The Other Side of Kazaana

A/N OMFG, I updated this story! Run for your lives, the world must be ending! :-)
I wish this chapter was better after having waited for such a long time, but it's really not. As usual, I figured you'd waited too darn long and if I still wasn't satisfied with it, I would just have to suck it up and let you read it anyway. I'll try to update sooner next time!
Oh, and thank you so much for all the reviews, and a few of the 'HEY, WHERE'S THE UPDATE, SLACKER?' posts...both kept me writing!
And one last thing: sorry for all the grammar errors that seem to creep in to this sucker as the chapters have gone on. I've got much 'cleaner' versions on the computer at the moment, but I have to go through a HUGE rigamarole to get them onto AFF with the proper formatting, so I haven't edited the old stuff. If you don't believe me, look at the complete lack of italics in recent chapters: too much effort involved in making them come out right. But, I'll try to see if I can't clean up the story soon...when I post a new chapter, likely. :-)

Anyway, on with the story!!


Chapter 18 - The Monk's Anger

Inuyasha fiddled with the fish Kagome and Sango had prepared, flipping it between his fingers until they were slick with escaping oils. Licking the juices off, he wondered if he should go get Miroku. His mate had slept a few hours; that should be enough time for him to recover, shouldn’t it? And besides, if Miroku wasn’t awake yet, then Inuyasha would get a chance to wake him up. Considering his youkai had given him a few fascinating suggestions on how to do that, he was looking forward to the next few times he caught Miroku sleeping.

Would he still be on his side? Or maybe he’d fallen onto his back, or even turned over onto his stomach while he’d kicked the blanket down past his knees. Considering how often Miroku hurt himself trying to roll over in his sleep, Inuyasha had a feeling that once Miroku was well, there would be a lot of that cute ass-up pose. He could just see him now, his head cradled on top of folded arms, the smooth slope of his back flowing down to the swells of his bottom, and the rounded strength of his legs splayed apart just enough for Inuyasha to reach in between them. There was this one curve right where his thighs almost touched each other that Inuyasha had an incredible desire to taste…

Right now.

Bracing his legs to push himself up, Inuyasha stopped as Sesshoumaru stood suddenly. Not that such a mundane action usually made much impact on him, but his brother’s body language was definitely not that of someone getting up for more fish. Inuyasha watched him carefully as his brother faced away from the camp, looking west with such focus that everyone else eventually noticed and quieted uneasily.

Inuyasha sniffed the air for scents, looked to the skies and through the trees, and couldn’t figure out what it was that could be disturbing Sesshoumaru. “O-niisan? What is it?” Nerves stretched tight with the need to move, he wondered if he should go and fetch Miroku. Sesshoumaru’s senses were better than his own, and if he’d somehow caught wind of Naraku or Ronin Miroku, Inuyasha didn’t want the monk more than two feet from him.

“Kagura’s coming,” Sesshoumaru said quietly. Everyone tensed.

What the hell was Kagura doing coming here now? Had something happened? Inuyasha couldn’t think of any reason for her to show up unless things had gone completely to hell. Her job was too damn important for this to be a whim.

Then again, this was Kagura he was talking about. The wind witch wasn’t exactly a steady and stable creature. Strong as hell and dependable in a pinch, yes, but he didn’t think any of them could accurately predict which way she was going to blow next.

Inuyasha was sure the entire group’s thoughts were running along the same fearful lines as they saw the telltale white feather in the distance, coming closer with a speed that only Sesshoumaru could truly match. Inuyasha could see his brother’s body vibrating with tension as Kagura’s feather slowed and dropped through the trees. The closer she came, however, the more relaxed Inuyasha felt. Her scent was combative, but there was no tang of old blood or death, no residual fear. It was highly unlikely that an attack against the castle had prompted her visit, then. And if the children and ookami women weren’t an issue, then Inuyasha could sit back and enjoy the fireworks about to start.

“What’s wrong!!!?” All the youkai males in the area flinched in pain as Kagome’s terrified shriek tore across the camp. Oh yeah, Kagome couldn’t smell. Wishing Kouga would move a little faster to shut her up and spare them all the agony of her panic, Inuyasha flattened his ears down as she yelled again.

