Song of Miroku
A hopefully short, Sango and Miroku story. Miroku is a very educated man, so, let's see some of that education . . .
Inu-yasha, Kagome (with Shippo in the basket of her bike), Miroku and Sango are standing at the bottom of a mountain. At the top of the mountain, they can see the tops of an enclosed series of buildings.
"We just have to go up there and take it!" Inu-yasha is yelling, gesturing to the buildings.
Miroku is shaking his head. "No. No. Inu-yasha. That is Bakufu's school! He is friend's with the Shogun. If we attack it, the shogun will find out, and will place a price on our heads! We've got to sneak in, not barge in!"
"But there is a fucking shard up there!" Inu-yasha yells in Miroku's face. "She feels it." He points to Kagome.
Kagome nods, then clears her throat. "Inu-yasha, perhaps we can try something different this time, ok? It won't hurt to talk about it, would it?" she says in a soft voice.
Inu-yasha places his arms across his chest. "Go ahead, monk." He growls. 'I'm going to lose, I know it . . . ' he thinks.
Miroku looks up at the mountain and then at the others. "Well, If we are not going to barge in. Hmmm. I would suggest, that I go up. I can claim to be a scholar, seeking a teaching position. And, one of you can pretend to be, say, my assistant."
"Just two people?" Shippo asks.
Miroku nods. "Yes, if we go up as a group, they'll be suspicious."
The group looks at each other and nods. Just about every place they go, they get suspicious looks, and whispers.
"Who goes with you?" Sango asks.
Miroku looks around. "Well, whoever it is, will have to, at least, pretend to be polite."
"That leaves me out." Inu-yasha growls.
Miroku nods. He looks at Shippo. "And, I'm afraid that you're too young, Shippo."
"I thought so." Shippo growls.
Sango and Kagome look at each other. 'Lovely. He gets one of us, alone.' Kagome mouths.
Sango sighs. 'Bet he planned that.' She mouths.
"No bet." Kagome says.
"Kagome?" Miroku asks. "What did you just say?"
"Just mumbling under my breath, Miroku." Kagome replies. "Which one of us, Sango or myself?"
Inu-yasha grimaces as he just realizes what Miroku just talked himself into. An adventure alone with one of the girls.
Miroku looks at Kagome and Sango. "I would like to take you, Lady Kagome. But."
"But?" Kagome asks.
"Your zeal about learning would be very useful, and your ability to locate the shard even more so. But. Your appearance, your accent and the odd phrases you use would make you a bit too strange."
"So you want me to follow you up there." Sango growls out.
Miroku nods. 'Yes.' He thinks, 'also, if I take Kagome up there, I guarantee that Inu-yasha would come up the mountain and interfere.'
Sango looks up the mountain. She smiles. "But, Monk, I can't go up there." She brushes her breasts. "In case you've forgotten, that school is for men only."
Miroku sniffs. "A technicality, Lady Sango."
"A technicality!" Kagome cries before Sango can.
"Her sex can be hidden by clothes." Miroku says. He smiles. "I do believe that you'd be amazed at how many scholars have young male assistants who are very shy and who only bathe in private." A gleam appears in his eyes.
"Pervert." Sango growls out.
Miroku smiles. "Not at all, merely practical."
Sango growls. She looks around. Her eyes lock with Kagome. Kagome shrugs. "Which would you prefer, Sango? Inu-yasha's destroy everything plan or this?"
"I didn't say we'd destroy everything." Inu-yasha growls.
"Ok, so, we leave the outhouse alone." Kagome replies, in a peeved tone. "Same difference."
"I'm not that bad." Inu-yasha hisses to her.
"Yes, you are." She hisses back.
"I'm tried of destruction." Sango whispers under her breath. She glares at Miroku. Her sword is out of its sheath and is touching his crouch. "I will remove this, if necessary." She growls.
He takes a step back, and bows, moving his groin even further away from that sword. "I understand, Lady Sango."
"Wait." Kagome says. "Don't you need me to find the shard?"
"I did find shards before I meet you." Miroku replies. "It will take longer and I've got to be closer to the shard, but I can find it."
"And I can find them, as well." Sango adds in. "It is from my village, remember."
Kagome blushes and nods. "I forgot. I am sorry."
"It's fine." Sango says. Miroku nods.
