Disclaimer: Inuyasha was not created by me...this is only a fanfic of the series nods vigorously
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Daytime, Nighttime
Chapter One: Beginning
The Shikon was a sparkling city resting comfortably on top of a grassy hill. Its streets and stores were filled with people both young and old. Most people there lived comfortably and never had to worry about where they should live, what clothes they could wear, and where they could find their dinner. Those people were very lucky, for the lord of the province had chosen Shikon for his home. He had a rather large amount of money in his hands, and had many of the city's citizens working in his home. The servants were paid well and were often given the clothes that the lord's cousins had outgrown. Thus, they were well dressed and well fed.
Just below Shikon, beyond the forests, a mountain, and a barren plain was the small town of Kyuushigai. This town was old and filled with weak and aging people. The bright paint that used to make the town bright and cheerful was now dull and peeling. Vegetation was scarce, and Lord Sesshoumaru (who also owned this town), often had to send some food over. The food he sent was never enough to last through winter. The healthier people of Kyuushigai had grown up and left the mundane town in hopes of finding adventure. The few people left were too young, too poor or too frail to move away from the town. Unlike Shikon, people of this city lived each day worrying about where they could find their next meal, and whether their house was going to crumble or not. Sorry to disappoint you, but THIS lousy town, filled with old and decrepit people, is where the fanfic starts.
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"Kagome! Kagome! Did you bring back food and toys for Haruki-Chan? How was Shinju? Is it as pretty and shiny as Kiwako-san told us?"A giggling boy tugged on the sleeve of the raven-haired girl. His sister, Mai jumped and danced around her elder.
Kagome laughed along with the kids and looked at her cousin. They had gone so far to get supplies for the town. Everyone knew that the lord of their small town worked hard to rule and care for his province, but the food he gave them never lasted long. Just last winter, the rice he had sent them ran out by the end of the second month. The people in town had to spend the next week and three days in hunger. "Sorry, no toys for Haruki-chan, but I promise I'll play with you tomorrow, 'kay?" She ruffled the kid's hair and led the cows and wagon to the shelter. The wagon full of food might not last through winter alone, but added with Sesshoumaru's provisions, it should.
"Kagome..." she heard when she exited the shelter, "Where did you and Sango get all this food? You know we could never afford this much..." Her grandmother Kiwako stared up at her with furrowed eyebrows.
Kagome sighed, "Gramma...you know we could. And just the other day, I found a pendant just the other day on the ground. Sango used it to buy the food." She grinned cheerfully, hoping the elderly lady wouldn't keep questioning her.
She didn't, but Kiwako continued to look at her doubtfully. Finally, she said, "Alright then, if you say so...But don't do this next year---you KNOW we could never afford this stuff. Our town can handle a few weeks of hunger, no big deal." Kiwako kept mumbling as she hobbled into the house.
Kagome tensed up again when she heard the yell, "Kagome! Come to the kitchen NOW! We have some customers!" She sighed and obeyed the command. She was a bit curious though, not a lot of customers came these days. The few who came were usually not part of this town.
She hurriedly changed into her blue yukata and entered the dining room. "Good evening! I'm Kagome, your waitress for the day. What would you like to order? Our dinner special is fried---"
"I don't care what your dinner special is---does this place sell ramen? It doesn't look like it does...and that other waitress forgot to give me chopsticks! Stupid wench," said the rude, white-haired boy.
Why are customers always so idifficult/i? Kagome fought the urge to frown, and reminded herself that this man was a customer, and that she should treat her customers nicely in order to get money from them.
She smiled weakly, "Eh, we do, and I'll get the chopsticks for you when I return with the ramen. What would you like? Houshi-sama?" Kagome asked. She assumed the man was a monk by his attire.
"I'll take some fried rice, no meat please," said the purple-robed monk.
She kept the stupid grin on her face until she entered the kitchen. Once she was sure the door was closed, she slammed her hand on the table and rubbed her forehead. She sighed and looked for Sango. The girl wasn't there, so she had no one to rant to. Bummer.
Within a few minutes, the noodles were done and Kagome was starting to get the rice out of the frying pan. She heard movement behind her and whipped around to see her cousin.
"Hey. Kiwako doesn't believe our 'we found the pendant on the ground' story. Just to make sure our story fits together, we found the pendant by the river, right?"
Kagome dropped the ladle and gasped, "You SAID that to her? There are no rivers near Shinju!"
Sango slapped her forehead and mumbled, "I forgot. Darn." After a few seconds of silence, she grinned weakly and said, "Grandma has bad memory...perhaps she'll forget by tomorrow?"
Kagome frowned, but her thoughts were interrupted by the smell of the rice. "Oh right! The food, Sango, could you help me carry the rice? I don't' want to spill the ramen."
