Disclaimer: I've set my eyes on a set of Inuyasha figurines… When I get those, I'll work towards the whole shabang. : D
x-x
"…" – speech
'…' – thoughts
--- - change in scenery or time
x-x
-- Previously, on The Sealed Garden:
"And… what are you going to do?" Sango's slightly uncertain question made Inuyaha look north.
His golden eyes were hard.
"I have something to do."
x-x
Chapter SEVENTEEN:
Surprise, Surprise
x-x
All three humans shot uncertain looks at the unusually serious hanyou before deciding to carry out his 'orders'. The old man, Higurashi was the first to go. He padded softly out of the room, still looking slightly dazed and mumbling to himself. There was the noise of the shouji door sliding open and shut- and then silence.
Miroku raised an eyebrow, but decided that it really wasn't the time or place to comment on how Inuyasha was acting suspiciously like his brother. Keeping his mouth shut, the man slowly eased Sango away and out, across the threshold.
She hesitated.
"Let's go."
Sango looked at him, then at Inuyasha, before agreeing silently. The two quietly exited the house, leaving the hanyou alone.
Inuyasha waited a few minutes, listening carefully as his car started up. He heard as it rolled down the dirt road and onto the pavement. As soon as the distant humming of the engine had faded away, the hanyou took one last glance north before he too, left the main chamber.
The half-demon strolled determinedly through the hallway, feeling unusually devoid of emotion. It was almost as if he had reached complete enlightenment. A claw-tipped hand rested almost unconsciously on Tetsusaiga; the feel of the handle was strangely calming to him.
Unlike his normal habit, Inuyasha didn't hurry, but took his time in walking towards the garden. He didn't bang through the side doors as he usually would have done; the hanyou took the time to slide it open slowly before closing it at the same pace.
However, the closer he got to the garden, the hastier his steps became. All too soon, the hanyou felt his cool demeanour evaporating. In one sense, he was relieved that he was beginning to feel more like himself. On the other hand however, the stoical attitude had given him a feeling of power and confidence, and that too, was vanishing.
By the time Inuyasha had reached the tall wooden doors, the customary scowl was back on his face, and his lips were once again turned down in a pout. Just for good measure, he glared at the entranceway.
So preoccupied was the half-demon with looking resentfully at the inanimate object, that he failed to notice that he could no longer feel the presence of Kagome's barrier. While it had been up, a soft, barely tangible throb had pulsed around the perimeter, but now, everything was quiet and very, very still.
He slid his eyes upwards and back down again before shouting at the wall. "I'm back!" His voice was half-threatening. "So, ready or not…"
Bracing his body for any shock that could come, Inuyasha ran forward at full speed, crashing against the door with his shoulder. Unfortunately, because the door was fully accessible, the act resulted in the door being slammed open with far more force than necessary.
The hanyou's eyes widened in an expression of surprise, before they quickly squeezed tight. His momentum had carried him clear through the entrance and with nothing but a few clumsy steps in a fight for balance, Inuyasha found himself falling.
He soon found himself with a mouth full of grass.
"Scr—ew it." The half-demon muttered through the mouthful. "Screw it all." He spit it all out, coughing.
The ending position of his less than graceful entrance had, strangely enough, been a full spread-eagle on the grass floor. Behind him, Inuyasha could hear the wooden doors swing back into place- apparently none the worse for wear.
"That's funny." A soft voice floated down over doggy-ears. "And I didn't even have to do anything this time."
Mumbling darkly, the hanyou waited for the pain in his chin to subside before getting up with a huff. He brushed himself off, noticing with painful realisation, that his clothes were, once again, covered in grass stains. Inuyasha glanced up after a short pause, fixing a glower onto the girl in front of him.
Kagome looked at him with a faint air of amusement, her arms crossed.
The half-demon mirrored her stance. "What's the big idea?"
"Big idea?" The miko faked confusion. "What big idea? I though you'd wanted me to open the door." Her demeanour became indignant. "But if you didn't want that, then I'll gladly re-erect the barrier." She raised an eyebrow at him.
Inuyasha stared at her, finding the spark of hilarity in her eyes to be oddly enticing.
He shook his head discretely, reminding himself of his mission.
"You could have warned me." The tone that had been planned as strong and domineering came out sounding rather resentful instead.
Kagome carelessly waved a hand. "You aren't hurt…" She frowned. "…Are you?"
He snorted. "Like a fall could have hurt me. Jeesh."
