InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Lucky Ones ❯ Chapter Twenty-Three ( Chapter 23 )

The Lucky Ones

By Terri Botta

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Sole copyright belongs to Viz and Rumiko Takashi. I'm poor so don't sue.

Rating: R for later chapters.

Pairing: Inuyasha/Kagome, Miroku/Sango

Summary: Sometimes Fate hands you a gift you never thought you'd ever get, and it's up to you to accept it for what it is.

Email feedback to: tci100@psu.edu

Webpage: http://www.wordsmiths.net/Botta

*******

Chapter Twenty-Three

Inuyasha sat next to Miroku as they watched their women with their little ones. Sango, Shippou and Kagome were sitting on one of Kagome's `picnic blankets' and were enjoying the early autumn sunshine. Soon Kagome's `school break' would be over and she would once again have to return to her world every two weeks. It would be her last year before `college' as she called it, and from what he understood of her time that meant her official schooling was almost over. She didn't have to go to `college' but her mother wanted her to, and she'd often told him going to `college' would help her `get a better job' when she was grown-up.

He didn't really want her to go to `college.' First of all, it meant more `school' which in turn meant more `tests' and more time away from him, although he pretty much went with her every time she traveled through the well now. Second of all, he really didn't see the point in her continuing. She had her life with him and the pup in his time. He didn't see any reason why she couldn't stay with him and learn miko healing from Kaede if she wanted to study to become a `nurse' or a doctor. He had to admit, however, that Kagome would make a very good doctor. Not only was she excellent at patching up their many wounds with her modern medicine, she was also very good at diagnosing problems.

A few weeks ago, she'd realized Sango's troubles with her pup weren't normal and that the taijiya was suffering from something called `post-partum depression.' Apparently this sometimes happened to women after whelping a pup when something inside didn't return to normal. This made women sad and unhappy and sometimes even made them kill their pups. All this time they'd been assuming that Sango was just suffering from new-mother jitters, but when she didn't stop crying all the time and started calling herself a bad mother, they'd started to get really worried. Miroku had even taken the pup away from her a few times because he feared for the pup's safety. The houshi had hated doing it, and was beside himself with grief and concern for both his wife and his daughter, but when he found bruises on the pup's arms he'd grabbed the pup and run.

Thank Kami Kagome had figured out what was going on, and brought back books that had recipes for herbal remedies and even some medicine from her time. It took a couple of weeks, but slowly Sango began to return to normal, and everyone was relieved. Now the last three months seemed like nothing but a bad dream that Sango had finally awakened from, and the taijiya had often referred to her `depression' as just that: a horrible dream from which she could not wake. The young mother couldn't thank Kagome enough for realizing something was wrong and helping her. After reading Kagome's books, she'd been horrified to know that she could have killed her pup if her condition had gone untreated. Inuyasha knew Miroku was eternally grateful as well because Kagome had saved both his wife and pup, although Kagome waved off her amazing accomplishments as she always did, saying it was nothing and refusing to take any credit for her part in Sango's recovery.

The houshi's girl-pup, Miyoko, was three months old now and looking slightly cuter than she did when she was born. Yukio, of course, now ten months old was a roly-poly pup who toddled after his mother wherever she went. Both mothers had their pups in their laps as they talked, Kagome waving her hands as she animatedly told some tale from her time. Sango and Shippou were listening avidly, nodding and smiling. Miyoko was sleeping, and Yukio was looking bored.

`Hmmm a bored pup will find his own trouble,' he thought.

"It's a beautiful sight, isn't it," Miroku commented with a contented sigh.

He grunted in agreement, caught on Kagome's laughter.

"I cannot thank Kagome-sama enough for all she's done. When the time comes for you to build her that house, you can count on me to help as much as I can."

He nodded. "I don't know when that will be. With Kikyou gone from here, there is no way to resolve things between us, and Kagome won't let me build it until we know what Kikyou's decision is."

"But you have told me you have chosen Kagome."

"If I can, I will choose her, but Kikyou has to release me first."

"You may be able to demand it of her since it seems obvious that she has abandoned you."

`Abandoned me.' The thought was a slap to his face. `Lowly hanyou doesn't even deserve a goodbye…'

"Maybe," he replied non-committally.

