Miroku slowly regained consciousness. As he woke, he noticed three things: One, he was lying on his stomach, his back facing the sky (or ceiling) above him. Two, his back hurt like all hell, switching between a searing pain and an annoying itching sensation. Three, he was ninety-nine percent sure he could hear Sango's soft breathing somewhere nearby as she slept. 'Hmm...I wonder how long I've been asleep?' he thought, more curious than horrified or embarrassed.
His eyes flickered open, blinking several times to get rid of any lingering exhaustion. Now that the houshi could see, he noticed that he was in what looked suspiciously like Kaede's hut. Had they really been that close to the village? Or had Sango kept on moving until she found the village?
A soft mew sounded from somewhere close to his ear. Turning his head, Miroku saw Kirara sitting next to him, concern flickering in her red eyes.
"Good morning, Kirara," Miroku greeted nonchalantly, as though this were just another regular day and he wasn't lying on his stomach with, now that he thought about it, his robes folded down to expose his torso. "I trust you're feeling better?"
Kirara mewed softly in agreement, then rubbed her head carefully against his shoulder, purring softly as her tails flicked across his face. The houshi smiled as he carefully lifted his cursed hand and stroked the nekomata's creamy fur, glad to see that she was all right.
There was a rustle and a clatter at the entrance to the hut as Kaede entered, moving the reed mat that hung over the door aside and slowly making her way to where the houshi was lying. Miroku moved to the best of his ability, managing to turn his head around so he could look at her. "So I was right then," he mused, almost to himself. "I am in your most honorable care, Kaede-sama."
The old woman looked at him, her good eye shining with relief when she beheld Miroku's calm and smiling face. "It is good to see you awake, houshi-sama," she told him, settling down beside him with a slight creak of protest from her old bones. "Sango was very worried about you when she brought you in two nights ago, covered in blood and barely conscious."
Miroku's brow furrowed as he thought back to the fight with Kyūna-shi and Mujōna. He remembered seeing the broad form of the fisherman Mujōna had chosen to inhabit, the much larger form of Kyūna-shi barreling out of the trees...Sango's scream of horror when Mujōna had tried to enter her body...
Even the memory of the near miss had Miroku shuddering slightly, a small growl of anger reverberating in his throat. In that moment, Miroku understood completely why InuYasha had been so hurt and angry. If it had been him in that position, as he had almost been, Miroku knew he would have been filled with helpless rage at the fact that his woman had fallen into Naraku's hands, and would have felt extremely guilty for not being able to protect her.
'But I did, and I accept any consequences of my decision, since I was able to protect Sango,' he thought, brow smoothing out again as he sighed. "So, how bad is it?" the houshi asked, working hard to make his voice sound barely interested.
Kaede sighed, her eye becoming tired. "Five long and deep wounds stretching from your right shoulder to your left hip. They were bleeding profusely, and we almost lost you when I stitched the wounds closed. Sango was beside herself." When she spoke of the taijiya, the old miko looked to her left, where the woman in question was sleeping, her back resting against the wooden wall. Miroku wanted to see her as well, so, ignoring the protests of the five wounds on his back, the houshi pushed himself up into a sitting position, wincing slightly as the afflicted area burned with pain. Kaede raised her eyebrow at the houshi's actions, but did not comment.
Miroku turned to face Sango, his amethyst eyes concerned, almost as if she was the one who had been badly wounded. His eyes found her sitting up against the wall, her eyes closed and her chest rising in the slow, even pattern that signified sleep. Upon closer inspection, the houshi saw that tear-tracks marred the taijiya's otherwise perfect face. Had she been that worried about him? Touching.
"Sango," he called quietly as he settled into a more comfortable position. The youkai-taijiya jerked awake, as if Miroku had shouted her name at the top of his lungs. She looked frantically around the hut before her eyes finally landed upon Miroku, sitting up and looking straight at her.
"Houshi-sama, what are you doing?" she moaned angrily. "You'll open your wounds if you sit like that!" Sango lurched forward, hands outstretched to push the houshi back down. However, before her hands could connect with his bandaged chest, Miroku caught them with his own, forcing Sango to a halt.
"I assure you, Sango, I am doing quite well now," he soothed her, his thumbs making gentle circles on the taijiya's surprisingly small hands. Sango blushed and yanked her hands away, mumbling something incoherent under her breath. Miroku smiled at her, his eyes sparkling with glee at the taijiya's suddenly awkward pose. "Really, Sango, we've been together for all this time, and yet you still react this way when I touch you?" he teased.
