I Think She is the One
By: Mangahottie740
Chapter Six. The Companion
I'm looking, not seeing,
I'm trying, not believing,
I'm walking, not moving,
I'm listening, not hearing.
"Can this wait?" Sango asked, exasperated. She had execpted Hikaru as a companion in the hopes that he had information on Kikyou and could provide protection and service on her journey. But, no, it was far from that. This fool was such a hinderance. If only she could get rid of him.
"No it cannot wait. I have to go really really badly." Sango waved a dismissive hand at her companion, scowling darkly. She had been such an idiot to say yes to this guy. He was so annoying.
"Go then. But make it quick." She watched as he ran behind the cover of a bush. She wanted to see Inuyasha badly; she didn't have time for foolishness and silliness. She loved Inuyasha, and she missed him a lot.
The colours of the daytime sky overhead were dazzingly bright. Brilliant blues shone through patches of white clouds, the colours never intermingling or mixing. It was a scene of beauty and glory, in full splendour. It was totally magnificent. Unfornutantely, Sango's view of this was cut short by the arrival of Hikaru.
"Hey, I'm back." She looked at him coldly.
"Wash your hands," she said sharply. He noticed the precise note in her tone.
"Ok," he added back, still pleasantly, "but where?" Sango pointed to a river nearby. It was flecked on either side by trees, with a little opening to the bank. He walked down there quickly.
They were walking down a dirt path. There were no trees, rocks, shrubs, or bushes anywhere. It was just one immense plain full of rolling hills and grass. The sun overhead was blazing hot. Sweat poured down in droplets on the faces of Sango and Hikaru.
"So, what exactly are you going on this quest for, this journey to, well, wherever we're going?" he asked, looking at Sango with interest. She did not look back at him, but still she replied.
"I'd rather not tell you." She didn't mean to say you with so much contempt, but she did, and he caught it. He looked at her seriously.
"Look, if you don't like me, then just tell me to go away. Don't make me walk around with you like this. Why are you even dragging me along? I've already told you I don't know who Kikyou is! Why is she so important anyway?" Sango stopped in her tracks. She shot Hikaru a fiery look before answering.
"That's none of your business, thank you very much!" He shot her the same distasteful look. His eyes were now blazing red with anger. He did not like to be used.
"Then why the hell do you keep dragging me around like a little toy? If I can't even know where I'm going, then I don't even what to come!" Sango faltered for a second. She watched his nostrils flare in anger, and the stub of his finger twitch as he balled his hands up in fists.
"Okay! Okay! Kikyou is a priestess that roams from village to village helping people. She's dead and she was brought back by Urasue. Is that enough?" Hikaru seen the despair in her face, and instantly stopped fighting; his red eyes soothed back down to grey.
"Yes, that is enough." Sango was uncertain of what to do for a second. But, as she looked around her, her sense of direction came back. "C'mon, we've got to go." She began walking again. Hikaru said nothing but followed.
Two days passed in much this way, but with a lot more silence from the duo. They rarely spoke after their row the other day. They had tried to manouvre past this, but they always seemed to get nowhere and they eventually quieted down.
"So, who's Inuyasha?" Hikaru asked one day. The question had startled Sango. She had not known that he knew about Inuyasha, or rather, his name.
"H-how do you know Inuyasha?" she asked hestitantly. But he smiled softly.
"Don't worry. Remember that night we first met, you said 'then I can go see Inuyasha', or something like that. So, who is he? Your boyfriend."
Sango nodded dumbly. "That he is. And I wish I were home right now. I long to see his handsome face..." Her mind wondered off to other things as Hikaru sat watching curiously.
"Then why aren't you at home?" Sango looked up, as if startled out of a trance. She shook her head before answering. She looked at Hikaru.
"Because things weren't really working out. I mean, we didn't know how to, um, well, I think you get my point. And, that is why I am on this journey to find Kikyou; I believe she can give me the best information and service." Hikaru nodded understandingly.
"Oh. So that is the importance of this quest? I say, that is very important. How long have you been away from him now?" he said, looking at Sango with his grey eyes. It seemed as if she was counting.
"Fourteen. Two weeks. A fortnight. And I miss him so much."
