Chapter 14-The Art of Negotiation
Come on, we're quite disclaimed.
This has been updated to fix some format issues. Thanks to Harlyn for pointing it out.
The Shaman didn't look happy. No, he did not. Normally, he would be pleased. The group moving deeper into the foothills had plenty of items of value, and would be easy prey for them. But the signs were bad. The omens were that this group was a danger to them, that they should avoid them and move around them. He didn't like it one bit.
The party's leader frowned when the man argued this again. He was not going to run away from a group of women and a few men. The scouts had said there was little signs of any real defenses and the were weakened, likely from the journey from wherever they'd come from. So he was not backing off, and that was final. The supplies and goods they had would be too useful this winter, whatever the Shaman said. They had their own to concern themselves with, and it was too close to winter to let such a prize go.
So they chose their ambush point and set up with military precision, orders given with a few hand gestures. No more was needed, each warrior knew his job and performed it flawlessly. Once in place, they patiently set themselves to wait for the prey to come to them.
But they didn't wager on a hanyou's senses of smell.
"What is it?" Naomi found herself whispering it as she looked around. She was handling the first wagon in line, and Yash was sniffing and worried. That was enough to make her rein in the team and stop the line, Dorothy nodding and picking up the rifle that sat with them from her own seat. The riders converged on the wagon to find out why they stopped-and worried too at the sight of a nose working. Inuyasha frowned and sniffed.
"Horses and human, up ahead...from the rocks. I'm thinking...they're waiting for us. I can't hear anything, just smell them-and I don't smell a campfire." The words made the men stop dead. Crap. Crap, crap, crap! They could guess who was that quiet. Apache was most likely. Comanche, maybe. Crap!
"I don't see any ponies or anything," Howie said worriedly.
"I just got a whiff of them, but they're there. Shit," Yash scowled, "I'll go ahead. Maybe I can convince them we ain't worth the fight."
"Alone?" Naomi asked.
"I ain't letting them come at us when they want to."
"Then...we'll go with you," Dorothy looked scared, but she said it. No one could blame the women for being afraid. They were too.
"I don't need someone else to look after, stay here!" Yash saw Kagome was getting off the wagon, and she wasn't about to let him run off. He knew it, and knew he had to go before she followed and got into trouble.
"But-" Sarah began, looking scared as she sat her horse. It snorted, picking up on her distress.
"No. If they come-look after the women. Miroku, help her do it." She nodded once.
"Good luck," Miroku said quietly. Yash just nodded and rode ahead.
"Inuyasha! You can't-let go of me, Miroku!" Kagome yelled when he dismounted and grabbed her.
"Kagome, trust me, he knows what he's doing," he soothed.
"He's got to stop doing this," she said sadly.
The Shaman was developing a facial twitch. He knew something was going to go wrong. But since he'd been overruled, he didn't dare keep arguing. Losing face in such a fight would mean losing trust. Losing trust meant losing his place and perhaps more. If he was wrong-bad enough. If he was right-well, they were as well positioned as they could be. There was nothing more he could do. He silently prayed for protections above the ones he'd already invoked as a rider made his way toward the ambush point.
A scout was coming. They heard the hooves, and knew it was one of the settlers. A shod horse, the horseshoes rang on stone as the mare picked her way. As expected, they sent someone ahead to check the path. They would allow him to pass them and return, so the wagon train would think itself safe. They'd done this before, after all.
The rider in a red coat reined in and looked at the ridgeline. Also as expected, the man was smart to check, but they were too well hidden to-
"So, what language? I speak English, Spanish, Japanese, and I know Chinese! I know you're up there, all," he sniffed, "twenty of you! You ain't dumb, most of your leaders know a couple of them! Let's not fuck around, your mounts are over there, you're up there, and you were planning to ambush us. I'm telling you not to because I ain't some human, and for the record, I ain't no Coyote, neither. I don't play that 'pretend to be one of your locals' shit, alright?" he announced, pointing out where they and the animals were.
He then removed his hat-and his charm. The dog ears twitched, the source of some questions from the native humans a time or two. Also from some rather bemused native spirits, as they were called. He generally got along alright with them, the spirits, that is, and they in turn had asked him not to bother their own people. So he was willing to try this first before the fighting started. Besides, it wasn't very fair for him to take them on since their magic didn't work on him. That was how he looked at it, anyway.
