Gathering the Pieces

A/N: *sobs happily* OMG!! I finally DID it!! I finally got this crap chapter up!! And I FINALLY beat my writer's block!! I hate it when WB hits for a long period of time, because I usually end up giving up on the story!! But som many people seem to like this story that I just COULDN'T forget about it!! ^.^ You're going to get SO frustrated when you reach the ending, I think, that I do!!


~~~~~

Inutaishou stared down at his son, who was currently kneeling on the ground, tears in his eyes. The young demon of 5 currently held a small, fluffy rabbit in his lap. The tiny animal wasn't moving however, which was what caused the small child's distress.

His father, however, was not moved by the younger youkai's tears. "Now do you see why it is not wise to become attached to something? Love only sets you up for grief, Sesshoumaru. Do not waste your time caring for something that will eventually die. Love, like all other emotions, is a waste of time." Bending down, he grasped the deceased rabbit by it's ears, taking it away from his son, who leapt up, seizing his father's arm.

"Give him back, Father! Please! Maybe Mother can heal him!" He pleaded with the Western Lord, but to no avail. His father pushed him back away, casting him a dark look as more tears sprang to life.

"Stop it, Sesshoumaru. Why are you sobbing over an animal you should have eaten, instead of developed feelings for? I told your mother this was a foolish idea. Now you understand why."

Sesshoumaru fell to his knees, crying, as his father walked away, the rabbit still hanging from his hand.

~~~~~

Sesshoumaru snapped awake from the dream, his breathing slightly labored. Glancing around, he was slightly relieved to see the monk was no where in sight, taking this time to recompose himself. Pushing his hair back from his face, he leaned back against the tree, his breathing slowing down after a while, eyes closed, trying to shake the memory from his mind. He hated it when those dreams snuck up on him; his childhood was a time he'd be honored to forget. Alas, it always came back, practically every night, to taunt him. They was one of the reasons he often went so many nights without sleeping

Hearing footsteps, he opened his eyes and looked to the left to see Miroku entering the small, shaded over clearing with an armful of branches.


Miroku didn't even realize the inu youkai was awake until he'd begun laying more wood onto the fire. Feeling eyes on him, he glanced over his shoulder to meet the piercing gaze of the injured warlord.

"You've woken, good. Your dinner is beside you." Sesshoumaru didn't bother to look at his meal; instead, he continued to stare at the houshi, trying for the life of him to pinpoint exactly why the human was still helping him.

The monk resisted the urge to squirm under the unrelenting gaze, clearing his throat. After a moment he managed to break his gaze from the taiyoukai, and returned to rebuilding the fire. Since it was already roaring, however, all he could really do was prod at it a few times. Unable to take the unnerving stare any longer, he looked back to the demon lord, intending to question him.

The question died on his lips however, as he saw the demon lord. Gone was the face of the broken, defeated demon. Sesshoumaru's face had been carefully schooled back into the normal ice cold, bored-borderline disgusted expression he always carried with him. Any desire for conversation was quickly defeated, and he turned to start on his own meal, thankful when the eerie stare was finally turned away from him.

It remained quiet for a period of time, the monk too wary to attempt at conversation, and the demon finding no desire for it whatsoever. Therefore, Sesshoumaru was mildly irritated when the monk spoke softly and hesitantly.

"So, that Sasame.... I'm assuming you and he have known each other for a while then?"

"Regretfully." Was his dispassioned answer. When Miroku realized the youkai wasn't planning on saying anything else, he continued.

"How long have you known each other?"

"Why do you find it any of your concern?"

"I'm merely curious."

"Don't be."

"So then you want to sit here for hours on end, saying absolutely nothing to each other, doing absolutely nothing except thinking or sleeping, and occasionally eating, all in complete silence?"

"Precicely." For some unseen reason, the houshi started to laugh. The piercing stare was turned back to him once more, and Sesshoumaru watched as the monk continued to laugh, not hysterically, but a humoured chuckle. "Do you plan on telling me what is so amusing, or are you going to continue to laugh like a fool?" The taiyoukai demanded softly. Miroku sobered up as best he could, though he still chuckled quietly now and then.

