Together

* . * . *

Means that it's the same POV just a shift in time / place.

Chapter 29

= Third Person POV =

"Miroku, look out!" Inuyasha shouted just in time for the man in monk coloured robes to avoid being tagged by Shippo.

"You can't be up there!" Shippo shouted to Inuyasha as he stood above him in a tree.

"Says who?" he challenged.

"How are we suppose to tag you if you're all the way up there?" the young fox yelled at him.

"It's not my fault if you can't reach me," Inuyasha shouted down at him before sticking out his tongue.

"We should play this game inside," Shippo told Inuyasha.

"And why should we play inside?" Inuyasha asked him as he crouched down on the branch.

Shippo was prepared for this question. "It's too dark for Miroku and Rin to see. It's too easy to tag them," he offered as one of his reasons and waited to see if it would work.

"So that just makes it easier to win," Inuyasha grinned back at him. That grin started to die as he saw the look on Miroku's face.

"So you have to cheat to win?" Shippo shot back at him with arms crossed. Inuyasha looked at the other two to see them with the same pose looking up at him.

"Fine!" he shouted as he jumped down from the tree and walked away. All three of them watched as he stomped inside before following him. They found him waiting for them in the dojo. They figured it was the only other place left for him to be other than the hallway when they didn't find him there. Inuyasha could have given up playing with them completely and could have gone to his room, but he wanted to do something. His bones seemed restless.

He was leaning against the far wall of the dojo as they walked in. He wore a white shirt with long wide sleeves that was tucked into the hakama of his fire rat kimono. One of his bare feet was pressed up against the wall while his head was bent forward and his arms were crossed over his chest.

When he knew that everyone was in the room he raised his head and looked at the three of them. The wicked smile he couldn't keep off his face provided the reactions he expected. Rin just looked on not knowing what it could mean while Miroku and Shippo had their own versions of fear or excitement sliding across their faces.

"I'm it and I'm going to count to ten before I'll come and find you. There are no pairs in this game. I'll show you I can win without cheating," Inuyasha announced as he pushed off from the wall with the help of his foot. "You have anything to say against that?" he asked as he leaned over Shippo.

"No," Shippo said without stammering as he shook his head.

"Fine then," Inuyasha said as he waved a hand up into the air as he turned his back to them.

"Iti, ni, san," his ears swiveled as he heard them starting to run out of the room, but he only heard the two smaller set of feet leave the room. "Si, go," Inuyasha counted as he turned around to see Miroku standing by the door way. "Roku, siti," he said as he raised an eyebrow to look at his lover looking back at him.

"Tell the younger ones to get ready for dinner when you find them and look for me last," Miroku told him before he seemed to melt backwards into the darker hallway. Inuyasha's grin became a full fledged smile that covered his face before he raised his voice a little louder.

"Hati, ku, ZYUU!" he shouted out the last number as he stepped from the dojo. He was going to enjoy the short hunt before calming his prize where ever he found him.

The one to be found first was Rin, she was hiding in the library and the possessive smell of Sesshomaru almost caused him to miss her scent. He opened the door and scanned the room for her small figure. When he didn't see it, he crouched down to the floor and searched for her scent trial and followed it over to a chair that was in front of a closed window.

"AHh… …" she squealed before giggling as Inuyasha caught her and picked her up from her hiding place. "That was fun. Can I hide again?" Rin asked Inuyasha as he placed her to stand.

"No it's getting late. We'll play again tomorrow. Go get ready for dinner," he told her as he turned her towards the door.

"Ok," she said before skipping from the room. Inuyasha stood in the library and realized that it wasn't just Sesshomaru's scent that was heavy in the room. Kagome's was there too. He was about to get loss in his thoughts when he heard something and he turned his head towards the open door. His ears flexed at the top of his head as he tried to recognize what made the sound and where it came from. He heard the soft pattering of feet and knew that they belonged to Rin when he heard the echo. He almost dismissed it until he realized that it wasn't an echo at all. It was Shippo. He ran from the room to look at the staircase to see the orange fox demon walking behind of Rin.