Silence.
"I ain't waiting all day! We talking, or am I going to have to kill you all?" he yelled.
A rapid argument took place as the Apache considered. This was not a human, and had not only known where they and the mounts were, but their number! The Shaman argued that this was what the omes had warned of, and their leader wasn't happy as it was admitted that yes, the man was correct to warn them off. The ambush was in ruins, and there was no telling what the spirit below was capable of. It was an impressive display so far. He also said he was not Coyote, which interested the man. So, he figured the spirit was newly come like the settlers. The man nodded to himself, and finally answered.
"Go back," he said in English.
"We ain't staying, we're just passing through. You test me, and you won't like it," the stranger warned.
"Go, or die. We do not fear you!" the man announced from above him.
"Alright, then you asked for it," Inuyasha glanced back at the wagons, and nodded to himself. They hadn't seen this trick, and he'd rather they didn't. Staying harmless looking was an important thing. "See that bolder?" he asked.
Silence...but eyes locked on it.
"Hijinkessou!" Inuyasha snapped as his hand closed on his palm and his fingers flicked forward. The bolder exploded under the blades of blood. He rubbed his fingers to get the blood off and looked up again at the extremely unhappy people hidden in the ridgeline.
"That was just a taste. Go away, and leave these people alone. They're under my protection, and nobody gets to fuck with them! We ain't got a problem if you leave them alone, got it? We'll be gone and out of your way quick, and won't bother you or nothing. We're going to a town in the mountains you people don't bother with anyways," he said.
So, it was a strong Guardian Spirit. If that was so, he would not cause trouble if his charges were left alone. He would leave with them as well, a fine thing to their minds. Besides, an evil spirit would have just attacked, he instead spoke first and gave warning. It inclined them to believe him when he promised to not permit his charges to bother them. Their own had warned them as well in the divinations that had been taken, to leave this group alone. The decision was simple, and made quickly.
"Agreed, Guardian. Go quickly," the man said, and Yash nodded, riding back the way he came.
"Well?" Howie was the first to ask. The hanyou was busy cleaning his fingers with a hankie when he got to them, and Miroku looked worried for a minute. He knew what that meant, even if the women didn't.
"Huh? Oh, they said we're fine, but we got to move. I told 'em we'd be leaving, and we ain't stopping until it's too dark to see, got it?" the hanyou ordered. A deal was a deal, and he intended to keep his word. They were only too happy to oblige, but Kagome glared at him as they headed out.
He'd just run off to face them all alone! He could've been killed! He...had to stop doing this to her. Kagome realized she wasn't about to let him do this kind of thing anymore. She just wasn't sure how to do that, or tell him. Especially when Sango-was broken. Had been ever since that town, when Inuyasha brought Miroku back.
Sango was miserable that night when they finally camped, having traveled as far as they could before it got too dark to see. Her husband to be...had lost their money. Had lost her friends' money! Gambling! It was as she feared, there was no security with Miroku. No safety, no respectability. She wanted to cry from the shame of it. She was pitied! They pitied her! It nearly killed her that she'd fallen so far.
Kagome knew, and tried to comfort her in the wagon they now shared with Naomi, Sarah, Prudence, and Dorothy as she poured her heart out. At least the others were on guard duty or seeing to what little supper they would have tonight. Privacy was at a premium now.
"What will we do? One day, we will have nothing, I know it! He will gamble it all away! He will, and what can I do? What if he loses this saloon, and leaves me? Even if he keeps it, what then? Am I to raise my children behind a bar? He has no honor or future and I cannot turn my back on him without him acting shamefully!" Sango groaned. What kind of life would they have? She saw, or thought she saw the shape of it already, and slumped.
"Oh, Sango..." Kagome couldn't reassure her. Not after the incident in Seven Holes. Holes she hoped the entire town fell into and never came out of! All she could do was listen and try to soothe her.
But a man heard outside-and it hurt him a great deal. Miroku had only thought he couldn't feel worse than he did. He was wrong, because she was right. He'd been flirting and gambling and acting as he pleased, and his bride was now terrified of the future because of it. Didn't trust him, and now that he knew who she'd been in Japan...he didn't blame her a bit. Even when he'd been an itinerant monk, her social status would have meant he was not a good choice for her. Beneath her. It hurt.
