Notes: I am aware of the Kagome/Inuyasha/Kikyou triangle being But rather than doing the typical "Kagome sees Kikyou and Inuyasha together and just so happens to run into an Out Of Character Sesshoumaru, I decided to my own little spin upon things. I may continue this if I receive some form of reaction. Enjoy. 

Disclaimer: Inuyasha "Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi" and its related characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.

Temptation

By Kagura

They sky was dark and glistening with the lights of hundreds of stars, yet as hard as Higurashi Kagome tried, she simply couldn't fall asleep. Aside from the soft snores made by the slumbering kitsune snuggled against her chest, silence was all around her.

Brushing a piece of ebony hair away from her dark eyes, Kagome sighed disparagingly. After a long day of hunting for fragments of the Shikon no Tama, dealing with Inuyasha's short temper and rude comments and keeping Miroku's busy hands as far away from her body as possible, Kagome knew she was exhausted. Yet why was sleep so difficult to come by?

Kagome tried her hardest to sink into boredom by observing the area around her. Despite the darkness and the swiftly fading light of a fire. She could hear the fluttering of leaves against a soft wind, as well as the sounds of insects and small animals scurrying about.

Despite the potential danger of some crazed youkai bursting from the undergrowth, Kagome felt protected. Miroku was on the ground with her, though it had taken both her and Inuyasha's threats of bodily harm before he moved what they considered a safe distance away. 

Meanwhile, Inuyasha had perched himself amongst the branches and leaves of a nearby tree, looking unusually relaxed amid the foliage. Kagome sometimes would watch him, at least until he opened his eyes and yelled at her to go to sleep, because he wasn't going to carry her around in the morning.

If she hadn't learned to ignore Inuyasha, Kagome was sure that they would have continued arguing until sunrise. Needless to say, there were still many times when they did bicker back and forth, only to have a youkai or a well-timed Osuwari put an end to it. At least for the time being.

Kagome couldn't help but remember their last major argument and frowned. It had happened only days ago, the events preceding it were still fresh within her mind. It had all began after she had returned to the Sengoku Jidai, after Inuyasha had stolen her fragment of the Shikon no Tama and tried to seal the Bone-Gobbler's Well.

Naraku had then appeared for the first time, telling the truth behind Kikyou's pinning Inuyasha to the God Tree and then disappearing in a cloud of miasma. When Inuyasha had followed him into the acidic cloud, Kagome had been sure her heart had ceased beating.    

She worried about him constantly when she had been trapped in present Japan, wondering if his wounds had healed and even if he could possibly be…dead. Not knowing what was happened had almost torn Kagome apart and yet Inuyasha insisted upon lunging thoughtlessly into danger once again.

But he did have a reason, Kagome thought unhappily. Naraku was main the cause for Kikyou turning on him, if it hadn't been for his influence…they would have been together…

That thought brought Kagome little happiness. Kikyou and Inuyasha had allowed their mistrust of one another to aide in Naraku's scheming and both of them were regretting it. Inuyasha had been sealed to the God Tree for fifty years and Kikyou…

Kikyou wasn't even alive any longer. Animated by the spark of Kagome's soul, the former miko was little more than a walking corpse, feeding upon the souls of the dead and fueled by an insatiable vengeance.

Against her better judgment, Kagome had pitied Kikyou and quickly learned that her tragic history couldn't completely excuse her behavior. Even after Kagome had explained Naraku's plot, Kikyou had still tried to drag Inuyasha into Hell with her.

Only after she kissed him, Kagome frowned slightly. Horror and jealousy had flourished within her, while Kikyou's Shinidamachuu restricted her to merely watching the scene before her. And even after hearing Inuyasha declaring his feelings for Kikyou, she still couldn't stand by and allow him to be pulled into Hell.

Kikyou may have enchanted Inuyasha, but it was my voice that awakened him…

Yet the damage had still been done. Kagome knew Inuyasha's feelings for Kikyou, but in regard to herself…

This is all such a mess. Inuyasha said that he still loves Kikyou and that he wants me near him…But Kikyou still wants to kill him and I…What do I want?

Kagome certainly didn't to kill Inuyasha, even during the times he was at his most obnoxious. She worried about him, had done everything possible to come back to him and yet he seemed so ready to dismiss her in favor of Kikyou. It was an unfair situation, but Inuyasha could have at least tried to make things a little easier.

Could he?

Gently prying Shippou's arms from around her neck and depositing him beside her, Kagome fumbled for an answer.

Inuyasha feels responsible for what happened to Kikyou and he can't just forget that obligation. Especially since he still loves her. But if he allows that fact to blind him to Kikyou's hatred again, then what? No matter what happens, the outcome will still be awful.

