InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Cloud Gazing ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2

Kagome and Sango had indeed decided to make camp for the evening. The girls had unloaded their gear on one side of the cleared space, lounging by the fire they had started while waiting for Miroku and Inuyasha to return. They rested back on a log that had been rolled up to the fire, leaving Miroku and Inuyasha to sit across the fire from them on the ground. After a few moments of silence from the two, the girls turned from their chatter to look at them.

"Miroku, how'd it go with that youkai? Wasn't it a weasel or something?" Kagome asked cheerily.

"No, it was a tanuki youkai," Kagome sent an angry glance at Inuyasha, who was distinctly not paying attention, "but it went very well. I can't say I helped much but Inuyasha handled it quite well, considering how hot it was today."

"Hmmm. That's nice," Kagome replied disinterestedly. The mention of the tanuki reminded her of how mad she was and put her back into a bad mood. She placed her mind on other things. "It may have been hot, but I'm sure it won't be that way at night. I sure hope I gathered enough wood."

Miroku sighed and fought to keep from rolling his eyes. How subtle. "Do not worry Kagome-chan. I will go out and gather some more." Wearily he got to his feet. "Would you care to join me Inuyasha?"

The inu looked up at him and huffed. "No Monk, I'm gonna go get something to eat." Miroku waited for him to stand as well and they both headed into the trees, parting soon after.

That evening, Inuyasha returned with a good sized deer for the group to eat. Everyone rested by the fire, drowsy in the warmth of the evening air. Inuyasha sat in his usual place, in a tree as far from the group as he could get without being leaving the area the light of the fire could reach. He came down, however, to eat with them when the deer was done cooking. Everyone ate in a comfortable silence, except for Shippo who took the silence as an opportunity to talk very loudly about the fun they had had in the river today while Inuyasha and Miroku were battling youkai. "You should come next time, Miroku!"

Miroku just gave him a strained chuckle, "Maybe next time," he said, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Inuyasha. Inuyasha was leaned back, propped up on one of his hands and eating with the other, gazing listlessly at the sky.

Miroku's attention was yanked back to the little kistune with an indignant screech. "Hey! Inuyasha ate all the liver! The liver's the best part!" he stuck out his bottom lip and pouted to Kagome.

Hearing his name, Inuyasha turned and faced the group. "What?"

"You ate the liver! I wanted it!"

"I didn't hear you say so," Inuyasha said lowly, irritation firing up in his eyes.

"Inuyasha, you pig! You couldn't save some for anyone else?" Kagome interjected.

"What the hell? There's a whole damn deer there! Eat some of that! If you wanted a certain piece you should have gotten some in the beginning!" his voice was beginning to rise in fury.

"What right do you have to take all that good stuff?" Shippo yelled.

Inuyasha leapt to his feet, bristling in anger. "What do you mean what right do I have? IM THE ONE WHO FUCKING HUNTED IT DOWN!"

Kagome huffed, and Miroku braced himself. He knew what was coming next.

"SIT!"

The inu slammed to the ground with a yelp. Satisfied, Shippo scurried up Kagome's shoulder and stuck his tongue out at the hanyo.

Inuyasha sat up from the hole he was now in, concentrating solely on getting out and not jostling his wrist. It was the same wrist he had injured the last time he was sat, earlier today. He ignored the presence of everyone, sure that it would only end in him attacking one if not all of them and then him getting sat yet again. Turning away from them he lifted his head, threw back his shoulders, and started to stomp away with whatever dignity he had left.

Miroku called out without thinking, "Inuyasha wait!"

"What is it, Monk?" he responded tightly.

"I have something to say and I want you to hear it," Miroku surprised himself further, when he stood, inching his way toward Inuyasha, all the while looking Kagome in the eye, "Kagome, this must stop. I must insist you cease abusing the power of the beads."

Kagome gasped in shock. Sango raised an eyebrow at him. Behind him, Inuyasha's head snapped up and he glared suspiciously at the back of Miroku's head.

"Wh-what do you mean, Houshi-sama?" Kagome asked, trying to butter him up with the use of his formal title.

"I can not sit and watch this any longer," Miroku said gently, "Please, Kagome. Please stop this fighting between you two. That is not what the beads where placed on him for. In fact, the reason for the beads has long since become a non-issue. He would never hurt us. The beads should have been removed long ago. They should be removed now."

Kagome's eyes grew wide, then turned to ice and she scoffed, "If he wasn't such an asshole all the time we wouldn't need these beads." Inuyasha reddened in anger behind Miroku.

