Disclaimer: I will never own anything. Even this computer in which I'm
typing this story on isn't mine. But a girl can dream, can't she?
Chapter 16 Demons and Secrets
Fate was cruel to her.
Every time, ever single time she that she had been so close to having everything right again only to have it ripped away and shredded into a million pieces. All she wanted to do was live, how Kagome would say in those stories she would read to them, happily ever after? Yeah, that sounded like how she wanted it to be. How things should be. Happily ever after, with her husband and her daughter, and possibly a few more kids. All living together, alive.
Yes, someone up there most certainly hated her.
It was her fault he was gone too. None of this would have happened if she had just forgot about her pride and told him all those years ago that she was pregnant. She would have went back to him, he would have told her he never loved anyone but her, and they would have had Sonnet together. Kagome and Inuyasha would have been there too, and they could have watched their children grow up together.
Or maybe if she had just told Sonnet about her father. She had deserved to know. It's not like she wasn't ready for it.
'I wasn't ready for it.' Sango realized. 'If I told Sonnet about her father and how he was, it would be like he was really gone. I guess I always thought Miroku was going to find us, and we could live like a family.'
It was all her fault! Everything was! 'God, Dammit! I should have been more responsible! I should have told her earlier! I should have....'
Inuyasha jerked upwards, reminding Sango of where exactly she was. She was riding on Inuyasha's back, it being faster than on foot, racing to save Miroku. Yeah, like she could ever forget.
She looked behind her to see Sonnet riding safely on that younger dog demon's back. Haru, was it? Yes, that was it. Under normal circumstances she probably wouldn't let Sonnet ride on the back of someone she didn't know; especially the son of Inuyasha. But she was glad to see he seemed to be extra careful with her.
That was all she was glad about. She looked forward as her senses sharpened toward the huge amounts of demons that were close by. The village was straight ahead. Her breath tightened, as she gripped her Hiraikotsu from behind her back. She wasn't going to hesitate a bit if she had to use it. She had to save Miroku.
She couldn't live with herself if she didn't.
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'There it is.' Sonnet narrowed her eyes as they approached the village. She was ready to kick some butt. No one kidnapped her new dad without paying for it. Well, officially he wasn't her new dad; he was her old dad; sort of.
But still, it was her fault they were all in this mess in the first place. She shouldn't have acted the way she did. And now, Miroku might be seriously hurt, or worse! She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if anything happened to him.
They stopped at the edge of the village. Inuyasha put Sango down as Haru did the same with Sonnet.
"He's defiantly in there." Inuyasha said, indicating towards the village.
"Then what are we doing out here?!" Sango practically screamed. "Let's go find him!"
Inuyasha grabbed Sango's arm before she could run inside. "No. You and the girl are staying here with Haru."
"What?" Two pairs of feminine voices yelled at the same time.
"There is no way in hell I'm staying here while Miroku could be in serious danger!" Sango practically screamed to Inuyasha, while Sonnet nodded her head. Both of them held a stubborn expression on their face.
"Look, humans aren't exactly welcomed in the village! I'm just trying to protect you!"
"Well don't! I don't need you to! I'm perfectly capable of talking care of myself. And I'm going!"
"No your not! I don't even allow Kagome to come here without me!"
"So! I'm not Kagome!"
"Is it just me," Sonnet whispered to Haru, getting impatient with their bickering. "Or are they acting like two other people I know?"
"Yeah, I know." Haru said, thinking it was all to weird. Weren't they supposed to save someone?
'This is ridicules.' Sonnet thought.
"HEY! Shut up you two!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Inuyasha and Sango stopped fighting, and looked at Sonnet. "Did you guys forget we're here to save Miroku? So why don't you stop acting like a couple of two year olds, and start focusing on that. And," She gave a sharp look at both her mother and the dog demon, emphasizing her point. "we are all going."
She turned around and starting walking towards the village. Haru gave a glancing look at his father, before running to catch up with Sonnet.
Sango smiled smugly at Inuyasha, before going after Sonnet. Inuyasha trailed behind, grumbling.
"Do you smell Miroku?" Sonnet asked Haru, as they walked further into the village. She seemed oblivious to the evil stares that she was receiving, though Haru noticed. And he wasn't happy about it.
'Woah, they look like they want to attack us.' And they probably would have, if Inuyasha wasn't growling at them to stay away from behind them.
"Hey! Hey Haru!" Sonnet hissed at him, gripping his arm.
"What? Oh, uh I think I smell him. It's kind of hard though, with the smells of all the demons around here." Even though he didn't actually get a great idea of Sonnet's father's scent, he could still smell the human that smelled like Sonnet.
"I can smell him. He's a bit farther up." Inuyasha said, coming up from behind them. He held a serious expression on his face. Sango was staying right next to him; she knew the danger she was in, unlike her daughter. It was better if she stuck close to Inuyasha, and Sonnet to Haru.
Inuyasha stopped and sniffed some more. He turned towards a rather large looking hut, and snarled. "He's in there."
He looked over at Sango, who was gripping her boomerang, a look of total concentration on her face. He knew it was taking all her will power to not just run in ahead of everyone else and save Miroku. Only a fool would do that. It was good to see she hadn't let herself go on exterminating skills during the past ten years.
To bad he couldn't say the same thing about her daughter.
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This was just too much. If he was right inside the hut, then why didn't they go charging in now? What were they waiting for, an invitation?
Sonnet couldn't help it. Miroku was in there, and she had to save him. It was her duty. The guilt was eating her up slowly, and ever passing moment was one that could end his life.
So, it really couldn't be considered her fault when she just ran inside, without a word to anyone, right?