"Does he miss you?"
"Pardon me?"
"Does he miss you?"
"Yes, of course." Atleast, she hoped so. And that was what she thought about that night. Inuyasha. And his love for her. Did he miss her like she did him? Or had he moved on with his life, thinking that Sango's descision to leave was foolish, but not really caring? It had been forever since she had seen him. And Kagome, and Shippou, and Kirara, and Miroku- however foolish he may be. She began to wonder why she hadn't taken Kirara. She would have been a valuable asset her. But that was selfish. She soon fell asleep.
The task that next morning was a hard one. A broad, deep, fast-flowing river ran across their path, cutting through the immense plains. It looked as if it could not be forded, but there was a bridge on the other side.
There had obviously once been a bridge.
"Hikaru! I've an idea. We can build a bridge." He mulled the prospect of it over. Finally, after a rather long time, he looked at Sango and spoke.
"What would we build the bridge out of?" he asked, seeing the dissappointment in Sango's face. But of course they needed materials. She scanned her surroundings for any supplies.
To the west there was nothing but flat plains, and beyond them rolling hills, all showing proudly the colour green. Nothing. She glanced north, that wouldn't do, the river was in that direction. How about south, no, they would've seen the supplies then. How about east? She looked and she saw an immense log that had washed up on shore.'
That was it! That was what they needed!
She pointed to it frantically, jumping down in excitement. Hikaru shared this excitement, and together, they walked over there and rolled it back to their spot, where the water was a bit slower, but still extremely fast.
"How are we going to do this?" he asked.
"Throw it across, I guess." And that is what they did. With their combined strength, which was abnormally high, they threw the tree across the river, making it so that they could now cross.
"Me first," Sango said.
"Right."
Slowly, hesitantly, she stepped up on the log. It wobbled ever so slightly. Sango took a few shuddering breaths before going on.
One step, two steps, three steps, four, five, six, seven, eight, and... she was over! That wasn't as difficult as she had imagined it to be. She beamed across at Hikaru. He grinned back nervously.
"I'm scared," he admitted. He looked at the wobbling log and the fast, thrashing water underneath. It was a scary sight. He didn't want to fall in.
"Don't worry about it. It's easy. Just eight big steps will get you across as smoothly as it did me. C'mon, I did it. Are you going to let a girl beat you."
"That's alright with me. That log does not look steady. Did you see how it wobbled when you crossed?"
"It's okay, trust me."
"Alright." He shuddered and shook nervously as he made his way over to the log. Stepping on it with a trembling foot, he tried to not think about falling in. But that was harder to do than it looked...
He stepped his other foot onto the log and waited until his legs stopped quavering and shaking. This was awful scary. But he had to go. He had to help Sango find Kikyou, and to ultimately help her go back to her mate.
He stepped out. One step. But the log was shaking unbearibly with his weight. He trembled visibly over the rushing waters. Rushing, pounding unmercifully against weathered rocks that had long stood it's torment. But that was a rock. And it could last longer than a human in wild waters.
He made another step. Two steps. Only six more steps and he would reach the other side. How he longed to be there already and out of the danger he was in now. He wished he could go ahead and get it over with. But his progress was slow. And Sango was waiting on the other side.
And he was step again. Three. Five more. Just five and he would reach the place he desired. He shook uncontrollably though and the log wobbled threatiningly. This was terrifying. Nerve-wracking it was. He took a shuddering breath and looked down. The water was as fast as ever, and the thrash of it was more terrifying than anything. He was doing his best to avoid that writhing pool of death, whatever it took to get to the other side. Which, in fact, was not really that much. It was just his fear of death that led him to believe he would certainly die on his trip across the river.
And so it was that another step was passed along the unsteady log bridge. Four. That meant he was halfway there. Halfway across the hazardous bridge. He could see Sango smiling at him on the other side, where he wanted to be. But if he turnt back now, it would be the same as going forward, so he pressed on, scared and trembling.
His foot would grace the long another step as he continued onward. Five. Three more to go... He would make it! He was going to make it across the bridge! He was getting to the other side. If only he could keep this up. Now his legs were trembling with excitement.
