Last Time:

"The pleasure is all mine," Miroku crooned. "May I sit with you a while, beautiful princess?"

Houseki covered her mouth to prevent herself from grinning. "Certainly."

Kagome had almost made up her mind to turn back when she spied Inuyasha coming around the northern side of the pond. His hair was black, but she paid no heed to it. All that mattered was that he wanted to see her. She sat down on a stone bench and waited. He sat at the end of the bench and folded his arms.

"Well?" he demanded.
"Well what?"
"Why'd ya drag me out here?"

Kagome clenched her fists. "I KNEW IT. What do they think this is, a sit-com?"

Inuyasha face-vaulted.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I meant situation comedy, not...!"

"I'm SO sure!" he grumbled into the ground.

"I MEAN IT! It's obvious that Sango was just trying to get us to be alone together!"

He sat up and spat grass. "Che."

Kagome sat back down. "Well, she succeeded."

He was silent.

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but I can't deal with this anymore. I need to get it out in the open. You had sex with a youkai and the product was Houseki."

Inuyasha's eye twitched spasmodically. "I didn't have a fucking choice and that youkai IS Houseki."

Kagome turned to face him. His brows were pitched down, but there was a deep sadness in his eyes.

"You didn't have a choice? You mean...?"

"I was ... raped. Yes. There, happy? Can we please never talk about this again?"

"I'm so sorry."

"I don't need your fucking pity." He turned his head.

"What do you need?"

"..."

"..."

"I don't need anyone's pity," he repeated. "This is my problem. This happened to me. And I understand why you look away from me like you do."

Kagome swallowed hard. He had noticed that? She fought back tears. "Inuyasha. Come up here. I want you beside me."

He looked up at her. "You... you do?"

She nodded. He rose slowly, never taking his eyes off of her and sat down beside her. She moved up close to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'll always be here for you, Inuyasha. I just didn't understand." She chuckled. "I thought for a while that you like youkai like that better than humans!"

"Bah! Don't be an idiot, I like you just fine as a human!"

Kagome held her breath. 'Did he just say...?' She was answered when Inuyasha put his arm around her and rested his head against hers. Kagome sighed and closed her eyes.

"I have never seen a vision quite as lovely as you, Tsukiko-sama"

Houseki covered her mouth. "You say that to all the girls!"

"No I don't."

'Yes, you do,' she thought, 'but you can say it to me all you want...'

As the hours slipped away, Houseki tired to get Miroku to leave, but found it hard to bring herself to tell him to go. Even more difficult to tell him the truth. He held her hands and whispered sweet promises to her, just as she had heard him do to a few other girls they had met along the way.

"Tsukiko-hime, would you please bear my child?"

Houseki giggled and bapped him fairly hard on the head with a folded fan. "Oh you're so humorous, Houshi-sama!"

The sky started to lighten. Houseki fidgeted.

"Are you all right?" Miroku asked, her anxiety starting to wear on him.

Thinking fast, Houseki came up with yet another good lie. "I fear we shall be discovered. I must go!" She stood up and he followed.

"Wait, please, fair Princess! I must see you again!"

Houseki gritted her teeth. "In about a month's time, I shall find you." She turned to go but Miroku still held her hand.

"I will be waiting, Tsukiko-hime." His eyelids lowered and he leaned in.

'What's happening to me!?' Houseki thought in panic. 'Does he have my powers!?' She found herself leaning in as well. Their lips touched briefly, sending an shock down Houseki's spine. "I must go!!" she cried and ripped free of the monk. She slid the door open and charged down the hallway just as her youkai powers returned. She ducked into another room and panted.

"Are you ok, Houseki?!" Shippou asked in an alarmed voice. Sango sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Uh.. yeah. I fell asleep in another room and forgot where I was for a moment." She quickly changed out of the robe and back into her kimono shirt and shorts. She had just gotten into her futon when Miroku opened the door.

"Good morning!" he cried, surprised. "What's everyone doing up so early?"

"This place is weird," Shippou muttered and curled back into a ball at Sango's side. She too shrugged and went back to sleep. Houseki squeezed her eyes shut and curled up. Miroku shrugged, sat against a wall and dozed off wondering where Kagome and Inuyasha were, but mostly thinking about his Princess.

Inuyasha blinked as his head nodded forward again. He sighed. He didn't want to fall asleep, but it was nearly dawn and Kagome had fallen asleep against his shoulder hours ago. Inuyasha smiled sweetly at her as she breathed deeply in sleep. He held her right shoulder with his right hand. The light grew brighter and his youkai power returned. Inuyasha frowned as he watched his claws grow back.

In the following weeks, they fought lesser youkai and saved villagers here and there, but did nothing to further either of their causes. More than once, a pretty village girl who Miroku was talking to would suddenly wander off and become amorous with the nearest domesticated animal. Houseki would whistle, badly, and try not to laugh as her little tricks left everyone confused.

Yet whenever Houseki had occasion to speak to the monk, the fire that had been in his eyes was gone. She pined for that fire, and wished that the next month would come sooner.

