Disclaimer: :looks bored: I don't own Inuyasha.
I wasn't planning on posting this chapter for another few days, but I want to post it so badly!
I apologize for the frequent conversations between Miroku and Sango. I realize that they are getting quite repetitive, but you have to consider what happened to Sango, and that Miroku is starting to get rather frustrated. As I have replied to alice88thebest below, I am nowhere near the end. I'm not halfway yet, but am getting closer to it. Excuse my lack of creativity with the battle scene. Action is one of my weaker points. :sweat drops:
Blusorami: The things we do when we're obsessed… :pats you on back: I'd never get away with that.
Alice88thebest: This story won't end for a long while, my friend.
YoukaiTaijiyaSango: It needed to be long to make up for the delay. I meant to post it out about a week ago, but things didn't go as planned. :sighs: Writing long chapters takes time…
Ninalee-chan: I still think I could use a lot more practice. Well, Miroku is extremely worried about Sango, so it is only natural that he would defend her like that. Actually, no, but he was starting to get really angry with Kagome. It will get worse…
I woke up in the embrace of Miroku. His arms were around my wrist and I had buried my head in his shoulder. I must have done that while I was asleep because if I was awake, I would never even think about doing something like that! Okay, so maybe I would if I needed some comfort, but he almost always used it as an opportunity to grope me. Besides, I was still a bit sleepy, and he felt so warm…
For a moment, the guilt inside of me diminished and I imagined what things would be like once we finished defeating Naraku. Would Kohaku finally be freed? Would Miroku survive the battle long enough to have a future? Would any of us still be together?
Miroku's eyes opened and he gazed back down at me. "Morning, Sango." His hand started to drift down my back.
I sighed, slapping his hand away and sitting up. "Please don't make me start this routine in the morning."
He sat up as well, looking at me in amazement. "You didn't - you didn't hit me?"
"No, I didn't. I'm really not in the mood to keep your perverted habits at bay," I informed him.
"Are you feeling okay?" he asked in fake concern, putting his hand up to test my forehead. I swatted it away, giving him a mock glare.
"I'm fine, Houshi-sama. You really want me to hit you that badly?"
"No, but since you didn't slap me, I thought, well -"
"I didn't slap you because I'm not wide awake yet," I told him. His arms surrounded my waist and he pulled me back down on the mat. "Hey!"
He put an arm around my waist, intent on preventing my escape and causing a blush to heat up my cheeks at our rather intimately suggestive positions. "Stay awhile," he joked. "We don't have to rush."
"Houshi-sama," I protested, moving his arm from my waist. "We have to get going… remember, we have to fight a youkai."
"So?" he pressed, obeying my silent command and putting his arm back on the blanket.
I sighed in slight annoyance, sitting up again. "So we have to eat and get going. After all, Kaori-san did say it was an invisible youkai, so it may be difficult even if Inuyasha is planning on detecting it with his sense of smell."
He stopped me, laying a hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asked, real concern in his voice. "You seem… tense."
"I'm fine," I answered. Miroku looked hurt.
"Sango… do you not trust me ?" he asked softly.
How could I answer that? How could I say it in a way that wouldn't hurt him permanently? "I do, but…" I turned to face him, and his hand reached up to stroke the side of my face. When he spoke, his voice was very low.
"Are you still thinking about Kirishi-san's death?"
"I can't get it out of my mind. How scared she looked, how vulnerable, and there's the fact that she was only six," I admitted, and his expression once again changed to concern. "After I ran out, I felt like I was going to be sick. The only reason I didn't is because… because I didn't want you guys to worry about me."
"Sango…" Although he said my name, I doubt that he knew what he was going to say next.
"Are you feeling better now?" he asked as I took his hand in mine, silently letting him know that I appreciated his concern even if I couldn't tell him that out loud.
"Yeah. At least, somewhat," I said, smiling while trying not to look like it was forced. "I think a fight will give me a chance to work off some of the stress."
