Chapter Eight: An Afternoon Conversation
When Sango and Gishohu arrived at the temple, they found that the food supply had indeed survived the two hungry boys who had preceded them. The pair sat down in the shade of the temple's porch and began enjoying an early lunch together. As they ate, Sango explained to the lord the quest that had brought her and the rag-tag team of adventurers together, though she did skirt some of the sensitive issues.
Like her brother.
"Then the other day we were nearly run over by a team of riders. That's when we met Yojikin and his men. Later that night, they ambushed us and took Kagome. When we all came to, we set out to find her, but the rain had washed away the trail. That's when we found this village. The rest you already know."
Gishohu set his plate down in front of him as the slayer concluded her tale. "This demon, Naraku, he has caused all of you so much pain. It is almost like what has happened here, in a way. But if my little village can band together and try to take down Yojikin, then I am sure that one day you will also be able to face your adversary. Fate, as twisted as it may seem sometimes, usually finds a way of making things right in the end."
The demon slayer remained silent, pondering the lord's words. Fate, she thought, her heart heavy with painful memories. Fate promised each of us with quiet, peaceful lives, and then let Naraku strip everything away. Fate allowed us to live, while those closest to us died. Fate allowed Kagome to be taken by a madman, hidden behind invisible walls. How can we know that everything will turn out all right?
But Fate hasn't always been unkind, a voice from her subconscious chimed in. Fate brought all of us together; Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Miroku, and me. If it wasn't for all of the terrible things that happened to each of us, we would never have met.
"Sango? Do you feel ill?"
The woman shook herself from her reverie, turning her face away slightly to hide the embarrassed pink that had crept onto her cheeks. "I am sorry; I let my mind wander for a moment."
Warmth and understanding filled the older man's blue eyes as he reached a strong hand out to Sango. She almost drew back in surprise as he gently grabbed one of her hands in his own. "I understand that look well, for I have worn it many times myself. It is the look of someone who has lost everything. It is the look of defeat. The first time I remember wearing that face was when I learned of my mother's death. The second time was when I lost my wife."
"Oh, I'm sorry…I didn't realize..."
"It's all right. It happened a long time ago, when my daughter was still a child. One of Yojikin's raiding parties had entered the camp while I was away on a trading mission. She hid our daughter in our home, and then went outside to try and draw the men away. They tried to take her prisoner, but she fought back...she always did have a short temper. The men tried to subdue her, but received a blow to the head during the struggle. Only they hit her too hard...my wife never awoke after that. She was dead by the time anyone found her."
Silence fell between the two for a moment. Sango was about to say something when she noticed a beautiful maiden walking toward them. Gishohu released her hand, standing quickly and embracing the newcomer. "Aniko, my daughter! You remember our guest, Sango?"
The slayer stood, offering the girl a quick nod. She vaguely remembered seeing her the previous night, when the argument about bedding had come up.
"Yes, father." The young woman's eyes, which were a stunning blue quite similar to her father's, shone bright in the early afternoon sun as she turned to Sango. "Lady Sango, I must apologize for interrupting, but I thought that you might like to know about your monk friend."
The fire instantly returned to Sango's eyes at the mention of Miroku. "Oh? What trouble has he gotten himself into now?"
Aniko ducked her head slightly, which caused her deep brown hair to momentarily hide the twinkle that had crept into her eyes. "Well, he seems to have...hit his head on something..."
"What?"
"Aniko," Gishohu released the girl. He brought up a weathered hand to his daughter's chin, raising her face until her could see the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. "What happened?"
Sensing discovering, the girl forced her lips to turn down into a pout. "He started it, father. That monk asked me if I would bear his children...I had to protect my honor! And honestly, I didn't even hit him that hard." She paused a moment, thinking something over. "Well, maybe I shouldn't have used the cooking pan...but he deserved it!"
Sango watched as Gishohu erupted with laughter. Then she watched as Aniko's little smile returned, starting with the upturned corners and quickly blooming into a mischievous grin. The feeling of levity seemed contagious, and the demon slayer found that she was smiling as well. "That sounds like him, all right. I'm sorry; he tends to be a bit of a lecher at times."
Gishohu waved off the apology. "Do not worry about it. It really is his own fault; after all, I did warn him of my daughter's temper." The man looked down at his daughter, then at the demon slayer. "But enough of this; let us be off. There is much work to be done today, and I am sure that you would like to go out again and look for your friend, Sango."
"Yes, I would. I think that I'll give Miroku some time to recover first, and then we'll go up again. Thank you for this morning, I needed the exercise." She bowed to the lord as she offered him her thanks, and he lowered his own head in return.
