InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Beast ❯ One Week, Part One ( Chapter 16 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any other trademarked properties I might mention here, and I'm not making any money off them, so suing is a waste of time. Remember that, kids.

A/N: Here I am, bustin' Teh Lack of Sleep out to get this chapter out to y'all soon. Hope ye likes it, cause it's all ye be gettin' fer a coupla weeks. (Ha! Take that, SpellCheck!) If you're wondering whether you're on the right chapter, make sure you read yesterday's update first: I'm doing another two-fer, and you don't want to read on without having seen 15 or you'll be very confused. Brain hurty is bad, take it from me.

Speaking of which, Wingsong, thanks for the compliments, and for pointing that out-but I paid very careful attention to who said her name when, and you'll notice that Miroku was partly wrong: it didn't matter when Kagome said it-Inuyasha was the one who needed to watch out, and as soon as he slipped, out she came. `Twas no typo, just a couple of arbitrary rules I set down...because, well, Miroku can't always be right, can he? ; ) Now, on with the story, and what I promise for real and for sure is the first set of day-skipping...(warning: watch for lots of angst, but the other extreme, too...;D)

Oh! A nod to my bf, with whom I had a convo on AIM last night much, much like this chapter and the next (you'll see what I mean). Mwa ha ha. Love y'all!

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Beast

Chapter 16

Shippou woke them both at dawn the next morning by virtue of a loud, piercing whine of "C'moooon, getupnowsowecangooooooout!"

"Since you asked so nicely," Kagome grumbled, rubbing her eyes and throwing the comforter off. The room was markedly warmer than it had been the previous morning.

"Indeed." Sango yawned and glared at the kit in the room's dimness. "What d'you want outside so early for?"

"The treehouse! We're supposed to go out and get stuff for it today!" Shippou pranced around, nearly stumbling over Kagome's legs and continuing unabashed once he righted himself.

"Fine, just gimme one..." Kagome yawned. "Few more hours of sleep." She laid back down, more awake but feigning sleep and grinning at the kit's whining protests.

Luckily, the kitchen servants had heard of their plans - to some degree, as many of them had children who were going as well - and were already up and preparing food when they came by. "Take care, please, Kagome-sama," one older woman said kindly, bowing and holding a large box out for Sango to take. "I do hope you enjoy yourselves today, but please don't overdo it."

"We'll be fine, thank you," Kagome said politely, bowing back and following Sango out to where several children were standing around and yawning near the great doors. Good to know they didn't hold the farting against me...

Once Kirara was located (curled up on one of the only patches of roof that the sun's rays had been soaking all day), they were off, with about six older boys and two girls strong enough to be of some use, and almost a dozen more who were simply curious and along for the trip. Kagome heartily wished for some flashlights as the little procession tromped through the woods, giggling, whispering, rustling, crackling, and generally making enough noise to be heard in Tokyo, she was sure, despite their stern instructions to be as quiet as possible.

"Good thing most of the nocturnal demons have already hunted and the daylight ones are still asleep," Sango whispered in her ear, and they both sighed as one little girl jumped in a pile of leaves, shrieking, and was hushed loudly a moment later by her friends.

"It's not far, is it?" Kagome whispered back, turning long enough to signal silence once more to the children.

"No, we're almost there...as long as we can get them moving again." Sango indicated a cluster of girls crouched around a few flowers at the end of the line, and Kagome seriously considered tearing some hair out before she regained enough control not to yell.

The sun was nearly all the way over the horizon by the time everyone was herded into the area where Inuyasha had spent most of his frustration a few days ago, and Kagome stopped to gape along with the children: trees lay about everywhere, ripped up at the roots or torn clean in half. "He's really strong," one boy whispered, looking at one quartered specimen in awe.

"He scares me," a smaller girl whimpered, tugging Kagome's sleeve for reassurance. "Will you keep him out, Kagome-sama?"

"Now, c'mon. He's not much fun, and he looks mean, but he's not so bad at all. He can even be pretty nice," Kagome said lightly, looking away from the destruction to smile at the girl. "He's like a dog with big teeth that never bites. There's nothing to be scared of."

