King of Hearts

Chapter 1 Blood and Shadows

A victim… easy prey… someone who's already close. He thought as his thin, pale fingers drummed the side of his crystal ball. The thick mist within swirled and glowed pink, a young woman's face appeared. She was pretty, her amber colored eyes tearing slightly. Yes, she was the one, an easy target.

"Miyako! Michi!" He hissed, two small demons, their long fangs glistening in the faint moon light. "Get me her blood." The demons bowed and vanished into shadow. He laughed to himself; he was going to enjoy her.

The demons flew quickly through the night. They spy their target, yelling profanities and throwing rocks at a laughing monk. With a swift slash, her blood gushed from a cut on her leg. She kneeled down, the monk rushed to her side.

"What the hell?" he whispered, quickly looking around. The demons snickered and bottled her blood as it hit her, or rather their, shadows. "Sango…" The monk scooped the girl up into his arms and ran back the rest of their companions. The demons returned to their master.

He laughed crazily as he uncorked the small vial of crimson blood. He reveled in the delightfully floral smell it had. With a whisper of an incantation, he dumped the vial over a stone. The image of the woman became more defined. The woman slumped forward, clutching at her chest. Tears of pain pricked the corners of her eyes. Her heart hardened to crystal. He laughed maniacally, his evil plan just getting started.

"Sango!" Miroku cried, desperately trying to help. He kneeled beside her gasping body, she cried out in anguish.

"My… chest…" she gasped, unable to move, or breathe. Then the pain just stopped, gone much quicker than it had come. She collapsed, unconscious.

Miroku lifted her into his arms again, rushing back to the campsite. Kagome and Inuyasha both stood and hurried to aid him as he entered their line of vision. Kagome quickly wrapped Sango's leg to stop the bleeding. Inuyasha rushed about unsure of what to do. Miroku placed Sango in her bed roll, sitting by her side, his hand absent mindedly stroking her hair as he tried to make sense of what happened. He didn't feel any presence near when she had started bleeding or collapsed.

The very air around them all screamed foreboding. No one really slept that night.