Reborn, an InuYasha fanfic by Tsunami Storm
Chapter 9: Family Bonds
-About two weeks later-
"Kagome?" Miroku called, walking through the woods to a nearby hot-spring where he knew Kagome had gone to take a bath. He didn't want to get something thrown at him for trying to peep, so he made sure to announce himself loudly. "Kagome-sama? Are you all right?" As far as he was concerned, he had every right to worry about her. She'd been in the hot-spring for far too long.
Kagome and Miroku had been specifically requested by the headman of a nearby village to exorcise demons and demon-spirits from the area because he'd heard of their incredible spiritual powers from their journeys. Unfortunately, Sango was too weak to accompany them because of her pregnancy, and the village was extremely hostile toward and prejudiced against demons. Inuyasha had been forbidden to come- as well as Shippo and Kirara- so Kagome suggested they just remain in Kaede's village until their return. "I'll be fine." She'd insisted. "I've got Miroku with me. He'll keep me safe."
Inuyasha had scoffed at that. "Keh! Sure. An' cop a feel every chance he gets."
Kagome had glared at him. "He's not like that anymore, Inuyasha. You told me that on your 'journey' together, not once did he make a move toward anyone, right? He wouldn't- couldn't do that to Sango."
"Hmph." The hanyou had responded eloquently, then muttered something about hunting a few demons in the area and jumped off.
Miroku shook his head to return his thoughts to the present and smiled fondly as he recalled the ease at which he and Kagome were able to work together to rid the town of apparitions. Like a well-oiled machine, he had exorcised the demons and spirits from the houses and Kagome had purified them with her Sacred Arrows.
She really has been in there for a long time- Miroku thought as he neared the spring. He could see the steam rising from the water just beyond the trees and thought absently, Perhaps when Kagome is finished, I'll take a quick bath. It's been a while since I've come across a spring. He was a bit concerned that he couldn't even see Kagome's outline or hear any sounds that would indicate she was washing. Maybe she's finished already. But if that's true, why hasn't she come back to the headman's house yet?
"Kagome?" Miroku called once more as he stepped out of the tree-line, scanning the spring for any sign of his friend. Suddenly a sight that would haunt his nightmares for years to come met his eyes.
"Kagome!" He gasped, dropping his staff and running into the spring- soaking his robes and sandals, but he couldn't care less about that right now. Kagome was face-down in the water and didn't appear to be moving. "Kagome! No!" He cried, grabbing her shoulders and lifting her head out of the water. "Speak to me! Kagome, please!" He shook her shoulders, but her head merely lolled and flopped uselessly back and forth.
Miroku's usual thoughts were the last thing on his mind as he carried the unconscious miko out of the spring, setting her gently on the ground. Terrified that he would lose one of his closest friends- indeed, the girl he saw as his younger sister- Miroku bent to her face and tried a technique he'd seen a physician use once, a very long time ago when he was just a boy. He carefully plugged her nose, then started to breathe air into her lungs. Two breaths, then he folded his hands and placed them over her heart, pushing down in compressions and counting to himself. When he reached fifteen, he tried the breaths again.
He repeated this process five more times and was starting to think he'd been too late- that all hope was lost- when Kagome coughed and spat out a mouthful of water. She coughed until her lungs were clear, then looked at her savior with boundless thanks and quite a bit of surprise. Miroku smiled at her in immeasurable relief, then abruptly averted his eyes and untied the purple portion of his robes- handing them to Kagome with a slight blush in his cheeks. The miko looked at the cloth in confusion for a moment, then squeaked loudly and snatched the robe- covering herself in record time. She gaped wide-eyed at the monk, who was watching her carefully and in concern. He didn't want her to pass out from standing up too fast. He'd had that happen to him once. It scared the seven Hells out of master Mushin, and Miroku vowed he'd never do it again. At least not around his mentor.
