Quickly wiping all the blood off of Sango's kusarikama, Sota threw the hand
towel in the hamper and trudged back downstairs. He carried the weapon in
his left hand, keeping his right behind his back. Sango was already sitting
back down at the table waiting for him.
"Ready for another go?" she said brightly.
"Actually, I'm a little tired. I think I'm going to go to bed." Sota laid Kusarikama on the table.
"Sota, why are you holding a hand behind your back?" Sango raised an eyebrow at him. Sota gulped. She was a bit more observant than Kagome. "Oh, I always do this. It's just a habit." Sota turned away from her, putting his hand in front of him as he did, hoping Sango didn't notice the exchange. Sota began walking forward, but was suddenly halted by his collar being pulled against his throat. Sango had the back of his shirt.
She grabbed his shoulder, turned him around, and grabbed his wrist. "Sota, really! Why didn't you tell me?"
Sota looked away at his feet, eyes filling up with tears. His hand still hurt, the jerking around had made it hurt worse, and he was being scolded by an almost-stranger. Filled with self-pity, he shuffled his feet and mumbled, "I dunno...I'm...sorry. I'm sorry!"
Sango let go of his wrist, startled. "I didn't mean to upset you, Sota. I was just concerned. You should have told me, and we could have gotten your village miko to take care of it."
Sota looked at Sango as though she'd lost her mind, and blinked away the tears. "Our village miko? Tokyo's too big to be a village. And we don't have mikos anymore. We have doctors."
"Oh...right. Well, Kagome could have taken care of it."
"Kagome? What would she know about it?"
Sango smiled. "She is one, after all. Or well on her way. She's the reincarnation of a very good one."
"Wow," said Sota, looking a bit awed. "Really? I thought-"
But Sango never heard what he thought of Kagome, for just then the said miko entered the room with a bright, oblivious smile, and said, "Mom helped me treat the stains on your kimonos. They're in the wash right now!"
"Gee, wonder of wonders," muttered Sota. Sango noticed his hand was behind his back again. Before Kagome could give a sharp reply to Sota, Sango said softly, "You'll have to tell her sometime, Sota. Why not now?"
Sota twisted his mouth off to the side a moment, then sighed in defeat. "Kagome, Sango was teaching me how to use her kusarikama, and I hurt myself." He held out his bandaged hand, and Kagome gasped. "Oh, Sota! Did it hurt? Wait, of course it did. How much did it bleed? Does it still hurt? Are you all right?"
Sango and Sota exchanged knowing looks after Kagome's string of apprehensive questions. Sota took a deep breath, and said, "It bled kinda hard. It does still hurt."
Kagome walked around the table. "Well, it looks like you were pretty smart about taking care of it," she said, examining the bandage. "Go upstairs and go to sleep. Get your strength back."
"Say what? Why would I need to sleep because of a hurt hand?!?!"
"DO IT, SOTA, OR I'LL TELL MOM!" Kagome snapped, breathing hard. Sota took a step back, putting his hands up defensively. "Okay, okay. Fine. I'm going to bed."
"Good," Kagome said, now smiling sweetly. "Tell you what, how about tomorrow we get out your little inflatable wading pool? It's really warming up outside, and I'm sure Sango'd like it." Sota shrugged. "Okay. Good night, -Sango-. Or rather," he added, glowering at Kagome, "good afternoon."
_____________________________________________________________________
||| The Next Day, around 1:00 |||
"Alrighty, it's full!" Kagome called cheerfully to Sota and Sango, who were sitting on the porch. Sota was in swimming trunks, but Sango had refused point-blank to wear a swimsuit and was wearing elastic-waisted shorts and an old T-shirt.
Sota ran to the small, rectangular wading pool and Sango followed, a bit more self-consciously. Sota stepped into the pool and laid down on his stomach, taking up a fourth of it. Kagome rolled her eyes and sat down next to his feet. Sango slipped in beside Kagome. The water only came up to the two girls' waists, but it was peaceful out nonetheless.
Kagome watched the sunlight play out on the inch-thick layer of water on Sota's back and put her hand on his foot, about to tickle him. Then Sota shifted his shoulder blade and the light in the water intensified without warning. "Augh!" exclaimed Kagome, covering her eyes. She turned towards Sango and uncovered them, and colored blots claimed most of her line of vision. Sango said concernedly, "Kagome, are you all right?"
