Daddy Dearest – Part Three: Kaerunokohakaeru
Xandra: Thanx again for
some of the pointers, people, and to the person whom mentioned it, yes, Mikiro
is too smart to be three, but hey, look who his father is! Miroku's nineteen
and he's smarter than most men in their fifties (excluding his need to feel
Sango up when it could result in his painful demise). As for the comment on the
air rip consuming the mother of the child bearing it as it was being born,
wouldn't that sort of result in the kid being sucked in too, if that were true?
This is why I made it so Mikiro's air rip is inactive for now, because he's
three and it would really suck to have to handle that thing at such a young
age. Just because you're born with it doesn't mean it has to WORK yet. That's
my view on it. Oh, and I think I recall someone mentioning Mikiro's tendency to
call Sango "San-san." That's due to the fact that he's three and his
memory isn't exactly perfect. In
Now, I must reemphasize, I
LOVE Miroku, I really do. I always like men that are charming and intelligent,
if not just plain out cute, but I have to do a little bashing for the sake of
my story. Don't worry, it will most likely get better.
[\\Dialogue within these
tends to be a memory/flashback. Note that this is different than thoughts,
which is //this//. Just letting you know. \\]
Sango shrieked at the top
of her lungs. "MIKIRO!"
"WHERE'S the
KID?!" Inuyasha demanded.
Miroku felt his heart stop
as he spotted a koketsu on the path, a tiny shred of black fabric hanging from
the corner of its mouth. He didn't know whether to feel bad for losing the boy
or afraid the Kiori would kill him!
Shippo immediately started
trying to break the monster's teeth. "IT ATE HIM! IT ATE HIM!"
"WHAT?!?!?!?!?!"
Kagome bawled, hysterically.
"I'll cut it
open," Inuyasha suggested. "Maybe it swallowed him whole!"
"They don't
swallow," Miroku said, numbly. Every eye hit him. "They just chew
until the carcass is mush, then spit it out. They live on blood, not
meat."
"HOW can you just
STAND there, Miroku?!" Sango shrieked. "YOUR SON IS BEING
EATEN!"
He couldn't answer. It was
suddenly as if he had fallen right into his own air-rip, because he couldn't
feel anything, and everything going on around him was unimportant. He couldn't
feel a damn thing.
~
Mikiro kept his knees crunched
into his chest as the monster started trying to chew on him, but in this
position, he was out of reach. He had managed to roll into the back of its
throat near its eyes, where there were no teeth, so it was just opening and
closing its jaws uselessly. The problem was, there was no air, it smelled awful
and he couldn't think of a way to get out.
Something moved near his
elbow and he looked up as the jaws opened again, casting light on the huge, red
eyeballs near him. He gasped in shock as they narrowed on him and the thing
began to try and move him forward by shaking its head(?). //How do I make it
stop?!// he thought.
Then, he noticed the eyes
again and looked at his little hands.
//I hope this works...//
~
Suddenly, the beast cried
out, its mouth falling open as it roared in utter agony for no apparent reason.
Black goo started to gush out as it fell over onto its side, mouth open wide as
it shrieked.
They all gawked.
"What in the name of hell--?!" Inuyasha began. Then, he stopped and
bolted to the thing, ripping its mouth open all the way and reaching inside.
The others watched as he
pulled a very gooey and scared-looking Mikiro from the back of its throat. He
was unhurt, but he was a mess!
"Mikiro!" Sango
cried. She ran to Inuyasha as he set the boy down and knelt, trying to ignore
his soiled state.
Shippo and Kagome hurried
over, but Miroku was so shocked he couldn't move. He watched from where he
stood. "Wow, how'd you do that?!" the kitsune exclaimed.
Slowly, the little boy
brought his hands out from behind his back, revealing a pair of red orbs the
size of oranges clutched there. They were rolling and twitching.
Everyone jumped back in
disgust.
"He ripped its eyes
out?!" Kagome exclaimed, aghast.
Inuyasha nodded, taking
one carefully with his claws. "Wow, good thinking, kid! What better way to
fight it than from inside?!"
Sango knelt and brushed
his saliva-and-goo-dripping hair back with one hand. "Are you all right,
honey?"
He nodded, looking down at
himself. "I feel gross," he said, flatly.
"You LOOK
gross!" Shippo exclaimed. "You're all gooey and you STINK like
nobody's business! We better find a pond or something, and FAST!"
Inuyasha inspected the
beast, prodding at it with the blade of the Tetsusaiga. "This one's a hell
of a lot bigger than the other ones...it's huge. Probably could've taken a good
chunk out of any one of us, eaten an entire torso and left only a head and
limbs. Lucky for him, Mikiro's so smart, or he would have died in there."
Kagome quickly walked up
and looked at it, then blinked. "I think I sensed a shard here...but its
not here anymore."
Miroku frowned, deeply.
//Naraku.// Apparently, that damned demon creature was striving to devastate or
cripple him now that he had yet another liability. He would have to keep a good
eye on Mikiro from now on. //I can't believe I actually allowed that thing to
devour him and did nothing to help...I certainly hope that Miss Kiori completes
her quest soon...//
~
Kiori sighed as she
trudged onward through the knee-high lagoon of black muck that spread out in
all directions for a great distance. The smell of it was awful and it made her
head hurt, but she had no choice. She had her orders and she knew that if she
didn't brave this nasty place, she'd never win the lord's help in seizing her
kingdom back. She didn't want to hurt her father, but she wanted her title back
and wanted Mikiro to have what he deserved in life--a real HOME.