Kagome continued to glare at him suspiciously and in confusion, and- when he saw that fainting was not likely- Miroku relaxed and smiled at her disarmingly. She raised a questioning eyebrow. "I'd call you a pervert again and smack you, but I think that pervert just saved my life. Since when do you know CPR?"
Miroku cocked his head at the unfamiliar term, and Kagome explained. "It's also known as 'mouth-to-mouth'. It's what you do when someone's not breathing. How'd you know?" She asked him again, still surprised and more than a little impressed.
The monk smiled. "When I was very young, I saw a physician use the technique in a similar situation. Though, in that case, he'd rescued a child from a fire. She wasn't breathing either. It was far to the northeast of this area." He gasped, then started chuckling. Within minutes he was full-out laughing.
"What's so funny?" Kagome asked, smiling in spite of herself.
"I'm not usually one to believe in coincidences, but I'm pretty certain the physician was none other than Doctor Suikotsu- when he was alive." He answered, still chuckling.
Kagome's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?! Suikotsu? Of the Band of Seven?"
"I cannot believe it either, but I'm positive it was the very same man." The monk chuckled. "Lady Fate sure has some sense of humor."
"Yeah, I'll say." Kagome breathed, shaking her head in disbelief. She started toward the tree-line, then stopped, sitting down again. Miroku followed her in concern. "Kagome? What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
The miko shook her head. "No, just a little dizzy. I had to move away from the steam. It was making me sick." She looked down in embarrassment, falling silent for a while.
Miroku nodded understandingly. Her eyes looked a bit glassy and her face was still flushed- though that could be from embarrassment too. He looked down at his feet and sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, Kagome, I didn't really see anything. I was too focused on getting you breathing again."
She looked up with a start. "Oh! Um- I-I wasn't thinking about that. Didn't you know that saving someone's life totally lets you off the hook?" She laughed nervously. Then she looked down at her bare feet again. "I was just thinking about what happened earlier with those demons we exorcised. I guess I missed one." She sighed, abashed.
"What do you mean, Kagome? Did a demon do this to you?" Miroku asked, suddenly frowning. If a demon had done this to Kagome, he'd hunt that monster down and send it straight to Hell. No one messed with his imouto(1).
Kagome nodded. "Some small ferret or weasel-demons stole my clothes, and suddenly I found myself face-down in the water. I could feel its- paws on the back of my head, holding me under. I fought and struggled, but it was too strong. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life!" She suddenly cried, launching herself into Miroku's arms and sobbing. "Thank you for saving my life, Onii-sama(2)!" She wailed, burying her face in his shoulder.
Miroku hugged her as if he were afraid she'd break if he held her too tight, Kagome hugged him as if she were afraid she'd break if she let go.
"You are most welcome, imouto-sama."
"A'ight you taijiya siblings, attack us as if we were a pair of youkai someone asked ya to exterminate!" Inuyasha taunted as Kirara tensed into battle position beside him. "It's probably been a while since you two had a chance ta fight side-by-side. Yer outta practice."
"Oh yeah, Inuyasha? We'll just see about that!" Sango challenged. The hanyou's words had struck a deep nerve- even though that wasn't his intention- but she just transferred that pain into an attack. "Hiraikotsu!" She cried, flinging her giant boomerang at her friend. Kohaku came at him from the side, wielding his chain-sickle like a master. He cast the 'safe' end of the chain at Inuyasha- hoping to snare his leg and pull him back to the ground- as he'd jumped to avoid the Hiraikotsu.
Kirara wasn't about to be left out, though. She caught the chain in her jaws and yanked it away from her friend's leg, then released it with a feline smirk in her young playmate's direction. Kohaku laughed. "Oh so you wanna take me on alone, Kirara? Fine by me! But I promise it won't be like when I was a kid!"
"Keh, you still are a kid, Kohaku." Inuyasha commented quickly as he continued to dodge Sango's attacks. "Don' try ta grow up too fast." Kami knows I had to. He thought silently to himself.
