Kagome sipped her coffee nervously, waiting at the bus stop in front of her apartment. The next bus was due any minute and it would soon take her across town to catch another bus and then arrive at the temple where it seemed likely she would find an end to her exhausting dreams. She hoped that helping Inuyasha truly meant freeing him and not simply releasing his soul. Despite the fear, pain and anguish she had continually felt while he haunted her dreams for the last six months, Kagome was attached to him. Actually speaking to him had only strengthened her attachment. She took a larger sip as her cheeks flushed when she remembered kissing him in the dream. It truly had been a relieved reaction and he hadn't seemed to mind too much. What if he didn't remember? Would she be glad or disappointed? Kagome tried to return her focus to the task at hand. She had to find a way into the temple, figure out where Inuyasha was and then figure out how to get him out.

Kagome was not ignorant of the ways of shrines and temples. Having grown up on a shrine - or what had been a shrine - and trained some in a few smaller shrines herself, she was aware of the legends that tended to surround the places, especially the older ones. It was entirely likely that the monks of the temple thought they were maintaining a seal on a mass murdering youkai from the old days. Especially hearing him speak that night, Kagome was even more certain than before that Inuyasha had to have been sealed more recently. His accent and the words he used made it clear that he was from a relatively modern time, but still probably a decade or more in the past.

When Kagome finally arrived at the temple, she sighed. This would be no easy task. In preparation for the fake visit she had planned to use as an excuse, she had dressed in her full traditional miko garb. Lay people were generally not allowed inside the deeper parts of the temple and so she would play the miko card as many times as she had to in order to find Inuyasha. When she entered the gates, she bowed politely to the first monk she saw and smiled serenely. She had put on a light amount of makeup so she didn't look quite so ghostly, and luckily the long sleeves of her white suikan covered her bandaged wrists from her trip to Kaou's. "Hello. I was informed there was a great tree here, a sacred tree. I had hoped to see it for myself." The monk stared at her for a long time before waving her along behind him and seemingly going in search of someone higher in the "ranks" to deal with her.

"You are?" questioned the man barely older than herself with stunning indigo eyes and his longish hair pulled into a low tail. He seemed no older nor more influential than the monk who had left her with him, but he did seem much wiser and more worldly.

"Higurashi Kagome," she replied.

"I see. And you would like to visit Goshinboku, I've been informed." Kagome fought her excitement at hearing the specific name Inuyasha had used. She had a feeling that she was being tested somehow. She simply nodded, acting as though this was all completely normal. "You are... not aware of what you will find there." Kagome gave him a wide innocent look as though she didn't completely understand the question. The monk, who had yet to introduce himself, eyed her more carefully. "Your act is unnecessary. He has been mumbling your name since this morning." Kagome could not completely cover her shock.

"Pardon?" she squeaked. Part of her was terrified that her ruse was blown, another was too thrilled to finally know that he was alive and waiting for her.

"Inuyasha has been restrained against that tree in sleep for nearly fifty years."

"Fi-fifty years?" she asked incredulously. She sucked in a deep breath in hopes of slowing her racing heart. "Why have none of the monks released him...?"

The monk smiled gently. "Miroku." Kagome nodded at him. "Until recently it has been the belief that Inuyasha was justly confined there, for crimes he had or would have committed. It is now only the belief among a select few. Those of us who know more of the story and know he was trapped unfairly have attempted to release him, every day as a matter of fact. Our efforts only managed to further entangle him. Until this morning that is." Miroku's eyes twinkled. "This morning one of his shackles... bit back. We were so startled, we didn't know how to react at first, and so we stood around like idiots and stared at him. Then he began mumbling."

"He... mumbles often?"

"Never actually. It was the first time we had ever seen any sign of life aside from breath entering and leaving his lungs at an agonizingly slow rate. His heart does not even appear to beat." Miroku smiled at the perplexed look she gave him. "It has often been the pastime of a young monk to meditate by watching and counting the breaths of the hanyou guarded here."

"But you said he mumbled..."

"Kagome. 'Kagome is going to set me free' were, I believe, his exact words." Kagome openly gaped. "Your arrival here this morning cannot simply be coincidence. Would you mind telling me what you are truly doing here and how you found out that he was here?"

Kagome remained silent and frightened for another moment. Tell the truth and gain the monk's sympathy or tell a lie and maybe get closer to Inuyasha? She wasn't sure either one would work, but she did know that she was a terrible liar. "For... six months now, Inuyasha was in my dreams, shouting and begging to be released. I did not know his name until last night, did not even know he was hanyou. He always appeared human to me before."

