Dying to Live
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
It was raining in the modern era, as someone moved about the dark kitchen in the Higurashi home in suburban Tokyo. A raku pottery mug sat out on the counter top as the figure moved about in the darkness, the sound of the rain pounding on the glass windows echoed all around.
Sango flicked on the gas burner like Mrs. Higurashi had shown her, and once again she marveled at how flame leapt to life under the burner. Everything was so convenient in this odd, new world she had come to inhabit.
It was so easy to get used to, but yet, she wondered if she could ever actually get used to being in 21st century Japan at all. She didn't know how Inuyasha did it so fast.
Then again, there were plenty of things their impulsive supernatural friend had been able to do with ease that others couldn't. Right now, she almost wished she could be that way.
Sango raked her hands over her face, exhaustion weighing on her, causing her to lose track of the minutes. The kettle she had placed on the stove whistled happily, announcing that her water was ready. Pulling a small stoneware container from a shelf, she spooned dried chamomile into the tea ball Kagome had bought for her. It was designed with a cute cat character made of rubber on top if that helped the ball float on the water in her mug. Kagome had said the tea ball cat reminded her of Kirara with its little black points and cream colored fur. Sango stroked the little rubber cat's face and plopped it into the steaming water missing her sweet nekomata companion. It was hard to be apart like this, but with the medical technology of the modern era, the handy set of legal documents that Kagome's Uncle Ken had recently produced for Sango, and her husband being away, it made most sense for her to stay with the Higurashi family at this point during the pregnancy.
Shuffling to the table with her mug in one hand and the other hand uselessly supporting her lower back – her back seemed to ache constantly these days – she lowered herself down into one of the chairs to stare out the glass doors that looked out into the back garden. Inuyasha and Souta had installed the new sliding glass doors that had been broken just barely a few weeks before. The glass was still so clean it almost looked like it wasn't there at all.
The minutes passed and Sango finally sipped her tea, as she watched the leaves of the potted plants beside the doors as they danced under the endlessly falling raindrops. Unthinkingly she looked down and found herself rubbing her swollen belly as she had taken to doing without noticing all the time. With the way the babies tumbled around inside her constantly, she hardly slept at night most of the last few weeks. But how she loved them.
How can I love someone so much who isn't even here yet? she asked herself once more as she had thought so often in the past few months.
And once again, she also thought of her absentee husband. Are you okay out there, Miroku? She felt so guilty about how coldly she had treated him before he left. She had hoped he would come back to visit sooner than this so that she could apologize to him.
Am I selfish for just wanting you here with me now? That's what she would have said to him if he were here right then, right after she would have kissed him and begged him to forgive her.
She covered her eyes with her hand as she felt her face getting hot with tears threatening to well up. She had never cried so much in her life even as a child.
A door opening and shuffling noises behind her thankfully distracted her, and she wiped the tears out of her eyes quickly. The others worried about her constantly, and she did not want to trouble them even more.
"Couldn't sleep, Sango, dear?" Mrs. Higurashi asked softly as she padded in a pair of thick socks and a soft, polka dotted flannel robe over her pajamas over to the table.
"No, these two were dancing on my spine again," Sango replied, patting her stomach. "The chamomile is helping a lot. Thank you for continuing to buy it for me."
"Aikyo, shinpai naa, Sango," Rina waved her off kindly. "My pregnancy with Souta was tough, and any small thing used to help. I know how it goes."
Sango nodded. She had come to learn that Souta was born only a few months after the death of his and Kagome's father. She still didn't know the details of that, though since everyone seemed to avoid talking about it. She guessed it must have been very hard on Rina though.
"What are you doing awake?" Sango asked, glad to for a few moments to focus on someone else rather than her own problems.
"Oh, well, I feel like I got one married off, but I still have one to worry about," Mrs. Higurashi replied a little hesitantly, looking down and away.
"Souta is 18 this year, so we should begin preparing for his omiai introductions. Grandpa has been reminding me that with Kagome and Souta's father gone, Souta must plan to take over the management of the shrine. Grandpa and I met the matchmaker for the first time today, and I've been going through the partner profiles," Rina explained splaying a number of neatly bound booklets on the table in front of her.
"People still do omiai in this day in age?" Sango asked in surprise. "I see young people out constantly in the mall and places, hugging and kissing, and it doesn't look like their parents are involved."
"Oh well that's young love," Rina said a little dismissively but with an oddly reminiscent expression. "No, many parents still like to get involved in one way or another. For Souta, though, I confess, I don't really like the thought of rushing him, but there's the shrine to think about. The head administrator really should be a male Higurashi family member if at all possible. And having a willing marriage partner to help out is considered important."
Sango looked at the woman kindly. It seemed like Rina had taken on a lot of challenges in this life, and it looked like she had managed it all with grace. Sango wanted to be like her, and she could easily see how Kagome adored her mother. It made Sango miss her and Kohaku's mother and father, but it had been so long since she had last been with them. The Higurashis really felt like her family now.
