Unsettled Depths [ch.2]

[RelenaFanel]

Summary: A particularly violent wave crashed onto the sand, carrying the rowboat a few meters from the beach. Kagome plunged into the churning white foam, desperate to take advantage of this opportunity to reach her brother. AU.. InuKag
Prologue: http://blissfulignorance.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=5667
Chapter 1: http://blissfulignorance.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=5818

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Kagome spent the hot afternoon alone, bored out of her gourd, and flopped on her bed trying to think of things to do for the next week of entrapment. She had accidentally left her laptop downstairs, so she couldn?t even do her usual custom of spending a week online when she was grounded. This week had potential to be one of the longest in her life. She lolled onto her stomach and blew her sticky bangs from her eyes. Her bare legs bore the crease marks from the comforter she was resting on, and she absentmindedly rubbed her big-toe over a mosquito bite on her calf.

Tree branches scraped idly against her open windowsill, and she raised her head in hopes a cool breeze was coming from the ocean. The branch violently shook, scraping dangerously at the paint of her window. This always meant one thing.

A black-haired head peered into her window.

?You decent in there?? He called out loudly, as he groped the ledge, trying to gracefully find a way into the room. Pausing for a second, he blew his bangs out of his eyes, a habit they both shared. He grinned naughtily at her.

?Miroku? shh.? She hissed, nervous that his boisterous voice and unsubtle clamor would alert her father to her prohibited guest. His shirt snagged on a branch and he cursed loudly. She rushed over to help him become untangled, and he agilely twisted out of his entrapment and lunged at her. They hit the ground with a crash of tangled limbs and laughter.

Kagome scrambled from under her friend before he could cop a feel, wincing and holding her injured arm closely. It hadn?t been bothering her overmuch, but thanks to Miroku?s foolhardiness, she now had the renewed pain to worry about.

?Gee, thanks a lot Miroku.? She kicked him slightly in retaliation for the pain and the loud crash of their bodies hitting the floor. She left him sprawled in a lazy position and sat on the edge of her bed, casually rubbing her arm.

?Your brother told me you were grounded. Your dad?s not here!? He stared up at her, eyes narrowing and face turning dark as he noticed she was hurt. ?Souta didn?t mention you being injured.? He sat up, vainly straightening his dark clothes as he eyed her for other wounds. ?What happened??

?I don?t think he pushed me, I probably slipped. It wasn?t intentional anyway. He?s never hurt me before.?

Miroku?s hand slapped on the wood floor, his eyes narrowed in protective anger. ?Not physically at least. We both know your dad has this messed up, patriarchal view about women and children. Why didn?t you spend this summer with your mom??

She remained silent throughout his raging. Her chin drooped slightly from its proud stance, resigned to Miroku?s (right) idea of her father. She whispered her answer to his question. ?We both know why.?

He sat beside her on the bed and rubbed her back in a gesture almost like comfort. She had to slap his hand away in annoyance as his fingers lowered. ?Why? Because you can?t get enough of me?? He winked roguishly. ?You?d think eight months at university would be an adequate amount of time.?

She smiled wanly. He was referring to the many years they were separated by cities during the school year, and could only come together during the summer. Kagome and Miroku had been best friends since they were tots, giggling and mischievous, before Souta was born, before the nasty divorces they both suffered through, before her father and his mother tried to hook them up romantically.

He continued with the many reasons she shouldn?t be here. ?Souta can take care of himself.?

She laughed an unhealthy mixture of irony, bitterness and forced mirth. ?I guess you haven?t heard about last night.?

?Are you kidding?? He picked a leaf out of his hair. ?The whole town is talking about you saving his life. Some are even speculating that you are dead.?

Her chuckle was less forced at this. ?Then being grounded will serve for some amusement at least. By the time I get out of here, they?ll think I?m a ghost.? It was a lame attempt at humour. ?I?m here to finish the project we started.?

