Disclaimer: Inu-Yasha doesn't belong to me, wahhhhh!!!!!!!!!! ;.;

Note: First IY fic (not poem, because I already have a poem [Freedom, R&Rpls]), be nice!

Heion Hayashi

Kirara mewed, closing her eyes as the warmth of the afternoon. The forest was peaceful and quiet, a perfect place for me to clear my mind. Every since I met them and joined their search for the Shikon shards, I've been so caught up in our adventures that I forget to stop and think. My life was peaceful compared to what I've been through with my friends.

The life of a demon slayer was exciting, but peaceful when there was no one to call you to help their village. When I stayed in the village, most of my time was spent taking care of my brother, some of the housework (Kohaku preferred to take most of the chores) and a little training to keep my skills sharp. It was always nice to come back home to rest and clear you mind. Traveling to different places was always fun, seeing new people everywhere I went. It was almost like a cycle; leave village, travel to a town, kill demon, go home, leave village, travel to a town, kill demon, go home. I was happy for a time. Then, that horrible demon Naraku came into my life. He annihilated my fellow warriors, my father, and my village; everyone except my brother and me. In less than a day, I was left all alone.

I have new allies now. My friends... they were my enemies when I met them. Naraku had tricked me into thinking it was Inuyasha who slew my village when it had been he who alerted hundreds of demons that the village defenses were weak. I attacked in bitterness and hatred – but towards the wrong target. After that incident, Naraku had become my nemesis and I found friends who would stand beside me just as my companions in the village once did.

I feel so grateful, even with all of the danger that still follows us. And though our journeys, I've gotten to know the strangest people, the people who are closest to my heart now. Inuyahsa; strong and hot-headed, but caring, especially towards Kagome, despite how much he tries to hide it. Kagome; my best friend now, the only girl in our group aside from me. Well, human girl, thinking of the little cat youkai curled up beside me. Kagome leads a difficult life, switching time periods every few weeks to fulfill the duties of her home and her task here with us, but she has never let us down before. She can sense the jewel shards and will always lend her arrow in times of need. Next is Shippo, the kitsune of our party; he isn't the best fighter, nor the most courageous, but he was very resourceful and his fox magic did come in handy sometimes. And the last member of our strange little group.

Miroku. The hentai furyou houshi. Always lying to get us free rooms and free meals at the nicest inns. My thoughts always seem to lead to him. He's always a nuisance, from his constant groping to his opening line of "Will you bear my child?" Yet he's incredibly selfless at times of need. He's sucked in a horde of Naraku's poisonous insects to keep me safe, drawn in hundreds of demons to protect us, and risked in life, on more than one occasion, just for a few shards of the Shikon no Tama. His abilities have always been amazing to me. So have his looks. I do admit, he isn't exactly the ugliest guy I've ever met. But what really captured me were his eyes.

Those dark indigo eyes; it mesmerizes me how they're able to show his emotions clearly. When he's upset, they grow dark and shimmer with tears, and sometimes anger at the cause of his – or others' – sorrow. When he's in battle, they become cool and calculating, trying to find ways to counter the attacker. During those moments where we see Naraku, they glow with the cold fire of hatred. His frozen fury is unleashed as he channels his rage into amazing fighting skills and unexpected strength. In frustration, they close in annoyance. When someone's hurt, they gleam with worry. No matter what the occasion, whatever emotion that shines in those eyes, there's always a hint of sadness, pain, and fear. All because of his hand and the curse upon it.

But during those rare, carefree moments when there are no demon attacks, no one nursing wounds, when he's just enjoying life, he's happy, and his eyes dance with pure joy – the smile in them more beautiful than the smile on his face. When he's not looking, I just like to watch him; watch how he moves, listen to his voice, see those amazing eyes.

Kirara's ears twitched as she looked over her shoulder; she must have heard something. It's most likely someone familiar since she's still relaxed. I can hear it now too. The soft footsteps on the ground, the faint sound of robes moving with the person underneath him, the unmistakable, high pitched clinking of his staff, it can only be one person.

"Sango?" he asked when he came to me.

"Houshi-sama, what are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you. We're almost ready to leave so I came to get you."

"Oh." He didn't say anything to that. He sat down on the ground beside me and stared into the distance. I could only guess what he was thinking; while his eyes revealed every emotion, they did not help me guess his thoughts, or least at this moment. He was fingering something on the ground, but I couldn't see what it was.

"So, what were you doing here all by yourself?" his voice almost made me jump. I was enjoying this quiet moment with him.