Sota had flipped over to stare at her, supporting himself with his uninjured hand. "Don't worry, Sango. She's just kooky, that's all."
Kagome frowned down at him. "The sun sure is bright in this water..." She trailed off, then looked from Sota to Sango, back to Sota, then to Sango, and finally back to Sota again.
"Neck finally come unscrewed, sis?" Sota asked playfully.
"No," said Kagome with a snort. She crawled on her hands and knees down by Sota's head. "Turn back over."
"Why?" said Sota suspiciously. "Just do it," said Kagome. Sota shook his head stubbornly. Kagome looked helplessly at Sango. {This is so -embarrassing-} she thought. But Sango just winked at Kagome and said, "Please, Sota. Do it for me?"
Sota blushed. "Well...all right. Since you're so much -nicer- than Kagome." He turned over on his back, and Kagome held her hand up to make a shadow on the place that had glinted earlier. She didn't want to feel like she'd just had a flashbulb in her face again.
Kagome pushed on Sota's shoulder to make his currently drawn-in shoulder blade move. "Hey!" gurgled Sota, the portion of his face with his mouth on it underwater. "What're you doing?"
But Kagome didn't answer. She was too busy staring at the bluish-purple glow that only she could see.
With no warning, she pulled her hands off of Sota like she'd been burned. "Sango, come with me!" Kagome stepped out of the pool and ran inside the house, stopping by the back door's frame. Sango followed suit, and stood next to Kagome, arms crossed and shivering. "W-what is it?"
"Sango, I...I think I saw a fragment of the Shikon in him!"
Sango laughed. "Are you joking? If he had a jewel shard in him, he'd be incredibly strong. There's no way."
Kagome tapped her bare foot impatiently. "It's not big enough to make him amazingly stronger. I think it's very small - like a fragment of the fragment. A jewel shard we meant to get out in the feudal era, but we didn't get the whole thing. I had to be touching Sota to even be able to see it."
Sango bit her lip. "But Sota's not a demon, so he can't be the reincarnation of one. He'd have to be the reincarnation of a human, like..." her voice trailed off. "Like..."
Kagome and Sango finished the sentence at the same time, each saying the word softly and even reverently.
"Kohaku."
"Ready for another go?" she said brightly.
"Actually, I'm a little tired. I think I'm going to go to bed." Sota laid Kusarikama on the table.
"Sota, why are you holding a hand behind your back?" Sango raised an eyebrow at him. Sota gulped. She was a bit more observant than Kagome. "Oh, I always do this. It's just a habit." Sota turned away from her, putting his hand in front of him as he did, hoping Sango didn't notice the exchange. Sota began walking forward, but was suddenly halted by his collar being pulled against his throat. Sango had the back of his shirt.
She grabbed his shoulder, turned him around, and grabbed his wrist. "Sota, really! Why didn't you tell me?"
Sota looked away at his feet, eyes filling up with tears. His hand still hurt, the jerking around had made it hurt worse, and he was being scolded by an almost-stranger. Filled with self-pity, he shuffled his feet and mumbled, "I dunno...I'm...sorry. I'm sorry!"
Sango let go of his wrist, startled. "I didn't mean to upset you, Sota. I was just concerned. You should have told me, and we could have gotten your village miko to take care of it."
Sota looked at Sango as though she'd lost her mind, and blinked away the tears. "Our village miko? Tokyo's too big to be a village. And we don't have mikos anymore. We have doctors."
"Oh...right. Well, Kagome could have taken care of it."
"Kagome? What would she know about it?"
Sango smiled. "She is one, after all. Or well on her way. She's the reincarnation of a very good one."
"Wow," said Sota, looking a bit awed. "Really? I thought-"
But Sango never heard what he thought of Kagome, for just then the said miko entered the room with a bright, oblivious smile, and said, "Mom helped me treat the stains on your kimonos. They're in the wash right now!"
"Gee, wonder of wonders," muttered Sota. Sango noticed his hand was behind his back again. Before Kagome could give a sharp reply to Sota, Sango said softly, "You'll have to tell her sometime, Sota. Why not now?"
