InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Killer Inside ❯ Chapter 6: How Does Your Garden Grow? ( Chapter 6 )

Another chapter! Yay! So um… yeah, this chapter has some male nudity, courtesy of the ever-sexy hanyou Inuyasha. If you're offended… pretend I didn't write it that way! :-D Although I do NOT go into detail so it's technically just vague nudity. Nudity from a distance…? Umm… He was wearing a rubber chicken to hide his naughty bits? You know, his wedding tackle, his twig and two berries, his spaghetti and meatball- Ooookay, I've stopped channeling Austin Powers.

There might be a lemon in the distant future of this fic… Like, seven or eight chapters from now. I do intend for this to be rather long running. If you are reading this on FF.net and want to read the later lemons, I will post them, if/when I write them, on MediaMiner.org where I write under the same name, shaid.

Oh! And I don't own Inuyasha or any of the songs I may or may not use in this work.

Chapter 6: How Does Your Garden Grow?

Sango barely had the breath to laugh. The local arcade had recently bought the Dance Dance Revolution game and it was possibly the most popular in the arcade at the moment. Forget Mortal Kombat; forget all the shooter and fighter games. All the local kids wanted to try their luck at this machine. And all the kids included her brother, who was quickly winning this round against her.

She'd missed a step or two on purpose early on, Kohaku was only fifteen to her twenty-seven, after all and Sango was an officer of the law. But she was fighting to keep up with him, now. Dripping with sweat, she moved her feet where the arrows were lit and nearly fell on her ass. They'd been at this for almost an hour now and Sango was getting tired. An amused snicker caught her attention and out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of her friend Kagome.

Laugh while you can, bitch, she thought. You're next! Once she lost this one she was going to convince Kohaku that Kagome was the person to beat, though she knew her friend was pretty bad at the game. Two more minutes, she thought. Just two more and I'm done! The workout she got playing this game with her brother rivaled what she did at the gym dojo. She was definitely going to feel this in the morning.

"Hey, Kagome!" she hear her brother shout. "Wanna play next?"

"No thanks, Kohaku," the girl replied cheerfully, "I'd wanted to talk to Sango about something. Girl stuff, you know?" Damn, Sango thought.

"You were supposed to be next," Sango snarled at her, breathlessly. There was no real venom in it but she still was annoyed.

"I won!" Kohaku shouted.

"Cool!" Kagome cried and took her wallet out of her shorts. "Here, go buy yourself a sundae, little bro."

"Meaning you want me to scram while you talk to my sister about some guy you're all over?" Kagome blushed a bit as she handed him a bill then hit him upside the head. Sango couldn't help but think of the indigo-eyed man she had made eye contact with in the café earlier. Oh, get over it, she told herself. It was a chance meeting and you'll probably never see him again. He's probably just passing through. At best, he was scouting out the university for grad school and wanted to see the campus. Sango frowned. Damn I hope he gets in.

"Whatever!" she heard her brother say to Kagome. "You gave me a ten instead of a five; I'm gonna go get that monster sundae that no one ever seems to finish."

"Don't make yourself sick!" Sango shouted as he ran off. Kohaku was a good kid. Even if he didn't follow the rest of his family in law enforcement, he'd make the family proud. "So what's up, `Gome? Is it really girl stuff?" The girls wandered over to an area where there were a few booths and sat down.

"Sorta. It is about a guy, but not necessarily one I'm interested in." Sango raised an eyebrow and waited knowing Kagome would get the hint. "What do you know about Inuyasha Tai?"

"Not much," Sango admitted. She was a bit stunned her friend had met him already. "He was a bit of a loner the last time I saw him. He lived here until I was about six and then moved away. I heard they moved to New York, but I might be wrong. He moved back just before I graduated from high school, I think. He must have been about twenty-five then… Then there was that whole mess with Kikyou…" Sango frowned. "Why are you asking?"

"I met him yesterday and he asked me for a favor." Kagome bit her lip and played with the hem of her shirt. "He asked me to help him figure out who killed Kikyou."

"General consensus is that he did," she replied dryly.

