Author's Note: First of all, let me allay any fears about where this story is going (especially in regards to Kikyou's ashes). Believe it or not, I'm trying to avoid clichés or anything that's been done a thousand times before. So trust me. I know what I'm doing (I hope). Secondly, I think I may have access to AIM for a week, so check out my bio for details.
Kusarigama
By Starzki
Chapter 3: The Trouble is Just Begun
It took more than two hours for the excited horror of the village to settle and for people to return to their homes. In the meantime, Shippou had discovered Kanashimi and found, if not a kindred spirit, a new friend who was able to match his frenetic energy and excitement for extended periods of time.
Kaede was the last person to emerge from the graveyard. She understandably looked upset and worn by the fiasco. Despite that, she warmly greeted her new visitors and ushered them back to her home.
"We would understand if it was too much for you," Sango tried to argue. "We could stay at an inn or with someone else."
"Bah," scoffed Kaede. "There's nothing to be done tonight about it, anyway."
"Yeah," agreed Shippou "Stay with us. It gets too quiet around here when Kagome's away." Riding the surprisingly complacent Kanashimi as he would a small pony, Shippou led the group through the doorway of Kaede's small home.
As the group settled in for conversation, Kaede started, "Now, what brings you young people here so unexpectedly?" She looked eager to try to forget the second desecration of her sister's remains.
Miroku and Sango told the story of the surprise messenger with Kohaku's kusarigama and of their plans to find him and bring him home.
Miroku exchanged guilty glances with Sango and cleared his throat before continuing, "So I'm afraid we won't be much help for you in trying to get Kikyou's ashes back. We're really sorry. We'll try to discover what is going on. After we find Kohaku, I promise we'll do everything we can…"
Kaede waved him off. "All is understood. The last time, even upon quickly discovering the theft, and with Inuyasha's immediate action, we were still too late. If someone has some evil planned for my sister's remains, it would probably be too late for your help, anyway."
"But still," interjected Sango. "We'll do anything we can. Is there anything you can tell us about the person or thing that did this? Anything? After all that you've done for us, we'll help anywhere we can."
Kaede looked thoughtful. "No one witnessed the theft. No one even knows precisely when it occurred. We only know that it happened sometime between early afternoon and late this evening."
"So… nothing?" asked Miroku gently.
"The urn that held my sister's ashes was taken, too. It was light blue with a picture of a bellflower painted in white on its side."
"Okay, we'll ask about it wherever we go," promised Sango, patting Shippou's head as he crawled in her lap. Sleep was beginning to cloud his eyes.
"When are you guys going?" he asked.
"Tomorrow," replied Sango, running her fingers through his thick bangs.
"Would you like to come with us, Shippou?" asked Miroku.
Shippou's eyes lit up briefly, his drowsiness retreating, but then he looked at Kaede. He also looked out of the window, beyond which lay the Bone Eater's well. A serious expression settled into his features. "I better not. I'd like to come, but I think I'll be needed around here for a little while."
"You're getting so big," smiled Sango, kissing the top of his head. She knew he wanted to look after Kaede for a little while to make sure she would be okay. He was also waiting for Kagome and wanted to be around when she returned from her time.
Shippou continued, "But I sure hope you find your brother, Sango." Then, Shippou allowed himself to be hugged in a near bone-crushing embrace.
-x-
Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and Kanashimi continued their trek toward Mt. Fuji the following morning. Again, before leaving, Sango and Miroku apologized effusively for not being able to help Kaede until they had Kohaku back.
Kaede understood. She was sending out messengers from her village far and wide to cover ground her age prevented her from traveling herself. Kaede knew how badly Sango wanted to be reunited with her brother and did not blame either her or Miroku for prioritizing their own quest above hers now that they had some idea of where Kohaku was.
As they traveled from village to hamlet to village, the four made quick work of the distance to Mt. Fuji. They stayed in front of the foul weather that kept threatening from the sky, making the ground hard and sending the forest creatures in search of the last fruits and that had not yet been already foraged or damaged by the early frost.
Everywhere they went, they inquired both after Kohaku and after Kikyou's remains. After two days, they had heard no news, good or bad, of either lost sibling.
They kept moving.
-x-
Miroku and Sango didn't realize how unused to walking all day they had gotten. By late afternoon on the third day after stopping by Kaede's village, they were tired and decided to stop and make camp for the night. They had eaten by early evening and were settling down for bed at sunset.
They were far enough away from any village that they knew passers-by would be unlikely and would be further undisturbed under Kirara's protection. Therefore, the couple turned to each other under the splashes of orange and pink and blue that colored the sky.
On her back, staring up at her husband as he began to kiss her face, her forehead, eyes, cheeks, and chin, Sango grew serious.
Drawing him down to kiss her mouth, she whispered, "I want a memory."