Miroku ignored the ridiculous statement and continued pleading. "Please Kagome, we must come together. 'It is but human to expect and demand too much when one dwells too long in companionship*', and you must see that we are demanding too much from our dear friend."

Kagome peered at him from beneath her lashes, considering his words. She thought most of what he was saying was nonsense and removing the beads was just ridiculous. Still, she respected the monk. He was one of her dear friends, one who she shared years of peril fighting Naraku with. The mere fact that the normally passive monk said anything at all spoke to the gravity of his request. "Alright. For you. But if he goes attacking any one I will have no choice but to use the beads again!"

She glared at Inuyasha over the monks shoulder. Miroku sighed. Perhaps that was the best he could ask for. "Thank you, Kagome-chan."

Miroku turned to Inuyasha. He was still glaring at him in shock and suspicion. He was holding his wrist in his hand. Miroku took advantage of Inuyasha's shock to reach out and grab his injured wrist. Inuyasha jumped at the movement and hissed when he accidently pulled his wrist in Miroku's firm grasp.

"Oh, I'm sorry Inuyasha," He said as he lightly prodded the bones of the wrist, checking for breaks. He gently turned it over and cradled it in his hands. When no breaks could be found he rested his other hand on top of Inuyasha's. "Well, my friend, nothing is broken, but there is an awful bruise forming. Let's go to the river and put it in some nice cool water, hmm?"

Inuyasha merely nodded, eyes wide in surprise. The monk led him back, in silence, to the river where they had bathed earlier in the day, never letting go of his wrist. His mind whirled with the events of the last few minutes and the hand on his skin sent tingles throughout his whole body.

Once they reached the river side Miroku knelt, tugging lightly on Inuyasha's arm to have him do the same. They squatted there, avoiding eye contact and not saying a word, as Miroku lead his hand under the water, never letting go. His skin is so soft, Miroku thought, I can't believe he is letting me care for him.

"Uhh..," Inuyasha started eloquently, "what the hell was that about?"

Miroku sighed and finally lifted his gaze to meet Inuyasha's. "I'm sorry Inuyasha. I should have said something far sooner than now. Kagome shouldn't be allowed to treat you- or me, for that matter- the way that she does. I suppose I had grown complacent in the way things have become, but it is getting far too out of hand lately."

Inuyasha stared at him. He actually means it.

The two said nothing more to each other, their minds drifting off in the comfortable silence, Miroku never letting go of Inuyasha's wrist under the water.

That night, the group was silent as they settled down for the night. The girls and Shippo rested near the fire, curled up on Kirara. Miroku propped himself at the base of a tree that was close enough to benefit from the warmth of the fire. Inuyasha silently made his way from the tree he had claimed as his spot at the edge of the clearing, to rest in the branches above the sleeping monk.

IMIMIMIMIMIMI

Inuyasha leaned back against the outside wall of Kaede's hut. It was another warm and sunny summer day and Inuyasha was thankful for the bit of shade afforded by the overhanging roof of the hut. A mild breeze rustled through his hair and created ripples on the shallow water of the rice fields, just beyond the dirt road in front of him. Inuyasha watched absently, deep in thought, as fluffy clouds migrated across the sky.

In the few weeks since Miroku had confronted Kagome about the use of the beads, things had been surprisingly better. Kagome tended to ignore Inuyasha entirely. That, combined with Sango's avoidance of the monk, meant that more than ever, there was a separation within the group. The only person everyone talked to was Shippo. Shippo had tried to instigate fights with the inu, or goad him into doing something 'sit'-worthy, but Miroku was usually able to distract the kistune away from his efforts in one way or another.

The separation made Inuyasha nervous, thinking it was the beginning of the break up of the group. Despite the hostility, he considered it far better than being alone. But since the sittings had stopped, and no one had made any move or said a word about breaking up or kicking him out, he was resigned to wait it out and see what happened.

In the meantime, his relationship with Miroku had suddenly changed. After that night, Miroku was always with him. True he had mostly hung around the hanyo before the incident, but it was somehow closer now. Inuyasha welcomed the companionship, which is what it had truly become.

They talked now. They talked for hours about all sorts of things, any time one of them had something to say. They spent most of their time chatting, strolling along behind the girls as they journeyed from village to village. Inuyasha often surprised himself in what he would open up to the monk about. He had spent most of his life hiding information, if he had anyone to talk to at all, but the monk seemed to breed trust in the hanyo.

