InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Second Chances ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

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DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inu Yasha and company. That honor belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

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Chapter 4

Miroku watched the girl sleep, every once in awhile he would raise his head only to let it thud back against the boards of the wall. He was trying to remove the thought that she had been dreaming of someone other than him. Who had she just professed her love to? THUD. Who had been evoking those reactions? THUD. He hoped with all of his heart that it had been him, but his mind was colder. He didn't know if he should ask her about it or not. It might embarrass her. No, it would embarrass her, especially since she'd know that he had been watching. He pushed his head back, thumping it against the wall again.

When he heard the sounds of footsteps on the porch, he feigned sleep. He didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment, especially not a particular half demon. With how unstable his emotions were right now, he might not be able to restrain himself from saying things that he would regret, or putting his staff to good use. Miroku slightly cracked one eye and sighed in relief when he saw that it was just Kaede. He watched as Shippo scampered over to Kagome and snuggled in beside her.

"So ye did no damage to my home?"

"No."

"Has all been settled between ye and Inu Yasha?"

"Somehow I doubt that Lady Kaede." He explained what had transpired in the clearing, trying to tone down his glee at the death of her sister. The elderly miko just nodded sadly.

"That was not the Kikyo I knew. She would have never attempted to take an innocent life." Miroku nodded but didn't reply. He had nothing to say to that, he hadn't known her then.

"What of the affairs of your heart?"

"I honestly don't know. I know how I feel about Kagome and I know how Inu Yasha feels. The feelings that I don't know are the ones that are the most important." His eyes dropped to Kagome's sleeping face and he couldn't stop himself from brushing her cheek lightly. Kagome reached out in her sleep and took his hand.

"Ah, I see. Sleep well Miroku." She walked to her room with a smile. The monk had grown in the time that they had been gone on the latest mission. He had become the fine man that she had seen under all of his masks. Kagome was a wondrous child indeed to be able to change the hearts of men so easily. First Inu Yasha and now the monk.

"I wish." he muttered under his breath. With that thought he dropped off into deep slumber. He didn't hear the others come into the hut moments later or the deep growl that Inu Yasha gave when he noticed that the new couple were holding hands even in their sleep.

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The next morning was gray and chilly, accompanied by a light drizzle. Kagome opened her eyes to find her hand in Miroku's while she was facing Inu Yasha. Both men were still asleep. She turned toward the monk and couldn't resist the urge to sit up and kiss him lightly. What she didn't expect was for him to open his eyes and smirk at her when she moved away. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"You did say anytime that I wanted, right?"

"I didn't realize that it would mean in my sleep as well." Kagome blushed and turned away. Maybe she shouldn't have done it.

"I'm sorry...I won't do it again." His hand landed on her shoulder and turned her to face him. His shoulders were shaking with repressed laughter.

"Good. I want to be able to enjoy it, and I just can't do that while I am asleep. Unless it carries over into my dreams." This had been a calculated risk. He wanted to see if she even remembered the dream that had so captivated him the night before. Her deepening blush gave her away. She did remember.

"Well, sometimes dreams are good." she said softly as she lifted her eyes to meet his boldly. "Very good." she repeated. She couldn't believe that she had just said that, but he couldn't possibly know what she was dreaming about.

His heart leapt into his throat, was this a sign that she had been dreaming of him? Was he her dream lover? He wanted to ask but was interrupted by an irritated growl.

"I refuse to have to watch this every moment of the day." Inu Yasha growled. He had heard every word of their conversation and had opened his eyes enough to see her backing away from the monk. He could guess what had just happened and his heart clenched painfully. Damn, damn, damn. He should be the one having this type of conversation with her. Soon...

"Inu Yasha..." Kagome gasped, but she didn't move away from the priest. In fact, she moved a little closer even as she turned to face the hanyou. Her eyes were mixed with so many emotions that he couldn't name most of them, but he could make out confusion and defiance. Another growl worked its way out of his chest before he could stop it.

"We didn't realize anyone else was awake." Miroku said smoothly as he squeezed Kagome's hand reassuringly. "But now that you are, we can begin breakfast." He let go of Kagome's hand and got to his feet. Kagome took his lead and moved over to her sleeping bag to wake up Shippo. The kitsune crawled out of the bag slowly, rubbing his eyes.

"Hey Inu Yasha, where were you and Sango last night? You weren't here when we got back." Kagome's eyes flashed to him and she blushed slightly before quickly looking away again. No one else noticed with the exception of the hanyou. He hid the smile that her response had triggered.

"None of your business, brat."

"You are usually here with Kagome, so I thought that..." The hanyou's eyes clouded and Kagome paled slightly. Miroku looked up from the fire he had been coaxing to life. Sango wished that she had remained asleep a little longer to avoid this.

"Shippo..." Kagome called softly. The kitsune looked at her with bright green eyes, wondering why everyone was staring at him. He crawled into her lap. "Inu Yasha and I won't be spending as much time together any more."

"What did the big jerk do this time?" He bared his small fangs at the larger demon. Then his large eyes filled with tears as he looked up at her. "You aren't leaving, are you? Because of him?"

"No Shippo. I'm not going anywhere. I have other reasons to stay, right?"

"Like what?"

