A/N: I'm new at this whole writing and review process! Thank you for the suggestions and corrections, constructive criticism is gold. And I didn't realize it until you mentioned it Lonely Soldier, but I do suppose Kagome is turning into a little spiritual warrior!
Kagome lost her balance as Miroku gently pulled her towards him, and felt his grip tighten on her arms. She inhaled with anticipation, expecting to feel his lips upon hers, but was surprised when he simply kissed the tip of her nose before falling back to the sand. His tight grip gradually lessened, and her eyes flew open to throw an accusatory glare his way, although for what she wasn't quite sure. The monk was back upon the sand with his hands behind his head, and the kiss had been barely a peck.
"W-why did you do that?" Kagome asked. The type of kiss you would give your little sister, really.
"Collecting my boon, of course." Miroku nodded solemnly, pulled himself up, and sat next to her on the sand.
He hoped she was buying his act, because it was all he could do not to pull her back down and kiss her so thoroughly that all questions would flee her mind. But given his musings in the water, he was determined to prove to himself that he was not ruled by his passions. It was no way to repay Kagome's kindness by taking advantage of her worry.
"By kissing me on the nose?" Kagome bristled at his mild tone. It had been such a perfunctory kiss, without the slightest hint of lust. I could win a wet t-shirt contest in these dripping clothes!
"You have a very cute nose, Kagome-sama. Sprinkled with freckles and just a bit damp from the river." Miroku glanced at the disgruntled miko, and tried to get his raging hormones under control. Maybe he had been in the sun too long, for her playful manner had been so alluring that he had been unable to help himself. Only a sharp pang of conscience had made him change his course at the last minute to a chaste kiss.
Kagome threw him a suspicious look, wondering if he was teasing her. Her temper was quickly rising at his blasé explanation, and the fact that he was actually behaving. Doesn't he find me even the teeniest bit desirable? Hmph!
"It was really crying out to be kissed. ...A wonderful boon, Kagome-sama. I thank you."" Miroku smiled with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Yes, well umm, you're welcome." Kagome's tone was less than gracious.
Miroku was confused by her reaction, he had expected her to grin and laugh off the whole thing as a joke. Instead she was bristling like a kitten who had been rubbed the wrong way, and giving him a dirty look that seemed to be burning a hole through his back.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Before he could read into her behavior too deeply, a loud voice called out. "Kag-o-me!"
Startled, they flinched back from one another, and then a flash of red came flying through the air to land on the sandy shore. Not far behind Inuyasha, Sango and Shippou rode upon Kirara, worry showing on their faces. They were all covered in blood and gore from their battle upstream, but looked unhurt.
"Kagome-chan! Houshi-sama!" Sango cried out and jumped to the ground to go to Miroku's side.
"Are you alright?" Inuyasha growled under his breath, and he searched the area for any remaining creatures. When he was content that there was no further danger, he came to Kagome's side and brushed a stray lock from her face, making sure she was really safe.
Kagome nodded, and smiled gently at the concern in his voice. He may not love me, but he will always care for me, and he will always protect me. "We're fine, Inuyasha. There was only one of the creatures, and Miroku was only slightly injured."
Miroku frowned sullenly as the hanyou petted at Kagome. That's just what she needs right now you idiot, mixed signals.
"Damn, Miroku! Those things were harder than they looked, took me and Sango a while to take them down." Inuyasha grinned cockily at the houshi on the ground.
"I didn't kill the creature, Inuyasha. Kagome-chan did." Miroku reported in a smooth tone. "She saved my life, the creature almost drowned me."
The clearing went silent as her friends gawked at Kagome in open amazement. She shifted uneasily under their gazes, and smiled nervously.
"Kagome killed it? That's a good one..." Inuyasha laughed as though Miroku had made a joke.
"Yes, I killed it. I'm not a total weakling, you know." Kagome glared at Inuyasha.
"Kagome-sama's powers have been increasing since Kik...recently. The creature grabbed a hold of me while I was fishing, and she jumped in to save me. She blasted it with her miko's powers from the water with one blow. It was a magnificent sight!" Miroku's eyes shone with pride.
Kagome blushed at the praise, and Sango and Shippou congratulated her excitedly. But Inuyasha stood back a ways from the group, gazing at her intently, strangely silent. She met his gaze, and he seemed as though he would say something more, but then decided not to.
His voice was brusque and no-nonsense when he next spoke. "Let's get everyone back to camp and dried off. Its getting dark, and we don't want to run into any more of those demons."
Kagome turned to help Miroku up, but Inuyasha cut her off and quickly pulled her onto his back, leaving the others to take the monk back to camp. Miroku watched their exit curiously, and caught Sango staring after Inuyasha with a hurt look in her eyes.
That evening dinner was a quiet affair, mostly because everyone was tired from fighting the water demons. Inuyasha was strangely attentive to Kagome, and for once there was peace in the camp. Everyone settled down for the night quite early, and soon only the quiet chirping of the crickets could be heard in the small grove.
