Disclaimer: I don't own any aspect of Inuyasha. Yep. Nothing.

Note to Readers: This is a Yaoi aka Slash aka Shounen Ai. Now, let me tell you what this means exactly: even though the characters of Miroku and Inuyasha are not gay on the show, I have taken the liberty to make them that way. If you don't like gay relationships, turn back now without reviewing. If you like them, please read on. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Equinox

by Ame no Chikara

The sun had just peeked over the hill as cherry blossoms blew onto a sleeping bag occupied by a silver-haired boy in the Sengoku Jidai. He wiggled his nose softly as he felt his strength return to him. He snapped up quickly, allowing his now salt and pepper hair to swish from side to side. A sudden calm then washed over the hanyou as his eyes met with the rest of his group.

He studied them carefully before noticing that Sango was the only one conscious. He watched the young demon huntress hum softly as she tended to a fire that was slowly dying. She reached into a yellow bag and grabbed out a package of matches to the background music of birds chirping. She ran a hand through her hair as she inspected the box and slid it open carefully. Out of it, she pulled a short stick with a red tip. Rolling it between the tips of her fingers, she inspected it unsurely. All of a sudden, she felt Inuyasha rip it out of her hands.

"What the hell are you doing that for?" He sneered before tossing the match behind him into a bush. Inuyasha layed a sharp kick into Shippou's back as Shippou cried out in pain, awakening the rest of the group.

"Inuyasha! Don't pick on Shippou!" Kagome said angrily as she ran to the assistance of a crying Shippou. Sango glared at Inuyasha in a way that it suggested that it was always his fault that chaos ensued. Miroku just looked up in a sleepy fashion towards Inuyasha before nodding his head back down upon the ground.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at all the attention. "Keh!" he replied arrogantly. "Why don't you and Shippou just get a hut?"

Kagome's eyes clouded over in anger as Sango's became wide with amazement. Shippou blushed a deep red and Miroku's lips curled into a smirk as they heard the foreboding "Osuwari!" and the sudden 'thump!'. A loud cry could be heard from Inuyasha's mouth as he made a pit in the ground. Silence ensued for a moment until Inuyasha began to mumble in pain.

Sango and Miroku turned their heads to take a glance at the Inuyasha-shaped pit in the ground and a ruined sleeping bag as large sighs emitted from their mouths. Kagome sighed as she picked the box of matches off the ground and commenced to show Sango how to strike one. Shippou hung tightly onto Kagome's shoulder, still trying to conceal the embarrassment that Inuyasha knew about his feelings for Kagome. Inuyasha crawled out of the hole unnoticed by all but Miroku who looked at him sleepily.

Inuyasha went and sat down by the young monk and looked at him oddly as he shivered gently. "Let me in." Inuyasha growled, pushing Miroku out of the way so he could fit into the sleeping bag too. Miroku yelped in surprise as he felt the hanyou slither into the bag next to him as the girls watched on in shock. Inuyasha twisted his face into a scowl and layed a sharp kick to Miroku.

"Hey!" cried Miroku, now fully awake and fully in a rage. Inuyasha layed a glare on the monk and wrapped himself up further in the sleeping bag. Miroku rubbed his eyes gently and moaned slightly in a shivering cold. "Get out, idiot!"

Inuyasha snuggled further into the sleeping bag. Shippou walked up silently to the mass in the bag before it clunked him several times over the head. "Ow! Inuyasha always hurts people when Kagome sits him! He's worst at this time of the month, too!"

Miroku poked Inuyasha sharply before receiving a sharp smack across the face. "Hey! What was that for?"

Inuyasha opened his eyes for a moment and shot an acid stare the way of Miroku. "Keh! One poke to my back and you're inches from my ass, lecher. I'm not stupid, ya know!"

Miroku hung his head in a pouting position before snapping it up in anger. "Like there would be any way in hell I'd be interested in a damn worthless hanyou like yourself!"

The wind almost seemed to halt as Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly and turned softly to Miroku. The rest of the camp's occupants looked steadily on at Miroku, almost in a shock as to the boy's response to the hanyou. "Is that... what you really think of me?"

