InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Egypt Bound ❯ The Morning After ( Chapter 20 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
Chp. 20 : The Morning After
8:30 am
Miroku thoroughly enjoyed the hot, steamy bath he had won from the night before. He hated having to leave the porcelain claw-foot tub, but he realized with a sigh that he was not the only person on the dahabeeyah. He snatched a fluffy towel off the free-standing rack and proceeded to dry himself off. Miroku glanced in the mirror and noticed that his five o'clock shadow would become a ten o' clock if he didn't shave today. He slipped on his knickers and nightshirt and returned to the berth he shared with Inuyasha.
Inuyasha was still asleep, which was a bit strange to Miroku, seeing as he was usually awake and raring to go at 8:30. Since there was no site to attend to, nor tons of artifacts to catalogue, Miroku decided to take advantage of this situation and go right back to sleep.
9:30 am
Inuyasha couldn't get her out of his head, no matter what he dreamed about. And her words from the night before haunted him.
“One day you'll lose the one person who could've loved you for the rest of your sad, pitiful life and you'll be all alone---and I won't feel sorry for you---I won't!”
He tossed and turned in his narrow bed as he relived the disaster of the night before. Did he love her? `Nah, it's too soon to tell---you can't fall for someone that fast, no matter what you've been through---right?' he reasoned with himself. `Surely things won't be too awkward---I explained my reasons to her; she should accept them and realize it's only for the best. Yeah, for the best.' Since he could get no rest from his thoughts, he decided that a relaxing bath would get him in the proper mind to examine Sango's artifact. Noting that Miroku was not in his bunk, he collected a bath towel and a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom.
The light was still on, oddly enough, and he could hear some sloshing about in the tub. His hand gripped the door knob as he leaned his side against the door.
“Miroku! I'm coming-----“ he stopped in mid-sentence to find that it was not Miroku sloshing about, but Kagome, who was naked from the waist up, “in?” he finished nervously.
Inuyasha just stood and stared at her---her body mesmerized him. Kagome's breasts could have snugly fit in his hands, and were ivory white, with perky rose-colored nipples; her shoulders and neck were so graceful one would have thought them carved by a Greek master----he shouldn't have looked, but in the minute he did, her body was engraved in his memory forever. Kagome screamed and threw her bath scrub at him.
“AGHHHHH! GET OUT! GET OUT ! You pervert!” She ducked into the soap suds to salvage her dignity; he immediately blushed and turned around, not closing the door.
“I—I—I—`m s-s-sorry?” Inuyasha offered up. His mind was still reeling from seeing Kagome's flawless body.
“I said GET OUT! AND CLOSE THE BLOODY DOOR YOU LECHER!” she howled in a pitch that would shatter windows. Inuyasha turned around and shut the door, slumping against it as it closed. Now, he would never get her out of his mind.
Kagome slid down into the tub, trying to get a hold of herself. He had seen her naked, not in her nightclothes, not in a bathing costume, but naked! How could she ever look him in the face again? It was bad enough he kissed her and then refused her tipsy declaration of love the night before---but this? `Sesshomaru must be laughing right now—he knew this type of thing would happen! That bastard!' Kagome thought angrily. The only thing she could do now was to dry off and avoid Inuyasha for the rest of the day---if that was at all possible on such a small vessel.
Inuyasha remained against the door, still in awe of what he saw. It was different, much more different than what he experienced with Kikyo; their relationship was a rough-and-tumble affair, in which he never actually looked at her body, because their time together could end at a moment's notice. `There's no way I could ever compare her to that awful woman---she's too innocent, too pure to be Kikyo…' he thought to himself. Behind him, he felt the door budge, so he stood up.
“Hmph! This is a new low for you, isn't it Inuyasha? I should've expected as much! Pervert!” a familiar voice remarked bitingly from behind him. Inuyasha stood up and brushed off his pyjamas. He turned around to face her.
“I don't know, Kagome…last night I was a cad and now I'm a pervert, make up your mind, why don't you?” he smirked as he pushed past her into the bathroom and shut the door.
`Oooh! Just you wait Inuyasha!' Kagome fumed silently as she balled her fists.
