InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ When I Became Royalty ❯ Going Nowhere ( Chapter 1 )

 

WHEN I BECAME ROYALTY

 

 

 

CHAPTER 1: GOING NOWHERE

 

He was leaving.

 

It was the only rational solution left in his mind. If he stayed, invisible chains would hold him down. But if he left…he would be free and he could do whatever the hell he wanted to. If he stayed, he would be completely controlled, never getting time for himself. He couldn't handle that and he wouldn't. He would leave and never come back.

 

It was the only way. The idea came to him so fast and easily, he wondered why he never thought of it before; it would have saved him years of torture from his parents and his stupid advisors and all the other crappy people he could do without. He wouldn't only leave the palace, but the whole land, the whole kingdom all together. He was leaving the Western Lands. He wouldn't care where he went, as long as it was far, far away. Far away enough that no one from the castle would be able to track him down…like his father…

 

That man had a nose like no other. And he couldn't afford to let him find him. If he did, his plan would go right down the drain, and he wouldn't be able to escape again. He hurried down the dark corridor, his bag of food held tightly in his hands. The bag held food that would last him at least a week, if not more. It would last longer, though, he was a demon after all, and eating so much wouldn't be needed. If he hurried fast enough, he would make it to Miroku's room with record time.

 

He turned a dark corner, and came to an abrupt halt. Damn it! A guard was right there. He did a pivot and turned the other way, his golden eyes searching the darkness, his nose twitching to make sure no one was near by. He didn't understand why that guard was there. He could have sworn he was stationed further down. He growled softly. His father must be buckling down on the security.

 

He turned again, and this time, he ran right into a body. He quickly regained his footing and glared up at the person. His eyes widened for a second, a guard. Shit. Just when things were going fine, he runs right into a guard. The very people he wanted to stay away from. He was prepared to even knock the person out, if only to get away without notice, but the smell of the person got his nose, and he growled softly in disgust...

 

"Prince Inuyasha," the guard spoke. "What a surprise it is to see you up this late."

 

Onigumo.

 

Inuyasha settled his golden eyes on the man, his mouth moving with a snarl. "Onigumo…why the hell are you over in this area? You should be stationed at the left wing."

 

He smirked, and it was that same smirk that had Inuyasha bristling with anger.

 

"The King had me moved to this wing." Onigumo took in Inuyasha's tense stance. "Does that bother you, Prince Inuyasha?" The way he said it, as if laughing at him for knowing something he didn't. That made Inuyasha want to slash off his fucking head! "Prince Inuyasha, does that bother you?"

 

"No…" Inuyasha forced out, his eyes never leaving Onigumo's dark and cold ones. "I could care less."

 

Onigumo smirked. "May I ask why you are out so late, Prince Inuyasha. It is very dangerous for you to be walking around all alone."

 

Inuyasha put his hand on his sword hilt, his hand tightening as if to restrain himself. "I'm a big boy, I can handle it."

 

Onigumo nodded. Still, that smirk hadn't left his face. "May I ask what is in that bag of yours, Inuyasha?"

 

"None of you fucking business," Inuyasha snarled. He looked at him with an even gaze. He looked at is cold eyes and his dark short spiky hair. His face was so pale, it was unbelievable. "I'll be leaving now…" Inuyasha stepped aside, intent on leaving this hated man behind him, but he growled when Onigumo stepped into his line of sight. "Get the fuck out of my way."

 

"Please, Prince Inuyasha, if you don't mind, I'll be happy to escort you to your destination; it is for your safety."

 

"I don't need safety. Especially yours. Now move the fuck out the way, or I'll rip your head off." He emphasized his point by drawing his sword out slightly. Onigumo's eyes followed his movements. His eyes suddenly became dark and narrowed. Inuyasha smirked at this. "Now, move." Onigumo stepped aside, his eyes never leaving Inuyasha's.

 

Inuyasha began to move down the dark hallway once again, but stopped when he heard Onigumo's voice, thick against the darkness.

 

"You never know when you might need that protection, Prince Inuyasha. Do be careful out there." The way he said his name, such hatred dripped from it with venom.

