Sacrifice
By Namek Kaia
Disclaimer: I never have or never will own any part of Inuyasha and its characters. I do, however own my original characters. So please ask if you want to use them.
NOTE: The names of my original characters are not meant to have any specific meaning. I just like the way they sounded.
"Don't go Miroku!" she yelled across their small yard. He had already started down the narrow path toward the village, a stern and determined straightness in his spine. The aging monk steadied the gimp that plagued his leg with the same old staff he still carried with him.
Yet regardless of her cries after him, he did not deter. For a moment, she stood still and stared after him just outside the place they had come to call home. She still wore her work kimono, a dull brown garb with the sleeves tied back to make her work easier. Her hair had come untied and now flowed around her shoulders, blowing in the wind. Dark blue eyes followed him as he continued down the walk as if he hadn't heard her.
She couldn't let him go. Not when she knew that he wouldn't be coming back.
Before he disappeared from her sight completely, she bounded after him. She had forgotten her shoes, and the dirt and gravel of the ground hurt her feet, but she couldn't let him go. Not now; not ever. It was unusual for one to find love in such a time as theirs, but she had found love in Miroku, and she didn't want to lose it. When she reached him, he paused in his stride and braced himself as she threw her arms around him.
"Please Miroku," came her muffled voice against his back. "You don't have to do this. Just leave them alone and they'll go away. We'll go somewhere else and escape them. We'll run away until there's just you and me."
Miroku struck the ground hard with the base of his staff. "That's enough," he answered, a hard edge to his voice. "I am tired of running, Shara. The Katagama family, your family, is not going to stop until they find you and destroy you for betraying them; no matter how right you were in doing so.
He turned in her arms and stared down in her face, and she was happy to see that his face had softened a bit. "I love you, Shara. And I would gladly die for your happiness."
Shara's expression was one of dismay. "I would be happier if you lived. Say you won't go. They'll kill you." Her hands bunched in the front of his robes as she fought to hold back the tears that stood in her eyes. "They'll kill you."
Miroku lifted her chin and bent to kiss the tears that fell down her cheeks. Then, slowly, his lips met hers in a kiss that escalated into a passionate expression of deep emotion, as if he truly believed he would never be able to kiss her again. As he pulled back, he hugged her to him firmly. "Then I will die an honorable death."
She gasped and when she looked up at him. His face was once again holding a stern expression. "Listen to me, Shara. I want you to put together a traveling pack and head back to the place I told you about. Find Inuyasha and tell him what happened. He'll be able to help you."
He didn't wait for her to reply. With one, final, brief kiss, he turned and headed toward the village; toward his death.
Shara Katagama set her pack down and slouched down on a stump left behind by a rotted tree. Her blue traveling kimono, adorned with yellow blooms of foreign flowers, would normally brighten and intensify the blue of her own eyes. But today, her eyes were lifeless and far-gazing. Without Miroku, she felt as if her life were over. And in a sense, she knew it was, for she could never regain the life she had been living.
From what her beloved Miroku had told her, Inuyasha was one of the most powerful demons in the known world. If anyone could rid her of the burden that her own family had put upon her, it was Inuyasha. More than that, he would do it as the last request of an old friend.
Her raven hair shadowed her face as her head bowed in thought. Shara truly didn't know what to do. How could she face Miroku's old friends, knowing it was her fault that he had been slain in the first place? Even if it was Miroku's last wish for Inuyasha to help her, what reason would he have to do so? Who other than Miroku cared enough to help her? What was she to do?
Her head lifted to the sky, which grew lighter by the minute as dawn crept closer and closer. A breeze blew through her hair and shifted the leaves that littered the ground. With the breeze came the fresh scent of the forest around her; the smell of late blooms, sun-warmed sap from the trees, and wild herbs. Nothing could duplicate the wonderful, indescribable smell of summer.
Shara had allowed herself the pleasure of enjoying the moment and was so lost in her thoughts that she was completely startled at the sound of another's voice.
"I sense deep sorrow in you, my young child," came a strong, female voice from behind her.
Shara quickly leapt to her feet and faced the source of the voice with an expression of alarm. Her eyes met a woman much older than herself. The stranger's hair was silver with age, but her face was nearly devoid of wrinkles. Her voice had not been that of an elderly woman, not deep and cracked, but a tone that was smooth and light like a mature woman's. It was as if the woman was neither young nor old; as if she was an ageless being that had been carried there by the soft wind.
