Daddy Dearest – Part Seven: Grown-Ups
Make No Sense
Xandra: *sigh*
I'm over the 100 mark for reviews, but number 101 bugged me sort of, because
someone was questioning my plot YET AGAIN. Because of this, I will go over the
subject of the air-rip on Mikiro's hand--AGAIN. Ever think it might be inactive
FOR A REASON??? OOOH, new thought, people! *scoff* Still, I will cite the
question and answer it, though I've done this already:
"Is it
just my imagination, or did Miroku once say that his Air Rip had sucked up his
mother when he was born, just as his father's had his grandmother? If that's
true, wouldn't that create a bit of a problem with Kiori still being
alive?"--Achika
I'm not
certain if he mentioned that (as I said in the beginning, I am still pretty new
at this) but if he did, I'm sorry. Any way you slice it, at this point,
Mikiro's air-rip is inactive and Kiori is alive. There MIGHT be a REASON for
this (hint, hint! Don't make me ruin my plot with these questions, people!) but
even if there IS, I won't be telling you. Besides, as earlier mentioned, I sort
of agree with the opposite of the comment about the air-rip sucking up the
mother. If one was fast enough with a rosary, it might not happen, considering
it takes a few seconds for a baby to even cry after birth. If it were
constantly active, like while the mother was pregnant, wouldn't it have
swallowed her from the inside? Then how would the baby be born? I think that
maybe what Miroku meant in the statement (if he made it, I'm not sure myself)
was that an accident as a newborn infant might have caused his mother to get
sucked into the air-rip, not the birth itself, and it would be possible, as I
said, to prevent this if someone was quick enough with a rosary. However, I
will point out something: Notice the absence of a rosary on Mikiro.
Man, I
probably just ruined part of the plot, but I had to answer this one, because it
not only bothered me slightly but it provoked me into answering. I'm just like
that. As for the subject of Mikiro's intelligence, which I have explained to
two of my readers already, will probably be broached in a later chapter. Once
again, notice how boring the plot would be if he WASN'T smart (and notice that
he barely ever speaks).
Oh, I forgot.
I owe my readers a big thank you, but none more than two girls by the names of
Kelly Johnson and "Sarah-chan." The two of them were a great help to
me, Kelly supplying me with ENDLESS information of Kouga and Sarah-chan giving
her opinions on more characters that should be added. Thanx to both of you!
Well, enjoy
the chapter, and ideas are welcome in the email. I'm gonna quit for a while
after this one, but rest assured, for this will probably be the mid-point in
the story. (Half over already! ;_;) On a lighter note, yes, Kouga and his pack
are in this one, including his fiancée that he supposedly didn't remember for a
while, and I can almost guarantee that they are OOC, considering I'm building
Kouga in my mind as a cross between a very grouchy Inuyasha and Duo Maxwell
from Gundam Wing. As for his fiancée, Ayame, I'm guessing all the way. I read a
paragraph about her at most and saw ONE picture, people, but I'm trying top
work from there, though her attitude is just a take on the whole wolf-youkai
thing (wolves are mean and sassy, I would be one to know). Any help would be
appreciated! Enjoy, and review. ^_^
Extra note:
The name Arundel (you'll see) is taken from a young woman that reviewed quite
politely on one of my GW fics, and her name and situation struck me as
interesting, so I'm using it. Inspiration is like that.
****
A form loomed
high in the
"MAAAAAASSSSSSSTTTERRRR!!!!"
he screamed as he landed with a poof. He was immediately a raccoon again, but
as he tried to run up, he slammed right into the invisible barrier and fell
over.
Miroku sighed,
then moved, allowing the shield to fall. He grabbed Hachi and threw him onto
the veranda, then hastily sat and began concentrating again. He had to make the
mansion and everyone inside invisible before the youkai got too close and
spotted it. If they thought the only thing there was a monk that they couldn't
touch, then maybe they would leave, thinking it wasn't worth it. Well, if it
worked or not, he just had to keep them away until sunrise, when Inuyasha would
take his natural form. Then, he could rest, but not until then.
"Miroku-sama,
what are you doing?" Hachi asked. "There are youkai everywhere! This
is no place to sit!"
"I am
using a binding spell, Hachi," he said through gritted teeth. He could
barely stand to breathe, let alone talk, or he'd let the barrier down, and he
couldn't do that. "They can see me, but not you, so stay back and do not
speak to me. I must concentrate to protect the others until Inuyasha is strong enough
to fight them off or until they get bored."
"Ohhh..."
the tanuki said. "I see...I will go inside and...um, protect the
others."
"Hachi."
"Yes,
Master?"
"If the
barrier falls and the demons start into the mansion, I want you to escape
through the back screen-door with the others. Take them far from here, and make
certain they are safe before coming back to look for me. In the instance that
such a thing happens, you may find but a mangled corpse if anything at
all."
Hachi
shuddered. "Master, I don't think--"
"*I* need
to think, YOU merely need to follow orders. Go inside, I cannot speak any
longer."
The tanuki
sighed, then nodded and went into the mansion.
Miroku hastily
centered himself, then concentrated on the barrier, using all of his might to
keep it strong. If he managed to fool them and keep it up long enough, they
might just go away and then he could sleep. He was suddenly so tired...
Wait. He
was...TIRED?
//Oh no, the
sleep-aide...it must still be in my system...I can't fall asleep now, or the
others will die!//
~
"Hachi!
Did you get the information from the witch?"
Mikiro looked
up and blinked. Witch? He pretended not to pay attention as San-san spoke
softly to the raccoon-thing his father called Hachi, though he knew it was a
bad thing to do. He couldn't help it--he wanted to know!
"Yes, but
I couldn't tell him in time! He is much too set on protecting this place. He
will forfeit his life for it."
Inuyasha
coughed, then shuddered and leaned back into Kagome's lap again as she began to
stroke his hair. "He must be sick or on something. Bet he got stoned off
that sleep-aide."
