Disclaimer *WARNING* MUST READ BEFORE YOU CONTINUE DOWN THE PAGE!!!
Chapter Two
Promises Kept
Disclaimer *WARNING* MUST READ BEFORE YOU CONTINUE DOWN THE PAGE!!!
Chapter Three
Promises Kept
Disclaimer *WARNING* MUST READ BEFORE YOU CONTINUE DOWN THE PAGE!!!
Chapter Two
Promises Kept
Disclaimer *WARNING* MUST READ BEFORE YOU CONTINUE DOWN THE PAGE!!!
Chapter Nine
Catriona shot up, holding the sheet to herself. "Rin, can you please stand outside & wait for me to get dressed please? I-I'll be out in a few minutes." She watched as Rin left the room, then got up from her bed & rushed to get dressed, settling for a pair of jeans that hung a little loose on her since she got them during her third month of her pregnancy with Isamu, & a plain gray t-shirt. Pulling on her socks & shoes, she left the room to meet up with Rin & the two went down the long stairs until they were outside the meeting room where Jaken was waiting outside the doors. "Jaken, is Sesshomaru in there?" She asked.
"Yes & he won't even let me in with him," Jaken answered, his eyes narrowing at Catriona. "He's got that hanyou brother of his in there, along with that monk that's always with him, & they're talking about something. So far there has been no sign or them coming out from the room or a fight starting."
"Jaken. Shut up," she hissed, trying to listen through the door for any sounds. Nothing. When she heard footsteps coming to the door, she stepped back just as the doors opened to reveal Inu Yasha with Sesshomaru & Miroku behind him. "What's going on? Rin said Isamu is missing, is this true?" She asked, looking at the men who looked to the floor when they heard her question. "Answer me!"
"Catriona, let's talk alone," Inu Yasha said before Sesshomaru could, knowing well that he was more compassionate to Catriona. Even though Sesshomaru was her mate, not him. He was only a friend to this sweet human. He pulled her inside the meeting room & shut the door after pushing Miroku & Sesshomaru from the doorway. "Catriona, it's true. Isamu is gone," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder as her eyes widened & the beginnings of tears formed. "But he's not missing. We sort of know where he is."
"What do you mean sort of Inu Yasha?" She asked as the tears built up, blurring her vision of the hanyou until she cleared it by blinking & forcing the tears to spill down her cheeks. "You either know or you don't know. So which is it?"
"We don't know exactly where he is Catriona. But we do know that he didn't go off on his own... He was taken," he said the last word more quiet than he'd said the others. But when she opened her mouth to speak, he added on, "By Naraku."
Catriona's ears burned, her stomach turned & her hands clenched into fists when she heard the last part. She may have been gone for three years, but she still remembered the cruel bastard she helped fight against when she was last there. She remembered his cruel ways & how much pain & suffering everyone went through when. Even though the jewel shard was now complete once more, Naraku had not yet been defeated. It was her thoughts & memories that made her anger fade away to be replaced by a feeling of being lost when she realized that if Naraku wanted to, he could do anything he wanted to her little boy. Including keeping him away for the rest of his life. With that thought in her mind, she felt her world slowly come to a stop & her legs felt weak now as everything became dark.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When Catriona came to, the first thing she saw was a pair of worried violet eyes above her & she panicked. Without thinking, & with the speed of a demon, her hand connected with the cheek of whoever owned the eyes; her hand & the person's cheek now stinging terribly. When she sat up & looked at who she'd hit, now that her vision was clear, she gasped, her hand going over her mouth when she saw Miroku holding his cheek with his eyes closed tight. A look of pain was on his face. "Oh Miroku, I'm so sorry!" She apologized as she bit her lip behind her hand.
"It's quite alright Catriona," he replied, opening his eyes while he rubbed his cheek, that now spotted a bright red hand print. "You probably weren't thinking or couldn't see straight..." He brought his hand from his cheek to look right at her. "Lay back down, you hit your head when you passed out," he said as he gently pushed her back down. He sat down on the edge of her bed & turned so his right side was facing her as he dipped a piece of cloth into a bowl of cold water that had been placed on the stand by her bed. He brought the bowl into his lap & leaned down to dab her forehead lightly with the rag after he rang some of the water out so he wouldn't drench her.
"Miroku, you don't have to watch over me like this," she mumbled as she closed her eyes, the pain of a small headache settling in. "Aren't you going to be needed at a village with some ominous cloud hanging over it?" She said with a smile so he would know that she meant nothing rude & wouldn't be angered or hurt by her question.
Beside her Miroku chuckled as he lightly dabbed her forehead with the rag before dipping it into the water again. "I don't think I sensed any ominous clouds on the way here with Inu Yasha," he answered to the tease. "But I do think I sense one right now," he grinned. "I'll just have to drown it out of here." With that he set the bowl back on the stand & dipped the rag back in the water to soak up some; & without ringing it out, he held it above her face & squeezed it with both hands. The water came down on her, drenching her face, neck, & a little of her chest, making him laugh as he danced away from the bed to avoid her hand that was being swung at him.
