Evanescent

By: HalcyonMoments11

Summary: Evanescent: tending to become imperceptible; vanishing; fading away; fleeting. He's not sure when it happened, or even how or why, but he knows that somehow he's fallen in love with this girl. And he knows that not much can come from this love, that in time, the most prominent feature of this passion will most likely be its evanescence, but he still can't make himself deny what this woman means to him. She's his friend, a miko from the future, his betrothed's best friend, his best friend's lover, and the woman that stole his heart in a way that no other ever had. And he's just a lecherous monk with a void in his palm that threatens to consume him daily. He's just a man who's loosing hope and praying that she can be his salvation.

Pairings: Miroku/Kagome; Mentions of Inuyasha/Kagome, Miroku/Sango, Inuyasha/Kikyou and if you squint you may find others.

Warnings: CU; Language at times, character death, and maybe some suggestive themes later on.

Rating: T (PG-13)

A/N: This is the prequel to my Miroku/Kagome story Iridescent. While writing Iridescent I decided that the few flashbacks that Kagome and Miroku have throughout the story did not quite tell the history I wanted to create for them sufficiently. So, I will tell that story here. It's not necessary to have read Iridescent to read this story, but you may want to read that one afterwards. If you have read Iridescent you may notice a few similar chapters later in the story. This story will be told in short chapters, about 500-1000 words in length. In this story, the first three Inuyasha movies have happened as well.

Disclaimer: This is for the entire story. I don't own anything involving Inuyasha, nor any of the lyrics that I may use in the chapters.

"Talking."

'Thoughts.'

Flashbacks/Dreams.

You feel just like the sun,
Just like the sun.

– Sara Bareillies (The Light)

It isn't often that the houshi finds himself seated by the Hone Kui no Ido awaiting their miko companion's return from her era, but it always seems that when he goes in place of his hanyou friend, it rains.

Miroku sighed as he shifted the rod of the spare apricot colored umbrella that Kagome stashed in Kaede's hut from one shoulder to the other. Inuyasha and Sango had left two days before in pursuit of a rumor about a close Shikon no Kakera and Miroku had volunteered to wait for their miko friend's return in their absence. Their trip would only take about three days, provided they didn't run into any complications, but Kagome was scheduled to return hours before they would. So, Miroku found himself seated beneath the trees on a blanket with an umbrella in hand, facing the well at the center of the field waiting for the blue light that would signal her return.

When it finally did, the sun was just beginning to peak through the clouds and over the trees. The sound of her yellow pack dropping with a dull thud against the ground woke him from the doze he had fallen into and drew his attention to the well as she lifted herself over the edge. The sun filtering through the rain-covered leaves cast shadows over her pale skin, highlighting her profile, and glistened off of her raven black hair. When her chocolate brown orbs met his own across the clearing, she smiled. The sight she made, like the familiar presence of her reiki, warmed him and stole his breath for a moment.

"Good morning, Miroku-sama," Kagome said in greeting as she lifted her bag to pull it over her shoulders.

He smiled in return, allowing himself to take pleasure in the calming sensation of her reiki as it extended across the clearing. During his few visits to and from the well with his miko companion, Miroku had noticed that traveling through time seemed to require a vast amount of her power. Due to a lack of training and control, she was often unable to reign in her aura for a few moments after her return – and even this she seemed only to do instinctively. Her reiki was immense – full of heat and compassion – and appeared to make her surroundings glow with new life.

In these moments where he witnessed this power, Miroku had often compared her to the sun.

"Good morning, Kagome-sama," he replied quietly.

"I hope you haven't been waiting long," she stated, making her way towards him as he closed his umbrella and stood.

"It was no trouble at all, Kagome-sama." He folded the damp blanket over his arm and grabbed his shakujou, which had been leaning against a near-by tree. She paused when she reached his side.

"Where's Inuyasha?"

"He and Sango are following a lead on a shard. If all goes well, they should return by this evening. I volunteered to stay behind and wait for your return." Miroku explained, motioning for her to lead the way as they began their trek back to Edo.

"I see," Kagome responded, biting her bottom lip nervously as she looked about them.

"I'm sure they'll be fine, Kagome-sama. There's no need to fret."

Her chocolate eyes met his amethyst orbs for a moment before nodding carefully in agreement. They continued on silently for a while before Miroku spoke up again.

"Shippou-chan is waiting for us at Kaede-sama's hut. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

Her smile returned as she adjusted her pack on her shoulders. "I brought him some candy from my time that I'm sure he'll love," she stated.

Miroku smiled gently in response.

"You're more than welcome to some too, Mirkou-sama."

He chuckled. "Perhaps. If I can sneak some away from Shippou-chan."

"And Inuyasha," the miko added.

"Ah, yes. It may be best to just give me my portion now, Kagome-sama."

She laughed and moved her bag around one shoulder to pull a small box of pockey from within it. As she handed it to him, he caught the box and her hand in his own, fingers loosely gripping her wrist and drawing her gaze to his. He bowed his head slightly in thanks.

"Welcome home, Kagome-sama."

The smile she offered him in return was like the sun.

A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I wanted it to be a simple, but intimate beginning. The progression of their romance in this story will most likely be slow, as it was in my story Iridescent. I'm also going to attempt to keep most of this story in Miroku's perspective, as most of the other story was from Kagome's. Anyways, thank you all for reading and I hope to see you again next chapter!

Vocabulary: houshi - monk, Hone Kui no Ido - Bone Eater's Well, hanyou- half demon, Shikon no Kakera – Sacred Jewel shards, reiki – aura or chi, shakujou - Miroku's staff, sama – lord/lady or master, chan - used between friends or with someone younger than you, generally a very friendly suffix

Please review! –HM11