A/N: Thank you, Raburesu-kun, Gayle Nightingale, intrigued, Blacksteel-Gajeel23, love crimson red ray88, NikkiS71, Guest, Yueh16, niceladysakura and TheAvidReader for reviewing!

Chapter 5 – Someone To Protect

The next day, Miroku decided to call in sick. He figured he deserved a day to process the fact that not only were the sons of the legendary youkai Inu no Taisho still alive, but that he was sleeping with one of them.

However, he hadn't counted on being awoken gently, but insistently by Inuyasha at the ass-crack of dawn. Breakfast was at nine. They shouldn't be late. He'd groaned and grumbled and somehow stumbled into the shower.

Alright, so it was 7.30, not dawn, but Miroku still didn't appreciate being woken up not too long after he'd finally managed to fall asleep. And the rest of the morning didn't go much better.

By the time Miroku had taken a shower, their belongings had arrived. There wasn't much – just a few bags of whatever they'd managed to salvage out of their house, and a few things they'd bought afterwards to get by. But the intense relief he felt on seeing his own things was soon followed by the painful and embarrassing realization that nothing he owned was going to be appropriate even for the breakfast table.

It was when he had thought he was ready to go downstairs for breakfast, and Inuyasha stared at him like he had three heads, that he learned that going down for breakfast also required being dressed for it – and being dressed for it wasn't as simple as putting on a t-shirt and some pants.

There was a "casual" outfit laid out for the both of them which had apparently arrived while he'd been in the shower; Miroku suspected that Inuyasha had made sure the servants came and left without Miroku having to deal with them, and the unexpectedly thoughtful gesture made him feel warm inside in a way he hadn't felt since coming here.

The "casual" outfit, however, wasn't at all casual in Miroku's opinion. It consisted of semi-formal pants and a baby blue shirt that was brand new and well-ironed, but still somehow gave the impression of comfort. There were a separate set of socks and shoes which went with that. Inuyasha was already dressed when Miroku walked over to the clothes, dressed only in a towel, and picked up the pants.

"Inuyasha," he said frowning down at the label. "We need to talk about this."

Inuyasha looked up from when he was fastening the buttons on his sleeves. "What's the matter?"

Miroku sighed and sat down on the bed, patting the empty seat next to him. Inuyasha immediately stopped what he was doing and sat.

"Look… I get that you're… used to a certain way of life," he said softly. It sounded a little bitter even to his own ears. "And I'm trying to understand, I really am, but this makes me uncomfortable, wearing clothes bought with your family money. You know there's no way I'll be able to pay you back."

Inuyasha was silent for a moment, as he looked down thoughtfully.

"I can understand that," he said finally. "You don't have to wear any of that if you don't want to, Miroku. Sesshoumaru won't much care how a guest dresses - "

Miroku raised an eyebrow at that and Inuyasha waved him off dismissively. "-and god knows I don't give a crap. But it's not just us here. There's the staff, and it might be awkward for you to be dressed… differently, that's all. If you do decide to wear these things, just… think of them as loans, if that makes you more comfortable."

Miroku felt a stab of hurt at that, though he couldn't explain, even to himself, why. After all, it wasn't like he'd ever wanted Inuyasha to buy him a bunch of nice clothes. And he was the one who'd brought it up, and Inuyasha was probably just trying to address his concerns.

He pushed the irrational hurt aside and smiled at Inuyasha. "Thank you," he said softly. "You're right. I- I don't think I have the strength or the confidence to take a -a stand in front of everyone. I'd just like to be as inconspicuous as possible. So, if it's ok with you, I'll just… borrow these things."

Inuyasha smiled and leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. "Whatever you want, Miroku," he said.

He didn't notice Miroku's smile flicker at that.

It was ten minutes to nine when Inuyasha and Miroku came down to breakfast.

Breakfast was in a different room than dinner. This room Miroku actually liked. It was bright and airy, with a couple of glass walls overlooking the gardens, and the mild morning sunlight came in beautifully and lit up the whole room. The air smelled fresh in a way Miroku had never really smelled it in the city, and there were actual birds chirping merrily outside.

Inuyasha and Miroku were the first to arrive. Breakfast was laid out on a large, circular table with revolving panels laden with delicious-looking dishes. There were plush, comfortable chairs laid out around the table, and their plates had already been set. Servants stood at ready next to the chairs with pitchers in their hands, and Inuyasha and Miroku sat down just as Sesshoumaru entered.

