Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha
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It was snowing again. Well and truly this time—through the shop's window, Kagome could see white flakes swirling, thick and fast, and she could hear the wind as it blew up against the glass panes. The shop was heated, but lingering memories of the cold outside stayed with Kagome as she stood behind the desk and waited for their single customer to leave. Memories of the cold… and snow, and ice, and trees, and blood…
She sank down in the chair, toying idly with the cash register as she waited. She knew full well that she shouldn't do things like that while customers were in the shop, but at the moment she couldn't care less. Why wouldn't he just leave already? Inuyasha had been in really bad shape when she and Miroku had brought him back, and she was getting really worried…
Abruptly she cut herself off in her line of thought. No, she thought firmly. It's not his fault… I shouldn't be impatient with a customer just for coming in. All I have to do is wait… Inuyasha won't die while I'm stuck down here, he's half-youkai, remember?
It was hard to convince herself. Her mind just wouldn't settle down… and no matter what she did, it kept coming back around to him. Inuyasha.
I should be up there, she thought fretfully, tweaking a knob on the register as she stared at the man still browsing the shelves. He didn't notice her looking—luckily—just kept sifting through rows of old books, searching. I really should be helping Mom… I mean, isn't a human… err, half-human life more important than some old shop? And I'm just sitting here…
After about fifteen minutes of her mind going round in circles, the door at the back of the shop opened. She looked up quickly and stood as Miroku walked towards her.
It was hard to remain still, keep her voice low. Miroku looked slightly harried, as if something very stressful had just happened. "Miroku, what's happening?"
Miroku hesitated, his mind whirling furiously. It was obvious that she was asking about Inuyasha. Equally obvious was the fact that she was worried. Should I… tell her? The answer returned within seconds. No. I can't worry her further… if her mother won't let me see Inuyasha, she certainly won't let Kagome… yes, best she stays down here… "Uh… I was sent down here by your mother," he said. "I suppose… perhaps to help with the store?"
She frowned. "Is everything all right?"
Miroku sighed. "Well, perhaps… I have yet to see. As I said, I was sent downstairs…"
Kagome sank back into her chair, looking disappointed and still rather upset. Miroku looked down at his hands. He noticed that he seemed to have a bit of a bruise developing on the palm of his right hand… maybe he'd banged it during the dash through the woods, earlier. He wouldn't be surprised.
Suddenly a flash of memory returned. The orb, glowing with its harsh light, resisting all of Inuyasha's efforts to lift it… Kagome, lifting it gently… pocketing it…
"Kagome, do you remember that jewel that you took, in the forest?"
She sat up slightly, face still creased in a frown. "The one Inuyasha was after? The…" she struggled to remember the name. "Shikon no Tama?"
"Yes," said Miroku, nodding. "Do you… know anything about it?"
She shook her head, hand going to her pocket almost unconsciously. "I can't say I've ever heard of it before… why? You made out that it was important, before. Do you know what it is?"
Miroku smiled ruefully, reaching up and adjusting his ponytail. He knew that, had he been asked the same question a week earlier, he would not have even considered answering her. But things had changed since his father's laboratory was destroyed. He couldn't seem to… care quite enough to keep it secret. "I've heard of it," he said. "It's supposed to be a very powerful magical artifact…"
Kagome choked back a laugh, helplessly. "Again with the magic," she said under her breath. Upon Miroku's questioning look, she waved for him to continue. Youkai… youkai, hanyou, and now magic…
Miroku glanced down at her guardedly. "Well," he said, choosing his words carefully, "it works both as the source of power and as an amplifier… it has a lot of spiritual energy contained within it." He paused. "Or perhaps it's an embodiment of the energy itself… I never really heard a solid opinion."
"Huh," was all Kagome could think to say. Miroku abruptly moved forwards, putting both hands on the desk as he leveled that calm violet gaze on her.
"Kagome," he said quietly, "I want you to promise me that you won't mention this jewel… to anyone. It could just be a foolish thought on my part, but if word of it were to get out… well, you saw those youkai in the forest. They were after the jewel too."
