Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or any of the characters mentioned below, nor is this work being used for profit.

A/N: It was most definitely not my intention to take this long in updating this story. I felt absolutely horrible when I realized how long it had been since I had updated. Fortunately, my roommate and best friend (the same person) gave me a proper scolding upon this realization, and I was able to pump this out. Not my best work, I'm afraid, and not very exciting for those of you who have been eagerly anticipating another post, but I do promise it has a purpose. Hopefully the next chapter won't take a year!

Yours,

Lonelylark

1,674 words of wisdom...

Chapter 25: A Monk's Meddling

When Sesshoumaru returned alone to camp, wondering eyes sought each other, glittering with speculation. Inuyasha's nose twitched, the only indication that he acknowledged his brother at all. A brief glare sent his way, and the hanyou returned to ignoring the camp.

Things had been tense as of late, to say the least. Although there had been no other outbreak of violence between the brothers, the stubborn silence between Kagome and the younger inu made for an unsteady peace.

The parties least involved in the situation suffered most.

Sango had admitted to Miroku that she was particularly worried over the stability of the tachi, unknowingly echoing the fears of the rest. The secrecy of Kagome's relationship had provided for an easy if not false sense of normalcy; Sesshoumaru mostly hung back, content to watch Kagome and allow the hanyou the illusion that he was the alpha male of their motley pack. The revelation of their relationship had ruined all hopes of equilibrium.

Miroku himself had no qualms with the development, save the severe beating of his friend. The tension that had developed could be cut with a knife, but he was certain Kagome would eventually resolve it. Inuyasha had fallen quickly to Kagome's recuperative efforts in the past, but it was Sesshoumaru's deference to her that was most astonishing and significant. To think, it only took one human woman to prevent the Western Lord from killing his half-breed brother.

The monk was finally able to put a finger on the peculiarities he had sensed but could not give name to before. It was in their very interactions: The way they knew without knowing, without saying, what the other was thinking. It was in Kagome's extra attention when she seeped Sesshoumaru's tea, in the way Sesshoumaru draped his pelt about her legs or shoulders before Kagome could realize she had goose bumps.

The Inuyoukai 's presence against his tree drew him out of his thoughts long enough to pique his interest. Perpendicular to his post, Miroku could not see him, but he would have to be a fool to dismiss the aura that swirled about him in agitation. The monk had half a mind to offer his counsel, as Sesshoumaru obviously sought it given his proximity, but he chose to bite his tongue. The Taiyoukai was proud and would undoubtedly refuse the help if someone implied he needed such.

Sesshoumaru, as he had come to find, was for the most part a solitary creature. On almost all occasions, Sesshoumaru maintained a certain distance between himself and the rest of the tachi, with the exception of Kagome and, on occasion, Rin and Shippo. He was a keen observer, and seldom inserted himself in their daily lives unless to dictate direction or strategy. This was certainly much closer than Miroku had ever been to him without Kagome, and, to be honest, closer than he would have liked. Closing his eyes, Miroku fiddled with his prayer beads and feigned indifference.

Sesshoumaru could sense the monk's curiosity in the way his aura seemed to probe unconsciously at his own, and he appreciated the human's silence. He had many things to address, but more yet to consider. In all truth, he felt remiss in requesting the opinion of a human, but so far removed from the palace and his advisors, he found he had little choice. The fox was but a kit, the taijiya reserved, and the hanyou an imbecile. Then again, who better to answer his questions on humans than a human? The monk may have been a lecher, but he had shown wisdom in the past, and seemed amiable despite the recent upheaval that had occurred in his pack.

"Human women are…strange."

Startled by the Taiyoukai's assertion, as that was most certainly not the first thing he expected to hear, Miroku racked his brain for the right response.

"…Is that so, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

The demon lord's trademark "hn" was his only answer for a short time. Sesshoumaru pondered his thoughts, and when they seemed more organized he spoke.

"Demon bitches are different," he stated, as though the point should clarify all. Then, pausing, he corrected, "Demon customs are different."

Still facing forward, without abandoning his lotus, Miroku hesitated. When speaking with powerful lords, whether human or youkai, a poorly posed question could prove fatal.

"If I may be so bold, Lord Sesshoumaru," he disclaimed, "…how so?"

The question brought a furrow to Sesshoumaru's snowy brow. Citrine eyes glared unseeing into the forest.

"Youkai mating is based off of strength and submission. The male asserts his dominance over the female, and the female submits. From observing human villages, it was This Sesshoumaru's understanding that the human female's will is treated likewise."

