After returning to her room, Kagome shook her head at Sango smiling. "False alarm."
Sango nodded. The slayer was in the process of removing her kimono, and slipping into one of the garments Anju had given them for the night; apparently it was customary to wear them during their stay at the Inn, just as before.
"So, what did you want to tell me?" Kagome asked, also removing her hip hugging shorts and tight fitted shirt, folding them and placing them inside her backpack neatly.
While Kagome slipped on the red, silken knee length nightgown, Sango shook her head. "Actually, Link wanted to talk to you about something important," She explained. "I think it would be best if you heard from him."
"Huh?" She was thoroughly confused, but nodded in understanding. After checking her hair and fixing the nightgown, Kagome opened the door and waved at the slayer. "Then I'll be right back."
After leaving, Kagome sauntered down the hall before coming upon Link's room. What did he want to tell her that was so important? Before she could knock on the door, she overheard two voices on the other side, both Serena's and Link's.
"Hold still Link!"
"You're doing it wrong!" He protested.
"Well if you'd hold still, I wouldn't be doing it wrong!"
"Too tight!" Link took an intake of breath. A painful gasp alerted Kagome that something was up, and she had a feeling she knew what was happening. She guessed Serena must have been helping him with his injury, more like re-bandaging him. This had to be the first time she'd heard them interact so much with each other.
Serena sighed. "Quit complaining, sheesh. There I'm done. Satisfied?"
A giggle from the other side of the door caught their attention, and baffled, Link got up from the floor and opened the door, revealing Kagome who had her mouth covered. He sweat dropped. She must have heard everything, and embarrassed, he rubbed his neck awkwardly.
"Sorry about that," She apologized, though the smile still remained.
Before he could question why she was at his room at this hour, he took notice of her clothes. The young girl standing in front of him was wearing a loosely yet nicely fitted nightgown, made of silk he presumed that fell delicately over her knees, with lace trimmings around the neck lining. Furthermore, she was in her bare feet, and her hair cascaded down her back and over her shoulders in soft ebony curls. In his opinion, she was rather cute.
Link blushed and realized he had allowed his eyes to wander her body distractedly, and he looked away embarrassed. "Why are you here?"
Oblivious to his embarrassed state, she smiled. "Sango said you had something to tell me. She said it was important."
Holding the door open, he invited her inside before closing it. The room was quite messy, as there were bandages and medicine strewn around the room, all thanks to Serena of course.
Looking back at Link, Kagome busted out into a fit of giggles, completely stupefying Link. "You look like a mummy," She exclaimed, laughing. Taking his wrist, she guided him to the bed on the far side of the room before pushing him gently onto the mattress, puzzling Link further. "I'll redo your bandages."
"It's fine…"
Standing above him, as he sat upon the bed, she bent forward and tugged on the bandages tied around his chest. "This is too loose, and this," Her fingers tugged on the cloth which wrapped around his shoulder. "is too tight," She voiced, before smiling at his flushed expression. "Can you even move your arm?" She asked.
For a moment, he realized she was right; he hadn't thought anything of it until she said so. Serena did a terrible job.
Having overheard the conversation and the criticism from the priestess, Serena huffed, and fluttered beside the bed. "Well excuse me. I was trying my best!" If Link hadn't moved so much, she would have at least done a decent job.
Sensing the little fairy was upset, Kagome smiled. "Of course you did. Some parts are just a little loose and tight…"
Already irritable this morning, mostly because she'd been so worried about Link, Serena didn't reply back, but instead fluttered to the floor and into the comfort of Link's forgotten hat near the night stand.
Seeing this, Kagome did a double take from the hat to Link. This was her first time seeing Link without his hat, and she couldn't help but smile before reaching out and touching his somewhat messy blonde hair. "You look good without your hat," She complimented.
Link blushed.
Withdrawing her hand, she straightened up and walked across the room, gathering up the bandages lying on the floor messily, and then gathering a bowl of fresh water and a rag before returning to Link's side. Once there, she placed the stuff beside Link and pulled out a wooden chair from the side of the room before setting it in front of him.
Grasping one end of the bandage, Kagome slowly removed them from his chest and shoulder; even the ones wrapped around his arm and tossed them to the side into the waste basket. The bowl which had been sitting beside Link for a few moments was now upon her lap, and she dipped the rag into the cold water before ringing it out. Thankfully his wounds weren't as deep as they had been, and most of the blood had dried.
There were still scars upon his body, which of course still bothered her, but she guessed he had been through great hardship and battles during his childhood. Did Link have a childhood? That was the question, one she didn't feel comfortable asking just yet. There were so much she wanted to ask him, but she knew such things would have to wait at the most appropriate times, and right now was not one of those times. Perhaps later she could ask him.
After successfully cleaning his wounds, Kagome grabbed the gauze and found herself staring at Link's torso, and as he was calmly staring back at her, she blushed. How was this going to work? The priestess had never wrapped her friends' wounds from this position, but she supposed she'd make do with what she got.
Ever so gently, she leaned into him, pressing her left hand upon the left side of his rib cage, when he suddenly stiffened, though she didn't seem to notice. One end held the gauze firmly in place while she used her right hand to guide it around his torso several times before reaching his shoulder and tying it off easily.
Satisfied with her work, Kagome's fingers slid down his shoulder and to his chest, and she briefly pondered whether or not they were too tight. To her, they seemed fine, but then why did he seem so rigid? Staring up, her eyes met Link's, their noses almost touching, and it was then that she understood.
Ever so slowly, she pulled away, her face enflamed as she nervously looked away from him and to her hands upon her lap. "There…um all done…" The fact that Link might have misunderstood her lingering touches embarrassed her, but then again, why was she feeling so nervous? This wasn't like her. Goodness, she was acting like she had just spoken with her crush in high school.
Pretending that nothing happened, Kagome smiled politely. "How does that feel? Better?" She asked.