The best thing was that they did not need to talk. Being with Miroku was pleasant and without the pressures to appease or be cautious. One word from him in his calm steady, soft voice was enough to melt any anger or frustration away. Inuyasha didn't know who this "Buddha" fellow was that the monk kept talking about, but he seemed like a nice guy. The monk was always quoting the guy to soothe and comfort him. Even his presence was soothing, his warm smile, deep brown eyes, and unabrasive demeanor.

Recently, Inuyasha had become comfortable enough to approach the monk one day while he was sitting quietly and alone away from the camp. All these years with the monk, he had never felt close enough to the monk to ask very many personal questions. That day, having accepted his new friendship, he sat down next to him and asked the question he had wanted to for years. "What the hell are you doing?"

Miroku startled and looked over to the inu, smiling. "I am meditating."

"What's that?"

"It is when I sit still and try to open my mind to enlightenment. I shut the world out and try to attain peace within.**"

"'Shut the world out'? How do you do that?"

"I sit, breath deeply, and let my mind drift until there is nothingness."

Inuyasha was intrigued. Shutting out the world for a bit sounded like and excellent idea. He continued to sit there and watch the monk meditate. Eventually he closed his eyes, and tried it out. In his mind, he only saw Miroku, his smiles his, his voice, his skin, his touch. They sat in silence, each lost in their own mind, yet both thinking of the same thing: each other. Neither of them got passed those thoughts to the nothingness that was supposed to follow that day, though both felt decidedly better afterwards. Every time after, Inuyasha would follow the monk to a secluded area and together they would sit in silence and meditate together.

"Ah, cloud gazing again, are we?" The monk smiled amusedly down at the sitting hanyo. Inuyasha shifted over to make room for Miroku to sit next to him against the shaded wall.

"Mmm..," Inuyasha hummed. After a few seconds of hesitation, he glanced over to the monk. "I like to look at the clouds," he offered softly, "My mother used to watch the clouds with me."

Miroku turned his attention toward the hanyo. "Oh?"

"Yeah", he said as he shifted closer to the monk and gazed at the sky. "Me and her would walk to the hill top beyond her family's manor, you know, to escape everybody. We would lay up there, pointing out the different shapes we could see for hours." He said with a small smile he directed at Miroku.

Miroku smiled back at him. Ahh, that smile! Lately Miroku had been privileged with the small shy smile as Inuyasha opened up to him about himself. In the beginning of their relationship, when they came together to search for the sacred jewel fragments, Miroku had seen Inuyasha as still childish, but more predominately strong, impenetrable, and impervious. While he still thought those things about Inuyasha, Miroku was now able to see a different side.

Now that he had heard stories of his life and listened to his views of the world around him, Miroku felt foolish and guilty that he hadn't noticed earlier. Experiencing life beside the hanyo, Miroku could see how gentle he was inside. He was curious about the world around him, but daren't ask about it, for fear he would be spurned for being hanyo. He saw in the emotion in his eyes that he has always felt every cruel word, every slight, and every threat.

This insight was one of the many things Miroku had been honored with in the last few weeks of the warm openness that had grown between the two. The fact that Inuyasha was opening up to him was a gift in its self, but he was often bestowed intense looks, the most adorable smiles, and friendly touches.

Miroku found himself finding any opportunity to touch the inu. Clapping a hand to his shoulder, brushing against him when they sat together, caring for wounds that never actually needed caring for (he was a hanyo after all), all opportunities to feed that urge to be near the hanyo. And, being so close to Inuyasha, Miroku couldn't help but appreciate his beauty. Miroku often found himself, when not specifically spending time with him, walking along behind him, admiring the view.

And, oh, what a wonderful view it is! Miroku could (and did) walk for hours behind the hanyo, entranced by the slight sway of the inu's gently sloped hips and the bounce of his perfectly shaped ass. He journeyed in bliss, captivated by the way the fabric of his hakama fell from where they were tied at his thin waist, molding to and emphasizing all the right places.

One day, Miroku couldn't take it anymore and moved on the unsuspecting hanyo. He slid his hand over the sculpted muscles of his backside and gave it a firm and satisfying squeeze. Inuyasha yelped. He turned and stared at the monk, wide eyed. When he realized what happened he turned a fascinating shade of pink and scowled at him.

"Stupid lecherous monk!" he said disbelievingly before stalking away.

