Family Ties: Part 3
The house was modest, not really a hut like the homes in the surrounding area, but definitely no mansion. A young girl was tending the fire and readying a pot of tea. "Thank you, Nia. You can go back to the fields now." Michi bid her with a smile. "Sit, sit you all look weary."
"Your home is beautiful, Michi." Miroku complimented.
" Thank you, I've worked hard to make it that way." Michi handed cups to all of them, before laying a hand on Tanaya's shoulder. "Why don't you take Shippou and go play for a bit, okay?"
"Yes, mother." Tanaya winked at Miroku and offered her hand to Shippou. "Come on, I'll show where I found the baby lizards."
"Wow, that sounds really neat!" Shippou didn't take the girl's hand, but jumped from Kagome's lap and followed the girl out the door.
" She's just like you." Michi informed Miroku and poured tea for everyone.
" Adorable and irresistible." Miroku smiled.
"No flirtatious and overly dramatic." She grinned as Kagome and Sango both suppressed their laughter.
"You knew Miroku when he was little?" Kagome questioned.
"Oh yes, he was only 4 or 5 summers younger than me, but I loved taking care of him." She smiled and patted Miroku on the shoulder. "He was good boy until he turned thirteen, than the family curse came upon him and he became a monster."
" Careful Michi, you'll hurt my feelings." Miroku patted over his heart. "Did you ever finish that bathhouse you were so determined to build?"
"With my own two hands." She showed off the palms off her hands, before noticing the scars on her arms were showing. Michi quickly adjusted her sleeves and sat down next to Miroku. "How have you been? Any word about the demon?"
" Naraku? Yes, we've been tracking him for some time now, but we've yet to defeat him."
"I'm sorry for that. And the wind-tunnel?"
" Hasn't swallowed me yet." Miroku grinned.
" Don't joke about that." Michi scowled at him. "It breaks my heart."
The silence was uncomfortable, as no one knew what to say next. Kagome finally cleared her throat and inquired, "Do you and daughter suffer from the curse as well? I noticed your hands are covered."
Michi looked down at her right hand and laughed. "No," she unwrapped the beads, removed gloved and faced her bare palm to the group showing the solid, unmarred flesh. "The only family curse I suffer from is my mouth."
"So your whole family sounds like he does?" Inuyasha questioned.
Michi shook her head, "That depends on what's been coming out of his mouth. But we all tend to talk to much."
"How did you escape the curse?" Sango shifted her position to try and get more comfortable.
"It never affected my direct line. Our grandfather had two children: one daughter, the elder and one son, who fathered Miroku. The daughter, my mother, had my three older sisters and me. I had my daughter. The women of our family have never birthed a male." Michi answered quietly.
"So the women escape the curse, that's fair." Inuyasha snorted.
"The women of our family are... different. But if Miroku fails, I don't know, the curse may fall to us."
" Which is why I won't fail. I gave you my word." Miroku looked at his cousin solemnly.
"I've always believed you, save for certain exceptions."
" There you go again tarnishing my reputation."
Michi smirked mischievously, "If you like, I can tell some stories about you that wouldn't leave any of your reputation without holes."
"No, no, that's quite alright." Miroku jumped and hurriedly answered.
Kagome, Sango, Shippou and Inuyasha were setting into the guestrooms, while Miroku walked out into the fields with Michi.
" Where's Tanaya?" He asked looking for the little troublemaker.
Michi motioned back to the house, "Taking her nap. She wears out pretty easily during the harvest."
Miroku looked over the fields at the people gathering the crops. " Servants?"
"No." Michi shook her head. "They're local people I pay to help with the fields. I can pay them without problem during this part of the year. I simply give them food. Planting's always a problem, I can't give anything accept promises that I pray I can keep."
Miroku sighed and looked at his cousin's sad demeanor. "They seem to be doing well from you and your husband."
Michi snorted angrily.
"I take it your husband isn't very helpful."
"If I'm going to tell you what I think of my husband we'll have to walk further away from the grounds."