San-san shook
her head, then turned back to the raccoon. "What did she tell you?"
"She said
that, considering how much he took of it, he will have chronic nightmares,
along with uncomfortable changes in his body's temperature."
"Hot and
cold flashes," Sango sighed. "Yes, he was in a cold sweat when he
woke up. What else?"
"She said
he might faint unexpectedly..."
"WHAT?"
"Yes, I
tried to tell him but he wouldn't allow me to. He is using a youkai- binding
spell to protect us, but if he falls unconscious, we will be doomed. I saw
them...there are at least a hundred of them, and all of them are headed this
way."
"Naraku
sure knows how to pick a time," Inuyasha muttered.
Mikiro
blinked. //Naraku?// He had heard that name before...but who was this Naraku?
And why did he want to hurt them?
Kagome sighed.
"Well, that's what he does best. He's probably watching us all right now,
trapped like rats until sunrise."
This was bad.
There were bad things everywhere--he could feel them surrounding the mansion
even now--and his father was outside all by himself. //He's gonna get hurt,//
he thought, frowning. //I don't want him to get hurt...//
All of a
sudden, there was a dull roaring in the distance, and as the seconds went by,
it became louder, until it was almost deafening. The bad things were here, and
Miroku was in trouble. Was it right to leave him all alone out there? He didn't
have a big sword like Inuyasha, or a long bent thing and a fire-cat like
San-san, or arrows like Kagome. He just had that stick with the gold ring
thingy on top, and what good was that when there were lots of monsters? What
was he gonna do out there?
The noise was
really loud out there. He was getting worried. What if he died? Mommy would be
sad if that happened, because even though she was mad at him, she still liked
him, Mikiro could sense it. He looked around the room to see if anybody else
was worried.
Kagome was
stroking Inuyasha's head like he was a hurt puppy, and he didn't seem to mind
it, but she looked worried. Shippo was sitting on her shoulder, looking scared,
and San-san was sitting with Kirara in her lap, holding that big stick
thing--what was it? A boomerang?--in her hands and staring at the wall. The
raccoon-monster was walking back and forth on the floor, and he looked worried
too.
Everybody was
scared, but nobody was going to help Miroku? That didn't make any sense! They
would sit here and be afraid when their friend was out in danger, but they
wouldn't help him. WHY? //Grown-ups make no sense!//
Once again,
the young child looked at his hand, then slowly, he unwrapped the cotton
covering his palm, revealing the little pebble-sized hole there. It wasn't very
big--he could fit two fingers through it at most--but it ate things when he put
them in if he let go. Why didn't it pull things in like his father's did,
though? If it would, then maybe he could help, but it didn't work! Was it
sleeping, or just lazy?
//Wake up,//
he thought, staring hard at it. He grasped his wrist with his left hand and
shook it, then stared harder. //Wake up so I can help...come on, wake up! If
you don't wake up, I can't help! How do I make you work?!//
"Wow, so
THAT'S what it looks like."
He jumped, then
looked up at Shippo, who was staring at his hole. "I want to make it work
so I can help my father," he said. "I want to help him because nobody
else will."
Shippo
blinked. "You serious? I think he can handle it on his own. He said he can
do it himself, anyway. I mean, he TOLD us to stay in here so he can save us, so
why not just do what he says?"
He frowned a
moment, then closed his hand as a voice in his head told him exactly what to
say. "Because he's wrong. He'll die, and I won't let him die by himself.
It's wrong, and he's wrong, and YOU'RE wrong for not helping him."
"But
Mikiro--"
He stood and
rewrapped his hand, then took a deep breath. "If you won't help him, then
I will."
"Wha--???"
He turned and
grabbed a roll of cotton from the floor nearby, then hurried out the door of
the adjacent room, then out of the sleeping chamber itself as Shippo called out
after him and alerted the others.
"ACK!
MIKIRO! COME BACK! OH NO, MIKIRO WENT OUT TO HELP MIROKU!!!"
He slammed the
sliding screen shut, then tied the handle to the handle of the next door over
with the long cotton strip and knotted it tightly. //Good thing Mommy teaches
me stuff like this,// he thought. //It should hold them in and keep them safe
while I try to help him.// He hurried down the corridor toward the front doors,
which were wide open.
Outside, he
could see a bunch of flying monsters gathered in front of a seated figure, who
seemed to be praying as he sat there, alone against all of the bizillion things
there. There were so many that Mikiro couldn't count them all! Miroku was out
there all alone...
//...I have to
help him...but how?//
~
Miroku was
clinging to consciousness with his fingernails, but he was losing the fight.
Even in the face of all these monstrous creatures that could mean the death of
his son and his friends, he was so close to passing out that he was starting to
hallucinate. He was seeing visions of beautiful places he'd never seen and
women so lovely they were indescribable, but he knew he was seeing things. He had
to stay awake--he had to!
He was losing
it. Everything was becoming a blur, even the horrid faces of the youkai that
were attacking him so violently. They were bashing themselves against the
shielding, and with every blow, his strength waned further. It was as if his
own strength of will was being used to fuel the barrier, and as he weakened, so
too did their defense. He couldn't hold up much longer, and he had no chance of
using the air-rip at this distance, only a foot from dozens of gaping mouths filled
with huge, dagger-like teeth. Besides, his hands were already mangled from his
wrestling-match with the koketsu, and he was in bad condition from the fight
and his nightmare. He was in no place to fight, but he was the only one that
could.
Then, the world
went dark and he felt his spine lose its tenseness, which resulted in his
tumbling onto his back from his sitting position. The entire world fell up at a
ninety-degree angle and pain spiked into him as his back hit the hard ground,
but he barely noticed it as a daze like no other hit him.
Something
gasped, and just before he lost all control, his eyes fell upon a small form
standing on the mansion's veranda, its round, innocent eyes wide with fear.
