Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own any of them or any part of them.
This is from Miroku's perspective. This is my first Inuyasha fic, so please be nice. I hope you enjoy.
The rain ran in rivulets down the bright shaft of my staff and began to form a small puddle on the previously clean and dry floor. I stooped to mop up the puddle of the, not particularly clean, water with the corner of my long purple robe, in order not to impose on the hospitality of the owners, who had offered us room for the night. My robe was now quite faded, though still thick and still warm enough to keep out the weather, but it did make me wonder how Kagome managed to keep her clothes so bright. She had once mentioned something called Tide, though I am still not sure how the ocean is involved. I then stood and began to straighten the garment, and it crossed my mind that perhaps I was a bit fastidious, as I had been called earlier, by Sango, in a not too friendly manner – not that I would let her know that she might be right.
Unfortunately, one of my companions was somewhat less considerate, and I found large drops of rain and muck slapping across my face and leaving long wet stains on the clean and fine paper walls, as he shook the water from his hair, in a fashion that, despite his size, resembled an abandoned street-dog when he finds himself temporarily in shelter after the rain.
"Inuyasha!..." I turned away, as Kagome began to berate him on propriety, since she appeared to have the situation under control, and I stifled, rather unsuccessfully, a laugh.
It felt like I had not been inside a warm home in weeks, and as I took of my sandals, I considered briefly that it could have been that long. The futons they had provided for us sounded warm and inviting, but the offer of dinner and tea had caught my attention even more so, particularly the tea.
I paused from the provisions only long enough to take off my robe, and hang it near the fire to dry, and then I turned and moved to get some of the repast. Now sitting in my simple black tunic, I lifted the teacup in my hands, tracing the intricate red floral pattern from the base to the small crack at the lip, and let the heat from inside infuse my frozen and mostly numb fingers.
I looked over the rim of the brittle china teacup out the window at the sheets of rain inundating the increasingly muddy grounds with ferocious determination, and was very thankful that our path had led us to this sanctuary from the storm. I would have to go around the grounds and guard it against youkai and other evil spirits, but due to the impending storm, I had reprieve until tomorrow.
The clouds built up in billows, making a great display of their power, and covering the millions of stars with a thick purple veil. They attacked defiantly as a great mass of youkai energy, and yet it was the pure power of nature, as there was no evil presence here, despite what I had told the landowners.
As I took another long draft from the teacup I turned from the battle between the water hordes and defending earth, and looked at my companions. They were all otherwise occupied, settling in for the night, so I had a rare opportunity to analyze them in a peaceful situation. Over the red lotus blossom at the rim of my cup, through the indistinct coil of vapor reaching up into the heavens, I could see Sango attempting to dry a very frustrated Kirara and laughing with Kagome, over his bristled hair, which was reminding me vaguely of a bunch of blossoms from a flowering cherry, as he seemed to have, to his despair, turned into a ball of fluff. Kagome had pulled a brush from her pack that she must have brought with her from her side of the well, and they laughed again, as the distinctive shape of the brush and its bristles unmistakably resembled Kirara's increasingly fluffy form.
The tea smelled of jasmine, and made me thankful we had arrived in this province. The hills in this area had grown the greatest jasmine tea, carefully twisted into pearls, for generations. The hint of jasmine it left in the air brought to mind warm and pleasant images of spring afternoons, spent walking with lovely young maidens, carrying water for them, chatting, or otherwise interacting. Looking over my teacup, however, I was glad to be here now instead, despite the storm.
A great gust of air shook the frame of the room slightly, and I heard Kagome squeak slightly in alarm, but the building was sturdy, and there was no imminent threat. I wondered what Kagome's home was like inside right now, and took another draught of the blessed tea. But then, her home was in a different time, practically a different world, and of course there was no reason to think it would be storming there, and I was not even sure if it was evening there. I wondered though, what her home was like in a storm. Was it warmer, or was it similar? And what kind of protections had they made against the weather? Perhaps none, and perhaps she reacted to storms in her time in this manner, as well. After all, she was not particularly afraid of this storm, and her reaction to the gusts was mostly surprise. It did make me wonder though, sometimes, if I would even recognize her world – what my life might have been like there, what it might have held for me. We had discussed it lightly once, in a passing conversation. She had said in my response to my wondering how I might have acted, having grown up in her day, "knowing you, Miroku-san, probably not that different from the way you are," and laughed; though, I was not completely sure why that was funny, and thought it likely that it had something to do with maidens from her time.
Another gust of air passed over the room, and stirred the steam rising from the tea, causing it to cross the room gently and head toward the opposite wall.
Shippo laughed, and I looked in his direction in time to see him dive behind Kagome as Kirara turned and growled, somewhat less threatening in appearance, due to her resemblance to the hairbrush, now having been given up and sticking out from Kagome's pack. Sango leaned forward and reached across the floor, calming Kirara, before the small fluffy creature got too upset and returned to her more menacing self, and reassured her that Shippo had meant no insult by his comment, whatever it had been, and there was no need. Kirara looked less than convinced, and continue to glare at Shippo. I smiled behind my teacup.
The rain continued outside relentlessly, and poured down in small rivers along the window's frame. The gardens within the large home's walls had filled with mud, and the plants had begun to bend to the force of the rain. I could not see beyond the walls into the outside world, for the rain was too dense and at that distance the world had turned to nothing but impenetrable haze.
I lifted the teacup only once more to drain the revitalizing beverage to the dregs, and looked vaguely over the tealeaves left in the bottom of the cup, taking in the shapes they formed, before setting it down. Now refreshed from the tea, a bath sounded much more inviting than dinner.
I considered briefly asking Sango to join me, and smiled at the thought, but my cheek was still burning from her earlier slap in response to my comment on the wetness of her kimono. She now sat on the opposite wall in her battle outfit, with her kimono drying near my robe. Ah well, I stood and turned to walk towards the bath; I think there was supposed to be a Hime somewhere in this house. Perhaps I could get lost on the way to the bath.