Author's Notes - Konnichi-wa, minna-san! Genki desu ka? Miss Chang
Po and Nataku-chan are back (by popular demand)! ::waits for applause
"Hiraikotsu!" Sango's bone boomerang sailed through the air with
ease, slicing through its intended target as a hot knife would butter.
A large reptilian youkai, whose original intent had been to cleave the
taijiya in two with its large claws, howled in pain as its left appendage
was detached from its body. However, not one to take this upset lying
down, it reared up its head, lashing out at the exterminator with its
remaining clawed tentacle.
Calling upon all her years of training, Sango quickly moved out its path,
dodging back and forth as it came at her again with numerous strikes.
Removing her sword from her side, she lashed out at the creature,
causing it to jump back before coming around for another strike.
Sango jumped out of the way, allowing Kirara room to launch another
attack on the creature. The fire-cat lunged forward, clawing at the
creature's scaly hide with its claws. Furious, the youkai shoved the
fire-cat away, swinging around its tail.
"Be careful, Kirara," Sango cautioned as the large cat touched down
safely beside her. "I think those barbs may be poison-tipped." At that,
she glanced behind her. A safe distance away from the battle sat
Shippo, who remained vigilant over an unconscious Miroku. She let
out a small whimper of worry.
"How is he, Shippo?" she called out.
"He looks okay," Shippo called back, patting the monk's cheek gently
in attempts to rouse him. "The barbs didn't get him and he didn't hit
the ground too badly… he should be coming around soon."
Sango let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding. The
three of them had been following a rumor of a Shikon shard in the
general area. They'd stopped for a break when they were caught off
guard by a large youkai. The youkai had come after Sango first, who
had been caught unawares, only to be intercepted by Miroku. The
monk had been thrown aside and knocked unconscious – thus
leading to their current predicament.
Sango bit her lip worriedly. If only she had been paying more
attention…
"Sango! Look out!" Shippo cried out.
Sango wheeled around only to have her feet knocked from under
by the youkai's tail. Landing on her back, she looked up to see
the youkai converging down upon her, its barbed tail poised to strike.
As the claws sunk came in for the kill, Kirara could only roar in
despair.
~~~
Miroku let out a low groan, holding a hand to his aching head as the
light flashed into his eyes. "Aaghh…" he moaned. "No more sake
drinking with ugly geishas…"
He paused, recounting the past events in his head. No, there had
been no sake drinking and no ugly geishas – thank Buddha. He'd
been traveling with Sango, Shippo and Kirara… they'd been
intercepted by a youkai—
"Sango! Look out!"
At the sound of Shippo's shrill cry, Miroku's violet eyes snapped
open, his body forcing itself into a sitting position. His eyes widened
in horror as he watched the creature lunge towards Sango with its
barb raised, falling down on her with a sick thud.
'No… no… no… maintain tranquility… maintain tranquility… dear
Buddha… Sango… not Sango...' "SANGO!"
Both Kirara and Shippo whipped their heads towards him in surprise.
However, there was no time to even question what had happened. The
monk and the kitsune scrambled to their feet – Miroku somewhat
unsteadily at first – over to where Kirara hovered worriedly over where
her mistress had once been.
"Sango! Where's Sango?!" Shippo cried out. "She's all right, isn't she?"
Miroku struggled to keep to his calm mask firmly in place. Sango was
a youkai exterminator – a weak opponent couldn't have done her in so
easily… could it have? Deciding not to dwell too much on the thought,
he sent a quick prayer to Buddha before stepping up to move the prone
youkai to the side.
In the end, it took all three – Shippo had transformed himself into a
miniature ox – tugging at the reptilian to reveal the blade that was
usually hidden beneath the sleeve of the youkai taijiya's uniform lodged
deep into the demon's body. The creature was most definitely dead.
Once quickly moved aside, the owner of the blade, though she appeared
physically unharmed, lay deathly still.
Still convinced that some injury lay hidden somewhere, Shippo
examined her body frantically, tears welling up in his large, aquamarine
eyes. Kirara sat beside her mistress, mewling worriedly, looking at the
others in hopes that they knew what to do.
