InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Prayer Beads ❯ Full of Surprises ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, he wouldn't be on TV... I would be keeping him at home for my own evil pleasure. In short: I. Don't. Own. Him... or any other related characters.

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PRAYER BEADS

Full of Surprises

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Miroku really didn't know what to do... He could barely understand what was happening. How could one person possibly travel 52 years into the past?!

He sighed as he trudged down the long staircase of the Higurashi shrine. After the initial shock of finding out that it was July 20, 1952 instead of July 20, 2004, he had turned and said goodbye to Souta.

But now he didn't know where he was supposed to be going.

He couldn't go over to his house. At this day and age, his mansion was probably just a grassy vacant lot. His ancestral home was still inhabited by his grandfather, who probably wouldn't be too happy to see a replica of himself in modern clothing. He couldn't even stay at the Higurashi shrine, lest he bump into his grandfather...

The self-same one he could see walking up the shrine steps.

Panicked, Miroku looked around for something to hide behind. Spotting a cluster of bushes on the path to his right, he dove in, watching the younger version of his grandfather as he slowly trudged up.

Miroku was shocked to realize that he and his grandfather looked positively identical. The monk wore typical monk's robes of purple and indigo, humming a soft tune as he walked. In his arms he carried a bunch of small spring flowers, probably as an offering to the shrine.

When he was sure that his grandfather was nowhere in sight, he took off from his hiding place and ran down the steps like the hounds of hell were after him. It would definitely not do for his grandfather to face him - schizophrenia was never a good thing.

His frantic run was as smooth as it can get. Unfortunately, the shoes he was wearing did not seem to have been made for running, and as he placed his foot on a particularly uneven step, the tip of his shoe caught, and he found himself falling.

As he flailed around futilely, he noticed that a woman was walking on the road across the bottom of the steps, and he would be falling right on top of her if she didn't move.

“Lady, look out!” he shouted in warning just as he flailed around. To his surprise, the woman, instead of shrieking and running off, looked up and held out her hands as if to catch him, and he caught a glimpse of cherry colored lips as he fell forward, right into the woman's waiting arms.

The force of his fall pushed the woman back a few feet as he crashed into her, but she remained on her feet despite the height of her stilettos. His arms wound around her on reflex, as he felt her hands reach up to grasp his biceps to push him up.

“Are you ok?” the woman asked, pushing him back to look at his face.

At a glimpse of her face, however, Miroku seemed to have lost control of his voice. Her magenta eyes were worried as she searched him for injuries, her lips pouted in concentration, her cheeks flushed slightly from the heat of the sun on her skin.

`She is beautiful,' Miroku thought, and before he could regain control of his voice, he lost control of another little part of his anatomy... a little part that traveled from her lower back... to the tightest buttocks his delighted hands had ever groped.

The woman's concerned face melted into an angry, embarrassed scowl, and she pushed him off her, pulled her right hand back and gave him a strong resounding...

SLAP!

... that sent him crashing to the ground at her feet.

“Hentai no bakayarou!” she shrieked, her cheeks flushed with anger this time. She turned away from him with a huff, and stalked off, her heels clicking against the pavement as she muttered angrily.

Miroku watched her as she walked, following the sway of her hips and the way her black knee-length skirt fluttered around her legs. The wind blew her waist-length hair around her, her slim figure accentuated by the sheer royal blue blouse that she wore.

Miroku finally regained his brain as the woman rounded a corner, and he immediately got to his feet and rushed after her.

“Hey, lady, wait!” he shouted after her as he jogged up, but she gave no indication of slowing down. Then, remembering that she had called him a “perverted bastard” in fluent Japanese, he added, “Chotto matte, kudasai!”

The woman paused in surprise as he asked her to “wait a moment” in her own native tongue. `He's Japanese?' she thought as she turned back, an eyebrow raised in question.

Miroku grinned in relief when she turned, and he quickened his pace. In his haste, though, he didn't notice a wet patch on the ground, and he slipped, falling painfully on his butt.

“Gah!” he shouted as he fell. He rubbed his tailbone and winced, glaring at the wet spot that caused him to fall again.

Soft chuckling made him look up, and he realized that the beautiful woman was laughing softly, AT HIM, as she made her way toward him.

“This is not your day, is it, mister?” she said with a smile as she held out a hand to him.

“Eh, you can say that,” he agreed as he took her offered hand and pushed himself up with her help. He dusted himself off as he stood, before looking back at the smiling woman.

