I do not own Inuyasha. Honestly, do we have to keep doing those darn disclaimers?

Chapter Eighteen: Miroku's First Love

XoXoXo

Miroku held Kaname closer to him. Her brown hair spilled over her shoulders and her big black eyes looked into his eyes. "We are going to be together forever Miroku…" she whispered as she leaned her head on his shoulder. Miroku held her closer to him as if afraid that something would take her away from him.

He suddenly held Kaname an arm's length away from him. "We cannot," Miroku said softly.

Kaname's eyes filled with tears and an angry look came into them. "Why?" the young princess said. "Is it because my father, my lord, and my mother, my lady, refuse us both? I don't care!"

"They would send you away," Miroku said softly.

"I don't care! I'll travel with you!"

Miroku sighed and pulled away from her embrace. "I cannot give you anything you want; a monk lives a hard life, Kaname…goodbye."

"Miroku! Don't leave me!"

Miroku walked away, hardening his heart.

"Miroku!"

He wanted to run back to her and hold her…

"Please stay!"

He turned back to her. "Goodbye, Kaname."

XoXoXo

"Miroku?" gentle hands shook Miroku awake.

"Goodbye…" Miroku murmured in his sleep. Sango looked at him then at Kagome, a strange look in her eyes.

"What is he talking about?" Sango asked. Shippou jumped onto her shoulder and looked down at the sleeping monk.

"I think he's talking in his sleep," Kagome mused. A moment later, Miroku gave a start and woke up.

"Sango? Did I sleep long?" the monk yawned as he saw Sango.

"More than sleeping, you were talking," Kagome said with a small smirk.

Miroku's eyes widened. He remembered the dream. "W-what did I say?" the monk asked quickly, afraid that he might have given something away.

"Well, you were saying 'goodbye'," Sango said softly. She fixed her eyes on Miroku. "Why were you saying goodbye?"

"Erm…I was…saying goodbye to the…village women!" Miroku lied. Sango's eyes widened with rage.

"What…was that…you said…?" Sango's eyes had a strange mad look in them. "You were dreaming about…women…? Grr…"

Sango grabbed Miroku by the ear and dragged him out the door. "Sango! That's not what I meant!"

"Shut up monk! You're dreaming perverted dreams! I'm going to kill you!!!"

"Sheesh," Shippou said. "That Miroku, he doesn't know what to say to Sango."

XoXoXo

"Do you want some chocolate, Rin?" Helen offered as she held out a bar of unopened chocolate to the little girl.

"What's chocolate?" the little girl asked with curiosity. Helen smiled and broke the bar of chocolate in half. Rin ate it smiled.

"It tastes really good!" the little girl remarked as she leaned against the tree where they were resting. After an hour of pleading, Sesshoumaru gave in told them that they could rest while he went off somewhere.

Probably looking for Kagura, Helen thought with a frown.

"What are you thinking about, Helen-san?" Rin asked, seeing the young woman frown.

Helen turned her frown into a smile. "Nothing…just doing some thinking."

Rin shrugged. "Master Jaken, would you like some chocolate?" the little girl offered. Jaken shook his head and sat down against Ah-Un. "Too bad, Master Jaken," Rin said. "It tastes really good!"

Just then, Sesshoumaru walked up to them, indifference showing clearly on his face. "Where've you been?" Helen asked with all innocence.

"None of your business," Sesshoumaru said coolly.

Helen raised a delicate eyebrow at him. "Sorry," she said sarcastically. "I didn't mean to try and shove my nose into other people's business. Please forgive me, Lord Sesshoumaru." She finished with much sarcasm as was humanly possible.

"Your apology is not accepted," he said.

Helen blinked. "It was sarcasm…sarcasm! Don't you know what sarcasm is?"

"Of course I do."

"That was a rhetorical question!"

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Don't you know what a rhetorical question is? Sheesh! How stupid could a demon be?"

He glared at her. "Perhaps it is you who lacks intellect," he said coldly.

Helen glared at him. "What's the square root of twenty-five?" Helen snapped.

"Er…would you like some chocolate, Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin decided to intervene. She held out the bar of chocolate to him.

"No."

