InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Identity Crisis ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: ladygriddlebone 
Now it's not just Inuyasha and Kagome, but Sango as well...
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 07.17.2008 | Updated On: 03.14.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 736 | Status: Completed
Now it's not just Inuyasha and Kagome, but Sango as well...
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 07.17.2008 | Updated On: 03.14.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 736 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter Three
Footsteps.
Miroku opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for several moments. Yes, he definitely heard footsteps. As quietly as possible, so as to avoid disturbing Inuyasha any more than was necessary, he slipped out of his futon and slid the door open.
He peered around for a moment before finding what he was looking for. Sango had just walked past, wearing only the white yukata that the innkeeper had provided. She was heading away from the clustered huts where the villagers resided, and toward the headman's house. Unable to believe what he had seen, he slipped out the door and followed her; it seemed so unlike Sango for her to do something like this. He had to see with his own eyes what she intended to do. If he did not see for himself, there was no way he could believe it.
A quick glance at the nearby tree where Inuyasha was sitting indicated that the hanyou was awake and watching them after all. Gold eyes glittered faintly as they watched. Indeed, the smug look on his face seemed to say, "I know what you two are up to." As he followed Sango, Miroku wished that the hanyou's guess was correct, but could not ignore his own sense of foreboding. Something definitely felt amiss here.
There was no way that Sango was brave enough to sneak out of her room at the inn and meet up with the village headman, and yet it was plain to see. The few guards - he found himself wondering why, in such a quiet village, the headman's home was so closely guarded even after its demon had been defeated - admitted Sango without question, only to ignore her a few moments later when she emerged with the headman himself as her escort. Together they headed into the forest, the headman clutching Sango close to him.
Miroku frowned as something dark and very like jealousy prickled at his consciousness. Somewhere along the line, he had convinced himself that he was the only possible object of Sango's affections. There had been precious little to call that belief into question, but now he found himself wondering if perhaps he had been overconfident. It had simply never occurred to him that Sango might ever be seriously interested in another man. And yet there it was, right in front of him. But why? And when had they arranged for such a meeting that he had not noticed it happening right under his nose?
The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed that they would head not into the mansion but out into the forest. He watched, edging closer, as the two walked away from him, and resolved not to spy – not too much, at least. After all, she deserved to have her happiness uninterrupted, even if the circumstances of it bothered him. Who was he to say what she could and could not do based only on suspicions and strange moods?
And yet… Something just did not feel right.
Perhaps the headman had lured her with the ruse of a demon that needed slaying. Miroku shook his head; the man had barely even spoken to Sango since their group had arrived in the village, and he had been with her the entire time and had heard nothing. She would not go to battle without her weapons or armor. He could not think of any reason why she might have snuck out like this... except, as much as it galled him, a tryst.
Torn between risking Sango's ire by following her and the same outcome by not following her and allowing her to go unaided into danger, Miroku hesitated. Murmured voices in the distance behind him told him that Kagome was awake and had also noticed Sango's strange absence - she was probably asking Inuyasha what he had seen. All of this made his prospects for the rest of the night appear even more bleak; with a sigh of resignation, Miroku chose the lesser evil and headed back toward his room. Sango was a capable warrior, and he knew she could take care of herself. That did not stop him from worrying. He traveled slowly, not wanting to admit defeat in his pursuit of Sango and still sorely tempted to follow her.
But could he stand to spy on her? He did not think so, but knew that he would not be able to sleep for a while yet anyway. Already the thought of it was gnawing at him.
Inuyasha was still up in his tree, but now Kagome and the others had joined him, gathering restlessly around the base of the tree. Kirara was especially agitated. She clearly did not like her mistress's sudden disappearance.
Suddenly her ears twitched and she leapt from Kagome's arms, transforming before she even hit the ground. Miroku himself was only a short distance away - and was very nearly singed by the flames of her transformation - when he thought he heard something. It sounded faint, like a faraway scream, and it came from the forest in the direction Sango and the headman had been going. What was - ?
He was interrupted mid-thought by the hanyou's growl. So Inuyasha had heard something too.
He leapt out of the tree, muttering, "What are you waiting for, monk? Are you deaf? Sango's in trouble – come on!"
