This was delayed in an attempt to get sunfreak to update Things Worth Dying For. It didn't work :/ Go beat on her, maybe through numbers we can wrest her away from Naruto for a while!
Anyway. It's been pointed out to me that Miroku and Kagome's conversation is a bit awkward and chit-chatty. It's supposed to be. ^^ Also, I'm estimating 3-4 more chapters of this before we reach the end. There is a plot (really, I promise) and I'm working through it XD; Thanks to everyone who's kept reading... it means a lot to me!
Beta props to sunfreak (the lazy ho :/) and colin. Thank you loves. :3
--==--
Ikichirou sighed, checking the digital clock on the cash register as he counted out his drawer and slid the money into a bag. Kagome was late. He set the bag in a small safe in the pungent back room of the store, locking it and checking to make sure he hadn't left any of the containers of herbs open.
The telephone rang, and he practically dashed for the front room, snatching at it and holding it up to his ear. "Kagome?"
"Yeah, it's me. I'm sorry I'm not back yet… I ran into an old friend that I haven't seen in years… so we decided to go out for dinner."
"Oh." He blinked a bit. "Do I know them?"
"No… it was someone I met while I was sick. Miroku… I think I've mentioned him before."
Tapping a pen on the store ledger, he frowned a bit, thinking, and then nodded to himself. "Ah, yes, I remember the name. …Wasn't he the lecherous one?"
She laughed lightly. "Yes. Don't worry though, I'm well-versed in protecting my honor as far as he's concerned."
He frowned a bit. "I trust you."
"I love you." The voice was tender, and despite himself he smiled.
"I love you too. I'll see you at home in a few hours."
--==--
Kagome shut her cellphone with a click, slipping it back into her purse and smiling at Miroku.
"Who was that?" He was watching her, his head tilted a bit.
She hesitated for a second before smiling softly. "Ikichirou. My husband."
"Oh." His eyes widened, surprised. "Congratulations."
"Thanks." Kagome blushed just a bit and picked up her glass of beer, sipping it.
"So…" he trailed off, looking over her appraisingly. "You look well. How are things? Kids?"
Laughing slightly, she set her glass down. "One, actually. Shin."
"How old?"
"He'll be three in a month."
Miroku smiled, a bit wistfully. "I'm happy for you." He paused, thoughtfully. "… and I'm sure he'll have more girlfriends than he'll know what to do with, if he takes after his mother in looks at all."
She smirked into her beer. "Letch."
"Oh, admit it Kagome… you missed me."
A warm smile that belied the flippancy in her words. "Maybe just a little."
He winked, then frowned down at the glass of water in his hands, wrinkling his nose a bit. "I can't believe they won't serve me sake."
She chuckled. "I forgot you're underage."
"Underage." He snorted. "What a stupid concept."
Kagome shrugged. "You get used to it."
He sighed a bit, looking at her dubiously. "I guess so. So… I guess you're a fully trained priestess now?"
She nodded. "I took over my family's shrine a few years ago, when my grandfather retired."
"Oh. … and you're here to return things to their natural order?"
Kagome tilted her head, watching his face close up a bit, become wary. "Not entirely. I missed you, you know. Even with the wandering hands." She paused for a second, than shot him a warning look. "Now get your hand off my thigh before I render poor Masa incapable of procreation."
The offending hand was quickly removed with a disappointed sigh and a pout. "You're as vigilant as ever, Kagome."
"Yes, well." She smirked, "I –am- married now. You should have come back while I was in college."
He laughed and took a moment to look her up and down, somehow both appreciatively and appraisingly. "You've changed."
"Not really. I just grew up."
Miroku nodded, frowning just a bit. "Have you met any other reincarnations? Of the rest of us?"
She sipped her drink slowly, taking her time before she answered. "A couple."
"How did you know?"
"I don't know, really. They didn't even look the same, but with all of them, I was just with them one day and sort of realized."
"Oh. So they didn't do what I'm doing right now?"
She shook her head, grinning. "No, you're special like that. But then, I put shields around them to prevent it."
"Why?"
"The past is the past. As much as I'd like to go back, sometimes… I don't live there anymore."
He nodded, leaning back in his chair and starting to mull that over. A few seconds later, she smirked a bit. "Besides. Naraku's reincarnation was annoying enough on her own."
"Naraku?"
"Yeah… Noriko. She ended up being my roommate in the dorms, my second year of college. Believe me, it wasn't pretty."
--==--
Masa stood on the bank of a small river, watching it ripple over the rocky bed of the shallow ford in the sunlight. It was the last obstacle between him and his destination, and somehow he was loathe to cross it.
