I do not own InuYasha! I wish that I did. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. One thing before you start, hyō means Leopard. Thank you again, please enjoy.

As the sun continued its rise in the sky, the houshi and kitsune kept walking west. They didn't know where they were going, they were just wondering around to get their minds off of the traitors that they called friends as well as the heartbroken miko from the future. She never asked for anything that happened to her, but the kami's seemed to hate her for some reason.

"Miroku, do you think that okaa-san is alright?" The kit asked, even though it has only been a week since the miko went back to home, he was truly worried about what her. Though he knew that she would be back, eventually for she could not leave him for long, he couldn't stop his mind from going down the path of 'what if she didn't return?'

"She promised me that she would be back after she cleared her head." The houshi told the young yōkai that was on his shoulder. "We just have to give her the time that she needs," he consoled the young yōkai. The houshi knew that the kit would continue to worry about his okaa-san until he was in her arms once more, but it couldn't be helped. That blasted hanyou has no idea what he just got rid of, the purple eyed ningen thought as his mind turned to the female that broke his own heart.

Though few in years, the young kitsune knew what was going on with the two holy ningen in his group, the two that he saw more as his parents than just traveling companions. While Inu-baka and Sango where just his friends, or uncle and aunt respectively in a very loose sense of the words. "Miroku, do you think she will ever find someone?" The inquisitive youngling asked.

"I hope that whoever gains Kagome-sama's heart, will be able to keep her safe and happy." The ningen said as he was thinking of the hurt female once more. Sure he didn't know her as long as the kit did, but he was still worried about her, for she was his friend. He didn't fully understand the miko from the future but he was like the others and could forget about that insignificant fact, it was something that to all those that she called a friend. "She needs to be treasured, but only by the one that her soul cried out for," the ningen wasn't sure why he was telling the young kit his inner thoughts, not even Sango knew these thoughts. "What about you?" He asked the young one. "What do you hope she will find in someone?"

"I want him to be able to make her laugh and smile but he has to be able to accept me as her musuko." The kit looked over to the ningen. Of course he knew that she would not stay with anyone that could not welcome him into the family right away. The yōkai knew that no matter what time she ended up in, he would always be there for her.

"Anyone that wants to win her over will have to go through you, so I wouldn't worry about that if I were you." The amethyst eyed ningen said before the two elapsed into silence once more.

Without the constant groaning and complaining of the inu hanyou the two discovered how peaceful the forest could be. While the area around them was calm, they never forgot that at any given time they could come across a violent yōkai. They knew that they were at a disadvantage without the inu's nose, however without the baka they could hear if they were in any form of danger from the sounds coming from the forest itself.

Of course with it being just the two of them, it would take even longer to kill the enemy when they were attacked. Sure they both could take care of themselves, for the most part in the young kitsunes case, but they could no longer attack them from multiple angels at once.

However they could turn this certain disadvantage into an advantage by the fact that they could hide better in times of need. With there only being only two of them now, they now made less noise as they traveling the countryside. While they couldn't tell what was after them, they could confuse it better. For the first time, Miroku was happy that he was almost alone on his travels.

It was after the sun hit its zenith, when something interesting happened to the two. The forest was still alive when the sound of rapid footfalls started to come closer to them. The kitsune could smell the scent of death that hung around this mysterious person telling him that it was in fact a ningen. Upon noticing this fact he let his otou-san know, of course he would never call the houshi that out loud without permission but in the safety of his own mind he called the houshi that with pride. "Miroku, there is a ningen coming this way, and they are hurt," The young kit said as he tried to get the exact position that the blood was coming from.

"Someone help me!" The two stopped when they heard a female voice come closer to them. "Please, anyone!" A blond came bounding out of the brush followed shortly by an ookami.

"Kitsune-bi!" The kit yelled as his blue flames wrapped around the wild animal, chasing it away.

The houshi smiled as he started ruffle the hair of the young kitsune. "Nicely done, Shippou." He praised before looking at the female that was chased into their path. "Are you alright Miss?" He asked her, noticing the droplets of blood that were splashing against the ground.

"Oh yes," She told Miroku before she saw Shippou on his shoulder and gave them a strange look. "Houshi-sama are you sure that you should have an yōkai that close to you? What if it turns on you?"