Miroku knew Inuyasha was right; there were not many things that could make Sango scream like that, and upon reflection he was not entirely sure he was ready to face one of them. A twisted, frightening feeling had him reaching for his staff - who knew what they might be up against? - which had been propped just inside the door to his room, before taking off after Inuyasha at top speed, leaving Kagome to grab Shippo and catch up on Kirara. It would to be difficult for the large cat to maneuver in the forest, so Miroku and Inuyasha raced ahead.
-----
Sango stirred, groaning. Her head throbbed dully and her entire body felt leaden. It was too difficult to move, so she tried to open her eyes, only to squeeze them quickly shut again; everything was painfully bright and it felt as if the world were spinning wildly around her.
When she was finally able to quash the sensation that her stomach had leapt into her throat, she managed to wonder what had happened. The last thing she remembered was… what was the last thing she remembered? Everything was so hazy it hurt to think. She had no memory of falling asleep or being knocked out in battle, nor could she remember how she came to be here.
She vaguely recalled having a conversation with Miroku earlier in the day, and later eating dinner with her friends. And then… Then what?
Pain lanced through her head and settled, pulsing, behind her eyes. She lay still for a long time, focusing on that pain and willing it to subside; her heart thudded sluggishly in her chest.
She lay still for a while, drifting in and out of consciousness, waiting for something to happen. When she did not move and tried not to think too hard, it did not hurt so much. She had thought she was alone, possibly in a dungeon cell of some sort, but a sudden noise startled her.
Something was moving, giving off a soft, almost slithering sound. Sango's eyes shot open, but the darkness above her, that might have been an earthen ceiling or something else altogether, refused to focus. The pain behind her eyes returned with a throb.
"Sleep, my slayer," whispered an androgynous voice from somewhere nearby. She tried to turn to see who, or what, had spoken, but her body refused to obey her. The command to sleep was alluring; Sango struggled to stay awake and found she could not. As she lost consciousness, she thought she heard the voice add, "It's not yet time for you to wake…"
-----
Sango and the headman couldn't have gotten far in the few minutes since they had left the village, could they? Miroku did not think so, especially because even he had been able to hear Sango's shout. The only question, then, was where they had gone.
In the dark and unfamiliar landscape, Miroku might have walked right by and never noticed a thing out of the ordinary. With that in mind he stuck close to Inuyasha, trusting the hanyou's nose to lead them as they raced through the forest.
For a few moments they followed a well-beaten path, until Inuyasha suddenly veered off into the thick undergrowth. Miroku skidded and almost fell at the sudden change in direction, but he managed to keep his feet beneath him and moving. Leaves and branches slapped against them, as if feebly trying to keep them out, for a long way until the thick vegetation suddenly cleared. Miroku came to a halt, sliding a few feet on damp grass and nearly colliding with Inuyasha. After taking a moment to catch his breath, he peered cautiously around the clearing.
There was no sign of Sango or the headman, but Inuyasha headed immediately to the center of the open space.
"Her scent ends here," the hanyou explained gruffly, almost to himself, as he began pulling vegetation away. "No, it goes underground." Miroku followed and helped clear the area, revealing a cunningly camouflaged trap door by the time Kagome and the others caught up.
"What happened to Sango?" Kagome asked quietly as she came closer, Shippo on one shoulder and Kirara, still in her formidable transformed state, following close on her heels. Suddenly, her expression darkened. As if it were just dawning on her: "I can sense a demon…!"
Focusing his energy, Miroku felt it too. It was a real struggle to find it; this thing was as sneaky and slippery as any foe he had ever faced.
"But… I can't tell where it is… You don't think it's underground, do you, Miroku?"
That was where Inuyasha said Sango was. If he had to guess, a demon was probably what had happened to her... the headman had led her right into a trap. While she could hold her own against several human men in a fight; he had to stop and remind himself that she had left the village without her armor or any of her weapons. Furiously, he wondered what had gotten into her as he considered Kagome's question. "It is possible, Kagome."
"Should we –"
Suddenly, Inuyasha jerked his head up. His teeth curled back almost into a snarl. "What do you want?"
Several of the headman's guards had followed them on their wild chase through the village and forest and were now approaching with weapons at the ready. Not a one of them spoke a word in response to Inuyasha's question. All four of them bore identical expressions: cold, almost blank.
Definitely not a good sign, Miroku decided. The last thing they needed right now was a fight with humans. Armed humans at that, who, by the look of it, had no qualms about killing them. They needed to find Sango as quickly as possible. And this… this was meant to waste time.
