InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Charade ❯ Complications ( Chapter 5 )

Charade

.

.

Chapter Five: COMPLICATIONS

.

. "Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?..."

.

.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" An extremely tall man with black hair and piercing yellow eyes chuckled as he took in the sight before him. "Here I have Hanyou return with a wench, and Wolf empty-handed. Did you confuse your assignments, boys?"

InuYasha and Wolf only glowered in response.

The man ambled over to take a closer look at Kagome, who sullenly refused to acknowledge him. "Can she talk?"

"Can she ever," Wolf mumbled, rubbing his ears. "I'm bushed. Wake me up if something happens."

Kagome watched him stroll over to a ledge just inside the opening of the cave and curl up and go to sleep. She stuck her tongue out at him, feeling nothing but childish at the moment. She was tired, hungry, and utterly confused.

InuYasha was talking to the tall man. "She was only yelling and screaming and kicking the whole way here."

"You would too if you were taken against your will to who-knows-where!" snapped Kagome.

"Oh-ho, so she does have a voice," the man said. "Looks an awful lot like-what's her name…"

"Kikyo, perhaps?" offered Kagome sarcastically, still pouting in InuYasha's arms. "That's all I've heard in the past day. InuYasha, you can put me down now. It's not like I've got anywhere to run."

The tall man looked at the hanyou in surprise. "InuYasha, is it? Well, well, well…"

"Just leave me alone," he muttered, setting Kagome down none too gently.

"Hey! Watch it," she complained.

"Aw, shut up, bitch; I'm sick of your whining."

Kagome huffed and muttered derogatory comments under her breath.

Rocky looked amused. "Quite a spirit she has there, hmm?"

"If that's what you want to call it." He yawned widely. "Man, I need some sleep. Please tell me I have nothing to do for a while."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I need you to run a little errand for me-tonight."

"Man, are you serious?" groaned InuYasha. "C'mon, Rocky, I haven't slept in 24 hours!"

"Oh, I see. Is this too big of an assignment for a little hanyou?" He laughed lightly. "Don't you worry, Hanyou! I'll get Wolf to do it, no problem-"

"All right, all right, all right. I'll do it. Geez. The things I have to do to earn my keep." He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. "Can I at least have a fifteen-minute nap?"

"Take it. I'll give you your assignment when you awaken."

"Gotcha." InuYasha walked towards the cave, methodically cracking different stiff joints on the way.

"Hey! What about me?!" Kagome yelled after him from her place on the ground.

"What about you, wench?" he said without turning around.

"What do you expect me to do while you're taking your little cat nap? Er… doggy nap? Just sit around here and wait?"

"Sounds good to me." He turned to Red, who was standing guard for the night. "If any of you tries to eat her tonight, I'll personally ban you from all brothels in the area."

"Aw, Hanyou-!"

"I mean it!"

"Fine," he sighed. "Oh well. She looks all skin and bones anyway."

"Hey! I'm can hear you, you know!" Kagome shouted.

"I know." InuYasha smirked. "Hang tight till I'm all rested up, 'kay?" With that, he entered the cave, yawning.

"That baka," muttered Kagome, crossing her arms. "Kidnapping me and leaving me out here by myself with no one to talk to and nothing to do. I think I'll die of boredom. I should be back at the hospital now, helping people, saving lives!" She sighed dramatically. "And I can't escape either cuz that bozo is watching me like that… man, this sucks."

She looked towards the cave. "Of course… I could always go in there…" Truth to be told, I feel more safe around InuYasha than this weird guard guy…

Mind made up, she stood and walked towards the cave, carefully sidestepping the scattered bones that dotted the ground in front of the cave ('don't think about where those came from,' she thought). She waited at the mouth of the cave until her eyes adjusted, then moved inside. She didn't see InuYasha anywhere-where had he disappeared to?

"Heyyyy, guys, look, it's a female!"

Kagome stiffened as every eye in the cave turned to look at her.

"Is she the new contact?"

"Human she is! I kin smell her stink all the way over hurr!"

"Hey, missy, what's your name?"

Kagome's tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She opened her mouth to answer, but only a squeak came out. These men were huge! From the looks of their muscles, she would have guessed them to be runners or swimmers; and they were so tall! And they all had those funny pointed ears-

Youkai! She was surrounded by youkai! I'll bet this is the Black Mask! That bastard InuYasha!

One of the men was walking towards her. "Looks familiar, she does. Where've I seen you before, my pretty? Mebbe at one o' the local brothels?"

Hoots and whistles sounded throughout the cave.

Kagome hastily stepped backwards. Judging by Wolf's reaction to her looks, resembling Kikyo was not a good thing. What would happen if all these men ganged up on her?

"I-I'm looking for InuYasha!" she squeaked. "Do you know where he went?"

"Who?" the man closest to her frowned. "InuYasha?"

"Um, or Hanyou? Have you seen Hanyou around?"

"Oh, sure, he's over thurr-on that ledge, near the back. Whaddya want with him?"

"I-I just need to speak with him."

"Okeydoke, missy." The man flashed her a toothy grin. "If ever you get lonely, now, you jist come to me, ya hear?"

"Ehhh…" Kagome made a fast getaway. "InuYasha!" she shouted, her call reverberating off the walls. "InuYasha! Where the heck did he go? Inu-" She stopped short as she suddenly stumbled upon his sleeping form, sprawled on the floor.

He was shirtless.

Her jaw dropped as she drank in his well-muscled chest. With his white hair falling across his tanned torso, and that peaceful look on his sleeping face, he looked like an ancient god.

No. Don't think thoughts like that! "I-InuYasha!" she yelled again, lightly nudging his torso with her foot.

He heard her that time. He jumped to his feet and, out of instinct, grabbed a hold of her and slammed her against the wall, bracing his body against hers.

Her first thought was that InuYasha really did know what he was doing-he seemed to be rather seasoned in espionage (she now realized that the Japanese Army uniform had probably been stolen), and if he was part of the Black Mask, he was not only seasoned, but dangerous.

