The wind blew with a cold chill. Winter was coming. Inuyasha hopped down from the god tree for the first time in several months. Plates with moldy food sat at the foot of the tree, he walked by them.
Sango and Miroku had visited him several times, Inuyasha had not answered any
of their calls. Their visits always ended the same…
Sango would sigh and slowly walk away with a sad expression on her face. Miroku would curse and hit the side of the tree with his staff, before stalking away. Shippo never visited Inuyasha. Kirara would walk around the base of the tree sometimes, but other than that, nothing.
Inuyasha turned and looked at the magestic tree. It
was one of the several things that reminded him of Kagome. He wished Kagome
were still with him.
"You'll see her in time." He reminded
himself.
Kagome had purified Naraku, thus making him evil no
more. Naraku not being evil destroyed the curse that was in Miroku's hand.
Naraku seemed to be an idiot wandering around making jokes and being nice. It
made Inuyasha sick.
Kagome was now in her time, living with the future
Inuyasha. Peacefully, he hoped. Inuyasha could not wait till the day, less than
500 years from now, when he would once again lay his eyes on his Kagome.
Inuyasha sighed and turned away from the god tree.
Sango and Miroku had been very loyal friends to him. And his pride would not
let him leave without at least acknowledging they existed.
And what about Shippo? Inuyasha scoffed and started
to walk half heartily to Keade's village. Shippo seemed to be avoiding
Inuyasha, but it wasn't like Inuyasha was trying to find Shippo.
Inuyasha entered the small village and saw several
people running around preparing for the coming winter. They were all still
wearing short kimono's, but some had scarves and hats on.
"INUYASHA!" Sango yelled and nearly threw
herself at him.
"Hey." Inuyasha tried not to be rude.
"I'm so happy!" Sango raised both her
hands in a motion to hug him but did not.
"Joy." Said Inuyasha.
"This calls for a feast! Just for you! You
must be hungry!" Sango scurried away muttering things about preparation
before Inuyasha could even speak a word.
"Well, well, well." Miroku appeared.
Inuyasha said nothing but gave Miroku a smug smile.
Miroku smirked back and slapped Inuyasha on the
back. "So now I can have a go at the god tree?" he joked.
Inuyasha's smile faded in an attempt not to laugh,
"whatever."
"Tell Sango I'll be late to dinner."
Inuyasha's quizzical looked trailed after Miroku as
he scurried into the forest.
"INUYASHA!" Keade appeared carrying an
armful of vegetables. "Come and help!"
Inuyasha groaned and slumped towards Keade.
****
Miroku stared at the glorious god tree with nothing
short of wonder on his face. He walked towards the trunk and placed his right
hand, minus wind tunnel, on the bark. He smiled and looked up at the large,
outstretched branches. He could make out the spot where Inuyasha had called
home for the last three months.
He must miss Kagome a lot, Miroku thought.
"We all miss you Kagome." He talked to
the tree as if it were her. "Not just Inuyasha." Miroku closed his
eyes and patted the bark with his hand.
"Matter of fact, Sango cried for a full week
after you returned to your own time. She kept saying how nice it had been of
you to bring her back to life, and how she would keep her promise."
Miroku sighed and let his hand fall from the tree.
"I will help her keep this promise." Miroku smiled. "For I am in
great debt to you Kagome." He paused and chuckled slightly.
"I feel there is no way I would have been able
to live on if Sango had died. So many emotions left unsaid…so many things left
undone…I must thank you for giving me a 'second chance' with her. Though, I do
not think I can thank you enough."
Miroku put his hands up in prayer and blessed the tree in Kagome's name.
Second Chances
Sequel/Prequel to 'Bent Reality'
Miroku's Wishes
The feast turned out to be a grand occasion. It was
held in the center of town on large planks of wood. The whole village attended,
all drinking and eating in Inuyasha's name. Inuyasha sat at the head of the
table with Sango on his right and Miroku on her right. Keade was on his left.
"They are all very thankful for you."
Sango explained.
"Mmhmm." Inuyasha said with a mouthful of
food.
"Don't talk with ye mouth full,
Inuyasha!" Keade slapped him on the back.
Inuyasha coughed up the hunk of meat he had been
chewing. It landed gracefully on Sango's plate.
"I think I just lost my appetite." Sango
pushed her plate away.
Inuyasha glared at Keade.
"Inuyasha, may I ask what you plan to do
now?" Miroku asked.
Inuyasha looked astonished. "What are you
getting at?"
"I know you must have some type of plan, I
mean, you sat in that tree an awful long time." Miroku calmly sipped some
tea.
Inuyasha pounded his fist on the table. "How
dare you accuse me!"
"Oh so you were sitting in that tree with a
blank mind?"
Inuyasha growled and violently crossed his arms.
"Actually I do have a plan. I plan to find the rest of the Shikon
Jewel."