 

Inuyasha was right in his face before he knew it. Onigumo's eyes widened for a second in surprise. "Listen, you fuck bag," Inuyasha hissed, doing his best to keep his voice low. "You may trick everyone else in the castle with your phony act, but you don't scare me. You might think you can get away with everything, but you can't with me. Don't you even think-not even for a second-of crossing the line with me, because I won't hesitate to us my claws and slice you to bits. I will be watching you! So go ahead and try something and see what I will do to you."

 

Then he was once again, gone into the darkness, never hearing Onigumo's last words…

 

"As I will be watching you…"

 

Oblivious to Onigumo's words, he was moving faster now. He had hurry up. He had to leave soon so he would be able to get a good head start before morning came. He wanted to be so far away by the time everyone woke up, that they wouldn't have a clue where he went or anything. He shifted the bag of food in his hands and walked even faster, his hand still resting on his sword hilt.

 

It was one of the very few things that he actually valued; of course he would take it with him. His father had given it to him two years before. The gift had come as a surprise to Inuyasha. His father had never given him anything to have, and the way his father had given it to him, as if it was such a great honor…Inuyasha scoffed at the idea. The sword was really a piece of crap. With its long and dull blade that had dents and scratches everywhere-Inuyasha seriously considered throwing it away.

 

How would a piece of cheap metal help him in battles when the time came? But never the less, Inuyasha kept the stupid sword…if just to make his father happy. Besides, his grandfather had given it to his father at the same age, so it was expected to stay in the family. And it did serve its purposes in scaring away bothersome people when the time came.

 

He finally came to a quick stop in front of Miroku's room.

 

Not taking any chances of knocking and alerting a guard, he swiftly but quietly broke the look and entered the room silently. The room was dark and he was able to make out the dark lump under the covers on the bed that was Miroku. He crept silently to the bed and stood there for a moment, looking. Just when he was about to reach a hand out and shake Miroku awake, Miroku leapt from under the blankets, grabbed his staff from beside the bed and had it pressed snugly against Inuyasha's neck, all with speed that only a demon should have.

 

Inuyasha was pressed against the wall, growling and trying to prevent the golden metal staff from cutting off his oxygen.

 

"So you thought you could just sneak in here with out a trace, huh? What do you want? Wanted to slice my throat, maybe? Or did you want to rob the palace of all its riches and get away a wealthy man." When he received no answer, he pressed the staff harder against Inuyasha's neck. "Answer me!"

 

"Miroku, you fucking bastard, I can't breathe!" Inuyasha growled.

 

"Inu-Inuyasha?" Miroku released the pressure from Inuyasha's neck and stepped back. "What the hell are you doing sneaking into my room like that? Do you have a death wish?" He walked over to the small table beside the bed and switched the lamp on. He turned around and saw Inuyasha rubbing his neck and a glare in his eyes. "Can I help you, Inuyasha?"

 

"You need to take it easy with that damn staff of yours. Nearly killed me with that stupid thing, and keep your fucking voice down!"

 

"Inuyasha, my idiot friend, you are the one who is growling like a rabid dog," Miroku said smoothly, still holding his staff. "You seem a little tense, is something wrong?"

 

"Onigumo. That fucking bastard," Inuyasha spoke with hatred. "He saw me in the hallway on my way here."

 

Miroku nodded. "I never did like that man when he was hired. Something was always creepy about his aura, but…he's done nothing to me, so I give him a chance." Miroku looked at Inuyasha. "What is it that you want; I do need my rest you know. Running into Onigumo couldn't be the reason you came sneaking into my room."

 

Inuyasha scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Listen, something has come up and I need to leave."

 

Now this caught Miroku's interest. "What do you mean by you need to leave?"

 

"Are you that dense?" Inuyasha asked. "It means I need to leave. I can't stay here anymore, it's driving me crazy, and the only way to get freedom is to escape. And that's what I'm doing."

 

He started to pace the room, his arms crossed over his chest and his bag swinging from side to side on his waist.

