Again with the Giripan! I hope you enjoy.

The Greek couldn't believe his luck.

Though his view was somewhat obscured, he could detail silver beams of moonlight filtering through dark, leafless branches. Constellations dotted the velvet sky, many losing in competition to the brightness of the moon, their brilliance overpowered by the light of the other, and too, the lights from other far off places. Or places that only seemed far off at the moment. The water from the large outdoor bath was thermalized naturally by the volcanic nature of the land; one of its marvels, if you asked him. Large moss covered stones formed a natural lip for the bath, and it was impossible to say whether they had been arranged by nature or human hands. Another mystery. Steam danced in the moonlight, trailing in wisps over the still surface of the water, occasionally disturbed by quiet ripples. Strains of a hummed melody hung in the air. The vapor changed direction. Flighty, effervescent.

What really had captured his attention lay on the earth, or at least, the portion of it that lay before him. Meters away, steam rose from unassuming ivory flesh, the heat from the water transforming the lone bathing figure into some sort of living statue. Certainly, in other light, the body would be flushed pink from the heat, but the moon was playing tricks with the eyes. Not that he particularly minded. This kind of illusion was welcome from time to time. Besides that, statues were meant to be observed and studied...

The object of his study was absolutely unaware of the audience on the other side of the paper doors. For this truly rare occasion, the Greek witnessed total relaxation on the part of the other. Ironic, when it was considered the object of his surveillance was completely nude. As it was, the bather normally made a complete fuss over showing the slightest amount of skin, something he considered entirely inappropriate. The inside of an arm, a bare shoulder, the nape of a neck, the curve of a calf. All of these and more (and even quite a bit less) were enough to set the fair face aflame. A sly smile played at his lips. He'd done quite a bit to gain that reaction himself, and it would only take the slightest effort on his part to elicit such at this moment, as easy as making a slight noise or indicating his presence. But it wasn't something he wanted to break just yet, this spell. It was such a rare opportunity to read such peace in place of the usually calculated, vague, or stoic expressions he always seemed to wear, both in public and not.

From his vantage point behind the wooden slats of a not-quite-closed door (quite unintentional to begin with, but a lucky find nonetheless), he stretched out and continued his observance with interest. His original thought, when the view from this room was discovered post-nap earlier in the day, was that it overlooked a garden pond, if not a little strangely situated, what with the bamboo fence and all. He could clearly see now that he'd assumed incorrectly. The observance of slow, ritualistic motions and gleaming skin were his positive reward for resuming the nap in the same residence, which he gladly accepted. He didn't think of joining the bathing ritual, nor even of moving from his spot, perchance he break the fleeting spell of peace over the other.

But at that moment, as if conspiratory forces were against him, the soft yet insistent mewling of a cat sounded near his head. Hungry, it seemed to say as it pawed at his head, vying for attention. And just like that, the spell was broken. In the moment of distraction, the other had slipped from view, though the sound of moving water could be heard. The swish of fabric. The soft scraping of a wooden door and the padding of bare feet on polished floors.

He sat up, scooping the perpetrating cat into his arms. The unnamed creature purred at the attention, nuzzling its furry head against his fingers, completely unaware of the moment it had destroyed. Still, he couldn't be mad. Food was just as important to this cat as observation had been to him. He'd just have to feed the cat.

Abrupt ending, I know.

Reviews welcome.