Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or any nursery rhymes.

The Mother Goose Escapades

No. 23

Mary, Mary, quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockle shells,

And pretty maids all in a row.

It was night. It would have been dark, but the full moon was at its peak, and so it seemed as bright as day. Inuyasha made these rather obvious comments to himself, preferring not to have the others make fun of him. Of course, they were asleep, but still. Pride is a strange thing.

He had been dozing, and strange dreams had arose; something about Miroku planting a garden and tiny women sprouting up. Sango had been rather upset. And then there had been a mournful tolling of a bell, and Inuyasha found Kikyou with a large silver bell, attempting to get him to go to hell while he held onto Kagome. Odd.

Leaping gracefully out of the tree he had been relaxing in up until the moment he leapt out, Inuyasha quietly made his way out of the small area the group had camped out it. He needed some silence, and Shippou's squeaky snoring was not exactly easy on his ears. Walking through the moon bathed forest, Inuyasha found his thoughts tuned in on what they seemed to dwell on these days.

"Kikyou." He breathed the name out, as if afraid to actually say it, lest the dead girl come take him to hell right then and there. "Kagome." If possible, he barely said the name at all, almost as if the girl had heard him say the name of his former love and he was frightened she would sit him for it.

Not that he was scared of being sat. It just hurt like hell, is all.

Inuyasha paused, noticing the quiet brush of leaves allowing someone to pass. A quick sniff told him it was the monk, in all his holy musty smell. Musty like old books, mysterious and meaningful to the holy. Inuyasha never told anyone in the group what they smelled like. For Kagome, it would have been embarrassing, even more so with Sango. When it came to girls, Inuyasha was, shockingly, shy. Shippou didn't matter, Kirara just smelled like fire, but it would have seemed weird to tell Miroku what he smelled like. Besides, how do you tell someone they smell musty? Or, that fear was always laced through that scent.

Whump! Inuyasha stood his ground as Miroku stumbled into him, and fell back in a heap in the ground. He turned around to face the monk, wondering how he had run into him, with the moonlight so bright and all. Miroku peered blearily up at him, relief evident on his face.

"Thank goodness it was you," he muttered. "Shippou landed on my head, wailing about how you were missing, got Kagome all convinced you were with Kikyou. Is she here?" Miroku gave a quick look around.

"No, she's not." Inuyasha looked at Miroku. "I would have heard Shippou wailing," he said pointedly.

"Alright, so he jumped on my head and whispered it. But Kagome woke up somehow, and I don't even know how the conversation got around to it, but she's certain you're with Kikyou. I don't claim to know how women think." Miroku threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. "Can we go back now that I found you so that I can get some sleep?"

"What do you mean, you don't know how women think?" Inuyasha questioned, distracted by Miroku's comment. It had always appeared to the hanyou that Miroku knew exactly what women were thinking, maybe with the exception of Sango. At least, women, with the exception of Sango, and Kagome and even Kikyou if he got right down to it, all acted like Miroku knew what they were thinking.

"Inuyasha," Miroku said patiently. "No man alive knows how women think. They're all just contrary, and do things backwards from how they should be done, and say things just to confuse men. It's their own secret language."

"But you've always got some pretty girl lining up for you, wanting to 'bear your child' as you put it. I think that indicates something."

"It indicates that those women do not have an ounce of self respect. Or concern for themselves or any children they might have with me," Miroku snapped, surprising Inuyasha.

"Why do you ask them then, if you don't really mean it?"

"Because most of them don't really mean it either. It's a game you see. Plus, it's not like I had a real role model growing up. All I knew is that I have to have an heir, in case I don't defeat Naraku myself."

"Surely one woman meant it?" Inuyasha stared at Miroku.

"Not the right one," the monk sighed.

"If you feel like you need a kid so desperately, why don't you just do what it takes?" Inuyasha was rather surprised at his own boldness, but he felt something strange overcoming himself, as he and Miroku stood there under the full moon. Inuyasha didn't feel like himself, he felt like someone trying to find an answer when he wasn't even aware of the question.

"Because to potentially give a child this curse is not something to be taken lightly. I would think that you, of all people, would understand the repercussions of being different!" A furious look overcame Miroku, and Inuyasha took a step backwards."My father was about my age when I was born. I still wonder if he was simply taking precautions, or if he only wanted to pass on the curse, so that he wouldn't have to deal with it anymore. As hard as it is to tell Sango I love her and that I want her to bear my child, I feel it is harder still to give my child this curse and have him wonder and hate me as much as I do my own father!"

"You...love Sango?" Inuyasha's eyes widened as his one track mind focused anew. Kagome would be pleased, she had once whispered to him of Sango's feelings for Miroku, hopefully that he would get Miroku to stop groping Sango for once and tell her how he really felt. It had failed, of course, Inuyasha wasn't up on his junior high girl scheming. Plus he had been more distracted by Kagome's warm breath tickling his ear, and her scent of sweet wild grass, but it suddenly made sense to him now.

