Sorry I have written anything for such a long time! I had a serious case of writers block! Well, hope you like this chapter.
~Ryuuko-Kitsune~
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He walked slowly through the forest, thinking about Kotori. Every time he tried to think about something else, his mind drifted back to her. Where she was, what she was doing, if she was hurt, if she was alive, if she was thinking about him, if she missed him.
Suddenly, he heard a rustling in the trees. He quickly turned around and his jaw dropped when he saw a woman emerge from the trees. Her left shoulder sported a large gash that was bleeding freely, staining her already dirtied and tattered priestess robes. As she walked towards him, she smiled.
"Hello, Miroku." she said softly.
"Kotori?" he ran to her and embraced her tightly, burying his face in her hair, "Kotori! I thought I had lost you forever!"
She stroked his hair lovingly, "You can never lose me, Miroku. I'm yours until the day I die."
Pulling back slightly from him, she planted a soft kiss on his lips. She encircled her arms around his neck and pulled him back to her. He returned her kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing their bodies together. His tongue explored her mouth, indulging himself in something that he was denied for longer than he had wanted. He was so relieved that she was here with him, that he could hold her in his arms. She was with him now, and that was all that mattered.
Kotori hid herself behind a tree and stared in horror as Miroku, her Miroku, kissed another woman. The woman had silky, black hair that was tied up in a bun that rested at the top of her head with two small feathers hanging from it. She wore a bright-colored kimono with a large, bright obi. Tucked into the bow of her obi was a large fan.
She felt as if her heart had been ripped out of her chest. How could he betray her like this? She had given him her unconditional love, then she's gone for a few days and he's already off with another woman. He told her that he loved her! How could she have believed such lies?
Tearing her eyes from the sickening scene before her, she ran into the forest, tears streaming down her cheeks. Dashing blindly through the trees, she came upon a clearing. Sesshomaru sat beneath one of the trees, his head against the trunk and his eyes closed. Seeing him through her tears, she ran over to him and knelt beside him, placing her head on his chest, sobbing.
He quickly opened his eyes and looked down at her in surprise. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
She gripped his kimono in her fists, but kept her head against his chest. "H-He. . . betrayed me. Miroku betrayed me. . ."
His eyes went wide and his grip on her tightened, "Did he hurt you? I swear, if he did, I'll kill him. . ."
"N-No. He didn't. . . physically hurt me."
"Then what did he do? Tell me."
She hesitated for a moment. Her sobbing had ceased, but she spoke in a whisper, "He had his arms around another woman. . ."
His gaze darkened, "That bastard. . . I'll kill him for doing that to you. You don't deserve to be treated like that by anyone."
She looked up at him in shock, "No, please don't. No matter how much he hurt me, I could never wish him dead. Ever."
Sesshomaru relaxed, "Well, then what is it you wish to do?"
She thought for a moment, "Well, can I come back to stay with. . . you?"
Running his fingers through her hair, he smiled. "Of course. You can stay forever, if that is what you desire," Standing up, he helped her to her feet, "Is there anything you wish to do before we depart?"
She rested her head on his chest again and he slid his arms around her, "No. I want to leave and never come back. . ."
She pulled back from Miroku's embrace and walked, with a smile, away from him. He was confused. Why was she walking away from him when they had just been reunited?
"Kotori? Where are you going?"
She turned around and smirked, but said nothing and continued to walk away. When she disappeared among the shadows of the trees, he darted after her. There was no way he was going to lose her again. Ever.
He chased after her, roughly shoving away tree branches. He came upon a clearing and at the far end of that clearing stood Sesshomaru with his arms wrapped around. . . Kotori.
Without even bothering to keep silent, he ran over to them and looked at Kotori in surprise, "Kotori! What are you doing? Get away from him! He's dangerous."
Kotori looked at him and gave him a look so cold it could kill, "I never want to see you again, Miroku. Ever. Just stay away from me!"
Miroku looked at her in shock, "But. . . Why? I love you, Kotori, with every fiber of my being."
Tears began to fall down her cheeks again, "You're a liar, Miroku! And I was stupid enough to believe your lies. You never loved me. . ."
"But Kotori. . .!"
"Enough lies, Miroku!" She turned to Sesshomaru, "Can we leave now? I don't want to see his face ever again."
"Yes, of course." replied Sesshomaru. He summoned the demon he used for travel, then took her hand and helped her up onto it.
Miroku was still in shock as he watched her mount the demon, "Wh-Where are you going, Kotori?"
Taking one last look at the stunned Miroku, she gave him another icy look. "As far away from you as I can. I never want to see you again," pausing for a moment, she felt the tears build in her eyes again, "I love you Miroku, but this is the last time I'll ever say it. Goodbye, Miroku. . ."
With those words, Sesshomaru mounted the demon and they took flight. As Miroku watched them fly away, he sank to his knees in the grass and balled his hands into fists, pounding them on the ground. Tears flowed freely down his face and he sobbed her name over and over, "Kotori. . ."
In the shadows of the trees, a figure cloaked in a white baboon skin stood amid the foliage.
"My plan was almost perfect," said a deep, cold voice that came from beneath the baboon head, "Now, all I have to do is separate her from Sesshomaru, and she'll be mine. . ."
The figure's cold laughter sounded throughout the forest, followed by the buzz of venomous wasps.
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No, this isn't the end, if that's what you were thinking. What will Miroku do now that Kotori's gone? Is she gone for good? Will he go after her? Stay tuned and find out!