And so followed another step. Six. Only two left how lucky he was to have even made it this far. But even if he had made it this far there was still a chance that he could slip, and if he did, the pounding waters would certainly take him, and kill him. The thought of this made him even more nervous.
Thud. Seven. One more until he reached Sango. One more... that was it! He would do it! He would! But even as the thought this, and stepped out for the last stretch,he slipped over the side.
His scream echoed around in the air for what seemed like eternity. Sango jumped forward to try to grab him, but it did not work. He fell farther and tried to cling to the side of the log... and that didn't work either. Instead, his head bumped the side, and he fell out of consciousness, into a land where the colour black was all that could be seen. Blood seeped from his head and he slipped into the thrashing waters, overwhelmed by their pull.
Sango watched his rapidly dissappearing body, tears staining her face. She must do something fast. But she couldn't. For he had already gone.
Curse her luck! Her friend was gone, possibly dead, and now she had to find him. And that would slow down her quest to find Kikyou. Inuyasha would have to wait...
She walked down the bank of the river, watching the water fly past her at inhuman speed. She had been walking for hours. She noticed the speed in the water and fear was portrayed on her beautiful face. This led to a waterfall.
She began to run, though her stomach felt cramped and her legs burned. It was at times like this that she wished she had brought Kirara along. But that would've been unfair to the cat demon. And it would have been selfish. She would have to do this alone.
But even thus speaking she tripped on a rock, landing face forward on the ground. Dust flew up around her. She coughed for the dust went up her mouth and her nose. Her arm hurt. She shuffled up, to find in horror that in her left arm her bone protruded from the skin. She cried aloud.
She gently, though it hurt really badly, moved the bone back into the skin, witch took an agonising long time. Tears coursed their way down her red and hurt face.
Having the bone back in the arm, rather perfectly considering that she had done it herself, she tore off a bit of her shirt, the stomach part, and wrapped it sloppily around her arm. This would have to do. She still had to find Hikaru, and she didn't see an end to the river. But if she did find him she would get him to fix the bandaging of her arm. But she would have to rest first.
The landscape around her began to change. The rolling plains that once were were no more and forestland began to take their place. The only hint of a path was directly beside the river, and forests grew on the other side of the path.
The trees were some of the tallest that Sango had ever seen. They towered above her, so tall that she could not see their tops. They were utterly amazing, she concluded, feeling as the pain in her arm numbed.
Beautiful flowers grew in tufts along the path, and when she walked she would be careful to avoid them; she did not want to ruin their beauty, nor their lives.
The sky above was dark, for nightime had already come hours before. The stars twinkled up in space, and she watched as one fell from the sky, shooting down, down, down. She made a wish on it, Please let Hikaru be okay.
She got to her feet, swaying as a serious headache attacked her head. She felt woozy, dizzy, and needed to sit back down. So she did. And she fell asleep sitting down that night, under a bright full moon.
Hikaru, however, wasn't fairing so well. The water had pretty much beat him up, and he was covered with bruises and cuts. Not to mention the giant waterfall. He had nearly died on that thing. It was a wonder he was still alive, and yet he wished he hadn't stayed alive.
Washed up on the bank of the river, he seen a band of tough looking demons. They, too, had spotted him. Their were eight in all, with massive weapons of war. Hikaru blanched when he seen them. They sounded drunk when they spoke.
"'Ello, human, wha' youse doin' on my land?" the biggest demon asked. He wasn't drunk however, for that was just his way of speaking. Hikaru was too weak to answer, so the demon kicked him. Pain exploded in Hikaru's head as it hit a rock, and he passed out.
Hikaru woke up at dawn, listening to the shrill calls of the birds. His head still throbbed with pain. He sat up to view his surroundings. There were eight demons all around him. He gulped.
"So 'e's awake is 'e? C'mere, human!" Hikaru slowly got up. He ambled over to the demon, it was best to obey what he said. He looked into his menacing face.
It was pale green and covered with scales. It had yellow reptillian eyes, slit-like, and flaring nostrils. This was a lizard demon, some of the strongest in the region. It would definitely do to obey them.