"You mean, that marriages are often arranged, the woman's choice being unimportant," Miroku clarified.

"Hn," Sesshoumaru agreed with a grunt. "Human females accept the union for what it is, subservience to their human mates. Yet…"

"Yet," Miroku filled in where the Western Lord left off, "Kagome does not."

Meeting the knowing eyes of the monk with a deft side-glance, Sesshoumaru brooded. "The Slayer as well. They are human, but they are not. They do not follow human courting customs."

Miroku knew that his own failed attempts at wooing Sango were being referred to. Glancing at Sango, who rested on the other side of the fire with Kirara, he cracked a gentle smile. "They are undoubtedly human women," he began, "but neither one is weak-willed. Or subservient, for that matter." Taking slight amusement in Sesshoumaru's disgruntled huff, he continued, "Sango was raised as a warrior from birth. She gained distinction among men, and had to take vengeance for the death of her entire village on her own. She has been forced to be willful and strong, which separates her from most human women. Kagome, on the other hand…"

Lost in thought, the monk slumped against the tree at his back, stretching his legs out from his lotus position. The hefty weight of the staff across his thighs was a reassurance.

"Kagome comes from another time completely. Though the situation of women has not changed much in the many years that have passed," he pondered the peculiarity a moment, "it is very different for women in the future. If my understanding of Lady Kagome's story is correct, women have attained a certain amount of…liberation?"

Pausing, Miroku turned the word over in his mind. Nodding contently once it seemed he had confirmed Kagome's term, he repeated, "Yes, liberation. They stand almost at the same level of men, and their wills and decisions are their own."

While the monk at his side seemed to have achieved some understanding from their conversation, Sesshoumaru remained aggravated and confused. This leaves me no closer to a solution.

"Strong-willed like a man, yet in need of protection like a woman. She clearly wants, but she will not tell me what she lacks!" he muttered furiously. "How am I to court her when at such odds?"

At that bit of information, Miroku's eyes lit up. Suddenly, the Taiyoukai's problem became clear. But to be certain…

"How, if I may ask, does a youkai mating proceed? Is there a ceremony?"

Finding the question irrelevant, Sesshoumaru replied anyway, if only to school the ignorant monk. "There is a mark involved, and the physical bonding of course. A ceremony may follow, but it is rare and ultimately of no import." Once said, the Western Lord realized the key information he had been lacking.

"Is a human mating not conducted thus?"

Miroku thought that Sesshoumaru should be more contrite at the admission of not knowing something so commonplace, but he supposed that the Taiyoukai's frequent silences and mysterious airs often led the imagination to conjure conceptions that were mostly false.

"Well, certainly a …physical union," the monk repeated his words, "is part of human marriage, but that comes after the wedding ceremony." Prompted by the curious light in the inuyoukai's eyes, Miroku elaborated, "It is typical a formal ceremony, conducted by a priest, and in the presence of family. If memory serves correct, Kagome mentioned that things are not so different in her future. As for a mark, well, I believe that may be a uniquely youkai practice."

Though the information Miroku had imparted was useful, the last concerning the mark was reason for worry. Youkai marking, though serving to unite the life force of both mates, was an animalistic process. It was an inevitability, for he refused to forego a practice to innate to his instincts and his heritage. If not a human practice, would Kagome reject it?

Miroku truly wanted the best for the futuristic miko. A heart as giving as hers deserved happiness, and despite the troubles met during their interspecies relationship, he had faith that her relationship with Sesshoumaru was the right one. Kagome was too independent and extraordinary for the normal human males of this time period, and the Taiyoukai was just the right balance to her temperament as she was to his own. Seeking to assuage the worry that was brewing behind the tense mask of the Western daiyoukai, he decided to try his hand at subtlety.

"Regardless, if it is Kagome, I am certain she would not be averse to compromise," he added slyly, "Though I'm sure she would be saddened if her family missed her wedding…"

Sesshoumaru knew what the monk was trying to do, and he was grateful. His casual, almost wistful statement would give the inuyoukai the idea of consolidating both human and youkai rituals seemingly on his own. A salvage of his dignity, to an extent. Sesshoumaru, for his part, would allow the monk to think he had pulled off his plan.

The maddening haze of confusion that had prevented him from moving forward with his planning began to lift. Giving Miroku a resolute nod, he leapt into the lowest branch of the tree and settled. Languid but attentive, he kept his senses stretched to guard Kagome, plotting the next few days and, what he determined, the rest of their lives.