He looks at the buildings, and then back at Kagome and Inu-yasha. "Give us two days, and if we're not back, do whatever you think is needed." He pauses. "Unless, of course, something else happens, in which case, do whatever you need to do."
"Two days?" Sango asks.
"I know that it is a large school, and it might take a while to locate the shard." Miroku replies. "And since we are sneaking in, we may not be free to explore until nightfall."
Sango nods. She sighs. "Give me a few minutes to alter my clothes."
She shakes her head, as she thinks. 'In the past, my father, to avoid trouble, did have me press down my breast and disguise myself as a boy. So, I know what to do, and I've got the clothes I need. But, I hope we'll be alone, so I can release my breasts.'
Her eyes narrow and glare at Miroku, who is looking at her, smiling faintly. 'Gods. I just thought about freeing my breasts in front of him . . . ' She licks her lips. 'Suddenly, I just felt a shiver run down my spine. I have a feeling that I'm going to want to forget whatever happens.'
Later . . .
At the top of the mountain.
Miroku is doing all the talking. Sango, as is proper, is staying quiet, her head down, walking behind him. Sango is impressed, again, at his talking skills, and she notices a couple of small silk bags that are exchanged.
'Bribes.' She thinks. 'Between them and his talking skills, he is getting an invitation to the master of the school. Which is good, I suppose, but, listening to him talk . . . I get the impression of a wolf, masquerading as sheep and eating the flock. Remember, Sango, don't trust him.' She tells herself.
A few minutes later . . .
Miroku and Sango are lead into a sitting room, where the master of the school, and a couple of assistants are waiting. They are already sitting on the floor. Miroku and Sango bow, deeply, to them. Miroku is waved to sit down. Sango moves backward and places her back against the paper wall.
"You are a young man." The master of the school states in an irritated tone. He and his assistants are old men. Their faces are full of facial creases, and their hair is white. One of the assistants has a scar on his face. 'Perhaps he was a warrior in his youth?' Sango thinks.
"Sir. You are wise." Miroku smiles at him.
The master of the school snorts, at that obvious bit of flattery. "I will recite various poems. You will tell me who wrote them." He pauses. "Your presence has disrupted my schedule. I should be composing a friendly letter to my former student, the shogun."
Miroku bows, placing his face on the floor. 'Sly old man, telling me, if I'm wasting his time, he'll make my life hell, via his connection to the shogun.' He thinks.
He sits up. "I am ready, master."
"Though I do not want
to live on in this floating world,
If I remain here,
let me remember only
this midnight and this moonrise." The master says.
"The Emperor Sanjo" Miroku replies, instantly.
"When I take the path
to Tago's coast, I see
Perfect whiteness laid
On mount Fuji's lofty peak
By the drift of falling snow"
"Yamabe No Akahito" Miroku replies.
"though he forsook me,
for myself I do not care:
he made a promise,
and his life, who is forsworn,
Oh, how pitiful that is."
"The lady Ukon" Miroku replies.
"Soon my life will close.
When I am beyond this world
and have forgotten it,
let you remember only this:
One final meeting with me." The master states.
Miroku pauses. He bows, placing his face on the floor. "Master. The lady Izumi Shikibu created a similar poem. The final two lines in her poem are different from what you have just said."
"What is in your memory?"
"Let me remember only this:
One final meeting with you." Miroku says with his face still on the floor.
The master grunts. 'Most people in his position would not have mentioned that deliberate mistake. If he has the will to correct me, even before I hire him, he may become a great teacher.' He thinks.
"You may look at me." The master says. He pauses. "We shall continue."
The master shifts his position. The two assistants shift their positions. Miroku hides a smile. 'They are shifting into a move comfortable position. He is not going to dismiss me, out of hand. I should be able to convince them to grant me a position, at least a temporary one, easily enough.' He thinks.
Later . . .
Miroku and Sango are following one of the school masters assistants. He is an old man, and is walking slowly. So, between his snails pace and his hearing, they can whisper between themselves as they follow him.
Miroku passes to Sango a scroll. "When I give the signal, you will be to recite the songs on that scroll."
"Huh?" Sango asks. "I do not know."
"We need to attract the attention of the person with the shard, correct?"
Sango nods.
"A shard, normally, perverts a person, making them destructive."
"Yes."
"So, the songs on that scroll, are good songs, positive songs."