//Mikiro...// he thought, despairingly. He couldn't tell if he was talking or
thinking anymore, but he knew that his mouth wasn't moving. He didn't have the
strength for that. //Mikiro, no...go back to the others, you'll die...all my
fault...no, please...//
~
Mikiro gasped
as the older man suddenly collapsed, and the flickering barrier he had been
sustaining disappeared, leaving the things open to attack. //Oh no! I have to
help him NOW or he'll get eaten!// He dashed to his father's side and skidded
to his knees, then grabbed his face and shook him. "Wake up!" he
cried. His eyes were open, but they were all glassy and he wasn't responding.
"Oh no!"
The monsters
were surprised, but they recovered soon enough and immediately directed their
attention to the last things that had moved, which were the boy and his
unconscious parent. They all stared, then started exchanging glances.
Mikiro
whimpered. He wanted to cry--he was so scared he could barely breathe--but
Mommy had told him he had to be big, so he held the urge back. Instead, he
thought quickly and remembered the hole in his hand. He grabbed Miroku's right
arm and hauled it up until it was somewhat balanced on the elbow and pointed at
the scary things, then grabbed the necklace thingy on it and looked at it. //He
makes it work when this isn't on here...// he thought. He had no time to worry,
so he did what he thought was best. He got down behind his arm, then pulled the
necklace off and held his hand pointed toward the monsters with both hands.
There was a
loud ripping sound and, suddenly, the monsters were being pulled in. A lot of
them backed off, but some of them were hauled right into the hole and
disappeared with screams.
Mikiro gasped
as he watched in awe, his hair and robes billowing from the force of the wind.
//WOW!// he thought. //AMAZING!//
The wind was
strong and it was pulling him, too, but he held onto Miroku's hand as tight as
he could, aiming as the monsters flew in all directions, looking worried but
angry.
//If they go
around they'll get to the house and they might get the others!// he thought,
worriedly. //Oh, I wish he'd wake up! I can't use this FOR him--HE has to do
it, or else the others will get hurt too! I can't hold on much longer, and I
can't get the necklace back on!//
He hadn't
thought of it this way! Miroku had told him to hold onto Kirara when he had
used it, and even at thirty feet away, he had felt the pull, but now he was
inches from it and it was getting hard to hold on!
/'Miroku hates
his, because someday, it'll pull him into it and he'll die.'/
Shippo had
told him about this, and Mommy had always told him the hole was dangerous, but
he had been so desperate to help that he'd forgotten. He was gonna die, and so
was everybody else!
Suddenly,
Miroku gasped and his eyes flew open. "MIKIRO!"
"I can't
make it stop!" he shouted over the air whipping all around them. "I
wanted to help!"
Miroku grabbed
the necklace and put it back on his hand, then grabbed Mikiro by the shoulders.
"The air-rip is dangerous!" he shouted, looking both angry and
worried. Mikiro would have cried had he not sensed the fear in his father. Why
was he scared? Because he had almost killed them both? Probably. Mommy had said
he was a coward and that he was scared to die, after all.
"I-I-I
was...just..." he sniffed, then gasped as he looked out at the monsters,
which had been hovering in wait out of reach of the hole's wind tunnel thing
since he had opened it. They were going to attack them. "...Eee..."
he squeaked.
Miroku looked,
then grabbed him and held him to his chest, turning mostly sideways and looking
at them as they slowly moved in. He was shielding him protectively, the way
Mommy always had when they were in trouble from these kinds of monsters. It
seemed to happen a lot for some reason. The question was, why was he protecting
him? That was a Daddy's job, wasn't it? A father was for making the baby...but
then again, he wasn't quite clear on that, either. He'd have to ask somebody
smart about that, like Inuyasha or Kagome. "Mikiro," his father said.
"Hold onto me, and don't let go."
He did as instructed,
then watched as Miroku lifted his right arm and grabbed the necklace on his
wrist. //I have a bad feeling about this.
Suddenly,
Miroku froze. "Damn it!"
He blinked.
//Bad word...// "Hmm?" He followed his father's line-of-sight and
blinked. There were bugs, like big hornets, and they were floating behind the
masses of big snake-like monster things. Was he scared of bugs like Kagome?
Why? He looked up at Miroku, gathering his courage to talk to him.
"Father?"
Miroku looked
down at him, and he could sense the fear in him.
"Are...we
gonna die...?"
He sighed,
then suddenly, he hugged him to his chest, and Mikiro was surprised at the
amount of regret he felt. He didn't say anything, but the boy felt he was
scared.
Mikiro was
young, but not stupid, or even foolish. He had lived in the face of death for a
while, and though he understood very little about it, he knew that it meant
pain followed by sleep that never ended. He didn't want to die the way everyone
else around him always had. He didn't want to. He cuddled close to his father's
chest, then sighed and put his hand over his heart and closed his eyes. //I
wish someone would come and help us...//
The big things
loomed closer, and while a few stayed to eat himself and Miroku, the rest went
for the mansion. They were doomed, and so was everybody else. It was all over.
SWISH-SPLAT!
Mikiro jumped,
then looked up and gasped as the closest thing, a giant green worm with huge
teeth (that really needed to be brushed) suddenly didn't have a head anymore.
The head fell with a thud nearby and the body came down elsewhere.
CRASH!
//What was
that?// he thought, looking around for what had done it.
A few more of
the monsters fell to the ground in pieces while the others looked around in
shock. There were squishy thuds all over, especially near the mansion, but no
one knew what was happening, not even the monsters themselves!
"What's
going on?" Miroku asked.
Suddenly,
another monster appeared while the others were being killed, but this one was
different. It was human-shaped and it had long, black hair like Inuyasha's when
he was human, but its ears were where they belonged, not on top of its head,
and it had a sword at its hip. It had a tail, too, like Shippo's, but not
fluffy and cute. What was it?
