A/N: Wow! Thanks to all of you who reviewed! So glad you like my story! So here goes Chapter 9! Finally some Sango and Miroku stuff!!! Enjoy, and remember to read and review! This is an R rated fic due to Inu Yasha's language and Miroku's thoughts. You have been warned. Enjoy and please review! It encourages me to write the next chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Inu Yasha characters. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi!
Questions and remarks from reviewers:
Relena: Thank you for your review. In light of the Kouga shard situation…I am correct in what I wrote. After Kouga battles Kagura in a later eps. (Can't remember exactly which and too lazy to look right now), he loses the shard in his arm to Naraku. I am basing this fic after that confrontation with Kagura and after he loses the shard in his arm. But don't despair, he doesn't' t lose the ones in his legs – yet! I hope you didn't mind the spoiler. Unfortunately, Naraku appears and disappears several times in the manga, sending his minions and detachments out at various times to dishearten Inu Yasha-tachi.
Recap:
She sat down in the chair the inu youkai had recently vacated, smiling to herself. Her daughter would be fine. And with Inu Yasha around, there would be no need to post pone the family trip she had already paid for to visit family in Okayama. The hanyou would take very good care of Kagome while she, Souta, and her father were away for the rest of the summer, which was the next three weeks.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Chapter 9: The Houshi and the Taijiya
As the sky slowly began to blaze with the deep colors of the coming twilight, Kirara's strength finally wavered out. Her pale yellow body glistened with sweat as she raced across the rich, velvet painting of the sunset. Deepest orange, rich purple, indigo, and fuchsia reflected off the giant neko's blazing red eyes as she streaked toward the ground below, aiming for a small clearing.
With stumbling legs, the fire cat landed, barely giving her passengers enough time to dismount before she changed into her smaller form, collapsing into the soft grass with loud, raspy breathes. Her eyes still open, looked toward her mistress with mixed emotions. Thankful to be on solid ground yet remorseful she could not go any further. Her body still injured from the earlier battle, her eyes finally closed into exhausted slumber.
"Poor Kirara." Shippou said as he ran one small, clawed hand over the neko youkai's body. Her twin tails curled around her body, as if warding off the affectionate action. The kit moved slowly away from his sleeping friend to his two human companions.
"I'll look for firewood so we can set up camp." Miroku said as he slowly walked off toward the surrounding woods, his staff tinkling with each step taken.
"Well, Shippou-chan, that leaves you and me to watch Kirara." The taijiya sat down beneath a tall tree. "Come on Shippou." She encouraged the kitsune into her lap.
Without hesitation, the youkai child jumped at Sango, nuzzling her gently before his sad eyes looked up into her warm chocolate ones. "Do you think Kagome will be okay, Sango?" Once again tears began to burn at his green orbs. Reminding himself that he was a youkai, he tried to force the salty intruders back. Inu Yasha had told him on several occasions that youkai, especially men youkai didn't cry.
"I'm sure she'll be fine, Shippou-chan. Kagome is strong, and Inu Yasha has most likely made it back to Kaede Baa-chan's by now." Sango ruffled the kit's hair affectionately, trying to abate his concern for their friend.
Looking up into the twilight, Shippou frowned. "Sango?" He asked hesitantly.
"Hn?" The taijiya too was looking up at the falling darkness.
"There's no moon tonight. What if Inu Yasha turns human before he gets Kagome back to the village?"
"Inu Yasha can run pretty fast when he doesn't have us with him, Shippou-chan. I'm sure he's made it back by now, and Kouga was following behind him. If anything happens, Kouga will be there." She smiled reassuringly at the kit, knowing the wolf youkai would assist if needed – whether the hanyou liked it or not.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Warm bodies unaware of his presence, that was all that flowed through the demon's mind as he slithered through the underbrush toward the slumbering travelers. It had been days since the snake demon had eaten. What luck for him to be woken from his sleep by the taste of humans in the air. His tongue flickered out as it guided him through the darkness. Sharp red eyes glowed, their yellow and black slits focused on the burning coals of the dying fire. He could already taste their sweet flesh as he came closer. A smile curved his serpentine lips as he stopped, rearing up his head to peer down at the sleeping woman.