"Miroku –"
Kagome's suddenly commanding tone took him by surprise. He stared at her incredulously, momentarily forgetting the armed guards that were threatening them. Usually it was Inuyasha being overbearing and giving commands. Catching Inuyasha's look, he grinned rather lecherously; he could get used to taking orders from a lovely lady like Kagome rather than a certain irate hanyou.
"Take Kirara and go get Sango. We'll hold off the guards."
Both monk and hanyou blinked a few times before what she had said really began to sink in.
"Wait a second," Inuyasha protested. "You're sending him after Sango? Shouldn't we go get her, and let him talk these idiots out of whatever they think they're doing?" His eyes narrowed dangerously, focusing on Kagome and then darting to Miroku for a moment before returning to the girl. "You didn't even bring your weapon. What the hell good are you gonna be against these guys?"
"Well it's not like we're going to kill them, anyway!"
Miroku caught a sidelong glance from Kagome; it was a rather sly look that told him this was exactly what she had intended. She wanted to distract Inuyasha. She wanted Miroku to go save Sango. It was a mystery as to exactly why she was so determined for things to work out that way, but he was not about to give up his chance to earn a little admiration from Sango rather than the scorn he was usually faced with. Besides, fear and anger aside, if she were bound or unconscious, there was always the chance that he could cop a feel unmolested. A completely innocent feel. While he was busy rescuing her, of course.
He sighed. Even he knew this was no time for that type of thought; he did not even really understand why it had popped into his head so suddenly. Especially since he'd so recently set his mind to being good for a change. No, he would take advantage of the opportunity Kagome had provided, and try very hard not to take advantage of any vulnerability on Sango's part.
That decided, Miroku leapt onto Kirara's back and the two plunged into the opening, the sound of Inuyasha arguing with Kagome fading slowly into the background as they descended. The others made no attempt to follow. It would seem that Kagome's methods of subduing the hanyou were becoming more effective.
The hole, which opened up on what turned out to be a large tunnel that headed straight into the ground, had been deliberately covered by a camouflaged trap door and was wide enough that Kirara could descend while still transformed. That would certainly make getting back out easier if they ended up having to backtrack. Miroku found himself silently thanking Kagome for letting him go after Sango alone. Well, almost alone. At least Kirara was every bit as concerned for Sango as he was.
Miroku had a very bad feeling about this, a sick sensation in the pit of his stomach that had been eating away at him since they first heard Sango's scream back at the village, and hated himself for not following when he had the chance. If only he had been more willing to risk her ire, or to risk breaking his own heart, or had not been foolishly trying to win her trust by doing everything he thought she wanted, then he might have managed to prevent whatever was happening to her now. And considering the fact that he could not seem to curb his lecherous thoughts anyway, perhaps his plan of good behavior hadn't been such a good idea, after all.
Realizing that thinking like that would do him no good, he pushed the thoughts aside and focused on the task ahead of him. There would be time for reflection later.
The descent was long; the tunnel was narrow at first, barely big enough to accommodate the two of them, but went deeper and grew far wider than most dens and even wells, though the bottom was dry. From the bottom a narrow, claustrophobic tunnel ran off into the darkness, heading back in the direction of the village.
Miroku slipped from Kirara's back and peered into the darkness. It seemed almost like a cave, but with smooth walls that did not look to have been naturally created. Something had made this tunnel, and very likely for just this sort of purpose. Yet they had heard no tales of women consistently being taken by some demon in the forest, just the dark aura surrounding the village. It was puzzling.
He moved cautiously, walking next to Kirara rather than riding her, expecting an ambush with every step further into the darkness. His grip on his staff tightened nervously. He did not like the close quarters of the tunnel, should they end up in a fight.
For a long time they wandered in darkness, the only light coming from Kirara's faint glow. As the tunnel wound its way through the earth, Miroku began to wonder if they would find themselves under the village, and still there was no sign of reaching an end.
After what seemed like an eternity, the cramped tunnel widened slightly. He could see the faint glow where it opened up into a larger cavern up ahead. Since there was nowhere else to go, they headed straight toward that dimly lit opening.
Miroku paused, taking in the scene that presented itself. Kirara snarled angrily.
