InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Syndrome ❯ Monk Meets Miko ( Chapter 12 )

Chapter 12 - Monk Meets Miko

 

 

 

@@ 8 Years Ago @@

 

 

 

“But Moooooom!” a ten year old Kagome whined. “Why do I have to take these stupid miko classes? I wanna stay with Bankotsu! Now I'll only see him for half the day!” The young raven haired girl turned and smiled at the nervous little boy sitting beside her. “You'll be fine Souta. Kindergarten is fun.” She leaned closer before whispering, “But make sure you don't let anyone find out you have holy powers or Mom will have you locked up in `special' classes too.”

 

“I heard that, young lady!” Kagome's mother let out a frustrated sigh. They'd only gone over why she had to take the special miko courses a minimum of fifteen times a day since she'd been told about it. “Kagome, I told you before. The school said that you have to learn to control your powers. After the last few `incidents' I'm inclined to agree.”

 

Kagome scoffed at her mother's mention of the `incidents'. “It's not my fault the demons can't keep their mouths shut and their youki under control! Why should I have to suffer for what my powers do on their own?”

 

“That's exactly why you need to learn to control them! You almost purified the last boy!”

 

“It wasn't my fault he startled me!” Kagome cried out in her defense.

 

“And that girl? You know it took almost six months for her hair to grow back after you pulled it with charged hands. You were lucky the school didn't suspend or expel you.”

 

“She was asking for it! She was showing off, saying how much prettier her `demon' hair was than my `disgustingly plain' human hair. She didn't look so pretty bald!” She laughed at the memory. Really, she had done it on purpose but no one needed to know that. Ignorance was the best defense in some cases.

 

“Don't even think that I don't know you meant to do it. You're not fooling me, missy! You need to learn to control your temper too, not just your powers. Besides, I had to take the same classes when I was your age. Just think about how proud Gramps will be when you show him what you learned.”

 

“Yeah, but then he's gonna be after me to help out around the shrine all the time. I don't want to be a miko! I just wanna be normal!”

 

“No you don't. You don't want to be just like everyone else. Your powers keep you safe and you've always used them subconsciously to keep the demon bullies away from you and Bankotsu. If you were normal then you would never have made friends with him, remember? It was the first time you ever used them, to protect him from the kids that were picking on him. Would you really give up all the fun the two of you have had all these years to have been born normal? Normal is overrated.”

 

Kagome groaned but didn't dispute it. She didn't really want to be normal; she just didn't want to be separated from Bankotsu for half the school day every single day. She didn't have any other friends and she didn't want to be alone.

 

Her mother shot her a smile in the rearview mirror. “We're here.” The car pulled alongside the sidewalk, but Kagome didn't budge. “Kagome Higurashi, you will get out of this car right now,” she said, using the same special tone only mothers have that says `You'd better do what I say right now or I'm not going to be happy, and if I'm not happy, you're not happy.' Kagome was very familiar with that tone and she'd tested it enough to know that her mother was serious. That tone never failed Mrs. Higurashi. Never.

 

Kagome grumbled to herself but unbuckled her seatbelt and slid out of the car. She leaned down and smiled at Souta who was going to be dropped off next. She was in middle school now, so this was her first year in the new building. It was only a few blocks away from her old elementary school where Souta was starting Kindergarten, just like she did five years ago. “You'll be fine kid. And if anyone gives you trouble, make sure they know whose little brother you are.” She gave him a wink before closing the door and walking slowly towards her fate. She heard her mother call out a `Have a good day!' but she only lifted a hand to show she heard. She was so not looking forward to this.

 

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

 

Bankotsu was standing out in front of the school, leaning against the brick façade as he waited for her. He knew she was nervous, and to tell the truth, so was he. He hadn't been apart from her since they'd met and now instead of sitting next to each other in every single class he would only see her during lunch and the afternoon. All his morning classes would be spent alone. He didn't want to make another friend. He didn't want to sit next to anyone else. And he didn't want her to make any other friends either. Sure, it was selfish of him but she was his! Kagome was his friend and he didn't want to share her. But then he didn't want her to feel alone every morning for the whole school year. He knew that it would be best for her to make at least one friend in her special classes; he just couldn't stand the idea of competing with someone for his Kagome's attention.