Kouga managed to grab onto Kagome before she leapt at Kagura. “Calm down, Kagome. She’s not afraid. She wouldn’t smell this way if the children were in immediate danger, eh? Let’s just give her a bit and she can tell us what’s wrong.”

“Not afraid? She’s—the children aren’t hurt?” Inuyasha watched Kagome slowly slump in relief against Kouga as the thought penetrated. “Oh thank goodness, I thought…”

“I know,” Kouga murmured as he nuzzled the top of her head. “It’s all right. I’m sure we’ll find out why she’s here in a sec.” Nodding, hugging the arms Kouga had wrapped around her, Kagome watched with the others as Kagura landed and tucked her now tiny feather into her hair. The wind youkai glanced at the huddle of ookami and sighed in frustration.

“I’ll say this once. The kids and the bitches are fine. I had to call in every damn relative the stupid dogs have to make sure they’re protected while I’m gone, but it’s done. No one’s injured or maimed or killed or whatever ever else you’ve thought up in your heads.” She turned to face Sesshoumaru. “Not yet, anyway.”

Kouga stiffened and dragged Kagome back a few steps until she was surrounded by the entire pack. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at their overly dramatic reaction. Kagura’s tantrums weren’t that bad; you just had to be a little careful and remember to duck periodically. He didn’t think the potential danger outweighed the sheer enjoyment that could be achieved from watching as Kagura chewed a strip from Sesshoumaru’s hide. There really weren’t a lot of creatures who could do that with such gusto. Not and still live to do it again. It was an ability that he’d quickly grown to appreciate the longer he’d known her, especially once the distrust from her association with Naraku had faded. After all, how could he continue to dislike anyone who could cause Sesshoumaru as much grief as he did himself? Hell, some of the best pranks he’d come up with in recent years involved Kagura’s help. She said she was making sure the stick up Sesshoumaru’s ass stayed within manageable proportions.

He just thought it was hilarious to see his brother’s composure rattled from time to time.

Inuyasha’s eyes gleamed as he watched Kagura stomp over to Sesshoumaru’s still figure. “Why are you still here?” Kagura’s voice was low and furious. “You were supposed to be home four weeks ago! Four!”

Sesshoumaru’s face remained calm, but in Inuyasha’s mind, he imagined beads of sweat dripping down his brother’s forehead. What had his idiot of a brother done now? He knew Sesshoumaru had let her know where he was. Hell, his brother had only forgotten to do that once, and never again. The screaming fight that took out the entire west wing had left a lasting impression.

Inuyasha sure as hell remembered it, anyway.

“I sent a note informing you of my change of plans. Did you not receive it?”

Oooooh, bad move. Getting up on his high horse with that supercilious tone of voice was going to result in some serious pain if he wasn’t careful.

Kagura’s fist clenched and she stepped over until she was standing directly in front of her mate. “You know that I did,” she spat through grit teeth as she looked up at him. “I sent you a reply! And damn well told you to tell me what the hell was going on that would prevent you from coming back any earlier! Where’s the second note, Sesshoumaru?! You sent the first one quickly enough; why haven’t you sent me anything with even the slightest hint of what the hell you’ve been doing for these last weeks?!”

“A second note would be superfluous. The first explained the delay quite adequately and…”

“’I will return later than expected’ is not an explanation!!! I need actual reasons, you dumb stoic lummox! I need to know what is going on with my mate! And besides, if you knew you would be gone this long, you should have sent help!”

“There are retainers…”

Inuyasha tried not to laugh at the aggrieved note growing in his brother’s voice. Sesshoumaru getting a mate was the best thing that had ever happened to Inuyasha until he got one of his own.

Kagura shook her finger angrily in Sesshoumaru’s face. “They can’t handle that mob, and you know it! The cowards run away when they see them coming and I’m the one who has to round them all up. For the last. Four. Weeks, Sesshoumaru. Without help and with no explanation of why it’s even necessary!”