Yukio, hanyou puppy ears catching the sound of his father's voice, turned his head to see him and smiled.

`Heh, finally realized we were here, eh pup? Well, we are sitting downwind…'

"Otou!" the pup enthused, pushing himself out of Kagome's lap and making his way over.

Kagome paused in her story to look where he was going and saw the two of them sitting in the shade of the trees. She cast him a brilliant smile and waved. Sango waved too, then they went back to their conversation. Yukio toddled the rest of the way across the clearing and plopped into his lap, giggling.

"Otou!"

He smiled at his son and rubbed his ears. "Hey, pup."

He fished out a sweet root from his haori and gave it to Yukio for him to chew on. The pup happily accepted the treat and started gnawing away as he settled into his father's lap, his little back against his abdomen. He put his arms around the pup the way his own mother used to do when he was just a little whelp and pulled him close.

"I'm glad things are back to normal with Sango. Woman had us all worried," he commented.

"Almost," Miroku replied, an unhappy note to his voice.

He turned to look at the houshi and saw him frowning. "Is something still wrong? Does Kagome need to bring more medicine back from her time?"

Miroku shook his head. "It's nothing like that…" He paused for a long time, his face unhappy and indecisive.

`Something's really bothering him… Should I ask about it? Well, none of my business of he doesn't want to tell me.'

"Inuyasha…"

"What?"

"With the responsibilities of Yukio… has Kagome ever…"

"Has she ever what?"

Miroku struggled with the words, his hands clenching.

"Has she ever… refused you?"

"Refused me?" `Refused me what? Oh…' He blushed and looked at his son. "No."

Miroku sighed. "I see."

`Is he saying Sango isn't… What the fuck is he asking me for? He's the lecher!'

"Not all marital bliss, eh bouzu?" he teased. `Heh, serves him right for all the women he groped!'

There was a pause, then Miroku answered, choosing his words carefully, "Sango's return to her wifely duties has been… slow."

`So she is leaving him high and dry.'

"Keh."

"I am trying to be patient, but… my palms are starting to itch."

`Oh how well I know that feeling!'

"Been two days, eh letch?"

"More like two months," Miroku admitted sadly.

He gaped. "Two months?!" `Two months. I'd have exploded by now. He must really be desperate if he's asking me about it.' His own groin twinged in sympathy.

The houshi nodded, looking forlorn. "At first I thought it was the stress of Miyoko, then later when Kagome-sama said Sango was suffering from a medical condition that needed treatment, I thought it was that. But while she is getting better in other ways… that has still not returned."

"Have you… ummmm… asked her about it?" `And I'm getting involved in this why? It's not like the monk's sex life is any concern of mine. Still, if his hands start to wander… His pup may grow up without a father. The taijiya will probably kill him if she finds out.'

"Yes. She says it hurts her."

"Hurts her?"

Miroku swallowed uncomfortably and shifted a bit. "Yes. Her body… it… it doesn't get ready."

`Doesn't get ready… Oh, is he saying…?'

"Ummm, Kagome has some stuff that might help. Makes things slippery," he offered.

Miroku blinked at him in surprise. "You and Kagome-sama have had this problem?"

"Not really. Usually I just lick her. A few good swipes to her sweet spot and she's wetter than a fish," he answered distractedly as Yukio tugged on his sleeve.

"Otou," the pup gurgled, mouth red from the sweet root.

"Whaddya want, pup?" he asked fondly.

"Lick her? Sweet spot?" Miroku repeated, confused.

"Yeah, the little bump…" He got flustered and blushed, realizing what he was saying. "Are you telling me you don't lick your woman?"

Now it was Miroku's turn to blush. "I…"

`So he doesn't, huh. Maybe all those years of pretending to be a womanizer were just an act.' A dark thought clouded his mind. `Or maybe he just took his pleasure where he found it and didn't return the favor.' The idea did not sit well with him.

"Look. There's a little bump there. Find it yourself. Like I said, a few good swipes and your problem should be solved," he said irritably.

The houshi's eyes widened and he nodded. "Thank… thank you."

He growled. "Don't thank me. Your woman's pleasure should come first because she gives you pleasure. If you're not making it good for her, it's no wonder she's saying no."