The younger children shrieked with laughter and the older smiled incredulously at hearing their lord referred to in such an openly casual manner; seeing them whisper to each other, Kagome belatedly hoped their long-ingrained manners would keep her words from reaching Inuyasha's sensitive ears. As long as he's not listening in right now, of course...

The remark was soon forgotten, though, as Sango took charge and set the children to work clearing away the smaller branches to be set aside for firewood so Kirara could begin rolling the trunks into position for the men of the castle to haul them away that afternoon. "What exactly do the men do all day, anyway?" Kagome asked curiously as they sat on a smaller trunk and directed. Shippou was dozing in her lap now that his first energy had worn off.

"They collect wood, fish, tend to the grounds," Sango answered absently, watching their charges chase each other and engage in mock duels with appropriately shaped pieces of wood. "Inuyasha's mother was much more likely to take in human women than men as servants. I'll give you more detail on the computer later."

"'Kay...whoa, whoa, that's enough!" Kagome handed Shippou to Sango, jumped up, pulled her shorts down reflexively and plucked a stick from one overly enthusiastic little boy's hands. "Why don't you go help them over..." That mental twinge from yesterday plucked at her from behind, and she turned and scowled. "...there."

"Good morning, dearest Kagome." Kouga hopped to a stop and bowed, twitching an eyebrow at the children, who stopped to gape at him. "What're the pups out here for?"

"We wanted to bring the wood back to the castle," she explained, turning to smile and wave at the children to continue. They did so, glancing occasionally over at them and whispering more than ever.

"Just the two of you and them?" Kouga scowled at Kirara, who stopped to favor him with a glare before returning to her work and ignoring him as only a feline can. "Y'know, dog-turd is the one who did it. He should clean up after himself." Suddenly his expression brightened. "I know! I'll do it for you! Where did you want this? Just back at the castle somewhere?"

"Uh..." Her first instinct was to turn him down, but he seemed genuinely eager to help, and it wasn't as if they couldn't use his strength. And Inuyasha's already said he won't, the lazy jerk...so why not? "Sure, Kouga, that'd be great. Just put them where they chop up firewood, and the servants can cut it into planks."

"Really?" Kouga grinned and reached over to heft a massive trunk in one hand, lifting it above his head like a stick as the children gasped and backed off hurriedly. "I can do that."

"Be careful not to hurt yourself," Kagome cautioned, wincing as he adjusted it with his other hand. That tree had have been taller than the shrine!

Kouga threw back his head and laughed loud enough to startle some birds out of the nearest intact trees. "Hurt myself? Me? Kagome, you're too much," he said affectionately, turning to pick up another trunk. "Watch it there..." A boy who'd ventured close squeaked and scurried back to his friends as Kouga easily lifted another tree in his other hand.

"Okay, that's good, but..." Kagome glanced around the forest. "How're you getting back? The trees are too close together for you to walk back like that."

Kouga looked blank for a second, then realized her point and shrugged. "Yeah, you're probably right. I'll have to do it my way, then..."

Before she could ask or even wonder much, Kouga had adjusted each trunk carefully and leapt straight into the air. The children gasped as one, and their whispering broke into open babbling.

"You know he's showing off for you, of course," Sango said dryly, handing Shippou back as Kagome sat back down.

"Well, yeah, I figured, but things should go a lot faster if he's helping," Kagome pointed out.

"Who's helping with what?" The children's happy chatter died abruptly as Inuyasha came striding through the trees. "And why do I smell wolf?"

Inuyasha looked at the women sitting down and opened his mouth to say something-then glanced up and nearly bit his tongue clean through as Kouga landed about two inches away. "Morning, dog-turd. Now get outta my space."

"Shut the hell up!" Inuyasha staggered back, flexing his claws. "What're you doing here, bothering everyone again? Go the hell away!"

