"Miroku! Miroku! Come out? Please, so Mommy doesn't have to come in after you?" Izayoi pleaded as her son blatantly refused to come out from the small space under the jungle gym. She looked around quickly, mainly to see who would see her crawl on her hands and knees and most likely get stuck halfway in the small space. She didn't notice anyone paying especially close attention, so she shrugged and bent down, glad that the ground in the play area was made up of mostly sand.
From within came little echoes of a young child's sniffling. Izayoi sighed and shuffled forward, ducking her head low to go through the little space that served as a door. In the corner, Miroku was curled up, knees to his chest and his face buried in his arms. His wracking sobs were muffled, but she could easily see his shoulders shake with his gasping breaths. The jungle gym was far too small for her to fit in next to her son, so she settled on staying halfway inside on her hands and knees. Leaning most of her weight on her left hand, she reached out with her right to lay a hand on her boy's shoulder. He flinched, but his cries subsided somewhat.
"Miroku, honey, come outside and sit with Mommy. I can't fit in here with you," she cooed. Miroku rubbed his fist across his eyes a last time before clasping her offered fingers and allowing himself to be pulled out the little door and into his mother's lap. She cradled him closer until his sniffles died out completely.
"Mama, why don't I have a daddy like Sesshy's daddy?" came the timid voice, muffled from being pressed so close to her chest.
"Oh, sweetie, you do have a daddy, but he left us a long time ago. He and Mommy didn't get along very well and he hurt me in here," she replied sadly, placing his tiny handover her heart. His big eyes looked up at her. "Inside, he hurt my feelings and broke my heart. Some people are good fathers and some aren't. Your daddy wasn't ready to be a husband or a father, and he left you with me because I love you so very much. You're the light of my world, but your daddy didn't see how special you are in here," she continued, taking his hand which she still held and pressing it to his own chest, right over his heart before covering it with her own, much larger, one. With her free hand she wiped away what remained of his tears. "I love you and I will never leave you, my son," she said firmly, looking straight into his eyes.
"I love you, too, Mommy," he cried, throwing his arms around her neck and making a big show of kissing her cheek. Inside, his mischievous mind was already plotting how to get exactly what he wanted above anything else for his upcoming birthday.
Toji watched as first the little boy and then the boy's mother ran past him, headed for the jungle gym across the way. He gently tugged his son around and off his shoulders, settling him on the path at his feet. Sesshomaru looked up at his father, confused.
"Why were Miroku and his mommy running away? Doesn't he want to play with me?" he asked, tears swimming in his eyes.
"Son, it's alright, you did nothing wrong. It looks like Miroku was just a little upset and his mom was just going to make him feel better. We'll wait here, and I'm sure they'll be back really soon, ok?"
He got a sniffle and a nod in reply. He plopped down on the bench behind him and nudged his son towards the sandbox to play and hopefully distract him for a while. Sesshomaru sat down hard on his bottom in the sand, kicking up a little and sneezing. A small smile flirted with the corner of Toji's lips before he had to hide it from his son's accusing glare. As he watched his son begin to play, he was inwardly wondering what caused Miroku to run off in tears like that. He had smelt the salty tears even if he hadn't seen them, and knew that his son inevitably had smelt them, too.
Sesshomaru was in the middle of building another sandcastle when Miroku scampered back into sight, his mother following behind at a more sedated pace. Both little boys smiled. Miroku turned back to Izayoi. "Mommy? Can I fill the bucket with water?" he asked, pointing to a small container sitting in the sandbox, abandoned by its owner. He wanted to show Sesshomaru what a drizzle-castle was.
"Why do you want a bucket of water? It won't help you make a sandcastle," as expected, Sesshomaru was a little confused. Izayoi smiled. It was as if the last few moments hadn't even happened, and she was eternally glad that he had made a new friend.
"I know what you're thinking, Miroku. Hand it to me, and I'll get you some water from the fountain," she said. Her son did as asked, and she soon returned to find both silver-haired father and son asking Miroku what he was up to. The little boy just grinned at them, grabbing the bucket from his mom and plunking down in the sand next to his friend.
