Distant Moons by ohh_babyy

Night of the Fireflies

Distant Moons

Disclaimer: I wished I owned them, but I don't. (

By: dolce-bebe

A/N: So this is my first attempt! Takes deep breath I hope it turns out good. Most of my stories now are getting sloppy. I guess I should stop skipping all those English classes and work my ass off to get better.

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Kagome sighed and trudged on her feet sore, her legs aching. Inuyasha didn't seem to care at all that none of them got any rest that day. The sun was scorching hot, its rays set on her back, teasing her in an almost unpredictable manner. It probably wasn't any problem for a hanyou, but walking around for half the day without a moment's rest was a real chore for humans. Not to mention with the fact that Inuyasha leapt from tree to tree at some point or crossed a river or two in one leap, while they had to seemingly find another way to get around.

She couldn't blame him though. Tracking down Naraku seemed almost an impossible task. His movements and his schemes were always on them and yet... they were not. It was frustrating having to deal with such a master mind at plotting. Sometimes Kagome wondered if Naraku had already planned the whole year for them; every single trap or every single death of someone dear to them. Seemingly now, they did not know whom to trust anymore.

It had been almost a month ago since they had found out of Sesshoumaru's tending to a human girl. Was he not the ruthless taiyoukai of the West that everyone feared? It even shocked Inuyasha that his half brother, as coldhearted as he seemed, tended to a human and even rescued her from the clutches of Naraku. So who was there to trust? It seemed that no one knew each other anymore; if they were ally, or if they were enemy. It was all very much unpredictable.

This was why she found it extremely hard to tell her hanyou companion that she had been seeing his brother every night or so. Now it wasn't actually 'seeing,' it was more close to the term 'accompanying.' And so she gathered up what courage she had and faced him. He hadn't taken it well as she had predicted, but he soon learned to accept the so called 'horrific' truth. Although Inuyasha greatly despised his older half brother, she knew that he probably wouldn't have bothered with Sesshoumaru at all if it wasn't for the taiyoukai's attempt to steal his precious Tetsusaiga, and their troublesome attempt in sibling rivalry.

Kagome thought it best to actually never speak of the elder brother's name around his presence. She found Sesshoumaru's presence... tolerable, and so she took care of his human ward Rin very often. In some ways the two brothers were extremely alike. How Inuyasha's temper and attitude always found its way into very direct words, Sesshoumaru's were always mocking. He tempted her, always replying things that she would obviously be oblivious to and speaking of such common things that she would already know of. It annoyed her to an extent, but she put up with it, just as she had put up with Inuyasha's raging temper.

Looking straight ahead at the hanyou just a few feet from her, Kagome tempted to hide another sigh. She wondered if she should ask him to stop and give her and the others time to rest. Her muscles were tight and firm from walking, aching terribly with each step. She was sure that Sesshoumaru would sense her tardiness tonight when she would go to visit them.

"Inuyasha," she called out.

He didn't turn or look, only grunted. By now Kagome was used to it. It was obvious to what she was going to ask, but he still didn't stop. Her lips formed a tight pout. He could have at least acknowledged her in a better way. Sometimes... he really was like his older brother.

"Can we at least stop for a break? We've been walking for half of the day," she said giving a disgruntled sigh. She moved over to sit at one of the bigger rocks near a small clearing in the woods. Dropping her school bag, she noticed that Sango and Miroku had followed her leaving Inuyasha seething. Kagome closed her eyes finally getting some shade from the sun's heated glare and getting prepared for the hanyou's outburst.

Opening one eye, she came face to face with a pair of amber eyes. He was mad, that was entirely obvious, but who had died and made him boss?

Inuyasha glared at her and crossed his arms over his chest unsatisfied that they were all in the brink of breaking down from exhaustion from just walking around.

"How can you expect us to find more jewel shards and defeat Naraku if we just sit here all day?" he growled, sending her an obvious glare.

Kagome found herself standing up once again. She leaned over towards him and pointed a finger at his chest. "All day?" she repeated her voice more stern. "We've been walking around for half of the day without so much as food or water or rest! It's hard to fight on an empty stomach and tired limbs and muscles you know!"