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"About time you brought the food, wench, is this restaurant always so slow?" the white-haired boy grumbled, he picked up his chopsticks and started filling his face with the food.
Resisting the urge to slap the impatient customer, Kagome reminded herself of his money and smiled cheerfully at the monk. "Enjoy your food."
As Sango placed the rice onto the table, Kagome noticed the monk grinning at her cousin, and raised an eyebrow. The monk casually stretched his arms, and Kagome watched with dread as one of the houshi's hands went behind Sango. A 'wham' resounded loudly throughout the restaurant, and Kagome gasped when the monk fell out of his chair.
"Oh I'm so sorry, I thought there was a fly on your head." Sango said impassively as Miroku tentatively rubbed his head, "Would you like to return to your seat? I'm sure you wouldn't want to eat on the ground." Inwardly, she was seething at the monk's behavior. Only good manners kept her from beating the man to a pulp for groping her.
Kagome watched as she white haired customer glared at the monk, as if he knew what had happened. 'So he does this all the time...and I thought the monk was a respectable man!'
Just then, a bunch of men entered the restaurant and caused a lot of commotion. Kagome hurriedly left to usher them to their seats, and Sango, after giving Miroku a glare, retreated into the kitchen.
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The restaurant is supposed to be closed. Kagome thought as she watched the group of drunken men. All the shops are closed...except for ours. She was cleaning one of the tables when she overheard the conversation among the group.
"Where did you put it?" one of them was saying between hiccups.
A companion of his said, "Under the temple."
Curiosity got the better of her, and she moved to a table closer to theirs. She started wiping it with her rag, but her attention was focused on the conversation.
"Today is our lucky day!" a burly man yelled, and the group yelled back, "Aye!"
"Oi! More sake!" someone yelled, and held his cup towards Kagome. She turned towards the group, and they started thumping their hands on the table. "Sake! Sake! Sake!"
"Okay-okay!" she yelled over the din and hurriedly took the jugs. When all the jugs were filled, she returned and placed the sake on the table.
'How am I supposed to throw a group of drunken men out of a restaurant?'
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"Psst! Sango!" Kagome said in the kitchen.
"What? Heard something?" Sango asked. Kagome nodded urgently.
"I'll wash the dishes and take care of the restaurant. I heard the group of drunks talking about something under the local temple. I think they have stolen treasure underneath. Will you please check the temple?"
Sango looked around for eavesdroppers, and replied, "I'll go change then. If those drunks really have something under the temple, they might leave with it before tomorrow comes."
Kagome nodded in agreement. "That's what I was thinking. Good luck then! Don't get caught!"
Sango went into her room and locked the door. Under her bed were some armor and knives and daggers. She removed her kimono, revealing her black clothes, and strapped the armor around her stomach. Then she took a mask and used it to cover her nose and mouth. Finally, she took a hooded black cloak and used it to cover her pony-tailed hair. Sango opened her window, grabbed an unlit candle (and some matches), jumped out of her room, and left the restaurant/house.
She located the temple and jumped onto its roof. There was a small courtyard, and she jumped into it. There was a door nearby and she opened it. On a large table inside the room was a Buddha statue surrounded with food offerings from the villagers and monks. 'Where is the cellar door?' Sango thought, and peeked inside a closet. There was a broom and some rugs, and under the broom was a door in the floor.
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Miroku was meditating in his room when he thought he heard a creaking sound above. He opened his eyes and looked up. He swore he heard a slight tapping sound from the roof, but now there was no sound. He looked outside and thought, 'I should concentrate on keeping my mind clear, not on noises that aren't real. I should pray to the Buddha now.' He stood up and exited his room. The praying room was across the courtyard. He entered the room and went on his knees in front of the statue, he was about to start praying, but something caught his eye. The broom closet's door was open. Miroku was sure he closed it after sweeping the floor in the afternoon, so why was it open now?
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Sango moved the broom away from the door, squat down, and examined the door for a latch. She found a handle and pulled it. The open door revealed steps leading downwards. Sango descended the steps until it was too dark for her to see. She fumbled for the candle and matches inside her shoe until she felt them and pulled them out. When she lit the candle, she was amazed at what was in the cellar. On the floor were the possessions of the villagers! There was a bag of money on the floor that looked almost empty, some cheap necklaces, bracelets, pretty clothes, leather boots, finished wooden statues that the woodcarver recently made, and baskets of vegetables---from Kiwako's storage room! She looked around for more items, and to her disgust, found some chickens with missing heads. The thieves left the chickens in a red, bloody pile. It was obvious no one thought about putting them in a bag.
'Who would be cruel enough to take from the poor?' Sango thought, and wished that she got to beat up some of those drunks. Sighing, she wondered how she could possibly return all those items before the sun rises. Sango didn't have much time for thinking though.
