Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha (original, ne?)
A/N: Sorry for the long wait!! I know I'm not good with updates, but at least this chapter's a little longer, eh? It's got Inu/Kag, Mir/San fluff too!!.
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Ch. 12: Toutousai's Lair (Information pt.II)
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"Get your ass out here, Toutousai!" Inuyasha shouted angrily to the thick wooden door in front of him.
"Inuyasha… I don't think he's going to come out here if you insult him," Kagome said, trying to placate him.
The half-demon rounded on her, "Well, can you blame me? I've been knocking on this god damned door for the past twenty minutes!"
"Maybe he's out?" Miroku asked with a half-hearted shrug.
"No, he's there… I can feel it," Inuyasha muttered. He raised his voice. "I know you're in there, Toutousai! And I'm fucking tired of waiting so just open the door!" He quieted down when his ears picked up light chatter from behind the door.
"… Just open it! …"
"… but…"
"No! Now!"
"…… fine…"
He stepped back and the door slowly opened outward. Before him, stood an elderly couple. A skinny, old man stood to the right, looking grumpy and his arms crossed. On the left was a kindly looking, bordering on plump woman.
"Come in, come in, weary travelers," she ushered them in, "Settle yourselves down and then you can tell us what brings you here to our humble abode."
The six travelers entered the quaint hut with Kikyou and Shinidama-Chuu bringing up the rear.
The woman brought them to a small living room with only a few seats. Kikyou refused to sit on the floor and invited Inuyasha to sit with her, but, just to spite her, he declined vehemently. Instead, he seated himself against the wall and pulled Kagome into his lap. He nuzzled her temple gently and inwardly smirked at the princess's smoldered glare.
Miroku stepped forward once the elderly couple had sat down. He bowed respectfully, "We're sorry to have intruded on your day, but we have several questions for you, if you don't mind."
"We'll we do mind…" the old man grumbled.
"Toutousai!" The woman reprimanded. She turned to Miroku. "Ignore him. He's in a bad mood today." She gave a kind smile. "As you know, this is my husband, Toutousai, and I am Charis('). What is it that you want to know?"
"You must have heard of the Curse of the Higurashi Princess?" He asked her. She nodded. "Well, as you must also know, Naraku was the one who issued the curse to the princess, who is this young lady here," he pointed to Kikyou. "Today was the fated Curse Day, and Naraku made his appearance as expected. But something odd happened and we would like to ask Toutousai a few questions about Naraku and his attack on the Android known as Kagome."
Toutousai perked up at this. "Kagome? I thought I recognized that young lady." He looked at the girl nestled comfortably in the young prince's arms. "It has been a while hasn't it, Kagome-chan?"
She smiled. "It has."
The old man looked confused. "But I don't understand. Neither Princess Kikyou nor Kagome are dead. What happened today?"
Miroku explained as much as he could and Toutousai listened keenly.
"Naraku seemed not to care about Kikyou at all. And he tricked us into thinking that his goal was Kikyou. We don't understand why he did that at all. Mushin said you would know more about Naraku." Sango explained.
Toutousai nodded his head wisely for a moment. "I think I can explain a little. I used to know Naraku very well. I'm a blacksmithing demon and he's a blacksmithing wizard so we have crossed paths more than once. We even worked as partners for a while until he disappeared. You see, that first Android that he created was no ordinary Android. It was an Ultimate.
"Ultimates are the most powerful of Androids. It has incredible power and it is one hundred times as strong as the average demon. It has holy power and demonic power. It is a combination of good and bad intertwined into an awesome weapon of destruction. The Ultimate itself is very much like the Shikon Jewel. It is neither good nor bad, but whoever controls it can make it do good or bad things. In this case, this Ultimate, whose name was Midoriko, was forced to do evil.
"Because Naraku was so evil and the Jewel at that time was so pure being in the possession of humans who wished no harm to anyone, he could not touch it. He needed either a neutral or a pure being to tap into the Jewel's power."
"And that being was Midoriko." Miroku finished for him.
He nodded. "Right. So then, on top of being in control of a powerfully dangerous Android, he had the Shikon Jewel. You see, Naraku is very greedy. He loved power and even before his disappearance, it was obvious. Wizards were immortal and did not need simply things like money or food, but even so, he charged his costumers greatly for his blacksmithing abilities.