"Don't worry, Rin," Helen said as she rolled her eyes. "Chocolates are poisonous for dogs."

"We are leaving," Sesshoumaru said coldly as he turned and walked off. Jaken sighed and picked up Ah-Un's reins and began following his lord.

"See?" Rin said to Helen as they fell behind. "You keep on bickering with him!"

"So?" Helen asked.

"You like him!" Rin whispered so that Sesshoumaru would not hear.

"Don't be silly," Helen said as she felt her cheeks redden. "All hell will freeze over before that happens."

XoXoXo

Kagome sighed as she looked at Miroku and Sango who were walking as far apart from each other as much as possible. Sango was still angry about Miroku having perverted dreams.

Inuyasha and Kagome had purposely fallen behind, hoping that Sango and Miroku would make up. "What did Miroku do to get Sango upset?" the hanyou asked.

Kagome sighed and looked at Inuyasha. "Well, he was sort of talking in his sleep," the miko said. "He was saying goodbye. Sango asked him what he was talking about in his sleep and Miroku said that he was dreaming of saying goodbye to village girls…"

"Sheesh!" Inuyasha said. "That lecherous monk! He's still being a pervert even though he's unconscious."

Miroku was looking at Sango's back. He didn't want Sango to know about his past love…the love that he had been trying in vain to forget.

"Do you think we could stop at a nearby village?" Kagome asked aloud.

"Why?" Inuyasha asked gruffly.

"Well…I'm sort of hungry and I've ran out of supplies…" Kagome said innocently. Inuyasha grumbled but didn't object. A few minutes later, they found a prosperous village near the foot of a mountain. There was magnificent palace on the mountain…a very familiar palace…

"This place…" Miroku said. It was the village where his beloved Princess Kaname lived…

"Have you been here before?" Sango asked. She wanted know whether or not Miroku had done some service for this village where he said goodbye to the women.

"Um…no," Miroku lied.

"Well, let's get going," Inuyasha said. "It is getting dark anyway…we might as well spend the night in this village."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha. "You actually want to spend the night in a village?" the priestess asked with disbelief.

"It's the night of the new moon, idiot," Inuyasha said. "Might as well stay here."

"I forgot that this was the night of the new moon," Kagome said apologetically. She turned her gaze towards Miroku and Sango. Miroku was looking at the village with a strange expression on his face.

"Anything wrong, Miroku?" Kagome asked.

Miroku shook his head. "Nothing," he lied.

"Alright, Miroku, do your thing," Inuyasha said. "Find some evil omens already."

Miroku sighed and walked into the village.

XoXoXo

"Thank you for ridding us of the evil omens, good monk," the man who owned one the best mansions said. "As a token of our gratitude, please stay with us for the night."

"My companions and I gladly accept your kind hospitality," Miroku said with a slight bow of his head.

Minutes later, Inuyasha and the others were now seated inside one of the luxurious rooms in the mansion. Night had fallen and Inuyasha was now human. "Damn it. I hate being human," the hanyou muttered as he shifted in agitation in the spot where he was sitting.

"Don't worry," Kagome said. "This village looks safe enough…so we don't have to worry about demons."

"Except for Miroku's 'evil omens'," Sango said with a giggle. Kagome felt relieved that her friend was now laughing. Once more, Kagome's eyes strayed to Miroku. The monk still looked pensive and his silence made Kagome wonder whether or not if something was wrong.

"Is anything wrong, Miroku?" Kagome asked again.

"I need some fresh air," the monk said as he stood up and left.

Once he was out of the mansion, he gave a big sigh, one that he had been suppressing ever since they first came to the village. He looked up at the moonless sky and sighed again. Presently, and old man came by.

"Excuse me," Miroku called out.

The old man looked at him. "What is it young monk?" the man asked.

"Could you tell me what has become of the princess of Shinonome Castle?" Miroku asked. He was curious about Kaname; he had to admit that to himself.

The old man's expression darkened. "They say that the lord of Shinonome Castle has been possessed by a demon," the old man said softly.

"But what about Princess Kaname?" Miroku insisted.

The old man shrugged. "I do not know…but what I do know is that it's dangerous for humans to be in the castle."

"When was the Castle Lord possessed?"