For several moments, all Miroku could do was stare. It was clear to
him that the youkai was dead. Once again, Sango had proved her
abilities as an excellent exterminator, but… why wasn't she moving?
'Maintain tranquility… maintain tranquility…' The distress was
beginning to reveal itself in his usually calm features. They'd faced
worse scrapes than this, hadn't they? Sango couldn't be… she
couldn't be…
Shippo let out a wail. "Sango's dead!!"
"She's not dead!" Miroku countered, much harsher than he had
intended. His eyes softened at the sniffling kitsune in apology before
turning his gaze back to the woman before them. It couldn't be true,
could it? Even lying there so still, she was still beautiful.
Miroku let out a shuddering sigh. "I'd always believed you'd outlive
me…" he murmured. "And yet… I didn't even tell you anything…" He
reached out a hand to caress her face.
Sango's eyes snapped open. Seeing Miroku's hand reaching towards
her – it was just now passing over her chest area – she bolted up
quickly, pinching top of his hand.
"Itaitaitaitai!!" The monk yanked his hand back, blowing on the red
welt that had just begun to appear as if it would help assuage the pain.
"Next time watch where you put her hands, houshi-sama," She cast
him a glare, only to be startled by the surprise in his violent depths.
And was that relief also…?
"Sango, you're alive!" Shippo latched onto her arm, hugging her tightly.
Kirara nuzzled her arm gently before returning to her smaller size.
"Of course I am," Sango chuckled, a puzzled expression on her face.
"I only had the wind knocked out of me. Were you that worried?"
"We saw that youkai coming towards you!" the kitsune explained.
"And when it fell on you we didn't know what to think!"
"Well, I'm fine now, Shippo," Sango replied with a smile, rising to
her feet. "So you don't have to worry." She turned to Miroku, who
looked as though he had been startled out of a daydream. "Isn't that
right, houshi-sama?"
Miroku wasn't sure what to say. It was hard for him to believe she
was sitting there in front of him, not lying still in death. 'Perhaps this
is how Inu Yasha feels when Kagome has had a close call…' he
puzzled to himself. He paused in that thought. 'Does Sango really
mean that much to me?'
"Houshi-sama?" Three pairs of eyes were watching him curiously.
"Are you all right?"
Blinking rapidly, the monk plastered on a simple grin. "Of course,
why do you ask?"
"Miroku's head must be a little rattled," Shippo remarked, quirking a
small eyebrow. "He did take a pretty rough hit, too." Kirara mewed
in response.
Sango's expression turned despondent. "Forgive me, houshi-sama,"
she replied. Miroku's easy-going expression faltered slightly. "If I had
been paying more attention…"
Something flashed over the monk's face for a brief moment, only to
be quickly masked by his usual placid expression. "You needn't
worry, dear Sango," he replied amiably. "There was no harm done."
Before the exterminator could make any sort of objection, Miroku
had already turned from the group. "We should keep moving… it'll
be getting dark s---,"
The rest of Miroku's words were drowned out by a high-pitched scream.
The group exchanged brief looks before taking off in search of the sound.
~~~
"EEEEEEEEEIIIIEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!!"
Shippo clamped his hands over his ears. "What is that noise?" he
asked. "It sounds terrible." Kirara let out a low sound of agreement.
"Perhaps it's another youkai?" Miroku suggested, gripping his
shakujo* tightly.
"I've never heard a youkai that sounded like that." Sango replied with
a slight frown. "It sounds like…"
"Nails on a chalkboard?" Shippo offered. The two humans of the
group glanced back at him in curiosity. "I think it's one of those
sayings from Kagome's time."
"Oh."
Sango paused, removing her boomerang from the sling on her back.
She motioned the others to silence.
Miroku stilled, leaning close to whisper in her ear. "What is it?" he
murmured. His eyes roamed the area surrounding them, missing the
rosy tint currently staining the exterminator's cheeks.