Miroku stared openly at the young miko sitting across from him. He had asked her to join him in the lecture hall where he often meditated since most of the older (stiffer) monks tended to keep to the large kondo nearer to the living quarters. She was a lovely young woman, something he was trying to remind himself he wasn't supposed to be aware of, but she was clearly at the end of her rope. A bit on the thin side, and clearly wearing makeup to hide the pallor of her skin, Miroku could still tell what a beauty she was. "And you have not been sleeping well." Her large dark eyes took him in with a calculating look.

"I sleep, but I wouldn't say I feel rested when I wake up. Inuyasha has been yelling in my head every single time I close my eyes." She smiled a little grimly. "I wish I were exaggerating when I say that." Nodding his understanding, and yet completely floored by her strength, Miroku sighed before motioning her to stand and follow him. He made sure there weren't any of the older monks lurking about before leading her down the old pathways that led to the far back edge of the temple grounds. While he felt a little doubtful that this young woman would actually be capable of releasing Inuyasha from his prison, he knew he had to at least give her the chance, and possibly the peace of just knowing she'd tried.

Kagome struggled to keep up with Miroku as they walked at a brisk pace, darting behind building to keep out of sight. The effects of Kaou's candy and the large coffee she'd had on her way were wearing off pretty quickly and she was losing steam. "Not too much further," the young monk assured her from ahead. Kagome nodded and took a deep breath to regain her strength as best she could.

The rear of the temple was more covered with grass than walkways, and it was clear to her that it had been forested at one point. Kagome began to smell food, ramen more particularly, as they neared the back wall that surrounded the temple. "Soup. Ramen. He said he smelled soup," she murmured. Knowing she was so close seemed to help her flagging energy. Miroku led her up to what simply appeared to be a tall garden gate, but was covered with warning and protective ofuda.

Kagome let out a small gasp when he opened the gate, letting her eyes fall on Inuyasha in the flesh for the first time. Vines the size of boa constrictors surrounded his form against the tree, the only truly metal restraints being those at his wrists. "When you touch them, the vines..."

"Grow faster, cover more of him."

There was almost no sound in the clearing around the large tree. Kagome moved closer and was able to finally hear the mumbling coming from the hanyou. Even closer, she noticed that he looked exactly as he had in her dream the night before, the only difference being how lifeless he looked here. "Does he ever become human?"

Miroku frowned at the question. "Not that I have ever seen. You said that you saw him as human when he appeared in your dreams?" Kagome nodded. "But you knew he was hanyou before you came."

"Yes. I was finally able to see him as he is last night." Kagome couldn't help her fascination as she drew nearer. He did seem almost perfectly still, as though frozen in time - or dead - except for the soft mumbles of her name and some other words she couldn't decipher. When she was close enough to touch him, his nose twitched and he said her name more clearly. "I'm here, Inuyasha, just like I promised," she murmured to him. He stilled aside from his nose twitching and Kagome smiled a little. "Now to figure out how to get you down."

Kagome hesitated several times, not sure if she should try touching the vines or not. All the monks with all their holy powers had only made things worse. What if she did the same? No, she reminded herself, I have been dreaming about him for a reason. I have to get him free. That thought in mind, Kagome softly touched the vine that had begun creeping up toward his face, cradling his head like a mother would her child, but still threatening to cover him. Kagome wondered if maybe the vines were actually protecting Inuyasha, rather than restraining him. At this thought, the vine slowly retreated. A flash of memory of her dream experience at Kaou's shop gave her the willies, but she remained firm and slowly found the vines moving away as though conceding their prize.

Once she was able to see more of him, Kagome was surprised - and honestly relieved... Ok maybe a little bummed. Couldn't blame her for being curious - to find that his clothing was completely intact as well. She could feel the faint thrum of youki within the slightly scratchy red fabric which would explain why it still looked pristine. The one glaring incongruity was the fletching of an arrow protruding out of his chest. "The miko who trapped him there..."

"He said... her name was Kikyo. Is that right?" Kagome felt her heart race even before the question left her lips, her head swooning slightly.

"You've been speaking to him," said Miroku, incredulous. Kagome nodded before explaining it was just the night before and only the one time. "Yes. She was a very strong miko and the story says that they were friends, at the very least. There is some speculation as to the true nature of their relationship."

