Two is Trouble by Melinda-chan
Note: This story is rated M (16+) and is meant for an older teen and adult audience. This fic will contain sexual references, though there'll nothing too graphic. Still for younger readers, reader discretion is advised. There may be manga spoilers as well.
By the way, the title comes from the Chinese character for "trouble." If you know what that means, you can tell me, and I might give you a special treat!
Now that is over with, let this story begin!
"Did you hear about Yuriko-chan?"
"Oh no, Emiko-chan, I noticed that Yuriko-chan was very happy yesterday, but I didn't ask why."
"You didn't realize, Toyoko-chan? Yuriko-chan is pregnant!"
"I didn't know that! Oh, look here she comes now!"
At that, Yuriko, who was carrying a small child on her back, arrived at the well. The group of women now circled her.
"Is this true?" Toyoko asked her. "Are you really pregnant?"
"According to the Buddhist priest at Mushin's temple, I am," Yuriko said. "And you don't know what he did next!"
"Doesn't he have a wife?" Toyoko asked her.
"There is a girl that comes to the well from that temple," Emiko said. "I wonder if she's his wife, but she never says anything."
"Doesn't Izumi-chan go there too?" Yuriko said. "Let's ask her, since she's coming this way."
"Izumi-chan! How are you today?" Emiko asked her. "Did you go to Mushin's temple yet?"
"Oh no! But I'm planning to do later today," Izumi replied. "What is wrong? Did something happen?"
"Nothing has happened so far," Yuriko replied. "But the priest that you told me to go to told me I'm pregnant!"
"That's wonderful!" Izumi said.
"Guess what he also did?" Yuriko asked.
"What did he do?" Toyoko asked.
"Well, when he told me that I am pregnant, he started to cry," Yuriko told her.
"That girl of his still hasn't bore him any children?" Emiko said.
"You suppose she's barren?" Toyoko said.
"I don't think you should say that about her!" Izumi said. She was now looking at the opposite direction.
"Why not?" Toyoko said.
"Because here she comes!" Izumi answered. All of a sudden Sango appeared. She had a yoke with two buckets and Kirara with her. She did not look happy.
"Greetings, Sango-chan! How are you and that priest of yours doing?" Toyoko asked her.
"Fine" Sango replied. Her voice was cold.
"How is Kohaku-kun doing?" Izumi asked.
"Oh good," Sango answered. Her voice was normal now.
"And how is Miroku-sama and Mushin-sama?" Izumi asked.
"Oh the usual," Sango said. She then put one of the buckets into the well. "How is your family?"
"Very well, Sango-chan!" Izumi said. Sango then pulled out the bucket from the well and replaced it with the other one.
"Sango-chan, you are married, right?" Toyoko asked.
"Who said I was?" Sango replied, looking back at them.
"I thought you were married, I mean, you have been living with him for a long time, unless you're a- oh my!" Toyoko started to say when Sango gave her the look of death. That shut her up.
Sango then pulled the other bucket from the well and connected them back to the yoke. She then placed it on her shoulders.
"By the way, Yuriko-chan, congratulations on your second child," Sango said. "Come, Kirara." At that, her cat demon followed her. Most of the other women watched as they walked away.
"Was it something I said?" Toyoko asked. Izumi sighed.
'I have become the gossip talk of the local women,' Sango thought. She then walked to the temple.
Using only one hand, Sango opened the door and put down the yoke and disconnected the buckets. She then heard a sound. It was that of Miroku, sliding the door open and walking toward her. Sango saw that his eyes were half-closed and that his cheeks were red.
"Are you drunk, Houshi-sama?" Sango asked. Despite living with him for five years, she has not yet let go calling him by her usual title for him. It's not like they were actually married.
"Sango-sama…" Miroku called to her using his own title for her. He then collapsed into her arms.
"Houshi-sama, have you been drinking sake?" Sango inquired. She couldn't smell any alcohol in his breath.
"Houshi-sama, are you alright?" Sango then asked, putting her hand on his forehead. "You do not appear to have a fever."
"I'm just happy, that's all," Miroku said. He then smiled at her. This made Sango even more puzzled.
