-1InuYasha-Chapter 358- Illusion
Sango sat on the floor, sitting on her legs in a kneeling position. She stared up at the man before her. He stared back.
Th…This is…the good-looking medicine seller youkai?
The demon stared down at her, its eyes lustful.
"I'll give you the all-porous antitoxin," he said. Leaning down, he took her in his arms, his face only a few inches away. "In exchange…"
Sango stared up at him. Wha…? I can't move?!
The man's teeth transformed into menacing fangs, leaning down towards Sango's neck…
Meanwhile, Kagome and Miroku sat outside a villager's home.
"I wonder if Sango-chan's ok…" Kagome stated, waiting for Miroku's answer. He was being unusually calm about all this.
"I gave her the protective charm, so she shouldn't be manipulated," Miroku said, crossing his arms over his staff. He really was worried, but she was just so stubborn! Couldn't she see that he was just trying to help her? He didn't want her to be controlled by some perverted youkai demon! Was that so bad?!
"I hope that's true," Kagome sighed, giving him the eye. He really should go after her…
"Thank you so much for saving my wife," a man said, bowing to them. The woman they had saved from the forest was cooking in the background.
"No problem," Miroku said, smiling. "I see, she was a married woman, huh?"
"Indeed, as husband and wife we go along well and have good health but…" He pointed at his face, and tears formed. The woman behind him sighed deeply. "For some reason, the whole time since she's been back, she seems to make a disappointed sigh every time she see's my face!"
"I see…" Miroku said timidly. The man had enormous lips and small squinty eyes.
He leaned to Kagome, "I wonder if it's due to the youkai's illusion?"
"The husband's face is so extreme, so we can't really make conclusions can we?" Shippo put in.
Meanwhile, the demon leaned closer to Sango.
"You can't get away now…since you are my captive…"
Sango winced at his efforts. No! Houshi-sama would never forgive her if she gave herself up to another man, let alone a demon!
Wh…What the…Sango thought, her brow lowering. Da…Damn it! I can't move! At this rate…
Blood splattered across the vines. InuYasha was biting the demon's head, his fangs digging deep into his head. He still had the drunken blush across his face, but at least he was sober enough to try and help her.
The demon held Sango at a distance, his hand around her waist and supporting her back so she didn't fall.
"InuYasha!" Sango yelled, grateful for her savior.
"Damn you!" the youkai cursed. He disappeared, if only for a moment.
Eh?! He vanished…
InuYasha fell to the ground, his head still spinning from the demon's illusion. Sango stood up, anxious to get out of there. Something pricked her neck, and she smacked it with her hand.
Just now…was I just bitten by something?
She looked into the distance, an illusion taking over her mind. She saw the man waving to her, beckoning her to come closer. Her cheeks flushed, and she wobbled towards him. InuYasha bit her hand, trying his hardest to keep her while he was drunk. She hit him on the head with Hirakotsu, leaving him and Kirara in the dust.
Back in the village, Kagome and Miroku were saying their goodbyes to the woman and her husband.
"Thank you for all your help," she said, bowing. Miroku looked back at her, as she itched her neck.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yes…Just a bit itchy is all…"
"I see."
They stared into each other's eyes, the woman's husband standing between them.
"Hey Miroku-sama, she's a married woman!" Kagome accused, glaring at him. How could he flirt and womanize when Sango could be in danger?! Despicable…
"Kagome over there!" Shippo shouted, pointing at the sky. Kirara hovered above them, landing next to Miroku.
Kirara?! Miroku thought, worry overtaking him. Kirara only came to him when something was wrong with Sango! He hoped onto her back. Kagome and Shippo followed suit.
"InuYasha!" Kagome shouted upon seeing him. He raised his head from the vines, the drunkenness finally gone from his system. Kagome jumped off Kirara and kneeled next to him, worried for his safety. "What happened?" she asked.
InuYasha scanned around, panic on his face. "Where's Sango?!"
"That's our line," Shippo said.
Once they were on the move, Kagome was desperate for details. "She went off with the medicine seller?!"
"Yeah I tried to stop her though," InuYasha responded. God his head hurt. He hoped that she was ok….Miroku would kill him if anything happened to her. "I don't really remember but, Sango was acting strange."
Miroku sighed, "She was probably effected by the illusions. This is why I said to leave it to me!"
"Isn't this because the medicine man is good-looking? Maybe she really did fall for him." Shippo asked, trying to gauge Miroku's reaction. It was about time he got a dose of his own medicine.
"That'd never happen!" Miroku shouted, his voice and expression confident. "Even if it happened that Sango hated me, there is no chance she'd fall for a man other than me."
Every one stared at him, sweat drops upon their heads.
"…In short, you mean she's not interested in other men?" Kagome asked, totally disbelieving. This was so ridiculous.
"Where does that confidence come from?" InuYasha asked. God this guy was such an idiot.
"It means I trust Sango," Miroku explained.
