I'm With Him - Chapter 6
By: Sakura Katsana
Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha, Inu Yasha, or ::shoves something in red into her closet:: Inuyasha. Ha ha. . . ::nervous glances around the room::
Sakura's Note: Hello my wonderful, loving, patient readers. I don't know how to thank you for not sending me threatening emails for not posting for a very long time. School was hectic, and since this is the last summer before high school my friends and I are trying to make it the best. Updates will come faster, though, now that I've gotten used to using every minute of the day wisely again. Plus the fact that I've learned how to live on 4 hours of sleep.
There should be about one or two chapters left, depending on how long I make them, maybe a little more. So, it should be done by the second week of July. I'll be posting a new story a week or so before then.
Also, there will be some well-deserved Miroku/Sango fluff in this chapter. I've been dying to write it, but it's taken some time to find the right spot.
So, thank you to everyone who reviewed, this chapter is dedicated to all of you.
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Chapter 6: Thou Shalt Not Kill Fake Boyfriends
Inuyasha was not a stalker of beautiful, kind, compassionate, monk-loving priestesses. Stalking was what people with no life did. Unless, of course, they were stalking Naraku to try and save the world.
Inuyasha was a bodyguard of a beautiful, kind, compassionate, thinks-she-loves-monks-but-really-doesn't priestess.
And yes, there was a difference. At least in a certain honey-eyed hanyou's mind.
He had caught her scent a while back, and was now flying through the trees trying to find her. With his luck there were seven different hot springs, and, of course, he'd already checked six. He almost missed the next branch when he heard Sango's laughter and then a splash.
"No, Miroku--" another splash. "Stop--" Splash. "Miroku!" Inuyasha would have gone to her rescue had it not been for her having a laughing fit seconds later. There was a flash of blue, then green, then yellow and orange. Inuyasha took a chance and looked down, shocked to see both Sango and Kagome wearing swim suits.
Thank the gods.
But what about--
He couldn't bring himself to look. Somehow he couldn't imagine Miroku in a swimsuit like Kagome's. Inuyasha shuddered at the thought.
They were having fun without him. Did they even notice? Of course, Shippou wasn't there either, he was still entertaining some of the village kids. But that didn't really comfort him that much.
"We should be heading back." Kagome admitted, wringing her hair of water. "Inuyasha's probably worried by now. I kind of feel bad we didn't invite him."
Above in the branches Inuyasha smiled smugly.
"Well, he was about to kill Miroku." Sango reminded. The hanyou shot her a glare.
"Well yeah." Kagome agreed, tilting her head to the side. "But I don't think he'd do it."
Like Hell I wouldn't. Inuyasha crossed his arms defiantly, fighting back one of his trademark scoffs.
"He's really just a big lovable puppy when you get right down to it." the miko smiled, giggling a bit.
"I guess we should get going. . ." Miroku trailed off, sensing something very familiar. Kagome gave him a meaningful look, "Alright, alright, I'll close my eyes."
"And turn away."
"But my eyes are closed!" the monk argued, his perverted side getting the best of him.
"So. . .?" Sango drawled, her usual self rising back to power. "Turn."
"You insult me with your lack of trust." Miroku pouted, although he did turn around. Truth be told he couldn't trust himself not to peak. It wasn't as though he hadn't seen them in their swimsuits already, especially Sango. He had to admit, he had thought that her exterminator uniform drove him crazy. . .
Inuyasha watched as Miroku sat obediently, eyes closed, facing the boulder. It was very tempting to throw a rock, but he resisted. He didn't feel like being sat today.
The monk decided to pass the time, and distract himself from his all but holy thoughts, by concentrating on how many ants were crawling in the grass nearby. He didn't feel like being crushed by a boulder today.
"Thanks, Miroku." Kagome walked out from behind the foliage. "For everything."
"It's alright. I have to admit, this is strange, but fun as well. Tricking Inuyasha is probably one of out better ideas."
The hanyou's head snapped back down to the water below. Trick? What were they. . .?
"Miroku! What if he's nearby?" Kagome looked all around her, a weight falling into her gut.