Still, his eyes never left her, and he slowly nodded. "Better…thank you." Noticing the awkward silence between them, Link rubbed his neck and looked away from her. "I have something I need to tell you…Kagome," He suddenly admitted, surprising her.
For some reason, when he said this, she felt this nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach, and her heart pounded quite fast. He had something important to say to her? What did he want to say? Why in the world was she getting nervous and fidgety around him anyway? It wasn't as if he was going to ask her out, right? Kagome blushed. If that was the case, then what would she do? The only guys that had openly asked her out before were Hojo, Kouga in his weird way of inviting her to his den any time and well…Inuyasha was a no go, but still, she never really gave them a true answer. Still, this was Link, a sweet and quiet guy who would throw away his life to protect those important to him, and there was this air of mystery surrounding him…Maybe she was thinking too much into this.
Nervously, she waited for him to say whatever it was he had to say. Kagome didn't know how much longer she could wait; she hated coming up with what ifs in her thoughts.
A sigh escaped him and looked her in the eye. "Kagome…you were never harmed the night you were kidnapped," He admitted, completely bewildering the girl seated in front of him.
Kagome blinked. "I wasn't?" So this was what was so important? "Wait…I don't understand…"
He leaned over somewhat, his expression serious. "Last night, I had a run in with that man, and he claimed he had unfinished business with you."
"That man? Sakon?" He was in Ikana yesterday? Wait, Link had a run in with him? Before she could question further, he continued on.
"He got away before I could bring him in," He admitted apologetically. "I'm sorry…" If he could have, he would have maimed him for even touching her, but thankfully, Sakon's intentions hadn't been successful. "What I'm saying is, he never had his way with you, Kagome. He never got the chance."
Could it be true? Was she still a virgin? "Never got the chance?"
He nodded. "Shippo and I got there just in time, and he still had his clothes on." From her shocked expression, he couldn't help but awkwardly turn his eyes away from her. "You merely had small bumps and bruises, but there wasn't anything severe, nor was there any blood…"
Kagome's mouth fell open. She couldn't believe it. No blood…she was still a virgin? He never raped her? Now that she thought about it, even though she woke up at the Stock Pot Inn the next morning, she had thought she'd been raped, and with the way everyone had acted, she started to believe it, but she never actually experienced any pain below her abdomen; in fact it didn't seem as if he'd touched her. When she woke up, it was difficult for her to move around much and her head hurt slightly, but it was probably due to that strange potion Sakon forced on her, nor was there a spot of dried blood at her thighs or anywhere on the bedding she was placed on.
Overcome with joy, Kagome couldn't help but throw her arms around Link, who had not intended such an action, but held her as she hugged him close. "Thank you! Thank you Link!"
A small smile appeared upon his lips, but it only lasted a moment before she pulled away. At least she knew the truth, and she could get past this. "I doubt you've seen the last of him though…" He commented, and Kagome's smile faltered somewhat. Since Link knew the thief desired Kagome, and now that he had a different way of transportation, he'd use every trick up his sleeve to get what he wanted.
She rubbed her arms. Was there ever a time when she wasn't the victim? At first, she hadn't had a clue as to what Sakon had demanded, but not only was it the Jewel of Four Souls, but it was also her chastity, which thankfully, he never got. "Link…thank you for everything," She smiled.
Gently, he placed his hand upon her own, and stared into her eyes softly. "There's no need to thank me," He replied. "Kagome, I'll be your shield," He softly voiced. "I'll protect you…"
Kagome immediately blushed at this and felt her heart skip a beat. There it was again; it was that feeling inside her that seemed to do summersaults. Link said he would protect her…The look in his eyes said it all; he was honest and determined to stand by her and keep her from harm.
The second after he said that, Link quickly withdrew his hand and his face enflamed with embarrassment. The way in which he had had boldly declared he'd protect her, sounded more like a confession, and he couldn't help but turn his face away from the silent and surprised priestess.
From outside the open window, the Clock Tower struck 11pm, a time in which most of the citizens were fast asleep.
Standing up and stretching her arms above her, Kagome released a content sigh. "I guess it's getting late…"
Link nodded and followed her to the door, opening it for her. It was the least he could do since she cleaned and re-bandaged his wounds.
Instead of simply walking past him, Kagome faltered in her step and turned to him. "Link…" She suddenly said, and although it was small, Link couldn't help but turn his eyes away from the floor and to the brown eyed girl in front of him. When he did, however, the warmth of her hand suddenly touched his cheek and her small soft lips pressed gently against his other.
"Thank you for everything," She timidly said before exiting the room in quite a hurry, leaving Link quite flustered and at a lack of words; even his hand still held the door firmly open, but he didn't bother to close it, instead, he stood there, staring blankly at the wall opposite of him.
Having witnessed the entire scene, from Kagome's entrance to her exit, Serena tittered away at her companion's expression. "Seriously, a peck on the cheek? I was expecting some lip action…" She teased, earning a startled reaction from Link who had whipped his head in her direction.
He immediately unclenched the knob and closed the door before leaning against it. "How long have you been awake?"
"Who could sleep with all the romance in the air?" She asked. "You could cut the tension in half with a knife. Honestly, I was kind of hoping for something more…"
Link frowned. "Serena…" Not good. She saw the whole thing. In the past, Link knew he would never hear the end of this. Once Serena caught sight of something, she never let Link forget it, and he knew that tonight would be a long one…
"She was right there Link, you had her. You could have gathered her in your arms and kissed her!" She exclaimed as if was the biggest chance he had, but she wasn't finished yet. "You two had eye contact…the tension…and you screwed it up!" Way to go Link.
Link's face remained the deep shade of scarlet, and as he retired to his bed, he couldn't help but think of the small kiss Kagome had given him. Although it wasn't his first, considering someone quite important to him had also done the exact thing, but for different reasons, Link couldn't help but lose himself in thought of the present not the past.
