A/N: Moshi moshi, mi-na! I think I've been getting much better about updating on a regular basis, don't you? Anyway, I want to put it out there before you read this chapter that it DOES NOT mean that I will never make Miroku helpless in the future. I know that there are those of you who like Miroku to be helpless sometimes and there are those of you who aren't a huge fan of that, so I'm trying to appease both groups of people (even though I've yet to hear of anyone who dislikes a helpless Miroku, I'm sure those people are out there). This chapter is another one of my "come to an understanding chapters" and I think that's something couples should do on a regular basis to avoid break-up (not to say that every other chapter will be in this vein, but I think you guys get what I'm saying). Now enough of my chatter, on with the fic!

Inuyasha and Miroku: Warriors, Friends, Lovers

Chapter 4: A Heart-to-Heart

"Ye are a fool, Inuyasha. Did ye not learn from your various bouts with Koga that fighting over a girl is completely unnecessary? I am sure, telling by the young girl's demeanor, that she has her heart set on you and only you. Kagome is a nice girl. If ye just took her up on her feelings, maybe ye wouldn't end up in these in these situations," Kaede lectured while tending to Inuyasha's wounds (A/N: Agh, ye vs you... _).

"I wasn't fighting over Kagome...." Inuyasha mumbled, barely audible.

"Really? Shippo told me you were fighting your half-brother because he tried to take away the one most precious to you."

"I was, but it wasn't Kagome..." the hanyou replied, averting his eyes.

The old priestess eyed him suspiciously- "Then who?" she asked simply.

Inuyasha's face turned bright red and he did not respond, instead looking even further away (if that was at all possible at this point). The drape covering the door to the hut ruffled a bit as someone entered the medical place.

"Ah, Miroku, ye have come to check up on Inuyasha, I presume?" Kaede asked.

Upon hearing his lover's name, Inuyasha turned his head to face him, the blush still tinging his cheeks. Miroku nodded and gave a warm smile, which Inuyasha returned. Kaede looked at the interaction between the two and started putting things together.

"Oh, I see..." she said.

"What are you talking about?" the hanyou questioned, eyeing the old woman suspiciously.

"Yes, Kaede, please inform us," Miroku added, also curious as to the old woman's thinking.

"Twas not Kagome that your battle was fought over, but rather Miroku. Am I correct?"

Inuyasha was rendered speechless. Never in his wildest dreams did he think someone like Kaede would catch on to his little love affair. Despite how wise she was, he always thought she was a little on the senile side, at least when the subject wasn't revolving around demon slaying, religion, old stories or medicine. In essence, he simply thought she was out of touch with the modern world (A/N: It's kind of weird to refer to the Feudal Era as the "modern" world, ne?). Miroku, however, fully expected the old priestess to catch on.

"Inuyasha, Kaede may be aged a bit, but that doesn't mean she is out of touch with the world. Besides, it's not like we're the first people to have this type of relationship," the monk said, noticing how wide open his lover's mouth was. The hanyou grumbled something, though no one could hear what it was.

Kaede smiled softly. "I'll leave the two of you alone now. Besides, I have to go check up on a young boy who came to me the other day due to illness," she added, in a vain attempt to cover up the fact that she believed the two needed some alone time.

There was a period of time after she left where both were just content to see one another after what seemed like forever, even though it had only been a few hours. Miroku walked over and sat next to Inuyasha, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"How are you feeling?" he asked his hanyou lover.

"You know me, I'm a fast healer. I should be up and about within the next couple of days."

"I'm glad because I wanted to talk to you about something and I didn't want you to be in immense pain while it was happening. It would interfere with your already poor listening skills." The monk's toned darkened a bit when he said this, scaring his partner a bit.

"What's that look for?" Inuyasha asked, his voice oddly high-pitched.

"I believe you know the answer to that question," Miroku replied, his voice stern.

"I do?" the shirtless hanyou gulped. He mentally slapped himself for not knowing, causing him to whine a bit.

"Are you alright?" the monk asked, though he had a feeling his lover wasn't contorting his face due to physical pain.

"Y-yeah, I-I-I'm fine..." the hanyou stuttered as he sweatdropped.

"Good. Now to get down to the questioning."

"Questioning?", Inuyasha asked, scared of his lover about now.

"First question- Why do you treat me like a woman?" Miroku demanded in a not-so-nice tone, the anger in his eyes unhidden (A/N: Nothing against women, it's just that the opinion of the role of women was much different in the Feudal Era than today, hence why Miroku words it that way).

"What do you mean? Since when do I treat you like a woman?"

The monk scoffed at the hanyou's stupidity. "Ever since we got together, you have been hesitant to let me fight, even though I've proven myself a capable combatant in the past."

Inuyasha thought he already explained this to the monk. "I told you before that I just feel the need to protect you. I know you're a capable fighter. Hell, you can probably best a lot of ordinary men. But there's just something in my blood that tells me that as the stronger one, it is my duty to make sure no one lays a hand on you."

Miroku looked into his lover's eyes. They were burning with a passion unlike any he had seen before, yet there was also love present behind the strong emotion. Pity (A/N: Not really), as he was just about to counter what his lover said before his mouth went dry. His eyes softened and looked down quickly before meeting those of his other half. To think, he thought he had to get used to it, being protected and all, then decided he'd rather not get used to it, and now he was back to square one again. He chuckled a bit.

"What's so funny?" Inuyasha snapped, feeling a bit insulted because he thought his lover wasn't taking him seriously when he just poured his heart out for him.

"It's nothing, Inuyasha. No need to worry," Miroku chuckled.

The hanyou gave him a quizzical look, but decided to drop the topic for the fear of being berated again. Miroku leaned in and calmed his nerves by kissing him deep and slow. Inuyasha gave into the kiss, quickly gaining dominance. They were that way for about five minutes before both had to break apart for air.

Inuyasha took Miroku into his arms, being careful so as not to hit any injured areas. Miroku was surprised at first, but quickly leaned into the touch, resting his head against his lover's strong chest.

"I promise I'll try to go a little easy on the protective thing, but I ain't making any guarantees," Inuyasha said, speaking softly.

"I can deal with that. After all, it's the thought that counts," Miroku said, sure that it will take quite a lot effort on both on their parts to change things. For right now, though he figured he could deal with it. Besides, a little part of him felt it was kind nice to be protected, though he would never reveal that to his lover, especially after making such a stink. The pair fell asleep, entangled with one another and content with their current agreement.

A/N: Aww, how sweet! I'm glad the two settled things. Well, that's all for now! Coming up next: Kikyo! Stay tuned! R&R please! Ja ne!