 

Miroku stood quietly for a second, following him with his eyes, before his blew out a frustrated breath and ran his fingers through his short, dark, messy hair. "Inuyasha…I think we need to talk abut this. Maybe you are taking things to seriously, after all, you are still quite young in your family's eyes."

 

Inuyasha shook his head. He was the one sounding frustrated now. "There is no time to talk. I need to leave so by morning I have a good head start. You now my father when he's angry, he'll go nuts looking for me."

 

"Inuyasha, you can't just leave the castle and go any where you want. You're a prince for goodness sake! You have to stay here and-"

 

"And what!" Inuyasha hissed in pure anger. First he parents tell him what he needs to do, and now his friend. He had enough of being controlled. It was his life and if he wanted to run away, he would do it. It was time for him to rule his own life. "Stay here and become a lackey to the royal law! Stay here and be bored out of my mind for shit I could care less about! Allow them to force me to marry that bitch, Kikyo. No! I'm leaving and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

 

"Then why did you come here?" Miroku asked. "If you wanted to just leave, why are you yelling in my bedroom in the middle of the night? Yeah, your parent will make you marry Kikyo, but only because every other woman they've tried to set you up with, you haven't even glanced at! It's your fault you have to marry her! Go if you please. But I'll tell you this, once you go, you better go far, far away because if you think your parents are going to sit back and have their son running wild, you have another thing coming. You're the future king of the kingdom. What are your parents to do when they become old and fragile? That time is almost here already."

 

Miroku was pissed. He couldn't believe how selfish his friend could be!

 

"Miroku, lower your voice, if you have someone wake up, I'll slit your throat," Inuyasha said. "I can't stay here, Miroku. It's not only because of Kikyo. I need to get away from here, to be by myself for a while. Think about it: if I become king, I'll be stuck in this palace forever, running everything and never having any pleasure for myself. I can't handle that, I need to be free. If I become king before I see what ever is out there…I'll feel chained…"

 

Miroku was, all in all, shocked by his words. He'd never heard Inuyasha talk with such…honestly before, and, what was even more shocking was that he seemed to mean every word he said. Miroku didn't know what to say. He walked to his bed and sat down on it, thinking things over. Silence filled the room between the two friends. Finally, Inuyasha became tired of the silence and said, "Well, now you now why I need to leave…"

 

Miroku nodded. "I guess I can't stop you…"

 

"Damn straight you can't."

 

"But…are you positive, Inuyasha. There isn't a speck of doubt in your mind of what you want to do?"

 

Inuyasha nodded his head. "I'm positive…I need to do this. For myself, Miroku."

 

"Sango…she won't be very happy abut this, you now that, right?"

 

A flicker of softness entered Inuyasha's eyes before it was gone. But Miroku saw. "She's a strong women, she'll get over it."

 

Miroku nodded his head. "Yes, she's a very strong woman, but Inuyasha, you and the Queen are the only living relatives she has. If you go, think of how hard it would be on her."

 

"She can handle it," Inuyasha said softly.

 

"Food," Miroku said suddenly. "Where will you get food?"

 

Inuyasha raised the bundle at his waist in his hands. "Note the bag. Packed with enough to last me a while."

 

"And if you run out…?"

 

This time, he patted his pocket, and something jingled. "You forget, I'm a prince, which means I'm filthy rich."

 

Miroku sighed. Nothing he could say or do seemed to be able to stop him. "Alright…alright…" he said in defeat.

 

Inuyasha smirked. "By morning I should be long gone. They'll probably go crazy first, running around the castle looking for me. Then, they'll scout out the area, looking to see if I've wondered off. Next will come the full blown panic. My mother and father will think someone kidnapped me. They'll go around the kingdom, looking for me, posting pictures and stuff. Then when they don't find me…well…that's all I can think of…"

 

Miroku raised his eyes in surprise. "You've thought his through very well, my idiot friend."

 

Inuyasha choose to ignore his comment and walked to his balcony door and slid it open, and walked out. "I'll leave from your room, that way I don't have to go through the halls and possibly encounter a guard. I want no one knowing when or why I left." He pulled the bag up over his shoulder and gripped the metal railing, ready to jump off and disappear. "Take care of my cousin, Sango, Monk."