There were
more of them, he noticed. They were all over the place. It was THEM killing the
big things, but there were so many that the big things couldn't fight back in
time! What WERE they?
Miroku looked
up, then blinked. "Kouga?!"
//What's a
Kouga?// Mikiro thought as he looked up at the form nearby, which was watching
the other ones bounce from here and there. He strained his eyes, then blinked.
It was a man--with a TAIL! Was he a demon, like Inuyasha, or a monster like the
scary things? If Miroku knew his name, maybe he was a good-guy, but then again,
he might just be a well-known bad- guy. Thinking with a young mind was
confusing work!
The
man-monster-thing looked down at him. "I knew it," it said. It was a
boy, and it had a creepy voice. "If you're here, then I was right."
He turned and shouted to the other bouncing things. "Search the mansion
and tend the wounded only if they're dark-haired females!"
Miroku stood
up, still holding Mikiro. "How did you know we were here, Kouga?" he
asked. "And how did you know we needed help?"
The person he
called Kouga scoffed, folding his arms. "Help? Feh. My pack and I were
hunting and I caught Kagome's scent. I had to save my woman, after all."
HIS woman?
Mikiro blinked. He could tell that this Kouga liked Kagome, but did that make
her HIS woman? Huh. That was weird! Was he Kagome's boyfriend? If so, why did
she like Inuyasha? He coulda sworn that if she was anybody's that she was
Inuyasha's! He wouldn't like THAT! Grown-ups were confused people!
Miroku sighed.
"It figures. Well, all that matters is that you came."
"Of
course. My people have to eat, and besides, NOBODY eats MY woman when I'm
around."
"I really
don't think--"
"Of
course not, I never said you could."
Mikiro
blinked. Kouga was mean, but he could also sense a lot of stuff in him, sort of
like Inuyasha. They should try to be friends! After all, they had so much in
common.
Miroku sighed,
shaking his head, then looked at Mikiro himself. "Are you okay?"
He nodded.
"Good,"
his father sighed. Then, his expression became less kind. "Don't you EVER
do that again. You could have KILLED yourself. When I say I can handle
something, I can do it without your help, Mikiro, and I know you wanted to help
me, but please, I want you safe."
He did? Why
did he care? He was probably afraid Mommy would kill him if he let him get
hurt. She'd even said she would. Yes, that had to be it. He was protecting his
own butt, just like a father was supposed to.
Kouga was
staring silently, but his interest was immediately dragged away as the mansion
doors opened and Kagome, San-san, Kirara and Shippo rushed out, looking
worried. "Kagome."
She paused.
"Oh, hi, Kouga. I thought I saw something that looked like you
outside...did you save us?"
He nodded,
suddenly taking on a very arrogant look. "WELL, it was the least I could
do for such a beautiful woman."
Shippo sighed.
"Uh-oh, here he goes."
Mikiro hopped
out of Miroku's grasp just as San-san rushed up, boomerang strapped to her back
even though she was in a sleeping robe. It was quite a funny sight, but her
expression wasn't at all funny.
She hauled
back and punched his father right across his face and sent him spinning.
"How DARE you scare me like that, you stupid monk?!"
Everybody
froze and gawked, even Kouga. "She MUST have some demon in her,"
Mikiro heard him murmur with a smirk.
Miroku caught
himself, looking dizzy, then turned around to defend himself, only to be hugged
moments later by the same woman that had hit him. He blinked.
"Uh...Sango?"
"Are you
all right?"
"Umm,
well, relatively, yes, but about your punching me just now--"
She gave him a
harsh, sudden squeeze around his neck that shut him up. "Don't you ever
scare me that way again," she hissed into his shoulder. She was crying!
She was really crying! "Never again...I'll kill you if you ever pull
something that stupid again in your LIFETIME..."
Mikiro felt
bad for her. She was sad enough all the time, but now Miroku had made her
sadder. //Mommy said that he liked to make girls cry. I didn't think he was
that mean, but I think I understand now. She likes him and she didn't want him
to die, just like me only more...grown-ups are--//
"Grown-ups
are weird," Shippo said before he could finish his thought. The boy nodded
his agreement.
Kagome knelt
down and took Mikiro's chin, then sighed and gave him a hug. He blushed, shyly.
"Are you okay, Mikiro? Not hurt?"
He shook his
head.
"Good. We
were scared, but I have to admit, that was a smart thing you did back there to
keep us in. Kirara had to break the doors down, and by the time that happened,
there were already demons trying to break in. We're lucky Kouga showed up, or
we'd all be toast."
"You're
really brave," Shippo added, patting his head. "That wasn't smart,
but it was brave. I saw what you did, too--how you saved your Dad. That was
definitely cool of you."
Suddenly,
another pair of funny-looking people dropped from the trees, followed by many
more. Two of them came up behind the one that had shown up first, Kouga, and
bowed. "We've finished the hunt," one said.
The other one
nodded. "We have enough food to feed several clans."
"Good,
get it back to camp and get the others fed."
Suddenly, a
girl one walked up, and Kouga suddenly looked a bit more tense. She had really
bright red hair and pretty eyes, but she had a tail too, just like him. "I
should hope you weren't getting any ideas, Kouga," she spat at him,
surprising him. "I mean, you still owe me a marriage, after all."
He blinked,
then gulped and looked at Kagome over his shoulder. The girl demon looked too,
then frowned. "Uh...no ideas, Ayame, and I know. We've been busy with all
the hunts, though, so--"
"Excuses,
excuses," she scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. She felt mad at Kagome,
Mikiro sensed, and mad at Kouga for liking Kagome. Mikiro privately wondered
why he didn't just like this girl, Ayame. She was pretty too, after all, and
she was his kind.
Then again,
Kagome wasn't Inuyasha's kind either, so kind didn't apply, really. It was all
a love thing, like Mommy said. Mommy said a lot, and she was smart.
