Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha. Never have, never will.
A/N: Hee...I'm so happy that you people like it...I'll keep going.
Against the Odds
~ Chapter Three: In Which Some Jewel Shards Are Found, and Sango Makes a Move ~
Sango sighed. It had been a pretty boring day. The first day of their bet had gone pretty slowly. Both Kagome and Sango had tried to get close to Inu-Yasha and Miroku, but to no avail. One good thing (and weird thing) was that Inu-Yasha was being oddly nice, and Miroku wasn't being his normal, lecherous self. They were both behaving. And being civil.
Kagome stopped, and Sango turned. "What is it?"
"There's a jewel shard nearby..." Kagome closed her eyes, and pointed a little left. "Right there."
"Finally..." Inu-Yasha sounded pleased. Sango could tell that he had been itching for something to happen. All of a sudden they heard a crash.
Shippo looked worried, "Uh-oh..." The noise had come from the direction Kagome was pointing.
"Crap..." Sango heard Kagome whisper. A little louder, she said, "Sango, maybe you should change into your exterminator clothes. This sounds like it could get ugly." She was already reaching for her bow and arrows.
Sango nodded, "Yes. You're right," Sango headed into the woods, a little ways off. Kagome followed, to keep Miroku away from her. Sango changed from her pink dress to her black exterminator's outfit without interruption. As she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, she heard a rustle, and glared to her right. It was Kagome. "Oh..." she smiled, "Hello Kagome."
"What, did you think I was Miroku?" Kagome looked at Sango's hand. It clasped the giant boomerang, and looked ready to throw.
"Huh?" Sango looked at her hand, and blushed. "Oops...Sorry Kagome. I didn't mean to almost attack you. It must have been reflex."
Kagome laughed, "Too much Miroku!"
"At least you can sit Inu-Yasha. I don't have that kind of power over Miroku," Sango stood and placed the boomerang over her shoulder.
"You'll have to thank Kaede. But I get the feeling that if that kind of power was used on a human, they'd get their bones broken."
"You have a point. And you're probably right. It's likely that because Inu-Yasha's half demon, he has a larger resistance to such injuries."
"Likely?!" Kagome exclaimed, "Have you seen him fight? The only time I've ever seen him struggle is against Sesshomaru. And when he's hu-" she bit her tongue.
"When he's what?" Sango had no idea what was so important about it. But Kagome wouldn't say any more, so she let it go. "Well, we've been dawdling long enough. Let's go get that demon."
*~*
They left the grove, and returned to the path to see a very worried Miroku, and Inu-Yasha staring down the road, towards the crashes and booms. A roar followed the last crash and a scream after that. Inu-Yasha's youkai ears perked. "Let's go," he said, and began running. Miroku chased after him, and Sango picked Kirara up, and threw her into the air. The fire cat meowed and transformed into a huge beast. Kagome, Shippo, and Sango climbed on, and the cat began running through the air after them.
*~*
The group arrived to see a ravaged village, and a huge demon still pillaging the remaining houses. The demon breathed fire, and several burned corpses littered the ground around him. More women screamed, and some of the children panicked and began running across the remains of their little town. When the enormous monster looked down to see these children, he simply lifted a foot, and brought it down, squashing them. Their mothers screamed in remorse. Sango couldn't bear to watch this anymore.
"Boomerang Bone!" she yelled, flinging her boomerang into the melee. It hit the demon squarely on the back, causing it to yell in pain. Following suit, Kagome shot several arrows at it, all hitting their marks.
"Kagome!" Inu-Yasha called from the ground. "Where is the jewel shard?"
She jumped off Kirara's back and onto the hard ground. "There are...oh my God..."
"What?" Miroku glanced at her, keeping one eye of the looming beast.
Kagome came to her senses, "There are SEVEN jewel shards in him. One on each of his arms and legs, and three in his head..."
The shock of this stunned them all into silence. But Inu-Yasha regained his senses first. He drew the Tetsusaiga from its scabbard, and it transformed as he did. The rusty looking sword became a huge and gleaming one, with fur around the hilt. He jumped into the air, and slashed the creature down the back. It howled as blood flowed from its back. There were more screams from the village women as the demon turned around to face Inu-Yasha. It roared and fire poured from its mouth, engulfing him.
"Feh...You really think that'll hurt me?" Inu-Yasha shouted from the middle of the flames before jumping out of them. "You must really think I'm weak!" He swung the Tetsusaiga high over his head, bringing it down to chop off the demon's head. The head splashed blood everywhere, and its eyes rolled. Kagome ran over to the huge head, and carefully plucked the three shards out of the forehead. Sango followed, and watched as Kagome removed the other four shards, purifying them as she went.