"I don't understand" Sango said. "I haven't done anything unusual. All I did was go to the well and get the water. I did hear that Yuriko is pregnant but- wait a minute! Is that why you are so happy?"
"What do you mean?" Miroku asked.
"I mean that you were not happy like this before you found out that Yuriko-chan is having a baby!" Sango said. This took Miroku aback.
"Sango-chan, I didn't know that you would be so jealous of Yuriko-" Miroku started to say.
"I'M NOT JEALOUS!" Sango shouted. She then looked at him with tears. She then sobbed. "I just think you would be much happier if I had a child!"
"Sango-chan…" Miroku started to say when he embraced her. "We are still young, are we not? We got lots of time left." He then proceeded to kiss her. Sango had her eyes wide open.
"Um, do you know that you have an audience?" Shippo's voice caused both Sango and Miroku to look back. There was not only Shippo, but Mushin and Kohaku as well. Kohaku looked absolutely embarrassed.
"Oh my! I didn't know that we were being watched!" Miroku said. He let go of Sango.
"I need my bath!" Shippo said. The kitsune then saw the buckets of water on the floor. "Oh good! You got the water!" With that, Shippo took one of the buckets and then left the room.
"If you are going to be like that, I'm leaving too," Kohaku said. He then left as well, leaving Mushin alone with Miroku and Sango.
"What about you?" Miroku asked his former guardian.
"I don't mind," Mushin said. He then took a sip out of his sake jar.
"I wasn't planning to get very intimate with her!" Miroku said in disgust.
"Well, it's not like we don't know when you two aren't getting intimate," Mushin said.
'What does he mean by that?' Miroku thought in annoyance.
"Speaking of intimacy, when is that girl that sees Kohaku going to come?" Mushin asked them.
"I did see Izumi-chan at the well, but I didn't ask her that," Sango said. She then felt a bit embarrassed that she didn't ask Izumi what hour she was planning to come.
"You know, she would make a good bride for Kohaku," Mushin said. He then took another sip out of his sake jar.
"Well, if Houshi-sama didn't get that pillow-book for Kohaku, maybe he would be more comfortable around girls!" Sango said.
"But that pillow-book was very accurate," Miroku said. "Anatomically, at least." (Note: If you don't know what a pillow-book is, it's, ah, the feudal Japanese version of Playboy).
"Oh!" Sango said, not happy to say the least. "Never mind. I can make tea now." She then grabbed the remaining bucket and left.
"Maybe I should explain more things to him?" Miroku said, putting his left hand under his chin. Mushin just took another sip from his sake jar.
'I can't believe that Houshi-sama actually did that!' Sango thought. 'He had no idea what questions Kohaku asked me!' She then saw him pray at the Buddha altar. The screen door was wide open.
"Kohaku…" Sango said.
"Ane-ue…" Kohaku said. "Do you think that I could go to Mount Hiei?"
"That's the centre of Buddhist worship" Sango told him. "Why do you want to go there?"
"I feel I have to go there," Kohaku said, looking at the Buddha idol. "I had one of those dreams again last night."
"A dream or a repressed memory?" Sango asked.
"Does it matter?" Kohaku said. "I killed entire villages off. You cannot tell me otherwise. And I killed Chichi-ue and all the other demon exterminators. I almost killed you! You cannot tell me otherwise!"
"I forgave you, and I know that Chichi-ue and all the others would have forgiven you," Sango said. She tried not to cry. She knew that he didn't want her pity. "Besides, I want you to get married." At that, Kohaku's eyes went wide open.
"Ane-ue?" Kohaku said.
"Izumi-chan asked about you," Sango said. "You know she's becoming of age."
"I don't want her," Kohaku said.
"Kohaku, that is not true-" Sango started to say.
"You didn't tell her about what happened to us?" Kohaku questioned.
"No, I mean so far I had no reason to do so-" Sango started to say.
"Then I'm not going to!" Kohaku said.
"Kohaku, you know as the last surviving member of our clan, it's your responsibility-" Sango started to say.
"What about YOUR responsibility?" Kohaku questioned. That stopped Sango cold. "You are with Miroku, right? Don't you want to be more than a concubine?"