“If it is that impossible a task, why are you here now? I would have thought—“ The snick as Kagura flicked open her fan stopped Sesshoumaru’s question. Everyone in the area, including Inuyasha, stepped back a few steps. There was a saying from Kagome which Inuyasha had whole heartedly adopted. It was all fun and games until Kagura opened her fan. After that, it was every man for himself.

“Would you like to say that again?” Kagura said, her eyes glowing crimson.

Sesshoumaru looked to her fan and back up to her face. He inhaled deeply and Inuyasha knew the scent of Kagura mixed with fury was swirling around in his brother’s head. He inhaled again, his mouth opening slightly, and his eyes developed crimson highlights that quickly spread. Sesshoumaru’s mouth turned up in a slow grin, and Inuyasha snorted. Well, at least the forest wasn’t going to come down around their ears. He knew what that damn smirk meant.

The fight wasn’t going to last much longer. And even though Kagura was obviously angry enough that everyone else had to run for cover if she didn’t calm down immediately, Inuyasha was still a little disappointed that it wouldn’t continue. He really enjoyed seeing Sesshoumaru sweat a bit.

“I believe I spoke clearly enough. Are your ears damaged in some way?” Sesshoumaru asked in a soft, deep voice.

Inuyasha really didn’t get his brother sometimes. Why did he always do this? He just had to go that extra mile and completely antagonize Kagura until she was about to explode. Inuyasha didn’t see what was so enjoyable about working your own mate into a frenzy like that. Inuyasha might mess with Kagome to get a rise out of her, but she was just a friend. Who wanted to fight with their mate all the time? He sure as hell didn’t want that with Miroku. He wanted to be able to tease Miroku, yeah, but only until he smiled. He much preferred to do something like kiss him all over, or sit in the dark and just hold him against his chest as he listened to him breathe. He didn’t want a battle.

Kagura remained silent as she glared poison and death at her mate and Sesshoumaru took the opportunity to continue. “If you require me to use smaller words, I would be quite happy to oblige you, love. Never let it be said that this Sesshoumaru was not a considerate mate”

Well, even if it made no sense to him, at least it was fun to watch, especially if Sesshoumaru was feeling particularly suicidal today.

Kagura ground her teeth together and raised her fan. Sesshoumaru closed on her in time to grab her upraised arm in one hand while pulling her in by the waist with the other. Struggling against his hold, Kagura looked up at Sesshoumaru and snarled.

“Don’t even think about touching me right now, you condescending ass!”

“We both know that the absence of my touch is why you’re truly angry, hellion.” He practically purred as he rubbed himself against her.

“I wouldn’t care if I never had to feel your pompous hands on me ever again!“

“No?” Sesshoumaru looked over Kagura’s face so hungrily that Inuyasha had to clear his throat as it made him think of his own mate. “Fortunately I have quite a few options other than mere hands.” He thrust his hips suggestively.

Kagura scowled at him. “You try and put anything near me in the next few minutes and I will damn well cut it off, you…mmmph!”

Inuyasha sighed. And now they were kissing. That always ended everything. The first few times he’d wondered if there might be something more entertaining to come, like Sesshoumaru getting a bit of his tongue bitten off, but no matter how bad the arguments got, the second the kissing started, the anger was gone.

“Why don’t they just start kissing right off if they end up like this anyway?” Inuyasha muttered. “I don’t get it.”

“What’s not to get? You fight. Your blood gets hot. You screw like rabbits. C’mon, you can’t tell me you don’t like to fuck after a good fight,” Kouga said quietly, coming up from behind him.
“Of course I do.” Inuyasha growled. “And I’m not an idiot. I know why the both of them are horny as hell. I’ve just never understood why they always have to piss each other off quite so much before they start making up.”

Kouga looked back to make sure Kagome had stayed where he’d left her and then continued the low-voiced conversation. “Well, the hotter the blood, the better the sex, right?”

“Kouga, if my blood got any hotter with Miroku it would boil right out of my skin. A false battle isn’t going to add to that.”

Kouga smirked at him. “How do you know if you haven’t tried it?”