"I know what the general consensus is," Kagome replied hurriedly. "The whole thing looks really bad, what with him being the one to drag her dead body to the hospital and the public fight…" Kagome trailed off and looked somewhat lost for a moment. "But you know Kaede. He's innocent in her eyes. He always will be."

"And in yours?"

"I'm not sure," she whispered. "He admitted something to me, didn't say it was a secret but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't help things if it got out..." Sango made a noise indicating she was interested but Kagome seemed to be debating internally. Finally she sighed. "Ok. You won't make a big deal out of this, will you?" Sango shook her head. "He doesn't remember the three days he was missing before he brought Kikyou to the hospital."

"Didn't think he would." Sango grumbled, annoyed.

"What? Why not?"

"Because there were so many drugs in his system we couldn't even identify all of them," Sango answered.

"Drugs?"

"Yeah, a whole shit load of hallucinogens, depressants and even some narcotics. There were maybe four or five more we couldn't identify. He woke up the day before the funeral, incoherent and screaming. He refused to talk to us until he'd seen Kikyou." Sango sighed. "Of course, she was at the funeral home by then so we had to drive him over there and that was… yeah he didn't react too well to finding her in a coffin."

"What happened after that?"

"He asked when the funeral was, walked home in his hospital gown and showed up the next day all in black. He refused to speak for weeks. His parents showed up, trying to get him out of the funk but nothing worked. His brother showed up for a few days. Beat the crap out of him. There's a whole section of forest that might never grow back." Sango tightened her ponytail and shrugged.

"His brother beat him that hard?"

"Pretty much. But it got him out of his depression. He was never the same but he was more like the Inuyasha we all knew."

"Did he know he was a suspect?" Kagome asked.

"I'm not sure if he did at first," Sango replied. "I'm sure he heard talk, but I'm sure he knows by now that he's the only suspect."

"He's not sure if he killed her or not," Kagome whispered.

"There's no proof either way."

"The poor guy."

Sango raised an eyebrow. "Don't ever let him hear you pitying him. He'll never speak to you again."

"I know. I'm not sure it's pity so much as empathy for someone who's had a rough time. You know how he disappeared for so long?" Sango nodded. "His mother suddenly became ill and died. He went to New York to spend some time with her and when she died he went with his father to some cabin in Canada to mourn."

Sango closed her eyes for a moment. Izayoi Tai had always been so vibrant and kind. She could remember how the older woman had always had a kind word for everyone. She'd never spent much time with the taiyoukai's mate but always remembered how warm and happy she'd always made everyone feel.

"I'll have to remember to give him my condolences."

"I'll do that. I promised I'd be over tomorrow morning to help him with the kudzu that's taken over his yard."

Sango groaned. "No, Kagome, he is not a charity case! He'd sooner spit in someone's face than take any offered help. I'll mention that I heard there was a death in the family and offer my sympathy. He'd just get mad if he felt you were taking pity on him or something like that."

"Help wasn't offered; it was requested," the miko clarified. "Besides, I'm really excited about working on that property. There are some deep rooted spells working; did you ever notice that even the kudzu grows in an orderly direction?"

"Huh?"

"Izayoi was a miko, probably a plant oriented one like me, and she laid some really powerful spells on that property. Even the chaotic weeds follow the patterns she laid out!" Kagome looked enraptured. "I know there are some amazing flowers under all that mess. If she was a plant oriented miko then I might even find some new breeds of plants!" Wow, thought Sango, I've never seen her so excited about a garden…

"Just be careful, `Gome, please? He's not all that stable on a good day and he hasn't been having a lot of good days lately. Not to mention he is half youkai."

"He's half human too, though, remember? But I promise I'll be careful." She looked at her watch and stood. "I'm sorry, Sango, I should go now. Kaede will need help with her medicine and I kinda need to rest. Give Kohaku a hug for me and say hello to your father!"

The older girl stood as well and hugged her smaller friend. "Of course. Go. I'll talk to you later."

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Help me. Find it.

The voice was insistent and oppressive.

Take the steps. Find it!

