Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Inuyasha. Nor do I own Kagome, Sesshoumaru, Rin, Kagome's family, or any of the other copyrighted characters that may or may not appear in this fic. So please don't sue me, and enjoy the story!
Notes: All right! This is actually one of my favorite chapters so far, just because of Miroku. After this it gets more serious, but liberal amounts of humor will hopefully work their way in. I'm nearly done with finals, as well as the great ordeal of christmas shopping, so I'll have more time to write in the near future! Thanks for all your reviews and your support! 3
Learning to Let Go
Chapter 11: Knowledge is Power.
Inuyasha followed Kagome through the halls of her school, feeling as though he were in an episode of the twilight zone. They'd just arrived and were headed for Kagome's first class. All around them other students milled about, moving purposefully or talking loudly in groups of varying sizes.
That wasn't the weird part. The weird part was that Inuyasha, dressed in normal clothes and a long sleeved shirt that covered up the identification bracelet that conveyed the fact that he was a slave, was indistinguishable from the rest of the crowd.
No one knew he was a slave. He didn't have to keep his eyes on the ground, or moderate his steps. He could reach out and touch things if they caught his interest. He could look the other students in the eye, and when he did he received only a curious glance or a friendly smile in return. It was clear that his ears startled people, since Yokai were rare, and free Yokai were even rarer, but not so rare that seeing one was anything more than a vague surprise.
This was creepy. But, in a strange way that was slowly growing on him, it was heady and empowering and almost like magic. If these people couldn't tell by looking at him that he was a slave then maybe Maybe there *was* no special quality that distinguished slaves. Maybe they really were just normal people who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. And maybe being around Kagome was fucking with his head more than he'd originally thought.
Damn it, Kagome, he thought uneasily. You're in way over your head here. You don't understand what you're playing around with the people you could potentially upset! But it was hard to keep his reservations in mind when everything around him was so much more interesting and nothing in his immediate vicinity looked even remotely threatening.
"Kagome!" It was a boy's voice, coming from behind them. Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder, but Kagome hadn't heard the voice yet.
A young man broke through the crowd, of medium height and with boyish good looks and dark hair pulled back in a stumpy ponytail at the nape of his neck. "Kagome!" he shouted again, making his way toward them.
Finally hearing him, Kagome turned around. Upon spotting the boy coming toward them, her eyes widened and something akin to panic entered them.
"M-Miroku!" she exclaimed, taking an edgy step backward and feigning delighted surprise. Inuyasha looked the boy over again, reassessing him for danger since something about him was definitely making Kagome skittish. But there was nothing threatening about him at all - just a charming smile and an eager spark in his eyes as he skidded to a halt in front of Kagome and Inuyasha.
"Kagome-sama, I must say that the past few years have increased your loveliness tenfold."
Inuyasha's eyes narrowed slightly as the boy clasped Kagome's hand and she gave him a bright, fake smile while inching her way toward him as if for protection. If only Inuyasha knew what she wanted to be protected *from*.
"Thank you Miroku! You, uh, look pretty good too!"
"You're too generous, Kagome!" he gushed, and Inuyasha's sharp eyes picked up on the spark of mischief in his expression. His grip on her hands tightened, and his gaze turned soulful. "Kagome," he said seriously, leaning in closer as she leaned away from him. "I know that you rejected my proposal two years ago, but I can't help but hope that time has changed your mind - "
*Smack!*
Kagome glared at a rather dazed Miroku from behind Inuyasha, who was still confused but trying to look threatening anyway. "Miroku! I will *NOT* bear your child!"
Everyone in the hallway paused. Conversation stopped, and Kagome turned bright red as the students all around them gaped in avid curiosity. Shaking off his dejection quickly, Miroku tried to get hold of Kagome's hands again, but Inuyasha shifted to block him with a menacing glare and felt Kagome squeeze his upper arm gratefully. "Ah, Kagome-sama Alas, it seems I must resign myself to rejection."