As she tramped ahead
through the nasty stuff, trying her best to avoid the various piles of submerged
bones on the floor of the swamp, she let her mind wander back to the occurrence
that had gotten her into this...
[\\Being still rather
young and foolish, she had been playing with her skipping rope in the manor,
the way her father had told her not to, but she knew she would never be
punished. She was the heiress to her family; they couldn't do anything to her.
She was fifteen at the time, and though it was silly to be engaging in such an
act at such a mature age, she found it fun to bother her attendants.
As she skipped along, she
passed her father's throne room, where a soldier was speaking with him. She
paid it no mind; this was a normal sight. Soldiers were always briefing her
father about what was happening. There was another form there, probably yet
another farmer asking for more time to pay his taxes. She kept skipping.
And then, what they were
speaking of caught her ear and she paused, listening.
"This young monk has
informed us that there hovers a dark presence over your estate, my lord. It seems
he has been very accurate in the past at predicting and eliminating such
problems, judging from the reports I have heard."
"But he is only a
boy!"
"Your lordship,"
a handsome voice interrupted. The sound of it made her flesh crawl with
excitement. "I beseech you, do not judge by what you see on the exterior.
I may be young, but I can and will abolish the dark forces here. I feel that if
they are not gotten rid of soon, they will bring about your end as sovereign of
this land, sir."
Kiori peeked in at the
guard and the priest and her heart stopped. He was amazingly attractive, and he
couldn't have been any older than she. //The gods have sent one of their own to
us...// she thought, awed.
As she thought this, he
turned his head and looked at her. A smile played at the corners of his mouth
and he bowed his head a moment before turning back to her father, who had been
speaking about something unimportant. She hadn't really been paying attention.
"...believe you can
eliminate the danger to my home, I will allow you to stay. How long will this
procedure take?"
"Not but a day or so,
but it would be better if I were to stay for some time in order to assess the
damage dark shades I sense near have done to your home already. They might
already have begun to set in the very walls, and if that is allowed to occur,
all will be lost." He nodded, solemnly. "A week, at the very
least."
Her father nodded.
"Very well, monk. Have you a name?"
"Miroku, my
lord."
She felt her heart soar.
Everything about him was captivatingly beautiful, even his name! //I will have
that name etched in my heart for all of eternity!//
"Very well. You are
welcome here within my domicile, young man. Use my facilities as you feel you
must, and keep me updated on the progress of the exorcism."
He was staying! He was
STAYING! She was so excited that she didn't even notice as he gave his polite
sayonara and exited the room. The moment he stepped out, she realized it was
him and blinked, dumbly, looking up at him. She was so captivated that she
could barely think straight.
He smiled, winningly, down
at her, then bowed and took her hand, kissing it ever so gently. "And who
might this lovely young lady be?"
The guard cleared his
throat, clearly voicing his distrust of the situation. She was so enchanted by
his manners and looks that all she could manage was a blush. "The lady,
indeed. Lady Kiorinigh is the daughter of the lord."
"Ah, but of
course," he said, winking up at her. "Such immeasurable beauty could
only belong to a young woman destined to be a sovereign."
"Ahem," the
guard repeated. "Mistress, this is Miroku, the MONK." He emphasized
the final word, obviously in hopes of reminding the virile young man that he
was much lower that she, and a member of the clergy, and therefore sworn to celibacy.
Kiori was smarter than
that, though. A Buddhist monk had no ties to a church, as far as she knew, and
by his dress and manner, he was no less. They simply quested for enlightenment.
Besides, he had all his hair, unlike most of them. He was no celibate! "I
am honored to meet him," she said, grinning childishly.
He returned the grin, then
kissed her hand again. The kiss was less polite and more tender than the first,
but that was just FINE with Kiori! She only wished that the guard had not been
standing there! "The honor is most certainly mine," he said, standing
upright. He cleared his throat and smoothed back his dark hair, only to let his
bangs fall back lightly into his face again. "If you will excuse me,
madam, I have a task to accomplish, and though I would adore the pleasure of
your company for the day, I fear I must leave you. Maybe at a later time,
perhaps this evening, we could talk a while?"
She nodded, instantly.
"Yes! Of course! It would be my pleasure."
He grinned again, then
turned and accepted his staff from the guard, who looked suspicious of him.
"Thank you. Until then, my lady." He bowed, then allowed the armored
man to escort him away.
"You keep your eyes
to yourself, monk," she heard the large man say to him. "That is Lord
Korosu daughter you were looking at. Show a little more respect next time you
meet, or I will be keeping a close watch on you."
"I showed her no
disrespect, merely admiration for the beauty she possesses. I see no wrong in
that."
She sighed, grasping her
chest and sighing, dreamily. //What a prince,// she thought. \\]
"What a creep,"
she muttered to herself. "Sneaky, back-stabbing, sweet-talking son of a
bitch, I wish I had castrated him when I had the chance. Hitting him wasn't
enough!"
She sighed to herself,
forcing the thought of the bastard out of her mind as she pressed on through
the much. She knew where she was; it was a youkai graveyard, and the muck was
the blood of various types of youkai, mainly koketsu. They had haunted her
village when she was a child, so she knew what they smelled like. Not even
defecation smelled worse than koketsu entrails, and she was up to her knees in
them. Oh yes, the man she sought was not making this easy for her. However, she
had a duty to uphold...for Mikiro.
[\\"It's a boy,"
the nurse said to her.