"I would have sensed him by now." Miroku waved a passive hand, dismissing the concern.
Little did he know, he already had.
Inuyasha raised an anxious eyebrow, So they've been doing this for a while. . . Whatever it is they've been doing.
"How many ideas have we actually had, Miroku?" Sango stepped out, a towel between her hands drying her hair.
"Well. . .Ok. Our first idea is the best one we could have thought of. Inuyasha's been taking too much time on his own. Giving him a push in the right direction isn't something to regret. He would never do anything about his feelings for Kagome when she wasn't taken. He's been taking advantage of you being single. Now that you're not, he has to move in."
You mean. . .they're not. . .a COUPLE?! Inuyasha ran a clawed hand through his hair right before they balled into tight fists. He ignored the slight pain when his nails punctured skin. How could I not see it? Kagome's never shown any interest in Miroku! And now all of a sudden she's head over heels for him? Keh.
They had been tricking him. This entire time. Suddenly he felt like a fool. Partly because of the fact that they'd fooled him in the first place, but also because of how true Miroku's words had been.
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Inuyasha managed to get back mere minutes before the others and decided it would be best to look as if he hadn't cared at all that they had left without him. He watched as Shippou said goodbye to the children, doing a quick slight of hand trick to get one last round of applause.
Was he in on it too?
Then, with a happy bow, the kit bounded away, waving farewell as he headed in the direction of a very peeved hanyou. Best not bother him until Kagome got back.
With the look Inuyasha was giving a rock in the distance it seemed he was trying to burn holes in it with his eyes. So much for looking impassive. Actually, he was trying to formulate a plan. Contrary to popular belief he usually could think up plans without anyone noticing, that was why they thought he didn't think. This time, however, it was taking everything he had.
Plan A was a bit too gruesome, so he had toned it down a bit. He personally didn't think Plan B and C were all that violent, but he knew Kagome wouldn't find them so funny. Finally, he had marked all killing and injuring Miroku off the list. Plan D had been somewhat sound, although some violence was still involved.
He hated being this far down into the letters.
Luckily he didn't have to go any farther than Plan E. Just in time, too. His ears picked up on the footsteps of the others coming back from the springs. Sango's firm but quiet pacing, Miroku's easy, swift steps, and Kagome's casual, carefree, spring-in-her-step walk.
He'd have to think it out a bit more, though.
"Hey Inuyasha!" Kagome threw up a hand from the trail and waved, already back in her act.
Don't Hey Inuyasha me. He turned to her, hating himself for the scowl that showed up on his face. How could Kagome do this to him? She was betraying him! But she did it so you would notice her, she thinks you don't notice her. Just give in and be with her. . . His mind was sensible, but right now Inuyasha thought it was just plain stupid.
She wanted him to act jealous? She wanted him to grab her away and declare his love? Hell, he hadn't even declared it to himself yet. Oh, he'd act jealous. More so than she thought he could.
Sango fought back the very strong urge to roll her eyes and scream out of frustration. Kagome belonged with Inuyasha, not Miroku! This plan wasn't working, he wasn't doing anything. She had to get Kagome to think of something else.
But she wasn't jealous. That was the farthest thing from what Sango was feeling right now--if it was Opposite Day.
When Kagome caught the look Inuyasha was giving her, her skin immediately paled. She also noticed that although his brows her furrowed his eyes were zeroing in on her. There was an emotion there she couldn't quite place, maybe even a mix of emotions.
Inuyasha then moved his eyes to Miroku, letting a low growl escape his throat.
Shippou noticed this, backing away from his spot next to the hanyou. It looked as though he was about to kill Miroku! If he decided to do it while Kagome wasn't around to sit him. . .he could even turn demon. The kitsune's mind whizzed, trying to find an answer. And then he had it. It was risky, but if it worked all of this would be over.
There would be no more Kagome and Miroku, Inuyasha wouldn't want to kill Miroku, and Sango would be happy hitting the monk again. Everybody would be happy.
Of course, it might make Inuyasha want to kill Miroku more too. He wasn't quite sure.
But that was a chance that he had to take.
Sacrifices had to be made.
