Chapter 32

Miroku glared at his brother, tempted to throw the paperwork across the bar at him. InuYasha was once more being a pain. Miroku had asked Naomi and Sango to go over inventory with him for the month. It was something they did every month before he placed in a new order for alcohol, cleaning supplies, and any other essentials they may need for the club.

InuYasha, instead of helping, was sitting beside Sesshomaru, both of them helping InuYasha to memorize his lines for the wedding. InuYasha was just joking. He couldn't help but to throw in some cursing just to get a rise out of Kagome and Miroku. Sesshomaru was encouraging it.

"I'm just going to sleep." Kagome groaned, plopping down on a couch and laying on it. She couldn't handle much more of InuYasha. Planning a wedding was stressful, and she worried about every little detail. Miroku had tried to get her to calm down, but it wasn't working.

"All you do is sleep. You fell asleep at the bar last night. You need to push Miroku off of you and actually get some shut eye." InuYasha snorted, dodging the pen that had gotten thrown at his head by a glaring Miroku.

"I will have you know that there are times when she accosts me." Miroku rolled his eyes, wincing as Kagome said his name warningly. The last thing he wanted was to have her mad at him. She really would push him away then.

"I should add that in the lines." InuYasha, grabbed the pen that had gotten thrown at him, scribbling down on his paper. "Do you, Miroku, promise to screw Kagome any chance you get?"

"InuYasha, if you ruin my wedding…" Miroku grabbed a knife from the bar, holding it up for emphasize. The rest of the group laughed, and even Miroku carried a smirk. InuYasha was just being InuYasha, but he knew better than to actually put that in the wedding.

"You're getting married?" A new voice asked, causing everyone to look at the male. It was Mattaki, Miroku's father. He looked pale and ashen, his hand trembling as he held himself up by using the back of the lounge Kagome was sitting on.

"We really need to start locking that door." InuYasha muttered, eyes narrowed as he looked at the man.

Miroku's face was tight, lips thin as he gazed at the man who had ruined his childhood. "Yes. I am." Reaching into his pocket, Miroku pulled out all of his cash and threw it onto the bar. "You can go now."

"I don't want your money." Mattaki strode forward, nearly falling over. Sesshomaru caught him out of instinct, shaking his head as the man continued to stumble towards Miroku. Mattaki was as drunk as he always was.

"That would be a first." Miroku scoffed, cleaning up all of the papers. He would finish inventory later. For now, he just wanted to get this man out of his bar.

"I know I haven't been the best father-"

"You haven't been a father at all." Miroku once more nodded to the money, a couple hundred dollars. "Take the money and go. That is the routine we have now. You come to me when you are broke, and I pay you to leave."

"I'm dying, Miroku. I told you that last time." Mattaki was pleading, his voice shaking.

"I also told you that was no concern of mine. You drank yourself to death. I had no part in that." Miroku turned from the man, setting all of his papers in the safe and locking it back up. Grabbing a glass, he filled it to the brim with an amber alcohol and then slammed it down in front of his father. "Here. Make your death come quicker."

No one said anything, waiting to see what Mattaki would do. With a trembling hand, he grabbed the glass, bringing it to his lips. Miroku shook his head and grabbed a towel to clean the mess he made. With the drink gone, Mattaki set down the empty glass, and pushed it towards Miroku.

"I wanted to talk to you. That's it." Mattaki had his head bowed. He knew he was a mess, but he wasn't able to fight the addiction that had claimed him for so many years.

"There is nothing to talk about."

"I want your forgiveness, son." Mattaki blurted, looking up to a shocked Miroku. For a moment, Miroku didn't do anything, his eyes wide as he stared at his father.

Swallowing, Miroku clenched his hands into fists. "Forgiveness. You want me to forgive you? Do you even remember what you did to me, or my mother? Were you sober enough to even realize that you were killing her?" Something in Miroku broke, and he reacted, rage burning his blood. Grabbing the shot glass, he threw it, not even noticing as it shattered against the wall. He grabbed his father's dirty shirt by the collar, yanking up the man who made his life hell. "You don't deserve forgiveness."

"Miroku." Kagome had run up to Miroku as soon as he threw the glass. She placed a hand on his wrist, her thumb rubbing over his skin. "Let him go." He ignored her for a moment, breathing harshly through his nose. Finally, he looked down to her, meeting her soothing gaze. He relaxed his grip, letting his father fall to the ground.

InuYasha's phone went off, and he cursed, standing up quickly and running out of the club. He went ignored for a moment as Miroku once more turned back to the man that fathered him. "Just leave, Mattaki. You won't get what you came here for."

"I just need a chance." Mattaki was begging. They could all hear it, but those who knew of his past with Miroku didn't feel sorry for him. The only reason Kagome had stopped Miroku from beating Mattaki was because Miroku would have regretted it later. She did it for her fiancé.