"You bastard monk!" She screamed. "I'm going to kill you!" She jumped from the bed, her shirt sticking to her body where it was wet from the water that glistened on her skin in the light of the fading sun. "You are so dead," she growled playfully as he put his back to her, grinning.
"I doubt you'll actually do anything to me," he chuckled, not noticing that her footsteps went back some & were now coming to him. His eyes shot open & his mouth dropped, no longer forming a grin as he felt the rest of the cold water get dumped over his head, running down his head, to his neck, to his clothes, forming little water pools beneath him. "I can't...believe you just...did that," he said as he turned to face her. When he saw her face, she was grinning ear-to-ear with the water bowl in her hand, evidence that she'd committed the act.
"Never doubt me," she growled as she dropped the bowl & grabbed part of his robe that wasn't wet & pulled it up to her face, drying off while he yanked at it, trying to cover himself since a portion of his lower region was being exposed. "What? All of a sudden you're shy around me?" She asked as she let his robes fall back down into place, a grin on her face.
"You know as well as I do that Sesshomaru would murder me if he caught us even looking at each other in some "more than friends" way," Miroku said as he wiped some water from his face.
"Where is he anyway?"
"He & Inu Yasha took Ah and Un & Jaken to go look for Naraku," he answered. His brow furrowed when he saw the look on her face. "You forgot, didn't you?"
"No... I remember. I was just hoping it was a dream I had after passing out from something," she said as the happiness faded from her face & she went back to her bed, laying down as tears came to her eyes. "This is all my fault," she whispered. "I should have never brought him here with me. I should have just come here alone & left him with Joshua until I could arrange from him to join me after making sure it was safe for him. But I didn't think of it because I'm so fucking blind," she said, her own words biting into her, cutting deep.
"Catriona, don't talk so harshly about yourself," Miroku said as he laid down next to her, wrapping around her waist, his cursed arm, & held her close, burying his face in the base of her neck. "Catriona you didn't know this would happen none of us knew." When he felt her go loose against him, he smiled & moved his face long enough to kiss her shoulder before he put his face against the base of her neck.
"I feel like such a terrible mother, Miroku," she whispered as she sniffled, pushing back against his warmth. This was what she needed at the moment, to be held by someone with a warm body & a warm heart that showed that emotion. "I was so busy with Sess last night that I should have known something wasn't right," she whimpered, tensing to hold back the sobs that she wanted to let out.
"Cat, you're the perfect mother to Isamu. You deserved your night last night when you were busy with Sesshomaru if you did what I think you did... You two have been apart for three years, you deserved each other last night," he said as he rubbed his hand up & down her side, kissing the back of her neck while trying to calm her down some & it appeared to be working since she was now relaxed against him. "You know as well as I do, that you are the perfect mother for Isamu. Not even a demon mother could be as good as you," he whispered against her skin, his breath tickling her neck, making her shiver slightly.
"Miroku?" She said as she pulled her head forward before turning it slightly to look at him from the corner of her eye.
"Yes Catriona?" He answered while looking at her face as he moved back, allowing her to turn her body so she could look at him better.
"Do you think they'll find Naraku?" she asked, her eyes showing hope & slight fear as Miroku gazed into them.
His own eyes showed comfort, when behind the mask he wore, making him feel like Sesshomaru, he felt love & if he let them, his eyes would show the love he held for her. But he knew in himself that he couldn't let her see the love, because then she'd push him away since she had chosen who she would be with. Finally he cleared his throat & nodded. "I know they will... Maybe not right away, but they will," he answered.
"When do you think they'll come back? Or did they say before they left?"
"Sesshomaru said that he'll return if he senses you need him for something, but other than that, they're not coming back until they have Isamu in their possession."
"I hope they find him soon Miroku... I want to see my baby again," she whispered, her gaze dropping down to his lips before she forced them back up to his eyes. I shouldn't be looking at his lips like that, she thought to herself. I shouldn't be thinking about kissing those lips either. I'm with Sesshomaru, not Miroku... She sighed softly & turned over, facing him so she could bury her face in his chest & did so, sighing again. But you know it would feel good to have those lips on yours once more, something in her mind whispered as she rested her hand on his stomach. You know that if he would have let that kiss from yesterday linger just bit longer, you would have kissed back & don't act like you wouldn't... Catriona bit her lip & closed her eyes tightly, trying to push the voice from her head. She bit harder when she heard the voice again. Catriona, why should you have to stay completely alone when you have Miroku right there? The voice asked, making her eyes shoot open. Take the opportunity while your mate is out... Catriona got up from the bed & ran her fingers through her hair. "I need a hot bath," was all she said before she left the room & ordered one of the servants to ready a warm bath for her.