The former demon slayer put her hand on the hand of her best friend's mother. "I'm sure Souta will be fine. You and Grandpa will do your best to help him choose an excellent wife."
"I just hope we can find someone he will really like and who will be kind to him," Rina replied. "It's a little hard to tell just looking at these packets. Of course, all these girls have had an exemplary upbringing and the profile descriptions are glowing. Next we'll meet the families, so we'll see how that goes..."
Sango smiled at Rina and withdrew her hand, as she gazed back out into the rainy night beyond the windows.
"What about you? How are you tonight?" Rina asked, ever the kind and considerate person that she was.
The younger woman internalized a little ironic laugh as she shrugged. "As good as I can be, I guess," she answered. "If I'm really honest, most likely I just woke up from the sounds of the storm and the babies, but I also feel very uneasy for some reason tonight."
"Oh?" Rina asked. "Well, you did the right thing making a cup of tea. It's good for you to try to relax as much as you can at this point in the pregnancy. After they come, you know that you'll have no rest for a while," she joked one mother to the expectant mother.
"Oh yes, I know," Sango smiled, "I'm still trying to get my head around that. No... I'm afraid that I'm worried about Miroku. I keep wondering about how he's doing out there, and praying that I will actually get to see him again."
Rina's expression was compassionate. "I know, you'll never stop worrying about him, though, even when he's right there by you. And I believe you will see him again, probably sooner than you think."
Sango appreciated that response. Lately, she felt like everyone had just been telling her off for being worried all the time and how it was bad for the babies and all that.
"Thanks, Mrs. Higurashi," Sango found herself saying, even though it seemed apropos of nothing.
"Of course, dear," Rina replied. "Shall we go up to bed?" she asked kindly.
"Yeah, I think so," Sango replied, just leaving her mug on the table. They could take care of it in the morning.
Picking up the matchmaking profiles, Mrs. Higurashi put her arm around her daughter's best friend, and together, the two women headed upstairs to try to find some sleep.
::
This is bad – very bad.
Miroku's thoughts raced as he watched in horror at the scene unfolding down below at the center of the village. Since the wolves had entered the village, they had moved quickly despite the decrepit way their strange bodies seemed to amble. Squad-like they dispersed through the crude avenues between the homes, stopping here and there whenever something caught their attention. The strains of snarls and ripping followed by silence as the wolves ranged in and out the deserted houses had reassured Miroku that the only victims of their hunt were belongings that had been unfortunately touched during the day by the villagers.
Miroku, Hachi, and Kirara continued to observe the wolves, but soon Miroku found himself focusing on the one beast that appeared larger than the rest. Even from this distance, the monk could see clearly that this wolf when on all fours stood a full two to three hands higher than the rest. The way that the largest one stayed all on its own near the center of the village, snuffing in this or that direction, while the rest moved about in groups of two or three, confirmed that this wolf demon was different. This had to be the pack leader, Miroku decided.
Still while they certainly looked menacing, the pack leader as well as the rest of the wolves had not done much other than uneventfully roam the village. Maybe they'll decide they've picked this place over, and this is the night they'll move on from Harumura Village for good, the Buddhist hoped, sending up an entreaty. As much as he hoped that this encounter might lead them to clues about Sesshomaru's situation, Miroku would have just as soon have liked to avoid getting too far in over their heads before Inuyasha could rejoin their group.
The pound of his headache had snuck back up on Miroku, and for a moment he allowed himself to close his eyes and tilt his head back against the trunk of the tree. Uh, he moaned mentally, and pinched the bridge of his nose like it might stem the pain, though he knew it wouldn't.
"Hey, Miroku – M-Miroku," Hachi suddenly hissed through the darkness.
"What is it, Hachi?" Miroku whispered, as he cracked his eyes back open and willed them to focus on the scene below.
Right then, Miroku saw what Hachi must have been signaling about. Kirara's bright reddish-orange eyes were equally fixed on the group of about six or seven of the wolves, which were now encircling the village hall, their noses pressed into the seam between the hall's wooden walls and the packed dirt of the ground.
From there, things happened fast, and Miroku quickly forgot the pain in his head again. One by one, each of the wolves sniffing along the village hall's walls lifted its head and released a series of deep, guttural, cough-like barks, which quickly drew the attention of the pack leader who joined even more loudly in their call. The wolves scattered throughout the village instantaneously snapped to attention at the call of their leader and turned in the direction of the village hall.
A fierce snarl echoed forth from the pack leader changing the tempo of the pack's activities. Beginning with the beasts closest to the village hall, they appeared to begin scratching at the base of the wooden walls. Miroku felt himself growing sicker by the moment as more of the wolves arrived around the perimeter of the hall and started doing the same.
In the blink of an eye, the piercing trumpet of one of the horses panicking in the barn attached to the village hall seemed to ignite the blood-lust of the wolves. Miroku's breath caught in his throat reflexively as they leaped en masse at the connecting wall between the hall and the barn. Kirara's low growl grew in volume beside Miroku and Hachi on the branch.