“Ano... he began. “I just wanted to say thanks for helping me out. And, hehe... sorry because my hand kinda... slipped.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Slipped?”

“Hai,” he said, an eyebrow twitching. “I assure you it was an accident.”

“Alright. Gratitude noted and apology accepted. Goodbye,” she said as she turned again.

“Wait!” he said again, reaching for one of her slender hands. She turned again, one of her brows raised inquiringly even as a blush stained her cheeks from the contact. “I just... ano... my name is Miroku Parker Houshi. May I please know your name?”

The woman slowly pulled her hand back. “You are part Japanese?”

“Yes,” he replied with a small, sheepish smile.

The woman smiled back. “So am I. I am Taijiya. Sango Taijiya.”

Miroku's head spun at her words. “Sango... Taijiya? You're Sango Taijiya?”

“Yes. Is something wrong?”

It did not make sense... Sango Taijiya was an old woman with the body of a young woman... not an actual young woman! But on the other hand, it did make sense. After all, hadn't he just seen his own grandfather as a young man a few moments earlier?

“Oh, no, my dear lady,” he replied, and thinking fast, he added. “I believe I have heard your name somewhere. Are you an actress, perhaps?”

Sango visibly brightened. “Yes, I am an actress. You have heard of me, truly?”

“Oh yes, I am sure of it now,” he remarked, though in all actuality, he didn't really know much about her.

“Well, I am glad. I was afraid all my hard work had been going nowhere!” she said.

“Of course not! I heard you were brilliant. I'm an actor myself,” he said before he could stop himself. `Shit, good going, Houshi!'

“You are? To which theater are you affiliated?”

“Um...” Miroku began, thinking of any theater. “Sunset,” he answered, mentally kicking himself as he remembered that he had been referring to a theater that had been built in the 1970's.

“Sunset? I do not believe I have heard of it...”

“Well, it is pretty new,” he fibbed.

“I see,” she replied. “Please excuse me, Houshi-sama, but I have to go now.”

“Oh, of course, I am sorry for having kept you. But please, allow this humble man the luxury of seeing you again...” he said, mentally begging her to give him a location.

“Well... I work at the Sincerity theater...” she replied, a bit hesitantly. “And I rent a unit at the Jones' Apartment Complex.”

“Wonderful!” he said excitedly, before reaching for her hand and bringing it to his lips. “Until we meet again, Sango-sama.”

Sango gasped softly as his lips met her skin. “Yes... until next time, Houshi-sama.”

With that, he let her go. She gave him one last smile before turning on her heels and walking in the direction of the old theater.

oooooooooo

“Cut!”

Sango winced as Jakotsu, their stage director, frantically waved the stage script around as he shouted. He was scolding the lightsmen, something about red lights, and she flinched when he rounded on her.

“And you!” he said loudly, looking for all the world like a mad boyfriend reprimanding his girl for wearing a too-short skirt. As he approached though, climbing the steps up the stage slowly, his eyes turned softer, and his voice all but lost its masculine quality as he asked, “Sango dear, is something wrong?” He then led her to one of the chairs backstage. “I know this is just rehearsal, but your performance today isn't you, dear! You lack feeling! Is something bothering you?”

`You have no idea,' Sango thought, before she smiled at her gay friend and boss. “I am just a little distracted, I have to admit. May I leave early tonight, Jacky?”

Jakotsu smiled at her. They had been friends for a long time, and Sango was one of the few people who knew that he wasn't exactly straight. “Of course, dear. You may leave now, if you want. But swear that you will be back to normal tomorrow.”

“I swear, Jacky...”

“And you will tell me what is bothering you.”

Sango sighed. She knew this was coming. “Ok... it's not that big, really...”

“You will still tell me. Go on.”

“Ok... I met this guy...”

“Really?” Jakotsu asked, a brow raised in question. He grinned. “Is he luscious?”

“JACKY!” Sango exclaimed, smacking his arm. “Well... he is very good-looking.”

“Ooh... details!”

“Violet eyes...” Sango began, just as an image of the said man as he looked up at her, his arms around her and hers around him after he fell off the stairs, came back to her. “Deep violet, Jacky. A very strong build. He could have been a marine. Full lips, and a tall nose. Short hair, pulled back in a short ponytail. He is also of Japanese descent, and an actor.”

“Sounds dreamy.”

“When I first looked into his eyes...” she began dreamily. “Oh... You will never believe how we met. I was walking to work, and there he was, flailing around on the Higurashi shrine steps. I caught him, and...”

