Confessions Under the Influence

"Get on with it already, woman!"
"Ow! You jerk, all right, all right! I, Soul~chan, am here making a public apology to Inu-yasha. He is the best character in the animanga and it should be forever named after him. Am I done now? Fine, then get your glorified butter knife away from me!"
"Feh, that'll teach you."
"Is he gone?" ::looks around:: "Good. Now, on to the disclaimer!"

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I don't own Inu-yasha, I wouldn't mind owning him, but as I do own his even more yummy older brother, I am at peace. ::footsteps are heard coming up fast and Soul~chan's eyes get as big as saucers before she takes off screaming::

"Come back here!" Inu-yasha is waving his sword around, "I thought I told you that I was the best character in the show! I'm going to tear you limb from--Ahh!! Hot! Hot!" ::he looks around in confusion:: "Who the hell are you?"

"For love and passion I am Sailor Mars. I will chastise you!"

::sniffs:: "Are you a fire demon? You smell human."

"Aiya! What are you doing, ecchi! Mars Flame Sniper!"

::running away with a flaming arrow in his butt:: "Wai! Crazy human girl!!"

"The moonlight carries the message of love!" ::snicker::

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Chapter Two: Delirium

Inu-yasha trudged slowly back towards the inn as Miroku snored quietly in his arms. The monk wasn't heavy at all, in fact, the hanyou had been surprised at his friend's lightness, never noticing before how slim his frame was. The annoyance was that damn staff. It kept falling onto the ground no matter where he put it. He tried laying it on Miroku. Clank. Under his arm. Crash. It fell again for what seemed the millionth time as the silver-haired boy was attempting to hold it in one of his hands.

He snarled, "Stupid piece of wood! I should just leave you here!" He was stiffly bending down to pick it up again when a strange gust of wind came at him from behind, chilling his heart and blowing his long hair around the intoxicated monk. He straightened and turned and his golden eyes widened.

Not ten feet from where he stood was his brother Sesshoumaru, glowing like a ghost in the starlight.

"Sesshoumaru," he growled, "What are you doing here?"

The youkai's face betrayed nothing as he advanced on the pair, but a faint smile passed across his lips as he noticed just who was in his half-brother's arms. It quickly faded and he glared coldly at the shorter demon.

"I ask you the same question. This is my realm: this village is under my protection."

Inu-yasha looked dumbstruck for a second; he hadn't realized they'd come so far west, but this was a human town and he hadn't smelt any demon near by at all.

"Why are you protecting a village of humans?" Inu-yasha was backing slowly up by now. He could not afford a confrontation with Sesshoumaru with Miroku as he was.

The demon lord seemed to be considering whether to answer the question. He finally shrugged, "They amuse me and pay high tribute for their prosperity. What are you doing here, little brother?"

"Feh, as if that's any of your business. What do you want Sesshoumaru? Spit it out!"

"The monk will do for a start."

Blinking, Inu-yasha looked down at Miroku, then glared back up at his brother, noticing a change to his smell for the first time, "Leave Miroku out of this; he has nothing to do with you."

Sesshoumaru chuckled darkly, "Oh? Well, it seems as though he has something to do with you: you're holding him so closely."

The hanyou's face turned bright red and he sputtered, "You sick bastard! Stop jumping to conclusions!"

At that moment, Miroku stirred in his sleep and wrapped his arms around Inu-yasha's neck, picking the exact wrong time to mumble in a drunken stupor, "Oh, Inu-yasha, yes . . ."

He dropped the monk in shock, his face now redder than his outfit, backing up as the dark-haired boy gingerly rubbed his head and rose to wavering feet. He looked around vacantly for a second then caught sight of his friend.

"Oi! Inu-yasha-kun!" he waved, "What's wrong with you? You look sunburned." He looked around some more and noticed Sesshoumaru looking at him with interest and giggled insanely. He stretched out his arms and walked unsteadily towards the tall demon, "Pretty. Inu-yasha-kun, why didn't you tell me your brother was so pretty?" He laughed and tripped on a rock, falling onto the astonished Sesshoumaru and almost knocking him down; the youkai was about to growl something but the monk put a finger to his lips. "Don't say anything," he shook his head slowly, "Just kiss me. Take me away! Make me yours!"

He spun out of the demon's grasp and giggled that psychotic squirrel giggle again; noticing his staff on the ground, he bent and picked it up, his face no longer laughing. He looked at Inu-yasha, who stood a few feet away--less red but infinitely more confused--and cocked his head.

"Inu-yasha," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "I'm dead you know. Does that make you like me?" He looked at his cursed hand, fluttering it experimentally, "I'm more dead than Kikyo could ever be." He sat down on the ground, singing sadly to himself, "Everyone wants the dead man, but he's already gone. Into the dark all alone, ha ha ha!"