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Haru knew the second he saw the light in Sonnet eyes she was making a dash for it. And still he wasn't fast enough to stop her.
Man, she was quick for a human.
He should have told her to stay put when he had the chance; that his father would tell them when to attack. He needed to sniff around and see just how many demons were inside, and what the best attack approach would be. It wouldn't have taken more than two more seconds. It was something called a strategy. Being a demon exterminator he thought she would have known what it was.
Obviously, he was wrong.
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This could have all been one big trap; the demons could be waiting on the other side of the door. They could have had weapons of all sorts for all they knew; ready to use it at any moment. And Sonnet could be walking right into it.
'God, Sonnet!' Sango thought, as she watched her daughter run into the hut. 'What is she doing?!'
She didn't waste a second. As soon as she saw Sonnet move towards that door, she bolted after she. Even if it was a trap, which it probably was.
"Sonnet!" She screamed, right before she saw her open the door. Like that was going to do anything. It never did before.
She heard Sonnet gasp before she even reached the opened door.
'Oh no. There were probably demons everywhere, huddled around Miroku's lifeless body! They were going to attack, and I'm not going to get there in time! She's going to get hurt! She's going to...'
'What?!'
Sonnet was standing, perfectly fine to the side, staring with a confused look on her face.
Sango was certainly confused as well. Where were all the demons??
The room inside the hut was almost empty. The only things inside it was a small table with a chair, with a small blanket on the floor.
And on that blanket was an unconscious Miroku.
"Miroku!" Sango yelled. She ran to Miroku's body, praying with every fiber of her body that he was all right. She grabbed his wrist and jammed her head onto his chest, trying to find a heartbeat anywhere.
"Feh, don't worry. The bouzo's not dead." Inuyasha said, walking up from behind Sango.
"Are you sure?" Sango didn't try to conceal the worry stood in her voice.
"Of course I am."
Sango didn't answer, because at that moment she felt something stir from underneath her. She gasped, as Miroku slowly regained consciousness.
"Miroku! Miroku, are you alright?!"
"Uhhh." Miroku rubbed his head and slowly opened his eyes. "Ow." He looked up to see a tear-stricken Sango with a look of relief on her pretty face.
"Oh god, Miroku!" Sango threw her arms around him, tears running down her cheeks. "I'm so glad you're alright." She whispered in his ear.
Miroku looked a little dazed. He couldn't seem to remember anything that happened before. How did he get in a cold empty house, lying on a scratchy blanket, with a very good smelling Sango in his arms? Oh, well, he wasn't going to start complaining.
"Of course I'm alright. You didn't think I would you leave without saying good-bye, did you?"
Sango drew back, looking shocked. "What do mean 'good-bye?"
Miroku looked away, not meeting her eyes. "I just thought..." He was caught off when Sango threw herself at him, knocking him so she laid above him. She took his face in her hands, and stared straight in his eyes.
"I'm sorry to say, but you're never leaving again." Sango said, her eyes shining as she smiled down at him.
Miroku eyes grew wide as Sango bent down capture his lips in a passionate kiss. But the shock didn't last to long, as he closed his eye and eagerly retuned the kiss.
Two onlookers were watching as this entire scene unfolded from the front of the hut. They didn't want to interfere with their reunion.
"Is it just me," Sonnet whispered to Haru. "Or was this just a little to easy."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Haru said, shaking his head. What happened to all the demons? How did in the world did Miroku get here? There was no way he could have just strolled into the village all by himself.
Many kisses later, Sango finally got off a now sore Miroku, and helped him up. He didn't seem to have any serious injuries, though he did have a problem walking. He leaned on Sango for support.
Inuyasha stood there, his arms crossed. "Feh. It's about time. From the way you guys were acting, I thought you were going to strip down and do it in front of the brats."
The look on Sango and Miroku couldn't compare to the look on the faces of Sonnet and Haru.
"INUYASHA!"
"Awww, GROSS!"
"Hey, that wouldn't be such a bad idea..."
Thwack!
"You didn't let me finish!"
"Hahaha!"
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"Where's my staff?" Miroku asked, a rather large bump still fresh on his head.
"Did you have it when you were knocked out?" Sango was tending to the bump that she had just given him moments ago. She felt bad after nearly giving him a concussion right after he had just woken up.
"I think so." Miroku said, trying to remember. He tried getting up, but a stumble from his legs told him to sit back down. "I'll go look for it!" Sonnet volunteered before another word could be said. Anything to get away from the mushiness that was happening between her mom and Miroku. It was sickening.
"Wait Sonnet, I don't know if it's all that safe around here." Sango said, getting up and looking at her daughter with concern.
Sonnet sighed. Still being treated like a kid. "Mom, there's like five rooms here. I doubt a demon's lurking around here, waiting to prey on an unsuspecting girl like me."
"Besides, there aren't any demons in here." Inuyasha said matter-of-factly. "They seemed to have left a little while before I showed up. They must have smelled my scent and ran away scared."
It was a good thing Sonnet was facing away from Inuyasha, because she gave a very exaggerated roll of the eyes. Only Haru saw it, as he tried to retain his snickers.
"Like I said, I'll go find it!" Sonnet chirped, hurrying out of the room. She breathed a sigh of relief when she cleared the room. You could slice the love in the room with a knife. It was that gross.
'So wait, what am I looking for again?' Sonnet thought. 'Oh yeah, Miroku's little staff thingy. Hmm, where could it be..' she took a quick peek into the closest room next to her. It looked like a bedroom. 'Not here.' She looked inside the other rooms, making sure she never let herself be totally open to an attack, just in case there was something in the room.
