A/N: Because U.S. History is boring; I much prefer the Sengoku Jidai. ^_^ An odd pairing - but I can see it. Actually, I can see Miroku with anyone, the little slut. ;-) Another fic for Kitty. . . since she says she got me a good present, she gets *two* fics.
Kagome glanced at Miroku out of the corner of her eye. The monk sat serenely by the fire, eyes closed and hands folded in his lap. The light played on his face. It made him seem older, Kagome thought; it showed the lines of stress and worry that his life had etched onto him.
Kagome turned her head away sharply. She didn't want to be caught studying him. It was tempting, though - he was beautiful. Looking at him was a pleasure.
She sighed and flopped down. Sango, who slept soundly, shifted next to her. Kagome burrowed deeper into the blankets; for once, Shippou had latched onto Sango for the night instead of her.
And, for once, she wished he hadn't. Concentrating on not rolling over on the little kitsune would at least have kept her thoughts off Miroku.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She woke up with a start. The fire was burnt out, a few small red coals the only remainder. Other than that, nothing had changed. Sango was snoring a bit, and Shippou was curled up at her side. Inuyasha was off wherever he had gone - where *had* he gone, anyways? - and Miroku sat by the dying coals, eyes closed.
Wait, Kagome thought. Why was Miroku still up?
"Miroku?"
The monk's eyes fluttered open, and he looked at her.
"Aren't you going to sleep?"
The corner of Miroku's mouth twitched a little. "If sleep would come, I would." His smile widened, but his eyes were still sad.
"Miroku, what's wrong?"
"It is nothing, Kagome."
Two things struck Kagome. The first was that he was lying, and badly at that. The second was that he had dropped his customary -sama from her name.
She got up, taking care not to disturb Sango or Shippou, and walked over to Miroku. She sat next to the monk. He didn't move a muscle, but continued to stare at the ashes.
"Why don't you ever tell anyone what's wrong?" she asked him. "I can see you're lying when you say it's nothing."
Miroku sighed and stayed silent. Kagome drew her knees to her chest and looked up at the stars. They were bright that night, surrounding the silvery, sickle-shaped moon. The stars always reminded her of their little group. Sirius, the Dog-Star - Inuyasha. Orion the Hunter was Sango. Shippou was Ursa Minor - the little bear so reminded her of him, she'd begun calling it Kitsune Minor in her head. And she herself was Capricorn - the half-goat archer. Not that she believed she was part goat, but her personality jived with the constellation in a strange way.
Miroku, though. She could never find a constellation for him. She knew of none that were a monk or priest, and he seemed to defy definition anyways: lecherous, confident monk by day, lonely man watching a dying fire by night.
"What's your favorite constellation?"
He jumped and looked over at her sudden question. She was staring up at the sky, head tilted back.
"That one," he said, pointing.
"Gemini. . . why?"
Kagome knew she might be pushing it, but it was worth a try. She didn't like the sad look on his face. If only she could him to talk about it. . .
"Its duality. It's like yin and yang: there are always two separate but connected sides. Everything is nothing, nothing is everything, and all of it is fickle and changeable. You can never tell what's going to happen to it."
Just like you, Kagome thought. Nothing in your hand, everything buried inside, and entirely mercurial.
"In my time, we have a tradition - well, a borrowed-from-America tradition. You look up at the sky at night and say, 'Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight.' Then you wish on the first star you see."
Miroku gave her a faint smile. "What do you wish for?" She smiled back.
"Love." A pause. "And you?"
Another, longer pause. Miroku rubbed his chin in thought. "Sleep. I'm tired."
Kagome chuckled. An obvious evasion of the question, but she'd go along with it. "You could always try lying down, you know. It's hard to sleep sitting up."
"The ground's cold, and I can't sleep alone anyways."
Kagome had to keep her eyes from widening. A chance. . . to snuggle the monk. . . she found herself tempted once again. The only question was, take it or not?
She decided to go halfway.
"Miroku, the ground's not that cold, and there *are* four others of us here."
"Sango and Inuyasha would beat me, and Shippou would never let go."
"What about me? What would I do?"
Miroku tilted his head. "I'm not sure. I hadn't thought of it."
"I'm offended."
"Oh hell." Miroku flopped back. "I'm screwed whatever I say, aren't I?" Kagome nodded. "Maybe I will just sleep." He swiped a lock of hair out of his face.
Kagome leaned forward. She crossed her arms over his chest and rested her head on her hands. "You're starting to get the right idea."
Miroku wrapped his arms around her. "Do I still have the right idea?" Kagome finally saw the smile reach his eyes. She laid her head on his shoulder and snuggled closer, gripping on to the front of his robes. Kagome could feel his breath tickling her scalp, and then his lips pressed against her forehead.
She could already see the scene in the morning. Sango would hit Miroku repeatedly, calling him a pervert the entire time, the ever-protective Inuyasha would be pissed, and Shippou would sit quietly, watching with a confused smile. But at the moment, she didn't care. Miroku was close, and warm, and it felt good to lie near him.