"No!" Sango said, much too quickly. Then, before Miroku could start having a field day with that response, she changed the subject. "I...I just wanted to check if...if you were okay."
Miroku sighed, his smile fading somewhat as his eyes became more serious. "I told you, Sango, I'm all right now. What pain I feel from these wounds is nothing compared to what I would be feeling if Mujōna had managed to possess you."
Sango's face went bright red. "Why did you have to go and get yourself hurt again?" she asked, trying hard to keep from crying again. "How do you think I feel whenever I have to sew you back together again after you do something like that?"
"I know it hurts you, and I am sorry, believe me," Miroku said, reaching out and taking one of Sango's hands in both of his. "But like I said, I would much rather have these wounds upon my back and have you here to cry for me than to be sitting here, unscathed, with the knowledge that Naraku held you in his hands, protecting his heart and doing his evil deeds." As he spoke, the houshi's eyes hardened until they more resembled true amethysts than human eyes, stonily hiding the fear that had flashed deep within his core when he saw Mujōna slithering towards Sango's ear.
"So why did you protect me?" Sango asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. Miroku laughed softly, one hand rising to cup Sango's cheek, ignoring the blush that rose up in her cheeks when he did so.
"You're such a smart girl, dear Sango, yet you miss something so obvious? Sweet Sango, I protected you because I love you. Any wound is worth your safety." As the words left his mouth, Sango went, if possible, even redder. Miroku's smile grew, for he knew that lurking behind Sango's embarrassment were the feelings he knew she had for him. But just when he was leaning forward, his lips just barely managing to caress hers, a shrill voice shattered the moment.
"Uh, Miroku?" Shippou asked, looking up from where he had been coloring, his eyes widening at the sight of Miroku's back. "I don't mean to interrupt, but your back is bleeding."
Sango jerked away from Miroku, her blush radiating heat like the blazing sun outside. "What? Houshi-sama, is he serious?" Horrified, Sango rushed around the houshi, her fears confirmed when she saw three faint lines of red starting to appear on the white bandages. "Houshi-sama, lie back down right now!" she commanded, shoving the houshi onto his belly as she spoke. Miroku glared at Shippou, who was now at eye level with him.
"Thank you very much, Shippou," Miroku gritted out, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The nonplussed Shippou moved over to where Kaede was sitting.
"Why is he angry at me, Kaede?" Shippou asked, his eyes confused and slightly hurt. The old woman sighed and looked down at Shippou.
"Shippou, sometimes you do need to keep your mouth shut," she told him, not unkindly. Shippou's brow furrowed in thought, as if this idea had never dawned on him before.
"But Miroku was bleeding," he finally said. "Isn't that more important?"
Kaede sighed and shook her head. Maybe the kit was just too young to get it.
Kagome stayed in the hospital for three more days before she was finally deemed fit enough to return home. During those three days, the hanyou was stuck to her side more firmly than glue, determined not to abandon Kagome again. The miko rather liked the attention she was getting, and when it came time for him to leave, she felt just as disappointed as he looked.
It was a relief to get out of the hospital. Kagome smiled up at the bright sun overhead as it tickled her skin. She was dressed in a pink sweater and some jeans that her mother had brought for her, seeing as she had apparently been completely naked when she had been brought to the hospital. InuYasha had explained (while cowering behind the desk as Kagome looked for more things to throw) that Hatsuharu had brought her to them without any clothes on, and he had been kind enough to let her keep his haori until the EMTs gave it back to him. She had calmed down after that, though she was still embarrassed at the idea that InuYasha had more than likely seen her naked.
Even so, nothing could quell the happiness in her chest at the sight of the outside world, crowded as it was with the mass of humanity who resided in Tokyo. She inhaled a huge lungful of air, stretching as she revelled in the freedom of not being hooked up to an IV and a heart-rate monitor.
"Feeling better then, are you?" InuYasha asked her, his voice amused. Mrs. Higurashi, in all her knowledge about how the hanyou and miko felt about each other, had asked that the others not come to escort Kagome home. "InuYasha-kun knows the way," she had told them with sparkling eyes.
"Definitely," she agreed. "My head's a little sore, but that's to be expected, really." As she spoke, her hand reached back to brush the stitches still lining the outer edge of her right ear. The doctor had told her to return in a week or two so he could check up on the progress of her ear. The stitches would dissolve in her body without any ill effects, but he would have to check on her ear-canal to make sure it had healed properly. Kagome had readily agreed, idly wondering if InuYasha would let her stay for a week, or if she'd have to miss the date and come late.
