Well, here's the next chap. I know it's taken me forever guys, but all I can say is that life happens, and I promise to try to do better. Um...I think that's all. Not a lot of notes for this chap, other than it's fairly sad. :( Ok, well...enjoy!
It takes Kagome a few seconds longer to realize that she and her friends are back in the white room, as she'd had her eyes closed and her head buried in her hands while she sobbed. The monk and slayer are standing slightly behind the young miko, standing very close together but remaining silent, except for the occasional sniffle from the latter. The two small demons are still sleeping peacefully a few feet away. Their captor is nowhere to be found.
The girl lifts her head and sees her half-demon companion, on all-fours on the bright padding, his dark hair draped forward to hide his human features. She prays that she's imagining the soft ploops that sound against the floor, but gets her proof when she takes a single step, the barely whispered word stopping her where she stands.
"Don't."
Kagome bites her lip at the pain she can hear in Inuyasha's voice, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away so that she doesn't go against him. She hears the pair behind her make shuffling sounds as they shift uncomfortably in place, but she doesn't turn, not wishing them to see the despair that was written across her face, though they already knew it was there.
Eventually Inuyasha stands, and the trio watches him in silence as he walks to the nearest wall--keeping his face hidden--sliding down it and burying his head against his knees, his arms wrapped around them. He doesn't make any sound, even when his shoulders start to shake from the force of his attempted control. Even Shinku's sudden appearance doesn't seem to get through to him.
"Slayer?" the demon says, giving one last glance to Inuyasha's back before turning toward Sango.
The exterminator stares at the out-stretched palm, raising her red-rimmed eyes to the youkai before stepping toward him.
"Sango?"
The girl turns back to the dark-haired monk, the determined set of her chin faltering at the obvious anxiety on his face.
"It will happen whether I wish it to or not, Miroku," she says, stepping back over to him and placing a small kiss against his cheek. The priest tightens his hold on her arms when she pulls away. "Better to brave the darkness than succumb to it."
Miroku opens his mouth--as if he's about to argue the absurdity of the statement--but Sango has already twisted out of his grasp and placed her hand into Shinku's.
"A wise philosophy, tajiya," the demon says, give the girl a brief bow before the two of them vanish, leaving only silence in their absence.
OoooOoooO
"I don't know how much more of this I can take."
Kagome tears her eyes away from the hanyou who is now sitting in the middle of what looks like a street--though he doesn't seem to notice in the slightest--sliding her gaze over to the monk beside her. Miroku brings his hands up and rubs his fingers over his temples, closing his eyes and murmuring soft prayers under his breath. He starts when Kagome slides one of her arms through his.
"You could feign sleep," she says, her voice low, as if she's afraid to make the suggestion. "Shinku doesn't seem to think Shippo and Kilala are necessary, anymore."
Miroku glances around, noting the conspicuous absence of the pair, though they had been in the white room only moments before. He takes another second or two to eye their surroundings, at once recognizing the former demon slayer village, though they'd never seen it with actual occupants.
"Tempting, Kagome. But Sango will need me when this is....over," he says, his voice catching at the last word, when the slayer and her brother round a distant building and come into view. The monk turns in the other direction and gives the withdrawn hanyou a sorrowful glance before focusing his attention back on the miko. "As Inuyasha will undoubtedly realize, when you have need of him."
The girl swallows the sudden lump in her throat, glancing over her shoulder at the boy, who still hasn't moved, though he has to be aware of the bustle of the village around him. Kagome brings her free hand up and wipes away the tears sliding down her cheeks, giving the priest a grateful, if somewhat shaky, smile as he pulls her into a hug.
"I hope so, but...he...he thinks.... He's afraid that I...."
The girl can't finish her sentence, and buries her face against the monk's kimono as Miroku tightens his arms around her. The pair holds the comforting embrace for several moments, all traces of the teasing during the previous visions gone, until Sango and Kohaku pass by. They stare as the older yells loudly at the younger, causing several villagers heads to turn.