Miroku choked on his tea. "What?"
Sango titled her head to one side. "I like the
idea." She said. "Can I go to Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha did not answer, but looked at her with a
weary expression.
"It doesn't matter cause I'm not giving you a
choice. I made a promise to Kagome and I'm going to keep it!" Sango sat a
little taller.
Inuyasha muttered and looked away from her. It
didn't look like he had much of a say in the matter.
"Than I shall come to!" Miroku held on of
his hands up. "To protect Lady Sango of course."
Sango glared at Miroku over her shoulder.
Miroku laughed nervously and held both his hands up.
Inuyasha gulped down his soup when something odd struck him. Something seemed to be missing from this parcticular scene. He of course knew Kagome wasn't there, but it was something else, something small and fury.
"Miroku," Inuyasha sat his bowl down and looked seriously at the monk. "Where's Shippo?"
The question was random and surprised Miroku at first. "Not sure." He sighed. "He disappeared several weeks after Kagome left. No one knows where he is."
Inuyasha growled in frustration.
"Feeling a tad protective of the cub?" Miroku grinned.
"Feh!" Inuyasha picked up the bowl of soup and started to gulp in down again.
****
He could feel the wind of summer pass and the smell of winter replace it. Shippo sighed and splashed refreshing water across his face. He was no bigger than when he had last been seen but he seemed skinner, and perhaps braver and stronger.
He was also alone. Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Kagome were no longer there to protect him. The defiant look that he always wore scared off most of the people that would have talked to him.
And the ones that wanted to beat him…did. Shippo was used to it, but he never gave the slightest hint that he felt pain. He wanted to become big and strong before he ever saw Inuyasha again.
"I'm going to search for the jewels, Inuyasha." Shippo stood. "As I am sure you will do too. And then you will find I am not as weak as you think I am."
Shippo turned and walked along the dirt path that had led to the river.
The next seven years of his life are a mystery to everyone. And if you asked him later what happened he quickly changes the subject.
Inuyasha had guessed that Shippo had made deals with bad people and now felt ashamed of it. Miroku had thought that the boy had no luck at all and his pride was too big to admit it. Sango had thought perhaps he liked the idea of people not knowing everything about him.
But Shippo would just smile at his acusations in his young adult age and say, "I hear the cherry blossoms are going to be lovely this year."
And everyone knew the subject was to be dropped.
(Quick Author Note: The story of Shippo's adventures will be told in the story, 'The Seven Lives Of Shippo', thank you.)
The day after the festival was a busy one. Inuyasha was preparing to leave by the morning of the next day, and was sneaking off to look for Shippo while Miroku and Sango prepared to leave.
"I think that's about everything." Sango said, admiring the small pack she had.
"Yup." Miroku dropped a huge bag next to hers, "Me too."
"Miroku!" Sango gapped at the bag. It was more than twice her size. "What are you bringing?"
"The things I can't live without." Miroku opened the bag to reveal it was empty. Sango looked at him questionably.
"What are you playing at Monk?" She asked.
"Nothing." Miroku said and lifted Sango up gently and put her inside the bag. He dare not close it.
Surprising Sango laughed at understanding that Miroku could not live without her, "Cute." She said.
Miroku actually blushed.
"Hey you two!" Inuyasha entered the hut revealing the setting sun for a brisk second while the door was open. "Better get an early sleep!" And with that he was gone.
"Yes, ye should do as Inuyasha suggests." Keade walked from one of the back rooms of the hut and easily started a fire in the middle of the room.
Sango pulled herself out of the bag and stifled back a yawn, "Yeah…"
She looked around for Miroku but could not find him. She shrugged and made her way into the room Keade had walked from.
"Keep an open eye child." Keade said as Sango shut the door.
Sango saw the many fluffy blankets laying placidly in the center of the room. She stretched and removed her battle armor and kimono and put on her night kimono. She would have slept in her normal clothes but she knew this would be the last time she would be able to wear her night kimono to bed and she took high advantage of it.
Sango slipped under the covers and felt something warm beside her, she thought it was Kirara so she snuggle into it.
And to her surprise Kirara pinched her ass. Sango's eye brow twitched, it wasn't Kirara.
"PERVERT!" she turned around and bashed the half dressed Miroku in the side of the head.
She lifted him up and dragged him to the front of the hut and hurled him out the door. He landed face first with his but sticking in that air.
"You can just sleep outside and think about what you've done!"
Miroku was to unconscious to understand, "Mary had a little lamb…" he sang.
***************************
IMPORTANT! READ THIS!
How was that for a sequel? Still no real info about Shippo. I was going to explain what happened in this story but decided to write Shippo his own story. I will let you know when I post the first chapter. And in case you are wondering he will make an appearance in this story, but not for a while to come.
I hope you understand the title. I thought is was clever.
Anyways…
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