“Now he just sounds clumsy.”

“... he groped me. Then, he said it was an accident, then we spoke, and he asked where he could see me again.”

“He wants you bad, girl!”

“But now he won't get out of my mind!” Sango exclaimed. “I find him very attractive. Oh Jacky, I should have at least asked where he lived!”

“But he asked where you lived, ne? That should be enough,” Jakotsu remarked.

“It's not as if he would actually visit me here. And I was not specific about where I lived. And...”

“Miss Sango!” Somebody called, and both she and Jakotsu looked up to find one of the guards walking towards her. “There is someone here to see you.”

oooooooooo

Miroku trudged along the road, watching the children biking in the sidewalks, their skirted mothers advising them to be careful. He felt as if he were trapped in one of those old 1950's movies. But he was trapped IN the 1950's, wasn't he?

He dug around his pockets, hoping that he had popped some food into them. But no... they had to be empty, and he was starving!

He looked around the tiny shops, and he found, like a beacon of light, a shop that read “Jewelers”.

He looked down at his hands and neck, finding three gold rings, a bracelet, his favorite Rolex and a necklace with an M-shaped pendant. He thanked his lucky stars for the lapse in sanity on his part that made him decide to wear so much jewelry.

He walked in, discreetly taking off his bracelet and two of his rings. He approached the counter, where a short bald man sat, reading a few magazines.

“Excuse me?” he said, and the man looked up with a smile. “I would like to know if you would consider buying some pieces of jewelry that I have? I am afraid I do not have the receipts with me...”

“Oh, it is quite alright. Let me see them,” the bald man asked, taking out a small apparatus for appraisal of the jewelry.

Miroku handed them over and the old man began appraising them. He grinned when the old man gasped lightly.

“This is high-quality gold! I am sorry, but I may not be able to buy all three of these items. This is but a small store. I can, however, give you twenty grand for this bracelet and one of these rings,” the old man said.

Miroku smiled. “Twenty would be fine,” he answered, taking one of his two rings back.

The old man nodded, taking out a metal case of money. The cash appeared to be bundled up by thousands, and Miroku smiled as the man gave him twenty of the bundles. The old man then took a cloth back from his drawers, and gave it to him to use as a bag for the money.

“If you ever need to do business again, come by. I would be able to give you money for your rings in a week,” the old man said.

“Thank you, mister.”

“Myoga. Call me Myoga.”

“Thank you Myoga. And one last thing...” Miroku said. “Could you tell me where to find the Sincerity Theater?”

oooooooooo

“Really? Do you know who it is?” Sango asked.

The guard shook his head. “No, Miss Sango. He says you met earlier, and he is wearing the most peculiar clothes...”

“It's him!” Sango whispered, but Jakotsu caught it.

“The dreamy klutz who wants you is here?” he asked.

“Yes!” Sango replied, getting up and smoothing the wrinkles off her skirt. Jakotsu went into “male mode” and began to stand, but she threw her arm in his way. “Down, Jacky. You already have your own target.”

“But Sango, I am in male mode! As for my target, he's already got his eye on that new friend of yours!” Jakotsu whined.

“Doesn't mean you can barge in on my new find! Besides, he's not any more homosexual than your previous target is,” she whispered as she turned to follow the guard, hearing Jacky say `Fine, be that way,' as she headed over.

And just as she thought - there he was, looking ever the charmer as he stood with his back against the wall, holding what looked to be a cloth sack. He watched all the proceedings around him with interest, like a real stage director surveying his work.

“Hello, Houshi-sama,” she greeted as he turned his gaze her way, flashing her a bright smile. “What brings you here?”

“I told you I wanted to see you, didn't I?”

Sango blushed heavily, and replied with a very eloquent “Oh...”

“Is it time for you to head back home, yet? I was wondering if you would allow me to walk you home...” Miroku left the question hanging.

“Of course,” Sango said, before mentally slapping herself. `Baka! I barely even know him! Why am I even agreeing to this?'

“I'm glad, Sango-sama,” he replied, beginning to reach for her hand.

“But I believe I still have a few minutes of practice to do,” she said quickly, suddenly feeling butterflies flutter in her stomach when his hand edged near. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jakotsu coming closer. “Right, Jakotsu?”

Jakotsu looked rather confused, but he quickly covered it up and, still in male mode, replied, “Yes, I believe so. Would you care to stay and watch, Mister? Maybe help this director critique? Wait... You do watch stage plays, right?”