"Then by all means." Miroku motioned towards the forest.
Michi nodded and picked up a basket from the ground. "Gathering herbs will give me an excuse to walk this way." She explained.
"You need an excuse to go somewhere. I thought you were lady of the house." Miroku's expression darkened.
"I am to some extent." Michi knelt down and picked a few plants for her basket.
"I never approved of the marriage." He huffed.
Michi rolled her eyes at his behavior. "Things are as they are. You think I wasn't surprised? I was eighteen summers already; expecting to travel to Shin-Zi to be a priestess, not be married off so late in my life."
"What was your father thinking?"
"I can't talk about that."
" Why?"
"I'll damn his soul and it's not fair to do that to the dead." Michi and Miroku both laughed at her statement.
"You never cared for him that much."
Michi gave Miroku a sad smile, "He never cared for me much."
"So what about this husband of yours? Why won't you speak of him in the fields."
"What I have to say is too disrespectful. You won't tell on me, but the other villagers would damn me for speaking in such a manner." Michi leaned against a tree and sighed heavily. "Have you seen the back fields?"
"No, but Inuyasha says they're a mess."
" Those are the fields my husband keeps. Those are the ones nearest to the village and the ones I'm not allowed in. He thinks I don't notice that they aren't plowed or reaping any crops in harvest-time."
"This is upsetting you. I'm sorry." Miroku reached for her hand and gave it squeeze.
Michi shrugged at his concern. "You didn't do it."
Miroku turned her arm over and pushed up her sleeve.
"Hey, quit it. It's cold here." Michi tried to pull her arm away, but Miroku's grip tightened. "Miroku, they're scars; you can't fix them." Her voice was whispery-quiet and sad.
"Did he do this to you?" The question was angry and carried the promise of a threat.
"No. I made these marks." Michi pulled her arm away and tugged her sleeve down.
"May I inquire why you would do such a thing?"
"You just did." Michi smirked and pointed to the temple in the clearing in the woods. "The temple of the Hawk-demon, that occasionally terrorizes my workers. I keep him placated with a sacrifice an animal of some sort and a cup of my blood, every full moon."
"And this keeps him for killing anyone?" Miroku shook his head in disbelief.
"When he isn't in a bad mood."
"Why don't you stop him?"
Michi gave Miroku a come-on-you-know-why look.
" You're still afraid of demons." Miroku shook his head. "You're stronger than that you know."
"Good blood-line huh?" She teased and picked some more herbs. " Speaking on blood. Your traveling companions are very unique. A hanyou? I've never known them to travel with humans."
" Inuyasha travels his own way, but he is courageous and loyal friend. He seeks Naraku as well it only makes sense to travel with him. Besides the rest of the company is very inviting."
"I imagine you would think that. But leave the exterminator alone, if you value your life...unless." Michi trailed off and started fixing her basket.
" Unless?" Miroku poked Michi's side causing her to slap at him as she hummed to herself ignoring his question. "Michi. What is it? What did you see?"
Michi wriggled away from his fingers, "Shame on you. Picking on your poor defenseless cousin."
" Defenseless?" Miroku rolled his eyes before prodding again. "Did you see something?"
"I don't see anything anymore. I lost the gift when I was wed. I only see things when I'm near Tanaya. I can't see on my own, not since, well you know." Michi waved her hand dismissively and rubbed her cheeks to rid herself of the blush that had crept into them. " Bloodline's past on."
"I wasn't talking about second sight, or your visions." Miroku caught her by the shoulder and tried to look in her eyes. "What did you see with your eyes?"
Michi looked up and away from her cousin and responded in a sing-song voice."I see nothing."
"Then why won't you look at me?" He poked her side again.
" Quit! I can't look you in the eyes; you'll know if I lie." She moved away and shook her finger at him. "You need to learn to behave or least be discreet."
"A person with a condition such as mine can only be so discreet." Miroku picked up Michi's basket and started walking away.
"I never had any problem with it." Michi smirked and fell into step with Miroku.
"I think we are talking about different conditions."
