Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

The Other Side of Kazaana	By : szaugg Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 19841 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Disclaimer: don�t own jack of inuyasha, and I
don�t make jack off of him either.

A/N Hey, I said I wrote 40 pages, didn�t I? So I can stick the first
few chapters out pretty quickly. Pretty much.
Editing quality isn�t so good, I know, but I just need to get this out here and
out of my head so I can get on with what I�m supposed to be doing, jeesh! Someday you can all read the �edited so it
doesn�t suck so bad� version.

Chapter 3 � Saving Miroku

Inuyasha froze in his hiding spot as he watched Miroku walk over and stand next to Naraku.
His eyes shot back and forth in disbelief between the
looked-exactly-like-he-remembered Miroku and the new,
paler, baby-faced Miroku.
What the hell?
He listened as both Miroku�s accused the other of
being false, watched as Naraku and the clothed Miroku discussed the sexual abuse of the Miroku he�d chained down, and he shook his head, trying to
figure it out.
Were there really two Miroku�s? Or
was this an elaborate plot to make him think that the paler one was
innocent? He snorted silently to himself. It wasn�t going to
fucking work. He�d been lied to and taken in too many times by Naraku and Miroku to believe this
wasn�t just another set-up. The bastards had obviously found out about
his plans for revenge and decided to use it to their advantage. They
probably just wanted to plant a spy. Well, they could damn well screw the
pretty little Miroku until they were blue in the
face; he wasn�t going to come down and save him. Although he would
wait until they were too occupied with their toy to notice when he came to kick
their asses.
When the warrior Miroku disrobed, however, Inuyasha hit a snag; not all of him was equally convinced
that this was a ploy. Whatever mental plans he�d made, his demon half had
some rather strenuous objections to the idea of someone else taking the small
male he�d restrained.   He struggled to control it. Just
because part of him thought that this new Miroku was
infinitely more fuckable than the previous one was no
reason to screw up the planning of over 2 years. He�d had everything
finally all set up for a year now, and he wasn�t going to let a few days of
peeping at a naked man seduce him into ruining it all!
He clamped down on the rising tide of youkai in
his blood as he watched the smaller Miroku lose his
brief battle with the other, and clenched his teeth to hold back a growl as the
heavily muscled man started talking of the different ways he was planning to
take him. His claws dug into his fists to keep from attacking when he
thought oral sex was about to happen. And his youkai
was almost insane to go out and tear the nasty duo apart when Naraku started talking of Little Miroku
seeking death rather than let himself be raped.

He tried to persuade all of himself that this was a trick. They were
just fucking with his head again, he knew it. They must be.
And he�d picked the perfect spot for them to do it, too. This far away,
his own stupid plan was defeating him, because he couldn�t smell a damn
thing. He couldn�t tell that the smooth skinned Miroku
was faking his fright, even though he had to be.   And without being
able to tell that, his youkai wouldn�t believe
it. It believed his eyes and his ears, and those were telling him that
what seemed like an innocent man was about to be raped before his eyes while he
did nothing to stop it.
The man had to be the best actor in the world, too. He had to
be. Because when his face was exposed to Naraku, and coincidentally to Inuyasha,
he looked�terrified. Young and vulnerable and
absolutely terrified. Inuyasha started
cursing under his breath.
�Fucking idiot. I�ve gotta
be the biggest fucking idiot in the world, falling for this shit twice! Dammit! A stupid, moronic, dumbass!� He felt his youkai
grab hold, and he let it. It was a mistake, he
knew it was, but that damned face�he would never get that beautiful, terror
stricken face out of his head if he watched this, no matter how false he knew
it to be. He�d have to stop them, and then he�d figure out what to
do. And the only way to do that at the moment was to let his youkai out a bit. Otherwise, he�d never be able to
take both Naraku and Miroku
on and keep them away from their plaything.
He just hoped the youkai would go back quietly
this time. It had been getting a bit antsy lately, so even his meditative
exercises weren�t enough to calm it when it fought him. And it had been
fighting him a lot. But he couldn�t think of any other way�
Shit, here went nothing.

