InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Since then ❯ The Customary Question and the Rubber Duckie ( Chapter 3 )

Since then

By: Rachel Elizabeth

-The Customary Question and the Rubber Duckie-

This would prove to be an interesting day; the sun was shining vibrantly and everything was quiet, for now, however when Sango would wake the morning would indisputably lose its loveliness. It was almost noon and Miroku didn't know what was keeping the taiji-ya so long to get up, she had never slept this late before and so, thinking he would ask Shippou to go and quietly see if Sango was still sleeping, he approached the happily eating Shippou. Shippou looked up at Miroku and paused eating, he quickly gulped down a piece of Ramen that was draped over his hand and looked up questioningly, and knowing from Miroku's expression that he wanted something.

Sango.

Shippou knew what had happened to her, but she had promised him chocolate from Kagome if he didn't divulge and he loved chocolate, but Miroku looked almost frantic and when he was frantic . . . he was murderous. Before Shippou could even attempt to get away, however, Miroku had whispered, "Will you check on Sango to make sure she's okay?" Shippou was wondering absentmindedly why in the world he hadn't just asked Kirara, but he knew the answer to that.

The neko ostracized him.

After Miroku had left Sango the night before, she had cried herself to sleep, and had only permitted Kirara back into the room and she had slept with her all through the night. Now, Kirara was perched in front of the cabin, growling softly at Miroku.

Wonderful night.

Miroku couldn't think of anything better than sleeping on the hard ground with no blankets as he had the night before. If he had been smart, he would have lain with Sango. That, of course brought to mind the dirtiest images of what they would be doing if he had stayed and he wanted to wait.

Why?

That was palpable, for the reason that he was dim-witted. For, if he had been intelligent he wouldn't have asked her what was wrong in the first place, then however he would have never known what is was like to kiss her. He would live with sleeping on the ground forever for that one single moment they had shared in the cabin. That brought him back to why he was sleeping in the cabin, which no one inexplicably knew who Kaede had summoned into the village and she wasn't allowing anyone entrance to her cabin or Miroku's.

He wasn't too apprehensive.

Shippou nodded vigorously and went bounding towards Sango's cabin, but when he got there a growling Kirara momentarily stopped him. Petting her distractedly on the head, he went around her and entered the cabin. When he came out a minute or so later, Miroku was hurriedly walking towards him.

"Well?"

"She does not feel well and is going to stay in her cabin today."

Miroku looked briefly distraught, but brightened and said, "Surely there is something I can do to help."

Shippou looked incredulously at him and mumbled under his breath, "Dontcha think you've done enough?"

Miroku was oblivious to that comment.

Miroku started bounding towards the cabin and even looked at Kirara murderously. Still, she did not move. Miroku tempted her with sweetmeat, candy, anything that she would want if she would move and finally he told her that he could help the ailing Sango and Kirara looked temporarily quizzical, but let him pass. The cabin was not, however full of any sickness and it was apparent at the way Kirara roared loudly that she had not known anything either.

The cabin was empty.

Miroku bounded towards Kaede's hut, sick with worry over Sango and not thinking about her visitor. When he entered the cabin he was momentarily stunned. There, sitting on the floor next to Kaede was a demon.

This couldn't be good.

Miroku knew what the demon could do and that had to be significant in finding where Sango had gone.

She was a vengeance demon.

That, however was not what Miroku was worried about. He was more worried that she could send people to any time and it was even rumored she could send people to new dimensions.

And Sango was gone.

Without thinking of the consequences Miroku blurted out, "Where have you sent Sango?"

"This must be the dim-wit?" she asked casually, noting with approval how his eyes became larger. Motioning for him to sit, she announced, "Hi, I'm Althea. And Sango-chan wanted to be with Kagome and Inuyasha, so I fixed the well so that she could travel."

"You what?" Miroku yelled, thinking that he had been around Inuyasha for too long.

"Be quiet. You have the ability now to travel, too." However, at this he only stared harder at her disbelievingly.

His gaze was alarmingly undoing Althea, he had the most beautiful, intense gaze she'd ever encountered. At first she had been disappointed that Sango hadn't asked for some terrible plague to put on Miroku, but now she was glad she hadn't.

Miroku was much too handsome.

At Althea's gaze, he began to become interested. He realized vaguely that he should think before he opened his mouth, but he didn't, instead he blurted out, "Will you bear my child, Althea-chan?"

Althea was briefly stunned and thought nothing of Sango as she said, "Certainly." Stunned, Miroku looked at her perplexedly, unsure of how to proceed. Hadn't this been what he had wanted all along? She looked at him with a smile on her face and cocked a finger at him, motioning for him to follow her outside. Ever obedient, Miroku followed her all the way to the well and looked up at her face when they got to the edge of the well and puzzled. Pushing him against the side of the well, she took his lips in a kiss.

