InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ I Came to Read, I Stayed to Write ❯ Opposition ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this oneshot… especially for the evasive monk who tries to talk circles around a certain miko. A nod of recognition is bent towards Rumiko Takahashi for her creative prowess.

 

 

This oneshot was originally posted to LJ on February 19, 2007.

 

oOo

 

Circular

 

“Did you really mean what you said?” asked Kagome curiously, shifting her armload of supplies.

 

“Hmm?” responded the monk distractedly as they made their way through the busy marketplace.

 

“I heard you back there. That woman who approached you, you declined her offer.”

 

“Offer?” Miroku repeated, his face a mask on innocent confusion.

 

“Yes,” Kagome said, flushing with embarrassment, “She practically volunteered to bear you a son.”

 

Miroku paused mid-step and turned to catch Kagome's free hand in both of his. “My dear Kagome-sama, I did not know you were so concerned about my quest for an heir,” he said with patent delight. “Have you reconsidered? Do you wish to bear my child?”

 

Used to the monk's eloquent nonsense, Kagome merely rolled her eyes. “Miroku-sama, are you avoiding my question?”

 

Miroku leaned close, eyes twinkling, “Of course not, but I think you're avoiding mine. Does this mean you will?” he inquired winsomely.

 

Kagome closed her eyes, trying to gather her patience. “No, Miroku-sama. Just… no.”

 

The monk sighed longsufferingly and resumed his easy stroll down the village's main thoroughfare. “It was too much to hope for, I suppose.”

 

Catching up, the miko poked Miroku's arm stubbornly. “You still haven't answered my question.”

 

The monk glanced down at his companion's upturned face with a calculating look. “I apologize, Kagome-sama,” he said serenely. “Was there something you wished to ask me?”

 

The miko shook her head, dumbfounded. “Do you ever say what you really mean, Miroku-sama?”

“Are you accusing me of lying, Kagome-sama?” replied the monk, with a hurt expression.

 

Kagome stopped dead in her tracks, forcing Miroku to pause as well. She tipped her head to one side, concentrating. “You just did it again, didn't you?”

 

Miroku merely raised one eyebrow questioningly.

 

“You skirted the whole issue,” she accused.

 

Before Kagome could continue, the monk bent down so that he was practically nose to nose with her. “Surely not,” he whispered seductively. “How could you even suggest such a thing, Kagome-sama?”

 

The miko drew back slightly. “Are you… are you trying to make me lose my train of thought?” Kagome asked in surprise. The light of understanding dawned in her eyes. “You are! You're trying to distract me!”

 

“Don't be silly, Kagome-sama! I would never…”

 

Kagome interrupted. “You know, for all your talk, you don't actually say much, do you?” mused the miko aloud. “You flirt and you flatter and you tease, but you aren't telling anyone what's on your mind.”

 

This seemed to stump the monk momentarily. “Is that what you think?” he asked slowly.

 

“Yes,” replied Kagome confidently. “You can't con me, Miroku-sama.” She planted her free hand on one hip, “All this smooth talk and evasiveness—you're hiding behind it. You don't let anyone see what's really in your heart.”

 

“My… heart?” Miroku repeated incredulously as he watched the young woman build momentum.

 

“Yes,” gesticulated Kagome excitedly. “The real you! The hidden person of the heart! The Miroku behind the letch!”

 

The monk seemed genuinely amused. He cast about briefly, and spying a bench, led the young woman over and seated himself by her side. “I see. So you think I have hidden depths, do you?”

 

The miko settled her purchases between her feet and turned to confront the monk. This time it was Kagome whose eyes held a gleam. “Oh yes,” she insisted. “You're definitely hiding something.”

 

“I am?”

 

Kagome nodded enthusiastically. “Definitely. That's why you're continuing to avoid my question.”

 

Miroku ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the low tail uncomfortably. “I think you're reading more into this than…” he began placatingly, only to be interrupted.

 

“Let's try this again, shall we?” pronounced the miko with determination.

 

Miroku leaned back, crossing his arms and eyeing the girl warily. “Are you sure that's wise?”

 

“How else are we going to get to the truth?”

 

Miroku studied Kagome's face for a moment, but looked away before speaking. “Perhaps there are times when the truth is best left undiscovered.”

 

“Surely there's no harm in being honest,” argued Kagome. “Friends should always be honest with one another.”

 

“I am being honest, Kagome-sama,” returned the monk blandly.

 

“You're being impossible,” the young woman huffed. “What are you trying to hide?”

 

“What are you hoping to gain?” he countered.

 

Kagome narrowed her eyes in thought, then grinned. “A glimpse of the real you?” she offered hopefully.

 

Miroku bowed his head in defeat, smiling at the girl's persistence. “What is it you wanted to know, Kagome-sama?”

 

“That woman, what you told her—was it true?”

 

“What exactly did you overhear, Kagome-sama,” the monk asked carefully.

 

“When she offered to… keep you company… you refused, and she asked you why. You told her you couldn't accept her `kindness' because the fates had been unkind to you.”

 

Kagome paused and Miroku nodded. “You cannot deny the truth of that,” he murmured, tapping the prayer beads that circled one hand.

 

The miko shook her head, “Yes, but you said that the fates had been unkind to you, `having fixed all my hopes on the uncertainty of a certain future.” After a pause, she summed up, “Oh, and you said that you were content to wait for that future to come to you.”

 

“That is what I said,” affirmed Miroku, “and it is true.”

 

“It seemed a cryptic thing to say, especially to a complete stranger,” Kagome ventured.

 

“Perhaps,” the monk said noncommittally.

 

“What did you mean by it, Miroku-sama?” asked Kagome curiously. “Were you talking about your search for Naraku?”

 

“That's a part of it, I suppose,” the monk agreed amiably.

 

Kagome gave him a sharp look. “It's not what you meant, though, is it,” she surmised.

 

Miroku hesitated before answering. “Normally, it could be said that no one knows what the future will bring.”

 

Kagome nodded.

 

“However, I know something of the future in store.”

 

The young woman's eyes widened in amazement. “You do?”

 

Miroku chuckled. “It is no great mystery,” he said, patting Kagome's hand. “I know for certain that the future holds you, Kagome-sama.”

 

“Me?” the miko blinked in confusion. “Oh! Me—because I'm from the future.” The very thought made her laugh.

 

Miroku rose to his feet, and Kagome picked up her bundle of supplies again. “Shall we go back to the others now?” he invited.

 

“Yes, I think we have everything,” the young woman agreed, falling in step with the monk. “So… I'm your `certain future' then?” she teased with a smile.

 

Miroku's eyes were warm. “Something like that,” he said evenly.

 

Just as they reached the outskirts of the village, Kagome asked, “So, which part of your `certain future' do you consider the unkindness of the fates?”

 

The monk's step faltered slightly, and there was a hint of admiration in his quick glance towards the miko walking beside him. With an impish grin, he replied smoothly. “Ah, my dear Kagome-sama, that would have to be the part where you continually refuse to bear my children.”

 

oOo

 

 

End Note: This oneshot was originally written for iyfic_contest's Week 86 drabble theme, `Heart', which had an free word count. 1,157 words.