Buttercups in the Moonlight by thetroll

Chapter 1

Jinenji watched Rin through the corner of his eyes, his fingers nervously gripping the stems of the bouquet he had prepared for her. 

Rin, he knew, liked flowers. He only hoped she would like the ones he had chosen especially for her. 

His mother caught him as he left the hut to offer Rin the flowers in the hopes that she might accept his courtship. He wouldn't blame her if she didn't, but he hoped with all his heart that she would be amendable to his suit.

The gentle way she smiled at him...

"You're off to tell the girl, eh?" His mother clicked her tongue. "Here. It's tea." She handed him a pouch of tea leaves. "She'll like it, your mother promises you that."

Jinenji took the tea, grateful for his mother's gift. He could smell the floral scent wafting up from the bag and knew that Rin would enjoy it. He snagged a kettle and several cups to brew while he sat and talked with her. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he never heard his mother's cackling as he left.

. 

. 

Jinenji approached Rin nervously, wiping his sweaty palms on his shirt while shuffling his possessions so he didn't drop anything. "W-would you like some tea?" he asked her, not even realizing that Kagome was sitting right next to her. 

His eyes only saw Rin.

"It's floral tea," he added, whisking out the flowers from behind his back in case that would incentivize her to agree. 

To his relief, Rin smiled and nodded. "I'd love some tea. And the flowers are lovely," she said, reaching out for the flowers. "Thank you, Jinenji." She then turned to Kagome and it was only then that he realized she was sitting there. "Would you like some tea, too, Lady Kagome?"

Kagome looked between Rin and Jinenji for a moment as Jinenji began to panic. He wouldn't turn Kagome down but he hoped she would refuse. He was too shy to say anything to anyone else about his very private affection for Rin.

"Oh, I would, but I just remembered that I have to help Jinenji's mother, ah, dry some herbs for spices." Kagome smiled lopsidedly. "But you two have fun!"

She waved and headed into the hut, leaving Jinenji alone with Rin, surrounded by flowers not too different from the ones he'd picked out for Rin in her bouquet. 

Jinenji didn't bother to watch as Kagome left. He turned back to the beautiful young woman before him, watching in astonishment as Rin took the flowers from his bouquet and began weaving them into her hair, waiting expectantly for him to carefully light the fire.

And Jinenji would, partially to ensure no harm came to his flowers or to Rin herself and partially because he would do anything for her if she would only keep looking at him with that bright smile she now wore.

He lit the fire as she wove the flowers, setting up the kettle that he filled with water from the nearby stream and settling it over the flame to heat. He couldn't bring himself to speak now, certain that his voice would quake and quiver if he did.

"Jinenji?" Rin prompted as Jinenji reached for the tea leaves to add to the steaming hot water.

He looked up at her from the pouch in his hands, hoping he hadn't done something that made her feel uneasy. "It'll be just another few moments for the tea," he blurted in case she was about to change her mind about waiting for it.

She stared at him for another moment as he shifted his weight. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked, watching him intently as he added in the leaves. "Your face looks really red."

Jinenji resisted the urge to cover his face. After all, she'd already seen it so the damage was done. "Yes," he said slowly, trying to stall before she asked anything else. "Are you, Rin?"

She blinked and then grinned. "Of course!" she chirped. "I always enjoy spending time with you, Jinenji!"

He blushed even harder at her words, quietly pleased with her assertion. He enjoyed spending time with her and it delighted him that she felt the same way. Kagome had hinted before that they would be well-suited but he had only recently begun to gather up the courage to test that theory himself.

He waited for a moment as Rin finally finished weaving the flowers and then, feeling that the tea had steeped enough, poured it into a cup for her and handed it to her. A flower poured into the cup with the tea but he left it, sure that it would be edible if she chose to do so.

She took the cup and blew on it as he poured another cup for himself. Like her cup, his also had a flower on it but he regularly ate plants and flowers due to his horse yokai heritage so he paid it no mind. He held the cup to his own lips and blew and then, eyes on her, mimicked her motions so they drank at the same time.

He decided as they drank that he would wait until they finished their tea before he spoke to her about his desires to her.