Sango looked at the damage this powerful demon had done. The village was in ruins. Only a few women and children had survived the turmoil. The rest were either burned or squashed. One of the women came over to her, "Excuse me, miss?"
Sango turned, "Yes?"
"Who is that boy who defeated the demon?" she pointed at Inu-Yasha fearfully. The Tetsusaiga was over his shoulder, and he was surrounded by children that the mothers couldn't restrain, looking annoyed. Miroku stood by, almost laughing at him.
Sango smiled, "That's Inu-Yasha. He's a demon." The woman looked alarmed, and Sango realized her mistake. "Don't worry. He won't hurt the children, or any of you. My friend here," she gestured at Kagome, "has a very good way of dealing with him."
"To put it mildly..." Kagome muttered, smiling.
The woman sighed with relief, "Thank you very much, miss." She returned to the group of women.
Sango caught Miroku's eye, and motioned for him to come over. Kagome looked at her suspiciously, but let it go, and began going over to Inu- Yasha. "No, it's all right, Kagome. This has nothing to do with that," Sango smiled.
Miroku hadn't forgotten his bet, but figured that this had something to do with the demon. He was right. "Miroku, is there anything you can do for these people?" Sango asked pleadingly. "They've been put through so much pain."
Miroku smiled, "Of course. I'll do something right away." He wandered over to the women, and got their attention. "Excuse me, but is there any way that I can help?"
They looked confused at first, but then realized that he was a monk, and accepted his offer. He blessed the dead, and began burying the men, women, and children. The women helped where they could, and, after he realized what was going on, Inu-Yasha began digging holes as well.
Sango and Kagome gathered the children together. Kagome kneeled down, and smiled, "Would you like to help us get some flowers for them?" Her sad eyes glanced at the remaining villagers, Miroku, and Inu-Yasha.
Shippo came out of the woods, as he had been hiding during the battle. He heard Kagome, and agreed. "Yes. Come on, let's go!" He led the children into the forest to gather some flowers, with Kagome and Sango following closely.
Kagome laughed hollowly. "The last time I saw a massacre like this was at that village your brother -- " She stopped, realizing her mistake.
Sango looked down, and smiled solemnly. "Yes... but that wasn't Kohaku...That was Naraku..."
"I'm so sorry, Sango. I didn't mean to..." she trailed off.
"I know. I'm going to change," Sango went off into the woods, leaving Kagome to the children.
*~*
After changing, Sango wandered back to the village. The children, Shippo, and Kagome were already back with flowers. And because of Inu-Yasha's help, almost all the dead were buried. Some of the women were placing flowers over the graves, and Shippo was playing with the children. Sango smiled. After the last of the dead were buried, Miroku said a prayer to let their souls ascend to the next world. Most of the women and the older children cried.
After Miroku was done, Sango asked to see him over by the woods. Miroku looked surprised. "All right..."
"Thank you," Sango turned to Kagome, and smiled. Her eyes danced, as if to say, "I'm going to win, and you know it."
Kagome raised her eyebrows, but didn't let on that she cared. But she really didn't want to be Sango's slave for a week...
*~*
There was a fallen log that Sango sat on. Miroku joined her, with Inu- Yasha and Kagome watching. No one wanted to lose their bets. Miroku looked at Sango's face, which was very pretty in the setting sun. Her dark hair was on her back, and the red light behind her added to its beauty. He wanted to kiss her so badly.He blushed and his voice cracked as he said, "What is it, Sango?"
Sango smiled, and scooted closer to him, leaning on his shoulder. She closed her eyes, "I wish that I could stay with you forever."
His blush deepened and he swallowed hard, trying not to kiss her. "Oh." was all he said. He had to win. He had to push her away. He hated it, but he had to do it.
Sango opened her eyes and frowned. This wasn't going the way it was supposed to. Miroku's new behavior didn't help much either. Yesterday he would've relished this moment to get a girl, and especially her, she thought. But maybe he didn't love her. Maybe he loved someone else. Maybe it was like Inu-Yasha's love for both Kikyo and Kagome, and she was like Kagome. Maybe there was someone else out there that looked just like her.and Miroku loved her. Tears welled up in her eyes as this thought overpowered her emotions.
Miroku felt terrible. He lifted her head a little, his heart throbbing as he longed to kiss her face. Tears were streaming down her face and she tried to look away. He held on tighter, and she stopped trying to look away. He let go. She brushed the tears away with her hand. "Sango.I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way." He leaned closer to her, and whispered in her ear, "I do love you, Sango." They both blushed and Miroku stood up and walked away.
