Kusarigama

By Starzki

Chapter 2: To end, to begin

Sango smiled as she hoisted her hiraikotsu and strapped it to her back. It was like an old friend, a longtime important part of her life. It was fitting that it was coming along for the next adventure. But, she briefly indulged in the fleeting and unbidden thought at how much less sore her shoulders would be at the end of the day if she had been trained with a weapon that was a little less heavy.

Miroku wrapped the chain of the kusarigama around his waist and tucked the handle of the kama into the fashioned belt. The folds of his robes quickly fell around the weapon so that it was visible, but inconspicuous.

The couple went over all the things they had packed for their journey. They packed light but expected to be gone for almost a month. With winter coming, promising intemperate days, they knew that travel through the heavy wooded and hilly areas around Mount Fuji might not always go smoothly.

Sango tucked some food into a cloth and folded it into a pocket of her dark blue yukata. Now a wife, she could no longer wear bright colors allowed to the unmarried women of her culture. However, she didn't dress exactly like all of the other wives, either. She had sewn secret pockets and hidden seams within the pretty clothing to hide her poison powders and smaller weapons that she might need while demon slaying or traveling across war-torn territories.

They were leaving early. Sango called to Kanashimi as the four of them left the village they had been so instrumental in re-founding. If all went well and they traveled quickly, they could make it to Kaede's village before their customary bedtime. Since it was on their way, they wanted to stop by and say hello to Kaede and Shippou. They also hoped that they might run into Kagome and Inuyasha, back from her futuristic world for some kind of vacation or visit. It would be good to see familiar faces again.

As the sun began it's slow accent over the horizon, the four of them, Miroku, Kirara, Sango, and Kanashimi, quietly left the slayers' village with the hope that there would be five of them returning. Light frost covering the ground smelled sharp and clear like nothingness and promise.

-x-

The first hour passed in sleepy, pleasant silence. As the sun rose and the vapor from their mouths became invisible, Sango smiled and made a request.

"I think I'd like a memory, Houshi-sama."

Miroku smiled and said, "Of course, Sango. What kind of memory would you like?" It was a game of their own making and he would happily fulfill her request.

Sango bit her lip. "Tell me about when you last saw Kohaku."

Miroku's eyes darted to Sango and saw that she was serious and anxious. He had shared that memory with her many times and it always seemed to hurt her a little bit each time he told it. The reason she was requesting it now was because she probably wanted to prepare herself, her mind, for whatever lay before them. Miroku would not deny her.

"Would you like to hear about the whole last battle with Naraku, or just the part with Kohaku?"

"The whole thing please."

"Alright. But only if you fill in your memories of it, too," Miroku asked. Sango nodded. They had told this story to one another before. It was a day of both great triumph and sadness. Sometimes they lingered on the parts of heroism. Other times, they focused on what they had lost. In any case, it was a day that held some of their most precious memories.

Miroku collected his thoughts and cleared his throat before he began. "The morning of our battle, we had known it would either be the day we took Naraku down or the day we died."

Sango added, "I was shocked that everyone actually came together and agreed on a strategy."

"So was I. But when it came down to it, we all knew it had to be done and it was the only way to defeat Naraku. We had to work together as a team. I don't think Naraku realized the extent of our power when we joined forces. As a whole, our group was definitely greater than the sum of its parts."

Sango snorted. "And it was Naraku's own pure stupidity that he managed to piss off such a powerful group of people. His plan's major flaw was that it underestimated us and the lengths we would go to in order to eliminate him."

Miroku nodded. "Yes. Although I must admit that I didn't realize how powerful we would all be when we worked together, either."

Sango smiled softly. She knew the rest of the story by heart. So did Miroku. And as they relayed their memories of that day to one another, the things they saw and did, their accounts bled into one another to form the story of Naraku's downfall.

-x-

It had actually been Kikyou who was the real hero of the day in more ways than one. Because Naraku kept such close tabs on her, thanks to Onigumo's heart, she became more and more aware of where he hid, what patterns he followed in his life.

Kikyou was manipulative. She knew what to say and how to act to position everyone like chess pieces in order to deal her final blow and avenge her own death.

She had somehow been able to manipulate Naraku into uniting the parts of himself that he had spread asunder across Japan. She discovered where he was and how he would move, thinking he was stalking her when, in fact, it was she who was stalking him.

