InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Identity Crisis ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter Five

"Why'd ya send Miroku anyway? I'd have killed it faster."

Kagome frowned angrily. "It was just a hunch, okay?" Her voice was shrill. By now, she was behind him, clinging to his arm, with Shippo peering over his shoulder.

"Keh, whatever." Inuyasha paused, sniffing the air. That was odd - he thought he smelled Sango and the monk, back in the direction of the village. It took him a moment longer to realize that the guards had stopped their attack, and were conversing with one another in hushed tones. "Hey, what gives?" he demanded.

All that time spent fighting them off while trying not to seriously injure them, and they just stopped out of nowhere?

Four pairs of eyes stared at him, revealing a mix of confusion and terror. Finally, one managed to squeak out, "I… We… Don't know. How did we get here? And wh-who-what are you?"

"Keh," he grumbled, breaking out of Kagome's grasp. "You talk to 'em, wench."

"Wench?" she shrieked, outraged.

"I'm going after the monk. They're back at the village, somehow."

Kagome frowned. "You're just going to leave me here?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "If you hurry up, you can come with me. These idiots don't know what's going on."

Kagome glanced uncertainly toward the men who, until a few moments before, had been attacking them. Now the men looked nothing short of baffled.

Comprehension dawned. "They must have been possessed!" She paused, as if deep in thought. The guards were by now staring at her with unabashed curiosity. "I can't sense the demonic aura anymore. Sango and Miroku must've killed the demon." She turned back to the guards, who eyed her warily. "Come back to the village with us," she urged, "We have a lot of things to explain to you." As Inuyasha hauled her onto his back for the run to the village, the guards did not hear her add, "I hope."

-----

Sango had just cinched the belt to close her kosode when Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo burst into the room she was to share with Kagome at the inn. Miroku returned, the befuddled innkeeper in tow, a few seconds later and just in time to save Sango from facing their questions alone.

"Sango!" Kagome and Shippo cried at the same time; the priestess fairly flew toward the slayer, stopping just short of flinging her arms around the slayer in a hug her eyes scanning her friend's form for any sort of immediately visible injury. Finding none, relief spread across her face. Shippo, who had been perched on Kagome's shoulder, launched himself at Sango and crashed headfirst into her chest, his arms spread wide in a hug.

Sango smiled. It only felt a little forced. The last of her nausea and shakiness seemed to be fading. Her hands came up of their own accord, fingers sliding through Shippo's fur before the young fox demon clambered up onto her shoulder. She was vaguely aware of Kirara, having stirred from the nap she had settled into the moment they returned to the inn, coming to wind her way around Sango's ankles.

"You're all right," Kagome breathed, while Inuyasha harrumphed.

"Yes, it would seem we escaped intact," Miroku added. The rings on his staff chimed as he leaned it against the nearest wall. Sango noticed that several village men had followed Inuyasha and Kagome, though they refrained from entering the room; she thought she recognized them as the headman's guards, but did not inquire about it.

"So… that thing… what was it?" Shippo asked.

"Who cares, as long as it's dead now?" Inuyasha grouched.

Miroku quirked a brow at Sango; she sighed, understanding the implicit cue. "It was a plant demon…" she began, before launching into a heavily edited recounting of the events leading up to her rescue, or at least as much as she was able to remember. Miroku supplied bits and pieces of information where her memory was still fuzzy, but for the most part he let her do the telling.

"From what it told us, its ultimate goal was to kill Kagome and somehow obtain her power," Sango concluded. "But it's obviously been controlling the villagers for some time."

The innkeeper, a man who might otherwise have been a village elder, had disappeared part of the way through Sango's explanation with a rather ill look on his face. He returned now, either having got over his reaction to the situation or having confirmed that these strange travelers had, in fact, paid for their keep.

Sango paid little heed to his entrance, or the way the former guards slipped away, trying instead to focus on finishing up the story and answering her friends' questions without letting on how upset she was by the whole thing.

But in the silence after the tale was told, the innkeeper piped up. "All the members of this village owe you an enormous debt of gratitude," he said, bowing deferentially. "If there is anything you desire, simply ask and I will see what can be done."