"Yeah," he agreed, handing me my taijiya outfit and turning around. I thought I detected a bit of hesitance in his calm tone. "Come on, we should go eat."
Later, when we had almost finished breakfast with Hiromi-san and Reichi-kun, Inuyasha came back. He didn't seem too hungry and the first words out of his mouth were, "It's a bit north from here", and pointing in the general direction. Instantly we all knew what he was talking about. "There's a huge mountain and the scent came from a bit above. That's probably where all the brats are."
Kagome looked a bit annoyed. "Inuyasha, can't you lay off the attitude for once? Hiromi-san was nice enough to offer us a place to stay with no arguments or debts, and -"
"That's because it was raining," he interrupted her, sitting down next to her and scowling. Even through the grumpy expression he wore, Kagome knew he wanted his usual ramen. She held up the Styrofoam cup with the cooked noodles, and Inuyasha looked up eagerly at it, ready to grab it from her and start gulping them down, but she held it away from his reach, giving him a pretend glare.
"Next time, if you're not polite, I won't let you have it till lunch," she threatened.
Shippou laughed. "Keep dreaming, Kagome-chan. Inuyasha's never polite."
She sighed, reluctantly handing it over to him, an exasperated look decorating her face. "I know, Shippou-chan. Believe me, I know. You can't blame me for bribing him though, can you?" she said, a small smile of amusement curving her lips as she watched the hanyou scarf down his favourite meal.
Miroku got up, announcing that he and I were to head off. I already had Hiraikotsu strapped to my back and Miroku had his shakujou. As I got up, however, Kagome grabbed my wrist and made the gesture for me to lean down. What she said caused a deep blush to spread across my face.
"Have a fun time with Miroku-sama. And be careful, Sango-chan."
Have a fun time? We were going demon slaying! And even if I was going with Houshi-sama, it wasn't like we had a deeper relationship or anything like that. Why would I want a relationship with the perverted monk, anyway?
However, as I exited the hut with Kirara trotting at my side, Miroku not far behind me, a hidden thought entered my mind, one that made me closely examine my relationship with him for the first time in the past few months.
Why did I care so much more about Miroku than anyone else?
Miroku and I set off. He had a good supply of demon wards in his robes and was armed with his staff. We left the village grounds. If there were any major problems, I had told Inuyasha earlier that I would send Kirara back to get them. Not that there would be. It was just a youkai after all. Okay, so it was invisible. But I wasn't called a taijiya for nothing, and Miroku had his own reliable weapons for fighting. Besides, Miroku and I were a good team, always timing our attacks perfectly. I didn't usually have to worry about the difficulty of the battles.
However, as soon as we were out of sight, Miroku went in front of me, concern once again in his eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked me, his hands on my shoulders.
"Why wouldn't I?"
He stared at me intently. "I don't know. I just thought that, after yesterday, you wouldn't want to be involved in… something like this."
"I'm not fragile Houshi-sama," I said, removing his hands from my shoulders to head past him.
"I know you aren't, but I'm still worried. What if something happens?"
This time, I stopped and turned to face him. "What are you getting at?"
"Sango, if there's a lot of blood…" he started, not making a move to catch up to me. I didn't give him a chance to finished as I felt my temper build up from the pressure.
"So what? Blood doesn't have anything to do with how I am feeling! If you're concerned about me because of that, don't be! I can take care of myself, I don't need sympathy, because all it does is remind me what happened!"
He seemed to freeze, my outburst having its affect on him. Slight anger still inside of me, I turned and continued to walk. However, when he called my name, I stopped, although I didn't face him. He approached me, leaving a few inches of space between us. It felt like I had put an invisible wall between us.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry."
