Disclamer: I do not own Inuyasha!
A Close Call
It was a spring afternoon s Inuyasha and his gang traveled along the countryside looking for sacred jewel shards. They had been walking for hours and everyone was starting to get moody.
"Kagome, can we stop and eat? I'm starving!" Shippo whined.
Inuyasha gave the small fox demon a blow to the head and shouted, "Shut up, Shippo! Kagome says she can sense a sacred jewel shard! We have to get to it before Naraku does!"
"Inuyasha, sit!" Kagome said firmly. Inuyasha was pulled down to the ground with a loud thud. Kagome smiled down at Shippo and said, "Of course we can stop, Shippo. It would be nice to relax for a while." Shippo smiled up at her with delight and a few minutes later Inuyasha and his friends were sitting on the ground stuffing their faces with food.
"Kagome, this is excellent. Your mother is a marvelous cook," the monk Miroku complemented while enjoying his bowl of ramen.
"Miroku is right Kagome. Tell your mother thank you for this magnificent meal the next time you see her," added Sango the demon slayer while taking a sip of her lemonade.
Kagome smiled at them both and said, "Thanks you guys. Mom will be so thrilled to hear that. She works really hard to make you guys happy."
Their relaxation time would have to end abruptly though, because a group of samurai were hurrying toward them. They were all frightened and injured. The general broke through the mob of men and bowed to them. The general was trying to put on a brave face, but Inuyasha and his gang could tell he was just as worried as his troops. It must be a serious demon problem if the general was shaken up as well.
The general looked up at Sango and asked, "Are you Sango the demon slayer?"
"Yes, I am she," Sango answered, her eyes wide.
"My lord has asked you to come to his village. There is a terrible demon problem on our hands and almost all my men have been slain. My lord has promised to pay you thirty times the earning you usually receive," the general informed her. Sango was about to answer, but Miroku interrupted her.
"The offer is far too generous. I think we should speak to your lord before we accept or decline," he said.
The stunned general stared at Miroku for a few moments, but then nodded. "Very well," the general turned to his and shouted, "Come on men! Sango and her friends would like to speak to our lord! Let's make haste!" Sango stared at Miroku as well. Why is he acting so strangely? Her thoughts were cut short though when the group followed the general and the samurai.
As the group moved along Kagome turned to Inuyasha and asked, "Miroku is being a little weird, isn't he?"
Inuyasha turned to her in surprise and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Usually he just accepts a task without thinking. I just don't understand his sudden hesitation," Kagome pointed out.
"Maybe he's just makig sure it's a good offer," Shippo suggested.
"That could be the reason, but I still don't understand his behavior," Kagome said. Shippo and Inuyasha nodded in agreement. A few minutes later Inuyasha and his gang found themselves outside the entrance way of a glorious castle. This must be where the lord lives, Sango thought as she stared at the castle.
"My lord is inside. You may enter," said the general. Inuyasha and the others followed the general. The samurai went inside the first aid area. A few minutes later the group found themselves sitting in front of the lord listening to his story about the demon situation.
"It all started happening six months ago. A possum demon has been destroying the village and slaying my men. I've noticed that the demon only attacks every three nights at a time. Sango, will you help us?" the lord asked.
"I promise you my lord. My friends and I will stop at nothing to help you and the village. You have my word," promised Sango as she stood up and bowed.
"Excellent! You and your friends will get the most comfortable room in the castle. You will have three days to figure out the plan and slay the demon. Good luck, Sango," the lord said.
"Thank you, sire. I will do my best," Sango said bowing and leaving the room. The rest of the group followed her and they found their room in a few moments. The room was huge! This single room looked like it could fit twenty rooms inside it.
"This place is incredible!" Shippo announced in awe.
The group smiled at Shippo's comment, all except for Miroku. He didn't know why, but Miroku had a bad feeling about the lord. Miroku was pulled out of his reverie when he felt a tap on his right shoulder.
"Miroku, are you all right?" Sango asked.
Miroku smiled at Sango and answered, "I'm fine, Sango. It's just been a long day and I'm tired. I think I'll rest." Miroku went over to the other side of the room and went to lie down on his cot.
Why is he acting so strange? Sango decided to get some fresh air, so she walked out of the room. The sun was still out so she decided to take a walk through the castle's rose gardens. Sango was halfway through the first garden when she ran into the lord and almost knocked him over. Luckily for him he had good reflexes and caught his balance just in time.
"I'm so very sorry my lord. Are you all right?" Sango apologized, embarrassed.
The lord smiled at her and said, "I'm fine, Sango. You don't have to apologize. I would prefer it if you called me Yoshikada, though."
"Thank you for the comfortable room. My friends and I are very grateful," Sango said.
