A/N: Thank you for the warm welcome back everyone. A guest reviewer asked about remaining chapters, and so far, there are 24. I'm thinking there will be 26 in all – there would be more, with all the couples and subplots, but I'm really hoping to finish this babe soon. It was born long ago, and needs to finally leave the nest =).
- CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – CHAOS -
A reluctant Miroku followed Sango, Kagome, and Kohaku to a new exit point, his steps leaden.
"This is a bad idea," he called to the girl walking between the taijiya. "We still don't know if we can trust them."
Kagome glanced back, shifting her slung bow higher over her shoulder. "That's why you're here to protect me," she said lightly. "If they're as unsuitable as you say, the only thing left for them to do is leave."
Miroku heard the three hanyou trailing slowly behind, slinking far back in the shadows. Inu-Yasha, Eiichi, and Shiori were in complete agreement with him, sending looks between them as Kagome led the siblings from the cold, dank of the dungeons. He was glad for their subterfuge. Let the hunters think they were only being escorted by two, instead of five – maybe the deception would make them show their true colors and rid Kagome once and for all of her hope in their redemption.
It was rare for Inu-Yasha to show such self-restraint – holding back instead of rushing in – but it was just evidence of his echoing mistrust. He wanted to spring the trap and catch the taijiya in betrayal as much as Miroku.
For their part, Kohaku and Sango walked in quiet, their faces pensive, oblivious to the additional Ouja. Both were close enough to reach out and snatch one of the four arrows still in Kagome's quiver, but neither attempted the daring move. Miroku watched them sharply, seeing more in the dark swells between the torches they had returned to than the humans. The armored woman he had battled wills with for two weeks was looking uncharacteristically defeated, her shoulders low, arms dangling woodenly at her sides. Had Kagome's decision to release them truly left an impact? He snorted at the impossibility.
His audible skepticism didn't register with Sango, who only peeked at the woman beside her. "Kagome?" The name was soft and surprisingly gentle as they approached a bend. "Was I wrong to use Naraku for my ends?"
Kagome stumbled, though there were no stray rocks in her path. "You already know the answer to that."
Sango did know, and the first true flickers of guilt flared in her stomach. She had been sought out and paid to extract the girl next to her, by a man she knew to be wretched, and had done it all in the name of vengeance. Now, that same girl was returning their lives – their freedom – with no thought to her own safety, only theirs.
Kohaku peered over as they rounded the turn, Miroku close at their heels. "And these Ouja… saved you from him?" His glance fell to Sango, and the wind demon watched his hands fist at his side. No doubt the lad was thinking of what he would do if the same fate had befallen his sister.
Kagome nodded, unable to keep her mouth from betraying the pain Naraku's mention brought. It turned down at the corners, forming a grimace that lined her face. "Inu-Yasha did, even though I couldn't see it at the time," she shook her head and lengthened her strides, picking up her pace. "I think he might have seen something in me I'd forgotten I had in my year in Kanaka."
Miroku turned curious, craning forward.
Sango had a woman's timing, waiting wordlessly for her to continue.
"I hadn't lost my will to fight," Kagome looked up at the tunnel ahead, letting her chest expand in a hearty inhale. "And he knew he could protect it for me."
Miroku heard one of the hanyou behind them start to quicken his steps, and he palmed the darkness, shaking his head slightly. Inu-Yasha could obviously hear the sentiment in Kagome's voice, but now wasn't the time to scoop her up for some cozy love nuzzles. They had a dangerous pair to expose here.
Kohaku didn't join Kagome in speeding up, and glanced at the wind hanyou from the corner of his eye. Miroku folded arms into the sleeves of his robes and shot the boy a scowl. Best not to give him cause to sense the charade.
Kohaku took his bait, glaring back with a frown of equal dislike before returning his eyes to the passage ahead.
They made their way past torches, an occasional door, and a lone spring, marked only by a rough basin similar to the one by Inu-Yasha's quarters. Miroku was pleased as Kagome ignored the questions in the taijiya's eyes – she wouldn't give them undue information about the Ouja, even something as seemingly inconsequential as their water supply. Sango and Kohaku hadn't proven themselves trustworthy just by ceasing their overt hatred.