Torches lined the wall, giving off just enough light to see by, but clouding the air with smoke. He could not see a demon anywhere, but he could make out Sango's form, lying supine on a pallet against the far wall. She lay frighteningly still, and, even more upsetting, was wearing nothing.
He did not want to think of reasons why this might be the case, but his head filled with images of some faceless demon having its way with Sango. Even worse were the visions in which she was not only at the demon's mercy, but liked it. He forced all such idiotic notions away, with great effort deciding that he would come to conclusions later, after Sango told him what had happened. That hard-won resolution did nothing to stop the ideas from lurking at the edges of his thoughts.
The air was thick with miasma. It gave everything a faintly rosy hue and a subtle sweet smell, and seemed to be coming from the torches. Perhaps it was a sort of incense. Miroku could not be sure, but he clamped the fabric of one sleeve over his nose and mouth before proceeding further. Cautiously removing the covering, he took an experimental breath of the stuff.
While it at first appeared to be a cloud of incense smoke, the effect was instantaneous. His vision swam alarmingly and he felt as if his body was consumed by lust. Swaying on his feet and feeling dangerously lightheaded, he held the fabric over his nose and mouth again; it helped a bit.
What in all hells was this stuff? He had never heard of anything like it.
He took a few deep breaths through the protective fabric, hoping to steady himself. "Stay back, Kirara," he managed. "I will fetch Sango and bring her back here." The demon cat looked at him, a deep rumbling emanating from her chest. The sound told him that she trusted him to rescue her mistress, if just barely.
As he made his way into the lair, he wished he had had both time and the presence of mind to bring Sango's gear, especially her protective gas mask. As he wondered how long she might have been breathing the stuff, it occurred to him to wonder if there would be any long-term effects. Pushing those thoughts aside for now – he would worry about that later, once he knew she was safe – and made his way forward, one hand keeping the fabric protectively over his face and the other clutching his staff.
"Sango."
The woman on the pallet did not move, and gave no sign that she was even aware of his presence. He repeated the call once more, to no avail. Glancing warily about for any sign of the creature - and he was by now certain it could not be a human - that was responsible for this, and assuring himself that they were safe for now, he made his way to her side.
"Sango," he said, crouching so he could whisper close to her ear. Finally, she opened her eyes. Something in those eyes was not quite right…
She looked confused for a moment, then grabbed for him. The sudden movement caught him off guard as she simultaneously moved to shove his arm away from his face and pull him toward her. He wobbled off balance for a moment before her strength caused him to topple over on top of her; he fell out of his crouch to his knees, his butt awkwardly in the air, and his face smashed against Sango's chest.
Halfheartedly, he wondered: since when was Sango the one doing the grabbing? He grunted in annoyance at the rather embarrassing nature of his current position.
Slamming his hands down on the straw pallet on either side of her, he pushed away as hard as he could. It was no use. Sometimes, he had to admit, her strength was truly an inconvenience. Particularly when he was fighting against her.
"Sango, snap out of it," he wheezed. He did not want to breathe in any more of that miasma, but she was making things very difficult.
"Mm, Houshi-sama," she murmured, her breath oddly hot. She squirmed, trying to wriggle her way under him without letting him go.
"Sango, what's gotten into you?" Something very obviously had gotten into her; the demon slayer he knew would never be this forthcoming, no matter how enticing that thought might be. He tried to worm his way out of her grip, but ended up pinned against her even more firmly and cursing her strength yet again. The situation was quickly becoming ridiculous.
Her hands slid along his back, slipping gently around to cup his face, drawing him up. He moved willingly, hoping to somehow gain control of the situation. Sango had other ideas.
The look in her eyes caught him, drew him in. She looked so beautiful, so…
Eyes closed, he whispered her name and leaned in to close the distance between them. He'd waited a long time to kiss Sango…
-----
"What's taking him so damn long?" Inuyasha groused, impatiently throwing three of the village guards off him. He hoped at least one of them hit the fourth one, who had managed to slip away from him.
Kagome let out an "eep!" and dodged to the side as one of the unlucky men landed where she had been standing a moment before. She frowned in annoyance. "He's only been gone a few minutes, you know. He might not even have found her yet."
"Keh. That's why you shoulda let me do it. I'd have sniffed her out by now and we'd be done with this already."
