The Diary

Meditation

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I affiliated with the owners of, Inuyasha

"Okay, Inuyasha," Miroku said calmly as he laid his staff on the ground beside the stream. Inuyasha couldn't help but remember that just a mile up the stream was the waterfall where Kikyou had found her cavern home. "Before you can think of anything as impossibly confusing as a woman's heart, you must relax your brain. This excersize is called meditation. Now," Miroku sat on the ground beside his staff and crossed his legs, relaxing his arms with his hands laid softly on his knees. "Sit like this, and relax your body. The first step to relaxing your mind is to begin with your body; always remember that. Once your body is relaxed, you should empty your mind of absolutely anything. With a relaxed mind, everything becomes easier." Inuyasha sighed, but followed suit.

"Now," Miroku said in a barely audible whisper, "Become comfortable. Do not slouch or hunch your shoulders, but relax; feel the comfort of your own skin. It is your temple, yourself; it is your one true haven. Do not think of it as a collection of organs and tissues, think of it as the house of your soul. And relax in it." Inuyasha could feel a slight twitch beginning in his temple.

"Miroku," he growled, "Do you even-"

"Shh!" Miroku snapped. "You are ruining the calming effect of the running freshwater!" Inuyasha sighed and tried to relax his body like Miroku instructed.

"I am sorry, sensei," Inuyasha mumbled. "You are only trying to help." Inuyasha tried to ignore the smirk on Miroku's face at the sound of his newly preferred title.

"It's alright," he replied sagely. "Just try your best." Inuyasha tried his best not to rent Miroku open with his claws.

"Now," Miroku said, softly again, "We wait."

"For what?" Inuyasha had to ask, his heart beating. Was this some sort of Buddhist magic? Inuyasha wasn't so sure about this anymore.

Miroku sighed. "We wait for the calming, soothing sensation of meditation to set in. Then we get to work." Inuyasha nodded; that sounded about right.

So he waited. And waited. He tried to completely relax his body, but he kept being interrupted: his ear would itch, so he'd scratch it, or he'd have to swipe an annoying insect away from his face. Finally, after the fifth mosquito met its death, Miroku threw his hands in the air in exasperation.

"Inuyasha!" He exclaimed. "No wonder Kagome thinks you're a complete hothead! You have no patience, which is vital in this excersize!"

Enraged, Inuyasha retorted, "Then excersize something else! I don't want to sit for hours on the hard ground, trying to make myself calm! My butt hurts, and all these stupid insects are driving me crazy!" Miroku shook his head angrily and stood up.

"Inuyasha," he said sadly, collecting his staff from the ground, "You are hopeless. You love Kagome, and she loves you. The only thing in the way is your bad temper, and until you can learn to calm yourself, there it will stand in all its bloodstained glory." And with that he was gone.

"Stupid monk," Inuyasha grumbled. "No idea what he's talking about. None at all."

"He's right," came a whispy voice. Inuyasha jumped as Kikyou came walking silently from the forest, her bow in hand. "By practicing meditation you can calm yourself, and clear your mind of all the clutter of excessive thoughts, therfore leaving you free to explore all the answers to an important problem." Inuyasha frowned.

"Since when do you know so much about meditation?" Kikyou smiled an empty smile.

"Since I became a priestess," she replied simply, taking the spot of ground that Miroku had vacated. "Maybe it will be easier if I instruct you."

Inuyasha's senses went on full alert as Kikyou took his hands in hers and held them softly between them.

"Relax, Inuyasha," she whispered. He noticed that she used the same calming, quiet voice as Miroku had, only hers actually effected him the way it was supposed to; his shoulders fell and his arms became limp as he found comfort in the familiar smell of his ex-lover. "Try to relax your every muscle, every tissue. Think yourself into your most treasured, comfortable place to be..." Inuyasha allowed his mind to wander through his memories, shifting through the many places he had been. He finally realized that he had no one place of comfort; rather, it was wherever Kagome was. Or wherever he and Kikyou had been together, in that past life.

"Good," Kikyou's voice floated over to Inuyasha on a light breeze. "You're doing great, Inuyasha; now we can work on uncluttering your mind." Inuyasha nodded slightly, careful to keep his neck as loose as possible.

"What is your problem?" Kikyou whispered. "Think about it to yourself. Erase all other thoughts; nothing is as important as this problem. It is more important than life itself. Clear away all other thoughts and ideas..." Inuyasha did as she told him to.

Please, he thought to himself intensely. Please, I need to know what to do! I need to figure out what it is with Kagome... I love her... I want her to love me back... Please... I need her to love me back...

"You're doing great, Inuyasha," Kikyou whispered. "Now... think of what you could do..."

Suddenly his mind was blank and all concentration was lost.

After trying to regain it for a couple of minutes, Inuyasha sighed and opened his eyes.

"I lost it," he mumbled embarrassedly to the intensely staring Kikyou, casting his eyes to the ground.

"Inuyasha," she replied in an oddly curious tone, "Where did you think of?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Not where, exactly. Just pretty much in the company of Kagome." Kikyou nodded.

"Do you know that I have gotten up to relieve myself three times since we began?" Inuyasha started.

"You did?" Kikyou nodded.

"I did. And I also had to chase away a small fox that was trying to nibble your haori."

Inuyasha grimaced. "It's always a fox."

"Yes," Kikyou replied with a humorlous smile. "I suppose it is."

Looking oddly at Kikyou, Inuyasha sighed. "Thank you," he said softly. "So much, Kikyou. You helped me a lot today."

Kikyou shrugged and stood up, grabbing her bow on the way up. Inuyasha followed.

"Stop being so grateful," Kikyou replied seriously. "It's not like you." Inuyasha grinned.

Taking her hand, Inuyasha grabbed her and pulled her into a short, rough hug. When he released her, she bade him farewell and went off to her cave, leaving Inuyasha to himself and the river.

Suddenly an all-too-familiar scent reached his nose and he spun on his heel.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome stood at the edge of the woods, staring at him in disbelief. Suddenly she spun around and ran back through the woods.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha ran after her, quickly scooping up the Tetsusaiga as he did. In the woods he tried to catch up with her, but found it to be quite difficult; she was smaller and more flexible, so the large branches of the trees didn't bother her as much. Inuyasha, however, could not avoid them as easily, and he didn't want to waste time by cutting them.

"Leave me alone, Inuyasha!" Kagome called. The youkai was hurt to hear tears in her voice. "I don't want to see you right now! I'm going home tomorrow morning!" Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks, staring at her retreating back, and was soon left alone in the woods, dusk beginning to settle around him.

Then, in a fit of fury, Inuyasha threw the Tetsusaiga into a nearby tree; it passed halfway through the trunk and then stood quivering. Pressing his hands against his face, he slumped onto the ground. He had spent all day trying this whole "meditation" thing for Kagome, and in one ill-considered move destroyed any chance he had of fixing things. Inuyasha sat for a few minutes wallowing in misery, then stood and retrieved his sword. Well, he thought irritable to himself, I suppose I'll just have to change her mind before tomorrow morning. And with that, he strode purposefully back to camp.

Yes. So. Sorry it took so long, I've been busy with work and such. So, please review!