"Kohaku, please-" Sango started to say.
"If he hurt you, I told him I'll kill him," Kohaku said. "So are you happy? Do you really want to be a concubine forever?"
"Of course not-" Sango started to say.
"Then eat your words!" Kohaku roared. Sango sighed. She knew she had to be an example to him.
"I want to get married," Sango said. "But Houshi-sama, you know, is different."
"Well, I can be different too," Kohaku said. Sango sighed again. She knew this was leading to nowhere.
"If I could get Houshi-sama to marry me, will you at least consider marriage?" Sango inquired to him.
"If you will get married, then fine," Kohaku said. He then turned back to the Buddha altar. Sango knew that the conversation was now over. She left the room, wondering how she could make Miroku's heart, not just his robe, open up to her.
'The sun is almost at the highest point of the sky, and she still hasn't come' Sango thought. 'Maybe she thought I was too rude and decided that she didn't want to see us.' Sango then sighed.
All of a sudden she heard a pair of zori sandals walking toward her. She then heard the 'clink' of the shakujou rings. Suffice to say, she turned her head the other way.
"Are you going off on another journey, Houshi-sama?" Sango asked him.
"No," Miroku said. "I just want to get some fresh air."
"I see," Sango said. She then looked at him. "Houshi-sama, do you love me?"
"What?" Miroku said. "If you're talking about yesterday, I already told you that I-"
"Then why don't you prove it by marrying me?" Sango demanded. At first, Miroku looked stunned.
"Do you-you really want that?" Miroku asked her.
"Do you think that I would request it otherwise?" Sango sounded bitter.
"I already told you that our union has been blessed from Buddha when we decided to live as one," Miroku said.
"Have you been drinking from Mushin's sake jars, Houshi-sama?" Sango asked. Miroku put his left hand on his face and sighed.
"You do not believe my sincerity?" Miroku asked.
"It's not that" Sango said. "How am I suppose to convince Kohaku to marry if I'm not married myself?"
"Who said that he has to get married?" Miroku asked. Sango gave him the evil eye in return. "Very well. We shall get married."
"Really?" Sango sounded surprised. "You'll marry me, even when I haven't had any children?"
"Sango," Miroku said in a breathless voice. "Are you not worth more than ten sons?"
"Houshi…" Sango said, a bit taken by his words. He then sat down next to Sango and put his arms around her. Sango took in his embrace.
"For a long time" Miroku spoke. "I was only concerned about defeating Naraku and producing at least a child to carry on my quest if I die. And I was prepared to die. But now that the Kazaana curse is gone, I can now look forward to settling down with you." At that, Sango put her head against his chest. "And having as many children and riches as I can."
'Of course,' Sango thought with an annoyed expression on her face. Still, there was no denying that she felt so warm and secure in his kesa. They stayed like that for a few minutes.
All of a sudden horsesteps could be heard.
"Who is there?" Miroku asked out loud. He got up, having the shakouju ready. While Miroku was very approachable to strangers in the past (sometimes for not-so-good reasons), this was the age of wars and killing. Miroku knew from previous experiences that even a Buddhist priest was no security from harassment and threats. Kohaku and Shippo came out, sensing possible danger as well.
Miroku was therefore relieved when it was just an old man riding a horse. That of course didn't mean anything, but there was another person hiding under a large blanket.
"Are you Miroku the houshi?" the old man asked him.
"I am," Miroku said guardedly. "What of it?" The old man then looked back at the figure inside the blanket.
"Young woman, this is the place," the old man said.
"Miroku-sama?" the young woman said. Miroku's eyes widened, and Shippo and Sango gasped as she then pulled off the blanket. It has been five years, but there was no mistake about her. She then stepped onto the grass. "Miroku-sama, it is you!" She then raced to him.
"Ko-Koharu!" Miroku said. She then bowed low to him.
End of Chapter One
I hope that everyone likes this so far. This should be interesting, don't you think? I've noticed a lack of fanfiction authors that wrote fics with Koharu in them (Scribe Figaro is a notable exception) so I hope that Koharu fans will like this one. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please don't forget to review!