Inu-yasha went to pull his friend up from the ground, confusion and sadness in his eyes. His friend wasn't acting drunk, he was acting insane. Had he lost his mind? He got one of Miroku's arms around his shoulders and clasped him tightly to himself at the waist.

"Get out of here, Sesshoumaru, can't you see I don't have time for you?"

"What is wrong with him? What is he dying from?"

Inu-yasha snorted, he had already begun walking back to the inn, to hell with Sesshoumaru, "As if you care, the hell hole in his hand is slowly killing him. Soon he'll be sucked into it himself." He kept walking, expecting any second to be attacked from behind, but when he turned around, his brother was nowhere to be seen.

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y thy the time they reached the inn, Miroku had fallen into semi-consciousness. He could walk with Inu-yasha's assistance, but he wouldn't suddenly start laughing and wake everyone up. The hanyou was sure his friend wouldn't want the girls seeing him like this. As they stumbled along the deserted halls, Inu-yasha was thinking over what had just happened. Did Miroku think the kazaana would devour him soon? He growled inwardly; why didn't the monk tell anyone that he was worried? Then again, he was one to talk: he never told anyone anything about himself if he could help it.

He slid the door quietly open, lowering Miroku to the futon. The room was dim: the only light came from the waning moon through the window slats and the monk looked unearthly pale, laying in the darkness as the door whispered shut. Inu-yasha sat glowering on the floor, back against the wall. They would have to leave as soon as possible: Sesshoumaru was in heat and apparently had set his mind on the houshi. The hanyou would've liked to leave now, but he knew Miroku would have one hell of a hangover the next day and he would be the only one able to take care of him. The poor guy would be mortified if the girls learned what had happened tonight.
T
Thinking back on Sesshoumaru, what had made him leave? He had expected to feel Toukijin through his back, but he had walked away from a fight with his brother and survived. It didn't make sense, it would've been so easy; if his brother had killed him right then, he would've had Miroku with barely any effort at all. Had he given up because he thought the monk was insane? No, he should've been able to smell the alcohol, heck, he was having trouble thinking right now as the smell was so strong . . .

The silver-haired hanyou had been so lost in thought, that he hadn't noticed his friend was sitting next to him until warm breath tickled his cheek. Caught off guard, he turned his head only to find his lips meet with Miroku's. It was only for a second; he pulled away, breathing rapidly, golden eyes wide in surprise. When he looked at Miroku, he was asleep again, snoring heavily. Rather uneasily, he scooped Miroku back up and tucked him into the blankets. He resettled on the floor, draped in the shadows, listening tensely to the night noises.

Nothing more happened that night and he drifted off to sleep.

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His head ached. It felt as if boulders had been sewn up inside his skull after it had been bashed open. He tried to sit up and a wave of nausea overtook him and he collapsed back, cold sweat dripping into his ears.

"I see you're awake. Don't try tt upt up: you'll only make it worse."

"Inu . . . yasha?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are we? What happened? Did we get into a fight?"

"You don't remember? We're at the inn you exorcised. You went out drinking last night and I had to drag you home."

Miroku opened his eyes gingerly, taking in the way the sunlight slanted in upon the wood-paneled ceiling. It all came back to him, the exorcism, the horrible hole that had settled over his heart, all those glasses of sake . . . . He saw a spot of red out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to find Inu-yasha standing over him looking both angry and relieved.

"You'll be all right in a while; it's only a hangover."

"Only?" Miroku passed a clammy hand over his eyes and laughed darkly, regretting the action an instant later as his head seared with fresh pain. He felt something soft and damp being pressed against his forhead and he looked up into the intense golden eyes of his caregiver.

He felt a hand behind his head, tilting it forward as a cup pressed against his lips. "You need to drink some water. You'll probably just vomit it up later, but you need fluids."

The houshi sat back with a groan after he had swallowed a few mouthfuls and he looked increduously up at his half-demon friend, "Thanks for getting me."

Inu-yasha merely nodded, "I'm going to have breakfast. If you need anything, I'm just in the next room, all right bouzou?"

Miroku didn't answer as he had already fallen back into feverish sleep.

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Sango and Kagome looked up from their breakfasts to smile as the door opened, revealing only Inu-yasha. Shippou continued to eat, disinterestedly.

Sango's brow creased, "Where's houshi-sama."

Inu-yasha looked up as he sat down across from Kagome, "He's not feeling well. He ate something last night that made him sick. I already asked the inn-keeper if we could stay another night." He chewed thoughtfully for a moment, "He didn't agree until I told him Miroku had gotten sick because of his wife's ghost."

Kagome swallowed the bit of food she was eating, then laughed, "Inu-yasha, you sound almost like Miroku-sama."

"What's that supposed to meam?" Inu-yasha shot back, his voice nearing the shrill side.