"However after several months of terrorizing countless villages, something happened to Midoriko. On the inside, something must have been building over time. One day, she stopped obeying Naraku's orders. Naraku was furious, but there was nothing he could do. He still needed her to tap into Shikon's power. Because she was neutral, she did not make the Jewel anymore tainted than it was before Naraku took possession of it.
"The Shikon is very complex. Though it is neutral, the original creator of the Jewel designed it to help people. But he miscalculated and the result was that it could do as much damage as it could do good.
"But anyway, back to Naraku. After Midoriko refused to follow anymore of Naraku's orders, she broke down. Naraku needed another Ultimate—for Ultimates were the only ones powerful enough— to tap into the Shikon's power. He started giving blacksmiths all around great powers so that they could build Androids, and in time, he would be able to find another Ultimate. The reason Naraku did all of this to trick you is because—I believe—he thinks Kagome is an Ultimate."
They all looked at her and she shied away, burying her face in Inuyasha's chest.
"So the reason that Naraku cursed Kikyou was because he foresaw this happening?" Sango asked incredulously.
Toutousai shook his head. "No, no, heavens no. The original reason he cursed the Princess was just for petty revenge because the king didn't invite him to his little party. But later on, he realized that he could use the Curse as a cover to trick you into getting the better prize." Kikyou humphed at this.
"But why did he shoot Kagome with the arrow if he wants to use her?" Miroku asked.
"If Kagome was just an ordinary Android, she most likely would not have survived the attack. This was probably a way of testing her. And now that he knows it's a high chance that she's an Ultimate, he hoped that the attack would make you angry enough to come after him," he explained.
"So… if you were us, what would you do?" Miroku watched the old demon sigh deeply.
"I'd say you find Naraku and take the Jewel while he cannot handle it at this time."
"And Kagome…?"
"… Should stay here."
"But…" Kagome protested, speaking for the first time since they had arrived. "I want to go! I want to help you guys fight him!"
Inuyasha shook his head. As much as he wanted her by his side, even he saw the urgency of the situation. "No, you wouldn't help us at all if fell into Naraku's hands."
She looked disheartened and she looked at Inuyasha pleadingly, but he firmly shook his head no.
"Oh, it's all right, my dear," Charis interrupted, "You can stay here and help me make cookies! Every young girl loves to bake! Don't worry, we'll have plenty of fun while you're here, I'll make sure of it."
Kagome smiled a bit.
Charis nudged her elbow into her husband's narrow ribs and he gave a long-suffering sigh. "Oh, alright, you kids can stay here the night and leave in the morning. It's almost supper anyhow. There are three guest rooms in the back." He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes.
His wife gave a smile. "We'll I suppose I better start making supper. Any of you kids want to help?"
Sango and Miroku volunteered, while Kikyou refused to do anything that would dirty her hands. Shinidama-Chuu stood sullenly at her side, not talking nor moving. Kagome was about to get up, but Inuyasha held onto her wrist.
"What?" She asked.
"I want you to stay with me."
She gave him a smile and nodded her head. He led them to one of the guest rooms and pulled her down with him onto the futon. He spooned against her back, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Look, I know you want to go with us, but you can't. If Naraku manages to get you under his control, it would be disaster. As much as I want you with me, it would be more dangerous if you came," He whispered into her ear.
Kagome nodded, "I understand." She turned to look at him. "Just please be careful, Inuyasha, promise me. He may not have the Jewel under his power now, but he's still very dangerous. Please be careful."
He caught her lips in a gentle kiss. "Don't worry, I will. And once we take the Jewel, we'll defeat him. Then, I'll be able to take you as my bride, Kikyou be damned."
She gave a genuine smile and kissed him back, caressing his lips with her own. He groaned and pushed his tongue into her mouth, tapping it along her teeth and her own tongue. Inuyasha's hands slowly moved down to her waist, gently stroking the fabric over her hips. He released her mouth only to press small kissed over her cheeks, chin and throat. She gave a small moan and toyed gently with his soft ears.
Kagome burrowed her head into his chest and sighed contentedly. She felt so at ease and loved and this was how she wanted to feel for the rest of her life.
