Chapter 4
Same Old
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Sango let her head loll back onto the rim of the tub and stared at the bathroom ceiling.
It was strange staring up at the plain white wall- so different from the one she had looked at for nearly a decade in her old apartment.
The corners of her lips tilted upwards as she thought of the sparkling swirls that -during a spectacular stretch of boredom- Rin had lassoed her and Kagome into painting on the ceilings throughout the apartment.
The young girl fancied herself an artist but, though the vision was there, she was decidedly lacking in actual talent. In the end, it all just looked like a mess of shimmering, haphazardly placed blobs; and while they all acknowledged the massive failure of the venture, it remained a cherished memory of the camaraderie they shared.
She was pulled from the memory by a soft click and the shuffling of feet beyond the bathroom door.
She sighed.
Miroku had arrived.
Her lips thinned into a hard line and some indiscernible feeling bubbled up within her. Fear, perhaps? Anticipation?
It had been years since she'd worked with the monk, and while they'd never had any major issues beyond his less than holy intentions, she knew that time had a way of changing people.
Was this man the same one she had fought side by side with years ago?
Was she the same woman?
She let out a weary breath and shook her head. Her questions would be answered soon enough.
She slid down into the tub until her head was submerged and allowed the low lapping of the water to clear her mind for a moment before emerging.
Her thoughts strayed to her companions, surely they would also be settled into their new homes by now as well.
Their awkward goodbyes earlier in the day dissolved into a teary-eyed session of reminiscence after Rin presented two large bouquets of multicolored origami flowers to the women she had come to call family. Now, the poor, sweet girl was trapped with Sesshomaru of all people.
Sango snorted; Kaede did have a very sick sense of humor.
Sesshomaru was -at the best of times- cold and detached. Sango honestly wasn't sure if he was ignorant of normal social conventions or if he just found such pleasantries beneath him.
After the attack on her village, she and her brother had been taken in by Toga Taisho, one of her father's greatest friends and allies. Because of this she had lived most of her life in close contact with both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, and while Inuyasha had been welcoming -in his own uncouth and foul-mouthed way-Sesshomaru had barely acknowledged her existence. At least, he didn't until Toga forced the cold demon to spar with her during a training session.
It had ended in a stunning defeat -the adept demon having put her flat on her back in under 5 minutes- but the proof that even as a teenager she could hold her own for any length of time seemed to have garnered some form of respect from him.
While she could never say that the fight had necessarily endeared her to him, he did begin to give her brief nods when they would cross paths, and he made it a point to spar with her whenever a mission allowed him a reprieve to visit his familial home.
In fact, a good amount of her skills were learned from watching the graceful demon and being on the receiving end of his sword.
If Kaede's intentions truly were just to sharpen Rin's skill, there was no better teacher than Sesshomaru.
Still, the thought of Sesshomaru dealing with Rin brought a grin to her lips. What she wouldn't pay to be a fly on their wall today.
Rin was just…. well, Rin.
The girl had once gotten lost during a mission in the woods because she fell behind while hunting a butterfly.
She was skilled, but, despite her age, she held fast to her child-like optimism and delighted in nearly everything around her.
A job like theirs easily hardened agents to the world, it was a practical slap in the face of optimistic beliefs. But for Rin, it seemed like the constant onslaught of misdeeds, corruption and death, only caused her to love and appreciate simple things even more. A trait that had always been infectious to everyone she encountered.
Sango's grin broadened as she continued to think about the match. Perhaps, Kaede had more up her sleeve for the pair than she let on.
Then of course there was Kagome and Inuyasha. Sango couldn't fathom what the thought process had been when putting those two back together.
She had been there after the raid on Naraku's compound. She had seen Miroku carry the wounded and unconscious young miko out of the fiery building.
The briefings before their attack on the compound had been Sango's first interactions with Kagome. The girl was always so cheerful and kind, effortlessly befriending every agent in the meeting room, quickly joking and smiling with everyone as she had known them for a lifetime.
