OK guys, this is my first Inuyasha fanfic, so be gentle. I am actually new to Inuyasha, but I like it so I will try this out. This story is dedicated to two special ladies: Time on my hands for introducing me to Inuyasha and to Sonata Rapp for pointing out some Sess/Miroku fanfics for me to read. I totally love this pairing now so I had to try my hand at it.

"So what do you want?" Inuyasha demanded of his older half-brother. As usual, Sesshomaru had just barged in on them without preamble. "Why are you here?"

"I have no business with you," Sesshomaru replied coolly.

"That's surprising," Inuyasha snorted. "You sure you haven't come after Tesseiga again?" Now that they had defeated Naraku and Sesshomaru had obtained Bakusaiga he had challenged Inuyasha several times to see which sword was stronger; usually ending in a draw. Inuyasha would never admit out loud that not only was Bakusaiga probably stronger but that Sesshomaru was the better swordsman. But Sesshomaru hadn't completely mastered Bakusaiga yet so it was only a matter of time before he would be able to best Inuyasha.

"There is no need for that. I have already demonstrated that I wield a more powerful weapon and my skills are far superior to your own."

Inuyasha growled irritatingly. "You still have not answered my question. What the hell do you want?"

Sesshomaru, growing tired of this banter with his younger sibling and remembering the urgency of his quest chose to end it. "I have come for the monk."

Miroku raised his head in surprise. "Who me?"

Sesshomaru ground his teeth in irritation. "Is there another monk present?"

"Look here smartass," Inuyasha interjected. "What the hell do you want him for?"

"That is not your affair."

"The hell it isn't!" Inuyasha replied hotly. "You can't just barge in here and-"

"Inuyasha! Please!" Kogame spoke up at last. She knew Sesshomaru well enough to know that he wouldn't seek them out for no reason, and if he wished to fight Inuyasha he would have engaged him by now. "Let him speak."

Inuyasha crossed his arms, resembling a child that didn't get their way. "Alright," he huffed. "What is it?"

"I have come for the monk," Sesshomaru repeated.

"You already said that," Inuyasha growled, wondering why his brother was being so evasive. It was starting to grate on his nerves. "The question is why do you want him?"

"I require his abilities."

"What for?"

"That does not concern you."

"Look-"

"Sesshomaru," Miroku said quietly but firmly, trying to keep the peace between the squabbling brothers. He had a lot on his mind and had not the patience to deal with their bickering. "How can I be of service?"

"I will brief you on the way. Time is short. Now come." Sesshomaru turned on his heel to leave, expecting Miroku to follow. Miroku made a step to do just that but was halted by Inuyasha's hand on his arm.

"You're not going anywhere with him," he stated.

Sesshomaru turned around to face his brother, his face a hard mask and his eyes ablaze. Time was of the essence. "This is not a request."

"Oh, but it is a request," Inuyasha countered. "A request I will deny."

Kagome was deep in thought, pondering over what Sesshomaru could possibly want. It this wasn't about Naraku or picking a fight with Inuyasha then it must be…

"Sesshomaru," Kagome asked calmly, "has something happened to Rin?"

Sesshomaru flinched ever so slightly, but it was enough for all of them to notice.

"What happened?" Miroku asked, his concern growing, along with his curiosity. The relationship between his friend's brother and the little girl that accompanied him had always puzzled him. He wished to know more, but how to approach the topic?

"I will explain on the way." He reached out and grasped Miroku's arm in a firm grip and pulled him. "We will leave now."

"Get your claws off of him," Inuyasha growled, reaching for his sword. Inuyasha wasn't afraid of his brother, but he was afraid of what he was capable of, especially to one of his friends.

The look that Sesshomaru turned on Inuyasha unnerved him, along with the rest of their group. Sesshomaru reached for his sword. If Inuyasha wanted to fight, then so be it. He would dispel of him quickly so he could be on his way.

Miroku decided it was time to end this. Sesshomaru had gone through the trouble of seeking him out so whatever was troubling Rin must be serious.

"Inuyasha," he started. "I will be fine."

"What! No! You can't be serious about going with him. He'd kill you as soon as look at you!" Inuyasha declared.

"Inuyasha, I am sure he wouldn't seek me out to kill me. I have not offended him in any way, I don't think. I will be fine. I will go take care of Rin and return as soon as possible."

"Alright, but I'm coming with you-"

"No." Sesshomaru spoke in a firm tone that would brook no argument. Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest, but halted at the look on Kagome's face.

"If you harm one hair on his head-"

"I will not be threatened by you or anyone else." Sesshomaru cut him off. He turned to Miroku. "We will leave. Now." Everyone, except Sesshomaru, turned their eyes to Inuyasha; who gave a brief, curt nod.

Miroku moved to comfort his friend. "I won't be long. I'll be back-"

"When you have completed the task that I require of you," Sesshomaru finished for him.

"Of course."