Being called an "it" by someone that didn't even know what was going on, made Shippou release a soft growl and caused his tail to puff up in rage. His eyes flashed for a second before his otou-san put a hand on his back.

"Miss, I am sure that Shippou wouldn't do anything like that, in fact it was he that saved you from that ookami." Miroku told the new comer, his eyes narrowing on her showing her his displeasure of her previous comments, actually that was the only way that he showed his irritation towards her. "Now, would you like help to the next village so that you get aid for the bleeding?" He asked, no matter how annoyed he was with the ningen he had to help her in any way that he could.

"I am sure that I can manage it by myself," The woman told him, in a voice as cold as ice.

"Miroku, are you alright?" The kit asked the houshi.

"Yes Shippou," the purple eyed ningen replied. "I just forgot that there are ningen out there that don't trust yōkai. I guess I got used to Kagome-sama and her tolerance for everything." He laughed as he started walking again.

Hearing the older male talk about his okaa-san, the kit couldn't help but to swell with pride. Sure he knew that the houshi thought highly of her, but it was a different matter to hear about him talking about her. "Miroku," the kit started, but stopped himself. What if he doesn't feel the same way, he thought shaking his head.

"What is it?" The houshi asked, trying to get the thought from the young one.

"Never mind, it isn't important" The kit said as he relaxed against the houshi once more.

"If you say so," Miroku told him, but kept on walking towards the setting sun.

With the sun setting, the two travelers stopped to find a nice place to set up camp and get something to eat. The food wouldn't be all that nice, for they didn't have Kagome's ninja food, but they could easily find something with enough meat for the two of them.

With a nice fire going, and bellies full the two leaned against a tree. "Night, otou-san" the kit said not detecting his mistake because of how tired he was. It was a long day for the young yōkai, and the houshi know it.

"Goodnight, musuko" Miroku said once he was sure the kit was out and wouldn't hear him. He smiled as the kit curled up closer to him, it was his way of seeking comfort and the houshi knew it.

Miroku awoke to a strange rustle in the trees; a yōkai is near he thought to himself before setting his eyes on Shippou to ensure he was still sleeping. Making sure not wake the young kit; he gently sets Shippou into a hollow at the base of the tree. After setting wards up to protect the yōkai, he set off to a clearing in the forest. I'm not alone; Miroku realizes he is surrounded by three hyō yōkai and Naraku's saimyōshō. Within that instant he was slashed from behind, before falling to his knees. He received a sharp kick to his chin as he hit the forest floor getting him to fold in on himself.

Stunned by being forced to the ground, he looked up to see female form with blood dripping off of her fingertips. Great I'm going to black out and die by a female yōkai instead of in the arms of women, before his vision completely went dark he heard his musuko's laugh, I cannot give up yet Miroku thought before taking out two of his ofuda. He quickly placed them on the ground around him while they were not paying attention to him. He quietly said the incantations for purifying any yōkai, trying to keep the volume to a minimum.

Before he could complete the incantations necessary, he was struck again, but this time they made the mistake of knocking him towards his shakujō. With a surge of adrenaline in his veins, he removed the nenju on his Kazaana using the void to suck in the saimyōshō. Well that's one problem down, Miroku sneered knowing that while he now had poison running through his body, he knew that he would still being able to fight. He grabbed his Shakujō while rolling to his feet, as he started to move the six rings started to rattle against not only each other but the head of it as well. He was glad that his need for silence was no longer needed, as he started to glare at the yōkai that were preventing him from joining with his musuko.

Even though he was on his feet, he was only barely up right. The only female of the trio was the one to strike at him, trying to take advantage of his weakened state." I don't normally strike women, but I'll make an exception for you." Miroku told her as he pushed his energy up through the metal pole and towards the sharpened edges of the head. He aimed his weapon at the demoness trying to at least hit her to do some damage.However it was not to be as he struck in his blind spot once again by one of the others that he forgot about.

