Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters. All rights go to the creator Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter Eight: A Thief and His Loyal Companion
The hour of lunch had long since passed and Inuyasha had yet to see Miroku return to the temple. He told himself that riddling himself with worry would do little to actually improve his situation. The hanyo rose to his feet and stormed outside, the thief would not be found in the gardens, his scent still remained near the water. He needed to grab a couple things before he returned to the river, he could think of only one way to blow off that much steam. Inuyasha could not be sure that this tactic would help Miroku deal with his emotions, but if he was in Miroku's place, well it would certainly work for him. So as far as he was concerned, it was worth a shot. He entered the storage shed that sat on the outskirts of the training fields, and grabbed what he needed. With a confident smile on his face, Inuyasha once again slipped beneath the forest trees.
The sun was now high overhead, beams of light spilled through the branches like fingers of heaven touching the surface of the land. Inuyasha broke through the underbrush, here the trees became more scarce, and the sunlight became far brighter; and like a reliable friend the river continued to rush by. Miroku remained where the hanyo had left him, he was laid back in the grass, eyes fixed to the sky; as though he was watching the clouds drift past overhead. The hanyo strode over to the thief, he gazed down at him, and only offered a smile when indigo eyes met his amber ones. He dropped the wooden sword onto the chest of the thief. "I figured we could spar, blow off some steam. You think you can keep up with me?" Miroku's bewilderment was etched onto his face, he gazed up at the hanyou and blinked slowly. The wooden sword still laid upon his chest and just as Inuyasha had begun to feel he had made the wrong decision, a smile slowly spread across the thief's face.
In the confident manner Inuyasha was accustomed to, Miroku responded, "Of course I can." The late afternoon sun had begun its descent, pinks and orange had tinted the sky, and washed the forest in a kaleidoscope of colors. The pair were already weary from their friendly sparring match, but neither was willing to admit defeat. Wooden swords knocked together, two pairs of feet moved flawlessly, and with every passing minute Inuyasha could see Miroku regaining some confidence in himself again. The hanyou attacked with a quick skill, only for Miroku to parry with equal skill. Inuyasha grinned broadly when they crossed swords and came face to face. He spoke bluntly, "Well look at you. No disguise and your skills are just as impressive." Miroku's counter-attack was sure and forceful, he sighed and replied in exasperation.
"Do not go there. You've always known it was me, this is completely different, and you know it." The hanyou rolled his eyes and theatrically swung at Miroku with his wooden sword. It was blocked expertly and the spar continued. Inuyasha responded to the thief's attack with a counter-attack of his own, Miroku was the only person that could challenge his swordsmanship.
He prodded carefully, "I gotta know. Why are things so different with me? What are you hiding from?"
Between the blows they dealt, Miroku replied, "I'm not hiding from anything. I just…" He paused, swinging again, but with less power. It was as though the conversation had sucked the strength right out of him. With sadness lacing his voice the thief pressed on, "I just don't want to disappoint anyone. It's different with you because you already know the truth." Miroku breathed in sharply, his eyes flashed dangerously, and Inuyasha easily recognized the anger. He swung again and the wood cracked together; the impact sent vibrations into the hanyou's hands. Inuyasha made no move to answer the last attack, instead he looked up and caught Miroku's harsh gaze. The anger faded and in a whisper he added, "I only wanted… I just wanted to be… enough. Dammit. I long to be anyone else, someone who isn't me." The training sword slipped from his grip and fell to the grassy expanse of land at his feet. Inuyasha wished he could punch Miroku's feelings in their non-existent faces, it was how he usually handled his problems, by fighting. Yet he knew this could not be handled in that way, it just wouldn't work. He could not fight those feelings out of his friend. His mind raced for the right words to say, his silence was not enough.
Earnestly, Inuyasha said, "Well I wouldn't want you to be anyone else. I wouldn't trade you for all the gold in Naraku's castle." Miroku scoffed, his disbelief felt like a slap in the face to the half demon, and he clutched his sword a little tighter and bit off an empty threat. "Don't make me use this on you to knock those thoughts clean out of your damn head." Miroku opened his mouth to respond, but no words came, instead he started to laugh. Confusion warped Inuyasha's angry features, he found nothing humorous in the current situation. He barked out loudly, "And what the hell are you laughing about?"
Miroku swallowed down the laughter and his voice quivered with it when he answered, "I'm sorry. I'm laughing because I just realized I should be more like you. You have never been afraid to be yourself. It's funny because I was far too stupid to notice it before now." Any anger Inuyasha felt melted away in an instant, never had he ever heard Miroku compare himself to him.