"Look, don't stay with that asshole too long. I meant what I said. If he tries something I'll fucking kill him," Inuyasha promised, not loudly, be he knew that Sesshomaru's sharp ears had heard his warning although he was already striding off in the opposite direction.

"I'm sure there will be no need for that," Miroku reassured him, and hurried off to catch up.

In the forest

Miroku struggled to keep up with Sesshomaru's unforgiving pace. When he finally caught up to the much taller yokai, he asked him about what was going on.

"What is the problem?"

"Rin has been…attacked by one of your fellow monks," Sesshomaru stated accusingly.

Miroku swallowed hard. "What happened?"

"She had been cursed."

Miroku was taken aback. "Are…are you sure?"

Sesshomaru stared at him as though he had asked a stupid question. Of course it was a stupid question.

"I apologize. What I mean is that I cannot believe a monk would do such a thing to a…"

"Human," Sesshomaru offered, knowing that was what Miroku wanted to say.

And it was true. The monks usually performed these curses on demons, but Sesshomaru already knew that and he didn't want to agitate him further. "A child," he compromised.

"It was unintentional. It was intended for…me," he finished, not wanting to go into how the sutra had landed on Rin instead.

"Did you attempt to remove the sutra?" Miroku asked carefully, not wanted to insult Sesshomaru by stating that he could not do so.

"No." Sesshomaru knew enough about these curses to know that they could only be removed by the one who placed it or someone with the same ability.

"Good." Miroku was relieved to hear that. "How far away is she?"

"Just ahead." Sesshomaru led Miroku to a clearing up ahead. Jaken came rushing out to meet them.

"Lord Sesshomaru, she's getting worse! We have to…" he cut off that sentence to start another when he spotted Miroku. "What is he doing here?"

"He has come to assist with Rin. Now step aside."

"Yes-yes my lord." Jaken bowed and stepped aside. What could this lowly monk do? Could he possibly cancel the spell? But then again, it was a monk who did this in an attempt to attack his master.

"How is she?" Miroku asked Jaken as he leaned down to inspect her. He didn't touch her yet; he must first determine what type of spell it was before venturing to tamper with it.

"She's getting worse," Jaken informed them. "She's has cried out for you several times Lord Sesshomaru."

There was something in Sesshomaru's eyes that Miroku had never seen before. Was that fear? Mercy? Compassion? Miroku would contemplate it later.

"What will you do now?" Sesshomaru asked him.

"First, I must figure out what type of spell it is before attempting to remove it." Miroku sat his staff on the ground and assumed a meditative position.

"What you doing?" Jaken asked, incredulous. "This is not the time to medi-"

"Silence Jaken!" Sesshomaru said sharply to his servant.

"Y-yes my lord I apologize," he said bowing. His tone gave Jaken pause. He had only heard him use that tone a few times, and never to him.

Miroku slowed his breathing and stretched out his mind.

Back in the village

"What the hell is his problem?" Inuyasha fumed, pacing back and forth.

"Apparently something happened to Rin," Kogame explained. "You saw how he reacted when I mentioned her name."

"That girl has no business traveling with him anyway!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "He doesn't even like humans!"

"That's not necessarily true," Sango spoke up. "He had Kohaku with him for a while. And he had nothing but good things to say of Sesshomaru." Sango had not been with them when Sesshomaru approached them. Ever since she had broke off their engagement she had tried her best to keep her distance from Miroku to give him time to recover. "You say Miroku just took off without protest? I wonder why he didn't put up a fight."

"Isn't it obvious?" Inuyasha answered accusingly. "He obviously wanted to get away from you."

Sango sighed. She was tired of having the same argument with Inuyasha, Shippo, and Kagome. Their constant jabs and futile attempts to reunite her and Miroku were in vain. She had made up her mind. Miroku had given up his amorous pursuits for her as he had promised, but the spark had gone out of the relationship and she didn't know how to recapture it. She had felt guilty, even more so after his reaction but she refused to consider getting back together. It wouldn't be fair to either of them.

"Leave it alone Inuyasha," Kagome advised. "It's not going to happen. Perhaps the separation will do him some good. He needs something to take his mind off of the breakup anyway," she reasoned.

Sango shot her a sharp look. Something about that comment did not sit well with her.

"Anyway," Inuyasha spoke up. "If he's not back by tomorrow, I'm going after him."

Back in the woods

Miroku had identified the source of the curse. It was a sealing curse, designed to seal Sesshomaru's yokai powers, which was why Rin wasn't dead yet. This type of curse would be harmless to a full grown human such as himself but Rin was a child so there was a danger. He could also sense her body struggling against the effects of the curse, but she was growing weary. Feeling her restless energy, he reached out with his own.

Sesshomaru felt Rin's restless energy but knew he could not stop it. He watched as Miroku's calm presence stilled Rin's restless aura. Instead of watching Rin, he found that he could not take his eyes off of Miroku. Some sort of emotion stirred in him. What was it? As he observed, Miroku reached out and pulled the sutra off of her forehead. Rin's eyes fluttered open.