Trying to ignore the pang of despair that had developed within her chest, Kagome sat up slowly. Remembering Shippou beside her and that Miroku was also nearby; she covered her mouth to stifle a noisy yawn. To contest the stiffness that sleeping on the ground usually brought her, Kagome stretched her arms above her.

She then moved carefully and despite the reluctance of her body to leave the warmth of her blankets, Kagome pulled the rest of her body from her sleeping roll and stood.

Half expecting to hear Inuyasha's snarled orders and prepared to ignore every one of them, Kagome was surprised when no response came. Intent upon further testing Inuyasha's awareness, Kagome walked towards the tree where she had last seen him and glanced upward. Searching for some semblance of movement or perhaps the glint of the Tetsusaiga within its sheath, Kagome jumped when she heard Miroku's ever-amicable voice suddenly cut through the silence.    

"Inuyasha is not here, Kagome-sama. You did not hear him, but he left moments ago."

Miroku had been watching Kagome shift and sigh for quite some time. And while she wasn't as nude as he would have preferred, he still found the view to be most engaging.

It was true that Kagome wasn't as responsive to his charms as he had wished her to be, but that knowledge had not stopped him from taking advantage of any and all situations that were prone to arise. Despite his clerical standing, Miroku was not by any means virtuous and he had no trouble in making that fact known.

It was also true that the cursed presence of the Kazaana made him slightly more interested in having progeny than most men his age, but his unique fascination with the fairer sex had been inherited, making Miroku a victim of habit, rather than a lecher or pervert. It was unfortunate that Kagome could not see things that way.

Miroku had encountered many women in his short life, more of them being evil youkai intent up rending him limb from limb than not. But Kagome…was special. It wasn't merely because she traveled between the Sengoku Jidai and its future or because she wore her outlandish clothing that mostly served to give a lovely view of her slender legs and ample (so memory served) breasts…

There was innocence and a charming naiveté that seemed always to surround Kagome. It was also her selflessness that surprised Miroku. She had put herself in harm's way during the battle that had taken place after their initial meetings, simply to keep both Inuyasha and him from being killed. Kagome had also willingly chosen to return to the Sengoku Jidai, despite being given (or rather forced) a chance at safety.

It isn't to say that Kagome is woman lacking in temper either, Miroku reflected sagely. Her use of Osuwari to subdue Inuyasha did at times verge upon being excessive and she had struck him with more blunt objects than he had names for whenever his hands happened to innocently come into contact with an area of her body.

It was also those examples of her fierceness that intrigued Miroku as well. Kagome would have been a remarkable mother to his children, if not for her feelings towards Inuyasha.

She had vocalized them, perhaps not directly but Miroku had been around enough women to interpret her meaning. Inuyasha had not only missed the implication of her words, but also allowed his feelings for a woman fifty years dead to interfere with his judgment. The Kikyou of this time was merely a corpse. A ghost of the past clothed in mud and the dirt of the grave, while the living, breathing Kagome remained painfully unnoticed in that aspect.

Perhaps he pitied her, or perhaps Miroku was feeling the stirrings of jealousy. Unless Naraku was defeated, he was doomed to die in some unknown time of his life and thereby needed to further his bloodline only for the sake of retribution. Love, were it to come into the picture, would truly be a luxury.

It was that harrowing thought that influenced what Miroku spoke when he noticed Kagome scanning for Inuyasha amid the many branches.

"Inuyasha is not here, Kagome-sama. You did not hear him, but he left moments ago."

Kagome wasn't sure what surprised her more. Learning that Inuyasha had departed for some inexplicable reason or the fact that Miroku had been awake throughout her musings and had given no indication of it.

"Forgive me, Kagome-sama." Miroku continued as he rose from his position beneath an opposing tree. His staff leaned against the tree trunk, glimmering in the remnants of the firelight.

"My intention was not to startle you." As though to punctuate his words, Miroku gave his most innocent smile.

Unsure what to make of Miroku's apology, Kagome decided to press onward.

"Inuyasha left?" She questioned curiously. "Did he say where he was going?"

Miroku shook his head, his face becoming unusually placid. "He did not. Nonetheless, I did notice the Shinidamachuu trailing across the sky a short time prior to his departure."

Kagome frowned, her dark eyes filling with concern. "The Shinidamachuu? Then Inuyasha must be with…"

She didn't need to say the name aloud, for Miroku had already made the assumption. Inuyasha had left them to go to Kikyou.

Miroku watched the emotions swiftly cross Kagome's fair face. Shock gave way to anger, which gave way to sorrow… The sadness that, in his opinion, really had no place upon such a beautiful face nearly made him regret having told her the truth.

When Kagome turned away from him, Miroku frowned. Her response was worse than he had anticipated it would be.

"Kagome-sama," He began gently. "Inuyasha should be well aware of the risks that come with confronting Kikyou. Nonetheless, his reasons for leaving tonight may not have dealt with Kikyou trying to kill him."

