Chapter 10
The trio was motionless for a moment. Then they jumped into action. Inuyasha lunged at Sango's body. The girl easily dodged his attack. Miroku simply crumbled to the ground. He had not fainted, he just collapsed out of devastation. Kagome ran to fetch her bow and arrows. Sango's body hovered in the air. Then she swooped down and snatched Kagome's backpack. Cackling evilly, she pulled out the small glass canister. Inside, the Shikon shards glittered. The thing possessing Sango pulled out a single shard. Smiling maniacally, she popped it into her mouth like it was candy. A faint pink glow became visible surrounding her. The girl turned to face Inuyasha. He started to attack but before he could strike her, she figured out how to use her powers. She raised her arms out in front of her and flicked her wrists so that her palms pointed at him. Suddenly spheres of fire burst from her palms. He was so surprised that he forgot to dodge. Inuyasha was hit in the chest by two of the balls of flame. His outfit made from fire rat's skin protected him from the blast but the sheer force behind the attack knocked him backwards. He slammed into the wall. With one hit Inuyasha was seriously injured. His stubbornness was probably the only thing keeping him from fainting. With Inuyasha out of the way, "Sango" spun to face Kagome. Her arrow flew swiftly and found it's mark. One of Kagome's magical arrows was deep in Sango's shoulder. Blood gushed from the wound and ran down Sango's chest. Though she was injured, she did not show any sign of pain. Kagome quickly drew back another arrow.
"Stop!" Miroku bellowed as he stepped in front of Kagome. Miroku successfully planted his body in the way of her arrow. She could not fire without going through him. Inuyasha had returned to a standing position even though he still looked weak. He propped himself up against a wall and stood back, not knowing what else to do.
"I know that this is not Sango. But anything we do to it is done to Sango's body. I will not let you hurt her anymore." Miroku finished his little speech. He had a crazy determined look in his eyes. As infuriated as Kagome was, she could not do anything to hurt Miroku anymore.
Kagome slowly lowered her bow. All eyes turned to Sango. She still hung suspended in air. Blood was everywhere. Rivers of blood had worked down Sango's entire left side and were beginning to form a small puddle on the ground. Sango did not move. Whatever, or whoever possessed her seemed shocked. Her face had grown pale. The floating figure gracefully lowered to the ground. She remained standing for a split second before her legs gave out. Sango seemed to fall in slow motion, tumbling backwards and hitting the floor. Everyone heard a loud crack as her body hit the floor and bounced several times before sliding to a stop. Miroku visibly winced but no one noticed, all attention was on Sango. When it was obvious that she was not going to jump up and attack them, Miroku ran over to her and knelt by her side. She continued to show no pain. Her eyes were open but looked glazed over.
"I think that she's going into shock. And her leg is broken." Miroku announced sounding frantic. When neither Kagome or Inuyasha moved to help, he continued pleading. "Sango will die."
Kagome suddenly lost touch with reality. Those words struck a chord in her heart. Something had happened to her. Something terrible had happened. She felt cruel and bloodthirsty. Kagome thought back to when she had killed Jaken. With a mix of shock and happiness she realized that she had enjoyed killing him. Not just him, she enjoyed killing in general. The thought of Sango's death actually brought a smile to Kagome's face. That thing possessing Sango didn't deserve such a body. She wanted it dead, now. If she was the one to kill it, that only made it better. Even though her anger was so strong that it seemed to burn her internally, Kagome did not know the source of her new attitude. She could not figure out where all of her hostility was coming from. Then it all clicked. She understood her feelings of vulnerability and anger. The was one reason for it all, one thing to blame. Betrayal, betrayal by those closest to her. Everyone she cared for had turned on her. The man she thought she loved had stabbed her in the back. Even Sango had betrayed her in some ways. She knew it wasn't Sango's fault. Even still, now her best friend, or at least her best friends body, was trying to kill them. It was all her fault. Kagome realized that she trusted these people. She had let her guard down and that is why they were able to hurt her. She would just have to be more careful.
While Kagome was trying to figure things out in her head, the others set to work. Miroku was telling the truth, Sango would die if they didn't do something fast. Kagome would be no help, she just stood as if she was in a trance. Inuyasha limped over to Miroku and Sango. He attempted to sit down but was so weak that he ended up falling heavily on his butt.
"We need to pull this arrow out quickly," Miroku said looking at Inuyasha. "But first we should set her broken leg. The arrow is stopping the blood for now but her leg does not look good."