A/N: Hee...I'm so happy that you people like it...I'll keep going.
Against the Odds
~ Chapter Three: In Which Some Jewel Shards Are Found, and Sango Makes a Move ~
Sango sighed. It had been a pretty boring day. The first day of their bet had gone pretty slowly. Both Kagome and Sango had tried to get close to Inu-Yasha and Miroku, but to no avail. One good thing (and weird thing) was that Inu-Yasha was being oddly nice, and Miroku wasn't being his normal, lecherous self. They were both behaving. And being civil.
Kagome stopped, and Sango turned. "What is it?"
"There's a jewel shard nearby..." Kagome closed her eyes, and pointed a little left. "Right there."
"Finally..." Inu-Yasha sounded pleased. Sango could tell that he had been itching for something to happen. All of a sudden they heard a crash.
Shippo looked worried, "Uh-oh..." The noise had come from the direction Kagome was pointing.
"Crap..." Sango heard Kagome whisper. A little louder, she said, "Sango, maybe you should change into your exterminator clothes. This sounds like it could get ugly." She was already reaching for her bow and arrows.
Sango nodded, "Yes. You're right," Sango headed into the woods, a little ways off. Kagome followed, to keep Miroku away from her. Sango changed from her pink dress to her black exterminator's outfit without interruption. As she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, she heard a rustle, and glared to her right. It was Kagome. "Oh..." she smiled, "Hello Kagome."
"What, did you think I was Miroku?" Kagome looked at Sango's hand. It clasped the giant boomerang, and looked ready to throw.
"Huh?" Sango looked at her hand, and blushed. "Oops...Sorry Kagome. I didn't mean to almost attack you. It must have been reflex."
Kagome laughed, "Too much Miroku!"
"At least you can sit Inu-Yasha. I don't have that kind of power over Miroku," Sango stood and placed the boomerang over her shoulder.
"You'll have to thank Kaede. But I get the feeling that if that kind of power was used on a human, they'd get their bones broken."
"You have a point. And you're probably right. It's likely that because Inu-Yasha's half demon, he has a larger resistance to such injuries."
"Likely?!" Kagome exclaimed, "Have you seen him fight? The only time I've ever seen him struggle is against Sesshomaru. And when he's hu-" she bit her tongue.
"When he's what?" Sango had no idea what was so important about it. But Kagome wouldn't say any more, so she let it go. "Well, we've been dawdling long enough. Let's go get that demon."
*~*
They left the grove, and returned to the path to see a very worried Miroku, and Inu-Yasha staring down the road, towards the crashes and booms. A roar followed the last crash and a scream after that. Inu-Yasha's youkai ears perked. "Let's go," he said, and began running. Miroku chased after him, and Sango picked Kirara up, and threw her into the air. The fire cat meowed and transformed into a huge beast. Kagome, Shippo, and Sango climbed on, and the cat began running through the air after them.
*~*
The group arrived to see a ravaged village, and a huge demon still pillaging the remaining houses. The demon breathed fire, and several burned corpses littered the ground around him. More women screamed, and some of the children panicked and began running across the remains of their little town. When the enormous monster looked down to see these children, he simply lifted a foot, and brought it down, squashing them. Their mothers screamed in remorse. Sango couldn't bear to watch this anymore.
"Boomerang Bone!" she yelled, flinging her boomerang into the melee. It hit the demon squarely on the back, causing it to yell in pain. Following suit, Kagome shot several arrows at it, all hitting their marks.
"Kagome!" Inu-Yasha called from the ground. "Where is the jewel shard?"
She jumped off Kirara's back and onto the hard ground. "There are...oh my God..."
"What?" Miroku glanced at her, keeping one eye of the looming beast.
Kagome came to her senses, "There are SEVEN jewel shards in him. One on each of his arms and legs, and three in his head..."
The shock of this stunned them all into silence. But Inu-Yasha regained his senses first. He drew the Tetsusaiga from its scabbard, and it transformed as he did. The rusty looking sword became a huge and gleaming one, with fur around the hilt. He jumped into the air, and slashed the creature down the back. It howled as blood flowed from its back. There were more screams from the village women as the demon turned around to face Inu-Yasha. It roared and fire poured from its mouth, engulfing him.
"Feh...You really think that'll hurt me?" Inu-Yasha shouted from the middle of the flames before jumping out of them. "You must really think I'm weak!" He swung the Tetsusaiga high over his head, bringing it down to chop off the demon's head. The head splashed blood everywhere, and its eyes rolled. Kagome ran over to the huge head, and carefully plucked the three shards out of the forehead. Sango followed, and watched as Kagome removed the other four shards, purifying them as she went.