Hey, you can never be too careful.
In the last room was where Sonnet found Miroku's staff. It was just lying on a table, all by itself.
'That was easy.' Sonnet thought, picking it up. It was surprisingly heavy.
She turned to leave when a soft noise caught her ears. Really soft. Like, she wouldn't have even heard it if she hadn't been unusually on her guard. But she did hear it, and it sounded like it was coming from in the corner of he room.
But there was nothing in the corner of the room except for a rather large tapestry.
'Hey, wait a minute..' Sonnet walked slowly over to the tapestry. It was a beautifully done, yet the picture was more than disturbing.
It told of story, and as far as Sonnet could tell that in the story all humans die a bloody and very gruesome death, by the hands of a demon. Only demons could make something so horrible.
But that's not what held her attention. The tapestry wasn't connected to the wall. She lifted it, only to see there was yet another door there.
'That's strange.' Her senses were on full gear. Somehow, she didn't have a good feeling about this.
'Here goes nothing.' She took a deep breath, and swung the door open before she could change her mind.
She gasped. 'Holy...'
The room was completely filled with demons. Their bodies were everywhere. More than she could count. And all of them were knocked out cold. She wouldn't be surprised if half the village was in that single room there.
'Oh god, there's a lot of them.' Sonnet thought frantically, her jaw slightly opened as she gaped at them. This was just too much.
"Epp!" She ran out of the room as fast as she could, clutching the staff in her arms. She thought she saw one of them move! She slammed the door behind her, breathing hard from both running and being scared.
'Calm down, Sonnet. Calm down.' She thought to herself. 'Your alright, it was just your imagination. Nothing's following you, so just breathe.' She took in a deep breath and hurried down the hall, still freaked.
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"Hey, are you alright?" Haru asked Sonnet, who was acting unusually quiet. And she kept looking over her shoulder, like she was expecting something. It was driving him crazy, especially when she jumped at every little sound.
"What?" Sonnet said, snapping back to attention. "Yeah I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, it's just that you're acting all quiet and weird."
She got the look on her face again. Oh great, he had said something wrong again.
"Oh, so just because Sonnet is quiet for once that means there must be something wrong with her. Like I have to talk at every moment of the day to prove that I'm acting normal. You know, you are so insensitive! Can't I just have some time with my thoughts without getting you on my back!" She turned her head to face forward, refusing to meet his eyes, still fuming and angry.
Haru was going to open his mouth to strike back, but decided to let it drop. Obviously she wasn't in the best mood, and he didn't feel like having his head bitten off again. Plus, his ears were still a little sore from her last outburst.
But it wasn't like he was scared of her or anything. He could take her; it's just he didn't feel like it right now.
They were walking their way back to the castle again, only going much slower because of Miroku's injuries. His dad was carrying him, with Sonnet's mother right by his side.
They've been professing their love for each other for the past 15 minutes, and frankly it was getting annoying. Humans and their stupid 'feelings' thing. Feh, go figure.
He could tell his father was feeling the same way, from the way his face was held in disgust, and from all the things he was saying under his breath. As far as he could tell, the two lovebirds seemed too wrapped up in their own world to even notice him.
Haru sigh to himself. It seemed like ever since these humans had showed up three days ago he's been spending all his time saving them. They really were a worthless breed. Except for his mother. He'd seen her handle herself around demons before, and she was the only one who could control his father. It was amazing, and funny, to see the things she could make him do. No other human could do that and be alive to tell about it.
He stole a peek at that wrench who was still looking a bit angry. What could she possibly be angry at?! Not him, that was certain. He hadn't even done anything to her lately, expect for helping her find her father, which he thought he would have been thank for by now. That's what he gets for helping her out.
So now what was he was supposed to do?
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"Mom!" Haru shouted, picking up her scent from all the way in the woods. She was with some of her younger kids, sitting outside and watching them playing with each other.
Kagome looked up, a smile instantly took over her face. "Oh, you're back already! And Miroku! I'm so glad to see you safe!"
Miroku smiled, reaching for her hand. "So glad to see you again as well, Lady Kagome. It's been to long, and might I add your looking as lovely as the last time I saw you."
Inuyasha growled, instantly stepping next to Kagome. Miroku dropped her hand, keeping the smile on his face. "Ah, yes, hello Inuyasha. I had forgotten you were still here."
He narrowed his eyes, and Miroku took a step back. Haru didn't seem to realize what was going on, and Sonnet held the same expression as Inuyasha on her face.
Sango smiled at them, much to Sonnet's surprise, and walked over to Kagome as she started talking. "I think it's time we all caught up with each other, ne? Why don't we go inside I'll make everyone something to eat."
Kagome turned and led the way. Inuyasha ran and caught up with her, taking her arm. He sniffed at her, growling. "You went into the village again, didn't you?"
Kagome just smiled, the calm, happy expression still on her face. She seemed like she was expecting this. "Of course I went. How else would I have gotten the food for dinner?" She went up to kiss him.
Inuyasha seemed to have accepted this answer, as he eagerly returned the kiss. Sonnet, on the other hand, had heard the entire thing and was now having a different theory on what had happened in the village.
When they reached the kitchen, Inuyasha finally let go of Kagome so she could go cook. Sonnet followed her.
"Do you need any help?" She asked, even though she knew less then about cooking then anybody else.
"Hmm? Oh, no thank-you. I think I can handle it. Why don't you go sit down and talk to your mother? I know you haven't seen her a long time, and that bit with her being kidnapped probably didn't make things better."