He missed her.
Suddenly, the
red-haired lady looked down at him and her expression changed from one of
grouchiness to one of adoration. "OOH! A human-cub! It's so cute!"
She knelt and patted him on his head. "Ohhh," she cooed. "Look,
Kouga! Isn't it sweet?"
Kouga sighed
and put a hand to his forehead. "Ancestors, woman...[1]"
She turned her
head, then looked at him again. "It's a boy or girl? I can't tell."
"A
boy," Kouga said without looking up. "The smell gives it away."
He immediately turned his attention elsewhere, and for some reason, though he
didn't look it, he was REALLY scared all of a sudden. He started talking to the
other two demon-people while Ayame continued to pat Mikiro's head.
He blushed as
she beamed at him. Ladies always made him awkward, especially pretty ones like
Ayame. He didn't know why, but he just got all scared and weird-feeling.
"Oh, who
does he belong to?" she asked, gently petting his hair as if he were a
puppy dog. He realized that this was how some human girls reacted to baby
wolves, so maybe it was sort of the same thing, only backward.
Miroku raised
a hand and she looked at him, then started laughing. He blinked. "What's
so funny?"
"He's
MUCH too cute to belong to YOU!"
Miroku sighed
and shook his head, silently.
Ayame turned
her attention to him yet again and she pinched his cheek, then smiled.
"Ohhh, so cute...Kouga, I want a cub too. Can we have a cub?"
Mikiro blinked
as Kouga's slight fear-factor went through the proverbial roof. //Oh, so he's
scared of little kids,// he thought to himself. //Hmm...Mommy said all men are
afraid of commitment, and I guess somebody strong like Kouga has to be. That
explains why Inuyasha won't tell Kagome he likes her either. Grown-ups make no
sense that way, I guess. I hope I don't grow up.//
~
Meanwhile, not
too far away, someone very familiar to the little boy was having problems of
her own, as she had been for days.
Kiori ducked
as the weird creature soared over her head, then growled as it turned and came
at her again. It was akin to the koketsu, but it flew and its eyes were armored
and well-hidden in its nostrils, therefore unreachable. //I hate my luck, I
really do!// she thought as it swooped back around. She'd never seen this type
of creature before, but once was enough, that was for damn sure. She'd almost
lost her arm so far. //I hate Miroku! Had I never touched him, none of this
would've been necessary!//
She grabbed
the nearest thing to her--a good-sized rock--and launched it into its mouth as
it flew at her, then sighed as the thing spiraled and splattered on the ground
at her feet. It choked a few times, then died, but she barely blinked, because
she had seen things like this many times during her last three years on her
own. This land was dangerous, and though she had spent all her life behind the
walls of the Tatsubashi village, she had learned fast about the youkai of the
area, and taught her son to be as vigilant as she was.
That was
something to smile about. The only good thing that lecherous monk had done for
her had been giving her Mikiro, though sometimes she had wondered if it was a
blessing. It wasn't easy to raise, teach and protect a child, especially one
like her own, but she loved her son dearly, and now that she was away from him,
she realized just how precious he really was. Unlike most children, her baby
boy was special, and he knew how to hold his own, despite the fact that, even
for a toddler, he was small. In later years it would give him an advantage over
opponents, because they would underestimate him, as many did now.
She missed
him, and she was worried that the monk would mess up somewhere and botch all
her hard work by either making him a lazy, womanizing good- for-nothing (just
like him) or getting him killed. Unfortunately, she had no choice. Besides, she
needed to get to the lord to recall that favor he owed her, and then she
wouldn't have to worry.
Well, she'd
have to worry still. There was still the problem of her son having no role
model. She didn't trust men very easily anymore, thanks to a certain liar named
Miroku, but she couldn't just let him grow up without someone of his own gender
to look up to. He was of an age that he would begin to mold himself after
whatever he observed, and she had known that, if he didn't have a father-figure,
he would become like her, uncaring, cold and probably disliking of everyone.
This was yet another reason why she had set him with his father. Miroku was a
fool, but deep inside, he HAD to be a good man, he just had to be, and besides,
at least he was a man.
Well--a male,
anyway. What kind of man would seduce and leave an immature girl?
/'I love
you...'/
"I didn't
hit him hard enough," she muttered as she continued on her way, passing
the koketsu-bat crossbreed. With an aggravated growl, she kicked it aside and
grabbed the walking-stick she had received from a kind old tavern- owner and
her granddaughter. "Out of my way, demon, I have a lord to find."
It issued a
bubbly choke before dying completely.
"That man
is being difficult," she said, snatching her satchel from the ground
nearby. "He is hiding from me, or running, but I will find him. Still...if
he is much further than this point, I might just start disliking him as much as
I do Miroku."
Suddenly, a
floaty, snide voice drifted from the rocks nearby, catching her off-guard.
"Did I hear the name...Miroku?"
She froze and
spun about, walking-stick held ready to strike down the nearest enemy, but her
guard dropped the moment her eyes fell across the shadowy face of a familiar
witch. "Arundel?"
"Hello,
my lady. It has been long since I last saw you, but it seems that the years
have changed you."
She sighed.
This woman had been a resident of her village, a gypsy witch, and though she
didn't know her face (no one did, in fact), she recognized her nonetheless. She
just had something about her. "Yes; motherhood, exposure and the lust for
revenge have weathered away my beauty."
"I think
not. Your own anger have done this for you, my lady."
"Why are
you here, Arundel?"
The cloaked
woman stepped closer, her dark lips curving into a smirk. "I was in the
area when I sensed your aura," she hissed. Her voice was of a way that she
could do no better than that, and it made her eerie, but she was a good soul.
"And when you spoke that TERRIBLE name," she continued, "I could
not help but come into the open. I saw you battle that youkai just now, by the
by. You are quite the fighting spirit."