"Who's there?" A voice she recognized asked.
'MIROKU? This is his temple? He lives here? How could he let the thieves place their loot here?' Sango wondered.
"I said, who's there?!" Miroku asked again, and he walked down the stairs with a match. He seemed to be carrying something else, but Sango couldn't see the object clearly. As she was thinking, Miroku lighted a candle on the candle stand built into the wall.
'UNLESS.he's part of the group of thieves, and he's just disguising as a monk! That cheating little.' Sango's eyes blazed. "You bastard! How dare you steal from the poor!" She yelled, and rushed at Miroku while pulling out her dagger.
Miroku raised the other object he was holding: A staff. The staff came in contact with her hand, and she dropped the dagger in pain. The dagger fell on the steps, and before she could retrieve it, he kicked it into the darkness. Without another alternative, Sango raised her fists and moved to punch the monk. Before she could lift her fist for the second punch, Miroku grabbed it. She prepared to knee him, but his other hand caught her knee. That made her lose balance, and since they were on the stairs, she fell.
She gasped as the two of them fell, and winced when her back came in contact with the ground. Taking a few moments to regain her senses, she realized the monk was on top of her. His left hand was still holding her hand, and his face was buried in her chest. Sango felt her face reddening, and she felt for an object to hit with. Her hand felt a cooking pot, which she used to repeatedly whack his head. "Pervert!" she half-yelled, and pushed him off of her. He was unconscious from the beatings, and Sango was able to make a quick escape out of the temple.
---
It was almost dawn when Kagome heard Sango enter the room. She got up from bed and saw her cousin close the window. Sango was panting as if she was running from someone, and she was.BLUSHING?! Kagome had never seen her cousin blush until today. "Sango, was there anything under the temple?" she asked, "And why is you face all red? It's as red as a tomato."
"What? It's still red?" a pause, "Oh, I mean, why is it red? I didn't know that," was the lame cover-up.
Kagome folded her arms and said in a disbelieving tone, "No really, what happened in that cellar?" Then her eyes twinkled mischievously, "Did you see someone you like?"
"Nothing! I saw no one! I'm going to sleep!" Sango said, and crawled into her bed. She wasn't going to tell Kagome what happened, no matter what.
---
The next morning, Miroku woke up to a voice yelling, "OI! Miroku! Where the hell are you?"
An elderly voice he recognized as Mushin's said, "Please, Inuyasha, I don't appreciate your language."
"Feh, old man, are you sure he didn't slip out of the house while you were drinking your sake?" Inuyasha said in contempt.
"I'm sure--" before Mushin could say anything else, he was rudely interrupted.
"Quiet, I think I smell him." Inuyasha sniffed the air and went into the closet. "Did that fool sleepwalk into the cellar? Miroku! Wake UP! What are you doing on the ground? And what's with the---" the dog-demon covered his nose. He didn't like the scent of blood, even though it belonged to chickens. Miroku got up from his position and climbed the stairs.
"Some thieves hid their loot under this temple. I heard one of them going into the cellar, so I tried catching her."
"Feh. And you failed. How did you know that the thief was female? Actually, don't tell me. I know, you groped her didn't you? I see those lumps on your head."
"Nice to see you care about me." Miroku said sarcastically. He asked Mushin, "Foster-father, is breakfast ready?"
The old monk answered, "I couldn't find you, so I gave it to your friend."
Miroku glared at Inuyasha, who sheepishly said, "Okay, okay, you can eat at a restaurant, I'll pay."
Miroku's faces brightened, "In that case, let's go."
Inuyasha groaned, "I knew you wanted to see those girls!"
---
Business wasn't good in Kyuushigai. Most people were too poor to afford eating from restaurants, farmers left for their fields before the restaurants open, and travelers usually don't arrive until late afternoon. Kagome stared outside with boredom. If only she was allowed to have a day off...before she knew it, she had dozed off.
"Kagome!" her grandmother yelled, startling her awake. "Were you sleeping?" The stout old lady asked. Though Kagome was much taller than Kiwako, it always seemed like Kiwako towered over her when she was scolding her.
"Of course not, grandmother," She lied.
"Then help your cousin with her cooking." Kiwako muttered. Kagome timidly went into the kitchen.
"What can I help you with, Sango?" she asked.
"You got yelled at? No doubt you were sleeping. Well, help me with the vegetables." Sango said, and handed Kagome a knife. Kagome started chopping the vegetables. Then she placed them in a basket and went to the rice bags. If anyone wanted breakfast, they would most likely ask for porridge. Kagome put some rice in a water-filled pot, and warmed the water.
A few minutes later, the porridge was done. "Sango, want some porridge? There's a lot of it." Kagome asked, and put some porridge in a small bowl. Sango nodded, and Kagome filled another bowl.