Kagome nodded, perplexed that he even had to ask. She attempted a laugh. "Well, I doubt that anyone would believe me anyway," she said lightly, looking back up at Miroku despite his unnervingly intense gaze. "I mean… magic jewels and youkai and…"
She trailed off, and for long moments the only noise in the shop was that of their single customer, still poking through the hardcover selection. Finally Kagome moved, reaching into her pocket and drawing out the object in question. It was still warm, though now that was only normal. Miroku watched it in her hands, held lightly between two slender fingers. A gust of wind blew into the window, making the glass rattle loudly.
"Why… why did Inuyasha want it so badly?" Kagome said, staring into the jewel as if mesmerized.
Miroku could only shrug.
"Er… ma'am?"
Kagome jumped, nearly dropping the jewel. She stuffed it quickly back into her pocket. Miroku twitched, turning slowly away from the desk to give the customer room.
The man held up a hardcover book, looking oddly at Kagome. "May I buy this book, ma'am?"
"Of… of course," she said dazedly, taking it from him and beginning the process of recording the purchase. Miroku stood frozen for a few seconds more, then turned away abruptly.
"I'm going to wash out my car," he remarked, starting out of the shop. Kagome nodded distractedly, turning to the cash register. She heard the bell jangling as the door opened and closed.
Now that the customer's leaving, I can close the shop! The thought struck Kagome suddenly, making her smile. All I have to do is finish this transaction…
"Kagome!"
The cheerful voice made her cringe, and she looked up to see Yuka enter the shop, grinning. "Well, you look happy," said the other girl teasingly. "Did something interesting happen and you didn't tell me?"
Kagome stifled a groan.
:0:
The rest of the day passed without much change. Miroku kept coming back in and asking for the locations of various items—the hose was frozen and wouldn't work, or he needed the industrial-strength soap that Mrs. Higurashi kept in a small closet beside the staircase. After another hour or so he reentered, looking rather grisly, and upon seeing the current customers (Yuka had left, but only after two more people walked in), he swallowed and fairly ran through the shop to the back stairs before Kagome could say a thing. He didn't come back down after that. At about three o'clock— after more full hours of customers entering, one after the other, and preventing her from closing the store prematurely—Grandpa returned with Souta. Upon seeing them, Kagome jumped up immediately, filled with hope… but Grandpa simply told her to keep up the good work in minding the store, and swept up the stairs with Souta. Kagome hardly had the time to call to Souta—"tell me what's happening!" before he was gone. Then she slumped over the desk morosely for a few seconds, before remembering the customers—an old man she knew from a block or so away, and his grandson from out of town—and sitting back upright.
At four oclock, Souta came back downstairs and told Kagome that Mom wouldn't tell him anything, nor would she tell Miroku, and so the older boy was taking a bath. A long one. Kagome sighed in frustration and waited impatiently for the man and the child to leave.
After what seemed like an eternity, it was time to close the shop. With no feelings of regret whatsoever, she let out the customers—who hadn't even bought anything, she thought grumpily—and then fairly ran upstairs to the second floor.
Mrs. Higurashi, probably hearing the racket she was making on the stairs, met her at the top. She held a finger to her lips.
"Please, be quiet," she said softly. "He's fallen asleep, and it'll only make more trouble if he wakes now."
"What was going on?" Kagome whispered back, upset and angry at herself for being upset. "Souta said that you wouldn't let anyone in! And Miroku wouldn't tell me…"
"I didn't want him to be disturbed," said Mrs. Higurashi, putting hand on Kagome's shoulder and leading her away from the stairs. "I don't know what was happening out there, but the…" she flinched "the gunshot wound has become infected. He's healing… faster than I'd expect, but it's still troubling."
"So… what do we do?" whispered Kagome.
"All that we can, I suppose," said Mrs. Higurashi. She sounded tired and, for the first time that day, Kagome looked up at her mother and noticed how weary she seemed.
Kagome stopped in the doorway to her own room, and turned around. "Can… can I see him?" she asked in a small voice.
"Maybe after dinner, dear," said Mrs. Higurashi.
:0:
Dinner was a tense affair. Mrs. Higurashi, unwilling to ask anything around Souta, refrained from questioning Miroku or even Kagome on the events of the morning. Grandpa watched everyone with general confusion as the minutes passed in almost complete silence, save for the scraping of cutlery on the dishes. Night came early in the wintertime, and so the only light came from the ceiling fixture. It cast a harsh, unreal yellow light on everything in the kitchen… Kagome had never actually noticed this before, but now that an entire meal was passing in utter silence she kept noticing it.