OOO
With her back pressed against the door of hers and Sango's room, Kagome placed a hand to her chest and found herself, for the first time in a long time, confused. Why was she suddenly acting like this? Did she have feelings for Link? How had that happened? No, it couldn't be true. Perhaps she was getting so flustered because she was ecstatic to learn that she had never been raped. That must have been it. Right?
OOO
Stirring the contents of the soup above the makeshift stove, Anju ladled out the warm stew into a small bowl, before setting it gently onto a tray with a cup of warm brewed tea and some bread. After setting the kettle and pot to the side, Anju gathered the tray in her hands and stepped out of the kitchen while the fire died down.
Since her grandmother had skipped dinner, and because she was worried about her lack of nutrition intake, Anju was prepared to lecture her, but what she didn't expect was to open the door and find a vacant room. The fireplace burning nicely and the bed empty, not to mention the missing wheelchair.
Aggravated about granny's sudden disappearance, Anju placed the tray upon the table, next to granny's diary and stack of books, and sauntered out of the room intent on finding her husband.
Upon locating the blue haired youth, seated on the couch in the living quarters of the Inn, talking to Miroku and Inuyasha, Anju marched herself right up to him. Knowingly, she crossed her arms and frowned.
Seeing the flash of anger in the Innkeeper's eyes, both Miroku and Inuyasha immediately silenced, sweat dropping before turning their eyes to Kafei, who smiled regardless.
"Is something wrong, Anju?" The boy asked curiously.
"She is gone, again," She replied, quite perturbed about this her disappearance.
Kafei smiled weakly before scratching his nose. So that was why his wife was in such a huff this late at night. How many times had granny slipped under their noses this past week? Far too many for his count. "Well, it is about that time…"
"I've told her not to go there, especially alone," Anju replied. "She never listens."
Standing up, he placed a hand upon her elbow soothingly. "I'm positive she can take care of herself. Let's leave the door open for her."
Anju pulled away from him and glared, her hands clenched at her sides in an instant. "How can you not care?"
Kafei swallowed and nervously stared up at his tall wife. "I do care…I…I…" His eyes skirted to the clock on the wall and he stifled a yawn. "Wow, look at the time, we should get to bed…"
Indignantly, Anju turned her back to her husband and stepped out of the room. "Fine! I hope you have a good night on the couch," With that said, she slammed the door, leaving an awkward silence in the room.
Miroku and Inuyasha shared a glance.
Sighing, the blue hair boy sat down and held his head. "This always happens…" Married life was quite different, especially when taking care of granny; she was a handful.
Still quite baffled about their living arrangements, since Anju was an adult and Kafei was a child, Inuyasha could help but speak his mind. "Wait…so you two sleep together? Aren't you a little young?"
Miroku interrupted. "Now Inuyasha, he might appear to be a child, but he is a man. It's none of our business what goes on behind their doors."
Despite Inuyasha's ignorance, Kafei smiled. "It's quite alright. If you must know, nothing has really happened between us," He admitted, and both males understood. "Until I am of age, then things will change, but for now, I'm content with the present."
"Anyway, what's this about the old hag?"
Kafei laughed. "In our town, at this apparent hour, there is a bar that only adult members are allowed entrance," He replied. "I suppose you can say Granny is a frequent visitor, and surprisingly quite popular amongst the people there. She entertains them, that's for sure," He laughed.
Hearing this, Miroku and Inuyasha stared at each other. Adults only? Granny was popular? Was granny an entertainer? Erotic thoughts of granny conjured up in their thoughts suddenly, and they both cringed. Wasn't granny a little too old for that stuff?
Pleadingly, Kafei turned himself to both the half demon and monk. "Would you two be willing to do me a favor? Would you retrieve her? He asked.
Miroku nodded. "Of course. It's the least we can do, since you've allowed us lodging."
Elated, he pulled a small rectangular card from his pocket and handed it to the monk, who took it with curiosity. "This will help you get inside. Good luck."
Inuyasha looked from the card to Kafei. Wait, wasn't he a minor? "Why the hell do you have one?" And not only that, but why couldn't he go in and fetch the hag himself?
Kafei laughed. "I was once an adult, remember? If I go the way I am now, then I'd never be permitted inside." He was sure he told his story to the group during their first visit. "I'll leave the door unlocked."
OOO
"Members only!" A tall, robust man with tattoo marks covering his entire bare torso exclaimed furiously. "If you have no card, you can't drink! That's the rule!"
Annoyed, Inuyasha flashed him the card, which Miroku had been carrying. "What the hell does this look like, stupid?" Already he was annoyed when Miroku had intended to knock on the door instead of just waltzing right on in. Since they had a card, they were technically members already, so why knock?
Caught off guard suddenly, he examined the card before scrutinizing the two men before him. Strange characters they were. "Am I to believe you two are…together?" If that were the case, then a shared membership was no problem.
"And if we are, what's it to you?" Mouthed Inuyasha. Seriously, was he going to let them in or not?
Almost nervously, he opened the door for the two. "I don't see a problem. You two look good enough. It's not every day we see guys like you around. Enjoy yourselves."
Thankful they were allowed entrance inside the bar, they stepped inside, and the vociferous noise greeted them. A long staircase descended before them, and below were several tables, littered with drinks and several men and women who didn't appear the least bit shameful. The smoke that hung in the air around them was strong, and they felt their eyes water slightly.
Baffled by the older man's words, Miroku mused to himself. "What was he implying…"
"Quit talking to yourself, Miroku," Was Inuyasha's reply before huffily walking ahead, only to stop when the entire room silenced.
All eyes had turned toward the duo above the stairs, their drinks left forgotten in their hands. Curiosity hovered in the air around them, but despite that, there were many smiles and cheers.