Miroku sighed and hung his head in response. The wind began to blow gently through the camp, leaving a slight whistle through the trees. The pause seemed unbreakable as hurt chords rung through the air. Jagged breaths ripped through the heavy atmosphere before Kagome spoke up quietly. " I have to go home today. My family wants me to be there for the Equinox."

Miroku and Inuyasha sat passively as the atmosphere carried a sharp tint of confusion. Sango cleared her throat and continued to watch the boys before slowly turning her head to carry on the conversation. "What do you do in your country for that?"

"Well, during the equinox, we visit the graves of our ancestors." Kagome said unsteadily, pulling her stuff together. She watched the boys slowly before approaching them and patting Inuyasha atop the head. "See ya' boy!"

Inuyasha sat enlightened instead of his typical swat and whine. Kagome watched him slowly before turning to Miroku with a happy smile on. She hugged Miroku happily and waited for his hand to slowly trickle up her skirt. She held on until she realized it wasn't going to happen and pulled away sharply. "Well... I guess I'm going."

Shippou watched as Kagome continued down the trail before dashing after her. "I'm gonna go wait for her to return!"

Sango looked at the two boys still untouched by their surroundings. "Kirara and I... we're going back home to visit graves, all right, houshi-sama?" She waited for an ecchi response or at least an acknowledgement from the inactive priest until the silence verified the feeling that no one was there anymore. She took in an uneven breath as she left the two boys.

Inuyasha closed his eyes to the silence before bringing them back up to Miroku. He shivered and cast the cherry blossom covered sleeping bag back to Miroku before getting up to leave. "So, that is what you think then, huh?"

Miroku took in a shallow breath before bringing his eyes up to Inuyasha. His hand extended to the boy, allowing the sleeping bag to slowly fall off of his shoulders. A sharp grasp grabbed the hanyou's wrist, pulling him sharply down to the ground. "Stay..."

Inuyasha pulled his hand away sharply and bore his fangs to Miroku. He growled from the depths of his throat and dug his claws into Miroku. "I'm nobody's dog, idiot!"

Miroku writhed underneath the boy and hissed in pain. He looked up to Inuyasha with tears in his eyes as he managed to choke out words gently. "You're... hurting me."

Inuyasha dropped the boy's arm to the ground, watching the monk pull his hand back to the blood spilled from his arm. "Good! Maybe you understand what you made me feel!"

Miroku winched in pain and horror as he pulled his hand from his wound and looked at the amount of blood being spilled from it. He turned the palm of his right hand down and watched the crimson drip from his rosary beads. He brought his stained hand up to cup Inuyasha's face as he felt his eyes lid over from his tired body. "I had no right to say that... how will you ever forgive me?"

Inuyasha grasped the hand that had rested so softly upon his cheek and looked at it gently. He noticed how the blood soaked the whole glove and rested tranquilly upon the rosary beads. He looked at the face of the trembling monk and dropped his right hand slowly. He grabbed the outer tie on the other boy's robes and noticed him watching in horror. He pushed the black cloth away from the wound, allowing a gasp of pain to escape the boy's lips and he shuddered away. "I'm just wrapping your stupid wound, idiot! Hold still!"

Miroku winced as Inuyasha bound the wound tightly. He watched as the boy turned away gently. The wind rustled gently through the trees, blowing pink blossoms through the air to rest gently on Inuyasha. "So... we have a whole day to ourselves."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and picked the boy up gently. "I guess that you'll want to visit your damn home to pray at your graves."

The monk smiled gently and nodded his head before looking down at himself and remembering that his robe was wide open. A slight blush tainted over his face as he closed his kimono manually. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I... er... well-"

"Nothing I want to see is down there anyway." Miroku smiled gently while watching the blush deepen on Inuyasha's face as dark as the blood still dripping from the boy's hand. He turned his face away slowly, not allowing Miroku to see the frown heightening upon his face.

Miroku looked at Inuyasha softly and smiled tranquilly. "Will you be going anywhere?"