They were about to start eating when they heard a voice yelling, "Oi! Anyone here?" Grumbling, Kagome went out of the kitchen and saw the white- haired guy and the monk. The monk had a black eye, and was rubbing a lump on his head. Kagome showed them a table for two, gave them menus, and asked what they wanted to eat. Inuyasha didn't seem to be in a good mood, but he never was.
"Do you have porridge?" Miroku asked, and Kagome nodded.
"Want tea with that?" Kagome asked, and Miroku nodded once. His jaw was also swollen.
Kagome couldn't hold her curiosity any longer, and asked, "Houshi-sama, sorry for asking, but how did you get all those bruises?"
"I fell down the stairs." "He got beaten up." Miroku and Inuyasha said at the same time. They looked at each other. Miroku then confessed, "Uh.I tried catching someone, but I landed on her. The thief started whacking me on the head."
Kagome started to think.
"That sounds a lot like what Sango would've don't too.wait! If he's a monk, then he lives in a temple. That means Sango was the thief he landed on. That's why she was blushing when she got back! I'm a genius! Mystery solved!"
To Inuyasha, it seemed strange how Kagome was smiling at Miroku's misfortune.
---
Kagome went into the kitchen and put porridge in two big bowls. As she walked out of the kitchen, she winked at Sango and said, "I know what happened last night, you can't hide the truth from ME!" Sango could swear she heard a cackle from her cousin. Kagome stood on Inuyasha's side of the table and handed Miroku his porridge. As she was giving Inuyasha his porridge, he said, "You're always so slow. The old servants in my brother's house move faster than you."
Veins popping, she 'lost' her grip on the bowl of porridge and spilled the hot contents on her insulter. "Ow! Bitch! What did you do that for?"
Lying, she yelled, "Well, I'm afraid I'm also not as strong as your brother's servants, so I dropped it!" She walked off with her tray while saying, "Do you have to insert swear words into every sentence you speak?"
"YES!" Kagome stopped walking and glared at him. "Especially when I'm talking to you, wench! Give me a damn towel!" Inuyasha yelled. One was flung at him, and he caught it.
While Inuyasha was wiping the porridge off his shirt, Kiwako said, "You two need to lower your voices. Don't think I can't hear what the two of you are saying. You two argue like an old married couple."
Indignant sputters were heard from both of them, and Kagome protested, "Why, Grandma Kiwako, I don't even know him!"
"Feh! Why would I marry such an ugly person like her?"
"Likewise!" Kagome yelled, and hurriedly ran into the kitchen.
---
That night, the two girls sneaked out to steal from the wealthy again. Kagome found a drunk, wealthy-looking man exiting the inn, and grabbed his purse. He was too sleepy to notice anything that was happening. While Kagome went to distribute the contents of the purse, Sango waited on top of a house. It would take a long time for Kagome to return.
A frightened yell came from the alley next to the house she was on. Looking over the roof, she noticed the drunken thieves from yesterday. They were surrounding an old man. "Please, kind sirs, I'm just an old farmer returning from his fields." The old man was nervously rubbing his sore hands.
One of the thieves snickered maliciously and drew his dagger. "How about this, you give us all yer' money and we won't kill yer'."
"I-I have no money. It's all at my ho---" his throat was grabbed by huge hands, and he gasped for breath.
"Liar!" the owner of the hands hissed.
Unable to contain herself any longer, Sango yelled out, "Leave him alone, you cowards!" Her dagger was already in her hand.
"Oh, a chick is going to beat us up?" one of the goons taunted.
"Yes!" She declared, "Now let go of him!" The large man obliged. As soon as she knew the old man was a few feet away from the thieves, she jumped down from the roof and asked, "So which idiot should I fight first?" With a roar, all then of the thieves charged at Sango. It was a good thing only four of them carried weapons. Sango delivered a spinning kick to the first thief who reached her. With her own dagger, she knocked an armed thief's knife out of his hands. The shocked man stared at his empty hand, and before he knew it, he was punched out cold. Within a few more minutes, five more thieves were lying beaten and unconscious (go Sango! ) Sango faced the three leftovers who looked uncertainly at her. A swift punch to the stomach, and one fell down. She ran past him and dealt punches and kicks to the other two.
She was about to strike a big, burly man on his neck when she heard someone yell, "You better stop!" Her hand froze and she looked to see that a man she assumed was unconscious was now holding the old man by his throat. It looked like the old man was dragged back to this alley. The old man's captor had his sword drawn out, a few centimeters away from the elder's throat. He grinned wolfishly and said, "Yeah, crazy girly thief, you better stop what you're doing and surrender...unless you want wrinkly face to die." His sword moved closer to the elder's throat, and the old man's eyes widened.
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Er, to be continued?
Read and review. Incase you were wondering, I edited the first few sections of this chapter. I'm doing the same with the other chapters too.