"It's nothing really, I just... that went along almost the exact same first conversation I had with your brother, after I joined with him and Kagome. He wanted nothing to do with me, nor I with him. Of course, eventually, we warmed to each other."

"Is there a point to this?" The demon lord pressed boredly. Miroku blinked, then laughed all over again.

"I was just thinking..... since InuYasha started off cold and irritable, but became the much more likable person he is, what if the same change were to overtake you after a while? Then the image of you stuffing your face with Raman came to mind and...." Miroku once mor began to laugh, and it felt quite good actually; things had been so serious lately, that it was a relief to be able to just laugh and enjoy himself.

A quiet sound had him cutting short though. Was that what he thought it was? Looking at Sesshoumaru proved it; the demon had let out a quiet laugh. It had been so small, it was more of a scoff, though an air of amusement was in it. He'd gotten Sesshoumaru to laugh! Of course, the image of the dignified lord wolfing noodles down WAS amusing.....

The smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, however, when the taiyoukai opened his eyes again, looking back at the houshi once more as the scent of blood hit him. The slight surprise that hit him never showed on his impassive face as he noted that the monk was looking over the wound he'd given him. That wasn't what had caught him off guard, however. What had startled him was that Miroku had the upper half of his robes lowered, in order to check on the wound more properly, thereby baring his entire chest to the taiyoukai.

Sesshoumaru knew full well that he was staring, but he didn't care. He was too caught up in staring at the flesh covering the lithe body of the human before him. He wasn't exactly built, persay, but he had a delightfully lean shape, presumably from running after his idiot brother constantly. He could see no scars from this distance, the slightly tanned skin appearing to be unblemished. The fact that he was so near the fire had Miroku beginning to lightly sweat, putting just the slightest sheen of dampness over him, and sending an interesting scent into the air.

Scent.... Hmm.... Sesshoumaru held in the urge to wince as his OWN scent hit him as well. Dear gods, how long had it been since he had bathed? Now that he thought of it, the only time he'd really washed was when Miroku had cleaned his wounds. He'd been laying around for near a week now, never bathing once.

Holding in a grimace of disgust, he got slowly to his feet, his arm resting on the tree he'd been leaning against, suddenly thankful he had a reason to leave the far too enticing human. Miroku looked up quickly as he saw the taiyoukai getting up. "Where are you going?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm in dire need of washing myself. Be thankful your sense of smell isn't as keen as mine." He stated. Miroku blinked at this. It wasn't like the demon to openly degrade himself; he must have needed one badly.

"There's a natural spring around here somewhere; I heard the water while we were heading here. Are you going to need help getting there?" He offered, but got no reply, not that he was expecting the taiyoukai to accept his help. Watching the silver form disappear into the trees, Miroku let out a soft sigh, turning back to the fire.

He was recovering quite quickly, considering how bad off the infection had been. However, Sesshoumaru was still far weaker than his former self... and he doubted Sasame had gotten too far at this point.

The thought of Sesshoumaru being caught defenseless deeply worried him, and the fact that he was worried, worried him even more. He was getting far too attached to someone who didn't even care for him. Sesshoumaru could handle himself. Surely he'd recovered from worse injuries than this. There was no reason for Miroku to hover over him nervously all the time.

Which was exactly why he headed to the spring as well. He was just going to check and make sure the demon lord had found the place, was all. That, and nothing more. He wouldn't even interrupt him; he'd prove that he was alright, then turn around and head right back for the campsite.

That had been the plan, anyway. But when he reached the spring, still secluded from sight, though probably not from scent, in the trees, and looked out over the spring, he couldn't move.

Sesshoumaru had found the spring indeed. He currently stood near the edge of it, the water just reaching his hips, his back to the monk. He must have been underwater already, since his hair was wet, and plastered to his back. The silver strands followed each crease of his back, giving an outline of the muscles hidden by the white silk. The ends of it floated on the water, curving around his hips now and then.