Miroku heard Inuyasha
yelling growls and curses and the monk cried out as he was immediately released
by the ronin. He wallowed helplessly on the
ground for a moment, almost sobbing with relief that his friend hadn�t left him
there. He hadn�t left him alone for Naraku and this
frightening, horrible copy of himself to sexually abuse. Struggling to
find a way to stand up when his arms were completely restrained and useless, he
managed to roll over and sit up, getting to his knees carefully. By the
time he finally made it to his feet, Inuyasha, Naraku, and a
nude but armed Ronin Miroku
were battling by the edge of the meadow. Inuyasha
actually seemed to be winning, slashing at everything he could reach with a
smooth, lethal viciousness that was astounding. Sniffling slightly, Miroku backed as far from the battle as his chains would
allow and hunched down in among the flowers. He hadn�t cared if he was
naked in front of Inuyasha, aside from the cold, but
his lack of clothing in front of Naraku and his
lackey made him squirm painfully. He didn�t want that man touching him
again, ever. He didn�t want him touching him, or looking at him, or even
fucking thinking of him.
He shuddered, rocking himself back and forth slightly as he watched the
three males fighting, trying to focus on their movements rather than curl up
and hide from them all as a part of himself was
screaming to do. He just wanted to get away from everything. He could
still hear his own voice in his head pleading for that bastard to stop and it
made him so ashamed that he shuddered all over again, pressing his knees more
tightly to his chest as he continued to rock, staring.
His eyes widened as Naraku suddenly turned towards
him. Looking his direction with cold eyes, he smiled and carefully pulled
off part of his body and threw it, spear-like, in Miroku�s
direction. Miroku couldn�t move. He knew
he had to get out of the way, but he just couldn�t move for a moment, and when
he finally got his frozen body to follow his orders, he found that it didn�t
matter. Rolling to the side, he watched as the spear changed course to
follow. He couldn�t run with the shackles still attached, and as he
struggled across the ground, the spear followed his every move.   It
was near enough that he was certain he would be impaled when Inuyasha flew in front of him and clawed the projectile in
mid-air. Miroku sagged against the
ground.
�Gods, I thought� Thank you, Inuyasha.� He
said gratefully, then surprised himself by sobbing
once, �Thank you so much.� He whispered, looking over at their enemies as he
spoke only to find that they�d used the opportunity to flee. �Aaaah, I�m sorry. I�m sorry, if it weren�t for
me� I�m sorry, they escaped. I didn�t mean to be so�.�
Ice crawled across Miroku�s skin as Inuyasha turned before he finished his sentence and he
found himself the focus of eyes the color of new blood.
Inuyasha had lost control?
Miroku stayed perfectly still. Maybe if he
didn�t seem enough of a challenge, the youkai would
ignore him in favor of chasing down Naraku. The
youkai walked slowly towards him and he closed his
eyes. He wasn�t going to follow Naraku then;
he�d seen him. There was no chance against the hanyou
in this state; he wouldn�t survive. At least the end would be swift,
though, unlike the death he would have had if the hanyou
hadn�t arrived. He hoped that thought might comfort his friend when he
came to his senses. Miroku wouldn�t hold it
against him; Kagome would know that, she�d make sure he realized it,
someday.
Inuyasha�s voice growled, �Kawaii.
Ningen.
Kagome no Jitensha.�
Miroku�s shackles snapped open with the words of the
spell, along with his eyes. He stared as Inuyasha
reached down and scooped him up, slicing through the leather restraining his
hands and then cradling him against his chest as he leapt out the of the meadow and into the depths of the forest. Miroku tried to stay as still as possible. What was Inuyasha doing? Was a part of him still fighting for
possession of himself? Was he still trying to save Miroku?
Or was he simply carrying him off to kill somewhere else?
Inuyasha eventually came to an old giant of a tree
and leapt up to the heights, settling against the trunk on one of the larger
limbs and letting Miroku slide down sideways onto his
lap. Miroku shivered violently as the wind swept
over his naked body, and Inuyasha undid his suikan and laid it on top of the monk, pulling him in close
to his chest as he wrapped his arms around him and leaned his face on top of
the monk�s hair.
He�s not going to kill me, Miroku thought in
wonder. Whatever�s going on, he�s not going to kill me, at least not
right away.
�You smell afraid.� Inuyasha growled above his
head.
He swallowed. �Yes.�
�Of me?�
�Y-yes.�
Inuyasha growled and he tensed, expecting the feel
of claws sinking in through the cloth over his body. �It smells old and
new, both. You were afraid of our enemies?�
�Yes.� Miroku whispered faintly.
�You did not wish to rut with the ronin.� It was a
statement more than a question.
�No.� he said, his voice breaking slightly.
�Then it is good that you were protected.� Inuyasha
said complacently, and Miroku let out a watery
laugh.
�Oh Gods yes.� He said, closing his eyes and
leaning his head against Inuyasha�s warm chest.
�Thank you for that.� He said ferverently.