“I just do.” Inuyasha humphed, looking away from the sight of Sesshoumaru’s hand sliding down Kagura’s waist to clamp down on her ass. He ruthlessly shoved his youkai down as it tried to come out. The idiot was obviously finding Kouga’s suggestion far too intriguing.

“Oooh, Inuyasha logic. How could I argue with that.”

“Shut up, asshole.”

“Seriously, why don’t you try it sometime? The sex is awesome…”

“Look, I’ve tried it before, all right? Hell, fucking Ronin always fought before sex. And I’ll tell you, sex with Miroku is ten times better than the best sex I ever had with the ronin or anyone else.”

Kouga was quiet a moment before he patted Inuyasha on the shoulder. “I’m glad,” he said quietly. “But I still say you should try it after a fight sometime. If it’s this good now, think of how much better it could be…”

“How can you even suggest shit like that? Have you not been watching the same man I have these last weeks? This is Miroku! He’s too gentle to be a fighter. Hell, the man’s a total innocent.”

One snort answered him.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Whether or not he was innocent, I think everyone in the entire village is aware that he sure as hell isn’t innocent now. You’re not exactly a quiet couple.” Kouga’s eyes shifted briefly to Sesshoumaru and he grinned. “Oooh, nice move.”

Inuyasha looked to see Sesshoumaru with a fan in his hand and Kagura up over his shoulder as he walked away from the group. “Kagome and Sango are gonna have a fit that they didn’t get a chance to ask after the kids.”

“The cubs are fine, what else do we need to know?” Kouga said dismissively, reminding Inuyasha why Kagome kicked Kouga’s ass on a regular basis. “We can get details when Sesshoumaru and Kagura are done…fighting.”

Inuyasha shook his head. “How can you be so blasé about your own children? I wouldn’t do this with my own kids, and --”

“Yeah, we’re all aware of that. I still remember the fit you pitched when Sesshoumaru suggested leaving Shippou with the others.”

“I know he’s safe if he’s with me.”

“He’d be safe if he was with Kagura, too. Safer, actually; there’d be an entire damn castle guarding him.”

“I can’t guarantee Shippou’s safety unless I’m nearby. My kid, my responsibility.” Inuyasha said on a growl.

“Oh really? Then how come Kagome’s been watching him nights recently, huh? It’s been putting a real crimp in our love life, you know.”

Inuyasha flushed but couldn’t help smiling a little. “What, you don’t like helping out a newly mated couple for a little while?”

“A little while, sure, but not for weeks! And it’s not like you two are doing anything in there at night, anyway! Both times you’ve had sex with Miroku have been in broad daylight. The rest of us with human mates were stuck sneaking off or waiting until nightfall to go take care of the hard on that you contributed to, asshole.”

Starting to laugh, Inuyasha taunted Kouga a bit. “Eh, serves you right, pervert. Listening to other couples having sex? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“I don’t have to listen. I’d have to go half way up Mt. Fuji to avoid listening! The both of you are loud enough to wake graveyards worth of dead.”

“Don’t know why you’re complaining. It’s the perfect opportunity to learn something, you stupid wolf.”

“Yeah right. You got nothing to teach me if you won’t even have a little makeup sex,” Kouga said.

“Oh no? Well then…what do I do to make Miroku come so hard he screams, eh? ”
Kouga stared at him with his mouth half open to reply and Inuyasha smiled wickedly.

“Asshole.” Kouga chuckled. “All right, I’ll admit I wouldn’t mind finding that out. I wouldn’t have believed the little guy could even lose his composure that much if I hadn’t heard it myself.”

Eyes glazing over as he thought about it, Inuyasha swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth before he drooled. “Yeah. Kind of a surprise, isn’t it? But I tell you, watching him lose himself in the moment so much that he’s just writhing with it is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“So you like to make him lose it during sex, but not before sex, is that it?” Kouga shook his head. “And your youkai agrees with that?”

Flushing, Inuyasha took a moment to answer. “Not completely, but he doesn’t take things too far.”

“Oh really. So does that mean you DO try to piss off Miroku before having sex?”

Inuyasha didn’t answer and Kouga gave him a nudge. “C’mon, give. It’s not like you’ve screwed dozens of times or anything. What did your youkai do?”

