To Love an Enemy
Chapter 22 - Can this really be the end?
I don't own Inuyasha
"WHAT!" Sango yelped terrified and hardly believing her own two ears. "What do you mean!"
"Exactly what I said, the Prince Miroku will be dead when the sun rises. The man I have placed near the prince has atlast agreed to kill him, if I would let him rule half of the Etonet kingdom, which is a small sacrifice considering how much we will gain…" he father said calmly returning to his supper. "You're right the peasants do want an end to this war."
"Who! I never knew we had a spy near Miroku!" Sango exclaimed.
"Oh, did I not tell you?" her father asked. "It must have slipped my mind. His names Naraku, I've had him stationed there for a very long time."
Standing up with tears in her eyes at the fact that her father hadn't taken the time to tell her such an important detail, Sango cried furiously, "It wasn't the plans you forgot about, you forgot about me, your daughter!" Looking down at her feet, ashamed of her outburst, she murmured, "and now if you don't mind I've just realized something important and I must go." Walking through the doors with as much dignity as she could muster Sango tried not to cry. Closing the door permanently between herself and her father she hiked up her skirts and ran as fast as she could down the passageways.
Feeling wetness on her cheek Sango fiercely wiped the tears from her face. "I shouldn't be crying over someone who's never loved me, I've known it for a long time there should be no reason to get emotional now of all times. What I do need to do is focus on the one person who does; Miroku's the most important one right now." Reaching the courtyard Sango dashed to the stables and un-harnessed her horse. Trying to put her foot in the stirrup while wearing her dinner dress was impossible, she should have changed, oh well, without a second thought Sango ripped a slit on either side of the dress so she could mount her horse.
"SANGO!" a voice called out. "Where are you going." Sango turned around as she grabbed the stirrups to see her brother running towards her. Her eyes fell to the sword hanging at his side.
"Kohaku, I need to borrow your sword. I'm sorry I don't have a lot of time to explain. I need to go somewhere right now!" Sango said reaching out her hand.
Her brother looked her over once, his eyes not missing the tears and the panicked expression on his sister's face. Unquestioningly he unbuckled his sword and handed it to her saying, "don't get hurt."
"I won't." Sango said with a grin taking the sword. Kicking her horse into a full gallop Sango traveled towards the Etonet Castle praying she wasn't too late.
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Hours later Sango was still riding, her rear hurt, she was exhausted and the horse's pounding hooves seemed to echo her rapidly beating heart. Her father had said that Naraku would kill Miroku at first light, she needed to reach the palace before then. Looking down at the already panting horse Sango felt sorry for her. Patting her mare's neck encouragingly Sango said, "Sorry girl, I know this must be hard on you but when we get home I'll feed you apples for a week."
Seeing the tower's of Miroku's castle against the horizon Sango felt a small amount of relief, she was almost there. Galloping up to the castle gate, Sango called up to the guard. "Let me in!" The guard hesitated for a moment unsure of who it was but once he saw it was Sango the woman who had saved the Prince Miroku he immediately called down to the guard in charge of operating the draw-bridge to let her in. Galloping across the thick wood Sango, thanked the gods that the guard had recognized her and let her in without any questions, because risking a glance at the horizon she noticed it was beginning to colour signaling that the sun would soon rise.
Jumping off her horse once she reached the courtyard Sango dashed to Miroku's chambers. She had meant to pound on his door until he woke up, but reaching Miroku's chamber's Sango's heart stopped; the door was already open. Gently Sango pushed the door open afraid that she might be too late and Miroku would already be dead. Entering the room Sango saw the rumpled sheets that had been thrown back, and that Miroku was not in his bed.
"Oh gods," Sango prayed. "Please let him be alright until I find him. Oh Miroku you idiot, of all the nights to wander the castle!" Noticing that she was out of breath, Sango cursed as she turned and dashed out of the room.
"Think Sango," she thought to herself. "Where would Miroku have gone." After a moment an image of Miroku sitting in the garden under a statue meditating and the words "I come here whenever I can't sleep" echoed through her mind. "The gardens!" Sango cried out. Stopping to run back the corridor Sango was filled with worry as she glimpsed the sky through the windows was beginning to take on a rosy hue. Unsheathing her brother's sword Sango forced herself to run harder and not to think of what might happen if she was too late.
