A/N - Again, thank you for the reviews...you guys are great! :3
Also, any suggestions, I'll be happy to hear them!
Hurting Hands
The Encounter: Not quite to expected.
Miroku's head pounded. He could hear his own heart beating, and his sweaty hands tried to form words on the page he wasn't even looking at. He flinched as he heard another smash, and flung his pen across the room in anger. It turned out Nathan was drunk. Very drunk. What annoyed him was that he'd been locked in his room, and Christine had to face him instead. It had been like this since Christine had adopted him. Nathan had somehow earned his place in the house and now he was taking advantage of it, drinking, and consequently, beating Christine if she did the slightest thing wrong. Sometimes she didn't have to do anything wrong, like today. Miroku had tried to stop it, on numerous occasions. That only resulted in Nathan locking him up. Nathan hated Miroku, nearly as much as he hated Christine, although he claimed he 'loved' her. Miroku froze as he heard a loud thump on the stairs. A few seconds later and he heard Christine whining. Miroku crawled over to the door, pressing his ear to the wood as he tried to hear what she was saying. He was suddenly thrown back as Nathan booted the door hard and hammered his fists against the splintered wood.
"It's all your fault you damn-" Miroku covered his ears as he heard Christine shouting for Nathan to stop. He stayed like that for minutes. Every so often, he'd hear a scream, or a cry. Then there were moments of silence, when he thought it was over, only to have his anger flare again when he heard Nathan's voice bellowing through the house, and the sound of Christine's body knocking into doors and chairs, as Nathan pushed her around. At one point, he considered calling InuYasha, trying to distract himself from anything but the abuse that was happening downstairs.
"Nathan, please. ..I'm begging you!" Christine's shrill scream was suddenly cut short as another loud smash rang through the house. Terrified, Miroku's fingers suddenly slammed against his phone, dialling the police. As he held the phone to his ear, one finger on the dial button, he heard the front door slam, and silence buzzed in his ears. Slowly, he stood. He walked towards the window, and pulled the curtain aside. He saw Nathan, striding down the street, and watched until he disappeared from view. Miroku slumped onto the floor and dropped his phone. He felt limp. Completely helpless, and seething with anger. He held his face in his hands.
Why can't he just stop? Miroku's thoughts screamed though his head. Why can't that jerk just leave? This happened way to often. When he'd started to drink he'd only hit Christine once, and that was rare. Now, it seemed every time Nathan was around, he'd deliberately find her, and then hit her and then as if he was getting bored, he'd leave the house for hours to go drinking again. He could faintly hear water running and glass being scraped along the floor, and realised Christine must be cleaning up the mess Nathan had left behind.
"Dammit." He cursed, looking up at the set of Japanese books above him. He still had to do homework, and right now, he felt more like tearing the book up than gracing it with Mr. Sesshomaru's precious literature. Still, he dragged himself up and sat onto his bed, staring down at the textbook. Choose one of the three tasks to complete by tomorrow. Task 1: Write a poem about your personal feelings. Task 2: Write about a personal experience. Task 3: Write about a personal dream you have, and how you'd like to achieve it. Miroku bit the insides of his mouth and thought.
"Personal feelings, huh?" He muttered. Getting back up, he retrieved his pen from the floor, and opened his exercise book and wrote out a title. Hurting hands. Slowly but surely, he recorded everything, and finally managed to form some kind of poem. When he'd finished, he sat back and threw his pen down on the bed.
"There." He muttered. For a few moments he sat, listening to Christine cleaning downstairs. Reluctantly, he got up, striped down to his boxers and lay down in bed, staring at the wall opposite him. Nathan's not due back for hours yet...maybe I'll get some sleep, he thought bitterly, closing his eyes.
. . .
[ The next morning... ]
The loud knock on the door stirred Miroku from his sleep. He decided to ignore it, sleep to scarce to waste. Another knock made him turn over, pulling his duvet up around his head in irritation. After a few seconds, another knock.
"Dammit!" Jumping up, he flung his duvet across the room and stormed towards the door, still half asleep. He rammed the door open, somewhat surprised it was now unlocked.