Inuyasha sighed. Kouga could be such a pain, sometimes. “He taunted him about what I call my mate.”

“Huh?”

Inuyasha sighed again. “Miroku isn’t happy that I call him ‘little one’ all the time.”

“But why? He’s shorter. Little guy, Little One, what’s the big deal?”

“I really don’t know. I mean, you’ve seen him. Even without his size, with that baby face and the way his eyes get all big and flustered; he’s adorable. He was practically made for the term ‘little one.’ “

“Yeah, I know.” Kouga nodded to himself.

“And his personality is so gentle.” With Kouga nodding again, Inuyasha continued thoughtfully. “All the kids follow him around like ducklings. He’s always so polite and soft-spoken and quiet I can hardly believe he’s real sometimes. I’ve never even seen him lose his temper, really, let alone raise his voice. He’s just so…precious.”

“He does seem pretty mellow, I’ll give you that. Makes it hard for me to imagine him battling Naraku like he claims. I mean…can you see him actually fighting?”

Inuyasha shook his head. “Not really. I’ve seen him defend himself for a little while, but he’s far too sweet-natured to attack someone. I don’t think he’s capable of it. He most likely helped create spiritual aids before the battle and stepped back during the actual fighting.” Seeing the probable scene in his head, Inuyasha nodded decisively. “My little one wouldn’t be able to involve himself otherwise, I bet. I’m sure the others would have made sure to protect him so that he wouldn’t be too traumatized. Someone as delicate as Miroku would find it impossible—“

A throat clearing stopped the conversation. Turning, Inuyasha and Kouga were the recipients of the fiercest eyes Inuyasha had ever seen on his mate’s face. Inuyasha stared at the violet glow that surrounded the man. Hell, he’d almost forgotten what it looked like, it had been so long since he’d seen it. Damn image faded if they went without sex too long, after all, but now…it was beautiful.

“Miroku, I didn’t know you’d woken up. You should have…”

“That’s how you see me?” Miroku’s voice sent a shiver across Inuyasha’s spine. What in the world was making him speak like that? And his soul’s aura…Inuyasha didn’t quite remember it looking like that before.

“Uh…”

“You think that I am too fragile to fight my own battles?”

“I’m sure you fight in your own way…”

“My own way? And what way is that supposed to be, that of a coward?” Inuyasha stared at him as his mate’s voice started to rise in volume. Was Miroku actually…angry? His youkai stirred at the thought and he caught swirls and eddies in haze surrounding Miroku that teased his senses. His soul looked a bit more martial than Inuyasha remembered it. It didn’t make sense. Miroku’s aura should be far more gentle…he was sure of it.

“You’re not a coward, Miroku. Knowing your own strengths doesn’t mean that…”

“My own strengths. Which, if your conversation is to be believed, seem to be made up of calm, quiet speaking, and delicacy!”

Inuyasha struggled to speak for a moment. His youkai was starting to push at him, obviously fascinated with Miroku’s anger, and Inuyasha was having a hard time keeping it submerged after so many recent attempts to break free. “There’s no shame in having a gentle nature, Miroku,” he finally managed in a strained voice.

Kouga agreed quickly. “Yeah, lots of people find that attractive. It’s really cute.”

Miroku’s hands clenched around his staff as he glared at them and Inuyasha felt the need to explain. There had to be some miscommunication here for Miroku to be getting this upset. He WAS a gentle man, after all. It was a fact. And since Miroku wasn’t the type to ignore reality, and he would never get angry over something like this, there must be something misunderstood.

Besides which, a calm Miroku wouldn’t pull at Inuyasha’s youkai quite so much. And if he could stop fighting it, he’d be able to concentrate and fully examine his mate’s soul. It just didn’t quite match up with Miroku and how Inuyasha knew he really was…

“I swear we aren’t looking down at you over this, Miroku. You’re…very precious to me. To us. The fact that you’re such a gentle, loving person is part of what makes you so important. We like that about you. Or…are you worried that we’d require you to go against your nature? I would never force you to do something that would damage you so badly.” Miroku choked once and Inuyasha smiled. The odd, angry scent was still lingering in the air, but obviously Miroku was affected by knowing they all understood. “I’m so sorry we didn’t make it clear that you didn’t have to fight Naraku or the Ronin. I’d never ask that of you, little one. Never. Helping us find his heart was all that we were expecting. The rest of us can fight the actual battle.”

