Prompt: "I don't know what to do without you by my side."
Warning: Dark implications

She was an unreachable girl, whose enlightenment was so much further away from his own reach. The very fact that she was so close to him, in person, was a jarring thought. She wasn't supposed to be touchable.

No, not at all.

Miroku acknowledged that, yes, her previous life made a mistake—but in spite of what many believed, there were five hundred years spanning out in between the fallen priestess and the living one. Who know how many cycles the beautiful soul passed though?

This time, it seemed, Kagome, succeeded at reaching so close to the godly enlightenment. Being so close at reaching the Nirvana rendered the girl so much more powerful than Kikyou, who lost faith in all things that is good and unjust known as life. Kagome accepted things as they were and that everything was forever in a constant state of changing.

She was worthy of all envies and jealousies.

While Kagome wasn't a practitioner of Miroku's belief having grew up on one of many shrines of children of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu's, her core beliefs still led her on the similar paths. He could see her soul shining so brightly in the distance, when she first arrived, that he followed it.

He wished he hadn't, because now he was falling off from his righteous path deeper he was lured into the beauty of Kagome's all-accepting heart.

But, Miroku accepted he will return to some inferior life-form in his next life and starting his cycle all over again.

After all, he couldn't let Kagome to not ever reborn again on their beautifully corrupted earth. Miroku couldn't bear with that thought of never meeting her again in his next life. It was cruel, but Miroku wanted to be selfish, damning the idea of repeating the cycle of enlightenment.

Even now, in the ruined dimension that Byakuya, Naraku's final incarnation, transported them in, Miroku was left alone with his desires amassing. He resisted them as long as he could, tending to the young priestess' wounds she took from Naraku's latest assault. At her suppressed wince the monk hurried to Kagome's side to assure her, "Lady Kagome, Lady Kagome, we'll be rescued soon." He certainly (and selfishly) hoped it wouldn't be soon, but Kagome's pained expression relaxed just the same.

"Yes, InuYasha and Sango will save us." Kagome firmly agreed, her faith in their friends clear as the day. She sat up and bit back another wince at the noticeable wound across her stomach, she supposed they should be thankful that the chaotic dimension were empty of any battle-hungry foes. It was just to serve to trap them, with no intention to ever release them.

Miroku drew in a deep breath, biting back urges to touch and corrupt the untouchable priestess by clenching his fists to the skirt of his robe, "Yes, yes. Lay back down now, Lady Kagome, and sleep."

With a dimmed grin Kagome settled back down on the uneven purple-colored ground. Her eyes slid close, with her body relaxing. Only thing that isn't was her hands resting over her belly, with the gauze wrapped around and dark red steeping though. Even with pain she suppressed it in her mind, just like a good Buddha would have.

Placing his clenching hands on his laps Miroku gazed upon her face for what seemed like an eternity. Occasionally he'd swept his eyes over her exposed belly and found his breaths stuck in his throat, when the redness spread like a disease. There were little he could do, even with his healing knowledge. With so little tools and healing herbs to be found and lacking white magic there were little to be done for the young girl.

Miroku didn't want Kagome to leave the earth forever.

"Lady Kagome…" He whimpered, unconsciously reaching out to hold her arm, "Please. Please don't leave us. Please don't leave me." Miroku thumbed over her cooling skin, though he can still feel her fragile heartbeat pumping underneath. Picking up her pink-stained hand he pressed his lips on the back of it, "Lady Kagome." He begged, tightening his grip on the tiny hand.

He wrapped the hand into his larger pair, and placed it underneath his lips, like he was praying, "Lady Kagome. Stay."

"There are so much I wanted to show you. To teach you." Miroku sighed, and his voice fell quieter, "I wanted to keep you. To take you as my wife, being a Buddha's follower be damned." His mind darkened with (un)wanted desired, Miroku found desperation to keep his priestess onto the earth, to take her with him in the next life.

To trap her with him in every cycle, if he could.

Miroku's eyes moistened, and whispered it like a prayer, "I don't know what to do without you by my side."

There was a twitch.

Her hand slipped from in between his hands, and before Miroku could find horror panging at his heart, she returned it and woven her fingers into his. Barely parting her eyes, Kagome grimly smiled, "I'm still here."