Meanwhile, in the middle of a pond, the youkai laughed maniacally from a giant lily pad.
"No one will interfere now. Once again, let's perform the ceremony for just us two."
He held Sango to him, her demon slayer outfit opened at the neck. Sango's eyes were closed, as she was still under his illusion. The demon once again bore his fangs, determined to do what he needed to do.
"Are you prepared?" he asked.
Sango started to regain consciousness, itching the back of her neck. She opened her eyes just in time to see the demon just inches away from her neck, for a second time. She jumped up, stomping his head into the leaf below.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"That's my line," Sango replied, still itching her neck.
"Damn you," he said, looking up at her, "you broke the spell."
Sango glared at him, "While I was under the spell, you didn't do anything strange to me, did you?"
He looked coyly to the side and chuckled. "Oh…I dunno about that, heh."
She smacked him on the head with Hirakotsu five times, leaving bumps on his head.
"I'll exterminate you."
"Please forgive me, that was a joke." He stared up at her, sincerity in his eyes. "However…at least could you please listen to the reason why I am doing this?'
"Reason…?"
"Though I currently have this form, actually…"
InuYasha and the others stood at the edge of the lake. InuYasha's nose was dancing in effort to sniff them out.
"They're close," he stated. "Miroku, be careful. The medicine seller's illusions are pretty powerful so…. Hey!" he turned to where Miroku had just stood. He was flying off on Kirara, already ten feet away.
"As I thought, he's worried," Kagome explained, knowingly.
"I see," Sango said. "So you're not a youkai."
The man looked down at the floor in shame. "If I can suck the blood of my ideal woman, then I'll return to my original form so…"
"Very well," Sango agreed, lowering the flap of cloth on her neck. "Go ahead. Suck my blood. But in return…"
"Sango!" Miroku shouted, drawing nearer to the lily pad. He saw the silhouettes of the two, Sango wrapped up in his arms. He was leaning in to her neck…
"SANGO!" Miroku bellowed, his face wide.
Sango peeked out from the youkai's shoulder. "Hm?"
Miroku whacked the man on the head with his staff, kneeling on his fallen body.
"Sango, are you alright?" he asked, concern on his face.
Shippo sat upon Kirara's head, commenting, "He hit the guy one hundred times."
"Hey," Sango asked the demon as Miroku let off him. She leaned over to him, worry in her face. "Are you ok?"
"Get a grip Sango! You're affected by the illusion!"
"You're wrong!"
"She said it was ok!" the poor, abused demon said.
"You lie!" Miroku yelled, refusing to believe it.
"It's true!" Sango countered.
Upon hearing this, Miroku turned away from them. He couldn't believe it! How could she?!
An awkward silence passed through the group. InuYasha and Kagome sat on the lily pad next to the, staring on. Kagome felt as though she was watching a soap opera, and InuYasha was just getting more annoyed.
"Have you settled things yet?"
"There still seems to be some trouble," Kagome sighed.
Sango took some time to explain the situation, trying to get back on Miroku's good graces.
"So if he sucks the blood of his ideal woman, he'll return to his original form?" Kagome asked.
"It seems for some reason he was cursed by a youkai," Sango stated. The demon nodded behind her. "I said he'd let him suck me blood if he gave me the all-purpose antitoxin in return."
"What the?" InuYasha's expression fell. "In the end it's for Miroku's sake, huh?"
"Aw," Kagome sighed. "So you're not having an affair with the pretty guy?"
"Guess it's pretty boring for you, huh?" Sango said. She turned to look back at Miroku, who was still facing the other way. "Do you understand, Houshi-sama?"
Miroku snapped around, taking her hands in his. He stared down into her eyes, his expression relieved. "yes, I understand. I believed in you, Sango."
That's a lie, Shippo thought.
"Then you'll let me suck your blood?" the man asked, hopeful.
"Does it have to be her neck? How about like…her arm?" Kagome suggested.
The man was only a centimeter from Sango, but he looked at Miroku. A scared expression was on his face. Miroku held his staff menacingly up to his face.
"It's ok, isn't it?"
The man sighed, taking Sango's hand in his. He leaned forward, "Then, with all due respect."
He sucked her blood, and in a flash of light, returned to his original form.
"He vanished," InuYasha observed.
A bug flew off of Sango's hand, flying into the sky above.
"A mosquito…" Miroku said, watching it leave.
A voice from the air echoed, "Thank you, beautiful lady. I left the antitoxin in your hand."
"By antitoxin…" Kagome said, "I guess he meant anti-itch?"
"Hmph." InuYasha crossed his arms. All that trouble for nothing. "How is that an all-purpose antitoxin?"
"It doesn't even work," Shippo said, looking at Sango. She was itching her hand furiously.
Miroku also had his arms crossed, looking down at the ground. "What a terrible guy! To trick girls with a fake medicine."
Sango glared at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Yeah, well I'm used to those types."