"Yes, Mr. Demon," Hikaru said weakly. At this the demons laughed. Mr. Demon? To them that was funny, for no name had ever been passed like that between them.
"Wha' 'e been doin' on my land?" he asked again, looking into Hikaru's grey eyes, menace still on his reptillian features. Hikaru shuddered before speaking.
"I was washed up by the river," he said worriedly.
"Is tha' so? Hmmmm." He had a thoughtful look on his face. "Youse don' look too appetisin'. I lets youse go." That was until Hikaru turned around, his belt of lizard skin becoming visible. Their leader Ssssinda looked at him with horror.
"Youse wearin' my kin! Git 'em, lizards!" Hikaru ran. Damn his luck! Now he was certainly going to be killed. He would never see Sango, his only friend, again.
One lizard jumped on his back, making him scream. He had touched a deep gash in his side, and it had really hurt. Blood flowed out of it as the demon re-opened his wound. He threw his arm backwards to ward off the demon.
The demon was taken by surprise and was knocked off of Hikaru, who ran towards the river. Hikaru seen a sharp rock nearby and picked it up, turning around to face the demons.
Spotting the leader he threw the rock at him, aiming right between his eyes, but he ducked, and it hit a lizard behind him, killing him in an instant.
Ssssinda screamed with anger. The human had just killed his wife. He unsheathed the sword that hung in a belt at his side. He ran after Hikaru at full speed. The other demons followed after him, quickly gaining on the hurt Hikaru.
"Damn youse human! I'll murder you! You're dead!" Ssssinda hissed aloud. Hikaru heard this and ran faster. But still it was not fast enough. Sssinda caught hold of him and held him tight. "Ha ha, I gots youse now! I gots youse NOW! And I shall kills youse. Yessss." He put his sword to Hikaru's face.
Hikaru, weak as he was, kicked at the demon in a place that would certainly hurt. Ssssinda gasped with horror, letting the sword fall. Hikaru quickly picked it up.
"Now," he said, "All of you back away or your leader gets it." The demons seemed uncertain of what to do. One took a step forward. "I mean it!" Hikaru yelled, putting the defenceless demon into a headlock, aiming the sword at his heart. The demons then backed away. A voice broke the ensuing silence.
"Don' listen to the human! Saves me!" So they all moved forward a bit. Hikaru slammed the sword through his enemy's heart, watching the blood come from his mouth.
"I was not playing! Now go! All of you!" The demons did as they were bid. Hikaru collapsed on the ground out of exhaustion.
Sango, however, had a nice nights sleep. Her arm still hurt when she awoke at dawn but she was doing okay. Her eyes were not swollen anymore. She looked around. A bird was near her. So cute.
"Hey little birdie," she said. The bird looked up. It chirped. Sango laughed.
"You're so cute." The bird nodded it's head, to the amusement of Sango. The bird flew onto her shoulder. It looked her in the face with soft, innocent eyes. Once again it chirped. So Sango asked him a question. "Do you want to travel with me, my friend." It chirped. "I'll name you Tweety."
So it was that Tweety the bird joined Sango on her quest. Sango adored the bird and it's funny mannerisms. She was always thinking that it was cute, and sweet.
She began to think about Hikaru, and walked on, the bird on it's perch, her shoulder. She walked along the trail, forever looking at the forest beside her.
She watched the blue sky and the puffy clouds, momentarily forgetting her troubles. The sun was really bright and Sango blinked in it's light. She sung a song that the bird whistled to.
What a sunny day, hey,
What a sunny day!
The clouds are thick,
The air is rich,
With the smell of a journey to come,
And all the while,
As I sit smile,
I never forget where I have come from!
But the doom of Hikaru still weighed down upon her. Some instinct, however, told her that he was alive. Maybe it was just hope, but this feeling was undeniable. She would find him.
Hikaru woke up around noon, noting that the lizards were still not there. He smiled inwardly to himself. Even in this defeated state as he was he had still defeated a lizard ruler.
He stood up, looking at the river. How would he get back up there to Sango? He seen a steep slope, and knew that was the only way. He began to make his way over to it.
