InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ One Step Forward, Two Steps Back ❯ Step 6: Are you attracted to women? ( Chapter 6 )

Enjoy the new chapter!

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Disclaimer: Inuyasha and company are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. The only thing I can claim ownership of is my muse, but even it comes and goes as it pleases and won't allow me to order it around. Can't an author get any respect around here?

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One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Chapter Six

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"Sango, tell me honestly...am I losing my mind, or is it Inuyasha that's lost his?"

The girl speaking gave her friend an honestly confused looking, telling Sango that her question was meant to be serious. Kagome was extremely concerned over the recent events having to do with Inuyasha, and rightly so. Something odd was definitely going on.

But what?

"Kagome-chan, after everything you've told me, I'm going to guess that the problem is Inuyasha's and not yours." She paused to rinse herself off, shivering rather violently at the overly cool water. "He's been doing a lot of strange things lately, and it all started around the end of our last shard hunt, am I right?" She waited for Kagome to nod her head in agreement. "Well, all I can say is that we'd better keep a close eye on him. Perhaps if we do, we'll be able to figure out what his problem is and fix it before things get out of hand."

Kagome shot Sango a dry look. "Before things get out of hand? A little late for that, I'd say."

The older girl laughed. "I see what you mean. By the way, if you ever want me to throttle Inuyasha for you, just say the word."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Kagome had a smile on her face, just what Sango had been aiming to accomplish. Her friend was much too upset about all the recent events, and she hated to see the usually happy girl so worried. Kagome had been so angry with the hanyou when they have arrived earlier that day, but now all she was showing was concern for him. It was almost as if she'd never been mad at all.

Sango knew things must be bad for Kagome to let go of her anger so easily.

As the two girls continued to bathe and talk, Sango was sorely temped to tell Kagome exactly what was on her mind, but refrained. She didn't want to give any false hope or place the blame on anyone prematurely, but Sango was fairly confident that she knew what was going on with Inuyasha. More than a few sneaking suspicions were clamoring around in her head...

And they all lead back to one person.

The girls were just getting dressed when a slight rustle in the bushes closest to the river caught Sango's attention, but she made no move to acknowledge it.

Yes, she had her suspicions...

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Miroku smiled blissfully as he walked in the direction of the village.

Things were working out better for him than he ever could have imagined, and it was all thanks to Inuyasha and his overactive imagination. Who would have ever thought that the brave, courageous hanyou they all knew could be reduced to a coward at the mere thought of Miroku touching him in a more than casual way...? The idea was almost ludicrous, but undeniably true.

Miroku was obviously one of the sharper members of the group, so it didn't take long for him to put two and two together after witnessing Inuyasha's behavior. Admittedly, he'd also had a bit of help from Shippo during a conversation they'd had while Kagome and Inuyasha were absent.

The kitsune had, in passing, mentioned what had been said by Kagome and Sango after Miroku's startling declaration. While the idea made Miroku's stomach churn, it also amused him that anyone could think him capable of doing such a thing. After all, in his eyes, no man's body could ever hope to compare to a woman's soft, sensual curves. (No, not even Sesshoumaru, as beautiful as he is)

After briefly entertaining a few thoughts on the subject, Miroku had quickly forgotten about it.

That is, until now.

Originally when Miroku had made his decision to swear of women, he hadn't really been serious. But he had been getting so frustrated lately with everyone taking his actions for granted that an idea about how to change that had occurred to him and he acted upon it almost without thinking. At first he'd cursed himself for his stupidity, but slowly realized what advantages the situation might have. If he could get them to believe that he was completely serious about his efforts in swearing off women, then he was sure the women would start letting their guard down around him after a while.

Like they had done that very day, in fact.

Miroku smiled again at the memory of the two women bathing, the cold water making certain 'features' the two women possessed especially attractive and alluring. It wasn't often he got the chance to see them in their full glory without getting a concussion, and actually, that was probably the first bath he'd ever gotten to watch from start to finish.

