All characters, named weapons, and attacks borrowed from Inuyasha are not my own, but belong to Takahashi-dono.
"Impressed"
"Chuuko-san, you have our thanks." Miatsu bowed low; the others, Inuyasha excepting, followed suit.
"No, lord monk and lady priestesses – ya have mine. I would surely be completely dead without yer protection on the river, instead of just nearly dead!" the old man cackled with his nearly-toothless grin. "And you too, Mr. Demon. I hear ya turned that big ol' hanzaki aside just in time to save us all."
"Yeah, well…"
"Better watch that temper, though." He eyed Inuyasha crookedly. "Ya wouldn't want ta be treatin' any humans like you did them water imps."
"…"
"Anyways, I'll be settin' off now. Thank ye for yer help hidin' ma boat, too. Wouldn't want ta get it stolen by them raiders."
"Raiders?" Kaede asked skittishly.
"Aye, they been comin' around these parts lately; and not roaming bandits, mind – them raiders are from a vicious rival lord. That's why we need that wall repaired. Many thanks to ye for contributin', heh heh." He jangled the coin string tucked safely in his tunic.
"Again, you're quite welcome," Tsubaki replied for them all.
"Well, then, I'll take mah leave. Ya sure ya can't stay the night?"
"No," Inuyasha said flatly. We're moving too slowly as it is… we need to get my sword fixed, and then find the rest of the Jewel! It's all the more apparent to me now; losing to a bunch of water imps and a stupid overgrown salamander – I'm still not strong enough.
"Alrighty then. Take care!" The old man trudged off along a narrow path and into the woods.
Inuyasha hefted the last bag onto Kilala. "What are you standing around for? We need to go!" He tapped his foot impatiently.
"He's getting cranky…" Kaede whispered to Tsubaki, giggling. "You're absolutely right, Inuyasha – we have to go. Which is why you boys will wait right here for a minute."
"Eh? Why?"
Taking advantage of the distraction, Miatsu followed Chuuko out of earshot of the others.
"Chuuko-san!" he called in a loud whisper.
"Lord monk, seein' y'again so soon?"
"Do you happen to know the location of a nearby onsen? We'd love to wash up and rest a bit."
"Sure thing… there's a nice little village with a fine hot spring fer relievin' tension and healin' wounds about five miles thataway. Just head towards that there mountain and keep a sharp eye out – ya can't miss it."
"You have my thanks." Miatsu pressed another coin into his palm.
"Feel free to stop by if yer ever in the area again!"
"We will!" Miatsu hurried back to the others. Excellent – it's right on the way to Mt. Akagi! "All set to move out?"
The scene where he had left them puzzled him, but only for a moment. The ladies were already hiking eastward towards the mountains without the men, Kilala close behind with the bags. And Inuyasha… Oh… ouch!
"Inuyasha, stop examining the ground so closely and let's go already!" Miatsu jibed as he jogged to catch up.
"Yeah, quit slowing us down!" Tsubaki teased him over her shoulder. "He totally deserved that," she mock-whispered to Kaede.
Kaede sniffed disdainfully. "He had it coming. It takes time for a lady to relieve herself."
XXXXX
After walking for three hours, they broke for lunch on a small hillock.
Let's see… we should be just about there… Miatsu strained his eyes and ears, hoping to see or hear some sign of the village Chuuko had directed him to. Perhaps age has addled his mind?
"We're lucky Shako gave us these waterproof packs for the food!" Kaede pronounced. "We'd have almost nothing edible without his foresight."
"Like me, he's probably used to traveling a lot – and he did know that we'd be traveling along the Tone River. Besides that, even a moderate rain can soak through and ruin food," Miatsu commented.
"Can we get going already?" Inuyasha had wolfed down his rations and was tapping his foot impatiently. "Humans are so slow…"
"And dogs are so whiny…" retorted Kaede.
"And growly," Tsubaki added upon hearing Inuyasha's response to Kaede's jab.
"Ladies, ladies, please… haven't you berated the poor fellow enough?"
"Fine, fine… look, Inuyasha, we are only human," Kaede entreated. "We just can't keep up with you! But the fact is, you can't see or sense Jewel shards, so you need us just as much as we need you."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Now, then, your fidgeting is annoying the rest of us… quit whining and sit!"
The hanyou flinched at her last word, though he wasn't sure why. He hopped up into a nearby tree and sat.
"Good boy," murmured Kaede. "Who wants seconds?"
"I'll take some!"