In the meantime…
Sango sat down next to Miroku as he examined her scarab on the dining table.
“So what do you think? Is is really inscribed for Amenhotep's granddaughter?” she asked eagerly. Miroku turned the gilded object over in his hand and examined the inscription on the back.
“The prayer is pretty standard, but unusually long for a scarab---perhaps that's why the size of this thing is incredible. The Horus name for the Pharaoh looks like it's put together correctly, no missed hieroglyphs---I'd agree with Inuyasha on this piece being genuine---I mean, look at the craftsmanship on this! It's amazing!” Miroku remarked. Sango studied Miroku's face as he critiqued her artifact; it seemed to light up like a child's when he spoke about the intricacies of the piece. She found it quite charming---for a guy that she supposedly had no interest in whatsoever. She leaned in for a better look at the piece.
“A good piece of jewelery should always shine no matter how old it gets! Here, feel how the master craftsman has turned a chunk of rock into a fine jewel, “ Miroku said as he guided Sango's hand over the curves and edges of the scarab's body. Sango began to blush profusely at his touch and tried to snatch her hand away. Miroku held onto it tightly. “My dear Sango, do I repulse you so much that you can't even be taught to examine an artifact? Am I that hideous?” he asked. Sango felt her cheeks grow hot; of course he wasn't repulsive to her! He was one of the most handsome men she had ever come in contact with---and the most perverted. As much as she wanted to fall in love and make all her girlish dreams come true, in the recesses of her mind she knew that she and Kagome were still at risk---romance would have to wait.
“I-I'm not repulsed by you, Mr. Hendsler, it's just that we all have out stations in life and in mine, the luxury of falling for someone is just that---a luxury. I have a duty to my father and Kagome---you understand of course,” Sango explained. Miroku raised an eyebrow and continued to keep her hand in his as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp.
“So, you're saying that not all hope is lost? I still have a chance?” Miroku asked, his eyes bright.
“ I'm not saying one thing or another, Mr. Hendsler. Call it dumb luck or folly, or whatever you want—you still have that in abundance. Now let go of my hand!” Sango stated. He let go of her hand after much shaking on her part.
“You realize that there'll be a day when you can't live without me, don't you Sango?” he smirked.
“Ha! If you believe that Hell freezes, then sure! But until then, keep your mitts to yourself!” she cajoled, sitting back in her seat with her arms crossed.
“I'm sure that somewhere in the Inferno it's frozen—if not, then blame Dante for his idiocy!” he joked. They both laughed as they saw Kagome enter the room and plant herself on the settee.
“Feeling any better, Kagome?” Miroku asked, concerned. Kagome looked at the floor and then raised her eyes. Sango noted a certain puffiness around her eyes that she could bet wasn't from a lack of sleep. She swore she saw Kagome wince slightly at Miroku's friendly inquiry. `I'll have to ask her later what happened on the deck,' Sango reminded herself. Kagome curled her lips in a faux smile.
“I'm fine! The whisky didn't sit well with that foreign food, that's all,” she replied, knowing full well that Miroku witnessed her bawling the night before. Miroku stood up and pushed in his chair.
“Now if you'll excuse me ladies, I'll see the cook about getting us some breakfast,” he excused himself and headed onto the deck. Sango narrowed her eyes towards Kagome.
“Kagome, something happened between you and Inuyasha last night, didn't it? I'm not going to ask you about it now, because you still seem shaken up, but if you need a shoulder to cry on, let me know,” Sango offered.
“Thanks Sango,” Kagome replied. “So, what did Miroku have to say about the artifact?”
“It's an original all right, and a good one too. I think my Da made the right choice in givin' this to me -don't you?”
“Yes, I think he did---only I don't think he knew what kind of hoops we'd have to go through to keep it out of harm's way—or maybe he did?” Kagome said. Sango had never considered it that way, that maybe her father had some deliberate plan in mind---or maybe he didn't---who could possibly know?