"I didn't think you would make it this easy for me," he said to Shippo who heard him and froze on the steps before running past Rin and up to the second floor. Inuyasha was right behind him as he jumped from the first floor to the fifth step, to the railing, to the top step before stepping onto the second floor.

Up here the kitsune's scent was everywhere. Inuyasha stood for a moment as he searched for the newest scent trail before running down the hallway to his left. He followed it left again until he was brought to a stop by conflicting smells. It appeared to Inuyasha, after a few strong sniffs, that Shippo had crisscrossed his trail a number of times.

After crawling around for what seemed like way too long and four false leads, he found a clear trial that lead to Shippo who was now hiding on the balcony in his and Miroku's room. He almost flew away, but Inuyasha was able to catch him by the tail before he was able to shape shift.

"Game's over Shippo," he informed the orange ball of fur hanging from its tail, that Inuyasha had a firm grip on.

"You can put me down now," Shippo shot back from his less than welcomed position.

"Sure," Inuyasha said before dropping him unto the group of pillows that Miroku had placed out there when it was still warm enough for them to watch the sun rise together. "Time to for you to get ready for dinner," he told him as he walked away.

"Hey," Shippo said after he dug himself out of the pile of silk. Inuyasha stood still before turning back to him. Shippo took a step back as Inuyasha walked back towards him. He didn't think he would actually stop because he told him too. He reserved such obedience for just about anyone other than him.

"Did you catch Miroku yet?" Shippo asked Inuyasha when he looked past him and out into the garden. Good, it wasn't me that caught his attention, Shippo thought to himself as Inuyasha jumped up unto the railing as he looked down into the garden below. He tried to see what Inuyasha did, but he didn't see anything that wasn't suppose to be there.

"Go get ready for dinner," Inuyasha told him again before he jumped down and ran to the other side of the garden. He ran around the house and jumping the wall he saw in his path. He now landed in yet another garden that grew different flowers and more trees than the one he just came from. He was sure Miroku passed through here. Inuyasha stayed to make sure that he wasn't still there as he slowly walked over the grass, with his ears swiveled in every direction hoping to catch anything to let him know that Miroku was still there or close by.

His shadow separated and merged into the ones being cast by the trees. He looked intently into the dark coves of the garden for the eyes he wanted to see. Inuyasha stood still as he felt the wind building around him. He closed his eyes and relied on his nose and ears as he waited for something new.

THERE.

The faint ring could as well have been Miroku telling him where he was for how clear he heard it. Inuyasha's eyes snapped open and he rushed in the direction where he heard Miroku's earrings hitting against each other. Inuyasha moved behind a bush to find Miroku sitting on a bench with his eyes closed.

He slid his feet over the grass once again as he got closer to the monk that he believed was meditating. The cold that hung in the air added to his awareness of the man sitting before him as he came closer.

"Inuyasha," was quietly and slowly breathed from between Miroku's lips before his body shifted and he opened his eyes to look up at the one he called. The grin came back to Inuyasha's lips as his eyes darkened to almost honey brown in color as he descended unto Miroku.

Miroku knew this was coming and that is why he gave Inuyasha the task of telling the children to get ready for dinner and why he found this hidden corner of a garden, so they wouldn't be easily heard. They indulged in the heat of each other's hands. Their lips pressed and pushed against each other as their tongues fought for access to the other's mouth. Inuyasha held Miroku's head in his hands as Miroku cling to Inuyasha's shirt, digging down to his skin with his human fingers. Inuyasha pressed his body's into Miroku's as he pushed him backwards into on the back of the bench.

As Miroku kept him close and continued the assault on his mouth, Inuyasha reached his hands down to Miroku's ankles and unfolded his legs so they would lay across his thighs and leave Miroku open to him. Inuyasha then got to work freeing Miroku's cock from his fundoshi as his own penis now strained to be loose.