Sota twisted his mouth off to the side a moment, then sighed in defeat. "Kagome, Sango was teaching me how to use her kusarikama, and I hurt myself." He held out his bandaged hand, and Kagome gasped. "Oh, Sota! Did it hurt? Wait, of course it did. How much did it bleed? Does it still hurt? Are you all right?"
Sango and Sota exchanged knowing looks after Kagome's string of apprehensive questions. Sota took a deep breath, and said, "It bled kinda hard. It does still hurt."
Kagome walked around the table. "Well, it looks like you were pretty smart about taking care of it," she said, examining the bandage. "Go upstairs and go to sleep. Get your strength back."
"Say what? Why would I need to sleep because of a hurt hand?!?!"
"DO IT, SOTA, OR I'LL TELL MOM!" Kagome snapped, breathing hard. Sota took a step back, putting his hands up defensively. "Okay, okay. Fine. I'm going to bed."
"Good," Kagome said, now smiling sweetly. "Tell you what, how about tomorrow we get out your little inflatable wading pool? It's really warming up outside, and I'm sure Sango'd like it." Sota shrugged. "Okay. Good night, -Sango-. Or rather," he added, glowering at Kagome, "good afternoon."
_____________________________________________________________________
||| The Next Day, around 1:00 |||
"Alrighty, it's full!" Kagome called cheerfully to Sota and Sango, who were sitting on the porch. Sota was in swimming trunks, but Sango had refused point-blank to wear a swimsuit and was wearing elastic-waisted shorts and an old T-shirt.
Sota ran to the small, rectangular wading pool and Sango followed, a bit more self-consciously. Sota stepped into the pool and laid down on his stomach, taking up a fourth of it. Kagome rolled her eyes and sat down next to his feet. Sango slipped in beside Kagome. The water only came up to the two girls' waists, but it was peaceful out nonetheless.
Kagome watched the sunlight play out on the inch-thick layer of water on Sota's back and put her hand on his foot, about to tickle him. Then Sota shifted his shoulder blade and the light in the water intensified without warning. "Augh!" exclaimed Kagome, covering her eyes. She turned towards Sango and uncovered them, and colored blots claimed most of her line of vision. Sango said concernedly, "Kagome, are you all right?"
Sota had flipped over to stare at her, supporting himself with his uninjured hand. "Don't worry, Sango. She's just kooky, that's all."
Kagome frowned down at him. "The sun sure is bright in this water..." She trailed off, then looked from Sota to Sango, back to Sota, then to Sango, and finally back to Sota again.
"Neck finally come unscrewed, sis?" Sota asked playfully.
"No," said Kagome with a snort. She crawled on her hands and knees down by Sota's head. "Turn back over."
"Why?" said Sota suspiciously. "Just do it," said Kagome. Sota shook his head stubbornly. Kagome looked helplessly at Sango. {This is so -embarrassing-} she thought. But Sango just winked at Kagome and said, "Please, Sota. Do it for me?"
Sota blushed. "Well...all right. Since you're so much -nicer- than Kagome." He turned over on his back, and Kagome held her hand up to make a shadow on the place that had glinted earlier. She didn't want to feel like she'd just had a flashbulb in her face again.
Kagome pushed on Sota's shoulder to make his currently drawn-in shoulder blade move. "Hey!" gurgled Sota, the portion of his face with his mouth on it underwater. "What're you doing?"
But Kagome didn't answer. She was too busy staring at the bluish-purple glow that only she could see.
With no warning, she pulled her hands off of Sota like she'd been burned. "Sango, come with me!" Kagome stepped out of the pool and ran inside the house, stopping by the back door's frame. Sango followed suit, and stood next to Kagome, arms crossed and shivering. "W-what is it?"
"Sango, I...I think I saw a fragment of the Shikon in him!"
Sango laughed. "Are you joking? If he had a jewel shard in him, he'd be incredibly strong. There's no way."
Kagome tapped her bare foot impatiently. "It's not big enough to make him amazingly stronger. I think it's very small - like a fragment of the fragment. A jewel shard we meant to get out in the feudal era, but we didn't get the whole thing. I had to be touching Sota to even be able to see it."
Sango bit her lip. "But Sota's not a demon, so he can't be the reincarnation of one. He'd have to be the reincarnation of a human, like..." her voice trailed off. "Like..."
Kagome and Sango finished the sentence at the same time, each saying the word softly and even reverently.
"Kohaku."