Her dreams were dark, shadows leading her through a maze of kudzu and briars. Whispers darted around her, catching at her hair, pulling her closer. You must help me! You must find it! The voice shouted in her head and Kagome was sure she was going to go mad. Suddenly the maze of plants was gone and she stood in a clearing before an incredibly huge tree. The roots were massive, creating their own maze around the ancient tree while vines of all types grew up the trunk and into the leafy branches. Tucked into the roots near the trunk was a figure in white, long dark hair cascading over her shoulders. Kagome walked closer, drawn to the figure by some force. Help me! Help him… As she approached, the figure turned towards her, revealing the face she'd feared she'd see.

"Kikyou," she breathed.

The specter's mouth opened soundlessly, her face full of agony and despair. Kagome… you must promise me. You are our last hope! Find it! Help him, please! the voice in her mind called.

"Kikyou, I promise I will help Inuyasha."

She calmed, her face smoothing until she looked merely sad. Remember, Kagome, you are strong. You have the strength of our miko ancestors. Take the steps, Kagome. Find the truth and help him.

"Yes, cousin," she replied softly. Chill darkness enveloped them and Kagome felt consciousness pulling at her. Kikyou whispered to her one last time.

Heal him…

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Kagome woke with a start. Most of the dream faded with the dim morning light, but not the voice; not Kikyou's voice. Find it.

Find what? Her brow furrowed with thought. Inuyasha asked me if she'd sent me something, a notebook or a journal of some type. Why? He would know if she'd kept a journal and it would have been with her belongings, which were all left to Inuyasha himself. She slapped herself in the forehead. Which is why he asked me if I'd received anything from her! Duh. Something was missing from her stuff and he assumed she'd sent it to me!

Kagome sat upright in bed. "Oh my god! The e-mail was a clue!"

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The pounding on his door matched the pounding in his head. He could hear his name being shouted by a familiar female voice. But at five minutes to eight on a Sunday morning, it was far too early to deal with the owner of that particular voice. God fucking damn it, am I never allowed to sleep past eight in the morning? He growled and shoved the pillow over his ears, but that really did no good. He could still hear her shouting.

The low rumble of his growl did not stop as he threw off the covers and stalked over to the window, stark naked. Throwing open the drapes he knew he was about to give her an eyeful but frankly, was too pissed to care. God damned fucking bitch deserves what she gets for waking me up at this hour.

"What the fuck do you want, bitch!" he roared after he threw the sash open.

"Inuyasha? Inuyasha! I had this dream-" Kagome shouted as she backed up to look at him, then stopped short. He saw her eyes go wide as she realized what she was seeing. She squeaked when she caught a glimpse of just who had woken up and was presently saluting. "Um… I… Uh… oh my…"

"You woke me up, wench." He leaned against the side of the window, hoping he appeared nonchalant about his present state. She was very red in the face and was still staring, mouth gaping. "Well? Are you going to come in and tell me about the damn dream you had or are you going to stare at my `equipment' all day? The door's open." Her eyes and mouth both snapped shut at that and she rushed to the porch like someone had lit a fire under her ass.

"I'll wait in the kitchen!" she shouted as she opened the door.

"Yeah, that's right! Make yourself at home! Wake me up at the crack of fucking dawn and then invade my house! Like I care! I'm just a male living alone, after all!" he shouted down sarcastically. Heaving a sigh, he ran a hand through his long white hair. "Great," he thought aloud. "Kagome, this had better be good. And I'm talking dominatrix in a thong good." His work clothes were covered in paint so he grabbed a pair of olive shorts off the chair next to the window and threw them on along with a grey sleeveless shirt. Down in the kitchen he could hear sounds of pots and pans banging against each other. She's cooking? In my kitchen? A bit disconcerted, he headed down the stairs. Feh, he thought. I smell the beginnings of bacon and possibly eggs. I definitely smell butter melting. What the hell does she think she's doing?

