I AM OFFICIALLY OVER 20,000 WORDS!!
My goal is 40,000 but I don't think I'll make it…
This first scene I meant to put at the end of the last chapter but kinda forgot to…so here it is now!
Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own the characters of Inu-Yasha. I do however own a noble if naive prince, fiery swordswoman, her sensible sister, a wise dragon king, a human king named Michealangeliofranzapi, an evil dragon prince, several arrogant cats, an evil demon, and other sundry creatures of the Mystic Realm
Evil Thing O' The Day: people who never update (like I should talk --;) like the person who did Once in a Leap Year (but she's worse than me, it's been months!)
Tievel Turiel: greetings, O thou of the evil laugh. Thanks for the heads-up on 'kun'. Hmm, will think about your slap idea (oh and I must confess I watch PR when I get a chance despite the fact that I'm in highschool --;). Yes, your abducted cat is adorable!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha: oh yay now I know your email. I am almost (emphasis on ALMOST) dissapointed in the lack of pervy comments. I did think the snowsuit was rather inspired. Maybe you don't have a crush on Alessio but our dear friend Bashful on the other hand…(like I should talk…)
myinuyasha04: yeah, Kouga's here. Glad you still like it!
Tievel Turiel: you again. Micky (Miki? Miky?) says it's Sergio but Will says it's Serge and since he is Will's fictional gay lover we'll have to believe him. I wonder if any of us will ever even wear the polish again (I sez as I stare at my purple toenails…). Yes, the evil trap ensueth in this very chapter. Hmm, 44 cent books you say…And Meg wasn't here today so my notebook was safe, but thank you for the well wishes!
BlackDragonGirl: glad you like my story so much! Er, ch. 10 was supposed to be angsty…hopefully you were laughing at my BFF's antics and Miroku's pervertedness and not Inu-Yasha- and Kagome's troubles!
On with the insanity…
"Boomerang bone—oh, not again." Sango sighed and hurried over to where Kagome lay. "Kame, how many times do we have to do this before you can stay on your feet?"
"I'm sorry," Kagome grumbled, sitting up. "My powers are made to fight demons, not giant boomerangs. Besides, Sango, that thing weighs more than I do.
"I am sorry. Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry, I survived worse with Inu-Yasha. Oh…have you heard from him today?"
Sango suppressed a sigh; Kagome asked this question daily. "No, Kame, not yet. He's probably been too busy working."
"I thought Miroku said Mr. Tenant took him off duty."
Damn monk. "Well…"
"Does he just mope around his house all day, or what?" Kagome said, dragging Sango's boomerang inside. "I bet he's lonely."
"Well, he's a loner normally, so maybe not…" Sango had a bad feeling about where this was going.
"But it's been over a week…maybe we should go check on him?"
Sango sighed. She'd been right. "Kame, I know you miss him, but it's safer—"
"So what? You can't keep me locked away forever—I can't live like that!"
"You're not strong enough—"
"But if I'm with you and Miroku and Inu-Yasha—"
"No, Kagome, you have to stay hidden until Naraku is defeated!"
"And you can't defeat him without my help!"
"I just—Kame, it really isn't a good idea."
"What's not a good idea?" asked several brown paper bags, coming into the kitchen.
"Kagome wants to visit Inu-Yasha," Sango said. She seized several of the bags, revealing Miroku's curious face behind them.
"And this is a bad idea…why, exactly?"
"Because it's not safe!" Sango exploded.
Miroku sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Kagome, give us a minute?" She nodded and left.
"Why are you taking her side on this?" Sango demanded. "You know it's dangerous for her to leave the house! " She began shelving groceries with a bit more force than necessary.
"She's going to have to go out there sometime."
"But not now! She's not ready!" She seized a pair of soup cans and tried to shove them into the cupboard, but Miroku caught her wrists. Sango fought him, but he held on and eventually she stopped.
"Look, Sango, I know you're worried about Kagome—we both are. But this is about Inu-Yasha. If I know him, he won't be taking this well. Not being away from Kagome—he'll probably just tell himself he never loved her at all. But this business about not being able to work…his job is practically the only thing Inu-kun has. I think Kagome could help him. It would be good for them both."
