Note: Bored, bored. **yawns** Oi, thanks for the reviews and offers, folks… but so many people offered to Beta, I couldn't choose just one, and if I ran it through too many people, it might lose it's "me"-ness. I try to give my fics a bit of a personal touch… and besides, what would I use as an excuse for me laziness? XD

And I remember someone making a comment about making this an Inu-Yasha/Miroku fic. I'm not particularly good at shounen-ai… so no, not this fic. ^.^ Inu-Yasha does seem to be a bit more concerned than normal… if you want to count that. But I plan to work on a more innocent piece next.

Here's four, folks… several more of my acquaintances who've read my fics have come to be, disturbed ^.^ Yay! It goes downhill from here!

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Chapter 4- Twilight

"All that spirits desire, spirits attain."

-Kahlil Gibran, The Poet of Baalbek

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Miroku awoke to dimness all around. At first he suspected he was indoors, but upon looking up he saw that it was merely night out, and his position under the trees had blocked the starlight.

It wasn't full-fledged night. Evening, he could see where the sky lightened slightly to what must have been the east. Or… was it morning? He couldn't have known how long he'd been out.

He tried moving himself. His limbs were sluggish, and his breathing was labored. He felt drained, and it was hard to stir. Only a thin white sheet covered him… Naraku, apparently, had taken his clothes.

He remembered the events of the previous day and shuddered. He managed to shift to a sitting position, and the sheet fell down about his waist, exposing his bare chest and stomach. The sudden shock of cold air caused him to jerk against the tree bark behind him.

"You humans must love your sleep," Naraku's voice breathed amusedly into the monk's ear from behind. Miroku jumped, but Naraku was in front of him before he could even try to stand. His face was shadowed fetchingly in the dark half-light, and his eyes caught what little luminance there was, reflecting it twofold.

Miroku only glared in reply.

"You slept all day. That's just as well… you'll need your energy," The hanyou moved uncomfortably close, his face inches from Miroku's.

"Don't touch me," Miroku snarled.

Naraku defied him immediately, reaching up to lightly stroke the side of Miroku's face. His touch sent a tingle down the back of Miroku's neck, causing the hairs there to rise. "Don't tell me what to do, Miroku. You are at my mercy. You will do as I command."

"No." Miroku said flatly.

Naraku's eyes flashed, and his hand moved down to the side of Miroku's neck. His fingers brushed over the sensitive skin, and Miroku gave an involuntarily shiver. "You can deny me all you want. I can bend you to my will. All humans can be manipu-"

"Go to hell, Naraku!" Miroku shouted with sudden vehemence, his eyes glowering.

Naraku paused for only a split second- and then his grip on the monk's neck tightened painfully and he pressed Miroku up against the back of the tree, hissing lowly in his throat. Miroku choked and coughed, but did not gasp for breath, did not show any weakness. His face began to flush, and he shut his eyes. Soon, the flush deepened, and his mouth began to make subtle, desperate movements.

He needed air!

Naraku tightened his grip. Miroku made a small, unintelligible noise, his body jerking violently.

At the last possible moment before unconsciousness, Naraku released him, and Miroku fell limply back, gasping and sputtering for breath. Air entered his lungs painfully, and he shut his eyes against the searing flames spreading through his body with every breath.

"You'll need to learn to submit, monk," Naraku's voice was hard and harsh. He sank his claws into Miroku's shoulder, grabbing him and forcing him down to the ground, face-up. Miroku hadn't the strength to fight back- and he was still trying to catch his breath. Naraku wasn't making it any easier, with his weight on Miroku's chest.

For a while, Naraku only watched him. Then finally, once he thought Miroku had gained almost all of his breath, he shimmied down the monk's hips once more.

Miroku hadn't noticed- his lungs ached with every breath and his limbs were shaking. Dammit. He'd pushed his luck again, hadn't he?

Naraku leaned down, suddenly pulling back the sheet and taking Miroku's full length into his mouth.

The sensation hit the unsuspecting Miroku like a brick wall. "AH!" he arched, digging his fingernails into the earth. What… the…? He only managed to raise his head enough to see what Naraku was doing.

Naraku inwardly smiled, and sucked, lightly running his fingers over the sensitive flesh at the monk's inner thighs.

"Nngh," Miroku managed to raise his hand, biting into his knuckle to keep from crying out. Electric shocks of pleasure raced up and down his spine, leaving tingling traces in their wake. This was so wrong… but it felt so good…

Naraku slid his mouth slowly up his shaft, pausing slightly at the head to apply the most delicate of pressures with his teeth. Miroku's back stiffened and he made a tiny, whimpering noise. Naraku did not bother to hide his grin.

He rose up and moved forward until he had his hands on either side of the monk's face, and dipped down, grabbing his wrist from Miroku's mouth. "You like that…?" he asked. Miroku noticed, with some curiosity, that Naraku seemed oddly breathless.

Miroku glared weakly, for he felt both exhausted and exhilarated at the same time, and he was sorely confused.

Naraku took his hand and slid one of the fingers into his mouth, sucking lightly. Miroku stared back at him, his face a mixture of expression. Naraku allowed his mouth to glide up, and he nibbled the tip, flicking his tongue over it and grinning.

This whole time, his other hand had glided slowly down over Miroku's bared form, creeping inexorably towards the junction of the monks thighs. Now, as it reached its destination, it wrapped around the semi-rigid member.

Miroku drew his breath in sharply, and Naraku took another finger in his mouth, closing his eyes and concentrating on the careful movements of his fingers. Slowly, he moved his closed hand up and down, stroking the sensitive flesh and thumbing the tip. Miroku's entire body gave a single spasm.

"Ohh…" once again, Miroku furiously cursed himself.

Naraku suddenly moved violently, sucking hard on Miroku' s finger and pumping the monk's erection with his fist at an accelerated, blindingly pleasurable rate.

Miroku's back arched and he gave a broken cry- he had succumbed. His body went completely limp and his face burning with shame. Naraku bent down and claimed his prey's mouth, roughly sliding his tongue into the hot depths. Miroku was too lost to offer resistance, and Naraku pulled him sharply up.

Miroku choked his moans in his throat- it was already painful enough that Naraku had snuffed his spirit. He managed to keep relatively silent and still, but he couldn't stop himself from giving a mighty thrash when his body caved in and he came, emptying himself over Naraku's hand.

He fell back, suddenly even more exhausted then he initially had been.

"Such a weak resistance," Naraku said, half scornfully, half amusedly.

Miroku looked away, hanging limp in Naraku's grasp.

"I certainly hope you're not too tired," the hanyou purred. "You'll need your energy… for tonight…" he lay Miroku back down, and stepped back, fading into the shadows.

The monk lay on the ground, his chest still heaving. Above him, in the sky, he could see tiny pinpricks of brilliant light… and father to the north, a glowing orb hung in the velvet cloak of night like a medallion.

The full moon had risen.

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Note: Short, short chapter. I'll make up for it later, I promise. Keep those lovely reviews coming, and thanks for all your support, folks!