"That's okay. I think she might have forgotten me already." She said jokingly, spying on her and Miroku. Her eyes told something different, though. "Besides, I much rather talk to you. Mom's told me a lot of the 'Girl who overcame time' as she called you."
Kagome blushed. "Oh, well I don't think I needed my own title or anything. I didn't do anything that great."
She had her now. "Oh no, that's not what I heard. Mom said you were the one who defeated the great Naraku, right?"
The blush grew deeper. "Oh, yes, it was me. But it was the sight of seeing Inuyasha hurt that got me to actually get enough strength to defeat him. If it weren't for him, or Sango and Miroku, I never would have been able to do it."
"Hmm, I see." Sonnet said, picking up a knife and trying her hand in cutting up vegetables. It wasn't working. She went on. "So, did you hear how we found Miroku? It was the strangest thing. He was just laying there, unconscious, all by himself. Isn't that weird? You would think in a village full of demons, he would have at least been protected by someone. I mean, they have heightened senses and all, so wouldn't at least one of them find a human alone in an empty hut?"
She watched Kagome as she spoke, seeing her reaction. She stiffened a bit, but other than that showing no signs of recognition.
"That is strange." Kagome said quietly, not looking at her.
'Aha!' Sonnet cheered triumphantly in her mind. Now it was time to go in for the kill. "Do you know the absolute strangest part was, though? In another room, I found a room full of demons, knocked out cold! And apparently they didn't have any scent because neither Haru or his father could smell them. I mean, what powerful thing could have possibly done that in between the short time Miroku was captured and when we arrived at the hut?"
"I-I don't know." Kagome stuttered just a bit.
That's all Sonnet needed to know. She bent her head in real low and whispered just loud enough to be heard. "So how'd you do it?"
"What?!" Kagome exclaimed, a guilty look on her face. "What do you mean? I haven't done anything."
Sonnet rolled her eyes. "I may be young, but do you really think I'm that stupid. I put to and to together. You defeated all those demons, in like 30 minutes! By yourself! How'd you do it?!" Sonnet asked with delight.
"Shhh." Kagome said, trying to cover her mouth with her hand. She was glad Inuyasha was on the other side of the room, busy keeping the children off of each other so he couldn't listen in on their conversation.
But Sonnet was too quick for her. She moved out of the way Kagome. "Why don't you want anybody to know? Are you saying they don't know?! Not even Inuyasha!" Her voice getting higher and higher with each word.
"Hey, be quiet!" Kagome shushed her. She looked around, making sure no one had heard Sonnet's little outburst. She looked back down at her two best friend's daughter. Only the child of Sango and Miroku could figure out her little secret. Rats.
"Okay, I'll tell you. But promise me, you say a word of this to anyone else!" Kagome said under her breath.
Sonnet nodded, and Kagome began.
"It happened sometime after Naraku was defeated. When I was feeling better, me and Shippou would go outside and play a little hide and seek. Nothing to strenuous, seeing as I had just woken up from a light coma. But one day when Shippou was hiding, I came across a demon seeking the Shikon jewel. We hadn't destroyed it just yet, and I didn't think any of them would be coming so soon especially with Inuyasha around."
"But he wasn't around at that time, and the demon was heading straight for Shippou. I didn't have any of my purifying arrows at the time, so I was pretty much useless in that situation. I couldn't let him hurt Shippou though, and before I knew it, I felt a strange power flow through my veins. It was the same power that I felt during the battle with Naraku. And somehow I managed to focus it on the demon, killing it instantly without even raising the attention of Shippou. After that I realized the true extent of my power; that it wasn't a one-time thing, and I've been able to control it ways you wouldn't think possible."
Sonnet stood there, awed. This woman was indeed strong! "Wow! Are you even more powerful than Inuyasha?"
Kagome smiled, a glint in her eye. "Very much so."
"Amazing! Do you ever help Inuyasha train?"
Now Kagome looked a bit ashamed. "Uh, well...no. I haven't told him."
"What! Why not?!" Sonnet didn't understand. If she were that powerful, she'd make sure everyone knew that she was not something to be messed with. So what was Kagome's problem?
Kagome sighed, a faraway look on her face. "Inuyasha is...proud, to say the least. Back then, he wouldn't have been very appreciative of having a mate stronger than him. It's his dog demon way." She winked at Sonnet, who missed her meaning. "Besides, he loves knowing he's able to protect me."
"Another dog demon way?" Sonnet asked, a little perplexed.
"No. Just a male way." Kagome said, laughing a little. "It's there nature to be the provider and protector in the relationship. This has been going on for many centuries."
Sonnet didn't think this was too funny at all, though. "But..you're putting yourself down just to make him happy! You're not being true to you, not to mention that you're practically lying to him by not telling how strong you really are!"
"Not really. He's never actually asked me how strong I was; he just assumed the fight against Naraku was a fluke. And as for not being true to myself, I've never really had to use my power really, except for saving Miroku. So it all works out."
Sonnet wasn't going to let up that easily. "But you can't hide it forever! He's bound to find out sooner or later!"
Kagome smiled. "I know that. And hopefully when he does, he'll be mature enough to handle it. He's grown a lot, you know. And I love him for it." Another far away look.
'So this love thing was the problem!' She thought, as she and Kagome finished with the cooking. 'That's why she has to hide what she really is, just to please him!" She shook her head ruefully. 'I hope I never have to do that.'
( _______^ ^ ______
)
Sorry! It's been sooooo long, I know. And no excuse could make up for it! I've been super short on ideas. I'll try and write the next chapter as soon as I can. Besides, I'm thinking there are only two chapters left! Yah me! This story is just way to long. Please review!
