Thief of Hearts
Sakura's Note: This is the longest I've ever been away from and I apologize for my hiatus. I don't enjoy excuses, but I feel everyone deserves to know why the Wish I Were You Christmas one shot has still not been posted and this chapter of Thief of Hearts is just now being uploaded.
This year hasn't been the best it could have been. First of all, my father left for Peru right after Christmas for a hernia operation (it's way cheaper even with the ticket over there) and two of my uncles are incredibly sick (diabetes and massive stroke). As well as that, one of my best friends was hit by a car and I was there to witness it, as was my other best friend. She sustained only some bruised muscles and a scraped back, but it wasn't something to be taken lightly at all. I actually was hit too, but only in the leg. In addition to the recent crisis load, semester exams are here and I've been studying like crazy for the past few weeks.
Hopefully I'm back for a good long while and updates will become more frequent after my exams and big 2nd semester tests are over. (Sometimes I hate high school)
A quick story-oriented note: I realize everyone wants Inuyasha and Kagome to meet again, but please be patient. They will...soon.
Anyway, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and has been having an awesome new year.
Enjoy!
.-..-.
Chapter 9: What?
.-..-.
She could smell it long before it reached her eyes. It smelled metallic, it's glistened in the moonlight, it pulsated, and it made a squishing sound when the man dropped it in front of her.
"Eat up or die, wench."
He retreated back into the darkness and chains were rattled. Once again, she was trapped in the darkness with no way to escape.
Looking down at the 'food' she'd been given, Sango realized what exactly it was.
Although it looked like it'd just been ripped from the chest of some poor animal, there was no way she could believe it was still alive. The blood had splattered all over her when it'd been thrown in front of her, and it's weak pulse made a sickening sound.
A heart.
Without meaning too, bile rose up in her throat and overflowed. With a gag, the last real food she'd eaten covered the floor.
There was no way she was going to eat something's heart, raw or cooked.
Her prison was silent, dark, wet from an unknown water source, and held a stench of something rancid. But despite all of it, the one thing her mind kept returning to, was how betrayed she felt. The Jidai was probably sitting back in his cave full of gold laughing at her, thinking how easy it was to fool her.
Sango spit out the acidy taste in her mouth and moved her head to where her chained hand rested. "Curse him...he knew it was a trap! And I fell right into it like a fool..." Immediately she placed the blame on herself. She'd been torn on who to blame since she'd woken up.
Now she was alone, and sure her days were numbered. Surely a bandit would come in soon and rip her heart out just as her food's owner had been done in? That was common sense, right?
She glumly looked down at her 'dinner' with a newfound understanding.
In less than a few days she'd be dead, just like the people of Shikon probably assumed she was.
Yet the Jidai named Miroku would still be out there terrorizing her people, just like he had every other village in sight.
How far away was she from a village, anyway? A few miles, a few moments?
There was a crack in the top of her cell. It only brought a speck of light in, not even enough to brighten up a mouse hole, but Sango could tell it was night by the darkened sky and sliver of the moon she could see when she closed her right eye.
"I can't believe I thought he was decent...Once a Jidai, always a Jidai..." She shuffled away from the heart, which had finally lost all signs of life. Her hands were tied behind her back, and one of her legs carried an awkward shaped object that, although light, would be extremely hard to run away with.
"I can't believe...that I...didn't hate him."
.-..-.
The dark-haired man cackled. "So what should we do with her first?" He looked around the card table for volunteers. Immediately his eyes fell to a cloaked accomplice in the corner. "Ay, what do you think about burning those pretty feet of hers in some hot oil? She'd make a nice, cooked, main course, wouldn't she?"
All the men laughed at his suggestion.
"We'll peel the skin off her hands and have it as a side dish!"
"Beautiful women are so...tasty."
"Where'd we leave the salt?"
