A God's Game

by celadonserpent

A mother's hidden heritage, a child's fated destiny, a god's merciless game... The true enemy is not Hell, but Heaven itself.

5. A Test of Engagement

A God's Game

Author's Notes: Sorry for the super slow update, but I'm bogged down with work from my crazy teachers who believe we students have no life other than studying. Sorry, but I'm afraid you're going to have to expect slow updates for a while. At least until the AP and IB exams are over. Again, sorry. -_-

IMPORTANT!!! Kagome's friend, Ayumi, is now changed to the name of "Eri." I originally thought that her friends didn't really have assigned names, but Spectrum pointed out that they do have names. The person that I was referring to in the story is Eri, not Ayumi. Eri is the girl with the yellow hair band in her hair. I am not talking about the girl with wavy hair, okay? Just making sure… (By the way, thanks a million Spectrum!)

Chapter V: A Test of Engagement

            He sat in the cool open room, surveying his payment of precious metals. He fingered the metals carefully, searching for their purity, but his mind was distracted with other matters. That Ryuten… He's up to something, he thought, remembering the conversation that he had overhead when he delivered the dragon god his new sword.

            "Inuyasha, huh?" he said out loud. Inuyasha… Any fool in heaven knows him, he thought, irritated with himself. Perhaps he was overreacting to things. Ryuten may have only mentioned the boy's name in passing. But then why was he speaking of capturing him?

            "Hello? Is anyone home? Kintaro?" a familiar voice called out. He sighed knowing who it was immediately from the sound of his voice.

            "Back here, Ichiro," he said. As he waited for his friend to arrive, he began searching to room for one of his works. Now, where did I put it? He started looking in the shelves, wondering where his mirror had gone off to.

            "Here's the mirror that I borrowed from you," Ichiro said cheerfully, showing Kintaro the very mirror that he had been looking for.

            "So, you had it all the time," he muttered, taking the mirror back and immediately summoning an image.

            "Pardon?" asked Ichiro, not quite catching what his friend had said.

            "Nothing," the metal smith said. "I had forgotten I had lent it to you."

            "That's not like you," Ichiro said, sounding concerned. "Are you ill?"

            "Of course not, Ichiro," Kintaro said, shaking his head at his friend. Ichiro was a good person, but sometimes he took too many things at face value. "In case you did not understand, I was referring to the strange weather we are having."

            "You didn't say anything about weather," Ichiro frowned.

            "I didn't?" he asked, trying to remember. Now what was it that he had said a moment ago?

            "You said something about forgetting," Ichiro prompted.

            "Ah, that's right," he said, suddenly remembering. Then he frowned. "Something's wrong," he said. He immediately summoned another picture with the mirror, forgetting about the other picture he had summoned before. The image of a giant tapestry appeared from the haze of the depths of the mirror, and focused on the tapestry until each detail was as clear as could be.

            "The Tapestry of Fate?" Ichiro asked, looking over Kintaro's shoulder.

            "Look over there, on the bottom," Kintaro said, pointing to the bottom of the tapestry.

            "It's all tangled up," Ichiro said surprised.

            "Fate is at a crossroad," Kintaro said darkly. "It does not know which path to take. That means that our every action will sway the path that Fate takes."

            "We're determining Fate?" asked Ichiro, sounding nervous. Perhaps not us, Kintaro thought, but Ryuten is definitely doing something suspicious. He looked at the mirror again and suddenly recalled what he had wanted to see in the first place.

            "You have heard of the one named Inuyasha?" he asked, summoning the said person with the mirror.

            "Yes," Ichiro said. "He was the reason why Kaguya-hime wanted the mirror in the first place." Kintaro stopped what he was doing and looked at his friend.

            "She's planning on doing something?" Kintaro asked, wondering if the princess had a role to play in Fate's game. "Never mind. I don't want to know," he said, knowing that if he knew what the princess was up to, he would have to report it to someone, otherwise the law was going to punish him. "Tell her this: I overheard Ryuten talking to his men about capturing Inuyasha. I don't know if it is for real or if he was just talking, but I believe that she should know."

            "Ryuten-sama wants to capture Inuyasha?" asked Ichiro. "Why?"

            "How would I know?" Kintaro grouched. "And why do you still address him as a lord when he is the one who killed you?"

            "He didn't do it on purpose," Ichiro said, shrugging, putting the past behind him. "Besides, he didn't kill me directly, anyway."

            "He influenced them to," Kintaro said, unbelieving that his friend was so forgiving.

            "Whatever you say, Kintaro," Ichiro said. "I must go inform Kaguya-hime of the new developments now." He walked out of the house quickly, leaving Kintaro to watch after him as he disappeared in the sea of clouds. Kintaro quickly looked away. Just like Fate's current circumstance was affecting his mind, Fate had told him a little of the definite future. The calm sea of peace would soon be ravaged with the storms of war.

            She took the lotus flower and placed it in the pond, weaving her power into the petals. How long would she have to wait for the flower to bloom? One month? Two? She looked at the pond overrun with growth. The plants of heaven grew so slowly. Even with her gift of growth, she knew that the lotus would take at least one month to bloom, a time she did not want to wait through, but had to.

            She heard some rustling behind her, and soon Ichiro appeared, looking slightly lost.

            "Kaguya-hime, I've heard from Kintaro that Ryuten-sama may be trying to capture Inuyasha," he said quickly, sounding out of breath.

            "What?" she asked, wondering what he was babbling about.

            "Kintaro told me that he overheard Ryuten-sama speaking to his men about capturing Inuyasha," Ichiro clarified, waiting for the princess' reaction.

            "Why would they do such a thing?" she asked, not expecting an answer. They were going to go capture her son? Why? Had he done something wrong? She felt herself starting to panic in worry.

            "In that case, I will be leaving now," she said, starting to walk away from the pond, heading towards the palace.

            "But your body hasn't even been finished yet," Ichiro said, running to catch up with her. The foliage before her cleared as she walked through the densely packed forest, moving as she commanded them to.

            "I will go in my true body then," she said, never breaking her stride.

            "But that means if you get caught, they'll damage your real body!" Ichiro said, sounding nervous again.

            "Do not worry. They will not capture me this time," she said calmly. "Besides, I have no intention of coming back here." Ichiro stopped behind her in shock.

            "But, Kaguya-hime!" he insisted, running to her. "You have responsibilities here. You can't just leave." She paused in her path.

            "P-Please forgive me for my rudeness," Ichiro said. "But Hime-sama, you have a power you must wield for heaven. If you leave…"

            "It will only be until my son has passed on," she said in a soft voice. "The least I can do is be there for him until his candle is burned out."

            "Hime-sama, if you're caught…"

            "I will fight them," she said, her voice becoming hard as ice. "I will fight them, unlike last time. I will not make a decision I will regret anymore."

            "Are you going somewhere?" a high, female voice asked. Kaguya turned around slowly, dreading the girl she was about to see.

            "Usagi-san," she noted, wanting the girl to leave them. "How are you doing this day?"

            "Why, I'm doing quite well," she piped. "I've made about a hundred mochi today!"

            "Congratulations," Kaguya replied. "The empress will be pleased."

            "Yes, she will," the girl giggled. Then she smiled darkly at the princess. "I can't say the same for you, though."

            "What are you inferring?" demanded Ichiro, standing in front of Kaguya. "Show some respect, Lady Usagi, else not speak at all."

            "Kaguya, Kaguya, Kaguya…" the girl said, sounding disappointed and shaking her head. "Once you left and made a mistake. Now you're making the same mistake again? I'm sorry," the girl said maliciously. "But I cannot allow you to do such a thing."

            "Usagi-san, what do you speak of?" Kaguya said in a low voice, underlying with threat. Ichiro moved to the side.

            "Now, please, Kaguya-hime," she said. "I'm only doing this for your own good."

            "And of what are you referring to?" asked the princess coolly.

            "You know well that the boundaries of this moon are your prison gates," Usagi said, brushing her soft, white hair behind her carelessly. "And I was appointed to watch over you; to make sure you do not escape from your sentence."

            "You have no right to speak to Kaguya-hime that way!" Ichiro said, angry that someone would dare insult the princess.

            "Step down, Ichiro," Kaguya said evenly. "Of this, I can easily deal with. After all," she said, turning to look at the girl before her, "she is but a third rate goddess, a rabbit sent to make desserts for the Great Empress."

            "Why you—!" the girl said angrily. "Do not underestimate me! If you should do anything funny, I will personally report you to the council of the gods."

            "Kaguya-hime," Ichiro said, looking at the princess. If Usagi reported her, then Kaguya would definitely get in trouble.

            "What do you have to report?" the princess asked tranquilly. "I have done nothing."

            "Well, you'd better not do anything!" she said, turning the other direction and walking off. "Because if you do, I'll catch you, and I'll make sure that next time, you won't come back here." The rabbit goddess sauntered off towards the palace, leaving Kaguya and Ichiro standing in the middle of the forest.