"I do
what I must to survive. Why does the name Miroku provoke you into
speaking?"
"Oh, that
horrible creature. If anything, I would omit the name from your memory, but
being that you love him so, I could not do so."
She blushed,
suddenly angry. "I do NOT love that bastard!" she shrieked.
Arundel
chuckled. "Dear child, do not try to fool me, for in truth, you fool no one
but yourself." Kiori didn't have an answer, so the woman continued.
"You search for a lord, I hear? There are many lords in this land--why
just the one? With a little make-up and a smile you could easily ensnare any
man you wanted."
//Any one but
Miroku,// she thought. Then, she frowned deeper. //Actually, I probably could
capture his fancy, but never his heart.// "I am in search of one with more
power than any other whom owes me a favor."
"Ah, I
see it now. You look for Lord Sesshomaru, I sense. He is a very restless man,
and hard to find. However, if you would like my help, I could EASILY assist in
locating him."
She blinked.
"You could?"
Arundel
nodded. "Indeed, my lady. Sit, and I will show you."
Kiori lowered
herself into a proper sitting position, then watched as the witch knelt herself
and placed her hands into position, pressing them flat against one another.
Arundel pressed her middle fingers together and pushed her palms apart, keeping
her other fingers touching and locking the joints in the ones she was using. A
ball of light appeared in the hollow area between her hands. //This has always
been so strange...//
"Look
into the ball and you will see the location of the lord you seek."
Kiori looked,
then blinked as a familiar form of a man with long, silvery hair appeared,
accompanied by a very little girl and a little bug-like demon with a staff
decked with heads. They were in the vicinity, she could tell, because of the
landscape. She was in luck! "Oh, thank the gods. I can take my son back from
that idiot soon..."
"Indeed
you can, my lady, but be cautioned. The fool you speak of is not a safe
protector for your child."
She stood and
took up her walking-stick again, then sighed. "I knew that when I handed
him over. I thank you, Arundel, and it has been nice seeing you again. I wish
you luck in your travels to come, wherever you are headed."
The woman
stood and bowed, the sphere disappearing from her hands. "You are quite
welcome, my lady, and I wish you luck as well. Be wary, though, for it is a
cold night, and though the day is nigh, danger lurks about in every
crevice."
Kiori nodded
and sighed, then turned away from the witch and drew her cloak closer. //Soon,
Little Mi, soon you will be with me again, and then I may feel joy again, if only
just a little.//
**** ~
Inuyasha's
gang decided to leave the mansion before sunrise, thanks to the threat of more
youkai coming to attack them. They had burdened the poor lord and his people
enough, anyway. So, they trekked out into the woods a little bit and made camp,
but there was no worry of another demon attack, because Kouga insisted on
staying. Of course, this was due to Kagome, not because he actually CARED. He
sent Ayame back to his own camp with the rest of his warriors so they could
bring the dead demon meat to his people, so they wouldn't be hungry while he
was gone, telling the pretty demon-girl that she had to protect them in his
absence. Mikiro had a sneaking suspicion that this wasn't the only reason he
had sent Ayame away, but he didn't bother asking. It seemed to him that Kouga
was a violent kind of man, but he was being nice because he wanted Kagome to
like him. Shippo had said something about wanting to make her like him, because
he thought she liked nice demons, but he wasn't very good at it. Grown-ups made
no sense, so why bother trying to figure them out?
Kouga and
Inuyasha had undertaken a small argument before Kagome had broken it up (after
the words dog-turd and wimpy-wolf had come out), and now the tired young man
was asleep, but he was keeping his head in her lap, probably to keep Kouga from
trying anything silly or bad. She'd fallen asleep with him. Miroku had gone off
to meditate about something, and though Sango demanded he stay, he went anyway
and made her stay behind, but she sent Kirara after him, just in case. Then,
she went to sleep. Hachi had disappeared sometime after the siege of the
mansion, and Shippo had fallen asleep on Mikiro almost an hour ago, so that
left the only conscious and present people in the group at a resounding two,
the boy and the wolf-man.
He sighed and
squirmed out from under the fox-boy, then scooted closer to Kouga, who was
busying himself with trying to figure out something he'd found in Kagome's bag.
It was a square with lots smaller squares on it in different colors, and he was
turning and twisting it, but it just kept getting more and more mixed up. He
looked confused and angry. Curious, Mikiro peeked at it. "What's
that?" he asked, shyly.
Kouga looked
up at him for a moment, then back down at it with a frown, staring at some
little symbols on the side. "A r...rubix...Rubix Cube..."
"What
does it do?"
"It
pisses me off, THAT'S what it does!"
"Can I
see it?"
With a sigh,
he handed it over, and Mikiro started playing with it. He quickly discovered
that the colors were supposed to match up on each side, and he started matching
them. Kouga stared. "How OLD are you?"
"Three
years old, I think."
"HOW
old?"
He paused,
then started counting on his fingers. When he ran out, he started on his toes,
then Kouga's clawed fingers and toes. He frowned. "Thirty...seven full
moons? Yes, my birthday was last month."
Kouga gawked.
"How--?!" Then, he paused and shook his head. "Hn."
Mikiro could
sense that the man was upset over something. He probably felt sort of dumb, and
in truth, he seemed kind of dumb, but then again, almost everybody felt stupid
around Mikiro, or so he had heard. "You seem smart," he said,
carefully.
Kouga looked
at him. "Huh?"
"You know
more things about people," he said. "Can you...tell me
something?"
"Why not,
I haven't got anything better to do." But he could sense that Kouga didn't
not like him as much as he had a moment ago. It was probably because Mikiro had
called him smart.
He finished
the cube thing, then set it down and frowned. "Can you tell me what a
father is?"
Kouga blinked.
"A father?"
"Yes. I
need to know."