But the more tea he drank, the more muddled his thoughts became, and after a few moments, he ceased thinking entirely. He simply met Rin's bright gaze and, without either of them speaking a word, they leaned into one another and then gently pressed their lips together.

. 

. 

Kagome sat across from Jinenji's mother, trying not to look out the window and spy on Jinenji and Rin. She was worried about how the conversation she knew should be happening was going, but at the same time, it wasn't her place now to interfere and ruin the moment.

"Here," his mother said, thrusting another kettle at Kagome's breast. "We'll have another guest later today. He'll need tea." 

Kagome blinked as she took the teapot, too surprised to do anything but take the pot and do as she was bade, settling it over the fire in the center of the hut.

"Here's the tea," Jinenji's mother continued on blithely, handing Kagome a pouch of tea. "Even yokai tend to appreciatemy special teas."

Kagome decided she absolutely did not want to know what Jinenji's mother was alluding to. "How long do I steep it?" she asked, pushing back her curiosity to lift the bag and scent whatever concoction Jinenji's mother had put together. She couldn't fully take her eyes off of the elaborately embroidered pouch, however, thinking it was a bit too ornate to just be used for the occasional tea blend Jinenji's mother put together whenever she was in the mood. 

"Eh?" Jinenji's mother stopped at the doorway. Kagome hadn't even seen the older woman move. "A few minutes or so. Who knows? You'll know when to take it off. And remember, Kagome. It's quite rude to let your guest drink tea alone."

"Hey!" Kagome called after her but Jinenji's mother didn't even bother to stop. "Where are you going?"

"Out," was the response she got. "I find myself in need of my own special company."

Kagome refused to even reflect on what that might mean.

. 

. 

The water had just begun to boil when Sesshomaru arrived, scanning the area as Jaken squawked obnoxiously behind him.

He must be the guest, Kagome thought to herself, realizing that it must have slipped her mind that Sesshomaru was supposed to visit today. Then again, he often showed up without bothering to say anything so who knew? He might have just decided to visit and somehow Jinenji's mother had suspected they'd have a guest.

"Would you like some tea?" Kagome asked politely, reaching for three cups.

"Hnn." Sesshomaru gave her a slight nod as he stepped into the hut. 

Kagome added the leaves to the pot and then blinked. Jaken had suddenly disappeared and Kagome was almost afraid to ask where he'd gone. "Were you looking for Rin?" Kagome asked instead. "She's off with Jinenji at the moment but I'm sure they'll be back soon."

Sesshomaru settled down on the opposite side of the fire in silence as Kagome let the tea seep. After a few moments, Kagome moved to pour the tea, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. She'd always found the daiyokai aesthetically attractive, even though she doubted he'd ever appreciate her interest. Sitting with him in silence only made her all the more aware of his appeal.

She poured the tea in two cups, not wanting to offend the daiyokai by offering him something she herself wouldn't drink. She noticed a small yellow flower fell into each cup as she poured and she almost contemplated pulling them out but immediately decided otherwise. She doubted Sesshomaru would drink anything her fingers had been in to remove the flower.

"Here," she said, handing him the cup. She then reached for her own and, not sure what else to do, lifting it to her lips to blow the hot steam away from the liquid. 

He eyed her for a moment, his expression impassive, and then he mirrored her movements, lifting the cup to his lips and they both drank at the same time.

To keep herself from blurting out anything, Kagome continued to drink until the tea was gone. Sesshomaru took smaller sips, it seemed like, for he was still drinking when she set her empty cup aside. 

She blinked, suddenly feeling foggy and lightheaded. She also felt warm and knew instantly she could cool down if she parted her lapels just a little. 

So, she did so, not even paying attention as Sesshomaru's brow raised in response.

She shifted, feeling uncomfortable, and she began to realize that something was off. She almost asked Sesshomaru if he was affected but thought better of it. Sesshomaru was a poison-based yokai and she doubted anything in the tea could be strong enough to affect the daiyokai.

"It's hot," she murmured, her tongue almost stumbling on the words. 

"Is it?" he countered calmly. "This one had not noticed. Perhaps you are too close to the flame, priestess."

