Brother My Brother

Miroku awoke feeling his shoulder being nudged. It took a moment before
he was able to regain his senses.

“Miroku. Hey Miroku, wake up!”

He opened his eyes, his vision blurry for a moment before he could make
out the form of Inuyasha before him.

“How’re you feeling?” Apparently the half demon had asked the question
minutes before, but it was a while before it registered and processed
through Miroku’s disorientated mind.

“Tired,” he replied.

Inuyasha nodded. “I got us a boar,” he said, gesturing with his head.
“It’s all cooked and ready.”

Miroku struggled to sit up and leaned against a tree behind him.
Inuyasha joined him there with a piece of pork he had taken from the
cooked pig hanging over the fire nearby. The half demon began helping
Miroku eat, also giving some to the hungry Kirara beside him. Miroku
was flattered, as well as amazed at the care Inuyasha was giving him,
the concern he waowinowing outwardly. And the pork was good, better
than Miroku had remembered it ever tasting. The three of t hem shared
the roasted pig together, then laid down to rest. Inuyasha did not
retreat to the treetops as he normally did, but instead remained by
Miroku’s side, warming him as best as he could with his own body heat.
Kirara curled herself up against Miroku’s other side, and between the
two, he felt warm, coted,ted, and safe. He looked up into the branches
of the trees, catching glimpses of the stars between the reaching
limbs. The  moon was full and bright, though most of its glow was
hidden from the forest floor by the protection of its tree guardians.

“Miroku,” Inuyasha said, his voice a bit wispy. “Are all women like
Kagome and Kikyo?”

The monk hesitated. “What do you mean, Inuyasha?”

“I-- I don’t know,” the hanyou admitted, turning his face away from
him. “I don’t know what I mean.” There was silence for a moment, then
Inuyasha said simply, “I miss them.”

“I know,” Miroku said.

“It’s too quiet,” the half demon went on. “without Shippo here to bug
or be bugged by. Too lonely without Sango’s friendly face. Too cold
without Kagome beside me…” His voice trailed off.

“I know,” Miroku said.

Another pause, then Inuyasha looked back over at him. “Are you okay?”

Miroku trembled slightly. “No,” he answered, obviously hiding back his
emotion. “I fear I shall never be the same again.” A quiet sob caught
Inuyasha’s ears, and the sour smell of salt from tears came to his
nose. He knew Miroku was crying. “I’m sorry, Inuyasha.”

“Sorry?” Inuyasha echoed, puzzled. It always perplexed him when humans
cried. He never knew what to say or do for them. “What’re you sorry
for?”

“I don’t know,” he replied, taking a sharp intake of breath. “I don’t
know what I should say to you.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Inuyasha replied, softening his tone.
“I was there too, Miroku. I lost everything that you lost, too.”

“I know. I know you did,” he sobbed. “All the same, I wish that I could
say something.”

Kirara purred and rubbed against Miroku’s face, licking at his tears
with her coarse tongue. They laid quietly for a few passing moments,
then Inuyasha said,

“You loved her, didn’t you?”

Miroku fell completely silent. Even his weeping ceased.

“Was it-- Was it that obvious?”

Inuyasha shook his head. “No, you did a good job of hiding it. But
now-- The way you’re reacting… It’s obvious now.”

Miroku smiled slightly, but Inuyasha could see that it was a forced
smiled. “I did a good job of hiding iid Iid I? I was not trying to.” He
shifted slightly. “She was the first I felt so close to.” His voice
sounded distant. “Of all the women I’ve ever felt attracted to, she was
the only one that held something other than physical beauty. She was
beautiful beyond compare, but her inner beauty outshone what any
physical beauty could muster. Inuyasha, I did love her. Like none
other, though I could never find the words nor the courage to ever tell
her so. However, I was at no time trying to hide my feelings.” He
sighed. “I attempted to hint at least. So she never knew how I loved
her.” The tears quietly returned.

“She knew,” Inuyasha said. Miroku turned to look at him. “She knew you
loved her.”

Miroku sighed and returned his gaze to the night sky. “I’d like to
believe that Inuyasha.”