That caught Sango's attention. "What about a bath? Is there a spring or bath house nearby?" She hated to admit it, but she could still feel the lingering residue of that demonic miasma all over her. It was enough to make her skin crawl. She could think of nothing that sounded more pleasant than a long, hot bath.

"I thought you might make such a request, so I took the liberty of asking my wife to ready the bath house for you," the innkeeper responded, looking rather pleased with himself. Sango doubted that this was the real reason for his earlier departure, but kept her suspicions to herself. "It should be ready soon, should you decide to make use of it."

Sango glanced at Kagome and saw the other girl nod. "We'll definitely take you up on that," the priestess said, ignoring the annoyed look Inuyasha was giving her. "Just let me grab my things."

She dug through her enormous backpack for a long time before finally reemerging, triumphantly grasping a couple of bottles in each hand. Sango knew from prior experience that these held Kagome's bathing supplies, lovely scented soaps and strange poultices that she used to clean her hair.

Signaling that they were now ready, Kagome and Sango followed the innkeeper from the room. The promise of warm water and quietude was enough to make Sango want to melt, if only Kagome did not feel too inclined to pry. She was not sure she could handle too many questions from the other girl, at least not yet.

All she wanted right now was to take a bath and go to sleep, and pretend this had never happened.

-----

Miroku smirked as he watched the ladies head down the hallway. When they were out of sight and, presumably, also out of earshot, he asked, "Do you think we ought to follow them, just to make sure everything is safe?"

The hanyou's lips curled back into what might have been a snarl. "Haven't you had enough, monk?" he growled through clenched teeth. Miroku thought that Inuyasha was perhaps resisting the urge to inflict physical damage on him, and rather suspected he knew why.

"I don't know what you're talking about." It wouldn't do to simply admit to the events that had occurred in the demon's lair; he had Sango's honor and dignity to consider, after all. She had not left the more questionable parts out of her retelling without reason.

And besides, he had done nothing untoward while rescuing Sango from the demon. For once in his life and despite the most alluring temptation imaginable, he had managed to adhere firmly to his idiotic goal and keep his hands to himself. Surely that deserved some sort of reward. Unfortunately, none seemed to be forthcoming. He was instead met with even more intense scrutiny.

"Last chance, monk. Fess up. What did you do to Sango back there?"

"Huh?" Miroku gave a look of pure innocence; the expression was not entirely feigned.

Inuyasha looked away and muttered something quietly. He seemed uncomfortable with the topic at hand, but his concern for Sango's well being outweighed that discomfort; it helped dispel Miroku's outrage at being put in the position of perpetrator of some crime against Sango.

"Inuyasha, my hearing is not as acute as yours. If you want me to answer you, you'll have to ask so that I can hear you," he prodded. If he had to endure this humiliation, then so would Inuyasha. He saw no reason to go easy on Inuyasha just because the hanyou was squeamish when it came to talking about sex, not when he was about to be blamed for something he had not – no matter how much he had wanted to – done.

"You better not have mated with her," came the response, finally. Inuyasha's eyes were narrowed, his expression angry.

"What makes you think I 'mated' with her?" That was such an unsavory term. Absently, he resolved to have a talk with Inuyasha about that later.

"I can smell it on you, idiot," the hanyou grumbled. "My nose is better than yours, remember?"

Miroku's shoulders slumped. He knew he really ought to just confess and get this over with. "Since she did not bring it up, I can only assume that she did not wish for me to mention it to anyone until she was ready to talk about it."

"If you know what's good for you, you'll tell me." He should have expected this from Inuyasha; if the hanyou could not get to the bottom of something through a feeble attempt at diplomacy or understanding, he invariably resorted to threats of force. His dealings with Shippo were proof enough of that nearly every day. Right now he was leaning forward threateningly, his fangs just visible.

Miroku gave it one last try. "These things are not appropriate –"

"Spill it, monk, before I kick your ass and ask Sango myself."

"Now, now. There's no need for violence." He made a placating gesture with his hands, but the hanyou did not seem inclined to back down. Miroku frowned. Did all his friends have so little faith in him?

Sighing, he decided it would be best to simply admit what had happened. He cast a glance in Shippo's direction, but the fox kit was curled up with Kirara, and appeared to be sound asleep. Miroku hoped he was – and that for once Inuyasha would show some discretion – because he had no desire for word of this to get around to Kagome until Sango was ready to tell her.