The tunnel began to slope upwards, and Sango looked around, trying to get her bearings.
"We're nearing the surface," Miroku offered, an unconscious part hoping to spur her into action. "This exit is far from the mail hall."
She nodded absently, examining the wall above her head. "What about our weapons?" She asked, keeping her eyes trained forward. "They're family heirlooms."
Miroku scoffed. "They'll stay in the Hall of Old Weapons now, my dear," he stepped close and elbowed her forward. "Consider it a price paid for leaving this range alive."
Sango frowned and shot him an angry glare. "Don't touch me," she growled, obviously more upset by the contact, then the loss of her boomerang.
"Did you mean to end that sentence with another tolerant pet name?" He goaded. "'Demon'? Or 'Animal' perhaps?"
The frown melted from her face at once, and Miroku jolted as regret creased lines around her mouth. She turned around silently, closing the gap to Kagome.
What was this treacherous creature planning? She had never once shown such remorse in the meat cellar, or on the walks around the hall he had taken them on to warm them up.
Miroku kept in stride as the black around them began to lighten to gray. "This empties out several leagues from where you entered," he spoke to the three humans who had all taken similar passages, infiltrating his life in one way or another. "It's lower to the ground, but you'll still need my powers to get down before you lose the last of the light."
"It's getting dark outside?" Kohaku asked, sharing a look with his sister for the first time.
Miroku caught it. "Yes. You have an hour of sun left at most."
Kagome didn't notice the exchange. "It's still plenty of time to make it to the edge of the forest. Especially with the nekomata you used to get here."
The trio around her came to an abrupt halt.
"A nekomata!?" Miroku whirled on the taijiya. "You came with a comrade you didn't mention?!"
Sango kept her wide eyes on Kagome. "H-How did you know about Kirara?"
Confusion filled Kagome's face. "Her aura lingered on you when you first arrived," she looked to Miroku for confirmation. "Didn't it?"
Miroku's eyes joined Sango's, growing big. "Her… aura?" His voice peaked in disbelief. "That's something only youkai can see," he didn't finish his sentence. None of his hanyou brothers or sisters had seen any trace of demon on them.
Kohaku stared anew at the girl dressed in simple gray. "And priestesses," he mumbled.
Kagome waved him away. "I'm a healer, yes, but that's the extent of any shrine maiden resemblance," she turned back for the passage. "Come on, we don't want to lose the light."
Miroku, Kohaku, and Sango still stood dumbly, watching her lean forward as the incline steepened.
The wind demon was the first to recover, knowing the clan members hanging back had heard this new revelation and relieved he wasn't alone in his surprise. Their steps had all faltered, and Shiori had gasped aloud in shock.
"So," Miroku took Sango's arm, pulling her from her roost. "You have a familiar waiting, huh?" He accused. "And you were going to use it to strike down Kagome, thus hurting Inu-Yasha," his fingers squeezed unnecessarily hard. "Weren't you?"
She glared up icily. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? Making you right about my brother and I," she tried wrenching her elbow free, but his grip was unyielding.
"I am right," he said in a low voice, leaning close. "You're going to turn on her, just as you did in the training hall."
She kept his eye, frowning. "Her words and manner make a convincing plea," her gaze narrowed. "As I know you've seen first hand."
There was a strange note of accusation in her voice, and Miroku loosened his hold. "What does that mean?"
Sango didn't pull away. "You are completely caught up in her – if she told you to jump, you'd delightedly ask how high."
Miroku took a moment to process before his face darkened. "H-How dare you! I am no mooning, smitten whelp." He sputtered, not realizing he was losing command of his solid form; few held such sway over his temper. His lower half began to dematerialize into purple fog. "You don't know me, girl."
Sango scoffed. "I know enough. Kagome may be unique, but you are easy to figure out."
