CHAPTER 8 Stand Tall 14 DAYS LATER "Sango-sama!" The huntress startled, and pried her gaze off the sturdy youkai hide stretched over her workbench. Little Rin came skipping in the shop from outside, absolutely covered from head to toe in mud. Distinct footprints were left in her wake, but Sango couldn't stop the chuckle that seeped out of her mouth when she saw the kid's rounded, smiling face. How can anything so dirty be so cute? She straightened her back from weapon-making, and walked over to the girl. "Looks like you were helping Kohaku plow the garden�" Rin nodded vigorously and hopped on her toes. "Look what I got!" A bushy assortment of vegetation popped up between them, more weeds than flowers. "I picked them for you, Sango-sama." "Is that right," Sango smiled, crouching down to politely accept the bouquet from Rin's hands. "So this is how you were helping Kohaku plant," she laughed, and shook her head. "Well, it's beautiful." Rin giggled sheepishly, and clasped her fingers behind her back in shy delight. After a moment, her smile turned anxious. "I'll make one for Sesshoumaru-sama too...when he comes back." Sango heard the underlying question in her words. "He should return shortly," she said with utmost confidence. The demon lord and Jaken had already left and returned twice in the past fourteen days, leaving Rin in Sango's care. And each time he came back, he seemed to spend more time at the village. His initial uneasy presence had progressed comfortably, and she'd grown accustomed to his lingering company as she worked on her new boomerang. They'd even engage in conversation - granted, the topics of which usually touched on demonic nature, and human folklore, but still... Conversations. With Sesshoumaru. It was nuts. Turns out, he spent his time doing just what she'd been trained for. Exterminating troublesome youkai. They had their different reasons for it, but the slaying was a huge common ground, only further cementing them in this unbelievably natural friendship. Sango knew, without making it official, that he had made some sort of home here, and she was increasingly glad of his company. Not to mention how nice it was to have young Rin around. The child's laughter seemed to breathe life into the dead village. Even Kohaku smiled around her on occasion, which was encouraging considering how depressed he'd been ever since she told him everyone in the village was slaughtered. Of course, his part in that slaughter would be left for another telling, on another day. It didn't take a wiseman to know it was just too soon. "Nee-chan!" Sango looked up as Kohaku stopped behind Rin in the doorway. His hands were caked with dirt from gardening, and his knees weren't much better. His expression was anxious. "There's a group of people here to see you, nee-chan. They called me by name, but I don't know them�" "What?" She stood slowly, and placed the bouquet on the table behind her. Rin blinked up curiously, and Sango placed a hand absently on her shoulder. "What do they-" "One girl has really strange clothes. The other is a monk, with a little kitsune-" Sango clapped a hand to her mouth. She'd told Miroku to come after several days. How could she have forgotten? A huge grin broadened her face, and Kohaku quirked a brow. "You know them?" "Of course I do!" She pushed past him and out into the clearing to see four very familiar and surprised faces. Sango laughed, and waved vigorously. She had a lot to tell. * * * "Keh! Bastard probably just needed a babysitter," Inuyasha said bluntly, not caring one iota that Rin was sitting right there. Sango's mouth opened in appall, Miroku sighed and shook his head, Shippo rolled his eyes, and Kagome did something that blew them all away. Or more specifically, blew Inuyasha away. Literally. Clear across the way and splintering through two and a half bamboo huts. Sango gaped as dust kicked up from the debris, followed by the crashing sound of whatever it was that broke his fall. Kagome's face turned scarlet in embarrassment, staring at the offending hand as though surprised to find it attached to the end of her wrist. "Oops�" "Oi, Kagome... He's gonna be pissed," Shippo muttered. Miroku watched the hanyou curse and scramble out of the rubble as though it was an every day occurrence. "Kagome-sama," he counseled in an even tone, "you really need to refrain from using your instinctive gestures when you get mad." Kagome bit her bottom lip, tossing a nervous glance in Inuyasha's direction. "I forgot�" Sango gawked at them all. "What just happened!? How did Kagome do that?" "That's nothing!" Shippo chimed up, hopping on his little fox feet. "You should see it when she shoots lightning out of her hands!" Sango choked. "Lightning?" Kagome curled into herself, and nodded ruefully. "But that's easier to control." "IDIOT!" Inuyasha stomped back over to the grouping, absolutely livid. Dust particles and wood splinters radiated off his angry form in layers. "What did you do that for!?" "I didn't mean to hit you so hard," then Kagome tossed a quick glance at wide-eyed Rin, and her face shifted from apologetic to angry. "But you shouldn't have said�" The ensuing argument between the two blurred into the background as Miroku leaned over to Sango and said under hushed tones, "Absorbing the Shikon no Tama has equipped our friend with some dangerous powers," he explained. "I noticed�" Kagome's words got louder, and Inuyasha's language got worse. Sango resisted the urge to cover Rin's ears and made eye contact with Kohaku. "Maybe you can take Rin for a ride on Kirara, eh?" After a moment's hesitation and astonished appraisal at the latest list of invective that spewed from the hanyou's mouth, Kohaku