His grubby hands were trying to get the fuse in place, it was almost done. He had been lucky so far. He was glad the rest of the crew thought him an ignorant fellah not worth their time, it made his job that much easier. He loved the idea that he could command the power of explosives and get away with it. He hid the makeshift bomb under his bedroll—no one would bother with an ignorant fool like him, he reasoned. He looked out the porthole at the position of the sun over the mountains. He recalled his cousin's instructions.
`When the sun sits on the Eastern high hills on the second day, before you reach the barrages, we'll be ready. Just give us the signal.' Malek slipped a dagger under his galabeeyah and into the waist of his loose pants, and grabbed his mirror from his ruckasack. He flipped the mirror glass side up and began to reflect the light of the sun this way and that, blinding the eyes of a crewmate coming into the room.
“Ah! What in the name of Allah are you doing with that? This is no time for magic! El Reis wants you to help out with al fiTaar lil el effendiin wa'l el sayadet Inglizi delwa'ti (the breakfast for the English gentlemen and the ladies now)! If you hurry up I won't say you were loafing again!” the crewman ordered. Malek smiled as he advanced towards the crewmember and shook his hand heartily.
“You promise you won't tell el Reis about this?” Malek cocked his eyebrow.
“I promise. I won't say a word!” The crewmember affirmed. Malek curled his lips into a sneer and plunged the hidden dagger into the man's belly.
“That's right, you won't say anything, will you? Because a dead man can't talk!” Malek chuckled as the crewmember fell to the floor holding his wound and groaning that the dagger was still in him. Malek gave the weapon a good twist and pulled it from the now unconscious victim. He wiped it off carefully on the newly deceased's clothes and returned it to the obscurity of his waistband. A flash of light from the window caught his attention and he flashed back his signal. It was time.
Miroku was speaking to the cook about maybe considering a brunch, since it was too late for a conventional breakfast.
“So how about a few croissants and jam, eh Fuad? Could we go with that?” Fuad crossed his arms and looked at Miroku indignantly.
“La, effendi, it is much too late for that, but I will see what I can do without my kitchen help, have you seen a short fellah about? Malek was supposed to help me, he's new, “ Fuad trailed off as he saw the man in question enter through the door with a plate of raw beef cuts. “Ah Malek! Mumtaz! You brought the beef for the lunch! How kind of you!” Miroku looked at Malek and felt a vibe he couldn't put his finger on. He ignored it and thanked Fuad as he headed back to the deck.
Malek put the tray down on the counter as Fuad went to whip up a few croissants. He bent to get into the cabinets near Malek's feet to retrieve a pan, and saw drops of red sprinkled across his toes. He gasped quietly and paused. It was probably from the beef he was carrying, Fuad rationalized.
“Ya Fuad, is there something the matter?” Malek asked pointedly.
“La Malek, it is nothing but my old bones, “ Fuad replied as he pulled out the pan he needed for the croissants. “Now if you would be so kind, can you fetch me the flour?”
Malek nodded obediently as he glanced once again out the galley window.
About 30 minutes later…
Miroku returned to the dining salon to inform the ladies that breakfast was on its way and went for a stroll on the deck. Apparently, he wasn't the only one, as he noticed a solitary figure leaning on the rail.
“Why the long face Inuyasha? Conscious catch up with ya?” Miroku joked.
“That's not funny asshole!” Inuyasha said through gritted teeth.
“I've heard that being in love is supposed to improve one's disposition, not sour it—“ Inuyasha turned and grabbed Miroku by the collar, lifting him on his tip-toes.
“I'm not in love dammit! Get that through your thick---[sniffs air] hey, what's that smell? Did Fuad burn the food again?” Inuyasha inquired as he released his hold on Miroku's neck.
“Let's see what the problem is, I'm starved!” Miroku insisted. When the two arrived at the galley door, they noticed the smoke and paused in horror; there was a red smear on the glass.
“Miroku, I need you to go tell the girls to gather their valuables and get into the row boat on the side of the dahabeeyah—I'll check this out. Now go!” Inuyasha ordered. Miroku knew this was no time to joke around and set off to warn Kagome and Sango.