With that said and done, silence abruptly sunk over the two.
Kagome suddenly found that it was somewhat hard to keep eye contact with the hanyou. Instead of looking into his rather penetrating gaze, she chose to allow her eyes to wander. He however, seemed to be unaware of her discomfort, and continued to stare with an almost absurd amount of concentration.
It was as though he were trying to scrutinise her soul.
The miko wiggled her toes self-consciously.
She quickly ran over the words that she'd been planning to say in her head. Kagome had even practised in front of a tall tree, but it seemed as though all that had gone flying out of the proverbial window.
She tightened her fists. 'Come on, Kagome. Just…' Kagome sighed inwardly. 'Just get it over with.'
A sudden spurt of confidence spread through her, giving her the strength to look up, but as soon as her eyes met his, the confidence seemed to disappear.
"Well… Ah…" She paused. "Hi."
The spirit mentally kicked herself.
Hi?
They'd been in the same area for the past five minutes, and all she'd come up with was 'Hi'?
"Would… you like to sit down?"
Kagome could have slapped herself for acting how she did. What was she going to do next- offer him a cup of tea? It was almost as if he was a stranger she'd never met before and was trying to impress, although this situation was far more uncomfortable than their first meeting.
Inuyasha, however, remained silent and sat down where he was.
She looked at him with a half-nervous glance, wondering why he hadn't said anything yet.
Wasn't he going to yell at her for locking him out?
Didn't he care that she'd been acting strangely?
Kagome cleared her throat. "So… how's Miroku-sama?" The spirit lowered herself onto the grass across from him, still not quite able to meet his eyes. "How is he dealing with the curse? An-- and Sango-chan. How's Sang-"
"Whatever you've got to say, say it already."
Her anxious gaze shot up to suddenly meet his keen one.
And she was rendered speechless.
Kagome just looked at him blankly before she finally managed to force herself to speak directly to the hanyou. "Wha- what?"
"You're acting weird." Inuyasha's arms remained crossed. "I'm not going to hurt you or anything… I couldn't do it if I tried, anyway." His expression was one of complete seriousness. "I know you, Kagome." She bit her lip at that. "You've got something to say, so say it."
Strangely enough, this unbidden source of support gave Kagome the courage she needed. "Okay." Her voice was quiet but firm. "You're right. I- I've got something to tell you."
The half-demon's expression remained unreadable.
"See, the thing is…" The girl paused, deciding to get right to the point. "I like you, okay?" She swallowed thickly. "I really like you- that is…" Kagome hesitated, searching for the right words. "I… have… feelings for you." She let out her breath.
Through all this, Kagome had managed to keep eye contact with the hanyou, but now that she had finally confessed, she couldn't help but stare down into her lap. She could feel her face turning red, and cursed the fact that although she didn't really have a physical body, per se, she could still blush.
Apart from the embarrassment, however, she could feel the underlying sense of relief that she had finally gotten at least part of her thoughts out.
Kagome waited for the response to come.
The silence stretched on.
She began to silently panic.
Why wasn't he saying anything?
"…That's it?" His voice, once again, made her gaze snap almost magnetically to his. "That's the reason you kept me out?" He blinked at her, lips twitching upwards. "I… don't mind."
Kagome's mind reeled.
He didn't mind?
She studied his expression carefully, looking for any sign that indicated that he was playing with her. But no, his look was one of complete sincerity. And incredulously to her, a small, slightly goofy smile drifted over his face.
As he looked at her, Inuyasha suddenly realised, with a bit of shock that he didn't feel anything but satisfaction. There was surprise, yes, but this was the good, 'It's a surprise party' kind of shock. The feeling was almost the same as the one he'd felt once as a young adult, when he'd finally left his old house and old memories behind. Only this feeling was far more intense, and far more meaningful.
He couldn't keep the silly grin from growing over his face, and at the moment, Inuyasha just couldn't figure out just why he was so damned happy.
Instead of figuring that out, however, he chose, instead, to watch the expression of relief on her face.
"You… don't?" For a moment, Kagome felt the complete exhilaration of not being rejected. She could feel the warmth growing in her chest and in her soul. A smile flowered over her lips, and she could have just thrown her arms around hi-
The grin abruptly faded from her face.
And seeing it disappear suddenly gave Inuyasha a bad feeling.
A very, very bad feeling.
