DISCLAIMER: Much as I might wish otherwise, I am neither clever nor imaginative enough to invent the characters of Inuyasha, and therefore do not own them. This is a work of fan-fiction, for enjoyment only. No profit is made.
*****Spoiler Alert*****Spoiler Alert*****Spoiler Alert*****
You Have Been Warned - Spoilers follow for Episodes 129 through 135 - Don't complain if you read farther and find out something you didn't want to know in advance!
Missing Scene/ One Shot
After seeing "Cho Kyukai and a Plundered Bride", "The Most Dangerous Confession of Monk Miroku", and "The Last Banquet of Miroku's Master", I began to wonder if the events depicted in the first affected those in the next two. In 'Cho Kyukai', Kagome is kidnapped by a demon who only steals "young and pretty" girls to be part of his harem. Sango is right there when he takes Kagome, yet he doesn't give her a second glance. Inuyasha blows off the demon as insignificant, refusing to fight him and therefore inadvertently allowing the kidnapping to take place. Miroku, in the end, is shunned by all the rescued damsels because the Pig-Demon invariably used the phrase, "Will you bear my child?" before he absconded with his chosen victim. I felt that there HAD to be emotional repercussions to all of this which simply weren't explored in the episode, particularly in light of the fact that only two episodes later, Miroku proposes! (Told you there were spoilers) Additionally, in only three more episodes, (after the proposal, mind you) a drunken Sango tries to kiss Inuyasha!?! There has to be a reason for all this, and I suspect the day after "Cho Kyukai" contributed......
Comrades in Arms
By KerrAvon
A red and white blur raced through the forest on the outskirts of Kisuke's town, heedless of where it was headed. The girls rescued from the pig-demon had been safely returned and messengers had been sent to each maiden's village inviting the families to a celebration, after which they could escort their daughters home. Inuyasha had been restless, fidgeting from one foot to the other as party plans were made, until he finally cornered Kagome outside and exclaimed, "We're done here; can we get back to finding jewel shards?"
Kagome shot him a withering glare. "In case you've forgotten, I was one of the demon's abductees, and I think we all deserve a feast!" Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "It's your fault I got snatched to begin with; if you'd just have taken the threat seriously…"
"Well, how was I supposed to know he'd steal you? He always kidnapped 'young and pretty' girls!" Inuyasha shouted back in his defense. He knew he had erred when her face went ice-cold.
"Inuyasha?" Icicles dripped from her voice.
He cringed in anticipation. "Yes?"
She clenched her fists and screamed, "Sit, boy! Sit! Sit! SIT!"
Kagome was back inside with their host by the time he climbed out of the Inuyasha-shaped pit that had just been created. In an uncharacteristic show of discretion, he decided that going running was probably safer than challenging the miko in her present mood.
'And how exactly was it my fault?!' The half demon was still furious, but the rhythm of his feet methodically hitting the ground was soothing. 'Still, I'm not going to any stupid party. It's just a waste of time if you ask me. We should get back to finding Naraku and the fragments of the Shikon jewel. A fine sheet of sweat covered his body, and he indiscriminately slashed at the foliage he was passing. The feeling of his claws ripping through even that slight resistance was somehow reassuring. After about an hour most of his anger was spent, and he loped back towards town. He still didn't feel much like celebrating, but Kagome would expect him to be there. He owed her that much, at least. As he neared the village, he heard a sound off to the side of the path. 'What the heck is that?', he thought, slowing and cocking his head listening. When the crashing of falling tree branches sounded again, curiosity got the better of the hanyou and he made his way towards the source of the disturbance.
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'Stupid Kisuke', thought Sango, whirling Hiraikotsu furiously over her head. 'Why'd he have to go and insist on a feast tonight?' With a final great heave, she let the weapon fly. It soared across the empty field where she was practicing, cleared the nearby trees, and then began its return journey.
'Of course, the vapid monk couldn't resist; I mean all those 'young and pretty' single girls! So the hentai accepted for all of us. The NERVE of the guy!' She caught the giant boomerang with practiced ease.
