Chapter 3: The Thief's Friend Makes an Interesting Companion
A/N: My god, this Friday took its time coming! It was my first week back at school and let me tell you, they don't let you back in gently... Anyway, I have on request to make. If you like my story please DO comment on it. It motivates me to write more. If I look at my review list and see that no one has reviewed a chapter I was very proud of...well... it makes me sad. Well, on with the tale.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
There had been no thievery that night, as was predicted by the sky. No one else had seen the woman in Kagome's room. Sango. Kagome did not wish to ask others of her, for fear they would find Kagome suspicious, but listening to the other's conversations she could hear no mention of the woman. And that for some reason, made her feel relieved.
She felt quite special, to have been the only one to meet this woman. Almost like she had been entrusted with a great secret. Kagome was fond of secrets, or rather; she was fond of keeping them. She was not the person to blurt out tales with each breath. She was the person who smiled at others, delighting in their ignorance of something she knew so much about. And that was what was happening now.
"I must admit I am most relieved the Magpie did not return." Kagome's companion, Eri, was talking. "It is alright once a month but I would have been quite afraid if he came very night. Yes, it is better he did not come last night."
You cannot know that. Kagome nodded her head, ignoring her thoughts.
"Very true," replied Ayuma, the only one of the four who had a child. "I would be most terrified that he would hurt my daughter."
I don't think he did come actually. Kagome frowned suddenly. She had not seen the Magpie. Only Sango. The Magpie had never even entered the conversation. She had never been given proof that Sango had anything to do with him. Kagome leaned back, slightly disgruntled. What was the point of having a thief if she wasn't a member of a mysterious crew? Without a special gang she was just a…thief. A poor woman who was forced by poverty to steal.
"Kagome? Kagome!"
Kagome was snapped from her thoughts by Yuka, the final one of the group.
"What is it?"
"Does the Magpie not frighten you at all?" Kagome laughed at that.
"He steals things that shine in the manner of a young child. Why should I be afraid of that?"
"But he is the one who took your mother away! Are you not worried that he will come for you?"
"Why would he come for me when I am nothing like my mother? Neither my eyes, my nose, nor my mouth match hers. Our manners of speech have no similarities and our personalities perfect opposites!"
"But it is not any of that that tempted the Magpie," replied Eri, leaning to stroke a strand of Kagome's hair. "It was the dark and mysterious shine in your mother's hair." The three leaned back and giggled with the excitement of young girls.
"Indeed," agreed Yuka. "It was the way it was still able to shine in the lack of a moonlight.
"I still fail to find reason to worry," replied Kagome, twisting her hair around her own fingers. "I find my hair to be a shade duller than my mother's. It would hardly attract a magpie."
"A magpie?!" cried Eri. "We are not merely talking about a thieving bird my dear Kagome, we are talking about a thief that before we only considered a legend! It is the Magpie!"
"Why magpie?" Kagome wondered aloud. "There must be some bird in Japan as thieving as such. Magpies are mainly western birds are they not?"
"True." Ayuma was the most well-read of the four and, if in a good mood, was often used as as the library's substitute. "We don't get magpies in Japan."
"But we must get at least some." Kagome said leaning forwards, remembering her feather and suddenly displaying interest in the topic they spoke of. Ayuma shook her head.
"We have the azure-winged magpie, but when mentioning the thief we all think of the western one."
"What colour are the azure-winged's feathers?" Kagome's questions were delivered sharply, her eyes never leaving those of Ayuma's.
"The head of the bird is black and its throat white. The under-belly and back are pale grey and its wings and tail feathers are blue."
"None of the feathers will be black on each end and white in the centre?" Ayuma tilted her head to one side.
"That is the European magpie. Like I said before, we don't get them in this country."
"Has anyone brought a European magpie here from Europe?"
"Kagome, is anything wrong? Why are you-"
"Just answer my question."
"No, I have never heard of a European magpie being brought to Japan." Ayuma sighed and stood up. "If you will excuse me I must take my leave. I promised my daughter that I would walk with her today." She moved towards the door and left Eri and Yuka staring at Kagome.