Her second thought was related to the man pressed against her…

Her face burning, she was about to yell at him to let her go, but he pulled away as quickly as he had come. "Lord, woman," he growled, running a hand through his messy white hair, "unless you want to be-uh-seriously injured, I wouldn't suggest pulling that little stunt again."

"Excuuuse me," Kagome murmured, her eyes still averted.

"So. Now that I'm awake-" he emphasized-"what is it you wanted?"

She shrugged. "The men scared me. And I was lonely. And bored."

"And you woke me up for this?" he said incredulously. "Do you know how many hours of sleep I've had in the past 36 hours?"

"Two?"

"I wish. Try zero."

"You just had fifteen minutes," she said.

"Your point?" He yawned widely. "Go scare the Wimpy Wolf out of his wits and time his reaction. We'll see who has faster reflexes."

She didn't bat an eye at his odd request. She'd worked in a field hospital, after all. "Do you have some kind of rivalry going on?"

"You could say that."

A thought suddenly struck her as she recalled Wolf's response to her likeness to Kikyo. "Did you two fight over Kikyo as well?"

InuYasha immediately stiffened at the name. "No. Why do you ask?"

She shrugged. "His reaction towards me was rather exaggerated, don't you think?"

"No," he said abruptly, slumping to the floor again. "He didn't love Kikyo. And if you want to stay alive in the next hour or so, stop asking such nosy questions, okay?"

"Is that a threat?" exclaimed Kagome.

"You better believe it."

.

.

.

"Houshi-sama?"

"Hmmm?"

"I think I can walk on my own now."

"My dear Sango, I don't want you to overexert yourself."

"You've been carrying me for the whole morning!"

"And…?"

She sighed. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were carrying me just because of your lecherous mind."

"Sango, you wound me!" Even as the words left his mouth, his hand was creeping towards her posterior.

"Don't even think about it, monk."

He sighed. "Really, you have an odd way of showing your gratitude. Perhaps I would have been better off letting you ride with that farmer."

She crossed her arms. "Speaking of which, how can you be sure that farmer was reliable? It was rather trusting of you to dump all those wounded men into his wagon and merely instruct him to drop them off at the hospital in the next town. How do we know he wasn't a Russian sympathizer?"

"Because I paid him a thousand yen for his trouble."

"As if money alone will sway a person's loyalties," she scoffed.

"When you are as poor as a farmer, you would likely sell your soul for money. He'll follow through, I'm sure of it."

Sango sighed. "You are too trusting, Houshi-sama."

"No, just wise in the ways of man." He quirked a brow and gave her a silly grin. She laughed. He appreciated her laugh; he loved to hear that melodious sound.

Then her thoughts returned to the war. He could tell by the fading of her smile and the dimming of the light in her eyes. "What is it, Sango?" he asked gently.

She shook her head. "Just thinking of the explosion. All those people that could have been saved-"

"Don't," Miroku cut in sharply. "Thinking about what could have been will do you no good. Don't let the 'could-have-beens' cast a shadow over the present and future."

"But I can't just forget something like that!" she cried. "You wouldn't understand. I'm a nurse-my entire lifetime is devoted to helping people, saving lives-"

"And because I don't have a medical degree, I don't care about the loss of human life? Is that it?"

Sango flushed and looked away. "I didn't mean it that way."

"You just meant that you are affected more, because of who you are. What you are."

She shrugged uncomfortably. "It sounds so self-centered put that way, but yes, that is what I was thinking. Forgive me, Houshi-sama, I-"

"Don't apologize," he cut in softly. "You are right, in a way. Because your whole life is driven by task of saving people, you probably are more affected. But hear me out: I am older than you, and therefore wiser. Plus, I am a monk. If you let the past cloud your present and future, how can you ever move forward?"

She sighed again. "Easier said than done. But you are right, although I don't quite agree with that 'I am wiser than you' statement. You're a monk, yes, but by no means wiser than me."

"How old are you, Sango?"

Her eyes flashed playfully. "Don't you know that it's rude to ask a woman's age?"

"I don't know who made up that blasted rule," Miroku grumbled. "I think it would be more offensive to ask a man's age, seeing as we don't age as sophisticatedly as women."

"I'm twenty-one," she told him with a cheeky grin. "And just how old are you, Lord Monk?"

"Twenty-four. See? I am your elder."

"But by no means wiser!"

"We shall see about that." He smiled at her, and she returned the favor, warming his heart. This woman had an odd effect on his emotions. He was even willing to bear a painful slap, just to keep that look of sadness out of her eyes…

*SLAP*

"Houshi-sama!" she said in exasperation. "I don't understand you. How can you be such a thoughtful and insightful priest one minute, and then a groping hentai the next?"

He gave her a small, secretive smile. "Anything for you, Sango."

She shot him a quizzical look, but he simply shook his head. "Let's play a game. I'll say the name of an animal that starts with 'A' then you say one that starts with 'B' and so on and so forth."

"Umm…all right…"

She had an adorable befuddled look on her face. While she thought, Miroku openly studied her. What could have caused that sadness that lurked in the depths of those magenta eyes? One so young and sensitive shouldn't have had to endure something that caused so much pain…

"Houshi-sama? It's your turn."

"Right…"

He'd ask her about it later. At the moment, his goal was to keep her mind off anything unpleasant.

.

.

.

"Four-point-six seconds," Kagome announced.

"That long?" InuYasha snorted. "That's pitiful, Wimpy Wolf. What was my reaction time, wench?"

"I don't know. It's not like I was counting."

"Ha. You're full of air, Mutt," Wolf laughed, leaning back against the wall of the cave. "You're probably too ashamed to admit that I beat you."

"You wish. It was around two seconds, wouldn't you say, wench?"

"I told you I don't know. And stop calling me 'wench.'"

"Well then, let's try again, huh? I'm going to fall asleep-you wake me up. Be sure and count this time, ne?"

"No fair!" Wolf exclaimed. "You'll be prepared!"

"Not if I'm asleep, moron."

"Can you really fall asleep that fast?" Kagome asked hesitantly.