I sighed, trying to calm the tension in my body, finally turning to meet his gaze. "I'm not… angry," I said, noting how sad he seemed. It wasn't his fault that I was acting this way. I was hurting him by doing this even if I was hurting him to spare him the pain of a relationship. "At least, not at you." Before I realized what I was doing, I had laid my head in the space between his neck and shoulder, my hands on his chest as he wrapped his arms around me, briefly comforting me. "I don't know why I'm starting to feel so angry all the time, but it's not because of you, Miroku. You… you make me happy just by holding me like this," I admitted shyly. My cheeks were probably heating up, but it was the truth. He did make me feel good just by touching my shoulder or sitting next to me. I felt calmer when I knew he was nearby.
For a moment he was silent. "I'm glad," he said at last, his voice holding a strange tone that I couldn't quite comprehend. "We should spend more time together. Just talking and… being together. I enjoy being with you, Sango. Even if…" His voice lowered. "… even if we are only friends."
That hurt.
I let go, turning around. My breathing was a little unsteady, but I didn't turn around and face him.
"Sango?"
"We should get going." I didn't intend on my voice sounding sharp, but it came out that way.
"Sango, what's wrong?" He put a hand on my shoulder and I flinched, staring at the ground in front of me.
"It's nothing," I said flatly, refusing to look back at him. If I did, he would know that he had unintentionally hurt me; my facial expression always somehow revealed whatever I was really feeling, and I hated that. I hated that I couldn't just put on a smile like Kagome-chan and Miroku seemed to be able to do so easily and hide upsetting matters in the back of my mind where I would internally confront them later. I also hated the fact that Miroku could easily pull on an emotionless face so that I couldn't even tell if he was really content, upset or angry.
"If it has something to do with me…" he began, forcefully taking my shoulders in his hands so I would have to face him. I interrupted him, the tone of my voice sounding harsher than even I expected it to sound.
"Not everything has to do with you, Houshi-sama!" I shouted at him, then whirled out of his grasp. I continued on for a few moments, trying to get a grasp on my anger. When I realized he wasn't behind me, I stopped again, scolding myself for raising my voice at him, knowing he didn't know what it was that he'd done in the first place, and also because he wasn't the reason that I was so angry all of a sudden.
It was Kirishi-san's death.
The image of the little girl, lying helpless and covered in blood after I'd stabbed her with the hidden blade in my sleeve, hadn't left my mind since a day and a half ago. At times, I was able to force the terrified look on her face out of my mind, and focus on the things at hand, but it always returned along with the guilt.
The guilt made that feeling of helplessness come back, and that triggered my anger. I was angry because I hadn't prevented it. But how could I expect Miroku to understand that?
How could I expect anyone to understand those weaker feelings except for Kohaku? At least his mind blocked out the pain and guilt… for the time being. I had heard her muffled screams. Not clearly because I was still under the influence of the creature, but I had still heard the distant sound, and I could still see the bloody sheets and body.
Finally I turned around, taking in a deep breath. "Miroku…" He still looked hurt from my outburst at him, and I couldn't blame him. "I'm sorry."
Before he had time to answer, someone stepped out from behind a cluster of trees. It was Reichi-kun.
"Um, Miroku-sama?" he asked. He was wearing beige shorts and a pale blue top. His hair was done up in a mini ponytail down near the back. The resemblance between him and my younger brother was almost… coincidental. It was actually kind of scary the way Reichi-kun looked so much like Kohaku.
Miroku and I made sure we were a considerable amount of distance from each other as he approached us. "Can I… come with you guys?" he asked.
The monk was the first one to speak. "I don't think you should," he said slowly, looking at me as if to confirm that his decision was the same one as mine, even though I hadn't said anything. I didn't need to; he could understand what I was saying simply by my expression. Sometimes that could be a good thing, but other times it caused misunderstandings and eventually a stupid fight for an even stupider reason. I didn't say anything as he reached over and touched my shoulder. "Sango?"
"He's right," I finally agreed, bringing my concentration back to reality.
Reichi looked reluctant. "But - you don't understand! That demon took my 7 year old brother! I have to save him, he's my responsibility!"
He sounded so much like me, always taking care of his younger sibling, trying to protect him from danger. But he looked so similar to Kohaku, his persona quiet and innocent yet determined.
