Disclaimer: Unfortunate as it is, I don't, and never will, own Inuyasha.
Author's Note: I know you're all tired of hearing them, so I'm telling no excuses this week.
This chapter was such a btch to write, seriously. I wanted to shoot myself multiple times in the process of writing this. I hate really long dialogue sequences, which is basically what this chapter is.
I didn't read through it, so beware-- type-o's abound.
Chapter 21, The Whole Story
Pain darted across Sango's face and Miroku tightened his hold on her arm before looking away. "So" he said, the cold calmness of his face a staggering blow. "You lied to us." Scarlet wished he would yell, scream, slap heranything but this.
She raised a hand imploringly. "Miroku, Sango-chan-"
As she called out to Sango, the girl flinched and let her eyes fall on her lap.
"Why would you lied like that? Why lie about something like being a miko?" Miroku asked.
Scarlet wanted to slap him. He was one to talk, the dirty hypocrite. She wanted to shout his secret to the world, so that she wouldn't have to bear the pain of revealing a secret alone. But she knew even as she thought this that she wouldn't do something like that. "Well, if you knew the whole story"
"That's enough. Scarlet-sama!" Yu thundered. Her fist made contact with the ground, splitting it.
Scarlet looked at the woman. She was livid, her whole body shaking with pent-up energy. Jou remained quiet and unmoving at her side. Ton seemed torn between the two, unsure whose side he should be on.
"No, Yu," Scarlet said softly, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "I'm tired of lying. Arisa-sama told me I had to tell them."
Yu scoffed. "Oh well, since the kitsune said it, it must be right."
Scarlet bristled. Her icy eyes flashed in warning and she took a step towards Yu. "You will treat Arisa-sama with the respect she deserves, Yu!"
Yu looked at Scarlet as though she might very much enjoy strangling her. But before she could pounce, Jou's hand whipped out and encircled hers. She looked at her brother in a mixture of confusion and disgust. "That will do, aneue," Jou said gently. "They are entitled to the truth."
For all the darkness in Yu's expression, Jou might have just stabbed her in the back. She slapped his hand away and stood, her eyes darting to Ton. The boy wouldn't look at her, however, and so Yu turned to Scarlet. "Very well, Scarlet-sama, tell your story. But I will be off hunting for dinner. Good day." She dipped her head to them, her dark eyes trained to Scarlet's face, and then stomped away into the woods.
Scarlet heaved a mighty sigh. "She doesn't want you to hear my story because it reveals certain truths about the Chiba family that she would rather have kept secret," Sango explained. She lowered herself to the ground and began playing with a strand of crimson-tinted hair.
"Go on," said Miroku, the icy tone still holding sway over his voice. "Tell us the truth, Scarlet."
"Very well, but you may not like what you hear." Scarlet averted her eyes. "My mistress was Sanda Kioko."
Both Miroku and Sango looked up at her. "Sanda Kioko?" Miroku repeated with a gasp. "The great miko of the north?"
"The same," Scarlet replied. "She took me in shortly after my birth --my village had been set upon and destroyed by Ryudaisetsu. I was the only survivor. Later, Kioko-sama sealed the dragon away in a mountain lake.
"I grew up under the joint parentage of Kioko-sama and a kitsune named Arisa-sama. They taught me a great deal of things about this world. Arisa-sama taught me how to hunt, and how a youkai's mind works. Kioko-sama taught me to read and write in both Japanese and Chinese. Among other things, these were valuable lessons for me.
"When I was seven, our temple was attacked by youkai. Kioko-sama was in a distant village sealing a youkai, so Arisa-sama was taking care of me. Somehow, the youkai managed to break through the temple's wards. It headed for a temple room that had always been sealed, even to me. Arisa-sama ran in front of the door, barking wildly at the youkai to keep away. But the youkai swatted Arisa-sama away like a fly.
"Seeing Arisa-sama injured, something inside of me clicked. I ran forward and stood in front of the door. And when the youkai reached for me, I threw my hands forward and showered him with purple light. He was instantly purified.
"Kioko-sama returned and Arisa-sama told her what had transpired. They held council for almost a full day, exchanging many angry words. Finally, Arisa-sama appeared and beckoned to me. I learned then that I had the potential to be a miko, and that Kioko-sama would begin my training immediately. When I asked Kioko-sama what was in the temple room that had to be protected so, her face darkened. She told me I would discover that when I completed my training."
Scarlet shook her head as if to ward off a bad thought. "There was another woman who worked with Kioko-sama. She had no spiritual ability, but she was eager to learn all she could about youkai extermination. Her name, Miroku, Sango-chanwas Mayuko."
The royal couple gasped in unison. "Mayuko?"
"Yes, one of three women who upheld the Blood Seal." Scarlet sighed. "Mayuko-san eventually married and moved to a distant village. Kioko-sama eagerly awaited news of a child, but none came. Takara Kahori's bloodline was already ensured in the presence of two sons, though she was very ill. Two days after my tenth birthday, news arrived of Kawate Kinuko's second childand her death." Scarlet kept her eyes down.