�It should have been done sooner.� Inuyasha said
angrily. �You are owed an apology.�
�No, that�s not necess-�
�Inuyasha will give you one when he returns.
He is responsible for letting his fear become so great that he ignores what he
should already know. You are owed an apology.�
That had made no sense whatsoever. What did fear have to do with when Inuyasha arrived? Although the
implications in Inuyasha naming himself in the third
person were�interesting. Was he gaining control of his
blood? Or was his blood itself losing some of its murderous fury?
�Sleep, little ningen.
I will keep watch.� Inuyasha�s hand moved up to
stroke down Miroku�s hair as the monk sighed.

He stared out at the forest canopy, remembering.
�Close your eyes, little one.� Inuyasha�s voice
rumbled behind him.
Little
one?

�You are safe. Nothing will harm you here. Close
your eyes and sleep.� The whisper swirled through his hair and floated into his
ear, soothing, and he let himself go, curling up against the hanyou�s warmth as he escaped and slept.

Inuyasha came to himself sitting in the largest
tree in the woods, holding an unconscious Miroku in
his arms. His head ached liked a son of a bitch, and he knew his stupid youkai had done it on purpose, to punish him for what it
saw as pigheaded behavior that had harmed a person it liked.
�Stupid bastard, you could have at least tried to sleep.� He
grumbled, and looked down at the man in his lap. He winced as he saw the
faint bruising on his face, suddenly remembering how he had backhanded him
after he�d had him chained.
And then I let him almost get raped.
He closed his eyes in shame. He could remember everything the youkai had discovered, including the old, damning scent of
fear. His other side had been right: this other Miroku
hadn�t been acting. He�d been frightened. Not that fear necessarily
marked him as an enemy of Naraku�s. Hell,
everyone knew Kagura had been scared to death of the
bastard; she still did his dirty work until she�d regained her heart.
This Miroku might be the same, in bondage and
frightened but still working for the enemy. Although if that were the
case, Inuyasha was still glad he�d stopped the rape,
even if it was at the last minute. No one deserved that, whether they
were innocent or unwillingly controlled. And he hadn�t deserved Inuyasha�s treatment either. Whatever else he
believed, seeing the two together had made it clear in his mind that this
Miroku was not the one who�d betrayed them all.
This Miroku hadn�t been his lover.
Still, a fear on a man�s face meant little, in the end. The world was too
complicated for this one small thing to prove the faithfulness of the Miroku curled up in his arms.
A man�s fear wouldn�t make Inuyasha trust
him.
But it did make him willing to give the man a chance to prove himself.
And considering how much his youkai wanted him,
giving him a chance already had Inuyasha�s mind
thinking along paths that he had thought dead and burned to ashes by now.
The man was just so damn easy on the eyes.
He looked at Miroku closely. Looked at him
and tried to notice him this time rather than recognizing the face and seeing
everything else through a red haze of hatred and rage. This Miroku looked young. That was his first
thought. The man looked very, very young. Ronin
Miroku was�27 now? The Miroku
in his arms barely looked out of his teens, if that. Not only was his
face free from the weathering that marked the Ronin,
but his muscles were wiry and slim like a boys rather than the heavy,
well-developed muscles of an older man. Peeking at the pale, soft skin
where the suikan had fallen away from Miroku�s body, Inuyasha swallowed
faintly and made a point of moving his eyes somewhere else.
Quickly.
Miroku�s ears were pierced with small, golden
hoops that for some reason made a statement in Inuyasha�s
head. He didn�t know why the hoops seemed to fit so perfectly, why they
exemplified this new Miroku to him, but they
did. He had a feeling that whatever happened, he was going to remember
the small golden circles whenever he thought about him.
It was rather odd to see Miroku with short hair,
he thought, examining him further. Without the tie to hold it back, it
was laying against his cheek, brushing his collar bone in fluttering waves as
the breeze blew it softly. It reinforced Inuyasha�s
belief in Miroku�s youth, giving the impression that
the young man hadn�t lived long enough to grow it out to a proper length like
an adult. It was actually rather endearing, he thought, raising a clawed
finger to catch a small ribbon of it as it float in the soft wind. He
rolled the strands between his fingers, enjoying their texture. And their smell. As he sat and inhaled, he finally
realized that there was a very small, slight difference in the smell of this Miroku versus the ronin. He
didn�t know if he would have caught it without fighting the other bastard so
recently.
This Miroku smelled�whole. It was as though
the Miroku he was familiar with had been missing
something.   The difference between a molding and a statue, one hollow
and the other one made of pure stone down to its core. They could be made
to resemble each other, but a person could always feel the difference in the
weight. The younger Miroku smelled solid and
complete, like the statue that the ronin always pretended
to be. Maybe that�s why Inuyasha�s youkai had liked him so much. It put a lot of store
in the smell of a person.
The slim, beautiful body didn�t hurt, either.
At least, it didn�t hurt until his stupid erection refused to go down
again. Dammit. He grumbled and stood up on the
branch, smoothing his suikan over Miroku�s
back and bottom as it flapped open. If he didn�t start running, the poor
man was going to wake up with a massive hard-on pressing against him.
That�s the last thing he needed, after what had happened to him. Inuyasha sighed and leapt lightly off the tree, trying to
move smoothly enough not to jostle the still sleeping youth in his arms as he
headed back to Kaede�s.