He'd already met the man twice now, but when he saw Sesshoumaru, Miroku felt a pit open up in his stomach. Sesshoumaru was wearing a crisp white shirt again, with perfectly tailored black pants with faint, barely visible, brown-gold stripes on them, and impeccable black formal shoes. All Miroku could think of, though, was the image in the scroll, of the flowing robes of feudal Lords, and Inu no Taisho with the markings on his face. It was surreal thought, imagining this man in front of him in those feudal era clothing. Did he look different then, hundreds of years ago?

The click of a dainty-looking maid's high heels brought his attention back to the present. She was, like the others, wearing a tiny black lace uniform and followed swiftly behind Sesshoumaru, carrying a black jacket and sleek black briefcase. A servant hurried forward to pull out his chair as he sat, and the maid remained standing a few steps behind. A little hysterically, Miroku found himself wondering if there were maids in youkai households in feudal Japan. And if there were, did they also wear such scanty clothing?

Miroku didn't meet the youkai's eyes when he returned the quiet "good morning", he got in greeting. And he studiously tried to avoid staring at clawed hands with purple stripes as they helped themselves to breakfast.

It wasn't difficult for a while as there was the bustle of servants serving them their juice and coffee. Just as Miroku was distracted enough to wonder why on earth anybody would make such an extravagant variety of dishes for breakfast, Sebastian asked them politely what they would like for their hot breakfast.

Feeling three sets of eyes, Miroku couldn't think of the name of one single breakfast dish, and after a painfully long pause, he stammered, "W-whatever you're having."

Thankfully, Inuyasha didn't seem to notice and he swiftly gave instructions Miroku was only half listening to.

"Won't Rin be joining us?" Inuyasha asked, when the servants had retreated after Sesshoumaru had declined to place an order with a glance and they were left to enjoy their meal in peace.

"She is already at school," Sesshoumaru said.

Miroku started a little at his voice, but tried to cover it up by digging into his food with gusto. He actually was starving as he'd had just a few snacks for dinner. But the movement had attracted Sesshoumaru's attention.

"I hope you are finding your stay comfortable, Miroku," Sesshoumaru said, and he didn't fail to notice how the man jumped at being addressed.

"Y-yes everything is fine, thank you," Miroku stuttered. Realizing it would seem very odd to be totally avoiding his eyes, he looked up reluctantly.

Golden eyes bore into his with their quiet intensity, and Miroku only looked away when he heard his knife clatter to the floor with a sound that was deafening in the quiet morning.

"I'm so sorry," he said mortified, and was about to bend down to pick it up, but a servant got there first, while another replaced it swiftly.

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were both following his movements with such a similar, curious look in their eyes, that Miroku felt his embarrassment hot in his cheeks despite his best efforts.

"I have asked Danno to ready a car," Sesshoumaru said, looking at Inuyasha. "He can drive you if you need."

Inuyasha's eyes lit up. "Wow, Danno can drive already?" he asked. "Well, I'll be damned."

"Language, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru chided, cutting up his meat and putting a piece neatly in his mouth. Miroku looked up, startled. It was… odd, hearing somebody talk to Inuyasha like that. But Inuyasha didn't seem to mind, or even notice, really, though he did turn slightly pink.

"I can't wait for you to meet Danno," he grinned, turning to Miroku. "I haven't seen the kid in forever."

Miroku smiled hesitantly.

Sesshoumaru got up from the breakfast not long after, murmuring his apologies for having to leave abruptly. The maid holding his briefcase scurried after him as he headed out the door, and Miroku breathed a sigh of relief as though a heavy weight had been lifted.

"Hey, would you like to take a walk through the gardens?" Inuyasha asked Miroku when breakfast was done.

"Umm," Miroku hesitated. "Maybe later? I…actually wanted to… go into town to… run some errands."

Inuyasha looked at him for a long moment. "Alright. Do'ya want me to go with you? The car's ready for you -"

Miroku shook his head. "It's just boring stuff. I'll be back in a bit. I want to walk."

"Are you sure?" Inuyasha asked him carefully. "It's a long way-"

"I'll be fine," Miroku cut in firmly.

Seeing the look in his eyes, Inuyasha decided not to argue, and just nodded. "I'll walk you out."