~Zephor~
Chapter written 9/14/03
Chapter 16 Demons and Secrets
Fate was cruel to her.
Every time, ever single time she that she had been so close to having everything right again only to have it ripped away and shredded into a million pieces. All she wanted to do was live, how Kagome would say in those stories she would read to them, happily ever after? Yeah, that sounded like how she wanted it to be. How things should be. Happily ever after, with her husband and her daughter, and possibly a few more kids. All living together, alive.
Yes, someone up there most certainly hated her.
It was her fault he was gone too. None of this would have happened if she had just forgot about her pride and told him all those years ago that she was pregnant. She would have went back to him, he would have told her he never loved anyone but her, and they would have had Sonnet together. Kagome and Inuyasha would have been there too, and they could have watched their children grow up together.
Or maybe if she had just told Sonnet about her father. She had deserved to know. It's not like she wasn't ready for it.
'I wasn't ready for it.' Sango realized. 'If I told Sonnet about her father and how he was, it would be like he was really gone. I guess I always thought Miroku was going to find us, and we could live like a family.'
It was all her fault! Everything was! 'God, Dammit! I should have been more responsible! I should have told her earlier! I should have....'
Inuyasha jerked upwards, reminding Sango of where exactly she was. She was riding on Inuyasha's back, it being faster than on foot, racing to save Miroku. Yeah, like she could ever forget.
She looked behind her to see Sonnet riding safely on that younger dog demon's back. Haru, was it? Yes, that was it. Under normal circumstances she probably wouldn't let Sonnet ride on the back of someone she didn't know; especially the son of Inuyasha. But she was glad to see he seemed to be extra careful with her.
That was all she was glad about. She looked forward as her senses sharpened toward the huge amounts of demons that were close by. The village was straight ahead. Her breath tightened, as she gripped her Hiraikotsu from behind her back. She wasn't going to hesitate a bit if she had to use it. She had to save Miroku.
She couldn't live with herself if she didn't.
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'There it is.' Sonnet narrowed her eyes as they approached the village. She was ready to kick some butt. No one kidnapped her new dad without paying for it. Well, officially he wasn't her new dad; he was her old dad; sort of.
But still, it was her fault they were all in this mess in the first place. She shouldn't have acted the way she did. And now, Miroku might be seriously hurt, or worse! She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if anything happened to him.
They stopped at the edge of the village. Inuyasha put Sango down as Haru did the same with Sonnet.
"He's defiantly in there." Inuyasha said, indicating towards the village.
"Then what are we doing out here?!" Sango practically screamed. "Let's go find him!"
Inuyasha grabbed Sango's arm before she could run inside. "No. You and the girl are staying here with Haru."
"What?" Two pairs of feminine voices yelled at the same time.
"There is no way in hell I'm staying here while Miroku could be in serious danger!" Sango practically screamed to Inuyasha, while Sonnet nodded her head. Both of them held a stubborn expression on their face.
"Look, humans aren't exactly welcomed in the village! I'm just trying to protect you!"
"Well don't! I don't need you to! I'm perfectly capable of talking care of myself. And I'm going!"
"No your not! I don't even allow Kagome to come here without me!"
"So! I'm not Kagome!"
"Is it just me," Sonnet whispered to Haru, getting impatient with their bickering. "Or are they acting like two other people I know?"
"Yeah, I know." Haru said, thinking it was all to weird. Weren't they supposed to save someone?
'This is ridicules.' Sonnet thought.
"HEY! Shut up you two!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Inuyasha and Sango stopped fighting, and looked at Sonnet. "Did you guys forget we're here to save Miroku? So why don't you stop acting like a couple of two year olds, and start focusing on that. And," She gave a sharp look at both her mother and the dog demon, emphasizing her point. "we are all going."
She turned around and starting walking towards the village. Haru gave a glancing look at his father, before running to catch up with Sonnet.
Sango smiled smugly at Inuyasha, before going after Sonnet. Inuyasha trailed behind, grumbling.
"Do you smell Miroku?" Sonnet asked Haru, as they walked further into the village. She seemed oblivious to the evil stares that she was receiving, though Haru noticed. And he wasn't happy about it.
'Woah, they look like they want to attack us.' And they probably would have, if Inuyasha wasn't growling at them to stay away from behind them.
"Hey! Hey Haru!" Sonnet hissed at him, gripping his arm.
"What? Oh, uh I think I smell him. It's kind of hard though, with the smells of all the demons around here." Even though he didn't actually get a great idea of Sonnet's father's scent, he could still smell the human that smelled like Sonnet.
"I can smell him. He's a bit farther up." Inuyasha said, coming up from behind them. He held a serious expression on his face. Sango was staying right next to him; she knew the danger she was in, unlike her daughter. It was better if she stuck close to Inuyasha, and Sonnet to Haru.
Inuyasha stopped and sniffed some more. He turned towards a rather large looking hut, and snarled. "He's in there."
He looked over at Sango, who was gripping her boomerang, a look of total concentration on her face. He knew it was taking all her will power to not just run in ahead of everyone else and save Miroku. Only a fool would do that. It was good to see she hadn't let herself go on exterminating skills during the past ten years.
To bad he couldn't say the same thing about her daughter.
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This was just too much. If he was right inside the hut, then why didn't they go charging in now? What were they waiting for, an invitation?
Sonnet couldn't help it. Miroku was in there, and she had to save him. It was her duty. The guilt was eating her up slowly, and ever passing moment was one that could end his life.
So, it really couldn't be considered her fault when she just ran inside, without a word to anyone, right?
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Haru knew the second he saw the light in Sonnet eyes she was making a dash for it. And still he wasn't fast enough to stop her.