"Sure. Wait a few seconds before waking me up, okay?" He settled down on the ground and closed his eyes.

Kagome was up to seven when his breathing became soft and regular. "Is that some kind of trick?" she asked Wolf.

He shrugged. "Secrets of the trade. Grab sleep whenever you can, wherever you can. A sleep-deprived man isn't too picky."

Kagome stared at the sleeping form of InuYasha and giggled when he mumbled something in his sleep. "What's he saying?" she asked Wolf.

"Like I want to know," he grunted. "Go on, wake him up already."

Kagome nudged InuYasha with her foot like before; and yet again found herself pressed up against the wall, this time with InuYasha's knee embedded in her back.

"Ackk… can't…breathe!" she gasped. The weight receded, and she fell backwards onto the hanyou's chest, which naturally made her cheeks flame redder than they already were.

"You did that just go get her in your arms," Wolf grumbled.

"Maybe if I was a shameless flirt like you," retorted InuYasha. "What was my time, wench?"

"Uh, one-and-a-half seconds."

"Ha! Told ya so!" InuYasha said, grinning at Wolf.

"Ungracious winner."

"Jealous cub."

"Immature puppy."

"Half-brained, flea-ridden, ill-mannered-"

"If you two are finished," interrupted a third voice, "I'd like to have a word with both of you."

InuYasha and Wolf, who were by then standing nose to nose, jumped like guilty schoolboys. "Oh, hi, Rocky," they said simultaneously, both looking at the ground.

"Hi. Have a nice sparring session?"

"I won," InuYasha announced proudly.

"I heard."

"Oh… you did?"

"It was hard to miss," Rocky said, grinning a bit. "Will you excuse me for a minute, miss? I need to talk to your captor."

The three men looked at Kagome expectantly for a few moments before she realized Rocky was talking to her.

"Oh! Uh, sure, go right ahead. That is-it's not really my place to say what he can and can't do-"

"You're a female. Isn't ordering men around a woman's job?"

InuYasha and Wolf snickered.

"My initial impression of you," Kagome said sweetly, "is that you would be above cracking chauvinistic jokes. But it looks as if I was mistaken. Are you a misogynist like InuYasha?"

"Touché," Rocky said with an appreciative smile.

"I am not," InuYasha muttered defensively.

"Oh, shut it, Hanyou. You know that women always have the last word." He winked at Kagome. "You sure this one isn't just a captive?"

"Yes," InuYasha said forcefully.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I may look like Kikyo, but that's where the similarities stop."

"You got that right," said InuYasha.

"Your loss," Rocky shrugged. "Okay, Wolf, your turn for briefing."

"Gotcha."

A few seconds later, InuYasha yelped, "Hey! What do you mean 'my loss'?!"

.

.

.

"We know," Rocky said, "that a Russian ship laden with arms is going to port in the Sapporo dock sometime around eight or nine o'clock tonight. It's highly probable that some Black Mask goons will be there to sabotage the liner. Normally I wouldn't protest this, but Prime Minister Yoshida is currently in the middle of trying to negotiate an armistice with the Russians; if that ship explodes, all notions of a treaty will fly out the window."

"Is this knowledge verified?" InuYasha asked.

"Came from the mouths of two Russian privates themselves," Rocky said. "Now that Sapporo is completely under Russian control, the common foot soldiers are celebrating in the taverns-which are still run by the original owners. Blasted soldiers think they're too good to serve themselves. Anyhow, it looks as if Japanese sake is stronger than Russian vodka-those soldiers were dead drunk in less than five minutes."

"Mmm," InuYasha said thoughtfully. "I see how it is. If the ship explodes and the negotiations fail, Yoshida will fall out of favor. Which leaves more room for Naraku to maneuver"

"Precisely. The country is already saddled with extreme rationing, and people are getting tired of war. This could be the straw that breaks the camel's back."

"If it happens that is."

"Exactly." Rocky sighed. "Another Channel man was murdered today."

"Anyone we know?"

"Probably not. He was from the Hiroshima division. One of their best though."

"Naraku's getting bolder," muttered InuYasha, scuffing his military boot in the dirt. "Did I tell you he sent a shape-shifter in the form of Kikyo to me?"

"No. What did it tell you?"

"Not much. I nearly strangled the life out of it before it could feed me any lies."

"You should have at least waited to see what it had to say," Rocky chided mildly.

"It was sent from Naraku-that says enough in itself. I've got a price on my head."

"Yes. But what was his purpose? To lead you to him? To feed you false information? Give you a bogus lead? Next time-"

"There won't be a next time," said InuYasha stubbornly.

"With Naraku there will always be a next time," Rocky said sternly. "Don't underestimate him, Hanyou."

"Yeah, whatever," InuYasha mumbled.

"And Hanyou?" Rocky said seriously. "Be carefully out there. You're one of my best men; I don't want to lose you."

InuYasha stared at his superior. "What was that?"

"You know I'm not going to repeat myself."

"That was a compliment!"

"Stop stating the obvious."

"This is a dangerous assignment, isn't it?" InuYasha said. "If you actually handed out a compliment like that… I could very well lose my life tonight. Am I right?"

"Hanyou, you're liable to lose your life on any mission I give you. I'm just telling you to be extra careful tonight."

"Ah. Right."

There was a moment of comfortable silence before InuYasha suddenly said, "Have you ever heard of a 'Shikon no Tama'?"

Rocky looked at him sharply. "Yes. What about it?"

"The new contact at the field hospital just outside of Sapporo-he said that Naraku is looking for this supposed 'jewel of four souls.'"

"Interesting," Rocky murmured. "I've heard of the legend, of course, but this is the first I've heard of its actual existence. Was it confirmed?"

"Its existence? According to the monk, several times over. Seeing as everything else he's fed me was right on target, I think we have good cause to believe him."

"So, Naraku is in pursuit of this jewel. Why exactly does he want it? Does the jewel have special powers of some sort?"

"All I know is what the song tells us. And that's more cryptic than concrete. Want me to sniff out some info for you?"

