Rated M for bad language and poor fight scenes. :3
Constructive criticism is always welcome, along with reviews, if you want to leave any.
I apologize about the wait, I was busy with school, and I will be going back through the past chapters to fix any spelling mistakes (and maybe continuity errors, because I don't always check these over before I post them).
Chapter 4 :: Bruised
Sango woke up on the floor, rubbing her eyes, staring around the area. She was alone—not too alone, as she looked out from behind the counter. There was Miroku, leaning against the door. He smiled as he saw her peak over at him.
Her hair looked a mess after waking up, it puffed out near the ends and some seemed to curl around her face in a frizzy knot. Her makeup was still a mess from her crying the other day but it was now dried and cakey. She wiped her hand on face, which removed and smeared some of the makeup, creating an even worse look. She frowned when she looked down at her hands.
Miroku chuckled a little, "Good morning, gorgeous." She shot him an angered stare and he just laughed it off. "We will be going to see a friend of mine. He has a pretty decent place we can stay at for af day or two."
"No." She came to a stand, holding onto the desk she slept underneath for support, "I don't want to hurt more people." She then quickly added in, "And my face looks a mess."
It didn't take long, but Sango stayed in the clothes she wore the day before, deciding not to change in front of Miroku, even if both their backs were turned. She instead took a shirt she packed with her and wiped away most, if not all, of the makeup she had on and put a cap she brought with her to shield her hair from view. It was quite an odd look, but it worked.
Miroku had gotten her to agree to visiting, if only for a day. They needed a real place to sleep.
They had taken a few back roads and were finally rounding up on the area they were supposed to go to. It ended up being a little house. It looked cozy on the outside and he grinned as they approached. It wasn't located on any major road, and was mostly in the back with a few others. There was quite a bit of space between the houses, too, unlike most of the other ones they'd passed and seen.
Miroku walked up and knocked on the door. After a minute of waiting, the door creaked open and Miroku was bombarded in a close knit hug with his guest. "Akito!" He turned and moved his hand, "—this is Sango; Sango, this is Akito."
She gave the man a small smile and extended her hand. He took it with both of his and gave it a hearty shake. "Come in, come in. Make yourselves at home."
Akito was an average man. He wore glasses and had very short, dark brown hair. He wasn't as tall as Miroku, but he wasn't as short as Sango. His eyes were a deep brown color and his hands… they were quite strong.
Upon entering she was shuffled into another room with two rather large bookshelves and a few cushioned seats. Miroku waved her to sit, and she did as he and his friend exited and left the room. The door closed behind them and Sango was left alone to her own devices. She dropped her bag on the ground next to the seat and went off to explore for a bathroom.
"So that's the girl, huh?" Akito spoke quietly after closing the door, leading Miroku farther into his work room. It was well sized, with a large desk in a corner and a table off to the side. They both sat on the opposite sides, Aktio at his desk, and Miroku at the rectangular table. "She's… young."
Miroku nodded, "Too young," he had to add that in, he knew what his friend was thinking.
Akito shrugged, "Too bad."
Miroku leaned back in the wooden seat, stretching his legs out, "What do ya got? Does it say anything interesting?"
His friend frowned at that, pulling up a few informative screens on his computer. His mouse roved around, clicking on the files to begin. He sighed, "Good news or bad news?"
A frown donned his once smiling face, "Bad news."
"Wonderful." He turned around to face Miroku, his hands in his lap. He looked towards him and then away at the wall, "You're dying." His voice became solemn, "The powers you were given are killing you. I haven't had any recent samples, but from the last time I saw you, and the one you sent me about two days ago, they're drastically different."
Miroku gave no real expression at that. He looked away, too, his lips pressed into a thin line at the news. "Is that it?"
"I don't know whether it's because you've been using them more often, or because they just naturally take from you, but I can check a few and send them to be tested soon." Akito frowned, "But whatever it is, we'll get you through this."
Miroku gave a low curse, "Shit." He looked back up, pulling his legs beneath the chair, "Yeah, we can do that." He ground his teeth together, his voice coming out a little bitter "Good news?"