“Are you calling me a liar?” the half demon frowned. “Like it or not
Miroku, I’m a lot older than you. And while I haven’t been with as many
women as you have, I have had close relationships with two. And I think
I know what I’m talking about.”

Miroku’s smile returned, and Inuyasha saw that it was not as forced as
the first one. “Thank you, Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha smiled back. “No problem.” Another silence settled in, and all
that could be heard was the nightly calls of insects and the soft,
constant sound of Kirara’s purring. Miroku laid back, still despairing
in his loss, but also reveling in what he still had. Inuyasha had never
been so friendly or kind to him and he was grateful to him for it.
Especially since he had been sure that the half demon would never
return after leaving with Kagome.

A lone wolf howled, and after a moment, was joined by others. It was an
empty s, an, and dangerous. The wolves were hunting, but as long as
Inuyasha was there, Miroku knew they would not come near. He looked
over at the half demon and saw that he had sat up, his ears perked at
full attention.

“Inuyasha?” Miroku ventured. Kirara had stopped purring and was also
intently listening to the surroundings, her ears perked and her nose
working frantically. It took a moment, but Miroku was able to detect a
very ominous feeling in the atmosphere. Soon, the chirps of insects
stopped and vanished into the night and all that could be heard was the
continued lonely howls of the wolves.

“Miroku, stay here,” Inuyasha instructed. “Stay with him, Kirara.” He
was on his feet in an instant.

“Please, be careful,” Miroku warned. “I sense a great evil nearby.”

Inuyasha nodded, then bounded off through the trees and was gone.
Miroku pushed himself up into a sitting position and leaned against a
tree behind him. The meal he had eaten before had given him more
strength, but still not enough to do much of anything. Kirara remained
at his side, always alert and ready to fight if need be. The unsettling
feeling in the atmosphere became heavier, and felt as if it was
blanketing them, smothering them with its evil presence. Miroku tensed,
nervously watching the shadows between the tall trees. There was
something there. He could sense it, even though he could not see it.
Kirara growled menacingly toward the unseen danger. Immediately, a
large figure leapt out from between the trees, directly toward Miroku.
Kirara transformed and met the creature head on. Her skull slammed into
its skull, producing a loud thud
noise. Now Miroku could see the threat clearly as Kirara struggled to
hold it back from him. It was a large, black wolf, foaming at the mouth
and its eyes glowing red. It looked like no other wolf Miroku had ever
seen before. Its claws and fangs were huge, complimenting its large
canine body that rippled with tight muscles. It snarled, backed up, and
lunged at Kirara with its teeth bared, aiming to seize her neck in its
jaws. She moved, but the fangs scraped against her flesh, staining her
cream fur red. Miroku shouted out to her. The wolf was huge, at least
twice as large as Kirara herself, and Miroku worried that she would not
be able to fight it off. She paid him no heed, however, as her enemy
took her full attention. They scuffled, bit ,and clawed at each other,
sending blood and fur spouting in all directions. Miroku would do
little else but watch anxiously, listening to the growls and roars of
the combatants. The fight was fierce and lasted for several minutes.
The entire time Mu siu silently pleaded for Inuyasha to return. Though
Kirara fought viciously, Miroku could see that she was struggling to
fend the wolf off, receiving horrid blows to her streamlined body. Her
blood covered her body and the claws and fangs of her opponent. The
wolf lunged at her and she moved out of the way, landing neatly on her
feet some ways away. However, as she landed she realized that she had len len into the wolf’s trap-- Kirara no longer stood between the wolf
and Miroku. Without thinking, she charged forward, aiming to take down
the opposing canine before it had a chance to harm Miroku. The wolf
turned and came forward as well, seizing Kirara by the neck with its
powerful jaws. Kirara yowled and tried to pull away, but to no avail.
Miroku watched in horror as she struggled against the wolf’s strong
jaws. The canine braced itself against her body, steadying itself with
its large paw on her back. In one horrible, smooth motion, the wolf
turned its head snapsnapped the nekomata’s neck.

“No!” Miroku shouted. “No, Kirara!”

Her body fell limply to the ground as the wolf released her broken neck
and turned its full attention to the weakened Miroku.