 

He was lost in his mind, his selfish feelings warring with his guilt at being so selfish to begin with. He didn't see her when she got out of her mother's car and he didn't see her when she noticed him and smiled. He didn't see as she made her way towards him. He didn't know she was there until she poked him right on the tip of his nose. He looked up in surprise before smiling at her. Just the sight of her made him feel better. Before she knew it she'd been pulled into his arms.

 

“Bank? You're acting like you haven't seen me for years!”

 

He refused to let her go, instead talking into her hair. “I just can't stand the idea of being without you all morning. Kagome? Promise me you'll try to make at least one friend in your new classes. I don't want you to be alone.”

 

“I don't want another friend, Bank.”

 

“Neither do I but you need someone to work with and sit with and talk to. You need someone to watch out for you when I can't. Promise me you'll at least try?”

 

Kagome sighed before reaching around him and wrapping her hand around his long braid, using it to pull his face out of her hair so she could look at him. “Not making any promises. If I make a friend then I make a friend, but I'm not going to go looking for one. I don't need another friend. Now come on, we don't wanna be late for our first day.”

 

He pouted but let her go, knowing she was right. They entered the new, larger school and slowly made their way down the hall. Thankfully they'd gotten a chance to tour the building so they had some idea of where they were going. Kagome hated getting lost. They made it to Bankotsu's class first and while he wanted to continue on and walk her all the way to hers, a quick glance at the clock made Kagome insist that he stay, that she would be fine on her own. Before she left him he leaned down, having grown another inch or two more than she had over the summer, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

 

She looked up at him with a smile. “You've gotta stop growing so I can catch up!”

 

“Nah. I like being taller than you.”

 

“You would,” she said with a laugh before continuing her trek down the long hall towards her fate.

 

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

 

He really wished his father hadn't done this to him. He hadn't wanted to move. He didn't want to go to a new school. He didn't want to take special courses for his holy powers. He just wanted to stay home. It had taken forever for the kids in his old school to leave him alone and now he was going to have to start all over again!

 

Really, it wasn't his fault that he found the female form so pleasing. He didn't have much choice in the matter considering what a ladies man his father was. He'd learned at a rather young age that women were beautiful; he just missed the lesson about respecting them. His father wasn't so good at that one either being slapped by just as many, if not more, women than he was successful with.

 

He was nervous; every muscle in his body was tense as if he was preparing to flee. He didn't want to be here at all. Not ready to go inside and face the teacher and other students, Miroku leaned against the wall outside the closed classroom door with his eyes shut tight as he tried to meditate to calm himself. Of course it wasn't working. There were too many distractions. He could hear the talking and laughter of students passing him in the hall, the sounds of shuffling feet and shifting backpacks, and he just couldn't block it all out.

 

At least, he couldn't until he heard it. Immediately his mind focused on the soft sweet sound, everything else fading away completely. All he could hear now was her. The voice of an angel floating through the air seemed to wrap him in a feeling of comfort and safety. All the nervousness, all the worry was washed away while the sound got louder as its source slowly approached him.

 

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

 

She knew she was doing it this time but she couldn't stop herself. She ignored the odd looks that the other students gave her as they passed.

 

“Sometimes is never quite enough. If you're flawless, then you'll earn my love. Don't forget to win first place. Don't forget to keep that smile on your face…”

 

She hadn't had to face anything without Bankotsu, not for five whole years. She didn't know how she was going to survive this without him.

 

“Be a good boy. Try a little harder. You've got to measure up, make me prouder. How long before you screw it up? And how many times do I have to tell you to hurry up?”

 

She didn't want to do this without him. She couldn't handle it. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't make her feet turn around. She couldn't force her body to retreat; it was like she no longer had control. She just kept walking towards her destination, all the while wishing she could turn and run back to his arms where she was safe.

 

“With everything I do for you, the least you could do is keep quiet. Be a good girl. You've gotta try a little harder. That simply wasn't good enough to make us proud…”

 

She was close enough now for him to hear her words. She sounded so sad and he found himself wondering who had upset such a vision so he could go kick their ass. An angel such as she should never be sad.

 

“I'll live through you; I'll make you what I never was. If you're the best then maybe so am I, compared to him, compared to her. I'm doing this for your own damn good. You'll make up for what I blew. What's the problem? Why are you crying?”

 

She should never sound so depressed. He had this overwhelming urge to comfort her, but he didn't even know her. Her couldn't just walk up to her and ask what was wrong. She'd think he was crazy.

