daniel's disclaimer: Yeah, I'm bordering on copyright infringement but since anime is so reliant on a dedicated fan base I don't think anyone with legal leverage will care as long as I encourage you to buy officially licensed Inu-Yasha stuff, like books and DVDs and refrigerator magnets. So go out there and get a fridge magnet with Naraku's face on it! You can use it to pin up the fanart you've made on your parents' fridge, like you're still a minor and they still want you living in their house.
Anyway.
Kindly notice that I've adopted a much less sucky title. I'm so bad at titles; it's beyond laughable. If any of you have an even less suckier title, than by all means, share.
Kagome snapped awake, instantly alert. She sat up cautiously, looking around.
Miroku smiled at her from where he was sitting, looking out over the clearing and down the mountainside. Kagome hadn't noticed because it had been dark, but the view was really quite pretty. She frowned slightly.
"That's never happened before." She said.
Miroku shrugged. "If you are aware enough, spiritually, then there's a good chance that you woke up because you felt me exercising my spiritual muscles."
Kagome pursed her lips. "Exercising your spiritual muscles." She repeated critically.
Miroku shrugged. "Spirit magic is like anything else. You can have all the talent in the world but it means nothing without dedicated practice and informed study." He looked up at the sky, and continued. "I want to go for a walk. Care to join me?"
Kagome glared at him narrowly. "If this is some sort of come-on," she began threateningly.
"You'll break my shins, I know." Miroku responded.
Kagome glanced at her brothers. "And they'll be safe?"
Miroku nodded. "Kouga, however impulsive he may be, has a heart of gold."
Kagome grunted, standing up and dusting herself off. She had felt slightly self-conscious about walking around in her pajamas, but no one else seemed to notice, and the kids where wearing the most bizarre things. "So where are we going, anyway?"
Miroku smiled. "You'll see."
Kagome gave him a level stare as they set off. "I don't trust you."
Miroku looked to her as they set off, pushing through the initial bramble on the sides of the clearing to access the fairly open forest floor beyond. "Oh?" He rejoined.
"Your smile is dishonest." Kagome said. "It doesn't touch your eyes at all, like a used cars' salesman who has to be all smiles and confidence and make the sale but he's worried that his boss put sawdust in the gearbox so the transmission will clench up, probably on a patch of black ice, and send the whole family of customers careening to a horrible mangled death." She paused then, a little out of breath from hiking and orating at the same time.
Miroku sighed. "I'm taking you to see Head Ridge before you decide to make a break for yourself and unwittingly disobey the rule."
Kagome stiffened. "What?" She asked. How could he possibly have guessed?
Miroku sighed. "It's simple. I know you don't trust me, and you hate Kouga. Since you hate Kouga you're suspicious of his cronies, Ginta and Hakkaku. And the kids creep you out because they're all dead." He paused, and shook his foot a little to get a twig out from under his toe. "I know you want to return to the Normal World, and I'm more than willing to help you, but I must impress on you the importance of not breaking the only rule of Never- Never Land, which is 'don't cross head ridge.'"
Kagome frowned. "That can't be the only reason you have for hauling me all the way out here."
Miroku paused. "You don't believe me?"
Kagome shook her head. "No. I don't."
Miroku sighed, and shook his head. "So untrusting." He lamented, and he turned, striking up the hill instead of just skirting along the side. The two hiked along for a while, and Kagome winced, wishing she had something more substantial than slippers with Hamtaro on them to deal with the rocks and sticks and stuff. She decided to distract herself with conversation.
"Who's Inu-Yasha?" She asked nonchalantly, stopping to dig a pebble out of her slipper.
Miroku froze for an instant, and stalled for time. "Why do you ask?" He responded lightly.
"Kouga mentioned something about him after he fell out a third story window and landed on a steel trash can." Kagome said, leaving out the part where she landed on his back.
Miroku sighed. "Inu-Yasha is something of a vagabond. Kouga doesn't like him, I'm afraid. I'd prefer if you didn't bring it up with Kouga because he tends to get rather irritated and use language I'd really prefer the children not learn." He paused, and murmured, "especially since Kouga's so bad at using it."
Kagome heard, like Miroku had hoped. "So Kouga's bad at cussing, huh?"
Miroku sighed, and nodded. "It's actually kind of embarrassing." He paused, squinting as he looked forward. "We're getting pretty close."
Kagome paused, she could hear flies buzzing ahead, although it was very faint.
Miroku sighed, leaning against a tree. "Now, I want you to be prepared for what's ahead. It's the grizzliest part of Never-Never Land, and I won't think less of you for vomiting."
"Thanks a lot!" Kagome wailed, staring at him. "You really mean that seriously, don't you!?"