When he stepped into the kitchen he was treated to the sight of Kagome wearing his mother's apron, her hair up in a messy bun. Beneath the apron she wore an apple green spaghetti strap tank and white shorts. Green is decidedly her color but why the hell would a gardener wear white? She was oblivious to him, all her being focused on the task of whisking some eggs together. It took a good deal of effort for him not to salivate. She was showing a hell of a lot of skin, most of it lightly sun kissed. A good two inches of skin was visible between the top and the shorts. Inuyasha swallowed thickly.

Does she sunbathe nude or something? he wondered. A brief image flashed through his head of her naked on a beach somewhere. The image woke someone up again and Inuyasha felt the sudden need for a cold shower. Damn it all to fucking hell. What the fuck am I doing?

"What the fuck are you doing?" he barked, turning his frustration on the woman standing in his kitchen.

"You do know that the word `fuck' is severely overused in your limited vocabulary, don't you?" she replied cattily. "I'm making you breakfast to make up for waking you so early. I'm sure you'd rather spend your Sunday morning sleeping but I had to tell you about this-"

"Dream? Yeah, you mentioned a dream." His voice was just as bitchy as hers but a touch more venomous. "Kagome, sweetheart, unless you dreamt that you were having an orgy with Madonna, three inuhanyou and a duck, I'm pretty damn sure I'm not interested."

Kagome hit him upside the head. "Bastard."

"Not according to my father."

"I had a dream about Kikyou." She stared at him and seemed to be waiting for him to react.

"So did I," he replied after a few moments had passed, deciding he'd left her hanging long enough. "I dreamt that she was stabbing me in the back with a cake knife engraved with the date of what was to be our wedding. She was wearing a red wedding dress and a tiara with purple jewels. Then she used the knife to cut my balls off and stuffed them in my mouth."

"Uh… um…" Kagome bit her lip and looked at him through the corner of her eye. "You should really see a psychologist about that."

"No shit."

"She was asking me to help her."

"She wanted you to help her remove my balls? Well you've seen them now, are you still sure you want to help her with that?"

"Damn it, Inuyasha!" she shouted. "I am not talking about some lame assed regular dream! She was fucking there! She told me to `find it!' you fucking moron! `Take the steps,' she said. `Find it,' she said." Kagome flailed about with the whisk as she spoke, nearly hitting her host on several occasions. Inuyasha stepped back and eyed her warily.

"Take what steps? Find what?" he demanded.

"I'm assuming she meant the notebook you feel is missing."

"How do you know I thought a notebook was missing?"

Kagome sighed in frustration. "Can I please finish making breakfast and then tell you everything? The bacon is about to burn and I haven't even started the eggs." She stood at the stove with her hands at her hips looking, in Inuyasha's mind, like a fiery harpy with a tongue of poison. He shuddered internally, hoping to wipe the image from his mind.

"I didn't even ask you to make breakfast in the first place, wench," he growled.

"Did I not tell you how dumb you sound when you call me wench, fuck-head? I'm cooking as an apology," she growled back. The growl startled him a bit, hinting that she wasn't as sweet as she seemed, but he was satisfied that she knew he didn't owe her anything for this.

"Don't burn it," he warned.

"How do you like your eggs? Scrambled or in your lap?" Inuyasha cringed at the shrewish tone and tucked his ears back.

"Scrambled, please." He ducked his head a bit submissively, cursing the instincts that caused him to bow to strong feminine rule.

"Very good. Sit. There. Now." Kagome pointed to the stool he had occupied the previous morning and resumed her task. As he complied, he couldn't help but compare the woman in his kitchen now to the one who'd occupied his bed years ago. Kikyou would never have been sarcastic or shrewish and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

The eggs smelled great and he was beginning to feel a few hunger pangs as he watched his meal be cooked. The bacon looked crispy and just burned enough and the eggs were just now starting to brown. She served up two plates, one heaping and one just under full. When she placed the smaller of the two portions in front of him, he glared up at her seductively and smiled, showing his fangs. She chuckled and switched the plates, then sat down facing him.

"Now," she said, "Where were we?"

"You were just going to tell me how you knew something of Kikyou's was missing." He began eating, eyes focused on his food, ears on Kagome.

