All characters, named weapons, and attacks borrowed from Inuyasha are not my own, but belong to Takahashi-dono.
"Warm Reception"
Tired as he was to begin with, Inuyasha didn't awaken until the party was well under way. Someone had laid him down sideways, with something soft beneath his head. As he sat up cross-legged and slumped forward, he noted that the massed but orderly crowd of villagers in the square had been supplanted by a roaring bonfire surrounded by human chaos.
A fairly structured loosely-spaced ring of couples (mostly married, some merely betrothed) orbiting one another like twin planets around a brilliant sun danced a circumscription around the central fire, to the accompaniment of an assortment of drums, flutes, and stringed instruments. Several smaller clusters of persons were engaged in a broader variety of gyrations: older couples slowly swayed to the pulsing rhythm, reminiscing about their younger, wilder days; young children squealed with innocent delight as they cavorted about the unbetrothed older boys and girls, who themselves kept carefully distanced from their only semi-willing companions – the parents of these maintained a sharp lookout from the outskirts for both potential impropriety and the welcome possibility of permanent partnerships.
Rows upon rows of low tables were laid out along the edges of the court, at which old men and women whose spouses had preceded them in death sat, ate, and drank – in copious amounts. As Inuyasha rubbed his eyes, one such wizened nearly empty-gummed elder attempted to fondle the plump rump of the thick-hipped widow sitting beside him; he was rewarded for his efforts with a smack that Inuyasha could swear took out the last of his teeth. I guess Miatsu's not the only one with that habit… He only half-realized that he himself thinking about what it might be like to do that to…
Tsubaki! His gaze began frantically scouring one group after another for her silhouette – though he wasn't entirely sure why – with no success. Duh… use your nose, idiot! He inhaled deeply, focusing on her scent, which had recently become so familiar, and was immediately overwhelmed. It like she's right… next… to… me…
"Feeling alright, Inuyasha?"
He froze. He warily turned his head to face the very nearby source of the unanticipated interrogative and swallowed. "Er… yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, Tsubaki."
The priestess smiled. "Good. You took quite a tumble off the roof up there." She jerked her head upward, briefly exposing her bare throat to the firelight. Inuyasha suddenly became acutely aware that she had shed her ceremonial robes in favor of a short-sleeved summer jinbei as his eyes traced her forward contours, down past a small inverted triangle showing just a hint of collarbone and across the rumpled tunic-wrap to the slightest trace of bare thigh below the hem of the shortened pant legs.
He also realized, with a start, that there was nothing else nearby but those same thighs on which his head could have possibly been resting mere moments ago.
Unnerved, Inuyasha hurriedly stood up, but a little too quickly: his head swam, and his vision got a bit blurry.
"Whoa, there, take it easy!" Tsubaki was at his side instantly, her arms encircling his chest, supporting him. "I know you're a demon, but I heard your head crack against the ground from all the way over there! Now, sit back down. Slowly."
She gently lowered him to his knees on the trampled grass. "Now, stay put. I'm going to go get you something to eat. Stay!"
His ears twitched at the minor scolding. Good boy, she thought as she trotted over to a table laden with food of every sort. Hmm… something light to start with. She ended up with a decent-sized tray loaded with rice, pickled vegetables, and grilled fish. I'll come back for some desserts if he has the appetite. Humming, she balanced the tray on her right palm, and hefted a jug of water with her left. She turned to head back, but a new song had just begun – a dynamic number that was clearly a local favorite, as the proportion of dancers to sitters-out skyrocketed. She arched an eyebrow and smiled. This should be fun.
Resuming his normal cross-legged, folded-arms sitting position so he could lean against the wall behind him, Inuyasha watched her as best he could through the twirling figures, intensely curious. She's never done something like this for me before. Why is she being so… nice? He was even more surprised when she began to dance her way back through the crowd to him.
She effortlessly swirled through the midst of the human mass, flowing along narrow, continuously shifting paths. Here she dipped; there she raised the tray to avoid a collision; and all the while her hips swayed alluringly back and forth.