Gishohu brought one hand down to rub his still tender rump. "It is I who should be thanking you, dear Sango. You showed me that I have grown rusty in my skills. I think that I will spend some time at the 'grounds myself when I find the time!"
The girl Aniko watched as her father exchanged a quick farewell with the woman Sango. As the demon slayer turned to leave, Aniko looped a thin arm around Gishohu's waist and led him toward the temple and the business that waited. Neither the village lord nor the demon slayer noticed the strange expression that fluttered across the girl's face as her eyes followed Sango's departing form.
"Oh, wake up already!"
Miroku groaned as he felt something gently connect with his side. Hesitantly, he dared to open his eyes, and was greeted by the site of a disgruntled demon slayer. She stood over him, hands on her slender hips as she lifted her booted foot to prod at his ribs again.
"Get up, lecher. We've got work to do."
With another groan, the monk slowly rose into a sitting position. His head throbbed horribly, but he could only grin stupidly when he remembered the source of his pain.
"What are you smiling at?" Sango, who was growing more impatient as the seconds slipped by, stared at the monk while he rubbed the sizeable lump on the side of his head.
"Oh, nothing," he chuckled softly to himself, before extending a hand toward her. She rolled her eyes and reached down, grabbing the monk's arm and roughly hauling him to his feet. Miroku immediately let out a surprised yelp and grabbed at his swollen head as he began to sway dangerously.
Out of sheer reflex, Sango grabbed Miroku by the shoulders in an attempt to steady him. As a result, the two found themselves face to face for a moment.
The monk's eyes widened when he realized just how close he was to the slayer. As he breathed in, he could smell the scent of dried sweat mixed with her usual cinnamon, and he fought the slight blush that crept onto his cheeks. To cover his moment of embarrassment, he snaked his right arm around her waist just long enough to…
"Pervert!"
Miroku, who suddenly seemed steady on his feet, reached up to rub at the red handprint that stung his cheek. Hmm…a lump on the head and a hearty slap…this has been a good afternoon so far…
"Miroku! Will you quit grinning like the idiot you are and come on! We're going out again to look for Kagome. Shippo and Kilala are already waiting for us by the edge of the village," Sango shouted back to the monk, not even bothering to look at him as she made her way to where the kitsune and the fire cat waited.
When the pair had reached the meeting point, they quickly mounted Kilala and were up in the air. For roughly two hours they circled the forest, searching for any sign of the castle and the missing girl. But there was no trace of either, and when the sun began to move toward the western horizon they decided to call off the search and head back to the village.
"Damn it!" Miroku leaned forward when he heard Sango's curse above the wind. He was seated behind her, with Shippo securely snuggled between his body and that of the woman in front of him.
"Don't blame yourself, Sango! We'll try again later, after dinner. Hopefully we'll run into Inuyasha…maybe he'll have some good news."
Sango nodded, understanding that there was nothing else she could do at the moment. But she was still angry with herself. She should have been able to find some sign of Yojikin's castle by now, but the location of the fortress still eluded her. With an angry sigh, she motioned for Kilala to descend, for they had reached the border of Gishohu's village.
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. They each helped the villagers to set up basic town defenses, which Sango secretly considered necessary for any town near the feudal battles that raged the country. Pitfalls were set up, hidden carefully under blankets of fallen leaves. Plans for a wall were laid out, and everyone pitched in to help cut the wood that would be necessary for building it. As Sango took her frustration out on yet another helpless tree, she felt something brush against her shoulder. She paused, lowering the axe that had been poised for another swing.
"Aniko? What are you doing out here?"
"This is my village, and I want to help in anyway I can," the girl said as she set the axe she had been carrying next to Sango's tree.
Sango nodded, studying the girl before her. She had her father's eyes; that was for certain. They sparkled in the late afternoon sun, their color similar to the near cloudless sky above. Her dark brown tresses were tied at the nape of her neck with a red ribbon that matched the peasant's kimono she was wearing.
Aniko seemed to sense the woman's eyes on her, and hefted her axe in an attempt to break Sango's gaze. The distraction worked, and the two women began hacking at the trunk of the old sentinel before them. The tree came down quickly as they finished working in silence, and when Sango called for the runners to carry the tree back to the village, Aniko motioned her aside.
"Sango, may I ask a favor of you?" the girl asked nervously.
"Of course, go right ahead."
"Well…" she seemed to hesitate for a moment before continuing. "I want to help out in the fight against Yojikin. I don't want to be one of the women who cowers in the temple while the men stay out there, protecting us. I want be able to take care of myself and the others."
Well, she certainly has spunk, I'll give her that, the slayer thought. "What does your father say about this?"