"Is there a reason for your sudden interest in magpies?" asked Yuka, poorly concealing a knowing smile. The smile irritated Kagome for some reason and she felt no need to share her feather with the two.
"Did you not know I had an interest in ornithology?" she asked, her face carefully blank.
"I had not heard of it," replied Eri, her expression matching that of Yuka's. "When was this interest first piqued?" Kagome ignored the question and stood up.
"I think that I shall go for a walk. I do so love to listen to the birds sing. It is a most peaceful thing to do when alone." She emphasized greatly on the last word and left the room quite quickly.
A while after she entered the forest, Kagome began to hear footsteps. They followed her at a similar speed and stopped when she did. But rather than turn around Kagome decided to ignore them, and made her way further into the forest. Once she reached an area she deemed far enough away to be private she began to speak.
"You make rather a lot of noise, for someone trailing another."
"So you did know I was here." Sango walked around Kagome and turned to face her. "I was getting disappointed in your observational skills Emiline." Kagome winced as she remembered her false name.
"It's Kagome. And I have excellent observational skills!"
"That you choose to ignore." Sango made no sign she had heard the correction apart from a smug smile. She knew who Kagome was.
"Some of us are born with so many skills we must only expand on a select few."
"Shall I guess one of the skills to be that you sing well?"
"Like an angel."
"Will you sing now?"
Kagome looked up at the tree tops. "Not in the mood."
"Are you ever?"
Kagome whirled around and glared at the laughing woman. "I am envied for my sweet voice!"
"By who, the crows?"
Kagome decided to ignore that reply and ask a question.
"Do you work for the Magpie?" There was no reply. "Or are you just a thief?"
"I do not work for anyone." Sango's voice was annoyed.
"Do you work with the Magpie?"
"That's better."
"So you do."
"I never said that."
"Then you are a mere thief."
"I never said that either."
Kagome gave an irritated sigh. "As much as I love talking in circles, I would love even more to find its end."
"Circles don't have an end." Sango frowned. "I believe you are contradicting yourself."
Kagome threw up her hands in frustration. "Is it impossible for you to answer a simple question or must you extend everything you say?"
"Is it impossible for you to remain calm when you ask a simple question or must you explode over everything I say?" Kagome's eyes narrowed and Sango gave in. "Yes, I am part of those who steal with the Magpie."
"What's his name?" Kagome's question was rushed, all former spite forgotten.
"He doesn't like us to say," Sango said firmly.
"Is he the one who took my mother?"
"…no." There was a hesitation before Sango answered and Kagome could see her wondering if it was safe to continue. She did so. "It is his son. The original Magpie died some years ago."
Kagome nodded. That explained the sudden changes in the Magpie's style. "How did he die?" Sango shrugged.
"Nobody knows. Only one member of the original group remains, and she has been sworn to secrecy."
"So no one else ever knew the original Magpie?"
"Except for her and the new Magpie I'm about as original as it gets. I was the third one to join." Kagome laughed suddenly and Sango gave her a questioning look.
"It is strange," Kagome said. "I had always imagined the Magpie's group to be there. I had never considered it would take time to build up." Sango snorted scornfully.
"We're not mythical creatures Kagome, we cannot suddenly appear."
"So what were you, before you joined the Magpie?" Sango was quiet for a moment.
"I was a lady like you; it was at a time when another thief was plaguing my village, a thief more dangerous than the Magpie. My father was amongst those who went out to catch him."
"Did he?"
"Not one member of the group came back." Sango's voice became very quiet. "My brother and I vowed that we would look for this thief, that we wouldn't give up until we found him…"
"And then…?" Kagome prompted as Sango trailed into silence.
"And then for some reason my brother joined him. He said that it would be safer to be on this thief's side. That by fighting him we were only waiting for death. I decided that after that all thieves deserved to die. I lived my life going from village to village, helping to catch those who stole."
"If you hate thieves so much why did you join the Magpie?"
