I don't own InuYasha

The Greatest Power

Chapter 8

InuYasha was walking around the palace grounds. 'She is alright. I'm glad that she is.' He thought.

"InuYasha!" Someone called. He looked up to see Miroku coming towards him with a fresh hand print on his face.

"InuYasha have you heard anything about Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked once he reached him.

InuYasha stared at the perverted monk. 'What is with these people? Kagome this monk, and that demon slayer, Sango I think was her name, treats me like a friend. And that slayer shows more violence towards the monk than she does me. Though he deserves it, I deserve it more after all I am a worthless half-breed.'

"Yeah, she woke up yesterday. That old hag is making sure that she is getting enough rest now."

"Wonderful I shall go see if I can offer any assistance." Miroku said with a perverted grin on his face.

InuYasha saw this and growled at the monk. "You are not going to see her alone!" he snapped.

Miroku stepped back. "My aren't we defensive. I didn't realize that you felt so strongly for her. But then again she is quit the beauty." He said his grin never faltering.

InuYasha froze for a second and once everything that the monk said registered his growl deepened and his face turned slightly pink. "I don't like her!" He screamed. Suddenly, he felt a slight prick at his neck. He slapped at it and once he removed his hand he found a flattened flea.

"Master InuYasha, how nice to taste you again." Said the flea through a slightly strained voice.

"Myoga what are you doing here?" InuYasha asked

"Myoga?" Asked Miroku looking at the flea that just returned to his 3D form.

Myoga looked over to the monk. "Hello, who might I ask are you monk?" Ignoring InuYasha's question.



"I am monk Miroku, please call me Miroku."

"Nice to meet you Miroku. Are you a friend of master InuYasha's?"

"Yes I …"

"No he is not my friend! Now answer my question what are you doing here Myoga?" InuYasha interrupted. He was getting annoyed that they were ignoring him.

"Forgive me Master InuYasha. I am here because I heard that you were staying in this village and that you helped defend it from a demon attack. I couldn't believe it so I had to see for myself. Also I was worried about your well being."

"Keh, I don't see how unbelievable it is that I did and am staying in a village. And if you're worried about my well being you could always stick around instead of running off whenever there is danger around."

"I do no such thing. I merely wish not to burden you when you are in battle."

InuYasha rolled his eyes. "Yeah sure you don't."

"Excuse me." Said a guard. InuYasha, Miroku, and Myoga directed their attention to the guard.

"Princess Kagome wishes to see you and…" InuYasha didn't wait for him to finish and left to find Kagome.

"He is in such a hurry to be by her side. Please continue." Miroku said with a grin. Myoga who was blown off of InuYasha's shoulder sat on Miroku's shoulder and thought. 'What does this monk me by that?'

"Wishes to see you and invite you to have dinner with her and Prince Souta." The guard finished.

"Thank you, will you please lead the way."

The guard bowed and turned around to escort them to the dining hall.

Sango was on her way to check on Kagome, and also to cool off after that perverted monk had once again groped her. "That pervert. He is supposed to be a holy man but he acts like a dirty old man."

"Who acts like a dirty old man?" Asked a female voice behind her. Sango turned around to see who it was that overheard her ranting. Who she saw was none other than Kagome, standing there with her brother right beside her looking worried and a bit mad.



"Sis, please tell me what is going on." After Souta had told her everything that had happen those past two weeks he had decided to find out what truly was going on. So he began to question and pleaded with her to tell him. But she refused to tell and he was forced to bed without answers. But he was determined to find out so since he woke up he refused to let it drop until he got his answers.

"Souta I keep telling you that it is nothing. Now please drop it." Kagome said but the look on his face told that there was no way in hell that he was going to. She resided to taking a heavy sigh and turned her attention back to Sango.

"So who is acting like a dirty old man, Sango?"

Sango having heard the argument began to think the same as Souta especially when Kagome's face held a fake smile. But against her better judgment she decided to ask her questions later. However before she had a chance to answer Kagome's question she saw that pervert coming up behind her. 'This isn't going to be good.'

Kagome looked at Sango and wondered why she wasn't answering her question and seemed to be getting angry. But before she could ask what was wrong she felt someone stork her butt. She turned around to see a young monk wearing purple robes and a big perverted smile on his face.

"Hello Princess, my name is Miroku, I was traveling by when the demons attacked and offered my assistance." He said his hand still not leaving its current location.

