Chapter 11:
Miroku was surprised. This was not what he had expected. Akako rose cautiously. She looked ready to attack again. Slowly, she rose a few inches into the crisp air and hovered. Between the blood loss and the pain of the broken leg she was weak. For a second, she almost looked fragile to Miroku. Though he didn't want to hurt Sango he couldn't let this thing kill him. As she charged her strange fire power Miroku swiftly raised his hand and gently squeezed her injured leg. A faint gasp escaped her lips and she quickly fell to the ground again. Kagome walked into the room just as Akako collapsed. Taking another ribbon like hair tie from her bag, Kagome helped tie the girl's wrists behind her back. Once Akako was secured Miroku and Kagome sat back relieved. Just then Inuyasha sprung up, ready to fight.
"I'll tear you limb from limb," he shouted as he scanned the room with his sharp eyes. His expression was a mixture of suspicion and sleepiness.
"Go back to bed," Miroku said with amusement. He smiled faintly. It was the first time he had smiled since Sango had been taken. For some reason he felt slightly guilty. What right did he have to be happy? Sango was worse than dead.
After Inuyasha realized that there was no immediate danger he returned to his mat in the corner. Miroku watched as Inuyasha subconsciously circled the mat on all fours. Inuyasha made three little circles before settling back to sleep. The action was so doglike that again Miroku smiled. That simple expression of emotion tore at his soul. He didn't deserve to smile. He wasn't even strong enough to protect Sango. Just then Kagome left his side. She grabbed a blanket and retreated to the shadows to sleep. Miroku noticed that the corner Kagome chose just happened to be the farthest from Inuyasha. When he turned back to his captive, her eye's were also focused on Kagome's sleeping form. She was obviously confused.
Akako was lying on her back but had propped herself up on her elbows. After several minutes of silence, interrupted occasionally by their sleeping companions Miroku had had enough. He wanted, no needed some answers.
"Who are you?" he asked. The sudden noise startled Akako and she jumped slightly.
"I am Akako, Child of the Red Flame. You shall all serve me," she replied in a firm voice.
"Yeah, so I've heard," Miroku said. His expression turned icy. "But what are you? What do you want?" As he spoke his voice became strained. His grief and anger had resurfaced.
"I am a youkai, a manipulator of fire. I desire life..…and revenge." Akako's eyes glowed as she said that final word. A fire of fury and passion reawakened inside her.
Miroku did not notice. His own fury was taking over. "But why her? Why this body? If you are so powerful then why did you have to possess her?? Miroku's words began to run together. His blood boiled but even worse his heart was shattering.
"I do not know this her you speak of." Akako said with a puzzled look.
"The body! The body that you are in. Did you ever wonder who's body that is? It doesn't belong to you." Miroku's voice had gradually gotten louder. Now he was almost yelling,. Inuyasha rolled over in his sleep and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "ramen."
"This body had a previous owner?" Akako looked extremely confused now. "I require answers. Perhaps we could assist each other. I will tell you what I know. Then you must tell me your part of the story."
Miroku felt his anger melting away. He had nothing to lose. "Ok, start talking."
"Well as I said I am a youkai, or at least I was. I am a fire youkai. I can create and control flames. When I had my own body I was not vicious and bloodthirsty. I did not go looking for fights."
Miroku snorted.
"Well unlike other youkai, I found humans fascinating. Their fights and squabbles, their endless games of love. It intrigued me. I tried to help people. I settled little disputes and ended entire wars. My power changed hundreds of thousands of lives. I could take away everything they cared about with the power of my pinky. And the people, they worshipped me. Everyone knew that I was the deciding factor in all wars. Therefore kings brought tributes, royals bowed to me, everyone loved me, yet everyone feared me. It was perfect.
Of course, the power got to me. I began to desire more. I did anything necessary to gain strength and influence. One day, a powerful man approached me. He offered me unlimited power. All I had to do was be his slave. He told me of his plans to rule the world. He also told me of the powerful jewel that was going to help him. He needed a queen though, so he turned to me. I did not like the idea of being some man's slave. I do not take orders from anyone. Any power that I obtained I wanted to earn for myself. And I then wanted to use it however I pleased.
Well he didn't like that idea. To punish me, he removed my soul from my body and then fed my body to the flames. Instead of letting me die mercifully, he forced me to live on in spirit form. How ironic it was to watch my body burn away in the fire which gave me my power. He left me as a weak floating soul. I was forced to possess the puny humans that I once controlled. At first I was offered bodies as tribute. I would possess them for awhile. The intense fire within me caused a problem though. My soul would fight the body's original owner for control. In the end the body would burn from the inside out. The owner would die and the body would be useless. That is why I was delighted to find an empty body. Since it lacked a soul I was able to move in without difficulty. How could it have another owner?"
It took Miroku several minutes for everything to sink in. When he finally answered all anger had left his voice.
"Her soul is gone," He said simply.
"She can not be dead," Akako stated. "Once a person is dead, I can not enter their body."
"No, she is not dead. It might be better if she was." Miroku lost touch with all joy.
"Here is my story," Miroku started simply. He talked slowly and surely. During certain parts his voice faltered a little. He started at the beginning when he met Kagome and Inuyasha. Miroku explained everything from the Shikon shards to the battle with the eye. He ended with her own arrival. Miroku left out his meeting with Kikyo. He already had a plan but if he thought about it too much he might be tempted to back out. He knew that he would hurt his friends, but in the end the risk was worth it.
Akako was speechless. One random tear fell to the dirt. Where it landed steam rose. Miroku just sat there. Both of them refused to interrupt the mournful silence. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted. As he had talked, memories of all of the good times had flashed through his mind. All of the anger, frustration, and sadness was gone. Everything that had weighed so heavily on his heart had vanished. Again he was renewed. Images of Sango was all that he could think of. Instead of making him depressed the images comforted him. His hope had returned. A new idea was forming.
"Miroku, I will help you find your love."
"And I will help you get revenge." Miroku replied. "Do you remember anything about the man who did this to you?"
She laughed wickedly. "Anything? Anything? I remember everything! I remember how he smelt, how he looked, how he sounded. Most importantly I remember that name. That horrible terrible name still haunts me. For the eternity that I waited in exile, that one name possessed my every waking thought." Akako was tense and Miroku noticed that the room was getting increasingly warmer.
He was almost afraid to ask. "What was his name?"
Akako's voice was a soft hiss, "Naraku."
Sesshomaru had finally reached the castle. Immediately Rin wanted to play. Unfortunately he had an entire kingdom to run. Tears welled up in the little girl's eyes. Her lower lip began to tremble. This had happened many times before.
"Fluffy, why won't you play?"
"Go play with Jaken," was his response, like always.
"He's gone." Rin really began to cry now. She didn't scream or act spoiled she just cried silently. It was the type of cry you would expect to see from an orphan who had been deserted by all of those she loved.
Sesshomaru knew he would regret this later. He walked over to the cage that was lying in the mud. With a flick of his wrist the latch unlocked. He removed the shackles from Sango's weak limbs. The poor human was barely able to stand on her own. Maybe he had been too cruel. But she was just a stupid human, wasn't she? Sesshomaru looked back at the little girl he loved and thought again that Rin was just a human, and even more fragile. Rin ran over to Sango. The child helped the frail woman walk into the castle. Sesshomaru allowed it and just followed and watched with curiosity. Rin ordered the numerous servants to bring everything from clothes to food. She led Sango through the beautiful palace's hallways until they had reached a doorway. By this time there was a chain of servants following them slowly with the requested items. The room inside was gorgeous. There were marble floors, various tapestries and paintings, and against the back wall was an enormous white canopy bed. Rin led Sango by the hand. The poor demon fighter was so exhausted that she didn't even have the strength to sit down. She collapsed onto the bed. Rin sat by her side while she ordered the slaves around. New clothes were laid out on the chair and food was left on the nightstand. Rin then shooed everybody out so that Sango could peacefully sleep. Sango was so tired that she could hardly think a coherent thought. But she was grateful. That sweet little girl had saved her life. And Sango needed to live. There was some unfinished business to take care of.
Sesshomaru had carefully observed all of this. He was a little hurt to see the smile on Rin's face as she skipped away from the room. She was the happiest she had been in weeks. Sesshomaru was jealous in some ways. He wanted to be a good father, but it was just so difficult. He was always fighting to protect the things he cared about. He rarely had time to spend with the child, and even when he could find time he had difficulty connecting with her. She was so sweet and innocent and gentle. And she trusted everyone. All of the violence and so little love couldn't be good for a child. Especially a human girl who can't even defend herself. Maybe having another human around would be good. As long as Rin didn't make a fuss when he killed the woman. Sesshomaru couldn't lose focus. He would eventually have to kill the demon fighter to lure his brother to him. For now, there was no harm in letting her live. Everything would be set into motion, all in good time.