She sighed with relief as
her head hit the pillow. It was over. Nine months of HELL and it was over.
"Who is the father of
this child, my lady? I hope t'was a suitor of some kind. Perhaps one of good
standing?"
Kiori shook her head,
sighing. "No..."
"Then who,
madam?"
"Do you recall the
young man that came with claims of sensing demons in our palace?"
The maid paused as she
wrapped the tiny baby in a towel. "Yes...the monk, I believe." Kiori
nodded and the woman blinked, her face paling. "The one your father would
have had executed had he not been so crafty?!"
She sighed.
"Yes..."
"How dare he leave
you this way?! How?!"
"He merely wanted my
body while I wanted his love, and instead, I have his child and he has my mother's
necklace." She forced herself up onto her elbows and looked at the tiny
bundle the nurse was cradling. "A boy."
"Yes, madam."
She frowned to herself.
"Determined lowlife."
"Pardon me?"
"He said he wanted a
son."
The nurse blinked.
"...?"
"That is how he
tricked me into allowing him into my bed," Kiori admitted. "He said
something about needing a son and wishing that I bear him one. Now I have and
he is no where to be found."
The old nurse went back to
her task with a sigh. "As they say, any idiot can tell the truth, but it
takes a man of some intelligence to lie and get away with it. A man such as
this false monk is a danger to a great many people."
Kiori sighed as she felt
the tears come again. She was amazed the child had survived all of her crying
throughout the pregnancy; most of her body's supply had been diminished to
nothing almost every night. The boy was lucky he hadn't dehydrated!
//Bastard...// she thought.
The nurse handed her the
boy and she looked at him, immediately realizing the resemblance. Even as a
newborn, he looked just like Miroku. He even had the same wispy, black hair.
However, his eyes were different. Unlike the monk's eyes, which were deep and
intriguing, the baby had honest eyes that clearly allowed others to see what he
felt. Miroku's eyes had concealed his feelings, because he was a liar.
"What will you call him, my lady? I pray you will not name him for his
father."
She shook her head as the
baby looked up at her with his wide, blue eyes. "No, but I will make a
variation. Mikiro is his name."
"Mikiro? Such a sick
resemblance to that bastard Miroku."
"Yes, but perhaps it
will serve as a reminder that looks can be deceiving." She sighed to
herself, then closed her eyes. //I believe I feel a storm approaching...
****
"A BASTARD
heir?!" her father roared. The baby began to cry as Kiori stood before the
old man, cradling her child. "MY family will not be disgraced in such a
manner!"
"But father, no one
should know who is father is. I can find a good man to pose as his father
and--"
"NEVER will any man
of high-standings marry a woman with a child not his own! What worth is a
soiled girl with a child to any self-respecting nobleman?!"
"But father--"
He snapped and a guard
walked up immediately. "Have this woman escorted off the premises."
Kiori gasped as the guard
took her by her arm and led her away from the throne room. "WHAT?! FATHER!
HOW CAN YOU DO THIS?! I AM YOUR *DAUGHTER*!"
"I no longer have a
daughter," he said, flatly.
Helplessly, Kiori only
walked onward, cradling her crying child as she was walked by the guard to the
outskirts of the village. She looked at the boy, trying to comfort him though
she was hurting herself.
The guard released her.
"I am sorry, Lady Kiori, but orders are orders. You are hereby banned from
ever returning here, as is your son. My deepest apologies." He turned and
marched back inside, allowing them to close the gate to the village.
She slowly sunk to her
knees and cried, holding the wailing child to her chest as a cold wind ripped by.
"DAMN YOU!" she bawled to no one in particular. She wasn't quite
certain if she was damning her father for disowning her, the monk for soiling
her or herself for allowing both counts of injustice. She felt so utterly lost.
Then, she recalled the
beautiful words the man had used to get to her. /'I would be honored if you
would bear me a son.'/
She clutched the baby as
the thunder rolled in the clouds high above and the rain suddenly began to
fall, drenching her as she knelt there in her gown in the developing mud.
"Miroku..." she hissed to herself. "I will find you, you lying
monster, and make you pay for this...make you pay for what you did to
me..." Tears began to run more freely down her face, mingling with the
rain falling mercilessly from the sky. "I will make you pay for forcing me
to love you and leaving me this way..." \\]
This awful memory only
made her will to fight her way to the lord's domain all the more powerful. She
kept on trudging through the muck, even as it suddenly became so deep that she
could scarcely breath without inhaling it. //I WILL have my title back,// she
thought to herself. //I...will be a lady of dignity again, and Mikiro...will
grow up in grace and glory, and he will be a lord like no other, and
Miroku...will be beaten BLOODY and turned into MY...PERSONAL...*FOOTSTOOL*!!!//
****
"Well, this will have
to do," Sango sighed as she finished fitting Inuyasha's undershirt and
kimono onto Mikiro's little body. "Once your clothes are dry, you can have
them back, but for now, you can't go naked."
"But I can,
right?" the hanyou asked, archly. He was left in nothing but his pants and
he wasn't very happy about it.
"Hey," Kagome
said, smirking, "You volunteered your clothes for him."
"But I was thinking
more along the lines of my undershirt, not the entire top half of my
outfit."
Sango smirked. "I'm
sure Mikiro is grateful, aren't you?" She looked at the little boy, then
blinked as she noticed that he had set himself on the ground and was now
staring off in another direction. She watched as he attempted to fold his legs,
looking up every few moments or so. Curious, she followed his gaze right to
Miroku, who was sitting in that exact position beneath a tree across the way,
eyes closed and hands on his knees. She looked back at Mikiro again and smiled.
