InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ For Richer or Poorer ❯ Of Ice Cream and Kisses ( Chapter 15 )

(A/N: So sorry it took me forever to update. I'm working on a new fic right now called, “Midnight Meets Moonlight”, and it's kept me busy. Go check it out if you haven't already. Anyway, as promised, I put some Sango/Miroku action in the beginning of this chapter. Enjoy!!)

 

 

 

Chapter 14

House Arrest

 

 

 

“Is Kaede all right?” Sango asked Miroku within the confines of her office.

 

“She was hospitalized for the night, but was released this morning and ordered to take a few days off.”

 

“Thank goodness,” she breathed and he murmured in agreement. “What's going to happen to our case now?”

 

“I got a call from Inuyasha last night. I believe our mission has changed a bit. Instead of trying to pin the murders on Naraku, we need to know why he's targeting Kagome now.”

 

“How are we going to do that? We've only been observing so far, but anyone worth observing now is either in custody or wanted.”

 

She didn't trust his smirk. “Then, dear Sango, we need to work on our infiltration skills. Come on.” She could only stare as he walked out of her office and down the hall before she jumped up and quickly followed.

 

“What are you doing?” she hissed, not wanting to gather the attention of her coworkers.

 

“Having some fun,” he replied and pressed the button for the elevator. It was empty when it opened and he stepped inside and looked at her expectantly. She stood in indecision. She didn't know if she wanted to be a part of whatever the idiot was planning. Before she had a choice in the matter, his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her inside before the doors closed. She huffed beside him as he shot her an innocent smile.

 

“What floor is Naraku's office on?” he asked, and she gaped at him.

 

“You're…you're not planning on going in his office, are you?”

 

He gave her a strange look. “Why else would I ask what floor it's on? It's not as if I'm just dying of curiosity to see Naraku's workspace.”

 

She flushed. “But his office is off-limits! What if we get caught?”

 

“Ah, but that's all part of the fun,” he said, as the elevator stopped. “The monitors to the cameras are on this floor as well, right?” Without waiting for an answer, he stepped off and she had to hurry to keep up with him.

 

“Ah, here it is,” he said, and put his hand on the knob.

 

“What are you doing?” she hissed again. “There's a security officer in there!” She shut her mouth as he quietly opened the door and walked behind the officer looking at the monitors. With a quick move of his hand, the security officer slumped at his desk, and Miroku gently placed his head down. Sango walked in and shut the door.

 

“What did you do to him?” she whispered.

 

He gave another mysterious smile. “It's all pressure points, darling. Our friend here will be asleep for a little while.” He glanced at her and wiggled his fingers. “Want a demonstration? Did you know there are certain points on the body that, when pressed, make you feel the most incredible sense of-”

 

“Save it,” she said, blushing slightly. “Keep your demonstrations to yourself.”

 

He sighed. “Oh, well. Anyway, you know how to work the monitors right? Turn off the ones for the hallway outside of Naraku's office and inside the room.”

 

She quickly went to the control panel and began pushing buttons. “I guess if there was any day to do this, today would be the day. This floor is going to be practically deserted because of the news this morning. Only a few employees besides Naraku work on this floor anyway.”

 

“That's the spirit,” he cheered and grabbed her hand as soon as she was done. Pulling her out of the room, he stealthily made his way down the hall, detouring whenever he saw another worker. Soon, he made it to the hallway that housed Naraku's office and turned to her.

 

With a grin, he said, “Keep an eye out, okay?” He knelt in front of the door, and she gaped as he brought out a lock picking kit. He was humming a little tune as he took one of his tools and stuck it in the lock.

 

He's actually enjoying himself, she thought. He must be one of those idiots who get off on getting a thrill. Stupid…

 

However, she couldn't deny how her heart was racing as well. There was a certain excitement to this job at the possibility of getting caught. They needed to use their skills to the best of their abilities to keep from getting captured.

 

Soon, a click was heard and Miroku quickly put his tools away and gave a pleased smile. “Perfect,” he said, grabbing her hand again and pulling her into the office. “Let's get started.”

 

This was the first time anyone other than Naraku's personal circle had ever entered his office, she was sure of it. It wasn't what she had expected. She had expected sparseness to the office, with no personality like Naraku, but it was decorated in dark tones and had artifacts everywhere. Of course that wasn't to say that it was necessarily welcoming. Miroku had headed over to the computer and turned it on.

 

She walked up beside him and watched his fingers fly over the keyboard and sighed. “I doubt you'll be able to get anything. Naraku's computer has to be the most guarded thing in this room, and it will be near impossible for you to hack into the system…” she trailed off as she realized he was already into the main page and cracking codes faster than they could come.