Miroku had much less of a struggle to eat politely, this time, as he was not particularly hungry, and this meal did not end abruptly with the entrance of an irate half-youkai. In fact, there were no signs of life from the guest room. Kagome couldn't speak to Inuyasha, of course, but she did seize the opportunity to stand in the doorway of the guest room, peering through the darkness towards the dark shape of the bed. She couldn't even make out his form—the light from the doorway didn't quite reach far enough. Behind her, she could hear her mother telling Souta to go watch television, and a sudden sinking feeling made her close her eyes.
That meant Mrs. Higurashi had something important to say, and she didn't want Souta to hear. And at the moment, there was only one thing she might be referring to. Kagome reached slowly into her pocket to feel the Shikon no Tama still nestled there, as warm as ever. She couldn't say that she wasn't eager to find out what exactly was behind all of the strange occurrences of late, but she couldn't help feeling apprehensive on Miroku's behalf.
Don't mind that, she thought, shaking her head slightly. Come on, you should be glad! We really ought to know what's been happening lately…I mean, is it too much to ask to just know what we're stepping into?
She peered resentfully through the darkness as if hoping Inuyasha could somehow sense her glare. Whatever that… that insane, annoying, rude, arrogant, beautiful hanyou jerk had gotten himself into, did he really have to drag Kagome and her mother into it? Set aside for now the fact that he hadn't asked them to get involved…
Kagome sighed. She couldn't hold it against him, no matter how hard she wished she could. It would be easier if she could simply dislike him, resent him, maybe even hate him—then she could simply stay out of his business, wait till he was better, and cheerfully wave him goodbye as he left with Miroku. But now there was this nasty affair with curiosity had to spring up…
Despite herself, she found that her feet were moving, causing her to step forwards and into the room. The shift from light to dark was so abrupt that she was positive that she could feel the light from the hallway on her back. As her eyes began to adjust, she could see the bed just below the window, and abruptly realized what she was doing.
Oh no! her face heated up, even though she was as close to alone as she was going to get, and there was no logical reason for it. What… what am I doing? I'll wake him up again, and then… and then…
Her thoughts trailed off as her eyes adjusted further. Beneath the windowsill she could now make out the faint curve of a shoulder, the hollow of a collarbone, the outline of a chin… and gleaming in the faint yellow light of a snow-hazed streetlight, a fan of gleaming silver hair.
"Miroku, all that I'm asking is to know what's going on! It concerns me because you're currently in my house, and it concerns my family because they live here too!"
Kagome jumped at the slightly muffled voice that drifted in through the still-open door. Mom… Turning quickly and never minding the way the floor creaked beneath her when she did that, she hurried out of the room, unable to help the small smile that crossed her face.
They do say that curiosity killed the cat… but I'm no cat.
"…sorry, Miss, but I'm afraid that I don't know as much as you seem to think I do," Miroku was saying. He broke off suddenly when Kagome stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, and both her mother and the dark-haired man looked up at her.
Miroku's violet eyes were tired and harried as he peered up at her in the artificial light in the kitchen. "Oh, Kagome," said Mrs. Higurashi, unclenching her hands on the table, "why don't you go join Souta and Grandpa in the living room?"
Kagome shook her head. "That's all right." She moved further into the room, turning slightly so that she had space in which to close the door. There was only one thing they could be talking about, and it concerned a certain silver-haired hanyou. Though no one said that people couldn't meet the same fate as that poor kitty…
There was a long silence. Mrs. Higurashi, oddly enough, looked somewhat embarrassed now. Miroku was staring down at the tabletop, his face perfectly blank. Kagome glanced slowly between the two of them, confused.
"I'd like to put this out in the open now and have it over with," said Miroku at last, looking up to meet Mrs. Higurashi's eyes. "It is not that I don't feel I owe you an explanation—it is just that, regarding Inuyasha, I know nothing more than you do. I once knew him, a long time ago, but last night was the first time I've seen him in years."
