Authoress: well...last chapter was...strange...yeah, strange...WE DISCOVERED MIROKU

ISN'T PREGNANT...YAY!!...not really...theMaven (thanks for all of your reviews!!! ^____^)

didn't mind if Miroku was...I thought everyone would think it was stupid...glad to see someone

else thinks that would be amusing...*sniffle* but it ain't happening...

Miroku: *sigh* thank Kami-sama

Sesshomaru: *eye stuck in permanent twitch*

Authoress: *smiles* yeah, they lu~~~~v each other...can't ya feel the love oozing out of every

pore of their beings?!

Inuyasha: *begins to suffocate on the 'love'*

Authoress: *points and laughs at hanyou who is beginning to turn blue* AHAHAHAHAH!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha...there would be a whole load of problems if I did...I wouldn't

be able to even watch my SHOW!!! *sniffle* it sucks to be fifteen...*smiles* but most say I look

like I'm sixteen or seventeen...*grins evilly* oh yeah...

Chapter Eight

"Master Sesshomaru?" Jaken said quietly, knocking on the demon's door, but didn't receive an

answer. He knocked again, this time a little louder, and, yet again, he only got silence.

"Sesshomaru-sama went to see Miroku..." Rin stated as she walked up to the small toad youkai.

Jaken's eye twitched slightly as he processed Rin's statement, realizing that meant he, alone,

would have to watch over Rin...once again.

'Why does Master Sesshomaru torture me so?' Jaken asked himself as he sighed, then he got an

idea. "When did he leave, Rin?"

"This morning..." Rin replied, looking at the toad curiously. "Why, Jaken?"

"We are going to get him, Rin...now," Jaken answered, knowing that the houshi would do his

master no good. 'He's a human...it is best for Master Sesshomaru to forget him...' Jaken said

inwardly as he began walking back down the corridor, closely followed by the ningen girl.



Miroku sat back, sighing as he, once again, watched as Inuyasha single-handedly defeated a

youkai who held a jewel shard. He had convinced everyone that he was fine, but, even after

Kagome told them he wasn't carrying Inuyasha's niece or nephew (A/N...Inuyasha...an

uncle...scary thought...), the hanyou and the demon exterminator wouldn't let him fight.

"How many jewel shards do you think are left, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked as he picked up the

small, purple shard from among the pieces of flesh. 'There shouldn't be too many more...the

jewel looks almost whole again...' Inuyasha thought to himself.



"Maybe two or three, I think..." Kagome replied, taking the jewel shard from the hanyou and

placing it in the bottle in her pocket. Kagome shook the bottle, listening to the satisfying rattle

that the shards made. 'Soon, Inuyasha and I will be able to settle down...and maybe start a family

of our own...' Kagome thought happily to herself, smiling at the love of her life.

"Nani?" Inuyasha questioned, looking at Kagome suspiciously. 'She's smiling...' Inuyasha

thought, wondering if Kagome was going to start yelling at him for something he didn't mean to

do again.

"Nothing, Inuyasha," Kagome answered, wrapping her hand around Inuyasha's large palm. 'Then

I'll be able to knock some sense into Sesshomaru...and find out what Sesshomaru's feelings are

for Miroku...' Kagome thought to herself, deciding she, no matter what, would get the demon

lord and houshi together.

"I'm hungry..." Shippou stated from his seat next to Miroku, smiling at his 'kasan.'

"Then let's eat!" Kagome said, sitting down. She began to take out the greatest innovation

known to mankind...instant ramen. While Inuyasha and Shippou sucked down the noodles,

Kagome and Sango went off, most likely in search of a hot spring, and Miroku was left to think.

'...why is it I feel...depressed? I'm glad I'm not carrying Sesshomaru's child...' Miroku shivered

inwardly, imagining Inuyasha as the uncle to his child. 'Uncle Inuyasha...*snort* I...I know

Sesshomaru doesn't love me...and I accept that...but why is it I am feeling like this?' Miroku

asked himself.



"Master Sesshomaru, there you are..." Jaken said, relieved, when he saw the youkai walking

towards him and Rin, the usual emotionless expression on his face. 'Master Sesshomaru was

beginning to frighten this Jaken when he wouldn't talk and just stay in his room...'

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin exclaimed, clinging to the demon lord's waist. "Jaken was missing

you!" Rin let go of Sesshomaru and backed away from the youkai. 'What is wrong with

Sesshomaru-sama?' Rin asked herself as she stared at Sesshomaru. "Did Sesshomaru-sama talk

to Miroku?"

