Moonlight Shadow

Chapter 4

I don't own Inuyasha

"RAAAAHHHH!" Sango screamed as she attacked the punching back in her apartment. Punching it ten times with each hand then switching Sango attempted to vent her anger over loosing two vampires out. Backing off for a second to catch her breath Sango paused before launching into a lightning fast roundhouse kick and then neatly doing a back flip to move out of its back swing. Panting heavily from her hour's workout Sango allowed herself a small sip of water before getting down on the ground and doing thirty push ups. Then she briskly began to stretch her sore muscles. She ended with a ten minute period of meditation and then hopped up starving. Walking over to the cupboard Sango pulled out a bag of rice. Grabbing a handful she threw it into a pot of boiling water. Satisfied that the rice would be done soon Sango opened the refrigerator and pulled out various vegetables which she carried to the cutting board, Sango grabbed a knife and began to cut the vegetables up. Once finished she tossed them into the frying pan. Walking over to the cutting board Sango sweeped all the unusable parts into the palm of her hand and deposited them in the garbage.

Reaching for the cutting knife Sango said, "I can sense you, get out of my house." Turning around Sango placed her knife between her and the vampire that had materialized behind her. "Miroku, I don't care if you're Kagome's friend, I will kill you if you don't leave. As much as I would love to kill you at this moment I just put my supper on and if I fight you it will most likely burn."

Miroku in response to what Sango said just leaned against the door way to the kitchen crossing his arms and somehow managing to look extremely sexy dressed in leather pants and a loose silk purple collared dress shirt (A/N: KeeraSango......wiggles eyebrows......Miroku in leather...gawd I'm going to need a mop and pail too. LOL) . "I'm here because Kagome's upset, you realize that right?"

"I had no clue actually and I really don't care," Sango retorted.

"Look I've come to you because I want to talk, I'm unarmed and personally I think it would just be a touch unsporting to kill me. Don't you agree?" he joked flashing her a smile that would have made her knees weak if she hadn't already know that a vampire's charm was one of his greatest weapons.

"My family was unarmed when they were slaughtered by one of your kind," Sango countered her voice devoid of any emotion though Miroku thought he saw a brief flicker of pain cross them. "Touch unsporting to kill them wouldn't you agree?"

His eyes softened and the grin that had been on his face fell, "Sango, I am sorry for your loss."

"I don't want your pity," Sango said deathly calm. "What I want is you out of my house."

"Which I will be as soon as you have listened to what we have to say," Miroku said.

"Who's we?" Sango asked.

"Kagome and I," Miroku said. "We would have brought Inuyasha but well....he would have made things worse, let's put it that way." Sango continued glaring at him for a second, before reluctantly she lowered her knife. "Kagome," Miroku called, "you can come in now." Slowly the door to Sango's apartment opened and Kagome walked into the kitchen.

"Hello Sango," she said.

"Hi," Sango said briefly. "You have fifteen minutes, get talking."

"May we sit down?" Kagome asked.

"Do whatever you want," Sango said.

Sensing the growing tension, Miroku suggested, "why don't we go sit in the living room." The three of them walked in silence to Sango's living room where Miroku and Sango sat on the couch facing across from the chair Sango chose.

"So well for starters I think I should explain what happened today," Kagome said.

"I really don't care where you start," Sango said leaning back.

"Man this is awkward, you see Sango, I'm a witch."

"What!" Sango exclaimed sitting forward. "That makes no sense witches hate vampires even more than slayers do! You couldn't possibly be friends with vampires if you were a witch."

"But you see Sango, Inuyasha and Miroku aren't like most vampires. They don't kill the humans whose blood they take. That was why Miroku was so ill today it was because he hadn't drunken any blood for the past couple of days. When ever he gets that bad I let him drink my blood, because it is more potent. He doesn't need to drain me to satisfy his thirst. He only need five or so sips, where as he would have to drain a human dry."

Looking over at Miroku Sango said, "so just a second let me get this straight, you're a vampire who hates drinking human blood?"

Grimacing Miroku nodded. Turning away his head so that Sango couldn't see his face he said softly. "I hate being forced to drink human blood to survive. And even if I do I never kill. I take nothing more than they can afford to give."

"You see Sango," Kagome said putting her hand on Miroku's shoulder. "Miroku was changed against his will; he never wanted to be a vampire."

Sango blinked uncomprehending. Glaring at Miroku she said sharply, "but I can smell the blood that stains your aura. You've killed before, what makes you think that I would believe you."

"I don't want to get in that," Miroku said his jaw clenching, "You'll just have to take my word that I'm different from the rest of my kind, because I don't plan on taking a stroll down memory lane just to try a convince a slayer not to kill me..."

"I would never trust a vampire's word," Sango hissed.

Kagome sighed, and said softly, "Sango would you mind telling me why you hate vampires so much? It's obvious they, or well one of them, did something to you. I'm not forcing you I would just appreciate the insight..."