Kagome closed her eyes, feeling as the bubble that had been expanding in her burst painfully. She tried to keep the feeling inside, and almost couldn't stop the tears from filling her eyes.
"What-" Inuyasha looked at her, alarmed. "What's wrong-?" He blinked in absolute confusion, not knowing why she was acting this way- hadn't she been fine moments ago?
The miko raised her hand and her head, biting her lip in the effort to keep her internal pain inside.
She took a deep, calming breath.
"But…" Her voice shook slightly. "But I want to be your friend."
The words were few, but every one of them hit Inuyasha as heavy blows.
"Wha…what?" It was now his turn to be speechless.
Kagome looked at him, and her face suddenly became oddly blank, though tinged with sadness. "I'll be here for you… as your friend."
The hanyou stared at her, not quite comprehending. "What?" It seemed as though that was the only word he was capable of forcing from his frozen self.
She sighed. "I really like you… don't get me wrong." Kagome looked up at the sky. "But I can't promise to be anything but a friend to you. With Naraku…" Her lips quivered, and with a sudden burst of anger and frustration, she thrust her hand out. "Look at me!" She raised the hand so that sunlight could be seen streaming through it. "I'm not even alive!"
In his turn, Inuyasha grew angry as well, though why, he couldn't figure out at the moment. "So? That doesn't mean we can't-"
He'd cut himself off.
Eyes abruptly wide, the hanyou stared blankly into nothingness.
Just… what had he been about to say?
Did he actually want for something to happen?
The hanyou tried to shrug it all off, but the sudden knowledge was suddenly extremely heavy. It was suffocating him, in a way.
'Since when… did I--?!'
Emotions that he'd almost never experienced in his entire lifetime flooded into him. Inuyasha frowned. They confused him. So he pushed them all away, and acted instead on raw instinct.
The hanyou glanced at the suddenly tired looking girl. Painfully, he realised that he could see right through her. He'd just never really accepted that Kagome really was… dead. As he looked at her, it seemed as though centuries of pain had suddenly been revealed on her delicate features. The burden of having existed for five hundred years had become all too clear at this exact moment.
He didn't know what to say that would make her change her mind.
All of sudden, although he couldn't understand why, Inuyasha realised that he didn't want to be just friends.
Just friends wasn't going to cut it.
"No." His tone was quiet but strong. "No."
Kagome looked up, her eyebrows drawing together. "What?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
The half-demon looked at her with eyes that were both hard with determination and soft with some other emotion. He shook his head. "No. Just-… No." Inuyasha stood up.
Frustration made Kagome quiver, and pain made her eyes fill with supernatural tears. She closed her eyes tortuously.
Why was he making this so much harder than it had to be?
"What don't you get?" Her voice was rising in volume. "Nothing can happen! Why can't you-"
"Shut up." Inuyasha glared at her with a hidden heat. "I'll find a way. You'll see.' He turned and began towards the doors.
"Mamoru-san, don't you walk away from me!" With more speed than she'd ever used, Kagome whirled in front of him in a sudden display of fury. "You won't find a way, because there is no way!"
The hanyou refused to listen to her anymore, and he promptly marched past her, reaching the entranceway. The miko's eyes widened in surprise mingled with furious indignation before they narrowed. She quickly threw her power against the door. When Inuyasha attempted to open them forcefully, the wood groaned, but didn't budge.
"You're not leaving!" The miko strained against the hanyou's physical strength. "You're not leaving until you understand!"
Kagome held fast. She wasn't going to let this go on. She was going to cut all the strings right now, so they could concentrate on other things.
Inuyasha bit down hard, and forced all his strength into pulling. He refused to speak. He refused to acknowledge her.
Damn it, if he wanted something, then he would get it.
Nobody would stand in the way of Mamoru Inuyasha.
Suddenly, several splinters separated from the doors, a sign that the wood was giving in to the forces being put against it. There was a groan, and abruptly, the strength in the old door gave away. The entire door split in half, crashing heavily to the ground.
Kagome's stumbled backwards as her power suddenly had nothing to act on. She caught herself just as she was about to pass through the ground, but the damage had been done. 'Breathing' heavily, the spirit shook from the momentary shock of the slingshot effect.
It had left her winded, and with a sense of fatigue that she had never experienced since her death. The miko stared at her hands, feeling them tingle almost painfully.
But then, she remembered- and looked up.
The door remained in splinters at the ground, and Inuyasha was gone.