Slipping through the last rank of revelers, she breathed out in relief. Kneeling, she set the jug and tray before him. "Phew! Well, here you go. Eat up!"
It was only when he made no move to do so that she instantly perceived his guarded posture. But when his eyes slipped sideways, avoiding hers, she realized he was neither wary nor sullen… he was shy.
Should I? Oh, why not… "Inuyasha, if you don't eat, I guess I'll have to feed you myself…" She picked up the chopsticks and held a mouthful of rice in front of his lips. "Say ahh," she cooed.
He instantly seized the paired implements from her and began voraciously devouring the meal, holding the rice bowl close to his face to try to hide the telltale blush.
Tee hee… I'm so bad! But I had to make sure I wasn't just imagining things. Tsubaki stared up at the shimmering night sky. But now that I'm pretty sure how he feels about me… how do I feel about him?
Inuyasha was halfway through his repast when a shadow fell across his tray. He looked up, slightly annoyed at the intrusion.
"How's the patient?" inquired Miatsu, who had also changed into a more comfortable outfit. Stooping to peer into said patient's eyes, the monk snitched one of his few remaining fish.
"He seems to be doing much better," Tsubaki responded, as Inuyasha took a long draught from the water jug. "Thank you for convincing the villagers that he was the victim of too much sake too early in the morning, and not a demon attack."
Inuyasha choked and dropped the jug, sputtering. "You WHAT?"
"Well, I had to tell them something when the ceremony ended and everybody saw you lying here, or they would have panicked! I don't think you would have wanted to face Shako and Risa if that had happened."
"… Not particularly, no."
"There, you see. Anyhow, I'll leave you to it." After surreptitiously righting Inuyasha's water jug, he stood as if to depart. "Oh, Tsubaki… might I have this dance?"
"What's this? Did you get yourself rejected by all the eligible ladies?" Inuyasha chided the monk, glad to get some payback.
"I'll bet he asked them to bear his children first, then tried to ask for a dance," commented Tsubaki drily.
Bingo… Miatsu's head tilted sideways, acknowledging defeat on that count. "Anyhow, how about it?"
Tsubaki glanced at Inuyasha, who didn't seem to object. "Sure… but no funny business!"
"You have my word as a man of the cloth."
"I'll trust that as far as I can throw it."
Inuyasha watched them go, his throat suddenly very dry. Oh, come on. You know you weren't going to ask her. You don't dance… you can't dance! Especially not like she can… He downed the contents of his water jug in a few giant gulps, blinked, and wiped his whole face dry.
Wait a second… that tasted kind of funny…
"InuYASHAAAAA!" A running figure plowed into him (ramming his still-sore head into the wall behind) and buried its face in his collar. "I was so worried about you!"
It took a concerted effort to pry the clutching fingers loose from his clothing. "Kaede?" The blubbering young priestess threw her arms about his neck. After the ensuing struggle to breathe, Inuyasha found himself pinned securely beneath her.
Finally recovering his wits – and his breath – Inuyasha meant to tell her off, but quickly reconsidered as the beads around his neck rattled a counterpoint. No telling what she might do, especially since she's… he sniffed suspiciously. "Kaede! You're… drunk!"
"I am not!" she responded primly before collapsing on top of him, now giggling madly. "Well, maybe just a little. But I'm not as think as you drunk I am!"
Oh, I think you're a great deal more drunk than that! Inuyasha tried to sit up, but discovered to his dismay that she had thoroughly ensnared one of his legs between hers. He was hopelessly trapped.
Kaede pushed herself up and forward slightly, bringing her face mere inches from his. "Inuyasha… am I pretty?"
"Huh?" He tried to find something more to say. But it wasn't just that the words weren't making it from his brain to his mouth – his brain was having trouble finding any words!
"You do think I'm pretty, don't you?" Her lower lip quivered, and she looked about ready to burst into tears again.
Can't deny it. Nope. Definitely, definitely can't deny it. You looked very, very pretty today. "Umm… well… yeah?" What the hell am I thinking?