Miroku was surprised. This was not what he had expected. Akako rose cautiously. She looked ready to attack again. Slowly, she rose a few inches into the crisp air and hovered. Between the blood loss and the pain of the broken leg she was weak. For a second, she almost looked fragile to Miroku. Though he didn't want to hurt Sango he couldn't let this thing kill him. As she charged her strange fire power Miroku swiftly raised his hand and gently squeezed her injured leg. A faint gasp escaped her lips and she quickly fell to the ground again. Kagome walked into the room just as Akako collapsed. Taking another ribbon like hair tie from her bag, Kagome helped tie the girl's wrists behind her back. Once Akako was secured Miroku and Kagome sat back relieved. Just then Inuyasha sprung up, ready to fight.
"I'll tear you limb from limb," he shouted as he scanned the room with his sharp eyes. His expression was a mixture of suspicion and sleepiness.
"Go back to bed," Miroku said with amusement. He smiled faintly. It was the first time he had smiled since Sango had been taken. For some reason he felt slightly guilty. What right did he have to be happy? Sango was worse than dead.
After Inuyasha realized that there was no immediate danger he returned to his mat in the corner. Miroku watched as Inuyasha subconsciously circled the mat on all fours. Inuyasha made three little circles before settling back to sleep. The action was so doglike that again Miroku smiled. That simple expression of emotion tore at his soul. He didn't deserve to smile. He wasn't even strong enough to protect Sango. Just then Kagome left his side. She grabbed a blanket and retreated to the shadows to sleep. Miroku noticed that the corner Kagome chose just happened to be the farthest from Inuyasha. When he turned back to his captive, her eye's were also focused on Kagome's sleeping form. She was obviously confused.
Akako was lying on her back but had propped herself up on her elbows. After several minutes of silence, interrupted occasionally by their sleeping companions Miroku had had enough. He wanted, no needed some answers.
"Who are you?" he asked. The sudden noise startled Akako and she jumped slightly.
"I am Akako, Child of the Red Flame. You shall all serve me," she replied in a firm voice.
"Yeah, so I've heard," Miroku said. His expression turned icy. "But what are you? What do you want?" As he spoke his voice became strained. His grief and anger had resurfaced.
"I am a youkai, a manipulator of fire. I desire life..…and revenge." Akako's eyes glowed as she said that final word. A fire of fury and passion reawakened inside her.
Miroku did not notice. His own fury was taking over. "But why her? Why this body? If you are so powerful then why did you have to possess her?? Miroku's words began to run together. His blood boiled but even worse his heart was shattering.
"I do not know this her you speak of." Akako said with a puzzled look.
"The body! The body that you are in. Did you ever wonder who's body that is? It doesn't belong to you." Miroku's voice had gradually gotten louder. Now he was almost yelling,. Inuyasha rolled over in his sleep and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "ramen."
"This body had a previous owner?" Akako looked extremely confused now. "I require answers. Perhaps we could assist each other. I will tell you what I know. Then you must tell me your part of the story."
Miroku felt his anger melting away. He had nothing to lose. "Ok, start talking."
"Well as I said I am a youkai, or at least I was. I am a fire youkai. I can create and control flames. When I had my own body I was not vicious and bloodthirsty. I did not go looking for fights."
Miroku snorted.
"Well unlike other youkai, I found humans fascinating. Their fights and squabbles, their endless games of love. It intrigued me. I tried to help people. I settled little disputes and ended entire wars. My power changed hundreds of thousands of lives. I could take away everything they cared about with the power of my pinky. And the people, they worshipped me. Everyone knew that I was the deciding factor in all wars. Therefore kings brought tributes, royals bowed to me, everyone loved me, yet everyone feared me. It was perfect.
Of course, the power got to me. I began to desire more. I did anything necessary to gain strength and influence. One day, a powerful man approached me. He offered me unlimited power. All I had to do was be his slave. He told me of his plans to rule the world. He also told me of the powerful jewel that was going to help him. He needed a queen though, so he turned to me. I did not like the idea of being some man's slave. I do not take orders from anyone. Any power that I obtained I wanted to earn for myself. And I then wanted to use it however I pleased.
Well he didn't like that idea. To punish me, he removed my soul from my body and then fed my body to the flames. Instead of letting me die mercifully, he forced me to live on in spirit form. How ironic it was to watch my body burn away in the fire which gave me my power. He left me as a weak floating soul. I was forced to possess the puny humans that I once controlled. At first I was offered bodies as tribute. I would possess them for awhile. The intense fire within me caused a problem though. My soul would fight the body's original owner for control. In the end the body would burn from the inside out. The owner would die and the body would be useless. That is why I was delighted to find an empty body. Since it lacked a soul I was able to move in without difficulty. How could it have another owner?"