InuYasha looked at her, his eyes shadowed. "Is...is it weird?" he asked, as they started moving forward, heading toward the Higurashi Shrine. "Not being able to hear out of your right ear?"
"A little," Kagome admitted. "But I think I'll get used to it." The miko reached out and grabbed InuYasha's hand, letting her fingers weave through his with a pleased expression on her face when he didn't pull away.
They spent most of the walk in companionable silence, Kagome's hand never releasing InuYasha's. The hanyou pretended to find this annoying, but Kagome knew he didn't mean it. She giggled softly, happy to be alive and with the man she loved so much.
However, she began to see a serious drawback to being deaf in her right ear, one she probably would have spotted earlier if she hadn't been intoxicated on the knowledge that she was alive and Mujōna was gone. It happened while they were crossing the street; Kagome didn't look both ways, confident in the knowledge that the 'walk' sign would keep her from being too grievously injured. However, there was always one eager beaver who didn't think the laws of pedestrian right-of-way applied to him-and there was one today who approached the crosswalk from Kagome's right side, so she didn't hear him coming. The car drew closer, closer, the driver too busy laughing at something his friend in the passenger seat had said to notice-
"WATCH OUT!" In a flash, InuYasha had wrapped his arms about her waist and propelled the confused miko across the street, startling everybody on the sidewalk as he landed gracefully on the pavement, hissing defiance and profanity at the car's receding taillights. Then he rounded on Kagome, who was watching the car drive away with faint shock on her face. "Dammit, Kagome, what were you thinking? Didn't you hear-" InuYasha cut himself off as he realized too late exactly why Kagome didn't hear the car coming.
"I'm all right," Kagome said shakily, reaching up. InuYasha grabbed her hand again and pulled her to her feet. "Thank you for saving me."
InuYasha snorted once without any real humor, then pulled her onto his back. "What are you doing, InuYasha?" she cried as he took off, launching himself into the sky like a rocket. She looked down to see a small crowd standing around his liftoff site, staring at the two of them with what could be wide mouthed expressions, though by now Kagome was too far away to see them.
"I am not gonna let that happen again, Kagome," InuYasha snarled. "I've almost lost you too many damn times to count lately, an' I am fucking tired of it." After that, Kagome didn't protest the hanyou's actions. She sighed softly and buried her face in InuYasha's long silver mane. Actually, now that she thought about it, she rather preferred traveling on the hanyou's back. She always felt safe in his presence, and now was no different.
They made it back to the Higurashi Shrine in a matter of minutes, thanks to InuYasha's quick speed. Mama Higurashi welcomed them back with warm happiness in her eyes at the sight of her daughter, upright and smiling, a stark contrast to the pale, nearly dead woman InuYasha had brought to the shrine almost four days before. She quickly ushered them inside and put together a quick lunch for them, promising a 'glad-you're-better' party for Kagome, if it pleased her. Kagome's nose wrinkled slightly at the mention of a party.
"Are you going to invite my friends?" she asked, her voice hesitant. What would they say about this? Would they even go so far as to accuse InuYasha of causing the injury? As the suspicion entered her mind, Kagome reached out and took InuYasha's calloused hand again (the hanyou had pretty much inhaled his meal as soon as it had been placed in front of him, so it wasn't like his hands were occupied).
"Not if you don't want them to come, dear," Mama Higurashi replied, her eyes flicking from Kagome to InuYasha and back again. "Maybe a special dinner, then, just you and InuYasha-kun?"
As expected, both parties blushed and looked away, though their hands stayed linked beneath the table. "Um..." Kagome wasn't sure whether she should vehemently deny her mother's idea or stand up and start whooping. Mama Higurashi smiled in understanding and stood up, clearing the dishes away for her shocked daughter and the hanyou beside her.
"You don't have to have a party at all, if you don't want one, Kagome," she said softly. "I just thought you might like to celebrate your getting out of the hospital."
Kagome snapped out of whatever daze she had gone into and gave her mother an apologetic smile. "I appreciate the idea, Mama, but I don't really want to see anybody right now...except for you guys and InuYasha," she amended. The hanyou blushed as she said his name, and she giggled softly. Mama Higurashi nodded and smiled.
"So, a private dinner, then?" she asked, her brown eyes sparkling. Kagome went even redder, but nodded all the same, giggling again when InuYasha muttered something under his breath and fidgeted in his seat.
