Before I start, just a few notes.

1: First fic, please be kind. No hate mail, or anything of the sort. Constructive criticism, please, but to flames.

2: There is implied Mir/Kag, no likey, no ready. Simple as that. It's really nothing serious, but if you don't like it, that's cool with me.

3: I feel proud. I normally have problem writing stories with the normal story line, This one is the very slightest bit AU (see comment 2) and I feel very proud that I did it.

Prayer

Miroku sat in the minute cell, hands clasped over his sacred beads in prayer. Praying to the God that seemed to have forsaken him, and thrown him aside like an old toy that a child had finished playing with for now. Praying for some sort of answer as to why, why in Buddha's name had this happened to him? Had he done something to anger the Gods? Had he finally groped one too many a beautiful woman? O maybe, Buddha had felt that he was not as important as everyone else in the grand scheme of things; that his life could be spared for the sake of countless others.

If that was indeed the case, than Miroku would sit on the filthy floor of the jail cell, and await his fate. Relinquishing his grip on the prayer beads, Miroku sat with his back against the uneven stone of the wall, eyes trained heavenward. Buddha did, after all, know best. He had a plan for everyone, for everything. And if his chosen path was to die at the hands of Naraku for what he believed in, than so be it.

A deep, menacing chuckling came from the shadows, and what appeared to be a baboon stepped into the light emitted from the barred wall at the top of the cell. Miroku rose to his feet, prepared for anything the demon had to throw at him. He would be strong, and he would be brave. He would fight. For Sango, and Shippo, and Inuyasha, and Kirara, and Kagome. Yes, he could be strong against Naraku for them, he would not let them down.

"Your pathetic God cannot save you now, monk," the baboon stated, reveling that he had obviously seen Miroku praying. "He has forgotten about you, as have your friends. You are pathetic, pathetic and weak."

"You bastard." Miroku huffed, clenching his fists, and gritting his teeth.

"Now, now, now, monk. No need for insults. I have simply come down here to make a little wager with you. I'll set you free; but only if you answer a few questions for me, first."

"I'd rather die than help you!"

"Oh don't be so noble. Everyone who says that always ends up dying." Naraku chuckled, turning to leave. "I do believe that you will be very eager to help me when I'm through with you." And with a final cackle, he was gone in a rustling of fur.

Once he was sure the demon was gone, Miroku got back onto his knees, clutching his beads in his hands, and gazing heavenward once more. Quietly, his voice lacking the confidence it had possessed moments before, the monk prayed. He prayed for his friends. He prayed for all of the innocent villagers that would loose their lives to this madman. And he prayed for himself, and for a way for him to somehow escape this alive.

"Alright, Lord, I'm right at the end of my rope here. I don't have any idea why you willed it for me to be here, or what purpose I am to serve. I know I'm always making little prayers for these people, but this is the big one. I don't care if you kill me anymore. I really don't, but for the sake of all that is holy, let the others live. Let Inuyasha and Kikyou life happily together. Let Shippo grow up big and strong, and marry, and have dozens of children of his own. Let Sango find a man that can love her the way I never could. And let Kagome go back to her world. Let her live a normal, happy life, and let her forget all about this place.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but you can do that sort of thing can't you? I'd trade my life for their happiness, you know. Living might be nice, but at this point, it's not imperative." Tears were rolling down his cheeks, and he whipped them off before continuing with choked, sobbing words. "Let them live. Please, just let them live."

Having finished his prayer, he whispered his thanks to the Lord Buddha for hearing his prayers, and crawled into the darkest corner of the cell. Thinking that he might as well be rested for the next time Naraku came for him, Miroku lifted his knees up to his chest, folded his arms over them, and rested his head on his arms. It stung a bit, both to have his head on his arms, and to be sitting against the rough stone wall. Both body parts, his arm and back, had been injured in the latest struggle against Naraku.