            "Hime-sama…" Ichiro started.

            "Seven nights," Kaguya whispered. "The moon will descend on the Goshinboku."

            "H-Hai," Ichiro replied, worried that the princess wasn't making a wise decision. But who was he to question her?

            "Inuyasha has appeared again," a rumbling voice said.

            "Where?" asked the other, barely the whisper of the wind.

            "I don't know. I just moved my eyes for a moment and he appeared from nowhere."

            "Raijin, you moron," the god of wind said. "You were supposed to be watching him."

            "Like it's my fault," Raijin growled, crossing his arms. "I don't suppose you've finished your foolish plan?" The god of wind looked at him with a cool eye.

            "I am not incompetent like you," he said coldly. He looked beyond Raijin and saw that Inuyasha was indeed speaking with his companions now. Now was the perfect time to implement his plan.

            "Raijin, contact these youkai," he said, handing the god of thunder a list of names and location. "I'll go contact the others. I want everyone to be here in one hour, understand?"

            "Why do I have to listen to you?" Raijin asked.

            "Didn't Ryuten-sama tell you to aid me?" he asked gloatingly.

            "Shut up, Fuujin, or I will do it for you," Raijin said grouchily.

            "Yes, do shut your mouth," Fuujin said. Raijin growled in annoyance and set off. He only had one hour, and he could not contact people as quickly as Fuujin could. The only reason that Fuujin had beat him to Ryuten-sama last time was because he was faster. Well, this time, he wasn't going to allow his speed to cause him to fail.

            "I don't even know why we bothered to help those idiots," Inuyasha grumped, annoyed that they had done yet another deed that did not contribute to their finding a Shikon shard. If we spent the amount of time we do protecting people on searching for the Shikon no Tama, the jewel would long be complete by now, Inuyasha thought to himself. But then, what would I do once the jewel was complete? He looked at the sky, feeling as if something was amiss. Oh, what the hell. If something's gonna happen, it's gonna happen.

            "But, Inuyasha, those people needed our help," Kagome said, walking alongside the dog demon.

            "They need help in carrying their crops?" demanded Inuyasha grumpily.

            "Well, they were old people," Sango said, smiling at Inuyasha's irritation. Trust Inuyasha to become angry whenever a good deed was done.

            "Yes, yes. We should always aid the old and weak," said Miroku rather unconvincingly.

            "Miroku's just sad that there weren't any pretty girls," Shippou giggled. Miroku sighed at his luck. Suddenly they heard high-pitched scream from a woman.

            "Someone is in trouble!" Miroku said, running immediately in the direction of the sound.

            "Oi, Miroku, wait!" Inuyasha shouted, running after the delinquent monk. Kirara immediately transformed, and Sango, Kagome, and Shippou got on the cat youkai quickly, chasing after the two boys.

            Miroku ran into a clearing and saw a woman hanging from the edge of a cliff. Judging from the back of her body, the woman seemed to have a very nice figure beneath the loose kimono, so when her hand slipped from the rock she was holding her life to, he did not hesitate to rescue the damsel in distress.

            She screamed as she fell, knowing that certain death awaited her, and was surprised when she fell in the arms of someone. She turned around, and looked at the face of her rescuer, her body still shaking in fear.

            "It is all right now. You're safe," Miroku smiled charmingly.

            "Th-Thank you!" the woman said, trying to regain her breath. Miroku noticed her soft, brown hair, and her pale green eyes on the face of an incredibly beautiful woman. Though he had to admit her hair and eye color was a bit strange.

            "Domo arigato gozaimasu," she said, getting out of Miroku's arms, and kneeling on the floor, bowing to him in thanks.

            "Please, please. Disperse the formalities," Miroku said, helping her up. He heard Inuyasha and the others arrive behind him. Better not do anything too bold. Sango wouldn't like it, he thought. But still, it's not everyday you get a chance to save such a beautiful lady…

            "I-I will never be able to thank you enough," she said, her voice quivering. "You saved me. You saved my life."

            "It was really nothing," Miroku said in modesty. "I was just passing by. But tell me, why is a lady like yourself putting your life in danger?"

            "I was picking herbs for the village healer, and slipped," she said, bowing her head demurely, causing her long hair to fall around her face, enveloping them in a lovely heart. Kagome was about to tell Sango that the woman seemed harmless, but saw that her friend didn't look too well, so decided to keep quiet. Inside, Sango was fuming with jealousy. The way the monk touched that girl and restrained his hands… Ooh, it was just getting on her nerves.

            "It's time to go, Houshi-sama," Sango said in a strangely tight voice.

            "Oh, of course, Sango," Miroku said, smiling in a sly way, which only made Sango angrier.

            "Please, come to my village," the girl said in a gentle voice. "I'm sure the village elder will be able to reward you somehow for rescuing me."

            "He really doesn't have to give Miroku-sama anything," Kagome said, knowing that Sango didn't want Miroku to hang around this girl any longer than they had to.

            "The village elder is a woman," the girl corrected Kagome, smiling. "Our village consists of only women."

            "Why is that?" asked Shippou, curious.

            "I'm afraid that all the men have gone off to war, so the only ones left are us women," she bowed apologetically. "Perhaps you do not wish to associate with women, but please come anyway. I must pay you back for your aid."

            "Associating with women bothers none of us at all," Miroku said in a friendly voice. Inuyasha snorted.

            "It especially doesn't bother him," Inuyasha said, turning the other way to get that woman's scent as far away from him as possible. What kind of herb was she using? Its perfume was starting to make his nose feel numb, and that was starting to irritate him.

            "But, Miroku-sama, we have to go and search for the shards again," Kagome said, still trying in vain to get Miroku to leave, and hopefully not make Sango any angrier than she was already.

            "But we cannot leave such a hospitable guest without showing our appreciation first," Miroku said reasonably.

            "Then let's go," Sango said, all of a sudden calm. "You want your reward? Then let's go get it." Miroku blinked at her in confusion. She was just letting him go like that?

            "Sango-chan…" Kagome started, but didn't know what to say.

            "Follow me," the girl said, near the edge of the clearing already. "And don't fall behind. These woods are dangerous for those unfamiliar with it."

            "Come," Miroku said, walking after the woman. Inuyasha just shook his head and started following the monk, with the others on the rear.

            "Sango-chan…are you all right with this?" asked Kagome.

            "Why wouldn't I be?" she replied. It's obvious now that he doesn't care about me, so I don't know why I keep on worrying about him, Sango thought. I'm such a fool. Out of everyone in the group, he's the only one I don't treat like a sibling, and yet, he doesn't notice a thing. She looked up and saw that Miroku was chatting amiably with the girl, and sighed inwardly. Maybe I'm just not feminine enough for him.

            "Ne, Inuyasha," Kagome said, walking next to him. "Doesn't Sango-chan look a little bit sad?"

            "She does?" he asked, clueless.

            "Didn't you notice?" asked Kagome in slight disbelief.

            "Huh?" said Inuyasha, wondering what she was talking about. Kagome sighed.

            "Just go do something about it, okay?" she asked. I can't say anything to Sango, because then she'll know that I'm trying to cheer her up, she thought. Maybe Inuyasha can break her out of her depression?

            "Like what?" asked Inuyasha, not understanding why Sango would become sad all of a sudden. Did it have something to do with that woman?

            "I don't know, just cheer her up," Kagome said, shaking her head in exasperation.

            "Do you want me to yell at her?" asked Inuyasha.

            "No!" said Kagome, wondering why he still didn't understand yet.

            "Inuyasha is an idiot," Shippou said.

            "Nani?!" said Inuyasha, pounding the child's head.

            "Why did you do that?" shouted Shippou indignantly, rubbing the bump.

            "Keh. You deserved it," Inuyasha replied.

            "Inuyasha, are you listening to me?" asked Kagome in a menacing voice. "Go talk to Sango-chan now," she said slowly and deliberately, pronouncing every syllable so that Inuyasha wouldn't miss anything.

            "Feh," Inuyasha said, shuffling towards Sango. Kagome was scary when she was irritated. He looked at Sango, and saw that she did look a little sad. But still, there was nothing to be sad about, right?

            "Oi," Inuyasha said, not looking at Sango.

            "Hmm?" asked Sango, sounding distracted. Shit! What am I supposed to say? he thought, racking his brains for something.

            "Uh… Don't look so sad, all right? You're annoying the hell out of me," he finally said. He could hear Kagome slapping herself on the forehead somewhere in the distance.

            "Oh. Are my emotions that obvious?" asked Sango, starting to look sadder. Damn it! She's supposed to be happy! Inuyasha thought in frustration. Stupid girls. What's wrong with them?

            "Listen to me, Sango," he said firmly, trying to keep his voice from shouting out of nervousness for making a girl sad. "You have nothing to be sad about! All of us are here for you, even that louse, Miroku. So whatever it is you're worrying about, don't. Because there's more to this group than just a search for shards that's binding us. So don't worry. And don't be sad no more, because it's probably not worth it." Uh… Am I supposed to say anything else?