"It'll be nice to have a break," she murmured to herself, leaning against her hanyou and making a sound halfway between a purr and a sigh. "It's been so long since we've been able to just sit back and relax for a while, without having to worry about enemies or whatever." InuYasha was now a bright red color that went rather well with his haori and hakama, but he nodded in agreement with the miko. A break would be rather nice, and it would give Kagome time to heal from her wounds.
'We gotta take this chance to rest and recuperate,' he thought as he gently nuzzled his miko's cheek, smiling slightly when she made a little happy noise and cuddled closer to him. 'Kami knows we need it.'
Far away from the village of the Bone-Eater's Well, deep in the midst of a dark forest, Kyūna-shi stood, sweat dripping from every strand of black fur on his body, his limbs trembling with exhaustion. The giant youkai had spent the better part of two days running as far away as possible from Naraku's enemies, focusing on getting the slimy black youkai he held in his large paws to safety. This remote forest seemed like a good place to rest, plus Kyūna-shi was too tired to continue onward.
Mujōna wrapped herself tightly about Kyūna-shi's giant fingers, more afraid of falling and being left in a strange place than she would ever like any one to know. The blind youkai was utterly dependent upon Kyūna-shi to get her where she needed to be, and she was grateful that the youkai in question was absolutely and completely devoted to her, otherwise she could have been in real trouble.
"What...what do we do now?" Kyūna-shi panted, leaning against a tree which creaked and groaned under his immense weight. "What action do we take?"
Since Kyūna-shi spoke in thoughts and not words, Mujōna could 'hear' what he was saying. However, she lacked both a mouth and the ability to project thoughts, meaning she couldn't reply. The best she could do was try to find some way to shrug at him.
The ōkami-youkai looked down at Mujōna, his red eyes flickering slightly in the gloomy darkness. "How can I communicate with you if you can't talk to me?" he grumbled, more to himself than anything else. Then, an idea seemed to dawn upon him. Slowly, he raised one gigantic paw to his face, looking at the slimy youkai that was curled between his fingers. "I know you can't talk to me right now, but I need you to at least listen to me," he told her, brows furrowing together with the effort of dredging up so many words at once. "I have failed you too many times to count, what with me not being able to stay with you or protect you, or whatever. But now, now we can be together forever, and they will never separate us again!" With that, Kyūna-shi moved his giant paw to one of his pointed ears and closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable to happen.
As he expected, Mujōna stretched herself out cautiously, testing the area around her until she found the entrance to the youkai's ear. As soon as she felt the opening beneath her body, she flashed down the hole, making Kyūna-shi wince slightly as the end of her tail disappeared into his ear with a small pop. A few seconds passed during which he waited with bated breath, his fists resting against the ground, eyes closed as he waited. Then-
Why did you let me possess you, Kyūna-shi? The soft 'voice' coming from the back of his mind made Kyūna-shi's stomach flip-flop, his muzzle stretching in a wide grin.
"Well, you needed a body to use as a shield, and I need to talk to you," he reasoned. "Two birds with one stone, I believe the saying goes."
I don't know...if you get hurt...
The youkai merely shrugged his massive shoulders. "No-one can hurt me now."
There was a brief silence, during which Kyūna-shi reached up to scratch his spider-scar, frowning as the itch just grew more persistent. Then, Mujōna 'spoke' again, her voice almost wary. You...have shikon-no-kakera in your body.
The giant nodded proudly, flexing his regained arm. "Naraku-sama entrusted it to me so that I could perform my duties once more. I shall not fail him again!"
Mujōna made a little 'mmm' of assent, but in the back of her mind, her thoughts were racing. Kyūna-shi had never referred to Naraku with such reverence before, nor had he been so concerned with filling out his orders. If the shard was from him...then there was no doubt in her mind that Naraku was using it to control Kyūna-shi, if only a little. After all, that was how he controlled his human whelp, Kohaku. Why wouldn't it work on Kyūna-shi?
'This could be bad,' she thought to herself. 'But there's nothing I can do about it right now. I'll just ride along, and if anything happens, I'll use all my power to try to stop it.'
Kyūna-shi, who had pretty much recovered from his run by now (thanks in part to the power of the shikon-no-kakera) decided that he was bored of standing around and promptly started moving, jogging swiftly in no particular direction. Kyūna-shi didn't care about whatever future in front of him; he would be ready for it, no matter what shape it took.
A/N: The extreme roughness of this week is the main reason I was unable to post this chapter until tonight. Sorry for the delay and all. =P