It didn't take long for a heated argument to rise, causing Sango, Miroku and Shippo to sigh in defeat. Their arguing was almost normal and somewhat natural in which was almost too complicated to put to words. Arguments were considered a part of an everyday activity for them and not arguing for more than an hour probably meant that they were too angry at one other for arguing the previous hour. Complicated indeed.

Miroku stepped in between them waving his arms in front of him to get their attention. "Inuyasha, perhaps it is best that we rest here for the evening and for the night. We might not find another clearing in the woods to settle down afterwards. It is better that we stay here, and besides, the sun seems to be in real heat today. The shade would do us some good," he said with a lopsided smile on his face.

With a simple, "Feh," Inuyasha leaped up and settled himself on a tree, crossing his arms in defeat.

Kagome groaned in frustration at the hanyou's stubbornness and sat back down on the rock, watching as Miroku and Sango unpacked their things for the night. She was silently hoping that there would be a hot spring somewhere nearby where she could wash away the sweat and cool down her tired muscles. It really had been a long, exhausting day.

"I can't believe that it's so hot today," Shippo complained rubbing his eyes warily. "Do you think it will be like this tomorrow?"

Miroku looked up towards the sky, holding up his hand to shield his eyes. "Probably," he said. "We are in the middle of the summer heat. There is a chance that the sun's rays will be fiercer as the week progresses." He smiled innocently. "Not that I mind. Sweat radiating from a woman's soft skin is more than enough for a man to endure all week if he must."

There was a loud smack that echoed deep into the forest in which Sango's hand came in contact behind Miroku's head sending him flying to the ground. She put her hands to her hips.

"We're practically melting out here and all you can think about are women! Honestly, Miroku!" she exclaimed.

Sighing, the houshi picked himself up and dusted his robes. He gave her another innocent smile. "Oh Sango, I was only joking. I don't always think about women you know." He gave her an 'innocent pat on the behind,' and another smack echoed throughout the forest.

Kagome laughed nervously at the two, but before she could blink, she felt an immediate pack of air and wind around her, and held onto her flying hair. The whirlwind stopped and Kagome found her hands clamped together, her forehead pressed against that of the leader of the wolf youkai, Kouga's. He stared at her, eyes swirling with easily seen emotion. She gave him a friendly smile, a simple, "Hello," and a nervous laugh.

Almost in an instant as he had appeared, Inuyasha leapt down from his tree and made a grab for Kagome's wrist, bringing her behind him as if she had been bitten by seemingly grotesque rodent. He glared at his rival preparing to draw out his Tetsusaiga.

"Kouga!" he snarled angrily. "What the hell do you want?"

It was obvious to everyone what Kouga wanted. He would casually drop by once or twice a week bringing Kagome flowers or love tokens to acquire the female's affection and love. Honestly, to Kagome though, it seemed as if he just came to taunt Inuyasha by claiming his right on her. It always ended the same; a huge fist-fight of confrontation.

Kouga glared at the hanyou and then stuck his nose in the air in a stubborn manner practically urging for Inuyasha to attack him. "I've come to bring something for my dear Kagome," he declared. Pushing pass Inuyasha he grabbed onto the young miko's hands bringing them close to his chest.

"Oh Kagome, the sun's rays have brought a different color to your cheeks. How your beauty shines," he declared.

Kagome laughed nervously, "T-Thank you, Kouga-kun," she stammered.

Miroku held onto Inuyasha's robes as he prepared to launch himself upon the wolf. "Inuyasha please, restrain yourself," he instructed, and gave a disappointed sigh. "It really is almost normal for Kouga to visit once in a while."

"Yeah well... I still don't like it one bit..." Inuyasha turned towards Kouga again, his teeth clenched. "You hear me, you stupid wolf? You're not wanted! Stay away from Kagome!"

Kouga just grunted in a response and turned back towards his chosen woman, slipping something that resembled an oddly shaped, glass object on her wrist. Looking at the jewelry, Kagome could only gasp.

"T-This is a really lovely bracelet, Kouga," she proclaimed examining the glass accessory. "But you didn't have to."