Miroku nodded, resigned. ?You still want to ruin your father?s business. We aren?t going to do it by continuously buying any fish he gets in.?

She brightened. Miroku was surprised she hadn?t begun to mope like she usually did when posed with this impossible obstacle. Kagome hopped off the bed and rummaged through her night table, dragging out a small change purse. She pulled out a few hundred and handed to him gleefully. ?Dad gave me this last week to buy a new bathing suit.?

Miroku pocketed the money good-naturedly. ?I feel like your pimp.?

?You look like my pimp too.? They both winced affably, quickly changing the topic back to business.

?Do you still want me to purchase that leafy seadragon thing??

She shrugged, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. A smug grin stretched over her face, gleefully declaring she had a secret. ?They are indigenous to Australia and on the endangered species list. You wouldn?t exactly want to get caught owning that, and it would be difficult to release back into its natural habitat from here. Besides, I think it died last week, they don?t do so well in captivity.? Her grin faded for a moment, showing surprising compassion for a human. ?I don?t care what you buy this time. I want you to inquire what new stock he has.

Miroku suddenly understood. Her father must have bagged something huge, something completely illegal. ?What did he get? A shark??

Kagome glanced at the tank, wondering if the mermaid was going to make an appearance with a ridiculous statement like ?I?m way meaner than a shark.? He didn?t. It was just as well. Now she?d be able to hold this secret over Miroku for a day or so, milking it for favors during her imprisonment. She gave him her smug smile.

?Fine, I didn?t expect you to tell me.? He crossed his arms over his chest. ?You?re going to hold it over my head until I beg you.?

Kagome began to protest, then realized this was an apt assessment and changed the subject.

?I hear the carnival is going to be in town this week. I wonder who will bring Souta??

?Oh no.? He warned, wagging his finger at her with mock warning. They knew each other?s tricks too well. ?You aren?t manipulating me today. He?ll just have to miss it.? His next words were continued with a mutter. ?I?m working those days.?

?Working?? She couldn?t picture the laidback, charmingly rich Miroku doing any sort of work whatsoever. Well, he might make a good stripper, since he had no shame. Her shock was mainly based on the fact Miroku parents gave him anything he wanted, and he easily played them for all they were worth. His philosophy was if they hated each other enough not to speak, then they deserved his distain and retribution. Kagome knew the real reason was the trauma they put him through before the separation: the long hours waiting after school for one of them to remember to pick him up, the birthday parties he didn?t have and the ones they would fight over whether he would go or not, the ?uncles? and ?aunts? he was forced to keep a secret. No wonder he was so messed up.

Miroku smirked that alarmingly charming curl of lips girls seemed to fall over themselves to view. ?Yeah, working. My mom said she wouldn?t pay my rent this year unless I got a job and paid for half myself. Something about me needing work experience.? He snorted. ?Then she said it was a great way to meet the young ladies.?

Kagome raised an eyebrow. Ah? hidden motive. Miroku crossed his arms over his chest and paced across the room, waiting for her to reply with a snarky remark. She didn?t give him the pleasure.

?It?s not for women.? He muttered ?not entirely, anyway? under his breath. ?It?s so I?ll get her money. I told my dad that mom was happy to pay my rent, and he immediately demanded that I let him pay. Now I can get one of those high class apartments across from the university and be free.? He rubbed his hands together in delight. By free, he meant free to bring dates along and grope them with style.

Kagome figured she?d wait until the last minute before tell him she was going to be his roommate. ?So where are you working??

?Novella. Hey, no snickering. Literary chicks are hot.? He paused for a second and made a perverted gesture with his eyebrows, then got this troubled look on his face. ?Speaking of which, I met Kagura today.?

That small fact smacked Kagome so brutally, she lost her breath. She gasped and swayed, unable to stay on her own two feet. Miroku eased her to the floor, sitting protectively as he stroked her shoulders in tiny circles and held her hand. Her breath came in sporadic gulps, and she didn?t even try to control it. She stared into space for hours in the short time of a few minutes, reliving, frightened, and lost. Kagura making contact could only mean one thing? ?Naraku.?