"Thanks, but I think I'll give that task to someone else. You just worry about tonight's assignment."

"Right." InuYasha looked over to where that mangy wolf and the look-alike were talking. "Is that all?"

"For now. Are you going to leave the girl here?"

"Of course not. I may run into Naraku-and he'll mistake her for Kikyo, affectively setting my plan into action."

"Your plan? For retribution?"

"That and other…things…"

"Hanyou, don't let your emotions control your actions. Those fickle little buggers can be fatal."

"Yeah, I know."

"Look what happened before. You almost lost your life."

"Yeah, I know…"

"So! Are you going to abandon this foolish little vengeance game?"

"No. But it's not just about vengeance. It's-complicated."

"Everything concerning love is. Just don't let it-whatever it is-control you."

"Yeah…okay…"

"You're dismissed. Tell the Wolf to get his butt over here."

"Right," InuYasha said absently. He started to walk away, then stopped short and spun around. "I almost forgot. The Lightning brothers are in league with Naraku. Hiten, the elder brother, is-well was-the head doctor at the field hospital outside of Sapporo. His name is Kitosumo."

Rocky nodded in approval. "Good work. I'll send word for the Channel to keep an eye out for them. But what did you mean 'was' the head doctor of the hospital? Was he sacked?"

"No. It burned to the ground during the Russian bombardment."

"Ah. And I'm assuming our little Kikyo Duplicate was a nurse at that very hospital."

"Yeah."

"Hm. Interesting. Isn't that where you took Speedy to be fixed up?"

"Yeah…" InuYasha didn't like where this was going."

Rocky smiled. "Say no more, then."

Why did he have to be so damn perceptive?

"Go fetch Wolf for me. And take care of that woman. She could be valuable."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Go on now."

"But-"

"Go."

"Right. Going."

.

.

.

The makeshift fire crackled cheerfully, sending little shadow fairies dancing across the blades of grass. Sango unblinkingly stared into the flames, methodically chewing her piece of bread. Miroku alternated between staring at Sango and his portion of bread.

"Sango?" he finally said.

"Hm? What is it?" Her eyes didn't leave the fire.

"Penny for your thoughts."

She laughed shortly. "They aren't worth that much."

He scooted closer to her on the log they were both sitting on. "Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"

She eyed him warily. "If you can't behave yourself, you can just stay over there."

"I can behave." At her skeptical look he added, "When I want to."

She nodded, satisfied.

"Well?" Miroku prompted. "What were you thinking about?"

She shrugged. "My past life."

"When was that?"

"Before I became a nurse."

"When did you become a nurse?"

"A year ago, when the war started. It was a convenient excuse to leave home."

"Why did you want to?"

She shook her head. "When did you become a priest, Houshi-sama?"

He allowed the change in subject. Perhaps if he told more about himself, she'd open up too. "I actually became a priest when I was sixteen. I'd known I would be one ever since I was small."

"Really? Was your father a priest?"

"Yes. But it wasn't he that I was inspired by. I was raised by an old monk named Mushin." A reminiscent smile crossed his face. "Those were good times."

Sango was looking down again, her cheeks flushed. Was she blushing? Or was it just the effect of the fire?

Miroku always liked to give women the benefit of the doubt. He scooted even closer. "Were you raised by both parents, Sango?"

"My father. My mother died while in childbirth with my brother."

"You have a brother?"

She visibly stiffened. "I did."

"What happened?" he asked softly.

"He-died."

"I'm sorry," Miroku said sincerely. "My father died when I was three. I understand the pain of loss."

"I've put it behind me," she muttered, stuffing the last bit of bread into her mouth. "No use dwelling on the past. Isn't that right, Monk?"

He hated it when his own words backfired against him.

"Right," he said.

They stared at the fire for a while, neither speaking.

"How long will it take before we reach the nearest village?" Sango asked a few minutes later, breaking the silence.

Miroku shrugged. "A day or two, maybe? It'd be a lot quicker if we took the main road, but since we're taking the back route… who knows."

"Do you really think Russians will be patrolling the area? Or are you just being cautious?"

"I am cautious, but never overcautious," Miroku chuckled. "Believe me, if traversing the main road would mean I could sleep in a fine house with beautiful women as servants, I would never settle for the back roads."

"I'm beginning to doubt if you truly are a monk," said Sango. "Aren't monks supposed to give up all aesthetic desires?"

"'Supposed' being the operative word."

"You're such a delinquent."

"Hey," he said in mock offense, "watch what you say to a servant of Buddha, woman."

"Indeed," she said, rather scornfully.

"Why did you react to InuYasha's name that way last night?" Miroku said suddenly. The best way to get answers was to catch people off guard. It was the surest way to collect information, and it usually always worked.

Which was why he was surprised when Sango just looked at him coolly and replied, "React what way?"

"Like you knew him."

"I don't. His name was similar to someone else's I knew."

"You didn't like that person?"

"Did I say that?"

"No, but your tone implied it."

"Oh really."

"Where did you meet him?"

"Who? The person?"

"No, InuYasha."

"I just told you I don't know him!"

"So you said."

Sango jumped to her feet. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"Maybe," Miroku said quietly. "You couldn't have known him in childhood because he grew up in the north and you grew up in the south."

"How do you know where I grew up?" she demanded.

"The way you dress. Your accent. The position you sit in when eating a meal. Your choice of words in prayer."

Sango blinked, looking down at her yukuta and covering her mouth, as if trying to suppress the betraying items.

"He attended the military academy from the age of seven to eighteen, so you didn't know him from there. I would guess that you knew him from there, because you're so skilled at fighting-"

Sango flushed harder at the compliment.

"-but I know for a fact that the school he went to was not coed," Miroku finished. "You didn't meet last year, because you were already a nurse."

"And InuYasha was doing what?"

Miroku raised a brow at her blurted question. She's curious about him. More evidence that she knows him. "Were you lovers?"

"Hell no!" she burst out, shuddering.

A slow smile spread across Miroku's face.

Sango scowled and sat back down on the log, knowing that she'd just given herself away. "That's all you're getting, Monk. I knew him. I didn't like him. Fin."