Akito looked towards the door, "She's fine and there's nothing out of the ordinary with her. I also found out that the company her family owns, that's run with Naraku, it's into genetic testing. It's not something big, but it's rumored all around."
The jet haired man looked towards the door, staring at it as if he could see Sango behind it, "What great news that is." His voice was soft and held a less bitter tone than it had previously.
His friend stood and walked over to the table, pressing his hand down on his shoulder, "Are sure you should continue to help her?"
Miroku shrugged his hand off and stared up into his friend's eyes with a fearsome gaze. The conversation was over.
He tested that day and gave him samples of blood, right then and there, twice. One before using his powers and one after he had, they had to wait until the morning to receive the results once he sent them off.
Inuyasha spent a lot of time calling Miroku, trying to find out where he was and if he was okay, and to Kagome's chagrin, he never picked up, not once.
Kagome was at her wits end, at least until they got word from the news stations. There was still no word about the missing heiress, none at all, but there had been word about a storm and a fire at a club.
A few people came on TV to explain what happened, most of them giving cheesy smiles to the camera and waving to the people they knew would be watching. After all was said about the 'freak' accident, they put in a simple blurb about their club and to come to it to help fix up the repairs.
As Inuyasha stared blankly at the faces that appeared across the screen, he realized that the name of the place sounded familiar. In that same small instance, he started to pack some stuff, and pulled Kagome along.
"It's time to go." He said gruffly.
Kagome gave him a confused look, "Where? Why?" She packed a few things to go anyway and they left their home, locking the door behind them.
"I know where they're going, or where they are or were. That bastard will not hear the end of this!" The tossed their things in the back and Kagome giggled, as they drove off.
Sango was left to her own devices in Akito's room, sprawled out on his bed with the remote. This morning, Miroku would get his test results.
Ever since he and Akito had spoken, Miroku was weary. Was his life really being cut so short? He knew the answer on the inside, but he couldn't really bring himself to say anything about it as he stared over at the lovely woman lying on another man's bed.
They both wore baggier clothes today. Sango was going for the more masculine look, which she was horrible at pulling off. The two of them would be off on the road again in a few hours, him and her with no real home to go to.
Akito called Miroku over and they both moved off into a separate room. "I just read the results," he whispered, "And you have to stop using it."
"I can't." His words came out fast, "She needs to be protected."
"Damn. Does she know what you're going through, what is happening to— "
Miroku looked a little angry as he stared into Akito's dark eyes, "Don't you dare say a thing to her about this. This is between you and me."
Akito frowned and seemed to glare at Miroku for a split second, "Got it."
Sango's savior walked back into the room and called in to her, "It's time to go. Are you ready?"
She popped up on the bed, her legs swinging off the side as she gathered her things, "Coming!"
Miroku paced towards the door, Akito following behind him slowly, "I don't like this."
"You don't fucking have to like a thing I do. You never did. It never stopped us from talking before." Miroku's face cleared up into a smile once Sango entered the room.
She quickly bowed to Akito, "Thank you for having us." He smiled, despite the harsh words he and his friend shared.
As they left the premises, Akito stared off, guessing that he would never see or hear from Miroku after this moment again.
Sango was tired of walking and was allowed to hitch a ride on Miroku's back. She still held her pack of clothes on her back. Her hands wrapped protectively around his neck along with her legs around his waist. He placed his hands beneath the hinge of her knees to keep her fastened in place.
Her lips were close to his ears, and even in the innocent way she blew, it caused him to hold his breath as she whispered into his ear, "Are we there yet?"
He exhaled, her cheek placed against the side of his head in boredom, "I believe we are close to a church we can spend the night in."
She nodded next to his face and soon nodded off as soon became fifteen minutes in the dark of the night. They had been walking all day, with only minor stops for bathroom breaks and to snack. This was not the way a girl like her should be raised, but she never seemed to complain about those types of things.
They came upon the place he spoke of and walked towards it. It was huge, with a bell at the top of its steeple. It obviously had enough room if they could make it in.