"I went by a village earlier on, and when I saw it, I thought about you--not like I don't always think about you, because I always do--but I decided it would look really nice on my Kagome," Kouga chanted not letting his gaze drift from hers.

Kagome gave another nervous laugh as Inuyasha struggled more against Miroku, wishing to slice the wolf youkai's throat with his sharp blade. Kouga just turned towards him and smirked triumphantly, still holding Kagome's hand.

"I've got to be going now, but I promise that I'll be back in a few days," he told her. The wolf gave one last wave and was suddenly gone.

As soon as he departed, Ginta and Hakkaku came running screaming for their lord to stop and to wait for them. They passed Kagome, acknowledging her with a quick, "Hello, Lady Kagome," and a, "Goodbye, Lady Kagome."

A growl could be heard, which only could have come from Inuyasha who was still extremely pissed off that they had let Kouga go. Kagome figured that it was probably because of small trinket that was now on her wrist. She had to admit that it was really pretty and didn't weigh a lot like its looks made it appear so.

"Feh! It's just a worthless piece of trash. I suggest you let me chuck it somewhere," the hanyou grumbled, though he knew what the obvious answer was, as he got back up on his tree and crossing his arms over his chest.

The others looked upon him with hopeful smiles on their faces and silently shaking their heads in defeat. It was as clear as day, that Kagome didn't desire Kouga, as he did her. Even Inuyasha knew this, but something inside him would snap every time the wolf youkai came to visit. How could one act so freely on his feelings? No one declared love quite like Kouga did, especially when it came to Kagome. The hanyou found it terribly irritating that one could act as such and in ways he could not with Kagome. It bothered him, and made him feel incredibly angry and jealous. Feh.

Kagome sighed and offered her help in making dinner with Sango. Even as night approached, the air was hot and humid. Silently, she prayed that it would rain or that they would find a river soon enough. She may just jump into it with her clothes on; she really couldn't care at the moment. Upon realizing that the weather would always be like this in the summers, she thanked Kami that it was not the same five hundred years in the future.

After eating dinner, she lay on the grass watching the stars that had begun to appear one by one in the sky. The annoyed-looking taijiaya had settled herself with the neko youkai, brushing its fur, while the houshi made trendy, mischievous advances towards her. Kagome heard a loud 'smack' and giggled to herself as Miroku walked away towards the fire with a red hand print on his cheek.

The hanyou, however, still hadn't departed from his tree. Kagome couldn't tell if he had fallen asleep or if he just didn't want to start a conversation with anyone. Looking over to her right, she watched the kitsune drawing pictures on the piece of paper with the crayons she had given him. Many things fascinated them, the youkai and the people of this time. Laughing to herself, Kagome wondered how they would fare off in her world.

Everything seemed so easy back home, but in this feudal era, things were so much more difficult and required many things to be done properly. Somehow, Kagome felt as if she belonged here. This was what she wanted. To be free and to wander around on her own; to be with the people she cared about. Knowing that here, she could help many people and save their lives. Although the road towards the future and Naraku was a dangerous path, she loved moments like these, where something so simple as all of them just being together, could bring her so much happiness and make her feel so safe.

Sighing, she looked back up at the stars. They all seemed to appear now, covering the whole sky. Kagome let a smile cross her face. She really couldn't tell the others how she had been looking forward for the night to come. They knew that she visited the taiyoukai every so often. Actually, it had seemed to start only a few weeks ago. They were rare at first, and she would only stay for a good thirty minutes or so, but she grown accustomed to them faster than she thought.

Now Kagome was usually an easy person to get along with. She was always the one to talk, but somehow she had always felt an awkwardness when she was with the great Taiyoukai of the West, the half brother of Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru. They barely spoke, or at least, she spoke, he usually ignored her or nodded in response to her questions. It wasn't so bad. She had also found out that she could not be parted long from his ward, Rin, without feeling worry for the girl. She, although human, was just like Shippo in many ways. They were both alone with no parents and had found others to take care of them. Just like Shippo had found her, Rin had found Sesshoumaru. Kagome smiled to herself, although he tried to hide it, she knew that the taiyoukai cared deeply for the girl as one would a father to a daughter.