"No..." Sesshomaru replied, walking past Rin and Jaken. The child and retainer could tell

immediately that Sesshomaru was angry, even though the demon lord didn't show any emotion,

and that they shouldn't aggravate him right now.

Authoress: now, just to explain to all of you...I skipped a few months ahead, so don't start getting

confused...nothing really happened that has anything to do with our...thickening plot...don't

worry!

Sesshomaru: lazy ningen

Authoress: shut up...and tell me why you were bitchy before!

Sesshomaru: *glares* ...

"Goodnight," Miroku said as he sat down, yawning. He was exhausted, even though all he did

the entire day was watch over Shippou, since Kagome and Inuyasha had gone on what the miko

called a 'honeymoon' after the jewel had been completed, only a month ago. 'Now Inuyasha's a

full-fledged demon...and Kagome is the owner of the Shikon no Tama...but I still have this curse

on my hand...Sango, and Kirara, left to visit her family's graves...Myoga's gone off

somewhere...and I am stuck taking care of Shippou...' Miroku shook his head inwardly, trying to

shake images of a certain demon from his head. 'It's been almost nine months since I last saw

him...why is it I can't stop thinking of him?'



'Perhaps I just have to give up on him...but I don't know why I can't...it's been nearly a year

since that night...but I still keep hoping...hoping that maybe he developed feelings for me...'

Miroku sighed, leaning back against the wall of the small hut that he had begun to call 'home.'

"Miroku?" Shippou's voice ripped the houshi out of his thoughts. Miroku looked up at the small

kitsune and smiled at the child. "When are Kagome and Inuyasha coming back?"

"I don't know...soon, I think..." Miroku replied. After a moment, Shippou laid back down on his

bed and fell asleep. 'I wonder why Kagome didn't leave Shippou with Kaede...I'm not exactly

the 'fatherly' type...' Miroku thought to himself. The houshi shot up off of the floor when he felt

the ground shake.

'A youkai...' Miroku thought to himself as he raced out of the hut, sensing a powerful youki

coming from the forest near his home. He slid to a stop when he felt the ground shake again, then

saw the largest demon he had ever seen racing towards him, knocking down any tree in his way.

The youkai, to Miroku, resembled a cat. This neko was at least twice the size of some of the

largest trees in the forest and probably three or four times heavier. Miroku, to his surprise, saw a

look of absolute fear in the demon's red eyes. He heard a high-pitched voice and when he studied

the youkai again, he could see a small child in its mouth. The child, kicking and screaming, was

human as far as Miroku could tell.

The houshi raced towards the demon, glad that he hadn't gotten rid of his staff. He jumped into

the air, hitting the neko on its snout as hard as he could, forcing the demon to drop the child out

of its mouth.

Miroku caught the child and once he landed on the ground, he examined the child, glad to see that

she was unharmed, but had fainted. His eyes widened upon discovering the reason the youkai

was so afraid. 'Rin...' Miroku recognized the small ningen immediately and when he looked back

up at the neko, backing up when he saw that the neko wasn't the only demon.

He stared at the inu-youkai that was nearly twice the size of the neko. He watched as the dog

demon attacked the other demon, his jaws aiming for the other youkai's neck. Miroku, if he

hadn't been frozen in place, would have helped the demon lord.

The neko growled, clawing at the larger youkai, successfully scraping his snout. He

watched as the demon lord collapsed, from what, Miroku didn't know for sure. Miroku, finally

able to move again, set Rin down gently on the ground and unwrapped his hand, using the cursed

hand to remove the threat.

Miroku quickly tied his wind tunnel back up, then went to check on Sesshomaru, who had

transformed to his other form. The houshi knelt down on the ground next to the demon lord and

could see Sesshomaru's face was covered in scratches, none that wouldn't heal in a short while,

and sweat. 'He must have been running for some time...to sweat this much...' Miroku thought to

himself as he heard Rin stir.

"Miroku!" Rin exclaimed, getting up and wrapping her arms around the houshi. Miroku smiled at

her, glad to see that she was harmed in no way, just covered in saliva. "Is Sesshomaru-sama

okay?" Rin asked, looking at the other ningen.

"Rin...what happened?" Miroku questioned as he stared at Sesshomaru, noticing that the demon

was panting heavily. 'He must have been chasing that neko...but why wouldn't he have caught it

sooner?' Miroku thought, knowing that Sesshomaru, even in his more human-like form, could

easily outrun the other youkai.

