- CHAPTER TEN – BREACH -

Sango and Kohaku reached the mountains after the sky had lost its last shadows and filled with bright morning sun. Despite the season, snow covered the range, coating peaks and jagged sides in layers of ice. Kohaku retrieved a pair of far-spy scopes from his pack and handed one to his sister; she took it absently, cautioning Kirara as they neared the first summit. The nekomata slowed and flew higher, giving the den of marauders a wide birth. They circled for several hours, noting each hidden entrance and crouched guard.

"There's a third koumori," Kohaku whispered, pointing to a small shape gliding on strong winds around an innocuous cluster of boulders.

Sango urged Kirara even higher, knowing bat hanyou made up for their stature in powers of detection. The siblings continued to scout the range far into midday, and by noon, more guards had appeared. They seemed less concerned with being seen, standing brazenly at ledges with searching eyes, and Sango and Kohaku shared a look. Had they been spotted? Were the Ouja expecting them?

As afternoon waned, it became apparent that the added security was focused solely on the east.

"They're waiting for some kind of attack," Sango said. "They must have tried grasping for more power and found themselves outmatched."

She felt Kohaku nod behind her.

"Witless monsters," he still surveyed through his scope. "It will be a good opportunity to infiltrate, with them so preoccupied."

She agreed. "We'll head for the entrance closest to Kanaka."

Kohaku pulled the black, leather-bound tool from his face. "The wide tunneled one? That's their most obvious access."

The woman threw the cord of her own scope over her neck and pulled a pouch from her belt. "And the one farthest from their eastern attentions," she dumped its contents into her hand. "Better put on the masking root now. Some of them will be able to smell us if we get much closer."

Shuffling sounded behind her as Kohaku stowed his far-spy and retrieved his own pouch. They began to rub the powder, made from a plant cultivated and grown in their home village, over their arms, faces, and armor. Its existence had been kept secret for generations, and what they carried was the last of their supply. With it, hanyou and most youkai wouldn't be able to pick up their scent.

They both finished quickly, brushing metal plates and exposed skin a final time. Sango murmured to Kirara, and the nekomata flew as directed, knowing she wouldn't be able to accompany them. As a full demon, she needed too much root to cover her presence, even if she transformed into her smaller form. She growled her displeasure, and Sango soothed her with a patting hand.

"I know," she said softly. "We'll be alright."

Kirara tossed her head and scanned the area as the ledge came into view. The guards were on their patrol circuit, and wouldn't be back around for several minutes. The morning of surveillance had helped them time it perfectly.

Kohaku and Sango shouldered their packs and leapt from the nekomata, each rolling and coming to their feet with weapons drawn. No resistance greeted them. With last looks at their feline companion, they made their made into the darkness – the maw of Inu-no-Taisho's lair. The day of reckoning they had planned and trained for was almost at hand.

Despite her desire to be as far from the main hall as possible, Kagome returned a few hours later to check on her patients. Changed and clean, she took a deep breath before emerging from the mouth of the second tunnel. Out of the twenty battered men, only a handful were still prone; Miroku, Moric, Youta, and many others were up and trading talk as if nothing had happened. Kagome's shoulders sank as she caught sight of Inu-Yasha among their ranks, his white hair and red haori stirring outrage in her stomach on command.

Ignoring them, she made her way to Ibuki first, unaware that Inu-Yasha's eyes found her as soon as she entered, or that he watched her hurry down the steps to the oni's side as if she wore bright Kanaka orange.

Ibuki had improved, but only marginally; someone had changed his bandages while she'd been away, and a cool compress rested at his brow. She palmed his gray cheek, feeling for fever.

At Inu-Yasha's side, Miroku sensed his leader's sudden distraction and followed his gaze, seeing the human girl, sporting a fresh braid and a candid frown of worry that had to be feigned. Glancing to his brothers, Miroku saw Moric and several others notice her too. Their looks were fleeting in the presence of the man who'd grazed her collar with intent, long enough to sate interest but not offend.

What was the big deal? What did they all find so fascinating?