After she figured out where Naraku was, heart and all, Kikyou suggested to Sesshoumaru how to find Naraku. She had hinted to Kouga where his enemy was. She directed Kohaku to take a particular path. She led Inuyasha, and with him came the rest of their group, to where she needed all of them.

In effect, she drew each of Naraku's enemies into an ever-tightening circle around the full, whole, and reconstituted Naraku. And when each became aware of the others' presence in the area, they realized that it was Kikyou's doing and that they would all have to work together to defeat their common foe.

The night before was tense and anticipatory. Inuyasha had taken Kagome aside to talk with her alone. Miroku and Sango held hands all night long, alternately staring into the fire's dying embers and into one another's eyes. They didn't speak. They didn't need to. Everything had already been said. As the first light stained the black sky, Sango leaned over and shyly kissed Miroku: their first kiss.

"I don't want to die regretting that I didn't do that," confessed Sango.

"You won't die. We won't die," whispered Miroku. His immediate reaction, wishing that she hadn't kissed him, wasn't one he expected having. The long night and the day to come was playing havoc on his nerves.

"We might. It's okay. Now, I don't have any regrets." Sango was calm, accepting of whatever fate awaited her, even if it was death. Miroku envied her. He was terrified. Her kiss only made him more superstitious that this would be their last moments alone together. He had been prepared to die for most of his life because of his curse. Now, death scared him. He wasn't afraid of his own death, rather, he was afraid of facing life without Sango.

He tore his eyes away from her, unwilling to talk more about the awful consequences that the coming day might bring.

It was then that Inuyasha and Kagome came back looking tired, sad, apprehensive, and eager all at the same time. Kagome's eyes were red, but she had a dreamy smile that constantly tugged at the corners of her lips. They all knew that Sesshoumaru, Kikyou, Kouga, and Kohaku were around. The plan called for them to meet up and confront Naraku on the outskirts of the nearby village.

Miroku used the last few minutes to meditate. Sango prayed. Shippou fretted. Kagome went over everyone's weapons and her supplies. Inuyasha calmly readied himself, visualizing the battle to come.

Then they left.

Everything had gone as close to the plan as they could have hoped.

Kouga sacrificed the jewel shards in his legs to Kagome and Kikyou. He would join Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kirara, and Kohaku in providing Naraku's noisy distraction. Naraku had more than enough parts to take on the group, but a combined effort on different fronts might be just enough for the united, two-pronged attack: Sesshoumaru's and Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga attack and Kagome and Kikyou's spiritual assault.

Naraku, himself, showed up in full force. He realized only slightly too late that Kikyou had been instrumental in setting him up. It was then that Naraku decided that it was time that he took out his most powerful foes all at once and forever be free of their meddling. Naraku reabsorbed Kanna and the other minions he had called to the battle that day. The game was set; winner take all.

The fight started explosively and never waned in its fevered pitch. Kirara, with Shippou on her back, distracted Naraku's poisoned insects and deflected any attacks on their friends and allies from above with brute force, foxfire, and any trickery that Shippou could devise.

Miroku fought near Kouga. They proved well-suited partners in fighting Naraku. Miroku was largely stationary, flinging his sacred sutras and using his Kazaana when he could while Kouga provided the kinetic and frenzied attacks on the tentacles and claws that Naraku threw at them.

Sango fought next to her brother. A few glances from Kohaku and the few exchanged words made Sango realize that he had his memory back, that he was her brother again, and that he would give his life to end Naraku's. She was glad and fought harder than she ever had in her life. They fell into step, alternately attacking while the other withdrew so that their fight with Naraku would be constant, not giving him time to ignore them and turn his attention to where the real attack would be coming from.

For the first time in their lives, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru didn't argue with each other. They did not have time. It was their responsibility to join the powers of the swords willed from their father at the designated moment. They only had to wait for the signal from Kikyou and Kagome to unleash their assault.

The two priestesses worked quickly to affix Kouga's jewel shards to their arrows. Little discussion passed between them. Kagome drew up all the strength and confidence she could find within herself to give herself the poise she needed in order to hit her mark.

When tragedy struck, it struck quickly.