Sango looks at the scroll. "AH, I see. IF I am."
"We are. You have second voice. I will sing the first voice."
Sango's eyebrow raise. "Are you going to be looking over my shoulder?"
Miroku sighs. "I would like to, Lady Sango, but, I am the person that wrote those songs, so I do not need a scroll."
Her eyes narrow. "I haven't heard you sing, before." She states.
He sighs, "let's simply say that Inu-yasha is a music critic."
Sango snorts. "I'll bet." She looks at Miroku, "So, if we sing good songs, you think that the wielder of the shard will try to stop us."
He nods. "Or least, he would try to find out about us." He pauses. "Do you think that this is a good plan?"
Sango purses her lips and nods.
"So, you will sing the songs?"
Sango sighs. "Yes." She thinks. 'I wonder what type of songs they are?' she closes her eyes, and opens them. "Monk." Her voice is dead, as she speaks.
"Yes, Lady Sango?"
"Am I going to like singing these songs?"
"I certainly hope so. They are good songs."
'He evaded the question.' She thinks. 'I have a bad feeling. I'm not going to like these songs . . . '
She opens the scroll and glances at the songs. Her face blanks. She stares at Miroku, her face flushed with anger.
He smiles back. "They are very lovely songs, are they not?"
"I should have known." Sango growls.
His raises an eyebrow. "Well?"
Sango curls the scroll up. 'I can say no. but, his plan is a good one. And it's certainly better than sneaking around at night, which was the best one I had.' She nods, a gloomy expression on her face.
Miroku smiles. "Cheer up. The songs are happy songs, full of love."
"I know." Sango growls.
Later . . .
Miroku is sitting in front of a group of about a dozen young men. Sango is sitting beside him. The school master assistant is sitting on the other side of him.
Miroku is lecturing on poem and song creation. He pauses. "Hmmm. I see, that it would be best if I show you, my students, some examples of song creation."
Sango gulps, and tries to control her blush.
He looks at Sango. "My assistant, Sango, will help me. Please take out and open up the scroll, that I gave you earlier."
Sango reaches into her robe and draws out the scroll. Her eyes scan the room. The male students show professional interest, but that's it. 'At least they think that I'm a boy, so, this won't be that embarrassing.' She thinks.
"Are you ready?" Miroku asks, after she has opened the scroll.
Sango nods.
"Then, I begin." Miroku states.
He begins to sing, a twinkle in his eyes.
"Let me kiss you with the kisses of my mouth!
For your love is better than saki,
your anointing oils are fragrant,
your name is perfume poured out;
Draw me after you, let us make haste.
You have brought me into your chambers.
We will exult and rejoice;
we will extol your love more than wine;
You are tanned and beautiful," HE sings, a slight, but leering smile on his lips, a slight hint of passion in his voice.
Sango gulps, and begins to read from the scroll.
"Do not gaze at me because I am tanned and scared,
because the sun has gazed on me.
Tell me, you whom my soul loves,
where you live.
If you do not know,
O handsome among men,
follow my tracks,
and live in my house." She finishes, with a flourish.
She glances up at the Miroku. As He sings his next section, though, she flicks her eyes at the group of young men.
She blushes, deeply. 'They think that I'm a man! And I'm singing a love song to another man!'
Miroku sings.
"I compare you, my love,
to a mare among the shogun's samurai horses.
Your cheeks are comely with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.
I will make you ornaments of gold,
studded with silver." He pauses, and plays with his wooden pray beads.
'I do wish that I had that wealth.' He thinks as he looks at Sango. 'I would like to give you beautiful things that would increase your beauty.'
Sango sings.
"While the emperor was on his couch,
my perfume gave forth its fragrance.
My beloved is to me a bag of myrrh
that lies between my breasts." Sango's chest tingles as she sings the last line. Her blush deepens as she sees Miroku stare at her pressed down breasts.
Miroku sings.
"My beloved is to me a cluster of rose blossoms
in the vineyards of the goddess.
Ah, you are beautiful, my love;
ah, you are beautiful;
your eyes are doves." His eyes hold hers, as he sings.
Sango blushes, and pauses, her concentration wavers, but she glances down and begins to sing.
"Ah, you are beautiful, my beloved,
truly lovely.
Our futon is green;
the beams of our house are cedar,
our rafters are pine." She finishes with an exhale.