"Yeah," Sango said, defeated. She leaned closer to him and rested her forehead against his chest. Miroku released her wrists and removed the cans of soup, placing them on the counter and lowering his hands. He felt Sango smile into him as she caught his hands and redirected them to her waist. "Why do you have to be right?" she moaned.
"'Cause I'm me," Miroku said with a smile. He pulled her hips against his, felt her stiffen, and sighed. "We'll go tomorrow," he said, releasing her.
'' '' '' '' ''
bzzt.
Inu-Yasha growled. Who on earth would be coming to visit him? He rolled out of bed and stomped to the door. His spy's caution won out over impatience and (instead out of yanking open the door and growling loudly) peered through the spy hole.
Standing in the hall, distorted by the small lens he was looking through, was Kagome.
Inu-Yasha turned around and leaded his back against the door, heart pounding. What is she doing here?
"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome called, her voice muffled by the door. "Can I come in?"
"Come on, Inu-kun, open the door."
So Miroku was with her. Which meant—
"Inu-Yasha?" came Sango's voice.
The gang's all here, he thought dryly, undoing the safety chain and opening the door. "What are you doing here?"
"Coming to see you, genius," Kagome retorted. She raised an eyebrow. "And it looks like it's a good thing we did. You know, when most people loose their job they go out and find another one, not spend a week moping around the house.
"I haven't lost my job…exactly. And I have not been moping!"
"Sure you haven't," Kagome said absently. "Miroku get him showered and into clothes" (A/N not he's not naked, just in boxers and a T-shirt (pajamas)) "while Sango and I start cleaning."
"Aye aye, cap'n." Miroku saluted and dragged a feebly protesting Inu-Yasha out of the main room.
After Miroku got him in the shower, Inu-Yasha unsuccessfully fought a smile. The one person I tell myself I don't want to see, she shows up and I'm grinning like an idiot. She's got the force of an army general hidden in that slender frame of hers. His smile widened to a grin as he remembered her, in a blue batik skirt wrapped twice around her hips and tied at the waist and a dark sweatshirt thrown on to guard against the curmudgeonly Wisconsin weather, issuing orders as though his house was hers. She's right, though, I have been moping. He stepped out of the shower and was assaulted by a fevered monk with what looked like most of Inu-Yasha's wardrobe as ammunition.
'' '' '' '' ''
"Men are slobs," Sango decided as they were washing dishes.
"And this is new to you?" Kagome said dryly. "Honestly, considering how much of you time is spent around Miroku and Inu-Yasha, I'd think you'd be used to it."
Sango laughed. "No, it isn't new to me. I just never knew it could get this bad…"
'' '' '' '' ''
"Hold up," said Miroku, stopping Inu-Yasha in the hall connecting to the bedroom and bathroom with the main livings space/kitchen.
"What?" Inu-Yasha protested, trying to push past Miroku's restraining hand.
"Shh…girl talk," he whispered, nodding in the direction of the kitchen. "Listen." (A/N bad boy, you shouldn't be eavesdropping! Oh wait, I need you to eavesdrop to move the story ahead…never mind, carry on!)
"…This bad. Miroku's house isn't this messy," Sango's voice drifted out of the kitchen.
"Oh, you've been to his house…" Kagome said teasingly.
"I—What—It was work!" Sango spluttered.
Kagome laughed. "Riiiiiiiight, Sango. I don't know who you think you're kidding. It's obvious you're in love with him."
"I…it doesn't matter if I am or not. He's not in love with me," she said quietly.
"You're blind if you think that," Kagome replied. "It's obvious he's head over heels for you."
Sango laughed hollowly. "Are we talking about the same person? That letch—"
"He's not like that and you know it," Kagome said, sounding exasperated. "You are the only one he touches. You. Not me, not the women he meets in the street, but you. He comes to you for the comfort of physical contact."
"You really think so?"
"Trust me, Sango, he loves you as much as you love him."
"She…loves me?" Miroku whispered. Inu-Yasha started to laugh at his expression but was cut off by Sango's voice.
"And what of you and Inu-Yasha?"
"I—I don't—"
"Come on, I talked, now it's your turn."
"Well…I don't know. It's confusing." Kagome sighed.