Kagome said nothing. She did not want to let on, but she was worried. She put on a brave face and boundless optimism to keep Inuyasha at bay, but it really had been a while since Miroku and Kirara went after Sango. She hoped that everything was all right.
Chapter Three
Footsteps.
Miroku opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for several moments. Yes, he definitely heard footsteps. As quietly as possible, so as to avoid disturbing Inuyasha any more than was necessary, he slipped out of his futon and slid the door open.
He peered around for a moment before finding what he was looking for. Sango had just walked past, wearing only the white yukata that the innkeeper had provided. She was heading away from the clustered huts where the villagers resided, and toward the headman's house. Unable to believe what he had seen, he slipped out the door and followed her; it seemed so unlike Sango for her to do something like this. He had to see with his own eyes what she intended to do. If he did not see for himself, there was no way he could believe it.
A quick glance at the nearby tree where Inuyasha was sitting indicated that the hanyou was awake and watching them after all. Gold eyes glittered faintly as they watched. Indeed, the smug look on his face seemed to say, "I know what you two are up to." As he followed Sango, Miroku wished that the hanyou's guess was correct, but could not ignore his own sense of foreboding. Something definitely felt amiss here.
There was no way that Sango was brave enough to sneak out of her room at the inn and meet up with the village headman, and yet it was plain to see. The few guards - he found himself wondering why, in such a quiet village, the headman's home was so closely guarded even after its demon had been defeated - admitted Sango without question, only to ignore her a few moments later when she emerged with the headman himself as her escort. Together they headed into the forest, the headman clutching Sango close to him.
Miroku frowned as something dark and very like jealousy prickled at his consciousness. Somewhere along the line, he had convinced himself that he was the only possible object of Sango's affections. There had been precious little to call that belief into question, but now he found himself wondering if perhaps he had been overconfident. It had simply never occurred to him that Sango might ever be seriously interested in another man. And yet there it was, right in front of him. But why? And when had they arranged for such a meeting that he had not noticed it happening right under his nose?
The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed that they would head not into the mansion but out into the forest. He watched, edging closer, as the two walked away from him, and resolved not to spy – not too much, at least. After all, she deserved to have her happiness uninterrupted, even if the circumstances of it bothered him. Who was he to say what she could and could not do based only on suspicions and strange moods?
And yet… Something just did not feel right.
Perhaps the headman had lured her with the ruse of a demon that needed slaying. Miroku shook his head; the man had barely even spoken to Sango since their group had arrived in the village, and he had been with her the entire time and had heard nothing. She would not go to battle without her weapons or armor. He could not think of any reason why she might have snuck out like this... except, as much as it galled him, a tryst.
Torn between risking Sango's ire by following her and the same outcome by not following her and allowing her to go unaided into danger, Miroku hesitated. Murmured voices in the distance behind him told him that Kagome was awake and had also noticed Sango's strange absence - she was probably asking Inuyasha what he had seen. All of this made his prospects for the rest of the night appear even more bleak; with a sigh of resignation, Miroku chose the lesser evil and headed back toward his room. Sango was a capable warrior, and he knew she could take care of herself. That did not stop him from worrying. He traveled slowly, not wanting to admit defeat in his pursuit of Sango and still sorely tempted to follow her.
But could he stand to spy on her? He did not think so, but knew that he would not be able to sleep for a while yet anyway. Already the thought of it was gnawing at him.
Inuyasha was still up in his tree, but now Kagome and the others had joined him, gathering restlessly around the base of the tree. Kirara was especially agitated. She clearly did not like her mistress's sudden disappearance.
Suddenly her ears twitched and she leapt from Kagome's arms, transforming before she even hit the ground. Miroku himself was only a short distance away - and was very nearly singed by the flames of her transformation - when he thought he heard something. It sounded faint, like a faraway scream, and it came from the forest in the direction Sango and the headman had been going. What was - ?
He was interrupted mid-thought by the hanyou's growl. So Inuyasha had heard something too.
He leapt out of the tree, muttering, "What are you waiting for, monk? Are you deaf? Sango's in trouble – come on!"
Miroku knew Inuyasha was right; there were not many things that could make Sango scream like that, and upon reflection he was not entirely sure he was ready to face one of them. A twisted, frightening feeling had him reaching for his staff - who knew what they might be up against? - which had been propped just inside the door to his room, before taking off after Inuyasha at top speed, leaving Kagome to grab Shippo and catch up on Kirara. It would to be difficult for the large cat to maneuver in the forest, so Miroku and Inuyasha raced ahead.
