Chapter 6: Letting Off Steam

The rain had continued its merciless torment of the world; driving into the ground in wave after wave even as night settled her velvet mantle upon the earth. A pair of dark eyes watched the steady torrent through the window of the shelter. She was too worried to sleep, but to tired to move, and so the woman contented herself with simply watching the rain. As she let her mind wander, mesmerized by the constant patter of the storm, she absently stroked the head of the demon cat who had fallen asleep in her lap . The rain pounded a steady rhythm outside and on the roof above, and Sango allowed her eyes to drift closed as she listened to watery beat. It seemed that the events of the previous evening had finally caught up to the weary group of travelers, and the remaining three shard hunters were at last giving themselves over to their exhaustion.

All except for her, of course. Sango sighed deeply as she slowly reopened her sad, tired eyes. Exhaustion fought to claim her as well, but her mind would not let her rest just yet. In an effort to push thoughts of recent events from her mind, the taijiya let her gaze wander around the small guest room that they now occupied. After a long day of planning, Gishohu had shirked the mantle of the warrior and replaced it with that of the kind host. He had invited them to stay in his home for as long as they were in the village, offering them a genuine smile that Sango found pleasantly distracting. Since the rain had refused to let up, and they had no were else to go, the three had gladly accepted the invitation. Upon the distribution of bedding, though, some arguments had bubbled to the surface. Sango allowed a small smile to slip onto her lips as she remembered the incident.

"I am afraid that I do not entertain often, so I only have two futons for you to use," Gishohu said apologetically with a slight frown on his handsome features.

"That will be more than enough," Miroku stepped forward to retrieve one of the futons, lowering his eyes respectfully for a moment. As he raised the smooth lids once more, Sango noted that a mischievious sparkle had crept into his eyes. "Shippo can take one of the futons, and Sango and I shall share the other one."

He's got to be kidding, Sango thought to herself. She waited for the monk to correct his mistake; when he did not, she reached forward and snatched the bedding from his arms. "I don't think so, lecher. I will take this one, and you and Shippo and share the other." After taking a moment to appreciate the disappointment that spread across his boyish face, Sango turned and exited the room.

That had been the end of that argument. Miroku had had enough sense afterwards to simply lay out his bedding and call it a night. Sango was both pleased and disappointed by this. It meant that now Miroku knew where the boundaries were and would not (in most cases) cross them.But it also meant that now she would be alone most of the night, left with only the sound of the rain and her own thoughts.

Which lead Sango to chide herself for the thousandth time that evening. During the course of the day, she had let the immediacy of Kagome's situation slip from her mind. She had become lost in the thrill of planning for battle; giving herself over to the part of her that was still and always would be a warrior. She had spent the day hunched over the old terrain maps with Gishohu, taking only one break in the course of the day to give her eyes a moment to rest. They had begun to plan out basic defenses for the village, all the while listening to the reports of the scouts who had been searching the area for signs of the enemy. Because of the heavy rains, the scouts had little to report as they ran into the temple, soaked to the bone. One man, as he drew a blanket close about his weary shoulders, mentioned seeing a flash of red within the trees, but other than that, all of the reports had been the same. Nothing.

He must have seen Inuyasha, she thought absently. The hanyou had never returned after his outburst earlier, and Sango assumed that he was still out there, searching for Kagome. Which is what we should be doing, too...

No. There's no way that we would be able to find her in this rain. Besides, at least by helping out the villagers we'll have some help for when we do find her...Sango tried to reassure herself with the thought, but it did not seem to be helping. With a sigh, the taijiya removed Kilala from her lap, being careful so that she would not disturb her sleeping companion. Once the feline youkai was settled on the soft bed, Sango slid beneath the covers and waited for the dawn.

The morning brought with it a brilliant display of color, with an assortment of shades and hues that could only been seen after the breaking of a storm. But the beauty of the morning went unnoticed by the members of the little village, who were busy completing tasks at even this early hour. Village men and women hurried in and out of buildings, some carry heavy materials, others simply handing out food and drink to those who were in need of it. The day was perfect for their type of work, with only a few remaining clouds left to mar the morning sky.

Gishohu took a moment to gaze up at the clearing sky, but his eyes did not search for the sun or admire the hues that surrounded it. Instead, he appeared to be searching for something. A work-worn hand rose in greeting as he spotted the object of his search, and he watched as the odd group of travelers neared the village.

