A/N: I apologize profusely for the lack in updating! I hope this chapter will make up for it.
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Whispers of a Screaming Soul
A Past Once Buried
By Sakura-chan88
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'As questions are spoken
And answers freely surface
A cry is heard
For the dampened bliss
Once so bright by ignorance'
"What do you mean?" Miroku pressed, his brows furrowed. He cocked his head to the side, looking so innocent- like a child asking where babies came from- that Sango nearly smiled despite the topic. She couldn't blame him for wondering what she meant. Not many people would ever stop to think that her job was forced upon her as if she were a slave. "Cinnamon," he called to her, covering the hand she had let fall to the table with his own. "What do you mean you didn't choose to work here?"
She blinked, clearing her mind. "I... I just didn't have any other options," she lied, knowing it to be lame and pointless. However, she couldn't sit back and tell the men that she was a captive, a prisoner at the Nightingale's Bell, bonded to Naraku because of her father's inability to pay off a debt before his untimely death. Sango wished she could tell- oh, how she wished! - but to let such a wish come true would be the death of her little brother...
It took all of her strength to hold back the tears that threatened to show at the thought of the young boy she had not seen in 12 years.
'Kohaku...'
"I mean," she hurried on to say after clearing her throat that seemed to be determined to close on itself, "granted, there are many available jobs out there, but when I was looking for a job it was because my family needed money, and a lot of it." Sango let her eyes turn to steel, along with her conscience, as she continued to lie, digging herself deeper and deeper into sin. "My mother was dieing and my father was unable to work due to a broken arm... Medical bills needed to be paid, rent needed to be paid... This was the best paying job I could get- and I'd do anything for my family- so I took it."
She sighed, looking at the floor, hating herself more with every word she spoke. "When I wanted to leave, I found everyone turned there backs on me. No one would accept a tavern girl to work for them. They wouldn't have such a... thing... ruin their reputation."
'Please, buy that... please...'
Inuyasha snorted and Miroku hissed in displeasure, both exchanging looks only friends could decipher. "You seem so intelligent- enough so to meet, if not surpass, any company's standards..." Sango's head slowly rose to look the man in his eyes. His indigo orbs were laced with an emotion she could only describe as disappointment...
Disappointment?
In what?
"So," he continued, "I'd think you'd be smart enough to know that I am not that easy to fool."
She gasped, reeling back in her chair. Sango attempted to pull her hand from his grasp, but found his reaction time a fraction quicker than her own. He grabbed her hand and pulled her forward, bringing her halfway across the table. "Wh-?"
"Please," Inuyasha snorted. "Do you really think we came back here for no reason?"
Sango snapped her gaze to the man sitting on her bed, confusion blazing brightly in her eyes. "I... I don't understand. What do you mean?"
"Cinnamon, my dear," Miroku began, his thumb caressing her captured hand, "didn't you wonder- even for a second- why we came back, even after our talk last night?"
"I don't find taking advantage of a woman pleasing..."
"Why are you here?" she asked, gulping down the lump in her throat. She had a bad feeling about this- about the looks she was getting from both men.
Miroku puffed out his chest, almost proudly. "I'm a detective."
Sango dead-panned. "Excuse me?"
"I'm a detective," he repeated slowly, leaning forward. "I was recently employed to find two women that were forced to work here under extreme circumstances. And, I happen to know, Cinnamon, that you and our dear little Ms. Remedy are those two little girls... Do you know who is searching for you?"
Her eyes widened, tears instantaneously springing forth. Only one person came to her mind. One person she thought had forgotten her over the last 12 years. One person she hoped, she prayed, to see again.
Her brother.
"Kohaku..."
Kagome sighed, unable to squelch an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Somehow she knew that something big was going to happen, something she'd find herself caught in the middle of, something life-changing...
And, as always, it frightened her.
Sure, she prayed for a change, for an end of the horrid life she led and the beginning of a new, brighter existence; however, she knew that with change came consequences. Consequences like the sight, the feel, of Naraku's steel-toed boot embedding itself in her side.
