She walked over to him and presented the new camera, which he opened one golden eye to inspect.

"It's new," he mused, holding out his hand, and she gave it to him. He looked through the camera's lens and aimed it at her. "And it's better."

"Yeah, it's more expensive than the last one, but it's worth it."

He took out his own, and turned it on, setting hers on his knee. He flipped through the varies embarrassing photos of hers (including the one from the night before) and came across some pictures of Rin. The girl was a natural, Kagome could tell, by the way she posed, knew the right way to look and how to smile, and how she just looked absolutely breath-taking in each photo.

"She's gorgeous," awed Kagome, surprised by sheer mass of photographs of the little girl.

"Rin was adamant that she took just as pretty pictures as Kagome." Sesshoumaru mimicked, although he was mostly monotone, it carried the same amusement behind the sentence.

Kagome smiled widely. "I'm glad she likes my wide variety of photos." She shot him a knowing glance, which he promptly ignored.

"She's not the only one," she thought she heard him say, but didn't request for him to repeat it.

"Have you given your boss any more photographs?" he asked her after they had finished looking through his documents, genuinely curious.

Kagome sat down beside him, fiddling with her camera. "Yes. A few. He liked the one of you in the field very much, and that one will be on display, too. He...likes the ones with me in them, too, and wishes for me to take more of myself. He says a good photographer can have a few of her own pictures every now and then. So I was wondering..."

"If I would take some of you?"

Kagome smiled hopefully. "Please?"

"I suppose."

"Thank you!" Without thinking, she flung herself out toward him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He stiffened, startled, while she took a moment to register her impromptu actions, and to slowly, cautiously, detach herself from him. "Uh...sorry about that...I was just...excited..."

The taiyoukai wasn't sure what his initial reaction should be, but he knew for sure he hadn't swatted her away because he simply didn't want to. He had to admit, he didn't mind her closeness, when they had been closer before, no thanks to his persistence. Maybe there was something wrong with him? He looked at her to see her watchful expression. Maybe there's something wrong with the both of them.

"So...I don't know what to dress up in for a photo." She inched a bit away from him, and for some reason this unsettled him. "Do you have any suggestions?"

He was quiet, considering, not exactly her question, but his motivation. Where was he going with this miko? What would it do to things? Would it implicate his and her life? Obviously. Did he want it to? He couldn't say for sure.

"Sesshoumaru?" came her hesitant voice from beside him. He didn't notice he had snapped out of it for a moment and immediately answered her.

"I think you should try our clothing. Your 'boss' seems to like our style of clothing, so I'm sure a miko attire would be acceptable for his business."

"That's a great idea!" she exalted, generally pleased with his idea. "I think Mr. Tsukihaku would love that! I'm going to return home and--"

As she went to jump for the well, his hand caught her own. She jerked back, but not roughly, enough so that she propelled forward than came to a simultaneous halt. Kagome turned, wondered what he wanted, but saw by his expression he wasn't so sure, either. So, waiting for him to either unlatch his hand or to say something, she made sure she scrutinized his every detail while she had the opportunity, to look for that certain spark that normally illuminated in his eyes when he thought of something that normally ended up with her being flustered by the end of it.

But at first, nothing happened, just a stalemate between the two as each tried to decipher the others motives. Finally, that familiar spark flashed in the corner of his golden eyes, and Kagome knew she had to brace herself for what he had in store. And, as predicted, he slowly tugged her down, so that she was just sitting on his lap, facing him, cheeks crimson while he clasped her hand in his. He got a bit closer to her, smelled her scent and the felt the way she trembled unconsciously to the proximity, and reveled in the feel of her skin against his hand.

What was he doing? He didn't know why he felt compelled to be even closer to the human girl, let alone set off all of her alarms and make her thing something was going to happen.

But, as it was, he was just too cowardly for his own good, and released her hands. Embarrassed, but not one to admit it, he looked away and said, "I will help you first thing tomorrow with your photographs, so you might want to get your supplies now."

Kagome, knowing he was looking for an out, and she grateful he presented her with one, vigorously nodded her head and dropped into the well. When she returned, a camera stand and a few extra batteries with her, the taiyoukai wasn't there. She could feel the lingering sense of his youki, washed away by the wind, and if she had to guess he took off as soon as she left this era.

Sighing, she packed up her belongings and headed toward Kaede's village, wondering what he was up to, and how she could possibly turn the tables.