Once Miroku got there, he knocked on its doors before pushing them open, keeping one steady hand on the sleeping female on his back. To his surprise, he was met with little pressure and a man on the inside.
The man on the inside was older and grinned at Miroku and the luggage on his back, "You are without a home right now. Times are hard indeed."
Miroku nodded, "We have come a long way and if you could help me and the lady with a place to stay tonight, we both would be most grateful."
The man nodded and let them in. Miroku assumed he was a priest from how he was garbed in white cloth. He was not sure why he was here so late, but was pleased, nonetheless. The place has a peculiar smell to it that seemed mixed with a bunch of other, more floral scents. The priest strode towards the back and offered the two a room in the back. It had many different cots, all with a simple blue blanket over them. They obviously let a lot of the downtrodden in here when they needed it.
Miroku dipped his head the man in thanks, "Thank you." He slowly lowered himself to the ground, along with the sleeping figure on his back. "We will try not to wake you." Sango's form crumpled off of him and onto a cot. He held a hand and repositioned himself to hold her up as he turned and stripped her backpack from her form. She stirred and then was left to lie on her temporary bed for the night.
He took a blanket and covered her form, moving to fall asleep right beside her on a different cot just as soon. It was ten, what a good time to start resting.
Inuyasha and Kagome had wound up at the club, staring at it with a frown.
Was anyone inside?
Inuyasha sniffed the air and Kagome stared around the area in earnest, "Are you getting anything?"
His head turned this way and that, "It's faint, but I can smell that bastard and the girl."
"Sango." Kagome mused, "Her name is Sango."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "Feh." He stopped, sniffing the air again, "I can smell the hair."
His lover visibly paled, a hand shooting to cover her mouth as she stifled a cry. She knew what hair he was talking about, even though she didn't know who it belonged to. The hair from Jiro's house.
He looked to her with a frown, knowing he had to tell her, no news was too bad just yet, "They're going in the same direction, and went at different times. The hair scent is fresh." He added the last statement in an effort to console her worried mind.
Miroku felt a light tickling sensation roaming across his limbs. He was sleeping on his side, the tiny cot barely able to accommodate his height. He had to curl up underneath the tiny blanket. However, he quickly sprang out of bed as Sango screamed beside him. She was being pulled out of bed by a thick matt of black hair and her screams were quickly squelched as it wrapped across her mouth.
Miroku shot up, only to be dragged back down by the same force. It spiraled across his arm slowly and with the same tickling sensation he felt before. He was unable to reach his other foot in this position and instead opened his hand and grabbed the strands of hair. With his eyes closed he willed his hand to work like it had before, and air shot out in large bursts, cutting the hair from around his arm. Moving, he worked to free his other arm.
Sango was already out the door, her legs kicking and trying their best to grab the smooth floor beneath her. Miroku was quickly into the main room of the church, with chairs sitting all around, waiting for a congregation in the morning. It was too early for this.
There, in the center of the room was a woman, Yura. Miroku extended his hand and aimed, shooting out precise enough shots to cut the stream of hair that threatened to pull Sango even closer to their enemy.
The brunette fell to the ground in a smack, flailing up to sit on her hands and knees as the hair fell around her form limp. Sango's own hair toppled over her shoulders, almost obscuring her face. As she looked ahead, she saw Miroku and bursts into a haphazard run towards his person.
Yura gave a rather airy laugh, her bob lipped as she tossed her head with a grin, "So you're the man she has found herself with." By this time, Sango was huddled behind Miroku, his hands out in an effort to stop the woman from looking back at the trembling girl. "Her hair is beautiful. Let me touch it. Just let me see her, have her, kiss her again." Yura licked her lips, almost as if she were trying to elicit a provocative response from Miroku. The short haired woman reached a hand out and the thief, kept his more deadly hand at the ready.
"Leave us." His voice was firm as he lifted his foot, pulling a slim dagger into his palm. His hand twisted it to point the hilt towards his wrist as he angled his arm back and shuffled Sango towards the back rooms. He handed her the dagger in the moment and she clutched it close, holding it protectively in the palms of her hands. In a low voice, he spoke to Sango, "I want you to get away from this fight. Don't come out for any reason."