"Hello Rin," Miroku greeted.

Her tired eyes struggled with recognition. "I-I know you," she decided.

"Yes, you do. My name is Miroku. I am a friend of Inuyasha's." He didn't want to say a friend of Sesshomaru's since he knew that wasn't true.

"Where is…Lord Sesshomaru?" She asked, out of breath.

"I am here Rin." Sesshomaru stepped forward.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I'm sorry. I got in the way-" she struggled to get up.

"Rin, be still," Sesshomaru said tenderly, leaning down beside her. "You must rest."

Miroku observed him in awe. Never before had he observed Sesshomaru speak with such compassion.

"OK," she murmured sleepily before passing out. In the gentlest of gestures, Sesshomaru touched her face. Furrowing his eyebrow, he turned to Miroku. "Her skin is hot."

Miroku leaned down and touched her forehead. "She has a fever."

"What do you recommend?" Sesshomaru asked.

Miroku blinked, trying to digest it all. Is Sesshomaru actually asking me for advice? He wondered to himself. This was all too much. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a sharp jab in his side from Jaken.

"Lord Sesshomaru asked you a question!" he snapped. He was irritated by this human's presence. He tolerated Rin because he had no choice. He had even tolerated Kohaku for the short while. But this monk was too much, especially since he was a friend of Inuyasha, his master's despicable hanyo brother.

"My apologies. If I may, I might recommend rest. Perhaps in a village where she could be more comfortable. We could obtain medicine to aid her in recovering from the fever."

"A human village?" Jaken snorted. "Are you actually suggesting-"

"Are you speaking of the village in which Inuyasha resides?" Sesshomaru asked, cutting his servant's protest off.

"Yes. Kaede and Kogame could provide a remedy for her fever. It is only a few hours journey from here. We could leave in the morning-"

"We will leave tonight," Sesshomaru decided. He wasn't thrilled with taking Rin around so many stupid ningens, not to mention his idiot hanyo brother, but it couldn't be helped. Besides, his presence there would ensure her safety.

As they trekked to the village, Sesshomaru observed Miroku. He noted his calm presence, confident but not cocky, careful and thoughtful, totally unlike his brother. He reasoned that Inuyasha needed a presence such as his to keep his impetuous nature from running amok. This monk had definitely peaked his curiosity.

"Monk."

Miroku was startled out of his puzzling over Sesshomaru's true nature by his voice. "Yes?"

"I'm curious. Why do you travel with my brother?"

Miroku thought on this, although he already knew the answer. "Because he is kind-hearted. And loyal. And fiercely protective over his friends."

"He always did have a weak spot for humans."

"As do you," Miroku observed.

Sesshomaru halted in his step to fix Miroku with a hard, cold stare. Miroku was unmoved.

"It is true, is it not? Otherwise, why would you have sought me out to assist you with Rin?"

Sesshomaru continued his trek in silence. His affection for Rin was one that few dared to acknowledge openly. Sesshomaru's view on humans as useless insects had not changed much. Rin was…different. Perhaps this monk was as well? No, wait what was he saying?

"Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru turned to acknowledge Miroku, raising his eyebrow.

"I have a request."

"What is it?"

"Would you please call me Miroku?"

Sesshomaru knew the monk's first name but it never occurred to him to address him as such. "Very well," he relented. "Miroku."

Something about the way Sesshomaru spoke his name stirred Miroku. He wondered why he had asked Sesshomaru to use it in the first place. After all, he was used to people addressing him as 'monk'. The only people that called him by his name were his friends. They continued their journey in silence.

When they reached the edge of the village, Sesshomaru halted their entourage. "Jaken."

Jaken, who had been scuttling along, halted his step. "Yes, my lord?"

"Wait here with Ah-Un until I return." He did not want to arouse too much attention, and a two-headed dragon was certain to do so. He had not the patience to deal with humans. He was certain that he would kill any who challenged him at this time.

In Kaede's home

Inuyasha, who had been sulking all night, was suddenly on alert. He jumped up.

Kogame stirred. "Inuyasha?" she asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

Inuyasha wasn't listening. That scent, it could only be…

Two pairs of shoes appeared under the curtain the doorway. One was the familiar sandals of his comrade, and the other, the boots of his brother. Inuyasha growled in annoyance. Why the hell was he here?

Oh dear! How will Inuyasha react to the presence of his brother this time? And is there something brewing between his brother and his friend? Find out as Cursed continues!

Notes: I hope I kept everyone in character. However, as we all know, strong emotions might cause one to do something they normally would not.

To my YYH readers: I have NOT abandoned The Letter or About Last Night. However, recent circumstances drive my heart to write this. I hope this meets with your approval. I will update on the others soon, particularly About Last Night (fear not, TM29). I have hit a momentary roadblock in The Letter.

Review for me!

Much luv,

NG714