'Focus, Sango,' the exterminator told herself for the thousandth time
during their little trip. 'Miroku doesn't think of you that way!' She
blushed even brighter. 'Did I say Miroku? I meant Houshi-sama,
Houshi-sama!' "Houshi-sama!"
Miroku blinked. Hadn't she just asked for silence? Why was she
being so loud? And why was she blushing? 'And did she just call me
by name?' Perhaps she was injured after all… "Are you all right,
Sango?"
Sango blinked, distancing herself from the monk's close proximity.
Clearing her throat, she nodded briefly in efforts to regain her
composure. "Of course. I'm just fine."
"What was that all about?" Shippo asked.
"I was just caught off guard." She replied. The others continued to
focus confused stares upon her. "Never mind that, I think that sound
is coming from over here." With that, she crept through the trees,
crouching down in the underbrush.
Quick to follow suit, the others crouched down, peeking through the
shrubbery in hopes of finding out what was making such a commotion.
To their surprise, nothing was there.
"Wha…?" Miroku began.
"Now! Do it now!"
Before anyone could figure out what was happening, a large net
descended down on them from the trees above. Sango's quick
reflexes allowed her to move out of the way, as did Shippo's and
Kirara's. However…
"Miroku?" Shippo exclaimed.
The monk in question frowned in exasperation, struggling to
untangle himself from the makeshift net covering his body. Sango
couldn't help but laugh.
"I don't suppose it would be too much trouble for you to help me?"
Miroku pouted.
The exterminator knelt down, still laughing, and drew a small
dagger from out of her boot. "I'm sorry – hee hee – it's just… you
look so, so…"
"Silly?" Shippo offered. He too began giggling along with her.
Sighing over-dramatically, Miroku lay still as Sango began cutting
him loose. He schooled his expression to remain calm as Sango's
expert hands roved over his body, cutting through the net.
'Maintain tranguility... maintain tranquility...'
Sango's expression turned thoughtful.
Miroku brought his gaze up to her face. "Something wrong?"
"It really is small, isn't it?" she mused.
Miroku blinked, incredulous. "I beg your pardon?"
"The net," Sango replied, holding up its remains. "It's really very
small when you look at it. I'm surprised you got tangled in it so
easily."
Coughing lightly, Miroku stood, dusting himself off. "My robes
merely got caught… that's all…The knots are so small, they
look as though they were done by a child." He grinned slightly.
"Besides, I don't think it's that small at all. It serves its purpose
well enough – the net, that is."
Sango eyed him warily. "You were thinking something dirty…
weren't you?"
Innocent blinking ensued, "Whatever do you mean?"
"Hey, guys!" Shippo backed behind a bristling Kirara, who was
hissing at a bush several feet away from where they stood. "There's
something over there!"
The two humans reached for their weapons, bracing themselves.
"On the count of three," Miroku murmured, "We all charge the
bush." Sango nodded in agreement.
"One…" Miroku tightened his grip on his shakujo.
"Two…" Sango readied her boomerang.
"Thre—"
The bushes rustled for a brief moment and from out of them jumped
two children – a boy and a girl - both bearing sticks and pitchforks.
The girl, about eight or nine years old with a bun on each side of her
head, tossed out another net, once again catching Miroku in its
snare.
"Ah-ha! Gotcha, you youkai!"
Everyone paused.
The young boy – obviously the older of the two – about ten or eleven,
lowered his pitchfork, blinking in confusion at Sango and the entangled
Miroku. "You two aren't youkai."
The girl turned to him, pouting. "I TOLD you they weren't, Hiro!" she
exclaimed. "They looked too nice!" The boy rolled his eyes at this.
"Why don't you ever listen to me!"
Frowning, the boy folded his arms, looking away from her sulkily.
"Cuz I'm older," he exclaimed. "Besides, you're a girl. How much
could you know?"
The little girl promptly kicked him in the shin, causing him to cry out
in pain and surprise. "I know that hurt!" she crowed.
Shippo blinked.
Kirara mewed.
Miroku sighed.
Sango smothered a giggle.