Miroku sighed. "Just follow me." He paused, turning to face Kagome. "Listen. I want you to swear that you'll never tell anyone anything I've said about Inu-Yasha. And I want you to promise to keep the secrets I've asked you to keep. I swear on Jizo's mercy that there's a good reason for why I ask this."
Kagome leveled an even stare at him. "I beg you." Miroku added heavily.
"I swear to keep your secrets, Miroku." Kagome said, understanding that he wouldn't accept equivocation.
With that he pushed off the tree and hiked up the hill, pushing through the underbrush at the edge to break out into the ridgeline clearing.
Kagome frowned, following him. He stepped to the side and she walked forward, looking up at the bare stone crag winding along in front of her.
She gasped.
Severed heads rammed on ten-meter stakes stood along the ridge, a grizzly forest of its own grotesque nature along the ridge. Some of the heads were simply skulls, sun-bleached. Some still had rotten flesh, flies buzzing around madly. Three were fresh; the eyes rolled back and the tongues lolling out, shriveled and blackened.
Some weren't human. They had tusks or three eye sockets or horns or scales or the skin was the wrong color, even rotten, or they had shrunken dried exoskeletal pincers where a jawbone should rightly be.
Kagome's knees buckled and she turned her head away, facing downhill to vomit. She heaved herself dry, Miroku holding her hair back.
"It's pretty bad, isn't it?" he comforted. "It seems little comfort, but they were all killed instantly and died painlessly." He patted her back soothingly as she leaned back to sit on her ankles.
"The worst are the ones that aren't human." She spat out, wiping her chin.
He froze. "Damn." He grunted under his breath. Kagome frowned. She didn't think that she was supposed to have heard his whispering that time.
He stood up, stepping away. "Of course she could see the demon skulls..." he mused to himself. "It's simple." He said out loud. "There are humans on this side of the island, but demons on the other." He waved. "But there's a glamour that prevents anyone from seeing a skull that's not fixed with a kindred; demons can see the demon skulls, but not the human skulls, and vice versa." He sighed. "That's why there's the rule for Never-Never Land." He stood. "It's to keep demons on that side ignorant of humans, and to keep the humans ignorant of demons."
Kagome frowned. "But why?"
"To prevent genocide." Miroku answered simply, evasively.
Kagome shook her head. "Well, I guess I can understand why, even if it is ruthless." She frowned, glancing up at the skulls and quickly glancing away. The stench alone was the stuff of nightmares, let alone the look of them. "But," she paused, thinking, "but who enforces this rule? Who's the one that kills anyone that crosses Head Ridge?"
Miroku sighed. "Inu-Yasha."
Sango grimaced as she looked up at the sky. Three years and she still wasn't used to this swirling purplish sky. No clouds or moon or stars or sun where anywhere.
It was enough to drive a person stir-crazy.
She looked back the two men flanking her, and they nodded, one after the other, never locking their gaze on anyone or each other, eyes always roving, roving about looking for any hint.
The smell of blood and death had been overlain with the scent of cigarettes, the same damn mocking smokes that the bastard always sucked on after he offed one of them. But this time he'd killed too many. This time he'd gone too far.
She shifted her weapon on her shoulder, and crept noiselessly forward, hunkered down in the bushes, darting from tree to tree as she neared the cave. The laughter of children echoed through the woods, like always, but she kept her guard up regardless.
She paused at the edge, peering through the foliage while she still had cover. Right at the edge, where she could watch undetected and—
"Hi Sango!" Kouga shouted, waving as he darted over, leaping clear of the undergrowth to land next to her.
He took her hand between his. "I was hoping you'd come visit me today!" He said happily. "Come on, Miroku went off somewhere this morning so Ginta cooked." He declared.
Sango blushed and tried to pry her hands free. Three years and he couldn't take the hint. It was depressing, really, to witness just how thick-brained Kouga could be sometimes. Three years of heavy-handed courtship and he hadn't given up.
Three years and she couldn't tell him she wasn't interested.
She shook herself and looked back, signaling the two guards that came with her to follow. She scowled at their tight-lipped attempts to not grin and laugh. Everyone else seemed to think Kouga's antics were funny or even cute.
She was thoroughly distracted when he dragged her out of the brush by her hand, chatting animatedly about whatever vegetables or whatnot that Hakkaku had scared up for Ginta to cook for breakfast.
At least this time he hadn't tried to carry Hiraikotsu for her. He'd finally learned his lesson and her boomerang bone stayed gripped in her own hand resting on her own shoulder.
"Sango!?"
Sango looked up, and her breath stole away. "Kohaku!?" She breathed out, unbelieving.
"Big Sis!" Her brother cried, dropping the toy that he'd been distracting the kid in the parka with and sprinting over to throw himself in her bear hug as she dropped her weapon to scoop him up in her arms.