Kouga shrugged and looked down his nose at the hanyou. "Actually, I'm assisting Kagome and everyone else in moving your mess back to the castle so they can use it. Last time I checked, it wasn't bothering anyone to do some cleanup when the idiot who did it refuses to help." He crossed his arms. "Good one, dog-turd. Though I guess I'm bein' a little harsh-after all, when you're too weak to help out, it's better to stay out of the way, right?"

"That's enough," Kagome said half-heartedly, not really minding the way Inuyasha was sputtering. Kouga does have a point.

"Well, am I right, or am I right?" Kouga looked at her with a faint smirk, then back at Inuyasha, who had failed to come up with a brilliant comeback and settled for growling under his breath. "Go back home before you get hurt or in the way or something."

"Fuck off!" Inuyasha stalked to the nearest tree, sank the claws of one hand into the wood, and lifted it straight into the air. "Where do you want this, Kagome?"

Kagome buried her head in her hands. "Sango? Do me a favor? Shoot me?"

"Shoot you?" the slayer repeated. "What does that mean? With a bow?"

Aaaaaaaargh. "Never mind." She raised her head to look at the smirking wolf lord and glaring half-breed. "Just put it where the servants chop the wood, and if you have to compete, for God's sake, don't hurt each other or any bystanders, okay?"

"You're giving him too much credit, Kagome," Kouga chided, easily ducking a swipe to his head from behind and strolling over to pick up two more trunks. "After you, dog-turd."

There was a long, awkward moment as Inuyasha glanced around and came to the conclusion that he could not in fact walk back to the castle without clearing a path. He glared at everyone in turn, and Kagome wanted to hit him as the children shrank back. Immature idiot!

Finally, Inuyasha glanced up, frowning in thought, and suddenly threw the trunk straight up and into the air. "There we go," he said with immense satisfaction.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelped, watching the trunk arc up and begin to fall. "That wasn't-!"

And it landed with a resounding crash, probably in the courtyard; she let out a huge breath of relief. "You freakin' moron, you can't just toss those things anywhere! You could kill someone!"

Inuyasha's smirk faded, and he snarled at her, "Would you relax, bitch? I know exactly what I'm doing! There's no one there right now!"

"Don't call her that, dog-turd!" Kouga barked.

"What?! She's a female! Females are bitches! `Course, you've never had one, so you wouldn't know, would you, wimpy wolf?"

"You're one to talk, you-"

"Shut up!" Kagome threw her hands up. "You two are the biggest...! I swear, if I ever get out of here, I'm going to write a sitcom with you idiots as the stars!"

"Sitcom?" they both repeated, but Kagome was already up and stalking away.

"I'm going back for a while, and when I come back here, I want all of it cleared up and neither of you two dead or bleeding or bruised or whatever you like to do to each other! Is that clear? Kids, come on! We're leaving!"

None of the children were foolish enough to protest as Kagome and Sango led them back towards the castle, blinking as the newly risen sun hit their faces. Inuyasha and Kouga merely stood there, looking blank, till the noise from the group had faded into nothing.

"Good going, dog-turd," Kouga snarled, picking up two more trees. "Now get out of my way so I can finish and go calm her down."

"Like hell I'm letting you do it!" Inuyasha scooped one up and threw it with unnecessary vigor. "You get out of my way!"

Kouga snorted. "You're pathetic." And he leapt into the air, settling down and startling the same two servants he'd seen before all over again, set them down to form the basis of a small pyramid, and leapt back.

Another trunk nearly brained him as he was descending, and Inuyasha greeted him with a smirk as he landed. "Did I do that? So sorry."

"That does it!" Kouga raised one claw, then remembered Kagome's edict and growled. "Shit. You're not worth it. Time to get this done so I can go back to her."

"So you can...?!" But Kouga was already gone again, and Inuyasha hurled another tree after him. "Yeah, that's what I thought! Just keep running, you bastard!"

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Kagome felt rather bad for cutting their errand short, but the children seemed to understand; that didn't make sending them back to their chores early any easier on her conscience, though. "I wish I could get some toys for them or something," she said wistfully to Sango as they lounged around her room. "If only I could leave long enough to go to a store..." She shook her head. "But I don't have any money, either."