"As if you even understand the meaning of the word," Kagome muttered under her breath, and Inuyasha tried not to smile. Out loud she said, "What are you doing here, anyway?"
He straightened up, shrugging. "I'm actually looking for Rin."
Kagome gasped. "Miroku! She's your cousin!"
He waved his hands in front of him frantically. "Nothing like that! I swear! I'm staying with her and her sister for the next few months and I'm supposed to be attending classes with her today but I got distracted and now I'm not sure where she is."
"Distracted huh?" Kagome said knowingly. "Did this distraction perchance have a short skirt?"
Miroku sighed longingly, his eyes going slightly hazy as he relived whatever 'distraction' he'd found so appealing.
In an attempt to get his mind out of the gutter Kagome said, "Why aren't you in school?"
"I found the atmosphere stifling," he said breezily. "I'm a wanderer, really, a traveling scholar. I wanted to see the world, have adventures - "
"You got accused of sexual harassment again, didn't you?" Kagome said flatly.
Miroku laughed, scratching his head lightly. "Well, enough about me! Who's your friend, Kagome?"
"Oh, how rude of me!" Kagome smiled, finally coming out from behind his back to stand beside him. "Inuyasha, meet Miroku, Rin's cousin. Miroku, meet my friend Inuyasha!"
"It's an honor to make your acquaintance," Miroku said, reaching to shake his hand.
Inuyasha's head was spinning. Being introduced as an equal? As if he weren't a slave at all? Kagome nudged him discreetly and he shook Miroku's hand, trying to look as though it was nothing new to him. "Uh, yeah, you too," he muttered, feeling excruciatingly self-conscious.
Kagome glanced around at the rapidly clearing hallway and cleared her throat. "We've got to be getting to class now, but since you can't seem to find Rin you can come with us. The class I have after this one is one of the two that I share with her, so you'll be able to meet up with her there."
Miroku's face brightened and he nodded a pleased assent.
Inuyasha hung back as they set out down the hall again, trying to get a minute to talk to Kagome. When he was sure Miroku was out of hearing range, he hissed, "What the hell are you doing? You let him think I was just your friend rather than your slave!"
"You mean you don't want to be my friend?" Kagome asked him, her face reflecting hurt.
He paused at her question, disbelieving. "That's not what I meant - Kagome, you don't understand - "
"Then it's settled!" Kagome said brightly. "You *are* my friend, and that's all that matters." She turned and caught up with Miroku, leaving him with no other option than to follow her. He only hoped that the situation didn't get any more out of control - he had a very bad feeling about all of this.
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Rin was glad to see that Miroku hadn't been lost in the throngs of large-chested girls that held him so captivated, though she gave Kagome a pitying look when she learned that the first half of her day had been spent in his company. She looked surprised to see Inuyasha, and was clearly confused and a little uncomfortable with the way he was dressed in normal clothing, but she didn't say anything to give away his status, and soon the reservation melted away. Rin wasn't one to worry, nor did she ever let petty things interfere with her sunny attitude.
Kagome was grateful for her friend's discretion and her gift of remaining non-judgmental. It was good to know that Rin would support her if she chose not to follow society's mandates on how slaves should be treated.
While the professor was lecturing, Rin passed Kagome a small slip of paper that read: "Everything looks good for Sunday. Kikyo will be out of the house until ten that night, so you should come over around eight if you want to talk to Sesshoumaru." Kagome read it, then nodded once at Rin. She was interested to see if he really did look like Inuyasha, and even more interested to see how he felt about slavery. She didn't completely understand her sudden obsession with the subject, but meeting Inuyasha had suddenly made it's ethics a top priority for her.
The aforementioned
white-haired boy was glaring at her suspiciously, having seen the transaction
between the two girls. Kagome smiled at him reassuringly, and turned her attention
back to the professor, taking copious notes for the rest of the class.
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I love Miroku... he's such a lech! Will he ever get a girl? Guess you'll have
to wait and see! Next chapter... lets just say things get a little exciting
- and I think some of you are going to kill me after reading it...
