A/N: As promised, a new chapter.
Beta: Cstorm86


The Taijiya And Her Fan


She was sitting on the engawa, cradling a cup of tea in her hands. It was made of glass and at first she'd been shocked to see how many expensive vessels the shrine house held. But Kagome had explained to her that in this world things had different values, because the way of making them was cheaper.

It was so odd, this world. She was a human, but she'd spent her whole life in the hidden world, just like most of her family. For her this was an exotic, mysterious place.

There was a big shrine complex basically next to the Sacred Tree meadow. The dry well had a small wooden house built to shelter it and ward off trespassers. The main shrine was lovely and the house of the shrine keepers was nothing short of a mansion, at least for Sango, used to seeing small huts.

This area was nothing like the tiny village hidden near the Sacred Tree in the youkai world, protected by Lady Kaede and now also Kohaku and herself. The visitors to the shrine were wearing strange clothes, just like the pair of pants and a shirt lent to her by Kagome. Some were of youkai blood, but never malicious. They paid their respects to the deity, bought a lucky charm and went away just like the humans.

Kirara came to curl up in her lap and Sango stroked her back, her gaze following the tall figure in red. He had a straw hat on top of his head, but she knew his secret already - he was hiding a pair of dog ears.

A silver inu hanyou, half-brother to the famous and feared Lord of the West, was sweeping the yard. He seemed a bit tense, but aside of that he seemed to feel right in place, working humbly at the shrine with the diligence more akin to a dedicated shrine keeper than a youkai of noble blood. It was clear for her to see that he deemed the shrine grounds his domain and was as protective of Kagome as Kirara was of her.

Sango heard soft shuffling footsteps and turned to see the old priest joining her. Hiro, a descendant of Lady Kaede, sat down next to her with his own tea. His aura was soothing and akin to Kaede's.

"It must be quite a shock to see this side of the well," he said. "I barely remember my first time going there. We were chasing a youkai in a nearby city and Inuyasha led me after it through a shadow in a basement of an abandoned house. We came out in a cave near a river."

"Yes, it is shocking," Sango agreed and smiled at him sharing his memory with her. "This is the human world and yet it is so new and strange to me, a human. I mean, I heard stories from the ones who passed the barrier between the worlds, but it's one thing to hear about stuff, another... witnessing the stuff," she admitted awkwardly. She knew rules of her trade of the world she lived in. Here, this was an entirely new place with bizarre rules. At least she was surrounded by friendly people.

"You will learn, bit by bit," he assured her. "No need to rush. Kagome and I are here to answer all your questions."

"Thank you, I appreciate that," Sango bowed her head a bit. When she glanced towards the shrine guardian, he was already going to put the broom away in the shed. "I'm still stunned that he is working for Kagome. Silver inu are too prideful to allow others to give them orders."

"Believe me, making Inuyasha do what he doesn't want is no easy feat," Hiro chuckled and waved a hand when he saw the said hanyou glaring at them both before walking into the forest. "He sees the shrine as his domain and Kagome is not only his keeper, but also a friend. They will fight together and for each other, and it makes me happy to see the next generation of my family get along with the shrine guardian so well"

Sango nodded. She knew the hanyou just for a short time, but from what she'd gathered, he could be very stubborn. But he also was loyal and dedicated to protect the miko in his care. Which only made the exterminator's respect for the other woman grow stronger. Kagome had made the hanyou go out of the shrine's barrier during his weakest time to help her old friend. There was no doubt in her heart Inuyasha trusted Kagome as much as she trusted him. Still, the exterminator couldn't help, but find their noble decision to go to save Hojo more than a tad reckless. They had been way too close to dying back there and Sango hoped that they could learn to be less reckless.

"They are still getting used to each other and getting experience, but I expect them to be fine partners," Hiro continued. "If you ever need help dealing with youkai on your side of the well, don't shy away from asking for their aid."

"The same goes for me. I will do what I can to help," Sango smiled shyly. She hoped that showing good will and offering help would be mutually beneficial. Besides, she really hoped to make a friend in Kagome.

As if summoned by Sango thinking about the kind girl who had easily accepted a female exterminator and a youkai under her roof, Kagome stepped into the opened shoji, yawning and stretching her arms.

"Hey," she said "I'm going to make some quick lunch for us. If you want to, I can show you how some stuff in the kitchen works," she said to Sango.

"That would be great," the exterminator said and put Kirara next to herself to stand up and follow Kagome. When she looked back she couldn't help, but smile. Hiro was patting his lap, inviting the feline to curl there. What priest would show such familiarity with a youkai after just meeting them?

Sango joined Kagome in making the meal, washing and cutting things. She was amazed by the tap that provided as much water as you wanted, both cold and hot. The fridge box was a marvelous apparatus too, as was the stove. It seemed that wherever she looked she saw something new and wondrous. And Kagome was showing her how all of this worked and what not to do. It was an amazing experience and Sango was happy to learn. She didn't need to know how the things worked and how the humans of this world invented them, at least not for now. As new as it felt to her, it always felt... well, manageable. With Kagome happily sharing tips while preparing food, both girls sharing some bits about each other, the time passed swiftly and pleasantly.

Then the boy, Hojo, joined them.

He seemed well enough after sleeping. He sat at the table, drinking his tea and watching them work and explore the rice cooker. He was quiet and wasn't doing anything but... he was distracting her.