"I see," she replied softly, staring at the arrow and contemplating what removing it might entail. Would it hurt him? Would he even feel it as he was? Would pulling it out wake him up or simply allow his soul to move on? Kagome knew that the only way to find out would be to try, but she feared making a wrong move and dooming the hanyou she'd set out to rescue. Touching the arrow shaft sent a tingle through her hand, like touching a tiny live wire. Kagome took a deep breath and grabbed it more fully, startling when Inuyasha gasped. His eyes flew open and locked on her face as the arrow disappeared from her hold. Kagome saw the look of confusion cross his features shortly before she lost consciousness.

Miroku jumped forward to catch the young woman as she crumpled toward the ground. "Higurashi-sama? Kagome-sama?" he asked worriedly, patting her shoulder in hopes of waking her. She was even worse than he'd thought.

"That's not Kagome, that's..." Miroku looked up at the now awakened hanyou. The two blinked owlishly at one another. "Who the fuck are you?!"

Only vaguely startled by the hanyou's language, Miroku opened his mouth to reply then shut it again, frowning at the girl in his arms. "I am a monk. Miroku. Miss Kagome came here to let you free. I knew she was in bad shape but..."

"That... that's Kagome?" Inuyasha's voice was small, wondering. Miroku glanced up and saw golden eyes locked on the raven-haired woman who lay unconscious. "But she looks sick."

"Apparently dreaming of you shouting at her for months has weakened her," Miroku said in an admonishing tone.

"Keh. I didn't even know she was there." Inuyasha shifted in an attempt to step forward but quickly found himself still restrained. "Damn things! Get these off of me." His rude delivery only made Miroku scowl at him. "Or wake her up so she can! Whatever you gotta do, just get me down from here."

While his words said he didn't care, Miroku could tell by the look in Inuyasha's eyes, the way they never strayed from Kagome's face, and the tiniest of whimpers that left his throat that he in fact cared quite a bit. And not just because he wanted to be free. She's clearly had an impact on you already, he thought with an internal smile.

Fortunately - or unfortunately, depending on your perspective - a young monk wandered by the gate at that moment. Miroku saw the young man's eyes go wide as he saw Inuyasha and saw the moment he realized what what going on, or at least what he thought was going on. "Ishi, please get some water for Higurashi-sama. She's fainted." Mouth hanging slightly open, he nodded and scurried off, likely to tell several more "senior" monks what was happening. At least he wouldn't tell them he was sacrificing a miko in front of the hanyou, which he imagined was what it looked like. Ishi remembered to bring the water back, at any rate. "Now I need you to stand in front of the gate and perhaps dissuade anyone from coming in." The young monk didn't seem thrilled with this plan. "Just until Miss Higurashi is settled." That seemed to help.

"Monk, wake her up."

"Please be patient Inuyasha. She was clearly already exhausted from her ordeal over the last six months. Using her miko abilities in this much concentration must have taxed her further."

"Her ordeal? I've been locked up like this for years!"

"In a perfect state of sleep. Kagome has not gained rest from sleeping since you began hollering in her dreams," Miroku found himself growling at the hanyou. The selfishness he was displaying was appalling, especially considering what Kagome had gone through in order to free him. He took up one arm to check her pulse and was horrified to find gauze wrapped around her delicately boned wrist. Had she attempted suicide to escape the torment of her dreams? Surely she was not that desperate. Evidently the hanyou had noticed too because he had fallen silent and was staring with intense eyes at the bandages.

Miroku gently lifted the tape before peeling the gauze away. Two small puncture wounds oozed only lightly and emitted the faintest trace of youki. Miroku frowned and gently lay Kagome on the ground so he could check her other wrist. He found identical small wounds there as well. "Kaou. She's been to Kaou."

"What's that?" Inuyasha wanted to know.

"A dream youkai. He feeds off of his... customers. Very little nowadays, but he still draws energy from them. I've heard he can trace the origin of dreams." He rewrapped Kagome's wrists and again tried to wake her. "She must have gone to him to find you so she could set you free and free herself from dreaming of you." Kagome's eyes fluttered but she did not immediately wake. "A line of fate must connect you and until she can release you, she may not be able to move beyond it. She must have been very desperate. What she did is very dangerous, especially considering what she needed Kaou to do."

Inuyasha tried not to show his hurt at the idea that Kagome might want to be rid of him so badly, but he wouldn't jump to conclusions. Kagome hadn't said anything about freeing herself of him. As he and the monk watched her, the young miko finally began to regain consciousness. Visibly confused, she blinked at Miroku for several moments before gasping and scooting away from him and toward Inuyasha. Her back against his shins, she looked up at him and blinked at him in an equally confused way. "Inuyasha?"

