CHAPTER SIXTEEN
*
Miroku folded his arms and studied his friends in their cramped inn room. Inuyasha was sprawled on a tree outside the windows, studying the leaves with the air of one about to lose his mind with boredom. Kagome and Sango were trying on a few of Kagome's cosmetics, lost in their little feminine world. Shippo was playing with a jigsaw puzzle, and Kirara was sleeping.
Perfect timing, Miroku thought with a smile. Perhaps the world isn't trying to stop me after all.
He went to the tree where Inuyasha was lying. "Inuyasha?" he called, tapping the branch with his staff.
Inuyasha sat up and rubbed his eyes. "What now?" he said gruffly.
"I have some errands to do in the village. Care to come with me?"
"Why not?" Inuyasha yawned. "I got nothing better to do. Better to keep an eye on you so you don't get in trouble again."
"Trouble?" Miroku had spent years perfecting an expression of artless, puzzled innocence. It had gotten him out of trouble more than once. Unfortunately, it failed to fool Inuyasha for even a few seconds. The young half-demon glowered at him and added sharply, "Yeah, trouble. Remember that girl with the flowered kimono you tried to pick up? The one with the big eyes and pretty lips? The one with the big ape husband I had to fight after he tried to tie you in a knot?"
"She told me she wasn't married," Miroku said, slightly offended.
"Sure," Inuyasha said acidly. "That's not what she said when you and the girls were running for it. Fine, I'll come along. Nothin' better to do around here except watch Kagome and Sango put stuff on each other."
"Can I come?" Shippo asked, looking up from his puzzle.
Miroku quickly ran over to the little fox and whispered, hopefully low enough that Inuyasha couldn't hear, "Shippo, I would really rather you didn't," he whispered. "There's an errand I would rather you not be around during -- you understand, don't you?"
"Nuh-uh," Shippo said.
Miroku sighed. "How about this?" he asked, resigned. He pulled a string of coins from one sleeve and held it out. Shippo quickly accepted the bribe and settled back on the floor, once again trying to figure out his puzzle.
*
The next half hour was deeply frustrating for Miroku. He knew that Inuyasha had an unusually straightforward and honest personality. That was why he preferred to keep Inuyasha away from any girls he was interested in, and definitely away from any "under the table" transactions.
And it was making things very difficult for Miroku. He prided himself on being able to wheedle, insinuate and haggle into a good position whenever he purchased food. But with Inuyasha standing behind him, loudly announcing what looked good or bad to him, it was hard to fake dismay at the condition of the foods for sale.
"All I'm saying is that that those vegetables didn't look too old to me," Inuyasha was saying as they walked down the road, with a sack slung over each of their backs. "They weren't withered or nothin'."
"Inuyasha, please," Miroku mumbled. The whole experience was still quite painful. Between buying food and bribing Shippo... "One day, I have to teach you the fine art of negotiation."
"If you mean paying less than I should, then I don't wanna learn," Inuyasha said sourly.
Miroku sighed. He'd been doing that a lot recently. "Inuyasha, if you don't mind, I would like to drop in on my lady friend for a short time. Just wait in the entrance hall for me, would you?"
"Whatever." Inuyasha followed Miroku down the path to the sprawling, somewhat dingy building, and into the wide entrance hall. It looked like a smallish manor house that had seen better days. Miroku dropped his sack on the floor and gestured at Inuyasha to stay where he was. "I won't be long," he said.
Inuyasha sank down on the floor and folded his hands into his sleeves.
Miroku followed the sound of lute music to a narrow doorway. He made sure the door was shut behind him before he called out, "Madam Ayaki!"
The woman was a good twenty years older than he was, and though she was no longer quite beautiful, she was still good-looking. She smiled and patted Miroku's shoulder fondly as he sat down beside her. "Young monk, we've been wondering where you had gone off to. The girls have been quite desolate without you."
"Ah, and I've been quite desolate without them," Miroku sighed, feigning wistfulness. "But I have quite another reason to come to you today. I have a young customer who could use some help from the girls..."
