InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Expectation ❯ Chapter 4

Part 4

"Oi, Miroku, wait!" Inuyasha called, running after the hoshi. Without stopping or turning to look at him, Miroku asked in a cold, flat voice:

"What do you want?"

"Why do you smell like Kagome's blood!" Inuyasha demanded, running out in front of the monk to block his path.

"Ah." Miroku answered impassively. "That was a trick, Inuyasha. Kagome-sama allowed me to soak this cloth with her blood, figuring that the scent of it would draw you out of hiding. We had hoped it would lure you back to the village."

"W-wha- Really?" Inuyasha paused, taken slightly aback by this revelation, his eyes widening while his eyebrows contradicted them and lowered sharply, a hanyou's version of surprised confusion. "She wants me to come back?"

"Inuyasha, do me one last favor." Miroku said levelly. "Stay in the forest and leave Kagome-sama in peace. She and the child do not deserve your cruelty."

"What?" Inuyasha snarled, remembering himself. He flashed his canines at the monk menacingly. "Hey asshole, it's my problem and I'll decide what I'm going to do about it, you got that?!"

"Not if I can help it." Miroku said quietly, passing by the bristling hanyou and continuing on through the darkened forest.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha demanded hotly, running up beside the hoshi again so that he could read his face properly. "What are you planning?" Miroku sighed heavily, but his brow and jaw were firmly set in a show of determination.

"I'm planning to do the honorable thing, Inuyasha, the only thing I can do to remedy this situation. When I return to the village, I'm going to wed Kagome-sama and raise her child as my own."

"YOU'RE WHAT?!" Inuyasha screamed, jumping out in front of Miroku again. "No you're not! Kagome is my woman, and that's my pup! Get your own goddamn woman, you fucking bouzu!"

"Your woman?! What good are you to her?!" Miroku berated harshly, raising his staff in front of him and going into a defensive crouch as Inuyasha advanced, growling and flexing his claws. "You won't support her, and someone has to! She's about to go through something extremely difficult, and I for one am not going to stand idly by and let her go through it alone, regardless of whether or not the child is mine."

"The child is mine!" Inuyasha growled, "And so is Kagome! You stay away from them!"

"And how will you stop me if you're hiding in the forest, coward?" Miroku seethed, taking a half step back as he dangerously baited the hanyou. Inuyasha swiped at the hoshi with his claws, missing Miroku's head by a hair's breadth.

"Stop calling me that!" Inuyasha roared, "I ain't no fucking coward!"

"No? What else do you call a man who runs from his responsibility?!" Miroku lashed out at the hanyou's ankles with his staff, hoping to trip him up, but Inuyasha was airborne before the blow was landed. With a primal roar, Inuyasha landed squarely on the young monk's chest, knocking him to the ground. As his claws stabbed down toward the hoshi's jugular, the staff shot up, grasped firmly in either of Miroku's hands. The blows were met and deflected off one another, leaving the pair to sneer angrily in each other's faces as two pairs of hands wrapped around the staff, knuckles white as they strained in opposing directions.

"I wasn't running, asshole," Inuyasha strained through gritted teeth. "and I don't have to explain myself to you!"

"You're absolutely right!" came Miroku's equally labored reply. Moving quickly, the hoshi let one arm go slack, sending his attacker careening to one side, carried by his own downward force on the staff. As Inuyasha rolled to his feet, Miroku jumped back onto his own and held up his hands, palms out in a sign of truce.

"You are right. Forgive me, I will go now in peace. Sayonara, Inuyasha. My wife and I will send word when the child is born, so that you can offer us your congratulations." That said, he brushed himself off as best he could, and bowed a silent farewell. But as Miroku tried to turn around and head back the way he and come, he found that his feet were no longer touching solid ground. In fact, he was a good foot and a half off the ground, the front of his robes fisted tightly in the talons of Inuyasha's right hand.