Miroku had the decency to look ashamed. "You are right, of course."

"Damn right I am," he snorted.

"Otou?" Yukio asked worriedly. :Pup bad?:

He hurried to reassure his son that his ire was not directed at him. :Pup good. Pack-male displeases leader-male.:

Yukio turned wide, golden eyes towards Miroku, then slowly ducked his head behind his father's haori sleeve. He had to struggle to suppress the smile that threatened to come out.

"My previous experience with women was limited…" the houshi began.

"And I had none," he interrupted. "That's no excuse. You find out what makes her feel good and you do it. It's not hard, it just takes longer." `And the letch gets sex advice from the virgin hanyou who didn't even know women could climax… What is wrong with this conversation? Am I really so different from other men that I do my best to please my lover?' That thought also did not sit well with him.

"Of… of course," Miroku agreed nervously.

The houshi's acquiescence did nothing to improve his mood. In the circle of his sleeves, two golden eyes peered up at him, but otherwise the pup was still keeping his head down.

"Women aren't vessels for breeding more sons," he said, repeating something Kagome had once told him about the attitudes of the men in this era.

"Of course they aren't!" the houshi gasped immediately.

`Good. At least you've gotten that part.'

His temper was still piqued, however, and he was tired of discussing a subject he felt he shouldn't have to be talking about in the first place. Yukio was getting ready to fuss, and there were better things he could be doing: like sitting with Kagome and basking in her attentions. To that affect he did something he rarely did; he pulled a Sesshoumaru.

`Keh. It can never be said that bastard didn't teach me how to deliver a good put down.'

"This conversation is over," he said coolly, very much like his brother would do, and stood up, putting Yukio on his shoulders. "I've told you something you can do. The rest is up to you. If you want more, ask Kagome for her books. She has two of them that have been very good for us."

He didn't wait for Miroku's reply before he walked over to where Kagome was still sitting with Shippou, Sango and her pup.

Later that evening all of them gathered outside of Kaede's hut for dinner. Earlier in the day he'd dug out a fire pit and placed several fish wrapped in `foil' from Kagome's time in a bed of hot coals, then covered them up with rocks. The fish stayed baking in the coals for most of the afternoon, with more coals being added when needed, and when the meal was ready, the fish was retrieved from the coals. They were flavorful and tender, cooked in their own juices and the spices Kagome had wrapped with them. Served with rice, vegetables and the ever present ramen noodles, it was a feast for eyes, noses and tastebuds.

"Ah-men," Yukio enthused, seeing the noodles.

"Yeah, you got that right, pup. Ninja food. Yummy."

Of course, the pup couldn't use chopsticks yet so he had to eat with his little hands. Kagome would drain the noodles and give them to the pup as dry as she could make them to reduce the mess. Many times she'd had to strip him almost naked after a meal and wash his clothes until she got wise and started using a bib on him.

During the meal, Miroku was subdued, but not hostile, and he was friendly but reserved. In the law of inu-youkai, it was up to the monk as the subordinate in the pack to make up with him by offering the proper apologies and not the other way around. Sango and Kagome seemed to know that something had transpired between them, but were wisely keeping their mouths shut for the time being, although he was certain Kagome would ask him about it later.

They were joined for dinner by Rin and Kohaku. The two were practically inseparable these days, and some of the light was returning to the boy's eyes. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Rin, whose eyes grew sadder and sadder as the weeks went by and still Sesshoumaru did not return for her. Oh, she tried to hide her worry and disappointment, and she was usually her bubbly self, but it was obvious that she was missing the taiyoukai very much.

`Keh. The girl has no sense at all,' he thought dourly. `And my brother's an asshole. It's been two months and he hasn't even sent word of how things are going.'

"Inuyasha-sama?" the little girl asked during a pause in the meal.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Sesshoumaru-sama has forgotten about Rin?"

He almost choked on his tea. `How the hell should I know? I never understood why he kept a human whelp with him in the first place!'

He looked to Kagome for rescue, and she saved him without hesitation.

"I'm sure Sesshoumaru-sama has good reasons for not coming back for you, Rin-chan," she said.