And then there was the way she interacted with Inuyasha. Even from afar, it was obvious that they were committed to one another. The gruff, anti-social hanyou that Sango had known for years melted away as soon as Kagome entered a room, replaced with a blushing, bumbling, thoroughly love-sick puppy. After those meetings, Sango had found herself thankful to the kind young woman for entering Inuyasha's life.
And then the raid came, and everything changed.
Days later, when she had regained consciousness, Kagome had barreled into Kaede's office and- completely undeterred by her weakened state-demanded she no longer be partnered with Inuyasha.
In fact, she had been so determined that it was minutes into her tirade before she realized that Sango had actually been in the room for her own private meeting with Kaede.
The younger girl barely made it through her apology before she collapsed on the floor, her half-healed wounds having taken their toll.
Sango immediately requested that she be partnered with Kagome.
In the months that followed, they slipped into an easy -if initially distant- friendship. Sango had been battling with coming to terms with the loss of her brother, while Kagome was dealing with her issues with Inuyasha. There was an unspoken agreement to give the topics wide berth while they both dealt with the new realities they now faced.
Sango shook herself from her thoughts and huffed out a breath. She looked at her pruned hands with a slight scowl before getting out of the bath and emptying the tub.
She wrapped herself in her towel, then cracked open the bathroom door enough to peek out.
A little over forty years ago, she had been partnered with Miroku for five years on a mission in Australia, and before that, he -like her- had been another stray human taken in by Toga Taisho. Because of this, she had a good amount of experience dealing with his more lascivious tendencies, most common of which was a penchant for appearing from the ether whenever she was coming out of the bath; and on more than a few occasions, while she was still in the bath.
The darkened living room appeared clear, she couldn't see him in the open kitchen. She looked down the hall to her bedroom door, she had sprinted longer distances.
She cast one last glance around and made sure her towel was as secure as possible before making the short jog to her room.
She didn't release the breath she had been holding until the door was closed and locked behind her. Perhaps years of living with Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had dulled the monk's perverted sixth sense.
Her new room was still mostly bare, holding only a half-filled dresser, still unmade bed and a few unopened boxes. She dressed quickly in shorts and a plain tee shirt before heading back to the kitchen; a meal would do her well before unpacking.
Halfway through the living room, a soft rustle drew her attention to one of the dark blue couches. Peeking around the back, her eyes locked with the red gaze of her pet nekomata demon. The cat mewled once and readjusted itself on the chest of a slumbering Miroku.
A small snore escaped the monk's parted lips and Sango smiled to herself. He looked exactly as he had when they parted ways thirty years ago, even down to the length of the black hair that hung just above his eyes.
Kirara curled into a ball and purred loudly as she made herself more comfortable on her old friend. "Guess you missed him too, huh girl?" Sango stroked her fur once before heading to the kitchen, smiling absently as she was overcome by a wave of nostalgia.
Kagome picked at the edges of the box she gripped to her chest, her eyes fixed on the wood paneling of the elevator door.
She'd spent an unnecessary number of hours driving around the boxes she needed to move from her old apartment. It wasn't until the sun started to dip below the horizon that she decided it was time to finally face the music.
The elevator pinged and the doors slid open. Much like at the apartment she shared with Sango and Rin, the elevator only stopped on this floor and the garage she would be sharing with Inuyasha.
Unlike the old apartment, this elevator opened to a short hallway instead of into the apartment itself. She counted that fact as a blessing as it gave her a few more undisturbed moments to drag her inexplicably heavy feet to the only door.
She wasn't sure how long she stood there glaring at the three inches of wood that separated her from him.
Five minutes passed- ten maybe- before she finally lifted her hand to the knob.
Her fingers had barely brushed the cool metal before the door was pulled back with a creak.
"Were you planning on spending the whole night out here?"
Her scowl was automatic as she took in the man in the doorway. He hadn't changed at all since last she was alone with him.
