Disclaimer: I own no part of Inuyasha. Or Miroku. Or Kouga. Woe is me!
The Way It Has To BeChapter 3 – Housebound
The day had started well enough. All of them had kept to the new routine like well-trained puppets. Sango, ever the early riser, had woken up first and gone outside without saying a word. Miroku awoke next, watching her leave but saying nothing. Kaede also watched her go, eyes gently dismayed at this turn of events. Then she got breakfast ready. Shippo woke up next, lured by the promise of food. Kagome - still sleepy from exhaustion - finally stirred, accepting some breakfast and then returning to her single-minded vigil.
But this morning something unexpected happened. Somebody spoke.
"You know, this is incredibly boring. I've had more fun watching Mushin get drunk – and believe me, that's not all that amusing."
Blue eyes widened at him in shock.
"Why are you wasting your time like this? He's obviously not going anywhere, so why bother? Frankly, that hanyou isn't worth your time." He watched her carefully, looking for a reaction to his deliberately rude behaviour. To his delight, a bright flash of temper lit her eyes – and was snuffed out just as quickly.
"I…I want to be here," she murmured softly, glancing over at the motionless Inuyasha.
Unseen beneath his robes, Miroku's hands curled into fists. "Very well, Kagome-sama." Shippo darted puzzled looks between Kagome and the monk, his tiny brow furrowed in confusion.
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Miroku sat slouched against the side of the rickety hut, scowling darkly. His first ploy had been a miserable failure. She always looked so…alive when she was arguing with Inuyasha – eyes snapping, hair flying, cheeks flushed…she was quite a sight. But the trick hadn't worked for him. He had thought that outright insulting their saviour would get a definite reaction from the girl. Well, he had been somewhat more polite than the hanyou was as a rule. Swearing at Kagome just didn't sit well with him. But maybe it was the rudeness that got her going, and not just the words spoken…?
He jumped as Kaede rounded the corner of her house, a herb basket held firmly in her grip. Upon spotting him, the old woman stopped walking. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, feeling his face getting warm. "Can I help you, Kaede-sama?"
"You aren't acting like yourself, young monk. I can see what you're trying to do, but perhaps this is the wrong way to go about it."
He raised one eyebrow, feigning innocent confusion. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about, Kaede-sama."
She shook her head, hiding a smile. "No, of course not. Well, no matter what your intention is, remember to use what works best for you. And," she smirked, "if you're going to be imitating Inuyasha, you have really got to work on your insults. That was pathetic." She walked away, leaving a stunned houshi in her wake.
'She knew? Gods, I'm more obvious than I thought! But – only Inuyasha can break her out of the rut she's in…surely Kaede knows that!' He pondered the situation for a moment. 'Ah…there is one other thing that makes her mad. And it has nothing to do with Inuyasha. Be myself, she says?' He grinned wickedly. 'I can do that.'
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Kagome looked up in annoyance at the sounds drifting in through the doorway. 'He's been doing that for an hour,' she complained silently.
Yet another heavy sigh reached her ears. It wasn't a sad sound, exactly…in fact, it seemed more pleased than anything else. Finally she could take it no more. She scrambled clumsily to her feet, trying not to knock Shippo flying as she did so. Poking her head out the door, she blinked in the sudden bright sunshine. 'Whoa…didn't realise it was so dark in there…'
"Why, hello. Kagome-sama, what are you doing out here?" Miroku smiled up at her ingenuously, mentally frowning at the paleness of her skin. 'Inside for too long…'
"I was just going to ask you that," she muttered tiredly, rubbing at her eyes. "Would you quit it with the sighing already? It's distracting." She turned to go back indoors, only to be stopped by Miroku's voice.
"I do apologise for the interruption, Kagome-sama. I was just enjoying the warmth of the sun out here; I didn't realise I was making so much noise. But surely you understand how difficult it can be to keep such pleasure to yourself, don't you?" His grin never slipped from his face. He watched as Kagome unwittingly stretched her sore muscles in the warm light, the sun shining on her hair.
'Mm…that does feel good,' she thought happily. She was brought out of her impromptu reverie by the words, "….join me?" She blinked.
"Sorry, I missed that bit."