"Nothing, nothing," Kagome waved her hands. She took a small sip of her drink, 'Or did I mean something by it?'

Sango looked worriedly at the door, "Maybe I should go check on him . . ."

The hanyou almost choked on his bite, "No! No, he's fine. He's sleeping now. There's really not much we can do. He needs to sleep it off."

The exterminator nodded reluctantly and they fell again to eating in silence. The only noise was the musical chime of the chopsticks against the china and sweet birdsong coming in through the open window. Kagome finished first, setting down her chopsticks. She scrutinized Inu-yasha for a second before speaking up.

"So, Inu-yasha, where did you find him?"

He looked up at the strange tone in her voice. He suddenly felt like he was being interrogated. He cleared his throat, "Oh, you know him. He was out with the ladies, got a, little caught up." No way he was going to tell them about how much sake he had dranken or what he said and did later. But he would have to tell them about Sesshoumaru. "Listen," he looked at the girls seriously, "This town we're in is under Sesshoumaru's protection."

"What?" Sango at the hanyou in disbelief, "But I didn't sense any demon prescence here at all."

"I know, neither did I. The only reason I know is because he payed me and Miroku a little visit last night."

Kagome's voice was filled with concern, "Did you have to fight him? Why didn't you wake us up? We should've been miles away by now, baka!"

"I know, I know, but he didn't attack me, he left. Miroku was already too sick to do anything at the time and I couldn't have helped him and fight my brother at the same time. I wanted to leave last night, but Miroku is too ill to be moved until at least tonight."

"I don't understand," Sango began, "What did he want if he didn't want to fight you?"

"That's what I was getting to. I have no idea why he didn't attack me; he could've gotten what he wanted so easily. He just left when I refused to fight him, but he'll be back, " he looked away from the girls, out at the cloudless blue sky of the new day, "My brother is in heat and he's coming for Miroku."

Shippou fell over and Sango's face turned pale, but Kagome just looked flat-out confused, "What do you mean 'in heat'?"

"Demons aren't like humans," Sango started to explain, "who can give birth at any time in the year. They go into mating periods so their pups are born at the right time. This is the time of year for Inu demons." She paused, "Inu-yasha, doesn't that mean you should be going through it soon?"

His ears twitched and he coughed, standing up quickly, "Well, I think I need to get back and check on Miroku."

Sango and Kagome exchanged glances when he left. At the look on Kagome's face, the older girl decided to explain further, "This is the season for Inu youkai to go into heat, but it doesnappeappen at the same time for all of them, just within the same few months. It lasts about a week or two, depending on the demon. Judging from Inu-yasha's reaction, I'd say he already went through it. Probably when he was so eager for you to go home recently. Remember, he told you to be gone as long as you wanted?"

Kagome nodded fiercely, "I thought that was suspicious! I thought he was going to go meet with Kikyo or something."

Sango smiled at her friend, "He just didn't want to hurt you on accident. He didn't hang around much the whole time either." She blushed, "It was really just houshi-sama and I, and Shippou-chan."

The young teen suddenly got a lightbulb over her head, "Hey, Shippou. Is Sango-chan guessing right? Was Inu-yasha in heat a few weeks back?" When Shippou nodded slowly she tweaked his ear, "Why didn't you tell us?

"Ow! Ow! It's kind of a personal thing, Kagome-chan!"

She relented on the poor kitsune's ear and the group fell to idle chatter, in the back of each of their minds the danger that was creeping up behind them.

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Inu-yasha crept back into and and Miroku's room. His head was spinning; being reminded of his mating period had set him on edge. Ever since that time a few weeks back, he'd been thinking of the monk almost constantly. The hanyou had chalked it up to worry over the hell hole, but now he wasn't so sure. His breathght ght in his throat as he remembered just what he had been thinking; when Sesshoumaru had come to relieve his pain, Inu-yasha had been wishing that it was Miroku over him in the darkness instead of his brother. The realization sent shivers up his spine. Had he fallen for the lecher?

He slid down to the floor, sitting against the wall with his knees drawn into his chest. The sunlight was pouring in from the open window, the pleasant breeze making the dust motes dance and sparkle, spilling over the form of his sleeping friend. His dark hair lay unbound, spreading around his head making him look even more fragile than ever. The hanyou was reminded of a story his mother had told him when he was younger. One of the gods had fallen in love with a mortal. She knew he was destined to die, but couldn't accept that fate for the man she loved. She had gone to the greatest of the gods, begging that her lover be put into an eternal sleep. This, she had decided was the best option, as another goddess had requested eternal life and her lover lived forever, but continued to age. He granted the request and the man was put into a deep sleep, awaking only once every year. That one day was the only time the lovers had together, but it was enough. Miroku looked just like that mortal would have, lying there, the shafts of light touching his hair, enough to tempt any god, or demon.