 

Miroku nodded. "Will do."

 

Just as Inuyasha was about to jump off, he heard Miroku's voice. "Are you ever going to come back here?"

 

Inuyasha paused. Would he ever come back? Even he didn't know the answer to that. If he came back, he would be forced to live the life he didn't want. He sighed and shrugged his shoulder. "I don't know. If you see me one day, then you'll now. But if not…well…you know."

 

"I won't tell anyone of our little chat tonight."

 

Inuyasha nodded. "I know you won't." Then he jumped off of the balcony, and landed swiftly. Miroku ran to the railing and peeked over and watched him as he jumped right over the guard's heads and disappeared, a peek of silver against the darkness of the night. Probably the last thing of Inuyasha Miroku would ever see. He sighed. "There goes the biggest, bravest idiot I have ever known." Then he turned around, closed the balcony doors and clicked off his light. He went back to sleep, not looking forward to the panic that would be there in the morning.

 

 

 

Miroku woke to the pounding on his door. He shifted in his bed but didn't get up. Whoever it was could wait; he would get his sleep. But the person wasn't giving up. Oh no. In fact, the person actually started to pound even harder. "Miroku! Miroku! Get up!" he heard a voice say. Miroku groaned and his head popped up from beneath the covers.

 

Suddenly, his door flew open to reveal a confused looking Sango on the other side, holding a broken lock in her hand. "Guess I don't know my own strength," she commented. Then, the reason she was there in the first place came back. She threw the broken lock carelessly on the floor and franticly ran into Miroku's room, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of bed.

 

"Miroku! You have to come! The King and Queen are frantic; Inuyasha is missing…!"

 

And so it began…

 

 

 

Inuyasha cursed as he sloshed though the clear, cold water. It wasn't his source of travel, but he had no other way. It was the smartest thing to do; travel by water; his scent could possibly be lost to any other demons from the castle trying to find him. He could only hope, at least. All night, he had been traveling. He didn't dare stop for rest, fearing he would slow down and give them the opportunity to catch up to him. He had to move fast and that was what he was doing. He'd be damned if he allowed them to even getting near him after all of that traveling he did last night.

 

He looked up at the sun and estimated the time. About 9, 9:30 maybe. After all, he couldn't be sure. But what he was sure of was the chaos that was going on back at the palace. His father was probably popping a vein and roaring through the house, causing all the other demon's ears to bleed. He was glad he wasn't there to witness it. Just think about his father caused a small shiver of fear to run up his spine, and that only increased his pace.

 

He finally made it across the small creek and crawled along the bank. He lay there on his back, his gaze looking up at the early morning sky. It wasn't so much of being tired that he stopped, but it was just he was brain tired. All night he had been calculating the area. His ears twitched to make sure no one sneaked up on him, and his nose, constantly sniffing to see where this path lead or to see if water was that way.

 

His brain had been working over time and he needed it to just shut down for a while. He suddenly wanted to sprang up and keep going. He knew he could. But he decided that the distance put between him and his palace was enough…for now.

 

Sitting up, he scooted back over to the small creek, taking in some water in his hands and bringing it to his lips to sip. Suddenly, he was parched. He hadn't realized how thirsty he was. He greedily scooped up the water in his hands, taking grateful sip after sip. When he was satisfied, he sat up, bringing his bag with him. He didn't want to rest any longer, if he wanted to see what was out there, he needed to start now.

 

He stood up completely, his right hand habitually going to his sword hilt. His ears twitched. To be honest, he had no clue as to where to go. If he continued to follow the creek, he would end up where he started from because it just went in one big circle. He turned left and started to walk away from the bank, towards the forest behind him. Hopefully, if he kept walking, maybe he would find a small town.

 

He didn't know how long he had been walking, but he was starting to get bored. Maybe this was a stupid idea to just leave the palace with no known destination. Maybe he should have stayed and just married the bitch Kikyo and be done with it. But then he thought of all of the rules and work he would have to do, and quickly dismissed the idea.