And then everything clicked (well, thudded): an alcohol-addled brain is hardly an ideal machine. Miatsu… he must have put something in my drink! Why, that sneaky… umm… I forget the word, but he's a real sneaky something! … I gotta get outta here…
"Whee!" It was far too late to contemplate escape. Delighted with even his ambiguously affirmative reply, Kaede squealed and squeezed his chest in a death grip.
"URGH!" Can't… breathe… HELP!
Muffled laughter from above them came to his rescue. "Oh, my… Kaede, what on earth are you doing?"
The clenching arms eased up. As his vision returned, Inuyasha saw Miatsu staring down from almost directly overhead… and Tsubaki standing a few paces distant, her face enveloped in shadows.
"Inuyasha, you… dog!" Miatsu promptly collapsed and began rocking back and forth, roaring with laughter. "And here you said you weren't interested in…"
"Can it, monk!" Inuyasha pried himself loose of his besotted captor's arms. Forcing his uncooperative body into a wobbly stand, he clocked Miatsu upside the head before staggering into the welcoming darkness. Dammit… him seeing that is bad enough, but why did Tsubaki have to see it, too?
Still silent, Tsubaki stared blankly after his retreating form until it vanished from view altogether. Was it all just a figment of my imagination? If so, why… why…?
"Oww… he he he! Ow…" Miatsu's mixed moans and laughter finally faded to sporadic chuckles. "Ka – Kaede… heh heh heh… you okay, there, kiddo?"
But no reply escaped through her lips, which maintained a dreamy smile. She'd finally passed out from exhaustion brought on by the fatal combination of dance, food, brew, and mischief.
"Sigh. Let's get you to bed, eh? Wanna give me a hand, Tsubaki? Tsubaki?"
He cast about for her form amongst the last few homeward-bound partygoers, but with no success. She had actually left him alone with the thoroughly inebriated younger priestess!
"Huh. She must think rather highly of me, to leave you in my care. She must know me better than I took her to. Hup… umph!" He gingerly hoisted Kaede into his arms. Cradling her against his chest, he cautiously made his way back to their lodging.
He laid her down on her side atop her futon gently, and covered her with a woolen blanket. "There you go. Sleep tight, Kaede." He was sorely tempted to kiss her brow, but refrained. Wouldn't want her to suddenly wake up and get the wrong impression, especially given her recent behavior…
He settled for gently caressing her cheek. She stirred slightly, and he froze.
"Onii… chan…" She smiled, rolled over, and did not wake until morning light.
"Brother", eh? Miatsu sat and contemplated this revelation for a moment. Well, that would kind of explain things…ugh! He tousled his hair and quietly slapped his cheeks. The poor guy's probably a nervous wreck – I would be, in his shoes. Guess I'd better go find him and set him straight. But first, one extra stop…
XXXXX
Considering the remains of the banquet had been left to clean up in the morning, acquiring the necessary ingredients of his apology went by quickly, though he had to take some care to move quietly so as not to wake up the rest of the snoozing village. Then he had to search for his quarry, which also did not take too long. As I thought – the most deserted place he could find that still lets him keep an eye on things.
"Ho there, Inuyasha!" he called up the ladder to the gatehouse.
"What do you want? Haven't you laughed at me enough tonight yet?" replied the hanyou's even surlier-than-usual voice.
"No… well, yes, I have. More than enough, in fact. I came to apologize… and to help. Mind if I come up?"
"Whatever."
Miatsu scrambled up the ladder. He quickly identified at least one source of Inuyasha's discomfort: he kept rubbing his temples.
I figured as much. "Headache?"
"Geh… why do you people drink that stuff?"
"Hm. I guess each person has his or her own reasons. I'm sorry, I didn't know it would have that much of an effect on you. I mean, you're half human, and I've never heard of a drunken demon before." Or a hung-over one, for that matter… "Here, this may help." He unstoppered and held out a small but wide-mouthed bamboo flask.
Inuyasha sniffed at it warily, and his face contorted. "What is it?"
"It's a hangover cure Mushin taught me to make. Drink up!"
An eyebrow perked up.
"Trust me."