 

“You were saying, darling Sango?” he murmured, never taking his eyes off of the screen.

 

“Never mind,” she said, shaking her head. She wasn't even going to try and figure Miroku out. Everytime she thought she had seen all there was to him, he pulls a fastball and completely throws her out of the park. He was the most mysterious man she had ever met. As she gazed at him, she couldn't help but notice how attractive he was right then, his eyebrows lowered in concentration, his eyes alight with excitement and danger, his long fingers playing the keyboard as if it were an instrument.

 

Great Kami, she thought, and quickly turned away to the bookshelves that lined the office. She really needed to get a hold of herself. She began browsing titles, keeping one ear out for trouble. She heard Miroku give a low maniacal laugh and rolled her eyes. Obviously, he had cracked the code and was in the main system.

 

Myth or Fact: The Legend of the Shikon no Tama, Jewel of Power: Secrets of the Shikon no Tama revealed, A History of the Shikon no Tama…she frowned as she saw the similar titles. At random, she picked a book off the shelf and began to read.

 

“The Shikon no Tama, once rumored to be the most powerful artifact of all time, had the power to turn any being infinitely stronger if they had possession of the jewel. Men fought for it, demons killed for it, the Warring States Era grew more tumultuous because of the legend of the jewel. Supposedly the jewel was created when two ultimate powers, good and evil, were trapped inside the jewel, destined to forever fight within its confines. From then on, the Shikon no Tama was said only reside with Miko's, and their descendents would protect it from anyone who would use it for evil. The last known resting place of the jewel was in the shrine of the Higurashi Shrine, where it mysteriously disappeared. However, the legend continue to state that a powerful miko from the Higurashi household would be destined to be the jewel's protector, housing the artifact within her very being. Years passed, and tales of the jewel eventually faded when no maiden from the household produced the jewel. Now, the Shikon no Tama is thought to be a myth…”

 

“Miroku,” Sango said sharply. “Search for anything that has to do with the Shikon no Tama on that computer, as well as Kagome's name.”

 

“The Shikon no Tama?” he asked, a confused look. “What does that myth have to do with anything?”

 

“Just do it,” she said, and walked to stand behind him as he complied. The screen soon filled with references to the mythological jewel and the detective's name. Miroku gaped.

 

“He must have tons of information on both. What's going on Sango?”

 

“I think we may have found out why Naraku wants Kagome,” she said, and whirled as she heard a noise outside in the hallway. “Hurry up and put all the information from the disc. We can look at it later tonight!”

 

Miroku quickly put a flashdrive into the USB port and began saving all of the information.

 

Hurry, Miroku, hurry… Sango chanted in her mind as the noises grew closer. Miroku snatched the device from the computer, and logged off, making sure to make everything look exactly the way it was whey they arrived.

 

“Miroku!” she hissed and the noises stopped right outside the door. He grabbed her wrist again and dragged her to the coat closet on the side. Opening the door, he shoved her inside and ran in after her, just as the office door opened.

 

In the cramped closet, her face was right in front of his chest, and there was no room to maneuver at all. “What-” she began to say, but quickly found his hand over her mouth, keeping her from talking. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and could actually hear the steady beat of his heart as well. He didn't even seem nervous. She looked up at him and squinted in the dark. His eyes were narrowed on the door and his whole body was tense as he stood there. He heard some rustling and the wheels of a cart and almost sighed in relief. After a few more minutes of complete silence, he slowly took his hand off of her mouth.

 

She was more aware than ever of their close proximity, and her heart sped up even more and she could feel her face grow warm. It seems he wasn't completely unaffected as well. He cleared his throat before he spoke, and his voice had a slight husky quality that wasn't there before. “I think the coast is clear now.”

 

Cracking open the door and taking a quick look around just to be safe, he stepped out. “It was just the janitor taking out the garbage,” she said, her voice relieved. He nodded and looked at her, another small grin on his face. “Why, Sango, I do believe that is a most lovely shade of pink you are wearing.”

 

She let out a small growl and almost picked up a paperweight on the desk to bean at his head, but decided to just forget it. She didn't want to do anymore damage to his head than what had already been done. “Let's go,” she said, and stalked out of the office, a grinning detective behind her, mouth pursed as if he were whistling a cheery tune…

 

 

 

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“Bye, Kagome-chan!!!” Rin waved as Inuyasha carried her bags out to his car. Kagome waved back to the little girl with a bright smile. Rin was going to stay at Inuyasha's place until the whole thing with Naraku blew over, and Kagome started to feel a little guilty.