'That ends the first song.' She thinks.
Miroku glances around the room. 'Good. I can see, through the thin paper screens, that others are gathering outside the room. Sooner or later, the wielder of the shard will appear.' His eyes catch hers.
Sango nods. She is seeing the same thing that Miroku is noticing. But, she is also looking at the students. They are nudging each other, passing notes.
She glances back at Miroku. 'No, they couldn't, could they? There is no way that they think that we are in love?'
"You need to start singing the second song, Sango." Miroku stage whispers to her.
Sango swallows, glances down at the scroll, and begins to sing.
"I am a rose of Mukuge,
a lily of the valleys."
(author's note: mukuge: the Japanese name for the flower Rose of Sharon.)
Miroku sings.
"As a lily among brambles,
so is my love among maidens."
Sango glances at him, at that line, but she sings.
"As an apple tree among the trees of the wood,
so is my beloved among young men.
With great delight I sat in his shadow,
and his fruit was sweet to my taste."
She pauses, as she considers, the sexual implications of that line, then continues.
"He brought me to the banqueting house,
and his intention toward me was love."
She swallows, as Miroku begins to sing.
"Sustain me with raisins,
refresh me with apples;
for I am faint with love." His voice begs her.
Sango, with a catch in her voice, sings.
"O that his left hand were under my head,
and that his right hand embraced me!
I adjure you, O daughters of Japan,
do not stir up or awaken love
until it is ready!" Sango blushes, as she finishes.
She thinks, 'and just where is he putting that right hand.' She glances at his hand. Miroku wiggles his fingers in an obvious invitation.
Then, after a deep breath, Sango continues to sing.
"The voice of my beloved!
Look, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
bounding over the hills."
She stops, catches another breath, and continues.
"My beloved is like a young stag.
Look, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing in at the windows,
looking through the lattice."
Sango glances at the room. Everyone is paying rapt attention to her and Miroku.
Miroku begins to sing.
"Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away;
for now the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.
The cherry tree puts forth its flowers,
and the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away.
O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the covert of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely."
Miroku's earnest voice pleads with Sango, as he finishes his song.
Sango, blushing, begins to sing.
"My beloved is mine and I am his;
he pastures his flock among the lilies.
Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved, be like a young stag
on the cleft mountains."
Sango's takes a couple of deep breaths, as she finishes the second song. She whispers to Miroku. "I'm going to get you for this."
Miroku's smile grows. "I would love to get something from you."
Sango sputters.Miroku looks at the room. 'Good. The crowd outside the room, is larger.' He frowns. 'Maybe? No. but, I think that the shard is getting closer.'
Sango looks around at the young men in the room. She blushes, as she thinks, 'They do think that we're in love!'
Miroku hisses, "you begin the next song."
Sango looks at the scroll, and begins to sing.
"Upon my bed at night
I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him, but found him not;
I called him, but he gave no answer." She swallows hard, and continues.
"I will rise now and go about the city,
in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves.
I sought him, but found him not.
The sentinels found me,
as they went about in the city.
"Have you seen him whom my soul loves?" Sango's voice cracks as the finishes that line. She pauses, blushing, and continues.
"Scarcely had I passed them,
when I found him whom my soul loves.
I held him, and would not let him go
until I brought him into my mother's house,
and into the chamber of her that conceived me."
Sango pauses. 'Into my mother's bedroom. And then, do what? Have sex with him there?' She glances at Miroku. He smiles at her.
Sango, after a slight growl, under her breath, sings.
"I adjure you, O daughters of Japan,
do not stir up or awaken love
until it is ready!" She finishes.
Sango thinks. 'Is my feeling for him ready?'
Miroku thinks. 'Is my feeling for her ready?'
After a short pause, as they look into each eyes, Miroku begins to softly sing.
"What is that coming up from the wilderness,
like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
with all the fragrant powders of the merchant?"
As he sings, Sango grins at the thought of Miroku as a merchant.
Miroku continues to sing.
"Look, it is the litter of the Emperor
Around it are sixty mighty men
of the mighty men of japan,
all equipped with swords
and expert in war,
each with his sword at his thigh
because of alarms by night."
Sango's attention is attracted to the motion of the master's assistant. He is smiling, obviously remembering something. Sango's eyes are attracted to his facial scars. 'He's remembering something when he was young. Did he guard the emperor then?' she wonders.