Remembering that they apparently had an audience, the two children
turned back to the group. The young boy cast a hard look at Shippo
and Kirara.
"Are they good or bad?" he asked, talking to Sango, though not taking
their eyes off of them.
Sango blinked. "Pardon?"
Positioning himself in front of the young girl in a protective gesture,
the boy slowly repeated himself. "Are your demons good or bad?" He
gripped his pitchfork again. "Do they hurt people?"
"Of course not!" Shippo exclaimed. "Kirara and I like humans! We'd
never hurt anybody!"
Doubtful, the boy snorted.
Sango only smiled. Setting her boomerang down, she knelt down in
front of the two children. "We're not going to hurt you," she replied
gently. "Though we would like to know who you are."
The boy blushed slightly. "Name's Hiroshi." he replied with a smirk.
After that there was a pause; the girl kicked him in the shin again.
"Hey! What was that for, Misao?!"
Holding in her laughter, Sango replied, "It's nice to meet you,
Hiroshi," She turned to the girl beside him. "And you, too, Misao."
Misao smiled shyly.
Hiroshi took in the scene around him with brown eyes partially
hidden by shaggy black hair partially pulled back in a small
ponytail. Two humans accompanied by two demons. What were
they doing here? Didn't they know what they were walking into?
Slowly, his gaze went to the remains of the reptilian demon that
lay in the clearing. His eyes went wide in shock. Following his
gaze, Misao gasped in shock, latching onto to his arm in fear.
Noticing the change, Miroku – still tangled – frowned. "What's
wrong?"
"Did… did you do that?" Misao asked hesitantly, pointing to the
youkai.
"Yes," Sango began. "I'm a youkai taijya… I…"
"You get rid of bad demons!" Hiroshi exclaimed. "Didja hear,
Misao?" The young girl beside him was jumping up and down
excitedly. "They get rid of bad youkai!"
"Did we miss something?" Shippo blinked. Kirara only mewed
in response.
"Hey, Taijya-san," Hiroshi exclaimed. "We wanna hire you!"
Sango blinked in surprise. "What?"
~End of Chapter 13
Po and Nataku-chan are back (by popular demand)! ::waits for applause
"Hiraikotsu!" Sango's bone boomerang sailed through the air with
ease, slicing through its intended target as a hot knife would butter.
A large reptilian youkai, whose original intent had been to cleave the
taijiya in two with its large claws, howled in pain as its left appendage
was detached from its body. However, not one to take this upset lying
down, it reared up its head, lashing out at the exterminator with its
remaining clawed tentacle.
Calling upon all her years of training, Sango quickly moved out its path,
dodging back and forth as it came at her again with numerous strikes.
Removing her sword from her side, she lashed out at the creature,
causing it to jump back before coming around for another strike.
Sango jumped out of the way, allowing Kirara room to launch another
attack on the creature. The fire-cat lunged forward, clawing at the
creature's scaly hide with its claws. Furious, the youkai shoved the
fire-cat away, swinging around its tail.
"Be careful, Kirara," Sango cautioned as the large cat touched down
safely beside her. "I think those barbs may be poison-tipped." At that,
she glanced behind her. A safe distance away from the battle sat
Shippo, who remained vigilant over an unconscious Miroku. She let
out a small whimper of worry.
"How is he, Shippo?" she called out.
"He looks okay," Shippo called back, patting the monk's cheek gently
in attempts to rouse him. "The barbs didn't get him and he didn't hit
the ground too badly… he should be coming around soon."
Sango let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding. The
three of them had been following a rumor of a Shikon shard in the
general area. They'd stopped for a break when they were caught off
guard by a large youkai. The youkai had come after Sango first, who
had been caught unawares, only to be intercepted by Miroku. The
monk had been thrown aside and knocked unconscious – thus
leading to their current predicament.
Sango bit her lip worriedly. If only she had been paying more
attention…
"Sango! Look out!" Shippo cried out.
Sango wheeled around only to have her feet knocked from under
by the youkai's tail. Landing on her back, she looked up to see
the youkai converging down upon her, its barbed tail poised to strike.