"Hey look! We got us some newcomers!" Someone in the crowd shouted elatedly, more than likely intoxicated.
Miroku stepped beside the half demon, smiling a little. "Seems like a warm welcome, don't you think?"
Two familiar faces were spotted in the crowd, the ones in which Miroku and Inuyasha met several days before leaving Clock Town. Two faces of the same greeted them from below the stairs, the same with the short brown, greasy hair and the same mustaches. The only distinguishable difference was their different colored tunics which were red and blue.
Inuyasha's eye twitched. If his memory served him correctly, those two were the twin jugglers from the Gormon Troupe who had laughed and ridiculed both him and Miroku about being homosexuals, or that is to say, they heard a rumor from one of those girls that worked in the Treasure Chest across from the Inn; that had been one hell of an awful encounter.
Their optimistic faces did not falter upon noticing them, in fact, they remained sickly enthusiastic. "If it isn't the traveling lovers! Ho ho ho ho!"
Someone in the crowd heard this and looked from the jugglers sitting at the far table beneath the stairs and then back at the two men. "Wait, you mean those two? From the rumor?"
Another person found this truly fascinating, and he took the man who had looked on in curiosity by the shoulder and nodded. "Yeah, my sister told me. They're pretty open about it," He said quite loudly so that everyone in the room could hear.
"Woo, way to go!" People found this quite interesting, and the crowd cheered for both Miroku and Inuyasha, who stood upon the top stairs, twitching at each murmur and shout directed at them.
"I guess we know who plays the woman in this relationship!" Someone laughed, openly pointing at Miroku who looked on dumbfounded and shocked. "Look, he's even wearing a dress!" He chuckled, and so did the rest of the room.
Eye twitching, Miroku felt his face redden in embarrassment. "It's a robe…"
Upon noticing the discomfort between the two males, someone got up from their chair and waved his glass of alcohol in the air. "Hey man, we don't judge around here!"
Before either could hightail it out of the bar, to save the last of their dignity, someone suddenly draped their hairy, muscular arms around their shoulders from behind, and curious, they turned their heads to stare at the person responsible.
"Don't worry boys," A husky voice said. An older man, wearing thick makeup and rouse smiled at them, his alcoholic breath hit their faces. He wore a tight, skimpy scarlet dress which was only knee high, and smelled heavily of perfume. "You're welcome here any time. He winked.
Miroku and Inuyasha cringed and paled at this. What in the world? Was that a man or a woman? They saw the long, single unibrow stretch over his dark long lashes. The top of his dress revealed a hairy chest with no cleavage what so ever and they realized they were confronted by their first transvestite.
The transvestite continued on. "We don't judge around here. Right boys?" He said to the crowd below.
"Right!" Everyone exclaimed.
With that said, the man dressed in the female garb sauntered past them, swaying his hips from side to side, before turning around and winking at the two. "If you guys ever need me, just holler."
"Hey Loretta!"
Turning around, he descended the stairs. "Coming baby," His female voice rang out loud and clear, immediately surprising the two.
Disgusted and beyond irritated and mortified, Inuyasha turned his back to the room and prepared to leave. "Screw the old lady, let's get out of here!" What the hell? There was no way he was gay with Miroku. Heck, he wasn't even interested in men.
As much as Miroku wanted to follow after, Miroku abruptly grabbed the half demon by the collar of his shirt, hindering his effort in escaping before the problem escalated. "We can't simply go back on our promise with Kafei. After all, he is allowing us room tonight."
Inuyasha glared at the monk. Why was he always stuck doing random, unimportant errands for other people? "Damn it! Better be quick. The moment we find that hag, we're leaving!"
After descending the stairs, the two found it difficult to get through the crowd, as they had tried endlessly to start a conversation with them about something or other, or wanting to introduce them to some of their wives at home. Why were they so interested in the rumor anyways? It wasn't true. Did the people of Clock Town find gays interesting or what? And why did it matter?
Finally, the two took a seat at two of the self-revolving stools in front of the bar, and thankfully, most of the seats next to them were empty. An elongated polished table stretched across half the room before them, and opposite of them were tall white shelves with bottles of strange liquid in different colors stacked neatly.
On the other side of the table, sweeping the floors was a robust male, probably in his mid-fifties, dressed in a black and white suit with a white apron tied around his waist; he must have been in charge of the bar, from the looks of it, since there were no other employees around, just drunks. Bushy brown eyebrows sat above his dark eyes and a mustache beneath his large nose.
Looking up from his sweeping, Mr. Barten observed the couple of strange individuals dressed in odd clothing, and he guessed they were the foreign men the people in town had been speaking about. Resting the broom against the wall behind him, he stood before Inuyasha and Miroku. "What'll you have?"
Inuyasha merely narrowed his eyes at the man. "What?"
Understanding, Miroku smiled at the employer. "What do you have?"
Again, Mr. Barten eyed them up. "I take it you're from out of town, and your first time here at the Milk Bar…"
Miroku nodded, while his friend, Inuyasha simply looked bored and half annoyed with impatience. "You are correct. We've traveled far from our home."
Mr. Barten nodded. "I see. Well since you're new here, I'll give you some advice. If you think of starting any fight inside here, then say goodbye to your membership. Understood?"
Miroku and Inuyasha blinked.
Seeing this, he smiled. "Since you're new, you're both allowed free drinks tonight. It's my treat." Two glasses were set in front of both males and Mr. Barten reached under the table and pulled out a tall container surrounded by cold air. Uncorking the bottle, he poured each a drink of white liquid, which quite coincidentally resembled milk.
"Excuse me, but what is this?" Miroku asked while his friend next to him smelled the contents before pulling away with his nose crinkled. This didn't appear to be sake that was for sure.
Mr. Barten smiled. "Chateau Romani, one of the finest in the land," He replied.