Sighing and then getting on her feet, the young miko grabbed her bag. She slung it over her shoulder and walked towards Inuyasha's tree. He would probably get mad again. It wasn't unusual or anything, he did every night she left to go find his half brother. No shocker at all.

"Inuyasha!" She called. When there was no answer, she assumed he was listening. "I'm going for now, but I'll be back in a few hours, okay?"

Still no response, then... "Fine, go to your precious Sesshoumaru."

Kagome sighed and headed towards the forest, but Inuyasha's voice caught her.

" ...You take care of yourself, you hear?"

The voice seemed hesitant, and Kagome could not help but smile. The hanyou barely showed it, but he cared of her, even if all they do at certain times was fight.

Making her way deep in the forest she tried to shake away her thoughts of unrequited love for the ignorant hanyou. Though he showed it at times... she knew it was impossible for him to forget his Kikyo. She was his first love. No matter how far apart they were, no matter how much they told themselves that they hated each other or tried to, they still always thought of each other. Kagome knew that nothing could change that. There would be times when Inuyasha would be staring off. His eyes would always seem distant and even though it didn't happen that often, she knew he was thinking of the undead miko. There was nothing she could do about it. She felt as if she should hate Kikyo. Kami knows that she had tried to, but the love she felt for the Inuyasha was far too great. It tore at her heart, and often she scolded herself for being too weak. Perhaps she was too young to fall in love. She was foolish, she knew that. Though Kagome never was one to give up, every time she saw him with the far away look in his eyes, she always felt as if she had already lost.

"Inuyasha..." she breathed out. A sad look crossed her face and stopped suddenly realizing that she was had arrived in one of the clearings of the forest. There was a river that separated the two pieces of land and many trees and tall grasses surrounding the area. She frowned to herself, wondering why they hadn't stumbled on such an area before.

Looking around she spotted the little girl running around flailing her arms to tease the toad youkai by trying to get him to play with her. The dragon youkai with two heads gently lapped up the water as it settled itself on the soft grass. Kagome sighed and walked towards them searching around for the taiyoukai. Silently she hoped that he hadn't gone off on his own. Whenever he did, Kagome often found that time would go by so much more slowly. Quite depressing actually.

But it didn't take her long to find him sitting underneath a tree. He sat with is knee up and his arm rested on it like he always did when she found him. Kagome knew that he had already caught her scent and knew she was there, but as usual, he said nothing to acknowledge her presence. She rolled her eyes and turned to say something to him when something small came to hug her legs.

"Kagome!"

Glancing down at the small bundle that was hugging her close, Kagome smiled. "Rin, have you missed me?" she asked.

The girl looked up at her with bright eyes shining. She smiled and nodded her head, not loosening her grip on the miko's legs. Kagome giggled. She couldn't help but feel the warmth from the young girl's body. She knew that Rin felt safe with her and often looked at her as an older sister or as a mother.

'She's just like Shippo,' Kagome said to herself. The kitsune had always looked up to Kagome as his mother. He relied on her for protection, either from youkai or Inuyasha. They were all the same though, Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Shippo and Rin. All of them had lost their parents when they were little and although her own mother was sometimes a hassle, annoying most of the time, Kagome knew that she cared. She knew that not having her mother, her grandfather or Souta around, everything would seem empty around the shrine. She was glad that both Shippo and Rin had people around them to make them feel loved.

"Did Kagome-neesan bring anything for Rin today?" the girl chirped up finally letting for of Kagome's legs.

Kagome gave a faint smile seeing how eager the young ward looked. Settling her bag pack down on the ground, she began going through the things until she found a coloring book and a box set of crayons. Souta would probably get mad at her for taking most of his belongings, but she loved seeing the look on people's faces when she showed them things from her world. They always looked so interested and captivated by the smallest and simplest things.

"See this here? This is a coloring book." Kagome flipped a page and took out one of the crayons from the box. "And these are crayons, see...you color the pictures in like this." She took the red one and began coloring in the shapes. Glancing at the young one next to her, Kagome couldn't help but chuckle. Rin's eyes had gone wide, her mouth hanging. She had seen ink on paper; always black, but never bright colors like the ones Kagome showed her.