 

She murmured to Sesshoumaru, “She doesn't have to be the one to leave. It should be me wh-”

 

“You are staying, Kagome,” he said, without looking at her from his position beside her. “Besides, Rin needs some with her uncle. This way, I only have to worry about one of you.”

 

She scowled. “If I'm such a burden to you, Sesshoumaru, I can leave. Please, forgive me for taking up some of your precious-”

 

He turned around and walked back inside in the middle of her tirade. “Hey!”

 

He stopped and gazed at her with a lifted eyebrow. Now she was at a loss for words. She had no clue how to act around him now, especially after last night. Before, she was trying to ignore him and keep him away from her, but now she quickly realized it was impossible to ignore him and even harder to keep him away from her. Not when she wanted him near…she sighed. He heard the sound and his gaze softened minutely.

 

“How are your wounds,” he asked. She came back from her thoughts with a jerk.

 

“Oh, they're fine. I was a little tired this morning, and my arm still hurts a little, but it's nothing a little aspirin didn't fix.” She paused. “I never…thanked you for last night, Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha said you got Hakudoushi off of me. If you hadn't…well, I don't really want to think about it.” She wrapped her arms around her middle as if to ward off a chill. She gave her head a little shake. “Anyway, thanks. I know I probably got blood all over your nice car…I'll pay for it whenever I have the chan-”

 

For the third time he cut her off as he gathered her in his arms and rested his chin on the top of her head. She stiffened, but then gradually relaxed and slumped against him tiredly. “Baka,” he said, and she smiled.

 

Sesshoumaru certainly wasn't a man of many words, but he knew how to get his point across without them.

 

“How long do you think I'll be here?” she asked, and then winced at how it sounded. He let go of her and took a step back.

 

“Either Inuyasha will get Naraku out there,” he said, vaguely referring to the city, “or we wait until he comes and tries to corner you here. Either way, he will be caught.”

 

“And after?” she asked before she could stop herself and mentally cringed. He gave a small smirk at her and leaned in close. Her heart began to pound.

 

“Well,” he said softly, his lips brushing over her forehead as he spoke. “We'll see what happens…” With that, he leaned away and walked upstairs, leaving her dumbfounded on the landing.

 

A second later, she snapped out of it. That man, no, demon, was so confusing!!! She wanted to stomp her feet in frustration. Instead she sighed and went to her comfort zone: the kitchen. She smiled gleefully as she looked in the freezer and found a whole quart of vanilla ice cream, and no Jaken looking over her shoulder if she decided to take some. She rummaged around and found ice cream cones and began to scoop out the delectable dessert. It took her a while on account of her injured arm, but she soon had a desirable amount of ice cream in the cone and was happily licking away.

 

Wandering the house because she had nothing better to do, she became lost in her thoughts. Sesshoumaru, the case, Naraku…her mind could simply not process what would happen next. Of course, maybe she should stop analyzing everything and just let things happen as they were supposed to happen: naturally. So lost was she in the vortex of her mind, she didn't notice someone approaching her. So when a hand grabbed her arm to get her attention, she instinctively fought back with the only weapon she had. Whirling, she shoved her ice cream cone right in the face of her adversary and let out a scream.

 

A gasp flew from her mouth as she stared at the impassive face of Sesshoumaru, who was now sporting an ice cream mask on the lower half of his face. His face didn't move, but his eyes clearly shown his shock.

 

Kagome couldn't believe what she had just done. Granted, he did sneak up on her…She couldn't help it. She giggled.

 

And when he raised one of those perfect eyebrows at her, the whole effect ruined by ice cream dripping down his chin, she knew she had never laughed so hard in her life.

 

“I'm…sorry!” she gasped in between chuckles. “I thought you were attacking me…and…and…..” she couldn't continue.

 

“You know that I can't just let this go,” he said, his voice revealing nothing, but Kagome saw the devilish gleam in his eyes. He took a menacing step towards her, a mock growl escaping his throat, and she let out an “eep!” and bolted, giggles following in her wake.

 

She ran into the spacious living room and paused when she was around the big couch. He stopped on the other side so that they were across from one another, and whenever she moved one way, he countered her. He had a small smirk around his still ice-cream covered lips, and he moved with the grace of a predator as he stalked her around the couch.

 

She knew that as long as she stayed on her side, she was safe. She gasped when he unexpectedly vaulted over the whole length of the couch to land right beside her, and she was off again. Oh, she knew he was just toying with her. She'd seen his speed before and knew he could catch up to her in a nanosecond, had he really wanted her. But it seemed like he was enjoying the chase as much as she was. She glanced over her shoulder as she was running down a hallway, and saw that he wasn't behind her. Of course, since she was looking behind her, she didn't see him step out gracefully in front of her, and ran right into him with an “oomph!” His arms wrapped like steel bands around her and he declared, “Now it's time for your punishment.”