"What are you waiting for?" The voice at his elbow was smooth, warm. He trusted it more than he did himself, sometimes. Sango was like that. His best friend, the voice of reason he sometimes desperately needed.
"I don't know." He frowned. Now that he was here, his determination seemed to have deserted him. What if she didn't accept him? She said that she would wait forever, but he knew that was much to ask. After a moment, he admitted it. "I guess I'm afraid."
"Don't be. Just go. Trust that everything will work out all right."
"I guess so. No looking back, right?"
"Right."
"I can't believe I'm leaving you behind." His grip on his staff tightened a bit with the admission.
A hint of laughter softened her words. "Me neither. Jerk." She paused for a second, the kind of breathless, expectant lull in her speech that he had learned to be patient through. "What… what about Sesshomaru?" The words were a bit choked, as if she had trouble saying them. But then that didn't surprise him. Sango had never approved. They'd had several fights over the matter.
"What of him?" He shrugged a bit.
"You don't care for him at all?"
"I don't." It was a lie, and they both knew it.
Still she paused for another long minute before pointing it out. "You're lying."
"He's not what I need."
"Are you sure?"
He turned to her. "What, suddenly you've changed your mind about him?"
A vigorous shake of her head sent her loose hair swinging, flashing in the sun, warm and bright. She was beautiful like this, flushed and happy from her recent marriage. "It's not that and you know it. I just… I don't want you regretting this."
Masa smiled. "I won't."
She still looked dubious, but sighed. "Promise?"
"Promise." He nodded firmly, flashing her a reassuring smile. "I'm going to miss you though."
"Not Inuyasha and the others?" She laughed.
"Maybe just a little. But you mostly. I still wish…"
She just shook her head, leaning forward to press a light kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Bad timing. We'll still be friends forever, right?"
Masa closed his eyes and nodded slowly, swallowing against the slight catch in his throat. "Absolutely. I'll visit."
Sango shook a finger at him threateningly. "You'd better! Or I'm going to send Kirara to drag you by your oh-so-pretty hair!"
The light in her eyes was dangerous and utterly serious, and somehow it made all those tense, nervous knots inside him loosen. Masa pulled her into a hug, one of the few that they had shared that didn't have an ulterior motive. She wrapped her arms around him as tightly as only she could and sighed.
"Love you, you crazy bastard."
When he crossed the river, he didn't look back. Not even to watch her as she turned to head home… though he was certainly tempted. It was time to move on.
Anyway. It's been pointed out to me that Miroku and Kagome's conversation is a bit awkward and chit-chatty. It's supposed to be. ^^ Also, I'm estimating 3-4 more chapters of this before we reach the end. There is a plot (really, I promise) and I'm working through it XD; Thanks to everyone who's kept reading... it means a lot to me!
Beta props to sunfreak (the lazy ho :/) and colin. Thank you loves. :3
--==--
Ikichirou sighed, checking the digital clock on the cash register as he counted out his drawer and slid the money into a bag. Kagome was late. He set the bag in a small safe in the pungent back room of the store, locking it and checking to make sure he hadn't left any of the containers of herbs open.
The telephone rang, and he practically dashed for the front room, snatching at it and holding it up to his ear. "Kagome?"
"Yeah, it's me. I'm sorry I'm not back yet… I ran into an old friend that I haven't seen in years… so we decided to go out for dinner."
"Oh." He blinked a bit. "Do I know them?"
"No… it was someone I met while I was sick. Miroku… I think I've mentioned him before."
Tapping a pen on the store ledger, he frowned a bit, thinking, and then nodded to himself. "Ah, yes, I remember the name. …Wasn't he the lecherous one?"
She laughed lightly. "Yes. Don't worry though, I'm well-versed in protecting my honor as far as he's concerned."
He frowned a bit. "I trust you."
"I love you." The voice was tender, and despite himself he smiled.
"I love you too. I'll see you at home in a few hours."
--==--
Kagome shut her cellphone with a click, slipping it back into her purse and smiling at Miroku.
"Who was that?" He was watching her, his head tilted a bit.
She hesitated for a second before smiling softly. "Ikichirou. My husband."
"Oh." His eyes widened, surprised. "Congratulations."
"Thanks." Kagome blushed just a bit and picked up her glass of beer, sipping it.
"So…" he trailed off, looking over her appraisingly. "You look well. How are things? Kids?"
Laughing slightly, she set her glass down. "One, actually. Shin."
"How old?"
"He'll be three in a month."
Miroku smiled, a bit wistfully. "I'm happy for you." He paused, thoughtfully. "… and I'm sure he'll have more girlfriends than he'll know what to do with, if he takes after his mother in looks at all."
