Title: Compromise
Author: Cheza-chan
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: SessMiro, InuHojou
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. All I own are the first two movies on DVD. You can have 'em if you want to sue me.
A/N: Just a short chapter this time around. At least, yeah, I think it's short. The next one's going to be done from Sesshoumaru's subconscious. (titters softly)
Chapter Two – Faith and Reassurance
Mirouku sat beside the futon in the empty hut. His hand was atop Rin's back; she lay curled with her head in his lap. He had agreed to stay and report any changes. The conversation Kaede and Kagome had yesterday came back and he closed his eyes.
‡‡‡
With the villagers gone and the job done, the elderly miko pulled the young girl aside. She folded her arms behind her back with a deep sigh and lowered her head. "All of Inuyasha's comments, however rash and unreasonable, were true. Had you not found Sesshoumaru when you did, he would have died."
Kagome averted her gaze to where Mirouku and Sango stood. Both were within earshot. The monk's expression remained forlorn. 'Mirouku…'
"Kagome!"
"Hai, hai?" Kagome drawled, sweatdropping.
"The extent of his wounds was great, almost irreparable, considering he's a youkai. You saw."
"Yeah," the girl sighed. "He looked like a gutted fish." She made a face then gasped, realizing her mistake. He looked up in time to see Mirouku make a hasty exit.
"He'll be fine," Kaede murmured. "It's the youkai that might not be. He's not to move for at least a week."
‡‡‡
A week. Mirouku snorted softly, a weak smile flitting onto his weary features. That's what he'd been told but he knew as soon as Sesshoumaru opened his eyes he would be leaving. Moving tentatively, he cupped the pale, cold face. 'Sesshoumaru…' The young monk pulled away, his eyes filling with tears once again. To see such a proud being brought to such a state of helplessness, and for that being to be your own lover… was not comforting in a world where chaos and turmoil were already rampant.
"Houshi-sama?"
Mirouku looked toward the entrance of the hut.
Sango smiled and walked over. She took a seat on his left side and placed the pink book bag before her. "Kagome-chan stopped by for a short moment. She brought food from her world to help cheer you up."
"Any other day, it would have."
"I'll leave it for Rin then. She's never… experienced…" Sango trailed off, her fingers tightly gripping the bag's straps.
Mirouku wrapped his arms around her, smiling against her hair. "I'm the one who should be scared."
"I'm not scared. Not really," the taijiya mumbled. "More like angry."
"At Naraku? I think everyone is."
"At Sesshoumaru."
Mirouku pulled away to stare at her. "He recklessly went after Naraku with little regard to how you felt. If he really did love you—"
"He loves me, Sango-chan," the young man smiled. "He won't say it too often. But…" Mirouku glanced at the motionless youkai. "I know he does."
The silence that settled was pleasant and manageable. They half-expected Sesshoumaru to make some sudden movements but someone else decided to take the spotlight. "Rin can eat now?" a small voice questioned.
Mirouku laughed and placed a hand to the girl's head. "How long have you been awake?"
"Since you moved," Rin yawned as she sat up. She smiled sleepily at her fellow humans.
Sango returned the smile and handed her the pink bag. "Everything's delicious. You'll love it."
"Like Sesshoumaru-sama loves Mirouku-sama?"
The monk grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "I love this little girl. I wish she were my own." Rin giggled and began removing items from the bag. Mirouku's stomach decided to growl then.
"Maybe you should join her, Houshi-sama." Sango reached across him and snagged a boxed lunch from the puzzled girl's hands. It didn't seem right, Mirouku mused; to be enjoying himself like this while his counterpart struggled to continue living. His blue eyes filled with tears. 'He's still barely breathing…' He gasped at the soft touch to his hand and looked up into the deep brown eyes of the demon slayer.
"What would Sesshoumaru want you to do?" Sango asked softly, squeezing the young man's hand. "Think hard. Do you really think he'd want you, a mere human, sitting here, fretting over him, a youkai? If he could, he'd probably call you an idiot."
Mirouku laughed and shook his head. "I guess I have to enjoy life for the both of us, ne?" She nodded. "You're going to make some an the luckiest person on this earth." Sango blushed and pulled away, folding her hands in her lap. Mirouku chuckled and reached out to lightly caress the youkai's face. "Get better quickly, so you can join us."
"Uwaaa! What's this?" Rin squealed, holding up one of the sausages that looked like an octopus.
The mood of the hut became lighter and the three excited voices carried in the wind to where Kaede stood in the middle of the dirt street. The old miko smiled.
Inuyasha lay on his side in the bed. He watched the two humans laugh together and a small smile replaced his frown, but only momentarily. He was once again reminded of why he'd escaped in the first place. With a haggard groan, he turned onto his back with an arm draped over his face.
"Are you upset because of Kagome-san?" Hojou asked, never taking his eyes from the TV screen. Ever since the hanyou fell into the mix, he and Kagome had grown closer as friends and he'd been given the permission necessary to address her by her first name. He smiled and moved the enthralled Anko's fingers through the proper key sequence. She was learning to play a video game.
"Why would I be upset because of her?" Inuyasha snorted.
"Well, she was certainly upset with you."
The amber eyes narrowed. "How so?"
Hojou paused the game with a sigh, smiling as the child groaned, then faced the hanyou. "She kept going on and on about some clueless, simple-minded idiot during gym and lunch. Then she shot me a most hateful glare."
"Keh." Inuyasha rolled off the bed and crawled to the humans.
"Then she mentioned something about sibling love and rivalry." Hojou smiled at the hard scowl and realized he'd hit a sour note. He made sure Anko was looking away before stealing a kiss from his lover. "I'll listen if you have something to say."
"I'm hungry," the child interrupted.
"You just ate," Inuyasha snapped. Her timing was always impeccable.
Anko whined, hanging her head. "You're so mean."
Hojou placed a hand to her head with a sigh. "That's the way he is. He's never going to change."
"Urusai!" the hanyou snarled, pouncing on them both. Anko squealed, trying to fend off the tickle assault from both boys.
Inuyasha grinned and sat back. His ears twitched and he narrowly avoided a double-team assault. Maybe, just this once, he'd wait until his brother was back on his feet before throwing insults and punches. Just this once.