"I'm glad you like it. I hope you can save my village and slay the demon," Lord Yoshikada said.
"I promise you again my friends and I will do everything in our power to help you," Sango replied and she meant it.
"It's getting late, Sango. You should get your rest. Would you like to train with me tomorrow morning?" Lord Yoshikada asked.
"It would be an honor. Good night," Sango said. Lord Yoshikada nodded. Sango ran out of the rose gardens and made her way to her and her friends' room. Inuyasha and the others were already enjoying bowls of rice and halibut.
"Where were you?" Inuyasha snapped.
"It's none of your business, Inuyasha," Sango said as she took her place with her friends. She took up a bowl of rice and started eating without tasting the contents.
Kagome couldn't help but notice that Sango had a little pinkness in her cheeks. Should I ask her what's going on? Kagome decided to do so the instant the question popped into her head. "So Sango how was your walk?" she asked. Sango just gave her a casual, "It was fun" and left it at that. This didn't help Kagome at all so she went back to eating her rice.
The next morning Sango woke up earlier than the others. Well, that's what she thought until she found Miroku wide awake as well and flirting with another woman in a light-blue kimono. Oh no, not again!
"Hello, miss. Would you care to bear my children?" he asked while grinning slyly. The woman in the light-blue kimono just giggled and walked away. However, Sango could feel her rage bubbling up so she smacked him hard across the face and started yelling at him.
"You perverted monk! Do you have to flirt with everything that moves?" Sango yelled and stormed off.
Miroku just sat there stunned. Why does she have to be so brutal? After a few moments Miroku got up and from his spot and ran after Sango. Where could she be running off to? A few moments later he saw her talking with the lord. He didn't know why, but every time he saw the lord with Sango he always felt a tight squeeze in his stomach. Miroku felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around.
"I'm sorry, Miroku. I guess it'd be quite hard to see the woman you love with another man," Kagome said, quietly.
Miroku laughed softly and whispered, "Kagome, you must be under the wrong impression. I don't have any romantic feelings for Sango. I only think of her as a friend and nothing else."
Kagome looked at him carefully for a few moments and asked, "If you're not in love with her then why are you so jealous of the lord and following Sango around?"
Miroku's brow furrowed in frustration, but his voice was calm and smooth. "Like I said Kagome, I only think of Sango as a friend."
Kagome sighed. "If you don't act now Sango will marry Lord Yoshikada and you'll have no one to blame but yourself. Take my advice Miroku and tell Sango how you feel," she said
"Kagome, even if I had romantic feelings for Sango I don't think I'd be the right man for her. Sango needs someone who can support her and grow old with. If Sango ended up with me she wouldn't have that kind of life. Let's just leave this up to her. It's her decision she has to make," Miroku responded, and walked away, leaving Kagome speechless. Could I really have these kind of feelings for Sango? Is this why I can't stand her being with the lord?
Sango was on the other side of the bushes talking with Lord Yoshikada about demon slaying and dueling techniques. He was rather impressive with his sword and Sango couldn't help but stare at him with amazement. Lord Yoshikada looked like he had been learning about combat for years.
"Sango, use more finesse when throwing your Hiraikotsu it will become more lethal that way. Here, I'll show you," instructed Lord Yoshikada as he threw Sango's Hiraikotsu. As the Hiraikotsu made contact with the sack of flour it was slashed in half in a blink of an eye, leaving a cloud of white dust behind.
"Lord Yoshikada, you are very skilled. Why do you need me and my friends if you can do all this yourself?" asked Sango, pointing at all the broken sacks of flour.
"Sango, I'm only one man. If I went against the demon myself I would be slain for sure," he said, chuckling.
I guess that makes sense. Sango couldn't help but feel embarrassed. All of a sudden her cheeks turned scarlet and small beads of sweat were forming on her forehead. What's wrong with me? Why am I acting this way?
"What's wrong, Sango?" asked Lord Yoshikada as he put his hands on her shoulders. Sango looked up at the lord, but didn't see his face. She saw Miroku's!
"I'm sorry, but I have to go!" Sango shouted. She tore from his grip and started running blindly. Why did I see Miroku's face and not Yoshikada's? Moments later, Sango found herself at an isolated lake. It seemed quiet so Sango sat under an oak tree and stared at her reflection in the water.
"What are you doing here?" asked a voice.
Sango looked up and saw it was Inuyasha sitting in the oak tree. "I think I may have romantic feeling for Miroku!" The words escaped her mouth before she could stop them. I can't believe I'm telling Inuyasha this. He doesn't care about my problems.
Inuyasha jumped down and sat beside Sango, staring at the clouds in the sky thoughtfully. "Just tell the monk how you feel."