nodded and grabbed Rin's hand. "Wanna go for a ride on the fire cat?" Her face lit up. "YES!" "I wanna come, too," Shippo piped up, no doubt having missed the great white animal. As the three trotted off, and Sango turned to Miroku, whose gaze was already studiously locked on her. "So you've been working on a new weapon?" he asked. Sango nodded, distracted by the nearby arguing. She cocked her head in the direction of the workshop. "Want to see?" He was suspiciously up on his feet before she even finished her question. "Hai!" It didn't occur to her until they stepped through the doorway of her place how private it was. And how alone they suddenly were. Ignoring the quickened patter of her heart, and the palpable presence of the man behind her, Sango traced her finger along the humungous jawbone of a centipede youkai. "It's half sawed down, and I think I'll shape it a tad sharper, this time�" He bent over it, his admiring eyes scanning her work, and then lifting to scan her. "Ah, Sango-chan. It is rare indeed when a woman can possess such beauty, and such skill at the same time." As the blood rushed to her face, it swelled her throat closed on the way, and she coughed demurely. His flattering words had the intended affect, catching her completely off guard. She didn't mind the compliment. She just had no idea how to respond to it. So Sango said nothing, and pretended he hadn't said it at all. "�and after I�uh�I stretch the kiss," startled pause, "I-mean-the-skin, the youkai skin over the bone�" she turned her back to him, mentally thwacking herself for such an embarrassing fupah. Idiot idiot idiot! She attempted to focus on something that wasn't Miroku. Her hand mindlessly caressed the partially-crafted boomerang. Texture, texture. Focus on the texture� "Uhm�" "Sango-chan," he breathed, tugging on her elbow until she faced him again. The passion in her eyes stole her breath, and she was barely able to utter his name. "Houshi-sama?" "Let's stop pretending," he said, taking both her hands in his. Her heart leapt, clear up into her throat, impairing speech. "P-pre�tending?" He nodded, and his following smile made the world stop. "You. Me. Us," he inched closer. "Fate has brought us together, and destiny would keep us that way..." Her mouth fumbled inarticulately over a stunned response, and his eyes crinkled in amusement. He lifted a hand to run his thumb along her cheek. "Ah. I've startled you. Perhaps I should rephrase it�" A moment later, Sango discovered how it felt to be kissed by a boy. * * * Their backs were facing each other, arms folded stiffly across their chests. The strained silence that followed their argument was more than Inuyasha could bear. "Kagome." "Eh." "I'm tired of arguing." "Me too." They turned around simultaneously, and he was relieved to see a soft expression on her face. It was one of his favorite ones. With a rueful smile, she walked up to him and started plucking the debris out of his hair. He let her. It was her fault he was dirty to begin with. Not to mention he certainly didn't mind her being that close. He was about to forego the cleaning in order to pursue more intimate venues, when a sound in the distance made his ears twitch. The hanyou perked, his head swiveling towards the humble highway at the edge of town. "What is it?" Kagome asked. He concentrated. "Travelers. One wagon, I think," he paused as the delighted sounds of female laughter resounded from the bend in the road. He and Kagome waited until his predictions were verified. One horse dragging a modest wagon behind it, with an old man steering, and three young women playing games in the back. By their obvious level of comfort, and similar features, Inuyasha pegged them for family. He tensed, expecting the usual persecution for being part demon, but all he got was a wary glance from the father when they approached. "Good day," the man said, focusing his attention on Kagome. "We're only passing through. Tell me, is there a water source here that we may tap for our travels?" "And a place we can bathe!" one of the girls chimed behind him, earning the agreeing chuckles of the others. "And eat!" said the other. Kagome smiled warmly. "Hai. There is." Inuyasha turned to locate Sango, and saw Miroku exiting the workshop, projecting his usual monk-like humility with ease. Inuyasha snorted in disgust. Feh. That pervert is so predictable. This'll just make his day. Sango emerged after him. It took her a moment to assimilate the situation, and instead of walking over to greet the strangers in her village, her eyebrows drew tight in the center, and her lips parted in a look of stunned hurt. She stared at the fleeing figure of Miroku as though he'd just walked off with her heart. Inuyasha blinked. But she knows how he is. She's seen him flirt with every girl we've come across� Miroku came to a halt beside Kagome, bowed and extended the most humble, hospitable greeting he could muster. "Welcome. Tell us, good sir. What brings you," his eyes glanced discreetly to the three blushing girls in back, and then he averted his gaze respectfully down, "and such a lovely cargo to this village?" The following conversation faded out as Inuyasha caught the monk's scent. It was his typical travel-wear smell, but this time it was mingled. With Sango's. His jaw dropped. They kissed!? He considered the three maidens in the wagon, who currently had all of the monk's attention, and winced internally. Idiot� The hanyou tossed a worried look over at the huntress. She stood with a hand over quivering lips, and even from this distance he could see the shimmer in her eyes. Miroku's womanizing usually just made her angry, but this time was understandably