Miroku stared as he felt a smirk slide onto his face. He hadn't been punched in the face as he had fully prepared himself to be, knowing in advance that it would be worth the pain. He laughed his delight and called out to him, "I'm sorry my friend! It's the hand. It's cursed, you know!"

"It hasn't been cursed in nearly two years, you moron!" Inuyasha huffed, growing still redder at hearing the familiar excuse. Miroku merely chuckled at the quizzical glances the girls ahead had sent their way.

It had been rough for Inuyasha after that, and it only grew worse with each day since. He had felt the heat of that lascivious hand long after it had gone and the sexual nature of it had heightened Inuyasha's already high consciousness of the monk. He had gone out of his way, before to sate his lust with seemingly innocent touches. It was easy as it seemed the monk was rather hands on himself. Inuyasha would find any excuse to run his hands down the monks toned and slim body- cleaning imaginary dirt off his robes or running his hands down his back from where he grabbed by the shoulder while pointing at something 'interesting', to name a few. Now, however, he was growing increasingly sexually frustrated. And being sexually frustrated tended to make him irritable.

But that was not Inuyasha's only complaint. Despite their blooming friendship, there was one thing that was starting to really get to Inuyasha. When Miroku had intervened on his behalf with Kagome, it had been a more than a pleasant surprise. Underneath that, however, was the fact that it took a mild mannered monk to put a stop to something he thought he should have been able to handle, but couldn't seem to. If Inuyasha had anything to be proud of, it was his strength. It had been a slight blow to his dignity to have been defended like some defenseless child.

The wound to his pride had only grown worse in the ensuing weeks. Miroku, it seemed, had decided to become Inuyasha's champion. Anytime Kagome, Sango, or Shippo would attempt to goad, blame, or order Inuyasha around, he would take it upon himself to interfere. Before Inuyasha could say anything on the matter, Miroku would come between the parties, unintentionally leaving Inuyasha to feel ridiculous and emasculated.

Just such a situation arose that very evening, as the two left their positions in the shade and moved to join the others in the hut for dinner. The moment the group sat down to begin eating, Kagome pestered Inuyasha with comments and continued throughout the meal. After a particularly cruel and unfounded comment thrown in by Shippo, Inuyasha slammed his food down and opened his mouth to give Shippo a piece of his mind, when Miroku interceded, "Now Shippo, you should be ashamed to say such things! Inuyasha has done nothing to deserve such treatment!"

"Uh-huh! He was being lazy and stupid!" the little one responded childishly.

"Shippo! You will apologize to-"

"Monk," Inuyasha interjected, obviously trying hard not to roar at him, "Will you join me for a walk?"

"Ehh?," the monk looked bewildered at the sudden invitation and the sudden anger he could feel rolling off him, "O-of course, my friend." Inuyasha did not wait for the monk to fully rise before grabbing a hold of his arm and dragging him along. He made a bee line for the Inuyasha Forest, Miroku stumbling behind.

"Wh-wh-what's…Ah!" Miroku nearly tripped on a tree root, but was yanked along faster than he could fall.

Finally deep in the forest, in a small clearing, Inuyasha stopped and slammed the monk to a tree. Miroku began to worry as the hanyo started pacing in front of him, hands running agitatedly through his hair. After a couple of rounds, where the inu seemed to calm himself down, he spun to stand in front of the monk, meeting his eyes with a glare. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he ground out.

"Inuyasha?" the monk was thoroughly confused now.

"Do you think I'm some kind of damsel in distress? Do you think I am not strong? That I need a protector?" with every word he stepped closer to the monk until they were nose to nose. Inuyasha slammed his fists into the tree on either side of Miroku's head, caging him in, and bore into his eyes. "Why are you doing this?"he growled low.

Miroku only looked at him in shock, as he realized what the inu was upset about. Oh! How did I screw this up so bad? The monk took a breath as he studied his friend's eyes, full of fury and hurt. He gave the only response he could- the truth. "Because I care," he whispered and pressed his lips softly on Inuyasha's.

Before Inuyasha could respond to the unexpected proclamation, Miroku's mouth feathered against his. Astonishment froze him in place as the monk withdrew his lips only far enough to look him in the eye. His breath ghosted over his lips as he repeated, "I care about you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha searched his face. Could he be telling the truth? Could he really care about me? And to care about me in the same way that I care for him? Can this be real? Finding no lies in the monk, Inuyasha slowly lifted his hands to cradle the monk's face, stoking the soft skin with his thumbs. He lowered his lips back down to meet with Miroku's in a sweet kiss.