With a loud "Whack!" a sudden pain fell upon the snake youkai's large head. Jerking his body around, his eyes landed on the houshi, his staff raised once again to bash into the demon's cranium. Before the blow could land, the demon struck, his sharp fangs barely missing Miroku. The sound of ripping fabric rent the air as one gleaming fang tore into the sleeve of the monk's robes.
"Hairikotsu!" The youkai turned just in time to dodge the large bone boomerang hurling toward him. Meeting the determined eyes of the woman, the youkai glared in recognition…a taijiya. So intent on the woman before him, the snake demon did not hear the large boomerang's return. A hissing scream sounded as Hairikotsu sliced through the side of the youkai's neck on its journey back to the demon hunter.
"You will pay for that human!" He hissed as he slithered closer to the woman.
Sensing more than seeing the attack of the giant snake, Sango jumped back. She stumbled as she tripped over the cowering kitsune who had taken refuge behind her when the demon attacked.
"Sango!" Miroku rushed forward, his staff held out before him. With fluid motion the houshi whipped a sacred scroll from within his torn sleeve. "Ofuda!" He exclaimed as he threw the ward. With deadly precision, it struck the back of the snake's large head. Smoke rose from the demon flesh where the sutra stuck.
Again the youkai cried out, his body burning from the holy fire of the ofuda. He slashed at the offending scroll, digging into his own body with the tip of his fangs. Thrashing wildly to rid himself of the ward, the youkai's tail whipped about, inadvertently slamming into the demon huntress as she readied her boomerang once again. Two more ofuda landed on the snake, his agonized hissing echoing into the dark night.
Suddenly a large yellow blur raced forward, flaming claws and elongated fangs ripped and tore into the giant snake before the creature finally silenced. As Kirara released her hold on the threatening demons throat, its body smoked and hissed before slumping to the ground. Seeing that its enemy was dead, the fire cat transformed into her smaller neko form and rushed to her mistress's side.
"Arigato, Kirara." Sango winced as she sat up, one hand pressed lightly to the bruised flesh of her abdomen.
"Daijoubu, Sango?" Miroku kneeled beside her, his violet eyes searching her chocolate ones for assurance.
"Daijoubu, Houshi-sama." Sango gasped out. The youkai's tail had caught her in the stomach, tearing into her battle armor. A long welt puckered her skin, but the wound did not bleed. She flinched as the monk reached down to gently finger the wound. "Itai!" She cried out when his finger touched a particularly raw area.
"Gomen, Sango-sama. I was only checking the wound. It will be sore, but the skin is not broken." Miroku reached out a hand to the young woman. Sango hesitantly took it before he pulled himself and her up to their feet. "We need to move from here. Scavenging youkai will be drawn to the smell of death."
"Come on, Shippou, we need to go." The kitsune jumped onto Sango's shoulder. Grabbing her boomerang and blanket, the taijiya turned to the small cat at her feet. In a burst of flames Kirara transformed once again, allowing her companions to settle onto her back before taking off into the ebon night.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Are you sure you're comfortable, honey?" Mrs. Higurashi asked her daughter as she propped another pillow beneath the young girl's casted leg.
"For the last time Mama, I'm fine!" Kagome snapped at her mother. She hadn't been home half an hour before her family began crowding her with attention. Her cheeks puffed with air before she let out an exasperated sigh.
"Well, if you're sure." The older woman looked doubtful at her daughter, but sat down in the chair across from the couch where Kagome was currently laying. Several pillows had been crammed behind the girl's back as well as under the injured leg.
Inu Yasha hovered close by, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared at his miko. Kagome had been smiling madly at him when she first came home, but now the girl was snappish and irritated. Her hazel eyes flashed with anger every time the hanyou or anyone in her family approached her. Deciding it best to keep his distance, he stood in the doorway, watching her with guarded looks. She had already sat him twice and all he had done was set her down on the couch and put the pillows her mother had given him under her leg.
Looking up at the inu youkai, Kagome's mother smiled. "Come in here and sit down, Inu Yasha. I need to talk to you and Kagome."