Inuyasha looked up to Miroku and felt himself blush slightly. "I don't know where my mother's grave is..."

A laugh trickled slowly from Miroku and his smile widened. "You can come with me, then. We don't want you to bother Kagome, now do we?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes in a sarcastic response. He watched as Miroku pouted slightly and he moved his eyes up to the wound he had inflicted on the man earlier. He let his eyes wander to the lips of the other man, slowly pushing out in a pout. Inuyasha could feel himself grin before pulling himself back to reality and pushing himself off the ground. "Whatever, priest!"

Miroku smiled broadly. "So you'll come, then?" Inuyasha squinted at him and rolled his eyes gently, moaning in a certain indifference. "Great! Exactly the chance I wanted!"

"What do you mean 'exactly the chance you wanted'?" Inuyasha's eyes narrowed as he looked at the boy who just shoved it off.

"Oh, you'll see, my dearest Inuyasha, you will see..." with an ecchi grin, he pushed himself off the ground. "Better get going then, ne?"

The monk set out at a quick pace with the hanyou a short distance behind, still wondering about the other boy's words. Inuyasha walked slowly pondering it for a bit before coming to the only conclusion that he could seem to muster up: with Miroku, 'you'll see' always had to do with something perverted.

All day had been spent travelling to the small town of Miroku's origin. Still, they had not made it all the way to their destination. At night fall, a dry field had been located for them to sleep at considering there were no villages in the immediate area. Silence had ensued since the departure hour and stayed until Inuyasha's sharp voice cut through it like a knife.

"What the hell are you looking at?" Human Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and glared scornfully at Miroku. Miroku had been staring at Inuyasha contently for the whole hour they had been there and it was starting to get on his nerves. Miroku shook his head in response, finally breaking his intent gaze.

"I have nothing else to look at, Inuyasha." Miroku said bluntly, tending to the dwindling fire. He shivered as he peered around for more wood to fuel the fire.

"Keh! It's not my fault the two girls ran off! You don't have to glare at me like they were forced away by me!" Inuyasha looked away in a certain taint of indifference. Miroku stared blankly before returning to his hunt. "They'll be back any time, lecher."

A loud sigh emitted from his mouth. "We've all been gone for a full day now... It's not even worth going to the graves for me. Don't you think we should go back to the well?"

"You can leave whenever you want- I'm staying here." Inuyasha held himself tightly as it began to get any colder. An icy cold wind ran through the trees, extinguishing the small fire. "Damn it!" Inuyasha yelled, looking at the fire in an incontrollable rage. Miroku looked at Inuyasha gently, shivering himself from the cold. "Why the hell is spring so fucking cold this year?"

"I'll start a new fire with those firesticks." Miroku stated in the cold darkness. He grabbed for Kagome's backpack, but felt Inuyasha's arm grab his wounded wrist. Miroku jerked back with pain before Inuyasha pulled him into a warm embrace. Miroku looked on in shock as the boy did this. He felt Inuyasha snuggle into him closer and could feel a certain warmth coming from the boy's face. Miroku blushed ferociously as he felt Inuyasha's arms secure him tighter. "I never realized you felt this way about me, Inuyasha."

"In your dreams, lecher! This is the only damn way we can stay warm! Do you really think that I want to do this?" Inuyasha contradicted, feeling his heart skip a beat. Miroku nodded his head in response, snuggling in closer to Inuyasha, making the blush burn deeper across the young boy's face. As he felt Miroku return the silent embrace even he, Inuyasha, felt content.

"Wouldn't it be more comfortable if we were against a tree?" Miroku mumbled, looking around lazily. He felt Inuyasha's arms part from him, leaving him dazed. The raven-haired boy got up and pulled up the young monk with him. Miroku felt his uninjured arm being pulled fiercely by Inuyasha- the goal being the tree. Inuyasha sat down against the tree, letting go of Miroku's arm as he looked at him impatiently. The hanyou slowly slid off his jacket and noticed that this made Miroku even more jumpy.