Inuyasha pulled the wooden door open only to find the owner of the handprint sprawled out on the stairs. Inuyasha picked up the man's head to see if he could identify him—it was Fuad. The smoke stung his eyes as he noticed the stove on fire and the galley floor littered with the bodies of three other men. He moved on to the control room and found two more bodies; then he went to the boiler room, carefully navigating his way between plank and dead flesh until he made out a figure near the coal burner. Inuyasha crept up closer to the figure and delivered a swift right hook to side of the man's head, knocking him down. Inuyasha heard a thud after the culprit hit the ground and saw a makeshift bomb roll across the floor to him.
“Oh. Shit!” he exclaimed as he felt his legs go out from under him. He hit the plank floor hard and felt someone kick him in the stomach. He kicked back at the figure, feeling his foot strike something soft, and heard a loud groan as he returned to his feet. He heard his opponent hit and knock over something with a loud clang; the smoke from the kitchen and the coal burner made sight nearly impossible at this point. He reached down and picked up the bomb, making his way toward what looked like a porthole. He was not three steps away when he was bowled over by his opponent. The explosive fell out of his hands and slid across the floor a few feet out of his grasp.
“GET THE HELL OFFA ME YOU BASTARD!” Inuyasha kicked at the phantom figure on top of him. He kicked wildly to shake the guy off, but Inuyasha's opponent held on and tried to restrain him while reaching for the bomb. Inuyasha saw where the guy's hands were heading and tried to force him away from the round explosive. Inuyasha kicked him in the stomach with both of his feet and scurried toward the bomb. He could feel the heat closing in from the kitchen fire and the coal burner and the smoke was beginning to suffocate him. He grabbed the bomb and stood up to find his opponent. He heard the iron door to the burner being flung open and saw his phantom menace's silhouette against the glow of the coals. It was now or never.
_________________________________________________________________ _______
Kagome and Sango grabbed what they could carry and stuffed it into Sango's valise, securing the scarab in its compartment. Kagome overturned her trunks and yanked out jewelery and her coat, which had her family's life saving in it. She tried to stuff it into the valise, but it wouldn't fit. Sango grabbed a blanket. Miroku grabbed some of his and Inuyasha's belongings, including the pistol on under his pillow. Sango saw Kagome trying to fruitlessly stuff the huge coat into her valise; they didn't have time for this.
“Kagome! Just leave it! Take what you need out of the coat and leave the damn thing! We don't have time!” Sango barked.
“But I need this coat! It's all I have—“ Kagome whined.
“Then just wear the bloody thing then! We've got to get outta here!” Miroku shouted as he ran into the salon. Kagome looked at the coat and pulled it out of the valise, emptying her money from the pockets and shoving it into the small suitcase. She put the hulking coat on and ran with Sango and Miroku out to the rowboat. The flames were licking at the sides of the dahabeeyah as Miroku loaded them into the small vessel and lowered them down.
“Where's Inuyasha?” Kagome yelled over the screeching of the rope and pulleys.
“He'll be with us soon—don't worry, he's been in worse scrapes than this!” Miroku tried to assure Kagome, whose eyes searched the boat for any sign of him. Miroku lowered them into the river and handed the two of them paddles.
“Row as fast as you can! Hurry!” Miroku yelled. The three of them started paddling away from the now flaming dahabeeyah towards the marsh shore.
“You fucker! Who sent you?” Inuyasha shouted at the top of his lungs as he approached the figure. There was no answer. “Who sent you? Answer me dammit!”
The assassin laughed wickedly, “ You should know by now! Ghabi (fool)! And so, to save you from your ignorance, I'll kill every one of you infidels! Now hand over that bomb!”
“The hell you will!” Inuyasha screamed back and hurled the bomb into one of the other burning rooms. Inuyasha ran towards Malek and pushed him into the boiler, lighting the man on fire. Malek howled in agony as the flames consumed him, and hurled himself to the floor to douse his burning body. Inuyasha groped around the room for something to break the porthole glass with. The last thing he heard was a huge blast and felt the force decimate the dahabeeyah walls and hurl him out into the river like a cannonball. He started swimming toward the shore as he felt the heat of another explosion from behind, raining debris all around him. He looked back briefly to see the skeleton of the Eye of Re sinking into the muddy depths of the Nile. He hoped the others had escaped before it was too late.