different. She was hurt. Really hurt. Not realizing anyone was looking, Sango turned and ran away from them. Inuyasha sighed heavily as he watched her disappear into the forest, making a mental note to knock Miroku upside the head once the strangers were taken care of, and send Kagome to talk to the girl whose heart he'd just unwittingly broken. * * * Sango ran blindly through the trees, dodging and ducking through the brushing foliage until she came to a small clearing and collapsed to her knees. With her hands curled in the dirt, she hung her head between trembling shoulders, and released a shuddering sob. Miroku's taste was still on her lips, but the only visual that burned in her awareness was how that sweet mouth that had been kissing her just moments before, had turned right around to give its most attentive greeting to the nearest pretty distraction. 'Ah, do not worry Sango-chan,' Miroku had said, noticing her abrupt anxiety as he made to go welcome the travelers, 'YOU have my heart.' He'd said it. And after kissing her like that, a small part of her still dared to believe it. But she had so hoped he would be different now. That he would change�just for her. That sick feeling in her gut worked its way up her esophagus - the abrupt anxiety at his unintentional dismissal taking the form of nausea. She cursed it, and she cursed her tears, but all the professed vehemence in the world couldn't take away the feeling of inadequacy. Of worthlessness� It's me, she thought in self despair as another set of tears rolled down her cheeks. I'm not pretty enough to keep him monogamous. He's bound to me by our friendship, but not by love� "Get up." Harsh. Irritated. Rude. Sango startled, jerking her teary face in the direction of the voice. Intense, amber eyes stared back at her, mouth set in a straight line. His hair shadowed his serious face, and blanketed his folded arms. The signs were subtle, but she knew him by now. Sesshoumaru was unmistakably frustrated. Upset. "Sess�Sesshoumaru�?" she stammered, momentarily shocked by his abrupt appearance. "When did you get back?" "Who are you?" he asked roughly, his flashing eyes narrowing in a frown. "Surely not the brave and unbeatable slayer who marched by my side through the realm of the Shikon no Tama. Not the woman whose inner strength was so great, she not only conquered the ghosts of her own past, but a demon lord's as well�" Sango was winded by the poignancy of his angry words. Had he been spying on her and Miroku somehow? "Hn," his nostrils flared as he stepped towards her crumpled form. "You can't be her, because she wouldn't be reduced to a weepy, sniveling critter from the disheartened infatuations of a wayward crush - over a womanizing monk who has no more merit to claim her heart than Naraku himself." Her jaw dropped. Where was all this coming from!? All of her negative energies were redirected at him. "How dare you! How dare you pretend to understand human emotions after you've spent a lifetime denying them!" she snapped, her hurt giving way to offense. She sat back on her heels, not even bothering to wipe the tears from her eyes. "And Miroku is nothing like Naraku. He's the first man that ever showed any interest in me as a woman. The first person to find me beautiful--" "Idiot," Sesshoumaru berated, his elegant face briefly creasing in aggravation. "Your lack of suitors isn't because you are undesirable." She blinked up at him, perplexed. How could he talk with so much confidence about something he knew nothing about? What other reason could it be? She'd spent her whole life watching other girls get all the attention, while she practiced her skill in the village's hunting fields. "Of course it is. What else--" "Human men know when they're outmatched. Any fool with an ounce of self-awareness would recognize that mud hens do not attempt to court swans, and beggars do not aspire to marry princesses." His gaze momentarily lifted towards the direction of the village, and his expression darkened. "Then there is your precious monk, who seems to think everything female is in his league." His words left her in a state of confused flattery, but what came out was her inevitable denial to his comment about Miroku. "Houshi-sama told me that I have his heart-" "What good is it to have his heart, when you don't have his thoughts? His eyes?" So logical. Rational. She couldn't argue with him, no matter how badly she wanted to. But it wasn't making her feel any less empty, or insufficient. Sango hung her head again, not enjoying this analysis one bit. "You don't understand. Just go away." "What is there to understand?" His following pause carried the impact of a hundred scoffs. She saw his clothes ruffle in her peripheral vision as he unfolded his arms and clenched his fists at his sides. "You're not yourself around him, Sango" he said heatedly. "Timid. Insecure. Shy. It's pathetic." His words cut straight to the core, and she glared at him in offended hurt. But instead of berating her further and scowling back, the demon lord's expression had softened. Traces of sympathy crossed his face. He surprised her further by gently catching her chin in his long fingers, tilting her head back until she was locked in his stare. "Self-pity doesn't suit you, huntress," he said quietly, flexing his claws lightly around her jaw. "Remember who you are. Stand tall. And don't waste all your infatuations on the first man that makes you feel beautiful." Sesshoumaru released her stunned face, and turned to go, tossing one last comment over his shoulder as he departed... "You're worth more than that."
Chapter 9 >>>
Chap. 1
Chap. 2
Chap. 3
Chap. 4
Chap. 5
Chap. 6
Chap. 7
Chap. 8
Chap. 9