She smirked into her beer. "Letch."
"Oh, admit it Kagome… you missed me."
A warm smile that belied the flippancy in her words. "Maybe just a little."
He winked, then frowned down at the glass of water in his hands, wrinkling his nose a bit. "I can't believe they won't serve me sake."
She chuckled. "I forgot you're underage."
"Underage." He snorted. "What a stupid concept."
Kagome shrugged. "You get used to it."
He sighed a bit, looking at her dubiously. "I guess so. So… I guess you're a fully trained priestess now?"
She nodded. "I took over my family's shrine a few years ago, when my grandfather retired."
"Oh. … and you're here to return things to their natural order?"
Kagome tilted her head, watching his face close up a bit, become wary. "Not entirely. I missed you, you know. Even with the wandering hands." She paused for a second, than shot him a warning look. "Now get your hand off my thigh before I render poor Masa incapable of procreation."
The offending hand was quickly removed with a disappointed sigh and a pout. "You're as vigilant as ever, Kagome."
"Yes, well." She smirked, "I –am- married now. You should have come back while I was in college."
He laughed and took a moment to look her up and down, somehow both appreciatively and appraisingly. "You've changed."
"Not really. I just grew up."
Miroku nodded, frowning just a bit. "Have you met any other reincarnations? Of the rest of us?"
She sipped her drink slowly, taking her time before she answered. "A couple."
"How did you know?"
"I don't know, really. They didn't even look the same, but with all of them, I was just with them one day and sort of realized."
"Oh. So they didn't do what I'm doing right now?"
She shook her head, grinning. "No, you're special like that. But then, I put shields around them to prevent it."
"Why?"
"The past is the past. As much as I'd like to go back, sometimes… I don't live there anymore."
He nodded, leaning back in his chair and starting to mull that over. A few seconds later, she smirked a bit. "Besides. Naraku's reincarnation was annoying enough on her own."
"Naraku?"
"Yeah… Noriko. She ended up being my roommate in the dorms, my second year of college. Believe me, it wasn't pretty."
--==--
Masa stood on the bank of a small river, watching it ripple over the rocky bed of the shallow ford in the sunlight. It was the last obstacle between him and his destination, and somehow he was loathe to cross it.
"What are you waiting for?" The voice at his elbow was smooth, warm. He trusted it more than he did himself, sometimes. Sango was like that. His best friend, the voice of reason he sometimes desperately needed.
"I don't know." He frowned. Now that he was here, his determination seemed to have deserted him. What if she didn't accept him? She said that she would wait forever, but he knew that was much to ask. After a moment, he admitted it. "I guess I'm afraid."
"Don't be. Just go. Trust that everything will work out all right."
"I guess so. No looking back, right?"
"Right."
"I can't believe I'm leaving you behind." His grip on his staff tightened a bit with the admission.
A hint of laughter softened her words. "Me neither. Jerk." She paused for a second, the kind of breathless, expectant lull in her speech that he had learned to be patient through. "What… what about Sesshomaru?" The words were a bit choked, as if she had trouble saying them. But then that didn't surprise him. Sango had never approved. They'd had several fights over the matter.
"What of him?" He shrugged a bit.
"You don't care for him at all?"
"I don't." It was a lie, and they both knew it.
Still she paused for another long minute before pointing it out. "You're lying."
"He's not what I need."
"Are you sure?"
He turned to her. "What, suddenly you've changed your mind about him?"
A vigorous shake of her head sent her loose hair swinging, flashing in the sun, warm and bright. She was beautiful like this, flushed and happy from her recent marriage. "It's not that and you know it. I just… I don't want you regretting this."
Masa smiled. "I won't."
She still looked dubious, but sighed. "Promise?"
"Promise." He nodded firmly, flashing her a reassuring smile. "I'm going to miss you though."
"Not Inuyasha and the others?" She laughed.
"Maybe just a little. But you mostly. I still wish…"
She just shook her head, leaning forward to press a light kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Bad timing. We'll still be friends forever, right?"
Masa closed his eyes and nodded slowly, swallowing against the slight catch in his throat. "Absolutely. I'll visit."
Sango shook a finger at him threateningly. "You'd better! Or I'm going to send Kirara to drag you by your oh-so-pretty hair!"
The light in her eyes was dangerous and utterly serious, and somehow it made all those tense, nervous knots inside him loosen. Masa pulled her into a hug, one of the few that they had shared that didn't have an ulterior motive. She wrapped her arms around him as tightly as only she could and sighed.
"Love you, you crazy bastard."
When he crossed the river, he didn't look back. Not even to watch her as she turned to head home… though he was certainly tempted. It was time to move on.