He hated being serious. He was supposed to be the cheerful one. The one everyone looked to for help or a smile. Being locked up and having to keep a straight face like he was, was just against his nature. In his mind's eye, he saw Naraku in his baboon pelt, giving him a confused and baffled look, scratching his rear and picking bugs out of his fur to eat. Imaginary Naraku gave a monkey like screech and jumped around, munching on a banana. That made him laugh.

When he closed his eyes, however, he saw the images of his companions, all happily smiling at waving up at him as it from some great height, even Inuyasha was cracking a smile. He smiled faintly into his robes. At least in his own little world they could be happy. Carefree. It was, after all, what he had prayed for. Buddha had heard his prayers, and was reassuring him with comforting images of his friends. Still with a smile playing across his lips, Miroku thought everything might be alright, and fell asleep, staring at fake Kagome's cleavage.

The monk was woken some time later by a sharp kick in the ribs. He let out an involuntary yelp of pain and fell to the ground, hand moving to shield his injured side. "Get up, filth. The master wants you in his personal chambers, now." Glaring up at the bear demon that had woken him up, Miroku weighed his chances. He decided, just because he had woken him up, that he would be cheeky.

"You can tell the master that if he wants me, he can come and get me himself." The bead demon just chuckled and let loose another blow to his chest this time, making Miroku sputter and choke.

"I'm afraid that won't do, monk. He said you might say something like that. Said I could use extreme measures if you didn't come willingly." With great effort, Miroku snorted, looking unimpressed and rose to his feet.

"What are you going to do, growl at me? I'm sure Naraku wouldn't go through all this trouble of keeping me alive and then let some pathetic servant kill me."

"You're right, but I can do this." And before Miroku could react, the bear had whacked him over the head, effectively knocking him out cold.

When Miroku woke and tried to move, only to find that his arms had been chained to a wall above his head. Sighing, he banged the back of his head against the considerably more comfortable wall, cursing at himself with every blow. After a few hard smacks, Miroku came to a conclusion as to why he was doing so. He was trying to knock himself unconscious again. It was better than hanging by his wrists on a wall, where his feet barley touched the floor, staring onto darkness. Yes, he would choose blissful oblivion over this.

Suddenly, the darkness began to lift, and once again, there was a chuckling sound coming from the shadows. Miroku sighed. This guy really needed to stop chuckling, it got old after a while. The room was completely illuminated, and the monk could see Naraku standing a few feet in front of him, without the baboon pelt. His wavy black hair cascaded down his back and around his shoulders, red eyes glowing like rubies, and an evil smirk set firmly in place. "It seems our little guest had decided to join us."

"Do you make it a habit to refer to yourself as if there are more than one of you? Or is it just a recent thing? It's almost as annoying as the baboon thing you always wear." Miroku questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

Naraku growled, and before he could blink, he had a clawed hand around Miroku's neck, squeezing painfully, his face mere inches from his own. "You watch what you say, monk. I could kill you without a second thought. Learn your place."

Miroku wiggled a bit, then choked out, "but that would totally defeat the purpose of going through the trouble of bringing me here, wouldn't it?" The demon relinquished his hold on Miroku's neck, but didn't back off. Plucking up every ounce of courage he possessed, Miroku spit full in the demon's face.

With an infuriated roar, Naraku whipped the spit from his face and pressed his hand to Miroku's throat once again. He seemed to grow in his furry, now standing above Miroku, where before they had been level. "Lets get a few things straight, monk. I am in control here. You will tell me where the miko goes when she leaves. You will tell me what Inuyasha's human night is. And you will tell me what the relationship between Inuyasha and the miko is. And you will tell me now." The demon growled, his grip loosening a bit to allow Miroku room to get the words out.

"When will you get it? I'm not telling you a thing. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'd. Rather. Die." Just as Naraku looked as if he was ready to kill the monk, there was a knock at the door.

"What?" The door opened and in stepped the bear demon from before, who smirked upon seeing Miroku before speaking to Naraku.

"Milord. Intruders at the southern gates. It's that half-breed mutt and his friends, along with the Western lord and his army."