"Well okay. Younger then." Kohaku amended, shrugging. He faced his opponent again, this time drawing his sword. Suddenly a whirlwind blew into town, kicking up all kinds of straw and dirt from the dusty road. The warriors looked away from their battle long enough to notice a small pack of wolves trailing behind the tornado, and Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Oh perfect. My favorite mangy wolf.
The whirlwind stopped just short of blowing the three friends over, and Kirara managed to hold her ground. The wind dispersed and a good bit of it buffeted Inuyasha in the face. The wolf pack caught up to their leader just as he was brushing himself off- huffing, puffing and panting with their tongues hanging out.
"Hey, mutt." Koga growled by way of greeting, barely sparing a glance for his rival while looking for his favorite miko. "Where's Kagome?"
The hanyou glared back. "Not here. She an' Miroku 're in another village exorcising' demons an' demon-spirits. They were specially requested by the headman himself." The half-demon bragged, proud of the young woman he deeply cared for. "She's gettin' ta be as renowned as Kikyo was."
"So why didn't you go with her?" Koga asked, for once not able to come up with a nasty comment.
"Eh, she's strong enough ta take care of herself. Plus Miroku's with her. They're fine. I wasn' allowed ta come 'cuz the villagers 're super prejudiced against demons. Sango would've gone, but she's not been feelin' the greatest lately, so we stayed here 'til they get back." Inuyasha explained, shrugging and subtly implying that he was protecting the taijiya who would be a mother in four months.
Koga nodded in greeting to the two demonslayers, and Kohaku waved back in a friendly way. "You wanna join our 'sparring' group? Just a little practice battle between friends?" The boy offered.
Koga smirked. "That does sound like fun, but maybe some other time. We're actually on a hunting trip, an' I thought I'd drop in since we were in the area." He glanced awkwardly at Sango. "Uh- Con-congrats. Kinda figured you an' the monk would end up together." He commented, rubbing the back of his neck.
Sango smiled, knowing that this was about as close to a compliment as she would get from the proud wolf demon. "Thank you, Koga."
"Yeah, congratulations!" Hakkakku and Ginta added in unison, and the taijiya smiled wider and blushed.
"Yer not huntin' humans, are ya?" Inuyasha asked suddenly. "'Cuz ya know how Kagome would feel 'bout that."
"Nope. Wild boar." Koga corrected. "We stopped hunting humans a while ago. Mostly 'cuz of Kagome, but we were considering it before we even met. About half the pack was against it, an' I didn't want the clan to split over the matter."
Sango nodded in approval. Koga may be young, but he was already a wise leader.
"That an' boar tastes better. Humans 're too stringy. And there's too many bones to deal with." The wolf demon teased with a grin.
No one quite knew what to say to that, so Koga changed the subject. "By the way. You guys better be careful. There's this real nasty spider-demon an' her hordes wreakin' havoc all over the place. Her venom's particularly bad against humans. Calls herself Ukaran-"
"Yeah, we know. We've come across her handiwork before." Inuyasha interrupted. "Well, Miroku an' I have. It eats away at human females from the inside out an' turns human males inta random demons. But it's nothin' I can't handle. Don't do squat ta full demons, an' the worst it does ta half-demons is knock 'em out."
"How'd you know all that?" Koga asked, flummoxed and impressed despite himself.
Inuyasha grinned. "Kagome took a sample of the venom back to her own time. The father of one of her friends is good with that kinda thing. She took blood samples from all of us an' sent those along too. My point is, if that freaky menace shows her ugly face aroun' here, I'll make 100% sure she doesn' get anywhere near Kagome."
"Good. You'd better not." Koga growled, frowning protectively. He still cared about the young woman from the future, though now it was more toward friendship than love. He knew that Inuyasha and Kagome were meant for each other and that he could never hope to win her heart from someone like him. Besides, he had Ayame now.
"Well, we'd better get back to the hunt. Not worth stopping if Kagome's not even here." He teased Inuyasha as he prepared to take off. "You take care of yerselves, demonslayers!" He waved, running off into the west- his pack right on his heels.