            "Not worth it, huh?" she asked. "You're probably right. Thanks, Inuyasha," she said, though she didn't exactly sound thankful.

            "Err… This doesn't have anything to do with Miroku, does it?" Inuyasha ventured, remembering how Kagome had suggested something as preposterous as Sango liking that lecher.

            "Eh?" asked Sango in surprise, and starting to blush. "H-How did you know?"

            "Huh? Know what?" asked Inuyasha. It couldn't be that Kagome was right, could it?

            "Th-That I…I like M-M…" Sango started to stutter, her face a bright red.

            "You like Miroku?" asked Inuyasha, aghast with surprise. Sango twiddled her fingers around and stole a glance at the monk, who was still conversing with the girl. She sighed.

            "Damn. That means Kagome was right," Inuyasha grumbled.

            "Didn't you already know?" asked Sango, realizing that she had just assumed Inuyasha knew, and had just revealed her secret. She could feel her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

            "I knew that Miroku liked you, but I didn't know that you liked him back," Inuyasha said matter-of-factly. Sango looked at him in surprise.

            "How do you know he does?" Sango asked, wondering if she could really rely on Inuyasha's judgment. But if Inuyasha was right…

            "Because he's so obvious!" Inuyasha said as if it were the clearest thing in the world. Sango looked at him skeptically.

            "Inuyasha!" Kagome said, suddenly appearing next to him. Sango realized that Kagome had probably been the one who had asked Inuyasha to cheer her up. Otherwise Inuyasha would have never willing come and talk to her about such things. I suppose I have to thank Inuyasha. He did make me feel a little better, she thought, albeit a strange way of cheering me up, but effective nonetheless.

            "You knew Miroku-sama liked Sango, and you never told me about it?" asked Kagome.

            "You never asked," Inuyasha shrugged. Kagome looked at him in disbelief.

            "Wait a minute, Inuyasha," Shippou said, perched on Kagome's shoulder. "You knew that Miroku, who barely reveals his emotions, liked Sango, even though you didn't know that Sango, whose emotions can clearly be seen, liked Miroku?" asked Shippou, making Sango heat up with embarrassment. Great… Now practically everyone knows, she thought. Well, everyone except the person that should know.

            "Sango, hurry up," Miroku shouted from a distance. "All of you are going to be left behind if you keep walking in that slow pace.

            "Hai, Houshi-sama," Sango said, running quickly after him with the giant bone boomerang swung over her shoulder. Kagome watched in silence as she saw Sango catch up to Miroku and walk by his side. The other girl was just a few paces before the both of them.

            "Maybe we should hang back a little," Kagome suggested.

            "Why?" asked Shippou and Inuyasha simultaneously. Kagome sighed. How tactless they both were.

            "Kagome, if we hang back, wouldn't Miroku and Sango take all the food?" asked Shippou.

            "Then let's quickly go after them," Kagome sighed in exasperation. The three walked towards the direction that Miroku had taken, Kirara having gone after her master long ago. Suddenly, they were all hit by some sort of barrier, and were flung back by the force.

            "What the hell?" demanded Inuyasha, taking Tessaiga out in one smooth motion and hitting the barrier. "What the fuck is this?" he growled, trying to break the barrier with Tessaiga. Kagome had to shield her eyes a bit from the sun that reflected on the white blade, and saw that something was shifting in the depths of the forest.

            "Inuyasha…" she started.

            "Shh…" Inuyasha whispered, while trying to act as if nothing were wrong by continuing to hit the barrier. Shippou was starting to shake in fear, and hid by Kagome's leg. Kagome got her bows and arrows ready, hoping that whatever they were about to face, didn't require the presence of all members in their group.

            "So, tell me what the plan was again?" asked Raijin, observing the mortals from a hole in heaven's clouds.

            "Idiot," Fuujin insulted before telling the other what he wanted to know. "The kitsune women will lure the monk away so that he won't be able to sense the power in that vial. The vial is necessary to make the test work."

            "Right," Raijin said, still unclear about how the youkai women were supposed to lure the monk away. Weren't monks supposed to be righteous and have no desire for women? "Did you give them the vial yet?"

            "I'm not a great bumbling fool like you are," Fuujin said. Before Raijin could retort, he said, "Look! The first part of the plan has been accomplished." Raijin looked at the mortals and saw that he monk had gone off with a woman, seemingly conversing with her. A while later, the taiji-ya joined the two, and they both started off towards the direction of the youkai village.

            "Is she supposed to go with him?" Raijin asked. That wasn't part of the plan, was it?

            "She is unimportant," Fuujin said in annoyance. "I already told you that only the monk is the one that can see what is in the vial. As long as he's not with Inuyasha, everything will go according to plan."

            Raijin tried not to vent his anger on the wind god, and instead concentrated on the scene of mortals below. He wished that they could just capture Inuyasha already so that he wouldn't have to work with this conceited buffoon anymore.

            "Shikon no Tama… Give it to us," the large youkai said in a deep, slow voice.

            "Keh! In your dreams maybe," Inuyasha said, facing the giant oni.

            "Inuyasha, there are more!" said Kagome, panicked. It seemed like the whole tribe of oni had appeared before them, and none of them were small.

            "We're going to die!" Shippou cried, his back against the back of Kagome's leg. "We're surrounded!"

            "Don't worry, Shippou-chan. I won't let them get to you," Kagome said, putting an arrow in her bow.

            "Don't bother, woman," one of the oni said. "We're only here to deal with the hanyou. We wouldn't harm a defenseless thing such as yourself."

            "Yeah," another oni said. "Women taste bad when they've been damaged. They're better when cooked alive." Kagome paled.

            "You filth make me sick!" Inuyasha said. "Sankon Tetsusou!" he shouted, ripping the arm of the first oni off.

            "Strong," the oni said, surveying his severed limb. Inuyasha grinned.

            "Next time, it'll be your head."

            "We have a secret power!" an oni said. He held up a glass vial with some shiny powder in it. The vial was slightly smaller than the size of his hand. Of course, being a giant oni, that wasn't saying much.

            "We will defeat you, hanyou!" the oni said. "And steal the woman and the Shikon shards!"

            "Bastards. Who do you think you are?" growled Inuyasha. He unsheathed Tessaiga. "Prepare to die!" He brought the blade above his head, and sliced an oni in half.

            "Die, hanyou!" an oni said, throwing some of the powder from the vial on Inuyasha. Inuyasha sneezed, but other than that, and looking pissed, it seemed as if the powder had done nothing.

            "Heh, what was that supposed to do?" asked Inuyasha. "Tickle my nose?"

            "More powder power is needed," the oni said, throwing more on Inuyasha. Inuyasha tried to jump out of the way, but he was too slow. He may have said that the powder had done nothing, but in reality, it had caused a strange feeling to flow through him, and for a moment, he had almost forgotten what he was doing. The dust of strange magic landed on him, and he felt something almost rise from the depths of his soul, shooting pain throughout his entire body, but the feeling quickly passed as whatever it was disappeared. He acted as if nothing had happened. I can't let them know that whatever that thing is, it's starting to work.

            "Tessaiga!" he shouted, bringing the blade around to slice off the oni's head. The demon blocked the sword with his hand, and pushed Inuyasha back.

            "Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, running towards him.

            "Get back!" shouted Inuyasha as he dodged a blow from a younger, but no less smaller, oni. Kagome readied her weapon again, not wanting to watch at the sidelines anymore. There were way more oni than there was Inuyasha, and there was no way that she was going to let Inuyasha fight all of them by himself.

            "More is needed!" the oni shouted, taking a pinch more of the fine dust than before and throwing it at Inuyasha. Inuyasha had said it doesn't affect him, so why are they still trying? Kagome thought. Suddenly there was a flash, and she saw Inuyasha fall to his knees, his muscles tense with pain, and his hair… His hair is black!

            But all of that disappeared a second later, when Inuyasha sliced off another oni's head in an attempt to kill the oni with the strange vial. Did I imagine it all? Kagome wondered.

            "More! More!" the oni said, starting to sound happy. "The Shikon no Tama will soon be ours!"

            "I don't think so!" Inuyasha shouted, bringing the blade down to unleash the wound of the wind.

            "Foolish hanyou!" an oni said, batting Tessaiga away easily. "Don't think that we older oni are as easy to destroy as the younger ones." Inuyasha watched in shock as the sword spun in the air, finally landing near Kagome.

            "Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, as the oni went in for the kill. She released the arrow, vaporizing the oni upon contact.

            "Inuyasha, your sword!" Shippou said, running to Tessaiga. I must be brave, Shippou thought. Sango and Miroku and Kirara aren't here, so I have to be brave and help!

            "Shippou-chan!" Kagome screamed as she saw an oni raise his hand to smash the little kitsune into a pancake.