"Me too!"
"Mew!"
XXXXX
They journeyed along a clearly seldom-used path most of the afternoon. As they walked along, Tsubaki taught and quizzed Kaede on various spells and enchantments priestesses her age would normally learn – in return, Kaede showed her some of the herblore Kikyou had taught her.
"Plants were never my strong suit," Tsubaki had admitted when she asked Kaede why she was picking and storing leaves from yabu garashi bushes that lined the path.
"You seriously didn't know it relieves swelling and enhances detoxification. Geez, what kind of priestess are you?"
Well, I was a dark priestess… "Well, what kind of priestess can't use shikigami?"
"Well, sor-ry that my sister hadn't gotten… there…"
Dammit, that was insensitive of me. "Sorry."
"That's ok. I don't think I'll ever completely get over losing her, but I'm starting to get used to it." She smiled. "Besides, if she hadn't died, I wouldn't have all of you!"
Tsubaki returned the smile. "I know what you mean." If not for Kikyou's death, Kaede and Inuyasha would not have come to my shrine with the Shikon Jewel, and Miatsu probably would have just continued on his way in the morning; I'd still be all alone. "So. This… is shikigami paper… it is made from…"
Miatsu chuckled at the two young women walking and talking and bonding in front of him. He'd been examining his hand until the conversation suddenly got interesting. It was pretty useful for clearing away the water… I wonder how useful it will be as a weapon?
"Hey, I smell smoke," Inuyasha said abruptly from the head of the line.
Kilala, bringing up the rear, raised her head and inhaled deeply. "Growr!" she quickly confirmed.
Miatsu scanned the sky. "I don't see any… not a forest fire or a pillaged village, then…" Come on, someone else pick up on what I'm thinking…
"Hey, Inuyasha, do you think there's a village nearby?" Kaede asked excitedly.
"Who cares?" he snapped. "Let's keep going while there's still daylight."
"Oh, a village would be fantastic…" sighed Tsubaki. "I could sleep in a bed, get a nice hot bath…"
Yes, yes, yes! "We'll find out," Miatsu assured them. "Which way is it, my good man?"
Inuyasha gave him a withering stare that clearly meant, Are you serious?
Miatsu flashed the women a smile. "I'll convince him, ladies!" He bent his head to Inuyasha's conspiratorially. "You did catch what Tsubaki said about a bath, right?"
"I don't need one."
That's debatable, but… "I'm not talking about you… I'm talking about her…" The lecherous monk nudged him.
Inuyasha blushed. "That didn't work out too well last time at Shako's village, if you remember," he hissed.
"That was your fault, if you remember. If you hadn't been so indecisive about it, we would've been able to peek into the bathhouse before the men switched out with the women! Anyways, we might be able to get another shot at it… how about it?"
XXXXX
"All right, we found it!" Kaede whooped, breaking into a run. "Thanks, Inuyasha!" she called back.
Mother, forgive me… Inuyasha shook his bowed head and sighed, already regretting leading the band to the tiny village, despite the chance it might offer him to see… to see…
Tsubaki reached up to rub one of his ears. "Good boy." She winked at his startled, half-upset, half-embarrassed expression and hustled after Kaede. Weird… normally he'd at least growl a bit…
How did I ever let Miatsu talk me into this…
XXXXX
"Ooh, this feels so nice…" Tsubaki sank to her nose in the steaming onsen. She and Kaede were permitted by the villagers to use it as long as they wanted to – and alone, since they were priestesses!
"Uh-huh… and it's nice to not have the men around," Kaede amended. "Between the perpetual pervert and the permanent grump, I'm just plain worn out!"
Inuyasha's not as grumpy as you seem to think he is… not all the time, anyway. "Wait, Miatsu's been doing perverted things again?" Tsubaki asked skeptically.
"You didn't see him feeling up the village girls when he was reading their palms?"
"Must've missed it…" she shrugged. "I was busy doing the… 'exorcism'... Kaede, don't get mad if I kill him later for making me do all the work while he had all the fun." She kicked her legs angrily, splashing her companion.
"Hey, cut it out!" Kaede giggled. She cupped some water in her hands and flung it at Tsubaki. Waves and jets of water began flying back and forth, spattering the rocks at the edge of the pool.
"Mreowr…" Kilala sprang from her perch on one of those rocks. She did not take kindly to getting splashed. She had intended to keep watch for intruders – and peepers – but she'd had enough of getting wet to last her a long time.