Kagome looked at her mother with concern. 'What does she want to talk to us about? Oh gods! I hope she doesn't tell us I can't go back to the Sengoku Jidai.' Kagome panicked as the thought crossed her mind. What if her mother was banning her from returning to Inu Yasha's time because she was injured?
Inu Yasha's thoughts were along the same line as Kagome's. With slightly shaking legs the hanyou sat down on the floor in front of the couch. 'Please, please don't keep her from me.' He begged silently. He leaned his back against the sofa and Kagome reached out a hand, settling it comfortingly on his shoulder. Instinctively the hanyou reached up and curled his fingers around hers.
Mrs. Higurashi smiled as the two teenagers sat looking at her with apprehensive eyes. She could only imagine what was going through their minds. Inu Yasha's knuckles were nearly white as he held Kagome's hand tightly. His eyes were wide and the image of a deer caught in headlights came to the woman's mind as she watched him. Her daughter seemed to fair no better than the hanyou. Kagome's face was pale beneath the tan and pink flush of sunburn. Her eyes held a distinct panic as she stared back at her mother.
Deciding to end the young couples torture Mrs. Higurashi cleared her throat, "Well, what I wanted to tell you is that your grandfather, Souta, and I have made plans to visit family in Okayama for the last three weeks of summer. With you going back and forth in time, Kagome, I was going to leave you some money so you could buy any supplies you needed. Then Inu Yasha showed up with you injured, and I thought our plans would change…" she looked meaningfully at the two young people before her, as if mentally forcing them to understand what she was trying to tell them.
"What do you mean you thought they would change, Mama?" Kagome asked. Her fear of being forever kept in her own time abated for the time being.
"Just what I said. I thought I would have to stay here with you, but I see I won't have to." She smiled warmly at Inu Yasha.
The hanyou blinked as his slow working mind finally understood what Mrs. Higurashi was trying to tell them. "Oh no! I'm not staying here for three weeks to take care of her! I have my own time that needs me!" The hanyou protested, snatching his hand from Kagome's. With his back turned, he could not see the confused look of both relief and rejection in the young miko's eyes.
"Yes, you can, Inu Yasha. Kagome can't travel with us, and I already paid for the trip. I can't get my tickets refunded and the trip cost a lot of money. On such short notice, there is no one else to keep Kagome…" she paused as she searched for a word that would register her important need to the dog demon, "…safe and protected. Who knows what could happen in the time we are gone."
Inu Yasha stared at the woman. He knew what she was doing. The wench was setting him up, playing on his protectiveness of Kagome so he would agree. 'I can't believe her!' his mind screamed. 'She actually thinks I'm going to stay here for three weeks to take care of Kagome?' Then another voice spoke up inside the demon's head, the part ruled by his heart and not his stubborn brain, 'But then you could spend the entire time with Kagome, no Shippou, Miroku, Sango, or Kaede baaba around to interfere. Definitely no wimpy wolves.' That argument sounded reasonable enough. But he still didn't want to be saddled with a temperamental Kagome in the future. The air stunk, he would be limited to being only at the shrine, and he truly was needed in his own time. Naraku was still lurking about somewhere and needed to be taken care of before he caused any more harm in the warring states era.
Seeing the inu hanyou's indecisiveness, Mrs. Higurashi played her last trump card. "Well, if you can't help out then, that nice boy Houjo's mother offered to let Kagome stay with them until we return." Success. Inu Yasha's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the mention of Kagome staying with the boy for any length of time.
Kagome gasped. Her mother couldn't be serious! Houjo was a nice boy and all, but to be stuck with him hovering over her with medicinal concoctions for healing this and healing that would be a nightmare. She silently hoped her mother was kidding.
"No way!" Inu Yasha growled deep in his throat as he blindly grabbed for Kagome's hand. When his fingers finally touched on hers, he gently yanked it back over his shoulder, squeezing it tightly. "I will do it! I'm not letting her stay with some other guy! How could you even think of letting her stay with that Houbo character?!"