Miroku smiled and nuzzled her ear. Hands that had begun loosening clothing came up to her face and neck, skimming across Sango's smooth skin. "How about our wedding night?" he practically growled, a smirk tugging at his lips.
Sango pulled his face over hers where he could see how serious she was. "Do you love me, Houshi-sama?"
Miroku froze, confident smile falling from his face. Then he bent down and kissed Sango passionately, his tongue flicking over her lips, sensuously and urgently exploring her mouth. He pulled back and whispered, staring into her eyes, "You know I do. Don't ever doubt that I do."
Sango nodded and held his gaze, willing herself not to be completely overwhelmed by their deep indigo color. "Say the words. I want the words tonight," she demanded with a plaintive note in her voice.
Miroku didn't answer immediately. He continued to hold her eyes with his own, letting Sango see his lack of deception and guile. He brushed her bangs off of her forehead and whispered so softly that she didn't so much hear him as she felt the words as soft puffs of air on her nose and mouth. "I love you."
The corners of Sango's mouth turned up and happiness began to seep into the sad seriousness of her eyes. "I love you too, Houshi-sama."
Miroku smiled back and began kissing her again. "Good," he finally responded. "Now which memory would you like?"
Sango answered immediately, "When did you first know you loved me?"
Miroku paused his seduction momentarily, rolling onto his side and propping himself on his elbow. He gave a thoughtful glance to the setting sun. A dreamy smile settled over his face as he thought back. That pondering look, the way emotions replayed themselves for her to see on his handsome features: that was Sango's favorite part of their memory game.
"I think that part of me loved you from the second I saw you."
Sango chuckled. "Yeah? I think I know which part. Pervert."
Miroku leaned down and kissed Sango's partially exposed collarbone. He glanced slyly up at her as he slowly ran his fingers over the fabric of the neckline, baring more and more of her shoulder with every stroke. "I'm completely serious," he protested.
Sango rolled onto her side, too, again pressing herself flush against Miroku. She kissed his cheek and pressed a hand against the hand Miroku was using to shift her clothes. She directed it to the places on her skin that made her want to melt into him. She also needed to direct it away from the places that would make her want to forget their conversation entirely. She had things to say. "I know. You fell in love with me the same way you fell in love with all the pretty girls you met."
Miroku held back a moan as Sango began to nibble at his ear. "You were different," he managed to say. He pressed her back onto the ground so that she would stop distracting him. "It's true, I realized right away how beautiful you were. But you were so determined when we first met you. You had this need to live and survive that captivated me. You could have been the ugliest woman that I had ever seen and that part of me would have still fallen in love with you from the start.
Sango playfully swatted his arm.
Miroku amended himself, "But it definitely helped that you were gorgeous."
Sango smiled, her look thoughtful. "You said a part of you fell in love. When did the rest of you? When were you all in love with me?"
"Do you remember that conversation we had by the river after Inuyasha had almost turned into a full demon when he was without his sword?"
"Yes."
"You said that since he stuck by you when you turned against him, you would stick by him."
"I remember."
"It was then that I knew you were more special than anyone I had ever met. It was exactly then that I fell in love with you."
"Why?"
"Your profession and experience demanded that you distrust demons, but you were willing to take the risk and stand by you friend, even when it might be dangerous. Not many people, even good people, would do that. That's when I knew."
Sango closed her eyes and felt peace settle over her. "Oh," she finally said to the darkening sky. "Thank you."
Miroku rolled back on top of Sango and resumed kissing her face. "When did you first fall in love with me?" he asked between pecks.
Sango laughed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, squeezing him down onto her. "You'll be surprised when I tell you."
Miroku stopped kissing her and pulled away a little, hovering over her face. Few things surprised him and he wanted to savor the moment. "Now I must know. When?"
Sango laughed again and cupped his face in her hands. She kissed him gently on the nose and said, "When you first groped me."
Miroku's mouth fell open and his eyes widened. "Really?" he breathed, disbelieving. "I never thought that would actually work."
Sango laughed again, relishing seeing her usually unflappable husband a little flapped. But then Sango grew serious and sad again. "It was the first time anyone treated me like… well, like a woman. I had just seen everyone I loved die. I realized that there was absolutely no on alive who loved me, anymore. That's the worst feeling in the world. I was so injured, but knowing that no one alive cared about me was killing me faster than any of my wounds."
Sango scrunched up her face to keep from crying. This was a romantic moment between her and Miroku, the first they had shared in days, and she didn't want to pour ice water over it by becoming too upset. But she still needed to say it all.
"I didn't expect to survive after I fought with Inuyasha. When I did, I suddenly became this girl with her heart in her hands, holding it out and offering it to anyone so that they would love me back. I was really to meet all of you who were so kind and forgiving. Then you groped me. I didn't like it: the groping. But I saw it as proof that you at least liked me a little. I thought that you might one day love me… Love me the way a man loves a woman. It was the potential that you might love that me made me love you."