"Why didn't you like him?"

"You're pushing too hard, Houshi-sama…"

"Is it because he's youkai?"

She jumped to her feet again and stalked off into the darkness.

"Don't wander off too far," Miroku called after her. "It's not safe this time of night."

He winced at the language that she threw back at him. Maybe he had pushed to far…

.

.

.

That jackass! Sango thought furiously as she stalked into the darkness, heedless of where she was going. And to think she actually entertained notions of him having feelings for her! She hadn't blushed that much since kami knows when. And now…

Her hands clenched into fits. It was obvious any admiration he had for her was skin deep. He was only interested in interrogating her about InuYasha. Was the monk one of the hanyou's cohorts?

She ground her teeth. What infuriated her was that she liked the monk. Actually liked him. How long had it been since she'd liked a man that way?

You poor dreamer, she taunted herself. Thinking he liked you back. Chances are, he probably acts that way around any and every woman.

He was a playboy. And she had foolishly fallen for his tricks, thinking that he liked her too.

But what did he call the past two days they'd spent together? They joked with each other, played games, and she even opened up a bit. He was interested, caring… and what about when he rescued her? He'd gone back inside to find her! And he'd sounded so sincere-

Words are cheap. What was his explanation for his sudden shift to interrogator?

Face it, Sango. It's your destiny to be unlucky in love. She heaved a sigh.

Something snapped behind her. She whirled around, her eyes darting from side to side. She had a dagger stuck up her sleeve, but that was it. What she wouldn't give for her trusty Hiraikotsu right now!

What would the monk think of that? she thought humorlessly. He knew InuYasha somehow, which meant he consorted with demons. What would he think of her, a former demon exterminator?

'Former.' That was a laugh. She'd give up nursing in a heartbeat to return to her old job.

But that was impossible. There was no point in kidding herself.

Another twig snapped. Sango tensed, unconsciously taking her fighting stance. It could just be an animal, she told herself. There's no point in getting all paranoid.

Her eyes narrowed. Was that a shadow emerging from the woods? She slipped her hand up her sleeve, and curled her fingers 'round the handle of the dagger.

"You can replace that dagger, Madam Exterminator," a voice said from the shadows. "We don't want to cause you any trouble."

Two more shadows appeared. Bandits?

"Unless of course," the voice continued, "you show resistance."

"What do you want?" she called out.

"Retribution," the voice answered. "For our dead comrades."

The moonlight illuminated the shadows.

Sango's breath caught in her throat.

.

.

.

"Say what?"

"Get-on-my-back."

"What the devil for?"

"Because you're too damn slow, that's why."

"Just wait one minute." Kagome crossed her arms. "Where are you going? Why do you find it necessary to take me? I could stay here with Wolf-he could make sure I didn't run away or whatever."

"Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you?" InuYasha straightened from his hunched-over position and muttered an afterthought that sounded something like, "You women are all the same."

"You didn't answer my question," Kagome reminded him.

"You're coming because I need you to do something for me."

"And what would that be?"

"Just stand by my side and look like you know what you're doing."

Kagome blinked at him. "Huh?"

"Would you just get on?"

"No! I want to know what the hell is going on, who the devil you are, and why there is a conglomerate of youkai lounging around this cave!" She stamped her foot.

"Temper, temper." InuYasha regarded her for a minute, thinking.

If he told her who he was and what he did, she would have to stay under his or Wolf's or someone's protection until the war ended. Or maybe forever.

He couldn't trust her to stay quiet with information like this-not that he expected her to run down the main street of downtown Tokyoyelling out the Channel's secrets, but information like that could cause her to become a target, like himself. Naraku would stoop to anything to gain inside Channel information; he wouldn't blink an eye at killing an innocent girl like Kagome.

He rolled his shoulder. Maybe Rocky was right. Retribution was too complicated.

"Okay, wench, this is how it is," he said slowly, crossing his fingers behind his back. "These youkai and I are all part of a shipping company. We're hiding out in this cave because our main office is in Sapporo and probably housing a bunch of Russies right now.

"Obviously, it's quite dangerous when we try to retrieve our imports and then export stuff at a dock that is covered in Russians and Italians. But we can't just abandon our company-for one, we would all starve, and two, the rest of the country is already on extreme rationing. So, I need you to come with me to the docks, so we can convince the guards that this is a boat full of Russian supplies."

"Oh, is that all?" Kagome said in relief. "And here I thought you were part of that radical youkai group, the Black Mask. That's a big relief."

He smiled faintly. Man, was this one was naïve.

"But-" Kagome frowned-"how are we, two Japanese people, going to convince the Russian guards that the ship is theirs?"

"Easy," InuYasha said flippantly. "I wear the garb of a docker; you wear a nurse's uniform. It's not a complete lie that way." It was easier to keep your lies straight if there was some truth in your fabrication.

"My eyes," she said, pointing to the objects. "Do these look Russian to you?"

"So I captured you," he replied, rolling his eyes. "Use your imagination, woman. Common foot soldiers are extremely gullible. And besides, it's dark. How much will he be able to see besides your dress and long hair?"

"All right," she said reluctantly. "But I still don't understand why I need to go along."

He sighed. This one was a little slow. "You're a young, beautiful woman. These men probably haven't seen a woman in a year or so. He'll be so flabbergasted by your beauty that he will do anything I ask him."

"Bull," she said, although her cheeks were tinged pink.

He smirked. Score. I win. "Okay, then, let's go!"

"No, wait…"

For the love of Buddha, what now?!

"You still left some things unanswered," she said. "Why did you kidnap me in the first place?"

"Because the very place where we were standing was going to be overrun by Russians in a few minutes. Was I supposed to leave you there and let you die? Or worse, be captured and raped?"

"How did you know it was going to be overrun by Russians? And how did you know that more bombs were on the way."

"He heard it in a bar, okay?" InuYasha jerked his head towards Rocky, who had finished with Wolf and was now listening to the conversation with amusement. "Russian privates get drunk very easily."