"Yes I do!" Miroku continued ranting. "She's the most contrary girl I know, and plants all sorts of seeds in my mind, one minute almost loving me, the next smacking me! One minute I want to give her valuable gifts and play her music, and the next I want to run off with the next pretty maid I see because she's driven me insane!"

"So tell her." Inuyasha's simple suggestion stopped Miroku. The monk looked at the hanyou, both bathed in silver moonlight, bright enough that features could be seen clearly. Miroku grinned a malicious grin, making Inuyasha nervous.

"Only after you tell Kagome how you feel." His comment caused Inuyasha's jaw to drop, before sputtering defensive comments.

"I don't know what you're talking about, there's nothing going on, and besides I promised Kikyou, Kagome is just here to help, it's all very simple, really." Inuyasha knew he wasn't making much sense, but he didn't know what else to do. Miroku, meanwhile, rolled his eyes.

"It's not the hardest thing, right? After all, if it's so easy for me to tell Sango I love her, it must be just as easy for you to tell Kagome." The sarcasm dripped from his voice. Momentarily shocked, Inuyasha suddenly jumped forward, intending to punch Miroku for his insolent words. The monk read his move, and lunged out of the way in time, causing the surprised hanyou to nearly run headfirst into a tree; only his quick reflexes and some strange maneuvering saved him.

"You little bastard, don't tell me what to do!" Inuyasha snarled.

"Then don't lecture me!" Miroku snarled back.

"Let's just go back," Inuyasha suggested.

"Fine," Miroku said. The two headed back, glaring daggers at each other. Upon reaching camp, they found the two girls whispering to each other. Miroku stopped by his bed roll, and Inuyasha leapt into his tree. The girls shared a look.

"Aw, the best friends got into a fight," Kagome giggled, her anger at Inuyasha disappearing for the moment in favor of a more intriguing topic.

"Shut up," Inuyasha said. "He's just stupid."

"Ooo, big word," Miroku said.

"Must be about a girl," Sango said loftily.

"WHAT?" both men shouted together.

"Yup," Kagome said, "it's a girl. Which means Inuyasha finally told Miroku to stop being a jerk and hitting on every girl he sees. And Miroku's mad, because he likes do to that."

"Yup," Sango nodded wisely. "Pervert," she added, though it sounded more like an endearment rather than an insult. She then saw the passing look between the two, and how Inuyasha shook his head slightly and pouted as Miroku smirked. Turning to Kagome, she noticed the girl had the same perplexed look that Sango felt on her face.

"Must be the full moon," Kagome finally said. "Mama always said people act crazy when there's a full moon." Sango shrugged, then snuggled back into her bedroll. Kagome laid back down herself but couldn't sleep. Especially when Inuyasha suddenly appeared at her side.

"Miroku loves Sango," he whispered into her ear, his warm breath tickling slightly. "And I'm not going to go to hell with Kikyou." Then he was gone, back in the tree like he'd never left. Kagome rubbed her eyes, wondering if she'd been dozing and imagined the whole thing. Maybe the full moon was affecting her as well. She closed her eyes, wishing for sleep.

-----

It was almost morning. The bright full moon was fading as the first warm rays of the sun were starting to streak the sky. Inuyasha stretched, remembering the strange night. Had he dreamed about Miroku gardening, and sprouting up tiny women, so Sango smacked him senseless? What about that silver bell Kikyou had tolled, signifying his time to accompany her to hell. And something about Kagome being contrary, sitting him when not necessary. No, that wasn't a dream, that had actually happened yesterday.

His gaze shifted to the sleeping humans. Musty Miroku, who was his best friend. Sango, smelling of salty tears, the best friend of Kagome, so completely full of life and wild and free, like the sweet smelling grass where he grew up. Shippou...keh, the runt. Anyway, Inuyasha had told Kagome he wouldn't leave last night, that much he knew wasn't a dream. Miroku had talked him into something at least. And he hoped he might have gotten through to Miroku.

Inuyasha mused these thoughts to himself, preferring no one hearing him think about these people he considered friends. As dawn finally broke, he stared at the bright colors of the sky, shifting the color spectrum to its limit.

"Nice, isn't it?" Miroku's still sleepy voice broke his concentration.

"Keh," Inuyasha muttered. "You gonna talk to Sango today?"

"I might as well. Probably everything I told you last night. Thanks for trying to knock some sense into me." Miroku smirked, as Inuyasha snarled slightly. The monk continued, "Are you going to talk to Kagome?" Inuyasha stared at the sky. It was breathtaking, but he would never tell anyone he thought so. Pride is a funny thing.

"Yeah."

Author's Notes: Wow, this one seems long. Anyway, I was trying to show the friendship between Inuyasha and Miroku without it seeming like...you know. And though the rhyme doesn't quite fit, it seems to work a little, yeah? I dunno, I like this one but I don't, if that makes sense. But I hope you enjoy it!