"That's really cute, Miroku." the half-youkai hissed. "You even had me going there for a minute or two…but I can see now what you're trying to accomplish… and I'm warning you for the last time to stay out of this." Miroku sighed, letting his arms hang loosely on either side as his body went limp.

"I would, my friend, but I'm afraid that we can't both stay out of this." Soon, the dead weight began to wear on the hanyou's upper arms, and he lowered the hoshi to the ground, releasing his hold.

"Of course," Miroku continued once he was safely on his feet again, "I could be convinced to remain uninvolved if someone else were to step in and do the right thing by Kagome-sama."

"I am doing the right thing by Kagome…" Inuyasha sighed, dropping into a crouch on the forest floor. "Believe me, it's better this way."

Without missing a beat, Miroku dropped down to sit beside his troubled friend.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but I still fail to see how saddling her with a child and then leaving her will benefit Kagome-sama."

Inuyasha absently ran his claws through the cool, damp earth below his fingertips. He liked the smell of the forest floor, the scent of rich earth mingled with the layers of years upon years of fallen pine needles. It was a comforting smell, and one that he had become acquainted with all to well since the day he'd met Kagome and her 'osuwari'.

"Of course you don't." he sighed, rubbing some of the dark, sweet smelling earth between his fingertips and thumb. "You wouldn't know anything about it, being human. You'll never have to worry about afflicting your mate with a monster…"

Miroku offered Inuyasha a tiny, pained smile that went unseen, as he clenched and unclenched the hand that held the kazaana. If they never managed to defeat Naraku, that same hell hole would be passed along to any child that he helped to conceive, immediately following own death. He wanted to point out the monstrosity of his heredity to Inuyasha, but now was not the time to lapse into morbid thoughts about his own affliction. He had promised Kagome-sama that he would return with her man.

"You are referring to the child's mixed heritage." Miroku said quietly, trying to give his friend an opportunity to speak his mind, and if he was fortunate enough, his heart.

"Keh! Heritage! That's a pretty way of saying it, bouzu…" Inuyasha muttered bitterly.

"I cannot believe that you would harbor any such prejudice, Inuyasha, especially against your own child." the hoshi sighed.

"Baka!" Inuyasha spat at him. "It's not me you should be worried about!" A low rumbling rising in his chest, Inuyasha clenched his hands into twin fists and pounded them into the soft, yielding earth.

"If I go back now, then everyone in that village is going to know that the whelp Kagome is carrying is demon spawn! Those villagers will make both of their lives a living hell…trust me, I know what I'm talking about! But if I stay out of their lives, then who knows? Maybe the kid won't look anything like m-…like a youkai at all, and they'll be able to lead the safe, normal, life that my own mother was denied."

"Safe?" Miroku asked incredulously, lifting an eyebrow. "Maybe the child will be fortunate enough to look human and fool the villagers, but what about the youkai, Inuyasha? They'll know… and if I'm not mistaken, they hate you more for being hanyou than the humans do. What about… what about Sesshoumaru? Who will protect Kagome-sama and the child from his wrath?" Despite the cold wave of doubt that he felt at the hoshi's mentioning of his half-brother's name, and so shortly after the nightmare he'd suffered, Inuyasha managed to keep up his façade. Crossing his arms tightly over his chest, he snorted derisively.

"Just because I'll be staying out of sight doesn't mean that I'll be going anywhere. I'll protect them from the youkai, and from him, don't worry about that! I am not running away from my responsibility, you understand?"

"Inuyasha…" Miroku began slowly, "I see what your intentions are now, and I must admit, that your heart is in the right place… But what you fail to realize is that Kagome-sama does not see you in terms of human, youkai or hanyou. She sees only 'Inuyasha'. It is much the same with this child. She is not upset by the cross of blood! Her only fear, throughout all of this, has been of displeasing you. The girl's love for you is frighteningly deep, my friend."

The hanyou sighed miserably at these words, his head slumping against his chest in defeat.

"I never asked her to love me. I as much as told her not to…"

"Baka! As if it is something that can be turned off! You of all people should understand this!"

