Chapter 3 – Breaking Free

I am SOO sorry for not updating! I went to Pennsylvania, and my grandma's only got dial-up internet, so there was no way I could post! But I did write four chapters, so here it is! We're skipping ahead fifteen years, and this is from Kaza's point of view.

"KAAA-ZAAAH!"

I snapped around. That was my mother, no doubt about it.

Damn it, I thought, she found me again.

I quickly wrapped the beads around my right hand, and instantly the swirling winds stopped. I looked around and saw the damage my wind tunnel had wrought. Yep, the abandoned farmhouse had been completely sucked in. I couldn't help but smile – I was slowly learning to master this accursed hand, even though I'd been expressly forbidden to open it by none other than –

"Kaza."

My mother, Sango.

She'd found me.

She walked up the field where I was standing. I could tell she'd been doing laundry – the sleeves of her yukata were pulled up, and her long, brunette hair was pulled back by a kerchief. Her face was red, and as she reached me and placed her hands on her ample hips, I knew I was in for it.

"You think you can hide from me, Kaza?" She grinned. I winced. The last thing I wanted was to get my mother into Taijiya mode. Even though she hadn't killed a youkai in years, apparently in her day, she'd been the best youkai Taijiya in all of Japan. She was one person you did NOT want to piss off.

"You've been eyeing this farm for weeks, you think I wouldn't notice? I'm your mother, I know how you think. Every opportunity you get, you want to open up the Kazaana. Get over here!" She beckoned me to her, and I grudgingly followed as she continued to talk.

"I'm just worried, Kaza. You know it grows bigger every year, we don't want to speed up the process by opening it more than necessary."

"I'm sure my father opened the Kazaana to practice." I grumbled.

She stopped short, and her brown eyes glazed over. I felt guilty instantly. My mother was more of a 'just-do-it' person – emotions didn't bog her down. But talking about my father – the monk Miroku, who'd vanished fifteen years ago – was the one thing that could make her tear up.

"Your father was raised at a monastery, where they taught him spells to learn to control it. Also, he fought youkai on a daily basis – there was a need for him to learn to defend himself. It's just different with you, alright, baby? Leave it as it is." She hurried up the path to our small hut and ran inside.

I sighed and sat down on the grass. A few minutes later, I heard a mew – Kirara, my mother's faithful cat demon, was sitting beside me.

I smiled and rubbed behind her ears – she loved it. "I know I shouldn't bring up my father, Kirara, but she's so controlling! The Kazaana doesn't have to be a curse, I know it doesn't! I wish my father were here – he could tell me what to do." I said softly. Kirara only purred comfortingly.


Sango sighed and sat down by the fire, absentmindedly stirring the soup. It wasn't really the fact that she was opening the Kazaana that bothered Sango – it was how Kaza acted so similar to Miroku. He did that, too, she remembered – open the Kazaana to keep in practice. And the way she scratched Kirara, too – that was definitely from Miroku. She had his eyes, too, that brought Sango painful memories when she looked at her daughter. But Kaza was a rebel, too, never listening to what anyone told her. Sango smiled and that,

That was exactly how I acted when I was her age.

She remembered Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippou, too – how they'd traveled all over Japan looking for jewel shards. She'd lived with them for a year after Kaza was born, and she could still remember the day she left….

Flashback

Sango straightened up and hefted the small bag with her belongings over her shoulder. Kagome's eyes were sad as she handed Sango some food for the road.

"You know, Sango, you don't have to go. You can still live with Inuyasha and I."

"It's not that I want to leave, Kagome." Sango said with a sad smile. "But I think I need to raise Kaza on my own. I know we're just a burden to you. And I can't be a Taijiya anymore; I have to be a mother. It's just the best thing for all of us."

Kagome opened her mouth to protest, but a clawed hand was put on her shoulder. Inuyasha had appeared behind her, with Shippou on his shoulder. "Kagome, let her do what she wants."

Kagome just sighed and bounded Kaza on her hip. In a year living with her, Kagome had become like a second mother to Kaza, taking care of her when Sango was tired and always being an emotional support. Now she lifted the baby up and kissed her. She stroked her soft brown hair, then turned to Inuyasha and Shippou and said, "We're not going to see Kaza again, so say goodbye."

Inuyasha scoffed, but all the same, he wiggled his fingers in front of her face and made her laugh. "Bye, runt." He grunted, ruffling her hair.

Shippou was much less subtle. "Sangooooo, I'm going to miss you SOOOOOO MUCH!" He cried, launching himself at her. Sango sighed and hugged him, patting his fluff of a tail.

"It's not like I'm never gonna see you again! And I don't think I'll be settling too far away, we'll see each other again."

Shippou gave Kaza one last kiss and handed her to Sango. She made her quick last hugs to everybody, called Kirara to her, and set off. Looking back, she could see Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippou waving at her, Kagome wiping tears from her eyes. Kaza looked back, and her blue-violet eyes began to cry as she realized she was going away. Sango shushed her and wiped tears from her own eyes, wondering if and when she was ever going to see her best friends again.

End Flashback

Fourteen years.

The pot began to boil over, and Sango felt tears stain the corners of her eyes. She couldn't help but feel that she'd lied to Shippou – she hadn't set foot in that village, hadn't seen anyone from the old Inu-tachi since the day she'd left that village, fourteen years ago.

She'd taken Kaza, Hiraikotsu, a small bag of belongings, and Kirara and had set off on her own. In reality, the reason she left was that she couldn't handle the memories. Kagome, Inuyasha, Shippou – they all brought back visions of a time long gone. Every time she looked into her daughter's eyes, she saw Miroku, the day he disappeared into the sky. It certainly hadn't been an easy 15 years – she'd had to make a meager living fighting youkai like before, while Kirara would take Kaza to the battlefield and protected her. So Kaza had grown up an excellent Taijiya and was even able to earn an income years later – but like Sango, she'd grown up alone in the world, all because of the Kazaana. Sango, Kirara and Kaza had lived together in the same little hut for years, and Sango had only survived by clinging to her daughter, the faded vision of the man she still loved, and the hope that because the Kazaana still existed, he still survived too, and one day, she could see him again.


Sorry if the chapters are a little boring right now – I'm big on drama and emotional scenes. Anyway, at its heart, this is a SangoxMiroku fanfic, so you'll probably see more of this – and definitely fluff – in later chapters. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and please review! Arigatou!