Author's Note: Hi everyone! Sorry it's been so long. While I was busy, I also kind of had a writers block. I knew where I wanted to go but I wasn't sure how to get there.
Hope you enjoy!
Five years. Five whole years. His brother was gone. His father searched. All the Five Great Kingdoms searched. He searched! So how? How was his brother here right in front of him? And in the No Man's Land no less!
His mind was swarming with confusion when the man spoke. "Are you right?"
Sasuke quickly shook himself out of his stupor. "Huh?"
The man leaned closer. "I asked if you are alright. You do not look well."
Sasuke growled. "Am I alright? AM I ALRIGHT? How can you ask that now?" He gripped the man's shoulders, startling everyone in the room, and shook them. "We all thought you were dead! How could you be here and not tell us?"
Kenji gave him a puzzled look. "Tell you?"
"Yes! Us! Our father. Our mother. Our family!"
The man gently removed Sasuke's hands from his shoulders. "I beg your pardon but I'm afraid you have confused me with someone else."
Sasuke just gave him a blank stare. "What?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." The man replied in a calm manor. "I don't know who you are."
Sasuke took a step back, away from the slayer with wide eyes. "Y-you mean to say that you don't recognize me? At all?"
The demon slayer narrowed his eyes at the boy. He stared at him for a long time before he shook his head. "I'm sorry but you are unfamiliar to me. What did you say your name was again?"
"So-" The prince immediately shook his head. "No. I am Sasuke."
"What?" Sango stood up from her seat. She walked up next to her husband. "You mean . . ." She glanced back at Kagome. "You mean- you lied to us?"
Kagome immediately ran to Sasuke's side and gripped his arm. "NO! I'm who I said I was." She tightened her grip on Sasuke's arm and gave him a firm glare. "My friend here is disguised for his safety. Yes, his name is Sasuke but the name he is going by on our travels is Souta. Please forgive us."
To Kagome's dismay, Sasuke didn't even return a gaze. He continued to stare at the male demon slayer with a disappointed look on his face. He yanked his arm out of Kagome's grip, abruptly turned away and stormed out of the house.
Kagome was about to follow him but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She looked back to see Kenji glancing in the direction that Sasuke left.
Kenji then turned his gaze to Kagome and gave her a gentle smile. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened but I feel it's my fault."
Kagome shook her head. "No. It's-"
"I shall talk to him." Kenji interrupted. "Please wait here. I'll bring him back." Kenji stepped out and headed towards the direction that Sasuke went in.
Kagome sighed as she continued to stare in the direction both men had left. Now that she thought about it, she did remember the whole ordeal about the Crown Prince's disappearance years ago. But because she was raised as a miko, she never did attend a lot of the kingdom's social events that the royal family threw. As such, she never saw the faces of the royal family very often. Especially the royal princes. She has seen a few paintings of the royal family occasionally but it wasn't enough for Kagome to even bother to remember their faces.
Kagome blinked. That wasn't quite true. She did recognize Prince Sasuke. But that was because during the later years of the Crown Princes' disappearance, he would frequently leave and so it was hard not to see his face everywhere with the publicity the King arranged for his youngest son to be found. The king also did that with his eldest son but Lady Kaguya kept Kagome in the house for her training. As such, Kagome only heard about the uproar with Crown Prince Uchiha Itachi. She never got to see it herself.
Kagome frowned as she remembered the demon slayer's face. While he did look familiar, it didn't immediately occur to her that he could possibly be Crown Prince Itachi Uchiha! A large members of the Uchiha family looked so similar that she didn't even bother to attempt to distinguish the differences between members of the family.
"Don't worry, Kenji will talk to him and sort everything out."
Kagome jolted, remembering she wasn't the only person in the house. Embarrassed, she turned around to find Sango, sitting at the table, pouring herself a cup of tea. Sango smiled and motioned for Kagome to sit down next to her at the table. Kagome heaved a sigh and reluctantly sat down next to her host. She wouldn't have minded sitting down if it wasn't for the fact that the prince just took off and headed to who knows where. Sango offered some tea, which Kagome gratefully accepted.