Mumbling an apology, Miroku left the group and walked over. Time to find out. He wove through tables and benches, stopping at the foot of Ibuki's make-shift recovery bed. "How is he?" He asked softly.

Consumed with study, Kagome jumped at the question. She gave the wind demon an annoyed look before leaning over and putting an ear to Ibuki's chest. His breathing was slow and even – a good sign.

Miroku waited for an answer as she palmed thick layers of fresh bandage, and cleared his throat when he realized none was coming. "Will he recover?" He tried again.

She nodded wordlessly, moving for a new table. Miroku copied her, heading her off and blocking her path with an outstretched hand. "I just wanted to say…," he groped for gratitude. "Thank you for your help today."

Kagome's eyes widened, full of the view of purple robes, and she lifted them to his.

Miroku offered out a smile. "Kagura gave me enough taste of fighting with women for awhile," he said lightly. "Truce?"

He felt scrutiny in her stare. This one's mind was as quick as her tongue. He kept his smile as her brows drew together.

"What do you want?" She asked flatly.

The hand barricading her turned back to his chest. "Me? Nothing."

Kagome shrugged. "Then excuse me. I have to check on the others," she darted around him and headed for Oki.

Miroku's smile fell, and he spun on his heel, knowing Inu-Yasha still stared.

The neko was sleeping as Kagome approached, bandages covering his face and shoulders. She checked their state, studiously ignoring Miroku's dark eyes as he came up beside her.

He watched her lift gauze and read vital signs without comment, but after a minute of silence, sighed and gave in. "Fine, yes," he grumbled. "I did want something more."

Kagome didn't pause in her ministrations. "Go ahead," she said.

The fact that she'd made him admit it irked him to no end. "What have you done to Inu-Yasha?" He blurted. "He's been upset since returning from his security patrol."

She paused. "I haven't done anything," she straightened from her examination. "Who wouldn't be shaken after the day you—?"

He cut her off. "I saw you storm off earlier."

Her eyes narrowed. She didn't have time for this. "Then you tell me what I've done. It's obvious you already have an answer in mind."

Miroku shook his head. "It's not just him," he glanced over his shoulder. "You're making everyone… different."

"No I'm not."

"You are."

Kagome scowled. "How? By existing?" Her tone was as biting as ever. "You've found out my master plan to topple your mountain," she pushed off of the table, striding with purposeful steps. "Go away. I have work to do."

The wind demon shot a quick glance to the group around Inu-Yasha; their conversation had stilled. He cursed and rushed to catch up.

Kagome stopped at Kenta's table, and Miroku frowned at the warmth and welcome in his brother's face as the kuma rose up on his elbows to greet her.

Were all the Ouja going crazy? What spell was this woman casting?

"Kagome," Kenta smiled. "How is my brother upright, when I'm the one who eats vegetables?"

She met his grin with one of her own. "Doesn't seem fair, does it?" Her tone was entirely different, amused and consoling in equal amounts. "Let's see how that internal damage is doing. If it's a competition, I think Moric's injuries were only superficial."

Kenta beamed, and Miroku's irritation spiked. How could she shift so radically? Was he that intolerable?

"Look," he spoke through clenched teeth as she started to make a new compress for Kenta's battered ribs. "I just want to know what your intentions are," he knew his anger was as obvious as his skepticism, but he couldn't seem to quell either

"My intentions?" She spoke without looking over. "You may be Inu-Yasha's keeper, but you're not mine. I don't have to explain anything to you."

Miroku's frown grew to a glower. "I-I'm no keeper!" He sputtered. "I'm his best friend! I've known him since he was a boy!"

"And that gives you the right to meddle in his affairs?" She shot back. "Speak on his behalf?!"

Kenta had been about to inject himself into their conversation, but with a glance between them, wisely laid back down.

Miroku's temper got the better of him, and he felt his face heat. "You've done something to Inu-Yasha. I've never seen him like this."

Kagome matched his frown, angrily slapping down her compress and making Kenta wince. "Like what?" She asked in a near-snarl. Her prolonged exposure to hanyou had done more than coax her senses.