Aniko snorted. "He doesn't approve. He's too afraid of what might happen. I know that he's scared of losing me like he lost Mother. But I know that if Mother had known how to defend herself, things might have been different. If something like that happens to me, I want to be able to fight back…" her resolve seemed to fail suddenly, and she looked away, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I just thought that you might be able to understand…"
Sango eyed the girl before her. Young, impatient, and anxious to become more than a wife and mother, Aniko abruptly reminded Sango of herself as a girl. She smiled, remembering how excited she was when her father had agreed to teach her the ways of the taijaya…"Do you have any training at all, Aniko?"
Her blue eyes sparkled when she noticed the smile on Sango's face. "Y-yes…" she stammered. "Some of the men who used to be soldiers agreed to show me the basics, though they fear what Father would do if he ever found out."
"All right, I'll make you a deal…I will show you some things later tonight, at the training grounds. It will have to wait until after dark though, all right?"
The smile that leapt onto the girls face was nearly bright enough to blind her. "Of course!" Aniko was about to say more, but the sound of Gishohu's voice from across the clearing made her change her mind. "Father is calling me, but I'll see you, later tonight. Thank you so much!" With a wave and another bright smile, Aniko turned and ran off to meet her father.
Kagome sat alone in her cell, thinking over the conversation that had just ended.
"Each of these women has met a horrible death…"
"I fear that ye await the same fate, Kagome, should the barrier remain in place."
I need to find a way to get to that barrier. I know that if I could get close, I could find a way to break it. But how?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the soft echo of footfalls on the stone and earthen floor. They were coming for her again, she knew. Kagome fought hard to contain the fear that welled inside her, and she had managed to lock it away by the time the guard reached her cell. The guard led her through the same process as before, making sure that the bonds on her wrists and the cloth that covered her eyes were secure before leading her out into the corridor. The girl allowed herself to be led through the castle, knowing all too well the consequences of resistance.
The scent of flowers reached her nose, and she realized that she was back in the courtyard. The sound of voices drifted on the evening breeze, and one voice in particular stood out above the rest.
"Go; find the others and bring me the rest of the Jewel. And make sure that you take them alive; I will be the one to rip their hearts out!"
Kagome flinched involuntarily at the sound of Yojikin's voice, but something in his words caused her heart to skip a beat. He must mean Inuyasha and the others…that means they must be all right! I knew he had to be lying before! She remembered when she had awoken as Yojikin's prisoner; how he had taunted her with the scrap of cloth from Inuyasha haori. Now as she came to a halt in the castle's courtyard, she couldn't help but sigh in relief at the knowledge that her friends were still alive.
Her relief was short-lived, however, when the blindfold was removed and she was left facing her captor. Steel blue eyes bored into her, rage and anger flaring dangerously in their depths. He spoke no words as he stormed toward her, and Kagome tried to take a step back. But the guards held her fast, dashing any hopes of escape.
"I gave you the chance to tell me how to find the Jewel, but you had to refuse. You had to stand there and act like you knew nothing," the lord grabbed the front of her shirt, hoisting her into the air so that her face was inches from her own. "Now your friends will be the ones to pay for your insolence. As soon as my guards bring them here, I will take the Jewel and then their lives!"
Kagome stared back at Yojikin, fire burning in her earth-hued eyes. "I thought that you already took care of them? That's what you said before, isn't it? You-"
The miko crashed to the ground hard as Yojikin threw her down. "Shut up, you worthless bitch! How dare you talk back to me!" Yojikin drew his hand back, but stopped at the last moment. A cruel smile crept across his face, sending a shiver down Kagome's spine. "It seems that you refuse to accept my lessons. Fine, then...I suppose that I will have to teach you the hard way." Yojikin motioned to a nearby attendant, his eyes turning away as he spoke softly to the man.
Kagome stole a quick look around the courtyard. There were several small buildings, all of which looked identical. But as she let her eyes roam over the last of the structures, she found herself drawn to one. There's something strange about that building…
Her thoughts were roughly interrupted as the guards reached down and hauled her to her feet. Startled, Kagome let out a small yelp. When she managed to steady herself between the two stoic men, she turned her eyes back to Yojikin. The man he had spoken to had disappeared and returned again, and was now holding in his hands a long, rectangular box.
Yojikin's eyes brightened as he took the servants burden. His hands caressed the box tenderly, almost lovingly, and Kagome instantly felt sick. Whatever lay in that box did not bode well for her.
A/N: I considered making this a longer chapter, but I figured it was long enough already. Please don't be too disappointed with me on the lack of action here, because I promise it's coming… (evil laugh) lol.