Miroku, normally calm and collected, was overcome by anger because of his incompetence to watch his own back in battle. Using his rage as fuel, he kicks the last member of the trio into the one that got him causing them to fall down before he received any damage. As he turned to the female,he was greeted with the sight of an angered yōkai that had gotten up and was starting to stalk towards him. He held his shakujō out in front of him as the yōkai lunged for him, stopping her from getting her claws into him. He kicked her back before cutting her through with the head of his staff. With the leader gone he turned to the other two to find one of them holding a still sleeping Shippou.

"One move, Houshi, and the kit gets it," the one that was holding the young kitsune said. Why would they just go after him? Miroku thought as he was taking in the sight before him. "Now give us the Shikon shards and we will let you live," the ningen could now tell what the yōkai were trying to do.

"What makes you think that I have any of them?" the houshi asked thinking of a way to defuse the situation and keep the kit alive. He knew that the odds of the both of them staying alive after this encounter were low, but he made a promise to Kagome. However, even without a promise he would try anyway.

"Are you not the houshi that travels with the hanyou, miko, taijiya, nekomata and kitsune?" The hyō laughed while shaking the young kitsune awake. "Of course you are, what other holy man would want to travel with an yōkai? Better yet, what other kit would trust two holy ningen enough to travel with them?" The older yōkai laughed as Shippou squirmed to get out his grasp. "Ah, does the little kit not like it when I do this?" The yōkai laughed again as he started to shake the kit again, getting a cry from the young one.

"Leave my musuko alone!" Miroku growled out as he dashed towards the one that had the gall to hurt the young one. With a swift kick to the face the yōkai let go of the kitsune, who promptly ran into the brush to hide. "This has nothing to do with him!" The houshi didn't give the other male a chance to react to the kick, he rushed the yōkai again.

The yōkai dodged his incoming attach by rolling to the side, but it was obvious that he was hurt with the way he was favoring his left side. "You think that, will stop me?" he laughed as he struggled to remain upright, obviously the kick that he got earlier finally starting to affect him. "I will take pleasure taking your life, after what you did to the others."

Miroku didn't give him much time on in this plane of existence. He dodged the poorly aimed attack to the head before he slammed the head of his Shakujō into the hyō's throat, slicing him straight across and getting sprayed with blood in the process.

The houshi collapsed to his knees as the saimyōshō's poison started to go through his bloodstream. Of course it had been there for a few moments, but now that he didn't have an escape from the pain, it was more noticeable to him. "Shippou," he called out weakly. He heard the kit start towards him, but before he could set his eyes on the young yōkai he blacked out.

"Miroku!" The kit screamed out for his otou-san. "Otou-san! Please wake up!" He was crying over the passed out ningen, not caring that he was standing in the blood of the yōkai that was killed by one of the two most important people to him. "Don't leave me," he kept on crying as he begged the ningen to come back to him.

He didn't know how long he stayed there next to the ningen, just making sure that he was still breathing and his heart was still beating. He didn't care that it was now morning or that it was raining, he just wanted his otou back, wanted to see his smile once more and most of all wanted to see him every day.

"Jinenji, come here boy," an elder female called out as she came across the sight.

"What is it Ma?" The large hanyou said as he came out of the forest. "Oh my," he whispered to no one in general when he saw the kitsune weeping over the ningens body.

Shippou, hearing the new voices, looked up to see the two newcomers. He growled at the two of them, trying to keep them away from the houshi.

"We can help him," The male said. "Don't be afraid of us," he was kind, and it shown through his words and in his eyes. "We have an herb farm not too far from here."

"Please, help him." The kit begged the two. "He was poisoned, I don't know how much longer he has." He told them as he started to sob once again, but this time it was harder, for he knew that he might not get to have his otou back.

"We will do all that we can," the female said, and mentioned to Jinenji to pick up the houshi.

AN- So two more chapters and that is going to be it for this story. I know it was short but it was meant to be a one-shot but I scrapped that idea and I am going to go with four chapters, now. I am so sorry that it took so long to get this out but writers block got to me and I just couldn't seem to get this chapter right. I would like to thank a friend for helping me write the battle scene, also a big thank you to Chloeannje for being my beta (not officially a beta, yet), and lastly another thank you to one of my friends from Pottermore, Prophet, for helping me find my inspiration to finish this chapter. Also you can now find me on Facebook, I will be using it like my Twitter account, just to post updates one what is going on with my stories and such.

Love yinz

Sugar