"How so?"
"Well…I like him. I like him a lot. But I've only really known him for a month—is that long enough to be in love?"
"But the ward-bond sped things up a bit, didn't it?"
"I guess…I don't know, I think I just got used to living with him, so when he's not around…I'm lonely."
"I think he probably feels the same way," Sango put in.
"But why? What does he see in me? If he were human, then I could see it, but he's not. He's part demon—what could a human ever do for him?"
"Love doesn't make sense," Sango said sensibly, "or else the monk would have another thing coming. So what are we going to make lunch?"
As the girls' talk turned to the contents of Inu-Yasha's refrigerator, Miroku turned to his companion. He seemed to be in shock.
"Hello, Inu-Yasha? Earth to hanyou, do you read me?" When he didn't reply Miroku sighed and towed him into the bedroom. "Sit and breath," he ordered. Inu-Yasha dumbly complied.
What's up with him? Miroku wondered. Unless… "Hey Sango, can I talk to you for a second?" he called, coming into the kitchen.
"Sure…Are you okay in here?" Sango asked Kagome.
"Yeah, I have lunch under control. Go on," she replied, giving Sango a look to remind her over their talk.
Miroku lead her to the hall. "We have a problem.
Sango's eyebrows drew together. "Oh?"
"Inu-Yasha. We…uh…we sort of overheard you two talking…" he trailed off, very red (A/N overheard my llama. You were eavesdropping and you know it).
"Oh!" said Sango, going red as well.
"Yeah…" He rubbed the back of his head nervously.
"So…you heard…"
"Yeah…Er, but about Inu-Yasha…well, he's sort of in shock."
"In shock? He's as clueless as Kagome!"
"Or us," he said quietly, making her blush again. "But Mr. Tenant doesn't trust him, and I think if he finds out she's been to see him, he'll forbid Inu-Yasha from seeing her."
"Leaving him to go bonkers trying to figure out his feelings," Sango finished.
"Exactly—what was that?" Miroku said. He and Sango ran for the kitchen.
"Oh no…" she breathed. The curtains (obviously the landlord's idea and not Inu-Yasha's) fluttered ominously in the open window. A pile of sandwiches lay unattended on the counter.
"Sango, Miroku, what's going on? I heard—" Inu-Yasha stopped, coming into the kitchen and seeing for himself. "No…"
'' '' '' '' ''
The phone in Naraku's office rang. He pushed himself away from his computer with a scowl and picked up the receiver. "What?" he snapped.
"Boss. We have her."
Naraku's visage (fun word!) morphed into a rare smile. "Excellent…"
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Myriadragon: Wahaha! [dances madly around in the Falstaff fat suit from Henry IV, pt. I and II] cliffy cliffy cliffy! [Puck, Ariel, and several tech sprites pop into view, then pop author into Thisbe drag from A Midsummer Night's Dream] cliffy cliffy cliffy! [pop. Fool's coxcomb from King Lear] cliffy cliffy cliffy! [pop. Ftatatita wig from Caesar and Cleopatra] cliffy cliffy cliffy! [pop. Those awful upholstery bloomers I had to wear in both King Lear and Romeo and Juliet] cliffy cliff—Hey! [turns to assorted faeries] You know I hate these things!
Puck: You've had your fun. Now stop being cruel.
Myriadragon: [grumbles] This coming from the most mischievous faerie in history…
Ariel: Hey, he's one of the Fae. He's allowed to be like that.
Sundry Tech Sprites: And you are but a mortal, nyah!
Myriadragon: Damn faeries…
—I have actually worn all of those costumes, excluding the Ftatatita wig and the Thisbe drag—
Only in Wisconsin can it be sweltering the week of finals and then a month later, well into summer, be freezing and rainy
Yay, I updated before I said I would (This is a chapter I have been looking forward to for a long time, so it was easy to write. That and I didn't get onstage at rehearsal today so I had plenty of time for writing)! You won't get another chapter before Mon…sorry! I will not have access to a CPU!
Next Chapter: Naraku is evil, Inu-Yasha paces, and some long-awaited fluff
Now children, Remember, Elephants Very Intelligently Examine Windows.
Sayonara!
--Myriadragon