He was trying to mimic him!
Kagome laughed as she
noticed too. "That's so cute!"
Inuyasha smirked.
"Kaerunokohakaeru."
"Like father, like
son," Kagome agreed.
Sango sighed as she
watched the little boy attempting to copy Miroku, who was completely heedless
of this activity. She liked Miroku as a friend, but she couldn't help but feel
bad for Mikiro, having him as a father. In many ways, the monk was still a
child himself, though he was already old enough to qualify as an adult. He could
take care of himself, but not a baby such as his son. He had enough trouble
protecting himself and making good decisions without having to worry about how
they could affect a little boy.
Miroku had told her
earlier in the day, before they had been attacked by the koketsu, that he was
actually afraid. He was afraid that anything he did would make the boy a bad
person, or that he would do something wrong and get him hurt. He was really
terrified of him, or more correctly, of hurting him or doing something wrong.
/'Sango, I have spent most
of my life as an adult muddling through things to survive and making dangerous
snap-decisions, but now that he's around, I can no longer do that. I don't know
how to take care of a child, and I fear I might hurt him or get him killed
while he is with me. I don't want that to happen, but I don't know how to
protect him and care for him as I should? It seems I am caught between a rock
and a hard place...please, Sango, help me. I cannot do this alone.'/
She sighed. //And you
think I can, Miroku? This is your son, not mine...you should be over here,
dressing him and comforting him after what he's been through, not sitting alone
over there like he doesn't exist...//
Mikiro gave her skirt a
pull. "San-san," he said, softly. "When is my Mommy coming back
to get me?"
His inability to remember
her name was adorable. She smiled, sadly, then shook her head. "I don't
know, Mikiro, but I'm sure it will be soon..."
Kirara bounded up,
cat-sized again, and leapt into the boy's lap, knocking him onto his back,
giggling. Sango's smile turned into a grin as the little boy and her youkai
went rolling across the grass.
//At least someone is
noticing him besides me.//
Shippo walked up and
hopped up, hanging off Sango's shoulder. "Miroku hasn't talked to him at
all, has he?"
"Not since this
morning."
"He's afraid of him,
I think."
She nodded. "Yes,
he's told me that, in a way."
"No, I mean Mikiro.
He's scared of him."
That made her blink. She
looked at the kitsune. "What? Why?"
"I dunno,"
Shippo admitted. "When he was taking his bath, he told me that he was
scared of Miroku because he had bad eyes and because his Mom didn't like
him."
The last half of that made
sense, but the first didn't. "BAD eyes? How can someone have bad
eyes?"
"I dunno! Weirdest
thing, though. He told me that Miroku is a good man, but he has bad eyes."
She smirked to herself.
"Probably due to the fact that his eyes are always somewhere they don't
belong," she muttered, more to herself than to Shippo.
The kitsune hopped down,
looking at Mikiro and Kirara. The two-tailed, fox-like demon was tickling the
boy with her tails, making him laugh hysterically. "Maybe, but I think
it's something else. He says stuff about everybody that makes no sense. He says
things like Miroku has bad eyes, Inuyasha is hiding inside, Kagome is
pretending and you have pain."
She frowned, blinking.
Maybe his powers of perception were stronger than his father's were. Certainly,
he sensed demons, but if he could feel what others were feeling inside... //I
had better talk to Miroku about this seventh sense his son has...//
"I know what you're
thinking!" Shippo exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You
CAN'T tell Miroku about what Mikiro said! He made me swear not to tell anybody,
because he's afraid Miroku will get mad at him!"
"But why would
he?"
"Hey, Mikiro knows a
lot of stuff. I'm just afraid he might be right, and if he is, I don't want
Miroku to hurt him."
Sango stared. Shippo was
really becoming protective of the little boy, but that was understandable. He
had no family, and he tended to cling to whoever was near, and Mikiro was the
first little boy besides himself to come into the group. She nodded. "I
really don't think Miroku would hurt him for being scared, but if you really
don't want me to tell, I won't."
Shippo nodded, then
immediately spun and looked at Inuyasha, who was lying in the sun nearby with
his arms under his head. "That goes for you too, Inuyasha."
"What goes for
me?" he asked.
"You heard and I know
you did. You're not gonna tell Miroku."
"Why would I?"
the hanyou asked, snidely smirking.
"To hurt his
feelings," Sango said, frowning. "Inuyasha, just don't say anything,
okay? It's none of our business."
He went to make another
remark, then paused as Kirara and Mikiro went rushing past, Mikiro in the lead
with the youkai following. Kirara jumped on his back with a loud,
"MEW!" sending them both tumbling away. He sighed. "All right, I
won't say anything, but not because you asked me not to."
Shippo smiled. "You
like him too, huh?"
"He's just a kid,
what do I care?"
"Uh-huh," the
kitsune said, smirking. He turned and ran off after Mikiro and Kirara, intent
on joining their game.
Sango smirked. //He's not
fooling anyone. That little boy grows on everyone...// Then, her smirk faded as
her eyes darted to the older version of the adorable boy. She sighed. //If only
he'd grow on Miroku, we wouldn't have such a problem.//
****
"It's getting cold
fast," Kagome said as the sun slowly began to set on the horizon.
Inuyasha looked at her,
then gestured to his bare chest. "No kidding! You think YOU'RE cold!"