He lifted a finger to her. "Like he's not in control of himself anymore."

She swatted his hand away. "That has nothing to do with me."

"You know it does," he persisted.

Kagome kept her face a mask, but Miroku saw her tense.

He pressed. "And that matters to you," a note of dawning cooled his anger. "He matters to you."

She couldn't hide the color that climbed her cheeks. "He doesn't."

"Liar."

Kenta bristled from the table on Kagome's behalf, and Miroku held out an arm. "Hear me out brother," he started. "Why else would she be here tending to us? We're her jailors."

Kagome's flush darkened. "I wasn't trained to stand by," she answered for the kuma. "Even if the afflicted are an affliction themselves."

Miroku scoffed. "Oh come on," he waved her away. "You set up your own getaway the moment you got here," he held up fingers and started ticking them down. "You made sure to leave an impression with the entrance guard Jinenji, so you could escape the same way you entered."

"That's not true—!"

He put down another finger. "You never left Inu-Yasha's side in the two days he was unconscious, easing Ren's mistrust."

"I was just—!"

"And you wooed young Shippo, keeping him in reserve if you needed inside help."

"I-I would never do that…," Kagome stammered. "None of that is true!"

Miroku dropped his arm. "But then something happened you didn't plan on. You cured Inu-Yasha, even when he was more injured than any of us realized."

She shook her head.

"Oh, so that didn't happen?" He waited expectantly, continuing only when her answer was sullen silence. "Almost a quarter of the Ouja left for the east yesterday. If you had really wanted to leave, you could have done so. Moegi, though lovely, isn't trained in keeping people against their will," he felt triumphant. "You stayed for Inu-Yasha," he 'tsked' at the protest already on her lips. "Don't pretend otherwise."

"Absolutely NOT," Kagome glowered. "You're an even bigger idiot than he is!"

Miroku grinned, now that his tumult over her was under control. "I have you figured out. I thought you had this big agenda, but you're just—."

"A captive!" She hissed. "Have you forgotten that?" Her hands fisted at her sides, shaking as much as her words. "I'm told where to go and sleep, surrounded by strangers who see darkness in everyone but themselves. You ask my intentions?!"

Kenta looked to Kagome, fury and astonishment warring across her features, and kept quiet, trying to blend in with the table.

The girl's knuckles tightened to painful white. "Leave me alone Miroku. You don't know anything about me."

He remained unmoved. Through her words, he could hear a racing pulse. "You know little more than I," stepping close, he bent his head to her ear. Kagome tried retreating, but he swept an arm behind her, keeping her near. "You're bewitching my closest friend," he whispered. "Either stay for him or escape," warning crept into his voice. "Just stop your little charade. I won't let you hurt him."

Inu-Yasha suddenly materialized at their side. "That's enough Miroku," he said, intervening. "Leave her alone," his hand curled around the other man's forearm. "She's not like the priestess."

The wind hanyou spread his palms wide, backing up. "Of course sir."

Inu-Yasha frowned. "Kagome's right. You swoop in, speaking for me."

Her blush returned; he had heard everything. She unclenched her fists, breathing in deeply through her nose.

"I think you still see me as a child," Inu-Yasha continued, buying her time to calm down. "I'm not fifteen anymore – haven't been for decades."

Miroku gave a small bow. "A part of me will always see you as the boy your father asked me to stand beside," he said. "I'm just trying to help."

Inu-Yasha shook his head. "I don't need it."

The other man acquiesced. "I'm sorry," he offered another bow, this one stiff, to Kagome.

She saw the set of his shoulders and jaw, and with anger still fresh in her limbs, worked to let it bleed away. The more he riled her, the more truth she gave his words. "You may be right Miroku," she offered quietly, feeling her face cool.

He lifted his head in surprise.

"But I'm no manipulator. I've been puppeted long enough to know the pain those strings can pull from limbs," Kagome's shoulders sank before the pair. "The real me?" A sad smile touched her mouth. "She just wants to go home."

Miroku's own mouth fell slightly. "Real… you…?" The resentment drained from his features, leaving in a rush.