Man, she was quick for a human.
He should have told her to stay put when he had the chance; that his father would tell them when to attack. He needed to sniff around and see just how many demons were inside, and what the best attack approach would be. It wouldn't have taken more than two more seconds. It was something called a strategy. Being a demon exterminator he thought she would have known what it was.
Obviously, he was wrong.
****************** ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This could have all been one big trap; the demons could be waiting on the other side of the door. They could have had weapons of all sorts for all they knew; ready to use it at any moment. And Sonnet could be walking right into it.
'God, Sonnet!' Sango thought, as she watched her daughter run into the hut. 'What is she doing?!'
She didn't waste a second. As soon as she saw Sonnet move towards that door, she bolted after she. Even if it was a trap, which it probably was.
"Sonnet!" She screamed, right before she saw her open the door. Like that was going to do anything. It never did before.
She heard Sonnet gasp before she even reached the opened door.
'Oh no. There were probably demons everywhere, huddled around Miroku's lifeless body! They were going to attack, and I'm not going to get there in time! She's going to get hurt! She's going to...'
'What?!'
Sonnet was standing, perfectly fine to the side, staring with a confused look on her face.
Sango was certainly confused as well. Where were all the demons??
The room inside the hut was almost empty. The only things inside it was a small table with a chair, with a small blanket on the floor.
And on that blanket was an unconscious Miroku.
"Miroku!" Sango yelled. She ran to Miroku's body, praying with every fiber of her body that he was all right. She grabbed his wrist and jammed her head onto his chest, trying to find a heartbeat anywhere.
"Feh, don't worry. The bouzo's not dead." Inuyasha said, walking up from behind Sango.
"Are you sure?" Sango didn't try to conceal the worry stood in her voice.
"Of course I am."
Sango didn't answer, because at that moment she felt something stir from underneath her. She gasped, as Miroku slowly regained consciousness.
"Miroku! Miroku, are you alright?!"
"Uhhh." Miroku rubbed his head and slowly opened his eyes. "Ow." He looked up to see a tear-stricken Sango with a look of relief on her pretty face.
"Oh god, Miroku!" Sango threw her arms around him, tears running down her cheeks. "I'm so glad you're alright." She whispered in his ear.
Miroku looked a little dazed. He couldn't seem to remember anything that happened before. How did he get in a cold empty house, lying on a scratchy blanket, with a very good smelling Sango in his arms? Oh, well, he wasn't going to start complaining.
"Of course I'm alright. You didn't think I would you leave without saying good-bye, did you?"
Sango drew back, looking shocked. "What do mean 'good-bye?"
Miroku looked away, not meeting her eyes. "I just thought..." He was caught off when Sango threw herself at him, knocking him so she laid above him. She took his face in her hands, and stared straight in his eyes.
"I'm sorry to say, but you're never leaving again." Sango said, her eyes shining as she smiled down at him.
Miroku eyes grew wide as Sango bent down capture his lips in a passionate kiss. But the shock didn't last to long, as he closed his eye and eagerly retuned the kiss.
Two onlookers were watching as this entire scene unfolded from the front of the hut. They didn't want to interfere with their reunion.
"Is it just me," Sonnet whispered to Haru. "Or was this just a little to easy."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Haru said, shaking his head. What happened to all the demons? How did in the world did Miroku get here? There was no way he could have just strolled into the village all by himself.
Many kisses later, Sango finally got off a now sore Miroku, and helped him up. He didn't seem to have any serious injuries, though he did have a problem walking. He leaned on Sango for support.
Inuyasha stood there, his arms crossed. "Feh. It's about time. From the way you guys were acting, I thought you were going to strip down and do it in front of the brats."
The look on Sango and Miroku couldn't compare to the look on the faces of Sonnet and Haru.
"INUYASHA!"
"Awww, GROSS!"
"Hey, that wouldn't be such a bad idea..."
Thwack!
"You didn't let me finish!"
"Hahaha!"
****^^^****^^^****^^^****^^^****^^^****^^^****^^^****^^^****^^^****^^^****^^ ^****
"Where's my staff?" Miroku asked, a rather large bump still fresh on his head.
"Did you have it when you were knocked out?" Sango was tending to the bump that she had just given him moments ago. She felt bad after nearly giving him a concussion right after he had just woken up.
"I think so." Miroku said, trying to remember. He tried getting up, but a stumble from his legs told him to sit back down. "I'll go look for it!" Sonnet volunteered before another word could be said. Anything to get away from the mushiness that was happening between her mom and Miroku. It was sickening.
"Wait Sonnet, I don't know if it's all that safe around here." Sango said, getting up and looking at her daughter with concern.
Sonnet sighed. Still being treated like a kid. "Mom, there's like five rooms here. I doubt a demon's lurking around here, waiting to prey on an unsuspecting girl like me."
"Besides, there aren't any demons in here." Inuyasha said matter-of-factly. "They seemed to have left a little while before I showed up. They must have smelled my scent and ran away scared."
It was a good thing Sonnet was facing away from Inuyasha, because she gave a very exaggerated roll of the eyes. Only Haru saw it, as he tried to retain his snickers.
"Like I said, I'll go find it!" Sonnet chirped, hurrying out of the room. She breathed a sigh of relief when she cleared the room. You could slice the love in the room with a knife. It was that gross.
'So wait, what am I looking for again?' Sonnet thought. 'Oh yeah, Miroku's little staff thingy. Hmm, where could it be..' she took a quick peek into the closest room next to her. It looked like a bedroom. 'Not here.' She looked inside the other rooms, making sure she never let herself be totally open to an attack, just in case there was something in the room.