He had to do something to regain some respect in her eyes, or he could not marry her. Not and ever be happy with her, or she with him. That was a problem, because...he cared for her. Respected and admired her. In all honesty, he didn't think he could do as she intended to, and marry someone she thought so little of just because she had promised to do so. Sango was a remarkable woman, who seemed to embody everything good about home to him. Contract or no, he had to prove himself worthy of her, and knew it.
When he looked at things, she had a point. It was vexing. Miroku was honest enough to admit what she feared was possible. He'd looked on the Silk Rose as a lucky fluke, and would be alright with the loss if he was ever tempted to wager the deed or had to cover his bets. That was no longer the case.
It had to be kept and if Sango just saw how much money it made, she'd be less worried. But she was right, it was no place to raise a family, especially as he lived in the back. In rooms unfortunately reached from behind the bar, just as in her apparent nightmares. A house separate from it was a good idea, but he really didn't want to leave it untended at night. That was just asking for trouble even in Sweetwater. So, he would do something about it.
He'd see about getting together enough cash to turn it into a proper hotel, if that would make her happier. Raising a family running a place like that with a bar was quite honorable. They did get some travelers, and the bar made enough to carry them if-no, when the rooms didn't bring in a lot. So, he would see about a loan from Henry Aberdeen when they got back, and make it over. He owned her free and clear, so he should be able to get one easily. He'd add rooms, and a nicer area for them to live in. That handled the future.
But he still had the now to deal with. How to show her this? She feared the future...he decided, and went to Howie and Yash. When they heard, they both said he was crazy, but really, it was just another bet. A very large one. They did as he asked, and that was all that mattered.
The next day, he waited until they camped to place his wager.
"Sango?" Miroku smiled at her as she tended a campfire.
"Yes?" her eyes narrowed as she answered.
"Would you mind taking a walk with me? I would like to talk with you privately before we lose the sunlight, if you don't mind."
"A walk? I..." she looked down, and sighed. "As you like, Kinjo-san," she answered stiffly. They were back on formal terms, and he wanted to beat his head on a rock. He walked with her away from the camp instead.
Neither spoke as they strolled, and he decided they were far enough away. Not too far, in case the Apache came calling, but far enough for privacy.
"Sango?"
"Yes? You wanted to talk with me?" she asked, keeping her distance.
"I haven't been good, have I?" he asked sadly.
"I wouldn't...no, you haven't, Kinjo-san," she said grimly. She hadn't planned to say it, but it was true.
"I want to make it up to you, Sango, and prove to you I'm not as bad as you think."
"I will marry you as promised, Kinjo-san, and be a proper wife as is my duty. There isn't any need for more," she answered. Her tone was correct, but her eyes were lowered.
"Yes there is! Contract or not, I never again want to see you as unhappy as you are now. I want you to know that-I care for you, Sango, I admire you greatly, and I thought that after the canyon, you would know that!"
"The canyon. You...you did create a barrier to protect us, and fought with us very bravely. I will admit, I truly didn't think you were a monk until that happened," she admitted. He sighed.
"I'm not the man you think I am, Sango. There was a time when I was a devout monk, you know. I haven't done any magic like that in many years, and I wasn't sure if I still could," he answered. "You bring out the best in me, perhaps. I only knew I had to protect you and help you."
"Miroku!" she said, blushing.
"Sango, I want to give you something to show you that. A gift," he said. She flushed.
"What kind of gift?" she asked warily, thrown off by his attitude. In answer, he pulled a folded, worn piece of paper out of his vest and offered it.
"I want you to have this."
"What is it?" Sango took it and opened it. She wasn't great with written English, and slowly worked out the words. She looked up at him, seeing an anxious expression. No. She read it wrong. This couldn't be what she thought it was, because it said that she...she...
"It's the Deed to the Rose. It's yours, I made it over to you with Howie and Inuyasha witnessing it. It's legal, Sango. No matter what, you own it now. You could sell it or keep it, the choice is yours. But I was thinking that we could get a loan from Aberdeen and it could be expanded into a Hotel, if you wanted to, of course," he added quickly, "and that we...could run it together. You could run the place, and I could take care of the Saloon. We could make it into a nice place for our family to live in."