Her eyes flickered to the man sleeping on her bed, wishing she could sleep as well and let the building tension in her seep away as she dreamt of a better place. A place such as the cozy home she had left her brother in over ten years ago to keep him from the world she was thrown into.
'Souta,' she called out silently, sniffling as the tears began to gather in her eyes. With the distance between them, both in time and space, she had to wonder. Did he miss her? Did he think of her? Did he even remember her?
He was so young then, barely six years old. He had always been a playful boy, full of life and laughter. That's what she remembered the most - that cheerful smile that took over not only his lips but his eyes as well, sparkling in merriment. So young, so innocent...
'What I wouldn't give to be with you,' she sighed, burying her head in the arms she folded atop the table. 'To see the good in the world.'
A soft rap on her door jolted Kagome from her thoughts. Wiping the tears from her face, she pushed away from her seat and answered the call.
Sango stood before her with a wavering smile, hands held behind her back. "Hey... I need to talk to you."
Kagome nodded, briefly noting the uncharacteristic silence of the rest of the bar, and allowed the woman to slip into the room. "Sure. Be careful what you say though - I have another overnight guest... Passed out on the floor," she added at Sango's imploring gaze as she closed the door. "So what's up?"
"Well, let me start by saying I hate my life," she hissed, collapsing into a chair.
"And you think I don't?"
Her friend smiled, a small giggle tumbling over her lips. "Kagome... do you remember why you're here?"
'Where's this coming from?' she wondered, moving to sit beside Sango. It had been years since either had talked about their reasons for being enslaved - as it had been a rather difficult subject to breach - and they had promised not to speak of it again. "Of course I do. It was the only way to keep Souta alive."
"And it was the only way to keep Kohaku from becoming one of Naraku's puppets."
Kagome nodded, resting her head in her hands. "Souta was too young, or it would have been the same for me. I'd never let that bastard use my little brother for his drug deals like he does Shippo."
"I feel bad for the kid," Sango stated. "He worked for Naraku for years to keep his parent's alive, and then..."
"... Shippo still doesn't know, does he?" Kagome wondered aloud, her eyes softening at the prospect. "I wish I could tell him."
"You'd be killed if you did. Naraku doesn't take lightly to losing good workers."
"Yeah..." Kagome grunted, standing from her seat to look out the window. "I still don't know why he let my mother go... I know she was pregnant with me, but..."
"The man may be heartless, Kagome," Sango began, running a hand through her hair, "but he knows not to waste an opportunity. If you had been born a boy, you'd be dealing, too."
A humorless chuckle escaped her lips. "Like father like son," she spat. "That's what he hoped for. Instead, he got a baby girl..."
Sango sighed. "Kagome - Naraku is not your father."
The woman shook her head sadly, moving back to her friend's side. "No, but my father's in there somewhere," she hissed. "He wanted that jewel so badly, he'd do anything to get it... And then, mama..."
A gentle hand brushed her bangs away, bringing Kagome's gaze to Sango's. "Your mom did the right thing by wishing on it. Without the jewel, Naraku will remain Naraku - he'll remain destructible."
"But why did she have to wish that? And why does Naraku think it still exists?"
"I don't know, Kagome... I don't know."
"I trust everything is running smoothly," he murmured, watching the woman before him as she straightened her skirt.
"The sheriff is still turning his head the other way," she began, pulling a pack of cigarettes from her handbag. "Plus, Shippo returned from the Kyoto delivery, as well."
"And?"
"Everything went according to plan. We even gained an extra client," she muttered, leaning back in her seat. "He says that the client will supply you with more men for each shipment for payment."
"So, he fell for the decoy," the man smirked in cruel delight.
She nodded, bringing a cigarette to her lips and inhaling deeply. "So it seems," she began, exhaling the thick smoke in a huff.
"Any word on the jewel?" At the woman's sigh, he frowned. "The girls?"
"I've heard nothing out of the ordinary from any Bell. Just the usual 'I hate my life' or 'Naraku's a bastard'... Really, nothing new."