 

"Cant believe I just thought that," he mumbled to himself. "Of course I can't go back; I'd look like a fucking loser."

 

"You know, it's really not good to talk to yourself."

 

Inuyasha swirled around and drew his sword quicker than light, his teeth bared and growling. "Who the fuck is there?!" he barked. "Show yourself or I'll find you and fucking slit your throat!"

 

"Wow, you're really mean. Is that why you're by yourself?" the small voice said again.

 

Inuyasha stopped and sniffed. He growled. Fox. A young fox at that. And fucking loser fox dared to play games with him! Where was he? He sniffed again, finding the smell coming from behind him. The smell of old blood also invaded his nose. Was the fox hurt? He knew how foxes were tricky it was their nature. That was the only explanation as to why he couldn't see him. Inuyasha held his sword in front of him, even though he knew the fox was somewhere behind him. He was still aware of every move the creature was making behind him.

 

"Why I'm by myself is none of your freaking business." Inuyasha said.

 

"Well, I think that's why. Maybe if you were a little nicer, I would become friends with you," the fox said.

 

"I don't need any friends." Inuyasha growled.

 

"Well, with that piece of junk as a sword, I do think you'll need someone to protect you."

 

Inuyasha's eyebrows ticked.

 

Inuyasha took small subtle steps back towards the voice of the fox. "I don't want you as my friend." Then he whirled around and was on the little fox demon before he even knew what was happening. Inuyasha snatched the little bugger from the tree, seeing right through his little camouflage trick, and held him, in his hands. Inuyasha brought him down so he could look into his eyes. He growled.

 

The little fox was shocked for a second, before he suddenly began crying, wailing actually. He started to franticly wiggle, his small fist pounding on Inuyasha's hand that gripped him tightly, his tail wiggling and squirming and desperately struggling to get free from the big dog demon that growled at him. Inuyasha instantly held the fox at arms length as soon the wailing had started, his ears pressed flat against his head.

 

When the fox demon continued, Inuyasha barked, "Shut the fuck up!" At that, the fox stopped in a stunned silence as Inuyasha's loud voice echoed over the forest. It was his turn to have his ears twitch. But it didn't last long before the little demon started to struggle again, this time with renewed vigor. "Hey! Let me go! Please! Waaah! I won't do anything! I didn't do anything, please, don't hurt me!" it wailed, finally stopping it's struggling and hands coming up to cover his little face.

 

Inuyasha blinked at the waling demon in his arms. This was a sudden turn of events. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Shut up, already. I wont you, runt."

 

The demon sneaked a glance up at Inuyasha through his fingers. "Re-really" he hiccupped.

 

"Yeah, yeah, just don't cry. Hurts my ears."

 

He dropped the small fox demon on the ground, gently. The fox quickly scampered a few feet away and curled into a small ball, never taking his eyes away from Inuyasha. Inuyasha eyed the small creature wearily, slowly putting his sword away. He observed the small fox for the first time. He had had huge green eyes that shined brightly, and his fur was soft and a bright red. His tail, the same color, only small and bushy.

 

"I'm sorry…" Inuyasha heard him say from his curled position. "I just wanted to play with someone…since I'm alone."

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Stupid runt. You don't play with people like that. You're lucky I'm nice enough not to kill you. But other demons aren't so nice."

 

"S-sorry…"

 

"Haven't your parents taught you anything?" Inuyasha asked, as he picked up his bag from the floor. He paused and expected the little demon to reply, but when he received none, he looked over at him and saw him licking his side. Inuyasha frowned. "Hey, I'm talking to you."

 

The fox licked himself a while longer before he answered. "I don't have any parents."

 

"What do you mean you have no parents?"

 

The little demon's eyes became watery and sad. He curled more into himself and sniffed. "My parents were killed by some bigger demons. They were really scary. They were powerful too. They're names were Hiten and Miten." He sniffed again.

 

"Is that how you got your bruise?" Inuyasha asked softly. The fox nodded slowly, not making eyes contact.