Hey, you can never be too careful.
In the last room was where Sonnet found Miroku's staff. It was just lying on a table, all by itself.
'That was easy.' Sonnet thought, picking it up. It was surprisingly heavy.
She turned to leave when a soft noise caught her ears. Really soft. Like, she wouldn't have even heard it if she hadn't been unusually on her guard. But she did hear it, and it sounded like it was coming from in the corner of he room.
But there was nothing in the corner of the room except for a rather large tapestry.
'Hey, wait a minute..' Sonnet walked slowly over to the tapestry. It was a beautifully done, yet the picture was more than disturbing.
It told of story, and as far as Sonnet could tell that in the story all humans die a bloody and very gruesome death, by the hands of a demon. Only demons could make something so horrible.
But that's not what held her attention. The tapestry wasn't connected to the wall. She lifted it, only to see there was yet another door there.
'That's strange.' Her senses were on full gear. Somehow, she didn't have a good feeling about this.
'Here goes nothing.' She took a deep breath, and swung the door open before she could change her mind.
She gasped. 'Holy...'
The room was completely filled with demons. Their bodies were everywhere. More than she could count. And all of them were knocked out cold. She wouldn't be surprised if half the village was in that single room there.
'Oh god, there's a lot of them.' Sonnet thought frantically, her jaw slightly opened as she gaped at them. This was just too much.
"Epp!" She ran out of the room as fast as she could, clutching the staff in her arms. She thought she saw one of them move! She slammed the door behind her, breathing hard from both running and being scared.
'Calm down, Sonnet. Calm down.' She thought to herself. 'Your alright, it was just your imagination. Nothing's following you, so just breathe.' She took in a deep breath and hurried down the hall, still freaked.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hey, are you alright?" Haru asked Sonnet, who was acting unusually quiet. And she kept looking over her shoulder, like she was expecting something. It was driving him crazy, especially when she jumped at every little sound.
"What?" Sonnet said, snapping back to attention. "Yeah I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, it's just that you're acting all quiet and weird."
She got the look on her face again. Oh great, he had said something wrong again.
"Oh, so just because Sonnet is quiet for once that means there must be something wrong with her. Like I have to talk at every moment of the day to prove that I'm acting normal. You know, you are so insensitive! Can't I just have some time with my thoughts without getting you on my back!" She turned her head to face forward, refusing to meet his eyes, still fuming and angry.
Haru was going to open his mouth to strike back, but decided to let it drop. Obviously she wasn't in the best mood, and he didn't feel like having his head bitten off again. Plus, his ears were still a little sore from her last outburst.
But it wasn't like he was scared of her or anything. He could take her; it's just he didn't feel like it right now.
They were walking their way back to the castle again, only going much slower because of Miroku's injuries. His dad was carrying him, with Sonnet's mother right by his side.
They've been professing their love for each other for the past 15 minutes, and frankly it was getting annoying. Humans and their stupid 'feelings' thing. Feh, go figure.
He could tell his father was feeling the same way, from the way his face was held in disgust, and from all the things he was saying under his breath. As far as he could tell, the two lovebirds seemed too wrapped up in their own world to even notice him.
Haru sigh to himself. It seemed like ever since these humans had showed up three days ago he's been spending all his time saving them. They really were a worthless breed. Except for his mother. He'd seen her handle herself around demons before, and she was the only one who could control his father. It was amazing, and funny, to see the things she could make him do. No other human could do that and be alive to tell about it.
He stole a peek at that wrench who was still looking a bit angry. What could she possibly be angry at?! Not him, that was certain. He hadn't even done anything to her lately, expect for helping her find her father, which he thought he would have been thank for by now. That's what he gets for helping her out.
So now what was he was supposed to do?
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"Mom!" Haru shouted, picking up her scent from all the way in the woods. She was with some of her younger kids, sitting outside and watching them playing with each other.
Kagome looked up, a smile instantly took over her face. "Oh, you're back already! And Miroku! I'm so glad to see you safe!"
Miroku smiled, reaching for her hand. "So glad to see you again as well, Lady Kagome. It's been to long, and might I add your looking as lovely as the last time I saw you."
Inuyasha growled, instantly stepping next to Kagome. Miroku dropped her hand, keeping the smile on his face. "Ah, yes, hello Inuyasha. I had forgotten you were still here."
He narrowed his eyes, and Miroku took a step back. Haru didn't seem to realize what was going on, and Sonnet held the same expression as Inuyasha on her face.
Sango smiled at them, much to Sonnet's surprise, and walked over to Kagome as she started talking. "I think it's time we all caught up with each other, ne? Why don't we go inside I'll make everyone something to eat."
Kagome turned and led the way. Inuyasha ran and caught up with her, taking her arm. He sniffed at her, growling. "You went into the village again, didn't you?"
Kagome just smiled, the calm, happy expression still on her face. She seemed like she was expecting this. "Of course I went. How else would I have gotten the food for dinner?" She went up to kiss him.
Inuyasha seemed to have accepted this answer, as he eagerly returned the kiss. Sonnet, on the other hand, had heard the entire thing and was now having a different theory on what had happened in the village.
When they reached the kitchen, Inuyasha finally let go of Kagome so she could go cook. Sonnet followed her.
"Do you need any help?" She asked, even though she knew less then about cooking then anybody else.
"Hmm? Oh, no thank-you. I think I can handle it. Why don't you go sit down and talk to your mother? I know you haven't seen her a long time, and that bit with her being kidnapped probably didn't make things better."