"Sorcery!"

Kagome rolled her eyes upon hearing the toad's mockery of her. The arrogant little youkai made sure that whenever she was near to throw an insult or two, whether it was to her face, or behind her back. He would find any means to put her down. Usually it consisted of the usual mockery of her hair and clothing. Not that it mattered to her anyways. Kagome was used to getting odd and strange looks from people whenever they would go by a village. Most people resented her being a miko because of her strange attire, and how her skirt was apparently too short. As if. The school uniform was strictly professional.

"No one asked for your opinion, okay?" Kagome shot back at him. She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at the one called Jaken.

She saw the anger that welled up on the toad's face as he marched up towards her and pointed a long green finger at her face. "H-How dare you! You-You human! How dare you insult this Jaken, retainer of the great Sesshoumaru-sama!" he contorted.

The miko's eye twitched. She really didn't know why Sesshoumaru put up with the annoying toad youkai. He didn't do much, as a matter of fact, without his staff of heads; the cocky little toad could barely hurt a fly.

Kagome towered over him with her height. Even if she wasn't that tall, Jaken who completely lacked in height only came up just above her knees. To him she was a giant

"Well it's not my fault you're a stupid, little toad!"

"You filthy human wench!"

"Ugly butt-faced toad!"

Rin watched and blinked at the two bickering at each other. Sometimes she couldn't even tell who would start the insults, but it would always end up in a heated argument with some of the weirdest insults she could ever hear of from Kagome.

The taiyoukai's eyebrows knitted themselves together as his ears picked up the argument between his retainer and the miko. He opened his eyes, frustrated that he felt like he always had to be the one to intervene.

"Enough."

Kagome shut her mouth and glanced up at him. He had yet to move from his position but she could tell that he was angry, either that or terribly annoyed. Out of all the youkai she had ever met, even if it was Naraku, no one compared to Sesshoumaru when he was angry.

Eyes shifting to Jaken who had began apologizing immediately to his lord, Kagome rolled her eyes. Honestly. What did she do? He was the one that started it. Giggling at the thought, she almost felt like a child, bickering with her younger sibling. In this case however, an ugly toad youkai who couldn't keep his mouth shut.

Sesshoumaru never took his eyes from the view of the lake and felt the wind blow his hair back. "Jaken, take Rin for her bath before she sleeps."

Kagome blinked when she saw his eyes dart from her to the view of the lake. She looked over at Rin who was trying to get Jaken to hold the coloring book and the box of crayons as she dragged him off the lake's edge.

"Come Jaken-sama, Rin saw some pretty flowers near the lake. Can Rin draw them after she has taken her bath?" she asked the toad.

"Do what ever you want, but make it quick. This Jaken refuses to leave the filthy wench for long with our great Sesshoumaru-sama." The toad glanced at Kagome and gave her an evil glare before waddling to catch up with Rin.

Kagome could only stick her tongue out after him. Indeed, she felt like a child when arguing with either Jaken or Inuyasha. Sighing, she looked towards where the Sesshoumaru sat. He still hadn't moved from his spot nor did he acknowledge her presence.

Slowly she made her way towards the tree and sat down beside him on the grass and wrapped her arms around her knees. She tried not to look at him, but couldn't help but glance at his face from time to time. Although it had been really hot earlier that day, Kagome couldn't help but feel the hairs on her body stick up as the wind blew past them. It seemed to blow back the taiyoukai's hair but remained to look like absolute combed silk. Quickly finding herself staring, she blushed and looked ahead. Still, he said nothing to her. Surprisingly, she didn't feel awkward or bored. It was like this every night. Sometimes she wondered if he teased her by pushing her to go over a borderline with her limits.

"So... how was your day?" Kagome mentally slapped herself for the comment she just gave. She had attempted to break the silence, but she never suspected to say something as lame as what she had just said.

In a feudal attempt to hide her embarrassment, she buried her face on the soft creamy flesh of her knees. Kagome found it extremely hard to hide her reddened face from his view. That is, if he was looking at her at all. She was almost certain that he had not heard her due to his silence, but then he finally spoke.