After downing a rather large and frothy drink, the hulky man slid off the rotting chair and turned towards the cloaked figure. "Coming?" Happy with the guys nod, the large Harpy member trudged off to the holding cells. "The damn woman was wondering around out there, just waiting for someone to pick her up. She was coming from those damn Jidai's direction...must have been one of their girls, eh?"
It was too dark to see anything as the two went deeper into the caves, and the loud roars of the Harpies in the main cave could be heard. It was a quick and accurate blow to the head that caused the large - and intoxicated - Harpy guard to hit the ground with a thud and a low groan.
Reaching around the man's belt for the keys, the hooded figure jerked the black cloth down from his face. The smell the dead man carried turned Miroku's stomach as well as twisting it into countless knots.
"In a place with so much water, you'd think they could spare the time for a bath..."
The tunnel forked into three paths. Smells Miroku was certain he didn't want to find the owner of wafted from all three directions. A melodic tune was faintly on the air, and he chose to follow it. No one would come to find them for a while, there was time to guess.
"Somewhere in the world..."
It sounded like a woman, trapped deep down inside the pits of their lair. Whether or not it was Sango, they would hopefully be helpful.
"Somewhere in the dark..."
The song was accompanied by a quiet clinking of metal. It sounded so close...
"I can hear the voice that calls my name, might be a memory, might be my future."
The words bounced off the walls. She sounded like she was coming from everywhere at once.
"Sango?"
"...Might be a love waiting for me." Clink. "Rock me gently, hug me tenderly..." Something against the cave walls. "'Til the morning breaks and night fades away."
At the moment it sounded like the singing was coming from behind him...now in front...now to the left.
"I've spent my time in vain, trapped inside pain." Grating.
Miroku paused to listen. "What's she doing in there?" Up ahead it looked like the darkness ended, and a hairline slit was in the cave wall, giving off barely any light. He couldn't see anything, but the song wasn't metallic anymore, it was real and nearby.
"Don't let me down, help me see the light..." Her last words were strained, and then a loud scrape and a cling of metal on metal. "Feelings bitter and twisted all along."
With the stealth of a true Jidai, Miroku took a step closer. She had a beautiful voice, even when she was only singing to cover something. Or maybe it was a prayer...a confession...or a biography. He wasn't thinking hard enough to try and figure it out.
He knew time was of the essence, but, it would be a shame to end that angel's song... Pausing, he could make out something only a tinge darker than the rest of the cave move. He was sure it was the Shikonian, even though it was too dark even to make out the whites of her eyes.
"Wading through an empty life too long."
Miroku gave a faint smile; one without a single lecherous idea or cruel intent as it's creator. He was far enough away to know she wouldn't sense him if he looked away from her. Thank you...she's not dead.
"I close me eyes, listen to the wind. Longing to belong to a higher place...let me hear your voice, let me be with you..." The sounds of metal and rock were growing louder, but she didn't raise her voice to hide it. The movement sounded urgent.
Miroku noticed that hairline fracture had opened wider, and he saw a flash of her peach skin before she was shrouded in the shadows again. "When the shadow falls down upon me. Like a bird singing, like a breeze blowing."
He felt himself relaxing with her song and shook himself out of it.
"It's calling me, from somewhere in the-"
Just as he edged close enough to see inside, an enraged face slammed up against the bars. Furious magenta eyes pierced his with a deadly glare. "Release me!" While his eyes were captured by hers, a hand shot out from the cell and grabbed at his shirt. Then she executed an attack with strength she'd attained from years of training; a punch to her captor's gut.
Miroku flew back, skidding across the floor with a groan. The keys he'd held dropped to the floor, and were raked into the cell by Sango's awaiting hand.
"Sango!" Miroku grasped his stomach, but lurched forward to the bars of the cave. He was close enough to the slit she'd made that he could see a sliver of her face. The eye he could see was wide, and studying his face intently.
"Jidai?"