 

She let out a screech as he rubbed his face all over hers, transferring the sticky ice cream still stuck to him. He backed up and looked with a satisfied smile at the mess he had made and she couldn't help but smile helplessly back. This was one side she hadn't really seen of him, and she knew part of it was to make her feel better about things. She suddenly felt overcome with love that it almost took her breath away, and without giving it a second thought, she leaned up and kissed, initiating their contact for the first time ever. She almost pulled away when he stiffened for a moment, but then he was kissing her back with such abandon that she couldn't think about leaving.

 

He was having trouble thinking himself. When she had leaned up to place her lips on his, he wasn't prepared for the emotion that he felt, and had frozen in response. She kissed him first this time instead of the other way around. She had made the first move, and they had made another breakthrough in their newborn relationship. He hadn't stayed frozen for very long, not with the taste of ice-cream on her lips and the innocent offering she had given him. He made sure not to miss a drop of the sweetness that still lingered on her, and she was so enthusiastic as well, he was positive his lips were spotless now as well. He smiled against her lips and felt her return it.

 

Pulling back, they both caught their breaths. When he could manage to speak again, he said, “And don't even think that was a part of the cover or the case.”

 

Again, she couldn't help but laugh.

 

 

 

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Wow, that was weird to write. There wasn't even any action at all. I guess you could call this a filler chapter. I didn't have any big ideas for this one, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. A little bit of Sess/Kag fluff as well as Mir/Sango for you. (big sigh) Okay, and now I have some bad news. I'm going to try and cut down on the reviewer responses. I know it sounds horrible of me, and I hate to do it because I love all of you so much, but it just takes up too much time. Back in the day (the day meaning last year) when I was a new author and only getting, like, three reviews a chapter, it was manageable. But now I'm getting around 50, which I totally love and appreciate, but I just don't have enough time after writing a chapter to respond to each reviewer individually anymore. In fact, last chapter reached 61 reviews. Whoo hooo!!!!!! I think you guys broke a record for me! So, here's what I'm going to do. If you leave a review with a specific question, or just something that I can't pass up, I'll address you. I love and appreciate everyone who takes the time to review, but I'm sorry, I just can't give a response to all those who write, “I like it a lot, update soon!”

 

Does that sound fair? Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean leave a review if you liked or didn't like the chapter. Reviews are what give me motivation to write. I just can't respond like I used to. …god, it makes me feel horrible. I feel like since you took the time to write, I should at least write back but…it takes me an hour alone to respond, and that's one hour that you could be reading! So, that is my new policy, okay?

 

Okay, so now for questions or issues.

 

When is the fic going to be finished? This was asked by “Nadia” in an e-mail.

 

I honestly have no clue…lol. I know it's bad of me as a writer, but I honestly don't know what's going to happen in each chapter. I just write as it comes to me. I guess I have an overactive imagination. Just like I don't know how long the story is going to be. However, I feel like I'm getting closer to the end…maybe a few more chapters? I hope that helps.

 

“CreSentMoOn99” wanted to know when I usually update: I never know when I'm going to update. I tried to make a schedule for myself once, but it didn't work out. I write whenever I have spare time (being a college student, that is rare) and it also depends on if I have writers block. There is no set schedule.

 

Airen2: I just wanted to say thank you for your review. I'm glad you didn't give up on Inuyasha fanfiction, and I'm honored that you reviewed my fic.

 

“Clavira” wanted to know what took me so long to update: LOL, one word: school. Thank God Thanksgiving break is almost here.

 

“Coldqueen” wanted to know where the cookies were (inside joke): Cookies are all gone!!! And they were chocolate chip….so sorry you missed out. Better luck next time. LOL!!

 

SpiritofTomoe: You gave me one of the nicest reviews I've ever had the pleasure of receiving, and so you get special mention. Thank you for telling me what I was doing right instead of just saying you liked it. I appreciate it very much. And thank you about your offer for the lemon. The only reason I said I wouldn't write one before was because of…well, I guess you could call them religious beliefs. But, ah, me and God are having some problems right now, and I've been testing the waters, so to speak, and trying to see what I can do. I'll let you know how it goes… thanks again.

 

Arcander: (shakes head) All I can do is laugh. Thank you for entertaining me once again.

 

Me: (glomps) Just because you're so sweet!

 

And that's it. Whew, that was a lot faster than normal! Until next chapter!!!! Oh, and don't forget to check out my new story, “Midnight Meets Moonlight” if you haven't already. And as always, review!!!!!

 

Ja ne,

Mujitsu