 

Inuyasha sighed. How the hell was that little demon going to survive out here by himself? He ran his claws through his silver hair and rolled his eyes. Hiten and Miten. He was sure he'd heard those names before. In fact, he was positive…but where…? He looked over at the fox. "Hey, what did they look like?"

 

"One was short and ugly. He was bald. The other one was different. He had hair and he was meaner. His hair was in ponytail. That's all I remember before my parents told me to run away…"

 

Inuyasha's eyes widen slightly. Now he knew who he was talking about. The Thunder Brothers! Those bastards! How could they just kill…his eyes traveled back to the small fox demon. He sighed again. He took his bag off and dug inside for some food. He came out with a chunky piece of bread and held it in his hand. Throwing his bag back on his back, he held the piece of bread out to the fox. "You hungry or what?"

 

The small fox gazed longingly at the bread in Inuyasha's hand, but made no move to come and get it. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and took a step forward, but instantly, the fox scampered up a tree, clutching the branches with a death grip, shivering in fright as he gazed at Inuyasha with those big green eyes. Inuyasha shrugged. "Fine. I'll leave it right here." He laid the piece of bread on the ground at his feet and began walking away.

 

He had not time for this. He needed to get going and find the nearest town, and he couldn't waste time on a fox who didn't want any help. He wasn't the one who would be hungry. He stopped suddenly when he heard feet scurrying behind him. He turned quickly, only to see the small fox child walking slowly behind him, nibbling gratefully on the big piece of bread.

 

When he noticed Inuyasha saw him, he gave a small squeak and scampered behind a tree, peeking out at Inuyasha. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and continued walking through the forests. He could tell that fox would be very annoying…

 

***************************************************************** *********************************************************

 

"Where is my son!" bellowed the King.

 

Miroku, Sango and all of the people in the room flinched and covered their ears at the sound.

 

"Now, King, I can assure you, your son is well," Miroku said, trying to cam the King down. The King turned his fierce golden eyes on him.

 

"And how can you assure me when my son is missing? Do you know something we do not?!" he yelled at him.

 

Every one in the room turned eager eyes to Miroku, searching him for any answers.

 

The sobbing Queen also turned to him, "Miroku, if you know anything, please tell me where he is or what happened. I'm so worried…"

 

Miroku's eyes softened at the distress of the Queen. He desperately wanted to tell her that her son was all right, to reassure her that no harm was done. But if he revealed to them what he knew, they wouldn't waste anytime finding and tracking Inuyasha down. And the wrath he would undergo from his father…he promised Inuyasha he wouldn't tell, and he wouldn't break a promise.

 

Miroku shook his head slowly, looking from the King to the Queen. "I am sorry but…I know nothing of his absence. I woke up and Sango was the one telling me he was missing." He made sure to keep himself calm, showing nothing on his face but pure confusion and worry. The Queen bought it immediately and began to weep, but the King…

 

He started at Miroku with pure intensity, trying to see if he was lying or not. Miroku started back, making direct eye contact. The stare continued for a while before the King finally looked away in favor of comforting his wife. Miroku let out a small unnoticeable sigh of relief. Usually, Inutaisho is the sweetest, funniest, and caring man there is, demon or not. But when he is angry…he was just as evil as any other demon filled with hatred.

 

The King turned his eyes to the guard, Onigumo. "Onigumo, you were stationed near Inuyasha's room. Did you hear anything funny; see anything out of the ordinary?"

 

The whole room turned to Onigumo in anxiousness. Everyone was waiting to see what happened to their dear Prince Inuyasha, to see if there was at least a small amount of clues to be found…Miroku's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he returned them to normal. He couldn't afford any one seeing him like that.

 

But, before Onigumo answered, Miroku could have sworn he shot him a meaningful look and gave him a small smirk. Miroku did a double take, but before he could be sure, Onigumo began to answer. Now…that was weird…he waited for him to say something about seeing Inuyasha in the hallway late last night. He waited for him to say he was wandering around in the darkness doing something…but none of that was said.

