Miroku walked through the village like he always did, feeling up a few girls along the way, most just giggled and blushed and smiled at him as he went calmly about, but that was on a normal day, and this was no normal day. Well, it was at first it was, as he walked down the village street amidst the giggles and whispers of the girls, enjoying every minute of it. He was just going about until-
"What the HELL!" it didn't take a genius to figure out that someone was angry, and that when someone was angry, someone got hurt. And more often then not, that someone was him. So he decided to go with his monks "instincts"…. and run. He ran until he had reached the safety of the front of the inn in which he and his friends was staying. He then dusted himself off, caught his breath, and casually walked inside.
"Miroku-" Sango's voice was threatening
"Oh…hi Sango…." He would be best not to tell her where he had been. And he wouldn't have had to until, with a bang, the door flew near off its hinges. And a very angry figure stood in the clearing dust. Miroku looked at her, she had dark hair that spilled to her shoulders, and outfit of a black skirt, and a blue and white yukata. She had a somewhat tall and lanky form, and looked to be about Kagome's age. Fire danced in her storming violet eyes. And for some reason, her presence seemed vaguely familiar. He quickly turned away.
"You!" she yelled, taking a few steps towards Miroku's turned back.
"What did you do Miroku-?"
"Why Inuyasha…what makes you think that I-"
"Come off it monk, a girl comes bursting in here pissed off at us, it HAS to be something you did."
SMACK just as Inuyasha finished what he was saying, Miroku was whirled around to come face to face w/ her steaming aura.
"That's what you get for groping me you perv-" but her words died in her throat.
"Hello?" he said, waving his hand in front of her face.
"No…it can't be…." She muttered gazing at him.
"I'm sorry. Do you know him from somewhere or something?" Kagome asked.
"I…. I was told you were dead!" she yelled, and tears forming in her eyes she turned and ran off.
Sango just watched her go; sadly thinking this was someone else he had promised to marry, slept with, had a child with, or something of the sort.
"Well, shouldn't you go after her?" she sadly asked, her gaze at the floor.
"Why Sango, why ever would you say that?"
"Well she's obviously someone you've fooled around with in the past isn't she?" the hurt was auditable in her voice. His eyes softened.
"No, of course not. I think I'd remember it if I did …"
"So you're telling us that you DON'T have 5 or 6 random kids strategically placed about the countryside?" Inuyasha added just to stir him up some.
"Of course not! Lady Sango is the only one I have eyes for. Though I may relish the pleasure of other women's company sometimes, she is the one I truly wish to be with." Her gaze had softened noticeably.
"Really Miroku?" She asked vulnerably.
"Of course Sango." Came his reply.
"Ummm I hate to interrupt this nice moment, but doesn't anyone else want to know what the heck was up with that girl just now?" Shippo innocently asked, using some of the 'slang' Kagome had taught him.
"Your right Shippo, perhaps I should follow her?" Miroku asked of Sango more then anyone else. She nodded weakly.
"Yes, follow her and see why she is angry with you. But…no matter what…ummm…."
"I think what she's trying to say is, you'll come back right?" Kagome finished for her.
"I can't promise anything…I mean my wind tunnel could suddenly open and consume me, and my life could end today-"
"Don't talk like that!" Sango fearfully said.
"Very well, to the best of my ability I will try to return safely to you Lady Sango." He said elegantly, kissing her hand as he left. Leaving a blushing Sango in his wake.
He walked out the door, following the girl's angry aura. But the closer he got to the forest, the sadder and more fearful it seemed to become. He sped up his pace.
When he finally reached the place where she was, he stopped. Looking through the underbrush at her. She was kneeling in the middle of a small clearing, with her head in her hands. Hot tears ran from her eyes, down her hands, hitting the ground with small wet splats. Her breathing was ragged, and every so often a small sob would emanate from her small frame. Looking at her, he was filled with an immense sadness, and an unexplainable one at that. Different from any other girl he had ever met, and yet remarkably unlike in Lady Sango's presence. He carefully stepped forth from the brush. Her head shot up and he got a look at her tear-stained face. Anger flared in her stormy violet eyes and as it did so, and he couldn't help but notice how unremarkably similar she looked to Lady Sango at the moment.
"You-" she venomously seethed. He looked bewildered. Her eyes bore holes into his skin as she menacingly glared at him. Then she wavered, and crashed, falling into his arms sobbing.
"Why?" She desperately asked.