"I know that much," said Mrs. Higurashi, leaning forwards. "I just want to know as much as I can about this… situation. If you don't know what's behind all this then that's fine, but… at least tell me where you went earlier today!"
Kagome began to feel distinctly out-of-place yet again. She squashed down the feeling ruthlessly. It was her own kitchen, after all...
"Inuyasha… found a way to get out of the house through an upstairs window," said Miroku, eliciting a slightly puzzled look from Mrs. Higurashi. "He went into a forest some ways away… Kagome and I went to look for him. We brought him back."
"Why did he leave?" said Mrs. Higurashi, still puzzled. "And… through the window? Which window?"
"The one in the guest room," said Miroku. "But… as for his reasons, I think… it may have something to do with the person who shot him."
Mrs. Higurashi couldn't keep a faint scowl from pulling at the edges of her mouth. "And I suppose that, again, you have no idea who did that?"
Miroku shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't… but he mentioned a woman named Kikyou."
Mrs. Higurashi frowned still more deeply. "Kikyou? And she's the one who shot him."
"Apparently so."
"Still don't know why though," murmured Kagome, feeling she ought to contribute something. Miroku shot her a glance full of what could have been gratitude before turning back to Mrs. Higurashi.
Mrs. Higurashi laced her fingers together and rested her intertwined hands on the smooth tabletop in front of her, leaning forwards slightly. "Very well. I will attempt to get the facts straight now… and if I'm missing something, Miroku, I would appreciate you filling me in." There was a slight note of warning in her tone, which Miroku didn't miss.
He nodded. He had made up his mind some time ago that he wouldn't withhold information… perhaps, personal information which didn't need to be divulged could be kept secret, but it was only fair to let Kagome and her mother know about certain other details. After all, he was taking advantage of their hospitality.
Nonetheless… there were things that couldn't be said. Some he simply didn't know… for instance, anything concerning Inuyasha. And others… Mrs. Higurashi's reaction upon hearing that Inuyasha was a half-youkai seeking an artifact called the Shikon no Tama, a jewel which now rested in her daughter's pocket, would probably be to conclude that Miroku was a raving lunatic. And, of course, certain… personal details could be left out as well, the ones that had nothing to do with the problem at hand. They would need dealing with, soon, but… well that could wait, right? After all, he'd been driving to get away from it all… it seemed that he'd done a better job than he could have ever thought possible.
"So… Miroku, you were driving last night and you encountered Inuyasha on the road…"
"Nearly hit him," Miroku said, somewhat embarrassed. It wasn't necessary information, really, but she had asked for details…
"And, determining that he was injured, took him into your… vehicle… and brought him into town." Mrs. Higurashi paused. "At some point before your meeting him, he was shot by a woman named Kikyou."
Miroku nodded.
Kikyou's dead. Kagome found her mouth beginning to form the words, but very suddenly a bolt of realization struck her. If she told her mother… well, for one thing, she still didn't know how Kikyou had died… but there was one possible conclusion Mrs. Higurashi could form which would not be favourable towards Inuyasha… or Miroku, for that matter. If it came out that a murdered girl was involved in the shooting, it might also appear that Inuyasha had been the one to do the murdering… and if Mrs. Higurashi's mind happened to settle on that idea, she might just decide to take her chances with the authorities after all.
"So… after he woke up, he was unwilling to talk about the events leading up to his shooting, then suddenly… out of the blue… decided to run away. So you and Kagome decided to follow him." Mrs. Higurashi kept her hands folded in front of her, and upon finishing, she closed her mouth firmly
Miroku nodded again, meekly. "I think he may have seen something that brought up painful memories," he supplied. "We were watching television, as it happened…"
Mrs. Higurashi blinked. "
"Well, I suppose there's only one thing we can do, really," said Miroku, "and that's to wait until Inuyasha feels like talking. I don't think we'll be able to piece things together just out of conjecture…"
Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "That's true…"
Kagome grinned. "So, it's okay now?"
Mrs. Higurashi gave a rueful shrug. "Well, I'd say… we've come to an agreement." She smiled at Miroku. "My surname, by the way, is Higurashi. So that you don't have to call me Miss."