Miroku’s hands were now clenching the staff so hard that his arms trembled. “You’ll fight the battle. I can lead you to the heart, but then you’ll shove me to the side and do the actual fighting. Is that right?”

“Yeah. So you don’t have to worry. I’ll watch out for you, love. No one is going to hurt you while I’m around.” Inuyasha reached out a hand to try and sooth any residual worry, and stopped as Miroku looked up at him, scowling ferociously. “Miroku? What’s wrong?”

“I’d wondered,” Miroku said slowly through grit teeth. “Having saved me twice now, I’d wondered what you thought of me. And now I know. You think me nothing more than a delicate, womanly, cowardly wretch.”

“What? No, I don’t…”

“Hey now, the mutt didn’t say that. You’re just kinda small and sweet, that’s all.”

Miroku’s glare encompassed both males in front of him. “You view me as someone who is so pathetic that he would continually require the sacrifice of his friends to save his own skin. A man who would take no responsibility for his own defense.”

“Miroku, I don’t…” Inuyasha stuttered to a stop. The look on his mate’s face was sending Inuyasha’s youkai into a positive frenzy as it tried to get out and play with their mate.

“Inuyasha.” Miroku’s voice raised significantly in volume. “I may have failed in the past, but that doesn’t mean that I am not capable. I DON’T need you to protect me.” Miroku’s staff twirled once in his hand and he stopped it at waist level, slamming the horizontal bar forward to catch Kouga and Inuyasha both in the stomach. They slumped over in unison and with another brief series of twirls, Miroku brought his staff down first on Inuyasha’s curved upper back and then Kouga’s. Both males lay sprawled in the dirt, choking as Miroku’s staff slammed end first into the dirt inches from Inuyasha’s face.

“I can defend myself quite adequately. And while I can appreciate your aid when it is given, I do not require nor desire your protection, Inuyasha. I am an adult, not a small child who shies away at shadows and needs a father figure! The fact that you have…that you have staked some sort of claim on me does not give you the right fight my battles for me!”

Miroku turned away and walked stiffly back towards the village, obviously fuming, with Shippou tagging along at his heels. Inuyasha just managed to lift his head up enough to see him going in the right direction before he let it drop back to the ground with a groan.

“Damn, your little guy hits hard,” Kouga mumbled.

They both lay on the ground for a moment before Kouga spoke again. “Last time I listen to you on something. Idiot. Crap, for someone who can see into his mate’s soul, you don’t seem to know the little guy very well.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Inuyasha snarled.

“Well, considering he just kicked my ass, he’s not looking quite so gentle and delicate to me right now.”

“Shut up,” Inuyasha muttered, pushing himself to his knees. What the hell had just happened? Miroku was so calm, dammit! Inuyasha had been positive he’d been misreading his soul’s aura but,…Miroku had hit him! The little one had taken him out with his staff in seconds! He couldn’t believe it. And his youkai was positively doing handstands in his head over it, the idiot. Why getting beat up by his smaller mate would make it happy, he had no freakin’ clue. Stupid ass youkai.

Miroku had HIT him!

“I don’t suppose either of you would care to explain what that was all about?” Kagome’s voice sang out. Kouga and Inuyasha looked over to find Sango, Kagome, and far too many wolf youkai for comfort watching them with curious or mocking grins on their faces.

“None of your damn business.” Inuyasha replied, and Kagome smiled at him before turning to her mate.

“Oh Kouga? You’ll tell me, won’t you?” she asked, and Kouga looked between Inuyasha’s glaring eyes and Kagome’s falsely sweet ones. The wolf knew exactly what he was going to say.

Because while fighting might get his blood up, being denied the sexual release that followed as his mate gave him the cold shoulder was not something he cared to experience.