InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Ever After ❯ Chapter 215

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters created by Rumiko Takahashi


Chapter 214       
     
As Miroku headed back to Kaede’s, he could hear the girls talking even before he got to the miko’s house.

His eyes lit up with anticipation as he moved in. “This will be so much more pleasant than dealing with Seiji-sama,” he said, as he checked to make sure Kaede was not at home.  Assured of that, he once again left his staff propped up against the wall of the house so the jingle wouldn’t give him away, and quietly walked towards the back of the house to listen.

The monk leaned against the wall of the house, just peeking around the corner. He was not disappointed with what he found, as the girls sat there in rapt attention, listening to Tazu once again.

“And for a moment, I just stood there,” Tazu said. Her eyes were wide open as she told her tale, and she held her hands up, emphasizing her feelings. “He looked...he looked...”

“What? What did he look like?” Iya asked, leaning forward. She had her hand resting on her chin, and her eyes were lit with determined curiosity. “What did you think of him?”

Rin watched the two girls, highly amused, and laughed, covering her mouth, but it was not enough to stifle her mirth. “Yes, Tazu-chan, tell us. What do you think of Rin’s lord?” She moved her sewing basket out of the way so she could lean closer to the girl, although she gripped her work firmly in hand. Still, she was currently too interested in what Tazu thought to take any stitches.

Tazu took a breath and closed her eyes, almost overwhelmed by her friends’ interest, but also grinning in a pleased way at their attention. She licked her lips as she got ready to comply with her friends’ request. She opened her eyes. “He’s tall,” she said, raising a hand over her head to indicate height.

“How tall?” Iya asked. She had a weaving strap around her lap, and the cords to make straw sandals wrapped around her foot, and a basket of straw next to her, but like Rin’s sewing, the partially woven sandal was just sitting there, untouched. “Taller than Susumu-sama?”

Tazu nodded. “Definitely taller.”

“Of course he’s taller,” Rin said, nudging Iya as if she were being stupid. “InuYasha-ojisan is as tall as Susumu-sama, and Sesshoumaru-sama is taller than InuYasha-ojisan,” she said. “Rin’s lord is the older brother.” Suddenly she covered her mouths and started to giggle.

Miroku leaned against the wall, rather amused.

“Is he taller than Seiji-sama?” Iya asked. Sitting back up straight, she grabbed some straw out of the basket and actually started to work on the sandal. Trying to hide her impatience, she looked down at her work, weaving the straw between the four cords of the sandal’s warp. Her tone grew matter-of-fact, yet just a little snooty. “Seiji-sama is the tallest person I know of.”

At the mention of Seiji’s name, Tazu scowled deeply. “And the meanest.” She crossed her arms. “Did you see what he did to Nakao yesterday?”

Iya, still looking at her sandal, shook her head.“I heard about it, but didn’t see it.” Trying to keep the conversation from derailing onto who was the worst in the village, she looked up at her friend. “Maybe it’s true that he’s the meanest,” she said, “but that’s something different. Is Rin’s lord as tall as Seiji-sama?”

Tazu squeezed her eyes shut and tapped a finger on her lip, trying to compare the two men in her head. “I...I think Sesshoumaru-sama is taller, but I think Seiji-sama is wider,” she said at last. She opened her eyes and looked at the girl to her right. “What do you think, Rin-chan?”

“Taller,” Rin said. She looked at her sewing, found the needle, and started stitching again. “And definitely more handsome than Seiji-sama,” she said, pulling the thread through the fabric. “And much, much nicer.”

“Almost anybody’s handsomer that Seiji-sama,” Iya said, archly.

“Nicer? Maybe. We all know how mean Seiji-sama is. But your lord seemed scary to me, Rin-chan,” Tazu said, frowning. “His voice didn’t sound nice. He sounded . . . irritated, maybe. Like I was a flea that was biting him.”

“Maybe that’s because you were peeping?” Rin said, shaking her head. She took another stitch. “Sesshoumaru-sama is not as scary as Seiji-sama.” Her voice was emphatic, daring the other girls to disagree with her.

The monk moved forward out of his hiding place. “I’m not sure if everybody would agree with that, Rin-chan,” Miroku said.

The girls, realizing their conversation was being overheard, turned around and looked up at the monk. Various shades of blushing followed.

“Miroku-ojisan!” Rin said. “Where did you come from?” She half-covered her face with the fabric she was sewing.

“Houshi-sama!” Iya said. She seriously began working on her sandal. “Have you been listening long?”

Tazu, though, merely buried her face in her hands.

The monk chuckled. “Long enough to know that Tazu has an excellent memory for heights.”

Tazu looked up at the monk, then blushed even redder than she was already.

“It’s true, you know,” Miroku said. “Sesshoumaru-sama is about this much taller than Seiji-sama.” He gestured a distance of about three inches. “And yes, Sesshoumaru-sama is not as broad as Seiji-sama, but then, he doesn’t need to be. I have no doubt which of the two can lift more weight, or who would win if they were to fight against each other.” He leaned heavily on his staff. “I doubt Seiji-sama would last as long as it takes to say merciful Kwannon.”

Tazu’s and Iya’s eyes got big, and they swung around to look at their companion.

“He could do that, Rin?” Iya asked.

Rin nodded. “He’s very strong and very quick. Rin’s lord has saved her from some awful monsters.”

“So let me change the subject, my pretty young women, now that the question of who’s taller is settled,” Miroku said. “I was looking for you, Rin-chan to ask if you planning to come see Sango today.”