Miroku allowed the briefest hint of an embarrassed smile to pull at his mouth, then stood up slowly, looking levelly at Mrs. Higurashi despite the tiredness in his eyes. "Mrs. Higurashi, I wish I could assuage all of your suspicions at this moment," he said, "but I have no proofs. All I can give you is my assurance that I, at least, am not a criminal, and that I am certain Inuyasha is not either… and that neither of us mean you any harm."
Mrs. Higurashi blinked again, and Miroku waited, all but holding his breath as he watched her. Finally, a small smile crossed her face.
"It's… good to hear that," she said. And call me crazy, but I…I can't disbelieve him…
"When Inuyasha is well enough to talk, we can have this discussion again," Miroku told her. "I must admit to a fair bit of curiosity on my own part." He smiled ruefully, then inclined his head towards Mrs. Higurashi and started towards Kagome.
And on mine, thought Kagome. Abruptly she realized that Miroku was aiming for the door, and moved aside to give him room.
When he was out of the room, she sat down in his place and looked at her mother. "So?"
Mrs. Higurashi sighed, looking down at her hands. "I suppose we'll have our guests awhile longer…"
"Wouldn't we have anyway?" said Kagome, smiling.
Mrs. Higurashi sighed again and smiled too. "You all know me too well," she said in a mock complaining voice, which vanished along with the smile as she started her next statement. "I'm just a trusting old fool…"
Kagome leaned forwards to put a hand on both of her mother's. "Mom, I believed him too. Does he… does either of them seem like a criminal to you?"
"No," began Mrs. Higurashi, "though…" She paused, closing her eyes. Kagome watched her uncertainly. Finally, her mother opened her eyes again, looking inquiringly at Kagome.
"Kagome, do you remember your father?"
Kagome leaned back so that she was once again sitting in her own chair. "Of course, mum, I…"
She was interrupted by a yelp from down the hallway. "D-damn it!" said a now-familiar voice, slightly muffled by the walls and the faint noise of the television. "What the…" There followed a string of cursing.
Making a face—innocent or not, Inuyasha certainly had the foulest mouth she'd encountered in a long time—Mrs. Higurashi stood up and hurried out of the room. Kagome stood up too and followed more slowly, trying not to grin. This was more familiar—even though it really shouldn't be. If Inuyasha could swear like that, he couldn't be too sick, right?
00::::00
The next morning dawned bright and sunny, the direct opposite of the televised weather forecaster's prediction of more rain. Grandpa, who tended to believe the forecaster even though his predictions were more often than not completely off the mark, refused to acknowledge the bright sun, insisting that the weather would change soon enough and that they'd better not go outside. Souta, who couldn't have cared less about what the sky was supposed to be doing, was begging to go to the playground on the next block in order to go skating with a friend. Mrs. Higurashi managed to convince Grandpa to take the small boy, and had them both out the door long before the opening hours of the shop.
This gave her time to deal with Inuyasha. Upon waking up the night before, he had not been entirely pleased with the fact that he was too weak to even sit up. Not to mention the fever that seemed to accompany his infection… After he had finally gone back to sleep, the night had been spent in relative peace and quiet. He had even slept through breakfast, though Miroku was awake fairly early and ate with the family. Mrs. Higurashi went downstairs with Souta and Grandpa, to see them off yet again and open the shop, just as Kagome went to deal with Inuyasha.
Inuyasha was not in the best of moods. For one thing, he wasn't at all pleased with the way things had been going for the last couple of days. Weakness, while he had experienced it before, was not something he enjoyed overmuch. And at this moment in time, he happened to be weaker than he could remember being in his entire life. A deep lethargy had settled into him, making the slightest movement a chore, and besides that, his entire body felt too warm all the time. His skin felt like it was being stretched over a broad surface.
More to the point, he felt as if he had been hung out to dry, and he didn't like it. The tightness, as well as the perpetual and very uncomfortable sensation of warmth, was most likely because of the fever—but just because he knew the reason for something didn't mean he had to put up with it, and if he had any say in the matter, he wasn't going to. Mrs. Higurashi had somehow found him a shirt, too, long-sleeved and made out of a dark blue cloth that seemed infinitely more uncomfortable than his old top, and it made him feel even warmer. It didn't improve his mood any.
