A/N: Long time no update! I wanted to stay on a regular updating schedule but I just moved into a new apartment and I start law school in a month so things have been hectic. But thank you to those who read/fav/follow/review, it makes this writing thing worthwhile! So without further ado, chapter 4!
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Chapter 4- The Hot springs
The sun beamed overhead brightly on the occupants down below its warm rays. They had already been travelling for hours and run into a few wild demons looking for trouble. Despite the heat, Inuyasha continued his brisk pace at the head of the group, his bare feet walking over the dirt path they followed as he led the group. Sango walked behind him, keeping up with the curt stride Inuyasha had set for the group, despite the heavy weight of Hiraikotsu on her back. Kirara sat perched on her shoulder, licking her paws here and there to cool down in the heat.
Miroku took up residence behind Sango, his hands in his purple robes, violet eyes taking in the surroundings before find a much more interesting view in Sango's backside, grinning perversely to himself. Reaching a hand out, he readied himself to caress the firm mounds until he felt another hand on his wrist, halting his movements.
Following the arm up to its owner, he was met with the glaring blue eyes of Kagome.
"Don't even think about it Miroku!"
"Please Kagome, you wound me. I was just stretching my tired limbs."
Narrowing her eyes before letting go of his wrist, Kagome added, "Yeah yeah Miroku, if you want another concussion go ahead."
Turning her attention from the monk, Kagome felt the tell-tale sign of fatigue plague her body. Beads of moisture dampened her forehead and her dry lips felt on the verge of cracking in the hostile sun.
"Inuyasha! Unless you want us all to pass out, we need to stop for camp!"
Looking back with irritation, Inuyasha yelled back, "Oi, we just started wench! We haven't even barely begun to cover ground."
Trying to suppress her anger at her inconsiderate friend, Kagome bit back tersely, "Well in case you haven't noticed, it's like 100 degrees out here and the idea of death by heatstroke doesn't appeal to me."
"Feh, if you guys were demon we could cover twice the ground we do in one day."
"Well sorry oh great demon, but us humans need a break." added Kagome sarcastically.
Using her last bit of energy to jog to the head of the group, Kagome scouted out a good area to set up camp.
"Hey guys I think this is as good a place as any to set up for now until it cools down a bit."
"Good idea Kagome-chan! And I smell a hot springs nearby. After today's journey I wouldn't mind a good soak."
Eyes lighting up at the mention of a bath, Kagome replied giddily, "true Sango-chan, great idea!"
"Yes ladies, I think a warm bath would be most enjoyable, mind if I join?" asked Miroku innocently, only to be met by two sets of glaring eyes.
"Hey! Nobody said we were stopping, we still got daylight!" interrupted Inuyasha angrily, pointing an accusatory finger at Kagome.
"Inuyasha, the other half of the jewel isn't going anywhere. We all know Naraku can't be found unless he wants to be."
"Feh. We wouldn't even be in this mess if you knew how to shoot that bow and arrow properly."
Turning to face Inuyasha, blue clashed with gold in a heated exchanged, both sides unwilling to back down.
Clutching the bow nestled on her back defensively, Kagome bit out, "Oh that's rich coming from a guy that swings Tetsusaiga so carelessly; I'm surprised you haven't lopped one of our heads off by now! That was my first time shooting a bow, what's your excuse after years of training?!
"Whatever. Go take your stupid bath, see if I care!" humphed Inuyasha as he jumped into the nearest tree, now sporting a slight tinge of red on his cheeks.
It never ceased to amaze Kagome how these little arguments between Inuyasha and herself started so randomly and ended almost always in her victory. After years together, what seemed like a nuisance before had somewhat become a ritual between the two friends, endearing them together in some odd way.
Plus she always managed to make Inuyasha jump off in a hissy fit…but of course that didn't give her any added enjoyment.
Setting down her monstrous yellow bag on the ground, Kagome began to search for her bathing supplies, grabbing a bottle of body wash, pink and blue wash cloths for herself and Sango, and an extra set of clean clothes.
"Ok Sango-chan, let's go!" replied Kagome cheerfully as she sauntered over to the older female.
"And don't get any ideas monk!" added Sango before the pair walked away in the direction of the hot springs.
Eyeing the direction the girls had walked off in with curiosity, Miroku thought about following after until the gruff voice from the tree line stopped him.
"Don't even think about it pervert!" yelled out the still angry Inuyasha toward the monk.
Sure he was butt-hurt about being ignored by Kagome, but he sure wasn't about to let Miroku go peeping on them and cause him more trouble.
Not that he was scared of the little 17 year old human….of course not.
Shaking his head of that last thought, he closed his eyes to get a moments rest, still keeping his ears on alert in the direction of the spring.
