Bffimagine: Yet another fic. What do you guys WANT from me?!?!
Inny: Another fic.
"Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha turned, irritated, to the voice that called his name.
"What is it, Miroku?" he responded, sparing the young teen no hostility from his voice.
Miroku winced.
"I… I have something to tell you. Inuyasha, I—" Miroku trailed off and his gaze drifted to the ground.
"Go on, get it out already."
"I—I… Inuyasha… I… I love.... From the day we met, I never thought it would happen but it did. I… I love you." Miroku's gaze failed to lift itself from the ground.
The woods went eerily quiet.
"You need not love me back Inuyasha," Miroku whispered softly, still staring at the ground, "I just needed you to know."
Inuyasha snapped out of his daze and tipped Miroku's chin so his eyes were in line with his own.
"You… You're not lying."
Miroku nodded.
'He'll hate me forever.'
A clawed hand slapped across Miroku's cheek.
Again, Inuyasha's amber eyes locked with Miroku's violet ones.
"You're not possessed," he breathed disbelieving.
"You don't love me, do you?" Miroku expected this.
"No."
Even though he couldn't have expected anything more, Inuyasha's words hurt. The stung like the thousands of demon insects that infect any who stand in their way.
"I'm sorry," Miroku apologised, voice cracking, "I'm sorry, Inuyasha."
Hurried footsteps ran off, leaving a trail of tears in their wake.
The drops of blood coloured the once-pure water. Once again, the blade caressed the skin, awakening springs of blood that dripped into the water in the pond.
"Please, stop lord Sesshomaru," Rin begged. She cringed at every drop of blood.
"Go play with Jaken," Sesshomaru ordered. Rin hung her head and ran off.
"Please, stop."
Sesshomaru looked up when a gentle hand touched his arm. The face of one of Inuyasha's friends met his gaze.
"You're that human monk my brother makes acquaintance with," he muttered, the recognition in his voice sounding almost like relief.
"Yes. I… I left for some fresh air, and I seem to have gotten lost in your forest," Miroku lied quickly, unwilling to explain the previous predicament that took place before.
Sesshomaru's fingers dropped the knife and caressed Miroku's cheeks.
"Tears," he said flatly, "Why would you be crying?"
Miroku's head dropped.
Sesshomaru's nose caught the scent of fresh tears. It mixed with the intoxicating scent of Miroku and began to drive Sesshomaru wild.
The young monk was taken aback when Sesshomaru's tongue lapped up his tears.
"You taste salty," Sesshomaru breathed softly.
"Those are human tears. I suppose you don't like them."
"No. They're delicious."
Sesshomaru's tongue began licking Miroku's face again, and Miroku thought him with much likeness to a dog. He was surprised, however, when Sesshomaru started adding kisses and nips and sucks along with the licking, and was moving further down to his jaw and neck.
"You taste sweet," the demon lord whispered into Miroku's ear sensuously, "It makes me want you."
"You want… me?"
"Yes."
"Seems slightly odd," Miroku chuckled bitterly, "Your brother didn't seem to want me at all."
Sesshomaru's heart sank at the sad, melancholy tone in Miroku's voice.
"I may not care much for humans," Sesshomaru admitted, "But… but I… I love you." He added his last sentence with a dead serious look on his face. The sincerity in his voice touched Miroku's heart.
"At last," he smiled, "Someone loves me, and I have someone to love." Miroku buried his face in Sesshomaru's chest, and the demon wrapped his arms tightly around him.
"Why were you cutting yourself?" Miroku asked warmly, comfortable and content with Sesshomaru's warmth and love.
"Because I was lonely."
"Miroku," Inuyasha whispered, savouring the feeling of the name brushing past his lips.
'Maybe I should've given him a chance,' Inuyasha thought, the image of Miroku's crying face swimming into the vision of his mind's eye.
Thoughts and images of Miroku began to reel through Inuyasha's mind. Every detail of him began to become more and more significant, until Inuyasha realised he was describing every bit of the young boy.
'His complexion is so pale, so perfect… I almost want to touch his smooth skin… those soft lips…"
Something snapped within Inuyasha's heart. Realisation flooded into his veins, making his head spin.
"Miroku," Inuyasha said to himself, "I… I love you too."
'Am I too late?"
Inuyasha shot out of the forest a blazing red bullet, silver-white hair streaming out behind him.
"I'm going to find you Miroku. And I'm going to keep you with me forever."
Morning broke across the sky like a golden, light-filled smile. Miroku awoke in Sesshomaru's embrace, and he smiled to himself softly.
"Wake up, lord of the western lands," he whispered as he pressed his lips to the demon's.