Kagome fiddled with her cup as she stole a couple of glances at Sango. "May I ask you something?"
Sango glanced at Kagome as she sipped her tea. "You wish to know about my husband?"
Kagome felt her face heat up. "W-well, it's because he looks so familiar to my traveling companion. It had just shocked him and he obviously didn't think before he took action and I'm very sorry for that!"
Sango just raised an eyebrow at Kagome's chattering. Kagome stopped fiddling with her cup and set it down on the table. "If you don't mind me asking, where did Kenji originate from?"
Sango furrowed her brows as she set her own tea cup down. "To be honest, I have no idea."
Not quite sure she heard that correctly, Kagome repeated. "You . . . have no idea? About . . . his ancestry or the whereabouts of his birth?"
"Both, actually." Sango replied. She sighed as she began fiddling with her own tea cup. "I don't even know if Kenji is his real name."
Confused and intrigued, Kagome pressed. "So, I'm going to assume that Kenji was not originally a demon slayer."
"Your assumption would be correct."
"If that's the case," Kagome hesitated. She wasn't sure if she should ask this but, she needed to get to the bottom of this. "then how did you meet Kenji?"
"I rescued him. Shall I tell you about it?"
Kagome eagerly nodded and devoted her full attention to Sango as she began to tell her of how Kenji became a member of the demon slayers.
Sango was riding on top of Kirara over the ocean. Her father had sent her on a special assignment. She was to slay a sea demon that was located near the islands off the coast of the Fire Country. Of any demon slaying that her people performed, a demon that lived in the sea was the most difficult. The demons slayers would find small rock islands and use them as hideouts in case there was weather that was much too dangerous for a boat. In her case, the storm hadn't hit yet, so she was bringing supplies to some of the hideouts so that she would be prepared for the storm. However, she wasn't prepared for what she saw next. Below her were floating remains of a ship, and by the looks of it a sea dragon had done this. Most likely the same demon she had been sent to slain.
She nudged Kirara to hover lower so she could get a closer look. There are pieces of the ship scattered all over the water. Pieces of wood were on fire, the sail was torn and had some parts that were no longer on fire but releasing smoke. There was also a lot of blood but no bodies. Sango narrowed her eyes. This was definitely the work of a sea dragon. She continued to glance at the remains of the ship when Kirara suddenly turned her head and let out a concerned growl. Sango turned to where Kirara was staring at and was started to find a body laying on a large floating piece of wood. Then the person let out a muffled groan as they slightly moved their head. They were still alive!
"Kirara, take us to him!" Sango urged. Kirara quickly but carefully maneuvered her way through the shipwreck and positioned herself above the wood as to not accidentally tilt it and send the man into the sea. Sango removed her Hiraikotsu and slowly tied a rope around her waist. She motioned to Kirara and the nekomata slowly placed herself in the water, next to the floating wood. Now came the hard part, Sango had to maneuver the man onto Kirara without pulling all three of them into the sea. She still had her supplies she had to preserve. Kirara moved her body to where it was barely touching the man. Sango then gently slid herself off Kirara and slowly swam next to the man. She then slowly started to pull him off the wood and into the water. Once most of his body was off Sango took a deep breath and swam underneath his body. Using her strength she pushed from underneath him and pushed his body towards Kirara, who ducked her upper body beneath the water and allowed the man to be pushed upon her shoulders. Once he was positioned, Kirara lifted her head out of the water and Sango climbed onto Kirara, moving the man behind her. She placed his head on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her waist as she secured him to her with the rope she had tied around her waist.
When she secured him she patted Kirara. "Let's go Kirara. We need to get him out of the wind." The dragon could also come back any moment. Especially if it learned that one of its prey had survived. Fortunately the small island with the deep rock cave was only a few minutes from their location. Kirara raced as fast as she could over there. Once they got inside, Kirara went deep into the cave where some supplies were stored. There was a large pile of firewood and a shelves stocked with some medicine and herbs and a chest with thick blankets and extra clothes. With Sango's added supplies, she could last out here for months. But now that she rescued this man, she wasn't so sure anymore. It all depended on how sick he was. First, she had to get a fire going and get him out of those wet clothes, while he was soaking wet, he wasn't cold yet meaning that he hadn't been in the water for that long. So the dragon must have recently attacked his ship. Sango frowned as she untied the rope. The dragon probably wouldn't come out to hunt ships for a few days.