"I can't do that, Inuyasha. He might not return my feelings and besides he's too much of a flirt. I bet you if a miracle happened and we were together it would only last for a couple of days," Sango said, hopelessly.
"You don't know if you don't try," Inuyasha said as he got up and disappeared among the trees. Maybe he's right.
The moon and stars were already out as Sango got back to her room. She spent most of her afternoon trying to find her way through the vast maze of trees that covered the castle grounds. Sango let out a relieved sigh as she opened the sliding door and walked in. Of course, Inuyasha had already arrived. At that moment Sango wished she had an excellent sense of smell like he did. All he had to do was get a trace of Kagome's scent and follow it until he found her. He could leap pretty far too.
"Hey Sango, you're back! Here's some noodle soup!" exclaimed Shippo as he offered a bowl.
Sango chuckled and gave the small fox demon a pat on the head. "I'm not hungry, Shippo. You can have it." Shippo looked at her mystified for a few seconds then started gobbling down the food. He's such a cute little boy. Sango went over to her cot and fell asleep almost immediately as her head hit the pillow.
The next morning, Sango woke up early again. She didn't know why, but she just couldn't stay in the room much longer. She felt restless. She decided to look for Yoshikada and explain her puzzling behavior the day before. He was a lord who liked to getting up early, right? When Sango opened the door to leave she found Miroku with another woman. This woman was wearing a forest-green kimono and had shiny raven hair. To Sango's horror Miroku was holding the woman close to him in what looked like a romantic embrace. Sango could feel tears of rage and humiliation coming into her eyes so she ran past them as quickly as she could.
"Sango, wait!" Miroku shouted even though he knew she couldn't hear him. Then Miroku remembered the woman in his arms and steadied her so she could stand on her own. "Miss, are you feeling all right?" he asked her.
The light-headed woman nodded and said, "I'm fine monk. You should run after her before you loose her." Miroku nodded and ran after Sango. Sango, why do you have to jump to conclusions?
He found Sango moments later with Lord Yoshikada. The usual tight squeezing in his stomach followed as he watched them together. The feeling intensified as he saw the lord grab Sango's hands and stare lovingly into her eyes. Then the lord said, "Sango, after you slay the demon would you do me the honor of becoming my bride?" and Miroku's heart broke into millions of pieces as Sango replied without hesitation, "Yes!" He sat there and gaped as the couple smiled adoringly at one another. Then Miroku smiled to himself as he prayed to the gods above to wish Sango a happy marriage to the lord. I just want her to be happy.
Many hours had passed and the moon was out. Sango entered the room with a fake smile on her face. Everyone looked at her with shocked looks on their faces. They were all staring at her engagement ring. Kagome was the first to speak.
"It's so beautiful, Sango! Who are you marrying?" Kagome asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and delight.
"Lord Yoshikada and I are going to be wed tomorrow," Sango declared as she smiled wider. Kagome's smile turned into a look of shock at the news.
"Kagome, don't be rude. I think it's wonderful that Sango's marrying the lord. Sango, I wish you all of the happiness in the world," Miroku said. Now it was Sango's turn to look shocked.
"Thank you, Miroku," Sango said timidly. All of a sudden there was a loud crash and hundred of people were screaming outside. The possum demon has arrived! In a matter of seconds Sango changed into her demon slaying armor and rushed after the others.
The scene was horrific. Houses were now mere heaps of rubble and people were terrified. The possum demon had to have been at least a thousand feet tall with dripping fangs and blood-red eyes. Sango threw her Hiraikotsu at the beast, but it did no harm. Oh no, what do I do? This demon is far too strong!
"Sango, throw the Hiraikotsu like I taught you!" Lord Yoshikada shouted. Sango nodded and threw her Hiraikotsu like he instructed and this time it made a small mark on the demon. That's not much better! Then Sango realized that the demon had formed a barrier around itself.
"Inuyasha, the demon has formed a barrier around itself! Use your Wind Scar to break through it!" shouted Sango.
"All right you bastard be prepared to die, Wind Scar!" Inuyasha shouted as the blade of his Tetsaiga turned red. With a brilliant wave of crimson the Wind Scar destroyed the demon's barrier leaving it vulnerable to attack. Sango threw her Hiraikotsu at the demon striking it down. The village is finally safe. Sango grinned inside as she saw the demon lying on the ground.
Miroku stared at the scene with amazement. I can't believe it was that easy! All of a sudden he noticed that the demon wasn't dead after all and was rushing towards Sango. "Sango, look out!" he yelled. Sango turned around and stared at the giant possum demon in horror as it lunged at her. Everything happened in a blink of an eye after that. Sango dropped her Hiraikotsu and held her hands in front of her head for protection as Miroku snatched up from the monster's grip and out of harm.