            "Ahhh!" Shippou screamed, hugging Tessaiga for dear life. He saw the shadow fall over him, but before the hand smashed down on him, he felt someone grab him from around the waist and lift him away from danger.

            "I'll take this," Inuyasha said, taking Tessaiga from Shippou. He dropped Shippou near Kagome. "And next time, don't get yourself killed just to try and help me." Shippou was still too scared to respond, but he was glad that Inuyasha had saved him, even if Inuyasha wasn't thankful for his help. Kagome looked at Shippou, wondering why the sword's barrier hadn't rejected him. Was it because Shippou cared about humans?

            "I'll finish you off now," Inuyasha shouted. "Kaze no Kizu!" The powerful blades from the cutting edge of the wind sliced through the air, digging up the earth as it headed towards the oni. But suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew through the forest, and clashed with the wind from Tessaiga, dispersing the attack.

            "Nani?" demanded Inuyasha, looking around him quickly for the culprit.

            "Is it Kagura?" asked Kagome.

            "Someone else," Inuyasha shouted, jumping up and aiming to slice an oni's head off. The oni dodged in time, but was a little too slow, and had his ear was chopped off as a result.

            "I'll finish you now!" the oni chief said. He opened the cork on the vial, and dumped its contents over Inuyasha. Inuyasha screamed as the powder made contact with him, feeling a clash somewhere within him, threatening to rip him apart. He suddenly felt his demon powers replaced with a different, steadier power, but the remaining youki within his blood fought against the new power, making his body feel as if it were on fire.

            "Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed, seeing Inuyasha fall on the ground in pain. His silver hair flashed for a moment, and she could feel a great amount of youki come from him, before it was replaced with something foreign to her. Inuyasha's hair became a black darker than the darkest nights, and his ears shrank away.

            I won't let you die! she thought, firing an arrow over an oni that was about to step on Inuyasha. Suddenly, Inuyasha's dark hair disappeared, replaced by a silver that was brighter than before. Kagome shivered as she felt an incredible amount of youki flow from Inuyasha, and was reminded of the time when he had transformed into a full demon. But this time… Inuyasha is still himself. She wondered about the sudden increase in his demon powers.

            "Tessaiga!" Inuyasha said, swinging the blade around in a half circle, taking out a good ten to twelve oni.

            "Inuyasha has become more powerful!" Shippou said in surprise. Kagome nodded in agreement. But what was in the powder that caused this?

            "Flee!" the other youkai said, running away from Inuyasha.

            "Oh no you don't!" shouted Inuyasha. "Kaze no Kizu!" Kagome had to shield her eyes from the attack, which was now brighter than before, destroying a large part of the forest, as well as anything that was in it. Once the dust settled down, she saw that several hundred trees had been felled, and Inuyasha looked like he was barely fazed at all.

            "Inuyasha," Kagome said, running to him. "Are you okay?"

            "Of course I am!" he shouted at her. "What do you think I am? Weak or something?"

            "Well, you just fell in the middle of the battle, so I think I have the right to worry!" Kagome shouted back.

            "What was that about, Inuyasha?" Shippou asked, noticing that the level of youki was slowly returning to normal.

            "Yeah, you changed. And your youki…" Kagome said.

            "Keh! Like I know," Inuyasha said gruffly, but Kagome couldn't help but notice the hint of worry in his voice. She looked at the destruction that Inuyasha had caused with Tessaiga's basic attack and shivered. She felt like something was about to happen; something was about to change. She hoped that whatever was happening wouldn't affect her or anyone else she knew.

            But Fate was funny that way.

            "Did you see that? He destroyed a good part of that forest with just one attack!" Raijin said.

            "Well, the test is complete, so we can report back to Ryuten-sama to start the next phase," Fuujin said, closing the gap in the clouds.

            "What was that supposed to test for? His strength?" asked Raijin.

            "Ryuten-sama will tell you when the time comes," said the God of Wind. "I'm too tired to deal with the likes of you right now."

            So he was tested for his strength? wondered Raijin as Fuujin walked off in the distance. So he's powerful enough? He passed Ryuten-sama's test? But then why didn't Ryuten-sama just send a powerful youkai to fight with him instead of using that powder junk? He was confused. Very confused indeed.

            Miroku arrived at the village with Sango and the woman, noticing that Inuyasha and the others had somehow fallen behind. Well, he wasn't going to waste his time waiting around for him. Time was precious, as he should well know, and he was going to enjoy every last bit of it while it still lasted.

            "Houshi-sama, this way," the girl said, leading them to an especially large house. Miroku looked at the people around him, and noticed that they were all incredibly beautiful women. This is like a paradise, he thought happily, basking in the beauty that radiated around the village.

            "Houshi-sama," Sango whispered. "Do you notice anything strange about these women?"

            "Hmm?" he asked. Now that she mentioned it, there was something strange about the aura of the woman that had led them here.

            "The women here, they're all near the same age in appearance," she whispered. "And they all have brown hair, and…and green eyes."

            "Like Shippou," Miroku said, immediately understanding the situation. "That means these women… They're all kitsune." He wondered why he didn't notice it before, and realized that each woman's aura had been cleverly masked by something.

            "Their aura almost feels…holy," Miroku said, unsure of how else to put it.

            " 'Holy,' Houshi-sama?" asked Sango, unsure of what he was saying.

            "Mmm…" he said as the woman appeared again. He smiled brightly, while Sango tensed up behind him.

            "The elder will see you now," she said, parting for Miroku and Sango to enter. Miroku entered the house and noticed the woman sitting in the middle of the room. She looked to be exactly the same age as the other women in the village. Definitely suspicious, he thought, but his face betrayed nothing.

            "Konnichiwa," Miroku said pleasantly. "It is a pleasure to meet the Elder of this thriving village. I wish you the best luck now, and in your future. If you would like, I can set up some good luck wards for you."

            "Stop your meaningless banter," the woman said in a smooth and soothing voice. Miroku felt himself start to become drawn to her powerful spell, making him worried when he found himself unable to fight her power. "For who cares about the village when we—" She paused as she saw Sango. "A woman. Well, I suppose that you can't have every man that comes to this village," the Elder said. "I suppose I'll just have to eat your soul without playing with you. 'Tis a shame, really," the woman said, standing up. "I was looking forward to having fun with you." Her fox fire surrounded them suddenly, cutting off their escape.

            "Too bad you brought a woman with you," she said. "Otherwise, I might have given you the time of your life." Miroku shuddered as she started laughing, the fires around them becoming more intense. "Perhaps if I kill that girl first, I might be able to entertain you for a while," she mused, and laughed when Miroku looked furious at her suggestion.

            "Houshi-sama, I'll take care of this youkai," Sango said angrily.

            "Men's hearts are so fickle, aren't they, my dear?" the kitsune suddenly asked. "One day, they seem to be totally enamored with you, and the next, they're off chasing another woman." She smiled, showing her small fangs. "It's such a pity. You see, we women would be content with just one man, but men are different from us, aren't they, dear?" she asked Sango, her dark green eyes glittering. "They aren't worth protecting, are they?" she asked, watching with satisfaction as the girl was slowly falling under her control. The girl had a pretty face. Perhaps she could use her as a servant until she could no longer stand to look at her, or until the human girl had gotten old. Either way, she was a tool that could be used, and she was going to use it until it was broken.

            "Sango!" Miroku cried in alarm. Why did she fall under the spell? Unless… Does she think those thoughts about me? he wondered, hoping that he hadn't condemned her to her death because of his ways. I swear, after this, I'll never fall for another girl. Never again. Not if I'm hurting Sango like this.

            "Which is why we must destroy them. We must do everything in our power to purge this world of the unworthy men, leaving only the faithful to live," the kitsune continued. Miroku clenched his fists in anger. How was he going to break Sango from the spell? If he used his air void in such a tight space, he was afraid of sucking Sango in as well. What to do? he thought, trying to think of something.

            "No…" Sango said, barely above a whisper, the word struggling to come out of her mouth.

            "Sango?" Miroku asked, a ray of hope appearing.

            "No? You want these unfaithful bastards to hurt us time and time again?" demanded the kitsune in a shrill voice, her face becoming a terrible sight to behold.

            "No," Sango said, lowering her head, seeming to fall under the spell again. Her entire body was shaking with some sort of effort of resistance, but it wasn't enough. Miroku took a step towards Sango.

            "Don't move!" the kitsune shouted. "You move, and I'll personally kill you!"

            "No!" Sango said, raising her eyes to meet the kitsune's. Miroku saw that her eyes still had a blank look, but now they were filled with fury.

            "We women have suffered enough. Do you want these worthless filth to hurt us even more?" asked the kitsune, making her voice a soft pitch, trying to place Sango under the spell again.

            "Y-You…wh-whore…" Sango said, forcing the words out of a mouth that was trying its hardest not to obey her. "I-I w-won't… I won't let you…" Miroku looked at Sango, hoping that the spell was going to be broken. C'mon, Sango! You can do it! he encouraged.