The door slammed open, making a few people jump. Touga stalked in, eyes in a blazing fury as he spotted Mattaki at the bar. "I thought I told you to stay away from my son." Touga walked up to the man he hated with a passion, standing over him and watching as the coward shrank back.

"Touga." Izayoi had Touga's arm in hers, trying to hold him back. If this situation didn't get under control, it was going to go downhill very quickly.

"He… he is my son." Mattaki swallowed, narrowing his eyes at Touga. Touga reacted, pushing Mattaki off of the stool and onto the floor in a heap. Mattaki was so drunk, it took barely any effort.

"You ruined him. Izayoi and I built him back up. We loved him like you never could. He is mine." Touga stood over the fallen Mattaki, shaking his head at the pitiful excuse for a man.

"I just want to talk to him. I want to explain my actions and earn his forgiveness." Mattaki tried to sit himself up, but his equilibrium was off, and he fell once more.

"I told you. There is nothing you can do that will end with me forgiving you." Miroku was shaking, his entire body pulsing with fury. Every heartbeat filled him with more heated blood until he was seeing red. How dare this man ask for forgiveness. After everything Mattaki had done to him, the man wants Miroku to forget about it all.

"I said the same thing to my father. He was a drunk. An abusive asshole. I couldn't forgive him either. When he died, the guilt killed me. All he wanted was for me to forgive him, and I refused. Because of that, I ended up just like him. I don't deserve your forgiveness, Miroku, but I want it anyway. Because I don't want you to end up like me." Mattaki was finally able to stand, holding onto the bar to keep from falling over. "You are going to end up just like me!"

Miroku flinched as if he had been physically struck, taking a step back. Kagome grabbed his hand, holding onto him as a comfort. She looked back to the man who sired her fiancé. "You look almost exactly alike. But you two are so vastly different. If it wasn't for your looks, I would have never thought you were Miroku's father. He will never be anything like you. He is loving, and kind. He is strong, was able to overcome his horrific childhood and build something so amazing that he actually saves lives. That is not a man who would fall as low as you."

Miroku wrapped his arms around Kagome, holding her against him tightly. She would never know just how much those words meant to him. Turning back to his father, Miroku took a deep breath, using Kagome's strength to spur him on. "I am not you. You beat the woman you supposedly loved, you hurt her over and over again. I cannot even think about hurting Kagome without my stomach rolling, and you managed to do it nearly every day."

"The alcohol-"

"Is not an excuse." Touga shook his head, looking over the male. "We offered to pay for rehab. Many times. We wanted Miroku and his mother to have a better life than what you were providing. The only reason we didn't take Miroku sooner was because of his mother. When she was gone, we knew he couldn't stay with you. You chose the alcohol too many times."

Mattaki looked down, his head hung in shame. "I can't help it. I wanted to get better, but I couldn't fight it. When I finally thought I could, I found out my liver was destroyed and there would be no getting better. I'm already dying, so why not keep drinking."

"And you still make excuses." Miroku looked away, arms tight around Kagome. She was the only thing that was keeping him grounded at that moment. "You… I can never forgive you for the things you did to my mother or the things you did to me. They haunted me every day until recently, and I refuse to give them power over my life again. I am going to ask you once more to leave, Mattaki. Take the money I have offered you, and don't come back."

"They gave me two years, half a year ago." Mattaki stumbled up to the bar, grabbing the money that Miroku offered him. "I'll be lucky if I live that long. Maybe I'll see you around." He brushed past Touga, nearly knocking himself over in the process. Barely able to catch himself, he stumbled out of the bar and back onto the street again.

"We will finish inventory later." Miroku wasn't looking at anyone. He couldn't.

Touga and Izayoi, who had come to finalize things for the wedding, nodded their heads, understanding what Miroku wanted. He quickly ushered everybody out, aside from Kagura and Souta, who instead went to their rooms to give the couple privacy.

When they were alone, Kagome cupped Miroku's cheeks making him look at her. He kissed her palm, closing his eyes. "I am okay." He knew she was worried. The last time his father came around, Miroku had broken down. This time, he didn't feel as lost as he normally did, and he knew it was because he had Kagome in his arms.

"You're not him, Miroku. Please don't ever forget that." Kagome pulled his head down so she could kiss him. Their lips melded together, their kiss slow and soothing.

"I won't" His lips brushed against hers as he spoke. Kagome grabbed his hand pressing it against her breast, and he groaned in need and pain. She was offering him a distraction, one that he would greedily take. He would lose himself in her body and in her love, then he would deal with the thoughts that would plague him about his father.

He knew he would be okay. He had Kagome, and as long as she was by his side, nothing could touch him.

...

First things first. I think my last authors review made it seem like the last chapter was in fact, the last. That wasn't my intention at all. There are over fifty chapters of this story. It's already completely written, and within time, I will have all chapters posted so you can read it. There is a lot more to come. I promise you this.

Now, onto the chapter, Mattaki shows his face again, and it won't be the last time. It's a good thing Miroku has Kagome. She makes him a better person than what he already was. I hope you all enjoyed.