But no matter, now she had a civilian to take care of. She laid the man on the ground while she got a fire started. Once it was roaring and contained in the stone fireplace Sango opened the chest and pulled out some blankets and made a bed next to the fireplace. Once she removed his clothes Sango checked his body to see if he had any wounds. If they were open while he was in the water, there was a chance that they could have gotten infected. Fortunately the wounds were not too serious, he had a few bruises ribs and a few cuts on his arms and one on his head; non life-threatening. He did look pale though, she pressed her hand against his forehead. He was incredibly warm. Too warm. It was possible that he might have gotten a fever. Better start preparing some medicine for him. She went through the shelves of medication and began to prepare a treatment to reduce his fever. Hopefully, he would recover soon.
She finally created a liquid medication for him to swallow. She made it over to his side and lifted his head so he could swallow the medicine. She gently pushed the bowl to his lips but he wasn't drinking it. She tsked. Guess she'd had to do this the hard way. She set his head flat on the ground and put some of the liquid in her mouth. She then pinched his nose and opened his mouth. She placed her mouth on top of his and allowed the medicine to flow from her mouth to his. Once it was all in, she removed her lips from his and closed his mouth. To her relief, he swallowed the medicine without any difficulty. She repeated the process until he drank all the medicine she prepared.
Once she got all the supplies off Kirara, Sango began to set up the cave for a stakeout. It will at least be a couple of days before the sea dragon decided to hunt on the surface again, so she might as well rest. She set up a bed on the opposite side of the fireplace where the man was resting. Once she was settled in, Kirara shrank to her small size and cuddled up to her for the night. Sango took one last look at the sleeping man before she fell into a peaceful sleep.
The next couple of days were routine for Sango. Go out in the morning and scout for the sea dragon, look after the wounded civilian, eat a light meal, and go and scout again until the evening. During the nights, Sango would keep an eye out for the sea dragon while also looking out for the civilian. After that, she would sleep for a couple of hours and then do the rotation all over again. So far, no luck.
Sango sat next to the sleeping man and felt his forehead. His fever luckily hadn't gotten worse but it wasn't getting any better either. As least, not as fast as she had hoped. She removed the cloth from his forehead and added a new cloth to his forehead. The medicine was working, and because he wasn't awake yet, she had to resort to giving him broth. As patient as she was on a demon hunt, she couldn't take her time with this one as she originally planned. She would run out of supplies soon and she didn't want to leave the man behind in order to get new ones.
Sango glanced at her supplies. There was only one thing she could think of that would bring the dragon out. Bait. It was risky but if she planned it right then the hunt would be over quickly.
It took most of the night, but she finally slayed it. Bringing in what remains she could for spare parts, Sango and Kirara carried the sea dragon's remains back to their hideout cave. When they entered the cave, Sango removed the remains and placed them in a little pile against the wall of the cave. She changed out of her slayer attire and into her kimono. She glanced at the man next to the fireplace. He was shifting. Her eyes widened. Was he waking up? Sango quickly knelt by his side and narrowed her eyes at him.
His lips formed a frown and his eyebrows furrowed. A few moans escaped his lips and he turned his head slightly. Sango felt his forehead. Fortunately, his fever was continuing to go down. All she had to do is see if he will wake up. Kirara shrunk into her smaller form and stepped over to the other side of the man. Since it was almost dawn, Sango was going to try and see if she could wake him up. She placed her hand on his shoulder and began to shake him gently.
"Sir?" Sango whispered. She made extra care as to not startle him. "Can you hear me? I need you wake up."
The man let out a groan and turned his head away from her. The cloth fell of his forehead and in front of Kirara, who stepped back away from the man. The nekomata wasn't wary of the man but she wasn't comfortable enough to be that close to him. Sango bit her lip. Might as well try again, but this time she would try a different approach.
