My son, Inuyasha.

"She said no, again."

A bittersweet smile, Inuyasha glanced down at Miroku, "Go figures." He looked up to his friend, balancing effortlessly six feet in the air. "Go figures indeed. You'd think I would've given up by now?" Inuyasha scoffed, allowing himself to descend onto the footpath. "It wouldn't be like you to actually give up on anything."

Miroku gave a genuine smile, reaching his hand to slap Inuyasha on the back. With clear sarcasm in his tone, Inuyasha turned to face the monk with a resentful expression. "What ever would I do without you to pick on?" Grabbing his briefcase, Miroku shoved Inuyasha into the fence he was once atop of, and then ran off in quick pace- "You don't deserve me, really!"

Inuyasha peeked behind him, a gap in the dam's fence with mere construction taped around it. Clenching his fist tight, he grabbed a hold of the scabbard by his side. "I don't- really!" he exclaimed, voicing the angered shout toward Miroku as he went running after.

"Higurashi."

An eager arm waved above, signalling to the teacher she acknowledged her name being called. Winding her way through class members, luggage dragging behind, the teacher continued. "Your counsellor is San—" Kagome gleamed with a wide grin, cupping the teacher's hands together and shaking them with her own, before releasing her firm grasp and running off. Dismissing her pupil's overly-energetic approval and resuming with class division, the teacher called forth the next student.

The front entrance of a high school pans into view, its modern appearance gleaming with victory and satisfaction. Miroku runs toward, steadily chased by Inuyasha- both whom past straight by. "You think this is a joke, Bouzu?" Miroku winced, "You'll never find peace with a vocabulary like that," he returned in playful banter. Inuyasha took no effort in catching up to Miroku, only looking at him with unconcerned eyes. "Right, inner peace, your loss not mine." The monk bit his lip and chuckled, slowing his pace and taking in rewarded oxygen. "Mine indeed."

"Be a good kid today, son." Inuyasha glared at Miroku as he stormed on ahead toward the gates of his high school. Unlike the one across the way, this was an ordinary establishment gleaming with ordinary victory and satisfaction. You didn't have to be the top of anything to get in, or out with passable grades. Miroku grinned, swiftly returning to Inuyasha's side to continue the provoking.

"Make some friends, son."

"Don't get into too much trouble, son."

"It's important to focus on your studies, as well as the ladies- or men. Whoever you chose to chase after, just do it in balance with—"

Inuyasha grabbed Miroku's arm and twisted it backward, "Say another word and I'll make you regret having this arm." Miroku let out a nervous laugh, "Ok—," and slipped out of Inuyasha's reach.

"—Son."

A guttural roar expelled from within Inuyasha, accompanied with a battle cry, Inuyasha made a lunge with his fists toward Miroku- who countered the attack with his briefcase. On rebuttal, a female voice spoke from the entranceway, "Why do ye still dawdle around, Inuyasha?" Both combatants adjusted their gaze, looking as the senior figure came into view. "Oh, Kaede-sensei?" "Kaede-baba?"

"Since when do I have a camp today? Our class went during break!" Inuyasha slammed his fists against the door of the staff-office. "Ay, Inuyasha. It is true our class did, however, you did not." Miroku threw his hand toward the collar of Inuyasha's shirt, pulling the material toward his face. "And why wasn't I informed of this mandatory camp, Inuyasha?" Inuyasha looked away, muttering to himself.

The monk retracted his hands, moving his left toward his own face and rubbing his forehead. Kaede pulled out an itinerary from her desk, facing the paper toward Inuyasha and Miroku. She took out a pen and circled the camp location, as well as other key information. "Be this camp, Inuyasha. Another class left already this morning. Ye needed to board that bus."

"Keh, whatever! No point to this now. Bus already gone, guess it's back home for m—"

"Inuyasha, if ye don't attend this camp it'll leave a score on your attendance record."

The hanyou winced, growling defeat and looking over at Miroku. "Now, now." The monk lulled, bringing the itinerary closer. "By the looks of things, they should have only arrived," he peered over to the wall clock above Kaede's desk. "We'll make it in time before the first activities."

"We?"

"Who else would be kind enough to escort you themselves?" Inuyasha looked up with a perplexed expression, opening his mouth to answer Miroku's unintended question. On signal, a vehicle pulled up precisely in line with the two. Its driver was revealed as a bound of fur appeared in front of Miroku, bowed down beside the car. "Ah, Hachi, my humble thanks." He nodded, passing Miroku the keys with gleaming eyes.

Inuyasha scoffed, "Why is it that everything you do has to be so goddamn dramatic?"

"It's no drama! Right, Hachi? You're not acting right now, are you?"

Hachiemon looked to Miroku, searching his face for the correct answer. "N… No? No! No, I'm not acting!" He grinned, the monk nodding in approval. "See, Inuyasha? Actors get paid to act, and Hachi isn't being paid at all!" He grinned wider, "Not at all—!" The tanuki sprung toward Miroku in plea, cupping a hand to his master's direction. "There is pay, right Miroku-sama?"

Miroku widened his mouth into a beaming divine smile and pierced a glare to Hachiemon's sight, "Of course not!"

He pulled open his car's door, Inuyasha jumping in immediately. Anything to get away from the ruthless display left before him. The door to the driver's seat opened, and Miroku got in. "Don't you work today?" Inuyasha asked. The monk adjusted his seat accordingly, then the mirrors. Inuyasha slammed the passenger's door, and leant over the glove compartment. "Oi, I'm talking to you."

Miroku glanced with hesitance and laughed. Turning on the car's engine before looking back to the road where his servant lay defeated, he choked up a response- "and I'm driving."

Outside the city, differences in atmosphere were made clear, both physical and metaphysical. Exhaust fumes didn't choke up into your nose, instead mowed grass and animal dung did that. It wasn't an unpleasant smell, it was just nature. Inuyasha had wound down his window a couple of hours back, so Miroku was as well-adjusted to this change as he was.

The both of them admired the agricultural work which went into sustaining living around the country towns and rural farms. Their communities seemed to connect together on their own accord, no threads of intricate delicacy subjecting contrasting individuals and levels of hierarchy against each other. It was peaceful to say the least.

"You must enjoy it out here, Inuyasha." Miroku commented, a wistful expression. Inuyasha hummed in agreement, closing his eyes and continuing to rest on the door. "Have you ever thought of returning?"

No response. The monk accepted his silence, and continued to talk on both their behalves. "I'm the only one left, of my ancestry I mean. My roots stop here, so it's solely up to me to take it from here."

"Not a bad thing entirely, I mean I take this responsibility on with respect—"

Inuyasha snorted, groggily replying "Using your status to mingle with women sounds respectful enough." Miroku smirked, his tone mock-defensive "Hey you'd do it to- well you could do it too. No one's stopping you. In fact I encourage you to use that demon heritage of yours."

"More trouble than its worth."

"Have you ever thought about it? Trying again I mean?" Miroku persisted, the conversation moving toward seriousness. Inuyasha used silence to his advantage whenever possible. This unwillingness he presented certainly contrasted his bouffant personality, of which in any other area giving up wasn't ever an answer. So, why is it one woman from the past could have such a hold of Inuyasha's heart- even to this day? Miroku thought, before opening to speak once more.

"A strong heart isn't afraid to be open; don't you have any interest in anyone?"

"Lay off it, would you? I'm comfortable as it is."

AN: Its interesting to re-read these earlier chapters- even if it has only been a few months since they were written. I could easily feel compelled to re-write but.,, I'll leave it be so you can witness these developing writing skills in REALTIME. See you soon! (hopefully)