As the claws sunk came in for the kill, Kirara could only roar in
despair.
~~~
Miroku let out a low groan, holding a hand to his aching head as the
light flashed into his eyes. "Aaghh…" he moaned. "No more sake
drinking with ugly geishas…"
He paused, recounting the past events in his head. No, there had
been no sake drinking and no ugly geishas – thank Buddha. He'd
been traveling with Sango, Shippo and Kirara… they'd been
intercepted by a youkai—
"Sango! Look out!"
At the sound of Shippo's shrill cry, Miroku's violet eyes snapped
open, his body forcing itself into a sitting position. His eyes widened
in horror as he watched the creature lunge towards Sango with its
barb raised, falling down on her with a sick thud.
'No… no… no… maintain tranquility… maintain tranquility… dear
Buddha… Sango… not Sango...' "SANGO!"
Both Kirara and Shippo whipped their heads towards him in surprise.
However, there was no time to even question what had happened. The
monk and the kitsune scrambled to their feet – Miroku somewhat
unsteadily at first – over to where Kirara hovered worriedly over where
her mistress had once been.
"Sango! Where's Sango?!" Shippo cried out. "She's all right, isn't she?"
Miroku struggled to keep to his calm mask firmly in place. Sango was
a youkai exterminator – a weak opponent couldn't have done her in so
easily… could it have? Deciding not to dwell too much on the thought,
he sent a quick prayer to Buddha before stepping up to move the prone
youkai to the side.
In the end, it took all three – Shippo had transformed himself into a
miniature ox – tugging at the reptilian to reveal the blade that was
usually hidden beneath the sleeve of the youkai taijiya's uniform lodged
deep into the demon's body. The creature was most definitely dead.
Once quickly moved aside, the owner of the blade, though she appeared
physically unharmed, lay deathly still.
Still convinced that some injury lay hidden somewhere, Shippo
examined her body frantically, tears welling up in his large, aquamarine
eyes. Kirara sat beside her mistress, mewling worriedly, looking at the
others in hopes that they knew what to do.
For several moments, all Miroku could do was stare. It was clear to
him that the youkai was dead. Once again, Sango had proved her
abilities as an excellent exterminator, but… why wasn't she moving?
'Maintain tranquility… maintain tranquility…' The distress was
beginning to reveal itself in his usually calm features. They'd faced
worse scrapes than this, hadn't they? Sango couldn't be… she
couldn't be…
Shippo let out a wail. "Sango's dead!!"
"She's not dead!" Miroku countered, much harsher than he had
intended. His eyes softened at the sniffling kitsune in apology before
turning his gaze back to the woman before them. It couldn't be true,
could it? Even lying there so still, she was still beautiful.
Miroku let out a shuddering sigh. "I'd always believed you'd outlive
me…" he murmured. "And yet… I didn't even tell you anything…" He
reached out a hand to caress her face.
Sango's eyes snapped open. Seeing Miroku's hand reaching towards
her – it was just now passing over her chest area – she bolted up
quickly, pinching top of his hand.
"Itaitaitaitai!!" The monk yanked his hand back, blowing on the red
welt that had just begun to appear as if it would help assuage the pain.
"Next time watch where you put her hands, houshi-sama," She cast
him a glare, only to be startled by the surprise in his violent depths.
And was that relief also…?
"Sango, you're alive!" Shippo latched onto her arm, hugging her tightly.
Kirara nuzzled her arm gently before returning to her smaller size.
"Of course I am," Sango chuckled, a puzzled expression on her face.
"I only had the wind knocked out of me. Were you that worried?"
"We saw that youkai coming towards you!" the kitsune explained.
"And when it fell on you we didn't know what to think!"
"Well, I'm fine now, Shippo," Sango replied with a smile, rising to
her feet. "So you don't have to worry." She turned to Miroku, who
looked as though he had been startled out of a daydream. "Isn't that
right, houshi-sama?"