"Perhaps it was a week ago," the old man said. "Soldiers tried to take the princess away from the castle but…the lord of the castle killed them all. The lady of the castle has been killed you see." With that, the old man left. Miroku looked at the castle nestled in the mountains. Kaname was in danger and he knew that he had to help her. He looked at the mansion behind him and sighed.

"Forgive me, Sango."

XoXoXo

The castle grounds viewed from the outside were quiet and only the wind dared to move. Miroku could feel the ominous presence of a demon within the castle walls. The monk narrowed his eyes. There were no guards around the castle and Miroku quickly scaled a tree growing near the castle wall. He jumped over the wall and looked around. No one was there.

He quietly made his way into the castle. It was pitch black and Miroku felt as if eyes were watching him. He silently groped around for a torch and found one on the wall. He lit it and looked around. The bodies of castle guards were strewn around the floor. Miroku narrowed his eyes. Had Kaname met the same fate?

I hope not, Miroku thought as he entered a room. He had hit the jackpot. Inside the room, he found the castle lord sitting against the wall.

"How dare you enter!" the possessed lord bellowed.

"Where is princess Kaname?" Miroku asked, tightening his grip on his staff. This demon was powerful.

The lord smirked. He gestured to a mat that hid something from view. At the castle lord's gesture, the mat flew open to reveal Miroku's love. Kaname was kneeling on the floor. Her arms were bound by strange red ribbons. At the sight of him, Kaname's eyes widened.

"Miroku!" she shouted. There was both joy and worry in her eyes. "Get away from here!"

"I won't leave you like I did the last time," Miroku said softly. He held his staff in both his hands and glared at the castle lord. "Release her," Miroku snarled.

The castle lord chuckled. "I think not, monk, you see those red ribbons? They are slowly sucking out the princess's soul for my consumption."

"You fiend!" Miroku shouted. He threw a sutra at the castle lord, but it was met with a barrier.

The lord laughed. "Miroku it's useless!" Kaname shouted. "Monks have tried and failed, paying with their lives! Leave Miroku!"

"No! I won't leave you again, Kaname!" Miroku said determinedly.

"Fool," the castle lord said. He raised his hand and at once, a multitude of demons rose out of the floor.

Miroku opened his wind tunnel but was forced to close when he realized that the demons were poisonous. The demons closed around him and Miroku's heart filled with dread.

"Hiraikotsu!" A voice shouted. A second later, Hiraikotsu had burstt through the demons. Miroku looked behind him, Sango and the others were standing behind him.

"Sango," Miroku said gratefully.

Sango glared at him and was about to ask what he was doing there when suddenly the castle lord stood up. "Fools," he muttered. "Do you think you can defeat me?"

"Not that it matters," he went on; he looked at Kaname and smirked. "Once I have this girl's soul, I'll be invincible!" Light flashed and the castle lord vanished.

"Heh, he ran off," Inuyasha said. "What a coward."

"Miroku, help!" Kaname shouted. Everyone looked at her. The ribbons that bound her were dragging her beneath the floor.

"Kaname!" Miroku shouted as he lunged at Kaname. He tried to free her, but the ribbons were too tight.

"Out of the way, monk!" Sango shouted angrily. She shoved Miroku aside, took out her katana and slashed at the ribbons. Kaname fell to the floor but Miroku caught her. Sango didn't look at them and Kagome noticed the way Miroku held Kaname gently in his arms. It was as if he had known her for a very long time.

"Are you alright, Kaname?" Miroku asked softly.

Kaname suddenly wrapped her arms around Miroku. "Miroku! You came back!" the princess cried out. Sango narrowed her eyes. So that's the person he was saying goodbye to in his sleep, the demon slayer thought. Inuyasha looked at Miroku then at Sango, his black hair swinging as he did so. Sango sighed and turned her back on Miroku and Kaname. They deserve each other…the taijiya thought sadly. I can't just interfere anymore…Now I know how Kagome feels whenever she sees Inuyasha and Kikyou together…

"Look at Sango," Kagome whispered to Inuyasha. She and Inuyasha looked at Sango. Her back was turned to Miroku and Kaname and her eyes were shadowed. She suddenly looked up at Kagome.