Amber, canine eyes opened groggily, heavy with slumber. Sesshomaru stifled a yawn and squeezed Miroku tighter in his arms.
"Good morning," Miroku grinned brightly, wrapping his arms around Sesshomaru's neck. Sesshomaru acknowledged with a quiet 'hn' and peered into Miroku's violet eyes.
"Why are you sad?"
Miroku gave Sesshomaru a puzzled look.
"I'm not sad. I have you here. Why would I be sad?"
"There is something you regret."
Realisation shot through Miroku and he began to tremble.
"I-I want to see Inuyasha again."
"So you did love my bastard half-brother," Sesshomaru mused aloud.
"SESSHOMARU!"
Inuyasha burst through the door, kicking a very agitated Jaken out of the way.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MIROKU!"
"I'm not going to let you hurt him again, Inuyasha."
"YOU'RE THE ONE KEEPING HIM HERE!" Inuyasha hollered, anger bubbling in his eyes.
"You, if I'm not mistaken, were the one who broke his heart. All I have done was mend it back together."
Inuyasha turned to Miroku.
"You didn't want me Inuyasha," Miroku confirmed, "Even though, now, I still love you. But the rest of my heart lies with someone else."
"This can't be right," Inuyasha whispered to himself, "This cannot be right."
"Inuyasha, if you were the one who rejected him in the first place, I don't expect you accept him now," Sesshomaru said evenly.
"I do," Inuyasha replied sincerely, "I just didn't realise I loved him before."
"I'm sorry Inuyasha," Miroku apologised, the hurt evident in his eyes, "I can't continue travelling with you and the others."
Inuyasha's disbelief took form in a look as if he'd been slapped hard on the face.
"You're leaving us? Just like that?"
"Yes. I'm sorry."
Snow-white doggy ears drooped. Inuyasha shook his head and tried to prevent his tears from spilling.
"Inuyasha, I…" Miroku was cut off by Inuyasha's fleeing footsteps.
"Please, Sesshomaru, let me go after him." Miroku's eyes gazed pleadingly into Sesshomaru's.
'I don't think I can take the strain.'
Love is like an ice sculpture,
It takes so much care to make.
But if the statue is broken,
The determination fails to break.
The sculpture is sculpted again,
Every detail set in ice,
The work must be done perfectly,
Even if it takes not once but thrice.
What happens through if the sculpture melts,
The ice now just cold water.
It cannot be resurrected,
For now the water falters.
Ice cannot heal,
Neither can the heart.
But one can begin anew,
Make a brand new start.
"Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha kept his head low, and didn't respond to the quiet voice.
Miroku's heart sank.
"Please, forgive me Inuyasha."
"No."
'Again with that one word. Why does it cause me so much pain?'
"I'm sorry Inuyasha. You had your chance, when I loved you and only you. But now there is another, and I can't decide who to stay with forever."
"I know you're loyal, even though you're always going off with many women. Never did you bring any to bed after you met Sango. Or was it after you met me?" Inuyasha stared intently into Miroku's eyes.
"It was after I met you. I hoped you'd love me back, and when you told me no I felt broken. Sesshomaru took me in and pieced together the fragments of what used to be me."
"But now I love you. Now I've realised what I've missed. Can't you come back with me?"
"I'm sorry Inuyasha, but no."
Inuyasha's head dropped again.
"Take this," Miroku almost demanded, holding out his cursed hand and beginning to remove the prayer beads.
"No!" Inuyasha leapt up and held Miroku's wrists still.
"The hole has gotten large enough, Inuyasha," Miroku whispered solemnly, "It's already big enough to swallow me whole. And I don't want it taking anyone else with me."
A quiet swooping sound was accompanied by the soft tap of feet on the ground.
"Miroku," Sesshomaru muttered smoothly, "I don't want you to die on me."
Miroku pulled away.
"I… I love you both. I love you so much." Miroku pressed his lips to either one of their cheeks.
The prayer beads began to fall away.
"Take these," Miroku ordered, handing them the juzu, "And don't forget me."
Miroku ran off as fast as his human legs would allow, and soon he disappeared within the forest.
Inuyasha looked at the blue beads he held in his claws. Sesshomaru did the same.
A piercing scream echoed through the forest. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru watched as a portion of the forest disappeared.
Tears slid over magenta triangles.
"I can't believe he's gone."
Wet trails of salt water shone on Inuyasha's cheeks.
"He's gone. And he saved both of us. He was our redeemer."
Love saves, love kills.
Love heals, love hurts.
It works many wonders,
Love is kind, love is ill,
Love is chaste, love is flirty.
It redeems those who've gone asunder.
Love is pain, love is comfort.
Love is life, love is death.
It brings up those who are far under.
OWARI