            "Let me? Let me?" the youkai laughed. "What gives you the power to say such a thing to me? You foolish ningen!" she shouted, placing a stronger, more forceful spell on Sango. Sango stumbled as the new spell was placed on her, her breathing becoming labored as she continued to struggle.

            "Sango!" Miroku shouted. He glared at the kitsune, who only smiled in triumph. He wondered briefly if he would be burnt to death before he was even able to get within fighting range of the kitsune, and readied himself to do anything to save Sango.

            "I won't let you!" Sango shouted suddenly, her eyes still glazed. "I… I won't let you hurt Miroku!" she screamed, breaking the spell and swinging Hiraikotsu to the youkai.

            "Nani?" gasped the kitsune in surprise as she was torn in half by the bone boomerang. The phantom fire disappeared around the house, freeing them to escape.

            The entire room was silent save for Sango's ragged breaths. Sunlight filtered through the doorway, illuminating the now dark room. The battle had been won.

            "Sango…" Miroku said, smiling and walking towards her. She… Had she broken the spell because of me? he wondered. Does that mean she really loves me? Loves me?  He saw Sango sway on her feet, falling suddenly unconscious, and Miroku quickly ran to her side to keep her from hitting the ground. He saw that her breathing had become normal, and watched in contentment that she wasn't hurt. The door suddenly opened, and there stood the woman from earlier.

            "The Elder… You've killed her," she said in shock, observing the two haves of a fox.

            "And what of it?" Miroku challenged. If any of them try to hurt Sango again, I'll suck them all into my air rip as they come, one by one, he thought protectively.

            "Houshi-sama, this is the second time that I will formerly thank you today," she said, getting on her knees and bowing to him again. He looked disbelievingly at her. "We… As you know, we are kitsune," she said, noticing that the monk was no longer so trusting. "The 'Elder' had taken control of our village when we were weak, and had started forcing all of us to gather men for her. She would eat the souls of men in order to retain her youth and power, and no one opposed her because all who did perished.

            "Forgive me for deceiving you, Houshi-sama, but I did not know of any other chance of destroying her without bringing a monk to her. Please forgive me," she said, bowing again. "Your cat, Kirara, is waiting outside. She'll fly you out of here. Even if you do not forgive me, Houshi-sama, I want you to know, that I, no, the entire village will be in your debt." She bowed once more, and walked out, leaving Miroku with an unconscious Sango inside.

            Miroku carried Sango to Kirara, carefully placing her on the large cat. He went back into the house to retrieve Hiraikotsu, and then climbed atop Kirara. Holding the boomerang and Sango close to him, he commanded Kirara to set off, leaving the village behind him.

            "Do you really think you should have just let him go like that?" asked a kitsune.

            "Don't be a fool. If his woman killed our Elder so easily, what makes you think we have a chance?" asked the woman that had spoken to Miroku just moments before. "Besides, with the Elder dead, we have an extra share of the payment."

            "Ooh," the other kitsune said, starting to crowd around the girl. "Is that the medicine of eternal youth?"

            "Yes, and it's all ours," she laughed.

            "Those gods really are fools to tell us to do a job that we would have done anyway for free," one kitsune said, taking a pill. All the others started taking one, too.

            "Let the power of Heaven's Medicine work!" the new leader of the kitsune said. She pretended to eat her pill, and watched out of the corner of her eye as she saw the others swallow theirs. They soon let out a scream and burst into flames, destroyed on the spot.

            "Idiots," she said, stepping on their ashes. "Did you really think I would share my prize with you when I'm the one who did the most work?" She fingered the single pill in her hand. "Besides, the gods only gave one pill of eternal life. There was definitely not enough to go around." She looked at the silver pill in her hand. "What the hell. Might as well," she said, breaking the pill inside her mouth.

            It was empty.

            She felt implacable anger course through her veins as she realized what had happened. "Bastards tricked me!" she screamed, throwing the shell of the false pill on the ground. Well, she would never be fooled twice by the same ploy.

            She awoke to the gentle rocking motion that was so familiar to her, and opened her eyes to see the vanilla coat of her cat beneath her. The cool sun bathed her in its warmth, and she knew that the sun must have been getting ready to set. Suddenly, she sat up, stricken with panic as she remembered the events from before. Houshi-sama… she thought, looking for him with fear and worry creeping up her spine.

            "Ah, Sango. You're awake," a familiar voice said. She turned and saw the one that she had been so worried about standing quite close to her. Had the entire ordeal been a dream?

            "Sango-chan!" Kagome said anxiously. "You're awake! I'm so glad… You had us all worried!" she said, relief washing over her face.

            "Kagome-chan…" Sango said, feeling a bit dizzy.

            "So you saved this bum from the kitsune?" Inuyasha said, standing next to her also. "You should have just let the kitsune teach him a lesson."

            "Kitsune?" she asked, and realized that it had not been a dream.

            "Yes. Don't you remember?" asked Miroku.

            "Of course I remember," she said indignantly. What did he take her for? She was a youkai exterminator after all…

            "Ah… Of course," Miroku said. She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes and saw that he was smiling in a most strange way. He looked…happy. But it wasn't like his usual smile. There was something there… Something she couldn't quite place. If she didn't know better, then she would have said that it was a smile of love. But of course it couldn't be. He probably still doesn't know I love him, she thought miserably to herself.

            "Miroku told us you saved him," Shippou said innocently. "That you broke the spell just for him."

            "No I didn't!" Sango shouted embarrassedly. She turned away from the others quickly, not wanting them to see her beet red face, but caught the sight of Miroku smiling in that strange way again. Oh no! He probably thinks it's amusing for me to like him! she thought, recalling exactly what she had said. Oh no… M-Mi—Ahh! I called him Miroku! Oh no, oh no, oh no! I called him Miroku! I didn't call him "Houshi-sama" like usual. Now he probably thinks I'm like one of those stupid girls that fall for his stupid tricks, but I'm not! she thought half in anger, half in frustration. I truly… I truly—

            "Sango!" Miroku yelled loudly, causing her to snap her head in his direction. He had finally gotten her attention. He coughed nervously, then smiled a smile that came from his heart. "I'm glad that you…uh… I'm glad that you broke the spell. I'm sure that saving my life was just a bonus for you," he said, smiling slyly at the objection in her eyes, "But I thank you all the same."

            "You… You're welcome," Sango said, slightly crushed that he still hadn't understood anything. Stupid Mi—Houshi-sama, she thought to herself, getting off Kirara. The cat transformed to her original form and leapt onto her master's shoulder.

            "There's a village not far from here, so I think it'll be best to stop there for the rest of the day," Kagome said, pointing to a direction further down the road. Kagome looked at Miroku and sighed, wondering if the monk was just pretending to be ignorant about Sango's feelings. Surely a man as intelligent as he could not miss such enormous clues? Then again, anything was possible.

            "Let's hurry up and go there and get something to eat!" Shippou said enthusiastically, grinning as he stood next to Kagome's feet. "Sango is probably hungry, too."

            "Then let us commence our journey again," Miroku said, smiling again. At least his smile looks normal now, Sango noted. Inuyasha started to walk off towards the direction that Kagome had pointed to, seemingly preoccupied with something. Shippou and Kagome quickly followed Inuyasha, but Miroku stayed behind, waiting for Sango to start moving.

            "You don't have to stand around and guard me, Houshi-sama," Sango said, emphasizing his title so that he would hopefully forget her recent lapse in formality.

            "Ah, but it is always a pleasure to guard pretty girls," he said in reply. She decided to ignore him and walked after the others, Miroku following behind her.

            "Miroku-sama, come and look at this," Kagome called from a little distance before them. She sounded distressed, and Sango and Miroku quickly walked to her, wondering what was wrong.

            There were six Jizo, stone statues that guarded the people, set by the side of the road, standing ever so serenely. The tableau was demolished by the setting sun casting its bloody glow on the headless figures, remains of the stone heads still lying about. Sango walked to the statues carefully, picking up a piece of a calm smile, and wondering who would do such a thing.

            The group stood there in silence, not quite sure what to make of the situation. The Jizo, guardians for the good, were destroyed, and for no apparent reason. Finally, Inuyasha couldn't stand the silence any longer.

            "If we don't start moving now, we'll never get to that town," he said grumpily, the scene disturbing him. He started off on the road again, not bothering to wait for the others. They would catch up to him. They always did.

            The sun was struggling to stay in that part of the world by the time they had reached the village. Shippou looked around the village, and noted the delicious smells coming from a particularly wealthy-looking building. Almost immediately, Miroku put a friendly smile on his face.

            "Excuse me…" Miroku started, asking one of the villagers who lived in the grand house. Sango looked at the village around her, trying to remember something. The town felt familiar to her, but she couldn't remember why.

            "Thank you," Miroku said to the villager as he headed back to the group. "I know someone who lives here," he said to the others, "so I think we can stay with—"

            "Sango!" a male voice shouted suddenly. They all turned their heads towards the large house, trying to make out the person who was walking quickly towards them. He waved at her. "Sango! Don't you remember who I am?"