The slope was studded with many trees. Squirrells ran through the trees, darting up them and jumping across them. Hikaru smiled to see such happiness. He hadn't had much of that in his life. The only friend he had ever had was Sango, and now he was bereft of her too. What a dismal life.
But, he told himself, it would get better. Life had it's ups and downs, and he was just stuck in a down. He just had to find some way to get out of it. And maybe one day he luck wouldn't stink.
He made it to the bottom of the steep slope. He glanced up to find the top, but couldn't. Oh well, he would have to climb it any way. He put one foot on top of it, letting the other follow suit. Pretty soon he was making a decent climb.
Sweat was pouring down his face by the time he was a quater way up. He looked down about half a mile. This waterfall had to be as large as a mountain! It would take him forever to climb all the way to the top. If only there were an easier way...
The sun was beating down on Hikaru unmercifully, making sweat pour down his whole body. His clothes were drenched with sweat, it looked as if he had just climbed out of a pool of water. He blew a sigh. He wished he had somewhere to sit. But the slope was to steep. He was halfway up now though.
Now the tale swiches to Inuyasha. He was still in Kaede's hut, still a cook, and desperate to see Sango. She had been away for two weeks. That was an awful long time. What if something had happened to her? He twitched his ears in frustration.
Kagome walked in to Kaede's hut. "Hello, Inuyasha, Sango still on your mind?"
"Yeah," he muttered softly.
"She'll be alright you know. She can handle herself."
"I know, but..."
"But... what Inuyasha?"
"Two weeks, Kagome." He looked into her eyes, his golden ones shimmering.
"Yea, but she needs to find Kikyou."
"Wait... she told you that?"
"Yeah," Kagome said.
"So, you know our... problem?" Kagome gave a reassuring smile.
"Yeah. Shippou does too." Inuyasha became angry.
"Shippou knows! Myswell tell all of Japan!"
"Don't be like that Inuyasha."
Inuyasha didn't reply.
The sun shimmered lazily. The heat made everything look wobbily and unsteady. Inuyasha was wiping the sweat from his brow. He was cooking fish over another heat source, a fire. The smell smelled good. Shippou inhaled the aroma.
"That smells good, Inuyasha."
"Wha- oh, well, thanks." Inuyasha said absentmindedly. He was thining about Sango, and if he would ever see her again. He longed to know how she was doing, but there was no possible way. Sango...
He remembered their last meeting, how she had left so abruptly. If only their last meeting had been longer. Now he was stuck here without her. But hopefully one day she would come back.
Hopefully...
He watched as Kagome came and sat beside him, placing her hands around her knees. She didn't look at Inuyasha, nor did she speak to him. She gazed into the fire thoughtfully.
She also thought about Sango. She wondered if she were alive and if she were feeling Inuyasha with false hope of her returning. If only there was some way she could find where she was at.
She knew how badly Inuyasha wanted to see her. She felt sorry for him. Sango was gone and he loved her. He needed her. And as of right now he could not have her.
Inuyasha handed out the fish when it was done. They were eating silently, no one speaking or moving, except for eating. They all seemed to sense Inuyasha's grief and sorrow. But no one really knew how to comfort him. So they did not try. And for the next day or so all of Inuyasha's thoughts were about Sango. Her smile, her laugh, her voice... all this seemed like bliss to him. Her very prescense was angelic to him. But it eluded him, and he could not have it. He missed her so much.
He would be lonely for a while, it seemed. For Sango wasn't reappearing in camp. And until she did he would be so lonely, and sad, and miserable. He didn't even know that Sango was hurt with a broken arm, and that she was travelling with another guy. Or that she had another pet, Tweety. So many things about her had changed since she had left.
But he planned to love her a lot when she returned. He would treat her very good and he would respect her a lot. He would never mistreat her, never. And even when he went into heat he would be respectful. He was going to be the best mate a lover could ever want, or need. His passion for her was immense and she would no it when she got back.
If she ever got back...
A/N: I know I haven't updated in forever, but I tried to make this chapter longer as a treat. I hope you all enjoyed reading it. This chapter was originally going to be 7,000 words, but I decided it would be too long, I'll use those ideas later. Please review! Special thanks to Blue-Eyed-Puppy and FinalFlash54 for reviewing. :)