Miroku fiddled idly with the prayer beads that sealed the kazaana away, so he wouldn't act as a human vortex all the time. He smiled slightly. If he ever tried to grope someone's lovely round-

THUNK.

"Sango, were you reading my mind again?" Miroku said amiably, smiling seductively at the taijiya. Glaring at him, she shook her head.

"No one has to read your mind, Houshi-sama, all they have to do is look at the expression on your face!" With that angry retort, she stalked off to catch up with Kagome. Miroku grinned slightly. As long as she continued to try and give him brain damage, he knew she still cared. And as long as the temperamental taijiya cared, he would not be lost.

The life he had lived before meeting his companions was one to be envied, but not proud of. He was, quite honestly, a conniving bastard, and a perverted one at that. He had conned many a palace, and rubbed many-ah-broken many a heart. It was all for his search for the one who had cursed him, Naraku, but he had realised, when had he begun traveling with Kagome, Inuyasha and Shippou, how aimlessly he had been going about it. Shifting his focus to the shikon shards hadn't helped either. It seemed, now, that he had been conning himself. Truthfully, he had no hope of ever lifting the curse. His father had not succeeded, nor his father before him. Why should he, the least saintly of monks, be allowed to live a normal life, without the affliction his forefathers had suffered through?

It had seemed a dream only worth pursuing recently. The rumour of the shikon shards, and the fact that Naraku was looking for them, had caught his interest. He realised that going after the shards would serve his purpose whether or not he ever met Naraku. If he went after them and ended up running into Naraku, he could destroy the man who had cursed his family. If he simply collected all the jewel shards, he would be able to use the jewel's power to break the curse. Those had been his intentions when he first confronted Inuyasha and Kagome.

Also, there was his sworn duty as a monk to protect people from dangerous demons and, he had included upon first seeing Inuyasha, half demons.

With the others though...he began to see a glimmer of hope. Despite being a hanyou, Inuyasha's strength and character were admirable. Both Kagome's ability to see and sense shikon shards, as well as purify just about anything if she truly wished to were amazing. And Shippou....was a good way to get women. One look at the adorable tyke and....

And he realised that his thoughts wandered as assuredly as his hands did. The only woman he really wanted to get had been traveling with the group for some time now. And was now the source of an impending headache. What would he do without her?

Be sucked into a nice dark abyss and die.

That was the curse that went along with having a more than slightly useful black hole in your hand. Instead of devouring enemies, one day it would devour you.

Without her, he had no future to look forward to, and therefore nothing to fight for in the present. He could have gone back to his life of scheming and philandering.

There was no question that he decided to fight for that life before Sango came along, but that was because he had no other option. There was no way he could get the shikon shards from Inuyasha, find Naraku, or even if he was able to find him, kill Naraku. Joining forces with the miko and the hanyou had been the only choice that made any sense. The appearance of the taijiya changed things for him. The desire to protect gave him purpose.

Sango was the reason why his father had told him to ask EVERY single girl to bear his child in hopes of finding the right one.

The lecture had come shortly before his father's demise at the hand (no pun intended) of his own Kazaana. They had been sitting in the temple where Mushin the monk resided. His mother was busy preparing for their next journey, getting supplies from Mushin and making food. Bored, and told to keep out of his mother's way, Miroku went and plunked down next to his father, who was sitting on the steps, leaning against his staff, a shakujo, typical of Buddhist monks to carry while traveling.

"Did Mushin teach you anything today?" his father asked, ruffling his son's hair.

"Yes." Miroku answered, after thinking for a bit.

"What?"

"Why drinking is a bad idea."

"Ah." His father laughed. "So, your mother sent you out? Were you getting into trouble?"

"It was that stupid Mushin's fault." Miroku said, folding his arms in his miniature monk robes. "He said that if I rubbed Sumiko's back side she'd give me a kiss."

"Really? Now, Miroku, you know why Mushin's still single." His father said knowingly, shaking his head incredulously at his friend's behaviour.