"Sango-chan, this is exactly what I needed! Not that I don't enjoy running around Japan chasing after demons." said Kagome jokingly as she lowered herself into the spring, her sore muscles automatically relaxing in the warm water.
"Right Kagome-chan. I'm ready for this whole battle to be over. You can't imagine what it's like growing up in war time." replied Sango, a look of sadness washing over her mocha eyes.
Scooting over to Sango, Kagome placed an arm around her shoulders, hugging the woman closer to her.
"Don't worry Sango-chan. I'm sure things will get better soon."
"I wish it were that easy Kagome-chan. It's been years! Humans and demons fighting and killing each other and for what? Power? I feel like my whole life was predetermined for me and I had no say in anything."
Recalling the events from her past, Sango realized it was time to finally tell Kagome of her childhood. She had just hoped the younger woman wouldn't view her any differently. Sighing aloud, she began to tell the dark memories of her early life…
"When the demons started growing in power, humans lived in constant fear; we had always been the strongest species, but now there were beings that wanted to kill us simply because of our race and they had the powers to do so."
"Things had changed so quickly. One night we were a happy family eating supper, until a rogue group of demons attacked our village. They destroyed the entire town; homes were set on fire, crops were destroyed. Most of the villagers were either killed or taken by the demons; the bodies of those who were taken were never seen again."
"I was only 8 at the time. I had never seen such destruction in my life; sometimes at night I still hear the screams of the people, begging to the Gods for it to be over. I lost my younger brother that night."
Kagome's eyes widened in shock at the last statement. She had known Sango had come from a troubled past, caused by devastating Endless War, but she had never known exactly what she had loss. Sango was her closest friend in the group, but she always seemed to be reserved. Kagome knew there were things Sango kept to herself and figured she would tell her when the time was right.
But losing a sibling? She couldn't imagine something so tragic. Her thoughts flew to Souta, her own younger brother, and she couldn't imagine life without the sometimes annoying boy.
"S-Sango-chan I had no idea. I'm so sorry."
Blinking back her tears, Sango smiled at Kagome, "don't worry about me. This all happened years ago, I've learned to deal with the pain." Sango swallowed the lump in her throat before continuing her story,
"We searched everywhere for Kohaku's body after the demons left. We didn't know if they took him or if he managed escaped. To this day, I think part of me still believes that he's out there somewhere."
"After the destruction of our village, the survivors had no choice but to relocate and rebuild. Some felt sorrow, some felt vulnerable, but for the most part everyone just felt angry; angry that these beings could come in as easily as they had and take everything we loved. At that point, my father and a few other men became obsessed with the demons and destroying them; Revenge was the only thing anyone wanted anymore."
"That's how the village became one of the most feared demon-slaying towns around. Our reputation began to spread throughout Japan; we had the weapons and the fresh pain of all that we had lost at the hands of the demons, which was a deadly combination."
"The village council made a law that at the age of 15 one had to start slayer training; the work load was torture. We went sun up to sun down, practicing drills and techniques until we passed out. When we weren't working on forms we were in the class rooms learning about the different demons the more experienced slayers caught; we learned their strengths and weaknesses, everything we could in order to become better warriors."
Holding on to her shoulder, Kagome was at a loss on how to comfort the woman beside her. She wasn't familiar with the burden war and fighting put on a person; in her time these problems never even crossed her mind, but here knowing your opponent and knowing how to wield a weapon were the difference between life and death.
"I didn't know if I even wanted to become a slayer. The closer I got to turning 15 the more anxious I became. I knew I was expected to become this great warrior especially with my father being a council member. Nevertheless I excelled in training and classes; by the time I was 18 I was one of the best demon slayers in the village."
"There were days when it became too much; being a skilled warrior takes its toll on the conscious. We killed every demon that came across our path including women and children. I remember the first child I had to kill. The fear in his eyes still haunts me. He couldn't have been more than 5, the same age Kohaku was when I'd last seen him."
"I hesitated; Hiraikotsu felt like lead within my hands and I knew I couldn't go through with it but my father was standing over me, a look of satisfaction in his eyes at the fear we had instilled within the little boy. To him, every demon was accountable for the loss of Kohaku. After I'd dealt the killing blow he hugged me and said he couldn't have been prouder. That night I cried myself to sleep."
Kagome listened to Sango's story, a feeling of guilt over coming her. She never knew the effects of war could run so deep. Sango had no choices in her life; had been forced to become a demon slayer, had been forced to kill simply because of her father's grief.
She realized that Sango's strong exterior was just a mask to hide the pain of what she had been forced to do her whole life; that if she were to let her guard down the grief of her previous actions would most likely consume her kind heart.
Honestly, she was surprised that Sango remained as positive and sweet as she was now. Kagome knew that had it been her in the situation, she never would've been able to survive.