"Kohaku! Mother told me to teach you how to cut the bread correctly! How am I supposed to do that when you steal it!"
"Exactly!" the boy yells, waving the offensive loaf over his head as he turns and begins running backward across the compound. "I don't wanna be some sissy tajiya who does women's work!"
Sango stops abruptly, crossing her arms over her chest and scowling at her younger sibling, before a sly grin breaks out across her pink-cheeked face.
"Want to say that again, dear brother?" she asks, giving the boy her best 'I-dare-you' glare.
Kohaku stops his skipping, twirling the bread on two fingers before speaking again, completely missing the cooling of the sun-warmed air at his back.
"Of course, ane. Cooking is a woman's job; I'm not....."
"A woman's job?"
The younger slayer visibly gulps at the disapproving tone that floats over his head, turning slowly and just stopping himself from cringing when he sees his father giving him stern look.
"This is gonna be interesting."
Kagome and Miroku tear their gazes away from what was probably going to be a painful lesson for Sango's brother, blinking in exhausted annoyance at the demon standing next to Inuyasha, seemingly debating on whether he can get away with whatever he's thinking of doing, with his body remaining intact. Shinku apparently decides against it a few seconds later, and walks the dozen or so feet over to the hoshin and the miko.
"The exterminators were very forward thinking for their time; the girl would be quite a prize among them, now. You are lucky that her village fell, monk, considering how many of her own males would have competed for her hand. You wouldn't have stood a chance."
Kagome gapes in quiet shock at the insult, as Miroku twitches beside her, just keeping himself from attacking the demon. The girl hadn't known that Shinku was capable of such blatant disrespect, even though his actions until now had been less than exemplary.
"Your opinon, only, demon," the boy snaps, clenching his fists by his side and glaring in hatred at the green-haired youkai, his lips pulled back in a snarl. "I know Sango better than you think."
Shinku raises one brow before grinning, a sparkle showing behind his gray eyes. "Good to know you're not easily discouraged, hoshin," he says, gesturing behind him, where Kohaku is being held up by the front of his kimono by his father, the loaf of bread now safely esconced in his sister's arms.
"I don't care if you were joking, son," the older man says, frowning at his youngest. "You've seen that our society only functions properly when our two sexes work together. What would the other villagers say if they heard you speaking so insolently?"
Kohaku's cheeks flame a quick cherry color, and he nods his head shallowly, contrite. "Sorry, father. I didn't mean to be disrespectful. I just wish ane... I wish things would still be the same."
"It's not like I'm leaving you, Kohaku," Sango says, stepping forward and ruffling her brother's bangs in a warming gesture, lifting the sad frown from his freckled face. "I'm just getting married."
Kagome hears a quick intake of breath and turns, feeling dread rise in her chest at the fear creeping into Miroku's violet eyes. She tightens her arm on the boy's, grabbing that hand with her own and squeezing his fingers. The monk glances down at the girl for a moment before closing his eyes tightly and murmuring more prayers, his lips moving so fast they're almost a blur.
"Not so confident now, eh?" the demon asks, giving the pair a wink, not in the least bit deterred by their changing expressions. He gazes at their open hostility with faint amusement before giggling, then quickly gives them a somber frown. "But you really should learn to trust your future wife more often. Honestly."
Kagome and Miroku don't bother to stifle their identical sneers as the demon rolls his eyes, scoffing quietly. Neither of the two notice that their silent third is now listening, albeit unobtrusively, or that their captor's words were not aimed exclusively in their direction.
"When will he be here, ane?" Kohaku asks, distracting his audience as he gives his father a sideways glance, to see if he might still be in trouble. The elder slayer chuckles under his breath before drawing the boy into a rough hug, ignoring Kohaku's protests.
"This is your warning, young'un. Next time I get the hair," the sibling's father says, cracking the knuckles of his large hands as he releases the boy, before feigning an attempt to grab his son again. Kohaku retreats behind his sister, covering his head.