_________________________________________________________________ ______
“Our job here is done, “ Hassan informed his hooded companion as he prepared to turn his horse around.
“Shouldn't we check for survivors? Naraku said to make sure no one was alive except that wench Kagome, “ Kikyo asked pointedly. Hassan's lips curled into a grin.
“I don't think she'll be a problem for you anymore, Sitt. If any of them survived the fire, we can at least hope the desert will finish them off, “ He grinned again.
“ Good. Naraku might not like that his child-bride is fish food, but I have ways of making him forget,” Kikyo said confidently and pulled on her horses reins to lead him on the cliff path.
`For your sake Sitt, I hope so, ` Hassan thought to himself as he followed his companion.
_________________________________________________________________ _______
Miroku steered the oar as Sango and Kagome paddled through the marsh grasses. They saw the explosions and prayed that Inuyasha got out in time; or at least Kagome did. The edges of her vision blurred with tears, and she wanted nothing more than to turn the rescue boat around and go search for him, no matter how dangerous it still was. She felt her arms cramp up with each dip into the muddy water. The murky water began to thicken into mud, making it harder to row for the girls; Miroku jumped out of the small rescue boat and guided the prow through the mud until they hit the shore.
“Everybody out of the boat! It's all on foot from here on!” Miroku called back to the girls. Kagome curled her lip at the unappetizing prospect of trudging through the icky-sticky mud and getting dirty. In the meantime, Sango had left the boat and was following Miroku's lead. Not wanting to be left behind, Kagome hurried out of the boat and found herself knee-deep in Nile silt.
“Hey guys! Wait up! I'm still back here ya know!” she shouted ahead.
“Well, hurry up before the crocodiles come for ya!” Sango yelled back. Frightened at the idea of becoming croc food, Kagome picked up the pace.
As soon as they reached dry land, Miroku surveyed the wreck from a distance and couldn't see Inuyasha. He sighed mournfully and stared at the noonday sun. The mud was starting to dry quickly on his boots---it was going to be a hot one, that was for sure, and if they didn't get some potable water or to a shelter by nightfall they would be goners. The only clothes they had were the ones on their backs, as far as Miroku knew, and he didn't thing the girls could've possibly packed any suitable gowns in Sango's valise. He lost his focus on the smoldering wreck when he heard a groan from behind him; it was Kagome.
“I should've never brought this coat! With all the mud on it, it must weigh at least a ton!” she complained.
“Kagome, I seriously doubt that. Come nightfall, you'll be ecstatic that you have that heavy coat with you, trust me, “ Miroku replied sarcastically.
“Well what'll happen if Inuyasha doesn't show up? Do we still continue on, or do we wait for him until we rot?” Sango inquired.
“ Right now, the most important thing is to get water and some food in our stomachs if we want to make it through the day. We'll have to head to the village and get some supplies---Inuyasha, if he's still alive, will find us…” Miroku's voice trailed off. `Insha'allah.' He thought to himself, sadly praying that his friend was still among the living.
Sitt -A colloquial term meaning `Miss' or `Ma'am'.
Insha'allah—“If God wills it”; used for any event in the future, because the cultural consensus here is that only God can control fate.
A/N:
God, where do I begin? I have been so incredibly busy what with graduating school, trying to find a new job, getting back into the swing of things as far as writing is concerned---it's been quite dramatic on my end, to say the least. But I have finally [!] finished chapter 20 because you all have been waiting so long! After the last chapter I thought you all had forgotten about me b/c I only got 5 reviews out of both mm.org and ff.net! Hopefully, this chapter hasn't disappointed you and there will be more action, intrigue, and romance to come in the future!
This is how it works: The more reviews I get, the happier I get, and the faster I put out another chapter for everyone to enjoy, so the moral of this story is to review; because your reviews have seriously helped me in the past when it comes to characters, plot, etc. And all of your support and reviews are the very reason I'm writing. So for those who review regularly, you have my deepest thanks and love----now for all of you newbies out there….I don't have to explain it, you know what to do!!