"But the New Moon has come and gone twice and soon it will come again. Rin is worried that something has happened to Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Bah! You don't have to be worried about that. No weak human army could hurt my brother," he scoffed. `However, it has been an awfully long time. He should have defeated that army by now and come for her.' He pushed away the little feeling of foreboding and concern. `Bah! I'm really going soft if I'm starting to worry about that bastard.'

The girl looked as if she was going to cry and Kagome glared at him.

"What? What did I do?" he complained defensively.

"But if Sesshoumaru-sama is alright, then why has he not come back for Rin?"

"Why don't we write Sesshoumaru-sama a letter asking him if he knows when you can go home. I'll help you write it and Inuyasha will find a youkai courier who can deliver it for us," Kagome suggested.

"I will?" Kagome gave him a `death glare' and his heart started pounding in his chest. "Oh yes. Yes, I will," he stammered. `Shit, she's still scary…'

"You will? Oh thank you, Inuyasha-sama, Kagome-sama! Rin will be so happy to hear from Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Pacified for the time-being, Rin forgot all about her sadness and the rest of the meal progressed without further upset. Afterwards, however, he asked Kagome about her plans to write a letter as they walked to the den.

"Are you really planning to do that?"

"Of course. We'll write it and she'll be happy. Then you'll find a `courier' and send it off. It doesn't really have to go to the Western Lands, she just has to think it did," she answered.

"Oh good, for a moment there I was worried. Bothering my brother about that girl before he's ready to come get her would probably make him leave her here just to spite us."

"Exactly," she agreed, stooping down to enter the den. He'd widened the entrance a little to accommodate going in with the pup on his back, but it still wasn't high enough to stand. "Then, if he still hasn't come for her, you can write a letter of response and have it sent here."

"Me?"

"You know how Sesshoumaru talks, who better? Besides, your writing is nicer than mine is and you know all the formal kanji used in this era. I don't."

He smiled to himself. Kagome had often commented on his writing, saying how amazing it was that someone as rough and seemingly unschooled as him could write such beautiful, flowing kanji.

"Keh! Alright, if you put it that way, I'll do it."

She gave him a little kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. It is worrisome though, isn't it? He should have come for her by now."

`My thoughts exactly. Maybe… maybe I should go and make sure everything's alright.'

"Bah! You worry too much. Sesshoumaru won't be done in by a bunch of humans. He's probably enjoying the peace and quiet from that girl's endless chatter."

"You sound so certain."

"Keh. I am." `At least I think I am. Still… what is this feeling of wrong?'

"Alright then, I trust you."

They settled into the den, lighting some candles and stowing their belongings, and he took off his clothes as he usually did, folding them and putting them in their cubby. He had no modesty in front of his family, and the den was more than warm enough for him. Kagome was the one who was cold at night, but that just made her snuggle closer to him. Since Rin was staying with Kaede and Sango and Miroku's hut was full, they'd been practically living in the den full time. In fact, they hadn't missed a single night there since Sango started coming out of her `depression.'

Kagome put Yukio down in his place. It wasn't a bassinet anymore, but its own little separate sleeping spot with straw and blankets. Having it didn't keep him from crawling in with them at night, but he knew enough to stay there until he was invited to join them.

"So… do you want to tell me what is going on between you and Miroku?" she asked.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" he tried, giving her his `soulful puppy-dog' eyes.

"Don't try to distract me with that look. It's a dead give-away," she said, smiling.

He growled softly.

"Why don't you get more comfortable?" he suggested.

"No. I start taking off my clothes and you start getting all dominant dog on me, and I'll never find out why the two of you have barely said two words to each other since this afternoon."

"We weren't that bad," he complained.

"Inuyasha…" she warned.

He sighed. "It was man-talk," he admitted, giving in. While he might be the `dominant dog,' she was the true alpha and he couldn't refuse her.

"Man-talk?"

He nodded. "Yeah. He was asking about… about our relationship." He put a little emphasis on the word relationship to make sure she knew he wasn't talking about their current living arrangements.

"He was?"

"Apparently he and Sango are… having difficulties. Has she talked to you about this? It sounds like something two women would talk about more than two men."