"What do you want Inuyasha?" Miroku asked between labored breaths now that Inuyasha was strongly stroking his cock. Inuyasha's mouth had moved away a moment ago to kiss and suck at the skin on his neck. Inuyasha moved his mouth back up to Miroku's chin before quickly calming his lips again.

"You," Inuyasha breathed into him a moment later. "I want you," his kisses Miroku. "On this bench," he says after sucking on his tongue. "Ah," Inuyasha moans as his cock was pressed into the stone of the bench that was just mentioned. His mind is brought back to the one in front of him as Miroku ran his hands through his hair as he laid his head on his chest. Inuyasha lifted his face that now held red rimmed eyes. He felt the shiver that moved through Miroku's frame as he looked back at him. "Take me," Inuyasha was able to say as his arms left Miroku's body to pull at the himo holding his hakama.

Soon Inuyasha stood in front of Miroku naked with his light skin and silver hair completely at odds with the darkness around him. Miroku was very aware of how Inuyasha saw him. His robe had been pulled up to his waist exposing his limbs and groin. Inuyasha had pulled aside his fundoshi, to purposely caress his penis which now stood upright in front of him waiting for the heat of his demon lover's body.

Lips came into contact again as Inuyasha went to Miroku. Miroku soon felt Inuyasha as he seemed to crowd in around him. With a few exploring movements of his hands, Miroku realizes that Inuyasha had placed his feet on the beach on either side of his hips. Miroku moaned into their mouths as his cock now felt Inuyasha's body as it hovered over him, occasionally brushing against the head of his penis. He held Inuyasha's cock and stroked it a few times before taking his cum to his entrance and rubbing it over the opening. Miroku's hand then covered his own cock, that wasn't lacking any pre-cum of its own and took that also to Inuyasha.

What was spread over Miroku's fingers was slowly worked into him and Inuyasha moaned into Miroku's mouth as he pressed their cocks together while leaning into him. Inuyasha gripped the iron backrest of the bench as Miroku widened him. The pain was still there and will always be there, but he had learned to find and want the pleasure that it produced also.

"AH!" he shouted in surprise as Miroku's fingers in unison moved over that part of him on the inside. As much as he moved away from it, his body tried to follow those fingers to feel it again.

"Miroku, fuck me," Inuyasha told him as his cock once again started to dribble pre-cum unto them.

"Are you truly ready?" Miroku asked to be completely sure with his fingers coated and ready to enter Inuyasha again. He didn't wait for an answer as he slipped them inside and pushed in further to have Inuyasha bend his head backwards with his mouth open.

Miroku placed a hand on Inuyasha's back as he lowered his head to kiss his chest to suck on a tempting, perky nipple.

"Yes, now," Inuyasha said when he was able to speak again. Miroku guided his penis to Inuyasha's opening before pushing deep inside as he catches Inuyasha's mouth in a sound sealing kiss. Miroku pulls him down and Inuyasha sinks further unto his lap impaling himself more. Inuyasha's cock trembled with the need for release as Miroku's became comfortable inside of him.

Inuyasha started to rock to make Miroku want more. His hands moved closer to Miroku's neck, but they still held the iron railing. Inuyasha didn't want to hurt him when he had no time to heal. With his face pressed against Inuyasha's chest, Miroku rocked against his movements. They created distance between their bodies before they came back together again.

They moaned and cried and moved faster. As they came closer to coming they held on to each other. Miroku held Inuyasha around his waist and Inuyasha held Miroku's head to his chest. The heat and pressure of Miroku's waist on his cock had Inuyasha convinced that he would be coming first if not soon.

Miroku came first and he wrapped his arms around Inuyasha as his world exploded. His fingers dug into Inuyasha's skin as his hips pumped faster as he shot off his load into Inuyasha's willing body. A domino effect went off in Inuyasha's head. The pressure of their bodies on his trapped cock, the pounding that Miroku was giving his ass and the smell of blood on the air all laid their hands on him and pushed over the edge causing his mind to spin. He wasn't aware of the howl that all but sang from his lungs as he came on the two of them.