Miroku couldn't fathom why he was so angry – the taijiya had certainly done much worse to incur wrath – but he wanted to show her how wrong she was. If he was going to be labeled a dangerous, simpleminded animal, he might as well take satisfaction in something that deserved it.
"Do you know what I could do to you?" He threatened, becoming wisp up to his chest as his clutch around her elbow tightened once more, turning to a vice. "I could invade your body through your mouth, choking down into your lungs until you dropped to your knees, gurgling helplessly for breath."
Sango didn't flinch, despite the pain blooming from his grip. "At least you'd be making a stand for something you believed in," her eyes narrowed. "As Kohaku and I tried to do."
Kagome's angry face pushed between them. "Enough!" She ordered. "Stop it, both of you!"
Miroku didn't rematerialize, his insides rattling with ire. "This woman—!"
"Doesn't know you," she interrupted. "Or us. Or this mountain," she finished. "You'd let her rile you?" Small fingers touched his still solid forearm. "Help me get her out of your home, and prevent her from doing any more damage."
Kohaku bit his lip, seeing the hanyou still throttling his sister's limb, and took their distraction to dive for one of Kagome's arrows. Miroku caught the flash of movement and snarled, flinging Sango behind him with a strength he didn't restrain.
"I KNEW IT!" He bellowed, dissolving completely. "I knew they were pretending!"
Sango landed against the floor, skidding back several feet. She gave a low moan and lay still.
Rage splotched Kohaku's face. "I'll kill you, you bastard!" He pulled the shaft free and vaulted forward. "You were going to attack my sister!"
Miroku rose up off the ground, a filmy cloud in the air, and dove for the young man.
"No!" Kagome shouted, bracing her hands out. "Don't do this!"
Kohaku shoved her out of the way, racing for the purple mist before him. "Die scum!"
The cloud coalesced. "Likewise," the word filled the tunnel before descending. "I'll choke the insolence out of you once and for all!"
Thundering steps sounded from behind, and Kagome regained her footing before falling, staring past Miroku's misty form as a familiar trio appeared.
Two heads of white hair and one of close-cropped black lit up under the torchlight as Shiori, Inu-Yasha, and Eiichi sprinted towards them.
"Kagome!" Inu-Yasha called, spotting her immediately. "Are you all right?"
She nodded numbly. "Stop him!" She gestured not to Kohaku, but Miroku. "He's going to hurt him!"
Eiichi backtracked, grabbing Sango and wrenching her upright. "Got her!" He shouted.
Inu-Yasha surged forward, passing through Miroku to loom before the advancing hunter. "Stop!" He hollered, holding up his claws. "Don't come a step closer."
Kohaku halted, chest heaving, still holding the arrow aloft.
"We won't harm you," he flashed a furious glare at Kagome. "We just want you the hell out of our mountain."
Before Kohaku could acquiesce, Shiori emerged from the shadows and snatched the shaft from his hand, breaking it in half in her fingers. "You can walk on your own, or be carried," she warned quietly, fixing the young man with dark purple eyes. "Your choice."
Eiichi approached, carrying Sango over his shoulder. Miroku's throw had knocked her unconscious, and her legs hung down limply in his grasp. "We've dragged this out long enough, Boss," he motioned to the lighter gray beyond. "It's time we end this."
Kagome started to shake her head, and Inu-Yasha held out a hand, silencing her protest. "Agreed," he fixed Kohaku with a furious stare. "Move," he ordered, baring fangs. "I won't ask again."
The group left the passage, Miroku still in his wind-form, and stepped out together into a mild evening, complete with still air and enough light to make one forget the chill night would inevitably bring. Inu-Yasha motioned Kohaku out onto the wide surface of rock masked in boulders and melting icicles, gesturing for Eiichi to bring Sango forward.
Kagome grabbed for his haori sleeve. "You can't do this Inu-Yasha," she said. "They're in no state to travel. She's unconscious!"