Kagome nodded, noting a kind softness she hadn't seen in his face before. Mistrust had made him ugly. "Promise."

Miroku knew he had to close his jaw – it was hanging wide and making him look like an idiot, but the girl who had been infuriating moments ago stood there staring at him, earnest, irritated and wise, and he suddenly caught a glimpse of what his brothers saw – a small, beautiful creature, dressed in drab gray, who somehow filled the room. It was like the air before her had been stale. How had he missed it?

Remorse came crashing, and he wanted for just a moment to switch places with his leader and have those aching eyes stay on him.

Miroku felt Inu-Yasha looking hard. Collecting himself, he straightened and plastered on a winning smile. "What better home could you want than one full of such stunning examples of the male form?" He heard the familiar slick charm in his voice, grateful it held no quiver. "Myself the pinnacle, of course."

The pain left her face, and she rolled her eyes. "Right."

He forced his grin wider. "Keep it in mind. This kind of perfection gets snatched up quickly," he barely heard the glib words.

Kagome had powerful magic indeed.

Sango and Kohaku trotted down the wide entrance tunnel Kagome had walked a week ago with quiet steps and searching eyes. Hiraikotsu and Kusarigama filled the darkness, almost scraping the ceiling. The oversized weapons were bulky in their hands, and Sango paused, signaling to her brother. Stowing each, they withdrew crossbows. This was a mission of confines and stealth. The boomerang and sickle, lethal in open combat, might prove more cumbersome than useful.

Loading poison arrows dipped in enough toxin to offer any hanyou a slow, painful death, the pair traveled along one of the passage's walls. Sango led the way through the shadows, slowing as they left the light of the tunnel's opening behind. She held up a hand, stopping and crouching low. Kohaku echoed her. Both siblings kept still, straining to hear ahead.

Quiet emptiness seemed to surround them, but they knew better. Without needing an order, Kohaku moved to the other wall. He nodded, and the two continued on. With few recesses, the tunnel gave little cover against enemies who could see better than they in darkness, and the hunters trod gingerly, focusing on their breathing and the void beyond. After several tense minutes, they both heard the lumbered gait of a solitary guard, pacing back and forth. A dragging sound accompanied his vigil, the head of a club hauled wearily at his side. They had been right to take this access point. It wasn't fortified like those in the east.

Sango made several quick motions, and Kohaku broke into a run, bending low and staying against his wall. She followed, flying through the darkness with one hand against the rock to guide, and the other crooked in her crossbow trigger.

A giant, orange figure loomed into being, twin torches on either side bathing him in flickering light. Both taijiya slowed. That light, even more than the sentry, was their enemy now. If exposed, they would have the brunt of the Ouja clan on them in moments. Sango took a knee and aimed her notched weapon at the creature, hideous by any standards. With bulbous limbs and a face meant for the tunnel's thick shadows, he seemed like a monster spoken of in stories to keep children from misbehaving.

Lining up her crossbow, she exhaled, stilling her body. This first shot was the most important. If they crossed this hurdle, they would be one step closer to Inu-no-Taisho's heir.

A loud creaking suddenly filled the passage; a door far beyond was opening. Kohaku tensed and copied his sister, falling to a crouch. Sango hesitated, warring with herself. Should she drop this foe now, before possible reinforcements came?

The orange hanyou turned at the noise, growing alert. Before she could choose, he lumbered from the torches toward it, disappearing back into anonymity. She and Kohaku rose, following cautiously.

Years of conditioning had made them nearly undetectable to youkai. They were as good as invisible to this lesser hanyou and trailed after him, coming upon a cavern. Fanning against the walls, they watched the enormous creature greet a pair of figures emerging from the light of a set of tall doors.

Sango's breath caught in her throat as the newcomers came into view.

They were female, and just out of adolescence. One, with olive-green hair and small horns, held a parcel wrapped in cloth, and the light behind her was bright enough to illuminate a smile spreading across her face. "We have so much to tell you Jinenji," she gushed. "You've missed everything!"

The other girl, taller and older, clapped. "You're not going to believe what's new with them!"