Before Kagome had a chance to get over her shock to reply a fist came out of nowhere and collided with Miroku's face sending him a good five feet away from her. Kagome looked for the source of the fist, and who she found was a very angry InuYasha looking down at the monk.

"DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH HER LIKE THAT AGAIN YOU PERVERTED MONK!" InuYasha yelled at the unconscious monk.

Myoga who was now hiding on InuYasha's shoulder looked up at him. 'So the other part of the rumors was true. He has found someone that he wishes to protect. I must go speak to my lord at once.' He thought and then jumped off of InuYasha's shoulder and onto a crow that was flying by.

InuYasha then turned his attention back to Kagome, his anger subsiding slightly. "What do you think you were doing letting him keep his hand on you like that?"

Kagome's face lost the grateful smile she did have on into an angry scowl. "I was just about to get after him, but you came out of nowhere and did what I was about to do."

"Yeah right I bet you liked it that's why you didn't stop him earlier."



"Urgh. You can't be serious. What woman in her right mind like that. Besides what kind of girl do you take me for you baka? I can take care of myself. To think I was about to thank you for saving my hand from being sore later. Jeeze." Kagome starred at him. Her spiritual power was surging in her right hand just waiting for release she was breathing heavily doing her best to calm down before she lost control of it.

InuYasha stood there in shock and fear. He was afraid that she was going to deck him her right hand and end up purifying him right then and there. He watched her carefully, finally he saw that she was starting to calm down but more importantly the power in her right hand was subsiding.

Kagome having calmed down a bit turned around to face Sango. "I take it that the person acting like a dirty old man was that monk right."

Sango looked at Kagome a bit nervous and said. "Yeah that would be him." The two girls then went into a conversation about the idiotic things men do.

Souta turned and looked at InuYasha. He was standing there as stiff as a board fear evident in his eyes. 'He shouldn't have said that to her. He is lucky that she kept her cool otherwise he would be a pile of ash right now.'

"InuYasha you alright?" Souta asked.

InuYasha jumped when he heard his name when he looked down at the source of the voice he saw Souta looking at him with a 'you know how lucky you are' look. InuYasha let out a breath one that he hadn't realized he was holding and answered. "Yeah I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be?" Finally gaining back his tough guy act.

"No reason." Souta said while rolling his eyes. He then looked over towards the monk who was finally starting to gain consciousness. Souta walked up to him and saw that his right side of his face had swelled to the size of a softball, and a small trail of blood coming from his mouth and going down his chin. "Hey, are you okay there Miroku?"

Miroku started to come back to his right cheek throbbing so much that it was numb. He rolled his tongue and thanked Buddha that he still had all his teeth, but gagged on the taste of blood in his mouth. He heard someone ask him if he was okay. He looked up to see the young Prince Souta looking at him. "Yeah I think so. Uh…What happened? I remember introducing myself to Lady Kagome but then nothing."

Souta looked at him with a mixture of shock, anger, and a bit nervous. "Well…"

"I knocked you on your ass because you were touching Kagome you pervert. And if you ever touch her like that again I won't stop at just knocking you on your ass. You understand monk?" InuYasha growled.



Miroku looked up at InuYasha and saw just how serious he was in his words through the look in his eyes. "Yes. I understand completely InuYasha."

Kagome was looking over her shoulder as she watched InuYasha help the monk up after their little conversation that she just couldn't help but over hear. 'Does he care about me that much?' A small smile came upon her face at the thought.

"Excuse me my Lady but dinner is served." Said Rai Kagome's hand maiden.

"Thank you. We shall be there shortly." Rai bowed to her and left to tend to her other duties.

Kagome turned to her brother and guests and put her hand out as invitation. "Shall we all go and have dinner?" Everyone just nodded their heads and followed her into the dining hall. They each took up one of the placements that were set up. Kagome of course at her usual spot which was at the head of the placements and Souta was to her right in his usual place. (Just so everyone knows the order of the other's Sango, InuYasha to the left, Miroku on the right, next to Souta)

They said their grace and then began the meal. Souta decided that he hadn't bugged Kagome about what was going on long enough and took this time to ask. "Kagome what is going on that you don't want to tell me?"

Kagome stopped eating with her chopsticks a few inches away from her face with some rice on them. Everyone else had stopped eating as well and looked in her direction. She finished placing the food in her mouth and chewed slowly. 'He just had to ask that now. Now when I can't tell him that I would tell him later because the rest will want to know, and even if I tell him that it is nothing the other's will still want to know. I am going to get him back for this one later.'