"Miroku—" her voice had a pleading tone to it.
"For any reason, be safe, take this and get to safety." She ran.
Once Sango rushed away, back towards another side of the room, away from the cots. Yura attacked with full force, sending the tendrils of hair straight at Miroku at piercing speeds. There was no time to send out an attack of his own as he dodged and rolled across the way, the hair hitting the walls and bouncing off in an effort to catch him.
He ducked and slid beneath seats, catching the fallen wood debris as he swiftly hopped over certain chairs. In one swift movement, he held his hand out and shot an air attack at her face, it missed, but it did strike a few strands of her hair.
Yura wildly screamed and turned away to look at the missing pieces, grasping at her hair in an effort to compose herself. This gave him the time to spread his fingers and open the vortex. It came out slowly, tiny at first before it spread across his palm and began sucking in nearby objects like a black hole.
She was completely caught off guard for that moment, and as she was pulled in, he saw a small glimpse of relief flash across her face. Miroku turned just in time and dodged a stab to his side by the priest. His hand quickly grabbed the wounded area; he had been sliced rather hard.
Miroku gave a small stumble and a light curse, "Shit." The man that let them stay here was silvery now, his hands in the form of rather sharp blades.
He was attacked just as fast as before, this time the priest moving in to slice him up quickly. Miroku had no real weapon to use to parry the attacks and took to dodging and rolling, something he was very good at as a thief. It made everything a hell of a lot harder when he realized that Yura started pooling her hair on the floor in an effort to keep him in place or pierce him from below.
His movements were becoming reckless after a while, his attacks going way off target. He had been nicked quite a few times, but after a couple minutes, he was back near the cot room and had gained a far enough distance away. His hand shot out again to shoot Yura, but the metal man got in the way, jumping in front of his attack out of protection. Nothing seemed to happen to him.
He slumped forward, his side having been pumping out blood from all the movement. He caught himself on his knee, his breathing shallow, "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." He winced as he started running again, going into a charge, at least until he noticed the attack coming straight for him. He sidestepped the slice, holding his hand out with the perfect opportunity to hit Yura.
He took the shot and was heavily pierced through his arm, write around his bicep. He was unable to move his hand for the moment through the pain, and thus… was unable to attack. The hair attack had also sliced through his side, causing him to double over in pain—which was almost impossible with a large, firm spike of hair through his arm. His yell was so loud.
Yura smiled, unable to sit anywhere since most of the seats had been torn down. She walked up to him, her hands waving in front of her body as the sword-man kept his ground, looking in Miroku's direction.
Yura gripped his face and pulled it up. Blood had started to spill from his mouth, "Your hair is horrible, as are you." She tossed his face down, which caused his body to pull through with the motion. She smiled and looked back towards the priest, "May I?"
He turned back into his normal, human form staring around the room with a frown. "Go have your fun; she will come if she can hear his screams."
Yura raised her forefinger and flicked it out. A single strand of black hair raced towards his leg and punctured it. However small it was, it hurt. She left it there for a moment before tugging it out, which caused Miroku to let out a small gasp. That's when she smiled.
She was relentless with her tactics, often going at a much quicker pace as she changed the stab points from his legs, to his abdomen, his face. There were quite a few marks where blood seeped from his face. When he refused to scream, loud enough, she smacked him hard, causing him to yell out in pain from being nudged.
Miroku was tired and bleeding out, "Fuck you and go to hell." He did his best to spit on her and ended up coughing blood in her direction.
Yura leaned in to hit him once more when his hand opened and the wind-tunnel appeared in the center of his palm. He smiled, her face was right next to his uplifted hand and the scream that came out was loud and bloodcurdling.
Her head was pulled into the vortex with the little strength he could muster up before it shut, leaving her decapitated body there to spew blood and topple onto the ground lifeless. The hair that held him in place also seemed to lose it ground and standing as it, too crippled to the ground. Miroku was left in a pool of mixed blood, as he moved back on his good arm to get away.