Standing up Sango walked angrily to her bed side table and walked back tossing the picture of her family at Kagome who barely managed to catch it in time. "That's why!" Sango said her voice close to breaking. "They're why! My family Kagome! That was my family! And they're dead now. They're dead because I trusted the word of a vampire!" Tears freely flowing down her face, Sango sank into her chair and put her face in her hands as she finally admitted to herself what she had been trying to deny for the past month. Softly she whispered, more to herself than to Kagome or Miroku, "It was my fault their dead. My fault, I'm the one that killed them..."

Getting up and crossing to Sango, Kagome put her arms around her friend's heaving shoulders. "Shhhhhh," Kagome said stroking Sango head, as she waited for Sango to stop crying. After crying all the tears she could Sango wiped her hand across her eyes. "Are you ready to tell us the rest?" Kagome said. "It's always better, to get these things out in the open. If not they eat you from the inside out."

Nodding, Sango took a few deep breaths to steady herself before continuing. Sniffing she decided that Kagome was right she had kept this inside for too long, it was about time she told someone. "It all started when I fell hostage to a vampire after a fight. I was ambushed one night when I was thirteen, while I walked home from school. Two vampires followed me till I reached the park, the attacked me. I managed to kill them both but at the time I was still very new to slaying so I had barely made it out alive, but throughout the course of the battle I received three very deep wounds, one on my upper right thigh, one on my back and one on my left arm. I tried to drag myself home, but I had lost a lot of blood and I passed out. But before I blacked out completely I remember him finding me, and picking me up then everything went black. I woke up four days later, on a hard cot, in an unfamiliar room where four other girls were talking. When I asked them where I was they said I was at Shadow Hall, the home of Lord Naraku."

At the last comment Miroku who had been gazing out of the window snapped back to reality and exclaimed "WHAT!!!"

"Shhh!" Kagome hissed. "Let he go on!" But Sango noticed that now both Miroku and Kagome were paying very close attention to what she said. Continuing Sango said, "yes, I was led to his office where I first met the monster that now held me hostage. He was very polite, too polite, that's what first caught my attention and made me realize that I was in trouble. He introduced himself, and explained that contrary to what the other girls had said I was not to be a servant and clean but to stay in a room that adjoined his. I was his pet," Sango said spitting the last word out like it was poison. "I was kept pretty and healthy so that Lord Naraku could feed on me whenever he wished. I was treated like a dog, I was forced to wear clothes that Lord Naraku liked, forced to sit next to his feet with my hands on his knee. I was like his dog, a pretty thing that was fashionable. And just like a dog, if I 'misbehaved' I was punished. Lord Naraku always favoured his black whip, that's where all these scars came from," pulling down the left sleeve of her jean jacket Sango allowed Kagome and Miroku to see the various whip scars that decorated her upper arm. Then she pulled off the other sleeve and allowed them to see the long scar that curled around her right upper arm like an armband. "This was from the time I first tried to escape and Lord Naraku decided to mark me as his. Over the time I spent there I received three broken ribs and a broken arm. Lord Naraku liked to kick me almost as much as he enjoyed using his whip." Putting a sympathetic and comforting arm on Sango's shoulder without words Kagome expressed her regret for what had happened.

Looking at her closely Miroku asked, "how did you escape? I've never known Naraku to give anything of his easily."

"My family came for me," Sango said slipping her favourite jean jacket back over her scared arms. "One night almost every slayer that my family attacked Shadow Hall, causing enough mayhem for me to escape, luckily none were killed. After that we moved around trying to make sure that Lord Naraku wouldn't be able to follow our trail. After about fifteen moves and fifteen new identities left in every place we left, my family and I thought we were safe so we decided to settle down in California."

"But you were wrong," Miroku said stating facts.

"Yeah," Sango said her voice heavy. "We were wrong, were hadn't even been there two weeks before he came for me. I had gone out that night, vampire hunting, and when I came back there was nothing left of my house. It had been burnt to the ground, and the fire engines were still ringing and police cars were everywhere. I can still remember the sight now as clear as when I first saw it and I know that sight will stay with me haunting my dreams until the day I die. I remember hearing a police officer talking into his radio giving a report. Those words are branded into my memory and will forever echo whenever I wonder what happened. He said, that the house had been burned to the ground and that no one had been left alive, that anyone who had been in the house had died. They suspected foul play because examining the remains of our front door they had found it locked and upon further investigation had found every other door way locked. Hearing those words I ran, knowing who had killed my family, knowing that it was because of me that they had died. That night, my other self died, and I became who I am now. I lost my innocence that night, I opened the door to reality and realized that no matter how much I would call their names, mo matter how many times I wished on the stars, no matter how many times I cried my family was never going to come back. That they were dead and I would never see them again. I almost killed myself that night, but I realized that I just could die, I had to avenge them. I have been tracking Naraku now for almost one month. I have killed 21 vampires since I left home and I will not rest until either I kill Naraku or die."

"What!?!" Miroku exclaimed once more. "You mean to tell us that you're purposely going after Naraku to try and kill him! Whatever for? He'll kill you!"