The sound of the wolves' snarling amplified. The beasts now practically piled on top of each other to get closer to where the horses stabled. However others of the demons, including the pack leader, that were not joining the pile up by the stable looked to be attracted to what they sensed was inside the village hall itself – the villagers.
The clatter and scrape of wolf bodies and claws on wood built on the mayhem growing in the distance, followed by a loud crrrrrreeeeeEEE. Miroku's heart fluttered – could that possibly have been the sound of the building itself creaking on its frame?
"Miroku, I don't know how long the village hall is going to last. Do you suppose it's been like this before?" Hachi asked, his voice rising in pitch and all a-waver.
"I don't know, Hachi – I was thinking the same thing. They do really seem to be going at it," Miroku winced, as the banging of horses hooves against wood cracked over the rest of the din at the center of the village. What if the wolves don't necessarily get in, but the horses just panic and break down the walls? If this has happened already several nights in a row, how much more abuse can this structure take?
The wolves' frenzy mounted as the pack leader began snarling loudly. It snapped at the heels of the pack members as if to egg them on in devastating the outside of the building. On a quick count by Miroku, there appeared to be about 40 or so demons, and they were not showing any signs of tiring. And for wolves they were large. That kind of weight against the walls can't be good.
"Master, the villagers, they must be terrified in there!" Hachi shuttered, the raccoon dog demon thinking he himself was quite scared even at this distance.
"Hachi, you're right," Miroku responded solemnly. "I didn't want to, but I don't think we have a choice – we're going to have to go in."
"Ohhhh! I-I was afraid you would say thatttt!" stammered the cowardly demon. Kirara leaned her head in Miroku's direction and mewed questioningly as well.
"Afraid so." Miroku re-positioned the sky blue prayer beads wrapped around his right wrist, ensuring merely out of habit that they were well-secured. On his back, he confirmed that his staff was still tied there, where he had also wrapped it tightly in layers of silk and burlap to prevent the metal rings from clanking together and giving away their location. "These people hired us to resolve this issue, and they are relying on our protection. I have a feeling this could get out of control very easily, so we have to do what we can to break this up," the monk resolved.
Mewing in affirmation, Kirara somersaulted soundlessly to the ground. Within a moment she bounded back up toward them engulfed in otherworldly flames, transforming into her fierce, saber-toothed appearance. Miroku threw his leg over the side of the cat demon's broad back and put out a hand to help Hachi mount. The raccoon dog demon whimpered pitifully as they took off right as he landed into his seat behind Miroku.
"Master! Please tell me you have a plan!" Hachi cried into the monk's ear.
"Not really," Miroku answered back over his shoulder, waggling his brows mischievously for emphasis. "But please tell me you have some of those smoke bombs of yours in your pockets, Hachi!"
"OhNoOhNoOhNoOhNo, Master! I do, I do but-!" Hachi panicked loudly.
As stealth was no longer their main concern, they exploded through the air past the treeline at top speed. They would be in the middle of the fray in moments. Miroku pulled the tie on his wrapped up staff. He did not worry as he let the fabric coverings blow off of it, flying back and away somewhere behind them. "It'll be alright, Hachi, just wait for my signal – now though, on the count of three I want you to go into your Giant Flying Gourd form and knock as many of these wolves away from the building as you can!"
"Master!" Hachi fretted loudly, clutching the back of Miroku's robes desperately. "Please don't make me!"
"ONE!" Miroku shouted as he lifted up still astride Kirara, prepared to spring momentarily. Kirara growled she was ready as well.
"But, Master!" Hachi begged, shaking Miroku by the back of his clothes.
Miroku ignored him: "TWO, Hachi just don't break down the building with your impact, understood?"
"Oh nooooo," Hachi lamented, but Miroku felt him unclench his claws from his robes.
"May I be a guard for those who need protection, A guide for those on the Path," Miroku pledged quickly under his breath, continuing the prayer in his mind. Please do not let me fall here. Too many people depend on me.
They were mere yards from where the wolves were clustered around where the stables met the village hall.
"THREE!" Miroku shouted. Behind him the loud pop of air rushing from Hachi's transformation collided with the monk's ear drums and buffeted against his back. No use of delaying, Miroku instructed himself, and spilled sideways off Kirara, in a perfect roll that brought him up on to his feet in a full on run, staff held out in a longways block before him.
Kirara roared, and Miroku caught a glance as she barreled, teeth bared, straight into the cluster of blood lusting beasts. The rabid creatures would not even know what hit them. Please, Hachi, you better not have turned tail! Miroku thought, as he did not have time to look around for the raccoon dog demon.
Suddenly, the press of air rushing in front of a Giant Flying Gourd, nearly caused Miroku to lose his footing. The monk halted instantly and dropped instinctively to the ground to duck out of the way of the massive flying being hurtling up from behind him.
Here we go, Miroku told himself as he shielded his face with his sleeve right as the impact occurred.
:::
Note: Over the years I have thought so many times of picking this story back up that the time passed faster than I ever could have guessed. In that time a lot has happened, and I wouldn't change any of it, because we don't get where we are today without the past.
Let's see where we can get now – how about it? :) Origamikungfu.