A resounding crash from the courtyard startled them, but Kagome shook her head irritably, and Sango nodded wearily.

"That's all right, Kagome-chan," she said over another crash from outside. "They enjoy your company enough as it is." Sango picked up the headphones. "Do you mind if I...?"

"Oh, no, go for it." Kagome nodded encouragement. "I think I'll take a nap, actually."

Ten minutes later, her eyes cracked open. "Wait...should I go out an' get the guys?"

Sango made no answer, as she was busy humming along to what had become her favorite song; Kagome took that as a sign and went back to sleep.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. They checked on Kaede after lunch and discovered that the old herbalist was feeling better, but wouldn't be up to training for a few days at the least; after their evening bath, Sango and Shippou escorted Kagome up to Inuyasha's, where the hanyou made a snide comment about keeping her appointments (apparently he and the wolf had waited two hours after they were finished for her to come out). She apologized profusely, but to no avail: he and Kouga had gotten into a particularly nasty argument about her again, and it was going to take time and more apologies than Kagome could offer in a single dinner to repair the damage. He settled into a long sulk and refused to talk about it further, and she gave up entirely till they were both done eating and he had to pop the question once more.

"Not that I care any more, but will you marry me?"

"No, I won't, and if you didn't care, you wouldn't be pouting like a little kid." She stuck her tongue out. "For the last time, I'm sorry I left you out there. Now, good night." And she left, ignoring his grumpy response.

Kagome didn't remember her promise to Miroku till she was back in the room, but luckily, the monk had apparently been out all day checking for more demons and, according to a friendly maid who came by for laundry, went straight to bed upon arriving back at the castle. "Aw, man," Shippou muttered.

"What?" Sango had just left with the maid to help bring clean clothes and linen back, and Kagome poked the kit in the side. "You're pretty interested, too, aren't you?"

"Course I am. I like those two, and if they don't wanna get together, they're just being dumb." Shippou yawned and settled down. "Better get another blanket. S'gonna be cold tomorrow with the way you and Inuyasha fought today."

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To Kagome's irritation, it was indeed chilly the next day, and not only was Kaede still feeling unwell, but Miroku went out and predicted that he wouldn't be back for at least a day this time, as he wanted to explore the area's boundaries as far as the curse would allow. As if to seal things, Ginta and Hakaku showed up as soon as she stepped out to go look at the weapons practice area again out of boredom.

"Just wanted to tell you that your family's all right, Kagome-sama," Ginta said as soon as their disguises were down. "They figure you might be alive `cause all your stuff has been disappearing, and your absence actually seems to have spurred your father into taking charge. The wolf we sent to investigate says he saw your red-haired sister hanging laundry out to dry."

"Really?" Kagome had to smirk at the thought of Akemi doing some work for once. "Is there any chance I can go see them, or that they could come here, y'think?"

"Doubtful," Hakaku replied. "Humans can't get into the castle without permission, and if you meet your family again before the curse is up, it might think you've given up on Inuyasha. I wouldn't risk it-they'll be fine till you can go back and tell them about you and Kouga."

Kagome twitched. "There'll be nothing to tell, okay?"

"But if you did..." Ginta glanced around theatrically. "You know I'm in charge of researching endangered species around here, right?"

"Yeah..." Kagome didn't like where this was going...but who knew? Maybe she was wrong for once. Well, wrong in my own favor, at least...

"Well, it was easy enough for our dads to get the wrong idea just by misinterpreting what I told them...if I were to, say, issue a real report and get Hakaku to publicize the fact that the land was ready to be developed, you could hold onto the title, and we could settle down here-but if you were to, say, lease some of it for a few years at a time, the money would go to you. Everyone would benefit."

Sango, who had cramps and was even more preoccupied than her friend, didn't understand enough to comment, but Kagome couldn't speak for a few seconds. "You mean...you're saying if I married Kouga, you'd lie to everyone so we could...?"

"Yep. We don't want to rush you, but considering the curse won't be broken, it's really the best option for everyone, isn't it?" Ginta smiled and bowed, oblivious to her wince. "We'd best get home now. Our wives will never let us rest if they think we're sneaking out to see other women."