She stared at it in amazement. He was proud of the place as it stood. She knew that, and yet...he had just given his business to her. She realized he meant it. It was now all hers, and he would not be able to gamble it away. He did this to show he cared, that he wanted to be a good husband, she understood that.
"I don't know anything about such things," she answered, offering it back.
"Well, neither did I when I won her. It's not hard to learn. I told you I wish only for your happiness, Sango, and I hope you will allow this to prove it to you. Whatever I must do, I'll do it," he told her seriously, taking her hands and feeling the paper crumple in their grips. She blushed, and he was charmed again at it.
"You mean this? You truly mean it?"
"I do. I do bad things and I make mistakes, but I'm not a bad man!"
"You took all of our money, their money, and lost it-"
"I thought I could win our supplies, I admit it. I will find a way to make it up to everyone!" he promised. She wanted to believe him. She really did. He seemed so sincere...maybe...
"No more flirting?" Sango asked hopefully.
"No more...ah," he gulped. His smile froze and she pulled her hands free.
"I see."
"Sango! I'll be married! There aren't any women in town besides the ones we're bringing! Trust me, I know their future husbands, they would shoot me if I touched one! Half of those women would beat them to it!" At that, she paused.
"If you truly mean all of this, and want to change...then I will be happy, Kin-Miroku. If you don't, I have the papers and hiraikotsu. So I believe we have a deal," Sango said at last. The Deed and...hiraikotsu? Oh, Kami. But he smiled at her.
Such a woman!
Her wagonmates were astonished when she returned and told them.
"He really did give you the deed!" Dorothy gasped, reading it. She hadn't argued when they asked to see it, and the woman read it by lantern light. A small part of her didn't actually believe he'd done it, and she'd been there!
"You're serious?" Naomi was amazed.
"It looks right, as far as I can tell. Sango, maybe he really does mean to change," Prudence was looking over Dorothy's shoulder as she spoke. The women sat in the tight quarters and considered it.
"Dang. Ain't that somethin'!" Sarah said in admiration.
"Oh, Sango, I'm so happy for you!" Kagome hugged the dazed girl.
"A Hotel, it sounds nice, doesn't it? He wants to add a place for us to live in it as well. If the loan is not too much..." Sango said slowly, thinking over the possibilities.
"Oh, they aren't too bad if you've got collateral like that deed to offer. My family had one on the farm. Sango, that sounds grand," Dorothy smiled and the rest nodded. The relief in the wagon was palpable, and the tajiya was touched by their genuine happiness for her. She was lucky to have such good friends worry about her, and was grateful for it.
Word was quietly passed...and Miroku realized the women were no longer glaring at him as though they were planning on throwing him into the nearest river. Even Agatha Barnes made a point of saying she approved of his attempts to redeem himself, but ruined it by saying she'd be keeping an eye out to help him remain on the straight and narrow. So did...several others. Oh, well. But seeing Sango look happy for the first time in months was worth it. That helped make the trip much more pleasant. So did Howie finally convincing them that he was really trying to help when he went to gamble with their money. Things like that happened when there was no law, he said, and it made Kagome very thoughtful.
With the lecher settled, attention went to other matters in the wagontrain, like getting food, getting to town, and facing the future.
Author's Notes-Ok! My apologies on the delay, I've been posting another of my stories here on FF, 'Honor's Loss', which I hope you will check out. It's a samurai drama, so if that's to your taste, please enjoy.
Ahhh. Movement at last. I knew Miroku had to do something to show Sango he really isn't so bad, but how was a problem. Remember, her village is still standing and flourishing in this one, and he isn't a monk anymore. So he's done this. Probably for the best, considering.
Now, about the Apache. I knew they'd have to run into some of the tribes, this is a western after all. But I wanted to do something different. Apache were extremely skilled warriors, and also ranged all over Arizona in this time period, something I wanted to highlight here. From what I can gather being multilingual was rather common out of practicality. Coyote was and is considered a powerful spirit in several Native American tribal traditions, but I can't see Inuyasha ever taking advantage of his appearance to pretend to be him. Thanks for Reading!-Namiyo