 

“Be a good boy. Push a little farther now. That wasn't fast enough to make us happy. We'll love you just the way you are… if you're perfect.”

 

He'd been so deep in his thoughts as he listened to her sing that he almost didn't notice when she stopped, both singing and walking, having reached both the end of the song and her destination. It finally dawned on him that she was looking at him with her head cocked to the right in curiosity, most likely trying to figure out why he was staring at her. Realizing she must be in the same class as him, the way she glanced from his face to the door and back giving it away, Miroku shook off the trance-like state she'd pulled him into and opened the door for her.

 

Kagome couldn't help but smile as the cute dark haired boy dragged himself out of wherever his mind had been lost at and opened the door like a perfect gentleman. She took a moment to look him up and down, taking in the short ponytail at the base of his neck and the two golden hoops in his left ear. He was wearing a dark purple shirt and she found herself wondering why purple? Boys didn't usually wear purple. But when she came to his eyes she understood. He had the most beautiful violet eyes she'd ever seen and the color of his shirt suited them perfectly.

 

He smirked as he noticed her slow perusal of his form. `So, my angel thinks I'm cute, does she? Maybe this year won't be so bad after all.'

 

Deciding she'd stared at him long enough she gave a small nod of appreciation before starting to walk through the door he still held open for her. She'd only taken a few steps when she froze. `If Bankotsu was here right now this guy would already be unconscious,' she thought, right before she whirled around and slapped the pervert as hard as she could.

 

He couldn't help himself. He knew he shouldn't, knew it would only make her angry and would kill any chances of getting to know her, but he just couldn't stop himself. Her ass was calling for him, begging to be touched, and his hand was all too willing to comply, ignoring his brain's warnings against it completely. The sting on his cheek surprised him. She hit hard! No one had ever slapped him quite so hard. He was sort of surprised he was still on his feet considering the force behind the hand that made contact with his face.

 

“Why do the pretty girls have to hit so hard?” he asked himself while rubbing where he knew had to be an angry red handprint. He'd be lucky if it didn't leave a hand shaped bruise, but then he did deserve it.

 

Kagome stared at him for a minute, trying to decide whether she wanted to hit him again or start yelling. She decided on a third option though as she burst out laughing. He looked so funny, rubbing his bright red cheek and giving her a sheepish `I couldn't help it' kind of look.

 

His eyes widened as he heard the melodic sound of her laughter. It was even more beautiful than her singing. Right that instant he knew that he would do anything it took to hear her laugh for him again. “I'm sorry,” he said with a hopeful smile. “My hand has a mind of its own. I'm Miroku, by the way. I figure you should at least know the name of the idiot who touched you.”

 

She smiled brightly and he felt the weight of the world lift from his shoulders. “I'm Kagome. Are you in these classes too then?” she asked while motioning towards the room she was standing halfway in.

 

He nodded; pleasantly surprised that she would actually speak to him after he'd groped her. That had only ever happened when the girl wanted to give him a piece of her mind. Never before had a girl talked nicely to him after his hand messed things up. His hand was always screwing him over, and sometimes he was sure it was cursed. Right now though, he wasn't seeing it as a curse but as a blessing. Who'd have ever thought it would work as an ice-breaker?

 

He was even more surprised when she took hold of the devious appendage before pulling him into the classroom after her. “So, you wanna sit by me?” she asked with a grin.

 

“I couldn't find a better seat if I tried,” he replied. “So, front? Back? Middle?”

 

Kagome thought about it for a second. “I think I wanna sit in the back. I so don't wanna be here.”

 

“So you didn't want to take these classes either?” he asked, giving her hand a soft squeeze, quite glad she hadn't let him go yet.

 

Reaching a pair of open seats in the back row near the windows, Kagome let out a sigh before dropping her backpack on one of the chairs. “This is the first time I've ever had a class without my best friend. I'm not sure how I'm gonna make it to lunch.”

 

“I'd be willing to offer my services, fair maiden,” Miroku said while pulling her hand to his lips and planting a kiss on her knuckles.

 

“I think I'd like that,” she replied. They both sighed as the warning bell rang. Grudgingly their hands separated and they took their seats side by side. “I guess it wasn't so hard after all.”

 

“What wasn't hard?”

 

“My friend made me promise to try to make a friend in these classes. I didn't think I could, but it's almost like you were waiting for me.”