"You going to finish the job or just leave me here?" he questioned. Her face, slightly open in wonder, dropped into a scowl at his tone.

"Sure your majesty, I'll get right on that," she growled at him, slowly pushing herself to her feet. Miroku steadied her and handed her the cup of water Ishi had brought. "Thank you." Both humans glanced at the hanyou growling at them. As soon as Miroku's hand left her shoulder, the growling stopped. Testing the waters, Miroku replaced his hand. The low rumble was undeniable. Kagome lifted an eyebrow at him, apparently unaware of the connection. "I'm fine now, you don't have to keep touching me," she said wryly. Miroku dropped his hands and took a step back, giving Inuyasha a look that blatantly said "I know your secret." The hanyou huffed at the monk and his upper lip lifted slightly in a snarl.

Kagome handed her cup over to Miroku and stepped up in front of Inuyasha, silencing his irritated mumbling. She eyed the shackles that bound him, looking at the ofuda and reading the script as best she could. Some of the older ofuda had faded under weather, and the words seemed to blend together with each layer. All the while Inuyasha was staring at her with those penetrating golden eyes of his, making her nervous. "What?" he almost barked.

"You hush," she quietly commanded. "Someone really never wanted you to leave this place," she said with a sigh, fisting one hand on her hip and shifting her weight. Staring at the top layer on both wrist restraints, she noticed that they were more or less identical, except his left wrist was missing one. "Wow. That one must be what shocked me last night," she murmured to herself. Kagome knew that her dreams of Inuyasha had been more real than anything else she'd experienced before, but knowing that something in her dream had somehow influenced the real world was a little frightening. She could almost track the changes in sentiment toward Inuyasha's past as she sifted through the layers. Some were restrictive magic, the goal to keep him chained. Others, especially in the upper layers, were protective.

With eyes closed and hands reaching, Kagome traced the first lines of kanji on the shackle she hadn't yet touched. She felt the initial zing of energy but, expecting it this time, she was able to channel it instead of being shocked by it. She couldn't absorb it, unfortunately, but she could redirect it to go after the next ofuda which saved her having to use her own power. She worked in silence in this way for some time, flinching occasionally when Inuyasha sucked in breaths of pain. He wasn't suffering terribly, but she knew that his youki would draw some of the holy energies as she dissipated the ofuda. She only had so much control over another person's reiki and some of the "spells" - for lack of a better term - were twisted or broken and therefore more difficult to handle.

The last ofuda disappeared with a snap and Kagome felt the shackle open. Inuyasha's arm dropped a little limply to his side. "Shit, that feels weird," he commented. He flexed and rolled his wrist, both of them watching the faint sores fade from his skin. "Way to go, Ka..."

"What is the meaning of this, Miroku?" Three heads snapped up to watch an older man in monk's robes hobble angrily in their direction. He was easily in his seventies and his mobility was questionable. Ishi was peeking around the gate looking apologetic.

"I was afraid of this," Miroku muttered before opening his arms in a placating gesture. "This young, and very powerful, miko has foreseen the release of our guest, Sir," he said with a flourish and obvious theatrical talent. The older monk was not impressed.

"That monster has been locked up there for nearly half a century for a reason!"

"Watch who you're calling a monster, geezer!" Inuyasha snarled.

His eyes widened as he truly took in Kagome for the first time. "My word… Kik… Get away from him, child," the monk called to Kagome, reaching toward her as though to pull her away. Inuyasha was faster, using his free arm to scoop her up against his chest. "Do not harm her," the monk begged with hands held up, backing up a step. Kagome found herself startled both by Inuyasha's reaction and the monk's. What exactly do they think the other is going to do to me? she thought a little wryly.

"Why would I do that? Leave it alone monk," he growled, tucking Kagome closer to his chest. "Can you reach the other one?" he murmured in her ear, swallowing back his reaction when Kagome shuddered softly and her scent changed. Focus, he reminded himself. Apparently she wasn't afraid of him, nor was she uncomfortable with his proximity. He tucked those bits of information away and held her so she could reach the other wrist. This one took less time, but her lack of concentration meant he received more of the brunt of the energies being released. "Well that didn't feel great," he muttered. He gently let Kagome down, relishing the feel of her against him for a moment longer. He felt fuzzy and stumbled slightly when he tried to move his feet.

"Inuyasha, you're..."

