InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Awry ❯ The Challenge ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

 

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Miroku sighed and stared listlessly at the sight before him. It should have been lovely, breathtaking, even, and yet it felt cold. With winter fading behind him, new villages and the promise of new, eager female flesh should have been both exciting and enticing. And yet…

 

A woman's high-pitched giggle caught his attention, but not even the sight of a half-bared breast could keep it. He reached for his shakujo, set aside out of habit, and gripped the metal rod so tightly that it sent a jolt of pain through his hand. In some ways, it pleased him to feel the strength in that hand, whole these past few years, and mysteriously healed of its curse.

 

"Is something the matter, Lord Monk?" the dancing woman asked. There was concern in her voice, but he was focused on her appearance. A fine, many layered kimono, glistening hair styled just so, and immaculate paint on her face. She looked familiar. Had he met her before, perhaps? No, he did not think he had been to this village recently enough to remember.

 

Miroku blinked, annoyed. So many women that they were all starting to blur together in his memory. And they were, for the most part, so very easy. A word or two, and they would do anything he asked. It was boring and unfulfilling. Dull, even. Not exactly the post-curse life he had hoped for.

 

"I sense a dark presence. I must go."

 

It was not truly a dark presence, but a demonic presence nonetheless. He had a feeling he knew who it was, and just in time to save him from his discontent. The tanuki…

 

He could hear the teahouse women murmuring in response to his sudden departure. An odd sensation struck him: he did not particularly care if he returned to the teahouse or not.

 

Once outside and a safe distance away, he spoke. "Hachi." When, after much rustling of bushes and stuttering hesitation, the raccoon-dog finally appeared, he added, "My friend, what brings you here?"

 

"I have a challenge for you," Hachi said, brushing himself off. His eyes gleamed with mischief, reminding Miroku of why he had always liked this tanuki so much.

 

"What sort of challenge did you have in mind?"

 

"I've heard of a unique challenge for one with your particular, ahem, skills." From the sudden, forced propriety in the tanuki's voice, Miroku knew exactly which set of skills he meant. His longtime friend and companion was not unaware of his reputation with women. Far from it, in fact.

 

"There's a woman of surpassing beauty, in an unhappy marriage to a small-time lord." Seeing Miroku's unimpressed look, he quickly added, "She's a feisty one. Rumor has it she's a warrior."

 

"A warrior…"

 

"I hear there's good money in it for anyone who can seduce this lady," Hachi continued.

 

Miroku mulled this over for a moment. "Go on."

 

"My source says that there is a great reward in store for one who can accomplish this in a single season, before the first snow." The tanuki shrugged. "The bastard wouldn't say more unless I was planning to attempt it myself."

 

Miroku frowned. It was barely spring. Winter was a long way off. "So the real catch is not the time limit, but that the game comes at the cost of this woman's honor."

 

Not that a little thing like honor had ever stopped him before.

 

"Well, yes, I suppose so," the tanuki said, his voice suddenly betraying his nervousness. It sounded almost as if he had expected Miroku to turn him down.

 

"And I suppose you're honor-bound not to reveal the name of this source of yours." He leaned closer and made his voice sound more dangerous, just to set the tanuki on edge.

 

"Y-yes, lord Miroku," Hachi stammered. "I am not to give a name until you have completed the task… Only then will you receive the reward."

 

Miroku stood suddenly; Hachi leapt backward with a yelp.

 

"If I play, it will be by my rules," the monk observed calmly. If Hachi was nervous about issuing this challenge, there had to be a reason for it. Miroku wondered who had put him up to it… At the very least he could guess who stood to gain from the defamation of this woman. One of the lord's more ambitious underlings, perhaps. It did not much matter, but it piqued his curiosity, and almost as much as the woman herself.

 

What would it be like to face off against a woman he could consider his equal? A woman that did not merely obey, but lived by her own honor, her own sword and strength… It was a tempting proposition.

 

"Will you do it?"

 

"We'll see. Show me the way and I'll think about it."

 

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Hachi provided detailed directions to the village where this woman was reputed to live, and Miroku had followed dutifully for days, but there was no sign of the village. He had parted ways with the tanuki shortly after the discussion that had led to this journey in the first place, and now Miroku was beginning to wonder if he was just being too impatient or if he had wrongly remembered the directions.

