Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Twenty-One: A Monk's Duty

November 27th

Miroku let out a cry as he threw the paper demon ward, swung his staff, killing the demon in front of him. Quickly he leapt over the corpse and took his place at Sango's back to protect her blind side. He took note of everyone's positions as he readied himself for the next wave. His breath came in icy puffs in front of him. There was no time to think about the cold beginnings of winter.

Directly in front of him was Kirara who was intent on incinerating every demon who dared threaten her friends. Miroku was glad that she was on their side.

Inuyasha was in the middle of the battle, fighting the giant centipede demon, steadily slicing it into ribbons. The dog demon was in a particular blood thirsty mood since the centipede managed to whip its tail around and stab young Kagome in the stomach. Luckily, Miroku thanked Buddha, the girl was not fatally injured. He was sure the hanyou would have gone insane and murdered everyone in sight if the had girl died. In all his years, the monk had never seen such devotion to a human from a demon.

Well, he corrected himself, there is always the devotion of the fox kit that rivaled Inuyasha's. Shippo clearly thought of Kagome as his mother. It was a rare occasion that the russet little ball of fur was far from her side. Today is no exception. Even though he is still a child, he stands bravely by her side (occasionally on her shoulder), yelling 'fox fire' and using his powers of illusion to throw off the demons.

Miroku glanced at the wounded girl and smiled. Her aim with the bow and arrow had been improving every day. In this battle she was able to take down three demons on her own, and wounded several more. She wasn't letting a little thing like a hole in the stomach keep her from fighting.

Though none, Miroku thought fondly, were as brave or as beautiful as the woman behind him. Sango. She took down almost as many demons as Inuyasha. She was fierce and brave. Though she had only been traveling with them a short time, it seemed like she had always been a part of their group. It was like they were meant to be together. An odd little family of sorts, two full demons, three humans, and a hanyou, but a family.

"Ready yourself, monk!" Sango warned as she held up the bone boomerang for yet another throw.

Miroku took a deep breath and tightened his grip on his staff. A flood of demons was rapidly approaching. This is going to be a long day, Miroku thought to himself.

It was not difficult hearing where Inuyasha was since his battle cries were loud and often. However, Miroku lost sight of Kagome and Shippo quickly. His only clue that they were still alive was the occasional flash of fox fire he would see from the corner of his eye. There were too many foes to be distracted. It was all he could do to keep the demons off of Sango and himself.

Naturally, at the end of the battle, there were two demons, three humans, and a hanyou left standing. Miroku never doubted the group for a moment. They worked well together. Inuyasha always charged in aggressively, taking down foes quickly. Kirara would fight from the sky, sometimes with Sango, sometimes alone. Usually Sango and Miroku fought together. She would slay demons while Miroku kept her safe. Kagome and Shippo would fight from the perimeter. Today's fight was a little different.

"What was that thing you did with the light?" Inuyasha asked gruffly as he forced Kagome to sit so he could inspect her wound. She only fought him for a moment as he lifted her shirt to inspect her stomach. Miroku flinched at the sight of so much blood.

"I don't know," the girl replied. "I just knew I had to protect Shippo… and I started glowing, like what happens with the arrows when I shoot them. I felt this power… I don't know how to explain it… and I just concentrated on surrounding us with that power. It felt warm and right. It just kinda… happened."

"Your priestess powers are growing," Miroku told her, trying to not look at the hanyou desperately trying to staunch the flow of blood, "Considering that you have had no training, it is quite remarkable."

Miroku watched as the girl tried to smile, but the loss of blood had made her weak, her lips were tinged with blue. His heart lurched in his chest as she tried to console the young kit as he cried for her. The wound was worse than he thought. Miroku felt guilty and ashamed. The glare he was receiving from Inuyasha confirmed that the dog demon was holding him personally responsible for the pain of the girl. It was made clear in every battle they fought that the girl's life was to be protected at all costs. He knew his life would soon be over if the girl were to die.

He bent down and brushed the hair out of Kagome's eyes, trying to decide if he should apologize or pay his last respects. He could hear Inuyasha growling, and made certain that he kept his hands in appropriate places.

Just as he opened his mouth, Kagome opened her smoky gray eyes. "It's not your fault, Miroku… stop looking so guilty."

"I should have been protecting you…"

The girl gave a little chuckle and a smile as she let Inuyasha lay her down onto the grass. "You can't… be everywhere…at once, Miroku. We all did our best. No regrets…"

Miroku grew concerned as her breathing was more labored. Her eyes lost their sparkle and her body went limp. Shippo wailed, Inuyasha froze, Kirara howled, Sango sobbed, and Miroku trembled. He wanted to mourn the loss of his friend. She had been so kind to him, to all of them. She had made them feel welcome and loved, she was the one who made them a family. But he would have to wait to indulge in his own feelings of loss. He knew that he had a monk's duty to do.