"No, father! I won't be so disrespectful to ane again! I promise!"
Kagome covers the smile forming on her lips as Kohaku and the older tajiya circle a laughing Sango, sliding her gaze up to Miroku's, a small measure of relief flowing over her at the poor attempt he was making to keep his expression grim. It quickly returns when their slayer speaks.
"He'll be back the day after tomorrow. He had some things to attend to in a nearby village," Sango says, her pleased expression morphing into a slight glare before it quickly returns to normal, though the change was barely noticeable. Then she says, in a conspiratorial whisper, "I'm not supposed to know, but apparently there's a gift to the bride involved."
The girl's father and brother echo Sango's excited smile before the eldest decides that he shouldn't be encouraging his children to ruin surprises. "Now, Sango. You've worked hard on keeping your gifts a secret; is it fair to spoil your fiancé's, three days before the wedding?"
Sango faux-pouts, glancing at her brother, who immediately backs up his big sister by saying, with a completely straight face, "I heard it was a type of weapon. Because ane needs one of those on her wedding day."
The trio stares at each other for a few seconds before they each break into stifled laughter. Kagome thinks that her smile would have returned at the joke, if not for the completely heartbroken expression on Miroku's ashen face. The miko is so attuned to her friend's deepening depression that she gasps out loud when a warm hand wraps around her arm.
The girl turns, and almost gasps again when she sees the still troubled, though somehow also slightly amused gaze of her human-hanyou. She feels the beginnings of tears come to her eyes at the fact that Inuyasha was no longer drawing into himself, but her happiness quickly turns to confusion as he nods his head to something behind them.
The miko turns, and what she sees makes her eyes brim over and start spilling down her cheeks before she can pull on Miroku's arm hard enough to get his attention.
"Please, Kagome. Sango has chosen..."
The monk's dispassionate words are cut off abruptly as he gazes at who his friends are gesturing toward, which is confirmed a few seconds later by the small group of slayers.
"Where is your fiancé's vassal, anyway, daughter? I wanted to know what the raccoon-dog thought of my plans for your lodgings....," the eldest tajiya says, glancing around the open compound, his gaze immediately alighting on the demon in the distance. His expression quickly drops into a frown.
"Hachi had better not be eating the katsuobushi!" Sango suddenly yells, loudly enough for the short youkai to hear, even over his own munching. "I am going to seriously hurt someone when I get ahold of him!" the girl snaps, glancing between her brother and the bread before taking the latter with her and waving it threateningly at the tanuki, who is now retreating from the drying house.
The shellshocked observers gaze in slight astonishment as Sango runs, waving people out of her way with the loaf, while words than one wouldn't exactly classify as compliments flow from her lips in a soft, but steady stream. The girl's younger brother brings their attention back with his next comment.
"I love ane, but that doesn't mean I don't think Miroku's not going to have his hands full," Kohaku says, giving his father a sideways, mischievous glance. He breaks into a wide grin when the man nods.
"You have no idea," the elder says, solemnly, as an older woman who looks almost identical to Sango--though with her dark hair pulled back in a low, messy bun, and wearing clothes colored bright yellow and dark blue--comes running across the grounds to join her daughter in the chase, wielding a large wooden spoon in one hand. Neither of the girls notice the dozens of eyes watching them in amusement.
The two males watch the entertainment for several more minutes, until deciding that it wouldn't look good for the bride to kill her groom's vassal and long-time friend only days before the wedding, and head over to help the roughened demon out of his predicament. It's only after the quiet bustle returns to the village that Miroku releases the breath he'd been holding, bending forward slightly so that he doesn't faint.
"I told you to have more faith," Shinku says, giving the monk an innocent grin when he glances up.
"Go to hell."