"Yeah, you'd best go back to WAIT!" Kagome nearly leapt at them, and they froze. "Where do you live? In the city?"

They nodded uneasily, and instantly her manner changed. She smiled, bowed slightly and clasped her hands in what she subconsciously recognized was a very Akemi-like fashion. "Could you gentlemen please do me a favor? I'd pay you back..."

Inuyasha was a little more relaxed at dinner tonight, though he did want to know why the wolves had come back.

"They wanted to talk about the land more," she said truthfully, shuddering a little at the thought of their offer. As if I'd marry anyone just to get a hold of some money!

But it'd be for your family, a niggling little voice whispered. You were willing to die to let your dad live, weren't you? And Kouga would probably let you go to school, too, if it'd make you happy. He'd let you do just about anything. The guy's nuts about you.

What do you mean, let me? Kagome scowled into her rice bowl. "I'm not Akemi, dammit," she mumbled.

"Who's Akemi?" Inuyasha's voice made her spill her tea, and she cursed, mopping it up with a napkin. Crap, did I say that out loud?

"Someone I'm not," she answered succinctly, letting him puzzle that out as she regained her composure. No, I don't love Kouga, and I'm not marrying him, and that's that. She mentally nodded to herself, satisfied now that the voice of dissent had shut up.

"So...you're really not letting the wimpy wolf have this place, are you?"

Kagome glanced up, surprised: in Inu-ese, that was an undisguised plea. "No, Inuyasha, I'm not. I wouldn't profit off your situation, and I'm sure as hell not m...changing my mind. So you can relax about that."

"If you say so," Inuyasha muttered, but she heard so much relief under the cynicism that she only smiled and shook her head.

They parted on much more peaceful terms, and even though Sango was too grumpy to talk about it, Kagome was able to fall asleep in pleasant expectation of tomorrow, free of worries about Inuyasha...for now.

True to their word, Ginta and Hakaku arrived early the morning with several large bags and sent a boy inside to wake Kagome and Sango up. "The wolves say that your things are here, Kagome-sama," the youth said uncertainly.

"Good! Thank you very much." Kagome grinned at him and hopped out of bed, patting Shippou urgently. "Wake up, Shippou-chan. I have a surprise for you all."

"Really?" The kitsune rubbed his eyes with his little fists and yawned deafeningly. "Where?"

"Come out with me. Sango, wake up. I promise this is worth it. Shippou-chan, go get the other children and bring them outside, would you-no, no, I'll save it for now..." Kagome paced around, nearly hopping from foot to foot with eagerness.

The wolves were waiting in the courtyard with several garbage bags full of oddly shaped objects. Sango pulled a random one out and studied it critically. "What in the world...?"

"That's a hula hoop. I'll show you how to use it later." Kagome grinned and bowed to both the wolves. "Thank you so much! I'll find some way to pay you back, I swear."

"No, no, it's no trouble. The least we could do for our future alpha female is run a few little errands," Hakaku said, a little too loudly for her comfort as Inuyasha came down the steps.

"I'm not your future anything, and I will pay you back, I promise. Thank you again. Goodbye." She bowed again, not straightening till the wolves took the hint, bowed lower and scuttled off.

"The hell is all this garbage?" Inuyasha rubbed one red eye (she suspected they would've been bloodshot had they not been completely red all the time) and prodded a bag with his foot. "OW! What the...?"

"That was probably some of the tools I asked them to get from a modern store - a marketplace - for me. It's to make building the treehouse easier. I also had them get some other stuff for us." Kagome grinned and did a little impromptu dance. "This is so cool! I can't believe I actually got the chance to get this stuff!"

"What where they saying about alphas?" Inuyasha snapped.

"They're as delusional as Kouga, Inuyasha, so don't worry about it. I'm not cashing in on his thing for me." She missed the way his face tic sped up as she bent over the bags, pawing through and humming happily under her breath. "Oooooh, they even got the right brands! I'm gonna have to pay them back soon."