"Why that li'l-" Inuyasha growled, clenching his fists. "I oughta-"
Kohaku chuckled. "He's only teasing, Inuyasha. You're so easy to rile up!"
Suddenly the hanyou turned to his youngest human friend. "Oh yeah? We'll jus' see about that!" He challenged, grinning. Then the four friends resumed their battle, fully rested and eager to show off their various skills.
"So this plant is good for treating poisons?" Rin asked, pointing to a small tuft and looking at Kaede. Shippo was next to her, also learning about various herbs that were good for medicine.
"Indeed, child. And this plant is one that demons sometimes use when they are injured. Though it works fairly well on humans too." Kaede answered, pointing to another plant in her herb garden.
"Stings really bad though." The kitsune commented. "I remember my father using this when I scraped my knee once. Hurt like nothing else, but it healed completely in only a day. Normally it probably would've taken a few days at least."
Rin smiled, studying the plant more closely and trying to memorize its appearance. Maybe I can use my knowledge to help Lord Sesshomaru someday- if he ever comes back for me. She thought fondly of her god-like idol and father-figure.
-A while later-
I wonder where Lord Sesshomaru and master Jaken are now? She mused to herself as she and Shippo worked to make the ground level where Miroku and Sango's future house would be. I hope they're doing all right.
Said youkai were traveling west- the proud demon lord in his true form and running atop the clouds- his vassal trailing behind him on A-Un. The dog-demon growled, annoyed. He could smell a storm approaching, and he hated getting wet. He glanced back at his companions and noticed Jaken watching him attentively, as if about to ask a question of him. Sure enough, not five seconds passed before the small demon opened his mouth.
"Forgive my interruption, milord, but may I ask where we are bound?" Jaken asked, and Sesshomaru used a giant paw to point to a small, nearly hidden cave, then gestured up to the tallest peak of the mountains in the distance.
"Oh, I see!" squeaked the imp. "The cave will provide shelter from the coming storm, and then we will journey to the mountain when it has passed?" The giant dog nodded. "But why the mountain, milord? Have you some business there?" Another nod. "Very well, my liege. As always, I shall follow wherever you lead, to the bitter end. Come rain or sunshine, drought and high winds-"
Sesshomaru tuned out his attendant's rambling, his thoughts on another small creature that had shown him unfailing loyalty and had taught him compassion. The girl he'd taken twice from the cold hands of Death, and had become to him something akin to a daughter. Or at the very least his ward. He almost smiled when he recalled how she would follow him without a trace of fear, though he was a powerful demon lord. A demon who despised humans, considering them lesser creatures not worthy to stand in his presence.
But Rin was different. Somehow she had done what no other being- demon or human- had ever been able to do before. With her childlike innocence and unconscious kindness to every living thing, she had actually broken through his emotional armor- armor he'd thought impenetrable- and touched his heart. A heart he'd thought had turned to cold stone long ago.
He very nearly smiled again as he fondly recalled the evening they'd first met. Fondly? The demon asked himself, then shrugged mentally. Sure. Fondly. I can admit that at least. To myself. Kami forbid he ever admit it aloud.
-Flashback-
Sesshomaru rested against the trunk of an ancient tree, waiting for his strength to return after barely surviving a direct attack from Inuyasha's 'Wind Scar'. Though he hated to admit it, his own 'useless' blade- the Tenseiga- had saved his life. He sighed heavily as he glanced at the sword on his left hip, and then up to his empty left sleeve. He growled as the painful memory resurfaced, how he'd lost his arm in the fight within the tomb of his father. You will pay for this, Inuyasha. I swear it. This Sesshomaru will make you pay for disarming me!
Some nearby bushes rustled and he snarled in that direction, his eyes blood-red. A soft gasp reached his ears and he spotted a small human child, carrying a small water jug and frozen in fear. His eyes softened a bit when he saw she wasn't a threat, though he was both surprised and confused at her actions. A normal human child would have run away by now- probably screaming and crying in fear- but this girl actually started to approach him, setting down her water container and leaving it for him as if he needed it. Then she left without so much as a word. Sesshomaru glanced at the bottle. He was a bit thirsty, but he would never accept aid from a human- and especially not a child. His pride would never allow it.