Kagome shook with desperation, anger, and an assortment of other emotions. Angrily, she waved her hand at the broken door, willing them to join together-
-but nothing happened.
The girl stared in shock as the wood shivered on the ground, but didn't do anything else other than just that.
She tried again, this time concentrating heavily, but with no avail.
With her monumental effort against a hanyou's strength, the spirit had temporarily used up her reserve of power. It seemed as though Kagome would have to wait for them to regenerate.
Kagome let out a soft growl of frustration, staring out of the gaping hole left by the broken door. And then, her anger all but spent, she broke down right then and there.
"Damn you!"
The harsh words had hardly left her lips than the girl instantly regretted them.
Shaking her head, she curled up into a small ball, feeling more alone and heart broken than she had ever had before. The glistening tears fell from her eyes to vanish through the ground
"Oh gods…"
Inuyasha stomped angrily across the grounds, feeling particularly winded. He slammed the side door open, raging through the halls and into the central chamber.
There, the hanyou eyed the already broken bookshelves and drew Tetsusaiga.
All too soon, the floor was covered in wood shavings and splinters. Breathing heavily, Inuyasha sheathed the katana. While the 'exercise' had done well in releasing his anger, he was still left with the absolute confusion of why he felt this way, and why he had done what he had.
The half-demon sat down amidst the wreckage and stared off into space.
With his anger mostly gone, he was left with a swirling confusion of emotions.
Grudgingly, Inuyasha admitted to himself that, yes, he did care for the girl a little, but that still didn't explain why he felt so…
So…
Disheartened by her desire to stay as 'friends'.
Why would he have wanted for anything more to happen? After all, hadn't his original mission been to release the spirit?
To get her to go to the other world?
With this thought, Inuyasha suddenly realised that he really didn't want Kagome to move on. It just got too boring in this place without somebody to keep him company. All too soon, the hanyou conceived that he had become to depend and expect her company. It was something that kept him from being bored; she was somebody who actually made him… happy.
Inuyasha stared sadly at the ground.
In many ways, Kagome reminded him of his mother before she'd died.
But his feelings for the spirit were obviously completely different from the adoring affection he'd had for his mother as a child.
And now, Kagome wanted to be friends… and in the end, when everything was done, she'd probably want to leave him as well.
He punched the ground, creating a sizeable dent and several cracks in the wood.
Inuyasha frowned, and in a moment, his mind was made up.
She wasn't going without a fight.
"I want to change the world!
Nido to mayowanai
Kimi to iru mirai
Katachi doreba
Ddokomademo toberu sa
Change my mind!
Jounetsu tayasazuni
Shiranai ashita e tsubasa hiroge
Habatakeru hazusa
It's wonderland!"
Sango sang along to the song playing on the radio, her eyes closed.
'Change the World' was a song that had somehow gotten lodged in her mind, and whenever she heard it, Sango couldn't help but sing, or at least hum along to it. The habit had made her boyfriend roll his eyes more often than not, but also more often than not, he joined in on the fun.
The two humans plus a dozing fire cat were cruising along the pavement. Miroku handled the automatic shift remarkably well, considering the facts he rarely ever drove, had almost always driven in manual shift, and was now contending with a curse in his right hand.
The woman paused in her chanting, magenta eyes opening to lock with amused violet ones.
She grinned, and for that blissful moment, all their troubles faded away. They were just a simple man and woman, having fun. In the backseat, Kirara let out a soft mew followed by a purr, signalling that even the fire kitty was at peace in her dreams.
Kirara had caught up to the humans just before they'd got into the car. Where she'd been for the previous night, Sango didn't know, but she had a suspicion that she'd been catching up in the garden with Kagome. The leaves in her fur only supported that thought, and it somehow comforted her, knowing that the miko had had somebody to talk to.
"Which number was that?" Miroku looked over from concentrating on the empty road.
Sango waited for the final chord to fade away before answering. "Number thirty-two."
The woman had taken to counting every time she heard the song, be it on the radio, on the television- anytime she heard it. The count had only begun rather recently, and as the number showed, the song was really quite popular.
When the DJ announced the next song, Sango made a face and quickly switched the radio off, relishing in the face made by the man.
"What did you do that for?" Miroku reached over and poked her. "You know I like Ayumi Hamasaki."
The woman only grinned and avoided the finger- she'd always been somewhat ticklish.
As the drive now descended into silence, Sango stared placidly out the window, watching as the scenery changed from rural to urban. All too soon, the peace of silence was disrupted by familiar city noises.