"I slaughtered a youkai that the disgusting hanyou sent to find me," he said. It almost came out as a drawl or a lazy response to her question.

"You mean Naraku?" Kagome lifted her face off her

knees and looked at him with curious eyes. "Why did he send a youkai to attack you?"

Sesshoumaru continued to stare at the lake, not yet looking at her. "It does not matter. The creature is dead and deteriorating beneath soil. The filthy hanyou will soon feel the poison from my claws for threatening this Sesshoumaru."

Kagome blinked at him. Why was it that everything he said almost always ended a conversation? It was as if nothing she could say would take it any further. So Naraku had sent a youkai to attack him. Kagome's eyebrows knitted together, thinking. She would never be able to figure out what went through that hanyou's head. What was the purpose of attacking Sesshoumaru? Did Naraku see him as an opposed threat?

The taiyoukai glanced towards the human girl sitting beside him. He would never figure her out. She always would seem to say something to get his attention and then when he would give a logical answer, she would stay quiet and think to herself. It wasn't hard to figure out actually, he could see the different expressions on her face as she thought, or digested what ever he said to her. 'Strange... these humans...'

"The youkai also had in its possession, this..."

Kagome seemed to snap out of her dreary thoughts and she looked up at him once more. His faced seemed focus on one thing and she realized that he was staring at his hand; or rather, something that he was holding in between his fingers.

"A jewel shard!"

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes for a moment then finally glanced at her. Kagome could feel heat rising to her cheeks as he stared at her with his piercing amber eyes. She knew that staring was bad, but she could not help herself. Slowly, she opened her mouth to say something to him, but nothing came out. Only then did she realize that he was holding out the jewel shard to her.

If it was even possible for her face to turn any more red, it would have. "Oh, um, are you sure I can have this?" she asked unsure.

"Well I am holding it out to you, am I not, miko?"

Sesshoumaru never let his eyes move from her reddened face. He let his eyes narrow a bit when she continued to just stare at him. "This Sesshoumaru has no reason to keep such a thing. Youkai who seek out fragments from the jewel are weak. This Sesshoumaru is not."

"Oh!" Sesshoumaru felt her fingers brush against his as she collected the glowing fragment, purifying it instantly. He watched silently, his eyes following her every movement as she took the shard and placed it in the small glass container she had around her neck.

She looked up at him smiling. "Thank you..."

He looked away from her and back towards the lake, only to notice that fireflies had surrounded themselves around the area. Their huge masses lit up the lake and around the tall reeds that were near. Sesshoumaru felt the girl beside him stand up rather quickly when she noticed the strange glows.

"Fireflies!" she exclaimed lightening up, a smile plastered on her face. She voluntary tried to catch one between her fingers but failed miserably, though it did not stop her from trying again... and again, and again.

Sesshoumaru could not help but watch her, fascinated. They were just fireflies. Why did they seem to entertain this miko so? He couldn't understand why she even wanted to touch one. Fireflies were very sensitive to another's touch. Never the less, the girl seemed content with her own way of trying to catch the flying creatures.

After a good five minutes she settled back to sitting beside him and propped her elbows behind her, leaning back. He noticed her staring towards the sky, and he allowed himself to lean against the tree to stare up as well. The sky had gotten dark in mere hours, but were still illuminated by stars that were scattered about.

"Sesshoumaru?" The taiyoukai glanced towards her upon hearing his name. "Do you think that...fireflies are like stars?" she asked.

He almost snorted at the thought, deciding upon himself that humans were definitely ignorant and most blatantly stupid. "I did not imagine you could become even more stupid than you already are. You prove me wrong, miko."

Kagome frowned and gave a, 'hmph,' at his comment. He really was like Inuyasha at times. The hanyou would constantly yell insults on how much he 'despised' her or why she was so different from other females. His older half-brother wasn't any different; Sesshoumaru often mocked her, his insults always direct and said in such a calm manner that it often drove Kagome insane.

"Geez. I was just thinking that--"

"Then I suggest that you keep those thoughts to yourself. This Sesshoumaru has no desire to hear such foolish comments." Kagome glared at him, her lips forming a small pout.