This will take some getting used to, he thought as he witnessed the strange sight of a monk, a demon child, and a beautiful woman descend from the sky on the back of a fearsome demon cat. "Good morning. I trust that you all slept well?"

The woman, dressed in a simple kimono, picked up the shrunken fire cat and waved in response. "Yes, we did. Thank you again for your hospitality."

Gishohu waved off her gratitude with another wave of his hand. "For the aid you are giving us, it was the least that I could do." His face grew serious for a moment as he continued. "How did your search go? Did you find anything?"

The monk, who had remained quiet until now, shook his head. "No, even from up above there is still no trace of this hidden fortress. But we were able to get a better look at the terrain, and there are some possible locations that we will check later today."

"Miroku, when are we going up again? I wanna find Kagome!" the kitsune child cried as he tugged on the monks robes.

The man bent down and patted the child on the head. "Soon, Shippo. But we've been up there for hours. Kilala must rest, and we could all use a little breakfast."

"Yeah, I guess I am kinda hungry."

"Well", Gishohu said as he surveyed the strange group. "Some of the younger women have been serving breakfast outside of the temple. I have already eaten, so feel free to help yourselves."

This seemed to perk the monk's interest. "Younger women, you say? They must be beauties, I am sure."

Sango glared at the monk as she thrust her elbow into his ribs. "Miroku! For once, could you please try to behave yourself? Remember, we're not here to get you a date! We're here to look for Kagome!"

The man look slightly chagrined as he bowed his head to the tayjia. "Yes, Sango, I have not forgotten. I was merely offering a compliment. Now, if you will excuse me, I will take Shippo to the temple for something to eat."

Gishohu watched the banter between the monk and the woman. It was obvious that they were close companions, but how close were they? As the monk turned to leave, Gishohu listened to Sango's warning to stay out of trouble and decided to add one of his own. "Monk?" When the robed man glanced at him, he smiled. "One of those pretty young girls is my daughter, so please, behave yourself.

The group turned to him in suprise. "You...have a daughter?"

"Yes. Her name in Aniko, and I'm afraid that she takes after her father a little too much," he chuckled lightly. "She is very strong-willed, and if you try anything on her you will surely regret it."

"Like that's stopped him before!" Shippo laughed, casting Miroku a knowing glance. In return, the monk gave him a glare that sent the kit scurrying on ahead toward the temple. Sango was trying to cover up her own smirk, but was having little success.

Miroku bade them farewell as he turned back toward the temple with a worried look on his face. Gishohu suspected that the monk would behave himself for now, and so he turned his attention back to Sango.

"I was on my way to oversee the training. Would you care to join me?"

"I was going to ask you about that," she fell into step beside the man as he began moving toward the eastern edge of the village.

As they walked, they spoke of the plans that had been laid out the previous night. Since there was no way to tell if or when an attack would happen on the little village, they had decided that perhaps defense was the best strategy. They would train the village men to fight and defend themselves. After that, they would lay the town defenses into place.

When they arrived at the hastily erected training grounds, they found the men hard at work. Most of them, as it had turned out, already had previous training and experience from the feudal warring that stretched across Japan. They had taken refuge in the little secluded village in hopes of escaping that life, but it seemed as though fate had plans of its own. The men did not complain however, for now they were fighting to protect the lives that they had worked hard to build.

Sango and Gishohu spent about an hour at the training grounds, overseeing the progress that the village men were making. During that time they spoke little, with only a few comments on how this maneuver would work better than that one, or to correct a mistake in style that one of the younger men had made. Sango found herself eager to test the abilities of several of the men, and mentioned this to Gishohu.

"Of course," was the reply, which was followed by a sly smile that for some reason almost caused the demon exterminator to blush. "but instead of whipping one of these young boys, how about a real challenge?"

Sango raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh? And where could I find such a challenge? You don't mean...?"

Gishohu laughed heartily. "Just give me a few moments to prepare. Surely, I am not that out of practice that a young girl such as yourself would prove difficult."

The men surrounding them stopped their sparring long enough to hear the good-natured challenge being issued. Sango let her eyes touch each of their faces for a moment, and found only confidence in their eyes. They were sure that their leader could take her on.

Boy, were they in for a surprise.

"All right, Gishohu. Let me grab my gear, and then we'll see if you're still in shape."

And so the two separated, one to grab her gear from the lord's home, and the other to the weapon's rack that stood off to the side of the sparring ring. Only a few minutes passed before Sango came jogging back, her Hiraikotsu slapping against her back. By now, Gishohu had already chosen from the meager cache of weapons, and he brandished the worn short sword that he had chosen high into the air as his opponent drew near.