"Sango…" Kagome said in a comforting voice.

Sango shook her head. "We should get going…There are probably more demons here and Inuyasha's human," Sango said softly. Kagome nodded.

"Miroku," Inuyasha said. "Here that? We should go-"

They heard the creaking wood. A moment later, red ribbons burst through the floor and quick as a flash they wound themselves around Sango.

"Sango!" Everyone shouted. The ribbons wrapped themselves around Sango like the ribbons of a mummy. Sango squirmed violently, struggling to cut the ribbons as she did so. More ribbons sprang up from the floor, throwing wood everywhere and dragging Sango beneath the floor.

"Sango!!!" Miroku shouted. He tried to jump into the hole, but it was sealed up by a barrier.

"Damn!" the monk shouted. Inuyasha pushed past Miroku and looked at the barrier.

"Shoot," Inuyasha said. "I can't use the Tessaiga."

"We can't just around here and wait for the sun to rise!" Kagome said. She was worried about Sango and privately, Kagome was angry with Miroku. The miko notched an arrow to her bow and pointed at the barrier. "Move aside, Inuyasha," Kagome said. "If the barrier's weak, then I can destroy it!"

Inuyasha moved aside and Kagome released her arrow. It sped towards the barrier but failed to destroy it. Miroku tried his sutras but those failed as well. Miroku pounded the floor with his fist. "This is all my fault…" the monk said softly.

"Your name's Kaname, right?" Kagome said to the young princess who nodded. "Tell us…What will that demon do to Sango?"

"That demon," Kaname began. "Aims to be more powerful by absorbing souls…It was weak at first but it possessed my father. No one knew until it was too late. When it had possessed my father, it began absorbing souls…Everyone, even my parents, are dead…I was the last…"

"Is there any way we can get down there, Kaname?" Miroku asked.

Kaname shook her head. "The only way that I know of is through there…but there's a barrier…"

Miroku clenched his fists and looked down at the hole. This is all my fault…

XoXoXo

Sesshoumaru stared up at the moonless sky and then at the village that lay ahead of him. He was standing on a cliff that overlooked the village where a palace was nestled in the mountain. His pathetic brother was human tonight and Inuyasha had apparently gotten himself into trouble. He didn't know why he could tell that Inuyasha was in trouble. It was only a subtle feeling that siblings felt when the other was in danger. And in his opinion, Inuyasha had gotten himself into trouble…on his human night, no less.

Presently, he heard the rustle of bushes behind him and he glanced behind him just in time to see Helen stumbling as she trotted on the undergrowth.

"Why are you here?" he asked indifferently. "Rin is already asleep, you should do the same."

Helen shrugged at him. "I couldn't sleep," she said innocently.

"Hn."

Helen raised a delicate eyebrow at him. "Okay…why are you here?"

Sesshoumaru didn't answer her. Instead, he continued looking at the village. Helen looked over his shoulder to see what had gotten Sesshoumaru's attention for more than five seconds.

"Why are you looking at that village?" she asked as she stood next to him.

Sesshoumaru glanced at her; her sweet sakura scent filled his senses. "Inuyasha is in that village."

Helen's eyes widened. "Don't tell me that you're planning to go and kill him? Sheesh, the two of you are brothers!"

"I have no intention of pursuing my useless human brother," Sesshoumaru said softly. "Killing him when he is human wouldn't be a victory."

"What are you talking about?" Helen asked, raising her delicate eyebrow at Sesshoumaru. "Inuyasha's a half-demon."

Sesshoumaru smirked at her. Helen couldn't help noticing how he looked much more handsome when he did. She blushed and looked away. "You are ignorant, Helen," Sesshoumaru said as he turned to leave. "My human brother might as well get himself killed in that palace tonight."

Helen snapped out of her stupor and looked at the palace that was nestled in the mountain. "Aren't you going to help him?" Helen asked with disbelief upon seeing his retreating back. Sesshoumaru didn't answer her; instead he continued walking away.

Helen looked back at the palace and clenched her fists. If Inuyasha and the others were indeed in trouble, then she wanted to help them. Glancing back at Sesshoumaru once more, the young woman ran towards the village.

XoXoXo

End of Chapter.

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