Evanescent
By: HalcyonMoments11
What am I to you?
Tell me darling true.
To me you are the sea,
Vast as you can be
And deep the shade of blue.
-Norah Jones (What Am I to You)
Miroku is not surprised when Inuyasha disappears into the trees just outside of Edo late that night. He had seen the shinidamachuu in the distance that evening as he and Sango had gathered a few last supplies before their plans to continue their travels early the next morning. He is also not surprised when shortly after Inuyasha abandons his perch on the roof Kagome pushes aside the door to Kaede's hut and steps out into the night, arms crossed over her chest and peering after him silently long after the shadows of the trees have claimed him.
He watches her quietly for several minutes from where he is seated on the small porch of Kaede's hut. He reaches for her tentatively with his reiki, drawing her azure gaze to him.
"Oh, Miroku-sama, I was just…" she pauses, glances towards the trees and then back to him.
He smiles at her ruefully and she sighs.
"Can I join you?" she asks.
"Of course."
She sits beside him slowly—her ribs are still tender, but something about the healing techniques they practiced that afternoon has clearly alleviated some of her pain—he notices that she seems to move with a bit more ease. She leans her shoulder against his. He shifts so that he can wrap his arm around her, cradles the curve of her shoulder against his palm and pulls her against his side, her azure orbs remaining on the trees where their hanyou friend has disappeared in search of the un-dead miko's shinidamachuu.
"I don't know why I bother," she mumbles, "I'll never measure up to her."
Indignation on her behalf bubbles in Miroku's chest; he has seen her sorrow to this effect and worse before. He takes a breath to calm the anger he feels towards Inuyasha for the many tears he has seen her shed for him, for the melancholy that seeps into her features and words each time the hanyou seeks out her past incarnation. This is not the first time he has wondered how Inuyasha can persistently turn to Kikiyo when Kagome resides by his side, so exuberant, so beautiful, so devoted to him.
"No…" he responds quietly, drawing her blue gaze to his violet, "you far surpass her."
Kagome laughs wryly, rolls her eyes. "Don't jest, Miroku-sama," she says quietly, looking down as she wraps her arms around her knees, pulls them closer to herself.
Miroku squeezes her shoulder gently. "I do not say so frivolously, Kagome-sama; I'm serious."
She sighs and doesn't look up at him.
"Afterall, you are Higurashi, Kagome, the time-travelling miko of the Shikon no Tama," he says genially.
She hums a half-hearted response.
"Kagome-sama…" he shifts again so that he can hook a finger beneath her chin, coax her to look up at him. "You transcend measure," he persists when her eyes meet his again. A faint blush adorns her cheeks as his earnestness sets in.
"You are intelligent and kind…" his amethyst gaze roams her face, seeking out the tension and despondency that remain in small lines across her features. "Tenacious and affectionate…" He brushes her bangs out of her eyes, soothing the lines on her forehead beneath with his fingertips, follows the length of her jawline back to her chin, brushing the tightness in her jaw away with a delicate touch. "Capable and powerful…" He brushes the edge of her lower lip with his thumb, willing the frown tugging at the corners of her lips away. "Mystifying and stunning."
Her flush deepens and she turns away from him ever so slightly, eyes seeking the door of Kaede's hut, mindful of the sleeping occupants there.
His fingers trail down the side of her neck, pause at her exposed collarbone, her light sleeping shirt having slipped from one shoulder when she pulled her knees to herself. "I've not said anything that the others do not know," Miroku says quietly, acknowledging her attention.
She doesn't turn back to him; her eyes find the tree line once again.
He trails his fingers across her bare shoulder, allowing his chakra to build at his fingertips, trail across her skin. This brings her gaze back to his. He ignores the flutter that builds low in his stomach at the feeling of goosebumps raising to her skin beneath his touch.
"Inuyasha is an idiot…" He finds the edge of her night shirt, tugs it back up over her shoulder slowly; she barely notices. "But he's not blind."
Her wry smile returns. "When it comes to her he is."
His hand settles at the crook of her neck, thumb pressing gently against her jaw, guiding her gaze to meet his, keeping her attention directed at him. "No other woman in the world compares to you."
Her eyes soften as the corners of her lips turn up in a small, warm smile. She rests a hand over his, presses his hand closer until she can feel the coolness of his prayer beads bite into her skin, turns her head ever so slightly into his touch until her lips brush his thumb. She presses a chaste kiss there, intertwines her fingers with his and rests her head on his shoulder.
She reaches out to him with her reiki then and it envelops him in warmth, tenderness, clarity. He is barely breathing again, doing all he can to keep his mind away from all the moments she has drawn him in as of late, all the breaths for which she has lingered.
"Except perhaps, Sango-chan?"
He shakes himself slightly at the sound of her voice, glances down to her to meet her azure gaze through her ebony lashes.
"Hm?"
"No other woman except Sango-chan, right?" she asks again.
His eyes widen slightly and glance at the door of Kaede's hut, echoing her earlier movement, feeling as if he had momentarily forgotten where they were. He chuckles quietly as her question settles in.
"Sango-san is a remarkable force of her own."
Kagome nods her agreement and hums contently. She squeezes his hand in hers, nuzzles slightly against him, mumbles into his kesu "Arigato, Miroku-sama."
"Anytime, Kagome-sama," he whispers and squeezes her hand in return, leans his head gently against hers, and presses a chaste kiss to the top of her head.
A/N: A small, comforting moment with budding feelings and small truths spoken between them. To me, their friendship has always been something that contains companionship, compassion, recognition, and respect; it's a powerful foundation for the potential relationship I see budding between them. We'll have another training/travelling scene next and then a few darker chapters (just to forewarn you). Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think? -HM11