"Alright I'm up!" Miroku blinked, noting that it was Christine standing outside his door, not Nathan. She had the house phone in her tiny hands, and held it out to him. Smiling apologetically, Miroku took it off her and scratched the back of his neck as she looked away, blushing. Miroku suddenly realised he was still only dressed in his boxers, and laughed nervously.
"Thanks..." He muttered, eager to close the door again. Sitting back down on his bed he yawned and held the phone to his ear.
"Yeah?"
"MIROKU!" An eager voice shouted down the phone. Miroku groaned and fell back onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Yes, InuYasha?" He asked, annoyed.
"Are you up?" Miroku rolled his eyes.
"No. I'm talking in my fucking sleep." He said, the sarcasm making InuYasha sigh on the other end.
"Then...how come you didn't answer your phone?" He asked.
"Because I was asleep, and you just woke me up-which by the way, I forgot to thank you for." Miroku said. A stone suddenly hit Miroku's window and he jumped. He whirled round, grabbing a window pole and marching towards the window. He held the phone against his cheek with his shoulder, his voice lowering.
"Wait there, some asshole is trying to smash my window." Miroku growled, ramming his curtains open. Miroku suddenly stopped, and glared down at the man standing in his garden, waving up at him.
"Yeah...Miroku? That asshole would be me." Miroku scowled down at InuYasha, who grinned back at him.
"Sorry." Miroku said. InuYasha saluted.
"Sure thing, buddy. Oh and erm, you might want to put some clothes on. Kagome's meeting us here soon." InuYasha suggested. Miroku, suddenly remembering, flung the curtains shut, trying to maintain some of the dignity he had left.
"I take it back, you're a colossal asshole." He said, and hung up. He reluctantly flung on a pair of clean jeans, and pulled a plain white t-shirt on. Opening his bedroom door, he called down to Christine, who appeared at the bottom of the stairs almost immediately.
"Hey, I might be a bit late after school today. Miss. Takahashi's keeping me behind again." He said, rolling his eyes. Christine nodded and smiled up at him.
"You're always getting yourself into trouble these days." She teased. Miroku grinned and went to walk away, when he stopped and took a moment to look down at her properly. Two new bruises. He walked down the stairs and gently touched her face. Summoning the courage, he said it.
"I wish you'd tell someone." He whispered, not sure whether Nathan was present. Christine shrugged and continued to smile at him.
"There's no need." She said, and started to walk away, before turning back to look at him cheerfully.
"Besides, It's okay, he apologised." She said. Miroku relaxed, realising then that Nathan was obviously not in the house. He sighed, settling himself on the bottom step, pulling on a pair of blue converse.
"Mm...I'm sure he meant it this time. Hey, maybe he'll stop drinking?" Miroku said, making Christine turn around.
"Miroku! Stop it! We both know what will happen if people find out. He'll hurt you, not just me." She told him, pain in her voice. Miroku stopped what he was doing and sucked in one cheek.
"So that's why. You don't want me getting involved." He muttered. He heard Christine sigh and he looked up.
"Christine, no matter how much you try I'm always going to be involved. If I can stop this from happening I will. And I can, Christine." He threatened. Christine frowned.
"Don't you dare. That is my choice to make." She scolded. Miroku waved a hand in the air and Christine bit her lip nervously.
"He's trying okay? He is. He told me he's trying to stop drinking." She said. Miroku took one last look at her bruised cheek and picked up his bag angrily.
"Yeah, well, tell me when he stops hitting you, and then maybe I'll be able to sleep at night." He said, and opened the door, before shutting it again.
. . .
[ The same morning. ]
Sango breathed. She'd gotten up early, just as Rin had arrived in time for Sango to fetch her bike, and start off for school-exactly 15 minutes late. She smiled to herself and whizzed down the road, pressing on her brakes as a car drove past. All this for a stupid crush! She thought to herself. As she pedalled down the road, her heart suddenly stopped, and she saw him. Well, the back of him to be exact. She started to slow down, aiming to ride past him, when the boy turned round, making Sango suddenly screech to stop. Well...that's certainly not Miroku, she thought angrily. A brown haired boy stood before her, breathing hard.
