The Purest Devotion

Sango ran down the stairs two steps at a time. Kikyo simply had to be at the Boiler Room.

Her heart hammered in her chest and her head felt heavy. The Faceless Spider had said quite clearly that it wanted Kikyo. Kikyo, the tiny, shy human girl Sango should've been watching at all times.

Urasue had been livid, her huge red eyes searching the crowd, but Kikyo had been nowhere in sight.

FIND THAT GIRL, SANGO! FIND HER!

Sango hadn't believed what her eyes were seeing. She'd been absent for maybe five minutes, just enough time to hide her gold beneath her futon, and she'd come back to a war zone. Food had been thrown everywhere as the employees ran for their lives, screaming and cursing.

It ate Master Koga! Someone had yelled right beside her. And Master Jaken, too!

Sango halted in front of the short door she used when she brought Master Totosai his meals, struggling to keep her balance. Sliding it open brusquely, she saw Kikyo kneeling there, looking down at someone.

It was Toga, sleeping in a makeshift futon.

Sango saw red, angry that the reason behind Kikyo's disappearance was Toga. It was no secret that he cared for no one but himself; why was this girl so obsessed with him?

"Kikyo!" Sango yelled, marching into the room as only a woman with a purpose can do. Upon seeing the destruction around her, though, the fight left her like water through sieve.

There were claw marks everywhere. Drawers were scattered all over the floor, along with bathing herbs and wood splinters. Looking up, she saw a huge hole in the ceiling, showing nothing but darkness above their heads.

"What happened here?" Sango asked, fixing her wide eyes on Kikyo.

The girl stood up to face her. "Toga's in trouble. I'm gonna help him, like he helped me," she said, begging Sango to understand with those huge brown eyes of hers.

"We don't have time for this, Kikyo!" Sango hissed, desperation clutching at her. "The rich man is asking for you!" She was unable to make it sound like anything but an accusation. "Why does he want you? Do you know what he is?"

The child blinked up at her, frowning. "I-I let him in," Kikyo said meekly. "I thought he was a customer."

Distantly, Sango heard Master Totosai rummaging through his drawers. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. "He's not, Kikyo. He's a Faceless Spider. It's like—faceless spirits are like—like spoiled children." She paused. "They have no control. He already swallowed two of our people, and I'm sure he won't stop until he sees you!"

The girl became suddenly pale. "He swallowed two people?"

"Found it, Kikyo!" Master Totosai shouted before Sango could reply. He approached them quickly, holding up a row of tickets in front of Kikyo's face. "I was saving them, but…" His small pupils moved to Toga and back to the girl, then to her feet, where a tiny fox was sitting at. "Well."

What's this kit doing here? Sango thought, puzzled. A completely different thing came out of her mouth, though, once the red tickets dangling from Totosai's hand caught her eye. Priorities. "Train tickets," she murmured longingly. "When—when did you get them, Mater Totosai?"

"Leftovers from forty years ago," the demon said with a shrug (an impressive gesture, considering he had six arms). He was still looking at Kikyo, silently demanding her attention. "Now, girl, you must be sure of what you want. If you decide to go, you have to get off the train at the sixth station—Swamp Bottom. That's where Urasue's sister, Kaede, lives." Totosai paused, studying the child. "Make sure you get it right. There used to be a return train, but nowadays it's one way only."

"Sixth station," Kikyo repeated. "Swamp Bottom. Got it!" She lifted one hand to take the tickets, leaving the other fisted against her chest. Sango realized she was holding something there.

"Are you sure, child?" Master Totosai insisted.

"Yes," Kikyo said with a nod. Her eyes were soft and sure, reminding Sango of how Kohaku's used to be before he became Haku. The look of a half-grown child. "I'll just walk back along the rails." She gave the demon a small smile.

Sango and Totosai could only stand there, awed, as Kikyo kneeled once more beside Toga. The fox followed her closely, and Sango caught herself wondering about it again, but unable to ask. She felt her throat tighten at the sight of Toga's unconscious face. Without his signature scowl, the boy really looked like a kid for a change.

Did Kohalu look so helplessly small when he slept? She didn't know anymore.

Kohaku. The Bathhouse.

"What about the Faceless Spider?" Sango blurted. She felt a little bad for pushing it, but the situation wasn't going to solve itself. Not without Kikyo.

"I'll go upstairs with you," the girl promised without turning, her eyes still glued to Toga. With an earnest expression, she leaned over the sleeping boy. "Toga, I promise I'll be back. You just get better, okay? Just—please."

One of his puppy ears quivered in answer, but he didn't even stir. Something bad enough to knock him out had occurred.

Shaking her head, Sango swallowed. "What—" She gestured openly at the kids, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "What happened?"

Totosai sighed, sounding old and tired. "Don't you understand anything?" He shook his head a little, pulling at his goatee beard. "Love."

That wasn't what Sango meant with her question and Totosai knew it, but his answer startled her enough to keep her quiet. She knew Toga had somehow helped Kikyo get her job at the Bathhouse, even if he did so reluctantly. She also knew Kikyo trusted him blindly, but… They were just children.

Surely children couldn't—

Sango smiled wistfully, trying to remember something she wasn't able to. A peck on the cheek during a hot summer day; a memory that might come back once she heard her true name, if she were lucky.

And suddenly, she understood.

A/N: Man, I missed writing from Sango's POV! I really like her as Lin for some reason…

Anyways, I hope you're still enjoying this, guys. I know everyone must want me to get to it already, but hey, I have to stick to the original story lol. I don't have much to say about this bit, but hopefully you have something for me! I really enjoy your reviews. I read them over and over and over... Please, indulge me! ;)

Thank you, as always, for reading.