Sango was at the top of the church, having found some stairs that made their way to the bell tower. Her knees her up, the knife drawn, she expected someone to come up and get her, she expected it to be Miroku, hoped it would be, yearned it to be.
It was cool up here, seeing as everything was basically open to the world from where she was. As she got used to her surroundings, a yell shook her entire being, causing her to shiver. It was feminine.
Sango quickly rushed back down the stairs, rushing out downstairs, "Miroku!" What she saw stopped her in her tracks. "St-Stop!" The priest, silver and bladed held his hand above Miroku's body, preparing to pierce him on the ground. He stood and turned to look at her.
"Ah-ha, so you did come." He turned around to finish the job.
She still clutched the small dagger, "I said stop!" She was shaking.
Miroku was looking over at her. She could barely see the up and down movement of his chest.
The priest kept his sword poised down at Miroku, lowering it to press into his chest. "He can't have you all to himself." He turned to look at her and jumped back from him. Sango held the dagger to her neck. "What do you want?" He conceded and held his hands in the air, taking a couple steps back from the fallen man.
Sango's grip on the knife wasn't that great, but any slips or jumps and she'd surely nick herself. "Go to the door." Every step she took and every time it looked like the weapon got to close, the priest would gasp, afraid she might harm herself in some way.
When she got to him, he did not look happy one bit and she not to look at the fallen body nearby.
"I told you to hide." His voice was ragged and deep, it was low, possibly too low for the other man to hear.
Her lip quivered, but she kept the knife in its place when she kneeled down nearby, "I thought you won." Her voice then began to waver, "I didn't know you were about to die."
"Self-sacrifice is what all the super heroes do today."
From the door, the priest spoke up, his voice taking on a friendlier tone than it had before. He took in the situation and played it around on what he knew, "Do you think he can keep fighting for you?"
She snapped over in the man's direction, scowling, "He will get better. I believe in him. I believe he will grow to know the full potential of his power and we will run away and win every battle after this, even if we must fight to survive." His voice started up right when she was finished.
"He didn't tell you yet." A smile grew.
Miroku held a confused stare, along with Sango who looked down at him as if he would know the answer.
The priest took a step forward and Sango held the knife a little more firmly at her neck, getting him to back off again. "He's dying and not from what happened today. Every time he fights, every time he goes to protect you, every time he goes to use his power… his life is shortened. That's his downfall. He could become the most powerful man in the world, but he wouldn't live long enough to see what he could create because he'd be dried up by then."
Sango was livid, "I don't believe you."
"Ask him. Ask him to lie to you, to take the burden off of your shoulders. To run you around the world away from everything that could make you happy!"
She turned on him, swiping her hand through the air in a wide arc, "Shut up!" Her face was turning red and she turned to face Miroku. Her voice was so quiet, almost heartbroken as she asked him, "Is it true?"
Miroku reached out to touch her face, but ended up grasping her arm, "You… deserve a real life." She choked back a 'No' and tried to pull herself away, stopping once she heard him wince.
Sango dropped the knife then and searched through his pockets, coming up on a bloodied cellphone. She was shaking as she pressed the buttons, calling someone. For what felt like the longest time, she never spoke, "We're nearby at a church, come pick him up." She paused, someone was saying something but she hung up.
His grip tightened on her arm, "Don't leave me." She went to stand, grasping at his hand in an effort to pull it off. It worked, possibly because he was in too much pain to really fight back.
She took a few steps away from him, out of reach when she dropped the phone open nearby, the screen read Inuyasha.
"I will go if you leave him alone. I will not run away again."
Miroku began to move more violently, grasping the phone in hand and urging his body to stand. His voice acme out louder and he called her name. She didn't dare look back. The priest turned back into his human form and led her outside.
"What a wise choice." He turned around and gave Miroku a small grin. Once Sango was farther outside, he began to close the door, leaving him with these final words, "In a few minutes, this place will burn to the ground." He lit a match and tossed it on the ground. At first Miroku expected it not to work, there wasn't enough, but it did.
That peculiar smell that settled in the area, he realized now, was some type of accelerant. They had won.
His hand gripped the open phone, pressing redial to call to Inuyasha.
