InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Small Moments ❯ Making Amends ( Chapter 17 )
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By: ladygriddlebone 
Miroku tries to make amends, in his own way.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 06.27.2010 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.2K | Visits: 546 | Status: Completed
Miroku tries to make amends, in his own way.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 06.27.2010 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.2K | Visits: 546 | Status: Completed
Miroku had guessed that Sango's anger was a dangerous thing; what he hadn't counted on was her remarkable ability to hold a grudge. She still resented his attempt to breathe life back into her when she'd nearly drowned, having mistaken the gesture for something a great deal less wholesome, and did not seem inclined to forgive. He maintained hope that eventually her temper would cool and they could go back to being, if not friends, then at least companions.
Unfortunately, she had a knack for lulling him into a false sense of security, only to hit him with a stony coldness when he least expected it. He understood, a bit, that she was trying to work through some inner conflict that had arisen because of his actions; her natural inclination was to be kind to him, but she no longer felt safe trusting him.
He supposed he could deal with that, if he had to. After all, there were plenty of times when Inuyasha and Kagome barely tolerated his presence. He was accustomed to it by now.
He had earned a couple of surprised looks from the girls when he sold the spoils of their last victory, including the horse and cart. It hadn't changed their opinion of him much, but it had made their journey somewhat quicker and ensured that they would have food and shelter for some time to come. Inuyasha, of course, appreciated none of this, and if the girls did, they tried not to let it show. Miroku got the - rather sullen - impression that Sango was slowly but surely turning even Kagome against him.
Whatever she had told them about what had happened between them during the fight with the false water god, he was certain it was greatly exaggerated and that his intentions had been grossly misrepresented. But he knew better than to think that protesting that would get him anywhere. He would be better served by finding a way to redeem himself in their eyes.
That was what he had spent the last few days doing, to little effect. It seemed that every village they journeyed through, no matter how great or small, had some sort of demon problem. There had been a surge, so to speak, in the demon population since Naraku's resurgence and the shattering of the Shikon no Tama, which meant that Taijiya like Sango and Buddhist monks like himself were in high demand.
Most of the buildings that were supposedly haunted by demons and angry spirits were not. Miroku took care of those himself, putting on a show for the villagers and earning them room and board in the bargain. Each of these earned him a sour look from Sango, who saw through his ruses and quick talking, and disapproved. She didn't realize that he was weeding out the false problems, sowing hope in their stead, and trying to find a real demon for her to take care of.
Exorcisms and exterminations... They could have been a very dangerous team, even against a demon like Naraku.
Too bad wounded pride and this silly grudge were getting in the way.
He wondered, watching her now, if it would have helped to explain that he had only been trying to save her life; she would only see some dark and selfish ulterior motive in it, he thought. Sango was quick to jump to conclusions.
But she was still handy in battle. And for petty, annoying exorcisms that he did not want to bother with. Which was why he had spent the afternoon touting her skills to the owner of house, which proved to actually have an inhuman resident, and secured her a job taking care of the problem. Such tasks appealed to her desire to help others, and she even preened a little under his praise and pretended he wasn't asking for an insane reward for her efforts.
To be honest, he had been curious, too. He wanted to see how a Taijiya worked.
Sango carried with her a great many mysterious things, pellets and poisons and vials of nameless powders and salves, and all of them served a different purpose in the slaying of demons. It was an impressive array of knowledge, and he watched, captivated, as she listened to the homeowner's story and selected the proper supplies for the extermination. She seemed to have some idea of what she would be up against.
Her expression was grave when she turned to Inuyasha and gave him a stern warning: "This stuff stinks. You'd best stay out of the way."
The hanyou didn't like that one bit, and stubbornly refused to budge, in spite of Kagome's best efforts to convince him. For better or worse, he would stick with the group. When everyone's role had been decided - Kagome would mind the stink pellets and use a fan to blow their smoke into the space beneath the house, while Sango would wait on the other side with her weapons at the ready; Miroku and Inuyasha were instructed merely to stay out of the way - they all went outside to begin the extermination.
Word spread quickly in a small village. Already a sizable crowd had gathered nearby to watch the proceedings.
If it surprised Sango, she did not let it show. But for an instant, her eyes met his and held his gaze. She knew he had orchestrated the extermination for her benefit, rather than simply performing an exorcism himself, but what he did not know was what she would do next. He'd made the peace offering. Now it was up to her to accept it, or only grow more angry with him.
No sense worrying about it. She would do what she wanted.
So instead of watching the proceedings, he looked out over the crowd, surveying the village out of habit more than anything else. He always looked for targets, both for potential sources of money and for likely women. It was the latter he saw in the crowd: a young woman of surpassing beauty and dressed in unusually fine clothing. And she was staring straight at him; when she realized she had been caught, her expression shifted from sly to coy.
That was intriguing.
She curled a finger back toward herself, beckoning. His breath caught in his throat for a moment. There was no mistaking the intent behind that gesture.
