Disclaimer: Do not own the darn thing. Damn.
Author's Notes: I am currently revising several of my fics and this is one of them. So this is the revised version of "That Game Of Love". Hopefully, it will be better than the first.
Summary: Inu Yasha has chosen Kikyo, but Kagome's not the only one that is suffering from his betrayal. Our favorite monk has also fallen in love with the hanyou and there's more unrequited love going around. They are all unfortunate players in this so called game of love. Pairings: Inu/Kikyo [One sided Inu/Kag, Inu/Miroku, and Kag/Sango]
Warning: Shounen-ai/Yaoi & Shoujo-ai/Yuri.
-- That Game Of Love --
He watched the all too familiar scene with tired wearisome eyes. Inu Yasha coming back from the forest in the middle of the night, a confused and distressed expression on his face. The vivid lights of Kikyo's soul stealers shining fiercely over the evergreen trees. The soft thudding footsteps of Kagome rushing to the camp, her weak smile trying to hide unmistakable pain and heartbreak. Her soft cries fading as she went on her route to the well and into her own era. The all too familiar scene with everything happening just like all the other times. Except this time there was something different and amiss. Something different in Inu Yasha's expression, something dissimilar in Kagome's sobs, some final undertone in it all. And then Miroku felt realization flood over him. This was the final and last time.
Inu Yasha had chosen.
Sighing softly the monk poked the crackling fire with a stick and watched as Inu Yasha slowly walked up to the warmth and sat down near it. Miroku kept his eyes on the ground, inside fighting vainly to keep his calm collected mask upon his face, but every second it was getting more difficult. He felt like breaking down and sobbing, but that was not an option. That couldn't happen.
Miroku shifted his eyes back up to the hanyou who sat staring intently into the bright orange flames and felt that uncontrollable emotion fight its way back into his throat, but he quickly shook it away. It wasn't his place to release his sorrow and Inu Yasha need not know how he felt. But finally after a few minutes the monk couldn't stand the tense silence and spoke.
"Inu Yasha?" It was a quiet question, silent and understanding.
Inu Yasha looked up, his vibrant golden orbs glaring in the firelight. His face was a mixture of more emotions than Miroku had ever seen on him before. A soft 'feh' told the monk that he was listening.
"You chose Kikyo... didn't you," It was more of a statement than a question. Miroku saw Inu Yasha narrow his eyes and open his mouth as if to snap back, but he quickly closed it and nodded his head.
"Yeah, so what? I made a promise to her and I love Kikyo," Inu Yasha muttered, turning his gaze back to the fire. Miroku's heart clenched painfully and this, but his calm never wavered, on the outside that is. He wondered once again how Kagome could keep on smiling and acting cheerful if her suffering was as great as his. Silently he cursed the gods who forced them into this game of torturous unrequited love.
"Do you not know how much Kagome-sama is hurting because of your choice?" Miroku asked, staring intently at the hanyou.
"Damn! Don't go starting on that again," Inu Yasha growled, "She'll live. It's her fault anyway and not mine."
Miroku felt a surge of irritation rise up in him and his stare intensified. Did the hanyou not know how harsh his words were? Kagome loved him with all her heart and that was what she received in return? A foolish hanyou that didn't give a damn about her feelings. 'That doesn't even know about my feelings and probably wouldn't give a damn anyway,' He thought bitterly and turned away from the fire.
"I only hope you don't regret your choice Inu Yasha," Miroku sighed quietly and started to walk back to Kaede's hut. In mid-stride he stopped and turned his head back toward Inu Yasha. The monk gave him a tired smile then slowly continued on his way. He really didn't know how long he could keep his act up, if he would break before the end.
'No.' A faint determination seeped through his eyes and Miroku closed them once before reopening them and gazed straight ahead. 'Not until Naraku is dead can I give up. The others have their own problems and do not need mine to burden them. A monk always carries his own burdens,' Miroku retreated into the warm hut with that thought in mind.
Sango was sitting on the floor polishing her boomerang and Kaede was in the corner stirring something in a small pot when Miroku entered the hut. Sango raised her head when she heard the monk enter and a weak smile graced her lips as she motioned him to sit beside her. Miroku obliged and waited for the demon slayer to speak.
Sango glanced over at the monk and suppressed a sigh. From his calm relaxed stance you would have never knew that he was hurting inside, but Sango could tell because she felt the exact same pain. Except hers was from a different source.
Finally Sango spoke, "Kikyo?" It was a simple question that she was almost positive of what the answer was. No one could of caused such tension and disruption.
"Yes," Miroku replied and gave the demon slayer a soft glance. "I think Kagome-sama knew it was coming, but I know this time it hurt the worst,"
Sango felt her hands tightened into fists and she cursed silently. 'Damn. If only Kagome knew...'
Sango forced herself to look back up. "Inu Yasha's an idiot," She murmured, not daring to say anything more.
"Yes, but we must respect his choice," Miroku replied gently.
Sango started at these soft-spoken words and whispered, "Your also hurting Miroku... because of Inu Yasha. How can you stand it?"
Miroku met Sango's intensive gaze with his own. "It is not me that you should worry about. It is Kagome and you who are hurting the most,"
"No," Sango said firmly, "You are hurting just as much, if not more than me. You have every thing else to deal with besides this. I don't think I could stand the stress and pressure,"
Miroku smiled gently and chuckled, "You always know how to win an argument with me don't you?" Sango sent a sideways glance at the monk and started to smirk slightly until she glimpsed a flash of turmoil and longing flit across Miroku's eyes. Her lips settled back down into a somber, grim line.
"You're also an idiot, you know that monk?"
Miroku raised his eyebrows at Sango's comment. "And how is that?"
"You could have fallen in love with any woman you wanted to, yet you settle with a stubborn, idiotic hanyou that doesn't reciprocate your sentiments " Sango murmured.
Miroku chuckled and said; "I could say the same thing about you. Even though Kagome-sama is a kind girl, she is also quite naïve at times."
"Yes, she is," the demon slayer whispered, "But Inu Yasha could be a wonderful choice as a lover, if he'd act his age once in a while."
Miroku leaned up against the wall of the hut, his lips curving into a smile. "Well, I can't deny that he certainly is a beauty. So... I could deal with his immaturity," he said slyly, winking at his companion.
Sango shot him a teasing look. "And here I thought you only had lecherous thoughts about women."
"Women are like goddesses which can not be attainable and theirs may be beauty, but my tastes lean towards more like...Inu Yasha's looks," he mused.
Sango shook her head and smiled in reply, grateful that Miroku had pulled the conversation into a more lightened mood.
"Ah...Miroku, Sango," Kaede interrupted their conversation with a slight cough.
"Yes Kaede-sama?" Miroku asked politely.
Kaede looked at them with kind eyes and said, "Kagome is coming and so is Inu Yasha, I can sense their presences very near. Perhaps ye should wrap up thou 's conversation," She then turned back to her cooking pot.
"Kaede-sama is right," Miroku said and slowly rose to his feet. "Thank-you for the pleasant conversation Sango-san."
Sango smiled and nodded her head then turned her attention to the raven-haired girl that had just stepped through the door. Miroku focused his attention on the silver haired hanyou that arrived seconds after Kagome. He knew that the Fates still had more games for them to play in the game of love and did not want to surmise the outcome of the game.
None of them did.
TBC...
Side Notes (1): So do you think I should stop there or continue? Will Miroku, Kagome, and Sango be forever doomed to heartbreak and loneliness? Review and decide the outcome of their fate.
Side Notes (2): Please forgive me for the formatting. Microsoft Word and I do not play very well together. Add that to the latest rules that this site has installed equals a bloody mess.