Inuyasha stomped towards them, "Kagome, may I have a word with you?"
"I-Inuyasha?" Kagome was surprised. Not because he was talking, but because before she could answer he had practically dragged her away. "Why are you dragging me?! All you had to do was say you wanted to speak to me alone!"
"Keh." The hanyou stuck up his nose, "You wouldn't have come."
"What do you--"
"All you want to do is be with Miroku. Miroku this, Miroku that. You even let him go to the hot springs with you! You didn't even invi-" He stopped before he revealed anymore. It would be stupid to let her know how much that had bothered him.
"Why do you even care?" Kagome retorted, too caught up in the argument to notice her plan was "working". "It's not like you ever showed an interest in me."
"It's not like he has either!" Inuyasha all but stabbed the air in front of him as he pointed at the monk, who was talking with one of the young women of the village.
Kagome looked in the direction he was pointing, blushing furiously when she saw him flirting. Sango looked just as emotional, although embarrassed didn't feel like the right word. People who were embarrassed wouldn't usually hit men on the head with a boomerang.
"S-so? I--Miroku and I--It's none of your business!" Kagome whirled back to him, jabbing a finger into his chest, "So stay out of it!"
The hanyou fought back a smirk, the same one he fought back every time he made her flustered. He bent down to her ear, making her neck heat up, "Oh, it is my business. It always has been, hasn't it?" Then he walked away, shooting Miroku a cold glare.
Kagome couldn't seem to find her legs. What had he meant by that?
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The rest of the day was just as weird as what he'd said to her earlier. Kagome had walked next to Miroku for days now, that wasn't what was odd. What was odd was that Miroku couldn't walk next to her today.
Why?
Because Inuyasha was right next to her. Miroku would walk to the left--the Inuyasha-free side--and gently nudge Sango. But she was so busy playing with Kirara that she didn't seem to notice. Finally, he settled for being next to the person he'd been dying to grope forever. She smiled shyly, going back to speaking softly to the demon cat on her shoulder.
"We haven't talked much." Miroku commented lightly. He slowed his pace, happy when Sango did the same.
"No, we haven't." Sango glanced over at him, her mind automatically going back to an image that would be in her mind forever from the springs. He had such a toned chest. . . She blushed beet red, heat from her neck and ears spreading like a plague to her face.
"Sango, are you ok?"
The demon exterminator quickly turned, observing a russet colored leaf with interest. She didn't want to lie about her feelings. . . But- would it be any different than what she'd been doing for over a year now? "I-I'm fine, Miroku-sama."
"Again with the formalities? I thought we'd finally gotten past that stage." Miroku turned her around, sadness pooling in both his eyes and hers.
Her blush had just begun to die down when he made physical contact, causing the redness to erupt once again. "I'm sorry Miroku-sam--Miroku." Sango patted his hand boldly, alerting him it was still on her shoulder. He hesitantly removed it, putting his attention back on her eyes.
"Well, I've known you for a while now. . .And it's easy to see you're lying to me." Sango's eyes widened and her heart thumped wildly, so much in fact that she didn't even notice when Kirara jumped off to check out a butterfly fluttering by.
His tone. . .it was so soft, and caring. She'd never heard it before. The thought of it scared her, what was he thinking? Could he see how much this was bothering her?
"I'm fine, really." Sango gave a forced laugh, noticing Inuyasha and Kagome couldn't be seen anymore. "Don't worry about me, Miroku."
"That's worse than asking me to chop off my cursed hand."
"What are you saying Miroku?" she couldn't stop using his name. . .just hearing made her a bit giddy.
"I could never stop caring for you, Sango. It's impossible. Not even the strongest man could." He didn't know why he was saying these things now, in the midst of their plan. He'd hinted he cared for her before, but it seemed he couldn't shut his mouth now.
"Come on, we're way behind. What if Kagome senses a shard?" But no matter how much her mind told her feet to speed up, her heart forced them to slow.
Miroku seemed to ponder this for a moment before opening his mouth and closing it again. She was right, but it was the first time in weeks that they'd had anytime alone. "Do you really want me to leave you alone so much?"