Sango and the priest, or fake priest, or whatever he was, stood outside. With an accelerant doused over all the wooden seats, it didn't take too long for smoke to start coming from under the church doors. Sango had been looking back the entire time, wishing that Miroku would be able to escape and save her, but she made her choice.
The smoke, however, made her regret the choice as she burst out in sprint towards the door, screaming his name at the top of her lungs, only to be knocked on the side of her neck. Her eyes rolled back and she dropped into his arms, unconscious as he walked towards the back of the church. It took her only a few seconds to come to, her eyes squinting in pain.
Sango had a large headache and felt like throwing up; she couldn't even begin to move as she made a pained moan. The priest man pulled her closer to his body before coming along a black car. He opened the doors, and set her down, laying her on the backseat. He got in the car and drove off, by the time she could fully move and realize exactly where she was, she'd already be in a jet headed straight for her home.
As the fire began to fill up the room, he stayed low on the ground, telling Inuyasha to come fast. Not only was he bleeding out, but the room was filling up with smoke. His thoughts on the matter at hand were cut short when he heard Sango screaming in name. Too bad he didn't have the strength to reach the door.
He lifted his shirt up, wincing as it pulled up skin and blood. He used it to cover his mouth to the best of his ability.
He stared over at his phone, the whole place lighting up in a fire. Time slipped away, his face became sweaty, his hand dropping the phone after a while as his hands became too clammy and the world around him too hot. He blanked out.
Inuyasha finally found the burning building, the flames heavily contained inside, by the smoke clouded up the night sky, leaving it all nearly invisible unless to passerbys, and this place was not something people seemed to pass by often.
The silver haired man shoved himself through the doors, letting a shower of wooden parts hit the floor as she he searched for his friend. The flames were already beginning to lick his shoes and catch his shirt as he made his way towards his friend's familiar scent. Without too much hesitation, Inuyasha picked up his wounded friend and slung him over his shoulder, rushing out the building before anything else there could go wrong.
Kagome was driving to them and he ran towards her. She took one look at his wounded body and nearly screamed, "Are you hurting him?"
He frowned at that, placing him gently in the back seat of the car, "Who gives a shit if I'm hurting him. Let's get him to the hospital." His voice was gruff and hard.
As she started the drive backwards, she had to ask, "Did you see her?"
He was silent for quite a while before shaking his head, "Not at all."
Sango was nauseous all day when she came back and came to. She was told that everyone was happy and pleased to have her back home with them.
She stayed in bed the entire time and people came to check on her at several times, but no matter how safe they said she was, she never felt that way. This became a problem the second day when they told her to eat and she didn't.
How did they drug me before?
Her room was large, with a four poster bed in the back corner. It was filled with trivial things now—posters, a desk with homework she never got to finish, books in a corner and a closet full of beautiful clothes.
She shivered and held the covers up to her chin, trying her best to stop her stomach from grumbling and her mouth from being so parched.
There were guards at her door, they let people in and they let people out—just not her. During her second day stay, she heard hushed whispers before someone came in. Her back was to the door, and the walk to her bed was long, as it was on the opposite end of the large room.
Her hands pulled the covers further up her face, but she stared at the blank wall. Whoever it was leaned forward and pressed a hand to her head, she quickly whipped her hand up to smack it back, but her wrist was caught. It was a man's hand, and it slowly rubbed against the inside of her palm.
Her voice came out in a crackled voice, "Go away." She was so thirsty.
"You need to eat." The voice caused her to shiver as she tried to tug her hand back, but to no avail. It was Naraku.
Would he save me this time?
He pulled her out from her newly made safe place and she let him. Her hair splashed out on the other pillow closest to him. Sadly, she was afraid and it showed on her face. Her eyes were wide with fear, "Go away." She was less sure of herself, her voice wavering, her eyes stuck on his face.
Could he save me this time?
His grip tightened around her hand as he leaned in, "You have nothing to fear right now." His hand trailed from her wrist to her shoulder and she looked away, moving her arm back beneath the covers and away from him. "Your food is fine. Now eat."