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Miroku folded his arms and studied his friends in their cramped inn room. Inuyasha was sprawled on a tree outside the windows, studying the leaves with the air of one about to lose his mind with boredom. Kagome and Sango were trying on a few of Kagome's cosmetics, lost in their little feminine world. Shippo was playing with a jigsaw puzzle, and Kirara was sleeping.
Perfect timing, Miroku thought with a smile. Perhaps the world isn't trying to stop me after all.
He went to the tree where Inuyasha was lying. "Inuyasha?" he called, tapping the branch with his staff.
Inuyasha sat up and rubbed his eyes. "What now?" he said gruffly.
"I have some errands to do in the village. Care to come with me?"
"Why not?" Inuyasha yawned. "I got nothing better to do. Better to keep an eye on you so you don't get in trouble again."
"Trouble?" Miroku had spent years perfecting an expression of artless, puzzled innocence. It had gotten him out of trouble more than once. Unfortunately, it failed to fool Inuyasha for even a few seconds. The young half-demon glowered at him and added sharply, "Yeah, trouble. Remember that girl with the flowered kimono you tried to pick up? The one with the big eyes and pretty lips? The one with the big ape husband I had to fight after he tried to tie you in a knot?"
"She told me she wasn't married," Miroku said, slightly offended.
"Sure," Inuyasha said acidly. "That's not what she said when you and the girls were running for it. Fine, I'll come along. Nothin' better to do around here except watch Kagome and Sango put stuff on each other."
"Can I come?" Shippo asked, looking up from his puzzle.
Miroku quickly ran over to the little fox and whispered, hopefully low enough that Inuyasha couldn't hear, "Shippo, I would really rather you didn't," he whispered. "There's an errand I would rather you not be around during -- you understand, don't you?"
"Nuh-uh," Shippo said.
Miroku sighed. "How about this?" he asked, resigned. He pulled a string of coins from one sleeve and held it out. Shippo quickly accepted the bribe and settled back on the floor, once again trying to figure out his puzzle.
*
The next half hour was deeply frustrating for Miroku. He knew that Inuyasha had an unusually straightforward and honest personality. That was why he preferred to keep Inuyasha away from any girls he was interested in, and definitely away from any "under the table" transactions.
And it was making things very difficult for Miroku. He prided himself on being able to wheedle, insinuate and haggle into a good position whenever he purchased food. But with Inuyasha standing behind him, loudly announcing what looked good or bad to him, it was hard to fake dismay at the condition of the foods for sale.
"All I'm saying is that that those vegetables didn't look too old to me," Inuyasha was saying as they walked down the road, with a sack slung over each of their backs. "They weren't withered or nothin'."
"Inuyasha, please," Miroku mumbled. The whole experience was still quite painful. Between buying food and bribing Shippo... "One day, I have to teach you the fine art of negotiation."
"If you mean paying less than I should, then I don't wanna learn," Inuyasha said sourly.
Miroku sighed. He'd been doing that a lot recently. "Inuyasha, if you don't mind, I would like to drop in on my lady friend for a short time. Just wait in the entrance hall for me, would you?"
"Whatever." Inuyasha followed Miroku down the path to the sprawling, somewhat dingy building, and into the wide entrance hall. It looked like a smallish manor house that had seen better days. Miroku dropped his sack on the floor and gestured at Inuyasha to stay where he was. "I won't be long," he said.
Inuyasha sank down on the floor and folded his hands into his sleeves.
Miroku followed the sound of lute music to a narrow doorway. He made sure the door was shut behind him before he called out, "Madam Ayaki!"
The woman was a good twenty years older than he was, and though she was no longer quite beautiful, she was still good-looking. She smiled and patted Miroku's shoulder fondly as he sat down beside her. "Young monk, we've been wondering where you had gone off to. The girls have been quite desolate without you."
"Ah, and I've been quite desolate without them," Miroku sighed, feigning wistfulness. "But I have quite another reason to come to you today. I have a young customer who could use some help from the girls..."
TO BE CONTINUED