"Sorry, Kilala!" Kaede called after her, still laughing. "I'll fix you something nice to eat later!" She watched the twin tails swish silently in the torchlight and disappear into the dark green shrubbery.
"Ah, ha ha… ahhh… we should settle down. The villagers might get upset if we're too rambunctious." The priestess tilted back her head and let her long black hair drift in the rippling mineral water.
They soaked in silence for a bit before Kaede spoke.
"Do you think Miatsu's really all that bad a man?"
I'm not sure how to answer that… "What do you mean?"
"Well, he exterminates demons and helps people… but he also gives fake fortunes and acts like he wants to be… intimate… with random women."
That's hardly uncommon for Buddhist monks nowadays, Kaede… "As long as the women don't object, I don't really see the harm in it… he's just a big flirt." No need to go into detail about what he'd do if they actually took him up on it… not that it's likely. I'm not entirely convinced that he's actually serious about it – maybe it's just a bad habit.
"Still… I don't like it." Kaede drew her knees up to her chin and blew bubbles in the water.
Tsubaki gave her a sharp look. "He's not saying anything to or touching you inappropriately, is he?"
Kaede was genuinely shocked at the suggestion. "Oh, no, he's never done that to me… I'm probably not pretty enough for him, anyway."
"Hey, now… you're a very attractive young lady!" I honestly wouldn't put it past him… he made a pass at me practically the moment we met! "You're probably just too young for him."
She shook her head. "Mm-mm. I'm pretty certain some of the women he was flirting with weren't much older than me. But those girls probably already… you know… down there?"
"Had sex?" Tsubaki said bluntly, in no mood to beat around the bush.
"Oh, gosh, no!" Kaede's face bloomed crimson. "I mean… the monthly bleeding…"
Tsubaki's jew dropped. "Wait… you haven't started yet? I thought you were old enough… how old are you, anyway?"
"Nope." She sighed, looked down, and patted her chest. "It's kind of depressing. I'm only twelve, so I know I have a couple of years until then, but I have to operate in the adult world and do adult things without having the status of being an adult woman!" And perhaps if I was an adult woman, I could understand how I feel about Miatsu…
"Well, be glad of it while it lasts!" Tsubaki admonished. "That time of the month is certainly no fun for me." She grimaced at the thought of her unwelcome recurring visitor. In another week, I'll be holding my gut and gritting my teeth to keep from groaning… one would think that priestesses, who are supposed to remain pure, would be blessed by the gods to be immune…
"Oh, you get cramps?"
"Yeah… bad ones."
"Kikyou said hers weren't too bad. But to help the villagers, she taught me how to make medicine that helps relieve those cramps!" Kaede stood up and sloshed over to Tsubaki. "I'll make some for you, if I can find the ingredients!"
"Does it work?"
"Well, for some reason, the medicine I make isn't quite as effective as what she made, even when I follow her instructions exactly, but it works… usually."
"Well, I'll be glad to try it."
"Sure thing."
They sat in silence for a bit more. "You know, I don't think Miatsu would flirt with you like he does with village girls, even if you had started your monthly cycle."
"Why's that?"
"I have a guess or two, but the only one who knows what he's thinking is Miatsu himself. I think you'll have to ask him directly."
"Well, that's not going to happen." Kaede folded her arms across her chest. "I don't want him thinking I'm asking him to."
"I can understand that."
"So… could you ask him?"
"Forget it."
"I didn't think so. What about getting Inuyasha to ask him?"
"You're kidding, right?"
Kaede let out a long sigh. "Never mind."
XXXXX
Kilala munched another morsel of fish. Miatsu and Inuyasha had left the moment she came back. They set her a dish of grilled fish and a bowl of cow's milk (a rare treat!), then left as nonchalantly as possible. Kilala knew exactly what they were up to, of course. But she was still upset about getting splashed, and then there was the milk… oh, what harm can a little peeping do?
She had never quite understood the human fascination with clothes, or the lack thereof. She understood why they wore them, of course: with no fur, the silly humans were bound to get cold. And there were other practical purposes, like the armor Midoriko had always worn when anticipating combat, and the slayers' protective gear. But what was the big deal with seeing humans – specifically, humans of the opposite sex – without clothes? She shook her head, as puzzled as ever.
She finished her meal and commenced bathing in her own way.
XXXXX
About this time, Miatsu and Inuyasha were slowly slinking stealthily through the woods towards the hot spring. They had initially abandoned all hope of seeing the lovely ladies bathing until Kilala showed up back at the headman's house.