"That's okay. I think she might have forgotten me already." She said jokingly, spying on her and Miroku. Her eyes told something different, though. "Besides, I much rather talk to you. Mom's told me a lot of the 'Girl who overcame time' as she called you."
Kagome blushed. "Oh, well I don't think I needed my own title or anything. I didn't do anything that great."
She had her now. "Oh no, that's not what I heard. Mom said you were the one who defeated the great Naraku, right?"
The blush grew deeper. "Oh, yes, it was me. But it was the sight of seeing Inuyasha hurt that got me to actually get enough strength to defeat him. If it weren't for him, or Sango and Miroku, I never would have been able to do it."
"Hmm, I see." Sonnet said, picking up a knife and trying her hand in cutting up vegetables. It wasn't working. She went on. "So, did you hear how we found Miroku? It was the strangest thing. He was just laying there, unconscious, all by himself. Isn't that weird? You would think in a village full of demons, he would have at least been protected by someone. I mean, they have heightened senses and all, so wouldn't at least one of them find a human alone in an empty hut?"
She watched Kagome as she spoke, seeing her reaction. She stiffened a bit, but other than that showing no signs of recognition.
"That is strange." Kagome said quietly, not looking at her.
'Aha!' Sonnet cheered triumphantly in her mind. Now it was time to go in for the kill. "Do you know the absolute strangest part was, though? In another room, I found a room full of demons, knocked out cold! And apparently they didn't have any scent because neither Haru or his father could smell them. I mean, what powerful thing could have possibly done that in between the short time Miroku was captured and when we arrived at the hut?"
"I-I don't know." Kagome stuttered just a bit.
That's all Sonnet needed to know. She bent her head in real low and whispered just loud enough to be heard. "So how'd you do it?"
"What?!" Kagome exclaimed, a guilty look on her face. "What do you mean? I haven't done anything."
Sonnet rolled her eyes. "I may be young, but do you really think I'm that stupid. I put to and to together. You defeated all those demons, in like 30 minutes! By yourself! How'd you do it?!" Sonnet asked with delight.
"Shhh." Kagome said, trying to cover her mouth with her hand. She was glad Inuyasha was on the other side of the room, busy keeping the children off of each other so he couldn't listen in on their conversation.
But Sonnet was too quick for her. She moved out of the way Kagome. "Why don't you want anybody to know? Are you saying they don't know?! Not even Inuyasha!" Her voice getting higher and higher with each word.
"Hey, be quiet!" Kagome shushed her. She looked around, making sure no one had heard Sonnet's little outburst. She looked back down at her two best friend's daughter. Only the child of Sango and Miroku could figure out her little secret. Rats.
"Okay, I'll tell you. But promise me, you say a word of this to anyone else!" Kagome said under her breath.
Sonnet nodded, and Kagome began.
"It happened sometime after Naraku was defeated. When I was feeling better, me and Shippou would go outside and play a little hide and seek. Nothing to strenuous, seeing as I had just woken up from a light coma. But one day when Shippou was hiding, I came across a demon seeking the Shikon jewel. We hadn't destroyed it just yet, and I didn't think any of them would be coming so soon especially with Inuyasha around."
"But he wasn't around at that time, and the demon was heading straight for Shippou. I didn't have any of my purifying arrows at the time, so I was pretty much useless in that situation. I couldn't let him hurt Shippou though, and before I knew it, I felt a strange power flow through my veins. It was the same power that I felt during the battle with Naraku. And somehow I managed to focus it on the demon, killing it instantly without even raising the attention of Shippou. After that I realized the true extent of my power; that it wasn't a one-time thing, and I've been able to control it ways you wouldn't think possible."
Sonnet stood there, awed. This woman was indeed strong! "Wow! Are you even more powerful than Inuyasha?"
Kagome smiled, a glint in her eye. "Very much so."
"Amazing! Do you ever help Inuyasha train?"
Now Kagome looked a bit ashamed. "Uh, well...no. I haven't told him."
"What! Why not?!" Sonnet didn't understand. If she were that powerful, she'd make sure everyone knew that she was not something to be messed with. So what was Kagome's problem?
Kagome sighed, a faraway look on her face. "Inuyasha is...proud, to say the least. Back then, he wouldn't have been very appreciative of having a mate stronger than him. It's his dog demon way." She winked at Sonnet, who missed her meaning. "Besides, he loves knowing he's able to protect me."
"Another dog demon way?" Sonnet asked, a little perplexed.
"No. Just a male way." Kagome said, laughing a little. "It's there nature to be the provider and protector in the relationship. This has been going on for many centuries."
Sonnet didn't think this was too funny at all, though. "But..you're putting yourself down just to make him happy! You're not being true to you, not to mention that you're practically lying to him by not telling how strong you really are!"
"Not really. He's never actually asked me how strong I was; he just assumed the fight against Naraku was a fluke. And as for not being true to myself, I've never really had to use my power really, except for saving Miroku. So it all works out."
Sonnet wasn't going to let up that easily. "But you can't hide it forever! He's bound to find out sooner or later!"
Kagome smiled. "I know that. And hopefully when he does, he'll be mature enough to handle it. He's grown a lot, you know. And I love him for it." Another far away look.
'So this love thing was the problem!' She thought, as she and Kagome finished with the cooking. 'That's why she has to hide what she really is, just to please him!" She shook her head ruefully. 'I hope I never have to do that.'
( _______^ ^ ______
)
Sorry! It's been sooooo long, I know. And no excuse could make up for it! I've been super short on ideas. I'll try and write the next chapter as soon as I can. Besides, I'm thinking there are only two chapters left! Yah me! This story is just way to long. Please review!
~Zephor~
Chapter written 9/14/03