"Oh." Apparently she couldn't find any loopholes in his story, because she walked behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "And you'll bring me back after I help you?"

"Bring you back where?"

"To the hospital of course."

"Um, sorry to break it to you, wench, but the hospital ain't there no more."

"Huh?" She stared at him, nonplused. "What do you mean?"

"It burned down soon after we left," he explained, a little less gruffly than before.

"Burned down?" she repeated, her eyes wide with shock. "But-what about all the patients? All those wounded soldiers? The doctors and nurses?"

"Well-hopefully they evacuated beforehand." He offered her the only lifeline he could think of. What was she so upset about? This was war. If she couldn't handle death, she had no business being a nurse.

"Oh," she said, the light in her eyes dimming a bit. She turned her head away and drew in a shuddering breath. "Let's go then."

"Right." He pulled her onto his back, relieved that she'd dropped the topic. "Say bye to Wolf and Rocky."

She snorted. "What for? I'm never gonna see them again."

"All the more reason to give them your regards."

She gave his doggy ears a tug (the concealment spell had long worn off by then) before turning around and yelling, "Sayonara, Wolf, Rocky! Nice meeting you!"

"Ja ne, Kagome!" Kouga yelled back at her.

Oh, right, that's her name. Stupid ladies' man.

As expected, Rocky said nothing.

InuYasha took off, running slightly slower than before, now that he had this wench's weight on his back. He felt her arms tighten around his neck. "Oy, not so tight, wench! Do you want me to choke?"

"Gomen ne." Her grip loosened. "How long till we get there?"

He shrugged. "Not long to get out of these woods, but we'll have to walk after that. How suspicious would it look if we arrived on the docks, my hair windblown, and you clutching my neck for dear life?"

"Less suspicious than these things right here," she said, plucking at his ears again and giggling.

"Oy, wench, commandment number one: thou shalt not touch InuYasha's ears!"

.

.

.

What was taking Sango so long?

Miroku used his staff to draw patterns in the dirt. He hadn't expected her to get so upset with his questioning. The lovers comment had caused more of a reaction than he'd planned. Actually, he'd just thrown it out on a whim, not expecting to hit a nerve.

And then the youkai comment… that had been the last straw.

He frowned. How long had she been gone? Maybe he should go check on her.

No, it was probably best to let her blow off some steam first.

Too bad Kagome-sama wasn't around to help him bring Sango around. Skilled as he was at dealing with women, he wasn't all that great at making amends.

Speaking of Kagome-sama, where had that disappeared to? As he'd said to Sango, he'd left her with InuYasha when he ran back into the hospital. Since he'd only met with the hanyou that one time, he had no way of knowing what InuYasha would do in that situation.

If the rumors circulating around the Channel were to be trusted, the hanyou had been badly hurt by a woman. He didn't know all the details, but it was said that the woman had been working for the Channel, and then unexpectedly switched loyalties and started working for Naraku.

With that in mind, it wasn't likely that he would take Kagome-sama with him. After that traitor wench, he probably wasn't prone to trusting women-

A bone-chilling thought struck him and his staff abruptly stopped its circulatory motion.

What if Sango-?

No. Impossible.

She couldn't have been the hanyou's lover, and later, betrayer. That was too far-fetched to be believable.

But then, why the reaction to his name? Why the fervent denial when he'd asked if they were lovers? With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he remembered Kitosumo Hiten. It would be all too easy for them to exchange reports.

The scar on her back.

Allegedly, the wench and InuYasha had fought before she turned on him. Over what, he wasn't sure, but-that scar on Sango's back looked an awful lot like a claw scratch.

Kami-sama. He rubbed his forehead. I'm assuming an awful lot here. I have absolutely no evidence that Sango and InuYasha's wench are the same woman.

But still…

He hastily got to his feet. She'd been gone too long for just a fit of temper. What if she was in trouble?

What if she'd gone off to meet with a Black Mask member?

Miroku flinched. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. She's in trouble. Go, gallant knight, and save thy fair lady!

Right… he really should stop reading Shakespeare when insomnia hit.

.

.

.

"Look a little angrier," InuYasha whispered.

Kagome screwed up her face into a scowl. "How's this?"

"Better. Don't stand so close to me-you hate me, remember?"

"Right." She put a few feet between them as they walked along the wooden docks.

"Good. Now just stay by me and don't say a word."

She nodded mutely.

He sighed. She thought he was going to pull the wool over a Russian guard's eyes…in truth, they just had to hang around the docks, lying in wait for Naraku's goons to show up. And when they did show up, he would either have to incapacitate or kill them-after he made sure they got a good look at Kagome.

He ambled around the docks, his eyes and ears missing nothing. His doggy ears may have been concealed, but they were still there.

"InuYasha?" Kagome said out of the side of her mouth.

"Not in public!" he hissed.

"Um… whatever-your-name-is, how long is this going to take?"

"As long as it does."

"Why do I get the feeling there's something you're not telling me?" she muttered crossly.

He smirked. Ignorance was bliss.

.

.

.

"I take it you're not going to be leaving without a fight?" Sango asked calmly.

"That's right," the first demon said. "Not until we avenge our brothers."

"Who had already killed many children in my village," Sango retorted angrily. "An eye for an eye. Go avenge your brothers elsewhere. I wasn't the only exterminator that attacked your tribe."

"We have already killed the others," the second informed her. "And now we shall do the same to you."

"Too bad you don't have that pretty boomerang with you," the third sneered. "It was a blow from that weapon that killed my twin. I was looking forward to biting it in half."

"So sorry to disappoint you," Sango gritted, holding her stance. Three youkai against one human, and she was without a weapon, save the tiny dagger she had.

I'll bet that monk doesn't even realize how much time has elapsed. He's probably snoring his cares away this very moment.

She frantically thought over her options, while working hard to keep a straight face. Climb a tree? They were cougar youkai, they could jump. Run in the opposite direction? They were two times as fast as her. Kill one, and deal with the other two at the same time?

One, two, three, which will it be?