Sango could practically feel Miroku sizing Jakotsu up. `No need to worry, really... Jacky and I are emotionally of the same gender.'

“If it would not be any bother,” he replied politely. “And yes, I do watch them... in fact, I direct and act at stage plays, myself.”

“Marvelous. Absolutely fabulous,” Jacky said excitedly, and Sango saw Miroku raise an eyebrow at the comment, as he nearly sighed in what looked like relief.

The guard then let Miroku sit on one of the chairs before the stage, only a few seats away from Jakotsu. Jakotsu raised his hands in his customary “get ready” signal as everyone made their way to their positions on the stage.

Sango was nervous. There was the man she had just met, sitting there and watching her... critiquing her every move. He was an actor - a director, even - and here she was, horribly distracted and shaking in her shoes.

“Ready with the last scene we were practicing... and... action!” Jacky cried, as Sango once again tried to capture her character.

oooooooooo

She was still blushing...

Miroku bit back a grin as he looked at her from the corner of his eye. They were walking to her apartment, and she had barely said a word since they left the theater.

“Sango-sama, I hope that what is bothering has no connection to the practice?” he asked.

Sango blushed even harder. “I still cannot believe that I forgot my lines,” she grumbled.

Miroku laughed. “So you ARE still upset!” he exclaimed, hitching his bag higher on his shoulder. `Man, this is heavy.'

“I have memorized those lines, Houshi-sama!”

“It's alright, really! It was just practice. Like Jakotsu-san said, you still have a month until the actual presentation, so you can practice all you want. Besides, everybody tends to forget their lines once in a while,” he said as he tried to soothe her ruffled feathers.

“But YOU knew the lines! And I sincerely doubt that you have ever played the role of Ophelia before!” Sango exclaimed, looking up at him with irritation in her eyes even as her cheeks still flared pink.

“But I played Hamlet in college a few years ago! After a while I just memorized the lines of Ophelia coz we had so many scenes,” Miroku replied absently, distracted as he looked around. They had just passed by the Higurashi shrine, and he was cautious lest he once again bump into his grandfather. Sango's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“College? You have finished college, Houshi-sama?” she asked.

Miroku nearly kicked himself. `Oh shit, is college even available at this time?' he thought warily. At the time he was in right now, the world war had just been concluded less than a decade ago...

“I was not able to go...” Sango said. “My family barely managed to escape the internment, actually. And even if I had attempted, I might not have gotten accepted. The prejudice against us as I came of age for college was very bad...”

Miroku immediately understood.

“You must come from an influential family then! To have escaped the internment, and have gone to college!” she exclaimed.

Miroku nearly sweat dropped. `Oh, not rich at all, I assure you... just hiding behind a monastery's influence.'

“Ah, no. Just lucky,” he replied, but he could sense more questions coming, so he immediately changed the subject. “So, how long have you lived in this town? I'm new here, and still looking for a place to live.”

“You can live with me,” Sango said, before an incredibly deep blush took over her face. “I mean,” she stuttered. “You can rent an apartment at Blitz.”

“I had been thinking about that, but was not sure you'd agree. Now that I have your blessing, I absolutely will!” Miroku replied, biting back a chuckle at Sango's blush. “How far from the theater is your home?” They had been walking for at least a half hour by now...

“Oh,” Sango said, looking ahead, before brightening. “We are here!” she exclaimed as she pointed to the building before them.

It was an apartment with about three stories, looking rather like a shoebox painted red and drilled with windows. The door was of old wood, with a square of glass near the top for people to look through.

Miroku hurried to the door and pushed it open for Sango, letting her pass through before going in himself. They then headed for the front desk where Miroku reserved a room and gave them his payment for the coming month. As if by a twist of fate, the only room vacant was the one that was right across Sango's.

Sango stared at him as he haggled with the apartment's owner. She had never before realized that he was wearing jewelry, and very expensive-looking jewelry at that. And that bag! She had to slam it closed lest anyone else see what, and how much of it, was inside that sack.

And to think that he had finished college... he was obviously rich, so what was he doing in their town? And renting a room in a nearly run-down apartment, too...

Miroku turned to her then, and all thoughts vanished from her head when he smiled at her. He was definitely very handsome...

“Shall we?” he asked, and Sango nodded as they walked to the stairs.

She watched him discretely as they climbed the stairs side by side, and couldn't help but notice how familiar, albeit strange, his clothing looked now that she really thought about it. She had seen a very similar style of clothing on one of her new friends. And his rather relaxed, nearly lax way of speaking REALLY reminded her of that certain friend.