Slowly they pulled apart, which was a process of detaching hands from skin and in some places closing wounds. They looked into each other's eyes before meeting and kissing again. Inuyasha's knees now touched the bench as he pressed his full weight down onto Miroku. Their kiss ended when each sought the other's shoulder to lay their head on.

They heard a breeze pass through the leaves higher up on the tree that kept them from seeing the stars. As the sweat began to cool they remembered dinner. They redressed and raced to their room to bath and dress. Inuyasha was able to talk Miroku into wearing one of his Kimonos to dinner and they appeared matching as they walked into the dining room. Inuyasha was wearing something mostly blood red with black trimming while Miroku was dressed in something mostly black with blood red trimming.

The meal was perfect as always. There was smoked pork with buckwheat noodles and pickled fish to go with the always present bowl of rice. There was some thinly sliced cabbage that was hot to the taste. Shippo and Rin told Miroku of how they tried to hide from Inuyasha and how they were eventually caught. They then asked and waited to hear how Inuyasha caught Miroku.

"He hasn't caught me," Miroku said in all honesty. Inuyasha looked up from his food to question that statement. "He found me, he didn't catch me," he added before placing some food into his mouth.

"Next time?" Inuyasha asked him.

"Next time," Miroku answered as he closed his eyes in preparation to drink from his cup that he now raised to his lips.

"Does this mean that Miroku won?" Rin asked before chewing on something.

"No, he didn't win," Inuyasha answered. "It just means that I still have to catch him before someone else can be it and catch everyone else."

"So when will you finish the game?" Shippo asked. He wanted to be the next one to find everyone.

"We'll finish it by the time you are finished with your lessons tomorrow," Inuyasha told him.

The meal was finished soon after and everyone got up and went to their rooms. When Inuyasha and Miroku were by themselves again, Inuyasha's eyes didn't spear a moment in turning honey colored again. This almost worried Miroku. It's not like they haven't had moments or even days when ether one of them wanted to stay skin to sticky skin with the other, but this is the first time that Inuyasha has acted in this particular way.

"Will we be seeing Masami tomorrow morning?" Miroku managed to ask before Inuyasha pulled them together and kissed him. Miroku felt Inuyasha's temperature as it rose through their clothing.

"Whatever you say," Inuyasha answered when he moved to lick along Miroku's ear. Inuyasha groped his behind possessively as they stood in the hallway. Miroku twisted and was somehow able to break free. As worrying as Inuyasha's behavior appeared a few moments ago, Miroku was now being swept up by it.

"You still have to catch me," he stated as he stepped backwards with Inuyasha slowly advancing towards him. Then they dashed to the only place they both wanted to be. With Miroku in the lead they came to a stop in their room with Miroku standing next to the bed. His hand gripped the top feather filled sheet and pulled it with him as he walked backwards onto their balcony. Inuyasha followed him unto to balcony as they held each other's gaze while they walked back out into the night. When he was close enough Inuyasha shot out a hand and captured Miroku's left wrist.

"Have I caught you now?" Inuyasha asked as he stepped closer.

"Yes," Miroku answered in a heat filled breath before returning the kiss that Inuyasha had given him back in the hallway. Inuyasha pulled Miroku down with him to kneel on the feather filled blanket before pushing him to lay down on his back as he covered him with his body. This time the stars saw as Inuyasha completely captured Miroku.

* . * . *

For the second day in a row, Inuyasha was woken up by the head guard. He hadn't even known that there were guards around until he introduced himself that first day. It seemed that Sesshomaru left orders that he was to be kept updated on anything that happened near or around the mansion and on his lands.

The first day there wasn't much to be told to Lord Inuyasha, which helped in ushering the time it took to convene the unknown and unwelcomed event to a speedy end. There was a small group of traveling monks who requested permission to travel through their lands on their way to an old temple that they seem to visit every five years. Inuyasha asked the guard if he could think of any reasons why they wouldn't be allowed. He said no, but he added that everyone had to receive permission to go to that temple because it was also a family tomb of sorts for yōkai that once ruled the Western Lands with few exceptions. One of them being their father, Inuyasha noted to himself. Once Inuyasha was sure that they were the ones that came every five years, he gave the guard his permission to pass on to them, believing that they knew what to not do when they got there.