He walked away from her after that. She ate, no side effects—that she knew of—and she hadn't seen Naraku since. It seemed like a good trade off.
After the first week, she was allowed some liberties of leaving her room, up to a point. She still had yet to see her family—her brother and mother, the latter of which she was okay with not visiting.
You deserve a life.
Would he save her after all she did, he had to be okay—she didn't feel anything. Would she feel anything if he died?
Miroku, please be safe.
By the third week she was free—free enough as a slave in her own home. Sango rushed through the large building, running down the halls, past the stairs, and stood before her brother's room. She knocked on the door, but there was silence.
Her hand pushed on the door, it was dark, there was no visible lump on the bed and she stood there for quite some time before someone passed by and touched her shoulder. She jumped and shrugged the hand off.
"He's gone to private school for a while." It was a maid. They either knew everything about what happened here, or thought she was crazy. She already tried explaining to them everything that happened.
Sango nodded almost blankly, "When will he be back?"
"He has three more months." The younger girl nodded again, closing the door behind her and slid down to the floor beneath her once the hallway was clear. Hugging her knees to her chest, she cried.
She was so lonely.
It was during that week she was shuffled over to the business floor and sat outside a room. She waited for hours, possibly just minutes. She came to a stand, brushed off her skirt and began walking off. That is, of course, when the door decides to open. She stood there, watching as the people left.
Some of them turned to look at her and gave her a smile. There were about ten people in all.
How many of them kissed her?
That's when a familiar head appeared. It was a woman, tall, with black hair toppled on her head. She turned, her face looking more aged than she last remembered it. Her mother.
Everyone left them both alone for the first time in what felt like forever. They stared at each other, she at her mother and her mother right back at her. The older woman grabbed Sango's hand and pulled her into the large business room. There was a long rectangular table inside it, with a large TV off to one side.
Sango was tossed inside and stopped, stopping her fall by grasping the side of the table. She wasn't prepared for any of this, nor was she prepared for the smack that came right after. It sent her back against the table and left a glowing red mark on her cheek that seemed to grow in color.
The wounded girl held her ground, bent over the table, one hand holding the pose on the table top, the other clutching her face. "Who the hell do you think you are?" Her tone was icy as she stared down at her daughter, her lips pursed in a sneer.
Sango didn't speak at first, rubbing her cheek and moving the other hand down to the table where she slowly began to move around her question, "Do you have nothing else to do but yell at me?"
Her mother raised her hand again and smacked her across the face, this time drawing blood as Sango gripped her jaw, wiping the small trickle away from her mouth. It stung.
"You little whore. Running around with some man. That's all you do anyway, steal men away. Just like your father. He died for it, you know. For you."
Sango was slightly afraid of her mother's ramblings, but it wasn't anything she hadn't heard before, it was the first time she had been hit, though. "I haven't taken anything away from you, but you took everything from me."
Her mother raised her hand to strike her again and Sango flinched, turning her head away quickly, but nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, Naraku was behind her, holding her wrist back. Her mother quickly turned, about to yell, until she saw the man and that's when she smiled. It was almost like she went back—back before her father died—and Sango knew their relationship instantly, and she knew that her mother had signed her life away.
Naraku stroked her mother's cheek as she stared up into his eyes longingly. Sango felt sick and urged her body to move and escape the room, but looked to the floor instead.
"You know how important she is to this business." Her mother nodded obediently before him. "Did you at least sign the papers?" She gave an affirmative shake again, her smile brilliant. "Then I'll tell you two the good news now."
Sango looked up, her face taking on a more firm appearance, trying to appear unafraid.
"We're getting married." Her mother's smile brightened, and Sango sulked, preparing herself to leave, but he dropped her mother's hand and took hers in its stead, placing a kiss to her knuckles. "We will marry in a few days."
The blood left her face as she stared ahead, unable to truly process what was just said. Her mother's face looked gloomy, her expression mirroring a demon's as she looked at her daughter.
Sango removed her hand from his. It fell down limp at her side as she stumbled out the room. Her eyes were misted, possibly from tears, but her entire world began to crumble, literally. She got halfway down the hall before her world went blank and she collapsed to the ground.