That stopped the exterminator in her tracks. Everything crashed down on her, causing her to feel as if she was balancing the weight of world in her hands. Panic, love, sadness, desperation, anger, everything came out. "What? No--Never! That's why I want this whole charade to end! You're with her, you've stopped looking at me, like I'm not even there!" Miroku felt something squeeze in his chest when he heard the pain filling her words.
"You don't look at me, or touch me, or pretend you are swatting mosquitoes away from me but you really aren't. . . I can't hit you anymore!" She punched his chest weakly, again and again. "And. . .I miss it. . . I miss y-you. . ." She collapsed into his arms, tears trickling down her cheeks.
Slowly Miroku wrapped his arms around her, so tight she was surprised she could still breathe. But, it made everything feel like it would be alright, everything would be fixed. She was in his arms, after all.
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"Have you seen Miroku?" Kagome looked through the fire they'd built towards the forest they'd emerged from. A cool breeze blew by, making her twist her hair and put it over her shoulder. It was a fruitless attempt, seeing how it quickly resumed waving in front of her face.
Inuyasha watched her, knowing the entire thing was a sham.
She was a good actor though. He wouldn't have known if he hadn't been sp--body guarding.
"Why do you like him?" By the look on her face, he'd asked the right question. She seemed a bit paler for the second time that day. "Well?"
"Well what?" Kagome raised an eyebrow, "I'm aloud to pause for effect aren't I?"
"No." He smirked at her flustered face.
"He's caring, considerate--"
"Perverted."
"Protective--"
"Has twisted morals."
Kagome stood up, forced fury flaring behind her stormy orbs. "How so?!"
"He blackmailed a man!"
"When?"
Inuyasha glared, "Remember the Water Goddess?"
The miko's mouth formed an 'o' before sitting back down on the log next to him. "That doesn't mean anything! The man sacrificed another child to cover up for his son!"
"Wouldn't you do the same?"
"No!" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her.
"You're just saying that so you'll win the argument."
Kagome sent him another testy glare. "So what if I was? And, for your information, I'm not."
"You're tellin' me that you'd just give your child up?" Inuyasha couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"I'm not saying that either. I'd find another way." Kagome ignored his typical 'keh', bringing them into a silence. She looked over at him, where he seemed to be deep in thought, something she'd rarely ever seen. Maybe she should be a bit bolder. . . "I mean, my husband and I wouldn't let the god or goddess destroy the village or take our child. Any child for that matter. My husband's going to be strong, tough, but still have that softness in his golden-"
Inuyasha's ears stood at attention, both swiveled to face her. His face looked out into the flames, hoping that would cover the excited blush creeping onto his cheeks. So she was thinking ahead. "His golden. . .?"
"Heart."
The hybrid rose an eyebrow, Good save. "Ah. So Miroku's all those things."
"Yes, yes he is." For Sango. . . Kagome nodded. They'd both been gone for a while, she hoped they found their way back soon.
"Weird he's gone when Sango is." Inuyasha voiced both their thoughts absent mindedly. He'd get her to admit it soon enough.
. . .Hopefully.
"I'm going to go find them." Kagome nodded an affirmative, giving a quick smile to the napping kitsune on the other side of the fire. "Keep an eye on Shippou, alright?"
"Yeah, yeah." Inuyasha waved a passive hand, "If you scream, you better hope Miroku gets there before I do."
"Oh? And why's that?"
"Because if he doesn't I'll kill him for not being there to protect his. . .woman." He snarled out the last word.
Kagome nodded slowly, her walking turning into a run before she could say anything. Did he just say that? He did! He said it!
Shippou cracked open an eye, hoping Inuyasha hadn't noticed his irregular breathing. This was perfect! Now all he had to do was get away before Inuyasha could notice. His bottle green eyes spotted a stone a few inches away. If he could just get it. . .
Inuyasha stood up, causing Shippou to quickly shut his eyes, tossing a few more sticks into the dying flames. Then he lazily sat down, his back toward the kit.
Perfect. . .