She leaned over him and whispered in his ear. "Good morning. Rise and shine. I have breakfast ready for you."
The man groaned and turned his head towards her. As his eyelids start to open, Sango scooted away from him. As willing as she was to help him, she still didn't know this man. The mans eyes fluttered opened and blinked several times before he laid his eyes on Sango. Confused, his gazed wandered his surroundings. He tried to sit up before Sango placed his arms on his shoulders, preventing him from moving.
"You shouldn't move. You've had a high fever these past few days. You still need time to recover."
The man blinked as he kept glancing around. His eyes did a double take when he saw Kirara. "W-where am I?"
"We're in a cave on one of the small Islands of the Land of Whirlpools."
The man frowned. "The Land of Whirlpools?"
Sango nodded. "Yes. Do you remember anything during the attack on your ship?"
The man looked up at Sango, bewildered. "Attack?"
"Yes, your ship was attacked and you were found floating on the remains of your ship."
He paused and turned his gaze from Sango to the ceiling of the cave. "I was on a ship?"
Sango hesitated. "Yes. When I found you. Do you remember anything about your crew? Where you were going? Where were you coming from?"
The man narrowed his eyes. "I can't recall . . . "
Something was wrong. This couldn't be right. "Can you at least tell me your name?"
There was a few moments of silence before he responded. "I . . . I don't remember."
Wait . . . what? "Come again?"
"I can't . . . I can't remember anything."
Sango felt herself beginning to panic. He wasn't serious, was he? How was she going to return him to his home if he couldn't remember who he was?! Sango stopped herself before she took a few steady breaths. It's alright. She could do this. On a positive note, at least he hasn't lost his speech and certain knowledge. He knew what a ship was. It was a start, she would also have to figure out what else he knew. First things first, now that he was awake, she needed to give him some food. Solid food.
"It's alright. There's no rush. Why don't you rest while I prepare a meal for us?"
He didn't respond immediately but his gaze followed her movement as she walked over to the supplies. "Thank you."
Sango turned around and looked at him. There was something about his eyes, it was comforting and yet unsettling. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but something about this was . . . wrong. And it wasn't just a case of serious amnesia, which she felt was genuine. There was something else going on, she just had no idea what. Sango didn't know his past, but whatever he was doing before the attack on his ship, it probably got him in this situation in the first place. But still, he lost all his memories. No matter who you were, it wasn't a pleasant experience to suddenly wake up and find all your memories gone. He was taking it rather well though. If it were her, she would definitely be panicking. Regardless of what he went through, Sango determined right then and there that she would help him. A small smile forming around her lips.
"You're welcome."
It took a couple of days for his fever to go down completely but now that he was awake and starting to move around, his health improved rapidly, much to Sango's relief. Unfortunately, his memory wasn't getting any better. He couldn't remember anything at all. The only thing he could recollect were blurry images he would have during dreams. All he knew was that he was uneasy when he tried to remember. He would feel stressed, angry, worried, and fearful. Whatever was going on in his past, it wasn't very pleasant. At least, that's what Sango assumed.
The only problem she had was that he couldn't remember his name. It made things a little awkward for her when she had to call out to him. She would always refer to him as 'Sir'. But she didn't know what else to call him. She didn't want to just give him a random name to call. But they would have to figure something out when they started traveling and they encountered a crowd.
The only thing was that she needed to get back to her village. It had been weeks and she had sent a message every week, keeping her father up to date with her progress. But she couldn't ride on Kirara. She had supplies, the dragon remains, and not to mention two passengers instead of one. Luckily, the island they were currently on had a small boat on it. She was originally going to take the man to a temple somewhere in the Fire Country and ask a couple of monks to look over him. But she took one glance at him and knew that she couldn't do it.
The poor man didn't remember anything about his life but he got comfortable enough with her to try meditation exercises to bring his memories back. He trusted her. She couldn't imagine being in his shoes. Having no memory of who you are, where you come from, or how you ended up in the situation you're in. And suddenly the person who was taking care of you suddenly leaves you behind with some strangers. That would be devastating.