Inuyasha found the name quite strange. "Don't you mean milk?" It did smell like it, but it smelled like it was mixed with something strong that irritated his nose; it was the same smell from that transvestite earlier. "Are you trying to tell me you can get drunk off this?"
"This is no ordinary milk," He said, earning their curiosity. "A friend of mine, a nice gal from Romani's Ranch not far from here, mills her own milk from her famous dairy cows."
Inuyasha scrunched up his face. That didn't exactly explain why the milk was alcoholic. Whatever the case, he didn't care though. His amber eyes searched the room, but the hag was nowhere to be seen. Where the hell was she? Annoyed, Inuyasha grabbed the drink and brought it to his mouth before draining half the glass in three large gulps before grimacing at the taste.
OOO
Lying awake in his bed, Link found himself still staring at the ceiling. After his conversation with the priestess, he found himself unable to drift into slumber, and the faint warmth of her lips pressed to his right cheek still weighed on his mind. Why did she kiss him? Perhaps it was gratitude?
"Still thinking about her?" Serena voiced in his ear.
Link automatically rolled over on his side, with his back to Serena. "What makes you think that?" He asked, hoping it wasn't too obvious.
Serena nestled upon his pillow and gazed at his back long and hard. "Oh I don't know…maybe the fact that you've been in a daze ever since she kissed you."
"Or I could just be tired," Link replied.
Serena smirked. So he was going to play these games, was he? It was obvious that he liked Kagome, so why deny it? "Well that's what you get for exhausting yourself way past your limit. You know you could have died, if it wasn't for her." A thought came to her suddenly. "What was it that you said?" She mused to herself. "Oh, that's right! I'll be your shield." She giggled. "Quite bold of you."
Embarrassed, Link squeezed his eyes shut and tried to drown out his fairy friend's incessant chatter, but she simply would not stop. Now that she brought it up, he still couldn't believe he did that; he practically declared his fondness for her, and he was sure she probably picked up on that. How embarrassing. What was he thinking?
Noticing the tinge of red on his ear, Serena couldn't help but find her partner's embarrassment cute. He and Kagome did look good together, but she wondered if he would one day muster up all his courage and tell her that he loved her. Nothing was impossible and she figured he only needed a push.
Deciding to save him from more embarrassment later and to allow him to rest, she fluttered away from the bed and out the open window.
OOO
"What? I can't understand your slurs, my friend." For a moment, Miroku simply stared at his friend, quite puzzled when his face was quite flushed and his eyes half lidded and dazed. It seemed Inuyasha drank too much of the bottle of Chateau Romani at once, as it was, and he would admit, potent stuff. Miroku also felt the effects, though he managed only a few gulps. Strange, after only a few minutes, the alcohol had gotten to them.
Aggravated, Inuyasha slammed his fist on the table. "I think I'm losing her! Kagome!"
Now this, Miroku found interesting. So it really did seem like he cared about her, even if he hardly showed it. "Huh? How so?"
"That stupid brat…Link!" He voiced before glowering at the table. "He's always holding her hand and getting too close to her! Haven't you noticed?" His amber eyes shifted to the monk beside him.
"Noticed?"
Inuyasha nodded. "She prefers to be by his side moreover than mine!"
Seeing Inuyasha's reaction and from hearing his voiced complaints about their friend, Link, Miroku smirked. Ever so gently, he leaned his elbow on the table. "So what you're saying is you're jealous?" Why else would he say such things?
"Like hell I am!" He growled.
Half way across the room, Mr. Barten eyed the half demon, praying that a fight would not start in his bar. Banning new members would leave him with a bad reputation, but still, the shouting could be brought down to a minimum at least.
"And you're getting upset, why?" Miroku inquired, and from the half demon's flushed expression, he knew he was correct. "You're unhappy because he is slowly gaining he favor. Unlike you, my friend, he's not afraid to express his fondness for her," He explained. Besides, it wasn't like Link and Kagome were in love with each other; they barely made conversation with each other, and Link didn't entirely socialize himself with the rest of the group. "Unlike Link, you constantly push her away, acting as if you don't ca—"
"I care!" He growled.
Before Miroku could continue his conversation with the half demon, the entire room fell silent, and hushed whispers reached their ears. Looking around, the monk tried to ascertain what was happening, and when he did, he nudged Inuyasha.
Annoyed, he glared at the monk. "What?" From the monk's pointed finger, Inuyasha turned his head and glanced to his right.
Apparently the door from the back of the room had swung open, and the reason for everyone's sudden silence was due to something quite frightening and shriveled. Aged and wrinkled hands pushed on tires of her spiked wheel chair as it squeaked across floorboards of the silent room. The men and women backed away, creating a path for the person immediately after her arrival, and she pressed on, her head held high and her chin pointed outward.
Silence was thick in the air, and it was so heavy, that many of the sober and drunken held their breaths while in her presence. Their faces paled when she struck them a glare, threateningly tapping her spiked wheels thoughtfully; at this, many gulped and stepped back, but were too afraid to converse with one another in fear of what could happen tonight.
As she made her way past the tables, everyone was quick to lift their feet off the floor, for fear they would be crushed beneath her strong wheelchair of death.
Her chair stopped beside the silent monk, who curiously watched her from the corner of his eyes, along with a certain half demon. Not at all bothered by the smell of smoke, she slammed her fist on the table, alerting the bartender of her presence. "Bartender…get me the usual," Her aged voice demanded, and it was enough to usher small whispers from the others in the bar.
With the broom left forgotten against the wall again, Mr. Barten stood before the old woman from behind the table and crossed his arms. Only he was the bravest to confront the woman, especially on these nights. Placing a small glass in front of her, he poured what seemed to be a foul smelling concoction into her glass that bubbled and smelled sickly of stale milk, only worst.