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Sitting beneath his favorite statue in the gardens Miroku tried to clear his mind of all thoughts. But everytime he almost got to the state of a clear mind, a memory of Sango would pop into his head.
This time it was the time he had first heard her laugh, she had looked so beautiful and carefree. He could still recall that silver laugh at a thoughts notice and whenever he did it scalded his heart, she had been so perfect. "I love her so much," Miroku thought. "I guess that's the danger that all the broken-hearted warn you of: never give your entire heart to someone because if it's never returned you live though a torture more painful than anything else known to man."
"So then why did you let her go?" the small voice inside him said. "Why didn't you ask her to marry you, or at least you fool you could have told her that you loved her!"
"I couldn't burden her with the knowledge that if she left my heart would break, when she was in love with someone else," Miroku thought back. Shaking his head Miroku, thought "no! Get those thoughts of Sango out of your head, she's happy; you did the right thing. So stop dwelling on her, she's never going to come back. You'll never see her again so why think of her? She'll probably never think of you again, she'll be too busy now that she's going to marry Prince Kohaku. Every girl's dream. Nothingness, focus Miroku on nothingness……"
Suddenly a twig in front of him snapped. Miroku's eyes shot open and looked up just in time to see Naraku swinging a sword directly as his neck. Throwing himself to the left side, Miroku managed to evade the killing blow but not before Naruku's sword sliced his lower left arm. Getting to his feet Miroku clutched his arm, "what the hell was that Naraku. You just tried to kill me!"
"Of course," Naraku said. "When I realized that after all my hard work that you hadn't named me you heir, I decided to take things into my own hands. You do realize how gullible both you and your father were. I've been working for both kingdoms for years, in yours as an adviser and in Larovel as a spy."
In a flood of knowledge, realization came to Miroku. "You mean that you've been spying on us the entire time? But your not really a Larovellian spy, you were doing all this for personal gain weren't you. So tell me what did the King of Larovel offer you to kill me?"
"Half your kingdom, once it's taken over and merged with the Larovel kingdom. Not that I'll stop there of course, I plan on ruling it all. It will be a simple matter once I get back to Larovel, to poison the king and all his heirs." Naraku said with a simple wave of his hand.
"Why are you telling me this?" Miroku demanded.
"Because there is no one in the entire palace who can save you. Every single one of them except to guards at the other end of the palace is asleep thanks to a little sleeping potion I put in all the drinks." Recalling how he had refused to eat that evening because he was so depressed, Miroku nodded. "But before I kill you," Naraku said. "I intend on making you suffer for every humiliating time I was forced to bow to you. Bow before me Miroku, bow before your killer."
As Miroku had been being backed up by Naraku until he was against a tree, he happened to find the washing pole Sango had left there days before. "Never," Miroku said grabbing the pole with one hand "would I bow before a traitorous bastard!" and then he launched into an attack.
Reaching the gardens out of breath, Sango paused a moment with her hand on the archway. Now where was Miroku? Hearing voices to her right Sango glanced around hurriedly. Her heart stopped for a moment when she saw that Miroku was already fighting Naraku. Unable to even breath, she watched in horror as Miroku fought against Naraku armed with only a washing pole. Suddenly though Naraku kicked Miroku and he fell down. Kicking away the prince's weapon Naraku grinned evilly. "So," he said drawing the word out. "This is how the notorious Prince Miroku goes, alone, unarmed and in nothing but his sleeping robe. Goodbye Miroku."
As Naraku brought his sword up, Miroku closed his eyes. "My only regret," he thought as he prepared himself for death, "is that I never told Sango I loved her." Sensing the descent of Naraku's sword, Miroku found himself unable to breathe, clenching his jaw Miroku waited. But the blow never came, instead the sound of metal clashing against metal rang out. Opening his eyes, he could hardly believe what he was seeing. Sango was standing in front of him, and had blocked Naraku's blade with a sword of her own.