Kagome blinks in shock at the vehement words that had come from the hoshin, slowly backing away from the increasing anger on Miroku's face and latching onto Inuyasha when she bumps into his side. She glances at him, wondering if he knows what's going on, her confusion increasing as something that resembles his normal smirk begins to form, despite the dullness in his eyes. Her scrutiny of his appearance is short-lived, however, as their priest begins ranting in an almost hysterical tenor.
"You arrogant, egotistical, maniacal, deceitful, bastard son of bitch! Where the hell do you get off treating anyone like your means to an end?! We aren't like your precious green- and brown-skinned 'lovelies'! You can't treat humans' and demons' emotions as if they're easily broken, easily fixed; don't you see?!"
Miroku takes a deep breath, swipes at the dampness on his cheeks, then begins speaking again, oblivious to his companion's presence. Shinku doesn't respond to the accusations, but simply stares at the frenzied, furious monk, blinking his smoky eyes every few seconds in what could almost be described as indifference.
"What was the point of this vision, anyway?! If Sango's greatest desire was to marry me, why didn't we see the ceremony? Or the reception afterwards? Her village was obviously making plans for it; her brother and father were....."
The boy stops again, but this time his jaw goes slack, his eyes widening as they glance around the village again, taking in the activity that had been relegated to simple background noise. It takes him several moments, but Miroku finally mumbles to himself, his anger deflating as he understands the slayer's deeepest wish.
"Her...family?" Miroku asks, though he already knows it's the truth.
Shinku doesn't respond, other than a shallow nod, giving the quiet hanyou and miko a questioning look to see whether they had understood the vision as well. He offers the pair a smirk when they refuse to meet his eyes, keeping their own on their silent, moroseful friend.
"I should have realized...before now...," Miroku says to himself, sinking onto his knees and putting his head in his hands. "But I was so...worried..."
Kagome and Inuyasha watch in uncomfortable silence, allowing Miroku to mourn and despise his own selfishness for several minutes, before the hanyou decides that he's had enough, and speaks, though his voice sounds strangely weak and distant.
"You've made it this far," he says, but without his usual gruffness, or even a semblance of reprimand. He steps forward then, and puts his hands beneath Miroku's arms, hauling the other boy to his feet. The brunette turns with a sorrowful scowl, but stops when he sees the grief and pain in Inuyasha's dark eyes. "Don't give up now."
Kagome is sure that Miroku is going to say something about Inuyasha and his own illusions, based on the downward turn of his mouth, but the boys just stare at each other for a long minute before they each nod, exchanging some unknown understanding. Inuyasha keeps one hand on the hoshin's upper arm, however, preparing to brace him for whatever may happen next.
"I see that we're ready," Shinku says, almost softly, giving the other males a sly grin when they turn hateful eyes his way, though neither offers a comment. He bites back a laugh. "In that case, let us see your tajiya's greatest fear...."
The forest demon snaps his fingers, instantly plunging the group into darkness. Kagome sucks in a breath, and hears the boys do the same, disoriented by the sudden change. She instinctively reaches for Inuyasha, waving one arm for several seconds in a futile attempt to grasp something familiar, before the hanyou's hand passes beneath, then manages to find her own. A wave of relief flows through the girl as he drags her to his side, wrapping his arm around her waist as their eyes begin to adjust to the pre-dawn light coming from the window behind them.
"Where are we?" the girl asks, tentatively, raising her head to examine their surroundings when her heart slows its irrational, rapid beat. She feels Inuyasha shrug, before his deep voice echoes a few inches above her.
"Looks like a storage shed," he says, flatly, eyeing the strange mounds that surround them. After a few moments he wrinkles his nose, inhaling the musty smell of ripened potatoes and turnips and onions, momentarily glad that he doesn't have his demonic powers.
"What are we doing in here?" Kagome asks, confused, as she stares at the vegetables.
"For her."
The girl turns her head the other way, watching Miroku's form as he moves forward and around several boxes, his dull eyes focused on something against the far wall. Kagome glances up, and only after she sees the shadow of her friend does the faint weeping reach her ears.