"Well..."
he paused, frowning and thinking a moment. "A...father...that's human
terminology...OH, a SIRE! That's right. Well, a FATHER is...the person that--"
he paused again, looking at Mikiro. "Um, makes a child...inside his
dam--er, mother."
Mikiro frowned
himself. "Is that all?"
"Is there
supposed to be more?"
He sighed,
then shook his head. "No, I guess not...I was just hoping that a Daddy and
a father were the same thing..."
Kouga blinked.
"What's a daddy?"
Mikiro looked
up and blinked back at him. A grown-up that didn't know something? How
interesting! "Well, my Mommy told me that a Daddy is a man that takes care
of and loves a child...what do YOU call that?"
He shrugged
his broad shoulders, looking confused. "A si--er, father. We have no
special term for a male parent but that."
"So what
does a father do where you come from?"
Kouga sat back
against a dead log that had fallen nearby and folded his arms, looking
thoughtful. "It depends...in my clan, a father creates the child, and if
the child is male--er, a boy--he helps to train him."
"Train?"
"Teach.
He teaches his cubs, and defends them. Caring is a mother's job, but sometimes
fathers do that too...it really just...depends."
Mikiro
blinked. What a novel concept! A father could care too? "Does that mean
that, maybe, a father can be a Daddy too?"
Kouga paused
again. It seemed like thinking was a hard thing for him, but that was okay.
Mikiro knew the feeling! "You said a Daddy is one who cares and defends
the child, and a father is one who makes one so...yeah, I guess so...a Daddy
could be a father."
"Hmm..."
He frowned again, then looked up as someone else suddenly walked up. He sensed
Kouga's fear shoot through the roof again, and he looked up. He was unsurprised
to see Ayame standing over them.
"Ayame! I
told you to--"
"Yes,
well, I wanted to ask you something," she said, untruthfully. Mikiro could
feel she was guilty, because she was lying, but it wasn't a really bad reason
for lying. She felt scared for some reason, maybe for herself or for Kouga.
Either way, girls were allowed to be scared. "But I heard your talking and
I thought I'd interrupt."
Kouga scowled,
then turned his nose up and didn't say anything. He was embarrassed about
talking for some reason! He was really proud of himself most of the time,
though. What was that word? Arrogance?
Ayame sat down
on Mikiro's other side and smiled. "I know more about Mommies and Daddies
than Kouga ever could," she said, smiling. "After all, he makes it a
point to not like humans, but I don't mind them too much."
"Could
you tell me, then? Can a father be a Daddy?"
"Yes, of
course! A father can care and take care of his child if he chooses to, and that
would make him a Daddy. Of course, a Daddy doesn't ALWAYS have to be a
father."
Kouga and
Mikiro both looked at her, confused. Even WOLF grown-ups made no sense!
"That doesn't make sense," Kouga said for him.
She frowned.
"I thought you didn't CARE."
"I don't,
but you make no sense, and if you're not going to make sense, then don't
talk."
Mikiro blinked
as he heard exactly what she thought of that comment-- literally.
//YOU talk all
the time, and you NEVER make sense, so why should *I* stop now when I DO?//
He blinked
again. She hadn't said anything, but he had heard it. Scary! "Could you
please explain, Ayame-san?"
She smiled at
him, turning her attention away from Kouga again. "Well, Daddy is a human
term--term means word, just in case you don't know, little one--for a grown-up
man that a youth--child--cares for and respects. A father is someone that gives
a youth the life to live. Now, while a father CAN be a Daddy if he wants to be,
he doesn't have to be one, like many fathers aren't, but a man that ISN'T a
child's father can still be a Daddy of sorts to them. You see now?"
He smiled up
at her. She was such a smart person! Too bad Kouga wasn't, but he liked him too
anyway. So not ALL demons were monsters after all! He knew four perfectly nice
ones now--Shippo, Inuyasha, Kouga and Ayame! Mommy would be proud of him for
making friends with different people. "Yes, thank you."
"Whatever."
He was mad
that Ayame was smarter than him, Mikiro just knew it. It was sad. With a sigh,
he picked up the cube and looked at it, then handed it to Kouga.
"Here."
Kouga blinked,
then growled and leered at the thing, looking mad, but Ayame took it from him
and set it back in Kagome's bag, so he wouldn't break it. "Stupid thing
was broken," he said, finally.
Mikiro nodded,
smiling. Maybe just a LITTLE lie wouldn't hurt. "I think so. I probably
couldn't have finished it if you didn't already have it almost done."
"I
DID?"
"Yes, it
was only a few turns until it was done." He was lying, but he could tell
that it made Kouga feel better, and it wasn't going to hurt him, anyway. If
anything, it made things easier. Lying was still bad, but this was okay.
"I think I'll sleep now."
"Goodnight,
little human cub!" Ayame said, beaming.
Kouga looked
at him a moment, then offered a smile himself. That was enough for Mikiro.
He sighed,
then got down on the ground next to Shippo, who was splattered on his back,
lying with his arms and legs splayed out in all directions. He laid down and
put his head on the fox-boy's stomach, then sighed and got comfortable. He
still wanted to go back and thank that old woman that had given him his new
robe, because now he wasn't as cold anymore.
Mikiro watched
as Ayame whispered something to Kouga, then took a fuzzy cloak from her
shoulders and draped it over his. With a smile to Mikiro, she left.
Kouga felt
confused, even though his expression didn't show it. It had something to do
with Ayame. //Grown-ups make no sense...// he thought. "She likes
you," he whispered to him.
The wolf-man
looked at him a while, his expression unreadable and his feelings even more in
a jumble. After a moment, he climbed to his feet and took off the cloak Ayame
had left him, then shook it out and dropped it over Mikiro.
