Evanescent
By: HalcyonMoments11
You can't stop this, and I must insist
That you haven't had enough,
You haven't had enough.
Don't you need it? Don't you want this at all?
Testing, testing, I'm just suggesting…
-Mariana's Trench (Haven't Had Enough)
Kagome muffled a giggle, drawing Miroku's attention from the venders and goods of the small village market place they meandered through. His gaze softened when they fell on the young woman beside him, whose azure orbs glistened with mirth.
They had lingered here for a few days now while Kagome regained her strength and Miroku healed from the poisoning he'd contracted from the reptilian youkai they had fought just days ago, effects that had been delayed by the adrenaline of the moment. He suspected that they remained in the village for so long because Inuyasha felt guilty about not having been able to protect Kagome; that she had been forced to turn to powers she was just beginning to understand, powers she had exhausted in a single moment of panic and self-preservation.
"What has brought you such delight, Kagome-sama?" Miroku questioned, drawing the miko's blue eyes to him.
A mischievous smile curled the corners of her lips. Miroku raised a curious eyebrow.
Kagome nodded in the direction Shippō had scampered off in when they arrived at the market to a stall near the end where a few kids were gathered playing tag in the street. When they had first arrived in the village, Sango had taken Shippō to the market to gather supplies and the young kitsune had taken to a young girl whose parents owned a small produce shop in the market. They had played together with some of the other village children over the past few days.
"Shippō and his adorable little crush," Kagome replied, shifting the small basket in her arms, watching the kit affectionately.
Miroku chuckled and turned his violet gaze towards the group of children. The girl whom Shippō's attentions centered upon—Airi if he remembered correctly from listening to the kit as he prattled on about the girl over the past few days—was "it" in their small game of tag. She chased Shippō around her parent's stall laughing gleefully, long brown locks whipping around her face and into her bright grey eyes as she ran. The kit worked up a small gust of wind behind him to distract the girl, which twisted around her playfully and tousled her hair into her face in a way that forced the girl to stop and fuss to push it out of her eyes. When she finally managed, face flushed as she tried to catch her breath, Shippō was before her, presenting a small red flower he had conjured with his magic. Her eyes widened slightly and she blushed, wringing her hands shyly. He reached up brazenly to tuck the flower behind her ear and grinned.
Miroku blinked, surprised by the kit's teasing antics. He could have sworn he saw the kitsune wink flirtatiously at the girl before spinning and sprinting away again to resume their game of tag. He was rather young for antics bordering on coquettishness—well young certainly by youkai standards anyways.
"What a little flirt!" Kagome declared beside him, free hand covering her mouth as she suppressed another giggle and drawing his amethyst gaze to her. He saw her wince slightly when she laughed, hand moving to gently rest where her bruised ribs continued to bother her.
His brow furrowed slightly in response, recalling her screams as the snake youkai they had fought caught her in its grasp and constricted, seeking to crush muscle and bone. The fear he had felt for her in the moment lingered with him still and he longed to reach out to her with his reiki, to feel the sharp, fierce warmth of her. He resisted the urge, knowing that she still needed the time to recuperate her strength and the reiki she had drained.
She pulled him back to the present when she bumped her elbow against his playfully.
"Remind you of anyone?" she asked, a teasing edge to her voice as she gestured to the children once more.
He glanced in their direction then back to her, eyebrows waggling suggestively.
"And who could you possibly be referring to, Kagome-sama?"
Azure orbs turned mischievous, she looked away from him, surveyed the contents of a stand they had paused beside.
"Heh, you're right, Miroku-sama. You're not that smooth."
An indignant frown tugged at the corners of his lips. "Care to clarify?" he asked.
"You're much more brazenly philandering."
His eyebrows rose in feigned surprise, a hand coming to rest over his heart in mock dramatics. "You don't find me charming, Kagome-sama?"
"Hmm…" Kagome hummed, tapping her chin with a finger contemplatively. "Perhaps… I'm just immune to your charms after all these years."
"Immune, hm?"
Kagome nodded sagely, not noticing as the houshi took a step closer to her. "Ano, I know all your moves, all your schemes and flattery, so the appeal just isn't there—"
"Care to test your theory, Kagome-sama?" Miroku interrupted her, an arm snaking around her waist, mindful of the basket on her opposite hip, pulling her gently toward him just as she looked up to meet his gaze.
She squeaked slightly in surprise as he did, and he replied with a winsome smile.
"If I pull you closer, for example?" he proposed.
She stilled in his grasp, recognizing that he was waiting for a response. She bit her lip in thought, then said with a small smirk of her own: "Predictable."
His violet eyes twinkled with mischief, pleased that she had decided to play along. He brought his face down to hers, pausing when they were nose to nose. "Or try to use proximity to my advantage?" he baited.
He smirked again when her eyes fell to his lips, and he took the liberty to admire her features up close as well, the way her dark lashes fluttered and shadowed her deep blue eyes, the gentle angle of her jawline, the curve of her full lips.
"Clever, but obviously calculated," she countered quietly.
He leaned his forehead against hers. She didn't pull away. He marveled at the trust she showed him by doing so.
'This is treacherous territory…'
If any of their party were to stumble upon them in this moment… But how could he not give chase?
"And if I linger?" he whispered.
Her eyes trailed down to his lips again and his breath caught unexpectedly in his chest.
When she didn't respond, he asked huskily, "You're not even a little tempted?"
She met his amethyst gaze and titled her head in a way that was just barely discernible, but made her look all the more enticing, captivating as a faint blush graced her cheeks. He recognized the challenge, as if she were coyly saying: See? Nothing.
"T-tempted and charmed are not the same," she replied, voice quiet, hot breath ghosting over his lips.
And if it had not been for the slight stutter, he may have believed her.
It was rare for women to toy wantonly with him in this way, and her banter, her attentiveness while holding her ground, had heat rushing to all the wrong places.
'Walk away before you do anything you regret, Miroku.'
He smirked ruefully and hummed his agreement in response, "Indeed."
She jumped slightly when his hands brushed hers where they were braced on the forgotten basket at her hip, not having noticed when he had removed his arm from her waist. He paused when her reiki flared in response, meeting him with heat, passion, purity—almost intimately so. He steadied himself again, allowed his chakra to flare in response despite his previous reservations, wondering if his reiki could even remotely feel as enchanting as hers. He was certain that he was barely breathing. Carefully, he took the basket from her grasp, slowly took a step away from her, eyes locked with hers with every move.
"Is this all you need for dinner this evening, Kagome-sama?" he asked casually, finally breaking eye contact to glance down into the basket and back to the miko before him.
Seemingly stunned, she nodded absently, the pretty flush still alight on her cheeks.
"Then perhaps we should gather Shippō-chan and return to the others?"
Azure eyes widened slightly, glancing around as if she had forgotten where they stood.
"O-oh, yes!"
He smiled warmly, gestured for her to join him as he turned to walk back to the inn they had rented a room within for the past few days.
When she fell into step beside him he said "Perhaps I'll have to take a lesson or two in the arts of charming a woman from Shippō-chan."
She smacked his shoulder playfully, laughter ringing out beautiful and bright despite her bruised ribs.
A/N: I thought a few lighter chapters after the training and battle would be a good shift. Hope you enjoyed! Please review? – HM11
