Warning: This chapter gets lightly citrus-ish (not quite but implied closeness-ish) later on, for those not very citrus inclined.

End of Chapter Fourteen: "Try to not spend too long in the bath, you getting enough sleep makes this faster or slower." He closed my door after the remark to head to his own. I was just glad to turn on the water and start getting it to the temperature I liked. The break was one I needed after spending the day cooped in that room.

Chapter Fifteen: For Your Entertainment

"Don't trip off the glitz I'm about to display. I told ya, I'm a hold ya down until you're amazed."

-Adam Lambert, For Your Entertainment Lyrics

Gilgamesh – Sept 8th – Night –

Thus far, little in the books they'd offered had been helpful. I was irritated by the lack of useful information, but I still had several to go through. The mongrel kept whimpering which only slowed the process, I could feel her irritation across our strange connection. When I was actively focused or concentrating on the reading I could push away the concerns but in the separate quarters I'd been given I didn't have distractions. She was frustrated beyond her boredom of sitting in the room waiting for me to research a method to reach Ishtar. Her distress, even if not physical, made it impossible to relax. I glanced at one of my hands, wondering idly when I'd get to use it to choke the life from Ishtar…

"Just materialize anywhere…" Kagome's words echoed in the back of my mind.

The protest was one she couldn't know was impossible. Perhaps that had been the case when we'd been connected during the active grail war. With the grail destroyed my powers weren't working as they always had. I could use my Gate of Babylon to call whatever I might need from the void, but controlling my own materialization seemed to only function if she was nearby. Distance was also limited by what I could tell. I hadn't been able to bring her here directly after all, I'd had to call my ship. I could presume it was some sort of side effect of the orders I'd been given, a subconscious refusal to leave a certain proximity of the girl. In the case of traveling with her, perhaps the distance would have been too much for her in her unconscious state, but I was loath to try it even with her having recovered slightly. Her mana was still rather low, though I had my own source that was strong enough I was still connected to her, it was both akin and differed from the way a Master/Servant relationship worked in the usual grail war. This was a new beast and I had to be careful not to let too much be known about differences, thus I didn't plan to even tell Kagome what the differences were. She could perhaps figure it out herself, but she was so easily distracted that I doubted it. What on earth could be bothering her so much that it continued to press on our connection? I sighed, neither of us would get much rest at this rate. I didn't particularly want to transfer mana with her, but did I have much choice? Not having one's mana properly adjusted meant they might not act normal or feel emotions as they usually would.
Kagome – Sept 8th – Night –

Normally a hot bath made me feel better, though it was so warm here naturally that out of the water was as stifling as in. All the same, I refused to go to bed without getting clean. I leaned back on the side of the large tub to look at the mosaic on the ceiling. It didn't have much color left but by the way the stones were set you could tell it was supposed to be some depiction of the stars. I sighed to myself and floated slightly as I tried to relax. My anxieties were starting to get the better of me. We'd been here for days now and my phone didn't get any reception here. According to the various attendants wandering around they didn't have phones here at all. What was I supposed to do about my mom? She would eventually go to see if I was home if I didn't pick up…and then what? Start a search for me as missing? That would go over well.

"You're loud." I wasn't sure when Gilgamesh had appeared, but I slipped and went under the water at his unexpected comment, coming back up sputtering and trying to push my hair from my face.

"What the hell?" I managed to snap out between coughs. "I wasn't doing anything but laying here."

"You are concerned about something." He remarked, watching me as I got my hair from my face and then ducked back into the water, covering my hands with my chest. "I can feel it across our connection, it's bothering you enough that you're just lingering here instead of sleeping."

"Get out, pervert." I snapped back. Why was he here interrupting my time? "I will be just fine. If I wanted someone to be empathetic I'd go find one of the workers here."

He didn't move, and I didn't see any sort of glimmer that accompanied his usual disappearance.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before." He said instead, and I balled my hands. Couldn't he give me a moment's peace? "What is keeping you from resting? The sooner it is resolved, the faster we can return to important matters."

"Just because it involves someone other than you, doesn't mean it's not important you inflated…" He interrupted me by pulling me closer in the tub and setting me in front of him. A moment later I felt his fingers on my shoulders, rubbing the muscles with just enough pressure to give me pause. Was this a new tactic? Be a rude jerk while giving me a shoulder massage? Then, it was better than just rude jerk, I could already feel my body starting to relax even though I probably normally would have gotten up to run away. I felt drained, both physically and mentally, after the long days here…

"There, now that your barking has stopped you can tell me what's keeping you up." He commented, calm as could be despite my turmoil. How was it he simply never seemed to care about anything? His hands shifted slightly, working more of the muscle. Man, that felt nice, it'd been years since I'd gotten a massage.

"My mom." I stated lightly, finding it difficult to focus with his hands on my back and neck. Had I even noticed how tense I was? "If I don't talk to her and she comes looking for me. She'll freak out that I haven't been home, if she hasn't already. I don't want to go back to find out I'm a missing person, I thought we were supposed to remain subtle while we did all this."