“Houshi-sama, where do you live? You see, my roommate dresses just like you,” she said, then quickly added, “Not that I have anything against your manner of clothing! It is just... she will not tell me where she is from, and I believe that she has a problem that I can help with if I knew more about her.”

Miroku quickly thought of a lie, before he chuckled, looking at Sango. “My style of clothing IS weird, isn't it? I come from...” he began, but stopped when he nearly slammed into a woman heading down the stairs. He dropped his back by accident, and he knelt to pick it up, when he heard a very familiar voice greet Sango.

“You're home early, Sango-chan!”

Miroku looked up as he heard the voice, and he nearly lost his footing in surprise.

Sango was laughing as she answered. “And you seem to be in such a hurry...” she then pointed to Miroku, but did not notice her friend's surprised look as they both turned to the man. “Oh, I would like you to meet...”

“Miroku?”

Sango blinked. “Yes, how did you...” she stopped as she realized that Miroku was looking at her friend with the same shock on his face.

Miroku took a long time to recover from his surprise, but the first thing out his mouth when he did was, “K-Kagome?”

The moment the name left his lips, Sango watched her friend's eyes fill up with tears, as she launched herself on Miroku, burying her face in his chest as she sobbed. Miroku nearly lost his footing on the stairs as he dazedly hugged her back. “Kagome?”

Sango felt a momentary pang of jealousy, which she immediately stomped away in confusion. So they knew each other... big deal... right?

Kagome finally lifted her head from Miroku's chest as she sniffled, laughing at the same time. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question,” Miroku replied.

Sango cleared her throat. “You... know each other?” she asked when they looked at her.

“Oh, yes!” Kagome replied before Miroku could even get his tongue to work. “He's my best friend! We've known each other since forever, ne Miro?”

“Yeah, we have,” he replied, still confused. “Kagome, maybe we should finish climbing the stairs?”

“Oh yeah, come on!” Kagome said, grabbing both Sango and Miroku by one hand as she pulled them up the rest of the steps excitedly. The moment they stepped onto the third floor, Kagome pulled Miroku into a hug again.

`All this hugging is making my hands itch,' he thought as his right hand drifted down to Kagome's behind.

Right before he touched her though, a rather strong pair of hands fisted into his clothing from behind and violently threw him from Kagome, making him land in a confused heap on the floor.

“Houshi-sama!” Sango's voice said worriedly as she rushed over to him, kneeling beside him as he shook the spots in his vision away. “Are you alright?”

Kagome was shouting something at someone, and Miroku had just managed to clear his head when he recognized the dark hair and jaunty stance of the man Kagome was scolding.

“Why did you have to throw him into the wall!” Kagome shouted.

“That guy's a pervert! He was gonna grab your butt!” the livid man shouted back at her.

“He was not!”

“Well he shouldn't have touched you! It's improper, wench!”

“Inuyasha! He's my childhood friend!”

“Yes, I am alright, Sango-sama. But... This is just weird,” Miroku remarked as he watched the arguing couple.

“What is?”

“Inuyasha is here too... and Kagome...” Miroku said.

“You know them, too? Well... this day is just full of surprises...” Sango remarked thoughtfully, still studying him. “This is really, REALLY not your day, is it?”

“Absolutely. Strange how I find them both here...” he stuttered, before he grabbed his head. “This is making my head hurt!”

Sango's eyes hardened, and she turned to glare at Inuyasha. “THAT is Inuyasha's doing... could never control his strength...”

Miroku watched as she turned away, leaving her bottom right in front of his hand. Just a few inches more...

“I swear, one of these days, Inuyasha is going to do some serious damage and get sued for it, and...” Sango froze, feeling a very unfamiliar presence on her behind.

Her face darkened, and she stood abruptly with an angry screech...

“AHHHH!!! HENTAI!!!” she yelled, before she gave Miroku another resounding slap, leaving a bright read handprint in its wake.

Miroku rubbed his stinging cheek and sighed as he heard the tell-tale sign of Kagome's impending laughter - a short snort - before she launched into a full blown laugh.

“Miroku, no matter what time you are in, you are still a pervert!” Kagome said, and he saw Inuyasha cross his arms and look at him with distaste. Sango turned from him and headed for one of the apartment doors, hers, apparently, before giving her own opinion...

“I would have to agree, Kagome-chan.”

oooooooooo