Miroku's mouth went dry, unable to tear his eyes away. He knew his scent would reach the taiyoukai eventually, if it hadn't already, but he couldn't move away. His eyes took in the stunning sight before him: Sesshoumaru's eyes were closed, proving he was still easily tired by simple acts, though he had recovered enough to be able to bathe himself, obviously. The markings on his wrist showed in the fading light as he pushed his hair back from his face, and as the pale hair moved away from his body for a moment, matching markings were revealed to be on his hip as well.

Strong, powerful desire sang through the monk, purer than he'd felt in a long time, and it almost scared him how immense it was. It was that very desire that allowed him to turn away from the unbearably erotic sight and head back to the clearing, unaware that golden eyes had shifted to watch his retreat.

Once back at the clearing, Miroku was sitting once more, holding his face in his hands, rubbing at it now and then in exasperation. How did he get himself into these situations?! How did he end up lusting for his friends older brother, and one of their more dangerous enemies?! Why was he such a damned pervert, and most of all, why did Sesshoumaru have to be so damned tempting?!!

Letting out a soft sigh, he resisted the urge to slap himself, leaning back against the thick trunk of a tree he was seated in, his eyes lifting to watch the leaves moving lightly in the evening breeze. The setting sun cast a pale orange light on them, shifting them into different colors. His amethyst eyes flicked over them lazily, watching each one turn over in the small wind.

Things would get better. Sesshoumaru would heal, and he would either leave Miroku to go on his own, or beat the houshi to near death, THEN leave him on his own. He had an odd feeling that the youkai wouldn't go as far as to kill him, since Sesshoumaru had always seemed to be the one to value honor and respect, and killing someone who nursed him back to health was not the most respectful of acts.

He found himself wondering what he should do once Sesshoumar healed. Perhaps he should seek out his friends. InuYasha may have calmed down by now. If he hadn't totally dismissed him anyway. He did indeed miss the girls, and would like to see them as well. He even missing the fox. A chuckle rose from him as he again realized how used to travelling in a group he'd gotten.

His eyes closed after a while, still laying relaxed under the tree, his staff in his arms, as usual. The cool breeze pulling through the clearing only pushed him farther into the light sleep he'd dozed into.

Feeling relatively clean now, Sesshoumaru started back to the clearing, but paused just as the fire came into sight. What need did he have to return to the clearing? He didn't need the human to heal him; He was fine on his own. He needed to track down Sasame and finish what had been started, then continue on his travels. True, he still got tired a lot more quickly than normal, but he could stop and rest when he wanted. So why did he feel the need to return to the clearing?

He knew the answer, and he hated it. Sesshoumaru had become used to company. Ever since he'd taken Rin in, he'd gotten accustomed to travelling with someone. And the monk actualy reminded him slightly of Rin. Both of them had a positive outlook on life. They both seemed to enjoy every minute of it. They were also the only two people in a long time to even show a slight liking or concern towards himself.

Frowning, he remained still a while longer, contemplating things. He could go off on his own, but to do what? Yes, he had to kill Sasame, but what was he to do after that? Naraku was dead, he had no need for Tetsusaiga, Rin would have been avenged. After Sasame, he would not have any goal to try and accomplish.

He would also be alone. Jaken had disappeared some time during the battle; he was fairly certain he was dead. Rin was gone as well, and even Un&Ah seemed to have disappeared. If he were to leave the clearing behind, he would be competely alone.

This is why he grudgingly headed back to the fire, sitting once more in his usual spot, not even looking at the now sleeping housi. He would stay only for a while longer; he had about half his strength back already. Once it fully returned, then he would leave. He continued to tell himself that until he fell asleep.

The monk found himself waking a while after the sun had set, wondering what had disturbed him. Seeing the fire was almost out, he figured the cold must have brought him out of it, and began to rebuild it.