She frowned. "HEY! At
least you aren't wearing a skirt, Inuyasha!"
Sango rolled her eyes.
"Enough of that, we had better camp pretty soon or we'll get caught in the
dark, and I don't think that's a good idea."
Miroku shook his head. It
was much too cold to camp, even with a fire. The temperature had dropped so
severely that all of them would be EXTREMELY uncomfortable if they stayed
outside, but unless they came to an inn, a temple or a house of some sort, they
wouldn't have much choice. Even HE was cold, and he was wearing more than the
rest of them were!
Shippo shuddered as they
walked onward. "It's way too cold out here! What happened to the heat?! It
was all warm earlier!"
Inuyasha scoffed.
"It's called SUNLIGHT."
"You shut up!"
"No, you first."
"YOU first!"
"You."
"YOU!"
"Stop it!"
Kagome exclaimed, exasperatedly. "You're wasting your time with that! Act
your ages!"
"I AM acting my
age," Shippo said, "HE'S the one that needs to grow up."
"I am grown up,"
Inuyasha retorted, "YOU need to grow up."
"Do not!"
"Do too."
Miroku sighed and put a
hand to his forehead. //This should be an aggravating night,// he thought to
himself.
He looked at Sango, who
was walking a bit ahead of him with Mikiro, holding his little hand in her own
tenderly. The boy was still wearing Inuyasha's undershirt and kimono, but he
looked cold, and he was shaking.
//He won't do well tonight
in this weather...// he thought. Privately, he wished that he wasn't so
reluctant to be near the boy, so he could hold him and try to comfort him.
After all, this was his son. However, he just couldn't gather the courage to do
it.
But, he could do one thing
to make certain Mikiro was comfortable. It occurred to him as they came to a
brief break in the path that split off in another direction. There was a
village in that direction, no doubt, and every village had an inn.
With that set in mind, he
nodded. "I suggest we go this way," he said, gesturing to the other
path with his staff.
Inuyasha blinked.
"Why?"
"I have a feeling a
village is a nicer place to spend the night than a forest, especially with a
young child on hand."
The others exchanged
glances. "But we haven't got enough money for an inn," Kagome said.
He smirked to himself.
"Leave that to me."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes,
but the others looked ready to accept the idea. "Whatever."
So it was settled. Miroku
led the gang in the other direction and in no time they reached a quaint little
village with an inn right near the outskirts. It was a large structure with a
nice sign and pretty decorations, leading one to think that the proprietor
probably had a great deal of money. That was a good sign...suckering them would
be a piece of cake. People that were concerned with appearances were very
touchy about being haunted by evil spirits.
As they approached,
Inuyasha took his undershirt from Mikiro, leaving the boy in his kimono. He was
shuddering against the cold air of the falling night, so the hanyou picked him
up and held him in his arms to help him keep warm. The little boy immediately
wrapped his arms around Inuyasha's strong neck and cuddled closer.
Kagome smiled.
"You're being nice?"
"Feh," Inuyasha
spat, weakly, as Mikiro cuddled closer. "It's cold and the kid's gonna
freeze if SOMEBODY doesn't carry him. 'Sides, he has my shirt."
Miroku felt a little
jealousy building in his chest, but he knew that it was unwarranted. He could
have picked Mikiro up at any time, but he hadn't thought of it and probably
wouldn't have even if he had. He gestured for them to stay back, then marched
resolutely to the door and rang the bell hanging there.
"Better make it a
good one if you're gonna go doing it," Inuyasha called to him.
He frowned and looked
back, then blinked as his eyes met those of his son. Mikiro immediately buried
his face in Inuyasha's shoulder. //Is he afraid of me?//
"May I help you,
young man?"
He turned back and looked
down at the elderly woman standing there, looking curiously up at him. Before
he could begin to tell his lie, however, some discomforting words came to mind.
/'Remember that he will
watch everything you to and take it to heart as correct...'/
He looked back at Mikiro
again, noting that the child was once again staring at him, his wide, innocent
eyes shining. If he lied to this poor woman and Mikiro found out, it might put
it in his head that it was fine to do so. Lying was wrong, of course, but...
/'...He will learn to
follow the examples set by YOU...'/
He shook it away and
turned back to her, holding his forehead. If he lied and Mikiro found out, he
might adopt it as a bad habit, but if he didn't, they would all freeze.
However, if he lied and Mikiro DIDN'T find out... "I apologize," he
said to the woman, bowing politely. "I came here tonight to warn you of a
dark spirit hovering close by."
She gasped. "A dark
spirit? You are a monk, aren't you?"
He nodded. "Yes,
madam. I thought it wise to warn you that you are in danger, for I sense that
dark forces lie in wait nearby, and they mean you harm. However, I have the
power to eliminate the menace completely by way of exorcism...in return for a
night's boarding for myself and my friends, that is. It is quite a cold
evening, and I fear we may not fair well on our own."
The woman nodded
immediately and moved aside. "Yes, of course! Please, come inside."
Miroku sighed with relief.
Most of it had been a lie, but he was used to this and it was doing this woman
no harm to offer hospitality in return for her own peace of mine. He would find
some way to repay her silently for his falsity. He gestured to the others, then
slipped off his sandals and entered himself, signing as the heat from the fire
inside the building warmed him. //Whew...//
The others quickly
followed his example and entered, then were led to a place near the fire and
served hot tea and a nice meal by a young girl, maybe twelve or so years of
age. In no time, they were all warm and comfortable.
