Holy crap! This is chapter 50 everyone. I never thought this fic would
advance so far when I started it in June. Wow. This will probably be the
first story I ever finish. _
Chapter 50- In the Middle of the Night
Night had fallen upon the lands. Chiyo sat in her cavern going over scrolls upon scrolls of battle tactics and spells. She could sense that the majority of her company was asleep, most but not all. Machiko stood in the entrance of the cavern, waiting for Chiyo to welcome her in. "Come here, Machiko," beckoned the ancient hanyou.
Machiko took at seat of the great table beside Chiyo. "You should sleep, Chiyo-sama."
"I am too restless to sleep," she replied and dismissed the idea with a wave of her small hand.
"I was wondering . . ."
"Yes? Come now, Machiko."
"Why do you plan to give the Inuhanyou such responsibility?"
Chiyo sat down the scroll she had been studying and rubbed her eyes. She sighed deeply and looked over at Machiko.
"Why not?" was her answer.
"Are you sure he can handle it?"
Machiko could not understand why her mistress had so much faith and trust in such a young Inuhanyou. She, herself, was older than Inuyasha.
"Yes. Of that I have no doubt." Chiyo could almost understand Machiko's doubts, but than she knew something that Machiko did not. "In all your years here, Machiko, have you ever seen me falter?"
"No, Chiyo-sama. Why-"
"Have you ever held any doubt in my decisions?"
"No, never. I just don't understand-"
"Because you are not suppose to. Machiko . . ." Chiyo sighed before speaking again. "This hanyou, Inuyasha. He has so much power and potential inside him that if I were mortal it would very much frighten me."
"I don't understand," she whispered.
"Think of it this way. He knew how to transact The Sharing of Blood with only the utterance of the spell's name. His retainer, I am told, had only explained a few of the spell's consequences before he performed it. He performed it without dying, and retained both his and his mate's souls. They both have so much power . . . the fates do indeed favor them."
"Does that mean we'll win this War?" Machiko asked hopefully.
"Yes," nodded Chiyo. "We most certainly will win."
^_^
Sango could tell that when she woke it was still the middle of the night. The room and halls were silent. Miroku slept not two feet from her. She and the houshi had been given the same room from their last visit. Kagome and Inuyasha were down the hall in their same room. Shippou and Rin were sleeping with the other children. As far as Sango was aware, Sesshomaru had been given a room of his own and Kouga had been given a small comfortable cavern for himself and his Pack. Sango had been surprised Kouga had brought his Pack, but considering everything, perhaps it wasn't as strange as the other happenings. Sango shook her head to dismiss her thoughts and leaned against the wall of her room.
Miroku heard Sango's bedding shift and opened his eyes to see the Taijiya leaning against the wall, her head on her knees. "Sango?" Miroku said before yawning.
Sango looked up to see the young houshi sitting up in his bedding. His hair tie had fallen out and his hair hung lose. "Is something the matter, Sango?" prodded Miroku, standing up and moving to sit beside her.
"No, nothing. I just can go back to sleep."
"We've been quite busy, lately," Miroku began. "In this week since we've come here, there has been little time for a simple conversation."
"Yes," Sango agreed, giving the monk a small smile. "Everything has been moving so quickly that I am just now catching my breath."
"How have you been?"
"What do you mean?"
Miroku took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "How are you holding up?" he rephrased his question.
"I . . ." Sango trailed off before trying again. "I'm a little afraid."
"Of the battle?"
"A little bit. I'm more afraid of what will happen if one of us dies. I can't imagine living without any member of the Pack."
Miroku was silent for a moment before he reached out his hand and intertwined his fingers with Sango's. "I am quite certain we will all come out of this alive, dear Sango. Chiyo-sama seems very confident in our small army."
Sango sighed and leaned her head on Miroku's shoulder. She felt the monk tense beneath her head before he relaxed and briefly squeeze her hand. With a grin Miroku began to brighten the conversation. "With the money that we will collect from the bet on Inuyasha and Kagome-sama's firstborn, I believe that we should build a house."
"A house?" asked Sango.
"Yes," Miroku continued. "A grand house with many, many rooms. We will need a big house for the entire Pack."
"And where will we build this 'grand house'?"
"I think that we should build it between the Go-Shimboku and the old well."
"And how many rooms will we have?"
Miroku considered it a moment before answering. "Dozens."
"We will need dozens of rooms for the Pack?" Sango could not keep the smile from her voice.
"We will need dozens of rooms for Kagome-sama and Inuyasha's children alone."
Sango laughed before nodded her head in agreement. "Yes. I have a feeling they will have many, many children."
"And what of us, Beautiful Sango?"
Sango fell silent under the monk's 'innocent' question. "What do you mean?"
Miroku let out a breath of air that tickled the hair on Sango's head. "Sango, when this is all over, I . . ."
"What?" prodded Sango, pulling away far enough to look Miroku in the eye.
Miroku shifted position so that he knelt in front of Sango and took both of her hands in his. "I was wondering if you would do me the honor of being my wife."
Sango took in a shaky breath and looked down at the hands that held hers. His hold was gentle, his thumbs rubbing light circles on her hands. "I will," she whispered, looking up.
Miroku's heart skipped a beat and in the blink of an eye he released Sango's hands and pulled her into a fierce hug. After a moment, Sango returned the hug and rested her head in the crook of his neck.
After a moment, Miroku pulled back enough to sit against the wall before pulling Sango into his lap. She sighed happily and relaxed in his embrace. "I love you," whispered Miroku.
"I love you, too," replied Sango, yawning and closing her eyes.