"I wonder why she left them alone?" Inuyasha muttered.
"Probably just means that there were no demons around, and it was safe to leave them alone," Miatsu breathed, "or she was hungry. Either way, it sure was a lucky break. Now, we're getting close to the spring, so shh!"
They crept closer. The spring lay within a small hollow, scarcely twenty feet away; they had chosen to approach from the opposite side of the sloping path to the spring, since the brush that would conceal their presence was thickest there.
Inuyasha gulped. I can't believe I'm doing this… I can't believe I'm going to see Tsubaki… damn, why is my heart beating so loud?
"Easy… quiet, don't panic," Miatsu mouthed. "We're almost there."
Cautiously, carefully, they peeked over the edge. Their eyes widened as their minds were enlightened by the naked bodies soaking in the spring by torchlight. They scooted back from the edge again.
"So that's what women look like…" Inuyasha wheezed.
"… when they get old," Miatsu finished for him. "Euugh… did not need to see that."
Two sets of approaching footsteps completely escaped their notice until the steppers stood before them, mere profiles in the twilight.
"Impressed, boys?" Kaede snickered down at them.
"They should be, they've seen what real women really look like," Tsubaki hooted. "I knew you'd try to peep again, Miatsu, but you, Inuyasha… did you really want to look at me… that… much?" As she spoke she slowly bent down, and her robe top began to droop.
"Umm… err…" His eyes darted about as his heart and brain both began to race. Should I look? Does she want me to look? Look where? Or does she want me to not look? Should I just shut my eyes? Better take the safe route.
His eyes met hers for a microsecond.
"Too bad!" Before revealing anything, she snatched up the sagging neckline and stuck out her tongue. "Meh! Come on, Kaede, let's get to sleep… alone."
"Yes, let's. I'm sure the puppy wants to get an early start tomorrow."
The two priestesses flounced off into the night.
Miatsu stared at Inuyasha. "Did she just… flirt with you?"
"Uhh… what?"
"Great," Miatsu muttered. "You're in shock just from a tease… guess it's a good thing we didn't see anything worthwhile – you probably would've passed out and fallen in!"
Inuyasha shook his head to clear it. "Yeah, well… you probably have stuff like that happen to you all the time, so you're used to it!"
"No, not really," Miatsu sighed. "I might flirt and all that, but none of the girls I come across are ever really interested in me – their flirtations in response are rarely that suggestive. They know I'm an itinerant monk; most women aren't foolish enough for a dalliance with a man they know will be long gone in a day or two. I want a woman who will stay in my life, but I know it can't ever happen. It's kind of depressing… pitiful, really."
"So what's with all the flirting?"
"Have you ever been hungry?"
Inuyasha snorted. "Of course."
"Have you ever eaten anything, when you're hungry, that you normally wouldn't?"
"…Sometimes…"
"We'll, I'm hungry."
"But we just ate."
Miatsu sighed. "It's an analogy. Like eating something I normally wouldn't because I don't have any food that I want, no woman will stay with me, so I substitute being with lots of women who I already know won't stay… it hurts less that way."
"Oh, I see… you're right."
"What about?"
"That is pitiful."
Miatsu smiled painfully. "Yep."
"What if a woman would stay with you?"
"… Then that, my friend, would be amazing."
Yeah… it would be. But what sort of woman would stay with a half-breed like me? Not to mention I'd never be able to keep my "dirty little secret" just that. I didn't even trust Kikyou with it, and I haven't told Tsubaki yet, either. Though she may have figured it out when I told her how my mother died…
"Hey, Inuyasha… the old ladies have left the onsen – it's empty. Are you up for a soak?"
"Not really."
"Aw, come on, it's no fun alone!"
"No."
"Please?"
"No!"
"Oh, fine… suit yourself." The monk quickly scrambled over the edge, only to reappear a moment later surrounded by flying rocks and sticks. "Whoops! Time to retreat!"
The shrieks of the young ladies of the village, who had arrived at the spring just in time to witness the monk's attempted entry, echoed in their ears all the way back.
Author's Notes:
By now, you're probably noticing a pattern to the chapter titles – this pattern will continue for several more chapters, I think. The name in this case though is also a pun referring back to the previous chapter – just separate this one-word title into two words the right way, and you'll get it.
The region the gang is currently travelling through – somewhere near present-day Shibukawa – is apparently famous for its hot springs. Where, exactly, this village is, don't ask…