A brief wave of nausea came over me. The image of Kirishi came back to me as well as one of Kohaku when he had been training to become a taijiya. I sat down on a nearby log, burying my head in my hands. I heard Miroku tell Reichi something, then he came over, kneeling in front of me. "Are you alright?"
"I'm - I'm fine," I said quickly, willing my voice not to shake. Gently he took my hands in his, forcing me to look at him.
"Sango, what's wrong?"
I looked away, using the sleeve of my kimono to wipe away moisture from my eyes. "It's nothing, Houshi-sama."
"It is not nothing!" He let go of my hands for a moment to sit down beside me, putting an arm around my shoulders and drawing me closer to him, regardless of the fact that Reichi-kun was there watching us. "You know, maybe you're just not in the proper state to fight right now."
"I told you, I'm fine," I insisted. "I just - for a moment, I felt nauseated. I don't know. Maybe it's from seeing Reichi-kun -"
"Sango." I turned to look at him, and he seemed to be uncharacteristically serious, his eyes full of worry. "I think you need some rest. For the most part, your mind has come to terms with what has happened, your body has not." He stopped, considering his next words. "You should go back."
Stubborn monk! Just because I felt a bit uneasy gave him no reason to worry about me as if I was a little girl incapable of taking care of herself. I was a taijiya; this was what I did! That was the way I lived, the way I had been trained. I was not an invalid just because of what had happened two nights ago.
A brief anger took hold of me and I stood up, startling Miroku. "Come on, Reichi-kun. Let's go beat that demon up." The boy looked uncertainly at the monk, then hurried after me.
A few moments passed. My anger had been replaced by annoyance and a hint of regret. Miroku stayed behind me and Reichi-kun. I could feel his gaze on the back of my neck, but he didn't say anything, and I wondered if he was just a little angry with me. I had given him good reason to be, but I knew he would never tell me if he was. His silence told me instead.
Reichi was actually the first to break the tension-filled silence. He glanced at the weapon attached to my back. "That looks heavy. How do you carry it around all the time?"
"I'm used to it."
"Oh." He was quiet for a moment. As we walked closer to the location that we were heading in, a mountain could be seen in the distance. "You're a… a taijiya, right?" His voice was soft, almost as if he was afraid I would yell at him for asking something like that.
I gave him a reassuring smile. "Yeah. Have you been trained to fight, Reichi-kun?"
He shook his head, looking a bit down. His answer was hesitant. "I don't really like fighting very much, but when it comes to my brother, I do what I have to do." He raised his head back up as he spoke, and I could see, that behind the fear, determination and pride was building up.
Just like me with Kohaku.
I don't want to fight him for fear of hurting him. I could never harm my younger sibling, no matter what. I also have to do whatever I can to save him.
Even if… even if it means risking my own life.
"I know what you mean. I know how it feels to want to protect your younger brother," I said quietly, my pace slowing to a more moderate one. "I have a younger brother called Kohaku. He was a little older than you." I smiled at the memories. "I helped him to train so he could become a taijiya like me, even though I shouldn't have."
"Why?" Reichi-kun asked, watching my sad expression curiously.
"Because he didn't like fighting. He was a quiet, shy little boy…" I trailed off, not wanting the vivid images of my father and comrades to return.
"What happened to him?"
My throat tightened. "He died."
"Oh…" Now he sounded awkward, realizing the impact of his question on me. "Do I… do I look like him?"
"A little." Miroku caught up to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. I felt the tension between us decrease, and I gave him a small smile, briefly reaching over to put my hand on his.
It was a few minutes before Reichi-kun spoke again. "My brother and I fool around all the time, having pretend sword fights with sticks. It's really fun. He's probably the closest person to me other than Okaa-san."
"What about your father?"
"He died when I was only a year old."
"I'm sorry."
His tone was a bit lighter as he turned his head to look at me, a faint smile on his face. "It's ok, Sango-sama," he said, in an odd way making me feel less guilt-ridden about the whole conversation. "I don't really remember him." The rest of the way was silent.