He couldn't deny the pang he felt at being called such a mundane name instead of his own, but covered it as best he could. "Well who else in here would care enough to know your name?" With a grunt, he rose to his feet and brushed off the dust he couldn't see. The keys jangled and he could hear her hands working frantically with the lock. "Now, Warrior Princess, what brings you here? Surely not the accommodations."
The cell's rusting door swung open and he was standing face to face with a bedraggled young woman. "Why...?" She brought a hand to her face, but jerked it away when she noticed the smell. There were so many questions, yet now was not the time to ask.
"Wait until we're away from here to slap me." Grabbing her hand, he yanked her towards the way he came. "Is there another way they come and go?"
"I don't know." She shook her head, "Can you get these off me?"
Miroku paused, confused. "Are you asking what I think you are, Lady Sango? I mean, I'd be happy to oblige, but here of all places-GAH!"
Sango brought her cuffed hands back down and frowned. "Not my clothes you idiot, these chains!"
Rubbing his abused head, Miroku groped around for her hands. "How thick are they?"
"Pretty thin, but they must be steel, because I can't break them but they break the rock." Sango slammed the chains against the wall in emphasis. Sure enough, debris crumbled to the ground.
Miroku's mind raced for an idea. "We're not getting through them peacefully, so until we retrieve your weapons all you have is this." He tugged on the chains and guided her through the tunnels.
.-..-.
They were in an eerie silence that no one could break out of. Had there been no fire, it would have seemed the entire village had dropped dead, not just one Jidai.
Suddenly, the village was ablaze with action. Woman screamed, babies cried, and the Jidai were uprising with confusion.
"Did you see him? He just fell to the ground!"
"Onigumo!"
"Where's Naraku!"
"Who could have done it? We were all 'round the fire!"
Inuyasha roughly shoved his men out of the way until he was standing right above the body. He knelt down calmly, showing no trace of the fear inside him. He jerked off the few bandages he'd worn that night and bent down to his face. Not a wisp of breath escaped him.
"He's dead."
Even though everyone had already known, the panic rose in volume until Inuyasha could barely hear himself think.
Kagura broke through the circle of Jidai with wide ruby eyes. She was kneeling beside Inuyasha before anyone could stop her. "How?"
Onigumo's lifeless eyes stared up at the crowd, already dried from the heat of the flames. It gave many of them chills that spread from their arms to their head and then back down towards their toes. How could one of them just...die?
Out of the corner of his eye, Inuyasha spotted his half-brother staring at the body with as much as emotion as he'd show a puddle of water. If anyone was behind the death of Onigumo, Inuyasha was sure he'd have blamed either himself or Sesshoumaru. But, from the looks of it, they were both innocent.
"Poison?"
Inuyasha got up with a deep breath, tapping his neck with a fist to get the kinks out. "Mukotsu..."
The stumpy man eased forward with frantic eyes. The scar he'd received glowed in the firelight as he stepped closer to the corpse. "Yes?"
"You like to play with poisons in your spare time...is this the work of one?" Inuyasha jerked his head in Onigumo's direction and watched Mukotsu's expression.
He looked guiltily at the deceased thief and then to his leader, "I can't tell."
Inuyasha growled, making Kagura look over at him with concern. "Can't tell? You barely even looked at him!" When he took a step forward, Mukotsu backed up into the other members. Glaring at no one in particular, Inuyasha jerked away from the other men's presences. As he did so, he noticed the raised eyebrows of his half-brother and the curious glances being thrown his way.
Just like always, he'd lost his cool.
I don't even care about the guy.
He reached for the hilt of his sword and relaxed. A fight would do him some good right about now...
Whomever had killed Onigumo obviously held a grudge towards him, and knew of poisons. There was no way they could have stabbed him so that there was no visible mark, and no way that a man that's most serious injury was years ago when he was scorched in a village fire.
Until he could figure out who, or someone who had seen the whole thing came forward, they weren't going anywhere. His men who even had the slightest respect for Onigumo would refuse to leave and without them, what was the point of going home?