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Daytime, Nighttime
Chapter One: Beginning
The Shikon was a sparkling city resting comfortably on top of a grassy hill. Its streets and stores were filled with people both young and old. Most people there lived comfortably and never had to worry about where they should live, what clothes they could wear, and where they could find their dinner. Those people were very lucky, for the lord of the province had chosen Shikon for his home. He had a rather large amount of money in his hands, and had many of the city's citizens working in his home. The servants were paid well and were often given the clothes that the lord's cousins had outgrown. Thus, they were well dressed and well fed.
Just below Shikon, beyond the forests, a mountain, and a barren plain was the small town of Kyuushigai. This town was old and filled with weak and aging people. The bright paint that used to make the town bright and cheerful was now dull and peeling. Vegetation was scarce, and Lord Sesshoumaru (who also owned this town), often had to send some food over. The food he sent was never enough to last through winter. The healthier people of Kyuushigai had grown up and left the mundane town in hopes of finding adventure. The few people left were too young, too poor or too frail to move away from the town. Unlike Shikon, people of this city lived each day worrying about where they could find their next meal, and whether their house was going to crumble or not. Sorry to disappoint you, but THIS lousy town, filled with old and decrepit people, is where the fanfic starts.
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"Kagome! Kagome! Did you bring back food and toys for Haruki-Chan? How was Shinju? Is it as pretty and shiny as Kiwako-san told us?"A giggling boy tugged on the sleeve of the raven-haired girl. His sister, Mai jumped and danced around her elder.
Kagome laughed along with the kids and looked at her cousin. They had gone so far to get supplies for the town. Everyone knew that the lord of their small town worked hard to rule and care for his province, but the food he gave them never lasted long. Just last winter, the rice he had sent them ran out by the end of the second month. The people in town had to spend the next week and three days in hunger. "Sorry, no toys for Haruki-chan, but I promise I'll play with you tomorrow, 'kay?" She ruffled the kid's hair and led the cows and wagon to the shelter. The wagon full of food might not last through winter alone, but added with Sesshoumaru's provisions, it should.
"Kagome..." she heard when she exited the shelter, "Where did you and Sango get all this food? You know we could never afford this much..." Her grandmother Kiwako stared up at her with furrowed eyebrows.
Kagome sighed, "Gramma...you know we could. And just the other day, I found a pendant just the other day on the ground. Sango used it to buy the food." She grinned cheerfully, hoping the elderly lady wouldn't keep questioning her.
She didn't, but Kiwako continued to look at her doubtfully. Finally, she said, "Alright then, if you say so...But don't do this next year---you KNOW we could never afford this stuff. Our town can handle a few weeks of hunger, no big deal." Kiwako kept mumbling as she hobbled into the house.
Kagome tensed up again when she heard the yell, "Kagome! Come to the kitchen NOW! We have some customers!" She sighed and obeyed the command. She was a bit curious though, not a lot of customers came these days. The few who came were usually not part of this town.
She hurriedly changed into her blue yukata and entered the dining room. "Good evening! I'm Kagome, your waitress for the day. What would you like to order? Our dinner special is fried---"
"I don't care what your dinner special is---does this place sell ramen? It doesn't look like it does...and that other waitress forgot to give me chopsticks! Stupid wench," said the rude, white-haired boy.
Why are customers always so idifficult/i? Kagome fought the urge to frown, and reminded herself that this man was a customer, and that she should treat her customers nicely in order to get money from them.
She smiled weakly, "Eh, we do, and I'll get the chopsticks for you when I return with the ramen. What would you like? Houshi-sama?" Kagome asked. She assumed the man was a monk by his attire.
"I'll take some fried rice, no meat please," said the purple-robed monk.
She kept the stupid grin on her face until she entered the kitchen. Once she was sure the door was closed, she slammed her hand on the table and rubbed her forehead. She sighed and looked for Sango. The girl wasn't there, so she had no one to rant to. Bummer.
Within a few minutes, the noodles were done and Kagome was starting to get the rice out of the frying pan. She heard movement behind her and whipped around to see her cousin.
"Hey. Kiwako doesn't believe our 'we found the pendant on the ground' story. Just to make sure our story fits together, we found the pendant by the river, right?"
Kagome dropped the ladle and gasped, "You SAID that to her? There are no rivers near Shinju!"
Sango slapped her forehead and mumbled, "I forgot. Darn." After a few seconds of silence, she grinned weakly and said, "Grandma has bad memory...perhaps she'll forget by tomorrow?"
Kagome frowned, but her thoughts were interrupted by the smell of the rice. "Oh right! The food, Sango, could you help me carry the rice? I don't' want to spill the ramen."
---
"About time you brought the food, wench, is this restaurant always so slow?" the white-haired boy grumbled, he picked up his chopsticks and started filling his face with the food.