-----
Sango stirred, groaning. Her head throbbed dully and her entire body felt leaden. It was too difficult to move, so she tried to open her eyes, only to squeeze them quickly shut again; everything was painfully bright and it felt as if the world were spinning wildly around her.
When she was finally able to quash the sensation that her stomach had leapt into her throat, she managed to wonder what had happened. The last thing she remembered was… what was the last thing she remembered? Everything was so hazy it hurt to think. She had no memory of falling asleep or being knocked out in battle, nor could she remember how she came to be here.
She vaguely recalled having a conversation with Miroku earlier in the day, and later eating dinner with her friends. And then… Then what?
Pain lanced through her head and settled, pulsing, behind her eyes. She lay still for a long time, focusing on that pain and willing it to subside; her heart thudded sluggishly in her chest.
She lay still for a while, drifting in and out of consciousness, waiting for something to happen. When she did not move and tried not to think too hard, it did not hurt so much. She had thought she was alone, possibly in a dungeon cell of some sort, but a sudden noise startled her.
Something was moving, giving off a soft, almost slithering sound. Sango's eyes shot open, but the darkness above her, that might have been an earthen ceiling or something else altogether, refused to focus. The pain behind her eyes returned with a throb.
"Sleep, my slayer," whispered an androgynous voice from somewhere nearby. She tried to turn to see who, or what, had spoken, but her body refused to obey her. The command to sleep was alluring; Sango struggled to stay awake and found she could not. As she lost consciousness, she thought she heard the voice add, "It's not yet time for you to wake…"
-----
Sango and the headman couldn't have gotten far in the few minutes since they had left the village, could they? Miroku did not think so, especially because even he had been able to hear Sango's shout. The only question, then, was where they had gone.
In the dark and unfamiliar landscape, Miroku might have walked right by and never noticed a thing out of the ordinary. With that in mind he stuck close to Inuyasha, trusting the hanyou's nose to lead them as they raced through the forest.
For a few moments they followed a well-beaten path, until Inuyasha suddenly veered off into the thick undergrowth. Miroku skidded and almost fell at the sudden change in direction, but he managed to keep his feet beneath him and moving. Leaves and branches slapped against them, as if feebly trying to keep them out, for a long way until the thick vegetation suddenly cleared. Miroku came to a halt, sliding a few feet on damp grass and nearly colliding with Inuyasha. After taking a moment to catch his breath, he peered cautiously around the clearing.
There was no sign of Sango or the headman, but Inuyasha headed immediately to the center of the open space.
"Her scent ends here," the hanyou explained gruffly, almost to himself, as he began pulling vegetation away. "No, it goes underground." Miroku followed and helped clear the area, revealing a cunningly camouflaged trap door by the time Kagome and the others caught up.
"What happened to Sango?" Kagome asked quietly as she came closer, Shippo on one shoulder and Kirara, still in her formidable transformed state, following close on her heels. Suddenly, her expression darkened. As if it were just dawning on her: "I can sense a demon…!"
Focusing his energy, Miroku felt it too. It was a real struggle to find it; this thing was as sneaky and slippery as any foe he had ever faced.
"But… I can't tell where it is… You don't think it's underground, do you, Miroku?"
That was where Inuyasha said Sango was. If he had to guess, a demon was probably what had happened to her... the headman had led her right into a trap. While she could hold her own against several human men in a fight; he had to stop and remind himself that she had left the village without her armor or any of her weapons. Furiously, he wondered what had gotten into her as he considered Kagome's question. "It is possible, Kagome."
"Should we –"
Suddenly, Inuyasha jerked his head up. His teeth curled back almost into a snarl. "What do you want?"
Several of the headman's guards had followed them on their wild chase through the village and forest and were now approaching with weapons at the ready. Not a one of them spoke a word in response to Inuyasha's question. All four of them bore identical expressions: cold, almost blank.
Definitely not a good sign, Miroku decided. The last thing they needed right now was a fight with humans. Armed humans at that, who, by the look of it, had no qualms about killing them. They needed to find Sango as quickly as possible. And this… this was meant to waste time.