"Keh, I'm fine woman."

"You're human, Inuyasha." Miroku stated dryly. Blinking to clear his eyes, he realized the idiot monk was right. His vision was not quite as sharp, his hearing was nowhere near as good as usual and his nose felt like it had cotton stuffed in it for all he could smell. The other monks who had gathered were all staring at him in wonder and Kagome's hand on his back was the only thing keeping him stable and somewhat calm. His first thought was Human? But I can't smell Kagome as a human. He shook himself out of that and looked over his shoulder at the young woman behind him. She didn't appear excited by his humanity, but concerned. Does she not think I should be human instead? he wondered. Not the same person, he had to remind himself. As thin and unwell as she looked, Kagome resembled Kikyo far more than she had in his nightmare.

"A-As I intended," Kagome said with wavering confidence in her voice. Inuyasha's blue-grey eyes flashed dangerously at her. She gave him a look that begged his silence. His scowl deepened, but he said nothing. "Now he is no danger to anyone." The monks, including Miroku, stared at her agape.

"But..."

"I'll look after him," she interrupted. "No need to worry." Everyone seemed so stunned by her statement and the release of their long-time captive that no one said anything at first. She gently nudged Inuyasha toward the gate, skirting around the monks.

"Did you really turn me human on purpose?" he snapped at her in a whisper.

"Of course not, baka!" she hissed back.

"Stop!" the elder monk shouted. "You can't just waltz out of here. He's been a prisoner here for..."

Kagome rounded on the monk with fury in her eyes. "I am well aware of that. I peeled every single hateful layer off of his shackles, I fought through every holy barrier ingrained in that metal. I pulled that spite-filled arrow from his chest." Inuyasha unconsciously rubbed the spot at the memory. "Did anyone think to ask him for his side of the story? Did anyone even wonder if the miko's tale was true?" A lot of sheepish looks met her words. "Of course not. He's a hanyou, so clearly he must have been at fault. He deserved his punishment," she sneered. "This world we live in is filled with youkai, hanyou and humans. The holy community needs to learn the good from the bad, instead of lumping them all together, or we'll destroy ourselves." Silence greeted her from all around. It was as though none of them had even thought about it.

There was so little violence between humans and youkai anymore that it was unlikely any one of the monks there had needed to seal or defeat a youkai in years, or even in their lifetimes, but the prejudice remained ingrained in the training. Kagome knew that youkai were just as guilty of the prejudice toward people with holy power, but she wasn't a youkai, she couldn't approach them the same way. It left their world in a sort of… cold war. Neither side openly attacking for fear of what would come after.

Miroku stepped forward, drawing eyes his way. "Higurashi-sama is right. It was always just assumed that Inuyasha was capable of the crimes he was accused of because of his youkai blood. No one thought to ask if his human side would temper the supposed drive to do harm. No one thought about whether the core of him was good. The assumption that youkai will always do harm when given the chance is so obviously false now..."

"Enough." The older monk's scowl had only deepened through this whole exchange. "Your place is clearly no longer with us, Miroku. You may collect your things and escort the miko from the temple grounds. The hanyou remains here."

"No!" Kagome and Inuyasha shouted in unison.

"I won't leave here without him," Kagome said with conviction. "He's human now anyway."

"My child..." Kagome shook her head fiercely, yanking Inuyasha closer to her and pulled from deep within herself the last of her strength. A pink bubble slowly rose around the two of them, blocking off any attempts to come near. The monks were surprised and impressed by her power, taking several steps back. The barrier wouldn't harm them, but it wouldn't allow them to harm her or Inuyasha either.

"Can you hold this very long?" Inuyasha murmured, concern lacing his voice as they slowly made their way toward the gate. If possible, she looked worse than before.

"I'm hoping I won't have to," she replied tightly. He fell silent to help her concentration, watching her carefully as she struggled to look calm while growing visibly weaker. The monks on the other side of the barrier were being ordered in different directions but none of them seemed to be attacking. The elder monk who had banished Miroku was obviously in control and had commanded some of the younger monks to restrain Miroku while he tried to figure out how to deal with Kagome. "No, no, no, no," she murmured. "Inuyasha!" He had a hold of her before she even finished calling his name. The barrier dropped out of existence and Kagome fell limply in his arms, her chest heaving for air. The monks all froze mid step, staring at the now vulnerable pair. Damn, damn, double damn. Inuyasha wished desperately that he weren't human at the moment. He would easily be able to bound over these assholes and get Kagome out of there. Currently he could barely hold the both of them up. While his hanyou body hadn't seemed too affected by the length of time he'd spent immobile, as a human he felt off kilter and weak. He did his best to keep himself between Kagome and the monks moving toward them, but he knew he wasn't going to be able to do much to protect her.

