A/N: Since my internet has been thoroughly fucking up for several days now, I'm not going to risk it cutting out tomorrow; you get two chapters today, since I am away from home and have access to working internet. This might happen again next week, if my internet is still screwing up by then.


Winter – Vivaldi

Tessaiga is stronger now, having the ability to cut through barriers, and the group has learned more about Naraku and his self before he became Naraku. Onigumo was desperately in love with Kikyō and Kagome contemplates this as she watches the snow falling around them. I don't have any music that accurately portrays my feelings about the love that Onigumo had for Kikyō, and I need to stop thinking about this. Today is the day I promised to listen to "Winter" with Miroku, though, and that should distract me from thinking about twisted, fucked up love nicely.

They make camp in a small cave, and Kagome sighs as she watches Inuyasha stomping around outside their camp, looking for firewood with Shippō-kun. Inuyasha has been in a pensive mood lately after finding out about Onigumo, and she almost wishes to share some of her music with him to distract him from it, but she knows it would be useless. Music doesn't speak to him the way it speaks to Miroku and her, it wouldn't soothe his soul or make things any easier on him.

It's yet another reason she is glad that she fell for Miroku instead of Inuyasha; she couldn't be with someone who couldn't share her deepest feelings.

So while Inuyasha and Shippō travel further afield, she beckons to Miroku, who immediately pulls her into his lap. He has become more open about touching her where Inuyasha can see them, since Inuyasha has lessened his abuse of her person – he is no longer worried that the abuse will strengthen because Inuyasha is upset over Kagome not being in love with him. And it hasn't. Inuyasha seems to quietly accept their relationship, focusing more on Kikyō and trying to mend things with the undead miko. Kikyō truly does love Inuyasha, deep down, as seen by how hard she is working on trying to end Naraku from her own side of things. Kagome thinks that they will have to work together to end him, and isn't sure what to do about the situation – when she completes the jewel should she wish Kikyō back to life with it? It would be the kind thing to do, but would it be a selfish wish because she is doing it to make her friend happy? Kagome can't make a selfish wish on the jewel, and Inuyasha has confided in her that he no longer wants to use the jewel to make a wish for himself – he realises what a burden an unselfish wish is.

Miroku brushes her hair out of her face and trails his hand down to her cheek, pulling her out of her thoughts. His aura is brushing against hers worriedly, and his eyes are concerned, beautiful aubergine laced with slight frustration and a need to help. "Kagome?"

She kisses him softly, before resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. My thoughts ran away with me. It's this whole mess – Onigumo and Kikyō and Inuyasha and the jewel and making an unselfish wish – it's just… all so difficult."

Miroku kisses her forehead lightly, and wraps his arms around her tightly. The action makes her relax into him, and she pulls out her mp3 player. "Here, this will distract me, although it is hardly a restful piece of music, I think it will still help. The striking beauty and the snow and you… It'll help."

He smiles gently at her and nods, and she arranges the earbuds before resting her head back on his shoulder, allowing the strings to pull her away from her depressing thoughts and into something more vivid and beautiful.


Kagome (ever since they confessed their deepened love for each other the suffixes are gone, replaced by a soft intimacy when they say each other's names) has been thoughtful lately. More than thoughtful, really. Distracted, depressed, and disillusioned. Miroku largely blames Naraku for her rapid mood swing, and the fact that she doesn't have any music with her to express how she feels about the situation is only making things worse.

Still, today is the first snowfall of the year, and he is hopeful that the piece of winter music she promised to listen to with him will distract her from her pensive mood and ease the burden on her heart. She gets lost in thought once more before she decides to play the music, and her comment on her thoughts does nothing to ease his worry. She has such a large burden upon her shoulders, and he can do nothing to ease it. They have talked about her wish, and she is so torn over it – on the one hand, they both know that simply wishing the jewel out of existence would be the best thing to do, but on the other hand, Kagome wants her friends to be happy more than anything else, and Inuyasha would be more than happy if she wished Kikyō back to life.

A moon ago, Miroku would have told her not to think about Inuyasha's happiness, because Inuyasha treated her like trash, but the hanyō has changed, gentled, and treats Kagome with more respect than he used to treat her with. Ah, now Miroku is the one thinking these thoughts. Kagome tidily distracts him with her music, and he listens intently as the song flows into his ear. He watches the snow falling down, and muses that the beginning of this is definitely not restful, just as Kagome warned him. But it is still beautiful, he thinks; in a desolate, icy manner, which is fitting for the season outside.

Shippō-kun comes back inside with an armful of sticks and twigs as the music heightens and changes, becoming more of a chorus of beauty and rapid-falling snow. The kit smiles to see them, and waves, before heading back outside, followed by Inuyasha's entrance into the cave with his own armful of thick branches and good, dry wood. The hanyō glances at them and tilts his head at Miroku before walking back out of the cave. The music crashes over as he leaves, beautiful strings played at incredible speed and with an intense depth. It weaves in and out between speed and slowness, a single instrument intermixing and intermingling with a chorus of other strings for quite some time before it slows down to a desolate beauty once more, the single instrument playing the main tune being hauntingly gorgeous.

Kagome has relaxed into him now, her fingers tapping out the notes being played upon his arm with a familiarity that comes from having listened to a song more times than one can count. Her tapping is comforting rather than distracting, though, keeping beat to the tune playing into his ear, as he watches the snow fall and listens to the rising chorus.

The song reminds him even more of falling snow now, the beauty of a sudden snowstorm that leaves one trapped – much like the storm that has caused them to take shelter in this cave. Then after some time it speeds up, becoming a blizzard instead of just a snowstorm; much like they used to experience back at his temple during the winter months.

The end comes suddenly, and without warning he is shocked out of his thoughts to look down at Kagome. Her eyes are closed, her breathing is more even and relaxed, and her body is far less tense than it was when the song began. Good; the song did what it was supposed to do. He kisses her forehead lightly and leans back against the wall of the cavern, basking in her closeness.