Miroku cast a furtive glance back at his companions to make sure that they were all duly occupied and that they had the demon under control; they did. Rather, the girls did, but that was close enough. The smoke that Sango was using to drive the demons out had a rather potent effect on Inuyasha, just as she had warned it would. Miroku did not think his absence would be noted for a while yet.
He had done his part in setting this stupid grudge aside. The rest would be up to Sango. For now, he had far easier - and far more intriguing - prey to pursue.
Unfortunately, she had a knack for lulling him into a false sense of security, only to hit him with a stony coldness when he least expected it. He understood, a bit, that she was trying to work through some inner conflict that had arisen because of his actions; her natural inclination was to be kind to him, but she no longer felt safe trusting him.
He supposed he could deal with that, if he had to. After all, there were plenty of times when Inuyasha and Kagome barely tolerated his presence. He was accustomed to it by now.
He had earned a couple of surprised looks from the girls when he sold the spoils of their last victory, including the horse and cart. It hadn't changed their opinion of him much, but it had made their journey somewhat quicker and ensured that they would have food and shelter for some time to come. Inuyasha, of course, appreciated none of this, and if the girls did, they tried not to let it show. Miroku got the - rather sullen - impression that Sango was slowly but surely turning even Kagome against him.
Whatever she had told them about what had happened between them during the fight with the false water god, he was certain it was greatly exaggerated and that his intentions had been grossly misrepresented. But he knew better than to think that protesting that would get him anywhere. He would be better served by finding a way to redeem himself in their eyes.
That was what he had spent the last few days doing, to little effect. It seemed that every village they journeyed through, no matter how great or small, had some sort of demon problem. There had been a surge, so to speak, in the demon population since Naraku's resurgence and the shattering of the Shikon no Tama, which meant that Taijiya like Sango and Buddhist monks like himself were in high demand.
Most of the buildings that were supposedly haunted by demons and angry spirits were not. Miroku took care of those himself, putting on a show for the villagers and earning them room and board in the bargain. Each of these earned him a sour look from Sango, who saw through his ruses and quick talking, and disapproved. She didn't realize that he was weeding out the false problems, sowing hope in their stead, and trying to find a real demon for her to take care of.
Exorcisms and exterminations... They could have been a very dangerous team, even against a demon like Naraku.
Too bad wounded pride and this silly grudge were getting in the way.
He wondered, watching her now, if it would have helped to explain that he had only been trying to save her life; she would only see some dark and selfish ulterior motive in it, he thought. Sango was quick to jump to conclusions.
But she was still handy in battle. And for petty, annoying exorcisms that he did not want to bother with. Which was why he had spent the afternoon touting her skills to the owner of house, which proved to actually have an inhuman resident, and secured her a job taking care of the problem. Such tasks appealed to her desire to help others, and she even preened a little under his praise and pretended he wasn't asking for an insane reward for her efforts.
To be honest, he had been curious, too. He wanted to see how a Taijiya worked.
Sango carried with her a great many mysterious things, pellets and poisons and vials of nameless powders and salves, and all of them served a different purpose in the slaying of demons. It was an impressive array of knowledge, and he watched, captivated, as she listened to the homeowner's story and selected the proper supplies for the extermination. She seemed to have some idea of what she would be up against.
Her expression was grave when she turned to Inuyasha and gave him a stern warning: "This stuff stinks. You'd best stay out of the way."
The hanyou didn't like that one bit, and stubbornly refused to budge, in spite of Kagome's best efforts to convince him. For better or worse, he would stick with the group. When everyone's role had been decided - Kagome would mind the stink pellets and use a fan to blow their smoke into the space beneath the house, while Sango would wait on the other side with her weapons at the ready; Miroku and Inuyasha were instructed merely to stay out of the way - they all went outside to begin the extermination.
Word spread quickly in a small village. Already a sizable crowd had gathered nearby to watch the proceedings.
If it surprised Sango, she did not let it show. But for an instant, her eyes met his and held his gaze. She knew he had orchestrated the extermination for her benefit, rather than simply performing an exorcism himself, but what he did not know was what she would do next. He'd made the peace offering. Now it was up to her to accept it, or only grow more angry with him.
No sense worrying about it. She would do what she wanted.
So instead of watching the proceedings, he looked out over the crowd, surveying the village out of habit more than anything else. He always looked for targets, both for potential sources of money and for likely women. It was the latter he saw in the crowd: a young woman of surpassing beauty and dressed in unusually fine clothing. And she was staring straight at him; when she realized she had been caught, her expression shifted from sly to coy.
That was intriguing.
She curled a finger back toward herself, beckoning. His breath caught in his throat for a moment. There was no mistaking the intent behind that gesture.
Miroku cast a furtive glance back at his companions to make sure that they were all duly occupied and that they had the demon under control; they did. Rather, the girls did, but that was close enough. The smoke that Sango was using to drive the demons out had a rather potent effect on Inuyasha, just as she had warned it would. Miroku did not think his absence would be noted for a while yet.
He had done his part in setting this stupid grudge aside. The rest would be up to Sango. For now, he had far easier - and far more intriguing - prey to pursue.