"You must think me a monster. I know I do." whispered Sango quietly into the air.
"Of course not Sango-chan. You're the kindest person I know! You were dealt a bad hand and coped with it the best way you could."
"I just feel so weak Kagome-chan. I killed thousands of demons, but never had the courage to stand up to my father, to tell him that the killings were senseless and they wouldn't bring Kohaku back. I just felt as though I was betraying my family and my brother by feeling that way."
"I think that makes you stronger Sango-chan. You were able to hold on to your humanity despite the obstacles you faced. It would be easy to side with your family simply because you believed you had to, but it took real courage to realize that killing demons for sport wouldn't solve anything."
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Sango smiled once more at Kagome.
"Thank you Kagome-chan! I don't know what I would do without you."
"Of course! You're like my big sister Sango-chan. Without you I probably would've killed Inuyasha by now" laughed Kagome.
"Speaking of Inuyasha maybe we should head back to camp. Who knows what he and the monk have been up to."
"You're right, I'm surprised Miroku hasn't tried to sneak in here by now. Plus Inu is probably throwing a tantrum at how long we've been gone."
Gathering the bathing supplies, Kagome dried off and got dressed into clean clothes and strapped her bow to her back once more before following Sango back to camp. Walking in comfortable silence, Kagome's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the voices she heard as got closer to camp.
She recognized Miroku's soft voice and rolled her eyes at the predictable yelling of Inuyasha, but a third voice had her puzzled. The cold baritone of the stranger sent chills throughout her body, a sense of dread filling her as they appeared in the camp site.
As the occupants of the campsite became visible, Kagome took in the uncommon scene before her:
Miroku was standing off to the side of the clearing, his hands held up in apprehension as he was seemingly trying to diffuse the tension of the campsite that was almost palpable, while still keeping distance from the two beings in the middle of the clearing who's auras were swirling around dangerously.
Her eyes moving from Miroku, Kagome took in the posture of her friend Inuyasha who was standing toe to toe with the stranger; his golden eyes glaring holes into the man in front of him and his fist wrapped so tightly around the hilt of Tetsusaiga at his waist that his knuckles were turning white.
She had seen her friend in battle before, seen him kill demons that were threatening their lives, but she had never seen him look so furious at someone who apparently wasn't even posing a threat.
Without thinking, Kagome automatically drew her bow from off her back and pulled the arrow taught against the string, aiming the weapon toward the stranger before looking more closely at whomever it was that had to be an enemy if the countenance of Inuyasha was any indication.
Upon further inspection, her breath hitched at what she saw…
She thought she was looking in a mirror staring at Inuyasha and the stranger; the resemblance was so uncanny Kagome knew they had to be related. While they shared the same long platinum silver tresses and striking golden eyes, there were several differences that made this being seem much more dangerous than her longtime friend.
The stranger stood more than a foot taller than Inuyasha, his imposing figure almost towering over her friend, who up until now had been one of the tallest people she had ever seen. His nails also came to claw-like points but unlike Inuyasha's his seemed sharper, as if they had been filed to perfect points.
His pristine white outfit reminded Kagome of royalty; the intricate patterned designs on the fabric further strengthened that notion in her mind. He carried not one, but two swords on his hip which hung below his waist innocently but from the energy emanating from them she could tell they were anything but.
The most different features from Inuyasha, however, were above the neck; instead of the cute doggy ears Kagome had grown accustomed to, his ears where on the side of his head, almost human-like except for the sharp point at the top that made them look elfin.
This being screamed power and arrogance, but it was his face that captured Kagome-
Above his brows sat a azure crescent moon shape centered perfectly on his forehead and two sets of maroon stripes adorned each cheek. His face held a look of confidence, and despite Inuyasha all but growling at him, he looked bored! Looked as if Tetsusaiga wouldn't shred him to pieces, and even though she had never met this man, Kagome had a feeling that even the powerful Hanyou wouldn't stand a chance against him.
'Wow' thought Kagome to herself, the grip on her bow loosening as she took in the handsome stranger. Before she had a chance to drool at the beautiful man, Inuyasha's voice brought her out of her stupor.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing here bastard?!"
Ready to open her mouth to scold Inuyasha on his crude language, Kagome found herself beaten to it when the man spoke once more, his baritone voice deep compared to the yelling coming from Inuyasha.
"Hn. Hello little brother."
Blue eyes widening in shock, Kagome felt the arrow fall completely from her bow in shock as she looked back and forth between the two men, realization hitting her like a truck.
"Wait…brother?!"
A/N: And there you have it! finally posted chapter 4, I wanted to give Sango a backstory so I focused on her past in this one , but finally Sesshomaru is introduced so let the fun begin!