"Sango was not just the demon's prisoner. It was controlling her somehow," he explained as tersely as possible. "Its goal was to entice me into making love with Sango, in the hopes that thus distracted I would make an easy target."

Inuyasha quirked a brow. "All that just to get at you?"

Miroku frowned. "I gathered that Kagome was the ultimate target. Sango and I were merely steps toward that goal."

Inuyasha growled under his breath, so quietly that Miroku almost didn't hear. Ignoring the hanyou's agitation, Miroku continued, "Luckily we were able to defeat the thing, whatever it was, before it had a chance to go after Kagome."

None of this seemed to do much to improve the hanyou's mood. Miroku decided that it might be wiser to avoid telling Inuyasha that the demon had admitted to using the same tactic on others - presumably including Inuyasha and Kagome - in the hopes of devouring them and adding their power to its own. While Miroku himself had little experience in the way of close, intimate relationships, preferring instead to indulge in physical intimacy as quickly as possible and leave as soon as it was convenient to do so, he knew that Inuyasha and Kagome's trust in each other was likely running thin due to the shift from a purely emotional bond to a physical one; he had no wish to further jeopardize their relationship and happiness based on a demon's hearsay. After all, he had no way to verify any of the things it had told him.

He realized an instant too late that the hanyou was already gone, undoubtedly headed back to the demon's lair to check things out for himself. Miroku shook his head, and wondered if Inuyasha would ever truly learn to trust his friends.

He knew he should return to his room, since they had paid enough coin for two, but instead made his way back to the girls' room, to join Shippo and Kirara in waiting for Sango and Kagome to return.

-----

The bathhouse turned out to be located in a separate building from the inn, and appeared to be more of a common village bathhouse than one owned specifically by the innkeeper. It did not matter much to Sango, as long as she could finally get clean, and in relative privacy.

The innkeeper handed them over to his wife, a kind looking woman who was younger than Sango had expected, just outside the bathhouse; steam emanated invitingly from the building, and sweat was visible on the young woman's face. She had obviously been working hard to make sure their guests would be comfortable.

There was no sign of the servants from earlier; Sango wondered idly what would become of the girls now that the demon's spell was broken. The village was likely to be in turmoil for some time, especially if the demon had been in control for as long as she suspected.

The innkeeper's wife showed them into the bathhouse after exchanging a few pleasantries with her husband and the girls, explaining that they were to make themselves at home and to take as long as they wished.

Sango blushed and nodded, feeling a bit awkward at the idea of being waited on hand and foot. By now, Kagome seemed to take such treatment in stride. In fact, Sango guessed that simple hospitality was probably more preferable for her friend than the awe and strict formality usually reserved for priestesses.

Once the innkeeper's wife had retreated outside, the girls undressed. Neither said a word, but Sango could feel Kagome's eyes on her, searching for injuries the slayer might have tried to disguise or hide. Thankfully, there were none.

The bathhouse contained two "rooms" - one for men and one for women - that were separated by a large, thick screen. The room was spacious for a bathhouse and the air was filled with clean steam.

The girls sank gratefully into the water, glad to have a chance to bathe in peace and quiet after the ordeals of the day.

For a long time, Sango was content to soak in silence. She felt much better with the warm water around her. The memories of the demon's lair were fading further and further, and for the moment she was glad to let them go. She resolved to face those memories when she had some time to herself. Until then, she would answer questions if asked, but had no wish to over think things.

Yes, a bath was just what she had needed, after all that had happened.

"Sango?" She perked up at the sound of her name.

"Yes, Kagome?"

"Uh, I hate to ask, but… what happened to your clothes?"

Sango had hoped that the others would not notice that she had changed back into her own yukata. "Erm, well, the yukata from the inn was… torn in the fight with the demon." She mentally cursed herself for being such a damnably bad liar; luckily, Kagome seemed to believe her.

"Oh," Kagome said quietly. "You weren't hurt, were you?"

Sango sighed, leaning back against the edge of the bath. "No, just my pride." She sighed again, wondering why Kagome would ask such a thing when she could clearly see that there were no wounds on Sango's body. "I can't believe I let that thing capture me so easily."