'Even after they all rejected him, too.' A satisfied smirk graced her face briefly as Sango hefted the weapon yet again. 'Too bad for Houshi-sama that the demon liked to use his patented pick-up line...' The Hiraikotsu began to spin again under her deft ministrations.
'I can't blame the villagers, though. After all, they're just overjoyed that their daughters are home safely, and want to celebrate. It's only reasonable to expect the saviors to attend the festivities.' Her eyes narrowed as she targeted the top of a nearby fir. 'But did Houshi-sama have to be so...enthusiastic about it?'
Her anger injected more energy into the throw as she released. 'I guess I can't blame him for his nature.' She sighed audibly. 'I mean, the girls really are very pretty, and he really is...a LECHER!' Hiraikotsu cleanly took off the tip of the tree, and then swung back. 'And I guess I'm not much to look at; even Mr. Piggy-demon didn't notice me! She expertly fielded her weapon, and then prepared to hurl it again.
'Except for the fact that Houshi-sama fondles my rear from time to time, I'd say he doesn't even know I'm a girl! For crying out loud, he used Shippo dressed as a woman to distract the demon, while I was standing right there. It's not as if I had any other role in his rescue plan; not really. I mean, it all hinged on that Chinese ofuda and Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga. I would have made a much better decoy than the Kitsune, but the priest didn't even think of using me!' The rotating boomerang gained momentum with her enraged thoughts, until she targeted another tree and let fly. 'That stupid monk just sees me as "one of the guys", I guess. 'The jerk.'
'Now that I think about it, he only fondles me if no one else is around.' A second tree-top severed cleanly. 'I suppose the phrase "Beggars can't be choosers" must apply. The idiot.' The taijiya caught her weapon with practiced ease, only to set up for another shot.
'Why do I even care? I don't have any feelings for him, do I?' She lined up a ricochet shot that would hit two trees in one cast, then sighed. 'Who do I think I'm kidding? I guess I'm hoping that if I say it often enough, it might become true.' She finished aiming and released her throw.
'It's just that...traveling with a man day and night, you get to know him. Unfortunately, the more I know Miroku, the more I care about him.' Her aim was true, and the Hiraikotsu reversed towards its owner. 'Womanizer, thief, con-artist, drunkard; you get that from the start. After all, that's what he wants you to see. A man who enjoys the finer things in life, and isn't afraid to bend some rules to get them.' Sango snared her toss, then began to concentrate on a three-tree assault.
'But underneath that facade lurks another; the holy man whose innate goodness allows him to use the ofuda effectively; the stalwart companion who would sacrifice his life to save those of his friends; the lost child whose impending death has him so terrified that he tries to squeeze every ounce of pleasure into the limited time he has left. He doesn't want us to know these other Mirokus, so he plays the lecherous fool.' Releasing her throw, she continued on that train of thought. 'I watch him sometimes, when he's asleep, or when he's meditating. He doesn't know anyone's around, so he lets his mask slip.' Three trees hit as the Hiraikotsu begins its descent. 'So calm, so serene...so amazingly innocent. None of that wily hardness that slips in whenever he sees a 'dark cloud' over a rich man's house... I just want to hold him forever, and make everything all right in his world.'
Catching her weapon, she grounded it, satisfied with her workout so far. 'Yet he sees me as a buddy, a teammate; someone to fight shoulder-to-shoulder and to guard his back. I'm surprised he even bothers to grope me!'
"Three at once - not bad, Sango." The unexpected compliment hung in the air as the taijiya whirled on the speaker. She had come to this deserted field to be alone and sort out her thoughts, maybe get in a little target practice; the last thing she wanted was company. Still, there was no reason to be rude.
Inuyasha stood on the edge of the clearing, leaning on a broken stump. The red of his fire-rat coat was a stark contrast to the deep green of the surrounding trees. "Inuyasha! Why aren't you back at the village feast?"
He picked up his sword and sauntered towards her. "Feh. I never was much for gatherings like that. Too much noise and too much sake, if you ask me." He scowled and glanced at his feet. "Besides, all those people were rescued from a demon; they don't want one at their festivities." He looked up at her consideringly. "What are you doing out here?"