The nameless, ageless woman smiled reassuringly. "There is no need to be frightened, my dear. I am here to help you."
"You're what? I'm sorry… but do I know you?"
"No. You have never met me, but I know you… Miss Shara Katagama."
Panic struck at the very core of Shara's being. There was only one way on earth that this woman could know her name.
"Who are you!" Shara demanded as she began to back away. "I know that my father has sent you here to…"
"No, no Miss Shara. I am here of my own motive. Come and walk with me. I think we have quite a bit to talk about," the woman explained and, without the slightest of sounds, walked into the surrounding woods.
With much hesitation, the eldest daughter of the Katagama family picked up her pack and followed the mysterious woman into the depths of the forest, unknowingly making the decision that would alter the course of many lives, and possibly history itself.
But when Shara entered the woods, there was nothing to welcome her but trees. It was like the woman had vanished into thin air. There was no sound except for the wind rustling the canopy above. It was eerie… as if this place was enchanted or something of the like.
Where had her strange companion gone?
Careful footsteps carried Shara into the deepest part of the forest. Here, the trees blossomed with colorful blooms of pink, yellow, and blue as if it were the height of spring. Sunlight sprayed through the threes to cast the clearing ahead of her in the most pure of lights. Beautiful flowers could be seen everywhere her gaze darted, creating a sea of color around the quaint hut that stood in the middle of the clearing.
Mere seconds after she had stepped into what seemed to be a completely different world, Shara saw the ageless woman gracefully carry a tray of tea and set it down at the sitting place that had been arranged on the deck. After sitting, she turned to Shara with an unreadable expression. "I knew you would come. Would you like some tea? You've been traveling all night. I think you could use some nice hot tea."
Still wary, Shara took a seat across from the silver-haired woman. "How do you know so much about me, Miss… um…"
"You may call me Aina. It is my job to know about you and your troubles, Miss Shara," she explained.
"I'm not following you."
"You see," Aina started as she carefully poured two cups of tea, "I am in the fate business. I help people who are in situations similar to your own and give them a chance to make a new life for themselves."
After a moment of silence, Shara shifted and took a slow sip of the hot tea. "Forgive me. I'm still not sure what you mean."
"You just lost someone very dear to you, did you not?"
At that, Shara had to pause a moment as images of her beloved Miroku suddenly surfaced in her mind. When she had swallowed the lump in her throat, she nodded her head.
"My sympathies, Miss Shara," Aina continued with the same soft tone and a sympathetic look in her eye. "But that is why I am here, to help you change your fate."
"What do you mean? How is it possible for me to change my fate?" Shara asked.
"Let's not worry about the how. That's not important. What is important is this: If you could change anything about the past, what would you change?"
This was her once-in-a-lifetime chance to bring her Miroku back! If she could just find the one thing to change so that he would be alive with her today, then they could live happily together once again.
Yet, another life of running was not the answer. She would have to figure something else out. She would have to change something big.
And yet, try as she might, the great intelligence of the Katagana line failed her. She couldn't think of a single thing that would let her live a peaceful life with Miroku. Because to be with him, she would still have to defy her father and refuse to marry the dreadful Ishi Hiramaki, eldest son of the Hiramaki family. She couldn't even remember why she hated him so much, but she knew it was for good reason.
So Shara found herself in quite a predicament. If she chose not to marry Ishi, Miroku would ultimately suffer. If she did marry Ishi, she would live a hellish life and Miroku still might not end up happy. She had to do whatever was best for Miroku; that much was clear. But what could she do to ensure that it happened?
"You look troubled, Miss Shara," Aina said softly, interrupting her thoughts.
"I'm not sure what I would change. I don't know how I can fix things."
"Maybe you should start from the first time you met him and work your way from there," the mysterious woman pressed.
There seemed to be something important that she wasn't quite remembering, so her mind replayed the first time she had seen Miroku.
It was winter, and a fierce blizzard has just swept through the region. A handsome monk had arrived in the village seeking shelter and food. There may have been two more companions with him, but of that she couldn't be sure.