"Damn it, what do you mean 'don't move?'" he snarled as Kagome let go of his arm and allowed him to slump into the couch in the living room.
"I mean, 'don't move,'" said Kagome, beginning to get annoyed with him as she put a glass of water down beside him. "I have to go down to the shop, and you are to stay right here, do you understand that?"
"Wench, am I supposed to just sit here for the whole fucking day?" he growled as she began to leave the room. She ignored the question, but returned a minute later bearing a shallow metal bowl. Leaving it beside him, she began to leave the room again.
"What the hell is this for?" he said, after a long, puzzled glance at the bowl.
Ohh, no, he has to know what a bowl is… thought Kagome incredulously as she turned around slowly. "It's a…"
"I know what it is," he said, looking up to meet her eyes. He seemed genuinely confused this time, but not mystified… what was it now? "But why are you giving it to me?"
"How should I know?" she snapped, still annoyed despite the sudden disappearance of all of his anger. "My mom told me to give it to you… maybe she thought you were going to puke again! I don't know!"
"Me?" he began to look offended, despite his rather unassuming location—still slumped into the couch. "What the hell? I'm not some sort of invalid, who can't even hold their food…"
"Yeah, you keep saying that," said Kagome, turning away smoothly even though her mind was suddenly working away furiously—she hadn't told her mother about Inuyasha's carsickness. Maybe while she had been in the shop…
"Oi!" Inuyasha yelled after her. "Are you just going to leave me here?"
"If you keep yelling like that, they'll be able to hear you in the shop," said Kagome, pitching her voice so that she knew he would hear it through the open doorway but not loud enough to be heard downstairs. "And then maybe we'll have to kick you out."
Silence. Had she finally shut him up? After a few more moments of nothing, she began to worry. Had he passed out again? Irrational as she knew it was, she couldn't keep her thoughts from going where they would…
"Keh."
She nearly laughed in relief. As she walked down the stairs, she realized that she could just picture him—he would be sitting there sulking, arms crossed, probably glaring at nothing with those pale amber eyes, his delicate features drawn in anger, with the faint flush left by the fever tinting his cheeks…
Abruptly she realized that she was blushing. Oh, NO! Whatever she had been thinking… she pinched herself, hard on the arm, and then winced. Damn, she thought furiously. What am I thinking? I barely even know him, and already he's invading my thoughts! I mean, it's not as if I really like him or anything… he's rude, he's mean, he's violent if what he did to those youkai is any indication…
Why… why was I blushing?
:0:
Miroku stood in the doorway and looked at Inuyasha. Having decided that enough was enough, he was determined to see this through—he would get answers out of the hanyou, whatever he did.
Inuyasha transferred his glower easily from the television to the dark-haired older boy. "What do you want, bouzu?"
"Now, Inuyasha," said Miroku, walking from the doorway to stand in front of the couch, "I have a few questions to ask you, and I believe I've waited long enough for this moment. Will you answer me?"
Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest. "Keh. Depends on what you're asking, bouzu."
"I told you not to call me that," said Miroku, beginning to wish that he'd chosen a better place—this might take a while, and he had nowhere to sit without risking the loss of the hanyou's attention… or presence. "Now, Inuyasha, probably the first matter of business is to tell me what happened."
Inuyasha stared up at him insolently. "Is that the question?"
"Yes," said Miroku. "Now answer it."
"And what if I don't want to?" said Inuyasha, leaning back in the couch with his arms sill crossed.
"Then I will make sure that you never leave this place until you change your mind," said Miroku.
"I'd like to see you try," sneered Inuyasha. He shifted his arms almost imperceptibly, so that his claws were starkly visible against the dark material of his new shirt. The gesture didn't quite work, though, since the moment he did so he winced and shifted his arms a little bit higher to avoid the bandages hidden beneath the fabric.
"At any rate, Inuyasha, I can and will find a way. If you simply answer me right now, though, we would both be spared the trouble."
"Fuck, you haven't changed an ounce," said Inuyasha, scowling.
Miroku made no reply, simply folded his arms across his chest in mimicry of Inuyasha's current position and waited.
Inuyasha sighed, eyes dropping. "All right, bouzu. I went into the woods, met Kikyou, and was shot by her. Enough?"