Sango shrugged nonchalantly. "I wasn't really in the 'party' mood. I'd rather get back on the road and hunt down Naraku. Every minute we waste like this is another minute that Kohaku spends in mental slavery to that monster." She gestured to her Hiraikotsu. "So I'm doing a little training, instead."
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "I had no idea you felt that way. I'd sure rather go find Naraku right now myself." He was curious. "So why do you always go along whenever Kagome suggests a side trip, then?"
Sango shrugged, and inspected a small nick in her giant weapon. "Don't misunderstand; I don't mind helping people. I just don't see sticking around afterwards. Also, she's my friend, and that's pretty important to me. Finally, I figure that we won't get very far if Kagome gets mad and goes off in a huff to her time period. After all, none of us can sense jewel fragments, and that's the only lead we have to Naraku's hiding place." She fixed him with a stare. "Why do you think I'm always on your case to go bring her back? If you eating a little crow is all it takes to get us moving, then I'm all for it." 'Not to mention you're usually wrong....' she thought to herself.
If anything, Inuyasha's eyes became even wider as his eyebrows tried to hide in his scalp. His mouth gaped for a moment before he noticed and closed it with an audible snap. 'Well, what do you know?' "I never thought of it like that..." he said consideringly, before his innate stubborn streak kicked in. "Still, I won't apologize for something I didn't do!"
Sango took a deep breath, then began setting up a straw dummy she had made for sword practice. "No, Inuyasha, I didn't think you would."
Curiosity drew the hanyou closer. "Wha'ja doin' there?" he asked, inspecting her handiwork.
"Well, a good taijiya has more than one weapon at her disposal, and it's been a while since I got in any blade work."
Inuyasha snorted derisively. "What good's that thing? It can't fight back."
"At least this way I can practice aiming my blows..."
"Against an unmoving target." The half-demon cocked his head. "How'd you feel about fighting me?"
It was Sango's turn to snigger. "Against Tetsusaiga? I wouldn't stand a chance!"
Inuyasha turned serious. "No, really! I'll just leave it in its rusty form. After all, you're not a demon; I'm not even sure it would activate against you."
Sango hated to look a gift horse in the mouth, but her natural cynicism took over. "Oh? And what do you get out of it?"
The hanyou shrugged. "First, some practice. It doesn't matter how powerful my sword is if I can't hit my opponent with it." He turned a little shamefaced and glanced at his feet. "Second, it gives me an excuse not to go to the party. Kagome won't 'sit' me for practicing so I can protect her better, but she might if I just didn't show."
Sango caught the last phrase, and slowly nodded. "All right, let's give it a try; but if I say to stop, then we quit, agreed?"
"'Fraid you can't take me, huh?" The dog-demon quirked a corner of his mouth upwards in challenge. At Sango's continued silence and raised expectant eyebrow, he broke into a full grin and nodded himself. "Sure, whatever. Agreed."
The moment the words were out of his mouth, Sango's sword was descending towards his head. He barely got Tetsusaiga unsheathed in time to block the down stroke. 'Damn, she's fast!' His grin grew wider. 'This might actually be a challenge!'
Using his upper body strength, he managed to throw her backwards far enough to bring his sword down in front of his torso before her next attack. He fielded three more strokes before a pattern of attack began to emerge.
Despite his superior might, Inuyasha recognized that Sango had a tactical advantage. She had seen his sword-fighting style numerous times, while he had seen hers less than a handful. After all, the Hiraikotsu was her weapon of choice, the sword reserved for close quarter fighting only. He stuck to the defensive position until he could analyze her fighting style well enough to be able to launch an attack of his own.
'She's good with a blade, too. I'm glad she's on our side.' he grudgingly admitted to himself. By now they were both panting with exertion. "You're pretty strong for a girl.", he taunted.
She remained unperturbed, but allowed a small smile. "Ya think? It takes a muscle or two to toss the Hiraikotsu, you know." A feint to the left and a sweep to the right focused his full attention back on the duel.