His words made sense to Kagome and she shifted to the side, not even realizing that she'd moved closer to Sesshomaru until her thigh brushed his. "Sorry," she murmured, surprised by how cool his skin felt against hers. 

He set the cup aside and Kagome heard a slight splash of liquid. It didn't sound full, though, so she sighed in relief that he hadn't somehow been offended by the tea blend. Jinenji's mother could get rather riled up if her gifts were rejected.

"Hnn." He stared down at her and she couldn't bring herself to look away as their eyes met. "Are you, priestess?"

She nudged her leg against his again, hoping to hide the movement behind her action of taking the cup from him and setting it out of their way without even glancing at it. She couldn't quite hide her sigh of pleasure as his flesh cooled against her own, soothing the heat racing through her body.

He quirked a brow again, a slight smirk at his lips, and she belatedly recalled that he'd asked her something. She had a hard time focusing on what, exactly, so she blurted, "Yes?" and hoped that was the right answer.

"Hnn." He shifted his gaze back towards the doorway of the hut and Kagome sighed to herself in relief, believing he bought her ruse.

She suddenly wanted to know if the rest of him would feel as cool against her body. She was so warm she was practically burning up and she knew she couldn't let that fever rage unchecked. But would she be able to get away with it?

She parted her lapels further, letting the fabric catch on her cleavage without exposing anything, and sighed at the pleasure she felt at exposing her heated flesh to the air.

But it wasn't enough.

She leaned, subtly moving inch by inch until her upper arm was pressed against his. She felt the coolness of through his clothes and was suddenly convinced that she would cool down much faster if their clothing wasn't in the way.

Without even stopping to think about it, her hands moved to undo his armor, and it was then that his hands caught hers, holding her in place as his attention shifted back to her. 

"You take liberties with this one," he said, his voice dropping to a low rumble. "Liberties that would belong to his mate alone."

She gaped but couldn't bring herself to pull her hands back from his soothing touch even as a twinge of caution suddenly broke through the haze in her mind. Something was definitely off about her as she licked her lips, sighing to herself at the simple pleasure of her tongue against her own lips.

She'd never noticed the sensation before—or how nice it could feel. And just like that, the warning suddenly left her mind, along with the knowledge that it had been something in the tea that had caused all of this.

All she could think of now was how Sesshomaru's lips would feel against her own.

"If you persist in enacting your thoughts, priestess, then you accept the ramifications of doing so," he cautioned her, his thumbs absently stroking the inside of her wrists.

Kagome heard his words but as her eyes traced his lips as she longed to do with her own lips and fingers, she decided that whatever he was saying wasn't as important as what she wanted to feel. So, without bothering to answer, she shifted, twisting her wrists so she could cling onto the soft silk of his haori, and used that hold to leverage herself onto his lap and hold him in place as she moved to kiss him.

The kiss was as soft as she'd thought and it both cooled her skin and ignited a passion within her. He simply allowed her to kiss him until she pulled back, not so far gone that she hadn't registered his lack of response.

He shifted, using one hand to hold her wrists securely to him while his other shifted to cup her jaw with a gentleness she hadn't realized he was capable of offering a woman until that moment. "This one would have you be sure, priestess, that you desire this—"

She didn't bother to let him finish his thought. She pressed her lips to his again, wanting to experience that softness once more and hoping that it would trigger some sort of response within him.

He shuddered as his hand pulled her head back from his. "Very well," he rumbled, and the next thing she knew, he shifted, his hand leaving her jaw to grip her hip. A moment later, he'd shifted them and tumbled her gently back against the floor just before his lips brushed against hers. Within moments, the gentle pressure shifted and the kiss deepened, and Kagome simply sank back and relished the feelings Sesshomaru created in her as his hand on her hip began to wander, caressing her with heated movements until all she cared about was his body pressed against hers.

Later, Kagome would find a curious marking against her the base of her neck as Sesshomaru pulled her upon his body to doze off and later still would she realize what it truly meant, but for now, all she cared about was his cooling touch against her body and the way he made her feel.

There would be time enough for reflection later.