This was how she would have liked it, decided the girl. Given that she would have had her way, she and Miroku would have done this a lot more than they'd had before. Too often, they'd been denied the simple pleasure of enjoying the small things.
Her teaching job and exterminating 'business' had taken too much time, as had his business with Munshin and… whatever else it was he did.
She turned her head and glanced at Miroku.
He didn't seem to notice her gaze, and continued to drive. The noon sun was being covered by dark clouds, and Sango had a sneaking suspicion that it was going to rain. She spotted his left hand resting at his side, and slowly reached out for it.
Her light attitude had drifted away, and the girl peered at Miroku.
"Are you alright?"
The monk blinked, slightly startled by the quietness of her voice. "I'm… fine. Why?"
Sango shrugged, tightening her loose grip on his hand. She took comfort in how he squeezed her hand back. "How do you feel?"
Miroku, shrugged unconvincingly. "I feel okay."
She looked at him with the slight edge of a glare.
He fidgeted.
"How do you feel?"
The man deflated and sighed. "Just a little… nervous, I guess." He grinned a lopsided grin. "But as long as I wear this thing," he nodded at the glove, "Things should be fine, right?"
Sango knew that it was anything but 'fine', but since he was skirting the topic like he was, she decided to drop it for the moment. Instead, the girl looked out through the windshield, watching as the usual scenery flashed by. It being a weekend during the summertime, there was an increased number of people on the streets.
Despite that, the roads were relatively clear. Soon enough, Miroku was guiding the car into the underground parking lot of their apartment building.
Abruptly, Sango felt the butterflies begin to dance in her stomach.
Earlier in the drive, Miroku had asked about her 'big surprise', and she'd told him that he'd find out when they'd gotten home. Now that they were almost there, Sango suddenly wished that she'd had chosen to reveal the information even later than that.
The car drifted to a stop.
Miroku turned around and grinned. "Well… what's the big news?"
She forced herself to smile back. "You'll see…"
The girl quickly hopped out of the car, followed by a sleepy Kirara. She knew perfectly well that he was wearing his 'begging face'- the expression he usually used to try and get her to forgive him after he did something especially stupid.
Like that time he'd hit on that waitress during their anniversary dinner.
Sango narrowed her eyes at the memory.
That girl had been flirting with him the entire time… batting her eyelashes… showing off her childish nature…
She crossed her arms, determination reinforced by the time Miroku had stepped out of the car. She glowered at him, making his eyes widen in confusion and surprise, before turning tail to walk towards the elevator.
"Hey! What did I do?" He jogged to catch up with her after locking the car.
Sango just kept on walking. "Nothing." Upon reaching the doors of the elevators, she pressed the button.
He looked at her, confusion written all over his face, but chose not to say anything else. If she was mad at him, it was best to let her burn it off before reasoning with her- this he knew from past experience.
The two stepped into the empty elevator, waiting silently as it slowly rose. Miroku looked at her with some amount of concern- Sango seemed to be distracted, if the expression on her face was any indication. She seemed to be staring through the metal of the elevator walls, seeing something that only she could see.
"Are… you okay?" Miroku asked with some concern. It had never really occurred to him that Sango could have been heavily affected by this business with Naraku, but that was now becoming all too clear. "You look…"
She seemed to snap out of her slightly daze. Blinking, Sango looked at the monk. "What? Oh. I'm… okay."
"Now who's lying?"
Sango gave him a look.
Miroku decided not to press at the moment, knowing that whatever was going to be said would have to wait until they reached their apartment. He yawned, watching as the numbers above glowed as they passed each corresponding floor. That was one of the problems with living so high up- it took a long time to get home.
Finally, the elevator 'dinged' as it reached the penthouse floor.
The two walked out and through the quiet hallway. It took only a few moments for Miroku to draw the keys from his pocket, and after a few more seconds, they were finally home.
They collapsed onto the sofa.
The man stared at the ceiling for a while, a little light headed from having driven for two hours after a sleep-deprived night. It felt as though he could fall asleep at any given moment- and the fact that he was in a rather comfortable chair didn't do anything to help.
In a sleepy voice, Miroku mumbled, "So… what's the big surprise?"
Sango looked at him and shook her head slowly. "Why don't you sleep for a while first?" She studied him carefully.
He looked up, suddenly acutely aware that she was trying to buy some time. "No." He straightened. "Tell me now. I wanna know." He used his best whiny voice in an attempt to disguise the command.