"Damn it!" The demon cursed loudly, moving to exit the room, and Miroku let loose a sigh of relief, feeling that he had been forgotten about. Just then, Naraku turned. "I'm not finished with you, monk. I'll be back for you right after I finish off your pathetic friends." He was gone.

With a strangled roar, Miroku threw himself away from the wall, trying to break free of the constraints binding his wrists. He knew it was futile, though. He ceased his struggling, and clutched the prayer beads in his right hand, praying fervently once again. "It's me again, Lord. I know, I should leave you alone, right? Yeah. Just hear me out one more time. Please? Give them all strength in this battle. And if I live through this, don't let them hate me for not being there for them. I've tried my hardest. I don't know what you want me to do anymore." It seemed for Miroku that he repeated the words for only a few moments, when in reality it was hours.

"Miroku! Miroku where are you?" That voice, he knew that voice. Raising his head to the best of his extent, he tried to look past the doorway and into the hall.

"Kagome? I'm in here!"

"I'm coming, 'Roku-kun." He chuckled when he saw her run past the room he was in, and down the hall. She was probably so worried and exited she forgot to check each room.

"In here, 'Gome. Other way." He laughed. She appeared in the doorway, and gasped when she saw him, rushing to his side.

In spite o everything, he couldn't help but think of how silly he must look. He hadn't eaten for days and as thinner then usual, and his robes were torn and completely missing in some places. And he was dirty, completely filthy. She wrapped her arms around him as best she could and pressed kisses all over his face. "If you don't mind, 'Gome, before you start, I'd like to get down."

She blushed, which Miroku found endearing, and released him. Biting a corner of her lip, Kagome raised her hands, and a pink glow radiated off them, she directed it at the shackle binding his right wrist, and it dissolved. "Much better." He mumbled, wrapping his free arm around her slim waist and pulling her in for a kiss. She dissolved his other chain, and he took the opportunity, to lift her up and swing her around. "Good to see you, 'Gome. I thought you might have forgotten me." He said, half joking.

"Never. Oh Miroku, it's simply wonderful, look." Kagome exclaimed, taking up his right hand, and pulling off the prayer beads and glove. Miroku winced and waited for the familiar feeling, that did not come. Looking down at what should be a hole, he found only a hand. A normal, beautiful human hand. "It's over, Miroku. He's gone, for good."

The goofiest grin plastered itself onto his face, and one who saw him might think that he had gone insane. He laughed out loud, dancing with Kagome round and round the room, sneaking in a kiss every now and then. "Oh Miroku, this is wonderful, but we've got to leave. Inuyasha and the others are waiting for us outside." Like a small child, he followed her out of the room, staring all the way at his hole-less hand.

The Gods had smiled upon him, for once in his life. If it was even possible, his smile grew even wider when he saw his friends standing outside the castle, waiting for them. Shippo was the most enthusiastic, latching himself to the monk and refusing to let got for at least twenty minutes, and would have held on longer if Kagome hadn't pulled him off. Sango pulled him into a sisterly hug, and even Inuyasha offered a small, manly hug. On the battlefield, Sesshoumaru, along with Kouga, were gathering their men.

Gathering Kagome in his arms, and allowing Shippo to latch himself to his shoulder, they all began to walk away from the castle. Not caring what lay ahead. Not caring if they were separated later on. Living in the moment. Pressing a kiss to the top of Kagome's head, Miroku smirked when he thought of his future. A future that, a few days ago he didn't know if he was going to live to see. A future where he lived Kagome, a small, modest home. Not many children.

Only a dozen or so. He could see the look on her face if he suggested it. And he could feel the smack, the cry of PERVERT! Laughing, he moved his hand lower than a proper man would have, coming to rest on her rear. And she didn't smack him. It was a first.

Thank Buddha for small miracles.

Disclaimer: Hmm… Do you really think I own Inuyasha? Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner. The answer is, NO!

A/N: Obviously my first fic. I wrote this on a random idea. I will state it now, and probably later. I can not write depressing endings. It's physically impossible for me to do. Happy endings are my forte.