Among the Clouds

"So how'd it really go?" Miroku asked as he walked out to sit with Kohaku in the grass. Sango and the twins had just laid down for the night, but the monk was intrigued by the strange visit Kohaku had made to the Lady of the West. He awaited an answer as he lit his kiseru, knowing from the way his brother in law seemed to be tight lipped on the subject that it was clearly something he didn't want to discuss in front of Sango.

Kohaku wore a confused kind of scowl for a moment, then shifted his weight a little. "I'm not sure what to make of what happened up there today. I… I think something awakened inside of me…"

"Awakened?" Miroku's eyebrows shot up. "You mean physically awakened?"

Kohaku's face darkened and he quickly looked into his lap. "I don't know… No. I mean…" The boy groaned and rubbed his temples. "Miroku, you have to promise you won't breathe a word of this discussion to my sister. If you do I'll castrate you."

When Kohaku leveled his gaze at the monk he could see that he meant what he said. "I swear Kohaku. Sango will not know of any syllable that passes between us."

Kohaku turned back to gazing at the stars, then continued his recount of the day's odd discussion with Masami. "She asked me what it was that Sesshomaru saw in Rin, what InuYasha saw in Kagome… I think she was trying to find out why it seemed she is undesirable among her own kind. Somehow she has it in her head that all inuyokai are destined to be with human mates. I dunno, Miroku… She seemed like she was hurting so bad inside. And then that made me hurt for her." He looked back to his sister's husband. "I never told anyone about how I felt about Kagura. I mean, I was practically just a really mentally messed up kid when I knew her, but I knew she was hurting so bad because of the things Naraku was making her do. I had come to love her, simply because I understood the hell she was going through. And I never mentioned to anyone ever before about how I never liked human women because of how silly they seem, how immature and one track minded they all appear, and how if I am fortunate enough to ever have a mate it will likely not be with a human. But I told those things to Masami, and I barely know her at all… And yet by the time I left I felt like I couldn't leave her to wallow in her own misery like that. But I knew I couldn't stay, and so I just came back here." He looked into his lap and said quietly, "I came back here, but my heart and my thoughts are still with her."

Miroku dumped the kiseru and filled it again. "Can you sort of relive the conversation you had with her today so I might be able to decipher what happened a bit better?" Kohaku told him about how she had asked about what a yokai might see in a weak human, wondered if she could ever find happiness among her own kind, asked Kohaku about what he desired in a mate, presumably to gauge how human males felt about their own women… He had tried to rationalize why her war dog mate and her son might have chosen the women they did, given her some suggestions for her behavior for the future, in case another suitable male came calling. Miroku took all this in as thought for a moment.

"I don't know Kohaku… What's your gut feeling about the situation?"

"I want to go to her, tell her she shouldn't concern herself with what others think of her. She's beautiful and strong enough to not need to worry about such trivialities. I wonder if she's just that lonely that she simply wants what any female wants at the end of the day; to be desired, by anyone."

With an evil smirk, Miroku asked, "And could she find that in you? Do you desire her?"

Without looking in his direction, Kohaku shook his head. "I don't know. I'm not sure if what I'm feeling is simply concern for her, or if it's the beginnings of something else. I'm still a virgin, something I doubt you were for very long, monk. I just don't know what I feel for her."

Miroku chuckled. "I lost my virginity when I was ten summers old. I remember I didn't know what was happening until she snaked her hand under my robes. That's when I knew the difference. Tell me, otouto, if she came to you crying would you hold her?"

Without a pause, the boy said, "Yes. Most definitely."

"If she came to you for comfort and she wasn't crying, would you hold her?"

"Yes."

"What if while you were holding her she tried to kiss you? Would you let her? Would you kiss her back?"

Kohaku's breath quickened involuntarily. He was silent a bit, then spit out, "Y-y-yes."

Miroku leaned in closer and spoke quietly to him. "Would you let her hands wander? Would you let her take your hands and put them on her body?" He watched as Kohaku shut his eyes and clench his fists. "Would you take her, Kohaku? If she begged you would you take her?"

"Gods…" the boy choked out, "I-I wouldn't know what to do…" His voice sounded like a whine.