            Sango looked at the man carefully as he walked closer to the group. He was a young man, perhaps around her age, with dark, brown hair and light, chestnut eyes. He did look strangely familiar…

           "Taro?" she asked suddenly. "Momotaro?"

            "Ah ha ha," he laughed lightheartedly. "I suppose that would be the first thing that you would remember."

            "Momotaro-san?" asked Kagome, looking at him with confusion and slight disbelief in her eyes.

            "My name is Taro," the young man said, smiling. "It's not really Momotaro."

            "But 'Momotaro' is the name we all gave him," Sango said, smiling happily for the reunion with an old friend. "We called him that because he liked to eat peaches so much. You should have seen him back then," Sango laughed. "He used to be so plump because he would practically eat all the peaches in the peach tree back in the village."

            "I remember that," Taro said, laughing alongside Sango. Miroku felt a pang of jealousy somewhere in him, but quickly suppressed it. After all, Taro was just a friend of Sango's. He didn't have anything to worry about at all. Yeah, if I think that enough, maybe I can actually convince my heart to believe it, Miroku thought on the inside, but on the outside, he put on his customary smile.

            "So what have you been doing all this time?" Sango asked curiously.

            "Oh, I've been exterminating youkai," he said, seemingly unaware that there were at least two youkai around him. "I use this town as a base, and people come here to seek for my help," he said. "But what about you? Has Kohaku finally mastered his technique?" Sango fell silent, and Miroku felt like hurting the man before him for bringing Sango unnecessary pain. Now, now… Calm down. Sango has been though all of this before so I don't know why you're getting so upset, he thought to himself. It's not this man's fault. He doesn't know what happened to Sango and the rest of the taiji-ya.

            Kagome noticed Miroku's reactions ever since Taro arrived. If she didn't know any better, she would say that Miroku was slightly jealous. Of course that would never happen, but… She looked more closely at Miroku's face when Taro had unwittingly opened an old wound on Sango. What was that she saw? Is Miroku-sama being protective of Sango? she wondered. That means that he really does like Sango. Kagome smiled, playing with the idea in her head. It would figure. Sango's shown that she cares about him so much that even an idiot can't miss the clues. Kagome tried to keep her face neutral as she saw Miroku suddenly turn to face her, somehow having a sixth sense of being watched. When he turned away, Kagome sighed inwardly, glad that she hadn't been caught. It definitely looked like Sango wasn't just another girl to Miroku anymore, if she ever had been.

            "They've all died?" asked Taro incredulously as Sango explained the situation to her. The sun was more than set by this time, and the last streaks of red were quickly disappearing from the lavender sky. "And I was just about to go to your father to ask for your hand in marriage…"

            "What?" asked Shippou in shock. "Marriage?" Miroku wanted to ask the same thing, but he still had his pride and was not yet willing to let it go.

            "Oh… That, um…" Sango fumbled around for words, blushing in embarrassment. "You see, our fathers decided for us to marry each other a long time ago."

            "Because we were an excellent team back then, weren't we?" Taro asked. Sango nodded numbly, hoping that Miroku wasn't going to take this the wrong way. She had completely forgotten about her engagement to Taro, and had never really taken it seriously, but now here he was, standing before her, practically proposing and she had no words of protest to give him. Not that she wanted to be married to him. It was just that she was at a loss for words. How am I supposed to explain this? she thought as she stole a glance at Miroku. He did not look happy. She supposed that she should have been glad that he cared enough to display some emotion, but right now, all she wanted to do was to get rid of Taro and tell Miroku that she had no interest in her old friend. Of course, that was easier said than done, and she didn't think that she could ever bring herself to say that to Miroku anyway.

            "Why don't you all come to the chief's house?" Taro said suddenly. "I'm sure there will be no objections?" he said, partly referring to the chief, partly referring to them. Miroku was about to open his mouth to say something, but thought better of it.

            "You go on ahead of me," he said in a smooth manner. He was going to be calm and cool. No reason for him to lose his head. "I need to visit my friend. I will meet you all tomorrow."

            "But, Houshi-sama…" started Sango, but he had already turned around and headed off a different direction. Sango bit her lip, hoping that Miroku would come back like he said tomorrow. Perhaps she should tell Miroku that she didn't intend on marrying Taro now, but Miroku had already moved so far away that the shadows obscured him from her view. She sighed as Taro led the way to the mansion, oblivious to his fiancée's feelings.

            Miroku moved down the rows of houses, trying to distinguish one building from the next. But he couldn't concentrate on the description of the house that he had procured from the village earlier, for his mind was filled with Sango moving away from him. Concentrate, he told himself. There was no way that he was going to stand aside and let this "Momotaro" boy take Sango away just because of an agreement made so long ago.

            He stopped in his movements and took a deep breath, hoping to calm his racing mind. He suddenly scowled as he remembered the look Inuyasha had given him before he had left the group. It almost looked like Inuyasha had understood his feelings for Sango, but that was impossible. He had never told him anything about his feelings, so how should he know? But then again, Inuyasha did act intelligent sometimes…

            "Miroku?" a feminine voice asked tentatively, trying to see him clearly in the darkness.

            "Yes?" he asked cautiously, though he acted perfectly calm.

            "Oh! So it is you," the voice laughed. She lit the lantern that she had been holding up, bringing the light to illuminate the both of them. "I was about to hit you on the head if you were a stranger."

            "That is not the most hospitable way to greet someone," Miroku replied mildly, trying to place this girl in his memories. Where had he seen her? Had he seen her at all?

            "You don't remember who I am? Or maybe it's because you don't recognize me anymore…" she said, tilting her head to one side innocently. "I'm Aiko. You know, Aki's granddaughter."

            "Aki," Miroku said, remembering the name.

            "Yes. She's the old lady—Here, why don't I just bring you to the house?" Aiko asked, turning around and moving the circle of light with her. Miroku followed quickly, not wanting a lady to be seen walking by herself in the middle of the night.

            "I came here to meet Aki, actually," Miroku said, fingering something within the garments of his clothes. "I have something to request of her."

            "Of course, Miroku," Aiko said, smiling charmingly in the tiny sphere of light that the meager lantern offered. "We've always been waiting for a day when we can pay you back for the favor you did for us."

            "Please, it was nothing," Miroku said as they neared the doorway to one of the huts. Aiko lifted the cloth covering the door and went in, holding the cloth to let Miroku in.

            "Aiko, who is it?" the voice of an old woman asked from an adjacent room.

            "Obaa-san, it's Miroku," the girl chirped, blowing the lantern out in the face of the light from the fire, and setting the lantern on the ground.

            "Miroku?" the old woman asked as she came out of the room. She surveyed Miroku, and smiled warmly. "My, how you've grown, boy."

            "It's been five years," Miroku replied, glad that the old woman still remembered him.

            "Miroku has a favor to ask, so don't keep him waiting too long," Aiko said in a singsong voice. "I'm going to go fix something for us to eat," she giggled as she started to get the vegetables ready for cooking.

            "Please, sit down," the woman said, gesturing to the raised floor beside her. Miroku sat down next to her.

            "Obaa-san, I'm going out to get water!" Aiko said, walking over to pick up the lantern.

            "Aiko, the water is already in the pot," Aki said, pointing to the boiling pot.

            "Oh, I knew that," Aiko said undaunted, and went back to cutting the vegetables.

            "So what is it, Miroku?" Aki asked, observing the boy before her. "Surely you aren't here to get herbs, are you?"

            "No," Miroku said, "I'm here to request your skills in the art of jewelry making."

            "Jewelry?" the old woman laughed. "I have not practiced that skill since my husband died."

            "But you are most talented in this area," Miroku urged, hoping that the old lady would do him this favor.

            "All right, Miroku, but only because it's you," Aki said warmly. "Now tell me, my dear. What is it that you request of me?" Miroku reached into his robes and pulled out a small stone.

            "Crystal, hmm? This should be relatively simple," Aki said, surveying the quality of the stone in her hands. "Not bad. Where did you receive this?"

            "From a lord for completing a job," Miroku said evasively.

            "If I work all night, I may be able to finish this my tomorrow morning," she said, reaching to a nearby shelf and taking some tools down. "Especially if this stone is to be carved in that design that you've wanted for quite some time." Miroku nodded, surprised that the old lady had still remembered. "In that case, I can make this pretty fast. I haven't forgotten the number of times you've made me carve that design until I got it absolutely perfect," Aki laughed, placing the tools on the floor and lighting a lantern to provide more light.

            "Thank you…" Miroku started.

            "Nonsense," Aki said. "You've always been like a son to me, and you did put my son and his wife to peace, so I should be the one thanking you. Now, Aiko has finished cooking, so you two eat while I look at this for a moment." With that, she shooed Miroku to the other side of the room, where Aiko was putting the soup into two bowls.