Kagome was restless, and tossed about in her bed roll uncomfortably for a while before rising to step into the forest for a moment alone. She found a smooth boulder at the crest of a hill, and climbed upon it to gaze at the stars.
The stars were one of the things she loved most about the Sengoku Jidai. With no pollution or city lights to interfere, they adorned the sky in a sparkling symphony that was for her alone. Perhaps it was because of her calling, but she always felt at peace with the universe beneath their quiet beauty.
Speaking to Miroku had put many things into perspective, but it seemed for every problem she solved another popped up that was even more difficult. She hadn't anticipated that her new powers would affect the role she played in the group. She had always been the weakest fighter, the one who was pushed to the back, always protected and shielded from trouble. Or sometimes the mediator, smoothing over arguments between them all, and guiding them towards the next shikon shard with her cheerful optimism; feeding, nurturing, healing, taking care of everyone as best she could. What would be her role now though?
A soft rusting in the bushes caught her attention, and she gathered the energy around her without thinking, glowing brightly in the night. I swear if another demon interrupts my thoughts I'm going to blast him into kingdom come...
"It's me, Kagome-sama, I didn't mean to startle you. I noticed you leaving camp, and wanted to make sure you were alright." Miroku spoke quietly as he climbed over the crest to join her.
Kagome relaxed and quickly released the energy, smiling apologetically. "I just needed a moment alone with my thoughts, is all."
"I didn't mean to intrude..." Miroku winced.
"Oh no, please stay Miroku-sama. Although I'm quite sure I can take care of any unwelcome visitors." She smirked with a bitter turn of her lips.
"Ahhh, but even so, it is a gentleman's privilege to worry about a lady's safety. We like to think we are useful at least some of the time." He winked and climbed besides her on the boulder.
"Just a case of the post-battle jitters, I can't get to sleep." Kagome hugged her knees, and gazed into the night.
"It must be exciting, discovering your new powers. It seems to be instinctive on your part, I've never seen anything like it." Miroku leaned back on the heels of his hands, and admired her silhouette in the dark.
'If by instinctive you mean "I don't know what the hell I'm doing", then yes."
"I'm worried I will make a terrible mistake," she admitted. "Can you imagine what would happen if I started blasting things every time I got angry?"
"Inuyasha would be a smear on the ground." Miroku snorted with laughter.
"And think of the burnt hair smell." Kagome replied dryly, wrinkling her nose.
Miroku laughed at the hanyou's expense, but then his face grew serious. "If you truly are worried, you can't continue as you have been. There has to be a safer way to experiment with your new powers."
"I'm grateful for your aid earlier, but you may not be so lucky next time. You could hurt yourself with that kind of power, little flower." He had taken her hands into his at some point during the conversation and glanced down with a startled expression, dropping them quickly.
A smile tugged at Kagome's lips at his nickname for her, despite the seriousness of the topic.
"Maybe it would be better if I tried to let the power remain dormant. Inuyasha would be happier that way, being my protector." She seriously considered the option until she saw the angry set of Miroku's jaw at her words.
"The world doesn't revolve around Inuyasha." But your world does. "He's simply going to have to deal with his ego and issues."
"Not to mention, you are too strong and independent a woman to allow someone else's shortcomings to hold you back." Miroku smiled gently in the moonlight.
"How would I train without disrupting everyone's lives, our travels, our quest? Not to mention I don't have a teacher." Kagome pondered the issue hesitantly. "Even before Kikyo passed away, Kaede-sama told me she has reached the limits of her powers in training me, I'm already much stronger than her."
Miroku was a little surprised at the admission, he hadn't realized she had surpassed Kaede's powers already. "Our powers are similar also, perhaps I could help in some way. I've trained for many years, and have learned much in my travels."
Masochist, you really enjoy torturing yourself, don't you? No, he told himself, Kagome was his friend, and she needed his help. He was capable of deeper emotions than a wink and a wiggle with a woman. He had to do this for himself, as much as for her.
Kagome was gazing at him intently, studying him it seemed. Did he really mean to help? She didn't want to hurt the others by making a mistake with her new powers, she needed to get them under control. Bah, the truth is, you aren't sure if you can trust yourself with him. For all of his reputation, you're the one having hentai thoughts. You wanted him to kiss you earlier, and you know it.
"...Perhaps we could train in the evenings for a bit, before bedtime? I don't exactly want to hide my training from the others...but I think I would learn better without distractions." Kagome bit at her lip, hesitantly offering her idea.
Miroku nodded and suggested. "I think that would work out very well, and if we have time, we can talk on the road about lessons. You'd be surprised what you can practice while traveling." Well, that's that, you coward.
"Let's get back to camp for now, we've a long day ahead of us, and we can start lessons tomorrow evening." Miroku rose and offered Kagome his hand to help her to her feet.
A spark flickered between their hands as they touched, the brief burst filling the shadows in a soft light. For a moment, the world seemed to fade away and there was a glimpse of what could be, of what was to come. Their hands lingered for longer than necessary, and then they laughed nervously in the quiet of the night as they walked back to the campsite.