Naraku had quickly become annoyed with having to spread his attention to several different points of attack. He decided it was in his best interest concentrate his attack and take out his enemies one at a time. He turned his focus to the slayers.

When Kohaku advanced as Sango's boomerang made its return trip to its mistress, Naraku overwhelmed the young man with more tentacles and clawed hands than the young man could manage with his kusarigama. Sango screamed and attacked again, fighting to save her brother. Protecting his new prize, Naraku lost many appendages before he managed to knock Sango's feet from beneath her and deliver a blow that sent her several dozen feet into the forest. She hit a tree with a sickening thud and crumpled into an ugly heap.

While distracted, Kouga and Miroku rained blow upon damaging blow onto their enemy. Miroku saw Sango's injured body fly through the air. His superstitious feeling about the day reared up again and he was certain she was dead. Miroku cried out her name and redoubled his efforts, determined that she would not have died in vain.

Naraku held the struggling body of Kohaku above his head. He laughed as he brought up a sharpened claw and ripped open the young exterminator's back, extricating the jewel shard.

Kagome gasped and Miroku froze in horror. As the shard was removed, Kohaku's eyes went blank and dead. Naraku had just removed whatever memory the boy had regained. After flinging Kohaku's useless body away, toward the villagers who had come out of their houses to peek at the epic battle that was taking place in their back yards, Naraku regarded the unusual purity of the shard. He shrugged and joined it with the nearly complete jewel he kept, which tainted Kohaku's shard once more.

Miroku felt his heart sour. He had never felt like such an utter failure in his entire life. He had failed to save both Sango and her brother, whose life force was inextricably tied to the jewel in his back. But he made himself turn to see the havoc Naraku had wrought on the boy. If nothing else, it would prepare him to fight with renewed rage. But the strangest thing had happened.

Kohaku wasn't dead. Miroku saw the young take shuddering breaths, his aura almost as strong as it had been as he fought. Kohaku was injured and his memory was gone once more, but the boy was alive and struggling to bring himself to his hands and knees.

Miroku took a cleansing breath. If Kohaku could beat all of the odds and survive, maybe Sango was alive, too. Miroku would fight for their future. He snarled and darted his eyes to Kouga, willing the wolf demon to start fighting again. It was all the encouragement that was needed to start the battle once again.

Kagome's ear splitting, "NOW!" rang through the morning air followed by the sizzling and burning smell of frying ozone as Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru attacked. Any shred that remained of Naraku's barrier was obliterated and a deep fission in the evil hanyou's body revealed an ugly purple-black lump that smelled of death and decay.

It was Naraku's heart.

Before Naraku could pull together enough power and energy to heal over the wound, Kikyou and Kagome acted. Drawing upon all of their spiritual energy and power, the two young women, side-by-side, aligned their arrows. Their auras glowed an identical and fierce electric blue that stung the eyes if stared at too intently.

Kikyou shot first, her aim at the sacred jewel. It was her duty to shatter the damned gem once more, sending all of her miko energy to purify it wholly. With the arrow went all of her power, all of the souls that had been sustaining her, almost everything she was. She collapsed at Kagome's feet.

Kikyou's aim was true and, to Naraku's utter surprise, the jewel purified and split, beginning to rain glassy razors over his nearly-devastated body, their untainted energy spoiling his flesh with boils and blisters.

A split second after Kikyou fell, Kagome took aim at Naraku's heart. She called on everything she was and everything she could be to help her hit the mark and drive the final stake that would end Naraku's life. Kikyou knew that whatever Kagome was able to give to her fight wasn't enough. One had to use the whole spirit to completely eliminate their foe and Kagome was still missing a part of hers. So in that last fraction of a moment before Kagome loosed her arrow, Kikyou sacrificed that bit of soul she had borrowed from Kagome for over a year and gave it back to her.

It worked. Kagome shot the arrow and it found its way into its new home, settling deep into Naraku's ugly heart.

Naraku, who had been screaming in agony at the feel of the purified jewel shards rotting his body's retched tissues, began to squeal and shriek at the new invasion. His legs and tentacles and other parts that he had been flinging about curled inward, reminding spectators of the actions of an injured spider. Then, with the last of his energy, he burst apart in a hail of light, flame, and reeking gore, incinerating both himself and all remnants of the jewel shard.