It's funny how not being able to remember things makes them seem more difficult to forget. You cannot remember them clearly, yet you know they are there.
I wished that I could forget Kirishi-san.
It didn't take us much longer to get to the mountain. The cave with the demon wasn't very high; we could see the first part of the entrance at the foot of the mountain. I started upwards, Miroku at my side. Reichi-kun stayed behind me, Kirara trotting beside him. The young boy and the fire neko seemed to get along fine, which was a good thing.
"Houshi-sama," I began, putting my senses on full alert as we went up, the path smoothening and narrowing a bit. "Didn't Kaori-san say that the youkai was invisible?"
"Yes, I think so," he answered, casually putting an arm around my waist, sending a glance back at Reichi. "Why?"
I stiffened. "It's just that this fight is going to take more skill and concentration. It's not like we fight invisible youkai every day."
His hand went lower. "You are a youkai exterminator and I am a monk."
"I wish you'd act more like one, Houshi," I snapped, sending a slap in the direction of his gaze. He rubbed his cheek, grinning like a fool, then his expression became more serious.
"Sango, my point is that you shouldn't feel too worried. Haven't you been trained to fight in more dangerous situations?"
"Yes, but I've never fought an invisible youkai before."
"You'll be fine," he said softly. This time, he reached over, squeezing my hand. I tried not to blush and tugged my hand away from his.
"Thank you for the encouragement," I said, half sarcastic. I turned around. "Reichi-kun, make sure to stay behind me."
He nodded, looking at Miroku. "You're going to fight with your staff? But what if the youkai is big? How are you going to fight it? A staff won't be strong enough."
Miroku momentarily linked his arm through mine. "Well, I have wards, and I also have a highly skilled partner."
I could not prevent a deep red blush from risingin my cheeks.
We arrived at the entrance. It led into a cave. We couldn't see the back, nor could we hear the voices of any of the trapped children. Miroku gripped his shakujou and my hand tightened on the strap of Hiraikotsu.
"Reichi-kun, don't come in until after we have gotten rid of the youkai," I told him, trying to make out anything in the darkness. The boy nodded and stood outside the cave, watching us explore deeper. The ground was hard and smooth as I entered. Miroku remained beside me.
"Do you feel that?" he said, peering through the increasing darkness.
"No. Feel what?"
"Some kind of strange aura."
We made it to the back of the cave unscathed. I was tense all over, mentally preparing myself for any sign of movement. I knelt down on the ground, my fingers trying detect any traces of a youkai. Miroku frowned, listening for the slightest sounds of a youkai. His left hand held his staff while his right gripped a spot inside his robes. I was sure he was ready to throw out wards at anything that looked suspicious.
"Sango… something is going on," he whispered. "Where are all the kids?"
"What if they were killed?" I whispered back, the thought nearly paralysing me. I turned around, scanning the walls and ground of the cave for any signs of a struggle. Seeing none, I had just stood up and turned around when something knocked me into the cave wall. I felt my back slam into it, and dizziness took over me as I slid down to the ground. Kirara growled, transforming into her larger form.
"Sango!" Miroku ran over to me, but was quickly stopped when he fell to the ground, his eyes opening wide in surprise. His hands shot out in reflex to soften the impact. "There's - there's something here!" His staff rolled out of his grasp. Kirara ran, aiming at an area above Miroku to try and attack, but something caught her and threw her against the wall, holding her captive.
"Kirara!" I cried, afraid that my cat companion had been hurt, but she had merely been restrained. I stood up as he attempted to free himself, twisting and clawing at the ground. Quickly I grabbed Hiraikotsu and threw it at the space a few feet above the monk. It bounced off of thin air, and a roar of surprise and pain was heard as it rebounded back at me. I caught it just as Miroku broke free, snatching his shakujou and joining me. "Are you alright?" he said, sounding a bit shaken up.