"Ok," Inuyasha replied as he nodded in acknowledgement. He had the feeling that he would be doing the dirty work. Sure enough his suspicions were confirmed when Miroku moved out of the way, letting Inuyasha get closer to the mangled leg. Miroku grabbed Sango's hand. Her only response was to turn her eyes towards him. He looked so torn and conflicted. His face showed everything from grief to hatred. Yet there was a definite gentleness to him. Then she realized why he had grabbed her hand. Inuyasha applied all of his strength and felt her leg shift into the proper position. Looking at her face, there were no tears. She had not cried out either. But when it was all done, Miroku's hand was throbbing and Sango's lip was bleeding. She had squeezed Miroku's hand with amazing force and had bite into her lip so that blood had started to drip from the corner of her mouth. Now that her leg was reset, they turned their attention to her shoulder. At this point, Kagome awoke from her daze and joined them. The situation did not look hopeful. Blood was everywhere. The arrow had almost gone all the way through. It had missed her heart by barely an inch. Miroku wondered if that was intentional or not. Miroku grabbed Sango's hand again, knowing that she would be experiencing immense pain for quite some time. Kagome started by snapping off the end of the arrow. When they pulled it out, they needed it to come out straight so that it did not cause anymore damage. Sango gritted her teeth in anticipation. Kagome firmly grasped the arrow and pulled. With a sick ripping sound the arrow came free from Sango's flesh. Blood once again started to flow from her wound.
Sango remained silent while they bandaged her wounds. Kagome searched the area for some sort of cloth. The only thing she could find was her extra shirt. It was her favorite shirt that she had brought because she knew Inuyasha liked it. "It is for Sango," she thought. It was difficult to believe that though since when she looked at Sango, she saw someone else. Sango's eyes were still fiery red. Her intense burning gaze was not focused on Kagome though. Since Kagome had pulled out the arrow, Sango's eyes had not left Miroku's face. He couldn't help with the bandages either because Sango refused to relinquish her tight grip on Miroku's hand. They sat there staring at each other, lost in time and space with their fingers interlocked. Kagome took all of this in as she shredded her shirt into strips. She gathered sticks and was able to construct a suitable splint for Sango's leg. Kagome would have asked Inuyasha for help but he had retreated to the corner and was licking his wounds. Plus, she refused to ask him for help. She refused to show any weakness to that hanyou.
After awhile Kagome finally finished. Miroku and "Sango" were still in their own little world. Inuyasha had curled into a ball and was snoring softly. Kagome silently stood up and tip toed to the door. She desperately needed fresh air. As soon as she was gone, Sango started to move again. At first she fluttered her eyes as if she was waking up from a long day dream. Then she quickly pulled her hand away from Miroku's. Miroku suddenly sat up, anxious to see what would happen next. With Inuyasha asleep, Kagome gone, and Sango bandaged, Miroku did not stand much of a chance if she decided to attack again. For some strange reason he was not afraid though. He felt at peace, like he could somehow trust this being. Then she spoke.
"My name is Akako. I am the child of the red flame. You will serve me."
Sesshomaru was definitely happy without his traveling companion. He had never liked Jaken and was overjoyed to have somehow lost him. "I did rush out of that castle pretty fast," he thought out loud. When he turned around those piercing eyes were staring at him again. Sango, the real Sango, was glaring at him. He quickly diverted his eyes.
"Come Rin, it is time to go home," Sesshomaru stated calmly as he pivoted to face his adopted daughter.
"Yippee! We're going to the castle!" Rin shouted with glee. Sesshomaru was her father in her mind. Even though he rarely showed any emotion other than anger, she knew that he cared for her in his own special way. She ran and jumped on the floating cloud that had suddenly appeared under Sesshomaru's feet. Before they took off, Sesshomaru approached the cage.
"Give me your hand!" he snarled. Sango did not move. Sesshomaru was losing his patience. As fast as lightening he shoved his hand through the bars and grabbed her wrist. Holding her wrist tighter than necessary he pulled her clenched fist out of the cage. She did not struggle or make a sound. He swiftly pulled a dagger out of his shirt and with one smooth movement, he sliced open Sango's palm. Rin watched with amazement. Sango still did not react. She refused to give Sesshomaru the satisfaction of knowing that he hurt her. Sesshomaru held her bleeding hand in the air. The wind whipped around them.
"Come little brother, follow your friend's scent. Then I will finally kill you and take tetsusaiga." Sesshomaru smiled at the thought. Soon there would be an amazing battle. A fight to the death.