"Woah...you're certainly eager to get to school huh?" He said. Sango huffed and sat up properly, straightening out her hair.
"Well, I am late." She answered. The young man smiled and held out his hand.
"I'm Takedo Kuranosuku." He said. Sango sighed and reluctantly smiled back, as she put her feet on the brakes.
"Sango." She said. Takedo chuckled.
"Do you want to walk to school together?' He asked. Sango shrugged.
"Depends on whether your school is even this way." She said, pointing across the road. Takedo nodded and started to walk along side her, as she pulled her bike along at her side.
"Actually, I'm transferring here today...I'm glad I'm making friends already!" He joked, suddenly making Sango smile.
"Well, you've messed up your first day..." Sango joked, and then looked at her watch and swore.
"Actually, you're twenty minutes late!" She shouted, and jumped on her bike. Takedo ran up beside her, and laughed.
"Well, nice to meet you Sango." He said. Sango nodded and sighed, well, it seems Miroku decided to arrive early today...She thought sadly.
. . .
[ Later that day... ]
"Miroku?" Mr. Sesshomaru's voice made Miroku lift his head up from the desk, a piece of paper stuck to his forehead from were he'd been leaning on it. Shima pulled it off quickly, earning a goofy grin from Miroku.
"Yes sir?" He answered lazily. Mr. Sesshomaru looked up at him through thin glasses, obviously not impressed that his lesson had gone through one ear and out of the other. He gestured towards the interactive board at the front of the classroom.
"Would you like to come up front and read out your homework please?" He asked. Miroku stood up and sighed, taking his book off the desk.
"I did a poem. I couldn't think of anything else." He said. Mr. Sesshomaru nodded and Miroku put his book down at the front desk. Suddenly, the classroom door swung open and Sango walked in. Miroku watched as Mr. Sesshomaru asked where she'd been. Sango made up some excuse about missing the bus and Miroku frowned. She doesn't even get the bus, he thought. After she'd sat down, Mr. Sesshomaru nodded at Miroku and Miroku lifted his book and started to read.
"Slap a padlock on my mind,
If you can only but try;
My thoughts cannot be confined,
This freedom you won't deny.
Am I so small, so fragile a Bird,
Unnoticed, with a broken wing?
So weak to utter a noble word,
Unable to sweetly sing?
No! There's so much to learn,
Inside there's a tender heart;
Passion's deep within do burn,
Just haven't had chance to start.
Don't think you can control
My life in every way,
I am a patient, but strong soul
Just waiting for the day
When retribution will call,
Then release, as from a cage
And freedom to walk tall
With no more seething rage."
Miroku placed down his book and looked up to find the entire class staring at him in silence. After a few seconds, Mr. Sesshomaru coughed, breaking the silence, and Miroku looked at him.
"Miroku...that was very..." Miroku laughed it off, thinking he'd made a fool of himself.
"Yeah, I know, I did this late last night, I couldn't think of anything else, so what the heck." He said, quickly trying to sidle his way back to his seat. Mr. Sesshomaru smirked.
"It was very good, is what I was trying to say. Very, very good." He said. Miroku nodded, still unsure.
"What was it about?" Someone asked from the back of the class. Miroku blinked.
"Domestic violence." He answered. Then Shima put up her hand and Miroku nodded in her direction.
"I was just wondering, wasn't this supposed to be based on our personal feelings?" She asked him. Miroku almost kicked himself, and watched as Kagome's head snap round to glare at Shima. Mr. Sesshomaru looked at him and Miroku shrugged.
"Well, I was basing it on a different perspective." He mumbled. Shima smiled cheerfully at him. Miroku forced a smile back, even though he felt like slapping her that very moment.
"Thank you Miroku." Mr. Sesshomaru said, gesturing for Miroku to sit down.
"That was amazing Miroku!" Shima whispered as Miroku took his place beside her. Miroku smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, thanks Shima." He said. Thanks a lot...