His arms were crossed and he looked down at her with thinly veiled apprehension, but beyond that, he was the same man she once knew so well. His silvery hair still hung to his waist, his eyes were the same warm honey color and his face was still as boyishly handsome as she remembered.
"Well? Are ya coming in or not?" Despite the gruffness of his tone, the bite from the meeting room was absent.
Her eyes narrowed. "You're blocking the way."
Inuyasha's cheeks tinged pink and he let out a halfhearted "Keh." He stepped aside and opened the door wider for her and the box she gripped to her chest like a lifeline.
The apartment wasn't much different from the one she had shared with Sango and Rin. The colors were a more muted beige and forest green, but the layout was similar. There was an open kitchen off to the side of the living room, a hallway further back that she assumed led to the bedrooms, bathrooms and training room. Floor to ceiling windows overlooked the darkening city- there seemed to be a small balcony beyond one of the windows, which she made a note to investigate later.
"Your room is the second one on the left." Inuyasha's voice brought her eyes back to him, standing by the high-top table in the center of the kitchen. "But I-uh... I made something to eat."
His arms were still crossed and he scowled at her but his cheeks retained the pink hue from earlier. He looked nervous as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, the two silver ears atop his head flicked from side to side, adding to the picture.
Next to him on the table were two bowls, "Ramen?" Kagome arched a brow and came closer.
Sure enough, the bowls were filled with steaming noodles. She noted the addition of beef and vegetables and grudgingly admitted that she was impressed. When they parted ways he barely knew how to boil water.
"You made this?"
His gold eyes moved from the wall he had been glaring at as she examined the food, to her. He snorted. "Who else would?"
Whatever peace had settled over them shattered at his gruff words, she narrowed her eyes, "I'm not hungry." She spun on her heel and huffed, "Goodnight, Inuyasha."
His hand shot out and grabbed the exposed flesh of her arm. "Kagome-"
The reaction was instant.
The box dropped from her grip with a resounding crash as the trinkets met with the floor. A fire exploded within her, originating from the scar on her neck. She screamed as the burn spread through her veins. Her knees wobbled dangerously and she grabbed onto the nearby table top for support.
"Kagome!" His voice was distant, but the panicked tone still reached her ears through the heavy whooshing of her blood.
Inuyasha grabbed her other arm and the pain doubled.
She shoved him. "Get away!"
Her free hand clutched the wood of the table and used it to keep balanced as she wobbled to the other side.
"Stay away from me, Inuyasha." Her voice was pathetically weak to her ears, but her gaze was fierce as her eyes locked with his.
The half-demon growled, "No, Kagome." He stepped towards her and she matched it with a step back. "Let me look at it." His features set into a mask of seriousness she rarely saw on him.
"Absolutely not." Her hand slapped over the mark to punctuate her words.
He growled again and threw his arms up. "Why do you always have to be so difficult, Kagome?"
She opened her mouth to retort but it died in her throat when the half demon crossed the room in the blink of an eye and appeared before her. Her instinct from years of fighting came out immediately at the invasion of her personal space.
The hand on her neck shot out, palm up and aimed at the underside of his chin. The blow narrowly missed as Inuyasha sidestepped and grabbed her wrist.
He smirked and pulled her to him. Kagome hissed as pain flowed through her from the points of contact. He took advantage of her weakened state and quickly pinned her other arm to her side. He pushed her back until her knees connected with the cabinets and pressed his body against hers, offering her no room for movement.
"You still aren't good at close quarters, Kagome," his voice was light as he teased with a grin. "It's been three decades; I'm surprised Sango hasn't taught you better"
She glared- her cheeks rosy with embarrassment.
Inuyasha sighed and the small smile fell from his lips. "I know you're in pain, Kagome." He whispered.
She prepared to hit him with a sharp retort but the words died in her throat when he dipped his head to the curve of her neck. Her eyes widened as his breath fanned out over the angry red mark. She cursed the shiver that ran through her traitorous body.