"It is nothing to worry about Souta. I have told you this a hundred times today. Don't worry about it." She said hopping that the answer would be taken and there would be no more discussion about it. Boy was she wrong.

"Kagome something is up ever since yesterday after Kaede left you have been so distant, and you have a worried look in your eyes. And whenever I confronted you about it you always brush it off and give me a fake smile that creeps me out." Souta said.

After this was said it had everyone's undivided attention. Oh, she was really going to get Souta back for this one.

"Kagome what is he talking about? What happened after I left you with Kaede?" InuYasha asked worry completely evident in his eyes. 'Did she not heal well enough? Whatever it is if she hasn't told her own brother about it, it must be bad.'



"It's nothing honest. When Kaede left she said that she was going to get some things prepared for me. What she was meaning was some more herbs that's all. Souta is just putting things out of proportion." She said wherein the best smile she could muster.

Everyone looked at her fake smile and all had the same feeling that she was hiding something. Miroku and Sango however decided though worried not to push the subject. If she wanted to tell she would have told her brother long ago when he first asked and the subject wouldn't have been brought up at all in front of them. InuYasha however was not going to let it go he wanted the truth.

"You're lying Kagome. Tell us the truth." He said getting just as determined as Souta.

"I just did InuYasha. It is your choice to believe me or not but I am not discussing it anymore. Instead I would like to thank each of you for coming to the aid of my village and fighting off those demons. Especially you InuYasha for saving not only my life, but that of my brother's. As reward I shall give you whatever it is that you would like, that is within my power."

"No compensation is necessary Kagome. I have already gathered what it is that would do well for compensation. The bones and hides of some of those demons will make good armor and weapons for my village." Sango said.

"Now that you mention Lady Kagome there is one thing that you could do for me." Miroku said as he got up and took hold of Kagome's hands. "Would you consider to bear my child?" Sango gasped as did Souta and even Kagome, InuYasha being already angry at the monk and with Kagome avoiding telling him the truth was getting ready to kill the monk. However before InuYasha moved there was the resounding sound of flesh hitting flesh hard. Miroku found himself with yet another bruise on his right cheek and laying on the ground.

Kagome looking quite cross said in a calm voice. "I will do anything but that."

"Very well, I will just have to be happy with a small payment and some herbs for my cheek." Miroku said in defeat. 'Rejected again, and even if I do get the herbs I don't think that my cheek will ever stop swelling now.'

InuYasha having seen this cooled off towards the monk and sat back down. He was glad that she did that instead of accepting his offer. "I will just be happy if you would tell me the truth as to what is going on Kagome."

"I already told you. You know my offer I made to you two weeks ago about you staying here at the palace still holds, or if you like you can come here whenever you need supplies and get them without having to steal them. It is your choice InuYasha." 'I would really like to tell you InuYasha. I would like to tell all of you, but I don't need you or the other's involved in my 

task. I wish that you could be this other person that's to help me purify the jewel, but I don't think a demon or half-demon would work.'

"I don't want either. I shouldn't even be in this village, what with a demon slayer, a monk, and two priestess in this village I should have been dead two weeks ago. If you aren't going to tell me the truth then I might as well leave before you all kill me in my sleep." With that said InuYasha got up and ran out of the palace and into the forest.

'Damn her. Why should I trust her if she won't even trust me with whatever secret she is hiding.'

'Maybe she is afraid to have you and the other's get involved in something that is dangerous? She thinks of you all as friends.'

'You again, who the hell are you? And if that were the case than she should be willing to tell me…us the truth, not keep it from us.'

'I am your human self. Perhaps she didn't want to mention it in front of her brother so as to not worry him.'

InuYasha stopped running. "That's right her brother was the one asking her what was going on and she kept trying to stray him off topic all day from my understanding. And he was sitting right there when I kept asking her. Maybe that's why the other's didn't ask her about it." InuYasha lowered his head feeling like an idiot for saying the things he said to her before he stormed out. "Damn it. I'm such an idiot."

'That you are. You should go back and apologize to her.'

'Shut up. Who asked you to bud in anyway? I shouldn't need to apologize for anything.' With that he continued walking through the forest.

Kagome watched as InuYasha ran out of the dining hall and out of her life. A small tear fell down her face. 'He doesn't feel that he can trust me? But then again I refused to tell him what was going on, even if I wanted to.'

A/N: I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter. Please review.