The other part of the short report was about a death in the village due to a runaway horse and a thrown yōkai female of just fifteen summers. Masami was treating her and didn't find anything worst than a broken bone that would be fully healed in four days. What caused the horse to trample its keeper who was holding the reins and throw the girl who was riding it was still unknown by the time the report was given.

Today Inuyasha sat up in bed and yawned as he raked his fingernails through his hair as he tried to scratch a wondering inch.

"Come in," he said loudly to the door. Miroku stirred at his side without waking up as the guard walked into the room with his head bowed. As odd as he thought it was to see the guard bowing, he had more than gotten use to the rest of the house hold bowing to him as they passed or entered and left a room.

"What do you have to report about today Katsu?" Inuyasha asked him to have him raise his head. The guard was a wolf yōkai like Kouga. They could have been brothers Inuyasha thought when he first saw the guard. Now he thought that they could be more like father and son once he had taken in how old he really was. That and Katsu being about a foot and half taller than Kouga didn't hurt the argument of him maybe being Kouga's father either.

"Yesterday morning Sesshomaru-sama and Kagome-sama arrived at the hut without incident," Katsu started. "A procession for a female feline yōkai on her way to her bonding passed within two miles of the mansion yesterday evening. Due to the fact that the female was in heat, most of the guards kept their distance, but they were able to confirm that the procession left the area without incident." He stopped as he thought for a moment before continuing.

"The ningen monks reached the temple last night. Would you care to have a scout keep an eye on them while they are there for the next three days?" Katsu asked Inuyasha.

"Would that normally be done?" Inuyasha asked after he first thought that it wasn't needed because it was just a pile of bones, before he remembered what a pile of bones could be used for.

"Yes Inuyasha-sama," Katsu politely answered him.

"Then I do not see why we should change … that," Inuyasha paused in his reply because he realized that Katsu was looking at the squirming form next to him. "Is that all Katsu?" he asked the guard in a louder voice.

"Yes Inuyasha-sama," Katsu answered as he pulled his eyes back to the sliver haired yōkai that was staring back at him.

"Then you may leave," Inuyasha told him before he accused him of thinking things he didn't want him thinking. Things that included Miroku and the bed he was currently in.

"Yes Inuyasha-sama," he said before he bowed on his way out the door. Inuyasha fought down the feeling of possessiveness that was running rampant through his chest as it occurred to him that he didn't really know what the guard was thinking, just that it involved Miroku in some form, or he wouldn't be looking at him.

Inuyasha reached out his hand and touched Miroku's head, that was mostly under the covers, and moved his fingers through his hair as he unintentionally woke him up.

"Why were you upset with him?" Miroku asked Inuyasha after he had opened his eyes and smiled at him.

"You were awake?" Inuyasha asked him.

"Yes, I was awake. I was trying not to bother you but I had an itch," Miroku explained as he rubbed his right eye with the palm of his hand. "Sorry," he ended as he leaned over to kiss Inuyasha's hip. "So why were you so loud near the end of the report?" Miroku decided to ask again with some different words as he started to sit up. But he changed his mind and laid back down across Inuyasha's covered lap. He warped his arms around Inuyasha's waist and appeared to be getting comfortable.

"Do you want to hear the answer to that question or do you just want to go back to sleep?" Inuyasha asked as he sat back and placed his hand on Miroku's head again.

"Whichever comes first," he answered. "But I wouldn't mind knowing why," he said before turning his head to look up at Inuyasha.

"He was looking at you," Inuyasha said after a short pause.

"He looked at me?" Miroku asked as he drew his eyebrows together.

"Yeah," Inuyasha continued as he felt he should explain why. "You were moving under the sheet when he looked at you and you were in the bed and I thought that he might be thinking of stuff I think about when I see you moving under the sheets in bed. It just made me angry that he would think that of you that way, when I was sitting next to you," he ended while looking at the door once again. Inuyasha hadn't realized that he had raised his voice throughout his explanation.