A few minutes silently elapsed as they tried to penetrate the other's defenses. Inuyasha became more and more incredulous as he repeatedly failed to land a blow. 'I sure AM glad she's on our side. I never thought about it, but the only time I've fought Sango before she was mostly dead, literally, on her feet. She's spectacular!!'
Sango was having similar thoughts about the half-demon. 'I guess he doesn't rely on Tetsusaiga's power alone; that was a pretty complex maneuver he just pulled off.' She squinted, concentrating on his footwork. 'I guess I'll have to get inventive and take a few risks...'
Ducking beneath a lateral slash, Sango lunged forward with her point towards Inuyasha's abdomen. The hanyou barely managed to twist sideways in time to avoid the potential skewering, then brought his blade beneath hers and swept it upwards. The taijiya, anticipating the next strike, leapt backwards in time to avoid the hanyou's attempt to take advantage of her exposed trunk. The distance obtained allowed the pair to slowly circle, panting and dripping sweat, as they searched for exploitable weaknesses. Inuyasha smiled ferally. "Getting tired?" he asked.
Sango said nothing, which triggered a thought in the dog-demon. 'I never noticed it before, but she doesn't talk much when she fights. Maybe if I break her concentration...'
"Hey, Sango! Too tired to talk?" His eyes never wavered as he drew the back of his hand across his forehead to wipe off the perspiration. She merely grunted in reply, continuing their slow circling dance. 'Nothing, but I'm sure I'm on the right track. Hmmmmm.... What really throws her off?' He smiled again as the answer occurred to him.
"You know, maybe you ought to call it quits for tonight? I'm sure the party has started by now, and if you're not there to keep that bouzu in line..." He intentionally left the sentence unfinished.
He got a reaction, just not the one he was expecting. Rather than becoming distracted by anger, he watched her aura slowly turn a vibrant focused scarlet. She literally radiated death. His smile fled in a heartbeat and he took an inadvertent abrupt step back.
This was the opening Sango had been waiting for. Lunging forward, she feinted again, then struck. Inuyasha clearly felt the breeze created by the blade whistling past his cheek as he fell back again. Blow after blow, he barely held his own, until finally fortune favored him. Sango misstepped in a rodent hole, falling before she could catch herself. Her sword flew from her hands as she tried to recover her balance, landing several feet beyond her outstretched hands. She twisted frantically to put her back to the ground and face her opponent. Inuyasha was over her in an instant, Tetsusaiga at her throat.
"Ha." he gloated. "Guess this means I win!"
Sango smiled mysteriously. "Think again." Inuyasha's eyes went wide as he felt the point of a blade prick the skin over his carotid artery. His eyes flew to where Sango's sword lay still in the grass.
'What the hell?' , he thought, then closed his eyes in chagrin as he remembered the knife she literally kept up her sleeve. Somehow she had managed to get her arm beside his neck without his noticing. "Your dagger..." he muttered, Tetsusaiga still at her throat.
She raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Yep. A good demon-slayer is always armed."
He broke into a grin, then lifted his sword from her neck. "Tie game?" he suggested.
Sango chuckled as she sheathed her weapon. "Sure. I haven't had that good a practice since..." her smile disappeared as her eyes sought the ground. "Since my family died." she finished in a small voice as she sat up.
Inuyasha plopped on the ground beside her. He was not going to watch her wallow in self-pity; it was a wasteful emotion. "Hey, at least you had a family. My parents both died when I was young, and my only brother would just as soon kill me as look at me." He held up a hand for silence as he saw her mouth open to reply. "And before you go talking about Kohaku trying to kill us, I'll remind you that he is under Naraku's control. Sesshoumaru's just a son of a bitch."
The taijiya, who had indeed begun to mention their encounters with her brother, began to giggle at the double entendre of Inuyasha's last statement. She covered her mouth with both hands to try to stifle it, but her shoulders began to shake uncontrollably. The hanyou snuck a glance at her out of the corner of his eye, then started to chuckle himself. Soon they were both rolling on the ground in paroxysms of laughter. Each time one would calm enough to catch their breath, they would catch the other's eye and it would send them off again. Soon they had leaves and grass all through their hair and clothing, causing them to laugh even harder.