"Why?" he returned, not understanding the question at all.
"Why the hell do you have to look so much like him? If he's supposed to be dead, then why do you look so much like him? Why?" she dazedly ranted.
"I don't know." Was all he could say.
"No!" she said, thrashing a bit in his grip. "No, that's not good enough! I have to know why you look like him..." she trailed off, sniffled, and energy spent, and slumped into his grasp.
"Shh. Who is it that I look like?" he asked confusedly, only to see the wild light appear in her eyes again, as she began to thrash about.
"Nuhh uh! Ahh nuh uhhh!" was all he could decipher as she thrashed about, desperately trying to flee his grasp. But he wouldn't let her. And finally after a few moments of frantic thrashing she gave up. And for the second time that evening, she slumped into his arms.
"Good. Now first things first, it seems you've had a rough day, so why don't you come back with me and you can get some rest ok?" he said kindly. Knowing that attempting to get answers from her now would be fruitless. She simply nodded yes as she began to doze off in his arms.
When he brought the sleeping girl back to the inn in which they were staying, the others couldn't even begin to fathom what had just transpired. She was covered in scratches and dirt, with a tear-stained face. And his arms, which she was now so peacefully asleep in, were covered in scratches from her nails.
"Miroku-" Kagome started.
"-What the hell happened to you?" Inuyasha finished for her. Miroku just shook his head, laying the girl down on one of the beds, and walking off to get a cool cloth for her head. When he was finished, he turned to his friends.
"Honestly, I don't know any more then when I left. Other then I remind her of someone who is apparently dead, and causes her pain to think about." He said it with such finality that they all knew that that was the end of it for now. Sooner or later she woke up, blearily looking around her new surroundings.
"Where am I?"
"Miroku- Miroku, she's up! She's up!" came a childish voice from somewhere beyond her. She groggily sat up and saw a small fox child beckoning for someone from the other room. Then one by one others entered. First Miroku, then Kagome, then Inuyasha, and then finally Sango. She was introduced to them in that order, and also to the small fox cub who's name was Shippou.
"Felling better?" Miroku asked, introductions out of the way.
"Yea. I think so. Thank you." She said, looking at all of the caring faces around her. They all nodded.
"Hey! You never told us your name!" Shippou informed her, to which she nodded.
"Oh right, my name. Its Kohaku." She said, not noticing the look on Sango's face as she spoke.
"So, Kohaku-" Miroku started, shooting a look at Sango, as if she would react negatively to the name being said, "Could you tell me who it is that I remind you of now?" he asked kindly. She hesitated, clutching at a small silver pendent at her throat before slowly nodding.
"I guess so. Yea." She bit her lip. "You remind me of- my father." A shocked look went about the group. Sango's soon turned dark. She opened her mouth to yell at him, and he held his hands up in self-defense, as something dawned on Kagome.
"Wait. She looks about 15 right?" the group nodded confusedly. "And Mirokus 19 right?" he nodded. "So that would mean he had been only 4 when she was born. And that's physically impossible." A look of understanding dawned on their faces as they turned to look at her.
"So I can't be your father." Miroku said as she bit her lip and looked at the ground. He turned to walk away when-
"I-I know that, its just-"
"What?" she shook her head.
"You just look so much like him- it's scary. Here, look." She said as she took the silver heart locket from her neck, and slowly passed it to him. He opened it slowly, only to look into the face of his own doppelganger. He and the man in the photo, despite being maybe a few years apart, were identical. And on the opposite side of the locket, was a short message simply stating-
"Kohaku, we love you. Never forget that.
-Love Dad"
Miroku's eyes widened as he looked at the picture. Even the signature resembled his. Still in shock, he slowly passed the locket to the others. A series of gasps were heard as it made its rounds to them. It seemed they now understood why she was so shocked to see Miroku.
"Kohaku," Miroku started gently. She looked up at him with an almost fearful look. "Where did you get this?" He asked seriously.
"...My mother said that when she found me I was wearing it." she said apathetically.
"When she found you?" Kagome confesedly asked.
"Umm, yea." she shook her head. "Its...complicated." she shrugged her shoulders. "See- this is all I have left of my real parents. I don't know who they are, or where they are, or why they left me. All I know is that my parents found me lying beside an old well when I was a mere baby. All I had was this-" she motioned to the necklace.