The orange hanyou seated himself on the dirt floor, propping his club against the wall only a few leagues from where Sango and her brother stalked. He drummed his hands against his legs and let out a grunt of excitement. "Tell me!" His voice was guttural and low, reverberating against the cavern.

Kohaku and Sango exchanged a look.

The girl with the package stepped forward, unaware of the danger poised just beyond the circle of light. In the room behind her, a tatsu and nezumi hanyou pretended to take inventory of a crate laden with bright metals. Both men had coiled tails, one scaled, the other fur-covered, and even from her distanced vantage point, Sango could see they were listening avidly. In different circumstances, she might have found it odd that a dragon and mouse demon had found a way to coexist enough to snoop together, but for now, she was more concerned at the number – and uncomfortable identity – she and Kohaku faced. She hadn't realized there were children buried in the mountain.

"Kagome helped heal everyone who faced Kagura," Moegi was oblivious to her varied audience, holding out her wrapped parcel for Jinenji to take. "She even got Eiichi and Inu-Yasha to lie down."

The taijiya stiffened. Inu-Yasha?! Was he injured?! The mention of Naraku's slave paled in comparison to such a momentous possibility. Both hunters craned forward, listening as hard as the guards beyond.

"How's Ibuki doing?" Jinenji set his lunch aside, knowing there was plenty of time to eat later. He could tell the girls were going to stay awhile.

Moegi's smile faltered. "Still serious."

"But Kagome says he'll pull through," Asagi rushed. "Don't worry."

The large hanyou nodded. Ibuki and he both had fearsome features and bodies best not studied; their mutually unfortunate genes had made them close over the decades. It was hard being on the periphery even among outcasts. "So," he rubbed his thick palms together. "Who's winning?"

Asagi and Moegi dropped beside him, their backs to the darkness, and started talking in a rush, vying to say details first.

"He tried kissing her!"

"She said she'd rather die!"

"Marched off beet red!"

"He's been brooding ever since!"

Jinenji held up a hand as he laughed.

At least, Sango thought it was laughter. It was more a mangled barking. The young hanyou didn't seem to notice its harshness or volume, obviously having visited often.

"Lady Kagome then?" He asked.

Asagi nodded and began describing the morning, imitating the human girl and their leader with exaggerated expressions and hand gestures.

More barking filled the cavern, and Sango and Kohaku winced.

Jinenji asked how Kagome had liked his new medicines, and both girls assured him his latest batch of meadowsweet had been invaluable. As a skilled herbalist, Jinenji's other role was to gather plants that grew around the range to keep the clan well-stocked

Their conversation, full and boisterous, continued for several minutes, letting Sango know there wouldn't be an end anytime soon. She could feel Kohaku glance over, waiting for orders; he didn't know what to do. This wasn't the scene they had expected. A monster swapping stories with teenagers and opening his meal to share glazed honey rolls? Guards, wearing keen interest instead of scowls, eavesdropping rather than keeping vigil?

They had invaded the Ouja once before. Two years ago, they had scaled the mountainside and found a hidden passage just big enough to slither through on their stomachs. They hadn't gotten very far – a wind demon in purple robes had stopped them before they'd made it down the first hallway. The tunnel they had used then was gone when they had searched this morning, and it wasn't the only thing that had changed. Something was different this time. An excitement, tingling and electric, seemed to fill the air.

Sango gave her brother the slightest shake of her head. They would wait.

Asagi jerked mid-sentence. She'd been lamenting Akio's cooking, and her ears quivered. "Did you hear something?" She peered into the shadows beyond the door's light.

Jineji swallowed a roll in one bite. "It's just a draft," he spoke with his mouth full. "This tunnel teems with breezes."

Asagi rose gracefully, squinting into the dim, and Sango's eyes widened as her searching gaze fell directly on her.

"No," the girl whispered. "I… don't think so."

Inu-Yasha and Kagome meandered up the steps of the tunnel, leaving the main hall and heading to a storeroom to get more bandages. Kagome had been ready to go alone, but Inu-Yasha had wordlessly invited himself along. Uncomfortable silence echoed their ascent. As they crested the stairs, she broke the quiet first.