A month later the group found themselves close to the ocean. They hadn't seen Sesshoumaru or Naraku in quite some time. Even though their quest was unburdened by their interference, they hadn't captured a single shard. Inuyasha feared that Naraku was beating them to them, but Kagome looked to her collection and tried her best to assure him that they were very close to completing it.

"Then Naraku probably has the rest of them!" he shouted and walked ahead.

Kagome sighed. Sango raised a brow.

"What's eating him? Didn't you guys make up?"

"I have no idea..." the Miko stopped and glared at Sango. "How do you know we made up?"

She laughed nervously. "Wild guess?" They walked on. "Is it because it's close to his... 'time of the month'?" she asked.

"Maybe. I dunno. He's just anxious because nothing's been happening!"

"Yeah, I guess he needs to get his aggression out on something, huh?"

"No," Kagome shook her head. "It's not so much that. He's nervous, just like I am. Because we haven't seen more shards, or Naraku, and because we're so close to the end." She broke off and stared at the ground. Sango nodded and walked with her in silence.

Houseki overheard their conversation and kept her mouth shut. She was lost in thought.

That evening, they made camp on the beach and roasted crabs and fish that Inuyasha and Sango caught over the fire. After eating, Houseki excused herself.

She found a secluded dune and sat down. Before she lost her powers, Houseki closed her eyes and beckoned Miroku to come to her. In moments, her powers faded. Miroku rounded the bend and slid down the side of dune.

"Tsukiko-hime!" he cheered. "It's you, my flower!"

Houseki opened her arms and smiled wide.

Sango watched Miroku go and frowned. She pondered his strange behavior so deeply that she didn't hear Kagome ask her if she was all right.

"Oh! I'm sorry... It's just.. Oh nothing."

All Kagome had to do was shoot Inuyasha a look.

He rolled his eyes. "Shippou. You wanted to learn how to fish, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Then come on."

They walked down the beach and Inuyasha attempted to show the kitsune how to dig for clams and avoid being stung by jellyfish.

"What is it, Sango-chan? You've seemed troubled recently."

"Please don't laugh, but... I have... feelings for Miroku."

Kagome's eyes widened. "You...do?"

Sango nodded. "But he looks right through me, except to try something sleazy, but that's not the same. That's not how I want him to feel about me... I mean.. not YET."

"I understand."

"But ever since Houseki showed up, he's been... weird."

Kagome suddenly realized that Miroku and Houseki were missing. She knew by the way Sango bit her lip that she had noticed the same thing.

"Well, have you mentioned your feelings to him?"

"NO!" she cried. "Have you told Inuyasha how you feel about HIM!?"

Kagome turned red. "Not really. Sorry. I should practice what I preach, ne?"

Sango said no more. She stared into the firelight and hugged Kirara tightly to her.

Under the stars, Miroku and Houseki in her ningen form kissed passionately. Miroku stroked her face and looked into her eyes. "I think I'm falling in love with you, my mysterious Princess."

Houseki hugged him tightly. "And I you, Sweet Monk." She realized too late what she had called him, but he didn't seem to pick up on it. They kissed again, but Miroku pulled away. 'Oh no! He's realized who I am!' she thought. He held her face in his shielded hand.

"Taisetsuna hito, I wonder, why have you never asked me about my hand?"

"..." she blinked and smiled. "I assume it's a scar or something. Whatever it is doesn't matter to me."

"I must admit to you, I'm a freak."

Houseki put her finger to his lips. "It doesn't matter to me. I'm a freak, too."

"No you're not, Tsukiko. You're perfect!"

Houseki turned away rather than show the disappointment that shadowed her face. "I see. You don't love me."

Miroku turned her shoulders back to face him and smiled. She couldn't bring herself to tell him.

She wrapped her arms around him. "All right. Just hold me... till the sun comes up."

Inuyasha woke early the next morning. He strolled down the beach a ways and stripped his clothes off. The water was a little cold, but refreshing. He collected a good bunch of muscles and more fish for breakfast. Kagome had expressed an interest in muscles the night before and he was certain that he would delight her by remembering them.

He dressed in all but his fire-rat coat, using it to carry the crustaceans, and headed back. Before he got too far, he noticed Houseki coming up over a dune. She waved to him and jogged towards him.

"Oi, Houseki. Where have you been all night?" he asked with a wink and a nudge.

She looked out at the crashing waves. "Tou-san, I need to take off for a while... on my own." He opened his mouth, but she cut him off. "Please don't ask why, Tou-chan, I'd rather not talk about it. I'll keep my eyes peeled for Shikon shards and I'll meet up with you all again... someday." Houseki looked into her father's eyes. "Tell Kagome, Shippou and Sango I said good bye... and thank you."

She turned and walked down the beach to the south.

Inuyasha knitted his brows. His daughter was leaving? But he had just gotten used to her, only just began to accept her as a member of the group and as a friend. He scowled. "Matte, Houseki!" he shouted coarsely. She stopped and looked back over her shoulder. Her eyes were watery and soft. "...Where will you go?"