Sango just looked at him, calmly and said, "He killed my family Miroku, I can not rest until he dies. I am prepared to die; it is what I have been trained for. I just intend on killing him before I die."

"Sango!" Kagome exclaimed horrified. "You can't mean that!"

"I do, I have nothing left to live for," Sango said. "Plus even if I wanted to, I could never have my normal life back. Naraku made sure of that.."

"You mean to say that you plan on fighting Naraku, by yourself, you realize that is suicide right?" Miroku asked.

"I always calculate the consequences of my actions, I am a slayer after all," Sango retorted.

"Well, if you ask me you're a pretty stupid slayer if you intend on following through with what you just said." Miroku snapped back and then said hastily when Sango reached for her knife, "wait a second, I didn't mean that as a challenge!"

"Well what was it then, that sounded like a challenge to me," Sango said sarcastically. "And why would you care if I died fighting Naraku?"

"Because Naraku's mine," Miroku said.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see your name on him," Sango snapped and ignoring the motions from Kagome to stop she said, "and what makes you think you have a the honour of killing Naraku?"

"Because you're not the only one who's lost someone you love to him!" Miroku said quietly turning away from her eyes. "I've been waiting two hundred years, for the chance to kill him. Personally I don't know about you but I think that I've been waiting longer than you."

Sango was momentarily taken back at this revelation, but then her anger flared back up again. "I don't care how long you've been waiting, I plan on killing Naraku, And don't get in my way or I swear I will kill you..."

"Oh no you won't!" Inuyasha said flipping right side up from where he had been hanging upside down for the past while and flinging open the door to enter the argument.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome screeched. "I told you , you weren't allowed to come! What in the world are you doing here!"

"What did you expect me to do, behave like an obedient dog?" Inuyasha snapped.

"Have long have you been out there for!" Kagome yelled.

"Only about five minutes," he said. "Kagome did you honestly think I would let that baka and you enter the home of a slayer with out me there to protect you!?"

"Well..." Kagome said faltering. "No I guess not..."

"Excuse me," Sango said. "I don't recall inviting that blood sucker in..."

Growling, Inuyasha rounded on her. But before he could attack Kagome shouted "Oswari," and Inuyasha slammed into the floor.

"Damn you wench!" Inuyasha yelled sitting up and nursing his now throbbing head. "How many times have I told you not to do that!"

"Oh so you want to call me a wench do you," Kagome said and Sango was shocked to see Inuyasha cover his head. "I thought we solved that last time I 'sat' you. OSWARI!" SLAM "OSWARI!" SLAM "SAY YOU"RE SORRY!"

"Sooorry," Inuyasha said his voice muffled by Sango's carpet.

"I didn't hear you," Kagome said sweetly.

Lifting his head up, Inuyasha said, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry already!"

Smiling sweetly Kagome sat back down and neatly crossed her legs. "I'm sorry about that Sango."

Staring at Kagome, Sango suddenly understood why Inuyasha was afraid of her, she was obviously a very powerful witch, to be able to 'sit' people as she called it. Looking down at Inuyasha who was nursing his injuries, she gulped. "I didn't know you were that powerful," she finally managed to say sitting down as well.

"Oh," Kagome said waving her hand. "Don't worry, the only person I can do that to is Inuyasha. No matter how hard I try on other people and vampires, it never works. I have no clue why..."

"Oh," Sango said.

There was an awkward moments silence before Miroku said, "Sango I can understand why you would wish to kill Naraku, but - wait don't interrupt hear me out- you just have to trust me, yes you should even though I am a vampire, that you will not be able to defeat Naraku without help. It's obvious that you're a good fighter and would be a valuable ally, so what I am suggesting is that you join forces with Inuyasha, Kagome and myself."

"Wait a sec!" Inuyasha interrupted. "I never agreed to thiihhhhhhhhhhhhhssss," he said then trailed off when he saw the dangerous glint in Kagome's eyes.

"Well as I was saying," Miroku went on, "the three of us also wish to kill Naraku for various personal reasons with I don't wish to get into, but I think all of us," glaring at Inuyasha, "would welcome your help." Pausing Miroku let the offer sink in before he put out his hand and said, "do we have an accord........slayer?"

Sango looked from Miroku's outstretched hand to his face and then to Inuyasha's and Kagome's all watching for her reaction. Weighing her options Sango realized that Miroku had spoken the truth, if she had allies the chances were better that Naraku would die.....and wasn't that better than attempting to kill him herself and failing no matter who her allies were? For a second, Sango couldn't decide what she wanted. Gritting her teeth Sango stuck out her hand and firmly took Miroku's. "Yes I think we do...vampire."

Long chapter ne? I thought so, but I just couldn't end it. So well I hope none of you were bored, and I hoped you all liked it. Please review I think even flames are welcome at this point aytleast it would mean people are reading my fic!!! Of course i would hope anybody who's reading this likes it but...well yeah. Well tata for now