She shook her head. "Sango's always been really shy about intimacy. I remember when I tried to ask her about what it was like to be married before I got together with you, she always got really nervous and reluctant to answer me."

`Heh, if the monk wasn't doing his duty and pleasing her, she probably didn't want to tell Kagome that she was unhappy.'

"Come to think of it, she might have tried a couple of times but stopped herself. Is it something really bad?"

`For him it is…' "She's… been refusing him, and he told me his hands are starting to itch."

She blanched. "He wouldn't be stupid enough to cheat on her would he?"

"I don't know. She's said no for two months…"

"Two months! My god, you go two days and you start getting cranky!"

`Heh, that's just what I thought.'

"Did he say why? Is it the baby?"

"That's part of it, but…"

He blushingly relayed what Miroku had told him, what he had inferred from the houshi's remarks, and his little snit that afternoon. Kagome listened thoughtfully, nodding every now and then, and stayed quiet until he was finished.

"So I can expect Miroku to ask about my books."

"I hope so. Their little pup might not be as cute as Yukio, but I don't want her to grow up fatherless."

She gave him a little smile. "Miyoko is plenty cute, she just doesn't have the puppy ears."

"Or his hair, or little nose or big golden eyes…" he said, looking at the pup who was looking at them because he'd heard his name.

"Kaa-san. Otou."

"Come here my little big dog," Kagome said, opening her arms. Yukio wasted no time in going to her and snuggling into her side.

"Okay, he is cuter than Miyoko," she agreed.

"Kaa-san," he gurgled, reaching for her breasts.

She'd gotten him down to nursing only twice a day: once in the evening before bed and again when they woke in the morning. By now she was making so little milk, that he barely fed for five minutes, but it was enough to satisfy his need to suckle.

"Mmmm, Kaa-san knows what you want," she cooed, lifting her shirt.

"Kaa-san! Oooo. Oood!" he replied enthusiastically.

She'd barely gotten the nipple exposed before he was on it.

"No teeth!" she reminded, and he gave a little grunt of agreement. "He'll be the death of me," she sighed.

He shook his head. "I keep telling you, you have to harden your heart and let him cry. If you keep giving in, you'll never get him weaned."

"I can't do that, you know I can't."

He shrugged. They'd been through this many times before over the past two months. In truth, he was amazed that she'd gotten him down as much as she had.

"All things considered, though, you shouldn't have been surprised by Miroku," she said, obviously changing the subject.

"Hm? Why is that?"

"I was being honest when I said in this time men think women are just things they use to breed sons. A woman's pleasure isn't something that they would necessarily think about."

`What are we? A bunch of rutting animals that take our pleasure and don't care if our partner is left wanting?'

"I don't think that way," he argued.

"No, but you didn't know much about lovemaking or giving pleasure when we first started. I had to teach you. If the men and women here don't know about the things I do, how can they do any better?"

"It's not that hard!" he answered, repeating what he'd said to the houshi. `It's not. How hard is it to remember what makes your woman moan?' "They can learn. Besides, that bouzu was always such a letch! It makes me sick to think he used women for his own pleasure and didn't care how they felt."

She gave him a tender smile, her eyes warm with approval, and he knew that he'd be getting and giving pleasure very soon. Yukio was already on the second breast and just about finished.

`Or I will if I have anything to say about it.'

"Miroku wasn't as experienced as he would like us to believe. That Sango did tell me. He wasn't a virgin like you were, but I don't think he'd had more than two or three encounters before he met us, and for all his groping and suggestion, he never spent the night with any of the women we met."

"So it was all an act?"

She nodded. "Mostly."

"Hmph! A letch and a liar. Feh!"

She giggled as she put Yukio down into his bed and checked his diaper. "Well still, I hope he does ask me for my books. They can only help, right?"

He waited until she was finished changing him and settling him down in his bed, before pulling her into his arms and slipping one hand under her shirt.

"Well, we certainly don't need them anymore, do we?" he whispered huskily.

"Confident you've learned all you need from them, are you?" she answered coyly.

"Haven't we?"

She smiled wickedly, reached over to one of the cubbies where they kept their lovemaking supplies and pulled out a book. Turning to a random page, she showed him the illustration.

"Maybe we should try this one tonight," she suggested.