"So…," she started down the passage, knowing the way by heart. The Ouja were giving her plenty of practice maintaining her skills. "How many storage rooms do you have here?"

Inu-Yasha lifted his head. "Of medicine? Just one."

"No, I mean in general," she kept her gaze on the dancing torches illuminating the walls. "Moegi showed me a holding cave full of clothes and stolen pieces on my tour."

"That's one of our treasure depots," he copied her, facing out. "We put items there before they go to one of our six vaults. And we have stockpiles for weapons, food, ale, candles – you name it, there's a room for it."

"Six?" Kagome had started her small talk to fill the silence, but grew curious. "Why so many?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged. "Ransoms, bribes – money comes in handy all the time."

"Ransoms?" She slowed. "Who have you needed to rescue?"

The hanyou's mouth turned up in a smirk. "Miroku for one. His philandering gets him into trouble far beyond Kanaka."

Kagome felt her own smile start. "You don't say. I'm shocked."

Inu-Yasha's cleared his throat, shooting a quick glance over. "About what he said…," his deep voice hitched. "On your reasons for staying?"

A door came into view, and Kagome sped up gratefully. "Here we are!" She said brightly.

Inu-Yasha's ears twitched. His face fell as he followed.

"Get your arms ready," she tried not to notice. "You've come along, and I intend to make you a pack mule."

A sigh filled the passage. "Kagome?" Her name was quiet, almost imploring, as he came up behind her.

She didn't know he even had the capacity for such a tone.

"Was Miroku right?"

She didn't turn around, feeling him right at her back. Inu-Yasha's warmth and smell penetrated the thin dress Moegi had found for her, banishing the hall's chill.

The metal ring to the medicine stores was only a few feet away; she could almost reach out and take it. Kagome knew it would end this awkward moment of nearness, and her fingers flexed at her side, tempted.

Haori shifted behind her, and Inu-Yasha laid a hand on the small of her back. "Was he?"

Kagome stiffened as the sear returned. Though his touch was light, its press felt heavy, and she wished she was wearing thick wool instead of simple cotton. The contact made everything spin. It needed to stop. Now. She lifted an arm for the door's ring, but Inu-Yasha stepped forward, pulling her wrist back.

"Don't," he caught her eye. "Answer me."

She couldn't find her voice, stuck in a lump so thick she could barely breathe. His hand traveled around her waist and closed the light between them, drawing her up against him. Through folds of fire-rat fabric, she felt a hard torso and tense, restrained arms that were far more distracting than they ought to be.

Kagome fought to speak. "P-Please let me go," she stammered. "We've already been through this."

Inu-Yasha searched her face.

"We need to get supplies for the others," she said weakly.

"They can wait."

She tried looking away, but his stare held hers.

"Am I still your enemy?" White bangs fell into his face as he roamed over her mouth and collar, trailing to her chest.

Kagome knew she should lift her hands and push him away, showing him this second manhandling was not welcome, but they remained numb and mutinous at her sides. "W-Why are you talking like this?" Her mind screamed with a strength her words lacked. Am I liking this?! I can't be! He's awful!

Inu-Yasha returned to her lips, and longing appeared in his brow. "I want it to be true," he whispered, leaning forward. Exhales fell against her nose and cheeks.

Kagome shook her head as his hold increased, nearly pulling her from her feet. "N-No," she said. "Don't."

Inu-Yasha bent lower, feeling her tremble against him. "Why?"

"I don't want—."

His lips moved just above hers. "I think you do."

Surging footfalls echoed through the hallway, registering vaguely in their drowning senses and quickened breath.

A man's worried cry exploded from the darkness. "INU-YASHA!"

His mouth grazed hers before jerking back, whipping towards the tunnel's stairs.

Youta appeared, breaking from his run into flight, features pale as he skirted above the floor. "It's the Kanaka entrance," he rushed.

Inu-Yasha, his thoughts muddled, took a moment to process.

"We've been compromised!" The sky demon exclaimed. "There are intruders in the mountain!"