Miroku looked up at Inuyasha as he enjoyed the play of emotions as they moved over his face and into his voice.

"You do know that he could just have noticed me and wasn't thinking anything right?" Miroku asked Inuyasha after he had given him a moment to calm down.

"Yeah, I know that," Inuyasha answered. "That is why I only told him to leave."

"I don't think I've ever seen you truly jealous over me before. Next time I will have to be awake to see this captain of the guards," Miroku told him with a smile on his face.

"Do you plan on going back to your flirting ways monk?" Inuyasha asked him knowing, hoping, knowing, he was joking.

"I plan on doing no such thing," Miroku said before yawning as he stretched out over Inuyasha's lap showing off his chest and causing the sheet to slide off of his left leg to expose the long left side of his warm body. Inuyasha slowly forgot about the guard as his eyes traveled along Miroku's skin that was covered in love bits and marks that he left there. He leaned down and kissed the closet nipple before licking around its puckered surface to heal it of the red bite marks placed there hours earlier.

Miroku remembered last night as he held Inuyasha's head close to his chest as he continued to lick his nipple into a hard nub that made him want to receive the bit marks all back over again.

"Do you want to take a bath with me?" Inuyasha asked as he moved up to Miroku's lips. "There are a few other places that I would like to start healing," he continued before kissing Miroku in a very suggesting manner. Inuyasha slowly pulled back to give Miroku a moment to answer him. It took more than a moment for Miroku to catch his breath to answer Inuyasha's question.

"With such persuasion how could I not?" Miroku asked him as he began acting more like someone who was quite happy with where they were as he raised his arm up and pulled Inuyasha's face down for another kiss.

Inuyasha pushed Miroku off of his lap and onto the bed without completely breaking their kiss. Miroku didn't care where he ended up, but he soon realized he was now at the foot of bed. As Inuyasha pulled back from kissing him he no longer felt the soft bedding under his head and was soon looking at his room upside down. Inuyasha now knelt between Miroku's legs and he pulled him back unto the bed. He matched their body parts up as he laid down over Miroku to resume their kiss. Everything delightfully matched as penis meet penis, belly button covered belly button, chests pressed into each other and hot lips burned hot lips.

The kiss was a wet, searching, giving, taking, licking, you-are-mine kiss that they were too happy to give as well as receive from each other.

= Sesshomaru =

Her hair felt soft as I moved my fingers through the patch of hair that was combed over her forehead. I looked back out towards the horizon as I watched the sun as it continued to rise. What will we do today? I asked myself as I saw the tops of the trees as they seem to lighten from the dark color of night black to the green of the day as the sun rose higher.

I like the feel of her body pressed into my side. I had gotten use to that felling and warmth while we were traveling between ningen villages and battles with yōkai that held in its possession a piece of the Shikon Jewel. My little brother was rather insistent at times that I not help retrieve it, but there were occasions when he was just taking too long and the day had already been too long for Kagome.

Kagome had seemed rather impressed at how quickly I had settled the matter. I didn't think what I did was any different from what I had done before, but a small feeling of something I could only label as pride grew in my chest before it faded away with Inuyasha's voice as he once again told me that he had it under control.

He clearly did not have it under control and I wasn't going to waste my breath stating something that even he truly knew. We would have a staring contest that never proved anything before he would retrieve the shard and we would look for somewhere that was a suitable place to set up camp for the night and part of the next day while we decide on what new direction to take.

I looked down as I felt Kagome stir at my side and tightened her grip around my waist before her arms slacked again. I guess it's time that I woke her, I told myself, but I my arm only moved over her shoulder to pull the blanket back into place. I shifted my mokomoko that was along her body to make sure she was completely warm before looking out towards the village as I thought of something for us to do once she awoke to our second day alone.

= NOTES =

Iti, ni, san, si, go, roku, siti, hati, ku, zyuu - one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

Himo - string; cord;