Once it was lively again, he sat back, but found he couldn't sleep. He lay in the spot he'd originally slept in for a good hour, staring up at the sky, wishing for sleep, but it never came. Growing bored, be glanced around the clearing, and his gaze once more fell on the taiyoukai.

Seeing he was asleep once more, he took the chance to look him over more carefully. He was looking far better. His face had regained it's healthy shape, and he'd gotten back what color he'd had. The bath seemed to have helped, as he looked his usual pristine self, though his posture proved he was still easily worn out; the demon was half sitting, half laying, his arm on his waist. The clawed hand were resting on his chest, over his heart, and one leg was slightly bent. He looked exhausted, yet it took nothing away from his usual beauty.

Miroku let out a silent, wistful sigh, his gaze remaining on the youkai for a while, then turning back to the fire. He cursed his inherited pervertedness, he really did. Lusting after a demon who could off you with a flick of his finger was not the wisest way to live. Though, he imagined he wasn't the first to desire the lord, and he surely wouldn't be the last *I just hope I can keep my hands to myself long enough for him to heal. I rather like them attached to my wrists.*

Glancing back at the taiyoukai, he realized this was the deepest sleep he'd seen him in yet; Encountering Sasame must have worn him out badly. A frown crossed his face as his thoughts turned back to the bastard fox that had shown up. It had genuinely angered him, Sasame's behaviour towards Sesshoumaru, the way he'd spoken of the small girl. Such things were needlessly cruel to say. If he'd been sure Sesshoumaru could have handled it, he would have let him rip into the fox. *It would have been no less than he deserved....*

Something the fox had said came back to him: "I really thought that Inutaishou trained you better than this. One would think all those beatings he dished out on you would have taught you better." His frown deepened, and he looked back to Sesshoumaru. Had his father really beaten him? That would explain all the underlying anger Sesshoumaru always carried, especially towards InuYasha, who, if it was true, never had to suffer the same treatment. Remembering when he'd watched Sesshoumaru in the spring, as well as the many times he'd changed his bandages, he recalled many thin scars running over the taiyoukai's back, in the form of whipmarks.

Sasame must have spoken the truth. Sesshoumaru had been beaten as a child. Which meant his childhood must have been painful, and would add more of an explaination as to why Sesshoumaru was so cold to everyone.

Looking back at him, Miroku felt his heart go out to the taiyoukai; he had adored his own father, and couldn't imagine how it must have felt to have someone who was supposed to love and protect you be so cruel. Yes, Sesshoumaru had to be toughened up to be a proper warlord, but that wasn't called for....

He'd shifted closer to the youkai without realizing it, and was beside him by the time he noticed what he was doing. Encouraged by his progress, he didn't back away, but rather shifted slightly closer, looking the silver demon over once more, seeing Sesshoumaru's face when his guard was down completely.

He still looked infinately deadly, but also, there were traces of tranquility and peacefullness in him as well. And if he looked close enough, loneliness. Filled with a shudden urge to banish the last expression, he moved a bit closer, and his left hand lifted, pausing next to Sesshoumaru's cheek, then moving closer, turning his hand so the back of his knuckles brushed over the stripes on his face.

When Sesshoumaru didn't wake, he grew slightly bolder, moving closer, his hand moving again, though to comb gently through his bangs and the hair covering the elf-like ear. A soft look came over the monk's fce, which was tantalizingly close to the demon's. His fingers brushed over his cheek once more, enjoying the smooth feel of the pale flesh. The amethyst eyes moved to rest on the slightly parted lips, and his fingers moved to trace over them as well. The urge to touch them with his own mouth filled him, and the same instant he leaned down, the golden eyes opened.

Miroku paused, his heart moving into his throat as the golden eyes locked on his. That tempting mouth was so close, it was near killing him. When Sesshoumaru just stared at him, he gathered up the courage he'd fumbled, and moved in slightly closer. The demon tensed, and started to speak, but the houshi's mouth met his before he had a chance to say anything.

A/N: ^.^ Yeah, I know, I'm a bitch. LOL!! Dun worry, I'm working on Chapter 6 as you read these very words!