She didn't have time to make a decision. The first youkai pounced on her, knocking her to the ground. Black spots danced before her eyes and she automatically kicked upwards, the strength of both legs throwing the youkai off of her.

She struggled to her feet, knowing full well that the other two wouldn't waste any time coming to the aid of their brother. Still, she was somewhat surprised when she was hit from behind and thrown to the ground again.

Curse this useless skirt. What I wouldn't give for my exterminator's uniform right now.

She'd been thrown against a tree, and with her skirt she couldn't get to her feet quick enough. Dammit. She winced as she felt the demon's claws sink into her arm.

Not even taking time to whisper a split-second prayer, she hurled her dagger towards the demon, and heaved a sigh of relief when it struck its throat. The demon stopped in mid-strike and tumbled to the ground.

The stunned one had recovered its wits and was charging towards her from the right. The other-the other was coming from the left.

And she was still stuck on the ground, her skirt and bruised legs rendering her helpless. Kami-sama! She closed her eyes and prayed for her soul.

The last thing she expected was to hear a deafening explosion. A wave of heat hit her, and she felt herself being propelled backwards into the tree again. Her head struck the wood with a sickening crunch, and then all went black.

.

.

.

"InuYasha," Kagome complained, "it's been three hours already. Go find a blasted Russian guard and talk to him! What are you waiting for?"

"Hush, wench," he said, his eyes not leaving the two women that had been wandering around the docks for an hour.

"Look, if you want to go ask one of them out, go do it!"

He gave her a look that clearly said, You moron.

"And where is that blasted ship? I'm cold. And tired. I've been up all night. Can't you drop me off at the hospital ruins? There could be some survivors-"

"Would you shut it already?" he said out of the corner of his mouth. "They're watching us. At least the older one is. Stop blabbering."

What's his problem? Kagome turned to study the two women. They were a good twenty yards away, and in the darkness it was hard to see any defining features. The one was considerably shorter than the woman InuYasha claimed was watching them. She looked more like a child than a woman.

A flash of light caught her eye. She squinted towards the water and could just barely make out the outline of a ship. "I think the ship's arrived," she whispered.

"I know. I heard it a few minutes ago."

Well, now she was officially useless.

Hopefully after the ship came InuYasha could do his transactions with the captain or whatever, and she could finally return to nursing.

"Is that woman from a competing shipping company?" she asked, making sure to keep her voice low. "Does she want first dibs on the imported goods?"

He gave her an unreadable look. "Something like that…"

Fine. If he didn't want to talk, neither would she. She lapsed into a moody silence, wishing she had somewhere to sit.

The ocean breeze was playing havoc with her hair. Annoyed, she tried to twist it into a knot, but to no avail. She glanced at InuYasha, who was looking very tense. He was alternately tapping each foot, and consistently cracking his knuckles. His face was set, and his gaze never wavered from the women.

"InuYasha," she tried, "what's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that! Something's up. You've become more tense as time passes, we haven't even seen a Russian guard and-damn this wind! Is there a storm coming or something? It's picked up faster than I've ever seen in the past minute or so!"

"You noticed too? I knew it. Stop flicking that fan, you damn bitch."

"Huh?" Kagome looked down at her hands. Fan? What the devil is he talking about?

Then she noticed a white fan in the hand of the taller woman. Is he talking to her? What does he care if she uses a fan? I am so confused… and now my chest hurts too…

She sucked in a breath, shifting uncomfortably.

"You okay?"

Kagome looked up, surprised. He was actually inquiring about her state of being? "Not really. I'm getting these weird chest pains all of a sudden-"

"Thought so. Kikyo did too. It's the youki that's bothering you."

Kagome nearly missed the second comment because she was dwelling on the fact that he'd willingly talked about Kikyo. "Youki? What do you mean?"

"They're youkai, smart one. It's because you're a miko. Their presence is irritating to you." He rolled a shoulder. "It was like pulling teeth to get Kikyo to go anywhere. She never complained, but you could tell the youki really hurt her..."

He glanced down at her, then quickly looked away, his expression hardening again, as if he suddenly snapped out of a trance. Kagome got the feeling she wouldn't be hearing any more about Kikyo any time soon.

Youkai. She fixed her gaze on the woman, who was now swishing her fan more intently. But that doesn't make sense. My chest didn't hurt like this around Wolf or Rocky or InuYasha. Is it a female thing? No, that doesn't make sense either. This feeling is almost-evil-

She shook her head and laughed a little. Evil presence. Sounded like a fairy tale of some sort-

Then it suddenly clicked. Youki. The waiting. The boat. The two demons and InuYasha, staring each other down like in a competition of some sort. A blast from the past hit her and she turned her head to stare accusingly at InuYasha.

"You bastard."

"What's your problem?" He didn't turn to look at her. The ship was coming closer.

"You lied to me. You're not part of a shipping company. There is no shipping company! You are part of the Black Mask, aren't you? Tell me the truth, or I swear I will leave right now!"

"I wouldn't suggest doing that," he said calmly. "That ship is going to explode in a few minutes, and let me tell you that the shock waves aren't gonna be pretty."

"Why should I believe that? Why should I believe anything you tell me?"

"I was trying to keep you out of this, you nosy wench," he gritted, "but 'curiosity killed the cat', ne? I'm not part of the Black Mask. Never was, never will be. Those women over there, however, are. They are going to blow up that ship. And since The Bastard sent the Wind Witch and her little transparent sister, I have no way of stopping the explosion."

"Why in the seven hells would they want to blow up that ship?"

"It's full of Russian armaments. Yoshida is in the middle of peace negotiations with the Tsar. If that ship explodes, there goes any hope of an armistice."

"But-that's retarded! Do they want this war to be prolonged?"

"Not…exactly." He let out a breath. "It's complicated."

"Obviously!" Kagome turned on her heel. "I'm leaving."

Two strong arms grasped her waist and pulled her against a muscular chest. "What the hell-?"

"Sorry, wench. You pried. You can't leave."

"H-huh?"

"You can identify Rocky, Wolf, and me, and unwittingly offer incriminating information-"

"Incriminating?" she squeaked.