Shippou slowly curled his small fingers around the rock, then, threw it to the hanyou's right. Instantly Inuyasha's eyes darted in that direction, and before Shippou could move a muscle towards his target Inuyasha was off to find the maker of the noise.
He couldn't have asked for an easier escape.
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"Miroku? Sango? Kirara?" Kagome crept farther into the forest, her hand tightening its grip on her bow. If someone came out at her she was ready.
Only the crickets responded to her calls. Her school shoes crunched the fallen leaves, she really had to learn to walk quietly like Inuyasha.
Kagome spotted the pathway she was sure they'd walked on earlier that evening and headed towards it. Where were they?
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Miroku put his arm on Sango's shoulder, "Wait. I thought I heard something."
Instinctively Sango's hand shot up to Hiraikotsu, ready to throw it over her shoulder in a seconds notice. "What is it, Miroku?"
They had spotted the camp fire of the others a few minutes ago, Inuyasha had already established a camp.
"Sango, go on to the campsite, I'll be right there."
"But--"
"Don't worry," he soothed, "It's probably just a rabbit or something. . . Go on ahead, I'll be right there." Sango gave him a skeptical look but nodded all the same.
"Alright, but if you're not back we're going to go search for you." Kirara mewed an agreement, jumping back onto her owner's shoulder.
Miroku smiled dashingly, making her knees go a bit weak, "I'll be back soon." As a last minute thought he darted forward, kissing her cheek. She heated up, ready to hit him out of reflex, but he was already off towards the sound.
"He better be." She looked over at Kirara, blushing enough to put the reddest apple to shame.
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He felt happy about himself at that moment. If he could have, his chest would be puffed up like a balloon. He'd kissed Sango! Sango! The girl of his dreams. He might get a beating when he got back, from both girls, but that didn't matter. Nothing could stop him no--
Crunch, crunch. Snap!
Miroku froze, trying to figure out what direction it was coming from.
Cruuuunch.
Left! No, right. Left again. Were there two of them?
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Kagome looked over her shoulder. She could sense someone coming, the silence wasn't as loud now, although her hearing had intensified. Who was it? What was it?
Suddenly something grabbed her shoulder and she let out a scream.
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Inuyasha heard the echo of a familiar, terrified scream. He'd heard it enough by accidentally walking in on her in the springs to know with one hundred percent confidence it was Kagome. Things like that stick with you forever. And he didn't only mean the scream.
Without a second thought he raced towards the trees. Naraku? Kagura? Kikyo? Whoever it was, they'd be sorry.
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She was giddy, and thinking so much she didn't even hear Kirara mewing consistently from her shoulder until she reached the clearing. Sango entered the light of the fire to find no one there. No one at all. Had Inuyasha and Kagome gone to get firewood? She looked at the pile lying by the fire and realized that wasn't it.
It'd taken her at least five minutes to reach the camp, shouldn't Miroku be there by now if it was 'nothing'? She hurried off towards the trees she thought he had gone into. Please let him be alright. . .
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"Kagome?"
"Miroku! Thank god it was you! I thought someone was following me!" Kagome gave a relieved sigh before noticing Sango wasn't there. "Where's Sango?"
"Oh. . .um. . .she went ahead." Miroku sounded a bit high pitched, though not by much.
"Are you ok, Miroku?" She cocked her head to the side, noticing there was something in his eyes that made her a bit uneasy.
"Yeah. I'm alright Kagome." He walked a few steps closer. "You know, we've been pretending we're a couple for a while. . ."
"I know, but it looks like we--"
"I'm starting to like it." Kagome's eyes widened at his declaration.
"What?!" Kagome took a step back, right into a tree. "Oh! You're joking! It's a joke! Nice one, Miroku, but it's more scary than anything."
Miroku seemed to be battling something, like he was forcing himself on. If she didn't know better it'd look like he was scared about something, nervous even. Suddenly he closed the space between them, and, with one last worried look in his eyes, lunged forward seizing her lips with his own.
In the darkness Inuyasha dropped his sword, it silently hitting the ground. His eyes were wide with disbelief. What. . .?
In another direction, deeper into the trees Sango felt all the air leave her lungs. He. . .kissed her. Miroku kissed Kagome!