"Leave me alone, Inuyasha." There was that pathetic helpless lilt again, her lips dipped downwards into a frown.
The hanyou pulled back for a moment to look at her, his gold eyes pleading. "No, Kagome." He dropped his head back to her neck.
Her body jerked violently when she felt the moist heat of his tongue run over the mark.
The fire spreading through her disappeared almost immediately, replaced by a calming warmth that deepened with each stroke of his tongue.
Her eyes drifted shut and her body began to relax against his. There was a protesting voice somewhere in her mind, but it was soon drowned in the soothing feeling that spread through her.
He pulled back slightly, the ministrations of his tongue stopped but the weight of his chin remained on her shoulder. "You will continue to hurt yourself if you keep rejecting it." His tone was gentle and his nose nuzzled the side of her cheek. "We are mates, Kagome. Isn't it time you came back to me?"
Miroku knew he was dreaming.
The grass beneath his feet and the clear air was as good an indication as any. The world hadn't looked this clean in centuries, not since he was a young man, before he had been approached by Toga Taisho with an offer of near eternal life.
He sighed happily and looked down at the empty dish of sake before him. "More sake, kind monk?" The beautiful brunette next to him asked, brandishing the sake jug.
"Or perhaps you would like me to pour your sake, dear monk?" The woman on his other side asked, leaning forward in an exaggerated display, showing off her round behind.
"Or me, sweet monk?" Another woman asked, appearing in front of him. As she bent forward the tops of her breasts could be seen from the part in her kimono.
Miroku sighed, what a fine dream indeed.
"Now, now ladies," He paused- something tickled his nose. "You will all have a turn to put my sake..." Something brushed his nose again. He frowned. He could see nothing touching his face, but the tickling was growing more insistent.
One of the women said something, but the words didn't reach him. The incessant tickling was getting worse.
The images of the women began to drift away, he stretched out an arm, but it was too late, he was being pulled out of his dream and back to reality. "No! Don't go!" The women, the grass and the peaceful clearing were so far away now. "What about the sake?!"
He groaned. The darkness was fading and he could see light through his closed lids.
With a grimace and a mumbled curse, he opened his eyes to find a pair of glowing red ones staring back at him. "Ah!"
Something clattered to his left followed by the sound of hurried feet. "What happened!?" A familiar voice cried before a pair of wide brown eyes framed by neatly trimmed bangs appeared above him.
"Sango?" She looked just as curious as he sounded, standing over the couch with a wooden spoon in hand. 'So then…' he looked back to at the red eyes. "Kirara." The cat mewled happily and rubbed her face under his chin.
Sango let out a breath and giggled. "Looks like she really missed you."
Miroku grinned and sat up, cradling the affectionate cat demon in his hands. "Unfortunately, my natural masculine allure calls to all species." He shook his head and sighed. "It is truly a curse."
Sango snorted. "I'm pretty sure this has nothing to do with your allure, monk, and everything to do with the treats you used to sneak her."
Miroku shrugged and placed the cat down on the couch with a gentle scratch behind her ear. "Sango, your accusation wounds me!"
She turned her back to hide her grin. 'I guess he is the same old Miroku afterall.'
She made a move to return to the kitchen when the pressure of a hand on her bottom stopped her. Her eyes widened, a second ticked, the hand squeezed. Her eye twitched.
The smack if the wooden spoon connecting with his cheek reverberated through the apartment.
"You're cursed in more ways than one, lech." She spun on her heel and stomped back to the kitchen, leaving the monk to stroke his red, spoon-printed cheek behind her.
Miroku smiled and watched her tend to a pot on the stove, her angry flicks of the spoon sending liquid splashing onto the stovetop.
His cheek ached, but he would happily admit that even a hundred docile, sake serving women in his dreams couldn't come close to his feisty Sango.
"We are mates, Kagome. Isn't it time you came back to me?"
Kagome's eyes snapped open.
The peace that had enveloped her as Inuyasha's tongue laved his mark drained away and was replaced with a cold fury.