"To the enemy. Don't worry, I'm not breaking the law," he said, rolling his eyes.

"So…I can't leave."

"Nope. Sorry. Looks like you're stuck with me for a while. Hope you like dogs."

"Let me go!" She struggled to break out of his embrace, but she soon realized that even mere hanyous had insane strength.

"Whatever you say, wench." He smiled enigmatically and loosened his grip.

"Why the hell are you-" Kagome cried out as she felt herself being driven backwards by the extreme gusts of winds that were blowing her way. InuYasha was becoming smaller and smaller… "Don't just stand there, help me!" she yelled at him.

"Hang on, Kikyo, I'm coming!" he yelled back, and charged towards her.

Kikyo? Is he losing his mind? "I'm not-" she started to yell, but was cut off when InuYasha's hand covered her mouth as he pulled her back into his embrace.

"Still want me to let go?" He smirked in that infuriating way of his.

"I'm Kagome," she said, wanting to clear this little misconception up.

"I know."

"Why did you call me Kikyo?"

"For reasons of my own. Don't worry, I'm not going senile."

This guy is seriously deranged.

The winds were picking up now, obviously a correlation to the quickly approaching ship. "Isn't there anything you can do to save the ship?" she shouted, trying to be heard over the roaring of the wind.

"I can't get near that bitch with this wind nearly blowing me to the next town. My 'Claws of Blood' can't travel that far, and she would just repel them with her wind, anyway. There's nothing I can do now."

"And you're okay with this?!" she shrieked.

"Of course I'm not!" he yelled back, glaring.

"Then why do you sound so apathetic?"

"What, would you rather I burst into tears? This is war, wench. Letting your emotions run you dry won't help anything."

"Are you speaking from experience?"

"That's none of your business," he said sharply.

She let it go. For now. "So there's absolutely nothing we can do?"

"Zilch."

A thought suddenly struck her and she blurted it out before she had time to think about it. "If Kikyo was here, what would she do?"

InuYasha's gaze hardened into a death glare. "Why do you care, bitch?"

He was so stubborn! "Just answer my question!"

"She would probably purify that Wind Witch woman faster than you could say-" He blinked-"Kagome!"

"Well, that's an odd choice to insert into the phrase-"

"No-Kagome! You're a miko! How powerful are you? Can you purify that demon over there?"

"I'm…not sure. I'm not really-experienced with my powers. I can probably cut a path in the wind, but that's it."

"That's enough." Still holding tight to her, he turned so that his back was towards the wind, and she was facing the Wind Witch. "Can you purify on command?"

"I-I think so."

"When I say so," he said, his golden eyes boring into her own, "I want you to cut a path in the wind directly towards that woman with the fan. If she tries to strike the wind back up, purify the winds again, so I have a clear path. Capice?"

"Yes. But how are you-"

"Just trust me, 'kay?"

Oh, that's rich. "Trust me" from the guy who lied through his teeth to me with no qualms whatsoever. "All right…"

He fixed his gaze on the ship, which was now very close to docking. "All right, get ready. Three... two… one… Now!"

Kagome took a deep breath and focused her energy, concentrating on the youki. She aimed towards the Wind Witch and let go of the concentration.

The familiar pink light appeared, and the hurricane-like winds ceased in a three-foot-wide radius.

InuYasha withdrew his arms and shot towards the Wind Witch.

Kagome watched the look of bewilderment and fear play across the woman's face, now illuminated by her pink miko energy. The witch raised her hand to flick her fan again, but Kagome was ready. She focused her energy, and another pink beam dissolved the powerful winds.

InuYasha was nearly on top of the Wind Witch. "SANKON-"

"Dragon Blades Dance!" the Witch cried.

Kagome gasped as blood spurted from InuYasha's side. He cringed slightly, but kept charging forward. "CLAWS OF-"

The Witch's wrist was poised, ready to snap her fan and release another gust of torrential winds. Kagome frenetically channeled her anger, fear, and confusion and released her energy.

The pink blast hit the Witch forcibly just as InuYasha finished, "-EXORCISIM!"

The Witch flew backwards in the air and landed hard on the dock. Her pale companion hurried over to her and knelt at her side.

The boat docked with a loud detonation of its horn. The gangplank fell onto the wooden dock with a heavy clang.

Kagome sagged in relief. They'd done it. She didn't know when she'd felt so exhausted, yet elated at the same time. Was this why InuYasha did this? For the thrill?

The Witch was painstakingly pulling herself up to a sitting position with the help of her companion. Her kimono was torn in a few places across the front. InuYasha still stood a few feet away, breathing heavily. Kagome shivered at the blood stain slowly spreading across his white shirt.

The Witch's mouth was moving. Kagome strained to hear what she was saying.

"Fool," the Witch was laughing. "You think you're so smart. Diverted a disaster did you? Hanyou, the little hero. What will your boss say when he realizes you let a far worse tragedy slip by you unnoticed?"

"What crap are you spouting, bitch?" he snarled, not moving from his position. "Those lies Naraku pays you to pass on won't work."

"Believe what you wish," she said, shrugging. She smoothed back the pieces of her hair that fallen out of the bun on the back of her head. "If I were you, I would go check on Prime Minister Yoshida. But do take your time. He won't be going anywhere anytime soon as a corpse."

"What?" gasped Kagome.

InuYasha stilled. Kagome could almost see the wheels turning in his head, as she watched him anxiously.

"Dammit," she heard him swear. He bounded over to her and scooped her up into his arms bridal-style. "Don't think I'm finished with you, bitch!" he yelled over his shoulder. "We'll finish this another day!"

"Sayonara, Hanyou!" the Witch laughed. "Next time it'll be you who goes home in a body bag!"

As they sprinted away into the night, Kagome asked quietly, "Was she lying, InuYasha?"

He didn't answer right away. "Rocky was still at the cave when we left. That's not to say he can't get from place to place on a moment's notice, but he gave no indication of even having a hint of something else going on besides this." He blew out a breath. "Looks as if The Bastard really might have foiled us this time."