Miroku snapped at him, "If she's begging she won't care, she'll tell you what to do and how to do it. Now would you or would you not take her if she were begging for you to!?"

"Yes!"

Miroku leaned back and lit his pipe. "Sounds like you might have very strong feelings for her. And if you told her you got a thing for yokai women, then it sounds like maybe she might see something in you too, especially after spending over a hundred years alone." They both sat in silence, the monk watching as the boy tried to will his unwanted erection away. "What are you going to do about it?"

Kohaku swallowed. "I'm going to go see her again in a few days. She asked me to come back and check her progress."

Miroku blew smoke rings into the quiet night. "Progress?"

"I told her to practice talking plainly and not in the imperial speech she has used constantly for eons. I told her to practice smiling and scowling and showing her emotions." He tossed a smirk at the lecher who sat near him. "I suppose if we were in the middle of our passion I could see her face scrunched up in pleasure. Maybe I'd hear her even say 'Take me'." Kohaku would never let his sister know how much the monk had rubbed off on him, but he had, and in a huge way.

Miroku smiled and dumped the ashes of his pipe and stood, then ruffled the boy's hair. "There ya go, kid, that's the idea!" He walked back to his cramped hut. "Be quiet when you come in, the girls are already asleep."

Kohaku leaned back once more in the grass and gazed up at the clouds drifting by the face of the waxing moon. He tried to imagine Masami slicing his virgin body from his leathers and taking advantage of his eagerness, but found he couldn't. With a quiet sigh he got to his feet and walked to the house he was temporarily sharing with his sister and her family. "I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens, Masami." As silently as a taijiya could manage, he slipped into the house and took his spot near the front corner of the hut and bedded down for the night, his arrival in the dreamscape greeted with sweet visions of his lady.

**********************

It had been almost two weeks since Masami had summoned Kohaku to her palace in the sky. She'd been doing the things he'd asked her to do: show her emotions upon her face and use first person pronouns; however, she was only able to practice these things in the comfort and privacy of her inner sanctum, and even then, the words "I" and "me" felt strange in her mouth, the smiles she tried on in the mirror felt awkward and the other faces she made at herself looked so forced they were unbelievable. She pondered for a moment if maybe the whole idea was useless, that when Kohaku finally did come, she would thank him for his patience with her silly questions and she could go on living as she always had before.

There was a light knock at the door. "My Lady?" a voice called. "The young taijiya has arrived."

Masami felt her heartbeat quicken just a smidge, something she thought was strange, but dismissed it to simply being eager to see the boy. "Escort him to my private garden. I will be there momentarily." She gathered her heavy robes about her and felt the smallest of smiles form on her face, but this time, it felt genuine and real. She jerked the mirror from the low table she'd been sitting at and held it in front of her; she found the smile to look proper and true, and it didn't feel forced or odd… Funny how it took the mention of Kohaku's arrival to stir such an expression into reality.

When she reached The bench where Kohaku had made himself comfortable, she noticed he'd brought her a gift. She spoke quietly, not like her usual commanding and royal self. "Good afternoon, Kohaku."

The boy jumped up, having been gazing out into her lush garden, lost in his own thoughts as he awaited her arrival. She'd startled him from behind. "Good afternoon, my Lady. I hope I'm not being too forward by bringing you a gift." He took note of the tiny smile on her lips and felt warmed inside. So she really has been practicing, he thought.

The tiny smile grew a little larger, and Masami said, "Of course not. We are friends, correct? Friends should feel free to pass little treasures between each other." she held her slender fingers out to receive the small silk wrapped package. "May this--" she paused, closed her eyes and began again. "May… I… open it now?"

Kohaku smiled. "Yes, my Lady."

"Please, Kohaku… My given name is Masami, and… I'd like to hear you call me this when we are alone." Her eyes glittered in the afternoon sunshine. Kohaku felt a growling hunger brewing in his stomach, but far further south than the one that demanded food… His mouth suddenly went dry and he prayed to the kami that the blush he felt in his face would go unnoticed.

"I'm honored, Masami."