"What's wrong?" she whispers, afraid to hear, though she knows she will.
Miroku turns back to the pair, ignoring the demon perched in a high stack of rice bags, who is silently questioning him with a single raised brow, and shakes his head. "She's just...crying. I don't know why."
Kagome feels her heart go out to the boy, at the obvious distress in his tone, but she doesn't know why the slayer would be here, any more than he does. Why would Sango be crying, alone, and possibly hiding, in a storage shed?
The trio gets their answer a moment later, when the door to the building opens, flooding the small room with pale morning light, the outline of a figure falling onto several baskets containing cabbage.
"Sango?"
The only sounds that are heard in the small building are a soft, barely discernable sniffling, and the rustling of a shawl being drawn tighter around someone's cold form.
"Me, I hope?" Miroku asks, not moving from the slayer's side as the figure quietly closes the door behind him. It was hard to tell if the raspy, deepened, pained voice was actually the monk's.
"I know you're in here, Sango. You know you can't hide from me."
"Yes," Kagome whispers, her voice barely carrying above the increase in sniffling. She and Inuyasha watch the older hoshin as he passes, slowly, his visage aged by several years of stress and misery. "But there's something terribly wrong."
Miroku doesn't respond, waiting apprehensively until the last moment to move from his place beside the girl, when the other him finally makes his way around all the bags and barrels and gazes down at the female tajiya, grief showing plainly in his deep violet eyes.
No one in the room speaks, and for several tense minutes, the trio of listeners hold their respective breaths, waiting with an ever-increasing sense of dread as the silence lengthens. When the older Miroku finally speaks, his voice is only a dull echo of what it once was.
"We can try again, love. Wait a few months, then....."
The monk tapers off, his voice breaking as a despairing cry is ripped from Sango's lips, her sniffles morphing into sobbing cries. The boy drops onto a bundle of wheat, putting his head in his hands as the slayer mumbles incoherently.
"No! No.... not....not..... too many.... lost....no....no.... can't....I.....can't..."
The girl continues in the same tone for several seconds, confusing her audience--but not her husband--with her ramblings, until she finally seems to come to a decision and turns to Miroku. She grabs his arms and shakes him slightly, her dark eyes wild and frantic and pleading as he looks up, his expression holding the faintest bit of hope, which immediately falters. The others can now see the sallow tint of her cheeks, and the thinness of her frame underneath her baggy kimono.
"No, Miroku! No more! We can't... I can't do this anymore! We've tried...and tried.... Kami knows we've tried, but....it's not.... I can't... have hope.... And then find out we're not..... Or lose another... I've lost too many...already.... I can't.... I can't lose another child!"
Kagome feels her eyes widen and her heart drop painfully into her stomach as her friend's words and fear register in her mind. The miko only just keeps herself from bursting into tears, burying her face against Inuyasha's side and sobbing into his kimono. The hanyou himself can do nothing but stare in horrified disbelief, his dark eyes wide and pained, while the real Miroku finds himself on his hands and knees, shaking his head while hot tears stream down his cheeks, cursing the unjust Kami that would dare to assign his slayer with this cruelest of fates.
The other, despairing hoshin--oblivious to the commotion going on behind him--swallows, audibly, before nodding and pulling the girl into his arms. He gently strokes the crying girl's hair, holding his emotions in check for several moments before he finally breaks, joining the despairing atmosphere inside the tiny hut.
*sigh* That was hard. And I still have Kagome's to do, which is my next goal. If you aren't crying right now, you....have some issues to work through. I shouldn't talk though, seeing as how I'm writing this angst fic. You know when you're starting to get tired and you stop making sense? Yeah...heading down that path right now.... Oh, btw, Katsuobushi is dried bonito (skipjack tuna) flakes, which are often given to guests at weddings, and are used in various dishes. *makes an 'eww' face* I'll pass, thanx...