"This is called a drizzle-castle. You just put some water in a bucket, add some sand, and do this," he demonstrated by letting the wet sand trickle through his fingers. The drops built up, forming a lump rather like a stalagmite. A few more handfuls, and it was starting to look like a proper castle, spires and towers everywhere, even the beginnings of a wall surrounding it.
Sesshomaru looked on, intrigued. "Here, try it," Miroku said, offering the other boy a handful of wet sand. He took it, trying to copy what he had seen, and ended up with a rather tilted structure with a crumbly tower. He frowned. It wasn't good or nearly as pretty as Miroku's. Why not?
Izayoi, watching from her seat on the bench, smiled at Miroku's words when he noticed the boy's frown. "That's pretty good, Sesshomaru! You sure you've never done this before?" Sesshomaru promptly forgot all about how silly his attempt looked and beamed at his friend. "You bet!"
She sat back and let them play. Beside her, Toji reclined as well, leaning his elbows on the back of the bench. He turned to her with a smile, but his eyes flickered with concern. "What was the matter earlier? Why was Miroku crying?"
She sighed. She had known this was coming. Before continuing, she made sure little ears weren't listening in. "Don't take this the wrong way, but it was because he saw you two coming. No, don't look at me like that. Let me explain. Miroku's father…wasn't the best father in the world. He never took Miroku out, not even to the park. He was always at work. It was almost as if he didn't know his son existed until the day I handed him the divorce and custody papers. Needless to say, the custody battle was vicious. I gained full custody only because his father was such a womanizing lecher that the judge wasn't comfortable with the influence this might have on a four-year old boy who hero-worshipped his father. So seeing you with Sesshomaru this afternoon really hit home and rubbed his face in what he never had, you know? But I don't want you to feel bad, and certainly don't want you to hide what you have with your son." She felt weird exposing so much and talking on like she had, but it kind of needed to be said.
Toji blushed and shifted uncomfortably for a moment. What should he do? He'd hurt Sesshomaru if he stopped, but he'd hurt the boys' relationship, and possibly whatever could eventually happen between him and Izayoi, if he didn't. He wasn't so foolish to think that things could become serious between them so soon, but he still wanted to make a good impression. A friend like Izayoi could be good for him and his son. He and Sesshomaru had been too long without a caring female presence in their lives, and it was beginning to show in his son's personality. The boy was by turns gruff and closed off, never fully opening up with anyone but his father. Until he had met Miroku, that is. Toji didn't know why it was, but Sesshomaru was becoming friendly with the other little boy.
"Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't know about any of it. I…I don't know what to say. I don't want to cause problems," he stuttered. To his surprise, she laughed.
"You seem like one of those guys who always knows what to say. This must be hard for you, huh?" she managed between giggles. He blinked at her for a moment before joining in. His deep chuckle mingled with hers, drawing the attention of both their sons. Sesshomaru ambled over and sat down in his father's lap.
"What's so funny, Daddy? You never laugh," he was very curious. He truly couldn't remember the last time his father had chuckled like that. Sure, he smiled and snickered a little when they were playing around, but never a full laugh like he just did.
"Miroku's mom just said something really funny is all," Toji said. He just happened to look down at his watch. "It's past lunchtime. What do you say, Miroku, do you want to come with Sesshomaru and I to get some food?" he asked, diverting their attention before they could ask more questions.
The boys cheered, and Miroku looked pleadingly to his mother. "Please, please, please, Mommy?"
She nodded, watching as another round of cheers began. The boys began to talk rapidly about where they wanted to go and which was the best play area. Izayoi met Toji's eyes above their heads and gave him a truly genuine smile. Even though she knew he was probably just being nice after hearing her sob story, the fact that he had even offered made her heart beat a little faster.
Sesshomaru's argument that Tino's was a better restaurant because it had the most amazing play equipment was abruptly cut off with a shriek as he was swung up onto Toji's left shoulder.
Miroku looked away, choosing to study his mother's shoes. So it came as a big surprise when he felt his feet leave the ground. His eyes went wide as he was lifted really high, higher than his mother's shoulders. Toji set the stunned boy on his right shoulder.
The smile Izayoi gave him could have rivaled the sun, it was so bright. He grinned back, winking at her and walking towards the park entrance with both boys on his shoulders like they weighed nothing at all. By the time she grabbed all their stuff and caught up to them, he was whistling a peppy tune as the boys giggled and talked.