They came out a different way than the one by which they had entered the house. This exit seemed more informal. There was grey stone arch decorating the exit, and clay tiles on the large, semi-circular porch-like structure.

As they stepped out into the grounds, they were met with a beautiful black S-class Mercedes-Benz. Inuyasha couldn't help the painful twist in his chest. His brother had remembered this was his favourite place to enter and exit from, and had stationed the car here.

A dark-skinned boy stood in front of the car. He was short and thin, with a head full of curly hair and he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform. Though he looked like a young human boy, Miroku could tell from his too-sharp fingernails, and slightly oddly-shaped ears that he was a youkai.

"Lord Inuyasha," he called gleefully, his almond-brown eyes gleaming with joy, almost jumping up and down in his enthusiasm. Inuyasha smiled fondly and led Miroku over to him.

"Hey Danno. This is Miroku," he introduced.

"Hi, Miroku-san!" Before Miroku had a chance to say a hello, he was prattling on. "Lord Inuyasha, I couldn't believe it when they told me! You're really back!"

"Just for a little while, kid," Inuyasha said.

Danno's bright eyes dimmed. "You're leaving again?"

Inuyasha didn't look at him. "Hey look, I gotta get going, but I'll call you if we need to be driven anywhere."

He swiftly led Miroku away from him and out into the gardens before he even had a chance to say goodbye.

"How do you know him?" Miroku asked, as he was steered away.

"I practically watched him grow up," Inuyasha replied, his hand on his boyfriend's back. "His parents worked at the grocery down town. When they died, Danno was left with no one so we took him in."

"Oh," Miroku said, looking back towards him with a frown.

"You can use the car when you go to work tomorrow," Inuyasha told him. "Danno will wait for you there with the car, or you can give him a call and he'll pick you up when you're done with work."

Miroku blanched. Showing up to the school in that Mercedes-Benz S-class? He would be the topic of jealous and snide gossip forever.

"I'm not going to work in that," he hissed.

"Then how're you planning to go?" Inuyasha asked. "Coz if you wanna walk, it'll take you at least a couple of hours to get off the grounds."

Miroku blinked at him in surprise. "What? Are you kidding me? How is that even possible?"

Inuyasha looked away. Miroku felt a tinge of guilt. "I'll just… figure it out tomorrow," he said. "I'm going… into town anyway, so I'll see how long it takes me. Besides, I think the walk will do me good."

They walked together in almost complete silence. The walkway to the gate was impeccably paved and with a gorgeous view throughout. Colourful birds and butterflies flitted about through the tall and short trees. The sounds of insects was loud in the little clearing. When they were about half way through, Miroku came to a stop.

"I can…find my way from here," he said hesitantly.

"Be careful, monk," Inuyasha said, looking at him seriously. "If the guards give you any trouble getting back, just tell them to buzz me."

Miroku nodded and turned around to continue on the way out.

Then impulsively, he stopped and turned around. Inuyasha, who'd just been about to turn back, looked at him questioningly.

Miroku strode back towards the hanyou, and after hastily glancing about to make sure they were alone, he leaned over and pressed his lips to his boyfriends.

Inuyasha's hands came up to hold him close, taking over the kiss like he always did. The hanyou's comparatively rough tongue entered his mouth softly and Miroku moaned.

Clawed hands were on the back of his head, and Miroku unconsciously shuffled forward, rubbing lightly against the other man. Inuyasha's one hand came to grab his butt and squeezed it lightly. That was when Miroku squeaked and pulled away.

"Stop that," he breathed, sounding far too pleased to be really protesting.

Inuyasha had a lecherous grin on his face. "You're the one who started it, horny monk."

"Yeah well whose fault is that," Miroku muttered.

Inuyasha's golden eyes were alight with a lustful fire. "You're right, we're going to have to take care of that once you're back."

Miroku shivered at his decadent tone of voice, even as he swatted his hand away. "I'll see you later," he said, firmly turning on his heel to head out the gate. The happy grin that was threatening to break out on his face only appeared once he was out of the hanyou's sight.

When Miroku left, Inuyasha found himself wandering around the gardens he thought he'd left behind forever.

He walked for hours, just enjoying the quiet and the familiar, beautiful smells. Miroku's lovely face, flushed with colour from just a kiss kept coming back to him and he grinned to himself.

When finally went back into the house, it was past noon, and everything had taken on that surreal quality it does when things are quieter than you're used to and you've been silent for a long time.