 

“Maybe I was…” He waggled his eyebrows at her and she giggled. “I was worried about making friends too. My dad and I just moved here and I'm not so good at meeting new people. You know, with the hand and all.”

 

“Maybe if you didn't grab a girl's ass she might actually want to be your friend.”

 

“Or maybe I finally groped the right girl,” was the last thing he said before the final bell rang and their teacher walked into the room.

 

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

 

It hadn't been as bad as she'd expected, mostly because Miroku seemed to be able to sense when she was bored and had succeeded every single time in making her smile. It was odd, how comfortable she felt with him so quickly. Never since Bankotsu had she ever felt drawn to a person like this.

 

When it was finally time for lunch, Kagome made her way to her locker, trailed by a flirtatious monk in training. She smiled as she turned her combination, Miroku leaning up against the locker beside hers and grinning at her. He held up her bag as she turned, having refused to allow her to carry it. The teacher had given them quite a few books and apparently she was `too delicate a beauty' to carry them all. She'd snorted at the thought of her being delicate but she let him take it from her anyway, having learned long ago with Bankotsu that if he wanted to carry her bag he was going to and Miroku seemed to be the same way.

 

He held tight to the bag, forcing her to unzip it where it hung, taking the books out one by one to start filling up her empty locker. She'd just finished and was getting ready to close the door when arms slipped around her waist and a chin rested on her shoulder.

 

“You have no idea how much I missed you,” Bankotsu whispered into her hair. The morning had been pure hell as he'd been forced to sit next to someone else; a girl he'd never met before claiming what was Kagome's rightful seat at his side. He'd worried the whole time about her, only interrupted when the girl decided to flirt with him. He'd simply rolled his eyes and looked out the window, wishing he could see her if he looked hard enough. Of course he hadn't been able to see her, which just made him more frustrated.

 

When the bell for lunch had finally sounded he'd almost knocked down several classmates as he rushed out of the room. His locker and hers were side by side so he knew where he could find her. He hadn't noticed a thing besides Kagome. He couldn't calm down until she was in his arms, and now he was breathing a sigh of relief.

 

Kagome smiled, not noticing the way Miroku's eyes darkened and his lips twisted into a frown. “I missed you too Bank,” she said before turning in his arms and squeezing him tightly. “But I made a friend!” she said happily. “Just like you wanted, I made a friend in my classes.”

 

“Oh yeah?” he asked, suddenly nervous. If Kagome had a new friend would she forget about him? He couldn't stand it if she did. He had a hard enough time sharing her with Souta! “Where is she?”

 

Kagome smirked. “I didn't say it was a she, did I?”

 

Now it was Bankotsu's turn to frown. His Kagome made friends with another boy? But he hadn't even met the guy, let alone approved him to spend time with her!

 

She noticed his unhappy expression. “What's with the frownie face? You said to make a friend.”

 

“I know I did, Kags. I just… well… where is he then?”

 

She turned around, slipping out of his arms. It felt just like she was slipping right out of his life too, and his chest tightened painfully.

 

By the time she was facing Miroku again he had managed to force away his scowl. When she smiled at him he suddenly wasn't worried anymore. She wasn't going to ditch him for this guy who he had deduced was the `best friend' she'd mentioned.

 

“Miroku, I want you to meet my best friend Bankotsu. And Bank, this is Miroku. He just moved here. I asked him to sit with us at lunch. You don't mind, do you?”

 

The pleading look in her eyes melted away any objections he'd wanted to make. He couldn't say no to her. “No, Kags, I don't mind. Hi,” he said as politely as he could manage, his tone still holding some of his displeasure at the situation.

 

“Hello,” Miroku replied just as coldly.

 

Kagome looked from one boy to the other and back a few times, not quite sure where all the tension was coming from. Finally she grabbed her bag from Miroku and started to walk away. She was hungry and she wasn't going to wait around while they tried to see who could go the longest without blinking. `Boys are so stupid,' she thought to herself as she heard them both suddenly call out to her to wait, each having just realized she was no longer standing between them.

 

She sighed but slowed down a bit. She wanted to sigh again when Bankotsu wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side possessively. Sure, he did it all the time, but somehow this time it felt like he was just doing it to make some kind of point to Miroku. Deciding she wasn't going to allow it, Kagome held out her free hand and the young monk smiled before taking hold of it. The three ignored the presence of everyone else, not bothering to notice the odd looks they were getting.