Miroku woke to snarling and yelling.
Didn�t I just do this?
�What did you do to him?! Inuyasha, you
stupid idiot, you better not have hurt him or I swear I�ll have Kouga kick you from here to the mainland!�
�Dammit, be quiet! Can�t you tell he�s
asleep?! You�re gonna wake him up!� Inuyasha�s voice yelled back.
A pause.
�Oh. He�s not hurt then?� Kagome whispered, and then suddenly started
yelling again. �Hey! What happened to his clothes?? What did you do
to him???�
�N-nothing! I didn�t-
I mean, I took his clothes, but not for that! Shit, will
you shut up, woman!�
Miroku cleared his throat as he opened his eyes,
holding absolutely still for a moment as he realized he was being held in Inuyasha�s arms. He looked up to see golden eyes and
sighed in relief before tensing up again. The youkai�s
red gaze had been frightening, but the golden eyed Inuyasha
was the one who had chained and struck him. What was he planning on doing
to him? Would he even remember what he�d seen? Would he remember
the other Miroku?
Inuyasha winced slightly. �Crap, don�t look
at me like that.� He muttered, staring down at him. �Look, I�m sorry,
okay? For everything. I just thought you
were��
�That other man.� Miroku
finished, starting to relax slightly. Inuyasha
remembered, he remembered and he�d seen him. �I understand. He
seems�well, I can understand how he could do things that would make you react
the way you did.� Miroku finished quietly, shuddering
at the remembered feeling of the man pressing against him.
Biting his lip, he finally thought to wonder. What had the man
done? Had he raped one of their party
before? He looked to Kagome and worried. It would make perfect
sense.   It would explain Inuyasha�s
violent reaction, Kaede�s disgust, and it seemed
perfectly in character with the man he�d come into contact with. He was
saddened to realize that there was just enough in his own past to make such an
act not completely unbelievable, if one didn�t really know him very well.
He�d thought they knew him better than that, but then again, Inuyasha wouldn�t be likely to listen to anything but his
own fury after something like this. He would have gone insane with guilt
and rage if Kagome was attacked that way and he hadn�t been able to prevent
it.
That must be it. He wanted to ask to be sure, but it was something so private�
�Kagome, it�s nice to see you again.� He said quietly, a deep sympathy
welling up inside for what she must have gone through. He�d come so close
to having that horror visited upon him that he ached for her. To have had
that terrible man attack her, thinking he was someone she trusted? How
horrific.
Kagome smiled brightly at him. �It�s nice to see you again,
too.� She gave Inuyasha a look. �You can
let him down now, you know. We need to get him some real clothes.�
Grunting, Inuyasha put him on his feet, watching
as Miroku tried to keep the suikan
from dropping out of his hands and exposing him.
�C�mon, M-� Kagome stopped. �You�re name is really Miroku?� she asked, staring at him curiously.
�Yes.� How difficult it must be, if she couldn�t even tell if it was the
real him anymore. It must feel like her rapist was walking behind
her. How could she stand it? He hadn�t even been fully raped, and
he was already starting to feel nervous over the men of the village looking at
him as they walked past.
�Well, Miroku, let�s get to Kaede�s.
I�m sure she can help you find something to wear.�
He nodded and followed her, feeling more and more tense
as they walked away from Inuyasha. His heart
starting racing and he found himself watching everyone around him a little
fearfully. They hadn�t known he wasn�t the ronin,
but nonetheless, these were the same men who�d beaten him last time. What
if they decided to ignore Kagome�s good will and attacked him? He didn�t
have his staff and he was feeling a little shaky, anyway. What if they
attacked him again?
What if they tried to rape him in retaliation for Kagome?
A small group of men passed close by on their way to the fields and his
heart pounded in his chest in reaction. He continued to walk after his friend,
trying his best to ignore the stares coming their way, his breath coming in
small pants at the effort. He could almost feel them watching him,
staring at his half nude body, and his skin crawled. His eyes darting
frantically, he looked for some clear path in case he needed to run.
A throat cleared behind him and he jumped, whirling, to confront�Inuyasha.
�Hey, you want me to come with you?� Inuyasha
asked, his eyes searching Miroku�s face
carefully.
�That would be lovely.� He said, his voice a little
hoarse as the panic started to ebb. �I�d b-be glad of the company.�

Sniffing cautiously, Inuyasha seemed satisfied and
nodded to himself, cautiously putting his arm around Miroku�s
shoulder as they started to walk again. It was an odd gesture, but having
the taller male put his arm around him made him feel�safe. Protected and
very definitely safe from whatever the villagers might decide to do. He
sighed shakily as his heart slowed and he found his equilibrium again.
He felt like an idiot, almost panicking over the presence of a few
men. A total idiot.
He didn�t try to move out from under Inuyasha�s
arm, however. Feeling the weight of it on his shoulder, Miroku looked up at him, considering. He didn�t
recall Inuyasha being quite so tall before.
Trying to remember, Miroku finally decided the hanyou must have gained at least four or five inches; he
was almost as tall as his brother now. How long had Miroku been gone before he appeared in the well? Long enough for Inuyasha to hit a growth
spurt, obviously. How strange.
Inuyasha�s arm shifted again and he pulled Miroku closer a moment as one of the villagers stopped
Kagome to talk to her. Letting himself rest
against Inuyasha�s side until the man departed, Miroku sighed. He was pathetic, frightened of someone
just based on a few minutes worth of unpleasantness. Still, he couldn�t
stop his heart rate from picking up again when Inuyasha
released him at Kaede�s door and leaned against the
wall with crossed arms.
�I�ll wait here for you, houshi Miroku.� He said, looking into Miroku�s
eyes. The hanyou�s smile seemed to coincide
with the slowing beat in his chest. �Don�t worry,
I�ll stick around until you don�t need me, okay?�
�Thank you.� he murmured, following Kagome inside, secure with the
comforting knowledge that Inuyasha would still be
there.