"We're staying the night. Find a place to stay." Not bothering to see who all heard him, Inuyasha disappeared.
.-..-.
The gravel crunched under his feet. A short while longer and none of the other Jidai would be able to bother him.
"Sesshoumaru."
He turned impassively and narrowed his eyes.
"I know it's late, but I wanted to thank you." Kagura lowered her head and walked forward. "Really thank you..."
"I'm not interested in anything you have to offer me." He stood still however, when her hand raised to caress his cheek. Nevertheless, he was surprised when the 'caress' transformed into a cheek-reddening slap.
"Exactly why I won't ask any more of you." Her eyes flooded over with angry tears. "I will take care of Naraku alone. After all, he is my brother, and although he thinks he controls me, there are gaps in his rule over my life." She slapped his other cheek for good measure before turning to stalk off.
"I will kill Naraku." It was meant to be a phrase to calm her nerves, she'd known him long enough to realize what he was trying to do.
Kagura stayed frozen and refused to look at him. "Yeah, you keep saying that; you'll kill him to solve more than my petty problems..." She trailed off at the unique look in his eye. "What..."
"Am I truly that repetitive?" He looked, in his own way, concerned with that concept. A crease became visible between his eyebrows as he took a step towards her. After a moment the first human emotion she'd sensed in him dissipated. "Naraku will be killed."
When she noticed his departure, Kagura voiced a futile offer. "I have extra room in my tent if there is no other space available."
If Onigumo's death was on Naraku's hands, there was no doubt who was next on his list. He knew where her tent was and would kill her while she sleep easily. Despite her decent fighting skills, she was no Jidai. Unlike her brother, she had not danced circles around the best-trained guards of Shikon, and if he came for her that was exactly the kind of training she would need to escape. Sesshoumaru can protect me...I have no problem putting my life in his hands.
Sesshoumaru paused a moment, but nodded and walked off. He was a man of few words, and his actions spoke much louder. He would be there, although it might require a little fighting to get him inside.
A small smile appeared on her tired face. She'd left him with proportioned red marks on his cheeks.
The most surprising thing was he hadn't even given her a dirty look because of it. He'd given her a small window in which to attack him, while no one was around to see, and force out some of the anger she'd been carrying.
Kagura sighed, she needed water before she could go the bed.
.-..-.
Miroku executed his final trick by rolling off the Harpy member's back, grabbing a table, and knocking out his last four opponents. That only left about one, which he knew Sango could take care of herself. Instead of going to assist her, he bent down to check the status of one of the bigger Harpies.
The man had a tattoo covering the greater part of his back, the Harpy symbol etched into his skin to signify his loyalty to their band of thieves. He must have been a leader; the symbol reached the nape of his neck and the eye of the mythical bird was bright red.
He heard an angry cry and a table collapsing under great pressure. Sango had taken care of the last man.
Getting up, the Jidai realized a trail of blood from his arm down the side of his shirt. With a low curse, he turned to Sango. "Are you alright?"
She wiped the sweat from brow and nodded tiredly. "He didn't put up much of a fight."
Miroku turned away, "That's-" His head whipped back around to take in something he had not noticed before.
Sango gave him a curious glance, "What?"
"Sango…you truly are a Princess…"
"Jidai, what are you talking about? I'm not-" That's when she felt it: the cold draft she'd ignored up until now. Looking down, she took a deep, calming breath. "JIIIIIIIDAIIIIIII!"
It hadn't worked.
He held his hands up in defense, as well as to block out her flattering figure and sparse clothing. He did respect her…but he had to appreciate the opportunity as well. "Sango…I'm sorry-please-"
He fainted before the table hit him.
.-..-.
Kagura balanced the bucket on her head expertly, watching the surrounding area and quiet tents for any sign of her remaining brother.
It was a cool night, luckily without any sand storms to fight through. The moon was only a small crescent, and as soon as the last of the fires died out, the camp would be doused in darkness.