"What's with the chair? And even you're not that flexible, and I'd bang my head on this low ceiling."

She began to laugh and he laughed with her, loving the feel of her in his arms and the heady freedom his heart enjoyed when he was alone with her.

`I never laughed until I met her. I stopped laughing when my mother died. Now I laugh again. This woman is amazing.'

She tossed the book over her shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I guess we'll just have to improvise then."

"Heh, that's half the fun."

He kissed her and nothing more was said except when she moaned his name, or when he moaned hers, until the candles burned low and guttered out.

Some untold hours later as they lay snuggled together in the dark with Yukio nestled next to them, their conversation at dinner came back to him and he frowned.

`What if something has happened to Sesshoumaru? What would happen to Oyaji's lands? It has been too long. Maybe I ought to go see what's happened.'

"Hey," he whispered in the dark. He knew she was still awake.

"Hmmm?" she murmured. "Again?"

He chuckled and kissed her bare shoulder. "No. I'll let you rest."

She rolled to her back, peering up at him in the darkness. He could see her perfectly, but he knew she was just about blind.

"What is it then?"

"Do you think I should go?" he asked suddenly.

"Go? Go where?"

"To check on Sesshoumaru." `If you think I should, I'll go. I don't want to, but…'

"Sesshoumaru? Are you really worried about him?"

"Bah! Why would I worry about that asshole?"

"Inuyasha," she warned.

"Well, he is!"

"Not in front of Yukio."

"He's sleeping."

"That's what you think."

He snorted. She was right, but she couldn't see the pup in the dark so how would she know.

"Do you want to go check on him?" she asked.

"Not really, but it's not a matter of wanting is it? If everything was alright, he'd have come for Rin. For whatever reason, he's attached to that girl and I don't think he would have left her for this long if everything was okay. Gives me a bad feeling."

She nodded. "I agree. How much time would you need?"

`Well, there's my answer. She's concerned like I am.'

"Ten days. I hate to say this, but could you take Yukio to your time while I'm gone? It's been a while since any youkai have showed up to hunt him, but if I'm not around, you're both vulnerable."

"You're actually telling me to go home for ten days? That's a first," she teased.

"Don't get used to it, wench."

She giggled and kicked him lightly with her foot.

"Ow. Watch it."

"Can you survive without me for that long?" she asked lightly.

`I'll miss you and crave you every day I am gone, but I can't take you and the pup with me. Not when I might be going into a war zone.'

"I'll try."

"Okay then. When do you want to leave?"

"In the morning?"

"That soon? That doesn't give us much time to prepare."

"Bah. I don't need anything. Tessaiga and the clothes on my back are all I need." `They're all I own as well. All I have to give you. But you don't care about that. You never did.'

"Travel light?"

"And fast. On my own I can be there in three days."

Her eyes widened in the darkness. "That fast?"

"I don't need to sleep and I can go a long time without food. When I'm really trying, I can go 80 to 90 ri in a day."

"80 to 90 ri in a day! That's over 300 kilometers!"

He shrugged. "It's easy for me. I can go, see what's going on, and come back."

"What if what you find there… isn't good?"

"Then I'll find a way to send word that it'll take longer. Maybe I'll send the toad on that two-headed dragonet Sesshoumaru has."

"Okay. Do you want to hold off until tomorrow afternoon to give me time to go back and get ramen for you to take along?"

His ears perked up at the sound of `ramen.' "Yeah, okay."

She rolled towards him and snuggled close.

"I'll miss you. You'll be careful, won't you?"

"Keh! Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"I know you will. You're Inuyasha."

`You say that like I've got the whole world in the palm of my hands.' He wrapped his arms around his heart and soul. `And maybe I do, right here in my arms.'

"Keh, sentimental woman."

"One of us has to be."

"Sentimental or a woman?" he teased, trying to cheer her sudden subdued mood.

It worked because she giggled. Then her hand stroked his chest and he shivered.

`Is she…?'

"You'll be gone a long time," she whispered.

"Feh, not that long."

"Long enough that I know what you'll want to do the moment you see me again."

"Feh, I want that when I've been away from you for half a day."

"Letch."

He nuzzled her throat, growling. "Always."