Miroku had brought up his sleeve to shield himself from the raining bits of Naraku that hadn't been consumed in the blast. When he brought down his arm, he looked around in wonderment.

Kagome was kneeling next to Kikyou, tears streaming down her face as she checked the older maiden for signs of life and finding none.

Miroku remembered Sango and rushed to find her. She was unconscious but alive a few feet into the forest at the foot of a tree. She had a nasty purple-black bruise webbing out from her temple and her wrist appeared to be broken. Miroku sat next to her and wrapped his arms around her, trying not to move her too much. He whispered into her ear, "We won. We won. We won."

Sango mewled and tried to fight her way back up from the depths of unconsciousness. Her eyes opened into slits and she groaned at the light. "Kohaku?" she finally managed.

Miroku stroked Sango's hair and kissed her uninjured temple. "He's still alive," he answered.

Sesshoumaru passed the pair as he left the battle, stoic as ever, but he emitted a pleased air about himself. Miroku called out to him, "Is Kikyou dead?"

"Yes," Sesshoumaru replied without breaking step.

"Did you see Kohaku?" Miroku called again, this time successful in getting the dog demon to pause.

Sesshoumaru turned his head to look over his shoulder at Miroku. "That boy is gone. But I don't detect that he has died. If you find him, keep him away from Rin."

Sango, still fighting to right her senses, gasped and struggled against Miroku. "We have to find him! I won't lose him."

Miroku didn't allow Sango to stir. She was still too injured and he hadn't come out unscathed, either. "Hush," he said, trying to be soothing. "We now have our whole lives to find him."

"But he's close," argued Sango, but then turned her head and vomited. Her head wound needed serious tending and she could not exert herself. After long, hard minutes of fighting with Miroku, Sango conceded and allowed him to nurse her a little as long as he promised to look for Kohaku as soon as he was bandaged up.

The sun went down that day and the following days without any further sign of Kohaku.

-x-

Sango tried to smile at Miroku. She wasn't very successful.

"I'm sorry I didn't look for him sooner. I'm sorry I didn't gather him up as soon as he was free of Naraku," apologized Miroku, taking the fork in the road that was the quickest route to Kaede's.

"It's alright, Houshi-sama. It was very frustrating for a while, but we've done well together since then. I don't regret how anything has turned out for us in these past months."

Miroku knew that she genuinely accepted his apology, but he felt as though he shouldn't stop making it. He couldn't help wondering how much happier Sango might have been if only he had done things differently. He leaned down and took her hand and pressed a kiss into her palm, another tacit apology. Then he made his own request.

"Well, Sango, since we have many hours until we reach our destination, I think I'd like some memories as well. Tell me what you recall in the time since we defeated Naraku."

"Of course, Houshi-sama, under the condition you tell me yours."

"Of course," he smiled.

-x-

The days after their great victory were an odd combination of sadness and joy. Kikyou was again cremated and her ashes collected and restored to their proper resting place. Inuyasha mourned for the priestess as he had not the first time she had died. Kagome remained with him and felt the stinging loss of Kikyou's absence in ways she did not expect. But both Inuyasha and Kagome realized that her self-sacrifice had cleared a path for them to follow together.

Kouga, having avenged his wolf brethren, left soon after the battle to find remaining members of his pack and indulging in a howl-at-the-moon celebration. But he managed to sneak a friendly kiss from Kagome before he departed. Inuyasha was enraged when he found out. So he passionately showed Kagome what a real kiss was.

Miroku brought Sango to Kaede's village so that she could heal. It was well over a day after the battle that Miroku thought to look at his right palm. He had been so concerned about Sango, Kikyou, and Kohaku that he had forgotten about his own curse. He removed the gauntlet and saw that his wind tunnel was gone. His knees gave out and he took a private, tearful moment for himself, wondering at his strange and beautiful luck.

Sango convalesced for a few days before stubbornly insisting she was ready to start looking for Kohaku. She and Miroku began at the village and followed vague rumor and hearsay about her brother's whereabouts for nearly a month. After too many days of finding no trace of her brother, Sango decided it would be best to concentrate on making a place for her brother to come home to.