Not like it could make things much worse… I've already got a taiko ensemble playing a marching cadence in my head! He tipped back his head and tossed the hangover cure down.
"Ulp… eugh!" He handed the flask back. "What the hell was in that? The taste aside, it was like something was trying to slither down my throat!"
"Oh, not much… some vinegar, salt, spices… a whole raw egg…" He braced himself. Here comes the hurt!
But there was none forthcoming. "… That's all? Feh, I've had to live on worse – and less – for weeks. I thought it'd be something really disgusting."
So raw egg doesn't faze him, but a cute clingy girl does, eh? Speaking of which… "Inuyasha? About Kaede…"
"I didn't do nothin'! She was… she was… what the hell was she doing, anyway?"
"Well, if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say she was trying to express her feelings for you, and trying to get you to reciprocate."
"… feelings?"
Miatsu nodded. "Yes. Specifically, her feelings of love for you. Not romantic love, mind you," he clarified, quickly holding up a pausing finger, "more like… as a sister? Or something close to it, anyway.
"You must bear in mind, Inuyasha, her only relative in the world was taken from her violently not long ago. As I understand it, ever since then you have protected her in Kikyou's stead – what other sort of relationship would you expect such a situation to foment?"
Aside from flinching just a bit at the mention of his lost love's name, Inuyasha countenance betrayed nothing of his thoughts. He merely furrowed his brow and puzzled in silence for a while. After what we've gone through… has she started to see me as some sort of… big brother?
"So… she loves me like a brother?"
"That's what I think, at least."
"Then why would she tackle me, squeeze me half to death, and ask whether or not I thought she was pretty?"
"Oh, so that's what she was doing? I'd hardly expect anything by now!"
"Eh?"
"Well, if she really does see you as her big brother, then of course she wants to know that you think she's pretty! It's the same as she'd want from her father, only she hasn't got one – and never did have one, as far as I know. Every woman wants to be told she's beautiful by the men she cares for, romantically or otherwise."
Inuyasha pondered over that for a moment. It did make some sense. Whenever I told mother I thought she looked beautiful, she'd smile. I remember now, sometimes I told her just so she would smile.
He lost himself in pleasant memories of days gone by, and dozed off for a bit. He woke up to Miatsu lightly prodding his shoulder.
"You alive in there?"
"Huhn? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm peachy."
"How's the hangover headache?"
"A little better. Um… thanks for that cure. I guess I can forgive the spiked drink… this time." His eyes flashed a clear warning: do that again, and I gut you!
"Fair enough. So, umm… what did you tell her, anyway?"
"Tell who what?"
"Did you tell Kaede you thought she was pretty?"
"Well… yeah. I guess I did."
"I see. No wonder she looked so content when I put her to bed."
"You what?"
"Whoa there, easy! I just carried her home and tucked her in, that's all, I swear!" The wicked claws withdrew from his throat. "And I daresay from your reaction just now that you indeed feel very protective of her – as a big brother should. You've got some feelings for her, too, Inuyasha!"
"Don't change the subject, monk! Why didn't Tsubaki put her to bed? I know she doesn't trust you around women."
Miatsu shrugged. "She disappeared, not long after you left the square, I think."
Inuyasha twitched as if zapped by a static shock. "So you don't know where she is?"
"Not a clue."
Inuyasha leapt to his feet in utter panic. "Damn! I forgot all about her. I gotta go find her!" He jumped over the railing and landed in a crouch.
"Inuyasha! You need help searching?" Miatsu hollered down.
"Nah, you've 'helped' enough for one night. Well… hey, just keep a watch on the gate, will ya?" He dashed between two rows of houses, muttering loudly about lax security.
Miatsu stared off to the east. Dawn was approaching, and the stars were beginning to fade. Banzai, my friend. You have a better idea of what to say now; I hope she's willing to listen.
A/N: The taiko is a type of drum used in Japan since sometime in the Yayoi period (500 BC – 300 AD). It was used to relay commands to troops on the battlefield, in addition to many other uses.
So… what will happen next? You'll just have to wait and see! (impish grin)