 

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

 

Lunch had been a tense affair, Kagome being the only one who really spoke at all. When she'd sat down, both boys had rushed to sit in the chair beside her, Miroku being the one lucky enough to make it there first. Bankotsu almost ended up sitting in his new rival's lap before he let out a rather pathetic sounding growl and sat in the chair across the table from her. They spent the whole lunch period just glaring at each other. Kagome wanted to tear her hair out. `Or theirs. Theirs would be so much more gratifying,' she decided.

 

When the bell rang signifying the end of lunch, Miroku had not been the slightest bit happy to discover that she wasn't in his next class, instead sharing it with Bankotsu, who made sure to give him a victorious look. But he wasn't giving up so easily. He'd never felt a connection with anyone like he felt with Kagome and he wouldn't let her best friend keep him away. He just wouldn't.

 

Kagome wanted to slap Bankotsu. Really, he'd never behaved like such a jerk before! He was the one that told her to make a friend! It wasn't her fault he didn't like her choice. She was going to be friends with Miroku whether Bank liked it or not, and she made sure to tell him so as soon as her new friend was out of earshot.

 

“I don't know what your problem is, but you need to stop it. I'm going to be friends with him. You have two choices: be a jerk and force me to divide my time between the two of you or get over it and make friends with him too! It's up to you, but don't you think for an instant that I'm going to drop him because you feel threatened. Me being his friend too doesn't take anything away from you. He's a nice guy and I think you would like him if you could stop glaring at each other and acting like toddlers fighting over a toy! I Am Not A Toy! I Am Not A Possession!”

 

Bankotsu was left standing in the middle of the hallway, watching in shock as she stalked off without him. She'd never yelled at him before. They'd never, in all five years, ever had a fight. But this new `friend' was already driving a wedge between them. All he could think of was how to stop it, how to put an end to it before it was too late and he was no longer her best friend at all.

 

He glanced around and saw everyone staring at him in surprise. No one had ever seen the two not getting along. There were murmurs of `It's about time,' and `Looks like she's moving on,' and other similar things that made his blood boil in his veins. She was not moving on! She was not going to stop being his friend! He was not going to lose her!

 

When Kagome made it to her next class she was ready to scream. `How dare he? How dare he act like this?' With a huff she dropped into an empty seat, not bothering to look for two together. At the moment she really didn't care if Bankotsu sat beside her or not. When he entered the room a few minutes later his eyes searched over all the people in the room, trying to find her. He wanted to cry when he spotted her. His Kagome looked furious, angry and hurt too. He wanted to drop to his knees at her feet and beg her forgiveness, promise he would try… try to get along with Miroku, for her.

 

He moved to where she sat and simply glared at the student in the seat beside her, his seat. It took only a few seconds for the kid to get the message and move, leaving the now empty desk behind. Bankotsu slipped into the seat before scooting the whole desk closer to her. She only turned her head away from him, looking out the window in an attempt to block out the world.

 

“Kagome,” he said softly. She ignored him. “Kagome, please…” She still refused to acknowledge his presence and he decided drastic measures were necessary. He slid out of the seat to the floor between them, kneeling at her side and laying his head in her lap like he did when he was stressed or tired. She would always run her hand softly over his hair, sometimes undoing and then braiding his hair again. Her gentle touch made everything go away, made every flaw in the imperfect world they lived in disappear.

 

He felt her sigh and was silently praying she would forgive him. When her hand moved to rest gently on his head he smiled softly. She would, she would forgive him. “Kagome, I'm sorry. I just… I wasn't expecting you to make a new friend so easily and I really wasn't expecting it to be another guy. I guess I'm just not ready to share you. I'll try, Kagome. I'll give him a chance. I'll be nice. I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me.”

 

She finally looked down at him, gliding her fingers along his hair, flattening out the little frizzies that had escaped during the morning from his perfect braid. “I'm sorry too. I should have known it would be hard for you. It's just… I don't know. We just clicked, like you and I did when we first met, and I know we were meant to be friends. I think you'd like him. I really do.”

 

“For you, I'll give it a try.”

 

“That's all I ask, Bank. That's all I want.”

 

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

First, a note to everyone. I've had to change my email because my aol email hasn't allowed me to send mail for four days now. My new email is sunsetmiko@inbox.com

 

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All further author's notes and reviewer responses will be found on my livejournal.

 

http://sunsetmiko.livejournal.com/