            "Let's dig in!" Aiko said, as she started her meal much more sedately than what she had said. Miroku smiled inwardly as he ate the meal, glad for a moment that once upon a time, he had stopped long enough to make a true friend. And now, he had let a certain someone become more than just a friend to him. Will I be able to let her go? he wondered to himself, but decided that whatever path she chose, he would at least be there to support her all the way.

            "Ne, Inuyasha, where did Miroku-sama go?" Kagome whispered in the night quietly. Sango was sleeping peacefully a little ways away from her, and Shippou and Kirara were resting across from Sango and Kagome. Inuyasha sat outside, taking comfort in the bright moon, while Kagome shifted in her bed.

            "How would I know?" asked Inuyasha grouchily. "Go to sleep. We have more things to do tomorrow."

            "But, Inuyasha," Kagome insisted. "Don't you think we should find out what Miroku's doing right now?"

            "Who cares?" asked Inuyasha, although in truth, he was a little curious.

            "Well, I do," Kagome said, getting out of the bed. "Let's go look for him."

            "Go to sleep, Kagome," Inuyasha said, closing his eyes. "I don't want you to start complaining that you're tired just because you don't feel like sleeping at night."

            "I'm going to look for him," Kagome said, "and unless you want the shards to be taken by some evil youkai, you're going to have to come with me." Kagome stood there, waiting for a reaction from Inuyasha. She hoped her threat worked. She had never tried threatening him so directly before, and she was hoping that Inuyasha would buy it.

            "Stupid girl," Inuyasha grumbled, standing up. Kagome smiled in victory.

            They exited the building quietly, careful not to wake Sango and Shippou up. In the middle of the street, Kagome looked at Inuyasha, expecting him to pinpoint Miroku's location with his nose.

            "Well?" asked Inuyasha, looking at Kagome. "Where is he?"

            "I thought you were going to find him by his scent," said Kagome.

            "I'm not the one who wanted to come out and look for him," was all he answered.

            "Fine then," Kagome said, trying not to let her impatience get to her. She started off towards a random direction.

            "This way," Inuyasha said, walking another. "The path you're taking leads to the fields."

            "Oh," Kagome said, slightly embarrassed. She hurried over to Inuyasha's side as they started their hunt for Miroku.

            Then, somewhere in front of them, they saw a couple walking together, illuminated by the light of a single lantern. They heard a suppressed giggle come from the girl, while the boy whispered something to her.

            "Miroku-sama!" Kagome said, loud enough for him to hear, but quiet enough so that the villagers could continue sleeping.

            "Kagome-sama," he said, turning around to look at her. "Inuyasha. What are you two doing here?"

            "We should be asking you the same thing," Inuyasha said as the two groups met each other.

            "Miroku, are these your friends?" the girl asked, her eyes straying to the top of Inuyasha's head. She suppressed a shiver, and tried to look as carefree as ever.

            "Hai," Miroku answered. "This is Inuyasha, and Kagome-sama. We travel together."

            "And who might you be?" asked Kagome, her suspicions about Miroku rising. He didn't go and ask a woman to bear his child the moment he found out Sango-chan was engaged, did he? she wondered.

            "My name is Aiko," the girl replied. "I'm Miroku's friend, obviously."

            "Why don't you two head back to the mansion?" Miroku asked, trying to act as if he did not have a secret agenda.

            "Why don't you come back with us?" Kagome asked, pretending to have no ulterior motives than to invite a friend to accompany her.

            "Why don't we just visit your other friend?" asked Inuyasha.

            "Other friend?" asked Miroku, acting as if he didn't know what Inuyasha was talking about.

            "You mean Aki?" asked Aiko, trying to be as trusting as she could be of Miroku's strange friends. She tried to ignore the fact that one of Miroku's friends was a youkai, and tried not to stare at Kagome's strange clothes.

            "Aki? Who's that?" asked Kagome, looking at Miroku suspiciously. Did he ask for two women to bear his child at the same time? she thought, hoping that that wasn't the case. Miroku sighed, giving up his secret.

            "Aki is a talented old woman who has great skill in the crafting of stones," Miroku finally relented. "I merely requested her to make something for me."

            "Oh!" Kagome said, embarrassed. "Um… So you're making something for Sango-chan?" she said to fill the silence.

            "How did you know?" asked Miroku, surprised that Kagome had known his feelings for the taiji-ya. Well, I suppose Kagome-sama realized that a long time ago, Miroku thought to himself, not knowing that the girl had only confirmed his feelings for Sango that morning.

            "Heh heh… Wild guess, I suppose," she said, laughing nervously.

            "Well, now that you know what I'm doing, please return back to Sango," he said. "And please keep this a secret. I don't want her to know about her gift before I give it to her." Kagome stared at him, surprised that Miroku was displaying his feelings so clearly. He really does love Sango-chan, Kagome thought, wondering why he hadn't shown his feelings before.

            "You better not be telling us to go just so you can do something funny," Inuyasha said, glancing briefly at Aiko. Miroku noticed where Inuyasha was looking at and merely smiled.

            "I assure you, from here on, there will only be one person whom I would want to do something 'funny' to," Miroku said, smiling calmly as if he had said nothing out of the ordinary. Inuyasha and Kagome looked at him dumbfounded, not quite believing what he said, and slightly appalled that Miroku would answer to Inuyasha's words.

            "You're sick," said Inuyasha as he turned away, unable to accept Miroku speaking about his actions as if it were nothing. Kagome agreed with Inuyasha. They're both so vulgar when they want to be, Kagome thought to herself as she followed Inuyasha.

            As his two friends headed away, he returned back to the hut, guided by the lone lantern decorated with pictures of peonies. Those two are so immature, he thought to himself. Believing me to be uncouth just because I stated an everyday fact. He wondered about his words though. They had sounded right at the moment that he had said them, but he wasn't sure if that was what his true heart felt. Sometimes the words he said just didn't reflect his emotions.

            And I here I thought I was ready to let her go with another, he sighed to himself. He suddenly realized that everything he had been doing that night was an effort to win Sango's heart. Baka, he said to himself. You've decided to win her over before you've even considered that she had another man that she could possibly shower her affections on. Well, no matter, he thought. I do my best, and he'll do his. We shall see who is most successful. Although he tried to be fair in his mind, Miroku was already hoping that Sango would choose him.

            "Miroku," Aiko said, extinguishing the lantern. "You're like a peony. The peony on this lantern."

            "A peony?" Miroku asked, amused. "How is that so?"

            "Well, the many layers of the petals on the peony hide the flower's true heart," she said, pointing to the painting on the lantern. "No matter how you try to pluck each petal away to find its heart, there are always more petals to cover it."

            "But in the end, there will be no more petals to shield the heart," Miroku said matter-of-factly.

            "Yes, but by that time, you will have known the person so well, that you will trust them with your heart," she said, smiling at him. "But I think that there is someone out there whom you already trust that has yet to pick all your petals away."

            Miroku smiled, knowing what she was referring to, and wondered since when had everyone started knowing his feelings. And here he thought that he had been hiding his feelings so well…

            Shippou awoke to the sound of someone ringing the warning bell loudly in the village. He got up quickly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and wondered what was happening. He saw Sango fully clothed in her armor, and Kagome and Inuyasha readying their weapons for battle.

            "What's—What's happening?" he asked, looking from one grim face to the other.

            "A group of oni are attacking this village," Taro said, appearing in the room with his armor on, but still adjusting the sword on his belt. After he was finished, he picked up his customary weapon: a long chain with something that looked like a large needle at the end of it. He dipped the needle-like blade into a jar of poison and headed outside.

            "Come on. We have to go stop the oni," he said, his attention focused specifically on Sango. "Are your friends coming along?"

            "Of course we are," Inuyasha said indignantly, jumping outside next to Taro. "Let's go."

            The group headed out towards the rumbling from a hoard of oni running to them at great speeds. Inuyasha pulled his sword out of his sheath, and swung the mighty blade once at the charging oni.

            "Kaze no Kizu!" he shouted, unleashing the sleeping power in Tessaiga. The oni in front of him were wiped out, but more started to pour into the village from the sides.

            "Ready, Sango?" Taro asked, his weapon ready. When an oni got close enough, he threw the pointed blade at the base of the oni's head, penetrating the skin and poisoning the demon. The oni fell with a resounding thud that was soon drowned out by the sounds of other oni rushing in.

            "Hiraikotsu!" Sango shouted, unleashing the massive boomerang. She looked around her as the boomerang came back to her, wondering why Miroku wasn't there when they needed him.

            "Kitsune-bi!" yelled Shippou as he engulfed a group of oni with his illusionary flame in order to give Kagome the chance to shoot her arrows at them.

            "Good work, Shippou-chan," she said, as they faced another team.

            "Why are there so many oni all of a sudden?" asked Inuyasha, cutting many down with his sword as they got too close for him to use Tessaiga's special attack. He remembered the oni from yesterday morning and wondering if it was some kind of oni holiday. Not that he had ever heard of oni having a holiday before.