Miroku huffed good-naturedly at her. "I said, why don't you stay out here for a bit and join me? Shippo can look after Inuyasha for a little while, I'm certain." He let a persuasive smile stretch across his face, hoping to get her to agree. To his delight, she looked as though she were about to say yes – but then her face froze.
"I…I don't think so, Miroku-sama. Maybe some other time." The girl pulled back and retreated into the darkened hut. Miroku cursed quietly and turned around. Kikyo stared blankly back at him.
"Oh, wonderful. You just had to come around right at this moment, didn't you?" he muttered under his breath angrily. The undead miko gave no sign of having heard him. Miroku sighed and slumped back against the side of the house.
He was fast running out of ideas. Who knew it would be this much trouble to get Kagome, of all people, to talk?
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The houshi looked around in dissatisfaction at the group huddled in the old hut. They were all in their standard positions. Inuyasha was still unconscious, Kagome was by his side, Shippo was nearby, Kaede sat in one corner, and Sango kept to herself in another corner. He himself was in corner number four, on his own and not liking it one bit. The silence was stifling.
"Kagome-sama?" he whispered loudly, hoping to get the girl's attention before he disturbed anyone else. She looked over at him, dark circles evident under her eyes. 'How long since she slept properly, I wonder?' He pushed ahead. "May I come over there?"
Kagome blinked at him, surprised. "Uh, sure. Whatever." She shifted over slightly to make room for him, her eyes curious.
He got straight to the point. "Why don't you talk to me, Kagome-sama?" She stared at him, and the monk frowned at her obvious confusion. "You did talk to me, once. When I was ill after that youkai attacked me, you remember? You would talk to me every night, let me know what was happening even though I couldn't see it. But," he took a deep breath, "you don't talk to me any more."
The girl inhaled sharply. "I…I didn't think you wanted me to," she said weakly, her voice unsteady. It was his turn to blink. She wasn't serious, surely….? She was. "After you got better, and you could see again…well, you didn't need me to tell you things any more, so I stopped. And you never complained or anything. And then…Naraku…"
"I would never want you to not talk to me, Kagome-sama. I assure you," he cut in smoothly. The last thing she needed right now was to be reminded of that hanyou filth. Naraku was comfortably out of the picture, and there he was going to stay. Miroku swallowed. "Would you…talk to me, now?" He urged her with his eyes; go on, talk, I'll listen! Just talk!
"I…I, um….oh, stop looking at me like that!"
He lifted one expressive eyebrow at her. "You don't want me to look at you?"
"No!" She gaped, a little embarrassed at the outburst. "Er, I mean…that is…you never did before!" Well of course not….he couldn't see back then, and the bandages – he had an idea.
"Wait a moment, Kagome-sama. Maybe I have a solution."
Kagome watched in bewilderment as Miroku rose to his feet and strode over to a pile of fabric on the hut floor. The houshi tore a strip of material away from a garment (not hers, she hoped randomly) and made his way back to her corner, settling himself down on the floor. "Miroku-sama-"
He cut her off, one finger raised. "Please, Kagome-sama. Just wait." Then, to her astonishment, he tied the long strip of material around his eyes in a blindfold. Before she could say anything he had stretched himself out on the ground, looking for all the world as though he was preparing to sleep. "Now, Kagome-sama," he breathed lightly, "talk to me."
Kagome didn't know what to do. This was ridiculous, Miroku blinding himself all over again to make her feel more comfortable! But…strangely enough, it was working. It was his eyes, some part of her knew. She couldn't talk with those piercing violet eyes focused on her. But now…
Miroku lay quietly for a few minutes as his friend nearly audibly pulled herself together. He forced himself not to react when he felt a light touch on his shoulder. "I..I'm worried about Sango-chan, Miroku-sama. Ever since the battle, she just hasn't been herself."
He wanted to cheer. He wanted to jump up and hug the girl silly. But he made sure to keep his elation to himself. She was talking! Finally, she was talking again. The next step, he was determined, would be to get her out of this dingy little hut and into the fresh air, where she ought to be.
He kept his answers soft and low, only speaking occasionally.
The hanyou slept on beside them, completely oblivious.