Miroku, as Sango is thinking, continues to sing.
"The Emperor made himself a palanquin
from the wood of Nippon.
He made its posts of silver,
its back of gold, its seat of purple;
its interior was inlaid with love.
Daughters of Japan, come out." He cries.
"Look, O daughters of Kyoto,
at the emperor,
at the crown with which his father crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
on the day of the gladness of his heart."
As Miroku finishes this song. The school master's assistant, finally speaks. "A request, young scholar." He asks Miroku.
"Yes, master?" Miroku replies.
"As soon as you can, I would like a copy of that song." The old mad says. 'It would make a good impression at court, I think.'
Miroku bows. "As you wish, master. It will take a few days, however. I will have to settle in here."
The assistant nods. "Acceptable. Pray continue. I have been enjoying your songs." He leers at Sango. "And, your young companion as well."
Sango blushes, and puts her head down on her chest. She frowns. 'I'm dressed as a boy. But. He leered at me! He must know that I'm a woman!'
Miroku, seeing a wildness in her eyes, hisses at her. "Calm." He whispers. "Everything is fine. I can almost feel the shard."
Sango takes a deep breath. She nods. "By the way," she whispers back. "What was the emperor going to do with girls that did look at him?"
Miroku leers. "What do you expect?"
Sango sputters.
Miroku, his eyes holding Sango's, begins to sing again.
"How beautiful you are, my love,
how very beautiful!
Your eyes are doves
Your hair is like a streak of night"
He pauses, then, continues.
"Your teeth are like a polished rice,
Your lips are like a crimson thread,
and your mouth is lovely.
Your cheeks are like halves of a peach
Your neck is long, straight, and gleaming white."
He leers at Sango as he sings.
"Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a deer,
that feed among the lilies."
Sango's blush grows deeper.
"Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
I will hasten to the mountain of myrrh
and the hill of frankincense.
You are altogether beautiful, my love;
there is no flaw in you.
Come with me from japan, my bride;
from the peak of fuji,
from the dens of tigers,
from the mountains of beasts."
He pauses. His eyes catch and hold her, as he continues. His voice is low, heartfelt and full of emotion.
"You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride,
you have ravished my heart with a glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
How sweet is your love, my sister, my bride!
how much better is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
Your lips distill nectar, my bride;
honey and milk are under your tongue;
the scent of your garments is like the scent of Nippon.
A garden locked is my sister, my bride,
a garden locked, a fountain sealed."
He smiles. His eyes glance at her groin.
"Your Jade gate is an orchard of peaches
with all choicest fruits,
saffron, calamus and cinnamon,
with all trees of frankincense,
myrrh and aloes,
with all chief spices -
a garden fountain, a well of living water,
and flowing streams from Nippon."
Miroku smiles as Sango's blush goes crimson. 'Did he mean that about my jade gate? The place between my legs!'
"Your turn." Miroku hisses.
Sango takes a deep breath, and sings.
"Awake, O north wind,
and come, O south wind!
Blow upon my garden
that its fragrance may be wafted abroad.
Let my beloved come to his garden,
and eat its choicest fruits."
She pulls at her clothes, making sure that no wind will expose her body . . .
Miroku, flicks his eyes to one of the paper walls. 'Hmm. The next song. It might cause him to get close enough.' He thinks.
He starts to sing.
"How graceful are your feet in sandals,
O queenly maiden!
Your rounded thighs are like jewels,
the work of a master hand.
Your navel is a rounded bowl
that never lacks saki."
Sango's blush grows at that line.
"Your belly is a heap of rice,
encircled with lilies.
Your two breasts are soft, like two fawns,
twins of a deer.
Your neck is like an ivory tower.
Your eyes are pools in Ise,
by the gate of Temple.
Your nose is like a tower of the castle,
overlooking Edo.
Your head crowns you like Carmel,
and your flowing locks are like purple;
a king is held captive in the tresses.
How fair and pleasant you are,
O loved one, delectable maiden!
You are stately as a cherry tree,
and your breasts are like its clusters.
"I say I will climb the cherry tree
and lay hold of its branches.
Sango glares at him, 'grab my breasts!' she thinks.
"O may your breasts be like clusters of the cherries,
and the scent of your breath like apples,
and your kisses like the best saki
that goes down smoothly,
gliding over lips and teeth."