Surprisingly the child returned the next day, bringing a large leaf with grilled fish and mushrooms on it. He was impressed by the child's bravery and grudgingly appreciated the kind gesture, but he was a demon- and a dog-demon at that. Demons like him ate meat, not vegetables or fungi.
"Mind your own business, girl." He sighed, trying to give the kid the hint to leave him be. When he noticed the child still standing there, he growled, "Your generosity is wasted, I don't eat human food."
That seemed to work, because the girl turned and left. However the next evening, Sesshomaru saw the same girl bringing another leaf with wheat [That is wheat, right? I can't tell.] stalks on it. "No thanks." He sighed, but the girl still offered the food. "I told you I don't need anything from you." As she turned, the demon lord spotted new wounds on her face that weren't there yesterday. "Where did you get those bruises?" He asked, surprising himself with his curiosity. Then he added with a gentleness he didn't know he was capable of- "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He said with a tilt of his head.
The girl surprised him again. Instead of answering, she gave him the brightest smile he'd ever seen from a human and giggled, and Sesshomaru noted that one of her teeth was either chipped or missing.
"What are you smiling about? I simply asked a question. I don't care, I'm just curious." He growled, wondering why he felt the need to explain himself to this enigmatic child. He was just vulnerable now, that was it. He was wounded, and he was making up things to protect himself from danger and further harm. But how dangerous could one human child be?
-End Flashback-
After that I found Rin collapsed in the forest road, killed by wolves. That day changed my life forever. Sesshomaru thought as he finally landed, transformed and walked into the cave just as the first droplets of rain started falling to the ground. He glanced back as A-Un and Jaken landed, and smirked slightly when he saw that the imp was still jabbering.
"-Hell or high water, nothing will sway me from following in your service, my lord." Jaken huffed, out of breath after his interminably long-winded speech.
"Thanks." He muttered, then chuckled silently once when his vassal nearly fainted with surprise.
Rin- He thought, Be safe.
Miroku smiled as he watched the headman's beautiful daughters dance in perfect synchronization. They had clearly been practicing for this, celebrating the eradication of every demon from their small village. The food was excellent too, and he kept glancing at Kagome to see if she was enjoying herself as much as he was. Turns out he was right, because she grinned back at him.
After the latest glance, the headman noticed the bond between the two and asked, "So, are you married, master monk? I must say, the two of you fit very well together."
Miroku was taken aback at the headman's assumption, and Kagome turned beet-red. Then he laughed. "I am afraid you are a bit mistaken, my good man. I am married, but not to Kagome. She's my imouto."
"Oh!" The headman gasped. "My apologies." Then he looked around for another young woman who was with the monk, but found no one.
Miroku laughed again. "My wife Sango stayed in our home village. Her first pregnancy is proving to be a bit difficult for her, it seems." He grinned at his imouto, who looked back- still quite red, but smiling too.
"Well, I offer my congratulations then, master monk- and to your wife as well. I wish you both happiness and the best of fortune in the coming years as a family." The headman answered, a bit embarrassed about his earlier erroneous assumption.
"I guess I cannot fault you for assuming that we were married, though." Miroku commented after a minute. "We work so well together, and our bond is strong- nigh unbreakable." That and she's wearing only the purple outer portion of my robes. Miroku added mentally. No wonder the headman assumed we were a couple.
-After the delicious feast-
Miroku announced that he had one more errand to run before turning in for the night. Kagome offered to come with him, but he insisted that it was a solo mission that would not take long. He excused himself from the mansion and the gate, nodding in greeting to the guards on the night watch.