"a-ah…hai…"

"Inuyasha, we all know that your heart is… not free to love in return. Kagome-sama, in particular, is most painfully aware of this…but despite how you think you feel, I know that you care for the girl."

"Of course I care! I wouldn't have done… that with her if I didn't care!"

"Perhaps you would not, but many would, Inuyasha, and this is where our problem lies. I know that you gave your promise to Kikyo, but-"

"Kikyo?! You think that's what this is all about?!"

"Well, uh, yes." Miroku gulped, slightly confused. "At least partially…"

"I have strong feelings for Kikyo. I won't deny that, and yes, I did promise to protect her… but some responsibilities are far greater… That is my child…" Inuyasha said the words softly, full of reverence, as if he himself were realizing it for the very first time. After a few minutes, he turned to look at Miroku, a hard, determined gleam in his eyes.

"That comes before any promise."

"Good." Miroku said softly, clapping Inuyasha on the shoulder. "Then we are in agreement." The hoshi slowly rose to his feet, then turned around and headed down the path once more, calling over his shoulder:

"Come along, Inuyasha!"

"N-Nani?" the hanyou stammered, a blush rising to tint his cheeks and nose an angry pink. "I already told you, I-I'm not going back…"

"Don't be ridiculous, of course you are! For every hour that you remain hidden in this forest, another tiny piece of Kagome-sama's spirit slips away… I told you that she would not be able to do this alone, Inuyasha, but the reality of this situation is that she will not be able to do this without you. Now come along! You said yourself that some things are more important…"

"Well, well yes, b-but I was talking about-"

"Very well then, it's settled! Now let's hurry up and get back, I'm hungry!"

"Do you have bugs in your ears???" Inuyasha yelped, chasing after the monk. The pink of his cheeks had deepened to a more violent shade of maroon, as he was becoming quite flustered and agitated. "I said I'm not-!"

"Alright then, have it your way…" Miroku said easily, continuing down the path at a brisk pace, his staff clicking against the ground in quick, clipped intervals. "Tell me, then, what do you think of the name 'Kenta' for a boy? That's a nice strong name…"

"C-Cut that out! I know you're not serious!"

"Of course, there's always the possibility that it will be a girl…" the hoshi sang softly to himself. "But I do so like 'Kenta'… hmmm… Of course, any child with your bloodlines is bound to be very strong, regardless of it's sex… I wonder how Kagome-sama would feel about giving a baby girl such a forceful name… Of course, as her husband, the decision would ultimately be mine…"

"Oi! I said cut it out! Miroku?! I'm not kidding here!"

"Then again, maybe it's better not to decide right away. It could be bad luck! I must consult Kaede-sama…" he mused, completely ignoring the hanyou's ranting. "Ah! Here's something I hadn't considered before! As my wife, it will be Kagome-sama's DUTY to bear me a child! AH!! This is a most fortunate turn of events…I must remember to thank Inuyasha…"

"BASTARD! Listen to me when I'm talking to you!"

Miroku turned back to look at the hanyou as if seeing him for the first time, an expression of mild annoyance on his face.

"Please, Inuyasha, stop making so much noise! I'm trying to think…"

"BOUZU!" Inuyasha screamed, breaking into a cold sweat. "I can't tell anymore, are you being serious or not?!"

Miroku smiled a tight little half smile, then turned to hide his face in shadows.

"If you stay in this forest, then you'll never know, will you? Just imagine all the things you'll miss, hanging around in these trees…with only your fleas to talk to…"

"Fleas!" Inuyasha muttered darkly. "Well isn't this just great?! Now I'm getting lectures from-"

"Inuyasha, I am a mon-" Miroku began defensively, before he was abruptly cut off.