Miroku was so happy. Finally he could taste him, finally he could have his touch. He slid his hands up the inu's firm chest, grabbing handfuls of his fire-rat robes. Inuyasha ran his tongue along the seam of his lips and he gladly admitted the appendage into his mouth. It probed and plundered every part of his mouth. It tasted and drank him in. Miroku moaned when Inuyasha started to suck on his tongue in a way that left him shivering.

Inuyasha broke the kiss when they both needed to breath and continued his exploration, planting kisses along his jaw. He licked and nipped his way down and sucked at the salty skin on his neck. His hands roamed down the monks back, feeling the lithe figure underneath the billowing robes. His hands moved to the tie at the monk's shoulder. He quickly released it and his purple kesa unwound from his form and pooled on the ground. A simple cord held closed his koromo. Inuyasha soon divested him of it and opened his robe to reveal the milky skin beneath.

Miroku's breath caught at the sudden breeze on his skin. Inuyasha took up Miroku's mouth again as he let his hands travel around the toned chest. "Ah!" Miroku's knees gave out as Inuyasha found a small pink nipple and they sank to the ground together. Inuyasha laid the monk on the forest floor, cushioned by the koromo that still hung from his arms. Above him Inuyasha untied his obi and threw off his hitoe. He slid his hakama from his hips under the lust filled watch of the monk, revealing his swollen, pink cock.

The monk moaned at the sight of the inu slowly crawling up his body, his cheeks flushed in passion and his cock bobbing. The inu's silky tresses tickled his skin as he moved over him. When Inuyasha was above him, gazing into his eyes, he reached for him and brought him down on him. "Mmmm…" the feel of their bodies together was perfect.

Inuyasha nuzzled his neck. He bit at the sensitive skin and soothed it with a pass of his tongue. The monk tasted better than anything he had ever tasted and he wanted more. Slowly he began to trail his tongue down. Miroku gasped as Inuyasha sucked at his collar bone, and writhed in ecstasy when he flicked his tongue over his pebbled nipples. Lower and lower he went until he laved at the creamy skin below his bellybutton.

"Ungh!" Miroku cried out as Inuyasha rubbed at the bulge in the monk's fundoshi. The inu lowered and sucked at the bulge through the fabric of the garment, watching the monks face twist in pleasure. Inuyasha reached under the fabric of the fundoshi and pulled out Miroku's straining cock. "OH!" the monk cried.

Palming the pulsing organ, Inuyasha sat up and pulled the gasping human into his lap. The monk wrapped his arms around the inu and buried his face in his neck.

Inuyasha smoothed the hand not gently squeezing the monk's balls down his back and over the curved cheeks of his ass. He slipped his finger between the two globes and stroked the sensitive flesh. "Oh, Inuyasha! Oh!" Inuyasha smirked into the monk's shoulder at the sound of his name on the monk's lips and the feel of the monk pressing his groin into his. He gasped at the contact.

Inuyasha pulled the monk closer pressing their lengths together. He took hold of both of them in his hand and slowly started to stroke them. The monk started to rock his hips in time with Inuyasha's strokes. He brought a hand down to join Inuyasha in stroking the two members. "Hah!" Inuyasha gasped and the unexpected contact.

The hands sped up as they both began to buck into them. "Mmm" Inuyasha moaned as he stole his tongue inside of Miroku's mouth again. The monk rested his forehead against the inu's when the kiss broke, breathing in the other's breath and gazing into his eyes as the pleasure mounted. "Inuyasha, I'm gonna cum!" he gasped. Inuyasha rubbed the sensitive flesh of the monk's entrance. He could feel his member throb in his hands. He thrust his finger inside the monk and the monk came hard. "Nnngh!" he cried at the duel pleasure. As the monk spilled himself over his cock and hand, Inuyasha lost himself in the pleasure and came after another stroke.

They sat there together, on the forest floor. Inuyasha smoothed his hands over the silky skin of the monk as he breathed in his scent. Miroku rested his head on his shoulder, his nose buried in his hair.

"I care about you too, Monk," Inuyasha whispered into his neck.

A/N: So there you have it. My first lemon (or is it lime? I can't catch up to what the folks are calling it these days). Tell me what you think!

*"The Song of the Snow Ranges", Milarepa, Tibetan Buddhist

** This is complete and utter bullshit, courtesy of your friendly Author!