A/N—Hi, remember me? Well, here's that soon-ish update :o I apologize for not updating in forever. I blame that darned Harry Potter series for my lack of updates during the first half of the year, I temporarily abandoned this fandom to get all caught up in the pre-DH excitement; and I blame school for these past couple of months (school's usually at fault for something anyway). Anyway, much thanks to anyone out there still reading this story and an extra thanks to my recent reviewers, I know a lot of people won't bother with a fic that hasn't been updated in ages so thanks for reading :) Now on with the story…
Chapter Seven
"I can't you guys are actually leaving. I know this must be exciting for you all, starting up new lives together, but it just seems like it's all happening so fast. I'm happy for you, of course, but I'm just going to miss you," Kagome exclaimed, throwing her arms around Sango, who hugged her back with equal enthusiasm even though she wasn't one for such emotional displays in public, but she was feeling rather emotional herself.
"This isn't goodbye forever. We'll see each other again, won't we?" Sango said.
"Of course, I have to be an aunt, after all," Kagome cried.
The odd group of traveling companions and friends were exchanging their goodbyes before Miroku, Sango, Kohaku, and Kirara set out for the temple. The two women continued to hold each other and cry until Shippo joined them while Miroku and Inuyasha exchanged much less emotional goodbyes. They were both going to miss each other quite a bit though neither of them would come right out and say that exactly.
"Well, good luck," Inuyasha said. "Looks like you'll need it."
"Thanks, Inuyasha," Miroku smiled. "It's been, well, it's been interesting, but I value the time we spent together."
"Yeah, yeah, you were okay too, monk," said Inuyasha. Sango came over and pulled him into a hug without warning. He patted her on the back awkwardly, not use to such emotional displays from Sango and unsure of how much he was allowed to touch a pregnant woman.
Miroku was saying his goodbyes to Kagome and Shippo. Soon they parted ways and waved the traveling group off. Kohaku and Kirara were already a little ways ahead as Kohaku had felt a little uncomfortable watching everyone say their goodbyes. He had thanked Kagome, Inuyasha and Shippo and said goodbye to them earlier, and now he was wondering where Sesshomaru and Rin were.
After Miroku and Sango caught up with them, they walked in silence for a while, each of them caught up in their own thoughts. The temple was quite a ways away but Miroku wanted them to take their time getting there. Experienced travelers they might be, traveling could still be quite dangerous and he didn't want to take any risks. They would have to be much more cautious overall now.
On the first nightfall, they camped out as they had often done in the past though that all seemed as if it had happened so long ago. Miroku and Kohaku caught some fish for dinner and when they got back, Sango had a fire started. Over the course of the evening, Sango tried to engage Kohaku in conversation a few times, but he persisted in short replies and staying quiet when not directly addressed. Miroku could tell Sango was put off by this so he tried to distract them somewhat with reminisces of some of their sillier experiences when traveling in the past. He thought it might help to alleviate some of the tension and it seemed to work.
During their journey, Miroku noted that their sibling dynamic seemed to have changed. Sango still seemed as though she were doing her best to fill her role as big sister, but Kohaku was no longer the same little brother. He had changed in more ways than she had perhaps realized. Now that it was just the three of them and Kirara, there wasn't any way for Kohaku to separate himself from them except to retreat inside himself. Miroku sensed a conflict rising eventually if neither of them expressed their true thoughts.
Miroku didn't want to be in the middle of their conflict, but he didn't think either of them would ever approach their issues outright. Not with Sango trying to act as though things between them were as normal as they could be and Kohaku not wanting to open up to anyone. He hoped the situation would not become to stressful for Sango. His main priority was making sure that Sango and the baby were safe; he didn't want anything to upset her and he knew how easily upset she was these days.
A baby—he still couldn't quite believe it. He wasn't sure he'd ever be lucky enough to experience such a wondrous event, or in the case that he did in impregnate a woman, be alive long enough to witness the birth of his child. And that he was actually having a child with Sango, the woman he loved like no other in his life, was incredible to him.
Sango was even more beautiful; she truly did glow and looked livelier than ever. He could feel himself just itching to touch her but he did his best to restrain himself—he wasn't sure how much he was allowed to touch a pregnant woman. But oh, how he longed to touch her, among other things.
ooo
The next evening they came across an inn and Miroku decided it would be better if they spent the night there. Sango looked at him questioningly. "I don't think I have enough money with me for a room," she said.
"Don't worry about all that. Just leave it to me," he said confidently.
She gave him a weary look. "What are you planning exactly?"
He just smiled at her in reply and turned towards the inn. "Excuse me," Miroku said, approaching the man outside the inn chopping firewood.
"Yes?" he said gruffly, straightening up to face Miroku.
"Are you the owner of this fine inn?" he asked.
"Yes. Can I help you?"
"Well, my companions and I are looking for a room for the night and--"
"You're not that monk, who goes around performing fake exorcism, are you? That won't work here," he said.
Miroku glanced over at Sango who was watching them with narrowed eyes and her arms crossed. "No, you must be thinking of some other monk. I am but a humble traveling monk."