She was crying. "Kohaku, I never thought we'd see each other again." She exclaimed, setting him down to look him over. "You've aged well." She complemented.
"I'm thirteen, now." He admitted shyly. He smiled back. It was the brightest smile Souta had ever seen on Kohaku's face.
"It's platonic, see!?" Hakkaku grated in Kouga's ear, so the latter would stop struggling.
They stood at arms' length, neither quite wishing to break the moment but both wanting to know how the other had come to be in Never-Never Land.
Finally Sango sighed. "It was three years ago."
"When you died." Kohaku said. It wasn't a question, but Sango answered anyway.
"Yes." She sighed. "We were chasing a demon, all of us. Father wouldn't let you come along because you were to young, and the monster proved to be too much for us. He killed us all." She shook her head. "But instead of reincarnating or even going to Hell, we found ourselves in this place, this Never-Never Land." She breathed in, nostrils flaring. "Ever since we've hunted for a way out. And for revenge against the one that did this to us, against Inu-Yasha."
There was a terrible silence at that, broken by the man on Sango's left flank, a kindly fellow despite his intimidating scar from forehead to cheek across an eye. "What about you, Kohaku? You don't look very dead to me."
"I'm not." Kohaku said, over-brightly. "Kouga brought me here by accident."
Sango turned to face the wolf demon. "Oh really?" She said, frowning.
"Yup!" Shippo jumped in. "He tried ta kidnap Kagome, and, well, he succeeded. But we came along to protect her!" He finished proudly, standing as tall as he could despite being short even for his young age.
Sango frowned, distracted. "Who's Kagome? Who's we?"
Kohaku grinned. "Kagome is my foster sister. She's really nice, and almost as protective as you." Sango blushed a little at that.
"Anyway," Kohaku said, "Shippo meant my foster brothers. There's Shippo," Shippo nodded hello, "and Souta." Souta, standing over with Mayu and the other, relatively older kids, also waved. "Souta is Kagome's blood brother, but Shippo's foster like me."
"I'm glad that you found a stable family." Sango said.
"I still miss you and Dad a whole bunch." Kohaku said. He started tearing up. "It's really good to see you." He finished, and hugged her again. Ginta took the opportunity to herd the kids inside while Hakkaku dragged Kouga along, as discreetly as he could manage with Kouga sullenly half-resisting.
"It's bad, isn't it?" Kohaku finally sighed.
Sango pretended ignorance. "Is what bad?"
"Whatever happened to dad. If he was ok you would have said something already."
Sango sighed. "Kohaku, dad is dead. Not just to Never-Never Land, but he's totally gone."
Kohaku sighed. "I figured as much." He smiled. "At least we got to see each other again."
Sango sighed, and smiled. "Yeah, that's true." She swallowed. Sango could never manage to hold anything back. "But, dad, you see, well, he only totally died yesterday. We found his body this morning, before dawn."
Kohaku snuffled. "You mean I could have seen him?"
Sango nodded sadly. "Yeah. We came to ask that monk if he knew anything."
"Didn't we Miroku?" her left flanker called out.
In the bushes, Miroku bit back a curse. It had been unusually quiet so he'd hurried back, and found that Kohaku really had been the Kohaku that Sango had mentioned, so he'd decided to sneak away.
He'd managed to shush Kagome with a pleading look but they never would have gotten away from the watchful eyes of the demon exterminators. He'd hoped they'd be distracted but no such luck. He straightened, put on his best smile, and prayed for the best.
"It's good to see you so happy, Sango." He genially called out, stepping out of the brush. Kagome followed behind warily.
Kohaku stepped forward. "Sango, I'd like you to meet my foster-sister, Kagome. Kagome, I'd like you to meet Sango. Uh, she's my real sister." He ended awkwardly.
Kagome smiled and bowed, and Sango bowed back. Kagome smiled. "You must be a great person. Kohaku talked about himself so rarely, but he always held his family in great regard. It's obvious to me that he loves you a lot."
Sango, relieved she wasn't being usurped, smiled back warmly. "Thank you! I'm relieved to find out that even though I couldn't be Kohaku's older sister, at least he got a wonderful replacement big sister, nee Kohaku?"
Kohaku swallowed, not really wanting to touch that. "Erm..."
"I'd never dream of replacing you!" Kagome hastily reassured.
Totally satisfied, Sango smiled unreservedly. Miroku idly noted that she was even prettier than Kagome when she smiled. That was saying quite a bit.
The scar-faced man chuckled. "A little advice, Kohaku: women always talk like you're not there. Best to just smile and nod and try and stir them to a safer topic, like work or something."
Sango, acknowledging the tactful reminder, rounded on Miroku. "So, monk, what do you know about Inu-Yasha's latest killing-spree?"