"No." Michi shook her head and took the basket from Miroku. "Miroku, as bad as you were about being caught looking into the women's bath house I was as good peeking in the other and getting away with it."
Miroku stopped walking and was staring at his cousin in utter shock. " Michi!!"
" What?" Michi sounded confused. "I just looked, you touched. Why am I so bad?"
" Because you're Michi. You don't do things like that." Miroku insisted.
"I'm human, Miroku. Besides I haven't done anything like that since I was married."
" Thank goodness, infidelity isn't an easily forgiven sin." Miroku shook his head.
"Does that work both ways? I mean between men and women, or is it men can and women can't." Michi's despondent tone caused Miroku to stop her at the edge of the forest.
"It's terrible crime against the partner, whichever commits it. Michi..."
" Come, your friends must be exhausted and I imagine a bath would do those women some good."
Miroku knew bringing the subject up again would be useless, so he simply followed his cousin and allowed her to change the subject. "So Inuyasha and I get to deal with nothing?"
"No, I'll let you have the bath when the women and I are done."
"How gracious of you, thank you." Miroku responded sarcastically.
"Oh you're very welcome." Michi tried to sound as sincere as possible.
Miroku suddenly grabbed Michi's hand and stopped her. "How old?"
" Miroku..." Michi whispered sorrowfully.
"How old was he, Michi? How old was my father?" His desperation for a shred of hope was evident in his face.
"He was 27 summers."
Miroku let out a pained breath and covered his face with his hands.
Michi wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "You'll beat this thing. You will live." She whispered through her tears. "I love you so much. I know you'll defeat him and free yourself." She kissed his forehead and held his face in her hands. "I'm so sorry, this is your cross to bear. I wish it was me."
Miroku blinked trying to get the tears out of them. He half-smiled as Michi wiped the tears off his face. "No, you don't."
" You're so worried and burdened. Do they know what you carry?"
"As well as they could." Miroku drew in a deep breath, than flashed a lazy smile. "We better get back. Inuyasha tends to destroy things when he's bored."
Michi wiped her eyes and picked up her basket. "Now you tell me." She teased, threading her arm through his.
Sango glanced at Kagome, who was glaring at Inuyasha, who was sulking in the corner. She hadn't been paying attention to their earlier argument, which proved to not be wise since she'd been hit in the head by one of the objects that had been thrown. At least they hadn't destroyed anything in the house yet. She rubbed at her temples as the dull ache in the back of her head, threatened to get worse. She could hear laughing; it was Miroku's and Michi's. They were speaking in a language Sango didn't understand. She narrowed her eyes and concentrated trying to figure out what they were speaking. The answer suddenly clicked in her mind: it was the scholar's tongue. Where had Michi learned that? Only monks and priests learned it. They were in the house now and the language switched back to normal. The way they joked and teased each other made Sango heartsick for her little brother. Michi was threatening Miroku with seeing her, if he snuck around her bathhouse, while she and the girls were taking their bath. Miroku made some over-the-top shuddering sound, followed by a sharp hitting sound and a complaint about being an abused guest.
Original Reviewer Responses:
xX Iron-Reaver Xx: Thank you so much for your wonderful comments. I'm so flattered. I'm glad you think I'm holding it true to the story line, that's what I'm going for. I hope you enjoyed this part and will enjoy the rest of the story. Thank you again for your encouragement.
Nuklear Firefly: I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Wow...my grammar's good?!? That's different. I'm using getting yelled at for that, all I did was proof it....guess I did a good job. Thank you for the compliments, I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. Oh and as for the Kilala thing, well I'm watching the dub on CN and I've got Shippou's little voice in my head saying "Kilala!" So to avoid distracting myself, I'm using the name that way. Thanks for both reviews. I so appreciate your encouragement. – Obviously I corrected this in my revision.
Leila: I'm glad you like the plot; I've always tried to make my plots make sense. Thanks for the encouragement and the reviews.
Hikari: I'm glad you like it. I hope I keep your interest as I continue writing/posting this. Thanks for the review.