Miroku had remained stalwart at her side, offering to be strong enough for her to lean against when she needed him, which was quite often those first days after Naraku's defeat. Sango realized that Miroku hadn't wavered, that he wouldn't waver in his loyalty to her, and that she wanted to have him with her for the rest of her life.

So, almost a full month after their last battle with their old enemy, they married in Kaede's village. The wedding was attended by Kagome, Inuyasha, Shippou, and Kirara and officiated by Kaede and Mushin. It was a happy day, filled with laughter that was infused with a new, delighted feeling of hope. Even Sango, who was disappointed that her brother could not participate, had to collapse into giggles when she saw Mushin grope Kaede and Kaede smack Mushin in return.

After the wedding, Miroku and Sango made their more formal good-byes to Inuyasha and Kagome. The demon slayers' village wasn't a short walk from the Bone Eater's well and Kagome insisted that she needed to spend more time in her own world so that she could finish her schooling on time. Of course, Inuyasha agreed to follow her. Everyone was glad to discover that they could still time travel even without the jewel. However, though they would be back from time to time to visit Kaede and Shippou, trips to see Miroku and Sango would be less frequent. Knowing that the wedding would be their last day to enjoy each other's company for a while, they made that day as light and happy and joyous as they could before the sadness of their good-byes.

That may have been the first day that Sango truly allowed herself to hope so wildly that she could have her brother back. She forced Miroku to tell the story, again and again, about the last time he saw Kohaku. She wanted to know that memory of his down to the last detail.

Finally, in a playful mood a few days after the wedding, Miroku obliged Sango with the story once again, but only in exchange for a memory of her own. It became a game of sorts between them. One could ask for a memory from the other on a particular subject or event and the other had to give their account along with all of their thoughts and feelings about it until the asker was satisfied. It became a way for Sango and Miroku to know each other apart from their shared quest for revenge.

It was also a way to get Sango to laugh, again. After being so sad for so long, Sango sought laughter like a parched man searches for water. As she grew more confident in her hope that she, indeed, had a future and that she would eventually find Kohaku, she asked Miroku more and more for amusing memories from his past. Luckily, living with Mushin for so long, there was no shortage of those. Sango clung to each story and usually laughed much harder than the punch line of each story warranted. She desperately laughed, trying to leave the days of hopelessness and sadness behind her. Miroku realized this, but was so glad to hear the sound of her amusement that he accepted the fact that it wasn't so much that she was happy as it was that she was trying to convince herself that she could be happy. He was sure that one day it would be genuine.

So they spent their days fixing the demon exterminator village, searching for Kohaku, playing their memory game, and finding a way to be happy in the moment and searching for their happiness in the future.

And it would seem that this potential future happiness had been seeking them out as eagerly as they sought it, Kohaku's kusarigama making its way to their very doorstep. It was now up to them to work and not squander the opportunity of being a whole family. So they made their way back to Kaede's village.

-x-

Dusk was just descending as they arrived at Kaede's village. It was that wonderful time of evening when the sun was so low on the horizon that the filtered light appeared not to be coming so much from the sky, but from within the trees, houses, and people they saw. Everything had a beautiful, blurry glow. No one knew that they were coming, so they weren't expecting much of a reception. But they had not expected that Kaede would not even be home.

Miroku and Sango set down their belongings outside of the old miko's hut and took Kirara and Kanashimi with them, looking for either Kaede or Shippou in the village. It didn't take long to figure out that most of the village was empty, some spectacle drawing its inhabitants away.

Miroku and Sango followed the sound of murmured disappointment and angered shouts to the village's graveyard.

"Miroku! Sango! Kirara!" a small voice yelled excitedly.

Shippou sprang from the crowd, bouncing to each of his missed friends in delight and enthusiasm. They all embraced the fox demon, keeping an eye on the unhappy crowd that was gathered at the edge of the shrine's cemetery.

"Hello, Shippou. It's so great to see you," Sango gushed. "But what's going on here? Where is Kaede?"

Shippou suddenly became serious and worried. He turned to look over his shoulder at the uneasy crowd and graveyard. "Kaede is at Kikyou's tomb. There was a horrible noise earlier this evening, like something being ripped up from the ground. The whole cemetery has been disturbed by something. People are saying it's a grave robber or evil demon. It's terrible! Someone stole Kikyou's ashes again!"

TO BE CONTINUED