Miroku almost laughed when he realized the woman in his arms had fallen asleep. "Guess she could go to sleep after all."
Chapter 50- In the Middle of the Night
Night had fallen upon the lands. Chiyo sat in her cavern going over scrolls upon scrolls of battle tactics and spells. She could sense that the majority of her company was asleep, most but not all. Machiko stood in the entrance of the cavern, waiting for Chiyo to welcome her in. "Come here, Machiko," beckoned the ancient hanyou.
Machiko took at seat of the great table beside Chiyo. "You should sleep, Chiyo-sama."
"I am too restless to sleep," she replied and dismissed the idea with a wave of her small hand.
"I was wondering . . ."
"Yes? Come now, Machiko."
"Why do you plan to give the Inuhanyou such responsibility?"
Chiyo sat down the scroll she had been studying and rubbed her eyes. She sighed deeply and looked over at Machiko.
"Why not?" was her answer.
"Are you sure he can handle it?"
Machiko could not understand why her mistress had so much faith and trust in such a young Inuhanyou. She, herself, was older than Inuyasha.
"Yes. Of that I have no doubt." Chiyo could almost understand Machiko's doubts, but than she knew something that Machiko did not. "In all your years here, Machiko, have you ever seen me falter?"
"No, Chiyo-sama. Why-"
"Have you ever held any doubt in my decisions?"
"No, never. I just don't understand-"
"Because you are not suppose to. Machiko . . ." Chiyo sighed before speaking again. "This hanyou, Inuyasha. He has so much power and potential inside him that if I were mortal it would very much frighten me."
"I don't understand," she whispered.
"Think of it this way. He knew how to transact The Sharing of Blood with only the utterance of the spell's name. His retainer, I am told, had only explained a few of the spell's consequences before he performed it. He performed it without dying, and retained both his and his mate's souls. They both have so much power . . . the fates do indeed favor them."
"Does that mean we'll win this War?" Machiko asked hopefully.
"Yes," nodded Chiyo. "We most certainly will win."
^_^
Sango could tell that when she woke it was still the middle of the night. The room and halls were silent. Miroku slept not two feet from her. She and the houshi had been given the same room from their last visit. Kagome and Inuyasha were down the hall in their same room. Shippou and Rin were sleeping with the other children. As far as Sango was aware, Sesshomaru had been given a room of his own and Kouga had been given a small comfortable cavern for himself and his Pack. Sango had been surprised Kouga had brought his Pack, but considering everything, perhaps it wasn't as strange as the other happenings. Sango shook her head to dismiss her thoughts and leaned against the wall of her room.
Miroku heard Sango's bedding shift and opened his eyes to see the Taijiya leaning against the wall, her head on her knees. "Sango?" Miroku said before yawning.
Sango looked up to see the young houshi sitting up in his bedding. His hair tie had fallen out and his hair hung lose. "Is something the matter, Sango?" prodded Miroku, standing up and moving to sit beside her.
"No, nothing. I just can go back to sleep."
"We've been quite busy, lately," Miroku began. "In this week since we've come here, there has been little time for a simple conversation."
"Yes," Sango agreed, giving the monk a small smile. "Everything has been moving so quickly that I am just now catching my breath."
"How have you been?"
"What do you mean?"
Miroku took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "How are you holding up?" he rephrased his question.
"I . . ." Sango trailed off before trying again. "I'm a little afraid."
"Of the battle?"
"A little bit. I'm more afraid of what will happen if one of us dies. I can't imagine living without any member of the Pack."
Miroku was silent for a moment before he reached out his hand and intertwined his fingers with Sango's. "I am quite certain we will all come out of this alive, dear Sango. Chiyo-sama seems very confident in our small army."
Sango sighed and leaned her head on Miroku's shoulder. She felt the monk tense beneath her head before he relaxed and briefly squeeze her hand. With a grin Miroku began to brighten the conversation. "With the money that we will collect from the bet on Inuyasha and Kagome-sama's firstborn, I believe that we should build a house."
"A house?" asked Sango.
"Yes," Miroku continued. "A grand house with many, many rooms. We will need a big house for the entire Pack."
"And where will we build this 'grand house'?"
"I think that we should build it between the Go-Shimboku and the old well."
"And how many rooms will we have?"
Miroku considered it a moment before answering. "Dozens."
"We will need dozens of rooms for the Pack?" Sango could not keep the smile from her voice.
"We will need dozens of rooms for Kagome-sama and Inuyasha's children alone."
Sango laughed before nodded her head in agreement. "Yes. I have a feeling they will have many, many children."
"And what of us, Beautiful Sango?"
Sango fell silent under the monk's 'innocent' question. "What do you mean?"
Miroku let out a breath of air that tickled the hair on Sango's head. "Sango, when this is all over, I . . ."
"What?" prodded Sango, pulling away far enough to look Miroku in the eye.
Miroku shifted position so that he knelt in front of Sango and took both of her hands in his. "I was wondering if you would do me the honor of being my wife."
Sango took in a shaky breath and looked down at the hands that held hers. His hold was gentle, his thumbs rubbing light circles on her hands. "I will," she whispered, looking up.
Miroku's heart skipped a beat and in the blink of an eye he released Sango's hands and pulled her into a fierce hug. After a moment, Sango returned the hug and rested her head in the crook of his neck.
After a moment, Miroku pulled back enough to sit against the wall before pulling Sango into his lap. She sighed happily and relaxed in his embrace. "I love you," whispered Miroku.
"I love you, too," replied Sango, yawning and closing her eyes.
Miroku almost laughed when he realized the woman in his arms had fallen asleep. "Guess she could go to sleep after all."