Resisting the urge to slap the impatient customer, Kagome reminded herself of his money and smiled cheerfully at the monk. "Enjoy your food."
As Sango placed the rice onto the table, Kagome noticed the monk grinning at her cousin, and raised an eyebrow. The monk casually stretched his arms, and Kagome watched with dread as one of the houshi's hands went behind Sango. A 'wham' resounded loudly throughout the restaurant, and Kagome gasped when the monk fell out of his chair.
"Oh I'm so sorry, I thought there was a fly on your head." Sango said impassively as Miroku tentatively rubbed his head, "Would you like to return to your seat? I'm sure you wouldn't want to eat on the ground." Inwardly, she was seething at the monk's behavior. Only good manners kept her from beating the man to a pulp for groping her.
Kagome watched as she white haired customer glared at the monk, as if he knew what had happened. 'So he does this all the time...and I thought the monk was a respectable man!'
Just then, a bunch of men entered the restaurant and caused a lot of commotion. Kagome hurriedly left to usher them to their seats, and Sango, after giving Miroku a glare, retreated into the kitchen.
---
The restaurant is supposed to be closed. Kagome thought as she watched the group of drunken men. All the shops are closed...except for ours. She was cleaning one of the tables when she overheard the conversation among the group.
"Where did you put it?" one of them was saying between hiccups.
A companion of his said, "Under the temple."
Curiosity got the better of her, and she moved to a table closer to theirs. She started wiping it with her rag, but her attention was focused on the conversation.
"Today is our lucky day!" a burly man yelled, and the group yelled back, "Aye!"
"Oi! More sake!" someone yelled, and held his cup towards Kagome. She turned towards the group, and they started thumping their hands on the table. "Sake! Sake! Sake!"
"Okay-okay!" she yelled over the din and hurriedly took the jugs. When all the jugs were filled, she returned and placed the sake on the table.
'How am I supposed to throw a group of drunken men out of a restaurant?'
---
"Psst! Sango!" Kagome said in the kitchen.
"What? Heard something?" Sango asked. Kagome nodded urgently.
"I'll wash the dishes and take care of the restaurant. I heard the group of drunks talking about something under the local temple. I think they have stolen treasure underneath. Will you please check the temple?"
Sango looked around for eavesdroppers, and replied, "I'll go change then. If those drunks really have something under the temple, they might leave with it before tomorrow comes."
Kagome nodded in agreement. "That's what I was thinking. Good luck then! Don't get caught!"
Sango went into her room and locked the door. Under her bed were some armor and knives and daggers. She removed her kimono, revealing her black clothes, and strapped the armor around her stomach. Then she took a mask and used it to cover her nose and mouth. Finally, she took a hooded black cloak and used it to cover her pony-tailed hair. Sango opened her window, grabbed an unlit candle (and some matches), jumped out of her room, and left the restaurant/house.
She located the temple and jumped onto its roof. There was a small courtyard, and she jumped into it. There was a door nearby and she opened it. On a large table inside the room was a Buddha statue surrounded with food offerings from the villagers and monks. 'Where is the cellar door?' Sango thought, and peeked inside a closet. There was a broom and some rugs, and under the broom was a door in the floor.
---
Miroku was meditating in his room when he thought he heard a creaking sound above. He opened his eyes and looked up. He swore he heard a slight tapping sound from the roof, but now there was no sound. He looked outside and thought, 'I should concentrate on keeping my mind clear, not on noises that aren't real. I should pray to the Buddha now.' He stood up and exited his room. The praying room was across the courtyard. He entered the room and went on his knees in front of the statue, he was about to start praying, but something caught his eye. The broom closet's door was open. Miroku was sure he closed it after sweeping the floor in the afternoon, so why was it open now?
---
Sango moved the broom away from the door, squat down, and examined the door for a latch. She found a handle and pulled it. The open door revealed steps leading downwards. Sango descended the steps until it was too dark for her to see. She fumbled for the candle and matches inside her shoe until she felt them and pulled them out. When she lit the candle, she was amazed at what was in the cellar. On the floor were the possessions of the villagers! There was a bag of money on the floor that looked almost empty, some cheap necklaces, bracelets, pretty clothes, leather boots, finished wooden statues that the woodcarver recently made, and baskets of vegetables---from Kiwako's storage room! She looked around for more items, and to her disgust, found some chickens with missing heads. The thieves left the chickens in a red, bloody pile. It was obvious no one thought about putting them in a bag.
'Who would be cruel enough to take from the poor?' Sango thought, and wished that she got to beat up some of those drunks. Sighing, she wondered how she could possibly return all those items before the sun rises. Sango didn't have much time for thinking though.
"Who's there?" A voice she recognized asked.