"Rin was captured by that demon...he didn't know Sesshomaru-sama was looking after Rin...he

was going to eat Rin...but Sesshomaru-sama came, making the demon run...with Rin still in his

mouth..." Rin replied, sitting down on the ground.

"Rin...go into the house and wake up Shippou...tell him to prepare a bed..." Miroku said as he

lifted Sesshomaru into his arms. He watched Rin race towards his home, then struggled to walk

towards the hut, the youkai weighing much more that Miroku thought he did.

Miroku stared at Sesshomaru's face, which had already begun to heal due to the fact Sesshomaru

was a full demon. 'He's been sleeping for a few hours now...but he is still gasping for

breath...why?' Miroku asked himself as he glanced around the room, noticing that Rin and

Shippou had fallen asleep on the kitsune's bed. 'He must have been very worried about Rin...but

she is just a human...why would he care so much about her?' Miroku sighed, rubbing his aching

temples. He looked back down at Sesshomaru and studied his features. The demon looked

exactly the same the last time Miroku had seen him, except for the scratches marring his beautiful

face, the sheen of sweat, and the pale color of his skin.

The houshi sat back on his heels, wondering what he could do to stop the youkai from sweating

so much. He breathed heavily, removing the demon lord's armor and swords, then slid

Sesshomaru's top off. Miroku felt his lower body begin to warm as he stared at Sesshomaru's

perfectly sculpted chest and torso, which made the ningen realize he had been living in celibacy

since that night.

Miroku stood up slowly to go get a cold compress for the demon, but he stopped when he felt

something pulling on his robes. He glanced down and saw Sesshomaru's hand was clutching his

clothing, making it impossible for the houshi to leave. Miroku sat back down, sighing again as he

stared at the unconscious youkai.



I woke up, noticing immediately that I was in an unfamiliar place. As my last memories raced

through my head, my eyes shot open, searching for the small ningen, breathing in relief when I

saw her laying on a nearby bed, curled into a small ball, sleeping.

"How are you feeling?" A voice from my right side asked as my eyes focused on a face I would

have loved to forget. The houshi stared at me as I examined him, noticing immediately that he

had changed slightly since I last saw him. His hair, which was tied back, was down past his

shoulders, there was another golden hoop in his ear, but what had really caught my attention was

the houshi's eyes, which looked older...wiser...than before. "Sesshomaru?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but closed it quickly, sensing that if I kept my mouth open any

longer, I would lose whatever was contained in my stomach. Instead, I glared at him, which made

the houshi chuckle. 'Damn sickness...' "That good?" he asked, smiling at me. 'Why...why would

he take care of me?' I asked myself, staring at the ningen. "Rin told me that demon was going to

eat her..." I nodded my head curtly, not able to do much else. "I was wondering...why would you

take care of a ningen..."

I pushed myself up with my arm, then looked at the houshi, my head throbbing. "Why-" I

covered my mouth, my nausea coming back. Miroku, in a clumsy attempt to get up, fell over his

robes and landed on the bed. I had the strangest urge to laugh, but before I got the chance to, I

collapsed on the houshi. I noticed that one of my legs was sprawled across Miroku's lower body,

while the rest of my body laid next to his.

I gasped for breath as I tried to get off of the monk, who was laughing hysterically, but with each

attempt, I only succeeded in moving completely on top of the ningen. Miroku, whose body was

still shaking with laughter, didn't seem to notice that I was on him.

I sighed, no longer having the strength to move, laid on the monk, my head resting on his

shoulder, while the rest of my body, most likely, was crushing his smaller frame. Miroku finally

stopped chuckling, wrapping his arms around me. I surprised myself when I didn't even think

about protesting when he began to gently stroke my back. On the contrary, I began to purr

softly, nuzzling my nose into his neck. I didn't realize at that moment, but my nausea had left,

and I began to fall back asleep in the houshi's arms.

Authoress: *wipes eyes* that was cute...*sniffle*

Miroku: *ahem*...

Sesshomaru: I don't purr...

Authoress: Ya do now...*sticks tongue out at Fluffy* Now...why was wittle Sesshy feelin' sick?!

Miroku: *pets Sesshomaru's...BOA* (see...it is no longer a TAIL...it's a BOA...big difference...)

Authoress: kay then...until I get five reviews...Ja mata!...