"The key to open the door is in your hand…now take me there…to the land of twilight…" She hummed in substitute of the fiddlers and pulled the flap of her tent open. Setting down the bucket beside the opening to her tent, Kagura stretched out her stiff muscles and ducked inside. She'd half expected someone to be waiting inside for her, whether it be Sesshoumaru or Naraku, but the tent was silent and dark. It was easy to tell if someone was hiding inside, seeing how nothing in there was large enough to block out a standing or crouching body.
With a sigh of disappointment, Kagura carried the water towards her bed. Yawning, she undressed and grabbed up a sponge. "Take me back to the land, where my yearnings were-" Grabbing up the towel, she covered herself, knocking over the bucket. "Who's there?"
Looking through the tent, she couldn't see any human outlines, but that didn't mean no one was there. She wasn't paranoid.
Poking her head out of the tent opening, she noticed footprints leading off to the left. When she turned, she nearly fell over from anger and embarrassment. "Sesshoumaru…"
His head jerked up suddenly from hearing his name being called, his eyes a little wider than she'd ever seen them. The Jidai remained silent but his mask of impassiveness returned.
"Why didn't you announce yourself, Jidai?" She crossed her arms over her chest (partly to keep the blanket up) and walked towards him. "Well, get in here, it's only going to get colder before daybreak."
Sesshoumaru looked at her, gold meeting ruby, "I found another place to stay for the night."
Kagura felt stupid, why wouldn't he? At least half the women in the village would have offered a place for him, and the men he knew wouldn't think twice… "Ah." Then her temper flared, "Then why did you burst into my tent when I was bathing!"
He only raised an eyebrow, "You were bathing?"
"Do not attempt to play dumb with me! I know it was you, and you will NOT deny it."
Figuring he was staring at her that way to gage her amount of seriousness, Kagura allowed it without comment.
"The flap was already open."
"What are you talking about? No it wasn't. I don't leave my tent wide open when I'm naked!"
Sesshoumaru eyed the tent distrustfully for a moment, "It was open when I came to see you."
Shivers ran from her spine to her fingertips at that statement. She was amazed he had admitted to come specifically to see her, but more importantly, he did not lie. If he did, she had never heard of it. Someone like him had no reason to; anyone unhappy with what he said could die.
"Naraku…he was here. Watching me." She turned away from him in worry. "You must have scared him off."
She fell to the ground with exhaustion and closed her eyes. Rubbing her temples she realized the presence beside her. He wasn't crouching down beside her, but it wasn't because he was too important; it wasn't his style.
"He must be the one who killed Onigumo. He won't stop trying to kill me until I've been cremated." The cloth wrapped around her slid down her shoulder, but she didn't notice. Instead, she stood mechanically and wandered back into her tent.
Naraku would kill her unless she could kill him first. He would not leave her in peace until his death.
Sesshoumaru followed behind her, "It is not safe here."
"Makes sense. Naraku knows where I'll be and will try to kill me." Kagura shrugged, blocking out her active imagination's wild ideas of how he'd kill her. "But I am not going to run, call it bravery or insanity. I don't care, I'm staying."
"It's a foolish choice, but I understand your reasons." Sesshoumaru looked down at his hand and then exited the tent.
Kagura frowned at his shrinking figure before turning back to her bed. Grabbing up her dagger-tipped fan, the gypsy dancer slid into her bed and stared, listlessly, off into space. I was a fool to believe that a man like Sesshoumaru would worry about me. I'm just another gypsy to him, a worthless, arrogant, gypsy.
Her last thought was the only one she'd been able to keep in her mind all day; her death.
.-..-.
Inuyasha rose up cradling his head in his hands with a splitting headache. His ears throbbed, sending painful courses of heat through his brain and down to his stomach. With careful steps, he made his way towards the tents opening. He would thank the kind gypsy family later.