Yelling her battle cry Sango thrust her own blade up forcing Naraku to loose his balance and take a step back. Bringing her blade down Naraku barely managed to block her blow. Snapping out of the shock of the attack, Naraku parried her attack and retaliated with one of his own. However Sango had other plans, using the same attack that had almost killed Miroku when they had first fought, before either Naraku or Miroku could blink an eye, Sango's sword was buried in Naraku's chest up to the hilt. Looking down in disbelief at the sword that had killed him, Naraku said in disbelief, "Y- you killed me."
Sango gasped unable to believe that she had just killed a man. "Just like that I'm dead," he went on as blood started to flow down and splatter on the ground. Slowly Naraku sank to one knee and said "and to believe I was killed by a woman." Falling over Naraku's blood seeped over the grass.
"Sango?" Miroku said dazed getting slowly to his feet still clutching his arm. Watching his beloved fight with Naraku had almost been to much for him to bear.
Turning around and seeing Miroku standing there with a look of disbelief on his face made tears come to Sango's eyes. She had come so close to losing him and she'd be damned if she ever let that happen again. "MIROKU!" she cried flinging her arms around him.
"You came back," Miroku whispered.
"Of course I did you idiot, I'm standing here in front of you aren't I?" she retorted clutching him harder.
"But why?" Miroku asked confused and still unable to believe that she was actually here. Was this some sort of pre-death hallucination? "I set you free. Why did you come back?"
"Because I love you," Sango cried clutching him harder. After a moment she said in a softer voice tears flowing from the happiness of finally being able to say what she felt, "because I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Miroku couldn't breathe for a second. Had Sango just said what he thought she had? "But what about Prince Kohaku?" he stuttered.
"What about Kohaku?" Sango asked confused stepping back slightly to look at his face.
"I thought you loved him," Miroku said softly the old wound beginning to reopen at the thought of her loving someone other than him.
Sango looked at him for a moment confused and then suddenly her eyes opened wide and she laughed. "What?" she gasped. "You thought I loved Kohaku?"
"Yes," Miroku said.
Smiling, Sango put her hand on his cheek and said, "I do, but not that way. Kohaku's my brother."
"What!" Miroku exclaimed his eyes opening as wide as they could go. "Prince Kohaku's your brother!" pausing as the information sank in Miroku continued voicing his thoughts out loud, "but then that would make you a- a-"
"A princess?" Sango offered helpfully. Wrapping her arms around his neck she smiled "I thought you'd never guess."
A small grin started to spread across Miroku's face and then it was Miroku's turn to laugh. Throwing back his head Miroku laughed.
"What is it?" Sango asked.
"To think that I spent my entire life to date thinking that never in a million years would I marry the princess of Larovel and here I am madly in love with the very woman I swore I would never marry," Miroku said. Sango gasped and put her hand to her mouth. Taking her hand away from her mouth Miroku gently brought it to his lips and kissed it. "Sango, will you marry me? I know I don't have a ring to offer but what I do have is a heart telling me that I love you with every inch of it and that you are the only woman for me."
Smiling through teary eyes, Sango nodded and said "yes."
His eyes softened at the radiant way Sango's eyes shinned up at him, love filled them, love that was all for him. Tenderly Miroku wrapped his good arm around her waist and the other on her neck and oblivious to the pain drew her close and kissed her with all the passion and tenderness that filled his heart at that very moment. Sango saw stars before her closed eyes, this was everything a kiss was supposed to be, everything she had dreamed it would be like. And at the moment the sun rose, it's light was no longer stained with blood, now it was flushed with the vibrant hues of love.
Author's note: well there you have it all my lovely fans, the end. I will have the epilogue up soon...hopefully. I appologise most terribly for the long delay, as many of you know I had exams...and i wrote my math diploma today...oh my goshh...i wa so nervous for it and i get out of it and i'm jsut like "what the hell was I worrying about that was quite possibly the easiest math test i've written in a while...and its kinda scary thinking about the fact that I was 2 years younger (well actually like (1 year 9/12) younger than anyone else. (shakes head and sighs) Anyways yeah so my mom finally took the codes off so yeah now i don't have to have in to update. Pretty awsome. Well i'm off to watch Inuyasha! Night nithgt
And now on to the epilogue. Oh also if you wanted a really great visual of that last scene go and check out Mikaila's website - www(dot) grey-space (dot) net/kns/main) cuz this fic was greatly inspired by her beautiful pictures. Many thanks and please review.