"I hope that you are ready for a surprise, dear Sango. I was quite the soldier in my day."

Upon reaching the sparring circle Sango stopped, and quickly brushed her high ponytail from her shoulder. "I think you are the one who is in for a surprise, Gishohu. Now, what are the rules? Do we use hand-to-hand, or do we cross swords?"

Her only answer was a brilliant smile and a wave of the battered short sword that the lord held in his hand. "All right, the sword it is." She gently unstrapped her Hiraikotsu and laid it on the ground outside of the ring. Then she stepped forward and slowly drew her sword. The weapon rang as it cleared its sheath, and the taijaya motioned that she was ready to begin.

The two opponents began to circle slowly, studying each other's defenses. After a few moments of this, Gishohu suddenly lunged forward, testing Sango's reflexes. She batted away the weapon with ease, returing immediately to a defensive crouch.

The circling resumed, until Sango decided that she had located the weak point in the man's defenses. She thrust her sword toward the lord's left side, but he managed to block the blow at the last moment. With a grunt, Sango continued her offense, lunging forward for a direct attack. A splash of sparks rained down upon the combatants as the two swords connected, and the opponents remained with their weapons locked until Gishohu finally gave way.

The older man withdrew quickly, backing up slowly until a gap of several feet separated him from the taijaya. I don't think so, the demon slayer thought as she leapt high into the air, twisting once so that she faced him as her feet gently touched the ground behind him. She took advantage of his surprise and launched an aggressive series of attacks that left the man gasping for air. He struggled to bring his sword up to block each move, but the sudden burst of energy on Sango's part was draining him quickly. The woman also noticed this, and renewed her efforts. Gishohu knew that he would not last much longer, and decided to try a desperate maneuver.

As he blocked another attack, the lord dropped down to one knee, sweeping his right leg out in an attempt to knock the aggressive woman off balance. The suddenness of the move caught her off guard, and she barely managed to avoid being knocked flat. Instead, she jumped out of the way, launching a kick of her own.

The blow connected, and a gasp escaped Gishohu's lips as the air was knocked from his lungs. He instinctively rolled backwards with the hit, and the taijaya's foot sailed through the space he had occupied moments ago. A muscular arm shot out and grabbed her leg as it moved through the air, and he pulled the demon slayer from her feet before she could free herself. She landed on the ground with a solid thump, and Gishohu leapt up, pointing his sword at her throat.

"Guess I am still in shape," his voice rung out over the silent crowd as he reached out his other hand to help the fallen woman from her backside.

"And I guess that I'm a little rusty," was the reply. Sango grabbed his wrist, smilely slyly as she did. Then, with a quickness that surprised the lord, she yanked him down onto the ground. Before he could even breath, Sango's sword was resting gently against his throat.

"Or maybe not."

The on-lookers began to laugh, some clapping for the young woman who smiled down at their lord. Considering the entertainment to be over, they slowly drifted back to their own sparring and left the two alone.

"Well, you certainly are a remarkable woman, Sango. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

Sango slid her sword back into its sheath before helping the man to his feet. "I learned from my father and the other villagers. I come from Demon Slayer village. My father was the leader there."

"Ah, yes. I have heard of it." After brushing the dirt from his clothes, he handed his sword to one of the young men nearby. "At least I can say that I was defeated by the best. What do you say we head over to the temple now and have something to eat? I am sure that all of this sparring has left you hungry."

"Yes, it has. I wonder if Miroku and Shippo left any food?"

Gishohu watched as the slayer laughed. She certainly is lovely, he thought as he absently rubbed his now-sore backside. And deadly, too. I'll have to keep that in mind. A grin slid its way onto his sun-lined face as he offered Sango his arm. "Well then, shall we go? Maybe you can tell me a little more about what brought you here while eat? I am very interested in knowing what brings three demons, a monk, and a demon slayer to a little village like ours."

"I think I would like that." Sango took the offered arm, and they set off toward the temple.

A/N: Yay! An update! I hope y'all like this one....it was my first ever fighting scene, and it was very difficult for me to do. To make matters worse, I still have no Microsoft Word! Yup, I am still using the awful WordPad, and it is simply driving me insane! Anywho, leave me a review if ya like what ya see. And even if you don't drop me a line and let me know how to make it better. Constructive critisism is always welcome.

P.S. I will update Koigokoro soon, after I do a little more work on this one!