"Feh." Inuyasha turned on his heel and leapt up the great stairs in a single motion, leaving Kagome to turn around to show him something and falter mid-chatter.

"What's his problem now?" she wondered aloud irritably, shoving the ramen back in the bag.

"Jealous again," Sango mumbled, sighing. "Ignore him."

"Good idea." But her mind wasn't so easily persuaded, and she wasn't quite as happy even when she located the Midol and gave some to Sango, who gulped two down dry the moment Kagome explained their purpose.

Her mood did improve when they came inside and Miroku stopped by the room to tell them he'd mapped most of the area out, and while it stopped just short of the shrine, Inuyasha could probably be persuaded to check on her family for her, he believed. Kagome chose not to share her newfound source of information and merely thanked him, reminding him discreetly of dinner and distracting Sango by introducing her to her favorite brand of strawberry ramune.

"That's...odd..." Sango jerked in surprise as Kagome took the bottle from her, pushed the marble down and soda sprayed everywhere. "What in the...?!"

Miroku also backed off, then came back and laughed outright. "That was amazing! Could you do that again?"

Wow, got him to smile for real. "Here." Kagome handed a fresh bottle to Sango. "You guys try it now."

The slayer held the bottle, flushing and leaning away ever so slightly as the monk leaned in, followed Kagome's instructions, and jammed the marble down, sending more soda flying. "My..." Miroku wiped strawberry soda from his forehead, looked up at Sango, and burst out laughing. "Oh, no!"

Sango had taken the brunt of the attack and was now dripping ramune all over. "Charming," she said stiffly, scowling, but as Miroku laughed harder and shook his head, her irritation faded and she smiled awkwardly. "I probably look ridiculous."

"Positively stunning, Sango-sama," Miroku reassured her, fishing a scrap of cloth from inside his robes and handing it to her to wipe her face. "I apologize for laughing at your expense, but I can credit most of it with the novelty of...what is this called, Kagome-sama?"

"It's ramune, a kind of soda," Kagome supplied, wishing she had a camera for the scene. "And you're right, half the fun is opening it. You can't get that marble - the little ball - out again, either."

"Really?" Miroku picked up Sango's bottle and shook it gently. "How curious."

Sango also picked up the first bottle and shook it harder. "What if you broke the glass?"

"Well, yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Kagome fished some batteries out of the bag and gasped. "Speakers! OhmygodIcan'tbelievtheygotthese!"

Introducing Sango to small, stand-alone speakers wasn't too difficult, as she was already familiar with headphones, but Miroku took some work. They took nearly an hour to explain, in great detail, how it worked (with Kagome making up a lot of technical details she wasn't sure of), and Sango insisted upon the Hamasaki CD as Miroku's first listen-through.

"Good idea, Sango-chan...you guys go ahead and I'll grab us some lunch." Kagome got up and noted happily that the slayer offered only cursory resistance before settling down close to the monk and beginning to point out and explain the Discman's different buttons. Maybe dinner won't be necessary!

Once she was safely in the hall, Kagome found the nearest alcove, squeezed herself into it, and cleared her mind. Okay...my room, pool of water...The image of a pool of ramune formed instead, and she banished it irritably. That stuff would be hell to get out of my hair. Water, c'mon...There it was, a little pool of clear water. Dropping in...now-

The shock was even worse this time, now that she was trying it from her waking body, and it took almost a minute for her to get a good look at her friends and hear Sango talking softly. "...is in English, that's one of the languages Kagome-chan likes to speak. She's told me about it, and the structure sounds very odd. Here's another one I like quite a bit..."

"How strange," Miroku murmured, eyes widening even further as Sango turned the CD up louder and flipped to another track. "Does this music have any practical use?"

"No, they don't use it except for entertainment, or relaxation, I believe. Kagome-chan tells me some musicians make more than lords with their music because they can sell their creations in this form to places even outside Japan."

"Extraordinary," Miroku whispered, tentatively reaching over to press the track buttons. Kagome would've squealed if she could as Sango guided his hand to the correct one, then caught herself and flushed, starting to withdraw.