Miroku felt nothing.

After a minute of no response, Althea knew for a fact that he was Sango's body, mind and soul; she just hoped that Sango realized what a treasure she had found. Snorting decisively, she pushed Miroku into the well as hard as she could and as he went tumbling into the future, Althea despaired over still not finding a mate.

"Althea, that was wrong," Kaede chastised as she walked back into the cabin.

"I had to see," she pouted, sitting down next to Kaede.

Kaede only briefly looked at her friend. It would be a while before she ever found a true mate if she was to carry on thusly. The whole reason why she had come was because she had heard there was a monk who would ask every female to bear his child and Althea was long overdue for a child of her own.

Loneliness was bearing down on her.

Had Althea pushed him into the well? He couldn't think of a better explanation than that as to why his backside was firmly on the ground. He didn't understand what was wrong with her, not five minutes ago she had agreed to bear his child and then . . . she had kissed him.

Him-Miroku-and he had felt nothing.

Thinking that he was going to climb up the well and go back to Althea to try again, he started making his way out. When he reached the top of the well, however; it was not Feudal Japan. Stepping outside he was dismayed to realize that Althea had sent him to the future-Kagome's time.

Wonderful.

This was where he had been headed in the first place, to find Sango, but now that he was here he wasn't sure where to go. He had never traveled to Kagome's time before and he had hoped that he would never have to.

The future was a crazy place.

Walking up to Kagome's shrine, he knocked on the door harshly, angry with himself that he had allowed Althea to affect him so. A young boy came barreling out the door with a loud "Aa!" and Miroku only barely managed to jump aside as the boy went running for cover.

Miroku then heard a sound he had many times before, "Souta you better stay out there! Leave Sango alone!"

Miroku laughed under his breath softly and continued into the house, thinking that Kagome wouldn't mind too much. When Kagome saw Miroku heading up the stairs she gasped and stated harshly, "You can't see her! You lout!"

Miroku was briefly put off.

"Kagome-chan is there somewhere that I could bathe? I smell of the bottom of the well and I am finding that it isn't such a pleasant smell." Kagome only looked stunned, but pointed him towards her bathroom.

She had thought he wanted to see Sango!

"Higurashi Kagome I want you down here, now! Inuyasha too! You both are in big trouble!" Kagome and Inuyasha briefly looked at each other, stunned, not sure what they had both done to warrant such a response from Kagome's mother. They both started walking timidly down the stairs, leaving a grinning Miroku to tend his bath.

He quietly padded into the bathroom. Taking off his robes, he wasn't sure how to proceed into the bath, he started fiddling with the water handles.

Blue and red.

Sure that the knobs must be important, he first turned the blue all the way as far as it would go and was surprised as the water gushed out freezing ice water! Turning it back around to where it had been, he decided to try the red for warm water.

Red for hot.

It made sense, and he cursed himself slightly when he put his hand under the water, it was like water had been boiled over his hands. Trying to find the right knobs to push and pull was definitely a feat, but finally he found a temperature satisfying to him and he filled the tub. When he finally got in he looked to the side for soap and instead found little green men that were made of something he'd never encountered before and they were all holding weapons of some sort, like soldiers. Looking on, there was a small yellow duck made of another odd material, but when he accidentally squeezed it, it made a horrible noise as though it were dying. He automatically dropped it in the water after he had squeezed it and to his amazement it floated!

The duck floated!

Thinking that he had found his 'inner child' he began to mercilessly hunt down the duck with the soldiers. That was how Sango walked in on him.

With plastic toys.

He was sitting in the tub with the rubber duck in front of him with a soldier in each hand zooming in on the attack on the oblivious ducky.

Sango gasped and asked, "Houshi-sama, what exactly are you doing?"

Miroku looked quickly up and gulped. How was he going to explain this one? His hands were extended in the air on either side of him and the duck was floating on the water in front of him. Thinking that perhaps he could act as if he wasn't playing with them, he dropped them quickly and said in that infuriating placid tone, "What are you speaking of Sango-chan?"

Trying to suppress her laughter, Sango picked up the toy that he had dropped outside next to the tub. She held it up for him to see and asked, "Well?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Quick note: I want to thank Elf and Arvel for helping me with this story. Sorry it took so long to thank Elf, she's been a major help! She's my wonderful editor! Arvel helped with a key idea for this chapter, which got me out of my writer's block. So he's also a miracle. Thank you both!