After over ten minutes, they lay on the ground, spent. Tears ran from the corners of a still-grinning Sango's eyes, and she drew her fingertips over them to wipe them away. "Thanks Inuyasha. I really needed that."
The hanyou turned to his side, resting on his elbow as he looked at her. "Yeah. Sesshoumaru's always good for a laugh."
Sango sat up. "Sure, if you want to die. I don't see ever laughing at him to his face."
Inuyasha squinted an eye closed and considered. "Nooooo....probably not." He shook his head, then stood and extended a hand to help her up. "I enjoyed the sparring match. Maybe we could do it again sometime."
The demon hunter considered for a moment as she grasped his hand. 'Sometimes it's good to be one of the boys.' "I'd like that." she replied.
She pulled up on his hand as she stood, then winced as pain shot through her ankle, causing her to overbalance and sag against Inuyasha for support. "I must have twisted my ankle when I stepped in that gopher hole."
"Here, sit down for a minute and let me take a look." He lowered her back to the ground, then pulled up her pants-leg to expose her ankle. It was slightly swollen, and tender when he pushed in just the right place. Still, it seemed stable enough, and there were no sensations of bone grinding on bone. "I don't think it's broken, but it is sprained. I suspect that it'll be fine in the morning if you stay off of it and soak it in water."
Sango had watched closely, and agreed with his conclusion. "That's all very well, but we've still got to get back to town. I'll rest it once we're back at Kisuke's house."
Inuyasha looked at her like she was an idiot. "You'll rest it now. I'll go gather the weapons, then I'll carry you back to town."
Sango blushed. "But...what....Kagome.....What will people think?" she finally managed to enunciate.
"Feh. That you were hurt? Who cares, anyway?" So saying, he picked up the swords, sheathing Tetsusaiga and handing the taijiya hers to put away. Then, he headed over to Hiraikotsu. His first attempt at lifting the demon-bone weapon didn't even budge the thing. 'This is like Tetsusaiga when we first added my fang to repair it!' Keeping that in mind, his second attempt successfully hoisted it off the ground, and he headed back to his fencing partner.
Sango had been considering Inuyasha's question. 'He's right. Kagome won't mind, just this once. Besides, it'll keep me from being laid up tomorrow, and I really do want to get back on the road and find Naraku.' She stood again with the half-demon's help, balanced precariously on her good leg, and hefted Hiraikotsu onto her back. After she was steady again, Inuyasha let go long enough to kneel with his back towards her. Putting her arms around his neck, she suddenly found herself flying though the forest.
"Wow. No wonder Kagome likes this! It's like running without any effort!"
"Huh. It'd be a lot faster if we didn't have your boomerang. I'm surprised you can lift that thing, much less throw it well enough to take off the tops of trees."
Sango shrugged, then realized that he couldn't see her. "Well, I've had a lot of practice."
"I guess so!" She could hear the grin in his voice.
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They were quite a sight as they entered the village. The party was still going full-swing by the sound of it; unfortunately, it was at the house where they were staying the night. Sango was embarrassed. "Maybe I ought to get down now, Inuyasha. I don't want to make a scene."
"Do you want to be better by morning or not? I'll carry you around back to your room, then I'll go get Kagome." The hanyou was emphatic. "I'll bet she has something in her bag that'll fix you right up." So saying, he headed towards the side of the house.
Just then, the time-traveling miko rounded the corner they were approaching. She had just been back to see if Inuyasha was sulking in the boy's quarters, and had come up empty-handed. Her eyes flew wide at the sight of her Inuyasha carrying another woman on his back. It wasn't even Kikyo this time!
She took in the pair's disheveled state, the leaves in their hair, the sweat and grass stains on their clothing, and drew some extremely unwelcome conclusions. "Inuyasha!" was all she could bring herself to say in her surprise.
"Hoy, Kagome. I was just going to look for you." Inuyasha was blissfully unaware of the reaction he was generating.
Her mouth drew into a thin line. 'Someone's been taking lessons from Miroku.' Acidly she replied, "Yes?"