It wasn't lost on his girlfriend, however, who sighed, shoulders sagging visibly. At this sudden and extremely rare show of weakness, Miroku's eyes narrowed. "What's wrong?"
A crease developed between her eyes as Sango frowned. "I don't know how I should put it."
He noticed that she was nervously knotting her hands- something else that was rather uncharacteristic. He gently took her hands in his and instantly noticed that they were like ice.
"Sango… how long have we known each other?" He used his best calming tone. "Come on… Just say it."
The girl looked at him, and began her unsteady dialogue. "Remember… a few weeks ago when it was raining really hard?"
He looked at her, uncomprehending.
"You picked me up from the dojo. And… we got soaked in the rain, and after we got back, we…" She paused, her face going bright red.
He looked at her curiously, still not knowing exactly where this was going. "Yeah, I know…" His eyes closed as he drew up the memory. "Oh yes. I definitely know."
She smacked him lightly around the head. "Yes, well… see, I'd kind of forgotten to… take my pill…"
"Wh—?" He looked at her, a slightly shocked expression beginning to materialise onto his face. "What?" His grip slackened on her hands.
Sango's face became somewhat downcast. "And, remember, when you came with Inuyasha to pick me up…"
"You'd gone to the doctor." His voice was a little hollow with shock.
"Yeah… and you see…" The woman looked at him with tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Doctor Miyake, he said…" she paused. "I took a test, and… I'm pregnant."
He gaped at her, eyes wide.
Then-
"That's gre-eat--!"
He grinned widely.
It was her turn to stare.
"Your pregnant?" He laughed. "That's great!" he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug.
She gaped at him, not understanding his reaction- considering the circumstances. "But—"
"I'm going to be a father!" Miroku butted in. "What could be wrong with that?" He was feeling unusually light-headed again. It was almost as though the shock had blocked the ability for him to think properly.
Sango shook her head. "You- you've forgotten!" She took his hand and gripped it, trying to get him to see the whole picture. "Miroku!"
He, apparently, wasn't listening to her. "Is it a boy? But it's too early to tell, isn't it?" He was babbling on, the shock making him lose his sense. "Where's the nearest school?"
Sango gritted her teeth.
She slapped him.
He looked at her, expression blank and mouth opening and closing without sound. She leaned in and whispered just two words:
"Naraku. Curse."
Miroku's pupils contracted.
"Shi---t."
He then fainted.
Review Responses:
-- WhiteDloud
Eh heh… -.-;; Well, Kagome did tell him straight out… but I don't think it went exactly as planned, no? As for Sango fighting, we'll have to see, won't we?
-- Master of Disaster
The story's beginning to wind down. It really shouldn't be that much over twenty chapters- maybe twenty-five at the most. It should break 100 000 words (including review response text), though.
-- ever free
Freaked out? Well… Hopefully, that'll change. I'm honoured to know that you've added this story! No, I don't mind. :D 'Anti-Fan Girl Fan Fiction's' kind of catchy. I've checked it out, actually, and it looks pretty good. I'd subscribe too… if I'd had time to read stories anymore… -.-;;
-- Misato-Katsuragi2
Thanks for reading! I like description, although I can get a little too descriptive at time… -.-;; 'Artefact' and 'artifact' are both accepted spellings of the same word- 'artefact' is just the Canadian spelling- or was it British? Ah well. Artefact looks better here since it's not underlined with a red squiggle… (MSWord, no? -.-;;)
--
Many Thanks to:NordicaVB
InusAkane (what's to apologise for? ;))
sapphire pink
remix-69er
Sarcasm Girl8
Angelic-Mermaid
Izayoi
Lady Cassandra Micha
AngelMiko289
ChAnDrA16 (stupid Inuyasha and Miroku indeed)
…zZzZ (I got kind of worried about your name before I read your review…)
humble-bumble
cool-chick-rae (Yes. Building up to the next chapter, no?)
Note: In an episode and issue of Inuyasha, Miroku comments on how it looks like Inuyasha has 'the face of Buddha' (or something like that). I believe it's just after Kagome caught him making a promise "to protect" Kikyou, and just before she decides that she really wants to be with him…
Ah yes. The chapter where feelings come to light. I'm sleepy right now, and have nothing to say, (I'm sure I'll think of something later), but for now, I'm glad you've stuck with me.
Till next time…
Ja!