"Good night, Kagome," Miroku said, tightening his arms around her.
"Good night, Miroku." She smiled into his robes.
*finito*
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Kagome glanced at Miroku out of the corner of her eye. The monk sat serenely by the fire, eyes closed and hands folded in his lap. The light played on his face. It made him seem older, Kagome thought; it showed the lines of stress and worry that his life had etched onto him.
Kagome turned her head away sharply. She didn't want to be caught studying him. It was tempting, though - he was beautiful. Looking at him was a pleasure.
She sighed and flopped down. Sango, who slept soundly, shifted next to her. Kagome burrowed deeper into the blankets; for once, Shippou had latched onto Sango for the night instead of her.
And, for once, she wished he hadn't. Concentrating on not rolling over on the little kitsune would at least have kept her thoughts off Miroku.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She woke up with a start. The fire was burnt out, a few small red coals the only remainder. Other than that, nothing had changed. Sango was snoring a bit, and Shippou was curled up at her side. Inuyasha was off wherever he had gone - where *had* he gone, anyways? - and Miroku sat by the dying coals, eyes closed.
Wait, Kagome thought. Why was Miroku still up?
"Miroku?"
The monk's eyes fluttered open, and he looked at her.
"Aren't you going to sleep?"
The corner of Miroku's mouth twitched a little. "If sleep would come, I would." His smile widened, but his eyes were still sad.
"Miroku, what's wrong?"
"It is nothing, Kagome."
Two things struck Kagome. The first was that he was lying, and badly at that. The second was that he had dropped his customary -sama from her name.
She got up, taking care not to disturb Sango or Shippou, and walked over to Miroku. She sat next to the monk. He didn't move a muscle, but continued to stare at the ashes.
"Why don't you ever tell anyone what's wrong?" she asked him. "I can see you're lying when you say it's nothing."
Miroku sighed and stayed silent. Kagome drew her knees to her chest and looked up at the stars. They were bright that night, surrounding the silvery, sickle-shaped moon. The stars always reminded her of their little group. Sirius, the Dog-Star - Inuyasha. Orion the Hunter was Sango. Shippou was Ursa Minor - the little bear so reminded her of him, she'd begun calling it Kitsune Minor in her head. And she herself was Capricorn - the half-goat archer. Not that she believed she was part goat, but her personality jived with the constellation in a strange way.
Miroku, though. She could never find a constellation for him. She knew of none that were a monk or priest, and he seemed to defy definition anyways: lecherous, confident monk by day, lonely man watching a dying fire by night.
"What's your favorite constellation?"
He jumped and looked over at her sudden question. She was staring up at the sky, head tilted back.
"That one," he said, pointing.
"Gemini. . . why?"
Kagome knew she might be pushing it, but it was worth a try. She didn't like the sad look on his face. If only she could him to talk about it. . .
"Its duality. It's like yin and yang: there are always two separate but connected sides. Everything is nothing, nothing is everything, and all of it is fickle and changeable. You can never tell what's going to happen to it."
Just like you, Kagome thought. Nothing in your hand, everything buried inside, and entirely mercurial.
"In my time, we have a tradition - well, a borrowed-from-America tradition. You look up at the sky at night and say, 'Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight.' Then you wish on the first star you see."
Miroku gave her a faint smile. "What do you wish for?" She smiled back.
"Love." A pause. "And you?"
Another, longer pause. Miroku rubbed his chin in thought. "Sleep. I'm tired."
Kagome chuckled. An obvious evasion of the question, but she'd go along with it. "You could always try lying down, you know. It's hard to sleep sitting up."
"The ground's cold, and I can't sleep alone anyways."
Kagome had to keep her eyes from widening. A chance. . . to snuggle the monk. . . she found herself tempted once again. The only question was, take it or not?
She decided to go halfway.
"Miroku, the ground's not that cold, and there *are* four others of us here."
"Sango and Inuyasha would beat me, and Shippou would never let go."
"What about me? What would I do?"
Miroku tilted his head. "I'm not sure. I hadn't thought of it."
"I'm offended."
"Oh hell." Miroku flopped back. "I'm screwed whatever I say, aren't I?" Kagome nodded. "Maybe I will just sleep." He swiped a lock of hair out of his face.
Kagome leaned forward. She crossed her arms over his chest and rested her head on her hands. "You're starting to get the right idea."
Miroku wrapped his arms around her. "Do I still have the right idea?" Kagome finally saw the smile reach his eyes. She laid her head on his shoulder and snuggled closer, gripping on to the front of his robes. Kagome could feel his breath tickling her scalp, and then his lips pressed against her forehead.
She could already see the scene in the morning. Sango would hit Miroku repeatedly, calling him a pervert the entire time, the ever-protective Inuyasha would be pissed, and Shippou would sit quietly, watching with a confused smile. But at the moment, she didn't care. Miroku was close, and warm, and it felt good to lie near him.
"Good night, Kagome," Miroku said, tightening his arms around her.
"Good night, Miroku." She smiled into his robes.
*finito*
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