"Where my heart leads me."

"Miroku, why?" Kagome asked, astounded.

"I just need some time to myself," he explained. "Please do not think for a moment that I will stop in my quest to find Naraku and destroy him." The monk trained his eyes on Kagome's. She nodded solemnly. "Please say good-bye to Inuyasha for me." Miroku put his pack over his shoulder and walked off to the north.

Sango sat with slumped shoulders and watched him walked away. She hung her head. Kagome came up behind her. "Well, are you going to just let him get away?"

She stood up. "I suppose not." She smiled and picked up Kirara. "Kagome-chan, could you take care of Kirara for a while. I'll be back soon."

"On one condition," she took the youkai-cat from her friend. "That you don't come back alone!"

"I promise. You behave, Kirara." Sango kissed her cat good-bye and waved to Kagome and Shippou as she followed the path Miroku had taken.

Inuyasha strolled up and held out his bunch of muscles, dripping through the fiber of his coat. "I got you muscles, Kagome."

There was no response. Kagome and Shippou were looking off to the north.

"Hey, where's Sango going?"

"She's leaving us!" Shippou wailed.

"Her too?!" he shouted.

"What do you mean, her too?" Kagome asked.

"Houseki just took off." The shocked look on Kagome's face surprised him. He shrugged, but Kagome could tell this upset him.

Shippou continued to cry. "Then it's just us now! You're not going to leave too, are you Kagome?!"

"No, no, Shippou, of course not."

"What the hell is he talking about?"

"Miroku's left too. And I think it has to do with Houseki."

Inuyasha sighed melodramatically. There was an awkward pause.

Kagome raised a brow. "Inuyasha, whatcha got that's dripping in your shirt?"

"Muscles."

"Oh yay!" she cheered. "You remembered!"

They had a quiet breakfast. There were more than enough muscles to go around, but Inuyasha hardly ate that morning at all.

Houseki wandered far off to the south, stopping only to rest a bit and to bathe at a hot spring. She removed her clothes and eased into the wonderful water. Her cares floated away as she leaned against a rock and cleared her mind. She knew now exactly what she wanted, but still had no idea how to get it.

She COULD just use her powers on some poor unsuspecting individual, but she had felt what empty love was like and decided that kind of pain was not worth the fleeting pleasure.

"What am I worried about," she grumbled to herself. "I've got another 500 years or so to find this... love thing." Houseki made a face and submerged under the water to clean her hair. 'I hate waiting!' she thought.

When she emerged, she shook the water from her hair and ears and sighed. When she opened her eyes, she caught a glimpse of something moving in the bushed just across the way. Houseki reached underwater and picked up a good sized rock. She hurled it as fast as she could at the bushes. It made a resounding 'clonk' as it met its target. A tallish youkai stood bolt upright and started openly at her, one hand on the lump on his head.

Houseki stood up out of the water and struck a pose. "Like what you see, Etchi?"

The demon's eyes went as wide as saucers and he bolted off faster than any living thing she had ever seen. Houseki laughed herself silly and flopped back into the water.

"Aw..." she thought out loud. "He was sorta cute. Shit."

Miroku waved his hand over a small baby, held outstretched in its mother's arms. The mother smiled and thanked him, and he continued on down the street.

'I better find a paying gig soon,' he thought as his stomach rumbled. A scream from just up ahead made his eyes light up. "Bingo!"

Miroku ran towards the sound. Up on the left, a small shop suddenly exploded. A huge, demented-looking toad netsuke growled. A man's legs stuck out of it's wooden lips, but not for long. With another gulp, the possessed netsuke swallowed him whole. Miroku assessed the situation and pulled a talisman from his gown.

"Evil be gone!" he shouted and sent the paper flying towards it's target. It fried to a cinder on impact. The toad noticed this and stomped out of the remains of the shop. His glassy eyes were focused on the monk.

'I can't very well suck the netsuke up into the void,' he thought in a panic. 'I'd suck the shop-keeper up too!' The toad lurched forward and Miroku stepped back. "Everyone, stop staring and get away from here!" 'I must think of SOMETHING!'

"Hiraikotsu!!!"

Miroku spun to see the boomerang whiz by and sever the demonic toad in half. Its head floated for a moment before crashing to the ground beside it.

Sango charged up beside him. "Now! Houshi-sama! Use the talisman!"

"Right!" Miroku threw out another, this time it did the trick. The netsuke returned to it's small, wooden form and the shop-keeper was dazed, but alive.

"Sango..." Miroku finished attending to the damage and finally turned his attention to her. He held a tiny sliver of the Shikon no Tama, found tucked inside the remains of the netsuke between his fingers. "Where are the others?"

She adjusted her boomerang and fidgeted. "I'm alone. I guess we're headed in the same direction."

He paused, but nodded his head. "I suppose so. Thank you for your help. I guess we make a pretty good team." He put the shard away and held up a small bag of coins. From this he poured out half and handed them to her.

She smiled. "I guess so."

They walked to the next town to see what help they could bring there.