"You pretty much told me yourself when you asked me if I'd gotten anything from her before she died." She took a few bits of her breakfast and considered her words. "Inuyasha, she left everything to you. If something was missing, there was a reason."

"Yeah, I know. But it took me a while to figure out something was missing and then it took more time to figure out exactly what. You didn't answer my question, wench. Why did you run over here this morning all in a hurry after some dream that your dead cousin told you to help me?" he asked.

"Because I realized that she was not just asking me to help you but telling me how to help!"

"Huh?" He was starting to get confused. "Ok, back up. What exactly did you dream?"

She chewed her lip for a moment. "I was walking through a maze of plants, everything was overgrown and ragged. I think I might have been able to hear water nearby. A voice in my head kept telling me to `find it' and to help them. There were these… things leading me on and then I was in a clearing with a huge tree. A lot of the tree was covered in vines and the root system was huge." Inuyasha started to listen more intently. He ignored his mostly eaten plate and focused on Kagome. That sounds like the Goshinboku, he thought. There is no way she's ever been there. The ancient tree was less than half a mile from the house but the clearing around it was so choked with weeds it would take weeks to get there. Not even the side of the clearing that bordered the river was visible anymore.

"It was easily over a hundred feet tall and decidedly old," Kagome continued, confirming Inuyasha's suspicions. "At the foot of the tree, tucked in-between some of the roots was a figure in white. She had long dark hair and the closer I got, the less I wanted her to turn around. Eventually she did turn around, though and then I was face to face with Kikyou. She opened her mouth to speak but there was no sound. She looked like she was in agony. I could hear her voice in my head though. She told me to take the steps and to help you." Kagome swallowed. "She said I was your last hope."

Inuyasha frowned. "Did she specifically say `you are Inuyasha's last hope?' Because that I find hard to believe."

"No." Kagome shook her head. "She said `our,' as in you and she. At least that what I took her to mean."

"Huh." He sat back and looked off, lost in thought for a moment. Why would Kikyou come to her and not me? Was it because she knew she couldn't trust me? Was it because I killed her? He shook the thoughts off and looked back over at Kagome. "Weird. That still doesn't explain what made you come running over here early in the morning to take me up and tell me about it. You could have fucking waited."

"Well," she hedged, "When I woke up, I thought about the dream and realized the e-mail was a clue. It may seem blank but I think there may be a hidden link or something." She took a few bites of her bacon and looked off, still thinking. "Then I wondered why she would have sent such an e-mail to me. I'm just her cousin, her younger cousin at that. But then I realized that I was her last miko cousin and that she felt it was important for a miko to be involved." Kagome looked back up at Inuyasha and he suddenly felt trapped by her eyes. "You see, she always meant for me to help you find out what had happened. Honestly, I'm not sure that her death had anything to do with you or even with whatever man she was involved with." Kagome looked down at her plate and moved her food around.

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked.

"I think it might have been business."

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Kagome looked at the small bit of progress she'd made and sighed. The yard was still a tangled mess and there were no real flowers left to speak of but at least something had been done. When Inuyasha had sent her out of the house saying that he needed to think, she had gone to her jeep, picked up her tools and started to work on the area near the porch. It was bare earth now, but that at least was a starting point.

She was nearly finished when she felt the aura of Inuyasha's tenant moving towards her. She turned to look and saw him walking down the lane, perhaps twenty feet from her.

"Good morning, Miroku-sama," she said as she stood.

"Just Miroku, please, my lady," he responded with a bow.

"Then just call me Kagome." She smirked at him. "To what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

"Can a man not desire to spend time with a beautiful woman?" the monk replied. "I merely noted your presence when you arrived and since you have finished a good portion of work, deemed it appropriate to join you as you rest." He smiled his most charming smile. "Also, I felt it was important that I made sure you rested. You should not tax yourself so in the heat of the day. Come and sit on the porch with me." Without touching her, he guided her over to the porch steps where each took a seat.

"Does the fact that's it's been three hours since your landlord checked on me have anything to do with it?" Kagome baited.