The walls were familiar, the tall marble pillars that his brother liked, the light streaming in from the windows, the quiet bustle of servants. Time did that weird thing where it seemed to have stopped and reversed at the same time.

He headed to the dining room and ordered a cool drink and snacks. As he sat alone at the table, checking his messages on his phone, it occurred to him that the last time he was here, he had nowhere to be except his lessons and training. Anything else would have just been a distraction. And now, it felt like he was slacking off from his work; even now, he was checking to see if anybody had called him on a job.

He ate and drank quickly and decided to head back towards his room. Wandering around these halls still left him with an odd feeling in his stomach. Miroku had texted him saying it had taken him longer than he thought to just reach town and he would be late. Inuyasha thought he would maybe go through some of his old things and -

"Inuyasha."

The voice sent a shiver down his spine and stopped him dead in his tracks.

He heard his brother's quiet footsteps on the beautiful tiled floors. He didn't want to turn around.

But he did. Sesshoumaru was there, dressed in a formal suit, sans the tie, as always. His hair was tied back neatly, and when he walked, the light glinted off the exquisite watch on his left wrist visible slightly under the long sleeves of his shirt.

"You're home," Inuyasha said blankly.

"Yes," his brother agreed, seemingly unfazed by his inane statement.

The taiyoukai walked towards him with measured steps as he had always done, and Inuyasha found himself unable to move.

"I hope you're enjoying your stay," the elder brother breathed. Too close… he was standing too close, and Inuyasha could smell him and –

Inuyasha took a few steps away from him and raised his chin high. "Yes, it's fine, thank you," he replied.

Cold golden eyes glittered, and Inuyasha felt his heart jump in his chest.

"I'm with Miroku now, Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha whispered hoarsely, trying his best to keep his voice steady and strong. "Whatever you thought was going to happen when you brought me here, whatever you wanted, it's not gonna happen."

"The monk," the demon Lord murmured. "You always did have a thing for humans with holy powers, didn't you, brother? The two priestesses and now-"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha said, then looked around as he realized he'd said it too loudly. Servants were giving him odd looks as they passed.

"Perhaps you imagine it will end any other way than it did with them," Sesshoumaru continued, eyes narrowing. Inuyasha went pale.

"You don't know anything," Inuyasha spat. "I don't care what you think anymore, Sesshoumaru. Not after what you did."

There was a clawed hand on his arm. Inuyasha gulped, willing his racing heart to slow.

"It still bothers you so," Sesshoumaru said, head tilted lightly to the side, the way Inuyasha remembered so painfully clearly.

"Leave me alone," Inuyasha screamed, snatching his arm away, out of his brother's reach, blinking rapidly at the memories threatening to crash over him.

When he finally looked up, he hated himself for the shiver of fear that went down his spine from the fury flashing in his elder brother's eyes.

Then Sesshoumaru grabbed his wrist and spun him around before he could so much as understand what was happening, and he was slammed up against the cold stone pillar in front of them.

Inuyasha laughed shakily, trying to look back at him. "I didn't know better back then," he whispered venomously. "I didn't know what I really wanted. Not until Miroku-"

Sesshoumaru stepped in closer and casually raised his bent arm slightly, causing a spasm of pure pain to shoot up his arm. Inuyasha blinked rapidly, heart thundering in his chest, wondering if he'd broken his arm. He tensed the muscles in his arm experimentally; he didn't think the arm was broken.

He gritted his teeth and remained resolutely silent, refusing to give the other man the satisfaction of hearing him begging for mercy.

"Don't test my patience, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru hissed in his ear.

From where his face was squashed against the pillar, Inuyasha could see some servants watching him out of the corner of their eyes. The humiliation burned through him worse than the pain. But he remained silent.

A few agonizing moments later, his arm was released, and when he turned around, Sesshoumaru was gone.

Miroku was fuming when he finally arrived back at the mansion. It was hot, his very expensive clothes were sticking to him since he was covered in sweat, and he'd wasted his one day off walking for most of it, so tomorrow, when he went into work, his feet would be killing him, on top of everything else.

It had taken over two hours for Miroku to finally cross the "private property" sign and reach a part of town where there were other vehicles and public transport available.

But it had felt good being back in the real world, in the city. There was the bustle of people and the annoying sound of vehicle horns, and the smoke-filled air, and Miroku had never appreciated crowded walkways more.