Inuyasha lowered himself to the table, in order to properly see beyond Miroku. What in the world? Then his gaze settled on the rest of the room. Why the hell was everyone so quiet? The smell of terror in the room was strong, but he couldn't understand why. Were they afraid of her? Inuyasha wanted to roll his eyes.
Disappointed in the old woman, the bartender went about washing some glasses piled in the sink to his left.
Not at all bothered by the atmosphere or the many eyes staring in her direction, she grasped her drink and smelled the aroma before altogether throwing her head back, her grayish hair flipping crudely and swigging the entire glass in one loud gulp.
From the sight of granny opening her mouth and licking her old yellowed teeth where the milk dripped from her cracked lips, Miroku felt disgusted, though he didn't say anything. He wanted to look away from her and save himself the awkwardness of watching the old lady, but he found the sight completely out of her character.
Miroku wasn't the only one grossed out by her drinking; Inuyasha couldn't help but make a face at her.
But Granny wasn't done yet, in fact, she slammed her fist on the table, alerting Mr. Barten that she hadn't had her last. "Hit me." She pushed the glass in front of her.
Another murmur of voices erupted in the room, and when granny suddenly turned her head to the ruckus, the room immediately silenced and several gulps could be heard.
Narrowing her eyes at the crowd, who pretended to drink silently with eyes diverted, she turned her dark orbs to the person seated next to her, and boy was she surprised to see a familiar looking monk and silver hair beside him. Her lips curved up into a smirk and she winked at the monk before turning her eyes to the bartender.
Jerking back in his seat, Miroku found himself at a lack of words to granny's sudden change. This wasn't the old woman he knew.
"The old hag is senile, I tell ya," Was Inuyasha's quiet reply.
"Granny, you know the rules. Only one special a day," He explained with crossed arms. "Does Anju know you're here? How did you manage to leave your room this time?" Mr. Barten questioned curiously.
Of course she wasn't going to have any of that. "Don't sass talk me boy! Hit me!" She demanded loudly, and Mr. Barten couldn't help but shake his head disappointedly before fetching her another drink, this one less potent than the special.
"Alright, but this will be your last."
While still observing her, Miroku watched as she flipped her grayish and oily hair over her shoulder before smiling at him. From where he sat, he saw the dips and creases in her mouth where her teeth used to be, and still the milk dripping off her chin, not bothered to be wiped away. Looking away, Miroku allowed himself another gulp of the Chateau Romani, while Inuyasha decided to drink the rest of the glass.
While in the middle of his drink, Miroku suddenly stilled and paled when he glanced at the old woman beside him, smiling at him in a manner he never would have assumed possible for her.
Baffled by his friend's rigidness, Inuyasha noticed the perspiration falling from the monk's brow. Noticing movement from his lap, Inuyasha glanced down, only to go green in the face with revulsion when he realized where granny's hand was. Although he watched as she rubbed Miroku's outer thigh with interest; that was not the only thing that bothered him, in fact, it was her familiar bony fingers.
Choking on the milk, he sat up quite quickly from his stool and towered over the monk and old lady, pointing an accusing finger at her. Yeah he recognized those fingers alright; it was the exact same as the hand that had grabbed his dick in the toilet not long ago. "You dirty old hag!" He bellowed.
Everyone froze on account of Inuyasha's abrasive attitude, especially when it was directed at granny, and it had come as such a shock to the drinkers, that their glasses fell from their hands and chairs suddenly tumbled over. In an instant, everyone backed away from the trio.
However, granny, already somewhat loopy from her drink, glanced at the half demon thoughtfully. "Hm?"
Of course Inuyasha wasn't bothered in the least, and he didn't feel the least bit scared of some ugly hag. "Not only were you in the toilet, but you fucken grab my dick?! What the hell is wrong with you?!" He shouted in fitful rage, so much that it startled Miroku as well as the entire room.
"Holy shit…granny got ahold of him!" Someone in the room voiced aloud and with that followed many more murmurs.
"That's granny for you…"
From the shock of it all, Miroku felt himself sweat drop at the situation, and he realized he was caught sitting in the middle of what would possibly be an all-out fight. 'What in the name of Buddha is happening?' Since his friend was no doubt angered, Miroku realized that maybe he was right, especially from granny's silence. Could he have been wrong then, about Inuyasha sharing the bathroom with another guy?
Despite the hostility in the air, granny smiled. No, it was more than a smile, it was a smirk followed up by a loud cackle as she found she could hardly contain herself in amusement.
However, her laughter only angered the half demon further. "What the hell?! You think this is funny you dumb hag?!" So it was true then; she was the one who had grabbed his…but why the hell was she in the toilet of all places? It didn't make sense. Maybe she really was a senile hag. Perhaps it was her way of pulling pranks on her customers, and if that was so, it was sick. The humiliation and embarrassment of it all upset him so much, that he felt his face redden.
Granny, who was still laughing, removed her hand from Miroku's thigh and wiped away the tears. Of course she had only been tormenting the monk, but still, to hear the half demon blurt out that a hand had grabbed him was hilarious. Though the silver hair deserved a good whack in the head for his language toward her, she found that she couldn't do it as it was so funny. Of course it could have been the alcohol.
Mr. Barten exchanged a glance between Inuyasha and the laughing woman. "Is this true?"
Of course it wasn't true. The entire situation was absurd. How could an old woman hide in such a dirty place as a toilet and do something as despicable as grab someone? Why, granny was not the type, in fact, she'd rather sit in front of her hearth and read a good book. "I haven't a clue, Barten," She laughed. Taking a couple of breaths, she pointed a shaking finger at the half demon. "Now you listen here, sonny. Just cuz I might be old don't mean you can place the blame on me for your shameful pleasures. But since I'm having a good night, I'll let ya off the hook."
Before Inuyasha could make a move at her, Miroku was on his feet prepared to stop him and hold him back, while granny guzzled down another drink before wiping her mouth on her sleeve and belching unashamedly.