"-And this rather strange cloth" Kohaku's mother said. At Kohaku's insistence, they had gone to visit her mother in the village. As Kohaku felt that she could explain everything better then she could. As Kohaku stood darkly in the corner, her mother held up a cloth that was a very faded pale blue, with white stars and teddy bears on it. Something that certainly wouldn't look out of place in a department store, but- this was no department store. It was the Feudal Era of Japan! Such a thing didn't even exist yet. Kagome's eyes bugged when she saw it.
"Kagome, that looks like something from your time-" Sango whispered to her. She could only nod bewilderedly. Miroku was the next to speak up.
"Excuse me madam?" he asked gentlemanly.
"Yes?"
"Do you by chance happen to remember what well it was that you found her by?" the older woman's brow wrinkled in thought.
"Hmm, I think it was call the Bone- Bone Gobbler, no, Bone Muncher, no that wasn't it- Ahh yes, I remember. It was the Bone Eaters Well." She smiled triumphantly at remembering. Not noticing the shocked looks the group exchanged amongst themselves.
Before long they were hurriedly saying their goodbyes to her, needing to get back to Kaede's village to talk toher as soon as possible. They asked Kohaku to come as well, and she instantly accepted. She felt like a part of her was missing, and that she wouldn't really be whole until she understood this whole mystery. After saying goodbye to Kohaku's mother, Kagome climbed onto Inuyasha's back, and Kirara transformed, allowing Sango, Miroku, and Shippou to squish on her back. It was then that they remembered her, and the fact that there was nowhere for her to sit. The started to disembark, disheartedly thinking of how they were going to have to walk. Kohaku just gave them a strange look.
"What are you looking at?" Inuyasha gruffly asked.
"Why did you all get off?" she curiously asked.
"Are you stupid?" Inuyasha asked with disbelief.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome gave him a disapproving glare. He just shook his head.
"There was no room for you. So we have to walk." He said, making it very clear to her. She just looked at him from the corner of her eye as she called out.
"Kiri!"
"Mew!" And sure enough not a second later they looked down at her feet, and saw a fire cat nearly identical to Kirara, only this one was white where she was tan. Kohaku laughed good-naturedly at the looks of disbelief on the others faces as Kiri transformed, and she got on her back. The others soon snapped out of it and got ready to leave, and with that they were gone.
When they got to Kaede's village, she too was stumped. And she came to the same conclusion that the others had. That Kohaku was from the future. But how she had come to be there was a mystery, even for her. They slept in Kaede's hut that night, and she took a closer look at the necklace. But she noticed something about it that all the others had managed to overlook.
"Ah' Lady Kagome look. There be small clasp 'ere."
"What?" Kagome instantly ran over to her side to take a closer look. And indeed, Kaede was right. There was a small clasp on the side of the picture, it was a bit rusted with age maybe, but it was there. It was understandable though why no one noticed it before, as it looked like the handle to it had been long since broken off, and it looked near impossible for a mere human to get open. Which was why-
"Inuyasha?" Kagome said in a singsong voice.
"Yea?" he gruffly replied.
"Can you get this open?" she innocently asked, holding the necklace out to him. He rolled his eyes at her, grabbing it from her palms. And with one swift flick of his hanyou nail, it fell open.
"Here." he said, lazily tossing it to Kohaku. She caught it, and slowly opened her palms as one does when one has captured a butterfly. Her breath caught in her throat as she slowly turned the picture over, to reveal what had been on the other side of the locked clasp. She let out a sharp gasp as she let it fall open in her hands. For the picture on the other side of the locket was none other then Sango. Or a doppelganger like Miroku's at least. And written in what was very close to Sango's signature, was simply written-
"& Mom"
So the entire message read-
"Kohaku, we love you. Never forget that.
-Love Dad & Mom"
Her heart thundered in her chest as she stared frozen at the pictures. She looked up at Sango, and their eyes met. Suddenly Miroku knew why she seemed so familiar to him. Her face and hair, even her mannerisms and temper, were all Sango's. And Sango, looking into this child's eyes, suddenly understood the familiarity of those haunting violet eyes, of that oh-so-innocent smile, and of that coy smirk. They were all just like Miroku's! Looking then at each other, stormy violet eyes meeting untamed maroon ones, the pieces seemed to come together for them. She was their child. Their future child.
Fin.
-Yea, just a random little fic i started who knows how long ago- that i FINALLY finished. I'll probably write a sequel later, to tie up all the loose ends and stuff, like how she came to be in the past and what not.