Kagome whirled to face him, her face shining with an indignant anger. "Is that supposed to make things any better?" 

In spite of her anger, Miroku remained calm.

"No." He spoke firmly as he leisurely reached his right hand around Kagome's waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Perhaps this will." Wasting no more time, Miroku tilted Kagome's chin upwards with his free hand. Leaning downwards, he placed what he considered a chaste kiss on her lips. Once he felt her respond to his advances, he deepened the kiss, intent upon taking her sorrow and proverbial breath away…

How had it happened? Kagome was having trouble keeping her thoughts focused enough to try and figure things out. One minute she had been stewing in her anger and on the verge of yelling at him and the next…she was clutching him like no tomorrow and returning his heated kisses.

It made no sense. Miroku had his habits of groping and peeping, but what could have possessed him to kiss her? And more importantly, why was she kissing him back? The entire situation was crazy.

As Miroku used his free hand to press his body against the length of hers, Kagome gasped lightly. Pausing a moment to smirk at her reaction, Miroku resumed crushing Kagome's lips with his own and proceeded to trailing his fingers up and down her back slowly.

Kagome's thoughts seemed to race along with her heartbeat. What if Inuyasha comes back and sees us? Or what if he's doing the same thing to Kikyou?

His thoughts obviously upon something else, Miroku moved his mouth from Kagome's soft lips to bottom of her jaw and the crook of her throat. He was behaving himself reasonably for Kagome's sake, but more time he spent touching her delicate skin and tasting her lips, the more tempted he was to pull her down with him to the ground, Inuyasha be damned.

Returning his attentions to Kagome's lips, Miroku lowered his hand from her chin to the ridiculous tie around her neck. His fingers seemed to grow clumsy as he fumbled with the knot, the urge to bare Kagome's shoulders to both the wind and his lips almost overwhelming him.

This can't be happening, Kagome mused disjointedly. She didn't have the same feelings for Miroku as she did for Inuyasha, that much she was sure of. But she wasn't exactly running away from him either. Was this similar to the way Inuyasha was feeling, trapped between two opposing sides? It was ironic that he wasn't there for Kagome to ask him.

And at the rate things were going, she might let the reasons against what she and Miroku were doing slip away all together. Although he body all but screamed at her in argument, Kagome made a decision.    

"Miroku-sama…" Kagome murmured, her soft voice tinged with embarrassment. "I-I can't do this. I'm sorry."

With immense reluctance, Miroku ceased his ministrations. As he removed his mouth Kagome's throat, some parts of his body rather than others each had their own objections, especially after him being restricted to what he considered his "best behavior." However, Miroku was not one to truly force his affections upon an unwilling woman, although it saddened him that Kagome would not allow herself even the smallest of pleasures.

Miroku slowly released Kagome, the temptation to change her mind serving as a fantasy he realized he couldn't indulge in. He knew he had a excellent chance at succeeding, with Kagome looking as unsure as she did. The flush of her face, the almost frantic rise and fall of her chest, which seconds ago had been pressed against his…it was quite the enticement.

The air between them became tense, as Miroku had anticipated it would. He didn't have a single regret regarding what he had done, but he sensed Kagome was awash with a trivial guilt, unnecessary as it was.

Perchance he could remedy those feelings to some degree.

 "A lack of sleep and a trying day can bring about… strange situations, wouldn't you say, Kagome-sama?" Miroku inquired quietly.       

Kagome's thoughts swam. The words "strange situations" were putting it very lightly, to say the least. She had been bothered by the thought of Inuyasha kissing Kikyou and then she had allowed Miroku to…

Not 'allowed,' Kagome thought morosely. She'd enjoyed every minute of their interaction, at least until the guilty feelings of hypocrisy and betrayal had surfaced.

"Yes…I guess those things can cause strange events to happen." Kagome concurred hesitantly. Part of her couldn't believe that she was being so quick to dismiss what had occurred.

Miroku's lavender eyes belayed a measure of persuasion as he continued.

"Therefore, such a situations needs not to be spoken of again, do you agree?" Miroku asked coolly. 

Kagome stared at him questioningly. She didn't plan upon repeating what had happened, but could they really act as though nothing had changed? But as though her mouth was acting independently from her brain, Kagome heard herself mutter, "I agree."

An easygoing smile spread across Miroku's face. "Very well then. I suggest we both try to retire. I'm sure we will hear Inuyasha return…whether we wish to or not."

Still feeling as though she was in a daze, Kagome nodded awkwardly "Right…Sleep well, Miroku-sama."

Still smiling, Miroku nodded and moved further away from Kagome. "You too, Kagome-sama."

Kagome watched Miroku return to his prior position beneath the immense tree trunk. As she gazed at his deceptively still form, Kagome knew she wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon. Particularly not with Miroku still watching her from the darkness…