"What do you think?" said Miroku quietly, a dangerous glint in his eye.
Inuyasha growled faintly and in a sudden movement uncrossed his arms, digging the claws of his right hand into the arm of the couch. "Fuck! It'll never be enough, will it? Okay, I went to meet her!"
"What for?" said Miroku, calm and imperturbable as ever.
"The jewel," said Inuyasha, nodding towards where the floor—where, one story below, Kagome doubtless had the aforementioned jewel in one of her pockets. "Kikyou had it. She was planning to use it." He paused, a sour look on his face. "You know, Kagome shouldn't have been able to touch it."
"I know," said Miroku, shifting on his feet. As he'd expected, it was becoming uncomfortable to remain standing. But if he sat, his position might be diminished—not only that, but Inuyasha might seize the opportunity to make an escape. As that would likely end with an unconscious Inuyasha who was unable to answer anything, he didn't want to leave that possibility open. "That, however, is an issue to be addressed later. Right now, it is you who is providing the enigma, and not Miss Kagome downstairs. For instance, what is your relation to this Kikyou woman? Judging by your reaction to her death, this cannot have been the first time you met her."
There was a long pause, as Miroku continued to wait. Finally Inuyasha spoke, reluctantly, his face averted. "I knew her," he said.
"How?"
That was the single question Inuyasha had been dreading. If there was any way to escape… "Do I have to answer this?" he said, unable to keep the whining tone out of his voice. He knew it would only make Miroku more determined to dredge an answer out of him, but he was cornered—unless he wanted to hurt his childhood friend and make a run for it.
"Yes, you do have to answer."
Shit. "I… ah… I met her about a year after you left," he said.
Another pause. "And?" Miroku prodded after a moment's silence.
"My mother brought her in," said Inuyasha, looking away again. His claws were kneading into the rough fabric of the couch arms' upholstery. "You remember… the problem with my… with my hanyou blood?"
"I remember," said Miroku, his face perfectly expressionless.
"Well, Kikyou was… was a miko," said Inuyasha, stumbling over the past tense of the sentence. It was hard… oh, kami, how it hurt to say it like that… "She was going to… my mother wanted her to fix it somehow."
"Oh?" Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Did she do it?" This was getting rather confusing… so Kikyou had once been trying to help him? What had caused the turnaround? And why was Inuyasha having such difficulty in getting the words out? He was glad now that he'd waited until Kagome was gone. If he were anyone else… if he hadn't known Inuyasha years ago, then the hanyou would have probably made a run for it long ago.
"No…" said Inuyasha.
Another pause. "Well, then, what happened?" said Miroku. "Did she remain with you after that?"
"Why the hell do you want to know?" said Inuyasha, sitting upright and resisting his body as it tried to curl up instantly. He seemed content to simply yell into the older boy's face, however. "I've been answering your questions—unless you have something you want to accomplish, then just spit it out and stop bloody stringing me on!"
Miroku was unruffled. "I wish to help you," he said plainly. "I can't do that if I don't even know what's going on, can I?"
Inuyasha stared at him in disbelief. "You're crazy," he said, fangs flashing as he enunciated the last word. "You're fucking insane. I don't know what you've been doing since you moved away, but it's obviously been scrambling your brains!"
There was no warning from the other boy. Between one second and the next, Miroku's arm had shot out and pressed Inuyasha's shoulder into the wall behind him.
Inuyasha flinched, eyes squeezing shut as he nearly bit through his tongue in an attempt not to yell. The dark-haired boy's face was still as blank as ever, but now his eyes were flashing with that silent, dark emotion that Inuyasha couldn't make out.
"Don't," said Miroku softly, his voice flat and emotionless. In the brief, tense silence that followed, neither boy noticed the sound of footsteps sounding through the wall dividing the living room from the staircase.
Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly and let out a painful laugh. He reached down and pulled Miroku's hand away from his shoulder. The other boy put up no resistance, perhaps realizing his mistake.
"Fucking hypocrite," said Inuyasha, slumping down onto the couch and laughing still—a hoarse, choking laugh. "You've been off doing something naughty, haven't you? Why the hell are you digging through my life when you've got your own dirty little secrets to sort through?"