Miroku wasn't sure what to say. It was hard for him to believe she
was sitting there in front of him, not lying still in death. 'Perhaps this
is how Inu Yasha feels when Kagome has had a close call…' he
puzzled to himself. He paused in that thought. 'Does Sango really
mean that much to me?'
"Houshi-sama?" Three pairs of eyes were watching him curiously.
"Are you all right?"
Blinking rapidly, the monk plastered on a simple grin. "Of course,
why do you ask?"
"Miroku's head must be a little rattled," Shippo remarked, quirking a
small eyebrow. "He did take a pretty rough hit, too." Kirara mewed
in response.
Sango's expression turned despondent. "Forgive me, houshi-sama,"
she replied. Miroku's easy-going expression faltered slightly. "If I had
been paying more attention…"
Something flashed over the monk's face for a brief moment, only to
be quickly masked by his usual placid expression. "You needn't
worry, dear Sango," he replied amiably. "There was no harm done."
Before the exterminator could make any sort of objection, Miroku
had already turned from the group. "We should keep moving… it'll
be getting dark s---,"
The rest of Miroku's words were drowned out by a high-pitched scream.
The group exchanged brief looks before taking off in search of the sound.
~~~
"EEEEEEEEEIIIIEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!!"
Shippo clamped his hands over his ears. "What is that noise?" he
asked. "It sounds terrible." Kirara let out a low sound of agreement.
"Perhaps it's another youkai?" Miroku suggested, gripping his
shakujo* tightly.
"I've never heard a youkai that sounded like that." Sango replied with
a slight frown. "It sounds like…"
"Nails on a chalkboard?" Shippo offered. The two humans of the
group glanced back at him in curiosity. "I think it's one of those
sayings from Kagome's time."
"Oh."
Sango paused, removing her boomerang from the sling on her back.
She motioned the others to silence.
Miroku stilled, leaning close to whisper in her ear. "What is it?" he
murmured. His eyes roamed the area surrounding them, missing the
rosy tint currently staining the exterminator's cheeks.
'Focus, Sango,' the exterminator told herself for the thousandth time
during their little trip. 'Miroku doesn't think of you that way!' She
blushed even brighter. 'Did I say Miroku? I meant Houshi-sama,
Houshi-sama!' "Houshi-sama!"
Miroku blinked. Hadn't she just asked for silence? Why was she
being so loud? And why was she blushing? 'And did she just call me
by name?' Perhaps she was injured after all… "Are you all right,
Sango?"
Sango blinked, distancing herself from the monk's close proximity.
Clearing her throat, she nodded briefly in efforts to regain her
composure. "Of course. I'm just fine."
"What was that all about?" Shippo asked.
"I was just caught off guard." She replied. The others continued to
focus confused stares upon her. "Never mind that, I think that sound
is coming from over here." With that, she crept through the trees,
crouching down in the underbrush.
Quick to follow suit, the others crouched down, peeking through the
shrubbery in hopes of finding out what was making such a commotion.
To their surprise, nothing was there.
"Wha…?" Miroku began.
"Now! Do it now!"
Before anyone could figure out what was happening, a large net
descended down on them from the trees above. Sango's quick
reflexes allowed her to move out of the way, as did Shippo's and
Kirara's. However…
"Miroku?" Shippo exclaimed.
The monk in question frowned in exasperation, struggling to
untangle himself from the makeshift net covering his body. Sango
couldn't help but laugh.
"I don't suppose it would be too much trouble for you to help me?"
Miroku pouted.
The exterminator knelt down, still laughing, and drew a small
dagger from out of her boot. "I'm sorry – hee hee – it's just… you
look so, so…"
"Silly?" Shippo offered. He too began giggling along with her.
Sighing over-dramatically, Miroku lay still as Sango began cutting
him loose. He schooled his expression to remain calm as Sango's
expert hands roved over his body, cutting through the net.
'Maintain tranguility... maintain tranquility...'
Sango's expression turned thoughtful.
Miroku brought his gaze up to her face. "Something wrong?"
"It really is small, isn't it?" she mused.
Miroku blinked, incredulous. "I beg your pardon?"