Miroku walked into the forest, shivering slightly as a cold wind blew past him. That doesn't make much sense. It's only August. It shouldn't be getting too cold so soon. Then he glanced around. Perhaps there is a demon spirit nearby. He reasoned. That could explain the chill-
Continuing on, he discovered a perfectly round clearing that was blanketed in ice and snow and a young girl with sea-green hair in a sky-blue kimono kneeling in the center. Her back was to him, and it appeared that she was surrounded by more than a few small forest-dwelling creatures. And she looked like she was holding something. [Strongly based on Yukina of Yu Yu Hakusho, but it's not actually her.]
The monk approached her cautiously, not wanting to startle her. However, it seemed she was exceptionally keen of hearing, because she whipped around in fright when his sandaled foot crunched into the snow. Miroku stood perfectly still as she studied him, and he watched her warily. An ice maiden? He thought to himself. They live in the mountains far to the north. This girl's a long way from home. The monk noticed that she held a very familiar set of clothing in her hands, all folded neatly and looking brand-new.
"Do these belong to your friend?" The ice maiden asked quietly, suddenly shy. "The one you saved from drowning?"
Miroku nodded mutely, too awestruck to speak. The girl appeared to be around Kagome's age, but her voice was like a chorus of angels. After a moment he remembered his manners and bowed respectfully. "Yes, they do. I thank you for your help in retrieving them."
The ice maiden smiled softly and set the clothes on the ground at her feet, then retreated a few steps. "You are welcome, human monk. I admit that I admire the devotion and care toward your friend that you displayed earlier. I wish that all humans possessed as kind a heart as you do."
Miroku turned pink and looked down. "Your words flatter me, young maiden, but I'm afraid I am far from perfect. There are for certain many people in this world better than me." He admitted. [Not really. XD Aside from being a lech, Miroku's one of the kindest people I 'know'.]
The ice maiden smiled at him warmly. "I shall keep that in mind. Fare thee well, noble monk, and may your journey home be safe." She wished, turning and disappearing into the woods, taking her wintry surroundings with her.
"Likewise, kori-onnanoko(3+4)." Miroku answered softly, somehow knowing the mysterious young girl would hear it. He returned to the headman's house and returned the clothes to their rightful owner, who was quite surprised to see them. She beamed at her Onii-sama in thanks, then excused herself to go change and give Miroku his kesu(5) back. When she returned, she leaned over and whispered to him, "Can we keep this just between us? If Inuyasha found out, you know how he'd react." She pleaded, making a face as she thought of her overprotective boyfriend.
Miroku grinned conspiratorially. "Your secret is safe with me, imouto-sama."
End of chapter (Episode) 9
Next chapter teaser: Close Encounters of the Demon Kind
I've wanted to do a MirKag bonding scene for a while now, and a few days ago this wonderful hot-spring idea popped into my head out of nowhere. The human mind comes up with the strangest things sometimes, doesn't it? (Or at least mine does. LOL)
I've been missing Koga, so he returns for this chapter with his two right-hand men, Hakkakku and Ginta. He's always messing with my favorite hanyou, and I think it's hilarious. Looks like he hasn't changed much.
Wow. Sesshomaru's actually capable of being gentle? Where did that come from? *snrk* Apparently he doesn't like the rain. * gets a mental image of a sopping-wet dog-form Sesshomaru* Bahahahahahaaaa! * gets a rock thrown at my head *
Sesshomaru(growls): Shut up.
Originally that ice-maiden was going to be Yukina from Yu Yu Hakusho, but I realized that Yukina's too young. She's somewhere between 16 and 99 years old in the show- as ice apparitions reach maturity at 100 years- and that show takes place in the Modern Era, not the Sengoku Jidai. (Feudal Era). Hey, it could be a distant ancestor of Yukina and Hiei's, you never know. *shrugs* Or maybe even their mother. Hmm-
Translations:
Imouto - Little sister
Onii-sama - Honorable big brother
Kori - Ice
Onnanoko - Young girl
Kesu - The outer portion of a monk's traditional robes. In Miroku's case, it's purple.
See you next chapter!
God Bless!
Tsunami Storm