Inuyasha leaned against the wall, glaring around
him aimlessly as he listened with one ear to the conversation going on within
the hut. It had hurt, watching Miroku.
The man�s scent had started to grow heavy with fear within moments of following
Kagome. Inuyasha had been confused at first about
what was upsetting him.� There wasn�t a
threat, as far as he could see. It wasn�t until he saw the man almost
jump out of his skin over the proximity of some villagers that he realized what
was going on. Miroku was frightened of the
villagers. The male ones, mostly.
And it�s all my fault.
If he hadn�t been such a blind, stubborn ass, he could have intervened and
kept the sweeter Miroku from ever being touched by
that bastard with the similar face. But no, he�d been so sure he was
being tricked that he�d let the little guy get molested and almost raped.
And now�Miroku was frightened. He hadn�t
smelled this scared when Inuyasha had him pinned to
the ground the first moment he�d met him, but now just a few male villagers
were enough to send his scent soaring with panic.
Inuyasha moved after them, more relieved than he
wanted to admit when his presence seemed to help Miroku
calm down. He saw another man staring their way, one he actually knew had
a predilection for young men, and put his arm around Miroku�s
shoulders before he thought about the consequences. Miroku�s
scent calmed even more rapidly as he allowed Inuyasha
to loosely embrace him, and Inuyasha felt rather
proud that it did.   The others were worrying the little monk, but his
arms made him feel safe.
It made him feel a lot better than it probably should, knowing that he was
trusted by someone who he didn�t even fully trust yet himself.
Although he was a lot closer to it that he wanted to be, he thought. Especially as the man had really not done anything to earn it.
He�d just�
�.saved most of the children in the village.
�.and turned out not to be Naraku�s Miroku.
�.and acted exactly like someone would who was surprised to discover their
own double. Exactly like someone who was shocked as he was attacked by a
man attempting to rape him.
In other words, he�d done quite a few things that weren�t suspicious in the least.� The problem remained, of course, that he
looked like Miroku, and that he seemed to know all of
them, even though Inuyasha was certain he�d never met
this man before in his life.
They needed to figure out what was going on, and damn soon. He didn�t
like this uncertainty, and he really didn�t like not knowing what to think
about this Miroku. His youkai
had already made up its mind, but he wanted to know more about this.
Looking up as Miroku hesitantly exited Kaede�s hut, he blinked seeing him in a kesa
once again. It seemed so odd to see him in the billowing robes as opposed
to the form fitting armor he was used to.
Although he highly approved of clothing that would give such easy access:
just lift the hem a little and he�d be able to run his hand up those slim legs
and higher to�
�Where the hell did Kaede get some robes?� he
blurted, trying to cover his sudden discomfort.
Eyes guileless and soooo obviously unaware of the
thoughts running through Inuyasha�s head, Miroku looked up at him, running his hand absently down his
kesa. �They belonged to the husband of one of
the village women. It seems that I managed to save one of her nephews,
and she donated it to me as a gesture of thanks. Very
kind of her.� Miroku seemed genuinely
pleased and Inuyasha shook his head. What a
little thing to find pleasure in.
Kagome and Kaede followed Miroku
out, and everyone stood there a moment.
�Sango and Shippou are
back.� Kagome said quietly.
�Shit.�
Miroku looked between the two of them. �This
isn�t a good thing?�
�Not exactly.� Inuyasha
muttered, trying to think. �Have you told them about this Miroku yet?�
Nodding sadly, Kagome sighed. �Sango is
almost positive that we�re still being tricked in some way. You know how
stubborn she is. And Shippou�I don�t know if
he�s old enough that he�ll be able to tell the difference. He�s
terrified, Inuyasha.�
�Terrified? Of me?� Miroku
asked softly, surprised.
�Yeah, you�well, the other you hurt him pretty badly.� Inuyasha
said, trying to think.
�He hurt Shippou? But I
thought�� Miroku blushed slightly and cleared
his throat.
�You thought what?�
Miroku�s eyes dropped to the ground. �I- I
thought� Well, based on his recent actions, I wondered if he had �
attacked Kagome.� He said quietly.
Inuyasha closed his eyes. He thought the
bastard had raped Kagome? That would probably have been a very good
guess, if the asshole had ever shown any interest in women, that is.
Kagome was looking a little confused, but Kaede�s
gaze suddenly sharpened. �Kagome? No, she
emerged relatively unscathed from his time with us, physically at least.
I take it you two had a recent encounter with him as well?�
Inuyasha growled. �Yeah, he attacked Miroku. This Miroku, I
mean.�
Kaede looked at Inuyasha
carefully, her eyes weighing him. �And where were you during all of
this? What have you been doing with Miroku
these past few days?� she asked suspiciously.
Inuyasha opened his mouth, but nothing came
out. How could he tell them what he�d done?
�He merely took me to somewhere isolated, to reflect. He was nearby
when the ronin came.� Miroku
said quietly as he looked back up. �He came and aided me in time, and
that�s what matters, yes?�
A lump grew in Inuyasha�s throat as he saw the man
smile.   Did he really mean that?
�Well, you did seem relatively unbruised.� She
said slowly. �Considering how vicious the ronin can
be, I suppose we should all be happy that it wasn�t worse.�
�I am.� Miroku said sincerely. �I deeply,
deeply appreciate Inuyasha�s timely intervention.�
Inuyasha swallowed hard. Timely?
He said that now, but what would he think if he knew Inuyasha
had been there watching the entire time? Would he still smile softly and
thank him then?
Unlikely.
He sighed. He�d have to tell the man eventually, but for right now,
he�d leave it be. Something for later. �C�mon,�
he said heavily, �we�d better go introduce you to Sango
and Shippou. And don�t worry about Shippou, Kagome.� Inuyasha
added. �There�s a small difference in smell between the two. Once I
can get Shippou to spot it, he should feel
better. It�s really obvious once you know it�s there.�
Kagome smiled, relieved, and the four of them walked towards the edge of the
village until they came to the open field where Sango
was practicing with her hiraikotsu as Shippou and Kirara played quietly
with each other. The three of them turned to face them, and Inuyasha
heard Miroku suck in his breath sharply.
�Blessed Buddha.� He whispered faintly as he looked
at Shippou�s face.
�Yeah, it�s pretty shocking at first. We almost lost him.� Inuyasha whispered, looking at the small face that was
currently staring at Miroku in fear. The huge
scar that ran from the kitsune�s forehead and down to
his jaw had yet to fade and the red, ropy thing stood out against his
face. He wore a patch over the one eye he�d lost, and Inuyasha
was immensely grateful that they�d had Kaede�s
presence as a sterling example that Shippou could
still become a great warrior, even with his reduced vision.
�Oy, Shippou, come
here. I won�t let anything happen, all right!� He yelled, and Shippou hesitated a moment before scampering over to huddle
next to Inuyasha, a high-pitched growl escaping him
as he looked over at Miroku.
�Hey, hey, easy. It�s all right,
squirt. We wouldn�t bring that bastard back here, trust me, eh?� Inuyasha knelt down next to him. �Here, smell him
really carefully. Can you tell the difference? It�s almost the same,
but�fuller.� Shippou�s little nose twitched and he
inhaled. As his eye grew huge, Inuyasha grinned.
�You smell it, too, yeah? He�s not the same man.�
Shippou nodded cautiously, his body relaxing
slightly as Inuyasha patted him on the back and stood
up to face Sango as the taijiya
stalked over.
�What the hell is wrong with you, bringing that bastard back here?? I
thought you out of all of us wouldn�t be fooled a second time!� She glared
hatred at Miroku and Inuyasha
saw the man take a step back from her, his eyes dark and shocked.
�Sango, it�s not him.� Inuyasha
said.
Sango spat at Inuyasha.
�A little smoother skin and he sucks you all in, is
that it? How can you forget so quickly?�
�It�s not him!�
�How could you��
�IT�S NOT HIM! I saw them, Sango! I
saw both of them, together!�
�Then you saw Naraku! You know how he can
disguise himself!�
�No! It was all three, Sango. This man, Miroku, and Naraku.
All of them.�
Sango glared at him.
�All three.� She said flatly.
�Yes. And if you had a nose that wasn�t completely useless, you could
smell it, too. He�s something awfully close, but he�s not the same
man.�
Sango hung her head a moment, but her eyes were
still fierce as she stared back up at Miroku.
�So, you�re not the man who attacked Shippou, is that
it?�
�No.� Miroku�s voice was quiet and sad.
�Fine, I�ll concede that. What the hell were you doing with Naraku and Miroku, though?
Answer that.�
Miroku flushed and looked to Inuyasha
a moment. �They attacked me.� He said shortly.
�Attacked you? And why the hell would they do that? Did you have
a jewel shard?�
�No.� Miroku�s lips were pressed together tightly
as he looked away from her.
�Then why?!�
Inuyasha growled at her. �They attacked him,
all right? You don�t need to know why; it�s none of your damn business
right now. He can tell you himself if he feels like it. Just�for fuck�s
sake, can�t you trust me to not be a complete idiot? I wouldn�t have
brought him back here if I thought he was working with Naraku!
I�m not a fucking moron, ya know!�
Sango deflated slightly. �I know that, Inuyasha, but��
�Look, I�m not saying you have to trust him, or even like him, � Inuyasha tried to pretend he didn�t see the pained flinch
from Miroku, �but we should at least�well, at least
find out what�s going on before we go off half-cocked!�
Sango stood still for long enough that Inuyasha was getting prepared to intervene in case she
attacked Miroku, when she sagged.
�I�ll hear him out.� She said, still staring coldly in Miroku�s
direction. �That�s all I�m promising.� She took a deep breath, and
then smiled a moment at Inuyasha. �Although I
don�t think I�ll ever live down having you tell me not to go off
half-cocked.� She said.
He smiled, reaching out to wrap his arm around Miroku�s
shoulders again. He couldn�t seem to help himself when the pale man�s
scent had grown so�sad.
�All right, then. So, let�s figure out what the hell is going
on.�

A/N oh, for those interested. Words of the spell
Kawaii-cute
Ningen-human
Kagome no jitensha � kagome�s
bicycle
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The Other Side of Kazaana