"Well, I still have to find the jewel shards..." her voice was low and sad, but it picked up strength as she continued on "...and we have to get rid of Naraku for Sango, Inu Yasha and Miroku. Sango needs to avenge her family and get Kohaku back. We also have to seal up that hole so that Miroku can get on with his life, right?" Everyone but the fox on her lap noticed that she didn't give the reason that Inu Yasha had to find Naraku. The silence was thick and heavy until the hanyou got up and stalked out the door. "But the main reason I have to stay is... who else would tickle you?" She attacked the little kitsune as he screamed with laughter and tried to get away.

Miroku laughed at their antics even as he thought about her words. Remove the curse so that he could move on with his life. Did that mean with her? Hmmm....

"H...h...elp m...m..e!" Shippo stammered. Without thinking about it, Miroku slowly moved behind the girl and began his own tickle onslaught. She shrieked and struggled, never letting go of Shippo. They didn't notice when Sango left the hut to follow after Inu Yasha.

"Can't let you attack the defenseless, Kagome. It is my duty to protect them. What kind of monk would I be, if I didn't?" He asked between bursts of laughter. She couldn't reply. She was breathless, not only from laughing but from his closeness. She stopped tickling Shippo and he crawled out of her grasp. He was watching them closely, when a knowing look dawned on his face.

"Hey Kagome?" Shippo whispered. Unfortunately, like all children, their whispers are never quiet. In fact, they usually draw more attention than if they had just spoken in their normal voices. "I think that Miroku likes you." Both adults stopped in mid-laugh and stared at each other in wide eyed amazement. Miroku's hands remained at her waist although they stopped their motion. A slow smile spread across the monk's face.

"You are very observant Shippo." The little demon puffed up with pride.

"I know. So how much do you like her? Do you love her?" At Kagome's sharp intake of breath he looked down into her eyes and saw that while she was blushing, she also seemed extremely interested in his answer.

"Would that bother you if I did?" He asked the kitsune, although his full attention was focused on the girl in front of him. At the slight shake of her head which he didn't think that she was even aware of, he breathed a sigh of relief. Miroku realized that the kitsune still hadn't answered his question. He looked at the little demon curiously and saw that he was deep in thought. Apparently he was taking this very seriously. Finally Shippo looked at him and grinned.

"Well, you are nicer to me than Inu Yasha is and a lot nicer to Kagome too. So I don't mind." He then looked toward where the food was cooking, his nose in the air. "But does that mean that you are going to stop touching other women?" the kitsune asked innocently. Miroku groaned and Kagome stared at him, seemingly even more interested in this answer than she had been in the previous one. Out of the mouth of babes...

"I am going to try my best Shippo." Kagome frowned and got to her feet to check on breakfast. It was ready. That was when she noticed that Sango had disappeared sometime after Inu Yasha. She headed for the door to call them for breakfast.

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Inu Yasha left the hut in a huff. He didn't go far though. It was still raining and he didn't want Kagome having to go out in it to find him. He knew that she would follow him, just as she always did. So he sat down in a corner of the porch and waited for her. And waited. When he finally heard the sound of the door opening he turned toward it almost eagerly. His disappointment was apparent in his sigh when he saw Sango standing there. Where was Kagome? His ears twitched and he detected the sound of her laughter from inside, mixed with that of the brat and the monk. Those very same ears flattened onto his skull.

"She isn't coming?" he asked softly. Sango shook her head.

"Doesn't look like it. I'm sorry." He nodded and looked away from her. She saw the despair in his eyes and felt her heart go out to him. This really was eating at him. Sango reached over and laid her hand over his in a comforting gesture.

"She completely ignored me." His voice was soft and raw.

"No, she ignored your reason. She doesn't want to acknowledge Kikyo in any way, and that is why you are looking for him. Why would you expect her to say something about it?"

"But it happened to me too."

"Inu Yasha, you never once said you wanted to find him because you were sealed to a tree. The reason you give is that you wanted to avenge Kikyo's death." He frowned.

"Isn't it all the same?"

"If you think that, you are even more of a fool than I gave you credit for." His head snapped around but he found that she was just smiling at him a little. She was trying to get him out of his morose mood, and while it hadn't worked, he appreciated the effort. She was a good friend, and he appreciated that she tried to help. He just hoped that she wouldn't be too angry when she found out about his plan. He smirked at her and squeezed her hand in thanks.

That was when Kagome walked out the door. She looked down at the pair and froze. Her face paled and then a blush rose in her cheeks. Sango pulled her hand back with a hiss, as if she had been burnt. Kagome and Inu Yasha stared at each other for a long moment, as Sango looked anxiously from one to the other. Then the girl smiled at them warmly.

"Breakfast is ready when you are." She said as she turned to enter the hut. Sango hurriedly got to her feet and followed her friend while Inu Yasha returned his gaze to the gray day. Well, he hadn't even planned that little encounter but it had worked just the same. Just wait until he put his actual plan into action... it wouldn't take long at all for Kagome to be back at his side, where she belonged.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you so much to Sandra and Paru-Chan. Those lovely reviews are going to go directly to my head...and I am conceited enough already! I am really glad that you are enjoying it and I hope that it lives up to your high praise!

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