"Enough," a deep male voice rang out. Another monk, several years younger than the other and definitely in better health, stood at the gates. "Enough," he said again. The younger monks seemed to scurry out of his way like mice as he moved toward where Inuyasha held Kagome's barely conscious form against him. Giving the man his best human approximation of a growl, he held her closer and took a step back. "You have not changed much at all, Inuyasha."

"Who are you?"

The monk smiled a little. "I wouldn't expect you to recognize me now. It matters not. What matters, and what my brothers fail to see, is the way you rose to the challenge of protecting your priestess without a second thought." Again there were a lot of dumbstruck faces around the clearing. Even Inuyasha was a little stunned. "These are not the actions of a monster," the monk continued, looking over at his fellow elder monk with a slight frown. "These are the actions of someone who cares for life and for those that have shown him friendship."

"He was locked up for a reason, Kikyo put him to sleep for a reason," the other elder monk argued.

"Inuyasha, do you recall what happened?" the new arrival asked, ignoring the furious look he was receiving from his colleague.

His face screwed up in concentration, the hanyou turned human adjusted his hold on his burden and tried to remember. "I was supposed to meet Kikyo in my forest. We were having a picnic with her kid sister." He felt like his brain was swimming through a fog. "There was something wrong, a youki I didn't recognize. But it was... it looked like Kikyo."

Kagome moved slightly before speaking. "Kikyo was a miko, she shouldn't..." With a look from the monk who seemed to have taken over, Miroku was released and was able to approach Inuyasha, help him help Kagome to sit so he was able to sit himself.

"Kikyo's passing was more than suspect and the events we have been able to piece together imply that she was in two places at once, as were you." Passing. That meant what he had already suspected was true. Kikyo is dead. Inuyasha shook his head as though trying to clear it. Kagome's soft hand on his knee seemed to help. "It is likely that a youkai tricked both of you into betraying each other. I am not sure of the purpose, but it would seem that it was his or her intention to, barring your death, keep you locked up indefinitely."

"So much for that plan," he mumbled. "So what now, monk? You gonna let us go or are you going to try keeping me here too?"

"If you will allow Miroku to keep an eye on you, I see no reason why you could not reacquaint yourself with the world. There is much you have missed."

"Kenji! Surely you don't trust that boy to look after a powerful and dangerous inuhanyou with a lovesick miko at his side!"

"Hey I am not..." Kagome protested weakly. Then her head tilted almost drunkenly as she looked up at Inuyasha with bleary eyes. "Oh duh. INU-yasha. I'm such a dope." Since she was so out of it, Inuyasha only rolled his eyes at her.

The monk now presiding over their fate smiled a little. "Miroku is a very intelligent young man. One that was never meant for the secluded life of a monk," his tone was almost teasing. Miroku looked a bit sheepish. "Go, live your life as you should have. Both of you." Miroku helped Kagome and Inuyasha to their feet. As they passed him, Miroku clasped hands with the monk known as Kenji. "Make me proud, my son." Miroku nodded resolutely and lingered a moment longer before following the weak pair. Inuyasha could hear the two senior monks arguing as they passed younger men standing by, looking unsure of what they should do.

"Who was that guy?" Inuyasha asked eventually as they made their way toward Miroku's quarters to gather his things. "Why didn't he let you stay?"

Miroku mouth twisted in a half smile. "My father. He always knew this was not the place for me, despite my own power. I was never really meant to be a monk."

"Aren't monks supposed to be... you know... celibate?"

Miroku shrugged. "That is apparently a guideline and not a rule. I don't remember my mother, but my father said it was for the best." Inuyasha didn't really know what to say so he said nothing. He was starting to wonder if he wasn't really supposed to have been hanyou and that this was for the best. Between Kikyo hoping to change him and now his current, possibly permanent, state as a human, he was feeling like he'd never had a choice in the matter. That didn't sit so well. "We gotta get the wench somewhere to let her lay down. She's going to collapse on us again." Miroku nodded.

"Hey, I can hear you, you know," Kagome snapped weakly. "My name is Kagome. Ka-go-me." Inuyasha and Miroku shared a look. "Not wench," she added.

Both Inuyasha and Kagome scowled at the now ex-monk laughing at their expense.