Miroku…
Miroku's eyes fluttered open. There was a bright light shining down on him. He groaned and then sunk back into the soft, cushiony material. Kagome's face popped into view, covering the bright face with her even brighter smile.
"You're awake." Her voice was soft and his senses almost felt like they were on overload.
He sat up too quickly and started to fall back down onto the bed before Inuyasha caught his shoulder and lowered him to the bed. Kagome had gasped before placing a hand on his arm, "You have to rest. You have some serious injuries."
His violet eyes jumped across the room. "Where is she?" Kagome looked away and there was a long silence in the room. "I have to go."
"You have to get better before you even think about going after her." Kagome frowned.
He went to sit up again, this time slowly. He winced and the sheets fell to reveal his hospital robes. "She shouldn't have to wait."
Inuyasha snorted, "She's been waiting for a month. I think she can wait a few more days."
"I've been asleep for a month?"
"You woke up every now and then, but didn't say much. Maybe a few days since you last opened your eyes." Inuyasha shrugged.
He pulled a few wires from his chest and tugged the IV out, wincing again before stepping onto the cool floor with his bare feet. He was a little wobbly, but did his best to continue standing.
His voice was tinged with a bit of lethargy, "I am going to go and get her. She deserves to be able to make her own choices and have a real life."
Inuyasha chuckled and came to a stand, "You mean like we didn't get to do." He came to a stand, "Feh. I'll go."
Kagome frowned, but she couldn't keep it for too long, "You're trying to kill yourself, you know." She waited in the chair and then came to a stand as well, "Don't forget about me."
He was the bastard child of a wealthy man. At first, his mother was paid handsomely, but when she died, so did the boy he knew.
His hair was black and his smile was bright and hopeful for a young boy. When she was gone, his hopes were dashed as he was sent to a hospital. He remembered that he was being sent away to school, a private school where he could live on campus. His father did care.
But his father didn't care.
He was poked and prodded and hurt for days at a time. It happened so long that at times he became numb and locked his mind away to seal away any pain. After days, months, maybe even years—he wasn't sure anymore—he was let out. He was a weapon now and he could never fit in with everyone else.
He was given some code, but when he ran away, he was Inuyasha.
They never came looking for him.
The wedding was coming up soon. Naraku wanted it that way, of course. The day after Sango found out, she stayed in her room. Her fiancé entered her bedroom and she stood from the bed.
He pressed his hand against her cheek, tilting her head to the side to inspect where her mother smacked her. His hand moved from her cheek, down her neck, to her shoulder. She never looked at him once until his hand trailed lower to her hand.
Holding her dainty appendage, he slipped a large ring along her finger. "Tomorrow, you will be mine in all senses."
She raised her hand to smack him, but he caught her easily and shoved her onto the bed, exiting the room.
He walked towards the elevator, taking it to another, higher up floor. Taking a few turns, he walked into a room, coming along Sango's mother. It was obviously her room. It was huge, with draperies a large bed—it was mystical. The dark haired lady paced around the room, her hands crossed over chest.
"Her? What can she offer you that I can't or haven't?" Her face was brought up into a seer as she stared at him. "She can't even give you the company!"
Naraku stroked her face with his hand and she melted from his touch again. "I know." He motioned her towards the bed and she easily followed.
Her hand moved up to grasp her lover's against her cheek and she nuzzled it, sitting on the quilted sheets of her bed. "I have missed you so."
"Marrying your daughter will give me the company if you're dead." Her eyes widened, and a trickle of blood fell from her open lips and then she glanced down. There were thick black tendrils escape from his back that had pierced her stomach. The walls behind her were splattered with blood from the excessive force he used to kill her.
She fell back on the bed unable to scream as her hands went to her stomach. "Wh-Why?" her words were shaky and her face fell to a pallid, deathly color.
The demon like appendages disappeared, and he stripped, going towards her closet to put on cleaner clothes. She has his suits there, for obvious reasons. "Power. Absolute power."
As the life drained out of her, he walked out the room and shut the door behind him, taking care to lock it as he left.