It took Miroku several minutes for everything to sink in. When he finally answered all anger had left his voice.
"Her soul is gone," He said simply.
"She can not be dead," Akako stated. "Once a person is dead, I can not enter their body."
"No, she is not dead. It might be better if she was." Miroku lost touch with all joy.
"Here is my story," Miroku started simply. He talked slowly and surely. During certain parts his voice faltered a little. He started at the beginning when he met Kagome and Inuyasha. Miroku explained everything from the Shikon shards to the battle with the eye. He ended with her own arrival. Miroku left out his meeting with Kikyo. He already had a plan but if he thought about it too much he might be tempted to back out. He knew that he would hurt his friends, but in the end the risk was worth it.
Akako was speechless. One random tear fell to the dirt. Where it landed steam rose. Miroku just sat there. Both of them refused to interrupt the mournful silence. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted. As he had talked, memories of all of the good times had flashed through his mind. All of the anger, frustration, and sadness was gone. Everything that had weighed so heavily on his heart had vanished. Again he was renewed. Images of Sango was all that he could think of. Instead of making him depressed the images comforted him. His hope had returned. A new idea was forming.
"Miroku, I will help you find your love."
"And I will help you get revenge." Miroku replied. "Do you remember anything about the man who did this to you?"
She laughed wickedly. "Anything? Anything? I remember everything! I remember how he smelt, how he looked, how he sounded. Most importantly I remember that name. That horrible terrible name still haunts me. For the eternity that I waited in exile, that one name possessed my every waking thought." Akako was tense and Miroku noticed that the room was getting increasingly warmer.
He was almost afraid to ask. "What was his name?"
Akako's voice was a soft hiss, "Naraku."
Sesshomaru had finally reached the castle. Immediately Rin wanted to play. Unfortunately he had an entire kingdom to run. Tears welled up in the little girl's eyes. Her lower lip began to tremble. This had happened many times before.
"Fluffy, why won't you play?"
"Go play with Jaken," was his response, like always.
"He's gone." Rin really began to cry now. She didn't scream or act spoiled she just cried silently. It was the type of cry you would expect to see from an orphan who had been deserted by all of those she loved.
Sesshomaru knew he would regret this later. He walked over to the cage that was lying in the mud. With a flick of his wrist the latch unlocked. He removed the shackles from Sango's weak limbs. The poor human was barely able to stand on her own. Maybe he had been too cruel. But she was just a stupid human, wasn't she? Sesshomaru looked back at the little girl he loved and thought again that Rin was just a human, and even more fragile. Rin ran over to Sango. The child helped the frail woman walk into the castle. Sesshomaru allowed it and just followed and watched with curiosity. Rin ordered the numerous servants to bring everything from clothes to food. She led Sango through the beautiful palace's hallways until they had reached a doorway. By this time there was a chain of servants following them slowly with the requested items. The room inside was gorgeous. There were marble floors, various tapestries and paintings, and against the back wall was an enormous white canopy bed. Rin led Sango by the hand. The poor demon fighter was so exhausted that she didn't even have the strength to sit down. She collapsed onto the bed. Rin sat by her side while she ordered the slaves around. New clothes were laid out on the chair and food was left on the nightstand. Rin then shooed everybody out so that Sango could peacefully sleep. Sango was so tired that she could hardly think a coherent thought. But she was grateful. That sweet little girl had saved her life. And Sango needed to live. There was some unfinished business to take care of.
Sesshomaru had carefully observed all of this. He was a little hurt to see the smile on Rin's face as she skipped away from the room. She was the happiest she had been in weeks. Sesshomaru was jealous in some ways. He wanted to be a good father, but it was just so difficult. He was always fighting to protect the things he cared about. He rarely had time to spend with the child, and even when he could find time he had difficulty connecting with her. She was so sweet and innocent and gentle. And she trusted everyone. All of the violence and so little love couldn't be good for a child. Especially a human girl who can't even defend herself. Maybe having another human around would be good. As long as Rin didn't make a fuss when he killed the woman. Sesshomaru couldn't lose focus. He would eventually have to kill the demon fighter to lure his brother to him. For now, there was no harm in letting her live. Everything would be set into motion, all in good time.