"We will not forget you, lady Kagome." Miroku closed his eyes in prayer and began to prepare for his duty to help her spirit along its path to the afterworld and for a proper burial. But when he opened his mouth to begin the chant, he was bonked rather harshly on the head.

"She isn't dead, idiot!" Inuyasha yelled as he gathered the girl protectively in his arms. "I can still hear her heart beating." The tremor in the dog demon's voice and the fear in his eyes let Miroku know that though Kagome was still alive, she was not far from death, and the hanyou was terrified.

"How close are we to a village?" Sango asked, her voice once again strong.

"I'm taking her to Kaede. Come on Shippo." The fox child jumped on Inuyasha's shoulder and the three soon disappeared into the trees.

The dog demon actually INVITED the fox demon along. That had never happened before. Miroku and Sango looked at each other, perplexed.

"Who is Kaede?" Sango asked finally.

Miroku almost laughed. "She is a priestess and healer. She is the sister of Kikyo, the young woman who Kagome somehow traded places with."

"Do you know where her village is, monk?"

Miroku smiled calmly. "Not a clue."

"Kirara!" Sango called for her companion. "Follow Inuyasha!"

Sango hopped on the fire cat's back and helped Miroku on. He made sure the scrolls they had fought so hard for were still tucked away in the pack that Kagome usually wore, then placed it securely between his body and Sango's. It gave him the perfect excuse to hold on to her… to keep the scrolls safe of course!

"Do you think you can read the scrolls, monk?"

"It may take some time, lady Sango, but I believe that I shall be able to decipher them. Perhaps you would care to join me."

He could feel her body tense. He knew that he practically purred out the last sentence, but he just couldn't help it. There was something about the woman that brought out the playfulness in him. Even though she would whack him with her weapon, occasionally knocking him out, Miroku couldn't help teasing her.

It was a widely known fact that the monk had an appreciation of the female body. In fact, several of his concussions came from angry husbands, boyfriends, and of course, the hanyou. But since meeting Sango, there has been no desire for any other woman. Quite frankly, it was beginning to worry him.

During the three hour ride to Kaede's village, Miroku had only been slapped twice, which wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was less than once an hour. He wondered if it was some kind of record.

It was easy to find which hut belonged to the priestess Kaede. All they had to do was follow the path of destruction. Obviously Inuyasha was in too much of a hurry to go around or over things, slicing through them must have been a fraction of a second or two quicker. Or maybe he needed to vent his anger and frustrations. Miroku hoped that no living things had gotten in his way.

"How is Kagome?" Sango asked an elderly woman leaving the hut, quickly leaping off of the fire cat.

"Who are ye?"

"I am Miroku. This is Sango and Kirara. We are friends of Kagome." The monk introduced the slightly frantic group. He was impressed that Sango managed to not knock down the grey haired woman in an effort to get to her friend.

"It would be wise to let the young girl rest. You may see her in the morning."

Miroku was more than a little worried for the priestess's life. Not Kagome's… but the priestess keeping Sango from Kagome. He watched with calm interest as her eyes fired and her body tensed for battle. He could almost see the internal battle she was waging.

Slowly Sango closed her eyes and began to relax her body and loosen her grip on her weapon. When she opened her eyes she was under control and slightly more reasonable.

Kaede smiled warmly at the demon slayer. "Help me with the herbs I need for your young friend, Sango, while Miroku fetches us more water. It is going to be a long night for us all."

Miroku spent the rest of the day fetching water, stoking the fire, and running more little errands than he thought possible. They were brainless activities, meant to keep him busy. Occasionally he would peek in on Kagome, only to see Inuyasha and Shippo glued to her side, watching and waiting. Although he prayed for Kagome, he would say prayers for the two demons who care so much for her. What would become of them if she did not survive this?

And, of course, he prayed for Sango. She worked furiously at every task she was given. She was a woman possessed. Sango had quickly grown attached to Kagome. They had become friends in moments and sisters in just days. The slayer had lost so many people that she loved so recently, that Miroku was sure that losing one more so soon would devastate her.

Then he prayed for himself. He hadn't realized just how fond of the girl he had become, or how much he cherished his new family. Could he go back to the lonely life he had before they found him?

Together they worked. And they waited.

OoOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Notes: Thanks for your reviews and your suggestions! And thanks to my cat for the rewrites he helped me with… evidently he felt sections needed to be deleted and re-written…