He avoided her grasp, and her fingers swept only air. "I let you try it your way," he met her eye, and she saw unyielding determination in his gaze. "Even now, I'm bowing to your wishes, letting them go. But they're leaving right now, or not at all," he waved his hand, and the hebi dropped Sango's prone form unceremoniously at Kohaku's feet. "This is their only chance to flee; otherwise, they'll rot in our dungeons," Inu-Yasha's voice was stern and strong – no amount of argument would sway him this time. "Those are the only choices I'll afford them, and only given for your sake," his gaze softened at the pain and anger mingling in her face. "They've attacked you – twice," his voice grew thick. "I can't – won't – risk another attempt," he reached out and brushed claws against her cheeks. "You're too important to me."
Kagome heard what else he wouldn't say. His clan was in danger too, these hunters had done nothing to dissuade the notion that they were out for every hanyou head they could corner. Her shoulders sank as she stared at the boy crouching over his sister, and leaned her face away from Inu-Yasha's touch. "It doesn't have to be this way," she said softly. "He was only protecting what family he has left."
From the tunnel entrance, a scoff filled the warm evening. "He was acting on an opportunity the moment it presented itself," Miroku said, his displeasure drifting in an idle breeze.
"He didn't raise the arrow to me," Kagome shot back, bristling. "You were about to break Sango's arm, and he only reacted because you threatened to choke her from the inside."
Inu-Yasha's hand withdrew, curling back toward his chest. "I never realized you were so… young," he admonished, beckoning Miroku forward. "Get these two out of my sight."
His second-in-command floated forward. "What if they don't leave?"
"I'll go," Eiichi piped up. "Help them along."
"Me too," Shiori added, perched on the head of a nearby boulder, the role of guardian too hard for her to resist outside the mountain.
Inu-Yasha nodded his thanks, and Miroku swirled up and around, lifting the hunters and hebi from the ground. Shiori flapped her wings and launched herself into the air, flying of her own accord.
Kagome watched them leave the ledge and begin to descend, feeling tears build in her eyes. Failure and disappointment welled in her, and she wiped the wet weakness quickly, ducking her head and making a big show of taking the black bow from her shoulder. "Here," she murmured, sniffling. "I borrowed this from the training hall," she held it out in one hand.
Inu-Yasha said nothing, walking to the edge and watching the group grow small as they headed for the mountain's base.
"It's a beautiful weapon," Kagome continued. "You shouldn't leave it forgotten, collecting dust."
The Ouja leader kept his back to her, releasing a sigh. "I thought it had been lost years ago," he said, still studying the taijiya's journey. "It belonged to an enemy of mine."
Kagome looked at its polished arc, bewildered. "An enemy?"
Inu-Yasha hummed an affirmative, turning back around. "A priestess."
The girl took a moment to process, still wounded from Kohaku and Sango's banishment. When his words finally registered, shock replaced her sorrow. "The priestess?!" She asked.
Inu-Yasha flicked her an annoyed glance. "Why didn't you tell me you were a trained archer?"
She hadn't been expecting the question. "Trained? My brother and I practiced in a field behind our home for a few summers – I wouldn't call myself any archer."
"Shippo told me you hit a target from across the room."
"An easy feat for a hanyou."
"But not for a human with little experience," he shot back, storming for the tunnel's mouth.
Kagome mouth dropped. "Are you… mad at me because I picked up the bow?"
Inu-Yasha shouldered past. "You give me plenty of other things to be mad about Kagome," he muttered. "Your secret pastime hardly warrants attention."
She forgot the hunters below, whirling on him. "Plenty?!" Her voice spiked. "You mean my want to make the taijiya see what I saw in a group you've made me care about?!"
Inu-Yasha kept walking, knowing his tongue would get away from him if he tried to answer now.
Kagome tromped after him, bow still in hand. "Don't walk away from me!" She reached for him, not noticing a dark shape sail over her head. "We need to talk about this!"
A heavy sigh sounded from the hanyou before her. "You always say that," he spun around. "And we always—," his voice died instantly as amber eyes widened.
"What?" Kagome followed his gaze, spinning around and gasping.
Three wolf youkai had landed on the ledge, claws extended and fangs bared.
"Hello Inu-koro," the tallest wolf said, grinning wide. "Bet you weren't expecting me."