He was always a light sleeper that woke up hours before everyone else, which meant the sun had a some time before it would peak over the dunes. The sun was already chasing away that nights cold winds, but only the tiniest light in the distance signaled its approach.
All night long he'd dreamt of a faceless woman dressed in white and blue. Although he couldn't see her features, he new she had been staring at him. All night long he'd bee searching for the Jewel, and wherever he was...
She had been there waiting.
Dipping his hand into the barrel and scooping out enough water to splash on his face, Inuyasha noticed the outline of his elder brother leaning against the clothesline post. He was in the center of town, near Kagura's new home (ever since she'd become a Ceremonial Woman, she'd lived there).
"Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha sauntered over, "What are you doing?"
"I don't believe it is your concern what I do during my day." Sesshoumaru swung his eyes over to his brother before focusing them back into the shadows.
Inuyasha smirked, "You're an obvious bastard. Without you telling me I know you're keeping an eye on your woman."
"You've been around Kouga too much."
The Jidai King growled, balling up his fists. "Keh, what's that supposed to mean, Sesshoumaru?"
"Take a moment. Figure it out yourself; it's much more rewarding."
Inuyasha crossed his arms and sizzled. The man never gave him an opportunity to lighten to mood. If he had to live so close by his older brother, it would be much easier if he'd admit he was being immature for hating Inuyasha just because he'd been born.
A short temper was no indication of stupidity, it only showed a lack of patience. One day, he would prove that.
"Just a thought Sesshoumaru. Wouldn't it be much more rewarding if you told her ya liked her? I mean, damn, you're frigid but not stupid. Blind, maybe. She likes you, gave you the honor of killing her brother for her too. If- nah, never mind. Figure it out yourself." Slipping off towards the horses, Inuyasha left the Jidai alone.
.-..-.
When his lavender eyes opened, Miroku noted the familiar scents of beer and rice wine as well as the dim but homey lighting of where he was. The reason why he was lying on top of the gold-covered table was beyond his semi-conscious mindset. Absently, he noted something digging into his back, but he was too dazed to roll off it.
There was movement from his side, crossing past a source of light before disappearing completely.
Footsteps echoed in the back of his mind, and then there was silence. Darkness followed as something blocked the light from falling on his face.
Miroku blinked, opened his mouth and groggily questioned the unknown guest. "Who are you?"
The movement ceased and the footsteps grew louder. "So you're awake."
He couldn't place the voice yet, but he knew he'd heard it before. The Jidai rose his hand up to his face and noticed the bandage wrapped tightly around his wrist with confusion. Blood had bled through the cloth, but he could tell that it had been changed several times. His head was light and he felt woozy, as well. What had happened?
"I think you fainted from blood loss." The feminine voice muttered, placing a hand on his forehead. His eyes instantly went into focus, zeroing in on her features.
She had smooth skin, dark brown hair hanging loosely over her frame, with intense, unnatural magenta eyes.
"Sango?"
"Well it isn't a prostitute." She muttered hotly, "Who is Nila anyway?"
Miroku blinked, what was she going on about that kidnapped dancer for? They'd gotten their ransom for her a long time ago...
"Never mind, I don't care...pervert." He heard something rip and then the sight of clean white bandages entered his vision before she jerked the old ones off. He winced, but the pain was minimal compared to past injuries. Especially the beating she'd given him just days before.
"I noticed you'd been cut on your wrist just after you fainted..." She paused to pour a pitcher of hot water over the wound. It wasn't too large of a gash, barely even half of his wrist had been sliced open. Blood still slightly dribbled out, but something similar to stitches were embedded in his skin. The Warrior must have noticed his worried look, "I sewed you back together. Otherwise you'd still be bleeding buckets."
"Sewed!" Miroku jerked away from her care and stared in horror at the thread in his wrist. "I'm not a shirt, woman!"
"Oh, you'll need a new one." Sango lifted her left hand to show him the tattered up white cloth. "It was the only stuff around that didn't smell when we were at the Harpy Den."