He grinned. "And I'm sure you are not one of those Bells, are you, Kikyo?"
Her lips twisted in a sinister grin, "since when have I thought of you as anything but a narcissistic asshole that is long over due for a meeting with the Grim Reaper, Naraku?"
"Ah," he sighed, "but you seem to forget. Here, I am the one controlling your life line. After all... for a human woman nearing 70, you're quite beautiful."
The woman glared, letting a sneer form without restraint as she folded her hands across her chest, absently rubbing the inner part of her right elbow. "How about we get back to the matter at hand," she hissed, flicking an ash on the floor.
Naraku chuckled, "yes, continue."
"Kaede caught the boys slipping in through their window last night. They seem to be going through the rebellious stage - sneaking out at night and such."
"Is this going to be a problem?"
Kikyo laughed lightly, "no. Both were drunk and neither seems to question what happened all those years ago. After all, who holds onto a belief that their family is alive when they see them lowered six feet in the ground?"
"Indeed."
"What happened, anyway?" Kagome asked, settling down to listen to her friend.
"I did what you asked," Sango replied with an almost sullen undertone. "Lucky me - I found out he was friends with Miroku and he made me give him the same promise you gave Inuyasha."
A small grin passed over Kagome's lips. "Ah, two caring men - neither pressuring for sex... That must've been a nightmare," she snickered.
"Kagome..." The strict, no-nonsense tone in her voice set Kagome on edge. Something was very wrong... and it was not the time to joke around. "I'm scared."
"Sango-chan, what happened?" she asked, her breath short at the sight of tears gathering in her friend's eyes.
"They know."
Her heart stopped. "What do you mean... they know? How could they?"
Sango sighed, took a deep breath, and laughed. "I let it slip, Kagome... I told them I didn't choose to work here and... and Miroku..."
Kohaku sighed, pushing the dream that had invaded his sleep away as he stumbled out of bed to answer the hurried knocking. Souta, staggering in much the same way, reached the window seconds before him, slamming the window open with a groggy growl.
"What is it?"
"Don't kill the messenger, now."
Kohaku chuckled, leaning against the wall as he peered at the man through droopy eyes. "As if either of us could even hurt you, Inuyasha."
Said man smirked, "you might not be able to, but your sisters seem more than capable."
"What makes you say that?" Souta asked, his eyes lighting at the mention of Kagome and Sango.
"Well, for one, I thought your sis was trying to poison me-"
"As if your brother hasn't tried that enough times," another man chuckled.
"- and the other girl put Miroku's skull through her table," Inuyasha continued, punching the man beside him at the interruption.
"Why'd she do that?" Kohaku implored, eyeing Miroku with suspicion.
"I merely tried to calm her down."
"I find it hard to believe that groping a woman is any way to calm them down."
"Well, she stopped crying, didn't she?"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"What brings you two here, anyway?" Kohaku began, rubbing his eyes as he yawned. "I doubt you came all the way over here to tell us that Miroku fondled my sister - which I do not approve of in the least."
Inuyasha sighed, the small smile slipping from his face. "We found out what we needed to - about Kikyo..."
"This doesn't sound like it's happy news."
"It's not," Miroku admitted. "We won't be able to get to her without Naraku learning about us. And the girls can't talk to her, either... If they do, everything's ruined. He watches her like a hawk - which is both good and bad. If he didn't, we wouldn't have been able to go back tonight... But that still means..."
"Kikyo's hopeless."
Souta frowned, "don't say that. I'm sure we can do something."
"Nothing short of the Shikon no Tama could keep that girl alive," Inuyasha snorted, rubbing his temples as a headache began to build. "Naraku's got an iron grip on that woman - not even death could break it. She'll be dragged to hell with him."
"Now, that's what we call pessimism, boys," Miroku piped, patting Inuyasha on the shoulder. "And that is exactly why he'll never have a girlfriend."
Inuyasha growled, a murderous glare pinned on Miroku. "Shut the hell up."
Kohaku sighed, shaking his head at the exchange. "Alright, guys, we get it. We'll tell Kaede about Kikyo. Now, when is everything going to happen?"