'MIROKU? This is his temple? He lives here? How could he let the thieves place their loot here?' Sango wondered.
"I said, who's there?!" Miroku asked again, and he walked down the stairs with a match. He seemed to be carrying something else, but Sango couldn't see the object clearly. As she was thinking, Miroku lighted a candle on the candle stand built into the wall.
'UNLESS.he's part of the group of thieves, and he's just disguising as a monk! That cheating little.' Sango's eyes blazed. "You bastard! How dare you steal from the poor!" She yelled, and rushed at Miroku while pulling out her dagger.
Miroku raised the other object he was holding: A staff. The staff came in contact with her hand, and she dropped the dagger in pain. The dagger fell on the steps, and before she could retrieve it, he kicked it into the darkness. Without another alternative, Sango raised her fists and moved to punch the monk. Before she could lift her fist for the second punch, Miroku grabbed it. She prepared to knee him, but his other hand caught her knee. That made her lose balance, and since they were on the stairs, she fell.
She gasped as the two of them fell, and winced when her back came in contact with the ground. Taking a few moments to regain her senses, she realized the monk was on top of her. His left hand was still holding her hand, and his face was buried in her chest. Sango felt her face reddening, and she felt for an object to hit with. Her hand felt a cooking pot, which she used to repeatedly whack his head. "Pervert!" she half-yelled, and pushed him off of her. He was unconscious from the beatings, and Sango was able to make a quick escape out of the temple.
---
It was almost dawn when Kagome heard Sango enter the room. She got up from bed and saw her cousin close the window. Sango was panting as if she was running from someone, and she was.BLUSHING?! Kagome had never seen her cousin blush until today. "Sango, was there anything under the temple?" she asked, "And why is you face all red? It's as red as a tomato."
"What? It's still red?" a pause, "Oh, I mean, why is it red? I didn't know that," was the lame cover-up.
Kagome folded her arms and said in a disbelieving tone, "No really, what happened in that cellar?" Then her eyes twinkled mischievously, "Did you see someone you like?"
"Nothing! I saw no one! I'm going to sleep!" Sango said, and crawled into her bed. She wasn't going to tell Kagome what happened, no matter what.
---
The next morning, Miroku woke up to a voice yelling, "OI! Miroku! Where the hell are you?"
An elderly voice he recognized as Mushin's said, "Please, Inuyasha, I don't appreciate your language."
"Feh, old man, are you sure he didn't slip out of the house while you were drinking your sake?" Inuyasha said in contempt.
"I'm sure--" before Mushin could say anything else, he was rudely interrupted.
"Quiet, I think I smell him." Inuyasha sniffed the air and went into the closet. "Did that fool sleepwalk into the cellar? Miroku! Wake UP! What are you doing on the ground? And what's with the---" the dog-demon covered his nose. He didn't like the scent of blood, even though it belonged to chickens. Miroku got up from his position and climbed the stairs.
"Some thieves hid their loot under this temple. I heard one of them going into the cellar, so I tried catching her."
"Feh. And you failed. How did you know that the thief was female? Actually, don't tell me. I know, you groped her didn't you? I see those lumps on your head."
"Nice to see you care about me." Miroku said sarcastically. He asked Mushin, "Foster-father, is breakfast ready?"
The old monk answered, "I couldn't find you, so I gave it to your friend."
Miroku glared at Inuyasha, who sheepishly said, "Okay, okay, you can eat at a restaurant, I'll pay."
Miroku's faces brightened, "In that case, let's go."
Inuyasha groaned, "I knew you wanted to see those girls!"
---
Business wasn't good in Kyuushigai. Most people were too poor to afford eating from restaurants, farmers left for their fields before the restaurants open, and travelers usually don't arrive until late afternoon. Kagome stared outside with boredom. If only she was allowed to have a day off...before she knew it, she had dozed off.
"Kagome!" her grandmother yelled, startling her awake. "Were you sleeping?" The stout old lady asked. Though Kagome was much taller than Kiwako, it always seemed like Kiwako towered over her when she was scolding her.
"Of course not, grandmother," She lied.
"Then help your cousin with her cooking." Kiwako muttered. Kagome timidly went into the kitchen.
"What can I help you with, Sango?" she asked.
"You got yelled at? No doubt you were sleeping. Well, help me with the vegetables." Sango said, and handed Kagome a knife. Kagome started chopping the vegetables. Then she placed them in a basket and went to the rice bags. If anyone wanted breakfast, they would most likely ask for porridge. Kagome put some rice in a water-filled pot, and warmed the water.
A few minutes later, the porridge was done. "Sango, want some porridge? There's a lot of it." Kagome asked, and put some porridge in a small bowl. Sango nodded, and Kagome filled another bowl.