Looking at him packing the rest of the supplies, Sango decided right then and there that she would take him to her village. She would present him to her father and then, she would ask him on how he would like to continue on recovering his memories. Sango nodded to herself. Yes, it's his memories so he should have a say.
When she approached him and explained to him, she was surprised by his response. He was understanding and willing to travel with her if she permitted him to do so. She even admitted that she wasn't sure if her people could even help him recover his memories. He didn't mind. As long as he wasn't a bother to her and could help in anyway he can. All he wanted to do was show her gratitude for saving his life and taking care of him. He was such a gentleman. She wondered if he was really like this or was this due to his amnesia. Regardless, she was going to take him back to her village and explain the situation to her father. He would know what to do.
Once their supplies were ready, they loaded everything onto the boat and headed south. As they were heading around the south part of the continent, the man took his time to ask her about her village. Since she found him among remains of a ship, his curiosity peaked as to why she would be out at sea in the first place.
Sango took the majority of the trip to explain the traditions and lives of her village. The villages of demon slayers.
It's has been a while since she had the opportunity to talk about her village to an outsider. Their customs of slaying demons. How they build their weapons, how their armor and suits were crafted. They even had training grounds to practice their weapons. Meanwhile, the man was staring at her in wonder and would occasionally as a question once in a while. She was a bit flattered that he seemed fascinated with the traditions of her village.
But that wasn't the only thing she got to talk to him about. She also explained to him the continent that they lived on and the different kingdoms on the continent. She pulled out a map and allowed him to study it as she explained to him the different kingdoms and the families that governed over each kingdom.
Things were going smoothly until she started giving details about the royal families that governed over the kingdoms. Unexpectedly, the man started getting a major headache. It got to the point where he nearly dropped the map and clutched his head. Sango quickly went to his side and felt his forehead. He wasn't feverish, so what was going on? She grabbed her medicine bag and ravaged for the bottle for pain. It tasted awful but it would do the trick. After she made him take a few sips she made space for him to lie down. After a few moments, he fell asleep. Fortunately, he didn't get sea sick. Sango allowed him to rest while she maneuvered the boat back to her village.
Two weeks had passed and they finally arrived to the Western coast of the continent. They boarded a dock that was located in the Land of Demons. The Land of Demons was ruled by the Demon Lord that ruled over the demons that lived in this kingdom. Since ancient times, when the demons slayers village was first created, the Demon Lord made a contract with the early civilization of humans to live in this continent unharmed. The demons agreed to keep this small land for themselves and not harm humans, however if demons didn't abide by the contract and attacked humans, the humans would be allowed to defend themselves and slay them. The humans decided to create a special unit of humans to specialize in demon slaying. They would live in the same kingdom as the demons and educate themselves on demons in order to protect human beings. And that is how the Village of Demon Slayers was born.
The Demon Lord offered to have them live in a small area of his kingdom but the Chief of the Demon Slayers politely declined. They created a fort at the top of a mountain that was not too far from the castle of the Demon Lord. Every once in a while, the Demon Lord would send some soldiers and scholars to educate and train the demon slayers. But the Chief knew better. It was so that the Demon Lord could have a watchful eye on their progress and growth as a village. The Demon Lord was kind but he was no fool. He wouldn't want the Demon Slayers to grow too powerful and attack him or his people. But the Demon Lord and the members of his court were all DaiYoukai. They were more powerful than the typical demons that the demon slayers regularly hunt. The DaiYoukai even had the respect of most of the demon slayers.
Throughout the generations, the Demon Slayers were comfortable in their village and some even admired the culture and beauty of the demons. The architecture of the Demon Kingdom was very elegant and looked even more extravagant than some of the human palaces that belonged to the royal families of the different kingdoms. Demons valued their history and so would insert symbols of their clans and images of their ancestry within the interior decor of the castles. But it wasn't just the homes of the demons that fascinated the slayers, their physical forms were also fascinating.