"He said it worked on okaa-san when you met her." Miroku scowled again. "And that's when she sent me outside. She hit me on the head too. It hurt. I've got the lump to prove it."

"Ah, yes, your mother is quite sadistic. If she slaps me one more time, her hand print will be permanently etched into my skin."

His father sighed.

Miroku sighed.

"Women." They said together.

"But is it true?" Miroku asked after a little while.

"What?"

"Did Mum kiss you after you rubbed her backside? Does that work? Is that how you guys got me?"

".....er not quite.....Let's see....well, rubbing a woman's backside doesn't always elicit a kiss from said woman. Usually it's a slap. But there is a way to tell if she will kiss you eventually." His father's face acquired a sly look.

Miroku nodded, hanging on every word, storing the information for future reference.

"She'll have the hardest, most ear ringing, concussion inducing slap you've ever felt." A satisfied and nostalgic grin graced his father's features.

"Huh?" Miroku said.

"Of course, to tell, you'll have to rub many a backside..." His father's eyes clouded over slightly. "And many of them will slap you. But the woman who slaps the hardest...she's the one who: likes you doing it to her, and hates you doing it to other women. And that my son, is called jealousy. And if she's jealous, she's in love. Your mother...has the most wonderful-a-hem-anyway, she slapped me into a tree. I was unconscious for three days, and woke up being tenderly tended to."

"And that's how kids are born?" Miroku asked curiously.

"Well, no, after the slapping and loving care, I-"

"HOUSHI!!!!!"

"Oops." His father said, looking in the direction of his mother.

"......He did it." Miroku pointed to his father.

"Traitor." Miroku's father hissed at his son under his breath, looking ready to bolt.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! I HEARD THE WHOLE THING! TEACHING YOUR SON YOUR PERVERTED WAYS!"

"Yes, but you didn't deny it." His father said cheerily, leaning close to his wife.

Miroku watched as his father sailed past him, one hand reaching out and cupped around air, a blissful smile on his face, and a hand print on his cheek.

"You need to go to bed, young man." his mother whirled on him.

He nodded speechlessly. It had been a while since his mother had displayed her strength and severe lack of tolerance for her husband's lecherous ways. He didn't really want to be on the receiving end of something like that, but if he could find a beautiful girl to kiss him all the time...a little pain might be worth it.

Miroku smiled at his memories.

".....keh. That look on your face is freaking me out, monk." Inuyasha said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Inuyasha." Miroku looked around. "Where did Sango go?"

"She and Kagome and the runt went down to bathe." Inuyasha said.

Miroku's smile grew wider at this information. Inuyasha folded his arms.

"Pervert. You're just a glutton for punishment, aren't you?"

"Nonsense. I think I sense a demon or two in the direction of the springs." Miroku said, wandering off in that direction.

"I wouldn't if I were you." Inuyasha warned. "Sango was still in a bad mood when-" He started.

A bone boomerang came flying out of the brush, solidly conking Miroku on the head.

"Told you so."

"Ah...but the pain is most definitely worth it." Miroku said faintly, grinning.

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Author's Note:

WOOHOO! A REVIEW! THANK YOU KATERGATOR YOU'RE THE BEST!

You have made this author a very happy one!!!

As to Izayoi's name, it is in the third movie, which is out in Japan, just not in the US. Movie summaries, Izayoi, and Inutaisho fansites usually mention that she is named in the third movie.

And as always, review readers, and you will delight me to no end...spellcheck me, tear up my grammar, criticise my writing, anything....and I'll update faster...and if enough people review, I might choose to write more....So far I have short stories for Sesshoumaru, Shippou, Sango (Say that three time fast!), Izayoi, Rin, Kikyo, and Inuyasha, but I might be persuaded to write on other characters... See you next time(hopefully)!

Nenmeris

P.S. I looked up the name of Miroku's staff thing (shakujo) because I was curious...I'm not sure if its entirely correct...if anyone knows, please let me know