Not that he seemed to know what subtle meant, but I wasn't entirely convinced I cared as his hands moved down a little more. I'd said I needed to relax…this wasn't quite what I meant but I hadn't moved all the same. It was hard not to moan at his touch, though I did take a sharp intake of breath as he pressed into my lower back, there was a flash of pain that faded a moment later. Was this one of his abilities? Some sort of super massage powers? It wasn't until he'd paused to reach up to my upper arms that I remembered just where we were. That I remembered both he and I were naked, and much closer than we should be. My body went rigid. Nope, this wasn't okay…I was about to get up when one of his arms snaked around my waste to hold me even closer against him.

"Shhh." His hiss in my ear did not help me untense, if anything whatever progress he'd made to help my muscles relax was totally gone. I needed to get sleep sooner, if I'd have been more conscious then he would not have snuck his way in this far. "Just enjoy yourself."

His baritone whisper wasn't helping me keep my cool. Though it was hard to resist whatever magic he held in his fingertips. When he began to rub my neck again I almost relaxed before shaking my head insistently and trying to remove his arm from my waste. "Nope. If you wanna give me a massage that's great, but I want to be somewhere where I'm not naked, and neither are you."

"Oh? Just what thoughts are being inspired by our state of undress?" He purred the question, his hand now rubbing the outside of my thigh. I could feel a small rumble through his chest at his chuckle, he'd pulled me closer when I'd attempted to escape. "Given the blush on your cheeks I'd have to guess they aren't as chaste' as a priestess's thoughts should be. Here I'd simply thought to offer you a method to relax, and some mana to speed your recovery. I wonder if you are looking for something much different than leisure."

"I am blushing because this isn't normal for people." I managed to make words somehow despite the heavy distraction of his fingers drifting down my back and around my side. I jumped slightly, more ticklish than I'd like, but also unsettled. His hand settled on my hip despite my concern they were going to continue around to the front. "You are not helping me relax…I get it you want me to go to bed, I'll go when I'm done."

"Hmm…" His noncommittal sound didn't make me feel any better about this. Hadn't he said he wasn't interested in me physically? Cause I looked like Ishtar. What happened to that? "You think you'll be able to sleep with all these stresses circling in your head? It'd be easy enough to make you forget them, or everything, other than me of course."

"You're not making this better." I hissed. "I am not interested Gilgamesh, not in whatever this is."

"Such protests for someone that longs to surrender. You speak the words loudly, yet I let go of you a moment ago." He remarked, the delight in his voice permeating his tone. I wasn't totally sure I disagreed with him, there wasn't pressure from his arms holding me in place anymore. His fingers were tracing circles on my legs and hips. It was difficult to argue with him on this, but I jumped away when his teeth grazed my shoulder, his lips barely brushing the skin. I refused to admit that a part of me did want him. He glanced me over, and whatever insult I was about to toss died before it reached my mouth. I'd always known he was a lustful creature, but the avid hunger in his cherry gaze was paralyzing. Whatever he'd said before didn't matter, whatever protests he might have uttered as to wanting me prior to this moment meant nothing. I knew with that look that I was desired, that he'd devour me if I gave him the word…I didn't have it in me to back away when he leaned in close. I swallowed nervously, unsure of what to do…

"I have a prediction, Kagome." He traced my cheek and drew a thumb over my lips. I was too hypnotized to back away this time, he used my name so little and at present I doubted if anyone could ever make those syllables so sensual again. I wasn't sure I had the willpower to refuse a god. He leaned closer as if to kiss me and I managed to turn my head to the side, offering him nothing but cheek. I wasn't going to do this now. He laughed at my last little rejection and I heard his voice near my ear a moment later. "One of these days, you'll beg me to tie you up with those straight laces of yours."

I would have liked to tell him he was wrong, that I was not interested…but he was already fading away from view. I took a deep breath, having not even realized I'd been holding it. What was wrong with me? I should have turned him down flat. Instead I was very much more stressed than I'd been before he came in. How could he make me second guess most morals I had? We needed to get this done soon, I wasn't sure I'd weather much more of his teasing without giving in.

End Chapter

Sorry for shortness, better than nothing : ). I do what I can. My time is sadly limited. I haven't forgotten my fics though. Hang in there.

-Aura

To my reviewers:

Thanks for the reviews as always, I'm always happy to see them in my mailbox when I check it.

Tsukikageshi – Good, good. You should be ; ).

FrancesMinus – Thank you, Gil is difficult to write for sure. I always have to second guess if his commentary is douchey enough XD.

osterreicher97 – I in general tend to set aside my AU's and do what I think works within the plots in my head. I'm glad it worked out so well in this case and that you like it. I hadn't really thought about it working out so neatly with the other Fate characters but I'll take the happy neat little bow all the same : )