"The net," Sango replied, holding up its remains. "It's really very
small when you look at it. I'm surprised you got tangled in it so
easily."
Coughing lightly, Miroku stood, dusting himself off. "My robes
merely got caught… that's all…The knots are so small, they
look as though they were done by a child." He grinned slightly.
"Besides, I don't think it's that small at all. It serves its purpose
well enough – the net, that is."
Sango eyed him warily. "You were thinking something dirty…
weren't you?"
Innocent blinking ensued, "Whatever do you mean?"
"Hey, guys!" Shippo backed behind a bristling Kirara, who was
hissing at a bush several feet away from where they stood. "There's
something over there!"
The two humans reached for their weapons, bracing themselves.
"On the count of three," Miroku murmured, "We all charge the
bush." Sango nodded in agreement.
"One…" Miroku tightened his grip on his shakujo.
"Two…" Sango readied her boomerang.
"Thre—"
The bushes rustled for a brief moment and from out of them jumped
two children – a boy and a girl - both bearing sticks and pitchforks.
The girl, about eight or nine years old with a bun on each side of her
head, tossed out another net, once again catching Miroku in its
snare.
"Ah-ha! Gotcha, you youkai!"
Everyone paused.
The young boy – obviously the older of the two – about ten or eleven,
lowered his pitchfork, blinking in confusion at Sango and the entangled
Miroku. "You two aren't youkai."
The girl turned to him, pouting. "I TOLD you they weren't, Hiro!" she
exclaimed. "They looked too nice!" The boy rolled his eyes at this.
"Why don't you ever listen to me!"
Frowning, the boy folded his arms, looking away from her sulkily.
"Cuz I'm older," he exclaimed. "Besides, you're a girl. How much
could you know?"
The little girl promptly kicked him in the shin, causing him to cry out
in pain and surprise. "I know that hurt!" she crowed.
Shippo blinked.
Kirara mewed.
Miroku sighed.
Sango smothered a giggle.
Remembering that they apparently had an audience, the two children
turned back to the group. The young boy cast a hard look at Shippo
and Kirara.
"Are they good or bad?" he asked, talking to Sango, though not taking
their eyes off of them.
Sango blinked. "Pardon?"
Positioning himself in front of the young girl in a protective gesture,
the boy slowly repeated himself. "Are your demons good or bad?" He
gripped his pitchfork again. "Do they hurt people?"
"Of course not!" Shippo exclaimed. "Kirara and I like humans! We'd
never hurt anybody!"
Doubtful, the boy snorted.
Sango only smiled. Setting her boomerang down, she knelt down in
front of the two children. "We're not going to hurt you," she replied
gently. "Though we would like to know who you are."
The boy blushed slightly. "Name's Hiroshi." he replied with a smirk.
After that there was a pause; the girl kicked him in the shin again.
"Hey! What was that for, Misao?!"
Holding in her laughter, Sango replied, "It's nice to meet you,
Hiroshi," She turned to the girl beside him. "And you, too, Misao."
Misao smiled shyly.
Hiroshi took in the scene around him with brown eyes partially
hidden by shaggy black hair partially pulled back in a small
ponytail. Two humans accompanied by two demons. What were
they doing here? Didn't they know what they were walking into?
Slowly, his gaze went to the remains of the reptilian demon that
lay in the clearing. His eyes went wide in shock. Following his
gaze, Misao gasped in shock, latching onto to his arm in fear.
Noticing the change, Miroku – still tangled – frowned. "What's
wrong?"
"Did… did you do that?" Misao asked hesitantly, pointing to the
youkai.
"Yes," Sango began. "I'm a youkai taijya… I…"
"You get rid of bad demons!" Hiroshi exclaimed. "Didja hear,
Misao?" The young girl beside him was jumping up and down
excitedly. "They get rid of bad youkai!"
"Did we miss something?" Shippo blinked. Kirara only mewed
in response.
"Hey, Taijya-san," Hiroshi exclaimed. "We wanna hire you!"
Sango blinked in surprise. "What?"
~End of Chapter 13