Satisfied with her drinks, granny turned her attention to the silent watchers in the room before narrowing her eyes. With nimble hands, she turned her wheel chair around, and with one last look at the seething half demon, she sped out of the room, laughing all the while, earning several sweat drops.
After her departure, Miroku released his hold on Inuyasha, who didn't bother to chase after the crazed woman. "It seems she's left…"
Inuyasha slumped in his chair and frowned. "Who cares…"
Mr. Barten sighed as he dried one of the glasses behind the table and the entire room finally broke out into loud conversation and laughter after granny's leave. "Don't let what she said bother you now," He said to the half demon, who looked up at him. "She's the type that likes to say whatever is on her mind."
Miroku took a seat and placed his elbows upon the table. "It seems we forgot to tell her to head home."
Mr. Barten arched a brow. "Granny? Ah, well she's already gone home by now; she does that every night. Comes for a drink or two and then returns home."
"Why the hell is she drinking at her age? Has she always been this crazy?" Inuyasha asked.
The bartender shook his head. "No, she never used to drink. But I'm guessing it all started about ten years ago…" With that said he resumed sweeping up the floor and fixing the chairs that had toppled over on account of granny's sudden appearance there about five minutes ago.
Inuyasha sighed. "I…I just don't know what to do…she doesn't look at me the way she used to," He admitted quire soberly.
Miroku couldn't help but stare at him. "Granny?"
Inuyasha shot him a glare. "Hell no! I'm talking about Kagome."
Calmly, Miroku took another drink before turning his attention back to Inuyasha. "Well…that's to be expected, I suppose…"
"What do you mean?"
Miroku stared at him long and hard. Surely it wasn't that difficult to figure out. "As long as we've been in this world, you have yet to compliment her."
Inuyasha was bemused by this. "Compliment her for what?"
"Exactly," Replied the monk. "When we first stumbled into this land, you never once complimented her at the festival, when she wore that beautiful dress; instead, you insulted her," He admonished. Even Miroku knew that Kagome wanted to leave an impression on the half demon, but instead he had turned his nose in the air and walked off impatiently, as always. When would Inuyasha learn that girl's hearts were fragile?
Inuyasha's ears drooped at this, and a frown marred his countenance. Miroku did speak the truth, but that was only because he was terrible at speaking his mind.
"Though her clothes might be different from our own, I find them quite flattering, especially the ones she calls 'shorts'." Miroku was referring to Kagome's new state of dress instead of her usual school uniform.
"How is it more flattering? It's shorter than that short kimono of hers," The half demon replied with disapproval.
The monk smirked. "The curves Inuyasha. The gentle outline of her body through those tight shorts, the way in which she swings her hips and—"
Inuyasha glared. "Watch it, Miroku…"
Realization caught up with him and he cleared his throat. It seemed his mind was getting farther ahead than his mouth. "Listen…do you love her? Sincerely, I mean." "
The half demon mused to himself. Of course he loved her. "Yeah I—"
"But didn't you like Kikyo first?" Miroku asked. "I know there is a bond between the two of you that cannot be severed, but even though you love her you have fallen for Kagome, her lookalike," He explained. "What is it that you like about Kagome? Is she more special than Kikyo?"
Inuyasha felt a headache come on, and he held his head achingly. "I don't know…Kikyo was my first love…but…I care about Kagome…" He couldn't think straight and felt somewhat dizzy, his eyes half lidded and partially blurry.
With his drink forgotten in front of him, Miroku couldn't help but say the next thing that came to his mind, even if it was the truth. However, he wanted what was best for his friend. "Would it really be so bad if you just let her go?" He asked, and at this, Inuyasha looked away from the table to his friend.
"What?" Let Kagome go? How could he do that?
Miroku continued on. "After all, if you really did love Kagome, you would never cheat behind her back with another woman, even if she was your previous love. Those days are gone, Inuya—"
One minute Miroku was talking and the next he found himself on the floor, his face stinging quite painfully and he realized Inuyasha had punched him out of spite.
The room silenced once again, and Mr. Barten looked up from his cleaning to observe the scene taking place in his bar.
"Never. Say that. Again," Came Inuyasha's growl.
Unfortunately, Miroku wasn't going to drop it. He had to get Inuyasha to see the truth, to see what was in front of him. "I only speak the truth," He replied as he regained his footing before staring at him with his own piercing gaze. "If you keep this up, you'll only hurt her more. Who's to say you're not hurting both of them, even yourself."
"Shut the hell up! You don't understand! Besides, you have a lot of room to talk, Miroku!" Inuyasha fisted his hands and glared.
"Excuse me?"
Inuyasha smirked. "So I'm the cheating bastard, huh? Well what about you? Even though you and Sango like each other, you constantly go around touching other women! Where do you get around criticizing my love life?"
The monk blinked, but he realized he was right. He did love Sango, more than anyone could hope to guess, but he did inherit some bad habits from his father. Still, this wasn't about him, it was about Inuyasha. "I was only trying to help shed some light on your predicament, Inuyasha. Nothing more."
Enraged at himself, Inuyasha felt torn. He loved Kikyo but he also loved Kagome. He knew Miroku was right, but he didn't want to accept it. "Bull shit!"
"I apologize if I've angered you…but you should think about this…" Miroku once again found himself punched in the jaw, and this time he laid sprawled on the floor where the towering half demon glowered at him.
An assailment of gasps erupted in the room, followed by a few whispers.
"What's happening?" A man with crooked teeth and overalls asked to no one in particular.
"Some kind of fight!" Another replied with a grin in place.
After hearing some of the ruckus, one of jugglers from the Gorman Troupe believed he had a reasonable explanation for everything. "I believe there's a girl in the mix. Ho ho ho ho"
"Two-timing?!" Everyone found this hard to believe.