Ever the optimist, Kagome chirped, "Well at least everything turned out okay in the end."

Sango murmured something noncommittal and slipped all the way under the water, enjoying the feel of clean warmth all around her. She was glad for the moment of peace, only surfacing reluctantly.

Kagome was watching her intently when she emerged; the priestess had that look on her face. It was the look that said she was about to ask some "juicy" question about Miroku - where "juicy" was sure to mean awkward or embarrassing.

"So, uh, Sango…" she began. Sango tried not to cringe. "Did anything interesting happen when Miroku rescued you? Something you may have forgotten to mention?"

"Kagome," she scolded. "He did nothing improper. He was a total gentleman." She allowed her eyes to narrow suspiciously and added, "For once." Kagome giggled. It seemed as good a time as any to satisfy her own curiosity. "By the way… what were you and Inuyasha doing that you couldn't come after me?"

The priestess looked guilty for an instant. "We – that is, the guards showed up right when we discovered the demon's lair. I thought it would be best to send Miroku and Kirara after you, while Inuyasha and I held off the guards."

Sango frowned. "I was kidnapped by a demon and you sent the lecher after me?" Her head felt like it was full of fuzz, but despite the difficulty of thinking she had the distinct impression that something worse than Miroku seeing her naked had nearly happened. Carnal images flashed before her eyes, but she did not know if they had actually occurred or if her imagination might be working overtime. Even though she had come to completely naked and with Miroku practically on top of her, she was certain that nothing untoward had occurred. She was trying to be certain, at least.

Kagome was looking away; she seemed almost forlorn. "I'm sorry, Sango. I… I thought it would make you happy if Miroku was the one to rescue you."

Suddenly, Sango giggled. "I can't believe you would do something like that!"

"You're not… mad at me, or anything?"

Sango shook her head. "Not at all. It's just such a silly thing to do. I'd never have thought of that."

The tension in the air dissipated and Kagome joined her friend in helpless giggles. After a moment, Sango continued, "I can't believe Inuyasha listened to you, either. Usually he just goes rushing in, without waiting to see what's going on or listening to what anybody says…"

Kagome got that sad look on her face again. "He's probably really mad at me for that."

Sango shrugged. "What for? Like you said, everything turned out just fine. I mean, I know he's a little bit pig-headed sometimes…" She let it go at that and accepted the soapy sponge that Kagome was offering her, understanding the gesture as a sign that it was time to hurry up and head back.

She hurried to finish bathing, and then joined Kagome in drying off and getting dressed for the trip back to the inn. The building was silent, most of its residents already asleep. They made the short trip back to their room without incident, but something seemed to be bothering Kagome by the time they returned.

Sango slid the door to their room open and ushered Kagome inside in front of her.

"Where's Inuyasha?" the priestess asked, concern evident in her voice.

Miroku, who was inexplicably still in the room, shrugged. "He did not appear to believe Sango's - or my own - account of the demon's death. I presume he went to investigate on his own."

For her part, Sango was determined to ignore her friends and get some sleep. She was exhausted and knew it would not be long before dawn. And dawn meant they would be on the road before too much longer, barring some miraculous change of heart on Inuyasha's part.

She climbed into her futon, enjoying the warmth and comfort, and closed her eyes. As she lay listening to her friends quietly conversing, it was not long before she fell asleep.

-----

"Miroku…" The word came out as a breathy whisper.

He moaned in response; she could feel his breath against her neck as he gasped for air. The warm air against her sensitive flesh made her shiver, despite the heat that rose between them.

Strong fingers probed against her, gently exploring the swell of her breasts, the curve of a hip, the warm, slippery wetness between her legs. She spread her legs wide, eager and inviting.

He did not hesitate.

She loved the feel of him between her legs, fever-hot and hard, more than ready for her; she squirmed, needing more intimate contact. Her legs wrapped around his waist, drawing her hips up hungrily to meet his own.

He shifted, slipped inside of her. She cried out, overwhelmed by passion, and –

Sango woke with a start. Her body was heated and she was drenched with her own sweat. She sat up, rubbing a hand across her forehead.

D-did I just… dream about having sex with Miroku?