Author's Note:
It's me again! I am sorry all of this came up, also for not making any more action for those of you who like it in the previous chapters and for darkening the theme for those who would prefer a lighter one... I always write based on what my imagination brings next, even if I do have a rather vague, I have to admit, plan in mind.

This is late actually, but I hope you will like the next chapters. This story will no longer have any other description other than "romance", since humor appears from time to time now, making the reference rather obsolete.

Chapter 15
Finding yourself within another.

It took them all a while, but almost everything went back to normal, however slow that was. The two lovebirds were still making Shippou feel a bit uncomfortable, but he was with his foster parents, so he did feel better. Even though the two were not too eager to admit it, both him and Inuyasha were glad to see each other again; Kagome was naturally terribly happy they got over this last adventure. All this was normal, of course.

Inuyasha and Kagome were going to have their baby/~ies in less than seven months, which resulted in a lot of preperation and stuff to take place in the village. Inuyasha, Miroku and a few men built a small cottage for the couple, while Kagome, Sango, Kaede and some women set down on knitting and stuff. Most people helped in one way or the other.

Both of them were unaware of it, but the villagers were thinking of the couple as some sort of lord and lady of theirs. They were important figures, after all, and very powerful.

Miroku, though, was not happy. He felt content for his friend's recovery and their deep love, but... Every now and then, he would turn to watch the young taijiya, sighing somewhat loudly for his usual self.

Kagome wanted to make a match of the two as much as ever, yet she could not find a good opportunity. Inuyasha did not know what to do with them either. One night, when the couple got in bed to sleep, Inuyasha could not help himself but overhear Kagome's soft sigh. "What is it, my love?"

Kagome gazed at the ceiling. "How are we ever going to get Miroku and Sango together? They don't seem like wanting to make a move at all!"

"But you told me that Sango loves Miroku. What does she have to stand back for?"

She turned around huffing in annoyance. "She does love him, that's for sure, but he has managed to make her not want to talk about it!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Like that time with the painting and the ladies, and the one in the forest, right?"

His mate nodded in turn. "And it seems she is reluctant to open up..."

She sure did not expect what came up next. "So does he." was Inuyasha's soft reply.

"What do you mean?! How could that perverted monk of a friend we have ever have a problem talking to a woman to join him?" He easilly realised that sarcasm was dripping caustic out of her mouth.

"Seriously, Kagome! You shouldn't pick up that much from me!"

Kagome smiled innocently at him. "I know, but some times, when you are not hurting someone, it is fun to do so! Anyway, what did you mean by that? I really don't think Miroku would ever hesitate speaking to a woman, a beatiful one too, to become his wife, or a bear his child for that! It does not sound so much like Miroku..."

Inuyasha blushed a little. "He acts so much like I did, in a way..."

That caught her attention. "You mean, he does not feel sure about it?! You are kidding me, right?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "No, I am not. I believe he feels he is not good enough for her or maybe that he should not go on or something like that... Think about it, the only thing he ever does and hurts us is his gropping and perverted thoughts. Have you really not noticed he has actually even stopped acting like that?!"

Kagome was deep in thought. "Hmm, do you mean he is actually thinking of how should he act from now on? But you told me he hesitates!"

"That's the reason he does not want to do anything too bad! He had grabbed Sango's bu... cough, behind, when we arrived, probably because he could not help himself. Sort of a temptation for Miroku, don't you think?"

Kagome sighed sweatdropping. "That's true... I am surprised he has been nice for THAT long! But you haven't finished, have you?"

"The point is that, should Miroku ever choose to advance with her, he shouldn't act too much like he did, or he would have no chance at all."

"I guess you are right... But what can we do? Speak to Miroku-sama?"

"I really don't know... Let's got to sleep, this gets us nowhere. We may think of something in our dreams!"

Kagome snuggled on Inuyasha's chest. "Alright. Sweet dreams, love..."

"You too, Kagome." A few moments after the conversation ended, the two fell in a deep, contented slumber.

How would it be possible to take notice of the shadow that fled the village, the all too familiar staff on hand?

The next morning came. Unlike what they had thought, the weather was cold and dreary, grey clouds covering the sky. Kagome got out of the hut and looked up. "I don't understand. The sky was so clear last night! And there is this heavy feeling in the air..." Looking around, she spotted Inuyasha turning his head one way or the other, sniffing all the time.

"I don't like this, Kagome. There is something strange about the smell of the air around us, but I don't know what..."

Shippou run wildly to the couple's side, Sango close behind him. "Do you feel it too?" When they nodded, he trembled slightly because of a chill than run up his spine, deciding to jump in Kagome's warm embrace. "Do you know what is it, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou lord shook his head. "I don't what is it, but we should better find out fast." Looking around once again, he looked startled. Kagome noticed the same thing out of the blue and spoke up. "Where is Houshi-sama?"

As in queue, a little girl run up to Kagome, very bewildered at what happened to the weather. Looking up at the company that had become so renowned because of their quest to defeat Naraku and make the Shikon no Tama whole once again, she became shy. "K... Kagome-sempai?" She said, her eyes locked on a particularly nice stone on the ground.

"What is it, Monota-chan?" The little girl raised her head, very happy that the powerful, young miko remembered her, but determined to accomplish her mission. "Your friend, Miroku-sempai gave me this. He told me to give you all this message today." She pulled a piece of paper out of her belt. "Good-bye!" And then she left.

