Bffimagine: Here is yet another Inny fic by me.

Miroku: Just a warning now, the pairings are me and Sango, me and Inuyasha, me and Kagome, me and Shippo, me and Sesshomaru, me and Naraku, me and Koga. Jeez.

Sango: Slaps Miroku You six-timer!

Loved By All

"Inuyasha?" Miroku asked absent-mindedly.

The entire group turned around, and Inuyasha replied simply, "Whaddya want?"

"Are you still going to use the Shikon jewel to turn yourself into a full-fledged demon?" Miroku lifted his head, face stoic and serious.

"Yes. Why do you keep nagging me about it?"

Miroku's face fell into a disappointed look. "Never mind."

'It kills me to see him so disappointed, especially in me.' Inuyasha mused to himself.

"What were you thinking Miroku?" Sango inquired, curious to find out what the houshi had in mind.

"Nothing. It's alright Sango; I just wanted to see if he could change his mind. I guess not." He waved it off with a cheerful smile and waited with that expression until Sango turned around. As soon as her gaze averted from himself, Miroku stared down at his right hand. He did that very often nowadays.

'To think this is what's going to kill me. I just hope I'll have enough time to tell them about that thing that's been hindering me for a while. I have to keep it a secret for now, I'll wait for the opportune moment.' Miroku pondered solemnly about his little secret.

Miroku fingered his prayer beads for a while, but was grabbed out of his thoughts when clawed hands grabbed him from behind, covering his mouth with a rag. A strange, sweet smell entered Miroku's senses.

'Damn! He's drugging me!' Miroku's mind screamed, but his voice wavered and died.

Making a desperate escape, Miroku slammed his elbow into his capturer's stomach, causing him to be momentarily winded and loosen his grip on Miroku's body.

By this time Inuyasha and co. had noticed that Miroku wasn't following. They all turned around simultaneously just in time to see him escape—Sesshomaru's grasp!

"You're dead now Sesshomaru! Tetsusaiga!" Inuyasha hollered as he transformed his sword.

"No Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled as he ran towards the full-demon.

Inuyasha snapped, but didn't pull back fast enough. He left a large, deep gash from Miroku's right shoulder to his lower left stomach. It started to bleed immediately.

"Idiot! Why did you protect him?" Inuyasha blew up in Miroku's face.

Miroku grinned mischievously. "You shouldn't kill your brother. I just saved you from having that weighted down on your consciousness."

Inuyasha bowed his head slightly, leaving Miroku to look at his little doggy-ears.

"It may have been on Inuyasha's consciousness, but it's just another demon to me!" Sango bellowed as she dove for Sesshomaru with her katana.

"Sango! Don't kill Inuyasha's brother!" Miroku flung his arm in front of Sesshomaru's face.

Sango remained determined, and continued her attack. But when she realized Miroku was willing to risk severing his arm to protect the demon. Trying to come out of the attack, she slashed Miroku's arm.

"I'm sorry Miroku!" She cried, sheathing the katana as quickly as she could.

"It's fine. Just don't do that again." Miroku lowered his arm, sending blood from the deep cut onto the pathway in a flowing cascade.

"Thank you for protecting me. But I will have to kill one of your comrades because of their attempts to kill me." He lunged at the weakest target; Kagome.

Kagome screamed and raised her arms in front of her head.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, ready to lunge down onto Sesshomaru. Miroku caught his kimono sleeve with his good arm and kept him back.

"Let me go," he said quickly, running fast toward Kagome. (A/N: Yes, Miroku is very, very fast.)

Spreading his arm span in front Kagome, Miroku succeeded in making Sesshomaru pull back, but his whip wasn't as fast. It cut Miroku's right cheek deeply, but Miroku didn't flinch.

Kagome suddenly became aggressive. She strung an arrow, shooting it at Sesshomaru. Bleeding and wounded, Miroku still managed to jump between Sesshomaru and the Purity Arrow. It grazed his neck, leaving a long, deep slash in it.

"Nice shot Kagome! It's just that you hit the wrong target!" Koga shouted from a nearby rock.

"When did you get here?" Kagome called back, frustrated with the fact she hit Miroku instead of Sesshomaru and that Koga had been following her.

"Long enough to watch my sweet Miroku get battered up like a DOGGY TOY!" He yelled the last two words in Inuyasha's direction.

"At lease he still has dignity! He's not like a DIRTY WOLF!" Inuyasha shrieked back.

Steam seemed to come out of Koga's ears. He ran viciously toward Inuyasha.

"Watch out Inuyasha!" Miroku warned from where he stood. Koga flinched and tripped, punching the ground to break his fall. Unfortunately, he hit the ground with the arm that had a Shikon jewel shard in it, and it caused a wake of breaking rocks in Miroku's direction. Too weak to dodge the accidental assault, Miroku could only watch helplessly as the crumbling rocks came his way.