In their human forms, some demons were incredibly beautiful and looked as if they were angels from heaven. In their demon forms, they were large monsters that dominated the land. Their power was so great that they have been mistaken for gods. But the Demon Slayers knew when the demons reveal their true form, they were demonstrating their full power. Daring anyone who approached them to challenge them. The Demon Slayers recognized this and never did.
They arrived at the dock, which was built and managed by marine demons. There were different varieties of demons and they maintained the docks and boats that belonged to the Noble demons of the Demon Kingdom. Sango moved the boat closer to the docks and waved them over. A few of the demons waived back and assisted in moving their supplies to a wagon that was waiting for them. The demons were happily conversing with Sango until they saw the newcomer on the boat with her. They whispered amongst themselves and stole glances at the young man while they worked. It didn't seem to bother him in the slightest, seeing as he was also looking around. Sango assumed it was the first time he ever saw demons. Also noting the curious glances from the demons, she assured them that he was fine and he wasn't an enemy. But there was no doubt in her mind that they would report this to their Lord. After all, a human they hadn't seen before was traveling with the daughter of the Chief of the Demon Slayers and he wasn't one of them. Most likely, the Demon Lord would want to meet him and get to know him. She would have to prepare him for that meeting. Once all their supplies were loaded, they both got on the wagon and waved their goodbyes to the demons as they made their way to the Village of Demon Slayers.
Sango began to get anxious as they arrived closer and closer to her village, with the walls of the fort coming into view. She had sent a few letters to her father via messenger bird, informing him of the new passenger that she would be bringing with her. As far as his response went, he didn't go into much detail about what he thought about this situation. That wasn't surprising, her father wasn't one for displaying emotions so easily. Especially in his writings. All he told her was to do her best on the hunt and arrive home safely. But his recent letter did express an interest in meeting this amnesic young man. For what purpose, she couldn't tell but she did know that this was the first time in a while that an outsider had arrived to the Demon Slayer village. The most recent one was her grandmother on her father's side.
Her grandmother was the daughter of a noble landlord who was being harassed by a fish demon to become his bride. Not wanting his daughter to be taken by a demon, the landlord then called upon the demon slayers to stop the fish demon. If the fish demon didn't get his bride then he would destroy their village and crops. Her grandfather and a couple of his traveling companions arrived and slayed the fish demon with ease. Her grandmother instantly fell for this young demon slayer, who happened to wield the same weapon Sango did. The Hiraikotsu. At first, her grandfather was alarmed by her immediate attraction towards him and politely declined. He didn't want to take her away from her family as he had to return to his village and become the new Chief of the Demon Slayers. But her grandmother and her parents persisted, seeing as he was a good, hardworking, and honest young man. Finally, he relented to at least bring her to his village to see his way of life. It wouldn't be as comfortable as the life she had as a noblewoman and she wouldn't be able to see her family often due to them being so far away in the Land of Demons. As he quickly discovered, she was as stubborn as she was beautiful and kind. With the blessing of her parents and her village, she left with the demons slayers and headed to the Land of Demons.
When they arrived to the village, everyone was shocked to see the son of the Village Chief bringing back a beautiful young noblewoman from a village of fisherman and farmers. Much to the Chief's son embarrassment and relief, everyone in the village took a liking to the young woman. Who could blame them? She was kind, well educated, playful, interested in learning new things, and humble. After he became the Village Chief, Sango's grandfather decided to properly court her and eventually they married and had a son. After her grandmother started courting her grandfather, she adapted into the Demon Slaying culture. She even used her knowledge of farming and fishing to contribute to helping the village thrive.
Sango wondered what plans her father had for this man. Would they teach him the ways of the demon slayers until he received his memories back? And if he never did, then what? Would he stay and become a demon slayer? Sango wasn't sure if he even wanted to stay. That would be something for him and her father to talk about.
Speaking of which, the entrance to the fort was straight ahead. Once the scouts saw that it was Sango riding on a demon-crafted carriage, they opened the gate and allowed them inside.
Author's Note: So this chapter is basically explaining their encounter. Next chapter will be more of a focus on the relationship between the two of them.
