Water, Wind and Fire

He had come to the conclusion that the elements loved him.  It seemed Mother Nature did everything she could to aid him on his admirable, but often dangerous journey.

Sango's boomerang and Kagome's hand were definitely dangerous.  But it was all worth it, the pain was worth those few seconds of pleasure. 

For Miroku there was nothing in life that could compare to the wondrous curves of the female body.

Perverted, lecherous, hentai, he had heard them all.  But he remained unfazed and steadfast in his goals.  His hand, compelled by a primitive force he could not control, itched to touch and to feel.  Who was he to deny the needs of his body?

He was a monk after all.  His purpose in life was to reach Enlightenment.  For Miroku, Enlightenment could only be found in the warmth and softness of a woman.  There was nothing more enticing than the promise of what lay hidden beneath the layers of cloth, nothing more arousing than the gentle and seductive sway of the hips, and nothing more exciting than the curve of lover's welcoming smile.

Miroku had come to the conclusion that his quest was a respectable endeavor.  If it wasn't then surely the greatest of all females, Mother Nature, would have interfered by now.  But instead she only brought him closer to his goal.

Water, its serene beauty also had the bonus of being translucent.  Treasures not seen in the day of light were many times revealed by the clearness of the water lending his fantasies vivid details.

Wind, a powerful force that was felt by all, yet seen by none.  It followed them on their journey, mischievously playing with the wonderfully short kimono Kagome was so fond of wearing, and every now and then granting him a most pleasant view.

Yes these elements aided Miroku in his carnal quest, but there was one element, one that at this very moment seemed to be working against him.

Fire, the passionate hues of orange and red danced across her face.  The fire ignited a similar sparkle in her eyes, bringing them alive and drawing him in.  The pure beauty of her face held him still, captivated him and demanded his attention.  All he could do was watch her.  The musical laughter that shook her shoulder ever so slightly and brightened her eyes, the childish innocence that had her tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and the inherent warmth that had her smiling.

Miroku had seen beauty before and he had been awed by it.  But for some reason this was different, the force of her beauty coming from somewhere deep inside herself, an inner grace that made her glow, that made her special.

Kagome.

Miroku shook his head to clear his mind of the unnatural and foreign turn his thoughts had taken.

"Miroku are you ok?" He heard a voice whisper next to him.

"Why my dear Sango are you worried about me?" He asked with a playful grin.

"Well, you just looked so faraway and you had this dazed look in your eyes and-HENTAI!!!" Sango yelled as a resounding smack brought the groups attention to the traveling hands of the monk as he lay sprawled on the ground.

Miroku, grateful to the sharp pain that snapped him back into reality, watched as Sango stomped away from the camp muttering angrily under her breath.

"Monk, can't you keep your hands to yourself?" He heard Inu Yasha say from above him where he had taken his customary post in the tree.

"Ah, but Inu Yasha, do you not wish to know the feel of a woman's body beneath your hand?"  Inu Yasha merely rolled his eyes at this, he could not understand the monk's obsession with female anatomy.

"But Miroku" began a childish voice, "why do you continue to do that when you know every time you are going to get hurt?"  Miroku smiled, to be that young and innocent, but of course he had never been that innocent.

"One day Shippou you will understand" he told the kit with a wink, earning a disapproving frown from the woman who held the cub in her arms.

"I would certainly hope not, being perverted is hopefully something Shippou will never understand."

"But Kagome-sama how could you so cruelly deny him such great pleasure?"

Kagome smiled and looked down at Shippou, "Easy, Shippou's going to be a gentleman aren't you Shippou?"

"YES!" The kit eagerly exclaimed, all too happy to agree with the woman he had adopted as his mother.  He didn't know what a gentleman was, but by the look on Kagome's face he knew it had to be good.

"Alright then, now that we have decided that, it's time for bed"  Knowing the routine Shippou jumped out of her lap and into a nearby sleeping bag.  Kagome tucked him in and laughed at his amazing ability to fall asleep instantly.

"Miroku?" Damn!  He'd been caught.  Slowly backing away as one would from a predator, he put on his most innocent smile.

"Yes?"  He questioned, waiting for the blow he was sure to come.  But to his surprise none came.

"Why do you do that?" Huh.  He wasn't expecting that.  She leaned over the sleeping kit to brush the hair out of his face, the wind played with her skirt, if she would just lean a little more….wait, she asked me a question, why do I do what?

"Because Kagome-sama, I have such lovely traveling companions, I cannot seem to help myself." He finished with a wide grin.

She cocked her head to the side as if what he said was in code and she was trying to decipher it.

"You must be very lonely, Miroku-sama" she whispered.  His jaw dropped, and his staff nearly followed the same path.  He could only watch in a confused stupor as she herself laid down to go to sleep.

"You must be very lonely, Miroku-sama" The simple sentence raced through his mind.  Had he detected a hint of concern in her voice?  Concern for him?

No he thought.  Not for him.  She was in love with Inu Yasha, had been since the moment she pulled him from that tree.  Her love consumed her and she usually thought of nothing but him.  He had been content to be in the background, always a friend, nothing more.  But now she had turned that startling blue gaze of hers onto him.  Now he was curious.

That night he didn't sleep.  He sat against the tree, watching the subtle rise and fall of Kagome's sleeping form, much as Inu Yasha did every night.

Tonight was different, it was somehow important.  Something monumental had happened without his knowing, some driving force had caused something to shift inside of him and he knew that with the rise of the morning sun, nothing would ever be the same again.