Too agitated to argue, Miroku just rose up - instantly dizzy - and stared at her as she treated his wound. "You were about to hit me with a table."
Sango dabbed at the wound and then began to wrap it. She directed an apologetic gaze at him, wrapping the bandages around from memory, "And I apologize for it...a slap would have been more appropriate." At the recollection she blushed and looked back down. "I don't appreciate a man staring at me when I'm half naked, sorry I didn't tell you sooner." It was a half-sarcastic remark, making his actions even more idiotic than he thought they'd been.
"I apologize, Sango." He hissed when she tightened the bandage. "You know I mean it, right?"
"I don't know you-or your intentions." She sounded betrayed, and hurt.
Ano Horaana was silent, Sango had finished her job and still held loosely to his wrist as though it was the meaning of life right there in her palm. "No." Dropping his arm limply back to his side, she walked off.
Miroku blinked, trying to figure out just what had happened. "S-Sango! You can't be serious!"
.-..-.
"WHAT!"
"We're leaving." Inuyasha lightly tossed another bag of fruits onto Wind Scar and angrily looked at his men. "What's that look for?"
Goshinki shook his head, "How can we leave without knowin' who killed Onigumo? And what about Naraku?"
Inuyasha raised a peeved eyebrow, "What about him?"
"We can't just leave him here!" Juuroumaru nodded in agreement with Goshinki's anxious complaint. "We got a code for a reason."
"The code doesn't say we can't leave a Jidai at the gypsy camp." Inuyasha tightened a bag strap and leaped onto his horse. "Thanks old man, we'll be back before another new moon."
The gypsy leader nodded, his wife smiling next to him.
Kouga, Ginta, Hakkaku, Rouyakan, and Jinenji took off after their King immediately. Not many truly cared where Naraku was, and the few who did were already trailing after Inuyasha.
.-.
"Maa, Kagura, what is it?" Yura looked up from her embroidery with a creased brow. Looking behind her, Yura sighed. "That bum from the desert?"
Kagura's head whipped around angrily, glaring her friend down as she continued to sew.
"You don't seem the type to go for someone like that. He's so cold and emotionless... Now, Inuyasha on the other hand..." Yura grinned slyly, "He's all man... Not afraid to show his feelings either. Hard to believe their brothers. One wears his emotions right there on his sleeve, and the other hides them so deep inside..."
Kanna looked between them placidly, then went back to sewing. After a moment, "Sesshoumaru watched over sister all last night and did not sleep at all."
Yura choked, pounding on her chest to keep breathing, "WHAT! Kagura, is this true?"
Giving a disapproving look to her younger adopted sister, Kagura nodded lightly. "I saw him last night and heard him and Inuyasha at dawn."
"Well, I offered him a bed...I wondered why he never came to use it." Yura shrugged, "I thought it was because I'd offered Inuyasha one too...Although I didn't offer Inuyasha a separate bed like I did for Sesshoumaru."
Kagura ignored her, watching the horses disappear into the heat waves rising off the sand. "He doesn't fancy you, Yura."
"I'm not going to stop trying." The gypsy enlightened. "Why should I? He's a real prize, and he'd make a great gypsy man...A good provider."
"You're sick." Kagura rolled her eyes, "And such a damn shameless flirt."
"Hey!" Yura dropped her embroidery and kicked up some sand. "Let's talk about you for a second. You got lucky and you don't even realize it. Shows how much no flirting at all gets you."
The horses couldn't be seen any longer.
.-..-.
"You wanted to see me mother?"
The Sultana looked up from her scroll and smiled. "Kagome. I wanted to let you know that you'll be in charge for a while." She seemed excited about it; the opposite of the shock Kagome could feel creeping through her.
"...W-What?"