What had their names been? He couldn't remember. Oddly enough, their story had a happy ending; apparently only the more tragic ones stuck in his head. It was the tragic ones that seemed to shadow his own life, love life and otherwise. There had been Kikyo, a human, but older and incredibly powerful. Maybe it had been love, but it had ended before either of them was really sure. She had died full of hatred for him and that hatred was the only thing that kept her going, the desire to take him to hell with her. But did he really feel that way for her? Or was he confusing guilt with love? Responsiblitiy with devotion? And then there was Kagome, the reincarnation of Kikyo. He loved being around her; she made him happy. She was essential to his sanity, like air, or sunshine. She was perfect for him, but he continually drove her away with his confusion over Kikyo. The girl was entirely too loyal; she stood by him through everything. He didn't deserve that, not when he couldn't return her feelings. He knew he was destined to hurt her, ill-fortune clung about him like a winter chill, so even if he loved her, it would only bring her sorrow. Lastly, his brother, Sesshoumaru. He had always thought there was no love lost between the two of them, but the youkai had come to him so readily at his hour of need . . . He shook his head, knowing Sesshoumaru, it had meant nothing at all, just like Miroku would mean nothing to him if he got his hands on him.

The hanyou clenched his fists; he would keep Miroku away from his brother if it cost him his life. Love was impossible for him so if he couldn't have the monk, no one would. He wouldn't let himself or anyone else hurt his friend.

He was drawn from his reverie by the sound of rustling fabric. Miroku was stirring. How long had he been sitting there, lost in thought? He quickly stood, crossing to the monk's side and looking down at him anxiously. It seemed he was waking up. The hanyou looked out the window; from the light he could tell that the day was already far advanced, the afternoon was fading towards evening. He had been brooding for hours, apparently.

"Inu-yasha?" he looked down at Miroku again, "Could I have some water."

"Yeah, I'll be right back."

When he returned, the dark-haired teen was sitting up, looking much better. He gratefully took the cup and drained it, exposing his pale throat to the half-demon. Inu-yasha had to mentally slap himself; he had sworn not to say anything earlier and he was going to hold to that promise. Where was he getting such ecchi thoughts from anyway? This was incredibly confusing.

"Ugh, how long have I been asleep?" Miroku stretched his arms lazily.

"All day," Inu-yasha replied quietly, sitting on the edge of the futon, "It's almost dinner time. Listen, do you think you're okay to travel now? I want to leave as soon as possible."

"I think so. I don't feel like I'm dying anymore, just tired. Why do you ask?"

Inu-yasha raised an eyebrow at the monk's choice of words, remembering again the scene from the previous night. He'd have to tell him. "Miroku, is it common for human men to like other men?"

Miroku's heart stopped then fluttered wildly back into it's normal pattern. His thoughts were circling wildly, 'Kami-sama, doe sus suspect something?' He cleared his throat, "Um, well, no, it's not common, but it's not unheard of, why do you ask?"

"Well, in youkai it happens more than you'd expect," he turned to Miroku his golden eyes filled with an emotion the monk had never seen in them before, on he couldn't quite name, "The reason I want to leave is because last night as I was bringing you back here, Sesshoumaru showed nd wnd was going to--to take you. I don't know why he ended up backing off, but Miroku, he's in heat and he wants you. I wanted to leave right then, but like the idiot you are, you went off and got drunk."

The older teen blushed at the jab, but then his mouth opened in shock, "Wait, did you just say? Sesshoumaru? Me? But I'm a human!"

"Well humans haven't been bothering him so much lately," his silver haired friend said this with a bitterness to his tone that surprised Miroku. Did that mean what he thought it meant? "Anyway," he continued, "We're leaving right now. I'll get the girls; you wait here."

Miroku nodded dumbly; he thought he would go crazy from all the information that was swirling through his head. Sesshoumaru intended to kidnap him, he also might be involved with Inu-yasha, and Inu-yasha was being overly friendly after weeks of beoveroverly hostile. Did they hanyou know about the monk's feelings for him? He couldn't bare it if his friend found out. Being punched for being a hentai would be the least of his worries then. Inu-yasha would hate him. And how would Sango and Kagome react?

He sighed and stood, stretching his cramped muscles. No doubt they would be traveling through the night.

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Well, second chapter. This one took me a while to spit out even though I knew exactly what I wanted to happen. ::sigh:: Anyway, huggles to Jade Phoenix and Misty for the reviews! You guys made my day! But now, I have a confession to make, I am of the genus readerous lazious. I've read your stories at least twice, Jade and I haven't reviewed! Ack! But now I've been caught. I was going to beg you to update, but I'm not worthy! I promise I'll review, onegai? Well, my work is done here, love it? Hate it? Let me know!
Soul~chan