"Don't go doing that, you idiot. I'm not playing that game with you, so just cut the crap", he spat out with no real venom. The thief smiled sadly at the hanyou, he stooped low, and took the training sword from the lush green grass. He took a few practise swings at an invisible opponent.
"No games, Yash. The confidence you have in yourself is enviable. I know how I appear, but it's easy to be cocky when you're wearing a mask." Inuyasha growled low, his anger may have faded but the annoyance was still there.
"Then remove the damn thing and learn to be cocky without it." The thief let out a single airy and snarky laugh.
"You make it sound so easy. It's not that I don't want people to know it's me behind the mask, I just have no desire to see the disappointment on their faces if they do learn it's me." With a practised ease, Miroku performed a flawless step, and Inuyasha could not begin to fathom how the thief could lack an ounce of confidence. In his frustration the hanyou threw the training sword towards a large stone, which caused the wood to splinter into tiny pieces.
"As much as I want to, I just don't understand you," a growl deepened his voice as he spoke, "and honestly I plain don't like that." Inuyasha paced now, it pissed him off that Miroku would dare compare himself to anyone else, even if it was him on the other side of the scale. He turned his ember gaze onto Miroku, "Look here. I'm done allowing you to wallow in this self pity. Pull yourself together and face facts. You are The Robbing Hood. You. Miroku. There is no Robin Hood. It's a nickname, nothing more. Robin doesn't exist, but you sure as hell do." Miroku raised his hands in surrender, but a soft smile graced his face.
"You can calm yourself, Yash. You're right. I had no intention of allowing myself to be consumed by an alter ego of sorts. It was easy to be swept up in the praise and lose my reasons for doing all of this in the first place." His eyes shifted to the vast expanse of sky, which had now begun to deepen in color with the oncoming twilight. "I did not start this endeavor with the intention of garnering any attention, in fact I had no desire of them learning it was me." Though Miroku wasn't entirely cured of his fleeting confidence; he did feel better, even if it was just a little bit. Inuyasha had proven on more than one occasion that he was a truly loyal companion and Miroku had come to trust the hanyo with his very life. Though the negative thoughts still turned in his mind, he couldn't fight the soft smile that tugged at the corners of his lips. No other words were exchanged during the short trip back to the mountain temple, but nothing more needed to be said.
Down in the village of Nakimoto, Sango had begun to make her rounds. She was determined to find out who Robin Hood really was and she figured someone had to have seen his face. She would speak to every villager if she had to, if it meant she could uncover his identity. She first happened upon a group of kitsune kits, as they played along the edge of the forest. The eldest boy of the children carried with him a bow along with a single arrow, and on his head he wore a hood made out of remnants of old cloth. Although it may prove to be a long shot, children tended to be the most honest. From the mouths of babes, or so the old saying proclaimed. Maid Sango suppressed a smile when she heard the child shout, "I am the one and only Robin Hood and I will regain the wealth of the villagers by taking it from the phony king!"
His elder sister shushed him, reminding him in a whisper, "No one is to ever speak that name aloud. You know what will happen if he hears you."
The boy scoffed; smugly, "I'm not scared of that shadow." She approached them carefully, being the niece of Naraku did not always bode well for her.
"Hello. I was hoping you sweet children could answer a few questions for me." Several pairs of wide and terrified eyes landed on her, followed by a chorus of whispers announcing that it was Maid Sango. She bit her lip and paused, she pressed on cautiously, "I was wondering if any of you had seen Robin's face?" The children exchanged glances, before all landed on her skeptically.
The boy with the handmade hood forwardly asked, "Why do you wanna know? Are you planning on telling the Prince?" As insulted as she was by the insinuation, she had no other choice but to admire their dedication to protecting Robin's identity.
"Of course not, I despise my uncle as well. Uncle Hitomi was far more suitable for the throne. I ask for personal reasons. You see, I have reason to believe that I have fallen for the hooded thief and I must know what he looks like; who he is." The kitsune that played the role of the thief puffed up his chest and lifted his chin proudly.
"Everyone in the village has seen his face, so of course we know what he looks like."
The eldest sister casted a harsh look in her brother's direction and hissed out sharply, "Be quiet, Shippo. We promised him that we would never talk about that." Sango looked around as though she was making sure no one was around to hear them.