"Fox-fire!" Shippo yelled, accidentally burning Miroku instead of protecting him.

It was too late. Miroku was buried alive in a massive amount of rocks. Blood was oozing through the cracks.

"MIROKU!!!" everyone present cried in unison. All of them rushed toward the heap of bloody rocks. Each started hauling rocks four or five at a time.

Once uncovered, Miroku stood up or something like that. Blood painted his milky skin vivid reds and mahoganies, crimsons and burgundies. Streams of this liquid latticed his arms and legs.

"I'm fin" Miroku uttered weakly before passing out cold and collapsing into Inuyasha's arms.

"He has a high fever," Shippo announced sadly, biting his nails in worry.

Inuyasha nodded grimly and picked Miroku up. He walked in the direction of Kaede's hut, all of the others (A/N: Yes, that includes Koga and Sesshomaru) followed behind him.

Everyone waited anxiously outside Kaede's hut, all of them too worried to bother calling each other names or insulting anyone.

Finally Kaede stepped out of her small hut, a grim look twisted across her aged face. "He's gone. Just slipped away in the midst of a nightmare. Ye all be thankful that young man didn't just let you kill each other, he stepped in just in time.

"How did you know all that?" spat an unexpected visitor; Naraku.

"He was reliving it in his nightmare. Ye be lucky Naraku; all the others have helped kill him, but ye didn't cause him no pain." Kaede hung her head.

"Oh really? I killed his ancestors. I put that hole in his hand. I helped just as much as anyone."

Kagome looked up from her feet. 'Naraku? Admit demise of someone?'

Naraku looked up to the sky. 'I never thought I would fall in love with that monk's grandson.' He thought harder. 'Or that he would be so damned beautiful.'

The Next Day

INUYASHA

Inuyasha sat quietly by the new black marble gravestone, looking down at it for a while before kneeling before it.

"I never thought it would be you of all people that I would love, you stupid monk. I thought it was Kagome. I guess I was wrong. I don't want to break her heart if she loves me, but I love you so much more. The fact I helped kill you is like acid to my heart. It slowly eats away at me, until I have nothing left. I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry Miroku. I love you more than anything in the world.

"When we were digging all of those graves, all I could think about was how you worked restlessly until all the graves were dug, filled, covered, marked and blessed. Never did the thought of me digging YOUR grave cross my mind.

"You were always so smart, cunning, and clever. You tried to lift all of our spirits, even though yours were beyond dropped. It seemed you always had that smile on even though you had your death nagging you in your mind for your whole life.

"We didn't help much. We would insult you, yell at you, tell you off for anything wrong, and I even called you names. But instead of retaliating, you absorbed it and smiled, or you would come back as to leave us speechless.

"You were, and now still are, beautiful. I always adored your violet eyes, always searching, comforting, or crying. I know for a fact you rarely slept, since you were always looking out for all of us. You provided as well as you could for all of us. Sometimes, however, you wouldn't go to sleep because you were afraid of the nightmares that lurked within your dreams, always tormenting you and haunting you. At those times that I woke up in the middle of the night to your whimpers and shivers, you were covered in cold sweat, and I longed to just cradle your head in my lap until morning. When you woke up, I'd always see that dreading look on your face, when you were remembering the horrible dreams you had. Soon after you would just put on that funny little smile of yours and get back into that high-spirited mood.

"I remember how you'd look when you just came back from your meditating in the waterfall. Your black hair would be loose and glistening about your shoulders and that was the one time of day you'd have your robes off. You weren't bulky or anything, but you were well-muscled. I wish I could have your beautiful self as mine right now, but that can't happen.

"You were so peaceful when you slept; if you didn't have nightmares reeking havoc on your body and mind. It was as if you never drew a breath, your chest rarely rose or fell. Sometimes I would worry you had died in your sleep, so I would place my hand over your heart just to make sure.

"I love you Miroku, and I wish you hadn't left me. In your memory, I'll use the Shikon jewel to become human instead of demon. I wish I told you I would do that earlier; I guess I thought I had time. I love you Miroku."

Inuyasha bent down and kissed the gravestone, deftly imagining it was Miroku's lips.

SANGO

Sango silently sat at Miroku's grave for easily three hours. She began to speak in a thin, restrained voice:

"I'm sorry Miroku. I would insult you so, but you'd just smile about it. I cut your arm so badly, but you just waved it off like it was nothing.

"Now I wish I had born you a child. I'm sorry. I really love you dearly, even more so than Kohaku. You loved me more than life itself, but I never told you I loved you back. Now it's too late. Forgive me please Miroku. I love you too much to live without you forgiving me. I know you love me, so now I want you to know I love you. Please accept that into your heart, my beautiful love. Just promise you'll never forget me."