"Miroku –"
Kagome's suddenly commanding tone took him by surprise. He stared at her incredulously, momentarily forgetting the armed guards that were threatening them. Usually it was Inuyasha being overbearing and giving commands. Catching Inuyasha's look, he grinned rather lecherously; he could get used to taking orders from a lovely lady like Kagome rather than a certain irate hanyou.
"Take Kirara and go get Sango. We'll hold off the guards."
Both monk and hanyou blinked a few times before what she had said really began to sink in.
"Wait a second," Inuyasha protested. "You're sending him after Sango? Shouldn't we go get her, and let him talk these idiots out of whatever they think they're doing?" His eyes narrowed dangerously, focusing on Kagome and then darting to Miroku for a moment before returning to the girl. "You didn't even bring your weapon. What the hell good are you gonna be against these guys?"
"Well it's not like we're going to kill them, anyway!"
Miroku caught a sidelong glance from Kagome; it was a rather sly look that told him this was exactly what she had intended. She wanted to distract Inuyasha. She wanted Miroku to go save Sango. It was a mystery as to exactly why she was so determined for things to work out that way, but he was not about to give up his chance to earn a little admiration from Sango rather than the scorn he was usually faced with. Besides, fear and anger aside, if she were bound or unconscious, there was always the chance that he could cop a feel unmolested. A completely innocent feel. While he was busy rescuing her, of course.
He sighed. Even he knew this was no time for that type of thought; he did not even really understand why it had popped into his head so suddenly. Especially since he'd so recently set his mind to being good for a change. No, he would take advantage of the opportunity Kagome had provided, and try very hard not to take advantage of any vulnerability on Sango's part.
That decided, Miroku leapt onto Kirara's back and the two plunged into the opening, the sound of Inuyasha arguing with Kagome fading slowly into the background as they descended. The others made no attempt to follow. It would seem that Kagome's methods of subduing the hanyou were becoming more effective.
The hole, which opened up on what turned out to be a large tunnel that headed straight into the ground, had been deliberately covered by a camouflaged trap door and was wide enough that Kirara could descend while still transformed. That would certainly make getting back out easier if they ended up having to backtrack. Miroku found himself silently thanking Kagome for letting him go after Sango alone. Well, almost alone. At least Kirara was every bit as concerned for Sango as he was.
Miroku had a very bad feeling about this, a sick sensation in the pit of his stomach that had been eating away at him since they first heard Sango's scream back at the village, and hated himself for not following when he had the chance. If only he had been more willing to risk her ire, or to risk breaking his own heart, or had not been foolishly trying to win her trust by doing everything he thought she wanted, then he might have managed to prevent whatever was happening to her now. And considering the fact that he could not seem to curb his lecherous thoughts anyway, perhaps his plan of good behavior hadn't been such a good idea, after all.
Realizing that thinking like that would do him no good, he pushed the thoughts aside and focused on the task ahead of him. There would be time for reflection later.
The descent was long; the tunnel was narrow at first, barely big enough to accommodate the two of them, but went deeper and grew far wider than most dens and even wells, though the bottom was dry. From the bottom a narrow, claustrophobic tunnel ran off into the darkness, heading back in the direction of the village.
Miroku slipped from Kirara's back and peered into the darkness. It seemed almost like a cave, but with smooth walls that did not look to have been naturally created. Something had made this tunnel, and very likely for just this sort of purpose. Yet they had heard no tales of women consistently being taken by some demon in the forest, just the dark aura surrounding the village. It was puzzling.
He moved cautiously, walking next to Kirara rather than riding her, expecting an ambush with every step further into the darkness. His grip on his staff tightened nervously. He did not like the close quarters of the tunnel, should they end up in a fight.
For a long time they wandered in darkness, the only light coming from Kirara's faint glow. As the tunnel wound its way through the earth, Miroku began to wonder if they would find themselves under the village, and still there was no sign of reaching an end.
After what seemed like an eternity, the cramped tunnel widened slightly. He could see the faint glow where it opened up into a larger cavern up ahead. Since there was nowhere else to go, they headed straight toward that dimly lit opening.
Miroku paused, taking in the scene that presented itself. Kirara snarled angrily.
Torches lined the wall, giving off just enough light to see by, but clouding the air with smoke. He could not see a demon anywhere, but he could make out Sango's form, lying supine on a pallet against the far wall. She lay frighteningly still, and, even more upsetting, was wearing nothing.