"Well... aren't you going to join me?" Inuyasha asked, watching Miroku look at him nervously. Miroku's eyes shot from the jacket laying calmly over Inuyasha's right arm to the cold brown eyes of the owner. "God... you're such a pervert... I'm gonna use it as a blanket, baka..." Embarrassment burned across his face as Miroku slowly slid down the tree and put his arms around the hanyou. Inuyasha draped the jacket of his kimono over Miroku and himself, as he slowly wrapped a leg around Miroku. "Good Night..." He mumbled, nodding off to sleep.

Miroku swallowed loudly and felt his heart pick up speed as he became conscious of Inuyasha's leg bringing them ever closer. He fought back the urge to wake the sleeping hanyou and pose the question of why the leg had been secured so tightly around him. 'It's probably just a reflex...' Miroku thought to himself gently, taking a good look at the hanyou. 'So pretty...'

Miroku took his left hand and cupped the face of the sleeping Inuyasha. He gripped sleek loose black hair back to push behind ears, and was a little surprised when he found them. He chuckled lightly at his own stupid mistake as he scrutinized the boy's face. He brought himself back to the ear ordeal, however, slightly amazed at there being none.

Miroku examined his face silently, his heart thumping loudly against his chest. 'So soft looking...' Miroku brought his other hand around Inuyasha's face and closed his eyes gingerly.

"Go to sleep, Miroku." Inuyasha hissed, turning his head off fiercely to the side. Miroku felt a tight grasp around his hands and winced as Inuyasha jerked them down fiercely to put them around the human's waist.

"What if I don't want to?" Miroku asked as Inuyasha's eyes shot open in annoyance. Inuyasha mustered a growl as Miroku brought a finger to the other boy's lips.

"You better want to. I'm fucking cold and if you're not going to help keep me warm, who the hell is?" Inuyasha slid his hand underneath the boy's black robe and pulled him as close as possible. As Inuyasha's eyes began to close in contentment again, he heard Miroku whimper. "What is it now?"

"Your hands are cold..." Miroku said slowly, hearing a laugh trickle from the Inuyasha's mouth. The laugh soon ceased, however, as the half-demon pulled his hands over Miroku's wound. The young priest shuddered slightly as the hand caressed his wound.

"I didn't mean to be thrown into such a rage over that..." Inuyasha said hoarsely, running his hand across the bound area. "It's not like others haven't said that to me before... hell, I even say it to myself sometimes... But, it was the worst thing in the world when you said it... and I don't know why..."

Miroku cast his own eyes down at the ground. "I don't even know why I said it. It wasn't me... that's not even close to what I think about you..." Inuyasha's heart skipped a beat as blush burned across his war-torn face. He felt Miroku snuggle in closer to him. "No more talk on such subjects, though..." Miroku said, sighing gently in the process.

A small pause followed. Inuyasha's stomach felt an uneven twitch and he trembled slightly with a sense of insecurity. "Well then... what do you think about me?"

He felt Miroku shift around uncomfortably in a jagged response. He heard Miroku clear his throat. "I think you already know what I'd say." He heard a growl from the recesses of the other boy's throat. "I... I waited for this moment to tell you that... I love you."

Inuyasha's heart skipped a beat and he could feel a certain numbness travel throughout his body. He squirmed around until he could look deep into the other mans eyes and he took in a shallow breath before posing his inquiry. "...Really?"

He heard a laugh trickle out of the man leaning against him in a gentle way. "No! I just said that to get a rise out of you!" Inuyasha hung his head at Miroku's response. The young monk stopped laughing in an instant and looked to the silver haired boy. "Not saying that there would be anything wrong with falling in love with you– don't take it personally."

He felt Inuyasha's hands run up his robes to rest upon the side of his face. He felt a gentle flop in his stomach as Inuyasha pulled him up to eye level. "I... don't think it would be bad at all... Miroku..."

Miroku's heart began to speed up in it's pounding against his chest as he looked into the deep brown eyes reflecting all the emotions that he'd always wished he would see somewhere else. "Look, Inuyasha... I..." He stopped abruptly as he heard his brain screaming out something distant. He become unaware of all else as he began to melt into the sea of dark brown melded with golden flecks.

