Disclaimer: I forgot how to do these! GWAH! Ah yes. Inuyasha is not mine.
Oh. My. Kami. I'm SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG! I don't deserve any of the reviews I have. But let me explain- school. We all know that word. We all know how that word can keep us from writing. But it's still not a good enough excuse. I've had terrible writer's block, in which I can write everything BUT the 5-odd ongoing stories I have on FF. And I'm so sorry if this chapter sucks because of it, but at least I updated, right??
(To quote Khepri:)-gaspchokestruggleforair- WAH! WAH! WAH! counts reviews 35 reviews! recounts to make positive sure YES! 35!! faints revives chokes faints revives said reactions go on for a few hours
Ok! Responses!
Schizophrenic Pyromaniac: What am I trying to do? WHAT AM I TRYING TO DO!? What d'you THINK I'm trying to do!? breathes in calm, natural voice Write a good story, of course. hisses My Miroku! I AM SANGO'S INCARNATE! STAY AWAY! breathes again Here's a cookie! Love ya tons!
Ai8: Ah. Thanks for clearing that up! (And I don't mean that sarcastically!) Thanks for the info- I shall keep it in mind.
Anime-Angel-Ash: There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with shameless advertising... done it myself. And I believe I read your fanfic- it brought tears to my eyes. And I have a rep for not crying. So kudos to you!
Rebecca: Wow. SOMEBODY THANKED ME FOR AN UPDATE! YES!
Shon-Poe/Jo-jo: sighs You got me.
Kitsuki-Chan: A reunion for those cursed? strokes chin Hmm... bwa ha! I shall consider it! (Maybe a one-shot comedy or something...)
Cattibrie393: Actually, I've had the end planned out for like a half a year now... I dunno why I do polls. I just know I like it when other authors do me that favor.
rain angst: is struggling Can't... make... Miroku... die!! For you, I will probably write an angst 'what if??' chapter. Just for you. Sounds like a lot of fun... or lack thereof.
Mykah Leigh: 'Ja ne' means 'good bye', but can only be used by teenage girls. Yeah.
Khepri: Heya. You know, you don't have to throttle me. You could just 'Ayame' me. thunks into ground SPLUNK!! To answer your question: Carefully, he replaced her kimono. He put his hands on her shoulders and moved her aside and tried to stride away from her. His heart cried out with every step. Sango screamed. Etc. See? He put her kimono back on. Good boy.
And to the rest- I cannot name you all. But I love you, and I appreciate you so much. Thanks for your undying support. grins How about some more?? KIDDING! WAH!
Slave To One's Fears
Chapter 11
Coming from me, you'd have never thought
That I could rebel...
Well I have.
And I do.
And I will.
And I'm not giving up until you're dead on the ground.
Miroku leaned forward, willing the blessed curse to take him. I never knew it would take so long, he thought. It seemed to be picking him apart rather than just taking in his whole body- his skin began to tingle then sting as he lost small bits of his skin. He grimaced. So it hurt, be devoured like this. A burning coldness swept his body as at last it drew him closer, killing him, sucking his very soul out through his pores. He let out a pained cry as the burning sensation peaked, as a freezing inferno spread through his body, but then-
A warm touch, comforting, and most definitely not human. It moved closer, twining about his legs, wrapping around his waist, nuzzling his closed throat. It distracted him, pulling him from the horrific reality, made him believe this was not happening. He opened his eyes, and was met by a light. Before him flashed a fleeting image of wings, the feathers waving but gently, though the winds were strong. His eyes, for a brief moment, contracted, and were colored a pale blue. Something hit him in the face, flying with such rapidity that he had no time to attempt to block it. Then he fell, and remembered no more.
Miroku woke to a fuzzy feeling. Memories flashed before him, memories that did not belong to him. His insides twisted sickly as he fought to regain his composure. A memory wavered, then played in front of him. Miroku used every ounce of training he had ever learned and focused on the image and the meaning it bore. A dark afternoon, the sickly scent of death covering him, burning, filling his nostrils with the heavy sensation of suffocation. Weight pressed all around him, and a panic filled his senses as the true meaning of his confinement registered. He choked on a dirt-like material, sputtering, but suddenly it was gone. The weight, the lack of air, the ground, everything. A new memory replaced it.
Miroku suddenly felt dirty, like he would after riding one horse for hours on end. Only it was as though... he couldn't explain it. No man could explain the dirtiness. Only a woman would know. A man, completely naked, lay by his side, and Miroku automatically leapt away in horror. He felt sick when he realized the man was Naraku, and tried not to look at him. Despite his efforts, his vision was controlled, and swept over Naraku's body several times. Then it shifted, and Miroku saw that he wasn't in his own body. Even the small comfort of seeing a lovely woman's nude body wasted away when he finally realized who's memories he was in.
Again the scenes changed. Miroku saw a sunrise, it's beautiful colors streaming through the air. The tranquility he felt was not his own, he was far too frightened to feel like this. His body ached, but was dulled somehow by the lightly wet air and the feeling of contentment and peace. His body lay on soft grass underneath a tree, and Miroku's gaze wavered to the tree's branches. The lower ones were shining with dew and a drop splattered onto one of Miroku's unusually white feminine legs. He sighed with gratitude and offered a prayer to Kami for making this brief moment happen. Unfortunately for Miroku, this dream lasted for only a short time.
Another scene, far more frightening. He seemed to have moved back in time, and he was nearly frightened out of his wits to once again find Naraku in his mind's eye. Thankfully, he was fully clothed. His dark, makeup-lined eyes stared creepily at him, and a knot formed in Miroku's already squeamish stomach. Naraku spoke but a few words- Come to me... undress... but it was enough to make Miroku scream. However, his scream sounded... feminine... it was one he was now accustomed to. He recognized it and felt both his and Sango's body wretch in unison as Naraku clung to them.