Sango kissed the gravestone where Miroku's name was written, bursting into tears that stained the gravestone darker black.

SESSHOMARU

Standing by Miroku's grave, Sesshomaru started to whisper, his words almost riding the wind.

"Up until now, I thought it was Rin who awakened my love for humans. Now I know it wasn't her; it was you. I never thought I'd love you of all people, but I do. I love you more than you could possibly comprehend. I love you more than I love Tetsusaiga, and you mean more to me than any sword. You were so much more beautiful than a sword crafted of metal and my father's fang. Now it's much too late. I'm sorry Miroku; I helped with your demise. I love you more than ever now though."

He turned and walked away.

KAGOME

Slowly setting down bundles of flowers, Kagome sat down on Miroku's grave.

"I don't know why I still pulled that arrow. I should've known you'd protect him; you saved him from Inuyasha and Sango. I think it was because he cut you. I love you Miroku, more than I would've ever thought. I thought I loved Inuyasha, but I suppose he doesn't love me anyway.

"How did you manage to stay so cheerful even though you knew you were dying? I wouldn't be able to do that. I would probably kill myself if I knew I was going to die a painful death. But you keep your head up high, smile, and laugh as if nothing was wrong.

"I bet you didn't notice this, but I heard you sing before. Only once, but it was more beautiful than anything I've ever heard. The famous singers of my time do not have even one quarter of the beautiful voice you have. But now I can't hear you sing, or even talk, ever again.

"I miss your laugh. The cheerful, spirit-lifting laugh you have. It's such a light sound, not a deep one. I just want to hear you again. I want you to say three words to me.

"Do you know what those words are? I want you to say 'I love you'. I love you, so that's all I want to hear. I love you more than anything I could think of. I'm sorry for saying anything mean to you. Just say you love me."

After waiting in vain for a reply, Kagome stood up and walked sadly away.

KOGA

Koga touched the black gravestone remorsefully.

"I regret ever saying I loved Kagome. I love you Miroku. I'm sorry I lied so horribly. I said I loved her, when I really loved you. How could I tell you though?

"I loved you too much to allow that Inu-Trasha to have you. That was the real reason I was so disagreeable with him. I wanted you so badly, and I want you now. I wish you were standing beside me now. But wishes didn't save us from the Birds of Paradise. You did, as a matter of fact.

"I wish I told you I loved you. You were so perfect; beautiful, strong, and fast. I am nothing like you. You are an angel now I bet, but you were an angel when you were down here too."

Koga stood up, taking another glance at the gravestone. He read the name and years over and over again, quietly muttering, "I love you Miroku."

SHIPPO

A little kitsune timidly walked up to Miroku's grave, plopping down in front of the stone marker.

"I loved you like you were my father Miroku. But I burned you before you died. Is that how you remember me?"

He bowed his orange head.

"That's not how I remember you. I remember the time when I made Inuyasha mad, and he hit me over the head. I remember what you said to me; 'Shippo, if you make Inuyasha mad you will only feel his fist.' You were SO right.

"You always let me ride on your shoulder. Now it feels funny to not be riding there right now. I remember what it felt like; you were slim, so I really had to hold my ground. Your shoulder, like the rest of your body, was muscular, and I had to make sure you didn't move too much or I'd fall off. I remember the feel of your houshi robes underneath my feet. I remember what your cheek felt like against my arm.

"Sometimes you would protect me from Inuyasha's wrath. But usually Kagome beat you to it. I remember how you would reason with Inuyasha, and, like a defeated puppy, he would turn away and mutter 'Feh'.

"I remember when you picked me up and carried me to safety while fighting flocks of demons too. You were so fast; when you ran, you could just about keep up with Inuyasha.

"I was hoping you and Sango would be my parents. I wouldn't mind Kagome as my mom either though. I just wanted you to be my dad. I always had to make sure I would never run into your arms and yell 'daddy!'

"Inuyasha would always call you stupid and say you were an idiot. I think he was really describing himself. You were smart. Very smart. Much smarter than Inuyasha.

"If you were so smart, why did you sacrifice yourself for Sesshomaru? He would've let you die in an instant. Why did you protect him?"

Shippo heaved a sigh much too large for his body. He leaned over and kissed the ground of Miroku's grave. "I love you, Daddy."

NORMAL

The wind blew across the grave yard. A simple houshi's soul sat on his grave, comprehending all of the respects his loved ones had paid him.

"I love you all."

Miroku stood up and walked a few steps away. He stopped and read his gravestone:

'Miroku. Companion, friend, mentor. Died at the age of 16, but had maturity and wisdom beyond his years. Loved By All.'

OWARI