As soon as they finished,
Kagome brought out a needle and thread, then pulled Mikiro's tattered robe from
her bag and began to stitch some of the rips in the fabric for him while he sat
near the fire with Shippo, talking softly with Kirara in his lap. It seemed
that the little youkai had taken kindly to him--or perhaps she just pitied him.
Sango sat down near Kagome and kept her company, and Inuyasha dropped down in
the corner of the room, primarily disappearing from sight.
After warming up and
eating, Miroku set to work with his exorcist act, but as he worked his way
around the large inn, he mentally prayed that there was at least ONE little
spirit of any type hiding somewhere to justify his lying. Dishonesty had never
bothered him so much before! Usually he lied without much trouble, but it was
bothering him terribly now! He wasn't certain if it was due to the kindness of
the elderly woman and her young helper or the fact that his son had a chance of
becoming a liar from it, but whatever the cause, he was uncomfortable.
He found no evil in the
entire inn, and he quickly finished putting up the evil-repulsion charms, then
returned to the room with the others.
The old woman came to
check on them after a while, having the girl clear away the dishes from the
meal. "Your rooms are ready whenever you feel like resting," she said
to Miroku. "I hope you don't mind, but we grouped both young ladies
together, and both of the boys as well, but we made sure that yourself and the
other young man had separate rooms."
He nodded, weakly.
"Yes, that will be fine. Thank you."
She smiled. "It is I
whom should be thanking you, young sir. You have saved my granddaughter and I
from whatever evil lurked, and unlike most whom offer these services, you asked
merely room and board, profiting not a bit from your own kindness. I am honored
to offer my services to you and your friends."
He bowed his head and
offered her a smile, though his exterior was much more sound than his
subconscious was. His conscience was badgering him more violently than Kiori
had, calling him unmentionable things that even that fiery young woman had
failed to say. He felt low.
//Villainous bastard! You
use people this way without heed every day of your life, as you used that poor
woman whom bore you the son you wanted so badly. Fool! You do not deserve a
son!//
The woman went away,
thankfully, but her granddaughter, a girl named Yvette, remained, inspecting
Mikiro and Shippo. She looked curious.
Miroku frowned and folded
his legs, then shut his eyes in an attempt to put himself into a trance. If he
could meditate long enough to find his center again, he'd be fine. He didn't
need to listen to his own foolishness anymore. He had done what needed to be
done to sustain the others, and the woman had been more than willing to share
her food and heat with them. He had done her no wrong.
Now he was lying to
himself. At this rate, he'd be down in the food chain by POND SCUM in no time.
With a sigh, he opened his eyes again and looked toward the fire.
Yvette knelt down near
Shippo and poked at his tail, making him jump and blink at her. She giggled,
then patted his head.
"Hey!" he
exclaimed. "I'm not a dog!"
"You're so CUTE,
though!"
Shippo blinked, then
blushed. "Aww, c'mon. I'm not THAT cute..."
"Yes you are! Are you
a kitsune?"
He nodded. "Yeah,
that's me..."
"I wish we had more
visitors like you." Yvette grinned, then looked at Mikiro, who was staring
into the fire. "Are you a kitsune too?"
He sighed and blushed, but
Shippo was the one to answer. "Nope, just a human." Mikiro frowned at
this and the fox-boy snickered, embarrassed. "I mean that in a good way!
You're a cool human!"
"He's cute too,"
she said, mussing his feathery hair. Mikiro blushed and looked down, grinning
shyly. Then, she tapped a finger on the kimono the boy was wearing. "This
doesn't look too comfortable..."
"Oh, it's
comfortable," Inuyasha said. Normally, he didn't talk to people, but
apparently, he couldn't resist. "I would know--I should be wearing
it."
"Where are HIS
clothes?" Yvette asked.
Kagome held up the rag the
boy had been wearing. Luckily for them, it had been black in the first place,
and therefore the staining of the koketsu's blood wasn't really noticeable.
"Right here."
"Oh, that can't be
very warm..." Yvette frowned, then brightened and got up, running from the
room. "Grandmother! Do you still have some of father's old robes?"
"Oh, what a sweet
girl," Sango said, smiling.
Kagome smiled too, then
looked at the ugly frock and threw it aside. "That means I don't have to
fix that after all!"
"I would think that
was beyond repair," the old woman said as she entered. She carried in her
arms a small stack of blue cloth, which she handed to Kagome. Once the girl had
the clothing, the woman hooked a finger into the collar of the little robe she
had been attempting to patch up and lifted it up to eye level. "If you
will excuse the comment, this is not anything a child should wear. It smells of
garbage and is tattered almost beyond recognition. I highly doubt this would be
safe to use as a RAG, let alone clothing."
Kagome blushed.
"Well, you see, ma'am, it had a run in with something unpleasant and
that's why it smells so bad. We did our best to wash it, but it didn't
work...and we didn't have any money to buy him a new robe."
The woman nodded, smiling
gently. "Yes, I see. Well, take that with you. It is durable and my son
used it when he was a child. You are welcome to have it, and I suggest you
hastily dispose of this, young lady." She handed her the torn and tattered
little robe.
Kagome nodded. "Thank
you."
Yvette skipped back into
the room and brought with her a white robe, which she dropped on Mikiro's head.
She dropped one on Shippo too. "You can wear those to bed after you take a
good, hot bath. Grandmother has already readied one for you, and if anyone else
would like one, I can get to work on it right away."