Kagome gasped, "you... you mean... Kohaku and Souta...?"
Sango smiled, tears tumbling from her wetted lashes. "Even seeing us buried all those years ago... They think we're alive. They know we're alive..."
Kagome took a deep breath, trying to register the information given to her, but it was so hard to believe. How could their brothers possibly even think that they were still alive? How could they, although they had watched caskets holding puppets with their faces be lowered into the ground, believe that they still breathed, still walked, still existed...?
"It... it doesn't make sense," she whispered. "How could they-"
"You're lucky I stopped by Kaede's for her spell-casting or you would have squashed me."
"Grandpa Myouga..."
Sango nodded. "Remember when he took our picture for Ryu?"
"Yeah," she said with a fond smile. "That woman always did want to meet us, though I still can't understand why."
Sango shrugged, "it doesn't matter. Maybe she just wanted to see Myouga's 'Little Girls'."
Kagome giggled. "Makes sense... So, Myouga showed them the picture. But, Kaede would have informed Naraku, wouldn't she?"
"Uh... Kagome," Sango began, squirming uneasily in her chair. "That's another thing... Kaede won't inform Naraku because, if she does, that means that Kikyo didn't tell him about the picture. After all, it was Kikyo watching us that night. It's the only way that Myouga got away with it... Meaning..."
Kagome sucked in a sharp breath, letting the pieces fall into place. "Naraku would... he'd kill Kikyo."
Nodding, the woman sighed. "Miroku said that things are going to get a little tricky from here. They are going to get Kaede and our brothers to a safe place - I made them promise - but we have to get ourselves out of here... They'll come around every few nights to sort everything out."
"But, that will still leave Kikyo... and all of the other girls," Kagome breathed, overwhelmed by what she was being told. "I can't just abandon them - they're in the same predicament we're in."
"Kagome... Kikyo will die, no matter what we do," Sango whispered, pained by what she said. "She's bound to Naraku and there is nothing we can do to change that... She was the first Bell... and she will be the last one..."
"'I was the beginning and I will be the end'," Kagome sniffled the words Kikyo spoke so easily. "Do you think she knows about... about everything?"
"I don't know."
They sat in silence a moment, contemplating what they knew in an attempt to answer their many questions. The first and foremost being: How can they get word around to the other girls without Naraku catching wind of the rebellion?
"The new moon," Kagome squealed the biggest smile on her face as she clapped her hands before her. "That's when we can make a break for it..."
Sango grinned, catching the line of thought without a hitch. "Now, we have to tell the others... and what to do about Kikyo..."
"I'm not sure what to do about Kikyo," Kagome admitted, her smile dimming a bit. "As for the others, we'll tell them on that day. After Naraku leaves, when Kikyo takes over managing the club, we'll tell them..."
Sango nodded, "then cut the power..."
"And make a run for it."
"You tell Inuyasha," Sango instructed, "and I'll handle Miroku. If either of them find something wrong with it, we'll switch partners the next night..."
"Fine with me," Kagome grinned. 'I'm going to have to thank Myouga the next time I can... and the boys... and Miroku and Inuyasha...' She snorted, "I can't believe it, Sango... I really can't believe it..."
"Neither can I, Kagome... But it's true - we're going home."
Kagome laughed. "That's not what I mean Sango."
The woman frowned, an eyebrow rising in confusion. "What can't you believe then?"
Eyes sparkling with ironic humor, lips twisted in a wry smirk, Kagome purred, "I never imagined I'd find any reason to be thankful of any man that entered my life and here I am giving every ounce of gratitude to a handful of them..."
'As clouds disperse from the sky
And the sun shines with hope
A cry is heard
As a light whimper
From a heart unbelieving,'
A/N: Finally, I got another chapter written. Sorry for the lengthy pause... really lengthy pause... but, alas, it could not be helped. Also, I'm sorry for the short chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it none the less... This story will probably go a little faster from here - in pace, not updates, sadly. I'm doing the best I can at the moment.
Please review.
Love,
Sakura-chan88