He blinked,
then shifted. Yes, this was more comfortable, but what about Kouga? Did he care
if he got cold, or CAUGHT a cold? Curiously, he peeked out, then blinked as
Kouga knelt near the fire and sighed to himself, looking thoughtful. //I hope
he'll be okay,// he thought. He could tell that the young man was having
trouble dealing with something, though exactly what it was remained unclear. It
had something to do with Ayame, he could tell, but something to do with Kagome
too. It was so confusing, but maybe it was better to leave it alone. He sighed,
then cuddled back down under the animal-skin cloak. //Yep...// he thought.
//Grown-ups make no sense...//
~
Not too far
away, Mikiro's father was having logic problems of his own, but for different
reasons, for as the creatures of the night stirred all around the still form of
the monk, he didn't move a muscle. This wasn't because of any real bravery,
though--he was unconscious.
The beasts,
carnivorous and not, were confused at this as they gathered above and around
him. Why would a human who was alive lie so still? Even sleeping, they shifted
and breathed heavily, but this one was so odd that it was hard to tell he was
breathing at all. Judging from his clothing, the wisest of these creatures, a
wild python youkai, could recognize that he was a holy-man of some sort, and
they were usually vigilant, not to mention hard to catch and kill. He was under
a spell of some sort, ensorcelled by some evil. The smell of evil was radiating
from within his body, contained in the very sweat that beaded on his brow and
the air that escaped his lungs in soft, almost undetectable breaths.
What's more,
it was so intense that the beasts almost feared for him, but they feared being
near him more, so they fled, leaving the monk to whatever fate awaited him.
****
[1] "Ancestors,
woman..."--I was trying to find a more ancient-sounding way of having a
guy say something like 'Jesus, woman!' I tried, people, give me a break!
Xandra: Okay,
it's HALF-POINT CONTEST TIME! Can anybody remember how many times our little
Mi-chan has said or thought that "grown-ups make no sense" so far
throughout the story WITHOUT LOOKING? If you take a well-educated guess and
nail it on the head, I'll mention you in the next chapter (you could even have
a cameo in it, if you wanted [we'd have to talk about it, though]). If you
cheat, however, by looking back, I might just get mad and not post the next
part (I can tell these kinds of things, you know). Guess without looking, and
if nobody gets it exactly, I'll take the person or people that get close
without peeking. Be honest, and no sneaking looks without telling the author,
because it's mean. WELL? TAKE A GUESS AND THANX FOR READING! ^_^
*The cast
suddenly walks into Xandra's office and they all stare at her*
Xandra:
*blink* Can I help y'all with something?
Rin: I'm
happy! I'm gonna be in the story too, right Sandra-san?
Xandra:
*smiles and pats her head* Of course. You might even get to play with Mikiro.
Rin: OOH! YAY!
Sesshomaru:
*toneless* Why am I even IN this pointless publication?
Xandra:
Because there was a request for Rin to be in the story and you're her
guardian--and besides, many women think you're a babe and a half, Sesshy.
Kagome/Sango:
HECK yeah.
Miroku/Inuyasha:
*sweatdrop*
Sesshomaru:
*nods* I see.
Miroku: Must
you make me seem like such a bad person?
Xandra: Hey,
you're lucky Kiori hasn't mangled you, monk.
Miroku: I
still don't remember--
Xandra: You
will. (((^_^)))
Miroku: OKAY?
//-_-\\< I think I'm just going to leave now...
Xandra: *smax
him upside the head with her computer keyboard, then watches him hit the floor*
STAY boy! I need you for my story!
Miroku:
*cross-eyed* Mary had a little lamb who's fleece was white as...(THUD)
Shippo: Ouch.
Inuyasha:
Well, I warned him.
Shippo: You
did?
Inuyasha:
^-__-^ *smax Shippo*
Xandra: HEY!
Only I hit characters around here, bub, and--HEY! I'M the only one allowed to
use the X in place of KS!
Inuyasha: Oh
yeah? Who says?
Shippo:
(Oww...) She's the author, and that makes her God around here.
Inuyasha:
*does a double take* WHA??? The AUTHOR?!? *stares, then blinks as Xandra
gestures to the nameplate on her desk reading: XANDRA, AUTHOR OF DADDY DEAREST*
(My foot loves to live in my mouth, doesn't it?) Oops.
Xandra: Okay,
you asked for it. *whistles and Kagome walks up* Do the honors.
Kagome: (I've
been waiting for SIX CHAPTERS for this!) *SIT*, BOY!
Inuyasha: ACK!
(THUD)
Xandra: Like I
said, I hit characters, but SHE sits them. Thanx, Kag, and I'd like to thank
the rest of my cast for being such good sports...unfortunately, half the main
cast is out cold right now, so I can't. But, thanx to my readers. Hope you had
fun! (Yes, someone call the cops, I AM killing time.) Say bye, y'all!
Kagome: Oh,
we're being watched? Creepy, but neat! BYE! *waving*
Sesshomaru:.........(Why
must humans be so irrelevant?)
Xandra: (Heard
that, Sesshy-chan!)
Sesshomaru:
...............?!?!
Kirara: Mew!
Sango:
Goodbye!
Shippo: Cool,
PEOPLE! *waving* Bye! *pulls Inuyasha's ear and Miroku's ponytail* Say bye-bye,
boys!
Inuyasha/Miroku:
...buh-bye...
Xandra: *beam*
Yes, I am evil. REVIEW PEEPS, REVIEW, and don't forget my contest! Now that I
think of it, you WOULD get a cameo, and think of how much fun THAT would be!
Being a co-author AND a character! NO CHEATING, THOUGH, or NOBODY wins! (PS:
Like my personalized faces for 'Roku-sama and Inu-chan?[//-_-\\< and ^-_-^]
I thought they were cute. And yes, this is what I look like: (((^_^))) Yes, if
you people wanna use them, feel free, but don't forget to mention that Xandra
invented them. [I have Gundam Wing ones too...sad, ne?]) Laterz, and don't
forget to review! The more reviews I get, the faster I write, and long ones are
especially appreciated!