"I was merely suggesting--that if you were up high in the air looking down at the land-- I wonder if you would see the fireflies as stars. Since they both are very bright from far away distances," she said, the pout still upon her face, as she glared at him. "It was merely a thought..."

Sesshoumaru gave her a side glance but didn't answer. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, his gaze wandered to back to the sky. He could not deny that it was a possibility what she had said. Though, he would never admit to this. Sometimes he couldn't understand why the things this girl would say, as stupid as it may seem at times, were often logical. It lingered in his mind for a second or so before he came to realize that she was still waiting for an answer from him.

"You talk foolish nonsense."

Kagome rolled her eyes. She knew that there was no way of reasoning with him, though she did admit to herself that her suggestion of fireflies being stars were childish and immature. The thought had been in her mind for quite sometime now, every now and then that she would see fireflies. She knew that telling Inuyasha would probably earn her an insult on how stupid she was and she wondered slightly why she had babbled it all to his half-brother instead. Their responses would have been momentarily the same, but she felt content with the taiyoukai's answer. Although she was often mocked by him, or insulted, she didn't feel threatened. Maybe that's why she didn't mind sharing this with him.

She snapped out of her thoughts when a firefly came close around her legs. Kagome's face lit up and she made a grab for it but missing completely. A frown settled on her face as it flew away. Letting a sigh pass through her lips, she glanced at the Sesshoumaru, only to find him staring at her with a raised eyebrow.

Kagome laughed nervously. "Yeah, well I always wanted to know what it was like to touch one," she said scratching the back of her head.

She stopped laughing when she noticed that his gaze was not directed towards her, but on the hand that she had used in her 'attempt' to try and subdue the firefly. Kagome blinked at him and looked at her hand. There was nothing special about it, it was just an ordinary hand with a--

"Oh!" Sesshoumaru refrained from letting out a sigh. The human was slow in the brains, but he was glad that she had finally caught on that he was staring at the piece of jewelry around her elegant wrist.

He had been enjoying the miko's scent, much to his dismay, when he caught that of a powerful youkai's nearby. The taiyoukai doubted that the miko had taken notice as she was busying herself trying to catch the luminous glow flying around near her fingers. His eyes had scanned their area. There was no presence of another youkai other than himself for miles, and yet he could smell it as if it were right next to him.

When he heard the miko groan with frustration as she failed to catch the firefly yet again with her hand, he noticed it. The crystal bracelet that she wore around her wrist, it had the scent of that pathetic wolf youkai's.

Kagome felt her cheeks burning with embarrassment upon realizing that he was staring at her so intently.

"Er--Kouga gave me this as a gift when he uh, came by earlier." She gave a nervous laugh knowing that the taiyoukai was not one to settle for humor.

"Disgraceful." Kagome blinked and her blush faded as Sesshoumaru looked away from her and back at the lake. She wondered if he meant that she was disgusting, or was it the gift that Kouga gave to her that was disgusting.

"... A youkai content on winning a foolish human's heart. He should be put in his place."

Blinking, she stared at the side of his face. "Ahh don't worry, I don't think Kouga's really that serious about me anyways." Giving him a reassuring smile, Kagome got up and reached for her bag pack.

"I guess I should be heading back, the others will be worried about me." The taiyoukai gave a nod, his eyes transfixed on the lake.

"Tell Rin I said good night, okay?" No response.

Kagome's smile faded, "Oyasumi?"

No response.

Pouting, she decided that his silent treatment meant a yes and headed back towards the forest path.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes for a brief moment, silently missing her scent. He turned his head, staring at the miko's retreating form. Closing his eyes once more, he felt the chill of the wind blow against his face and slightly caressing his hair back. She was gone, her petite form disappearing into those of the silent trees. The scent lingered for a moment and in a few seconds, it disappeared as well.

"Oyasumi."

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Okay so that sucked, but it's my first sess/kag fanfiction so be nice please! I know that I seemed to have blabbered about most of the other characters before and that there's little sess/kag moments, but it'll get better in the next chapter i promise!

And for those who are unfamiliar with the Japanese language I used--here are the translations!

Oyasumi – good night