Miroku sighed. "Nothing. I don't pretend to know why Inu-Yasha does what he does. I haven't seen him in three years, ever since he issued his rule."
Kagome turned to Miroku and frowned. Everyone but Miroku seemed to hate this Inu-Yasha fellow, and the more she heard the more she could see why. But... she had sworn secrecy to Miroku. Why had he asked that of her?
"If I find out that you're lying, monk, I swear that I'll show you no pity." Sango threatened.
Miroku groaned inside. If this went the way he was thinking it would, then Kouga wouldn't mind and the kids always loved an outing and he couldn't say no without being suspicious.
"I understand completely, Sango." He said heavily. "And if you ever think I don't deserve mercy then at that time I won't beg for it."
Sango grunted. "Well, if you don't know anything then I guess we'll just have to keep hunting for Inu-Yasha the same way we have been." She hefted Hiraikotsu back onto her shoulder and turned away. "If you don't know anything, then we'll head back to the fort."
"Take me with you." Kohaku said immediately. "I want to go with you, big sis."
Miroku cringed inside. Just like he'd feared. If Kohaku went, then he guessed Kagome would insist, and one thing would lead to another, and pretty soon the whole damn cave would pick up and visit the fort. They did it enough, but he always managed to find a way to delay at least a day. Now, though, he wasn't so sure.
Outside Miroku smiled. "That would be fine with me. Everyone should spend time with their family."
Kagome frowned. "I hate to split up. If Kohaku goes, I want Souta and Shippo and myself to go with him. Maybe they'll have a way to return us to the Normal World."
Miroku knew Kouga had heard that, and sure enough the wolf demon burst outside. "Hey! If Kagome's going, then why don't we all go along and visit our friends, huh!?"
Ginta, thinking of spending a night neither brat-watching or cooking, and instead having a drinking contest with Hakkaku while some of the more promiscuous and comely villagers watched appreciatively, readily agreed.
Hakkaku was with Ginta. Great minds think alike, they always said.
That meant that the children would have to come along, not that the village kids would mind. Their mothers might mind the short notice, but they'd probably be too busy laughing at Kouga's antics and Sango's befuddlement to mind for too long.
"I think the village could use a party right now." The scarred man observed. "It's certainly the kind of funeral the head-man would have wanted." He chuckled. "Who knows, maybe his desire for grandchildren will even be granted on his last earthly night."
Sango blushed. "You shut up." She growled.
Kouga frowned and knitted his eyebrows. "I didn't even know her dad wanted me'n Sango to get together."
"Sango and I." Kagome automatically corrected. Without thinking. She slapped her hand to her mouth as soon as she realized.
"Oh no." Ginta moaned.
Whoa!" Kouga shouted. "That's really kinky! I didn't need to know that." He frowned. "Besides, unless there's a lot that you're not telling us, I don't think that you could get Sango pregnant."
The children watched with avid interest, packing their futons for the overnight visit less swiftly that was their custom.
"Just shut up." Sango growled darkly.
Shippo frowned, thinking. "No, I don't think Kagome swings that way."
Souta nodded. "Sango does wear an awful lot of leather, though." Miroku literally bit his tongue to keep from adding his own two cents. He was glad he did.
Kagome whirled on him. "How do you even know things like that!?" She exploded.
He blinked, unaware of her anger. Or Sango's mortification. "I saw it on the Discovery Channel. It's not like it's bad, or anything. Whatever makes her happy is good, right?"
Sango grunted. "I'm interested in men, not women, thankyouverymuch!" She snapped.
"Whew!" Kouga said, relieved. "You had me worried for a minute, but that's an honest relief, Sango."
"Grown-ups sure are weird." Shippo whispered to Souta once he deemed to safe enough to talk.
"I'll say." Souta sighed. "And Sango and Kagome aren't even adults yet, and Kouga's a big idiot. I bet there's something weird going on, like Sango's got the hots for Miroku or something."
"We can still hear you." Sango snarled.
"Eep." Souta replied.
Once again, a big "huzzah" to Shinobi-chan for reviewing.
I'm still looking for a beta reader for this. If I find someone I like then you may be permanently drafted. If you also happen to be a cute girl--
I also want to point out something I'm doing technically: namely, really really long scenes. This chapter is like three thousand plus words and there's only one scene change. It makes for a real funny flow; no matter how much happens, I think, it feels inert. On the other hand, I really think it promotes deep submersion into what Gardner called the "fictional dream;" by not jumping around I really think I'm enhancing the suspension of disbelief. But I still think it might be annoying. What do you (yes, I mean YOU, the person reading this) think?
CLICK THE REVIEW BUTTON! YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!
(That's all I got).