"Around a full moon's cycle, actually. I have to ride out to a neighboring village to see their Sultan. He's very ill, and is interested in merging our city with his village once he is gone. The offer is exclusive, and I'm honored. Therefore, I must ride out to meet him. He's invited me to stay a while, and since it takes a week to ride there and a week back, I believe a full moon's cycle should be adequate." Draped in beige and red, the Sultana walked towards her daughter. "I know that I will not live forever, and you will gain the thrown. This should be good practice for you."
Kagome balked, "You're...leaving?" and I'm not coming with you? Kagome couldn't believe it. Despite all of her mother's warnings and stories of how awful the outside world was...she was going into it. Leaving without her.
Best of all, she was in charge. Something that she had never done before, and now it was her job for an entire moon cycle.
"This is very short notice..." Her mother gave her a sympathetic smile. "Yet I know you will be ok. You are strong, Kagome, and you are kind. I say that as your mother and your Sultana. It is extremely important that I leave now, every moment might be his last."
Before Kagome could realize what was happening, her mother was on the balcony, in front of all the Shikonian villagers, announcing the temporary transfer of leadership.
"...important to the growth and prosperity of this city. Because of my absence, your princess will be your ruler. Kagome-" She rose her hand and motioned Kagome forward happily. Standing proudly, the Sultana brought her daughter forward. "She will rule with strength and heart; Your Sultana."
That one sentence sent everyone into an uproar of praise.
"I will go now." Her mother gave her a hug and kiss - something Kagome hadn't felt since she was still a child. "I love you."
"I...love you too, mama."
.-..-.
"I'm leaving." Sango secured her weapons and tightened her borrowed garments around herself. "The next time I see you, Jidai, or any other, you will die." It didn't sound like an empty threat to him, so he leaned away from her to let the Shikonian pass.
"They think you're dead anyway, why not stay here? Your skills would be perfect."
She gave him an incredulous look, "You are honestly going to sit there and invite me into the Sengoku Jidai?" Sango gave a low, dry laugh. "Jidai, you are crazy. My boomerang must have hit you one too many times in the head."
"Women cannot join the Sengoku Jidai, but you might be the first exception."
Sango sighed, blushing at the contact. "I've already proven myself once in the world of men, Jidai...and I cannot work with the same people who have given me so much grief. Especially with the Jidai who gave me my scar."
Miroku frowned in confusion. "A Jidai...?"
The Shikon Warrior shrugged off her cloak, low enough for the scar to show. "I believe you know him as Naraku." Shrugging the linen back over her shoulders, Sango fought the blush off her cheeks. Why did I just allow him to see...? WHY! "I must go."
"Wait!" It was too late to stop her, as well as the anger he felt bubbling up inside his stomach. Naraku had maimed her and the scar she carried looked painful. How dare he...?
It took him a moment to realize just how crazy siding with the Shikonians was.
"Miroku!"
Inuyasha sounded joyous for some unknown reason, and then Miroku realized why. Not only was the King of Thieves happy to see him, but he also carried a sack of gold over his shoulder and food weighed down Wind Scar's saddlebags.
"So you're alive after all!" Inuyasha grinned, "Good to know you're not lying dead somewhere letting the vultures get at you."
How letting anyone do anything to him while he was dead was a mystery to Miroku, but he went along with it anyway. Truth be told, seeing his best friend before the other Jidai was the best thing that had happened to him for a while.
"Where the hell were you, anyway?"
"Nowhere."
.-..-.
Right after her mother had left with a flock of the Royal Guard, Kagome had been placed on the thrown.
"Your mother did not leave much for you to do as of yet…Things will pick up later." The Shikon Warrior focused in on the girl in front of him and sighed. "What is troubling you, Sultana?"
In a word, everything. But, as the temporary Sultana of Shikon there was no way she could say that. Instead, Kagome smiled softly and shook her head. Returning her attention to the world beyond her balcony, she noticed the silhouette of a memorable figure making its way across the dunes. It was very faint, but the outline couldn't have been anyone else.
"SANGO!"