"A hot bath WOULD be
nice..." Sango sighed.
Yvette bowed. "Very
well, madam."
"You might wanna run
him one too," Kagome said, throwing a thumb at Inuyasha.
The hanyou frowned.
"HEY!"
Kagome scowled at him.
"You STINK and you need a BATH, so say THANK YOU and SHUT UP!"
He scowled and folded his
arms. "As long as I get my clothes back, I don't care."
Yvette giggled into her
hands, then bowed again. "I will get right to work on it. You two can come
with me." She looked at Shippo and Mikiro, both of whom looked rather
uncomfortable. She giggled again. "I won't stay, just follow me to the
bath!"
The boys cautiously
followed the giddy girl away.
Kagome smiled. "Your
granddaughter is a happy child," she said to the woman.
The old lady nodded,
smiling herself. "Yes, Yvette is quite the young lady. She will make some
lucky young man an honorable wife someday, but I would prefer to keep her with
me as long as possible." She sighed. "The innocence of a child is so
precious, but so short-lived. I want her to enjoy it as long as possible."
Miroku closed his eyes
again for a moment, then stood up. "I think I'd like to sleep now,"
he said, forcing back the swell of guilt that began to arise in his chest.
The old woman nodded to
him. "Right away, sir. Please, follow me." She led him down a hall
nearby and into a small but comfortable room. "If you need anything at
all, Yvette and I are on call most of the night, but if it is food you wish
for, I advise you to summon me and not her. She is a sweet girl, but the
culinary arts are not her calling."
Miroku smiled and bowed
his head, then sighed as she left and sat down on the bedding awaiting him,
folding his legs. Nearby, there lay sleeping clothes neatly folded with a
little note that said 'goodnight,' scripted in slightly careless kanji by a
young hand. He attempted to smile again, but it didn't work. He felt too
guilty. //This is all happening so quickly,// he thought. //Just yesterday, I
was on a quest for myself, and now I am obligated to complete yet another task,
as well as engage in a battle with myself to make small decisions that would
normally be so easy...how am I to accomplish this? Seeking Naraku with the
chance of my dying was simple...but now I seek Naraku knowing that if I fail I
will not be the only one to die...// He sighed to himself and covered his face
with his hands. //I only pray that someone up there is listening to me and
cares...for I am in deep need of enlightenment...//
****
Mikiro awoke in the middle
of the night and immediately got up to go prowling the halls of the inn. He had
had a bad dream, and he wanted to be anywhere but in that room. Usually, when
he had a nightmare, he went to Mommy and slept with her, but she wasn't here
now, and he didn't want to wake Shippo. He just wanted a grown-up to go to who
would make him feel better. The problem was, he didn't know where any of them
were.
He shuffled barefoot down
the hall in his sleeping clothes, peeking carefully into each room as he
passed. Most of them were empty, and some of them had other people in them, but
no one he knew. Finally, he ran across San-san and Kagome, but he didn't want
to wake them up. He liked them, but San-san had too much pain in her heart to
help him. Little boys made her feel bad (Mikiro didn't want to make her feel
bad) and Kagome was dreaming about somebody she liked, so he kept on going. He
didn't want to disturb them. He found Yvette's room, but she was sleepy and she
missed her Daddy, so he left her alone too. It seemed like he was going to have
to wake Shippo at this rate.
Then, he came across
Miroku's room, and he was sound asleep. The moment Mikiro's eyes fell on him,
he wanted to run away, but his curiosity got the better of him and he gave in.
Silently, he crept into the room and closed the screen, then approached the
soundly sleeping man. He could tell he wasn't dreaming anything, because he
wasn't feeling anything. He felt nothing, which was good.
Mikiro had always had the
ability to feel how others were inside, which was how he could tell how they
felt and what was wrong with them depending on how they reacted to things. He
knew San-san had a problem with little boys because her smile was always sad
and whenever Mikiro asked her questions, she felt sad inside. He could tell by
the way a person was feeling what they were dreaming about, too. His Mommy had
said it was a gift from the gods, the way he felt stuff. It was neat and it
helped him understand people better. That was how he knew Miroku was a good
man, just a bad father.
Of course, he still didn't
know what a father was for, so he couldn't really say that. Sometimes being
really smart wasn't always as easy as people thought it was! It was hard work
thinking up answers for himself!
He knelt down next to the
bedding and looked at his face for a long minute, then looked over as he
noticed a small washing bucket full of water nearby. The moonlight made the
room bright and the light reflected off the surface in a neat way. Curious, he
looked in it and saw his own reflection.
He blinked, then looked at
Miroku again. He looked at his reflection, then his father, then back at
himself again. //He looks like me, only bigger and with more hair...// He
turned and carefully crawled up next to him, being careful not to wake him, then
reached a shaky hand out and brushed his fingertips over the man's dark bangs.
With his other hand, he moved his own bangs and blinked. //He's just like a big
me...but his eyes are still bad...aren't they?//
Curiosity always ruled
over reason, and there was only one way to find out if his eyes were bad when
he was sleeping. He climbed up onto Miroku's sturdy chest and got positioned,
being extra careful not to move too quick, then leaned down and carefully
lifted one of his eyelids.
Mikiro blinked as the eye
seemed to float lifelessly near the top of his head, unfocusing and dull. He
was definitely asleep. Curious, he turned his head in an attempt to get the eye
to move a bit more to the middle so he could see it. It worked, sort of.
//Hmm...?// He carefully reached over and pulled his other eye open, then
compared them and blinked.