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Charis opened the cabinets of her kitchen and to her dismay, she noticed they were out of sugar. "Oh my, this won't do! This won't do at all," she muttered to herself. She looked up and Sango and Miroku, waiting for some instruction. "I'm sorry dears, but it seems I'm out of sugar. I'll have to go down to the village and buy some. Will you be alright on your own?"
They nodded.
"Okay then, I'll be back in a half hour. There's some flour in the cabinet to your left, Miroku, and feel free, you two, to eat whatever you can find in the cabinets if you're hungry. Oh, but leave the preserved peaches alone. Toutousai loves his peaches!" She laughed a bit and picked up her small bag before walking out of the house.
After Miroku pulled out the cloth bag and held the flour, the two of them stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do.
"So…" Miroku said, scuffing his shoe slightly.
"So…" Sango echoed. "What should we do?"
"Maybe there's something in the cupboards that we'll need for cooking?" He suggested, shrugging lightly.
"Maybe." Sango bent over and opened the closest cabinet.
Miroku watched her, his eyes riveted on her firm derrière as she fished through the doors. One voice told him to go for it, while the other pleaded with him to be a gentleman for fear of alienating her. As the voices warred, Sango continued to look for cooking supplies, oblivious to his discomfort. In the end, the former voice won and he stretched out a hand, resting it on her rear.
Sango yelped and bumped her head painfully on the shelf above her head. She pulled out, seething and immediately grabbed for the closest thing to whack him with.
Which was the bag of flour.
The bag exploded on impact with Miroku's head and white flour burst around them. Sango looked stunned for a moment until Miroku suddenly started laughing.
"You're all white!" He choked out.
Sango began to chuckle, "You're one to talk! Look at you!"
They laughed together for several minutes before calming down, still smiling rather largely. "Well, looks like we have quite a mess to clean, huh?" Miroku supplied.
"Yeah," Sango agreed, "but you know, it's all your fault! If you hadn't felt me up, this wouldn't have happened!"
"Felt you up?!" Miroku looked indignant. "I did no such thing! I was looked for a place to rest my hand!"
"On my ass?" Sango arched an eyebrow.
They broke out laughing again.
Suddenly, Miroku caught Sango's hand in his. Sango stopped laughing immediately and drew in a sharp breath.
"You know," Miroku said softly, stroking her hand, "this is the first time we've just laughed together. You know, just had fun. I'm glad you can be that way around me."
Sango's heart was beating loudly in her chest and a blush was staining her cheeks. "You know, this would probably happen more if you'd just stop groping me." She managed to say without her voice cracking.
"But if I hadn't groped you this time, this wouldn't have happened." Miroku argued.
Sango grinned widely, "Hah! You admit it! You did grope me!"
"Damn, me and my big mouth," Miroku grumbled.
She laughed, scooping up a handful of flour and dumping it on his head. "Come on, Mr. Big Mouth, let's start cleaning up. I'll go clean up real fast and join you after I'm done." Quickly, before she lost her nerve, she reached up and planted a small kiss on his cheek. She rushed to the bathroom, her cheeks flaming.
Miroku stood there, stunned, before a smile slowly spread across his face. He picked up the broom in the corner and whistled as he swept the flour from the floor.
Maybe I'll have a chance with her after all.
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A/N: I'm so proud of myself!! I updated all four of my stories in a week and each chapter had over 2000 words!! Yay! I think I'm getting my touch back =P Anyway, again, I can't do review responses this chapter because I'm leaving tomorrow for vacation. Sorry you guys, but there won't be another update in approximately 2 weeks. Sorry! I'll try to update as fast as I can when I come back! Bye, you guys! Thanks so much for all the generous reviews!!
(') If any of you can guess where the name Charis came from, I'll announce your name in the next chapter! I'll give you a hint, it has to do with Greek mythology.
Shout outs to: AnimeBrat, Queen of Roses, Queeney, Shiranai Yukino, Dragon Man 180, Kikyou-miko-Kagome-future girl, amberescence, inuyashakagome, mkh2, Brie, Yotaka, Moonlight-Miko, ShiKOA, Laura-chan, green, and crazy-anime chick696. Thanks so much you guys! Hope you guys tune in for future chapters!