She sighed. "Let's make love again. Once more before you go."

"Only once? Are we slowing down already?"

She laughed and he chuckled. "I love you," she whispered.

"Kagome…" he breathed, kissing her.

They moved a mildly protesting Yukio to his sleeping space and covered him up with his blankets. Then he proceeded to telegraph his love for her with his body, letting his actions speak the words he felt he wasn't permitted to say.

`Someday, Kagome. Someday soon, I'll declare my love for you and build you the finest house in all of Musashi country.'

********

He ended up leaving much later than he wanted, but there were many questions to be answered and plans to make before he left. They kept the real reason for his trip from Rin, not wanting to alarm the child by admitting they were worried.

"This is very sudden, Kagome-chan," Sango had said with concern.

"But it's been coming," Kagome had replied. "Sesshoumaru should have sent for Rin by now."

"Yes, it is worrisome," Miroku had admitted, casting an eye towards where Kohaku was `entertaining' Rin.

"I'll be back in ten days. Hopefully. If not, then I'll send word," he'd assured them.

"I'll be going to my country with Yukio to protect him. With Inuyasha gone, if a youkai scents his hanyou blood, he could be at risk."

The others had agreed.

"We'll miss you Kagome," Shippou had sniffed.

"Oi! And not me?" he'd groused, threatening the kit with a fist.

Shippou had yelped and hidden behind Kagome. "You're still a meanie."

"Take Kirara with you," Sango had offered, and the firecat had mewed her assent.

"No. She should stay here and guard the village," he'd replied, shaking his head.

On the way to the well, Miroku had pulled him aside for a moment.

"I want to thank you," the houshi had said.

"For what?"

"For your… suggestion yesterday. It worked."

He'd chuckled softly. "Told you it would."

"You said Kagome has books?"

"Ummm, yeah."

"Do you think she would…"

As if by magic, Kagome had appeared by their side.

"Here," she had said, handing Miroku one of the aforementioned books. "Inuyasha said you wanted to read our books. This is the first one. The first few chapters cover the basics. After that, it goes into the advanced stuff not even Inuyasha and I have tried yet. I hope it helps."

She'd winked and smiled, then hurried to distract Sango before the taijiya had time to suspect anything was going on. Miroku had looked stunned, then flipped open the first pages and blushed.

"Oh my…"

He'd decided to enjoy the monk's embarrassment. Peeping over the top of the book, he'd looked at the illustration the monk had turned to.

"Oh yeah, that one. That one's fun but you gotta be careful not to push her legs up too high or she'll get a cramp."

Miroku had blushed even further, sputtered, slammed the book shut and shoved it quickly into his robes with a hastily mumbled thank you. He'd snickered all the way to the well, then teased the monk some more by telling Sango that he hoped she would have a `very enjoyable evening.' The taijiya had given him an odd look so he'd winked at her and she'd blushed furiously.

"Later!" he'd called and jumped into the well after Kagome and Yukio once they'd said their goodbyes.

He'd come back through alone a few hours later after ramen shopping and another last lovemaking session that was more sweet and sad than wild. Shippou had been waiting for him when he climbed out of the well carrying a bag of Ninja food, and a second bag of medical supplies Kagome had bought for the old miko.

"You are coming back, right?" the kit had asked, his green eyes belying his worry.

"Feh. Of course."

Shippou had looked away, crossing his arms. "Good."

Smiling, he'd taken the kit up in a rare hug and was hugged back. "I'm coming back, I promise. I won't leave you and the others."

"Or Kagome."

"That goes without saying."

"You'll be careful?"

"You know I will."

"Okay."

Shippou had moved to his shoulder and he'd carried the kit to the old woman's hut where he gave her the bag from Kagome.

"Be safe, Inuyasha," Kaede had said, making a blessing over him.

He'd bowed his head and thanked her for her gesture, unnecessary as it might have been.

"I will, Kaede-babaa."

"Bring back good news for that poor child."

"I will try. That's why I'm going."

He'd left the hut before the ache in his heart got to be too much to bear, much the same way he had left a sadly quiet Kagome and openly crying Yukio in her time. Then he'd gathered his resolve and courage, took one last look at the village he called home and leaped off to the West.