Think of the devil, and he will appear. Just at that moment Miroku stumbled out the front door, presumably on his way to the facilities. He froze and sobered instantly at the sight before him, then fisted his eyes and looked again. "S..Sango?" he stuttered.
From her position on the hanyou's back, the taijiya blushed, then became indignant. 'How dare they think that...that we....' She couldn't complete the thought. She mastered her voice, then in the most dulcet tones replied, "Yes, Houshi-sama?"
Miroku hadn't moved a muscle. Still ineffectively wrapping his tongue around the words, he stammered, "Um...what...ummm....why.....?"
Kagome rescued him. "Why are you on Inuyasha's back?!?"
Inuyasha shot her a look that said, 'What are you, an idiot?' better than words, then started back towards the girls' sleeping chamber. "Cause she twisted her ankle while we were having weapons practice and can't walk!" He strode determinedly forward. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get her to her room before I break my back from her and that damn boomerang!"
Miroku and Kagome trailed sheepishly behind. Sango murmured, just loud enough for Inuyasha to hear, "Now that was fun." 'Did you see Houshi-sama's face?' The hanyou didn't reply, but flicked his ears in acknowledgement.
Once in the room, Sango found herself unexpectedly lifted off Inuyasha's back by a chagrined monk. One arm beneath her shoulders and the other beneath her knees, he carried her like fragile china until he could gently set her on her futon. To her utter astonishment, his hands didn't stray even once. An equally abashed Kagome took one look at her ankle, then started to rummage through her knapsack. Within moments she produced something called an 'ace wrap' which she applied to the swollen ankle. Sango was dubious about the elastic cloth, but had to admit that her ankle felt much better with the support.
"If you two don't mind, I'll go take a quick dip in the river, and leave the bath-house to you. OK, Kagome?" Inuyasha was polite, but the filth was beginning to itch.
"Sure, Inuyasha. I'll take care of Sango now."
Inuyasha nodded once, then was gone.
Suddenly Miroku disappeared as well, only to return momentarily with a crutch and their host in tow.
Kisuke was quite concerned that one of his honored guests had been injured. "I am so sorry this occurred." He apologized even though it wasn't his fault in the slightest. "I'll have some of the girls bring food here to you."
"What I'd really like is to get cleaned up." The combination of sweat and dried grass was becoming increasingly pruritic.
"I'll send a girl right away with towels. You can bathe while we prepare your dinner." So saying, he bowed his way out of the room.
"Let me help." Kagome had gone into full mother-hen mode now that she realized her mistake. By the time Sango was up and comfortable with the use of her crutch, the towels had arrived.
"I could help you bathe, if you'd like." Miroku offered, waggling his eyebrows. "I mean, you must be in such agony!"
She giggled to herself but kept her external features stern. 'What would he do if I took him up on that?' Deciding that she had gone through enough excitement for one day, she looked as disparaging as possible. "I usually use my hands to bathe, not my feet." With a grinning, towel-carrying Kagome in tow, she hobbled out of the room.
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Settling into the bath with a sigh, Sango closed her eyes. Bliss. They snapped open again as she heard Kagome get in the water as well.
"Kagome-chan! I didn't mean to pull you away from the festivities."
Kagome waved a hand in dismissal. "Oh, you didn't. I was looking for an excuse to leave, anyway." Kagome began rubbing soap on her face. "What sort of weapon practice were you guys doing?"
Sango looked at her friend in surprise. "You're not still jealous, are you?" she blurted.
It was Kagome's turn to blush. "I'm not....I wasn't..." She dropped her head in defeat. "Ok, so I was a little suspicious. I mean, come on! He's carrying you on his back, you're both sweaty and covered with leaves and grass....what would you think?"
Sango replied thoughtfully. "That maybe we'd encountered a demon?"
Kagome blanched. "Did you?"
"No. We practiced our swordsmanship and I got taken down by a gopher hole. But you asked what I would think, and 'demon attack' would have been the first thing to cross my mind." She was quite matter-of-fact.
Kagome smiled fondly at her friend. "Sango, you're one of a kind."
'I'll second that.' thought Miroku, as he snuck away from his listening post next to the bath-house wall. 'One of a kind, indeed.'