Kagome opened the paper up, reading the message that was clearly written by Miroku's hand."What would Miroku give that cute, little girl?" Sango said. She was eager to find out.

Until she looked at the now pale Kagome.

Inuyasha was full of concern. "What is it, koibito? Please tell us..." She didn't speak but gave the message to Inuyasha to read it. He did so, aloud.

My dear friends,

I am so sorry that I have to do this, but, believe me, I really must go... It would be best if I did not tell you the reason that has me fleeing off your company that has given my life such interest and me, happiness. If I don't see you again, I hope you will forgive me for not being there as the godfather you wanted me to be. Shippou, I wish you grow up into a fine kitsune. Sango-sama, I wish you will be happy with your god-child or -children. I hope life will treat you all of you well and that you may find proper rest in the afterlife. Sayonara, my friends.

Miroku

As Inuyasha finished his reading, he raised his sorrowful and at the same time angry eyes to take a glimpse of everyone around him. Kagome seamed to feel almost the same way he did, while Shippou looked like someone had smacked him in the face. But Sango...

She was clearly lost after what she heard. The moisture that had veiled her eyes in a wet wall had started flowing freely if not madly not long after Inuyasha had started reading the first sentence. Her face was drained of any colour, giving her a ghustly look. Suddenly she fell on her knees, in a way that everyone around her was startled even though they knew how she felt for the monk: defeatedly.

"Sango-chan?" Shippou said.

She didn't answer before a tear flowed out of her left eye, run down her cheek and inbetween her two lips, its salty taste mingling with the coppery own of blood, tingling her tongue as she run it over her lips when she bit them. "He has left... for good?"

She turned around to the direction of the hut Kaede occupied when a tremble run up her figure. Without a warning she slumped to the ground, her ears not listening the worried cries and pleas of her friend's and companions.

Later that evening, the young taijiya awoke to the sound of whispers. She looke daround and noticed she had reched her destination, but she couldn't figure out how, since she knew she had fainted, wherever she liked the fact or not.

Lifting herself off the matress on the floor, she turned her head to listen of what was said. Sango realised they were not really whispers as much as a conversation much muffled by the bamboo and paper threshold. Walking up to it, she eavesdropped on her friends.

"I am telling you there is something that doesn't fit in this situation! Why should the sky get so dark and unwholesome at the same time with Miroku's departure?" That was no one else than the hanyou.

"I know..." Sango noticed a hesitation in Kagome's voice. "There was more in the letter than you have read, Inuyasha."

"What do you mean? I haven't noticed anything else!" Sango heard Kagome chuckle half-heartedly. Something was up...

"You wouldn't. Miroku has outsmarted others more than once, you know, and does have a deep understanding of magic. One of the most ancient arcane mysteries was how to produce some form of script that would be read only by those you wanted to read it."

"You mean, Miroku has enchanted his text? But how? Wouldn't that mean the whole message would be invisible to us? And how do you define the ones whom you want to read the message."

"There are a number of ways to achieve the latter... I can even show you some non-magical techniques to get the same effect. But that's not the point. As for your quesation of how it didn't disappear, he enchanted some ink, not the message itself. In this case, however, Miroku put a spell on the ink so that only would be able to see it, just like the colours the Shikon no Tama gives off, and that's the reason I made this speculation."

Inuyasha was startled. "If you showed up in front of your past self, she wouldn't believe she could ever become you..."

Kagome giggled at that notion. "Why, thank you, my love..." Then Sango heard a smutch sound, looking down on her gown at the image that flooded her mind: Miroku holding her close, being so gentle and caring with her as Inuyasha had goten to be with Kagome... and loving.

She was pulled out of her thoughts at her friend's renewed talking. "Now, will you tell me what this little postscript of the houshi was about? I am really afraid the taijiya next door might wake up in minute, and something tells me that she would want to make me part of her boomerang if she knew their is anything concerning her and Miroku in this letter..."

THe wonderful girl in his arms nodded her head. "Your guess is right. Listen."

Kagome-sama, before I go on I want to ask you to talk about this with Inuyasha-sama when you finish its reading. I once again want to apologise for standing by your side when your offspring comes to this world. The reason I am leaving is Sango-chan. I want to live with her for the rest of my life and after that should this be possible, but I cannot. I am not worthy of her, and deep down I am afraid she does not love me.

How ould she after what I have done to her? Plus, I have nothing to give her back... I am a weak, poor monk of Buddha. She would never be happy with me. Not with me.

Farewell, my friend's. I shall think of you and dream of her, and thus find solace. I was not destined for sweet bliss...

While Kagome was reading, the demon exterminator felt her knees buckling as she clutched her gown, her arms wrapped around her shaking form, tears sweeping the colour off her face.

'He has left for good! What am I going to do? I... I... Oh, Gods above, why should he leave and not tell me? Why?'

The couple were surprised when they heard soft sobbing from the room next to the one they were in and a muffled "...why?" reaching their ears.

Inuyasha looked in a sad way at Kagome. "I am afraid she now knows." Leaning close to her, he whispered. "We must get him back. I don't know what this foul feeling in the air has to do with him leaving the village, but they need each other. Even we may be in need of the stupid monk right now." He winked.

Sorry for the delay, but I think this chapter is good. Anyway, I hope you find it nice as well. Bye for now!