He pauses, then he leans toward Sango. His voice is soft, caressing. His eyes are holding hers, as he sings.
Sango gulps. Her voice is shaking from emotion as she begins to sing.
"I am my beloved's,
and his desire is for me.
Come, my beloved,
let us go forth into the fields,
and lodge in the villages'
let us go out early to the rice paddies,
and see whether the rice have budded,"
She pauses, then continues.
"There I will give you my love.
The mandrakes give forth fragrance,
and over our doors are all choice fruits,
new as well as old,
which I have laid up for you, O my beloved!" Sango finishes.
"STOP!" one of the paper walls rips apart. "I hate this! Love is bad! Destruction is good!" An older student cries.
He points at Miroku. "Death!" He cries as his hand glows. Miroku and Sango instantly recognize the aura of a shard in his hand.
Sango instantly moves, she shoves Miroku out of the way before the black glowing beam hit her back.
"ARRHHH!" She cries as she rolls, trying to stop the fire that is engulfing her.
Miroku, after he rolls from the shove that Sango gave him, stands up. A spell scroll in his hands.
The students and teachers in the room are sliding, crawling, running away . . .
Another black beam shots from the shard wielder. But, this beam hits Miroku's spell scroll and is absorbed. 'As I hoped. He hasn't had the shard long. This trick won't work against Naraku.' Miroku thinks.
"Sango!" He cries as he turns to look at her.
"Get him!" Sango cries. "I'm ok!"
Miroku runs across the room and jumps on the man, as the man stares at the shard, obviously wondering what went wrong . . .
Miroku spins and kicks the man, knocking him unconscious. The shard flips into the air. Miroku grabs it. "Idiot." He says glares at the man. "Stupid idiot." He growls.
Miroku looks at Sango.
Sango is, barely, but she is standing up. Miroku sighs in relief. While Sango's clothes have been burned, she appears unhurt.
Miroku leers.
Sango begins to walk to Miroku. She stops and looks down.
The fire did burn off large portions her clothes. Her breasts are free . . . (they are unhurt, as well.) And her pants fall to the ground, revealing her bare lower body.
"I thought that you were a man!" One of the students cries in surprise.
"You two were supposed to be men! In love with each other! But you lied!" a random student calls out.
"You're a pervert!" another student calls out.
"I was falling in love with you, but now I hate you!" a student yells. "I can't love a woman!"
Sango's eyes narrow. Her fists form. Her battle aura grows.
Miroku quietly and quickly leaves the room and the building . . .
A few minutes later at the bottom of the mountain.
Miroku runs up the Inu-yasha, Kagome, and Shippo. After running down the mountain, he is breathing very heavily.
"What happened!?" Kagome cries. "We were about to charge up the mountain!" She points at the mountain top.
The buildings are collapsing . . . they are being destroyed by something . . .
"Sango?" Shippo asks.
"She's fine." Miroku puffs out.
"Fine?" Inu-yasha asks. "Why isn't she with you?"
"AH . . . " Miroku pauses. "She's up there." He points at the mountain.
Kagome frowns. "You've got the shard, Miroku. I can feel it. What is she doing up there?"
"They insulted her, didn't they?" Shippo asks.
Miroku licks his lips and nods.
Inu-yasha whistles, "Must have been some insult." He says under his breath, as he watches another building blow up.
Miroku nods again. He thinks, 'I wonder what hurt her the most? That they thought that she was a pervert? Or that they thought that she was in love with me?'
He pauses, then thinks, 'I don't think that I will ever ask her those questions . . . '
The end.
Author's note: The songs in this story are adaptions of songs from the Song of Solomon in the Bible. Please excuse my crude alterations, I am not a poet, but some the phrases and terms I had to alter to try to make them fit into Japanese, not middle east terms. I did make mistakes, and if, you the reader, wish to give me a different, better, version of these stories, please feel free to do so.
I did not adapt all the songs, by the way. I am planning on posting the originals in a second chapter.
ah, yes. About the homosexual inferences... japan never has been as homophobic as the west. Man-man friendship and love was accepted.
(There was even a school of thought that believed that women were incapable of feeling the emotion of love. So, since only men could feel love, it follows that the only loving relationship a man could have would be with another man....)
Thank you for reading
jeff shelton