Miroku replied to her breathy whisper with a nod of affirmation. ?Is back in town.?

She reacted violently to this news by hauling her knees against her chest and rocking against the anguish, cradling her head in the nook. ?But he? I put him in jail.? Miroku reached out to pat her shoulder and she slapped his hand away fiercely. ?How can he be back?? Kagome raised her head and stared blankly at the fishtank, drawing comfort from the familiar waters. She didn?t expect Miroku to answer, they both knew how fickle lady justice was (if only from TV). A jail sentence for six to ten years could easily be lessened with good behavior and an excellent parole officer. She abruptly, yet softly, changed the subject. ?Please leave.?

Miroku shook his head negatively. Her eyes worried him, they had reverted from the cheerful innocent eyes he was so used to and back to the vacant glassy stare she had worn for days after the attack. ?I was there too you know.? He argued, shaking her slightly. Why couldn?t she understand she wasn?t the only one in pain? He had seen the blood.

Kagome turned towards him, looking but not seeing and shook her head. ?You were gone for help. You didn?t see all? he wouldn?t stop, ?roku.? The overwhelming tears in her eyes started to fall freely and she pushed him away again. ?Please. I need to be alone.?

He stood up quickly, disgusted with himself and her for still not being able to cope after five years. He wanted to comfort but she pushed him away. He wanted to understand, but like she said, he hadn?t been there for all of it. He wanted to grant her wish for solidarity, but was afraid to leave her alone. He started towards the window, paused to rub the skin under his sticky bangs and spun back around to face her. His face was resolute and unemotional in comparison to her sorrowful tear-streaked one. ?I?ll leave in a second? its just; I want to be there when you need me.?

They both knew he wasn?t talking about now, but referring to the occasion when Naraku would come for her, like promised. She shivered and nodded, no longer wanting to be alone, but she had too much pride to ask him to stay now.

Miroku reached out the window and hoisted a backpack off a tree limb. He placed it on the floor beside her window and slid a leg over the sill. He was halfway out the window when he heard her whisper in a broken voice, so pained and raw it hurt to hear her.

?I still have nightmares, you know.?

?I do too.?

And then he was gone, leaving her alone in a prison of her own doing. She tried to continue crying, but the tears would no longer come. It was her turn to become the victim of a madman, and she promised herself that she would remain strong and defiant until the end. For her brother. She had to.

Sluggishly she rose from the floor, fueled by her newfound fury.

?Hey, mermaid! MERMAID!?

He appeared almost instantaneous, as if he had been listening in the whole time. ?I told you not to call me that, bi??

?Now you listen to me.? She cut him off. ?If you want out of here, then you are going to have to do a little bit of espionage. I want you to listen to all conversations my dad holds in his office, whether it is on the phone or with company. Then report back to me. I have a list of things I want you to listen for??

He snorted, interrupting her from spieling off her list. ?What makes you think I?m going to help a little girl who just starts bawling for no reason? You?d probably weep if I told you something you didn?t like.? He didn?t notice her chin jutting out, or small hands clutched into fists at her side.

?No reason? Everyone has the right to cry sometimes. It relieves stress and? I have a darn good reason to cry!?

She didn?t want to tell this stranger her story. He had no business knowing. She straightened her shoulders and glared indignantly at him; spewing her list with a heated fury he couldn?t help but acquiesce to. The day would come in the near future when she?d have to see the unbearable pity in the eyes of a stranger.

?RelenaFanel2004

[sadie003]

stunningly brilliant. I love this fic. Keep going. Don't let the lack of reviews stop you or anything. Some people just don't recognise talent...

[kyoki]

I can't wait for the next update. I love this story

[Roa_Aoife]

I love it! Please write more!

[black_nemesis_queen]

This ch. rocks! EXCELLENT JOB!!!!
Keep up the good work!