 

Regardless, with foul weather brewing on the horizon, he was hoping to find shelter soon.

 

A village appeared in the distance, like a beacon. It did not matter to him whether it was the right one or not. Best to find a teahouse and weather the storm in as pleasant a way as possible.

 

A short while later, as the first bitterly cold rain began to fall, he determined that there were in fact no teahouses, or even brothels, in this particular village. Upon closer inspection, it was really more of a town than a village, and was crowned by a modest castle. It might even have been the village he had been searching for. The whole place was a little rough and worn around the edges, but it was pleasant enough. Except, of course, for the decided lack of feminine company with which to entertain himself.

 

Unable to tolerate the rain any longer, he took shelter at the village's inn. Several village men clustered on the porch, discussing the weather, as well as the current political situation. All were old, some scarred and marked from years of hard work in the fields. They were most likely the village's elder peasants, and therefore a good source of information.

 

Miroku took up an unobtrusive position nearby, and quietly listened to their conversation as the storm rumbled through. One of them bemoaned the loss of the town's whores and teahouses. He was hurriedly shushed when he began to loudly blame his lord's wife for the lack. Another man pointed out that one look at the lady in all her glory would more than make up for any perceived lack.

 

An awkward silence ensued, and was gradually replaced by discussion of other, safer topics.

 

Miroku pretended to be deep in meditation. It was amazing, the things people were willing to say around him when they thought he was not paying attention. The rumors he heard at the inn served to confirm that he was in the right place, after all.

 

The young lord and his men, those villagers that could fight, were away, and had been for some time now. His wife, though lovely, was a hellion of a woman, and rumor had it that she had been furious at being left behind. The men said it had taken days to remind her of her place. They laughed heartily at that, but Miroku was intrigued. Seducing such a woman might actually be a welcome challenge. And if the village men were away, even better.

 

It would certainly alleviate his boredom, for a few days, anyway.

 

The storm gave him time to formulate a plan, and he waited patiently at the inn until well after it had passed and the villagers had dispersed. Only then did he set out, making his way calmly and sedately, though with an obvious sense of purpose, toward the small castle that looked so massive in comparison to the village that surrounded it.

 

A few servants milled about outside, but he did not see any guards. Perhaps it was true that the lord had gone, and taken every able-bodied man of warrior class with him. Miroku had to question the wisdom of leaving one's noble wife alone and unguarded in a time of war, but chalked it up to the mysteries of the noble class. He remembered what Hachi had said, that the woman was a warrior, and wondered if her prowess was such that she was capable of keeping herself and her staff safe without assistance. He smiled, slightly. Best not to question such things too deeply, as the situation worked out all the better for him the way things were.

 

He observed for a moment longer, feeling his anticipation grow with each passing heartbeat. Even if nothing came of this, even if the rumors were all untrue, this was bound to be an interesting encounter.

 

He had bedded ladies and peasants before, even princesses that turned out to be demons, but never a warrior.

 

As none of the servants had yet approached him, he cleared his throat and announced, "Please take me to the lord of this castle. I must speak with him regarding an urgent matter. I sense a very dark aura about this place, and it must be dealt with immediately."

 

The servants glanced at one another slyly, but they admitted him with a young woman as his guide. Their response to his proclamation seemed a bit odd, but he shrugged the feeling off. Perhaps they had recently been visited by another traveling monk, or simply had not noticed a great many things going wrong lately.

 

As he followed the young woman through a short maze of hallways, he took the time to observe his surroundings. The castle's appointments were well-made and well-kept, but not ostentatious. Everything appeared to be in running order. Even the servants were fine to look at.

 

He could not help himself, and rubbed his hand along his guide's bottom in a practiced caress, earning himself an indignant slap in the process. She was feisty. He wondered if she was a match for the lady of the castle.

 

She fended his hand away again as they stopped outside one of the many shoji doors. She bid him wait quietly and slipped inside. He could barely make out a faint, murmured conversation within, but decided not to eavesdrop. The girl returned a few moments later and slid the door open enough that he could enter. "The lord Takeda is away, but my lady Sango will see you in his stead," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

 

He nodded his thanks and, wishing he had asked the girl's name, entered the room. It was not as he had expected; it was an audience room, yes, but much smaller than he had thought to see. Her own private audience chamber, maybe, if her husband was as inclined to spoil her as the village men had thought.