Sango was confused at first. What just happened? She looked around and found herself in Miroku's arms. He had a determined look on his face as he stared up at the demon. As Sango looked closer at Miroku she found something very disturbing. "Miroku, your arm has a huge gash in it!" Sango shrieked, staring at his bleeding wound.
"Sango, don't worry about me. Let's just finish the task at hand," Miroku said without looking at her. Miroku took off the prayer beads of his hand revealing his Wind Tunnel. "Sango, get out of here! I don't want you to get sucked in!" Sango nodded and ran a safe distance away from harm. Then Miroku sucked in the foul beast. Unfortunately, for him he didn't notice the poisonous insects surrounding the demon and sucked them in as well. Moments later Miroku fell to the ground in pain. At least I saved the woman I love.
"Miroku, please don't die! If you did I don't think I'd bear it!" Sango sobbed, shaking his unconscious body. Moments later the rest of the gang joined her and tried to revive Miroku, but all their attempts failed. Lord Yosikada galloped boldly toward them on his noble steed.
"Give him air! We have to hurry and get him to the first aid tent right away! If we don't he'll die for sure!" the lord said trying to balance Miroku's body onto his shoulders. He finally managed to do so and rushed Miroku into the first aid tent. Sango just sat there and kept sobbing. How could I have been so foolish?
Kagome wrapped her arms around Sango in a sisterly gesture and tried to soothe her. Sango sobbed harder into her shoulder. "Sango, this isn't your fault. I thought the demon was dead as well. We all did. Don't worry. Miroku will get better." Sango nodded into her friend's shoulder as her sobs subsided. Inuyasha and Shippo looked down at them solemnly from a distance.
The next morning, Sango found herself dressed in an elegant white gown. Her eyes were lined with black eyeliner and dusted with plum eye shadow. Her cheeks were rosy with color. Sango looked at her reflection in the mirror and saw a happy bride staring back at her, but in the inside she was screaming for help. She heard the sliding door, but didn't turn around since she already knew it was Kagome.
"Sango, you look beautiful," said a masculine voice.
Sango's heart raced when she noticed Miroku's reflection in the mirror. What is he doing here? Sango spun around and asked, "Miroku, aren't you supposed to be resting?"
Miroku let out a soft chuckle and said, "Now Sango, you should already know by now that I'm a quick healer." It was true since he wasn't as pale as he was the night before. Sango knew her nervousness was becoming more apparent with each passing second.
"I...I know that. It's...it's just that I can never get used to it. Last night you were just inches from death," Sango babbled. Miroku's grin disappeared and turned into a frown. He was just about to leave the room when Sango stopped him. "Where are you going, Miroku?" she asked desperately.
"Your husband-to-be put me in charge of gathering the guests. I should be going," he answered her. Before she could say another word he was gone. Sango could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them show. She couldn't. Crying was never something she did selfishly. Just then Kagome came into the room.
"Hey Sango what's the matter? You aren't supposed to be sad. It's your wedding day," she said, putting her arm around Sango's shoulders.
Sango grinned slightly and said, "It's nothing, Kagome. Let's see what we can do with my hair." Kagome smiled and started babbling happily while playing with Sango's hair.
A half hour later, Sango was in the church standing next to Lord Yoshikada with her hair pulled into a graceful bun with jeweled barrettes. Keade was standing in front of them conducting the ceremony. Sango was lucky that Keade had come on such short notice. All of her friends were beaming at her from the front row. The only person Sango didn't see was Miroku. Sango's heart felt like it was being shred to pieces, but at least she was settling down with a man that truly loved her even though she didn't love him back. She did have an attraction towards him but it wasn't nearly as strong as what she felt towards Miroku.
"If anyone has any objections for why these two can't be joined in holy matrimony speak now or forever hold your peace," said Keade looking around the church at every individual. The doors of the church slammed open and Sango saw Miroku walk in with a sort of determination that she'd never seen from him before.
"I have something to say if you don't mind," he declared. "The reason why these two can't be joined together is because I love this woman and I won't let her go without her knowing how I truly feel about her." He walked over to Sango and took her hands in his, "Sango, I've loved you ever since the first day we met. If you marry Lord Yoshikada I don't think I could live with myself. Marry me instead." Sango's heart thundered happily in her chest as she heard these words.
"Miroku, I love you too and nothing would make me happier than to be your wife!" Sango announced before she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with all her might. The whole crowd cheered and the church was booming with excitement.
"This is certainly a change in events. Well, I guess I pronounce you two husband and wife," said Keade who was beaming as well. Lord Yoshikada stared at the couple with utter shock, but eventually congratulated them.
"That was a close call," mumbled Shippo.
"You can say that again," Kagome said, resting her head on Inuyasha's shoulder.