 

Onigumo shook his head. "No, your Highness, I didn't see anything. In fact, the hallway I was stationed at was quite ordinary."

 

The King sighed and nodded his head. He then turned to the soldiers and guards in the room. "What are you fools waiting for, an invitation? Get your ass out there and find my son!"

 

The men made a quick departure. Onigumo passed Miroku and Miroku stared, hard, his violet eyes blazing. Onigumo gave him a quick wink, and was gone. The King turned to look at Sango; his voice became soft, "Sango, I'm sure we'll find him. Do not worry."

 

Miroku turned to Sango. Her face was tight and sad. Her eyes were downcast. She was stiff. She nodded at the King. "I know he's okay, but still…"

 

The King nodded in understanding. "I know. Miroku, take her to her room, please."

 

Miroku nodded and gently grabbed Sango's arm and directed her out of the Grand Hall. When they were out the Grand Hall, Sango pulled free of Miroku's arm and turned a hot, angry glare at him. Miroku was very surprised by the sudden change of attitude from her. "What did I do?" he asked her.

 

She pointed a shaking finger in his face. "You!" she yelled. "You…You!"

 

Miroku nodded. "Yes, I know I am me. I thought you knew that already."

 

"Don't you dare start playing games with me, Miroku!" Sango screamed at him. "Tell me the truth: Do you know what happened to Inuyasha?"

 

"Sango I don't-"

 

"Don't you lie to me, Miroku! I know you know what happened to him. If Inuyasha were to do something, you would be the first one he would tell. Now, I don't care if you promised not say anything, you're going to tell me!"

 

Miroku blinked. She knew him too well…

 

"Uh…" Miroku took a step away from her. An angry Sango never proved to be good. He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Ah…but Sango, I know nothing of the sort. You were the one that told me he was missing, remember? If I can recall correctly, you busted into my room, breaking the lock in the processes and then dragged me out of my room, saying Inuyasha was missing."

 

Sago looked away. "The lock was already broken," she mumbled. She sighed and folded her arms over her chest. "So you honestly don't know any thing about Inuyasha being missing?"

 

"Positive."

 

"…if I find out your lying…!"

 

"I am not!"

 

"I know you well, Miroku…I will find out. I know something is going on here and you know…"

 

“It hurts me with how little trust you have in me, Sango. I am deeply hurt by your words, especially with me being a much respected monk."

 

Sango scoffed. "You? A respectable monk? That will be the day!" She turned around to walk away, but stopped when she felt something caressing her behind. "Miroku…" Sango growled. She spun around and caught the poor monk in the face with a loud and hard slap on his left cheek. Miroku collided with the floor, his cheek burning red. Sango stomped off down the hallway.

 

When he was sure she was gone, he sighed deeply, not bothering to pick himself up off the floor. He didn't know if he could do this-lie to Sango of all people, and right to her face, no less. She said she knows me well…if she knows me good enough, she's one step ahead of me. She knows I'm keeping a secret-a promise. Something about Sango knowing him, so deeply, caused a shiver of pleasure to run down his spine. He would bother her later today…

 

He just did it though, he just lied to her and already it felt like a heavy weight was bringing him down. Sango could tell he knew something-how? -He didn't know. He just had to keep denying it as long as he could. For how long, he didn't know.

 

And then there was Onigumo. Why was it that he saw Inuyasha last night and said nothing? That was another mystery…something he would, no doubt, have to figure out. Something just wasn't right about that Onigumo. Why is it that only he and Inuyasha noticed it? He sighed again. His thoughts returning back to Sango and her worry for Inuyasha.

 

But at least he had gotten her mind off of Inuyasha for a little while.

 

The Queen came walking down the hallway; her eyes still red from crying and sniffling. She paused for a second, taking in his position and the red mark on his cheek. She moved on, saying over her shoulder, "Miroku, you really should stop touching Sango's behind. She might really hurt you someday."

 

 

A/N: See, well, I'm done with the first chapter. Onigumo, what a shady character, huh? Well, no telling what will happen next. I don't know when I'll have the next chapter out, but I'll see what I can do…