Annoyed, Miroku tripped the half demon and before anyone knew what to expect, the two were on the floor wrestling it out, swinging at each other from time to time, knocking over chairs in the process and drawing too much attention to themselves.
"Shut up! I'd never abandon her!"
It finally made sense to one of the watchers. "I get it now! He's two-timing with another woman only to hide the fact that he's gay!"
A large man in the crowd found himself wiping at his eyes, tears spilling down his cheeks. It really touched him. The fact that they would try to see other people, even if it meant lying about who they were, really got to him. "Someone get me a tissue…"
Pulling the monk and half demon off of one another, Mr. Barten shot them a glare before standing in between them. "Alright you two! I don't need a fight in my bar! What did I tell you before?"
Straightening up his robes from Inuyasha's aggressiveness, Miroku realized the older man was right. Even if blood fell from his lip and he was bruised up on the face, he was willing to forgive his friend. "He is right. We shouldn't argue…"
Of course Inuyasha remained quiet, though he couldn't help but glare at the crowd around them. Didn't they have anything better to do other than stare and gossip?
"That's right!" Someone behind him shouted with mirth, and suddenly Inuyasha felt someone push him from behind. "Hurry and make up!"
Miroku watched as Inuyasha stumbled forward and the sudden shift in movement from Mr. Barten as he attempted to avoid the collision from the half demon, and thus, all Miroku felt was the hard floor beneath his back once again and this time amber eyes quite close to his own.
OOO
While fluttering around Clock Town plaza, Serena couldn't help but sigh as she made her way back to the Inn after her short visit with the Great Fairy. So far, she was doing well, and she had learned the good monk had helped a great deal by providing a protective barrier around her spring.
The night was crisp yet pleasing. Serena guessed that by now, everyone was asleep, including her companion. As she passed the mayor's residence and down the stairs toward the Inn, she was about to fly through the open window when she suddenly heard lots of screams coming from the Milk Bar just next door, and curious, she decided to take a look.
Upon glancing through the window, Serena looked around for the source of the noise, and she noticed there were a lot of drunkards cheering from the inside. There was something in the middle of the room, something red and purple, and of course she was about to flutter away but on second thought, she remained where she was.
No later had peered through the window did she see a certain half demon on top of a certain monk, and from their situation, they were…they were…kissing!
Serena gasped. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" She never could have guessed something like this would happen. She had to tell someone. After that, she hurriedly fled from the window and toward the Inn to her companion's room.
Entering through the open window on the second floor, Serena's wings carried her to Link's bedside, where he slept soundly, but not for long. "Hey! Link! Wake up!" She shouted, bobbing up and down around him as he stirred irritably. "Hey! Listen, listen!"
Rolling over, Link sat up somewhat and squinted at the bright light of Serena. "What?" He asked, rubbing at his eyes as he tried to focus on the little fairy in front of his face.
"They're secret lovers…"
Link blinked. "What?" What in the world was she going on about? "I don't have time for this…" With that, he laid back into the comfort of the bed and turned onto his to his stomach, with the blanket pulled up around his neck.
Serena didn't seem to notice his annoyance as she was too caught up on the sudden development. It was like a big secret and now she knew about it! "This entire time! Oh my gosh!" She still couldn't believe it. Realizing Link had drifted back to sleep, the little fairy tittered away to herself. "I still can't believe it…"
"Serena, go to sleep," Link's voice was muffled by the pillow, and the little fairy snuggled up to his side.
The image of Miroku and Inuyasha flashed in her mind and she inwardly cringed at the thought. Didn't Sango have a thing for Miroku and vice versa? Or…was it all a cover up so as not to expose his true intentions…for Inuyasha? Did anyone else know about this?
OOO
Arriving back to the Inn, granny rolled her way silently through the halls, and she could only guess that by now Anju had learned of her disappearance again. Just once in a while she wanted to have fun, and tonight was quite fun. That silver hair sure did make her laugh. Her first thought was to head to bed, but instead she wheeled herself inside the bathroom and stared at the open hole ahead of her. "Pa! Pa! I know you hear me you old fool!"
A familiar hand popped out of the hole in front of her and waved innocently. "Paper?"
"You ain't getting no more paper!" She scolded. "I know what you did to that silver haired lad, and don't try to deny it."
Dismayed and guilty, the hand slumped somewhat, its attempts to reach for paper forgotten.
Granny shook her head. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself. You're scaring our guests. No paper for a week."
"Oh…paper…" It cried before sinking back into its dark abyss to think about its punishment.
Standing just outside the curtain to the bathroom, Anju couldn't help but overhear granny talking to herself, in the bathroom of all places. When she heard the door open a couple minutes ago, she guessed it was her grandmother and she had been prepared to scold her for disappearing on her again, but now she thought better of it. 'Could grandmother be talking to grandpa?' Even after his death ten years ago, during a mining accident beneath the Stock Pot Inn, she guessed Granny still talked to him, even after so long.
While her grandmother continued carrying on a conversation with herself, Anju crept away and down the hall until she stood in the room where her husband laid awake on the couch. "Can't sleep?"
He shot up and nodded. Kafei hadn't heard her walk in. "Is she back?"
Anju nodded before taking a seat beside him. "She is…she's talking to grandfather in the bathroom."
Kafei found this quite odd. "Wait…isn't he dead? Why the bathroom of all places?"
She realized it must have sounded silly and giggled when her husband suddenly laughed. In her hand she held a steaming cup of tea and she gingerly set it down upon the table in front of Kafei.
"What makes you think she was talking to her husband?" He asked with a small smile.
Anju mused about this. "I heard her say pa and something about paper…Grandfather always spent a lot of time in the bathroom and always ran out of toilet paper," She suddenly explained to which Kafei laughed. "He would always yell out for someone to get him paper…Sometimes, I can still hear his voice in the middle of the night asking for paper," She admitted feeling embarrassed.