Softly she spoke, "Everything you share with me here will go no further. It will remain with me and will not be spoken of again." The children cautiously glanced in every direction. They had to be sure that there was not a single threat lurking nearby. Shippo motioned for the maiden to follow them, before they all slipped beneath the cover of the shrubs. Sango joined them silently, she found the kits hunkered close together, all squatted closely to the ground. She sat down near them, unconcerned with the dirt that surely soiled her dress. With her voice still low, she prodded, "So tell me, what does Robin look like?" Shippo gestured for her to come closer and once she complied, he spoke in a very hushed voice.
"Robin is a great panther demon, he has long black hair and eyes of silver. His sharp claws could tear a person to pieces and the diamond shaped demon mark on his forehead makes him very distinguished." Sango tried to picture the image that was given to her, yet before she could manifest the description in her mind Tsukyo stamped her feet in frustration.
"That is not what Robin looks like. You know what momma thinks of lying." Shippo was more than a little angered by her accusation, he huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.
Harshly he questioned, "And how exactly would you describe him then, Ms Smarty?" Tsukyo's annoyed expression quickly faded when she turned her attention to Sango.
With a matter-of-fact tone of voice, she told her thus, "Robin is most assuredly an arctic fox demon and as a show of his strength he has three white tails. His hair is long and silver white and his eyes are a deep shade of lavender. Of course he has claws but he has no discernible markings of any kind." Sango's confusion was clearly evident and only grew when Shippo stood and spit out with venom.
"You fibber. He does not look like that. I oughta tell momma on you, because she will tell Maid Sango the truth. Unlike you." The two kits began to bicker back and forth, while Sango only wondered how the children could have such differing descriptions of the same man. Just when their argument had escalated, Mrs Kitsune's voice broke through her children's shrill voices.
"Enough, I will not tolerate this sort of behavior. Care to tell me what you are all fussing about?"
The two children turned to their mother and in perfect unison, exclaimed, "Maid Sango asked what Robin looked like but," the two said the other's name, "completely lied."
Their mother sternly quieted them, "That is no reason to behave in such a manner and in front of Maid Sango no less. You are to stay outside and play, while I offer our guest a cup of tea and have a little chat. Now off you go." The two women had gotten settled into the cozy kitchen of the tiny cottage and were seated at the table with tea glasses nearby. Mrs Kitsune spoke calmly, "I must apologise for my children's behavior. They usually do not act out so brashly. I do hope that they did not bother you too much."
Sango smiled and assured her kindly, "They did not bother me at all. I merely wanted to know what Robin looked like." The youkai mother sipped from her cup and as she lowered it back to the table a soft smile tugged at her lips. Sango fought the blush that colored her porcelain cheeks, because Mrs Kitsune eyes held a knowing twinkle, she could surely read the maiden's very thoughts. She patted Sango's hand in a motherly fashion, she smiled again before she divulged the knowledge the maiden required.
"Robin is, no doubt, a mere human. His skills are much too restrained to belong to a youkai. He is a fine man of boyish good looks, with hair the color of chocolate and eyes that rival emeralds." She paused for a moment and added, "But it's his darling dimples and mischievous grin that truly sets him apart." This description best fit the image she would have given to the man, but it baffled her that three members of the same family painted the same thief with such vividly different colors. Either they were all lying to protect their hero or Robin was more than one man. She left the cottage with more questions than answers, perhaps it would be wise of her to ask other villagers who they had seen behind the mask.
Sango had walked about the village all afternoon and from the accounts of others she had received many different interpretations of the thief known as Robin Hood. One had claimed he was an aged man, with black hair graying at the temples, with piercing blue eyes. Another had claimed he was foreign, with hair the color of wheat and eyes as blue as the sea. Many claimed he was human while others swore he was youkai, and though there may have been some similarities, none ever matched completely. Why was it that no one saw the same face twice? The only thing that anyone could ever agree upon was the man's nature. He was witty, crafty even. Confident and sure. Brave and skilled. A man who would speak the truth, even to royalty. She had descriptions a plenty, but only one personality. She couldn't grasp how so many people could play a single role so well, unless of course Robin Hood had an amazing trick up his sleeve.
(A/N: Hello my patient readers. If you have stuck with me this far, I want to thank you for waiting for my slow updates. I do try to be consistent, but life and responsibilities often hinder me. Please leave a review to let me know you're still reading, any comment really brightens up my day. If you're new, please favorite or follow. I would also love it if you read my other works. I'll upload again as soon as I'm able.)