"Don't worry about me," I said, tensing my body to expect any sudden attacks. Now I could feel what Miroku had been talking about earlier: a demonic aura. I could sense something in front of us. While the exact location of whatever it was, was still unknown to me, I knew there was something.
"Looks like we found our demon," Miroku stated, voicing my thoughts. "Ready?"
I nodded, once again throwing the giant boomerang at the "empty air". The monk threw some wards at it, hoping they would reveal it. Nothing happened to make the youkai appear, but the wards stayed attached to their places in the air, emitting some sort of crackling energy. Hiraikotsu smashed into the invisible youkai, then fell to the ground.
"Sango, use Hiraikotsu!" Miroku shouted, aiming more wards at the air.
"Houshi-sama…" What was I supposed to do, just run up there and grab it? The weapon lay on the ground, and if I tried to get it, I would be within attacking range, and who knew just how powerful this youkai was.
"Never mind!" He charged at the air, aiming at the air with his shakujou. However, the youkai had either absorbed the pain in some way, or it was exceptionally stronger than most demons, because all of a sudden Miroku was tossed back against the wall, the breath knocking the fight out of him for the time being. He slumped down in a gaze of dizziness.
There was no time to see if he would be alright or not. I went at the area that the wards had attached themselves to, my katana unsheathed, in the hopes of getting Hiraikotsu back. Something long and slimy wrapped around my waist, pinning my arms to my waist and raising me into the air. I didn't drop my katana, but managed to hold onto it even as my head came into contact with the ceiling of the cave. My vision darkened for a moment as I fought to keep my senses awake. The katana slid from my weak grasp.
"Sango!" I could hear Miroku standing up, preparing to do something. "Hold on!" He stepped forward, tightening his grip on his staff. Then a cry of pain came from him as one of the tentacles that must have snuck around stabbed through his shoulder. I couldn't see his face, but the sound of the youkai tearing through his flesh scared me.
"Houshi-sama!" In a frantic state, I began to struggle, somehow managing to twist my wrists around, clawing at the tentacle that held me captive. The hidden blade in my sleeve popped out and I strained to slice through the youkai's flesh. It finally dropped me. I landed hard on my back, but the reflexes I had mastered years ago automatically made me roll back into a fighting position, saving me from an attack that hit the spot where I had been just moments ago. I could tell it had missed me by mere inches because I could feel the air from the speed of the attack. Then, completely based on instinct, I moved away again so the youkai wouldn't have a clear target. My assumption of it attempting to hit me to the spot where I had moved to the second time was correct. However, I wasn't fast enough this time. Its hidden attack missed me for the most part, but the side of it did hit my back, tearing through the back of my battle outfit, spraying blood.
Acting fast, I moved forward, snatching up Hiraikotsu, hurling it at the demon. It just so happened to be at the same time that Miroku used his seibai. If Hiraikotsu wasn't quick enough in slicing its body in half as well as deatching tentacles, the wards did the rest. The youkai let out a scream of defeat; we could tell it had been destroyed because of the calm silence that hadn't been there before. I ran over and sliced at the air around Kirara, and she was freed.
Reichi-kun was standing off to the side. He did look a bit scared; this was probably the first time he had ever seen a real fight up close, but when he spoke, his voice was clear and strong. "That was awesome!"
Miroku and I exchanged glances. We were both relieved it was over. It hadn't been too difficult, but we still couldn't assume that we would make it through to see the next day. Now we needed medicinal supplies, but we had to get the kids first, then head back.
Done! Finally!
:jumps up and does a happy dance, then sits back down after realizing she has scared the reviewers:
The first half of this chapter had been typed out on my computer for the past week, and I just didn't feel like typing out the rest of it. Strangely enough, it wasn't the fight scene that discouraged my typing mood, it was the argument scene between Miroku and Sango. I just wasn't able to finish that up for a whole week. My fight scene sucks, but as I said before, action is one of my weaker points. Review, please:puppy eyes:
