InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Family Ties ❯ Conversation ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

 

Chapter 4: Conversation

 

That simple word got everyone's attention. Possession was never a thing to be taken lightly. People who were possessed tended to try and kill those closest to them. Just look what had happened when the black miko, Tsubaki, took control of Kagome. Inuyasha nearly ended up with an arrow through his chest again!

 

“Possessed!” Miroku exclaimed. “Are you sure?” He tightened his grip on his staff, it being the only thing that was keeping his legs from buckling under him. Sango moved closer, unobtrusively offering support.

 

“What are her symptoms?” she asked, giving Miroku time to recover his monkly aplomb. “Has she been walking the halls at odd hours? Do strange things happen to servants who get near her?”

 

“Nothing like that.” The old miko answered Sango's question, but kept her eyes fixed on Miroku. “She merely refuses to wake, and there is a barrier of dark energy around her body. We know that she breathes, that her heart beats, but that is all.”

 

“We've dealt with possession before,” Inuyasha bragged. “We'll drive the sneaky little youkai out of her and rip his guts out, and be done in time for breakfast.”

 

“We do this sort of thing all the time.” Shippou puffed his chest out and stood on tiptoe to look taller. “And then Miroku can talk to--“

 

Miroku scooped up the kit, clamping a hand over his mouth. He wasn't about to claim a family tie with Kimiko, not when he suffered under his own curse. Someone might decide he was to blame. “Why don't you take us to the hime and we'll see what we can do?”

 

“You look familiar,” the old woman said abruptly, studying Miroku with shrewd eyes. “Have you been to the castle before? Do I know you?”

 

He swallowed hard. All these old people staring at him as if they knew him was making him uncomfortable. Maybe Hachi wasn't as trustworthy as he thought. The raccoon-dog had taken his form before. He just might do it again. “Never been here before, but I get that all the time. People think I remind them of somebody when I don't.” He grinned. “Why don't we get settled? I'm sure you don't want Kagome to leave her bicycle in the middle of the courtyard. And then we can go see Kimi--I mean the hime.”

 

Turning to look at the strangest member of the group, the old miko seemed to really see Kagome for the first time. She clucked disapprovingly at the future girl's short kimono and bare legs and frowned at the bicycle. “What an unusual contraption.” Carefully, she ran one rough hand over the handlebars, giving the bike the same scrutiny that she had given Kagome.

 

Inuyasha growled as the old woman pinched a piece of Kagome's shirt between her thumb and forefinger. Kagome looked rather uncomfortable. “Strange material. You must tell me how it is made.”

 

The hanyou pushed between them and glared at the woman who had dared to touch his Kagome. Miroku sighed at Inuyasha's possessive attitude. One of these days he and Kagome would admit how they felt about each other, and both of them would be easier to live with. But right now all Inuyasha did was offend people and annoy Kagome.

 

We'll have time to talk later.” Miroku interrupted the potentially explosive scene. “We're here to help the hime.”

 

Shooting one last speculative look at the fuming youkai, the old woman nodded. “This way.”

 

“What about my bike?” Kagome asked. “I can't just leave it here.”

 

“The guards will take care of your contraption. Don't worry about it.”

 

“The headman in the village told us that many priests and priestesses have entered the castle in the last few months, but none have left,” Sango commented as the group followed the woman deeper into the castle. Hachi looked thoroughly miserable as he trailed slowly after them.

 

Kirara wrinkled her nose and sneezed. Miroku agreed with the little firecat. The demonic aura was stronger inside the castle, and growing stronger the farther they went.

 

“Orders of the Lord.” The old woman led them up a narrow flight of stairs. “Anyone can try to and break the possession, but those who fail are not allowed to leave.”

 

A look of dismay crossed Shippou's face. He wound his tiny fists into Kagome's hair. “You mean we have to stay here forever?”

 

“Only until the Lord has you executed for failing to help his wife.”

 

Shippou turned pale and his eyes widened noticeably.

 

“We won't fail.” Miroku brought his staff down hard on the stone stair, the sound echoing loudly off the walls and ceiling, and ending the conversation. We can't fail. I promised myself that nothing would ever happen to Kimiko.

 

“We're here.”

 

Miroku stepped into the lavishly decorated room, looking around curiously. All of the furnishings were of the highest quality, and the view from the single window was simply breathtaking.

 

Shippou immediately sprang from Kagome's shoulder and ran to look outside. “Wow! You can see the whole countryside from up here!”

 

“Where's the hime?” Inuyasha demanded, dismissing the room as unimportant after one quick glance.

 

“You'll see her soon. I'll have a servant bring some supper. Perhaps you would like to bathe?” Kagome looked excited by that idea. One of her constant complaints was that the only time she got a hot bath was when they managed to find a hot spring. Her era must be amazing, to have as much hot water as you wanted whenever you wanted.

 

“Forget the bath,” Inuyasha said dismissively. “Bring us some food and then we can take care of whatever is possessing the hime.”

 

Kagome elbowed the hanyou who grunted in annoyance. “Don't listen to him. We'd love a bath. We've been traveling for days.”

 

Inuyasha rubbed the sore spot on his ribs where her elbow had connected. “What do you need a bath for? You're just going to get dirty again when we leave tomorrow. Besides, you had one two days ago.”

 

The girl glared at him. Miroku prudently backed away, so as to not get caught in the crossfire. “I smell like sweat. I'm dusty and my hair needs to be washed.”

 

“You always smell!” Inuyasha never knew when to quit. Miroku wouldn't have been surprised if smoke started coming out of Kagome's ears.

 

“I do not smell!”

 

“You're the one who said it, not me! I'm just agreeing with you!”

 

Kagome clenched her fists, obviously fighting for control. “OSUWARI!”

 

“Hey!” Inuyasha's body met the stone floor of the room with a painful thud.

 

“Most interesting.” The old miko, mostly forgotten until now, studied the prone hanyou thoughtfully. “I haven't seen a subduing spell like that in years.”

 

“The wise miko, Kaede, created it just for me.” Kagome pointedly turned her back on the prone hanyou. She smiled charmingly at the old woman. “We would be delighted to take you up on your offer of a bath.”

 

Kagome gathered up her bathing things, drawing more curious comments from the woman, and she and Sango followed her out of the room in the direction of the bath house. Shippou scampered after them, asking Kagome if she would scrub his back for him. Kirara jumped up into the windowsill and settled down for a wash and a snooze. Hachi joined her to stare morosely out at the darkened countryside.

 

“She's gone, Inuyasha. You can get up now.”

 

Inuyasha grumbled and pushed himself to his feet. With a scowl on his face, he retreated to a corner of the room and lowered himself to the floor. Tetsusaiga's hilt rested securely against his shoulder. He closed his eyes, but Miroku knew from the constant moving of his ears that he was far from asleep.

 

“What's wrong with you, Inuyasha?” he demanded when he tired of watching the hanyou twitch. “You've been grumpier than usual for days. Did you and Kagome-sama have a fight?”

 

“None of your business,” Inuyasha snapped. He opened his eyes, fixing the monk with a hard yellow stare. “Aren't you going to sneak off to the bath house and try to get a peek at Sango?”

 

Miroku leaned his staff against the nearest wall and dropped wearily into a sitting position with his back pressed against the cool stone. “That is one of my few pleasures in life. Of course, it is much easier to `peek' when there are forest sounds to help disguise my presence.” He chanced a look at his companion. Inuyasha was slowly putting a few facts together, and it looked like he wasn't too happy with the results. The girls never bathed alone. To spy on one was to have a good view of the other. “You should try it sometime. Did you know that Kagome has the cutest little mole right on her--“

 

“Finish that sentence,” he growled, one clawed hand grasping Miroku by the front of the robes and their noses barely an inch apart, “and your sister will be an only child.”

 

Miroku swallowed hard and nodded. The touchy hanyou grunted and released him to resume his previous position. Running a hand over the front of his robe, he sighed as his fingers encountered a new rip in the cloth. He really needed some new clothes before these were completely reduced to tatters.

 

“I overheard Kagome talking to Sango,” Inuyasha announced abruptly. Miroku raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. “She said that she has `date' when she returns to her era.”

 

The monk nodded sympathetically, privately wondering what the hell a “date” was. It sounded bad if it made the moody hanyou this cranky.

 

“Do you even know what a `date' is?” Miroku shook his head. He thought Kagome always returned to her era for “tests” not “dates.”

 

“It's when a girl goes someplace with a boy who isn't her grandfather or brother. Alone. And they might hold hands or talk or--or--Gaah!” Inuyasha drove his fist into the floor with enough force to crack the stone. Hachi jumped and sidled farther away from the two until he ran into the wall on the far side of the room. Kirara opened one eye to regard the hanyou curiously before sighing and resuming her interrupted nap.

 

“I can smell boys on her hands and clothes sometimes, but she told me it was nothing to worry about. And now I find out that she's spending time with them and being nice to them just like that wimpy wolf Kouga. Well, she's not returning to her era until she promises to give up this `dating' nonsense. There are more important things she could be doing, like finding the rest of the Shikon no Tama.”

 

Miroku remained silent all through Inuyasha's little rant. When Inuyasha finished, he glanced over at the hanyou. Inuyasha had a death grip on Tetsusaiga and was glaring at an innocent bug taking a casual stroll across the floor. It was a wonder the bug didn't burst into flames.

 

“Have you mentioned any of this to Kagome-sama?”

 

Inuyasha snorted. “Course not. I'm not that stupid. She just can't go through the well ever again. I'll destroy it first.”

 

Miroku sighed. As entertaining as it usually was to needle Inuyasha about Kagome, this time he just wasn't interested. “Why don't you talk to Kagome-sama? She's a reasonable girl. You won't get very far if you keep running away from your feelings.”

 

“Just like you,” Inuyasha shot back. “I don't see you saying anything to Sango. And those little grabs for her ass annoy all of us. There are less painful ways to get her attention.”

 

“Sango and I have a perfect understanding.” Miroku forced an outward appearance of calm on his face, retreating from emotions that were too confusing to examine closely. “She has such a firm, round ass. And it feels so nice under my hand. It would be wrong of me to not show my appreciation and admiration.”

 

“You appreciate and she slaps you silly. Crazy humans. And people think youkai are complex.”

 

Not interested in continuing the current conversation, Miroku didn't respond. Briefly, he considered leaving the room and seeing if the girls were still bathing. Looking at Sango after her bath was almost as good as during--when her skin was rosy from scrubbing and with her damp hair curling gently down her back and around her face.

 

“What are you going to do about the hime?” Inuyasha's rough voice jerked him from his very pleasant daydreams.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Inuyasha snorted. “Don't play dumb. Are you going to tell her that she has a brother? Don't you think she deserves to know?”

 

Miroku had to stop and think about that. Some part of him had assumed that he would tell her. A much larger part was afraid of what her reaction would be. Would she accept him with open arms? Would the guards immediately seize him as a dangerous imposter and throw him in a dingy little cell or, even worse, execute him? And that was assuming that they would be successful in breaking the curse.

 

“Thought so.” Inuyasha smirked with a self-satisfied twitch of his lips when several minutes passed with no answer from the monk. “Everybody thinks that other people shouldn't keep secrets from friends and family, but the rules don't apply to them.”

 

“It's complicated, Inuyasha.”

 

The hanyou ignored him and continued talking. “For somebody who doesn't flinch when faced by a youkai ten times his size, you are such a coward. She should at least know that if you die, there is a good chance that she will end up with a kazaana in the middle of her hand.”

 

Miroku clenched his teeth, suddenly annoyed with Inuyasha's constant badgering. He pushed himself to his feet and stalked over to the window. Blindly, he stared out over the countryside. There really wasn't anything to see. The skies were clear, but the tiny sliver of moon gave hardly any light, leaving everything shrouded in shadows. He was aware of Inuyasha's eyes boring a hole in his back.

 

Absently, he ran a hand over Kirara's back and scratched her ears. The firecat lifted her head and stretched, giving his fingers a brief lick. “I'll think about it.”

 

^**^

 

Food for thought:

 

I understand life isn't fair, but why couldn't it just once be unfair in my favor?

 

-Christy Murphy-