"No, no," the monk said quickly, catching her hand gently. "It's all right. Which one did you say locates the next song, again?"

"Um..." Sango gulped and shyly tapped the button with his hand. "Th-that one."

"I see." Miroku smiled and picked up the entire Discman. "And where does it get its power again?"

Ha! I showed you where the batteries were not even two minutes ago!

"Errr..." Sango hit the stop button, carefully scooped the player up and turned it over. "This compartment holds the s-source." She risked a glance up and swallowed hard: he wasn't looking at her hands, or anywhere below the neck, for once. "Uh..."

"Sango." Without breaking eye contact, Miroku took the player from her trembling hands and set it down.

C'mon, go for-YES!

Miroku had almost unconsciously taken both of Sango's hands in his and leaned in till his forehead was resting against hers. "Sango?"

She took a deep, unsteady breath and tried several times before getting out a weak "Yes...?"

"If..." Miroku's eyes closed, and he pulled away ever so slightly. "I..." He suddenly let out a huge breath, and Sango jumped. "Never mind. There's no point."

"No point?" Sango's mouth fell open as he dropped her hands and got up. "Houshi-sama, wait!"

Miroku paid no attention, gathering up his staff and straightening his gloves, till Sango burst out, "Why did you lie to us about Inuyasha and Kagome and me?"

The monk stopped dead and turned his head ever so slightly. "Lie?"

"You know what I mean! Kagome-chan said to ask you about it, and I'm only asking because I promised her I would!"

"...Do you really want to know?" Miroku crouched in front of her, watching her sadly for a moment. She nodded, eyes bright with a sheen of tears but unwavering. "Let me ask you, are you happy with Kagome-sama here?"

Sango blinked. "B...well, of course. She's the only true friend I've ever had."

Kagome would've hugged her if she could've. But that would kill the mood, and if anything interrupts, even Shippou, so help me...!

"Then, for once, I am very glad to have lied to you." Miroku bowed his head and stood up.

"Wait!" Sango leapt to her feet and grabbed his arm. "So you did it for my sake?" He smiled slightly. "Why didn't you just tell me that?"

"What would you have done with the knowledge?" he countered gently.

"I..." Her lips tightened, and she visibly screwed up her courage. "Probably what I did when Kagome-chan and I hit the sake."

Miroku's eye twitched. "Precisely."

"So, what, you don't want me bothering you? Is that it?" Sango said levelly, and Kagome made a note to smack her later.

Miroku chuckled. "Your bothering me is more than I deserve, Sango-sama."

"Well, what if I decided you were worth it anyway?" she shot back, flushing darker than ever.

Open distress flitted on and off his features. "Then I would be happier and more alarmed than I have ever felt, Sango-sama. I will not succumb and risk passing my curse on, do you understand?"

"I understand," Sango said tightly, hands going to her hips. "So, no matter what, this is all? Teasing, groping, and occasional moments when we can forget about your fucking hand? When you can forget about it?"

Miroku scowled and took a step forward, speaking more tersely than Kagome had ever heard him do so. "I am not allowed to forget about it, as you so casually put it! I saw what happened to my father, Sango! He didn't just die-he was engulfed by his own hand, ripped inside out, and left a hole in the ground as wide as the great hall! Naraku is dead, and the only reason for continuing the family's existence was the hope that our curse could be used as a weapon against him-I will not pass a meaningless death sentence on to my son, let him see his fate in me first and then let his mother die of grief at having lost two she loves to it! Now do you understand? Would you take that burden on yourself, provided Inuyasha's curse is broken and we even have the chance?"

Sango's face had gone white, and her hands were clenched into trembling fists, but her eyes were dry. "But what if..."

"No." The monk was breathing heavily, as if his outburst had been against himself and not her. "I will not let that happen. I know myself, Sango, and if I touch you again, it would not be as innocent as holding your hands." He took a step backwards. "Please, hate me if it makes it easier, but my decision is final. I. Will. Not." Miroku took another huge breath, let it out, and bowed deeply. "I...I am sorry."