Kagome sighed in relief as she fought to free her hand before her hanyou crushed it. As she observed her mother's face, realization suddenly dawned on her. Her mother had been bluffing. Houjo had been only a ruse to finally get Inu Yasha to stay. 'But why? Why would Mama want Inu Yasha to stay here?' As the question burned in her mind, another realization hit her.
"Why do I need taking care of?!" The young miko demanded. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself!" Anger flared in her. She was not an infant needing a babysitter.
"Kagome," her mother sighed, expecting her daughter to come up with this defense. "How are you going to eat? You can't walk or even stand for several weeks. You need someone to help you."
"And you think Inu Yasha is that someone? He can't even use the stove!" She shot back.
"Yes I can!" Inu Yasha looked at her with insulted eyes over his shoulder.
"You can?" Kagome asked, her voice laden with doubt.
"Of course I can! I did it before." Inu Yasha "hmphed" as he once again released her hand. Crossing his arms over his chest, hands tucked into the sleeves of his haori, he turned his head away, nose to the air in stubborn protest of the girl.
"When?" Kagome demanded. She still doubted him.
"When you were sick with a cold and I made you the medicine my mother used to give me." He turned his head back toward her, a victorious smile on his face.
"Mama?" The young miko was now blushing as she remembered her hanyou bringing her the foul smelling tea that had made her instantly better.
"It's true, Kagome. He did use the stove, all by himself. I just told him how to use it, and he did." Mrs. Higurashi mouth curved into a broad smile. This was the reason she wanted Inu Yasha to stay with Kagome while the family was gone. The hanyou deeply cared for her daughter and he would keep her safe and ensure she did no further damage to her already injured body.
"Gomen ne, Inu Yasha. I didn't mean to doubt you." Kagome ducked her head, obscuring her face behind her bangs. She felt awful for not believing the dog demon.
"Keh!" Was his only reply.
"Now that's settled, see you in three weeks, dear." Mrs. Higurashi rose from the chair.
"Nana?!" The two teens cried in unison.
"The train leaves in two hours, and it will take an hour just to get to the train station. We already packed yesterday morning before you two showed up." With that Mrs. Higurashi once again turned to leave, then turned back to the hanyou. "Oh, and Inu Yasha, could you help with the luggage. Dad's not in good health and Souta is too young to lift the heavy bags."
Inu Yasha grumbled as he followed Kagome's mother up the stairs. This was going to be a very long three weeks.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
For the second time that night the large fire cat landed on the firm ground. It was near dawn and the neko youkai had carried her passengers for several hours. As she hit the ground, her companions quickly dismounted, allowing the exhausted beast to transform and rest.
"We are not far from the village." Miroku commented as he stretched and rolled his shoulders, working out the kinks in his muscles from the long journey.
"We should be there by noon tomorrow. But Kirara needs rest, Houshi-sama, and so do I." Sango plopped down on the ground beside the now sleeping Kirara.
"Hai. I too am tired, Sango. We will remain here for a few hours." With that he sat down next to the taijiya. Too tired to even think about a fire, the monk yawned widely. Resting his staff against his shoulder his head nodded forward in a light sleep.
"I guess I take watch this time." The taijiya muttered as she cuddled the kitsune child to her, his light snores the only sounds he made.
As she listened to the songs of the chirping crickets, the muffled sounds of the foraging night creatures, and felt the gentle breeze envelope her, Sango too began to fight off the weariness of sleep. Kirara had moved closer to her mistress and the warmth against her thigh coupled with that of the fox child in her lap was a lure she could no longer fight. With drooping eyes Sango shoulders slumped, her lithe body falling toward the monk sleeping in an upright position beside her. As her head pillowed into his shoulder, a lean, strong arm encircled the taijiya's waist, pulling her closer to him. For once, in this moment of exhausted need, Miroku would make his hands behave. When he felt Sango snuggle against him, seeking the comforting warmth of his own body, he sighed and once again allowed sleep to claim him.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A/N: OMG!!! I finally got some Sango/Miroku stuff in!!! I loved writing their parts, and I hope you enjoyed reading it! And there will be much more for the two in later chapters.
I will be back in the states on Aug. 11, so updates will once again be on a weekly basis. Thank you for all being so patient with this chapter!
As always, Please REVIEW! It encourages the next chapter!