The trio was motionless for a moment. Then they jumped into action. Inuyasha lunged at Sango's body. The girl easily dodged his attack. Miroku simply crumbled to the ground. He had not fainted, he just collapsed out of devastation. Kagome ran to fetch her bow and arrows. Sango's body hovered in the air. Then she swooped down and snatched Kagome's backpack. Cackling evilly, she pulled out the small glass canister. Inside, the Shikon shards glittered. The thing possessing Sango pulled out a single shard. Smiling maniacally, she popped it into her mouth like it was candy. A faint pink glow became visible surrounding her. The girl turned to face Inuyasha. He started to attack but before he could strike her, she figured out how to use her powers. She raised her arms out in front of her and flicked her wrists so that her palms pointed at him. Suddenly spheres of fire burst from her palms. He was so surprised that he forgot to dodge. Inuyasha was hit in the chest by two of the balls of flame. His outfit made from fire rat's skin protected him from the blast but the sheer force behind the attack knocked him backwards. He slammed into the wall. With one hit Inuyasha was seriously injured. His stubbornness was probably the only thing keeping him from fainting. With Inuyasha out of the way, "Sango" spun to face Kagome. Her arrow flew swiftly and found it's mark. One of Kagome's magical arrows was deep in Sango's shoulder. Blood gushed from the wound and ran down Sango's chest. Though she was injured, she did not show any sign of pain. Kagome quickly drew back another arrow.
"Stop!" Miroku bellowed as he stepped in front of Kagome. Miroku successfully planted his body in the way of her arrow. She could not fire without going through him. Inuyasha had returned to a standing position even though he still looked weak. He propped himself up against a wall and stood back, not knowing what else to do.
"I know that this is not Sango. But anything we do to it is done to Sango's body. I will not let you hurt her anymore." Miroku finished his little speech. He had a crazy determined look in his eyes. As infuriated as Kagome was, she could not do anything to hurt Miroku anymore.
Kagome slowly lowered her bow. All eyes turned to Sango. She still hung suspended in air. Blood was everywhere. Rivers of blood had worked down Sango's entire left side and were beginning to form a small puddle on the ground. Sango did not move. Whatever, or whoever possessed her seemed shocked. Her face had grown pale. The floating figure gracefully lowered to the ground. She remained standing for a split second before her legs gave out. Sango seemed to fall in slow motion, tumbling backwards and hitting the floor. Everyone heard a loud crack as her body hit the floor and bounced several times before sliding to a stop. Miroku visibly winced but no one noticed, all attention was on Sango. When it was obvious that she was not going to jump up and attack them, Miroku ran over to her and knelt by her side. She continued to show no pain. Her eyes were open but looked glazed over.
"I think that she's going into shock. And her leg is broken." Miroku announced sounding frantic. When neither Kagome or Inuyasha moved to help, he continued pleading. "Sango will die."
Kagome suddenly lost touch with reality. Those words struck a chord in her heart. Something had happened to her. Something terrible had happened. She felt cruel and bloodthirsty. Kagome thought back to when she had killed Jaken. With a mix of shock and happiness she realized that she had enjoyed killing him. Not just him, she enjoyed killing in general. The thought of Sango's death actually brought a smile to Kagome's face. That thing possessing Sango didn't deserve such a body. She wanted it dead, now. If she was the one to kill it, that only made it better. Even though her anger was so strong that it seemed to burn her internally, Kagome did not know the source of her new attitude. She could not figure out where all of her hostility was coming from. Then it all clicked. She understood her feelings of vulnerability and anger. The was one reason for it all, one thing to blame. Betrayal, betrayal by those closest to her. Everyone she cared for had turned on her. The man she thought she loved had stabbed her in the back. Even Sango had betrayed her in some ways. She knew it wasn't Sango's fault. Even still, now her best friend, or at least her best friends body, was trying to kill them. It was all her fault. Kagome realized that she trusted these people. She had let her guard down and that is why they were able to hurt her. She would just have to be more careful.
While Kagome was trying to figure things out in her head, the others set to work. Miroku was telling the truth, Sango would die if they didn't do something fast. Kagome would be no help, she just stood as if she was in a trance. Inuyasha limped over to Miroku and Sango. He attempted to sit down but was so weak that he ended up falling heavily on his butt.
"We need to pull this arrow out quickly," Miroku said looking at Inuyasha. "But first we should set her broken leg. The arrow is stopping the blood for now but her leg does not look good."