When she arrived home that day, she found the monk in her own sitting room, pushing around at his food in a disheartened manner. As he looked up to greet his gracious host, it was the brief glimpse of sadness in his eyes that drew her to him. In the months to follow, an unexpected romance would blossom between them, much to the discontent of the Katagama and Hiramaki families.
A year later, just after their first encounter with the wrath that was the Katagama clan, Miroku carefully explained to Shara that when they had first met, he had just lost a dear friend; a woman that he had loved with all of his heart. There was a surprise attack during the peak of the snow storm, and she had been the first target. After the short battle, there was nothing anyone could do. "The wound was too deep and she bled too fast. After I lost her, I didn't think I could love again… until I realized that I love you too, Shara. And that is why I would put my life in danger to save your own. I can't lose someone else I love. I can't bear to lose you too."
What was her name? The woman's name… Wasn't it similar to her own?
Shana…
Shira…
San… something…
Aina set her cup of tea down and smiled. "I see where this is going," she said. "And I think you're on the right track. That girl's name was Sango. Do you know what to do, now? Are you prepared to do what is right?"
After a long, shaky breath, Shara answered the question that would change her life, and possibly save Miroku's.
"Yes… I'm ready."
"Good," Aina responded firmly. "Then let's go inside and get started."
But Shara stopped the woman before she could rise. "Why me? Why am I the one who gets to change my fate? Why not someone else?" she asked.
"Things are not the way they are meant to be, my child, and you are the person who stands the greatest chance of making things right."
Again, Aina sipped her tea.
"Besides… after all that you've been through, I think you deserve an opportunity to live another life.
Finally, after the whole situation started to sink in, Shara smiled. "Thank you so much. I really don't know what to say or how I could repay you."
"All I ask is that you do what you know in your heart is right. I will not lie. It will be hard, but you have the strength to make it through. Now… I think it's time to begin your journey."
"Feh! I don't give a damn if you want to stop. It's not going to happen," Inuyasha shouted to his traveling companions over the snowy winds. "I'm so close to defeating Naraku that I can taste it, and you humans want to stop because of a stupid storm! Forget it!"
This time, it was Miroku who tried to reason with him. "Inuyasha, you're the one who forced us to travel across the mountain instead of walking around it. We wouldn't have to stop if we didn't have to fight through a blizzard!"
"Oh, so now this whole thing is my fault! Keh. Stop if you want. I'm going to find Naraku and steal his jewel shards." And with that, the dog hanyou trod into the blinding sheet of white in front of them.
"Inuyasha, wait!" Kagome shouted as she followed his large footprints in the snow and hugged a sleeping Shippo closer to her chest. Suddenly, she stopped. "Inuyasha… I think I sense a jewel shard."
He was standing in front of her a mere second later. "What? Where?"
Kagome concentrated for a few seconds to be sure. "Straight ahead of us, and it's coming fast… way fast."
Inuyasha sniffed the air, sure that the thing approaching them was Koga. "Damn it! I can't smell anything in this stupid storm. How many shards are there?" he asked, expecting the answer to be three.
"Just one. About fifty yards away. Thirty… twenty…"
Inuyasha unsheathed the Tessaiga and prepared to strike their enemy, but even with his heightened vision, it was hard to sense where the assailant was in the storm.
"He's above us!" Kagome shouted. But by that time, the stranger had landed on the other side of them.
"Move!" it shouted as it pushed past Miroku and headed further into the storm.
It didn't register to Miroku, Inuyasha, or Kagome that the voice was no doubt a woman's. What did register was that she was headed straight for Sango.
"Sango, look out!" Miroku shouted as he sprinted in her direction.
"Get down!" the unknown woman shouted. A scream, a clash of metal, and then nothing but complete silence. Even the winds seemed to soften to a mere breeze.
Sheer dread plagued Miroku's heart. The thought of losing Sango was simply unbearable. He prayed that she would be okay, yet deep down, he knew that nothing could have saved her. This was all his own fault…
To their surprise, there were three figures ahead of them, not two. And it put Miroku at ease to see that Sango was standing safely to the side. The mysterious woman, whoever she was, must have saved Sango's life.