"There isn't a comparison," said Miroku, suddenly angry. He knew he was only fueling Inuyasha's case, but he couldn't let this rest. "If you must know, my dear father decided to experiment with that selfsame power which mikos like your dear Kikyou are said to use." He conveniently missed the paling of Inuyasha's face as he mentioned Kikyou's name; he merely continued his rant. "And thanks to his zeal, managed to do away with himself in a laboratory in the middle of the city! Not to mention him deciding to train me to use the very force which will probably cause my death too…"
"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha sat up again, amber eyes flashing. "So you think you've got all the excuses in the world to start in on me? Well, you just try having the woman you thought you loved try to murder you with a gun in the middle of the night, then maybe you can start saying something!"
There was a gasp from the doorway, and both of them froze immediately, turning towards the sound. Kagome put a hand to her mouth, taking a step backwards instinctively and nearly tripping over the large cardboard box on the ground behind her.
"I-I'm sorry. I… I was sent up for these books, and I… I heard you talking…"
"Fucking bitch! So you decided to come over and listen for awhile, did you?" Inuyasha had his arm pressed against his middle, glaring at her again. Yet again, however, the effect was diminished—perhaps in different circumstances, she would actually have been frightened, but now…
"No!" Kagome shook her head vehemently. "I only heard the last bit. It's just that…" She turned to look at Inuyasha. "Is it… is it true? You were in love with Kikyou?"
He turned his head, nose in the air. "Keh! And what would you do if I was, bitch?"
Kagome bit her lip. And she shot him… oh, how awful! "Well, I'm just confused, that's all," she said. "I mean, why did she shoot you then?" Was it unrequited, then? He loved her, but she…
Inuyasha tried to stand but his body betrayed him, dumping him back down into the cushions. "D'you think I know? Fuck!" Stupid! Stupid, idiot, fucking idiot! Why the hell did I even open my mouth in the first place? Might as well just go on and tell them everything, why don't you? Idiot! After a few moments, he managed to sit up again. He turned his glare on Kagome. "All right. Give me the jewel."
She frowned at him. "What?"
Looking at me like she thinks I'm fucking insane… damn it! "You heard me. I'm leaving this place. But I won't go until I get that jewel."
Kagome's hand lowered to rest on her pocket unconsciously. A defiant sort of expression came over her face. "No," she said.
Inuyasha regarded her with disbelief. "No?" he repeated. "Why the hell not?"
"Because," she said simply. "How are you going to leave? You can't even stand."
Inuyasha snarled wordlessly, his flush deepening. Does she think I'm some sort of weakling? He pushed back hard against the couch, trying to force himself up, but absolutely nothing happened. Damn it!
"I have to wonder about this Kikyou, though," Kagome remarked, not seeing his struggle. "I mean, she must have had some reason for… for doing what she did." She frowned, thinking. She had the vague feeling that the clues were there, she ought to be able to figure it out… maybe it had something to do with the jewel? She looked at Miroku questioningly, and he had just noticed her look and was about to speak when suddenly Inuyasha managed to get himself off the couch and upright.
He pointed a wavering finger at Kagome. "You," he rasped, "when I… when I go… you're giving me the jewel… you understand that?"
With that he began to collapse. Miroku caught him and seated him firmly back on the couch, where he had started. Inuyasha promptly slipped into unconsciousness.
Miroku looked dryly at Kagome. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think he did that on purpose."
Kagome sighed. Idiot. "Well, I have to get these books down to Mom. Call us if anything happens, okay?"
He nodded.
00::::00
Well… this chapter was probably the hardest yet. Just information, but… oh, dear. Please don't hate me if it's far substandard… Writer's block is the bane of my existence. Kicks giant block
Oh… and a few mistakes came to my attention. I've fixed them all, and tweaked the previous chapters just a little bit—not anything really significant, just a word or two here and there. And… I seem to recall a continuity error in chapter 7… which was pointed out (in a rather amusing way). It's fixed now, and Thanks to the person who pointed it out.
And, of course, this chapter is late. Writer's block, and then a sudden lapse of Internet access right before it could even be beta-ed in its finished version, all contributed to THAT.
And the parallels are getting stranger. My little brother got sick and spent the day acting grouchy at home…Silly boy. He even had soup.