He knew how to take advantage of a good thing when he saw one.

Nearly laughing out loud, Miroku suddenly remembered what he had said earlier that had antagonized Inuyasha to the point of causing him to run away. At the time he really hadn't meant anything by it, but it had certainly worked out to his advantage in the end. If only everything were so easy.

"If I want things to continue as they are, I'm going to have to continue to cause Inuyasha worry. But can I?" He frowned, unsure if he could actually continue to bait the hanyou now that he was actually aware of what had been going on. Before he had been doing it completely by accident, but now...could he knowingly keep it up? If nothing else, it would be terribly difficult to keep a straight face.

Recalling the mental image of a completely naked Sango, Miroku decided he would move heaven and earth to see that again.

So in order to continue his good luck, Miroku knew that he would have to egg Inuyasha on a bit, though the idea wasn't all that appealing. But if it earned him more viewing pleasure like he had just experienced, the sacrifice would be more than worth it.

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Dusk had fallen as everyone finally managed to gather back at Kaede's small hut for dinner. The meal was quiet, everyone too lost in the own problems, worries, and plotting to really notice anyone else. Well, except for the old woman and Shippo. She watched the group knowingly while the little fox cub paid attention to nothing but his food.

It was then that Miroku decided it was time to have a little fun at Inuyasha's expense.

"So why did you run away from me so suddenly today?" He was sure to stare directly at his victim with a hurt gaze, making it clear who he was talking to. "I had really wanted to talk to you privately, you know."

Inuyasha blanched, not sure he wanted to hear anymore of what Miroku had to say.

"Perhaps we should go for a walk later and talk then." Miroku punctuated his suggestion with an encouraging smile.

Kagome gave Miroku an odd look, but continued to eat her dinner without giving the oddness of his proposal much thought. Miroku always tended to be a little strange, so there was nothing usual about it this time. Inuyasha was the one she was concerned about at the moment.

Sango, on the other hand, listened intently to every word that Miroku directed towards Inuyasha, though she kept her attention subtle. It wouldn't be a good idea to call attention to the fact that she was suspicious, so she was careful to keep her attention on her food as well. If she gave the impression of being lost in thought like Kagome, she was sure Miroku wouldn't suspect a thing and continue on with his little game.

All she needed was a little more evidence...

After Miroku had put forth his suggestion, Inuyasha had felt a sharp stab of panic course though his chest. How the heck was he going to avoid this problem? It almost seemed as if Miroku was getting bolder with his advances, to the point that he was saying things in front of everyone...including Kagome! What if she got the wrong idea about them? What if she didn't CARE if what she thought was true or not?

That last possibility scared him the most, he realized.

Without really thinking his actions through, he started scooting across the floor towards Kagome, hoping he was being inconspicuous about it. The funny looks he got from Kagome and Kaede told him otherwise.

"What?" He snapped out defensively, earning a hurt glance from Kagome before she went back to staring at her food.

'Damn it, when am I ever gonna learn to just keep my big mouth shut?' He could have happily rammed his own head into a tree right then, anything to stop the stupid things he kept doing. He seemed to have a knack for always saying or doing the wrong thing.

Supressing the amused smile that was threatening to show itself, Miroku cleared his throat in an attempt to regain Inuyasha's attention. The tactic seemed to work as the half-demon's gaze snapped back to his in a near panic. He'd momentarily forgotten Miroku's little suggestion.

"Are you finished eating yet? I'd like to get started before it gets too late. We do have an early morning ahead of us, after all."

Glancing around the room as if he expected someone to save him, Inuyasha tried to find a way out of going with Miroku. What if he just flat out refused? Maybe that would get the lecher to leave him be.

"I don't wanna go, so just leave me alone." He growled out.

"But Inuyasha, it will only take a moment." He used his most trust-winning smile, the one that could get complete strangers to let him in their houses and give the group shelter while on their travels. "At least step outside with me, because there is something extremely important that I need to discuss with you."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to flat out refuse again, but Kagome beat him to speaking.