"A bit." Both laughed. "He is a bit… fierce when agitated. I did not want him to feel he had to protect you." Kagome raised an eyebrow. "I came to ask you a question about a certain friend of yours."

"I didn't realize you were interested in Inuyasha that way," Kagome teased. Miroku laughed as well.

"Oh, Kami, no! I heard you mention the name Sango yesterday as you were leaving." Kagome made no response; she merely looked at him. He smiled ruefully and held out his hands. "I am a fool for women, I admit. Your Inuyasha was not wrong in what he heard or what he told you. I saw Sango yesterday morning while she had breakfast with her brother; I was sitting nearby and could not help but overhear part of their conversation, which was how I learned her name."

"And now that you know her name?" she prompted.

"I would like to meet her, if it could be arranged?"

"You, yourself admit to having a weakness for women. If I introduce you to my friend, my dear friend whom I have known since childhood, where is the guarantee that you would not simply use her and break her heart?" Kagome smiled at him. "Sango is no fool and neither am I."

"Kagome, you are anything but a fool." Miroku looked into her eyes seriously for a moment. "As for Sango, from merely over hearing her conversation with her brother I am aware that she is a sweet woman dedicated to her job and her family. She is a woman with a core of steel-"

"And a heart of glass." Kagome shook her head. "Miroku, she may seem strong to you but there are many things about Sango you do not know. Yes, her will is iron. Yes, she is dedicated and loving and hard working-"

"I would like to meet her, Kagome." Miroku put up his hands. "Nothing more, nothing less. I would like a chance to get to know her, on her terms."

"I live with my great-great-aunt," Kagome told him, looking very serious. "She is the oldest miko for nearly three hundred miles. She is becoming weak in her old age and can no longer always read her scrolls and books." Kagome looked at her hands for a moment. "I am fluent in all the languages she reads but I'm busy a lot. I have my garden and I tend three more, well, four more now. I'm bringing in a bit of extra money but I can only do so much because Kaede needs someone to read to her on occasion. You, as a houshi, would also be fluent in all the languages I am."

"If I read to Kaede, you will introduce me to Sango?"

"No." Miroku looked puzzled. "If you read to Kaede, she will introduce you to Sango."

"Um, could you explain?"

Kagome sighed. "Sango is a police officer," she said very slowly, as if talking to a confused child. "Can you say `nice police woman'?" Miroku scowled at her but Kagome just laughed. "Once a day, she comes to check on us to make sure we're ok." Miroku's face lit up as understanding struck.

"So by spending time with a learned miko, which in and of itself is a reward because of all I can learn from her, I can get to meet the goddess I spied yesterday?"

Kagome laughed. "Oh, my god! Sango is so going to beat the crap out of you!" And Kaede is definitely going to teach you a thing or two.

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Author's note:

To end, I would like to thank my reviewers and answer any questions they might have had. NordicaVB on FF.net had said they were confused by the memories of Inuyasha and Kikyou's relationship… sorry, but for now so am I. I'll give you guys more when I have more. I swear to you, though, that I won't Kikyou bash. Her character in the manga and the anime is very interesting and while I don't like her, I have to respect her. Kinda like Jamie Lee Curtis: Great actress but she just sets my nerves on edge. And since you liked my fun facts, here's another:

The nursery rhyme "Ring Around the Rosie" is from the days of the plague, when people were dying by the hundreds, sometimes thousands, each day. The initial line refers to the red spots that would appear on one's skin once one was infected. "Pocket full of posies" refers to the stench that one ill with the disease gave off. They carried flowers to mask the sent of decay. "Ashes, ashes we all fall down…" Well, just think about it. What was the easiest way to get rid of something contaminated in those days? Burn it! So the dead were burned and if they weren't, the disease spread. The song itself was a reminder, a "Memento Mori" (death remembrance) if you will, passed down over the centuries.

And I teach this song to your toddlers.

BTW, if I could remember what the Cockle Shells in Mary, Mary Quite Contrary meant, I'd tell you about that one… but it's late and I've been up since 5:45.

Bye now!