They were about to start eating when they heard a voice yelling, "Oi! Anyone here?" Grumbling, Kagome went out of the kitchen and saw the white- haired guy and the monk. The monk had a black eye, and was rubbing a lump on his head. Kagome showed them a table for two, gave them menus, and asked what they wanted to eat. Inuyasha didn't seem to be in a good mood, but he never was.
"Do you have porridge?" Miroku asked, and Kagome nodded.
"Want tea with that?" Kagome asked, and Miroku nodded once. His jaw was also swollen.
Kagome couldn't hold her curiosity any longer, and asked, "Houshi-sama, sorry for asking, but how did you get all those bruises?"
"I fell down the stairs." "He got beaten up." Miroku and Inuyasha said at the same time. They looked at each other. Miroku then confessed, "Uh.I tried catching someone, but I landed on her. The thief started whacking me on the head."
Kagome started to think.
"That sounds a lot like what Sango would've don't too.wait! If he's a monk, then he lives in a temple. That means Sango was the thief he landed on. That's why she was blushing when she got back! I'm a genius! Mystery solved!"
To Inuyasha, it seemed strange how Kagome was smiling at Miroku's misfortune.
---
Kagome went into the kitchen and put porridge in two big bowls. As she walked out of the kitchen, she winked at Sango and said, "I know what happened last night, you can't hide the truth from ME!" Sango could swear she heard a cackle from her cousin. Kagome stood on Inuyasha's side of the table and handed Miroku his porridge. As she was giving Inuyasha his porridge, he said, "You're always so slow. The old servants in my brother's house move faster than you."
Veins popping, she 'lost' her grip on the bowl of porridge and spilled the hot contents on her insulter. "Ow! Bitch! What did you do that for?"
Lying, she yelled, "Well, I'm afraid I'm also not as strong as your brother's servants, so I dropped it!" She walked off with her tray while saying, "Do you have to insert swear words into every sentence you speak?"
"YES!" Kagome stopped walking and glared at him. "Especially when I'm talking to you, wench! Give me a damn towel!" Inuyasha yelled. One was flung at him, and he caught it.
While Inuyasha was wiping the porridge off his shirt, Kiwako said, "You two need to lower your voices. Don't think I can't hear what the two of you are saying. You two argue like an old married couple."
Indignant sputters were heard from both of them, and Kagome protested, "Why, Grandma Kiwako, I don't even know him!"
"Feh! Why would I marry such an ugly person like her?"
"Likewise!" Kagome yelled, and hurriedly ran into the kitchen.
---
That night, the two girls sneaked out to steal from the wealthy again. Kagome found a drunk, wealthy-looking man exiting the inn, and grabbed his purse. He was too sleepy to notice anything that was happening. While Kagome went to distribute the contents of the purse, Sango waited on top of a house. It would take a long time for Kagome to return.
A frightened yell came from the alley next to the house she was on. Looking over the roof, she noticed the drunken thieves from yesterday. They were surrounding an old man. "Please, kind sirs, I'm just an old farmer returning from his fields." The old man was nervously rubbing his sore hands.
One of the thieves snickered maliciously and drew his dagger. "How about this, you give us all yer' money and we won't kill yer'."
"I-I have no money. It's all at my ho---" his throat was grabbed by huge hands, and he gasped for breath.
"Liar!" the owner of the hands hissed.
Unable to contain herself any longer, Sango yelled out, "Leave him alone, you cowards!" Her dagger was already in her hand.
"Oh, a chick is going to beat us up?" one of the goons taunted.
"Yes!" She declared, "Now let go of him!" The large man obliged. As soon as she knew the old man was a few feet away from the thieves, she jumped down from the roof and asked, "So which idiot should I fight first?" With a roar, all then of the thieves charged at Sango. It was a good thing only four of them carried weapons. Sango delivered a spinning kick to the first thief who reached her. With her own dagger, she knocked an armed thief's knife out of his hands. The shocked man stared at his empty hand, and before he knew it, he was punched out cold. Within a few more minutes, five more thieves were lying beaten and unconscious (go Sango! ) Sango faced the three leftovers who looked uncertainly at her. A swift punch to the stomach, and one fell down. She ran past him and dealt punches and kicks to the other two.
She was about to strike a big, burly man on his neck when she heard someone yell, "You better stop!" Her hand froze and she looked to see that a man she assumed was unconscious was now holding the old man by his throat. It looked like the old man was dragged back to this alley. The old man's captor had his sword drawn out, a few centimeters away from the elder's throat. He grinned wolfishly and said, "Yeah, crazy girly thief, you better stop what you're doing and surrender...unless you want wrinkly face to die." His sword moved closer to the elder's throat, and the old man's eyes widened.
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Er, to be continued?
Read and review. Incase you were wondering, I edited the first few sections of this chapter. I'm doing the same with the other chapters too.