Her holy powers surged within her. She concentrated on pouring out a low level of purifying energy and was rewarded with a yelp from the demon who held her captive. His body quickly drew back, releasing her shaking frame.
"You tried to purify me!" He sounded more shocked than angry as he looked at his tingling hands.
She snorted. "Oh, please Inuyasha. You know if that was my intention you would have been dust by now."
He growled. "What is your problem wench-"
"You are!" She pushed herself off the counter and sent him a scathing glare. "I am not your mate, Inuyasha." She shook a finger in his face. "You had better forget that we were ever anything more than colleagues, because I have!"
His golden eyes flashed with hurt before anger took over. "We are mates, Kagome!" He bared a fang as his face moved closer to hers. "You took my mark and you didn't seem to be complaining then!"
Her cheeks burned crimson. "Do not hold something I did when I was barely an adult over me, Inuyasha." She bit back. "The ritual was never finished; you know that as well as I do. This mark will fade in time, the other one already has."
He growled and took a step forward. Her eyes narrowed and she fought the urge to press back into the counter. A pink glow of purifying energy formed around her in warning.
"Kagome," Her name was barely more than a whine on his lips. He stepped back again and sighed, the anger seemed to leave him along with the breath. "It will continue to hurt whenever I'm near." He sounded desperate. "It's been thirty years and my claim still hasn't faded-"
"But it will." She took a breath and closed her eyes. The pink glow of energy dimmed then disappeared. When she re-opened her eyes, they held a tiredness that stemmed from more than just the use of her powers. Her voice softened. "You know- given time- it will. Please, just leave me be until then, Inuyasha."
His lips turned down, "Why can't you forgive me?"
Kagome bit her lip and raised her eyes to the ceiling. It was hard to hate him when he looked so helpless; right now, he reminded her more of a hurt puppy than the aggressive asshole she was so used to.
She glanced back at him and her resolve nearly broke. The sight of his drooped ears and slumped shoulders caused her hand to twitch to reach out and do…something. She just wasn't sure what.
The pang of pain from his mark started up anew, and she was overwhelmed with the urge to just be held by him again.
Inuyasha brought his gaze back to her, his golden eyes pleading. "It's been thirty years Kagome. Please, forgive me."
She sighed and looked away "I have forgiven you, Inuyasha." The pain in her neck began to spread again. A reminder.
Her eyes returned his and her gaze hardened. "But I will never forget what you did."
She pushed herself off from the counter and stepped around him and the box of her broken things.
"Kagome, wait!"
Her modest nails dug bloody crescents into her palms as she continued towards her room. The throbbing in her neck spreading further with each step, until it was a full body ache that deepened with each bark of her name from the demon behind her.
He followed her down the hall, intent on continuing their conversation, but a jolt of holy power stopped him as he came near her.
Inuyasha demanded the she stop, cursed a storm and commanded her to turn around and face him.
The mark reacted to him, it pulsed violently, but she ignored it. She swayed and her shoulder connected with the wall. Her vision swam and black tendrils began to creep into the corners of her sight. It was with sheer strength of will that she forced her feet forward, one in front of the next until she reached her bedroom door.
She cast him the darkest glare she could muster as she wrenched open the door before she loudly -and with all the dramatic flair within her- slammed it shut behind her.
In the silence of her room she exhaled- then crumpled. Her back hit the door before she slid down to the floor, her body landing on the carpet in a graceless heap of limbs and anguish.
A crash rang out beyond the door, followed by another, then another; each punctuated by a curse.
She knew he would continue for hours, she had once seen him fell half of a forest in a rage.
Using all her remaining strength she rolled herself onto her back and stretched her limbs. Her body was wracked with pulses of pain, emanating from either the mark on her neck of the damned constricting of her chest, she wasn't sure.
Another crash echoed beyond the door and, hidden behind the sounds of Inuyasha's fury, Kagome sobbed like she hadn't in almost three decades.