He stopped off at a café to get a cold coffee, then headed off to complete his errands. The familiar places and things were calming, but there was one thing. People were looking at him oddly.

It happened in two different places before Miroku realized it was his clothes. People were even treating him differently. Going to places like banks and grocery stores usually meant being invisible, but today people were treating him…deferentially. Clerks abandoned other customers to come help him out. He didn't have to say a word to get the attention of salespeople; they appeared at his side the moment he showed interest in something. When they spoke to him, their tone was respectful.

For some reason, it really pissed him off.

By the time he decided to head back, it was already late afternoon. He debated on taking a taxi, but he didn't know if outside vehicles were allowed on the grounds. Besides, he'd made a big deal about not using the car so it was point of pride to finish his work on his own. In the end, he took a bus to the nearest bus stop, and then walked back through the grounds.

By the time he reached back to Inuyasha's room, the sun was setting. Looking at the darkening sky outside, he realized that he'd at least found one important thing out today – he would definitely have to use the damned car to go to work. Maybe he'd get down a few blocks away and then walk to school. Or he could take the car to a bus stop and then take a bus.

He was distracted from his thoughts when he saw Inuyasha sitting near the window, staring outside.

Despite his bad mood, he felt a smile tugging at his lips as he approached the hanyou and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

To his surprise, Inuyasha jumped a little in surprise. But as soon as he saw him, the hanyou was smiling up at him, and he leaned up to kiss him.

Miroku leaned down to where the hanyou was sitting and locked his lips over the hanyou's.

He eeped when he was pulled down into the half-demon's lap.

"Inuyasha, I need a shower," he mumbled as he was ravished. "I'm all sweaty."

"Don't care," Inuyasha answered hoarsely, tearing at his clothes. Miroku gasped as buttons popped off the ridiculously expensive shirt but he didn't get a chance to protest as Inuyasha's lips were now on his exposed chest.

That was when his eyes landed on Inuyasha's exposed wrist, and he firmly pushed the hanyou off him and came to sit beside him.

"Inuyasha, what is that?" he asked quietly, grabbing Inuyasha's arm and forcing his sleeve up.

He hissed at the raw bruise on his wrist before Inuyasha quickly withdrew his arm.

"It's nothing," he said quickly. "Now where were we…"

But Miroku held him at arm's length, forcing the hanyou to meet his eyes.

"Inuyasha," Miroku said, shocked. "Who did this to you?"

Seeing the way Inuyasha avoided his gaze, Miroku knew instantly.

"Was it Sesshoumaru?" he asked in a whisper.

Inuyasha stroked his bruised wrist absently. "…just leave it alone, ok?"

"No! Not ok! This is not ok, Inuyasha! He hurt you!" Seeing the carefully blank look on Inuyasha's face, something suddenly clicked into place. "He's been hurting you for a long time, hasn't he? This is clearly abuse. How long has this been going on?"

"…don't worry about it, monk. I'm fine."

"Is that why you left?" Miroku asked in a hushed voice, horror creeping into his voice. "He… abused you?"

Inuyasha looked startled. "What? No, nothing like that. He's not… he's not abusing me," Inuyasha said exasperatedly. "That's just how he is. I don't… I can't explain this to you, monk."

"Yeah, you're damn right you can't," Miroku muttered, eyes hardening. "I'm going to have a little chat with him. He's going to think twice before laying a hand on you."

"You'll do nothing of the kind," Inuyasha said, alarmed. "Don't provoke him, monk. He'll kill you."

"Hey! Sesshoumaru!" he called, his sharp voice echoing in the quiet hallway, and the demon lord slowly came to a stop, eyes glittering with anger and amusement. Servants going about their tasks stuttered in their gait before continuing with their work.

When he turned around, Inuyasha's friend was striding towards him with a purpose.

"Where do you get off laying a hand on Inuyasha?" Miroku began.

Sesshoumaru turned fully towards him and raised an eyebrow.

"You've so far got away with doing whatever you wanted because he was alone," Miroku said quietly, and Sesshoumaru felt his aura flare with the kind of holy energy he hadn't felt in a long time. "Well, he's not alone anymore," Miroku said quietly. "You lay a finger on him again, and you're a dead man."

A/N: Mwaahaahaaa BAMF Miroku! Please review and let me know what you think! ^.^ Feedback is really appreciated.