"Ok," Inuyasha replied as he nodded in acknowledgement. He had the feeling that he would be doing the dirty work. Sure enough his suspicions were confirmed when Miroku moved out of the way, letting Inuyasha get closer to the mangled leg. Miroku grabbed Sango's hand. Her only response was to turn her eyes towards him. He looked so torn and conflicted. His face showed everything from grief to hatred. Yet there was a definite gentleness to him. Then she realized why he had grabbed her hand. Inuyasha applied all of his strength and felt her leg shift into the proper position. Looking at her face, there were no tears. She had not cried out either. But when it was all done, Miroku's hand was throbbing and Sango's lip was bleeding. She had squeezed Miroku's hand with amazing force and had bite into her lip so that blood had started to drip from the corner of her mouth. Now that her leg was reset, they turned their attention to her shoulder. At this point, Kagome awoke from her daze and joined them. The situation did not look hopeful. Blood was everywhere. The arrow had almost gone all the way through. It had missed her heart by barely an inch. Miroku wondered if that was intentional or not. Miroku grabbed Sango's hand again, knowing that she would be experiencing immense pain for quite some time. Kagome started by snapping off the end of the arrow. When they pulled it out, they needed it to come out straight so that it did not cause anymore damage. Sango gritted her teeth in anticipation. Kagome firmly grasped the arrow and pulled. With a sick ripping sound the arrow came free from Sango's flesh. Blood once again started to flow from her wound.
Sango remained silent while they bandaged her wounds. Kagome searched the area for some sort of cloth. The only thing she could find was her extra shirt. It was her favorite shirt that she had brought because she knew Inuyasha liked it. "It is for Sango," she thought. It was difficult to believe that though since when she looked at Sango, she saw someone else. Sango's eyes were still fiery red. Her intense burning gaze was not focused on Kagome though. Since Kagome had pulled out the arrow, Sango's eyes had not left Miroku's face. He couldn't help with the bandages either because Sango refused to relinquish her tight grip on Miroku's hand. They sat there staring at each other, lost in time and space with their fingers interlocked. Kagome took all of this in as she shredded her shirt into strips. She gathered sticks and was able to construct a suitable splint for Sango's leg. Kagome would have asked Inuyasha for help but he had retreated to the corner and was licking his wounds. Plus, she refused to ask him for help. She refused to show any weakness to that hanyou.
After awhile Kagome finally finished. Miroku and "Sango" were still in their own little world. Inuyasha had curled into a ball and was snoring softly. Kagome silently stood up and tip toed to the door. She desperately needed fresh air. As soon as she was gone, Sango started to move again. At first she fluttered her eyes as if she was waking up from a long day dream. Then she quickly pulled her hand away from Miroku's. Miroku suddenly sat up, anxious to see what would happen next. With Inuyasha asleep, Kagome gone, and Sango bandaged, Miroku did not stand much of a chance if she decided to attack again. For some strange reason he was not afraid though. He felt at peace, like he could somehow trust this being. Then she spoke.
"My name is Akako. I am the child of the red flame. You will serve me."
Sesshomaru was definitely happy without his traveling companion. He had never liked Jaken and was overjoyed to have somehow lost him. "I did rush out of that castle pretty fast," he thought out loud. When he turned around those piercing eyes were staring at him again. Sango, the real Sango, was glaring at him. He quickly diverted his eyes.
"Come Rin, it is time to go home," Sesshomaru stated calmly as he pivoted to face his adopted daughter.
"Yippee! We're going to the castle!" Rin shouted with glee. Sesshomaru was her father in her mind. Even though he rarely showed any emotion other than anger, she knew that he cared for her in his own special way. She ran and jumped on the floating cloud that had suddenly appeared under Sesshomaru's feet. Before they took off, Sesshomaru approached the cage.
"Give me your hand!" he snarled. Sango did not move. Sesshomaru was losing his patience. As fast as lightening he shoved his hand through the bars and grabbed her wrist. Holding her wrist tighter than necessary he pulled her clenched fist out of the cage. She did not struggle or make a sound. He swiftly pulled a dagger out of his shirt and with one smooth movement, he sliced open Sango's palm. Rin watched with amazement. Sango still did not react. She refused to give Sesshomaru the satisfaction of knowing that he hurt her. Sesshomaru held her bleeding hand in the air. The wind whipped around them.
"Come little brother, follow your friend's scent. Then I will finally kill you and take tetsusaiga." Sesshomaru smiled at the thought. Soon there would be an amazing battle. A fight to the death.