"Because he is after the same thief." Sango's voice gained strength. "The Magpie, the two who joined before me, and I all hate him in the same way."
"Why do the other three hate him?"
"There is Shippo, who is younger than all of us and lost both his parents like I did. Miroku has always been an orphan but the thief injured his hand when he was young."
"Injured badly?"
"It injured the nerves in his hand and causes involuntary spasms and movements." Sango's tone soured. "Or so he says." Kagome decided to let that statement pass without further questioning. There seemed to be a long story there.
"And what about the Magpie?"
"Again, nobody knows. He hasn't spoken of it and only mentions the thief occasionally."
"What is the thief's name?"
"I said, he doesn't like us to-"
"The other thief, the one you hate."
"Oh, him."
Kagome sighed impatiently. "Yes, him."
"Naraku." Sango spat out the name with venom Kagome had not heard before. She considered asking more but somehow, it didn't feel safe.
A few minutes of wary silence passed and Kagome watched Sango as she began to calm down.
"Well anyway, until we meet again I suppose." Kagome turned to leave but stopped when Sango spoke once more.
"You do not act like a lady." Her voice was serious. Kagome looked back, insulted.
"There is no other way for me to act!"
"No," Sango was still serious. "I had expected you to turn up your nose at my story. I had expected you to think it ridiculous and call me mad. But you believed me. You did not even question a single aspect of my tale."
"Should I have done?"
"No, but most ladies of your standing would not listen to such a tasteless story." Kagome shrugged.
"It is not my place to scorn a story."
"What is your relationship to the Magpie?"
"The original one took my mother."
"I know that. But what about you? Why are you so interested in him?"
"The new one. The son. I hate him."
"Why?"
"Because my mother loves him."
"She barely knows him."
"Then she loves his existence, she worships him."
"More than you?"
"She loves his memory more than she will ever love my reality."
Sango nodded at that. "A good reason to hate someone."
Kagome frowned. "Shouldn't you be defending him right now? He's the leader of your group…"
Sango laughed. "He's even easier to hate in person."
"Do you hate him?" She shook her head.
"No, everyone does at first but you get used to him eventually. Sometimes though, everyone needs a break."
"What's wrong with him?"
"He's just an abrupt person with a hot temper. But once you get past that he's not bad." Another silence passed and Kagome noticed the comfort of it. With the other people she talked with every silence was spent with each person desperately thinking of something to say. With Sango, there was no need to. They were at home with the quiet.
"I suppose I should be glad I'll never meet him," Kagome began and Sango interrupted with a laugh.
"Oh yes you will! We're going right now!" Kagome looked up with a start as Sango began walking off.
"Now? Why?"
"Because," Sango called over one shoulder. "I've just told you our whole life story. We have to check and see if you he trusts you enough to let you go!"
"And you didn't think to warn me of this before you blurted out the said life story?" panted Kagome as she caught up.
"You never asked to be warned." Kagome gave Sango another unnoticed glare and the two carried on their way.
"You do realise that I can stop following you at any time don't you?"
"You do realise that I have spent years living a wilder life than you and can knock you out at any time don't you?"
Kagome scowled. "And to think I was beginning to consider us friends." Sango laughed loudly.
"Your friends don't threaten to beat you?"
"They most certainly do not!" Sango turned around with a grin.
"You've obviously never had a real friend." She turned back and the two began to climb a fairly steep hill. Kagome was not overly sure why she had not stopped following Sango earlier. She highly doubted she would stop now though. Sango didn't look weak.
"So if I'm considered trust-worthy," she began again when they reached the top. "I can walk off without a care?"
"In theory, yes."
"In theory?"
"Well there's a fairly large IF in that sentence Kagome."
"Is the Magpie not very trusting?"
"Ha!" Sango grinned widely at her companion. "He wouldn't trust a flea to bite a dog!"
A/N: The Magpie is going to show up! Next chapter! Review and you'll get to read it!
Next Chapter: Magpies Don't Nest for Comfort
-DarkAsTheNightSky