"-the biggest swindler, thief and pervert this side of-"

"-I'm not the one who defiled an innocent gir-"

"-asks every woman he meets to-"

"-don't forget who's the one in trouble here, it's not m-"

"-probably couldn't even spell pious, let alone-"

"Alright!" Miroku cried suddenly, cutting short the hanyou's tirade. "That's enough! I am out here, in the middle of the night, on an empty stomach, in a youkai infested forest, because I made a promise to Kagome-sama that I would find you and bring you back, kicking and screaming, if I had to, and so help me, I am going to keep that promise! Now either come along quietly because you care about what becomes of Kagome-sama and your child, or keep acting like an animal and I'll just have to bind you again! Which will it be?"

"Huh? Is that supposed to be a threat?" Inuyasha paused to crack the knuckles on his right fist. "You got lucky last time, monk. I dare you to try that again!"

~

"Kagome-sama…" a gentle hand was shaking her, rousing her from her slumber… but then it traveled from her shoulder to her back, and all the way down to…

"Ack! Miroku-sama!" she cried, bolting upright and smacking away his groping fingers. "What the heck is your problem, anyway? What kind of a good morning is that?!"

"Forgive me…" he sighed, rubbing the sting of her chastising slap from his fingertips. "It's hard to change one's habits… but Kagome-sama, I believe you will be in better spirits soon, for I have brought you a gift."

"Nande?" Kagome sighed, her heart dropping lower into her chest. Her friend the hoshi was probably trying to make her feel better by offering her one of the many baubles he kept on hand in hopes of attracting young women to him, meaning that either Inuyasha had refused to return to the village, or Miroku had never found him.

"A gift, Miroku-sama?" she sighed, trying not to sound totally morose.

"Hai!" he smiled happily. "Wrapped and everything."

"Alright." Forcing a tiny smile, she held out her hand to accept it. It was quite inappropriate, to say the least, but when she saw the good-natured twinkle in his eyes, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of affection for the young monk. At least he was trying to soften the blow…

She became quite puzzled when he laughed at her outstretched palm.

"No, no, Kagome-sama! It's much too big to fit in your delicate little hand. Why don't you step outside and we'll all have a look together, shall we? Sango, Shippou, wake up!" he cried, rousing the others from their dreams.

"Houshi-sama…?" Sango questioned drowsily. "You're back already? Oh dear…"

"What's going on?" Shippou yawned, his mouth becoming so impossibly huge with the effort of it that it looked as though he wouldn't have far to go before he swallowed his own head.

"Miroku-sama says he has a gift for me…" Kagome explained quietly.

"Have you been out swindling warlords out of their property again?" Shippou asked suspiciously, running around the monk's ankles and checking his robes for stolen goods.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Miroku stated flatly, punting the kitsune across the room the instant the two women had turned their backs. Shippou retaliated with a sharp bite to the hoshi's ankle, causing him to curse in a very unholy fashion.

"Knock it off, you two!" Sango scolded. "Now hoshi-sama, what was so important that you had to wake us all up?"

"Yeah, where's this present everybody keeps talking about?" Shippou piped up, rubbing his bruised bottom. "And how come you never bring me anything?"

"This is a special present, for Kagome-sama." Bending down, he whispered "You wouldn't want it Shippou, trust me!" The kitsune gave Miroku a funny look, and stuck his lip out in a tiny pout.

"Well, I think that's enough secrecy, don't you?" Miroku said in a loud, enthusiastic voice. "Let's all step outside and have a look!"

Holding back the reed curtain, he ushered them out into the morning sunlight. Kagome was the last one out the door, and at first she was a bit puzzled by Sango's gasp and the kitsune's giggles… that is, until she finally set eyes upon Miroku's 'gift.'

"What did I tell you?" Miroku chuckled, beaming proudly. "Wrapped and everything!"

"Oh, Miroku-sama…" Kagome gulped, her eyes widening in shock and dismay. "You shouldn't have…"

"No, no! For you, Kagome-sama, it was really no trouble at all!"

"No, Miroku-sama. You really, really shouldn't have!"

Lying in the middle of the dirt path that lead right up to Kaede's door was her gift. Inuyasha; blind, bound and gagged, ranting unintelligibly beneath Miroku's binding scrolls.