 

The lady, Sango, dismissed the servant with a wave of her hand. The girl did not leave the room immediately, but moved to kneel behind the lady. There were no other attendants present.

 

"Sit." He obeyed the command without question, sitting down in front of the lady but close enough that he could touch her if he chose to. When he was settled, he looked at her expectantly. She was as striking as the rumors had said. If he had harbored any lingering hesitance to take on Hachi's challenge, it vanished at the sight of her.

 

"Tell me why, Lord Monk, you are lying to my servants about the presence of a supposed dark aura under our roof." The lady's eyes were large and luminous, even in the dim light, but were at the same time cold and suspicious.

 

"I would not lie about such an important matter," he protested. He had left himself open for further suspicion and accusations, but would deal with those problems as they arose. Her skepticism had taken him by surprise, but not for long. He was accustomed to dealing with recalcitrant innkeepers and noblemen.

 

For her part, Lady Sango looked thoughtful. For a moment he almost thought he saw amusement in those eyes. "Show me, then."

 

That he had not expected, given her initial response, but it was easy enough to come up with something to show as proof of a demon's presence. He had plenty of practice at duping lords and ladies. "Of course, my lady," he said, bowing deeply. "If you will be kind enough to follow me, I shall lead you to the source of the problem… though I cannot guarantee that it will be safe…"

 

"I am not worried," the lady replied, rising from her seat with an easy, effortless grace that left him momentarily spellbound. Her lips twitched in an almost-smirk when she caught him staring at her. "Lead the way, Lord Monk."

 

He stumbled hurriedly to his feet, bowing again before heading back into the hallway. Lady Sango followed sedately behind, the servant girl behind her. He got the distinct impression that this woman was toying with him.

 

He could feel her gaze on his back as he led the way down the hall, and found her scrutiny unnerving. It was almost intense enough to make him falter.

 

A niche set into the wall up ahead caught his eye; it was empty, and seemed a likely enough place for a dark aura to originate. And there were plenty of support beams nearby where he could place sealing fuda in order to remove the "demon."

 

"This is the place from which the dark aura flows," he announced, coming to a stop just before it.

 

"Hmm," said Lady Sango, a hint of appreciation in her voice.

 

"I can banish it, if it pleases you," Miroku told her cheerfully. "And for you, I will charge no fee."

 

"Is that so?" She stepped forward until she was standing next to him. She was so close that it was all he could do to keep his hand from sneaking over to caress her rear. The threat of potentially dire consequences for such misbehavior was enough to keep him in line… for now.

 

"It is."

 

"Tell me… why has this happened here? What spirit have we angered? Or is it truly a demon that haunts this castle?"

 

"I cannot be sure until I have begun the exorcism ritual…"

 

"That is because you are lying," she stated, bluntly enough that he nearly flinched.

 

"I swear it is no lie," he said, recovering with easily faked sincerity. "I -"

 

"It is no lie… or you are trying to swindle me?" she pressed. He did not answer, merely allowed a suitably taken aback expression to cross his face. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Lord Monk," she continued, with careful emphasis on his formal title, as if she were being supremely polite instead of cutting neatly to the core of his lies. "Are you aware that before my marriage to Lord Takeda I was a demon slayer?"

 

"A demon slayer?" Well, shit. Nobody had said anything about that. So much for his brilliant plan.

 

She nodded. "Do you think it is likely that a demon slayer would allow a demon with evil intent to inhabit her home?"

 

"No, my Lady."

 

"Good answer. I suggest that you leave, and do not return to this place."

 

His keen sense of self-preservation dictated that Miroku obey the order, though he noted that this time he was given no guide. He could feel Sango's steely gaze on his back as he walked, even as he had already, and quite inappropriately, dropped the respectful and formal "lady" from her name. She was… quite a woman. Everything he had expected, and more.

 

He had to admit, he was probably lucky to have escaped with no more punishment than being scolded and urged to leave, but by the time he made it outside he was grinning.

 

He had no intention of obeying her command to stay away. Quite the opposite, in fact. The coming season was definitely going to be fun…

 

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Author's Note: This story is being written based on prompts from the livejournal community 7rainbowprompts. This first installment is based on Blue prompt #10: "welcome home". My heartfelt thanks go to LuxKen27 and Psyco_Chick32 for their input and assistance with this story.