Miroku came in timidly and pressed his own lips softly against Inuyasha's. A static moment lay emotionlessly in the void until Inuyasha decided to react. It felt as if lightening shot through Miroku's body as the hanyou came at him aggressively, pushing his whole body against that of the monk's. Miroku trembled in response, feeling a rough and wet presence beg for entrance at his lower lip. He moaned in response, allowing the tongue to slip into his mouth at a death-defying speed.

Miroku's body quivered at the touches of the hanyou slowly slipping the robes off of his shoulders. As Inuyasha pulled away from the kiss, Miroku moved to stop him from continuing, only to be cut off by the sharp sensation of Inuyasha's hand finding it's way up his thigh and to his manhood. A long groan emitted from the priest's mouth instead of a plea for a halt of sensation.

He felt a certain stirring from his member and he whimpered in opposition to the pleasure. Slowly he slid down the tree as Inuyasha slid down his body- but not letting his hand droop from Miroku's throbbing loins. "Please... don't..." Miroku choked out as Inuyasha's tongue traced trails and played gentle games along his stomach.

Inuyasha peered up at him and bit his gentle pink tongue back slightly. He pulled his hand away from Miroku's area and he pushed himself off of the ground slowly. He turned his back to Miroku and began to walk back to their original spot. "Fine..."

Miroku sat up slowly and closed his robe across his hardened member. He pushed himself off of the ground and yelled out to Inuyasha. "Wait!" Inuyasha turned around slowly.

"What do you need? I was giving you what you wanted!" Inuyasha raged. He collapsed near the fire side in a pouting manner.

Miroku looked at the boy with sad eyes as he began to shake softly. He dropped his hands down at his side and cleared his throat. "...I never knew you were that way..."

The half breed cast his eyes down to study the ground. A slight frown traced the gentle lips that Miroku had held with his own only moments previously. Inuyasha shook his head gently. "Well... for a moment there, I thought you were." He felt warm yet unsure arms secure around him from behind as a loose black priest's robe flung around him when Miroku pressed up against his back. Inuyasha rested his hand nonchalantly on Miroku's arms.

"I must be the worst person in the world to you right now, Inuyasha..." Miroku said, resting his head gently on Inuyasha's shoulder. Deep brown eyes turned and looked into violet ones, showing gentle waves of remorse.

"Don't even worry... a mistake for a mistake, Miroku..." Inuyasha whispered gruffly, pushing himself away from the raven-haired boy. A light rustle was heard through the trees and then a sequel of happiness.

"Inuyasha! Miroku! We found you!" Kagome said, jumping to the side of Inuyasha. She smiled gently as she took the dog demon into a gentle embrace. Miroku looked into brown eyes that reflected his feelings of sadness as Sango came up and embraced him from behind.

Gently, Miroku's heart slowed ten fold as he felt his hands drift up to secure Sango's arms around him. His eyes glossed over slightly as he shot a fragile glance at the hanyou. Violet eyes watched as the black-haired boy pushed himself away from his female partner fiercly. The boy's husky voice deepened as he spoke his words. "I can't... anymore..."

Human eyes turned to Inuyasha in a veil of confusion and disarray. Silence darkened the gigantic open field that seemed like it was now cramped with people, making it hard to breathe. A sharp realization loomed over the camp and refused to take its miss. The silence was so loud, one could have almost heard Kagome's heart break. "What... do you mean?" She said, breaking the seemingly infinite silence.

"I... can't lead you on like this, Kagome. Nor you I. We just go in circles around each other trying to get somewhere... but it gets us nowhere... nowhere at all..." Inuyasha said collapsing to the ground. Horror clouded over the features of Kagome and she began to tremble in sharp pulses. Inuyasha touched her hand slightly before she tore it away from him in anger.