The girl nodded. “Rin was thinking about it. But just as she was leaving, Tazu and Iya showed up,” she said, looking at her friends. “Rin thinks now that she won’t be able to get away until after lunch.”

“How about this morning?” Miroku asked. “All three of you. In return, I can tell you some stories about Sesshoumaru-sama. True stories. Rin-chan doesn’t know all of them. She wasn’t always there. And in return, you three can watch my daughters while I...run an errand...with Sango-chan.”

“True stories?” Iya asked.

The monk nodded.

“That Rin doesn’t know?” Rin asked.

Iya looked at Tazu, and Tazu looked at Rin. There was a flurry of giggling, and the girls stood up. It was decided.


Outside, at Tsuneo’s place, Amaya might have been doing laundry in the sunshine, but inside, in the main room, a darkness hung over the place that had nothing to do with how much light came through the windows. A sad and confused Michio talked to his father-in-law as they both sat next to the fire pit.

The young man buried his head in his hands as he sat cross-legged on the floor. “I don’t know what to do, Tsuneo-otousan,” he said. “I just don’t know what to do.”

Akina, Joben’s wife, hovered around the men as they talked. Unobtrusively, she moved a bubbling tea kettle off of the fire, then, poured hot water into the tea pot, which rested on a tray. Getting up, she went to the kitchen cabinet, where she added some rice cakes onto a plate. For the moment, neither man payed much attention to her actions.

“You heard what happened yesterday afternoon, didn’t you?” Tsuneo asked. He rested his cheek in one hand, then looked up, watching his daughter-in-law’s graceful movements instead of his son-in-law’s agitation.  

“Would you like some chimaki?” she asked. Tsuneo shook his head, then focused once more on his son-in-law.

“Which thing?” Michio said. “There were multiple things that happened yesterday. “ He slumped forward, and rested his chin in his hand, his elbow on his knee.

Akina placed the plate of rice cakes on a tray, along with tea cups. Smiling a smile that didn’t quite touch her eyes, she  brought the tray across the room with her. Sitting down near the tea pot, she poured cups of the pale green liquid and placed them on the tray before moving towards the men.

“Seiji caused a stink in front of Kaede’s house,” Tsuneo said. “He even pushed InuYasha’s wife to the ground, and in front of the man, too. And she was still wearing her miko clothes at the time.” Akina handed him a cup of tea. He nodded his thanks as he took it. “He doesn’t know how lucky he is that InuYasha knocked him out instead of taking his head.”

“I don’t...” Michio shook his head. “I don’t understand that man.” Akina handed him his tea as well. He took it and placed it in the palm of his hand.  

“Amaya said that Koume said that quite a few people watched,” the woman said, getting up to attend to the fire. “Fumio was there. And Eiji, too.”

“Did he go crazy yesterday? Me, you, and now at Kaede’s, too?” Michio asked. “Did someone put a spell on him?”

“I think,” Tsuneo said, shaking his head, “that he was born that way. But too much sake really calls his monster out. They put him in the lockup after InuYasha-sama knocked him out.”

“I couldn’t believe the way he acted when he showed up at my place,” Michio said. “Chichi-ue was ready to call the elders then and there. I’m afraid he might try something...Maybe we need to put some extra people on the house by the river.”

“He has to be running out of friends,” Akina said. “Who’s left to stand up for him?”

There was a noise from the back of the house. “Ah, Okaasan must want something. At least she’s able to call when she wants today.” She got gracefully to her feet, moved the teapot onto the tray, put it where the men could easily reach it. “I better go check on her.” She bowed, then left the room.

“Friends?” Michio asked, watching Akina slide the door closed behind her. “I think he’s chased everybody away from him except his brother.”

“We’ll find out,” Tsuneo said, reaching for a rice cake. “There will be a meeting of the full council tomorrow to discuss him.” He gave his son-in-law a knowing, although not accusatory, look. “But you, Michio...if you’re worried about Chiya-chan and whatever Seiji has up his sleeve, you could stop it all by bringing her home. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t try anything there.”

“I wish it were that simple.” Michio closed his eyes and shook his head. “I....No, not yet.  One of the things Seiji accused me of is being walked over by my woman.” His body slumped forward. “She left me no face with her stunts. If I take her home today, what would everybody say?”

Tsuneo’s eyes looked at his son-in-law with sad understanding, and a bit of sympathy.  “I’ve been pushed to the edge of my limits a time or two myself. Chiya is very much Haname’s daughter.” He took a sip of his tea. “Do what you need to, Michio. A man needs his pride and his public face. Just make sure you’re not paying more to hold onto your pride than it’s worth.”

“Pride. I think I gave that up a long time ago.” Michio’s tone was bitter, resigned. He drank a sip of tea, then rotated the cup in the palm of his hand. “It’s more than just pride. I...I was mad enough to hit her, in public, with everybody watching. I just saw red. I’ve never been so angry. I’m still not sure if I can deal with it yet. If she looks at me the wrong way, or says the wrong thing...” His voiced trailed off for a moment. “I don’t want Seiji to hurt her, but by the hells, I don’t want to be the one to do it either.”

“That’s the difference between you and Seiji, son.” Tsuneo said, sipping his tea. “You, you know when acting in violence isn’t what a true man should do. You know when to step back. That’s one reason I let you two get married in the first place. That’s another reason that ass will never get my daughter, ever. I’ll sell all my things to get her a dowry to send her to a convent first. Better that we starve than have a man like him touch her. How can you do what he does to someone you care about?” He finished his tea.

Michio refilled his cup.  “How indeed?”