He did not want to think of reasons why this might be the case, but his head filled with images of some faceless demon having its way with Sango. Even worse were the visions in which she was not only at the demon's mercy, but liked it. He forced all such idiotic notions away, with great effort deciding that he would come to conclusions later, after Sango told him what had happened. That hard-won resolution did nothing to stop the ideas from lurking at the edges of his thoughts.
The air was thick with miasma. It gave everything a faintly rosy hue and a subtle sweet smell, and seemed to be coming from the torches. Perhaps it was a sort of incense. Miroku could not be sure, but he clamped the fabric of one sleeve over his nose and mouth before proceeding further. Cautiously removing the covering, he took an experimental breath of the stuff.
While it at first appeared to be a cloud of incense smoke, the effect was instantaneous. His vision swam alarmingly and he felt as if his body was consumed by lust. Swaying on his feet and feeling dangerously lightheaded, he held the fabric over his nose and mouth again; it helped a bit.
What in all hells was this stuff? He had never heard of anything like it.
He took a few deep breaths through the protective fabric, hoping to steady himself. "Stay back, Kirara," he managed. "I will fetch Sango and bring her back here." The demon cat looked at him, a deep rumbling emanating from her chest. The sound told him that she trusted him to rescue her mistress, if just barely.
As he made his way into the lair, he wished he had had both time and the presence of mind to bring Sango's gear, especially her protective gas mask. As he wondered how long she might have been breathing the stuff, it occurred to him to wonder if there would be any long-term effects. Pushing those thoughts aside for now – he would worry about that later, once he knew she was safe – and made his way forward, one hand keeping the fabric protectively over his face and the other clutching his staff.
"Sango."
The woman on the pallet did not move, and gave no sign that she was even aware of his presence. He repeated the call once more, to no avail. Glancing warily about for any sign of the creature - and he was by now certain it could not be a human - that was responsible for this, and assuring himself that they were safe for now, he made his way to her side.
"Sango," he said, crouching so he could whisper close to her ear. Finally, she opened her eyes. Something in those eyes was not quite right…
She looked confused for a moment, then grabbed for him. The sudden movement caught him off guard as she simultaneously moved to shove his arm away from his face and pull him toward her. He wobbled off balance for a moment before her strength caused him to topple over on top of her; he fell out of his crouch to his knees, his butt awkwardly in the air, and his face smashed against Sango's chest.
Halfheartedly, he wondered: since when was Sango the one doing the grabbing? He grunted in annoyance at the rather embarrassing nature of his current position.
Slamming his hands down on the straw pallet on either side of her, he pushed away as hard as he could. It was no use. Sometimes, he had to admit, her strength was truly an inconvenience. Particularly when he was fighting against her.
"Sango, snap out of it," he wheezed. He did not want to breathe in any more of that miasma, but she was making things very difficult.
"Mm, Houshi-sama," she murmured, her breath oddly hot. She squirmed, trying to wriggle her way under him without letting him go.
"Sango, what's gotten into you?" Something very obviously had gotten into her; the demon slayer he knew would never be this forthcoming, no matter how enticing that thought might be. He tried to worm his way out of her grip, but ended up pinned against her even more firmly and cursing her strength yet again. The situation was quickly becoming ridiculous.
Her hands slid along his back, slipping gently around to cup his face, drawing him up. He moved willingly, hoping to somehow gain control of the situation. Sango had other ideas.
The look in her eyes caught him, drew him in. She looked so beautiful, so…
Eyes closed, he whispered her name and leaned in to close the distance between them. He'd waited a long time to kiss Sango…
-----
"What's taking him so damn long?" Inuyasha groused, impatiently throwing three of the village guards off him. He hoped at least one of them hit the fourth one, who had managed to slip away from him.
Kagome let out an "eep!" and dodged to the side as one of the unlucky men landed where she had been standing a moment before. She frowned in annoyance. "He's only been gone a few minutes, you know. He might not even have found her yet."
"Keh. That's why you shoulda let me do it. I'd have sniffed her out by now and we'd be done with this already."
Kagome said nothing. She did not want to let on, but she was worried. She put on a brave face and boundless optimism to keep Inuyasha at bay, but it really had been a while since Miroku and Kirara went after Sango. She hoped that everything was all right.