"I was just thinking of all of the adventures we've had, and all of the people we've met." And of you. Again, he had no answer to that. Silence had overtaken us once again. I didn't mind too much, because it gave be a chance to think a little longer. My thoughts had shifted, from the past to the future, and what would happen to our little group.

"Do you ever think of the future, Housi-sama?" I softly voiced my thoughts. He turned to look in me, questions written on his face, in his eyes. I almost lost myself again, looking into those eyes, reading those unspoken questions, searching for answers. His voice brought me back.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if we gather all of the shards--"

"When we gather the shards," he corrected, his comment unusually optimistic and full of determination.

"When we gather the shards and defeat Naraku, what's going to happen?"

"I don't think I quite understand what you mean."

"Well, I'm wondering where we'll go next. Are we still going to stay together, or drift apart? Shippo, if we separate, will most likely stay with Kaede, you can find work exorcising, or pretending to exorcise," his eyebrow twitched at this comment, "demons, and I'll probably continue working as a demon slayer. But what about Kagome and Inuyasha? I'm not entirely sure if Inuyasha will still use the jewel to become a full-fledged demon, but there's still the possibility. And since we would no longer be collecting the shards, what will Kagome do? Inuyasha has said before that the only reason he needs her is to see the shards, and I doubt that's the only reason now, but when there are no more shards, then what? Will she stay with us, go to her own time, or continue switching? And if she does decide to stay or continue visiting us, where would she go? The point is, everything will be just like it had been before we met each other. And that means I-I'll…" I couldn't bear to think about it anymore, and I turned away, petting Kirara to calm myself. Miroku had not said a word since I had begun to talk. He seemed to be considering my words very carefully.

"Are you so afraid of being left alone?" I turned to see him, to find the answer that I hoped was written on his face. His eyes locked with mine again, gentle, yet almost commanding me to say my answer.

"I had lost my mother when I was young. In a matter of one day, my entire village, my friends, and my family were killed. The only other survivor, my one and only brother, no longer recognizes me as anything but an enemy. I think I've been lonely for long enough now." I don't know quite what fueled that passionate statement, but another look into the dark depths of those mysterious orbs drained the fire from my statement. He gave me a small smile, a little laughter in his eyes, but always hiding that all-too-familiar sadness. I saw that my fears were echoed in him, though I didn't realize it until now. He took my hands in his.

"If you truly are so afraid to be alone," he began, sincerity in his voice, "then, when the search for the shards of the Shikon no Tama ends, I'll travel with you, where ever you want to go, for however long you want me." I felt the heat rise in my cheeks, being so close to him like this. His words told me what my heart wanted to know the entire time. He was always there for me, and he always would be. My answer was straight from my heart.

"Arigatou, Houshi-sama. I'd like that." He smiled and released my hands. I was a little disappointed, but what he left behind made my cheeks redden even more.

In my hands, he left a lily, magenta center and pure white petals, lined with the same magenta. I smiled and followed him down the path out of the forest.

"Are you ready to go, Sango-chan?" Kagome asked.

"Yes, let's go." As we set off, Kagome stayed beside me.

"What took Miroku so long to get you? Did he get lost?"

"Iie, we just had a little talk." Kagome looked at me with a look that said 'What did he do to you?'

"Aa, there was no harm done," Miroku added falling in step with me. "Just wondering what the future would bring, that's all." I would have smiled at the memory, if not that familiar feeling on my backside. Faster than ever before, I slapped him and stepped far ahead of the group, ready to lash out at the first person who comes near me.

"HENTAI!"

A/N: I had to end it on a light note there :P like I said before, this is my first IY fic (not poem because I have a poem already) and I'd like to know what you think, and any tips on how to make my next one better. I'm pretty new to IY fanfiction, so I'd also like to know some basic info, like nicknames and commonly used words and other things like that. I did have some trouble with this, since it was pretty hard to find things good to describe about him (no offence meant to Miroku fans) so I stuck with the eyes. I love eyes, if you haven't noticed ;P and the little thing with Kirara looking over her shoulder but remaining relaxed mainly comes from my observations of my temporary dog, Gizmo (Watashi no inu wa totemo kawaii desu!) I seem to have mentioned Naraku a lot, didn't I? I hope I kept everyone in character, and constructive criticism will be much appreciated. Domo arigatou to BaoBlossom for beta-reading and to all of you for reading!

A/N (another note): Heion Hayashi translates to Tranquil Forest. Oh, and I had to change my paragraph separator thingy to ... since 5 squiggly thingymajiggers (the key above the Tab key) wouldn't show up