            "There's too many!" Kagome shouted, as she had to run away to avoid being crushed by an oni's foot.

            "Lead them outside of town!" Taro shouted as he felled many more oni with his poisonous weapon. He quickly took out a long, thin vial and dipped his weapon in it again.

            Slowly but surely, they guided the oni away from the town, changing the battlefield from one of huts to a large, empty field. And still the battle raged on.

            "Why are there so many?" asked Sango in between attacks.

            "There has been something disturbing the youkai around here lately," Taro said, trying not to look tired from using his weapon. It took a lot of energy to force the needle into the oni's thick skulls, and he didn't think that he could last any longer. If Sango and her friends hadn't been here, he had no doubt that he would have been dead already.

            "A disturbance?" asked Kagome as she fired her dwindling supply of arrows at the oni.

            "A lot of the youkai are being kicked out of their old homes by someone," he replied, dodging an attack from an oni.

            "Inuyasha, use Tessaiga," Kagome shouted, looking at the single arrow left in her quiver.

            "I can't," he grunted as he cleaved an especially large youkai in two. "The youki is too mixed up here for me to use the attack properly. If I use the Kaze no Kizu, the oni aren't going to be the only ones who are going to be made into mincemeat."

            "What do we do? What do we do?" asked Shippou frantically. Sango swung the boomerang again, only to have an oni knock it back at her. She reached up and caught the boomerang, feeling as if her entire arm had been pulled out of its socket. She moved her arm a bit to make sure that there were no injuries, and looked at the oni, coughing a little. The dirt that's flying around is starting to irritate my throat, Sango thought as she looked for Miroku again. I should have worn my mask.

            Kagome was on the defensive now, having only one arrow left, and not wanting to waste that last arrow. Shippou was running around, trying to do his best to protect himself and Kagome, but by now, the oni had figured out that Shippou's attacks were mostly illusionary, and no longer feared the tiny kitsune. Little by little, the entire group was pushed to each other, causing them to be surrounded on all sides by oni.

            "What do we do?" asked Shippou, staring in fear at the number of oni that were still approaching them.

            "Kazaana!" Miroku shouted as he arrived on the scene, sucking up the oni with his special attack. The oni barely had any time to turn around before they were sucked into the air void. When there were enough oni cleared from the field, Inuyasha unleashed the cutting wind, demolishing the rest of the demons.

            "Houshi-sama!" Sango said, a grateful tone in her voice. He smiled as she quickly ran over to him. "Where were you? I thought you said you were going to meet us early in the morning?" she said in a more condescending tone, not wanting Miroku to think that she had any particular reason to be glad to see him.

            "I said morning, not 'early morning,'" Miroku replied. "But it looks like I got here in time, nonetheless." Sango didn't say anything, for fear that she would betray her emotions if she should open her mouth.

            "Sango…?" asked Taro, sensing that there was something that he didn't quite catch about Sango.

            "Ah… Taro," she said, turning to him slowly. "Um… Come here for a moment. I need to talk to you about something," she said, trying to smile but failing.

            Miroku surveyed the scene before him and shook his head. He wondered what had caused the mass of oni to suddenly attack this village. It did not seem to have anything to do with the resources that were at this place. The village here was as plain as could be, offering no secret treasures.

            "Miroku-sama, did you—" Kagome was about to ask, but saw Sango coming, so quickly closed her mouth.

            "Let's head on out," she said, swinging the boomerang over her shoulder as Kirara walked from the place where she was protecting the villagers and transformed into a smaller version.

            "What about Taro and your engagement?" asked Miroku in surprise.

            "There…There's no longer an engagement," Sango said hurriedly, walking past Miroku so that he couldn't see her face. "There's no way I can marry a guy like him anyway…"

            "Why?" asked Miroku, jogging to catch up to her. He noticed that Kagome, Inuyasha, and Shippou were hanging in the back somewhere, trying their best not to disturb the two. Miroku smiled at their consideration.

            "It doesn't matter," she said. "Maybe it's because I haven't gotten my revenge on Naraku yet," she lied. "Or maybe because I still have to bring Kohaku back to life."

            "Maybe you are a very bad liar," Miroku said, stopping in front of her so that she could not proceed any further. "Here, for you." He took out from his robes a silver chain with a crystal pendant hanging from it. The many cuts on the crystal caught the light of the still morning sun as Sango carefully accepted the gift from Miroku.

            "What—What is this for?" she asked, looking at it in disbelief. I've… I've never known anyone who had any type of jewelry, she thought to herself, wondering where Miroku had conned this.

            "A token of my thanks for yesterday," Miroku said, noticing a strange expression on Sango's face. "I had an old friend in this village make it for me."

            "Oh, so you didn't swindle this off anyone," Sango said in relief. Miroku gave her an indiscernible look. "You didn't, right?"

            "Ah, well, this completed jewel, I did not swindle," Miroku said vaguely.

            "But the crystal…?" asked Sango, having a sneaking suspicion of the truth.

            "Wow!" Kagome said as she saw what Miroku had given Sango. "That's pretty. But why is it shaped like a tear?"

            "Baka," Inuyasha said. "It's not a tear. It's a pear."

            "No, it's shaped like a soul," Shippou said, jumping up on Kagome's shoulder.

            "A soul?" asked Sango, wondering why the child had such morbid thoughts. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised, considering… Sango thought. But this gift… Why is he giving it to me? Could it be...?

            "You are both wrong," Miroku said, shaking his head in disbelief that none of them could figure out what the pendant was supposed to be shaped like. "It's a raindrop."

            "A raindrop?" they all asked in unison.

            "Yes, a raindrop," Miroku said half in exasperation, half in an experienced manner. "As all know, rain is the symbol of life. I thought that it would be a perfect gift for Sango."

            A perfect gift for Sango? Shippou wondered. That's right… Kohaku. Miroku went through all this trouble just to give Sango a reminder to cherish her life? Shippou scratched his head, not understanding Miroku's motives.

            "Houshi-sama," Sango said, looking at the pendant in her hands. "I—I can't accept—"

            "Please do," Miroku said, bowing slightly. "If nothing else, it would give me the honor." Sango didn't know what else to do, other than put the necklace on, so she did. She felt happy that Miroku had gotten such a gift for her, but it was so unexpected that she didn't know quite what to say.

            "Raindrops, hmm?" asked Sango. "I'll try to keep what you said in mind."

            Inuyasha looked at Miroku carefully, and noticed that the monk was practically as happy as the girl who received his gift. Perhaps Miroku has finally learned to value his own life if he's willing to give such a gift to someone, he contemplated. Keh, Inuyasha thought, turning away from the two. They're both suicidal, so I suppose this is best for the both of them. He remembered the time when Miroku had chosen to throw his life away when he thought all hope was gone, and how Sango had decided to die once she killed Kohaku.

            "Let us continue on our journey, shall we?" asked Miroku, heading out of the village, feeling happier than he had ever felt in a long time. Sango nodded, a beautiful smile on her face as she walked closer to the monk than before.

            "This really was a test of engagement, wasn't it?" sighed Kagome as she watched Sango and Miroku walk alongside each other.

            " 'Engagement?'" asked Inuyasha. "Are you talking about a 'battle' engagement or what?"

            "No," Kagome said, smiling at Sango's happiness. "An engagement of love."

            The morning sun rose high into the clear, sea-blue sky, sprinkling its soft light upon the travelers. Miroku walked at a gentle pace next to Sango, and for once, didn't try to ruin the atmosphere. For once, everything was as it should be.

Miscellaneous Information/Comments: Nice, long chapter, isn't it? (And double meanings in the title!)

Supposedly, in Chinese folktales, there's a rabbit (usagi) on the moon making mochi (a type of dessert that can be filled with red bean paste, or green bean, or can be covered by peanut powder), I think.

If you know some Asian stories, lily's serve as the body for some people when they need to…uh…put their soul somewhere? I don't know. It's weird.

The six Jizo (stone statues of those roadside guardians) come from a story about… Six Jizo! The story goes on about how an old guy couldn't sell these hats, and it was snowing, and he saw these six jizo, pitied them and gave them his unsold hats. The next day, they rewarded him.

Momotaro (momo=peach) comes from a tale where a boy is born from a giant peach, and grows up to fight these oni on an island somewhere, defeats them, and takes back the treasure that they had stolen from the villagers and more.

The peony lantern comes from a story where a lantern floating on the water is stuck, so a young man frees the lantern and allows it to float down the river or something. Anyway, it's the festival where they float lanterns to guide the spirits home, and since the young man allowed the lantern to continue on the journey, the ghost of the lantern fell in love with him. So she visited him and became friends with him (he didn't know she was a ghost), but when it was time for her to leave, she decided to take him with her. He found out she was a ghost, didn't want to leave, but in the end, the girl ended up dragging his soul out and taking it with her. Comfy, isn't it?

That's all I have to say…for now.