Said mysterious woman pulled Sango's katana from the man's throat, and watched him fall to the ground. This was the man who had almost killed Sango; the man who had killed Sango in her timeline. Everything would change now. There was no way of knowing what her life would be like when she returned. Not being able to come to terms with everything at once, not to mention the fact that she had just slain a man, she fought the urge to sink to her knees and cry. Aina was right. This was harder than she thought.
"Sango, are you all right?" Miroku asked, keeping his eyes on the woman who had just saved the love of his life from certain death.
"Yes, I'm fine. A little confused, but I'm fine," she answered.
"Kagome, which one of them has the jewel shard?" Inuyasha asked, his sword still drawn.
"I do," Shara answered and bent down to clean the blood from the katana in the snow. Her head remained lowered and the wind blew her black hair so that her face was shadowed.
Then, as she stood, her hair was pushed back to reveal the delicate face of a woman. She had high cheekbones, a strong jawline, and blue eyes that were brightened by the heavy, blue kimono she wore. Slowly she walked toward Sango and returned the katana she had grabbed in haste. After all her planning, she hadn't thought to bring a weapon. She had almost blown her entire reason for being here.
Sango carefully took her katana and sheathed it. "Thank you for saving my life… I'm sorry, but I don't even know your name."
"My name is not important," she said, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice. This was the woman that would spend the rest of her life with Miroku, the man that she had loved more than life itself; the man who had selflessly protected her for years. And now she was giving it all up. It was hard to accept, much less speak.
"But your jewel shard is important. Hand it over," ordered Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha! Don't be so harsh," Miroku said. "We owe her for saving Sango's life."
"It's alright," Shara replied and removed the shard of the sacred Shikon no Tama from her lower back. "It's yours. I don't need it anymore." She held it out for Kagome to take.
"We can't thank you enough. How did you know that Sango was in danger?" Kagome asked as she took the shard and placed it in the bottle with the others.
Shara shrugged. "Sometimes I just know things."
"Well if you knew you were going to fight, why don't have any armor?" Inuyasha asked with a speculative tone.
"Because my life didn't matter. Yours does, Sango. Keep it as long as you can, for everyone's sake."
"I don't understand. You were sent here to protect Sango. Why?" Miroku asked.
For the first time since he had walked off into the distance the day he died, Shara looked at Miroku. The memories, the emotions, everything came rushing back to her all at once, and she couldn't stop the tears blurring her vision from falling down her cheeks. "Miroku…"
Before anyone knew how it had happened, Shara had rushed to Miroku and wrapped her arms around him. She knew she wasn't supposed to, but she couldn't say goodbye to him without so much as a hug. The warmth she felt against her cheek made her happier than she had been since they had run away together. Somehow, it made it all worth it.
Hesitantly, she let him push her away as she roughly wiped the tears from her eyes. "In exchange for Sango's life, there is something that you must promise me."
Stunned by her change in demeanor, it took Miroku a moment to answer.
"Anything," he said finally.
"Remember my face. If you ever see me again, stay as far away from me as you possibly can, no matter what. Don't try to talk to me. Don't ask about me. Don't even look at me. Can you do that?" After a long moment of silence, he still hadn't answered her. For that long moment of silence, they stared at each other with unreadable emotions. "I need you to promise me, Miroku."
"Have we met before? I feel like I know you somehow…"
"Just promise me, Miroku!"
"For saving Sango's life, I will do as you say. But please, tell us your name."
Shara sighed. "My name… is Shara Katagama. I am betrothed to Ishi Hiramaki. If you ever… if any of you ever hear the names Katagama or Hiramaki again, I suggest you all run like hell."
For the last time, she looked at Miroku. "Be happy, Miroku. Stop avoiding it, and tell her you love her. For me, just be happy. That's all I want."
With that, she walked past him and faded into the storm from whence she came. For a moment, she looked back as if she could still see him.
"I love you, Miroku. I always will."
Woo hoo! It's finally finished. It didn't go exactly as I had planned for it to, but that's how my writing always turns out, especially with Inuyasha fics. But oh well! I think it still turned out okay. What do you think?
I left a lot of questions unanswered, seeing as how I left almost in the middle of things. Sorry about that. I have an epilogue planned and can write more if you want, but you guys will have to respond to tell me:-D Hope you enjoyed it!
- NaK -