Kagome couldn't take it anymore. She snapped back to her body and buried her face in her hands to erase the image of Sango's stricken face. ...Shit! ...Just...oh, God, why did I have to...shit!

Inuyasha nearly walked right into Miroku as the monk hurried out of the room. "Oi! Watch it, bouzu. C'mere, I need your h...damn, what happened to you?"

It was several moments before Miroku could compose himself and speak. "...I'm afraid I'm in no condition to help, Inuyasha. Kagome-sama has been out quite a while, though, and you may wish to check on her."

Inuyasha stared after him as he hurried off. What the...?

On the way to the kitchens, his keen eyes barely caught Kagome's huddled form in the alcove. "What the hell are you doing in there, wench?"

She looked up, and his heart stopped for a second. "Wh...what're you crying for?"

"They..." Kagome sniffed and suddenly launched herself at him, huddling into his front and giving him another minor heart attack.

D...Sh...What the...?!?! Inuyasha gaped as she buried her face in his shoulder. "Wh...wh...wh..."

"It's not fair!" she sobbed, pounding his chest weakly in pure frustration. "They can't!"

"Wh...who the fuck are you talking about?!" And what the hell am I supposed to do about it?!

"Sango and Miroku! They talked and she tried and he..." Words failed, and she clutched at his haori.

"Shit," she heard him mutter above her, and she was ready to shove away in complete disgust - doesn't he know anything about comforting people?! - when one arm settled lightly around her shoulders and the other draped over her waist, and she gratefully leaned in, not crying as hard but still in need of comfort from someone, anyone. Even Inuyasha...

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"So what happened?"

She'd calmed down to the point where he was able to ask her if she wanted to move out of the hallway, where various servants had no doubt already seen them, and Kagome let him escort her up to his room. "Actually, this is the bouzu's. Servants are always mentioning that mine stinks," he'd grumbled, and she laughed, shaking her head a little, before giving an abbreviated version of the incident.

"So he rejected her?" Inuyasha paused and held up a claw to stop her: a servant was bringing dinner into the next room.

`Already?' she mouthed.

"Yeah, I told `em to do it early today," he answered once the woman was gone. "So..."

"Uh huh. Basically, he doesn't want to pass the curse on, and he's too horny to keep it platonic, so that's that." She sniffled angrily.

"Smart of him. He can't keep his hands to himself even as it is." Inuyasha held up his hands as she glared. "Hey, don't gimme that. I know what you mean. I think you're right, even, as long as Sango doesn't mind. You ask me, the whole argument is stupid-they've only got, what, two and a half months left now?"

"Oh, shut up." Kagome stood and slammed the shoji open, taking her usual place in the dining room.

"You've been a real bitch lately, you know that?" he snapped, getting up and following suit. "What the hell's the matter? S'not all the bouzu, is it?"

"It's a lot of things." She jabbed her chopsticks into her rice. "Kouga's annoying, you're a jerk, Miroku's dense, and I'm not looking forward to the end of the curse, okay? Not to mention the voices in my head and that other fun stuff."

Inuyasha paused mid-sip. "Wait. The bouzu said you were gone a while, and your hearing isn't worth crap. How'd you know about their fight?"

"That's a secret."

"I'm serious, wench. How'd you know?"

"So am I. I'm not in the mood to talk, okay? Drop it."

"Why should I?"

"Because if you don't, I'll never answer your question again and you'll go the next ten weeks with no sleep!"

"You bitch, you wouldn't!"

"Try me!"

Needless to say, the rest of the meal did not go well, and though she did grudgingly answer the question, they said good night on less than civil terms. It wasn't till she was halfway to her room that she remembered that she hadn't thanked him for making her feel better; Inuyasha would also have forgotten had it not been for the smell lingering on his haori when he removed it that night. Damn ungrateful wench. Sniff. See if I let her do that again...Sniff. I'll make her apologize tomorrow. Sniff. Stop that, dammit!

A/N: Technical difficulties...splitting this chapter into 2. Move on, please. (And it took so long `cause 's login screwed up. The Fanfic Gods don't like me... ;.;