"This was very upsetting news for Kioko-sama, who spent the next five days grieving for Kinuko-san. A carriage carrying Kahori-san rode up at the end of Kioko-sama's grieving. Kahori-san was furious with Kioko-sama, and started a fight with her, which eventually was halted by Kahori-san's illness. It was painful for me to see, as I remembered the three women quite clearly; I had been there when they brought Naraku before Kioko-sama.
"Anyway, once Kahori-san had quieted, Kioko-sama comforted her and they talked long into the night about the seal. When the morning came, Kahori-san left. That was all for five years"
Scarlet's voice broke and she had to regain her composure before continuing. "When I was fifteen, something terrible happened. I was spending the night with Arisa-sama on a hunt when I heard an explosion. I took off towards the temple, ignoring Arisa-sama's protests. When I arrived, it was like a tornado was blowing through the clearing. I ran into the temple, calling for Kioko-sama. She came up behind me and pinned me to the ground, telling me to stay put. Then, she left."
Scarlet stifled a sob. "And I never saw her again.
"Arisa-sama caught up with me afterwards, and took me away from the ruins. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, Arisa-sama was returning from scouring the sight. There was nothing of Kioko-sama left.
"Then, she told me about the sealed room. She told me the story of Naraku and how Kioko-sama had sealed him. She explained the Blood Seal that Mayuko-san, Kahori-san, and Kinuko-san had formed. She said that the Blood Seal must have broken because of a extinction in one of the bloodlines. Then, she left me.
"When she came back, she had news. Arisa-sama announced that Mayuko-san was dead, and that Naraku had escaped. Remembering the baby I had only seen briefly, I was frightened. But Arisa-sama assured me that the seal could be reformed, and Naraku destroyed."
Scarlet's eyes darted to Jou's face, still covered by the cloth. Ton shifted uneasily. Jou slipped an arm around his shoulders bracingly. "Go on, Scarlet-sama, tell them."
"Arisa-sama told me to search for the Chiba family," Scarlet said at length. "She told me that they were three hanyou siblings living in the Kawate kingdom"
"Hanyou?" Sango said in disbelief. Miroku looked up, startled, and pulled Sango closer to himself.
Jou nodded, and Ton grew pale. Scarlet offered Sango a wry smile. "I did tell you that they were a talented family, didn't I?"
Sango slowly nodded, her lips turning down into a frown.
"And not just any hanyou" Jou continued in a quiet voice. "Hanyou that carried the blood of a special youkai. The youkai that had fathered Naraku." Ton squirmed slightly, hiding his face. Jou reached down and gently removed them. "Hated, dirty things the same creatures that eventually earned their family such loathing that the villages killed their parents." His voice was dark and terrible, and Ton began to cry.
"Two months after I lost my sight, they attacked. Yu grabbed Ton and I and headed for the river. Our mother stayed with our father, who fought with all his might to save her. But, alas, we found their bodies on display in the town center the next morning," Jou continued. His tone was venomous now.
"A few months after Kinuko-sama's death, Kioko-sama came to us and offered us her protection. But she gave it a condition. She said that if she protected us, she would bind us to her service. Scared, lost, and bitter, we agreed. And so, we shed our hanyou forms and were placed in more or less human bodies. Our first assignment from Kioko-sama was to protect a small green vile."
"The vile that their father used to seduce Tansho-san," Scarlet explained. "Anyway, it took me many, many seasons to find the Chiba family, as their youki was so cleverly disguised. When I finally did, we discovered that the bond they had shared with Kioko-sama had been passed down to me."
"Aneue was furious," Ton said softly. "She thought we were finally free when she heard of Kioko-sama's death. She hated Scarlet-sama"
"And I've been laying low ever since," Scarlet said in conclusion, "waiting for some news of Naraku's doings."
There was a long silence when Scarlet finished.
"Well?" Sango said at last, looking at Miroku. "What do you think, houshi-sama?"
Miroku didn't answer right away. He stared hard into Scarlet's icy orbs, like he might be able to read something in them. Scarlet stared back defiantly, though she felt something coming loose inside. At length, he sighed and looked away. "It's not my place to pass judgement on her."
"But she lied to us!" Sango protested.
Miroku looked at her, and suddenly, Scarlet was aware of how tired he looked. Could it be the stress of lying to Sango was wearing the prince down? "Does it bother you so much, Sango?"
Sango blinked, confused, and then flushed angrily. "Of course it does!" Sango trumpeted, fisting her right hand. "She deliberately lied to us! She lied to us multiple times, to our faces!" Then, seeing Miroku's face cloud, Sango whispered, "Doesn't it bother you, houshi-sama?"
But Miroku only stood and walked away.
Scarlet watched him go, and she suddenly felt very sorry for him. The truth was a dangerous thing to be tampered with
"I forgive you," Sango said suddenly, causing Scarlet to jump and look up at her. Sango was blushing darkly and staring at her hands. "All of you." Then, she rose and followed after Miroku.
- Ichimu