"Is he alright?" Asked a worried Rin. Sesshomaru, standing silently after swiping a few strands of stubborn midnight from Miroku's forehead, nodded. His eyes were weary but unworried, and comforted Rin as they swept her body.
"He should be fine, once his skin grows another layer. He's missing quite a bit in some places. How is Sango?" He asked of Rin, who shifted nervously.
"She's been just... laying there, not moving and hardly breathing. Every now and then she'll mutter something about a horse, but once..." Here, she hesitated. Sesshomaru gathered her gently and persuasively into his arms, silently begging her to go on. Rin swallowed and nodded to no one but her self. "-But once she said 'I will save your soul if it kills my own, Sango' or something like that. It was like it wasn't... I don't know... it just sounded like she was talking to herself." Sesshomaru nodded thoughtfully.
"I believe, Rin, that when Sango, well, jumped Miroku and knocked him out... there was some sort of memory offering. It's confusing, yes, but somehow... somehow they're sharing parts of their lives with one another."
"Is that even possible?" Rin whispered as she looked at Miroku's beaten but breathing figure.
Sango's POV
I woke up, feeling both delirious and as close to reality as I ever was. My body hurt, screamed was more like it, but I felt as though everything was fine. I smiled, trying to ignore that odd feeling in my stomach. The odd feeling that I had forgotten something very important.
Oh gods. Miroku.
Where was he!?
I shot up off of the futon, ignoring the screaming protests of my muscles, and tried to make it to the door. Halfway, however, I tripped and went careening into the floor. I stretched out my arm to try to block my fall... bad idea. The broken bone sent flames of pain spurting through my system, driving me to tears. I let out a loud whimper, but soon learned that I had actually screamed. The buzzing noise that had began to sound in my ears had dulled the noise. Kagome burst through the door and was soon at my side, helping me stand and guiding me back to my bed. I struggled, muttering about Miroku and how I needed to see him. I looked into Kagome's eyes and saw a dull pain in them.
"K-Kagome-chan?" I whispered. "Where is Miroku?" She offered me a smile.
"In... in his room, Sango-chan. Now," she said quickly. "let's get you back into your bed and-" She was going too fast. Something was wrong.
"Kagome- what's the matter with Miroku?" I asked, cutting her off. Kagome froze in mid-attempt to get me back onto my futon. She nibbled her lip. Still not looking me in the eyes, she tried to skirt the question.
"Oh, Miroku." She gave a nervous laugh. "He's fine, just fine. He's in his room and-"
"Kagome. Tell me the truth. Or at least describe IN DETAIL what's the matter with Miroku!" I started to shout and angry tears lined my eyes, threatening to spill over and flood my already overfed system. Kagome's smile disappeared and she looked frightened at my sudden outburst. I closed my eyes and took a collected, calming breath in and then opened my eyes. I smiled sadly as a tear slipped out. "Gomen ne, Kagome... please. What's happened to Miroku?" Kagome swallowed and looked up at me through thick black eyelashes.
"He's... he's been in a coma, Sango. We don't know why or how." I felt my throat catch. I began to shake.
"For how long?"
"Eight days."
A/N: Ok, ok. First off: I'm sorry about this rather interruptive A/N, but I need to explain some things. Alright: The 'wings' Miroku saw are a figment of his imagination. They represent how clean/[enter sappy words here]/necessary Sango is in his life. Sango saved him by slamming into him (although he describes it as gently hugging because, well, he's dying and any human contact would feel 'heavenly [no pun intended] right about then) and then knocking him out/closing his wind tunnel. I'm sorry, rain angst, I really did want to kill him for a really sad story- but I'll post a 'what-if' chapter to satisfy us later. And now, eight days later, Miroku's been in a coma and Sango's been just kind of... blah. Laying on a bed, half in a dream world. On with the story.
General POV
Kagome watched as Sango shakily walked into Miroku's room. Sesshomaru and Rin had been attending to him, but at the sight of Sango, they had slowly bowed and back out of the room. They joined Kagome and Inuyasha at a crack in the door and silently began to watch as Sango knelt down by Miroku's unmoving body. She tentatively reached out and brushed the ever-stubborn bangs off of his now-flawless forehead. His skin had grown back and all that was unnatural about him now was that, well, he wouldn't wake up. Sango dragged her hand slowly down his cheek, tracing his reassuring pulse down his neck, and paused at the line of his light sleeping kimono. She undid it slowly with her unwounded hand and slipped her entire hand under the silky cloth, putting it chastely over his heart. A small sob wracked her body; she cried out softly and bent over herself as though her stomach pained her. Kagome stifled a sniff and Rin wiped a stray tear. The brothers looked at each other and, for once, agreed, lifting their women up and taking them away to leave Sango and Miroku undisturbed.
Sango lay down as gently as she could next to Miroku, trying not to disturb him as best she could. Not that it matters, she thought with despair. She hugged him as tightly as she could, ignoring the dark flecks that danced in front of her eyes as her arm complained. Her breathing became as ragged as his own, and she fought to calm down. Hysteria won over, and she began to lament over his body. It was as though as he was already dead.
Eventually, exhaustion and a lack of tears to cry took over Sango. Her heart-wrenching sobs turned to small cries, which in turn changed to a few mourning tears and sniffles. Finally, all sound ceased completely, and Sango slept beside Miroku for a second time.
Ok. That's it- I've only got the time/energy/ideas/etc. for a half chapter.
Thanks for all those beautiful reviews!!
I'll update within a few days. I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have the rest of the chapter all plotted out, but I've got to go right now. So... until next!
Ja ne!
FL