"You look kind of fa--"
"What's going on out here?" an older woman, who stood in the doorway, asked. Miroku assumed she was the inn owner's wife.
"This monk says he's looking for a room. I think he might be that fake exorcism monk," the owner replied.
"I assure you both that I am not that monk. I've been traveling for a long while now over the western lands and this is the first time that I've been in this region in a long time. Those two back there," he said, pointing towards Sango and Kohaku and lowering his voice, "are my traveling companions that joined me along the way. Their entire village was destroyed save for those two. The boy is an orphan, and the woman is with child," he finished solemnly.
"Oh, those poor things. Bless you for looking after them," the owner's wife said, pressing a hand to her heart.
"It was certainly the least I could do. I don't have much but I couldn't abandon them to be consumed by the horrors they've faced," Miroku said grimly.
"Well, of course, you can stay here," she replied, ignoring her husband who had started to reply and waved Sango and Kohaku over. "Come on inside everyone, there's a room already ready."
Sango shot him a wary glance as she walked over to them, hesitantly. "What did you say to them," she leaned in to ask him suspiciously.
Miroku shrugged innocently. "I explained our situation to them, well, a condensed version of it, and I suppose she just took pity on us."
Sango narrowed her eyes at him but didn't say anything else before going inside. The inn owner gave him a suspicious look. Miroku bowed his head and hurried inside after Kohaku.
They were showed to a nice sized room that was warm and a welcome change from the hard, cold ground. "I have food already prepared, I'll bring you some," the inn keeper's wife said.
"Oh, you don't have to go to so much trouble," Sango said.
"Don't be silly. I don't mind at all. Besides, you need to eat to keep your strength up for the baby. And I'll run a hot bath, you poor boy, you could definitely use one. With no mother to take care of you, I suppose you haven't had one in a while," she said, looking at Kohaku with a look of pity.
Kohaku watched her leave, a look of confusion on his face and then he gave Miroku a knowing look. Sango looked down at her stomach, patting it. "Am I showing that much?" she muttered to herself.
When the lady of the inn returned with their food, she placed the most in front of Sango and told them all to eat as much they liked. Then she pointed in the direction of the bathhouse. "And be sure to drink all that tea, it's especially good for pregnant women. You're all so fortunate to have been found such a kind and honest monk," she said, beaming at Miroku.
Sango choked on her tea. "Thank you, madam, but you speak too highly of me," he said, patting Sango on the back.
She waved his words away. "Oh hush. And you," she said, turning to Kohaku, "make sure to get into that bath straight after you finish eating."
"Thank you, madam," Kohaku said quickly.
"Honest," Sango snorted after she had left. "What exactly did you tell her?"
"I simply said that you were the only survivors of your village and I just happened upon you both one day. The truth, like I told you before."
Sango shook her head. "Fortunate indeed."
Kohaku finished his meal and hurried off for the bathhouse. Miroku wasn't sure whether he left quickly so as to avoid being in the same room as them for too long or he perhaps he just really wanted a bath. But Miroku took advantage of his absence and started to rub Sango's shoulders when they were alone.
"What are you doing?" Sango said. "I'm pretty sure monks who pick up orphan children and pregnant women in ruined villages aren't supposed to touch the pregnant women."
"But I'm a kind monk, remember?" he said, lowering his hands.
She slapped his hands away. "Sorry, but apparently I'm an unwed soon to be mother of an apparently fatherless child, I think this would be deemed inappropriate. So maybe you should act a little less perverted and more like this kind and honest monk that I've been hearing so much about. It sounds like he would never hit on a pregnant woman."
"I would never hit on pregnant women. Just one in particular."
ooo
They set out early the next day after thanking the inn owners, and were able to reach the temple before nightfall safely. It looked as though no had in inhabited the place for a long time. Throughout Miroku's youth, the temple had always had an aged appearance, starting in the corners where the dust and the spider webs collected first and then slowly creeping over the rest of the place with its cracked walls and dull floors. Only in the past few months did it really start to look careworn while Mushin-sama's health faded and with no one hear to keep it tidy.
Miroku felt a little odd about being back here especially since Mushin was no longer around. He could still recall his childhood here clearly, though it seemed several lifetimes ago—all the stories Mushin had told him, some were to teach him lessons and other were to get him to behave and some were to help fill the large void that was his father's absence. His father had been a man of a few words from what he remembered though Mushin had told him that his father had once been quite the storyteller. From his father, he had learned that it was best not to get too close to anyone while enduring the curse that plagued their family, which had served him well until he met Sango, of course. His father had hardly ever spoken of his mother.
It was Mushin who told him about his mother—that she was supposed to be the fourth wife to some far off feudal lord, but his father had fallen in love with her against his better judgment and they had run away from that region. But she had died a short while after Miroku's birth. That was, according to Mushin, what had changed his father most, making him colder and accepting of his impending death.
Being here again with his new family and remembering those old stories made him feel all the more grateful his fate had not followed his father and grandfather's fates. He knew he was quite fortunate in his life and he wanted to make the most of it while he still could.
A/N—Thanks for reading, reviews are very much appreciated. Ch.8 will be up soon, I swear on my copy of Deathly Hallows. XD
