Disclaimer: *sigh* Ok, let's go over this again… I don't own Inuyasha. There. Happy? T_T;;;
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"Koukai wa shite inai
Anata to susunda michi da kara…"
***
"I am not having regrets
Because this is the path I went down with you…"
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Irony – Chapter 4…
…Revelations…
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The heavy fog didn't make it any easier to see, besides the pouring rain and strong wind. Kagome walked silently next to the fire cat youkai, the kitsune cub was clinging to Kirara's neck for warmth. She carried a baby pink umbrella in her left hand, in hopes of not getting completely soaked. The unconscious houshi rode atop Kirara, his face contorted in pain from the multiple wounds on his body that he had conceived from the earlier battle. Inuyasha strode beside Kagome, sulking. He had volunteered his red haori to cover Miroku, and had refused to take an umbrella from Kagome, he babbled about it being for weaklings such as women and children. Kagome let out a prolonged sigh, breaking the hour long silence.
She shivered, running her hands up and down her arms, hoping to obtain some warmth. Her clothing was totally soaked, clinging to her body uncomfortably.
"We'll have to look for shelter" Kagome turned around suddenly, meeting Inuyasha's eyes.
"Shelter?" she echoed, questioning what she had just heard. Was she hearing things?
"You'll catch a cold this way. Plus, Miroku won't last much longer this way; we need to treat his injuries." He had the most sincere look on his face.
"Inuyasha…" she smiled, catching him in a light hug.
He blushed slightly, embracing her back for a moment, before she broke away from him. They both blushed.
"Inuyasha?..." Kagome stared at the ground, refusing to look at him.
"Hmm?"
"Do you think that Sango-chan is--?" she felt her eyes blur with tears again, she clenched her fists. The thought of losing her best friend was unthinkable!
"She'll be fine"
She looked up at him as he moved his right hand towards her face, brushing a stray hair behind her ear.
"We'll find her" he reassured the girl and she nodded gratefully, turning around to keep walking forward.
A couple more minutes of walking through the rain and fog passed quietly, a couple of sighs, nothing more.
"Kagome" the girl looked up, throwing a questioning gaze at Inuyasha.
"What is it?" she asked him quietly.
"I smell humans up ahead. Must be a village"
Kagome's face lit up with joy. Finally, she could have a good rest and a good night's sleep!
They walked for a couple more minutes before promptly running into a small village.
"We're here!" Shippo exclaimed excitedly. He had just woken up to the smell of fresh fish roasting.
They walked for a few minutes, reaching the center square. There were some people outside, drying clothes—
"Miroku-sama!" a young childlike voice called.
The Inuyasha-tachi quickly turned around, ending up face-to-face with a distressed teenager, staring at the unconscious houshi atop Kirara's back.
"Koharu-chan!"
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Sango couldn't move, couldn't breathe. For the very first time in her entire life, she had felt completely and utterly helpless. Struggling to open her eyes, her eyelids felt as if they each weighed a ton. She tried squirming a little bit. She wasn't very comfortable, after all. Looking around, she could tell that she was lying on a futon, covered with a light blanket. Her neck throbbed from the earlier incident. She lightly lifted her hand and brought it to her neck, wincing at contact.
Wait…
Where was she? She didn't know. Sango remembered what had happened before. Her friends had come to help her, after she had tried to face Naraku by herself.
'Though, in the end, someone I love always ends up getting hurt…' It was true.
'Kohaku, he…' she bit her lip.
'Houshi-sama got hurt because of me…' It was all her fault.
This had all happened before. A couple of weeks back, while Miroku and herself had traveled to Mt. Hakureizan, seeking Naraku's whereabouts. They had come across Kagura, who as usual, had a swarm of youkai and saimyoushou with her as well.
'I got distracted as I threw Hiraikotsu, when I saw Kohaku. I got myself knocked out. That time, houshi-sama sucked up Naraku's poisonous insects to save me…'
"If it means the girl I care for will live a little longer, then I don't need my life…"
'That time… he almost died because of me as well'
Using her arms for support, she slowly lifted herself off the futon, struggling to stand up. She had never felt so weak before, suddenly, her knees buckled. She fell forward into a sitting position, hoping that her head would stop spinning. She sighed and closed her eyes, massaging her temples with her fingers lightly.
"It's no use" the calm womanly voice came from another corner of the room.
Sango looked around the dark room through her blurry vision.
"Who's there?" she called out.
"Don't waste your energy, taijiya."
There was that voice again! Sango furrowed her eyebrows, trying to remember…
That voice had sounded so familiar…
The floor creaked lightly as a young black-haired woman in a lovely red and white kimono gracefully stepped into view, lightly fingering the fan she was holding.
Sango sighed in defeat. She knew where she was…
"Kagura…"
The wind-user smirked, sending a single blade towards Sango.
Sango gasped. She didn't even realize what had happened at first. Before she knew it, she felt herself flying backwards, and then falling onto her back painfully. She looked down at her stomach, at her formerly black cat taijiya uniform, now stained in crimson blood, which was flowing like a river from her open wound. The shock of what had happened had dulled the pain slightly as she tried desperately to stay conscious. Her attempts were futile. She closed her eyes.
She thought of her father and comrades, dying before her very eyes.
She remembered her own brother's scythe, embedding itself in her back, tearing through the skin and muscle.
Her friends, who had now become like her family…
All of them meant so much to her…
'Houshi-sama…' Images flashed in her head, racing through her mind.
And then there was only red…
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A/N: I'm sooo sorry I took this long to update! School is just getting really hard, homework, finals, projects… *sigh* I'm trying hard to balance everything out. I kept telling myself that after I finish my homework, I'll write my fics, but I just fell asleep ^^;;; OMG I'm so excited! Episode 132, the episode I've been waiting for is playing in Japan on November 10th! Yatta! I think this chapter is a lil bit longer than the rest. lol. ^^;;;
…10-29-03… ¬.¬;; damn… im soo sorry I took so long to update! I'm trying my best, honestly. It's hard to maintain a good average, work, etc… I'll try update sooner! Ja ne! ~.^