Sango looked at the damage this powerful demon had done. The village was in ruins. Only a few women and children had survived the turmoil. The rest were either burned or squashed. One of the women came over to her, "Excuse me, miss?"
Sango turned, "Yes?"
"Who is that boy who defeated the demon?" she pointed at Inu-Yasha fearfully. The Tetsusaiga was over his shoulder, and he was surrounded by children that the mothers couldn't restrain, looking annoyed. Miroku stood by, almost laughing at him.
Sango smiled, "That's Inu-Yasha. He's a demon." The woman looked alarmed, and Sango realized her mistake. "Don't worry. He won't hurt the children, or any of you. My friend here," she gestured at Kagome, "has a very good way of dealing with him."
"To put it mildly..." Kagome muttered, smiling.
The woman sighed with relief, "Thank you very much, miss." She returned to the group of women.
Sango caught Miroku's eye, and motioned for him to come over. Kagome looked at her suspiciously, but let it go, and began going over to Inu- Yasha. "No, it's all right, Kagome. This has nothing to do with that," Sango smiled.
Miroku hadn't forgotten his bet, but figured that this had something to do with the demon. He was right. "Miroku, is there anything you can do for these people?" Sango asked pleadingly. "They've been put through so much pain."
Miroku smiled, "Of course. I'll do something right away." He wandered over to the women, and got their attention. "Excuse me, but is there any way that I can help?"
They looked confused at first, but then realized that he was a monk, and accepted his offer. He blessed the dead, and began burying the men, women, and children. The women helped where they could, and, after he realized what was going on, Inu-Yasha began digging holes as well.
Sango and Kagome gathered the children together. Kagome kneeled down, and smiled, "Would you like to help us get some flowers for them?" Her sad eyes glanced at the remaining villagers, Miroku, and Inu-Yasha.
Shippo came out of the woods, as he had been hiding during the battle. He heard Kagome, and agreed. "Yes. Come on, let's go!" He led the children into the forest to gather some flowers, with Kagome and Sango following closely.
Kagome laughed hollowly. "The last time I saw a massacre like this was at that village your brother -- " She stopped, realizing her mistake.
Sango looked down, and smiled solemnly. "Yes... but that wasn't Kohaku...That was Naraku..."
"I'm so sorry, Sango. I didn't mean to..." she trailed off.
"I know. I'm going to change," Sango went off into the woods, leaving Kagome to the children.
*~*
After changing, Sango wandered back to the village. The children, Shippo, and Kagome were already back with flowers. And because of Inu-Yasha's help, almost all the dead were buried. Some of the women were placing flowers over the graves, and Shippo was playing with the children. Sango smiled. After the last of the dead were buried, Miroku said a prayer to let their souls ascend to the next world. Most of the women and the older children cried.
After Miroku was done, Sango asked to see him over by the woods. Miroku looked surprised. "All right..."
"Thank you," Sango turned to Kagome, and smiled. Her eyes danced, as if to say, "I'm going to win, and you know it."
Kagome raised her eyebrows, but didn't let on that she cared. But she really didn't want to be Sango's slave for a week...
*~*
There was a fallen log that Sango sat on. Miroku joined her, with Inu- Yasha and Kagome watching. No one wanted to lose their bets. Miroku looked at Sango's face, which was very pretty in the setting sun. Her dark hair was on her back, and the red light behind her added to its beauty. He wanted to kiss her so badly.He blushed and his voice cracked as he said, "What is it, Sango?"
Sango smiled, and scooted closer to him, leaning on his shoulder. She closed her eyes, "I wish that I could stay with you forever."
His blush deepened and he swallowed hard, trying not to kiss her. "Oh." was all he said. He had to win. He had to push her away. He hated it, but he had to do it.
Sango opened her eyes and frowned. This wasn't going the way it was supposed to. Miroku's new behavior didn't help much either. Yesterday he would've relished this moment to get a girl, and especially her, she thought. But maybe he didn't love her. Maybe he loved someone else. Maybe it was like Inu-Yasha's love for both Kikyo and Kagome, and she was like Kagome. Maybe there was someone else out there that looked just like her.and Miroku loved her. Tears welled up in her eyes as this thought overpowered her emotions.
Miroku felt terrible. He lifted her head a little, his heart throbbing as he longed to kiss her face. Tears were streaming down her face and she tried to look away. He held on tighter, and she stopped trying to look away. He let go. She brushed the tears away with her hand. "Sango.I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way." He leaned closer to her, and whispered in her ear, "I do love you, Sango." They both blushed and Miroku stood up and walked away.