Miroku's eyes were a
different color when he was asleep, and they weren't bad.
Mikiro peeked over into
the wash basin at his reflection, then back at Miroku again. //His eyes are
like mine now...but why are they bad when he's awake?//
Suddenly, Miroku shifted
under him and the small boy tumbled off his chest and to the floor with a dull
thud. He didn't wake up, but that had been close enough for Mikiro.
He quickly turned to
leave, then paused as another questioning idea hit him. He went to the basin
again and looked in at himself, then slowly brought his hands to his shoulders
and gathered his hair in his hands, gently brushing it back and holding it
bunched up that way, out of his face. He blinked, then looked at his sleeping
father again. //That's why Mommy told me not to tie my hair up...because I look
like him...JUST like him...// He let his hair fall back over his shoulders
again and quickly fled the room, thoughts bombarding him violently. //Oh no,
I'm turning into him! If I do that, Mommy won't want me anymore!//
He quickly crept off down
the hall in the opposite direction toward the room where he and Shippo slept.
His nightmare was now in the back of his mind, but his fear of Mommy not
wanting him was really bad.
//I better stay away from
him, so I don't turn into him any more.//
Then, he paused as he came
across a screen that was slightly withdrawn. It hadn't been before, and it made
him curious. Silently, he peeked in.
It was Inuyasha. He hadn't
been here before, but he was now, and he was asleep, lying on top of his
bedding without his sheets pulled up and his back turned to the door. Mikiro
briefly remembered that he had been the last to take his bath, so maybe that
was why he had just gotten to bed. He didn't look too comfortable, though.
Being smart at a young age
tended to mean that curiosity was always more potent than logic, and once
again, he couldn't help himself. Besides, Inuyasha was interesting, like Shippo
was, because he was different. Mikiro was different too, because of the hole in
his hand, so he liked different people. He crept silently into the room and
grabbed the sheets at the end of the bedding, then pulled them up over
Inuyasha's body and tucked them under a bit.
Suddenly, Inuyasha looked
at him over his shoulder and he jumped, blinking. The hanyou blinked back, then
rolled over completely and looked at him. "Can't sleep?"
He shook his head.
"You neither, huh?"
Inuyasha shook his head,
sighing, and Mikiro could feel he was thinking about private stuff. He was
depressed, and it seemed like he was this way a lot of the time.
"Nah...you need something?"
Mikiro sat down in front
of him, frowning. "I had a bad dream and I'm scared to go to sleep, but
you're bigger than me and you have powers and stuff, so I kinda wanted to know
if I could sleep with you. Is that okay?"
The silver-haired young
man frowned a moment, then nodded and pulled back the sheets. "Sure, but
don't tell anybody, okay? Anyone asks, you just came in yourself."
He nodded and quickly
climbed down next to Inuyasha, sighing. He seemed mean, but he was really a
nice man.
~
Sleeping was difficult
when you had a lot on your mind, but the moment he heard footsteps in his room,
everything had disappeared instantly. He had been ready to bisect anything
attempting to sneak up on him, the Tetsusaiga in his hand, but when Miroku's
little boy had suddenly tucked him into bed like he cared, he had relaxed. It
was almost creepy how much he resembled Miroku, and yet how much they differed.
Then again, he was still really little. He was a nice kid.
The boy cuddled closer to
him and he couldn't help but smile. He just wanted someone to take care of him,
and though Sango tried, for some reason, Mikiro didn't take to her. Being a
little boy, and a smart one at that, he needed a MALE role model, and Miroku
wasn't exactly doing his part as a father. The question was, why had he picked
Inuyasha for it? Probably because he was the only other male besides Shippo,
and HE wasn't even old enough to set an example for himself, let alone Mikiro.
He had to admit, though,
he liked the boy. He was a nice kid.
Mikiro suddenly looked up
at him. "You can't sleep...you had a nightmare too?"
Inuyasha blinked.
"Uh...no, just...thinking..." How had he known he couldn't sleep,
though? It was like he read minds or something! "How about you. You had a
nightmare--what was it about?"
Mikiro frowned. "I
grew up and I was a bad man, then a monster that looked like a big white money
with a blue face and clawed hands made the hole in my hand eat me and nobody
could help me get better until I was already dead. The whole time, a little boy
was watching me and he was scared of me really bad, and I hurt his Mommy and
she died because she hurt so bad. It was scary."
Inuyasha blinked. //That
sounds remarkably like Miroku. That monster must have been Naraku...and the
hole in Miroku's hand is bound to pull him in someday...and the rest of
it...how creepy...// "Sounds like a really bad dream," he said,
finally.
Mikiro nodded.
"Yes...I don't want it to happen, though."
"I doubt it
will," he said, but he didn't believe it himself.
The boy smiled, then
hugged him as well as he could, being how small he was. He was barely the size
of Shippo, and the kitsune was small enough to sit on his shoulder like a
parrot most of the time. "Will you help me not be bad?" he asked.
Inuyasha smiled and
nodded. "I guess I can try."
Mikiro grinned, then
sighed and closed his eyes. "Goodnight."
He sighed to himself, then
looked down at the boy a moment as he slowly drifted to sleep. //Well...I guess
if Miroku isn't going to do his job...I'LL do it for him.//
****
To Be Continued.
Xandra: Email is wide open
for suggestions, people, and as I said, smallest little ideas are even welcome.
Thanx for reading, and don't forget to review! ^_^ The more reviews I get, the
faster I write.