~Ryuuko-Kitsune~
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He walked slowly through the forest, thinking about Kotori. Every time he tried to think about something else, his mind drifted back to her. Where she was, what she was doing, if she was hurt, if she was alive, if she was thinking about him, if she missed him.
Suddenly, he heard a rustling in the trees. He quickly turned around and his jaw dropped when he saw a woman emerge from the trees. Her left shoulder sported a large gash that was bleeding freely, staining her already dirtied and tattered priestess robes. As she walked towards him, she smiled.
"Hello, Miroku." she said softly.
"Kotori?" he ran to her and embraced her tightly, burying his face in her hair, "Kotori! I thought I had lost you forever!"
She stroked his hair lovingly, "You can never lose me, Miroku. I'm yours until the day I die."
Pulling back slightly from him, she planted a soft kiss on his lips. She encircled her arms around his neck and pulled him back to her. He returned her kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing their bodies together. His tongue explored her mouth, indulging himself in something that he was denied for longer than he had wanted. He was so relieved that she was here with him, that he could hold her in his arms. She was with him now, and that was all that mattered.
Kotori hid herself behind a tree and stared in horror as Miroku, her Miroku, kissed another woman. The woman had silky, black hair that was tied up in a bun that rested at the top of her head with two small feathers hanging from it. She wore a bright-colored kimono with a large, bright obi. Tucked into the bow of her obi was a large fan.
She felt as if her heart had been ripped out of her chest. How could he betray her like this? She had given him her unconditional love, then she's gone for a few days and he's already off with another woman. He told her that he loved her! How could she have believed such lies?
Tearing her eyes from the sickening scene before her, she ran into the forest, tears streaming down her cheeks. Dashing blindly through the trees, she came upon a clearing. Sesshomaru sat beneath one of the trees, his head against the trunk and his eyes closed. Seeing him through her tears, she ran over to him and knelt beside him, placing her head on his chest, sobbing.
He quickly opened his eyes and looked down at her in surprise. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
She gripped his kimono in her fists, but kept her head against his chest. "H-He. . . betrayed me. Miroku betrayed me. . ."
His eyes went wide and his grip on her tightened, "Did he hurt you? I swear, if he did, I'll kill him. . ."
"N-No. He didn't. . . physically hurt me."
"Then what did he do? Tell me."
She hesitated for a moment. Her sobbing had ceased, but she spoke in a whisper, "He had his arms around another woman. . ."
His gaze darkened, "That bastard. . . I'll kill him for doing that to you. You don't deserve to be treated like that by anyone."
She looked up at him in shock, "No, please don't. No matter how much he hurt me, I could never wish him dead. Ever."
Sesshomaru relaxed, "Well, then what is it you wish to do?"
She thought for a moment, "Well, can I come back to stay with. . . you?"
Running his fingers through her hair, he smiled. "Of course. You can stay forever, if that is what you desire," Standing up, he helped her to her feet, "Is there anything you wish to do before we depart?"
She rested her head on his chest again and he slid his arms around her, "No. I want to leave and never come back. . ."
She pulled back from Miroku's embrace and walked, with a smile, away from him. He was confused. Why was she walking away from him when they had just been reunited?
"Kotori? Where are you going?"
She turned around and smirked, but said nothing and continued to walk away. When she disappeared among the shadows of the trees, he darted after her. There was no way he was going to lose her again. Ever.
He chased after her, roughly shoving away tree branches. He came upon a clearing and at the far end of that clearing stood Sesshomaru with his arms wrapped around. . . Kotori.
Without even bothering to keep silent, he ran over to them and looked at Kotori in surprise, "Kotori! What are you doing? Get away from him! He's dangerous."
Kotori looked at him and gave him a look so cold it could kill, "I never want to see you again, Miroku. Ever. Just stay away from me!"
Miroku looked at her in shock, "But. . . Why? I love you, Kotori, with every fiber of my being."
Tears began to fall down her cheeks again, "You're a liar, Miroku! And I was stupid enough to believe your lies. You never loved me. . ."
"But Kotori. . .!"
"Enough lies, Miroku!" She turned to Sesshomaru, "Can we leave now? I don't want to see his face ever again."
"Yes, of course." replied Sesshomaru. He summoned the demon he used for travel, then took her hand and helped her up onto it.
Miroku was still in shock as he watched her mount the demon, "Wh-Where are you going, Kotori?"
Taking one last look at the stunned Miroku, she gave him another icy look. "As far away from you as I can. I never want to see you again," pausing for a moment, she felt the tears build in her eyes again, "I love you Miroku, but this is the last time I'll ever say it. Goodbye, Miroku. . ."
With those words, Sesshomaru mounted the demon and they took flight. As Miroku watched them fly away, he sank to his knees in the grass and balled his hands into fists, pounding them on the ground. Tears flowed freely down his face and he sobbed her name over and over, "Kotori. . ."
In the shadows of the trees, a figure cloaked in a white baboon skin stood amid the foliage.
"My plan was almost perfect," said a deep, cold voice that came from beneath the baboon head, "Now, all I have to do is separate her from Sesshomaru, and she'll be mine. . ."
The figure's cold laughter sounded throughout the forest, followed by the buzz of venomous wasps.
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No, this isn't the end, if that's what you were thinking. What will Miroku do now that Kotori's gone? Is she gone for good? Will he go after her? Stay tuned and find out!