Miroku was touched. He began kissing Sango with more ardor. He kissed her eyes and face and neck while Sango kept going, lost in her memory.
"I was this broken girl with her heart in her hand and that day, I just gave it to you and prayed that you wouldn't abuse it too much."
"You're not broken," whispered Miroku into Sango's ear. He had begun loosening belts and clothing once more.
Sango pulled his face over hers once more and looked into his eyes. They reflected her own in their sadness and overwhelming love. "It's okay," she said. "It's not terrible. I was broken. I still am, a little. Because of Naraku, we're all a little broken."
Miroku opened his mouth to argue, but stopped. He knew what she meant. He was still trying to figure out his own life now that he had so much of it ahead of him. He sometimes felt that he was floundering in discovering what he would do with all the future he now had.
Sango finished, "But I made the right choice with you. We're healing. Both of us. Talking like this helps. We'll help each other." She pulled Miroku in for another deep kiss, crushing him to her as they stopped talking and lost themselves in one another.
Kanashimi had fallen asleep to the familiar feeling of his masters' love crackling in the air. But that night, he noticed their songs to one another were a little different. It was the first night Kanashimi noticed that the songs had dropped a few of the sadder notes and added a few more happy ones. He hoped it wouldn't be the last time their songs changed that way.
-x-
After another day and a half of walking, Miroku felt the draw of wanderlust returning. It was a feeling that he had tried to put into words many times, but always found it difficult. Traveling between villages, meeting new people, and the uncertainty of where he would sleep during the night was a comfort to him. It was as if the whole world was his home and there was a satisfying feeling that accompanied the knowledge that he was living, thriving, on his own.
After meeting, loving, and wedding Sango, the need to travel had quelled somewhat. He discovered that his home was wherever she was. It was lovely to know that she was there, in the slayer village, waiting for him to return whenever he had to leave. But it wasn't that he was coming home to the village. He was coming home to Sango.
Traveling with her felt wonderful. That part of his spirit that had grown a little restless when they had settled into the village was at peace not that he was on the road. He quiet and at home at the same time.
"Houshi-sama?" asked Sango.
"Hmm?"
"You looked lost in thought," she answered, slipping Kanashimi some dried meat to keep his attention and obedience as he heeled.
"I was thinking about traveling with you. It's nice," said Miroku.
"Yes, but I'm eager to get home with Kohaku." Sango wasn't as enamored with travel as Miroku was. Miroku knew that she realized the necessity of traveling and enjoyed it when she did it, but she always considered her village as her place in the world.
Miles and minutes passed as they drew nearer to the next village. Encountering people on the path grew frequent and their progress grew a little slower as they politely acknowledged those they passed.
"Do you realize what village this is?" Miroku asked Sango.
"Of course. How could I forget? I just hadn't realized that we had traveled so far in such a short time. This is where we killed Naraku. This is where we lost Kohaku."
"Yes," replied Miroku. "Unfortunately, it seems as though this village has yet another demon problem."
It was faint, but Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and even Kanashimi (although he didn't know quite what he sensed) felt the presence of a demon coming from the village.
It was just then that several villagers appeared and ran quickly by Miroku and Sango, shouting to them not to enter the village because it was being eaten by a beetle demon.
Sango turned to Miroku with an excited glint in her eye. She had been craving some fighting action for days. Miroku knew this and grinned at her as she took some cover in the dense trees in order to change into her exterminator outfit. Kirara followed her. Miroku stood guard and kept off the path as a new stream of frightened villagers passed.
This group included a group of young children, excited and frightened by the sudden change in the sleepy village's usual monotony. One of the children, a young boy who was about seven or eight years old spotted Miroku and Kanashimi and skidded to a stop, staring at the monk.
"Who are you?" asked the boy with wide eyes.
"I'm Miroku," he answered with a bow. Then he gestured to the dog, "This is Kanashimi."
Kanashimi struggled to obey the "sit" command he had been given as he strained his neck closer to the child in order to sniff him. The boy didn't take an interest in the puppy. He seemed surprised by Miroku and eyed the chain around his waist. "I'm Kamatsu," he said warily.
"Don't worry. My wife is a demon slayer and she and I will take care of the beetle demon for your village."
Kamatsu nodded, then pointed to the blade partially hidden by Miroku's robes. "Is that yours? Will you kill it with that?"
"No," Miroku answered the inquisitive child. Then he admonished, "It would be a good idea for you to go find some place safe to stay while we destroy the demon in your village."
As the boy turned on his heel and scampered back down the path to rejoin his group, Sango and Kirara stepped from behind the trees.
"Ready?" Miroku asked.
"Always," answered Sango with a new spring in her step as the four approached the village that had already been the site of one of their most successful battles.
TO BE CONTINUED
A/N: Comments are very appreciated. Let me know what you think.