I feel like I haven't updated in a long ass time. *sigh* Well, at least it wasn't that long this time! Thanks to CityOfFallenAshes, iheartwinky, xXxAddicted2ChocolatexXx, loveless an the living fantasy and KiraraGoesMeow for reviewing the last chapter! And sorry for the lack of ramen in this chapter, xXxAddicted2ChocolatexXx! I'll try to make it up to you at the end with an author's note. :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
Miki gathered a small bag of things for Mamoru before standing at the opening of the den. She turned around and saw Kouga wrestling with Mamoru. She sighed. "C'mon Kouga, we promised to go visit Miroku and Sango!" she called over her shoulder.
Kouga waved his hand and finally caught Mamoru. Mamoru was laughing at his father's exasperation. Kouga gave his son a small smile despite his worries.
The wolves had been pretty unruly lately and they rarely listened when Miki took charge. Just the thought of it pissed Kouga off. It'd been the same deal for about five years now. Why the hell couldn't they listen to her? But that was nothing new.
On top of his frustration at the wolves, Miki had almost completely shut him out of her life. The aftermath of the arrow was starting to upset him. Not only did he almost lose her, now she was ignoring him most of the time.
Kouga had gotten Mamoru in his arms. He held him in his left arm and took Miki's hand with his free one. Together, they took off toward the village. Mamoru giggled the entire way there. He loved it when his father ran with him. He liked feeling the wind blow through his hair. Slowly, they came to a stop in front of Sango and Miroku's hut. They were about to walk inside when Kirara darted out with Karin close behind.
"Hi Uncle Kouga. Hi Auntie Miki," she said politely before chasing Kirara again.
Mamoru started to squirm in Kouga's arms. He laughed, having understood his hint. Kouga set Mamoru down and grinned at his round face. "Mamoru, stay with Kirara. OK?"
"OK, Daddy," he said happily. He ran after Kirara and started playing with her and Karin.
Kouga and Miki stepped in Sango and Miroku's hut, immediately greeted by Misaki and Harumi. The twin girls were jumping up and down, singing, "New baby! New baby! New baby!" before running out to join Kirara, Karin and Mamoru. The couple laughed softly before finally meeting Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango.
Miki threw her arms around Sango and squeezed her tightly. "Third child," she whispered. "You must be so proud!" She backed away from Sango and beamed at Miroku who worriedly glanced at her and then at Kouga.
"Miki, you sure you're fine?" asked Miroku. "You got hit with two sacred arrows not too long ago."
She softly smiled at the ground. "I'm fine, Miroku. There's no need to worry about me. Just worry about how you're going to react when your child is born."
Both Inuyasha and Miroku raised an eyebrow at Kouga who guiltily looked away. Ever since she was hit with the arrows, she refused to talk about the incident and it was apparent to everyone. How could they not notice? When she was around, she spent less time smiling with Kouga and more time with Mamoru snuggled in her arms. It was rare seeing her without Mamoru.
Kouga turned back to Sango with a nervous smile. "So Misaki and Harumi are excited?"
Sango also noticed the awkward silence. "Yeah. They're so happy that they get a new brother or sister."
The silence afterward was unbearable. Inuyasha cleared his throat rather loudly, making everyone shudder.
"Sorry. Miki, can I talk to you for a second?"
She looked surprised, but she slowly nodded. Kouga glanced at his mate before silently pleading to Inuyasha. Inuyasha curtly nodded, taking Miki to the front of Sango and Miroku's hut.
He didn't even say a word when she sighed. "Inuyasha, I know why you brought me out here. You want me to talk about what happened."
Damn her knack for guessing what was on people's minds. He nervously scratched the back of his head, staring off into the distance. "Well-"
She crossed her arms and glared at him. "I don't want to talk about it, Inuyasha. And before you argue with me and say that talking about it will make me feel better, don't. If I don't want to talk about this with Kouga, then why would I talk about it with you?"
His eyes narrowed at her words. She spoke with such venom. Why? Why was she acting like this? "Listen, I know Kouga can speak without thinking sometimes, but-"
She let out a mirthless laugh. "Please. Kouga knows what he's saying and honestly, I don't give a shit about it. I know that he never got over Kagome-"
"And that's where you're wrong!" he shouted.
She looked taken aback. He didn't mean to yell at her, but she lacked so much self esteem where Kouga was concerned. She would put herself down until she was level with the ground. He took a deep breath. "Miki, demon matings are forever. You know that. Why would Kouga mate you if he wasn't sure he loved you? And you say that he doesn't care? Think back, has he tried to talk to you since it happened? What were his first words when he saw your eyes open?"
She opened her mouth and then closed it, dumbfounded. He sighed in relief. She was finally thinking now. He saw her face fall. "I…I always assumed. That he didn't get over her." She looked up with watery eyes. "The fact that he was able to pinpoint her scent after all these years…How am I supposed to overlook that, Inuyasha?"
He cringed at the tears and hurt that had gathered in her eyes. He looked down at the grass before he lost it. "You don't overlook it. You move on from it. Forgive and forget. That's what a relationship is all about. I'm not proud to admit it, but I did the same thing when I was younger. I would unintentionally lead Kagome on and then I'd end up breaking her heart because I was blinded by my love for Kikyo."
She wiped her eyes. "I guess Kouga and I can talk things over tonight," she said shakily.
He ruffled her hair, earning him a look of annoyance. "That's the way to go."
She yanked his hand off her hair and pushed him aside. "You know I hate it when you do that."
He beat her to the entrance. Just before walking in, he looked over his shoulder and smirked at her. "I know."
She shook her head before walking in, but before doing so, she also looked over her shoulder and squinted at the faint figures that were playing with a large cat demon. She smiled before stepping in.
Kouga anxiously looked up at Inuyasha. Inuyasha waved his hand as he sat down across from Miroku. "You are so lucky I became softer when I got mated."
Kouga glared at the hanyou. "I tried, mutt. I tried to talk to her. She just shut me out of her life."
The two demons glared daggers at each other. Sango and Miroku tiredly glanced at each other. They shook their heads with slight smiles on their faces. Back to the days when Inuyasha and Kouga couldn't go two seconds without fighting.
Miki walked into the room and the first thing that caught her eye was the intense staredown and Miroku and Sango's amused faces. She looked questioningly at them, but they shrugged. She tentatively sat down next to Sango, smiling at the expecting parents. "So, have you thought of names?"
They shook their heads. "Not yet," answered Sango. "We're still letting it sink in." She smiled fondly at her midsection. Miroku lay a hand on her stomach where the baby might kick someday.
It was just then that Kouga noticed that Miki had come back. He caught her eye and she gave him a small smile. 'We'll talk about it tonight,' she mouthed at him.
His eyes softened and he nodded back. Inuyasha sat back in his seat, feeling a little proud of what he had done. He might've helped Kouga and Miki reconcile. He closed his eyes and smirked. And Kagome thought that I couldn't do a single nice thing for Kouga.
And then Inuyasha whipped out a cup of ramen from the pocket of his hakamas. Kouga glanced at the cup questioningly.
"Don't judge, bastard," spat Inuyasha. "It's fucking delicious." He glanced down at the cup and sighed. "I suppose xXxAddicted2ChocolatexXx can have this. Cuz she doesn't have any at home." He grudgingly gave the cup to xXxAddicted2ChocolatexXx. "Hope you enjoy it," he mumbled.
Haha. Hope that was a nice compensation!
Don't forget to read and review! Constructive criticism is always welcome.