Sango bit the inside of her cheek, glancing to the table. Yes, he was still looking at her. Was she wearing the borrowed shirt wrong or something? Self-consciously she brushed the hem of the sleeve with her fingertips to find the sew inside, just like it should be, according to Kagome's instructions from the morning.

So, what was making him stare at her? He wasn't glaring like some men did after learning that she was doing 'a man's job'. On the contrary, he had this dazed awe in his brown eyes as they followed her every move. It was different from the looks some of the men gave her, it lacked the desire. She couldn't figure out what he was thinking as he stared at her and it was making her nervous.

She felt Kagome's fingers brush her wrist and whipped her head towards the miko, who winked at her. Sango blushed, realizing that Kagome knew of his staring and that she was glancing his way. 'Oh goodness, she might think I may be attracted to him... Is he her friend? Someone more?' passed through her mind.

"I want to make some coffee," Kagome said. "Do you want to try it?"

Lady Kaede had mentioned coffee before. It was supposed to be a wondrous potion of restoration, at least in her words. Sango nodded, curiosity helping her forget about the man at the table. With a shy smile she reached for the kettle and turned to fill it with the tap water.

The meal was uneventful - Kagome was glancing towards the shoji, her grandfather was happily sharing his french fries with both Kirara and a cat named Buyo, Hojo stopped staring at her to focus on retelling his adventure in the forest to the rest, ignoring the fact that most of them had been there. Sango quietly ate, marveling at the taste of the foreign food and trying not to blush in embarrassment when Hojo got to the part where she'd jumped in to save Kagome from the spider youkai.

So it wasn't a surprise, when she realized that Kagome was missing. She looked up from her empty plate to see her seat vacant. She blinked and turned to her grandfather, who offered her a small smile.

"Just put your plates in the sink," he said as he stood up to do just that with his own dish. "Kagome went to give Inuyasha his meal. You two can do whatever you want, you're our guests. Just don't go far into the forest and don't reveal that the youkai are real to the visitors." he added, looking at Hojo, who nodded eagerly.

"Of course, sir," he said. "The secret is safe."

Sango rolled her eyes. It was yet another oddity. Youkai, who were so natural and ordinary in the hidden realm, here they were a secret. Most humans had no idea they were real and couldn't sense them. That was why people like the Higurashi family were tasked to deal with the malevolent ones, who tried to prey on the human race. Well, when she thought about it, the human communities scattered across the youkai realm were just as vulnerable to youkai attacks despite knowing about them. They relied on the good will of the youkai neighbors or hired professional exterminators to deal with the vile beings.

Kirara went to nap with Buyo and Sango couldn't stop herself but chuckle when she saw the youkai cat leap easily to the pillow on a small cabinet. Buyo looked at her sprawled out on the cushion and joined her there. Sango chose to pay her respects to the deity. It was a soothing ritual to purify oneself and pray to the kami of the mountain. Lady Kaede's shrine was much smaller than this one. She decided to walk around for a bit and that's when she realized something.

Someone was following her.

She walked to the other side of the house, where between it and the forest were lines for laundry. There was also a sizable free space, perfect for training. Sango could see archery targets on one of the fence posts. She waited a moment before she turned around to face her stalker.

She felt vulnerable without her boomerang and sword, both left in the room designed for her and Kirara by Kagome, along with most of her gear. She had only a small knife hidden in a sheath strapped to her under her loose clothing. Yet, one glance told her that she wouldn't need any weapons, since her follower was not a youkai.

No, it was Kagome's dazed-eyed friend Hojo.

"What do you want?" she asked, maybe a bit too roughly. She wasn't used to talking to people who weren't frightened victims of youkai or other exterminators.

"Oh, um..." the young man smiled at her. "I thought, you know, since we don't have much else to do... Could we, maybe, train together? You know, since we both are defenders of humankind?"

"Train together?" from what she'd heard, the humans of this world didn't usually go through any youkai fighting training. From his tale and Kagome's words she'd figured out Hojo just recently learned youkai even existed.

"Yeah. I know some killer karate moves," he waved a hand. "I mean, I killed one of the spiders, remember? I want to learn more tricks, so I can be a hero, just like you. And then I could hunt down the monsters that lurk in the shadows."

As she stared at the man, a part of Sango's mind reminded her that the fence was just a handful of meters behind her and wasn't that high. She could jump over it and run in the forest in a matter of seconds.

Now she recognized the look in his eyes. She'd seen some of the village boys looking this way at her fellow taijiya, especially after seeing them in action. There was no disbelief she could be an effective exterminator, there was just amazement and will to be just like her.

"Karate?" she repeated, uncertain if she felt flattered by his awe or concerned for his well-being. If he wasn't careful he could get killed by a youkai, even in this world.

"Yeah," Hojo nodded. "It's a martial art," he explained. "I don't have a flying cat and all that gear you do, but everyone has to start somewhere."

Sango tried to cool down his eagerness but her efforts were in vain. Hojo wanted to be 'a hero like her, fighting to protect humans from the hideous youkai'. After all, as he repeated again and again, he had already slain one.

Finally she caved in and allowed him to show her his 'moves'. They could be effective against some humans, she supposed, but not against most youkai. She suggested a small spar, hoping to show him how much he was lacking in speed and skill. Suffice to say that it didn't take her long to bring him to the ground. She hoped that he'd feel humiliated, being beaten by a girl, and drop this outlandish idea.

All she had done was to make him beg for pointers.

Suddenly she realized why it was for the best that the majority of humankind of this world knew nothing about youkai and their hidden realm.