"Would you just go already? He's not going to leave you alone until you talk to him and I'd like to actually get some sleep tonight." She glared at the pair, still upset about Inuyasha being to rude to her earlier. She also just wanted to get some sleep and forget about everyone and their problems, at least for while. Surely Inuyasha could just give in and do what Miroku wanted, effectively putting and end to the fuss.

Inuyasha knew then that he was trapped. If he continued to be stubborn, Kagome would eventually get so ticked off that she'd either sit him or go home. Possibly both. And at the moment he didn't feel like risking either, so he decided the best thing to do would be to take his chance with Miroku. He would just stay very, very far away from the other man.

Once outside, (Inuyasha refused to be the first one out because he didn't want Miroku behind him) Miroku sat down under a tree not far from the hut while Inuyasha decided that the safest location for him would be IN the tree.

Miroku decided to get right to the point. "You know, Inuyasha, I have been doing a lot of thinking about you lately."

The hanyou in tree stiffened, but said nothing.

"I've realized something very surprising about you and I couldn't help but wonder about it." Once again, he had to force back a smile that threatened to break loose. "Inuyasha, answer me honestly. Do you like women?"

Of all the shocking things Miroku could have said, that wasn't one that Inuyasha had been expecting. He balked, not sure how dangerous it would be to answer such a question, or even HOW to answer it. What if he screwed up and said too much about his feeling for Kagome, or even worse, ended up giving Miroku the wrong idea somehow? Neither option sounded too appealing at the moment.

Noticing Inuyasha's lack of response, Miroku decided to elaborate in hopes of pushing the other man to respond. "I know that this is an odd question coming from me, but really...compared to the way I used to behave, you always erred on the side of propriety. Even if you did get accused of doing something perverted, it was never intentional on your part." Knowing what he was about to say would be the icing on the cake, Miroku barely refrained from rubbing his hands together in glee as he spoke. "You know, Inuyasha, I don't think I have ever met a man who has shown such little interest in the female anatomy. It is rather startling, and causes me to wonder..."

"You idiot, of COURSE I'm attracted to women!" He shouted, hoping to stop Miroku before he could say anymore.

The man sitting on the ground feigned surprise. "You are? From the way you act, I never would have guessed-"

Inuyasha was nearly seething. "What the hell do I have to do to prove it to you, huh? Grope women? Act like you used to?" He glared down at Miroku, tempted to bring the tree down on his head. "Answer me, dammit!"

Miroku raised his hands in a placating gesture, hoping to calm the white-haired man in the tree before he resorted to bodily harm. He knew his friend's temper well enough to realize he might have pushed a bit too far. It was too late to back down, though, so he kept going with his plan. "Please, calm down Inuyasha. I didn't mean to make you so angry. I just wanted to hear the truth from you."

Inuyasha's breathing evened out a bit. Perhaps now Miroku would leave him alone!

"I have to admit, though I still have some doubts, you and Kagome-sama did seem terribly cozy on the river path today." He put a finger to his chin as if thinking deeply. "If given more irrefutable evidence such as that, I'm sure than all my doubts would be laid to rest."

Inuyasha suddenly had the urge to break something again. Preferably Miroku's face.

"You want evidence? Dammit, I'll give you evidence!" He shouted, jumping down to face Miroku in a fit of extreme anger. "And then if you EVER accuse me of anything like that ever again, I swear I won't be responsible for my actions, you got that?"

Miroku nodded, his eyes nearly crossing to stare at the clawed finger being pointed at his face. That claw looked terribly sharp...

Satisfied that Miroku wouldn't argue with him any further, Inuyasha stormed back towards Kaede's hut to join the others. He was gonna show that stupid pervert that he WAS interested in women and that he wasn't like THAT if it killed him!

And knowing Kagome's temper, it just might...

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