"Don't you dare try to do this to me after saying that!" She shouted sharply. Tears brimmed over her eyes as Sango and Miroku watched on with shock. She turned to the two and studied them for a moment before her tone turned into a cruel collage of hurt and suspicion. "Miroku... your robe is open." She hissed in an ungodly manner.

Sango stepped back from him in disgust as Inuyasha stood up in a rage. "Leave him out of this!" Inuyasha walked over and pulled Miroku into a warm embrace before layering a glare on Kagome.

"He doesn't want you Inuyasha! He's just a pervert. Sango was gone so he needed some pleasure. It didn't matter where it was from! Without you, he would have just pleasured himself, anyway!" She hissed. Miroku and Sango drove their eyes to the ground with shame.

To her amazement, Inuyasha held steadfast onto the corrupt monk. "It doesn't matter to me." Miroku stood embarrassed in the midst of it all.

"Look, Inuyasha, what Kagome is telling you is right." Miroku said, eyes cast down to the ground with shame. "I care for anything that'll please me, be it money, women, men, Sango, Kagome, or you."

"Let's just go then, Inuyasha. Let's forget it ever happened." Kagome said, approaching the hanyou. "We'll never have to speak of this again, okay?"

Inuyasha dropped his arms from around Miroku and nodded his head slowly. "Let's... sleep."

--

Miroku looked up to the stars slowly. He couldn't sleep again. He hadn't been able to sleep since the day of the Equinox, and that had been a whole week previous. He leaned up against the wall of the hut's exterior and emitted a slow, uneven sigh.

"It's funny..." He heard mumbled behind him. He snapped around to see Inuyasha sitting next to him. A fine blush marked shock over his face as his heart beat at a rapid pace. "How even though you said you don't want me, you still watch me all the time.

"And it's funny how even though you said you don't want me, how you have avoided even touching women in the past week... And you know what the most peculiar thing is?"

Miroku cleared his throat his throat in his embarrassment and looked away from Inuyasha. "No... I don't know."

"Ah," Inuyasha continued stalely. "The most peculiar thing is that you haven't slept but a little in the last week, and when you do, you pant and moan my name into the night. That is the most peculiar thing." Miroku sat in a silent blush before Inuyasha approached his ear and whispered in it softly. "I'd say you were lying, but that's just my opinion."

Miroku's heart skipped a beat as Inuyasha pushed himself off of the ground. Since when had Inuyasha been so smooth? Since when had he been so nervous? Why was Inuyasha walking away? He had to stop him. 'Wait!' Something screamed in his head. 'Wait!' His vocal chords couldn't force out the words. "W-wait..." He mumbled out.

Inuyasha turned around. "Yes, lecher?"

"I... I..." He said slowly.

"You... you..." Inuyasha said, feeding the fire.

"I just want to be close to you." Miroku finally struggled out.

"I knew it." Inuyasha smiled gently. "You would have let me fuck you otherwise, eh, you satyr?" Miroku took in a deep breath to respond. "Whatever, monk. I don't want to hear it. Are you tired yet? God, you think you would have already ran crying into my arms like the wimpy gay man you are... or like Kagome."

Miroku pushed himself off of the wall and walked over to Inuyasha slowly. "What about her? What about when they find us in the morning?"

Inuyasha smiled slowly as he pulled Miroku into a warm embrace. "Then her and Shippou can go get a hut."

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A/N: This story was originally intended for Shinjitsu no Shi's spring contest, but there was 2 problems with it: there couldn't be any angst fictions, so I never finished it. Well, here is the complete and finished version of Equinox Please, review if you liked it or if you have something constructive to say other than 'Miroku and Inuyasha aren't gay! You're dumb! All you people always try to make them into fags!' because, I have a news flash for you-- I know. Yep. I know they aren't gay. I wrote this 4,600 word story just to piss people like you off! :lol: Just kidding. Your review will be removed, though. You might even get an angry e-mail from me. Oh! Fun! :P

Oh, for all you guys whom like this, if you want, I can write a more... er... explicit version to put on Adult Fan If you would like that, say so in your review.

This is Ame no Chikara telling you to:

Live, Love, Laugh, but always Write

Ame no Chikara