"As am I, Kohaku." She turned her gaze to the gift he'd brought for her, unwrapping the silk with care. She found a wooden box, about the size of a fat, ripe peach. it was stained a dark color, ornately carved, and had a white dog carved of ivory inlaid into the top. The perfect touch though was the tiny ruby that served as the dog's eye. Her eyes widened. "This is beautiful, Kohaku. Where did you find such an exquisite thing?"

Kohaku looked at his feet shyly. "I did some work for a jeweler who was in service to one of the more powerful shogun in the northern regions. He asked me how I wanted to be paid and I asked him if I could look at some of his wares. I saw the box and asked if he could craft the dog for me." He reached forward and brushed her hand with his as he moved to open it. Inside was some sweet smelling incense. "I hope you don't find this fragrance annoying to your nose, Masami."

Masami blinked at the boy. When he'd barely touched her hand, it felt as if a thousand lightning bolts has passed between them, heated in lust and tempered in loneliness… "No, it's actually very pleasant. Thank you very much for this priceless treasure."

They spent the rest of the afternoon chatting quietly in the garden, Masami telling him about the goings on in the palace, being sure to scowl when she told him of how upset it made her when the servants took time to gossip rather than work, and being sure to look sad when he told her of how her favorite servant, a bear yokai named Jun, lost his son to an illness. Kohaku smiled every time she said "I" or "me" or "my", and he told her of the jobs he'd been on since he'd seen her. Before long the sun was moving to the west, and Kohaku decided it would be best if he left so that the good Lady could have her dinner and retire to her chambers.

"Kohaku, I'd be most honored if you would stay for dinner. After all, it's the least I can do to show my gratitude for such a wonderful gift and your valued company today."

The young taijiya grinned. "I'd love to, but I'm afraid if I stayed too late my sisters husband might get the wrong idea."

"The wrong idea?" she said with a strange look on her face.

Now feeling as though he'd stuck his foot in his mouth, he stammered, "Uh, he uh… well…"

"He thinks you have feelings for me, doesn't he."

Her words hung in the still evening air. How did she know??! Kohaku's brain screamed. Knowing that she could scent if he lied to her, he said in a hushed voice, "Yes, my lady."

Narrowing her eyes, she said, "He's the lecherous monk, isn't he? Well, of course his imagination would run wild with the thoughts of you and I together." Her nose twitched as she caught the scent of the boy's arousal. Evidently the monk isn't the only one thinking such thoughts… Suddenly she felt her own heart leap in her chest. He's been imagining ME. This human wants me.

Disregarding everything about her position and her royal lineage, she gently placed the box he'd given her on the bench and purred, "Come to me, boy."

Kohaku thought briefly on how odd it was that a dog demon was telling him to come to her, but let it go when he saw the gleam in her eyes. He walked slowly to her, obediently. When he was within range of her hands, she took him by his and pulled him closer.

"I can smell what you're thinking now, Kohaku. I can scent your want for me."

Kohaku audibly gulped, and that growling, gnawing fire was filling his gut again. Boldly, he said, "I can't scent yours, Masami, but I can see it your eyes."

"Is this something you wish to pursue? Though I could, I won't force you. It must be something you want from me as well." She was tenderly rubbing her thumbs back and forth across the backs of his hands, regarding him with soft eyes and a gentle tiny smile.

"My lady… I regret to inform you that I have absolutely no experience in this arena. While my desire lies with you, I'm afraid I won't be able to satisfy you." He almost cried at his admission, because at that moment, all he wanted to do was tear her from those layers of silk and lay her down among these flowers and trees and love her til the sun rose to greet them again.

Masami's clawed hand drifted to his cheek, the palm warm and soft as he nuzzled his face into it. "I could scent that as well. Trust me when I tell you that I can teach you many things that you do not know, and it would be very pleasurable for both of us. If you wish I can have dinner sent to my quarters where we may dine alone. And then," she said as she closed in on his lips, "I will school you in the art of physical love." She kissed him softly, scented the surge in his lust that triggered a surge in her own. She felt him trembling at this first encounter and tried to soothe him by bringing her other hand up and rubbing gently on his back. Masami pulled away from him and beheld the sight of a young boy panting in the last rays of dusk, eyes dark with want and shaking from nerves.

"Shall I tell the staff to send our dinner to my chamber?" she asked quietly.

Kohaku took a shuddering breath. "Yes."